To View Article - Francesca Cruz

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CESiak View
By Laura Gonzalez Arriaga
Tulum, México
Ecotourism at its Greenest
By Francesca Cruz
A place where Pre-Colombian ruins rest alongside the sea, one can understand why the Mayan
Kings considered this destination a place of wonder and worship. The only way to truly understand
the beauty of such a place is to venture to see it for yourself...
N
estled in the Yucatan Peninsula and
perched on a bluff that overlooks
the aqua and emerald Caribbean
Sea is the archeological paradise
of Tulum, whose name derives from the Mayan
word for ‘wall’. An unassuming walled city that
stands in contrast to the majestic landscape that
envelops it, and a bohemian fishing port known
for its secluded beaches and alabaster white
sand—here accommodations primarily consist of
boutique hotels that offer thatched campestral
cabañas on the beach.
When it comes to tourism, the ‘eco’ variety reflects
an endeavour to conserve and enhance the bioculture diversity of an area while improving the
welfare of the local people. One such place that
has popped-up in Tulum—in every sense of the
word—has taken that practice to the next level with
the pop-up hotel, Papaya Playa Project (originally
It’s a place that combines an awareness of
the environment with an appreciation for local
culture and a continuing deep devotion for the
ancient Mayan civilization and its ruins. The
main sites are El Castillo, a watchtower of Toltec
influence; The Temple of the Frescoes; and The
Temple of the Descending God, all located in
what is considered today one of the best beach
destinations in the world: the Mayan Riviera.
Praised by the international community for
leading the way in sustainable ecotourism,
Tulum has gone from sleepy port city to a
thriving hub for ecological consciousness.
“Sounds fancy”—you may be thinking to
yourself—followed by, “what exactly does that
mean?”
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CESiak the Roseate Spoonbill
(Ajaia ajaja) Bird
By: Jorge Machado
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Thatched Huts (Cabañas) on Papaya Playa
The ever-present street vendors at the pyramids are
at the ready to sell you a Nefertiti paper weight or
something else that you can’t possibly live without.
Yucatan
An endemic bird , the beautiful
cus)
tani
Yuca
Jay (Cyanacorax
By: Jorge Machado
Cabañas Copal and Papaya Playa).
Emilio Heredia, owner of the prior
resort gave his thumbs up to Berlinbased A DESIGN HOTELS™, to
initiate their first ‘pop-up camp’.
DESIGN brought in its creative group
and within six weeks had renovated
the camp, integrating local material
and building techniques, alongside
Bauhaus-esque furnishings and rustic
embellishments. The 90 restored
cabañas feature elements such as
high thread-count sheets, flowing
mosquito nets and plush thick towels
to combine simple pleasures with a
light dose of contemporary luxury. A
short stroll from the entrance guests
will find the Beach Shack bar and
lounge, serving up seasonal local
food from the grill and the Papaya Recording Studio, where
international DJs spin in the open air. The final result is a
revamped raw-luxe camp that integrates the components
of a rustic and communal spirit with urban décor in a
Caribbean setting. Next up for A DESIGN HOTELS™
is setting up in Mykonos where, just as in Tulum, they
will arrive, assess, revamp and stay for six months until
moving on to the next pop-up project.
A thirty-minute drive south down a backwoods narrow
road will bring you to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve,
1.3 million acres of protected wetlands declared in 1986
as a World Heritage Site
by the United Nations’
UNESCO program.
Within the Sian Ka’an,
Mayan for “where the
sky is born”, is El Centro
Ecologico Sian Ka’an
(CESiak); an educational
centre that operates
using a rainwater
collection system,
composting, solar and
wind technologies and
serves as a model for
a sustainable tropical
ecosystem.
Bare/throated Tiger-Heron
(Trigrosoma Mexicanum)
By: Jorge Machado
121
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CESiak by Jorge Machado
CESiak also provides accommodations for
visiting ecotourists—integrating human activity
without disrupting the natural reserve. It is
the largest protected area in the Mexican
Caribbean, boasting 103 known mammal
species, 336 bird species, 23 known
archeological sites, and an important nesting
site for two endangered sea turtle species.
CESiak is distributed into zones, the buffer
zone being where the sustainable provisions
and low-impact human activities take place
while the core zones Cayo Culebras, Muyil, and
Uaymil cover 700,000 acres of lush native flora
and fauna and access is limited to scientific
researchers.
Tulum has become a hotbed for tourists
with an inclination for environmental issues a
truly magical place where you can enjoy the
opportunity to immerse yourself in an exotic
environment all the while contributing to
conserve its natural beauty. •
As the sun falls on CESiak
By: Jorge Machado
getting there: Qatar Airways to Houston connecting into Cancun.
Just a 45 minute drive from Cancun to Tulum.
Staying there: There are a few beautiful resorts that we recommend,
Villas Geminis, +52(984)116-6204/114-1286. E-mail: hernanarthur@gmail.com.
Casa Violeta, +52(984)879-0294. www.casavioletatulum.com.
Posada Margherita, +52(984)801-8493.
E-mail:reservationa@posadamargherita.com. www.posadamargherita.com
CESiak
By: Jorge Machado
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