Authentic Mayan Cuisine Cultural Tour

Overview

Available languages

English

Mobile ticket

Experience authentic Mayan cuisine while also learning customary pottery-making techniques. A full-day trip from San Ignacio to a Maya village of San Antonio takes you to the San Antonio Women’s Cooperative where you can uncover the surprisingly flavorful diet of the Maya and the techniques used to create their main dishes. Visitors have the opportunity to learn more about Mayan pottery and then enjoy a mouthwatering traditional local lunch. After lunch, we head back to San Ignacio to visit Ajaw Chocolate where we learn about the discovery of the world’s favorite comfort food, Chocolate. Discover how the ancient Maya became pioneers in the chocolate industry today.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Vegetarian meal option available upon request

Comfortable walking shoes are recommended

Due to the nature of this tour and the safety of all guests, the tour operator reserves the right to refuse service to passengers who are intoxicated or show signs of intoxication. If, as a result, your tour is canceled, you will not be entitled to a refund

Children must be accompanied by an adult

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Rum punch

Local guide

Transport by private vehicle from San Ignacio and back

Lunch with a drink

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

What To Expect

San Antonio

San Antonio Village locally known as “Osh Multun Kakab” is a community of 3,500 people most of which share Mayan roots. The village currently practices subsistence agriculture, most farmers in the area grow crops such as peanuts, corn, squash, and beans, much like their ancestors, and sell their products at the San Ignacio market or local restaurants. A local Women’s Group made up of nine Mayan women formed the San Antonio Women’s Co-op, to support and empower women and youths of San Antonio by preserving culture and traditional arts and crafts. The women started the cooperative to find a way to earn an income, learn new skills, and share their traditional knowledge not only with the younger generation but also with visitors looking to know more about the Mayan world. This tour offers an Authentic cultural experience, from the women dressed in their traditional and colorful clothing to griding their corn using the tools of the ancient Maya, true to their heritage.

5 hours • Admission Not Applicable

Located in San Ignacio Town, Ajaw Chocolate takes visitors back to the time of the ancient Maya when chocolate was served only to the elite. When we hear chocolate today, we think about rectangular chocolate bars or even triangular or heart-shaped pieces. However, the origin of chocolate stems from seeds found in a green, yellow, orange, red, purple, or maroon ellipse-shaped fruit (Cacao) that had to be fermented, ground, and made into a paste for tea. Visitors can experience true Mayan chocolate made using a traditional Mayan Stone. See how the seeds are ground into a paste and taste the rich chocolate drink with added spices just like the Elite of the ancient Maya consumed.

45 minutes • Admission Included

Options

Cultural Tour of Cayo District

Pickup included

Reviews

4.33

3 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Decent
Grabador,
Dec 24, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
I went on two tours with Maya Walk. One went as planned, the second did not represent what was advertised. After the second tour, I emailed the company to try to resolve the problem. When I didn't hear back, I wrote a negative review on TripAdvisor. After 11 months, someone at the company reached out to try to resolve the issues. They issued me a refund and explained the situation, along with what changes they made to prevent such issues in the future. This sounded plausible. I'm no longer in Belize, so I can't verify everything they said. Considering their delayed response, but that they explained the changes, I've updated my review from 1 star (original) to 4. Tour 1: ATM CaveThe tour was great. I'm writing this 11 months after I took the tour, but what I remember most is that the actual tour of the cave is likely similar across companies. Maya Walk gives you protective equipment, and my understanding is that some companies do not provide this, and those questionable companies will take a different route into the cave to avoid rangers. Maya Walk appears to follow the laws, including "no cameras or cell phones in the caves". The protective equipment we were given was in decent shape, and our guide was informative. The pictures on the website are an accurate representation of what I experienced. Tour 2: MennonitesThe second tour I took is no longer offered. I went to the Women's Coop, then had a driving tour of Spanish Lookout. I was led to believe I would go to Barton Creek instead, and be able to interact with the Amish there. The distinction is critical because Barton Creek is where the traditional Amish live (minimal technology), while Spanish Lookout is home to the enterprising Amish (they embrace technology).The Women's Coop can be fun since it's interactive (making tortillas and pottery). Beware, as it also feels a bit contrived. I say this because when I went, the person working the pottery wheel explained that they were just some random person who learned pottery because it was a job. I expected that they would have some connection to the Mayan, but if there was, I didn't hear about it.After this, I had the driving tour. We drove through the Spanish Lookout farming community and because the guide had farming experience, and could speak from first hand knowledge about the community. This was not my priority, and I would have preferred to speak to the folks of Barton Creek. As I said at the onset, this tour is no longer offered, though Maya Walk offers a tour that goes to the Women's Coop. I've included my original review (written in Feb 2024 about my experience in Jan 2024) which focuses on trust so that you can see my changes in attitude, and I've marked a few areas where I provide relevant parts of the response from Maya Walk. [Original] This negative review is based on my experience with the company - despite anything positive, I would not do business with them again. They did not deliver the tour that they advertised on their website, and when I shared my experience with them (via email), they did not respond. I hope this review helps others understand that MayaWalk will take your money, but will not care about the services/tours they deliver. [Update] Note that they reached out to me in Dec 2024. [Original] They were accommodating in the planning aspects: I wanted to go on a tour that didn't have anyone else on it, so they offered to take a note that I would be willing to pay for a second spot in order to go on the tour. A day before the tour, while I was in their office, since no one else had signed up, they discussed the options (pay for the extra spot, or go on any of the other tours that were running). I opted to pay for an extra spot to meet the minimum number of passengers. The tour was the Maya and Mennonite Cultural Village Tour. The tour did not match the description from the MayaWalk website. Specifically: 1. Regarding the Mayan portion of the tour, the website says "...Tour this lovely village and get a firsthand look at living Mayan culture..." We went to the women's co-op and saw how they manually mill corn as well as learned about pottery. This was interesting, but is a misrepresentation of "tour this lovely village." Additionally, the description suggests one could wander around to see the various activities, yet only 2 were available. 2. The website talks at length about the Barton Creek Mennonites and how they are "much like the Amish" and eschew technology. Instead of interacting with the Barton Creek Mennonites, I received a _driving tour_ of the Spanish Lookout Mennonite community, which embraces technology in their multifaceted businesses. This is quite a divergence from the website explanation: "Come explore this fascinating and reserved culture ... how things were before cell phones, cars, iPads, and even before electricity." Had I been accurately informed about this tour, I would not have purchased my ticket for it, let alone paid for a second (vacant) spot to meet the minimum number of people. [Update] Maya Walk said that they hired someone to ensure the accuracy of the information on their website. They elaborated to discuss how there was a lack of internal communication about the tour as it was modified yet the website was not updated. [Original Review] I shared my experience with MayaWalk via email using the description above, and asked for a partial refund. I never heard back from them. For this reason, I will never do business with them again. Additionally, I hope this review helps others understand that MayaWalk will take your money, but will not care about the services/tours they deliver. [Update] The General Manager at Maya Walk indicated they are enhancing how they handle customer feedback. Also, I will share that they provided me a full refund for this tour. In their email, they took responsibility for the misses and sounded genuine in trying to resolve these issues going forward.
Interactive Tour
833krisc,
Feb 9, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
Jasmine was an excellent guide. The Mayan women’s cooperative was interesting and engaging. We ground corn for tortillas and enjoyed an excellent lunch. They were accommodating for a vegetarian meal. Since it was Sunday there was not much to see of the Mennonites, but Jasmine was very knowledgeable.
Fantastic
Ann B,
Aug 13, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00
We had a fantastic excursion learning about the Mayan culture today. Such wonderful people and delicious food. We will do this tour again for sure.