For four generations the owners of Hacienda Chichen have taken the utmost care to preserve the hacienda's
own
historical legacy
as well as the
Maya cultural traditions and values,
while protecting the pristine natural environment of
the property. This green hotel owners, staff and management team, composed by 99% local
indigenous
Maya rural people, are committed to an eco-cultural vision
and social
mission that follows an innovating set of Sustainable Tourism
programs, encourage sound ecological practices, and help improve the
well-being of Maya rural people within the region of
Chichen Itza, Mexico.
Since 2008,
Hacienda Chichen Resort has been annually
included in National Geographic Editors' favorite green "Hotels we Love: Stay
List," due to our sustainable commitment and soulful green
living practices, friendly ambiance and commitment to serve with
care
traveler visiting Yucatan and
Chichen Itza.
All our eco-friendly hotel practices and efforts are constantly
updated and innovated with new green technology to protect the
environment. Our hotel is now also a
Pet-Friendly hotel,
mainly dogs
and cats,
so dog-lovers and pet-owners can enjoy fully their
vacation time
with no worries, if their pet is well behaved.
Since
the early 1990s,
All our eco-friendly hotel practices and efforts are constantly
updated and innovated with new green technology to protect the
environment. Our green hacienda hotel protects
wildlife, and has dedicated its
vast land property as a
Bird Refuge and Maya Jungle
Nature Reserve. The hotel staff and owners are actively engaged in
social care programs for the welfare of Maya families and to
encourage regional sustainable tourism development,
in an effort to preserve the environment and Maya cultural legacy in
Yucatan.
Since
the early 2000s,
Mr. Bruce Gordon has pledged to the United Nations
Environmental Program to plant hundreds of endemic endanger tree
species; you also can contribute to UNEP's "Plant
for the Planet."
Committed to improve our land,
he installed a truly impressive waste management program, using a
state-of-the-art eco-friendly bio-digestible septic system. Our waste water system purifies and recycles used water
with the help of bio-digestible tanks and man-made wetlands. For
that reason the hotel uses eco-friendly amenities, cleaning and
laundry products; as our guest, we asks you to please uses
biodegradable personal care products such as eco-friendly repellents
and sun-block.
Since 2009,
Hacienda Chichen Resort
adopted a Pet-Friendly hotel
policy, allowing dogs and cats owners to fully enjoy their
vacation time
bringing their mascots with no worries, if their pets are well behaved.
If you plan to bring your dear pal (dog or cat) please read our
Pet-Friendly Booking requirements and policy.
HACIENDA CHICHEN
RESORT AND YAXKIN SPA BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO OUR
GREEN-LIVING
PRACTICES
AND
SUSTAINABLE
CHOICES
CONSTRUCTION
AND ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION:
Hacienda Chichen has a very low
construction density, less than 0.08% constructed areas within
the 160 hectares of privately own property land. Over 90 hectares of the
hotel's land has been dedicated to create our Maya Jungle Private Reserve, home to multiple species of native flora and fauna, including 150 different bird species nesting in our
Bird Refuge jungle gardens.
RECLAIMED
FURNITURE,
REYCLED
MATERIALS
AND BUILDING
PRACTICES:
Hacienda Chichen was built by the
Spanish Conquistadors using Maya temple stones during the 16th Century, a unique
historic example of repurposing
building materials. Since then, recycled materials have been used whenever possible. During
our continual room
upgrading remodeling periods, the owners reclaimed more than a few old furniture pieces and decoration items, as part of the
their love for responsible decor choices and to reinforce the hotel’s
Colonial rustic ambiance. This environmentally friendly practice has enhanced our
guests' appreciation for beauty and grace, even in old recycled and reclaimed
furniture in rooms,
reducing the amount of waste commonly found in remodeling projects.
WATER
RESOURCES
AND
CONSERVATION:
Hacienda
Chichen owners and hotel administration take great care to protect the
hotel’s underground fresh water resources avoiding all
pollutants and other damaging agents. Our water source purity
levels are diligently monitored and the
hotel staff continually checks and improves the
property's extensive pluming system to reduce water waste.
Yucatan’s fresh water supply is found underground.
According to many scientific studies and the United Nations,
shortage of clean water is one of the most serious challenges
facing the world during this millennium. As our guest, you
can help us preserve our water by using it with conscious care.
WATER
RECYCLING:
We recycle all our waste water biologically and through man-made
wetlands. The gray water (laundry, showers and wash basin) go
through filter traps and bio-digestible tanks before they are used as
underground irrigation in our gardens.
The black waters go into bacteria biodegrading tanks, an organic
man-made wetlands as part of our septic water-purification and
recycling system. The sediments and organic processed waste
become fertilizers for our gardens and compost pile. The kitchen
offers guests
great cuisine; its gray water processed through
grease traps and filters with sand, gravel, stone and bacteria -
gray water, once filtered, is used in our natural
rejoyadas (natural sink holes with unique micro-environments) and jungle habitat.
SOLID
WASTE
RECYCLING:
A
solid waste cleaning program at the Hacienda Chichen property
has removed several tons of improper solid waste and clandestine
dumping from visitors and locals alike in other hotels'
tour-buses parking areas nearby us.
Until there is a well managed sold waste and plastic recycling
system by visitors, Hacienda Chichen is choosing to decrease
the use of plastic water bottles as much as our guests allow us.
Guests can request a water glass jar at their bedside with purified drinking water as a courtesy of ours. For guests finding this practice uncomfortable, we place one chilled water bottle in every
room’s mini-bar, at a charge, which we hope stays there.
You can help reduce this problem by avoiding “disposable” non-organic waste such as
plastic bottles.
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY:
Hacienda Chichen
has installed LED lights and energy saving electrical devices in
all its room
accommodations and public areas.
We encourages our staff and guests to use energy in a responsible manner in an effort to save energy and reduce carbon dioxide, a chief contributor to the man-made greenhouse effect. We encourage
guests to use energy-saving choices while staying with us, requesting them to turn off room lights and setting the room’s air-conditioning unit in a responsible manner. We also encourage guests to never leave the
room with the air conditioning unit on, thus reducing its impact on global warming. The hotel
uses sun-drying linen practices and encourages its staff to ride bicycles to work rather than their motorcycles or cars
as part of its eco-vision hotel policies an commitment to protect the environment.
WILDLIFE
PROTECTION
AND REFORESTATION:
Under
Mr. Bruce Gordon's direction,
active measures are in place to preserve, conserve, and enrich
Hacienda Chichen
flora and
fauna
habitats. Naturalist Jim Conrad has recorded and catalog
for years our property's wildlife with utmost care. Mr. Gordon
and his forest-guards have planted over 3,500 indigenous
hardwood trees in the property and reclaimed over 80 acres of
unauthorized farmed land. He and our forest-guards have stopped
the illegal hunting of white deer and other
endangered species
entering the property, an action that has brought increased
safety to
many endangered endemic species in the region, including
families of kinkajous, oscillated turkeys, white tail deer,
Morph butterflies,
birds and other species.
Since
the early 2000s, Hacienda Chichen has taken special care to grow
wild herbs and medicinal plants used by native
Maya healers in their communities. To expand the awareness of Maya traditional holistic healing methods, and the benefits of such practices,
Yaxkin Spa
director Mrs. Beatriz Correa is currently training local females in the art of Maya herbal healing procedures.
MAYA
CULTURE:
OUR
COMMITMENT
In December 2006, Hacienda Chichen dedicated over 10,000 meters of land to be the sacred grounds for the Maya Priests and Elder Healers, members of the non-profit organization Kuch Kaab Yéetel J-Men Maaya’ob, A.C. The main mission and vision of this group of organized Maya Priests and Elder Healers is to restore the Maya Cultural legacy and healing traditions of their ancestors and to preserve the rich legacy of their native
Maya cultural heritage. The group organizes various
Mayan cultural and spiritual activities, educational workshops, sacred ceremonies, and informative lectures to develop general awareness of their ancestral values and practices. Their contribution to the conservation of the
Maya Culture enriches the local community and visitors alike. Hacienda Chichen is proud to contribute to and sponsor many of their projects and works consistently to increase the opportunities available to them to share their knowledge with those who value the
Maya Civilization.
LOCAL
SUPPORT
AND SOCIAL
COMMITMENT:
Hacienda Chichen and
Yaxkin Spa employ 99% Maya people and locals including our head of department, our
Executive Chef, and other relevant positions in our organization. A portion of our profit is dedicated to training our in-house staff for high level positions within our organization. This practice
is coordinated with the help of the
Maya Foundation In Laakeech
our non-profit civil society team of volunteers, their work directly benefits the rural
communities.
In 2005, Hacienda Chichen opened Yaxkin Spa, a holistic Spa were
Mayan traditional healing practices, native
herbal medicinal remedies, and other organic elements are used
by local Maya Healers and shamans to purify and renew the energy in each of person in communion with nature.
The hotel sponsors workshops and training programs for our staff to earn additional income directly, such as the
Local Bird-watching Guides. The program began in 2004 due to the increasing illegal tree-cutting in the surrounding area. The deforestation in the region was depleting mature trees used for wood-carving souvenirs sold on the tourist routes to
Chichen Itza. To minimize the negative impact of this activity, Hacienda Chichen
hotel has designated an area to plant mainly Gumbo Limbo trees (the favorite for souvenir carvers) and to train the staff in proper cutting procedures.
Volunteers are welcome to help us create an eco-vision awareness within
the local communities.
LOCAL
ORGANIC
PRODUCTS
AND
MAYA
ART-CRAFTS
SUPPORT:
Hacienda Chichen
hotel buys many local products on a daily basis, including organic tortillas freshly made in Xcalacoop, delicious bread buns from San Felipe, seasonal vegetables and other food products grown by small families in the nearby
rural Maya villages. This practice is extended to non-perishables
products, all in the effort to support the local economy. Our
Toh Boutique sells native
Mayan artists’ fine crafts to encourage the
revival of traditional arts by Maya people. Profits help our Nature
Conservation, our Bird Refuge and the Maya Foundation In Laakeech
Children’s Nutrition Program.
GROWING
OUR
OWN
ORGANIC
PRODUCTS:
In 2003, our senior staff and local farmer, Filomeno Mex Tun retired from the
hospitality service and started
Hacienda Chichen hotel own organic farm. He
and his farmers team produce most of the hotel's fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and currently the medicinal plants used at
Yaxkin Spa. Guests can stroll each morning
and visit his crop-fields at the south of the hotel’s gardens. It is a pleasure to hear his soft Maya lyrics as he works.
Wild honey is produced extensively in our land. The staff is welcome to benefit from the wild honey found in our
hotel property, as much as from the traditional Maya medicine herbs found in our Nature trails and any other other richness of the land as long as their activities do not destroy the delicate nature of the habitat. In 2010,
Mr. Gordon and his forest-guards will start an organic pure honey
production program.
PURCHASING
POLICY:
Hacienda
Chichen Resort's purchasing policies focus
on buying products that reduce our environmental impact.
All cleaning supplies are bio-degradable. Our green hotel is
committed to purchase local products, and regional organically
grown food products
with a high standard of health and quality criteria. Proud of the beautiful traditional arts and crafts of the
Maya people, we buy all our new décor items directly from Mayan communities. This contributes to the conservation of native traditional artful skills while increasing their income opportunities.
THE
RESULT
OF ALL GREEN
LIVING
PRACTICES
AND COMMITMENTS:
Hacienda Chichen Resort and
Yaxkin Spa’s socially responsible vision benefits us:
guests, staff, owners, and local community. By
sharing our green vision and
sustainable hotel mission a genuine “family feeling” is felt among us
all and a true soulful ambiance and friendly energy embraces us all.
Guests learn to appreciate the mystical awareness of native people, who have the opportunity to express and share their
Maya traditions with
those that visit. This increases the natural joy of learning about each other; this interaction enriches
both: the local community and our
visitors’ cultural experience
/ knowledge.
Come and enjoy one of our many
Yucatan
Vacation Packages and
Eco-Spa Wellness Destination discount offers; visit Yucatan
Adventure, an volunteer Yucatan Eco-Travel Guide dedicated to
support the Mayan Foundation
In
Laakeech social programs and to help travelers find fun
eco-cultural activities, Mayan cultural traditions, ancient Mayan
arts, and other fine articles. Remember, Hacienda Chichen Resort and Yaxkin Spa are Chichen
Itza's best Green hotels choice and offer you Chichen Itza's
restaurants top food quality and a delightful
Mayan Fusion and Gourmet Cuisine.
