Mayan Work
Our total immersion travel packages put the traveler smack dab into Mayan culture allowing him or her to interact directly with the community. Part of this total immersion experience includes learning some of the local chores and traditional work.
Before arriving with us we will give you the opportunity to choose the cultural activities that are most interesting to you. This will allow us to place you in a family that is best suited to your interest.
Some of the jobs in the village are:
Men's Work
- carrying things with a mecapal
- bricks
- sand
- rocks
- firewood
- fishing
- shamanism
- learning about and gathering edible and medicinal plants
- searching for wild plants to eat and use for medicinal purposes in the mountains
- killing chickens
- farm work (planting, gardening, and harvesting)
- splitting firewood
- selling handwoven tapestries to tourists
- hiking in the mountains to find things to use in the home
- firewood
- stone
- construction
- work on the boats
Women's Work
- working as a midwife
- weaving on a back-strap loom
- making fires
- shamanism
- preparing traditional food
- hand made tortillas
- tamalitos
- tamales
- pulique
- forged wild herbs
- killing chickens
- hand washing clothes and dishes
- selling handwoven tapestries to tourists
- homemaking
Note: traditionally many of the jobs in the Mayan village are divided between men and women, however, we are very flexible on this. If there's a gender specific job that you really want to do, we encourage you to give it a try. Just let us know!
