Let's Discover the Mayan Bees Project in Quintana Roo, 12 Amazing Aspects of Lifestyle of Ancient Mexicans, and Download Official Touristical Guides of México City
Let's go to Meliponary U Báalamo'ob to Chat with its founder, read this interesting resume of life and cosmovision in Mesoamerica, and finally, download useful information of CDMX
Section 1: The People behind of Culture
We present the Meliponario U Báalamo'ob (The Guardians in Maya language) in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo and its founder Manuel Vázquez Cetina.
Manuel in his Meliponario (Courtesy Manuel Vázquez, 2024)
For spanish version of this interview, click here
I feel very proud to present our next cultural hero from the south of the State of Quintana Roo.
We are going to discover its contribution not only to the conservation and dissemination of traditional knowledge regarding the management of the melipona bee (stingless bee native to the Yucatan Peninsula), domesticated by the Mayan civilization, but also contributes to spreading the ecological importance of this species in the region Let's discover together this vital project and the human being behind of.
The U Báalamo'ob Project was created in 2012 by its founder Manuel Vazquez Cetina who was born in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, Mexico and has a professional training as a Veterinary Zootechnician with a Master's Degree in Agricultural Sciences .
The project began with the idea of conservation and sustainable use of stingless bees. His founder always lived with these bees from a very young age and his grandfather had them, as did his father, in the "jobones" or traditional beehives.
In his own words, the meliponary (or home of the Melipona bees as they are known in the region) is a living museum to learn about the ecological and cultural importance of these bees native to the Yucatan Peninsula.
It is a place where people can meet bees, interact with them, taste honey, meet solitary bees and learn about the most important service that bees provide us: pollination
Interior of a Jubón or traditional beehive (Courtesy of Manuel Vázquez, 2024)
If you travel from Tulum to Bacalar in the State of Quintana Roo, be sure to visit The Meliponario U Báalamo’ob” by previous appointment located at Calle 81 x 78 and 80, Colonia Jesús Martínez Ross, C.P. 77220, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Contact and information:
ubaalamoob@gmail.com
Other important links:
Published scientific article here
The short film "The Guardians"
Manuel in action during the recording of the short film in 2023 (Courtesy of Manuel Vázquez, 2024)
His project:
The importance of these bees, whose name in the native Mayan language is Xunáan Kaab (Melipona beecheii), is evident in the pre-Hispanic Mayan Codex of Madrid, whose authenticity has already been proven and which is found precisely in that European capital.
In this Codex, discovered in the 19th century and written in Yucatec Maya, the expert handling of these stingless bees and their relationship with the ritual calendar and its associated deities is documented.
Facsimile reproduction of the Madrid or Trocortesian Pre-Hispanic Mayan Codex (taken from https://arqueologiamexicana.mx/mexico-antiguo/la-meliponícola-y-el-calendario-ritual)
Thus, in this Meliponario visitors will travel back in time to learn how Mayan ancestors cultivated bees in traditional Mayan hives, called "jobones" (hollow trunk)
The determining moment for the emergence of this project was "When I was at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics of the Autonomous University of Yucatán (UADY) and I learned that these bees could also be worked in technical boxes, there I met two great teachers who I had, first, MVZ, Jorge González Acereto, my mentor, and then I met Dr. Javier Quezada Euán, a great bee scientist, with whom I also learned a lot, he has always been my advisor."
I did my social service in the Tropical Beekeeping department of my university, and later I did my master's degree in science there also in 2018. In 2012 I bought my own hives, I started with 5, and that's when my project began, I already had knowledge scientists of the management and life of stingless bees.
It was always easy for me to work with them, I think because I like them a lot. However, even though I knew scientific knowledge, I never left aside Mayan scientific knowledge, traditional knowledge as some say. My project has always been a mix between science and Mayan culture, and I think that is what has given me success.
Currently, it receives people from various parts of the world and students from local primary schools to whom it spreads the importance that bees have on the planet from a professional, scientific and cultural point of view.
Increasingly, your project is better known and is reaching more people, especially children who listen, learn and then become the guardians of the bees, because they can teach adults to take care of everything around us.
The Origin of the Project
Since I was very little I have been involved in the Mayan culture, through my father, and thanks to him and the people of the communities I was able to learn about stingless bees from a very young age. Later through Professor Jorge González Acereto and Dr. Javier Quezada Euán learned about technical scientific work in the Beekeeping department of my university, and that gave me motivation to create my project, because it was easy for me to work with stingless bees.
Now, the final goal of this work is to install a Meliponiculture school. Some have given us their support, for example, some documentary filmmakers from the University of Tampa, Florida, made a short film for us, which has been broadcast in various parts of the world and that has given our work international recognition.
Also a few weeks ago two documentary filmmakers from National Geographic (NatGeo) came to the meliponary to record my bees and the work I do. So, for that reason I think we could have many students in our school, and be able to offer classes to low-income students. resources, indigenous people, people with disabilities, and foreigners if they require it.
Local children discovering the "Xunaan Kaab" with Manuel
The person behind U Báalamo'ob
I like being Mexican and Mayan, my culture is very beautiful and I like to share what I know, what I have learned over time. I think it is very important to spread the value that bees have on our planet, it is the only way to be able to preserve them, that people know them, because people cannot preserve what they do not know. I am also very happy to have the family that I have, and that they all support me in my project, they have allowed me to grow every day. further.
What comes next is working on a new meliponary with a lot of native vegetation that provides food for the bees. Now it has few hives but it will soon grow and will surely be successful.
I have another project in the future, which will be to build a meliponiculture laboratory, so that I can do some experiments that I have in mind, but that will be later, when I have more resources to invest. Now, since my project is independent, it is not so easy. It takes time to be able to achieve some goals when you have an independent project without help from foundations or the government, although it is more prideful to achieve some things without anyone interfering with your ideas or your work times.
Manuel with the traditional beehives "I have never exploited my bees, I give them time to produce, to be healthy, I plant plants and trees for them, and I try to give them the best possible environment" (Courtesy Manuel Vázquez, 2024)
Final message
I like that people know about bees and protect them, I have noticed in some children and people who have gone to my meliponary, that they have changed their way of thinking about bees and the environment, now they spread the information to their friends and acquaintances. Children already see bees differently, not as insects that cause harm, but rather, they see them as beneficial insects that help us with pollination. People from abroad are also amazed after meeting our bees. bees, and everything they give us.
He always welcomes everyone with great pleasure and gives his best, transforming science and culture into a pleasant and interesting talk!
Manuel, thank you very much for accepting this long-distance interview, for sharing your story, your project and your successes with us. México Unearthed and the Intercontinental Association for Mexican Cultural Heritage A.C. (AIPCM A.C) are proud of you. We wish you more growth, success and that all your goals are achieved.
If you like this cause, support it through the contact links at the beginning of the post.
To read more:
https://revistas.ecosur.mx/ecofronteras/index.php/eco/article/view/2004
https://arqueologiamexicana.mx/mexico-antiguo/la-meliponícola-y-el-calendario-ritual
Section 2. The Short Reading
12 Surprising Aspects of the Lifestyle of Pre-Hispanic México
The world was understood differently when they existed. What surprises you the most?
Human sacrifice for political purposes by Mexica Culture from Mexican Codex, known as “Duran Codex” in the National Library of Spain, taken from Mediateca INAH 2020.
The way of understanding the world when these civilizations existed is very different from today.
This is normal because thinking and technologies have changed (I will not say evolved because this is unclear, but it is definitely not the same).
Below, I list 12 surprising facts about how the ancient settlers of what is now the country of Mexico saw the world between 100 BC and 1521 AD. when the Spanish conquest began.
1.Religion was the Science. Religion was considered science in pre-industrial antiquity because it explained the functioning and origin of the universe and the natural and social laws that regulated human conduct.
That is to say that the gods imparted justice, and they narrated to men how everything was created through their priests.
Anthropologist’s comment: This is the best strategy man has created to control and manipulate minds and territories without the use of force, don’t you think? ;-)
2. A territory that shared a lifestyle and a way of seeing the world. The territory we now know as Mesoamerica was never a geographical zone but a cultural zone defined by specialists in the 20th century on the basis that, although they spoke different languages and had distinct physical and cultural characteristics, there were many things in common, such as:
The Milpa as the most important agricultural technique- the construction of truncated pyramids in stages- -The cult of the ancestors and the jaguar and the serpent- A Teocratic State- Human sacrifices
These civilizations were among the most important (and without chronological order): Olmecas, Teotihuacanos, Mayas, Purépechas, Toltecas, Mexicas, Zapotecos, Mixtecos, etc.
3.You need to offer a little bit of your blood occasionally to make life great for you and your family. Human blood was the most powerful element in the universe, and it was able to restore the equilibrium of everything on the earth's surface. Human blood was understood as the recipient of human energy, so sacrifices were a popular way to negotiate with gods and goddesses in crisis times.
It was very normal to make self-sacrifice of small amounts of blood from the ears, tongue, and foreskin (in the case of men) regularly. Pain was a normal part of everyday life (not like now when they faint just seeing blood) ;-)
To read it completely, click here to go free of charge to the original publication on the Medium platform.
Section 3. “The Tianguis”
Coming to Mexico? This Fortnight the plan is Mexico City!!
Do you plan to travel to Mexico City or CDMX (by its Spanish acronym) for pleasure or work? It is one of the largest and most populated cities in the world, but it is also one of the most cosmopolitan and beautiful capitals in the world. Don't stop living the experience!
I've included some super useful links here so you can enjoy the city to the fullest. Let me know if you need anything else!
Tourist guide of Mexico City to download from the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR)
Official tourist page of Mexico City
Billboard of tourist and artistic events
Passenger transport network (only in Spanish)
Follow us on X , Linkedin and the Linkedin profile of our sponsor Intercontinental Association for Mexican Cultural Heritage A.C. (AIPCM A.C) by its Spanish acronym
Thank you so much for reading!
Founder and Editor
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