Getting to know a 2000 year old
restored Mayan village

Watch Our Guide & Learn About Natural Restoration

Chan Ká Vergel is a rainforest village, a silviculture & agroforestry school, a retreat location, a cultural & archeological site. Its Mayan name stands for "Little Village in Paradise".

When Dr. Bernd Neugebauer took over this place in 1985, it was a degraded cattle farm on barren land. After some years of failures & learning restoration practices from Mayan communities, the puzzle slowly came together. He has rebuilt houses on the ruins of an ancient Mayan settlement, restored the water management systems, caves & ceremonial sites. But most importantly: after reintroducing fungi & microorganisms into the soil, a now mature rainforest started growing and is becoming more biodiverse every year. This Mayan-inspired Forest Garden is not only incredibly productive in terms of wood, food & medicinal plants, but also serves numerous other invaluable ecosystem functions.

We are expanding those Food Forests not only around Chan Ká Vergel, but in many indigenous communities across Southern Mexico. With your help, this natural restoration process can be accelerated.