Archaeologist Arthur Demarest first learned of the ancient altar’s existence from Maya village elders near his project site in Guatemala. Their information, given at personal risk, also led to the altar’s recovery and the arrest of the looters who had it. The villagers’ concern for the looted altar and their fragile heritage had come about in part as a result of a sustainable tourism and indigenous development project that is directed by Vanderbilt University, National Geographic and Counterpart International, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and many ther organizations.
Under the development project at CancuÈn, local villagers are trained in the stewardship of the site, the surrounding area and other sites throughout the region. These collaborations have helped the Maya become tour guides, park rangers and managers of rustic inns, boat services and ecotourism enterprises, providing indigenous peoples a stake in preserving the ancient sites. In return, visitors will learn not only about the Classic Maya ruins but also about the Maya of today as well as their rain forests. Since Demarest began restoring the Maya royal palace at CancuÈn and the sacred caves and sites nearby, he has worked to help the Q’eqchi’ Maya there become custodians of their heritage, gain access to sacred sites for rituals, and reap economic benefits from the archaeological parks and the accomplishments of their ancestors.
Raymond Chavez, director of several Counterpart International/USAID development projects of this type in Central America, said, "Without the counterbalance of some economic benefits from tourism and the support of the traditional Maya rituals, the sites would have been looted and the remaining rain forest would have disappeared under pressure from logging, ranching and farming."
All development decisions at CancuÈn are made in consultation with Maya villagers. This collaborative approach has led to a number of additional projects, such as the establishment of Maya-run village "pharmacy-clinics" that provide both basic Western medicines and traditional Maya remedies, bringing medical care to over 30 villages. Other projects include sustainable garden agriculture, potable water systems, solar panels for village schools, corn mills and support for Maya economic, political and religious rights.
The development project at CancuÈn is one of several conducted with the support of the National Geographic Sustainable Tourism Initiative. In response to soaring tourism growth around the world, the Initiative facilitates informed stewardship of locales and regions that have great visitor appeal. The NGS Initiative supports innovative community-based tourism projects based on the concept of "geotourism," tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place, its environment, heritage, aesthetics, culture and the well-being of its citizens.
"The CancuÈn project can serve as a lesson for other, more typical international aid initiatives," said Jonathan B. Tourtellot, National Geographic’s director of Sustainable Tourism. "The story of the ball-court altar shows that success ultimately relies not only on building infrastructure for tourism but also on building knowledge and trust."
More information is available at: www.cancuenproject.org, www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable and www.TIA.org/survey.pdf.
Related stories:
Ancient Maya stone altar recovered in Guatemala, unparalleled investigation leads to looters’ haven and arrests
The strange journey of a stolen altar
Media contacts: David F. Salisbury, (615) 343-6803 david.salisbury@vanderbilt.edu
Mimi Koumanelis, (202) 857-5814 mkoumane@ngs.org