To finish the course and receive our Permaculture Design Certification (PDC), we had to complete the final task of making our own...

Our Permaculture course group holding medicinal plants after our course with the Guatemalan natural medicine expert, Dr. Armando Cáceres...

Homes and hives of native bee species that Granja Elisa conserves ALL bees are important. Not just those that produce abundant honey. We...

Visualizing when to plant/ propagate different types of plants according to the moon cycle Throughout my time living in Central America I...

Gregorio smiling proudly in his food forest July 10, 2024 Gregorio's retirement plant is to have a food forest of healthy, low-maintenance, diversified production. Over time, a food forest should be largely self-sustaining and require little work or intervention. It follows permaculture's ideology to mimic nature and allow nature to do its work. Gregorio also has a broader view of the social and environmental problems we face globally such as climate change, environmental deg

July 7, 2024 Preparing the ceremony Nawales During the Mayan ceremony each of us participants were given our nawal. According to the Mayan culture, nawales are protector spirits that we acquire at birth. There are 20 nawales which are the 20 energies that govern life in all of its manifestations. In the Mayan calendar there are also 20 days, and each day has a nawal. You can see the nawal of the day here and you can also discover your nawal by putting in your birth date and

The avocado plantation surrounding the pathway entry to the community Pachitulul where IMAP is located When you first arrive to the entrance of The Mesoamerican Institute of Permaculture (IMAP) in the small town of Pachitulul, Guatemala, you see a plantation of avocado trees. At first I thought it was a part of the permaculture institute but you soon realize that it's a big monoculture production, and I later learned that it's owned by a man who lives in Guatemala City. The e

Making a garden mandala design June 21, 2024 Huertos Familiares: Building a Family Garden The rain poured and pounded all night long...

June 25, 2024 Stomping down the microorganisms to store them anaerobically Microorganisms!! I wrote some about microorganisms during my...

June 22, 2024 Native Kitchen-- Amaranth Colorful, red and yellow stalks of amaranth create a beautiful scenery throughout the garden...

June 14, 2024 The Mesoamerican Institute of Permaculture I boarded a bus to the towns of Lake Atitlan and, while the first half was a quick drive on the highway, the second half was a windy journey through countryside and mountains where we started to feel very dizzy! The bus took us to a city called Panajachel on the Lake Atitlan and from there I took a boat ride to San Lucas Toliman. It was a quick boat ride-- just 15 minutes. When I arrived to San Lucas Toliman, I took a

Bus ride to Guatemala May 2024 Traveling from Mexico to Guatemala After two incredible months in Chiapas, Mexico, I traveled down to...