This National Park in Belize Is Rooted in Sacred Mayan Healing Traditions — What It's Like to Visit

"Established in 2001 through the efforts of the Itzamna Society, a group formed by Indigenous Maya to protect their ancestral lands, this cultural sanctuary is comanaged by the Mayan community and honors the legacy of healer Elijio Panti; its name means “canopied rainforest of healers.” After the Itzamna Society lost its agreement with the government in 2009, “the park went into abandonment,” Maria Garcia said, and the landscape became vulnerable to loggers and poachers until the society regained its stake in 2022. The rainforest shelters hundreds of medicinal plants as well as tapirs, jaguarundis, peccaries, anteaters, and countless tropical bird species, and the park functions as both a biological refuge and a center for living Mayan cultural practices. Visitor experiences described include ritual and healing work led by local practitioners, guided patrols and stewardship by community rangers, and access to caves, terraces and archaeological features that tie present-day life to ancient ceremonial landscapes." - Gina DeCaprio Vercesi