An Ancient Model of Sustainability

For 8,000 years the Maya people have been conducting a successful experiment in sustainable agriculture, developing the milpa system and building traditional ecological knowledge over countless generations. Maya forest gardens were an integral and essential element in ancient Maya civilization; today the forest is as much a part of Maya archaeology as are the ancient stone temples of Palenque or El Pilar  and their surrounding residential remains.

The Maya forest is an ancient artifact, a product of thousands of years of dynamic and synergetic processes between humans and nature that helps researchers understand how the ancient Maya were able to sustain large populations for centuries.  The legacy of ancient Maya forest gardeners continues today, carried on by traditional Maya farmers who link the present with the ancient past.