Deer Shelter

Among our rich variety of fauna at Xcaret, the deer just had to be present, being a cultural symbol and an important representative of the biological richness of the Yucatán Peninsula. Take a peek into their world and be captivated by the sweetness of their eyes.

Deer were animals the Maya greatly valued, as they considered them a symbol of all things sacred. The legend says that the god Itzamná decided to create a land so beautiful that everyone would want to live there. So he created the land of the Mayab and handed it over to the Maya so they could inhabit it, selecting three animals to represent them: the pheasant, the deer and the serpent.

Apart from being admired for its beauty and agility, it was a deer who, with its hoof, formed the sexual organs of the moon according to the Mayan mithology. The diet of the Maya includes deer meat, greatly appreciated for its flavor. Its skin was used for drawing on it and writing many of its most important codexes.

At Xcaret Deer Shelter we have managed to maintain these organisms with success, and we’ve had a total of 15 births in our facilities.