There are about 52 indigenous communities in Mexico according to the CDI (Spanish acronym for National Comission for the Development of the Indigenous Groups). These people, usually alienated from society, find in Xcaret a meeting place to share their wisdom with the world. This is because the park not only pays tribute to the customs and traditions of several ethnic groups in the area by means of their exhibits, but also fosters a cultural exchange with other ethnic groups in the country.

On October 24, Xcaret and the CIE foundation, gave way to what promises to be a long relationship to promote the protection and conservation of the roots that identify our indigenous communities, an encounter between children of two different cultures.

The Foundation awarded 18 Mazahua children of the La Ciénega community in Toluca with a trip to the Mayan Riviera, for being the students with the greatest growth within the program called “Flores del Sol” as part of the Pro Mazahua Zone council.

On the other hand, Xcaret awarded 20 children from the Mayan community of Saban, who traveled over three hours by bus in order to arrive to the celebration they would be part of at the park with the Mazahua group.

After a cultural tour where both groups learned about the flora and fauna in Quintana Roo, the children exchanged gifts with their new friends, which they brought from their places of origin, some of which they had made with their own hands. The gifts represented the customs and traditions that each one experiences on a daily basis, thus the exchange was a way of sharing a little of their culture and to reaffirm their uniqueness.

Later, each one of the Mazahua and Maya groups planted a ceiba, the sacred tree of the Maya. It was in this manner that the “Multicultural Garden” was inaugurated, a place where more and more ceibas are to be planted by children of different indigenous cultures from around the country, with the purpose of continuing to promote this multicultural exchange through the look of the children’s eyes.