In Yaxunáh, a peaceful and beautiful village, I met a unique family—guardians of the precious knowledge of the milpa. They are living proof of the deep connection between the land and its people. It made me think of the Popol Vuh, the sacred book that holds Mayan wisdom and tells the story of the world's creation and of humankind.

“...Everything was still, everything calm, in silence… Then it was clearly revealed, as they meditated, that with the dawn, man must appear.”

But it was through maize—an ancestral gift that brought wisdom and reverence for nature—that human beings became the heirs of both heaven and earth. The forest is a sacred space for the Mayan people. One must ask for permission to enter. And as I watched them sow, I saw their hands make a pact with Mother Nature by touching the soil. It felt as if maize and the myth of humankind's creation were pulsing through the heart of this land.