She points out plants that are labeled in both Spanish and Mayan. She readily shares her increasing knowledge of their uses and abuses. In addition to medicinal plants, there is a Mayan herb garden, an orchid display, and the ruins of an altar where Mayans paid homage to their gods. These structures are capable of enduring hurricanes and are naturally cool in the hottest weather. The endangered Mayan stingless bees fly to and from their log hives in their search for the five specific flowers that they adore.
Animals abound from spider monkeys to iguanas to foxes.
Striped and other brightly decorated butterflies partake of the flowering trees and plants. Sometimes it appears that the animals derive as much pleasure watching the people as the individuals have watching them. Participants may meet Sylvia, the director of the Garden. She and her five staff people rely solely on admission receipts and donations to continue their work. They are all Mayan and regard themselves as caretakers of the land, not just employees.