Partners
Casa Magazine
This weekly local Santa Barbara publication is dedicated to the people, ambiance, and economy of the community—with a special focus on Santa Barbara lifestyle. Publisher Mark Whitehurst has visited El Pilar. The magazine featured an exhibition of Macduff Everton’s photographs of El Pilar for the monthly event of 1st Thursday in September 2008.
Anselmo Castañeda
A specialist in agriculture and conservation, Castañeda has represented El Pilar’s interests in Belize since 1997. He has worked to promote the forest garden concept in Belize, for the Mesoamerican Biological Corridors, and wit the government and non-government agencies in Belize. His wide Central American network benefits from his enthusiasm.
Macduff Everton
Photographer and author, Macduff has generously shared with ESP~Maya his magnificent photos of the Maya Forest and El Pilar, most recently in the creation of an exhibition highlighting the Forest Garden cycle. His book, The Modern Maya: A Culture in Transition (University of New Mexico Press, 1991) is an excellent account of Maya culture and history in words and photographs.
Future Generations
As a non-profit organization and graduate school, Future Generations builds local capacity for an equitable and enduring future. Teaching communities how to own their own futures has been its work since 1992. Daniel Taylor, president of Future Generations, will speak with College of Creative Studies students of Anabel Ford at UCSB creating new networks for just and lasting change.
Help for Progress
The NGO acts as an agent of change to support the development of rural communities in Belize. They work for the empowerment of people, for gender equality, and for the elimination of poverty. Recently, they have been advocates for communities in the Belize –Guatemala border area, coordinating with the Organization of American States to design strategies to allocate lands fairly. With the strong support of Executive Director Elias Awe, Help for Progress has been an advocate for the El Pilar management plan that embraces participation of community and experts in the government agenda.
InterConnection
The core values of this non-profit are to improve the quality of life globally by heightening visibility of non-profits in developing countries. They do this through increasing access to Information Technology. InterConnection has built bridges with our collaborators in Belize: Amigos de El Pilar and Help for Progress, by supporting their websites. Our partnership continues to grow with the creation of a website for The El Pilar Forest Garden Network where traditional forest gardeners are sharing the Maya secrets of balancing conservation with cultural prosperity.
Jane Goodall Institute
Working assiduously to spread reasons to hope for the environment of all living things since 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute sees El Pilar as another beacon of light to make the world a better place. Jane Goodall Institute has shared her words in ESP Maya's first promotional documentary video on El Pilar.
MesoAmerican Research Center
The MesoAmerican Research Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is directed by Anabel Ford. The Center’s focus is research, connecting to the education goals of ESP~Maya.
El Pilar Forest Garden Network
This community of traditional Maya forest gardeners in the El Pilar area has worked closely with ESP~Maya over the years on a number of collaborations promoting community and education. These are the heroes of the Maya Forest!
José Antonio Montes
Well-known in international diplomatic and environmental circles, José Antonio Montes has been working with the El Pilar project since 1996. His active connections with the Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, his strong commitment to environmental conservation, and his prominent work on the international treaties of Guatemala are critical facets of his contribution. Importantly, he is respected in Belize and appreciated for his level presentation.
Naturaleza Para la Vida
Founded in 1996, Naturaleza Para la Vida, or, “Nature for Life,” responds to the necessity for a local group to give continuity to the principal efforts of conservation and sustainable management of natural resources in Petén, Guatemala. Their mission is to conserve nature by sustainable forest development. Director Suamy Aguilar partnered with the El Pilar program early on, helping establish the park boundaries and helping finalize the endorsed management plan by the Guatemalan Government.
Pacific Travelers Supply
Santa Barbara’s #1 travel supply store focuses on great customer service and the biggest selection of travel supplies in the Santa Barbara area. Owner Jan Koch has visited El Pilar and is an ESP~Maya supporter. Pacific Traveler’s Supply featured an exhibition of Macduff Everton’s photographs of El Pilar for the monthly event of 1st Thursday in October 2008.
Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market
Conservation of the world’s resources is based on how we use our landscape. The Farmers Market celebrates the smallholder contribution by promoting the El Pilar as a return to the concept of diversity, nurturing the tropical Maya forest paradise as a garden and demonstrating how farmers contribute to saving natural resources. Many of the local farmers support ESP~Maya’s Santa Barbara events, including the Fiesta El Pilar and celebrations of the Peace Park Initiative.
Santa Familia~El Pilar Forest Garden Network
The Forest Garden Network is a group of traditional Maya forest gardeners who created and sustain the forest garden at Tzunu’un Plaza in El Pilar. Aside from their work there, they each have their own forest gardens in the El Pilar area. Along with their impressive support of biodiversity and traditional crops, the forest gardeners are a wealth of traditional knowledge of plant use and forest ecology. Many of these gardeners contributed to the MARC database of plants in the forest garden. They hold the traditions of Kanan K’ax, knowing the forest is a garden, and are the real heroes of the Maya forest.
Tribal Trust Foundation
Founded in 1988 to celebrate the living arts of indigenous peoples around the globe, the Tribal Trust Foundation has partnered with ESP~Maya to increase the visibility of the forest as a garden and a future for the Maya forest. President Barbara Savage visited El Pilar with our Mobile Think Tank in 2004 and supported the creation of the El Pilar Forest Garden Coloring Book.
Alfonso Tzul, Maya Forest Gardener
Now retired from the Belize Ministry of Agriculture, Alfonso Tzul is a forest gardener and community leader in the village of San Antonio in Belize. Alfonso is a consultant to ESP~Maya for all things related to agriculture, community history, and the Mayan language. He is also available to ESP~Maya students and volunteers as part of his life mission to highlight the values of Maya life ways and language in the world. Alfonso has participated as a speaker in many events of ESP~Maya in Belize, Guatemala, and California.
Beatrice Waight, Traditional Maya Healer
She is a seventh generation traditional Maya healer from the village of Santa Familia, Belize. With expertise in women’s health and spiritual ailments, she was trained by her father, a healer and bonesetter, her grandmother, the village midwife for sixty years, and Elijio Panti, a famed Maya healer from the village of San Antonio. As a forest gardener with extensive knowledge of plants and their traditional uses, Beatrice has collaborated with ESP~Maya as a consultant on native plant identification and traditional plant use, and has appeared as a key speaker at El Pilar events in California. She is also available to ESP~Maya students and volunteers.