Orquideas Moxviquil

Today we revisited one of our favorite new places in San Cristobal, Orquideas Moxviquil. We were originally told about the orchid preserve by the professor I went on a field study with to Chiapas this past summer, Dr. Gasco. OM happens to be right around the corner from where we were staying at the Mayan Medicine Museum. As we walked onto the grounds of OM we were greeted by a woman who informed us the director would come meet us and show us around. A few minutes later a man came out by the name of Cisco. He explained to us the history of his project that is the nature preserve and all that he is involved with. There are fern gardens, a lake with an agave island, wetlands, sculpture garden, large greenhouse, and of course beautiful orchids and other epiphytes.



As we were being given a tour Cisco's knowledge and passion for what he is doing at Orquideas Moxviquil was obvious. He explained to us that his dream is to preserve beautiful pieces of Chiapas and the neighboring regions so that future generations can enjoy the natural wonders. Within one of his ponds he has a stock of a highly endangered fish species that he is hoping to help breed. He went on to tell us of the devastating deforestation being caused by mining and other destructive construction.

Orquideas Moxviquil specializes in plants, and has over 400 different species of orchid. While we were there we were informed that 30 different species were in bloom at that moment. Aside from the orchids, Cisco has created amazing symbiotic ecosystems with many different species of tree from oak to other endangered trees. Wildlife like dragonflies, hummingbirds, and bees seem to love what he has done with the place and can be seen throughout the area. The key to all this harmony must be the utilization of what is provided by nature. The pond is natural, no lining or chemicals. The water gets filtered by a special Brazilian water plant and the fish feed on the algae. The rainwater gets cleverly diverted through drainage's to be used by the plants at OM. Bridges along the trails throughout OM are made from wood provided by the 200+ acres of pristine forest.











Everything at OM has a lot of thought put into it, and everything looks like a work of art. There is an area dedicated to human art which has a unique sculpture of essentially a large block made up different material. The art is actually the way the block deteriorates over time, it is ever changing. There is a bright and colorful auditorium for presenting to school children, the trash cans resemble plants, and garbage is turned into art - such as the spark plug tire-wheel sculpture.



During our tour we learned about the projects Cisco has in mind for OM like more greenhouses dedicated to the different climate regions of Chiapas, so visitors can encounter plant life from all the regions in one place. We shared with him about our experience building the waterless eco-sustainable latrine, which he became very interested in. Turns out OM is need of some sort of public restroom and something so ecologically friendly would fit right in with his vision. There are several alternative forms to modern plumbing and Cisco is interested in exploring the options. He has told us about a latrine called a "willow bog" that is similar to our adobe brick based structure, but with straw for the outer casing of the waste material.

After today's visit Cisco extended the offer to allow us to build these type of latrines at Orquideas Moxviquil. He hopes to possibly have one of each type and use it for demonstration and for use. OM intends to educate their visitors by providing signs with information about what they are observing. The latrines would be no exception. The idea is to have pamphlets on the construction of these types of structures to provide information on alternative, and cost effective forms of turning waste into something useful.

We have a lot on our plates, but we are very optimistic and excited about this future project. We have already begun contacting the network we have formed here to get more people on board and will begin the planning of it all soon. Hopefully you will be reading about our progress very soon.

If you'd like more information on Orquideas Moxviquil, visit their website
www.orchidsmexico.com