heritage Article Different Ways of Knowing and a Different Ways of Being: On a Path to Reawakening Legacy of the Maya Forest 1, 2, , 3 Cynthia Ellis Topsey y, Anabel Ford * y and Sherman Horn III 1 The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award International Association, 18 Buena Vista Street San Ignacio, Cayo, Belize; [email protected] 2 Director MesoAmerican Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA 3 Department of Anthropology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI 49401, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] or [email protected]; Tel.: +1-805-893-8191 These authors contributed equally to this work. y Received: 1 June 2020; Accepted: 16 June 2020; Published: 22 June 2020 Abstract: Archaeological projects are in a special position to create unique partnerships, with shared goals and intentions, to development Maya anthropological archaeology. This narrative presents an education outreach project in archaeology invigorated with local collaboration. When priorities of active archaeological projects formally include resident community participation, new horizons and accomplishments are achieved. Local and international interests in heritage and cultural traditions create the platform for interactive relationships and identification of common ground. Together, our experience recognizes four educational pillars that revolve around ancient Maya heritage and the fundamental Maya forest garden. Centered on the protected area of the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna, El Pilar and forest gardens are celebrated at the urban Cayo Welcome Center, practiced at the active outfield Chak Ha Col forest garden, and taught at the rural Känan K’aax School Garden. As our experience demonstrates, community partnerships require specific elements of acknowledgment including a valued tangible heritage, a formal information outlet, an education link, and an honored cultural tradition. Together, these provide fertile ground for cultivating collaborations in the Maya region and across the world. Keywords: archaeological heritage; education outreach; community participation; culture and nature Conservation 1. Introduction: Education Partnership Opportunities for Maya Archaeology Developing a roadmap for archaeologists and community members to become partners is complex yet very worthwhile. Local community members have experiences, naming conventions, and conceptions of important landscape features that archaeologists must engage with to engender inclusive understandings of the past and shared heritage values for the future [1]. Improved social and environmental well-being are common goals for those dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage, and archaeologists are in a position to bridge social, political, and economic sectors by forming partnerships to achieve these goals. Partners include the governments that authorize projects through permitting processes, the local communities within which—and the actors with whom—archaeologists work, and the global academic society that is the context for research. The decision to partner with the community must be a priority [2,3]. Short-term archaeological research projects face great challenges in the arena of community engagement, while projects that plan for long-term investment in specific areas will be better positioned to build partnerships. These can include, but are not limited to, engaging with tourism, working Heritage 2020, 3, 493–510; doi:10.3390/heritage3020029 www.mdpi.com/journal/heritage Heritage 2020, 3 494 Heritage 2020, 3 FOR PEER REVIEW 2 withbased non-profits, on confidence collaborating and trust withthat educationcan benefit programs, all parties. and We building recognize creative four essential enterprises elements based onto confidencebuilding a community and trust that partnership: can benefit 1) all a specific, parties. Wevalued recognize tangible four heritage; essential 2) a elements formal information to building aoutlet; community 3) an active partnership: education (1) link; a specific, and 4) valuedan honored tangible cultural heritage; tradition. (2) a This formal paper information reviews the outlet; last (3)decade an active of the education El Pilar link; Project’s and (4) community an honored outrea culturalch tradition.programs, This carried paper out reviews in the the context last decade of our of theongoing El Pilar research Project’s (Figure community 1) and outreach collaborations, programs, to carriedexpand out participation in the context in ofBelize our ongoing and the research greater (FigureMaya forest.1) and collaborations, to expand participation in Belize and the greater Maya forest. Figure 1. Location Location of of the the Central Central Maya Maya Lowlands Lowlandswith with ElEl PilarPilar andand NearbyNearby SitesSites Indicated.Indicated. Credit: MesoAmerican Research Center.Center. Honoring the Maya forest legacy requires reconnectingreconnecting master forest gardeners with their communities and and the the youth, youth, who who can can experience experience the the Maya Maya forest forest as a as garden a garden for forthe thefirst firsttime. time. We Werealize realize how how everyone everyone can can play play a part a part in inencouraging encouraging biodiversity, biodiversity, enriching enriching soil soil fertility, fertility, conserving water, andand feeding feeding themselves themselves even ev asen they as they help shadehelp shade the landscape the landscape to reduce to the reduce impacts the of impacts increasing of temperaturesincreasing temperatures due to climate due change. to climate Our change. education Our outreacheducation program outreach builds program from builds what wefrom view what as fourwe view pillars as offour the pillars El Pilar of model:the El Pilar (1) the model: protected 1) the El protected Pilar Archaeological El Pilar Archaeological Reserve for MayaReserve Flora for andMaya Fauna; Flora (2)and the Fauna; urban 2) Cayo the urban Welcome Cayo Center; Welcome (3) theCenter; outfield 3) theChak outfield Ha Col Chakforest Ha gardenCol forest of garden Master Gardenerof Master NarcisoGardener Torres; Narciso and Torres; (4) the and rural 4) Känanthe rural K’aax KänanSchool K’aax Garden. School OurGarden. joint Our efforts joint celebrate efforts thecelebrate intimate the localintimate knowledge local knowledge of traditional of traditional Maya farmers Maya and farmers pursue and creative pursue outdoor creative education outdoor opportunitieseducation opportunities to explore theto explore nexus ofth culturee nexus andof culture nature and [4]. nature [4]. The NewNew WorldWorld tropics tropics are are hotspots hotspots of of biodiversity, biodiversity and, and the the Maya Maya forest forest stands stands second second only only to the to Amazonthe Amazon in this in this respect respect [5]. [5]. Biological Biological and and cultural cultural diversity diversity in thein the Maya Maya forest, forest, often often discussed discussed in termsin terms of theof the creation creation of protectedof protected conservation conservation areas areas by by contemporary contemporary governments, governments, can can be be traced traced to theto the forest forest management management practices practices of the of ancient the ancien Mayat [6Maya–8]. Recognizing [6–8]. Recognizing the Maya the have Maya their have origins their in theirorigins forest in their environment forest environment opens a world opens of a possibilities world of possibilities for understanding for understanding the beneficial the impacts beneficial of humanimpacts actions of human [9]. Theactions environment [9]. The environment itself is the wealth itself is untold the wealth of the untold Maya forest, of the whereMaya theforest, dominant where plantsthe dominant all are useful plants for all food, are useful medicine, for construction,food, medicine, utensils, construction, and even utens toysils, and and ornaments, even toys not and to mentionornaments, a habitat not to formention the animals a habitat [10 ,11for]. the Ancient animal Mayas [10,11]. culture Ancient was sustained Maya culture by an was alliance sustained between by peoplean alliance and theirbetween landscape, people which and istheir worth landscape, recovering which to build is creativeworth recovering livelihoods to for build contemporary creative andlivelihoods futureinhabitants for contemporary of the tropics. and future inhabitants of the tropics. Traditional practicespractices demonstratedemonstrate connections between people and natural cycles of plants and animals [[12,6].6,12]. Forest gardeners, who have grown up in the tropical landscape, know the importance of human relationships to the earth and the role thesethese relationshipsrelationships play inin maintainingmaintaining health and wellness. They are conservationists who protect water and soilsoil whilewhile maintainingmaintaining biodiversitybiodiversity and supporting theirtheir families families with with food food and and medicine medicine [13]. Our[13]. partnerships Our partnerships link the link international the international academy academy to local activists and forest gardeners to explore past solutions to contemporary challenges. Our broader vision includes an education network that illustrates the Belize national motto Sub Heritage 2020, 3 495 to local activists and forest gardeners to explore past solutions to contemporary challenges. Our broader vision includes an education network that illustrates the Belize national motto Sub Umbra Floreo—Latin