Atitlan Mayan Cacao Ceremonies
- Mayan Ceremonial Cacao is provided in the village of San Pedro La Laguna in the afternoons.
- This offering is provided only if you have a purpose, not a tourist offering or attraction to fill in the time.
- The Ceremonies are provided by Mayan shamans, and the price per person is $50.
- We request that you book at least three days in advance.
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Atitlan Mayan Cacao Ceremonies
- Cacao ceremonies originally served as religious rituals for the ancient Native Mesoamerican cultures. …
- Originally discovered by the Olmecs in 1500 B.C. and a staple in the Mayan and Aztec cultures for centuries, cacao had a place in these empires as a sacred, elite, and ritualistic plant.
For those of you foreign to Cacao Ceremonies, Cacao Ceremonies are a celebratory ritual that opens the heart through the use of cacao.
Other meditation modalities are used such as sound baths or smoking rituals.
Traditionally Cacao Ceremonies have been conducted by the Maya and Ancient Aztec civilizations.
- Make Your Space Tidy. …
- Prepare the Cacao. …
- Begin the Ceremony by Opening the Space. …
- State What You’re Grateful For. …
- Set an Intention for the Day. …
- Drink your Cacao! …
- Close the Ceremony.
Mayan Ceremonial Cacao Facts
Hand-Crafted-and-Harvested-Guatemala-Cacao
Mayan Ceremonial Cacao Facts
Making Mayan Ceremonial Cacao
Cocoa contains various phytochemicals, such as flavanols (including epicatechin), procyanidins, and other flavanoids. A systematic review presented moderate evidence that the use of flavanol-rich chocolate and cocoa products causes a small (2 mmHg) blood pressure-lowering effect in healthy adults—mostly in the short term.
The highest levels of cocoa flavanols are found in raw cocoa and to a lesser extent, dark chocolate since flavonoids degrade during cooking used to make chocolate Theobromine found in cocoa solids is fat-soluble. Interestingly, cocoa beans contain a significant amount of fats which makes theobromine highly bioavailable.
Cocoa powder is usually defatted which will lower the bioavailability of theobromine, however, adding back fat to it will restore the bioavailability again.
Cacao’s heart-opening properties are often attributed to its high levels of theobromine, a mild stimulant that’s believed to temporarily boost mood.
Most ceremonies also include at least one other modality that helps bring participants into an altered state—meditation, sound baths, dance, or, in my case, breathwork.
Lake Atitlan Mayan Cacao Ceremonies
TRIP DURATION: roughly 4 hours
TRIP LOCATION: San Jaun La Laguna
TRIP PHYSICAL LEVEL: Easy & Relaxed
TRIP DETAILS: $50.00– all supplies are provided.
WHAT TO BRING: Bring a camera.
While cacao has a mild effect on the mind, it’s “not about blasting off the planet,” Marita explains.
Or, to put it scientifically, it’s “neuroactive but not strongly psychoactive,” says James Giordano, professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center.
Grow your own cure