Xel-Ha Blog

Art is one of the greatest expressions of man which searches for many paths to be revealed to a public and surprise it with its intensity. Nothing is more sublime and pure of any form of art when it comes from the deepest corner of our being. And there is no one more in love of art than those who support that passion.

On May third, 2007 the Natural Wonder Xel-Há found the perfect place to show the harmony and originality of a group of artists that included painters, dancers, musicians, singers, photographers and theater presentations that delighted the Fifth Avenue of Playa del Carmen with their art.

The Natural Wonder Xel-Há offered three exciting evenings that presented many art forms. The artists included Rodolfo Pacheco, Martha Fernandez, Victor Aburto, Alberto Sada, Enrique Sortres, as well as performances of the Dance School “Talulah”, Coco Bongo Disco, Mariachi from La Parrilla restaurant, guitar player Oscar Castro and puppeteer Oscar Landeta, who all together created a marvelous show.

Thanks to the support of La Dirección de Turismo (The Municipal Tourism Office), La casa de la Cultura de Solidaridad (Cultural House of the Municipality of Solidaridad), el Fideicomiso de Promoción Turística de la Riviera Maya (Riviera Maya Tourism Promotion Board), Coco-Bongo Disco, restaurant La Parrilla and Coca-Cola; the first free cultural forum of The Natural Wonder Xel-Há was a complete success for our local and tourist public. Art on Fifth Avenue is a splendid opportunity to reunite true art lovers on the Fifth Avenue, the genuine heart of Playa del Carmen.

Mother’s day is a festivity to honor mothers and at Xel-Há we took this opportunity to thank them and show how much we care about them.

On this occasion, Xel-Há offered them a little present as a reminder of the admiration we feel for them, to show them how much we value their contribution as women and mothers, as well as their work as journalists.

Xel-Há has always been aware of working mothers; therefore we consider they should be honored not only on a specific day. We should value their day to day efforts as mothers and professionals.

Xel-Há respects nature. Worried about indiscriminate tree cutting, Xel-Há has decided to suspend the printing of paper maps for the park with the purpose of using less paper in its operations to avoid unnecessary tree cutting.

Two important changes have been implemented in the park to replace the maps: the use of 30 maps in important points of the park, and the training of all of the collaborators of Xel-Há to assist visitors to meet and exceed their expectations.

In order to replace the use of paper maps in the Park, 30 maps were strategically placed in important points at Xel-Há. Thanks to this program of sustainability, this action saves 50 trees 10 m. high. Help us preserve the environment by using less paper!

Click on the map for full size

On March 22nd, The Natural Wonder Xel-Há celebrated the World Water Day at the Park’s facilities.

During this special day, 2,800 visitors had the opportunity to see the new banners bearing sentences like “Water is the driving force of nature” by Leonardo Da Vinci and others written by children from different parts of the world. The goal was to send an ecological message about how to take care of water and its importance in our life.

As part of the celebration of the World Water Day, the Guardians of Xel-Há entertained children and adults offering small, decorative bottles filled with water from the inlet of Xel-Há. Throughout the day, free bottled water was also distributed to all the visitors of the park.

It was a very important day for the Natural Wonder Xel-Há because it not only was the World Water Day celebration it also meant raising awareness among the world population how to take care of water.

Xel-Há joined the “Clean Point” campaign created by the Ecology Department of the Municipality of Benito Juarez in order to have the first collecting center for PET (containers made of polyethylene therephthalate) and all kinds of plastic.

4.3% of the 2.4 million tons of garbage that are currently found in the landfill is made up of PET. Each inhabitant of Cancun generates approximately 1.25 kilos of garbage daily, which puts the ecosystem at a great risk.

Xel-Há contributes to the “Clean Point” program by working on a very important environmental problem such as the pollution by batteries. The effect generated by battery pollution takes has a longer time span than other pollutants. The environmental damage caused by this type of pollution when mixed with the rest of the garbage, is mainly due to the battery components, such as mercury, cadmium and nickel that produce cancer.

A survey made by the National Institute of Ecology (INE) of Mexico, showed that during 1960 to 2003, more than 635, 000 tons of batteries were thrown away into the garbage, releasing approximately 190,000 tons of toxic substances.

For this reason the Natural Wonder Xel-Há launched a program called “Ponte Las Pilas” in 2005, with the participation of two schools and supermarkets. Today, there are 12 strategic points to collect batteries in Cancun, which have gathered approximately five and a half tons of batteries, which means 1,661 kilos of toxic waste that will not pollute the environment.

With this kind of actions, Xel-Há together with its collecting points show society that with everybody’s help, it is possible to achieve results that can have a positive impact on our environment.