Eco Sumaya

Join us for our Tours, Workshops and Weeklong Retreats (scroll down to see options)

Since 1999, we have been slowly cultivating our efforts to align more deeply with Mother Nature.  To date, our undertakings include medicinal and culinary herb gardens, citrus and papaya orchards, as well as salad, mixed greens and fresh wheat grass production for our restaurant.  Additionally our kitchen produces its own line of raw-living snacks and features a live juice bar.  Finally our chickens produce an abundance of organic eggs while assisting  in maximizing the efficiency of our composting strategies.
Managing our own pure water well and rain catchment installation, erosion control systems, solar heated pool and hot tub, as well as solar electrical assists, are all works in progress at Sumaya.  Emphasis on seed collection and propagation of native species, bio-diversity, integrated compost management with worm and chicken farms, food forest development and reforestation projects are invaluable initiatives that further help us protect our environment and food sources.

Managing our own pure water well and rain catchment installation, erosion control systems, solar heated pool and hot tub as well as solar electrical assists, are all works in progress at Sumaya.  Emphasis on seed collection and propagation of native species, bio-diversity, integrated compost management with worm and chicken farms, food forest development and reforestation projects are invaluable initiatives that further help us protect our environment and food sources.

Sharing our vision of a sustainable future through the living model of Eco-Sumaya, we  promote healthier ways to live in balanced harmony with life’s natural cycles. Our nature=based courses center around living gardens and hands on experience, offering direct application in the field.   Courses are aimed at both “back to nature” lovers as well as intermediate level “eco-pioneers”, looking to live more fully with the land.  Engaging active participation from our guests in our re-think, re-duce, re-use, re-cycle and up-use projects, invite solutions and greater awareness to the ongoing issue of waste management.  Finally our “Eco-Sumya-NOW”  living workshops and model permaculture projects grant a platform for simply and skillfully  teaching the valuable arts of working hand in hand with our mother nature.

Classes range from a 2 hour informative Eco-Sumaya guided tour to a series of instructional 2-3 hour courses, to extended 3-7 day workshops.  Perfect for individuals, families or groups who would like to familiarize themselves with the key components necessary for a healthy, interactive and independently sustainable garden as well as small animal husbandry projects.  Electronic booklets are provided to course participants in order to help bring the knowledge back home to your own garden. (See full course descriptions below for more information).

Workshop Leader:  Our co-visionary and eco-guru, Shad is an enthusiastic teacher and a gifted gardener.  A small organic farm operator himself, he brings along his personal experience of gardening, hand in hand with the indigenous Maya.  Furthermore, as a graduate of John Hopkins University, with extensive training in permaculture, he addresses cutting edge information in a straight forward style,  in either English or Spanish.  Emphasizing the complete chain of integrated gardening, Shad enthusiastically highlights the disciplines and cycles that ensure nature’s abundance in simple, achievable ways.

Tour of the Eco-Sumaya Food Forest with Shad: Villa Sumaya is proud to invite guests to experience a new kind of landscape that aims to encourage wildlife and plant diversity as well as providing for human consumption in a healthy and sustainable model. The Eco-Sumaya Food Forest is a diverse collection of indigenous and exotic plant species, and it is growing more diverse every day. Come see firsthand an excellent example of permaculture design and spend some time learning about useful plants and design innovations that provide for food security, environmental stewardship, nutritious diets, and healthy lifestyles. The tour will focus on sustainable agriculture examples and identifying useful local plants in the food forest and the surrounding area.  One will have a chance to take in stunning views of the lake, as well as a new look at the local Mayan culture and their relation with the land.  Furthermore, we’ll discuss how we work with these new permaculture designs and how they can provide for the next generation of people all over the world. Pricing:2 hours – $18 each, minimum 2 people, $16 per person with 3-4, $14 per person with 5-7 and $12 with 8 or more participants

Workshops

Our hands on workshops can be taken as independent units or combined with other modules to make a retreat.  A few of the trainings are supported by an Electronic Information booklet and each course is 2-3 hours in length.   1-2 people  $80 for course.  Add $30 for each additional person.

Square Foot Organic Gardening Workshop- Even in urban areas, raised bed and container organic gardening is a great way to supplement your diet with incredibly fresh and nutritious vegetables. Learn how to build your own intensive vegetable garden using the materials you have on hand. This interactive, hands-on workshop covers how to build raised-beds and container gardens for big production in small spaces. It also covers soil preparation and general care requirements for common vegetables and herbs. Class includes classroom learning and plenty of hands-on experience.

Kitchen Worm Composting Workshop- Worm composting is an incredibly easy and useful way to turn your kitchen wastes into valuable fertilizer, especially for people who have limited space. As opposed to a compost pile, which requires large amounts of materials and an outdoor space, worm composting can be done in the kitchen without many materials, bad odors, or large space requirements.  In this class, we will learn how to make a small-scale kitchen worm composting bin, how to maintain and care for your worms, harvesting their fertilizer, while covering  some important trouble shooting issues.

Small-Scale Chicken Coups for Urban and Suburban Flocks- More and more communities around the US are beginning to allow urban and suburban families to raise small flocks of chickens in their backyard. Come see examples of small-scale chicken coups that can yield fresh organic eggs.  Detailed coup designs will be provided and participants will work first hand with the Eco-Sumaya chicken coup and their beautiful flock of rare-breed hens. The course will also cover general care of the flock including what to feed them and how to keep the cage clean with minimal effort, providing fresh food with no smell and very little work.

The Art of Timing- Understand the phases of the moon and their influence on your day to day life. Did you know that between the new moon and the full moon, the mind is more receptive to ideas and tends to do more detailed planning and designing? On the other hand, when the moon is waning, the body is more ready to exert energy, materialize plans, and put into action thoughts and ideas that have been planned earlier. Learn about both the phases of the moon in relation to the sun and also about the moon and its relation to the zodiac. Become aware of the subtle energy differences that arise due to the various stages of the moon and its relation to the stars. Learn how to tell the best time to plant, prune or harvest from your garden as well as when to heal different parts of the body, fast or cleanse your system, cut your hair, plan events and more.

Cultivating, Processing, and Healing with Medicinal Herbs Workshop- Learn how to cultivate many of the most common and useful medicinal herbs, with a focus on container and small-scale gardens. Learn how to prepare your own herbal remedies including infusions and decoctions, salves, compresses and tinctures. Furthermore, learn a bit about the properties of several common herbs and how to use them to treat some common health issues. Also covered are some recipes for general herbal tonics that can be used daily to restore and maintain balance in your body. A detailed electronic reference booklet is provided to each student.

Eco Sumaya Personal Sustainability Retreats

If you are interested in a 3-7 day retreat, we can customize a package for you by implementing the workshops above or one of the themes below.  Packages can include: accommodations, meals, spa treatments, Spanish lessons and tours in addition to our Eco Sumaya offerings.  See a sample package below.

In-Depth Garden/Homestead course- This course is designed for those who would like to supplement their store bought produce with homegrown fruits and vegetables to those who truly are devoted to growing most of their own food.   The course covers the basics of organic gardening, soil mixing, planting and tending the plants as well as composting and red-worm composting. We’ll also spend time learning how to design a $100 greenhouse and a $100

chicken coup while learning how to manage and utilize each one. Other topics covered include seed banks and plant propagation, fruit orchards and food forest design.  An electronic booklet covering all designs and course highlight will be included.

Healing with Medicinal Herbs- This workshop is intended for those who are deeply interested in herbal medicine and connecting with the healing energy in plants on a daily basis. The course is divided into three parts spread out over four days of instruction and hands on learning.  First, participants will learn the basics of identifying and caring for several common healing herbs, as well as a bit about each herb’s healing properties.  Secondly, we will

prepare basic herbal remedies from herbs that we harvest on the grounds of Villa Sumaya. The course will cover simple procedures for making infusions, tinctures, salves, compresses, and poultices without expensive equipment.  Finally we will examine traditional Mayan and European folk remedies as well as basic Ayurvedic principals and their day to day application.  A booklet of useful information on herbal preparations and healing with herbs will be electronically  available to all students.

Sample Package

6 Nights accommodations, 3 Vegetarian Meals per day, 4 Courses (workshop style), 1  One hour massage, taxes

Single: 1037.00  Double: $723 each

Our Location

Villa Sumaya is nestled in a land locked bay on the shores of beautiful lake Atitlan, facing three dramatic volcanoes.  We are situated on 68 cuerdas or about 34 acres of land, in the traditional home-land of the indigenous Maya. This area is known to the Maya, as the “belly button of the earth”, for its verdant and gloriously abundant landscape.

Our 5,500 foot altitude and proximity to the equator offers a high plane semi-tropical paradise often referred to as “the land of eternal spring”.  The deep caldera walls create a powerful inverse vortex to the volcanic mountains and ridges above, creating tremendous beauty as well as distinct natural challenges to work with.

Two rainy seasons (May-June and Sept -Oct) anchor a long dry season which spans from Nov- April every year.  An additional dry season or spring break known as the “canicula” comes each year in July -Aug.  The sheer quantity of exotic flowers, trees and plant species is further enhanced by the abundance of bird life affording excellent first hand opportunities for bird watchers and naturalist alike.