What the Maya Still Teach Us About the Sky

With humans flying around the Moon again this week on NASA’s Artemis II mission, there is something especially fascinating to remember when you visit here in the Yucatán: 

Bright moon glowing in a star-filled night sky above dark jungle treetops in the Yucatán.
A luminous moon hangs above the jungle canopy under a sky full of stars in the Yucatán.


The Maya were studying the sky with remarkable accuracy long before modern technology.

Ancient Maya observatory beneath a glowing moon in the deep blue evening sky.


They did not predict celestial events with telescopes or spacecraft. They did it by watching the sky carefully over long periods of time. By tracking the repeating movements of the Sun, Moon, Venus, and stars, they learned that many events followed patterns.

Once those patterns were understood, they could calculate when they would return.

Moonlight pours through an opening into a cenote cave surrounded by rock, roots, and still water.
Moonlight reaches into a quiet cenote cave, where stone, water, and sky meet below the jungle.


What makes this especially fascinating for visitors to Puerto Morelos is that this is not just a story of the distant past. The Maya are still very much part of daily life in this region. While their ancestors were among the most advanced astronomers of the ancient world, their descendants continue to live here today, carrying forward traditions, knowledge, language, and a deep connection to the land.

At Abbey del Sol, that living connection matters to us. 

Many Maya people are part of the wider community we work with, and we love creating opportunities for guests and Maya locals to connect in meaningful, respectful ways. Supporting local families and communities is something we care deeply about, and those relationships are part of what gives this region its depth and character.

Guests and Maya artisans gather around a table of handmade crafts inside a traditional palapa.
Guests spend time with Maya artisans inside a traditional palapa, surrounded by handmade work and conversation.
Maya healer preparing traditional remedies with handmade bowls set on a rustic table in the jungle.
A Maya healer prepares traditional remedies, reflecting living knowledge still practiced in the Yucatán today.
Visitors learn to make handmade Maya tortillas with local women inside a traditional palapa.
Visitors are shown how handmade Maya tortillas are prepared, offering a real connection to local daily life and tradition.


 We are always happy to help guests discover a more meaningful side of the region through respectful excursions and experiences that offer a genuine connection to the Maya people of today, not just the stones and stories of the past.