Maya Temazcal & Lake Views

High in the hills at La Lancha, two Maya traditions shape the day. The first is the temazcal, a domed sweat lodge the Maya have used for centuries. Inside, volcanic stones are heated until they glow, water and herbs are poured over them, and copal resin burns in the dark while a guide leads the ceremony, an old ritual of heat, breath, and quiet. Step out when it’s over and the lake is right there to cool off in, hot stone to cold water, the way it has always been done.

The other is The Mirador, the lookout. It sits above Lake Petén Itzá with the rainforest falling away below, and it can be set for whatever the day asks: a massage in the open air with Maya moon oil, a private dinner for two as the light goes off the water, or simply an hour with the view and nothing else.