IE Pilar flourished as a garden city for 2,000 years
Then it languished in a remote forest for the past 1,000






"'------ -- y

:N ow it is the heritage of a surviving community of 60,000
Garden traditions are lingering
K'anan K'aax-the heart of sacred Maya wisdom-is vanishing
The secret language of the forest is threatened
The folk-ecology of the Maya forest must not be lost
Together we can unlock the mystery of the Forest Garden

EXPLORINOQ .OLUTION9 PAT~THE: MAYA fOROET ALLIANCE
Creating partnerships for the future














j







pL PILAR


rEDOICOVERY or THE MAYA ITY

Peep in the Maya forest between Belize and Guatemala, El Pilar is the focus of
collaboration across political, economic, and cultural boundaries. Archaeologist
Dr. Anabel Ford has been exploring solutions from the past for thirty years. Today, Ford
spearheads a program that constructs bridges among people, nations, and disciplines
to create a conservation and development model that is applicable around the world.
A visionary management framework is beirg implemented at El Pilar. Supportive
local forest-gardeners and community conservationists hold the tradition of
K'anan K'aax, honoring the forest as their garden. The program's unprecedented
approach has attracted innovative teacher ., insightful policy makers, and leading
scientists from scores of disciplines. This partnership is creating a new
development paradigm.
Created with foundation funding over the past decade, the El Pilar Program
has launched a revolutionary partnership that links the past to the present.
EXPLORIN 0)OLUTION3 PA T-TH-e MAYA FOREST ALLIANCE(
formed to establish the long-term support this inclusive model
requires to come to fruition. Moving into the future, we invite you to join
our partnership by making a contribution to its success.
Sharing in our endeavor will make possible:
Forest Garden Education for the World
Community Empowerment for the People
STax-deductible contributions may be sent to:
Archaeological Insights for the Future EXPLORING )OLUTION3 PA)T-TIT MAYA rORQT ALLIANCE
Heritage Conservation of the Environment P.O. Box 3962
Sustainable Tourism for the Region Santa Barbara, CA 93130











QRe TINq. MAYA APVOCATI
Descendants of the extraordinary Maya Culture are
losing touch with their traditional environment ...
If not assisted, the forest-gardeners knowledge will be lost,
left to be read like ancient hieroglyphics.
Based on decades of experience at EL PILAR, an ancient Maya city
50 kilometers from the archaeological site of Tikal, we have established
EXPLORING 3OLUTIOND PAT-THEt MAYA PORP-6 T ALLIANCE

We can unlock the secrets of the past and apply them
to today's environmental and conservation problems
with scientific inquiry and traditional practice.
We are in a remarkable position where we can help
build a responsible future for our planet.
The Maya forest tells a rich and fertile story about;
food, seasonings, medicine, construction materials, textiles, arts, and trade,
and also about chocolate and vanilla. Archaeological and ecological signatures
in the forest landscape speak clearly to past management by the Maya
that lonely traditional forest-gardeners still practice today.
With your help, we can promote this natural alliance
to discover and reveal these precious truths that will illuminate our future.
With 20,000 pledges of $100 for five years, we can turn the fledging model of
EL PILAR into the premier example of partnership for the future.
All of us can benefit from the wisdom of the past.
We have no time to lose.
Please send your support today!
In your service for the future,



Dr. Anabel Ford
President
EXPLORING SOLUTION3 PA5T-THE MAYA "ORF.T ALLIAN(~


www.espmaya.org -; www.marc.ucsb.edu







EXPLORING 3OLUTION3 PAST-TIHE MAYA FOREST ALLIANCE \

Mission Statement
Our mission is the preservation and conservation of endangered
resources through local and international education. Addressing tensions
between culture and nature, we use the past as a reference to build a
responsible future. Weaving together traditional knowledge and practice
with scientific inquiry and interpretation, ESP~Maya sees its role as
promoting a deeper awareness of heritage through local partnership.

Board of Directors
Dr. Anabel Ford, President, Mesoamerican Archaeologist UCSB
D. Clark Wernecke, Vice President, Architecture and Archaeology U Texas
Randall Fox, Secretary, Attorney at Law, Reetz, Fox & Bartlett LLP
Lewis Ciener, Treasurer, Retired CPA
Fredrick Usher, Member, Concept Designer


Initiators of El Pilar Vision
British High Commission
Canada Fund
EarthVoice
Education Foundation for America
Ford Foundation
Fulbright Fellowship
Fulbright-Hays Research Abroad
Heinz Foundation
MacArthur Foundation
Nat'l Endowment for the Humanities
Nat'l Science Foundation
Rolex Awards for Enterprise
U.S. Agency for Int'l Development
Wenner Gren Foundation


Advisory Board
North America
Neville Agnew, Getty Conservation Institute
Paul Bailly, Vernacular Architect Los Angeles
Kathleen Ford Bay Estate Attorney Austin
Dr. Keith Clarke, Geographer UC Santa Barbara
Lori Ann David, Landscape Design Santa Barbara
Eva Haller, Public Relations Santa Barbara
Yoel Haller, Medicine Santa Barbara
Karen Jenanyan, Entrepreneur Santa Barbara
Peter Naylor, Economist Santa Barbara City College
Michael Siefe, Insurance Santa Barbara
Fr. Richard Walz, Benedictine Subiaco Abbey

Mesoamerica
Elias Awe, Help for Progress Belize
Nini de Berger, Conservation Int'l Guatemala
Anselmo Castaieda, Envic Belize
Mario Mancilla, U Galileo Guatemala
Carol Miller, Journalist & Sculptor Mexico
John Morris, Nat'l Inst. of Culture & History Belize
Jose Antonio Montes, Int'l Law Guatemala
Dr. Joseph O. Palacio, U of West Indies Belize
Alfonso Tzul, Maya Forest Gardener Belize


. Ak


ESP-Maya is a non profit corporation esiaiisr.ed .ar, operated i.'r
research and education purposes. A. a 501: i;'.ii entl., dorialii-:ns I.,
ESP-Maya are tax deductible, www.espmaya.org

For more information on E Pilar www.marc.ucsb.edu


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