During the 1970´s, "The Agricultural Cooperative of Santa Lucia R.L," a cooperative born from a community´s iniciative to produce and export vegetables and rabbit meat, served as a model of sustinable rural development throughout Guatemala and Central America. However, due to the era´s tragic civil war, many indigenous leaders were killed, hence leaving the cooperative abandoned and bankrupt. Thereafter, the remaining leaders associated themselves with the Bank of Agricultural Development, otherwise known as BANDESA, in order to relieve themselves of their debt.

And so the "Asociacion of Guadalupana" was spearheaded by the Mayan community leaders to recover the land they had lost. The formation of the association began in 1989 and was legalized on December 12, 1990.

The formation of the association of La Guadalupana began through the investment of the community leaders´ partners known as “Cuchubal” which in K’iche means “money council. This allowed the community of El Novillero to recover various farms. Fortunately, in recent times, the last farm has been recovered.

The mission of the association of Guadalupana is:

To promote the sustainable and integrated development of its community, which for the most part consists of farmers and artesans, aiding in the development of productive projects.

The primary activities were to support agricultural production, cattle rearing and a community based woodshop for crafts up until 1995. In that year a governmental action contacted the Regional Forest Program of Central America –PROCAFOR- establishing a relationship that resulted in the participation of environmental projects.

The environmental projects began as a recognized necessity by the members of the community organization. It was given the name Uk’ux K’achelaj “which is K´iche´ for ”Heart of the Forest”. The objective is to offer an environmentally friendly and sustainable form of entertainment to its national and international tourist via safe pasage into the forest.

That is how the ecological park of "Corazón del Bosque" was formed. Curently, we proudly offer various services to tourist that desire an environmentally and socially responsible mode of tourism. Come visit "your home among the trees" to witness for yourself the immense beauty of our forest and culture!