_____The El Pilar Program has set a new stage for ecotourism in which several thousand intrepid visitors a year are experiencing the novelty of El Pilar. Touring El Pilar, one can explore beautiful Maya architecture comfortably shaded beneath the luxuriant forest canopy, home to a rich variety of Maya flora and fauna. Landscaping views of the temples and plazas as well as reconstructed Maya houses in their forest-gardens draws the visitor into the scene and evokes the imagination. Authenticity and a sense of discovery, as seen in the lithographs documenting the historic 18th-Century explorations of Stephens and Catherwood, provide an unique experience more attuned to the nature of the Maya forest. Stephens wrote of the Maya monuments in 1841: “Of the mortal effect of the monuments themselves, standing as they do in the depths of the tropical forest … the imagination is pained in gazing at them. The tone that pervades [them] is that of deep solemnity.”

_____The program has promoted education and training workshops, given lectures and tours, and encouraged participation in the archaeological research locally and globally.* Further, the program has hosted events, such as the annual Fiesta El Pilar, that have elevated the visibility of El Pilar on the global front, providing a springboard for community participation in tourism development. Participants in these events are electrified and leave to promote the El Pilar vision in their communities.

_____Today, a visit to El Pilar includes more than the ancient monuments in the midst of the verdant jungle. Links to the community have been forged with Amigos de El Pilar which are the cornerstone of the participatory agenda for El Pilar. The Be Pukte Cultural Center is the Amigos’ information and arts and crafts store on the way to El Pilar. The center was originally constructed with the help of a US youth organization, Global Roots. Amigos’ are promoting the Masewal Forest Garden Trail, where traditional agro-forestry can be appreciated along an informative marked trail, designed with the help of a British youth organization, Raleigh International. These community projects showcase their wisdom and talents in a novel way and complement the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve design.