Help us provide learning tools

Provide professors, researchers, and students around the world with high-resolution photographs and information on rare plants and animals of southern Mexico and adjacent countries of Mesoamerica (Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador)

Latest News & Blog entries

wetland-WETLANDS - A Hidden Biodiversity Treasure International Day for Biological Diversity
Blog

WETLANDS – A Hidden Biodiversity Treasure International Day for Biological Diversity

Up to 40% of Earth’s biodiversity lives, breeds or depends on Wetland Ecosystems. However, 25% of wetland biodiversity is in risk of extinction. Biological diversity is essential to the equilibrium…

RBM-Rio-San-Pedro-Rizophora-mangle-propagules-Mar-1-2023-DA
News

Mangroves of Rio San Pedro, amusing cases of ecology and evolutionary history

In March of 2023 our expedition team found and documented mangrove trees along Rio San Pedro. Since then, we have learned a lot about these remarkable trees. Mangroves have bright…

Blog

Deforestation and Reforestation in Guatemala

It is popular knowledge that the name of Guatemala comes from the Nahuatl Quauhtemallan, which means “place of forests or many trees”, so we can deduce that this country is…

Temple-of-the-Seven-Dolls-in-Dzibilchaltun-Equinox
Blog

The Spring Equinox: Its importance within the Mayan Culture

During March, precisely on the 20th, one of the most important astronomical events for the Mesoamerican Region, the Spring Equinox, takes place. It’s considered the first annual mark of Earth’s…

Latest Workshops

and Virtual Conferences

Iconography of Sea Creatures in Classic Maya Art

Our conference “Iconography of Marine Creatures in Classic Mayan Art" was held virtually for all audiences and in person for students of the Oceanography course, from the Environmental Engineering degree at Rafael Landívar University.

Find It In Livingston

Municipio de Livingston is a great place to immerse in a tropical paradise. This workshop will introduce students, researchers, and travelers to the Flora, Fauna, and biodiversity of the Caribbean. Eight presentations with videos and photos to get to know Livingston, its rivers, wetlands, and nature. The first edition was posted in July 2022, held by our Research team at FLAAR Mesoamerica.

Introduction To Mammals and The 5 Felines of Guatemala

Our conference “Introduction to mammals and the 5 felines of Guatemala" was divided into two modules. The first was in charge of our special guest MSc. Pilar Negreros, who gave us the topic “Meeting the mammals" where she spoke about general aspects of mammals, such as their evolution, defense mechanisms, reproduction, and diversity of mammals.

Our Projects

Flora and fauna research

FLAAR Mesoamerica is a non-profit organization that does research and educational projects on plants and animals of Guatemala and nearby countries

Educational FLAAR Reports

Educational material that provides information, annotated bibliographies, and impressive photographs of the native birds, mammals, insects and other fauna plus edible and useful plants of Guatemala and the Mayan-influenced areas of Mesoamerica.

Educational Material for local schools

Infographies, banners, and associated illustrated teaching aids for school children, for the teachers, and for the parents and grandparents of the school kids also. When we visit schools in far-away mountains and rain forest areas, the teachers and village elders ask if we can please provide educational material in Spanish, in the local language (often…

MayanToons

Mayan Toons is a division of FLAAR Mesoamerica (in Guatemala) which is an affiliate of FLAAR (in USA). Mayan Toons is inspired to prepare fun, friendly, educational, helpful books to inspire school children (and their parents and grandparents). We focus on encouraging initiative, family values and ethics, and protecting fragile ecosystems and local plants and…

Our Colabs & appearances

with other institutes, other NGO's, and additional entities interested in flora, fauna, and educational of children and families.

Our research team has multiple goals

To provide professors, researchers, students and interested lay people around the world with high-quality information on rare plants and endangered animals (birds, mammals, fish, pollinators, etc.) of southern Mexico and adjacent countries of Mesoamerica (Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador).

To assist professors, researchers and students in Guatemala with unparalleled quality digital photographs of flora and fauna of Guatemala and to share our digital library of over 2 TB on birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, arachnids, etc. and over 5 TB on orchids, bromeliads, cacti, trees, vines, bushes, grasses, ferns, mosses, mushrooms, and lichen of…

To coordinate with teachers in rural and remote areas of Guatemala and provide them educational material for their students in the local Mayan, Spanish, and English languages. We are also open to providing material in Xinca and Garifuna languages.

DR Nicholas Hellmuth
Founder
Nicholas was first in Mexico in 1961, in Guatemala in 1962, in Honduras by 1964, and obviously now knows every country in North and Central America. But Guatemala has such remarkable diversity of eco-systems and hence impressive diversity of plants and animals. Sadly the eco-systems are being bulldozed out of existence for making modern commercial businesses. Surely there can be a way to save at least segments of these forests and waterways to help protect the species that we humans have evolved together with. Although we do focus on Guatemala, we are open to coordinating with foundations, embassy programs, and local NGO's in neighboring countries since there are Mayan settlements in every country on every side of Guatemala.

FLAAR Staff

The capable staff of FLAAR Mesoamerica (flora and fauna) and Mayan Toons (educational materials for schools) include Q'eqchi', Kaqchiquel, and Pokomchi Mayan individuals plus students from many of the universities in Guatemala.

Yaxha

Yaxha intrigued me due to it having the largest full-figure sculpture of a Teotihuacan inspired royal divine portrait of Tlaloc: fully armed with shield, Teotihuacan military atlatl and pertinent spears.

Tikal is renowned for its Tlaloc shield and Teotihuacan warriors on the sides of Stela 31 and Uaxactun has a stela with royal Teotihuacan affiliated warrior leader also; but the one at Yaxha does not add local individuals nor is the figure in a Mayan pose whatsoever: here is a single frontal divine, military. mercantile message.

Visit our other Websites

Maya-Ethnobothany

Visit Website

www.maya-ethnobotany.org

Orchids, heliconia, waterlily + edible Maya plants.

Maya-Ethnozoology

Visit Website

www.maya-ethnozoology.org

Jaguars, iguanas, birds, insect pollinators, monkeys.

Maya-Archaeology

Visit Website

www.maya-archaeology.org 

How did Dr Nicholas learn about the Maya rain forests cultures?

Digital Photography

Visit Website

www.digital-photography.org

How-to tips for improving your digital photography.

Mayan Characters

Visit Website

www.Mayan-characters-value-
based-education.org

Dr Nicholas interacting with jaguars, pumas, and with tarantulas hiking up his arm.

MayanToons

Visit Website

 www.MayanToons.org

Educational books for kids.

FLAAR REPORTS

Visit Website

www.FLAAR-REPORTS.org

Wide-format inkjet printer research and product evaluations of inks, cutters, laminators, international signage and visual communications trade shows, etc.