Cafe Arqueologico Yax-ha - Where I work

Café Arqueológico Yax-ha. That's it, my new work place for the next 6 months. But what's at the bottom of it?

The Café's main focus is on the Mayan culture and architecture. Here they aim to spread their knowledge of ancient Mayan culture. Inside, they offer a wide variety of old and new photos of different archeological sites ( Tulum, Ek'Balam, Palenque, Tikal, La Blance, YAX-HA and so on...), books and maps, and slide show evenings.

All exhibits document the excavation of the sites, include pictures of the staff and the discoveries. Cafe Yax-ha is the meeting point of the archeologists that do reasearch and excavations in El Peten. There are many sites that are still not completely excavated or even found! It might sound a bit boring or geeky but after I got a deeper insight by all the stories and visiting Tikal I got totally carried along....

In addition to this, they or we :) also offer special tours to Mayan sites. My boss, Dieter, is a (famous) archeologist himself and participated and lead several excavations here. 

Dieter is funny. Sarcastic and unpredictable. He is the most chilled person, or boss, I have ever met. 

Just one time I sat at the table behind my laptop when he walked by and just said to me SHUT UP (Schnautze!) even though I haven't even said one thing to him. Followed by his funny laugh. Silly guy and so not-German.


Besides all the archeological stuff, there is also a Spanish school "Dos Mundos". While the travelers stay here, they have the oportunity to take one-to-one classes with local students and learn Spanish very easily. Even I have been taking classes, I think 4 times now, with a Chapina (thats what the Guatemalans call themselves) named Celine. She is 19 years old and such a sweety! I learn really fast and its just fun talking to her about everything. 
People can also stay with local families, which is pretty cool, too. 

One spacious room of the second floor Dos Mundos Spanish school

The Cafe also has 7 rooms with private bathrooms. Nothing special but comfy and perfect for the mostly short stay of the guests. 


The Cafe itself serves awesome international food as well as -OF COURSE- typical prehispanic dishes, which were created in cooperation with Mayans who still preserve their old traditions. The meals use local ingredients that have existed in this area for hundreds of years and were used by the Mayans in their daily lives.

My favourite breakfast

Me at the 2nd night, eating Pollo Xni Pec, yummy :)

What do I do?
So far I help in the Cafe, taking orders, serving people, buy supplies, prepare smoothies, clean up and so on. Also, I am the administrator of the Cafe Yax-ha facebook page (Go ahead and 'like '!!!) Plus I am contacting local and international NGO's that are working in the Peten area or anywhere else in Guatemala to inform them about our well-located Spanish school. What else....hm. We have built a temple shaped board to advertise our delicious breakfast more to the people that walk by. We did some translations from German into English and I am Dieter's wife German teacher. I have a lot of free time also and am enjoying it very much. It is a little bit of everything....