A couple before the Mayan altar in a cenote under a great tree, while the guides raise their arms and copal smoke rises

Mayan wedding · Riviera Maya

Traditional Mayan marriage union ceremony

A ritual of union between two beings who love each other. The commitment is to love, to the word and to the spirit.

Our witnesses are Mother Nature and the natural elements, to honor and remember who we are in spirit and matter.

The ritual

Permission from the heart of the sky and the heart of Mother Earth

In this ritual we ask permission from the heart of the sky and the heart of Mother Earth to carry out the union, and we honor our four directions. With copal and incense we heal the place.

The altar is a sacred space, and the sound of natural instruments links the earthly world with the heavenly one.

This marriage union ceremony is only for heterosexual couples, as it is a ritual of fertility. For every couple we also celebrate a spiritual holistic wedding ceremony and LGBT weddings.

A couple with flower garlands facing a Mayan guide beside the altar, in the jungle next to a cenote — Before the altar, in the jungle.

The groom and the bride with flower garlands holding hands while copal smoke is fanned around them — Copal cleans the way for the couple.

The ceremony

How the ceremony unfolds

The four elementsWe present the couple to the four elements, which give their soul the energy of harmony and success in marriage. Fire, in the east, is our spirit; air, in the north, our breath; water, in the west, our blood; earth, in the south, our body.
Opening the directionsWe ask the elements, the Heart of the Sky, Hunab Ku, and Mother Earth to be present and to focus all their energy on the center, where the couple stands.
A prayer in the Mayan languageIn a Mayan wedding it is mandatory to pray in the Mayan language. In our weddings the translation is included, in English, Spanish, Italian or German.
CopalAn incense from a sacred tree of Mexico, used to clean bad thoughts and energies from the aura of the couple and their guests. The sahumadora can accompany the couple to the altar, cleaning all the ways for them.
The union of their watersAt the end, the couple offers seeds and flower petals to the water, the ocean or the cenote. Petals represent the secret language of love.

We always suggest a personalized healing and aura cleansing the day before the wedding. Our healing experiences

Is it your will to unite your lives under divine laws and according to the uses and customs of the Mayan people?

The offerings

What the offerings mean

CacaoA symbol of wealth and well-being at home.

CornA symbol of food for the human body and source of energy.

Pumpkin seedsA symbol of the awakening of consciousness and intelligence.

HoneyA symbol of love and sweetness at home.

SaltA symbol to maintain balance at home.

Sacred fireThe light of the candles symbolizes the wisdom of Yuum Hunab Ku, the energy and the light of the path.

The newlyweds kissing under the roots of a great tree, with a woman in embroidered dress singing beside the altar — The union, sealed under the tree.

Our ceremonies

Mayan ceremonies we have celebrated

At Hacienda San Pedro Ochil, Mérida

The couple walking out hand in hand after the ceremony, among their guests

The bride with a flower crown and the groom in a brown suit holding hands before the altar, with copal smoke

In a cenote in the Riviera Maya

A Mayan guide blessing the couple with copal smoke in the jungle beside the cenote

The couple kissing at the edge of the cenote while a musician plays beside the offerings

See more of this venue

By the sea

A Mayan ceremony on a terrace above the sea, under white curtains, with the couple and the guides at the altar

The couple embracing forehead to forehead, with flower garlands, in front of the sea

Reviews

What couples say

It was a very, very special day. An amazing experience. I highly recommend everyone to give themselves the opportunity to live this experience, one day in their lives. Thank you!

Ricardo & Ludmila

The ceremony was much more than we could have ever imagined. The magic of the cenote, the simultaneous strength and lightness of the ceremonialist and the work of the cameraman and photographer Dimitri were simply spectacular.

Fabio & Giovanna

On video