Nanciyaga

Nanciyaga is a private ecological reserve on the shore of Lake Catemaco, at about km 7 of the road from Catemaco to Coyame, some 8 km from the town. It protects one of the last patches of rainforest left on the lake shore; sources give its size as anywhere from 4 to about 13.5 hectares of tall evergreen forest. The property is open to the public for ecotourism, with guided walks, a rustic restaurant and cabins for overnight stays, and it is one of the best-known stops for the launches that tour the lake.

Its forest has had a career in film. Sean Connery's Medicine Man (El curandero de la selva, 1992) was shot here, and in 2006 Mel Gibson's crew used the reserve for many of the jungle chase scenes in Apocalypto, choosing it because its flat ground was easier for cameras and actors than the denser, steeper forests they tried. Catemaco was the production's base for five or six months. Replicas of Olmec sculptures are set along the paths, and an open-air stone theatre, the Teatro Monolítico, is used for ceremonies such as Olmec-style weddings.

The guided walk goes through the forest on trails and a hanging bridge over a freshwater spring, with explanations of the plants and the Olmec replicas; howler monkeys, scarlet macaws, herons and chachalacas live in the area, and crocodiles are kept in controlled areas. Visitors can swim in the mineral spring, put on a face mask of mineral clay, take a temazcal (a traditional steam bath in an earth dome) or a cleansing with medicinal plants and copal, and paddle a kayak or canoe on the lake. The restaurant serves food from the region, including tegogolos with pico de gallo.