Learn traditional crafts & cook with women in Santa Cruz

Make something with your hands and eat it the same day

This class in Santa Cruz pairs you with local Mayan Kaqchiquel women to learn their crafts and cook together in a home kitchen. You'll prepare traditional dishes like tamales and tortillas, try your hand at fabric weaving or jewelry making, and experience a temazcal steam bath. The women who lead it depend on the day's shifts, and all materials are provided. The 3–5 hour session includes lunch and water.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore local culture and workshops

• Meet women at main pier
• Walk around Santa Cruz community
• Visit local house for workshop
• Cook traditional recipes together
• Enjoy meal of cooked dishes
• Participate in fabric and jewelry making
• Dress in traditional Santa Cruz attire
• Experience temazcal steam bath

The experience

What does a day look like for the women who live here? That's the question this class answers by putting you in their kitchen and their workspace. You'll walk from the pier through Santa Cruz to a local house, learning the route locals take and the neighborhoods they move through, or take a tuktuk if the walk doesn't suit you. Once there, you cook alongside the women using a wood-fired kitchen, making tamales, tamalitos, tortillas or puliki from scratch, then sit down to eat what you made together.

The craft side happens in the same space. You'll learn to lay the first thread for sewing or create a piece of jewelry by hand, working through the basics with someone who does this every day. If you want, you can dress in traditional Santa Cruz clothing. The temazcal (a low adobe house where steam baths happen) closes out the session. It's a local practice of disconnection that the women use themselves. All materials for the crafts stay with you, and bottled water is on hand throughout.

This model is built around regenerative tourism: 100% of what you pay goes into the local economy and into creating sustainable work for the women leading it. The guide speaks English or Spanish depending on the day.

What’s included

• All craft workshop materials.
• bottled water throughout the session.
• lunch made during the cooking class.
• access to the temazcal steam bath.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Youth (12 to 17 years) · Child (4 to 11 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Mujeres de la Luna

Is this one for you?The 3–5 hour timeframe fits a morning or afternoon in Santa Cruz without eating up your whole day, so you can combine it with other stops in the area if you want. The class is built for all fitness levels and works for anyone curious about how local women spend their time and what they know.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 17 years); Child (4 to 11 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What do you actually cook during the class?

You prepare traditional Kaqchiquel recipes like tamales, tamalitos, tortillas and puliki in a wood-fired kitchen, working alongside the local women. You cook together and then eat the meal you made.

How long does the whole experience take?

The class runs 3 to 5 hours, which leaves room for other activities in Santa Cruz the same day if you want them.

Do you need any craft experience to join the jewelry or fabric workshop?

No. The workshops are introductions: you'll learn to lay the first thread for sewing or create your first piece of jewelry from the start, with no prior skill required.

What is a temazcal and why is it part of this class?

A temazcal is a traditional steam bath in a low adobe house, used by local people as a practice of disconnection and wellness. It's included so you experience the daily life and routines of the women who lead the class.

Is there a way to get to the house if walking from the pier doesn't work for you?

Yes. You can take a tuktuk from the pier to the local house where the workshop happens if you prefer not to walk.