In Santa Cruz, a Mopan Maya settlement tucked into the jungle in southern Belize, there’s a delicate balance between welcoming tourism and safeguarding tradition.

Engaging visitors with the Maya way of life helps preserve their own traditions, but it is a delicate balance against the threat of overtourism. It is a story that is happening the world over.

By Lucy Sherriff, CNN A bumpy, 10-passenger plane ride from Belize City takes you over lush green jungles, craggy mountaintops and skims along the vibrant Caribbean Sea, dotted with paradisiacal ...

Map of the Maya World. In its heyday from about A.D. 300 to 900, ... while the Temple of the Warriors features murals of battle scenes and village life. ...

But for the largely Maya inhabitants of the village of Vida y Esperanza – a clutch of about 300 people and 70 houses whose name means “Life and Hope” – the train is going to run right by ...

A section of forest is empty after it was cleared for the construction of the Maya Train near community La Vida y Esperanza, which means Life and Hope, center left, and traverses a small road that ...

In Santa Cruz, a Mopan Maya settlement tucked into the jungle in southern Belize, there’s a delicate balance between welcoming tourism and safeguarding tradition.

Mexico’s ambitious Maya Train project along the country’s Caribbean coast it is threatening the indigenous Maya people it was named for and dividing communities it was meant to help ...

VIDA Y ESPERANZA, Mexico (AP) -- Mexico's ambitious Maya Train project is supposed to bring development to the Yucatan Peninsula, but along the country's ...

VIDA Y ESPERANZA, Mexico — Mexico’s ambitious Maya Train project is supposed to bring development to the Yucatan Peninsula, but along the country’s Caribbean coast it is… ...