Edgar is one of our wonderful staff at Maya Traditions. In charge of the Organic Medicinal Plant Garden, Edgar is also responsible for coordinating and supervising volunteers. Here, volunteer Eli shares a bit about Edgar, with whom she works with on a daily basis:

Edgar Tuy is 20 years old and began working for Maya Traditions in an official capacity one year ago. Edgar learned about Maya Traditions Foundation from Oseas, a friend and the groundskeeper at Maya Traditions. He began assisting Oseas with work in the garden and learning about the plants before he got hired last year. Edgar says, “I learned everything I know about medicinal herbs from Oseas in the garden and by searching online.”

Edgar has worked with plants from a very young age. His family works on the campo, growing corn and beans, and Edgar would help out with the work in the afternoons after completing his studies in the mornings. He also worked on a coffee plantation in San Pedro de Laguna back in 2013.

Edgar studied agriculture for three years in school before joining Maya Traditions. From his studies, he learned a lot about growing vegetables, fruits, and raising animals. He also started university earlier this year, the first in his family to attend, but had to take a hiatus for economic reasons. He says that he is saving up money, with help from his job at Maya Traditions, and plans today continue university next year. He also works on weekends in a flower garden and assisting his father with a food distribution business.

For Edgar, working with plants is very gratifying. He shares, “it’s beautiful because each plant is different and and you get to become familiar with their different needs and properties.” His job in the garden is very fulfilling and brings him a lot of happiness. Edgar says, “This job is special and different from other jobs because the medicinal plants require a lot of care and love and contact with people.” Edgar wishes to improve the garden by introducing new plants and working on product development of the natural medicines. He values the medicinal herbs and says, “I use [them] myself because they are better than chemical medicines and don’t have side effects.” Edgar emphasized how much joy working with the plants in the garden brings him and how grateful he is for the opportunity Maya Traditions Foundation has provided him to work there. I can tell you from working with him that he has an incredibly positive attitude, an encouraging smile, and seemingly endless patience to put up with the repetitive tasks of gardening and my broken Spanish.