Co-Living with Nature
Co-Living Opportunities At Camazotz Cohaven
Temporary Retreat, Second Residence, or Permanent Home
MILLIONS are escaping worn-out lifestyles, big city limits, and politics as usual...
..building better lives, closer to nature — with more space for creativity, learning, health and play.
Join Us In The Great Escape.
A new mode of sharing life with like-minds, immersed in natural surroundings, supported by cutting-edge tech and collaborative community.
An escape from the status quo: with new hobbies, new habits, new opportunities, new forms of communication, new perspectives on work life balance.
Remain as long as suits you on the grounds of our 45 hectare safehaven — away from all the hectic hustle-and-bustle of the world.
With everything we need on site, leave only as and when you want to, whether for trips to near-by attractions, to visit family, or away on business of site seeing more of the world.
Camazotz can be your best basecamp from which to build a better life.
Imagine:
- Groceries... personal care products... equipment... all delivered to your door by members of our cooperative which includes local mayan neighbours paid affordably fair wages.
- Camazotz village events to attend as suits your interest for socializing, sharing, learning, or entertainment.
- Movie nights, educational workshops, exercise groups, art classes, with special instructors from around the Yucatan peninsula.
It all begins with...
Your Dream Homestead
And it might cost a lot less than you think.
We are working with Mexican architects who specialize in super adobe construction along with modern villa designs.
Or start off in a Yurt or large glamping tent. Something to suit every budget, especially until you are fully ready to 'put down roots' and invest in a permanent dwelling. (see the options below)
Parcels of land are being planned with landscape architects due to begin a formal planning process for best making use of the 45 hectares to suit a healthy, thriving, modern new approach to village management and co-living community.
The Big Move
Deciding to relocate is a big decision. Co-living in a rural environment to collaborate on early stages towards building the infrastructure of the property for the coming years is an even bigger decision.
Fortunately, we have options and education to help make all of the little decisions that build into the big move with success.
Camazotz Co-Living Options
Option 1: Start Small and Work Up
We believe the sensible approach for most people, at least while the estate takes shape with new people and infrastructure over the coming years, will be a 'start small and work up' approach.
Check out https://www.yurts.com for inspiration. Just one example of what is possible without a large budget.
We help you select the best arrangement of equipment and living conditions to suit whatever budget you have in mind. From impermanent Yurt tiny homes and geodesic domes, to long-lasting super adobe homes, or log cabins of any size.
You can either begin by sharing installations such as solar power, water supply, our large public Palapa (12m x 6m x 12m ) used as a co-working space and lounge, and our shard kitchen areas... or you can put together your own self-sufficient homestead in just a matter of days.
From that foundation, so much becomes possible. You'll get familiar with the land, the seasonal changes, how we approach agriculture, how much space you'll want to have in the future away from activitiy hubs throughout the property as we begin to build up our population with pioneers like you.
Here’s Your Suitability Test
Given the choice...
Life As Usual
A Life Of Regeneration
...would you live in a noisy city surrounded by neighbors you barely ever speak to, with the typical '9 to 5' lifestyle — even if it has some handy benefits such as easy access to the mall...
...or would you choose to live closer to nature, with like-minded neighbors who share your values and interests?
Taking it a step further...
What if those like-minded neighbors held regular events, shared business or other creative pursuits, enjoyed entertainment or healthful activities together?
And what if we had a global network of collaborators who share their research on the latest innovations that make life more fun, healthier and easier?
Things We Like
Our starting point:
45 hectares of nature reserve.
Imagine:
The sound of birds and the vibrant hot sun by day. Then a sound of singing frogs by night with crystal clear sky's and twinkling stars. Completely free of the light or noise pollution from cities. 45 hectares (like 45 city blocks) of nature reserve. Pathways to explore. An aviary with chickens and ducks. Fruit and vegetable gardens constantly in development. Cool evenings to relax besides a campfire and a peaceful slumber at night.
"The property is both stunning and wild" - Emma from UK, Dec '22
Our Vision
A new safehaven village surrounded by hectares of nature reserve and traditional Mayan agriculture. Here's our early cartoonish concept:
Current status:
We have off-grid jungle, we have water, we have organic fruits and veg, we have solar power, we have events, we have real Mayan neighbors who teach Mayan style cooking, we even have a bat cave.
Visit the Camazotz Google Earth Tour to explore the grounds with photos and video clips.
Questions, Answers & Pictures
Across 45 standard city blocks of landscape, we can add accommodate a wide range of housing styles, from as close to nature as possible, through to well insulated, dare we say 'vacuum sealed' modern homes.
We are looking at a wide variety of architectural styles, with several residential zones planned for next door neighbors that suit your style and preference.
Below are some sample pictures to suggest both designs and affordability.
Glamping Tents
Geodesic Domes
Yurts
Adobe Domes
Log Cabins
A-Frames & Villas
A Question of Ownership
We believe in the sanctity of individual rights which by natural extension includes property rights. A man's house is his castle. We are preparing for the future of property ownership in the manner by which we think is fair, inclusive, and empowering for all participants.
We are using a modern approach to land management and civil development with a summary provided below:
- A permanent leasehold — we use smart-contracts, legally binding, to secure ownership of homestead parcels. This provides owners with the right to build on and re-sell their parcel and its contents. Rather than a traditional leasehold, ownership remains permanent for as long as the Camazotz Foundation retains the land title deeds of the property. The Foundation's board of trustees includes several members of the Camazotz Collective and our binding rights are publicly available here.
- Building restrictions — the Mexican government itself has certain restrictions for this type of land development, such as not building skyscrapers, and preserving the natural habitat. This suits us perfectly and why we chose this location as future-proofed against all of the concrete development that will happen along the coastline. Cancun as example is fun for a holiday but not to dwell long-term. We will maintain standards of biomimicry, bioconstruction, and up to 3 story residential buildings.
- Shared village infrastructure — funded by our collective treasury, with a minimalist requirement for those on a tighter budget, and opportunity to contribute as patrons for those with the funds available. A portion of our micro business cooperative will go towards the project treasury, and we will benefit from parts of the land reserved for hospitality and events, along with clever digital projects (see Camazotz MetaReality) that bring in ample funding to the treasury for maintenance and development.
Nestled in the very heart of the Yucatan Peninsula, we are:
- 30 minutes drive from Valladolid - with its increasing tourism, a beautiful colonial, tranquil and vibrant town.
- 30 mins from Ek Balam - ancient Mayan ruins
- 15 minutes from X-Uch - the nearest village with shops and cultural events
- 25 minutes from Temozon - mayan town with hardware stores, grocery stores, and restaurants
- 45 minutes from Chichen Itza - ancient Mayan ruins
- 2.5 hours from Cancun - large city and famous beach holiday destination (airport)
- 2 hours from Playa del Carmen - a buzzing coastal town
- 1.5 hours from Tulum - a spiritual vibe health haven
- 3 hours from Merida - large city (airport)
Great question.
We believe a diversity of people will make Camazotz a thriving community that makes a meaningful impact on the world in the years ahead.
In saying that, we're not a rehab unit or hippie commune for people who are carrying too much emotional baggage. We'll let you decide if that makes Camazotz sound like the right venue for you.
Ultimately, we expect our long-term co-livers to generally agree to the vision expressed on our sister site: http://camazotzcollective.com
Use our budget calculator spreadsheet to help plan a budget based on flexible options to find a scenario that suits you.
Here's Gavriel with a quick tour of the budget calculator:
While some people living at Camazotz Cohaven may not want to be involved with the micro business cooperative, they can certainly benefit from it by having on-site services available, such as food stalls, health services, schooling, training, coaching, and so on.
This model can be applied to any co-living cooperative project. The given example is for Camazotz Cohaven, Yucatan Mexico and hence named the Camazotz Economic Model.
The challenge being addressed is to create a cooperative system whereby contributors of different types receive fair return for their input.
We believe that is best achieved by the ‘operator’ (the person doing the actual hands on work) receiving the majority value created, with ‘investors’ serving more as crowdfunders with a good ‘return’ but no life-long claim on ‘equity’.
This is what we’ve arrived at so far.
Key
CIR = Capital Investor Return
THP = Take Home Profit
CCT = Camazotz Cohaven Treasury
MCF = My Camazotz Fund
CEP = Camazotz Economic Program
CCP = Camazotz Cohaven Project
CCC = Camazotz Cohaven Council
Plan For Cooperative Revenue Distribution
After expenses to operate are accounted for, business owners share profits across 3 stakeholder groups.
- First is themselves, with a 60% of profit allocation as their personal ‘take home profit’.
- Second bucket is for ‘capital investor returns’ which includes anyone who invested into the business to get it started… which concerts to a ‘my camazotz fund’ bucket once investors are paid their 5x return.
- Third bucket is allocated to the overall Camazotz Community Treasury for allocation as goverened by the Camazotz Community Council.
Details
Investors can include the founder of the business, other Camazotz community members, or the Camazotz Community Treasury (CCT).
If the founder funded the business themself, the CIR is allocated to their MCF (My Camazotz Fund) once they have achieved complete payback for their investment.
The MCF is a segregated profit allocation that a business owner can use for any CEP (Camazotz Economic Program) of their choosing.
The Camazotz Economic Program includes business investment or community donations to help improve the quality of life for all Camazotz community members, via collective and individual choice of where best to allocate money. The CEP includes the CCT (Camazotz Cohaven Treasury) and all member MCF’s (My Camazotz Funds).
Examples
Example 1: Business Owner — Fully Funded
I am a Camazotz member and want to open a Camazotz Gym. I fund $20k to buy the equipment and build the gym.
I receive 100% of the profits until I have recovered the $20k capital investment.
Once payback is achieved, I then receive 60% THP plus 20% of the business profits into my MCF which I can use to fund or donate to any Camazotz Cohaven Project of my choosing. The remaining 20% profits goes to the CCT (Camazotz Cohaven Treasury).
Example 2: Business Owner + Capital Investor
I open the same Gym business but in this scenario I fund $10k and receive $10k from capital investors (which might be the CCT or community member MCFs or other patrons).
In this case I receive 60% THP plus 50% of the CIR (capital investor returns) because I funded 50% of the $20k. This continues until 5x return is received for funders (which includes my self and all others).
Once 5x return is achieved for funders, the complete CIR bucket of 20% reverts to MCF (My Camazotz Fund), and the remaining 20% profit goes to the CCT.
Capital Investor
Let’s look at it from the investor perspective. The investor needs to decide what % of funding to provide that feels comfortable for them based on the risk vs reward of the business.
If they have the option to, would they want to provide 100% of the capital required to start the business (such as the $20k for my Gym), and therefore receive all of the 20% CIR bucket until they are paid a 5x return ($100K), knowing the business operator (me in this case) has no ‘skin in the game’ except for being there on-site or on-line to operate the business and receive the 60% THP?
These are scenarios that will be decided on a case-by-case basis as we begin to build the economic facilities and opportunities at Camazotz Cohaven.
Camazotz Cohaven Treasury
The treasury (CCT) is used to fund all areas of maintenance and development of Camazotz Cohaven towards our purpose, as per the Camazotz bylaws.
Administered by the CCC (Camazotz Cohaven Council) comprised of delegates selected by the community, as per the Camazotz bylaws.
Notes
The purpose of capital investments (funding) is not to create ongoing profit centres for funders. It is to help us achieve our collective goals as outlined in the Camazotz Bylaws.
As such, rather than equity owner investments, we are collectively crowdfunding the Camazotz project via the co-operative structure. All capital funding is used to buy profit making resources such as equipment for Camazotz. Think of it as a ‘loan’ with a 5x return. With this appraoch there are less legal expenses for everyone too.
A 5x return on capital contributions to Camazotz businesses provides an attractive return in exchange for funding economic development of Camazotz.
This allows profits beyond the 5x return to be allocated back to the business operator / founder via their MCF (my camazotz fund) allowing business owners to support the CEP (camazotz economic program) via fund contributions to new projects.
We believe this puts us into a synergistic spiral of success.
The following is our current vision for co-living roles.
We need a diversity of skills and interests to make a thriving co-living environment. Some people will want to be involved more or less with the general day to day functioning and community experiences.
Nothing here is mandatory, but we believe we will create a healthier and happier dynamic by generally having everyone collaborating on various aspects of life at Camazotz Country Estate.
As our governing group develops, land ownership will be placed within a trust with appointed trustees to steward the property for a free and fair future.
This will be done with the confidence that the purpose of Camazotz will be actualized: Co-living with nature to maximize human vitality.
We are advocates of dynamic governance (socriocracy), decentralized governance (distributed decision making), and web3 governance (autonomous organizations). See https://avolve.io.
Our dream is to inspire the world with a clear demonstration of healthy living, economic and creative opportunity, and fair governance that stimulates larger-than-life joy and care-free feelings of peace. An 'Impossible Dream' within the current geopolitical decade from hell. Hence, the road ahead will be a long adventure of discovery and determination.
Camazotz Cohaven is proving that dreams can become realities.
A place for healthy enjoyment of Mother Earth... personal growth... digital creativity... and everything in between.
We are just now embarking on a total transformation of the property with new 'dome homes', public kitchen area, more solar power (for all those devices we need in modern life), plus StarLink Internet, a bio swimming pool, green house, and more. Check out the Support Us page for details of projects and how you could get involved.
The Pitch
City-life sucks — at least to many of us.
Creativity is hampered by daily life-chores and untold stresses.
Inflation is pinching — civil strife is rampant.
Many people want to move, travel, be free from the humdrum restrictions of their ‘home town’ — to change their life, at least for a while…
Camazotz provides a co-living safehaven and playground for short visits or longer-term stay in a tropical natural setting.
We are planning ahead with a local architect to build the first 'micro village' on the property. But our current focus is just some basics to focus on the gardens to make the land more fertile for the future.
Visit our Roadmap Page (built with Notion) to see our publicly revealed next steps now in planning and in progress. Community members can get access to a bigger roadmap of things not covered here.
1. Grass Roots Phase
Objective: Home & Hospitality.
Camazotz serves as a home for its initial settlers to work on infrastructure and open Camazotz for basic hospitality.
2. Community Phase
Objective: Playground & Workground for Like-Minds
Camazotz becomes home to a core collaborative group who share a similar vision for the future of governance, health, and freedom.
3. Beacon Phase
Objective: Popular Turnkey Blueprints
Camazotz provides training of various kinds to projects around the world that share our philosophy towards local community governance and cutting-edge health.
As an initial step, join us at...
Camazotz Campus
Learn what it takes to survive and thrive away from the creative comforts of big cities. Join us for a 3 week or 3 month program — co-living with nature. See the Camazotz Campus page.
Keen?
We are assembling a group who will help accelerate progress here at Camazotz Finca — to make it suitable for longer-term stay by more people.
So far, we have basic infrastructure and a few large glamping style tents.
Next step priorities include:
- Landscape design and architecture planning for the first micro-village
- Permaculture and aeroponic garden preparation so we have an easy abundance of fruit and veg all year round
- Evolving our glamping hospitality to suit short-term retreats and events
- Planning the economics of co-living at Camazotz so we are appropriately affordable for the status of comfort we currently have (not that much yet) to cover costs of funding our next stage of development.
We look forward to welcome you at Camazotz Finca.
Camazotz Crew
PS. Below you will find an exploratory concept for the types of 'roles' that co-living members might take if they want to participate in stewarding Camazotz Finca.
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