The Puerta al Mundo Maya project started in the year 2001 as a joint cooperation between Peace Corps and the "Cancuen Project" from Vanderbilt University. They had the support from different projects such as AGIL (a USAID project) and Investment for Peace (an AGEXPRONT project). The objective of this project was to create the first ecotourism route called "Puerta al Mundo Maya" or Gateway to the Mayan World, which would be completely handled by Q'eqchi' communities, sustainably managing their natural and cultural resources and contributing to their social and economic development. As a follow up of this program, in May 2003, the project "Q'eqchi' community development and Sustainable Tourism" was created.
This project was coordinated by Counterpart International -CPI- with the financial support from the United States Agency for International Development -USAID-. Its main goal was to create a model of community sustainable tourism, and community heritage and agro-forestry conservation in Chisec, Alta Verapaz. Sustainable ecotourism products were developed in the Sepalau Lagoons, B'omb'il Pek and Jul Iq' Caves, San Simón River, Candelaria Camposanto and Mucbilha' I in the Candelaria Caves National Park, and Cancuen archaeological site. In 2004, a new project called "Community Tourism and Forest Gardens for Alta Verapaz and Petén" started, also with financial support from USAID - Guatemala. The main goal of this new project was to consolidate the achievements in the Chisec area and duplicate this model of sustainable community tourism and analog forestry in Petén, specifically in the communities of Carmelita - El Mirador archaeological site and Paso Caballos - El Perú archaeological site.