Mexico’s Orchid Museum Is A Hidden Gem on The Mayan Riviera

Curators at Xcarat‘s Natural Museum of Orchids and Bromeliads have been collecting orchids based on their color, scent, form, medicinal, and economic value ever since the institution opened its door in 1994. Since that time, breeders have successfully propagated endangered species in order to preserve regional flora. (The museum currently grows 25 hybrids that are the fruits of these labors.)

Since the introduction of tropical species into cultivation in the 19th century, horticulturists have produced more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars of orchids. Some orchids, prized for their unusual folds, can even look like animals. The scent of orchids is also frequently used by perfumers to identify potential fragrance chemicals using gas-liquid chromatography– an arm of analytical chemistry in which compounds that can be vaporized without decomposition are separated and analyzed in order to determine which scents are most appealing to the human nose.

The most common orchid-based scent is that of vanilla, which comes from the dried seed pods of one orchid genus, Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia), which has been used for centuries as a flavoring for baked goods, aromatherapy, and in perfume. At the Natural Museum of Orchids and Bromeliads, new uses like these– for new hybrids and classic cultivars– are constantly being discovered.