THE STORY BEHIND
REVIVING ANCIENT MAYAN ARTISTRY
Mas Maya is the product of a personal journey that began as a search for a natural, enduring material for their rental properties, Mas Tranquila.
For founders Jemma and Rick, the inspiration arrived unexpectedly, on a family trip to Mexico. There, in a quiet rental finished entirely in traditional Mayan plaster, they found a coating that made an immediate impression. The material possessed a softness—visual, tactile, even emotional. It offered a natural warmth that the entire family felt, most notably their daughter Alma, who is autistic. Padding barefoot from room to room, she simply said, “It feels cosy.” Mayan plaster is rooted in centuries of craftsmanship. Originating in the Yucatán
Peninsula, it was made by combining limestone with the sap of native trees to create a breathable, water-resistant plaster with remarkable longevity—so much so that many ancient Mayan structures still retain their original finish. Though the technique was lost for generations, it was rediscovered in the 1990s by a local architect, and has since been quietly revived. A recent study by the University of Granada revealed that its microstructure closely mimics that of seashells and mother-ofpearl—accounting for both its strength and its delicate, luminous quality.
Back in Europe, Jemma and Rickard explored importing the material, but the environmental and financial costs of
Where ancient tradition meets modern craft —color as atmosphere, beauty as foundation, and nature at its core.
transporting water-based materials and Yucatán tree sap proved unsustainable. Disappointed by the available alternatives, they turned their attention toward a more ambitious solution: creating their own.
With the help of a Mexican chemist with deep knowledge of Mayan techniques, they developed a European counterpart. Using local Andalusian lime and plant extracts, they formulated a version sourced locally using sustainable, abundant materials. Subtle innovations—like enhanced flexibility and crack resistance—were introduced, without sacrificing the material’s original character.
Mas Maya is now produced in Conil de la Frontera, a whitewashed fishing town in southern Spain where Jemma and Rickard live and work. Their studio, showroom, and production space is an ecosystem of design, material, and intention. Visitors often describe a visceral sense of calm when entering the space. For Jemma and Rickard, it’s a full-circle moment: the same quiet resonance they once encountered in Mexico, now expressed in their own material language.
NATURAL. BREATHABLE. HEALTHY.
Mas Maya is not just a surface—it’s an atmosphere. A return to slowness, substance, and sensory depth. A reminder that the spaces we build can nourish us, simply by the way they feel.
Founders Rickard & Jemma
AN ANCIENT MATERIAL, REIMAGINED.
