Photography by Corey Amaro.
Each Saturday I focus on a different artist that I admire. From potters to painters, chefs to collectors, seamstress to songwriters, lifestyle to lovers… anyone who set the paintbrush, pastry brush, hands and heart on fire to create.
Those who inspire art to flow where it may.
Coqui Coqui, created by two very talented people, Francesca Bonato and Nico Maleville, is a collection of natural scents, traditions and beauty from Yucatan and Maya culture. Francesca and Nico, have created four spas one by the seaside in Tulum, another by the ruins in Coba, one in the city of Merida, and the fourth in the countryside of Valladolid.
"Legend says, that during the colonization of the new world, the Franciscan monks, while entrusted by the Queen of Spain, picked flowers, woods and exotic herbs together within the Mayan natives in the remote land of the Yucatán Peninsula.
So many species were found, that the monks, little by little, began to create a large botanical catalog, giving rise to the most original eau de cologne, emulsions and lotion formulas, as well as introducing perfumes mixed with essential oils, using native flora from the Yucatán Peninsula."
"For Almost 300 years, these prized products perfumed the Great Spanish Empire, while entire generations were delighted by such distinguished essences.
Later, the Caste War in Mexican territory, made the charming art of mixing fragrances and creating perfumes lost."
"Nicolas Malleville, a contemporary landscape architect and perfumer, was inspired by the 500 years of the exotic flora and scents of the Yucatan Peninsula in the libraries of Kew Gardens in England, Le Jardin de Bagatelle in Paris and Hanbury Gardens in Italy."
"Captivated by the stories of these lands, Nicolas decided to embark on a trip to Yucatan with the clear objective in mind: recover the monks' old formulas and fuse them together with the legacy of ancient Mayan medicine."
"Several years were dedicated to research before the perfumer achieved his goal. Since then, Nicolas founded Coqui Coqui Perfumes, a small lab in the mystical and colonial town of Valladolid, one of the first colonial towns in the Americas."
COQUI COQUI’s, "Unique Spa maintains simplicity in its holistic approach to the guests’ physical and spiritual well being. Body treatments, massages, skin scrubs and other rituals are founded on ancient and traditional methods; natural ingredients are used in all the oils, lotions and herbal preparations required for the treatments."
Our friend John Powell told us about his good friend's shops: Coqui Coqui. French Husband and I visited all four shops. Each is unique in style and presentation, yet all of them hold true to their goals of quality and style.
Unfortunately, Coqui Coqui's perfume and products are only sold in Mexico… though as soon as they set up internationally I am sure you will fall in love with their product.
My favorites were the two masculine scents: Woods and Tabaco.
The proprietors of Coqui Coqui,
Francesca Bonato (at left) and her partner Nico Maleville,
Coqui Coqui Spa and Perfumeries:
Merida L'Epicerie: In the city
Tulum Axchilatlan: On the beach
Coba Popholchac: In the forest
Valladolid Casa de Los Frailles: Deep in the countryside.
Contact
Coqui Coqui
tels. +52 (1) 985 85 65 129
email: perfumes@coquicoqui.com
Boutique
tels. +52 (1) 985 80 85 234
email: boutique@coquicoqui.com
Leave a Reply