In recent years archaeologists and the general public have gained a heightened awareness of the destruction of ancestral Maya archaeological sites by urbanization, development and looting.  Although efforts have been made to combat these problems in the five countries of Maya civilization, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, they have largely focused on the preservation of sites by the government and the promotion of archaeological tourism. Attempts to develop economic incentives revolving around archaeological tourism has achieved varying degrees of success; if monetary incentives alone were enough to enact change in the relationship between local people and archaeological remains, looting would be less common in developed nations with strong economies.  
 
While millions of self-identified Maya individuals live in four out of five of these nations, few make the connection between themselves and the ancient Maya whose impressive architectural remains dot the modern landscape.  Fewer still maintain knowledge of or a sense of stewardship over ancestral Maya archaeological sites. The colonial and postcolonial experience of assimilation in which pre-Hispanic experiences and knowledge have been subordinated to Western ones has been primary in the disconnection between modern Maya descendants and their past.  As traditional forms of education slowly deteriorate, formal education in both the school and the church have filled the void by devaluing modern indigenous cultures while teaching that the “Maya,” the intelligent and powerful people of the past, no longer exist.  Archaeology, too, has been complicit in this conception in its failure to communicate with the general public and involve local people in the process of archaeological investigation, interpretation and management.
 
It is in this climate of sustained loss of Maya cultural patrimony in both its ancient and modern forms that the Maya Area Cultural Heritage Initiative (MACHI) was conceived. Funding received by principal investigator Dr. Patricia A. McAnany (Boston University) from a private philanthropical organization was used to initiate a nine-month period of interviews in 2006. From this research, the MACHI team determined that, despite the positive effort made by many to combat the loss of ancestral Maya sites, these efforts have rarely been accompanied by education about the value of Maya cultural heritage, particularly among rural populations. The mission of MACHI is thus to construct viable avenues for the promotion of Maya cultural heritage through informal, grassroots educational programs. Sustainability and collaboration remain central to the development of educational materials about archaeological conservation by engaging with local NGOs and indigenous leaders.