The people that make Lawson's work
Lawson's Original Yucatan Excursions is supported in the Yucatan by Tierra Nueva, one of our local transportation partners. Great people; reliable and professional.
In addition, we employ the most qualified guides and drivers; those who not only know their stuff, but are also great hosts. Guides are certified and knowledgeable and the drivers are professional and comply with all necessary permits and licenses. Guides that are tired and bored with life don't make the cut. Drivers who are less than careful get left behind too.
In the villages and at the attractions, we try to involve local folks as well - from regular members of the community that help with our visits to those who have a specialized skill that will complement what we do - so that they also feel that they are part of (and receive the benefits from) the tourism experience we are creating for our valued guests.
The end result is a win-win-win experience for you, our client, for us your hosts, and for the communities and attractions we visit.
On this page you will meet some of the people you may encounter on a Lawson's excursion.
Daniel Canul Li
Daniel is our tour coordinator, general fixer and personal assistant to the owner of Lawson's. He is involved in every aspect of the tours, from coordinating calendars and bookings with our transportation partner(s), scheduling guides and drivers and in the past few years, has applied for and obtained his federal drivers license as well as completed the courses necessary for his guide credentials as well, making him the perfect and complete ambassador not only for the Yucatan and Mexico, but for the brand as well.
His background is Korean and his grandfather came to the Yucatan along with many other Korean immigrants at the beginning of the 20th century when Yucatan was experiencing explosive growth and there was an abundance of wealth thanks to the henequen industry. He is trilingual and loves to practice his French (as well as his excellent English) with our customers whether it’s a short meet and greet or leading a tour and truly enjoys showing visitors the things that make the Yucatan so special, including its food; Daniel’s favorite Yucatecan dishes are relleno negro and queso relleno.
Daniel has had extensive training in the customer service field and has a very clear idea of what good customer service must be - his interest and ultimate goal has always been to work in a tourism-related field so this is our lucky break! His job is to ensure that the Lawson's credo of 'spoiling our customers' is carried out to the letter. Daniel’s experience and desire to learn is making a huge difference in day to day operations of Lawson's Original Yucatan Excursions.
Raul Aguirre - Guide
Raul, with his 12 years of tourism experience backing him up, is another one of our great guides. He is calm, patient and excellent with families and children (he also teaches remedial English classes to kids!) and makes sure that everyone is getting the most out of their day with him. If you have been doing your reading on TripAdvisor, you will have seen him mentioned in many reviews.
His favorite place to take first-time visitors to the Yucatan, is the magnificent site of Uxmal, which incidentally is our number one destination, both for cruisers and folks visiting Merida.
Angel Loaiza - Guide
Fluent in French and English, as well as Spanish and Mayan, Angel L (as we call him) is the other Angel on our team. Yes, we have two Angels (how many tour companies can say that?) and both are extremely popular with guests. This Angel is one of the chillest guides you will ever meet, always smiling and nothing is a problem. Ever.
Angel L has 18 years of guiding experience, loves what he does and enjoys seeing each destination through the eyes of his guests. In his spare time he enjoys reading, soccer and spending time with family and friends. He is also an avid bird watcher and loves to travel, both within Mexico and abroad. He is convinced that being a tourist from time to time is of great benefit in understanding and meeting the needs of our guests when they spend time here with us.
Martin Morales - Driver
Martin Morales, married and father of two young daughters, has been into tourism since the age of 12, when he started as an office boy in a local tourism company. After a few years pursuing other work options including sales in a department store and driving a five-ton armoured truck for a securities company, Martin came back to tourism and works with Lawson’s as one of our most solid and reliable drivers. He knows the roads, the people and the vehicles.
If you guessed that his favorite archeological destination in the Yucatan is - like almost everyone else here - Uxmal, you would have been right. He also enjoys hiking and more adventurous tourism options. Martins favorite Yucatecan food? Horoches. Look them up here.
Raul Argaez - Driver
The latest addition to the Lawson’s arsenal of caring and conscientious individuals, Raul comes from a long background in the tourism industry in the Yucatan, having worked his way through a variety of positions with several key industry players. A father of three, he has guided tours in Italian, so be sure to throw some Italian at him to keep his language skills up!
While he is driving he can be a bit quiet, which is a good thing, since he is concentrating on the road. Or maybe he is thinking about his favorite Yucatecan foods: poc chuc and the world-famous Yucatecan cochinita pibil. Don’t interrupt his train of thought.
Jose Luis Zapata - Driver
Jose Luis is a conscientious, professional driver eager to always help improve our guest's experience, assisting the guide with everything from cutting fruit to serving drinks. He's also happy to help with photos so don't be shy and give him the camera!
Be sure to have a chat with him in English as he is trying his best to become proficient.
Jose Luis, or simply "Zapata", is a fun-loving individual who is always smiling and ready to make a joke; until he gets up into the driver's seat of the van you are traveling in. Then he is serious and all business. You and your guide are in very good hands when Jose Luis is at the wheel.
Ralf Hollmann - The Guy behind Lawson’s Original Yucatan Excursions
Born in Germany, raised in Canada and a certified and agua-de-pozo drinking Yucatecan for over 30 years now, Ralf came up with Lawson’s in 2008, with the idea of creating fun, memorable and private excursions and tours that would showcase the Yucatan and bring visitors up close and personal to the people and places that make the area so special.
A graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology Hospitality and Tourism program, Ralf has worked in kitchens, hotels and restaurants fancy and not so fancy. He is a vocal promoter of all things Yucatecan, with a special place in his heart for those people and places in the rural areas that are so often overlooked by the functionaries in their fancy air conditioned offices dreaming up schemes that have little to do with reality but look real nice at a tourism fair in Berlin.
