THE TIKKUN INSTITUTE: OUR CENTER
A story of hard work, transformation, and love
Welcome to Tikkun
The Tikkun Institute for Ecology, located in the rural farming community of San José de Gracia, is 15 minutes north of the historic World Heritage site of San Miguel de Allende. Founded in 2008, it is the project of the Center Por La Ecología y Economía Sustentable de San Miguel de Allende, A.C.
Tikkun is much more than our headquarters—it is our home, our living classroom, and the heart of our work.
Over nearly two decades, we have transformed 7.5 dry and scrubby acres (3 hectares) into a beautiful oasis full of life; a demonstration of what is possible when people work with nature instead of against it.
Every part of the property reflects our belief that healthy land and healthy communities are deeply connected.
During the COVID 19 crisis, Tikkun transformed into a community food banks, growing fresh organic produce for 60 families in our surrounding villages.
Tikkun is proof that even in a semi-arid landscape, it is possible to restore ecosystems, grow food, conserve water, generate clean energy, and create beauty at the same time.
Every season the land teaches us something new, and every visitor leaves with a clearer picture of what a resilient rural future can look like.
Our hope is that Tikkun will inspire and support communities far beyond our own valley.
Satellite imagery of Tikkun 2012 - 2024
Tikkun brings together ecological restoration, rainwater harvesting, regenerative agriculture and agrofrestry, renewable energy, apiculture, poultry production, and native plant propagation into one integrated system.
The Tikkun center is built with local adobe and natural plasters made with Nopal cactus juice. Our buildings and pumps operate entirely off-grid using a hybrid solar and wind energy system that powers our homes, offices, communications, and irrigation infrastructure.
Five greenhouses provide approximately 15,000 square feet of space for growing native trees and plants for restoration projects alongside vegetables and other food crops.
Our traditional milpas are planted with five varieties of drought-resistant native criollo corn, beans, and squash in an agroforestry system. Fields are divided with water infiltration systems and crops grow between Nopal and Maguey, olives, pomegranates, apples, peaches, loquats, guavas, date palms, blackberries, and other fruit producers.
Our managed bee colonies support pollination, biodiversity, and honey production of exceptional quality. Our two rescue horses plow our fields lightly, and our 150 chickens provide eggs, meat, and solve our grasshopper problem every season.
Water capture is the foundation that makes everything possible. The entire property operates without a groundwater well or connection to the municipal water system. Through reservoirs, ponds, cisterns, keyline infiltration channels, and efficient drip irrigation, we capture, store, and carefully manage approximately 2.3 million liters of rainwater each year.
Our ponds are now home to Tilapia (food for us and the wild birds), wild ducks and herons, frogs, dragonflies, and a variety of water plants which have established themselves without our assistance.
As of 2025, groups of Monarch butterflies have begun to land at Tikkun during their annual migration to the forest of Michoacán - attracted to the Michoacán Pines we’ve planted.
Tikkun: Early Days
Tikkun: Today
