CIELO · YUCATÁN · SINCE 2001
Our Story
From a hammock made for sleeping to a restless pursuit of reinventing knowledge and exploring new ways to create.
CIELO was born in 2001 from a simple conviction: the Yucatecan hammock could offer an extraordinary way to rest while becoming a platform for craft, innovation, new materials, collaboration and social impact.
This is the story of how a deeply local tradition began traveling the world without losing its origin.
Milestones
2001 · THE BEGINNING
It all began by missing a hammock
My name is Constantino Urzaiz, a lifelong hammock enthusiast. I grew up sleeping in one and never wanted to go back to a bed.
In 2001, while living in Pensacola, Florida and missing the comfort of my hammock, I realized that everyone should experience the benefits and pleasure of sleeping in one. I asked my mother to send me 10 cotton hammocks. She knew the best ones came from Chumayel and Teabo. They sold out in less than an hour. That moment marked the beginning of CIELO.
With each new batch, I attended weekend markets and soon earned a reputation for the quality of our hammocks. Our first website opened doors in the United States, and shortly after, I returned to Mérida to open our first office and warehouse on Calle 65.
INNOVATION, STARTING WITH THE THREAD
Reinventing without losing the origin
Over time we understood that tradition could evolve without losing its essence. That led us to develop OSO® Thread, our premium mercerized cotton, created to elevate the softness, presence and sleeping experience of the hammock.
This approach opened an international chapter for CIELO and established a way of working we still defend today: improving materials, processes and design without erasing the artisanal knowledge behind every piece.
2014 · DURASUN®
The outdoor revolution
In 2014 we took another big step with the creation of the DuraSun® hammock: Soft as cotton, strong as marine rope, designed for outdoors, and with a lifespan of up to 10 years under sun and weather.
This development established us as leaders in the global hotel and resort market. In 2025, we installed 1,950 DuraSun® hammocks at Hotel Xcaret México II, a project that reflects our capacity for innovation and large-scale execution.
FROM REST TO CREATION
Creativity that inspires
The hammock remains our starting point, but not our limit. We have developed pieces for interiors, hospitality and architecture: hammocks, nets, daybeds, parasols, lamps, knots and textile works.
Each project seeks a dialogue between artisanal knowledge and new scales, materials and ways of inhabiting space.
2026 · INÉDITO · DESIGN WEEK MÉXICO
Filamento: craft transformed into an authored piece
In collaboration with Tálateca, CIELO developed Filamento, a piece that brings together wrapping work made in Yucatán and Talavera ceramics from Puebla.
Tálateca × CIELO was selected in the Professional category of Inédito 2026, Design Week México's platform dedicated to contemporary functional design and collectible objects.
The piece can be visited at Espacio CDMX from October 10, 2026 through January 10, 2027.
2016 · TEABO
Fewer intermediaries, closer to the artisans
For years, much of the hammock trade in Yucatán depended on intermediaries. In 2016 we chose to build a more direct relationship by establishing facilities in Teabo where we could receive pieces directly from the weavers.
This model allows us to pay directly, better understand the needs of the people who weave and maintain an ongoing relationship with the communities that sustain the craft.
DESIGN WITH IMPACT
More than 900 families are part of this story
Our greatest source of pride is not only the pieces themselves, but the lives that can grow around them.
In 2012, Josefina Urzaiz created the CIELO Foundation. Since then, 26 women have received scholarships to continue their education. Today, more than 900 artisan families participate in CIELO's production network.
Our commitment is complemented by membership in the Fair Trade Federation and our ISO 9001:2015 quality-management system.
CIELO AROUND THE WORLD
Rooted locally, present internationally
Our commitment to quality and constant reinvention has taken CIELO far beyond Yucatán.
We have participated in international trade shows including Spoga Gafa (Germany), New York Now (USA) and Surf Expo (Florida), while building relationships with clients, distributors, hospitality groups and design professionals across multiple markets.
Since 2022, we have also supported the Denomination of Origin of the Yucatecan Hammock, helping protect and add value to the tradition behind our work.
THE TIMES · LONDON · 2026
CIELO recommended in The Times
On July 30, 2026, The Times published a travel-shopping selection featuring objects sought out by international tastemakers.
In the section devoted to Yucatán, Zoë Paskin, co-founder of Studio Paskin, highlighted handwoven Mayan hammocks, and the newspaper pointed readers to CIELO Hammocks as a reference for finding them.
The feature is presented here directly as part of our editorial archive.
RECOGNITIONS AND SELECTIONS
Milestones along the way
2019 · BBVA Momentum — international selection in Madrid.
2023 · Best Artisan Project — SEFOTUR.
2024 · Social Impact — Citibanamex.
2026 · Inédito — Tálateca × CIELO, Professional selection at Design Week México.
Editorial, institutional and global presence
International editorial mention in 2026, pointing readers to CIELO Hammocks as a reference for handwoven hammocks in Yucatán.
CIELO has appeared within international travel, experiences and consumer platforms associated with American Express.
Member of the Fair Trade Federation since 2014, reflecting our commitment to transparent and responsible commercial relationships.
Lowe's knows that no matter what you're doing, it's easier to do it when you have the right people.
TIAW presents two different awards to extraordinary individuals whose efforts have advanced women's economic empowerment locally, regionally or globally.
Diario de Yucatán. The newspaper of peninsular life.
We are a leading research university founded in the decade the United States Constitution was signed, we are the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the country.
We are a university with comprehensive training. Training leading professionals who work for the common good is a challenge that we take on every day.
Yucatan Living Magazine is a cultural guide to living, working and traveling in the Yucatan Peninsula.
The CDI is the institution of the Mexican federal government responsible for promoting the development with identity of indigenous peoples and communities.
Famous DC has grown into a digital media empire that reaches more than 3.2 million people per month and has become the District's go-to resource for people, places and things to do.
A versatile newscast that presents the most important information in national and international news, shares interviews and shows news from the world of entertainment and sports.
Retratos is a documentary series that offers a very broad panorama of the professions and ways of life of us Mexicans.
It is a television program of public service and social action.
Artisan Alliance provides a library of open source resources for craft businesses, social enterprises, and others working in the craft sector in the United States and around the world.
The best is yet to come
Since 2001, we have continued exploring new ways to carry the hammock and artisanal knowledge forward: rest, architecture, new materials, collaboration and social impact.
Thank you for being part of this story.
