COQUI COQUI STORE IN VALLADOLID
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Coqui Coqui Perfumería, Mexico. The legacy of Mayan medicine and Franciscan emulsions 

A distillery in the Yucatan Peninsula recreates ancient fragrances meant for everyone –a child, a grandfather, a Parisian or a Mayan

In the early 16th century, during the Spanish conquest of the Maya, the Franciscan friars struck landing on the shores of the New World and established themselves in the Yucatan Peninsula, in Mexico. They started to distill their own perfumes, having at their disposal the abundance of flowers, plants and herbs of the tropical forest. 

They created a botanical catalogue and designed formulas for their colognes, emulsions and scents – the Yucatan perfumes soon gained popularity, and were a staple at the Spanish Imperial court for over three centuries. The friars’ perfume legacy was forgotten with the crumbling of the Spanish Empire’s monopoly over its colonies, only to be rediscovered centuries later by landscape architect and model Nicolas Malleville.

Malleville and the Mexican territory: the foundation of Coqui Coqui

Malleville first moved to Mexico in 2001, and  fell in love with the country. Drawing from his knowledge as landscape architect and botanist, he conceived what would become his life project, deciding to build himself a house in Tulum. In 2003, he married Francesca Bonato, an Italian designer, and due to their shared love for architecture, design, and interior décor, they decided to create the Coqui Coqui Lifestyle Group. In the same year, they founded Coqui Coqui Perfumeria in Valladolid, with the goal of recovering the friars’ old formulas, combining them with the principles of ancient Mayan medicine to hand-craft a range of organic scents, inspired by the region’s flowers, fruits, woods and herbs. Malleville and Bonato gathered a botanical catalogue of scents from the area and conducted years of research before opening their perfumery shop.

Part of the Coqui Coqui Residences & Spa, the Perfumerìa is located in a restored 16th century colonial stone building in the city of Valladolid, in an area where paved roads transition into cobblestone roads. From the moment guests step through the Moorish domed front door and into the Perfumeria, they are enveloped in Coqui Coqui’s signature coconut and orange blossom aroma. An array of their fifteen fragrances is displayed under glass dome cloches on a black counter. The two founders entrusted local manufacturers with the store’s furnishings, which include Moorish tile floors, high ceilings, wooden beams and furniture, brass hanging mirrors. 

Coqui Coqui Perfumeria in Valladolid is more than just a simple flagship store

Coqui Coqui offers a unisex perfume catalogue created with ingredients that are sourced in the surrounding area. The extracts of each ingredient are distilled through artisanal methods and blended at Coqui Coqui’s flagship perfumery in Valladolid. This ensures quality during the extraction process, and allows the fragrances to represent the Yucatan Peninsula and support its people. «You can distinguish the scent of vanilla beans, avocado oil and palm trees, all grown in our proximity» affirms Malleville.

The Perfumerìa holds all scents created by Malleville and his team over the last decade – each fragrance evoking a different facet of the peninsula. For example, Rosas Frescas is inspired by the city of Valladolid and features notes of red rosewater that recall the village’s religious festival known as Madonna de Candelaria. The fragrances are available in the form of perfume, as well as scented candle, linen spray, bath oil, and more. One of Malleville and Bonato’s priority is inclusiveness: «We wanted to create fragrances that a child, my grandfather, a Parisian or a Mayan could wear».

Coqui Coqui Perfumeria in Valladolid is more than just a simple flagship store. The decorative tiles of the mosaic floor, the black trim, and high ceilings are enough to attract guests in. The pale green and cream walls mixed with dark chocolate brown furniture create a sense of peace and elegance. All garnished with a relaxing aroma pervading the air. The esoteric art books are piled in the waiting room, and a huge framed mirror is leaning against one wall. Besides selling perfumes, in the front reception room, Coqui Coqui also receives its guests. Nestled in the back garden is the spa, set in a secret garden immersed in the luscious green complete with a crystal clear cenote fed pool.

SPA experiences at Coqui Coqui

Two outdoor massage and bath areas, with tiled bathtubs sunken into the earth in the middle of the garden and a massage room with a clawfoot bathtub. Each Coqui Coqui residence offers individual spa experiences. The treatments, founded on ancient and traditional methods, are accompanied by the scents of the residences themselves. Coqui Coqui Spa offers a full selection of treatments to restore body and mind which vary from traditional massages, facials, exfoliations and botanical baths, to ritual therapies, skincare and hair treatments, manicures and pedicures. Here, guests can pamper themselves in Coqui Coqui handmade signature oils, creams, candles and fragrances, using many of the fresh ingredients grown right in the residences lush gardens. 

Only 300 meters away from Coqui Coqui Perfumeria, visitors will find Meson de Malleville, the four-room boutique hotel which features Coqui Coqui Oficios Artesanos, a meticulously curated artisanal hand-crafted line of clothing, homewares, and travel essentials. Inspired by Coqui Coqui’s lifestyle, it showcases accessories and foldable furniture for the home, as well as pieces in suede for heritage travellers and family adventures. The collection is produced with 100% Mexican fibres and materials such as suede, wood, pure cotton and sansevieria to celebrate a primitive yet luxurious way of living and travelling. Each product is created and inspired by the Mexican tradition and culture which involve the Mayan beliefs, the Franciscan colonial style, the remains of the European vibe as well as the minimalism from modern society, to fulfil the needs and requests of guests and visitors.

Barbería: the barber shop

At Oficios Artesanos visitors will find hammocks, an exclusive collection of wool and rabbit felt hats as well as the typical Jipi and Panama hats made out of natural fibre, travel bags, totes, sports bags but also 48h-business-trip bags, passport and personal values holders. Just across the street, in front of the Perfumeria, is also the Barbería, a classic barber shop where Don Miguel, the barber, offers men a range of specialized services such as hot towel shaving, a side part, the pompadour, undercut and slick back classic haircuts, using ancient techniques as a homage to a niche and noble profession. 

The Barbería features the exclusive Coqui Coqui fragrances and professional barber services in a space that unleashes retro charm within the characteristic old-school barber shop atmosphere. From the candy cane barber’s pole outside to vintage drawings of different shaving styles and haircuts, and an antique barber’s chair, the experience offered at the Barbería is both intimate and regenerating.

Coqui Coqui Perfumería

Calzada de Los Frailes 207, Sisal
Valladolid
Mexico
[email protected]

Alessia Tu

The writer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article.

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