Preserving Traditional Fungi Knowledge

Moni Project: What Moni mushrooms are, why I love them so much, why I aim to protect them, and where the project stands thanks to you 🍄 🧺 📹

Ezequiel A. Cruz-Campuzano - Fungaria

Hey there, it’s Ezequiel once again, back to update you on the Moni mushroom documentary and festival we’ve been working diligently on. In this update, I’ll share what we (Dennis Walker, Daniel Pineda, and I) have been doing with the Moni Project, an initiative to raise awareness about the biocultural importance of the Moni mushrooms and the urgent need to protect their home: the Nangaño forests.

To bring this project to life, we launched a GoFundMe campaign, and so far we’ve raised 1,000 USD out of our 2,450 USD goal. We’ve already done so much with your support, and every contribution keeps us going. If you’d like to help, here’s the link:
GoFundMe – Help preserve Chiapas fungi and cultural identity.

But before I tell you what we’ve accomplished with the funding, let’s take a step back and talk about the Moni themselves.

Moni and the Nangaño Forests

In Zoque and Chiapa languages, Moni refers to most wild edible fungi. Some species being differentiated with a varietal added name, like in linnean nomenclature, where you have genus + specific epithet. Here, it’s Moni + a varietal name, usually pointing to a feature of the fungus: its shape, color, ecology, or even a spiritual meaning. For instance, Schizophyllum commune is called Moni negrito.

Moni negrito (Schizophyllum commune).

In this sense, when we say the Moni Project is about local knowledge of Moni and the Nangaño forests, we’re talking about the edible fungi that thrive in monodominant stands of the shrubby tree Gymnopodium floribundum (the Nangaño). The Moni of these forests are special: they’re all ectomycorrhizal (ECM), meaning they form symbiotic bonds with Nangaño trees. They survive because the trees do.

Most of them belong to the genus Lactifluus: like Lf. chiapanensis (Moni blanco) and Lf. veraecrucis (Moni de San Juan), or to Cantharellus coccolobae (Moni coloradito). There are exceptions, such as Tremelloscypha gelatinosa, also edible, but known instead as Nangañaña, since it grows at the base of the trees.

On a quest for Moni, inside a Nangañal. Here you see the three Moni species mentioned before: Moni coloradito (Cantharellus coccolobae), Moni blanco (Lactifluus chiapanensis), and Moni de San Juan (Lactifluus aff. veraecrucis).

How I Met the Moni and why I aim to protect them

Our focus on these Moni is personal. They grow in my hometown and surrounding areas, so I was able to meet them firsthand. Firstly, let it be clear that I’m not from a Zoque background, so I discovered them simply out of curiosity and a love for fungi. Back in college, I was taught that tropical lowlands don’t host much fungal diversity, especially ECM fungi, which are mostly associated with oaks and pines. Wanting to challenge that idea, I’d go for walks after class in the nearby lowland forest, hoping to prove the books wrong. I usually found many saprobic fungi like Lepiota, and no ECM species, but I kept searching.

Then came 2021, during the pandemic, when I lost my beloved white Schnauzer, Fiona, who now lives on in the Fungaria logo. To cope with grief, I immersed myself in readings about the fungi of Chiapas. That’s when I stumbled upon Leticia Montoya’s 1996 paper describing Lactifluus chiapanensis (then Lactarius) as a new species that was edible, sold in markets, and grew in Nangañales around 700 masl. The very next day, I set out with a GPS to find those forests. It didn’t take long. As soon as I walked into a patch of Nangaños, there they were, Moni waiting for me. I’ll never forget that moment: not only did I find Lf. chiapanensis on my first try, but also other ECM fungi I thought exclusive to temperate forests, like Amanita, Neoboletus, and Xerocomus. I took it as a gift from Fiona, from the other side.

My first encounter with the Moni (Lactifluus chiapanensis), back in 2021.

From Curiosity to Calling

That day changed everything. From then on, I shifted most of my academic work toward collecting and studying fungi from tropical lowland forests, especially Nangañales, uncovering one fascinating ECM species after another. What started as a purely taxonomic path gradually opened the door to something more intimate: foraging Moni not only for research, but also for my own consumption.

At first, it was simply part of my collecting routine, yet little by little it became a meaningful tradition. Cooking and eating Moni turned into a way of weaving science with daily life, of grounding my research in something tangible and nourishing. Today, sharing these mushrooms with my loved ones feels like carrying on a practice that goes far beyond academic goals, and an activity that is vital to my well-being.

Foraging Moni with my wife.

The State of Moni

When it comes to current knowledge and consumption, the tradition around Moni is slowly fading. As mentioned earlier, the edibility of these fungi has very ancient roots, as Zoque and Chiapa groups have been foraging them since pre-Hispanic times (as early as the 15th century). and also, these wild foods are not only foraged for own consumption, as Moni have also provided an important source of income for local vendors known as Canasteras. Most Canasteras sell Moni outside the markets of downtown Tuxtla Gutiérrez. After covering transportation costs, a single day of sales can bring in about 27–37 USD, which is quite significant for women who often lack steady jobs. So if the income is decent, you might wonder: what’s the problem?

The issue is that local buyers are aging, while younger generations grow increasingly distant from the tradition. Some even feel uneasy walking past the mushroom stalls. Although there are still loyal customers, a time will come when demand disappears. And even among current buyers, many don’t realize how physically demanding and time-consuming mushroom foraging is. They often haggle with Canasteras, even though the price is already incredibly low, with a “Medida” of Moni (around 200 g) selling for just about 1 USD.

Doña Asunción (left) and Doña Adelina (right) selling Moni outside markets of downton Tuxtla Gutierrez

The outlook for personal consumption is no brighter. The guardians of this practice are getting older, and younger people are rarely taught how to forage. It’s not that they lack interest: there are simply no programs, mentors, or opportunities to learn. On top of that, modern lifestyles make it harder to access these resources directly.

This is where the real danger lies: Nangaño forests are not widely used for anything beyond foraging wild foods and goods. Besides Moni, people collect other resources like flowers used to make Zoque crowns. If the traditions that highlight the value of these forests disappear, so will the incentive to keep them standing. Since most Nangaño patches are privately owned, many landowners may choose to replace them with crops, especially if they no longer see the forests as valuable. Let’s remember that the Moni we are talking about are ECM, and strictly need G. floribundum trees to thrive, and vice versa.

Napabé family after a day of foraging Moni. Jorge Napabé and Keny Ramírez, the grandfathers, have made it their mission to pass on this and other local traditions to their children and grandchildren.

The Moni Project: What it is and what we’ve done so far

The Moni Project is an initiative born at Fungaria, in collaboration with Mycopreneur Podcast and Heliomaster, with the shared dream of revaluing Moni mushrooms and the Nangaño forests that guard them. It seeks to bring Moni to a wide audience as part of Chiapas’ biocultural heritage, highlight the ecological importance of Nangañales, celebrate the traditions and people who keep these practices alive, and also spread knowledge in regards to the wide diversity of ECM fungi present in Nangañales, that may not be known traditionally.

The project moves forward through three main actions:

• The documentary “Los Moni del Nangaño”: With the support we’ve received, we’ve filmed dozens of scenes with the guardians of Moni: Canasteras in the markets, traditional foragers in the forests, cooks preparing local dishes, and even the overlooked, but equally important, ectomycorrhizal fungi that share the same habitat. Donations have allowed us to invest in stabilizers, microphones, and transportation to filming locations, as well as to fairly compensate the local people who generously give us their time and knowledge. We’ve released two teasers of the documentary so far in our IG account in reel format, so be sure to check them out!

Don José Inocente, traditional forager, after a day of filming. I’m deeply grateful to him for being such a kind and generous person, and for teaching me so much about the Moni. I can’t wait for you all to see his interview in the final documentary.

• The Moni Fest: This is where most of the funds have gone. The Moni Fest is a community festival that blends science, food, art, and music into a joyful celebration of fungi. Thanks to your support, we have been able to rent spaces, buy decorations, print photos for exhibitions, commission a diorama of Moni, and prepare piñatas and other festival elements. We’ve also purchased materials for workshops, making them truly accessible: for example, a mushroom cultivation workshop that usually costs 3,500 pesos is being offered for only 800. Soon, part of the funding will also go toward hiring a marimba ensemble to fill the festival with music.

Official flyer of the 3rd MoniFest, which is due to happen this next week!!

• The community mural: Painted by artist Berenice Reyes in Copoya, this mural is nearly finished. With colors and forms inspired by Moni and Nangañales, it has transformed a public wall into a lasting tribute to fungi, forests, and the people connected to them. Funds have covered the materials (spray paint and vinyls) that made this collective artwork possible.

Last update of the mural: ALMOST DONE <3!!!

Together, these actions serve the project’s broader goals: to revalue Nangañales as ecosystems worth preserving, to strengthen local economies through market sales and mycotourism, and to spread awareness of the extraordinary fungal diversity hidden in these forests.

Closing words

At its core, the Moni Project is about much more than mushrooms. It is about protecting a tradition that is slowly fading, about keeping the Nangaño forests alive, and about honoring the people who have carried this knowledge for generations. Today, the future of Moní is uncertain, as demand in the markets is shrinking, younger generations are drifting away, and the forests themselves face the constant threat of deforestation. But this is precisely why we act. With your support, we are filming a documentary that will give voice to foragers, cooks, and vendors; we are painting a mural that will keep Moní alive in the public imagination; and we are creating a festival that brings people together to learn, celebrate, and reclaim pride in their heritage. Each of these actions works as a thread in a larger weave: they help restore the cultural value of Moní, strengthen local economies, and shine a light on the forests that shelter them.

Every contribution makes a real difference. With the 1,000 USD already raised, we have taken huge steps, but there is still more to do. By donating, you are not only helping us finish the documentary, the mural, and the festival, you are also helping ensure that Moní remain part of everyday life in Chiapas, not just a memory.

Together, we can tip the balance. We can make sure that future generations walk into a Nangañal, see the Moní sprouting after the rains, and know they are part of a story worth protecting. If you’d like to join us, here’s the link to support:
GoFundMe – Help preserve Chiapas fungi and cultural identity.

Once again, thank you so much, and LET’S KEEP MONI-ING!!!

(From the editor: Thanks for reading the Mycopreneur Newsletter - what did you think of today’s edition? Let us know in the replies)

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