The World's largest rainforest, Mesoamerica's largest, stands in a concrete house in Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve, once owned by a powerful narco-rancher. The house, which symbolizes a period when organized criminal networks used deforestation to seize territory and launder money, was illegally carved from the land. Today, government agencies, local communities, and NGO allies have worked to reclaim the land and create a visitor and science center for visitors, researchers, and birders. This transformation could resonate far beyond Guatemala. The transformation could be seen as a model for other countries in Mesoamica, where restoration-based livelihoods are being developed.