I, Marino Tomacelli, was born in Mexico City in 1964 where I lived for 11 years before moving to San Antonio, Texas. After 2 years in San Antonio, my family moved to Southern California where I attended junior high and high school in Carlsbad, a coastal town just north of San Diego.

I, Kathy Kanonas, was born in Rhode Island in 1964 but I only spent a few months there as an infant before my family moved to Southern California where I eventually attended El Camino High School in Oceanside (to this day Carlsbad High School’s bitter rival).

	On a fateful summer day in 1981, we spotted each other in an awkward encounter on a beach in Oceanside. A few weeks later, fate and destiny brought us together again in a small world, odds-defying run in. We soon began dating and eventually became high school sweethearts.

In 1982, after graduating from high school I, Marino, moved to Playa del Carmen to work at KaiLuum, a resort my father established in the late 70's. The move ended our high school relationship although for the first few years I lived in Playa del Carmen, we kept in touch (does anybody remember snail mail?). Even so, eventually we allowed ten years to slip by without seeing each other.

	In 1994, fate and destiny insisted on getting us back together again when Kathy needed a much deserved vacation after her first marriage ended in divorce. I invited Kathy to visit me and be my special guest of honor at my 30th birthday bash. Although 10 years had passed since we had last seen each other, we still felt an undeniable connection and attraction.

After Kathy’s visit we began dating long distance; however, that situation was not ideal by any means so a year and a half later we decided it was time to take our relationship to another level.

In July of 1995 I secretly gathered family and friends from all over the United States and Mexico, knelt before Kathy and asked her to marry me. Although I never actually heard her accept, I imagined and acted like she had.

A few weeks after my proposal, Kathy and Alana (Kathy's 9 year old daughter at the time and presently our college bound daughter) moved to Playa del Carmen to start a new and exciting life.

	Three years later, after rigorous tests, trials, and tribulations, we were married on July 1, 1998.

Approximately one year before we were married, we decided to look for property away from Playa del Carmen. Our initial intention was to buy a small parcel we could develop for a weekend home, a place we could escape to, a getaway from Playa del Carmen’s ever growing popularity and explosive growth.

Fate and destiny, our old friends, once again intervened in our lives when a casual conversation with an acquaintance led us to a property owner who was looking to sell some inaccessible jungle parcels. Although in retrospect we are still not entirely sure why we were compelled to purchase such parcels, in May of 1997, we nonetheless invested in this mysterious, inaccessible jungle property.

In October of 1998, despite the fact that we still did not have an access road, we started clearing our property. This meant hiking nearly two miles through dense jungle on narrow surveyor's paths while carrying whatever tools and supplies were required to get the job done.

In July of 1999, just eight months after the first underbrush was cleared, we finished the initial incarnation of Taninah including the Casa, basic landscaping and our pool area. We invited about 100 of our closest friends and family members to our first “ranch” party. The occasion was a 4th of July/House Warming party and needless to say, everyone was impressed with our rather exotic accomplishment and the party was a huge success.

	In November 1999, our first son Anastazi Taylor Tomacelli was born in Cancun as dawn broke. We will never forget the spectacular sunrise that greeted him on the first morning of his life.

In December of 2000, Kiani Alexander Tomacelli, our second son, was also born in Cancun. His birth was also quite memorable but that is definitely another story.

	From the time they were newborns, Anastazi and Kiani have spent many weekends and holidays enjoying “the ranch” as we call it. Today, the boys look forward to every moment we can spend there. In fact, since turning Taninah into a rental property, they also now look forward to meeting our guest’s children and being able to play with them.

Kathy and I agree that one of our greatest joys in life has been watching the boys swim, run, play, discover, and learn while at the ranch. What’s more, the memories we have created there will forever and fondly cause us to stop and smile and acknowledge our blessings.

	With a growing family, all of whom eagerly looked forward to going to "the ranch" each weekend, we decided we should come up with a name for our weekend retreat. Our search, with the help of our Mayan speaking staff, ultimately led us to the words “tani” and “nah”.

In the Mayan language tani means "in front" or "first" while nah means "home". It was ideal…Taninah (accent on the last “a”) would be a perfect name of our private jungle retreat. After all, we were the first to build a home in this virgin Mayan jungle of the Riviera Maya.

Over the years, we have continually made improvements to Taninah naively believing, "once this is done...we'll be through". We have since come to realize, with appreciation, that Taninah is much more than our jungle retreat. It is indeed our dream canvas where we look forward to being able to pursue and apply our imagination, ambition, creativity, and passion for many years to come.

If you are reading these words, destiny and fate, the same compelling and undeniable forces that brought Kathy and I together, played a role in bringing Taninah to you.

On the surface, we are certain that you and your family will enjoy our unique and exotic guest houses along with all the fun and exciting installations and amenities; however, our deepest desire is that the natural beauty, peaceful atmosphere, and unforgettable ambiance of Taninah will revitalize your souls as it has ours.

It is with great honor and pride that Kathy, Alana, Anastazi, Kiani, and I offer our private jungle retreat, our passion, our dream canvas to you and your family.

Sincerely, The Tomacelli Family