Disney Legend Joe Rohde Shares What Goes Into Creating a NEW Land at Disney World!

By Colette Langley Leave a Comment

We just heard from a Disney Imagineer regarding some of the work going into creating the new Tropical Americas-themed land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

This new land in Animal Kingdom will be called Pueblo Esperanza and is expected to open in 2027. Construction is already in progress as the first phase of closures began in DinoLand, U.S.A., on January 13th, 2025.

Pueblo Esperanza will highlight the Tropical Americas through the stories of Encanto and Indiana Jones. This new land will feature two signature attractions, a carousel, and one of the largest quick-service restaurants at Disney World. Joe Rohde was recently at Disney World and posted on Instagram about a Maya archaeological conference he attended.

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The Maya archaeological conference was called Maya at the Mouse. Archaeologist Mat Saunders and numerous others, including many consultants on the Pueblo Esperanza land, set it up.

©Joe Rohde on Instagram

The team working on the new land was able to attend, and one of the team leaders presented a conceptual development of the upcoming Maya temple. The team leader also explained the symbols they intended to include.

©Joe Rohde on Instagram

Numerous other presenters, including Joe Rohde, presented on topics such as cross-disciplinary collaboration, the richness of pre-Columbian agriculture, the plight of the modern Maya, the art direction involved in creating an archaeological site that tourists can visit, and much more.

©Joe Rohde on Instagram

It is fantastic to see a bit of the behind-the-scenes work the team working on Pueblo Esperanza is doing to ensure the land accurately presents the Tropical Americas. We can’t wait to learn more about what to expect in Pueblo Esperanza.

©Disney

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What are you hoping to see in Pueblo Esperanza, the new Tropical Americas-themed land? Let us know in the comments!