The Amazonas de Yaxunah’s New Field: A Promise Unfulfilled

Just over a year after the inauguration of their long-awaited softball field, the Amazonas de Yaxunah, the Indigenous Maya women’s softball team that captured hearts across Mexico, find themselves playing on a diamond that lacks electricity, water, and even basic amenities. 

The Amazonas field, built by the previous state administration, now stands as a symbol of a promise made and, many say, abandoned.

The Amazonas are from a small village in Yaxcabá, Yucatán. The team consists of 26 players, ranging in age from 13 to 62. What makes them extraordinary is not just their skill on the diamond, but the barriers they have broken to get there.

In a community where traditional Maya customs long confined women to household chores and family care, the Amazonas dared to pick up bats and gloves. They faced resistance from local men who initially refused to let them play. Undeterred, they practiced wherever they could, often barefoot and wearing their traditional huipiles, the embroidered blouses that have become their signature.

Their perseverance paid off. In July 2022, they played a friendly match against La Natividad de Sucilá at Mérida’s Parque Kukulcán, drawing over 12,000 spectators. They went on to throw the ceremonial first pitch at Chase Field in Arizona, home of the Diamondbacks, before a game against the San Francisco Giants. ESPN Deportes produced a documentary about their story. They have become international symbols of female empowerment and Maya pride.

The Field That Was Promised

For years, the Amazonas had no home field. That changed in September 2024, when the outgoing state government—led by the PAN (National Action Party) administration of then-Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal—delivered a brand-new softball field in Yaxunah.

The inauguration was a celebration. María Fritz Sierra, the official in charge of the Governor’s Office, and Senator Mauricio Vila Dosal presided over the ceremony. The field was described as a state-of-the-art facility: perimeter fencing, an irrigation system, lighting, covered grandstands, bathrooms, locker rooms for local and visiting teams, a children’s play area, and even medium-voltage electrical work to bring power to the diamond.

Captain Sitlali Poot Dzib expressed her gratitude at the time. “We are very grateful to the governor, we already have our own field to enjoy a softball game, we can now receive other girls, wonderful work,” she said. The project reportedly cost 16 million pesos.

For the Amazonas, it was a dream come true—a dignified space to train, compete, and continue inspiring others.

A Year Later: Lights Out, Water Gone

But just over a year after that triumphant day, the field that was promised as a fully equipped facility now lacks electricity, water, and even basic amenities. The lighting does not work. The irrigation system cannot function without power. The bathrooms and locker rooms are unusable without water.

For a team that has brought international recognition to Yucatán, the situation is a bitter irony. The Amazonas, who have played in stadiums across Mexico and the United States, cannot count on their own home field to be functional.

A Government That Has Moved On

The field was built under the PAN state government, which made the Amazonas a point of pride. Mauricio Vila Dosal, who was governor at the time, frequently referenced the team in speeches and on social media. “They are fighting women who have taught us and reflected this struggle of women for equality,” he said at the time.

But since the change in administration, the new Yucatán government has largely distanced itself from the project and from the Amazonas. Where once there were ribbon-cuttings and photo opportunities, there is now silence. Where there was commitment to maintenance and follow-through, there is now neglect.