The Supermarket and the Pyramid: Dzoyila´s Fight for Survival

On the southern edge of Mérida, tucked behind the Kukulcán Álamo baseball stadium and surrounded by the modest homes of the Reparto Las Granjas neighborhood, lies one of the city’s most significant yet beleaguered archaeological treasures: the ancient Maya settlement of Dzoyilá, also known as Dzoyilá Granjas. 

But a recently announced agreement between the INAH and the Chedrahui supermarket chain threatens Dzoyilá, and behind closed doors, experts agree. 

Founded sometime in the first century BCE, this site served as a residential, funerary, and administrative center for over 1,300 years, its history intertwined with the origins of the Itzá people who would later build the great city of Chichén Itzá. 

But today, Dzoyilá finds itself at the center of a familiar and deeply uncomfortable conflict—one that pits the relentless expansion of modern commerce against the preservation of a pre-Hispanic past that is both fragile and irreplaceable.

The Recent Agreement with INAH

This long-standing tension came to a head recently with the announcement of a new commercial development: a Chedraui supermarket, to be built on a plot of land adjacent to the archaeological park. Plans to build on or near the site had been proposed for years, but this time, something shifted.

After negotiations, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reached an agreement with the private company. Under the terms of this accord, the supermarket chain will be allowed to proceed with construction, but with a crucial condition: the project must be modified to fully respect and protect the archaeological vestiges of Dzoyilá. 

The commercial developer is now required to delimit and safeguard the mounds and structures on the property, ensuring that the work will not damage the area’s historical patrimony. INAH has publicly argued that the area designated for the new shopping center and its parking lot will not affect any pre-Hispanic remains. The case has been compared to a previous instance in northern Mérida, where a cenote known as Ka Kutzal was discovered during construction and successfully integrated into the commercial project.

The Official Discourse and What Archaeologists Really Think

However, the public narrative of a clean, conflict-free agreement does not tell the whole story. In private conversations, researchers and archaeologists familiar with the site have expressed deep reservations, admitting that the situation is far more complex and troubling than official statements suggest. The official line that the construction will not affect any remains is, in their view, not entirely true.

The central concern is one of context. While the supermarket’s footprint may technically avoid the main, mapped structures, the surrounding landscape is part of a continuous archaeological context. Dzoyilá was not an isolated pyramid; it was a sprawling urban settlement. 

The areas slated for the parking lot and access roads are almost certain to contain unexcavated residential platforms, middens, and other features integral to the site’s broader narrative. By allowing construction to proceed right up to the edge of the protected core, INAH is essentially sanctioning the destruction of the site’s archaeological periphery, the very context that gives the central structures their meaning. 

“To pretend this is in the best interest of Mérida’s cultural and archaeological heritage is simply laughable. But it’s the higher-ups in Mexico City that, at the end of the day, have the final say, and everyone knows this decision is tied up in politics and economics,” said a well-respected archaeologist who asked not to be identified. 

A Site Steeped in History and Immortalized in the Chilam Balam

Dzoyilá is not just another collection of overgrown mounds. Its significance is recorded in one of the most important surviving texts of the Maya world: the Chilam Balam of Chumayel, a 16th-century compilation of ancient knowledge, prophecy, and history. The site is mentioned as a key waypoint in the migration of the Itzá people, who passed through Dzoyilá in the 9th century before establishing themselves at Chichén Itzá. 

The very name “Dzoyilá” comes from the Yucatec Maya phrase Tso’il ja, which translates to “the place where turkeys drink water,” a reference to a sacred cenote that still lies at the heart of the site.

Excavations led by INAH archaeologist Eunice Uc González have revealed a complex history of construction layers dating back as far as 800 BC. The site features a small pyramid, residential platforms, a sacbé (a white stone road) that once led to the Maya capital of Ichcanzijó (present-day Mérida’s historic center), and a cenote platform that was a hub for daily life and ritual. One particularly evocative discovery is the “Chichi House,” a structure featuring a stone sculpture of an elderly woman, which archaeologists believe was a special residence for older members of the community.

A History of Resistance Since the 1980s

The fight to protect Dzoyilá is not new. In fact, it has been a constant, low-level battle for over four decades. As the city of Mérida expanded southward in the 1980s, the newly built neighborhood of Reparto Las Granjas began to encroach on the ancient site. City authorities, under pressure from residents, made initial efforts to restore sections of Dzoyilá and convert the area into a public park. However, these efforts were never sustained.

What followed was a long and often frustrating history of resistance. For more than 30 years, the local community has been the site’s primary defender. Residents have repeatedly stood up against developers, at one point physically blocking construction machinery and calling in archaeologists like Eunice Uc to inspect the land and halt work. In 2007, the national magazine Proceso reported on conflicts surrounding the site, highlighting the ongoing tension between urban development and heritage protection. Despite these grassroots efforts, Dzoyilá’s core has remained largely abandoned and covered in vegetation, with INAH authorities only visiting irregularly to cut back the overgrowth. The site’s status as a protected area has always been complicated by the fact that much of it lies on private property.

A City of Ruins: Mérida’s Overwhelming Archaeological Wealth

To understand the significance of what is at stake at Dzoyilá, it is important to recognize that this is not an isolated case. The city of Mérida is built on a palimpsest of Maya history. It was founded in 1542 atop the ancient Maya city of T’hó, also known as Ichcanzihó. The Spanish conquistadors even named it “Mérida” because the large stone structures they found reminded them of the Roman ruins in the Spanish city of the same name.

Today, the municipality officially recognizes over 20 archaeological parks within the city limits, though most are overgrown, neglected, and inaccessible to the public. Furthermore, there are records of more than 220 sites of archaeological interest throughout the city, particularly along its periphery. 

These range from small residential mounds to larger ceremonial centers. Some of the most noteworthy among them include El Cerrito, a religious center in the Melchor Ocampo neighborhood; Chen Hó, often described as the city’s first Maya suburb; Xchoclan; and Xaman Susulá, located in the Caucel area. 

The sheer density of this archaeological wealth means that almost any new construction project in Mérida’s periphery is likely to disturb ancient remains. The question is not whether the remains are there, but whether they will be acknowledged and protected before the bulldozers arrive.