This is why Mayapan will not be re-opening anytime soon

Demanding control over artifacts, tour guides and ticket sales, the Telchaquillo ejido shut down the archaeological site of Mayapan a year ago. And they want the federal government to pay them 40 years of back fees for using their land.

At the core of these land disputes is a growing feeling of discontent that Indigenous communities have been cut out of tourism profits. The closure came shortly after a similar land dispute involving the archaeological site of Dziblichaltún was resolved, at least temporarily

The members of the ejido — an area of communal agricultural land —  are clear that the payment of the yet-to-be-determined sum is not a sale but compensation for the years the government has profited from their lands.

Members of Telchaquillo ejido gather to discuss the future of Mayapan
In Mexico, an ejido is a type of communal land tenure system in which land is owned by the community as a whole. Still, individual members have the right to use specific parcels of land for farming or other purposes. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

On Nov. 29, the community held a meeting of Telchaquillo’s 287 ejido members but was unable to reach a quorum.

In addition to 106 ejido members, municipal authorities from Tecoh (to which Techaquillo belongs), Alba Cristina Cob, Yucatan’s representative for the 11th district, and Ruth Landeros, representing the INAH, attended the meeting. Yucatán Magazine was the only media outlet present at the community meeting. 

The community scheduled another meeting on Dec. 15. It released a letter of intent outlining the conditions under which Mayapan could reopen its doors to the public.

Maya woman from Telchaquillo holds sings againts the privitization of Mayapan
Several members of the ejido expressed their grievances openly during the meeting on Nov. 19 despite failing to reach a quorum. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

The document identifies Mayapan as the cultural heritage of the Telchachillo population and requires that the community first approve all future decisions made by INAH regarding excavations or research.

Federal authorities have pointed out that Mexico’s national monument law prohibits any person, corporation, or organization from impeding access to the nation’s heritage sites.

That said, Indigenous community leaders across the country have interpreted recent constitutional amendments to Mexico’s constitution as opening the door for new mechanisms under which they could profit from their cultural heritage. 

Given the reduced budget recently approved for INAH and the delays in reaching an agreement, a handful of ejido members told Yucatán Magazine that the government might confiscate their lands, a scenario not out of the realm of possibility.

Yucatán’s tourism department is urging all involved parties to reach a compromise soon to help revitalize waning attendance at the state’s archaeological site, which is down 28.3% compared to last year. 

Mayapan has a surface area of 4.2 square kilometers and over 4,000 structures. The city walls extended half a kilometer beyond their boundaries in all directions. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Archaeological evidence dates the foundation of Mayapan to the 1st century CE. Sometime in the 12th century, the arrival of the Itzáes from Chichén Itzá brought the city to prominence.

Shortly after, Mayapan became the seat of a confederation of city-states known as Luub Mayapan or the League of Mayapan. Other members of the confederation included cities as large and powerful as Chichén Itzá and Uxmal. 

In a sense, the League of Mayapan was the last great hurrah of the Maya in Yucatán before Uxmal and Chichén Itzá were severely depopulated and eventually abandoned.

The ejido of Telchaquillo in Tecoh
Members of Telchaquillo’s ejido feel strongly about their right to have the final say on Mayapan, but the law is not entirely on their side. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

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