Nearly 100 Fired From Mérida’s La Plancha Park

The maintenance crews and museum guides who kept Mérida’s biggest park running are suddenly gone. Nearly 100 workers at Gran Parque La Plancha say they were let go this week by the federal company that runs the park, and they are now taking their case to labor authorities.

The company, Grupo Aeroportuario, Ferroviario, de Servicios Auxiliares y Conexos Olmeca-Maya-Mexica — known as Grupo Mundo Maya — is a military-run firm that also operates airports, hotels and fuel stations across southern Mexico. Former employees told Novedades Yucatán that termination notices cited only the “end of appointments,” but that human resources staff privately told them the real reason was a lack of money to cover payroll.

About 80 of those let go worked in maintenance, gardening and other operational roles at the park. Another 10 came from the adjoining Museo de los Ferrocarriles, the rail museum that sits on the same grounds, leaving just two people to lead tours through the sprawling space, according to a former employee who asked not to be named because of pending legal action.

“For almost five or six months, they had been warning us this mass layoff was coming because Grupo Mundo Maya was in the red,” the former worker said. “They told us it was only because our appointments had ended, but human resources also told us there weren’t resources to pay salaries.”

Workers described being stripped of credentials and uniforms on the spot, pressured to sign paperwork without receiving copies, and, in some cases, notified over video calls from Mexico City. Many had worked at the park for close to two years, though their contracts shrank over time from six-month terms to three-month terms and finally to month-to-month arrangements.

No severance was offered. Employees said they were told only that they might eventually receive prorated year-end bonuses and vacation pay once administrative processes are completed, though no timeline was given.

Affected workers have filed with the Procuraduría Federal de la Defensa del Trabajo, Mexico’s federal labor defense agency, and with state conciliation authorities to seek reinstatement or severance. Some workers cited reports that roughly 400 similar layoffs took place the same day at other sites nationwide where Grupo Mundo Maya operates, with about 155 of those affected in Mérida and Tulum combined. Yucatán Magazine could not independently confirm those figures.

The layoffs come months after national outlets reported that Grupo Mundo Maya awarded more than 2.2 billion pesos (US$115 million) in public contracts between 2023 and 2025, with roughly two-thirds handed out without competitive bidding. Mexico’s federal auditor found the company lacked basic internal controls, including an ethics committee or risk program, as of mid-2025.

Parque La Plancha opened in November 2023 on a former rail yard east of Mérida’s Centro, the culmination of decades of neighborhood campaigning for green space. Built with military labor at a cost of roughly 1.3 billion pesos, the 50-acre park quickly became one of the city’s most visited public spaces, drawing families with its lake, amphitheater and bike paths.

Grupo Mundo Maya did not respond to the workers’ allegations. The park has remained open despite the reduced staff.

Fast Facts

• Nearly 100 workers laid off at Gran Parque La Plancha in Mérida
• About 80 came from park maintenance and grounds crews; 10 from the on-site rail museum
• Employer is Grupo Mundo Maya, a military-run federal company
• Workers say they received no severance, only a promise of prorated bonuses
• Affected employees have filed complaints with federal and state labor authorities
• La Plancha park opened in November 2023 on a former rail yard

With information from Novedades Yucatán (sipse.com) and Vanguardia.