National Geographic Documents Maya Train Impact on Yucatán Cenotes

A new National Geographic report has documented extensive damage to cenotes across Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula caused by construction of the Maya Train, highlighting deep divisions among scientists and activists over the $30 billion infrastructure project.

The investigation, published this week in the magazine’s September issue, chronicles the installation of more than 15,000 steel pillars across the peninsula to support the 966-mile (1,554-kilometer) railway that opened in December 2024.

Biologist and speleologist Roberto Rojo witnessed one of the most dramatic incidents described in the report. While exploring a cave in Quintana Roo, he heard an industrial drill pierce the ceiling above him.

“Stalactites tumbling, Rojo ducked for cover,” according to the National Geographic account by writer Michael Finkel. The biologist captured video as a steel pillar 24 meters (80 feet) tall and 1.2 meters (4 feet) in diameter was inserted into the chamber. Cement used to secure the structure mixed with the cenote’s crystal-clear water, creating dark stains.

By Rojo’s count, more than 15,000 pillars have been driven into the thin Yucatan soil to support the elevated railway. At the site he documented, 40 pillars now march through the cenote in rows of four.

The Yucatán Peninsula contains an estimated 10,000 cenotes – water-filled limestone sinkholes that serve as the region’s primary freshwater source. These interconnected cave systems sustain millions of people and hundreds of species, from jaguars to tapirs.

Environmental scientists worry the railway threatens this fragile ecosystem. The peninsula’s porous limestone bedrock means “much of the region has no rivers or lakes,” making the cenote network critical for water supply.

“If you destroy part of the cenote system, you risk it all, because they’re interconnected and drain to the sea,” Rojo warned in the report.

The controversy has split former colleagues. Ecologist Germán Yáñez, once Rojo’s diving partner, joined the National Institute of Anthropology and History team that deployed 2,000 specialists to evaluate cultural heritage along the route.

“The train is an incredible achievement,” Yáñez told National Geographic, arguing it will save the peninsula by creating jobs and fighting marginalization.

United Nations projections cited in the report estimate the railway could create over 900,000 jobs and lift 1.1 million people from poverty by 2030.

But opposition remains fierce. Environmental activist Otto von Bertrab called the project a “cultural and environmental catastrophe,” claiming former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador lied when he promised no trees would be cut. Millions were felled during construction.

The project revealed significant archaeological discoveries, including a complete Maya canoe dating to 900 CE. However, critics argue over 25,000 archaeological pieces were destroyed during construction.

Previous reporting documented confirmed damage to five cenotes, including Garra del Jaguar, Oppenheimer, Manitas, and Dos Balas, when cement was poured directly into the chambers.

López Obrador declared the project a national security matter and assigned construction to the military, allowing work to continue despite court injunctions.

The railway cost nearly four times its original $8 billion budget. In its first year, it carried about 1,200 daily passengers – far below projections of 22,000 to 37,000 riders.

The National Geographic report presents the train as a crossroads between environmental protection and economic development. Supporters see it as a potential global model for balancing conservation with growth.

Critics paint a different picture. “The detractors argue the opposite: that the only thing the Maya Train will accomplish is to show the world what not to do,” Finkel writes.

As debates continue, plans advance to extend the railway into Belize and Guatemala, potentially impacting additional pristine jungle areas across the region.

The story’s conclusion remains unwritten. Whether the Maya Train becomes a development success or environmental cautionary tale may depend on long-term impacts still unfolding across the Yucatán’s underground waterways.