Yucatán Puts 500 Fishermen to Work Painting 87 Homes in Dzilam de Bravo

While boats sit idle during the fishing ban season, the port of Dzilam de Bravo is getting a fresh coat of paint — courtesy of the fishermen themselves.

State authorities launched the Pintemos Juntos (Let’s Paint Together) program in the small coastal community last week, kicking off a project that will transform the facades of 87 homes across the port. Around 500 fishermen are taking part, trading their nets for paintbrushes during a stretch of the year when most of them have little else to do.

Wendy Méndez Naal, the honorary president of DIF Yucatán — the state’s family welfare agency — presided over the launch. She described the initiative as more than a beautification project. “This program was born with the intention of generating new opportunities for the ports of the Yucatán coast, particularly during the ban season, when fishing activity slows down,” she said.

A slow season with purpose

February and March are among the most difficult months for fishing families along Yucatán’s coast. Three species at the heart of the industry — grouper, octopus, and lobster — are under seasonal fishing bans at overlapping points during these months, protecting their reproductive cycles. For the roughly 500 fishermen in Dzilam de Bravo, that means reduced income for weeks at a time.

The state government has been trying to soften the blow through its Respeto la Veda (Respect the Ban) program, which distributes direct payments to fishermen who comply with the restrictions. This year, more than 12,790 fishermen across the state are receiving 6,600 pesos each — a 10% increase over 2025 — paid in two installments. The vouchers can be spent at local businesses, putting money back into coastal economies.

Pintemos Juntos runs alongside that effort, giving fishermen structured, paid activity during the ban period. The program is a joint effort between DIF Yucatán and the Secretaría de Pesca y Acuacultura Sustentables (Sepasy, the Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Secretariat), with paint company Comex participating as a private-sector partner.

More than a coat of paint

Méndez Naal, who noted that she and Gov. Joaquín Díaz Mena both grew up in fishing ports, framed the initiative in personal terms. “We know firsthand the effort and the risks faced by families who live from the sea,” she said.

DIF Yucatán teams had already conducted community surveys before the launch, identifying which homes would be included in the project and coordinating with local municipal authorities, fishermen, and their families.

The idea behind Pintemos Juntos is that residents become the main actors in the transformation of their own community. Each painted house is the result of collective work — not a contractor brought in from outside, but neighbors working on neighbors’ walls.

A port worth visiting

Dzilam de Bravo is one of the most important fishing ports on Yucatán’s northern coast, and also one of the most overlooked by visitors. Lobster, grouper, and octopus from these waters are among the most commercially valuable species in the state’s fishing industry. The port sits on the western edge of the Bocas de Dzilam protected natural reserve, a 62,000-hectare expanse of mangroves, shallow lagoons, and deserted beaches reachable only by boat.

Local fishing cooperatives run ecotourism tours through the reserve, and a freshwater spring — Xbuya-Ha — emerges directly into the sea just offshore, creating a natural swimming spot unlike anything found closer to Mérida. The port is about an hour and a half from the state capital.

For a community where fishing is not just a job but a way of life passed through generations, a program like Pintemos Juntos carries weight beyond the visible improvement to the streetscape. Better-looking ports can attract more visitors, and more visitors mean more opportunities for the fishing cooperatives that have been quietly building out tourism services for years.

Pintemos Juntos is also planned for the ports of Chuburná, Chelem, and Chicxulub as part of the same coastal initiative.

Fast facts: Pintemos Juntos in Dzilam de Bravo

• 87 homes are being painted as part of the program
• About 500 local fishermen are participating
• The initiative is coordinated by DIF Yucatán and Sepasy, with Comex as a private sponsor
• The program runs alongside Respeto la Veda, which distributes 6,600 pesos per fisherman during the ban season
• Fishing bans currently in effect cover grouper (mero), octopus, and lobster (langosta)
• Pintemos Juntos will also be applied in Chuburná, Chelem, and Chicxulub

Source: La Jornada Maya; Gobierno del Estado de Yucatán