Tulum’s Residents Fight Back Against Jaguar Park’s New Rules

Residents, local business owners, and tourism service providers have begun to protest at the entrance to the Parque del Jaguar and announced plans to shut down access to Tulum’s archaeological site. The protest comes as a result of what organizers regard as empty promises by the Grupo Mundo Maya to allow residents free access to El Parque del Jaguar and beaches.

The call for this action is being described as an act in defense of tourism and the local economy, and is actively gaining momentum in community social media groups. “We are fed up with this situation that benefits neither the community, nor the workers, nor the small businesses that depend on tourism,” the group argued in a press statement. The business owners and residents accuse the company Gafsacom of failing to honor previous agreements that guaranteed free access for residents. The move by the Parque del Jaguar is also being scrutinized by Quintana Roo’s state court, given that Mexico’s constitution prohibits blocking access to beaches or archaeological sites.

Tulum’s municipal president, Diego Castañón, has joined the criticism against the company, stating that excessive fees in the coastal zones are driving tourists away, as they seek destinations with greater freedom of movement and lower costs. The protesters said that tourism, which was once the economic foundation of Tulum, is being strangled by private projects, concessions, and fees that turn access to beaches and natural areas into a privilege for the few. “We will not leave until the unfair charges to our tourists stop,” warn the organizers.

In response, Grupo Mundo Maya issued a statement assuring that it maintains its commitment to local residents and foreign expatriates, who receive free access to the El Parque del Jaguar upon presenting the corresponding accreditation. The company emphasized that the project aims to preserve the area’s natural and cultural heritage while simultaneously offering an inclusive and sustainable recreational space.

However, the protesters believe the promised benefits are not reflected in the community’s daily life and that the economic pressure on tourism continues to increase. The protest this coming Sunday serves as a wake-up call, but it also risks disrupting one of the region’s main archaeological sites.

But the struggle of Tulum’s locals is complicated by the fact that the company that runs El Parque del Jaguar (which also contains the archaeological site) is owned and operated by Mexico’s armed forces, who historically have not been open to persuasion by the public. 

Attendance at Tulum, once Mexico’s third most visited archaeological site, is also down according to official sources, in part because of the extra cost visitors need to pay to enter the Jagar Park that currently stands at 415 pesos. Making things even worse is that Tulum’s once pristine beaches, one of its biggest attractions, have, for months, been covered in Sargassum.

Other attractions at El Parque del Jaguar include a museum of Mesoamerican artifacts and replicas, as well as a lookout point whose wooden platforms, despite being new, are already showing signs of cracking. This lookout point does, however, offer a pleasant view of the surrounding jungle and the archaeological site in the distance. 

Because the attractions within El Parque del Jaguar are so far away from each other, electric vehicles are used to shuttle guests from location to location, along cement roads, which feels much more like an attraction one would expect at the Epcot Center of Disney World than what the government describes as an ecological sanctuary.

Carlos Rosado van der Gracht

Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a journalist, photographer, and expedition leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada, and Norway.