Tulum’s Beach Apartheid: Locals Fight for Justice

Tulum, Mexico — The fight to liberate Tulum’s beaches reflects a deeper crisis of land dispossession, racism, and corruption, perpetuating historical violence rooted in the Caste War and the marginalization of Indigenous communities. The coastal paradise has become a battleground where illegal privatization, unchecked luxury development, and government complicity deny locals access to their own shores.

A System of Exclusion and Corruption

Rafael Barajas Valenzuela, representative of the Tulum Citizens’ Observatory, highlighted the opacity surrounding citizen participation in the struggle. He cited divisions within the collective Playas Libres (Free Beaches), including a lack of transparency in fund management and their refusal to collaborate with the Observatory—even rejecting live broadcasts of negotiations with the government.

Government agencies, Barajas noted, resist public scrutiny, preferring backroom deals that favor private interests, particularly hotels that have monopolized beach access. Establishments like Papaya Playa and Casamarca have erected barriers, effectively creating "prisons" that block public entry to the coast. The Tulum municipality, Barajas asserted, is complicit in this crime by allowing illegal concessions or sales of beaches—a public resource belonging to all Mexicans.

The Human Cost of Inequality

The consequences are stark: children in Tulum grow up without ever seeing the ocean, a fundamental right denied by systemic inequality. Meanwhile, unchecked luxury construction—often left vacant—stands in jarring contrast to the extreme poverty in informal settlements lacking basic services like drainage and street lighting.

Violence has also surged, including the murder of the Public Security Secretary and two women within 12 hours, underscoring the broader crisis.

A Call to Action

In response, the Citizens’ Observatory has organized a peaceful march for June 22, aiming to draw global attention to Tulum’s plight. The demonstration, themed with flowers instead of confrontational tactics, seeks to unite residents and tourists alike in demanding justice, transparency, and an end to the "tourist apartheid" that excludes locals from their own land.

Barajas emphasized the need for live-streamed negotiations to ensure accountability. He criticized Playas Libres for refusing the Observatory’s assistance, leading to opaque agreements with the government. "These walls blocking the beach are literal prisons," he said. "The state of Quintana Roo and the Tulum municipality are committing a crime by allowing this."

Racism and Historical Injustice

Barajas condemned the racism against the Maya people, Tulum’s original inhabitants, many of whom have never set foot on their own beaches. "There are children here who are 10 years old and have never seen the sea," he said. "This is a direct violence that perpetuates the Caste War’s legacy and the dispossession of Indigenous land."

The march, he stressed, is not just about beach access but a broader fight against corruption, inequality, and violence. "The media remains silent about this pain," Barajas added. "We need the world to see what’s happening in Tulum."

Demands for Change

The Citizens’ Observatory calls for:

• Immediate demolition of physical barriers blocking beach access.
• Government negotiations to be broadcast live for transparency.
• Intervention by ethical organizations to ensure fair outcomes.

"The era of technology has arrived," Barajas declared. "We will expose these backroom deals. The people of Tulum deserve justice."