Tulum Locals Get Free Jaguar Park Entry with ID

TULUM, Quintana Roo — The Governor of Quintana Roo, Mara Lezama, has announced that residents of Tulum will be granted free access to the Jaguar Park by presenting a single, mandatory requirement: their official voter identification card, known as the INE credential.

The announcement follows a "very productive" meeting between the governor and General Adolfo Héctor Tonatiuh Velasco, the director of the Grupo Mundo Maya, along with his work team. The objective of the agreement is to provide foundational solutions to the needs of Tulum's population.

"The objective is to provide foundational solutions to the needs of the population of Tulum," Lezama stated. "Today, free access to the beaches is guaranteed: pedestrian access via Playa Mangle at the southern entrance. Through the Jaguar Park, with a second free access point for residents with their INE credential."

She thanked Grupo Mundo Maya "for its commitment and willingness to advance the well-being of all," adding, "This is only the beginning; we will continue to work tirelessly to guarantee that both locals and visitors can enjoy the natural beauties that Quintana Roo offers."

Background: Protests Over Park Access Fees

The policy change comes in response to significant public unrest. Residents of Tulum recently blocked the Riviera Maya tourist corridor, which connects Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and Cancún, to demand that the company operated by the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) liberate access to the beaches of the Tulum National Park, which encompasses the archaeological zone.

More than 500 people participated in the protest, which lasted over six hours. The demonstrators, including citizens, tourism service providers, restaurant workers, merchants, artisans, fishermen, and taxi drivers, called on the company Grupo Aeroportuario, Ferroviario, de Servicios Auxiliares y Conexos Olmeca-Maya–México (GAFSACOMM), also known as Mundo Maya, to return free beach access to Quintana Roo residents.

The beaches were integrated into the Jaguar Park in 2022. Protesters denounced severe economic damages due to what they described as excessive fees charged by the company to Mexican tourists.

Furthermore, they stated that the deployment of National Guard officers and military personnel on the beaches creates a climate of tension and insecurity for tourists, who then leave Tulum with negative experiences.

"The tourism isn't coming, there's no work, it's affecting everyone," said Felipe Jiménez, a Tulum merchant affected by the decrease in tourists. "Right now all the beaches are surrounded by the National Guard; it seems like we are at war. We want them to leave now, we want our beaches to be free."

"Since 2018 this all started; 16 years ago the beaches were free for everyone, for us Mexicans, for foreigners, and everyone had work," Jiménez expressed.

The Jaguar Park Project

The Jaguar Park is an emblematic project of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. It was created on July 27, 2022, through the Urban Improvement Program of the Secretariat of Agrarian, Territorial, and Urban Development (Sedatu), led by Román Meyer Falcón.

The project was designed to encompass the Tulum National Park, which includes the archaeological zone, and the Jaguar Flora and Fauna Protection Area (APFFJ). It was subsequently handed over to the Sedena through GAFSACOMM, now known as Mundo Maya.

The discontent over the control of the beaches had been voiced even by Tulum's municipal president, Diego Castañón Trejo, who publicly denounced on Monday, August 25, that Mundo Maya had not respected an agreement to allow free access for Tulum residents to all beaches within the Jaguar Park.

In response to the growing tension, Mundo Maya issued three statements. The first asserted that the company respects the right of Tulum inhabitants to enter the beaches freely. A second statement claimed that on Sundays, the park would exempt the fee for all Mexican citizens to visit the destination and enter freely, as is the case in all archaeological zones in the country. A third statement assured that the company would liberate the southern access to the Jaguar Park through Playa Mangle.

These communications were not accepted by the residents and instead generated more tension. Protesters argued that the Army is ignoring Article 27 of the Constitution, which establishes that "the ownership of the lands and waters within the boundaries of the national territory originally corresponds to the Nation," and Article 154, which states that "whoever obstructs, restricts, or conditions access to the federal maritime-terrestrial zone and maritime beaches will be sanctioned."

The mobilization against the Sedena's operations left over 600 motorists paralyzed, with many tourists forced to walk three kilometers dragging their suitcases to transfer to Playa del Carmen and Cancún.