UNESCO-Backed Maya World Tours Revealed

Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo — The state of Quintana Roo has presented the "Viajes por el Mundo Maya" (Journeys Through the Maya World) Catalog of Tourist Experiences, an initiative officially backed by UNESCO. The presentation took place in the heart of the Maya zone of Quintana Roo, where Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa stated that the inhabitants of rural communities have ceased to be spectators and have become protagonists of tourism success and shared prosperity.

"Today, social justice is being done for the Maya people, for their ancestors. Today the entire world will get to know who we are," expressed the head of the state executive, who was accompanied by the Secretary of Tourism of the Government of Mexico, Josefina Rodríguez Zamora; the representative of UNESCO in Mexico, Andrés Morales; the Director General of FONATUR, Sebastián Ramírez Mendoza; and the honorary president of the DIF Quintana Roo, Verónica Lezama Espinosa.

Against the backdrop of the Templo del Niño Jesús, an impressive and faithful witness to the historic Caste War in the heart of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Governor Mara Lezama presented this catalog, which reflects the history, culture, and greatness of the Maya people. The project is the result of coordinated work with the federal Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR), the National Fund for Tourism Development (FONATUR), and UNESCO, which for the first time has endorsed an initiative of this caliber.

"Today is a historic day; today we are making community tourism visible. We want the entire world to know what we are, for the inhabitants themselves to be the protagonists, for them to be the ones who tell the history of the Maya World," affirmed the Governor of Quintana Roo.

She explained that this catalog will showcase unique experiences, such as the Cave of the Snakes, embroidering with the Maya women of Xpichil, and enjoying the music of the Mayapax. Furthermore, it generates direct economic benefits and shared prosperity for the Maya communities.

The Catalog of Tourist Experiences "Viajes por el Mundo Maya," which can be found on the platform visitmexico.com, includes 42 authentic tourist experiences that make up the Interstate Tourist Routes of the Maya World: the Caste War Route (Quintana Roo – Yucatán), the Southern Archaeological Route (Quintana Roo – Campeche), the Puuc Route (Yucatán – Campeche), and the Sierra Route (Tabasco – Chiapas).

Among the 42 experiences, Quintana Roo offers six: the Cave of the Snakes in the community of Kantemó, José María Morelos; Jungle and Chicle on the Yu’um K’áax Trail in the community of Chunhuhub, Felipe Carrillo Puerto; Artisanal Embroidery Workshop in the community of X-Pichil, Felipe Carrillo Puerto; Swimming in the channels of the Chunyaxché Lagoon in the community of Muyil, Felipe Carrio Puerto; U Belilek in the community of Tihosuco, Felipe Carrillo Puerto; and Ko’ox Ich Kool (Let's Go to the Milpa) in the community of Señor, Felipe Carrillo Puerto.

Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, head of SECTUR, highlighted that Mexico becomes the first country to have a catalog of tourist experiences with the backing of UNESCO. She described it as a historic event that these 42 experiences have been shared to showcase the Maya World.

"President Claudia Sheinbaum believes in community tourism. I recognize the work of Mara Lezama and her entire team, who have made this new model a reality. Now, tour operators must offer these unique experiences to the world. We want it to generate shared prosperity in all communities, for nowhere else in the world exists the warmth of the people of the Maya World," she said.

The state Secretary of Tourism, Bernardo Cueto Riestra, emphasized that Mara Lezama has been a pillar in bringing tourism to rural communities like never before, with infrastructure, institutional support, and a clear vision that each tourist experience should also be an experience of identity, culture, and local pride.

This community tourism directly benefits 76 Maya communities in Maya Ka'an, a rural area with tourism potential in the municipalities of Felipe Carrillo Puerto and José María Morelos, where more than 105,000 inhabitants offer activities and experiences through a community and living culture system, as well as ecotourism and adventure.

Regarding this, the UNESCO representative in Mexico, Andrés Morales, stated that creating this catalog took a year and a half and was based on eight criteria, including community management, authenticity, local economic benefits, the inclusion of women, heritage with cultural value, sustainable impact, among others.

He made it clear that Quintana Roo is a benchmark for community tourism that can be scaled to a national level. "It wasn't born today; it has been many years in the making, but you are making it visible," he affirmed.

The head of FONATUR, Sebastián Ramírez Mendoza, for his part, recognized the work of Mara Lezama in turning community tourism into public policy and reported that President Claudia Sheinbaum has instructed its promotion as a legacy of her government. Therefore, he said FONATUR will support Quintana Roo in its community tourism projects.

In welcoming attendees to Tihosuco, the municipal president of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Mary Hernández, highlighted the importance of this catalog, as it will allow the world to see the greatness of the Maya World through community tourism as an engine of well-being.

Also present at the presentation were the municipal president of José María Morelos, Erik Borges Yam; the secretaries of tourism from Chiapas, Tabasco, Yucatán, and Campeche; and the president of the Alianza Peninsular para el Turismo Comunitario, Román Caamal Coh.