Drought Stalls Corn Planting in Tulum’s Maya Communities

Tulum, Quintana Roo — A year of scarce rainfall has delayed farming across Tulum’s Maya communities, halting most planting of corn, squash and banana, a local Maya leader said.

Nicasio Canché Catzín, a Maya dignitary in the municipality, said only about 50 of the region’s 119 dignitaries are still tending their crops. The shortage has hit “maíz grande,” or large corn, hardest, he said, while some small-corn varieties have already begun to tassel.

The availability of water determines whether the milpas — traditional family plots — can advance through each stage of the growing cycle, Canché Catzín said.

Milpas Keep a Community Tradition Alive

Beyond food production, he said, maintaining the milpas is a practice tied to the Maya people’s roots and traditional knowledge. Despite this year’s difficulties, some families are still working their plots while they wait for better conditions.

With rain still absent, the communities continue to hold ceremonies such as Ch’a Cháak, a traditional Maya ritual performed to call for rain. The practice is still carried out in Tulum and at other ceremonial sites in the region as part of the customs tied to the agricultural cycle.

Growers hope rainfall will return to normal in October so they can resume planting their crops. Canché Catzín said keeping agriculture going matters both for what the communities produce and for preserving a tradition passed down through generations.