INAH and Yucatan Government Reiterate Open Dialogue With Artisans and Tour Guides at Chichen Itza

Mérida, Yucatán — The Yucatan state government and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said Thursday they have maintained an open and permanent dialogue with artisan groups, tour guides, and ejido representatives from the municipality of Tinum regarding the new Chichen Itza Visitor Center (Catvi), a facility built as part of the Maya Train project.

Weekly meetings have been held since last year to hear the demands of the various groups involved, officials said. Among the issues addressed are assurances that artisans will not be displaced from the archaeological site, access to credit to support their craft production, financial aid for equipping and launching their stalls at Catvi, and requests for telephone and internet services at the new center.

Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena has met twice with artisan and merchant groups at the Government Palace and has toured both Catvi and the Chichen Itza archaeological zone.

Catvi currently has 262 occupied stalls in its artisan market, offering locally made products to visitors. Since March, five modules have been operating where all tour guide groups from the area provide guided tour services.

State and federal authorities said they have been transparent in their dialogue and have honored the key demand not to displace any artisan from inside the archaeological zone. They are also working to reorganize access to the site, aiming to improve the tourist experience and help preserve the archaeological heritage by funneling all visitors through Catvi once a transition period agreed upon in the talks concludes.

On Thursday, state General Secretary of Government Omar Pérez Avilés led a day of dialogue with the various sectors operating at Chichen Itza to hear concerns and continue building agreements on the visitor center’s operations. He emphasized that the government will keep prioritizing dialogue and consensus-building to address requests related to Catvi, while respecting public order, tourism activity, and the well-being of the communities involved.

Also participating in the meeting were Diego Prieto Hernández, head of the Living Cultures, Intangible Heritage and Interculturality Unit of the federal Culture Ministry; Anna Goycoolea Artís, national coordinator of INAH centers; and Víctor Arturo Martínez Rojas, director of the INAH Yucatan center.