Isla Mujeres Residents Say Quarry Shutdown Was Due to Home Damage

Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo — Families living near a limestone quarry, known locally as a sascabera, on the mainland side of Isla Mujeres say the city shut it down because of the damage it caused to their homes and health, not because of any dispute between the quarry manager and city officials.

Residents say explosives used by the quarry operators have cracked their walls and that dust from the site irritates their respiratory systems.

“It’s constant bomb detonations so they can break up the rock. Water leaks through the roof excessively, and you realize the floor is cracked from corner to corner,” said Onorina de Jesús Cruz Poot.

Martha Nahualt Chimal said stones from the blasts land on her corrugated metal roof. She also said dump trucks carrying material from the quarry speed past without caution, kicking up dust and making the ground shake.

The neighbors spoke out after Rigoberto Nava, who manages the quarry, told a national media outlet that city officials had been pressuring him to pay property taxes on communal land. Nava claimed that the municipality’s general secretary and former mayor, Hugo Sánchez Montalvo, and the director of urban development and environment, William Conrado Alarcón, demanded payment and that when he refused, the quarry was shut down three times.

Residents disputed that account, saying the closure came in response to their repeated complaints to city hall. They said the quarry operators are blaming the administration because they know they cannot oppose the neighbors, who are prepared to block the entrance.

“Now that it’s closed, you feel a peace, a tranquility that we are used to,” said Zenaida Sánchez Arcos.

According to the residents, the damage caused by the quarry has been documented for the city council, and municipal authorities acted to protect the physical safety and health of the people living nearby.