Maya Advocate Says Supreme Court Ruling Against Xcaret Fails to Address Deeper Injustices

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A historic Mexican Supreme Court ruling against the Xcaret tourism company fails to address the fundamental injustice faced by the Maya people from the commercial appropriation of their cultural symbols, according to a prominent Indigenous rights advocate.

Pedro Uc Be, a member of the Assembly of Defenders of the Maya Territory Múuch’ Xíinbal, stated that the Mexican state itself has exploited Indigenous heritage for private benefit, though he acknowledged the ruling sets an important precedent.

“This decision is still important for us; we believe it’s a decision that should have been made a long time ago,” Uc Be said. “But the problem doesn’t end there. The issue is that there are other abuses by other actors, and often it’s the state itself.”

He added that other extractive issues remain pending, related to the exploitation of natural resources on Indigenous territories, where the government—more than private companies—assumes the authority to use the heritage of original peoples without consulting them.

Recent examples include the Maya Train project, the material banks for constructing this federal megaproject, and, in other parts of the country, lithium mining.

“We’ll see what happens, but it must be said: it doesn’t resolve the underlying issue. Much remains to be done to protect communities,” he explained.

The Supreme Court’s resolution is not final, as Xcaret could still win the case in a definitive, unappealable ruling later. The justices only intervened to nullify a determination during the original legal process because it affected the cultural heritage of the Maya people.

Xcaret clarified on Thursday that its tourist attractions continue operating normally and that it will comply with the Supreme Court’s decision, just days before its parks are expected to be fully booked for Easter holidays.