Maya Community in Dzitnup Defies Yucatan Governor Over Cenote Control

Dzitnup, Yucatan — The Maya community of Dzitnup has told Governor Joaquin Diaz Mena that the management of their natural resources — specifically the cenotes of Xkeken and Samula — is not up for negotiation.

In October 2025, the community regained control of the Xkeken park, which had been monopolized by the company Alves. Residents said they expelled the company after years of racism and discrimination, including being barred from selling goods near the site.

Since then, entrance fees have funded improvements in the village, including paved streets, sidewalks, and school bathrooms. But on April 27, after a conflict with a group that community council members said works for business or state interests, Diaz Mena announced that the state tourism agency Cultur would begin steps to take over the cenotes.

“We completely reject Cultur — a state government agency — taking over the cenotes, because 18 years ago they seized the place and forgot about the town,” said Basilia Cocom of the Dzitnup Community Council. “We want the restitution of our cenotes and we are not negotiating for the town to manage them.”

The conflict escalated on April 26, when a group of people disrupted an accountability assembly, attacking residents with verbal abuse, stones, and sticks. State police officers arrived, and the council reported that a palapa was set on fire in their presence. Nine people were arrested while trying to extinguish the fire.

The following day, Diaz Mena said during a live broadcast that he had received a letter from 28 community members requesting that the state, through Cultur, regain control of the cenotes.

“We are the majority of the town of Dzitnup, not just 28 people as he said on social media,” said Baldomero Poot, the community commissioner. “It’s not fair that he sides with those people. He should remember that it’s because of us that he is where he is. We are about 1,400 inhabitants, and that’s why we continue here demanding the restitution of the Xkeken and Samula cenotes.”

The land where the cenotes are located was expropriated in 2006 by then-Governor Ivonne Ortega Pacheco, who was then with the PRI and now belongs to the Citizens’ Movement party. In 2023, under the administration of former Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal of the PAN, the land was sold to a real estate company.