Maya Women Revive Pitahaya Production After Years of Crisis

Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo — A group of Maya women in the community of Chumpon have revived their pitahaya production and processing project, restarting a venture that once provided income for their families but faced years of interruption.

The collective, called “Pitahí,” includes eight women who launched the community initiative to utilize local pitahaya fruit production, creating jams that they sold directly to hotels in the Riviera Maya.

The project halted due to two major events: flooding in 2018 and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic.

“Hotels closed and stopped buying our products, so everything had to stop,” recalled María Caamal Aban, the group’s president.

After several years of inactivity, the members decided to restart about eight months ago, funding the revival with their own resources and betting again on artisanal production.

Beyond pitahaya, they now make papaya, pineapple, and nopal jams, diversifying their offerings to find new market opportunities. They have also begun searching for spaces to sell their products, facing the challenges of entrepreneurship without institutional support.

“We’re knocking on doors to get people to buy our jams. We don’t have government support; we reinvest from what we sell,” explained Caamal Aban.

Recently, the group secured a sales point at the Muyil archaeological site, where they offer their products alongside other community women’s initiatives like crafts, honey, embroidery, and items made with plant fiber.

The project represents an effort to strengthen the local economy and preserve traditional knowledge in a context where many communities face limitations accessing formal markets.

The Pitahí members continue working to reestablish their project, relying on accumulated experience and collaboration among community women to move forward sustainably.