Mayan Council Urges Mexico’s Supreme Court: Don’t Decide About Us Without Us

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The Gran Consejo Maya de Quintana Roo has asked Mexico’s Supreme Court to open a direct dialogue with its representatives as a legal fight over Grupo Xcaret’s commercial use of Mayan cultural heritage moves into a new phase.

The dispute dates back to 2022, when the indigenous organization filed actions with the National Institute of Copyright (Indautor). The Council and Grupo Xcaret later reached collaboration agreements that included a payment of 15 million pesos, according to documents and reports circulated during the proceedings.

Supreme Court Revokes Suspension

On March 26, 2026, the full bench of the Supreme Court revoked the definitive suspension that had allowed the company to keep elements of Mayan cultural heritage in its advertising. The court held that protection of this heritage is collective in nature and cannot be weakened by an authorization granted by a single body.

In response, Simón Caamal Coh, president of the Gran Consejo Maya, demanded that indigenous representatives be included directly in the new stage of the case. The organization argues that its participation and its capacity to represent its communities are recognized under Quintana Roo law, and that its customs, practices and autonomous decisions must be taken into account.

The Council said its position is not intended to provoke a confrontation with the federal government or the Supreme Court, but to defend its right to take part in matters that directly affect its cultural heritage.

“We do not need anyone else to think, decide or speak for us,” the document released by the indigenous representatives states.

The organization closed its statement with a call to Mexican institutions to give indigenous communities a direct role in the decisions that affect them: “Do not decide about us without us.” The case keeps open the debate over indigenous representation, cultural heritage and the scope of agreements signed with private companies.