Mexico’s Supreme Court Orders Xcaret Group to Remove Maya Cultural Elements from Advertising

Mexico City — Mexico’s Supreme Court has ordered the tourism company Grupo Xcaret to immediately remove all Maya cultural elements from its advertising and digital platforms, ruling that indigenous cultural rights take precedence over commercial interests.

The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) revoked a previous injunction that had allowed the company to continue using Maya imagery and symbols in promotional materials aimed at attracting tourists. The decision came during a session attended by members of the Gran Consejo Maya de Quintana Roo, who have long contested the company’s use of their cultural heritage.

The legal battle began in 2022 when the Gran Consejo Maya formally demanded that Grupo Xcaret cease using Maya cultural elements in marketing campaigns. Although a lower administrative court initially sided with the company, the Supreme Court took up the case in October 2025 due to its national significance.

Justice María Estela Ríos González, who authored the ruling, emphasized that indigenous peoples have an inalienable right to control their own cultural heritage. The decision is based on the 2024 constitutional reform to Article 2 and the Federal Law for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples and Communities.

The court stated clearly that Grupo Xcaret’s commercial success does not depend on appropriating these cultural symbols. “The commercial nature of the complainant (Xcaret) does not make it necessary for its internet pages to use cultural elements belonging to the Maya People to provide hotel, attraction, and restaurant services,” the judicial document states.

This ruling establishes a strong precedent in Mexico against cultural appropriation for profit, affirming that using indigenous iconography requires the consent of the communities that created and preserve it.