Mexico’s Supreme Court to Settle Decades-Old Border Dispute That Could Redraw Yucatan Peninsula Map

Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico — Mexico’s Supreme Court will soon decide a decades-old territorial dispute between three states that could redraw the map of the Yucatan Peninsula and determine the future of more than 150 communities currently living in legal limbo.

The conflict centers on “Punto Put,” a single coordinate in the Mayan jungle where the borders of Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo converge. The area encompasses approximately 10,000 square kilometers of disputed territory — nearly 20% of Quintana Roo’s land — where residents lack basic services and clear governance.

“When they want votes, officials come from Campeche and Quintana Roo,” said Alejandro Álvarez, a resident tired of fighting for electricity, internet and transportation. “They promise things, but once elected, neither state makes an effort here.”

What Is Punto Put?

Punto Put marks the intersection point of the three states’ borders, named after a former hacienda that once stood in the jungle. Authorities designated the point in 1902 and confirmed it in 1922 with a concrete monument establishing official coordinates.

For the past 50 years, this seemingly simple geographic marker has fueled a complex border conflict that leaves thousands of families uncertain about which state government should provide their services.

Communities in Limbo

More than 150 communities inhabit the disputed zone, many founded by migrants from Veracruz, Chiapas and Tabasco who came decades ago seeking farmland. Today, they live with contradictory realities: water might come from one state, schools from another, and healthcare from none.

“In the middle are the country people, who are all the same,” summarized local leader Lorenzo Várguez.

María Eugenia López recalled arriving 30 years ago when there was no water, electricity or services. “Fetching water was torture — walking to a distant water source carrying buckets,” she said. While Quintana Roo drilled the well, Campeche operates the health center, which lacks a doctor.

Origins of the Conflict

The dispute escalated after Campeche created the municipality of Calakmul in 1996. Quintana Roo reactivated the litigation in 2019 by ratifying its territorial coordinates in Constitutional Controversy 226/2019, part of a strategy to force other states to challenge the boundaries.

Campeche missed legal deadlines and was excluded from the case, though the state’s legal advisor Adrián Serrano Barrientos noted they can still present evidence as an interested party. Yucatan challenged the boundaries, sending the case to the Supreme Court.

Following judicial elections in 2025, Justice María Estela Ríos González now holds responsibility for resolving the tangled dispute.

Daily Struggles

Residents face numerous challenges throughout the disputed area:

• Lack of drinking water
• Limited healthcare services
• Poor road conditions
• Irregular employment

In communities like Saczuquil, just four kilometers from Yucatan, there are no functional roads. Motorcycles serve as the main transportation, and many crops spoil due to lack of access to markets.

Potential State Changes

The Supreme Court’s ruling could redefine boundaries, potentially shifting communities from one state to another. The community called Justicia Social, currently governed by Yucatan, might transfer to Quintana Roo, or vice versa.

For residents, the central concern is practical: “If support comes, grab it, because there isn’t any,” said one inhabitant.

A Historic Decision

Legal experts describe this as the most significant territorial case in Quintana Roo’s history. After more than 30 years without resolution, everything depends on a single coordinate in the jungle.

The Supreme Court’s final decision could redefine the Yucatan Peninsula’s map and determine the future of thousands of families who have waited decades for clarity about which government they belong to.