Playa del Carmen Mayor Under Pressure Over Removal of Two 80-Year-Old Trees in Zazil-Há

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Residents of the Zazil-Há neighborhood are demanding that the administration of Playa del Carmen Mayor Estefanía Mercado halt any work on two trees more than 80 years old and explain how the permits were granted.

The trees stand on Calle 5 Bis between Calles 38 and 40, where neighbors say a technical assessment that once found the trees healthy has been quietly rewritten.

David Chávez, a resident who filed the complaint, said he has held documentation on the condition of the trees since March 2025 and questions why authorities now describe them as a risk. The original assessment reported good health and roots anchored as deep as six meters, he said, while Civil Protection officials raised doubts about arguments citing the trees’ proximity to overhead power lines.

Chávez identified Rafael Reynoso, southeastern delegate of the Mexican Arboriculture Association (AMA), as the engineer who changed the criteria in the earlier report. That report had warned that moving the trees could kill them.

Neighbors Say Condo Project Stands to Benefit

The complainant contends that the intervention would clear the way for a condominium project by Grupo Icasa on a lot that contains a cenote and, by his account, faces restrictions on construction.

He also warned that relocating the trees could doom them, citing what he said happened to ceibas transplanted next to the Chedraui Selecto store on Avenida 10.

According to Chávez, the municipal Normatividad and Ecología departments had previously denied permits to remove the trees, which blocked the work. More than 1,000 residents signed a petition against the project. He said crews were recently authorized to cut branches and move the trees without officials transparently showing the documents supporting the decision.

Calls for Transparency

Chávez said he has submitted documentation to federal agencies over the past two years and that part of the file was forwarded to the Quintana Roo state government.

Residents are asking authorities to release the permits, explain the change in technical criteria and suspend all work until the case is clarified, warning that losing the trees would cause irreversible damage to the natural heritage of Zazil-Há.