Cancún’s Puerto Juárez Market Struggles After Renovation

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Years after its renovation, the Puerto Juárez market continues in a state of semi-abandonment, with most of its shops closed and a corridor designated as a commercial area for handicrafts even locked with a padlock while garbage accumulates at the base of the curtains. The infrastructure, including walls, columns, and bollards, is already deteriorating or even broken, and trash cans are overflowing.

While tourists pass through this empty space, they encounter pedestrian crossings that are already fading, shops that appear with few people or are completely closed, and even motorcycles circulating where supposedly only bicycles should travel. This market, which received a major renovation along with the rest of Sm. 85 that was positive for Puerto Juárez, still lacks dynamism.

Merchants have been hearing for years that the market will soon host a handicraft, clothing, and typical objects market, as well as restaurants, but they can no longer count how many times they have been told the same thing, while the much-anticipated reopening date never arrives and seems like a waste, since the market only comes to life during lavish events like the Hanal Pixán festival each October, but remains empty the rest of the year.

“It’s a shame that such a beautiful market, which was well received by people who have been living here for 50 or 60 years, now looks like this. Few tourists come and stop to consume, and the commercial stalls are rarely seen open, and the corridor of shops is the same…” mentioned Mrs. Guadalupe Xuluc.

Mrs. Guadalupe, who along with her daughter Mrs. Brenda Velazquez runs their regional snack business for more than 35 years even after the market’s renovation, mentions that for most of the year the market remains quiet, not to say empty. Both would like the major initiatives and proposals to finally get the market running, because they have been hearing the story for a long time that there will soon be more activity.

Other merchants have even started removing those colorful banners used during Hanal Pixán, because since November they have not been taken down and with the sun they have been disintegrating, leaving only white tape and pieces of plastic that it is unclear whether give the site a colorful appearance or, on the contrary, a neglected one.

“It’s strange to see this place that looks recently renovated, but doesn’t seem active, there are few shops except for tour shops like the ones we come to. The shops look like they’re ready to open but are empty, and according to what they told us, they rarely open and especially during Day of the Dead season that we’ve seen on social media,” said the Gonzales family visiting Cancún from Mexico City.

Merchants and pioneer tenants say that promises should stop and action should be taken, that the commercial corridor should indeed be enabled, that opportunities should be given to historical tenants and merchants who have been in Puerto Juárez for decades, and that other merchants should also be encouraged to come so that the supply increases, meanwhile, looking from one side to the other they continue waiting for the long-announced reactivation of this space, which still hasn’t arrived.