Puerto Morelos Marks Its First Decade With a Book of Founders’ Memories

Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo — Mayor Blanca Merari led the presentation of “Voces de Puerto Morelos: Memorias de una Década,” a book that gathers the recollections and testimonies of founding families and of key figures in the municipality’s political, social and economic life, as part of the events marking its 10th anniversary.

Speaking before founders, public figures and residents who took part in different stages of Puerto Morelos’ development, the mayor described the book as an exercise in collective memory that honors the effort of local people and the struggle that made municipal autonomy possible.

“We are not here only to present a book. We are here to reconnect with our own history,” she said. She noted that the municipality’s identity has been built with the participation of its residents, from those who pushed for its creation to the families, business owners and workers who sustain its development today.

Merari said the value of the publication lies in bringing together different perspectives and in recognizing that, beyond their differences, residents share a single story.

“Puerto Morelos is one. Our history is bigger than any political difference, any administration and any particular interest,” she said.

Ten Years, Four Voices

The program included a video tracing the timeline of the project and community readings of excerpts by Pedro Solís Rodríguez, Marco Antonio Betancourt, Ma. Soledad Foyo Niembro and Marlene Ayutxi Ramos Rodríguez.

Pedro Gutiérrez Varela, the municipality’s technical secretary and the book’s editorial director, explained how the work was produced. A panel titled “Ten Years, Four Voices” followed, in which Luis Matus Alcaraz, Juana Chacón Canché, Miguel Ángel Zetina Cuevas and Eunice Martínez shared their views on the municipality’s first decade and the events that have shaped Puerto Morelos.

The panelists received recognitions for their contribution to the town’s historical record, and organizers also highlighted the work of the anniversary committee and of those who helped coordinate and edit the book.

Merari said the book is one of several 10th-anniversary initiatives, alongside a time capsule, temporary exhibitions and a children’s book titled “Así Nació Mi Municipio,” all aimed at preserving and sharing local history with younger generations.

The mayor said recovering the past also carries a responsibility to build a municipality that children and young people feel proud of, and she expressed hope that the work will endure as a testament to a community able to recognize itself in its diversity and honor its roots.