“Uncover the Shocking Impact of Tourism on Quintana Roo’s Archaeological Treasures!”

Over the past decade, Quintana Roo's archaeological sites, including Tulum, Xel-Há, Tancah, Muyil, and Kohunlich, have suffered due to a surge in tourism. This increase has led to a rise in service costs, disconnecting local communities. Furthermore, drastic temperature changes have caused further damage to the recently restored Mayan masks. This information comes from Inés del Ángel Mejía Martínez, a researcher involved in the Conservation Project for Quintana Roo's eastern and southern zones, under the National Coordination of Cultural Heritage Conservation of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

The discussion took place on the first day of the VII Colloquium of Conservators of Cultural Heritage, themed "Building sustainability: The protection of Heritage in times of socio-climatic change". The event was part of the International Book Fair of Anthropology and History (FILAH).

Mejía Martínez stated that over the project's ten-year duration, it has become apparent that archaeological sites are increasingly disconnected from neighboring populations. She attributed this to population growth and a rise in tourism, which have led to town expansion, new construction that alters the landscape, undeniable environmental impact, and higher service prices. In 2023, post-pandemic, the INAH recorded 1.3 million visitors to Tulum's archaeological zone. While increased public visitation is beneficial, it also brings certain problems, she added.

According to Mejía Martínez, the construction of hotels has disrupted the visual and auditory environment of the Mayan area. This has affected the migration of certain wildlife species, leading to new animals inhabiting the archaeological zones and even the monuments. For instance, bats had not been a problem in Tulum until 2019.

Rising prices in the zones have also hindered project development, as the cost of accommodation and food complicates execution within assigned budgets. Mejía Martínez highlighted another issue: the tourism sector offers better salaries over time, making the wages offered by INAH less attractive to local workers who often undertake preventive conservation tasks at the sites.

Despite existing management plans for the archaeological zones, their implementation and monitoring are hampered by a lack of resources and staff. Mejía Martínez noted that some sites, like Kohunlich, had major maintenance and archaeological investigation projects focusing on the conservation of movable goods associated with buildings over the past decade. However, at these and other sites, no major building maintenance has been carried out, and the causes of deterioration of movable goods have not been addressed.

The Promeza projects in the Kohunlich, Tulum, Xel-Há, and Muyil zones have had a positive impact in several aspects, but more needs to be done to preserve the buildings and curb deterioration, said Mejía Martínez.