Tulum, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s Culture Ministry will inspect the existing infrastructure and the condition of the ceremonial pole in Tulum as it prepares for the return of the Voladores de Papantla, a ritual ceremony that could once again become a cultural draw for the municipality.
The ceremony left the Tulum archaeological zone in March 2026 after more than three decades of performances at the site. Reports at the time indicated that thin crowds and insufficient income influenced the dancers’ decision to withdraw.
Officials to Assess the Ceremonial Pole
Marina Núñez Bespalova, the federal deputy culture secretary, said her agency will review the state of the infrastructure before setting a date for the ceremony’s reactivation.
She said the return is part of the Culture Ministry’s efforts to support Tulum’s recovery, following instructions from President Claudia Sheinbaum.
“We are helping improve conditions in Tulum, within our scope, so that people can once again enjoy these spaces,” Núñez Bespalova said.
The ministry has not yet set a date for the voladores’ return. Núñez Bespalova said officials must first determine the condition of the ceremonial pole.
Return Expected This Year
Even without a confirmed date, the deputy secretary said the ceremony’s return to Tulum must happen this year.
The Voladores de Papantla ceremony is a ritual tradition of Totonac origin. According to the Culture Ministry, the practice has been kept alive through knowledge and ritual rules passed down between generations, and it has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2009.
“It is a tradition recognized worldwide; whoever comes to Tulum will be able to see it, with all its dances, its ritual and the flight itself,” Núñez Bespalova said.
The eventual return would restore to Tulum one of the cultural expressions that for years formed part of the experience for visitors to the tourist destination.
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