Worker Loses Pregnancy After Harassment by Grupo Macondo in Holbox

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A woman who worked at two Grupo Macondo hotels on Holbox Island has accused the company of harassment that she says caused her to lose her pregnancy, followed by an unjustified firing and death threats from a manager.

The former employee, Cristian Galván González, said she started as a receptionist at Macondo Casa Nostra and Macondo Estilo Holbox, and was promoted to supervisor after a few months. Two months later, she informed her manager she was pregnant. According to Galván, the manager asked her to keep it secret to avoid being fired. She notified the company of her pregnancy anyway, and within 10 days she was demoted back to receptionist without explanation. Her salary remained unchanged because the promised raise for the supervisor position had never been implemented.

Galván said she then began suffering harassment and stress, which led to pregnancy complications and an inability to keep food down. Although the company provided IMSS (Mexican Social Security Institute) coverage, there is no IMSS clinic on Holbox, so she had to see a private doctor who prescribed rest and medication. Cristina Hirra, the human resources manager, initially agreed to accept private medical certificates, but later rejected Galván’s and docked half her pay for absences.

The stress escalated to a threatened miscarriage. “I reported this to management,” Galván said, near tears. “I found not a single ounce of empathy from human resources.”

Facing high medical costs and half pay, Galván contacted José de la Cajiga, a co-owner of Inmobiliaria Nuevo Anáhuac, the company behind Grupo Macondo. She said he promised to look into it but never responded.

Miscarriage, firing and threats

At 10 weeks pregnant, Galván miscarried. She informed the company, which demanded she return to work the next day — something she said was impossible. She returned two days later to a hostile work environment. A month later, manager Eduardo Quintana was fired, supposedly for mishandling her case, but Galván said the real problem was with HR.

Two new managers, Guillermo Fernández and Eduardo Yafet, took over. Galván described their treatment as hostile and dismissive; they communicated instructions through other employees rather than speaking to her directly.

Around that time, Grupo Macondo took over two unfinished hotels lacking basic services. The company began overbooking its two completed hotels and instructed staff to send extra guests to the unfinished properties. Galván said she refused, calling it fraud. In response, manager Eduardo Yafet shouted at her, insulted her, and mocked her miscarriage, telling her that someone who acted like she did deserved to lose her baby. Galván said she recorded the conversation.

After HR ignored her complaints, she contacted De la Cajiga again, who said he would handle it. The next day, the two managers and one manager’s girlfriend surrounded her at her workstation and ordered her to leave. As she left, Guillermo Fernández threatened her, saying he had “heavy” contacts on the island and could make her disappear with a single phone call. A minor witnessed the threat.

Galván went home, suffered a nervous breakdown, and her husband took her to Playa del Carmen. When she contacted HR, they simply told her she no longer worked there, without giving a reason or severance.

Blacklisted on Holbox

Galván has filed both a labor complaint and a criminal complaint for death threats, but says neither case is moving forward. A coworker later sent her screenshots showing that the company had shared her photo and personal information in WhatsApp groups of Holbox business owners, asking that she not be hired. Because Holbox is a small island, Galván said she cannot find work there due to these “blacklists.”

“I feel singled out. I made some Facebook posts about what happened to me, and I received more threats from fake accounts,” she said. “I’m not looking for financial gain. No amount of money can pay for the loss of a baby, my peace of mind, or my emotional health. I had two suicide attempts because of this. I’m ashamed to admit it, but it’s true.”

Galván is now pregnant again but said she cannot enjoy it due to fear of going out, inability to find work on Holbox, and a risk of premature birth as a result of the stress.

Macondo Hotels also operates properties in Playa del Carmen and Tulum. According to Galván, on Holbox the hotels collected an environmental sanitation fee in cash from guests but did not remit it, instead using the money as petty cash.