Yucatan Authorities Honor Tourist Guides with Decades of Service at Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza, Yucatan — Mexican cultural authorities honored tourist guides with decades of service at the Chichen Itza archaeological site during International Tourist Guide Day celebrations on February 21.

David Escalante Lombard, director general of the Patronato de las Unidades de Servicios Culturales y Turísticos del Estado de Yucatán (Cultur), led the official ceremony. Joel Omar Vázquez Herrera, head of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), also participated to highlight the state’s cultural identity.

Authorities presented diplomas to members of the Tourist Guides Coalition and the Union of Cooperatives (Unicoop), recognizing uninterrupted service ranging from 20 to 60 years in attending to national and international visitors.

Guide with 51 Years of Service

The ceremony particularly honored Braulio Manuel de Jesús Quiñones Moreno, who has dedicated over 51 years to preserving Chichen Itza’s legacy. Quiñones Moreno described feeling a deep connection with the Temple of Kukulcán from the first moment he saw the Mayan structure.

“For me, the essential thing is that people leave happy,” Quiñones Moreno said during the diploma presentation. “I do my job as well as possible in the languages I speak: English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, and Maya.”

The guide recalled abandoning his taxi driving career to embrace his true vocation. He now transmits knowledge about Mayan culture to groups of students from various foreign universities visiting the archaeological zone.

Quiñones Moreno expressed pride that tourists recommend the historical site and the guides’ personalized service. He also celebrated that his daughter Lucía Quiñones Cetina, who works as an anthropologist, archaeologist, and guide, continues the family tradition of protecting pre-Hispanic heritage.

Preserving Mayan Legacy

The honored guide reaffirmed his commitment to sharing knowledge obtained from books and conversations with direct descendants of Mayan lineages. With his eyes on the sacbé (ancient Mayan road), he continues his educational work to explain why the ancient civilization remains alive in every carved stone of El Castillo.

Key figures attending the event included Diego Prieto Hernández, head of the Ucvpii of the Secretariat of Culture; Víctor Arturo Martínez Rojas, director of the INAH Yucatan Center; Guadalupe Espinosa Rodríguez, director of the Chichen Itza Archaeological Zone; and Ruth Landeros, representative of the Maya Train project.

The ceremony concluded with mutual recognition between independent guide organizations and representatives of the country’s cultural institutions. The work of these professionals ensures the history of the city of the Itza people remains relevant for future generations of travelers.