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Community Members in México Say Ma’ to the Tren Maya

  • By: Jesse Foley-Tapia
A member of the National Guard stands at the entrance of the Teya Mérida train station, in Yucatán. Photo credit: Jesse Foley-Tapia
Inside the Teya Mérida train station. Photo credit: Jesse Foley-Tapia
A man walks towards the ticket booth inside the Teya Mérida train station. Photo credit: Jesse Foley-Tapia

The sound of hammer and nail is ever present as México’s growth and expansion reach new heights it has never seen before. In Yucatán, southeast of the country, the installation of the 28 billion dollar Tren Maya mega rail project has caused much debate throughout the community. While some say new transportation systems are necessary within the region, especially for longer commutes, the preservation of the natural ecosystem is treasured by many Indigenous peoples here. 

“It was a surprise. Because it never happened in our heads that we need a train for the Indigenous communities,” says Pedro Uc Be, a Mayan land and territory defender and a member of the Assembly of Defenders of the Maya Múuch’ Xíinbal Territory and The National Indigenous Congress (CNI). 

The Tren Maya, a project created by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), has a total of 42 trains with tracks stretching over 900 miles through the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo, covering most of the southeast region of the country and the Yucatán Peninsula.  As of today, there are 24 out of the 34 stations in operation. According to Tren Maya’s website, the hope is that this new mode of transportation will reduce more than 50,000 cars on the roads per day between Cancún and Playa del Carmen. Since the inaugural trip on December 15th of last year over 64,000 passengers have ridden the train according to the website. 

The project promised many positive outcomes and an economic boost to the surrounding communities but some Indigenous communities say that in actuality the project brought more negative than positive.  

“It’s not just that we don’t have positive things, but there are damages, injuries, aggressions, and violations of our rights. Benefits are there, but not for us,” says Uc Be. Since the construction of the railway things have actually declined for surrounding communities, says Uc Be. 

“Rather, there is greater poverty, there is displacement, there is insecurity, there is broken social fabric, there are conflicts, there is polarization, there is fear, there is penetration of the organized crime, there are raped women, there are missing women and children, there are people murdered and thrown to the streets, and there is a situation of contamination of water.”

Yucatán is home to thousands of cenotes or sinkholes, caused by the collapse of limestone, with some estimates saying there are up to 10,000 cenotes in the region. This underground cave network of cenotes connects to the Great Mayan Aquifer, which provides water for millions of people in the area. Now, with the construction of the Tren Maya, these cenotes and the drinking water they provide are at risk.

According to a report by CartoCrítica, the Tren Maya’s construction comprises over 25,000 acres of land, in which 61% of the jungle has now been deforested. The report alleges that 81% of this deforestation has been done so illegally. 

In a 2018 interview with journalist Carmen Aristegui, AMLO said that no trees would be cut down during the construction of the train. 

“Not a single tree, none, nothing, on the contrary, not a single tree.”

Years later, the Selvame del Tren organization estimated that over 10 million trees have been cut down. While the government website says that “more than 64,000 plants have been rescued with 85% survival,” the environmental effects have been devastating for local Indigenous communities and will continue to affect the region as a whole in the coming years. However, others disagree. 

“It can be reforested,” says Jose Genaro Molina, a retired federal teacher from the Secretary of Education.

A Va-y-Ven electric bus unloads passengers outside the Teya Mérida train station. Photo credit: Jesse Foley-Tapia
Passengers make their way inside the Teya Mérida train station. Photo credit: Jesse Foley-Tapia
People line up to board the train at the Teya Mérida train station. Photo credit: Jesse Foley-Tapia

Typically a megaproject this big takes several years to plan, but as AMLO’s term is close to end, the push was on to complete his envisioned project. Residents of México say this is nothing new, as past presidents have done much of the same by prioritizing rapid expansion at all costs. As the president declared the construction of the train a matter of “national security,” many precautions to the environment were ignored during this rushed process and community members were asked to sell their land or be displaced. The national army was even tasked with controlling certain sections of land during the expedited construction. “This land is not for sale” became the rallying cry for the CNI. In December 2019, Uc Be and his family received death threats.

“They had given us 48 hours to leave the country,” says Uc Be. Adding, “Despite this threat, we continue here.”

In addition to Mayan communities being taken away from their homes with the construction of the Tren Maya, they’ve also had their identity and name taken away.

“Well, the train’s name, I think the situation marks precisely the seal of the dispossession. Not only have we been stripped away from the land, but we have been stripped from our name,” says Uc Be.

Some have taken this opportunity to benefit from the demand for land as property values have increased near construction sites such as Tixkokob, a small town located in the north-central part of Yucatán that had remained rather untouched by México’s fast-growing development throughout much of the country.

“These people buy it to be able to resell it for the plus value that it already has,” says Gricelda Uitz Ek, whose family’s home is just blocks away from the Tixkokob station.

This increased value, however, comes at a cost. Uitz Ek explained that obtaining the evaluation and ownership proof is now more expensive.

“The writing cost us around 60,000 pesos [$3,500 US dollars] when years ago we were said it would cost 15,000 pesos.” With the average income in Yucatán being around $400 and far less for Indigenous communities, these evaluations can amount to a small fortune.

Uc Be also raised objections against Rogelio Jiménez Pons, the General Director of FONATUR, a governmental entity dedicated to pushing tourism projects that should prioritize the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage of México, for suggesting that the train project would be beneficial to the Mayan Indigenous community by providing them with the opportunity to sell food at train stations, arguing that such rhetoric from government officials diminishes the Mayan community, implying that their aspirations and contributions are limited to selling bread in train stations.

Indigenous communities in the region have held up strong as Mayan peoples have resisted forms of colonialism dating back to the 1500s when the Spanish conquistadors invaded Yucatán.

“This struggle does not only exist for having the capacity to exist, but for existing as Mayan people, as a culture, and the train, what it has done is to become a projectile in the heart of Mayan culture,” says Uc Be.

A special thanks to Paulina Bautista Cupul who helped with interview translations.

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About the Author:

Jesse Foley-Tapia obtained his degree in English in 2020 and his Masters in Journalism in 2023, both from the University of California, Berkeley. Jesse is a firm believer in abolition and community care. He also believes that organic food, clean drinking water, shelter, healthcare, and some form of higher education should be available for all, for free. Ultimately, he would love to help historically and intentionally marginalized communities overcome obstacles and barriers set upon them. You can check more of his work at jessefoleytapia.com.