Arrr! The scallywags' brawls be keeping us from plunderin' the Mayan treasures, says the landlubber government!
2024-01-29
Arrr, ye scurvy drug cartels and land quarrels be makin' it a blimey task for merry tourists to lay eyes on them Mayan ruins in Mexico, as the government laments. Arrr, what a rum affair, mateys!
Drug cartel violence and land disputes have rendered certain Mayan ruin sites in Mexico inaccessible, according to the government. The drug violence in Chiapas has left the Yaxchilán and Bonampak ruin sites completely cut off. Tour guides have reported that the Bonampak ruin, known for its murals, is now inaccessible due to gunmen and checkpoints on the road leading to it. Travelers are forced to hand over identification and cellphones at cartel checkpoints to reach another archaeological site, Lagartero. Additionally, visitors cannot access the pyramids at Tonina, as a landowner has blocked access while seeking payment from the government. While the government claims these sites are safe, many guides no longer take tour groups there. The situation has led tourists to cancel about 5% of trips to the area, impacting tourism. The once adventurous trips to ruins buried deep in the jungle, like Yaxchilán, have become either impossible or too risky. Cartel battles have increased in Chiapas, coinciding with the rise in the number of migrants passing through the Darien Gap jungle from South America to the U.S. border. The two warring drug cartels, Sinaloa and Jalisco, often recruit or force local people to act as foot soldiers, preventing National Guard troopers from entering their towns. This creates additional challenges in Chiapas, where residents are often members of Indigenous groups who have historical ties to the ancient Maya. The ruin sites are also located in jungle areas where cartels have established clandestine landing strips for drug trafficking. The situation is currently beyond anyone's control.