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| Rosalio Mezo plays with his grandchildren in Xpu-Ha Bay, Mexico. 'I want them to have this place forever,' he says. He has
refused to sell his land to developers. Asel Llana Ugalde |
Locals left behind by Mexico beach boom
The 'Mayan Riviera' is developing too fast, environmentalists warn.
from the October 10, 2007 edition
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But while it may bring new inhabitants, it also displaces lifelong residents – particularly those with prime beach-front property. Though Mezo, a fisherman, makes his living from tourism, with a small seafood restaurant and by running fishing tours, others were ousted by it.
On a recent day he rides along the shoreline, past hotels with neatly manicured beachfronts and rows of blue sun chairs. This used to be the property of his neighbors, but many were bought out. He says they moved inland, or even to cities in the Yucatán, such as Mérida. Many, including his own brother, were victims of bribery and bad deals, he says.
His daughter, Jacqueline Mezo, says that of all the friends she studied with in school a decade ago, hardly anyone lives here anymore. "It doesn't matter the millions they offer. This is our home," she says, celebrating her cousin's birthday on a recent night, over lobster salad and flaky white fish cooked for hours in palm leaves under the sand – fish that her father and uncles caught the night before.
A changing way of life
"[Mezo] hasn't gotten wrapped up in the whole globalization thing," says Patricio Martín, a representative with the Mexican Center for Environmental Law. But he was also lucky; he had a land title. Many others didn't. "There were people who had the land, but they were bribed or threatened. Land speculators just took control," says Mr. Martín. "They are building more rooms than is sustainable in the region."
While other tourist hot spots such as Cancún or Acapulco, on Mexico's Pacific coast, are marked by confined high-rises, this growth has moved horizontally. "The Riviera Maya is the place where you have most of the tourism sprawl, with big resorts in pristine areas," says Ramon Cruz, a senior policy analyst at Environmental Defense in New York. "The problem is that it's a trendsetter."
Environmentalists scored a victory this winter, when Mexican President Felipe Calderón approved mangrove-protection measures that were strongly opposed by the tourism industry. The new law has slowed down construction, says Martin, but it is not being strictly enforced.
"Yesterday I walked through here with a machete. Today I zip by in a car," says Mezo. "Before we were alone here, now there are tourists everywhere."
His five grandchildren, are learning how to fish, and anchor the boats. The oldest, age 11, already drives the family motorboat. "This is for them," he says. "I want them to have this place forever."
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