Maya communities in Yucatán denounce stone quarrying impacts

Maya communities in the Yucatán region, including Yaxcopoil, San José Tzal, Tebec, and Hotzuc, are launching legal actions against the expansion of stone material extraction sites. Supported by the organization Utsil Kuxtal, these communities accuse federal and state authorities of failing to protect their rights to territory, indigenous consultation, and a healthy environment.

In Yaxcopoil, residents filed complaints on August 19 with Semarnat, Profepa, INAH, and the Yucatán Secretariat of Sustainable Development. The legal actions target the company CYPSSA-Península and another unidentified entity. Technical studies cited in the complaints indicate that these extraction sites are located less than 1,000 meters from the Yaxcopoil population center, approximately 1,918 meters from the Yaxcopoil-Tanmul archaeological site, and near a stationary gas tank.

Additionally, residents of San José Tzal, Hotzuc, and Tebec have pursued an injunction against authorities regarding the operations of a quarry owned by the company PROSER, citing omissions that allowed the site to function without proper oversight.