True Ecotourism in Quintana Roo
by Matthew Ellis

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Mexico - During the summer of 1997, I had the opportunity to visit the town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto in the state of Quintana Roo in the Yucatan Peninsula.

The reason I went there was due to a chance meeting with a woman named Maria de los Angeles Siu Garcia. I had been in Merida while preparing a video documentary about the effect of tourism on Maya culture In the Peninsula. I had visited other tourist locations and villages in the Yucatan, but I wanted to discover more how Maya communities could be involved in tourism and protecting their own environment. Maria invited me to Carrillo Puerto, and it was there where I saw the first tenuous steps to create a new brand of tourism in which the Maya themselves are at the forefront of the developments and are not at the mercy of international companies which have set up other so called "ecotourism"resorts around the massive tourist center of Cancun.

I was staying with Maria and her husband Carlos Meade in Carrillo Puerto. They gave me an in-depth look at the work of the people in the ejidos, or local farming communities. Their project is known as "Yaxche, arbol de la vida." The main objectives of the group are to show the world ways in which conservation can take place. All too often organizations on an international basis have exploited the Maya name. Yaxche seeks to alter this, and to show people what is really happening today within Maya communities.

Talk, as they say, is cheap and plans must be carried out. Questions need to be answered. Who will visit the jungle and see how the Maya live today? Carlos has many leaflets and literature about what is going to happen and where groups will stay etc., but when I visited the jungle it was not part of an organized Yaxche trip as this was not available during this time. But my informal visit offered me an insight in to what was going on. So as a student of the Maya, as a foreigner I set off with my camera, with Raimundo a young local Maya man on the back of his motorcycle which kept breaking down!

Raimundo spoke Maya as did his entire family. It was refreshing to hear this language being spoken. After spending my time in tourist locations elsewhere in the Yucatan peninsula, I put my trust in this man. He showed me how the Modern day Maya live in and around Carrillo Puerto, working without modern machinery and without the influence of the first world. Raimundo showed me how they were trying to breed animals again, a particular one being the Tepesquintre, a rabbit type animal. I was also told about the Jaguar that come out at night. He also told me about the Aluxes, an elf-like creature, which to an outsider are purely mythical. For Raimundo they were real and it was not hard to believe in them. He lived by the sun and the moon and he didn't need a watch. It was a magical experience, but more was to come...

Another day, Maria organized for me to go with Don Elisio, a farmer or ejidario, to visit the nearby cenotes and lakes. I thought how amazing it would be for other outsiders to come and see these natural jewels. It was amazing to think that I was one of the first outsiders to see parts of the Yaxche experience which would be shown to others in the future. They also told me not many people had filmed there before or taken photos so in that respect I felt lucky and a bit special! It made me proud and eager to tell my story to others.

The Maya live and work in incredible beauty there. Ruins lie untouched. Like the people they are ready to be seen, but only by a certain type of tourism. This project is for those who will be willing to see Maya culture without the comforts of commercial areas just a few hours away. Tourists who visit here will stay with families, eating traditional foods and seeing what real life is like for the Maya today.

For more information about Yaxche, contact Victor Sumuhono in Canucun. Email: vikingo2@qroo1.telmex.net.mx; (98) 87-72-48 or 87-72-49

Or ring up Carlos and Maria in Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Phone (983) 4 08 42; Address; a.p 8, calle 68x51, no. 780, Colonia Juan Bautista Vega, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, 77200, Quintan Roo.

The video I made is titled Money in the Maya: The effect of tourism on the Maya in Yucatan. It includes insights and interviews from different sources and tells of what is happening in Felipe Carrillo Puerto. It was made for a university thesis, but the project grew and the video is now a complete 52-minute documentary. Anyone is welcome for a copy for educational and private use only. A contribution will be required for postage, packaging etc.

You can write to Matthew Ellis at 26 Bellevue Road, Lincoln, Lincs, England U.K or via email at mattellis_@hotmail.com.

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