Handicraft vendors block roads to Mexico’s Chichen Izta ruin

Protesters held up signs reading “No More Harassment of Artisans” at some of the roadblocks.

The vendors set up the protest lines late Monday to demand greater access to the complex to sell their goods, after security guards apparently threw some of them out.

The ruin site is operated by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, and its boundaries are somewhat vague, with local communities claiming some of the land. Vendors and guides seeking customers sometimes set up for business inside the ruin site.

On Wednesday, Diego Prieto, the institute’s director, said vendors are “invasive” and want “to sell Chinese merchandise in front of the pyramid.” He referred to the pyramid of Kukulkan, also known as El Castillo, or “The Castle,” which is often considered the centerpiece of the ruin complex.

Activist Arturo Ciau Puc wrote that protesters were demanding the replacement of the director of the archaeological zone, accusing him of speaking in dismissive terms about the largely Indigenous demonstrators.

“There are recordings in which this official referred to Indigenous people in a disrespectful way,” Ciau Puc said.

In a statement, the institute said it had sought to bring vendors under control “to ensure the proper functioning of the site to benefit visitors, by regulating the vendors that have invaded the area.”

The institute said the site remained open to tourists and added that officials were open to talks with the protesters.

Chichen Itza is a U.N. World Heritage site and Mexico’s most-visited archaeological site, with about 2.5 million visitors each year.