Chichen Itza artisans and vendors block the Mérida-Cancún road

In Pisté, Yucatán, the closure of streets continues by the artisans, vendors and tourist guides of Chichén Itzá, who for more than 17 hours have protested asking for government support in the midst of the Covid-19 contingency.

On Friday, June 26, at 11 PM, the director of the Board of Trustees of the Cultural and Tourist Services Units (CULTUR), Mauricio Díaz Montalvo, arrived with the aim of speaking with them, but no agreement could be reached.

Initially, the official held a meeting with representatives of the protesters, inside the Parador Turístico in the archaeological zone, but they couldn’t get to an agreement.

Immediately, the official went to talk with the protesters, but the dialogue was unsuccessful and the protest continued throughout the night.

Despite the recommendation of the Federal Ministry of Health, the protesters did not keep their healthy distance, and although they all had mouth covers, the risk of spreading Covid-19 in this type of agglomerations is high.

The protesters request the state government to expand the Temporary Employment and Training Program for the Conservation and Maintenance of the state’s Tourist Infrastructure.

On Friday June 26th, at 5:00 p.m., they blocked the main street of Pisté, near the Colegio de Bachilleres de Yucatán (Cobay), so they literally stopped vehicular traffic on the Mérida-Valladolid section.

The protesters established that Díaz Montalvo promised to support all artisans, vendors and tourist guides, with 2,500 pesos per month, as an incentive for those affected by the pandemic, since they have been out of work for three months now, since the closure of the archaeological zone, on March 20.

However, they assured that not every one of them received the economic incentive, since the rest lacked the necessary documents.