Mayan train on Yucatán: 1525 kilometers, 15 stops - and much trouble

From the top of the main pyramid of Calakmul you can hear the call of the jungle. Howler monkeys use the screams to mark their territory in the ancient Mayan city of southeastern Mexico. The view sweeps over the deep green of a biosphere reserve on the Yucatan peninsula. Soon, a train could travel through the region.

The "Tren Maya" - the Mayan train - is one of the largest infrastructure projects of the new Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who took office in December. From 2023, the train is to travel across the peninsula, partly on the existing rail network, partly on new sections.

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"The Maya train is not just a train, it is a development strategy," says project manager Rogelio Jiménez Pons. Environmentalists, archaeologists and representatives of indigenous communities, however, are concerned. The villagers in the area fear that only a few jobs for them as dishwashers in the new hotels fall away from the mega-project.

The train is supposed to leave a distance of 1525 kilometers on the Yucatán peninsula and transport around three million tourists a year. Also freight trains and normal passenger trains will use the new rail network according to the plans of the government.

A total of 15 stops are planned: from the white sand beaches in Cancún to the archaeological sites of Palenque and Chichen Itza. New hotels and villages are to be built along the route. Farmers who provide their land for construction will become partners in the project.

Old Mayan city in the protected area

Calakmul flourished between the years 250 and 900 AD and is now a UNESCO heritage site. The ancient Mayan city lies in the middle of more than 720,000 hectares of protected area. A 60-kilometer path leads from the road to the historic site. Peacock turkeys, deers and badgers cross the path.

Already now a highway cuts through the reserve. The railway line should be created parallel to it. "There are 15 federal protected areas in the region and another 20 federal protected areas, but the most important is Calakmul's biosphere reserve," says Gustavo Alanis, president of the Mexican Center for Environmental Law. In the reserve live 2000 of the last 4800 Jaguars of Mexico. Other animals and plants in the region are threatened with extinction and are under special protection.

The train will cross five states: Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Chiapas and Tabasco. Along the way there are numerous cenotes, typical for the region typical underground lakes and rivers, and remains of the Mayan culture such as the ruins of Xpuhil, Becán and Chicanná.

At the entrance of Xpuhil, Gloria Fuentes sits under a palm-roof and offers handicrafts. "As I understand it, there should be one stop here and another in Calakmul, which is an opportunity for us to earn more," she says. The details are still unclear. In order to avoid speculation with the lands bordering the railway line, the government has withheld details so far.

Tourist guide Dámaso Vásquez sees the planned train critically. "This is not an Indigenous project," says the Zapotec people, who came to the area several years ago. "For me, this is a project of the big capitalists." Many of the 28,000 residents in the Calakmul district are farmers. They plant corn and chili and keep bee colonies. She is much more interested in a secure water supply than major tourist projects.

Bad experience with major tourist projects

The headwind will not please President López Obrador. The leftist nationalist sees himself as a lawyer for the poor and indigenous, repeatedly railing against neoliberalism and big business. The fact that his flagship project, of all things, does not go down well at the base, is likely to neglect the self-image of the popular president.

It is true that before the start of construction, an environmental report should be prepared and a hearing of the indigenous communities should be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the International Labor Organization. But López Obrador has already made it clear: The train is coming.

"If they do not listen to us, then we have to resort to other means," warns the President of the Indigenous Regional Council of Xpujil, Alfredo López Díaz. The locals have had bad experiences with major tourist projects, for example in Cancún and Playa del Carmen. "The government wants us only as cheap labor," says farmer Genomelín López Velázquez.

The government tries to calm down: Around Calakmul should only arise hotels with up to 50 rooms. "Small hotels, ecotourism, there will be no golf courses," says Project Manager Jiménez Pons. "We aim at tourists who want to experience the jungle, seek contact with nature and archeology."

The Zapatista Liberation Army (EZLN) can not convince. The guerrilla movement has significant influence in one part of the state of Chiapas, and some villages in the region are virtually administered by the Zapatistas. They fear that the indigenous people will be expelled from their land "so that a train can drive through and the tourists take selfies".