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The two faces of Quintana Roo

[...] One key issue in the state is the inequality that comes with a high concentration of wealth. The resorts function on what they call an “all inclusive policy,” where food, drinks, entertainment and lodging are all included for an affordable price to foreign tourists – especially those who come from countries deeply affected by the crisis. In 2008, 67 percent of tourists who came to Quintana Roo stayed in five-star hotels, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Another 14 percent go to four-star facilities. A one-night stay at a luxury hotel in Playa del Carmen costs about $480 at this time of year, and that includes access to chain restaurants, high-end stores, and massages along the coast.

A world away from white sand beaches of Playa del Carmen is the workplace of Ruben Cahan, a Mayan who works as a vendor in a small shop that sells ponchos, sombreros and other tourist souvenirs, just a few blocks away from the tourist epicenter on the coast. Cahan says that business is difficult in this area. “They tell us that the locals’ shops are too far away,” he says, noting that the hotels give away hats and shirts to tourists anyway.

Astrid Cavazos, one of the managers at the Porto Royal hotel in Playa del Carmen, admits that local business that can’t afford to be near the coast line can’t compete with the resorts, “because the prices of everything we sell inside the hotel are so cheap.” She explains that “other hotels in Cancun and Playa del Carmen are like mini-cities that trap the tourists within the confines of the hotel.”

Walking along the coastal strip filled with shops in Playa del Carmen, Canadian tourists Alana Smith and Donny Smith announce that they have not had to use a word of Spanish since they arrived, because at the resort they are staying at the “staff makes an effort to speak English.”

“At the restaurants waiters are not allowed to speak Spanish even amongst themselves,” says Alejandro Eguia Lis Luis, a community organizer and coordinator of the Tzol K’in Center for Culture and Environment, a group that aims to promote a sense of community amongst the poor people in Cancun.

Arturo Ek Rodriguez, a bellboy of Mayan descendant who works at one of the hotels, says he had to apply to many different resorts before finding a job. “I was told I’d have to have a certain height to get the job, and that I did not have the profile to work there,” he says. “You’ve got to be fair-skinned and tall, more like an European type.” Along the coast line, the only testament to the Mayan culture of Quintana Roo can be seen with plaster decorations depicting Mayan statues and artwork.

[...]

“This is little Miami,” says Alejandro Luis, as he drives through the 17-kilometer stretch that is the hotel zone in Cancun, where the cost of a room for one night can be anywhere between $300 to $5000. Driving through the region, there is not a stone out of place or the slightest sign of any blemish on the roads or on the sidewalks. All of the lawns are trimmed to perfection and even the bus stops are lit up, which is an uncommon site in other parts of the city. Starbucks, Hard Rock Café and an assorted delight of various chain stores appear along the stretch, and the only thing out of place in the hotel zone are the municipal police, who drive around wearing bullet-proof vests. “We live too far from God and too close to the USA”, Alejandro Luis adds. [...]

Mariana Simões, Sibi Arasu and Thomas Quirynen
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Posted on:
2010.03.15 -0500

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