Back in June, I made a short research trip to the Yucatán Peninsula, continuing my investigation of the Tren Maya. The Tren Maya is an infrastructure megaproject, spanning five states and seven rail lines. It connects major cities and tourist centers, like Cancún, with remote towns and archaeological sites, like Calakmul, deep in the wilderness. The project encompasses airports, hotels, military sites, and articulates with ports, local industry, and transnational business.
This trip was the second of two preliminary research trips. I call them preliminary, because the Tren Maya is seen as a signature project of current president of López Obrador, and I’m particulary interested in what happens to the train after the end of his tenure (in October 2024). These preliminary trips are largely about getting a sense of the area before the trains are up and running.
I see this as a long term project, running over the sexenio or six-year term of the next president, Claudia Sheinbaum. This is another reason to consider my trips so far as preliminary; I’ve largely been thinking about the post-López Obrador future, but without much clarity about exactly what Sheinbaum’s term will actually look like.
My previous trip devoted more time to Yucatán state, beginning and ending with time in Mérida. For this second trip, I wanted to focus on some other parts of the Peninsula, particularly Quintana Roo state. While the train is now operating along some lines, construction continues in southern Quintana Roo and inland Campeche.
The trip was shaped heavily by the weather. I arrived expecting the same baking heat of my previous trip. Instead, this trip was characterized by heavy rain. I avoided visiting Chetumal, where some neighborhoods had flooded. I spent three days in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, but could barely meet anyone or do anything, as driving rain inundated the streets and forced people to seek shelter. One my last night, staying in Tulum, wind thrashed the coastline. A few days after I left, Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the region, but thankfully weakened substantially by the time it did.
Philip Luke Johnson 