Yam Canul asked López Obrador to give the Mayas the right to promote tourism a long stretch of mangrove-studded coast that has been designated a nature reserve. While the coast south of Cancún is known as the “Riviera Maya,” and aquatic parks often have “Mayan” attractions, the vast majority of Mayas live in poverty in the southern, undeveloped part of the state of Quintana Roo, south of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, close to the border with Belize. “We realize that we have a great history, that we are held up as an example, and people make a lot of money off our name, but that money never shows up in our communities,” said Mayan activist Alfaro Yam Canul. Most eke out livings as small-scale farmers or fruit growers, or as construction or cleaning workers at resorts. While Mexico's Mayas have survived, they have been largely locked out of the rich tourism industry that has sprung up at coastal resorts like Cancún and Playa del Carmen since 1974.
The rebellion was finally ended when Mexican troops captured Felipe Carrillo Puerto between May 4-5, 1901. The Mayas of Quintana Roo - who fought an 1847-1901 rebellion against Mexican settlers and the government known as “the War of the Castes” - still live on the Caribbean coast. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was accompanied by President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala, the neighboring country that has a majority Mayan population. “Today, we ask forgiveness in the name of the Mexican government for the injustices committed against you throughout our history and for the discrimination which even now you are victims of,” she said.
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