In Chablekal, a small, quiet Mayan town near Mérida, Yucatán, traditions are threatened by a growing crisis. There is no space to bury their dead. They have a population of almost 5,000 inhabitants, only 45 vaults in their graveyard, and a territorial struggle that transcends life.
Last year, the simultaneous death of two people in the town revealed how critical the situation was. There was room for one of the bodies in the local cemetery. One of the deceased was born in Chablekal and was buried there. The other had to be buried in a neighboring community.
The Chablekal funeral crisis derives from the growing pressure of real estate development in Yucatán, driven by the tourism industry and capital gains. As Mérida and its surroundings have become an attractive destination for foreigners, the landowners have sold the territory of Chablekal, reducing the space available to the town and even limiting the land designated for its pantheon.
The Chablekal cemetery, which occupies just 860 square meters, has remained the same for a decade. At the same time, the Mérida City Council must resort to exhuming bodies every three years to free up space, which contradicts the religious beliefs and customs of the inhabitants. Many times, the bodies are not completely decomposed, forcing the remains to be reburied or cremated, something that has been difficult for the community to accept.
The problem could be solved if the Chablekal ejido donated the land adjacent to the cemetery. However, the landowners represent only 6 percent of the town’s population and have not approved this donation, seeking to sell the land.
Víctor Cauich, the community leader, has tried to bring the issue to assemblies. However, the landowners have rejected the proposal, arguing that they want financial compensation. “They did not authorize it for me. They want money. They want to sell it,” explains Church.
Anastasio Euán Romero, of the human rights organization Indignación, criticizes the sale of land by the ejido, accusing some of taking advantage of real estate growth to make profits without considering the impact on the community. “The ejido, far from safeguarding the territory, has in some way led to its loss,” he denounces.
While the Chablekal pantheon runs out of space and negotiations with the ejido remain stalled, the Mérida City Council remains waiting for the dispute over the land to be resolved. For the inhabitants of Chablekal, the lack of a cemetery is another reflection of how economic growth and urbanization advance to the detriment of their customs and territory.
So far, people wonder how many more will have to seek rest in other towns before Chablekal can find a solution to honor its dead in its land.
TYT Newsroom
