Casey Carver

Dr. Adrian Parr

Water Justice
6 January 2014
The Negative Effect of Tourism on Mayan Culture
In order to make money, tourist sites need to sell an imagean iconic and exotic image.
Mexico has chosen to sell the ancient Mayan people and their culture. Billboards in Cancn,
Mexico use Mayans dressed in traditional clothing, covered in tribal tattoos, and turquoise
jewelry to draw in tourists. When people now think of Mayans this is the image that they conjure
up. This is the only image they see, an ancient Mayan in a traditional costume. This
homogenization and simplification of the Mayan culture deprives the Mayan people of their true
identity. As Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett puts it, Sameness is a problem the [tourism] industry
faces. Standardization is part and parcel of the economies of scale that high-volume tourism
requiresthe industry requires a reliable product that meets universal standards, despite the
dispersal of that product across many widely separated locations. From a business stand-point,
selling the Mayan image is what needs to be done to make the most profit, but this is morally and
factually wrong. The Mayan population never completely died out, and there are still Mayans
alive today. Their way of life has been overlooked and ignored for centuries. They are the
unknown, yet true Mayans.
In order to benefit from tourism, many locals need to make themselves marketable. In
essence, whether a local wishes to work as a tour guide or sell hand crafted goods, they also need
to sell their persona. Alexis Celeste Bunten explains [tourism] requires the individual to adjust
his or her values, emotions, or both, to achieve an economic goal. For example, tour bus drivers
often find that it is more economically desirable to learn English and be able to communicate
with tourists than to learn their native Mayan language. Because of catering toward foreign
visitors, many Mexicans no longer associate themselves with their Mayan heritage and have lost
what once was a part of their past.
The Mayan culture is both physically and spiritually being run down by tourists. Locals
tend to be so influenced by the expectations of visitors that they lose part of their culture in order
to make economic gains. In Davydd Greenwoods words, [Local culture is] altered, often
destroyed by the treatment of it as a tourist attractionit is made meaningless to the people who
once believed in it. For example, due to so many tourists visiting Chichen Itza and scaling the
Mayan pyramid, the ruins were eroded and physically damaged. Now the pyramids are roped off
and visitors are no longer allowed to climb up. The tourists were literally ruining the same
attraction that they had come so far to see. It is this unintentional destruction of culture that
tourism is causing.
Mexico is one of the worlds greatest tourist hot spots. In 2010, about 22.4 million people
visited Mexico, in search of its spectacular Mayan ruins and culture. Chichen Itza, a large Mayan
pyramid, has become a world famous icon, which draws in tourists from all over the world.
These visitors come to experience Mexico as it once was during the ancient Mayan civilization.
They wish to see the marvelous historical sites, drink the locally distilled tequila, participate in
traditional dances, etc. Tourists want to experience something exotic and different; thats why
they travel. Tourism helps fuel Mexicos economy not only through foreigners spending money,
but also by providing the locals with jobs that revolve around the tourism industry. Though
foreign visitors are economically beneficial, one must ask are they also robbing Mayans of their
culture?
The Mayan culture needs to be protected. Currently, local Mexicans are conforming to
tourist expectations on what being Mayan means. The classic image of an oversimplified
ancient Mayan overshadows the diverse reality of the true Mayans. The loss of their authentic
culture is due to foreign demand. Tourists come seeking an exotic, mesmerizing culture and if
they cant find it in Mexico, they will find it somewhere else. This forces Mexicans to either
homogenize and mask their true sense of diversity, or lose their business. Not only is this
happening to the Mayan culture as a whole, but it is also affecting people on an individual level.
Those who work in the tourism industry find themselves needing to leave their native language
behind in order to keep up with their foreign customers. They should not feel the need to alter
themselves for others. To fix this problem, more emphasis needs to be placed on presenting a
truer form of what being Mayan means. Learning the Mayan language should be encouraged
from inside and outside forces.