Chichén Itzá Vendors

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This entry will purpose as an educational article about the emerging conflict between the Chichén Itzá site and the Maya Vendors that occupy the site. Although an arrangement to the benefit of both the site and the vendors has existed for a site in which both can coexist. A growing divide between the site and vendors, due to the rise of tourism on the site and the negative impact that the vendors have brought to the site, has begun a new conflict that could potentially displace the vendors from the site, or cause the Chichén Itzá site to lose its status as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

With the exploration of Maya culture and the discoveries of its cities, the displacement of the majority of descendants of the Maya people commenced. What occurred through the search of sites, their recovery, and the growth of tourism caused more than its share amount of problems within the remaining Maya community. It not only displaced them from the land they called home, but also severed the small remaining link they had to their ancestors. Through the rising interest in the ancient culture of the Maya civilization a new form of revenue, through tourism, infiltrated its way to the pockets of the Mexican Government, and left the Maya people economically excluded from the profits being made from the exposure of the ancient civilization. As the land became overrun by foreigners and tourists, the Maya developed a method of obtaining wealth by selling their art work to tourists. Although earning the right to sell their products in the lands they used to call home proved a challenge. The Mexican government along with several other organizations disapproved of their establishments in the sites. Eventually the government and the Maya vendors agreed on the set up of posts within the site as long as the vendors were willing to pay a tariff to the site and government. This agreement, however, has continuously been known to be retracted and them placed again depending on the views the government has, at the time, of the vendors.

The rise in vendors at the Chichén Itzá site has caused a number of problems for the government, site, and the vendors themselves. Over the course of the growth of tourism, specifically in the Chichén Itzá site, the number of vendors setting up posts at the site has largely increased. In fact, most vendors strategize their post location to obtain higher numbers of sales and to gain more instances of interactions with the multitude of tourists. It’s no wonder tourist begin to feel uncomfortable and trapped by the mass of vendors craving for their attention. No matter where tourists explore around Chichén Itzá they are always met with a multitude of vendors to coerce them to purchase their goods. The issue of sale harassment towards tourists has caused Chichén Itzá to become a source of worry for tourists. The site itself is considered one of the wonders of the world, and is a source of heavy income revenue for the country of Mexico. However, due to the ongoing reports of hostility that tourists experience due to vendors, the site is quickly beginning to see a shift in the number of people that visit. This alarming drop in tourists has the Mexican government along with other organizations struggling to find how to remove the vendors from the site and relocate them to an area where they will no longer harm the experience people seek at Chichén Itzá.

The growth of knowledge and discovery of Maya civilization, the economic instability of Maya vendors, along with the growth of tourism has caused a cycling dilemma towards the functioning of the Chichén Itzá site. The displacement of the Maya people during exploration and the beginning of the tourism economical gain caused the Maya people to rely on their arts to gain money, therefore leading to the creation and growing number of vendors on the site. Meanwhile, the continuous harassment of tourists and the overpricing of products is causing the downfall of the tourism empire that is Chichén Itzá.