Playa del Carmen — the Riviera Maya's boomtown that went from fishing village to international hotspot in two decades. Fifth Avenue, the ferry to Cozumel, and the growing pains of paradise.
Riviera Maya
The Riviera Maya is in the middle of one of the most consequential land grabs. Foreign capital, corporate shells, and a byzantine legal architecture originally designed to protect indigenous land rights are being weaponized to transfer communal territory into private and often anonymous hands.
Quintana Roo
If cenotes could file police reports, the docket would wrap around the Yucatán twice. A $30 billion railway, concrete-hungry developers, and 10,000 sacred sinkholes — and the underworld is losing.
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen's finance secretary just admitted that vacation rental taxes are the key to the city's 2026 budget. When nearly half your revenue comes from Airbnb, you don't have a tourism strategy — you have a platform dependency.
Playa del Carmen
Dozens of families signed contracts, made payments, and waited for their condos. Then their properties were transferred to strangers. The SUUT real estate scandal in Playa del Carmen is a warning for every buyer in the Riviera Maya.
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen has launched an intensive 12-hour daily sargassum cleanup operation for the Holy Week tourist season, having already removed over 2,500 tons since January to ensure clean beaches.
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen received a historic security upgrade: 334 vehicles (including an armored unit) and a helicopter. Led by Gov. Lezama and Mayor Mercado, the 200M+ peso investment aims to enhance police capabilities, safety, and citizen tranquility. Plans include 100 new officers.
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen will transform its former municipal palace into the "Centro Cultural y Museo 28 de Julio." The project aims to boost cultural identity and tourism, with IMCAS managing the space under a 99-year lease.