The battle against cultural appropriation breaks into the business of the Riviera Maya

19-06-23

In recent years, Mexico has maintained a strong struggle to protect the cultural heritage of its indigenous peoples. On several occasions, the government has criticised designer brands such as Carolina Herrera or Shein, the Asian textile giant, for using designs and elements that identify the country's indigenous cultures. But it is not only abroad; tourism companies such as Grupo Xcaret, one of the largest in the Riviera Maya, have also made a habit of using them to attract tourists. 

In recent weeks, this idyllic history of the company born in 1990 with cultural elements has come up against the complaint of a group of representatives of the Great Mayan Council - the highest Mayan representative body in the territory - who denounced before the National Institute of Copyright (Indautor) the violations of the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples and communities. The administrative process between Xcaret and the public institution is still open, but the company has already withdrawn some elements of its advertising as a precaution. The complaint has reopened an ongoing controversy, which was gaining strength in the media over the appropriation of certain designs and their use in fashion or handicrafts.