INAH-Yucatan and Cultur expand from 560 to 1,000 the capacity for video-mapping in La Noche Blanca

Mérida, Yucatán, on April 19, 2024, employees of Cultur working at the Chichén and Dzibilchaltún visitor centers, as well as at the Siglo XXI Convention Center, found 12 lost items and, in an act of honesty, returned them to their rightful owners.

The tourists who were delighted by the workers' honesty, mainly janitors, administrators, and security personnel, are from Italy, the USA, Peru, as well as Mexico City and Mérida. To give an idea of the cost represented by this action, out of the 12 found and returned objects, eight were cell phones (six of which were iPhones), a wallet with money, car keys, a bag with various valuable belongings, and a mobile radio.

The honest employees involved were: Martha María Tec Cemé, Nancy Floricely Cab Cobá, Blanca Kinil, Santiago Tun Yam, Sebastián Cahum Dzib, and Alejo Chan Ay, all of them workers in the janitorial area at the Chichén Itzá visitor center. Also involved were María Belen del Rosario Ku Canul, an administrative assistant at Dzibilchaltún, and Viviana Cetina Kituk from the marketing department at Cultur's central offices.

The returns occurred as follows: four in January, one in February, and seven more in March.

Mérida, Yucatán, April 9, 2024. At the end of the Easter holidays, which ran from March 23 to April 7 (16 days), according to official reports from Culture, in the sites where it has a presence, a total of 213,075 tourists, including locals, nationals, and foreigners, were received.

Out of that figure, 134,700 were visitors who were at Chichén Itzá, which once again reaffirms itself as the quintessential tourist spot in Yucatán. This figure represents 63% of the grand total.

This means that on average Chichén had 8,419 visitors each day during the mentioned period. The lowest turnout was on March 23 with 5,085 and the highest of 13,698 occurred on March 31.

On this occasion, the second most visited site was Uxmal with 18,483 visitors accounting for a distant 9% of the total, followed by the "Picheta" Passage which welcomed 17,473 people (8%).

In fourth place of the top 5 was the archaeological site of "El Corchito", located in Progreso, with a record of 8,209 visitors (4%). And in fifth place was the archaeological site of Ek Balam, which reported an entry of 8,044 customers (4%).

Among all other tourist sites such as Zací Market, Meteorite Museum, Manzanero House Museum, as well as the stops in Celestún, Chocholá and Halachó, received 26,166 visitors (12% of the total).

It is worth noting that due to various reasons there are several tourist sites that are closed to the public such as Dzibilchaltún temporarily and others that have been closed since 2023 like Lol Tún caves, Balancanché archaeological site and Uaymitún viewpoint.

It should also be remembered that the Dzitnup stop where the X´Kekén and Samulá cenotes are located was leased to a private individual last year; therefore it is no longer part of Culture's statistics.

Mérida, Yucatán, April 8, 2024. Two more of the five sacred dogs of Kukulkán (four puppies and the mother), which were rescued by Cultur last January, have already been given up for adoption. The delivery of the animals to their new owners, both native of the municipality of Timucuy, Valentina Llanes Tun, who kept the puppy 'Alegría', and Alejandra Ek Pat, who adopted 'Dante', was made by Lourdes Durán Leal, president of the Center for Guidance, Perpopolis.

"We saw the publication on Facebook and we were very interested in giving a home to these dogs... Be assured that they will be in good hands, and of course, we will continue with the veterinary care and vaccinations as needed," expressed the adopters.

As reported, last January Cultur rescued the aforementioned puppies as part of the "Operation Rescue Dogs of Kukulkán," and as always the agency made them available to the veterinarian Planned Pethood, where they were attended to by healthcare professionals. They have all been dewormed, sterilized, and received their first vaccine.

It is important to emphasize the role that corresponds to each of the parties in these actions: Cultur rescues the animals, the veterinarian attends to them and provides all necessary health services, and the animal protection association, which functions as a temporary home, is responsible for investigating the adopters to ensure a responsible delivery.

There are still pending for adoption the mother and one female puppy. Three puppies of approximately 4 months old are still waiting to be adopted: "Dalila," the mother of the puppies, who is very friendly with people, and a little female.

Mauricio Díaz Montalvo, general director of Cultur, made a new call to people to adopt these dogs that will bring joy into their lives. "I am sure that you will be delighted with this little puppy or with the mother, who has a perfect coexistence with people," he noted.

Where to call to request them for adoption? Interested parties can contact 9991 523073. The requirements are: commitment to have responsible ownership of the animals and provide them with a dignified space, covered and enclosed so they cannot escape."

Mérida, Yucatán, March 26, 2024. Today, Nancy Floricely Cab Coba, the mayor of the Chichén Itzá rest area, found, while doing her job, a blue bag containing a cell phone and a wallet, items that she later returned to Angela Jones, who was visiting us from the United States."

Our colleague Viviana Cetina Kituk, from the Marketing department, found a wallet and returned it to its owner, Amado Concha Chan. The return took place at the Siglo XXI facilities. Concha Chan thanked her for returning it as there were several important belongings inside, such as cards and identifications. Congratulations!"

Mérida, Yucatán, March 15, 2024. Mauricio Díaz Montalvo, general director of Cultur, informs that, according to a statement from INAH, due to the temporary closure of the archaeological zone of Dzibilchaltún for construction works as part of the Archaeological Zone Improvement Program, this site will not be visitable during the upcoming spring equinox.

For the same reason, he added, as indicated in the statement, this archaeological site will remain closed until further notice. 'At the appropriate time, when INAH determines it, we will inform about the reopening of this place,' he noted.

This is being informed well in advance, although INAH has already done so through its channels, so that local, national, and foreign visitors take the necessary precautions and do not make unnecessary trips.

Chichén will be open to the public

He added that Chichén Itzá will indeed be open to the public, who, as every year, will be able to witness the descent of Kukulcán, where work has been ongoing for several weeks in all logistical and security aspects."