Thousands of cigarette butts have gone from being highly polluting waste to works of art

MERIDA, Yucatán, September 6, 2024. Today, our colleague, Martha Tec Cemé, a caretaker at the Chichén Itzá visitor center, found an iPhone, which she then returned to its owner, Evelyn Sifuentes, who lives in the interior of the country (the specific state was not mentioned).  

Congratulations to Martha, who has often upheld the name of Cultur and Yucatán with her honesty!"

Mérida, Yucatán, August 8, 2024. Today, the tourist site of Chichén Itzá was once again a scene of honesty, and its main protagonist was our colleague, Marta Tec Cemé, who found two iPhones lost by tourists at two different times and returned both to their owners.

The first case occurred around 8:30 AM when she was doing her work in the restrooms and found the first phone, which was blue with a black case. 

The second incident happened around 12:45 PM when, in the same manner, she found another iPhone in the women's restroom, this one purple. 

Following the same protocol, Marta turned in the phones to the administrative offices of the tourist site. Later, their owners, Dutch I. Hoomans and Mexican Leilani, came to claim them.

Just yesterday, we reported that Marta had returned a phone. 

Congratulations to Marta! A great example for her family and society!

Mérida, Yucatán, August 7, 2024. Today our colleague Martha Tec Cemé, who works as the manager at the Chichén Itzá visitor center, found a Samsung cell phone while carrying out her duties. As she always does, she made it available to the administrative offices of the tourist site managed by Cultur. 

Shortly after, tourist Sandra Mildred Martínez Soto, a Mexican national, came forward stating that she had lost her cell phone. After confirming that she was the owner, the device was returned to her.

"Thanks again to Martha for returning yet another item that tourists leave behind due to loss at the visitor center; they recover it because we have honest people," expressed Mauricio Díaz Montalvo, the general director of Cultur.

Mérida, Yucatán, July 31, 2024. Last Thursday our colleague, Blanca Natali Kinil Cemé, who works as a janitor at the Chichén Itzá tourist rest stop, found, while doing her duties, an OPPO cell phone that someone had left forgotten in the bathrooms.

As she usually does, she kept it safe in the administration office and shortly after it was returned to its owner, who only identified herself as Alicia and was visiting us from CDMX."

Mérida, Yucatán, July 29, 2024. Cultur staff participated today in the talk "Workplace Violence" given by Lic. Aida María Borges Aguilar, Coordinator of the Ethics Committees of the General Comptroller's Office of the State of Yucatán (SECOGEY). In the event, which took place in room 2 of the Cines Siglo XXI, the speaker made it clear that anyone affected by this type of aggression, whether male or female, should approach their Gender Equality Unit or the Ethics Committee of the institution for advice and, if necessary, initiate the corresponding procedure. "You can also go directly to the State Prosecutor's Office to file a complaint, but sometimes it is better to have the support of the previous instances that involve a prior investigation and determination of whether there was workplace violence or not," she added. What is workplace violence? She indicated that for this concept to be established, there must be deliberate use of physical force or power and it must occur systematically among coworkers and superiors. "It could be an isolated case and not be workplace violence, but it still requires a different approach," she pointed out. She mentioned that workplace violence, also known as "mobbing" - just as there is bullying in schools - can be of three types: horizontal when it occurs among colleagues at the same level; downward vertical when it is promoted by a superior towards subordinates, and also upward vertical when employees exercise it against their superiors. "In this last form," she expressed, "we have mainly registered cases of female workers towards their female bosses who criticize their way of dressing or grooming, for example." She invited everyone present to seek more advice on this issue since sometimes they don't even know how to complain and therefore, sometimes, even if there is workplace violence, they cannot proceed because it is not clear what it consists of. Complaints, she emphasized, can be filed not only by women but by any person regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, so as to protect every human being. How is workplace violence exerted? This can be present not only in actions such as intimate harassment or offensive expressions but also when a worker is ignored either by giving them unimportant tasks that do not match their abilities or when they are simply ignored and left idle throughout the workday. What can workplace violence cause? It can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, frustration, helplessness, insomnia, fatigue, self-esteem issues, radical changes in behavior, and isolation of those affected. How can workplace violence be sanctioned? Those who engage in this type of aggression can be administratively sanctioned, labor-wise (dismissals), or even criminally, and there will always be a rigorous investigation to prevent injustices or personal vendettas. Finally, she invited anyone who wants to report any type of workplace violence to contact the speaker at 9999 30 38 00 Ext. 13011 or write to the email aida.borges@yucatan.gob.mx. After the talk, the participants and the speaker took a commemorative photo.

Mérida, Yucatán on July 25, 2024. Last Tuesday, our colleague, María Luz Alba Pech Dzul, who works as a janitor at the Chichén Itzá rest area, found an iPhone that someone had left behind in the bathrooms. As she always does, she kept it safe in the administration office and later returned it to its owner Karen Hungel, who was visiting us from the U.S. Congratulations for continuing to show the world that Cultur's workers are honest!

Mauricio Díaz Montalvo, the department's director, requested a public recognition for María Luz Alba, as she sets an example for her family, her colleagues, and society in general.