Puerto Morelos Starts Formal Regulation Process for Ruta de los Cenotes

The Ruta de los Cenotes in Puerto Morelos is a winding jungle road lined with cenotes, eco parks, and small tourist projects.

 

For years, the area has seen fast and sometimes messy growth, often with unclear land titles and missing permits.

 

Municipal President Blanca Merari Tziu Muñoz recently announced that authorities have begun a formal process to review and regulate development along the route.

 

The goal is to bring more legal clarity to landholders and businesses already operating there, while responding to long‑running complaints about irregular real estate deals.

 

Addressing real estate troubles

 

One of the main problems has been real estate speculation on land without solid legal backing.

 

According to state and municipal officials, many buyers have signed private contracts or "cesiones de derechos" on common‑use ejido land, which can leave them with little or no real legal protection.

 

Authorities say the new coordination effort is meant to address these practices and reduce conflicts between landholders, ejido assemblies, and the different levels of government.

 

How this will work in day‑to‑day reality is still being defined, and there is not yet a detailed, publicly available rulebook that covers the entire Ruta de los Cenotes.

 

A coordinated effort, still in early stages

 

At a recent meeting, representatives from several federal agencies, including SEMARNAT and CONAGUA, joined state bodies such as SEMA, along with the Puerto Morelos City Council and ejido leaders from the area.

 

They agreed to create working groups to map out the current situation along the route and propose regulatory criteria.

 

These groups are expected to look at different types of activity, from lodging and real estate projects to ecotourism parks and small roadside businesses.

 

For now, the process is at an early, planning‑focused stage, centered on diagnosis and coordination rather than finished regulations.

 

Planning tools for future growth

 

Rolando Melo Novelo, Secretary of Urban Development and Territorial Planning, noted that Puerto Morelos is also working on key planning documents.

 

These include the Municipal Urban Development Program and the Local Ecological Planning Plan.

 

Officials say these tools will guide how land can be used and what kinds of projects are considered compatible with the jungle and cenote system along the route.

 

They are expected to use them to review the many developments that have appeared in recent years and decide which ones can be regularized and which may face sanctions or closure.

 

What this could mean for locals and visitors

 

This shift toward a more structured framework comes after a series of enforcement actions, including the closure of several real estate projects along the Ruta de los Cenotes for lacking environmental and urban development permits.

 

New public housing plans near the same corridor show that development will continue, but under closer official scrutiny.

 

For now, the impact on each individual cenote, eco park, or real estate project remains uncertain.

 

Residents, landholders, and visitors will be watching to see how quickly concrete rules are defined, how consistently they are enforced, and whether they balance environmental protection with the economic life of the community.