FYI

Visiting Merida: To drive or not to drive …Feb 21, 2026 by yucalandia

There are reasonably regular posts on FB forums here by visitors, asking about renting & driving cars in Merida.

What’s the answer?

It’s complicated …
For context on people’s advice, consider who is telling you what to do?
… Me? … As a 15 yr old, I grew up driving 5-ton dump trucks in Washington DC & the DC area … and yes, I had visited Merida from 1986 – 2005 … yet, I was still not quite ready to drive smoothly or confidently around Merida when we moved here in 2006. … along with crazy local driving quirks … and along with searching your routes as complicated by … how the street names/street numbers change radically so often as you move between our 520 so colonias/fraccionmentos … where many many streets has one name on the left side of the block, and have a different name/number on the right side of the block …

and Circuito Colonias … our big internal “ring” road … appears … and disappears … often …

Yes, Google Maps helps some … but driving in Merida can have so many quirks, that even the local professional taxi and Uber/DiDi/LYFT drivers struggle with … especially how to avoid the worst intersections at the worst times of day, and so many places where if you miss a turn, you have to drive 5 – 15 blocks to recover …

Then also realize that we have an absolutely WILD variations of drivers here … from maniac-motorcyclists taking incredible changes … to motorcyclists who putt*putt*putt along slowly, blocking traffic … to 3 wheeled, 1-speed, carguero tricycles creeping along … to baches (wicked potholes) that just pop up in places that were smooth streets just the day before … to MISSING sewer grates – with 2 ft deep holes … to so many nasty, self-entitled, highly aggressive, cut-everyone-else’s-throats KIA drivers slashing & burning their way around Merida, including some people who aimlessly – blindly cut across 3 lanes of traffic at the last moment, to make a left turn from the extreme right lane at the last moment…. mixed in with others creeping around to protect their most-valued possession, highly-treasured new cars along with ALMOST NO HISTORICAL driving culture here, because most people here DID NOT EVER LEARN TO DRIVE until after about 1992 (so, there’s no culture of kids watching Mom or Dad or Uncles driving reliably nor SAFELY)

Then consider how … like the State of Michigan issuing hunting licenses to THE BLIND ~ANYONE~ here can get a license … if they can simply parallel park one time …

Then there’s the whole thing about the overwhelming cultural peer pressure here for Meridanos to be soooo polite in ALL personal interactions, (as they have to eat a lot of shit from their bosses & managers & supervisors, and eat a lot of shit from their mothers-in-law … and eat a lot of shit from their neighbors … ALL in the name of avoiding conflict by being artifically polite in all interpersonal interactions) … which means we have so many drivers on the road here who are super-frustrated with other people, but can’t express it … so, OUT pops all their pent-up aggressions when they have the anonymity of driving in a city of over 1 million people.

Unless you have great skills from driving some crazy place like Boston or Wpg… with crazy street layouts, triangular blocks, tons of totally illogical 1-Way streets … instead, CONSIDER using ubers/LYFT et al … or hire a local driver.

and YES, driving in Chicago was a piece-of-balkava compared to Boston, Washington DC or Merida driving. ?

Though Swindon drivers may also qualify.

Rising Tides of Travelers: Inside the 2026 Tourism Surge on the Yucatán Coast  Feb 18, 2026

If you were to stand on the sun-drenched pier of Progreso or walk the vibrant streets of Mérida this February, you would feel an unmistakable energy. It’s not just the warmth of the tropical sun; it’s the pulse of a region that has officially moved out of the shadow of its more famous neighbor, Cancún, to become a global powerhouse in its own right.

In early 2026, the Yucatán coast is witnessing a tourism surge that is breaking records and redefining what a “Mexican vacation” looks like. From high-tech airport expansions to a renewed focus on the “Slow Travel” movement, the Yucatán is proving that growth doesn’t have to mean losing your soul.

Mérida Airport: The Engine of the Boom
The numbers tell a story of rapid transformation. Mérida’s Manuel Crescencio Rejón International Airport has emerged as Mexico’s fastest-growing aviation hub in 2026. In the first reporting period of the year, the airport recorded over 357,000 passengers, a significant 12.9% jump from the previous year.

What’s fascinating is the source of this growth. While international arrivals are up by nearly 10%—thanks to increased connectivity with the U.S. and Europe—it is domestic travelers who are leading the charge. Mexican tourists are increasingly choosing the colonial charm and safety of the Yucatán over more congested hotspots, seeking out the “authentic Mexico” that Mérida serves up so effortlessly.

The Progreso Transformation

Just a short drive from the capital, the port town of Progreso is undergoing a literal “Renaissance.” Under the government’s Mayan Renaissance initiative, the Port of Progreso is being modernized with a staggering $700 million investment. The goal? To triple its capacity and turn it into a world-class gateway for both logistics and luxury cruises.

But for the traveler, the changes are more personal. The “Sendero Peatonal” (pedestrian path) and the recent upgrades to the malecón have turned the town into a hub for “Day-Trippers” and “Digital Nomads” alike. On February 28, the town will even host its eighth annual home tour, showcasing the unique coastal architecture that is drawing retirees and investors from across the globe.

The “Human” Impact: Tourism with a Face

When we talk about a “surge,” it’s easy to get lost in percentages. But on the ground, this boom is being managed with a level of intentionality rarely seen in global tourism.

The Yucatán government, in partnership with organizations like UNESCO, is pushing a “community-first” model. Instead of massive, disconnected all-inclusive resorts, 2026 is the year of the Indigenous Co-op.

Co´ox Mayab: This collective of 12 Mayan communities is offering travelers a way to experience the coast through the eyes of the people who have lived there for generations.
Authentic Experiences: Travelers are trading buffet lines for hands-on “milpa” farming lessons, traditional embroidery workshops, and ancestral cooking techniques.
Sustainable Stalwarts: In places like San Crisanto, local organizations are working with research institutions to protect mangroves, ensuring that the surge of visitors doesn’t destroy the very ecosystems they come to see.
The “Safety Dividend”
In a world of travel advisories, the Yucatán remains one of Mexico’s safest havens. This “Safety Dividend” has become a primary driver for the 2026 surge. Travelers who might feel hesitant about other regions find peace of mind in the Yucatán’s low crime rates and high quality of life. Whether you’re a solo traveler exploring the cenotes of Cuzamá or a family taking in the Mérida Carnival, the sense of security is palpable.

What This Means for the 2026 Traveler
If you are planning to join the surge this year, the landscape has changed.

Book Ahead: With hotel occupancy hitting record highs (Mérida saw nearly 60% occupancy in July, a trend continuing into the February peak), the days of “winging it” are over.
Go Beyond the Beach: While the Gulf waters are stunning, the real magic of the 2026 surge is inland. Use Mérida as your base to explore the “Magical Towns” (Pueblos Mágicos) and the 10,000 cenotes that dot the peninsula.
Respect the “Kuxa’an” (Living) Culture: The theme of 2026 is Kuxatur—living tourism. The residents of the Yucatán invite you to take away knowledge and experiences, but to leave the land as you found it.
Looking Forward: The World Cup and Beyond
The current surge is only the beginning. With Mexico preparing to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, infrastructure is being fast-tracked. Over 200 million pesos have been allocated to ready archaeological sites and museums. The Yucatán is positioning itself not just as a destination for February, but as the cultural frontrunner of North America for years to come.

The tide is rising on the Yucatán coast, and for those who value culture, nature, and community, the water has never looked better.

Surviving YucatanSmoothing out Mexico’s rough spots.? Mexico Now Requires 2026 Registration of All Phones
Calling Toll Free USA Numbers from Mexico
February 14, 2026 by yucalandia

While reading the latest ‘gringo’ issues in Mexico on expat FB forums, an old question came up, again:
“Has anyone made a toll free call to the US recently?
If so, how did you call?
The usual way is not working. Is it no longer possible?

Our response: … “What is “the usual way” ?

Our second question: “Are you doing the normal substitution, where you dial (substitute) different numbers up front from Mexico, changing the numbers at the front of the US number?”

Example:
To call a normal US “1-800” number from Mexico, we have had to replace the USA’s “1-800” prefix with a “001-880 – XXX – XXXX” …

So “1- 800 – 555-1212”
becomes ” 001-880 – 555-1212 ” dialed from Mexico.

This substitution system continues with other “8–” numbers in the USA as:

1-800 … 001-880

1-844 … 001-885

1-855 … 001-884

1-866 … 001-883

1-877 … 001-882

Advertisement

1-888 … 001-881

Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.

© Steven M. Fry

Read on, MacDuff.How Progreso’s Pier Expansion Is Washing Away Yucatan’s Beaches  Carlos Rosado van der Gracht  February 4, 2026

Yucatán is experiencing a crisis unfolding along its once pristine coast. Beachfront property owners are preparing multi-million dollar lawsuits against the Mexican government. They assert the expansion of Progreso’s pier is rapidly destroying beachfront property.

The argument is backed by official studies and by residents’ growing desperation as the sea creeps closer to their homes and businesses every day.

The heart of the problem is the Progreso pier. Already the longest in the world, stretching 6.5 kilometers / four miles into the Gulf of Mexico, Progreso’s pier is now increasing its size even more to expand its cargo capacity. 

In December 2020, Mexico’s environmental risk agency issued a permit for the expansion of Progreso’s pier. Crucially, in that same document, the agency officially recognized that the existing pier creates a gradient in sand movement along more than seven kilometers of coast. It admitted this has caused visible erosion for the first six kilometers south of the port.

However, property owners and environmental defenders argue this assessment did not go far enough. The official study did not evaluate critical areas, including Chelem Puerto, Chicxulub Puerto, and Progreso’s traditional seawall. Residents report that beach loss in these spots accelerated dramatically starting in January 2025, coinciding with when a big ship started a massive dredging project. The link, they say, is clear: the expansion project is making a bad situation much worse.

The attempt to fix the problem has been, by all accounts, a failure. Authorities have tried to hold back the sea with artificial sand refills and large sand-filled tubes called geotubes. These measures have not worked.

“The sea keeps advancing, and there are already homes and businesses at risk,” said local lawmaker Raúl Alvarado.

Compounding the issue of vanishing sand is another growing plague: massive accumulations of sargassum seaweed. While the great Atlantic Sargassum Belt originates from nutrient-rich waters far out in the ocean, local infrastructure can drastically worsen its impact on shorelines.

Scientists and coastal engineers note that long structures like piers and breakwaters act as barriers not only to sand but also to floating mats of seaweed. The Progreso pier, jutting far out to sea, blocks the natural along-shore currents that might otherwise distribute the seaweed more widely or carry it past. Instead, prevailing winds and currents push the sargassum against the pier, where it becomes trapped. From there, it is funneled and concentrated onto the beaches immediately south of the structure, the very areas already suffering the most severe erosion.

This creates a devastating double blow: as the sand disappears, the shore is left with rotting mounds of seaweed, which smother the remaining beach ecosystem, deter tourism, and release harmful gases as they decompose.

The Legal Challenge to Progreso’s Pier Expansion
The legal battle over the pier is taking shape on two fronts. The first is the planned lawsuits for financial damages from property owners. They would base their case on the government’s own 2021 environmental resolution that acknowledges the pier’s role in erosion. If successful, this could set a national precedent, holding the state financially responsible for environmental damage caused by its projects and policies under constitutional law.

Furthermore, complaints allege that the approved Environmental Impact Assessment only covered 40 hectares, while the actual work spans 80 hectares, meaning half the project lacks proper evaluation or authorization.

This situation is not a surprise to scientists. Research from NASA, in collaboration with Mexico’s CICESE research center, has been clear since at least 2014. Using satellite imagery from the Landsat 8 satellite, scientists detected that the massive Progreso pier significantly alters the coastal dynamics of the Yucatan coast.

The structure interrupts the natural flow of sand carried by coastal currents. This interruption creates a “shadow” effect where sand accumulates on one side, while areas down-current are starved of sediment, leading to active erosion.

Satellite data visually confirms the shoreline being pushed inland by the sea in these affected zones. This same physical principle applies to floating sargassum, turning the pier into a giant trap for the seaweed.

Starting Friday, cell users in Mexico must link their phones to an official ID  Jan 8, 2026

The justification of the obligatory registration of cell phones is to deprive extorsionists, fraudsters and other criminals of a tool to make threats without fear of being traced. )
Beginning Friday, each owner of a mobile phone in Mexico will be required to register and link each number with their personal identity by June 30 … or face service cuts.

Also, anyone acquiring a new phone or a digital SIM after Jan. 9 must register the phone number before service can be provided.

A CURP national identity document

Citizens and foreign nationals alike are now required to link their celll phone numbers to a personal ID: either their CURP national identity document as shown here, or their passport. (SEGOB)
Beginning on July 1, all unregistered lines will be suspended until registration is completed. In other words, you will no longer be able to make or receive calls or text messages. The phone would only be usable for emergency calls, such as to 911, or for emergency alert messages.

The mobile phone registry is a policy that requires each phone number to be linked to the identity of its owner. For Mexican nationals, the CURP (or voter ID in some procedures) will be required; for foreign nationals, a valid passport will suffice.

Mobile service providers will be responsible for validating and safeguarding the information associated with their customers.

Providers, such as Telcel, have begun disseminating the requirements and procedures for linking, unlinking and consulting lines, as well as the deadlines for users to register their lines. Users will be able to register remotely (with restrictions) or at branch offices across the country.

Providers are also required to send an SMS to unlinked lines at least once a week, reminding them of the registration obligation.

The General Law of the National Public Security System was approved in July 2025, giving rise to the national registry of mobile phone users — including foreign nationals — who have a telephone line operating in the country, regardless of the company.

The “Guidelines for the Identification of Mobile Telephone Lines” was published in the government’s Official Gazette on Dec. 9, 2025.

The government has defended its mandatory mobile phone registry policy on the basis of public safety. It has said that associating cell phone numbers with identities would help reduce telephone fraud, extortion and other crimes that use anonymous or easily rotated numbers.

It has also claimed that it will improve traceability in criminal investigations when there is a court order.

Although the security objective sounds laudable, critics have voiced several concerns:

Privacy and data concentration: Creating centralized or interoperable databases could facilitate mass surveillance or misuse, particularly without strong technical and legal safeguards.
Impact on connectivity for vulnerable populations: The requirement to present a CURP or passport may complicate access for migrants, the impoverished, or users without up-to-date documentation, thus widening the digital divide.
Operational burden for operators: Validating tens of millions of records poses technical and operational challenges; errors in validation could lead to unjustified suspensions.

With reports from La Jornada, Milenio, Intercompras and Expansiónow

Temperatures and Pollution Affect Health in Yucatán Feb 3, 2026 

Cold fronts and particulate matter pollution are complicating the health situation for thousands of residents in northern Yucatán.

The 2025–2026 cold front season, which began in September and is expected to end next May, will bring approximately 20 frontal systems to the Yucatán Peninsula, according to climatological projections. This figure is slightly lower than the historical average of around 22 cold fronts in this region.

Five cold fronts are expected this February, out of the approximately 48 predicted for the entire country during the winter season, although this number may still be adjusted depending on how atmospheric conditions develop.

Given this situation, Raúl Quiroz Moo, president of the Maya Peninsular Association, warned that the combination of low temperatures associated with cold fronts and the presence of microparticles from cement plants, lime kilns, and material extraction sites is worsening the health conditions of vulnerable populations, such as minors, the elderly, and people with chronic degenerative diseases in areas like Flamboyanes, a district of Progreso, as well as in neighborhoods and housing developments in northern Mérida.

“Those affected have reported a notable increase in allergies and chronic illnesses in exposed populations, attributing this situation to both air pollution and adverse weather conditions. The dispersion of fine particles during cold fronts and “nortes”—when northerly winds intensify the movement of cold air and particles—increases the direct exposure of communities to these pollutants,” he stated.

Quiroz Moo expressed confidence that progress would be made on an agreement to relocate the cement and lime plants located in the Progreso Industrial Park. These industries, according to complainants, have caused persistent health problems among residents of both Progreso and Mérida.

The environmentalist lamented the lack of interest from past administrations, noting that they failed to take effective measures to regulate the installation and expansion of these industries, or to conduct scientific studies to evaluate the combined effects of pollution and winter weather conditions on the health of Yucatecans.

In addition to the impacts on human health, Quiroz Moo highlighted the negative environmental impact, including damage to the water table and air quality, caused by extractive and industrial activities near populated areas.

TYT Newsroom