Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — Authorities maintained weekend land and air surveillance over the southern irregular settlement of Yaxche. The area was manned by Playa del Carmen officials after an attempt to illegally log the land to allow for more squatters.
The squatters were reported to municipal officials by legal area residents after they showed up with heavy machinery to begin illegally clearing the land south of Playa del Carmen. It is a problem that started last year.
Luis Herrera Quiam, the PDC General Secretary, said the municipal government intervened to stop the irregular settlement from growing. He said they arrived after receiving reports that a group of people had arrived to deforest the land so they could live on it.
According to Herrera Quian, the case has already been turned over to the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE), including the seized machinery they intended to use to remove the trees.
Municipal officials in Playa del Carmen have been thwarting attempts by squatters to illegally clear land for settling. This latest attempt was made south of Playa del Carmen in the irregular community of Yaxche.
In October of 2025, 10 people were arrested from that settlement during a failed eviction. There have been accusations that a Playa del Carmen man runs the operation, illegally clearing land and expanding squatting living areas in exchange for cash.
This latest attempt to clear more land was to increase the size of the irregular settlement, which would allow for more squatters.
Herrera Quiam said the city was maintaining ground and air surveillance to prevent further attempts at deforestation.
