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| Evictions by Armed Men Rattle a Mexican Tourist Paradise | Evictions by Armed Men Rattle a Mexican Tourist Paradise |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| TULUM, Mexico — By the time Renaud Jacquet arrived at his compound of rental beach villas, invaders were crawling all over the place. | TULUM, Mexico — By the time Renaud Jacquet arrived at his compound of rental beach villas, invaders were crawling all over the place. |
| They were storming through the buildings, emptying out rooms and dumping furnishings and supplies in piles outside. One of the men was wandering around clutching a bottle of Mr. Jacquet’s wine. | They were storming through the buildings, emptying out rooms and dumping furnishings and supplies in piles outside. One of the men was wandering around clutching a bottle of Mr. Jacquet’s wine. |
| Similar scenes unfolded up and down the coveted stretch of Caribbean coastline in Tulum, Mexico, in June. Hundreds of men working for a security firm — carrying sticks, metal pipes and machetes, witnesses said — raided 17 properties, including hotels, private homes, boutiques and a beach club. They evicted everyone on the premises, including tourists, some of whom had been roused from their sleep. | Similar scenes unfolded up and down the coveted stretch of Caribbean coastline in Tulum, Mexico, in June. Hundreds of men working for a security firm — carrying sticks, metal pipes and machetes, witnesses said — raided 17 properties, including hotels, private homes, boutiques and a beach club. They evicted everyone on the premises, including tourists, some of whom had been roused from their sleep. |
| “It was like the mob,” Mr. Jacquet recalled. “It’s the French Revolution!” | “It was like the mob,” Mr. Jacquet recalled. “It’s the French Revolution!” |
| Yet the takeovers, which seemed to catch the property owners by surprise, were apparently legal, authorized by a judge’s order. Several police officers stood by and watched; they were there only, it seemed, to protect the court officers who had delivered the bad news. | Yet the takeovers, which seemed to catch the property owners by surprise, were apparently legal, authorized by a judge’s order. Several police officers stood by and watched; they were there only, it seemed, to protect the court officers who had delivered the bad news. |
| The evictions were the most recent, and by far the largest, in a series of court-ordered expropriations that have shaken this tourist town and stained its image as a laid-back, eco-chic retreat that has become wildly popular among tourists, particularly those from the United States and Western Europe. | The evictions were the most recent, and by far the largest, in a series of court-ordered expropriations that have shaken this tourist town and stained its image as a laid-back, eco-chic retreat that has become wildly popular among tourists, particularly those from the United States and Western Europe. |
| Some here, including many of the business owners directly affected by the property seizures, say the evictions and their bitter fallout have exposed an ominous truth about Tulum: that this seemingly Edenic stretch of coastline on the Yucatán Peninsula is hardly immune to the kind of troubles bedeviling the rest of Mexico. | Some here, including many of the business owners directly affected by the property seizures, say the evictions and their bitter fallout have exposed an ominous truth about Tulum: that this seemingly Edenic stretch of coastline on the Yucatán Peninsula is hardly immune to the kind of troubles bedeviling the rest of Mexico. |
| Corruption, inconsistent government regulation and an opaque legal system, these residents argue, are threatening to ruin a Mexican paradise. | Corruption, inconsistent government regulation and an opaque legal system, these residents argue, are threatening to ruin a Mexican paradise. |
| At the heart of the dispute are competing land claims that go back decades. Business owners who have been evicted say they are being robbed of their beachfront property through an elaborate system of fraud involving forged land deeds, fake contracts and violations of due process, facilitated by corrupt government officials and judges. The paucity of public records, the business owners say, has made defending their property claims even more difficult. | At the heart of the dispute are competing land claims that go back decades. Business owners who have been evicted say they are being robbed of their beachfront property through an elaborate system of fraud involving forged land deeds, fake contracts and violations of due process, facilitated by corrupt government officials and judges. The paucity of public records, the business owners say, has made defending their property claims even more difficult. |
| “American tourists need to really know what’s going on down here,” said Ken Wolf, an American entrepreneur who lost his hotel in Tulum in a similar raid several years ago. “There’s no rule of law.” | “American tourists need to really know what’s going on down here,” said Ken Wolf, an American entrepreneur who lost his hotel in Tulum in a similar raid several years ago. “There’s no rule of law.” |
| When Mr. Jacquet, who is French, bought his first parcel of land here in 2004, along beachfront known as Punta Piedras, he was vaguely aware that his ownership might not be airtight. | When Mr. Jacquet, who is French, bought his first parcel of land here in 2004, along beachfront known as Punta Piedras, he was vaguely aware that his ownership might not be airtight. |
| “It was amazing to find a place like that: so undeveloped, so close to New York,” Mr. Jacquet, 52, said in a recent interview; he was wearing a T-shirt and pink cotton pants styled after pajama bottoms. | “It was amazing to find a place like that: so undeveloped, so close to New York,” Mr. Jacquet, 52, said in a recent interview; he was wearing a T-shirt and pink cotton pants styled after pajama bottoms. |
| He and his wife had been considering buying an apartment in New York, but decided to instead build a house on the beach. “It was a no-brainer,” he said. | He and his wife had been considering buying an apartment in New York, but decided to instead build a house on the beach. “It was a no-brainer,” he said. |
| In the early 2000s, Tulum’s beachfront was largely undeveloped, with no public utilities and no cellphone service, but it drew entrepreneurs and rewarded their spontaneity. Simple hotels — some inspired by the palapas, the traditional huts fashioned out of tree limbs and palm thatch — started emerging from the dunes. Boutiques and restaurants opened. The vibe was relaxed, carefree and fun. | In the early 2000s, Tulum’s beachfront was largely undeveloped, with no public utilities and no cellphone service, but it drew entrepreneurs and rewarded their spontaneity. Simple hotels — some inspired by the palapas, the traditional huts fashioned out of tree limbs and palm thatch — started emerging from the dunes. Boutiques and restaurants opened. The vibe was relaxed, carefree and fun. |
| “It was primitive luxury,” said Nicolás Malleville, an Argentine model who in 2003 opened Coqui Coqui, a hotel that became a favored destination for the fashion world and was seized in the June raids. “We got to play Robinson Crusoe.” | “It was primitive luxury,” said Nicolás Malleville, an Argentine model who in 2003 opened Coqui Coqui, a hotel that became a favored destination for the fashion world and was seized in the June raids. “We got to play Robinson Crusoe.” |
| There was also a loose adherence to the rules, which at the time worked in the favor of the pioneers. New homes and hotels were often going up without all of the necessary government permits. And when permission was secured, it was sometimes through bribes. | There was also a loose adherence to the rules, which at the time worked in the favor of the pioneers. New homes and hotels were often going up without all of the necessary government permits. And when permission was secured, it was sometimes through bribes. |
| “Today, if the federal government comes with the law in hand and analyzes the ecological situation, I don’t think anybody would remain,” said Matías González, one of Mr. Malleville’s business partners. | “Today, if the federal government comes with the law in hand and analyzes the ecological situation, I don’t think anybody would remain,” said Matías González, one of Mr. Malleville’s business partners. |
| Tulum was able to maintain its human-scale, iconoclastic sensibility partly because of the legal uncertainties surrounding land ownership, which kept the big hotel chains at bay. | Tulum was able to maintain its human-scale, iconoclastic sensibility partly because of the legal uncertainties surrounding land ownership, which kept the big hotel chains at bay. |
| When he bought his first parcel of land, Mr. Jacquet’s understanding was that it had been part of a 26,000-acre tract that had been set aside in the early 1970s for members of a farming collective, or ejido, as part of a government effort to formalize property rights for landless farmers and encourage settlement in underpopulated areas. | When he bought his first parcel of land, Mr. Jacquet’s understanding was that it had been part of a 26,000-acre tract that had been set aside in the early 1970s for members of a farming collective, or ejido, as part of a government effort to formalize property rights for landless farmers and encourage settlement in underpopulated areas. |
| Yet he soon learned that a family from the distant northern state of Nuevo León claimed to have a title to part of the ejido land, a conflict that had percolated for years. | Yet he soon learned that a family from the distant northern state of Nuevo León claimed to have a title to part of the ejido land, a conflict that had percolated for years. |
| Mr. Jacquet did not let it deter him. “I looked at everyone else, and we weren’t worried because nobody had lost their land,” he said. | Mr. Jacquet did not let it deter him. “I looked at everyone else, and we weren’t worried because nobody had lost their land,” he said. |
| By the late 2000s, though, Tulum had taken off as a vacation destination. Room rates soared, making beachfront properties more attractive as takeover targets. | By the late 2000s, though, Tulum had taken off as a vacation destination. Room rates soared, making beachfront properties more attractive as takeover targets. |
| One of the first significant warning signs for business owners came on Nov. 30, 2009. | One of the first significant warning signs for business owners came on Nov. 30, 2009. |
| That morning, two dozen police officers and a judge descended on Ocho Tulum, a hotel belonging to Mr. Wolf, the American entrepreneur. It sat on beachfront land that he had rented since 2005 under a 30-year lease. In 2006, before he started building, he had learned there was a competing claim to part of the land, but decided to move ahead with the project. | |
| “I heard that it would probably not amount to anything,” he said. “I never thought that I was at risk of losing it.” | “I heard that it would probably not amount to anything,” he said. “I never thought that I was at risk of losing it.” |
| He challenged his loss in court, but was defeated after years of litigation. | He challenged his loss in court, but was defeated after years of litigation. |
| The seizure of Mr. Wolf’s property stunned Tulum, but people kept building and the tourists kept coming. | The seizure of Mr. Wolf’s property stunned Tulum, but people kept building and the tourists kept coming. |
| For Mr. Jacquet, fear lurked in the back of his mind. “It’s like crossing from France to England swimming and you’re halfway across and you think: Maybe you shouldn’t have gone there. But what are you going to do? You’re going to go back? You keep swimming!” | For Mr. Jacquet, fear lurked in the back of his mind. “It’s like crossing from France to England swimming and you’re halfway across and you think: Maybe you shouldn’t have gone there. But what are you going to do? You’re going to go back? You keep swimming!” |
| The evictions continued. There were some in 2011, and another round in 2013. | The evictions continued. There were some in 2011, and another round in 2013. |
| In May 2014, four more hotels were seized on a judge’s order in a labor case. Two men had sued the estate of a former landowner, claiming they were owed millions of dollars in unpaid wages, and a judge awarded them the four properties as payment. | In May 2014, four more hotels were seized on a judge’s order in a labor case. Two men had sued the estate of a former landowner, claiming they were owed millions of dollars in unpaid wages, and a judge awarded them the four properties as payment. |
| The Tulum Hotel Association found no record of the two men having worked in Tulum. Furthermore, the hotel owners said they had never been notified that their properties were the subject of legal action. | The Tulum Hotel Association found no record of the two men having worked in Tulum. Furthermore, the hotel owners said they had never been notified that their properties were the subject of legal action. |
| At that point, Mr. Jacquet said, “I knew anything was possible.” | At that point, Mr. Jacquet said, “I knew anything was possible.” |
| Shaken by the evictions, many business owners began negotiating with the Nuevo León families to buy off their titles. (The current asking price is around $1,000 per square meter, business operators said.) | Shaken by the evictions, many business owners began negotiating with the Nuevo León families to buy off their titles. (The current asking price is around $1,000 per square meter, business operators said.) |
| As in the previous rounds of evictions, the sweep in June appeared to catch the targets by surprise. And as in 2014, a court ruling — in a case that the evicted parties said they had no knowledge of — prompted the property seizures. | As in the previous rounds of evictions, the sweep in June appeared to catch the targets by surprise. And as in 2014, a court ruling — in a case that the evicted parties said they had no knowledge of — prompted the property seizures. |
| Last month, the embassies of four European nations — France, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal — sent a joint letter to the Mexico foreign secretary expressing their “great concern” about the evictions and asking the authorities to conduct “a deep and serious investigation.” (A spokesman for Gov. Roberto Borge of Quintana Roo, the state where Tulum is, did not respond to requests for comment.) | |
| Mario Cruz Rodríguez, the director general of tourism for Tulum, said the legal challenges had accelerated in recent years because Tulum is “a jewel — it’s a gold mine.” | Mario Cruz Rodríguez, the director general of tourism for Tulum, said the legal challenges had accelerated in recent years because Tulum is “a jewel — it’s a gold mine.” |
| The 17 properties seized in June are now guarded by the same group of men who participated in the evictions, some of whom are armed with machetes. Business signs have been torn down, gates padlocked, entrances walled off with cinder blocks. | The 17 properties seized in June are now guarded by the same group of men who participated in the evictions, some of whom are armed with machetes. Business signs have been torn down, gates padlocked, entrances walled off with cinder blocks. |
| On a recent afternoon, Mr. Jacquet strolled down the beachfront and stopped in front of his property. “This is all us,” he said, gesturing beyond the dune vegetation and palms to the cluster of villas that he and his wife had built. | |
| Suddenly, a man in a T-shirt and shorts emerged from the shade of a tree on the property, mumbling into a walkie-talkie. Other men began streaming out of several of the shuttered properties. One was carrying a large branch. Young couples strolling along the beach in bathing suits slalomed through the swarm of tense men, looking perplexed. | |
| Mr. Jacquet was encircled and pelted with questions: Who are you? What are you doing here? | Mr. Jacquet was encircled and pelted with questions: Who are you? What are you doing here? |
| That night, rumors swirled of a plot among aggrieved Tulum residents to start a counterinvasion and drive out the guards. There was talk of a paramilitary force of 300 to 400 people. | |
| The following day, protesters blocked two critical Tulum roads for more than an hour, paralyzing traffic, including the road along the beachfront. They carried fluorescent poster boards with handwritten messages denouncing the evictions and government corruption. | The following day, protesters blocked two critical Tulum roads for more than an hour, paralyzing traffic, including the road along the beachfront. They carried fluorescent poster boards with handwritten messages denouncing the evictions and government corruption. |
| At one point, a group of men dropped from a truck and hopped over the fence of one of the properties. Witnesses said they heard sounds that suggested clashing machetes and perhaps gunshots. The attackers were repelled, jumped back over the fence, climbed into their truck and took off. | At one point, a group of men dropped from a truck and hopped over the fence of one of the properties. Witnesses said they heard sounds that suggested clashing machetes and perhaps gunshots. The attackers were repelled, jumped back over the fence, climbed into their truck and took off. |
| Soon after, the pickets dissipated and, as evening fell, the usual, lazy rhythms of beach life resumed, as if nothing had happened. | Soon after, the pickets dissipated and, as evening fell, the usual, lazy rhythms of beach life resumed, as if nothing had happened. |