Comments on: Poverty in Cancun

By: RiverGirl

RiverGirl — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:21:47 +0000

Google Street View is currently photographing Cancun. My hope is that they will actually photograph ALL the streets. That way these shacks and all the rest of the shacks will be part of the public record.

By: Don

Don — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:53:04 +0000

You know this is the paradox in which most of us live.The world knows this part of the earth as wealthy and rich and the reality gets reflected when there are poor people living in that same place.
Even worse we didn’t even knew that they existed!
Now think of the entire world.What poverty,damage,destruction has been inflicted on the earth by the policies,politics and war.
The thing is not only with Cancun,it is with our home which we call earth.

By: RiverGirl

RiverGirl — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:52:36 +0000

Taylor – You might check out the City of Joy Foundation here in Cancun, they do a lot of work with the poor here and can give you good data:
http://www.cityofjoyfoundation.org/

Cancun has miles and miles of shacks like the ones in my photos. Poverty here is much worse than most people realize.

By: Taylor

Taylor — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:38:14 +0000

I was researching issues in cancun and hardly anything came up. i was thrilled to find what you posted because it shows what we really need to see in order to help. i was shocked by your pictures and they have left a lasting impact on me. thank you.

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:13:51 +0000

Woah,
Thanks for raising this issue. Such a contrast to the hotel zone.

By: Link CariÃ±o | Hissip

Link CariÃ±o | Hissip — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:02:08 +0000

[...] Juicy, insightful bits about Cancun from the diary of a gringa in Mexico. [...]

By: RiverGirl

RiverGirl — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:31:23 +0000

IslaGringo – I had the same thought, that these must be recent arrivals from other parts of Mexico. Not sure of that.

But this shanytown did not exist last time I drove around near there. It was just an empty field a couple of years ago.

By: islagringo

islagringo — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:05:52 +0000

I’m sitting here appalled at this poverty and not knowing what to say. One wonders why the people have moved there. They can’t be Cancunenses. Probably moved to escape poverty and found this instead. Many tourists drive by the “invasion” here, which looks a lot like this place, and think it is just another poverty stricken area.

By: RiverGirl

RiverGirl — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:30:27 +0000

Iaax Page – Hey man! Good to see you here.

My pix were taken a little west of Rancho Viejo on the north side of Cancun, definitely within the city. So I would say it’s in BJ for sure.

By: RiverGirl

RiverGirl — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:14:09 +0000

I had seen a few shacks like this in Cancun before. But when we found this area I couldn’t believe how many shacks were there.

My pictures don’t do the area justice. There were acres and acres of shacks, with no plumbing and no electricity (well, maybe pirated electricity). It was incredible and jaw-dropping.