The only time I’ve ever flown internationally was when I moved from the Philippines to the United States when I was nine years old. Growing up, we were never the type of family to go on family vacations to the beautiful islands of my country. I haven’t even been to the touristy destinations in the Philippines, so this trip was my first time as a tourist in another country, so for my final reflection, I will touch on my experiences as a tourist and student in Mérida while sharing my observations and thoughts on some of the different excursions we participated in.
Like I said in my previous post, this experience definitely made me more aware of how I behaved as a tourist. I believe that it is inevitable for one to compare the country they are visiting to the country where they live. We often romanticize the places we go to. For example, throughout the trip we would always compare how everything in Mérida is “cheaper” than things in the United States, and we sometimes forget that this is their norm due to the economic standing of the country. I feel that sometimes, it is easy to overlook reality, the reality of struggle and hardships because we are blinded by the beauty of cenotes, haciendas, and archaeological sites.
This fourth wall was broken for me while visiting Yaxunah. From the reading titled, The Celebrity Chef Lands in Yaxunah, it states that the typical tourist in the first decade of the 2000s who visited the town were “usually seeking a more authentic experience than the Disneyish, polished version of Yucatán.” It is fascinating to see that the same practices are being performed decades later. It definitely took some time to acclimate myself with the experience, but a part of me also felt guilty for treating my host family’s everyday routine as an activity or excursion. It also deeply saddened me that they were only getting paid less than 150 pesos for our stay. Additionally, finding out that AirBnBs were being built in the area became a reality check that tourists are vital for the survival of Yaxunah, but will also take away from the families who house tourists for homestays.
A similar idea of tourism being a factor for survival were the vendors at Chichen Itza. There were so many locals selling the same goods and competing for customers. I realized that this is what a lot of families resort to to make a living. This was also conveyed in the film Cannibal Tours. Watching this movie really made me uncomfortable and it is really disheartening when tourists, especially white tourists, openly exercise their privilege and bring out white saviorism. This was noted in offering money for a photo with the indigenous people as well as asking for a second or third price when they clearly have the money to pay for the first price. It was sad to see that a photo with them has more value to the tourists than the beautiful handicrafts they sell. Additionally, the scene of the white tourists with face paint and dressed as the indigenous people was a twisted way of depicting that they can take away or claim whatever is theirs.
Finally, the visit to the hacienda really sealed the deal for me when it comes to tourism creating a divide with performance and reality. First, the place itself is a symbol of the privilege of the rich because they got to live in an opulent home while slavery took place on its grounds. The separation of the hacienda to the mezcal plantations symbolized the divide between the two and the tour guide greatly censored the harsh realities of the hacienda. The machinery was only turned on to show the tourists how they work and the whole thing seemed like a performance. This reminded me of a quote mentioned in Chapter 5 of Sugar Cane and Rum titled “The Cantina, the State, and the Development of Cancun” which states “The free-flowing fruity drinks that hide the taste of inferior rum are enjoyable and do not stress the palate of the drinker” which gives the impression of out of sight, out of mind, which was what I felt during my time at the hacienda.
It is important for us to always be aware of our actions, especially as tourists. At the end of the day, we are merely visitors, and the places we visit are their homes and we should do our best to educate ourselves on the ethics of our visits or at least acknowledge the realities of the places we go to.
