Part of the limestone mining by Vulcan Materials in Calica, in Quintana Roo state, Mexico. The government ordered a halt to Vulcan Materials, a producer of gravel and crushed stone, citing environmental concerns. Photo: Paola Chiomante/Reuters via Alamy
Mexico’s easternmost state of Quintana Roo is highly sought after by foreign tourists for the beaches of Tulum and Playa del Carmen, as well as its idyllic cenotes — natural pools formed by the collapse of limestone bedrock. But holidaymakers aren’t the only ones who covet the region, which makes up the eastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula.
American gravel and sand producer Vulcan Materials enjoys a number of mining concessions in Quintana Roo, where it extracts limestone for use in construction in the U.S. The company’s activities are controversial, however, with Mexican President Andrés Manuel “AMLO” López Obrador claiming mining operations are leading to an “ecological disaster” in the region.
And far from empty threats, AMLO said in May that he will sue the company in international courts...
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