Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena of Yucatán has come under scrutiny after reports revealed he purchased multiple ranches with cenotes worth millions of pesos during his first year in office, raising questions about transparency and possible conflicts of interest.
A recent investigation by Sol Yucatán uncovered that Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena has acquired at least three ranch properties since taking office, valued at more than 25.5 million pesos. The most notable purchase is the Santa Elena ranch, a 180‑hectare property located between Panabá and San Felipe, which includes a functional cenote and other abandoned water bodies. The acquisition reportedly cost 12 million pesos.
The ranch, once owned by the Portillo family, features extensive infrastructure: grazing pastures, irrigation systems, electricity, and a main residence. Locals say the cenote was recently cleaned, fueling speculation that Díaz Mena may be planning to develop an ecotourism project. The property lies just 300 meters from another ranch owned by the governor, Santa Pilar.
Critics argue that the governor’s acquisitions raise concerns about how he financed them. To afford the purchases, Díaz Mena would have needed to save his entire salary and production earnings for over eight years without spending a peso, according to estimates.
This marks at least the third major purchase by Díaz Mena since April 2025, when he bought the San Manuel Número Uno ranch, a 75.5‑hectare property. The revelations have sparked debate over the intersection of political power, private wealth, and natural resource ownership in Yucatán.
Source: Sol Yucatan
