AKTUN TUYUL, 2025

Mixed Media
123 x 123 x 6 cm
48.4 x 48.4 x 2.3 in

Aktun Tuyul examines the environmental impact of the Mayan Train project on the fragile karst ecosystems of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Constructed from suspended layers of paper, pins, beads, and weaving, the piece evokes the vulnerability of the region’s vast underground cave systems and cenotes, which form part of one of the largest accessible freshwater aquifers in the world. This aquifer serves as the primary source of drinking water for both human and animal life across most of the peninsula.
The karst aquifer system, composed of highly porous limestone, allows surface contaminants to travel rapidly into groundwater, making it especially vulnerable to pollution. At the center of the composition, a brown weave with embroidery symbolizes the steel-and-concrete support columns used in the train’s construction—structures that, when drilled into the cave floors, introduce contaminants such as rust, cement residue, and sediment into a highly sensitive and interconnected water system.
Through tactile and conceptual gestures, Aktun Tuyul reflects on ecological imbalance, infrastructural intrusion, and the often-invisible degradation occurring beneath the surface.