Beach vendors affiliated with the CROM, CTM, Blancos, Mixtecos, and Teotihuacán associations staged a protest this Wednesday morning, June 3, 2026, at the Mazatlán “Letters” tourist landmark—located on Avenida Del Mar—to denounce the presence of “pirate” (unauthorized) vendors who, they claim, arrive every holiday season without permits and cut into their sales.
Personnel from the Mazatlán City Hall’s Office of the Chief Administrative Officer arrived at the protest site to arrange a meeting to analyze the issue.
Gilberto Lizárraga Gárate, the representative for a group of CTM vendors, pointed out that with every long weekend or holiday period, merchants from other states arrive and roam the malecón (boardwalk), beach areas, and tourist attractions, offering the same merchandise without any permits and without paying taxes—an issue that directly affects the local vendors, as they do comply with these obligations.
According to the protesters, there are five groups of beach and boardwalk vendors in Mazatlán, comprising nearly 700 individual sellers—representing just over 700 Mazatlán families who depend on this commercial activity for their livelihood and who are negatively impacted by the displacement of their sources of income.
They assert that they have detected as many as 1,500 unauthorized vendors from outside the city during peak seasons, such as Holy Week, and that today’s demonstration is intended to resolve the problem before the summer holiday season begins.
“Mazatlán’s beaches have gone without enforcement or oversight for over two years now—a situation that allows anyone to simply show up and freely sell whatever they please. There is a legal loophole: the City Hall has the personnel, but cannot exercise authority because it lacks jurisdiction over the beaches; conversely, PROFEPA—the federal agency that does possess the necessary authority—lacks the personnel to enforce it.” In response to this “commercial piracy,” union leaders have requested a meeting with the heads of Profepa and Semarnat to resolve the issue of unregulated trade and to prevent vendors from outside the area from operating.
During the protest, representatives from the Mazatlán City Hall’s Office of the Chief Administrative Officer arrived to hear the complaints and proposals. The demonstrators pointed out that during a previous meeting with the relevant authorities, they had been assured that the problem would be resolved; however, during every holiday period, groups of vendors from other states continue to arrive and roam the malecón until 11:00 p.m. or midnight.
In light of these grievances, the City Hall officials present at the demonstration site proposed holding a meeting to analyze the situation. This proposal was accepted, and the parties agreed to coordinate on a date for the meeting.
Source: lineadirectaportal
