Sand From Sisal Won’t Save Progreso’s Malecón on Its Own

Progreso’s beaches are still shrinking, and the fixes on the table so far are small next to the problem.

Coastal erosion remains one of the biggest environmental challenges for the port and its beach communities. The damage is most visible along stretches of the Malecón Tradicional, the seaside promenade that anchors Progreso’s tourism. Tour operators, vendors and residents who rely on the beach for their income are watching the sand slip away, and the shoreline keeps changing shape.

Local officials say any real recovery will take coordination among the city, state and federal governments.

A truckload of sand, for now

In recent months, officials have floated moving sand onto the beach to partly rebuild it. One plan calls for about 1,500 cubic meters (roughly 1,960 cubic yards) of sand from Sisal. That’s a limited fix for a problem this size, aimed at the worst-hit sections.

Progreso has tried this before. In September 2025, crews spread 720 cubic meters (about 940 cubic yards) of sand dredged from Sisal’s harbor along the east end of the malecón. It pushed the waterline back by up to 3 meters (about 10 feet). Neighbors welcomed the effort but warned that the sea would take the sand back unless some kind of barrier went in.

The Progreso city government has said it is ready to help. Larger projects, however, need federal permits, since the shoreline is a regulated coastal zone.

Bigger than one beach

The erosion isn’t limited to Progreso. In January, Guillermo Humberto Porras Quevedo, who heads the federal environment ministry, Semarnat, in Yucatán, said the agency was working on a remediation plan for the entire coast.

“We can’t single out Progreso, Telchac or Dzilam. No. It’s the whole coast,” he said.

Storms have sped things up. After Hurricane Milton churned through the Gulf in October 2024 without making landfall in Yucatán, Progreso lost up to 20 meters (about 65 feet) of beach in a matter of weeks. Strong local west winds, known as chikin ic, added to the damage.

In June, José Luis González Pérez, Yucatán’s undersecretary of sustainable development, said some parts of the coast had lost more than 15 meters (about 50 feet) over the past decade. The state has been studying the shoreline from Progreso to Telchac Puerto with UNAM, Mexico’s national university.

Scientists also point to human causes. Christian Appendini, a UNAM expert in waves and sediment transport, has said sand along this coast moves from east to west, so anything built on one beach affects the next one down the line. He blames poor coastal management and disorderly development, and says stopgap sandbag walls can make the problem worse. Yucatán Magazine recently looked at how Progreso’s viaduct fits into that picture.

Not every beach is losing ground. Veteran fishermen on Progreso’s west side say the beach there has grown to about 300 meters (roughly 985 feet) wide over the past 40 years. They link that growth to dredging of the shipping channel and erosion farther east.

Dunes as a defense

Coastal dunes are getting more attention, too. Their plants and sand help hold the shoreline in place and act as a natural buffer against storms. Along much of the coast near Progreso, though, those dunes are already gone, a pattern documented in reporting on the region’s worsening coastal crisis.

For now, Progreso is waiting on sand, permits and a coastwide plan that has yet to be made public.

Fast Facts

• Location: Progreso, Mérida’s beach town on the Gulf of Mexico
• Hardest hit: east end of the Malecón Tradicional, Chicxulub Puerto and Chelem
• Proposed fix: about 1,500 cubic meters (1,960 cubic yards) of sand from Sisal
• Last refill: 720 cubic meters (940 cubic yards) in September 2025
• Loss after Hurricane Milton: up to 20 meters (65 feet) in weeks
• Decade-long loss in some areas: more than 15 meters (50 feet)
• Who must approve big projects: federal environmental authorities
• Best natural defense: healthy coastal dunes and their plants

With reporting from Por Esto! and Diario de Yucatán