It is estimated that 153,000 yucatecans immigrate. Many to neighboring Quintana Roo to work in tourism and related industries. Most immigrate to the United States from rural towns and are of Maya heritage. In San Francisco, there is even an area called “Maya Town.”
In 2007, during her Fulbright, Maria Rogal worked with the department for Atención a Migrantes, a division of the state’s institute for the development of Maya culture (INDEMAYA), which provides services for immigrants and the families they leave behind.
The projects, public billboards for families in rural communities and a website for those in the US, communicate INDEMAYA‘s services, are intended to invoke trust in a government organization, and humanize immigration.