Punta Allen

About this audio guide

This guide to Punta Allen, the lobster fishing village at the tip of the Sian Ka'an reserve in Tulum, follows a discrepancy in the cooperative's own ledger back to one fisherman's borrowed idea from Cuban traders decades ago. It traces how a handmade shelter, first woven from palm and later poured in cement, reshaped who could make a living from this reef. You will hear how the design kept changing across generations of the same families. Look for the stacked shelters at the dock before the boats head out.