If you’re a fan of the long read, that is to say an article that requires you to concentrate for a while and shut out all the other noise, then you’re in for a treat here.

You’ve probably heard of Tulum, one of Mexico’s hottest tourist destinations. Over the years celebs have flocked to the see and be seen area – Demi Moore sunbathing, Jared Leto partying, Cara Delevingne and Michelle Rodriguez making out in the ocean, Justin Bieber being Bieber and so on.

Turns out it isn’t all dream-catchers and moonlit raves though, a truth exposed in the Guardian’s excellent piece titled “How rich hippies and developers went to war over Instagram’s favourite beach“.

I did say it requires some time set aside, but let’s set the scene a little:

People don’t just vacation in Tulum – they embark on personal journeys. “There are still bragging rights to saying you were in Tulum,” Condé Nast Traveler’s lifestyle editor Rebecca Misner told me. “It’s an easy way to telegraph that you’re a certain type of sophisticated but laid-back person.” Tulum’s hotels and spas offer decadence with a sheen of spirituality, you can have your pick of ayahuasca ceremonies, Buddhist chanting and power yoga classes…

As the area became fashionable, however, the value of land rapidly increased, and as developers began to circle prime sites, the question of ownership became more urgent.

The dispute began with a government initiative to redistribute land to the needy, but it has turned into into a land grab by the rich…

Over the next decade, Tulum’s moonlight raves and yoga classes continued, as did the sporadic evictions. In 2014, a group of armed men seized four hotels; when bystanders attempted to film what was happening, the police confiscated their cameras.

If that has tickled your fancy you can get stuck into the full story HERE.

[source:guardian]