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Baja California Urges CBP to Stop Blasting at Sacred Cerro Cuchumá

The dispute tests cross-border protections for a site sacred to Kumiai communities.

Overview

  • President Claudia Sheinbaum requested reports from Mexico’s culture and foreign ministries on the effects of explosives at the mountain and possible next steps.
  • Baja California’s culture secretary formally asked U.S. Customs and Border Protection to halt explosive demolition at Cuchumá and to follow indigenous consultation protocols.
  • Residents near El Manzanito reported frequent blasts in rocky areas tied to border-wall work and said the explosions began without notice.
  • Tecate mayor Román Cota Muñoz said the construction is taking place on U.S. territory along the shared ridgeline of the mountain.
  • Scholars and community leaders describe Cuchumá as a ceremonial center for Yuman/Kumiai peoples, recognized on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and treated in Mexico as intangible cultural heritage.