Las Coloradas: Yucatán’s Pink Salt Landscape

Location: Las Coloradas is located on the northern coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, in the state of Yucatán and within the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve. Its pink salt ponds stretch across a flat coastal landscape surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico, lagoons, and wetlands.

Significance: Las Coloradas is a vast salt-producing area on the northern coast of Yucatán. Its most distinctive features are the man-made evaporation ponds used to produce salt. They are particularly famous for their striking pink color, which has made Las Coloradas an extraordinary photography spot. Today, it is one of the best-known destinations for day trips along the Yucatán coast.

Early History: The flat, sunny coastal landscape of northern Yucatán provides ideal natural conditions for salt production. High temperatures, wind, and intense evaporation gradually increase the concentration of salt in the remaining water. The Maya were already producing salt along the coasts of Yucatán in pre-Hispanic times. It was used, among other things, to preserve food and was also an important trade commodity.

Industrial Salt Production: The modern salt industry in Las Coloradas began in 1946, when Joaquín Roche Martínez and his brother Roger founded Industria Salinera de Yucatán. A company settlement, known as a company town, grew around the operation, and for many years the company had considerable influence over employees’ housing, supplies, transportation, and leisure activities. Its remote location made workers even more dependent on the company. Between 1979 and 1980, an organized labor movement was finally able to establish itself successfully. Over the following decades, the saltworks were technologically modernized and significantly expanded. Today, the company is part of Grupo Roche and, according to its own figures, produces around 750,000 metric tons of sea salt per year in Las Coloradas.

Salt Production: To produce salt, saline water from the Ría Lagartos area is channeled into a series of shallow ponds. There, the water gradually evaporates over several weeks under the effects of sun and wind. As a result, the salt concentration continues to rise until crystals eventually begin to form on the bottom. Once the salt has crystallized sufficiently and hardened, it is harvested and placed in temporary storage. It is then transported to facilities in Las Coloradas and Tizimín for further processing.

Colors: The pink color of the ponds occurs naturally. The highly saline water is home to tiny microorganisms, including the alga Dunaliella salina, which produces reddish pigments. Depending on the salinity, the intensity of the sunlight, and the number of these microorganisms, the water can appear in different shades of pink or red.

Salt Pyramids: After harvesting, the salt from Las Coloradas is piled into enormous white mounds across large storage areas. These pyramid-shaped stockpiles serve as temporary storage for the freshly harvested sea salt. From there, the salt is either sent for further processing and packaging or transported in bulk.

Wildlife: The salt ponds, lagoons, mangroves, and coastal areas around Las Coloradas provide habitat for an exceptionally diverse range of wildlife. The Ría Lagartos area is one of the most important breeding grounds for the Caribbean flamingo, which forms large colonies there. Its pink coloration comes from carotenoids absorbed through its diet of algae and small crustaceans. Green sea turtles and hawksbill turtles also use the beaches of Las Coloradas as important nesting sites. A sea turtle conservation center has operated there since 1986, monitoring nests and animals, among other activities. The surrounding wetlands are also home to pelicans, herons, roseate spoonbills, ospreys, iguanas, and crocodiles. The wider Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve is even home to jaguars, ocelots, and other rare mammals.

Visiting the Salt Ponds: The pink ponds are part of an active saltworks and can be visited today as part of organized tours. Visitors can choose from guided walking tours, bicycle tours, and an approximately 90-minute safari tour by vehicle through parts of the salt-producing landscape. Access to the production areas is regulated to avoid disrupting ongoing salt production, while also protecting visitors and the sensitive ecosystem.

Nature Conservation: Las Coloradas lies within the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, one of Mexico’s most important wetland areas. In 1986, the area became the first Mexican wetland to be added to the international Ramsar List of wetlands of special conservation importance. In 1999, it was designated a national biosphere reserve, and in 2004 it was included in UNESCO’s “Man and the Biosphere” Programme. At the same time, salt is produced here on a large scale. Economic activity must therefore be carefully balanced with the protection of the sensitive mangroves, lagoons, and coastal habitats.

Name: Spanish explorers initially believed the body of water was a river and reported seeing numerous large crocodiles, which they called lagartos. This gave rise to the name “Ría de los Lagartos,” which later became Ría Lagartos. In reality, it is not a river but an extensive system of coastal lagoons, wetlands, and shallow sea channels. The name Las Coloradas can be translated literally as roughly “the red-colored ones” or “the reddish ones.”