The gods must be angry: Mexico 'cancels' statue of Greek god Poseidon after dispute with local deity

The gods must be angry — or just laughing at the hubris of humanity.

Authorities in Mexico have slapped a “closure” order on a 10-foot-tall (3-meter) aquatic statue of the Greek god of the sea Poseidon that was erected in May in the Gulf of Mexico just off the town of Progreso, Yucatan.

Mexico’s environmental protection agency said late Thursday that the statue, which appears to show an angry trident-wielding Poseidon “rising” from the sea a few meters from the beach, lacked permits. In the few months it has been up, tourists had gathered to take pictures of themselves with it as a striking background.

But it was symbolically “closed” Thursday — and could be removed altogether — after a group of activist lawyers filed a legal complaint saying the statue of the Greek offended the beliefs of local Maya Indigenous groups who prefer their own local god of water, known as Chaac.

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The federal government, little known for its concern for the environment, appears to be responding more to pressure groups, which appears to be what happened this time around.

Mexico’s environmental protection agency “did nothing until we filed for a constitutional injunction,” Morales said. “Now they carried out a ‘closure’ action, which is pretty symbolic ... because they were going to be embarrassed.”

Usually, the agency levies a fine or orders environmental studies, and then the project is allowed to continue. Only in rare cases do authorities order demolition or removal.