This account of the everyday politics of the World Heritage archaeological site of Chichén Itzá (Yucatán, Mexico) contributes to a new impulse in the study of heritage and tourism: the interests and participation of multiple publics in the production of sites of national cultural identities and international tourism. For decades, Maya residents in and around Chichén Itzá have been employed in the site's excavation, maintenance, and protection. For these indigenous heritage workers, patrimonial claims to the site are based not on the monuments themselves but on inherited job positions. The transformation of these workers into a local elite has occasioned contentious broader community politics as other local residents advocate opening the site's benefit stream to a wider group of stakeholders. This case study thus addresses the role played by heritage workers in the micro-politics of patrimony at a World Heritage Site.