Veracruz — President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo delivered 1.418 billion pesos from the Fund for Social Infrastructure Contributions for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples (FAISPIAM) to benefit more than 2,500 communities in Veracruz. The president stated that this funding will be permanent, as established by Article 2 of the Mexican Constitution, ensuring annual resources for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities.
Sheinbaum highlighted that for the first time, Mexico’s Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples are recognized as rights-bearing subjects in the Constitution thanks to the Fourth Transformation. She emphasized that these funds allow communities to plan long-term for the basic social infrastructure projects they need, deciding autonomously how to allocate the resources.
The president recalled that previously, Indigenous peoples had no direct access to public funds, and that this policy helps address a historic debt. She explained that more than 12 billion pesos were approved nationally this year through FAISPIAM, distributed according to each community’s population and managed directly by local residents.
At the event, Social Welfare Secretary Ariadna Montiel Reyes underscored that the administration of these funds is led by women treasurers, marking significant progress in women’s participation in community life and public resource management.
National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI) Director Adelfo Regino Montes noted that the communities in Veracruz belong to the Nahua, Totonac, Popoluca, Chinantec, Huastec, Otomi, Texistepec, Zapotec, Tzotzil, Zoque, Mazatec, Mixe, Tepehua, Ch’ol, and Tzeltal peoples. Governor Rocío Nahle García praised the funding delivery as an act of justice for the state’s Indigenous communities.
