Abraham ‘Chore’ Martín Eyes Playa del Carmen Mayor’s Race Amid Criticism

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — José Abraham Martín Álvarez, known as “Abraham Chore” Martín, is positioning himself to run for mayor of Playa del Carmen, even as critics question his experience and point to political connections behind his rise.

Martín Álvarez has held several posts in the municipal government. According to people close to him, he previously managed projects at a private company before leading the city’s sports institute.

In October 2022, Gov. Mara Lezama Espinosa appointed him director of revenue collection, a position tied to the state Finance and Planning Secretariat and the Quintana Roo Tax Administration Service.

Although he has kept a low profile, multiple sources attribute his political ascent to his father, Miguel Ramón Martín Azueta, a former mayor of Playa del Carmen for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who later joined Morena. According to those accounts, the appointment was intended to open the door for him in public administration despite his limited experience.

People familiar with the official say he is now seeking Morena’s candidacy for the municipal presidency, even though he has yet to show results in his current role. They also say the city’s municipal trustee, Agustín Aguilar Méndez, acts as one of his main advisers because of his lack of experience in public administration.

Martín Álvarez is also linked politically to the circle of former Mayor Laura Beristain Navarrete. Her administration faces 13 complaints before the state’s anticorruption prosecutor’s office, including an alleged financial loss exceeding 200 million pesos.

Community leaders also say Martín Álvarez maintains ties with people accused of financial crimes and has shown neither closeness to the public nor results since taking office.

As he continues to seek the mayoral nomination, his detractors say, he has yet to prove he has the skills and experience to handle Playa del Carmen’s administrative and financial challenges.