Indigenous Women Lead Cultural Defense at Maya Festival

Playa del Carmen, 29 November 2025 — As part of the Ch’i’ibal Sound Fest 2025, the Forum on Indigenous Women’s Rights was held this Friday at the Sol Hall of La Ceiba Park, a reflective space that brought together female voices dedicated to cultural defense, community management, and the struggle for the continuity of ancestral knowledge.

The meeting is part of the series of forums held from 26 to 29 November, which began on the festival’s digital platforms and continued in person at the Frida Kahlo Museum and La Ceiba Park. During these sessions, specialists and cultural creators shared experiences about creative processes driven by women in various regions of the country.

Representatives from the Coordinadora de Mujeres Mayas de Quintana Roo, from Felipe Carrillo Puerto, participated in this session. The speakers addressed the importance of female leadership in defending territory, preserving historical-cultural heritage, and strengthening community practices in the face of climate change.

One of the central themes was the reclamation of the legacy of María Uicab, an essential figure in the history of the Maya people, recognized for her resistance, leadership, and role in collective memory. Her example was used as a point of reflection to highlight indigenous women as guardians of the land, identity, and living memory of their peoples.

The forum also generated a dialogue on community strategies to curb the effects of environmental degradation, as well as on the role of culture in the generational continuity of traditions and knowledge.

The forum activities will continue on 29 November with new dialogue tables at La Ceiba Park, as part of the festival’s commitment to making visible the struggles and contributions of indigenous women from the Mexican Caribbean and Mexico.