Góngora Family’s New Water Business Ties to Politics

Playa del Carmen, Mexico — As former politician Mauricio Góngora seeks a resurgence in Quintana Roo's political arena with a potential candidacy, his family is delving into the business of selling alkaline water. This new venture reflects a continuity of questionable and opportunistic practices, recalling the controversial privatization of water in Playa del Carmen that marked Góngora's previous administration.

Christian Lozada Medina, the husband of Góngora's sister-in-law, Deputy Majo Osorio, has initiated the sale of what is advertised as alkaline water. According to a review of the brand registration with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), however, the product is registered simply as purified bottled water under the denomination "984."

The situation is noted for its irony, as the Góngora family is now entering the water sales business, which is presumed to bring them significant economic gains during a conjunctural moment. This coincides with Mauricio Góngora beginning to campaign for any available position and his sister-in-law being seen as a potential municipal president of Playa del Carmen.

According to IMPI documents, Lozada Medina filed for the trademark registration on September 13, 2024. It was granted for exploitation on February 2 of this year.

Their digital portal indicates, as a hook to create consumers, that the product is promoted by the "company" THE CLEAR CHOICE. It states that for every 10 boxes a consumer acquires, the company will plant 10 trees. However, this appears to be deceptive, as no company by that name exists in records with the Secretary of Economy. This lack of legal certainty suggests they may not fulfill their promises, pointing to what appears to be misleading advertising, similar to the myths surrounding alkaline water that the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has warned about in its studies.

Lozada Medina, who years ago faced a federal lawsuit in Mexico City for probable fraud, now claims that "984" has the endorsement of "Hecho en Quintana Roo" (Made in Quintana Roo). Nevertheless, the "984" product is not listed in the program's official catalog.

This move represents the Góngora family's return to practices reminiscent of those from years ago in Playa del Carmen, for which they were held responsible for a major embezzlement.