Playa del Carmen Councilor Pushes for Direct Federal Funds for Indigenous Communities

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Recognizing the rights of indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities must translate into money those communities can manage themselves, city councilor Juan Novelo said, calling for federal funds to reach them directly.

Novelo, who chairs the municipal Commission on Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Affairs, urged local officials to put into effect a Supreme Court ruling that he said upheld provisions in Mexico’s 2026 federal budget requiring at least 10 percent of the Social Infrastructure Contribution Fund (FAIS) to be handed to these peoples and communities.

He argued that indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities hold the status of public-law entities, with legal personality and their own assets, which allows them to receive and administer the budget allocations that correspond to them.

According to Novelo, the court determined that delivering the money directly respects municipal autonomy, even though the contributions form part of municipal finances, because the funds must still be spent on the purposes set out in federal law.

Reducing inequality

The councilor said access to those resources could help narrow inequalities and strengthen communities’ ability to exercise their rights. Municipal work, he added, should focus on actions that deliver results for indigenous and Afro-Mexican residents.

Fellow commission members Marian Solís Arriaga and Matilde Carrillo Vejar share that approach, Novelo said.

The ruling covers 12 constitutional disputes filed in 2026 and resolved during the court’s Oct. 21 session, according to the information provided.