Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The Municipal Institute of Culture and Arts of Playa del Carmen (IMCAS) reported that it has no documents or records showing how many times the City Theater was rented, who used it, or how much income it generated between October 1, 2024, and June 20, 2026.
The response came from the institute’s director general, Ernesto Santiago Martínez Cuéllar, through the municipal transparency office after a public information request sought the theater’s rental history, including lessee names and amounts charged.
In the official reply, Martínez stated that after searching, no documents, records, lists, contracts, agreements, receipts, or any other documentary support related to the theater’s rental were found. He said he could only provide information existing in the institute’s files.
The lack of records contrasts with the institute’s own explanation for postponing the 2026 International Book Fair, which it attributed to the need to maintain financial discipline.
In a separate information request regarding the Cultural Center Forum at the intersection of CTM and 115 avenues, the institute did report that the space was rented 48 times between October 1, 2024, and June 20, 2026.
According to the official response, the forum was used by dance academies, educational institutions, and private individuals. However, the institute did not disclose the amounts charged for its use, even though that information was also requested.
The institute’s own financial data shows that at the end of the first quarter of 2026, it had more than 2 million pesos in short-term accounts payable, according to its financial statement for that period.
The same financial report shows 816,250 pesos in revenue from the sale of goods and services, a category that typically includes income from renting cultural spaces and other services provided by the institute.
The response was issued under official letter MPDC/IMCAP/DG/0302/06/2026. If the information provided is considered incomplete, transparency laws allow for review mechanisms before the relevant oversight authority.
