Yucatán Empowers Rural Women with Tools

Chumayel, Yucatán — On the occasion of International Day of Rural Women, Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena led the distribution of supplies and tools benefiting more than 1,500 rural artisans and entrepreneurs, as part of the state policy to strengthen the economy of Yucatán's women producers.

During the event, the state leader emphasized that this effort is part of his administration's commitment to return to the countryside and its people what was taken from them for years: attention, dignity, and opportunities, thereby driving the economic and social transformation of rural communities.

The distributed support, which amounts to almost four million pesos, is aimed at women dedicated to hand and machine embroidery, hammock weaving, and weaving with yarn and henequen fibers. These activities represent not only a source of income but also the preservation of traditional knowledge that distinguishes the state's cultural identity.

Accompanied by the honorary president of the Sistema para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) Yucatán, Mtra. Wendy Méndez Naal, the state official reaffirmed his commitment to continue building a Yucatán where being born a woman and being born Mayan does not mean having fewer opportunities, but, on the contrary, feeling part of the most valuable aspect of our identity and having the support of the Government.

"Every rural woman has a story, carrying generations of learning to weave hammocks, to embroider in family with ancestral techniques that you now teach your daughters. Those stories are the soul of the Maya Renaissance, the vision with which we want to transform Yucatán, a transformation that respects our traditions, drives innovation, and strengthens justice and the economic autonomy of women," stated the Governor.

Before rural women from different parts of the state, the head of the state Executive Branch indicated that, for many years, artisans did not have access to supplies to make their products, a situation that has changed with support for artisanal production and rural entrepreneurship, ensuring that resources no longer remain in offices and reach their final destination.

Likewise, Díaz Mena indicated that these efforts to support rural women would not be possible without the support of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, who is always committed to ensuring that women are valued, respected, and supported.

Furthermore, the Governor reaffirmed his support for the municipality of Chumayel with actions such as the construction of eight kilometers of harvest access roads, the rehabilitation of two potable water catchment areas, the building of 40 rooms for vulnerable families and 50 backyard orchards, as well as the repaving of streets and the creation of a tele-bachillerato in coordination with the City Council.

For her part, the honorary president of DIF Yucatán, Mtra. Wendy Méndez Naal, recognized the courage, tireless work, and great heart of the rural women of Yucatán. She also reiterated the interest of the Maya Renaissance in looking after their health, inviting them to join the campaign "Autoexplórate, hazlo costumbre, hazlo tradición" ("Self-examine, make it a habit, make it a tradition").

"Thank you for your example, your dedication, and courage. Let us continue together transforming Yucatán into a strong state with well-being, and may health, love, and traditions always unite us," affirmed Méndez Naal.

In his address, the secretary of Desarrollo Rural (Seder), Edgardo Medina Rodríguez, reiterated that Yucatán has a Government willing to give its best so that rural women can get ahead, as they are the ones who make the countryside flourish, making it a stronger, fairer, and more prosperous sector.

Medina Rodríguez detailed that the support delivered corresponds to sewing machines, grain mills, tricycles, henequen materials, and embroidery equipment.

In turn, the mayor of Chumayel, Ricardo Abraham Peraza Vázquez, expressed his gratitude to Governor Díaz Mena for making attention to rural women a priority, supporting artisans and entrepreneurs who sustain their communities with talent, daily work, and cultural legacy.

The event was attended by the president of the Municipal DIF of Chumayel, María Alondra Ek Briceño; the beneficiaries Venancia Puc Balam and Eulalia Itzá Cachón; and the president of the Junta de Gobierno y Coordinación Política del Congreso del Estado, Wilmer Monforte Marfil.

Also in attendance were local deputies Neyda Pat Dzul and Verónica Interián Argüello; the secretary of Pesca y Acuacultura Sustentables del Estado de Yucatán (Sepasy), Lila Frías Castillo; the director general of the Instituto para el Desarrollo de la Cultura Maya del Estado de Yucatán (Indemaya), Fabiola Loeza Novelo; the head of the Yucatán representation office of the Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (Sader), Jorge Carlos Berlín Montero; and the director general of the Instituto Yucateco de Emprendedores, Salvador Vitelli Macías.