Take a glance in the background of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s daily press briefings and you will probably see a large poster featuring the name and image of a man who will be honored throughout 2024 by the federal government.
“Felipe Carrillo Puerto: Benemérito (Distinguished Citizen), Revolutionary and Defender of the Proletariat and the Mayab (Yucatan Peninsula)” is the full title of this recognition, one that will be included in all official government correspondence and documentation over the next 12 months.
Carrillo Puerto’s regional renown may not have penetrated deep into Mexican territory, perhaps partly due to his early demise at the age of 50 in front of a firing squad. However, the achievements during his spell as governor of the Yucatan are noteworthy. In just 20 months in office, he promoted new farming techniques, granted women political rights, began family planning programs, fought against alcoholism, established a minimum wage and promulgated laws on social prevention, work, tenancy and divorce. During his administration, he confiscated dozens of large estates and distributed 665,000 hectares of land to the native Maya. He opened nearly 420 public schools, including the Mexican Academy of the Mayan Language and the Universidad del Sureste, now the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán.
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