Background on the Mexican Cultural Landscape
Mexico’s rich cultural heritage is safeguarded by the Secretaría de Cultura federal, which has been instrumental in promoting arts, traditions, and historical preservation since its establishment. The Congress’s recent decision to drastically cut the cultural budget for 2026 has sparked concern and raised questions about the future of Mexico’s cultural initiatives.
The Proposed Budget and Reductions
On the evening of this Wednesday, the federal public budget (PEF) for 2026 was approved in general by Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies, including a 16% reduction in real terms compared to the previous year’s budget. This reduction places the Ramo 48 (Culture) budget at its lowest historical level since the Secretaría de Cultura federal’s creation.
If this reduction stands, the legislative branch would not fulfill President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s instructions to adjust approximately 2,000 million pesos for the cultural sector, a commitment she reiterated during her speech at the Zócalo capital on October 5th.
Reservations as the Only Alternative
On the same day as the general approval of the PEF, Ricardo Monreal Ávila, president of Morena’s Political Junta, announced around 2,000 reservations aiming to reallocate over 17,000 million pesos across various budget sectors. Among these reservations are two specifically targeting the Ramo 48 (Culture) budget increase.
Reservation Details
- Diputada Alma Lidia de la Vega, president of the Cultura y Cinematografía Commission, proposed reducing over 2,000 million pesos from the programmable spending of the Judicial Power to reallocate them to Culture. She suggested directing these additional resources to the INAH, INBAL, and Imcine.
- Diputada Hilda Araceli Brown Figueredo, also a member of the Cultura y Cinematografía Commission, proposed a similar reduction of 2,000 million pesos from the Judicial Power to boost Culture’s budget for 2026.
The Commission’s Delayed Response
The Cultura y Cinematografía Commission only addressed the 2026 fiscal year budget issue in an extraordinary meeting on October 28th, issuing the much-anticipated “Opinion regarding the Federal Budget of Expenditures for the 2026 fiscal year.” This topic had been on the table since the Paquete Económico’s delivery on September 8th.
In their opinion, the Commission acknowledged that the Ramo 48 budget is at a historic low of just over 13,097 million pesos. However, they highlighted that additional resources from Anexo 14: “Resources for the attention of vulnerable groups” would be allocated, reaching a consolidated total of 14,714,984,783 pesos.
These resources, according to the Commission’s opinion, support prioritized cultural policies such as social inclusion, gender equality, technological innovation, and institutional governance. The budget design complements operational spending and strengthens alignment with efficiency, equity, and accountability principles.
Among the Commission members’ particular recommendations, Hilda Araceli Brown suggested “seeking further reallocation to strengthen all Ramo 48 Culture programs in the 2026 PEF, ensuring continued support for creators and cultural projects nationwide.”
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main issue? The Mexican Congress approved a historic reduction in the Culture budget for 2026, sparking concerns about the future of cultural initiatives.
- What are the proposed reservations? Two reservations, led by diputadas Alma Lidia de la Vega and Hilda Araceli Brown Figueredo, aim to reallocate 2,000 million pesos from the Judicial Power to bolster Culture’s budget.
- What is the Commission’s stance? Despite the historic low in the Ramo 48 budget, the Cultura y Cinematografía Commission issued a positive opinion to approve the PEF as proposed by Hacienda, disregarding President Sheinbaum’s instructions.
