Fonatur transfers 20 million pesos to Oaxaca's Pueblos Mancomunados for community tourism works

Fonatur, Mexico's federal tourism development fund, said on October 28 it had transferred 20 million pesos to Pueblos Mancomunados, the group of Zapotec communities in Oaxaca's Sierra Norte. That is about $1.07 million at Banco de México's FIX rate of 18.7147 pesos on November 5, by our calculation. The communities can use it to renovate, restore and equip public spaces, buildings and other assets tied to their tourism and cultural heritage. The first equipment is going in at San Miguel Amatlán and Santa Catarina Lachatao, Fonatur said.

What the release leaves open

It doesn't list individual projects or a timetable, and it doesn't say whether any cabin, trail or dining room will close during the work. Nor does it mention an earlier figure. On June 17, Fonatur reported its director, Sebastián Ramírez Mendoza, saying the fund would invest 25 million pesos in Pueblos Mancomunados this year. The October release doesn't say whether the 20 million is part of that sum or whether more is coming this year, so the two figures can't be set against each other.

The transfer is the latest step in a year of federal attention, which the releases below trace. Fonatur says it plans to invest in the destination every year, and its director has compared the commitment with the decades of financing that built Cancún, while calling the two different in kind.

Who decides, and what visitors find there

Fonatur stresses that its July agreement neither transfers nor touches communal property, and that any decision on the land rests with the communities. Further projects, it says, will be settled later on terms the communities set. At an April event at the Yaa Gatzi ecotourism center, the director named water sanitation and waste handling as examples of the real needs that consultations should put first.

Fonatur's own site describes Pueblos Mancomunados as eight localities organized under their customary systems, which chose in 1994 to promote their heritage through tourism. It lists more than 100 kilometers of trails, along with cabins, dining rooms, lookouts, hanging bridges, zip lines and farm tourism. It gives no prices or booking details on that page, and we have not checked current rates or availability.

Sectur says Mexico has issued 871 community tourism badges nationwide, as of its June release. That counts badges issued, not businesses or places.

What UK travel advice says

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), in advice updated October 20 and still current on November 6, does not list Oaxaca state or the Sierra Norte among the areas where it advises against all but essential travel. That is our reading of its list, and it doesn't mean the area is free of risk: the same page says, "No travel can be guaranteed safe." Its safety page also says: "There have also been ongoing protests blocking vehicle access to Oaxaca airport. If you are flying to Oaxaca, check the status of your flight and monitor local media for updates. Allow more time to get to and from Oaxaca airport."