This article by Emir Olivares and Alonso Urrutia originally appeared in the October 12, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
Mexico City. Commemorating the Day of the Resistance of the Peoples, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo stated that Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities “lead the way” in the discussions to present the general law for those peoples to the Congress of the Union.
“We had the idea that perhaps on October 12, today, it could be delivered to Congress, but there are still issues that it is important to keep consulting on. That is why you lead the way, you have the word, you have the decision, and until you tell us ‘it’s ready,’ well, then we will not present it to the Congress of the Union.”
In the Marian courtyards of the National Palace, the president held a “circular dialogue” with representatives of various Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities to mark the date.
President Claudia Sheinbaum listens to representatives of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities at the ceremony for the Day of the Resistance of the Peoples. Photo: Presidencia
From there, she highlighted that beyond remembering it as Día de la Raza (Columbus Day), which was a Eurocentric vision, the objective of the governments of the Fourth Transformation is for it to be recognized as the Day of the Resistance of the Peoples.
October 12 is no longer Día de la Raza. (Since 2020) the Senate of the Republic recognizes it as the Day of the Pluricultural Nation; but we like to recognize it as the Day of the Resistance of the Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples, because if it were not for that resistance, Mexico today would not be what it is.
President Claudia Sheinbaum
The head of the Executive stated that with the Fourth Transformation that recognition did not remain only in words, but that with the constitutional changes of 2024 those communities were recognized as subjects of rights, which had not happened in the constitutions of 1824, 1857 or 1917.
“In the Constitution of 2024 it was established in the second article of the Constitution that Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples are subjects of law and of all rights. That is historic because it had never been recognized before.
“And when we arrived (at the Presidency), first (we proposed) that a general law must be made, but if the second article of the Constitution recognizes that there must be Indigenous consultation, there’s no way the general law can’t emerge from the peoples and from the consultation!”
For that reason, the president stressed that they will wait for the voice of the communities to take the law to Congress.
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Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Communities “Lead the Way” in Analysis for the General Law on Peoples, Sheinbaum Says
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