Jeanne Gounot​

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Andalus Committee Latin America Center

This policy report from the Andalus Committee's Latin America Center examines the Tren Maya as a flagship development project for Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, and the tension it reveals between infrastructure-led growth and indigenous rights. While framed around social welfare and job creation since its 2018 launch, the project has been marked by consultation processes that fall short of free, prior and informed consent, leaving indigenous communities with limited real influence over decisions affecting their territories. The report argues that the absence of binding, community-led decision-making is the central obstacle to reconciling development with indigenous rights, and proposes reforms centered on a permanent consultation forum, legally recognized veto power for indigenous representatives, and deeper cooperation with Ecuador's Tren Crucero model — reframing the Tren Maya as a test case for participatory infrastructure development in the region.