The Secret Agro Mafia of Southeast Mexico’s Power Elite: Exposed

For over four decades, a network of businessmen, former officials, and politicians have exploited over 25,000 hectares of communal lands in Southeast Mexico. This systematic dispossession began with a series of irregular transactions and has since evolved into a highly efficient model of corruption and violence. Even lands within protected natural areas have not been spared.

An investigation by the National Agrarian Registry (RAN) reveals that this exploitation has primarily benefited members of the economic and political elite. Among those implicated are Antonino Almazán Arteaga, a former agrarian official, Rafael Acosta Solís, a former deputy attorney general of Yucatán, and businessmen like Roberto Hernández, Alejandro Ramírez and Carlos Abraham Mafud.

These individuals have used fake documents, rigged assemblies, and bribes to seize social property lands in Quintana Roo, Yucatán, and Campeche. These lands, now worth billions of pesos, hold significant tourism potential, real estate value, and are in close proximity to the Maya Train.

The Geography of Exploitation

The exploitation has not been evenly distributed. Quintana Roo is the most affected state, with 12,817 hectares expropriated across seven municipalities. Yucatán has lost 11,785 hectares, affecting 12 municipalities. Campeche, though less impacted, has also seen 641 hectares taken from three communal lands.

Political corruption has played a significant role in this process. The RAN report suggests that the economic power of these exploiters is directly linked to political power, facilitating their operations with impunity.

The Major Exploiters

The National Agrarian Registry identifies eight individuals who have each accumulated over 1,000 hectares, and another six who have concentrated between 500 and 999 hectares. In total, 411 politicians and businessmen own almost 223,000 hectares across the country, as recently revealed by Spanish media outlet Diario Red.

The most significant of these exploiters was Ausencio Dávila López, who held 4,502 hectares in Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo until his death. His holdings were so vast they exceeded the largest commune in Mexico City, San Nicolás Totolapan. His fortune has been left in a legal limbo, as unknown successors continue to exploit the land he usurped. Another notable name is Mauricio Montalvo Vales, a hotel businessman with 3,487 hectares in 10 communal land holdings in Yucatán.