Opinion: What good is a collection Mexico can’t afford to keep?

Mexico's cultural heritage is vast, yet the government lacks the financial resources to properly preserve and maintain it. The country's federal cultural heritage structure and 2026 budget reveal a glaring disconnect between its extensive collection of tangible heritage and the minuscule budget allocated for its upkeep. This imbalance stems from decades of policies that treated art and culture as tools for national pride rather than commitments to preserving and researching Mexico's unique heritage.

The country's cultural landscape comprises two main sectors: private collectors and public institutions. While private entities fund and manage major art collections, public institutions are overseen by the Secretaría de Cultura, Mexico's cabinet-level ministry. The federal cultural heritage structure is divided into two branches: the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) and the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL).

INAH focuses on heritage from up to the 19th century, while INBAL manages works from the 20th century, including schools, conservatories, ballets, and orchestras.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has stated that artworks designated as cultural heritage of Mexico cannot be sold abroad but can be exhibited in foreign countries. The Carta Cultural Iberoamericana recommends countries allocate 1% of public spending to culture, but Mexico's entire culture budget only amounts to 0.15% of federal spending.

Despite this, INBAL's largest program consumes roughly 2.7 million pesos, with over 95% of its budget going to salaries. INAH's heritage protection program receives 3.4 million pesos, with more than 77% allocated to staff pay.

The current budget is insufficient to cover the maintenance of Mexico's cultural assets. INAH estimates that there are over 200,000 archaeological zones, but only a quarter of them have been registered. The Auditoría Superior de la Federación found deficiencies in inventory and cataloging in more than 90% of the cultural assets it reviewed. This lack of proper documentation hinders Mexico's ability to conserve and protect its heritage effectively.

While museum visitors may assume that ticket sales cover the costs of running a museum, this is rarely the case. Mericia Morales Curiel, a prominent cultural manager, explains that museum revenue from admissions is insufficient to sustain operations, let alone support a cultural industry. Major museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicate a small fraction of their budget to admissions, with ticket sales accounting for only 13% of its 2023-24 operating budget.

The remaining funds come from a complex ecosystem of private industry and individuals investing in the museum's operations.