The historic Paso de Cortés, a natural corridor located between the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes in central Mexico, will henceforth be known as “Paso de los Pueblos Indígenas” (Pass of the Indigenous Peoples), as announced by President Claudia Sheinbaum on Sunday. 

Speaking at the mountain pass during the launch of the 2026 National Reforestation Campaign, Sheinbaum recalled that it was named after Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, who passed through the volcanoes on his way to Tenochtitlan (today Mexico City) following the Cholula massacre in 1519.

Sheinbaum said the current name overlooks the history of the Indigenous peoples who knew, inhabited and traversed the territory prior to the arrival of the conquistadores. She added that it was “no coincidence” the reforestation event coincided with the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. 

“Today, on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, let’s call this pass the Pass of the Indigenous Peoples,” she said.  

The name change joins Sheinbaum’s previous efforts to reframe historical narratives around Indigenous communities. For instance, in 2021, while serving as Mayor of Mexico City, Sheinbaum championed renaming Puente de Alvarado Avenue, after the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado, to Calzada México-Tenochtitlan.

The name change announcement came during Sheinbaum’s work tour of Puebla, where she also signed a decree establishing the second Sunday of August each year as National Reforestation Day in a move to turn the restoration of forests, mountains, rivers and other natural areas into a permanent, nationwide activity. 

En el Día Internacional de los Pueblos Indígenas, propusimos, por justicia, cambiar el nombre de Paso de Cortés por Paso de los Pueblos Indígenas, origen y fuente de nuestros valores.

Hoy también realizamos la Jornada Nacional de Reforestación. Recordamos que honrar nuestras… pic.twitter.com/ZjUrsbhGJ4

— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) August 9, 2026

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Columba López Gutiérrez said that the initiative saw the participation of 241,000 people on Sunday alone, who planted over six million trees and 1.7 million seeds across 32,000 hectares throughout the country. 

Moreover, 500,000 seeds were dispersed via drones in hard-to-reach areas. These drones were also exhibited during Sunday’s presidential event. 

Overall, Sheinbaum’s goal is to plant 1.5 billion plants, trees and seeds during the four years remaining in her administration. 

With reports from El Financiero