Claudia Sheinbaum names ministers of culture, tourism and labor

July 18, 2024

Claudia Sheinbuam stands with her new cabinet appointees on a stage with the words — The newest names in Sheinbaum's cabinet are Marath Bolaños López leading the Labor Ministry, Josefina Rodríguez Zamora as Tourism Minister and Claudia Curiel de Icaza as Minister of Culture. (Claudia Sheinbaum/X)

President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum announced three more appointments to her cabinet on Thursday, introducing the heads of the labor, culture and tourism ministries.

The cabinet appointments of “three brilliant young people” — as Sheinbaum referred to them in a social media post on X — are part of her preparation to take office as Mexico’s first female president on Oct. 1, following her June 2 victory as the candidate for the Morena Party.

Sheinbaum, who has been gradually unveiling her cabinet picks, stated that only the ministers of Defense and the Navy remain to be announced. Those are expected to be made in September.

The newest appointees are Marath Bolaños López, 40, as Labor and Social Welfare Minister; Claudia Curiel de Icaza, 44, as Culture Minister; and Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, 34, as Tourism Minister.

Here are brief looks at the backgrounds of each of them:

Marath Bolaños López

Marath Bolaños, Sheinbaum's newly named Labor Minister — Current Labor Minister Marath Bolaños López will continue in his current role. (Marath Bolaños/Twitter)

A former private secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and a deputy for the Morena caucus in Congress, Bolaños will continue as the Labor and Social Welfare Minister, a position he has held since last June 2023.

A significant figure in the current administration’s labor reforms, he has been praised for his role in enhancing labor rights, increasing the minimum wage, reforming pensions and regulating outsourcing.

Bolaños, who also teaches at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), expressed gratitude for the opportunity to continue his work.

“The Labor Ministry has a lot to contribute to continue benefiting workers,” he stated. “We know the way, we have the compass well set and we know where to go because for the good of all, the poor come first.”

Claudia Curiel de Icaza

Curiel de Icaza, who has nearly 20 years of experience in cultural promotion and management, will take over as the Culture Minister, a position she also held in the Mexico City government when Sheinbaum was mayor from December 2018 to June 2023.

She holds a degree in history from UNAM and is a specialist in arts education.

Claudia Curiel de Icaza, future Culture Minister, speaks at a podium. — Claudia Curiel de Icaza will lead Sheinbaum’s Culture Ministry. (Claudia Curiel de Icaza/Instagram)

In the capital, she was instrumental in implementing community culture projects.

“Culture is a tool for transformation and offers us a vision of the future,” she said in talking about her new role. “We will be plural, inclusive and collective.”

Josefina Rodríguez Zamora

The next Tourism Minister served in the same role in the state of Tlaxcala, where she created the campaign “Tlaxcala, Sí Existe” (Tlaxcala, yes it exists). The campaign plays on a popular meme that the diminutive state is a myth to promote Tlaxcalas’s attractions, culture and tourism opportunities.

Rodríguez has a business administration degree from the Ibero-American University of Puebla and a master’s in senior management from the University of the Valley of Tlaxcala. At 34, she is the youngest of Sheinbaum’s cabinet appointees.

In her new role, she said she wants to develop tourism that benefits Mexico’s Indigenous communities and young people.

A portrait of Josefina Rodrìguez Zamora. — Josefina Rodrìguez Zamora, the youngest of the cabinet appointees, will lead the Ministry of Tourism. (Josefina Rodríguez Zamora/Facebook)

“Tourism is the leading employer sector for young people and the second largest for women,” she said. “We will continue with the regional development of our destinations.”