A study by Mexicanos contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI), widely covered in the Mexican press, revealed that the government of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024) financed the printing and shipment to Cuba of 15 million textbooks filled with political propaganda against the United States, particularly targeting Donald Trump, with constant references to communism and socialism.
The materials, intended for Cuban students, were produced by the National Commission for Free Textbooks (Conaliteg) in coordination with the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) and the government printing house IEPSA, at a total cost of 387 million 454 thousand Mexican pesos. This amount did not include maritime transport expenses, which were covered by the Secretariat of Foreign Relations.
The texts, including that of "Moral Education and Citizenship," hold the U.S. "blockade" responsible for the humanitarian crisis on the island. On page 226 of that book, President Donald Trump is accused of leading the harshest phase against Cuba during his first term (2017-2021):
"Under Donald Trump's administration, the blockade policy tightened like never before (…) it aims to definitively crush the people's resistance; but the response is clear: victory!" reads one of the passages verbatim.
Other materials even point to Washington carrying out a “biological war” against Cubans, as documented by MCCI with support from the Academic Freedom Observatory (OLA).
The documents reviewed by MCCI show that in 2023 and 2024, Conaliteg signed two contracts with IEPSA for over 387 million pesos. In total, 15 million 161 thousand books from over 250 titles were printed for use in the Cuban educational system.
The first shipment left Veracruz on September 14, 2023, with 76,440 copies, declared at customs at a symbolic value of just 10 cents each. Between September and October of that year, six more shipments were made, exceeding five million books, and in 2024 the remainder was completed.
Fidel, Che, and Chávez as essential references
The books include constant references to the Communist Party, as well as to the figures of Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara, presented as role models for new generations. They also praise the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, whom they call “one of the great men in history,” and the former Bolivian president Evo Morales.
In contrast, the issues of the Cuban economy, the scarcity of food and medicine, and the failures in strategic sectors such as energy and transportation, are attributed solely to the U.S. embargo. In one of the passages, the accumulated cost of the "blockade" is estimated at more than 138 billion dollars.
The massive delivery of books adds to other support from López Obrador's administration to Cuba, such as the shipment of gasoline through Pemex, the hiring of Cuban doctors, and the purchase of medication.
For the OLA, this episode demonstrates that the Mexican government is an accomplice in the ideological indoctrination of Cuban children, funding educational materials with public resources that exalt communism and hold the United States responsible for the island's ills.
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