This article covers cultural, educational and people-to-people links between India and Mexico, including cultural institutions and events, scholarships and the Indian community in Mexico, as recorded in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of July 2026.

According to the MEA brief of July 2026, India and Mexico have similarities in geo-climatic conditions, biodiversity, and cultural and family values. The brief states that both are heirs to a great civilizational heritage and that contacts between them go back centuries.

Statues and busts of Gandhiji stand in several major Mexican cities, including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Acapulco, Guanajuato, Cancun and San Luis Potosi.

The brief highlights the Nobel laureate Octavio Paz, whom it calls an Indophile. He was Mexican Ambassador to India from 26 April 1962 to 18 October 1968, and the brief says his writings on his long experiences in India have had a profound impact in Mexico. In March 2024, an MoU was signed to revive the Octavio Paz Chair of Indian Studies at El Colegio de Mexico.

The Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Centre

The Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Centre (GTICC) has been functioning in Mexico since October 2010. It holds regular classes in Yoga, Indian classical dances, Sitar and Tabla.

With the Embassy of India, the GTICC organised the Viksit Bharat Run 2025 in Mexico City on 29 September 2025. The run went from the Mahatma Gandhi monument in Chapultepec Park to the monument of the Angel of Independence, and was flagged off by Ms. Julia Alvarez Icaza Ramirez, Minister of Environment of Mexico City. A sapling was presented to her under the #EkPedMaaKeNaam campaign.

Statues and gardens

During his visit to Mexico in August-September 2022, the Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla, unveiled:

  • a statue of Swami Vivekanand at the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo
  • a bust of Dr. Pandurang Khankhoje, whom the brief describes as a freedom fighter and agricultural scientist, at Chapingo University

He also inaugurated an India-Mexico Organic Friendship Garden at the Chamber of Deputies.

The brief also records a personal gesture from the visit of Mexican parliamentary leaders to India for the 9th P20 Summit in October 2023. During that visit, the then President of the Mexican Senate, Ms. Ana Lilia Rivera, tied a 'rakhi' to Prime Minister Modi.

Cultural events

  • Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Culture and Parliamentary Affairs, visited Mexico from 28 September to 2 October 2022 for UNESCO's MONDIACULT. The brief notes that Mexico organised the first MONDIACULT in 1982.
  • Mexico took part in the 2025 Bihar Museum Biennale at the Patna Museum, from 07 August to 07 October 2025, with an exhibition of Mayan culture featuring artworks, paintings, archaeological objects and textiles. The theme was "Mesoamerica: Cradle of Flourishing Civilizations and Cultures".

Education and scholarships

The brief states that bilateral academic scholarships are available for Mexican students to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in India. It does not give the number of scholarships or the application process. Training for officials and diplomats under ITEC and at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service is covered in the cooperation article of this guide.

The Indian community in Mexico

The brief describes the Indian community in Mexico as small, numbering around 12,000. About one fifth live in Mexico City, and the rest are spread across cities including Guadalajara, Monterrey, Cuernavaca, Queretaro and Cancun.

Most members of the community are IT professionals working for companies such as TCS, Infosys and WIPRO. Others are executives of Indian and international companies, academicians, and businesspersons, mostly in pharmaceuticals and the textile and garment business.

In 2016, an 'Indian Association of Mexico (IAM)' was registered in Mexico City. Mexico City has an ISKCON temple, a Sikh Gurudwara and a mosque. There is a Hanuman temple in Queretaro, and a Ram temple is under construction.