Mexico City's Poet's House renaming sparks literary community outrage

Mexico City’s literary community is protesting the transformation of the Poet’s House, a historic venue dedicated to Ramón López Velarde. Culture Secretary Ana Francis Mor recently inaugurated the renamed House of Words, promising to revive cultural activities centred on poetry and Indigenous languages. Yet critics argue the move erases the site’s original purpose and legacy.

The controversy began when the government repurposed the Poet’s House without consulting its longtime users. Poets and scholars, including María Rivera, accuse officials of seizing the space for personal use and failing to restore its original function. Rivera claimed the city’s most emblematic poetry-reading venue is being dismantled, despite ongoing protests.

A Change.org petition, signed by many in the literary world, demands a halt to the changes. Meanwhile, José Alfonso Suárez del Real stated that Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum had assured him the Poet’s House would keep its name and poetic mission. However, at the *House of Words* opening, Mor made no mention of the site’s past or the fate of nearby libraries, such as those of Salvador Novo and Efraín Huerta. The community dedicated to López Velarde’s work continues to denounce what they call dispossession and a lack of respect for his heritage. As of now, neither the city government nor the Culture Secretariat has released an official response to the backlash.

The Poet’s House remains at the centre of a cultural dispute. While officials promise to preserve its poetic identity, activists insist the site has already lost its original character. The outcome will determine whether the venue retains its historic role or becomes something entirely new.