Writers demand Amado Nervo name be restored to Tepic Airport

A distinguished group of Mexican writers and artists, including Elena Poniatowska and Juan Villoro, are demanding the return of Amado Nervo's name to the Tepic International Airport. The airport's official designation was recently changed to "Tepic–Riviera Nayarit," a move the cultural figures argue erases a vital historical and cultural landmark.

In a letter, the signatories, supported by the Festival Letras en Nayarit, emphasize that their request is not to question the airport's modernization or its potential benefits for tourism. Instead, they aim to prevent the loss of a significant historical and cultural reference point. They note that the Tepic International Airport is the only airport in Mexico named after a writer, and the company Mota-Engil México is responsible for removing Nervo's name.

The letter points out that official aeronautical records still recognize the airport as Aeropuerto Internacional Amado Nervo. Furthermore, there is no decree published in the Official Gazette of the Federation formally changing the name. The signatories propose that airport modernization and tourism promotion can coexist with the preservation of cultural heritage.

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The petition does not seek to question the investment, the expansion of the terminal, or the benefits that renewed infrastructure can represent for the region's connectivity and tourism development, but rather to prevent modernization from implying the loss of a historical and cultural reference.

The appeal gains particular relevance as August 27, 2026, marks the 156th anniversary of Amado Nervo's birth in Tepic, Nayarit. The writers highlight a seeming contradiction: while Mota-Engil Mexico removes the poet's name from the airport in his birthplace, the federal government plans to name a new strategic infrastructure project, a bridge between Bahía de Banderas and Puerto Vallarta, after Amado Nervo.

This situation underscores the symbolic value of Nervo's legacy. The writers assert that his name is an integral part of Nayarit's cultural heritage and contributes to the international projection of Mexican literature. They argue that preserving the airport's name honors this legacy and reinforces the connection between the region and its most celebrated literary figure.

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That is, while Mota Engil Mexico erases the poet from the airport of the city where he was born, the Federal Government recovers his name for a strategic infrastructure in the entity, which underscores the validity and symbolic value of his legacy.