# Colonia La Cuarta Transformación

Colonia La Cuarta Transformación is a neighborhood (Spanish: colonia) in Tultitlán Municipality, State of Mexico. It was originally part of the San Francisco Chilpan ejido. In November 2024, under the leadership of Elena García Martínez, the outgoing municipal president and a member of the Morena political party, three areas—Fimesa II, Fimesa III, and El Paraje—were merged and the colonia was established. The municipal authorities settled it without prior notice or consultation with the residents and changed the postal codes. A few weeks later, in December, her successor, Ana María Castro Fernández, installed the street signs that indicated the name changes.
Previously, the streets had different thematic names, mainly flora. Following the change, they were renamed after concepts and projects associated with Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024 and the founder and former leader of Morena. During his tenure, López Obrador promoted the political platform known as the Fourth Transformation (La cuarta transformación).
Residents expressed dissatisfaction with the name change, as it would require them to update numerous documents. Subsequently, they removed the street signs, and the state authorities agreed to suspend the name changes until a public consultation is held, an action the municipal authorities have opposed.

## History

Fimesa, otherwise known as El Paraje, is part of a former ejido named San Francisco Chilpan, which lost its status in 1964 and became part of the Tultitlán Municipality, according to its government. Like most ejidos, it became an irregular communal land area where people settle in abandoned land. Ejidos are areas that often lack basic services such as paving, drainage, or electricity. The settlement is located within the Sierra de Guadalupe mountain range in the State of Mexico. Due to its location, the streets are inclined, and those that are not paved become muddy during the rainy season.
For years, residents have faced conflicts with municipal authorities. In April 2023, the government entered Fimesa II and evicted several families, demolishing at least ten residences without prior notice, and in some cases, with residents still inside the homes. Some reported having purchased their land a decade earlier. In response, neighbors blocked the nearby Avenida Vía José López Portillo [es] in protest. The government of the State of Mexico agreed to send members of the state's attorney general's office to file criminal complaints. The municipal government said that these properties are not for sale and that there are groups of ejidatarios deceiving residents. By August 2024, there were approximately 300 lawsuits related to amparo, administrative matters, and civil cases. Neighbors have commented that the expropriations are to place the Fidel Castro High School.
Francisco Fuentes, the lawyer representing the residents, stated that the residents of El Paraje already have deeds, while those in Fimesa II and Fimesa III are in the process of regularization. He also explained that in the municipal decrees prior to 2024, the three neighborhoods were recognized as part of the officially acknowledged territories. Fuentes further mentioned that although an expropriation occurred in 1964, these areas were not included in it, as confirmed by a report from the Attorney General of Mexico.

## Establishment

On 20 November 2024, Elena García Martínez, the outgoing municipal president of Tultitlán and member of the Morena political party, established the colonia (neighborhood) of La Cuarta Transformación. Three areas, Fimesa II, Fimesa III, and El Paraje, where merged into it. The change was made after a municipal council session without prior notification to the residents.
On 3 December 2024, the municipal government of Tultitlán, led by Ana María Castro Fernández, the successor of García Martínez, and member of the same political party, began installing street name signs that indicated a new neighborhood, La cuarta transformación (the Fourth Transformation). The term refers to the political platform created by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. The street names were changed to projects, concepts and phrases related to López Obrador. The notice published by the municipality also mentions that starting in 2025, residents could begin updating their address information and that they could continue using their former address for any necessary processes.

### Streets

The municipal government renamed 45 streets, which were all marked with maroon nameplates evoking the Morena party colors. Two streets, Calle de las Flores and Avenida Moneda, kept their former names. Neighbors photographed and reported they were formerly renamed "Acúsalos con Su Mamá"—"Snitch on them to their mothers", a phrase said by López Obrador referring to accusing criminals with their families—and "Me Canso, Ganso"—a word play that means "I'm not giving up" in Spanish, a phrase López Obrador used during his inauguration as president. However, the municipal government denied those names. Eslie Ellian Reyes Barrera, Legal Adviser of the Tultitlán City Council, explained that since the area was irregular, the former names and postal codes were unofficial.
List of streets :
| Name | References | Notes |
| Aeropuerto Felipe Ángeles | Felipe Ángeles International Airport in the State of Mexico | Formerly Fresno |
| Aeropuerto Tulum | Tulum International Airport in Quintana Roo | |
| Áreas Naturales Protegidas | Protected natural areas of Mexico | |
| Apoyo a la Cultura | Support for Mexican culture | |
| Banco del Bienestar | Banco del Bienestar banking institutions | |
| Becas Benito Juárez | Scholarship payments provided by the Secretariat of Welfare | Formerly Prolongación Pirules |
| Bien Pesca | A fishing program, Bienpesca, part of the Secretariat of Welfare | |
| Caminos Artesanales | Public roads built by communities, part of the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation | |
| Canasta Alimentaria | A market basket program, part of the Secretariat of Welfare | |
| Corredor Interoceánico | Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec transit route | |
| Crédito a la Palabra | Credits provided to individuals registered with the Secretariat of Welfare without requiring additional paperwork. | |
| El Insurgente | El Insurgente train connecting the State of Mexico with Mexico City | |
| De las Flores | | Unchanged |
| Fertilizantes para el Bienestar | A fertilizer program, part of the Secretariat of Welfare | |
| Guardia Nacional | The National Guard institution, formerly a civil gendarmerie that was merged into the Secretariat of National Defense | |
| IMSS Bienestar | IMSS Bienestar [es], which was created following the dissolution of the Institute of Health for Welfare; part of the Secretariat of Health | |
| Internet para Todos | A program to increase internet coverage, part of the Secretariat of Welfare | |
| Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro | A job training program | |
| Justicia en Pasta de Conchos | A plea for justice for the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster | Formerly Cerrada Jacarandas |
| La Escuela Es Nuestra | A program that allows school communities to decide how to use their resources | |
| Madres Trabajadoras | A support program for working mothers | |
| Mejoramiento Urbano | An urban improvement program | |
| Mexicana de Aviación | The Mexicana de Aviación brand which the government acquired from the defunct brand | |
| Avenida Moneda | | Unchanged |
| Nacional de Reconstrucción | Subsidies for partial or total reconstruction of communities affected by natural disasters | |
| Parque Lago de Texcoco | The Lake Texcoco Ecological Park national park | Formerly Gladiolas |
| Plan de Justicia Yaqui | A plea for justice for the Yaqui people | |
| Pensión Discapacidad | A pension program for people with disabilities aged 0 to 29 | |
| Pensión Mujeres | A pension program for women aged 60 or older | |
| Pensión para Adultos Mayores | A pension program for people aged 65 or older | |
| Precios de Garantía | Base prices for agricultural producers, part of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development | |
| Presa El Cuchillo | The Presa El Cuchillo [es] dam, in China, Nuevo León | |
| Presa Santa María | The Presa Santa María dam, in El Rosario, Sinaloa | |
| Reforma Judicial | The 2024 judicial reform | |
| Reforma Laboral | The 2019 labor reform | |
| Refinería Olmeca | The Olmeca Refinery in Paraíso, Tabasco | |
| Revolución de las Conciencias | "Revolution of the Consciousness", a phrase used by López Obrador | Formerly Copal |
| Salario Mínimo | López Obrador significantly increased the minimum wage | |
| Sembrando Vida | A reforestation program | |
| Soberanía Energética | "Energy Sovereignty", López Obrador's call for Mexico to be self-sufficient in its energy supply | Formerly Pirules |
| Súper Farmacia | A mega pharmacy that stores medications in Huehuetoca, State of Mexico | |
| Tandas para el Bienestar | A tanda is an informal loan club; part of the Secretariat of Welfare | Formerly Rosal |
| Tianguis para el Bienestar | Distribution of confiscated fabrics and household goods, part of the Secretariat of Welfare | Formerly Orquídeas |
| Tren Maya | The Mayan Train in the Yucatán Peninsula | |
| Tren Suburbano | The Tren Suburbano extension connecting Felipe Ángeles International Airport with Mexico City | |
| Turismo Comunitario | A community program supported by the Secretariat of Tourism | |
| Zonas Arqueológicas | Archaeology of Mexico | |

### Reactions

The municipal president, Ana María Castro Fernández, said that with the change, "legal identity is given to the neighbors", adding that "it would be more shameful to live on a street named after Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, a murderer of the 1968 student movement", referring to the Tlatelolco massacre. Elena García Martínez, interviewed by Leonardo Curzio of Radio Fórmula, said that the name change was intended to help residents regularize their properties and that the selection of names was made by the state's Urban Development Secretariat. She added that she did not consider the name change as an issue, since the municipality had the authority to make such decisions, and that if the majority of residents were dissatisfied, Morena would not have been the most-voted option in that area.
Claudia Sheinbaum, López Obrador's successor, commented it was a municipal decision. Residents expressed dissatisfaction at not being consulted and having to update their residence in multiple documents. Others commented that their children could face bullying at school for living in a neighborhood with politically charged names. The National Electoral Institute reported that the change of address for voter identification cards cannot be processed until October 2025 due to mapping reasons ahead of the 2025 judge elections, affecting approximately 8,200 registered voters.
López Obrador had previously commented, including when a statue was erected in his honor, that he did not want streets, neighborhoods, statues, or monuments to honor his legacy since it was no longer time for personality cults.

### Request for consultation, protests and legal issues

On 8 January 2025, the residents removed the street signs, stating that they were not consulted about the name changes. Only the street signs for Moneda and De las Flores remained in place. Additionally, they said that when they went to pay for services such as water and property taxes, they were asked to change their addresses to proceed. Police officers attempted to halt the removals using tear gas, but the neighbors repelled them with stones. Subsequently, they blocked the Vía José López Portillo and threatened to close the Federal Highway 57.
After a discussion between residents and state authorities, a consensus was reached to temporarily suspend the change of nomenclature, accept tax payments without requiring a change of address, and submit the issue of whether the name change should proceed to a popular consultation. However, days later, Castro Fernández rejected any popular consultation or that the updated names would be reverted. The municipal government also announced that charges would be pressed for potential crimes including damage, invasion, and assault, charges related to the removal of the street signs, the alleged assault of municipal police officers, and alleged squatting of municipal land.
On 20 January, a judge granted a writ of amparo to halt any changes to the street names temporarily. The next day, residents protested outside the state government palace in Toluca, where they brought the removed signs.
Residents composed a corrido song as a form of protest.