San Juan Cancuc accounts for 20% of maternal deaths in Chiapas

The municipality of San Juan Cancuc accounted for 20% ^[1] of all maternal deaths recorded in Chiapas during 2025 ^[1].

This concentration of fatalities highlights a systemic failure in healthcare delivery for indigenous populations in southern Mexico. The crisis underscores how geographic isolation and poverty create lethal barriers to basic medical services for pregnant women.

Health officials and civil organizations said the crisis is driven by a chronic lack of hospitals and adequate medical attention in remote indigenous zones ^[1]. In many cases, the absence of reliable transportation prevents women from reaching clinics in time to manage complications. Indigenous midwives and civil organizations are currently working to prevent further deaths in these underserved regions ^[1].

Chiapas remains one of the states with the highest number of maternal deaths in Mexico, said Hilda Arguello Avendaño, technical secretary of the Maternal Mortality Observatory in Mexico ^[2].

While San Juan Cancuc represents a significant portion of the state's maternal mortality, reports vary on which specific municipality has the highest overall count. Some data indicates Tenejapa is the municipality with the most maternal deaths in the state ^[2]. This discrepancy suggests that maternal mortality is a widespread issue across multiple indigenous municipalities rather than being isolated to a single location.

The struggle for survival in these areas is compounded by extreme poverty. Without state-funded infrastructure or emergency transport, women often rely solely on community-based care that lacks the surgical capabilities required for high-risk births ^[1].