| 243 | Economía y políticas públicas Textual 76, julio-diciembre 2020 ABSTRACT T he expansion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in all areas of our society has occurred at great speed and is constantly evolving. This article presents a literature analysis on the role of ICTs in rural development, where the literature shows that ICTs can be a tool to promote development under adequate conditions of access and use, however, rural areas of Latin American countries and in particular Mexico, show structural disparities that limit access and use of these technologies. Therefore, to obtain benefits through the effective use of ICTs by the rural population and productive sectors, public policies with local relevance are required to increase the coverage of telecommunications services and digital literacy initiatives, as well as the articulation of the ICT policy with other social programs contributing to a better quality of life. KEYWORDS: ICT4D, rural development, digital divide, ICT policy, Mexico. 1 Conacyt-Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS-Pacífico Sur). Sierra Nevada núm. 347, Loma Linda, Oaxaca, México. *Corresponding author: mmartinez7@ciesas.edu.mx Received: February 24, 2020 / Accepted: August 26, 2020 Please cite this article as follows (APA 6): Martínez Domínguez, M., & Gómez Navarro D.A. (2020). Information and communications technologies (ICTs) in rural development: challenges and opportunities for Mexico. Textual, 76, 243-269. doi: 10.5154/r.textual.2020.76.09 http://dx.doi.org/10.5154/r.textual.2020.76.09 INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES (ICTS) IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEXICO LAS TECNOLOGÍAS DE LA INFORMACIÓN Y COMUNICACIÓN (TIC) EN EL DESARROLLO RURAL: RETOS Y OPORTUNIDADES PARA MÉXICO Marlén Martínez Domínguez 1 *; Dulce Angélica Gómez Navarro 1 Article / Artículo Section: Economics and public policies Sección: Economía y políticas públicas