In recent years, Latin America has experienced a profound digital transformation. Companies, public institutions, and social organizations have begun to rethink their technological infrastructure with a clear objective: to gain autonomy, scale their operations, and offer better digital experiences. In this context, Drupal, one of the most advanced content management systems (CMS) in the world, has gained ground as a reliable and strategic option.
A CMS designed for complex contexts
Unlike other more end-user-oriented platforms, Drupal is designed for projects that require editorial control, customized content structure, and a solid architecture. This has made it a strategic choice for government portals, universities, media outlets, and companies with regional operations.
Its support for multilingual content, granular permissions, scalability, and custom integrations has made it a strong choice for complex, high-demand environments.
Regional use cases
Peru and Ecuador: institutional strengthening
In countries such as Peru and Ecuador, the use of Drupal has been mainly oriented to strengthen the digital presence of governmental and educational entities. The use of free software in these contexts not only responds to financial reasons but also to the search for technological sovereignty and compliance with international security and accessibility standards.
Chile and Argentina: digital evolution with technical focus
With more developed technological ecosystems, Chile and Argentina have found in Drupal a versatile tool for complex projects ranging from publishing platforms to e-commerce sites with decoupled architecture (headless). In these countries, the technical community around Drupal has grown organically, also boosting training and specialized events.
Venezuela and Mexico: sustainable solutions
In Venezuela, Drupal has become a viable solution for institutions and digital media that need technical autonomy, resilience to external changes, and a stable development ecosystem. Meanwhile, Mexico - one of the largest markets in the Latin American region - has seen an expansion in the use of Drupal in corporate, educational, and public sectors, highlighting its flexibility to integrate with pre-existing systems.
Sectors where Drupal makes a difference
Universities: managing autonomy with consistency
Educational institutions need to manage large volumes of academic content, researchers, faculty, calendars, publications, and multiple departmental sites. Drupal enables:
- Distributed content management with granular permissions.
- Creation of microsites by faculty or academic units.
- Integration with academic systems, libraries, and LMS.
- Multilingual and web accessibility as standard.
In addition, it allows to maintain a consistent visual identity throughout the university's digital ecosystem, without losing the autonomy of each academic unit.
Public sector: robustness for modern digital governments
Governments and public entities in Latin America are required to comply with digital accessibility regulations, maintain high levels of security, and promote transparency. Drupal stands out in this area for:
- Its modular architecture is adaptable to institutional requirements.
- Periodic security audits by its global community.
- Compatibility with WCAG 2.1 standards for accessibility.
- Structured publication of normative content and open data.
Its open-source nature makes it a sustainable long-term investment, avoiding technological lock-in.
Media: publish fast, grow without limits
In a time-critical environment, media outlets need to publish fast, scale with traffic spikes, and customize their content by audience. Drupal enables:
- Flexible editorial workflow with revisions, versions, and roles.
- Integration with video, social media, newsletters, and analytics.
- Robust taxonomies to categorize and relate content.
- Headless functionality to serve content to mobile apps and smart TVs.
Its ability to handle large volumes of dynamic and structured content has made it the backbone of media around the world -and increasingly in Latin America.
Drupal 10 and the future of digital architecture
Drupal 10 has established itself as a modern, accessible, and adaptable platform, capable of meeting today's technical challenges without compromising stability. With key enhancements to the editorial experience, Symfony-based components, and strong support for decoupled frontends, it offers a solid foundation for digital innovation.
Its modular approach allows teams to build composable digital experience platforms, integrating different technologies under a single environment. Meanwhile, the community is preparing for the arrival of Drupal 11, which promises to take this evolution even further.
Things to consider before adopting Drupal
While Drupal’s advantages are clear, its implementation requires careful planning. It is not a plug-and-play solution, but when implemented properly, it offers a robust foundation for long-term digital growth.
Some key considerations for its adoption in Latin America:
- Internal capabilities: Drupal needs teams with technical expertise or external support.
- Long-term planning: It is an ideal platform for projects that evolve.
- Scalability: Drupal is especially useful for organizations that foresee growth in traffic, content, or integrations.
An open path
In a region as diverse as Latin America, where technological challenges coexist with creativity and the need for sustainable solutions, Drupal is more than just a tool: it is a living ecosystem, supported by a global community and adapted to local realities.
In Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, and Mexico, more universities, governments, and media are discovering that embracing open technologies like Drupal is a strategic way to build a digital future with autonomy, flexibility, and purpose.