Autonomy Amid Adversity: Confronting Cartels, Capital, and Collusion
Channel: taller ahuehuete
Date: 2023-08-12

Indigenous Communities Amidst the Plunder of Extractive Capital,
by taller ahuehuete
✎ 9 minutes
ahuehuete.substack.com


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In the tranquil landscape of Santa María #Ostula, nestled in México's Michoacán region, the informal drug industry has brought devastation to the lives of its originary inhabitants. The disappearance of Lorenzo Froylán de la Cruz Ríos, a member of the Guardia Comunal, on August 1, 2023, serves as a harrowing reminder.


In 2006, Santa María de Ostula solidified its alliance with the #Zapatista Army of National Liberation, embarking on a new chapter marked by its designation as a "community in resistance" against government-led agrarian certification programs. This pivotal declaration emerged within a preexisting and protracted conflict concerning lands seized by ranchers during the early 20th century. The dispute became more pressing due to the heightened capitalist presence aimed at exploiting Ostula's communal territory for tourism and mining endeavors. The focal point of contention was underscored by the tragic demise of the community’s educator, who had been chosen to lead the commission advocating for communal land expropriation. His brutal assassination in July 2008 cast a grim shadow on the community's pursuit.