Indigenous emergence in Michoacán. Practice of de facto and de jure rights

Abstract

This article analyzes the diversity that characterizes the indigenous movement in the Meseta P’urhépecha, in Michoacán, Mexico, based on documental research and ethnographic fieldwork conducted over the past three decades. Progressively, it traces the –primarily political– processes that explain this indigenous revival, and discusses the de facto and de jure pathways that led to the construction of these indigenous communities and the demand that their right to autonomy to be respected. Also, the existing tensions and contradictions and the political status of the Supreme Indigenous Council of Michoacán (CSIM), which brings together over thirty communities, are discussed. Finally, this article presents a critical review of the juridical achievements of various legislative initiatives regarding indigenous affairs, before concluding with reflections about the challenges these communities face to consolidate their processes of autonomy.