Strength from the Waters: A History of Indigenous Mobilization in Northwest Mexico

Strength from the Waters is an environmental and social history that explores how the Mayo people in northwest Mexico maintained their connection to their river system and protected their Indigenous identity through the use of irrigation laws, land reform, and cooperatives. It demonstrates how the Mayo people used newly available opportunities to preserve their culture and ensure a reciprocal connection to the Fuerte River, which bound them together as Mayo.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 316 pages
Publication date: 13 September 2022
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

Strength from the Waters is an expansive environmental and social history that delves into the intricate interplay between economic development, environmental concerns, and Indigenous mobilization, all within the framework of a perennial issue: access to water. Spanning from 1927 to 1970, this narrative unfolds the experiences of the Mayo people, an Indigenous group residing in northwestern Mexico. Faced with evolving access to the region's largest freshwater source, the Fuerte River, the Mayo people navigated a complex terrain of changing circumstances.

In his book, Strength from the Waters, James V. Mestaz skillfully showcases how the Mayo people harnessed newly emerging opportunities, including irrigation laws, land reform, and cooperatives, to preserve their deep connection to the Fuerte River system and safeguard their Indigenous identity. By employing irrigation technologies to enhance crop production and safeguard their lands from encroachment by outsiders seeking to claim them as fallow, the Mayo of northern Sinaloa not only maintained their cultural heritage but also reinforced their sense of self by continuing to perform traditional religious rituals that paid homage to the Fuerte River. This strategic shift in approach to both new technologies and natural resources not only promoted their physical survival but also fostered a reciprocal relationship with the river, binding them together as the Mayo community.

Mestaz's meticulous examination of the evolving relationship between hydraulic technology and Mayo tradition sheds light on the significance of water in relation to state control over the river and the profound ways in which the natural landscape reshaped the dynamics between individuals and the state. This transformation altered the social, political, ecological, and ethnic landscape within several Indigenous villages, creating a tapestry of change that continues to shape the region today.

Strength from the Waters makes a substantial contribution to contemporary Mexicanist scholarship by adopting an environmental and ethnohistorical lens to explore water access, Indigenous identity, and natural resource management. Through this approach, Mestaz interrogates the complexities of Mexican modernity in the twentieth century, shedding light on the enduring legacies and struggles of Indigenous communities as they navigate the ever-evolving landscape of development, environmental concerns, and cultural preservation.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496232564