Strength from the Waters: A History of Indigenous Mobilization in Northwest Mexico, by James Mestaz

Book Presentation - Free Online Event - Registration Needed

Friday, September 13, 2024 - 3.30  pm

Zoom  Registration HERE    

The Southwest Center and the Center for Latin American Studies invite you to the presentation of Strength from the Waters: A History of Indigenous Mobilization in Northwest Mexico. In his work, Dr. Mestaz demonstrates how the Mayo people—an indigenous group in northwestern Mexico—used irrigation laws, land reform, and cooperatives to maintain a connection to their river system and maintain their indigenous identity.  By using irrigation technologies to increase crop production and protect lands from outsiders trying to claim it as fallow, the Mayo of northern Sinaloa simultaneously preserved their identity by continuing to conduct traditional religious rituals that paid homage to the Fuerte River. This shift in approach to both new technologies and natural resources promoted their physical and cultural survival and ensured a reciprocal connection to the Fuerte River, which bound them together as Mayo.

Dr. James Mestaz is an Assistant Professor of Latin American History at Sonoma State University. He previously taught at the University of Iowa, Claremont McKenna College, Harvard University, and Central State University. His courses focus largely on the histories of marginalized groups, allowing students to draw connections between past and current social and environmental justice struggles. This approach fits into his commitment to linking students to grassroots and community organizations in both the U.S. and Latin America.