Community & Regional Planning Projects in Oaxaca

Indigenous Natural Resource Management

Climate Risk and Adaptation

Building Dams for Resource (gravel) Capture

Water Retention Systems (Zanjabordos)

Funded Project: “Restoring Soil and Building Stone Walls to Fight Erosion”

Funder: Cultural Survival

In 2024 I became a collaborator on the project “Restoring Soil and Building Stone Walls to Fight Erosion,” funded by the organization Cultural Survival. With this support, we were able to acquire material (shovels, etc.), and rent an excavator and backhoe, to build zanjabordos (trenches) for water capture. While in previous years, we only had sufficient funds for rudimentary ditch irrigation systems to attend to the erosion, this funding allowed us to make larger trenches for water capture. Read more about the project below.

Read more: HERE

Reforestation in Oaxaca

The Mixteca Highlands are characterized by a mountainous and eroded landscape, as well as pine and oak forests. The Mixteco Highlands, reaching over 2,000 meters above sea level, are dotted with expanisve old growth and new growth pine and oak forests. Across the years I have assisted on reforestation projects with several organizations listed below. The reforestation projects have ranged from replanting pine and oak, to germinating seeds of native yellow and black oak species from the Oaxaca Highlands, as well as supporting community-based reforestation collectives in the Mixteca in their work and advocacy.

Reforestation Project(s) with:
Mexico's National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR); Alianza de Comunidades Chocho-Mixtecas; Comission of Natural Resources & Communal Land (Bienes Comunales) in San Mateo Etlatongo; Proyecto Rosenda (Minas Llano Verde, Oaxaca); Proyecto Manos a la Tierra (San Andrés Nuxiño, Oaxaca).

Year(s):
2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Community & Participatory Mapping

Community Based Socio-Territorial Mapping, Socio-Ecologico Mapping, and Cuerpo-Territorio Body Mapping Workshops.

Each workshop adapts to the setting where the workshop will be held and the questions are co-produced with patricipants to reach their community objectives.

Many workshops are delivered to address desires rooted in environmental justice, ecological justice, and territorial justice.

These workshops are delivered to youth (aged 8-17) and adults (aged 18-67).

Year(s):
2021, 2022, 2025

Local organizer,

1er Encuentro de Geografía y Ecología desde el Pensamiento de la Mixteca Alta 2025

I was part of the local organizing committee of the first regional conference on the Geography & Ecology of the Mixteca Alta Highlands. This event took place August 1-3, 2025 in San Mateo Etlatongo, Oaxaca, Mexico. It served as an ecological retreat and conference which brought out organizations from Tutrle Island and Mexico. Please click on the button below to see the website of the event, the conference program, and the organizations involved.

Event Site

Indigenous Social Movements

On June 19, 2016 Mexican Federal Preventive Police (FPP) attacked the Nochixtlan Blockade, a barricade on the Federal superhighway established by teachers of Seccion 22 teacher union and Mixteco civilians. In the attack, FPP killed 8 Mixteco civilians and injured over 300 civilians. Now known as the Nochixtlan Massacre of 2016, the event follows a long history of dirty wars against insurgent educators in Mexico, as well as against Indigenous uprisings.

I research the influence of the 2006 Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca (APPO) Oaxaca Teacher Strike in the formation of the 2016 Nochixtlan Blockade led by CNTE teachers in Nochixtlan, Oaxaca. I study the solidarity between Indigenous Mixteco municipalities joining, and being part of, social movements in Oaxaca along with Seccion 22.

The research I carried out in 2018 with Seccion 22 teachers - as well as Mixteco civilians - became the data for my Master’s Thesis. I used photography of murals and statues, as well as ethnographic interviews, to describe the transformation of place in Nochixtlan in relation to the Nochixtlan Massacre of 2016. You can read my Master’s Thesis in the “Publications” tab.

‘Sentido de Lugar’ Writing Workshops

  • 'Sentido de Lugar' at Oaxaqueñx Youth Encuentro (OYE)'s Annual Conference

    Delivered in person in November 2025.

  • 'Sentido de Lugar' Writing Workshop

    Delivered virtually on December 7, 2024.

  • Oakland Community Writing Workshop

    I worked on designing methods using ‘Sentido de Lugar’ prompts for ‘Community Writing Workshops’ held in Oakland by Dr. Kaily Heitz (UCLA). This workshop was delivered in person December 3, 2023 at COMMUNE in Oakland, California.