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001053 Visit since
| Profile
of the Indigenous People of Mexico
Chapter 6 - Part 1 | by
Prof. German Estrada
September 30, 2002. |
Causes of Indigenous Migration 1. The origin of
indigenous migration is tied to that of the industrialization process followed
in Mexico since the decade of the 1940's and to the quick transformation of an
agriculturally based economy to an urban industrialized economy. This rapid change
had lowered the level of agricultural production in the indigenous areas that
become even more marginal, and favored investments in the northwestern part of
the country where commercial agriculture began to rapidly develop (with concomitant
needs of transport, credit, improved seed varieties, fertilizers, farm machinery,
etc.). The Northern regions immediately became poles of attraction for the indigenous
labor force, especially after 1980. There was already a tradition of migration
among some indigenous communities related to religious feasts, as for instance
some of the Maya communities in Yucatan that periodically went to visit sacred
sites. Among the Zapotecs and Mixtecs in Oaxaca, migration was linked traditionally
to the commercial activities of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The Purepechas of
Michoacan beganto migrate to the United States in the 1940's. Today, there is
at least one member of the household who emigrates, a phenomenon found in all
the 56 indigenous groups of the country. This migration,
initially characterized by the migration of a single male member of the household,
was reinforced through time and slowly began to include brothers, sons, kinfolk,
until it became a mass migration that includes women as well. Table
6.1 Poles of Expulsion and Attraction of Migrants
| States of Expulsion |
States of Attraction |
| | | |
Baja California |
Chihuahua | |
Chihuahua | Cd.
de Mexico | | Coahuila |
Cd. Juarez | |
Distrito Federal |
Cd. de Guadalajara | |
Durango |
Cd. de Leon | |
Estado de Mexico |
Matamoros | |
Guanajuato |
Merida | |
Guerrero |
Monterrey | |
Jalisco |
Nuevo Laredo | |
Michoacan |
Orizaba | |
Puebla |
Puebla | |
Oaxaca |
San Luis Potosi | |
Sinaloa |
Tampico | |
Sonora |
Tijuana | |
Veracruz |
Torreon | |
Zacatecas |
Veracruz | Source:
Indigenous Migration in Mexico, Instituto Nacional Indigenista, 1996 2.
The indigenous population migrates to the 16 cities considered by the National
Population Council (CONAPO) as the major centers of attraction in the country.
Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey are the largest national poles of attraction
and focal points of concentration of the migrating indigenous population.
Causes of Indigenous Migration 1. Ecological
Factors
Region or Affected Indigenous Group
Low productivity of
land
Oaxaca, mountainous part of Guerrero, The Tarahumara, Sierra, Otomi
and Mazahua (States of
Mexico and Hidalgo). Climatological
Phenomena: droughts, frosts, hurricanes.
Huasteca region, Tarahumara Sierra
and the coastal zones of the country.
Soil deterioration due to the introduction
of commercial products.
Yucatán, Huasteca (Petroleum producing areas
Veracruz, Tabasco), Northern Sierra region of Puebla.
Down time in the rainfeld,
traditional agricultural cycle.
Affecting all indigenous regions. 2.
Land Tenure
Lack of lands and land conflicts due to illegal encroachment.
Huasteca, Chiapas, and the Huichol region of Jalisco.
Large scale livestock
production requiring extensive grasslands.
Huasteca, Chiapas and Totonaca
area of Veracruz.
Construction of dams, roads, and industrial plants.
Petroleum producing area of Veracruz, Isthmus region in Tehuantepec, State of
México, the Tarahuamara Sierra and the region of the Papaloapan River.
3. Lower prices of the commercial crops.
Coffee,
henequén, sugar, tobacco, cocoa, tomato, citric fruits and others.
Chiapas, Huasteca, Northern Sierra of Puebla, Totonaca region of Veracruz, Mazahuas
and Otomís of the State of Mexico, the Chontal zone of Oaxaca, Huichol
region of Jalisco, the Yucatán Peninsula.
Decreasing demand for artisan
products such as pottery, basketry, textiles, etc. Affecting all indigenous regions
especially the mountain area of Guerrero, The Tarahumara Sierra,
and Oaxaca.
4. Resettlement and involuntary relocation
Due to assignation of lands to new non-indigenous - mestizo- colonizers.
Chiapas, Nahuas of Michoacán, Mazahuas and Otomís (States of Hidalgo
and Mexico)
Inter-ethnic conflicts, armed conflict and military occupation.
Guerrero - mountain area. 5. Social and Demographic
Factors
Lack of basic social services
Affecting the majority of the
indigenous regions, with a focus on the mountain regions of the States of Guerrero,
Oaxaca y Chiapas.
Demographic Pressure
All of indigenous areas with exception
of the northern states and their indigenous areas.
Religious Conflicts Chiapas,
Guerrero, and some communities of Oaxaca and Michoacan. Next
week the 2nd. Part of this chapter regarding Migration
gestrada@pvnet.com.mx
Prof. Germán Estrada is the
author of the best selling book, "México
Mágico: Everything You Wanted To Know About... But Nobody Told
You..." available in Puerto Vallarta at The Net House, Mail Boxes, Etc.,
Books, Books as well as directly from the author by internet. Archives
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