An army of women. An army for water. The mazahua indigenous women of México

Abstract

On September, 2003, Mazahua peasants from Villa de Allende,
State of México, suffered flooding on 300 hectares of crops
because of overflowing of the Malacatepec River, originating
from the Villa Victoria dam of the Cutzamala system. This
was the reason why the peasants organized themselves to
demand payment of their crops. After three months of waiting,
in February 2004, the Mazahua began a series of collective
actions and came together as the Frente para la Defensa de los
Derechos Humanos y Recursos Naturales del Pueblo Mazahua.
After one year of mobilization, the Ejército Zapatista de
Mujeres en Defensa del Agua arose, which turned out to have
an important media impact that was able to exercise political
pressure on the instances involved, in benefit of the movement.
The objective of this document is to present the most significant
findings regarding the participation of Mazahua people in
the movement. Also, to expose the causes that generated this
important political movement, which transcended beyond
payment of crop damages, consolidating other demands such as:
provision of drinking water and basic services, as well as a plan
for sustainable development for the communities.