Mazahua women in the Cutzamala transfer: challenges to water plundering and exclusion

Abstract

In 2004, Mazahua women demanded water through demonstrations at Los Berros, a water treatment plant, one of the largest hydraulic works of its kind in Latin America, located in the State of Mexico, which is part of the Cutzamala transfer. But what has been the role of Mazahua women in obtaining water before, during and after the said transfer? This article precisely values their participation in the face of water dispossession. From po­litical ecology, environmental anthropology and ecofeminism, the context in which Mazahua women access water in their ethnoterritory is emphasized. Through interviews, field work and participatory mapping, it is specified that, despite the collective demands of Mazahua women, access to water at the territorial level is increasingly less affordable, is neither healthy nor sufficient, and is highly disputed after the transfer.