2. Mexico – The Mazahua of Michoacan
In the state of Michoacan, we are working with the Mazahua community in the town of Crescencio Morales to protect and promote the Mazahua culture and language. Living in the buffer zone around the famous Monarch Butterfly Reserve, the Mazahua are proud and strong but their culture is under great threat. Many Mazahua leave to find work in cities and abroad and the forces of commerce, modernity and deforestation are having a profound effect on the connection of the community to their roots. The culture has been stretched and the Mazahua language is increasingly not known by the young. We have created the Casa de la Cultura Mazahua in Crescencio as a gathering place for the community, a focus for workshops, crafts, textiles, music, dance and Mazahua language lessons and a vibrant destination for locals and tourists to learn all about Mazahua culture and traditions and the local forest. Its official opening was celebrated in September 2025. See www.mazahuaculturalcenter.org