A year ago, the P’urépecha community of Huáncito opted to establish self-government and receive the federal budget directly, after reporting that the municipal government of Chilchota—to which the community belongs—was not allocating resources to basic services such as health, education, and urban infrastructure.

In Michoacán, for thirteen years, indigenous communities began organizing to achieve self-government in accordance with their customs and practices, and to directly obtain the government’s budget to determine how to benefit the population, as a response to the neglect of state and municipal administrations.

This indigenous community, located 115 kilometers from the Michoacan capital of Morelia, is made up of a Communal Council and an Ejidal Commissariat, who act as authorities and leaders to achieve consensus within the community, manage the budget, and safeguard the interests of its residents.

Jessica Espicio, coordinator of the Communal Council, recalled that the struggle for self-government entailed years of roadblocks and resistance against municipal governments, but it has borne fruit, as they no longer need to wait for assistance from the local administration, which is currently governed by the Morena-PT-PVEM coalition with Mayor Alejandra Ortiz Suárez.

“It has been a challenging process, but also encouraging and hopeful, because under self-government, we see new opportunities to reclaim grassroots organization, strengthen our culture , and improve the recreational spaces we need; and to address the protection of our territory and the environment,” the P’urépecha leader noted.

Indigenous communities achieved their first self-government in 2012.

The Mexican Constitution recognizes, in its second article, that indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination and, therefore, to “decide (…) their internal forms of government, coexistence, and social, economic, political, and cultural organization.”

As of October 2024, the Michoacán government had recognized 40 indigenous communities with self-government and direct budgets, while another six were pending their accession to self-government. However, according to Pavel Guzmán, spokesperson for the Supreme Indigenous Council of Michoacán, these other six communities had already obtained these powers by October 2025, and two more would vote on the issue this month.

“This is a very important first step for the indigenous peoples and communities of Michoacán, which we see as a historical vindication. Our ancestors governed themselves and were sovereign in their territory, and that’s why we see it as the path of our ancestors,” the spokesperson shared.

84.6% of the communities that have already achieved self-government and budgetary autonomy are Purepecha, while the remainder are Mazahua, Nahua, and Otomi.

The first communities to receive direct funding began their independent administration in 2012, through agreements signed between the population and the municipal government.

This, Guzmán said, also stemmed from a need, as the communities have been abandoned by the Mexican government. “They lack basic services; seven out of ten remain in poverty; so we see this as a step toward beginning to resolve the communities’ long-standing problems.”

Currently, the budget available to self-governments comes from resources allocated to the municipalities to which the communities belong; in addition to receiving federal funds from the Fund for the Well-being of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples , which serves 20,522 communities across the country.

However, Guzmán emphasized that the Supreme Indigenous Council of Michoacán is demanding that the federal and state governments also provide funds from all budgetary funds—from all three levels of government—that exist to serve Indigenous communities.

“In Michoacán, currently, there’s no community that has challenged the state government for resources, but it’s possible,” he explained. “Right now, the federal government’s share of the funding is being accepted, but we don’t just want that; we want all the funds, because that’s what the law says.”

The municipality of Chilchota owes 6 million pesos to the community of Huáncito.

In December 2024, the Mexican government recognized the right of the Huáncito community to directly receive a proportional share of the budget of the municipality of Chilchota, to which the town belongs, but it wasn’t until May 2025 that they were able to begin exercising this right.

Carlos Molina, president of the Huáncito Communal Property Committee, said they demanded the money corresponding to the first months of 2025, approximately 6 million pesos, but the municipal authority responded that it had already spent that amount on public works.

However, when requesting proof of expenditure, the local government merely indicated that they had executed four infrastructure projects in Huáncito, although the population denies having received these assets.

“There are needs, for example, to replace the drinking water pipes and the drainage system, and these projects were not started due to this problem, because there was no budget since January,” Molina explained within the framework of the Caravan for Climate and Life, an initiative of organizations and collectives to gather the demands of communities defending autonomy and territory.

Huáncito authorities continue to demand that the municipal government be accountable and provide documentation on how it spent the 6 million pesos it failed to distribute to the community between January and April 2025; or return the amount to the town’s coffers.

Women’s participation in self-government has been difficult, leaders emphasize.

In the Huáncito indigenous government, this is the first time that women from the community have held representative positions. Previously, indigenous authorities—such as land tenure chiefs or representatives of communal property—were only men who could hold positions, and women were not even allowed to participate in community assemblies.

In transitioning to self-government, the population of Huáncito decided to establish parity between male and female authorities in the representations of each neighborhood, called “cuarteles.”

“It’s been a challenge for us, because in addition to being the first [self-government] administration, we have a female coordinator,” shared Liliana Sebastián, one of the members of the Communal Council. “We’re seeing a bit of machismo within.”

She and Jessica Espicio, who coordinates this Council, have faced disrespectful treatment from fellow community members, and their opinions are not always taken into consideration despite their positions.

Espicio emphasized that it has been a complex process, with both the women and the population adapting to this new form of government; but she assured that the positions are carried out with transparency, as they are accountable to a 25-person Council that oversees the authorities’ work.

“All of my colleagues are giving their all, for the good of ourselves and our community,” Sebastián added.

They encourage other indigenous communities to build their self-government

In Huáncito, self-government has been in place for less than a year, but the community has already seen positive changes in their surroundings. The town’s needs are discussed in a general assembly, and budget expenditures are put to a vote. Projects for infrastructure projects and improvements to local schools have already been approved.

Recently, substance use among young people has increased, leading community authorities to launch an addiction treatment program that includes free music and dance workshops.

At the heart of their struggle is the vindication of the customs and traditions of the P’urépecha people, as they seek to continue promoting the culture and language inherited from their ancestors among the new generations.