Mining struggles in north-central Mexico: Between mining tradition, poverty, and environmentalism

Abstract

The present study is centered on characterizing the conflicts associated with mining in Sonora and Zacatecas, two states in north-central Mexico. We consider the municipal surroundings where they emerge, via cartographical analysis of some variables including mining frontiers and poverty. The predominant conflict types show that communities are not inclined to accept mining as presented in government or corporate discourses; rather, communities struggle to improve their living conditions and preserve their natural surroundings. We can observe that in long-time mining locations, there is greater acceptance of the mining industry, so that the conflicts which arise tend to be concerned with labor or with eco-territorial matters of coexistence and pecuniary assets, although there are also alternatives; meanwhile, in places with recent mining penetration and deep-rooted agro-fisheries activities, conflicts tend to be eco-territorial regarding alternatives and territorial defense. However, the advance of the mining frontier configures the coexistence of different temporal regimes, based on complex spatio-temporal patterns where different types of environmentalism overlap with demands for opposition, negotiation, or collaboration in the same place.