Michoacán initiatives promote indigenous culture and traditional cuisine

In Michoacán, Mexico, various initiatives are underway to recognize and preserve indigenous culture and traditional knowledge. Gaby Molina, president of PAR:ES, highlighted the active role of the P’urhépecha people in national projects led by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. These include the ‘Mujeres del Maíz’ initiative, which seeks to revalue the historical contributions of indigenous women, and the ‘Historias Locales de los Pueblos Indígenas’ project by the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (SECIHTI), which aims to preserve oral histories and community memory.

Simultaneously, local deputy Emma Rivera Camacho has proposed a legislative initiative to declare the traditional cuisine of the Eastern Region of Michoacán as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The proposal focuses on the food systems of the Mazahua, Otomí, and mestizo peoples of Zitácuaro. The initiative aims to protect collective knowledge, promote fair trade, and support traditional cooks and female producers, while also supporting Zitácuaro’s bid for UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the gastronomy category.