Before the Spanish conquest, many Indigenous communities throughout Mesoamerica maintained communal structures of land ownership and management, some of which inspired Mexico’s contemporary ejidos. Though ejidos were outlawed in the 19th century, land reform reinstated the system, resulting in the return of significant land areas to Indigenous communities throughout Mexico in the 1970s.
Diane Vella has been with Trees, Water & People for more than 17 years, keeping our programs running, our staff paid, and our office dogs well-loved.
Trees, Water & People (TWP) is honored to have received the “Transformative Partner” award in recognition of our Indigenous Lands Program’s (ILP) work in New Mexico towards water resilience, multi-stakeholder facilitation and long-term watershed scale restoration planning.
This spring, members of the TWP team had the honor of attending an annual blessing for the local bison herd of Soapstone Prairie. Led by elders and spiritual leaders from various Tribes, the blessing was part of honoring land, reaffirming culture, and recognizing the crucial role of bison in both.