The general assembly and traditional authorities of the Ejido of Tónachi, in the municipality of Guachochi, Chihuahua, issued a resolution strictly prohibiting the entry and transit of UTVs (side-by-sides) within their communal lands. The measure is based on the Agrarian Law, Article 2 of the Constitution, and ILO Convention 169: their right to self-determination and autonomy.
In the statement, addressed to tour operators, route organizers, and 4×4 clubs, they denounced “serious environmental damage”: direct destruction of native flora, severe soil erosion, deterioration of community roads, and impact on water resources, in addition to the disturbance of local and domestic fauna due to excessive noise.
They also warned of the “imminent danger to the physical safety of our children and the elderly” due to the speed and size of these vehicles. This isn’t an abstract fear: in August 2025, a Rarámuri child was run over by a UTV in the community of Caborachi, in the same municipality, and the driver fled the scene.
🤝🏞️ Community authorities clarified that this isn’t a rejection of tourism. “Our community is NOT opposed to sustainable tourism,” they stated. What they reject is a model that leaves them with destruction, noise, and rituals reduced to folklore, without anything in return. There will be surveillance at the entrances to their territory because they are determined to protect what others come to destroy.
Source: mexicodailypost
