Space and Belonging in Socio-Ecological Conflicts Over Land and Resources in Mexico

At the beginning of April, I had the chance to travel to Mexico for a fieldwork stay as part of our SFB 1671 “Heimat(en)” subproject B05, which I am working on together with Jun-Prof. Dr. Rosa Lehmann. In our project, we look at how large renewable energy projects affect local spaces and senses of belonging especially in regions where land and resource conflicts are already present and have a long history.

I arrived in Mexico City on April 1st and spent the first twelve days getting to know this incredibly diverse city. It was my first time in the capital, and I was impressed by how many layers of history and everyday life exist side by side. One thing that stayed with me was learning how the city was originally built on a lake, and how the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán stood where today’s Mexico City now rises. I had the chance to visit the pyramids of the Sun and Moon in Teotihuacán a powerful experience seeing the outskirts of CDMX.

Photo credit Elena Müller

In the beginning, I stayed in Cuauhtémoc, close to the city center, surrounded by tall buildings and busy streets. Later I moved to Coyoacán, a quieter neighborhood with cobblestone streets and colonial-era buildings. Living close to UNAM, Mexico’s national autonomous university, made it easier to meet with researchers working on human geography and land issues in Mexico. During those first days, I conducted several initial interviews with scholars working at the intersections of environmental governance and critical perspectives on development. I learned more about the broader context of land struggles and how the arrival of renewable energy in Mexico is bringing old tensions around land, power, and participation back.

At the same time, we were still deciding where to focus our fieldwork: the Yucatán Peninsula or Baja California Sur. Baja California Sur would offer an important case as well. It is off the national energy grid, has fragile ecosystems, and faces pressure from tourism, water shortages, and energy lack. But because the region lacks large-scale renewable energy infrastructure, it didn’t quite match our project’s focus on megaprojects and their impact on space and belonging. After several conversations and much thought, it became clear that the Yucatán Peninsula offered a more complex and relevant case for our research.

Photo credit: Elena Müller

So I travelled to Mérida, the capital of Yucatán state, where I arrived on a weekend and joined a free walking tour of the city, led by an art history student who told us stories about Mérida’s colonial history and current social tensions. It was a great way to arrive and later that week, I even visited her art exhibition, which dealt with the effects of mass tourism on Indigenous culture and local traditions in a mass tourism area called Playa del Carmen. That moment reminded me that critique doesn’t just happen in academic papers, but also in everyday conversations, art, and life.

In Mérida, I met with academics and activists involved in Articulación Yucatán, a network of civil society organizations working on land, energy, and environmental issues. I also had the chance to visit CEPHCIS, a research center focusing on the region’s political and social landscape. Through these networks, I was able to connect with more people and perspectives and, like often in fieldwork, one conversation opened the door to many others.

One day, I went to the coastal town of Progreso and I saw firsthand how the energy transition is playing out: Along the highway, I saw a huge solar park and a wind park with the turbines standing right next to mangrove forests and an ecological reserve called El Corchito. This is a region home to endangered species and important migration routes for birds — so the placement of these parks raises many questions about planning, participation, and environmental conservation.

Even though it was Holy Week (Semana Santa), and some offices were closed, I used the time to visit smaller towns. One highlight was a visit to Buctzotz, about 90 kilometers from Mérida, where I met with the respected Mayan poet Pedro Uc. I also spent time in Muna with Consejo Regional Indígena y Popular de Xpujil (CRIPX) and spoke with Romel González, who shared insights into Indigenous resistance and injusticies in the energy politics. These conversations made clear how energy megaprojects are part of a much larger web — including the Tren Maya, industrial agriculture, and shifts in communal land systems.

One important topic that came up again and again was the sistema ejidal — a form of collective land ownership that has existed in Mexico since the early 20th century. This system has been under pressure for the past 30 years, especially since constitutional reforms (notably the amendment of Article 27) made as part of Mexico’s entry into NAFTA. Today, the ejido continues to face threats from privatization, land grabbing, and extractive projects. In this context, the energy transition doesn’t come as a neutral or “green” change, but as another force that reshapes how people relate to land, territory, and identity. I also learned more about the region’s fragile underground water and karst systems, which are directly affected by development and infrastructure projects.

What became clear to me during my stay is that in Yucatán, questions of energy are always also questions of place, belonging, and cultural identity/heritage. The region is rich in natural parks, archaeological sites, and deep-rooted ways of living that are closely tied to the land. The energy transition here is unfolding in a landscape that is socially, ecologically, and historically very sensitive.

As our project continues, I look forward to learning more about these processes and sharing the perspectives of those who live with the changes and who, in many ways, are leading the conversations about what an inclusive energy future could look like.
I’m deeply grateful to all the interview partners who generously shared their time, knowledge, and experiences with me — this work wouldn’t be possible without their insights.

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Elena Müller, is a research associate in the HCIAS project SFB 1671 Project B05 – Space and Belonging in Socio-Ecological Conflicts over Land and Resources in Mexico led by Junior Professor Dr. Rosa Lehmann

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