Purépecha community demands budget after legal ruling
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In Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán, Mexico, the municipal authorities refused to deliver a portion of the municipal budget to La Pacanda, an island community on Lake Pátzcuaro.
La Pacanda’s 412 residents decided to pursue self-governance on June 27th, and their decision was confirmed as legally valid by the Instituto Nacional Electoral on July 13th. Following a consultation organized with support from the Instituto Electoral de Michoacán, the community qualified to directly administer its share of the municipal budget based on its population.
The mayor of Tzintzuntzan, Patricio García Alva, received notification on July 21st to convene the city council and begin the process of transferring funds to La Pacanda. However, the city council did not comply with the legal requirements, violating the community’s collective rights. Representatives from La Pacanda then filed a legal case with the Tribunal Electoral del Estado de Michoacán (TEEM) on August 27th. TEEM upheld the original ruling on August 31st, issuing case file TEEM-JDC-088/2026.
As of this report, 52 communities in the state of Michoacán have achieved recognition of their traditionally elected authorities and receive their budgets directly, though other municipalities like Erongariácuaro, Los Reyes, and Quiroga have delayed these transfers through legal appeals.
