Indigenous political participation and civil society organizations. Analysis of the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Mexico

Indigenous migration to industrial cities such as Monterrey’s metropolitan area (ZMM) in the State of Nuevo León in northeastern Mexico has led to its legal and political reconfiguration processes of free, prior, and informed consultation with indigenous individuals and peoples. In this sense, the capacity of local governments and the various actors involved, such as indigenous and pro-indigenous civil society organizations (CSOs), to react in promoting, guaranteeing, and respecting indigenous rights to political participation has been varied. Based on the qualitative tool of semi-standardized interviews, in 2018, the role of three of the principal CSOs in Nuevo León in the processes of prior consultation and their capacity to link and materialize indigenous political participation rights was recognized. We observe that despite compliance in formal and procedural terms with the indigenous consultation, the efforts of CSOs have not been able to materialize in greater participation and indigenous political representation in Nuevo León due to mistrust and weak synergy among the associations.