Colonial relationality in The Land of Fresh Water from 1718 to 1989

My research is an interdisciplinary project that seeks to trace the deep historical and contemporary relations Nahua maize farmers from The Land of Fresh Water (TLOFW) are still cultivating their Indigenous maize varieties despite a changing climate and economic conditions. I conducted field research in the 2023 summer where I found almost 20 colonial documents about TLOFW at the General Archive of the Nation (AGN). For the 2024 summer, I conducted further archival research at the AGN, and found almost 40 colonial documents about TLOFW. While none of the documents detail the maize practices Nahuas from this town practiced, I was able to gain insight to the land tenure histories of Nahuas from TLOFW. I was also intending to conduct extensive research at the National Agrarian Registry (RAN) but unfortunately the archive is closed until November 2024. I would recommend future researchers to go with alternative research plan projects in the event the archive you are visiting is closed. In my case, I conducted original archival research at the University of Chapingo, which included the indexing of 15 original master’s theses and doctoral dissertations about maize farming in Guerrero. The data gathered will serve at least two chapters of my doctoral dissertation: the literature review and historiography of TLOFW, which will be a mix of origin stories from Nahua elders and colonial documents gathered detailing the origin of the village.