The Ejido El Bajío has been resisting mining operations in Sonora for over 10 years.
An ejido is a form of communal land ownership under Mexico’s agrarian system.
In the case of El Bajío, the landholders have become defenders of their territory in response to human rights and property violations committed by the mining company Penmont. Since then, their mandate has gone beyond agricultural work to include the defense of human rights, the protection of the Sonoran Desert, and the fight against impunity.
PBI formalized its accompaniment of the El Bajío ejido in 2025.
The Yoreme Alliance was officially formed in 2022 by the Indigenous communities of Bachoco el Alto, Buaysiacobe, Cohuirimpo, and Masiacahui.
Its mandate focuses on the defense of territory, Indigenous rights, and the preservation of Yoremnokki culture and language through this alliance of communities, which have adopted the motto of the Indigenous Government of Cohuirimpo: “For the respect of people, vegetation, animals, sea, and land.” Their actions are based on the harms experienced and/or identified by the four member communities.
PBI has worked with the Yoreme Alliance since 2023 and received their formal request for accompaniment in 2024.