Strengths and challenges in the definition of sustainable localdevelopment strategies in Santiago Laollaga, Tehuantepec,Oaxaca, 2022-2024

Abstract

Based on a qualitative field investigation and with an ethnographic design, this article
analyzes the notion of the development of the most relevant social actors of Santiago
Laollaga, a community that owns one of the most important historical legacies of
the Oaxacan portion of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and a rich biodiversity. Three
objectives are defined in the work: 1) explain the demographic, social, economic and
political characteristics of Santiago Laollaga; 2) present the way in which several of
the main social actors conceive the challenges and opportunities of development in this
municipality; and 3) explain the process of forming the Municipal Social Development
Council and the municipal development plan. The structure of the article includes
the methodology used, the theory of sustainable development, the most important
characteristics of the locality, the results of the field work and its discussion. Despite
evident lags in the social sphere, political threats and economic limitations, the
results show that the new municipal government is incorporating relevant governance
elements that, together with the important social and human capital identified, could
enable a better level of development in this place.