Overview

• UNESCO inscribed the 550-km Ruta Wixárika as a World Heritage cultural corridor on July 12 after more than 30 years of community advocacy
• At a July 16 press conference, Wixárika leaders called for the revocation of over 78 existing mining concessions in Wirikuta amid lithium exploration threats
• The community urged Mexico to enforce buffer zones, elevate the Wirikuta ecological reserve to federal status and include Indigenous participation in regional development plans
• UNESCO representative Andrés Morales and INAH director Diego Prieto presented six protective recommendations and an integrated management plan for conservation and responsible tourism
• Wixárika authorities warned that unregulated visitor access and illegal peyote harvesting jeopardize sacred practices and called for stricter regulatory measures