Indigenous Internet Networks

Abstract

This case study explores how Indigenous communities in Mexico are responding to digital inequalities and state neglect by building their own internet infrastructure grounded in communal values. Despite the constitutional guarantee of broadband access, commercial ISPs have failed to serve remote Indigenous regions like Guelatao (Zapoteco) and Abasolo (Tseltal). In response, these communities have repurposed residential internet connections and unlicensed spectrum to build shared networks that align with local values such as coexistence, tequio (communal labor), and comunalidad (collective governance). These grassroots infrastructures support not just connectivity but cultural autonomy and educational access, offering local intranets with Tseltal language materials and community-curated resources. Yet these networks remain vulnerable to commercial ISP policies, government regulations, and infrastructural precarity. The case illustrates how digital sovereignty intersects with Indigenous territorial rights and highlights broader questions of equity, ownership, and values in design. By resisting extractive and commercial models of internet access, the Zapoteco and Tseltal peoples reimagine what it means to build and govern technology on their own terms.