IMPACTS OF TRANSPORTATION CHANGES ON THE WOODWORKING INDUSTRY OF MEXICO'S PURÉPECHA REGION

During the 1940s and 1950s a series of cultural geographical studies examined village life in the Purepecha region of northwestern Michoacan, a part of Mexico that was geographically remote and both culturally and economically insular (Brand 1943; Beals 1946; Foster 1948; West 1948; Stanislawski 1950). Movement in the region was difficult, hampered by the rugged topography and lack of infrastructure. In the late 1940s, as those studies were being conducted, the situation began to change--first with the completion of the highway connecting Guadalajara and Mexico City and then, shortly thereafter, by the construction of an extension highway running through the Purepecha region to the Pacific coast. By the 1970s most of the larger settlements had been connected by two-lane blacktop roads, and the more remote settlements were linked by improved dirt roads. Bus service was established in the region between the larger towns (for example, Uruapan and Zamora) and the major urban centers of Guadalajara, Morelia, and Mexico City and was eventually extended to the smaller settlements. These transportation improvements have led to a higher level of integration of the regional economy with the broader Mexican economy, but integration has come at a price. The Purepecha region has a strong tradition of craft production, and much of what was locally produced was locally consumed. As connectivity to the rest of Michoacan increased, less expensive and/or higher-quality products manufactured outside the region were substituted for locally produced crafts. In response to this influx of external goods, towns throughout the region experienced substantial changes in the types of crafts produced, the size of market-area, and the location of resident craft production. Changes in the woodworking industry in particular in this region reflect the transportation improvements and the larger issues of increasing accessibility of underdeveloped rural areas. Researchers have noted that infra-structural improvements in rural areas decrease transportation costs, thereby allowing rural populations greater access to urban markets (Boserup 1981; Njenga and Davis 2003), and vice versa (Kilkenny 1998a). Within this scenario, places such as the Purepecha region experience significant economic changes as they become better connected, both within the region and externally. Trade linkages are often realigned, and differentials in accessibility can be magnified, resulting in uneven development and economic opportunities. Thus, towns in the region must contend with shifts in the economic landscape that are well beyond their control and limited resources. This study focuses on seven towns located in the Meseta Purepecha of west-central Michoacan (Figure 1). The communities range in population from fewer than 3,000 to more than 15,000 (Table 1) (INEGI 2002). The seven towns were chosen because they are representative of the various levels of accessibility within the region and have some form of woodworking as their single, dominant craft industry. Field research was conducted in 2001 and 2004 to examine how current economic specialization (craft production) has changed relative to improvements in the transportation infrastructure. Fifty-four craft producers in the study towns (approximately eight per town) were interviewed. The interviews provided information about production methods, sources of raw materials, and markets for the products. In addition, every street in each of the seven study towns was surveyed during peak business hours (10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.), both in 2001 and in 2004, to determine craft sale locations. REGIONAL BACKGROUND The Meseta Purepecha is in the volcanic uplands west of Lake Patzcuaro (Figure 2). Dotted with hundreds of small cinder cones, the region lies between mountains to the north and the Balsas escarpment to the south. Numerous alluvium- and ash-filled basins have long supported agriculture, but recent abandonment of agricultural activities has led to increased shrub and forest stands (Works and Hadley 2000). …