Territory and Water in the San Luis Potosí, Mexico, nafta Automotive Corridor

Abstract

This article deals with how water and lands were concentrated in the hands of industry in the North American Free Trade Agreement (nafta) automotive corridor of San Luis Potosí. This happened as the result of different land expropriations from collective ejido farms and the granting of concessions and sale of water by the state and federal governments starting in the 1970s, and especially when nafta came into effect in 1994. The authors first examine how the auto industry set up shop in Mexico and the Bajío central region and then analyze the case of the San Luis Potosí industrial corridor and the use and concentration of land and water for the auto industry. They conclude that multinational car manufacturers have concentrated the water and land to make their products with the direct support of the Mexican government. This favored the industrial use of water over domestic consumption by the population of the city of San Luis Potosí.