Abstract
In 2023, Lake Pátzcuaro experienced a critical drought that threatened the island status of Urandén de Morelos, as the channels that historically separate it from the mainland dried up. Starting in the second half of that year, coordinated actions were taken by various social actors, including members of the local community, civil society organizations, government agencies at different levels, and the media, with the aim of restoring the lake's character. The interventions carried out were not limited to the recovery of the canals, but also included work on the island and its riparian environment that allowed for the rehabilitation of springs, contributing to the water recharge of the lake, the strengthening of the community fabric, and the generation of new economic dynamics linked to tourism, in coordination with the state government. These processes demonstrate a socio-environmental transformation of territorial scope, in which ecological, social, economic, and political dimensions converge. From the theoretical framework of the social production of space, an analysis is proposed that focuses on the factors that structure this transformation, such as the agents involved and their interests, the circumstances that trigger socio-environmental changes, the continuities in socio-spatial evolution, and the breaks with previously established patterns of political articulation. The study of this case demonstrates that space is not a static medium, but rather the result of dynamic social relationships that shape a permanent interaction between society and the lake environment.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Ramón Magaña Gabriel (Author)