0.2 Case study introductory suite
Abstract
This case study explores how Zapotec people from the village of Talea de Castro, in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, created their own cellphone network—without any help from telecom companies or government agencies. It also analyzes the ways in which villagers are using new digital technologies to reproduce and reinforce indigenous identities in a global context. The author includes a discussion of how digital ethnography can take the form of visiting virtual worlds, such as Talea de Castro’s Facebook Group, which has more than 12,000 members.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Indigenous Studies in Latin America
ICT in Developing Communities
Indigenous Cultures and History
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 11–41
- Publication date
- 30 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter