El Agua Viva: Water, Society, and Collective Action in the FestiBarrio

This project explored the dynamic relationship between water, society, and collective action in Querétaro, Mexico through the lens of the hydrosocial cycle. Set within the context of shifting hydric governance, marked notably by the 2022 Water Law, this study examined how grassroots efforts seek to reconfigure water not merely as a resource, but as means of social and political participation. Through analysis of FestiBarrio, a collective initiative that mobilizes in response to community needs, this research explored how water functions as a social catalyst for community cohesion, political engagement, and grassroots forms of political participation. Drawing on interviews and participant observation in the communities of Tolimán and Concá, as well as engagement with collective spaces across Querétaro, this work centred the lived experiences of communities navigating uncertainty and scarcity concerning water, while developing alternative mechanisms of political participation. Ultimately, it uncovered how temporality, power, and place shape both the challenges and the opportunities for enduring citizen-led water governance.