Alcalde Vs Village Chairman: Who Has the Final Say?
Alcaldes have a Maya customary jurisdiction that is part of the ancient and traditional way of life – these are practices that have served the Maya people for generations. But aside from the alcaldes and their deputies, there is also the village council system, or local government, that also plays a part in the day-to-day running of the village. So who has the final say – the alcalde or the village chairman? Pablo Mis says that while both have distinct roles, it’s the Maya communities that have the highest authority.
Pablo Mis, Executive Director, Julian Cho Society
“The alcaldes and the village councils are not necessarily the owners of the community which is often how leadership in other spaces are seen. In essence what that mean is that they must follow the will of the community. On the ground, in practical terms, the village council takes up the responsibility of administering the day-to-day needs of the communities that may be related to putting in place some rules, some policy. Let’s say for instance related to animals and crops, land use – but all of this emerges from the instruction of the community. The alcalde takes up the responsibility of convening the community. So for example in many of the Maya communities, a village council would find it very difficult to call a public meeting, a village meeting, without the help of the alcalde because the tradition is the alcalde uses his or her village police to inform every member of the village that there will be a meeting and the purpose of that meeting. If there is, for instance, the violation of a community rule and that community rule may be overseen by the village council in terms of the implementation. If it is violated then the matter comes to the alcalde. The highest authority is the village meeting. An alcalde may take up a decision without consulting with the community; the consequences of that will be that the community then deliberates on what actions to take in terms of sanctions against that alcalde and similarly it is the case for village councils. So it is important to emphasize that the community is the highest authority for decision-making.”