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The Purepecha are an indigenous group of people from the state of Michoacan in Mexico. Their history dates back to Pre-Columbian times, they were contemporaries of the Aztec. Currently there are about 200,000 Purepecha speakers in the world.
There are approximately 5,000 Purepecha people in the Eastern Coachella Valley. The majority of them work in the fields. All of them are Catholic and adhere very closely to the church for community and guidance. They live under three sets of rules: The Catholic church, American society, and the traditions and norms of the Purepecha people. To balance and navigate all of this they created an organization named La Comunidad Purepecha del Valle de Coachella. This organization serves many purposes. It is a mediator between the people and other entities in the valley, it sets norms for the community and it creates space to continue and preserve their traditions.