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The Return of the Heart: Justice and Community Reconciliation in the Indigenous Tradition

Servicio Internacional para la Paz / International Service for Peace, Ada
June 4, 2015

Source: (1999) SIPAZ Report 4 (3).

This article describes traditional indigenous perspectives and structures for dealing with community conflict and crime in the Chiapas region of Mexico. These are contrasted with the formal Mexican criminal justice system. Specific attention is given to ideas of authority, punishment, forgiveness, reconciliation, community, and mediation. The issue is raised whether indigenous perspectives and measures are adequate in the face of the extreme conflict in Chiapas in recent years.

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