The mayor who managed to combat insecurity in the Mexican city of Huejotzingo and turn it into a Learning City

The current municipal president of Huejotzingo, a place surrounded by culture, traditions, history, but also by a lot of insecurity in the state of Puebla in Mexico, tells UN News that, when she was studying her career, she kept thinking about what could do to benefit the community where he spent his childhood and adolescence days.

At the beginning of her professional career, Angélica Alvarado, a young Communication Sciences graduate, never thought that she would end up working in the educational sector at the state level, but it was precisely there that she reasoned about the importance of education and decided to make it her flag. Therefore, she resolved that she should return to the town where she grew up, and contribute her knowledge and experiences to her community.

In 2018, Angélica Alvarado managed to obtain the municipal presidency, and there she began to implement what she had learned in previous years: develop learning in your municipality to counteract violence and insecurity generated by lack of opportunities for boys, girls and young people.

Thanks to the work, the agreements, the synergies, and endless decisions and actions that he took, the inhabitants of Huejotzingo began to learn that there are other ways to generate economy, education, and security in their territory.

Huejotzingo: City of Learning

As a result of their efforts, in 2021 the municipality of Huejotzingo received the invitation to belong to the Global Network of Learning Cities from the United Nations Organization for Science, Education and Culture, for its progress in providing lifelong learning opportunities to its more than 90,000 citizens.

This Network is an international mechanism aimed at provide knowledge and inspiration to citiessharing with each other practical ideas that work in lifelong learning at the urban level.

The Network supports the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but in particular number four: Guarantee inclusive, equitable and quality education, and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; and number 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Almost 150 projects for Huejotzingo

Through a comprehensive strategy that prioritizes equity, inclusion, sustainable development and entrepreneurship, along with the launch of 140 learning projects in recent years, the Mexican city has made great strides.

Angélica Álvarado, together with her entire work team, managed to reduce illiteracy by 50%, expand access to the Internet and new technologies, support a thousand women entrepreneurs, and organize the first Huejotzingo Learning Festival, thus achieving the recognition of the UN agency.

“In 2019, we are invited by the UNESCO for various works that we were doing, especially the issue of youth, women, and security. A learning city is one that shares knowledge and builds community. Before, Huejotzingo seemed alien to the community, but from this that we have generated, it has allowed us to reach social consciousness,” said Angélica Alvarado.

After joining the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, Huejotzingo formed his first peasant school which is a center where farmers, producers, students, and families meet to share knowledge of the field.

“Why have we invested so much in the countryside and in entrepreneurs? Why today producers from all the auxiliary boards are creating a work network, something that did not happen before, they help each other. That is community. If I don’t feel part of a nucleus, of a family, I won’t care what happens to my neighbor next door”, explained the mayor.

Sport has been a key element for the development of the municipality of Huejotzingo.

crime reduction

Throughout Huejotzingo they have created children’s community centers that offer workshops on agricultural techniques, cultivation, sports or music. Classes are taught with the collaboration of mothers and fathers to strengthen family ties.

Since Angélica put learning at the center of her development, Huejotzingo has gone from being a farming community to becoming a resilient place with a very low crime rate.

“It is not only investing in patrols, it is a prevention issue with young people from sports, but also from education; we must focus the prevention strategy and that the students focus on other situations. We have also done a lot of art work with the symphonic band, I I am convinced that a student who picks up an instrument will hardly pick up a weapon”, indicated the municipal president.

Part of the learning process that the entire Huejotzingo community currently receives also depends on its culture and history. The city has an old convent that was built upon the arrival of the Franciscans in 1525 dedicated to San Miguel Arcangel, who is the patron saint of the city.

The convent, now desecrated, is used today to give workshops, talks, cultural or educational events, so that the younger community knows its history.

Angélica Alvarado assures that “it is no coincidence that one of the four convents in the country was founded here, nor is it a coincidence that Huejotzingo received the coat of arms in 1956. That was part of all history and it is important that today children know it .”

Angélica Alvardado shows the coat of arms of Huejotzingo.

A teaching that includes everyone

UNESCO defines a learning city as a city that effectively mobilizes its resources in all sectors to promote inclusive learning, from basic to higher education.

It is also the one that revitalizes learning in families and communities, facilitates education for the workplace, and expands the use of modern technologies. In addition, it must improve quality and excellence in education, and foster a culture of lifelong learning.

Following these guidelines, Angélica Alvarado improved individual empowerment and social inclusion, economic development, cultural prosperity, and the sustainable development of the city.

Huejotzingo is a city of learning not only because of the work of the mayor and the work team, It is an achievement of citizenshipof its boys and girls, of the mothers and fathers of families, and of its business body, since they all want to preserve the economy, knowledge, history, and culture of their community.