Ejido Tribu Kiliwasi
The southernmost of the surviving indigenous communities of the peninsula, the Kiliwa community is located at the base of the Sierra San Pedro Martyr and east of the Trinidad Valley. The 26,910 hectares of Kiliwa territory extend down into a low desert region, crossing Mexico Highway 3. Most Kiliwa today live around Arroyo Leon or in outlying ranches, although some also live in nearby Trinidad Valley where there are more job opportunities as well as water, electricity and other services.
Survival for the Kiliwa requires a diverse subsistence strategy, including such aspects as small scale agriculture (mostly on individual ranches), raising livestock, harvesting of palmilla and jojoba seed, collecting honey, production of handcrafts and working as wage laborers on neighboring cattle ranches or in the fields of Trinidad Valley.
As the smallest remaining indigenous group of Baja California, the survival of the Kiliwa is a serious issue for biodiversity in the region. The population and their traditional knowledge regarding the uses of their abundant natural resources are the result of thousands of years of adaptation to specific local environments. The disintegration of the community resulting from the lack of economic opportunities within the community makes the need for sustainable economic development alternatives all the more urgent.