Daniel Murillo Licea

Daniel Murillo Licea is a prominent Mexican social scientist and anthropologist affiliated with the Centro de Investigación y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS) in Mexico City. With over 35 years of fieldwork experience across various regions of Mexico, he serves as a Department Member at CIESAS and coordinates the Permanent Seminar on Water and Culture since 2019. He is also co-director of the Tlacuaches Eléctricos research and documentary group since 2023.

Murillo Licea holds a PhD in Social Sciences from UAM-Xochimilco and is a Communications specialist by training. He is a member of the National System of Researchers at Level II (SNI), reflecting his significant contributions to academic research in Mexico.

His research interests center on the complex relationship between water, culture, and society, with particular focus on indigenous communities in Mexico. He investigates water management systems, indigenous cosmology related to water, social organization of water resources, public water policies, ethno-territories, and communication for social change. His work bridges anthropology, environmental studies, and policy analysis, with special attention to the Tsotsil communities in Chiapas and other indigenous groups across Mexico.

Murillo Licea's scholarly output reveals consistent thematic focus on water governance from cultural and indigenous perspectives. His publications demonstrate an evolution from historical and cosmological analyses of water in pre-Hispanic cultures toward contemporary issues of water management, climate change adaptation, and social vulnerability. His recent work increasingly incorporates gender perspectives and examines the intersection of traditional knowledge systems with modern water governance frameworks.

• SNI Level II recognition
• Coordinator of Water and Culture Program of Mexican National Council of UNESCO International Hydrological Program (2007-2018)
• Founding member of UNESCO Chair on Water in Knowledge Society (2008)

Murillo Licea has been actively involved in academic mentoring and research coordination, particularly through the Permanent Seminar on Water and Culture at CIESAS. His work has been supported by various national and international institutions focused on water management and indigenous rights. He maintains active collaborations with researchers across Latin America through networks like the Network of Social Researchers on Water and the Network for the Assessment of Planetary Health in Emerging Syndemic Scenarios (ESPESIES).

He leads the CIESAS Audiovisual Research Network (RIAV) and has established productive partnerships with institutions like the Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA). His research group Tlacuaches Eléctricos combines academic inquiry with documentary production to explore the cultural dimensions of water management in indigenous communities.