TO PRESERVE THE MOUNTAINS AND THE COMMUNITY: INDIGENOUS ECOTOURISM AS A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

(UMBC). She teaches American Indian culture and social theory. Marina Adler is an associate professor in Sociology at UMBC. Her research addresses cross-national issues related to gender, class, and ethnicity. Robin King holds an MA from the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics at UMBC. Contact can be directed to grieves1@umbc.edu. Abstract This research explores the role of community control, various community characteristics, and inter-community coalitions in facilitating the viability of ecotourism projects. The goal is to generate a model that can guide future research efforts about ecotourism projects in Indigenous communities. Results from two communities in Oaxaca, Mexico show that in addition to community control, factors increasing accessibility (infrastructure), visibility (public relations) and connectivity (collaboration with other organizations) are important for project success. Community controlled ecotourism may have a positive impact on the community itself, including resource Social Thought & Research 84 development, decreased migration, and control over cultural and environmental exploitation.