CHERÁN, México — Back in 2011, the sound of exploding fireworks was common in Cherán, a Mexican town in the Southwestern state of Michoacán. The first boom meant that everyone should be on alert, the second boom meant that an attack was imminent and the third that an armed attack was underway. The townspeople were battling to preserve their forest, which had been almost completely cut down by illegal loggers working with organized crime groups. Cherán was under siege and the price of defending their forest was high; extortion, murder and disappearances were everyday occurrences.

Now, seven years later, the fireworks have a very different meaning. Last week Cherán held the inauguration of the members of its most recently elected 12-person council, based on indigenous Purépecha principles. Though the town receives their assigned share of federal and state funding, neighbors decide who will govern the town via assemblies and fogata (campfire) discussions. Political parties and campaigns are prohibited here.