[1] As municipal seat, the town of Arroyo Seco, Querétaro, is the local government for forty five communities, which together make up an area of 731.1665km2.

Most are privately owned and built with materials found in the region such as adobe, bamboo, wood and tiles for roofs.

Purísima de Arista is the second largest community in the municipality, which also has all utilities along with schools, health center and sporting facilities.

Its economy is based on agriculture growing corn, beans, chili peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas and squash.

Río de Carrizal is a small community located at an altitude of 600 masl, so it has a warm, subtropical climate.

The community is wedged between two large mountains and consists of houses, small shops, gardens and a few fields.

Today, it is one of the main livestock (mostly smaller animals like goats and domestic fowl) in the municipality, which has been growing.

[2] The municipality is part of the traditional territory of the Pame people, which extends over northern Querétaro and southern San Luis Potosí.

Among themselves, they organize into groups called “desisorias” which are tightly knit communities which interact with other similar units for public services such as education and health.

Pames generally live in homes made of palm, adobe and wood which can measure from 300 to 1000m2, rectangular with pitched roofs.

Land is held by communities in common with certain authorities to regulate its use in places such as San José de las Flores, and El Rincón.

[6] A number of these communities have received official recognition from the municipality as “Pueblos Indígenas” (Indigenous Villages).

This allows the communities to petition for funds from the Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas (CDI).

The communities are Tierras Prietas, El Sabinito, Crucero del Sabinito, Las Trancas, La Cantera, El Riachuelo, San José de las Flores and San Juan Buenaventura.