The project's stated objective is to map "changes in the cultural landscape and conservation of natural resources" that result from large scale land privatization initiatives underway in Mexico.
[1] The project is led by Peter Herlihy at the University of Kansas and is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense through its Foreign Military Studies Office.
[2] México Indígena was led by a team of geographers who specialize in Latin America, including Peter Herlihy[3] of the University of Kansas,[4] as well as Jeremy Dobson and Miguel Aguilar Robledo.
México Indígena's primary tool for joining data from different sources to produce maps and to analyze trends is geographic information systems (GIS).
"[9] The National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges' International Development Project Database Survey notes that the México Indígena research project has received between $751,000-$1,000,000 from all sources external funds, including: U.S. Department of Defense, Foreign Military Studies Office; U.S. Department of State, Fulbright-Garcia Robles; the American Geographical Society; the University of Kansas' Center of Latin American Studies; Mexico's Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales; and the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí.