Ancestral Title and Continuity of Presence

Sor Juana defended the dignity and contributions of Indigenous peoples and their ancestors at a time when Spanish colonialism systematically erased Indigenous history. Ancestral title operates as a counternarrative to colonial property law, which treats land as empty or unowned until claimed by colonizers. This framework asserts that Indigenous peoples' territorial rights predate and supersede colonial occupation, rooted in verifiable ancestral presence, cultural development, and continuous relationship with specific lands. Unlike individual property ownership transferable through market transactions, ancestral title is collective, inalienable, and perpetual—it cannot be surrendered or extinguished by sale because it represents communal identity and survival. For land justice, ancestral title provides the philosophical and legal foundation for restitution and recognition. It means territories currently held by states or settlers are legitimately Indigenous territory, and justice requires acknowledgment of this historical truth and restoration of decision-making authority to Indigenous peoples. It centers oral history, archaeological evidence, and Indigenous testimony as legitimate proof of territorial belonging against colonial documentation.