Decolonial Land Ethics

Sor Juana's intellectual practice involved reciprocal engagement with ideas—absorbing, questioning, transforming, offering back. Decolonial land ethics applies this relational model to territory itself: land is not property to own but relationship to honor. This ethics rejects the colonial premise that land exists for extraction and profit, instead teaching that human beings have obligations to the land that sustains them. Indigenous peoples traditionally practiced land stewardship based on seven-generation thinking and reciprocal responsibility. Decolonial land ethics means restoring traditional practices—controlled burning, crop rotation, seasonal restrictions—that maintain ecological health. It means legal frameworks recognizing land rights as responsibilities rather than possessions. This concept challenges capitalist land relations at their foundation, offering instead an alternative grounded in Indigenous wisdom. Following Sor Juana's model of engaging knowledge seriously and responsibly, decolonial ethics treats land as alive, intelligent, and deserving profound respect.