Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine how traditional crafts and Indigenous medicine function as cultural infrastructures that support community well-being among Indigenous peoples in Mexico, with particular emphasis on the P’urhépecha nation. A critical interpretive literature review design was used to analyze academic and ethnographic literature related to Indigenous crafts, traditional medicine, worldview, identity, and community well-being. Drawing on this review, the article explores how these practices constitute forms of living knowledge that articulate worldview, collective identity, social memory, care practices, and intergenerational transmission. The analysis shows that craftsmanship is not merely a productive activity but also functions as living heritage, a symbolic language, and a space for social cohesion, while contributing to the emotional and economic well-being of families and communities. Similarly, Indigenous medicine operates as a holistic health system that understands well-being as a dynamic balance between physical, spiritual, social, and territorial dimensions. The findings suggest that craftsmanship and Indigenous medicine play a structuring role in the cultural continuity of Indigenous peoples. However, both practices face processes of devaluation, a weakening of intergenerational transmission, and asymmetries of recognition in relation to dominant modern frameworks. The article concludes that safeguarding these practices requires community-based and intercultural approaches that recognize their social, symbolic, therapeutic, and political significance.

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