Saúl Morán Oropeza, Unwavering Communist, Defender of the Poor & the People of Guerrero’s Red Mountain

ByMexico Solidarity

This article originally appeared in the January 20, 2026 edition of Tlachinollan.

Saúl Morán Oropeza was born on January 24, 1971, on the slopes of Júba Xugwá hill, in the community of Encino Roble, municipality of Malinaltepec, Guerrero. Son of the teacher Telésforo Morán Morán and Mrs. Guadalupe Oropeza Flores. He took his first steps amidst the mist at the foot of Lucerna hill.

Inequality and poverty hit like a whip. He had to plant corn, beans, and squash to feed himself. He worked hard to study elementary, middle, and high school. He went on to earn a degree in economics from the Faculty of Economics at the then University-People of Guerrero (Autonomous University of Guerrero-UAGro) in Chilpancingo de los Bravo.

From a young age, he learned to walk uphill. He understood that life in the mountains demands discipline, courage, dignity, and solidarity. Young Saúl felt injustice firsthand: poverty, discrimination, marginalization, and hunger marked his surroundings. This reality forged his firm, noble, and combative character. Over the years, he became a tireless social activist, always walking alongside his people, defending the most vulnerable, and demanding transparency, justice, and unity. His commitment wasn’t confined to an office; it was one of constant action, bridging the gap between communities and institutions, translating the deepest needs of farmers, producers, and citizens into solid petitions, ensuring their demands were heard and respected.

In social struggle and academic, political, and ideological training, he was a militant in the Union of Revolutionary Youth of Mexico, the Popular Revolutionary Front, and the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Mexico at the national level. He didn’t remain at the level of words or ideologies: he transformed his convictions into daily action, traveling through communities, organizing assemblies, and fighting to ensure that the voice of his people was heard. His commitment was to the land and to resistance, confronting the lack of services and the historical marginalization of the region. He was part of the Guerrero Council for 500 Years of Indigenous, Black, and Popular Resistance, and participated in the activities promoted by the EZLN; the CETEG-CNTE; the FACMLN; the FCISP (now FASU-ENADI); the National Dialogue; and other national and local unity processes of articulation and united fronts, such as the APPO. He was always on the side of the CRAC-PC. In Spain, he participated in the International Meeting of Antifascist and Anti-imperialist Youth and promoted Proletarian Internationalism.

As part of the Central and State Committee of the FPR, he participated in the National Struggle Days that, from Guerrero, were promoted in the form of Caravans that were carried out walking from the City of Chilpancingo to Mexico City to demand works and social benefits necessary for the marginalized communities of the state of Guerrero and other entities of the Republic and that at one time, he interacted in territory together with the Assemblies of the Peoples in Defense of the Land of San Salvador Atenco.

In 2000, together with the FPR, he lobbied the Japanese Embassy, ​​finally securing funding in 2005 for a space for the producers of the Montaña region. This achievement was the result of marches, pressure, and resistance against evictions and neglect by the state and federal governments. His struggle was non-negotiable: he was always on the side of the most vulnerable.

In the public sphere, from 1997 to 1999 he served as Municipal Treasurer of Malinaltepec, demonstrating that the people’s resources must be managed with honesty, transparency and integrity, always with a vision of regional and solidarity-based transcendence.

He also actively participated in the defense of the territory against extractive projects. On October 8, 2012, he took part in the La Ciénega uprising, playing a fundamental role in the formation of the Regional Council of Agrarian Authorities in Defense of the Territory (CRAADET), opposing mining and the imposition of the Biosphere Reserve. She participated in the march from La Ciénega to the Intercultural University of the State of Guerrero to clarify and overturn the decree creating the biosphere reserve in La Ciénega, an act of dignity and resistance.

Saúl Morán, defender of the peoples of the Guerrero Mountains, is laid to rest.

Following Hurricanes Manuel and Ingrid in 2013, Saúl helped form the Council of Affected Mountain Communities, registering affected families and demanding the reconstruction of homes and the distribution of corn. He spearheaded the “Let It Rain Corn for the Mountain” program, developed by the communities themselves. When state and national authorities failed to respond, he was at the forefront of marches and blockades, defending the right to food and housing.

Saúl always stood in solidarity with the fight for justice, as in the defense of Arnulfo Cerón Soriano, participating with unwavering resolve in marches and rallies. He was also present at the first demonstrations in Tlapa demanding the safe return of the 43 students from Ayotzinapa, his voice always resonating with an echo of dignity and hope.

On August 30, 2020, he was imprisoned in the community of Alacatlatzala due to the agrarian conflict that has persisted for over 52 years. He nearly lost his life, but, true to his principles, he was willing to give his life to defend his territory. He also opposed the imposition of the National Guard in the region, convinced that the armed forces do not protect the people, but rather oppress, inflict violence, and sow fear. Therefore, he always championed community organization, dialogue, and negotiation as the true path to resolving conflicts.

In the institutional sphere, he worked as a technician at IEEJAG-INEA and in the SEGALMEX program, leaving his mark, always with a social and community vision.

His efforts were pivotal for the community’s development. In 2001, he secured the installation of a potable water pipeline and the construction of a water tank. In 2004, he oversaw the expansion of electricity service to the Dos Palos neighborhood in La Ciénega. From 2012 to 2013, he served as the alternate commissioner of La Ciénega. From 2012 to 2015, he was the second-in-command of the San Marcos church committee.

In 2017–2018, he was a member of the La Ciénega Bullring Board committee. For four consecutive years, he hosted the traditional Christmas posada, a tradition that concluded in 2021.

From 2019 to 2020, he served as the constitutional municipal commissioner of La Ciénega, overseeing the completion of the new municipal police station. Before completing his term, he joined the committee of the IMSS-BIENESTAR Health Center.

Saúl was not only a social activist and administrator, but also a singer-songwriter and composer, using music as a tool for cultural resistance. Among his most notable works are: El Zopilotero, Le canto a Malinaltepec, Nimetso Ninguana, ¿Qué será de mi pueblo?, À’gò Kuitsìn, Hombre pequeño, Leso, Abuelos, La Ciénega, Tátà Bègò, and Toro Rabón.

Saúl Morán Oropeza passed away on January 12, 2026. His legacy will endure as that of an upright man, a committed social activist, and a historical figure in the struggle for justice, dignity, and unity for the people of the Guerrero mountains. Throughout his life, he never fought for personal gain, but rather dedicated his time, effort, and dreams to improving his region, always with the collective well-being in mind, envisioning a more just future filled with opportunities for his people.

“I went walking and what I became…” Silvio Rodríguez

Ink to my commander

The ink I write to my commander
is born from the river in my chest,
it brings your name to the present
like a cry that knows no silence.

May these words spread
like pollen and flow with the force of the river,
engraving your name on the skin of this land,
dignity, struggle, and resistance, germinating.

The strumming of your guitar,
a thousand nuances of your voice
travel through the winds of the red mountain.

There you are,
in the last second,
showing that dignity
is not negotiable,
it is defended with an intact soul,
until the last breath.

My motto, and my flag.
A grave and sharp note,
like life itself.

Until victory, always, my commander, rest in peace!

Biyú Natsé 2026