Abstract
The Indigenous peoples of America (Abya Yala) since the time of European colonization in the 15th century have suffered constant expropriation of their territories, racism, knowledge extermination, and deterioration of their livelihoods, mainly due to the dependence on extractivism. It is a global process that is far from fading with the access of countries to independence and has been translated into the notion of coloniality (a global power structure that gives continuity to colonialism). Based on the analysis of the conceptual elements of decolonial theory developed by Aníbal Quijano and the case study of the Bribri Stibrawpa Indigenous women’s tourism association in Costa Rica, we identify the key elements of social change aimed at reducing asymmetrical gender relations. The case of the Bribri women shows that community-based tourism can be a way of rebalancing the current unequal relations between women and men in tourism and can also challenge the dominance of the patriarchal system in Indigenous settings.