Resumo: This study seeks to validate a measurement instrument of empowerment in the context of rural tourism within indigenous communities. The instrument was applied to 91 members of nine different rural communities in the State of Mexico, Mexico. In this way, reliability and validity were verified through coefficients of internal consistency and composite analysis of confirmation. The instrument reflected an excellent global internal consistency and the factorial structure unveiled four types of empowerment: psychological, political, social and economic, validating its suitability for measurement. The contribution consolidates the theory of empowerment in groups or communities dedicated to the provision of tourism services within rural environments. We can also conclude that the validation of instruments facilitates and provides inputs for new research so as to rethink and explain the behavior of the phenomenon when it occurs in other realities.
