SUMMARY
In Mexico, the management of drinking water by community it provides a wide range of institutional arrangements based on the cooperation of users. This makes it a substantive element in suburban and rural areas water supply. This article presents the case of the Committee of drinking water of Tlaltepango, San Pablo del Monte, Tlaxcala, México, who for more than six decades has supplied water to its users. The objective was to analyze the elements of cooperation supporting their self-management using the principles of design by Elinor Ostrom. Therefore, interviews were carried out with members of the commission and direct observations in the field. It was verified that the community has developed specific rules that maintain cooperating of the users. So, in general, complies with the principles of design. In that sense, it can be taken as a model of teaching for the rest of the local suppliers of drinkable water of San Pablo del Monte.