With the support of an Upper Midwest Human Rights Fellowship Grant I will be working with the Human Rights Center Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. The link on the right will take you to the Center's website - it is also available in English. As a member of the Civil Observation Brigades for Peace and Human Rights (BriCO) my main responsibilities will include: acompanyment in the communities, documentation of community repsonses and solidarity to strengthen the peace process. These roles a quite vague as of now, however, when I start working with the Center next week I will have a better idea of what exactly I will be doing and where I will be traveling. So, in a very tiny nutshell that is part of what my summer will be. For some of you who are not too familiar with Chiapas, here is a link to an essay written by Subcomandante Marcos describing the state (1994). The essay is titled "The Southeast in Two Winds: A Storm and a Prophecy"
http://www.ezln.org/documentos/1994/199208xx.en.htm
I'll try to provide as much background information as I can about Chiapas, but what I'll first provide here does not even scratch the surface. Today, Chiapas is one of the poorest, if not the poorest, states in Mexico along with Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Tabasco to name a few others. The lack of schools, hospitals, land, work, food and adequate housing, are some of the things that are threatening and infringing on the lives and personal integrity and liberties of most of the population living in Chiapas, especially the Mayan Indians that inhabit the highlands and the Lancandon jungle. Historically, Chiapas never was a state that originally belonged to Mexico. After Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, Chiapas was quickly annexed by Mexico in 1824 , most likely for its abundance of natural resources (See "Southeast in Two Winds"). Chiapas was a province under the administration of Guatemala, and according to author John Ross, Chiapas even to this day has more in common with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras than it does with Mexico, that is to say Chiapas is more closely linked to and resembles Central America than the Mexico itself (Rebellion from the Roots, 65). It is dificult to give such a brief synopsis of a region with such a long, deep culture and history. I'll open the blog up to allow for discussion and to provide a forum to exchange information. Hasta ahora, saludos desde México. JT
P.S. I'm sure you are wondering what a "caracol" is? I'm still trying to figure that out as well and it will definetly be a topic in the future.
