Wednesday, February 28

Today's art history class concerned the performance of Holy Week ceremonies at Santiago Atitlan, where an ancient agriculturally-based narrative of transformation and regeneration is enacted using a veneer of Christian symbols.

After the break, we were joined by other students not in the class for a discussion of the tour yesterday at Na Bolom. One of the most interesting parts of the discussion was the issue of critique and the power relations involved, raised primarily by Rita, and the need to understand the ways in which the tour guide was limited to a role of mouthpiece for the museum narrative, which all found objectionable.

In the afternoon, Rita and I investigated the Museo de Culturas Populares to see if it was worth scheduling a class trip. It isn't. There was a display of paintings by José Osbaldo García Muñoz, born 1974, in the Mam-Maya speaking community of Unión Juárez, Chiapas. He is a self-taught painter and as his works are arranged chronologically, one can see a clear progression from a "magic realism" of ancient Maya themes, to surrealism, and then to cubism. The painting I include above is called Metaphor of the Sun.

Tuesday, February 27

Today's Maya art class covered the Baile de la Conquista performance in Guatemala, which is a play written in the mid-16th century by a Dominican priest about the benefits of Spanish conquest, but which the Maya generally perform in such a way that it inverts the message to one of resistance to Spanish/Ladino oppression. We also covered an introduction to the Popol Vuh and discussed how differences in translations and illustrations illuminate the differing agendas of these publications.

After Rita's Spanish class we met for a tour of Na Bolom, the institute that carries on some of the work of Gertrude Duby Blom, the journalist and photographer who promoted the Lacandon Maya as the "true" Maya, inheritors of the jungle and changelessly one with nature. The tour was, as one would expect, problematic. It was largely a devotion to the "greatness" of Trudy Blom and the "authenticity" of the Lacandon. The Lacandon were presented as the authentic inhabitants of the Selva Lacandona, making the Maya who moved in from the highlands inappropriate interlopers. They were also presented as true ecologists and the highland migrants as destroyers of the forest.

But if you read about the politics of the Selva Lacandona, which were totally ignored inthis venue, the picture that emerges is quite different. When the Lacandon were made the official "stewards" of the selva, and especially of the Montes Azules biosphere reserve created in 1972, they immediately contracted for harvest of the mahogany. Ranchers have now moved in and are the ones who deforest for grazing lands. Conservation International in league with multinational corporations claims huge territories for "biodiversity" which causes communities to be forcibly relocated.

Now in the low intensity warfare that the Mexican and Chiapas governments carry on against the Zapatistas, the governments arm the Lacandon and send them and some of their allies against other communities, resulting in a massacre last November. The issue is heating up because in addition to the hardwood harvest, there is supposed to be vast oil and gas reserves under the jungle and there is considerable conflict over whether it will be exploited and who will benefit. But you'ld never guess this from the tour we received.

Maria Luisa arrived today. Heather brought her over this evening and the four of us had a great chat. Now we are complete except that we miss Malina.

Monday, February 26

Today was the first day of the Maya Public Ritual Arts class. There was a lot of enthusiasm from the students and great questions. I hope that keeps up. We looked at a general introduction to Maya people throughout their history and the different ethical stands on the interpretation of Maya past.

Rita and I went to the market in the afternoon and bought a blender and lots of fruit. Now we can make liquados and serve them also at meetings. Project headquarters may become even more popular!

Max Cameron advised me that his online article for the Guardian on the Zapatista movement is out. Here is the URL: leave a comment: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/maxwell_a_cameron/2007/02/zapatismo_in_its_labyrinth.html

Sunday, February 25

Absolutely nothing to report today. I stayed home and worked on courses, while Rita walked all over town and bought some presents for her trip to Argentina in April. Peggy and James came for a visit. James was all packed for his two weeks in Oaxaca before the trip.

I'm excited but dubious about Rigoberta Menchu Tum running for president in Guatemala. It would be awesome if she won, but how much of a chance does she have in that political system???

Saturday, February 24

This morning was a real treat. Rita and I met Peggy and her friend Pepe (He said is formal name too fast for me to get it) and Pepe drove us up to the Huitepec ecological reserve, which turns out to be only a kilometer past CIESAS. Pepe has a red beetle which was more comfortable than I remembered them.

The walk through the reserve was largely a climb up a hillside through the trees on well-marked paths. Some trees were labeled (very few) and there were markers with questions about whether you were noticing differences in vegetation as the altitude increased. I tended to keep my eyes down on the path because I tend to trip on uneven surfaces, and this gave me a chance to enjoy the variety of ferns. Maidenhair fern does quite well here, as well as many familiar from BC and some I'd never seen before. We also looked at a lot of bromeliads, especially pato de gallo or chicken foot. As we got higher we could see huge trees whose tops reach the forest canopy and are covered with bromeliads. See photo. While I looked at ferns, RIta collected dried leaves and bits of fallen bark with lichen attached. These will be living in Argentina soon.

The route up took about an hour and a half, but only a half hour coming down. On the way down, Pepe explained to us that it was land privately purchased and turned into a reserve.

On the way back we stopped at the garden where vegetables are grown organically for Casa del Pan. They loaded Pepe up with some samples and he let us have some of them This included the first kale I'd seen in Mexico. A real treat. They also had a small patch of wheat, but no maize that I could see.

For me the rest of the day was work, work, work. James and Peggy worked on their Political Science projects here and Rita built a fabulous fire in the fireplace to warm up the evening.

Friday, February 23

This afternoon Rita and I went out to CIESAS university campus a few kilometers outside of San Cristobal. We met for a few hours with Maria Elena Martinez Torres and discussed the possibility of an accord with the LASOM program for shared students, speakers, and classroom space. When Bill French and I visited CIESAS this summer we felt it was too far outside of town to expect students to commute. However, they have no dormitories so all their students commute. It would be great for a morning jog. And one could pile up classes on alternate days. The university is directed towards social sciences and especially social anthropology, which is very much in line with the coursework we are offering, but also fills in some of their gaps. They were thus especially interested in Rita's expertise in the literature of the region.

We decided to walk back, and instead of taking the direct entrance into town, went along the periférico to buy fruits and vegetables for the evening. The day was gorgeous so the walk was stupendous.

Tonight was a farewell gathering for Max. We are all really sorry to see him leave. His presence here for three weeks was transformative!

Thursday, February 22

Well, this will seem boring to most people, but I stayed home all day working desperately to try to catch up on class preparation. Only 4 days till Maya art begins! I did have a few breaks though.

James came over to talk about the Brazilian artist in whose work he is interested. His name is Carlos Latuff and he specializes in political cartoons. His work has been pro-Zapatista, pro-APPO, anti-Bush, pro-Palestinian. Some of it is sickeningly powerful, and, some subtly effective. Check out his homepage. Also check out his archive gallery. He keeps his material copywrite free because he wants it disseminated to do its political work. One truly amazing graphic won him a law suit in Switzerland, claiming he is anti-semetic. It comes from a series of images concerning oppressed peoples (Maya, Buddhist monks in Tibet, African-Americans before Civil Rights, etc., all of whom say "I am a Palestinian." The one that got him in trouble, and is most moving, shows a Jewish boy in the Warsaw ghetto who also says "I am a Palestinian." He cleverly uses a perspective that makes the child look small and overwhelmed, enhanced by the oversized clothes. I wont post that one as I don't want to be sued. But I include two of my favourite pro-Zapatista cartoons above. I want to get them made into a T-shirt. For those whose Spanish is rustier than mine, and to use paraphrase rather than translation, the first one says "Chiapas: Low intensity warfare is high intensity terror," and the second one says literally "return the army" meaning "get the army out of here."

When Rita came back for dinner she brought a bottle of wine, so I started a fire and we worked and talked all evening: mostly politics. And....that's all he wrote.

Wenesday, February 21

This morning, thanks to Max, we had a terrific guest speaker, Professor Maria Elena Martinez Torres of CIESAS (Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social) University. We met in the pro-campesino Tierra Adentro complex of restaurant and shops, which was quite comfortable. Professor Martinez Torres’ topic was “Global Social Movements and Food Sovereignty.” Her presentation was a positive summation of recent responses to the crisis of food caused by neoliberalism, and an exhortation for each of us to do our part in reversing this criminal economic policy. Here follows a summary from my brief notes. Keep in mind that the presentation was more subtle and complex, as well as being extremely clear and well-organized. Also, I sent these notes to Professor Martinez, who approved them and added a few statistics and other information that I had missed.

Professor Martinez began with some of the characteristics of the neo-liberal assault on national sovereignty and humanity, including enormous cuts to social welfare known as “structural adjustment,” privatization of land and other resources, free trade agreements, and growing monopolization. Concerning food specifically, she noted: the use of credits and packages linked to harmful agricultural technologies (chemical fertilizers and pesticides, GMO crops); the pressure to direct production toward export, the dumping of harvests both internationally and regionally; and militarization in response to social movements resisting these practices. Military repression of the Zapatista movement through low intensity warfare is one example of the latter.

To provide historical background, Professor Torres discussed statistics from US agriculture. She noted that the spike in agricultural production in the US in the 1940s could be related to the application of military technology to agriculture, including increasing reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides and on farm machinery. But this technology is expensive to acquire, so that while production went sharply up, the income of farmers stayed the same or dropped. Often 80% a farm income went to pay off loans and credits engendered by this investment in technology. But while farmers did not benefit from these practices, monopolies supplying the chemicals and machinery benefited greatly. Another result was the dramatic decrease in the farming population in the US from 6 million farms in 1945 to less than 2 million now. A similar story was noted for Mexico, where the price of tortillas has steadily risen while the price paid to maize producers has dropped.

Professor Martinez then spoke about forms of resistance to neoliberal food strategies. She spoke of the Via Campesina (http://www.viacampesina.org/), the international network of peasant, rural women, Indigenous and fisher folk organzations, founded in 1992. Summarizing their alternative model, she noted that the issue is food sovereignty more than food security, because it matters by whom, from where and under what conditions food is produced. Food sovereignty includes the right to produce and sell at a fair market price, access to local and national markets, the right to healthy and accessible food that is culturally appropriate, and the right of the people and countries to define agrarian policies.

Professor Martinez noted that the World Trade Organization (WTO, or Spanish OMC) has been a particular target of resistance for Via Campesina and Indigenous organizations. She noted that campesino and Indigenous concerns can be different, as Indigenous people express an attachment not to any land but to the particular land worked by their ancestors.

Professor Martinez went into detail on the Via Campesina-organized protest launched against WTO talks in Cancun in 2003. She noted that the Zapatista movement sent three communiqués in resistance to the WTO and globalization. Subcomandante Marcos spoke of neoliberalism as the globalization of death and destruction. Comandante Esther argued that globalization tries to destroy Indigenous peoples and especially women. Comandante David wrote that autonomy and resistance are the Zapatistas’ weapons and shields.

Concerning the protest, Profesor Martinez noted that the turning point came when Mr. Lee, a leader of Korean farmers and editor of a journal, gave his own life on the fence that defended the WTO meeting place. After Indigenous Oaxacans performed the funeral for Mr. Lee, a decision was made for a joint march, with women in front. Their banners pointed out that the WTO kills farmers, development, Indigenous peoples, and the environment. The Mexican military had multiplied the fences, so the protestors worked at cutting through, link by link. Cancun fishermen supplied the ropes and Korean delegates directed the effort to pull down the fences. At this point African delegates to the WTO walked out of the meetings, refusing to take bullying of the northern industrialized nations, and with this the talks were suspended, to resume later in Doha. However, Professor Martinez noted that as a result of this increasingly organized protest, the network on food sovereignty is getting stronger.

Professor Martinez went on to counter the claim that the principles of food sovereignty are not sustainable. She cited Cuba’s recent policies as an example of a successfully sustainable agricultural program capable of feeding a nation. She noted that under Soviet economic influence, the government promoted large scale, high tech agriculture with chemicals and machinery, but the supplies of these deteriorated with the fall of the Soviet Union and the US economic embargo. The Cuban government responded with a green revolution designed to make the nation self sufficient in agriculture. For example, available green space within the cities was used for growing crops. Prices on food were high enough to make farming a viable means of income. While the government was initially heavy-handed in its policies, it had to learn to listen to the agriculturalists, and thereby to promote production which is small scale and localized, and which is ultimately more efficient. Agriculture is linked to vocational training, and the state provided access to local and national markets.

Professor Martinez drew several lessons from the Cuban experience. The principles of Cuban food sovereignty include fair price for producers, ensured market access, and institutional support. Cuban agriculture renders chemicals unnecessary, demonstrates the feasibility of sustainable agro-ecology, and shows that smaller production units are more adaptable and efficient. Professor Martinez suggested the components of a Cuban model that could be applied elsewhere, including: protection from dumping, fair prices, state support including research, strong organizations of producers and consumers, access to land, and an ecological technology.

A second example presented by Professor Martinez is the Landless Workers Movement of Brazil. Groups of landless poor are organized into encampments, lasting months or years, poised to appropriate unused land. While occupying these camps, community institutions and identities are developed. When the land is available, they become farmers. The success of this movement is seen not only in the allied public schools, agricultural training schools and universities, but also in the placement by 2002 of 350,000 families onto 3000 farming establishments totaling 8 million hectares. At this time there were still nearly 500 waiting camps comprising 61,000 families.

The third example presented by Professor Martinez is the Zapatista movement, in the process of developing an ecological and sustainable agriculture. They argue that food sovereignty is a new model of development rather than a system of welfare. They require fair prices, agricultural reform, access to markets, and agro-ecological techniques, as well as the use of subsidies to support small producers rather than giant ones.

Professor Martinez also praised the Zapatista political model of horizontality (as opposed to the hierarchy of typical guerrilla groups). Discussion is used to solve problems in part by understanding the systemic causes of divisions between people and means of overcoming them. Gender equality has also been a basic component of Zapatista political philosophy, as it is of the Via Campesina movement. Other aspects of Zapatista politics and policy include the recovery of history and its symbolism, encounters for humanity and against neoliberalism, use of communications technology, the mobilization of civil society, and patience. As examples of the recovery of symbolism, she argues that the Zapatista mask is a means of identifying the wearer as represent a situation rather than an individual. She notes that grandiose statements, whether mass marches or the mural paintings in Zapatista communities, serve to connect people. As examples of the mobilization of civil society, she mentioned the 2001 March of the Colours of the Earth when the Zapatista comandantes address the Mexican congress to argue for passage of the San Andrés accords. She also discussed the 2003 creation of the Juntas de Buen Gobierno (Councils of Good Government) in the Caracol stetlements in which authority is quickly rotated so that it will not be entrenched and many people will learn the skills. Finally, she discussed the 2006 Other Campaign (La Otra Campaña) first phase, led by Subcomandante Marcos, to be followed by a second phase which will be led by the comandantes. Professor Martinez noted that the Other Campaign relies on the enormous moral authority of the Zapatistas to open a space for other groups (campesinos, labourers) to come together.

In the afternoon, Max, Rita and several students went to Tuxtla Gutierrez for events at the Tec de Monterrey campus there. Max gave a talk on the turn to the left in Latin America and its response to neoliberalism. His talk was conveyed by video to several other campuses of this university system, so that it was seen and heard by thousands! See Rivkah's picture above. While waiting for the setup, LASOM students got to see Tec students do a kind of talent show. Rita also made contact with professors of literature and is arranged a return visit from them to San Cristobal. I've heard lots of positive responses about the experience of exchanging ideas with Mexican students that should encourage us to build on it for the future.

Tuesday, February 20

Today was our first official day trip as a part of the LASOM program. Our primary destination was the Tzotzil Maya pueblo of Chamula, which is only about 1/2 hour from San Cristobal. We chose today, because it is the final day of carnaval (Ash Wednesday is tomorrow). Carnaval is celebrated for five days, and in all the Maya pueblos, but it is most famous in Chamula, where it draws enormous crowds, mainly of Maya from the Chamula district or nearby Zinacantan, but also a few tourists. The town was packed with wall-to-wall people at ground level, plus crowds perched wherever they could get a better view, as on roofs, nearby hills, etc.

We stopped first at the old church of Chamula, dedicated to St. Sebastian. The church burned down around 1760, according to our guide, Miguel Angel. He says it wasn't a battle but carelessness with the candles. Miguel Angel explained that crosses in the cemetery in front of this church are colour coded: green for young deceased; white for child, black for adult or elder, blue for women. He reminded us that on November 2, the Day of the Dead, the Chamulas and many other groups will carry food and rink to the cemetery and play music for the dead, reestablishing positive relationship with them. Miguel Angel said that when the San Sebastian church was deserted, the saint statues were taken to the new church, and that these statues often have Maya deity images hidden in side them.

On the way to the current major church, dedicated to San Juan, Miguel Angel explained that this church is open from 6am to 6pm for people to prey. He noted that the church is considered the centre of the world and the place of origin for Chamulas, and that biblical stories are also understood as having taken place here. He mentioned that the Maya account of monkeys as transformed people who climbed into trees has been connected with the flood of Noah. He also pointed out large green crosses set up as stations for processions of the saints. At each station, food and drink will be offered along with music and dance. Other crosses were set up flanking the plaza before the church. The two crosses on the south, one larger than the other, are dedicated to the Sun and Moon. The three crosses on the north represent the three barrios of Chamula: San Pedro. San Sebastian, and San Juan. Walking along, I noted that the market had been displaced from the main plaza by carnaval, and was now spread out on both sides of the main street into town.

Arriving at the plaza, we went first into the church of San Juan. Blog readers will remember how impressed Rita and I were on our visit here a few weeks ago. It was even more impressive today. When we entered the church, the first group of worshippers we saw was a line of men in the white vests chanting a recitation almost in unison while standing in front of lines of burning candles on the floor. Later we were told they are curers. Farther up the main body of the church, a line had formed of worshippers to pay homage to the image of the dead Christ, appropriate for the period in which the passion of Christ begins. There were also many families sitting on the floor or standing before their candles and praying, as on our first visit. Almost all had brought eggs, which Miguel Angel later told us are associated with curing in relation to divination. Miguel Angel also mentioned that the clothing of the saints images is the reponsibilitiy of the mayordomos, who wash the clothing in sacred springs.

When we left the church, groups representing the three barrios were already in procession around the main square, carrying large flags, accompanied by incense and musicians, and sometimes dashing across the plaza. In each group the "monkeys" who are musicians come first, jumping about, in brightl coloured clothing with textile panels on their backs and conical caps decorated with ribbons. They also wear bandanas over their lower faces and strips of fir around their face. Next come the Indigenous police, in white vests and carrying large sticks, then the religious authorities (cargo holders) in white headcloths, and finally the flag-bearers. These processions were accompanied by fireworks, the noise of which is designed to chase away destructive spirits. The crowds were enjoying these procesions, including the highest ranking cargo-holding authorities who watched from the balcony of the cabildo or city hall.

After about an hour of these processions, we noticed that some were accompanied by men holding bunches of dried grass. These would later be mixed with defacations of the bulls and set on fire for the procession participants to run across. First bulls were brought into the plaza, tethered to ropes. Each time they tried to lunge in a new direction, it would cause the crowd to surge in the other direction to get out of the way. We saw some of this from a distance for a while before heading to the vans for our pre-planned 3 pm roundup. On the way to the vans, we noticed that one of the few drunken men we had seen, and one who was bothering Heather for a while (though not dangerously) had been put in jail to sober up.

There are no pictures from Chumala, as cameras are not allowed at carnaval. Most of us did not bring a camera, but Sara did, and the pictuers from later in the day are courtesy of her.

With the incredible traffic in Chamula, it was a while before we could get into the vans. Then there was a problem with the drivers who said it was getting too late and if we still wanted to go to Zinacantan as planned it would cost us more. Then they decided that if we went to Zinacantan but didn't dawdle, we would not have to pay more. So off we went. After a brief stop at an outlying and more "catholic" church in Zinacantan, we headed to the house of people known by the drivers and/or tour company, for a set tourist event. We were shown the altar in the front part of the house, maintained by right of the household head having served as a mayordomo for a year. The altar, pictured above, included flashing Christmas lights, a chest in which the rosary had been kept, a small statue of Mary wearing a Zinacantan shawl, incense stands, and ceramic horse candle holders.

The next planned event for this house was to encourage us to buy from their stock of weavings by dressing up members of the group. Verity was chosen as bride and James was chosen as groom. Peggy and Rhett were the "padrinos." Verity's clothing included not only the usual huipil, skirt, and shawl but also a white sobre-huipil, a long garmet into which white feathers were sewn. The Padrinos dressed much more plainly. While the dressing was going on, we were served a taste of posh, the cane liquor offered and drunk at most ceremonies. There was also the obligatory 2-minute demonstration of weaving on a backstrap loom, and finally tortillas were cooked on a comal or griddle and a selection of fillings put out for people to make their own tacos. The woman cookng tortillas is shown in the second picture.

It didn't seem consistent that we were criticized for taking too long at Chamula, and then driven to a shop where there was no time limit (due to potential money to be made for sales), so I decided to ask to see the main church in town. We walked there, a short distance, and could not get into the church because of carnaval performances in the plaza. This was totally different than Chamula. Much more low-key, with less observers. I noted the sea of brilliant blue from the women in traje who filled the plaza. There were many groups of masked performers. The "monkeys" actually wore complete gorilla outfits that looked like they came from extras in a Planet of the Apes movie. There were devil dancers in red suits and horned masks. Another team of dancers wore Mexican wrestling outfits (See Sara's picture above). In front of us, two performers played very old men, one of who acted as if he were drunk and toppled over. Soon after, a group of youths masquerading as a brigade of Zapatistas in balaclavas marched around the plaza, led by the Marcos impersonator complete with headphone.

Well the drivers got antsy and we were torn away from this entertainment to head back to San Cristobal. Quite a day!

Monday, February 19

Having stayed home all day to work, I missed out on all the action. Had nice visits from Peggy and Rhett, however.

Max reported that he and his class had a sensaitonal time at "Fray Bart," the human rights organization founded by Bishop Samuel Ruiz in 1989. Max raved about the lecture on the present human rights situation in Chiapas and has promised to provide me with notes that I can post.

Until then, that's all folks!

Sunday, February 18

The day started out cloudy as Max, Rita, and I headed in a taxi to the Christian base community of Acteal, to pay homage to the victims of the massacre of December 22, 1997. As we passed Chamula, we saw a group of men in traje (traditional dress, used especially for ceremony) in a procession along the road, with music, an announcement apparently of carnaval celebrations. Past the San Andrés turnoff, we headed off to the northeast, Chenalho district, through beautiful, misty landscape.

On to Acteal. For those who don’t know, Christian base communities follow the Liberation Theology which arose from the second Vatican council meetings of the 1960s in which Pope John Paul XXIII argued for a catholic practice that helped rather than hurt the poor. Liberation Theology was precisely articulated in Gustavo Gutiérrez’ 1971 book on the subject. Meetings of Latin American clergy in the late 1970s led to the establishment of Christian Base communities, which despite their commitment to pacifism were almost immediately targeted as enemies by US president Ronald Reagan, due to their resistance to the US support for right wing dictators in the wars that engulfed Central America. The Bishop Samuel Ruiz of the Diocese of San Cristobal was a purveyor of Liberation Theology and many Christian Base Communities following this line developed in Chiapas, especially among the disadvantaged (oppressed and repressed) Maya populations. Although the movement is entirely pacifist, the leaders of communities, a gerentocracy as June Nash puts it, both Ladino and Maya, were threatened by its autonomy. These leaders had long been on the PRI payroll and any distancing from their authority and potential diminishing of PRI votes was a problem. Also land was becoming ever shorter in supply. Those that did not follow the herd were always potential targets for such economic rivalries.

The Christian Base Community of Acteal was founded as a result of increasing harassment, including assassinations, by the PRI-supporting paramilitary group known as Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice). The liberation theology followers petitioned for protection but were denied by the non-Maya PRI government of Chenalho. They gathered together on the ejido of Acteal for mutual support. Meanwhile, a retired and an active army officer, the former with US training, attracted a group of landless largely teen-aged males into a paramilitary organization called the Mascaras Rojas (Red Masks). They supplied uniforms, high powered weapons, and eventually transportation. Even the mayor of Chenaljo involved himself in the training. On December 22, 1997, while the so-called Abejas (Bees) were attending mass in the tiny church of Acteal, led by the catechist, between 60 and 70 of the Red Masks surrounded the church and began shooting. Many fled, though the catechist encouraged them to continue praying for peace. The killing lasted at least four hours, as the paramilitaries sought out those that had fled and hidden from them. The goal was to leave no witnesses. The result was 45 dead, mostly women and children.

There are many hypothesis on what precipitated the attack on that day and no consensus. But investigations have shown that the PRI authorities were responsible for training and arming the young men. Also, they seem to have been misled into thinking that the Abejas were part of the Zapatista movement, and thus were a military threat. Also, while most theories about why these young men were goaded into a massacre assume the governmental use of publicity to show the Maya in general or the Zapatistas in particular needed a stronger military opposition. But the evidence is that when the paramilitaries finished, the police, who had been watching from 200 yards away, moved in to hide the bodies and clean the blood from the church. The massacre was revealed and publicized by Bishop Samuel Ruiz and the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Centre (which he founded, and which is now known by the nicknames Fray Bart or Freyba). The government first denied it, then pretended there were only a few victims. When the government admitted the extent of the tragedy, it blamed the event on religious difference rather than accusing the paramilitaries in its employ.

Back to our visit. We traveled along a road that is washed out in several places and clearly has no government support for its upkeep, unlike the tourist routes. We were in fog and mist much of the time. Arriving at Acteal, we looked at the monument on the roadside, an attenuated cone of writhing people with skeletal bodies and agonized faces. We went down the concrete steps to the level of the church and other municipal buildings. Arriving at the bottom, we encountered a group of male Abejas dress in traje for ceremonial activity. They informed us that we could not visit without permission from Freyba in San Cristobal, which would involve this organization sending a letter to Acteal. We looked puzzled and disappointed, so another man came over and offered to take us on the tour. We went first to the tiny clapboard church and were shown some of the bullet holes. We then went to the cenotaph. There is a large amphitheatre under which is an equally large hall, at the bottom of which is a concrete floor that covers the remains of the 45 victims. Resting on this floor are a priest’s lectern and a kind of altar with the names of the deceased below an image from Palenque. Three paintings hang on the wall. Photographs were not acceptable today so I include a photograph of one of the three paintings taken from flickr. On flickr are also several photos of two buildings with murals that have now been completely repainted. By the time we left it was raining pretty hard, and this in the dry season!

On our way back we stopped on the main street of San Pedro Polho to see a famous church with mural paintings on the exterior. However, a trinket market was going on, and the stalls were hiding the murals from view. Oh well.

We next stopped in Chenalho, the cabecera or head town of the district. The carnival atmosphere was dimmed by the cold rain, but there was a women’s basketball game taking place in the court in the zocalo. Before that we passed a building in which a dance was taking place with a large number of men in traje .

Back in San Cristobal, we spent the afternoon shopping and preparing for the potluck dinner and talk. Our speaker was Alonso Mendez, brother of the landlord with whom we mainly deal. Their mother was a Polish Jew from New York City, and their father was at Tzeltal Maya from Tenejapa. Alonso noted that he received his bachelor’s degree in the US but after reading Maya literature he was anxious to pursue his Maya heritage in more depth, and moved to Palenque. His web-biography says that he worked in ceramic reproductions of ancient works, but he was hired to help with Ed Barnhart’s Palenque mapping project and has joined the Maya Exploration centre headed by Barnhart, giving many tours through the Maya region. Alonso has also become interested in ancient Maya astronomy and particularly astronomical alignments of buildings at Palenque. In his talk, he gave a background on the ancient Maya but the main thesis was that important Palenque buildings are often aligned to solar or lunar events that occur on the day of the year in which an event mentioned in the associated inscriptions took place. He is particularly interested in alignments dealing with the solar zenith passages and the anti-zenith or nadirs ½ year later. Alonso invited Anna Sofar, a fellow archaeoastronomer who is working on Chaco Canyon monuments and who carried on a lively discussion with Alsonso.

Saturday, February 17

Feliz Cumpleaños Rita!!!

Today Rita treated herself to a Buddhist retreat while I stayed home and slaved over a hot computer. She said the instruction was Tibetan, done by an American woman for a chapter that has its headquarters in London. Globalized dharma.

It was 7:30 by the time she got back and as we were getting ready to see the photography show at Kinoki before supper, students came by to help celebrate. We went to Kinoki where we looked at photos purporting to show the variety that is Latin America. A punch was served in two rounds. The first round, which I missed, apparently packed a whallop. I got the second round which was more of a whimper than a bang. Not to worry, there was more liquor to come.

We headed over to Casa del Pan where others had snacks while Rita and I had dinner. Two bottles of wonderful wine were served as more LASOMers kept showing up to help celebrate. The email had said that Rita wanted to go for some live music and dance at La Revolución after supper, about 9, and others were already waiting there but came by knowing we had to be the the famous Casa del Pan. At 10:00 when the doors to the restaurant closed we headed off. Others to La Revolución and me to my computer. No rest for the wicked.

Friday, February 16

Rita and I went with anthropologist (now 80 years old) June Nash to Amatenango del Valle, the community where she did her fieldwork and which has long been known for its pottery production.

June hired a driver familiar to her, named Fernando Ortega Guillén. He was very talkative and informative. On the way he pointed out a giant (and I mean giant) military base. He explained that the land had been owned by a Comitan man named Aguilar, but that some Maya from the Ricardo Flores Magón municipio had squatted on an unused portion of his land and demanded rights to farm it. When he saw that he could not win against the Maya, he figured out another way to keep them from using it: he donated the land to the federal government. On this land they built the base, the purpose of which, of course, is to control the Maya population.

This was sad, scary and formidable. But fortunately the journey was softened by the pink blush of peach trees coming into bloom. Fernando continued by pointing out that he is happy about things that increase tourism to San Cristobal, which is good for him and a lot of the local economy. But he noted that things like the low intensity warfare being carried on against the Maya from such bases scares tourists away. The present governor, Juan Sabines, is hoping to further increase San Cristobal’s share of the tourist market by building a new road from San Cristobal to Palenque. Presumably this road would be less curvy and perhaps his idea is to bypass Ocosingo; I don’t know. Fernando also talked about today’s headline, the pension for seniors which he noted would be granted no matter what a person’s income. He was negative about using taxpayer money to further remunerate the wealthy, and also wondered how the pension might get to some of the neediest in the countryside.

Along the way we also passed a growing community of Presbyterians, founded in the 1980s by the “espulsados” of Chamula and other districts. We stopped in Teopisca to look for an acquaintance of June’s, Juan Bautista Gomez, who is involved with Indigenous and particularly bilingual education. We didn’t find him and so moved on to Amatenango del Valle.

Fernando parked in the zocalo, which had been completely torn up as some community renewal project. We stopped in the church, dedicated to St. Francis. I was interested to see stands of incense as well as candles used for devotion, and Rita pointed out offerings of eggs and salt in front of some of the saints’ statues.

June told us lots of interesting things about local beliefs related to the church. She first stopped in front of a statue of Saint Lucy. When June first came to Amatenango in the 1950s, St. Lucy was dressed in traditional European fashion for saints: lots of satin. But when she returned in the 1980s, St. Lucy was dressed in the local style of embroidered huipil. St. Lucy has her eyes on a plate, according to European symbolism, but this is reinterpreted locally. It is said that Lucía offered her eyes to Santo Tomás of Oxchuc, a more important church. According to June, this Sto. Tomás is associated with Quetzalcoatl and with the ability to bring or withhold the rains, and thus has a prominent influence on agriculture. Apparently, Sto. Tomás refused the offering of Sta. Lucía’s eyes.

There is also a statue of St. Peter Martyr with a cleaver in his head, also according to European Christian iconography. The people of Amatenango see this as a particularly powerful image and associate him with an organization of shamans in the area who were an important catalyst in late colonial and early independence resistance movements. Apparently the church accumulated so much dangerous power that it was burned down for safety and rebuilt.

We then went to visit several potters with whom June was familiar. The first was her comadre (god-mother to her child) Carmela Lopez de Leon, age 77. She had to be called from a curing ceremony being held for her 3-year old granddaughter. The child had been to the doctors, who could find nothing wrong. Yet she has had a fever for months and cries all night. They believe she has had a “susto” (fright) which caused her spirit to flee her body, and they were having a ceremony to call back her spirit. June later pointed out that Doña Carmela had learned Spanish from her brother, who was taken as a youth to a residential school. We did not see any pottery at Carmela’s, but the porch was filled with bags of husked elotes.

As we walked along, June mentioned that another time it might be good to take a walk into the hills over town where there is an archaeolological site in which the outline of a ball court is still clearly visible. We then stopped at the house of Juan Bautista Gomez, the teacher, but were told that he was at work.

We stopped in at another workshop. Several women were sitting on the floor of a shed, forming and polishing the large dove effigy pots that many Amatenango women make. One of the ladies (June did not know her name, but she is the wife of Pablo Lopez) offered to let us take her picture. We took a picture of June with her and one of the younger women. We wanted to make clear exactly what they were permitting us to do with the picture, and the point was apparently only that we were expected to make a print and bring it to them.

We next visited Juliana Lopez-Xunton Perez-Jajan. She was kneading the clay at the time we arrived but stopped to show us around and talk for quite a while about her family and local politics. School was cancelled for the day and four grandchildren were hanging around, making noise and generally getting into trouble. Doña Juliana told us that the large bronze monument of an Amatenango potter at the entrance to San Cristobal was taken from a picture of her. Of course, she didn’t receive remuneration and was only told about it by friends when they saw it erected a couple of years after the picture was taken. Juliana said that the statue was first erected in a nice park where it could easily be seen. But she noted that women from Chamula often sat on its legs, doing their embroidery. The present location is just an intersection. It can basically be seen only from passing cars. Of this more later. Doña Juliana offered to let us take a picture. She had been to New York City and had been interviewed on television, so she was quite aware of what we were asking considering the use of the photo. She was happy to have it posted on the blog, which you can see above juxtaposed to the statue of her.

Next stop was an internationally famous male potter, Alberto Gomez Kut-Saben. We couldn’t talk to him as he was involved in a tricky procedure. He makes very large pieces, including huge jaguars that must weigh over 50 kilos. These were being packed for shipping to the US; at least one was destined to be a hotel decoration, possibly in Chicago according to Alberto. The sculpture seems quite fragile (and beautiful) and Alberto and his crew were struggling to get it into a crate. We quietly slipped out so as not to disturb their concentration at the tricky work.

We started walking back to the Zocalo, but up behind us came a woman named Victoria Gomez Perez, holding out small pottery animals she wanted us to buy. June knew her so we went into her house. Rita bought an armadillo about 10cm long. We saw the pieces that go into making the armadillo and that are formed separately, including bodies that look just like eggs before they are attached. We took pictures of Rita with the woman and the Armadillo. Like the earlier potter, her interest was in getting a print, not in having us use it for our own purposes.

Again we headed back towards the Zocalo, and this time we were met on the way by another lady. She is the mother of Juan Bautista Gomez, the teacher, and had heard that we had stopped by his house and invited us to stop for a visit, especially if we might be interested in looking at some textiles the lady had to sell (I didn’t get her name). Rita was interested in the pleated aprons that younger women wear in Amatenango del Valle. She had a nice green one but Rita was looking for red. She also brought out an embroidered huipil that she wanted to sell. It is magnificent. The best work, with huge amounts of embroidery. She asked 800 pesos, which is a steal. It is worth five times that much in my opinion. Rita wanted to think about it (and we weren’t carrying enough money) so we left it for the time being. We will be going back again on a class trip after Easter so Rita can check if it is still there.

While sitting in this lady’s yard, her son came home and we had a conversation with him about bilingual education. He said that in the primary schools with which he works, 25% of the classes are taught bilingually. He is hoping to get bilingual classes in secondary school but there is huge resistance from the teachers, who are educated outside and know only Spanish. June asked if our LASOM group could visit a bilingual class and he said he would ask his supervisor.

After this we headed back. We stopped at the statue of Doña Juliana forming an effigy pot and took a few pictures. We noted that there was no identification of who she was: instead, the statue is used to perpetuate the touristic notion of the anonymous artisan. How sad!.

Thursday, February 15

After a day of working on a complicated lecture, I joined Rita and several LASOM students at Kinoki for the showing of two documentaries on the problems concerning Maize that are caused by the US government and corporations like Monsanto.

One problem is that very highly subsidized US Maize is being dumped on Mexico, and consumed because it is cheaper than locally produced Maize. As a result, whereas Mexico had produced more than 95% of the Maize it consumed, now the country produces about half of its Maize and the rest is US dumpage. This has caused nearly half of the campesinos to lose or give up their land and seek work in cities or in the US. This is all part of the plan, which is to create a dependency on US import of Maize, especially for a time when the price can be raised.

The second problem is that the Maize that comes to Mexico, some of which ends up as seed, is contaminated with Monsanto's transgenics. The aggressive dominance of these strains of Maize is likely to force out many of Mexico's native varities (this is where Maize was first domesticated and where it is most varied) resulting in globalized homogenization. The resulting Maize is nutritionally inferior as well.

There was a discussion after the documentaries, with some commentary by a local expert, as well as the owner of Kinoki theatre-and-restaurant, and another men.

Wednesday, February 14

First of all, Happy Saint Valentine's Day to those who celebrate it.

After spending the morning on class preparation while Max was teaching, he and I joined for a trip out to the municipio of San Andrés Larrainzar, also known as San Andrés Sakamch'en de Los Pobres. We checked out the basketball court and surrounding municipal buildings where the San Andrés Peace Accords were signed 11 years ago this coming Friday. For those who don't know, the fact that the government negotiated these accords meant little, as they were never ratified and thus never put into effect.

As there was still time, Max and I investigated public mural art in the greater municipio. I especially liked this picture that Max took, as it reproduces Chalcatzingo Petroglyph 1, an image from Morelos that dates about 400-600 b.c.e. The original rock carving depicted the emergence of Maize from the underworld cave, accompanied by mists that form clouds and rain to water the growing plants.

Tuesday, February 13

I've found that I just don't have time to attend Max's class anymore, with the organizational and preparational work I have to accomplish before my course starts in a week and a half. It is disappointing as I greatly enjoyed the experience. I used some of that time this morning to arrange the class trip to carnaval at Chamula, which will be next Tuesday.

I saw the dental specialist today. Very disheartening news. She noted that I will need dental surgery and some reconstruction and that there were risks involved, so that she hoped I could hold out until I return to Vancouver in May. But if the problem gets bad again then she says to come in immediately and begin the procedure. Arggghhhh!

This afternoon I joined Rita's class visit to the Taller Leñateros, a workshop of mostly Maya women involved in various paper- and print-making activities. Rita's photo of the first part of the tour is posted above. The tour was certainly interesting, and the inventiveness of the colours and designs was amazing. Maguey fiber was a principle source for the paper, which retained an interesting texture. The vegetal dyes were of course beautiful. The books and other materials are designed as limited edition collector items and are very tactile. The style seems designed to appeal to an art market. But I like things I can use, so instead I bought a shirt. It shows a Maya ruler riding a bicycle, which will go with my shirt from Belize of a Maya ruler diving in the coral reef!

Later Max and I went to the social sciences institute of the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH) to meet the director. Max had already met some of the teachers. One, who teaches a seminar on gender, has invited Max's students to attend whenever they like. Many of the students come from the surrounding Maya communities. It turns out that there are real political problems about an appointment to the directorship of this institute, and the man we met is an interim director pending sorting out the difficulties. Nevertheless, there seemed to be a great opportunity for interchange between our two programs, and if we come back to San Cristobal for future LASOM we may want to use their larger classrooms.

Monday, February 12

Today began (more or less) with Max's class and a very discussion of two readings that both dealt with the issue of populism in Latin America and whether the term is still relevant. The liveliness of the discussion showed us that it is still a good way to discuss some processes, tendencies, and events. Put the point was also made (by Marella) that populism tends to be a label that detractors put on particular political movements, and is thus used more to critique. Chavez is the regular whipping boy of the "anti-populists." How does he refer to himself, then?

After class Max and I headed across town to the CIEPAC office. They appear interested in doing a presentation for our class. They suggested topics such as PROCEDE, La Otra Campaña, or how neo-liberalism affects campesinos in this region.

I headed then to the market to buy things for tonight's pot-luck, including some plastic plates and containers, a worthwhile investment. Meanwhile Rita was tracking down a Maya workshop of leñateros and arranging a class visit for tomorrow (tune in then for a blogreport).

The pot-luck hosted by Alica, Sarah (also known as Alica's Mom), Karyn, Heather, Marella and Andrés, was great fun and involved great food (and good wine). Most of the action was either in the arrangement of couches and chairs around a coffee table at one end of a cavernous living room, or on the two balconies (smoking and non-smoking). The evening ended with a bit of salsa dancing, of which Andrés is a master! A good time was had by all. In fact, we should make this a regular event!

On the way home Rita and I exchanged opinions that we are pleased with this LASOM group way beyond our wildest expectations. This is going to be the LASOM to beat!

Sunday, February 11

Absolutely nothing to report today. I spent the day at home working, except for going to the market to buy a load of fruits and vegetables. Got guavas for the first time: the king of fruit. On the way back from the market I ducked into a souvenir store opposite Santo Domingo and found a whole rack of cards by an artist I'm beginning to recognize. She is Beatriz Aurora, a Chilean born resident of Mexico, and politically active. She uses many of the same motifs found in Zapatista mural art but in a popularized and perhaps overly-happy manner. Above is one of the cards I had bought previously, famous as the poster made for the 2001 March of the Colours of the Earth.

Rita went on a long walk for much of the afternoon and came back beaming. She also came back with a half kilo of tortillas for me, bless her heart. That was most of my supper. Never got to cooking the vegetables.

Rita then went out to a theatre performance. Meanwhile I'm spending my time working on lectures and listening to some of my favourite music (operas by Philip Glass, of course). If I can keep this up, I may even manage to pull my courses together for this term!!

Saturday, February 10

Rita and I took an excursion to Tuxtla Gutierrez today, along with Peggy and James.

We took a combi to Tuxtla that was so comfortable and air conditioned it didn't seem like we were in Mexico. The drive was just too pleasant. We go off, the last stop, at the Jaime Sabines cultural centre and looked around. The display area was closed but the bookstore was interesting, and I took a picture of a mural from1998 that is supposed to represent the Indigenous populations.

We then went to the state museum of Chiapas, beginning with the archaeological display. At the entrance is a sculpture that I have loved for more than 35 years (one of the pieces I featured in my masters thesis and an article taken from it). The last time I saw this sculpture it was lying on the jungle floor at Yaxchilan. It is a door lintel from structure 13, numbered lintel 33.
The first display area focuses on early remains in Chiapas and particularly Paso de la Amada, a site on the coast for which Michael Blake of UBC Anthropology is one of the major excavators. The display continues on chronologically, much of it disappointing especially in terms of the information applied. Many beautiful ceramics though, and three of the spectacular Palenque incensario stands. Also noteworthy for me was the display of painted textiles in the international style of the late postclassic, found in a dry cave in Chiapas. These are apparently the most extensive textile fragments known from pre-hispanic times.

I next went upstairs with Peggy to see the historical exhibit, Rita having already been through it. This exhibit seemed more extensive but I'm biased and to me it was far less interesting. Indigenous presence after conquest was barely noted except for battles.

When we came out of the exhibit we found James and Rita watching a children's show led by a clown. We stayed and watched a very funny routine using members of the audience to depict furnishings in a man's hall and bathroom, including a toilet!

James and Peggy then continued on to the soccer game while Rita and I headed downtown and to the other side to see the Marimba Museum. We walked in, prepared to pay the 10 peso adult fee, but were told that the entrance fee for foreigners is 50 pesos. "No vale" we said as we walked out in a huff. Three blocks beyond was something described on the tourist map as the mural depicting the history of Chiapas. I like to search out mural representations of Indigenous peoples so we headed there. But what we found was a grand staircase with a few sculptured dates and a monument at the top. Wasn't even worth climbing so we just headed back to the combi stand, a half hour away.

Hundreds of combis passed but not one for San Cristobal. Then a second class (probably third class) bus stopped and the cobrador kept saying "San Cristobal" and encouraging us to get in . We made a snap judgment and then piled on, but as it creeped along the Avenida Central we thought we had made a big mistake. Would this take the old route and get us there in three hours of non-stop stops? I should have read the sign on the front which said "Autopista" and known that we would not be so delayed. In fact the ride was comfortable (no air conditioning but the windows opened) and felt much more like the way I've always traveled in Mexico. Very satisfying.

That's the highlight. When we got back, Rita went to call her mother and I went to do the shopping at the market. C'est tout.

Friday, February 9

I didn't go to Max's class today as student's were workshopping their first week's project. Instead, Rita and I did banking errands for the fieldtrip. Without undue hassle we managed to wire money to five hotels and then send the receipts to them by fax. Took only 2 hours.

We then went to the market to buy supplies for the afternoon gathering and also spent a lot of time looking for a small axe. They specialize in humungous axes here.

The afternoon event was a viewing of Apocalypto in order to critique it. The students were apalled, of course. I had read over 70 reviews so I knew a lot of what to expect and I knew that I wasn't going to watch the chase section (Instead I did some reading and listened to Philip Glass' violin concerto: the perfect antidote).

What surprised me, and Rita who knows a great deal about film, was the rather ignorant borrowings that make up the half of the movie I saw. Gibson's view of "primitive" is sub-Saharan Africa: the urban hairstyles are exaggerations of what I have seen on Mangbetu pottery for example, and his version of Maya dance is pure Hollywood Africa. His version of "decadent" is Rome with its couch-reclining elites and bloody ritualized games. Despite having an archaeologist on board from the start, he couldn't come up with anything either remotely Maya or remotely original. Satyricon and Quo Vadis (Rita's contribution) meet Tarzan and the Lost Safari. I also understood a subtle aspect of the ending. The pure hunting-and-gathering hero family that escapes the Spanish (and speaks Yucatec) represents the origin of the Lacandon, currently considered the most "pure" Maya and the people who have been granted stewardship of the Montes Azules Biosphere, to the exclusion of other settlements.

Thursday, February 8

Max's class this morning dealt with democracy and judgements (biased versions from Europeans and North Americans) on the quality (or lack thereof) of Latin American democracies. Max went through many definitions and arguments with consummate clarity. We also discussed polyarchy as a more refined definition of democracy that attempts to avoid some of the Euro-centrisms of other arguments. This interested me because I have read the term polyarchy used in an entirely peggiorative sense, as the rule by the wealthy. The idea is that only the wealthy can afford to run for office, and then they make laws that benefit the wealthy, no matter to which party they belong.

The afternoon and evening were quieter with some great visits from students: Josh and James and later Peggy. Josh has now left for Veracruz where he will interview some of his elder family members on Zapotec oral history.

Wednesday, February 7

Today started out with another fantastic class discussion with Max on Neo-Liberalism: its goals and its failures. Especially its failures. Also Max clarified many other economic terms including precedents and alternatives to neo-liberalism, and some of the differences between East Asian and Latin American production systems.

The afternoon was spent preparing course materials. Ho Hum.

Tuesday, Februrary 6

Second day of class today. Max and the students are incredibly generous in letting me sit in. The discussion on today's readings about the different "lefts" in Latin America was really illuminating, as students brought much of their own knowledge to bear on the hypotheses presented in the assigned articles.

Rita had her first class today.She said it was extremely exciting and that the time flew by. Afterwords, the class went to Casa del Pan for some "cafe de olla" (coffee with cinamon and brown sugar).

I was hoping to attend Rita's class but had to go to the dentist instead. He has referred me to a specialist and predicts quite a lot of work to be done to get over my problem. I've decided to consider this a "learning experience."

Not much else. Dinner is done and now we are trying to light a fire to enjoy while we work.

Monday, February 5

Well, I've been here two weeks now and the term has finally started, and with a bang! Max Cameron got his huge class terrifically enthusiastic about the political science course. He had them go to the plaza (some went to the Zocalo and some to the cathedral plaza), and observe something and write about it. With his introduction and encouragement, the results were outstanding. Max noted that before going to the plaza, when discussing possible topics of interest no-one mentioned children, but after coming back, children were a hot topic. I remember particularly the comment on the contrast on children who wear uniforms and go to school and children who spend the day hawking souvenirs with their mothers. The military was also a hot topic, as they showed up in mass, in camoflage, coming in two big trucks for a constitution day celebration with bugle and drum.

In the afternoon, after working on fieldtrip organization, Rita and I went to Na Bolom, the house of Franz Blom and Getrude (Trudy) Duby Blom. The name means "House of the Jaguar." Trudy Blom was instrumental in publicizing and romanticizing the Lacandon Maya who had had minimal contact with outsiders before the 20th century, and who continued to worship in the ancient buildings of Yaxchilan and Bonampak. Rita will organize a class trip to Na Bolom shortly.

In the evening, Max made supper for Rita and me: a vegan chili that was superb and a real treat after my cooking. I also bought some tortillas to offer for supper but was so happy to get good fresh ones I managed to eat most of them before supper. Fortunately, Max had also bought tortillas.

After supper we went to Kinoki to see the film Babel. We had prepared an after-movie feast for the usual discussion but it ended very late. Only Josh and James joined Rita, Max, and me and neither had seen the movie. We still had a fine discussion along with hot chocolate. Max liked the movie a great deal more than Rita or I did, but there were many things on which we agreed.

That was it. Rita starts her class tomorrow afternoon and I have to look for a dentist.

Sunday, February 4

Last night Max arrived about 11:30, very tired from his journey, so he slept in this morning and missed the “big excursion.” Qué lastima!. All the students were on time, bless their hearts, and so were the two vans. The drivers were a little gruff but everything else went like clockwork. Joshua Schwab, who will be one of the field trip leaders, joined us for the day.

We were at the dock and on the boat by 10 am for a two hour ride. For a while we go along the Grijalva river and then enter the canyon with its lake created by a dam. The “captain” of this little boat gave his tour in Spanish so Peggy climbed up to his deck and became his translator. Some views were silly: a stalactite shaped like a seahorse! Come on! Others were magical, like the tree-shaped rock-formation of plants growing over a shelved formation of limestone and kept lush and moist by a stream of water emerging mid-cliff. In the rainy season it is a regular waterfall but now, in the dry season, the water comes in a kind of mist. It was like being in a huge terrarium. In between the sublime and the ridiculous was a lone spider monkey. I got the feeling that they truck the poor monkey in every morning and out at night. Who knows?

At the far point of the boat trip we reached the dam, said to be 260 meters high and to have been built between 1972 and 1980. There is now a grotesquely huge statue of the engineer and some other guys at the top of the dam. We are told that this dam produces 23% (I think) of Mexico’s electricity and is the 8th largest electricity-producing dam in the world. We were also told (and I’ve read elsewhere) that Chiapas produces 70% of Mexico’s electricity, but because it is first routed to Puebla and then distributed throughout Mexico, it is most expensive in Chiapas. Not only that, but many (mostly Maya) communities, and in some regions virtually all communities lack electricity. Ironic, eh?

On the way back we stopped to gaze at two crocodiles, one in the water and one sunning on the bank. Picture is above—see if you can find him/her.

After a group shot, we headed to Chiapa de Corzo for a free lunch hour. There is an interesting Dominican cathedral and monastery overlooking the Grijalva river. The bare and dusty zocalo is surrounded by the usual arcades, many of them with gift shops, specializing in local lacquer and the famous black dresses embroidered with flowers. In one corner of the zocalo, next to an ancient ceiba tree, is a huge octagonal brick “bandstand” which was a cool and breezy place to sit. Looking up, we saw several groups of bats waiting out the daylight before their nightly hunt.

Returning to San Cristobal, the class met Max, who distributed reading packages, and that was the end of the official group activities for the day. However, 18 students, along with Rita and Max (not me), came to the film showing on the 2006 uprising in Oaxaca at Kinoki, staying another two hours for a discussion of the particular perspective involved. Their report to me was that the film emphasized class struggle with a Stalinist bent, and did not acknowledge the importance of the Indigenist movement in Oaxaca, which is the greater part of the grass roots resistance there.

Classes start tomorrow!!!

Saturday, February 3

Very short entry today. They can’t all be staggering.

The morning was quiet as Rita and I both worked in our office/bedrooms. I am reading a PhD thesis that will hopefully be defended this April (in my absence). After lunch we went to do errands. I took Rita climbing up the stairs to the Templo de San Cristobal and afterwards we went into the nearby covered artesanías market. We found a store next to Madre Tierra restaurant on Insurgentes that sells Yerba Mate. Attention Ewan.

On the way back we met Verity, Flora, and Sarah in the plaza of the cathedral and then headed home to wait for James to bring Joshua Schwab, just in from Veracruz. Joshua will be one of the leaders on the big fieldtrip in March, so I asked him to join us for the excursion tomorrow to get to know the group.

After James and Joshua left, Rita and I went to the film on the “Forgotten Zapatistas” (its title in Spanish actually means The Last Zapatistas). It is a documentary on surviving members of Zapata’s army in his home state of Morelos. The reason for the interest was made clear by showing how Salinas, changing Zapata’s article 27 of the constitution on ejidos in order to sign NAFTA, had undone what Zapata accomplished. The film also showed the EZLN leaders visiting these elderly ladies and gentlemen in Morelos and intently listening to their advice to keep on fighting, to never give up until campesinos have equal rights. Sarah, Verity, and Flora were at the film and came over to our apartment for a discussion, joined by Peggy. Verity demonstrated her expertise in fire-building. We have continued to nurse the fire using lung power and are still enjoying it as I write this, waiting for Max Cameron to arrive by taxi from the airport in Tuxtla.

Friday, February 2

This morning Rita had an appointment with a contact at Na Bolom, the old house of Franz and Trudy Blom that is now an institute and museum. They went off exploring libraries and cultural events, of which more later.

After lunch we headed to the market to get a combi for Zinacantan. We came in at the end of a minor festival of the Virgin of Candelaria. Outside the church was a small band with a loudspeaker that could reach to Vancouver.

When we entered the church, 11 men in ceremonial traje were dancing in a near circle, the circle being completed by the three seated musicians playing a violin, harp, and guitar. The dancers wore old-fashioned sandals with the high ankle-guard, as was used in prehispanic times. Over their gorgeously embroidered and tasseled tunics they wore a long black poncho that almost reached the ground and had subtly coloured stripes near the hem. Each held his hat in his hands, while over his head was a grey headcloth from which hung tassels of bright ribbons, mainly blue and red. The dance was simple, striking alternate feet with the beat, not moving a all from one’s place. The song was simple and repetitive. But the whole effect was mesmerizing, except for the firecrackers outside toward the end of the dance.

We stayed inside a while as they preyed, but were drawn outside by new sounds. In the bandstand a man was playing a bamboo flute while two others accompanied him on drums. Other men in ceremonial garb hung around, and bottles of posh were evident for the offerings.

We then headed to the museum, a thatch-roofed, mud-walled structure with some displays of clothing and musical instruments. Next door is a continuation that also functions as a kind of shop, with a kitchen setup and partly finished weavings hanging on the walls.

A ways behind the museum, next to a school, was a smaller church, dated 1872 and dedicated to San Sebastian. After taking a picture of Rita in front of this church, we went inside and had a chat with the Sacristan. We noticed the beautiful ceiling pattern that looked Islamic to me, and which he said was made form ocote, the wood we use to start a fire. He also lamented the evangelists who no longer prey to the saints. It seemed absolutely nonsensical to him. He wanted our opinion but we deferred, noting that we are strangers in their land.

We decided to head back but it was late in a day, and the combi wouldn’t leave until two taxis were filled and left. The taxi driver wouldn’t leave until he filled up unless we agreed to pay for four passengers rather than two. We waited about half an hour, while Rita rested and I went through the shops with weavings. In one shop they tried to tell me that shirts made in a factory in San Cristobal were made by hand in Zinacantan, so I headed to the other, a cooperative of 20 women with beautiful things in it. Took some photos with their permission.

Back then to the taxi. The rate is 12 per person. If we pay 48 for the whole ride we can even get off where we want instead of in the market. The driver started lowering the price, reaching 40. Rita offered him 35 which he refused. I offered him 36, noting that it would be like taking 3 passengers and we had a deal.

We got off the taxi, as arranged, at the Museum of Maya Medicine, north of the market. The museum is well worth a trip. It treats not only the physical but also the spiritual, if they could be divided. So there is much emphasis on Maya concepts of hot and cold plants and how they balance the body, and on diviners and others who cure by what we would consider supernatural means. This exhibit would probably help reinforce the kind of curing and divining episodes that Rosario Castellanos puts in her book.

We then walked back through the market, buying fruits and vegetables on the way, came home, and made a nice supper. After supper, we went to a “cultural event,” listed as an encounter with regional literature. It turned out to be very 60s, a room in a restaurant-bar where young poets took turns reciting. I don’t understand poetry in English so this was lost on me. But there was an effective story told by a young man. If I got this right, it is about a young girl whose father had abused her for years, and thus who tended to choose older men with authority as lovers. At present, her lover is a teacher. She decided to assert herself and demand that he use a condom. He grew angry but tried, and had trouble and grew much angrier to the point that he beat her. This, like many things, reminded her of the beatings she also got from her father, and the resulting despair led her to suicide. After a few others, a woman got up and recited rather than read a poem about pregnancy related to the chrysalis stage of a butterfly. I enjoyed the varied motions and changes in tone. They announced that more of a discussion would follow and Rita suggested we leave. I was very happy to do so as one member of a couple standing and sitting on the other side of me had clearly eaten too many frijoles and was not being successful in controlling the fragrant results.

And that’s it for Friday.

Thursday, February 1

Today was the big orientation, so Rita and I got up early to clean the fruit, set out the food, arrange couches, chairs and furniture etc. After everyone came, we introduced ourselves and then went over the class structure, course requirements, daytrip and fieldtrip plans, rules for behavior and then had long information sharings about available apartments and extending visas.

Rita and I then went to the telcel place where we had brought the phone in order to get a number and a card and get some instruction on the programming. Our number, by the way, is 967 122 1234. Back at the apartment after several false starts we started getting through the phoning (Rita did it all) and made significant headway on hotel reservations for the great fieldtrip.

We then did some errands, going to the post office, then to the travel agent to pay for the Sunday excursion to the Cañon del Sumidero, and to the Instituto Jovel to check out the films they have. Turns out they have nothing but gave us advice on a place to look: Cine Club La Ventana. After walking around for quite a while and getting directions we gave it up as not found. But on the way, we looked into some interesting stores. One lady who sells textiles has several from Guatemala which will make a nice comparison with those from Chiapas. Two stores and contemporary “popular” art, much of which uses Zapatista iconography in idyllic settings of flowers and stars. As I am familiar with the Zapatista iconography from web photos of Oventik murals, I found these paintings quite interesting and even powerful. I may get an original as well as several of the posters and photograph them for use in teaching.

We also decided to stop in at the Casa Del Pan for Rita to get some bread, and I decided to get chocolate. While there, I noticed a film series advertisement for, you guessed it, Casa del Pan, and that at 8-10 there would be a film on the Zapatista movement. So after going home to do more phoning, Rita and I headed for the Casa del Pan for supper and a movie. I emailed the class before hand to warn them of the movie, and several students showed up.

The documentary ended with an extremely provocative testimonio-type scene of a man showing how the army’s big claim to supply medicine is weakened when the bottles of medicine have no name and no expiry date, so you don’t know what you are getting. The point being made was that Maya are still treated as second-class citizens or even sub-human in this racist society, though perhaps it was also making the point that they were no longer going to be quiet about this indignity.

This last scene was very powerful and as Rita and I started discussing it on the way home, we noticed some of the other students who came were also interested in discussing. So we invited them over to our apartment for a nice fire and some hot chocolate. Rhett, Ellen, Peggy, Marella, James, and Karyn came for a lively 2 hour discussion that also involved Apocalypto, archaeology, the media, primitivism, “authenticity,” weaving cooperatives, and many other issues. This was a fantastic experience, with so many perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds to share among the group. As the group left, Rita and I said to each other that this kind of learning experience is just exactly what LASOM should be about!