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!