Oaxaca update

October 14th, 2007 · 1 Comment

My topes (moles) in Oaxaca have mixed feelings about Nancy Davis. They generally feel she’s a good reporter, though her political biases shine through even in straight news stories (well, so do mine). And, I tend to take the Oaxaca Study Action Group as a bit flaky, but this “Update Oaxaca” doesn’t seem to suggest any particular slant on the news. If there are specific points one wants to argue with, I’ll be happy to insert updates to the “Update” over the next week.

2007-11-14 update

It’s been awhile since I wrote an update – I am not among the discouraged. But the environment is not happy, regardless of all the tourist events thrown out, to mainly Oaxacan audiences.

First of all, the state is in economic straits. My dentist said to me (perfectly seriously) that with narco money pulled out of circulation, there’s much less cash going around to buy things. Tourism remains low, waiting for Days of the Dead which may be its last gasp. Frankly, Oaxaca has undergone so many shitty renovations I don’t find the zocalo all that attractive any more, except for the lovely out-door climate. Other places which were once a pleasant rendezvous spot, like Pochote organic market, have gained a bad name because of the presence of two dominant women who abuse the indigenous vendors while claiming Toledo said this or that. I don’t go there any more.

The established commercial store keepers are planning to complain to UNESCO regarding destruction of the cultural patrimony. Further street renovations are underway. The commercial people complain about the police presence guarding the digging, and I suppose waiting for the next march.As the commercial people reported, “it’s intimidating”. No shit.

It’s interesting that Ruiz’ supporters, the commercial sector and Section 59 of the teachers (created by him to break Section 22), have now turned against him.

The election “success” depends on who you ask. What kind of turnout would have indicated a PRI win, as opposed to a PRI default?

Today Oct 14 is another march in anniversary commemoration of another murdered APPO person. The woman standing next to the sand tapete being created on the Alameda in front of the cathedral said, “It’s better to die fighting than on your knees”. That unsolicited remark kind of threw me –I asked her what she meant and she said fighting in a revolution was better than accepting repression. She didn’t say past or future, just that she admired the dead man, and thought he died honorably.

Today we also read in Las Noticias that there has been another attack on news providers: Jornada, Noticias and Proceso, by about forty pipe and machete armed members of the group Union General Obrera Campesina y Popular (UGOCP). The attack was in the Cuenca de Papaloapan. I have been told the group is a PRI controlled entity, which makes sense in the light of who they attacked. Attacks on reporters this week also included government-friendly Imparcial, that was an attack by narco-traffickers. The narco-traffickers are killing federal and state police in Oaxaca. While we are not fond of cops, this is a bad sign, as my dentist says.

I myself feel the state is less governable than before the APPO went into low profile. Somehow the usual social norms seem to have slipped –crime is worse, traffic accidents are worse, shootings reflect battles between local political factions in several towns, and also between the federal gov and the mafia. People are poorer, and many are desperate and leaving the city.

Lest you think all is bad, I was very encouraged by the vigor of indigenous peoples struggling on the Isthmus, and of course this week is the international indigenous conference in Sonora.

The APPO lives, we just don’t know exactly where…