Miriam Harder is an MCC service worker based in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, in southern Mexico. She coordinates a Conservation Agriculture pilot project in Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua. For the other portion of her time she is seconded to a Mexican NGO, Otros Mundos, who advocates against mining, hydro dam and other megaproject development in Mexico and across Latin America, while promoting small-scale, local level alternatives to these projects.
On my first day of work in Chiapas in 2011, I visited the community of Acteal. I heard firsthand accounts of a massacre that had taken place there in 1997—something I had briefly read about, but in reality knew few details. It was a powerful way to start my time with MCC. At the time, I never expected the events of this past week, disconcertingly similar to 1997, during my term in Chiapas.
History of conflict
In the years immediately following the Zapatista uprising in 1994 there was a lot of tension and conflict in Chiapas. Aggression was not just directed towards Zapatista communities, but also people, communities and organizations considered sympathizers. The military played a part (especially by not getting in the way), but most violence was carried out by paramilitary groups; local people who, in exchange for “incentives,” supported the government and were trained and armed by the government. They targeted organized indigenous campesinos that were in resistance to the government. The tensions were explained by the government as intra/inter-community and inter-religious conflict.
In July 1997, the displacement of people began in the municipality of Chenalho’, as people left their homes for fear of their lives. In November a peace agreement was signed, but then in December, 45 women, men and children (and 4 unborn babies) were killed in the community of Acteal. All of the victims were members of the Sociedad Civil de Las Abejas (The Bees, a pacifist, primarily catholic, indigenous campesino organization), despite a military presence less than a kilometer away from the village.
After the massacre, 69 people were jailed in connection with the tragedy, some of whom had participated, some of whom had not. To this day, Las Abejas continue to demand justice for the intellectual authors, the masterminds, of this event, without success. The people they have named are Ernesto Zedillo, president of Mexico at the time, and a number of high ranking military officials.
Conflict resurfaces
In 2009, the Supreme Court of Justice began to release people slowly. They were not to return to their communities (where their wives and children continued to live) but given land, houses and money to live in other places. Not surprisingly, however, these men have returned, as there is no one enforcing the conditions of their release. In April, the only man incarcerated from the community colonia Puebla was released, which coincided with the resurfacing of conflict in this community. Las Abejas consider this man as one of the paramilitary leaders the day of the attack of Acteal.
A very simplified version of the order of recent events in col. Puebla:
In April the Catholic families decided to renovate and rebuild the chapel which was 38 years old. Some of these families pertain to Las Abejas or the Zapatista support base.
Upon starting the construction, a group of Presbyterians, headed by the commissioner of the ejido (communal landholding system in Mexico) and pastor of the Presbyterian church, objected to the rebuilding. They argued that since they helped build the chapel when they were Catholics 38 years ago, and because it is located on ejido land, it does not belong to the Catholics. Therefore, what happens on this land needs to be in consultation with all ejido members. At this point, Protestants far outnumber the number of Catholics in the community, so democratic decision making does not favor the Catholic portion of the community. They destroyed part of the reconstruction and fenced in the building.
At the end of July, an announcement was made over the community loudspeaker that the water system had been poisoned. When three Catholic men went to see what was going on, they were accused of poisoning the water, beaten, tied-up and threatened to be doused with gasoline and burned alive. The three men were taken to San Cristobal for questioning. There was no evidence found that the water had actually been poisoned.
Tensions flair
This week the situation deteriorated even more. On Tuesday August 20th, after an agreement was signed guaranteeing the safe return of the men to the community and to their families, the caravan accompanying the men was stopped before reaching the community by a group of young men (some as young as 10 or 12). With rocks in their hands and shouting threats, they refused passage. The caravan turned around. The police escort did not intervene.
On Wednesday, the priest of the parish, accompanied by three municipal and state officials went to col. Puebla to assess the situation. He was beaten and locked in an outhouse for five hours. He was only released after being forced to sign a declaration, under the threat of death, that he would not denounce what was happening. The community kitchen next to the chapel was set on fire.
Early in the morning on Friday, under the cover of darkness, 70 Catholics left in small groups to avoid being noticed by the community members threatening their lives. A caravan of vehicles met them in a neighbouring community to transport them to San Cristóbal de las Casas, two hours away. These people are not in physical danger for the time being, but the last time people were forcibly displaced in 1997, their homes were burned and their crops destroyed.
At this point 10 Catholic families remain in col. Puebla, along with a number of Baptist and Pentecostal families also feeling threatened. Approximately 100 people are in the camp that has been set up in Acteal. This is not a permanent solution, nor the end of the story.
On a personal note
I fully recognize that this in only one part of a complicated story within the complex history of the highlands of Chiapas. The perspectives I hear are strongly influenced and informed by my work with Abejas community groups. Another MCC family living in San Cristóbal de las Casas has connections to the Presbyterian side of the story which sounds quite different from this account.
In my work with the local NGO, we work with Abejas community groups in areas of agroecology and appropriate technology, but the political situation in the region is always a topic of conversation. It has been a stressful time, where we have spent a lot of time worrying. But despite cultural and language differences we feel strongly that we are compañeros.
Originally posted on Miriam’s personal blog: http://mtharder.wordpress.com/