A rudimentary understanding of Mexico’s economic history is necessary to set the context for examining the roots of migration in Oaxaca and the powerful stories of our friends from Santa Maria Tindu. I am no economics major, and don’t specialize in Mexican history, so this is meant only to be a brief summary of the most important and startling information that contributes to Mexico’s current economic condition and its relationship to the United States. My apologies for leaving so much out, my mistakes, and painting too simple of a picture. The vast majority of this story is drawn from the extensive presentations of Witness for Peace and EDUCA, and I am largely trying to relate much of their message without speaking directly for them.

During roughly the first half of the Cold War, the United States practiced a policy of containment liberalism, which meant Mexico was flooded with U.S. dollars in support of national industry, money with few stipulations or oversight to its use as long as the country remained a strong U.S. ally. This contributed to a culture of corruption and continued expectations of free money with few strings attached. When the oil crisis and subsequent recession hit in the 1970’s, western banks swollen with petro dollars from OPEC members had billions in their coffers and a “developed” world still struggling in the recession and borrowing little. Bankers and politicians turned to the developing world, offering billions and billions in petro dollar loans for the first time, with extremely low (though variable) interest rates, and you guessed it, few controls. From 1970-1982, Presidents Verria and Portilla borrowed these billions, amassing a staggering national debt. To pay the interest on these loans, Mexico pumped more and more oil at the expense of other national industries; by the mid-80s oil would account for 75% of their export revenue! Subsequently, the “Green Revolution,” pushed by governments and billed as the solution to world hunger, forced many Mexican farmers away from traditional (and more sustainable) methods of farming to fertilizer and machinery, exposing new vulnerabilities.

Then, the era of Regan and Thatcher began in 1981, and with it their decision to fervently promote pure free-market capitalism and free trade. For the developing word this meant a crucial shift in production for internal to external consumption. Then in 1982, the Volcker shot spiked interest rates in order to revalue the dollar. This, along with a rapid drop in oil prices, irresponsible borrowing, corruption, and a recession in the U.S. and Europe that left Mexico with no market for its goods, create what WFP called “Mexcio’s Perfect Storm:” in August Mexico went into debt crisis and threatened to default on its loans. Who should swoop in but the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with a 7 billion dollar loan in and its now infamous Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs). It “rescued” Mexico again in 1988 and 1992 (the last rescue package was a $95 billion loan). In the decade-long process the SAPs decimated Mexico’s social security net with austerity programs that cut social services, especially health and education, eliminated price controls for corn and coffee, destabilized wages and devalued the peso, and sold off profitable state-owned industries to foreign investors while international investment put small and medium-sized enterprises out of business. Not surprisingly, these programs resulted in an increase in poverty, social conflict, and migration.

This is the backdrop out of which NAFTA emerged, the subject of Pt.2, which will appear tomorrow. We returned from our visit to Santa Maria Tindu a little after ten tonight, which was an amazing but also painful and sad experience. The people there have giving hearts and beautiful souls. I was also told I could handle spice like a real Mexican today (made my trip)! There will also be much more on our visit tomorrow. Quite frankly, we were going to have posts up tonight but ended up talking till 1:30 about this trip, the project, WDA, activism, and the immigration dilemma, and didn’t get to all of the actual writing.

¡y ahora duermo!

–john

Greetings Friends and Fellow WDAers!

JoJo, Kristen, and I arrived in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca last night after a few long days of travel (though nothing compared to the arduous three-day journey my bag took to get here from Virginia)! It has been almost a year to the day since we first met with Francisco Lopez, President of the Oregon Immigrants´ Rights Coalition (CAUSA), and embarked on a project to research the root causes of Oaxacan migration to the United States and work with Oaxacan Hometown Assosciation´s (HTAs), and the transborder communities they serve to promote sustainable community development. Our original goal was to unite Oaxacan home town associations into a coalition, but after a painful learning process both WDA and CAUSA realized this was unrealistic (and let’s face it, overambitious for us non-Oaxacan college students). However, we were fortunate that in the process we were introduced to two groups of Oaxacan immigrants working on development projects in their home communities. Since late August of this year, we have met with these HTAs, brainstormed projects, researched medical and fundraising resources to connect to the communities, and collected dental and school supplies. It´s safe to say it feels amazing to finally be on the ground seeing for ourselves what we´ve heard and learned so much about and actually getting down to action after so many iterations of our project.

Today was the first day of a jam-packed itinerary that will take us not only to Oaxaca City but the villages of Santa Maria Tindu and Barranca Fierro Mixteca. After breakfast and introductions to the rest of the delegation, which is comprised of brilliant people doing great work (hopefully a little more on this later in the trip), we spent all morning and half the afternoon with part of Mexico´s Witness for Peace team (WFP), Alexis and Dunya. It was a crash course in the origins of neoliberalism, globalization and the rise of the IMF and the World Bank, Mexico´s economic history leading up to NAFTA, a broad analysis of the agreement´s effects since its implementation in 1994, and U.S.-Mexico relations post 9-11, ie the Security and Prosperity Partnership and the Meridia Initiative. Clearly, this post could go on forever, but I´ll save our individual responses, including more details and analysis, for a separate post. We wrapped up the session with group trips to different markets to get average prices for subsistence goods such as kilos of chicken, rice, tortillas, and black beans. After dinner we calculated how many hours a worker being paid the minimum wage here, $4 a day, must work in order to afford these items, and what the equivalent cost would be in US dollars if this was the minimum wage in the states. The results were staggering; a kilo of chicken here costs more than we pay for a pound of premium steak at home and takes about half of an 8 hour work day to earn.

Our afternoon and early evening was spent listening to a wonderful presentation and engaging in a dialogue on the roots of Oaxacan migration and its effects on Oaxaca´s communities with Miguel Vasquez of EDUCA. He saw three main causes: violence and conflict, poverty, and exclusion of the indigenous community. Clearly, these roots have roots, but the overwhelming theme for the day was that until there is systemic change in both transborder relations and Mexico itself, including a renogiation of NAFTA (another separate post), these problems will not be solved and the inextricably linked cycles of poverty, violence, and exclusion will continue, with millions being forced to migrate.

In seven short hours, we will be heading out for our first visit to Santa Maria Tindu, where we will stay with families and begin work on creating media to assist in their HTA´s fundraising for a community center that public health, education, and political organization, among other things, can call home.

We will be blogging furiously upon return in three days or so, and hope you stay tuned. We can already feel ourselves becoming more articulate and educated advocates for immigrant rights, which are human rights, and all the policies that this entails. It´s going to be an amazing trip.

The Oregon Oaxacan community celebrated its first Guelaguetza this weekend, inside a large sports arena in Salem. It was an extraordinary combination of indigenous dances,brass bands, food, crafts, and hundreds of enthusiastic spectators.For members of Whitman Direct Action who went to volunteer at the event, it meant 10 hours of very stimulating activity. Five hours into the event, one of us had to take a bathroom break, just to get her head cleared.

We arrived at the location at 1 pm after taking one wrong turn after exiting the I5. In hindsight, we should have brought a map of Salem and Woodburn from one of our past visits. It would have been helpful indeed.

You might say that our group’s search for a project has taken similar wrong turns, since we did not understand the political landscape of the Oaxacan community. However, the “map” we’ve received in the form of help and welcome from leaders of the Oaxacan community has been extremely helpful in getting us back on track.How did we arrive at the Guelaguetza? It’s a long story:

When WDA was searching for a new project last spring, Francisco Lopez, president of the Oregon Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, recommended that we work to unite the Oaxacan Home Town Associations in the Pacific Northwest. Since the 1980s, Oaxacans have immigrated to the Northwest in large numbers to work at agricultural jobs, often facing discrimination even from other Mexicans for their indigenous language and culture. The state of Oaxaca has seven distinct regions and many more distinct languages and cultures, as well as a turbulent political history. Oaxacan immigrant often face discrimination, even from other Mexicans, because of their indigenous heritage and language. Oaxacan immigrants from this area are also highly organized – many have formed associations to help development in their hometowns, (called “home town associations”, or “asociaciones”).

However, the home town associations in Oregon usually work alone, separated by different languages and political beliefs. As WDA met with Oaxacan leaders and community organizers in the Salem area this summer, many people echoed Francisco Lopez’s opinion that there is a need for different Oaxacan groups to unite. Unfortunatelyafter meeting with different groups and community organizers,we realized that Whitman Direct Action members were not the proper people to unite Oaxacan organizations, as outsiders who had no previous relationships or experience.

Fortunately, this project put us in contact with Donaciano Garcia, who is the leader of one of the Oaxacan home town associations, called Generación Barranca 2006. When we met in August, he shared his own plan to unite Oaxacans: by bringing a Guelaguetza to Oregon. A uniquely Oaxacan festival, the Guelaguetza is a month-long celebration of the state’s different indigenous cultures, held in the streets of the capital city. The festival honors and unites people from each of the seven traditional regions, as representatives perform each region’s traditional dances.

In the same way,Donaciono’s first planning meeting for the Oregon Guelaguetza brought together Oaxacan associations from many different regions and political backgrounds. Many of the Oaxacan home town associations had never met before. Only a month and a half later, the fruit of their work was a remarkable celebration of Oaxacan culture. Donaciano invited WDA members to volunteer, as well. For us, spending the day at the Guelaguetza was a wonderful experience,as we learned more about Oaxacan culture from people who welcomed us.

When we arrived on Saturday, Donaciano took a couple of minutes to introduce us to the man in-charge of assigning volunteers who put us to work printing and folding program handouts and selling tickets. The event was due to start at 2 and people were already streaming in. The event did not start until 2.45 pm. When one of the volunteers at the front desk expressed her surprise, her partner at the door said it was quite normal and acceptable. And really, no one was complaining. The organizers and volunteers were busy, and the spectators were happy to chat with people sitting next to them. It seemed like everybody knew everybody, even us.

After we were done printing and folding, a couple of us went to the children’s area where we were to assist the children as they undertook the creative tasks of drawing, painting or decorating masks. Often a child would want a mask, and we would still be drawing it out and cutting. They were surprisingly patient with us.

Once the event started, activity at the children’s area reduced significantly and we had a chance to watch the program ourselves. A Native American ceremony honoring the four directions and the mountains associated with each direction marked the beginning of the program. Drums, bells, heavy footsteps and singing with painted bodies and lots of symbolism, made the very first performance very powerful.

This was followed by every member organization on the Guelaguetza committee introducing their organization and inviting people to come to their booths for more information. Donaciano had told us that this event was more than a cultural gathering. He hoped that this event would provide people the opportunity to network and co-ordinate their efforts to develop their home state of Oaxaca. He believed that every Oaxacan child could have the ‘right NOT to immigrate’, if they could all promote education and development in their native villages. The organizing committee itself consisted of members from many different Oaxacan villages and had already provided Donaciano with the opportunity to connect with some of the leaders of these organizations. He hoped to extend that opportunity to all Oaxacans and also all people interested in Oaxaca.

A large platform in the middle of a massive basketball gym formed a stage, decorated with paper flowers, pineapples, fern fronds and corn stalks. The Guelaguetza is based on a pre-Columbian tradition of making an offering in exchange for a good harvest, especially of corn. Fittingly, a twenty-foot high arch of corn stalks decorated the entrance to the stage. As Donaciano put it, “A Guelaguetza is like Thanksgiving here in the USA”.

We enjoyed the first dance, since we had curiously watched its performers prepare their costumes at the table next to ours. A 16-member brass band struck up a brisk march as twenty “diablos”, wearing cowboy chaps, suit jacquets, and grinning, colorful devil’s faces loped onstage. The dancing devils were all Woodburn/Salem area men, originally from San Mateo, Tunuchi, who had spent months practicing the traditional Danza de los Diablitos. Some remembered performing at the Guelaguetza in Oaxaca as young men.

The dance was an opportunity to share traditions with a younger generation, too. Twelve-year-old Kevin hadjoined the group after learning about it from his great-uncle. “He brought me a mask all the way from Mexico and goat hair, which they glue to the dancer’s pants”(cowboy chaps), said Kevin. When asked whether the devils were friendly, Kevin’s great uncle laughed. Kevin asserted ‘I wasn’t scared.I liked how it looked. [It was] awesome!”.

Other dances were more solemn, such as a women’s dance presented by the group, “’’.. The woman explaining the dance shared her pride in being a traditional Zapotec woman, who was humble and obedient to her husband. The dance communicated women’s graceful, silent demeanor. There was the youthful dance where young men and women engaged in a flirtatious competition of the two genders. The last dance involved women dancing with pineapples, expressing gratitude for the harvest. Eventually the pineapples were given away among the spectators. This was followed by three bands that played for 45 minutes each. The chairs were all stacked away and everyone was invited to dance. The multi-generational nature of the event was evident. The stage had become a play ground for the children, while older couple and teenagers danced around it, enjoying the same music and the same dance movements.

Interspersed between dances, representatives of the Mexican government and each of the dance groups gave speeches to the crowd. One man urged to Oaxacans to take pride in their heritage, because the United States is a country that benefits from its diverse citizens. Another spoke to the indelibility of one’s heritage, saying, “though we come to the United States, we leave our hearts in Oaxaca. We should respect our heritage because nuestrasraizes son profundos” – our roots are deep”.

After a traditional dance was introduced in Zapotec, one of the major languages of Oaxaca, a representative spoke to the importance of preserving distinct identities: “Did you hear that sound? It is the sound you will hear in the Oaxacan pueblos that still maintain their language. As a Oaxacan, you are proud of where you come from, and respect your culture. I speak my pueblo’s language, even though I make mistakes, because I want to preserve our culture.”

For WDA members, the Guelaguetza was a reminder of something that we often de-emphasize or forget in college: heritage matters. Especially for groups like the indigenous performers, whose language and culture is endangered by globalization and the pressure to immigrate, it takes effort to preserve and protect it. It was inspiring to see all the young performers who were choosing to respect and honor their cultural traditions. Perhaps preservation also requires appreciation from others outside of a cultural group. At the Guelaguetza, we encountered many respectful attendees from other cultures, such as a woman from Brazil, a German visitor, and many Caucasian grandparents with their half-Oaxacan grandchildren enjoying the event. In addition, many families and young people from other areas of Mexico that do not celebrate the Guelaguetza attended and appreciated the chance to learn about Oaxaca.

Donaciano hopes to make this a yearly event, like it is in his home-state. In Oaxaca, people have to overcome geographic barriers to come together for the Guelaguetza. In Oregon, the barriers are socio-political. And though the event does not directly resolve differences, it allows people to interact on aspects of their lives that they hold in common, like cultural preservation, which may provide a firm foundation for negotiation of differences. Donaciano is hopeful, and so are we.