San Anton

San Anton is the name of the neighborhood that our program house is located in, and a few days ago we went on an eco-tour of the neighborhood with community activists Juan Manuel and Rodrigo. Rodrigo is amazing -- he is the ayudante of the neighborhood and I think that basically means that he is the unofficial leader that knows everyone in the community and is able to gather everyone together and propose projects. we went into the barranca of San Anton and saw the garbage that everyone throws into the barranca (ravine) and the contaminated water that runs through it. Cuernavaca is famous for its barrancas because there are many different ecosystems because of the depths of the barrancas, and they act as a cooling system for the city. It also means that it is VERY hilly.



this is a picture of the Salto de San Anton. this barranca is actually a federal land reserve, but people live in it and throw their trash in it just the same. This looks really pretty, but the water right before the waterfall is almost milky-colored. its such a hard situation though -- can you kick these people out of their homes? if trash isn't collected in the deepest parts of the barrancas or the highest ridges because it is so steep, where do these people put their trash?

There is a bad trash and water contamination problem in Cuernavaca, but the neighborhood organization has been successful at starting up some community initiatives to deal with trash and clean up the water. We visited some ecological toilets, a natural water treatment system, and two recycling centers.

because of the trash problem, the government wants to build a landfill near San Anton, have already contracted with a private company that picks up trash around the city and would help build the landfill. Rodrigo and Juan Manuel were very much against having a private company deal with the trash because they said that PASA (the company) makes money off of collecting trash, and are not going to support any initiatives to lower consumption, reuse items, or expand the small recycling initiatives. the location of the landfill has been the subject of a community struggle against the government. the proposed location is on ejido land (land that Cardenas distributed in the 1940s to meet some of the land reform goals of the Mexican Revolution) and that ejido land is near the barrancas and even though the landfill is supposed to have a protective layer, the land itself does not filter water sufficiently, so if run off from the trash gets through the protection, which it most likely will, the land does not provide a good barrier between contaminants and the ground water. so, the community is against the landfill being built there, and they actually have a report from UNAM, a very respected university in Mexico City, that says all that, plus provides 3 better locations in the state of Morelos.

even so, the government wanted to start building and there was a big confrontation in January between the community and the government. the people blocked the entrance to the building site and taxis surrounded the police so there was less repression. the municipal governor had to fly in a helicopter over the protestors to lay the first symbolic brick. but after that brick, nothing else has been done. talk about successful direct action. Rodrigo said he and other leaders have been offered bribes to let the building take place (I think he said 8 million pesos to be split between people, which is a LOT (its about 10 pesos to a dollar)) but of course he didn't accept it. but after he left and I asked what the next step is, Juan Manuel said that he is worried that there will be more police repression if things keep on the way they are -- he said in Mexican movements what usually happens to leaders is first bribes, then jail or death. which made me stop for a minute... death is a realistic consequence of action for social change.

on another note, yesterday was really great because I had a lesson in jewelry making! there is a guy who sometimes comes to the language school we are at and sells jewelry. so I got to talking to him one day (he has great politics, and I think he is involved in Zapatista solidarity in Morelos) and he offered to give me a few lessons! Lisa, one of the interns here who is really cool, took a few lessons from him when she was a student on the program and it sounded like a good idea, so we figured a time and yesterday was the first day we could fit it in. I made a pair of earrings! with a lot of help from him of course, but I am really excited to learn more and also chat about politics and social movements. although, to be real it is a little awkward when you are an American with tons of privilege and you are learning a craft from someone who makes their living doing that. I only hope that I have something valuable that I can share or give back to him. here's to more learning!