Vivian's update from Oaxaca

Hello again, it’s Vivian. Following a long bus ride from San Cristobal, we’re now in Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca. Another place, of the few, where I’ve spent a significant amount of time. Once again I find myself reexamining my experience in spaces I’ve been in oh so many times within the past 8 years. My family frequently returns to Oaxaca because of an apartment that we own here. Next to Mexico City, it is the place I visit most. But because my family only owns an apartment here, and we have no family or roots here, my experience has been a very surface one. I’m pretty much a tourist who just happens to know the streets a bit better. For example, in 2006 during the uprising and formation of the Popular Assembly of Oaxacan Pueblos, or APPO, my family decided not to come back for a visit out of fear. Now being back here studying the situation directly,my experiences here make so much more sense, but also make the streets feel alive.

Since we’ve been here, we’ve met with several organizations that have helped me to understand what I saw leading up to the uprising and immediately after it occurred. On Wednesday we met with EDUCA, short for Alternative Education. This organization was formed following the signing and implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Their focuses include civilian participation in politics, know your rights campaigns, promoting community development and alternative economics. Within Oaxaca there are 570 municipios, similar to counties, most of which follow the community politics of Usos y Costumbres. Within each municipio, each pueblo follows four main `rules` in community politics and function, these include cooperative work, local assembly power, a system of cargos, or specific jobs, and fiesta. EDUCA helped to make our group recognize how these traditional political and social structures of pueblos within Mexico have been changed drastically by migration to the US. Miguel Angel Vasquez de la Rosa of EDUCA brought several interesting points to our attention involving migration. He described to us the Vicente Fox plan of La Enchilada Completa for Mexican workers within the US. This included a plan to regularize the status of workers in the US, create more jobs within Mexico, and decriminalize the Mexican presence within the US. Unfortunately this plan was never realized due to the climate of fear that followed 9-11.

Jumping themes completely, Miguel made an interesting point about mental decolonization within Mexico. Mexico continues to be a very racist and classist society long after the reign of New Spain. This was one theme that carried onto our next meeting with Comite 25 de Noviembre. There our speaker spoke about indigenous struggle to be recognized as valid communities functioning much differently within the nation-state of Mexico. I had not realized before how Eurocentric even Mexican politics as often they’ve completely disregarded indigenous ways of life. While it is impossible to generalize this to all situations, it helped me to understand the incongruity of indigenous movements within the preexisting political and economic structures imposed by the Mexican government.

In other news, I’m very excited to go home in a few days. I have been to both Mexico City and Oaxaca twice without going home to Chicago once. I know that going back home to be with my family after being in spaces we normally share will help to further put this whole trip experience into perspective... at least I hope so. ‘Til next time!