Oaxaca..In defense of the forest and community life : AZ IMC

Forest Defense in the community of San Isidro Aloapam

*Some quotes in this article were translated from Zapoteco to Spanish to English.Excuse any grace of language lost in translation. Quotes are anonymous for security of those speaking.

August 3rd, 2007

We left the city of Oaxaca, piled into large trucks. Five hours of winding rural roads, giggles and gasps later, we stumbled out to a greeting of handshakes, flowers, and.. a live band!

Welcome to the community of San Isidro Aloapam. San Isidro Aloapam is a pueblo in the Sierra Norte mountains. The people here speak their indigenous language, Zapoteco, and many speak Spanish. The grow many plants, primarily; corn, potatoes, and wheat. They hosted this three day event on defending the forest surrounding their pueblo and the life of their community. About sixty five people from many parts of Mexico and Spain,U.S.A.,Italy, Brazil,Germany, and England came to participate in this encuentro.

The next morning after serving us a delicious meal,several community members took us up to the forest to educate us about the situation...

Originally the people of San Isidro Aloapam and neighboring San Miguel Aloapam lived together as a community. In the early to mid 1900’s, part of the community which is now San Isidro,moved further away to cultivate their crops. There are family members in both of these towns, and the forest is the ‘’property’’ of both communities.

Serious problems have arisen because San Miguel ( probably not supported by the whole community, but definetely those in power) has been and wants to continue logging the forest illegally. San Isidro feels very differently, ‘’We have lived here for more than five hundred years and we have the responsibility to take care of and protect our mother earth.’’

August 11th, 2002,

In the forest, people from S.M. were logging. In S.I., most of the men had already gone to work that day, so the women gathered together. A woman from S.I. shares her experience, ‘’When we came they were drunk. When we tried to have dialogue they started to beat us. The mayor of S.M. was there and drunkenly shot his pistol in the air.’’ State police stood by and watched as the Mayor ordered the people of S.M. to attack the women. Two of these women were pregnant and lost their babies because of this violence. ‘’ I came here to defend this forest. From the forest comes the water that we drink, and our nutrition. This forest is the future of our children. If they destroy it, where will we get water? Where will we get fire wood to make tortillas? How will our children eat, how will our children grow?’’

‘’ We are here defending our forest and the paramilitaries of S.M. are saying that we don’t have rights, for example the case of July 18th, 2007’’.... Seven hundred people from S.M. returned again to log. And again the mayor was inebriated, pistol in hand. Fourty to fifty people from S.I. came again to talk them out of cutting the trees. Again the mayor ordered for the people of S.I. to be rounded up. The people of S.I. dispersed, returning to the pueblo, but several were caught, beaten, threatened with death. Two people from San Miguel were killed from gunshot wounds in an internal conflict.In a corrupt fabrication by the S.M. government, six people from the community of San Isidro ( including a mother of three children) were arrested for the murders. They are currently being held in jail. ‘’I want the release of my compañeros, they are innocent!’’

There have been several court cases over this issue.In one case, S.M. bribed two lawyers with 600,000 pesos and the court ruled in their favor. S.M. has bribed authorites for illegal logging permit, gone into the forest under the guise of cleaning out unhealthy, dead trees ( sound familiar?), then proceeded to cut healthy trees instead, selling them to paper factories.

Trees have been cut, but most of the forest is still standing. S.M. has poured waste water from septic tanks into the river, contaminating parts of it, but drinking water still flows. The people of Oaxaca have endured much repression. Over twenty five people have been killed in the past twelve months, many disappeared, tortured and imprisoned. And despite the terror of repression, the people of San Isidro Aloapam are still organizing, and speaking out for the release of their imprisoned family members, for the survival of the forest. ‘’ We are worried about these matters, but we will continue to fight until we accomplish what we have demanded.’’

The community of San Isidro are fighting for their lives as indigenous people. Their culture is alive; they still speak Zapoteco, the children speak Zapoteco, their traditional herbal knowledge is intact, they gather and practice herbal medicine, and their traditional dance forms are still performed. Their existence is intertwined with the existence of the forest.

Freedom for Juana Morales Perez, Juventino Cruz Perez, Artemio Perez Cruz, Anastasio Lopez Perez, Eufimio Mendez Lopez, Santos Perez Cruz!

To support the people and forest of San Isidro Aloapam and for more information check out http://www.nodo50.org/cipo. Or email ( preferably in Spanish): ciporfm@yahoo.com.mx

Monetary donations can be sent through Banamex ( ask at the post office):

A nombre del CIPO-RFM en la cuenta de Banamex: 01207745177. Sucursal Oaxaca. Direccion Av. Hidalgo esquina con Armenta y Lopez, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Note from author: There are many people here in Oaxaca demonstrating courageous acts of solidarity every day. The resistance here is vibrant and real. Lets use our resources in support of the people in Oaxaca!