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As feminist thinker Silvia Federici has argued, the work of sustaining life is the foundation of every society. In Chiapas, we see that truth every day.
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Before there can be a movement, there must be care. Before there can be resistance, there must be someone preparing food, teaching a child, healing a neighbor, tending a garden, organizing a gathering, or defending a territory.
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These acts rarely make headlines, yet they make everything else possible.
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This month, we dedicate our newsletter to the women who sustain life. To mothers and grandmothers. To educators and healers. To organizers and defenders of territory.
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To the families of the missing and murdered, and to the searching mothers who refuse to stop looking for their loved ones. To the women who continue building life in the face of adversity.
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We dedicate it to those who sow dignity every day.
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Your solidarity does more than fund workshops, gatherings, or materials. It helps strengthen networks of care, shared knowledge, and community-led processes that continue growing long after a workshop or meeting has ended.
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Like the first rains of the season, your contributions help the seeds planted in these communities find the conditions they need to grow.
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Standing with Jotolá
Across Chiapas, communities continue organizing in defense of life, territory, and the right to remain on their ancestral lands. Yet too often, those who defend their communities face criminalization and violence.
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On February 12, 2026, eight Tseltal families from the community of Jotolá, members of the National Indigenous Congress (CNI), were forcibly displaced from their homes. According to documentation by Frayba, 30 people were displaced, including 17 children, a pregnant woman, older adults, and children with disabilities. Homes were destroyed, belongings were burned or stolen, and community members were subjected to violence and torture.
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Since then, the families have continued to face legal persecution. Francisco Moreno Hernández remains imprisoned, while other members of the community continue to navigate ongoing judicial processes. Despite these circumstances, they continue organizing, caring for one another, and defending their dignity and their right to remain on their land.
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As part of the growing call for justice, we invite you to join the solidarity video campaign.
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The pieces above are made by a family cooperative in a Tzotzil community in the municipality of San Cristóbal de las Casas. The cooperative was established with the goal of empowering women to generate their own income and achieve economic independence.
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Over the years, the cooperative has grown through continuous skill-building as it transforms its artisanal processes and techniques. They began by working on pedal looms, weaving traditional fabrics. Over time they learned various hand-embroidery techniques.
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This one, called rococo, is characterized by small coiled relief—like “curls” of thread—that add texture, volume, and detail to each handmade piece. This beautiful artisanry is the product of years of practice.
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Together, we are investing in something profoundly simple yet powerful:
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communities caring for one another;
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and future generations inheriting stronger, healthier, and more organized communities.
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Thank you for walking alongside us.
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Schools for Chiapas is an international solidarity organization supporting autonomy in communities in resistance in Chiapas, Mexico. Our work depends on support from people of conscience everywhere.
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