Statement from Mother Earth and Bachajón Indigenous Peoples
To the Indigenous Peoples of Mexico and the world
To all religious denominations
To human rights, indigenous, and environmental organizations
To the national and international media
To the three levels of government
To society at large
Today, August 9, 2026, International Day of Indigenous Peoples, we, the residents of the five parish vicariates of the Bachajón Mission (Chilón, Ahlan Sac Hun, Jetha’, Bachajón, and Sitala’), have undertaken a pilgrimage to voice the various needs, hardships, and problems we face. Therefore, we make the following statement:
We reject the construction of the Palenque-San Cristóbal highway, known as the “Route of the Mayan Cultures,” since its opening has brought about a series of negative impacts and risks, such as:
1. Violation of collective rights and the right to self-determination: The construction of the highway is legally unacceptable, since the authorities have conducted consultations without prior notice—and without ensuring that they were free and informed, as required by law for the affected Indigenous communities—thereby directly violating our territorial and cultural rights.
2. Destruction of Mother Earth (forests, jungle, springs, mountains), which directly impacts the flora and fauna of the ecosystems, affecting the environment and the quality of life of the communities that depend on them.
3. Intimidation by construction workers and individuals interested in imposing this project, who, through various acts of harassment and actions that violate our rights, seek to weaken the defense of our Mother Earth.
4. The construction companies continue to work without consulting the ejido members regarding whether they may pass through coffee plantations, small-scale livestock farmers’ plots, and milpas, as well as through the springs that are being used by the residents. Our territory is the only thing we have to live and work with our sons and daughters; it is the means of our survival, where we grow our own food to sustain our families.
5. This project not only seeks to fragment Mother Earth, but also to tear apart the community fabric that we, as peoples, have nurtured for generations. It attempts to sow division, pitting sisters and brothers against one another for interests that run counter to the common good. For our peoples, Mother Earth teaches us to live in community, to walk together, and to care for life
6. Furthermore, this megaproject also threatens and destroys our traditions and the culture of our Indigenous peoples, as it will affect many sacred sites, such as the “Ajaw” (ancestral spaces).
It is for all these reasons that in our communities there are people who care for, work with, and protect Mother Earth, because through her we survive and in her our communities’ traditions and rituals endure. The land is not a business.
We ourselves are made of the land (as the Book of Genesis, chapter 2), which is why we must love it and, therefore, protect it.
In accordance with Article 2 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, we demand that the customs, traditions, and territories of the Originary Peoples be respected and taken into account. We do not want businesspeople to come and exploit the wealth of our lands. We do not want the government to send soldiers, police forces, or judicial officials to our communities because they disrupt the lives of our children. Our land and the decisions of our communities must be respected.
For this reason, we also denounce the fact that the proposed General Law on the Rights of Indigenous and Afromexican Peoples seeks to move forward through a hasty process without sufficient information that is culturally relevant to our communities. This initiative maintains mechanisms of state control over territories and natural resources considered strategic, favoring interests that are foreign to the peoples and undermining the full exercise of self-determination. For this reason, we demand a process of collaboration and consultation that respects the rhythms, forms of organization, and collective decisions of our communities, in accordance with the defense of Mother Earth.
As Pope Francis has reminded us, it is necessary to “listen both to the cry of the earth and to the cry of the poor” (Laudato Si’, number 49); therefore, we call on the community at large to join the cry of our peoples and that of Mother Earth (as mentioned in St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, chapter 8, verse 22), so that our voice may be heard for our own good and for the future of our sons and daughters.
Today we join Pope Francis in prayer:
*God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, who are so precious in your eyes. Heal our lives, so that we may be protectors of the world and not predators, so that we may sow beauty and not pollution and destruction. Touch the hearts of those who seek only profit at the expense of the poor and the earth”
[Laudato Si’].
Stop the violence in our communities and against our Mother Earth!
No to the “Route of the Mayan Cultures” Highway!
The Land is not for sale—it is to be loved and defended!
Sincerely,
The People of God from the Five Parish Vicarages of the Bachajón Mission
Bachajón Mission, Chilón, Chiapas, August 9, 2026
Translated by Schools for Chiapas.