On June 8th, the government of Eduardo Ramírez Águilar inaugurated the construction of the San Cristóbal -Palenque superhighway, a megaproject through the mountains and rainforest of Chiapas which articulates commerce in the state with the so-called Mayan Train and other extractive projects in the Mexican southeast.
Cloaked in phony rituals and discourse about “the people’s highway” ERA’s government betrays both environmental impact requirements and international agreements on the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous residents of these lands.
For years, communities organized with Movement in Defense of Life and Territory (MODEVITE) have rejected the false consultations of previous governments and decried the extractivist nature of the project. We encourage you to listen to the powerful voices from these communities.
Last week, civil and religious organizations in the state said of the project, “Instead of strengthening the wellbeing of these communities, the project does not take into account their needs, violating their autonomy and damaging their cultural heritage and common goods, the common home, Mother Earth1https://schoolsforchiapas.org/civil-and-religious-organizations-demand-halt-to-the-san-cristobal-palenque-highway/[/efn_note}.”
Joining MODEVITE, the organizations called for a halt to the construction, demanding “legitimate, prior, free and informed consent, in accordance with national and international standards; the protection of the territories, biodiversity and cultural heritage of the region, and a true development model that respects and benefits the native peoples, instead of violating their rights.”
We echo these concerns and reiterate these demands for a legitimate process of consultation with affected communities and a thorough assessment of environmental impacts of the project underway.
An ejidatario whose lands will be affected by the projected superhighway in Chiapas explains why he’s against it.
Villagers from San Martín declare their opposition to the Palenque/SanCristóbal Highway.
#NoMegaproyectos