Organized Crime

Women defenders of Mother Earth denounce that “organized crime has increased uncontrollably.”

“Gathered around a traditional altar of the Cho’l people, in the Palenque region, in the state of Chiapas, women from different latitudes gathered to share the contexts of our communities and territories. We met again with joy, sharing tenderness and hope, in spite of the bleak panorama we are currently experiencing….”

Schools for Chiapas is honored to contribute to this gathering of women defenders of community and territory.

Chiapas: New Blood, Old Wars

Carlos Santos Cid provides an analysis of the current context in Chiapas which includes the increasing presence of organized crime, the process of remilitarization, and the links between these and megaprojects, such as the Mayan Train. He examines the historical background since the Zapatista uprising and the counterinsurgency low-scale war using paramilitaries. He pulls these threads together and gives some hope as to a way forward. ”We believe that the strongest option is from below: communities have the possibility through peaceful alternatives to shield themselves, understanding that this war for control is not only an armed one, it is also cultural. We must rebuild and strengthen the social fabric.”

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