The Other Campaign Begins
By: Lilia Lopez
January has simply been an extraordinary month. January 1st, 2006 marked the beginning of the Zapatista’s La Otra Campaña, a national tour aimed at uniting Mexico’s leftist groups and discussing alternatives to the current electoral system.
Naturally, the Zapatistas selected San Cristóbal as the launching pad for the tour, meaning we had more than a few extra visitors in the beginning of the month (try a few thousand) Of course, the members of the Peace House that stayed in town for the holiday season were out and about in these exceptional days. On January 1, we joined thousands of indigenous people from all over Chiapas who filled the streets of San Cristóbal to hear Subcomandante Marcos’ address in the zócalo. In addition, several of us were also fortunate enough to attend a meeting at the indigenous university, CIDECI, where Marcos discussed the goals of La Otra Campaña and attendees shared their thoughts on the tour.
In addition to welcoming thousands of Zapatistas to town, we’ve also received a handful of amazing new volunteers in recent weeks. Several of them made a brief trip to Tapachula on behalf of a local NGO-network and spent a week interviewing hurricane aide recipients as part of an effort to assess the relief operation. Look for a report on their experience in next month’s newsletter. Meanwhile, our omniscient rock-like figure, otherwise known as Field Coordinator, Melissa Mundt is back in the United States for a few weeks for several fundraising engagements and the annual Chiapas Peace House Board meeting.
As a result of all these changes, this month’s newsletter was slightly delayed but it is finally here with full coverage of our January news. In addition to reporting on La Otra Campaña, we also have a wonderful analysis on the Braceros program from former volunteer, Simon Walker. In closing, our monthly presidential election coverage continues in this issue and Melissa takes a moment to share her thoughts with us on the first days of the La Otra Campaña. We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter.
Naturally, the Zapatistas selected San Cristóbal as the launching pad for the tour, meaning we had more than a few extra visitors in the beginning of the month (try a few thousand) Of course, the members of the Peace House that stayed in town for the holiday season were out and about in these exceptional days. On January 1, we joined thousands of indigenous people from all over Chiapas who filled the streets of San Cristóbal to hear Subcomandante Marcos’ address in the zócalo. In addition, several of us were also fortunate enough to attend a meeting at the indigenous university, CIDECI, where Marcos discussed the goals of La Otra Campaña and attendees shared their thoughts on the tour.
In addition to welcoming thousands of Zapatistas to town, we’ve also received a handful of amazing new volunteers in recent weeks. Several of them made a brief trip to Tapachula on behalf of a local NGO-network and spent a week interviewing hurricane aide recipients as part of an effort to assess the relief operation. Look for a report on their experience in next month’s newsletter. Meanwhile, our omniscient rock-like figure, otherwise known as Field Coordinator, Melissa Mundt is back in the United States for a few weeks for several fundraising engagements and the annual Chiapas Peace House Board meeting.
As a result of all these changes, this month’s newsletter was slightly delayed but it is finally here with full coverage of our January news. In addition to reporting on La Otra Campaña, we also have a wonderful analysis on the Braceros program from former volunteer, Simon Walker. In closing, our monthly presidential election coverage continues in this issue and Melissa takes a moment to share her thoughts with us on the first days of the La Otra Campaña. We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter.
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