Wednesday, August 02, 2006

 

Oaxaca revolt reveals the limits of globalization

The PRI-ist mayor of Villa de Zaachilam Oaxaca (former head of the Zapotecan empire), José Coronel Martínez, got sent his walking papers, The town is being run by a consensus government, funded by donations from local business and citizens, because Coronel Martínez walked off with the money and the records. Coronel Martínez and Co. are accused of rapes, beatings, and death threats. There are 28 towns in Oaxaca, mostly with PRI-ist mayors that have been similarly evicted. At the center of Villa de Zachilaam's woe's is corporate greed. First off, the real estate giant Geo, implicated in some of the crimes. Geo built 200 housing units, but the irregularities are so great that the new tenants are in revolt. Construction remains unfinished, and there has been contamination by untreated sewage. They bought water from rights from Coca Cola. Initially three wells were drilled and two more blocked on an area of 20 hectares. And the company is pirating water for use elsewhere. Geo accuses the citizens's government of seizing and destroying equipment. The citizens deny it and say they merely want to retain their Zapotecan identity.
Comments:
Sounds like Oaxaca's going to be the first breakaway Mexican province.
 
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