On 11 September, members of the parish of San Pedro Chenalhó released a document of analysis and denunciation that, in reference to its 8 August communiqué, ratified that “there is a plan to build a rural city in Chenalhó, although part of the government has denied this.” They affirmed that “we now are organizing ourselves once again to defend our life. The land is our identity, as we are from the land; it is from the land that we eat. Without land, we indigenous people would be nothing […]. As Christians, we are cognizant of our dignity, and from our commitment to Christ’s evangelism, we reiterate that we do not want [this rural city] to be built.”
Referring to the days of festivities for the bicentennial of Mexico’s independence, they stressed that “the true celebration would be to grant a dignified place to the indingeous, to not evict t hem from their lands, and to observe the San Andrés Accords as well as express the declaration of our nations united in Article 26: ‘Indigenous peoples have the right to land, territory, and resources that they have traditionally possessed by means of occupation or other utilized forms.'”
For more information (in Spanish):
Full letter from the San Pedro Chenalhó parish (11 de septiembre)
For more information from SIPAZ (in English):
Chiapas: believers of San Pedro Chenalhó express their concern over the possible construction of a rural-city in their municipality (13 August 2010)
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