A beautiful river running through forests and fields During our travels, I am always surprised by how each region of Chiapas is very distinct. In the North of Chiapas we visit a region where they speak the indigenous language Ch'ol. During a family visit, I spoke to a young girl who mixed Spanish with Ch'ol as she spoke, and I couldn't tell when she was speaking which. Her older sister laughed and said, "Here, we grow up speaking Espan-chol!" Agroecology Organizing Before vis

Cutting green organic matter for the compost When I think of compost I think of kitchen scraps and dried leaves and grass from the yard....

La cocina de la iglesia donde preparamos el alimento de pollo Taller de Alimento Natural para Pollos Esta fue la segunda visita y la...

A mural in the community that says "For the defense of the land and territory. The land belongs to those who work it." The mural above covers a large wall in the community we visited today. It reads: "For the defense of the land and territory. The land belongs to those who work it." This is a common slogan in the region of Chiapas that reflects the local movements for indigenous autonomy and land rights. This is the basis of everything because if communities don't have access

Pilgrimage and protest of indigenous communities for Father Marcelo Chiapas wasn't a context I was familiar with when I arrived to Mexico. I've lived in Nicaragua mostly, and I know much more about Central American countries than Mexico. However, the context of any place is incredibly important to the agroecology movement and any movement seeking social and environmental change. Trying to simplify social and environmental issues down to a technical fix and the ideal sustainab

Morning mountains in the Lacandona Jungle We drove down long mountainous roads to arrive to a rural community in the Lacandona jungle of...

Native corn varieties Workshops with the Seed Guardian Network in Chiapas Rural producers from across Chiapas make up a network called...

The community health clinic Community-Run Health Clinic In this community clinic, jars of plant-based tintures, balms and ointments fill...

Day of the dead altars in Berriozábal Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1st, and I realize that I am posting this in May, but...

Harvesting coffee cherries Coffee Harvest Season! January and February are the peak of coffee season, and in rural Chiapas, red coffee...

Harvesting cassava, pumpkins, mandarines and corn from the milpa During this visit to rural communities in Tumbalá, Chiapas, we saw an...

Sometimes field visits move at the pace of the community. When we arrive to give workshops and check up on projects like the home...

Today we visited a community on the coast of Chiapas where a small group of concerned community members are organizing around...

Chico sapote fruit and tree Visiting a Family Ranch and Farm on the Coast of Chiapas Today we were welcomed into a loud and lively home...

A group of women developing home gardens and milpa systems joined a workshop about Super Plus Fertilizer. We started off by collecting...

Maize ready to harvest in Los Altos, Chiapas I recently began an internship with a rural development organization in San Cristobal de Las...

When I first started learning about agroecology, I was introduced to the preparation of Mountain Microorganisms for the first time. Now,...

This year at the Ranch they have had some challenges growing a good tomato harvest. Chelo (the agroecological specialist) gave the...

There are many ways to prepare a garden bed, but this is the way they do it at Rancho Lum Ha'! We dig out the bed and add organic...

Moxviquil campus At a Slow Foods event in Chiapas I met a young woman, Adelina, who is studying at the Institute Moxviquil  where she is...