A car decorated for the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe On December 12th, the streets of San Cristobal de Las Casas celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. People decorate the streets and make processions through the town. They drive their cars and motorcycles, decked out in baloons, streamers and images of Mary, honking constantly and chanting "¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!" The steps leading up to the Catholic Church on the top of the hill are bursting with people making the

I accompanied two of my co-workers to a market organized for local producers from Chiapas who use agroecological practices. The market is located in San Cristobal de Las Casas and is organized through a network called REPASUR (Red de Economías Populares y Autogestivas del Sur). They identify as an antipatriarchal network of local producers who seek to construct non-capitalist possibilities of relating with one another economically. They seek to promote more just and human way

Chapaya, a community meal, a fuel efficient stove, and chestnuts Meals in the Communities Let's talk about the most fundamental part of life in the communities (and everywhere)- food! In the top left photo is a plate of food we were given by a family who fed us during a community visit. There is pasta, chayote squash, and chapaya. I had never tasted chapaya before, but the family explained that it grows in clusters on a species of palm tree in Mexico. It's the long stringy pi

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...

Here are some fruits we've seen during our community visits. It's interesting to see their evolution from flower to fruit. This is a guanábana! A delicious tropical fruit. The first two pictures are the flower which is quite unique. This is cacao which is fermented to make chocolate. The first picture is the first tiny flower and fruit just blooming. Below is the tiniest banana variety I had ever seen. Inside it had seeds, which I had also never seen in a banana before! We're

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...

Me and my grandpa in Kentucky My grandfather grew up on a family farm in rural Kentucky where his parents and siblings produced what they needed for their subsistence. They grew corn, peanuts, tobacco, sugar cane, beans, grapes, apples, peaches, strawberries, and a variety of vegetables in the garden. They canned and dried food for the winter, made their own clothing, and made their own soap from animal fat. I've been reading my great-grandmother's memoire, and I'm amazed by

We left from the city of San Cristobal early at 5:30am to travel to a community where different rural development projects are underway. We drove winding roads through the mountains of Chiapas, admiring the tall cornfields ready to harvest. Starting to build the water tank, first structuring the wire mesh which will later be covered with cement The local women in this community have a project growing edible mushrooms. They fill bags with dried bean pods or stover from the cor

Burnt mango trees Today we traveled to a community where our plan for the day was to help prune fruit trees. However, when we arrived to the farm, I looked out over a field of frail trees with dead leaves and branches. The family explained to us that about 6 months ago their neighbor had burned his corn field after the harvest. It is a common practice for farmers to burn their land after the harvest to prepare it for the next planting. In this case, however, the field fire sp

Today we visited a community on the coast of Chiapas where a small group of concerned community members are organizing around environmental education and reforestation. The leader of the group, Don Nayo, is a mason by profession, and while he never formally studied agroforestry or biology, his house is an experimental playground for growing and germinating all types of different trees and plants! He grows species from the mangroves (like Bontoncillo) which he germinates in a