Community Health Clinic. Indigenous Autonomy in Chiapas.

The community health clinic

Community-Run Health Clinic

In this community clinic, jars of plant-based tintures, balms and ointments fill the shelves. They are made here in the community with plants they grow themselves and that grow wild in the mountains. Each has a label describing the ingredients, what ailment it treats, the dosis and the expiration date. Everything is clean, organized and tidy. In the next room, a doctor's office with a patient bed and small desk is ready for consultations.

During our community visit, we met up with four local health promotors, three women and one young man, who wore their indigenous dress and spoke in their native language, Tsotsil. They explained how everything works. The clinic is staffed with 19 health promoters (promotores de salud) in total who are from the community and have been trained in local, traditional medicine. They make a variety of natural tintures, balms and ointments as well as purchase some patented, pharmaceutical medicines to treat basic ailments for anyone in the community.

Among their tintures and ointments there is pasiflora (passion fruit flowers) for nerves and anxiety, boldo and rosemary to aid in digestion, zorillo for aching bones and menstrual pain and many, many more. These natural products reduce their dependence on pharmaceutical companies, keep their community more connected, and preserve the local practices of natural medicine. However, if someone arrives to the clinic with a severe medical issue beyond the limits in which they can provide treatment, they take them to the nearest hospital for a doctor to treat them.

Community-Run School

This community also reinforces their autonomy and culture through a community-run school system. In public schools, classes are taught in Spanish and teachers often come from outside of the community. In contrast, in the community school, the classes are taught in Tsotsil and they have local teachers for primary school. The community has seen that public schools often reinforce the idea for youth to leave their communities and work for companies in other states of Mexico. Through these community initiatives, they aim to create opportunities for young people in the community and to take pride in their culture.

Receiving a Group of Donors from Canada

The non-profit that I work with supports these communities in their initiatives and processes toward autonomy, food sovereignty and local community development. On this day, we received a group of donors from Canada who came to Chiapas to visit the community projects.

Canadian donors visit the community projects

Two of the donors were of indigenous roots in Canada. They introduced themselves with their indigenous names "Sturgeon woman" and "North Wind". One of them asked if the local teachers also teach the children to write in their native language in addition to speaking it. When the teachers said yes, she began clapping to commend them. The Canadian donors volunteer with indigenous youth in Canada and also work to keep their native languages alive. The Tsotsil women in Chiapas and the women from Canada were happy to see many commonalities between them.

In contrast, there was a more skeptical and critical donor. One donor asked many times if the community health promotors were "real" nurses and doctors. The health promotors explained again that they are trained and taught within the community but not from formal education or institutions. The donor confirmed, "so they are NOT real medical professionals." This went back and forth for a while. She also said that their traditional dresses are most likely woven with threads made in China. Everyone looked around uncomfortably.

Although we are entangled in a global economy, communities continue to work within current conditions to conserve native practices and advocate for local livelihoods that are more dignified. No one in the community was opposed to modern medicine and the important treatment it provides. Rather, they were critical of the increasing commodification of foods, products and medications that the community can provide for themselves. Organized indigenous people in Chiapas continually challenge the dominant systems that have historically excluded their culture and led to conditions of poverty. It was an exciting visit on this day to see cultures from across the continent connect and support each other.