Mesoamérica Resiste: Permaculture with a Mesoamerican Focus

Analyzing the intricate Mesoamerican art by the Beehive Collective

"What do you all see in the canvases hanging in the room?" Andrés asked us during our reflection on Mesoamerica. Our friend Daniela from El Salvador raised her hand and concisely responded, "A people that has suffered a lot.. from whom a lot has been taken and over whom many ideas have been imposed."

Two detailed, intricate canvases depict the history and resistance of a region that has (as Daniela explained assertively and concisely) lost much of its wealth, traditions, and knowledge because of foreign interventions.

So to begin, what is Mesoamerica?

Mesoamerica Map (source)

Mesoamerica is the cultural area of the American continent that consists of the current-day central and southern México, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and the western regions of Honduras, Nicaragua y Costa Rica. Mesoamerican civilizations inhabited these regions which included the olmeca, the teotihuacana, the tolteca, the maya y the azteca. These cultures developed agricultural practices, calendars of 260 days, astrological knowledge, and mathematics. Then in the 16th century these civilizations and cultures that had existed since 2000 BC were colonized by the Spanish. Through colonization, the region was further exploited for its rich natural resources by foreign interests and US imperialism throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Plan Mesoamerica Art by the Beehive Collective

Plan Mesoamerica

In the photo above is a tapestry called Plan Mesoamerica. There is so much detail in this art that its hard to tell what's going on at first! But if you look in each corner of the Plan Mesoamerica painting, you will see four international institutions-- the Interamerican Development Bank, the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. These powerful organizations have historically intervened in the Mesoamerican region, setting the rules for trade, privatizing natural resources and asserting their influence in the region of Mesoamerica.

For example, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) introduced US products into Central American markets, impacting the local, native products. Unable to compete with these cheap foreign prices, more people moved into export-oriented jobs like textile factories (sweat shops) for low pay and repetitive, physically-taxing work. If we zoom in and look closely inside the center of the circle in the tapestry above, we can see trade ships and US companies like Starbucks and Chiquita Banana or Standard Fruit Company. To the right we see a sweat shop and a store clothing cycling in and out different brands like Tommy Hilfiger. There is a lot more to see but overall, the art expresses the external influence imposed on the region of Mesoamerica historically from colonialism until today.

Mesoamerica Resiste Art by the Beehive Collective

Mesoamerica Resiste

In the art above we see another painting called Mesoamerica Resiste. It depicts the ways in which local people have resisted these powerful, external forces of influence. In the top left corner you can see a ceiba tree, which is considered to be the tree of life. Its roots extend throughout the painting. Our classmate Felix said that the roots are important symbols because, "while they cut off our branches and flowers, our roots remain and will sprout and appear again." The ants climbing the tree, as Andrés explained, represent the small yet constant work done by organized groups. There is a lot of incredible detail to zoom into and see. Looking at the large tapestry on the wall allowed us to see more of the nuances in every corner.

This context is the reason for the need to preserve native agricultural practices. Bringing a Mesoamerican focus recognizes that permaculture isn't a new concept or knowledge in the region. Rather, the practices and principles of permaculture and agroecology come from native knowledge from indigenous people like the Mayans. However, throughout the past centuries, external powers have attempted to erase these native practices to promote their own interests. The Mesoamerican Institute of Permaculture (IMAP) is an indigenous owned and led institution, and it aims to reclaim and spread the knowledge of these practices for greater social and environmental justice. While many Permaculture Design Courses exist, the reason I chose this one and what makes it unique is its Mesoamerican focus.