O, OAXACA

Hey there! My foremost reason for starting this blog is to share my upcoming travels to Oaxaca, Oaxaca, MX with you, my friends and loved ones. As you know, my first experience with Oaxaca was through a field-study with my university. On that trip, my eyes were opened to one of the most fascinating cities I've ever been. A mix of old and new, Oaxaca is a bustling, tourist destination, where tourists drop loads of money to buy carved Katrina dolls or hand-woven Zapotecan rugs....but it also hosts the highest population of indigenous persons(i.e., a rich culture that is ridiculously poor and oppressed) in Mexico. When I left Oaxaca in June, the teachers, los maestros, were in the midst of an annual teacher's strike. A twenty-or-so-odd, annual peaceful strike (well, more a protest, since it's during the summer months), that turned deadly when the federal police were ordered to enact a desalojo, an evacuation, of the teachers and their families by using tear gas and other weapons to clear out their encampments. Because of this action, the entire community has banded together to protest against the government, and, specifically, oust the governor, Ulises Ruiz. Whether more military action will occur is up in the air....the situation changes daily. But several people have lost their lives during this struggle to see fair wages, a better, stable economy....and to rid the government of whom they view as corrupt persons. The Oaxaca I knew from my last two trips this year is no longer. The peaceful, serene streets are now host to barricades and burning tires. The beautiful colonial buildings are now covered in graffiti and slogans. The busy markets and street-side shops are now struggling to keep their doors open. At the heart of this struggle is the desire to have freedom of will, to achieve a living wage, and to be treated humanely. I hope during this trip to do many things: see the Dia de Los Muertos fiestas, travel with my friend Alder into the indigenous communities while she does research, and spend time talking with protestors, learning more about their struggle, and learning more about what I can do to expand my passion, migrant rights. I leave for Oaxaca in 6 days. I hope to be able to share, through words and pictures, the struggle of the people of Oaxaca. Until then, Buenos noches, Amigos!