Mexico

Arriving in Mexico I could see that roads were very bad, open sewage flowed through the outskirts of the city, people were begging at train stations and in the center of the city, the water from the tap was undrinkable and I was showering from a bucket with water heated on the stove (I asked for them not to heat it but they insisted as part of there hospitality). I saw notices bragging about 20 million people now being supplied power in Mexico City but I was unconvinced of their infrastructure.

Staying with a family in the northern suburbs of Mexico City. Two members of this family were working for multi-nationals (Ford and Siemens) but they didn´t live like the families I had seen that work in their roles. The father of this family has been working for them as an accountant for many years but still they only have one car, old, noisy, rusting (like many in Mexico) and not a Ford. This is a country that is on the edge of first world and 3rd world. Because I knew this I guessed that the people on the street were the ones living in the 3rd world and the ones driving the Mercedes were in the first world. I was also confronted immediately with what I was interested in seeing in Latin America, the life, the people and the politics.

It was immediately after the election results of the Mexican elections had been announced. The candidate campaigning for changes for the poor Obrador was edged out by 0.5% after he had been well ahead in polling until immediately before the election. Obrador was the target of a media attack in the last days before the election by Fox the president at the time. As a result Obrador didn´t, and still hasn´t accepted the result as valid. He took the result to the highest court on the basis of irregularities in counting as well as the use of media by Fox to get the candidate into office. The D.F (District Federal) was overtaken by the protesters in favour of Obrador, there were thousands of banners and signs all over the city as well as flags. People had been camped there for a month at that stage, 4 months later the protest continues.

My perspective entering Mexico was in support of Obrador, the platform of improving services and opportunities for the poor and decreasing corporate corruption I saw as a solid basis for a campaign for what I knew of Mexico. The family that I stayed with and later the rich hostel owners that I spoke to about it weren´t so sure and thought that he may damage the economy. They may well have been right, they are in much closer proximity to the effects of a damaged Mexican economy than I am. Looking for jobs in services is already hard. My friend had been unemployed for 3 months between jobs even though he had a degree and was searching for work each day.

When I went further south I visited Oaxaca where there is an ever escalating conflict between the people and their state government. It started as teachers protests for better wages and conditions in school in line with the standards of the rest of the country. These protests had been taking place almost annually with the government refusing to make changes. I was confronted before arrival by the seriousness of the situation. The roads into the city were closed turning my 8 hr trip bus ride into a 18hr adventure. There were fires lit at every entrance to the city and men with guns guarding the points to prevent the police from entering. This was in response to the killing of 7 people in an attempt to evict the peaceful protesters from the central square of the city. When I arrived there were no police in the city.

Since then the situation has only got worse including the killing of well known US activist Brad Will who was filming at the time of his death. His killers, pro-government paramilitaries sprayed bullets at the protesters killing Brad along with 4 others. People in the south of Mexico remain second class citizens according to all statistical measures. As a result it is likely that the movement of Oaxaca along with the Zapatista movement of Chiapas will continue to grow in significance and resolve to create change. The people have no other option given their living conditions and the obvious inequality that goes beyond neglect. When I left Mexico I was sure that something was going wrong with public spending. There was simply too much money in the country for some people to be living such a high life while others ate in the dirt. This was just the first experience of what it is to travel in Central America . . maybe Latin America

Central America

What do the people want?

• Better transport services!
  Safety!
• Better pay and working conditions!
• Safe drinking water!
  
• Garbage collection services!
  
• Access to education at all levels!
  
• Freedom to travel to other countries of
  
• Central America and the world! (both political and financial)
  
• Foreign business and the rich to contribute towards the development of their country (or leave)!
  
• Access to land for agriculture and fare prices for goods!
  

• What are the people like?


• People, they like good times and care for their families. Us people are all just like each other. We have life and love and basic needs.


• Most like American music and movies but know that there own history and current economic status is heavily influenced by US policy.


• They know about what they want and can tell you what they would do if they were president in terms of priorities.


• They believe in hard work religiously and pride themselves on working long hours at tough jobs. It´s not so laid back as the stereotype I came with of people sleeping all day and leaving the work for tomorrow.


• They like Nike, nice watches, new clothes, Coke, TV and cars. I think consumerism has well and truly taken hold here. People don´t want to look dirty or have old clothes and look down on people who do. Men wear long pants and closed shoes as a rule and have there hair done with product every day.


• Attitudes about drinking and drugs are varied. There are many who have the view "drugs are bad" without any knowledge of the difference between marijuana and heroin. Some of these people are heavy beer drinkers or get drunk when they get paid. This is a custom amongst some farm workers which leaves many with a fraction of their weeks work.
  
  Third World?


• There are many people living in this part of the world richer than most people I know in Australia. At the same time there are many many more people who don´t eat daily and will not get beyond a year or two of formal education. I don´t like the name third world because it divides us from them. In truth we share this world. Inequality within these countries is really inequality that we all should know. If more people did know it I don´t think it would exist.
  
  Tourists?


• Most people are reasonably familiar with tourists. Even in small places that don´t see tourists daily if you ask the people they will tell you that there are a lot of tourist coming through. Maybe it´s because it´s a comparison to the terrible 80´s when war touched the majority of Central America or maybe its because every big backpack is memorable. Local guys are intrigued by the beautiful white women and it´s assumed guys looking for local girls, drugs and beer.


• It´s also assumed in most places that you are from the US (Gringo) and don´t speak Spanish. (Most people in Guatemala have no idea where Australia is, many kids have trouble naming their bordering countries.


• We are associated with money being lost (fairly!).

• From my point of view I think tourists in Central America are much more thoughtful generally and looking for a different kind of experience to most people doing Contiki in Europe.
  
  Government?


• The first thing most people will say is that the government has always been corrupt. Many are resigned to that always being the case. Some can detail where the money has gone eg. ownership of companies, distribution of foreign aid etc. others just know that the government says that it´s going to help them and then they don´t.


• The idea of opposition to government is very repressed in everywhere other than Nicaragua where people speak out against the current Sandinista government if they are not for the movement or against the Somoza and US backed governments in the contrasting years.
  

America - USA

• Most people in Guatemala have a dream of going there. Most I feel have no idea of what it would be like. They don´t speak English and plan to arrive with no money illegally. Men illegally going to the USA with a helper (Cayote) is the main reason why women have the highest death by murder rate in the world. If the man doesn´t pay up his debt his wife is the guarantor!


• Rambo and Rocky, NY City and RNB are what people think about when they think of the US. They know the wages are higher and most have a family member who sent back photos of themselves wearing the latest brands and maybe a gold chain


• Some go and work for a few years save some money and come back although for many I think it´s like a drug that once they go and see the money they have to go back. A lot help out family and extended family with the money they make.


• Many guys get a second wife and family in the US and travel between the two.


• Not many report anything other than a hard life of 12 hr days 6 or 7 days a week as illegals. Some do better but most like to come home to a slower pace of life.


• Some people know about trade deals, foreign ownership as well as crop prices and the role that multi-nationals and US controlled UN bodies (WB and IMF) play in their lives. More than I thought

Religion?

• There is a Catholic majority in Central America owing to the conquistadors who used the good book as a tool to control the indigenous people.


• Evangelic or Protestant religion is growing under the influence of the 30 million US American´s under this denomination. There is a substantial amount of money and education (or indoctrination) behind this movement. In Guatemala the new church made great gains when the poor people lost faith in the Catholic church for it´s support of the rich and the government in the civil war from 1966-1996.


• I was preached to many times from friends and strangers giving sermons on the bus. The Evangelic church works a lot through creating fear for god, they preach about the end of the world where Evangelic's will survive and all others will be swept from the earth as well as the ability for god to take away food and water from the people if that is what he wants. Some Evangelists say that natural disasters are acts of god striking out against people doing wrong. For Guatemala that must mean that god is very angry at them, they have natural disasters and hunger as daily news. I don´t wish to follow a vengeful god.
  
  Where is the hope for Central America?


• I can see the hope in the fact that people know what they want and can tell you about it. They speak with passion about there lives and their countries. These are things which will be vital when the people come together.


• People are calling out for a government that is not going to steal from them and will deliver them the things they need and want. . education, water, power, security, access to land etc. At the moment the people have not moved to the left like the majority of South America although if you ask them what they want the ideas are generally leftist. (as with American and Australian society)