Greetings Brothers and sisters
In the spring of 1991, a regional gathering was
succesfully held in the %ah$u Ceremonial Center in Temoaya,
near Mexico City. More than 150 persons of different nations,
groups, tribes, clans and families spent there about one
week. A Rainbow Vision and Peace Council, a Bioregional
Congress, a Women's Council and a Pow Wow of American native
nations were simultaneously all four able to reach tha
conclusion that they are all part of a single action network:
"The Guardians of the Earth."
For 1992 a similar, but wider, gathering will be held in
Mazunte, a fishing village on the state of Oaxaca, in the
Pacific coast. The southernmost point in Oaxaca. The date
will be May 1st to the 5th, 1992.
We have agreed with our hosts to some restrictions and rules.
No alcohol, drugs or weapons. And if you stay with a native
family and eat there, there will be a payement to them of
some $20.00 US per day per person, hich, considering the real
extreme predominant poverty of the place is a fair price. If
you camp on your own, the event even if a non commercial one
will imply some sort of donation to a "magic hat" for the
village. We recommend a $7.00 US per diem, if you are camping
with some of the intentionally non-Rainbow family groups such
as the various mexican "greens" or other similar groups and
you take care of your own food.
Unlike most Rainbow and bioregional gatherings, this event
will involve heavy interaction with the local communities. We
intend to teach, learn and work with them, largelly through
the practice and a tradition locally known as "tequios"
(communal work). We will be teaching them practical skills
involving appropiate technologies such as building biogas
digestors, mural painting, solar energy stoves and heathers,
water recicling, beadwork, waste recicling and or other
similar.
Mazunte is a community of around 100 families in a beach
area, surrounded by tropical jungle, swamps and tidal lakes
well stocked with fish, crocodiles and birds. With a small,
magical peninsula "Punta Cometa", the southernmost point in
Oaxaca, which is an ancient sacred area and a place of power
for the Olmecs and other ancient cultures. It is also an
internationally known place, because some species of giant
turtles dig and ovulate in some of their beaches.
This last phenomena was until recently the basis of Mazunte's
economy. Centered formerly on turtle catching, slaughtering
and even turtle meat canning and processing, and also on an
undiscriminated turtle's eggs recolection and processing by
the local fishers.
In 1990, through a great continuous, long and hard national
and international effort, turtle catching was forbiden, and
Mazunte had to seek new means of surviving. This was
partially resolved, mainly through a very poor subsistance
agriculture in the area, which involved slash-and-burn
techniques for corn and bean production, which are
ecologically very negative and primitive, and very uneconomic
and low yielding.
A year and a half ago, a respected group of ecologists known
as "Ecosolar" has started in the area a project of
ecodevelopment, hoping, with the help of the local community,
to introduce and popularize various alternative means of
livelihod which will improve quality of life as well as
healing the peoples' relationships with each other and with
nature.
Your participation in this Vision Council will certainly help
support this project. Not only because of your mere presence,
but on account of your possible involvement in the "tequio"
work. And also with activities such as tree planting, potable
water system construction, therapy, music, mural painting,
tai-chi, sculpture, sweat lodges, alternative
healing,bioregional cultural activities, and any others that
will help strenghten the Mazunte community and improve their
spiritual, material and economic self-sufficiency and well
being.
The involvement will extend well beyond the duration of our
gathering. If you cannot come in May, you can come again at a
latter date, and this will be a possible way to contribute
with your skills as healers, bringing along also joy and
happiness. Coming in this spirit you will certainly be
welcomed by this community and by the mexican Rainbow
families.
The area is beautiful but needs healing. Besides fine beaches
and coral formations and plenty of algae and fish species,
there is the wetlands, the lagoons, some jungle and nearby
the mountains with pine forests. Also quite a lot of
prehispanic temples and ancient cities, colonial
architecture, and native villages. Zipolite beach, about 3
miles away, is a nudist place which is also very famous for
its gentle waves and white sands.
Weather in the area is hot, with abundant mosquitos and
various other insects of the kind. Please come equiped
accordingly.
To get there you can fly to Huatulco, a commercial beach
resort area with an international airport about 50 miles
away, or from Mexico City to Puerto Escondido's national
airport, which is about the same distance. From both places
there are plenty of minibuses to Pochutla and Puerto Angel,
from where you can get a taxi to Mazunte, which will cost
about $20.00 US for five people. You can also take a taxi to
Zipolite for about $14.00 US and then walk 3 miles to
Mazunte. If you drive, the best route is Mexico City to
Acapulco and then head south towards Puerto Escondido. It
takes about 10-12 hours. We will have some free
transportation from the San Antonio crossroad, near Pochutla,
to Puerto Angel and to Mazunte.
There will be a lot of activities during the five days of the
gathering. Groups and individuals that will assist will teach
musical instruments construction, polarity theraphy, massage,
dynamic meditation, bioregionalism, snorkeling, astronomy,
hammock weaving and others. Besides workshops and councils,
there will be a kid village and activities for children.
Quality, more than quantity of communication and/or
networking will be underlined, so congruence, experience.
representativity and diversity are necessary from all
participants. There will be an alternative market and
trading area, so bring in whathever you wish to sell or
trade.
For any questions or/and more information:
Ecosolar : Fax/tel : 6-82-05-07 (Mexico City)
ESACI : Cristina Mendoza: 6-05-78-45
Rio Abierto: Alicia Zappi :5-39-08-91
HueHuecoyotl: Alberto Ruz : 5-34-67-24
Rainbow family: Rodolfo Rosas : 5-49-22-34