-Peter)
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Greetings Brothers and Sisters!
In the spring of 1991 a regional gathering was successfully
held in the Nahnu Ceremonial Center in Temoaya, near Mexico City.
More than about 150 persons of different groups, tribes, clans and
familiars spent there about one week. A Rainbow Vision and Peace
Council, a Bioregional Congress, a Woman's Council and a Pow-Wow of
some native American nations were simultaneously all four able to
reach there the conclusion that they are 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 1
to 5, 1992.
We have agreed with our host 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 payment to them of some
$20.00 US per day per person. Which, considering the real extreme
predominant poverty of the place, is fair. If you camp on your
own, the event is absolutely free and non-commercial. Except for
voluntary donations to the "magic hat" or a charge of some $7.50 US
dollars per diem if you participate with or are affiliated with
some of the intentionally non-Rainbow family groups such as the
various mexican "greens" or other similar well-funded, subsidized
groups.
Unlike most Rainbow gatherings, it will involve heavy
interaction with the local communities. We intend to teach, learn
and work with them, largely through the practice, and custom
locally known as "Tequio". Teaching them practical skills
involving appropriate technologies such as building biogas
digestors, mural painting, solar energy stoves and heaters, ater
recycling, beadwork, and/or others 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, magic peninsula,
"Punto Cometa". The southernmost point in Oaxaca, an ancient
sacred area and place of power for the Olmecs and others. It is
also internationally known because some species of giant sea
turtles dig and ovulate in some of the 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. The eggs were also
processing. The eggs were also sought on account of their
commercial demand, mainly as a supposed aphrodisiac.
In 1990, through a great continuous, long and hard national
and international effort, turtle catching was forbidden. Mazunte
had to seek new means of livelihood. Mainly through poor
subsistence agriculture in the area, which involved slash-and-burn
techniques for corn and bean production, which are ecologically
very negative and primitive. Also uneconomic and low yielding.
Since about a year and a half ago a spiritual and yoga group
known as "Ecosolar" has started in the area an ecodevelopment
project hoping, with the community, to introduce and popularize
various alternative means of livelihood which will improve quality
of life as well as healing themselves and nature.
Your participation in the 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. With
activities such as tree-planting, potable water system
construction, therapy, music, mural painting, sculpture, and any
others that will help strengthen the Mazunte community and improve
their spiritual, material and economic self-sufficiency and well-
being.
This involvement (hopefully) will extend well beyond the time
of the gathering. If you come again at a later date, or if you
can't come in May and can come later, and have some skill to
contribute for healing, joy or happiness, you will certainly be
welcome by this community and by the Mexican Rainbow family!
The area is beautiful but needs healing. Besides fine beaches
and coral formations and plenty of algae and fish species, there is
the estuarine lagoons, some jungle and nearby mountains with pine
forests. Also quite a lot of prehispanic temples, cities. And a
lot of colonial architecture, towns and native nations. Zipolite
beach, about 3 miles away, is a nudist area and also famous for its
gentle waves and very safe conditions.
Weather in the area is hot, with abundant mosquitos and
various other insect pests. Please come equipped 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 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 dollars for abou
persons. You can also take a taxi to Zipolite for about $14.00 US
dollars and then walk about 3 miles to Mazunte. Or you can walk
about 5 miles. 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 cross road near Pochutla to nearby Puerto Angel and
Mazunte.
There will be a lot of activities during the 5 days of the
gathering. Groups and individuals that will assist will teach
musical instrument construction, polarity therapy, massage, dynamic
meditation, bioregionalism, snorkeling, astronomy, hammock weaving,
and others. Besides workshops and councils there will be a kid
village and activities for children.
Rodolfo Rosas Escobar
Rainbow Family Focalizer
Nadadores 67-A
Col. Country Club Churubusco
04220 Coyacan. Mexico 21, D.F.
Tel.: 549-2234
***Side Two***
TOPICS
I. Rainbow Vision and Peace Council
a) Alternative and Integral Education
b) The art of living
c) Alternative and holistic healing
d) Decentralized and autonomous civil organizations
e) New scientific paradigms
f) Astrology
g) Spiritual groups
h) Unification processes
i) Rituals and Cosmogony
II. Green, Alternative Bioregional Visions
a) Genocide and ecocide, peace and harmony
b) Integral democracy
c) City-rural imbalance
d) Human rights
e) Identity, dependence and free trade agreements
f) Survival and quality of life
g) Multidiversity
III. Sacred network of Indigenous Nations vision council
a) Our history. Past. Future.
b) Land, mother nature and health
c) Cosmovision, sacred thought and ceremonial centers
d) Culture, art, education and language
e) Councils of Elders
f) Childhood, children and native woman
g) Self-sufficiency, economics and communal work and projects
h) Self-determination, law of native nations.
i) 500th Anniversary. Revival and alternative projects
j) Organization, coordination, networking, communication
THE ORGANIZERS AND CONFIRMED ASSISTANTS:
Sacred Councils of various Indigenous Nations:
Pact of Ecological Groups, Green Space Conclave, Bicycle movements, Assembly
of city neighborhoods, Cetamex, Occidental Ecological Community, Survival
group, and several other green and alternative groups.
If you wish to participate with a paper on any (or similar and/or
related) of the before mentioned topics, make it maximum 3 double-spaced
typewritten pages, so it can be suitably reproduced and handed out.
Quality more than quantity of communication and/or networking will be
underlined, so congruence, experience, representativity and diversity is
necessary in your participation.
There will be an alternative market and trading area, so bring in
whatever you wish to sell, trade and/or advertise. Questions will be
answered by:
Comunidad Arcoiris
Apartado Postal 24-514
06700, Cuauhtemoc. Mexico, D.F.
Phone 549-2234