One final tour of the ITT Center or Bonanza. This is by no means a small area of land. Please bear in mind this is a center to educate rural communities about sustainable practices. So everything you see, can see it working for people to understand function over form.
But Grupedsac is not only an ecological center for sustainable practices, this is also an experimental ground for new practices, a prototype of all sorts of practices regarding water, energy, housing and food harvest / cooking.
solar water heater
guinea pigs and hens live together in perfect harmony
raising the crops to a new ground level
succulent plants
greenhouse
methods for extracting water from wells
I feel the uttermost respect for the founding figures of this center. Seems like a selfless enterprise, I know, there are no such things, not even when you help others. I'm just saying altruism is such a widespread initiative in other places but Mexico. Moreover, long lasting projects of this nature.
I'm happy today, we're going to the community to give closure to this first research process. This implies drawings, food and kids running around. We still have a lot of information to retrieve ahead of us, but we seem fine with it. Even "Flea" puppy is down with it.
Kids always seem so vulnerable in these conditions. I know one's perception of social justice and well-being is not what indigenous people see of themselves, to them, this is life. But nevertheless, after listening to all these women's stories, I can't help but think, they're trapped. First by their husbands and twice by their mother-in-law who traps their husbands to their will.
There seems to be a lack of additional human resources to work with. When you look at their drawings, their strokes are sometimes corrected by their kids, just as city kids take iPads or iPhones away from their parents, frustrated with the lack of understanding of the "world" they navigate so well.
Women talk about their needs. Students document everything. Meanwhile some of us feed everyone with cake, soda and candies for the kids. I wish we had more budget and have a real meal. We can't make the students bleed economically speaking and the University is already helping the project out.
We gather round and thank everyone in this process, tell them we'll be back soon and travel to Bonanza. The work for us is just starting...
At the center, the wind shuffles the bamboo leaves, the hammock lulls me and I dream of bickering crows and an old house I've never been to before.
puppies from "Ant", the Bonanza's dog
Trying out a recycled boat
The perfect ending to this trip
For now, in a personal level, all that is left is a bitter frustration against the constant pounding of brutality assessed from politicians to our territory. Should we remind them it's theirs too?
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