Anachronism and anticipation.

A travelers letter on the ecological work camp The Vision Counsil in Chiapas, Mexico
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Ive just come home from Chiapas from a weeklong work camp at the site of the 1994 indigenous
uprising. Chiapas became world famous when the charismatic leader l !ubcomandante
"arcos# used the Internet to describe the desperate situation of the indigenous people. $rom all
over the world% and from "e&ico% s'mpathi(ers flocked to Chiapas. In the mountains% the hiding
place of the rebellious Indians% there were meetings about human rights.
)ater on% these manifestations of s'mpath' were stopped b' the militar'% the mountains off limits to
tourists and now% not much is heard an'more% neither from !ubcomandante "arcos nor the
indigenous people. *ot since a rather spectacular bus caravan in $ebruar' +,,1% when the unarmed
Indian arm'% headed b' !ubcomandante "arcos and escorted b' police% traveled from Chiapas to
"e&ico Cit' to negotiate a solution to the indigenous problem invited b' newl' elected -resident
.icente $o&. *ow the Indian arm' is back in the mountains% the militar' remains% the indigenous
demands rest on a government table and Chiapas has returned to its normal state of oblivion.
/hen I decided to go to Chiapas to join a work camp% organi(ed b' an ecological umbrella
organi(ation%#0he .ision Counsil#% m' feelings were mi&ed.
I packed m' oldest backpack with clothes that I would not mind having stolen and three copies of
all m' travel documents tucked into secret pockets% together with snake serum% penicillin and
diarrhea tablets. /as it stupid to go1 2angerous for a foreigner to travel into a politicall' sensitive
area% even if there were no longer militar' checkpoints on the roads1 /hat about sanitar' facilities%
h'giene and infectious diseases out in the countr'side among Indian peasants1
0he work camp was to take place in a small eco3village% rich in natural resources and dreams for the
future% but economicall' poor% in the heart of the rebellious area. It is surrounded on all sides
b' indigenous tribes religiousl' and politicall' split after man' 'ears of militar' pressure and
intense evangeli(ation. 0he host communit' was said to have good relations with the locals and our
camp was welcome. 4ut what would the effect be of bringing 5,, to 4,, people into the area1 /hat
about theft or even armed attack1 $rom the newspapers I knew about paramilitar' groups. 6nd
besides these cowardl' speculations% would it at all be possible to establish contact with the locals
and% as we meant to% teach them1

*ow I have returned% not onl' with all m' clothes% all travel documents and their copies intact% but
also filled with hope and jo'. I had one of the most amusing and beautiful e&periences of m' life7
ten da's of working with incredible compan'% moved b' enthusiasm% idealism and solidarit'. /e
seemed to be in a time warp% an anachronism in toda's world% where politics are controlled b'
business% where idealism belongs to another millenium and solidarit' is a village in -oland.
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0he .ision Council#% l Consejo de .isiones# in !panish% is the name of both the coordinating
committee and of the camp itself. 0he name must be taken literall'% because it does not represent a
single ideolog'. 0o the contrar'% the goal is to gather the man' organi(ations and individuals that in
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different wa's work to create alternatives to a world econom' in which the losers% as it appears% are
peasants and indigenous people in third world countries. 6nd the other loser is *ature herself.
ach 'ear 0he .ision Council# arranges on invitation a week3long gathering in "e&ico% a camp
open to all with work and conferences in area with ecological needs. 0he organi(ation is
independent. 0he participants and organi(ers work for free. &penses are covered b' fees for
participation in the camps 8in the case of Chiapas 9 :,31,, ;!< plus donations.
$or 1+ 'ears 0he .ision Council# has organi(ed work camps in a wide variet' of places7 b' a
fishing village on the -acific =cean> in central "e&ico> in the forested lake state of "ichoacan> in a
jungle rainforest preserve in the state of .era Cru(> at ceremonial "a'an cenotes# 8underground
lakes< on the ?ucatan -eninsula> in the town of -at(cuaro during the 2a' of the 2ead celebrations>
and in the mountains of 0epo(tlan% "orelos. 0he presence of the .ision Council in a fishing village
helped transform a dependence on hunting sea turtles into an eco3tourist center% where the turtles
can be seen in their habitat. In ?ucatan% the Council helped support local efforts to protect the
sacred cenotes# from becoming a water3scooter race track. 0he cenotes# are now part of an eco3
project% organi(ed b' a "a'an cooperative. It must be added% that foreign investors have made
water3scooter race possible on other nearb' cenotes#. *ot all the work camps have had a lasting
impact.
0his 'ear% the southernmost state of "e&ico% Chiapas% was selected. =n the one hand it has the
highest bio3diversit' in the countr'% sustaining man' different indigenous tribes% and on the other
multiple ecological and social problems. 2eforestation due to timber trade% petroleum3 and cattle
industr' are the main contributors. /hen the rich primal forest is cut down or burned% erosion
follows. 0he topsoil of the jungle is thin% the slopes steep and the tropical rains are violent. $or
centuries% the indigenous tribes have cut down or burned the jungle to grow grains% but on such a
small scale% that the forest would recover. *ow% with the demands of a fastgrowing national and
international trade% the primal forest is in danger threatening the life of man' indigenous tribes. 0his
leads to a confrontation in the centuries3old conflict over territor'% between the local landowners%
mainl' of !panish origin% and the indigenous people. 0o worsen the problem% international
competition has caused a fall in the price of corn% coffee and beans% so that the' are not an' longer a
source of income for the indigenous people. 0he' have to sell the trees in order to get cash.

5.
/ith some of the other participants in the event I set off from Central "e&ico on a twent'3four hour
bus ride. It was dawn when I woke up in Chiapas. 0he beaut' of the landscape was overwhelming.
"assive mountains seemed to be floating on a blue ha(e as far as the e'e could see. *ow and then a
scarred mountaintop or a burned slope% but still mainl' jungle. !ometimes% in an opening of the
landscape% the local Indians could be seen walking barefooted along cla' paths% in colorful
embroidered dresses% with a donke' as pack animal or the' themselves carr'ing bundles. 0he
women mostl' with a bab' in a shawl. !mall people% walking with that special lightness and rh'thm
that natural people have.
0he buses finall' stopped at such a clearing in the jungle. =ur destination% the eco3village @a
=mega#% lies with its ten houses and kitchen gardens at the side of a fast3flowing green3and3white
+
river% AatatB#. @a =mega is an independent part of a village 0(ajalC#% a union of si&t'3five
dislocated Indian families% their houses spread along the slopes around the river and the road.
0he indigenous people of 0(ajalC had no kitchen gardens. 0he' cultivate corn and beans and live as
laborers in the cities or in the timber and cattle industr'. 6 da's wages are 4, pesos 3 a kilo of
tomatoes costs D pesos and a piece of soap E. 8=ne 9;! is eFuivalent to 9 pesos.<
$rom the roadside we had to carr' our luggage and camping gear as the locals do%
but somewhat less gracefull'% along slipper' cla' paths% down to the eco3village. It was e&hausting.
4ut% aside from the sheer beaut' of the place% the first happ' surprise of the camp awaited us> a tast'
vegetable soup% served b' two 'oung punks.
?es% punksG 0he'% too% formed part of the organi(ing committee and had come the week before
together with a middle3aged social worker e&perienced in publicit' and the setting up of camps.
0hese punks have created their own village in "e&ico Cit'% where the' were born% man' of them as
street children. *ow the' had dug toilets% built bridges% paved paths and in man' wa's helped the
little village to prepare for a major invasion H usG 6 delightful sight in the jungle7 thirteen punks
dressed in black% with festive "ohawks% tattoos and perforations% toting a couple of babies.
6nd thats the wa' it went on. =ne funn'% surrealistic surprise after another. -eople 'ou never
would have believed could share a room together worked happil' side3b'3side% and with the
locals. @ow did this all happen1 I think because of a volunteer spirit and the ver' unusual
organi(ational structure of the camp% a structure so simple% that is seems like a madmans dream of
happiness.
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0he camp is organi(ed into seven independent vision councils that hold conferences and
workshops all da' on the following topics7 colog' 8the most e&tensive and fundamental<>
Indigenous traditions> @ealth> 6rt and Culture> *ew 6ge !piritualit'> ?outh and% finall'% Children.
=n arrival each participant chooses one of the seven councils% but ever'one is free to follow
workshops and activities in an' of the councils. ach council has a coordinator who is also a
member of the camps central coordinating committee% that meets ever' morning to plan the da'.
0he success of the camp depends on the activit' of each participant and is therefore his or hers own
responsibilit'. 0o get to know what happens in each council during the da'% one checks the
bulletin boards. Changes are announced after breakfast and b' loudspeakers from the office.
6 bit chaotic1 ?es% terribl'G ver' da'% each participant could choose between seven
councils and man' different activities inside each council at the same time% all the timeG 0hree
hundred workshops during the week. In the beginning I made several energetic attempts
to get an overall picture and make a priorit' list. I did not want to lose an'thing important. *o wa'G
Impossible and no fun at allG =n the third da'% I was seriousl' angr'. /hat an irresponsible and
superficial organi(ation% I thought. If I was not to throw a public fit% I had to go to
the river AatatBG
0hat helpedG 0he water was cool% clean and fast flowing. I fought m' wa' upstream to a small
waterfall and let the water thunder down on m' back% neck and shoulders% on m' head. 6 great
roaring voice of water hammering all the wa' to m' bones until I could not hold on to the stone
an'more% let go and flowed down the river. Ireat ideaG /hat about giving up making lists and just
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walking around and seeing what happened. Io with the flowG
!o I flowed down the river% several times% until I became conscious of m' surroundings7 banana%
palms% mango and pine trees% a mi& of flora characteristic of this high mountain border (one. 0he
local kids were laughing happil'% pointed their fingers at me7 white lad' going against the current
and back again.
Climbing out of the water onto the bank I found m'self b' the health center at the rivers edge. 6
massage workshop was in progress and% to m' surprise% man' local women participated. I joined in.
6 kind of shiatsu. /hile we were pressuring each others sore spots% I made a new friend named
"aria. !he had come walking to the camp. @ow man' kilometers1 !he answered% one hourG
6fter the massage workshop% the group from the health center went to the kitchen gardens. I
followed. 6 workshop was taking place. 6 great sight7 0he gardeners were as diverse as the plants
of an organic garden. Intellectuals% in their Indiana Aones outfits% sweating side b' side with
eFuall' perspiring punks% in black. *e&t to them the colorful indigenous women% and finall'
'oung barefoot back3packers in faded clothes. *ot onl' did the' plant the traditional corn and
beans% tomatoes and chili> but also spinach% onions% garlic% carrots% radishes and herbs% such as
cilantro% parsle' and basil. 6ll of it supervised b' a universit' lecturer from Jansas. 6nd on top of it
was planted a film crew.
0he health center turned out to be the ke' to participation of the local women. 0he' came at all
hours hoping for treatment and advice for their families. =ne of the doctors% a specialist in herbal
medicine% commented that mal nourishment is the major cause of illness and the high rate of
mortalit' among the Indians in Chiapas% especiall' the children. !o% teaching nutrition went handH
in3hand with remedies at the health center. 0he women were taken from the health center to the
kitchen gardens ever' da'% several times a da'. 0he' prepared the soil% asked Fuestions% planted and
watered. arlier I wondered if the locals would attend the workshops. ?esG 0he answer was
shamefull' simple7 the' did it in order to survive.
6fter the kitchen gardens% it was dinnertime. /e sat on the ground beside the river enjo'ing a meal
of carrot soup% green salad% fried rice with vegetables% beans and tortillas. 0he cooks% a !lovenian3
"e&ican couple% were able to prepare a tast' and nutritious meal for 4,,% three times a da' on one
stove and two campfires% on a budget of 1, pesos a da' per person. 0he indigenous women werent
the onl' ones to take home the recipes.
8=h 'es% it was a fruitful flowing. Indeed% it seemed that ever'thing was interrelated. 6nd thats how
I continued moving through the events for the rest of the week. 4ut before I get lost in the details%
however interrelated% perhaps I should go back to the overall picture1<
0here were appro&imatel' 1,, local participants% two thirds of them women. 0he' came from three
villages and spoke two separate Indian languages% 0(et(al and 0(olt(il. "an' spoke no !panish.
0here were almost 5,, outsiders% including 'outh and children% from +D different countries% mainl'
"e&ico. 0here were universit' lecturers% agricultural e&perts% forest engineers% nutritional e&perts%
doctors and shamans. 0here were musicians% including two professional groups. 0here were poets
and painters% schoolteachers% social workers% journalists and photographers% high school and
universit' students. !ome participants represented international ecological movements% others came
from intentional communities% and man' came as individuals
It was a colorful crowd that gathered for the opening ceremon'% while a low afternoon sun spread a
golden light on the slopes around the village. 0he local people arrived in their embroidered clothes.
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0he' sat patientl' talking and laughing while watching a group of hosts% that for once did not leave
an'thing behind what colorful dressing was concerned. 0he participants clothes clearl' reflected
lots of travel and man' ethnic cultures7 $rom *orth 6merican Indian shirts to a wide displa' of
6frican% Indonesian and Indian batik. 6nd the "ohawks of the punks stood up proudl' and newl'
d'ed for the occasion. =nl' the official representatives from the village council of 0(ajalC wore
light blue shirts and beige pol'ester trousers.
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4ack to the program. =nl' the morning workshops were scheduled ahead of time. 0he afternoons
were free for workshops and activities to be led b' the participants. 0hese workshops were added to
the bulletin boards and announced at the communal meeting after breakfast.
0he mornings were wonderful. 0he swim in the river was a dreamlike e&perience and the breakfast
afterwards abundant7 )ocal e&otic fruits% porridge% eggs with tortillas and chili and lots of the
locall' grown organic coffee.
0he communal morning meeting allowed for la(' digesting while listening to announcements%
before the sun got too hot. 6nd the meetings were not too long either% thanks to the structure and to
a charismatic master of ceremonies% a much e&perienced director of a touring eco3circus% who did
his work efficientl' and with much humor.
0he practical work in the camp was also fun and manageable. =n arrival we were divided into
clans% each with an animal name such as fleas% fireflies% chameleons% humming3birds% dinosaurs%
marine turtles. "ost of us became H was it self3mocker' or political correctness1 3 e&tinct or
threatened species or species of low reputation. ver' clan was to work three times during the
week for a three3hour period. 6n effective s'stem% since the clans were big enough to compensate
for sickness and la(' animals.
/hat filled the da's1
=bviousl' it is impossible to list all the activities% but it would be a shame not to give a taste% so
here are the choices for one da'% a 0hursda'7
colog'7 /hat is the problem with geneticall' modified seeds1 stablishment of a local seed bank
with homegrown organic seeds. 0he making of a kitchen garden. Composting. stablishing a
network of intentional communities. @ow to make rope out of local fiber. Construction of a solar
oven. 6nal'(ing the local gre' water s'stem. Keforestation.
@ealth7 "assage for beginners. *utrition. /alk in the kitchen gardens to identif' plants. /alk in
the mountain to identif' herbs for kitchen and medicine.
6rts and culture7 2'eing with local plants. Collage art of rec'cling materials. 4ra(ilian capoeira.
4ell' dancing. /hat is rave1 .oice3training. 6ikido. 6(tec dancing.
*ight3show at 9 -"7 lectric culture# with the punks% accompanied b' a fire3performance.
Aamaican singing. 4alinese dance. 6n eco3troubadour on guitar. 2ancing to7 Aa((3reggae from
"e&ico Cit'.
?outh7 Indian sweat3lodge% run b' the 'outh. 6crobatics and fire juggling.
Children7 Iames with a clown. -aint3classes. !wimming. 4aking of bread in solar oven.
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*ew age7 ?oga. 6n alternative calendar% based on 0he "a'an. ?our horoscope from the "a'an
calendar. 0he masculine3feminine balance% discussions based on a channeled *orwegian book.
Indigenous traditions and culture7 !un salute. 0he 6(tec cosmolog'. 0he "a'ans H who are the'%
who were the' and what did the' do1 Irandmother3talk. !weat lodge with e&planation of the
"e&ican numerolog'. !un salute.
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It worked out% thanks to the ever'ones participation% but mainl' because of the work of the
coordinating committee7 the seven representatives of the seven councils plus the master of
ceremonies plus four office coordinators and the securit' team. ver' morning before breakfast%
the' met% evaluated% prepared conflict resolutions and modified the programs. 0he rest of the da'
the' attended to practical and organi(ational work to keep the program flowing. 0hese people were
all more than ordinaril' bus'% constantl' on the move. 0he rest of us felt them as an undercurrent% a
safet' net> and we flew along% resting in the da's as we rested in the river% curious and enjo'ing.
=ne da'% I managed to get hold of one of the office people% a middle3aged lad' from the ;!. /hat
keeps me going1 !he stood for a second% thinking. 0hen a smile lit up her e&traordinar' dark blue
e'es. !olidarit'G# !he said% winked at me and was gone.
!urel'G 0he people of the coordinating committee had known each other and worked together at
this t'pe of events for 'ears. "an' of them live in @uehueco'otl% a +,3'ear old artistic eco3village
in Central "e&ico% known for effective meetings% based on the principle of consensus. 6 powerful
group. 4ut there was another powerful group present% and that one held together the disparate
energies and the' also literall' held the hol' fire going7 0he council of indigenous traditions.
0his group of 15 old shamans from all over "e&ico was% according to man' people I interviewed%
the one special element that brought a uniFue character and depth to the camp.
In "e&ico% 'ou can still find people that carr' the spiritualit' of the original peoples% a spiritualit'
grounded in nature. 0he' are called #the guardians of the tradition# and have% as an invisible
underground movement% kept the Indian traditions alive through E,, 'ears of !panish coloni(ation
into the present da'. 0hose traditions have a lot in common with the ecological movements7 *ature
must be respected. 0he coordinator of the council of tradition% himself a follower of the indigenous
traditions and recogni(ed as such b' the guardians of traditions# had managed to bring together
some of these powerful and respected elders. 0he' are shamans and their work is to take care of
balance.
6t dawn and sunset the' performed the sun salute. It was a special moment% together with people of
man' nationalities and ages% to see the sun rise behind the mountain and receive it with the sound of
big sea conches. 0hese were moments of peace% of connection with the past and grounding to the
ver' present moment and "e&ican soil.
0he council of tradition arranged sweat lodges ever' da'% an Indian ritual of spiritual and ph'sical
purification. 0he' administrated the hol' fire% lit on the first da' and maintained inside a little round
cla' hut% a CaligLe'#% the house of the hol' fire% of the local )acandon Indian tradition. In this hol'
place% ever'one was welcome to come% sit% watch the fire and hear the words of the elders. It was
D
also the place of conflict resolution. In front of those cheerful elders% people that were out of
balance came into line with the realit' of the camp
0o include indigenous tradition was not an act of political correctness> nor was to include
marginali(ed people in an ecological event or% having Indians around wearing photogenic outfits. In
this camp% the' were a resource. 6s the' humbl' said themselves /e are at 'our service. 2o not
call us shamans% not even medicine men% we are medicine.#
InterestingG *ot onl' that the' took care of the balance for all of us% but also that the organi(ing
committee placed eFual importance on the spiritual and the ritual running the risk of a state# vs
church# struggle% risking also conflict between traditionalists and new3agers. Interesting indeed%
that this kind of spiritualit' was able to unite people of different religious persuasions% while e&.
different Christian sects% as in the case of Chiapas% tend to separate people.
I could see that the event was not eas' for these old ones. 0he' did not get a lot of sleep. =n the last
da'% I met the eldest% alone for once% in front of the CaligLe'. @e had slept on the cla' floor of the
hut and stood now% coffee cup in hand% in front of the bulletin board% stretching and stud'ing the
da's program.
6 small% dark3skinned and leather' Indian of :, with long black hair and rather cross3e'ed. I asked
how he had slept and what he thought of working da' and night in a camp like this. @e laughed 8so
I noticed that he was missing a few teeth< and answered that his heart was full% ver' fullG !o what
does it matter that the floor is hard and 'our ribs are a bit sore1
I will remember that. /hen I think that m' work is too tough and too little appreciated. @e sat aside
the coffee cup% crossed his two thumbs and waved the palms of his hands% like a heart with wings on
it. @is laugh and those e'es seemed to embrace the $our !acred 2irections and ever'thing in
between% all in one.

:
0here were man' fine moments during the .ision Council#. )et me finish describing the moment
that became the most significant to me% a metaphor for the success of the camp and characteristic of
the terrible and wonderful world we live in.
It is about the river% AatatB% the jade green river% that we all loved and where we drowned all kinds of
worldl' sorrows% the river that was the natural center of the camp% as water is the basis of life. It
happened the last evening% before the closing supershow with all of us dancing under the tropical
stars that seemed to hang from the trees.
/e had done the sun salute as usual% but this final evening% the ceremon' continued. ach of us
received a white flower and we were led in a long chain down to the riverside. @ere a little
grandmother of the tradition asked us to throw our flowers into the water% to e&press our thanks and
wishes at the end of the camp. /e did so% in silence% and saw one white flower after the other drop
into the dark fast flowing water% turn and flow awa'% out of sight. I sent off m' flower% wishing that
man' more people could share the e&periences of a camp like this. 6nd I dedicated a big thank 'ou
to *ature herself and wished for locals a future of sustainabilit' and health 3 well knowing that
where the river meets the valle'% in a gigantic waterfall% the local landowners have alread' set up
barbed wire% to create a tourist center. I wonder what the river will carr' with in the future.
:
6nother Fuestion is7 /hat did the camp leave behind1
0hree big new kitchen gardens in 0(ajalC and another one in a nearb' village% created at the reFuest
of the local women and supervised b' one of the 'oung participants who sta'ed after the camp.
6ll the kitchen gardens included medicinal herbs.
0he local doctor got interested in the healing power of natural herbs and plans to carr' on further
investigation of medicinal herbs of the area. 6 doctor from the camps health center will supervise
this work during the ne&t 'ear.
6 cooperative of 1,, indigenous women was formed on the initiative of a 'oung camp participant
from "e&ico Cit'. 0he' will make hand3sewn articles to be sold in the capital area.
6 reforestation project was drawn up b' the ecologist teachers and the indigenous men of a nearb'
village. It has just been approved b' the national forest department. 6n area of 5, hectares is going
to make a sustainable living for 5, families% based on kitchen gardens and forest agriculture.
!everal 'oung foreigners who had not participated in a vision council before% said at the end of the
camp% that the' had never e&perienced an'thing like it and would tr' to organi(e the same kind of
camps in their home countries.
!ome results% 'esG 4ut weighing little in the grand scale of problems of the area. Ioing home on the
bus% sleepless I came to the conclusion that this camp was a beautiful and amusing e&perience% but
driving awa' also felt like leaving from a time warp% the camp a political and social anachronism in
our modern world. I shared the thought with a couple of 'oung $rench travelers7
36nachronism# the' said and looked at me% as if I m'self was one of the relics of the past.
3# *o% its an anticipationG Cant 'ou see% that this is clearl'% what the world needs now7 a
counterbalance to egotism and fearG#
0ime will tell. 4ut one thing is for sure7 I will join 0he .ision Council on their ne&t camp% if for
nothing else% then because m' heart is full% reall' fullG
@uehueco'otl% "e&ico% "a' +,,+
6nnemarie $lint 4jerre Jing Cobos
8Kia<
M