For many years the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center of the Mountain has been a valued partner with Mission Mexico in trying to transform the lives of the impoverished indigenous peoples of Guerrero. I think it only appropriate to share a Christmas–New Year greeting that they recently sent out to friends (with my translation). Thank you, friends, for making a difference in the lives of the people here. Happy New Year!
Dear friends of Tlachinollan:
The indigenous peoples nestled in
the Mountain of Guerrero,
during these days made for
reflection and relaxation,
are especially present in our
hearts
because they are the ones who
inspire us to struggle for the new world we need
and for which we dedicate a toast
this Christmas.
Ever since they inhabited this
Mountain
they have been the architects of
communitarian life.
They became the vigilant protectors
of our common home,
the artisans of the culture of
giving,
the wise men and wise women of the
age-old wisdom cultivated in the plant of corn,
the noble and indomitable men and
women in this enclave of a thousand battles,
of the enchanting geography, where
the tiger warriors and the eagle warriors live,
and where combative men and women
and children fight tooth and nail
against the exploitative companies
that pillage their natural wealth.
Under this sky reddened by
violence,
darkened by the pain of the 43
disappeared young men,
numbed by so much obliviousness,
the star of Bethlehem shines.
It guides those who walk these
rugged trails in search of justice.
With their heart of steel,
their main weapon is the hope of a
different world,
one based on divine plans.
The Me phaa, Na savi, Naua, and Ñomdaa
peoples,
swelling with generosity
and protected by their community
police,
safeguard everyone
in the face of the maneuverings of
a government tied in with organized crime.
Thanks to this strength of the
people
who are nourished by the cosmic
powers in their prayers,
they have been able to resist and
stay firm in their model of communitarian life,
as sons and daughters of fire and
rain.
These men and women, on this
Christmas,
from their sacred hills
where their altars to Saint Mark
are found,
together with the wise elders, pray
for us
and look at the world
to see what 2016 might bring.
In this cosmic prayer
they embrace us as our exemplary
big brothers and sisters,
those who teach us that true
happiness means
cultivating a life of simplicity
and loving solidarity,
because that is how a communitarian
heart is forged.
Fullness of life is achieved in the
fiesta of the people
where all is shared among all,
the fruits of the land that they
themselves harvested.
These men and women continue
working their parcels of land on the mountainside
so that a divinized life can be
born in their community,
so that justice, truth, and peace
might flourish among the poor.
In their prayers to their sacred
powers
they whisper the psalm of the
prophet,
“God has heard the cry of the poor
and prepares to deliver them from
their troubles.”
May we never lack the strength and the joy to continue
accompanying
those who wander in search of their children
and struggle for a world where there are no victims.
With all of our affection and
esteem,
The companions of Tlachinollan
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