Mexico City>Veracruz>San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
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I made it to San Cristobal de Las Casas yesterday afternoon, my final stop before I cross the border to Guatemala. It feels good to be here and I think this is my fourth or fifth time being in this place. Strangely I always wind up here when history is being made. I was here once, when the Supreme Court handed the election to George Bush and thus began the process of taking our country backwards in many respects. I was here when the Zapatista’s celebrated the 10-year anniversary of their uprising in which they took San Cristobal and ignited the hopes and dreams of Mexico’s poor. I was also here when they launched their beautiful and inspirational “La Otra Compaña,” and here I am again as Obama has earned the presidency of the U.S. I’ve also celebrated a couple of birthdays here and it’s my favorite place in Mexico.
Being in Chiapas also marks the conclusion of one dream I’ve had ever since I first started riding motorcycles, to ride all the way through Mexico, and I’m so grateful for the privilege of having had this adventure. Along the way I’ve seen many friends and family and I’ve had the opportunity to learn that Mexico is a very beautiful country. Beyond the cities and the tourist destinations there are vast expanses of sparsely populated areas that match anywhere in North America in terms of breathtaking beauty and landscape. Everywhere I’ve been I’ve encountered nothing but hospitality and gracious people always eager to strike up a conversation. While Mexico has its share of problems, you don’t have to look very far to see people overcoming adversity with beauty and persistence even amongst tragedy. Mexico is a place where there are symbols of tragedy and its historic legacy are everywhere you look. History isn’t a forgotten past, its consequences are always on the surface and the people here are intimate with their history in a way we Americans tend not to be.
Many people have asked me what the climate is like here in terms of Obama’s victory and I have to conclude that I’ve encountered it to be a non-event. The top news story going into the victory has been the plane crash in Mexico City of Calderon’s interior minister and the subsequent decline in the peso. Mexico is a place that has a very thin economy and what’s on the minds of most Mexican’s I’ve encountered is the immediate. People are curious to know how I feel about Obama but they have no illusions about how it will affect their lives. Though I remind them that an Obama presidency may be better for Latin America (i.e. his position on NAFTA) the common ground we always reach is that for there to be significant change on our continent that it will come from everyday people doing real things. Mexico has had their share of bait and switch politicians and here government corruption is the norm. So being here is bittersweet. I’m happy I have the privilege to be on an adventure but I also wish I could be at home feeling the energy of a historic victory that has occurred. But I have no illusions that when I return I will be back to a place that’s real and lasting legacy to date is not the one being touted on mainstream american TV about freedom and democracy because for so many people around the world today that just doesn’t hold true. Struggle is one of the only constants especially for those who concern themselves with issues of true justice.
Tomorrow I will embark on another dream I’ve had for a long time and that is to ride my bike through central America, actually my dream is to ride all of America, but we’ll see about that (and so will my wallet) when I get to Panama. One last thing. Thank you to everybody reading this friends, family, associates and loved ones who have worked by my side to help me realize this adventure.
Pancho.
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