After a brief presentation of the state of Guerrero in our first post back in X,
we return with a second blog post where we´ll address communication,
security and transportation problems that exist within the region. We´ll take
this opportunity to look at the beautiful Me´phaa culture.
Communication
Montaña Alta is a rural region with multiple communities spread across the
mountains. Phone signal and internet coverage are limited in this remote area
which makes communication with producers quite challenging. But the people
of Guerrero, or Guerrerenses, are resourceful!
Firstly, the local radio station plays an essential role in the community. It
becomes a powerful tool to broadcast news, especially when indigenous
languages like Me´phaa are used.
On the right, a photo of our field coordinator, Rebeca Oropeza, visiting the
radio station to announce our presence, buying model and the location of our
mobile labs.
Secondly, another great way of communicating is announcing via
loudspeakers! They can range up to a few kilometres, depending on the
topography.
See below Rebe announcing the first cupping results and prices on
loudspeaker. She had to repeat the same message four times, one for each
cardinal point!
Transport
Travelling around Montaña Alta requires patience but the scenery makes time
go faster. In this area of Guerrero, less than 25% of people have a car. People
generally move around in small buses or shared taxis (´taxis colectivos´), with
very unreliable timetables.
Roads are in bad shape, with a majority of dirt roads and very unexpected
closures. It can take from 1 hour to 5 hours driving through those roads for our
field coordinators to reach communities located only 20 kilometers apart. It all
depends on how lucky you are on the day.
Sending samples presents another challenge. Courier companies only have
offices in Guerrero’s main cities, about 5 hours drive from our labs. The round
trip to the closest city in order to send a sample to our main lab can take 1 to 2
days, again depending on transport availability and road conditions.
Safety
The criminality index in Guerrero is high, mainly because of Drug Trafficking
Organisations (DTO). Montaña Alta is one of Guerrero´s seven subregions,
and has the lowest DTO-related violence in all the state. This is due partially
to the community police (policía comunitaria), made of local armed people
elected by their own communities and acting as police or local ´militia´. This
has resulted in national authorities completely abandoning the area.
This system of community-regulated authority has played an important part in
decreasing violence and limiting the growth and expansion of DTOs.
In order to do business in la Montaña, you need the support of those
authorities to enter the area and receive protection. When the team organises
meetings with coffee producers, even at it is at their house, the local police
joins, takes notes and stands at the back.
Me´phaa culture
Despite many challenges, Guerrero is a beautiful place and the culture of the
Me´phaa people is very emblematic of the region. It is important to understand
their local culture, world view and mindset, in order to connect with the
producers and create trust.
Seed blessing
Throughout History, the indigenous belief system has blended with the
Catholic religion. This syncretism is illustrated in the above photo, where a
priest blesses new coffee seeds about to be sowed. It is common that local
communities organise ceremonies to ask for rain, for permission to cultivate
the land or to thank Mother Earth for providing food and water.
Indii
A very important symbol of Guerrero is the jaguar, locally called Indii, that
represents strength, fertility and authority. Guerrero has plenty of art and
dances that celebrate the Indii. The Tlaminque dance is one of the most
famous celebration in Montaña Alta: wearing specific masks and attire,
people give life to the animals of the mountains, and the jaguar is the main
character.
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