Highway Tales: Final Report (2 of 3)

This thought played hula hoop around my brain for the next days until I got a better reading from local underground intellectuals, whom I cannot name though the veracity of this could be emphasized by doing it. This has been uncovered:

Early on in this (or last, I should say) century, Chiapas was a part of Guatemala(!!).

Mexico offered a 75 year test-period where Chiapanecos could be be part of that country instead of Guatemala, at the time, completely undeveloped and poverty-stricken. Chiapas accepted.

According to the constitution this period is coming to an end and the people are supposed to be allowed to choose which country to belong to.

Mexico can’t allow this to happen since vast supplies of Uranium 235 and petroleum have since been discovered in Chiapas.

In 1985, the ruling families (the arm of which is the perpetual party-in-power, the PRI) get together to decide this question.

They concoct the “rebellion” story and elect one of the brightest of the aristocratic sons to play the part of Commandante Marcos(!)

Marcos appears, mainly on video, and then on the WEB, surrounded by masked men, heavily armed, and declares an insurrection.

The Mexican Army can’t seem to catch or find this ‘elusive pimpernel…’

Mexico mobilizes and transfers 60% of its army to Chiapas.

Death squads appear, and the indigenous peoples are “herded” away from certain areas by fear of these guys.

All under control, the area is set to be exploited by the big guys, international petroleum powers, but AFTER the time limit of the Guatemalan accord.

The army, in place, will supervise this operation, and already has “sanitized” the region, regularly deporting foreign observers and overseeing the new placements of the “indios”.

Nearly all Mexican citizens believe in this “insurrection” and worship the fictitious Commandante Marcos…fait accompli!

Mexican press is completely controlled, and monitored.

Congratulations guys !

This makes me nervous enough to not publish this report till I get back to Iowa, WAY away from this land of the Aztecs…

My head was spinning with this stuff as I maneuvered through and around, and around, the spectacular mountains and valleys. And being sufficiently dizzy, crossed the isthmus of Tehuantepec and headed for the secluded beaches of Oaxaca.

The usually well-maintained highways of Mexico had begun to deteriorate during the last leg in Chiapas but here they almost died. The long desert-stretch from Juchitan on the southern coast, to the suddenly appearing mirage-like resort of Huatulco is a piece of s…, full of potholes and with no gas or services, or anything ‘cept cactus, for the whole 200 kilometer stretch.

As happens in these cases, I breathe in a quiet whistling sound through my lips, my needle on empty, I second gear it out of the ruts of the rotten road and then suddenly, onto the blacktop of this beach town, where the rich don’t need highways; they just fly in and rent

bicycles and taxis.

The run to Puerto Escondido is a bit better since this is a new, thriving tourist center, more middle-class and made to be reached by car. P.E. is still a quaint and lovely town with miles of great white sandy stretches of beach. Surfers flock here for the thrilling size of the waves. Swimming is, for the same reason, restricted to the few “tamer” spots.

Read all three parts of Highway Tales: Final Report

Part One

Part Two

Part Three