NEWS & REPORTS

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When the River Runs Dry:
a Trip to Cruz del Palmar

By Betsy Bowman, Research Associate, Center for Global Justice

The San Miguel de Allende township or county comprises about 540 small, rural communities in addition to the city of San Miguel itself. Most foreign tourists to our beautiful city, and even many who live here, seldom venture beyond the familiar cobblestone streets into the campo and visit the people who live there. As a result, they know little about the real Mexico – Mexico profundo. That’s why the Center for Global Justice is sponsoring day trips to the surrounding campo. On Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008, we return to Cruz del Palmar.

There we will see the stone-dry Rio Laja and the high desert landscape as we talk with the people about how they struggle with the problems of survival under harsh conditions. Community leaders will brief us on water problems and other issues they face. Since our last visit in the winter of 2007, the local residents have succeeded in getting permission to harvest sand and gravel from the river bed to sell to local suppliers of construction material. In the past, big corporations using heavy earth-moving equipment monopolized this business, doing a great deal of damage to the river bed in the process. Now only the local residents harvest sand and gravel using shovels and wheel barrows, hence protecting the river bed.

We at the Center for Global Justice have talked with them about various productive projects, a small business of some sort, that could provide jobs and salaries. We hope to be to able to help the locals start a business – perhaps one of supplying construction materials such as sand and gravel or selling utility sinks that they could make from the sand and gravel.

Years ago, the people could earn the small amount of cash money that they needed by selling the agricultural surplus from their subsistence farming. Now with so much cheap food coming in from the U.S. ($1.5 million dollars per day of food stuffs!), they can no longer market their surplus. They need to create an alternative source of income, no easy thing under present circumstances.

Emigration is always a possibility – about 30 Mexicans emigrate to the US each day -- but it is far from the preferred option. Another possibility is to sell their land, but most rural people are very reluctant to do that. So that leaves them looking for scarce jobs or needing to create a small business. The Center for Global Justice can help with a loan from our revolving loan fund or with technical support. 

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