Theft, of the cultural kind
“Free trade” has always meant the rich are free to exploit the rest of us.
High in the mountains of the Sierra Norte, the village of Santa María Tlahuitoltepec sits perched on a ridge top in Oaxaca’s Mixe region. The terrain is rugged and unforgiving; it took rescue crews ten hours, much of it on foot, to reach the municipality following a lethal mudslide at the end of an extremely wet 2012 rainy season. Eight months later, in May of 2013, when blogger buddy Chris and I ventured up there for their Fiesta de Mayo, we still had to detour around the remains of the slide.
Santa María Tlahuitoltepec, May 11, 2013.
Despite the harsh conditions and its remote location, Santa María Tlahuitoltepec is home to the Center for Musical Training and Development of Mixe Culture and it is estimated that 70% of the population can read music and many who can’t, play by ear — a source of great pride.
Guelaguetza desfile, July 28…
View original post 281 more words
The Mex Files 
This post has nothing to do with theft or “Free trade”.
Human beings have the right to wear anything they want without having to pay anyone a fee for doing so. I am sure the folks living in Tlahui would agree.
Does anybody know who, specifically, designs and manufactures the actual outfits worn by the women of Tlahuitoltepec? Are the blouses worn by the women of Tlahui actually made in Tlahui or do they come from outside?