Wednesday

Back on July third, the day after the federal elections here, I was nonplussed to learn that a majority of the event's news coverage in the US waxed breathlessly gleeful that "this young democracy" had managed elections notably marked by nonviolence. To me, this seemed a little pejorative. Since the election, officials have officially tallied the official tallies twice, putting the incumbent party's hopeful in a slim 250,000 vote lead every time. The opposition, formerly the mayor of México City (and having a pretty huge support base there), has fought these results every step of the way: he is legally requesting an actual ballot recount, producing videotaped "evidence" of vote fraud, and inciting huge weekly rallies in the DF. Yesterday's rally saw angry rioters allegedly attacking the opposition party's car as he was whisked to safety. Turns out that not only were the American papers pejorative, they were wrong. While I'm at it: teachers in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca have been holding the center of town (sometimes through force) since May 22 in an effort to secure a one-time hike in wages. Currently, the embattled Oaxacan governor (and current persona non grata in Teachertown) has decided to suspend a popular annual Indian festival, the Guelaguetza. This is a week-long celebration of the customs and folklore of several indigenous tribes featuring food, dance, stories, and etc. Or it was. It will not be starting this Monday for fear that the striking teachers will attack, or otherwise annoy, flocking tourists. This is probably the best way to make your indigenous population, annoyed to violence by marginalization, feel they are getting somewhere. [Cavin]