Trip #77A: Community Service in Chiapas, Mexico

At the request of an individual who emailed us, we have just scheduled a specialty delegation for the second week in November, 2008. We are open to accepting a few more interested participants.

When:
Sunday November 9 - Saturday November 15, 2008

What:
Participants in this intensive, rural delegation will work with students, teachers, parents, agro-ecology promoters, and community activists on a variety of projects. Delegates will work in the reconstruction of a secondary school (probably in a painting project), prune and clean fruit trees, join a musical cultural exchange with local musicians, and participate closely with students in classroom and outdoor activities.

Who:
Students, educators, artists, gardeners, builders, musicians, women, faith-based activists, and people-of-conscience interested in sustainable community development from the bottom up. This delegation will be multifaceted, work-based, and will offer an amazing opportunity to understand the many ways in which the Zapatista communities are growing their resistance into the 21st century.

Where:
The caravan will begin and end in the colonial city of San Cristobal de las Casas, a beautiful and easily accessible city on the international tourist route. From there, we will be moving off the beaten track to a small community located in the pine valleys of the lower highlands of Chiapas in the Zapatista autonomous municipality of Lucio Cabañas. Conditions will be rustic, but quite beautiful and clean. We'll sleep on bunks in a small concrete-block building and cook on open fires with the students.

Getting there and getting away:
Delegation 77a will begin at 5pm, Sunday, November 9, 2008 and end at noon on Saturday, November 15, 2008 in the tourist destination city of San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico (exact meeting place to be announced and dates are somewhat flexible). The closest airport to San Cristobal de las Casas is Tuxla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico at airport Llano San Juan (TGZ) and participants should allow two hours for travel between Tuxla Gutierrez and San Cristobal. Long distance buses between Mexico City or Cancun and San Cristobal de las Casas are also available.

Cost:
As specialty delegations are planned around the specific time frame and interests of a self identified group, the price structure for specialty delegations is different from our normal trips. Each trip will be priced based on individual factors and considerations. Fees include the cost of food, lodging and transportation during the delegation, as well as a experienced, full-time guide and translator for the duration of the trip. Transportation to Chiapas is not covered, but the cost of transportation between San Cristobal and the work site is covered. In addition your fee will pay for a comfortable hotel room on the first night of the trip. We ask that participants contribute between $525 and $800 USD based on their income and means. Keep in mind that 20% of your delegation fee is considered a tax-deductable donation and will be incorporated into cash grants that go to support Zapatista projects.

To sign up for this trip:

http://www.schoolsforchiapas.org/english/store/catalog/615.html