Names: Carly Negrete Fromsan Gregorio Atlapulcoxochimilco

Names: Carly Negrete Fromsan Gregorio Atlapulcoxochimilco

Interview (s) # 7

Names: Carly Negrete – FromSan Gregorio AtlapulcoXochimilco

Ana María –From San Gregorio Atlapulco, Xochimilco

Julio García Tovar – Counselor of the townSan Pedro Xalpa,Azcapotzalco

Rafael Castelán – Indigenous advisor for MORENA in Magdalena Mixhuca

Álvaro Castro Arias –Indigenous person from Xochimilco

Position:(GroupofIndigenous People and/orCounselorsofPueblos y Barrios Originarios de la Ciudad de México)

Place:Mexico City

Date:January 19, 2018

Observations:

  • The conversation lasted for two hours and a half.
  • Are you indigenous? – Are you ‘originario’ (from the town)? There are differences between these two questions. The first one has a pejorative meaning, and the second one has to do with a more balanced view of the origin (s). Alvaro Castro said.
  • In the coming census in CDMX area, they are trying to push the idea to introduce the term ‘originario’ within the census. This way, they will have a more precise data of how many indigenous people live in the area. Today, they calculate there is approx. 1 million indigenous peoples living in the barrios (neighborhoods) of CDMX. it would be very important to find a catalog of these barrios, and see with detail the number of families, where do they come from, etc. (PadrónConsejo de Pueblos, GacetaOficial de la CDMX from 17 of april, 2017) the gaceta was sent to me a day later by Julio García Tovar.
  • New Constitution in Mexico City.Before was called the Distrito Federal and now is Mexico City (CDMX) and as a new State it needed a new constitution, they needed 100 constituents nominated by: a) the mayor, b) the political parties, c) the executive power. There were only two indigenous persons nominated by the political party MORENA: Nelly Juárez and Mardonio Carballo.
  • About Mary Chuy’s candidacy. ‘We see it as a positive candidacy, because make the topic of indigenous affairs more visible. But we know she is not going to make it. We also are aware that she is out there trying to compete with other pre-candidates because there are some political interests rather than an indigenous interest.’
  • About the relationship between the political parties and the indigenous peoples. With the PartidoRevolucionarioInstitucional (PRI) is nonexistent, at least in CDMX. There has been a clumsy paternalism. They have make into a: Campesino-Agrarian relationship.
  • WithMovimiento Regeneración Nacional (MORENA) and Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD). These political parties have promoted and recognized the Pueblos y Barrios Originarios de la Ciudad de México, by promoting local indigenous deputies.
  • They all agree that the type of relationship that the different indigenous leaders have had with the State has been manipulated, marginalized, fortheir own political advantage, very difficult, aggressive, plundering their natural resources, with one principle in mind that they tend to follow very well among them which is: ‘divide the indigenous peoples and the State will defeat them’, a relationship -if you can call it like that- without trust. Therefore, we the indigenous peoples, we are surviving this relationship.We need to organize better, we know that. There are many factors why we lack of a good organization:

a)Lack of interest

b)Lack of time (because many have 2-3 jobs)

c)Ignorance on many topics

d)Corruption of some (some of our leaders have fallen into corrupt practices)

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