February 15, 2008, From the grassroots: Tere Martínez and CEDESA, By Holly Yasui, Travel News You Can Use, By Judy Newell

From the grassroots: Tere Martínez and CEDESA
By Holly Yasui February 15, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

CEDESA Trip
Sat, Feb 23, 9am–5pm
Center for Global Justice
Calzada de la Luz 42
400 pesos

Teresa (Tere) Martínez was 12 years old in 1960 when she started teaching literacy classes in La Grulla. About 95 percent of the campesinos in northern Guanajuato were illiterate, suffered from unattended health problems and had few public services. Over the next 12 years, Tere taught thousands adults and young people.

She has committed her life to popular education and community development at the Centro de Desarrollo Agropecuario (CEDESA), which has changed the face of northern Guanajuato.

Tere’s parents sent all nine children to school in Dolores Hidalgo under the tutelage of their grandmother who had a house there.

Tere completed the third grade, enough to read and write. In 1959, Father Guillermo Dávalos—affectionately known as “Padre Memo”—became director of rural pastoral work there. In the tradition of liberation theology, he advocated programs to improve the lives of campesinos, including the literacy program for which Tere was one of the first teachers.

Padre Memo organized community development courses and brought a young activist, Luz Maria (Lucha) Rivera, to help promote them. Workshops covered campesino and women’s issues, animal husbandry, food preservation, carpentry, sewing, etc. Padre Memo received support to buy land and build a center and in 1965, CEDESA was legally constituted. In 1970, Tere Martínez joined Lucha Rivera on the CEDESA board and two years later, Tere’s younger sister, Graciela (Chela) joined them.

By then, northern Guanajuato had 25 rural schools and CEDESA handed over its literacy program to the federal government. In 1973, the worldwide “oil shock” threw the Mexican economy into a tailspin. CEDESA started alternative food-production projects such as beekeeping, vegetable gardens, a corn-grinding mill and rabbit-raising. The most successful was beekeeping; after the second harvest of honey, they started a revolving loan fund with the newly organized Beekeepers Union.

In the eighties, CEDESA helped organize the Union of Campesino Communities to fight for drinking water and land rights. Arrests and evictions by police and the army followed. But by the end of the decade, more than 50 communities in northern Guanajuato had wells and campesinos won the right to live on and work their land, in spite of opposition by wealthy landowners and conservative clergy, who called the CEDESA team communists and thieves for “stealing” the boss’s land.

CEDESA continued supporting movements for water and land, and since the nineties also has focused on creating a self-sufficient campesino economy through eco-technologies (especially for water conservation) and alternative community markets.

Tickets for the CEDESA trip are available at the office Monday–Friday, 10am–1pm. The fee includes transportation, lunch, translation and guides. For more information, call 150-0025 or write info@globaljusticecenter.org.

Holly Yasui is a writer and graphic designer who has lived and worked in Mexico for 15 years.

Travel News You Can Use
By Judy Newell

News from Mexico

San Miguel de Allende to have a Rosewood Resort

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts recently announced that Bald Mountain de Mexico’s ultra-luxury resort currently in development in San Miguel de Allende will be a Rosewood Resort. When it opens in late 2009, the Rosewood property will combine an intimate ultra-luxury resort, private residences and a spectacular spa, all with the local charm and culture of San Miguel de Allende.

Within the historical heart of downtown San Miguel de Allende, the new property will present 63 beautifully appointed guestrooms, including 15 deluxe guest rooms, 46 spacious suites and two multi-bedroom presidential suites encompassing more than 1,700 square feet each.

All rooms will provide luxurious amenities such as fireplaces, balconies and private outdoor terraces, many of which will include a plunge pool. The resort will also feature a Rosewood spa that will offer guests one-of-a-kind ambience, style and attention to detail. Food and beverage options will incorporate casual and fine dining restaurants, a rooftop lounge and tapas bar and a wine and tequila cellar available for intimate private dining events.

The Rosewood property will also boast the Artesana Rosewood Residences. Crafted by local artisans with the look and feel of Old San Miguel, the residences will capture the historical essence of one of Mexico’s most beloved towns.

Two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom residences available for sale later this year will range in size from 1,800 square-foot casitas to 7,500 square-foot villas. Residents will enjoy full access to all resort amenities.

This will be Rosewood’s third property in Mexico. The others are Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos and Rosewood Mayakoba in Riviera Maya.

Sources: TravelAge West, OSSN, TRO Travelgram

Judy Newell, a writer and travel industry executive, heads the custom tour company Perfect Journeys that specializes in luxury and adventure travel. Contact her with comments or suggestions at JudyNewell_03@msn.com or go to her website www.PerfectJourneys.net.