Bubba
Jul 31, 2004, 11:32 AM
Post #1 of 2
(420 views)
Shortcut
|
Terrorists Using the Mexico/Guatamala Border
|
Can't Post | Private Reply
|
The Guadalajara Reporter had an interesting article last week regarding a Saudi terrorist entering Mexico through the border with Guatamala. As far as we know, this recent trend has not been well publicized.
It happens that we just returned to our home on Lake Chapala after an extensive road trip that included the area between San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas and the border with Guatamala, an area the U.S. State Department warns is dangerous and subject to violence against travelers. We were returning to Comitan from a trip to the famous (and stunningly, beautiful) Lagunas de Montebello in the jungles along the Guatamalan border when we were pulled over by the Mexican Federal Police. Well, it turned out that the cop was a native of Jalisco and probably pulled us over to yack when he saw our Jalisco license plates. He became very friendly since my wife is fairly fluent in Spanish, and told us that he worked for both the Mexican and U.S. governments and they were staking out the border to try and apprehend Arab terrorists. He further told us that they had caught nine Arabs illegally crossing the border within the past month and three that very day about three weeks ago.
The area I am talking about is some of the most beautiful jungle I have ever seen anywhere and I have seen many different jungle environments from Africa to the Far East to Central America. A road trip to the area is worth the risk. It is easy to see, however, why those wishing to enter the U.S. to commit terrorist acts, would pick this region to cross into Mexico illegally on their way north.
As an interesting aside, we drove from San Cristobal to the Sunday market in touristy San Juan Chamula which was fun but then decided to continue the next day up country to visit more remote indigenous villages and see the textiles made in the village known as San Andres Larrainza, a town known for its brocades. We found the large sign entering the village declaring that it was a Zapatista military headquarters to be a bit disconcerting and I can attest that we were about as welcome there as the plague. Nevertheless, they were willing to take our pesos and we acquired some fabulous textiles there. No one threatened us openly.
For those of you contemplating this trip, you will be rewarded in Chiapas by some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. You will find some indigenous villages where locals are indifferent to your presence, others where locals are sternly unfriendly and even others where you are welcomed with open arms. Regardless of your reception, don't miss visiting this fantastically beuatiful state despite its remoteness.
Near Comitan we stayed at the hacienda and art musuem known as the Parador Santa Maria near the town of El Progreso and highly recommend this place. Great lodging and very good food. We were treated very well by locals when strolling through tiny El Progreso which, it turns out, is a Pentacostal community. Among Pentacostalists, it is normal to welcome strangers in their midst so that may expalin the almost exhuberant welcome we received there. In a general sense, protestant missionaries have converted a rather large number of indigenous people to their faiths and that has created a lot of tension locally beween the converted and non-converted for a number of complex reasons having to do with community traditions and structure. I won't go into that here.
(This post was edited by Bubba on Jul 31, 2004, 11:36 AM)
|
Forums Index
Search Posts
Who's Online
Log In or Sign Up