THE MUJERES POR LA DIGNIDAD (Women for Dignity) COOPERATIVE ARTISAN SOCIETY AND THE XULUM CHON COOPERATIVE ARTISAN SOCIETY, LOS ALTOS ZONE OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
TO ALL OF THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY GROUPS.
TO ALL NATIONALS AND INTERNATIONALS INTERESTED IN THE ARTISANRY OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN RESISTANCE IN THE STATE OF CHIAPAS.
We are authorities of 2 cooperatives in the Los Altos zone of Chiapas. We write this letter in order to make you aware of our artisanry store and to make it available to you. In our store you can find a variety of artisanry made by women associates from various municipalities in resistance. These 2 cooperatives were born out of the necessity that we women have to sell our artisanry at a fair price, because artisan work is one of the principal sources of income for the survival of the indigenous communities in resistance in the Los Altos region of Chiapas. Out of dignity we don't receive governmental support, which has only been a mockery to indigenous communities.
We are making many efforts in our communities in resistance to overcome poverty, sickness, and malnutrition of our women, children, and elderly. But our families' economic situation is very difficult, because everything we buy becomes more expensive every day.
We indigenous women, just like the men of the communities, hardly have any land where we can work, and it is very difficult to get work to make money. We have never received any sort of support from the government; we have survived only with effort and sacrifice. In our situation, the only path that we women have to keep resisting and surviving is to work in collectives and organize ourselves to try to sell our artesanry at a fair price. This is how men, women, young people, children, and the elderly will together continue to move forward with our resistance as indigenous people.
Our artisan store can now be found in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, on 24 Real de Guadalupe Street (Tierra Adentro CULTURAL CENTER & CAFÉ). You can visit us in our artisanry store whenever you'd like. We hope we can count on your support buying our artisanry.
Not having more to tell you, we thank you for your kind attention.
SINCERELY
MUJERES POR LA DIGNIDAD COOPERATIVE AND XULUM CHON COOPERATIVE FROM LOS ALTOS ZONE OF CHIAPAS.
mujeresporladignidad(-at-)laneta(-dot-)apc(-dot-)org