OAXACA, MEXICO


The State of Oaxaca (pronounced: wa-ha'-ka] is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located in the southern part of the country, west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Oaxaca is the historic home of the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples, and contains more speakers of indigenous languages than any other Mexican state.


Oaxaca's rugged terrain caused various groups to develop in relative isolation from one another, and therefore the cultural and linguistic diversity of the region. The central Valley of Oaxaca was one of the most fertile areas of the Americas and allowed powerful and influential groups to emerge. In the mid-15th century, the central valley was conquered by the Aztecs, who forced the surrounding Mixtec and Zapotec kingdoms to pay tribute to the emperor in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan.


Tenochtitlan fell to the Spanish in August of 1521 and with it all of the Aztec empire. The Spanish crown granted Oaxaca to the conquistador Hernan Cortes as his prize for conquering New Spain. Over the 300 years of colonialism, many aspects of life became Europeanized. However, Mexico finally won independence from Spain in 1821.


When the Mexican Revolution began in 1910, Oaxaca, like many southern states, rallied around the revolutionary leaders who proclaimed that the land belonged to the exploited workers. However, dissension among the revolutionary leaders continued to divide the people of Mexico. After the revolution, Oaxaca received little attention from the national government, resulting in virtually no industrialization and minimal economic growth. The state benefited little from Mexico's rapid economic growth after World War II (1939-1945). By the 1980s and 1990s, Oaxaca was one of Mexico's poorest states, having some of the nation's highest rates of illiteracy, malnutrition, and infant mortality, especially among its Native American population. This poverty, little education and isolation left the people of Oaxaca virtually defenseless against the invasion of drug traffickers.



MEXICAN DRUG TRAFFICKING & WAR


Given its geographic location, Mexico has long been used as a staging and trans-shipment point for narcotics, illegal aliens and other contraband destined for U.S. markets from Mexico, South America and elsewhere. During the 1980s the Colombian drug organizations formed partnerships with the Mexico-based traffickers to transport cocaine through Mexico into the United States. This was easily accomplished because Mexico had long been a major source of heroin and marijuana, and drug traffickers from Mexico had already established an infrastructure that stood ready to serve the Colombia-based traffickers. Mexican gangs also geared up to develop their own drug sources, processing and distribution. This led to the invasion of drug thugs in various parts of Mexico, including the State of Oaxaca where Father Ted Pfeifer was serving. This was the new drug smuggling route. Marijuana can be grown anywhere, but poppies need a cool climate. The mountain climate in Tehuantepec is perfect for growing poppies for heroin.


A disruption in the Columbian cartel prompted Mexican rivals to move to exploit the vacuum. Like their couterparts in other parts of the world, the drug thugs used intimidation and violence to advance their operations. Often, it was and is the innocent bystanders, like the farmers of Oaxaca, who suffered such violence. The fighting between rival Mexican drug cartels began in earnest in 1989. There was a lull in the fighting during the late 1990s but the violence has steadily worsened since 2000.