El Hombre Sobre la Tierra works with several Mayan villages in the Mexican state of Yucatán—the peninsula perhaps best known for one of the country’s top tourist destinations, Cancún. Despite Cancún’s successful economy, there is severe poverty in the region. For the past five centuries, the indigenous Maya have fought to defend their cultural identity and natural resources in the face of colonization, state-sponsored marginalization and most recently, globalization. Today, most Mayans live in poor conditions, usually in small homes with earthen floors, palm-leaf roofs and timber walls. Education levels remain low, and many Mayan-speaking adults are alienated from the Spanish-speaking majority who claim a monopoly on political, economic and social power.

The principle activity of the Yucatán is slash and burn agriculture, yet this type of farming has proven insufficient as a means of achieving basic living necessities and as an environmentally sustainable method of farming. For many years the local community has engaged in slash and burn agriculture, leaving an already rocky and nutrient-low soil depleted and nearly unusable. The Yucatán’s harsh, hurricane-prone weather pattern also places a high burden on these coastal communities, which have little income-generating opportunities outside of farming.

Mayan cultural norms make progress particularly challenging for women in the region. Women typically achieve the lowest levels of education, are frequently denied basic human rights, rarely learn to speak Spanish and are prevented from leaving the home. An example of this challenging condition can be seen in the government promoted land tenure system: the ejido. The ejido bars women from participating in the communal land sharing system, preventing women from land ownership. In a society in which land is the basis of cultural, social and economic life, the ejido system further marginalizes women.

Mayan embroidery

For generations, Mayan women have created elaborate, brightly colored embroidery in the form of flowers, birds and other natural elements. Traditionally, this embroidery is found on Mayan clothing including: huipiles (blouses), belts and skirts. Mayan women create their own huipil designs that serve as their signatures. Today, the women of HST have adapted this traditional embroidery for use on stylish, sturdy and contemporary bags.

HST purchases Mexican-sourced materials in bulk for its artisans. One woman generally embroiders a colorful themed pattern on each bag in her home. The embroidered piece is then finished in HST’s workshop, where a group of women work together to cut, sew and press the final product. Participants in HST’s income generation sewing project contribute their artistic sensibilities to the design of each product, giving personality and a unique character to each finished piece.

Region: Southern North America, bordering the United States and Central America

Capital: Mexico D.F.

Population: 111,211,789

Size: slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Independence: 16 September 1810 (from Spain)

Currency: Peso

Language: Spanish 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)

Literacy Rate: Male, 92.4%; Female, 89.6%, literacy rates for indigenous groups are much lower

Education: 94% of children complete primary school. The ratio between male and female students is roughly 1:1. Indigenous children have the lowest enrollment rates in the country.

Primary School Enrollment Rate: 98% (2005)

Life Expectancy: 75.8 years

Infant Mortality Rate: 27 deaths/1,000 live births (2007/2008)

HIV Prevalence Rate: 0.3% (2005)

Access to Clean Drinking Water: 95% (2004)

Access to Proper Sanitation: 79% (2004)

Doctor to Patient Ratio: 198 doctors/100,000 patients (2000-2004)

All statistics from CIA World Factbook 2007 & UNDP Human Development Report 2006

Life in Mexico is often characterized by extremes, most notably in regard to income disparity. The capital, Mexico City, is among the busiest and most populated cities in the world, with pockets of immense wealth and political power. Despite these pockets, large shanty towns encircle the metropolis, forcing families to live among garbage heaps, factory waste and other safety and environmental hazards with little access to services. In rural regions, Mexicans suffer from isolation, poverty, poor health and few income opportunities. Critics of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) assert that the agreement has contributed to the widening gap between the rich and poor in Mexico. As a consequence of rural poverty, approximately 400,000 Mexicans immigrate to the United States in search of jobs each year – much of this movement is harmful to those undertaking the often long journey. Those lucky enough to become gainfully employed send their earnings back home, a major force in the Mexican economy. Drug-related crime has also reached staggering proportions over the past few years. Since President Felipe Calderón took office in 2006, over 10,000 people have died from drug-related violence, while large swaths of territory remain under the control of narcotics gangs.

Despite these setbacks, the country has made tremendous progress in the past decade. Mexico is the 12th largest economy in the world and is considered a firmly established middle-income country. Mexico is also a leading oil producer and the U.S.’s leading trading partner. The 70 year long rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) ended in 2000 with the election of Vicente Fox of the National Action Party (PAN), eliminating the era of one-party rule and ushering in a more democratic system with a stronger and more cohesive plan.

Indigenous Groups

The indigenous populations of Mexico have long suffered economic, political and social marginalization. Comprised of anywhere between12% and as high as 30% of the population, indigenous groups maintain the lowest life expectancies and highest infant mortality rates in the country. There are over 60 local indigenous languages spoken in Mexico.

Despite descrimination, demands for indigenous rights have been forceful. On January 1,1994, the day of NAFTA’s signing, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) launched an aggressive campaign for indigenous and peasant rights. While early clashes between the rebels and government forces led to violence, protests have been largely peaceful since 1994. The international community has shown strong support for both the rebels and the indigenous rights movement in general, calling for an end to the stigma and human rights abuses directed at indigenous communities.

[1] Migration Information Source, Mexican Immigration to the US: The Latest Estimates, March 2004