Flying into Guadalajara today one would arrive through the ash and smoke of an enormous pyrocumulus cloud, created neither from the Popocatepetl volcano nor narco-blockades but rather from the Primavera wildfire that has engulfed the city. There are two things that should be considered as the ash begins to fall onto the homes of Providencia, forcing the residents to no longer turn a blind eye to the largest wildfire in years. First, the government is too steeped in campaigning for the upcoming elections to notice the threat that has begun to destroy the largest forest in the region (land potentially to be appropriated for development projects). Then there is the question of facilities. They simply don’t exist. For almost three days the fire has burned with no sign of impediment—a sea of green that has been devastated by uncontrolled flames turning the land into a mottling of purplish grays, as if the muscles of the earth itself lay exposed.
I come from a place on our planet where once a year during the dry season the earth is torched with the arrival of the infamous Santa Ana winds. High temperatures, low humidity and a large quantity of tinder-dry fuel, some of which has not been burnt for decades, allow for fires to quickly explode out of control. These conditions, along with extreme terrain in many undeveloped areas slow access to burn areas, making firefighting incredibly difficult. Southern California has some of the best fire fighters in the United States and to their aid, thousands of volunteers from across the country come to their assistance.
Here, however, the Mexican firefighters are not only under equipped and spread to thin, but there are now reports that they have also begun to face armed-resistance from fighters whom are protecting plots of land that has traditionally been considered cartel territory. Because deep inside the forest hides a portion of the billion-dollar drug industry that American capital plays on every day—bankrolling on the killing.
While I know that Mexico has not been a model of civic calm since president Calderon took office in 2006, this is one story, if confirmed, that truly saddens me to hear as the fire fighters are unable to advance not only due to the threats of being asphyxiated by smoke or being burned alive but are also being targeted by armed groups.
This is the downtown of Guadalajara in México all the pictures were taken from me
Calabaza en dulce
Pan de muerto
Chocolate
Y los tamalitos :)
(Source: huntingthemoon)
