Geographically, Zapatista territories are intermittently dispersed with governmentally run communities, or land that pertains to national Mexico. A typical Mexican community finds themselves vulnerable to the implementation of governmental exploitative projects that gives false hope to these communities in order to monetize and control their land. Inconsequence the ancestral wisdom, diverse natural habitats , farming, animals, and diet all become ruined - it is the typical story of colonialism.
when you are driving through zapatista and national Mexican territories you will notice large cement pools of shallow or empty water that take over parts of the mountain side on the Governmental run land. These concrete structures have water that governmental organizations put into them for the communities to drink, it is water that is bought and sold before it is consumed. These concrete empty pools symbolize the lie that Coca-Cola uses to rebuttal claims of taking water from the people.
In Chiapas, Coca-Cola is the largest pollutor to the natural water scapes and is the place where the beverage is most consumed in the world. Coca Cola’s bottling plant uses 110million gallons per year, even as the rainfall has declined and a growing number of populations are forced to migrate to protected wetlands. As cocacola deplets the natural water source, with no running water people have no choice but to drink coke instead that is fully stocked in every store. One study says that 3% of babies and 16% of toddlers drink cocacola, causing wide range health problems to the community, with diabetes at an all-time high.Due to manipulative marketing, it has even replaced a drink found on most religious alters, one that was black like the midnight sky, and bubbly like the stars and explosions found in space, Coca-Cola is now revered as a intergalactcal drink that merits worship.
In contrast, the Zapatista territories remain resilient to the imperial powers no matter how hard the struggle. As a symbol of this water based resilience we created with the community the peice rain catchers, or “de lluvia”. The children of the community paraded around town celebrating their autonomous heritage. Zapatista territories have built systems that collect rainwater and become filtered through the sun in order for consumption. It is becoming more difficult with the global climate crisis, but they stay empowered through the wisdom of natural free rainwater