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lawman · 02-14-2003, 06:57 PM

Hey Griff.... yes the ranch in the NPR (and CNN, and Wash Post, etc...) was the Rancho Esmeralda, where we were staying. We were the first big group to brave going to the ranch since the local indians barricaded the road into it on Dec. 12th.

We had lots of lengthy talks with the owners, Glen and Ellen (great, heartfelt people by the way) who have now been forcefully evicted from their ranch. This ranch was listed in the Lonely Planet guide as one of the best 10 places to stay in Mexico. Not because it was opulent or ritzy in any way, in fact it was the opposite. Rustic small cabins without electricity nor running water. But tasteful. The grounds were beautiful, a macadamia nut plantation, some coffee bushes, lots of flower beds and immaculately groomed grounds. Additionally, the food was among the best I have had on any trip.

Knowing what a special place this was and how hard Glen and Ellen worked (they used to be Peace Corp. volunteers!) on the place, this whole mess almost makes me cry. It's shitty.

Various indiginous groups in Chiapas have overtaken 2700 ranches in the last 10 years, and still hold over 2000 of them. The Mexican government has been negligent in their dealings with these groups. Either enforce rule of law, or negotiate a land claim agreement similar to what we have gone through (and still are) here in Canada.

I have a pic of us at the ranch just before we left for the river... Glen is in it as well and I'm really happy he is. They are truely great people who genuinely care for the community and their staff. I'll post it over the weekend in the Quality Images section.

sigh.... the world sucks sometimes.

02-14-2003, 06:57 PM	#15
lawman unerringly questioning Join Date: May 2002 Location: Whitehorse, Yukon Posts: 100	Rancho Esmeralda Hey Griff.... yes the ranch in the NPR (and CNN, and Wash Post, etc...) was the Rancho Esmeralda, where we were staying. We were the first big group to brave going to the ranch since the local indians barricaded the road into it on Dec. 12th. We had lots of lengthy talks with the owners, Glen and Ellen (great, heartfelt people by the way) who have now been forcefully evicted from their ranch. This ranch was listed in the Lonely Planet guide as one of the best 10 places to stay in Mexico. Not because it was opulent or ritzy in any way, in fact it was the opposite. Rustic small cabins without electricity nor running water. But tasteful. The grounds were beautiful, a macadamia nut plantation, some coffee bushes, lots of flower beds and immaculately groomed grounds. Additionally, the food was among the best I have had on any trip. Knowing what a special place this was and how hard Glen and Ellen worked (they used to be Peace Corp. volunteers!) on the place, this whole mess almost makes me cry. It's shitty. Various indiginous groups in Chiapas have overtaken 2700 ranches in the last 10 years, and still hold over 2000 of them. The Mexican government has been negligent in their dealings with these groups. Either enforce rule of law, or negotiate a land claim agreement similar to what we have gone through (and still are) here in Canada. I have a pic of us at the ranch just before we left for the river... Glen is in it as well and I'm really happy he is. They are truely great people who genuinely care for the community and their staff. I'll post it over the weekend in the Quality Images section. sigh.... the world sucks sometimes.