by Artesinas Campesinas

Special to the G21

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Taxco, Guerrero, MEXICO - Artcamp is hosting an international internet workshop in Taxco the week of the 24th of October. Coming to attend the event are village representatives from Bolivia , Guatemala , Peru , Vera Cruz and San Luis Potosi Mexico; Venezuela , Ecuador.

The workshop is sponsored by Nabuur, the Netherlands website where First Worlders assist and collaborate with Third Worlders. This prestigious effort, sponsored by the Dutch government and very important agencies, is a pilot-project to intended to create some 10,000 virtual communities worldwide.

In Taxco, the week of October 24th is programmed for an intensive workshop to train village representatives to frame critical questions to virtual neighbors in both the North and South.

[The conference begins] with a banquet the night of October 24th to inaugurate the extraordinary conclave. This momentous workshop promises great benefits to the diverse villages of Ibero-America.

Coming from Europe for the event are Sigfried Woldhek, founder and director of Nabuur; George Hoogendorn, Nabuur head of community representatives and; Edmee Schalkx, head of village representatives. Edmee will be giving the seminar to village representatives. Sigfrield will give the keynote address on the technology of cooperative community building.

Different community projects are represented by the workshop attendees.

Here are some of the villages that will be at the workshop and their projects.

• Chimaltenango district lies about 50 kilometers to the west of Guatemala City. This highland region is dotted with vulcanos and partly covered with tropical forests. The Kaqchikel Maya need information on what types of ecotourism would be possible in Chimaltenango. The local community is seeking help to promote Chimaltenango as an ecotourist destination.
  
  
• Cochiraya is a rural village of 1500 inhabitants. It lies in the southeastern part of Peru ,on the borders of the Great Titicaca Lake. it is situated to the south of the city of Puno at an altitude of 3840 meters.

  The people of Cochiraya have lived here since before the Incas came. The men work in the fields and breed alpacas. The women supplement the family income by making beautiful alpaca clothing.
  
  

• Chaparri lies in the northern tip of Peru , close to the border of Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean. This region of low hills was once completely covered with tropical dry forest , the richest forest in the world.

  The people of Chaparri have founded the first private natural reserve in Peru (34.412 hectares). This rural community wants to take its future in its own hands. You can help them to preserve their tropical forest and its wildlife (spectacled bear, condor, wild lama) and to make a sustainable living for themselves.
  
  

• The community of Las Ventosas lives on the northwestern coast of Venezuela. [They are located] halfway between Caracas and Maracaibo , near the city of Coro.

  The people of Las Ventosas are mestizos from mixed Spanish and indigenous descent. They're famous for the wooden furniture they make. They also fish and grow vegetables.
  
  

• Iquitos is situated at the borders of the river Amazon. It is the main town of this part of the amazonian rainforest. This jungle town is only accessible by boat or plane.

  Many different indigenous peoples live in the rainforest surrounding Iquitos. Most of them still preserve their indigenous language and culture.
  
  

• The municipality of Catorce lies in the center of Mexico, halfway between Monterey and San Luis Potosi . It's a dry, semi-desertic highland, between 2750 and 3100 meters above sea level. This is the sacred country of the Huicholes.

  From far and away these indigenous inhabitants of the desert travel to Catorce to perform their sacred rites.

  Real de Catorce is an ancient colonial city. It used to be one of the famous 'Silver Cities' of Mexico . In the 19th century it had 15.000 inhabitants. In the early 20th century it became a ghost town. These days some 1,000 people live in Real de Catorce.

  The municipality of Catorce has about 11,000 inhabitants divided over 120 villages.

  To improve the lifes of their families, the women of Ranchito de Coronado de Catorce have set up a production cooperative. They produce shampoo and pomades using natural ingredients.
  
  < li> Zapotillo is a town of about 2000 inhabitants. It lies in the most Southwestern tip of Ecuador, on the border with Peru . The river Catamaya separates the two countries. This area has a great natural beauty. If was once completely covered with tropical dry forest.

  Nowadays the people of Zapotillo live from agriculture, cattle breeding and forestry. The majority of the population is young. More than 45% of the population is younger than 20 years [of age.] There are few education[al] and employment opportunities for the young people of Zapotillo. This causes many of them to migrate to the cities. If this drain of its best people goes on a downward spiral will develop. The community will get poorer and poorer forcing even more people to leave.
  
  

• Amboró lies in the centre of Bolivia, 120 kilometers to the northwest of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It's a part of the enormous Amazonian rainforest. AmborŪ is a National Park with an incredible variety of flora and fauna. 712 species of birds have been discovered [there, thus far.] Jaguars, ocelots, bespectacled bears and tapirs still roam the tropical forest.
  
  
• Boruca-Térraba is situated in the tropical woods in the south of Costa Rica. It is the home land of the Boruca indigenous people. Many indigenous peoples have already lost their culture and language. Boruca culture and spirituality still lives in the hearts and minds of a small number of people.

  The Boruca people are willing to preserve their land and ancient wisdom and knowledge.

Villages representatives are coming from all over Ibero-America for a workshop in Taxco. The host of the event is Artcamp SC de RL "Artesanas Campesinas" from Tecalpulco, a village of traditional handcraft producers, located about thirty kilometers from Taxco.

We are proud as Mexicans to welcome other village groups trying to better their lives by striving to be productive and defending themselves in these difficult economic times.

The workshop covers aspects of local representative management of Nabuur virtual villages involving the coordination with Nabuurs in Europe and around the world via internet forums.

See our pictures and read our letters at Tecalpulco Nabuur.

Best wishes from México!