Karitina Ortiz Ortiz. Screenshot of the documentary “Batalla de las Cacerolas” (Battle of the Saucepans) This post is a re-edited version of the original text published by Witness and is reproduced on Global Voices with the permission of the author, Laura Salas. The so-called “Batalla de las Cacerolas” (Battle of the Saucepans) is a documentary which tells of the women of Tepoztlán, a village located in the central-southern region of Mexico, who have campaigned throughout history against the megaprojects that continually prey on their communities. The audivisual work starts with a demonstration led by various women from the region — now elderly — whose main weapon was the sound of protest of their saucepans. The directors used the photographic archive the village has safeguarded for years, which highlighted the leading role of the women in the fight. The women were there, present in each and every photo: preparing food, organising marches, protesting. In the documentary the protagonists tell of how, since the 1960s, other leaders and community advocates were threatened, or even killed, by corporations looking to encroach on the region, guided by a sense of progress that was not shared by the locals. Karitina Ortiz Ortiz, one of the protagonists of the documentary, explains: Yo empecé a darme cuenta de todo porque ya desde 1960 escuché sobre la muerte de un profesor que lo habían asesinado por defender las tierras de Monte Castillo. Seguramente por el lugar tan bonito que es que quisieron instalar acá un teleférico, luego un periférico, luego un tren escénico y luego al final ya, un club de golf. I began to realise what was going on because in 1960 I heard about the death of a teacher who had been killed for defending the land around Monte Castillo. Perhaps it was the beauty of the scenery here that made them want to install a cable car, then a bypass, a scenic train, and finally a golf club. Gerard Becerra, who was a presidential candidate in Cuernavaca, the capital city of the state of Morelos where Tepoztlán is situated, explains some of the sticking points of the confrontation. In his post “Tepoztlán, la crisis que viene” (Tepoztlán, the crisis on the horizon), Becerra analyses the background of the conflicts described in the documentary, which have taken place between government organisations, corporations and communities due to the implementation of projects without proper consultation: [Durante la gestión de Antonio Rivapalacio] Ingenieros Civiles Asociados -ICA-, andaba con la intención de aprovechar la vía férrea que venía desde Cuautla, y entonces construir un ‘Tren Escénico’, con fines turísticos y algo más, sin embargo el mismo no llego a concretarse. En la parte alta de Tepoztlán, cerca de San Juan Tlacotenco, la poderosa constructora había instalado ya, sendos campamentos desde donde preveía construir algunos túneles que hacían falta para ello. ¿El error? no consultar a la población. [Under the leadership of Antonio Rivapalacio] the construction firm Ingenieros Civiles Asociados (ICA) intended to take advantage of the railroad from Cuautla, to construct a ‘Scenic Train’ for touristic and other purposes. However, this did not materialise. In the most elevated part of Tepoztlán, near to San Juan Tlacotenco, the influential construction firm had already set up camps from which they anticipated constructing various tunnels which were required for the train. What was their error? Not consulting the locals. Concerning the conflict over the golf course, Becerra explains: Y ni que decir del Club de Golf de Tepoztlán, ahí la intolerancia, la soberbia de los gobernantes y la insaciable posición de los empresarios, dio al traste con un proyecto que podría haber sido bueno para la comunidad si no se hubiera proyectado en la forma en que se hizo. Una vez más el poder ejecutivo dio muestras de represión y el pueblo de Tepoztlán se unió como nunca en su historia moderna. Transitar por Tepoz en la época del conflicto del campo de golf, era como transitar en un pueblo de los Balcanes en la guerra civil. Barricadas por todos lados y la tensión de la gente en contra de sus gobernantes se respiraba a flor de piel. Needless to say that, regarding the Tepoztlán Golf Club, the intolerance and arrogance of the leaders and the insatiable position of the businessmen halted a project that could have been good for the community, had it not been planned in such a way. Once more, the Executive Power displayed elements of repression and the community of Tepoztlán united like never before in its modern history. Travelling through Tepoztlán during the time of the golf course conflict was like travelling through a village in the Balkans during the civil war.