Mexico: Angry Tojolabal Farmers tie up Mayor, drag him through town

Angry farmers forced their way into city hall to protest against the mayor by tying him down to the back of a truck and parading him through the city in Las Margaritas, Mexico on October 9. The native Tojolabal group barged into the mayor's office in Chiapas.

'Tied to the back of a truck'

According to reports, the mayor, Jorge Luis Escandon, was pushed and forced out of his office and then tied to the back of a pickup truck before being dragged down the road for a few hundred yards. Escandon ultimately escaped without sustaining any serious injury after he was rescued by officials.

While speaking to a media outlet, Jorge stated that the Tojolabal community's main aim was to fleece out money from him. In addition to this, he added that about 50 odd natives came in their pickup trucks, armed with the intention of taking away officials to barter them for the one thing they always wanted, i.e., money. The mayor further described his ordeal by saying that they forcibly carried him out of his office and tied one foot to the back of their truck and dragged him around town. 

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A fight for their rights

According to a statement given by a lawyer, Jorge Luis Llaven, the natives wanted more sanctioned materials, mainly in the form of money to infuse capital for the betterment of their rural community, Santa Rita El Invernadero. The demands came in after President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, had tabled a policy that talked about helping beneficiaries in the form of monetary benefits to put a stop to corruption by excluding the corporate businessmen.

According to reports, about 11 people were reprimanded and a dozen suffered injuries in the commotion that ensued after the mayor was dragged. Also, police from the state of Chiapas was sent to ensure a tension-free environment in the town that is in close proximity to Mexico's border with Guatemala.

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A part of the Mayan civilization

The indigenous group of Tojolabal is a group of the Mayan people in the state of Chiapas and the city of Las Margaritas is said to house the largest group belonging to the ancient Mayan civilization. The group is also famous for the K'atepan site, a very old archaeological site in Guatemala. The site house a small temple plaza right in front of two large terraces against the backdrop of a mountainside that can be accessed by large stairways.

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(with agency inputs)