By Carlos Mendoza \u00c1lvarez<\/p>\n
Last Wednesday, the presentation of the fifteenth edition of the Frayba Agenda<\/em> Titled \u201cUnderground Memories,\u201d it was prepared by the Fray Bartolom\u00e9 de Las Casas Human Rights Center in Chiapas. This annual publication, since 2011, preserves the living memory of the actions carried out in the promotion and defense of the human rights of the indigenous peoples of Chiapas, as well as of people in forced migration and refugees, who have been supported by this civil society organization over several decades. Frayba<\/em> -as this organization is affectionately called- was born inspired by the winds of conciliar renewal of the diocese of San Crist\u00f3bal de Las Casas and the social processes that emerged as an expression of the indigenous movement of the second half of the twentieth century.<\/p>\n Three articles reflecting on the local, regional, and national context\u2014by Jorge Santiago, founder of several ecclesial and civil organizations, Susana Montes de la Commission for Support of Community Reconciliation <\/em>(Coreco) and an interview with Carlos Gonz\u00e1lez, a member of the Coordination of National Indigenous Congress of Government <\/em>Created by Pedro Faro, these are accompanied by a valuable graphic record of the key moments of three decades of peacebuilding in Chiapas. The editorial design and illustrations by Gabriela Soriano Segoviano reflect, with beautiful strokes of contemporary folk art, the connections of the underground memories<\/em> of resistance that inspire the indigenous peoples of today, as well as civil society and the churches that walk with them.<\/p>\n Below, I transcribe my participation in the round table discussion, on that rainy afternoon in San Crist\u00f3bal de Las Casas.<\/p>\n \u2202<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no path to peace, peace is the path\u201d<\/p>\n Mahatma Gandhi<\/p>\n This year we are commemorating three decades of peacebuilding in Chiapas: Frayba, Coreco, Sipaz, the National Indigenous Congress, the Zapatista Movement, the San Andr\u00e9s Accords, and many other initiatives of civil society, churches, and social movements. These networks emerged from the fertile soil of Chiapas, prepared more than six decades ago by the pastoral plan of the Diocese of San Crist\u00f3bal with the arrival of Bishop [name missing]. jTatik<\/em> Samuel Ruiz, who, after an arduous and patient conversation and journey with the native peoples, led to the birth of an indigenous Church.<\/p>\n A decade later, the Indigenous Congress of 1974 fostered the emergence of a collective consciousness among Indigenous peoples as historical subjects. And finally, the rise of the Zapatista movement, with its support bases and militias, proposed a different way of living and creating the political sphere as a shared endeavor. All these processes were accompanied by a vibrant and creative current of critical thought, which arose in the Highlands of Chiapas and the canyons of the Lacandon Jungle throughout the second half of the 20th century.<\/p>\n The San Crist\u00f3bal School, so named by Pablo Romo, along with the Cuernavaca School, analyzed by Humberto Bech, have been, in my opinion, the two main Mexican contributions to critical thought in the second half of the 20th century. Both provide us today with a precise direction for confronting with clarity the growing spiral of systemic violence that, with the Puerto Rican decolonial thinker Nelson Maldonado-Torres, we call here the Great Catastrophe<\/em>and.<\/p>\n \u2202<\/p>\n Jorge Santiago's reflection on the Frayba Agenda 2026. Underground Memories<\/em> The work we present today rightly underscores the centrality of the San Andr\u00e9s Accords as a crucible of decades of struggle for peace with justice and dignity. The thinker from San Crist\u00f3bal points out that the historical demands of Indigenous peoples remain relevant, and that the Mexican state still owes a debt for honoring these historic accords.<\/p>\n Two pastoral letters from jTatik<\/em> Samuel Ruiz and Don Ra\u00fal Vera prepared the celebration of the Third Diocesan Synod, which took place from 1995 to 1999. This process allowed the diocese to reap the harvest of half a century of pastoral life and thus give a clear path of synodality to the life and commitments of this diocese. Both letters arose in a context of uncertainty due to the animosity and conflict on the part of Vatican authorities of that time, fueled by the Club of Rome, or a group of Mexican bishops who were declared enemies of liberation theology in Mexico and Latin America.<\/p>\n The first pastoral letter So that justice and peace may meet<\/em> (1996) is an ecclesial response to the armed uprising of 1994. It reflects the struggle for land by indigenous peoples, as well as the commitment to justice and peace made by this diocese, following the impetus of the Second Vatican Council and the Second General Conference of Latin American Bishops in Medell\u00edn. The second pastoral letter From pain to hope<\/em>, The agreement, signed by both bishops in 1998, after the Acteal massacre, is a commitment to hope amid the pain of the survivors and a pledge to continue seeking peace with justice and dignity.<\/p>\n The Vatican's violence against this pastoral project would later be unleashed against Don Ra\u00fal Vera, who was transferred to the Diocese of Saltillo on December 30, 1999, in a failed attempt to dismantle the synodal process. What his detractors never imagined was that this perverse decision would become the opportunity to sow the seeds of a liberating Church, now in lands of mining extraction and gender violence, which Don Ra\u00fal would embrace with fidelity to his mission as a pastor in those desert lands of northern Mexico.<\/p>\n \u2202<\/p>\n Finally, I would like to make two final comments to continue the conversation.<\/p>\n The challenges of moving forward, after three decades of peacebuilding, are now unprecedented, as we find ourselves in the uncertain moment of civilizational collapse. A commitment to justice for Indigenous peoples is no longer enough; it is essential to integrate other forms of justice, such as gender justice (sexual diversity) and ecological justice, to understand the rebellions. transmodern<\/em> that build individuals and collectives of survivors in contexts of global violence. The historical strength of the poor, which the first generation of liberation theology envisioned, is giving way to the unsubmissive reason <\/em>of social and ecclesial movements that are already weaving networks of mutual support, dignity, resistance and diverse re-existences.<\/p>\n It is also time to reformulate the theoretical framework for thinking about systemic violence. Liberation theology requires a radicalization that arises from dialogue with decolonial thought and theory. queer\/cuir <\/em>\/queer and intersectionality to continue supporting peace processes, transitional justice, and diverse spiritualities of life that face the ongoing Great Catastrophe.<\/p>\n Let us not forget that it is our task to honor the legacy of the ancestors of the liberating Church, but from the new subjectivities, bodies and territories in resistance, with the fruits of thought, art and spirituality that emerge as messianic insurrections <\/em>anticipating other worlds, of dignity and life for everyone<\/em>.<\/p>\n The spirituality of messianic time is an interruption of the linear time of that Chronos<\/em> that devours its children on altars of bloody sacrifices. Such a messianic force arises as an insurrection. peaceful<\/em> In the face of systemic violence, that is, as a break from the vicious cycle of rivalry and violence, to establish processes of mutual recognition, beyond the violence that produces poverty, exclusion, and subjugation to hegemonic powers. It is a spirituality of life in the midst of death. Another time <\/em>that (in)emerges as an anticipation of other possible worlds from the survivors of yesterday and today.<\/p>\n \u2202<\/p>\n Next Wednesday, March 25, at 6 p.m., we will continue our discussion on critical thinking emerging from Chiapas, with reflections by Pablo Romo on the San Crist\u00f3bal School and experiences of a spirituality of mutual support amidst violence, presented by our friend and Peruvian colleague Juan Carlos La Puente. Both reflections will be followed by a dance performance by Martha Elena Welsh.<\/p>\n See you at the restaurant Belil<\/em>, in the historic center of San Crist\u00f3bal de Las Casas, where with Ricardo and Carmen as hosts, along with Ang\u00e9lica and Abraham, we will continue opening dining spaces<\/em>, where resistances and spiritualities emerge as a commitment to permanent dialogue and mutual support in the care of life.<\/p>\n San Crist\u00f3bal de Las Casas, March 7, 2026<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Por Carlos Mendoza \u00c1lvarez El mi\u00e9rcoles pasado se llev\u00f3 a cabo la presentaci\u00f3n de la d\u00e9cimo quinta edici\u00f3n de la Agenda Frayba con el t\u00edtulo \u201cMemorias subterr\u00e1neas\u201d, preparada por el Centro de Derechos Humanos fray Bartolom\u00e9 de Las Casas, en Chiapas. Se trata de una publicaci\u00f3n anual que, desde el a\u00f1o 2011, conserva la memoria […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":266113673,"featured_media":1726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"postBodyCss":"","postBodyMargin":[],"postBodyPadding":[],"postBodyBackground":{"backgroundType":"classic","gradient":""},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[780850233,780850194,780850275,780850274,780850171,780849781],"tags":[164367,780849792,780850265,780849895,780850276,780849765],"class_list":["post-1716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autonomias","category-chiapas","category-mutuo-acompanamiento","category-paz","category-practicas-descoloniales","category-violencias-contemporaneas","tag-chiapas","tag-derechos-humanos","tag-escuela-de-san-cristobal","tag-espiritualidad-liberadora","tag-frayba","tag-paz"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Blog-CMA-Plantilla-imagen-para-Photopea-2026-1.jpg?fit=2048%2C1364&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgx1jY-rG","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1767,"url":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/2026\/03\/23\/jobelab\/","url_meta":{"origin":1716,"position":0},"title":"JobeLab","author":"mendocinomx","date":"23 de March de 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Launch of a collective initiative - originating in San Crist\u00f3bal de Las Casas, Chiapas - to create spaces of hospitality and commensality that promote permanent discernment and mutual support among people and collectives in resistance to diverse forms of violence and re-existences that give rise to other possible worlds.","rel":"","context":"In "Chiapas"","block_context":{"text":"Chiapas","link":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/category\/chiapas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Blog-CMA-Plantilla-imagen-para-Photopea-2026-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Blog-CMA-Plantilla-imagen-para-Photopea-2026-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Blog-CMA-Plantilla-imagen-para-Photopea-2026-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Blog-CMA-Plantilla-imagen-para-Photopea-2026-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Blog-CMA-Plantilla-imagen-para-Photopea-2026-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1238,"url":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/2025\/10\/10\/una-flor-de-composta\/","url_meta":{"origin":1716,"position":1},"title":"A compost flower","author":"mendocinomx","date":"10 de October de 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"At the end of September, more than eighty people from survivor groups around the world gathered for a meeting of mutual listening, deepened by thoughtful dialogues with university students and nourished by provocations from artist groups. 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The new generations inhabiting this territory are exploring new ways of life and identity, facing the challenge of harmonizing tradition with alternative forms of modernity\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bioculturalidad"","block_context":{"text":"Bioculturalidad","link":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/category\/bioculturalidad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Juan-Chawuk-Conexion-Cosmica-San-Cristobal-de-Las-Casas-2000.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Juan-Chawuk-Conexion-Cosmica-San-Cristobal-de-Las-Casas-2000.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Juan-Chawuk-Conexion-Cosmica-San-Cristobal-de-Las-Casas-2000.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Juan-Chawuk-Conexion-Cosmica-San-Cristobal-de-Las-Casas-2000.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Juan-Chawuk-Conexion-Cosmica-San-Cristobal-de-Las-Casas-2000.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1516,"url":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/2025\/12\/27\/navidad-en-lo-secreto\/","url_meta":{"origin":1716,"position":3},"title":"Secret Christmas","author":"mendocinomx","date":"27 de December de 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Christmas Eve was shaping up to be different this year due to the change from Boston's frigid weather to the cold but sunny days of the Chiapas Highlands. Of course, it wasn't just a difference in climate, but above all, a difference in cultural worlds.","rel":"","context":"In "Navidad"","block_context":{"text":"Navidad","link":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/category\/navidad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Carlos-Mendoza-Nacimiento-tsotsil-Nachig-Chiapas-2025.jpg?fit=1200%2C904&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Carlos-Mendoza-Nacimiento-tsotsil-Nachig-Chiapas-2025.jpg?fit=1200%2C904&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Carlos-Mendoza-Nacimiento-tsotsil-Nachig-Chiapas-2025.jpg?fit=1200%2C904&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Carlos-Mendoza-Nacimiento-tsotsil-Nachig-Chiapas-2025.jpg?fit=1200%2C904&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Carlos-Mendoza-Nacimiento-tsotsil-Nachig-Chiapas-2025.jpg?fit=1200%2C904&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1883,"url":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/2026\/05\/23\/la-fiesta-de-la-ruah-divina\/","url_meta":{"origin":1716,"position":4},"title":"The Feast of the Divine Ruah","author":"mendocinomx","date":"23 de May de 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A reading for the feast of Pentecost in times of uncertainty and hope, born from the experiences of victims and survivors who resist various forms of violence. It also recounts the story of the commemorative mural depicting the relationship between the Dominican friars in Chiapas and the people of Chiapas, on the occasion of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Alteridad"","block_context":{"text":"Alteridad","link":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/category\/alteridad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kojtom-Boceto-fray-Lorenzo-con-Lacandones-05-V-26.jpeg?fit=780%2C1040&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kojtom-Boceto-fray-Lorenzo-con-Lacandones-05-V-26.jpeg?fit=780%2C1040&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kojtom-Boceto-fray-Lorenzo-con-Lacandones-05-V-26.jpeg?fit=780%2C1040&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Kojtom-Boceto-fray-Lorenzo-con-Lacandones-05-V-26.jpeg?fit=780%2C1040&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1747,"url":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/2026\/03\/21\/dominicos-en-las-fronteras\/","url_meta":{"origin":1716,"position":5},"title":"Dominicans on the frontiers","author":"mendocinomx","date":"21 de March de 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"On the charism of preaching proper to the Dominicans, with its renewal in the second half of the 20th century in Mexico and its connections with other cultural contexts, as a tribute in memory of Friar Daniel Ulloa Herrero OP + (1946-2026).","rel":"","context":"In "Derechos humanos"","block_context":{"text":"Derechos humanos","link":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/category\/derechos-humanos\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Siqueiros-Santo-Domingo-CUC-1970.jpg?fit=895%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Siqueiros-Santo-Domingo-CUC-1970.jpg?fit=895%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Siqueiros-Santo-Domingo-CUC-1970.jpg?fit=895%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Siqueiros-Santo-Domingo-CUC-1970.jpg?fit=895%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/266113673"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1716"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1724,"href":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1716\/revisions\/1724"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carlosmendozaalvarez.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}