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According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, the Wal-Mart owned
superstore, Bodega Aurrera, opened it's doors last week in Teotihuacan,
Mexico despite months of protests by people who feared this monument to
capitalism would destroy the spirituality of the sacred site.
The mega structure was built within a buffer zone where other businesses
have sprouted in recent years. Although officials had declared that
there were no ruins in the vicinity, construction was briefly stopped
when an ancient altar was found under the parking lot.
Standing virtually in the shadow of the 2000 year old Pyramid of the
Sun, the new super store will bring low prices and more jobs to an area
where the nearest supermarket is 30 miles away.
It is not known for certain who built the holy city, but when the Aztecs
found it, they called it Teotihuacan - The Place Where Men Become Gods.
Thousands of people journey to there every year on the first day of
Spring to experience the energy. Mexicans make pilgrimages to the sacred
site to bury their children's umbilical cords at the foot of the pyramid
- an offering to the gods.
Although Wal-Mart is Mexico's largest employer with 655 stores and
restaurants, many people see the new super store as a symbol of
globalization and American greed. There are fears that local shops won't
be able to compete with Wal Mart's prices and spiritual and traditional
values will be endangered.
Five hundred years ago, Spain used Christianity to conquer Mexico and
try to wipe away all indigenous beliefs. Many people see American style
capitalism as the next destructive wave.
"Today it's not the church, it's Wal-Mart. It's not the Catholic god,
it's money," said Jorge Alan Medina, a protester outside the pyramids.
Emmanuel D'Herrera, local teacher and former diplomat, was quoted in the
Tribune as saying "When I pass by the pyramids, I always ask myself what
they are trying to tell me, and what these Teotihuacanos wanted to tell
us, these people who made possible their dream of eternity by building
these things".
Wal-Mart has said the store represents an investment in the community
that will improve the quality of life. More than 2,000 locals applied
for 186 jobs at the store.
"They should take a long-term view," Raul Arguello, vice-president of
corporate affairs for Wal-Mart Mexico, said of opponents. "If they
really care about Teotihuacan they should respect the majority and not
create more division."
Wal-Mart - where men become Gods.
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