Posted on 11/07/2004 4:06:24 PM PST by traumer
Bargain-hungry Mexican shoppers have flocked to a new Wal-Mart supermarket that environmentalists claim will threaten one of the nation's treasures. Around 200 shoppers queued for hours to be the first to enter the store, which is half a mile from the ancient Mexican pyramids at Teotihuacan.
"People need the well-being of their families more than culture," said one.
Environmental groups had argued that the store was too close to the ruins and would erode the local way of life.
While the Wal-Mart store was overflowing with shoppers on its opening day, a handful of local opponents kept a vigil outside the 2,000-year-old Teotihuacan pyramids.
They pledged to continue a protest that has drawn international attention and prompted a national debate.
Buffer zone
"It's like planting the staff of globalization in the heart of ancient Mexico," said Homero Aridjis, a writer and environmentalist who led a national drive to block the store.
"It is supremely symbolic."
Mexico's national anthropology institute that oversees the ruins - located outside Mexico City - has said that the store poses no threat.
The United Nations and the Paris-based International Council on Monuments and Sites also "signed-off" the store. It is located in a buffer zone that is part of the archaeological site, but where hundreds of other, mainly smaller businesses have sprouted in the past decade or more.
BTTT!!!!!!
There are three in the area; Sol (pyramid of the sun) is the third largest pyramid in the world, Luna (pyramid of the moon) is slightly smaller than Sol, and the Feathered Serpent pyramid (I believe it is called the Temple of Quetzalcóatl). Also, there is the Avenue of the Dead and the Ciudadela (Citadel) in the area. See the following sites for more info:
http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo/
http://www.differentworld.com/mexico/places/mexico_city/teotihuacan.htm
Index
Pure propaganda
Are those bags decomposable - are will the future archeologists wonder about these 'signs of God' ?
Correct you are :(
Hay problema? (from the other thread)
Maybe Uncle Sam Walton is just trying to blend in with the locals?
Do they disembowel shoplifters and roll them down the steps?
Oh, great, Walmart's a pyramid now? That means folks will be inviting me to their homes to recruit me to a "great business opportunity."
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
So9
Well, the environmentalists like to fight for preservation of the old, natural ways. Cholera epidemics and malnutrition, children wading through raw sewage looking for food, that kind of stuff. You know what happens when the evil capitalists put in storm water drains, sewage systems, and city infrastructures. It just destroys the habitat for the stinky dung and flesh eating beetle, which, as we know, is endangered.
I believe Ray has the last word in this argument. ;)
As for the Wal-Mart? I've been to Chichen Itza. Mexico does not take care of ANY of their landmarks or National Treasures. That place was a dump! Trash everywhere, the pyramid was full of graffiti after I climbed to the top. The "Virgin Child Sacrificing Pool" had garbage floating in it. Disgusting. If anything, a Wal-Mart might class up the place. I've traveled extensively in Mexico. I've not seen much National Pride in their heritage, or historic places. Sorry. Just my Life Experience. I've seen more Mexican National Pride in places like San Antonio, TX than I ever have in Mexico.
-- God
I feel that way about Wegman's.
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