Coastal Townships of Costa Chica, Guerrero, Mexico
[Editorial Note: Please accept our apology for misspelling the name of the Tribe of Shabazz and not Chavazz. We regret the error.]
“The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise. Surely We have revealed to thee the book with truth, so serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience.” –Holy Qur’an, Surah 39, verses 1-2
As I begin the new series of articles on the recent MXODUS expedition into the Costa Chica Pacific Coast region of Mexico, many testimonies will be included by several of those who made this wilderness journey beginning on April 14 and ending on April 23rd. The occasion for this gathering centered around a Conference being held in the small township of Huehuetan in the state of Guerrero called “Encuentro XII” organized by the president of the Afro-Mestizo Association, Sergio, Penaloza, along with his associates.
This event proved to be a gathering point for educators, teachers, farmers, social activists, journalists, ecologists, historians, diplomats, artists and performers of African Indigenous Pueblos (peoples) from a wide range of municipalities in the surrounding region and included the presence and participation of the Ambassador and his companion from the Mexican Embassy of Angola, Mr. Jose Jaime, Surtado Goncalves. The current president of Angola is Jose Eduardo Dos Santos. There were also participants from Chad.
Our unexpected meeting produced an unexpected result producing friendship, alliances on our part being invited to sit with his representatives during his presentation. We observed how the diplomatic core came equipped with their dutiful magazine, video and DVD presentation, beautiful art posters on their history and oral lectures on their knowledge of the history of their lost family members found here in the West.
They extolled the ancient Olmec culture as a sign of African origin, as well as pointing to the heroes of the slave trade who were brought to Mexico and sought valiantly to be freed from the exploitation of slave trafficking under the Spanish and the Portuguese.
They referenced the first great liberator of the Americas named Gasper Yanga who came from a princely family in Africa. Some of the historians describe Yanga as being born of a Muslim royal family in either Guinea Bassau or from Ghana; and upon arriving in the Port of Vera Cruz in chains struggled to be free from his captivity along with several of his companions who hid out in the mountains to fight their Spanish captors.
His 400th anniversary celebration took place in January 2009 (1609 + 400 years = 2009). In the course of our enslavement in America, there is no mention of this great hero who is mentioned in the history of Mexico. All over our planet, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us that the Black Man’s true history has been buried and we were put to sleep for thousands of years so that the White man, the last of the races, would rule over our indigenous population everywhere we are found on the planet.
In Costa Chica, our poor and oppressed, Black African families living there are denied recognition in the Census of the Mexican government and Constitution and are recognized as being of no account, not worthy of knowing our own history or identity as to where we came from. Poor economic development and miserable living conditions prevail in this region of Mexico’s Pacific Coast, from the tip end of Acapulco in Guerrero running 200 miles in the state of Oaxaca. Quoting from a brief overview of the slave trade in Mexico by Bobby Vaughn, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of the Office for Institutional Diversity of Notre Dame of Namur University, located in Belmont, California:
“The Costa Chica is one of two regions in Mexico with significant Black population today, the other being the state of Vera Cruz on the Gulf Coast. The Costa Chica is a 200-mile long coastal region beginning just southeast of Acapulco, Guerrero and aiding Huepulco in the state of Oaxaca. Not all of the people in these communities consider themselves Black (Negro or Moreno, to use the local terminology) and the Mexican Government does not include “Race” in its census data.
The numbers presented here include all residents, houses in 37 towns throughout the Costa Chica that are considered significant and historically Black, largely based on how people self-identify. I have personally visited the majority of these towns over the years. I also have been told of Afro-Mexican communities in the region that I have not yet to visit, and therefore did not include those on the list.”
“According to some of the history of the first impact of Black in Mexico, states that the first African slave brought to Mexico is said to be one Juan Cortez, a slave who accompanied the Conquistador Hernan Cortes in 1519. The Indians reportedly astonished by his dark skin, having never seen an African before, took him for a god! These early slaves were more personal servants of their masters, who may be thought of as squires.
These slaves were most likely taken from Africa, then transported to Seville, where early slaves were Christianized and they probably spoke Spanish by the time they reached the new world. These slaves didn’t come over on slave ships as part of an overt slave trade. The slave trade that changed the demographic face of Mexico began when K. Carlos, V, began issuing more and more asientos or contracts between the crown and private slavers in order to expedite the trans-Atlantic trade.”
As we traveled up and down this coastal region in our state of the art Mercedes Benz bus, meeting the families and interacting with our kith and kin, I was reminded of two of our Lesson assignments. One, coming from the 32nd problem of the Problem Book where a conference took place by 12 of our major scientists at the root of civilization discussing the Lost-Found Nation of Islam who were lost from their native land and people and had to be taught a thorough knowledge of their own in order to be redeemed from their miserable condition.
Remember the words of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad which he shared with me while in Mexico concerning what he would teach the Mexican people. He stated: The same as you have been taught, “The Lessons.” Now, with greater understanding, I realize that the condition of Mexico under the Spanish colonization and the mental death of its population including the Black family in their midst, is the same as our condition in America. This search to find our lost people by the Great Mahdi, Master Fard Muhammad, was extensive and inclusive of all of our poor people all over the planet earth.
English Lesson Number C1 states: …that we were so cut off from our own that our own people did not know where we were until a little over 60 years ago.”
“Now surely sincere obedience is due to Allah (alone). And those who choose protectors besides Him (say): We served them only that they may bring us nearer to Allah. Surely Allah will judge between them in that in which they differ. Surely Allah guides not him who is a liar, ungrateful. If Allah desired to take a son to Himself. He could have chosen those He pleased out of those whom He has created–Glory be to Him! He is Allah, the One, the Subduer (of all).” —Holy Qur’an, Surah 39, verses 3-4
To be continued.
