The escape of la Sirena. A narrative of the disaster of desiccation and dispossession in the shore towns of eastern Mexico City

En este artículo, analizo los sentidos locales del proceso histórico de desecación del último de los lagos sobre los que se fundó la Ciudad de México hace más de setecientos años: el lago de Texcoco. Destaco una narrativa local sobre la huida de una Sirena, como un registro de significado que da sentido a la desaparición del lago en términos de una pérdida dolorosa y de despojo para la población de la orilla nororiental del lago. Asimismo, esta narrativa sugiere pensar la desecación histórica de la cuenca de México como un desastre progresivo y vigente. De tal manera, el objetivo que persigue este escrito es explorar los vínculos que guardan los proyectos de desarrollo, los desastres lentos y las formas múltiples del despojo. Muestro que el despojo se ha materializado y significado de formas particulares y desiguales en distintos periodos de tiempo. Destaco tres momentos para indagar sobre las formas en que se coproducen, junto al desastre, distintas e inclusive contradictorias modalidades de despojo, que van más allá del arrebato o  cercamiento de los bienes colectivos.In this article, I analyze the local meanings of the historical drying out process of the last of the lakes on which Mexico City was founded more than seven hundred years ago: Lake Texcoco. I highlight a local narrative about the escape of a mermaid, as a register of meaning for the population of the northeast shore of the lake, that gives sense to the disappearance of the lake in terms of a painful loss and dispossession. Likewise, this narrative suggests thinking of the historical drying out of the basin of Mexico as a progressive and ongoing disaster. Thus, the objective pursued by this text is to explore the links between development projects, slow disasters and multiple forms of dispossession. I show that dispossession has materialized and signified in particular and unequal ways in different periods of time. I highlight three moments to inquire about the ways in which different and even contradictory forms of dispossession are co-produced, together with the disaster, and go beyond the seizure or enclosure of collective property

Ontologías del agua y relaciones de poder en torno al paisaje hídrico en el territorio indígena mazahua del estado de México

This article approaches the water landscape as the way in which water is perceived and intervened by different sociocultural groups. I conceive the landscape in a relational way: from a material dimension, which recognizes the traces that the practices of societies imprint on nature. And from an ontological one, that includes water representations, values, and epistemologies of different social actors. I analyze the waterscape as the space of power in which different ontologies and political practices are assembled, based on the case of the Mazahua indigenous communities that inhabit the southwest mountains of the State of Mexico, a territory from where 25% of the water consumed by Mexico City and its metropolitan area is transferred.Este artículo aborda el paisaje hídrico como la forma en la que el agua es percibida e intervenida por diferentes grupos socioculturales. Entiendo el paisaje de manera relacional: desde una dimensión material reconozco los trazos que las prácticas de las sociedades imprimen en la naturaleza. Desde una dimensión ontológica, destaco la posibilidad y la política de una multiplicidad de mundos relacionados con el agua y de formas de estar con ella. A partir del caso de las comunidades indígenas mazahuas que habitan la sierra suroeste del estado de México —territorio de donde se trasvasa el 25 % del agua que consume la Ciudad de México y su área metropolitana—, analizo el paisaje hídrico como un espacio de poder en donde se ensamblan distintas ontologías y prácticas políticas

Diversidad cultural y gestión del agua: Lecciones desde una región mazahua del Estado de México

The indigenous people of Mexico have generated diverse cultures of water from the historic relationship with nature that have established within their territories, which includes various elements such as knowledge, social organization, symbols, practices, rituals, etc.. and so have their own view of the water,which often conflicts with the logic of government institutions who design public policies for water management in their territories. Based on the above, this paper aims to establish cultural differences regarding the view that indigenous and mestizo societies have on the vital liquid. I refer to the case of Mazahua communities Mexico State that is geographically part of the hydraulic system Cutzamala, to show that while the design for water varies from society to society, this does not mean they can not be created together management plans, water projects or policies for managing this resource. Thispaper considers that taking into account the cosmological representations of indigenous peoples, canbe a factor of complementarity and cooperation to develop a more balanced approach to the use and conservation of water and that intercultural dialogue between actors in conflict, is the best way to achieve such a proposalLos pueblos indígenas de México han generado diversas culturas del agua a partir de la histórica relación con la naturaleza que han establecido dentro de sus territorios, la cual incluye diversos elementos como conocimientos, sistemas de organización social, símbolos, prácticas, ritos, etc. y así poseen su propia concepción del agua, la cual muchas veces entra en conflicto con la lógica de las instituciones gubernamentales que diseñan las políticas públicas para la administración del agua de sus territorios.Partiendo de lo anterior, este trabajo tiene como objetivo establecer las diferencias culturales respecto a la visión que pueblos indígenas y sociedades mestizas tienen sobre el vital líquido. Me remitiré al caso de las comunidades mazahuas del Estado de México que territorialmente son parte del sistema hidráulico Cutzamala, para evidenciar que si bien la concepción respecto al agua varía de sociedad a sociedad, esto no quiere decir que no puedan crearse conjuntamente planes de manejo, proyectos hidráulicos opolíticas de gestión de este recurso. Este trabajo considera que tomar en cuenta las representaciones cosmogónicas de los pueblos indígenas, puede ser un factor de complementariedad y cooperación para elaborar una propuesta más equilibrada para el uso y conservación del agua y que, el diálogo intercultural, entre los actores en conflicto, es la mejor forma de alcanzar tal propuesta

Ontologias del agua y relaciones de poder en torno al paisaje hidrico en el territorio indígena mazahua del estado de México

Este artículo aborda el paisaje hídrico como la forma en la que el agua es percibida e intervenida por diferentes grupos socioculturales. Entiendo el paisaje de manera relacional: desde una dimensión material reconozco los trazos que las prácticas de las sociedades imprimen en la naturaleza. Desde una dimensión ontológica, destaco la posibilidad y la política de una multiplicidad de mundos relacionados con el agua y de formas de estar con ella. A partir del caso de las comunidades indígenas mazahuas que habitan la sierra suroeste del estado de México -territorio de donde se trasvasa el 25 % del agua que consume la Ciudad de México y su área metropolitana-, analizo el paisaje hídrico como un espacio de poder en donde se ensamblan distintas ontologías y prácticas políticas

Globalización, neoliberalismo e imperativos de la racionalidad económica en el uso de los recursos hídricos en México

En este artículo nos interesa desarrollar la idea de que la acumulación por desposesión, en la perspectiva de D. Harvey, también se amplía a la forma en que se explotan los recursos naturales, en el caso del agua, a través de la privatización de este recurso por medio de estrategias políticas y económicas que se van afinando cada vez más, con la ayuda de instituciones supranacionales como el Banco Mundial y el FMI, pero también, con la colaboración esencial del Estado, que cumple un papel fundamental en las políticas hidráulicas orientadas a la privatización de los recursos hídricos a nivel global, y en particular para el caso mexicano

Globalization, neoliberalism and the imperatives of economic rationality in the use of water resources in México

In this paper we want to develop the idea that the accumulation by dispossession, in the perspective of D. Harvey, also extends to the way natural resources are exploited, in the case of water, through the privatization of this resource through political and economic strategies that are increasingly refined, with the help of supranational institutions the World Bank and the IMF, but also, with the essential collaboration of the State, which plays a key role in water policies aimed at the privatization of water resources globally, and in particular for the Mexican case

Risk of COVID-19 after natural infection or vaccinationResearch in context

Background: While vaccines have established utility against COVID-19, phase 3 efficacy studies have generally not comprehensively evaluated protection provided by previous infection or hybrid immunity (previous infection plus vaccination). Individual patient data from US government-supported harmonized vaccine trials provide an unprecedented sample population to address this issue. We characterized the protective efficacy of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and hybrid immunity against COVID-19 early in the pandemic over three-to six-month follow-up and compared with vaccine-associated protection. Methods: In this post-hoc cross-protocol analysis of the Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, we allocated participants into four groups based on previous-infection status at enrolment and treatment: no previous infection/placebo; previous infection/placebo; no previous infection/vaccine; and previous infection/vaccine. The main outcome was RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 >7–15 days (per original protocols) after final study injection. We calculated crude and adjusted efficacy measures. Findings: Previous infection/placebo participants had a 92% decreased risk of future COVID-19 compared to no previous infection/placebo participants (overall hazard ratio [HR] ratio: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.05–0.13). Among single-dose Janssen participants, hybrid immunity conferred greater protection than vaccine alone (HR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01–0.10). Too few infections were observed to draw statistical inferences comparing hybrid immunity to vaccine alone for other trials. Vaccination, previous infection, and hybrid immunity all provided near-complete protection against severe disease. Interpretation: Previous infection, any hybrid immunity, and two-dose vaccination all provided substantial protection against symptomatic and severe COVID-19 through the early Delta period. Thus, as a surrogate for natural infection, vaccination remains the safest approach to protection. Funding: National Institutes of Health

Risk of COVID-19 after natural infection or vaccinationResearch in context

Summary: Background: While vaccines have established utility against COVID-19, phase 3 efficacy studies have generally not comprehensively evaluated protection provided by previous infection or hybrid immunity (previous infection plus vaccination). Individual patient data from US government-supported harmonized vaccine trials provide an unprecedented sample population to address this issue. We characterized the protective efficacy of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and hybrid immunity against COVID-19 early in the pandemic over three-to six-month follow-up and compared with vaccine-associated protection. Methods: In this post-hoc cross-protocol analysis of the Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, we allocated participants into four groups based on previous-infection status at enrolment and treatment: no previous infection/placebo; previous infection/placebo; no previous infection/vaccine; and previous infection/vaccine. The main outcome was RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 >7–15 days (per original protocols) after final study injection. We calculated crude and adjusted efficacy measures. Findings: Previous infection/placebo participants had a 92% decreased risk of future COVID-19 compared to no previous infection/placebo participants (overall hazard ratio [HR] ratio: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.05–0.13). Among single-dose Janssen participants, hybrid immunity conferred greater protection than vaccine alone (HR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01–0.10). Too few infections were observed to draw statistical inferences comparing hybrid immunity to vaccine alone for other trials. Vaccination, previous infection, and hybrid immunity all provided near-complete protection against severe disease. Interpretation: Previous infection, any hybrid immunity, and two-dose vaccination all provided substantial protection against symptomatic and severe COVID-19 through the early Delta period. Thus, as a surrogate for natural infection, vaccination remains the safest approach to protection. Funding: National Institutes of Health