"El TRASHUMANTE BUSCA LAS MEJORES TIERRAS, PERO NO PARA AFINCARSE ALLÃ, SINO PARA EXTRAER VIRTUDES AÚN NO PERCIBIDAS DE LA TIERRA MISMA.
SE PUEDE DECIR QUE LA TRASHUMANCIA PUEDE SER DESCRIPTA COMO LA POTENCIA QUE MEDIA UN TERRITORIO CON SUS PODERES NO TERRITORIALES. NO ES EL NÓMADE, QUE DESRREGLA EL SITIO DE SU MORADA -Y POR TANTO NO ADMITE LA MODALIDAD DEL VIAJE- SINO UN VIAJANTE CUASI NÓMADE DISPUESTO A DEJARSE MODIFICAR POR LA CONTINGENCIA QUE LO DESVÃA HACIA UN PUEBLO DESCONOCIDO" (Universidad Trashumante, 2004)
The “trashumante†searches for the best lands, but not to establish him or herselgf there, but to extract the virtues not yet perceived by the earth itself. It could be said that the “trashumancia†can be described as the potency that mediates between a territory with its non-territorial powers. It is not the nomad that unfixes things on the site of his/her hostal, and by this does not admit the modality of travel, it is rather a traveler cuasi nomad willing to allow modifications in the self by the contingency that takes him/her to an unknown village, to an unknown people. ( Trashumante University, 2004).This is the history of a “trashumante†collective, made up of small stories that after working with young people and workers and women heads of households without papers in the barrio of Columbia Heights, Washington DC., joins its efforts to those of the women, young people, neighbors of all the patria grande and participants of the Centro Autonomo in Albany Park, Chicago. It is in Albany Park , Chicago where in the shape of a CARACOL/SNAIL/SPIRAL we dialogued, we unlearned our prejudices, and recognized each and every single person that came to the space from Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Bolivia, Honduras, Republica Dominicana, and the United States, to construct, between all of us, an autonomous space, from the community, from the roots, from the grass, from below.
Walking in the circular shape and in the form of a spiral, we keep looking for spaces and lands and pieces of earth in the earth…. Thus, some of us went to Panama, Virginia, Mexico City, Puebla, Boston, Los Angeles, Guatemala y Nicaragua. Once we entered the CARACOL/SNAIL/SPIRAL but now it is time to come out. We are out to continue dreaming, unlearning, and searching for a time and a space to construct another CARACOL/SNAIL/SPIRAL where in an autonomous way we connect, network, weave and share resistance efforts in all America, PATRIA GRANDE. This space is then a space of reference to dialogue and join struggles of resistance and for justice in Mexico, Latin America and the United States. Beyond beaurocracies and political simulation, as young people we will see each other again in the future where the heart is: below and to the left.
Hasta Siempre!
Next Stop, Next Station: Los Angeles, Mexico City, New Mexico, Chicago, Oaxaca, PATRIA GrANdE
