TOURISM: THE MAJOR SOURCE OF INCOME FOR GUERRERO STATE

La Chole

Today Cathy and I took the Petatlan bound bus out to La Chole on the road that leads from Zihuatanejo to Acapulco. The Lonely Planet guide informs us that this recently discovered archeological site (work began in 2007) is the largest and richest site in Guerrero State. Another source (La Jornada, Guerrero) suggests that it could ultimately outshine Teotihuacan and Chichen Itza. The newspaper article adds that he government has already spent 12 million pesos on work completed at the site.

The local bus bangs along in the heat with no shock absorbers. The passengers are friendly and try to be helpful. One passenger, a lady in her late 40's, heard me asking about La Chole and indicates that she will be getting off there as well. There is a camioneta (truck) waiting to take us into the site.

Cathy takes a photo of a weathered sign on the side of the road which reads -- "a government you can trust, encouraging tourism: visit Soledad de Maciel -- archeological zone 4 km."

When we arrive at the site we are approached by Francisco and he becomes our guide -- all in Spanish. The initial completed reconstruction is a large ball court. 15 skeletons were discovered at the entrance to this area. Francisco tells us that the skeletons had been sent to Mexico City for analysis. The thought is that these were not of the Cuitlaltecos people, perhaps prisoners of war.

At the other end of the ball court it seems the bones of a child are partially excavated waiting for the return of the archeologists. This area apparently displays three ball courts, including the very large reconstructed one. Plastic bags are piled off to the side of the court. The bags have the archeologists/anthropologists notes scribbled on them.

On the other side of the road we walked up to the top of a pyramid that has been partially reconstructed. Francisco informs us that the top of the pyramid included five tombs (Lonely Planet calls them 'temples') -- the tombs of five governors/kings. As well, there have been many artefacts taken from this area. The best of these were sent to the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) but some of them had been kept back for the local museum. That museum was supposed to have opened in January.

On one side of the pyramid the archeologists have excavated deeper and discovered an adobe stairway which Francisco indicated they identified as Olmec. That puts the site at some 1500 years before Christ (or before the not so common era, if you like). The Pyramid stands above a flat plaza area that also showed evidence of much adobe brickwork. We are told that adobe is not the usual building material for pyramid sites.

From Francisco we have the suggestion that the government might want to buy up the whole area but the people themselves would not want to move from the area. There is potential for a massive dig in the area and one source suggests that a city of some 10 square kilometres could have existed here. There is a river near-bye and the area could be developed as a tourist destination.

The name La Chole comes from the metre and a half stone 3 headed idol that stands protected in the yard of the village Catholic chapel capilla (chapel). The archeologist, David Arteola Gutierrez, suggests that this is the oldest piece and dates back to the time of the Olmec culture, some 1500 years before Christ.

On our way back out from the site to the road we learn/hear the rumour that the state government has changed and the archeologists have lost their funding. At least that was what the friendly Americans who gave us a lift in their truck told us.

Mexico draws in a billion dollars in tourist income each month -- according to our Lonely Planet guide. The biggest income earner for the state of Guerrero is tourism. There is potential here for economic development, but also potential for the kind of development that could disturb the life of a settled, self-sustaining community. I can only imagine that there are and will continue to be some intense political and business discussions underway about the Soledad de Maciel site.