Why did the conflict with the teachers arise during the same period Noticias was being attacked?
Oaxaca is a tourist state so the cost of living is very high. The teachers had been asking for a pay increase for many years. Ruiz said that if the federal government wanted to give the teachers more, that was up to them, but the state didn’t have any more to give. So in May 2005 the teachers decided to strike and they took up residence in the plaza at the center of town. The federal government is always raving about its educational system, but in rural parts of Oaxaca, a typical school consists of four poles and palm leaves for a roof. Students sit on rocks, logs, or anything else they can find. A typical teacher earns about 2,200 pesos [about $220] every 2 weeks. From that they have to purchase chalk, pencils, and other school supplies. So there was a lot of anger among teachers? I don’t think it started that way. They asked for what they needed, but the government’s denial infuriated them. When they decided to strike the first time, they almost didn’t complete the 2005-2006 school y
