The expansion of the U.S.-Mexico border wall has leveled a sacred indigenous site of the Kumeyaay people, threatening cultural heritage and bypassing environmental laws.
As the U.S. rapidly expands the barrier on the border with Mexico, Mount Cuchuma, which has been considered sacred by the Kumeyaay for generations, has been left deeply scarred.
According to anthropologist Pavel Valenzuela, the damage has dealt a serious blow to the preservation of the area's history and the culture of its indigenous population.
"The mountain is a spiritual place for the native peoples, a site of wisdom and veneration," said anthropologist Pavel Valenzuela.
The anthropologist was among the first to notice heavy machinery and explosions on the mountain and called attention to the problem.
Activists took notice, with some raising alarm bells as irreplaceable geological structures were completely removed from the landscape.
"Two monoliths that were dynamited, that were exploded or blown up, were from 60 to 120 million years ago. They were considered sacred places for them. This was their temple, and it doesn't exist anymore," said Demian Vega, a coordinator at La Puerta Foundation, a Mexico-based non-profit organization dedicated to protecting natural and cultural heritages in the border area.
The area on both sides of the border may be protected land, but no warning was given to those charged with caring for it.
"In San Diego City, we were not [notified] about this. We thought it was just going to be a small part of the border, but no, they will continue the whole fence until the connection with Tijuana," Vega said.
Kumeyaay community leaders have written formal letters of complaint to Mexico's Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department, although they don't hold out much hope for a response.
"To feel that one of our temples is being destroyed, it's something you feel deep inside. It's a sacred place, and we cannot defend what is ours," said Isaul Adams, a local community leader.
U.S. border wall expansion destroys sacred indigenous site
Faced with profound and complex shifts in the international landscape, China stands ready to work with other BRICS members to jointly tackle the pressing challenges confronting humanity and stay firmly on the right course of world historical development, Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi said on Tuesday.
Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, made the remarks when attending the 16th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors and High Representatives on National Security in New Delhi, where attendees had in-depth exchanges of views on addressing non-traditional security challenges, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and other issues.
Noting that BRICS cooperation over the past 20 years has turned the grouping into a key pillar for global peace, development and justice, Wang called for BRICS commitment to upholding the international order, promoting multilateralism and unequivocally rejecting unilateralism and protectionism.
Standing at the forefront of the Global South, BRICS members need to take the lead in speaking up for justice and delivering fair outcomes, and elevate their standing and role in international affairs, Wang added.
To break the security deadlock through consensus, efforts should be made to advocate the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, firmly advance the settlement of hotspot issues via political means, and actively explore effective ways to resolve disputes via dialogue and consultation, Wang said.
Wang urged BRICS responses to global challenges, including resolutely combating all forms of terrorism, clearly opposing the militarization of outer space, effectively tackling global energy and food security risks, strengthening cooperation on strategic mineral resources, and jointly responding to the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
BRICS wisdom should be pooled to improve governance in emerging sectors, Wang said, urging vigilance against risks brought by artificial intelligence (AI), guidance of AI development in a sound direction, and support for the United Nations as the primary channel to advance global cyberspace and digital governance.
Noting that the BRICS mechanism draws its vitality from equality and mutual benefit, and its strength from solidarity and mutual assistance, Wang said China, which will assume the rotating BRICS chairmanship next year, stands ready to work alongside BRICS partners to open up a future of peace and prosperity for all.
The participating sides spoke highly of the unique role and remarkable achievements of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, vowing to defend the shared interests of the Global South, and work together to build a multipolar world featuring peace, security, fairness, justice, prosperity and development.
China ready to work with BRICS members to tackle pressing global challenges: top diplomat
