Later that evening I am told about the army's last incursion into Diez. We have fixed most of the damage now. The continual threats and intimidation from the army is not the only matter causing concern at the moment. El Nino has had a devastating effect on the whole of Chiapas. Thousands of forest fires rage in the mountains, visibility is down to 20 meters in the glen as the smokes obscures even the sun.
Rumours abound that the army is starting some of the fires.
I don't find this hard to believe. The state has been declared a natural disaster zone by the government. The drought has resulted in the community having to re-plant chilies, beans and squashes as the first crops have failed, due to the lack of rain. Some rain has fallen, but many in the Glen believe it's too little too late. The harshness and unfairness of it all are counterbalanced by the community's humour.