Breaking the Concrete
By Valeria Leiva / Translated by Emma Porter
The Recovery of Green Spaces in the City of Quetzaltenango
The city of Quetzaltenango, like many municipalities, has been the victim of irresponsible political decisions that have affected collective well-being. The felling of more than 400 trees without a long-term transition plan left the city without the shade that the people of Quetzaltenango need in both parks and streets. This action, carried out without citizen consensus, reminds us that political decisions that don’t consider the public can harm the common good. The case of the tree cutting in Benito Juárez Park is an example of how the lack of an ecological and responsible vision can lead to the destruction of what was once a vital space for the community—for citizens as well as birds, trees, and other organisms.
It is essential that residents not only observe the political decisions that affect us but also actively participate in their critique, oversight, and in the creation of proposals. Citizen response cannot be passive; the power of collectivity is the engine that can change the course and the way our city is shaped. In the organization of COCODES (Consejo Comunitario de Desarrollo, which translates to “Community Development Council” in English) neighborhoods, and communities lie the key to transforming our city. We must organize to respond to constant threats against public welfare—not only from harmful political decisions but also from the greed of real estate companies that seek to seize the last open and green spaces, which they consider “idle,” and from mining companies that are visibly drilling into our mountains. We must defend the future we want to see!
Meanwhile, small actions also matter. For example, caring for and reclaiming the sidewalk in front of your home to make it feel like a friendly public space, protecting the trees on your block, creating gardens at home or with neighbors—whether in pots or in available garden beds—building shelters for bees; in short, we can start by being kind to the organisms that share our territory. These may seem like small gestures, but they can be collective actions that allow us to recover parks and green spaces in the city.
An example of what is possible through collective organization and citizen participation is the Pollinator Garden in the Intercultural Park. This living artwork by the Totonicapán artist Balam Say is a proposal that calls us to reflect on the need to unite in the face of the climate crisis. This work reclaimed a completely abandoned space in the Intercultural Park and turned it into a beautiful garden thanks to the work and effort of a team of volunteers who came day after day to collaborate with their own hands and tools, donated plants and trees, and hauled soil, materials, and tires to protect the saplings. To this day, they take care of watering and cleaning, providing constant care given with joy and pride in seeing a small ecosystem thrive—which translates into taking care of ourselves. Cultivating a garden in the middle of a concrete city is a way of claiming our sovereignty and commitment to our well-being.
Now it’s time to break more concrete to pollinate life—keep planting native trees, restore soil health, heal alongside our rivers, separate our waste, and clean our water. I hope that one day you can read these articles while sitting in a beautiful park in Quetzaltenango—or in your own city—under the shade of a beautiful tree, beside a clean river, breathing fresh air. That is my wish for you, and I hope it becomes real in the not-too-distant future.
Valeria Leiva is a designer, photographer and visual artist. Fotomaiz has been promoting fotomaiz since 2017 and currently collaborates with 01320 in curating, managing and mounting exhibitions.
