Leaving "Cerro Pelón" Monarchs' Natural Reserve

THE VISIT

“Lázaro Cárdenas” Elementary

“El Capulín” Village

“Cerro Pelón” Sanctuary

Coordinates: 19.3527777 -100.2847222

The time of confinement due to the COVID sanitary conditions brought for our students and teachers a challenge nearly beyond possibilities. Since our local families in small villages do not have wi-fi connections and satellite signals for communication, they had no other technology to keep communications open for their lessons, but their cell phones with text and WhatsApp messages.

“Back to school now, our state Education System in conjunction with both private and public schools, have agreed on the PRIORITY, before going into academic contents, to assist, support and relieve our children’s physio-social conditions. Children have faced, in most families, different challenges in different aspects. We remain in crucial times.”

Most teachers have referenced this priority at the Symbolic Migration visit.

“We have been instructed to focus, for months now, on nature contemplation, games, sports, and manual activities with their students as we slowly take on academic contents.”

Books shall continue to be the main teaching and learning tool at our schools. Your book donations result in the perfect gift and working tool for schools this season!

Before the Symbolic Migration bid the final goodbye to the “Cerro Pelón” students in “Macheros” village, it was important to make a visit to the elementary school students of the “El Capulín” neighboring village. “El Capulín” locals can also tell about the massive arrival of monarchs racing up to the “Cerro Pelón” mountain happening just now after their timely arrival on the “Day of the Dead” festivities.

Students gathered excited in the schoolyard to receive the first lesson on conservation and your Ambassador Monarchs. This is the first time that this village has received the Symbolic Migration program. Teachers wondered what the visit would bring to the school.

Once in open discussion at our didactic forest model, Caritina, Ezequiel and Eva volunteered responses. They shared the “inherited” knowledge passed down from generation to generation on the benefits of “TREES” in the overwintering forests of monarchs. This is the forest where they were all born and live with their families.

“The forest holds many natural remedies like “Arnica” for bruises and heavy hurts, “Governadora” for kidney problems, “Los Tres Toronjiles” for stress, “Cervatana” for serious bacteria problems,…. It also provides abundant mushrooms. I collected over 10 edible types this past summer! Ah, but pollinators are the base of almost all other things that we eat!”

So the Symbolic Migration left the beautiful natural reserve of “Cerro Pelón,” where locals are excited at the arrival of monarch butterflies and the imminent visit from tourists from all over the world!