# Living with the Cadence of the Earth (Xiye Bastida) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5x-moE5A9A Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/Y5x-moE5A9A Generated: 2026-02-03T16:34:50.115+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Xiye Bastida attributes her approach to climate advocacy to her upbringing in the indigenous Otomi community in Mexico, where she was taught to connect with and listen to the earth, emphasizing stewardship over ego-driven helping, and she experienced firsthand the devastating impact of pollution and extreme weather when her community was inundated by the polluted El Rio Lerma. **Key Points:** - Bastida was raised with the rich wisdom of her ancestors, focusing on how to connect with the earth, listen to it, and ask for permission and guidance. - She utilizes sacred spaces like the teascal (sweat lodge), which represents the womb of the earth, for rebirth and clarity, and Shinante Catal volcano for energetic guidance. - Stepping into guardianship and stewardship means the ego of 'I'm helping the world' disappears because it is a responsibility to live closer to the cadence of the earth. - Her community in San Pedro Tapeek was impacted when drought was followed by extreme flooding from the highly polluted El Rio Lerma, which turned from a source of life to a place of death in one generation. - The flooding brought river pollutants, including high levels of lead, into their town, raising concerns about sicknesses, skin rashes, and developmental issues in children, leading her to understand her community as a 'sacrifice zone'. - Her dream is for the river to be clean so that if heavy rain comes again, the community will not be scared of the water. - The local ecosystem includes Laenega, a large wetland where they harvest 'tulle' grass for weaving, and they honor the 'mother of the water,' a mermaid whose spirit is tied to the wetland's life. **Context:** Xiye Bastida discusses how her cultural background as a member of the indigenous Otomi community in Mexico shaped her climate activism. She contrasts the pain often associated with colonization in indigenous communities with her own experience, where healing allowed her to focus on the rich wisdom and traditions passed down by her ancestors regarding connection to the natural world. This upbringing provided her with a framework of stewardship that directly informs her advocacy work. ## Detailed Analysis Xiye Bastida centers her environmental philosophy on the deep wisdom cultivated by her Otomi ancestors, emphasizing living with the earth rather than from it, a shift she notes is profoundly powerful. She describes specific practices like using the teascal (sweat lodge) as a symbolic womb of the earth for renewal, and visiting sacred energetic points like the Shinante Catal volcano for clarity. She rejects the notion of ego-driven environmentalism, stating that guardianship and stewardship naturally remove the ego because it is simply a responsibility owed to Mother Earth, who provides everything needed for thriving if one lives attuned to her cadence. Bastida personally confronted the systemic failures when her hometown, San Pedro Tapeek, was devastated by pollution and extreme weather; after a drought, flooding from the highly contaminated El Rio Lerma—polluted by over 200 factories and illegal wells—inundated their town with toxic water. This event revealed her community as a 'sacrifice zone,' causing sicknesses linked to high lead levels and forcing families to hide children with disabilities born from the polluted environment, breaking the community's spirit. Her core motivation now is ensuring the river is clean so that future rains do not bring fear. Furthermore, she details the rich local biodiversity, including the Laenega wetland and the cultural practice of weaving 'tulle' grass, linking their spirituality directly to respecting ecosystems, exemplified by the legend of the siren whose hair brushing created all the wetland's life. ### Cultural Foundation in Advocacy - Raised without stories of colonization pain, focusing instead on ancestral knowledge of connecting with the earth - Taught to ask the earth for permission, guidance, and clarity - Philosophy shifts from 'I'm helping the world' to fulfilling the responsibility of being guardians and stewards. ### Spiritual Practices and Cosmology - Uses the teascal (sweat lodge) as a representation of the womb of the earth for rebirth - Sacred sites like Shinante Catal volcano act as energetic points for clarity needed in this time - Respecting a deity necessitates respecting all beings under that deity's protection. ### Personal Impact of Climate Crisis - Experienced drought followed by flooding from El Rio Lerma, one of Mexico's most polluted rivers, which flows near major industrial sectors - The river transformed from a source of life to a place of death within one generation, breaking the community's spirit. ### Community as a Sacrifice Zone - Floodwaters carried pollutants into their town, causing sicknesses, skin rashes, and high levels of lead exposure in children - Families hide children with disabilities caused by the polluted environment due to shame and fear. ### Local Ecosystem and Identity - Described the Laenega wetland, similar to Xochimilco's chinampas ecosystem, rich in biodiversity including frogs, ducks, and 'tulle' grass used for weaving cultural items - Local legend involves a siren whose hair brushing brought forth all life in the wetland, emphasizing the need to care for the water's spirit.