Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide, April 29, 2022
Protestant Christian families in Chiapas, Mexico [may be] forced to participate in a syncretic Roman Catholic festival or face illegal fines for the fourth consecutive year.
The 16 families attend the Alpha and Omega Presbyterian Church in Nueva las Tacitas [in] Chiapas State and belong to the Tzeltal indigenous group. They are being forced to pay an illegal fine as a consequence of their refusal to participate in the Santa Cruz Festival, referred to locally as “Convivio de Agua,” which is held every year on May 3.
The first fine was issued in 2016, and since 2019 they have been issued annually to those who do not participate. Six of the families in the community who declined to participate in the festival have been forced to pay an illegal fine of 300 pesos (US$15) or have their water supply cut off until they were able to pay it. Some years, members of the religious minority community have been without access to water for five months, until they were able to gather the money to pay the fine.
On May 3, 2021, the six families were charged an increased fine of 500 pesos (US$25) per family. Local authorities disconnected their water supply until they could afford to pay it. The church has since grown, and now an additional ten families are facing the fine.
The full story explains how the lack of access to the local water supply has affected these families. It also points out that the Mexican constitution guarantees freedom of religion or belief, though ongoing violations have occurred in Nueva las Tacitas for almost a decade.