NAFTA vs. Community
As of 2024, cultivations of the cash crop Agave fill the surrounding lands of Paredones.
It takes 5 years for Agave to mature and be sold to tequila companies.
The North American Free Trade Agreement, a trilateral agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada designed to guarantee ‘free’ trade and investment across borders, was signed by Mexico in January 1994. NAFTA affected the livelihoods of small scale self-sustaining agricultural workers who had to compete with imported tariff-free US produce when selling their surplus produce at the market. The farmers in Paredones also turned to usage of toxic chemicals and fertilizers in order to have higher yields and participate in the international market.
Being self-sustaining meant the residents frequently foraged wild plants to add to their diets. Narrators share their recollections of foraging as a necessity particularly because Paredones operated without currency or stores.