No pasaran

""Besides subsistence farming, Felipe once worked in construction. But he hasn’t been able to find time for paid work in the last three years. Instead, he’s been leading a group known as the Council of Ejidos and Communities in Opposition to La Parota Dam (CECOP). Within the region, support for the dam has been as fervent as opposition to it, and Felipe and the hundreds of other members of CECOP have found it challenging to compete against the CFE’s promises of development and prosperity.

“I was there with him in the front seat of the truck when they killed him with a single shot to the head,” Eugenia said. “We were coming back from a demonstration against the building of the dam, and our neighbor Cirilo Cruz, whom everyone knew was a supporter of the dam, just shot him.” Eugenia’s two school-age children stood by her feet, seemingly unaware of the meaning and weight of her words."

“They told us that once the Papagayo River is turned into a dam, we’ll be able to make a living by fishing,” she said. “But I’m not a fisherman—I’ve never fished before. The only thing I know how to do is farm.”"