Fighting Wal-Mart in Teotihuacan

Folks have been emailing me about the latest Wal-Mart offense: messing with the spiritual energy at Teotihuacan, a pre-historic pyramid just outside Mexico City. A small pre-Hispanic altar was found on the parking lot site. (No, the odds of finding this on the Rosemead site are slim. The soil here appears to be fill, built up on top of the riverbed. Any ancient remains are well below the asphalt.)

The funniest parts from the Reuters story linke are arguments for and against the store:

Against: ...opponents say Wal-Mart will erode a tradition of family-owned enterprises such as handicrafts and a community lifestyle dating back centuries.

For: Federal archeologists monitoring construction say it poses no threat to the ruins, and officials say most people welcome the store for the low prices, investment and jobs it will bring.

At Reuters
At the Guardian