Jehovah's Witnesses accused of damaging Otomi religious site in Mexico

[natyanayaki]

Official identity of assailants still unknown after incident at Mayonhika, an ancient site where stone structures were toppled and offerings tossed about

Comments

[anguisel]

Ugh, so revolting. I don't get one thing though a researcher talked to the people that did it but did nothing to stop it? Or at least take pictures to blast on the internet? Though I guess they were probably more concerned with trying to piece everything together than anything else.

[natyanayaki]

I don't know if the researcher was there when it went down, if zhe was...I mean if it were me (and I'm a coward) I'd likely be afraid to intervene.

I'm wondering about pictures too. There was one picture, but I wonder if taking/posting too many could be disrespectful? I don't know anything about Otomi culture, does anyone know about taking pictures of sacred sites/artifacts is viewed?

[nutmegdealer]

i first read about this on one of my ex-jw groups on fb, and i can't picture witnesses doing something like this. they aren't the ones to destroy public property in the name of religion. maybe one rogue member got angry, but this isn't something that the mexican headquarters would sanction.

no, i am not defending this.

[natyanayaki]

the impression i've gotten from what i've read is that some individuals who had recently become witnesses might have done it -- not the church. so i agree, and don't worry it didn't seem as though you were defending this.

[beuk]

Yeah, I can't either. I can see how a new convert would do something extreme in their zealotry, but the church wouldn't condone it.

[yamamanama]

When I saw the title, I thought it would be neglect, not violence.

[ms_mmelissa]

This is so awful. Some of my family is Otomi and there is still so much hostility and hatred towards people who retained their indigenous roots in Mexico. It's so shameful that this site managed to survive colonization and some assholes decide to ruin it.