Meet us by the Coyotl + Macehualli Lending Library in El Sereno for an evening of story and discussion on resistance and resilience. This gathering is free / donation-based and in lieu of ticketing we are accepting donations in support of a local street vendor.
Mesoamérica Resiste is the Beehive Collective’s most recently completed narrative poster, the third and final installment in their trilogy on globalization in the Americas, and an epic project that took nine years to complete! The intricate, double-sided image documents resistance to the top-down development plans and mega-infrastructure projects that literally pave the way for resource extraction and free trade.
In 2004 an initial group of Bees traveled from Mexico to Panama over 5 months to meet with people on the frontlines of resistance to a regional development plan then known as Plan Puebla Panama (PPP). The announcement of the PPP in 2001 had sparked powerful cross-border organizing against its industrial scale mega-projects, like super-highways, dams, and power grids. In the following years our ongoing, intensive grassroots research took a variety of forms, from large international gatherings to local round tables, from interviews to informal conversations.
The stories in the graphic come from current struggles, but are also rooted in the legacies of over 500 years of colonialism in the Americas. A banner across the top reads, “Every time history repeats itself, the price goes up” – reminding us that we are in an era of extreme loss of cultural and ecological diversity and rapid climate change. Through the lens of Mesoamerica, the graphic tells the big picture story of what’s at stake across the globe with the neoliberal model of “development,” and what we’ve already lost.
This project also reflects efforts to go beyond illustrating just the bad news, to also sharing stories of collective action and inspiration. The inside of the poster tells stories of grassroots organizing and community resilience, especially highlighting organizing led by Indigenous peoples. A multitude of characters symbolize strategies and tactics for building and defending autonomy. There are over 400 species of insects, plants, and animals depicted that are native to somewhere between Mexico and Colombia, giving a glimpse into the incredible biodiversity of the region.
While focusing on stories from Mexico and Central America, this workshop and discussion will weave a much larger narrative about ways people are fighting back against a global economy based on colonialism, land grabs, and exploitation to build alternative economies all over the globe.
Thank you to Coyotl + Macehualli for all that they do! Please arrive early to visit the lending library, learn more about their incredible work, and we’re grateful to collaborate this evening to host members of the Beehive Collective in Los Angeles. We’ll be meeting directly across the street from the library, there will be snacks and drinks, and we’re all really looking forward to this evening together.
The Beehive Design Collective is a wildly motivated, all-volunteer, activist arts collective dedicated to “cross-pollinating the grassroots” by creating collaborative, anti-copyright images for use as educational and organizing tools. They work as word-to-image translators of complex global stories, shared through conversations with affected communities.
The work of the Beehive Collective is multidisciplinary and multifaceted. They are most recognized for expansive narrative graphics campaigns, but also put a lot of time and energy into projects on the ground in communities where they are based. They create graphics, share stories, tour with our work, connect with local to global efforts, and shape collective experience. As with their narrative posters, there is no way to separate the various types of work they do – everything intersects and nothing stands alone.
Coyotl + Macehualli is a BIPOC-led environmental justice group based in Northeast Los Angeles directly defending urban woodlands and hillside ecosystems from destruction. They mobilize coalitions, expand ecological education through their community lending library and accessible educational events. They also conduct habitat restoration and guerrilla gardening, and lead frontline advocacy to protect Land, species, and community health.
In 2025 they opened the Coyotl + Macehualli Lending Library, a community and insurgent learning space committed to the convergence of ideas and sharing of resources. They’ve also acquired a threatened Black Walnut woodland hillside in 'Ochuunga and are now in the process of rematriating the Land to members of the Tongva community.