The Civic Front for the Defense of the Teotihuacán Valley is mobilizing local communities against plans to construct U.S.-based Wal-Mart retail stores in Pátzcuaro and Juchitán, two towns in Mexico that have large indigenous populations and that rely heavily on local markets and trade. "We are not going to let Wal-Mart barge in with its neoliberal trade practices to sites of historical and cultural importance in Mexico," Lorenzo Trujillo, head of the organization, told the Inter Press Service. Wal-Mart opened a store last year near the ancient Teotihuacán pyramids. According to the Inter Press Service, a number of small local businesses in San Juan Teotihuacán have closed in the last few months, unable to compete with Wal-Mart, now the biggest retailer in Mexico with over 700 stores.
