Brothers Ignacio and Felipe Santiago Marcial opened their popular Middle Eastern fusion restaurant X’tiosu in 2017 with their family’s future in mind. The pair are from San Felipe Güila, Oaxaca, a small Mexican town in a region primarily inhabited by indigenous Zapotec people.
“We hope to build a house out there so that our parents have a place because before, our house was made of pure reed,” Ignacio Santiago Marcial told Boyle Heights Beat last month. “We miss our relatives. We miss the town.”
Oaxaca has experienced consistent poverty rates due to governmental neglect, but the Zapotecs have a strong sense of community and practice giving back to others whenever possible.
So when a forest fire broke out on February 28 in the mountains around the nearby town of San Lucas Quiaviní, the pair moved quickly to provide aid. On X’tiosu’s Instagram page, the brothers announced a fundraiser asking their followers to donate funds to buy essential items like food, antiseptics, and water.
The fire continues to rage and is restricting the access of residents of San Felipe Güila and San Lucas Quiaviní to supplies. The brothers are primarily sending supplies to their hometown, but San Lucas Quiaviní locals have also started a fundraiser.
In a recent interview with Boyle Heights Beat, Ignacio Santiago Marcial talked about the difficulties of helping their community during this challenging time. “Yes, the driving route is very difficult right now. It’s taking a lot of work to get food there,” Santiago Marcial said.
The blaze has proven extremely difficult to contain, resulting in the tragic death of five men from neighboring communities. Governor of Oaxaca Salomón Jara Cruz expressed his condolences on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“We mourn the terrible deaths of five residents of San Lucas Quiaviní in a fire that threatened their community. Designated officials are continuing to work to control this fire. I send my deepest condolences to the families affected and reiterate our support and solidarity,” Cruz wrote.
As of now, fire officials have not disclosed the cause of the fire. According to Mexican news outlet El Universal, there have been 50 wildfires throughout Oaxaca well before the start of the fire season in April and May.
Santiago Marcial said his concern is ensuring his community has the necessities to stay safe. Meanwhile, residents there are doing what they can to prevent the fire from spreading throughout the region. “They’re using machetes to cut off dry leaves and trees to make sure they don’t catch on fire, but it’s really difficult,” Santiago Marcial said.
