Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum has a higher approval rating than the country’s president, according to a recent survey by El Financiero and Bloomberg.
Of the 600 Mexico City residents surveyed on April 9 and 10, 71% said they approve of Sheinbaum’s performance in office, while only 55% responded in kind when asked about President López Obrador.
The disapproval ratings were also favorable to Mayor Sheinbaum: 43% of those surveyed rated the president’s performance negatively, while only 26% gave the mayor a bad review.
There was also some good news for Morena, the political party of both leaders. Voting intentions for the June 6 legislative elections gave the party a strong hand in Mexico City, according to the survey.
Forty-four percent of decided voters said they favor Morena. Only half as many said they would vote for the right-wing National Action Party (PAN) while 11% would support the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and 6% the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD). Fully 25% of those polled were undecided.
In 2014 Sheinbaum broke from the traditional left-wing PRD to join López Obrador’s splinter movement, forerunner to the Morena party. Both were elected in the Morena sweep of the polls in 2018, when Sheinbaum became Mexico City’s first female mayor.
She is widely seen as a frontrunner — along with Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard — to succeed López Obrador as the Morena candidate in 2024.
'We were displaced … without knowing the reason or the motives,' said Rafael, an El Maguey, Jalisco, resident forced out of town at gunpoint.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has forced more than 400 people out of their homes in two communities in Jalisco and Michoacán.
According to a report by the newspaper El Universal, members of about 80 families in El Maguey, a town in the Jalisco municipality of Quitupan, and El Lobo in Cotija, Michoacán, were ordered out of their homes at gunpoint by presumed CJNG criminals during the past two weeks.
Rafael, one of those who was forced to leave, told El Universal that he and his family went from having a calm and productive life at home to being unable to afford to eat.
“We were displaced by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel without knowing the reason or the motives,” he said, adding that some 150 residents of El Maguey were forced out of their homes on a single night.
Rafael, whose family worked in agriculture, said that a group of armed men broke into his home and those of others in the community and pointed their weapons at residents, including children, women and seniors, as they ordered them to abandon their dwellings.
He said the cartel members threatened to kill them if they didn’t obey their orders. Rafael also said that the residents of El Maguey are good people who don’t owe the CJNG anything.
“It’s an incredible thing that we can’t yet get over. We lived really comfortably, very calmly, but they changed our lives overnight without any reason,” he said.
Rafael, whose 20-year-old nephew was killed by suspected CJNG gunmen, and many other El Maguey residents are currently taking refuge in the municipality of Los Reyes, but some are considering seeking asylum in the United States.
Rafael’s brother told El Universal that he is now in a precarious situation, explaining that although he is safe, he has had to start his life from scratch and struggles to pay for everyday expenses.
“I want it to be known that since the Jalisco New Generation Cartel people came [to the community], we started living through a true hell,” he said.
He said that his father died of grief because he had to leave the life he had built over decades in El Maguey. He also said that he could be tempted to take up the fight against the CJNG himself, if he could afford to buy weapons.
Luis, another displaced resident, said that federal authorities have done nothing to stop the illicit activities of the CJNG even though there is a National Guard base in Cotija, which borders Quitupan.
“They [the guardsmen] don’t do anything. … They even protect the Jalisco cartel,” he said, adding that members of the two organizations have been seen together.
“… What hope do we have to live in peace, what hope do we have that this forced displacement won’t happen in other places?”
The CJNG, usually considered Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organization, has recently expanded its influence in parts of Michoacán, including Aguililla, the birthplace of the cartel’s leader, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes.
A school in Veracruz after it was looted by thieves.
Schools left empty by the coronavirus pandemic have been a target for thieves in the state of Veracruz, where at least 67 schools have been robbed since March.
That’s on top of the more than 80 robberies reported last January at schools in the city of Veracruz since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Some schools have been hit several times.
The Elena Martínez Cabañas kindergarten has been robbed seven times, while other schools have faced more than three break-ins.
An official in Veracruz city said the state’s Education Ministry has not done enough to tackle the crimes.
“There are schools where there is nothing left to steal, they are completely cleaned out, but unfortunately [the ministry] has not tackled the issue. There is no solution to curb the robberies, those who steal for a living know that no one is going to chase them,” he said.
He requested that the ministry reconvene inter-institutional working groups to put together a strategy to tackle the crime. “We do not need a police officer in every school. What we need is a strategy.”
He claimed the working groups were not suspended because of the pandemic, but because the ministry argued with the security authorities that sit on them.
Education Minister Zenyazen Escobar García said it would be difficult to replace all of the stolen equipment. “Of the 67 schools many had been given computers … and what we have always been told is that once a school has received new equipment, that school goes to the back of the line … but we are considering what to do,” he said.
Disqualified gubernatorial candidate Félix Salgado at a protest by supporters outside Mexico City’s National Electoral Institute headquarters.
Accused rapist and disqualified political candidate Félix Salgado, who was barred from contesting the upcoming Guerrero gubernatorial election because he missed a deadline to report pre-campaign spending, issued a threat on Monday against the National Electoral Institute (INE) councilors who stripped him of his candidacy.
Speaking at a protest by supporters outside INE headquarters in Mexico City, Salgado — who was selected as the candidate for the ruling Morena party despite accusations of rape by five women and widespread opposition to his candidacy — said that he and his supporters would track down the seven electoral councilors, including INE president Lorenzo Córdova, if they don’t reinstate him on the ballot for the June 6 election.
His remarks came a day after he threatened to stop elections from happening in Guerrero unless he is allowed to run.
The INE general council will convene on Tuesday after the Federal Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF) ordered it to reformulate its sanctions against both Salgado and Raúl Morón, Morena’s candidate for governor in Michoacán — who was also barred from contesting the elections for failing to report pre-campaign spending.
“If they don’t vindicate themselves, … we’re going to find the seven [councilors],” Salgado said, “we’re going to look for them, and we’re going to go and see Córdova.”
Salgado, left, at the protest with Morena party president Mario Delgado. In the background, a banner accuses the INE’s councilors of corruption.
“Wouldn’t the people of Mexico like to know where Lorenzo Córdova lives? Wouldn’t you like to know where his little … sheet metal home is, which leaks when it rains and wets his body? Yes? Little bastard!”
Salgado, a federal senator on leave and a former mayor of Acapulco, asserted that he and his supporters would not allow themselves to be victims of INE’s “abuse.”
“… We have the support of the people. We’re the majority,” he added.
Salgado’s supporters at the protest also issued a threat to the INE president, writing “Lorenzo, count your days, demon rat” on a coffin that was on display behind the would-be candidate as he spoke.
Facing criticism for his remarks, Salgado later on Monday attempted to walk back the threat he made against the INE councilors.
“A lot of people have visited me in my home, [and] nothing happens,” he told reporters. “I’m not going to [Córdova’s] house; [I say it] so that the man isn’t worried. It’s not a threat, it’s not violence.”
After the INE council meets, he said, and regardless of the decision it makes with respect to his candidacy, “we’re going [back] to Guerrero.”
“We’re leaving tomorrow [Tuesday] once we find out the result. We’re not pressuring anyone, we’re not hurting anyone, we’re not blocking any road, we’re not exercising violence,” he declared.
In a subsequent television interview, Salgado asserted again that his remarks don’t amount to a threat but also claimed that people have a right to know where government officials, including the INE councilors, live.
“We didn’t come to destroy or annoy anyone,” he said, adding that if the INE doesn’t overturn its decision to strip him of his candidacy, he will once again take his case to the TEPJF.
Morena national president Mario Delgado also came to Salgado’s defense, telling reporters that “no threat has been made to anyone.”
Morena is “a peaceful movement,” Delgado said.
Félix Salgado’s supporters set up a fake coffin telling INE president Lorenzo Córdova to “count your days, demon rat.”
“Throughout all these years, we have shown that. … Today we’re here singing, we’re dancing,” he said, referring to the protest at the INE offices. “There is no aggression towards anyone. Yes, we’re demanding that they [the INE councilors] act with impartiality. Yes, we’re demanding that the [elections] umpire doesn’t become a player [in the electoral process].”
Delgado once previously called on INE councilors opposed to Morena to join one of the opposition parties and take up the fight against the government “from the correct trench.”
In light of Salgado’s remarks, Interior Minister Olga Sánchez, in an unprecedented move, called on both Morena, which was founded by President López Obrador, and the INE to act in accordance with the law and treat each other with respect.
“As interior minister, I make an energetic call to keep differences within [the framework of] legality and mutual respect,” she wrote in a Twitter post directed to both entities.
For his part, Córdova said he will allow the Mexican people to come to their own conclusions about Salgado’s remarks and those of other political actors who have also issued threats against the electoral body he heads.
“I understand that as part of their strategies, political parties defend their interests and want to position INE as [another] party. The citizens will judge the threats,” he said in an interview.
National Electoral Institute president Lorenzo Córdova and Interior Minister Olga Sánchez look over ballots for the upcoming federal deputy elections in June.
Córdova said that if he was concerned by threats issued against him, he wouldn’t have accepted the INE presidency in the first place. (He has held the job since 2014). He stressed that the INE is not in favor of or against any political party and noted that the electoral institute of today is the same one that certified the resounding victory of Morena at the 2018 elections, at which López Obrador won 53% of the vote in a four-way contest for president.
In a video message posted to social media on Sunday, Córdova said that the INE — as the organizer and “neutral umpire” of the elections — will guarantee the transparency and fairness of the process in strict accordance with the law.
This year’s election, at which voters will renew the entire lower house of federal congress and elect municipal and state representatives, including governors in 15 states, will be Mexico’s largest ever.
Mara Fernanda Castilla was sexually assaulted and strangled.
A court in Puebla handed down a 50-year prison sentence to former Cabify driver Ricardo Alexis Díaz on Monday for the femicide of 19-year-old student Mara Fernanda Castilla Miranda.
The political science student disappeared on September 8, 2017 after taking a ride through Cabify in San Andrés Cholula, on the outskirts of Puebla city.
According to investigators Castilla was taken to a hotel where she was sexually assaulted and strangled. Her body was found in a ditch days later.
Alexis, 24, was always the main suspect in the case.
Castilla’s mother, Gabriela Miranda, said that while she was satisfied with the sentence, her lawyers would appeal to extend it to the maximum of 60 years.
“Although we would have wanted 60 years, I feel satisfied because from the beginning I promised Mara that there would be justice and it wasn’t going to be left as it was … after this long and difficult journey, this nightmare, we are reaching our goal, after a great deal of pain and uncertainty. We appreciate the solidarity that everyone has shown,” Miranda said.
“Ricardo Alexis is receiving punishment from our authorities, but divine punishment will come in its moment,” she added.
The defense also confirmed that it would appeal the sentence. “Today there was everything apart from justice,” the lead defense lawyer said.
Deaths like these could have been preventable, said the World Health Organization.
About 190,000 deaths could have been avoided in Mexico last year if the government managed the coronavirus pandemic better, according to a study commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Entitled Mexico’s Response to Covid-19: A Case Study, the study by the Institute for Global Health Sciences (IGHS) notes that there were 43% more deaths in Mexico in 2020 compared to the average for 2018 and 2019.
Carlos del Río, a professor of medicine at Emory University and one of the study’s author’s, told the news website Animal Político that among 39 countries analyzed, Mexico had the fourth highest excess death rate behind only Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.
He said the average excess death rate in 2020 for the 39 analyzed countries – among which were also the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Russia, Thailand, Israel, Brazil, Chile and Colombia – was 17.3%.
“If Mexico had had a similar performance [in managing the pandemic] to the other countries where the excess mortality was 17% [on average], there would have been 190,000 fewer deaths,” del Río said.
That figure refers to Covid-19 deaths as well as fatalities caused by other health problems that weren’t treated adequately, or at all, due to the pandemic.
Del Río noted that the United States – which easily has the highest official Covid-19 death toll in the world – had an excess mortality rate of just 20% last year, less than half that of Mexico.
The study notes that there were 326,609 excess deaths in Mexico in 2020, according to official data. That figure is 2.6 times the official Covid-19 death toll for 2020, which stood at 125,807 at the end of last year.
It noted that, according to Health Ministry data, the diagnosis of malnutrition, heart disease, uterine cancer, diabetes and breast cancer was down 56%, 45%, 34%, 27% and 20%, respectively, in 2020.
Del Río asserted that the federal government’s management of the pandemic, which has already been widely criticized, was a failure.
One of the study’s authors said management of the pandemic, which has been largely in the hands of President López Obrador and Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell, right, was a failure.
“One of the main flaws is leadership. When you have a country like the United States with poor leadership and strong institutions, the performance [in managing the pandemic] is bad. When you have a country with poor leadership and weak institutions as is the case in Mexico, the performance is even worse,” he said.
The IGHS case study asserts that Mexican authorities failed to take decisions related to the management of the pandemic in a timely manner. The health experts who conducted the study were critical of the relegation of the government’s General Health Council to a secondary role in the management of the crisis and censured the government for not consulting with outside experts before taking key decisions.
The study asserted that there was a lack of understanding on the part of government at the beginning of the pandemic both about the threat posed by the coronavirus and the collaboration that would be required between authorities to effectively combat the threat.
It also criticized the government for recommending, at the start of the pandemic, that people sick with Covid-19 not go to hospital until their symptoms were serious so as to avoid saturating the health system. That advice contributed to the high death rate, the study said, noting that an estimated 58% of Covid-19 fatalities occurred outside hospitals.
However, even if patients got to hospitals in a timely manner, there was no guarantee that they would get the treatment they required.
The capacity of the Mexican health system to respond to the pandemic has been limited, del Río said, even though the federal government scrambled to increase capacity at many hospitals.
Another problem, the health expert told Animal Político, is that the government’s messaging during the pandemic has been poor.
“How many times has it said that this is going to end?” he said, apparently referring to President López Obrador’s repeated claims that the pandemic was under control or was being brought under control.
“It still hasn’t forcefully recommended masks,” del Río added.
The study was also critical of the government’s lack of economic support for citizens that, if provided, would have helped them comply with lockdown measures.
(Many people live day to day in Mexico and therefore have to go out to work every day to provide for themselves and their families.)
The health experts also criticized the government for not testing more widely. Mexico’s low testing rate – it ranked 155th out of 203 countries for per capita testing as of last month – hindered the government’s capacity to identify cases, isolate people and therefore limit transmission of the virus.
Del Río said the prevalence of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity has also contributed to Mexico’s high death rate.
As of Sunday, Mexico had officially recorded 2.28 million confirmed cases, while the Covid-19 death toll stood at 209, 338, the third highest total in the world.
Child soldiers from the Guerrero community of Ayahualtempa.
A group of armed children in Guerrero has appealed for government help to combat high levels of violence in the state’s lower mountain region.
For a third consecutive year, boys wearing caps, kerchiefs, and huaraches (traditional sandals) and toting firearms and sticks participated in a military-style parade on Saturday in Ayahualtempa, a town in José Joaquín de Herrera.
The parade, in which adult community police members also participated, serves as both a call for help to the federal government and a show of force to criminal groups, such as Los Ardillos, that operate in the opium poppy-growing lower-mountain region, located east of the state capital, Chilpancingo.
Video footage published by the newspaper El País shows a group of armed boys firing weapons after an adolescent member of the community police-in-waiting denounces the government for not providing security.
The armed youngsters demanded that the government provide support to widows, orphans and displaced people and made it clear that they are fed up with crime and discrimination against indigenous people.
The founder of a local self-defense force told El País that there were six clashes with narcos last year and lives were lost on both sides. Bernardino Sánchez Luna denounced the inaction of the authorities and said the community police are forced to train children in the handling and use of weapons so that they too can protect themselves if they come under attack.
He noted that President López Obrador has said that he is on the side of the people and promised that his government would prioritize assistance to the nation’s indigenous citizens. The reality, Sánchez said, is very different.
“We’re indigenous here, and we haven’t received any support from the federal government,” he said. “… It only makes promises … but doesn’t keep any of them.”
A 27-year-old woman told El País that she wouldn’t like her children to wield weapons but acknowledged that she might not have a say in the matter.
“It will be what God wants. I wouldn’t like my children [to take up arms], but if that’s what the town decides, nothing can be done,” Claudia Bolaños said.
Romain Le Cour, the cofounder of Noria Research, a collective of researchers and analysts that studies international affairs and conflict, supported Sanchez’s claim that the town of Ayahualtempa and other communities in the region have been abandoned by authorities.
“In the face of a simplified discourse that attributes all [problems] to the narcos, the authorities end up looking the other way. ‘There’s nothing to do,’ they seem to say,” he said.
“What’s happening here is much more complex,” Le Cour said. “It’s a social problem, a problem of poverty and neglect. It’s not enough to blame the violence on narcos and leave indigenous communities to govern themselves without help.”
The hartazgo [the feeling of being fed up] of the residents of Ayahualtempa, the municipality of José Joaquín de Herrera — where at least nine women have been widowed by violence and 14 children have been orphaned — and other towns in the region is forcefully encapsulated in the words of the teenage boy who orders his fellow “child soldiers” to shoot in the air during their show of force.
“If there isn’t anyone who defends us, we’re going to respond to the [criminal] hitmen with [our own] fire, motherf*****s!”
The logo of the new airport as registered with Mexico's trademark registration agency.
Mexico City’s new airport is a topic that has gone viral after its supposed new logo caught the eye of satirists in the twitter sphere on Saturday.
The airport, officially Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), is scheduled to open its doors in March next year.
The logo not only features the somewhat obscured letters AIFA but an airplane, a runway, a control tower and even a mammoth.
The control tower takes the position of the letter ‘I’ in AIFA, while an airplane stretches across the acronym. A horizontal runway sits below, bearing the full name of the airport, while an unsuspecting mammoth sits just off center, in dangerous proximity to the plane’s left wing.
The design has drawn a number of critics.
The most criticized element has been the mammoth. During the process of building the airport, hundreds of mammoth skeletons were discovered in Santa Lucía, which are thought to have lived between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago.
The word paint trended on Twitter, with users asking if the unprofessional looking design should be attributed to Paint, Windows’ basic image editing software.
The Mexico City-based Miami Ad School chimed in, offering a 100% scholarship for a year and a half-long course to the image’s designer.
There has been no official comment on the logo, which was officially registered last week with IMPI, the trademark registration agency.
One Twitter user’s contribution: a winged mammoth, reminiscent of Disney’s flying elephant Dumbo.
The winged mammoth theme was a popular one.
‘This is my suitcase arriving at Felipe Ángeles Airport and seeing the logo,’ was one post on social media.
Chia berry jam is quick and easy to make and full of nutrients.
I will admit I was slow to jump on the chia seed bandwagon. I didn’t see them as a food; all I could think of was the Chia Pet I longed for as a child and was never allowed to have. That all changed a few years ago when I discovered chia “pudding.” While there are many ways to make it, my favorite is simply with yogurt and fruit. (Recipe below.)
Chia seeds are another one of those foods that seem to be readily available in Mexico (at least here in Mazatlán, where all the grocery stores have them in bulk and packaged), but I was unable to find a single local friend who actually eats them. Searching online for recipes, the majority seemed to be for Agua de Limón y Chia (recipe below) as a supposed aid in losing weight. (Hasn’t worked for me. Sigh.)
Turns out chia seeds — from the flowering salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family — are native to Mexico and have a long, storied history of cultivation by the Aztecs, who prized them for the sustainable energy they provided. The tiny black (or sometimes white) seeds are 16% protein and a rich source of fiber, omega-3s and B vitamins.
Another thing that makes chia seeds so unusual is that they absorb up to 12 times their weight in liquid when soaked and become gelatinous in the process. (It’s actually really interesting to see this happening in your bowl or glass.) It’s that expansion and gel making you feel full that may help you eat less and thus lose weight.
Chia seeds also work as a thickening agent in a plethora of recipes, from puddings and smoothies and agua frescas to pancakes, muffins and other baked goods.
Just about any fruit on hand goes well in chia yogurt pudding.
Simple Chia-Yogurt Pudding
I love this for breakfast or a light lunch! Use whatever fresh or dried fruit you have on hand.
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
½ cup water
1 cup plain yogurt
2-3 Tbsp. honey
1 cup cut-up fruit (pineapple, apple, mango, banana, berries, papaya, etc.)
Toppings: Dried coconut, chopped almonds or pecans
In a bowl you’re going to eat from, whisk chia seeds and water till combined. Let sit about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, till all water is absorbed and seeds are softened.
Stir in yogurt. Add chopped fruit, honey and toppings.
Seedy Oat Crackers
1 cup whole oats
¾ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
⅓ cup raw sunflower seeds
⅓ cup sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. chia seeds
3 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. coconut or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix oats, all seeds and salt in large bowl. In another bowl, mix oil, syrup and ¾ cup room-temperature water.
Pour liquid over oat mixture; mix well. Let sit 10 minutes; mixture will absorb water and thicken.
Form oat mixture into one big ball and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Press a second sheet of parchment on top, and use a rolling pin to flatten to ⅛” thick (the shape doesn’t matter). Remove top parchment. Bake cracker in one piece until edges are golden brown, 15–20 minutes.
Remove from oven to cooling rack and place more parchment on top; carefully turn over, using plate or tray so as not to break it. Slide parchment and cracker back onto baking sheet with other side up. Bake until firm and golden brown around edges, 15–20 minutes more.
Remove from oven, cool completely, then break into pieces. Store airtight at room temperature.
These oat crackers, with five types of seeds, are rich in omega-3s.
Chia Limeade
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
2 cups fresh lime juice
1½ cups sugar
Lime wedges for serving
In a pitcher, whisk chia seeds and 5 cups water. Let sit until seeds soften, about 10 minutes.
Add lime juice and sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. (Add more sugar if needed.)
Stir well before serving in ice-filled glasses.
Overnight Chocolate Chia Pudding
¼ cup cocoa powder
3-5 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
Pinch salt
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups almond, coconut or regular milk
½ cup chia seeds
In a small bowl, mix cocoa, cinnamon, if using, and salt.
Whisk in maple syrup and vanilla.
Add a little milk at a time, whisking until a paste forms, then add remaining milk and whisk until smooth.
Whisk in chia seeds, cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 3–5 hours (until it’s pudding-like).
Serve with whipped cream or sprinkled with coconut or fresh berries.
This tasty chia chocolate pudding has a bonus: it’s good for you.
Berry Chia Jam
3 cups fresh (or frozen, thawed) blueberries, strawberries or raspberries
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. (or more) maple syrup
¼ cup chia seeds
Bring berries, syrup, lemon zest and juice to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
Using a spoon, lightly mash half the berries to release juice. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until juices are reduced by half, 5–10 minutes. Remove from heat; taste and adjust sweetener.
Return to a boil, stir in chia seeds. Cook 1 minute to soften seeds.
Remove from heat, cool slightly, then transfer to jar. Cover and let cool completely. Store in refrigerator.
Chia Seed Chips
For Cheesy Chips, stir in ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese before adding water.
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup chia seeds
1½ tsp. garlic or seasoned salt
1 tsp. salt
½ cup water
Regular or seasoned salt for sprinkling on top
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, mix flour, chia seeds, 1½ tsp. seasoned salt and salt; stir in water until dough is completely combined. Form dough into thin, bite-sized rounds. Arrange on baking sheet; sprinkle with seasoned or regular salt.
Bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Rosarito Beach, near the Cantamar development in Baja California.
Numerous retirees from the United States have lost access to their homes in a luxury coastal community in Baja California due to an escalating dispute with the owner of the land on which it is located.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that barbed wire fencing surrounds most of Cantamar, a beachfront residential development about 25 kilometers south of Rosarito. About 40 residents told the newspaper they have completely lost access to their homes due to actions by Cantamar’s property manager on behalf of the development’s owner, Ivonne Cortéz Avendaño.
According to residents, many of them U.S. citizens, the property manager has blocked access to the development and cut off water and gas to pressure them into paying new maintenance fees. They also say she has refused entry to guests, maintenance workers and even people who live at Cantamar.
“I feel like a prisoner there,” said Robert Boyd, a retired attorney from Arizona. “People have all their money invested in the place, and they’re at their wits’ end. They’ll be damned if they’re going to lose their investments or their life savings.”
Boyd is one of many U.S. citizens who purchased property at Cantamar, where beachfront lots and residences are much cheaper than in nearby San Diego.
The Union-Tribune reported that the owner of Cantamar — Carlos Borja Robles — died in 2007 without a will. After a legal battle between Cortéz, who is Borja’s widow, and his children that lasted for more than a decade, a Baja California appellate court overturned a lower court’s ruling in February 2019 and ordered Borja’s estate to cede the Cantamar development to Cortéz.
According to some residents, including Boyd — who has lived in Baja California for 34 years and is a naturalized Mexican citizen, the judge who made the ruling may have exceeded the power vested in him or her by awarding land to Cortéz that legally belonged to Cantamar residents.
“If the judgment encompasses other people’s titled property, then the judgment is in excess of the judge’s capacity to issue that judgment,” he told the Union-Tribune.
The newspaper said it was unable to reach Cortéz. An email to the property manager, Zarella García, was not returned, and a reporter was refused entry to Cantamar last Tuesday.
Some residents said they have been permitted to live at Cantamar since the 2019 ruling but Cortéz and García are making life increasingly difficult for them.
“I haven’t had running water for years. When we leave, we’re not sure if we’re going to be able to get back in,” said one resident who asked to remain anonymous out of fear he would face retaliation from Cantamar’s management.
Some residents told the Union-Tribune that Cortéz is trying to collect a new US $130 monthly maintenance fee. Others said that she wants back payments of maintenance fees dating back more than a decade.
“The obligation to pay maintenance is not included in my title, nor was it included in the title of the previous owner, and there is no separate contract that obligated the former owner, and now me, to pay maintenance,” Boyd said.
Dr. Mike Welch, a physician from San Diego, said he has been denied entry to his residence in for months.
“People who live there are not able to use the house they have been enjoying for many, many years,” he said. “There have even been altercations at times at the entry gate between security personnel and residents and visitors trying to get in.”
United States authorities have no legal power to intervene in property disputes involving U.S. citizens in Mexico. As the Union-Tribune noted, “the chances of winning a fight in the Mexican legal system are slim and the process can drag on for decades.”
“Who is going to spend a lot of money in court and wait 10 years?” Boyd said. “Most people [the residents of Cantamar] are older, and in 10 years where are they going to be?”
