Their latest sentence is for the murder of a 13-year-old girl in 2012.
A couple known as the “monsters of Ecatepec” — they admitted to killing at least 20 women in México state — have been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a 13-year-old girl in 2012.
Juan Carlos Hernández Bejar and Patricia Martínez Bernal, arrested in Ecatepec, México state, in October 2018 while wheeling a baby carriage containing human remains, have now been sentenced for 10 crimes including nine femicides.
A district court judge in Ecatepec, a sprawling municipality that is notorious for crime, agreed that evidence presented by the México state Attorney General’s Office was sufficient to prove their guilt in the murder of the girl, a neighbor of the couple.
Hernández and Martínez were also issued with a fine of 311,650 pesos (US $15,250). The victim was lured into the couple’s home on April 12, 2012 and Hernández attacked her with a sharp object, causing her death.
He then mutilated the girl’s body and together with Martínez placed the various parts in plastic bags and a sack that were dumped on a vacant lot.
In May 2019, they were given an additional 4 1/2 years in jail for human trafficking, namely the selling of the baby to another couple.
The couple were given several separate prison sentences between June and October 2019 for the murder of seven woman and a child. The sentences added up collectively to more than 300 years in jail.
An additional 40 years were added to the couple’s jail time in March 2020 for another femicide while the latest life imprisonment ruling was handed down on Wednesday.
Investigators found that Hernández, a self-declared misogynist, and Martínez lured women to their apartment on the pretext of selling used clothes and other items. Some of the women were sexually abused before they were killed and Hérnandez maintained a relationship with one of his victims before Martínez grew jealous and ordered her murder.
The former was found to have both psychotic and personality disorders while the latter has suffered from mental retardation since birth and also presented signs of delirium. Both, however, know the difference between right and wrong, the testing determined.
Romero is a department chief at the refinery in Tula, Hidalgo.
He resigned as secretary general of the Pemex worker’s union in late 2019 amid accusations of corruption but Carlos Romero Deschamps remains on the state oil company’s payroll.
Romero, a former Institutional Revolutionary Party senator and deputy who was at the helm of the Pemex union for 26 years, earned just over 1.2 million pesos (about US $60,000) last year in salaries and benefits, according to a declaration of assets publicly available on the federal government’s payroll transparency website.
The 77-year-old, named by Forbes magazine in 2013 as one of the 10 most corrupt politicians in Mexico, is apparently employed as a department chief at the Pemex refinery in Tula, Hidalgo.
The news website Sin Embargo asked the Public Administration Ministry, which manages the payroll website, about Romero’s employment at Pemex and was told that the online platform “only loads information that [government] departments send.”
Pemex didn’t respond to the news outlet’s request for comment. Sin Embargo said that Romero’s ongoing employment at the company is linked to a favorable collective agreement signed in mid-2019 that remains current and allows him to collect a salary even though he is under criminal investigation and ostensibly left the company. The same agreement stipulates that Pemex must pay the legal costs of any worker accused of committing a crime while on the job.
Federal authorities have opened 12 investigations into the former union boss for crimes including fraud, embezzlement, illicit enrichment, influence peddling and money laundering. But only three investigations remain open, according to a report by the newspaper El País.
The three ongoing probes were launched by the government’s Financial Intelligence Unit. No warrants for Romero’s arrest have been issued.
Víctor Manuel Jacobo Domínguez, a Pemex employee who is part of a dissident workers’ group that has long accused Romero of corruption, told Sin Embargo that the government reached deals with the longtime union boss that ensure he will never be brought to justice.
Sergio Carlos Morales Quintana, chief of the National Petroleum Front, said in a recent interview that Romero is still involved in corrupt activity at Pemex, even though President López Obrador has pledged to rid the state company – and the entire government – of corruption.
“He continues to manage the threads of corruption within Petróleos Mexicanos,” he said.
Another high-profile Pemex figure, former CEO Emilio Lozoya, is also under investigation by federal authorities for alleged corruption but scant progress has been made in his case more than a year after he was arrested in Spain.
Almost half of the fish species commonly eaten by Mexicans are in “serious decline” and could disappear completely, according to the ocean conservation organization Oceana.
“The experts have determined that [stocks of] 43% of fished species … are diminished due to overexploitation, damage to ecosystems, contamination and illegal fishing,” said the organization’s fisheries campaign director while presenting the results of a new fisheries audit conducted by Oceana in Mexico.
“The reality is that four of 10 [species] are in serious … decline and there are no actions being undertaken for their recovery,” Esteban García-Peña said.
Among the threatened species are red snapper and grouper. García-Peña placed the bulk of the blame for the situation on the authorities, saying that there is an “absence of management and restoration of species” on their part.
“Recovering them is urgent, if we don’t what are we going to live on?” he said.
García-Peña said that Oceana’s audit found that only one in four fisheries has a management plan and that fisherman have to go farther out to sea due to their depletion.
“They risk their lives,” he said, adding that 2019 was the worst year on record for grouper catches.
The Oceana director said that fishermen’s livelihoods are at risk if the government doesn’t better manage the nation’s fisheries. Stocks are so depleted in some areas that many fishermen choose to stay at home rather than spend money they can’t recoup on fuel, García-Peña said.
“How can [the problem] be solved? With a [fisheries] restoration policy,” he said.
Foreign investment in Mexico slumped in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic caused a sharp contraction in money flows around the world.
The Economy Ministry (SE) reported Thursday that preliminary figures show that foreign direct investment (FDI) declined 11.7% last year compared to 2019.
It said that US $39.22 billion in FDI flowed into the country and $10.14 billion flowed out for a net result of +$29.08 billion. That’s $3.84 billion less than 2019 when the net result was +$32.92 billion.
The SE said the 11.7% decrease is “fundamentally explained by the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on global investment flows.”
The ministry cited a United Nations estimate that global FDI flows fell by 42% in 2020 with respect to the previous year.
“This shows that in comparison with the rest of the world, Mexico performed better in the attraction of FDI in the most adverse year of recent economic history,” the SE said.
More than half of the FDI in Mexico last year – 55.4% – was reinvestment of profits by companies that already have a presence here. New investment only represented 22% of the figure while payment of accounts between companies contributed 22.6%.
The manufacturing sector took the lion’s share of investment, raking in 40.6% of total FDI, followed by financial and insurance services (23.2%), transportation (9.8%), retail (7.7%), mining (4.6%) and mass media (4.3%).
The United States remained the biggest source of foreign investment, with 39.1% of total FDI coming from that country. Canada ranked second with 14.5% followed by Spain (13.7%), Japan (4.2%) and Germany (3.5%). The remaining 25% came from numerous other countries, the SE said.
The ministry said that 212 foreign investment projects worth $16.25 billion were announced last year and that $5.83 billion of that amount has already flowed into the country.
The decline in FDI is 3.2 points higher than Mexico’s GDP contraction of 8.5% in 2020, the worst result since the Great Depression.
At Puerta Paraíso you can lounge all day on the beach and dine there too.
Just outside of Zihuatanejo, on the road to the airport, is a turnoff that will take you to the area’s longest beach, Playa Larga.
At 12 kilometers, and quieter than most, especially during the week, it is a preferred destination for both nationals and tourists. One reason is the numerous restaurants, offering the absolute best in fresh-caught fish and seafood. Many have swimming pools since the activity can be dangerous here for all but the most experienced. Some restaurants also entertain with local musicians.
The ideal time to visit Playa Larga has long been considered from October to March due to the whale and dolphin sightings common to the area and the turtles that spawn on the beach. You can rent horses from Rancho Risquel to ride along the shore and through a coconut plantation or indulge in a visit to Temazcal Badihuni for a steam bath and ceremony with famed healer Lupita Maldonado.
Over the past few years, a new surge in development has occurred here, with several small hotels and rooms-for-rent places on or across the beach. There are several convenience stores to accommodate basic needs during your stay since some of these rooms come with kitchens, perfect for the budget-conscious.
For the not quite so budget-conscious, there is a small boutique hotel not far off the beaten path with just seven luxurious rooms. Puerta Paraíso, or “Door to Paradise,” was bought initially as a family retreat by owner Raul Esponda 25 years ago, but in the last five years it has morphed into one of Playa Larga’s exclusive stays.
The hotel offers gorgeous views of Playa Larga.
I decided to book a room for one night even though I had been there several times for various events and daytime gatherings.
The first thing that struck me there was how attentive and accommodating everyone was, from the staff who greeted us to general manager Omar Valdovinos, who showed us to our room.
The second was how lovely the rooms were — each perfectly appointed with couches and throw pillows and generously sized beds. Just outside the beautiful wooden bifold doors is a private patio area with a hammock, an oversized lounger plus a smaller one and a table and chairs under a thatch-covered roof. The tiles are terra-cotta, and the color scheme and furniture have a decidedly elegant Mexican flair. Toiletries such as shampoos and coconut soap are top grade, as are the towels and linens.
From every room, you can see the large, pebbled pool to the beach and the surf beyond. The restaurant is a spacious open area, but you can also choose to dine at a table on the beach, complete with your loungers, or, if you prefer, take a seat at the bar. There’s even a standard room with a TV off to one side.
Our food was first-class, beautifully prepared and served by our attentive waiter, Daniel. The menu offered everything from tacos and burgers to innovative seafood offerings and full-course dinners.
“It’s becoming popular to book our hotel for parties, weddings and other special events,” says Valdovinos. “For the last two years, we were one of the hosts of the International Guitar Festival. We have a day pass too, which is 500-peso consumption per person.”
The dining menu excels in innovative fish and seafood dishes.
Just 10–15 minutes away from Zihuatanejo by taxi, Playa Larga is an easy and safe getaway for anyone looking to escape the busier vibrant community nearby.
The more adventurous can take a combi to the beach’s entrance, then pay a few pesos for another ride onward in the back of a pickup truck with benches. Puerta Paraíso is then a 10-minute walk from there, but for 20 pesos more you can convince them to take you all the way — a perfect solution if you have luggage.
Room prices, which include breakfast, start at 3,500 pesos per night in the low season and rise to 4,000 pesos per night from December 15 until Easter. At Christmas and Easter, the price is 4,500 pesos per night.
Texas Governor Abbott and Economy Minister Clouthier.
The federal government has asked the United States to guarantee the supply of natural gas after the governor of Texas placed a temporary ban on the fuel leaving the state to ensure power generators there have sufficient supplies amid an extreme cold snap.
Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier said Wednesday she had contacted the United States’ top representative in Mexico – currently charge d’affaires John Creamer – to ask the U.S. government to guarantee natural gas supply to avoid an adverse impact on Mexican industry.
The state-owned Federal Electricity Commission depends heavily on natural gas imports from the United States to generate energy and supply industry.
In a Twitter post, Clouthier said Mexico is aware of the situation in the United States – millions of Texans were left without power this week as a deep freeze engulfed the Lone Star state – but warned that “if we don’t act together, the results could be more complicated.”
The economy minister took to Twitter again on Thursday to announce she had spoken to the United States government’s southern border coordinator Roberta Jacobson, a former ambassador to Mexico, about the impact the situation in Texas is having on Mexico and the U.S.
“Hand in hand we’re looking for immediate solutions,” Clouthier wrote without offering further details.
Mexico suffered a major power outage in the north of the country on Monday due to an interruption in the natural gas supply from Texas, where pipes froze. While power has largely been restored, gas supply has remained interrupted as Texas continues to face frigid temperatures.
Natural gas supply to major manufacturers has been drastically cut, undermining their capacity to operate if not stifling it completely. Volkswagen, General Motors, Kia Motors and Mazda all announced production suspensions at their Mexican plants due to the reduction.
VW said that production of its Jetta model would halt at its Puebla plant on Thursday and that work on its Taos and Golf models would stop on Friday. GM said that production at its plant in Silao, Guanajuato, stopped on Tuesday due to a lack of gas and wouldn’t restart until supply is fully reestablished. Kia shut down production in Pesquería, Nuevo León, for two days on Thursday while Mazda halted operations at its plant in Salamanca, Guanajuato, on Wednesday and is not scheduled to resume production until Saturday.
The existing supply problem was exacerbated when Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that he was placing a ban on gas leaving the state until February 21 to ensure Texas energy generators had ample supplies.
Citing the governor’s order, the top energy regulator in Texas told gas producers to offer supplies for sale in-state before sending shipments elsewhere.
With pipeline supply interrupted, Mexico has begun importing gas by sea from ports in California and Texas, and one shipload bound for Altamira, Tamaulipas, was leaving Freeport, Texas, on Wednesday, the news agency Reuters reported.
It was unclear whether additional shipments from Texas would be affected by the suspension imposed by Abbott, who said that a disaster declaration he issued on February 12 allowed him to put the ban in place even though it apparently violates the so-called commerce clause in the United States constitution that says that state governments cannot interfere in interstate and international trade.
Luz María de la Mora, Mexico’s deputy minster for foreign trade, said in a Twitter post Wednesday that the federal government doesn’t believe that the resolution announced by the Texas governor is “the only option,” adding that it would “irremediably” affect the Mexican and U.S. economies.
CFE boss Bartlett was proud of his utility's achievement.
Reestablishing electricity generation after an interruption to the natural gas supply caused a major outage on Monday was “a great feat,” Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) chief Manuel Bartlett said Thursday, asserting that the utility’s workers averted a “total disaster.”
“It was achieved thanks to the workers; we’ve had the workers [working] with great intensity, they gave it everything they’ve got,” he told reporters at President López Obrador’s morning press conference.
“Now we have 30,000 megawatts [of power generated] from our own resources,” Bartlett said.
Almost 5 million people in northern Mexico were left without power on Monday because a cold snap in Texas froze pipes and interrupted the supply of natural gas to CFE plants. Bartlett said the state-owned company was able to use its own energy sources, including limited gas reserves, to fill the gap left by United States-sourced gas, on which Mexico is heavily reliant for electricity generation.
“We’ve been working intensely to keep the electricity system fueled. We’ve used all the instruments we have and we can say with pride that through the effort of workers across the entire country … we’ve been able to fill the void left by the gas that didn’t arrive,” he said.
“We are really very proud. The president is permanently informed of the situation because maintaining electricity means maintaining the country’s economic, social and home life,” Bartlett added.
López Obrador also praised the CFE workers, saying they have been working tirelessly since the blackout began on Monday morning.
The general director of the National Energy Control Center said that 11 CFE plants had made a “a very big effort” to compensate for the power that was lost.
“These are power plants that came on line to recover the lost load. Despite that we still have a deficit and to conserve the balance and ensure reliability … there was a need to make cuts in several states to protect … the entire [electricity] system,” Carlos Meléndez Román said.
One of the alternative energy sources used by the CFE to offset the reduced flow of natural gas was fuel oil, a byproduct of the oil refining process.
The CFE has ramped up the use of the oil to fire the thermoelectric plant in Salamanca, Guanajuato, exceeding levels agreed to with the state government.
The CFE’s plant in Salamanca is burning fuel oil to ramp up output.
In light of the situation, the Guanajuato government issued a statement warning residents of Salamanca and the nearby cities of Celaya and Irapuato to take precautions due to the high levels of contamination that fuel oil produces. The Environment Ministry advised people not to exercise in the open air, keep windows and doors closed and seek medical attention if they develop respiratory or other symptoms that were likely caused by the increased contamination.
The federal government also ordered the CFE to ramp up energy generation at the two coal-fired power plants in Nava, a Coahuila municipality that borders Texas.
However, only one of the plants was operating at partial capacity on Wednesday afternoon due to a lack of coal, the newspaper Reforma reported.
“There’s not enough coal, the coal region [in the northeast of Coahuila] can’t supply it in the quantity or characteristics required,” said a CFE union leader who asked not to be identified.
Arturo Arroyo, director of the mining company Minera del Norte, said that coal extraction had been suspended because the electricity supply and voltage levels required to guarantee miners’ safety were not available.
A catch-22 situation was effectively created: there wasn’t sufficient electricity supply to mine coal in order to have an energy source to generate power.
While the electricity system has almost recovered — the president urged citizens Thursday morning to limit their electricity consumption between 6 and 11 p.m. — the supply of natural gas, used to generate more than 60% of the power generated in Mexico, remains extremely limited due to the ongoing cold weather and Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s order that gas deliveries outside the state be temporarily suspended.
In Mexico, natural gas supply to major manufacturers including steelmaker Altos Hornos de México, glass producer Vitro and automaker Volkswagen has been drastically cut, undermining their capacity to operate if not stifling it completely.
For them the “great feat” of the CFE will likely be no more than cold comfort while the “great freeze” on gas supply remains.
Teacher Nallely Esparza and her classroom on wheels.
When Mexico’s public schools went online last April due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Aguascalientes special education teacher Nallely Esparza Flores found, like many teachers across the country, that not all distance learning was equal.
Many of her students in Cavillo were from poor families without internet access. So she used social media networks to keep in touch with such students via cell phones, but even that was not necessarily an available option for all — and not ideal. Finally, she decided to solve the problem by hitting the road in her pickup truck.
Since last year, Esparza has been driving four hours a day to educate students one-on-one at their homes from her truck bed, outfitted with a small table and chairs.
News of her project spread on social media networks, eventually reaching the corporate offices of Nissan México.
This week, the company surprised Esparza with the gift of a new pickup truck specially outfitted with a small open-air mobile classroom built into the truck’s bed.
Esparza inside her new classroom.
“Today I feel like my labors and the help that we give each day to children and their families is unstoppable,” she said on Twitter Wednesday, sharing photos of her new vehicle. “My students no longer have to take classes in the full heat of the sun,” she said.
Nissan representatives said they decided to give Esparza the adapted NP300 model, 4-cylinder truck after hearing her story because she was “an example of perseverance and empathy.”
“When we learned about the incredible work of this teacher, we got together to discuss in what way we could contribute to this noble work,” said Armando Ávila, a vice president of manufacturing.
Esparza’s new setup has three walls and a ceiling made with translucent panels to protect teacher and student from the elements while letting in natural light.
It also has retractable steps for easy access to the classroom, electrical connections, a whiteboard and an easily disinfected acrylic table and benches that are foldable into the wall to provide space. The table also has a built-in plexiglass barrier to allow social distancing.
The dedicated teacher’s efforts have over time extended beyond educational house calls.
Since beginning her traveling classes, she began collecting provisions for her students’ families left without work by Covid-19. So far she has given out 63 care packages and has also raised funds to buy her students tablets.
“People like her make a difference in our society,” said Joan Busquets, another Nissan executive. “She deserves the best.”
'Break the pact:' The message has been trending on social media.
Thousands of Mexicans including actors, writers, politicians, activists and everyday citizens are demanding that President López Obrador withdraw his support for a gubernatorial candidate accused of rape, urging him to dump the political aspirant and “break the chauvinist pact.”
Félix Salgado Macedonio, a former senator accused of raping a teenage girl in 1998 and a woman in 2016, remains the ruling Morena party’s candidate for governor in Guerrero even though he is being investigated by authorities and is the subject of an internal party probe.
Sharp divisions have emerged within Morena over whether Salgado is the right person to contest the June 6 election but he retains the support of the party’s highest ranking official, national president Mario Delgado, and López Obrador.
AMLO, as the president is best known, has claimed that the accusations the 64-year-old former mayor of Acapulco faces are politically motivated and a product of the electoral season.
He presented a similar defense on Wednesday and again Thursday, calling on people to stop politicking and avoid “media lynchings” and asserting that people should trust the party process that was used to select Salgado as candidate.
“We have to have confidence in the people, it’s the people who decide. If polls are taken and and the people say ‘I agree with this colleague [being candidate],’ I think that must be respected. Politics is a matter for everyone, not just the elites,” López Obrador said.
After AMLO’s latest remarks, the hashtag #PresidenteRompaElPacto, or #PresidentBreakThePact, became a trending topic on Twitter as large numbers of people took to the social media platform to denounce his ongoing support for Salgado. Many Twitter users uploaded photos in which they appeared holding signs emblazoned with the same message.
“This is the opportunity for the president and Morena to show that they really are different and decent. Don’t make pacts with machismo endorsing a candidate like Félix Salgado,” wrote Alma Delia Murillo, a writer.
“To López Obrador and (Morena leader) Mario Delgado we say: break the pact #ARapistWon’tBeGovernor #NoAggressorInPower,” wrote Daniela Malpica, founder of Justicia Transicional México, an advocacy organization.
Feminist groups, actors such as Regina Blandón, Anabel Ferreira, José María Yazpik and Pedro de Tavira, lawmakers and thousands of ordinary Mexicans used the “break the pact” hashtag to demand support for Salgado be withdrawn.
“He [López Obrador] doesn’t just give him his complete support but also offends the victim, which is very disturbing,” said lawyer Patricia Olamendi, referring to remarks made by the president that called into question the veracity of the accusations against Salgado.
Female members of the National Action Party, the main opposition party, published a statement expressing their “complete rejection” of Salgado’s candidacy and denouncing the president’s support for an alleged rapist.
“We will not stop pointing out the violent chauvinism that both President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the national Morena leader, Mario Delgado, exercise by ignoring, minimizing and rejecting the accusations against Salgado Macedonio,” the statement said.
The newspaper Reforma reported that feminist collectives will file a challenge on Thursday against the Electoral Institute of Guerrero’s registration of Salgado as a candidate and hold a protest march against his candidacy.
Guerrero is one of 15 states where gubernatorial elections will be held on June 6. Citizens across Mexico will vote on the same date to renew the entire 500-seat lower house of Congress, in which a coalition led by Morena currently has a majority.
In Cholula, artisans make bricks by hand using sand, clay and soil. All photos by Joseph Sorrentino
Several miles from the zócalo and other tourist areas in Cholula, Puebla, small family-owned brickmaking businesses line streets, avenues and rutted dirt roads, businesses like the one started by Gabino Noselo 25 years ago.
“My wife and I worked little by little for 20 years, and thanks to our savings, we were able to buy land and share it with our children, together with this business,” he said. “I still work but no longer at the same pace; but I’m happy.”
There’s little wonder why he doesn’t work at the same pace. Noselo’s 85 years old. As he readily admitted, “The work of a ladrillero (brickmaker) has been very strenuous.”
The oldest bricks yet found on Earth — which were made from mud and then dried in the sun — date back almost 10,000 years and were uncovered in southern Turkey. Bricks have been used in many — and perhaps most — civilizations over millennia. Ancient Egyptians mixed straw with clay to make their bricks, and these were also left to harden in the sun.
In Mexico, adobe bricks, which are also made from clay and straw, were used for centuries and were used to make immense structures, including the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacán.
At 85, Gabino Noselo still runs his 25-year-old business.
Early brickmaking was restricted to warm climates because it was necessary to have sufficient strong sunlight and heat to dry the bricks. Around B.C. 3500, a major breakthrough occurred when it was discovered that placing bricks in large ovens (kilns) and heating them to high temperatures with fire gave them greater strength. It also allowed them to be made in cooler climates.
These bricks, called fired bricks, are what are made in Cholula. They’re artisanal — all made by hand — a process that requires a keen eye and experience. Lots of experience.
The dirt used by Noselo and other brickmakers is a mixture of sand, clay and soil.
“Pure dirt does not work,” said Adolfo, Noselo’s grandson. “It will break.”
When there’s an order to be filled, the dirt is delivered in the early morning, and a large mound of it is made in the yard. A hole is scraped into the middle of the dirt, and then water is poured in and mixed with the dirt.
“I know when it is properly mixed from years of experience,” Noselo said. “We mix it until it has the consistency of butter — not too smooth or too lumpy.”
The brick oven requires a mountain of scrap wood as fuel.
The dirt is then placed into molds and patted down to completely fill them. This is all done by hand, so it’s pretty messy. The bricks, which are solid, are then laid out to dry in the sun.
“This takes five to seven days in the dry season,” said another brickmaker whose family business is a short distance from Noselo’s. (I’ve called him Miguel because he didn’t want his real name used.) “In the rainy season, three days extra,” he said.
His family has been making bricks for three generations.
When the bricks are dry, they’re stacked in the oven. The small one on Noselo’s property holds 20,000 bricks. The larger ones at Miguel’s hold up to 50,000. Once the oven’s filled, unfired bricks are placed on top of the roof and are used to seal the oven’s door. Then the real fun begins.
A small mountain of scrap wood is needed to fire the bricks because the temperature must reach between 1500 F and 2000 F. There are no thermometers; it’s all done by sight and experience.
“At first, the smoke is black, and as the temperature rises, it turns white,” Miguel said. “When the correct temperature is reached, there is almost no smoke.”
This wood-fired oven holds tens of thousands of bricks.
Noselo’s grandson throws bucket after bucket of wood into the three openings at the base of the oven. The fire must be fed constantly to maintain the high temperature. For the 20,000 bricks in that oven, that means adding wood for up to 24 hours.
“One can rest, but no one sleeps during the 20 hours or more,” Noselo said. “Three people work the fire. One cannot let the fire die down, or the bricks will not be good. I know from experience when the fire needs more or less firewood. I no longer work but watch and give instructions.”
For the larger ovens like Miguel’s the fire needs to be fed for 48 hours.
“It is about one hour for every 1,000 bricks,” he said.
When the bricks on top of the oven’s roof turn red, the ones inside are ready, and no more wood is added to the fire.
“It takes five days to be cool enough to remove the bricks at the door and on the roof,” Miguel said, “and then three more days to remove the bricks from inside.”
Gabino Noselo’s grandson, Adolfo, seals the oven’s door with unfired bricks.
The bricks are then stacked in the yard or placed on a truck and shipped out.
Noselo has been working since he was 14. Although slowed a little by age, he continues his business. As he pointed out, a ladrillero’s labor is hard, but he must do it because he needs to earn a living.
“I started [this business] out of necessity, and I thought it was going to be highly paid,” he said, “but it is not.”
Joseph Sorrentino, a writer and photographer, is a regular contributor to Mexico News Daily. More examples of his photographs and links to other articles may be found at www.sorrentinophotography.com. He currently lives in Chipilo, Puebla.
