What about Mexico were you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

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November 27, 2021

Turkey is fine, but have you tried Mexican sushi? That's something to be thankful for. — Turkey is fine, but have you tried Mexican sushi? That's really something to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I know, I know. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico. It has a more than problematic (not to mention preposterous) history. Still, it’s a holiday I love for many reasons.

First, the food is delicious: sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole … everything’s a casserole! And man, do I love casseroles. And I’m all about the sides and happy to let a pollo rostizado stand in for the turkey.

Second, my daughter was born on Thanksgiving! This year, her birthday didn’t fall on it, and I’ve had quite the time, in equal parts exasperating and adorable, trying to make her understand why Thanksgiving day was not her birthday this year.

Third, I just love the fall and therefore any holidays that fall within it: it’s sunny days but with a cool breeze; it’s hot chocolate-and-sweater weather, but my house isn’t an icebox yet.

I also see the day after Thanksgiving as the official beginning of the Christmas season, and as those of you who read me regularly know, there are few things I enjoy doing more than decorating.

Last but not least, I just think it’s lovely to set aside a day especially for reflecting on how grateful we are for all the people and circumstances and stuff we have.

So, in that spirit, I’m dedicating today’s column to what I’m most thankful for as an immigrant here in Mexico:

Lovely, generous people. People are just so nice here. And that’s good, because I have very little patience for meanies. A culture of politeness, of hospitality, and of service is, I think, what attracts a lot of people to Mexico, and those friendly formalities give the culture a kind of structure that I naturally long for. Even a spiky-haired kid with 20 piercings in his face will say “buenas tardes” back if offered the greeting. People here are friendly and accommodating as a matter of course, and even if I’ve had a no-good, bad, awful day, sometimes just a short, friendly exchange with a stranger can make things better.

You have to talk to people. Mexico is not (yet, anyway) at the point at which you can go about your business without having to face anyone. To get stuff done, you’ve just got to get out there, in many cases as if the internet didn’t even exist. For a naturally shy person like I used to be, it’s both scary and thrilling. It’s also a great chance to practice your language skills.

Luckily, it’s about as inversely painless as the incredibly painful experience of learning a new language can be: even if you totally butcher whatever you’re trying to say, most will try their best to understand and then compliment you on your sentence that made you sound like a half-asleep two-year-old. Is there any better way to practice?

The fact that kids are included in everything. Karmically, I 100% do not deserve the Mexican culture’s generosity with and acceptance of children. Before I had a child myself, I was one of those grouches that huffed on planes when babies would start crying and scowled when children were running around and making noise at mostly adult events.

Now that I have a child myself, I marvel at how I never got socked in the face for making my crappy attitude obvious. Here, kids are part of life and are pretty much accepted and expected everywhere: at parties, in restaurants, in public spaces. Adults are generally very generous with them, even when they’re behaving like monsters, and that’s something I very much appreciate now that I have a little chaneque (sprite-like beings from Mexica folklore) that comes around everywhere with me.

A lot of adults have been vaccinated, and even though cases are extremely low, people are still doing their best to protect themselves and others. I wrote about this specifically last week and got a number of emails predictably calling me a naïve tool at best and a promoter of dangerous levels of state control at worst. But none of those can get me down — I’m just so proud of where we are right now!

The best food, like, ever. It’s not just traditional Mexican food that’s good. I love tamales and mole as much as the next person, but have y’all tried Mexican xi? I mean, there’s cream cheese in it, people.

Mestizo is a word people sometimes use to describe themselves here, but I like to think of it as a cultural feature: a kind of flexible ability to take what’s good from other places and create something new and wonderful over and over again.

The fact that you don’t need a car. Taxis, buses, the Metro (if you live in Mexico City): not owning a vehicle is not a sentence for house arrest the way it is where I’m from. Most places in Mexico are incredibly walkable as well, so if you’re like me and frequently get cabin fever, just taking a stroll around town is enough to get yourself a whole new perspective.

Healthcare is still relatively affordable, and there’s a public system. I don’t know how long this will last, but I hope it continues. I can get immediate medical care from specialists for around US $40. I have my doctors’ cell phone numbers and can usually get in to see them within a day or so. Pet care is also quite inexpensive compared to the United States, which means that taking care of all of the mammals in one’s home doesn’t usually represent the level of stress that it does in other places.

Art and artesanías. I love to decorate, which also means I love to shop. The vibrant colors and the variety of tastes and techniques means that pretty much everyone will find something they like to beautify either themselves or their environment. In a time of globalization of just about everything, it’s nice to find nongeneric pieces made by a person who lives down the road. Live music is plentiful and easy to come by, and art festivals and permanent artisans’ markets abound!

A relaxed way of life. It’s not just that people don’t worry as much about punctuality (though that’s part of it): people are just less worried about ticking a certain number of things off the list in a certain amount of time, and generous with their assumptions about others’ manners when it comes to time. Somewhat of a list-ticker myself, I’ve definitely learned to chill out here.

A just-the-right-size expat community. As I’ve written about previously, sometimes you just need to hang out with other outsiders to feel both at home and understood. Having a mix of both local and foreign friends down here has given my life a richness that I don’t think I’d have otherwise had.

So color me grateful, Mexico. You’re awesome.

Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sdevrieswritingandtranslating.com and her Patreon page.

Army to the rescue? Government still struggling to distribute medications

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MND Staff

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November 26, 2021

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As if it didn’t already have enough to do, the army could soon be distributing medications to the most remote corners of the country.

President López Obrador, who has relied heavily on the military since taking office almost three years ago, raised the possibility of using the army to deliver drugs at least twice this week.

Just as soldiers were responsible for the logistics of distributing COVID-19 vaccines across the country they could also take charge of delivering other medications, “if necessary,” AMLO said at the Mexican Social Security Institute’s annual general meeting on Tuesday.

Putting the army in charge would ensure there are no medication shortages, he claimed.

The president’s remarks came two weeks after he directed Health Minister Jorge Alcocer and the director of the National Institute of Health for Well-Being, Juan Ferrer, to resolve “without excuses” the long-running medication shortages that have plagued his government.

abarrotes — Corner stores all over Mexico carry Coca-Cola and other products despite distribution challenges.

López Obrador said in July last year that he intended to create a state-owned company to distribute medications, medical supplies and vaccines, but it was never established and the reputation of the official tapped to head it, David León, was tarnished after videos surfaced showing him handing over large amounts of cash to one of the president’s brothers in 2015.

AMLO returned to the idea of using the army to deliver drugs at his regular press conference on Thursday. He first told reporters that he would chair a cabinet meeting Monday aimed at resolving medication shortages.

The government has sufficient medications but distribution remains a problem, López Obrador said, explaining that his administration signed contracts with distribution companies but due to “inefficiency” or “bad faith” they didn’t deliver the drugs.

He pledged that the problem would be resolved. “We’re going to distribute medicines even to the most isolated towns,” he said before quipping that his name won’t be Andrés Manuel if his government fails to resolve the shortages problem.

Probed as to whether the army would be involved in the distribution efforts, AMLO responded that the entire government would participate. If businesses can get refrescos y papitas (soft drinks and chips) to the nation’s far-flung corners, why can’t the government get medications to the same places, he asked.

If the army is given the responsibility, it will add to a long list of non-traditional tasks it is already carrying out. Among them: public security, infrastructure construction, management of the nation’s ports and distribution of textbooks.

Writing in the newspaper Milenio, columnist Carlos Marín noted with a heavy dose of irony that the challenge facing the government is to establish a distribution “structure” that does “exactly the same thing” that health authorities, pharmaceutical companies and distribution firms did before it took office in 2018 – that is deliver medication purchased by the government to the nation’s public health facilities.

The López Obrador administration, however, did away with the established distribution system because it was plagued by “assumed or real” corruption, Marín wrote.

He warned against using the military to get drugs to public hospitals and clinics, arguing that it would distract it from more important tasks.

“I don’t know how many tractor-trailers, vans, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, mules and donkeys soft drink companies use … to supply cities, towns and hamlets but I can’t imagine the army and the navy (maybe also the National Guard) diverting their vehicles for the distribution of medicines,” Marín wrote.

“The risk is that by carrying out traditionally civilian tasks, it will do its main task of guaranteeing national security poorly …”

With reports from El Universal and El Sol de México

Once a hike for pros, stunning Jaguar Canyon now even right for newbies

By

John Pint

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November 26, 2021

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Jaguar Canyon, Guadalajara — A Canadian tourist takes a jump on a canyoneering trip to all seven of the Jaguar Canyon waterfalls. Luigi Medina

Local canyoneers have known about them for many years, but — until now — most members of Guadalajara’s general public had never seen or experienced the many beautiful waterfalls hidden in a gorgeous canyon located only 22 kilometers due north of Mexico’s second-largest city.

Like so many other natural wonders at the edge of the City of Roses, such as the monoliths of El Diente, Colli Volcano and the hot pools of the Santiago River Barranca, Jaguar Canyon is silent and solitary, leaving an explorer with the impression that he is communing with nature in the middle of nowhere, far, far from civilization.

In the past, the problem was access. The falls were there, all right, only 300 meters from the well-paved road leading to the pueblito of Huaxtla, Jalisco, but getting down to that river required serious mountain climbing skills and rappelling equipment.

All this changed just three years ago when local entrepreneurs began to construct a proper footpath embellished with arrows and signs, making it possible for every Teo, Dora and Hildelgardo to reach the place in one piece — and I include Doras and Hildelgardos only four years old!

None of this implies that the one-kilometer-long trail is easy. No, no, it is still plenty steep, so much so that ropes have been installed at key points for visitors to grab onto as they scramble up and down.

So you are guaranteed to work up a sweat whether you are coming or going.

The canyon, and the town of Huaxtla, can be reached via Highway 23, which takes you from Guadalajara to San Cristóbal de la Barranca. As soon as you turn off this carretera, you realize that you have just entered a magical place.

The views of the canyon from the road are breathtaking, and in the rainy season, their beauty is further enhanced by a spectacular waterfall 100 meters high that cascades down the most distant canyon wall.

All around you, the cliffs and hills are covered with strangely shaped rocks, some of them almost perfect spheres, reminiscent of Jalisco’s famed Great Stone Balls. Like those rocks, these are of volcanic origin.

Five kilometers from the main highway, we saw some rather shabby signs directing us to turn left into a long, flat field. At the far end, we came upon a number of parked cars alongside a big stand covered with a tin roof.

Here you can buy water, rent a life vest, if you wish and, of course, pay the 50-peso entrance fee.

Under the tin roof, we also found guide Leonardo Orozco, who informed me that the local name for the site where these waterfalls are found is El Cañon del Jaguar, or Jaguar Canyon.

“We have seven big waterfalls here,” Orozco said. “The trail is well-marked for you to visit the biggest three of these falls.”

“Besides hiking, swimming and canyoneering [i.e., the sport of exploring canyons by climbing, rappelling or rafting], you can also enjoy camping here, where you will have a great view of a starlit sky,” he added. “Of course, we also have security and toilets, and we sell cold drinks también.”

He told me that during the process of renovating this trail they removed three tons of trash both from the path and from the river. Now the entrance fee pays for regular maintenance.

“Water flows here all year round,” he said, “but the river and falls look their best during the dry season, when the water is almost crystal clear.”

“However, I should mention,” he added, “whatever time of the year you come here, the water is always ice cold.”

waterfall in Jaguar Canyon, Guadalajara — Canyoneers rappelling in Jaguar Canyon. Luigi Medina

The new trail turned out to be smooth and well-constructed for about 800 meters, weaving its way through wildflowers and papelillos covered with red strips of paper-thin bark and popularly known as “tourist trees.”

Every five minutes, we would stop and gasp at the gorgeous views we kept getting of the picturesque canyon below us.

And I must mention — as many other visitors have noted — that the trail, river and hillside are really clean, just as Orozco told us.

Along the way, we also saw patches of black basalt in the mainly rhyolite walls. After 800 meters, the path changes. It is now steeply inclined and rocky but still easy to follow, thanks to plenty of bright-yellow arrows.

At last, we reached the river. Signs pointed in two directions towards Fall No. 1 and Fall No. 2.

The first is 22 meters high, elegant and thin. You get to the large pool at its base by scrambling over some huge boulders.

Whether you swim here may depend on your tolerance for cold water and the time of year you visit. I suspect the cold water would be deliciously inviting in May, the hottest month of the year in these parts.

To get to the second waterfall, you need to cross the river and make your way 100 meters downstream. This waterfall, only 10 meters high, has a wide, wispy shape — just the style a watercolorist would love to paint.

Here, most of the walls around the pool are vertical, as if saying to the visitor: “Jump in or beat it!”

The trail continues on to a third waterfall farther downstream: La Cascada de San Lorenzo, at 25 meters high.

It’s followed by several more falls that can best be appreciated by watching Luigi Medina’s YouTube video on Las Cascadas de Huaxtla.

While the first three falls can be reached by just about anyone, if you want to see all of them, you will need to link up with an organization of experienced canyoneers.

The season for visiting Jaguar Canyon’s waterfalls is roughly from November to the first week in June. Stay away during the rainy season (June through September), when a flash flood could easily sweep you away.

To do this hike, ask Google Maps to take you to WJP3+JHQ Huaxtla, Jalisco. This will get you to the parking area and trailhead. Don’t ask for “Cascada de Huaxtla,” as you might end up at a boutique hotel on the other side of the canyon! Driving time from the northwest end of Guadalajara is about 40 minutes.

For more information, you can consult the Cascadas de Huaxtla Facebook page. Or if you’d like to have a personalized camping experience here, call Leonardo Orozco at 331-398-9937.

Leonardo can arrange for you to enjoy a nice hot cup of pajarete (coffee with hot milk, straight from the cow’s udder, plus, of course, a shot of tequila) to get you going early in the morning!

The writer has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, since 1985. His most recent book is Outdoors in Western Mexico, Volume Three. More of his writing can be found on his blog.

flora in Jaguar Canyon, Guadalajara — Huaxtla is one of the best places to see small Mammillaria cacti.

A year after new labeling took effect, junk food sales appear unaffected

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MND Staff

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November 26, 2021

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Although sales of junk food don't appear to have significantly declined, the Economy Ministry said the labeling law has achieved its goals.

More than a year after Mexico’s food warning label law took effect, sales of junk food and sugary beverages have not declined significantly, according to a market research firm and a business group.

In fact, sales of unhealthy products have increased in some cases, data shows.

The law, which requires black informational octagons to be placed on packaged foods that are high in saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, sodium or calories, came into force in October 2020, although companies had until December to phase in the new warning labels to avoid fines.

According to market research firm Kantar México, large food companies have not seen a major drop-off in the sale of products with warning labels.

Fabián Ghirardelly, a Kantar México director, said the firm’s weekly monitoring of the purchases made by 8,000 households in the first nine months of the year hasn’t detected any clear or significant impact on their buying patterns due to the labeling law.

A lot of changes in consumer behavior were detected last year but they were related to the pandemic and the lockdown, he told the newspaper El Universal.

Ghirardelly also said it’s worth noting that the labeling law took effect at an atypical time – at the end of the first year of the pandemic.

Jonás Murillo, vice president of the food, beverages and tobacco commission of industry confederation Concamin, also said that no major changes in consumer behavior have been detected.

“Although there has been some impact in some categories, sales didn’t drop off [completely],” he said.

Data from national statistics agency INEGI shows that the sale of three products high in sugar – candy, chocolate and soda – were up in September compared to the same month of last year.

Murillo said that some food companies changed the ingredients in some of their products so that warning labels didn’t have to be placed on their packaging. As a result they became different products and consumers sought out alternatives that were not as healthy but presumably tasted how they expected – and wanted – them to taste.

Murillo said that one problem with the labeling law is that it doesn’t distinguish between levels of unhealthiness.

“… A [packaged] salad with dressing has the same stamps as a soda, but in reality there is a great difference between consuming one or the other,” he said.

Although sales of unhealthy products don’t appear to have significantly declined, the Economy Ministry believes that the labeling law has achieved its objective. Consumers are now more informed and empowered to make better choices, said regulation director Alfonso Guati Rojo.

Alejandra Contreras of consumer rights group El Poder del Consumidor said that while the food and beverage industry has complied with the labeling law, a government campaign is needed to help children understand the different warnings and why a product might have more than one.

“A massive national-level campaign is needed so that children know why [some products] have two or three warning stamps,” she said.

With reports from El Universal

Embroidery of searching mothers strikes a nerve and goes viral

By

Rose Egelhoff

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November 26, 2021

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Members of a mothers' search brigade in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora.

One of the more poignant stories of Mexico’s crisis of missing people is in the teams of “searching mothers” that have formed all over the country to look for hidden graves, hoping to find the bodies of their lost children.

Now, an artist’s work honoring those mothers has gone viral on social media.

The embroidered piece, part of the exhibition Maternar (Mothering) at the University Museum of Contemporary Art (MUAC) in Mexico City, depicts four women digging with shovels along with the words, “And if I find him or her, then what?”

The artist, Pau Cuarón, posted an image of her work on the social media platform Instagram, and it was widely liked and shared.

“I loved this. It made me cry, it made me sad and very angry, and I felt a great tenderness,” commented one Instagram user.

“These mothers are doing more than any prosecutor has been able to do. They are great women and you [are] great for making such a powerful piece,” another social media user wrote.

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‘And if I find him or her, then what?’ The embroidery on display at a Mexico City museum.

Cuarón also shared a fragment of the book In Vitro by Isabel Zapata, which she said inspired her as she worked.

“A little while ago I read the testimony of a woman who, after years searching for her missing daughter, finally was able to hold her remains, which were found in a hidden grave. To the question of how she felt having those bones in her hands, the mother answered that it was like holding a newborn baby,” the book reads.

The MUAC exhibition Maternar features art created over the past two decades and explores themes related to motherhood while moving away from tired stereotypes. The exhibition opened November 20 and runs until June 2022.

With reports from Milenio

For Oaxaca traffic cop, dogs are pedestrians too

By

Rose Egelhoff

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November 26, 2021

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A dog crosses a busy Oaxaca street in safety.

A Oaxaca traffic cop won the approbation of social media users when a video of him helping a dog cross a busy road went viral this week.

José Antonio López was on traffic duty in San Agustín de las Juntas when a dog approached, clearly wanting to cross.

The dog hesitated at the sight of the busy road until López decided to help. The officer stopped traffic and urged the cautious canine to cross to safety.

“Go on, little one,” López can be heard saying in the video.

Social media users applauded the act, which the municipality shared on its Facebook page.

The police “not only give protection to people, they give protection and respect to animals,” the municipality wrote, noting that the “very respectful” dog obeyed the officer and waited to cross the street.

With reports from El Universal

Dora de la Garza lost 11 family members in 1 day; 9 years later it’s still a mystery

By

MND Staff

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November 26, 2021

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Countless Mexicans are searching for a missing family member. Dora Alicia de la Garza is looking for 11.

Her husband, two sons, three daughters-in-law and five grandchildren aged 11 to 16 were abducted from her home in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, nine years ago.

“I’m the wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother who’s looking for them,” de la Garza told the newspaper El Universal.

“And I cry for them all the time. My whole family was taken and so far I don’t know what happened to them.”

According to an El Universal report published Friday, witnesses say the 11 family members were taken from their home and forced into either black or white pickup trucks in the early hours of the morning.

While there’s an inconsistency there, testimonies are in agreement on some other details of the crime: the women tried to escape but were subdued by their kidnappers and the children’s faces were covered before they were forced into the vehicles.

De la Garza, who was spared by the attackers, said: “They were chasing my daughter-in-law through the house. The youngest girl was going to turn 11 that day and she was shouting [at them] to let her mom go. The ringleader … shouted [to his accomplices] to take everyone. One of my daughters-in-law gave birth 15 days earlier and they left the baby.”

“They were beating the 13-year-old boy and blood was coming out of his mouth because he put up a fight. … Knowing all this traumatized me. … If they did this when there were witnesses, what wouldn’t they do when no one was watching?” she said.

After the mass abduction, de la Garza and other members of her family who were not directly affected fled the family home out of fear. Nine years later, no one has been arrested and none of the victims have been located.

As governments came and went in Coahuila, de la Garza had to provide prosecutors with details about the abduction over and over again. She said the repeated interviews with authorities affected her health, explaining that she now has post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and diabetes.

“Every time I go [to the Attorney General’s Office] they ask me what I know about my family” but the authorities don’t look for them, de la Garza said.

“… Every time I go I become unwell or worse because I’m already stressed. … Every time that I think … we’re making progress, the Attorney General’s Office changes,” due to a change in government, she said.

Many other people in Mexico are in a similar situation, although few, if any, are looking for – and seeking justice for – such a large number of family members.

There are more than 94,000 missing persons in Mexico, most of whom disappeared during the past 15 years.

With reports from El Universal

Guaymas attack kills 3; target was police chief, says navy

By

MND Staff

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November 26, 2021

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State police patrol the area of the Thursday attack, — State police patrol the area of the Thursday attack.

Three people were killed in Guaymas, Sonora, in an armed attack Thursday that targeted the city’s police chief, Navy Minister José Rafael Ojeda said Friday.

The attack occurred outside the municipal palace in the northern port city as women were protesting against gender violence.

One of the victims was an 18-year-old protester who Ojeda identified as the daughter of a member of the navy. The other two victims, both men, were a member of the Guaymas mayor’s security team and a wanted criminal suspect, the navy chief said.

Two other people, another young protester and a municipal official, were wounded and taken to hospital for treatment.

Speaking at President López Obrador’s morning press conference, Ojeda said municipal police Chief Andrés Humberto Cano Ahuir, who is also a navy captain, was the target of the attack, perpetrated by unidentified gunmen. He described the three fatalities as “collateral damage.”

Navy Minister José Rafael Ojeda speaks at the president's Friday morning press conference. — Navy Minister José Rafael Ojeda speaks at the president’s Friday morning press conference. Presidencia de la República

The minister ruled out the possibility that the gunmen intended to kill Morena party Mayor Karla Córdova. She and Cano had come out of the municipal palace to speak with protesters, Ojeda said.

“It was not an attack directed at the mayor … they were going for the captain,” he said.

Ojeda said an arrest warrant had previously been issued for the slain suspect, believed to be a sicario (cartel hitman), but he had avoided capture.

“… We’re going to try to obtain intelligence information to go after this group that is in the region,” Ojeda said, without identifying the organization.

Sonora Attorney General Claudia Indira Contreras Córdova said in a video message early Friday that state authorities were considering the possibility that the attack targeted Cano, a 33-year veteran of the navy who became Guaymas police chief in August 2019. She said that the navy captain had been the subject of threats.

“That these attacks occur is unacceptable; we especially regret that it occurred at the end of a protest for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,” Contreras said.

The attorney general said police seized a pickup truck without registration plates that was abandoned near the scene of the crime. Two army-grade firearms and other weapons paraphernalia were found in the Nissan Titan, she said.

Contreras and Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo vowed to apprehend the perpetrators.

“Let there be no doubt, we’ll find the culprits. An act of violence that offends and hurts society will not go unpunished,” Durazo said.

With reports from Milenio

Bus accident leaves 19 dead in México state

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November 26, 2021

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The accident scene in Joquicingo Friday morning. twitter/@envozmx

Nineteen people are dead and at least 30 injured after a bus left the highway and struck a house in southern México state Friday morning.

According to police, the vehicles’s brakes failed while traveling on the Joquicingo-Malinalco highway near the community of El Guarda in Joquicingo.

The 49 passengers aboard were on a pilgrimage from Michoacán to Chalmo in the state of México.

Ten ambulances were being dispatched from Toluca, Lerma, Metepec, Tenancingo, Ixtapan de la Sal and Huixquilucan, the Red Cross said at 9:30 a.m.

Civil Protection said two helicopters were on hand to aid with medical evacuations.

With reports from Milenio

Women across Mexico march against violence as femicides remain unchecked

By

MND Staff

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November 26, 2021

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Thousands of women and girls took to the nation’s streets on Thursday to protest against gender violence.

On International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, marches and/or rallies were held in numerous cities including Mexico City, Acapulco, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Culiacán, Mérida, Cancún, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Morelia and Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

In the national capital, women – including mothers and other relatives of femicide victims – marched from the Angel of Independence monument on Reforma Avenue and the Monument to the Revolution in Republic Square to the zócalo, the main square in the historic center.

They – and women across the country – have plenty to protest about. In the almost three years since President López Obrador took office, an average of 10 women per day have been murdered in Mexico for reasons related to gender. Almost 4,000 women were killed in the past year alone, and many more are victims of attempted femicide. Impunity for acts of violence against women remains rampant.

“In Mexico violence is an endless epidemic,” 27-year-old Nazaret told the newspaper El País during the march in Mexico City.

Police stand behind barriers and hand written signs at the protest in Mexico City. — Police stand behind barriers and hand-written signs at the protest in Mexico City.

Wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Being alive shouldn’t be an achievement,” she marched to the zócalo with her sister and friends.

As they walked, women voiced their indignation with rallying cries denouncing femicides and other forms of violence against women.

“Girls are not to be touched, raped or killed,” read a sign displayed by a girl no older than five. “He tried to strangle me and the Attorney General’s Office said it was [nothing more than] a family dispute,” said another placard.

Approximately 2,500 police women lined the Mexico City march routes, and some were targeted by masked protesters dressed in black. Members of the so-called bloque negro, or black bloc, also committed violent acts of vandalism, but most women protested peacefully. Police used tear gas against a few groups of violent protesters, El País reported.

In the zócalo, survivors of violence and relatives of femicide victims recounted their traumatic experiences and difficulties in pursuing justice as day gave way to night in the capital.

Verónica Tellez, whose 17-year-old daughter was murdered in Chicoloapan, México state, in 2016, denounced the lack of progress in the case.

“It will be six years next February and we haven’t had justice,” she said. “No one has been arrested for the femicide of my daughter.”

Karen Reyes, whose 13-year-old daughter was murdered in Ixtapaluca – another México state municipality in the greater Mexico City metropolitan area, said there has been no justice in that case either. She said she suspected that her ex-boyfriend had killed her daughter after she told her that he had been sexually abusing her.

“I went to work one Sunday and when I got home I found [the dead body of] my daughter with her face taped up, with signs of violence and sexual abuse,” she said.

There are countless other cases of shocking violence against women and girls in Mexico: a 7-year-old girl strangled with a belt; a 25-year-old woman murdered, skinned and mutilated by her partner, a 19-year-old student murdered by a Cabify driver.

“It’s very serious that there are 10 femicides per day, that [statistic] hasn’t changed in three years,” the head of the National Commission to Prevent and Eradicate Violence Against Women told the newspaper Milenio.

“… The biggest challenge that we’re facing is with the judicial power. … Of all the cases [of violence against women] that are reported, [prison] sentences are achieved in only 1%,” Fabiola Alanís said.

With reports from Expansión Política, El País and Milenio