San Miguel de Allende named world’s best small city

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October 7, 2020

Readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine have chosen San Miguel de Allende as 2020’s Best Small City in the World as part of the magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards (RCA). This is an award the city has won twice before, in 2017 and 2018.

The Pueblo Mágico, or Magical Town, is described as a “hub for expat artists” and is acclaimed for its colonial streets and stunning architecture, especially the town’s Gothic cathedral, one of the most photographed churches in all of Mexico. San Miguel was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.

“Considering the current situation of the tourism industry, we are overjoyed with this recognition,” said Laura Torres Septién, president of the San Miguel de Allende Tourism Board. “We welcome any and all good news that gives a sense of normalcy.”

“We are more than proud to return to the RCA list this year, and I am more than proud to thank the readers of Condé Nast Traveler for this honor that is, without doubt, a reflection of the welcoming nature of our residents and the hard work our tourism infrastructure does on a continuous basis,” Mayor Luis Alberto Villarreal said.

Another Mexican city that made the list was Mérida, Yucatán, which placed third.

The Best of 2020 awards were voted on by more than 715,000 readers, who also named the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende as the Best Hotel in the Americas. Readers chose the Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, as the Best Resort in Mexico.

Earlier this year San Miguel’s Hotel Amparo, a five-room boutique hotel in the center of the colonial city, took the No. 2 spot in Travel + Leisure magazine’s 25th annual World’s Best Awards, and was also named the top city hotel in Mexico.

Six other Mexican hotels made that magazine’s World’s Best list. Cala de Mar Resort and Spa in Ixtapa, Guerrero, came in at No. 38, and the Rosewood Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, was named 56th. The Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal in Baja California Sur made No. 72, followed by Mexico City’s Saint Regis at 73. The Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay Resort and Spa in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, came in at No. 94 and Viceroy Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, was 95th on the list.

Source: Yahoo (en)

Farmers to stop military burning poppies; it’s their only source of income

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MND Staff

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October 7, 2020

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Residents of 33 communities in Guerrero have pledged that they will not allow the military to destroy their opium poppy plantations.

Townsfolk from the municipalities of Helidoro Castillo and San Miguel Totolapan who say that cultivating poppies provides them with their only source of income signed a document in early June in which they committed to defending their plants in the face of destruction by the army, which routinely burns fields of the illicit crop.

At a meeting in Helidoro Castillo on Sunday, leaders from the 33 communities agreed that if they don’t receive a commitment from federal authorities that their poppies will be respected, they will block highways in Guerrero.

In video footage of the meeting, one of the town commissioners proposes blocking the Acapulco-Zihuatanejo highway and the one linking Chilpancingo and Iguala.

Another town commissioner said municipal, state and federal authorities have failed to fulfill promises in the areas of education, health and construction of roads. “The truth is we’re forgotten,” he said.

According to a report by the newspaper Reforma, the community leaders warned that if something untoward happens to a military fumigation helicopter or to military personnel deployed to destroy poppies, it will not be their fault but rather that of the federal government.

In the June document, the residents pledge to defend their “work” until the government provides them with financial assistance that allows them to maintain their families.

“We are determined to prevent our poppy plantations from being destroyed whether it is by air or land,” the document said.

Reforma reported that the protest tactics of farmers from the Sierra region of Guerrero, some of whom have been growing opium poppies for decades, have become more radical, noting that residents of one Helidoro Castillo community detained a group of 40 soldiers in April last year to demand that they halt operations to destroy poppies.

Farmers from the Sierra region have also detained soldiers and police to demand that the government distribute free fertilizer.

Farmers say they use state-supplied fertilizer for crops such as corn, beans and squash. But federal and state authorities have detected that most farmers use the fertilizer for illicit crops, including opium.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Time to chill and smoke a joint—which may be fully legal soon

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Sarah DeVries

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October 7, 2020

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Supporters of legalization plant marijuana in front of the Senate in Mexico City. — Supporters of legalization plant marijuana at a park in front of the Senate in Mexico City.

Could we all pause and take a moment in this disaster of a year to just chill and smoke a joint together?

According to Ricardo Monreal, Morena party leader in the Senate, the answer is — most likely yes, and probably very soon.

I for one think that this couldn’t come at a better time. We can’t go out and live it up. Our politics are a mess, as is the economy. We’re missing birthdays, weddings, funerals, baptisms, live music, dance festivals, book fairs.

One of the things I most miss is my bougie habit of hauling my laptop to a café for breakfast with a friend and then staying a few hours to work while my daughter’s at school. If this year has taught us anything, it’s this: it really is the little things, those small moments of pleasure and connection that make life worth it.

So while we can’t find social release in the form of big group events, we can at least relax and find a different kind of release for the time being. Actually, you all can.

Personally, I hate the way pot makes me feel and have given up on trying to find any kind of enjoyment from it, but I’ll sure sit and have a beer with you — from a safe distance, outside of course — while you enjoy it. And let’s be honest: living in Xalapa, that’s already long been an established habit for me.

Anyway, back to the news: while the Supreme Court already determined last year that forbidding marijuana use was unconstitutional, its legalized use has yet to be written into law, and there are still quite a few specifics to hammer out.

They’d initially set this past April as the deadline for legalizing recreational use, but the coronavirus upended those (and many other) plans. Their new deadline is mid-December, which is fast approaching. Will Santa and the Three Kings get a nice joint set out for them along with the cookies? Most likely, yes. Legalization of recreational use is, at least so far, expected to pass easily.

So what do you think awaits us?

spacey potheads roaming the streets, but at least they’re too high to hurt anyone
a booming pot economy and related innovation that will take Mexico to a much needed next level
the same kind of crony and corrupt capitalism there’s always been, only this time with marijuana!
all of the above

While it’s hard to be too optimistic about this truly becoming a game changer, I do find myself hopeful that it will force the U.S. to calm down its hysteria regarding “the drug war,” allowing Mexico to assert some of its autonomy in a way that it hasn’t done lately.

The law will also hopefully permit small businesses to open without having to hop through expensive regulatory hoops designed to allow only giants to play — I pray there are no Pot Walmarts in our future.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against regulation. But surely we can have the pot version of artisanal beer and mezcal, right?

I also wonder about what will happen with the drug cartels. I think experience has shown us that they simply move along to other lucrative illegal activities when one dries up as they have many times before. But I have a hard time believing that it will be easy for a small-time farmer to tell them “so look guys, I’ve decided to not sell to you anymore, I’m going legal.”

New businesses large and small will probably have some sticky situations to get out of because of our lack of a true rule of law in general, and I don’t imagine the transition to mainstream will be as straightforward and easy as some believe.

Throw in “opposition from some industries” regarding hemp products, and you can see my skepticism when it comes to fair play. (On a related note, have y’all noticed that the people who espouse the magic of the free market tend to be the same ones to cry foul if they think someone’s actually competing with them with a better product in hand because it will be “detrimental” to their business? “You can’t let others compete with us — we’d lose money! Not fair!”)

But one thing’s for certain: we’re bound to see a bunch of half-smiling, squinty-eyed Mexicans and paisanos alike wandering about. That makes for a pretty good community in my book. These are tough times. Let’s let people sit back and relax a bit without them risking jail time.

In the meantime, I’m going to perfect my already near-perfect brownie recipe. In times like these, you never know when a business opportunity might pop up!

Sarah DeVries writes from her home in Xalapa, Veracruz.

NGO warns of ‘incalculable damage’ from abolishing public trusts

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MND Staff

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October 7, 2020

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Discussion of the abolishment of trusts came to blows in Congress on Tuesday.

The abolition of more than 100 public trusts, a federal government plan that is generating heated debate in Congress, will cause “incalculable damage,” warns a non-governmental organization.

Government watchdog Causa en Común (Common Cause) said the order to eliminate 109 public trusts and funds represents unprecedented abuse in the management of resources set aside for projects and activities that are “essential” to the Mexican state.

Resources earmarked for scientific research, cultural projects, disaster response, the defense of human rights, the protection of journalists, agricultural development, scholarships for students and attending to victims of crime are all at risk, the group said in a statement under the heading, “Expropriating Public Trusts is a Robbery against the Future of the Country.”

Causa en Común charged that the “appropriation of resources is now a custom of the current government,” noting that it has already reassigned billions of pesos from two large federal funds.

“The reassignment of resources has caused … a severe amputation of government capacities,” it said, adding that federal authorities are now seeking to appropriate tens of billions of pesos to use at their own discretion.

The 109 trusts set to be abolished – a bill to eliminate them was approved by the lower house of Congress on Tuesday – had a combined budget of 68 billion pesos (US $3.1 billion) this year. Lawmakers have already passed a reform that will allow the Interior Ministry to control the funds.

Causa en Común claimed that the government will redirect the resources to “useless” infrastructure projects, the militarization of Mexico and welfare programs.

“At a time when the worst health, economic and security crises of the past century are converging, the damage to the country will be incalculable. There will be insufficient demagogy to hide the merciless diversion of resources towards grandiose [but] useless projects, the militarization of the country and clientelistic programs disguised as social policy,” the NGO said.

“We respectfully appeal to all legislators not to subordinate the development of the country to pressure, threats and electoral calculations. We make an urgent call to [lawmakers to] defend scientific research, culture, civilian security institutions, victims, human rights and the fundamental capacities of the Mexican state. All these are causes and responsibilities that the country doesn’t have the luxury of abandoning. Please rectify.”

Several academics have also criticized the plan to abolish the public trusts, asserting that it will deal a historic blow to science and culture.

Today, President López Obrador claimed officials at the disaster relief fund Fonden, one of the trusts, used it as “a not-so-petty cash box.”

Source: Reforma (sp)

Disaster relief fund was ‘petty cash box’ for corrupt officials: AMLO

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MND Staff

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October 7, 2020

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Fonden doles out cash to help victims of natural disasters — Fonden doles out cash to aid victims of natural disasters. But the president says it has doled out cash to the not so needy too.

The disaster relief fund Fonden, one of 109 public trusts to be abolished by the federal government, was used as a “petty cash box” by corrupt officials, President López Obrador claimed Wednesday.

“Why are we going to eliminate Fonden? Because there is sufficient evidence to assert that it was a kind of petty cash box for officials; well, not so petty,” he told reporters at his regular news conference.

The president charged that officials took advantage of emergency situations to purchases billions of pesos worth of goods such as camp beds and sheet metal at “extremely high prices.”

”“There are people who lived off … Fonden, who did juicy business [with its resources],” López Obrador said.

Lawmakers who protested in Congress on Tuesday against the plan to abolish the public trusts are seeking to defend vested interests, he claimed.

Academics and others have criticized the plan to abolish the public trusts, asserting that it will result in funding cuts for areas such as scientific research and culture.

But López Obrador said that no injustice was being committed because anyone receiving government funding will continue to receive it if it is justified and they really deserve it.

“It catches my attention that they are defending the maintenance of the trusts with so much passion,” he said. “They were managed without transparency, in a discretionary way. It’s not known how their budgets were exercised, … it is known that there is a history of corruption.”

The Chamber of Deputies approved the proposal to abolish the trusts en lo general, or in a general sense, on Tuesday but individual articles within it remain up for debate and are subject to modification. If it receives full approval, the plan will be sent to the Senate for its consideration.

Mexico’s ruling party Morena, which put forward the plan, leads a coalition with a majority in both houses of Congress.

Accusations of corruption at Fonden have been made for many years.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Former security minister pleads not guilty to revised US drug charges

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Susy Buchanan

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October 7, 2020

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The former minister of security who was arrested last December in the United States on drug-related charges has pleaded not guilty to revised charges.

Genaro García Luna, minister of public security under president Felipe Calderón, entered not guilty pleas to revised counts that include engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise in violation of narcotics laws, international conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute, conspiracy to import cocaine and perjury of authority.

“Specifically, it is alleged that he committed six offenses, that he committed them with five or more people, that he supervised or managed those five people, and that he obtained substantial profits,” explained Judge Brian Cogan in a rather chaotic virtual hearing which had to be temporarily suspended.

Members of the Mexican media who were listening in on the proceedings remotely were either unable or unwilling to put their phones on mute and the judge was interrupted by all manner of cross chatter, coughing, music and even obscenities.

“I have repeatedly asked the Mexican press to stop talking on this call,” Judge Cogan said. “If I cannot continue, I will stop this call and schedule (the hearing) for later,” threatened the judge, before pausing the proceedings for 10 minutes

García’s next hearing is set for December 7, when a trial date could be announced.

“As alleged, for nearly two decades García Luna betrayed those he was sworn to protect by accepting bribes from members of the Sinaloa Cartel to facilitate their crimes and empower their criminal enterprise,” said Seth D. DuCharme, acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, when the indictment was issued. “García Luna and his co-conspirators will face justice for offenses involving the importation and the distribution of massive quantities of dangerous drugs into the United States.”

If convicted of the newly added continuing criminal enterprise charge, García faces 20 years to life. He pleaded not guilty to three original counts of cocaine trafficking conspiracy and a false declaration charge in January.

García is being held without bail in a Brooklyn jail after his December 2019 arrest in Dallas, Texas, accused of having ties to the Sinaloa Cartel and its leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, to which he allegedly provided protection and from which he received millions of dollars in cash between 2006 and 2012.

Between now and December, García Luna and his attorney will review 189,000 pages of evidence as well as intercepted communications and digital files as they prepare for trial, although a last-minute plea deal is still a possibility.

Source: Milenio (sp)

It takes Concepción Fernández two full days to prepare chiles en nogada

By

Joseph Sorrentino

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October 7, 2020

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The Puebla cook and the ingredients that will go into her own version of the dish.

In Puebla, the signs and posters advertising chile en nogada typically start appearing outside restaurants and homes in late June and then disappear sometime in October.

The dish is a stuffed poblano chile bathed in a walnut-based cream sauce (the nogada), topped with pomegranate seeds and parsley, imparting to the dish the colors of the Mexican flag. If you haven’t ever tried it, rush out and see if you’re lucky enough to savor this exquisite dish.

Like many traditional dishes in Mexico, chile en nogada’s origin is a little murky. It’s generally accepted that it was first made by nuns in the Santa Mónica convent in Puebla during a celebration of Mexican independence. The recipe they used was one brought from Spain where a similar dish was made but served as a dessert.

It was also initially served as dessert in Mexico but now it’s a main dish, with families and restaurants having their own recipes, recipes that have been handed down through generations. Although most closely associated with Puebla, chile en nogada can now be found in restaurants all across Mexico.

Concepción Fernández of San Pedro Yancuitlalpan stands next to a table filled with the ingredients that will go into her chile en nogada and points them out. “Chile poblano, of course,” she said, “pears, apples, peaches, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts and pomegranates.”

Fernández and her daughter fry the chiles.

The fruits, she explained, are special ones used for the dish. “Panocheara is an apple that is sweeter than other types, pera lechera is a small pear that is also sweet and combines well with the walnuts, and the peach is durazno criollo that has more flavor.”

Although she said there are vegetarian versions in her pueblo, located in Cholula, Puebla, pork is always added.

“It is popular because it is only available at this season because it is harvest time,” explained her son, Santos Popoca Fernández. “Everything is from our harvest except for the almonds, pine nuts and meat.”

To say the preparation is laborious would be an understatement.

“The fruit must be ripe,” said Guadalupe Jiménez Rincón, Concepción Fernández’s daughter-in-law, who helps with the cooking.

“You must peel the fruit, cut it all up very small and cook it. The walnuts are raw but the almonds and pine nuts are fried. The nuts are then ground and it is all mixed by hand. Finally, the pork is added.”

The final stage in the preparation of chiles en nogada.

The most painstaking step is peeling the skin off the walnuts, which is done by hand. “Soaking them first helps,” she explained. The walnuts are fresh and, once the bitter-tasting skin is removed, have a very mild flavor.

The sauce is made with walnuts, queso fresco, Philadelphia cream cheese and, said Fernández, “a little milk to thin it out.”

She insists on using charcoal to roast the chiles. “Everything with carbon has a better flavor,” she said. Once the skins have blistered, she places the chiles in a bag for about 15 minutes, then peels them and removes the seeds. Finally, she stuffs them with the mixture, places them in hot oil and smothers them with beaten egg whites.

The frying only takes a few minutes after which she ladles on the nogada, sprinkles the chiles with pomegranate seeds and tops them with a couple of sprigs of parsley.

Fernández has been selling chile en nogada from her small home for about 20 years. “Before we made it only for our family,” she said. She figures she sells about 400 for the season at 150 pesos (about US $7) each.

She serves them with bread. “We always eat chiles with bread,” said Santos. It’s a particularly good idea with chile en nogada because you’ll want to sop up every bit of that sauce.

César Galeazzi and Zuri Merlo sat at the small table in Fernández home, enjoying the chiles. Preparing their meal — peeling, chopping and cooking the fruit and nuts — took two whole days. Mixing the ingredients took another hour.

When Galeazzi was asked what he thought about the time it took to prepare the meal, he didn’t hesitate. “Vale la pena,” he said. “Claro que sí.” It is worth it. Certainly.

Joseph Sorrentino is a regular contributor to Mexico News Daily.

Delta makes landfall in Quintana Roo as Category 2 hurricane

By

Susy Buchanan

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October 7, 2020

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Ominous skies and a near-empty beach in Cancún prior to the arrival of Hurricane Delta.

Hurricane Delta made landfall in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday as a Category 2 hurricane, causing limited damage and blackouts in parts of Yucatán and Quintana Roo. No injuries or deaths have been reported.

“We have registered minor impacts. We have a power outage in the municipality of Cancún and a lack of power in 70% of Cozumel,” said Luis Alberto Ortega of the Civil Protection agency. Damage was mainly limited to fallen trees and flooding, he reported. The Cancún airport, which was closed yesterday, remained without power.

Ortega urged residents to follow recommendations from Civil Protection and to continue to monitor warnings issued by the national weather service even though the storm has passed.

A total of 39,290 people were evacuated in Quintana Roo and Yucatán in preparation for what yesterday had been designated a Category 4 hurricane.

Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Manuel Joaquín González said that crews would be sent out to assess the damage and begin restoring power to affected areas, which were thought to be mainly Solidaridad, Cozumel and Puerto Morelos. All businesses remained closed in the wake of the storm and residents were asked to remain in their homes until further notice.

Delta, which was moving northward at a relatively good clip of 28 kilometers per hour, was expected to leave Mexican territory later today as it regains strength over the Gulf of Mexico. “Let’s hope that in the course of the day, before noon, the eye of the hurricane passes approximately through Dzilam de Bravo, Yucatán. There it would leave the coasts to return to the Gulf of Mexico to the east and later to the north,” navy official Juan Carlos Vera explained.

Vera added that in Quintana Roo there are currently 10,600 miliatary personnel deployed to support citizens in the storm’s aftermath.

“There is a deployment of elements from both the army and the navy, the Federal Electricity Commission, Conagua, Civil Protection. The entire federal government is there helping with whatever is necessary,” said President López Obrador at his morning press conference.

Although danger from the winds appears to have passed, the storm surge along the Yucatán Peninsula remains a cause for concern and water levels could rise as much as three meters above normal tide levels.

Source: Milenio (sp), Reforma (sp)

Crocodile returned to mangroves after capture on Oaxaca farm

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Susy Buchanan

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October 7, 2020

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The reptile had probably left its natural habitat in Manialtepec Lagoon, officials said.

A crocodile measuring over a meter and a half long was captured in the community of Bajos de Chila, about 15 minutes from Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.

The reptile had been attacking farm animals in their pens on a farm, whose owner complained to authorities.

“He told us that there was a crocodile in a pool there at his farm and well, it had already started to eat the chickens, and he was afraid that later on he would start eating his sheep and goats. So he asked us to locate this specimen,” said José Antonio Ramírez, of the Civil Protection agency.

Officials found the croc, which weighed more than 60 kilos, after draining the pool it was sheltering in.

Civil Protection suspects the crocodile must have left one of the mangrove swamps in nearby Manialtepec lagoon. The animal was released in its natural habitat in an unpopulated area.

In Oaxaca, crocodiles occasionally come into contact with people. A fisherman was attacked by a crocodile while taking a nap on the Boca Barra beach, just south of Puerto Escondido, last November, suffering lacerations to his arm, leg and head.

Early this week reports surfaced of people posing for photos with a large crocodile in Tomás Garrido park in Villahermosa, Tabasco. Women, children and entire families had their photo taken with the animal that was sunbathing on a rock wall. One man lifted the two-meter-long crocodile’s tail for a photo.

According to CrocBITE, a worldwide database of crocodile attacks, there have been 10 attacks on humans in Mexico thus far this year, with one fatality.

In May a 4-year-old boy was dragged off by a crocodile in San Blas, Nayarit. The crocodile was located several hours later, but officials had to shoot it repeatedly in order to recover the child’s lifeless body.

Source: Televisa (sp)

Postpone new refinery, direct resources to essential activities: IMF

By

MND Staff

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October 7, 2020

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The new refinery under construction in Tabasco.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recommended that construction of the new oil refinery on the Tabasco coast be postponed.

In a concluding statement after an official staff visit to Mexico, the IMF said that Pemex’s business strategy, including construction of the Dos Bocas refinery, is “crowding out resources for essential spending.”

Given the state oil company’s “widening losses,” it is advisable that it focus production only in profitable fields, the organization said.

Many analysts have criticized the plan to build the US $8-billion refinery on the grounds that it diverts resources from Pemex’s more profitable exploration business.

To improve its financial position, the state-run company, which has debt in excess of US $100 billion, should “sell non-core assets, curb plans to increase refining output at a loss and postpone new refinery plans …” the IMF said.

It recommended that Pemex partner with private firms, asserting that doing so would supply “needed capital and know-how.”

The government has been criticized for not allowing Pemex to enter into new joint ventures known as farm-outs with private companies.

In its concluding statement, the IMF also noted that the coronavirus pandemic “has exacted a tragic human, social and economic toll on Mexico.”

Given the coronavirus-induced economic downturn, Mexico needs more near-term fiscal support, the organization said.

“The [Mexican] authorities are providing very modest near-term direct fiscal support. They increased health spending and direct budget support to households and firms by 0.7% of GDP. However, this compares with over 3% of GDP support among G20 emerging markets,” the IMF said.

“To stem the decline in economic activity and rise in poverty, Mexico would benefit from higher temporary near-term fiscal support of 2½–3½% of GDP (relative to pre-pandemic policy settings). Mexico has some fiscal space and enjoys comfortable market access that could be used during these difficult times.”

The IMF also said that there “appears to be room for further monetary easing,” even though the central bank has cut interest rates seven times this year, lowering the Bank of México’s benchmark rate from 7.25% at the start of 2020 to 4.25%.

Lower interest rates would provide further relief to the economy, “with likely limited risk to external financial stability,” the monetary fund said.

“A lower cost of borrowing would help reduce debt servicing pressures, especially among weaker borrowers, possibly boost investment, and increase the marginal attractiveness of the credit facilities of the central bank.”

Source: El Universal (sp)