Morena Deputy Sergio Pérez and marijuana activists plant some pot outside the federal Congress on Thursday in support of legalization.
The Supreme Court (SCJN) on Thursday granted an extension to the lower house of Congress to debate the recreational use of marijuana.
The court, which ruled last year that laws prohibiting the use of marijuana are unconstitutional, had set a December 15 limit for approval after extending previous deadlines.
Lower house lawmakers requested an extension on the grounds that the bill was complex and time was limited.
Dulce María Sauri, an Institutional Revolutionary Party deputy and president of the lower house, said in a letter to the court’s chief justice that the Chamber of Deputies has an obligation to listen to “all interested voices” on the legalization subject. She also said that the Congress must guarantee the opportunity for “wide debate” among lawmakers.
“Due to the complexity of the issue … extending the period granted [for legalization] to the next ordinary sitting period is courteously requested,” Sauri wrote.
With the court’s approval, the Chamber of Deputies will now have until the end of their first 2021 sitting period in late April to make the recreational use of marijuana legal.
If deputies fail to do so, the SCJN could formally declare that all laws prohibiting the plant’s recreational use are unconstitutional.
Once recreational use is approved – considered inevitable because of the court’s 2019 ruling and support for legalization from the ruling Morena party – Mexico will become the world’s largest legal marijuana market.
The bill passed by the Senate allows the possession of up to 28 grams of marijuana by adults but they would be prohibited from smoking in front of children.
People would be permitted to grow up to six plants at home and a licensing system for large-scale production and sale would be established.
In San Luis Potosí, romance has suffered under the coronavirus.
Divorces in San Luis Potosi have shot up by 50% in 2020 compared to last year, according to a state justice official, suggesting the increase might be due to couples spending more time with each other thanks to coronavirus stay-at-home measures.
Magistrate Olga Regina García López said 2,005 divorcios incausados — or divorces in which only one member of the couple need request a divorce — have been filed in the state this year.
She theorized that the coronavirus is a contributing factor, saying that people are spending more time at home. She also cited the reported pandemic-related increase in domestic violence this year as a likely factor.
It’s possible that the number of divorces will increase even more in 2021, as the state is planning to unveil a system for granting online divorces next week. The new procedure would only be allowed for uncontested separations.
Couples would be able to do all proceedings remotely instead of having to appear in person before a judge.
The new module is part of an overall initiative in the state to create online options for a variety of noncriminal legal proceedings in family and labor law and more, García said. The digital system will also speed up legal notification processes in some matters, she said.
In the case of online divorce, a couple would be able to sign their legal paperwork, digitize it and send it to the courts. In certain cases, the new system could allow a divorce to happen within two or three weeks, García said.
The president points to Mexico's low ranking on a chart showing international minimum wages.
President López Obrador said Thursday that the government is proposing an increase of at least 15% to the minimum wage.
The daily minimum wage is currently 123.2 pesos (US $6.15) in most of the country and 185.6 pesos in the northern border region. If the government’s proposed hike is approved, the daily minimum would increase to 141.7 pesos (US $7.10) on January 1.
“A 15% increase is what we’re proposing, at least,” López Obrador said before referring to a graphic that showed that Mexico would nevertheless still have one of the lowest minimum wages in the world.
The National Minimum Wage Commission, made up of government officials, private sector representatives and union leaders, will ultimately decide the size of the increase. Mexico has traditionally kept any hikes just above the inflation rate to help keep costs down for companies that export to the United States.
The president said that it became “dogma” under past neoliberal governments that increasing the minimum wage would cause inflation and therefore they allowed it to stagnate.
However, he asserted that his administration’s hikes – 16% last year and 20% in 2020 – haven’t caused inflation.
(Indeed, inflation has decreased by more than 1% in the first two years of the government and was up just 3.33% in November compared to a year earlier.)
López Obrador added that the minimum wage has to keep increasing gradually because it is an “embarrassment” at its current level.
He said Wednesday that Mexico had the lowest minimum wage in Latin America and that it has to be increased to recover people’s purchasing power.
“It’s just and necessary that the minimum salary increase as much as possible because it deteriorated a lot in the whole neoliberal period,” López Obrador said, referring to the 36 years before he took office.
The government’s proposed 15% increase is above that suggested by Mexican Employers Federation president Gustavo de Hoyos. He said Monday that that the 2021 minimum wage should be fixed between 128.1 and 135.8 pesos per day, which would be an increase in the range of just 4% to 10%.
In Mexico, even dogs are fans of cohetes. Joseph Sorrentino
When I complain to friends back in the U.S. about cohetes, the bottle rockets that are a staple of Mexican celebrations — and I’ll freely admit that I complain way too often, their typical response is, “You know, we have bottle rockets here too.”
It usually comes with a sigh, and I can picture them shrugging. But what passes for bottle rockets in the U.S. are these dinky, one- or two-inch-long glorified firecrackers that go “pop” when they explode. Mexicans have large, military-grade rockets that explode with a concussive boom.
I lived in Mexico for months before I could stop flinching when they went off, which in San Gregorio Atlapulco, a town in Xochimilco, Mexico City, can be two or three times a week, or sometimes more often. A barrage can last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. We can thank, or curse, the Spaniards for bringing cohetes to Mexico.
The first recorded use of cohetes in Spain was in 1554 at the wedding of Philip II of Spain and Maria Tudor of England. That apparently set the stage for their use in other celebrations. They were readily accepted in Mexico.
“It is a tradition from the colonial period, brought from Spain,” said Javier Márquez Juárez, who has written extensively about the history of San Gregorio. “They represent lightning. Because cohetes climb to the sky, they are associated with rain and Tlaloc, the god of rain.”
At the Fiesta de San Gregorio, participants ask for a good rainy season.
The Fiesta de San Gregorio, a celebration of the pueblo’s patron saint, is in March, which coincides with the beginning of the rainy season, a critical time for agriculture in Mexico.
“Since rain is so important, we light many, many cohetes during that fiesta,” said Márquez.
Jozafath Abad has overseen the salva, the volley that happens at the beginning of the fiesta, for seven years.
“It is a tradition from our ancestors,” he said, “from father to father. It is to celebrate the fiesta, the birthday of our patron saint, to give thanks to him. It is also to petition for rain so that there will be a good harvest of maíz [corn]. Cohetes bring rain.”
There are a couple of salvas during the event, the largest beginning around 6 a.m. and continuing for about an hour.
Some people place cohetes in a thin metal tube and light them but the preferred method is to hold it gently between your thumb and index finger, placing a lit cigarette to the fuse and letting it go when it catches. The fingers of people using this method are burned and blackened by the sparks flying off the fuse. I thought it best not to try this. To be honest, I thought it best not to try any method for lighting them. I value my fingers.
The preferred method of holding the bottle rockets is between one’s fingers.
They are also frequently used in what’s known as religión popular (popular religion).
“Cohetes are used to give thanks to a particular saint or virgin,” said María Teresa Contreras González, who sells fireworks. “To venerate the saint, to give a blessing.”
They’re also used three times at the beginning of pilgrimages.
“The first cohete announces that the pilgrimage is about to start,” said Raúl Hernández Serralde, who has organized pilgrimages to Chalma in México state. “The second is to tell people to come now, and the third is to show the route.” They’re also set off during the pilgrimage to continue announcing the route.
Smoke from the cohetes is also symbolic. According to an article by María del Carmen Vázquez Mantecón, it represents a connection between humans and gods. She also points out the close connection they have with the agricultural cycle and the petitioning for rain.
Sometimes it seems like there’s always a reason to light them. In addition to a saint’s feast day and pilgrimages, they’re used during funeral processions, when the first stone is laid for a home and also when the last one is in place. You’ll hear them during quinceañeras and velaciones, the ceremonies that occur the night before major fiestas. They’re present at recorridos, religious processions that travel through San Gregorio, and posadas, Christmas events that take place December 16–25.
Cohetes are part of many Mexican occasions, from birthdays to funerals.
When asked why cohetes are so often a part of celebrations, Hernández smiled. “They are a symbol of joy,” he said.
Aurelia Olivos Navarette has gone on dozens of pilgrimages and recorridos and, as a resident of San Gregorio, is quite familiar with cohetes.
“Sometimes they bother me,” she admitted, “but they are very pretty because it means there is a fiesta or some other event.”
When I hear cohetes, which is still a few times a week in San Gregorio, and feel myself getting annoyed, I remind myself that they signify joy, that somewhere someone is having a celebration. It’s kind of hard to get upset about that.
Joseph Sorrentino is a regular contributor to Mexico News Daily.
The mayor has strong support from women — 75% compared to 64% from men.
Two years after taking office, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum has an approval rating of 70%, according to a new poll.
Three-quarters of women polled by the newspaper El Financiero on December 4 and 5 said they approved of the mayor’s performance while 64% of men said the same.
Sheinbaum’s net approval rating of 70% is higher than those of her three most recent predecessors after the same amount of time in office.
President López Obrador (2000-2005), Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard (2006-2012) and federal Senator Miguel Ángel Mancera (2012-2018) had approval ratings of 67%, 57% and 32%, respectively, two years into their terms as mayor.
Sheinbaum, a close ally of the president, had a 72% approval rating at the start of the year, according to El Financiero, but slumped to 55% in February and remained at that level of support in March. Her rating was at 60% or above every other month of the year expect December when it rose five points to 70%.
The mayor’s approval rating since March 2019. Blue indicates approval; orange the opposite. el financiero
The 600 respondents to the most recent poll were asked to assess the Mexico City government’s performance in four different areas: responding to the coronavirus pandemic, public transit, public security and managing the economy.
Half of those polled said that Sheinbaum’s government is responding very well or well to the pandemic while 27% said that it is dealing with the coronavirus badly or very badly. Just over one in five respondents said that the pandemic response is neither good nor bad.
The result was the best for the government in the four different areas. Unlike López Obrador, Sheinbaum, a scientist by training, has been a strong advocate for the use of face masks, and has led the largest Covid-19 testing program in the country.
The mayor, who tested positive for the coronavirus in October, has also kept citizens well informed about the measures the government is taking to combat the spread of the virus, frequently fronting virtual press conferences even while self isolating.
Just over a third of poll respondents – 37% – said the government is performing very well or well in the area of public transit, while 28% said the opposite.
Only 24% of those polled said that the government is doing a very good or good job on public security while more than double that percentage – 53% – said the opposite.
Mexico City recorded almost 1,000 intentional homicides in the first 10 months of the year, including murders of a young girl and two young boys that shocked residents of the capital.
InSight Crime, a foundation dedicated to the study of organized crime in Latin America, said in late October that there were signs that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel – generally considered Mexico’s most dangerous and violent criminal organization – was expanding its presence in the capital.
The Mexico City government was also rated poorly for its management of the economy. Just 22% of respondents said that it is doing very well or well in the area while 46% said the opposite.
However, Sheinbaum has presented plans to reactivate economic growth and job creation amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Still, many residents of Mexico City are struggling financially due to the economic downturn.
Almost half of poll respondents – 48% – said their families’ finances had taken a turn for the worse over the past three months while only 9% said they had improved. Almost a quarter – 23% – said that they had lost their job or source of income completely, while 41% said their finances had neither improved nor worsened.
Just over seven in 10 of those polled said they believed Mexico City’s overall economic situation had deteriorated in recent months while 57% said that insecurity had worsened.
Yellow caution tape adorns a park bench in the center of Cuernavaca.
The government of Morelos has announced new coronavirus restrictions after the state regressed this week to orange light “high” risk from yellow light “medium” on the federal stoplight system.
The government said there will be strict 30% capacity limits on a range of businesses and other places frequented by members of the public. They include cinemas, theaters, museums, hair salons, public and private offices and events centers.
Civil and political organizations must limit capacity to 25% of normal levels at any meetings or events they hold while places of worship are restricted to the same maximum capacity level. Most factories, department stores, shopping centers, gyms and spas are also limited to 25% capacity.
The automotive, construction and mining industries are restricted to having 50% of their regular workforces on site, while hotels, restaurants, markets and supermarkets can operate at the same maximum capacity.
The government also said there will be increased vigilance of existing health protocols such as the mandatory use of face masks.
The central square of state capital Cuernavaca has been closed to the public as have other smaller squares in the city’s historic center.
Morelos has recorded 8,370 confirmed coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, the fifth lowest total among Mexico’s 32 states, and 1,315 Covid-19 deaths.
The state’s fatality rate is 15.7 per 100 confirmed cases, 69% higher than the national rate of 9.3. That suggests that a large number of cases are going undetected in Morelos, which borders Mexico City – the country’s coronavirus epicenter.
Although there are only just over 500 active cases in the state, according to federal Health Ministry estimates, Morelos is at “real risk” of regressing to red on the stoplight map, said Health Minister Marco Cantú.
Ambassador Landau has been traveling extensively in recent months. Here he is in the silver town of Taxco, Guerrero.
Traveling in Mexico is safe during the coronavirus pandemic if one follows sanitary protocols established by the destination where one travels, says the United States ambassador to Mexico.
Christopher Landau told the newspaper El Financiero Wednesday during a culture and tourism event that he’s seen how seriously restaurants, hotels and other tourism-related businesses take Covid safety protocols and that it gives him confidence that tourists can continue safely traveling in Mexico.
“The most important thing is to stabilize the industry,” he said. “I have been able to determine firsthand that by following health protocols, it’s possible to go — it’s important to go. Mental health is an important part of overall health. One can’t be confined at home month after month after month.”
The ambassador’s opinion appears to stand in stark contrast to other U.S. government entities’ opinions about travel in Mexico, including the Department of State.
The U.S. agreed with the Mexican government in March to prohibit nonessential land border crossings in both directions, although the restriction does not apply to air travel. On September 8, the U.S. Department of State advised American citizens to reconsider travel to Mexico due to Covid-19 and has suspended routine consular and visa services due to Covid-19 since March 18. In late November, the United States Centers for Disease Control issued its highest level of advisory, warning against all travel to Mexico due to Covid.
Nevertheless, Landau insisted on the tourism potential of Mexico.
“I congratulate the tourism sector for its spirit of responsibility. I understand very well that if there are outbreaks associated with tourism, that is going to affect them a lot. What I have seen is that they are managing a very difficult situation quite well,” he said.
A Harvard Law School graduate who clerked for Associate Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas of the United States Supreme Court after graduating in 1989, Landau has served as a United States ambassador to Mexico since August 2019.
An airline employee sanitizes an airplane before boarding.
Travel at the best of times can be stressful, depending on how many obstacles or challenges you face along the way. But as I was to find out, travel during a worldwide pandemic is in a whole other class of crazy.
As I wrote in December, for Canadian snowbirds it’s better to isolate from Covid in a warm climate, so returning south for the winter was a no-brainer for me. Although I did receive pushback from some people and concern from others, I felt the benefit of getting there would outweigh the risks.
I chose Aeroméxico as my airline, partly because I have always liked their service and safety record and partly because friends had been reporting numerous cancellations by Canadian airlines Air Canada and WestJet. I also figured that since Aeroméxico is Mexican owned and operated, who better to get me to my winter home.
I arrived at the airport in Toronto at the ungodly hour of 4:30 a.m. Luckily, Highway 400 was completely devoid of snow and it was a straight shot to the airport an hour away. By the time the snowstorm predicted to hit later in the day showed up, I would be long gone. Or so I thought.
The airport itself was fairly quiet, and in less than an hour I had passed through check-in and security. Boarding too was right on time, but it was a full plane, which concerned me a little as I was under the impression that middle seats were left open. However, except for the family who could not seem to get the concept of mask over both nose and mouth and had to be reminded repeatedly, people complied with the rules.
Passengers wait to board at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
Knowing I was armed with hand sanitizer, fresh masks, a shield, and wipes, I did my best to relax as we taxied away from the terminal, knowing that in a few hours I would be nice and warm. Ah, the best-laid plans.
We sat on the tarmac for 20 minutes when the pilot announced the need to return to the terminal, a red engine light the culprit. My seat companions and I remarked that at least they found an issue while we were still on the ground and not cruising at 36,000 feet. As patiently as we could, we waited, receiving 15-minute updates from the pilot as to what was going on.
At about the one-hour mark I started to get a little anxious where normally something like this would not bother me in the least. But it was, after all, in the time of Covid and the plane was full and, well, you get the picture.
Finally, at a little past the two-hour mark, the pilot informed us we needed to return to the terminal and disembark. Truthfully, I was a little relieved – some of the members of the “I-don’t-want-to-cover-my- nose” family were seated in front of me and I was getting a little perturbed.
Once inside the terminal people tried to distance themselves from each other as we waited for further news. Another hour passed, and we were handed food vouchers at a cafe but told to stay close by. An additional hour after that, the ticket personnel informed us that the flight was canceled because the replacement part we needed had not yet arrived. However, the flight was rescheduled to 7:20 the next morning.
The crowd went wild!
After a flight cancellation, Aeroméxico gave passengers a free hotel stay.
Several people began to shout as the poor staff tried their best to convey their apologies. Frankly, I was shocked. What happened to all that Canadian politeness we pride ourselves on? And obviously, there was nothing that could be done as this was the only plane Aeroméxico had at the airport at that time. I felt deeply sorry for the employees of the airline but not surprised as I have seen and heard about the lack of patience and manners people seem to have since Covid struck.
Again, we lined up to receive a new boarding pass as well as a letter that gave instructions as to how to claim an additional $1,000 compensation. I was incredulous and had to ask twice: Hotel? Food? AND 1,000 bucks? Which would go into your bank account? (I found out later it is standard with this airline if a flight is delayed a certain number of hours.)
One downside was that because they did not know what hotel would be accepting us for the night, we would have to come back in another hour to stand in line once more for our voucher. Based on my experience with line-ups thus far, I knew that would take at least another two hours. Then a shuttle would take us there which probably meant another hour at the very least. By then it would be close to 6 p.m. The second downside was we would have to take our luggage.
It all sounded like my idea of hell — did I mention we are in the middle of a pandemic? — and I realized I was technically ahead of the game financially. I did the only thing a sensible and practical woman could do.
After picking up my luggage I walked through the terminal to the luxurious Sheraton/Marriott attached to it and booked a room for the night, ordered room service (ridiculously priced) and fell asleep on crisp and clean white sheets.
Bright and early the next morning, feeling rested and filled with optimism, I headed for the terminal. I was greeted with an incredibly long line of people in front of me and I wondered why I had not had the foresight to just wait. At 5 a.m. Aeroméxico announced that the flight would not board at 7:20 as promised because the plane could not be fixed due to a faulty replacement part. There would, however, be another one later in the day as soon as a plane coming from Mexico arrived.
The author, masked and shielded and ready to fly.
More anger from several people. We were instructed to return in six hours’ time. It also meant that the majority of us would miss our connecting flight in Mexico City.
I immediately called the hotel and was prepared to beg for my room back. It was no problem at all, they told me, and I was able to social distance once again in safety. Five hours later, after a nap, I was back in the terminal to an even bigger line-up it seemed. Definitely slower because this time the computers were down.
By now my line-up mates and I were getting a little giddy and semi-friendships were being formed.
Finally, at 2:30 p.m. (an hour late) the plane took off. I made a point of telling the woman who checked me in how appreciative I was of her and the rest of the employees who had to deal with such a stressful situation completely out of their control. Looking back, I wonder if that is why I managed to get a whole row to myself all the way to Mexico City.
Once I arrived in Mexico things went smoothly. This time I did not have to pick up all of my luggage as it would go straight to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo. My voucher for the hotel was issued quickly as we left customs. In under an hour, I was at the Camino Real. I have stayed in the hotel before, and I noticed that here too all protocols were strictly kept.
After good food, more room service for wine I richly deserved (this time at a ridiculously low price), and I was ready for the last leg of the journey the next morning.
I am now in self-imposed isolation for 10 days as I had a negative Covid-19 test a few days prior to leaving Canada. But there a few things I learned or had reiterated for me as a traveler along the way.
Try to keep your emotions and frustrations in check when dealing with anyone in the airline or hospitality industry. It is not their fault that delays happen, so do not use them as a personal punching bag.
Although it is not necessary to self-isolate in Mexico, do it anyway. It is the right thing to do. And if you have a delayed schedule it should be a no-brainer. And perhaps if all you have is a two-week window and not five to six months as I am fortunate to have, this might be the year to forgo a vacation. Just a thought.
Always wear your mask even when walking down the streets as it is mandatory, at least in Zihuatanejo. But do it regardless of where you are or whether others are not. Do not be one of those people who immediately rip their masks off upon arrival at the airport as I saw one couple do who were on the same flight as I was. Please be safe and keep others safe too.
If I am lucky to have avoided getting Covid-19 on this trip, I am convinced I had an angel to watch over me.
Buen viaje!
The writer divides her time between Canada and Zihuatanejo.
Security forces mobilize in Michoacán in response to continued cartel attacks.
A wave of violence has beset western Michoacán in the last nine days, as rival gangs continue heavy-weapons battles for territory in 13 municipalities that began November 30.
The latest attacks occurred Wednesday in the Tierra Caliente municipalities of Chinicuila and Tepalcatepec, where authorities say two Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) cells arrived in armored vehicles, engaging in gun battles with local police, the National Guard, and armed residents.
In Chinicuila, the battle left government buildings, homes, cars, and an elementary school damaged, but there were no casualties.
In Chinicuila, cartel hitmen arrived from Colima around 4 a.m. in six makeshift armored vehicles, first attacking the small community of Villa Victoria, where they engaged in gun battles with authorities and residents, damaging homes and cars before fleeing and moving on to municipal headquarters, where they damaged government buildings and a nearby school. All told, the attack lasted about an hour, authorities said.
The two attacks came two days after 13 people were killed in just two days in three other Michoacán municipalities — Morelia, Zamora and Uruapan, where intense gunfights between rival armed groups left three civilian bystanders dead in Uruapan.
Netherlands-based Vitol is the world's largest oil trader.
President López Obrador said Thursday that federal authorities are investigating Pemex officials who allegedly received bribes from a large oil trading company that has admitted to engaging in corruption in Mexico, Brazil and Ecuador.
Vitol, the biggest independent oil trader in the world, admitted in the United States last week that it paid bribes through employees and intermediaries to state oil company officials in Mexico between 2015 and 2020. The admission came during a criminal settlement with the United States Department of Justice.
A Dutch company with offices around the world, Vitol agreed to pay authorities in the United States and Brazil more than US $160 million to resolve probes related to its corrupt activity.
The company admitted to paying about $2 million in bribes in Mexico and Ecuador to obtain contracts and inside information.
Speaking at his regular news conference on Thursday, López Obrador said that an investigation into Vitol’s payment of bribes in Mexico is underway.
“It’s accused in the United States of having delivered bribes to Pemex officials, not just in the previous administration but also during our government. … It’s being investigated and if it’s true those responsible will be punished. We don’t cover up anything,” he said.
“… What we must do is clean up, we all have to help so that there is no corruption … and no impunity.”
The news agency Bloomberg reported that the trading arm of Pemex is imposing an informal temporary ban on conducting business with Vitol, saying that its information came from people with knowledge of the situation.
Duncan Wood, director of the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute in Washington, said he doubted Mexico will carry out an effective investigation into Vitol’s activities in Mexico.
“The capacity doesn’t exist, and honestly the political will doesn’t exist either,” he said.
However, the accusation of wrongdoing “plays directly into the hands of the president in his attacks on the private sector and particularly on foreign companies,” Wood said.
Brazilian construction company Odebrecht has also admitted to paying bribes in Mexico during the previous federal government.
Former Pemex CEO Emilio Lozoya has admitted to negotiating bribe payments with the company on the government’s behalf and is currently cooperating with authorities in the hope that he will be acquitted or given a lighter sentence on the corruption charges he faces.
He has accused former president Enrique Peña Nieto and his finance minister Luis Videgaray of leading a bribery scheme within the 2012-2018 government, effectively portraying himself as a victim of their corruption.
