A Washington, D.C. court has sentenced Jessica Oseguera, daughter of drug kingpin Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, to two years and six months in prison for crimes carried out on behalf of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Oseguera, 34, was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine. She has already served 16 months and could walk free in the summer of 2022.
Oseguera pleaded guilty in March to five charges of willfully engaging in financial transactions with businesses on the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) blacklist, businesses linked to the CJNG and considered to be “specially designated narcotics traffickers.”
U.S. prosecutors had asked for a sentence of more than four years while the defense requested that Oseguera be released on parole, based on time already served.
Before her sentencing, Oseguera read a statement expressing remorse and saying that her time in prison had been an opportunity to reflect on her mistakes.
“This has been a big life lesson for me. Being locked up during a pandemic has been very difficult. For more than a year, I have been alone 23 hours a day,” Oseguera said.
Defense lawyer Steven McCool had previously argued that Oseguera’s income as stated by the prosecution was incorrect and said she was an “excellent mother,” and that being away from her family had been difficult.
However, prosecutor Brett Reynolds said the accused had lied about prior illegal activities. He said there was proof that she had provided accounting services to her father’s cartel. He added that her father had put Oseguera in charge of running Las Flores Cabañas, a luxury spa in Jalisco. Oseguera said she had not seen her father since she was 11.
The defense asked for a reduced sentence but the judge said the case was special due to the relationship with the CJNG, and reminded the defense that Oseguera had once entered the U.S. carrying $10,000 in cash.
The court chose the intermediate sentence of two and half years, citing Oseguera’s lack of prior convictions and that she had demonstrated remorse for her actions.
A shooting at a Cancún beach left two Mexicans dead and a U.S. tourist wounded on Friday.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. at Playa Tortugas, an area with a number of hotels that is frequented both by tourists and locals. According to witnesses, two people fired at two street vendors, both of whom died. A woman from the U.S. was hit in the shoulder by a stray bullet and taken to the hospital. The aggressors fled on personal watercraft.
“Two males lost their lives due to gunshots. A foreign woman was injured and was taken to the hospital to receive medical attention. Police activated search protocols to find the aggressors,” wrote the Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office on Twitter.
The state is both a destination for drug sales and a transfer point for drug shipments.
Violence has declined in the state since its peak in 2018 and 2019. There were 209 killings in the first four months of 2021, compared to 266 in the same period of 2020.
The president analyzes election results during Tuesday's press conference. office of the president
By the time the National Palace opened on Monday, a clear picture of Sunday’s mid-term elections had formed. Voters had selected 15 fresh governors and a new House of Deputies in what was widely seen as a referendum on President López Obrador’s political project.
The early count predicted a check on the administration’s momentum. The loss of the two-thirds majority shared with allies in the Chamber of Deputies would be a significant blow, impeding constitutional reform. The race for governors told a different story, where the ruling party Morena looked set to win at least 10 of the 15 available. However, it was bad news for the party in Mexico City, where it braced for big losses.
As for the mañaneras, the electoral silence had ended. Any content — propagandistic or otherwise — was fit for broadcast once again.
Monday
The elections were at the top of the political agenda, so the weekly fuel price updates had to wait their turn.
“The people behaved very well,” said the president in school-masterly fashion, assessing conduct at voting booths. “Those who belong to organized crime, in general [behaved] well. Very few acts of violence in those groups,” he added, giving thanks for moderation among otherwise violent criminals.
The electoral silence had ended, allowing the administration to discuss its national infrastructure projects. Each update was accompanied by a spokesperson through video link to confirm all was going swimmingly. Santa Lucía airport, the Dos Bocas refinery in Tabasco, the Maya Train, the Toluca-Mexico City train, the trans-isthmus corridor project and the Lake Texcoco ecological park were all given an airing.
AMLO, as the president is commonly known, showed little concern that a two-thirds majority in the lower house of Congress was out of reach. With admirable agility, he addressed another topic: bad faith reporting in the media.
Still, nothing could spoil his Monday morning pep. “The result is going to favor the transformation of Mexico … so you can imagine how I feel: happy, happy, happy.”
Defeats in Mexico City were owed to the “dirty war,” he said, which was all the more rampant in the capital. “It’s propaganda day and night against us,” he remarked.
Tuesday
Conjecture made an early appearance on Tuesday. The president announced election results would be explained in depth, and offered his reasoning: “Most of the conventional media are inclined toward the conservative party, it is public knowledge,” he claimed.
Vaccine updates followed. Health Minister Jorge Alcocer announced that soon every one in three Mexicans over 20 would be vaccinated. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard was quick on his heels: “Mexico is sixth place this week in millions of doses administered … sixth place,” he said.
Graphics appeared on screen for the president to lay out the election results. Skimming over the House of Deputies result where the ruling party suffered losses, he focused on the governors’ races. “What’s the name of the coalition? … Let’s go for Mexico? Go for Mexico?” asked the president, taking the opportunity to ridicule his rivals and their right-wing coalition, which failed to install a single governor.
The conference closed as it began. AMLO denounced the Wall Street Journal for branding him a “threat to democracy.”
“What objectivity … what professionalism,” he chided.
Wednesday
The great and the good found their way to the National Palace on Wednesday. The ambassadors of Canada and France and the directors of two international train companies attended the conference to sign a contract for the Maya Train in a live broadcast.
Foreign dignitaries, contractors and officials watch as the president signs a contract for the Maya Train.
Before long, the elections returned to the fore, specifically to disseminate misinformation. “Remember Goebbels … ‘A lie which is repeated many times can become true,’” the president said, employing one of his favorite quotes.
“They still say … that we did really badly [in the elections] … There were elections for governor in 15 states and the movement that I belong to, the movement of the transformation, triumphed in 11,” he related, confidence in check.
Breaking into a swagger, the president took the chance to taunt a political rival. Calling for a toast, he asked Ricardo Anaya, former leader of the National Action Party, for permission to drink a caguama of beer (a 32-ounce bootle) to celebrate his party’s success. (Anaya later granted permission, observing he was enjoying a beer in Mexico City, where the opposition did well, and would have another in Querétaro, where his own party dominated).
Before closing, the president ran short on expletives and appeared to get stuck in a loop, apparently thrilled by the Tuesday meeting with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. “[The meeting was] great … very beneficial … good meeting … good meeting … so good … very good meeting … it was very good, a very good meeting … it was very good, a very good meeting … she’s an extraordinary woman,” he said.
Thursday
First, the president commemorated the 50-year anniversary of El Halconazo, when nearly 120 student protesters were killed by the military in Mexico City.
Then, to the floor. Reacting to an unrelated question, the president set off on a tangent. A meme of a map showing Mexico City, divided by its voting preference, had caught his eye. In the west of the capital the opposing coalition had taken control, while Morena held strong in the east.
The western neighborhoods were labelled “those that pay taxes” and in the east “those that receive welfare.”
“[Here is] the prejudice of a very conservative and racist class,” the president concluded, incorrectly blaming his least favorite newspaper, Reforma, for its publication.
The subject of violence was raised. Can we call Guanajuato a failed state? one journalist asked.
“We are fighting for peace and tranquility in the whole country, but it’s a long, complex process,” reflected the president, without naming any specific strategies. One city in Guanajuato was reported as the most dangerous in the world last year and another came fifth.
Friday
The conference was short on Friday as the president had a flight to catch. Due to his particularly talkative mood, only one journalist managed to pose questions.
The chosen journalist pressed hard on behalf of the miners’ families for details about the mine’s contract holder and whether a national protocol for mining disasters would be implemented.
“You will see everything, everything … we are working constantly,” the president said, turning to blame his “corrupt” predecessors.
Before closing for the weekend, AMLO showed his selective side and excused his friend Alberto Fernández, the president of Argentina, for his controversial observations on Latin American ancestry.
“The Mexicans came from the Indians, the Brazilians came from the jungle, but we Argentinians came on boats, and those boats came from Europe,” Fernández had said.
“He committed an error in expression,” the president concluded generously, shortly before heading for the airport.
Manialtepec Lagoon in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. @TeInvitoaOaxaca
A British woman has been discharged from hospital and her sister is in stable condition after the two survived a crocodile attack in Oaxaca June 6.
A tour of Manialtepec Lagoon in Puerto Escondido turned into a nightmare for twin sisters Melissa and Georgia Laurie, who had joined a group of friends for a boat tour of the pristine lagoon, a place teeming with birds and other fauna.
But unknown to the sisters, many crocodiles also make their home there among the mangroves, and it was hatching season.
“I actually said to the guide, ‘This looks like a place where crocodiles make their home,'” Georgia Laurie told BBC news.
But she said the tour guide — a German national who apparently has since fled — told the tourists it was safe to swim, correcting information given in previous reports, which also said the women were on a night tour to see the lagoon’s famous bioluminescence. In fact, it was early afternoon when the incident occurred.
As they enjoyed a dip, Melissa was suddenly pulled underwater by a crocodile. It attacked three times, puncturing Melissa’s leg and stomach before Georgia sprang into action, punching the animal in the nose until it left. A local conservationist said the animal was most likely a mother defending her brood.
Local ornithologist and boatman Lalo Escamilla heard cries for help and waded into the shallows to help the women.
In an interview, he expressed concern that the irresponsible actions of unlicensed guides could hurt the business of legitimate guides like himself. He said some foreigners in Puerto Escondido give cheap boat tours and undercut the local guides.
“They’re not guides … They’re not federally-approved experts, they don’t know this place. That’s the problem,” he said.
Melissa was taken to the hospital with deep cuts, lacerations, a broken wrist and water in her lungs. She later developed sepsis from a ruptured intestine and was put into an induced coma. Georgia also required treatment for her hand, which was slashed in the struggle.
Now Georgia has been discharged and Melissa has emerged from the coma. But her injuries are serious and Georgia still struggles to sleep as images of the attack crowd her mind. For both sisters, the recovery process will take time.
Bañuelos boils and dries pine needles to make her artisan pieces and can dye them almost any color.
Consider the humble pine needle.
Once it has done its vital job of transforming carbon dioxide into oxygen, it falls to the ground, its life over, only to be trampled upon by a passing deer, good for absolutely nothing — or is it?
I hate to confess it, but once upon a time, the only use I knew for a pine needle was slipping one into the pant leg of a fellow camper as a practical joke.
Yes, like many a hiker, I had discovered — the hard way — the remarkable ability of pine needles to ascend pant legs thanks to their pointy tips and the built-in spring action of their shape.
This allows them to move up but never down, in this way perfectly simulating the movement of whatever creeping creature you would least like to feel scurrying up your leg and heading for your private parts.
Bañuelos says she likes to recycle what nature tosses away into something beautiful.
Sad to say, that was, for many years, the only use I knew of for a pine needle.
That was before I walked into the humble home of Marina Bañuelos in the little village of Emiliano Zapata, which lies 20 kilometers west of Guadalajara, just along the western perimeter of Jalisco’s sprawling Primavera Forest.
Karina Aguilar, director of Guadalajara’s network of urban parks, had mentioned Marina’s name to me on several occasions.
“You should see what she does with pine needles,” she had told me.
But I must confess I was imagining nothing more exciting than key chains as I stood before Marina’s kitchen table, waiting for this humble, unassuming mother to show me her crafts.
Well, my eyes and those of my companions literally bulged as Marina and her husband slowly filled that little table with exquisitely beautiful baskets, jars, vases, hot pads, purses, napkin holders, bowls and even a fully functioning table lamp. At the end, there was hardly any room left for a rack filled with very nice earrings, pins, necklaces and, of course, the inevitable key chains.
Pine-needle jar. Bañuelos can achieve different coloring even with undyed needles by controlling how she dries them.
“How did you ever learn to make all of these things?” I asked.
“Something like 15 years ago,” Marina replied, “I was working in a pharmaceutical laboratory, but the hours were making it very difficult for me to take proper care of my family. Then I heard about a course in Artesanías de Ocochal (Pine Needle Art) that was being given in the Primavera Forest.
“I took the course, quit my job and I’ve been making things out of pine needles ever since. I like doing this, and I like the fact that I am recycling a natural product from the forest, turning what is considered waste into something beautiful.”
Of the 27 people who took that course, only Marina has continued to produce pine needle handicrafts.
“This kind of work is ideal for a mother. You can do just about everything inside your home. But then you have to take your pieces somewhere to sell them, and that’s what discouraged the other people who took that course.”
Probing a little deeper, I learned that another off-putting aspect of this craft is that it hurts your fingers. “But then you develop calluses,” said Marina, “and it no longer bothers you … Well, not so much, anyway.”
Bañuelos, left, shows her creations to a visitor from the United States.
“Let me tell you how we prepare our material.” continued Marina. “First, we collect the pine needles from the forest, then we select the ones that are not too fat and not too thin and as long as possible. I prefer the needles of the Michoacán pine and Pinus oocarpa (also known as Mexican yellow pine or egg-cone pine).
“Then I boil the needles and clean them. There’s a kind of cap where the needles are joined together, and this must be removed. Finally, I put the wet needles into plastic bags to keep them moist and flexible. This way, they are workable, but when they’re dry, they break easily and can jab you.”
Marina also explained that she can produce two different natural hues in her pieces by drying some pine needles in the sunlight and others in the shade.
“Of course,” she added, “I also have techniques for dying the pine needles just about any color you can imagine.”
Marina’s finished product is very tough and resilient.
“You can wash it, and you can cut it,” she said, “and it’s amazing how these things made of pine needles always keep their original aroma. If you own a pine-needle basket, you always have a little bit of the woods in your home.”
Once the pine needles have been steamed, it takes from 12 to 15 hours to make a basket like this one.
I asked how long it took her to make the large jarón (something like a vase) that she showed me.
“It took 20 days,” she said. “I am selling it for 800 pesos, but in terms of the work required to make it, the price should be much higher. Nevertheless, some people still complain that it’s too expensive.”
In addition to pine needles, Marina incorporates pinecones and various seeds into her designs. In one bracelet, for example, I found fascinatingly shaped cat’s-claw pods, jojoba and peach seeds, frijoles (beans) and mini coconuts (coquitos) from the queen palm tree.
“In 2019,” Marina told me, “I participated in a meeting of artisans in Monterrey where there were people from Puebla who work with pine needles, but they have a different sewing technique. You might say they do the opposite of what we do here in Guadalajara. So they showed me their technique, and I showed them my methods for coloring pine needles.“
It is said that Mexico has more species of pine tree than any other country. That being the case, I figured there ought to be a few more uses for pine needles than those I now know about.
I found out that they are good as fire starters or mulch, but most interestingly I learned (from Gerry the Forest Ranger) that pine needle tea has many medicinal properties. Fresh pine needles, he says, especially those of the Douglas fir, contain five times the amount of vitamin C found in lemons.
Bañuelos is carrying a pine-needle purse and wearing a cats-claw-seed necklace.
Gerry also mentions that pine needles contain high levels of vitamin A and antioxidants.
“There is researched evidence that pine needle tea can help to slow the aging process,” he said. “Taoist priests drank pine needle tea as they believed it made them live longer.”
Want to give it a try? Just boil water and pour it over your fresh pine needles. A few minutes later, enjoy your healthy, longevity-boosting tea. I tried it using Pinus Oocarpa needles and found the flavor, well, every bit as delightful as tepid tap water. I guess I’d better give the Michoacán pine a try next.
Should you ever find yourself in the neighborhood of Emiliano Zapata (one of the gateways for entering a particularly spectacular part of the famed Primavera Forest) look for Marina’s house at No. 7 on the main street or just input “P99F+F4 Emiliano Zapata, Jalisco” on Google Maps.
You can also contact Marina through her Facebook page Quichali or send her a WhatsApp on her mobile phone: 556 602 5191.
The writer has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, for 31 years and is the author of A Guide to West Mexico’s Guachimontones and Surrounding Area and co-author of Outdoors in Western Mexico. More of his writing can be found on his website.
Dyed seeds and pine needles combine to make colorful earrings.
Bañuelos’ pens and key chains.
This distinctive window makes it easy to find Marina Bañuelos’ home in the little town of Emiliano Zapata.
A cat’s-claw-necklace.
Cat’s-claw-seed earrings. She also incorporates items like pinecones and, in this case, jojoba and cowpea seeds into her creations.
Vice President Harris had been asked specifically about two Mexican NGOs.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris asked President López Obrador to allow non-governmental organizations to carry out their work without government interference, according to the EFE news agency, which spoke with Harris on Thursday.
But a spokesperson for the United States’ first female vice president walked back her reported remarks, telling EFE that Harris only made that request to Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, whom she met before traveling to Mexico City for talks with López Obrador on Tuesday.
“… Harris referred only to Guatemala, and not Mexico, in comments she made about civil society and NGOs this Thursday during an exclusive interview with EFE, her office assured after said interview,” the Spanish news agency said.
EFE originally reported that Harris said she was deeply concerned about government interference in the work of NGOs in both Guatemala and Mexico, where López Obrador has been scathing of organizations such as Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity (MCCI) and press freedom group Article 19, and the United States government’s funding of them.
(The White House announced last week that it would in fact increase support to international partners committed to the elimination of corruption despite the Mexican president calling on the U.S. government to stop funding what he described as political groups that disguise themselves as NGOs.)
“This is an issue that concerns me deeply because we want to ensure that there is independence, an independent judicial system [and] an independent press, and that non-profit organizations, NGOs, can do their work without interference. I made that very clear,” Harris said.
Her remarks came in response to a question in which López Obrador’s request that the U.S. cut its funding of some NGOs (those that have been critical of his government) was mentioned.
The vice president also told EFE that she was “very frank” with López Obrador and Giammattei, explaining that she told both leaders that she was worried about corruption and impunity in their countries.
“I was very direct with each of them with respect to those concerns,” she said.
Harris said she believed that the Guatemalan president and López Obrador, who has made combatting corruption and impunity the central goal of his administration, both valued her frankness.
EFE also asked the vice president about the blunt message she sent to potential migrants during her visit to Guatemala.
Harris and López Obrador at the National Palace on Tuesday.
“I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: do not come. Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border,” Harris said Monday.
Responding to EFE’s question – what do you tell people fleeing their country to save their lives or who have other legitimate reasons to seek asylum? Do you tell them ‘don’t come’ as well? – the vice president said: “Let me be very clear, I am committed to making sure we provide a safe haven for those seeking asylum, period.”
The softening of her language came after she was criticized by some members of the Democratic Party, including congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who called the vice president’s remarks “disappointing.”
“First, seeking asylum at any U.S. border is a 100% legal method of arrival,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter. “Second, the U.S. spent decades contributing to regime change and destabilization in Latin America. We can’t help set someone’s house on fire and then blame them for fleeing.”
Harris also told EFE that the Biden administration wants to “expand legal pathways for immigration” to the United States.
“We are also rebuilding our immigration system, to the extent that it deteriorated under the Trump administration, but also we must address the root causes of migration, and that is why I traveled to Guatemala and then after that to Mexico,” she said.
During her visit to Mexico City, Mexican and U.S. officials signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic partnership to address the lack of economic opportunities in northern Central America, namely Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, countries from which large numbers of migrants have fled recently to seek asylum in the United States.
The White House said in a statement that the U.S. and Mexico “will work together to foster agricultural development and youth empowerment programs” in those three countries and “will co-create and co-manage a partnership program enabling them to better deliver, measure, and communicate about assistance to the region.”
López Obrador, who faced criticism for getting Harris’ title wrong when he welcomed her to the National Palace and appearing to mispronounce her first name, said his meeting with the vice president was “important, beneficial for our people and very pleasant.”
State authorities in Hidalgo have arrested six municipal police officers and a jail director in the murder of a medical doctor.
Dr. Beatriz Hernández, 29, was arrested after a traffic accident Wednesday in Progreso de Obregón and was allegedly intoxicated at the time.
According to a press release issued by local authorities, Hernández was sent to a retention area before police took a break to eat. When they returned, they found that Hernández was dead.
The municipal government said on social media that before her death Hernández was visited by a man who said he was her father. She was later found “suspended by an object around her throat,” they said. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where her death was confirmed.
But according to a report by the news service ADN40, her father determined that Hernández had been beaten and asked police officers that she be released. He left his daughter to find out what the charges were against her but when he returned jail personnel were attempting to resuscitate the woman.
The state Attorney General’s Office is investigating the death as a possible femicide.
Friends and family of the deceased gathered Thursday to protest and demand more information about the death.
The Progreso de Obregón government maintains that Hernández was inebriated and took her own life after a fight with her father.
The mayor said in a press release that the local police officers’ arrests were illegal, given that they had voluntarily given witness statements. The mayor also said 50 state police officers turned up at municipal police headquarters and seized officers’ weapons.
Ricardo Gallardo, focus of a corruption probe, won San Luis Potosí's gubernatorial election.
The winner of Sunday’s election for governor in San Luis Potosí is under investigation by the federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) for money laundering and illicit enrichment.
Preliminary results show that Ricardo Gallardo Cardona, candidate for a Green Party (PVEM)-Labor Party (PT) alliance, won a tight race in the Bajío region state.
But his capacity to take office could be threatened by criminal charges.
Gallardo, a 40-year-old lawyer and father of four children to three different women, is under investigation for participation in an alleged embezzlement and money laundering scheme, in which his father and other family members are also accused of involvement.
Some 734.6 million pesos (US $37 million) were allegedly diverted from the municipal councils of San Luis Potosí and Soledad de Graciano Sánchez to companies — including ones owned by the Gallardo family — via fake contracts.
Gallardo was mayor of Soledad, which borders the state capital, between 2012 and 2014 and his father held office there between 2009 and 2012. Ricardo Gallardo Juárez, the governor-elect’s father, went on to govern San Luis Potosí city as mayor between 2015 and 2018.
Gallardo, nicknamed “El Pollo” (The Chicken) for his family’s former interests in the poultry industry, was accused in 2015 of embezzling 209 million pesos from municipal coffers in Soledad, 119.3 million pesos of which allegedly went to companies he owned.
He is now under investigation for the alleged illicit enrichment again after the federal government’s Financial Intelligence Unit referred the matter to the FGR.
Gallardo, who has also served as a federal deputy, has filed injunction requests in an attempt to gain access to the FGR’s files against him.
The governor-elect’s alleged criminal activity landed him in prison in 2015 on charges of involvement in organized crime and money laundering. He was arrested in January of that year and remained in custody for 11 months before the charges against him were dropped due to a lack of evidence. His imprisonment upset his intention to run for governor in San Luis Potosí in 2015.
After his release, Gallardo was out of politics for more than two years before being elected to federal Congress in 2018 for the Democratic Revolution Party. He quit that party in February 2019 before allying himself with the PVEM and PT, parties that are part of a coalition with the ruling Morena party but which chose to form their own ticket in San Luis Potosí.
The FGR began investigating Gallardo in August 2019, almost four years after he was absolved of charges of organized crime — he was allegedly linked to the Zetas cartel — and money laundering. The judge who released him from custody left open the possibility that he could be investigated for the same crimes by federal authorities. He does not appear to be under investigation now for organized crime links.
According to a report by the news website Astrolabio, the wealth of the Gallardo family began to grow quickly when Ricardo Gallardo Juárez took office as mayor of Soledad de Graciano Sánchez in 2009.
The governor-elect and his father offloaded their debt-laden chicken distribution company and became real estate entrepreneurs, eventually building a property portfolio worth more than 100 million pesos (US $5 million).
While Gallardo is under investigation by the FGR, he is not an enemy of the federal government and the ruling Morena party, the newspaper Reforma reported. Just a few days ago, Morena national president Mario Delgado described him as an ally of the fourth transformation, the government’s self-anointed nickname.
Gallardo is due to take office in San Luis Potosí in late September.
José Wilibaldo García, left, and his father Gregorio García Ruiz in their silver jewelry workshop in San Felipe, México state.
José Wilibaldo García has a very understanding wife, and he needs to. This craftsman not only gave up a career in dentistry to work with silver but his jewelry has also brought him lots of attention from (female) jewelry lovers.
San Felipe del Progreso is about two hours northwest of Mexico City in México state. It is not easy to make a living here despite its proximity to the capital and the state’s industry. Deforestation and decimation of farmland have put great pressure on traditional lifestyles.
But one Mazahua tradition that remains, thanks to a few dedicated craftsmen like García, is the making of silver half-moon earrings.
These have a long history among Mazahua women. Made either with silver laminate or filigree, the earrings traditionally indicated a woman’s marital status in San Felipe del Progreso. Earrings with one dove meant the woman was single and with two, married. Originally, the earrings were made from silver coins as this was the way that indigenous people could get their hands on the precious metal.
By the 21st century, this need to advertise marital status died out, even among conservative Mazahua, and the making of earrings nearly died out as well.
Earrings based on the traditional indigenous garment worn in central Mexico known as the quexquémitl.
Here is where García’s family comes in. His grandfather, Domingo García, was an oil painter who met a silversmith from Michoacán. The two decided to teach each other their specialties.
The knowledge of working silver was then passed onto Domingo’s sons, including Gregorio García Ruíz. Don Gregorio not only taught his own sons, including José Wilibaldo, but also a group of 30 young people in the small village of Palmillo.
His efforts got the attention of state cultural authorities, who granted him land and other resources to start a school and cooperative. It ran successfully for a time and has since disbanded, but the legacy of silver continues.
Don Gregorio was featured in Banamex’s Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art, a very authoritative book on traditional artisans. Although the maestro has made magnificent pieces, including silver sculptures, his bread and butter has always been jewelry, especially earrings.
José Wilibaldo carries on the tradition today, although that was not his original intention. He studied dentistry at school and had his own practice for many years, but perhaps he just couldn’t resist the genetic call to be more creative.
He admits that while silversmithing does not pay what dentistry does, it is much more satisfying.
JOSÉ WILIBALDO GARCÍA REBOLLO
He continues making the traditional half-moon earrings, both in filigree and laminate silver, but he hasn’t stopped there. He looks to create new products yet always keeps a connection to Mazahua tradition.
His most successful design effort has been the creation of earrings and pendants based on the indigenous quexquémitl, a triangular poncho-like garment common in central Mexico. The shape of the garment and its traditional decoration lend themselves quite well to the laminate technique, a style that blends innovation and tradition.
José Wilibaldo is also more open than many to the use of technology for sales and promotion, although this is never easy.
San Felipe is a rural area, and the rainy season (which we are entering) plays havoc with telephone and internet communications here. Nonetheless, he takes professional photos of his work and even videos to share on social media.
The García family has been fortunate to have been discovered not only by México state authorities but also by those outside of their region, such as the Feria Maestros del Arte. They invited Wilgart (the name of the family’s business) to their last handcraft fair in Chapala, Jalisco, before the pandemic, and the earrings and necklaces were quite a hit; I could not count all the pieces of silver moons and quexquémitls I saw on women walking around on the fairgrounds.
Many women also insist on having their picture taken with the maestro, leading to nonstop ribbing of José Wilibaldo from me about his popularity with the ladies.
Filigree earrings and necklace by José Wilibaldo García.
Silversmiths such as the Garcías are important not only because they help to preserve and promote Mazahua culture but also because they break the idea that fine silverwork is only to be had in Taxco, Guerrero, which is famed for its silver jewelry production.
It is almost cliché to say that the pandemic has hurt artisans, but it has been particularly true for Wilgart. It’s particularly hard because silver jewelry is a luxury item, and many people in Mexico are having trouble meeting basic expenses.
Face-to-face venues have dried up, and even Wilibaldo’s internet presence has not resulted in the kinds of sales necessary to survive. He has two Facebook accounts, one dedicated to the business and the other his personal page. You can look at both to get a good sense of his product lines and history, but it is better to contact him through his personal page.
Yet, he is nothing if not perseverant. He may not be sure when things will get back to normal, nor when he can travel to events again, yet José Wilibaldo continues to work on pieces and experiment. Recently, he joined an online class with Oaxacan designer Maritza Villegas that focused on balancing innovation with the conservation of tradition.
There are still uncertainties ahead, but one thing is certain: when buyers are ready to return, he, and Wilgart, will be ready for them.
Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico 18 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019). Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily.
Merari, right, during her successful campaign for mayor after she took over for her late husband.
In the midst of record-setting election violence, substitutes for two murdered candidates have won election in Quintana Roo and Guanajuato.
Blanca Merari Tziu won the election for mayor of Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, after the murder on February 24 of her husband Ignacio Sánchez, the original mayoral candidate.
Karla Odeth Vivas, the sister of Merari’s main electoral opponent, is in custody for the murder. Merari herself, a Green Party-Morena candidate, was the target of two attacks during the election.
In Moroleón, Guanajuato, Citizens’ Movement party candidate Alma Sánchez claimed victory in the mayoral race after the initial candidate, her mother, Alma Barragán, was killed during a public meeting on May 25.
Sánchez said that she will move forward with the same team and plans that her mother established in her campaign.
“It’s beautiful and sad, because at the end of the day she isn’t here. I’m here for her,” Sánchez said.
