Tenango de Doria textile artisan Susana Hernández Núñez.
A museum in Mexico City has given five artisans from Hidalgo a much-needed opportunity to sell their wares amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The National Museum of Popular Cultures invited artisans from the municipality of Tenango de Doria to sell their colorful Tenango embroidery at a recent expo.
One of the five artisans who participated was Susana Hernández Núñez, who left her home in the community of El Dequeña at 3:30 a.m. to travel to the museum, located in the southern borough of Coyoacán.
She told the newspaper Reforma that it was the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that she was able to sell her embroideries at a public event.
“After a year and a half, this is the first outing,” said Hernández, who like most artisans has seen her income dry up during the pandemic due to the downturn in tourism and the lack of opportunity to sell her work at fairs and other events.
“… We’ve been through something very difficult. I believe that for everyone it was very hard, psychologically, physically, morally and especially economically,” she said.
Hernández said that she and other embroiderers from Tenango wouldn’t have had any income at all if they hadn’t begun making and selling face masks. Nevertheless, she estimated that her income has fallen by 8,000 pesos (about US $400) a month.
Another artisan who attended the museum expo was Alejandría Manilla Alarcón, the sole income earner in her family.
“I live with my kids; [all] three depend on me — one’s at university, one’s at high school and I’ve got a girl at primary school,” she said.
For Hernández, Manilla and the other Hidalgo artisans invited to Mexico City, the opportunity to sell their work — among which are dresses, blouses, bags, purses and table runners — to customers directly was a welcome one.
Still, their income, and that of countless other Mexican artisans, is unlikely to recover much while the pandemic continues to impact tourism and makes holding arts and crafts events difficult, if not downright unviable.
“Hopefully, the pandemic will end [soon]; it’s what we’re all asking for,” said María Teresa Hernández Núñez, another artisan who participated in the museum expo. “Let it end so we can move on,” she added.
Mexican workers living abroad sent home a record US $4.15 billion in March, a 10.4% increase on March last year.
In the first quarter, remittances sent to Mexico totaled $10.62 billion, another record, with a 13% increase on 2020.
The average remittance payment was $370, compared to $320 last year, and 1.8 million families benefited, according to data provided by the Bank of México (Banxico).
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Alejandro Werner explained that the solid flow of remittances is due to the U.S. fiscal stimulus, the incentives for migrants to support their families back home, and payments switching to formal channels due to border closures.
Werner added that it is likely that the trend will continue, but could slow moderately as the pandemic further recedes in Mexico.
Goldman Sachs’ Alberto Ramos explained that the flow of remittances remains strong, referencing the impact of “the generous fiscal transfers that the United States government is granting to families; as well as the competitive exchange rate differential, and the deep contraction of employment and economic activity in Mexico.”
The children's handprints have been determined by archaeologists to be more than 1,200 years old.
More than 100 black and red handprints that date back over a thousand years have been discovered on the walls of a cave on the Yucatán peninsula.
According to a report by the news agency Reuters, 137 prints — most of which are believed to have been made by children’s hands — were found in a cave near the northern tip of the peninsula. Archaeologists have determined that they are more than 1,200 years old.
The date the handprints were made corresponds to the end of the ancient Mayan society’s classical zenith, a time at which major advances in math and art were being made. The cave in which they were found is located some 10 meters beneath a ceiba tree, considered sacred by the ancient Mayan people.
Sergio Grosjean, an archaeologist who has explored and studied the cave, told Reuters that the handprints are likely associated with a coming-of-age ritual of the ancient Mayan people. He said they were probably made by children upon reaching puberty.
“They imprinted their hands on the walls in black … which symbolized death, but that didn’t mean they were going to be killed, but, rather, death from a ritual perspective,” Grosjean said.
“Afterwards, these children imprinted their hands in red, which was a reference to war or life,” he said.
Other Mayan artifacts have also been found in the cave, including a carved face and six painted relief sculptures. Dating from between 800 and 1,000 A.D., the sculptures were made at a time when the Mayan region was experiencing severe drought that may have caused inhabitants to suddenly abandon major cities that are today archaeological sites visited by tourists.
“It’s not the only cave with paintings in Yucatán, but it is the most important because they have many elements: birds, mammals, a cross, geometric figures, human forms and, among those, that of a warrior as well as [prints made with] the front and back of hands,” Grosjean said at the time.
Alberto Baillères, Mexico’s fourth richest person, has decided to retire at the age of 89 after 54 years at the helm of Grupo Bal, a conglomerate of at least 15 companies with interests in a range of sectors including mining, retail, insurance, finance and beverages.
Alejandro Baillères, the magnate’s son, will take over as head of the conglomerate, which includes companies such as the mining firms Peñoles and Fresnillo – the world’s largest silver miner, the department store chain Palacio de Hierro, the insurer GNP and the asset manager and stockbroker ValMex.
Several of Grupo Bal’s listed companies announced Baillères’ decision to step down to investors. The 89-year-old, dubbed King Midas and “the silver king” for his lucrative mining interests, certainly has enough wealth to fund a comfortable retirement: Forbes magazine said last month that his net worth is US $10.48 billion, a 63.8% increase compared to a year earlier.
President López Obrador said Friday that the announcement that Baillères’ son will succeed him is “good news” because it will provide stability and confidence and lead to more investment and more employment.
“The process of handing over administrative command in Grup Bal has ended,” he said before highlighting that Baillères’ companies employ 75,000 people in Mexico.
In praising the tycoon and his companies, López Obrador put aside past bad blood: Baillères was a member of a group of powerful businessmen who campaigned against his third and ultimately successful tilt at the presidency on the grounds that he represented a risk to the economy.
While stepping back from the day-to-day management of Grupo Bal, Baillères, a bullfighting enthusiast and father of seven, will remain an honorary adviser to the conglomerate. That will provide certainty to investors, according to experts consulted by the newspaper Milenio.
The fact that Baillères, who will turn 90 in August, will still have some say in the running of the conglomerate – founded by his father Raúl Baillères in the first half of the 20th century – will boost investors’ confidence and ensure that they don’t abandon Grupo Bal companies, said Alejandra Vargas, a mining and industrial sector analyst at the financial company Ve Por Más.
The magnate’s decision to stay on as an adviser provides a “period of certainty for investors,” said Óscar Fonseca, director of the business school at the Tec de Monterrey campus in Mexico City. “… These changes of leadership are planned and prepared,” he added.
To complement chipotle's smoky flavor, roast the tomatoes in these beef fajitas on a comal.
In Mexico, it’s easy to feel intimidated by the big stacks of dried chiles at your local mercado — I know I do and have for years.
But chipotles — those deep, dark smoky red ones, about 3–4 inches long, often with a whitish stem — are the most basic and, actually, familiar: they’re just smoked, dried jalapeños.
Ripe jalapeños, that is, that have matured, turned red, slightly dried out naturally on the vine and deepened in flavor. Those green jalapeños we use all the time? Turns out they’re not ripe yet.
While chipotle mayonnaise is what brought this pepper into the limelight outside of Mexico, chipotle is such an integral part of Mexican cuisine that we’ve been eating it all the time and never knew.
Mole, adobo, fajitas, the best salsas and cream sauces all contain chipotle in one way or another. Google recetas chipotle and prepare to be overwhelmed.
Chipotle comes dried, in cans with tomato sauce, as flakes or in a powder that livens up even the simplest dish.
The easiest way to use chipotle is with a can of chipotles adobados — pickled and spiced, dried chipotle peppers. Just a spoonful of the rich tomato-based sauce in any kind of soup or chili, pasta sauce or meat marinade will jazz up the flavor and add a complex, earthy smokiness that’s irresistible.
Like their younger, immature selves, the heat of chipotles is mild but delicious. I’ve learned to keep a couple of cans in my pantry to brighten up even the simplest dish.
While foodies everywhere love to smoke foods for the flavor, in generations past, smoking was used to preserve foods. Some historians believe the Aztecs were the first to make chipotles, as they also smoked meats; the name comes from a Náhuatl word that means, simply, “smoked chile.”
It takes about 10 pounds of jalapeños to make one pound of chipotles.
Chipotle can be found as powder, flakes, whole chiles or canned as adobados. You can buy the whole chiles and play with them: grind them yourself, mash them in a molcajete (a Mexican mortar and pestle). Add them chopped, whole, dried or rehydrated to your favorite recipes.
Some folks like to add a bit of chipotle to brownies or other baked goods, to balance the sweet with savory. Like any chile, the heat varies individually, so start with a little!
While chipotle mayonnaise brought this pepper into the limelight outside Mexico, the chile plays a much bigger role in Mexican cuisine.
Chipotle Seasoning
Use on salmon, chicken or roast veggies; sprinkle over bacon, popcorn or soft cheeses or use as a rub for meats.
½ Tbsp. crushed, dried chipotle pepper
1 Tbsp. chile powder (chipotle or any other chile)
1 Tbsp. plain or smoked paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. salt
Mix all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 months.
Chipotle Mayo
¼ tsp. salt
1 large or 2 small chipotle peppers in adobo, seeded
1 tsp. sauce from canned adobo chiles
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ cup plain yogurt, crema or a combination
Using a mortar and pestle, mash garlic with salt to a smooth paste. Add chipotle peppers; mash again. Stir in chipotle sauce, mayonnaise and yogurt and mix well. —nytimes.com
30-Minute Chipotle Chicken Chili
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
Salt
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. cayenne
1 lb. ground chicken
2 chipotles adobados, finely chopped
3 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups chicken broth
1½ cups corn
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Garnish: avocado, tortilla chips, limes
In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring, until softened, 6–8 minutes. Add jalapeños, garlic, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Cook about 1 minute.
Add chicken; cook until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add chipotles, beans and broth.
Bring to simmer; cook 10–15 minutes to blend flavors. Add corn, season to taste. Stir in cilantro, garnish and serve. — seriouseats.com
This chili uses chicken instead of beef.
Mashed Chipotle Sweet Potatoes
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, about 4 medium
1-2 chipotles adobados
1 cup milk
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup butter
½ tsp. each salt and pepper
Boil or bake sweet potatoes until tender. In food processor or blender, puree chipotle with milk. Transfer to saucepan, add maple syrup, butter, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring to melt butter. Add sweet potatoes to pan and mash; then beat with a hand mixer till smooth.
Spicy Beef Fajitas
1 kilo beef for fajitas
½ kilo tomatoes
Olive or vegetable oil
2 chipotles adobados
1 white onion, cut into thin strips
1-4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Roast tomatoes on a comal until skin is browned. Mash, mix or grind tomatoes with garlic and chipotles. Grill beef and onions in a pan with oil as needed, then add sauce to meat and cook for about 10 minutes to blend flavors.
Chipotle can add a nice kick to dishes you wouldn’t expect, like this shrimp pasta.
Shrimp-Chipotle Pasta
500 grams (1 box) spaghetti
½ kilo shrimp, shelled and cleaned
1 onion, finely chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tomatoes
1 small can of marinated chipotles
Salt and pepper
½ package cream cheese
4 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ bunch parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
Cook pasta al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water. Stir 1 Tbsp. olive oil into pasta to prevent sticking; set aside. Roast tomatoes on comal or directly over flame for about 10 minutes till softened and blackened. Place tomatoes, chipotle, cream cheese and ½ cup of pasta cooking water in a blender; process till mixed.
Sauté onion and garlic, add shrimp; cook, stirring for 3–4 minutes over medium heat. Add chipotle mixture, stir well, then add pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, till heated through. Serve with Parmesan and fresh herbs.
Heavy truck traffic is causing problems in Manzanillo.
Demand for cargo truck access to the port of Manzanillo, Colima, is causing traffic chaos and making road travel in the area dangerous, with further disruption predicted on Wednesday.
The Manzanillo-Colima highway is one of the most accident prone in the country because of trucks carrying cargo. On April 21 Jesús Quezada Navarro, who ran for local office in 2018, died on the scene after a truck hit two cars. Diana Pineda Parra, a candidate in the upcoming elections, was wounded.
On April 27 a container dislodged from a truck and fell on top of a car.
“The risk is constant. You can be going along just fine until you cross trucks that are in a bad state, or have containers that are not well secured. It doesn’t depend on us,” said Roberto Regla Bautista, who travels frequently to and from Manzanillo.
Resident Magaly Solis Crisantos described the danger she faces on a daily basis. “I have had various incidents and a few scares, because the trucks show no respect and invade the opposite lane,” she said.
On one freeway queues reached 20 kilometers on Saturday when customs officials were on vacation for Labor Day. Disruption is predicted for Wednesday when officials will work a half day for May 5 celebrations.
The congestion is exacerbated by trucks traveling to other unofficial ports nearby, according to a source at the port of Manzanillo, who requested anonymity.
Resident Arnoldo Saucedo Figueroa described the traffic. “You can be stuck between the trucks for up to five hours, there is an alley … and it is being used [as an alternative route] but it is in poor condition, and we have even seen trailers with containers going through there,” he said.
The port of Manzanillo is the third largest in Latin America for shipping, and is the principal commercial route to Asia across the Pacific Ocean.
First quarter activity suggests the port will return to the growth it saw before the Covid-19 pandemic, when more than 3 million containers were transported annually.
Residents are asking for authorities to intervene to help relieve the heavy traffic.
Feminist protesters in an unrelated demonstration face off against the National Guard.
It has been more than two years since the Inter-American Court of Human Rights notified the federal government of its resolution with respect to a 2006 case in which more than two dozen women were sexually assaulted by police in México state. But of nine measures it recommended only two have been implemented, according to the victims.
In May 2006, residents of San Salvador Atenco mounted a protest against a restriction banning flower vendors from a market in Texcoco, México state. The residents blockaded a highway and faced off against hundreds of state and federal police in several violent confrontations. Two people died and 26 women, who were among more than 200 arrested, were sexually assaulted by police.
At a press conference to mark the 15th anniversary of the Atenco case, victims of the police abuse asserted that seven of nine measures recommended to the government by the human rights court in December 2018 have not been implemented.
One of them was to strengthen the Mechanism of Monitoring of Cases of Sexual Torture Against Women, a legal instrument.
Sofía de Robina, a lawyer with the Center Prodh, a human rights organization advising the victims, said no progress on strengthening the mechanism has been made since October 2019, and its “functionality has been nonexistent.”
“We have continued documenting the persistence of this practice [sexual torture] against women, many of whom are in prison,” she said.
Another recommended measure was the creation of an independent organization to monitor the use of force by government security forces. De Robina said the Ministry of the Interior has not summoned the Atenco victims to any meeting to discuss the progress toward the creation of such an organization.
“… The Mexican state responded to the court that the institutions [security forces] already have internal control organs and the Federal Auditor’s Office [oversees them],” she said. According to the government, an observatory body to monitor the use of force “could affect the secrecy of an investigation,” de Robina said.
The victims said the government’s response proved that it has no intention to comply with the court’s recommendation.
According to the victims, the other five recommendations were: carry out a thorough investigation into the case that looks at the actions of all police involved; investigate the role of high-ranking state and federal officials; publicly acknowledge the state’s responsibility in the case; offer medical and psychological treatment to victims; and cover the costs of the civil society organization (Center Prodh) that has assisted the victims.
The only recommendations with which the government has complied, according to the victims, is to pay compensation and to publish the court’s resolution.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has no power to sanction states that don’t comply with its recommendations.
“… We’ve turned to four different [federal] governments to demand justice, and the four have taken us to the limit of injustice,” said Bárbara Méndez, referring to impunity in the Atenco case.
“We want what happened in 2006 to be cleared up so that [something similar] never happens again,” the victim said.
This exvoto thanks St. John and the artists who painted a mural in Acapulco thanking Mexico's health workers.
I fell in love with Mexican folk art while working toward my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Latin American studies at the University of Kansas. Later, during frequent business trips to Mexico, I visited many of the country’s fine museums and learned more about this art, its diversity and the culture it reflects.
One type in particular, the exvoto (sometimes called retablo), captured my imagination.
An exvoto is a votive painting, examples of which first appeared in the 16th century and became very popular in the 19th. Painted on a piece of metal somewhat larger than a standard United States car license plate, each exvoto gives thanks for, or in some cases requests, divine help in solving a problem or saving the petitioner from some sort of harm.
A few just show an appreciation for some unsolicited development or occurrence.
Whatever its nature, each exvoto depicts the saint involved and an illustration and written description of the favor granted or the miracle or action performed. Usually painted for a fee by an untrained individual with limited education and artistic training, the petitioner hangs it in a church or in the home.
Modern exvotos often use humor, like this one that depicts a Covid-shaped piñata, praying for the pandemic to end so people can have posada parties again.
These traditional exvotos focus on health concerns or surviving life-threatening situations. The ones I find most appealing are set within the context of some historical event, such as a soldier giving thanks for not having been killed or wounded in a particular battle.
I also am partial to those that, in addition to giving thanks for whatever reason, reveal some aspect of daily life of everyday people, such as street, village and farm scenes.
I always wanted to own some of these — not for their antiquity, but rather for the history and culture of Mexico they evoke. Unfortunately, I only ever found ones I liked in museums. Several years ago, however, I discovered that a number of artists continue to paint exvotos, albeit with a more modern perspective.
Health issues remain a favorite subject, for example, but they often reflect previously unknown medical conditions being treated in a modern hospital instead of the home.
More interesting, perhaps, are the other subjects many of these exvotos address — ones seldom, if ever, seen in those painted prior to, say, 1950.
Many highlight important historical events, legends, folk dances, customs, and indigenous traditions. Others treat subjects from popular culture, such as disliked national and foreign politicians, television and movie personalities or lucha libre wrestlers and other sports athletes. Then there are those that address serious social issues, such as unemployment, emigration, prostitution, gay rights and the status of women.
This exvoto thanks the patron saint of clowns and refers to a Covid-19 safety campaign in Mexico City.
The actual events portrayed in these modern exvotos, along with the names of petitioners, generally are fictitious. It is not inconceivable, however, that most of them could have taken place.
Some contemporary folk artists have been criticized for painting scenarios contrary to traditional Christian teaching, a prime example being a prostitute petitioning a saint for a favor.
However, the religion of many Mexicans is a mixture of pre-Conquest indigenous beliefs and the faith introduced by the Spanish. A national survey conducted by the National Autonomous University found that 95% of respondents pray, at least occasionally, for the intercession of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who is a common figure evoked in these works.
Since it is doubtful that all of these people lead exemplary lives as defined by an established church, such exvotos represent authentic expressions of faith well within the context of Mexican spirituality.
Another criticism leveled at times against contemporary exvotos is that some treat life-and-death situations with too much humor. It is my experience, however, that “too much humor” and “Mexican” do not go well together. As a people, they are addicted to humor, which is one aspect of the culture that I find so appealing.
No subject is off-limits except, perhaps, national symbols. A favorite topic treated with humor is death which, given the current pandemic, is not far from anyone’s mind.
Former US ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau thanked the Virgin of Guadalupe in his exvoto, evoking a tradition going back to Renaissance Venice.
Unlike the popular view held in the U.S., death is viewed in Mexico simply as a continuation of life on another plane, best illustrated by the Day of the Dead celebrations. Nowhere is the treatment of death with humor more evident than in the calaveras literarias, funny epitaphs of varying lengths and poetic resonance written for lovers, friends and relatives who are still among the living.
I collect the exvotos collaboratively painted by contemporary folk artist Flor Palomares and her husband Gonzalo Palacios of Puebla. They recently made the rounds on social media for having painted four exvotos commissioned by Donald Trump’s outgoing ambassador to Mexico, Christopher Landau, perhaps thinking of a tradition going back to Renaissance Venice, when officials in high positions commissioned the paintings to give thanks to the divine for having achieved their post. Landau, who commissioned his before leaving his Mexican posting in January, thanked the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Over the years, Flor and her husband and I have become good friends, and during my yearly visit to Puebla we enjoy sitting together in one of the city’s outdoor cafes discussing possible subjects for new paintings.
The pandemic has kept me at home, but we have continued to brainstorm ideas via emails and phone calls. After I saw their first work depicting the coronavirus, we started to collaborate on paintings focused on the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over the last year, our collaboration has resulted in a number of works focused on different aspects of people’s reactions to it.
Some represent our combined efforts. For those exvotos, I came up with the ideas, wrote the narratives and roughly (very roughly) sketched the pictorial parts. Flor and Gonzalo were left with the far more difficult task of executing them, as shown here with the English translations of the narratives.
The artists: Flor Palomares and her husband Gonzalo Palacios.
When AMLO won the 2018 election he promised Mexicans change in accordance with the established legal order.
Nearly three years ago, there was electricity in the air when Andrés Manuel López Obrador stepped up to the microphone in Mexico City’s main square to address a crowd.
He had just channeled deep disgust over corruption into a landslide election victory and in a message designed to appease those who feared he was a dangerous populist, the new president promised to deliver “profound change, but in accordance with the established legal order.”
As the halfway point in his term approaches, he still wants to transform Mexico. But his vow to respect the law appears increasingly tenuous.
In the space of a week at the end of April, he caused controversy by endorsing a two-year extension to the Supreme Court chief justice’s term despite questions over the constitutionality of the move. He then pledged to scrap autonomous institutions whose rulings he disagrees with and accused opponents of “conspiring against democracy.”
He says he is upholding the will of the people — something he insists past governments failed to do.
“Mr. López Obrador believes the popular mandate he won in the elections is sufficient for his projects to pass … that it gives him permission to violate the constitution or break laws,” said Ana Laura Magaloni, a constitutional expert.
However, polls show Mexicans are also dissatisfied with the economy, crime and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The president says he respects the constitution but justice comes first. As he put it two years ago: “The constitution establishes that there must be justice. Justice is above everything. If you had to choose between the law and justice, don’t think too hard, pick justice.”
In supporting an extension of the Supreme Court president’s mandate, many believe López Obrador has crossed a line and is compromising the respected institution’s integrity.
Others see it as a way of eliminating potential opposition to his reform agenda: the president needs court approval to continue his efforts to undo landmark 2013 energy reforms that he sees as a key part of his drive to rebuild a strong state apparatus, eradicate corruption and put the poor first.
The constitution bans presidential re-election and with the pandemic complicating his progress, Alejandra Cullen, a political analyst, saw the Supreme Court move as a way of López Obrador “sounding out” the prospect of extending his own term, despite his regular insistence that he would leave office in 2024. “You can’t read it any other way,” she said.
López Obrador wants to have as few checks and balances as possible, one analyst says.
“I think he wants to have as few checks and balances as possible,” she added.
Indeed, within days last week, López Obrador lashed out at an electoral court ruling preventing two candidates from his Morena party from running in gubernatorial elections on June 6.
He said the sanction was out of proportion with the men’s failure to clarify pre-campaign spending amounting to US $950 in one case, and $700 in the other, and was a denial of their right to run for office — something on which he said the people should have the last word.
“This is an attack on Mexico’s incipient democracy,” he said. “Democracy is respect for the will of the people.”
López Obrador has since stepped up his attacks on other institutions, such as the competition watchdog and transparency institute, calling them a “monster” that needs getting rid of.
Luis Estrada at Spin, a consultancy, said it was part of an intensifying campaign to discredit them in the run-up to the important midterm vote in June, in which the president is widely expected to cry foul if his candidates do not win.
All 500 seats in the lower house of Congress, where López Obrador has a majority, are up for election, as well as 15 governorships.
Although polls put Morena comfortably ahead, opposition parties have teamed up in parts of the country and have mounted credible challenges to the party in some areas, setting the stage for a tense race.
“The post-election conflict has already started,” Estrada said.
Fishing industry workers peeling shrimp in Tampico.
The United States has suspended Mexico’s certification to export wild-caught shrimp to the U.S. due to inadequate sea turtle protection measures, a move that could cost the industry about US $300 million annually.
The State Department said it suspended Mexico’s certification because its sea turtle protection program is no longer comparable to that of the United States.
Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry (Sader) said in a statement that United States authorities conducted verification visits to fishing ports in several Mexican states between 2019 and 2021 and detected “deficiencies” in the use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) on 106 shrimp nets.
Among the ports visited were Mazatlán, Sinaloa; Puerto Chiapas, Chiapas; Puerto Peñasco, Sonora; Tampico, Tamaulipas; Lerma, Campeche; and Puerto Juárez, Quintana Roo.
After the current federal government took office in December 2018, the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission (Conapesca) disbanded a group of officials that provided training to fishing crews on the correct use of TEDs.
Excluder devices attached to shrimping nets allow an inadvertently captured sea turtle to escape. Australian Fisheries Management Authority
In light of the ban, Sader said that Conapesca, the environmental protection agency Profepa and the Ministry of the Navy are carrying out preventative and corrective measures with a view to recovering certification as soon as possible. One measure is the provision of training to shrimp fishermen to ensure that sea turtles are not taken in by shrimp trawler nets.
The agriculture ministry said that a “more aggressive program of inspection and oversight” will be established to ensure that shrimp fishing in Mexico complies with United States requirements. The ministry added that U.S. authorities have demonstrated a willingness to reinstate export certification as soon as possible. For that to occur, Mexico will have to request a verification visit at the start of the new shrimping season in September, according to Sader.
“… The ports that will be inspected as a priority are Mazatlán, Puerto Peñasco, Tampico and Campeche, according to preliminary information from the United States government,” the ministry said.
It also said it will be essential to present to United States authorities by August documental evidence of the actions carried out by the Mexican government to ensure that sea turtles are not caught in nets.
Sader said that “during the time that the certification suspension lasts, which coincides with the closed season for this species, dragnet shrimp cannot be exported [to the United States] for any reason.”
If the suspension were to remain in effect for a year, Mexico — the world’s seventh-largest shrimp producer — could lose export revenue of about US $300 million.
Total shrimp exports to the United States in 2019 were 30,000 tonnes, according to the ministry.
Humberto Becerra Batista, head of the National Fishing Industry Chamber, said the United States’ suspension was regrettable as the shrimp industry provides employment for thousands of people and is a large foreign currency earner. He also said the shrimp industry is committed to sustainability and the protection of sea turtles, six of seven species of which are considered endangered or threatened.
Mainly located in Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Nayarit and Baja California, Mexico’s shrimp fishermen send about 80% of their exports to the United States, with smaller quantities going to countries such as China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and France.
