Incorporate this Mexican superfood into your next indulgent treat

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April 12, 2021

Chia berry jam is quick and easy to make and full of nutrients.

I will admit I was slow to jump on the chia seed bandwagon. I didn’t see them as a food; all I could think of was the Chia Pet I longed for as a child and was never allowed to have. That all changed a few years ago when I discovered chia “pudding.” While there are many ways to make it, my favorite is simply with yogurt and fruit. (Recipe below.)

Chia seeds are another one of those foods that seem to be readily available in Mexico (at least here in Mazatlán, where all the grocery stores have them in bulk and packaged), but I was unable to find a single local friend who actually eats them. Searching online for recipes, the majority seemed to be for Agua de Limón y Chia (recipe below) as a supposed aid in losing weight. (Hasn’t worked for me. Sigh.)

Turns out chia seeds — from the flowering salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family — are native to Mexico and have a long, storied history of cultivation by the Aztecs, who prized them for the sustainable energy they provided. The tiny black (or sometimes white) seeds are 16% protein and a rich source of fiber, omega-3s and B vitamins.

Another thing that makes chia seeds so unusual is that they absorb up to 12 times their weight in liquid when soaked and become gelatinous in the process. (It’s actually really interesting to see this happening in your bowl or glass.) It’s that expansion and gel making you feel full that may help you eat less and thus lose weight.

Chia seeds also work as a thickening agent in a plethora of recipes, from puddings and smoothies and agua frescas to pancakes, muffins and other baked goods.

Just about any fruit on hand goes well in chia yogurt pudding.

Simple Chia-Yogurt Pudding

I love this for breakfast or a light lunch! Use whatever fresh or dried fruit you have on hand.

2 Tbsp. chia seeds
½ cup water
1 cup plain yogurt
2-3 Tbsp. honey
1 cup cut-up fruit (pineapple, apple, mango, banana, berries, papaya, etc.)
Toppings: Dried coconut, chopped almonds or pecans

In a bowl you’re going to eat from, whisk chia seeds and water till combined. Let sit about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, till all water is absorbed and seeds are softened.

Stir in yogurt. Add chopped fruit, honey and toppings.

Seedy Oat Crackers

1 cup whole oats
¾ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
⅓ cup raw sunflower seeds
⅓ cup sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. chia seeds
3 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. coconut or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix oats, all seeds and salt in large bowl. In another bowl, mix oil, syrup and ¾ cup room-temperature water.

Pour liquid over oat mixture; mix well. Let sit 10 minutes; mixture will absorb water and thicken.

Form oat mixture into one big ball and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Press a second sheet of parchment on top, and use a rolling pin to flatten to ⅛” thick (the shape doesn’t matter). Remove top parchment. Bake cracker in one piece until edges are golden brown, 15–20 minutes.

Remove from oven to cooling rack and place more parchment on top; carefully turn over, using plate or tray so as not to break it. Slide parchment and cracker back onto baking sheet with other side up. Bake until firm and golden brown around edges, 15–20 minutes more.

Remove from oven, cool completely, then break into pieces. Store airtight at room temperature.

These oat crackers, with five types of seeds, are rich in omega-3s.

Chia Limeade

2 Tbsp. chia seeds
2 cups fresh lime juice
1½ cups sugar
Lime wedges for serving

In a pitcher, whisk chia seeds and 5 cups water. Let sit until seeds soften, about 10 minutes.

Add lime juice and sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. (Add more sugar if needed.)

Stir well before serving in ice-filled glasses.

Overnight Chocolate Chia Pudding

¼ cup cocoa powder
3-5 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
Pinch salt
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups almond, coconut or regular milk
½ cup chia seeds

In a small bowl, mix cocoa, cinnamon, if using, and salt.

Whisk in maple syrup and vanilla.

Add a little milk at a time, whisking until a paste forms, then add remaining milk and whisk until smooth.

Whisk in chia seeds, cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 3–5 hours (until it’s pudding-like).

Serve with whipped cream or sprinkled with coconut or fresh berries.

This tasty chia chocolate pudding has a bonus: it's good for you. — This tasty chia chocolate pudding has a bonus: it’s good for you.

Berry Chia Jam

3 cups fresh (or frozen, thawed) blueberries, strawberries or raspberries
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. (or more) maple syrup
¼ cup chia seeds

Bring berries, syrup, lemon zest and juice to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Using a spoon, lightly mash half the berries to release juice. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until juices are reduced by half, 5–10 minutes. Remove from heat; taste and adjust sweetener.

Return to a boil, stir in chia seeds. Cook 1 minute to soften seeds.

Remove from heat, cool slightly, then transfer to jar. Cover and let cool completely. Store in refrigerator.

Chia Seed Chips

For Cheesy Chips, stir in ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese before adding water.

1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup chia seeds
1½ tsp. garlic or seasoned salt
1 tsp. salt
½ cup water
Regular or seasoned salt for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, mix flour, chia seeds, 1½ tsp. seasoned salt and salt; stir in water until dough is completely combined. Form dough into thin, bite-sized rounds. Arrange on baking sheet; sprinkle with seasoned or regular salt.

Bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Janet Blaser is the author of the best-selling book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, featured on CNBC and MarketWatch. A retired journalist, she has lived in Mexico since 2006.

US retirees caught in middle of Baja California land dispute

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MND Staff

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April 12, 2021

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Rosarito Beach, near the Cantamar development in Baja California.

Numerous retirees from the United States have lost access to their homes in a luxury coastal community in Baja California due to an escalating dispute with the owner of the land on which it is located.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that barbed wire fencing surrounds most of Cantamar, a beachfront residential development about 25 kilometers south of Rosarito. About 40 residents told the newspaper they have completely lost access to their homes due to actions by Cantamar’s property manager on behalf of the development’s owner, Ivonne Cortéz Avendaño.

According to residents, many of them U.S. citizens, the property manager has blocked access to the development and cut off water and gas to pressure them into paying new maintenance fees. They also say she has refused entry to guests, maintenance workers and even people who live at Cantamar.

“I feel like a prisoner there,” said Robert Boyd, a retired attorney from Arizona. “People have all their money invested in the place, and they’re at their wits’ end. They’ll be damned if they’re going to lose their investments or their life savings.”

Boyd is one of many U.S. citizens who purchased property at Cantamar, where beachfront lots and residences are much cheaper than in nearby San Diego.

The Union-Tribune reported that the owner of Cantamar — Carlos Borja Robles — died in 2007 without a will. After a legal battle between Cortéz, who is Borja’s widow, and his children that lasted for more than a decade, a Baja California appellate court overturned a lower court’s ruling in February 2019 and ordered Borja’s estate to cede the Cantamar development to Cortéz.

According to some residents, including Boyd — who has lived in Baja California for 34 years and is a naturalized Mexican citizen, the judge who made the ruling may have exceeded the power vested in him or her by awarding land to Cortéz that legally belonged to Cantamar residents.

“If the judgment encompasses other people’s titled property, then the judgment is in excess of the judge’s capacity to issue that judgment,” he told the Union-Tribune.

The newspaper said it was unable to reach Cortéz. An email to the property manager, Zarella García, was not returned, and a reporter was refused entry to Cantamar last Tuesday.

Some residents said they have been permitted to live at Cantamar since the 2019 ruling but Cortéz and García are making life increasingly difficult for them.

“I haven’t had running water for years. When we leave, we’re not sure if we’re going to be able to get back in,” said one resident who asked to remain anonymous out of fear he would face retaliation from Cantamar’s management.

Some residents told the Union-Tribune that Cortéz is trying to collect a new US $130 monthly maintenance fee. Others said that she wants back payments of maintenance fees dating back more than a decade.

“The obligation to pay maintenance is not included in my title, nor was it included in the title of the previous owner, and there is no separate contract that obligated the former owner, and now me, to pay maintenance,” Boyd said.

Dr. Mike Welch, a physician from San Diego, said he has been denied entry to his residence in for months.

“People who live there are not able to use the house they have been enjoying for many, many years,” he said. “There have even been altercations at times at the entry gate between security personnel and residents and visitors trying to get in.”

United States authorities have no legal power to intervene in property disputes involving U.S. citizens in Mexico. As the Union-Tribune noted, “the chances of winning a fight in the Mexican legal system are slim and the process can drag on for decades.”

“Who is going to spend a lot of money in court and wait 10 years?” Boyd said. “Most people [the residents of Cantamar] are older, and in 10 years where are they going to be?”

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune (en)

Kidnappers of Zapopan family well organized; case was not unique

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MND Staff

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April 12, 2021

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Seven members of the Acatic police have been ordered to stand trial.

The experience of the Villaseñor Romo family, deprived of their liberty for two weeks in Jalisco, could happen to anyone, according to one of the parents.

Julio Alberto Villaseñor Cabrera, his partner Jimena Romo Jiménez, their daughter Julia Isabella, Julio’s sister Virginia Villaseñor Cabrera and her son, Íker Fabricio Escoto Villaseñor, disappeared on March 24 while returning home to Zapopan from their vacation in Mexico City.

Julia Isabella, aged 18 months, was found last Thursday in the municipality of La Barca, Jalisco. The four other family members were released hours later.

“Those responsible were not improvising. They were professionals who form part of an organized, well oiled machinery,” said the family member in an interview.

“What happened to my family isn’t a unique case. There is a whole well calibrated machine in the area of kidnapping and there are a lot of people involved, and a lot more people are kidnapped. The seven police officers [that have been detained] are just the tip of the iceberg.”

Despite this, he acknowledged the captors did not mistreat the children nor take advantage of the women, and decided to release the family when they realized that the situation had gotten out of control.

“We are peaceful people, dedicated to our work, simple people. I don’t know where they got the idea that we have money. All we did was make noise on social media, all coordinated, the whole family making noise to the point of exhaustion, like anyone would,” he said.

It was not until the family took to social media that they learned two of the seven Acatic police officers arrested in the case already had arrest warrants against them. “It is a terrible omission and shows great irresponsibility that they hadn’t already arrested those officers,” he said.

Yesterday, the seven detained police officers were officially linked to the case for forced disappearance and aggravated forced disappearance. They were all ordered one year of pretrial detention as a precautionary measure while the investigation continues.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Navy seizes 1,500 kilos of cocaine, arrests 7 aboard fishboat off Nayarit

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MND Staff

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April 12, 2021

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Marines and the cocaine seized off Nayarit.

The navy seized more than 1 1/2 tonnes of cocaine and arrested seven people who were transporting the drugs on a boat south of the Islas Marías in Nayarit on April 6.

Marines were on coast guard duty about 60 nautical miles (approximately 111 kilometers) south of the Nayarit archipelago when they made the discovery.

While inspecting a fishboat navy personnel observed a number of anomalies in the boat’s machinery and the crew’s identification. They decided to take the boat to Balleto on Isla María Madre for a closer look.

Once at the port, with the assistance of sniffer dogs the drugs were found in 80 packets wrapped in tape, weighing 1,583 kilograms.

The seizure takes the total of drugs found since the beginning of March to 8,400 kilograms, which includes shipments of cocaine and marijuana.

On March 27 in Ensenada, Baja California, the army seized 119 kilograms of methamphetamine and 10 bags of another granulated substance, hidden in the back of an abandoned plane.

On March 23, 420 packets of cocaine were found in Janos, Chihuahua, weighing 418 kilograms, inside 21 of the 973 boxes of frozen vegetable fat being transported by truck.

On March 20, authorities seized two tonnes and 443 kilograms of marijuana at a security checkpoint on the Durango-Mazatlán highway. Local reports stated that the drugs were being transported between sacks of onions.

On March 10, soldiers detained seven presumed drug traffickers in Tonalá, Chiapas, who were in possession of seven sacks containing 2,850 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride and five firearms.

On February 28, military police officers seized over 2,000 kilograms of the same drug on the Durango-Villa Unión highway, hidden between construction blocks. The discovery was only found after the truck was stopped for having tinted windows.

Source: Infobae (sp

State police take over in Tulum; municipal officers sent off for training

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MND Staff

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April 12, 2021

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A group of 30 Tulum police officers arrive at the Quintana Roo state police academy in Chetumal for an enforced 216 hours of training in policing techniques and tactics. — A group of 30 Tulum police officers arrives at the Quintana Roo state police academy in Chetumal for an enforced 216 hours of training in policing techniques and tactics.

Two weeks after the death of a Salvadoran woman who was violently pinned to the ground while being arrested in Tulum, Quintana Roo, state police took over responsibility for public security in the resort town and municipal officers were sent away for training.

Quintana Roo security chief Lucio Hernández Gutiérrez announced Sunday that the Tulum municipal force would be immediately placed under the “absolute control” of the state Public Security Ministry (SSP)

Thirty Tulum officers have already been sent to the state police academy in Chetumal to undergo training, Hernández said.

The announcement followed the alleged murder by police of Salvadoran migrant Victoria Salazar, who died on March 27 after an officer kneeled on her back for an extended period of time, breaking two vertebrae. It also came after the dissemination of a video that showed Tulum police using excessive force to detain a young man last Wednesday night.

Hernández said the decision to place policing in the Caribbean coast tourism destination under state control was taken due to constant acts of abuse by the municipal force. He noted that some officers have acted illegally and violated human rights in their “subjugation” of people being arrested.

The police chief said that all municipal officers in Tulum will receive training from the SSP. Those who don’t meet the requirements to remain on the force will be dismissed, he said.

They will complete 216 hours of training, attending specialized courses that cover a range of facets of policing, including discipline, physical conditioning and police techniques and tactics.

Hernández said the objective is to ensure that Tulum’s police force has the capacity to act within the legal framework and comply with national and international human rights norms.

The training will “undeniably” allow the Tulum force to become more professional in their work, he said, asserting that the citizens of Tulum deserve well-trained police.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Disqualified candidate threatens to prevent elections from taking place in Guerrero

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MND Staff

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April 12, 2021

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Félix Salgado speaking to supporters in Iguala on Sunday. — Félix Salgado speaks to supporters in Iguala on Sunday.

An accused rapist who was disqualified from contesting the gubernatorial race in Guerrero because he failed to report his pre-campaign spending to electoral authorities has threatened to stop the June 6 elections from happening in his home state unless he is allowed to run.

“If we are on the ballot, there will be elections. If we are not on the ballot, there won’t be any elections,” said Félix Salgado, a federal senator on leave and former mayor of Acapulco who was selected as the candidate for the ruling Morena party despite accusations of rape by several women and widespread opposition to his candidacy.

“Raise your hand, he who says there will be no elections if we’re not on the ballot,” Salgado instructed loyal supporters at an event in Iguala, Guerrero, on Sunday.

His threat to prevent elections in the southern state is “entirely believable,” the Associated Press reported, noting that Guerrero is a violence-plagued state with a patchwork of drug gangs, vigilantes and militant farm groups that sometimes overlap. The news agency also noted that elections have been partially disrupted in Guerrero in the past and that many former governors have been ousted before ending their terms.

Salgado, who was stripped of his candidacy by the National Electoral Institute (INE) in late March, guaranteed that a protest he is leading at the INE offices in Mexico City will be peaceful, asserting that his supporters are not armed with any items that could allow it to turn violent, such as sticks and drums of gasoline.

Félix Salgado's supporters in a caravan of vehicles driving from Guerrero to Mexico City to protest at the National Electoral Institute's headquarters. — Félix Salgado’s supporters in a caravan of vehicles driving from Guerrero to Mexico City to protest at the National Electoral Institute’s headquarters.

The Federal Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF) has ordered the INE to reformulate its sanctions against both Salgado and Raúl Morón, Morena’s candidate for governor in Michoacán who was also barred from contesting the elections because he failed to report pre-campaign spending. Both men called on members of the INE general council to meet immediately to reassess the decision to bar them from contesting the elections although the council won’t convene until Tuesday.

Electoral councilor José Roberto Ruiz Saldaña said on Twitter that the general council members will meet at 6:00 p.m. that day, the same time at which the TEPJF deadline expires.

A decision to reinstate Salgado’s candidacy will likely trigger more protests against the 64-year-old, who has denied the rape accusations through his lawyer and via President López Obrador, who has claimed that the allegations are politically motivated.

Facing intense pressure to dump the candidate, including from within the ruling party, Morena conducted a new selection process last month but subsequently confirmed that Salgado would be its representative in the election.

However, that plan was scuttled by the INE’s March 25 ruling against Salgado and Morón, as well as against many candidates for mayor and federal deputy positions.

National Electoral Institute president Lorenzo Córdova.

Meanwhile, INE president Lorenzo Córdova on Sunday enumerated changes that have been made to the voting process and to ballots in recent years and decades to ensure that elections are free and fair. An INE-accredited ballot is “irrefutable and tangible proof” that speaking of electoral fraud in Mexico today “is not supported,” he said in a video message posted to social media.

Córdova said that the INE — as the organizer and “neutral umpire” of the elections — will guarantee the transparency and fairness of the process in strict accordance with the law.

Although on Sunday he expressed confidence in the INE’s capacity to organize free and fair elections, Córdova said in earlier remarks that democracy itself in the country is not currently in good shape. Speaking at a seminar on education policy in Mexico last Friday, the INE president said that growing polarization and disinformation, as well as democratically-elected governments’ failure to fulfill promises, pose a threat.

“Democracy is not enjoying a good moment, and it’s not a new thing,” Córdova said, adding that high levels of intolerance don’t help the democratic system.

He also said that widespread poverty and inequality are not conducive to generating confidence in democracy.

Referring to the most recent National Survey of Civic Culture, developed by the INE and the national statistics agency, Inegi, which found that four in 10 Mexicans wouldn’t mind having a government led by the military, the INE president said the finding that almost 53% of people are very or somewhat satisfied with democracy is “not bad” but not cause for great celebration either.

He also noted that one in six respondents said that an autocratic government might be better than a democratic one in some circumstances.

“Careful with that,” Córdova said.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Universal (sp)

Noise levels to be studied following airport noise complaints

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MND Staff

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April 12, 2021

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An Aeromar flight on final approach at Mexico City airport.

Some México state residents say new flight routes into Mexico City airport, which have been in operation since March 25, are disturbing the peace and threatening their health.

As a result of complaints Huixquilucan Mayor Enrique met with Transportation Deputy Minister Carlos Alfonso Morán Moguel, who agreed to examine the redesign of the routes.

The noise generated by planes flying overhead will be measured and recorded this week and the data presented to representatives of Mexico’s air navigation service, the Ministry of Communications and Transportation, the municipal government and neighborhood groups.

In Huixquilucan, the noise at ground level is hitting 85 decibels as planes approach the Benito Juárez International Airport.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), noisy environments above 75 decibels can be damaging. Above 85 decibels can cause cardiovascular problems due to a rise in blood pressure, stress, depression and a reduction in work productivity.

Mayor Vargas empathized with residents’ complaints. “What you are hearing now, imagine this noise at 3 a.m. To be honest, the whole community is really angry,” he said.

Silvia Campirano, who manages a residents association in La Herradura, says the problem is being felt across the community. “In the past two weeks since the new flight routes began, we have received a high number of complaints about the noise, and the effect it is having on people’s health as they can’t sleep properly.”

Herradura resident Pedro Solís is one person who has had trouble sleeping. “I think there must be cases of people waking up in nervous shock. It’s like going to a party. Probably on the first day it’s all OK, but having this constantly is too much,” he said.

Residents in southern Mexico City are also feeling the impact.

The first phase of the air traffic changes affects the Benito Juárez and Toluca airports. A second phase, begins in March 2022 and will coincide with the opening of the new General Felipe Ángeles airport in Santa Lucía.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Private doctors unhappy after AMLO tells them to wait their turn for Covid vaccine

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MND Staff

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April 10, 2021

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Private sector heath workers protest in Mexico City on Friday.

President López Obrador has raised the ire of private sector health workers after telling them to wait their turn for access to vaccination against Covid-19, a disease which has claimed the lives of thousands of medical personnel in Mexico.

The president suggested Friday that private sector workers including dentists who have not yet been vaccinated wouldn’t be inoculated until the vaccine rollout reaches their age bracket.

Asked at his morning press conference whether the government had ruled out the possibility of giving private sector health workers early access to vaccination, López Obrador responded:

“No, no, because if I say that it is ruled out that will be the headline in Reforma tomorrow,” he said, referring to the newspaper that is frequently critical of him and his government.

After López Obrador indicated that private sector health workers would be vaccinated at the same time as other people of their same age, a Reforma reporter retorted that their early inoculation had effectively been ruled out.

Many private-sector health workers were angered by the president's remarks on Friday. — Many private-sector health workers were angered by the president’s remarks on Friday. ‘Thanks for nothing,’ is this worker’s message for López Obrador.

“No, well, that’s your interpretation, put it like that [if you like]. … With Reforma we can’t [see eye to eye] because Reforma is very angry with us,” the president said.

“… I understand the demand of the private sector doctors, we’re not throwing [their demand] into the waste basket but we already have a [vaccination] strategy that will help all of us,” López Obrador said before launching another attack against Reforma, alleging that its owners used their power to put governors of their choice in office in Nuevo León. Those governors, the president said, were mediocre and dishonest.

As for the vaccination strategy, he said, “…We’re being guided by what the specialists say and what matters most to us is to save lives.”

Although early inoculation of all health workers looks unlikely to occur, the government is planning to give priority access to the country’s more than 3 million public and private sector teachers and education workers.

Once all seniors have been vaccinated, “we’re going to allocate a week or 10 days to vaccinating all education workers, all of them. We’re analyzing [the possibility] of doing it with the CanSino vaccine, which is a one-dose vaccine,” López Obrador said.

He said that the mass vaccination of teachers could begin as soon as April 15 or 20, even though only about half of Mexico’s 15.7 million seniors have been vaccinated to date.

“… We believe that we’re going to finish vaccinating all seniors with one dose by about the 20th of this month so at the same time we’re going to start the vaccination of teachers and education sector personnel,” López Obrador said.

The president claimed that the media’s dissemination of private health workers’ complaints about not being vaccinated yet is part of a campaign to discredit his government.

He highlighted that he and other high-ranking members of his administration, including his health, defense and navy ministers, haven’t yet been immunized, although they could have easily gained access to a shot.

López Obrador pledged in January that both public and private health sector workers would have early access to vaccination but now appears to have reneged on part of that promise. According to the federal government, 90% of frontline health workers in the public sector have been vaccinated and 50,000 private sector doctors have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

But at least three private sector medical associations have called for the early inoculation of all health workers, according to Reforma, and private medical personnel themselves have protested to demand access to shots.

Another protest took place Friday outside the National Palace in the zócalo, Mexico City’s central square, where among the protesters’ placards was one that read: “Dentists work with saliva on a daily basis. Don’t ignore us.”

lopez obrador — The president accused the newspaper Reforma of conducting a campaign against his government by publishing information about health workers’ protests.

“We’re also at risk of being infected with Covid and we’re not considered in the vaccination plan at the moment,” a protesting doctor told the newspaper El Universal.

“We also treat people who are infected and therefore we are at risk. We demand that the president meet with us to establish a route through which we can [gain early] access to the vaccines. We don’t want to continue being relegated,” he said.

“I’m hurt, I’m disappointed with what the president is doing to us because what he’s doing is dividing the medical sector,” said Arlene Mendoza, an ophthalmologist who joined Friday’s protest in the zócalo.

In response to the president’s indication that private sector workers wouldn’t be prioritized, the director of the Mexican Consortium of Hospitals, which represents private hospitals, urged López Obrador to reconsider.

“You can’t go to war without soldiers; health sector workers are your soldiers at the moment and you have to support us,” Javier Potes said.

David Berrones, an ophthalmologist and spokesman for Vacunas Médicos MX, an initiative that is advocating the early vaccination of all health workers, described the decision not to inoculate all medical personnel as unfortunate and wrong.

Among those who have not yet been vaccinated are thousands of health workers who have been working directly with or had exposure to Covid patients since the start of the pandemic, he said.

“Practically half of the [health workers] still to be vaccinated are younger than 40,” Berrones added. “If we’re relegated to the final stage of the vaccination [plan] half of the health sector will be left unprotected.”

People aged 16 to 39 are to be vaccinated in the fifth and final stage of the national vaccine rollout, the schedule for which was modified by the government this week. According to the modified schedule, the inoculation of people aged under 40 will not commence until July and is not scheduled to conclude until March next year.

As of Friday night, just under 11 million vaccine doses had been administered in Mexico. Just over 754,000 (mainly public sector) health workers have been fully vaccinated while about 155,500 have received the first of two required shots.

The lion’s share of the doses used in Mexico have gone to seniors, almost 1.1 million of whom are fully vaccinated, meaning that they have received both required doses of two-shot vaccines or were inoculated with the single-shot CanSino vaccine. Another 7.4 million seniors have received their first dose of one of the four two-shot vaccines – Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V and SinoVac – being used in Mexico

Source: Reforma (sp), El Universal (sp)

People power fuels Mexico’s newest wave of murals

By

Leigh Thelmadatter

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April 10, 2021

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Artist Julia Celeste with budding painter Edgar in front of a mural in the Las Misiones neighborhood of San Quintín, depicting principal crops of the Valley. — Artist Julia Celeste with budding painter Edgar in front of a mural in the Las Misiones neighborhood of San Quintín, depicting principal crops of the valley. Julia Celeste

Street art has been the muralism of our time, taking graffiti from eyesore to cultural contribution, often with positive messages that neighborhoods and cities can support. How do you make that even better? By having the community get directly involved in the design and execution!

This type of community-minded street art has sprung up all over Mexico without any sort of coordination among organizers, who came to their conclusions and projects via different paths but with quite similar results. It is simply an idea whose time has come.

Mexico News Daily did an article on one artist, Natasha Moraga, who does just that. She is covering Puerto Vallarta in trecadís (broken tile) mosaics with a slew of local and expat volunteers eager to help make the city more beautiful. Turns out she is not the only one.

Mary Carmen Olvera of the town of Zacatlán de las Manzanas is not an artist but an organizer and recruiter par excellence. She is behind various projects in this small town in the Sierra Norte of Puebla, known for its apple orchards and cider.

The murals began as part of the town’s first corn festival in 2014. She recruited United States tile artist Isaiah Zagar to come to Zacatlán. Together, they decided to put an image of Quetzalcóatl in broken tile, glass and mirror near the Jilguero Ravine, a popular tourist attraction. The artist designed the project and taught locals how to place the pieces.

One of the Zacatlán de Mis Recuerdos (Zacatlán of My Memories) in progress, using the modified broken tile technique. Alejandro Linares García

The project was a huge success, and Olvera was hooked. She moved on to the wall surrounding the town’s cemetery.

Using a similar technique, the town created a mural with 12 panels with 12 apples, each having a symbol related to Zacatlán’s history, culture and natural beauty. The back of the cemetery got a mural depicting Nahua cosmology, while the front was covered in biblical scenes.

Believe it or not, this little apple town does have its shady neighborhoods. Olvera subsequently turned her attention to the Callejon del Hueso (Bone Alley), formerly a dark, isolated place with a reputation for drugs. Here, she designed a series of murals based on old photographs for the walls of the houses that line the alley, with owners’ permission and participation. The project is called Zacatlán de mis Recuerdos (Zacatlán of my Memories).

A similar project has been started in Zaccatlán’s Lindavista neighborhood.

Like in Puerto Vallarta, almost all the work being done in Zacatlán is with broken tile, but the small town has added its own twist. They found that by using end nippers (a kind of cutting plier), they can break tiles into smaller and more accurate shapes. This has allowed for very detailed and realistic images.

Elsewhere, in Tepoztlán, Morelos, Judy Wray is a retired U.S. artist who calls her adopted home “paradise.” Her involvement in murals in Tepoztlán, called the Flying Beetle project, came about in part because of a small but growing problem with graffiti and vandalism around her home in the Santisima Trinidad neighborhood, just north of the town center.

One of a series of murals of the project Colores de mi Entorno headed by Rogelio Santos, demonstrating various indigenous cultures in the environments of the San Quintín Valley. Rogelio Santos

Wray has a decades-long history of community art projects of all kinds in both the United States and Mexico, from coloring books to painted hubcaps. Her community murals have been designed by professional artists from as far away as Chile. The murals are then sketched onto walls and painted with acrylic paints and brushes by volunteers or by marginalized people whom Wray pays out of her own pocket.

To promote the work and the people involved, she has had the murals reproduced onto huge microperforated plastic canvas typically used for large-scale advertisements so that they can be seen at events. Wray’s murals are painted along cobblestone streets, which forces drivers to move slowly by and appreciate the work.

In San Quintín, near Ensenada, Baja California, Julia Celeste and Rogelio Santos are both artists and longtime residents who migrated to the area when they were children. San Quintín is a highly diverse area with migrants from all over Mexico, many of whom are indigenous.

It makes for a rich tapestry of cultures and traditions, but it also provokes conflict since many ethnic groups tend to segregate themselves. The hard life of migrants also makes them susceptible to the drug trade.

Although they live in the same valley, Celeste and Santos have separately started community mural projects with the same end, to create and promote a sense of community among the different populations. The murals have themes related to migration, the environment of San Quintín and the native cultures of the migrants.

Both artists’ projects are done with acrylics and brushes, which they say allows for many more people to get involved. Filling in colors with paintbrushes is relatively easy, and the coloring book aspect of it is particularly appealing to children.

The Zebra Mural was designed by Władysław T. Benda and painted on the wall by Hermes and Diego. courtesy of Flying Beetle

All of these projects’ organizers proudly point out the positive benefits the murals have had in their communities. In all cases, none of the murals have had problems with graffiti or other vandalism, even years after the mural has been completed, which is a quite different result than that of many street art murals done by professionals and even major government-sponsored works.

The messages of the murals are important, as they almost always affirm the community’s identity and values. But it is the process of creating the murals that generates the most benefit. People who never thought themselves capable of creativity or of having a positive impact on their community are invited to do just that.

All the organizers have stories of participants who psychologically and even spiritually benefitted from participation and became hooked. Participants proudly show friends and family the parts of the mural they worked on, no matter how small, recruiting more volunteers. Olvera stated that a bricklayer she has known for years found many of his physical and psychological pains eased when he began to help with the initiatives.

Completed projects and their stories have had visible effects in their immediate surroundings. Adjoining parks and streets are better taken care of. Callejon de Hueso now sees tourism and new businesses, and both Celeste and Santos report that many mural participants have created friendships with people outside their insular circles.

Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico 17 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture. She publishes a blog called Creative Hands of Mexico and her first book, Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta , was published last year. Her culture blog appears regularly on Mexico News Daily.

Gunfire rings out again in Aguililla, where residents are fed up with the violence

By

MND Staff

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April 10, 2021

0

An army helicopter delivers supplies to soldiers camped outside the city of Aguililla. — An army helicopter delivers supplies to soldiers camped outside the city.

Gunshots rang out once again in Aguililla, Michoacán, on Friday as a bloody turf war between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Cárteles Unidos continued.

In videos posted to social media, volleys of gunfire can be heard during confrontations in Aguililla, the main town in the Tierra Caliente municipality of the same name.

The latest battle between the rival cartels came after the CJNG killed and decapitated at least eight presumed Cárteles Unidos members last week.

As many as 27 members of the Cárteles Unidos may have been killed by the CJNG, according to the Citizens’ Intelligence Unit Twitter account and media reports.

Gilberto Vergara, a parish priest, said in a video message that gun shots were a constant in the municipal seat on Friday. It is unclear whether there were any deaths or injuries as no authorities have officially acknowledged the confrontations.

Vergara said the CJNG is currently patrolling the streets of the city, which has been cut off from the outside world due to blockades set up by both the Jalisco cartel and the army, and trenches dug across roads by residents to thwart criminal incursions.

He said the CJNG has recruited people from outside the municipality to form a human shield that has been established outside the army’s Aguililla base to stop it from carrying out operations – and it is apparently working.

The priest claimed that the army has done nothing to stop the violence between the rival criminal groups. He said a military helicopter arrived on Friday but only to drop off supplies to soldiers.

Vergara claimed that the state government has sought to minimize the violence, even though residents no longer leave their homes due to fear that they could get caught caught up in a gun battle or even become a target themselves.

Although the municipality has been effectively isolated, it has not yet run out of basic supplies, the priest said, but the price of basic goods has gone up.

A local woman who spoke to the newspaper El Universal said that all residents are fed up with the ongoing violence. She implored authorities to do something to bring it to an end and open up access so that food and medications are both available and not sold at exorbitant prices.

“… We hope that this ends before we’re forced to do something we don’t want to do, which is to take up arms,” said the woman, who spoke to El Universal on the condition of anonymity.

Violence has long plagued Aguililla, the municipality where CJNG leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes – a wanted man in both Mexico and the United States – was born, but has intensified in recent weeks.

Some media reports have linked the most recent violence, including last weeks’ massacre, to the March 30 arrest in Guatemala of former Aguililla mayor Adalberto Fructuoso Comparán Rodríguez.

The CJNG, widely considered Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organization, has been fighting to win control of Aguililla for months if not years, and according to some media reports has succeeded in seizing the municipality, located about 270 kilometers southwest of the state capital Morelia.

At the start of last month, a video surfaced on social media in which CJNG members, acting with impunity on the streets of a small Aguililla town, show off an armored “narco-tank” that was apparently seized from Los Viagras, another rival criminal group.

In addition to clashing with its criminal enemies, the CJNG has attacked government security forces including state police, 14 of whom were killed in an ambush in Aguililla in October 2019.

Source: El Universal (sp), Infobae (sp)