Artist’s goal is to ‘paint’ all of Puerto Vallarta in tile

January 27, 2020

Natasha Moraga's tile work in Puerto Vallarta.

Mexico is no stranger to tile, but it’s been considered more of a utilitarian medium than an artistic one. Mosaics or trencadís (work with broken tiles), though fairly common in southern Europe, are few and far between here.

But Natasha Moraga is out to change that. The largely self-taught mosaic artist has made her mark covering the walls and public spaces of the Pacific Coast resort city of Puerto Vallarta tile by tile, often in collaboration with the local and foreign communities.

Born in La Mirada, California, to a Chilean father and a Mexican mother, Moraga was 8 years old when her parents chose to move the family to Mexico — eventually to Puerto Vallarta. Although she had some difficulty adjusting initially, Moraga doesn’t regret her parents’ decision.

Moraga’s American background shows in her fierce sense of independence. After a tumultuous period of rebellion, at age 15 she moved out. She’s taken care of herself ever since, living in various parts of Mexico and having several relationships. She moved to Germany with a girlfriend but soon moved on, finding the culture and people there to be cold. During a trip to Barcelona she discovered the trencadís work of Antoni Gaudí.

Despite an inability to draw, Moraga always felt the need to to work at an artistic endeavor. She experimented with various forms of expression but was drawn to tile, in no small part due to its highly tactile nature.

On returning to Vallarta she told a friend about what she had seen in Barcelona. The friend immediately offered to cover her travel and lodging if she could get a scholarship to train with award-winning mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar in Philadelphia. Moraga described her week there as “carrying buckets” and “watching,” but it formed the basis of her later work and organization.

Friends and family were mostly skeptical of her artistic aspirations. After the time with Zagar, her father convinced her to follow his example and open a restaurant, but after two years in that line she lost interest and shut it down.

At that point, she had only 20,000 pesos to her name and was living in an apartment in Old Town near a school wall full of unsightly graffiti. Moraga went to the city for permission to install a mosaic there, fully expecting to be turned down. Pleasantly surprised by a positive response, she went to work on it in October 2011.

“After I put up the first tile, I knew what to do.” But there was a practical issue. How could she support herself in this line of work? The answer came when a woman approached the site and offered US $100 to put her name on one of the tiles as a sponsor. Sales of such tiles paid for her materials and time. It has been a key source of financing ever since.

The school wall remains Moraga’s favorite, but she has gone on to more ambitious projects. The city proposed a mural project at the marina. Officially called Episodio 2, it is the second largest mosaic mural in Mexico. (The first is at Ciudad Universitaria in Mexico City.)

This was soon followed soon by an assignment to cover the standing letters spelling out “Puerto Vallarta” at the north entrance to the city. Municipal authorities initially opposed the idea, but support from the hotel association, which saw tourism value in the work, eventually won out.

Tile Park is an exercise in community building.

While Moraga has done smaller projects at various local hotels and on public benches, she tends to think big … very big.

Her current project is the Parque de Azulejos, or Tile Park, located in Lázaro Cárdenas Park on the south side of the city. It was started in 2017, coinciding with the 100^th anniversary of the official founding of the city.

The long-term project has become an exercise in community building with an accent on artistic expression. Tile Park brings together locals, foreign residents and even any tourists who want to contribute — and more than a few want to get their hands dirty.

Here is where Moraga’s bilingual and bicultural background comes in handy. She can work with both local bricklayers, who prepare the surfaces, and otherwise idle retirees with little to no Spanish. The project is entirely financed with private funds. Sponsorship tiles are sold through its website, which also features an old-fashioned donation box.

Calling the organization Mosayko Vallarta, she’s made a stir in the city, though few may realize she’s the person behind it all. The effect comes not only from the works themselves, but from the hundreds of people Moraga has trained “to carry buckets” through volunteer workshops. Some of the participants have contributed to the designs in Tile Park, and some have even gone on to do their own projects.

Moraga learned with U.S. materials but had to adapt to Mexican ones. Most of the works are done in local tiles, but they can also include stone, glass, mirrors and recycled materials. Most of the designs are abstract or semi-abstract, incorporating various types of symbolism. Moraga believes such symbols have an effect, whether or not onlookers recognize them.

The artist classifies what she does as urban or street art, as it is community-based, done by and for the public. She finds galleries intimidating and isn’t interested in creating works “for rich people to purchase.”

Mexico News Daily

Guanajuato ‘is complicated,’ says AMLO as violence continues

MND Staff

January 27, 2020

The security situation in Guanajuato – Mexico’s most violent state in 2019 – is “complicated,” President López Obrador said on Monday.

“The Guanajuato situation is something we’re attending to . . .” López Obrador told reporters at his regular news conference. “Indeed, there’s a lot violence,” he added.

The president said the government is giving “special attention” to the state, explaining that the deployment of the National Guard is being reinforced and that the armed forces are also providing assistance to combat insecurity.

“We have a lot of [security] elements [in Guanajuato] . . . from the National Guard, the Secretariat of National Defense and the Secretariat of the Navy because yes, [the state] is messed up,” López Obrador said.

The president declared that the violence problem predates his government before conceding that the situation has worsened since he took office in December 2018.

A bloody turf war between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, considered Mexico’s most powerful and dangerous criminal organization, and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel over control of fuel theft, extortion and kidnapping is regarded as the main driver of violence in the state.

“. . .On average, 15% [of homicides] are in Guanajuato . . . the weekend was very difficult. . .” López Obrador said, referring to the murders of at least 48 people, including an attack in Villagrán Friday night that left nine people dead.

One in five murders over the weekend were in the Bajío, he added, referring to a region of central Mexico comprising parts of Guanajuato, Querétaro and Jalisco states.

The president, whose non-confrontational security strategy is coming under increased pressure after homicides hit a record high in 2019, insisted that violence is falling in the majority of the country, specifically citing Durango, Sinaloa, Nayarit and Tamaulipas.

However, the situation in Guanajuato is “out of the ordinary,” López Obrador said. “The crime rate increased a lot [due to] groups that are fighting.”

Once considered among Mexico’s safest states, Guanajuato recorded the highest number of homicides in Mexico for a second year in a row in 2019.

More than 3,500 people were murdered there last year, almost 700 more than the number of homicide victims in Mexico’s second most violent state, Baja California.

Source: Reforma (sp)

It may not be Rio, but many Mexican communities celebrate Carnival

Leigh Thelmadatter

January 27, 2020

A float in last year's Carnival parade in Veracruz.

Despite its international reputation for loving a good party, Mexico isn’t known for its Carnival although it is celebrated in one form or another in about 225 communities. But none is anywhere as big or famous as those of Rio de Janeiro or New Orleans.

The reason behind the festival’s lack of visibility is historical. Like other celebrations on the Catholic calendar, Carnival was brought to Mexico by the Spanish. It gained acceptance by many indigenous communities because it fell around the same time as the “lost days” of the Mesoamerican calendar. This and Carnival share traditions of donning masks and letting certain social rules slide.

In fact it was those two things that caused colonial authorities to suppress Carnival in New Spain by the 17^th century. Celebrations by the indigenous and lower castes had become too irreverent and mocking of authority. By the early 18^th century, major Carnival celebrations had been successfully banned in the cities.

A number of small towns in rural areas managed to evade enforcement, and their Carnivals survived. However, the ban had the effect of isolating such celebrations, one reason why their fiestas have very localized characteristics.

Major public Carnival celebrations began to make a comeback in the very late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, especially in the coastal cities of Veracruz, the Yucatán peninsula and Baja.

The mock battle at Carnival in Huejotzingo, Puebla.

The two largest and most renowned are those of Mazatlán and Veracruz. Mazatlán’s is slightly older, dating back to 1898, but Veracruz’s is much larger, lasting nine days with six major parades. It has been particularly successful because of the area’s musical traditions, a blend of European, indigenous and African.

Other cities with modern Carnivals include Ensenada, Mérida and Cozumel but all of those closely resemble their counterparts in other countries. They have become locally important as a source of tourism income. The 2019 Veracruz Carnival attracted 1.5 million visitors to the city; in the same year, Mazatlán’s earned the city 300 million pesos (US $15.86 million).

Far more “Mexican” are those Carnival celebrations found in small towns off the beaten tourist paths. They can be found in many parts of central and southern Mexico in states such as Jalisco, Oaxaca, Chiapas and Tabasco, but the greatest concentration of such celebrations is found in the states of Morelos, Puebla and Tlaxcala, even reaching into the eastern sections of Mexico City.

What makes these celebrations important is that they are blends of European Carnival traditions with local indigenous cultures and history. While such modern features as parades with floats are a part, the focus is almost always on traditional dance, costume and music.

The most common element in the Carnivals just east and south of Mexico City are wood, wax or paper maché masks that represent European men with beards. These masks represent how the indigenous of the colonial period saw the Spanish and bear witness to these Carnivals’ survival of colonial-era repression.

In the state of Morelos, the stars of the state’s many small Carnivals are the Chinelos, a style of dance and costume which emerged as a way for the local indigenous to mock the ostentatiousness of their Spanish overlords, safely behind a wooden mask. In Tlaxcala and Puebla, the dance is the Huehues, which originated with the indigenous imitating the dress and manners of the Spanish at parties they could never attend.

The largest and most famous of these traditional Carnivals is that of Huejotzingo, Puebla. It is also quite unique. The town’s center is dominated by its 16^th-century monastery church, seriously damaged in the 2017 earthquake. In its shadow, over 2,000 of the town’s people take part in a mock battle (very) loosely based on the Battle of Puebla, when Mexican forces repelled the invading French on May 5, 1862. Although Cinco de Mayo is not a major holiday nationally, it is a big deal in Puebla.

This reenactment is not a dance per se, but rather a massive secular ritual. The town’s four traditional barrios are assigned different roles. Two represent the invading French, called Zuavos, and their hired mercenaries the Turcos. The other two represent Mexican forces called the Indios Serranos and the Zacapoaxtlas.

During the days of Carnival, people run around with fake muskets which explode real gunpowder (no bullets). Even small children get into the act, with smaller versions of the dress and muskets, minus the gunpowder. Unfortunately, the mix of gunpowder and alcohol usually means one or more serious injuries, usually to the participants’ hands.

Although Mexico City is the country’s largest metropolis, there is not (as of yet) a major Carnival celebration. Instead there are various small carnivals of the rural-type located in the far eastern and southeastern boroughs of Iztacalco and Iztapalapa. This is because these areas were all very rural until the mid-20^th century. In the case of the Carnival of Peñon de los Banos, next to the city’s airport, its existence is due to the migration of people from Puebla settling in this neighborhood.

Authorities in the various states have done some work in promoting the smaller Carnivals as tourist attractions. One notable exception to this is Mexico City. This is likely because these Carnivals take place in poor neighborhoods with crime issues.

It is important to note that these small Carnivals are community and family focused, especially the daytime. If public drunkenness and related problems occur, they are after dark.

This year, the most active days for Carnival in Mexico are between February 20 and 25 (ending at midnight, when Lent officially begins), but starting dates of local events can vary widely.

Some other traditional Carnivals by state:

Chiapas: San Juan Chamula, Huistán, Carnaval Zoque Coiteco Ocozocoautla

México state: Amecameca

Hidalgo: Calnali, Pisaflores, Jaltocan, Tenango de Doria

Jalisco: Jalos, Autlan, Jalostotitlán, Ameca, Sayula, Amatitlán

Mexico City: Santa Cruz Meyehualco, San Andrés Tetepilco, San Andrés Tomatlán, Santa María Tomatlán, San Sebastián Tecoloxtitlán. Santiago Acahualtepec, Los Reyes Culhuacán, San Lorenzo Tezonco (all in the borough of Iztapalapa)

Morelos: Tepoztlán, Tlayacapan, Yautepec, Jiutepec, Tlanepantla,

Oaxaca: Tuxtepec, Silacayoapan, San Martín Tilcajete, Pinotepa San Jerónimo Xayacatlan (called Joc-Lo)

Tabasco: Tenosique, Jonuta

Tlaxcala: Tlaxcala city

Veracruz: Ojite de Matamoros, Solteros de Juan Rosas, Arroyo Florido

Zacatecas: Carnaval de Rio Grande

Mexico News Daily

Tests prove negative in suspected coronavirus cases in Jalisco

Cody Copeland

January 27, 2020

Health Secretary Petersen: no suspected cases.

Three people hospitalized in Jalisco for possible cases of the coronavirus have tested negative for the disease, the state Health Secretary announced on Saturday.

“Mexico is free of the coronavirus for now,” said Fernando Petersen Aranguren at a press conference.

The cases in Jalisco were reported on Thursday, just after a Tamaulipas man tested negative for the coronavirus.

The suspected patients were a 42-year-old man who had traveled to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began, and a 37-year-old woman and a two-year-old girl with whom he had contact. They are currently receiving medical treatment for other respiratory illnesses.

Mexico has seen a total of seven possible cases of the coronavirus, none of which have tested positive.

No new possible cases were identified over the weekend.

The epidemiology department of the federal Health Secretariat reported that the virus’s mortality rate is 2.8%, and not 1% as previously thought.

The total number of confirmed cases worldwide has risen to 2,835 and 81 people have died from the disease, all in China.

Meanwhile, 57 people have recovered from it and have been discharged from hospital.

All of the confirmed cases reported outside of China stemmed from travel to the country, except for one case in Vietnam, which was transmitted from the first case reported in that country.

The Health Secretariat announced that a travel advisory to avoid all unnecessary travel to Wuhan, China, is still in effect.

Sources: El Economista (sp), El Universal (sp), Proceso (sp)

New Fire ushers in Purépecha New Year in Michoacán

Leigh Thelmadatter

January 27, 2020

The Chinese aren’t the only ones with an early spring New Year. Although based on a very different calendar, Mexico’s modern Purépecha people also celebrate a New Year’s tradition from the distant past.

Descendants of a pre-Columbian empire, the Purépecha today are concentrated in the northwest part of the state of Michoacán. Their calendar is a variant of the Mesoamerican calendar, a system that emerged with the Olmec civilization, passing through time and geography to be used in one form or another by the Mayans, Zapotecs, Toltecs and up to the Aztecs and Purépecha.

The stone representation of the Aztec version is one of the most photographed pieces in the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. Its use was cut off in 1521, replaced by the Christian calendar and Christian rituals.

Like its siblings, the Purépecha civil calendar consisted of 18 “months” of 20 days each for a total of 360 days. To keep the calendar aligned with the solar cycle, five days would be periodically added. But as they did not align with any month, those days were considered ominous.

In 1983, a group of Purépecha intellectuals and community activists reintroduced the use of the old calendar by celebrating its new year. This auspicious date is marked by the night when the constellation of Orion reaches its highest point in the sky. In the past, this meant it was time to make offerings to Kurhíkuaeri, the god of the Sun and of fire. This year that happens on the night of February 1-2.

New Fire ceremony celebrates the New Year.

The Purépecha new year is now celebrated with what is called the New Fire ceremony. This is also a Mesoamerican ritual, but originally it was performed once every 52 years, corresponding to the cycle of Pleiades; it was also the day when the civil and ritual calendars coincided.

Today, the New Fire ceremony has been repurposed so that the celebration of the new year can move from town to town in the territory once defined by the Purépecha Empire. A town receives the Old Fire from the community that guarded it during the previous year and then lights the New Fire. It then shelters and guards this fire until it is delivered to the next town to host the event.

The first modern Purépecha New Year ceremony was held at Tzintzuntzan, site of the area’s most famous archaeological site, with round platforms overlooking Lake Pátzcuaro. Since then, it’s become key to reasserting the identity of the Purépecha people as a community.

“Even though the New Fire ceremony is the most representative aspect of this indigenous people, it is one of reflection rather than religious or political in nature,” says Patricia Terán Escobar, a researcher at the National Institute for Anthropology and History (INAH). “Some of the objectives are to rescue the collective memory and all the cultural elements of the past, such as the ancient Purépecha tradition of verbally transmitting knowledge from one generation to another.”

This year, the New Fire/New Year ceremony will take place on February 1 in Capácuaro, which will receive the Old Fire from Cuanajo. Capácuaro is located north of the city of Uruapan, near Paracho.

Mexico News Daily

The humble carrot takes center stage with an array of dishes

Janet Blaser

January 27, 2020

Carrots seem like such a simple, innocuous vegetable, but they’re actually quite a wonderful ingredient and lend themselves to a surprising array of interesting dishes.

They taste best when dug fresh out of the ground, but in lieu of that, look for young carrots with the greens still attached. As I’ve mentioned before, markets where you can buy direct from the farmer will yield the freshest flavors and best selection; “Know Your Farmer” is a good motto to live by, no?

Speaking of buying carrots – you know those “baby” carrots in a bag? Well, they’re not. They’re simply “adult” carrots cut down to size, which consumers like better for ease of use and appearance.

Native to Europe and southwest Asia, carrots have developed from being mostly whitish – like parsnips – into the rainbow of colors found today. That said, reference to purple carrots has been found as far back as the 10^th century. And although they all taste pretty much the same, the many shades of orange and red, yellows, whites and purples make them, well, just more fun.

Even everyday orange carrots can be dressed up, though, by slicing them in different ways. Cutting them lengthwise into strips, leaving a bit of the stem and tops on or slicing them in long diagonals can change the appearance into something more exotic.

A scrumptious carrot souffle. — A scrumptious carrot soufflé.

Remember that baking or grilling carrots (and beets) makes them sweeter, in a rich, earthy way.

Carrot Soufflé

This is absolutely scrumptious, with a hint of sweetness that’s just right. Don’t substitute margarine for the butter! Halve the recipe to fit a pie pan.

¾ cup butter
1½ lbs. carrots, peeled & sliced (about 5¼ cups)
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
¼ cup flour
½ Tbsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 1½ qt. baking dish. Steam carrots till tender but not mushy. Set aside. In a food processor or with a mixer, pulse eggs and sugar. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon & butter; pulse till combined. (It’s OK if mixture is a little chunky.) Add carrots and pulse until mixed. Pour into prepared dish and bake until set, about 1 hour. (Shorten time for a smaller pan.) Knife inserted in center will come out clean. Serve immediately while warm.

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Carrots

Roasting brings out the carrot’s natural sweetness, and the cheese and garlic add a satisfying and crispy saltiness.

Roasting carrots brings out their earthy flavor. — Roasting carrots brings out their natural sweetness.

2 lbs. carrots, peeled and halved or quartered lengthwise
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. Panko bread crumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chopped parsley or cilantro or fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease or spray a baking sheet with cooking oil spray. Arrange carrots on baking sheet. Add the olive oil, garlic, parmesan, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Toss all ingredients together to completely coat the carrots. Spread out and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender, stirring with a spatula once or twice. Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve immediately. – CaféDelights.com

Sweet ‘n’ Sour Cabbage, Carrot & Almond Slaw

Simple and delicious!

6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt
2-3 carrots, grated
1 head Napa or white cabbage, shredded (or mix of purple and white cabbage)
¾ cup sliced almonds, toasted

In a salad bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard and a pinch of salt. Add carrots, cabbage and almonds and toss to combine. Makes 6 servings. – Rachel Ray

Carrot-Coconut Soup w/ Curried Shrimp

Make your unsweetened coconut “milk” at home by pureeing fresh coconut meat and water in a blender or food processor. It won’t be as thick but will taste just as good

4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
1¾ lbs. carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp. ground coriander
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. curry powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne
½ cup canned coconut milk (or homemade, see above)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives or cilantro
Crema for garnish

In large pot, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and coriander; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until the carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.

In a skillet, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil over medium-high. Add the shrimp, curry powder and cayenne. Cook, turning once, until shrimp are opaque and whitish in the center, about 3 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, working in, puree soup with ¼ cup coconut milk. Divide among bowls; top with shrimp, fresh herbs and a drizzle of crema. – Rachel Ray

Janet Blaser of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, has been a writer, editor and storyteller her entire life, and feels fortunate to write about great food, amazing places, fascinating people and unique events. Her work has appeared in numerous travel and expat publications as well as newspapers and magazines. Her first book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, is available on Amazon. Contact Janet or read her blog at whyweleftamerica.com.

4-day walk for truth, justice and peace pleads for an end to the pain and death

MND Staff

January 27, 2020

The walk for peace ends its four-day march in the Mexico City zócalo.

Anti-violence activist Javier Sicilia pleaded for an end to “so much pain” and death at the conclusion of a four-day “Walk for Truth, Justice and Peace” in Mexico City on Sunday.

Speaking in the capital’s central square, where the walk participants were met by a hostile group of President López Obrador supporters, Sicilia declared “it’s now time to put a real end to so much pain, death, humiliation and lies.”

The activist, who organized and led the walk that left Cuernavaca, Morelos, on Thursday, criticized the federal government’s security strategy, asserting that the “abrazos, no balazos” (hugs, not bullets) approach that favors addressing the root causes of violence with social programs over combating it with force is no better than the failed policies of past administrations.

He and members of the Mexican-American Mormon families who lost nine members in an attack in Sonora last November declined to take up the offer of a meeting with members of the government’s security cabinet, instead sending a contingent of victims of crime to the National Palace to submit a range of documents. These included a proposal for transitional justice to Interior Secretary Olga Sánchez and Security Secretary Alfonso Durazo.

“We have nothing to speak about with the security cabinet,” Sicilia said to applause from approximately 1,200 people gathered in the zócalo.

However, the activist did offer some blunt advice to the president, declaring that he had a choice between “continuing to walk towards the horror” that Mexico saw during the first full year of the new government, when homicides reached an all-time high, or “uniting us . . . through a state policy based on truth, justice and respect.”

He also said that López Obrador must decide “the side of history” towards which “he wants to walk.”

Sicilia said that his justice proposal includes the implementation of an “international mechanism” to investigate crimes and prosecute offenders, the establishment of a truth commission to identify the patterns of violence in the country and the creation of a compensation scheme for family members of victims.

“We mustn’t repeat the past; the past destroyed us and continues to destroy us. We must create something new that preserves life. A real and authentic transformation of the country must be based on truth, justice and peace,” he said.

“. . . We know that it’s not easy; it’s never easy to confront a crisis of civilization of the size we’re suffering today but if we don’t do it . . .violence will always reign. . .”

Earlier on Sunday, Sicilia led the last leg of the peace walk from the Estela de Luz monument outside Chapultepec Park to the capital’s central square.

The peace walk on Friday, en route to Mexico City from Cuernavaca.

Hundreds of victims of violence, family members of missing persons and parents of children with cancer were among those who walked along Reforma Avenue to the historic center, intermittently breaking their silence with cries of “Truth, justice and peace! Truth, justice and peace!”

“. . .Health is also justice,” said Rosi Salas, mother of a little girl with leukemia.

Her participation in the walk came days after parents of young cancer sufferers renewed their protest against a long-running cancer drug shortage at a Mexico City children’s hospital.

Relatives of the LeBarón family involved in the November 4 ambush in Sonora that killed three women and six children walked part of the way wearing just one shoe to pay homage to Mackenzie, a 9-year-old girl who survived the attack and walked miles wearing only one shoe to look for help.

Parents of the 43 students who disappeared in Iguala, Guerrero, in September 2014 also joined the march.

“You’re not alone,” said Melitón García, father of one of the young men who were studying to become teachers at the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College before their disappearance and presumed murder. “The pain that you have is the same that we have for the 43 missing students from Ayotzinapa.”

Upon their arrival in the zócalo, the walk participants were met by a group of more than 100 staunch López Obrador supporters who labeled them fifís, or elitists, among other disparaging terms, and demanded that they leave the square. Members of the LeBarón family were told to go back to the United States.

The newspaper El Universal reported that the peace activists and allies of AMLO, as the president is commonly known, engaged in scuffles in the central square, with the latter accusing the LeBarón family of being traitors, having voted for former president Enrique Peña Nieto and even orchestrating the massacre of their relatives themselves. Members of the media were also caught up in the confrontation, El Universal said.

Proceedings inside the National Palace later on Sunday afternoon were much more civilized, according to Security Secretary Durazo.

He wrote on Twitter that government officials engaged in a “courteous and respectful dialogue” with “a committee of the Walk for Truth, Justice and Peace,” adding that they listened to their “demands and proposals.”

Interior Secretary Sánchez said that “people want to participate in peace and justice” and that “there will be as many meetings as are necessary – we’ll work together, there will be truth and justice.”

For his part, human rights undersecretary Alejandro Encinas rejected the claim that López Obrador had snubbed the walk participants, given that senior government officials were dispatched to the National Palace to meet with them instead.

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

Presumed ‘narco-plane’ lands on highway; soldier killed in clash

Ann Deslandes

January 27, 2020

The plane sits on the Chetumal-Mérida highway Monday morning.

An army commander was injured and his driver killed when a small plane carrying drugs landed on a highway in Quintana Roo early Monday morning.

After the plane touched down on the Chetumal-Mérida highway in Bacalar, its occupants proceeded to shoot at the commander, José Luis Vázquez Araiza, and his driver, who was not identified.

President López Obrador noted the incident in his morning press conference as he was praising the efforts of Mexico’s military across the nation. The president said the plane contained drugs, and local media reports referring to it as a ‘presumed narco-plane.’

The two-seater plane was then abandoned in the area, where the Mexican National Army conducts vehicle traffic control operations.

Bacalar municipality, which borders Belize, has been a hotspot for violence related to drug trafficking in recent years, with organized crime syndicates fighting for control of territory.

In one such confrontation in July last year, nine people were killed and another seriously injured following a shootout on the Chetumal-Felipe Carrillo Puerto highway. Two small planes believed to be part of drug-smuggling operations crashed in the area in October 2018, and another in December 2019.

Source: Noticaribe (sp)

Los Cabos removes barrier, opens access to Palmilla beach

Cody Copeland

January 27, 2020

The mayor takes a cutting torch to the controversial beach barrier.

Authorities in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, have removed a barrier to one of the municipality’s most visited beaches after a year of calls from the public to take it down.

The vehicle-control barrier built by the One & Only Palmilla resort had blocked public access to Palmilla beach to control vandalism, crime and vendors.

Cabo San Lucas Mayor Armida Castro Guzmán said at the removal ceremony on the weekend that taking down the barrier protects and guarantees the public’s constitutional right to access the country’s beaches.

“Today the notorious barrier of Palmilla is being completely removed, along with any misunderstandings, because under this administration the beaches are open to citizens and visitors,” she said.

The resort placed the barrier two years ago after a spate of incidents during which three people were murdered at Palmilla beach in August 2017. An attempt to build a security booth at the entrance to the beach at that time was blocked by the local council.

Still, the general public was forced to wait for the guard on duty to raise the barrier in order to access the beach.

Citizens said that crime had been curtailed and there was no longer a need for the barrier, but their calls for its removal went unheeded throughout 2019.

The continued pressure led Castro to work with councilor Tabita Rodríguez Morales and representatives of One & Only Palmilla to coordinate the removal of the barrier.

“It is our responsibility as the government to ensure safety, carry out clean-up efforts and guarantee free access to all of the beaches of Los Cabos,” Castro said.

Resort representative Juan Antonio Aguilar said that the removal of the barrier reflects the trust the company has in the current municipal government.

Although the action was applauded by citizens, some members of the Los Cabos community said the same should be done at Las Viudas beach and others in the hotel zone of Cabo San Lucas that have been blocked by developers.

Sources: Diario El Independiente (sp), BCS Noticias (sp)

Feds’ green light to brewery triggers renewed protest in Baja California

Cody Copeland

January 27, 2020

Brewery opponents march in Mexicali on Sunday.

Opponents of a brewery that is being built in Mexicali, Baja California, have taken to the streets again after the federal government justified the project’s continued construction.

Farmers in the area have protested the construction of the US $1.5-billion brewery since 2016, claiming that its production will put a strain on the state’s water supply and fighting various legal battles to halt the project.

International beverage company Constellation Brands has claimed that there will be enough water for farmers, citizens and the one billion liters of beverages it plans to produce annually.

Federal Environment Secretary Víctor Toledo assured federal authorities that the brewery would not affect the region’s water supply at a heavily guarded meeting held at a private university in Mexicali on January 17.

Around 500 people belonging to some 30 community and environmental collectives from across the state gathered in Mexicali on the weekend to express their opposition to the project and denounce government officials for what they called a betrayal of the public.

Among the protesters was Eleutorio Suárez Aviña, coordinator of the Binational Indigenous Front, which has fought for causes of concern to indigenous people in the region for 26 years.

“We’ve joined the protest because it affects us … It’s a lie [that there is enough water]. They also contradict themselves. They say there’s water, but they want to build a desalination plant, then they say there’s enough water. Who’s telling the truth?” he said.

Another protester, Iván Martínez Zazueta, said the opponents are looking into various courses of action, such as calling for a public referendum on the project through the state’s Citizen Participation Law or directly petitioning President López Obrador.

“It’s a double-edged sword, but we’re going to look into it,” he said. “There will also be a protest on March 22, World Water Day.”

“And as a third action, we are going to create a truly public technical academic forum, not like the one headed by Toledo in a private university surrounded by police because they’re afraid to let the public hear. Constellation will be invited,” he added.

A decision by state electoral authorities to allow a referendum on the project was challenged by the company in December 2018.

After state politicians and business leaders warned that the plebiscite could threaten future international investment in Mexico, state electoral authorities reversed the decision to allow the vote in March of last year.

Local collective member Alma Araceli Piña called the protest a reaction to Toledo’s January 17 meeting and claimed that Constellation Brands had taken retaliatory actions against opponents of the brewery.

“This is a definitive reactivation [of the resistance]. The [movement] had the wind in its sails, but in the days following [Toledo’s] infamous forum there was an illegitimate campaign against this march … a campaign by Constellation Brands,” she said.

“We’re working through legal means … but we will not take even a half step back.”

Source: Reforma (sp)

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