After a decades-long career researching and protecting Mexico’s underwater cultural heritage, Pilar Luna Erreguerena died on March 15, 2020 at age 76.
Luna pioneered the field of underwater archaeology in Mexico, while it was still being institutionalized in the United States.
She discovered the specialty while studying archaeology at the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) when a professor, Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, lectured about the relocation of the temples and monuments of Abu Simbel in Egypt due to the construction of the Aswan Dam. After that class, she ran across the hall to the library to research the project as it combined her two loves, archaeology and water.
This led her to the work of the American George F. Bass, the father of underwater archaeology, with whom she would collaborate on projects in Mexico and abroad during her career.
Luna found the New Spain Flotilla, which sank in the Gulf of Mexico in 1631; of particular note was the discovery of its flagship, Nuestra Señora del Juncal. Perhaps her most far-reaching achievement, however, was ending private excavations in Mexican waters to find artifacts to sell.
She taught underwater archaeology for almost 40 years in Mexico and abroad.
Although she was most prominent for her work underwater, she was also an important member of the team that excavated the Templo Mayor in Mexico City between 1974 and 1979.
Luna was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, near the ocean. When she was six, her family moved to Mexico City but she remained an avid swimmer, even teaching it to children with Down’s Syndrome.
Encouraged to study, she earned her degree in archaeology at ENAH and a master’s in anthropology at the National Autonomous University (UNAM).
She had her first taste of underwater archaeology in 1974, working with Mayan artifacts in the Chunyaxché Lagoon in Quintana Roo. In 1978 she worked with George Bass to give a course and practicum at the Media Luna Spring in San Luis Potosí. After that she founded a scuba group at ENAH.
Working with the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the Mexican armed forces, she headed Mexico’s first ocean archaeology project. Through archaeologist Donald H. Keith she learned that some Americans had found an old cannon at the Campeche Bank, a shallow water area in the Gulf of Mexico on the north side of the Yucatán Peninsula. They retrieved the cannon in 1979 and dated it to the 16th century.
One year later, INAH made Luna the director of its new Department of Underwater Archaeology. She remained its head until 2017, working with national and international experts on projects both off the coast and in the inland waters of Mexico.
Her last major project was at the Hoyo Negro in Tulum, Quintana Roo, where in 2011 she found the remains of a woman deemed to be over 12,000 years old. This earned her the Field Discovery Prize of the Shanghai Archaeology Forum in 2017.
Last weekend's Vive Latino music festival, which drew over 100,000 people, was the last big event in Mexico City until the coronavirus threat is over.
Events in Mexico City that bring together more than 1,000 people will be suspended as of this week due to the growing threat of a widespread coronavirus outbreak.
Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum told a press conference on Monday that the measure is a precautionary one as the capital has not yet entered into a stage of community transmission of the infectious disease.
She said that the governments of all 16 Mexico City boroughs as well as private event organizers and venues will postpone large events.
“We’ve already been in contact with the National Auditorium and the Mexico City Arena,” Sheinbaum said, referring to two large indoor venues in the capital.
The mayor also said that citizens’ meetings at the Mexico City town hall will be suspended as of Tuesday. The government will attend to people’s needs over the telephone or via the internet, Sheinbaum said.
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With regard to the Passion Play of Iztapalapa, an annual Holy Week event that attracts huge numbers of spectators to the borough of Iztapalapa to watch a reenactment of the last hours of the life of Jesus Christ, the mayor said that local authorities and organizers are evaluating whether it will go ahead.
Sheinbaum also said that five doctors per shift are working at the Mexico City International Airport to help detect potential cases of Covid-19 among arriving passengers, adding that the government will this week “strengthen hygiene measures in public transit.”
She asserted that her government has the capacity to implement more extreme measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
“Mexico City is one of the most prepared entities in the republic,” Sheinbaum said.
At the same press conference, Mexico City Health Minister Oliva López Arellano said that classes would not be suspended before this Friday, as is occurring in some other states, explaining that authorities would follow the schedule set by the federal government, which announced Saturday that Easter holidays will start two weeks early on March 20.
In neighboring México state, Governor Alfredo del Mazo also ordered the suspension of large events and other activities that bring together high numbers of people.
He said that the state government has allocated 300 million pesos (US $13 million) to purchase medications, medical supplies and equipment to attend to patients that require hospitalization for Covid-19. There were six confirmed cases of coronavirus in México state as of Monday but only one patient is currently in the hospital.
Del Mazo also said that six hospitals have been given specific responsibility to provide treatment for coronavirus patients. Three are in state capital Toluca while the others are in Zumpango, Ixtapaluca and Tlalnepantla, municipalities that are part of the greater Mexico City area.
The Health Ministry said Monday that there were 82 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Mexico, three of which were serious, and 171 suspected cases.
Residents of Progreso, Yucatán, woke up to a slimy surprise on the beach when they found jellyfish in the water and washed up on the sand on Monday.
Mayor Julián Zacarías Curi asked citizens not to come into contact with the creatures, as it is still unknown what kind of reaction they may cause. The beach will be closed until the situation is resolved.
“Today we detected jellyfish on the shore. For safety it is recommended that no citizens or visitors make contact with these jellyfish, since they might cause allergic reactions or be highly painful,” said the municipal government in a press release.
The government issued specific recommendations to the public on how to deal with the situation, including: don’t touch the creatures; don’t take them out of the sea; don’t try to catch them; don’t try to drag them by the extremities; and keep children away from them.
It is asking people to take the warnings seriously. Weather conditions caused jellyfish to come ashore in Sinaloa in June of last year, after which 500 people required treatment for stings they received.
The National Water Commission, the Environment Ministry and the sustainable development department have yet to determine the species found in Progreso and whether or not it is dangerous to people.
This is the first time that jellyfish have been seen on the beach at Progreso, the closest beach to the state capital of Mérida.
It is unknown why the jellyfish arrived on the beach, but they could have been brought by strong marine currents. No federal entity has issued guidelines or other information on the situation.
There are now 82 confirmed cases of coronavirus Covid-19 in Mexico after the federal Health Ministry announced 29 new cases on Monday night.
The number of new cases is the highest for any single day since the first confirmed case of the disease in Mexico was announced on February 28.
The Health Ministry also said that there are 171 suspected cases and that 579 people had tested negative for the infectious disease.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell told a press conference that six coronavirus patients are in hospital and that three of them are in serious condition.
Ricardo Cortés, general director of health promotion at the Health Ministry, said that 90% of the people confirmed to be infected only have mild symptoms and are recovering in isolation at home.
Among people known to have come into contact with others infected with coronavirus, only 10% have symptoms of the disease, he added.
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The northern border state of Tamaulipas reported its first case of Covid-19 on Monday – a Malaysian national who works in a multinational company in Tampico. All but three states in Mexico now have confirmed or suspected cases of the disease that had infected more than 167,000 people around the world and caused 6,606 deaths as of Monday, according to the World Health Organization.
López-Gatell also said that the government’s coronavirus hotline had been “indirectly sabotaged” because rumors have circulated on social media stating that anyone with suspected symptoms of Covid-19 should call the Health Ministry’s epidemiology department. The volume of calls increased from 480 a day to 6,800 in the space of 24 hours, he said.
The deputy health minister also addressed a claim by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele that 12 people confirmed to have Covid-19 were intending to travel to San Salvador from Mexico City.
López-Gatell said that the 12 people in questions were nationals of El Salvador and had arrived in Mexico from Chicago. He said that medical personnel at the Mexico City airport confirmed that the passengers did not have any symptoms of Covid-19 nor had they been tested for the disease. Therefore, López-Gatell added, “it’s impossible to speak of confirmed cases.”
The airline Avianca nevertheless cancelled its scheduled flight between Mexico City and El Salvador and thanked Bukele on Twitter for alerting it to “the patients with Covid-19 trying to board the flight.”
Speaking at President López Obrador’s morning news conference on Tuesday, López-Gatell said that a coronavirus pandemic in Mexico could last 12 weeks or more.
“This is not going to be a short epidemic. We’ve already said it but I want to make it very clear again. We’ve said that the epidemic could last at least 12 weeks. That’s how long it lasted in China; it reached its high point about halfway through those weeks and then it started to go down, not necessarily because of the extreme containment measures that were taken,” he said.
“This would be the minimum scenario that we expect in Mexico. However, to the extent that each country has different characteristics, it could last longer – there could be small secondary upturns that prolong the need for mitigation and control measures,” the health official added.
In response to the expected widespread outbreak of Covid-19, the government announced on Saturday that Easter holidays for the nation’s school students would start on March 20, two weeks earlier than scheduled, and run until April 20.
However, unlike many other countries, federal authorities have not announced any travel bans to help fight the virus, which originated in mainland China late last year.
Shoppers have been stocking up on toilet paper in northern cities.
The federal government has urged Mexicans to maintain “a healthy distance” from each other to avoid infection from the novel coronavirus Covid-19 while a leading business group has guaranteed the supply of food and other essentials as the country braces for a wider outbreak of the infectious disease.
The Health Ministry announced an initiative on Saturday known as “Sana Distancia,” or Healthy Distance, to encourage people in Mexico – where greeting all and sundry with a hug, kiss or handshake is de rigueur – not to get as close to each other as they normally would.
The ministry said that the Sana Distancia scheme would formally commence on March 23 and continue for four weeks.
“It’s social distancing, it’s about distance to keep us healthy,” Ricardo Cortés, general director of health promotion at the Health Ministry, said at a press conference Sunday at which it was announced that the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 had increased by 12 to 53.
It remains to be seen whether President López Obrador will disregard the advice, as he has done until now. A deputy health minister urged people over two weeks ago to avoid hugs and kisses, but the president has ignored it.
He greeted his supporters in Guerrero with hugs, kisses and handshakes during a tour of the southwestern state over the weekend.
López Obrador posted five videos to his social media accounts on Sunday that showed him getting up close and personal with residents of coastal Guerrero who flocked to see him.
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Without mentioning Covid-19 specifically, he said that he had “great faith” that the “misfortunes [and] pandemics … won’t do anything to us.”
The president’s blatant flouting of the social distance convention triggered criticism from health experts and critics who said that he is setting a bad example for the nation.
Meanwhile, the Business Coordinating Council (CCE), an influential business group, provided an assurance on Monday that its members – among whom are the Mexican Employers Federation and the Mexican Business Council – will maintain the supply of food and other essentials.
“The country has sufficient resources to guarantee food, processed and canned products, and cleaning and hygiene items to all Mexicans,” the CCE said in a statement.
AMLO hugs a fan in Guerrero.
“There are sufficient inventories to provide goods to families, homes, hotels and restaurants. … The private sector has an unwavering commitment to Mexico and for that reason we are applying protocols to maintain, to the greatest extent possible, normality in economic and social activity in the coming weeks,” it added.
The business group urged people to keep calm and not engage in panic shopping or stockpiling essential products.
“It’s not necessary or justified, and it affects those who have urgent needs,” the CCE said. “To face up to this difficult time, Mexicans have to be united and show our solidarity, discipline and maturity. If we all do our part, we’re sure to get through it.”
While the CCE is calling for people to voluntarily show restraint when shopping, several supermarkets in Tijuana have imposed limits on the purchase of personal hygiene products such as toilet paper, the newspaper El Universal reported.
Supermarkets in the northern border city have been bombarded in recent days with shoppers among whom have been residents of southern California who crossed the border to seek out items they couldn’t find at home due to a wave of panic buying across the United States.
Photos showing people re-entering the United States from Tijuana with their cars loaded with toilet paper and other hygiene products have circulated on social media, El Universal said.
The growing threat of a widespread coronavirus outbreak in Mexico has also led the National Autonomous University (UNAM) to take the decision to begin suspending classes from Tuesday on. All faculties will be shut down by the end of the week, UNAM said in a statement.
More than 350,000 students and some 40,000 academics will be affected by the decision. UNAM said that students will be provided with the opportunity to continue their studies at home, presumably via online learning.
The total suspension of classes at the university, Mexico’s largest and most prestigious tertiary education institution, will allow students to leave campus on or before March 20, the date on which UNAM mathematician Gustavo Cruz predicts a widespread Covid-19 outbreak could commence via community transmission.
The government has also announced that Easter holidays for the nation’s school students will start on March 20, two weeks earlier than scheduled, and continue until April 20.
However, unlike the United States and most Central American countries, Mexico has not announced any travel bans to help fight coronavirus, which had spread to more than 140 countries as of Sunday and killed close to 6,000 people.
While Aeroméxico has announced that it will reduce the frequency of its flights to Europe by 40%, it is likely that domestic routes will also be decreased due to a lack of demand as people increasingly choose to hunker down to avoid potential infection from the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, late last year.
Nayarit Governor Antonio Echevarría told a press conference on Monday that his government would ask the airline Volaris to suspend flights between the state capital Tepic and Tijuana due to the latter city’s proximity to the United States, where there were more than 4,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of Monday afternoon.
“With all respect, we’re going to ask the airline Volaris to help us and cancel this flight. Unfortunately, the neighboring country is in phase 3 [of the outbreak] and we have to protect ourselves,” he said.
“My responsibility is to look out for the 1.3 million Nayarit residents and we have to do what has to be done to protect their health,” Echevarría added.
The Nayarit Fair has already been suspended due to the risk of Covid-19 transmission among attendees.
There is a growing list of suspended or cancelled events across Mexico due to the likelihood that community transmission of the infectious disease will become more prevalent in the near future, and the soccer clubs América and Cruz Azul played a match on Sunday at Mexico City’s cavernous Estadio Azteca without the presence of spectators.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell said late last week that the spread of Covid-19 could force the postponement or cancellation of as many as 8,000 events but stressed that the government will aim to ensure that there is not “unnecessary damage to the economy.”
However, with the peso already tumbling, the Mexican Stock Exchange taking a hit and an economy that was already stagnant before the new coronavirus was even heard of, Mexico, like countries around the world, looks set to suffer huge economic consequences as a result of Covid-19, whose list of victims is growing at an alarmingly fast pace.
Sometimes it seems like cooking trends are really something common that’s been around for a while (or forever) with a new fancy name. “Sheet pan” dinners – i.e., roasting meats, fish and vegetables on an oiled cookie sheet in the oven at a fairly high temperature – might be one of the most recent.
That said, who doesn’t like an easy, delicious dinner, with minimal prep and cleanup, that doesn’t require unusual ingredients?
I often cook like this when I want a vegetarian night, using whatever veggies I have on hand. (It’s also a good way to add some glamour to the infamous “top shelf special.”) Roasting vegetables turns some of their natural starches into sugars, resulting in more hearty, in-depth flavors.
Beets, onions, tomatoes, turnips and carrots all transform wonderfully when roasted, and even high-sugar fruits, like pineapple, yield a richer, more complex sweetness. What I do is chop the veggies into more or less inch-size pieces, toss them around in an olive oil, soy sauce and Balsamic mixture, add some salt and pepper and maybe some other spices, and then throw the whole thing on a cookie sheet in my fancy-dancy toaster oven.
In about 30 minutes at 400 degrees they’re roasted to a state of caramelized decadence. Accompanied with some fluffy Basmati rice and maybe sprinkled with a little fresh Parmesan, it’s a lovely, simple and healthy dinner. And, if you line the pan with foil, clean-up is really a cinch.
Use these recipes as guidelines, and feel free to adjust them to your own tastes and what you have available. Different kinds of fish, cuts of chicken and most vegetables (other than leafy greens, although they can be roasted, too, just for less time, coated with a bit of olive or coconut oil) will all work fine.
Salmon & Broccoli with Chile-Caper Vinaigrette
Cauliflower would work well too.
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
4 six-oz. skinless salmon fillets
1 red Fresno chile or jalapeño, seeds removed, thinly sliced into rings
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. drained capers
Preheat oven to 400°. Toss broccoli and 2 Tbsp. oil on a baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until browned and crisp-tender, 12–15 minutes. Remove from oven. Rub salmon with 1 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Push broccoli to edges of baking sheet and place salmon in the center. Roast until salmon is opaque throughout, 10–15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine chile, vinegar and pinch of salt in small bowl and let sit about 10 minutes. Mix in capers, salt & pepper and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Drizzle fish and veggies with vinaigrette just before serving.
Chipotle-Lime Shrimp: minimal prep and cleanup.
Chipotle-Lime Shrimp
1-½ pounds baby red potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¾ tsp. sea salt, divided
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. ground chipotle pepper
½ lb. asparagus or broccoli, cut into small florets
1 lb. uncooked shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled & deveined
2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
Preheat oven to 400°. Place potatoes on greased baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, squeeze 1/3 cup juice from limes, reserving fruit. Combine lime juice, melted butter, chipotle and remaining salt. Remove sheet pan from oven. Arrange asparagus or broccoli, shrimp and reserved limes on top of potatoes. Pour lime juice mixture over vegetables and shrimp. Bake until shrimp turn pink and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro. – TasteOfHome.com
Chicken with Potatoes & Kalamata Olives
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 tsp. fennel seeds
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1-½ lb. fingerling potatoes, halved
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
Salt & pepper
4 chicken legs (thigh & drumstick; about 3 lb.)
½ cup fresh parsley or cilantro
1 tsp. lemon zest
Preheat oven to 450°. Pulse bay leaf, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes in spice mill until finely ground. Toss potatoes, olives, 2 Tbsp. oil, and half of spice mixture in a large bowl; add salt and pepper. Place chicken on a baking sheet; rub with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil. Season with salt and pepper and rub with remaining spice mixture. Arrange potatoes around chicken. Roast until potatoes are fork-tender, chicken is cooked through, and skin is crisp, 35–45 minutes. Serve topped with parsley and lemon zest.
And for dessert, some roasted pineapple with honey and almonds.
Honey-Almond Roasted Pineapple
½ cup packed grated piloncillo or brown sugar
½ cup fresh orange juice
3 Tbsp. honey
1 medium ripe pineapple, peeled, cored, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges
¼ cup creme fraiche or plain yogurt
1/3 cup slivered almonds or natural unsalted pistachios, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh mint leaves
Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with parchment or foil. Stir first 3 ingredients in a large bowl until sugar dissolves. Add pineapple; toss to coat. Let marinate, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Place pineapple, one flat side down, on prepared pan; reserve marinade. Bake 15 minutes, turn, brush with marinade, and bake until tender and caramelized, 10-15 minutes more. Drizzle with remaining marinade, let cool slightly. Garnish with crème fraiche, nuts and mint.
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.
Aeroméxico has announced that it will reduce the frequency of its flights to Europe by 40% in the face of the pandemic of the coronavirus known as Covid-19.
In an internal letter to the company’s collaborators, director general Andrés Conesa said that it is one of the hardest moments in the company’s history.
“I can say without a doubt that this has been the most difficult thing I’ve ever experienced,” said Conesa.
He also announced that he would reduce his own salary by 20% during the crisis in order to free up more resources to get through the tough time.
The major routes that have been reduced are Madrid, from 17 to seven flights; Barcelona, from five to three; Paris, from 11 to seven; London, from seven to five; and Amsterdam, also from seven to five flights. The modified frequencies are scheduled from March 17 to April 30.
Some passengers have already had their flights changed, and Aeroméxico is asking them to contact customer service only if they are not happy with the change.
“If your flight was rescheduled and you’re OK with the new flight, be at the airport three hours before departure. In this case, it’s not necessary to contact us,” the company said in a message to passengers.
Its phone customer service is giving priority to those who have flights in the next 72 hours, so it is asking those whose flights are later to consult the website first.
Flights to and from China have seen a much steeper dropoff since the outbreak of the coronavirus. Only 835 passengers flew between the two countries in January, a drop of 89.6% from January 2019.
Only one airline — China Southern Airlines — provides service between Mexico and China. Aeroméxico formerly offered service but stopped last year when it cancelled its route to Shanghai.
In addition to the coronavirus scare, Aeroméxico and other airlines are also dealing with the financial hit of not being able to use the Boeing 737 Max plane after taking it out of service in March of last year.
'Water is for producing food not beer,' reads the sticker.
The operation of the brewery under construction by the United States company Constellation Brands in Mexicali, Baja California, does not pose a threat to the water supply, the federal government says in an information leaflet being distributed in the lead-up to this weekend’s referendum on the controversial beverage plant.
Emblazoned with the logos of the ministries of the Interior and the Environment as well as the National Water Commission, the brochure acknowledges that there is community concern that the brewery will use excessive amounts of water and thus create a shortage in Mexicali and surrounding areas.
However, the government points out that there is annual water availability of 2.7 billion cubic meters in the Valley of Mexicali and that the state government has only authorized the use of 5.8 million cubic meters per year by the brewery.
The amount represents “just 0.2% of the total volume [of available water] in the region,” the leaflet says, adding that the brewery will not be permitted to increase the quantity of water it uses.
“The operation of the plant doesn’t represent a present or future risk to the supply or availability of water for the countryside and homes in the Valley of Mexicali, or to the human right to water.”
The government also offers a guarantee that the brewery – being built on 400 hectares of land – will not use more water than a farm of the same size. In addition, Constellation Brands will pay 68 centavos for each liter of water it uses whereas farmers pay only 14 centavos, the brochure says.
If water supply is low, the Constellation brewery, other factories and farmers will all have to reduce their use of the resource to ensure availability for human consumption, the government says.
The leaflet notes that Constellation has obtained all the environmental and other permits it requires to operate but stresses that “the people” will have the final word on whether the US $1.5-billion brewery is allowed to open. “This March 21 and 22, you decide!” it says.
Opponents of the brewery, such as the Mexicali Committee for the Defense of Water, said that the brochure is biased and accused the government of showing favoritism to Constellation Brands.
“It betrays the principles of Juárez,” said Armando Salinas, leader of the committee and another group opposed to the brewery project, referring to 19th-century president Benito Juárez.
He added that if the government has already made up its mind to allow the brewery to open, the consultation should be cancelled to save money. “It would be an unnecessary expense,” Salinas said.
“We want the citizens to be those who decide, we want the public to decide,” he said last Monday, explaining that the vote is not called a consultation but rather a “participatory exercise.”
On March 3, López Obrador rejected any suggestion that holding a referendum on the brewery set a bad precedent.
“People say: ‘it will set a bad precedent if there’s a consultation, because it will impact investment.’ No, the bad precedent was already set when, without taking people into account, they gave out the permits,” he said.
Citizens will be able to cast their vote this Saturday and Sunday at 17 locations in Mexicali and a further 10 in agricultural areas.
Constellation, the largest importer of beer to the United States, has rejected the public consultation and said that it will consider other locations for a new brewery if Mexico becomes too problematic.
If the company decides to continue construction of the brewery in Mexicali – and its operation is given a green light at the government’s consultation – it is expected to open at the end of 2021.
Mazatlán has been a popular port for drug smugglers.
Federal security forces have seized almost 144 tonnes of drugs at Mexico’s 22 biggest ports since President López Obrador took office in December 2018.
According to information obtained by the newspaper Milenio via requests made to the National Institute for Transparency and Access to Information (INAI), the army, navy and National Guard confiscated 143.97 tonnes of drugs including marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin during the first 15 months of the current federal administration.
The quantity of narcotics seized at ports accounted for 97% of all drugs confiscated since López Obrador became president.
Seizures at the port in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, accounted for 71% of all drugs confiscated and just under 80% of the total for marijuana.
The ports in Guaymas, Sonora; Huatulco, Oaxaca; Puerto Peñasco, Sonora; Puerto Chiapas, Chiapas; and Ensenada, Baja California saw the next biggest seizures but the amounts confiscated there were dwarfed by the 102.24 tonnes confiscated in Mazatlán.
Just over 124 tonnes of marijuana were seized at ports in the last 15 months, a figure that accounts for 86.2% of the total amount of drugs confiscated. The largest single seizure occurred at Mazatlán last month when the navy confiscated 99 tonnes of pot.
The second most commonly seized drug was crystal methamphetamine, with total confiscations of 11.11 tonnes. Almost 7.5 tonnes of the drug, or 67% of the total, were seized in Guaymas.
Cocaine followed with port seizures totaling 7.81 tonnes since December 2018. Just over 45% of that amount – 3.55 tonnes – was seized in Puerto Chiapas, a port town approximately 25 kilometers southwest of Tapachula.
The three federal security forces seized just under 837 kilograms of methamphetamine (other than crystal meth) since López Obrador took office, 22.3 kilograms of heroin and 43.3 kilograms of other drugs. Ensenada saw the largest confiscations in all three categories.
Data supplied by INAI also showed there were drug seizures in the past 15 months at the Tamaulipas ports of Altamira and Tampico, but these were negligible, with authorities confiscating just 0.01 tonnes in the former location and 0.03 tonnes in the latter.
Milenio reported that almost 12.5 tonnes of drugs were seized in April 2019, making that month the second most successful for the federal government in terms of confiscations after February 2020. The least successful month was December 2019, with narcotics confiscations of just 18 kilograms.
Milenio also reported that homicide numbers were high in many of the ports that are used by criminal organizations, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation, to transport drugs.
There have been 500 homicides with firearms in Mazatlán since President López Obrador took office, 261 in Guaymas and 93 in Huatulco, according to the National Public Security System.
Cruise ship arrivals in Mexico have been canceled for up to five weeks in response to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe.
West coast coordinator of the Mexican Cruise Association, José Arturo Musi Ganem, said that the virus is having an unprecedented impact on the cruise industry. He said ships currently at sea will return to their ports of origin and not leave again until the crisis has passed.
He expects them all to be back at the ports of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta within two weeks.
Musi said that cruise operators Disney, Princess, Norwegian, Holland America, Regent Seven Seas, Carnival, Celebrity, Amadeo and others have all cancelled upcoming arrivals in the country.
“It’s an unprecedented situation that we’ve never seen before, so the whole industry is worried about this,” he said.
He said that in addition to nautical tourism, the coronavirus affects other industries that also depend on the arrival of cruise ship passengers, such as tour operators, restaurants, bars and transportation.
“We don’t know how long this will go on. The cruise ship companies said a month, however they could be out of service as long as two months, depending on how things go, as there is news every day,” he said.
The service suspensions likewise affect cruise ship ports on the Yucatán peninsula. The director general of the Integral Port Administration of Quintana Roo (Apiqroo), Alicia Ricalde Magaña, announced the cancellation of arrivals to Cozumel, Puerta Maya and Punta Langosta for the next 30 days.
The 31 arrivals that were canceled to these destinations during the week of March 16-22 amount to a loss of 181,000 passengers disembarking and spending money in the port cities. Cozumel alone had 120 arrivals scheduled for the next month, with a total of 720,000 passengers.
Ricalde said that Apiqroo is in close communication with cruise ship companies, attentive to the day they resume operations once the situation is under control.
