Escaping to nature in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas

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February 20, 2019

A view of the path through the gardens at Orquídeas Moxviquil. — A view of the path through the gardens at Orquídeas Moxviquil in Chiapas. mark locki

Chiapas. Just the name alone conjures up visions of the cascading waterfalls of Agua Azul, the bright blue lakes of Lagos de Montebello, and lush green canopies of the Lacandon Jungle.

The diversity of natural landscapes is unmatched in Mexico, and visitors travel from all over the world to visit the state’s unique ecosystems.

However, you don’t need to go far from San Cristóbal de las Casas to get in touch with nature. A visit to Reserva Huitepec, Orquídeas Moxviquil Botanical Garden and Arcotete Ecotourism Park will be sure to satisfy most nature lovers visiting this colonial city.

Cerro Huitepec stands as the highest peak of all the mountains surrounding San Cristóbal. When visible through the fog and clouds, the mountain is identifiable by the numerous radio towers protruding from its summit. Reserva Huitepec was the first private reserve in Mexico when it was founded by the environmental organization Pronatura Sur in 1986, protecting the rare plants, wildlife and ecosystem that makes up the dormant volcano.

The entrance to Reserva Huitepec is located a short colectivo ride northwest of San Cristóbal, on the highway to San Juan Chamula. After paying the 30 pesos entrance fee, follow the well-built path as it winds steeply up the hillside, through forests of oak and pine trees. Slowly the sounds of the city fade away, replaced by the chirping of some of the 84 species of birds that call the reserve home.

Trail through Reserva Huitepec. mark locki

If you’re lucky, you may catch a glimpse of hummingbirds, owls and warblers as they fly through the forest canopy. Don’t forget to keep your eye on the ground as well, where you’ll find over 300 species of plants, including many rare and endangered varieties. Numerous signposts along the way provide more information on the plants in the park, including the species used as medicinal herbs by the local Tzotzil population.

Along the 2.5-kilometer trail there are four rest points, consisting of small shelters, benches and informative signposts. Behind the fourth rest stop, a faint trail takes visitors into the upper reaches of the cloud forest, and beyond to the summit of the mountain.

If your legs don’t feel like carrying you any farther up the hill, take the main trail back to the highway. In total, the path takes 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to complete, depending on the pace. If you enjoyed the plants and flowers of Reserva Huitepec, then Orquídeas Moxviquil Botanical Garden should be next on your list of places to visit.

In the north of the city, Orquídeas Moxviquil occupies two hectares of land on Pronatura Sur’s Reserva Moxviquil. Founded in 2007, the garden was established to house the growing collection of orchids that Craig Dietz, one of the founders of Orquídeas Moxviquil, has rescued since 1994 from areas of deforestation and destruction around Chiapas.

Of the 700 different species of orchids in the state, over 400 have found a new home in the garden, which currently has two greenhouses, an amphitheatre, numerous walking paths and a manmade lagoon that provides water for the flowers.

After paying the 50-peso entrance fee (for non-Mexicans), follow the path to the left where you will reach the first greenhouse. As you enter, the heat and humidity instantly hit you in the face, and in a moment you are transported to the lower elevation jungles of Chiapas.

Looking up from the base of a large tree in Reserva Huitepec. mark locki

A short path guides visitors through the chaos of trees, branches and shrubs. But look carefully and you’ll find many species of orchids. Most orchids in the wild reside on trees, at a height between five and 30 meters above the ground, making them out of sight for most.

At Orquídeas Moxviquil, the staff have brought the orchids down to eye level and below, so visitors can see, touch and smell them.

Once finished in the first greenhouse, continue along the path past the lagoon. Fed by rainwater and water pumped from a natural spring, the pond provides the water needed to irrigate the grounds of the garden. It is also populated with popoyote, a species of killifish native to the San Cristóbal valley that is at risk of extinction due to habitat destruction and contamination in nearby waterways.

The second greenhouse contains species of orchids and plants that are found in the Lagos de Montebello region of Chiapas, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the state. The manmade lagoon extends into the greenhouse, giving it a wetlands feel. Benches inside allow you to sit and relax in the surroundings.

Along with the gardens, the grounds also have a two-kilometer hiking trail, taking you farther up into the Reserva Moxviquil and past a greater variety of plants and trees. The exploration of the gardens and the hike can be done either alone or in the company of a guide.

For the more adventure minded, take a visit to Parque Ecoturistico El Arcotete, located east of San Cristóbal de las Casas. The name Arcotete is believed to be an amalgamation of the word arco and the surname of the French explorer, Francois d’Arcecete.

An orchid from a greenhouse Orchídeas Moxviquil. — An orchid from a greenhouse at Orchídeas Moxviquil. mark locki

Legend has it that d’Arcecete fell in love with a woman named María de Jesús, and at this location under the arch above the Fogótico river, they swore their unending love to each other. Following a duel in which d’Arcecete took the life of a young Spaniard who also loved María de Jesús, d’Arcecete was sent to prison and María de Jesús banished by her father to a convent, where she died of sadness.

Upon d’Arcecete’s release from prison, he discovered that his love had passed away. Unable to take the grief, d’Arcecete returned to the arch and in true Romeo and Juliet fashion, took his own life.

Today that arch is the main attraction of Arcotete. Formed by the erosion of the Fogótico river running through a cave over millions of years, the arch now hosts an array of rock features, including various stalactites and stalagmites. A cave system runs through the arch, allowing you to view the inside of the arch from 40 meters in the air. Alternatively, head down to the water and relax on a small beach by the river while gazing up to the roof of the cave

For the more courageous, hire a guide from La Roca Sala de Escalada in San Cristóbal and climb the steep limestone cliffs adjacent to the cave. Stronger climbers can impress the onlookers watching from the arch by climbing up its side, across the roof and into the balcony on the cave.

If rock climbing is out of your comfort zone, try rappelling, or zip through the forest above the river on one of the zip-lines that stretch over the property. Finish off your day of adventure with a barbecue in a palapa, or spend the night camping under the stars.

Natural beauty abounds in Chiapas, but you don’t need to look far beyond San Cristóbal de las Casas to find it. Whether it’s the hiking in Reserva Huitepec, visiting the gardens of Orquídeas Moxviquil, or finding adventure in Arcotete, there’s plenty to discover in the immediate surroundings of the town.

Human Rights Commission repeats its criticism of proposed national guard

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MND Staff

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February 20, 2019

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This is what the national guard would do, but its ranks would be formed largely by soldiers.

The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has repeated its criticism of the federal government’s proposal to create a national guard, declaring that the security force “is not appropriate or viable.”

The proposal to create the new force was approved by Senate committees on Monday and all members of the upper house will have the opportunity to vote on it in an upcoming plenary session.

In a statement, the CNDH urged members of Congress to put respect and protection for human rights first in the constitutional amendments that must be approved in order for the new security force to be created.

The commission said that from a human rights perspective and in consideration of the constitutional amendments as they are currently set out, “the national guard proposal is not appropriate or viable because it doesn’t guarantee nor does it substantively contribute to ending impunity.”

The commission also said that the proposal “weakens civil and democratic institutionality” and contravenes Mexico’s international human rights obligations by “regularizing the participation of the armed forces in public security tasks.”

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and several other non-government organizations have also rejected the proposal, arguing that it will perpetuate a failed militarized crime-fighting strategy first implemented by former president Felipe Calderón in 2006, and result in more human rights violations being committed by the armed forces.

The CNDH said the military should only continue carrying out public security tasks on an “exceptional and temporary” basis while “the technical, operational, legal and structural capacities of police and civil institutions are strengthened.”

Responding to the criticism today, President López Obrador pledged that if approved, the national guard will conduct itself in a way similar to United Nations peacekeepers, a group that is sometimes referred to as the Blue Berets.

“Human rights will be respected,” he said. “So you have a clear idea, the national guard is going to be like the United Nations peacekeeping forces.”

The president urged senators from the opposition National Action Party (PAN), who oppose the security force’s creation, to reconsider their position “because it’s a very important issue to guarantee the security of the country.”

The proposal sent to the Senate by the lower house of Congress recommends that the new security force have a “mixed” or “combined” command made up of both civil and military leaders.

The Secretariat of Security would be in charge of designing the policies and programs the national guard implements while the secretariats of National Defense and the Navy would have operational command.

Claudia Ruiz Massieu, national president of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), said yesterday that the party’s state governors and federal senators support the creation of the force but stressed that their backing was conditional on it having a civilian command and not infringing on the authority of state and municipal governments.

The Senate is expected to start debating the proposal on Thursday, while López Obrador has made it clear that he wants the force to be created as soon as possible.

The president yesterday accused the PAN senators who oppose the National Guard of “unleashing the violence” in Mexico and turning the country into “a cemetery.”

Former president Calderón, who initiated the so-called war on drugs, was from the same party.

More than 200,000 people have been murdered in the 12 years since soldiers and marines took to the streets, and the military has been accused of a range of human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture.

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

151-year-old Puebla carnival has deep cultural roots

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Madison Koen

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February 20, 2019

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Expect to see colorful costumes at the Huejotzingo carnival.

A 151-year-old carnival in Huejotzingo, Puebla, is not only about dancing and drinking, says the mayor.

Angélica Alvarado said the carnival, held continuously for 151 years, has deep cultural roots.

“[The carnival] includes many ritual and symbolic elements that make it unique. It is one of the few [traditional] cultural, dance and musical gatherings that constitutes a grand theater of the masses.”

The mayor explained that the event includes representations of the famous 5 de Mayo battle in Puebla, complete with traditional dress, as well as a reenactment of the wedding of Calixto, the region’s first Catholic wedding of an indigenous person, according to the written account of Friar Toribio de Benavente Motlinía.

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Local children participate in the carnival from a young age and, according to Alvarado, more of the region’s young are represented every year.

The Huejotzingo carnival is considered the largest Mesoamerican ritual gathering still alive today in Mexico and principally celebrates the region’s indigenous ancestry.

Huejotzingo was founded in 1173 by Nahua peoples among other communities established on the slopes of the Iztaccíhuatl volcano. Today’s carnival keeps alive traditions passed from generation to generation from the town’s original inhabitants, says Alvarado.

Many say the carnival is the biggest and most important public festival in the state of Puebla. This year’s festivities are expected to be especially large: 20,000 dancers and 100 bands from Oaxaca, Morelos, Tlaxcala, Guerrero and Puebla will participate.

Scheduled for March 2-5, the event is expected to draw around 80,000 visitors and generate about 20 million pesos (US $1 million).

Source: Milenio (sp)

New dome forms at El Popo volcano; more ash fall predicted

By

Madison Koen

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February 20, 2019

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A flyover by authorities revealed the new dome at El Popo. — A flyover by authorities revealed the new dome.

Authorities are on alert after the detection of new activity at the Popocatépetl volcano.

The national Civil Protection agency released a report yesterday that revealed the discovery of a newly-formed dome in the crater of the volcano, which spans approximately 200 meters in diameter.

The report predicted that the formation could spell ash falls in the days to come.

“The next several days could see more episodes of growth in dome No. 82, which would imply activity similar to that of last Thursday, February 14, or similar to that observed in earlier events.”

Last Thursday, El Popo, as it is also known, erupted in a series of explosions that shot fragments of molten rock from its crater to land a relatively short distance away.

The scientific volcano committee also held a special meeting yesterday to review the developments in the volcano’s activity.

The committee warned of the possibility of a more serious scenario: a powerful volcanic eruption that could send bits of molten earth to land a much farther distance away, along with a choking, several-kilometer-high column of ash. The organization’s scientists cited previous occasions in which similar activity foretold such an eruption.

Despite the formation of the dome inside the volcano’s crater, authorities have not increased the volcanic alert from Yellow Phase 2.

The scientific committee, affiliated with the Civil Protection systems said it was in a state of alert and will remain in constant contact with corresponding authorities in Morelos, Tlaxcala, Puebla, México state and Mexico City.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Mexico City government manipulated crime figures, new administration charges

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MND Staff

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February 20, 2019

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The Mexico City government has accused its predecessor of manipulating crime statistics “for political reasons.”

Attorney General Ernestina Godoy told a press conference yesterday that the aim of the former Mexico City government was to show an apparent reduction in the incidence of high-impact crimes such as intentional homicides, vehicle theft and aggravated robbery.

Godoy said the administration led by current Senator Miguel Ángel Mancera between 2012 and 2018 only recorded an average of 84.7 high-impact crimes per day while it was in office when an average daily total of 170 crimes of that type was reported to authorities.

She charged that the previous administration implemented a strategy to not record more than 620 high-impact crimes on a weekly basis, meaning that more than half of those reported were classified as less serious offenses and not investigated in the way they should have been.

“They deceived the citizens . . .” Godoy declared, adding that César Martínez Jasso, a former intelligence director and criminal policy and statistics chief in the Mexico City Attorney General’s office (PGJ), is under investigation for the alleged manipulation.

Other former officials may also come under investigation, Godoy said.

“For political reasons the registry of crimes was altered,” she said, explaining that the unit of the PGJ responsible for investigating crimes committed by public officials “will summon all those involved in the matter.”

Godoy also charged that there were “orders from above” to manipulate the crime figures.

Current authorities looked at a sample of 42,524 files and found that 29,082 – 68% – were incorrectly classified as low-impact crimes.

Among the manipulation detected, the attorney general said, was the classification of 82 intentional homicides as deaths caused by less culpable crimes or by natural or accidental causes.

More than a quarter of 14,349 reports of vehicle robbery were classified as a different, less serious crime while 1,314 high-impact crimes committed by minors weren’t represented in the official statistics the city government reported.

One strategy allegedly used by the former administration to justify the non-recording and reporting of a crime was to say it occurred in México state rather than Mexico City.

Godoy also said that more than 1,000 robberies of businesses were incorrectly recorded as low-impact crimes and that 18,723 reported thefts of mobile telephones could have been classified as high-impact crimes but were not.

Ex-mayor Mancera denied that his administration had manipulated the figures and declared he had full confidence in the two attorneys general who served during his term.

Source: El Universal (sp), Eje Central (sp)

Indigenous opponent of Morelos power plant murdered

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MND Staff

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February 20, 2019

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Flores, center, in a recent interview with reporters. — Flores in a recent interview with reporters.

An indigenous activist fighting against the opening of a thermal power plant and construction of a gas pipeline in Morelos was killed this morning, three days before a public consultation on the energy generation project is scheduled to take place.

Nahuatl man Samir Flores Soberanes was shot in the head in front of his home in Amilcingo, a town in Morelos about 20 kilometers southeast of the Huexca plant. He died from his injuries in a hospital in Cuautla.

The activist group of which Flores was a member – the People’s Front for the Defense of Land and Water – said in a statement that two vehicles parked in front of his home at around 5:00am. Their occupants called for Flores to come out and fired at him when he did.

President López Obrador condemned the murder at his morning press conference, describing it as “vile” and “cowardly” and promising an investigation.

But he said that the public vote on the power plant, part of the US $1.3-billion Integral Morelos Project, will go ahead.

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“I’m very sorry about the murder [but] we have to continue the consultation because it is a process that was already agreed to at an assembly,” López Obrador said.

“We don’t know with what intent this horrendous crime was committed. Maybe among the possibilities was to affect the carrying out of the consultation . . .” he added.

The Morelos attorney general said there was no evidence that the killing was related to the power plant. Uriel Carmona said there were indications instead that organized crime was involved.

Local communities have been fighting against the Integral Morelos Project for years, which in addition to two power stations at Huexca also includes a 160-kilometer pipeline to supply natural gas to the plant from Tlaxcala and an aqueduct.

Mainly indigenous communities near Huexca – including Amilcingo – some of which are also in the vicinity of the Popocatépetl volcano have concerns about the impact of the plant’s operations on health, safety and water supply.

The People’s Front activist group said that Flores attended a public forum about the project yesterday and challenged statements made by government representatives. It also said that he had been threatened several times since 2012.

In addition, the group said that it had warned López Obrador that going ahead with the public consultation could cause violence in the area and blamed the federal government for Flores’ death.

The president announced on February 8 that the government would hold a vote February 23 and 24 in Morelos and municipalities in Puebla and Tlaxcala through which the gas pipeline runs.

Citizens will face a single question: Do you agree with the Federal Electricity Commission’s Huexca thermal power plant starting operations?

López Obrador sought to entice citizens to vote in favor of the project by pledging that cheaper electricity prices will be on offer.

He said the government won’t act without the support of residents but stressed that if the plant isn’t put into operation, an investment of more than 20 billion pesos (US $1 billion) will be lost and electricity will have to be bought from private companies.

An umbrella group of several different organizations rejected the consultation shortly after it was announced, saying it would remain opposed to the project regardless of the outcome of the vote.

Source: Associated Press (sp), El Financiero (sp)

Sharp spike in kidnapping in January; most were in state of Veracruz

By

Madison Koen

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February 20, 2019

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Anti-kidnapping activist Miranda de Wallace.

A new statistic shows that kidnappings spiked dramatically in January compared to December and that more than half the cases were in the state of Veracruz.

Isabel Miranda de Wallace, president of the civil organization Alto al Secuestro (Stop Kidnapping), revealed yesterday that kidnappings were up 49% nationwide for a total of 190 incidents with 229 victims.

She said 52 of the cases were in Veracruz and urged the governor to take immediate action.

“This is a national emergency, people are desperate. For that reason, we resolutely call upon Governor Cuitláhuac García to fulfill his promise to restore security to Veracruz.”

Other troubled states included México with 26 cases reported in January and Mexico City with 23.Veracruz, Morelos and Tamaulipas led in per-capita terms.

Six states were kidnapping-free during the month.

Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Coahuila, Nayarit and Sinaloa were the only states that did not report any kidnappings, though it is not clear how many go unreported.

“The increase in the number of reported kidnapping cases is alarming. Even if the number has been inflated, it is still an alarming number,” said Miranda.

On the positive side, she noted that another statistic that increased in January was the number of suspects detained for kidnapping — 172, up from 135 in December.

Miranda said Mexico’s national action plan against kidnapping expired on December 31, and urged the federal government to prioritize the creation of a new strategy.

The National Security System is expected to publish its official statistics in the coming days.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

Taxi drivers mount protest against ride-sharing, claim 50% drop in earnings

By

César Hernández

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February 20, 2019

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Taxis in Mexico City's zócalo this morning.

Over 200 taxi drivers from Mexico City and México state protested today against the “disproportionate growth” of companies like Uber and Cabify, which offer a taxi-like service through mobile apps.

The protest started early this morning, when drivers from several unions and companies gathered outside the Chabacano subway station and later drove their cabs north to the zócalo, bringing traffic in adjoining streets to a gridlock that continued into the morning.

The protesters organized a rally across from the city government’s headquarters.

” . . . We must demand that the law is enforced,” said Juan Carlos Rovira, a member of the taxi organization Grupo G-10 , adding that the law was clear and that “the illegal transportation of passengers is punishable with jail time, there’s no way around it.”

“The whole country is devastated, we demand that [Uber and Cabify] leave Mexico immediately,” he told the newspaper El Universal.

The protesters want the city to ban the use of private vehicles as taxis through mobile applications.

The drivers said that over the last five years their earnings have dropped by as much as 50% due to the presence of the ride-sharing services.

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

Up 47% in six years, the Bajío powers growth in manufacturing industry

By

MND Staff

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February 20, 2019

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Car and pickup truck production is the leading sub-sector of Mexico's manufacturing industry.

The Bajío region was Mexico’s manufacturing dynamo between 2013 and 2018, achieving growth of 47.2%.

Data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) shows that Mexico’s overall manufacturing growth between 2013 and 2018 was 17.9% – 1.4% higher than that achieved in the previous six years. The increase in the value of nationwide production was largely driven by the Bajío, a region made up of Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro and Aguascalientes.

Western Mexico – Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit and Colima – achieved the second highest growth in the period, with the value of its production up 25.3%.

The northern border region – taking in all six states that abut the United States – was next with 21.5% growth, followed by the central-north region with 15.3% growth and central Mexico, which saw a 9.8% increase.

Among individual states, Baja California Sur was a clear-cut winner.

The state saw whopping growth of 269% between 2013 and 2018.

San Luis Potosí was in second place with the value of its output increasing by 73.7%, while Aguascalientes recorded 70.4% growth to finish third.

Mexico’s south and southeast was the only region that saw a decline — a 17.3% decrease. Manufacturing shrunk by 42% in Oaxaca, 16% in Veracruz, 11.8% in Guerrero and 0.8% in Tabasco.

Output in Tamaulipas, Hidalgo, Mexico City, Sonora and Durango also declined in the six-year period.

The total value of manufacturing in Mexico last year was just over 7.3 trillion pesos (US $380.1 billion), with 32% of that figure coming from the northern border region. Factories in central Mexico generated 28.2% of the wealth and the Bajío region contributed 21.5%.

In 2013, the same three regions, in the same order, were also the leading contributors to the value of Mexico’s overall manufacturing output.

But 2018 figures show that only the Bajío increased its participation in percentage terms, contributing 4.3% more than it did in the first full year of Enrique Peña Nieto’s presidency.

The newspaper El Economista said that policies introduced by governments in Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro and Aguascalientes have been the driving force behind the Bajío region’s strong performance in manufacturing, pointing out that the states entered into commercial alliances that helped them to attract domestic and foreign investment in sectors such as automotive and electronics.

In November, the governors of the four states also agreed to work together to create a new manufacturing region to be known as the Central Bajío Corridor.

Long-term cooperation between the states will also extend to security, tourism, transport and social development, among other areas.

The Bajío region state that generates the most manufacturing wealth is Guanajuato.

Since 2010, it has ranked fourth every year for the value of its economic output behind México state, Nuevo León and Coahuila, which have maintained their spots, in that order, as Mexico’s top three manufacturing powerhouses for almost a decade.

San Luis Potosí and Querétaro are now also in the top 10 manufacturing states, taking the places of Sonora and Tamaulipas, which featured in the 2013 list.

The 7.3 trillion pesos generated by manufacturing last year accounted for 16.1% of gross domestic product (GDP), making the sector the most important of Mexico’s economy.

Production of cars and pickup trucks was the most profitable sub-sector of the manufacturing industry last year, generating 16.2% of all wealth followed by oil refining, which contributed 4.1%.

The production of buses and trucks was the third most profitable sub-sector, making a 4% contribution to the industry’s value.

Between 2013 and 2018, the value of parts manufactured for vehicle transmission systems increased by 101.7%, making it the best performing sub-sector in terms of growth, followed by beer production, which surged 73.5% and car and pickup truck production which grew by 68.1%.

Petroleum refining and the production of pharmaceuticals and tortillas were among the manufacturing sub-sectors whose contribution to total manufacturing value fell while Peña Nieto was in power.

Source: El Economista (sp)

New migrants’ caravan crosses border, enters Mexico illegally

By

César Hernández

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February 20, 2019

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A caravan of about 1,000 undocumented migrants from Central America crossed into Mexico yesterday.

The migrants arrived at the Guatemala side of the Rodolfo Robles international bridge in Tecún Umán on Monday, when they requested assistance from Mexican authorities in Hidalgo, Chiapas.

But when they were advised that the humanitarian permit program had concluded, they crossed the border.

Overwhelmed by the size of the caravan, Mexican authorities decided to open the gates and let the migrants cross.

One suffered a seizure and died on the bridge but the incident did not interrupt the caravan’s progress into Mexico.

Federal Police and the National Immigration Institute (INM) agents attempted to stop the migrants before they reached the municipality of Frontera Hidalgo, but they were repelled with stones.

Several official vehicles were damaged and at least 20 people were arrested.

The caravan’s progress was not interrupted by this incident, and the authorities allowed it to continue on its way north.

On Sunday, a smaller group of about 200 Central American migrants also crossed illegally, but they were contained by the Federal Police and INM officials.

Source: Reforma (sp)