AMLO dolls and other presidential souvenirs were on full display yesterday Mexico City’s zócalo, where street vendors expected to make a killing off AMLOFest, the first-anniversary celebration of President López Obrador’s election win.
Despite authorities’ attempts to block their access to the zócalo and surrounding streets, vendors persisted, drawn by the prospect of selling mugs, t-shirts, umbrellas and stuffed figurines bearing the president’s likeness to the thousands of presidential fans expected to attend the event.
Many of the souvenirs bore the president’s most popular refrains, such as “Al pueblo de México le voy a cumplir” (“I will keep my promise to the Mexican people”), “Me canso ganso” (a popular colloquial phrase meaning “I am as good as my word” or literally “I’m tired goose”) and a common rhyming slogan among his followers, “Es un honor estar con Obrador” (“It’s an honor to stand with Obrador”).
Prices for the mementos ranged from 35 pesos for stuffed AMLO keychains, 70 pesos for presidential baseball caps, 80 pesos for t-shirts and up to 260 pesos for replicas of the president’s distinctive maroon vest.
The event also included performances by the Symphonic Band of Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, flautist Horacio Franco and double bassist Víctor Flores, and Margarita Vargas, also known as the Goddess of Cumbia.
Tens of thousands of ardent supporters of President López Obrador flocked to Mexico City’s zócalo on Monday to hear him speak on the first anniversary of his victory in the 2018 election.
In a wide-ranging 90-minute speech, the president rattled off dozens of government achievements including the reduction of fuel theft – “down by 94%” – the introduction of new social programs, the disbandment of the Tourism Promotion Council, the revocation of the previous administration’s education reform, the creation of a special economic zone in the northern border region and the consolidated purchase of medications for the second half of 2019, which he said saved 2.7 billion pesos.
All told, the government has fulfilled 78 of the 100 commitments it made to the Mexican people when it was sworn in seven months ago, López Obrador said.
“Probably never has so much been done in such a short time,” he declared.
The president said the process to transform Mexico “has no return” and vowed to not take “one backward step” in pursuing his new vision for the country, which he encapsulated as an “economic power with a social dimension.”
Artist González, left, with his portrait of López Obrador.
“We are authentic pacifists and transformers at the same time. In the defense of causes of honesty, justice and democracy, we’re not moderates, we’re radicals,” he said.
López Obrador – commonly known as AMLO – touted the austerity measures implemented by his administration, reciting his common refrain that “there can’t be a rich government with a poor people” and charging that the role of officials is to serve the people, “not to get rich.”
The president said the salaries of high-ranking officials have been slashed and highlighted that he earns less than half the wage of his predecessor. López Obrador also reminded his supporters that government-owned aircraft, including the luxurious presidential plane, have been put up for sale.
In total, the government’s cost-cutting measures have so far saved 113 billion pesos (US $5.9 billion), López Obrador claimed, stressing that public debt hasn’t increased during his seven months in office.
While most of the accomplishments listed by AMLO were met with warm applause and occasional chants of “presidente, presidente” broke out among attendees, the most boisterous acclamation came when the president underscored the government’s commitment to combating corruption.
López Obrador’s reference to his decision to cancel the new Mexico City airport at Texcoco, México state – which he opposed partially on the grounds that it was corrupt – was particularly well received, triggering chants of “es un honor estar con obrador” (it’s an honor to be with Obrador).
An inflatable AMLO watches over the celebration on Monday.
The president’s assurance that his government will restore the dried-up lakes at the site of the abandoned airport was also met with enthusiastic applause as were the commitments to build the Santa Lucía airport, the new refinery on the Tabasco coast and the Maya Train on the Yucatán peninsula.
With regard to the new airport project, López Obrador said that the “torrent of injunctions” filed against it by opponents of the government amounted to “legal sabotage.”
However, he pledged that construction will start this month, stating that “we’re being careful in the authorization process for the environmental impact study” in order to “not give them any excuse to continue” their opposition.
The president also spoke about the government’s efforts to address the root causes of migration both in Mexico and Central America.
He said that the leaders of G20 countries agreed at the recent summit in Osaka, Japan, to support the “Mexican proposal” to attend to the causes of migration with the implementation of a development plan for Central America.
Their placards read ‘I’m tired goose,’ a favorite phrase of AMLO.
While López Obrador’s speech focused heavily on his achievements, he did acknowledge that the government still has a lot to do in the areas of public security, healthcare and the economy.
As he did on Sunday when inaugurating the National Guard, the president conceded that the high levels of violent crime inherited from past administrations haven’t yet come down. However, he expressed optimism that the new security force will soon make progress towards the pacification of the country.
The president stressed that his administration doesn’t tolerate human rights abuses of any kind, adding that it is dedicating time and resources to finding the nation’s more than 40,000 missing people.
“We won’t rest until we know the whereabouts of the young men from Ayotzinapa,” López Obrador said, referring to the 43 teaching students who disappeared in Iguala, Guerrero, in 2014.
Economic growth needs to improve but the peso hasn’t deteriorated and inflation has fallen, the president said, adding that US $10 billion in direct foreign investment came into the country in the first quarter of the year and remittances hit an all-time high in May.
López Obrador concluded his speech with an exuberant delivery of “Viva México” before attendees sang the national anthem.
Signs demand justice for previous presidents and corrupt judges.
Among the crowd — officially estimated at 100,000 — was an artist and painting teacher from Ixtapaluca, México state, who arrived at the zócalo with a hand-painted portrait of the president on a jute sack, with which he proudly posed in photographs.
Gonzalo González told Mexico News Daily that López Obrador’s leadership serves as “an example to all Mexicans,” explaining that he is particularly impressed by the president’s decision to cut his own salary and not to travel outside the country while there are pressing issues at home.
He also said that he could now look at the National Palace – the seat of the federal executive – with pride knowing that it is occupied by an “honorable” president rather than the “corrupt” leaders of the past.
Leticia, a government employee from the borough of Coyoacán who declined to give her last name, cited the crusade against corruption and the introduction of new social programs as key achievements of the López Obrador administration, adding that it has also given “a voice to the people.”
She conceded that she was still concerned about insecurity but argued that the government needs to be given more time to combat the scourge, stating “it’s impossible to change the country in seven months.”
While detractors of the president were few and far between at yesterday’s so-called AMLOFest, López Obrador came under fire on the first anniversary of his election from several of his political opponents including the national president of the conservative National Action Party.
“[There is] nothing to celebrate,” Marko Cortés wrote on Twitter yesterday.
“Employment and investment have fallen, there is financial uncertainty, we have the worst [ever] security crisis and health services have suffered serious cuts. President López Obrador, don’t distract yourself with celebrations, concentrate your attention and that of the cabinet on working for the country.”
Cheap airfares and a strong dollar have made traveling for the weekend to Mexico City from the United States a real steal.
With fares such as US $200 from Los Angeles, $250 from Chicago and $300 from New York, all direct flights, mean you don’t have to plan a major sojourn to Mexico to eat some delicious tacos and salsa.
Add that to cheap, ubiquitous Uber service, the prevalence of Airbnb and a metropolis that is culturally and culinary on fire, and there aren’t many reason not to head to Mexico City for a long weekend. Your only problem is bound to be — where to start?
You won’t be able to do everything, but a solid three days can give you a taste of the city that will keep you coming back for more. Mexico City can be overwhelming, so don’t try to pack in too much at once. Remember, traveling isn’t just about checklists but also about checking out for a while.
Start out Friday with a roving, self-guided breakfast tour – a sweetbread at Pastelería Ideal, some café con leche at Café Popular, maybe a plate of chilaquiles verdes in the diner section of the Casa de los Azulejos (make sue to see the Orozco mural near the bathrooms).
Interesting dish at Limosneros.
You’ll already be downtown (in the centro histórico) so best to start in the heart of the city and see the zócalo, Mexico City’s main plaza. This plaza was once home to the city’s most important market, El Parian, and these days hosts art events, festivals and often public protests.
Take a peek at the Templo Mayor to get a feel for the city’s Aztec history, but maybe mix up mural viewing (most visitors just see the National Palace (which is admittedly beautiful) but by heading to the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso or the Education Secretariat buildings you can see Rivera, Orozco and more.
For a slice of the city’s lesser-known history, check out the hidden Justo Sierra synagogue, now a museum, and take time to sit in the park across the street and try a nieve (ice cream) from the roving vendors.
Monica Unikel, a local Jewish historian, also gives Jewish tours of the centro each day at 10:00am; the meeting point is the synagogue. By sunset you should be ready to take the elevator up to the Torre Latinoamericana’s 41st-floor restaurant, have a glass of wine and get a 360-degree lesson on the breadth of the capital.
For dinner head to Limosneros for some classic Mexican tacos and snacks and a lively atmosphere. You can finish off your night there as they have a long list of mezcal, or pop in to the Gallo de Oro cantina for a draft beer and some romantic Mexican love songs.
On Saturday take a cab out to Bazaar Sábado in San Angel if you want to shop for art and antiques, stopping along the way at Las Tlayudas for an incredible Oaxacan-style breakfast. From San Ángel, Coyoacan is just a hop, skip and a jump away, so spend the afternoon wandering its cobblestone streets, making sure to have a churro and chocolate somewhere along the way.
The neighborhood’s main plaza is the center of all the action on the weekends so try Los Danzantes or another one of the restaurants that ring it and listen to the wandering musicians that pass by.
Coming back into town you might want to try and catch a show at Zinco (buy tickets in advance) or the new Jazzatlan Capital in Colonia Roma. If music is not your poison, head to Maison Artemisia for a craft cocktail.
Sunday morning you can get a few tacos de barbacoa early at the corner of Tonalá and León de las Aldamas streets in Colonia Roma. Then join the bikers, walkers and skateboarders in taking over Reforma avenue, walking up to the entrance of Chapultepec park, and heading left at the Monumento a los Niños Héroes.
This will take you on the outside loop of the park (about a 45-minute walk – make sure you see the Fountain of Nezahualcoyotl) and bring you around to the Museum of Anthropology, the Museum of Modern Art and the Tamayo Contemporary Art Museum, all worthy of a Sunday visit.
On Sunday afternoon head to Parque Mexico for a walk around Condesa and stop at Glace Bistro for one of their incredible ice cream flavor combinations. Alternatively, visit the Ciudadela market for some souvenir shopping and stop to see the seniors sway to danzón at the park across the street.
On Sunday evening take one of the city’s many taco tours or take it up a notch by doing some fine dining – Maximo Bistro, Sud 777, Pujol, Rosetta, or Azul Historico.
Where to stay? You can get a better feel for the city at small B&Bs or Airbnbs and many of the city’s most walkable neighborhoods have a plethora of both. Try Colonia Condesa for an upscale, bohemian experience, Polanco to be close to the museums and luxury shopping on Presidente Masaryk avenue.
Stay in Colonia Roma for artsy comfort and great food, and San Rafael to feel like a local. Coyoacan will give you small-town ambiance and the centro histórico will put you in the middle of a whirlwind of constant activity.
Cuauhtémoc and Juárez are both phenomenally located, with Juárez having more dramatic architecture and Cuauhtémoc more of an urban vibe. Santa María de Ribera has the gorgeous Moorish gazebo at its center and the geology museum, but Narvarte has thousands of taco stands. It’s always good to be near a Metro stop as the city’s mass transit, despite its (deserved) chaotic reputation, is an excellent way to get around the city.
My advice is that it’s better to focus your first trip on the city itself and skip Puebla or the pyramids or other day trips, but if this might be your only visit ever, the pyramids are a must. They are easy to do on your own with some basic Spanish by taking the bus from the Terminal de Norte, the city’s northern bus terminal.
There are, of course, millions of other things to do, eat, and see in Mexico City, but this quick and dirty itinerary for beginners gives you a sense of the city and its neighborhoods. There are also dozens of tours, cooking classes and other experiences if you prefer company (there are even folks who will be your morning running partner if you want one), but do make time for drink-sipping and lazy strolling – the city will always be here next weekend — you have time.
Lydia Carey is a freelance writer based in Mexico City.
Mexico City Metro officials say the system’s five million daily users leave behind one very conspicuous sign of their passage: 270 tonnes of trash every month.
So in a controversial move to reduce the overwhelming accumulation of garbage, authorities removed all trash cans from the system’s 195 stations, and the city’s Metrobús stations followed suit.
Metrobus director Roberto Capuno said that although some users have expressed their displeasure, the measure has been carefully studied and proved to be effective. Moreover, he said that much of the garbage in the systems’ trash cans was from households and businesses.
“When we opened the trash bags, we found egg shells, orange peels and bottles of laundry detergent.”
Metro director Florencia Serranía said the bins previously found in most Metro stations were never intended to be used as trash cans, but as ashtrays.
“. . . there were ashtrays located at the [turnstiles] that people began to use for trash, and since they’re small, they quickly overflow.”
Evidence has mounted in recent months that that the Metro’s garbage problem had reached a breaking point. In May, garbage triggered a short circuit at Chabacano as a train arrived at the station, leaving three passengers with first-degree burns.
At the time of the incident, Serranía said that authorities were considering the removal of the trash cans.
“We are currently deciding whether or not to leave the trash bins in the Metro because we believe that people shouldn’t produce it [in the first place]. We urge users to realize that the tracks are not a place to throw it away.”
After carrying out repairs to the escalators in several stations, authorities revealed they had found mounds of accumulated trash and even full trash cans underneath, especially on Lines 3 and 7.
Authorities also cleaned drainage pipes in 115 stations to avoid the floods sometimes provoked by downpours during the rainy season. Photos have been published showing tonnes of cigarette butts, plastic bottles, gum and plastic wrapping removed by the operation.
Since Serranía’s comments, authorities have followed through on the idea of removing the Metro’s trash bins, and Capuno did not take long to decide to implement the measure in the Metrobús system, as well.
“We removed the trash bins from almost the entire system following the Metro’s example. Where there are no trash cans, there tends to be no trash. This is controversial, but it has been studied.”
A crowd began gathering early today for AMLOFest in Mexico City's zócalo.
Fans of President López Obrador started gathering in Mexico City’s zócalo early this morning for an event to celebrate the first anniversary of his victory in the 2018 presidential election.
Dubbed AMLOFest, the celebration is open to everyone and was to start at 3:00 pm with a performance by flautist Horacio Franco and double bassist Víctor Flores. Later, there are to be performances by the Symphonic Band of Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, and Margarita, La Diosa de la Cumbia (The Goddess of Cumbia).
López Obrador was to deliver a speech highlighting his administration’s economic achievements in its first seven months. A performance of the national anthem by the army band was to follow and a performance by an army mariachi band was to close the event.
Cabinet members, foreign diplomats, state governors and other officials were expected to attend.
The first AMLOFest was held last year to celebrate the president’s landslide election victory.
Remittances sent home by Mexicans working abroad hit a record high of just over US $3.2 billion in May, according to the central bank.
The figure is the highest since the Bank of México began keeping records of such transfers in 1995 and 1.5% above the previous record set in May of last year.
It’s only the third time that remittances have exceeded $3 billion in a single month.
Financial analysts told the newspaper El Financiero that Mother’s Day and United States President Donald Trump’s protectionist and immigration policies were the two main reasons behind the increase in remittances sent in May, whose value was 12% higher than in April.
The payments were sent in a total of 9,956 transactions – also a record – meaning that the average remittance was $322.
During the first five months of 2019, a total of $13.724 billion was sent to Mexico via remittances, an increase of 4.7% compared to the same period last year. Most of the cash comes into the country from the United States.
Mexico ranks third in the world in terms of the value of the remittances it receives after India and China.
The chef behind the celebrated Mexico City’s Que BO! won five bronze medals with his micro batch dark chocolate bars, orange and rosemary bonbons and almond, cardamom and milk chocolate sweets, and a silver medal for his micro batch milk chocolate bars.
The winners were chosen by professional chocolate judges from the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Guatemala and Ecuador.
“It’s a panel made up of 70 judges,” Castillo said, “and this year they received more than 970 [chocolate] samples from all over the Americas, from Canada to Argentina. To take home six medals is a big deal; it’s not an everyday kind of achievement in a competition with so many people. Between 15 or 20 chocolate masters from each country attend to show off their work.”
The Mexican chocolate maker said his principal endeavor has been to elevate Mexican chocolate, in everything from quality to aesthetic questions such as color and texture.
“My raw material is always Mexican. I always try to look for criollo beans from cacao-growing regions such as Tabasco or Chiapas, and from that I begin to make the chocolate. We look at different roasts and formulas until we arrive at the flavor and aroma we want. Then we make the chocolate bars, bonbons and truffles, making daily adjustments through trial and error.”
However, Castillo said it has not always been easy to convince consumers to pay more for Mexican artisanal chocolate, but he has made it his mission over the course of 15 years to educate chocolate lovers about the value and work behind each morsel.
“At the beginning it was very hard because there were many who dismissed Mexican chocolate; the best chocolate was thought to be Belgian . . . . But now, Que BO! has positioned itself as a brand with high aspirations, and many people travel to Mexico City just to try our products.”
In 2012, the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development recognized José Ramón Castillo’s work and honored him as the face of Mexican chocolate.
Its popularity as a destination for domestic tourism is growing.
Beautiful beaches, cenotes, archaeological sites, Pueblos Mágicos and other attractions are bringing more and more people to visit the city of Mérida this summer.
According to trips purchased on the travel booking portal Despegar, the capital of Yucatán is the third fastest-growing national summer vacation destination for Mexican tourists, showing a 41% growth in domestic trips booked on the service compared to last summer.
Only Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Mexico City were ahead of Mérida, growing 77% and 57% respectively. Classic tourist destinations like Puerto Escondido, Huatulco, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas showed lower growth than Mérida.
But Mérida is still not on the list of the top seven destinations that account for 47.57% of domestic tourism: Mexico City, Acapulco, Cancún, Guadalajara, Veracruz, Puebla and Mazatlán.
Of all the trips booked on Despegar, 67% were to destinations in Mexico, while the rest were to other countries.
According to Ezequiel Rubin, Despegar’s Mexico country manager, the peak summer season for Mexican travelers is between July 15 and 28.
In an interview with the newspaper Novedades Yucatán, Rubin said that this year Mexicans are looking for new destinations to visit, which he considers a good thing because it will promote domestic tourism.
Despegar is offering a new set of special promotions for domestic travel in Mexico, which will be available between July 1 and 7 and will include options for different budgets.
According to Tourism Secretary Miguel Torruco Marquéz, Mexicans will spend 36.6 billion pesos (US $1.9 billion) on hotels this July and August, 3.6% more than in 2018. And 9.1 million people will take domestic flights, 4.1% more than last year.
Yucatán Tourism Secretary Michelle Fridman Hirsch said the good performance is the result of collaboration between the state government, private companies and other states to connect Mérida to more air travel routes across the country.
Last year, direct flights to Mérida began from Chihuahua City and León, Guanajuato. In 2019, travelers will be able to fly direct to Mérida from Oaxaca city, Hermosillo, Sonora, and Tijuana, Baja California.
On the first anniversary of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s election as president, many financial analysts believe that the economy is in worse shape than a year ago – but it’s not all bad news for the leftist leader.
But according to a report published today in the newspaper El Financiero, the public policy decisions taken by the government have had a negative impact on the economy, leading it to its “worst moment since the financial crisis” of 2007-2008.
Marco Oviedo, chief economist in Mexico for the financial services company Barclays, said that López Obrador’s decision to cancel the new Mexico City airport project – made before he was sworn in as president after a controversial public consultation – was particularly damaging to the economy because it raised doubts about the way the political veteran would govern and generated market volatility and investor suspicion.
Now, seven months into the government’s six-year term, the head of Latin America economics at Goldman Sachs believes that there is clear evidence that the economy has declined.
Specialists surveyed by the central bank in June predicted growth of just 1.13% for this year.
“There is a lot of uncertainty about the direction of macroeconomic policy. There are several factors that have contributed to this, such as the conservatism that the Bank of México has taken with respect to its monetary policies, the credit rating downgrade threatening Pemex and the general employment slowdown. They’re unequivocal signs that the country’s economy has weakened,” Alberto Ramos said.
He acknowledged that there has been an increase in salaries but added “that also has macroeconomic implications as the [pay] rises represent an increase in labor costs for employers.”
If the higher salaries being paid are above productivity gains, they could “lead to less job creation in the medium term,” he said.
In an interview with El Financiero, Fernando López Macari, president of the Mexican Institute of Finance Executives, chose to focus on the positives of the government’s economic management.
He said the commitment shown by López Obrador to financial discipline and the maintenance of a primary surplus are worthy of praise, adding that he should continue that approach for the duration of his presidency.
“The four pillars that will give confidence to investors and analysts that study the country’s public finances are compliance with fiscal discipline, not increasing sovereign debt, not raising company taxes and finally respecting the autonomy of the Bank of México,” López said.
But even as the government complies with those recommendations, the short-term outlook for the economy, especially in terms of growth, looks less than rosy.
The central bank, also called Banxico, said today that private sector economic specialists consulted for its June survey predicted growth of just 1.13% in 2019 compared to 1.32% in the May survey.
“As in May, all of the analysts consulted think that the economy is not better than a year ago,” Banxico said, explaining that they cited concerns about political uncertainty and insecurity.
In contrast, López Obrador asserted yesterday that “the economy is good” and has pledged to deliver average 4% growth during his administration. Despite widespread downgrades of growth expectations, he has also expressed optimism that 2% growth in 2019 remains feasible.
Predictions in Banxico’s June survey for other aspects of the economy make better reading for the government and the people of Mexico.
Analysts predicted that the year will end with an inflation rate of 3.63% compared to a forecast of 3.75% in May, while the peso is expected to finish 2019 trading at 19.85 to the US dollar, up slightly from 19.92.
The former mayor of Centla, Tabasco, was sentenced to 22 months behind bars after she was found guilty of unlawful imprisonment, wrongful persecution and illegal arrest of a local journalist.
Felipe Eladio Jiménez Solís took a series of pictures in December 2016 showing a relative of ex-mayor Gabriela López Sanlucas using an official municipal vehicle for personal use.
After the photos were published, López ordered police to arrest Jiménez.
He later filed formal complaints against López before the federal Attorney General’s Office and the National Human Rights Commission.
Jiménez told reporters he spent 2 1/2 years filing complaints and traveling to Mexico City. Now, he said, Mexico could celebrate the first conviction of a mayor for attempting to violate freedom of expression.
Two municipal police have already been found guilty of taking part in the aggression against Jiménez.
The mayors’s sentence also included a fine of 12,462 pesos (US $652).
