Artist stirs controversy by urinating on petroglyph, taking bum imprint

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June 7, 2019

Artist Mercedes Aquí and the petroglyph.

A piece of performance art by Argentine-Mexican artist Mercedes Aquí is attracting criticism from many who say it shows a lack of respect for Mexico’s cultural heritage.

Titled Ancla, the piece is a photographic record of a performance by Aquí in which she is seen urinating on a petroglyph in General Cepeda, Coahuila, in order to dilute natural pigments and make a print of the petroglyph on her buttocks.

The photo series was exhibited in the Museum of Graphic Art in Saltillo from May 30 to June 1 of this year.

Aquí staged her performance in El Gavillero, where there is nothing stopping visitors from touching the ancient petroglyphs.

In a Facebook post, Aquí wrote that the piece “speaks about identity, memory, roots, the body and territory,” and said she was not aware of any requirement to get official permission for her project.

The imprinted petroglyph on the artist's derriere. — The imprinted petroglyph on the artist’s derriere.

But not everyone agreed. In an interview with Milenio, art critic Avelina Lésper blasted the piece, calling the artist a vandal and an exhibitionist.

“What she did isn’t art,” said Lésper. “It’s the same thing that always happens with these artists, that their arrogance and despotism makes them feel entitled to commit vandalism and disguise it as art with their explanations.”

Francisco Aguilar Moreno, delegate of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Coahuila, told the newspaper Vanguardia that the INAH is investigating whether Aquí damaged the petroglyphs to decide whether to file a formal complaint against her.

“I’m not against art projects, what I am against is vandalism and damage to our heritage,” he said.

Aquí welcomed an investigation, saying that the natural inks she used could not have damaged the petroglyph. She also said that many of the criticisms directed against her are products of sexism and xenophobia.

“Marking a territory with liquid is usually associated with men, not women,” she wrote. “Exhibiting an apparent urination has provoked violent reactions.”

Born in Argentina, Aquí has lived in Mexico since 1978.

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

CORRECTION: The artist as pictured in the previous version of this story was someone else altogether. Sorry for the error.

State seeks help in case against cartel boss to prevent his release

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MND Staff

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June 7, 2019

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'El Ray,' whom authorities fear will be released for insufficient evidence.

The government of Morelos has asked for public assistance to ensure that a suspected cartel boss is kept behind bars.

State Interior Secretary Pablo Ojeda Cárdenas yesterday urged anyone who has been a victim of crimes perpetrated by Raymundo Isidro Castro Salgado, suspected leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Morelos, to provide evidence to strengthen the case against him.

The Morelos government said it will offer special protection to anyone who steps forward.

The call for assistance came a day after state Security Commissioner José Ortiz Guarneros said that Castro, commonly known as “El Ray,” could be released from preventative custody due to a lack of evidence.

On May 13, a judge ordered the suspected plaza chief to stand trial for express kidnapping and set a period of two months for authorities to build the case against him.

If Castro is freed due to insufficient evidence, Ortiz said, he could seek revenge or attempt to retake the local leadership of the CJNG, both of which would represent a danger to society.

In that context, Ojeda stressed the importance of preventing the release of the suspect, warning that he is one of the main people responsible for the wave of violence in the east of the state.

The interior secretary acknowledged that “some people are afraid” of reporting crimes but explained that “we’re working to provide them with security.”

He also said that authorities are looking at a mechanism that would allow people to provide evidence safely and securely.

Castro has been sought by federal and state authorities since 2014. He was arrested in Puebla on May 7.

The incidence of high-impact crimes soared in Morelos in the first four months of 2019. The CJNG is one of five organized groups that operate in the state, according to the Morelos government.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Mexico City wants to crack down on party buses, illegal house parties

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Simon Schatzberg

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June 7, 2019

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A Mexico City party bus: authorities want them gone.

Party buses could soon be a thing of the past in Mexico City if authorities in the capital have their way.

City official Avelino Méndez announced on Thursday that the city will crack down on party buses and illegal house parties that sell alcohol without the necessary permits.

Méndez said that two houses that hosted illegal parties have already been shut down in the borough of Gustavo A. Madero, while one party bus has been taken out of commission.

“We know that there are party buses in various places around the city,” he said. “And it’s openly illegal, because the Secretariat of Mobility and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation don’t give permits for this kind of thing. Buses should only be for the transportation of people, not for parties and selling alcoholic drinks.”

Méndez asked citizens to help the effort by reporting party buses and illegal house parties to the authorities.

According to El Universal, the proliferation of party buses in Mexico City started around 17 years ago. There are at least two companies that offer the service: Party Bus México and Fun Bus Café.

Both take their clients around the city’s tourist attractions, escorted by private security. The buses, which hold 40 passengers, are equipped with lighting and speakers for the clients to play the music they choose, as well as a seating area and a bar.

The companies charge between 10,000 and 25,000 pesos (US $509-$1,273) for five hours of mobile fun which often includes an open bar.

According to the Party Bus México website, the party bus concept arose in Europe in the 1990s, and arrived in Mexico in 2002 when Juan Carlos Zazueta founded Party Bus México.

Zazueta is described as a “publicist dedicated to tourism and entertainment” who had years of experience managing tourism and transportation brands before entering the mobile entertainment business.

Party Bus México claims to be the country’s largest purveyor of fiestas on wheels, and also offers service in Acapulco, Ixtapa, Cancún, Guadalajara and Monterrey.

It also claims that it has all the necessary permits to operate.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Crime gang extortion threats close tortilla makers in Acapulco

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Simon Schatzberg

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June 7, 2019

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Many Acapulco tortilla makers have had to close.

Rising violence and threats from gangs demanding extortion are closing down tortilla makers in Acapulco — and not for the first time.

At least 20 tortillerías have decided to suspend operations instead of making expensive extortion payments and facing constant threats of violence from the gangs.

One tortilla maker, who asked to remain anonymous, told reporters that extortion charges that businesses pay for the right to sell products, known as derecho or cobro de piso, have risen rapidly over the past few months.

“In December they asked me for 5,000 pesos (US $254), then they came back in February and asked me for 15,000, and now they’re asking for more, and honestly I can’t do it anymore,” he said. “They say that if I don’t pay the charge they’ll burn down my business, like they’ve already done to other businesses in Acapulco.”

Derecho de piso fees can be as high as 100,000 pesos, and gangs sometimes threaten to kill tortillería employees if payments are not made, tortilla makers say.

The threats have been made in the Acapulco neighborhoods of Libertad, Real Hacienda, Ciudad Renacimiento, Postal, Emiliano Zapata and others.

The tortilla makers have reported the crime to the Guerrero state prosecutor, but the businesses remain closed.

Acapulco’s tortillerías have been targeted by extortionists for years. The owners are usually willing to make the payments to stay in business, but that doesn’t always protect them from violence.

In 2015 and 2016, another period of rising extortion demands left 20 tortillería employees dead in clashes with organized crime.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Nine-year-old killed by lightning strike in Michoacán

By

Madison Koen

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June 7, 2019

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The beginning of the rainy season in the Michoacán capital spelled tragedy for a young boy and his family.

Nine-year-old Christian Alberto was killed instantly by a bolt of lightning yesterday afternoon outside his school in Morelia.

According to witnesses, the third-grader and several other students had taken shelter under a large tree on the school grounds during a sudden rainfall.

Lightning struck the topmost branches of the tree before striking Christian.

Another student who took shelter under the tree said the lightning “set the sky on fire.” When the bolt struck, he ran to inform a teacher, who called the police.

Teachers attempted to resuscitate the victim without success. According to the emergency responders, the child was killed instantly.

State Civil Protection services issued a warning yesterday that this year’s rainy season promises heavy rains and hurricanes, bringing hail, high winds, flooding and electrical storms. The agency urged residents throughout the state to take appropriate precautions and to stay tuned to weather alerts.

Lightning is one of the leading causes of weather-related fatalities, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An average of 33 deaths a year were caused by lightning in the U.S. between 2204 and 2013.
AccuWeather advises seeking shelter indoors if at all possible during a lightning storm, and avoiding trees and tall structures. Water is also to be avoided. The weather forecaster urges taking shelter immediately upon hearing thunder at the beach, in the pool or in a lake.

Source: Debate (sp) Excelsior (sp)

Finance department ‘strongly disagrees’ with Fitch Ratings downgrade

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MND Staff

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June 7, 2019

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Finance Secretary Urzúa. — Finance Secretary Carlos Urzúa.

The Secretariat of Finance (SHCP) has spoken out against the decision by Fitch Ratings to downgrade the credit ratings of Mexico and the state oil company, describing the move as “unfortunate” and stating that the government strongly disagrees with it.

On Wednesday, Fitch cut Mexico’s sovereign rating from BBB+ to BBB – one notch above junk status – and yesterday reduced Pemex’s rating from investment grade to speculative with a negative outlook.

Fitch said that Pemex’s deteriorating credit profile posed an increased risk to public finances and that there is “ongoing weakness in the macroeconomic outlook, which is exacerbated by external threats from trade tensions.”

The ratings agency said that downgrading Pemex’s credit rating from BBB- to BB+ – junk status – was due to its weak financial position and “slow action” by the government to strengthen its capital structure, among other factors.

But the finance department said “it’s unfortunate the Fitch Ratings agency is doubly penalizing the country’s balance sheet.”

“On the sovereign side, they argue that the risks to public finances have increased because Pemex’s debt represents contingent liability for the federal government, assuming imminent support to the entity. At the same time, the agency penalizes Pemex’s rating because it considers that the federal government’s support is moderate or insufficient. The government expresses its strong disagreement with the perspective applied by this ratings agency.”

The SHCP pointed out that the ratings cuts occurred “even as the federal government has demonstrated its total support for [Pemex] and is working to provide a solution to its structural and financial problems.”

It added that the government will continue to support Pemex “through structural measures and liquidity” in order to make it an “efficient and profitable company in the medium and long term.”

In addition to Fitch’s cut, Mexico’s sovereign rating was also dealt a blow this week by Moody’s Investor Services, which cut its outlook for the country from stable to negative but maintained its rating at investment grade A3.

The company said in a statement that “the Mexican government’s increasingly unpredictable policy-making is undermining investor confidence and medium-term growth prospects.”

Jaime Reusche, a Moody’s vice president and senior analyst, said that institutional weakness as a result of decisions taken by the government is also a concern.

“We’re seeing a deterioration in what was before a very important strength for Mexico . . .” he said.

Reusche also said that for “many years” corruption has been a factor that has weighed on Mexico’s sovereign rating.

President López Obrador, who has made combating corruption a central crusade of his administration, today repudiated the new credit ratings assessments.

“We don’t agree with the opinions of the ratings agencies,” he told reporters at his morning press conference.

“I again reiterate that they’re using an outdated methodology from the neoliberal period . . . Pemex doesn’t have any problem to restructure its debt. There are more than enough offers.”

Specifically referring to Moody’s assessment that corruption has limited the possibility of an upgrade to Mexico’s credit rating, the president declared that corruption is no longer tolerated.

López Obrador also charged that his government has stabilized production at Pemex “in record time” and once again accused ratings agencies of failing to act when the state oil company’s finances and productivity deteriorated during the terms of previous federal administrations.

“They weren’t objective or professional because they turned a blind eye to the downfall of Pemex, to the debt, to the corruption. Where were they? Did they just notice now?”

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

Report says Mexico pledged to send 6,000 troops to southern border

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MND Staff

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June 6, 2019

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Mexico has pledged to deploy up to 6,000 National Guard troops to the southern border in an attempt to reach a deal to avoid a tariff on all exports to the United States, The Washington Post reported.

Mexican officials told United States government representatives in Washington today that the large security deployment will bring an immediate reduction to the large number of Central Americans traveling through Mexico to the U.S. border.

Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard is leading a Mexican delegation in talks with White House officials aimed at reaching an agreement to prevent escalating tariffs announced by President Donald Trump last week.

The U.S. president said that 5% blanket tariffs will be imposed on June 10 and that the duties will increase by an additional 5% at the beginning of subsequent months if Mexico doesn’t take “action to dramatically reduce or eliminate the number of illegal aliens crossing its territory into the United States.”

According to the Post, Mexican officials said that 10 National Guard contingents of 450 to 600 troops each will be assigned to the border with Guatemala by September. The deployment would represent a fourfold increase on the 1,500 federal forces currently patrolling the border.

A further three units will be deployed to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico to set up roadblocks and checkpoints to stop the movement of migrants.

“That’s a remarkable and significant commitment of resources beyond what they’ve previously dedicated to countering human smuggling,” an unnamed U.S. official said.

However, there was also pushback from the United States during today’s meeting, the Post reported.

Mexican officials said that its increased security measures would reduce migration to levels seen last fall when arrests of undocumented migrants in the United States averaged 60,000 per month.

But U.S. officials said the White House will only be happy when monthly arrests fall to less than 20,000, as occurred in the first months after Trump took office in January 2017.

In addition to discussions about border security in Mexico, both a Mexican and a U.S. official told the Post that the two countries are negotiating a plan to overhaul asylum rules across the region.

Under the plan, Central Americans would be required to seek asylum in the first country they reach after leaving their homeland, meaning that the United States could deport Guatemalans who enter the U.S. to Mexico, and Hondurans and Salvadorans to Guatemala.

Mexico has said repeatedly that it will not enter into such a “Safe Third Country” arrangement as the United States has with Canada, but the unnamed Mexican official said the government is prepared to make changes in order to have a coordinated regional approach.

But he said Mexico would withdraw the offer if Trump goes ahead with his plan to impose the tariffs.

The Post said the asylum notifications would likely face challenges in United States courts but noted that legal efforts had not stopped the Trump administration from returning thousands of Central Americans to Mexico as they await the outcome of their asylum claims in the U.S.

The two officials stressed that a deal between the two countries is not finalized and warned that even if one is reached, Trump might not accept it. However, they both expressed optimism that an agreement was attainable.

Talks are to continue tomorrow.

Arrests of undocumented migrants in Mexico have significantly increased in recent months but in the same period the number of migrants apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has also risen substantially.

Trump railed against the arrest numbers for May on Twitter yesterday – at more than 144,000, CBP said that they were the highest in 13 years – and told reporters in France today that “we’ve told Mexico, ‘the tariffs go on.’ And I mean it too.”

However, there is doubt that the tariffs can be introduced as quickly as the U.S. president has announced.

The Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association said in a letter to the U.S. government that introducing the new duties by “June 10 or even before the increase planned for July 1” will be impossible.

The council also said it felt “grave concern, even alarm” at the prospect of the tariffs taking effect.

Approximately 406,000 jobs will be lost in the United States if Trump goes ahead, according to the Perryman Group, a Texas economic consultancy, and the tariffs will also hit the Mexican economy hard.

The threat of their imposition has already taken a toll on stocks, oil, the peso and economic growth forecasts and ratings agency Fitch yesterday downgraded Mexico’s sovereign rating to one notch above junk status.

Source: Washington Post (en), CNBC (en)

Mexico takes another hit as Fitch downgrades Pemex to junk status

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June 6, 2019

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Mexico was dealt another ratings blow today: Fitch Ratings downgraded Pemex to junk status, reducing its credit rating from investment grade to speculative with a negative outlook.

The new rating of BB+, down from BBB-, follows yesterday’s downgrade of Mexico’s sovereign debt from BBB+ to BBB.

“Although Pemex has implemented some cost-cutting [measures] and received moderate tax cuts from Mexico, the company continues to severely underinvest in its upstream business, which could lead to further production and reserves decline,” Fitch said in a statement.

“The very high level of transfers from Pemex to the Mexican government continues to significantly pressure Pemex’s cash flow generation and reinvestment ability and weaken its standalone credit profile,” it added.

The downgrade had been anticipated by some investors but perhaps not quite so soon.

Reuters reported earlier today that investors at six of the world’s largest asset managers, all of whom own Pemex bonds, expected them to be downgraded to junk status within months.

If one of the two other ratings agencies follows Fitch’s lead— Moody’s currently rates the bonds at one level above junk — there would be a sell-off of up to US $16 billion by investors who are required to hold investment-grade bonds.

Reuters said if that were to happen Pemex would become the largest fallen angel — a borrower that descends from investment grade to junk — in history.

It would also wreak havoc for President López Obrador’s ambitious social spending plans, because the government would be forced to make spending cuts.

Alfonso Romo, the president’s chief of staff, said earlier today that the government would have to work hard to win back the confidence of the ratings agencies. The work will now be even harder.

Source: Reuters (en), Financial Times (en)

BMW opens its billion-dollar plant in San Luis Potosí

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MND Staff

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June 6, 2019

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German automaker BMW today officially opened its billion-dollar plant in San Luis Potosí.

Located in the state capital, the company’s first Mexican factory will employ 2,000 people and has the capacity to build 175,000 vehicles annually. It will initially produce the BMW 3 Series.

The company’s Latin America CEO told the newspaper El Financiero that more than 200 domestic suppliers will provide parts to the plant, explaining that some of them are small and medium-sized business and others are large international ones.

Alexander Wehr said 2019 will be a big year for BMW in Mexico, a country where it first began selling vehicles 25 years ago.

“For us, Mexico is the market leader [in Latin America], not just for its size but also its potential. Last year we sold more than 18,500 units, just BMW, which is growth above 18%,” he said.

The new assembly plant will supply cars to Mexico and other Latin American markets but most of the vehicles it produces in San Luis Potosí will be sold in the United States.

BMW board member Oliver Zipse said at today’s inauguration that the possibility of the United States imposing tariffs on all Mexican goods doesn’t represent a threat to the company’s operations in Mexico.

“We’re going to maintain our plan, at the moment we don’t see any reason to change it,” he said, adding that consumers in the United States, rather than BMW, will pay any new tariffs.

“Almost all countries have tariffs and we continue to sell cars,” Zipse said.

“The San Luis Potosí plant will significantly increase our regional production flexibility in America. From here we will supply the global market with the BMW 3 Series sedan.”

BMW first announced that it would build a new factory in the state five years ago and construction began in June 2016.

Plant manager Hermann Bohrer said that construction of the plant generated a total of 4,400 jobs.

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

Opening of its first Oxxo store a big event for Chalchihuites, Zacatecas

By

Simon Schatzberg

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June 6, 2019

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Ribbon-cutting ceremony for new Oxxo store in Zacatecas. — Ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the opening.

Some people loathe them for allegedly having put many mom-and-pop corner stores out of business, but in Chalchihuites, Zacatecas, the opening of its first Oxxo store was cause for community celebration.

The store was inaugurated this week in an elaborate ceremony led by Mayor Laura Nava Reveles.

In a speech to mark the occasion, Nava said the opening of an Oxxo represents a big step forward.

“This will be a big benefit for our town,” she said. “In addition to offering a variety of products for sale and 24-hour service, it will allow us to make and receive bank deposits and other transactions.”

Chalchihuites is a municipality of around 10,000 people, of which 3,000 live in the municipal seat of the same name. It is located 230 kilometers from Zacatecas city, near the Durango border.

priest blesses oxxo store — God bless Oxxo.

The ceremony was also attended by a Catholic priest, who blessed the new store, which is located across from the town square.

In messages posted on Facebook, some residents thanked the local government for allowing the store to open, while others expressed concern that it would harm small grocery stores.

Oxxo, owned by the Femsa beverage company, is the largest chain of convenience stores in Latin America, with more than 18,000 locations in Mexico. The company reported opening new stores at a rate of almost four a day in 2018, a rhythm it hopes to maintain this year.

Source: El Universal (sp), El Sol de Zacatecas (sp), Forbes México (sp)