Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama visited Vatican City and met the Pope on Wednesday. (Mara Lezama/X)
Pope Francis has blessed the Maya Train. Well, a replica of it, at least.
Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama briefly met with the Pope in Vatican City on Wednesday, and showed him a replica of the train that will run on the new railroad set to be inaugurated later this week.
Con profunda emoción, en representación del @GobiernoMX compartí con el Papa Francisco @Pontifex, un mensaje de cariño y fraternidad de parte del las y los mexicanos, una carta de nuestro presidente, @lopezobrador_ y los saludos de las y los quintanarroenses.
In a video of the encounter, Pope Francis is seen making the sign of the cross above the model train.
“This is the train of social justice,” Lezama tells the Argentine Pontiff as she hands the replica to him.
The Morena party governor gave the Pope a brand new replica of the Maya Train as well as a tablecloth hand-embroidered by Maya women from Tulum and a letter from President López Obrador and his wife Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller.
“With profound emotion, in representation of the Mexican government, I shared a message of affection and fraternity on behalf of Mexicans with Pope Francis,” Lezama wrote on social media.
“… His Holiness sent blessings and greetings to the good people of Mexico!” added the governor, who held up her phone to record the Pope as he directed a message to her compatriots.
The Maya Train will run through Lezama’s home state of Quintana Roo as well as Yucatán, Chiapas, Campeche and Tabasco.
The first trip on which ordinary paying passengers will be on board will depart Campeche for Cancún on Saturday. Other sections of the 1,554-kilometer-long railroad will open on later dates.
Pope Francis visited Mexico in 2016 during the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto. In 2021, he issued an apology through Monterrey Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera for “personal and social sins … that didn’t contribute to evangelization” during the Spanish Conquest of Mexico.
Eight buildings in the Benito Juárez borough of Mexico City were evacuated due to concerns about damaged sustained in a series of "micro-quakes" earlier this week. (Juan Pablo Zamora/Cuartoscuro)
The four minor earthquakes that struck Mexico City on Tuesday prompted the evacuation of eight buildings in the Benito Juárez borough.
The evacuations were ordered after a review of 24 residential properties, schools and other buildings in the area. Officials speaking on behalf of the borough mayor’s office said evacuees wouldn’t be allowed to return until specialists from the local Construction Safety Institute determine the habitability of each structure in question.
Three quakes occurred over three minutes, leading to structural concerns in many of the capitals buildings. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
The first three “micro-quakes” — with magnitudes between 2.4 and 3.0 — occurred between 11:06 and 11:08 a.m. at intervals of roughly one minute. The epicenters were in the city’s southwest borough of Álvaro Obregón, according to the National Seismological Service (SSN).
Though no seismic alarm sounded, shaken residents, office workers and others were quick to evacuate their buildings, particularly in the Mixcoac and Insurgentes Mixcoac neighborhoods of the Benito Juárez borough.
Just as nerves had calmed, another “micro-quake” struck at 2:23 p.m., registering 2.1 on the Richter scale.
Earthquake evacuations in Mexico City are not uncommon, with almost 14,000 alarm systems installed across the city to warn residents of incoming earthquakes. (Juan Pablo Zamora/Cuartoscuro)
How did people react?
Residents of the Lomas de Plateros condo complex in Benito Juárez said that although they are accustomed to feeling tremors, three in a row was a novelty.
“The strongest was the first, a sudden jerk, but it was very fast,” condo resident José Luis Montoya said in an interview with the newspaper Reforma. “We thought that would be the only one, and that’s why many neighbors did not come outside. But a few seconds later, another one was felt, and by the third, everyone was outside.”
Montoya, who lives on the ground floor, evacuated immediately with his pet, but residents on upper floors usually wait to hear the seismic alarm before heading for the doors.
Joaquín Jaubert, who lives 1.5 km from the epicenter, was in his kitchen when the first quake struck. “It was very strong,” he said, adding, “more ‘micro-quakes’ have been felt here since [the one on] May 10. Now cracks have opened up inside the house.”
The eight evacuated properties are along Los Echave, Campana and Donatello streets and Revolución Avenue and Adolfo López Mateos Blvd.
Why didn’t the seismic alarm sound?
Generally, it is expected that an earthquake alarm will ring out from nearly 14,000 loudspeakers in the capital. According to civil protection officials, the earthquake alarm didn’t sound yesterday for two reasons.
One, because the quakes originated within city limits, and warning sensors are located outside of Mexico City; and two, the quakes were only 1 to 2 km deep (10 km deep is the average), making them “surface” earthquakes, which don’t always trip the sensors.
Is Target going to start operations in Mexico? Job postings on LinkedIn make it seem possible. (Shabaz Usmani/Unsplash)
Heard any rumors about Target opening in Mexico? They’ve been swirling the past few weeks, ever since the U.S. retail giant posted six new job listings for positions in Mexico on LinkedIn.
The advertised roles, all based in Mexico City, suggest “a strategic push into the Mexican market,” according to Mexico Business News, which noted that the positions suggest Target is working on “establishing connections with national and local businesses before physical store openings.”
Job postings for Mexico City-based roles advertised on business networking site LinkedIn. (Screen Capture)
The positions are labeled as “on-site” and most involve finding, sourcing and managing vendors and manufacturers.
“As Senior Responsible Sourcing Manager, you will be part of the team that is developing the responsible sourcing oversight function that allows us to be a progressive force for good,” reads one job description.
The potential move by Target comes amidst a nearshoring boom in Mexico, with companies relocating to Mexico to be close to the United States market.
For Target, establishing a distribution center in Mexico could streamline international supply chains, reduce import and export costs, and enhance speed and efficiency in product delivery, Mexico Business News noted.
Target posted the want-ads three weeks ago and listed only “Mexico City Metropolitan Area” as the job location.
The store hasn’t confirmed anything or issued any further clarifying information.
Target is “one of the great attractions for Mexican tourists who go shopping” in the United States, the newspaper Milenio wrote. “From stationery to clothing, it offers a wide assortment of products.”
Target was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1962 and is the No. 6 retail brand in the United States. All of its 1,956 storesare in the United States, after a 2013 attempt to expand into Canada with over 100 stores went belly up by 2015.
The stores in Canada were often outside favored shopping areas and didn’t match the customer experience in the United States, according to Harvard Business Review.
The Monterrey Suburban Train is planned to run from García to Pesquería. (Gobierno de Nuevo León)
Federal and Nuevo León authorities have reached an agreement with the Mexican subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) to build a suburban passenger railroad in the Monterrey metropolitan area.
The agreement between the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport, the state of Nuevo León and Kansas City Southern de México was outlined in the federal government’s official gazette on Wednesday.
The Official Gazette of the Federation (OF) notes that accelerated population growth makes expanding public transportation a priority. (Daniel Escobedo)
The plan is to build a 75-kilometer railroad between the municipality of García, located west of Monterrey, and Pesquería, situated to the east of the state capital.
The railroad is slated to have 26 stations and run through seven municipalities: García, Santa Catarina (where Tesla’s gigafactory will be located), San Pedro Garza García, Monterrey, San Nicolás de los Garza, Apodaca and Pesquería (where Korean automaker Kia has a plant).
Monterrey already has a metro system – one of three in Mexico, alongside the Mexico City and Guadalajara metros – but it doesn’t reach most of the municipalities listed above.
An initial investment of 26.65 million pesos (US $1.5 million) has been earmarked to complete studies and draw up plans for the suburban rail project. The Tren Suburbano de Monterrey (Monterrey Suburban Train) would run at a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour, according to the agreement published Wednesday.
The announcement of the planned project comes three weeks after President Andrés Manuel López Obrador published a decree that established the provision of passenger train services as a priority for national development.
It said that companies that currently have concessions for freight tracks – namely CPKC, Ferromex, Ferrosur and Ferrovalle – would be asked to run passenger services on them. If they do not want to do so, or fail to present viable proposals for passenger services by Jan. 15, the military could be asked to step in, the decree says.
“We want to make it possible to travel from Cancún to Mexico City by train. From Mexico City to Guadalajara and on to Nayarit, Sinaloa, Sonora, to the border. From Mexico City to Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Monterrey, on to Nuevo Laredo. From Mexico City to Chihuahua, by train,” he said.
Painting a homage to Mexico’s staple food, corn (courtesy Iztapalapa borough via Facebook)
Most sources in English about Mexican art say that Mexican muralism ended in the mid-20th century with the passing of great masters like Diego Rivera. But creative forces, most notably government art programs and street artists, took over to conserve socially-themed mural painting and to help it evolve.
There has been no shortage of mural programs in Mexico’s cities in recent decades, but the working-class Iztapalapa borough is taking it to the next level, with its “largest muralism project in the world.”
Iztapalapa Mural was conceived in 2018 by the borough’s Executive Department of Culture (Dirección Ejecutiva de Cultura) to “…recover and dignify public spaces through art.” The project runs jointly with other social programs such as the Free and Safe Roads for Women Program (Programa Caminos Mujeres Libres y Seguras), a borough-wide initiative to install lampposts along dark corridors. Perhaps more importantly, Iztapalapa Mural works intimately with the residents of the borough to get their input on what ultimately appears on the walls of their neighborhoods.
Themes include local histories, traditions and people from the area’s Mesoamerican past, recent migrations from Oaxaca and other states, and notable Iztapalapa figures, from boxer Lupita Bautista to Doña Imelda and Don Reyes of Colonia Xalpa, two long-time lovers who were frequently seen walking hand-in-hand around the barrio.
Over the past five years, the mural project has involved almost 150 artists throughout 245 neighborhoods in creating 10,120 murals with a wide range of themes and styles. Not only do the murals appear on public buildings and separation walls, but they also appear on private businesses and homes, even on rooftops.
The murals make an impact on residents as well as those who commute to the borough. “We are particularly impressed by the murals depicting Day of the Dead on the walls of the San Lorenzo Tezonco cemetery,” says Margarite M. of the Miguel Hidalgo borough, referring to a part of her and her husband’s daily drive to their jobs.
In addition, Iztapalapa provides travelers a unique way of appreciating the murals with its elevated public transportation system. “Flying” over homes and city blocks, passengers of the ski gondola-like Cablebus can observe murals on the sides of buildings and artworks painted atop roofs. About 10% of the project’s murals are visible this way, making the gondola now something of a tourist attraction.
The former mayor of Iztapalapa, Clara Brugada Molina, states “Iztapalapa Mural is a project devised to vindicate the right of residents to have beautiful public spaces, recover a sense of community and [recover] spaces where abandonment has generated insecurity.” Maria Antonieta Pérez Orozco, Cultural Director at Iztapalapa adds, “You no longer have to see just a gray view [of unfinished cinder block construction], but one of color…as various artists [paint] on the largest open-air canvas in the world.”
But the mural program is more than just about beautification.
“Iztapalapa Mural is also an opportunity to create artistic environments in our communities…(where) young people imagine a future filled with art, memory and participation, so that Iztapalapa can keep producing great artists, great sportspeople and women and men who are proud of [the borough]” says Pérez Orozco.
Working with programs to enhance women’s prominence and safety, female faces appear very frequently in over 10,000 murals. (courtesy Iztapalapa borough via Facebook)
Local resident Elizabeth Miranda Cedillo agrees. “This kind of mural work … has allowed young people I know in my neighborhood to change from doing graffiti to making real art [that is] well-structured in every way, demonstrating skill in depicting the real world,” Cedillo says. “These projects have allowed young artists to express dissent, painting something that refers to something that is happening at that moment in their lives, such as violence and aspects of local culture, using large, public spaces to acknowledge what these young people are feeling.”
From the start, Iztapalapa Mural took a page from similar projects that discovered that the more organizers and artists work with the local community to develop murals, the more successful these projects are, especially in the long run.
At first, it was somewhat difficult to convince residents to work in their neighborhoods, especially on the walls of private buildings, but those fears soon vanished. Pleased with what they were seeing, more residents started wanting murals, and the demand has not stopped since.
Large urban centers like Mexico City are awash in graffiti and other vandalism; but one thing you immediately notice while observing the murals is an utter lack of such.
Borough spokesperson Martín Favila Delgado confirms this is the case because “…the community participates in the creation of the murals, [the] themes… and even in the design.” Instead of imposing public art on them, residents become partners in the project and have a vested interest in the conservation of murals. This partnership is reinforced by programs for young people interested in art who become creators or artists of future murals.
By 2022, the Iztapalapa borough had become one of the largest open-air galleries in the world. The government has sponsored photographic exhibitions of the murals and in 2020, published the book “Iztapalapa Mural,” to extend the reach of the project and improve the borough’s image in Mexico City and beyond.
Today, the project is far from finished. The goal is to have works in all of the nearly 300 colonias (neighborhoods) of the borough and bring the mural total to 15,000. Then there is the constant work of maintaining this gallery for years to come.
Although not originally conceived for tourism, the Cablebus is the best introduction to the murals, especially for those unfamiliar with the borough. The gondolas’ leisurely pace gives ample time to appreciate the artwork below and the neighborhoods these murals represent. The Cablebus is easily accessible from the center of Mexico City, starting at Metro Constitución 1917 on one end or Metro Santa Marta on the other.
Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico over 20 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019). Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily.
Tesla released renders of its planned "gigafactory" in Nuevo León — a project which is now indefinitely paused. (Tesla)
The federal Environment Ministry (Semarnat) has issued land-use permits to Tesla for its planned “gigafactory” in Nuevo León.
A Semarnat office in Nuevo León notified the electric vehicle manufacturer of the decision on Monday. The company still hasn’t obtained water and energy permits, the El Economista newspaper reported.
The facility is set to be built on a 261-hectare site in Santa Catarina, a municipality just west of Monterrey that borders Coahuila. The land was previously zoned for forestry use but can now be used for industrial purposes. Tesla submitted an application for the change in late July.
Nuevo León Governor Samuel García acknowledged that Semarnat had issued the land-use permits.
“[I’m] very happy because I spoke with the environment minister and Tesla has already been notified of the federal permits,” he said.
The governor said in September that Tesla and its suppliers would invest US $15 billion in Nuevo León. Tesla hasn’t revealed how much it intends to invest in its gigafactory, but estimates are in the US $5-10 billion range.
The construction and operation of the plant is expected to generate thousands of jobs.
It is very important to know the origin of the trees. (CC)
If you have ever had a real Christmas tree, you will know that a live pine is a real experience in itself and one that generates a feeling of harmony and nature.
But when buying a live tree, it is important to ensure that you buy an eco-friendly option that helps conserve forests and does not contribute to deforestation.
It is very important to know the origin of the trees and that these forest parks comply with sustainable forest management, says conservation organization Greenpeace. Another important quality to make your tree the truly green choice is to ensure that it comes from local producers (which means you can help support them in their work).
Greenpeace also advises that prospective tree-adopters pick a tree that has been properly planted in a pot so that it can be easily transplanted after the holidays are over. Dead trees should also be composted where possible.
Greenpeace also says an artificial tree can be up to six times more polluting than a live tree. As well as requiring fewer resources to produce, a natural tree generates 39 percent less greenhouse gas emissions by capturing CO2 from the environment as they are grown.
If you don’t have the space to replant a tree at the end of the holiday season, why not rent one and return it to the forest in January?
Rent a tree from AAAMAC, State of Mexico
With the motto “Don’t cut, rent instead,” AAAMAC allows you to rent sustainably produced trees, which they will deliver to your home and then collect once the holiday season ends.
The process of renting trees is as follows:
1.You call and rent your tree.
2.AAAMAC buys the pine from a reserve so that it is not cut down and plants it in a pot.
Your tree is delivered to your home and once the season is over, AAAMAC picks it up and returns it to their Bosque Esmerelda reserve, where it is planted to see out the rest of its life.
You can visit their showroom at the following address or contact them via their website.
Location: Antigua (Centro de Negocios y Entretenimiento), Dr. Jorge Jiménez Cantú, Hda.Valle Escondido, Av. Jorge Jiménez Cantú, Bosque Esmeralda, 52938 Cd López Mateos, Méx.
La Cima del Rocío, Tlalpan, CDMX
La Cima del Rocío likes to say they “Are not cutting, we are controlled planting; we are [providing better] water capture, with more oxygenation.” Located in the forested area of Tlalpan, Mexico City’s most southern borough, this reserve is part of the ‘Bosque de Agua’, one of the main lungs of the city.
Rent a tree. (Instagram)
The reserve plants trees yearly, and customers can choose from a wide range of options to rent or buy.
Location: Carretera Federal a Cuernavaca 42.5 km, Tlalpan, CDMX
Rent trees at Rancho El Paraíso, Guadalajara
A sustainable company that produces, processes, and markets quality trees and promotes fair trade, El Paraíso is located in the beautiful forest of Atemajac de Brizuela, Jalisco. The ranch operates a forestry service and offers tree rental in Guadalajara and the surrounding area. To rent directly:
Contact El Paraíso via email or call 33 368 900 78 to book an appointment
Visit the showroom and choose the tree that suits your space
Wait for home delivery, then have El Paraíso collect the tree after January 9.
Location: Calzada Club Atlas sur 619, Club de Golf Atlas subdivision, in front of Montenegro Park on the road to Chapala.
Union of Forest Producers of Northeast Guanajuato State, San José Iturbide
Operating a sustainable production scheme, the union brings together different foresters from the state of Guanajuato. San José Iturbide is located an hour away from San Miguel de Allende. If you are interested in picking up your tree, contact Benjamín Martínez Cabrera directly via phone at (442) 444 4431 or (419) 198 0223.
Location: Zaragoza #33, Col. El Capulin, San Jose Iturbide. C.P. 37980
Reforestación Extrema, Monterrey
With their ‘Adopt a Pine’ program, you can help Reforestación Extrema to bring trees back to Mexico’s second biggest city.
To buy or rent your sustainable tree from Reforestación Extrema visit their website and follow the simple steps:
Check the size the price and, the type of adoption (temporary or permanent).
Fill out the registration form and adopt it online or with a bank deposit.
Pick up your tree at the Adoption Center or schedule your delivery with an additional cost.
Send your photos with the decorated tree you adopted.
Take care of the pine during the holiday season.
Find a permanent home for your pine in your house or contact them to pick it up (paying for your shipping and one-time collection). All collected pines will be replanted elsewhere in Monterrey.
This organization will reforest a park in the city with the pine you adopted.
If you have bought a tree but can no longer care for it, make sure to take it to a local collection center to be composted, otherwise, it can end up in a landfill. If you are unsure where your local collection center is, a list can be found here.
If you don’t live near any of the sites discussed in this article, but would still like to enjoy a real tree this holiday season, the government forestry directory can help to put you in touch with someone local.
As well as choosing a sustainable tree, consider other eco-friendly practices during the holiday season, such as using LED lights, recycling wrapping paper, and reducing waste.
By buying or renting an ecological Christmas tree, you are bringing the beauty of nature into your home and contributing to the conservation of forests and the environment. Make a sustainable choice this holiday season and enjoy the benefits of a natural Christmas tree.
Ana Paula de la Torre is a Mexican journalist and collaborator of various media such as Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.
The Topolobampo, Sinaloa-based plant will be the world's largest sustainable methanol facility, designed to serve the North American and Asian markets. (IFC)
The world’s largest “ultra-low carbon chemicals facility” is slated to be built on Mexico’s Pacific coast in Sinaloa.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and Houston-based company Transition Industries signed an agreement at last week’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai to jointly develop the Pacífico Mexinol project, a green and blue methanol production facility that will have the capacity to produce 6,145 tonnes of the organic chemical per day.
The new green site will be able to process more than 6,000 tonnes of methanol per day. (Pacifico Mexinol)
The plant, expected to begin construction in late 2024, will be located near Topolobampo, a town on the Gulf of California coast about 20 kilometers southwest of Los Mochis, the municipal seat of Ahome.
According to Spanish energy company Iberdrola, green methanol is “methanol that is produced renewably and without polluting emissions, one of its variants being generated from green hydrogen.”
“This chemical compound can be used as a low-carbon liquid fuel and is a promising alternative to fossil fuels in areas where decarbonization is a major challenge, such as maritime transport,” the company says on its website.
Blue methanol is “obtained by synthesis derived from natural gas, but includes as part of the process the capture and storage of the carbon generated during its production, converting it into a less polluting product [than grey methanol],” Iberdrola says.
An Iberdrola/Foresa green methanol plant in Spain. (Iberdrola)
United States Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement on Saturday that over US $2.2 billion will be invested in the Sinaloa green and blue methanol project.
The IFC said that the plant “is expected to be the largest single ultra-low carbon chemicals facility in the world, producing approximately 300,000 MT [metric tons] of green methanol from captured carbon and green hydrogen and 1.8 million MT of blue methanol per year from natural gas with carbon capture.”
The global development institution said in a statement that “Pacifico Mexinol is expected to reach final investment decision in 2024 and commercial operations in late 2027.”
“The project is expected to generate an average of more than 3,000 jobs during construction and up to 450 direct and indirect workers during operations,” the IFC added.
U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar said that over US $2.2 billion will be invested in the Sinaloa project. The new site is expected to create more than 3,000 new jobs. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
The agreement with Transition Industries – known as a Joint Partnership Development Agreement – allows IFC to “contribute to the development of a project with the potential to reduce natural gas flaring, treat recycled wastewater, diversify Mexico’s chemicals capacity, increase exports and generate employment,” said Alfonso García Mora, IFC’s vice president for Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
“At least 40% of the global production of methanol comes from coal. Decarbonizing methanol production is an imperative for IFC,” he said.
Salazar, who has been a staunch advocate for renewable energy investment in Mexico since becoming ambassador in late 2021, said that the methanol project “will allow us to make progress in our shared goal of consolidating North America as a leading power in clean energy.”
“… This project will help to reduce the flaring of natural gas, promote wastewater treatment, diversify Mexico’s chemicals capacity, increase exports and contribute to the creation of jobs,” the ambassador said, echoing the words of García.
“Given that 40% of the global production of methanol comes from coal, this plant will serve as an example of what we can achieve when our governments work together with the private sector and international organizations to combat climate change, advance in the energy transition in North America and generate opportunities and well-being for our people,” Salazar said.
The IFC said that “Pacifíco Mexinol’s responsibility to sustainable resource management and its neighbors extends far beyond the ultra-low carbon production of methanol.”
The project – previously announced as a 9.3 billion peso initiative backed by two Dutch companies that no longer appear to be involved – “has been engaging with local stakeholders for over four years, listening to local community members to understand their needs and concerns,” the IFC said.
“As a result, the project’s design includes an innovative water solution that will use municipal wastewater eliminating competition with local freshwater needs. There is also no water being removed from or discharged into the nearby bay – an important local ecosystem. The facility will export methanol through an existing port, requiring no dredging or additional infrastructure,” the Washington D.C.-based institute said.
While announcing the investment, state minister Javier Gaxiola Coppel acknowledged the need to seek the support of indigenous groups in the Topolobampo area. (Javier Gaxiola Coppel/X)
Sinaloa Economy Minister Javier Gaxiola Coppel acknowledged Monday that local indigenous communities must be consulted before the project can be approved.
“All these large-scale investments require a lot of steps [to obtain] the different permits to be able to carry them out, but in this we have a governor who is helping a lot,” said Gaxiola, who noted that the proposed construction site is in Paredones, a locality just outside Topolobampo.
“The Indigenous communities of the Ohuira Bay are totally convinced that [a] petrochemical [project] is not the development we want for our communities,” said collective member Claudia Quintero.
Environmental and Indigenous rights campaigners oppose both the construction of the new Mexinol plant, and a planned fertilizer facility in Topolobampo. (Change.org)
“The development of Sinaloa has to move ahead, but not at the cost of our lives, not at the cost of our land and not at the cost of the health of our children. … They’re taking it for granted that there is going to be a methanol plant when they haven’t approached us and haven’t asked us whether we’re going to give our consent for the installation of the plant,” she said.
In April 2022, the Supreme Court revoked the environmental authorization granted to the US $5 billion project because the federal Environment Ministry failed to consult the local Indigenous community about it.
The announcement of the green methanol “Joint Partnership Development Agreement” between IFC and Transition Industries came just a couple of weeks after President López Obrador said that a Danish fund – Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners – would invest US $10 billion in a green hydrogen plant on the Pacific side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Pyramids were used not only as temples and focal points for Maya religious practices. (Unsplash)
For over 3,000 years, the city-states that made up the Maya civilization dominated southern Mesoamerica, building majestic cities and towering pyramids in a hostile jungle habitat. Perhaps even more amazing is that they did so without using metal tools, wheels or beasts of burden to transport large limestone blocks from quarries in distant mountains to building sites. Instead, they did this with pure manpower.
“The Maya did not use the wheel nor draft animals, so they transported the building materials using person-power from the quarries to the building site,” Judith Maxwell, Professor of Linguistics and Anthropology at Tulane University told the Daily Herald in 2016.
Smaller blocks were carried by individuals with a tumpline, a backpack attached to the forehead with a leather strap, which places pressure on the spinal column rather than muscles, allowing people to bear heavier loads. Without the smelting techniques needed to forge iron, they devised chisels from jadeite and obsidian, which artisans used to create facade designs and to chunk out the stone blocks that supported awe-inspiring architecture.
A sophisticated network of causeways known as sacbeob (white roads, were intricately woven through the jungle and stood as symbols of immense political influence. They connected major cities and greatly increased the speed of transport of people and goods to support the rapid growth of the empire. Functioning as royal processional pathways connecting kingdoms – some stretch up to 60 miles in length – the sacbeob represented a remarkable engineering achievement comparable to the roads built by the Roman Empire. The ancient Maya strategically positioned sizable rocks on either side of the causeway, filling the intervening space with cobbles and smaller stones. The entire surface was then coated with stucco, a robust and sleek white plaster.
“Blocks were cut using stone tools only,” writes British historian Mark Cartwright. “Burnt-lime cement was used to create a form of concrete and was occasionally used as mortar, as was simple mud.”
The Maya also altered the landscape to navigate challenging terrains by elevating the ground with stones to maintain a level road. Traci Ardren, archaeologist and University of Miami professor of anthropology, told Miami media outlet News@TheU in 2020 that the Maya concocted a similar formula as the Romans used for concrete in the third century B.C. “[They] would have been a beacon through the dense green of cornfields and fruit trees,” Ardren said of the sacbeob. Archaeological evidence suggests the sacbeob likely played a pivotal role in fostering migration and prosperity through trade across the Yucatán Peninsula.
The ancient Maya were fascinated by the concepts of space and time, diligently studying the stars and aligning their cities with the intricate geometry of the heavens. Despite using basic tools, they demonstrated impressive precision in tracking stars and planets. The Caracol observatory in Chichén Itzá is perfectly aligned with the movements of Venus and solstices at the time. Seemingly irregularly placed windows in the observatory at the world-famous archaeological site capture the solar cycles of the closest planet to Earth. This enabled the creation of their highly accurate astronomical calendars, unparalleled in the ancient world. The Maya learned to predict eclipses, which they understood as illnesses among heavenly bodies and saw as dangerous to humans, employing rituals and talismans to protect themselves during these events.
“Buildings were constructed on precise plans according to such events as the winter and summer solstices and equinoxes,” writes Cartwright. “In addition, the outline of structures, when seen from above, was also deliberate and could form or resemble Maya glyphs for, for example, completion and time.”
He describes Maya sites as displaying evidence of deliberate urban planning, while monuments are often laid out on a radial pattern incorporating wide plazas. Topography usually determined where larger buildings were constructed. In contrast, buildings themselves were oriented along, for example, a north-south axis, and were positioned to take advantage of solar and other celestial events or sight lines.
Carving magnificent cities in one of the most inhospitable environments, numerous untouched Maya sites and their secrets remain concealed in the jungles stretching from Mexico to Honduras. The ancient city-state of Palenque in Chiapas has pyramids with hidden passageways and trap doors. One of them, the tomb of King Pakal, conceals an 80-foot stairway leading down inside. In a crypt measuring 30 feet in length and 23 feet in height, Pakal’s tomb held a massive 20-ton sarcophagus carved from a single piece of limestone.
“Pyramids were used not only as temples and focal points for Maya religious practices where offerings were made to the gods,” writes Cartwright. He writes that another function was as gigantic tombs for deceased rulers, their partners, sacrificial victims, and precious goods. Pyramids were also periodically enlarged so that their interiors, when excavated, sometimes reveal a series of complete but diminishing pyramids, often still with their original coloured stucco decoration. “In addition, individual shrines could be amalgamated into a single giant complex over time as Maya rulers attempted to impress their subjects and leave a lasting mark of their reign,” writes Cartwright.
The cave, which has more than 1,000 traces of human habitation, appears to have been built in the Maya period. (INAH)
Amidst the excitement of the Maya Train’s inaugural run later this week comes news of more discoveries within its boundaries: a cave that has retaining walls possibly built by ancient Maya people during pre-Columbian times.
The cave in Quintana Roo is quite a find, in part because it includes 1,106 features associated with human presence, said Diego Prieto Hernández, general director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). It may have served as a place of shelter or an enclosure.
The Maya Train traverses more than 1,500 kilometers of the Yucatán peninsula. (Tren Maya/X)
The agency issued a press release about their findings in the cave on Monday, and Prieto explained it is a natural formation located along Section 5 of the Maya Train, between Playa del Carmen and Tulum and within the Paamul II Ecoarchaeological Corridor.
That’s the same area where an ancient enclave of more than 300 buildings, some over 8 meters high, was found in 2022 and named Paamul II. Among the findings made by experts with INAH and the Program for the Improvement of Archaeological Zones (Promeza) in Sections 5, 6 and 7 of the Maya Train are 579 objects such as figurines or vessels; support walls indicating areas that served as shelters or enclosures; 140 human remains; and more than 200,000 ceramic shards.
Archaeologists are going to need “to be very careful” as they excavate, Prieto said, noting that many of the remains are in areas of dissolving bedrock, which could mean the presence of sinkholes and other hazards.The investigation is being conducted by a team of specialists, led by archaeologist Susana Echeverría Castillo.
Construction work on the massive Maya Train project has led to a revolution in the discovery and understanding of the ancient Maya people who originally inhabited southern Mexico. (INAH/Cuartoscuro)
The Maya Train’s inaugural trip between Campeche and Cancún is scheduled for this Saturday. The section between Cancún and Palenque, Chiapas, is slated to open on Dec. 31, and the full route and 34 stations are expected to be operational on Feb. 29, 2024.
The multi-billion-dollar project will connect cities, airports, archeological zones and various attractions in five states: Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, Quintana Roo and Chiapas. Throughout its history, Maya civilization encompassed these parts of Mexico as well as all of Belize and Guatemala and parts of Honduras and El Salvador.
