Two planes carrying 276 passengers left Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Tuesday and will arrive in Mexico on Wednesday. (Sedena/X)
Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, two Mexican Air Force planes carrying 276 Mexican passengers departed the Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
The two humanitarian flights are scheduled to land at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport near Mexico City on Wednesday afternoon after stopovers in Turkey, Ireland and Canada.
Two Mexican air force planes evacuated Mexican citizens who had been unable to leave the country. (SRE/X)
“Each of the 276 people coming from Israel represents a life saved and families reunited. Mexican women and men with a name and surname,” Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena said on social media platform X on Wednesday morning.
Mexico’s ambassador to Israel, Mauricio Escanero, reported that the first flight carrying 135 passengers left Israel just before midday local time on Tuesday. Members of Mexico’s rhythmic gymnastics team, which had been in Israel to train for the upcoming Pan American Games, were among the passengers.
The second flight carrying 141 passengers departed a few hours later.
“It’s an honor to carry out the work that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador entrusted us with,” Escanero said in a video message filmed at the airport.
The Mexican citizens left Tel Aviv, Israel on Tuesday. (SRE/X)
“… For me, as ambassador, it has been very moving to feel the solidarity that the entire group [of people] in charge of this [first] flight have shown,” he said.
The crews on the two humanitarian flights consisted of military personnel including doctors as well as officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE). They were warmly received by Mexicans who had been unable to leave Israel since the Hamas attacks began last Saturday.
“A miracle was performed,” said Miriam Bolaños, a passenger on the first Air Force flight out of Israel.
Blajaith Aguilar, coach of the rhythmic gymnastics team, expressed her gratitude to the Mexican government and other people “who have supported us” during a few scary days in Israel.
Israel informed the Mexican government that Ilana Gritzewsky and Orión Hernández Radoux were taken as hostages by Hamas. (Images retrieved from X)
“We’re finally returning home. We’re very excited and happy,” she said in a video shared by the SRE.
Other passengers on the first humanitarian flight expressed similar sentiments, thanking Mexican authorities and indicating they were happy to be returning home.
López Obrador said Tuesday that 1,000 Mexicans had expressed their desire to leave Israel to Mexican authorities. Bárcena said that the government was working on more “departure options.”
Hurricane Lidia was downgraded as it continued its path over mainland Mexico on Wednesday, causing flooding and damage to infrastructure. (@altonivel/X)
Hurricane Lidia made landfall as a Category 4 storm late Tuesday night near Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, leaving several injured and one dead after a tree fell on top of a vehicle.
The hurricane continues to weaken as it moves inland over Zacatecas, and all warnings for the Pacific coast of Mexico have been discontinued.
#Relevante | Así se encuentra en estos momentos la zona del malecón de Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco ante la llegada del huracán Lidia categoría 4 pic.twitter.com/ZpULVVS1sZ
The United States’ National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported wind speeds of 165 km/h as Lidia hit the coast of Jalisco at approximately 6 p.m. local time.
Lidia then moved over southern Nayarit before continuing north of Guadalajara, with sustained winds of up to 120 km/h. The NHC downgraded the hurricane to Category 2 early Wednesday morning, and expects it to dissipate over the next day.
Authorities in Jalisco and Nayarit reported flooding, roof damage and road blockages. The Puerto Vallarta city government reported that dozens of trees had been downed near the pier.
In a video posted on social media platform X, Jalisco Governor Enrique Álfaro Ramírez said that the impacts of the storm were “not nearly as terrible as they could have been” thanks to the more than 3,000 first responders. “Their work was extraordinary and the outcome was very positive,” the governor continued.
Many roadways are blocked or flooded on Wednesday as the Pacific coast recovers from Hurricane Lidia. (@EnriqueAlfaroR/X)
In addition to minor damages to homes and roads, the hurricane caused several rivers to overflow in the municipality of Autlán de Navarro, flooding the first floor of the regional Autlán hospital. On Wednesday, schools suspended or modified classes in affected areas of Jalisco, Colima and Nayarit.
In its final statement on the storm, the NHC said that “swells will continue to affect the west coast of Mexico and the Baja California peninsula through today…and are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
According to Mexico’s National Meteorological System (SMN), heavy rain is forecast today for Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Zacatecas, as well as strong winds in areas of Coahuila, Durango and San Luis Potosí.
A panoramic view of San Miguel de Allende, Travel + Leisure's best city in the world for 2024. (Shutterstock)
In the wake of Mexico’s restoration to an FAA Category 1 aviation safety rating, there has been a flurry of new flight routes announced to the U.S. from popular beach destinations, but also from interior hotspots.
While the colonial city and international travel destination San Miguel de Allende does not have its own airport, the two nearest international airports will now offer more connectivity to U.S. destinations.
San Miguel de Allende is conveniently located between two international airports in Querétaro and León. (Jezael Melgoza/Unsplash)
Flights between Querétaro and the U.S.
Starting Dec. 1, Viva Aerobus will offer a new non-stop flight to the city of Querétaro from San Antonio International Airport (SAT).
Querétaro is 66.5 kilometers away from San Miguel de Allende.
The low-cost carrier will fly the route on Mondays and Fridays, operating an A321 aircraft with a capacity for 240 seats.
“Querétaro is an important destination when it comes to both business and leisure travel,” said Jesús Saenz, head of airports for the San Antonio Airport System.
Earlier this month, Marco Antonio del Prete Tercero, head of Querétaro’s Sustainable Development Ministry (Sedesu), announced that Querétaro International Airport will offer two new daily routes to Atlanta, Georgia and Detroit, starting in the first quarter of 2024. Mexican carrier Aeroméxico will operate these routes in partnership with Delta Airlines.
Viva Aerobus will offer three weekly flights from San Antonio to León (BJX) in 2024. (Wikimedia Commons)
Flights between Bajío International Airport to the U.S.
Starting March 2024, Viva Aerobus will also expand its existing flights from San Antonio to the Bajío International Airport (BJX), located near León, Guanajuato (86.6 kilometers away from San Miguel de Allende) to three flights per week.
This new route joins the existing nonstop flights from San Antonio to Guadalajara, León/Guanajuato, Mexico City, Monterrey and Cancún.
Aeroméxico announced plans to open two new routes between BJX and the cities of Atlanta and Detroit, via its codeshare partnership with Delta.
According to the state’s Ministry of Tourism, “Guanajuato is on the right track” to attract more international travelers to the most important airport in Mexico’s central region.
If found guilty by the agency, Walmex could face fines of up to 8% of their annual income. (Shutterstock)
Shares in Walmart’s Mexico subsidiary slumped on Monday after it emerged that the retail giant is under investigation for possible monopolistic practices.
On Friday, Walmex announced that the Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece), Mexico’s antitrust authority, had summoned it to “an administrative procedure in the form of a trial” regarding the findings of an investigation into alleged anticompetitive practices, initiated in 2020.
CEO of Walmex Guilherme Loureiro during an event held by former president Enrique Peña Nieto in 2016. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
Walmex has 45 working days to prepare its defense, after which the panel will decide whether the company has violated Mexican antitrust law.
“Walmex is confident that it has always acted in accordance with applicable law to ensure the best prices, quality and choice to its customers,” the companysaid in a statement.
On Monday,Cofece announced that it had initiated proceedings against “a company,” after an investigation established “probable vertical fixing of prices and/or other monopolistic practices related to the market for the supply and distribution of consumer goods by chains of self-service stores in the national territory.”
It did not name Walmex as the company in question or specify what offenses it is accused of, but did say that they are considered illegal practices under Article 56 of the Federal Law on Economic Competition (LFCE).
Mexican families spend more than half of their income on consumer goods including food, beverages and cleaning supplies, according to Cofece. (Depositphotos)
Cofece’s statement noted that Mexican families spend more than half of their income on consumer goods including food, beverages and cleaning supplies, making this sector a priority for the antitrust watchdog. Walmart owns the majority of chain supermarkets in Mexico, operating Bodega Aurrera, Superama and Sam’s Club in addition to the supermarkets operated under its own name.
“It’s about the imposition of a price, or other conditions, with a distributor or supplier,” José Manuel Haro, head of Cofece’s investigative unit, told Reuters. “The economic agent in question is making an imposition, and could be distorting the process of free competition.”
The crimes listed under the LFCE all involve manipulation by a dominant market power. They include practices such as conditioning the sale of one good on the purchase of another; pressuring or colluding with other companies to boycott another; and using the profits from one product to lower the price of another to below-cost price in order to displace competition.
In 2019, Reuters reported that Walmart had penalized companies supplying goods to rival Amazon, a possible anti-competitive practice. Haro declined to give more details about the current probe until Cofece releases its final decision. Such processes often take months.
Companies found guilty of crimes under the LFCE can face fines of up to 8% of their annual income. After news of the investigation emerged, shares in Walmex slumped over 5% by Monday afternoon, reaching their lowest level in more than 30 months.
The airline now offers daily flights to Cancún from seven hubs in the United States. (Jeramey Lende/Shutterstock)
With the winter season approaching, Southwest Airlines has begun to increase its weekly capacity to major tourist destinations in Mexico.
The low-cost airline now operates a weekly flight between Los Cabos and Kansas City on Saturdays, and has increased its frequencies and seat capacity to Cancún, Quintana Roo, from several destinations in the United States.
Southwest Airlines, based out of Dallas, went from operating 46 weekly flights to Cancún in September to 70 weekly flights in October. (Shutterstock)
According to the website Simple Flying, the airline has increased its flight capacity by 600% for routes from Kansas City, Austin and St. Louis to Cancún, from one weekly flight to daily flight service.
The airline’s routes to Cancún from other destinations in the U.S. have also expanded – Baltimore now offers nine weekly flights, Denver eight weekly flights, Houston 21 weekly flights, and Chicago eight weekly flights.
The airline went from operating 46 weekly flights to Cancún last month, to 70 weekly flights in October.
With the new routes, the airline now operates the third largest number of weekly flights from the U.S. to Cancún, only behind American Airlines and United Airlines, which currently operate 155 and 108 weekly flights to the sunny destination, respectively.
Between September and October, the overall number of flights from the U.S. to Cancún increased by 14.7%. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
Between September and October, the overall number of flights from the U.S. to Cancún increased by 14.7%, offering 15.3% more seats, according to data retrieved by Simple Flying.
Dallas has 60 weekly flights to Cancún, making it the U.S. city with the largest number of weekly flights to the beach destination.
Flooding and dangerous storm surges are forecast for Puerto Vallarta this evening as Lidia makes landfall. Surrounding states can expect tropical storm conditions. (@juanmazatlan/X)
Hurricane Lidia – a category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour at midday Tuesday – is bearing down on a stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast where the resort city of Puerto Vallarta is located.
The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a statement at 12 p.m. Mexico City time that Lidia “should make landfall within the hurricane warning area” between Manzanillo, Colima, and El Roblito, Nayarit, on Tuesday evening or overnight.
Se localiza a 260 km al suroeste de Puerto Vallarta, Jal.
🔺Permanece en tu hogar o refugio temporal hasta que las autoridades informen que el peligro terminó
🔺Atiende las instrucciones de las autoridades pic.twitter.com/cGPAcUQrCH
— Coordinación Nacional de Protección Civil (@CNPC_MX) October 10, 2023
That area encompasses the entire coast of Jalisco, including Puerto Vallarta, the northernmost coastal municipality in the state.
Other municipalities in the hurricane warning area include Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco and Bahía de Banderas, Compostela and San Blas in Nayarit.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday morning that Lidia was “expected to sweep over a spit of land around Cabo Corrientes before hitting the bay where Puerto Vallarta is located, which could cushion the blow somewhat.”
At midday, Lidia was 260 kilometers southwest of Puerto Vallarta and moving in an east-northeasterly direction at 24 km/h, the NHC said.
Category 3 Hurricane Lidia will touch down by Tuesday night near Puerto Vallarta. (@ddmexico/X)
“A faster east-northeast motion is expected through tonight,” the Florida-based forecaster said, adding that maximum sustained winds had increased to near 185 km/h with higher gusts.
“Additional strengthening is forecast and Lidia will likely be at or near major hurricane strength when it reaches the coast. Rapid weakening is expected after Lidia moves inland,” the NHC said.
The center said that hurricane conditions were expected to reach the warning area later on Tuesday afternoon.
“Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” it said.
The NHC also said that tropical storm conditions were expected this afternoon between Punta San Telmo, Michoacán, and Manzanillo, and between El Roblito and Mazatlán, Sinaloa.
The center said that Lidia is expected to produce rainfall totals of 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) across Nayarit, southern parts of Sinaloa and the coast of Jalisco. Local maximums could reach 12 inches (30 cm), it said.
The eye of the storm is visible just off the coast of Jalisco. Dangerous storm surges are expected to develop over the next few hours. (noaa.gov)
“These rains will likely produce flash and urban flooding, along with possible mudslides in areas of higher terrain near the coast,” the NHC said.
The center also warned of a “dangerous storm surge” that is “expected to produce significant coastal flooding near and to the south of where the center [of Lidia] makes landfall.”
“Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves,” it added.
Authorities in Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa and Baja California Sur canceled classes in some or all municipalities within their borders due to the proximity of Lidia. Residents of some coastal communities have already left their homes for shelters, which have been set up in several municipalities including Puerto Vallarta.
Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro said on X, formerly Twitter, that an “emergency operations center” has been set up in Puerto Vallarta and that authorities from all three levels of government will work from there “to protect Jalisco residents” as Lidia approaches and passes over the state.
Authorities in Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit have all made preparations for the arrival of the powerful hurricane.
Towns along the hurricane’s path are preparing for coastal flooding from Lidia. (@PacoGuillenMX/X)
Lidia is the 12th named storm of the 2023 Pacific hurricane season, which began on May 15 and runs through Nov. 30.
Both deaths occurred in the coastal municipality of Técpan de Galeana, located southeast of Zihuatanejo.
Damages on the coastline near Acapulco. (CARLOS CARBAJAL/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
One person died after a public transport van plunged into a sinkhole on the Acapulco-Zihuatanejo highway, while another lost his life when he was swept away by a raging river, according to state authorities.
The Guerrero Ministry of Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection (Sgirpc) said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that one of two people in the public transport van was rescued alive and taken to hospital for treatment, but the other died due to “asphyxia by submersion.”
The Sgirpc said that the sinkhole near the Cuajilote bridge was caused by heavy rain brought by Max.
A second storm-related death occurred when a man was swept away by a river while working on his farm in the community of Nuxco. Authorities were able to rescue other people who found themselves in dangerous situations, including two people who were “trapped” in a tree for some 10 hours due to the swelling of the Técpan River.
The governor of Guerrero, Evelyn Salgado said shelters have been set up for those affected by the storm. (Evelyn Salgado/X)
“After several attempts during recent hours, … this morning, with the help of a helicopter from the Ministry of the Navy, we managed to carry out the rescue of two people safe and sound,” Sgirpc said Tuesday morning.
Media reports said that a married couple and their daughter were in the tree.
In addition to swelling rivers and damaging highways, rain brought by Max flooded over 90 homes, according to Sgirpc. The storm also felled scores of trees in Guerrero after making landfall in the municipality of Petatlán.
Shelters were set up in the municipalities of Técpan, Petatlán, Coyuca de Benítez, Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, according to Governor Evelyn Salgado.
In the community of Tetitlán in Técpan, 50 families affected by the storm received assistance from state authorities and the army, Sgirpc said.
“A damage census was carried out in the area and the evacuation of people was supported,” the ministry said.
The United States National Hurricane Center said early Tuesday that Max had dissipated after moving inland over Mexico.
However, there is little respite for Mexico’s Pacific coast, with Hurricane Lidia – a Category 3 storm at midday Mexico City time – forecast to make landfall between Manzanillo, Colima, and El Roblito, Nayarit, on Tuesday night or early Wednesday. That area includes the entire Pacific coast of Jalisco.
Cargo processing at the Bridge of the Americas was suspended for three weeks. (CBP)
Freight trucks can once again enter the United States via the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) between Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and El Paso, Texas, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) resumed cargo processing on Tuesday morning.
Cargo processing closures and increased inspections at several border crossings have caused huge backlogs of goods for export. (Comentario U de C/X)
The CBP announced Monday that the BOTA cargo facility would reopen on Tuesday with what it called a “limited schedule” of 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, those hours are the usual operating hours. In an online trade information notice, the CBP said that cargo processing would be reduced from normal operations but didn’t specify how.
The BOTA cargo facility was processing about 500 northbound trucks per day prior to the three-week closure, El Paso Times reported.
Despite the commercial reopening of BOTA, CBP said in a statement that it “continues to encourage members of the trade community to consider other nearby commercial cargo facilities located at the Ports of Ysleta, Marcelino Serna (Tornillo), and Santa Teresa.”
“Hours of operation at Tornillo and Santa Teresa remain extended to ensure the safe and orderly processing of cargo and support the needs of the trade community,” the federal agency said.
The increased inspections and closures at various border crossings have caused long delays in the past weeks. (CBP El Paso/X)
The closure of the BOTA cargo facility and the Texas government’s decision to conduct stringent inspections of trucks entering the Lone Star state at other border crossings between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso have caused long delays for northbound trucks in recent weeks.
Mexico’s National Chamber of Trucking said late last week that goods worth more than US $1.5 billion were held up at the border between Chihuahua and Texas due to the inspections aimed at detecting the illegal entry of migrants and narcotics.
Miriam Kotowski, president of Tecma Transportation Services, a logistics company that regularly uses commercial truck crossings between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, said that the reopening of the cargo facility at the Bridge of the Americas will help reduce crossing times.
However, she added that inspections conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) at the Ysleta-Zaragoza and Tornillo ports of entry in the El Paso area are “impeding trade and commerce.”
The president discussed migration at the Monday press conference, and also said his government would send a diplomatic note to the U.S. to express opposition to the stringent Texas truck inspections. (MOISÉS PABLO/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
Those inspections have drastically reduced the flow of cross-border cargo truck traffic, Kotowski said.
“These TX DPS enhancements undermine state-of-the-art X-ray inspections and [truck] safety inspections by both” CBP and the U.S. Department of Transportation, she said in a statement.
President López Obrador announced Monday that the government would send a diplomatic note to its United States counterpart to express its opposition to truck inspections being carried out by the Texas government.
The inspections “harm the two nations [and] harm economic activity and the normal movement of people,” he said.
“… It’s the same as the [floating] barriers in the … [Rio Grande], … nothing but publicity stunts, pure politicking. … [Governor Greg Abbott] is not acting responsibly, he’s trying to get a political advantage with these measures, but it will be counterproductive because we’re going to call on our compatriots, our neighbors, our brothers from Texas to not vote for those who act irresponsibly,” López Obrador said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said in a statement later on Monday that the Mexican government in its diplomatic note urged the U.S. government to lobby the Texas government “to stop the exhaustive inspections” of cargo trucks at crossings in the El Paso area as well as that between Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, and Del Rio, Texas.
Increased arrivals of migrants at crossings such as Piedras Negras-Eagle Pass led the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to shut down cargo processing at some points of entry. (Cuartoscuro)
The SRE also said that the government raised with its U.S. counterpart “the impact on bilateral trade due to the closure of some points of entry” in the Tijuana-San Diego, Ciudad Juárez-El Paso and Piedras Negras-Eagle Pass areas.
“In the note, the government of Mexico requests the reestablishment of trade flows via the border crossings, which have been interrupted due to the closure of cargo operations at … BOTA since Sept. 18, the closure of the Piedras Negras-Eagle Pass International Bridge I since Sept. 20 and the closure of the pedestrian crossing (PedWest) at the El Chaparral-San Ysidro port of entry since Sept. 14,” the ministry said.
“The government of Mexico recognizes the progress in binational dialogue that has resulted in the partial reoopening of the commercial area of … BOTA from Oct. 10 and reaffirms its commitment to continue working so that operations are completely reestablished,” the SRE said.
People travel across the planet to experience a solar eclipse because it is so remarkable that it's almost addictive. (Unsplash)
The whole world is talking about the two upcoming solar eclipses, and the first place in the world to view one in totality will be in Mazatlán, Mexico. On April 8, 2024, at 9:46 a.m., the city will plunge into complete darkness for 4 minutes and 27 seconds!
Astronomers worldwide will descend on the port city, including those from NASA, UNAM, France, Japan, Jordan, and the Netherlands. The total eclipse show will begin at 9:51 a.m. and will last nearly three hours. If you’re looking at the calendar, you’ll see this will all occur on a Monday. But trust me — there’s no better way to start your week.
Mazatlán: the perfect spot to experience the solar eclipse. (Dianne Hofner Saphiere)
My family traveled to Nebraska to experience our first total eclipse in August of 2017 and it was life-changing!
We sat in a field of sunflowers on a clear, blue day. As the moon began to shield the sun and the sky started to darken, the insects began buzzing, just like at sunset – even though it was just before noon! The sunflowers started bowing their heads.
As the moon almost completely crossed over the sun, we saw the much-anticipated “diamond ring” – and is so much better in person than in a photo or video! Finally, the world went completely dark, cool and quiet. It is such an eerie sensation at midday!
Looking around, we could see the reds and yellows of sunset 360 degrees around the horizon. The insects went quiet, and the sunflowers faced the soil for the duration of the eclipse. Even our 21-year-old son, who knew what to expect, was gobsmacked by what he saw. After a few minutes, the sun reappeared, and the process reversed itself.
People travel across the planet to experience a solar eclipse because it is so remarkable that it’s almost addictive. Luckily, those of us in this piece of paradise will not have to go far. However, budding “eclipse chasers,” I urge you to make your plans now before lodging sells out. The next total solar eclipse visible from North America won’t be until 2044.
I am a founding member of the Mazatlán Astronomical Society (SAMAZ). While I am very far from an expert, many members of the Society are! In our weekly meetings, members teach people the science of astronomy, how to build telescopes, and how to view eclipses safely. We are also training volunteers to host viewings during both events.
SAMAZ’s annular eclipse event in October will be held at Mazatlán’s lighthouse, said to be the tallest naturally occurring lighthouse in the world. Next April, the Society will host viewings in Mazatlán at the lighthouse, the UNAM campus, and on the historic Olas Altas boardwalk. You can learn more about the society on their Facebook page. While you are in Mazatlán for the eclipse, you can enjoy the incredible fresh seafood, miles of gorgeous beaches, the colonial Centro Histórico with its unique tropical neoclassical architecture, artist galleries, a 7-km oceanside promenade, and the incredible views from its three oceanfront hills, beachside restaurants, bars and high rises.
Another great option is to travel into the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range to view the eclipse under dark skies that are perfect for stargazing. Villagers in the small town (220 inhabitants) of Chirimoyos, 90 minutes from Mazatlán, have flattened out a viewing area they call “Mintaka Observatory.” At 1400 meters above sea level, it provides 360-degree views and over 100 kilometers of visibility.
Their community-directed rural tourism project offers camping space (50 pesos/person) with nearby bathrooms, rentals of rooms in local houses (600 pesos/3-4 people) or complete homes, home-cooked meals starting at 100 pesos, horseback riding for 200 pesos/hour and guides for hiking and birding (150/person for 5 people).
The area is breathtaking and is locally known as a sacred energy vortex. It’s a charming small town where you’ll find pre-hispanic areas, petroglyphs, beekeepers, farmers of ancestral corn and growers of garden flowers. Observatorio La Mintaka has unified the local community and brought in new revenue streams to an area in economic need while connecting residents in meaningful ways with their natural environment.
Near Chirimoyos and just an hour east of Mazatlán is the gorgeous, historic woodworking and mining town of Concordia. Founded in 1565, Concordia is regionally famous for its shaved ice. The beautiful San Sebastián church crowns the charming town square; colorful homes line its streets.
Do not miss the Callejón Nana Chon with its incredible street art, the namesake of a well-known local heroine of the second Franco-Mexican War. Concordia will host eclipse viewings as well. Nearby are hot springs and the Indigenous Mayo town of Jacobo.
Invitation to watch the solar eclipse with the Observatorio Astronómico Mintaka
Safely viewing a solar eclipse
You MUST use eclipse glasses, handheld solar viewers, or solar camera filters; NEVER look directly at the sun during an eclipse!
Ensure your viewers have ISO 12312-2:2015 certification. They should have the manufacturer’s name and address printed somewhere on the product and should not be scratched or damaged. During complete darkness (totality), you may remove the glasses, but as soon as the sun begins to peak out again, put them back on to watch the remainder of the eclipse.
Getting there
Mazatlán: Daily flights from most major Mexican cities.
Concordia: About an hour east from Mazatlán. Take Highway 15 south to Villa Unión and switch to the Highway 40 free road. Public buses are available.
Chirimoyos: About 90 minutes from Mazatlán. Take Highway 15 south to Villa Unión and switch to 40D, the toll road.
Dianne Hofner Saphiere is a photographer and interculturalist who has lived in Mazatlán since 2008. Her photographs can be found under “Thru Di’s Eyes” on FB, IG or her website, www.thrudiseyes.com. She also runs the expat website www.vidamaz.com.
The team had been training in Tel Aviv when the conflict broke out this weekend. (Conade)
The Mexican rhythmic gymnastics team, which has been in Israel to train for the upcoming Pan American Games, will soon be evacuated with the help of the Mexican government according to a video statement.
The squad had been unable to leave Tel Aviv after the attack in Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend. Israel has begun a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is based, and continues to battle Hamas fighters on Israeli soil. According to reports, the number of dead was more than 1,500 as of Monday night.
The team posted a video on Sunday alerting friends, family and followers that they are safe in Israel. (Selección Nacional de Gimnasia Rítmica – Conjunto/Facebook)
“Given the seriousness of the situation, flights have been canceled, leaving us without the immediate possibility of returning to our Mexico,” Mexican head coach Blajaith Aguilar Rojas said in an earlier video on Facebook. “Given this dynamic, we make a call and strongly request support from our government so that we can return safely to our home as soon as possible.”
The women gymnasts — who perform floor routines with hoops, balls, clubs, ribbon and rope — are feeling a good deal of “tension and concern,” Aguilar added.
“They are protected in the training center,” pointed out María José Alcalá, president of the Mexican Olympic Committee (COM). The team is preparing for the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, which are scheduled to run from Oct. 18 to Nov. 5. Rhythmic gymnastics will begin Nov. 1.
Officials didn’t disclose the team’s exact location, but said it would continue training in a safe area and leave for Chile, or Mexico, as soon as conditions allow.
The team at a qualifying event for the 2024 Olympic Games. (Selección Nacional de Gimnasia Rítmica – Conjunto/Facebook)
In a message posted on Facebook, the team wrote, “We are fine, in a safe area, somewhat far from the affected cities and we already know all the necessary measures in case of any situation. We thank you all for being attentive and for your messages.”
Aguilar said the team members have been shown how to get to the nearest bomb shelter in case of an incoming missile.
“It is true that we are scared with the situation,” she added. “But people here have shown us the protocols and bunkers that should be used if necessary.”
Tel Aviv has become a popular spot for international gymnasts to train, which is why the Mexican squad and their coaches went there after the 2023 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships.
In August, the team left for Tel Aviv, where they have been training for the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, which are scheduled to run from Oct. 18 to Nov. 5. (Selección Nacional de Gimnasia Rítmica – Conjunto/Facebook)
A qualification event for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the championships were held Aug. 23-27 in Valencia, Spain. Mexico placed 14th in all-around.
Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, reported that she is communicating with officials at the Mexican Embassy in Israel about the rhythmic gymnastics team and other Mexicans in Israel, including two who were reportedly taken hostage by Hamas on Saturday.
“We are in contact with authorities in Israel and family members to provide follow-up, support and care,” she said.
The gymnasts with the Mexican contingent include Dalia Alcocer, Kimberly Salazar, Adirem Tejeda, Sofia Flores and Julia Gutiérrez.
