When I was in first grade, we had to go around the class saying what we wanted to be when we grew up. When I said I wanted to be the president, a chorus arose among my classmates: a girl can’t be president!
Now, there are plenty of reasons why I personally cannot be president; is it my tendency to cry about everything? My disinterest in large swaths of policy? My IQ? Come on, what?
But being a girl is not one of them.
My own life has seen some near misses when it comes to seeing a woman in the highest office. We all remember, of course, Hilary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and her shocking loss that pretty much no one — least of all, Donald Trump — was expecting.
I still suspect that election night must have been the moment some trickster grabbed the steering wheel and plunged us all off into the bizarre dimension we’ve been stuck in ever since. A clue to my theory: my dog suddenly couldn’t walk that day because of a tumor that had just started pressing on her brain, which is a bad omen if I ever saw one.
Then, during the primaries leading up to the 2020 elections, I was sure that Elizabeth Warren would win the Democratic nomination, and I let myself get excited again.
But the thing about presidential candidates is that frontrunners don’t just gracefully step aside to give someone else a chance; if they’re there, it means they think they deserve to be president. People like that don’t give up when they’re so close.
Sure, there have been women executive leaders in other countries, but I want to see it in one of my countries. The possibilities are there, but getting close to it, at least in the U.S., has been tricky, like trying to fish a little piece of eggshell from the yolk. It onlylooks like it will be easy to grasp.
In the U.S., female candidates have received much more scrutiny and criticism than their male counterparts; the same people who had enthusiastically backed male candidates and held the party line were suddenly policy experts engaged in microscopic-level investigation of all the things Hilary Clinton had done since elementary school.
The same characteristics voters liked in men were seen as unbecoming in women (a man’s assertiveness is a woman’s bitchiness), and many progressives made a big show of saying they were going to “hold their nose and vote for Clinton,” as if she were some cartoon villain. How’s that for enthusiasm?
For all that show of nose-holding, we wound up covered in vomit for the next four years. It’s true, I’m still bitter.
When Elizabeth Warren suddenly disappeared from the list of presidential candidates in 2020, I gave up on seeing a woman in the White House anytime soon.
But now there’s the real possibility of a woman as this nation’s chief executive. A divorced Jewish woman, at that (both of her parents were the children of Eastern European immigrants to Mexico).
Before going on, I feel the need to state the obvious, lest readers think I’m simply militant: no, I would not just vote for a candidate with no other criteria just because they’re a woman. If U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene were running for president, I’d campaign hard against her.
Still, the prospect of a woman president in Mexico excites me. And I think that Claudia Sheinbaum, currently the mayor of Mexico City, could make a formidable candidate — and even a good president. In fact, two women candidates may compete for the presidency in 2024 if aspiring opposition candidate Lilly Téllez is nominated.
Sheinbaum’s popularity has been growing, and she is now widely considered the top pick for the ruling Morena Party’s presidential nominee. And unless those tricksters show up and jerk the steering wheel again, all signs seem to point to the Morena candidate becoming our next president.
She’s certainly as qualified for the job as anyone else is. The fact that current president López Obrador seems to adore her might be a plus or a minus, depending on how you view the president.
But despite her popularity with the current chief executive, she’s got plenty of accomplishments under her belt in her own right. A physicist with a doctoral degree in environmental engineering (hey, wasn’t Angela Merkel a chemist? Bodes well so far!), Sheinbaum was on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that won a Nobel peace prize in 2007 and has been working in government for over two decades now.
As mayor of Mexico City, she was nominated by the City Mayors Foundation in 2021 for the World Mayor prize and has worked hard to improve and protect the environment, something I think should be a top priority for any world leader these days.
I have some reservations — mainly about how much control the current president will have over her from behind the scenes.
Hopefully, not much. Sheinbaum, while an enthusiastic proponent of the president’s agenda, has not been afraid in the past to contradict him, especially when it comes to women’s rights. I would hope that she also wouldn’t be afraid to contradict him on the environment, and there are lots of questions that I would like to see asked of her over the coming year.
On a lighter note: is there anyone that doesn’t love that no-nonsense let’s-get-to-work ponytail? Sheinbaum is 60 years old with two grown children (and recently became a grandmother), but hey, 60 is the new 40! Her spunky attitude says this lady is ready to rock and roll.
Sheinbaum is not perfect, it’s true. But in a world where “good enough” is often the enemy of “good,” I’d like to pre-request that everyone just freaking calm down a bit.
Mexico, a country suffering from femicides and rampant sexism and discrimination, may very well soon have a woman president.
I’ve been burned before, both by elections in my own country and by the great contrast between López Obrador the candidate and López Obrador the president.
But hey, a girl can dream, right?
Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mexico News Daily, its owner or its employees.
President López Obrador's daily morning press conferences this week covered everything from Foreign Affairs Minister Ebrard's resignation to the alleged extrajudicial killings by soldiers in Nuevo Laredo to the "headdress of Moctezuma" in Vienna. (Gob MX)
With gubernatorial elections in México state and Coahuila now over, focus on the 2024 presidential contest has intensified.
The ruling Morena party, which President López Obrador founded, is gearing up to choose its new standard bearer via an internal survey process, prompting Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard to take the decision to step down this coming Monday to focus on winning the nomination.
AMLO between the two presidential frontrunners for the Morena party, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum (left) and Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard (right). (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
AMLO, who contested the 2006 and 2012 presidential elections before his emphatic 2018 triumph, reaffirmed his commitment to not “tip the balance” in favor of any of the so-called pre-candidates, emphasizing at his Wednesday press conference that times have changed and that he, as president, would not anoint a successor.
Colloquially known as mañaneras, his morning pressers this week were – as always – wide-ranging, with the elimination of daylight saving time, an apparent army massacre and efforts to repatriate a pre-Hispanic headdress among the topics discussed.
Monday
After a brief introduction from AMLO and the weekly update on gasoline and grocery prices from consumer protection agency chief Ricardo Sheffield, Deputy Interior Minister Alejandro Encinas offered a report on the response to the June 5, 2009 fire in a daycare center in Hermosillo that claimed the lives of 49 young children and injured more than 40 others.
“Today, on the anniversary of the terrible tragedy of the ABC daycare fire, we want to reaffirm our commitment to, and solidarity with, the relatives of all the victims and the survivors,” Encinas said.
He said that compensation has been paid to 142 “direct and indirect victims,” including families of deceased children, injured children and adults and children “exposed” to the tragedy.
Zoé Robledo, head of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), noted that two former IMSS officials who held positions related to overseeing daycare centers were arrested in November 2020 in connection with the fire.
He said that the officials have been ordered to stand trial and that the Federal Attorney General’s Office is currently working to complete its investigation.
Deputy Interior Minister Alejandro Encinas at the Monday press conference. (Gob MX)
Yucatán Governor Mauricio Vila also addressed the press conference, and during an update on infrastructure projects in the state noted that López Obrador had authorized the Ministry of National Defense to build a branch line of the Maya Train railroad “practically” to the port in the Gulf of Mexico town of Progreso.
“This will help us a lot because we’ll bring the train closer to the port, and we hope to build a classification yard that allows us to make the connection from the Trans-Isthmus train project to the Maya Train [railroad] and the port in Progreso,” he said.
During his Q & A session with reporters, López Obrador congratulated the people of México state and Coahuila who “exercised their right to freely elect” new governors on Sunday.
“There were no major problems, people participated and there were no post-electoral protests,” he said.
AMLO also congratulated the winners of the gubernatorial elections – Morena candidate Delfina Gómez in México state and PRI-PAN-PRD candidate Manolo Jiménez Salinas in Coahuila.
The president told reporters that he had been “reflecting” on the “political composition in the states” in the wake of the elections, and noted that Morena will control 22 states “with the triumph of the maestra [teacher] Delfina.”
“The Green Party has one [state], Citizens Movement has two, the PRI has one and the PAN has five. That’s the way it is,” he said.
AMLO stressed that the federal government will continue to treat all states equally, regardless of whether they have a government that “belongs to the movement that supported me” or not.
“All the welfare programs are universal. It’s not, ‘let’s see, what party are you from?'” López Obrador said after asserting that previous federal governments treated states differently depending on which party was in power at that level.
“We have good relationships with the governors. Here is an example of how we’re working in a coordinated way, regardless of party backgrounds,” he said, referring to the government’s relationship with Vila, a PAN governor who is vying to represent the opposition Va por México alliance at next year’s presidential election.
Acknowledging that the 2024 presidential election is just one year away, AMLO said that “the important thing” to do in the lead-up to that contest is “strengthen democracy – not just as a political system … but as a way of life.”
“[We need] democracy in the family, democracy at school, democracy in unions, … democracy in the broad sense,” he said.
Among other remarks, López Obrador said he was in favor of the installation of a monument to recognize the life and work of Dora María Pérez Vidal, a Tabasco-born singer known as La Chaparrita de Oro who passed away last Sunday.
“She represents the music of Tabasco, she’s a musical ambassador of Tabasco, as was Chico Che,” he said.
Tuesday
AMLO’s engagement with the press began approximately 30 minutes into his mañanera, but he immediately called on his education minister to respond to a question about the dismissal of teachers during the 2012-18 government led by former president Enrique Peña Nieto.
“During the previous six-year period of government there was a very powerful campaign against teachers, against their educational activity, denigrating the work they did, … making it appear like teachers weren’t really committed to their work,” Leticia Ramírez Amaya said.
She noted that the current government repealed the previous government’s education reform, which forced teachers to undergo controversial evaluations, and asserted that the vast majority of educators who lost their jobs during the Peña Nieto years have been reinstated.
“Almost 95% of the teachers who were affected by the poorly-named education reform have been reinstated,” she said, adding that the government intends to resolve every case in which a teacher challenged the grounds of his or her dismissal.
“We got together to congratulate the maestra Delfina, we were all very happy. And we also met to [talk about] maintaining unity. … We’re doing very well, we’re fine and in a good mood,” the president said.
AMLO told reporters that he took the opportunity at a celebratory dinner for Mexico state governor elect Delfina Gómez to speak to the four main presidential hopefuls. (Andrea Murcia Monsivais / Cuartoscuro.com)
“I can’t say any more about the issue,” he added before noting that he has committed to not “tip the balance” in favor of any of those seeking the Morena party nomination, among whom are Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard and Interior Minister Adán Augusto López.
“Look, we haven’t had increases in use beyond what economic growth and population growth demand,” López Obrador responded.
“[Eliminating] daylight saving time was a very good decision, it was accepted by the majority of people, and there are studies that prove that the time change affected [people’s] health. So, there is no problem [and] the price of electricity hasn’t increased,” he said.
Toward the end of his Tuesday presser, AMLO directed Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell to meet with a reporter who raised the case of Lauro Hinostroza – a Peruvian shaman detained at Mexico City airport last year for possession of ayahuasca – and advocated the changing of laws that allow authorities to “criminalize those with ancestral knowledge” who work as curanderos, or healers.
“Explain to her what the health plan is with regard to traditional medicine, with regard to healers,” he told López-Gatell before indicating his openness to the use of medicinal plants in Mexico’s public health system today.
“It’s the original medicine of our country. We suffered from the smallpox pandemic because the healers didn’t know how to treat it because it was an unknown disease,” López Obrador said.
“That’s why it decimated the population in the entire colonial period after the invasion, but before that, in the time of pre-Hispanic civilizations, it was the traditional healers [who treated people] with traditional medicine,” he said.
Wednesday
“We’re going to start with the water projects we’re building. … Water is fundamental, it’s health, it’s life,” López Obrador said at the beginning of his presser.
“So we’re reporting on the projects we’re completing across the entire country – dams, aqueducts, very important water projects.”
Germán Martínez Santoyo, general director of the National Water Commission (Conagua), noted for the second time in as many weeks that the government is investing over 93 billion pesos “with complete transparency and zero corruption” in 15 priority water projects.
Construction of the La Libertad dam in Nuevo León is 65% complete, he said.
The Conagua chief said that the federal and Nuevo León governments are each investing 3.68 billion pesos in the project and that it will benefit 500,000 residents of the northern border state, which suffered a severe drought last year. Martínez said that the dam is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The El Cuchillo II aqueduct, also in Nuevo León, will be built in “record time,” he said, without mentioning a completion date. The project will benefit all residents of Monterrey, Martínez said.
Iñáki Echeverría spoke about the project he is managing – the Lake Texcoco Ecological Park, which is under construction on a México state site where the previous federal government began building a new Mexico City airport.
The park encompasses “an area of 14,300 hectares that was protected by you, Mr. President, on March 22, 2022 through a decree that converted it into a natural protected area,” he said.
Echeverría said that the park is 17 times the size of the Chapultepec Forest in Mexico City and will “improve the living conditions” of all residents of the Valley of Mexico, including by helping to reduce air pollution. The project is 65% complete, he said.
Iñaki Echeverría discusses the Texcoco project at the morning press conference. (Daniel Augusto / Cuartoscuro.com)
AMLO returned to center stage to take reporters’ questions and was immediately asked about the decision by Foreign Minister Ebard to resign to focus on winning the ruling Morena party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election.
The president said that Ebrard is resigning because the process to find a Morena candidate has “already started,” although the ruling party has not yet defined exactly what that process will entail.
López Obrador said it’s “possible” that other aspirants to the Morena candidacy will announce their resignations in the coming days.
The selection of a presidential candidate via an internal survey is an “unprecedented event, something never seen”, AMLO said, noting that previous presidents imposed a person of their choosing – a so-called tapado – in a move colloquially known as a dedazo.
“The president was the one who designated his successor, we’re talking about centuries, and for the first time there is no tapado, there is no dedazo, there is no imposition,” he said.
“It appears that there was an execution and that can’t be allowed, we’re not the same as previous governments,” he said.
“When there is abuse, … when human rights are violated, the culprits have to be punished. The process to deepen the investigation has already begun,” López Obrador said, adding that all the soldiers involved in the incident will face justice.
“In the past, massacres were ordered from above,” while the Nuevo Laredo incident, which followed a similar event in the same city earlier this year, is among “isolated cases” of extrajudicial killings that have occurred during the current government, he said.
“When they happen, they’re punished, they’re not allowed. In other words, we’re not the same,” AMLO said.
Among other remarks, López Obrador noted he would meet with United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg later in the day to discuss Mexico’s efforts to recover its Category 1 aviation safety rating with U.S. authorities, which it lost in 2021.
“At 12 I’m going to [the] Felipe Ángeles [International Airport] and we’re going to meet [there]. We’re going to address the Category 1 thing because we already did everything [required],” he said.
“It’s a phenomenon, look at this, 17.37 pesos per dollar. When we arrived [to government] it was at over 20 [to the dollar] and the forecast of our adversaries was that it was going up to 30,” AMLO said.
The president discussed his administration’s economic policies at the Thursday morning press conference. (Gob MX)
Responding to a question about the public health system, the president claimed that the current level of medication supplies is sufficient for two years.
“People are still complaining that they can’t find medicines,” countered a reporter, prompting López Obrador to present data to back up his claim.
“We’re making progress and when I finish [my six-year term] – before I finish – this system will be much better than other public health systems around the world,” AMLO said.
He subsequently accused the reporter of bias. “I’m sure that on your radio station, if we do an analysis of the past month, [we’ll find that] all the stories are against us,” he said.
“… I’m absolutely certain that your radio station dedicated itself to attacking us this [past] month. Not just [then], but for some time now.”
Turning his focus to the contest between those vying for the Morena party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election – currently one of the hottest topics in Mexico – López Obrador noted that the “rules” for the selection process will be set at a meeting of the Morena National Council this Sunday.
Asked how he felt about “presidential succession,” he responded:
“Very good, very good, because I have a lot of confidence in the people, … full confidence in the people. The people of Mexico are in a phase of [political] awakening, and are among the most politically aware people in the world – that’s exceptional, it’s extraordinary.”
Later in his presser, the president addressed a recent outbreak of violence in a southern region of Mexico’s southernmost state.
“We’re attending to what is happening on the border between Chiapas and Guatemala. … There is an organized crime presence, … that’s why [there have been] these confrontations. But we’re acting, the National Guard is there and a program to strengthen the welfare programs is about to be applied,” he said.
“It’s a bit like what we did in Aguililla, in Michoacán, where it wasn’t just about [having] the presence of the National Guard but also strengthening the welfare programs, and in that way we managed to calm things down and guarantee peace in Aguililla. We’re doing the same thing in … Chiapas,” López Obrador said.
Toward the end of his presser, AMLO expressed confidence that United States authorities would soon reinstate Mexico’s top-tier aviation safety rating.
“The transportation secretary is a very respectful person, attentive and I’m sure we’re going to have good news,” he said a day after meeting Buttigieg.
“I don’t want to set deadlines because they’re fatal. You’ll say to me, ‘What happened? Nothing yet?’ It depends on the paperwork and there in [the United States] there are also rheumatic elephants you have to push,” López Obrador said, employing a term he frequently uses to describe slow-moving bureaucracy.
Friday
The president dove straight into responding to reporters’ questions at the beginning of his final press conference of the week.
“The disappearance [of people] and later finding the victims in clandestine graves is very regrettable,” López Obrador said when asked about abductions and homicides in Jalisco, where the remains of missing call center workers were found last week.
He said that the federal government is working with the Jalisco government on that case and others, and that the United States government has offered “some recommendations” to assist the investigation into the disappearance of eight Zapopan-based call center workers.
“Regarding missing people in the country, a new census is being carried out in order to have complete certainty how many there really are,” AMLO added.
“State governments, state Attorney General’s Offices are helping us … in order to have … a reliable census because [the register] needs updating,” he said.
Over 112,000 people are officially registered as missing in Mexico, but López Obrador said there are cases in which disappearances remain on the register even after those who vanished are found.
The president was later asked about Mexico’s attempt to retake possession of the penacho de Moctezuma, a feathered headdress that is thought to have belonged to the Mexica huey tlatoani, or emperor, at the time of the Spanish conquest.
The government of Austria has demonstrated a “very arrogant attitude,” AMLO responded.
“In recent times they’ve argued or claimed that it can’t be moved because it would be destroyed. That’s something that has no basis, in our opinion. The truth is they don’t want to hand it over,” he said of the penacho, which is on display at the Weltmuseum Wien, an ethnographic museum in Vienna.
A replica of the artifact is displayed in the National Museum of Anthropology and History in Mexico City. (Thomas Ledl)
“And as tends to happen in these cases, it’s not just governments that consider themselves owners of things that don’t belong to them, but also associations of experts.”
AMLO noted that his wife traveled to Austria in 2020 and delivered a letter to the country’s president asking for a loan of the headdress for an exhibition commemorating the 500th anniversary of the fall of Tenochtitlán.
After acknowledging that the mission failed, López Obrador indicated that Mexico would continue to pressure Austria to return the artifact.
“Everything that was stolen, everything that was [illegally] removed from Mexico has to be recovered, in this case and others,” he said.
A reporter subsequently noted that there will soon be just two Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, governors – Esteban Villegas in Durango and Manolo Jiménez in Coahuila – due to Morena’s victory in México state, and asked AMLO about the relationship the federal government will have with the governments they lead.
“[Jiménez] is now governor-elect and later he will be governor … and we need to have good coordination and work together because it’s not a partisan issue, it’s not about our ways of thinking, which might be different,” López Obrador said.
“We have to serve the people of Coahuila … and all the people of Mexico. … I’ve always said that the party [you represent] is one thing and government is another. Party, as its name indicates, is a part, one part. The government represents everyone, the budget the government manages is for all people. So there will be a good relationship,” he said.
“… We’ve been supporting both states with welfare programs. In the case of Durango, the Sowing Life [reforestation/employment] program is being implemented … and we’re building roads in the most remote communities of Durango and we’re doing it jointly with the state government. And the same thing for Coahuila, the welfare programs are continuing,” López Obrador said.
Among other remarks, AMLO offered a synopsis of the economic situation in Argentina, where annual inflation is over 100%.
“What happened in Argentina? Why is the crisis in Argentina so deep? Because, in complicity with international financial bodies, the government of [former president Mauricio] Macri put Argentina into debt, but with no limit,” he said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
Cesar Menchaca brought Huichol art to the world. As his retrospective opens in Mexico City, the author asks, where is the line between innovation and appropriation? (Leigh Thelmadatter)
Cesar Menchaca puts the work of Wixárika (Huichol) artists in spaces it might never otherwise be.
Born in 1967 in Mexico City, Menchaca defines himself not as an artist or anthropologist, but as “an entrepreneur-lover of art and Mexican culture.”
That love can be seen in the works and exhibitions of his Menchaca Studio, established in 2010 in part of his home.
The organization’s mission statement says that the goal is to “create artistic pieces with high cultural value by fusing Mexican art of all types with contemporary art.” The studio succeeds most with eye-catching reinterpretations of Wixárika art, but they and similar reworkings of traditional Indigenous art can raise questions.
Menchaca’s work has also been used to promote sporting events. These trophies with beaded American footballs were sponsored by both the U.S. embassy and the Foreign Affairs Ministry to celebrate 200 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. (Menchaca Studio)
Menchaca’s involvement in the field is relatively recent: born to a family of 14 in one of the downtrodden neighborhoods surrounding the Virgin of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City, he worked his way out of poverty.
His journey began in fashion, founding brands like ¡Qué Chingón!, which had some success exporting to the U.S. But textiles is a fickle business, and pressure from Chinese clothes makers bankrupted him by 2010.
Around this same time, he became attracted to Wixárika art because he saw “for just how little the artisans had to sell their work out on the street,” and he knew he could develop a much better market.
Although Menchaca is a self-taught artist, he does not get involved in the creative process. His main talent is pairing contemporary and Wixárika artists affiliated with his studio to create works for high-profile international audiences.
One of a series of calacas or Catrinas that the studio has made. Although the skeletal figures are indeed authentically Mexican, they do not really figure into the culture of the Wixárika. (Leigh Thelmadatter)
The studio is a major promoter of Wixárika beadwork worldwide — its work has been displayed in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia in famous luxury hotels, skyscrapers and sporting events. At the Burj Khalifa, the studio exhibited a bronze Mexican eagle studded with 3 million Swarovski crystals. The Sport Summit Mexico Exhibit received a soccer ball with 3.8 million beads.
Menchaca has also done works for the NFL, Formula 1, Longines Global Champions Tour México, the Russia 2018 Soccer World Cup and the Hotel Presidente International. He has even collaborated with Cirque du Soleil in Montreal and various other corporations to decorate watches, wine bottles and more.
In Mexico, his work has been exhibited at the Palacio de Bellas Artes and Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City. A retrospective exhibit called “Pasiones” (Passions) has been touring Mexican cities.
The works are aimed at audiences that would probably never give Wixárika work a second (or even a first) glance. Themes vary widely, but most relate to Mexico in one way or another. But the purpose here is not an authentic recreation of Wixárika culture or art, nor is it to educate the public about either in any depth. At most, the pieces function as a kind of introduction to Mexican culture, and with luck, some will read the labels and learn the words Wixárika or Huichol.
Beaded mountain bike exhibited in the esplanade of Paseo Arcos Bosques shopping center in Mexico City. (Menchaca Studio)
Although those who place the beads are Wixárikas from western Mexico, there can sometimes be very little from that culture in the design or execution. The base sculpture is made from resin, bronze, carbon fiber and brass, while the beads are fastened with modern adhesives. Such materials are far more durable than the traditional wood and Campeche wax.
In about the past decade, Menchaca estimates, his collaborations have placed more than 150 million beads and other tiny objects. Some projects have used crystals (including the aforementioned Swarovski), sequins, and for one project, bits of plastic recovered from ocean-dumped garbage.
In the choices of form and decoration, primary attention is paid to making works that draw attention. Wixárika elements can be secondary or even nonexistent.
Reinterpretations, especially those with significant or controlling interest by non-Indigenous people, risk significant criticism. There needs to be a balance between two competing, even contradictory goals; respecting the originating culture (avoiding kitsch) and creating art that the market will accept.
The sea turtle and globe are decorated with a combination of traditional Wixárika beadwork and rounded bits of ocean-recovered plastics to bring attention to pollution. (Leigh Thelmadatter)
All Mexican folk art faces the same pressures to change to meet market conditions, but Wixárika art has an added issue: its elements have religious meaning.
“For the Huichol, art is prayer and direct communication with and participation in the sacred realm,” said Peter Furst, an early researcher and author of “Visions of a Wixárika Shaman.”
“[Art] is meant to assure the good and beautiful life; health and fertility of crops, animals, and people; prosperity of the individual, the kin group, and the larger society,” Furst says.
The studio is by no means the first or only organization to reinterpret Wixárika art and broaden its appeal. Depending on your point of view, projects like these are a bridge between cultures, cultural appropriation or maybe a bit of both. The issue of how, how much, and even whether traditional works should be modified at all continues to be debated.
Changing attitudes have led to efforts to establish “communal rights” over traditional art and designs in Mexican law, although its successful implementation is in doubt — and what this might mean for the studio remains unclear.
Menchaca is certainly aware of the issues surrounding his work but defends it, saying that even if the sculpture is of a very “non-Mexican” endangered rhinoceros “… it also represents the similar danger [of disappearing] that aspects of Mexican culture face.”
His ocean-waste exhibit at the Tianguis Turístico is anything but kitsch. It not only has a serious message, the integration of bits of plastic with more traditional beadwork perhaps affirms Wixárika respect for nature in the modern world.
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.
The perfect steak is a fine at. Make sure to sprinkle salt from 10-12 inches above your steak for maximum coverage.
I don’t have much of a red-meat-eating history, and — full disclosure — rarely, if ever, cook it at home. I have never barbecued. (Eaten, yes, but cooked it myself? No.)
I don’t get excited about bloody juices oozing from a “perfectly cooked” burger or roast beef sandwich, and, after a more-than-20-year stint as a strict vegetarian, still cringe in the meat section of the supermarket. (Let’s not even talk about the mercado! Shudder.)
So my challenge with this column was figuring out what I could possibly write about steak that steadfast meat-eaters wouldn’t already know. Here’s what I came up with:
Debunking some common steak myths
How to find what you want from a Mexican butcher, who may or may not know the English names for the cuts you’re looking for
Chef’s tips for turning your steak dinner at home into a restaurant-worthy meal
Recipes to liven up your regular repertoire
The world of steak is full of whispered secrets and urban legends. Does bone-in steak have more flavor than boneless? Should you season the meat before or after you cook it? Never flip your steak more than once!
Chances are you’ve heard these and other warring pieces of advice about how to cook the best steak. Rather than discuss them one by one, this excellent article explains in detail the truth behind each.
Following some simple guidelines will yield that perfect, melt-in-your-mouth steak you’re looking for.
Because we’re in Mexico, it’s helpful to know the Spanish names for the cuts you’re looking for. Depending on where you live, many, if not most, butchers will know the English names, but cut and packaged beef or restaurant menus may only have the Spanish name. (Big-box stores like Sam’s, Costco and Walmart will be the exceptions.)
Here’s a great chart with English and Spanish names of all the cuts of beef to help you in a pinch.
I can’t tell you how many blogs, recipes and articles I’ve read and videos I’ve watched about cooking steak in the past few weeks. One of my favorites is “Red Meat Lover,” with host Joey Brisket (hah).
He does indeed love red meat, and his YouTube channel is full of lively, fun and informative videos, many of them testing different methods and theories about how to cook the perfect steak. In this video he experiments with three types of salt — kosher, Himalayan pink and regular table salt — for seasoning steak.
Chefs recommend using kosher salt because the large, coarse, uneven grains dissolve slowly into the meat, tenderizing and flavoring as they go. (If you can’t find kosher salt, chances are you can find coarse grain salt, often from the Mexican state of Colima.)
The fine, even grains of regular table salt will dissolve too quickly and run off the meat before they do the job you want them to. Also, salting steak from 10–12 inches above is not just for show; it allows for maximum spread and coverage. Try it and see!
The large, chunky and uneven grains of kosher salt are the best for salting steak properly.
True or false: thick-cut steaks taste better.
True! A steak that’s at least an inch — or even better, an inch and a half — thick is going to end up with a juicy inside and that crispy, luscious outside that you’re looking for. A thinner cut will be dry and overcooked before the outside is done.
Last but not least: buy a meat thermometer. This one little piece of equipment will help you immeasurably in cooking the perfect steak.
Always insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. It will continue cooking a few minutes after you take it off the heat, so you want to do that when the internal temperature is about 5 degrees lower than your desired doneness.
Rare: 120 F (49 C) (very red/pink)
Medium: 140 F (60 C) (slightly pink)
Well-done: 160 F (71 C) (all brown)
And let the meat rest before slicing, about 5 minutes, loosely covered with foil or not; this helps the juices stay in the meat.
Butter-Basted Pan-Seared Steak
1 large bone-in T-bone, ribeye, Porterhouse or New York strip steak
Kosher salt and black pepper
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Optional: fresh thyme or rosemary, ½ cup finely sliced shallots (optional)
Pat steak dry with paper towels. Season liberally on all sides, including edges, with salt and pepper. If desired, let steak rest at room temperature for 45 minutes or refrigerated and loosely covered for up to 3 days.
In a 12-inch, heavy-bottomed cast-iron skillet, heat oil over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Carefully add steak and cook, flipping frequently, until a pale golden-brown crust starts to develop, about 4 minutes total.
Add butter, herbs and shallots (if using) to skillet. Continue cooking, flipping occasionally and basting with foaming butter. If butter smokes excessively or steak begins to burn, reduce heat to medium.
To baste, tilt pan slightly so butter collects by the handle. Use a spoon to pick up butter and pour over steak, aiming at light spots.
Continue flipping and basting 8–10 minutes until thermometer inserted into thickest part of tenderloin side registers desired doneness. Transfer steak to platter; pour pan juices on top. Rest 5–10 minutes and serve.
Fajitas are always better if you let the meat marinade for a while first. (Usman Yousaf/Unsplash)
Fajita Marinade
For best flavor, grind your own chili powder from equal parts ancho and guajillo chiles.
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. black pepper
Whisk together all ingredients in medium bowl; marinate meat in covered bowl or zipper-lock bag at least 3 hours.
Steak Sauce
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup water
¼ cup dried shiitake mushrooms
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup white vinegar
½ cup chopped white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. dry mustard powder
Combine ketchup, water, mushrooms, Worcestershire, lemon juice and vinegar in saucepan. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Over medium heat, simmer 45 minutes, until sauce is thick and pourable and flavors have melded.
Strain out solids. Serve warm poured over skirt steak.
President López Obrador spoke with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about Mexico's improvements in aviation safety and the development of commercial routes to the new AIFA airport. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
A day after meeting with United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, President López Obrador said Thursday that he expects “good news” with regard to Mexico’s desired recovery of its top-tier aviation safety rating with U.S. authorities.
In May 2021, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it had downgraded Mexico’s aviation safety rating from Category 1 to Category 2 after finding that it wasn’t meeting standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations.
Wednesday’s gathering was held at the new Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), AMLO’s answer to the growing logistical and structural problems at the International Airport of Mexico City (AICM). (lopezobrador.org.mx)
The downgrade prevents Mexican airlines from adding new routes to the United States, a situation seen as a significant hindrance to the success of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), which opened in March 2022.
López Obrador and other high-ranking Mexican officials met with Buttigieg at AIFA on Wednesday, after the transportation secretary flew into the new army-built airport. United States Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar also attended the talks.
Speaking at his morning news conference on Thursday, López Obrador said that U.S. authorities are “reviewing the entire process” that has been carried out to assess Mexico’s suitability for a Category 1 rating.
“Everything that they demanded has been fulfilled. … there is one more step to be taken in the United States. The transportation secretary is a very respectful person, attentive, and I’m sure we’re going to have good news,” he said.
Mexico lost its Category 1 safety rating over a year ago due to noncompliance with minimum International Civil Aviation Organization safety standards, related to matters like technical expertise, personnel training and record keeping. (Twitter)
“I don’t want to set deadlines because they’re fatal. You’ll say to me, ‘What happened? Nothing yet?’ It depends on the paperwork, and there in [the United States], there are also rheumatic elephants you have to push,” López Obrador said, employing a term he frequently uses to describe slow-moving bureaucracy.
The FAA is not the only entity that has raised questions about aviation safety in Mexico.
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations said in May 2022 that it appeared that air traffic controllers at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) had received “little training and support” on directing flights operating in the new airspace configuration precipitated by the opening of AIFA north of the capital.
That revelation, published by the Reforma newspaper last year, came shortly after two dangerous incidents at AICM were caused by air traffic control errors.
The ministry said that Mexican officials responded to 316 questions from U.S. experts on a range of topics, including air safety and related legislation.
In addition to the improvements requested by the FAA, the government has made renovations to Mexico City’s aging Benito Juárez airport, which has struggled to keep up with the volume of flight traffic. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
The news agency Reuters reported that in the two years since Mexico lost its top-tier safety rating, “the country has revamped its aviation standards, replacing officials and most recently overhauling its civil aviation law.”
Although López Obrador said before his meeting with Buttigieg that discussions would focus on the recovery of Mexico’s Category 1 rating, a joint statement issued by the United States Department of Transportation and SICT on Thursday didn’t specifically mention that issue.
However, it did say that the Mexican and U.S. governments are both “committed to the successful development of AIFA in ways that will bolster the U.S.-Mexico air transportation relationship.”
The statement said that “strong transportation links between Mexico and the United States are essential to our two countries and our economies” and that López Obrador and Buttigieg “discussed approaches to further strengthen these links, deepen our people-to-people ties, and support continued integration of North American supply chains.”
AIFA is projected to completely relieve the AICM of cargo traffic, which “will give the country’s economy a boost,” according to Mexico’s customs chief. (Gob MX)
“… We discussed further steps our governments can take to promote the expansion of commercial operations at AIFA, including the flexibility and support that will help U.S. carriers to successfully launch operations there,” it added.
On social media, López Obrador said that he and Buttigieg spoke about the transfer of cargo airlines to AIFA — the government published a decree in February indefinitely suspending cargo operations at AICM — as well as the recovery of the Category 1 rating.
The U.S. transportation secretary responded to the president on Twitter, writing that they shared a “good discussion on steps our governments can take to support operations at Felipe Ángeles International Airport and to help U.S. carriers succeed there in ways that strengthen supply chains for both nations.”
Las Adjuntas, in Querétaro's Sierra Gorda, is great for kayaking. (3rios Kayak)
José Ramón Jardón is an avid outdoorsman who has lived in the city of Santiago de Querétaro for more than30 years. “I like hiking, rock climbing, and camping. I spend as much time as I can outdoors.”
Jardón liked the outdoors so much that he started a business that takes people to his favorite sites. That was in 2019, and it proved to be wonderfully successful throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
José Ramón Jardón, founder and chief guide of Jardón Outfitters.
“There was nothing else people could do then,” he says. “The only safe place to go was out into nature.”
Over the four years since he opened his business, Jardón has amassed a list of great sites you can easily reach if you live in Querétaro — or plan to visit! Listed below are just a few:
El Cerro del Zamorano
“This is the highest mountain in the state of Quéretaro, 3,360 meters above sea level, and it is truly my favorite place to escape to,” says Jardón. “There’s a very old forest on top of the mountain, filled with hiking and biking trails, and there’s a large deer and cougar population in the area. I know a fellow from Eastern Michigan University who spent two years up there taking pictures of the cougars.”
A path through the lush forest covering the Cerro del Zamorano. (John Pint)
The Cerro del Zamorano is about a two-hour drive from the city of Querétaro.
“Usually I would leave town at 7 a.m,” says Jardón. “It’s a scenic route all the way, with some great lookout points where you can admire the massiveness of the mountain you’re approaching — which by the way, is an extinct volcano.”
Up on top, he says, you’ll find yourself among oyamel firs, pine trees and Texas madrones. The oyamel grows only above 2,100 meters and is the preferred tree of the monarch butterfly.
The madrone, also called the strawberry tree, is covered with very smooth, red bark and is also known as the lady’s leg tree.
“This bark,” says Jardón, “is paper-thin and makes the very best tinder you could ever hope for.”
El Doctor
El Doctor is the name of a small town located about 100 km northeast of Querétaro.
The mountains near the town of El Doctor are perfect for climbers. Note the climber in center. (Jardón Outfitters)
“Near El Doctor there is a great rock climbing area with astonishing views,” says Jardón. “When you look down, you discover that you are actually up above the clouds. This is something you can really appreciate if you go there during the rainy season.”
Every year, during Holy Week, the people of El Doctor do a dance wearing “devil masks,” perhaps representing Judas. At the end of the celebration, the masks are burned.
“The town is cozy and friendly,” Jardón says, “and there are some good places to eat, but the main reason to go to this area is for rock climbing. However, I don’t recommend it for beginning hikers because it is so steep. This impressive site is located about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Querétaro.”
Río Escanela
The Escanela is a beautiful river surrounded by forest, located 7.4 kilometers from Pinal de Amoles in the Sierra Gorda, about two and a half hours by car from Querétaro.
“The color of the water,” says Jardón, “is turquoise-blue, and when you jump in, you find it’s crystal clear and perfectly clean. At one point, the river passes through a short cave with impressive waterfalls called El Puente de Dios (God’s Bridge).
Hiking along the Río Escanela, also in the Sierra Gorda, is like walking into a piece of paradise. (John Pint)
This river is also home to the extremely rare Mexican axolotl, so there are well-marked areas where you should stay out of the water. If you take your time, this might make for a nice two-hour walk, there and back.
Jardón adds that the Escanela is popular with tourists and can be packed with people in the summer or during holidays. Go there on a weekday, and you and the axolotls may have the whole place to yourselves.
Bucareli
This visit starts out in Querétaro and takes you to Pinal de Amoles, which, at 2,400 meters above sea level, is one of the highest municipalities in the Sierra Gorda. From here, you’ll descend 1.3 kilometers in altitude to Bucareli, one of the range’s lowest towns.
“It’s hard to get there,” comments Jardón, “but it’s worth the trip because you get to experience a lot of different environments. This might be a three-and-a-half-hour drive, and about one hour of that drive is on back roads, so I recommend going in a high-clearance vehicle. I don’t suggest doing it in a car.”
Your visit to Bucareli takes you from high forest to semi-desert. After that, you enter a real desert. But once you get there, you find yourself in a semi-tropical environment.
Here you’ll find one of the oldest monasteries in the Sierra Gorda. now transformed into a museum, though its church is still in use. After walking around town, you can go hiking by the river. The surrounding massive mountains make this experience truly scenic, says Jardón.
Concá
This is another of Jardón’s favorite sites. It’s located 220 km northeast of Querétaro, but getting there takes close to four hours.
The town of Concá is famous for its Árbol Milenario (thousand-year tree), a Montezuma cypress measuring 22 meters in diameter and said to be 1,000 years old.
Near the town of El Doctor, there are places where you can get high enough to see the clouds below you. (John Pint)
“Eight kilometers from Concá, there’s a spectacularly beautiful place called Las Adjuntas,” Jardón told me, “where two rivers — the Santa María and the Ayutla — meet under huge weeping willows.”
This location is great for swimming and kayaking, the latter of which you can do with local companies, Jardón says.
There are, of course, plenty of touristy outdoor attractions in the state of Querétaro, such as the 433-meter-tall Peña de Bernal natural monolith — one of the world’s largest. But if you yearn for peace and quiet (i.e. fewer people) as well as fresh air, you would do well to go to Jardón Outfitters’ website or call them at 442-359-3916 (WhatsApp).
The writer has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, since 1985. His most recent book is Outdoors in Western Mexico, Volume Three. More of his writing can be found on hisblog.
Damon Albarn (right) is no stranger to Mexico or to Corona Capital, having performed both as a solo artist, as a member of Gorillaz and now returning as frontman for classic British group Blur. (Blur/Twitter)
The lineup for the 2023 Corona Capital music festival has been unveiled, with a distinctly Britpop and indie theme throughout the lineup.
The 13th edition of the festival opens Nov. 17 and runs until Nov. 19 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez Formula One circuit in Mexico City.
Last year’s festival was headlined by England’s Arctic Monkeys. (Twitter)
British stars of the 1980s and 1990s abound, with headline spots from Blur, Pulp and Oasis’ Noel Gallagher – playing the festival one year after his brother (and archnemesis) Liam.
Sunday’s headline act is New Wave/indie legends The Cure. Other British acts this year include Two Door Cinema Club, Hot Chip and Ben Howard.
Other main attractions include the band Thirty Seconds To Mars, fronted by Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto, as well as Canada’s Arcade Fire and Alanis Morissette.
Hidden within the extensive lineup are also a number of underrated artists, including former One Direction member Niall Horan, 2011 meme sensation Rebecca Black and moody dance producer Zhu, helping the festival to cater to a range of different musical tastes and genres.
This year’s lineup has a distinctly British flavor, with a number of Britpop superstars, alongside legends from the 1980s and 2000s. (Corona Capital)
Corona Capital recently ranked eighth on a list of most anticipated North American music festivals, in a survey conducted by UK hotel chain Premier Inn. The company based its results on the combined number of Spotify listeners from each band playing at the festival.
Corona Capital is one of the biggest music festivals of the Mexican calendar, attracting stars from across the globe. The 2022 event included Arctic Monkeys, Paramore, My Chemical Romance and Miley Cyrus.
Ticket presales began Thursday, with priority given to Citibank customers. The general sale begins Saturday at 2 p.m.
The peso has continued a trend of appreciation against the US dollar, reaching a new 7-year high this week. (Mario Jasso / Cuartoscuro.com)
The recent appreciation of the Mexican peso against the US dollar has been a topic of much debate and discussion – even distress! – for anyone living in Mexico.
The “superpeso”, which reached a new 7-year high against the dollar this week, does make daily purchases bought using foreign currency more expensive. From an individual expat’s perspective, it seems the recent peso appreciation is not good. But perhaps a bit of context and history is important here.
The peso to US dollar exchange rate is shown above from 2013 to 2023, starting around 12 to 1 in 2013, and weakening to as high as 25 to 1 in 2020. (Macrotrends)
The first time I came to Mexico in early 1996, the peso to US dollar exchange rate was 3 to 1. Just ten years ago, the exchange rate was 12 to 1. Even with the recent appreciation, the peso is still relatively much weaker than it has been when looked at from a longer time perspective.
How does this strengthening currency affect Mexican individuals and businesses? What about multinationals doing business in Mexico? And the expat population? I give a general overview and my perspective below.
Mexicans earning in pesos
The net impact of a stronger peso on Mexicans earning in pesos would generally be considered positive. Their pesos are stable for local goods and stronger for imported goods. Those with the resources to travel and spend abroad will have more purchasing power. In general terms, their standard of living would increase.
Mexico-based businesses
These businesses would see a mix of positives and negatives, depending on the type and nature of their business. Those that sell primarily in the domestic market would see little impact. Those that sell abroad would see their costs and prices relatively higher. Those that buy raw materials from abroad would be able to buy them at a lower cost, which could improve their profits.
Multinationals doing business in Mexico
Multinationals doing business in Mexico would also see pros and cons in this currency environment. A multinational primarily using Mexico for production for export would see their costs increase. A multinational doing business in Mexico for domestic customers would see their profits – when reported back in US dollars – go up. The higher profits ultimately make Mexico a more attractive place to do business, potentially catalyzing further investment and job creation.
Mexicans receiving remittances from abroad
This group would be negatively impacted by the strong peso. The foreign currency that they receive from family members abroad is worth fewer pesos than if the peso were weaker. This hurts the value of their remittances, and their purchasing power.
Property-owners in Mexico
The impact on this group is not as easy to diagnose, as there are a lot of variables. In a city where most transactions are done in pesos, the impact would be minimal, even favorable, as Mexicans would have more buying power. In a city where some real estate transactions are done in US dollars, there are contrasting currents.
Some home and property values could decrease due to foreigners being less interested in buying, with overall lower purchasing power. On the other hand, some home and property values could increase due to increased demand from Mexican buyers.
So, what’s the big picture here?
Viewed in the short term, and from the perspective of anyone earning in dollars, we definitely feel that things are more expensive than they were just a few months ago – and that’s painful.
Viewed with a longer-term perspective, my personal opinion is that this is a very good macrotrend for Mexico, as long as the peso doesn’t move too far too fast. Economic stability brings investor confidence, as well as growth and prosperity through better infrastructure, better schools, better healthcare, and higher standards of living.
I think that is something we can all be optimistic, even excited, about despite the short-term impact on our wallets.
Governor Sinhue, left, pictured here with Japanese Foreign Minister Syunsuke Takei, is on a tour of Japan, promoting nearshoring opportunities in the central state. (Diego Sinhue/Twitter)
Japanese carmaker Toyota will invest another US $328 million in its plant in Apaseo el Grande, Guanajuato, to adapt its production processes to build its recently announced new hybrid Tacoma truck.
President of Toyota México Luis Lozano Olivares announced the investment at a meeting with Guanajuato Governor Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo on Thursday, during the governor’s tour of Japan.
The new hybrid Toyota Tacoma pickup will be manufactured in Guanajuato, although the vehicles will be exported to the U.S. and Canada. (Toyota)
“This is how Toyota reaffirms its commitment to Mexico after more than 20 years of operations in the country, not only with constant investment, but also through the generation of quality jobs and improvement of automotive technology,” Lozano said.
The company said the new initiative would bring its total investment in the Guanajuato plant up to US $1.2 billion since its construction in 2011, noting that the plant currently employs more than 2,500 people.
Sinhue alsomet with Honda executives in Japan, who also discussed the expansion of their plant in Celaya, Guanajuato.
“They informed us that they have continued to invest in their Celaya plant, to reach an accumulated investment of US $1.58 billion and 4,600 jobs created,” the governor said. “That’s trust in Guanajuato!”
Honda said that they have continued to invest in Mexico, with their Celaya, Guanajuato, plant passing the US $ 1.5 billion mark since opening in 2011. (Diego Sinhue/Twitter)
In Toyota’s case, converting its Guanajuato plant to produce hybrid vehicles is an important part of the company’s electrification strategy, as carmakers around the world move towards more climate-friendly electric vehicles (EVs). However, the Tacoma trucks that will be produced at the plant are mostly intended for the U.S. and Canadian markets.
Mexico has become a key EV manufacturing hub in recent years, with other major investments including a plannedTesla factory in Nuevo León and aBMW EV plant in San Luis Potosí.
But EVs remain prohibitively expensive for most Mexicans, and are impractical outside of major cities due to a lack of charging stations. Only 2,022hybrid or electric vehicles were sold in Mexico during the first two months of this year, a third of those in Mexico City.
In 2022, only 0.5% of vehicles sold in Mexico were fully electric, a percentage that falls well below other markets such as China, Europe and the United States.
After weeks of heightened volcanic activity, the Popocatepétl volcano has quietened. (Twitter)
Authorities have lowered the alert level for the active Popocatépetl volcano and announced the development of a permanent action plan to manage potential risks in the event of future activity.
National Coordinator of Civil Protection Laura Velázquez Alzúaannounced Tuesday the decision to downgrade the volcanic warning from Phase 3 to Phase 2 on Tuesday, although it remains in the yellow “alert” phase of the warning system.
Earlier this month, locals were concerned about the possibility of evacuation, as the volcano emitted a considerable amount of ash and molten debris. (Twitter)
Velázquez said the decision was based on the recommendation of the Civil Protection’s Scientific Advisory Committee, which finally observed a decrease in Popocatépetl’s volcanic activity after 16 days of increasing concern.
The mountain’s current activity is characterized by “emissions of low ash content and the expulsion of incandescent fragments in smaller volume, with some episodes of tremor of low to moderate amplitude and sporadic minor explosions,” Velázquez said.
Authoritiesraised Popocatépetl’s alert level to Yellow Phase 3 on May 21. Ashfall affected activities at Mexico City’s two airports, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and the closure of several schools in at least three states.
Yellow Phase 3 is the highest level of alert before the red “alarm” phase and requires authorities to mobilize for possible evacuations. During this phase, 6,500 military personnel were deployed to maintain security around Popocatépetl.
Communities surrounding the volcano have experienced environmental consequences of El Popo’s elevated activity, including respiratory symptoms from the omnipresent ash moving through the atmosphere and entering people’s homes. (File photo/National Guard)
Although the reduction of the alert means these measures can be removed, Puebla’s state government announced that it will work with the Benemérita Autonomous University of Puebla to develop a permanent action plan for living near the frequently active volcano.
Named “Just in Case” the contingency plan’s intention is to inform local authorities and citizens how to act in a volcano-related emergency and to promote a wider culture of risk reduction. The Health Ministry will also establish protocols for Volcanic Emergency Medical Care Centers.
In addition, Puebla’s health minister, José Antonio Martínez García, announced that the results of a study into possible health conditions caused by breathing in ashfall will be ready in four months, allowing authorities to develop public policies to address these potential risks.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, inhaling volcanic ash or gases can lead to what are usually short-term symptoms, including difficulty breathing, irritation of the eyes or airways, dizziness, headaches and tremors. Longer exposure to volcanic gases and ash has been linked to the development of other more serious conditions, including bronchitis, lung disease and lung cancer, according to the agency.
