Cargo services have 180 days to move their operations from AICM. Some services had asked for significantly longer. The Mexican company Estafeta had asked for 16 months. (Konstantin von Wedelstedt/Creative Commons)
The federal government on Thursday published a decree that suspends cargo airline operations at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM).
Air freight carriers will have 108 business days to cease flights to and from the airport, according to the presidential decree published in the government’s official gazette.
The international cargo carrier DHL had just opened operations in June. (Photo: Victoria Valtierra Ruvalcaba/Cuartoscuro)
That means they will have until July to move their operations away from Mexico’s busiest airport.
The decree doesn’t force cargo airlines to shift operations to the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) north of Mexico City, but that facility would be the most logical alternative.
President López Obrador has said that the new airport – one of his pet infrastructure projects — has the space and security conditions required by cargo airlines. Built by the army on an Air Force base, AIFA is located about 50 kilometers north of downtown Mexico City.
The decision to ban freight carriers from AICM was taken primarily to ease pressure on the facility, which the federal government last year declared had reached saturation point.
However, only about 3% of AICM flights in 2022 were for cargo, data shows.
The period the government has given cargo airlines to move operations away from the airport is significantly less than they were asking for.
Freight carriers requested a minimum of 180 business days to complete the move, although the Mexican company Estafeta specified 16 months as an ideal period of time.
The federal government is eager to increase usage of AIFA, which has been in operation for 10 months but only serves a small number of airlines operating a limited number of flights.
The airline obtained authorizations from Mexico and the United States to operate the route, despite Mexico’s loss of its Category 1 air safety rating with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in May 2021. A consequence of being downgraded to Category 2 status was a prohibition against Mexican airlines adding new routes to the United States until Category 1 status is restored.
Casa Sunset is located in a coveted golf course development in San Miguel de Allende. (West Realty Group Berkshire Hathaway)
After a satisfying round of golf, imagine yourself strolling back to Casa Sunset, laying your clubs down and heading straight to the plush, open-plan kitchen to pour yourself a well-deserved aperitif.
A view of the stunning Malanquín golf course. (La Mesa de Malanquín)
Listening to the hum of the crickets on a balmy Mexican evening, you find the shimmering blue water in the private dipping pool enticing you in to watch the sun go down. If things couldn’t get any better, it’s one of those majestic sunsets where the warm dusk hues sweep across the horizon, accentuating the sprawling green Guanajuato mountains.
This is the moment when you ask yourself, does life get any better than this?
Casa Sunset, privately located in the gated La Mesa de Malanquín, is a prime example of the superb designer homes that are popping up throughout the development. It is designed by the renowned Paola Rodríguez – who has worked on signature homes in San Miguel, Cuernavaca, Mexico City, Acapulco, and Puerto Escondido – and developer Gustavo Asp of “Lomas Residencial La Mesa de Malanquín”.
“Paola and Gustavo have created architectural wonders with these homes,” says agent Kelley West, referring to how Casa Sunset beautifully combines modern and relaxed living.
Casa Sunset brings together Mexican modern design with relaxed living. (West Realty Group Berkshire Hathaway)
Key features:
A US $820,000 modern Mexican oasis situated in the Malanquín golf course community with spectacular sunset views of the vast mountain range and the Ignacio Allende reservoir.
The first of three new exclusive properties designed by renowned designer Paola Rodriguez and developer Gustavo Asp of ‘Lomas Residencial La Mesa de Malanquín’.
This three bedroom, three and a half bath home is spread over 435 m² of construction and boosts an enviable heated infinity plunge pool on the private rear patio.
On the one hand you’re getting a New York City-style penthouse, with its open-plan living areas and contemporary finishes, such as black-lacquered pine cabinets and a black granite countertop in the kitchen. Then there are organic and local Mexican elements like hand-carved stone walls (mined from nearby quarries), complemented by one of the many cozy fireplaces in the main living area, and the characteristic solid cantera countertop in the master bath.
Artistically landscaped outdoor and auto-irrigated indoor vertical gardens with over 400 local succulents, bougainvilleas, bamboos, fruit trees, and lavender bushes let you slip into a calming and sensory oasis.
With its generous 435 m² of construction, three bedrooms, three and a half baths, a stylish kitchen that flows through to the dining room and living room, private rear patio with a heated pool/hot tub, and a floating staircase to die for, Casa Sunset really is the house that keeps giving.
The open floor plan and spectacular views are hallmarks of this property. (West Realty Group Berkshire Hathaway)
Casa Sunset has access to every amenity you can think of on your doorstep, including a wellness center, top-quality gym, swimming pool, tennis courts, and a fabulous community center that includes a delicious restaurant offering meal delivery right your front door.
One of the big attractions for those looking to relocate or invest in a second home in San Miguel is the vibrant golfing community. Although your first impression when picturing golf courses in Mexico is probably not a historic city at 6,200 feet above sea level right in the middle of the country, San Miguel may surprise you.
Malanquín is San Miguel’s original professional 18-hole golf course built 50 years ago. It’s not only a fantastic place to tee-off but also enjoys year-round sunshine, expansive mountain and lake views, has a real family feel with all the leisure activities on offer, and has established itself as one of the most exclusive luxury real estate hubs in town.
A beautiful sunset view over the reservoir. (West Realty Group Berkshire Hathaway)
The exquisite town of San Miguel de Allende, consecutively crowned the best city in the world by Travel and Leisure, has been enchanting visitors for almost 500 years. It’s a vibrant hilltop city that really has it all, including top-notch culinary experiences, stunning architecture, countless cultural celebrations, and a friendly and welcoming community.
For more information, contact the listing agent, Kelley Westof West Realty Group Berkshire Hathaway.
The Democracy Index is published by the U.K.-based Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister company to The Economist news media outlet. With a score of 5.25, Mexico was classified as a "hybrid regime." (Graphic: Economist Intelligence Unit)
Mexico slipped three places to 89th on the most recent edition of a well-established index that assesses the health, or lack thereof, of democracy in almost 170 countries around the world.
For a second consecutive year, the U.K.-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) classified Mexico as a “hybrid regime” on its Democracy Index, published this week.
The Democracy Index is published by the U.K.-based Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister company to The Economist news media outlet. With a score of 5.25, Mexico was classified as a “hybrid regime.” (Graphic: Economist Intelligence Unit)
Mexico scored a 5.25 out of 10, which was higher than four — below that is a authoritarian regime on the index — but lower than six — the minimum score for the higher rating of “flawed democracy.”
Mexico’s score was 0.32 points lower than in 2021, the ninth largest decline among the countries assessed, while its ranking was one ahead of Georgia and one behind Hong Kong. Mexico ranked 14th out of 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the state of democracy declined for a fourth consecutive year, according to the report.
The index uses expert assessments, public opinion surveys and voter turnout data to provide “a snapshot of the state of democracy worldwide in 165 independent states and two territories,” according to its report.
“… The Democracy Index is based on five categories: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties. Based on its scores on a range of indicators within these categories, each country is then classified as one of four types of regime: ‘full democracy,’ ‘flawed democracy,’ ‘hybrid regime’ or ‘authoritarian regime,'” the report said.
Election irregularities, government pressure on opposition parties and candidates, corruption, a weak rule of law, harassment of and pressure put on journalists and a judiciary that is not independent are among the features that may be found in a hybrid regime, according to the EIU.
“The region is a global hub for transnational drug cartels, which pose a significant threat to democracy. Drug trafficking erodes state capacity by making corruption extremely lucrative and expands the use of violence by nonstate actors, which, in turn, leads to an erosion of civil liberties as governments seek to address citizens’ demands for more security,” the report said.
Among the other countries that the index listed as hybrid regimes this year are Papua New Guinea, Peru, Ukraine, El Salvador and Nigeria.
Mexico scored above a seven for political participation and just below that number for electoral process and pluralism. Mexico’s scores in the three other categories, however, were lower: 5.59 for civil liberties, 4.64 for functioning of government and just 1.88 for political culture, whose undisputed protagonist is President López Obrador.
One of Mexico’s higher scores on the EIU’s list was a seven for political participation. (Presidencia)
The EIU — a sister company of The Economist newspaper — said that Mexico is undergoing a process of “democratic backsliding” under López Obrador, who has been in office since December 2018 and is a divisive figure, even though polls show he retains the support of a majority of Mexicans.
“Mr. López Obrador has used his position to attack his opponents, including the electoral authorities. In 2022, the government passed a reform that reduces the financing of the electoral authority and restricts its oversight powers, putting election integrity at risk,” the index report said.
The EIU also said that media freedoms in Mexico are “under grave threat.”
It noted that at least 13 journalists were killed in 2022, adding that “Mexican intelligence services routinely spy on journalists and activists,” a charge the president has denied.
“The role of the military in public affairs has expanded greatly under Mr. López Obrador. The government intends to expand the armed forces’ role in the economy and over public security, including by giving them control over the National Guard until 2028,” the EIU said.
Journalists protesting in front of Mexico’s Interior Ministry building in Mexico City in January 2022 with photos of media workers murdered in Mexico.
“Mr. López Obrador’s attacks on democratic checks and balances, as well as the growing role played by the armed forces in the economy and security, led to a further downgrade in Mexico’s overall score in 2022, following a decline in 2021.”
A total of 24 countries were classified as full democracies, with Norway, New Zealand and Iceland occupying the top three positions on the Democracy Index.
Canada was among the other countries classed as a full democracy, while Mexico’s other North American trade partner, the United States, was found to be a flawed democracy for a seventh consecutive year.
The index report noted that “the run-up to the change of administration in [the U.S. in] January 2021 was tumultuous, marked by a riot at the U.S. Capitol and attempts by the outgoing president, Donald Trump, and several Republican lawmakers to overturn the election results, citing baseless claims of voter fraud.”
It also said that “election denial is unlikely to disappear from American politics, particularly as some politicians, including Mr. Trump, continue to keep the issue alive ahead of the next elections in 2024.”
The worst performer on the index was Afghanistan, one of 59 countries deemed authoritarian regimes. Myanmar and North Korea ranked second-last and third-last respectively.
Democracy Index 2022: frontline democracy and the battle for Ukraine
This EIU video explainer gives an overview of how the report rated democracies worldwide.
China, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Haiti and Egypt are among the other countries classified as authoritarian regimes.
Bring your appetite! Zanca Travelers' food tour of Zihuatanejo will whisk you around some of the resort city's best places to eat — which means both fine dining and the best taco stand in town. (Photos by Elisabeth Ashe)
While food tours — or as some people call them, “foodie tours” — are nothing new to experienced travelers, they are relatively new to the popular Mexican resort destination Ixtapa- Zihuatanejo in Guerrero.
Zanca Travelers tour company owners Vidal Reyes and Sandy Thompson, married for over 24 years, wanted to bring something a little different to Zihuatanejo while promoting local family restaurants. Although the area is home to several annual food events — the Paella Festival, the Tiritas Festival, and the Food and Wine Festival, the couple felt a lack of food-related activities that tourists visiting the area could access year-round.
These are just the sides!
Reyes, who was born in Zihuatanejo, and Thompson, who has lived here for nearly 30 years, knew the cuisine in this part of Mexico was exceptional. The restaurants chosen for their Regional Dishes Of The Costa Grande Gastronomical Tour — some of the finest family-owned-and-operated restaurants in the area — had to meet specific criteria: originality, innovation, atmosphere, cleanliness and, of course, high-quality food. Some of the restaurant choices were owned by families Reyes had known all his life growing up here.
Having experienced food tours in Spain and Canada, I was anxious to see how it would compare to the tours I am a fan of.
After picking up the group of 10 in an air-conditioned luxury van, we made our first of four stops.
Carmelita’s Cafe
This is a local favorite (with me as well). It became internationally famous when U.S. celebrity chef Rick Bayless heaped tweets of praise on owner Carmelita González’s amazing cooking skills, despite the fact that she was not a trained chef but a natural-born one whose humble beginnings were at a stand at the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo airport many years ago and who specialized in cooking her mother and grandmother’s recipes.
Our hosts, González and her son, Paco, offered us a choice of interesting drinks, including a jalapeño margarita that everyone agreed was delicious.
First up were tacos dorados de pollo (chicken tacos), accompanied by a bed of guacamole and followed by perhaps the best ribs I have ever tasted. Meanwhile, Paco talked about the restaurant’s history and some of the most important food in the region.
Although everything was delicious, our guides cautioned that there were still three more stops. So we reluctantly crawled into the van to our next location, this time a hole-in-the-wall taco stand on the main drag in downtown Zihuatanejo.
La Flechita Roja
Years ago, the Escobar family made the bold move of keeping their stand open 24 hours a day, which made it a huge hit with late-night partiers, bus drivers, taxi operators — basically anyone out late at night.
I have driven past this taquería thousands of times in my nearly 26 years living here, and I never once noticed it as anything remarkable. However, one taste of the two kinds of tacos we were offered — tacos al pastor and barbacoa — and I knew that La Flechita Roja taquería would be my go-to taco stand forever.
The method of preparing and cooking al pastor is based on the lamb shawarma brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants but La Flechita’s owners make a pork version.
Depending on the time of day, seating here is hit-and-miss, and people crowded around the lunch-style counter on benches lined the wooden structure as best they could.
However, it made for a very cozy and authentic atmosphere, and after we finished, the chef insisted we stand behind the grill for a photo-op with him. And then it was on to stop number three.
By the final restaurant of the day, you’ll be on a first-name basis with your cohorts.
Club M
Our van wound its way through the streets to another hidden gem in the colonia of La Noria, high above the city, for a fantastic view of the Bay of Zihuatanejo. Club M, a little restaurant featuring only a few tables and a bar with high-top stools, gave the impression of being cut out into the rocks mere feet from the street.
Owner Socorro Agueda was on hand to greet us while one of her family members gave a quick lesson on making tiritas (strips). The fresh strips of swordfish, cooked in lime juice, peppers and onions, slid down our throats — probably among the best preparations I had ever tasted — and were washed down with ice-cold beers. Definitely worth another trip in the future.
Angustina Mezcal and Cocina
The final leg of our tour was this well-known restaurant, located close to Zihua’s Cancha — the municipal basketball court located right on the waterfront.
As the name implies, mezcal is an important drink at this restaurant, and we were offered two different kinds to go with our food dishes. The first was a mezcal infused with hibiscus, served with corn soup. The second was a mezcalina that complimented the corn tortilla and special guacamole.
Then, just when we thought we could not eat another bite, our waiter served a delicious pork shank followed by a specialty cornbread for dessert.
Owner Felipe Meneses was on hand to explain the pairings and to give a little history of the restaurant itself. The Meneses family owns several restaurants and is well-known for their commitment to raising gastronomic awareness of the region through their involvement with events such as Clandestina, a series of pop-up fine-dining events held in secret locations around Ixtapa- Zihuatanejo.
After nearly five hours, our group of 10 had become quite friendly with each other — a bonus of going on food tours, I have found. But as all good things must end, we said our goodbyes, feeling completely satiated and perhaps a little tipsy from the drinks but all in agreement that tours like these are well worth the US $110-per-person price tag.
For more information on this tour and others they offer, contact Zanca Travelers on WhatsApp: +52-755-131-8913 or visit their website.
The writer divides her time between Canada and Zihuatanejo.
The National Commission on Human Rights' President, Rosa Piedra Ibarra. (Photo: CNDH/Twitter)
The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has proposed an initiative to transform itself into the National Ombudsman’s Office for the Rights of the People, a Constitutional reform that would increase its powers and assert its autonomy from the Senate.
The CNDH argued in public statements that the agency has been plagued by high spending and poor results since its creation in 1990. Reform is necessary to further the transformation that has taken place under current president Rosario Piedra Ibarra, it said.
“Today, with fewer resources, we have the CNDH’s best historical results: more declarations of unconstitutionality are issued, more recommendations, and the number of files has increased significantly,” a statementissued on Jan. 30 said.
“The time has come to consolidate these changes and move forward with its reform. For this reason, [Piedra Ibarra] presented a bill to the Chamber of Deputies and senators to elevate the CNDH to the rank of ombudsman, not only to serve the poor, as has been wrongly suggested, but… to reaffirm its autonomy and enhance the scope of its mission.”
Piedra Ibarra first announced theinitiative on Jan. 25, during the presentation to Congress of the CNDH’s annual report for 2022, but she did not make the full text public. According to the CNDH’s subsequent statements, and according to media that have reviewed the initiative, the key reforms it proposes include:
This graph tracks the number of human rights recommendations the National Human Rights Commission has made to the government since 2017. In 2022, it made a total of 302, more than ever before, a point it stressed in its proposal. (CNDH)
The institution’s president and advisory council will be elected by the people, rather than by the Senate, and possibility for reelection will be limited.
It will be able to demand enforcement of its recommendations, without having to rely on government bodies.
It will prioritize direct attention to victims.
The CNDH’s statements argue that its current structure reflects the “neoliberal” approach of previous governments who, it claims, lacked interest in human rights. For this reason, it argues, autonomous bodies such as the CNDH became “very costly bureaucratic apparatuses” that only have the power to play a “testimonial role.”
The initiative thus seeks to create a more robust human rights body with greater enforcement capacity, operating under a tighter budget, the statement said.
However, the proposal has been criticized by some observers who argue that the commission has become politicized and is overstepping its mandate to promote the agenda of President López Obrador.
“The CNDH stopped defending victims of human rights violations to become the Ministry of Press and Propaganda for [AMLO’s party] Morena,” Senator Emilio Álvarez Icazawrote on Twitter.
The language used in the CNDH’s statement, describing the body’s structure as reflecting “neoliberal” ideas, is frequently used by President Lopez Obrador, who uses the adjective to negatively describe previous federal governments, previous presidents and most opponents, who he says don’t have in mind the people’s best interests but rather elites’.
Piedra Ibarra is the daughter of the late Rosario Ibarra de Piedra, a left-wing political activist who fought for justice for Mexico’s missing persons. Daughter Rosario is known as a political ally of AMLO. She has headed the CNDH since 2019, during which time the agency has sided with the president on several contentious reforms.
Rosario Piedra Ibarra with President López Obrador at a 2019 CNDH awards ceremony. Critics of Piedra Ibarra claim she’s using her position as CNDH chief to further the president’s agenda. (Photo: Andrea Murcia Monsivais/Cuartoscuro)
For instance, in September, the CNDH declared that it wouldnot challenge legislative reform that put the National Guard under military control, despite concern from many organizations about Mexico’s ongoing militarization.
In October, theCNDH supported AMLO’s controversial bid to reform the National Electoral Institute (INE), which many human rights organizations fear will undermine the independence of the electoral body. The CNDH openly argued that the reform would “vindicate the people’s right to democracy,” claiming that the INE “has only served to maintain vices that… have tainted our electoral processes.”
The INE responded that “the Constitution establishes that human rights protection bodies are not competent when dealing with electoral matters.”
In this context, Mexican media outletLatinus has pointed out that one implication of the CNDH’s recent initiative would be to give it broad powers to investigate acts and omissions by the INE and Electoral Tribunal in the field of human rights.
The human rights NGO Centro Prodh also criticized the CNDH’s initiative, arguing that its focus on legal reforms and budget reduction is inadequate in the face of pressing concerns surrounding militarization, disappearances and impunity.
“Our fundamental criticism is that autonomy has not been consolidated,” theNGO tweeted. “We don’t support emphasizing only budget reduction, in a context of subordination to the political power of the day.”
Centro Prodh also pointed out that the CNDH lacks the legal power to present initiatives and would have to gain the support of legislators to advance the proposal.
“Instead of advancing in this route, we must open a profound and plural debate about the weakened ombudsperson system,” the NGO argued.
The Grupo México conglomerate has been a top contender to purchase the bank for months. (Galo Cañas Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)
Grupo México has secured US $5 billion in financing for its proposed purchase of Citibanamex, Reuters reported Wednesday.
Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the news agency said that several banks including Barclays and HSBC have agreed to provide funding for the conglomerate’s purchase of Citigroup’s Mexican retail bank, commonly known as Banamex.
Reuters described the financing arrangement as a “major milestone in Grupo México’s efforts to put together the deal for Banamex,” which the New York-based Citigroup acquired in 2001.
Its sources said that the transaction would value the bank at between US $7 and $8 billion.
Grupo México, controlled by billionaire businessman Germán Larrea, has interests in areas including mining, transport, infrastructure and entertainment.
While the conglomerate appears set to purchase Banamex, the Reuters sources said the deal isn’t guaranteed as negotiations could break down at the last minute.
Businessman Germán Larrea attends President López Obrador’s 2019 annual report. (Cuartoscuro)
Banca Mifel, a Mexican bank, also found investors to fund a bid to buy Banamex, but Grupo México emerged as the front-runner in recent weeks, the sources said.
They said that Citi had decided to prioritize a deal with Larrea, Mexico’s second richest person.
Carlos Slim’s Inbursa bank, Spain’s Santander and Mexico’s Banorte expressed interest in purchasing Banamex last year, but subsequently dropped out of the contest.
Citigroup announced in January 2022 that it would sell Banamex. The bank, Reuters reported, is offloading its Mexican retail bank as part of CEO Jane Fraser’s efforts to sell some international operations and simplify the business.
Fraser met with President López Obrador in Mexico City on Wednesday but no official information about their discussions was released. The latter made it clear shortly after Citi announced its decision to sell Banamex that his preference was for the bank to be “Mexicanized.”
The president has said that profits made by foreign companies in Mexico are often not reinvested in the local economy.
Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup, met with President López Obrador on Wednesday. (Wikimedia Commons)
Writing in the El Economista newspaper on Thursday, columnist Marco A. Mares predicted that an announcement about the sale of Banamex will be made sometime during the first quarter of 2023.
“The most probable” outcome, he wrote, is that Banamex will be majority-owned by Larrea and that a portion of the bank will be placed on the stock market via an initial public offering (IPO). Reuters reported earlier this week that Citi was considering an IPO.
Banamex is Mexico’s third largest bank with over 1,200 branches and some 23 million customers, the news agency EFE reported this week.
The island of Cozumel will be serviced by a direct flight out of Mexico City International Airport (AICM) starting in March. ( Depositphotos)
Three destinations in Mexico will now have more direct flights available.
Los Cabos-Cancún
Starting in May, Los Cabos and Cancún will be connected with a daily VivaAerobus flight, according to the president of the Los Cabos Hotel Association, Mauricio Pérez. The estimated flight duration is 3.5 hours.
Phoenix-Monterrey
Another new direct flight, between Phoenix, Arizona and Monterrey, Nuevo León was launched by American Airlines on Jan. 10. The daily flight, operated on an Embraer 175, departs Phoenix nightly at 7:50 p.m. and arrives in Monterrey at 11 p.m. The return flight takes off at 8 a.m. and arrives at 9:40 a.m.
“Mexico is Phoenix’s number one trade and tourism partner which makes air service to Monterrey increasingly important for our local economy,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.
Mexico City (AICM)-Cozumel
Starting on Mar. 26, Cozumel, Quintana Roo will be added to the list of Aeroméxico’s domestic network flying out of Mexico City International Airport (AICM).
The announcement was made by both the airline and the state governor Mara Lezama Espinosa, who highlighted through social media that Aeroméxico was announcing this new route from Mexico City to the “isla de las golondrinas,” or “island of the swallows”, as it is also known.
“With this extraordinary news, more work and income will arrive on the island […] Welcome to Cozumel everybody!” said Lezama on her social media profiles.
In total, the company announced four new direct routes, all departing from the AICM, to Colima, Cozumel, Tepic and Ciudad Victoria.
Workers, guests and furniture were thrown out of the hotel Coco Unlimited, before they struck a deal with prosecutors and were allowed to return. Three other hotels were less fortunate. (Via Quinta Fuerza)
Three hotels in the coastal area of Tulum were evicted Wednesday morning, apparently due to a dispute between the properties and the company Santa María S. de R. L.
Workers and even guests had to leave the hotels when agents of the Quintana Roo Prosecutor’s Office and the police began the eviction pursuant to orders of two civil courts based in the municipality of Solidaridad.
The affected hotels were Orchid Beach House, Tatich Tulum and Kuuxum. Although agents of the Prosecutor’s Office also arrived at the hotel Coco Unlimited, the eviction there was suspended. According to the newspaper Milenio, this was the only lodging center in which actuaries and owners reached an agreement for guests and workers to return to the place as well as hotel furniture that had already been evicted.
The newspaper La Jornada Maya reported that the operation lasted more than four hours and ended in the afternoon. Since cargo trucks were parked outside the properties for employees to load the furniture, traffic was affected.
According to La Jornada Maya, the company Santa María S. de R. L. argues it owns the hotel properties. Other hotel owners reportedly said they were surprised to learn that lawsuits between the Pino Suárez ejido and hotels over property ownership continue to take place.
Milenio reported that none of the owners or managers involved in the evictions gave statements about what happened.
Although this festivity could be considered a follow-up celebration to Kings Day, La Candelaria has its origins in biblical events: Catholic tradition recounts that the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus went to the temple 40 days after the baby’s birth, so that the mother could be “purified” as mandated by the Law of Moses, also known as the Torah. The Virgin Mary also brought candles to the temple to be blessed, giving the holiday its name.
However, Día de la Candelaria is also influenced by another event. At the end of the 15th century, two shepherds found an image of the Virgin Mary on the seashore of the Canary Islands in Spain. The Virgin was later named Candelaria.
Eventually, baby Jesus’s presentation at the temple, the Virgin Mary’s purification and the commemoration of the Spanish Virgin Mary of Candelaria started to be celebrated together, leading to the modern Día de la Candelaria. This tradition arrived in America as part of the Spanish Conquest.
As usually happens, the tradition evolved in different ways across Latin America. In Mexico, tamales were fortunately added to the festivities because Feb. 2 was also a special day for the Mexica people (ancient inhabitants of today’s Valley of Mexico).
On this date, the Mexicas celebrated the start of the planting season with the blessing of the corn that would later be planted as a tribute to Tlaloc, the god of rain, asking for a good harvest. With the Spanish conquest, the blessing of the corn stopped and instead the Mexicas would only eat tamales.
A person who gets a slice of king cake with a figurine hidden inside on Kings Day is responsible for providing the tamales come Día de la Candelaria. (Graciela López Herrera / Cuartoscuro.com)
Today, many Indigenous communities still bless the ears of corn that will serve as seeds for the planting season.
Another tradition associated with Día de la Candelaria is the dressing-up of baby Jesus dolls and figurines in elaborate costumes. This tradition was also born in Mexico but in more recent times (1912). It mandates that 40 days after Christmas, baby Jesus must be removed from the nativity scene and covered up with fine fabrics. Nowadays, the baby Jesus is dressed up with all types of outfits made from organza, satin, silk, chamois and taffeta and with sequins, pearls and glitter. During the COVID pandemic, baby Jesus figurines even wore face masks.
According to newspaper Milenio, Mexican families dress up their baby Jesus figurines as a way to strengthen their faith in hard and difficult times. Milenio also reported that on average, people spend between 40 pesos and 300 pesos (US $2 to $16) on an outfit for the baby Jesus.
This tradition is mostly celebrated in Mexico City, where there is an area of Talavera Street in the La Mercerd neighborhood dedicated solely to the selling of baby Jesus outfits. The area was designated as a Cultural Corridor in 2011 by then-Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard.
Protesters gathered in the Zócalo , saying "No to Cabotage", referring to the possible right of foreign airlines to fly national routes. (ASPA Prensa Twitter)
Aviation sector workers protested in Mexico City on Tuesday against a legislative proposal to allow foreign airlines to fly domestic routes in Mexico.
On Tuesday members of the National Union of Workers, which encompasses the pilots’ association ASPA, protested the bill in front of the National Palace after participating in a march to the Zócalo, the capital’s central square.
The president claims his proposal would reduce costs for travelers and increase domestic connectivity. (Depositphotos)
The protesters projected the message #NoalCABOTAJE, or #NotoCABOTAGE, onto the facade of the National Palace, which is both the seat of executive power and López Obrador’s residence.
Cabotage refers to the right to operate transport routes within a particular country or territory. Under López Obrador’s proposal, a foreign airline could fly into Mexico City from abroad and then transport passengers on domestic flights to destinations such as Cancún or Los Cabos.
Protesters chanted “the skies aren’t sold, the skies are defended” and displayed signs with messages such as “the skies of Mexico for Mexicans,” according to a Reforma newspaper report.
ASPA says that the proposed change to the Civil Aviation Law poses a threat to Mexican aviation sector jobs.
It noted in a statement that foreign airlines are prohibited from flying domestic routes in many countries around the world including Mexico “as it has been proven” that allowing them to do so “doesn’t generate competitiveness or benefit passengers.”
“On the contrary, the national [aviation] industry would be affected in the short term,” ASPA said.
In the Zócalo on Tuesday, the president of the Mexican College of Pilots, Ángel Domínguez Catzín, denounced the taking of decisions “without knowledge and without taking into account the opinion of workers.”
In a message directed to authorities, he declared that “if we want to talk about a true transformation [of Mexico], we need to do it … [in a way that makes] sense for our country.”
López Obrador in October said that allowing foreign airlines to fly domestic routes would increase competition and thus help place downward pressure on ticket prices. His bill asserts that allowing foreign airlines to operate within Mexico will lead to an expansion of regional routes and “air services will be of better quality and efficiency at the lowest cost.”
López Obrador has complained about the lack of flights between regional destinations in Mexico, but ASPA said that allowing foreign airlines to operate here won’t help remedy that problem as they would only fly “profitable routes” between major cities.
