Emilio Lozoya corruption trial postponed for third time

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January 3, 2023

ex Petroleos Mexicanos director Emilio Lozoya — Lawyers for Emilio Lozoya, the ex-Pemex director who has been in preventative custody since November 2021, asked for more time to reach a compensation settlement with authorities. (File photo)

The trial of former Pemex director Emilio Lozoya Austin in the Agronitrogenados corruption case has been postponed for a third time, as the former oil executive attempts to negotiate a compensation settlement with Mexican authorities.

A hearing scheduled to take place Tuesday to determine whether Lozoya should face trial for defrauding the state oil company was delayed until Feb. 16, after Lozoya’s legal team argued that their client was in negotiations with Mexican authorities to reach an agreed-upon amount in a compensation settlement.

In granting the postponement, Judge Gerardo Alarcón López warned Lozoya’s legal team that they would not be granted another delay.

“I want you to be aware because there is not going to be another postponement of this hearing,” Alarcón said.

Miguel Ontiveros lawyer for ex-Pemex director Emilio Lozoya — Miguel Ontiveros, the head of Lozoya’s legal team, is a human rights and prisoners’ rights attorney who headed the Attorney General’s Office’s defense of human rights office before and during Enrique Peña Nieto’s presidency. (File photo: Government of Michoacán)

Lozoya is accused of organizing Pemex’s 2014 purchase of the dilapidated Agronitrogenados fertilizer plant at an inflated price. The deal allegedly earned Lozoya more than $3 million in kickbacks from Agronitrogenados’ former owner, steelmaker Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA).

Later investigations revealed that the purchase was part of a plot to transfer resources to offshore companies used in bribery schemes by the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht to win contracts in Mexico and several other Latin American countries.

Lozoya is also accused of accepting multimillion-dollar kickbacks from Odebrecht in exchange for a lucrative refinery contract.

Lozoya’s lead attorney Miguel Ontiveros insists that he believes authorities will accept the deal proposed by the former oil executive before Feb. 16.

Ontiveros said that Lozoya is willing to pay the full reparations set by the Pemex Board of Directors for the damages in the Agronitrogenados case.

“I take advantage of this moment to respectfully send a message to the President of the Republic, Andrés Manuel López Obrador — first to confirm that we absolutely agree with the anti-corruption policy implemented by his government; second, to say that we agree that Mr. Lozoya Austin must make full reparation, as [he] has stated before the judge and before the Prosecutor’s Office and before Pemex,” Ontiveros said.

Former Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto — Former president Enrique Peña Nieto has not been charged with a crime, but the federal Attorney General’s Office let it be known in August that they are investigating him, and since Lozoya’s arrest in 2020, two other officials have faced corruption charges in a scheme prosecutors say was to benefit Peña Nieto’s legislative goals. (File photo: Cuartoscuro)

At a previous hearing in April 2022, Pemex rejected Lozoya’s offer of over US $3 million, declaring it inadequate to cover the damages caused.

A second hearing — to consider Lozoya’s offer to pay over $7 million in compensation for his involvement in the Odebrecht case — was postponed on Pemex’s request.

Lozoya was arrested in Spain in February 2020 and deported to Mexico in July of that year. He initially avoided jail due to cooperation agreements with the federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR), which saw him implicate numerous members of Mexico’s political elite in related corruption cases, most notably including Mexico’s former president Enrique Peña Nieto.

Lozoya has accused Pena Nieto of orchestrating a scheme to use Odebrecht money to buy legislators’ support for the liberalization of Mexico’s energy sector and other structural reforms.

Since Lozoya’s accusations, the FGR has been engaging in a widespread corruption investigation, in which it says that Peña Nieto benefited, although the former president has yet to be charged with any crime.

However, the FGR has jailed Lozoya and former National Action Party Senator Jorge Luis Lavalle Maury in pre-trial detention on charges of participating in the alleged money laundering and bribery schemes involving Odebrecht. Lavalle is accused of accepting bribes to vote for the electricity reform.

L to R: Director of Pemex Octavio Romero Oropeza with former director of Pemex Carlos Trevino Medina in 2018 — Treviño, right, in 2018 when he was handing over the reins of Pemex to his successor, Octavio Romero Oropeza, left, who is the current director of the state-owned oil company. (Pemex/Twitter)

Also ensnared in the FGR’s net is another former Pemex director, Carlos Treviño Medina, who is accused of receiving 4 million pesos in illicit enrichment in the Odebrecht case.

A warrant for his arrest was issued in September 2021, but Treviño has thus far avoided imprisonment by filing two requests for injunctions against the warrant, saying that the FGR’s case against him is without substance. His injunction hearing is scheduled for January 27.

Treviño was Pemex’s head from 2017 to 2018, during the last year of Peña Nieto’s administration.

Lozoya has been imprisoned in Mexico City’s Reclusorio Norte jail since November 2021, after photos of him dining in a luxury restaurant sparked criticism of his alleged preferential treatment. If he fails to reach a compensation agreement with Pemex, he will face trial on charges of bribery, money laundering and criminal association that could see him sentenced to almost four decades behind bars.

With reports from El Financiero and Excelsior

Remittances to Mexico declined in November, but annual growth trend continues

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MND Staff

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January 3, 2023

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U.S. fiscal support and a competitive exchange rate have boosted remittances this year, one expert said. — 2024 was likely a record year for remittances to Mexico. (File photo)

A half-year streak of remittances to Mexico in excess of US $5 billion per month came to an end in November when the amount of money sent home by Mexicans abroad totaled “only” US $4.8 billion, a 10.4% decrease compared to October.

However, the November 2022 figure was still 3% higher than the total remittances sent in November 2021.

Though final figures for 2022 won’t be published until next month, the total amount of money received from abroad by Mexican families from January through November was US $53.14 billion.

That’s an increase of 13.5% over the US $46.83 billion received during the same period in 2021, according to the Bank of México (Banxico).

migrant farmworkers — President López Obrador has described Mexican workers who send home money to their families as “heroes”. David A Litman / Shutterstock.com

However, November marked a bit of a cool-down period after sizzling totals in the six months of May through October. “After a series of record months,” Reuters reported, the November fall-off came “amid fears of a global economic slowdown.”

The streak of increases in remittances started in May 2020, and had continued for 31 straight months — at least based on comparing a month to the same month in the previous year.

The upward trend actually began two months earlier, at the start of the pandemic. In March 2020, Mexicans received in excess of US $4 billion of remittances in a single month for the first time ever, according to an EFE media report.

President López Obrador, who had predicted that remittances would reach US $60 billion by the end of 2022, has been a vocal supporter of money sent home from abroad “in the midst of weak domestic economic growth and high inflation,” Reuters wrote. “It remains to be seen if the November slowdown in remittances translates into stalling overseas support for Mexican families.”

For January through November, a total of 136 million remittances for an average of US $390 each was received. For the same period in 2021, the total was 124 million remittances for an average of US $378.

The total amount of remittances received in Mexico for all of 2019 was US $36.44 billion, then in 2020 rose to US $40.6 billion, and reached US $51.59 billion in 2021 — the US $53.14 billion received in the first 11 months of 2022 has already beaten those totals.

Nearly 4.9 million Mexican households and some 11.1 million adults receive remittances from relatives abroad, according to figures from the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA).

The money represents Mexico’s No. 2 source of income from outside the country, behind automotive exports and ahead of a Mexican agricultural sector that contributes 3% of GDP (gross domestic product).

With reports from El Diario, Infobae and Reuters

Thousands of migrants overwhelm refugee processing office in Tapachula

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Cat Rainsford

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January 3, 2023

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Migrant protest in Tapachula, Mexico, in front of Comar offices — A refugee woman and child were among an estimated 5,000 migrants who gathered to protest in front of Comar's Tapachula office Monday. (Photos: Damian Sánchez Jesús/Cuartoscuro)

Migrants forcibly entered the offices of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (Comar) in Tapachula, Chiapas, Monday, as up to 5,000 refugees protested delays in processing their asylum claims.

Monday was the first day Comar resumed full operations, after a 15-day holiday period in which it only attended to scheduled appointments.

Migrants from numerous countries, including Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela and Central America started gathering outside the offices over the weekend, blocking a nearby street. Tempers flared among the waiting migrants after Comar officials announced they would prioritize pregnant women and family groups, leaving thousands more queuing for up to 12 hours.

Most of the migrants were hoping to apply for a Unique Population Registry Code (CURP), a national identity number that legalizes their stay in Mexico while their asylum claim is processed. The CURP allows refugees to access social programs and monetary aid while in the country and prevents them being detained or deported by the National Migration Institute (INM).

Migrants in Tapachula, Mexico, protesting processing delays outside the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance offices — An estimated 5,000 migrants gathered outside Comar’s office on Monday, the first day it was open after a 15-day holiday period. Some migrants have been waiting months in Tapachula for their asylum claims to be processed.

“We do this procedure to be a little safer, so that they don’t deport us to our country, which we left because of the poverty and violence there since they killed the president,” one Haitian migrant, Ronaldo Pierre, told the newspaper Diario del Sur, referring to the late Haitian president, Jovenel Moïse, who was assassinated in July of 2021.

Several migrants told local media that authorities should find ways to better organize the process, to prevent the long delays. Even after the application is filed, processing can take up to three months.

Although Comar insists that the CURP is not intended to be used to transit through Mexico, many hope that it will facilitate their journey northwards.

“We want papers to remain in Mexico legally and continue the journey to the northern border [toward] the United States,” Cuban migrant Yanela told the news agency EFE.

Comar has been struggling to cope with historically high asylum claims since the coronavirus pandemic. The commission received more than 118,000 applications during 2022, only a slight drop from the record 130,000 claims received in 2021. Over 76,000 of the claims in 2022 were made in Tapachula.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained an unprecedented 2.76 million undocumented migrants over the course of the year. Many of these were repeat arrests due to pandemic-era regulations, often referred to as Title 42 regulations, that allow asylum-seekers to be immediately expelled to Mexico, driving many to make multiple attempts to cross the U.S. border.

With reports from LatinUS, El Sol del Centro and La Razón

Mexico recovered over 3,000 artifacts from abroad in 2022

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MND Staff

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January 3, 2023

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3,500-year-old Olmec mask returned to Mexico — This 3,500-year-old Olmec mask came through Mexico's New York consulate. The Foreign Ministry has been instructed by President López Obrador to make recovering Mexico's artifacts abroad a priority. (Government of Mexico)

A total of 3,333 pre-Hispanic pieces from abroad have made their way back to Mexico in 2022, thanks to auction cancellations, forfeitures and voluntary returns from individuals and institutions abroad.

The pieces recovered were mainly the result of efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) and the Ministry of Culture at the direction of the president’s office, Marcelo Ebrard said in July of 2022.

“We have been instructed by President López Obrador to place the recovery of our historical and cultural heritage as a priority in foreign policy,” Marcelo Ebrard, Minister of Foreign Affairs said in a statement at the time, just after Mexico had recovered the largest single lot of such objects in 2022 — 2,522 items — through the Consulate of Mexico in Barcelona. “This means we’ve had to work closely with our Embassies and Consulates abroad.”

The items recovered in July belonged to a single family that wished to remain anonymous, Ebrard said at the time.

2,522 pre-Hispanic artifacts stolen from Mexico recovered by Mexican consulate in Barcelona. — 2,522 items alone were recovered in a single lot via the Mexican consulate in Barcelona in July. (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

“It is a very large collection of whorls, pre-Hispanic seals, lithic material, obsidian, flint, some stone figures, a series of molcajetes and metates, and of course also an interesting amount of bone objects, many of which are sgraffito [pottery] and many are human bones,” the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said in a statement.

Also in July, Italian authorities returned 30 archaeological pieces from the Totonaca, Purépecha, Coyotlatelco, Zapotec, Mixtec and Mayan cultures, which were seized by the Carabinieri (one of Italy’s two police forces and older than Italy itself) and authenticated by experts from the Museum of Civilizations in Rome and INAH.

In September, the SRE returned a batch of 50 pre-Hispanic pieces to INAH belonging to different Mexican cultures from different periods of the pre-Hispanic era. Those pieces were voluntarily returned by individuals to Mexican embassies in Austria, Canada and Sweden, as well as to the Mexican consulates in Vancouver, Canada and Albuquerque in the United States.

Early in December, the SRE also handed over to the Ministry of Culture 223 pre-Hispanic pieces recovered by the Embassy of Mexico in Netherlands belonging to different Mesoamerican cultures dating from the Mesoamerican Preclassic period (1200 B.C.–400 B.C.) to the Postclassic period (A.D. 800–A.D. 1521).

Perhaps one of the most remarkable pre-Hispanic items recovered in 2022 was a 3,500-year-old Olmec mask handed over by an anonymous individual to Mexico’s New York consulate that was returned in excellent shape, a rare event in the case of looted items, which over time in private ownership can break or deteriorate. In other cases, the artifacts have had parts broken off them at the time of their theft in order to remove them from a pre-Hispanic site.

With reports from El Economista

Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo León are top exporting states

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MND Staff

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January 2, 2023

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Industrial park in Saltillo — An industrial park in Saltillo, Coahuila, the nation's second highest exporter of goods from Mexico in 2022. (Photo: OCV Salitillo)

The northern states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Nuevo León came in as the top three exporting states during Q3 of 2022.

According to Mexico’s statistics center INEGI, Chihuahua leads the ranking with exports by value amounting to US $20.15 billion. This means that from July 1 to Sept. 30, Chihuahua’s exports accounted for 14.9% of overall exports sales from Mexico.

Following were the states of Coahuila (11.6%), Nuevo León (10.2%), Baja California (10.1%) and Tamaulipas (6.4%). All together, these four states’ exports accounted for 53.2% of the country’s total.

Leading the list of states with the highest upturn compared to the same period of 2021, are Hidalgo, with a rise of 95.9% followed by Oaxaca (61.4%) Puebla (57.8%), Chiapas (52.1%) and Mexico City (46.4%).

biotechnology business accelerator in Pachuca, Mexico — This biotechnology business accelerator in Pachuca is helping fuel a business growth spurt in Hidalgo, which saw the biggest growth as an exporter last year. (Photo: Government of Hidalgo)

By sector, manufacturers represented 89.6% of total exports, followed by the mining sector (including oil extraction) with 7.9%, and lastly agriculture with 2.5%.

Breaking it down, the transport equipment manufacturing subsector stood out for its contribution to the total value of the commodity’s exports. The states with the biggest exports were Coahuila (21.2 %), Guanajuato (12.2 %), Nuevo León (10.2 %), Puebla (9.4 %) and Chihuahua (8.4 %). Together, the leading states represented 61.4% of the good’s export value.

Coming in second was the electrical equipment sub-sector, representing 18.2% of all exports. Leading the ranking is Chihuahua, amounting for 46%, followed by Baja California, which came in second with a contribution value of 19.2%, and Jalisco (16.3%). Next were the northern states of Tamaulipas (7.9%) and Nuevo León (3.8%).

Ranking third were two subsectors representing 6.2% each – the electrical appliances and equipment for electric power generation and oil and gas extraction. Amounting for 100% of exports in the gas and oil industry were the states of Campeche (59.3%), Tabasco (33.7%), Veracruz (4.7%), Chiapas (1.6%) and Tamaulipas (.6%).

Finally, the states of Michoacán (31.6%), Baja California (11.3%), Sinaloa (10.7%), Jalisco (6.8%) and Guanajuato (6.5%) led agricultural exports, representing 66.9% of the industry’s sales abroad.

Tequila exports contribute to this sector, which reached a record high in 2022 with a 34.1% increase compared to the same period of 2021.

With reports from INEGI, Aristegui Noticias and Norte Digital

Mexico updating investment pacts with China, South Korea, India, Switzerland

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MND Staff

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January 2, 2023

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Port of Manzanillo, Mexico — The port of Manzanillo. Mexico's international investment protection agreements, known as APPRIs, which encourage direct foreign investment, are about to begin an overhaul. (Photo: Ungureanu Catalina Oana/Shutterstock)

The Mexican government announced that it is beginning work to modernize four Agreements for the Promotion and Protection of Investments (APPRI’s) with South Korea, China, India, and Switzerland.

It is just the start of a plan to overhaul most of Mexico’s existing APPRIs, many of which have technically expired, according to the Economy Ministry.

An APPRI is an international treaty that promotes international investment flow and provides certainty to operations carried out by foreign investors. APPRIs promote foreign direct investment and strengthen Mexico’s capacity to attract foreign capital. They also improve the conditions of Mexican investors abroad.

In 2021, Hong Kong became the 30th nation to sign an APPRI with Mexico, joining countries like Germany, China, South Korea, Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Sweden. However, 25 of the 30 APPRIs Mexico has signed are expired.

Mexico and Haiti signing a APPRI agreement in 2016 — Mexico’s former president Enrique Peña Nieto looks on as officials from Mexico and Haiti celebrating the signing of an APPRI between their countries From 1995 onward, Mexico has entered into several APPRIs; it currently has 30, although 25 have quietly expired. (Government of Mexico)

Mexico eventually plans to renegotiate even some of the APPRIs in force, as they were signed before 2000 and are considered to have outdated protections. Mexico signed its first APPRI in 1996 with Switzerland, according to the Economy Ministry. Many of the 25 expired agreements have simply lain fallow, with neither side making moves to withdraw. An exception is India, which in 2019, terminated its treaty with Mexico after it expired in 2018.

César Guerra, Director of Trade and Access Consulting, told the newspaper El Financiero that each one of the agreements is different, but that they all seek to protect foreign investors with legal mechanisms that allow them to make a claim under the APPRI (similarly to the claim process under the USMCA) if they feel they’re not being fairly treated by the Mexican government.

The Mexican government particularly seeks to include new provisions on corporate social responsibility and sustainable investments in the oldest treaties. It also aims to improve the dispute-settlement mechanism between foreign investors and Mexico, to avoid claims lacking in merit and make procedures more transparent. It also seeks to regulate third-party financing and secure independent and impartial arbitrators during disputes.

According to preliminary numbers from the Economy Ministry, foreign direct investment in Mexico reached a record high in 2022.

In May 2022, the World Trade Organization (WTO) reported that Mexico had entered into 23 new international trade agreements, making it the No. 7 world economy in terms of agreements signed. Mexico’s total number of active treaties, APPRI and otherwise, according to the WTO, is 355, whose combined economies represent 59% of the world’s trade, 60% of global GDP and 1.3 billion potential customers for Mexican products.

With reports from El Economista

Supreme Court elects Norma Piña, first woman to be chief justice

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MND Staff

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January 2, 2023

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Mexico's new Supreme Court chief justice, Norma Lucia Pina Hernandez, being sworn in to the position. — Swearing in of the Supreme Court's first female chief justice, Norma Lucia Piña Hernandez elected by her peers Monday. She holds multiple law degrees and is one of the court's few members to have had a career in the judiciary. (Photo: Cuartoscuro)

Mexico’s Supreme Court made history Monday as it elected its first ever woman chief justice.

Norma Lucía Piña Hernández — whose 34-year career as a judge includes being on the Supreme Court (SCJN) since 2015 — was elected as the successor to Arturo Zaldívar, whose four-year term as chief justice concluded at the end of 2022. Piña Hernández, 63, will head the SCJN as well as the Federal Judicial Council (CJF) until December 31, 2026.

Five of the court’s 11 justices were seeking the leadership role, and Piña Hernández obtained the six votes needed to win in the third round of voting. Her closest competitor, with five votes, was Justice Alfredo Gutiérrez Ortiz Mena, who was taking his final shot at the top spot since his 15-year Supreme Court term will end in 2027.

Justice Yasmín Esquivel Mossa, who has been under scrutiny after charges emerged last week that she had plagiarized her undergraduate thesis, was eliminated after receiving only one vote — hers — in the second round.

Protesters in front of the Mexican Supreme Court — The proceedings were somewhat overshadowed by controversy in the period leading up to the Monday vote over another candidate, Yasmín Esquivel, who was accused of plagiarizing her undergraduate thesis. The chief justice of Mexico’s Supreme Court is called the president of the court. (Photo: Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro)

Piña Hernández joined the court seven years ago after being nominated by Mexico’s then president Enrique Peña Nieto. She is one of the few members of the bench who comes from a career in the judiciary.

In her first message as chief justice, Piña Hernández said, “Neither victorious nor triumphant, I am addressing you, honored, committed to representing the judiciary of the federation.”

For decades, it had seemed inconceivable that a woman would break the “glass ceiling” and become chief justice, she said.

Piña Hernández has held various positions as a district judge, and in 2000 became a circuit magistrate. Her list of degrees includes one in law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), a degree in criminal law from Panamerican University in Mexico City and a degree in constitutional and administrative law from UNAM.

Duties of the Supreme Court chief justice include authorizing the lists of issues that come before the court, directing debates and moderating plenary sessions. She will also establish committees, set budget guidelines, and address matters within the jurisdictions of the SCJN and CJF, among other duties.

In a November interview with the newspaper El País, Piña Hernández said, “I want to be the first female president [the chief justice is called the president of the court] of the Supreme Court. And, if the [justices] are consistent with the resolutions they have passed, they should vote for a woman.”

Norma Lucia Piña Hernandez, the newly elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Mexico — Piña Hernandez is known for her involvement in causes related to women’s rights and access to justice for women. (Photo: Galo Cañas Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)

“As the first woman to preside over this highest court, I also represent women,” she said immediately after winning the position. “I feel accompanied, supported by all of them and us. I feel very strong because I know that we are all here showing that we can.

“I thank those who have always believed, those who have not tired of fighting to corner our patriarchal culture; I honor those who are no longer there. We will strive every day to create a more fair, more egalitarian [era], without violence for women.”

Esquivel offered congratulations to the new president in a tweet shortly after the vote.

“Historic day,” she wrote. “I’m sure she will do a great job. I wish you every success for a Mexico of justice for all.”

Four of Mexico’s current 11 Supreme Court justices are women, and all have been appointed within the last seven years: Piña Hernández (eight years remaining on her term); Esquivel (11 years to go); Ana Margarita Rios Farjat (12 years to go); and Loretta Ortiz Ahlf (14 years to go).

The first woman on the Mexican Supreme Court was María Cristina Salmorán de Tamayo (1918-1993) who served starting in 1961 — which was 20 years before Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Salmorán de Tamayo ’s appointment, during the administration of President Adolfo López Mateos, came only eight years after the right to vote was granted to Mexican women. The Supreme Court library in Mexico has borne her name since her retirement in 1986.

With reports from El País and Milenio

Protesters attempt to block access to Chichén Itzá

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MND Staff

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January 2, 2023

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Road blocks in Yucatán — Protesters began blocking road access to the site on Jan. 2. (@PedroKanche Twitter)

Roads and highways leading to the archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá in the state of Yucatán were blocked Monday due to a protest by Indigenous community leaders, artisans, merchants, tour guides and others.

The largely Mayan-speaking protesters said their rights have been violated continually, and they called for the removal of Marco Antonio Santos Ramírez, the Chichén Itzá site director for the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

Their claim is that Santos Ramírez and the INAH have prevented them from carrying out their activities in the area that just last week was declared Mexico’s No. 1 archaeological site, with 2.5 million visitors recorded in 2022.

Though the protesters came from 14 communities, most of them were from Pisté, Xcalacoop and San Felipe Nuevo, which are adjacent to Chichén Itzá. The road blockages began at 7 a.m. Monday, with the aim of preventing tourists from reaching the world-famous pre-Hispanic site.

Temple of Kulkulcán — Chichén Itzá is not only Mexico’s most visited archaeological site, it is considered one of the “new” seven wonders of the world along with sites like Machu Picchu and the Great Wall of China. (Foto de Marv Watson en Unsplash)

Members of the National Guard and the state and municipal police were on hand to monitor the activities.

“The Mayan community of Eastern Yucatán is tired of the mafia headed by [Santos Ramírez], who wants to destroy the Mayan culture and prevent indigenous people from working on the site,” said Arturo Ciau Puc, the leader of an indigenous affairs organization in Yucatán, as quoted by Aristegui Noticias.

“The campesinos are tired because three years ago they sent a petition and complaints with evidence to the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and to the general director of INAH, Diego Prieto Hernández, to solve the problem — and nothing,” he added. “There was no answer.”

Ciau Puc said farmers, too, were participating in the protest because they live on one side of the archaeological zone, “and they are not allowed to plant.”

He also asserted that the authorities prohibit vendors and artisans (who don’t speak Spanish) from speaking in Mayan, and claimed tour guides who don’t hand over a percentage of their earnings are denied from working.

In addition, according to Aristegui Noticias, vendors and others who work inside the gates at the archaeological zone are prevented from setting up shop near the site’s main pyramid, known as El Castillo (The Castle) and Temple of Kukulcán.

Meanwhile, community leaders were quoted by the paper as saying they have photographic and “other evidence” that tourists have been allowed to climb the pyramid’s 365 steps — a practice that has been banned for 16 years, and which landed one tourist in hot water who made the climb in November.

“We know that up to (US) $5,000 is charged for the visitor to have that privilege,” the paper quoted them as saying.

“All this is already known to the INAH authorities and the president of Mexico,” Ciau Puc said. “We call for peace to remove Marco Antonio Santos Ramírez and return Chichén Itzá to us, to return our Mayan culture to us,” he said as the blockade was starting. “They want to destroy us.”

The newspaper El Universal reported that artisans and merchants who work inside Chichén Itzá have long been requesting the expropriation of 700 hectares located in the archaeological zone, and also that 15% of the income that INAH collects be allocated to nearby communities.

The newspaper El Queretano reported that an offer for a Jan. 6 meeting between the two sides had been rejected by members of the community front.

Officials at Chichén Itzá reported that it was business as usual on Monday, that they opened at 8 a.m. and were welcoming any tourists who were able to arrive at the site.

However, by the afternoon, Diario de Yucatán reported that “thousands of tourists were not able to reach the site” and that the leader of the Xcalacoop ejido said they would not stop the road blocks until their demands had been met.

With reports from El Universal, Aristegui Noticias, El Queretano, La Jornada Maya and Diario de Yucatán

Prison raid in Ciudad Juárez leaves 17 dead, 25 fugitives

By

Cat Rainsford

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January 2, 2023

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910556_Fuga CERESO Ciudad Juárez-7_web_850 — On Sunday, Jan. 1, a raid on Cereso No. 3 prison in Ciudad Juárez resulted in deaths of guards and inmates; 25 prisoners escaped. (Cuartoscuro)

The first day of 2023 opened with a brutal attack on a prison in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, which at the time of writing, left 17 people dead, 13 wounded and 25 escaped prisoners.

Reports indicate the raid began at 7 a.m. on Sunday, when gunmen in armored vehicles stormed Cereso No. 3 prison during visiting hours. Initial investigations suggest their goal was to free Ernesto Alfredo Piñon de la Cruz, alias “El Neto,” leader of local gang Los Mexicles.

“They surrounded the houses and were shooting in the air from the middle of the street, so that those who were waiting to visit would leave,” a local resident told El Diario newspaper.

Ten prison guards were killed in the gun battle, according to the most recent statement by the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office. In addition, seven inmates were killed and 13 people injured. Authorities believe some of the guards were handcuffed by the gunmen, and then shot.

Cereso Prison No. 3 in Ciudad Juárez during Sunday’s raid. (Twitter @FrankCongress)

Authorities have announced that 25 prisoners managed to escape, including “El Neto” and his lieutenant, “El Chillín.” Others took advantage of the chaos to break out. Fugitives violently hijacked at least six cars from drivers on the surrounding streets.

The raid appears to have been highly coordinated. Authorities reported two simultaneous attacks against nearby police patrols which they believe to have been planned as distractions.

Members of the army, state and municipal police regained control of the prison almost three hours after the riot started. Shortly afterwards, Chihuahua governor Maru Campos Galván traveled to Ciudad Juárez and convened an emergency security roundtable.

Governor of Chihuahua, Maru Campos Galván, at an emergency security roundtable convened on Jan. 1. (Maru Campos Galván Twitter)

“I have given instructions to prioritize safeguarding the security and integrity of Juárez civilians,” she announced on social media. “For this reason, a ground and air operation was quickly deployed, in coordination with the military and the National Guard.”

She went on to express solidarity with the families of the murdered guards, and to urge local people “not to allow these events to be politicized.”

Los Mexicles are one of the main criminal cells in Ciudad Juárez. They have been associated with several riots in the Cereso No. 3, including a previous escape attempt by “El Neto” in August 2022. The gang leader has allegedly coordinated numerous violent attacks in Ciudad Juárez, despite being jailed since 2009.

“[El Neto is] the toughest and most brutal narco of the Mexicles,” former Chihuahua governor Javier Corral Jurado said on Twitter. “He has been one of the greatest generators of violence in the city from prison, and now he returns to the street.”

With reports from Animal Político, Latin US and Sin Embargo

MND Staff Picks: Best films and travel experiences of 2022

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MND Staff

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December 31, 2022

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DALL·E 2022-12-31 11.45.09 — Mexican hacienda in the style of Andy Warhol / DALL-E

The last sunset of 2022 approaches, and here the MND team shares our final round-up list with favorite films and travel experiences of the year.

We hope you enjoyed last week’s list of our favorite books and podcasts of 2022 and look forward to more discoveries in the year ahead.

Films

“Dos Estaciones”

Having won numerous awards from several festivals, including Sundance and the Morelia Film Festival (where I saw it in October), “Dos Estaciones” is the kind of film that quietly and mysteriously works its way into your soul. It’s about a stoic 50-year-old woman who has been saddled with running a family-owned tequila factory in the Jalisco highlands in an era when foreign ownership dominates.

The story of the enigmatic María and her struggles to keep the business afloat unfolds slowly against a backdrop of magnificent scenery and glimpses into Mexican culture in 38-year-old Juan Pablo González’s feature-length debut. Filmmaker Magazine named González one of its “25 New Faces of Independent Film” a few years ago, and this film shows why.

Teresa Sánchez’s powerful, tempered performance as María earned her best actress awards in several festivals. “Dos Estaciones” (“Two Seasons”) played in limited release with English subtitles around the U.S. this fall, but is not yet available to stream online, so keep an eye open. It received a really good score (82) on Metacritic and was deemed “striking” in a strong review from the New York Times.

Andy Altman-Ohr, staff writer

“El Jeramías”

The 2015 Mexican comedy “El Jeramías” was one of the movies I most enjoyed watching this year. It hit that extra sweet spot between being heartfelt and clever without pretension, and I was 100% charmed. “El Jeramías” follows a quiet and curious young boy from a working-class family who feels that no one around him understands him, save an elderly bookstore owner and some (also elderly) chess buddies. It’s soon discovered that Jeramías himself is a bona fide genius surrounded by very non-genius family and community members.

As he sets out to forge his own path – as well as he can from his family’s shared computer – he studies the lives of geniuses that have come before him, searching for a future identity. When he’s given the opportunity to escape the constraints of his small community and flawed family, he must make a big decision about who he really wants to be.

Sarah DeVries, regular contributor

“La Ley de Herodes”

“La ley de Herodes,” or “Herod’s Law,” is the first in director Luis Estrada’s series of cutting satires that destroy and sometimes celebrate both Mexico and human nature. It’s followed by “El Infierno” (“Hell”), “La dictadura perfecta” (“The Perfect Dictatorship”) and coming soon, “¡Que viva México!” (“Long Live Mexico!”), each of which takes on an aspect of societal dysfunction, with some of the most absurd moments taken directly out of the history books.

In “La ley de Herodes,” the viewer follows an idealistic young politician (Damián Alcázar) assigned to be mayor of a remote desert outpost, who finds the job more challenging than expected.

Rose Egelhoff, associate editor

“Un Mundo Maravilloso”

“Un mundo maravilloso” is a satirical movie for those who want to learn about Mexico’s recent history. The life of a homeless man in Mexico is radically transformed when the media falsely reports he wants to kill himself as a protest for being poor.

The media turn him into a hero and the government uses him for political interests while making him believe he’s rich. The story takes place during Vicente Fox Quesada’s presidency. It was directed by Luis Estrada and released in 2006.

Gaby Solís, staff writer

“Good Rivals”

“Good Rivals,” a new Amazon Prime docuseries directed by Guatemalan filmmaker Gabriel Serra, debuted in time for the World Cup in Qatar. The series looked at the soccer rivalry between Mexico and the US. Once lopsidedly in favor of El Tri, momentum has swung the Americans’ way in recent decades, a subject explored at length.

Soccer greats such as Rafa Marquez of Mexico and Landon Donovan of the US became a prism to tell the larger story. Some interviewees shared perspectives from both sides of the border — including coach Bora Milutinovic, who led host Mexico to its best-ever Cup finish in 1986, then joined Team USA to preside over the rise of soccer north of the border in the 1990s. Although neither Mexico nor the US went very far in this year’s Cup, “Good Rivals” made for fascinating viewing.

Rich Tenorio, regular contributor

Travel

Querétaro wine country

This year, I visited the Querétaro wine region, where most wineries are located in the Ezequiel Montes municipality. Despite Querétaro’s growing potential in the industry, it remains overshadowed by the more well-known Valle de Guadalupe.

But, given worsening drought in the north and new talent turning their focus to Querétaro, this might just be the next big place for Mexican wines. I like the natural wine producers Tierra de Peña and Barrigón.

Chelsea Carrick, staff writer

Hacienda Mucuyché, Yucatán

About 45 kilometers south of Mérida is Hacienda Mucuyché, a property where you can learn about the henequen industry – once the backbone of the Yucatán economy – swim in a cenote (natural sinkhole), stroll through verdant, jungly gardens and eat cochinita pibil and other local specialties all in the same place.

I visited with my wife and infant son earlier this year and we had a great day out. Read more about the hacienda on its website.

Peter Davies, staff writer

Potrero de Mulas sanctuary, Jalisco

Of the places I visited in 2022, the one which made the greatest impact was Potrero de Mulas, a Jaguar Sanctuary in the jungle-covered hills above Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco. Here I learned the personal stories of each of these big cats and how they had been rescued. Kudos to those who have befriended these magnificent animals!

John Pint, regular contributor

Hiking in Mexico

One of my favorite discoveries this year has been True Hikers. This boutique company has a roster of 60+ incredible hikes, accommodating beginners to ultra-advanced. Owners Arturo and Ana are hiking enthusiasts who host weekly adventures to the most breathtaking places.

Most experiences take place on Saturday, though there are several overnight options. Discovering Mexico through hiking has been magical, bringing me to sites off my radar like Cerro Catedral near Centro Otomi and Miradores de Coloxtitla in Desierto de los Leones (pictured above).

Bethany Platanella, regular contributor

Durango state

Since its heyday for filming Westerns in the mid-20th century, most foreigners seem to have forgotten Durango. The fourth largest state in Mexico, it has just about everything natural except beaches – forests, grasslands, farms and bare deserts. If you have a sturdy vehicle, it is an ecotourist’s dream, with many places still known only to locals.

For the rest of us, there is still plenty, the city of Durango where Baroque meets the cowboy culture, scorpions, mezcal and one of the highest pedestrian suspension bridges in the world. It takes a little planning to visit, but worth it.

Leigh Thelmadetter, regular contributor