No prudes here: Mazatlán’s happily naked monuments to the female form

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February 21, 2022

Dolphin woman statue in Mazatlan — Mazatlán's eyecatching "Dolphin Woman" statue can be found on the malecón in the historic La Carpa Olivera area.

They come in pairs. Roughly half the population has them, while the other half’s interest in them runs from mildly fascinated to psychotically obsessed.

All societies and cultures reserve a special place of some type or other within their ruminations, meditations and celebrations for these two eminently useful and sacredly revered objects — the female breasts. The internal structure is identical in all, but the morphologies are as multifariously dissimilar as individual fingerprints.

Most of us have accumulated knowledge of these wondrous objects through both observation and direct contact. In some societies, these objects are proudly displayed in all public places, but elsewhere they are shrouded as if to deny their very existence.

Many who possess these objects wish they had been endowed with a more substantial set. Those of us who escaped birth without a proper pair of them spend a good portion of our lives just trying to effectuate contact. When I grew up in the United States, these objects were never seen in public, other than at museums or art galleries. Back then, if you were not born with a pair, you needed to be an adult to gaze upon a glossy, two-dimensional image of them in a magazine.

I am now lucky enough to live in a country where these hallowed appurtenances are superbly immortalized in bronze and prominently displayed in public places. Mazatlán, no different than many other Mexican cities, has a collection of statues proudly displaying its marvelous, perfectly configured demigoddesses with their upper body parts exposed for all to enjoy.

The Fisherman's Monument, Mazatlan — The Fisherman’s Monument is a well-known statue in Mazatlán. deposit photos

As the gateway to the city center, the Fisherman’s Monument is that area’s northernmost effigy of these busty bronze beauties — a Rubenesque woman’s form decorously draped at the base of a stylized lighthouse with a curving path to the apex.

She could be provocatively adorning the guiding light to bring her man back to her home and heart. Or the pudgy woman could be assuming a seductive pose in hopes of bewitching the hapless fisherman into floundering upon the rocky shoals.

However you choose to view it, this monument’s sculptor equipped the woman with a pair that most women would kill for. The fisherman in this monument also displays his unique gender characteristics, but he has the package of a pigmy — embarrassingly diminutive.

I believe that the artist is attempting to bolster his male viewers’ self-esteem as they think to themselves, “I am more of a man than that.” Mexican culture tends to layer meaning upon meaning, so whatever the intended symbolism is, it’s hiding among numerous possibilities.

As we wander south along Mexico’s longest malecón, the next encounter is commonly called “the dolphin monument,” but the sculpted man and woman standing in a side-to-side embrace are the real show here.

Both figures display the perfect human form, reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. Both are larger-than-life and sport impressive physiology as they watch a pod of eight leaping dolphins and the man’s right arm points north.

Mazatlan monument — Some locals here discreetly refer to this one as the ‘The Dolphin Monument.’

Again, the intended symbolism is up for grabs, but after years of contemplation, a dim bulb flickered somewhere in my tequila-soaked brain: my conclusion is that the man is pointing to the poor fisherman, with his picayune package, while declaring himself amply equipped to properly pleasure his partner.

Next along our journey is the Mujer Mazatleca, (the Mazatlán woman), with her arms open wide to welcome all into her bare-chested embrace. Since this statue is on a three-meter pedestal, she is out of reach to all who pass by.

But just south of the Mazatleca, the curvilinear dolphin-woman statue you’ll find is the first with her magnificent mammary glands within reach of the general public. This fact alone makes her the most photographed statue in all of Mazatlán.

The typical photo has one or more males between the age of 12 and 30 with one or more hands on those pendulous appendages so proudly proffered.

The last bronze enchantress is a bashful little thing hiding in the bushes between the malecón and the street. Her demure and faraway gaze — as if she has lost her way back to the netherworld and will spend eternity wistfully ruminating over a square meter of soil — draws little attention from pedestrians or passing drivers. However, even with her introspective countenance and diminutive size, she is my favorite piece of bronze in Mazatlán.

So, wherever you find yourself in the land of tacos and tequila, be sure to enjoy this freedom of expression so conspicuously celebrated in timeless bronze; you will harbor no regrets.

Mermaid statue in Mazatlan — The writer’s favorite statue in Mazatlán.

The writer describes himself as a very middle-aged man who lives full-time in Mazatlán with a captured tourist woman and the ghost of a half-wild dog. He can be reached at [email protected].

Forces help displaced Zacatecas townspeople return home — for their belongings

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MND Staff

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February 21, 2022

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A soldier stands guard while Palma Alta residents pack up their belongings. NTR Zacatecas

Chaperoned by the army, the National Guard and state police, people who fled a small Zacatecas town last year due to violence returned to their erstwhile houses last Thursday.

But their stay was a short one – they weren’t back for good but rather to collect the possessions they left behind when they escaped in haste in early 2021.

Former residents of Palmas Altas, a community in the municipality of Jerez, returned to their old homes to pick up furniture, home appliances, tools, toys, sacks of grain and even tractors, according to a report by Reforma.

Hundreds of people had just six hours to pack up what they wanted, the newspaper said. Palmas Altas has been a virtual ghost town since the majority of residents left due to violence related to a turf war between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel.

The displaced residents had been asking Zacatecas and federal authorities for assistance for months so they could return to their abandoned homes. One former local criticized the authorities for the operation, saying that their objective should be to recover peace in the town rather than people’s possessions.

Former residents loaded their vehicles with Former residents loaded their vehicles with furniture, home appliances, tools, toys and more, before leaving town the same day. — Former residents loaded their vehicles with furniture, home appliances, tools, toys and more, before leaving town the same day. NTR Zacatecas

“The support they gave was stupid; it was to go for belongings, they gave them six hours to pack up their lives,” Favi told Reforma.

“A man was killed three weeks ago; he and his wife were almost the only ones left. They told the lady she had one hour to leave her home,” the woman said.

“… There’s a photo of the pickup truck of the man they killed, they painted four letters on it,” she said, referring to the infamous CJNG initials. “There are clear signs that sicarios [cartel gunmen] are there [in Palmas Altas]. Some people got to their homes and the stoves were hot, there were plates with food. Someone obviously told them the government was coming and they left,” Favi said.

Another woman who fled Palmas Altas after her boyfriend was abducted and presumably killed said that people left the town because they could no longer sleep.

“They were afraid every night that their father or daughter would be taken. Someone was abducted every night. For what? I don’t know,” Gabriela Rodríguez said.

With reports from Reforma

Marathoner on 100-day run from Los Cabos to Quintana Roo

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MND Staff

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February 21, 2022

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Daniel Almanza arrived in Puerto Peñasco last week and took time to explore before continuing his journey.

A marathon runner plans to cross Mexico by foot on a 6,000-kilometer journey over 100 days.

Daniel Almanza from Nuevo León started the project — dubbed Super Human — in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, on January 16. He aims to pass through 21 states to reach Quintana Roo by April 25.

He headed north from Los Cabos through Baja California Sur and Baja California before crossing the Sonora Desert to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, 1,720 kilometers from the start line.

The father of one has been running marathons for 15 years and is the only Mexican to run in the Continental Challenge, which took him to Vietnam, Bolivia and Mozambique.

He hopes to exhibit Mexico’s landscapes, raise money for the food bank charity BAMX and document the trip for a Netflix show. He visited some of the main sights in Puerto Peñasco, such as the boardwalk, the salt flats and the enormous craters at the Pinacate nature reserve.

Super Human also aims to benefit medical research: Almanza will record the state of his health every day to see how the journey affects his body and mind. The project is supported by the Tourism Ministry and municipal councils.

The athlete said his voyage so far had been memorable. “I have had the contrasts of going to the shore, the mountains, deserts, of wind and hot days. It’s a diverse environment. We have been to magical towns, ejidos [communally held lands], many impressive tourist sites … in Puerto Peñasco they have been totally hospitable. I’m happy to be here,” he said.

The athlete added that the name Super Human is intended to inspire others to take on extreme challenges.

Meanwhile, Mexican runner Germán Silva, two-time winner of the New York marathon, completed his own 100-day cross-country journey when he arrived in Tulum, Quintana Roo, on Sunday.

The 54-year-old extreme athlete began his journey in Tijuana on November 5, running down through the Baja Peninsula before crossing the Gulf of California to Sonora and continuing southeast.

Silva’s goal: to “show the greatness” of Mexico and advance physiological research, monitoring the effects of the journey on his body, like Almanza. He announced the end of his journey on Instagram, with a quote from ancient Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu: “Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”

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Una publicación compartida por German Silva (@germansilvacorre)

With reports from Milenio , Rocky Point 360 and The Washington Post

Oaxaca man dies after attack by donkey

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MND Staff

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February 21, 2022

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The animal was put down after its second fatal attack.

An aggressive donkey in Oaxaca struck again on Wednesday and killed a 79-year-old man.

The man, identified only as Juan, was the second victim of the donkey in Santa Cruz Tututepec, a village in the state’s Juquila district, a 100-kilometer drive northwest of Puerto Escondido. The first victim was a man named Marcelino, 81, who was attacked by the donkey in the same village in August 2020, the news site NVI Noticias reported.

Juan approached the donkey to tie it up when it bit him repeatedly and left him severely injured.

The 79-year-old’s family took him to a local emergency ward in Río Grande, 50 kilometers south, in a pickup truck.

But given the severity of his injuries, Juan was transferred to a hospital in Puerto Escondido by the voluntary paramedic organization ORAM. He received surgery early on Thursday in Puerto Escondido but didn’t survive the operation.

However, the aggressive donkey will not be allowed to inflict further harm: it was put down by Juan’s relatives.

With reports from NVI Noticias

COVID roundup: Mexico’s coronavirus map greening up once again

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MND Staff

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February 21, 2022

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With orange off the map, the fourth wave continues to recede. Semáforo de riesgo epidémico

The federal government’s new coronavirus stoplight map is painted low risk green and medium risk yellow in equal measures as Mexico’s fourth wave of COVID continues to recede.

Sixteen of the 32 federal entities are green, up from just four on the previous map, while the other 16 are yellow, an increase of three.

Five of the six northern border states are yellow, as are the Pacific coast states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and Oaxaca, and the small Bajío region state of Aguascalientes.

The other five yellow entities are clustered in central Mexico. They are Mexico City, Morelos, México state, Hidalgo and Querétaro.

Orange is absent on the new map after dominating on the previous one, with 15 states considered high risk between February 7 and 20.

Face mask-clad pedestrians in downtown Mexico City, December 2021. A recent survey found that Mexico has one of the highest rates of mask usage in the Americas. — Face mask-clad pedestrians in downtown Mexico City in December 2021. A recent survey found that Mexico has one of the highest rates of mask usage in the Americas.

The updated map takes effect Monday and will remain in force through March 6. It’s indicative of a significantly improved coronavirus situation after the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant resulted in a new pandemic record of almost 1 million reported cases in January.

The Health Ministry reported 470,835 new cases during the first 20 days of February for a daily average of 23,541. That’s a 24% decrease compared to January’s daily average of 31,060 cases. There are currently just over 73,000 estimated active cases, a figure well below last month’s peak of over 300,000.

While case numbers have declined this month, COVID-19 deaths have increased. There were 9,597 reported fatalities in the first 20 days of February, almost 3,000 more than the number recorded in all of January.

However, the number of COVID-19 deaths is lower than during the delta-fueled third wave, and even lower in comparison with some months earlier in the pandemic when vaccines were not widely available or hadn’t yet been developed. Mexico’s worst month of the pandemic in terms of deaths was January 2021 with almost 33,000.

As of Sunday, the country’s official death tool stood at 315,688, while the accumulated case tally was 5.41 million.

In other COVID-19 news:

• Over 85 million people have been vaccinated against COVID in Mexico, the Health Ministry reported Sunday. The figure represents 67% of the country’s total population of approximately 126 million.

The vast majority of those who have had at least one shot – 93% – are fully vaccinated. Among people aged 18 and over, the vaccination rate rises to 90%, according to official data.

• One-quarter of hospital beds in general care COVID wards were occupied on Sunday, a 1% decrease compared to the previous day. The occupancy rate for beds with ventilators was unchanged at 18%. Just under 4,900 COVID patients are in public hospitals, federal data shows.

• Although the federal government has sent mixed messages about the efficacy of face masks, about 90% of Mexicans regularly use them, an online survey indicates.

Recent data collected via the Global COVID-19 Trends and Impact Survey shows that the only country in the Americas with a higher mask usage rate is Chile, at about 92%.

Mexico’s mask use rate is higher than that of many other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, but below the rates in many Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

Conducted by the University of Maryland and the Carnegie Mellon University, the survey asks Facebook users a wide range of pandemic-related questions.

With reports from El País

It’s OK to lust for lemons

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Janet Blaser

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February 19, 2022

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Until I moved to Mexico, I’d never thought much about how I’d miss lemons if they weren’t easily available; the thought had never occurred to me.

But now I’m not ashamed to admit that I treasure them — sometimes even hoard them — and while limones (limes) are a worthy substitute, at times, well, there just ain’t nuthin’ like the real thing. Here in Mazatlán, it used to be that limones amarillos were hard to find; nowadays that’s not the case, as all the big-box stores and even some vendors in the mercado have them. They still feel special to me, though, maybe because the cost is so much more than the little limes.

So why aren’t they more common in Mexico? Is it just because of a preferred taste for limes? Perhaps, but the yellow “Eureka” or Italian lemons are being grown more and more in the states of Colima, Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí and Yucatán. Statistics from international agricultural organizations rate Mexico as the second largest citrus producer in the world — but that’s lumping Persian limes, Mexican limes and yellow/Eureka/Italian lemons all together. At any rate, it sounds like there’ll be more lemons in Mexico as time goes by!

Brought to Hispaniola by none other than Christopher Columbus and then spread throughout the Caribbean and Mexico during the Spanish conquest, genetic evidence suggests that lemons are native to the Himalayas. Historians reference lemons being used in ancient Rome and cultivated in Italy in the 15th century. Interestingly, the word “lemon” stems from the Italian limone and Old French limon, and traces further back to the Persian limun (referring to all citrus), a cognate of the Sanskrit word.

I’ve learned to buy lemons when I see them, often making a citrus-ade with a mix of limes, lemons, oranges and a touch of sweetener. Recently, I’ve also developed an appreciation for lemon zest, not just in baked goods but in salad dressings and light sauces for poultry or fish, or squeezed into chicken soup just before serving. A little bit goes a long way and can often add the pizazz a dish might be missing. Zest can also be frozen; freeze in a container or zip-loc bag and use when needed.

Just tell everyone you’re getting your Vitamin C with this Tequila Honeybee.

Lemon slices can also be frozen for use in cocktails or other drinks and maintain their color and flavor. Slice about ¼-inch-thick rounds, lay on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a container or zip-loc bag for up to three months.

As long as we’re prepping and freezing, fresh-squeezed lemon juice can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks. Or freeze in cubes in an ice cube tray, pop into a freezer bag, and keep for up to three months.

Crispy Feta with Lemon

1 (8-oz.) block feta cheese, preferably not in brine
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Flaky salt
Black pepper
For serving: red pepper flakes, lemon wedges, crackers or toasted baguette slices

Cut feta into ¼-inch-thick slices, then cut each rectangular slice in half crosswise to form two squares, ending up with about 16 squares.

Pat dry with a paper towel; set aside. In a large, shallow bowl or plate, mix cornstarch and sesame seeds. Gently coat feta slices on both sides with cornstarch mixture.

In large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add feta in a single layer; cook about 1 minute until golden brown. Gently flip and cook other side until golden. Transfer to platter; sprinkle with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Serve warm with crackers or baguette slices and lemon wedges.

Tequila Honeybee

Dash mezcal, to rinse
2 oz. reposado tequila
1 oz. Honey Syrup (see instructions below)
¾ oz. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: lemon peel

To make the Honey Syrup:

½ cup honey (adjust to taste)
½ cup water

Heat honey and water in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook until honey dissolves. Cool. Transfer to airtight container. Store, refrigerated, for up to 1 month.

baked fish with lemon — Combining lemon and fish is a classic, but that’s ’cause it works!

To make the Tequila Honeybee:

Rinse a highball or other glass with the mezcal, coating inside of glass with a thin layer, discarding (or drinking!) the excess. Add tequila, honey syrup and lemon juice into a shaker with ice; shake until well chilled. Strain into prepared glass over fresh ice. Top with bitters. Garnish with lemon peel.

Lemon Pudding Cake

4 eggs, separated
1 tsp. lemon zest
⅓ cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
½ tsp. salt
1½ cups whole milk

Place large roasting pan on a rack in center of oven; fill pan halfway with water. With the pan inside, preheat oven to 350 F (177 C). Grease an 8-inch square or round baking dish.

In large bowl, whisk egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and butter.

In another bowl, mix sugar, flour and salt. Whisk half the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then half the milk. Whisk in the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining milk.

Whip egg whites until soft peaks form, then gently fold into the batter. Pour batter into prepared pan; carefully place in the pan of water in the oven.

Bake about 45 minutes until cake is set.

Lemonade Syrup

1 cup water
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups fresh lemon juice

Simmer water and sugar together until sugar dissolves into a syrup; cool and chill.

To serve, combine 7 cups cold water, syrup and lemon juice. Serve over glasses filled with ice and garnish with lemon slices.

Lemon-Baked Fish

4 fillets of any kind of fish, skin on or off
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt
Black pepper
Lemon wedges, for serving

Heat oven to 400 F (200 C). Drizzle fish with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper; place on a rimmed baking sheet, skin side down if applicable. Roast fish for 10 minutes per inch of thickness until fish is opaque and tender when pierced with a fork but before it starts to flake. Serve with lemon wedges and drizzled with olive oil.

Janet Blaser is the author of the best-selling book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, featured on CNBC and MarketWatch. She has lived in Mexico since 2006. You can find her on Facebook.

Who are the good guys to root for in Mexico’s endless, routine protests?

By

Sarah DeVries

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February 19, 2022

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Ayotzinapa students at Guerrero Congress — In 2020, students from the Ayotzinapa teacher college set fire to buildings at Guerrero's Congress to protest the kidnapping of 43 students in 2014. Twitter

For the past several months, I’ve been noticing banners on the various buildings of the Universidad Veracruzana campuses across my city that say “20% Salary Increase or Strike.” They’re signed by the university workers’ union, which consists of mostly nonacademic laborers.

I’m a fan of the labor movement, but the institutionalization of these threats to strike — an insider tells me that every year, the workers say they’ll go off the job, they receive a counteroffer from the university and then they accept a 3.5% pay increase — makes me both chuckle and frown.

Why not just institutionalize the 3.5% yearly increase without the scary-looking signs?

Is the protest necessary if we all know the outcome? What kind of weird dance is this?

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older. Maybe it’s because I’m witnessing the political right in my own country co-opt many of the techniques and even slogans that used to be the purview of the left but with assault weapons horrifyingly slung over their shoulders. (“My body my choice?” Really?)

But it’s all just so confusing. Here, for example, I was about to make a brassy comment along the lines of, “If you’re carrying a loaded gun and are dressed for nothing short of guerrilla warfare, it’s going to be hard to convince anyone you’re the one being bullied.”

Then I thought of the Zapatistas, who literally carry guns over their shoulders and are dressed for guerrilla warfare. Ah! The middle part of this Venn diagram is too encompassing, and I’m feeling both weary and panicked about the prospect of having to sort out the difference.

I suppose the short answer would be that one of these groups has been systematically oppressed by the greater society while the other has simply pretended that this was the case for them, even while maintaining about as much power as a non-elected official can.

Still, though. The assault weapons throw me off.

The fact is, protest – especially when it’s violent – is suddenly something I’m suspicious of, which is a very new feeling for me. I’m trying hard to examine those feelings and catch myself, lest I fall into some trap that should be hard to miss.

But I do know one thing: noble cause or not, violence, and the prospect of violence, make me nervous. It’s the point at which I draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable social and political action.

Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. had the right idea: once you start hitting back, the water gets muddy, and one’s moral righteousness along with it.

Especially uncomfortable to think about has been the case of the students from the Ayotzinapa teacher training college in Guerrero, where conflict — often violent conflict — with the government is an established tradition.

Why does a college designed to create educators seem instead to be a guerrilla-warrior training academy?

No one, of course, should have disappeared or been killed for protesting, even violently. Still, it’s hard to figure out what the students are trying to accomplish by constantly daring the authorities to react to them as they take over toll booths, hijack vehicles and assault members of the National Guard.

It hardly seems the way to get the public on their side. And while I’m confused by the president’s apparent reaction of “Oh, those rascals!” I’d certainly get behind him on the plea he made this past week at his morning press conference: “I want to call on the boys … to no longer act in this way … You have to fight for ideals, not for destruction. There should be no rebel without a cause.”

While I agree with his assessment, I don’t understand at all why the behavior is openly tolerated.

All of this is swimming around in my head with bigger questions about the nature and purpose of social protest. Is it possible for a cause to be objectively good or objectively bad? Under what circumstances is violence justified? Even Martin Luther King, Jr. moved a bit closer to Malcolm X’s way of thinking in the end, after all.

Can a cause start out as good and justifiable and then turn sour? How can we tell when someone has lost sight of good intentions? If a hero of a cause loses their way and is no longer good, how much damage will we let them do before we come to our senses?

And if we have to act, how do we pull it off? So many people, myself included, thought that the president would be the kind of hero we’d been waiting for. So now what?

I’m reminded of two of Mexican director Luis Estrada’s more famous films: Herod’s Law and Hell. Both films are satires, and both are set up in such a way that the viewer identifies with and roots for the protagonist even as he descends into increasingly deeper levels of corruption and just plain evil. By the end, you find yourself thinking things like, “Oh, if he can just make that one thing work, all those horrors will have been worth it!”

Art that came later has followed the same antihero narrative that we love and root for, and it often makes me wonder about the extent to which we let ourselves be fooled in real life by nonfictional people.

We rooted for Walter White in Breaking Bad. I’m currently watching the show You on Netflix, and find myself thinking, “Sure, he’s a psychopath, but maybe he and that girl can find happiness together.”

And then I go and take a long, hard look in the mirror. Me, manipulated like that. Me!

I’m not saying that any of these protesters or participants in social movements are evil or unjustified or that they have nefarious intentions. But the fact that it’s so difficult for any of us to switch opinions once we’ve settled upon a certain narrative sure is scary.

Because if beloved heroes of our own modern folklore turned into villains, how long would it take us to recognize it?

The university workers fight with signs, not guns. That, at least, is something I can get behind.

Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sdevrieswritingandtranslating.com and her Patreon page.

The iconic cuera garment still a beloved northern Mexico tradition

By

Leigh Thelmadatter

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February 19, 2022

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Haberli Piel — From front to back: Haeberli Piel's Anabel Rodríguez, Anabel Cárdenas and Diana Morales at Los Pinos, where they exhibited their company's traditional and innovative clothing.

The northeast is not the best-known part of Mexico for many expats, but there is a very good chance you have seen the region’s contribution to the country’s cowboy culture — the cuera. It has an unmistakable flair: a leather jacket heavily decorated with fringe and ornate depictions of flowers and plants.

Leather coats and jackets started out as practical wear for working out on the range, but the main purpose of these garments nowadays is to make a statement. They are popular with politicians, businessmen, musicians and anyone looking to show love for Mexico’s distinctive northern culture.

Showing that love can be pricey — cueras run as high as 35,000 pesos, depending on the quality and type of leather, along with how ornately and finely it is decorated.

The small town of Tula, Tamaulipas, claims credit as the origin of the iconic jacket. Its predecessor was called a cotón, a long deerskin overcoat that cowboys wore to protect themselves from thorns and branches.

During the Mexican Revolution, a general by the name of Alberto Carrera Torres contracted an artisan in this town named Porfirio Reyna Mata to make one. Of course, it could not be an ordinary cotón. Reyna added the floral designs and fringes, taking inspiration from Mexico’s northern indigenous culture, along with its Spanish and Arabesque heritage.

Maria Luisa Martin Font, founder of Haberli Piel company — María Luisa Martín Font in her older years working at Haeberli Piel, date unknown. Courtesy of Haberli Piel

From then until the latter half of the 20th century, such decorated leather wear was exclusively for men. It proved to be extremely popular not only because of its looks but because the shortened version was practical to wear with jeans. It can also be made from different kinds of leather, which allows it to be worn in both cold as well as hot, dry conditions.

But there was nothing like it for women until María Luisa Martín Font stepped into the picture.

The widow of a Swiss-German immigrant, she opened a shop that made bridal gowns and other specialty wear. In 1959, the then-governor of Tamaulipas Norberto Treviño Zapata, decided that the state needed a distinctive women’s outfit, much like that of the china poblana of Puebla and the huipil of the Yucatán Peninsula. He announced a competition, and Martín’s entry won.

She took the basic look of the cuera and adapted it to a tunic-and-skirt set. Traditional fringes and vegetation appear on her entry, along with the Tamaulipas state seal for good measure. It was innovative in part because at that time, nobody considered leather suitable for women’s clothing or anything approaching formal wear.

Interestingly, her version did not include a jacket, not even a modified one. Today, Tamaulipas women do wear cuera outfits, but they now almost always have a jacket as well as a skirt. The tunic is optional.

Despite the cuera’s iconic status, there are few enterprises in Tamaulipas still making the garments by hand. Most are in Tula, but the best known is the company that Martín started after winning the state contest, Haeberli Piel. The business she named after her deceased husband is still around, located in the state capital of Ciudad Victoria, with a gallery in an old mansion in the center of the city.

cueras at Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City — Examples of Tamaulipas cueras for men and for women exhibited at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City. Alejandro Linares García

Just about all of Martín’s three generations of descendants are involved in the business in one way or another, but it is run by the women of the family, principally Anabel Rodríguez Gerber, Anabel Cárdenas Rodríguez and niece Diana Morales Rodríguez.

Like Martín before them, the company continues to both preserve tradition and innovate, constantly creating new products and new colors but always using the cuera style of decoration.

In addition to jackets and skirts, they make hats of several types, boots, shoes, purses, wallets and even home decorations. The family is in charge of design and quality, but much of the work is done under contract by people in Ciudad Victoria and the surrounding area.

Owning and wearing a cuera, in whatever form, is still extremely important to the identity of people from this state.

“… Immediately you are recognized as being from Tamaulipas, and this gives us much pride because it is a beautiful and elegant outfit. It attracts attention and is comfortable to wear at the same time,” says Cárdenas. “It will never go out of style.”

There are garments more than 60 years old that families still carefully treasure. Tamaulipas declared the cuera part of the state’s official heritage in 2016, even giving it its own day of celebration on October 20.

Haberli Piel products, Tamaulipas — An example of the Haeberli Piel company’s mix of tradition and innovation: these Spanish-style felt hats have the fancy leather trim essential to *cueras*.

And the town of Tula takes great pride in being where the garment originated. It is one of the main reasons why this little place between Ciudad Victoria and San Luis Potosí was named a Pueblo Mágico by the federal government. Mexican federal authorities have also given examples of these garments as gifts to several recent popes and various European royalty.

In 2021, Tula created a four-meter-tall monument to the jacket on a hill, impossible to miss when you visit.

Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico 18 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.

Love in the air, reporters protest: the week at the morning press conferences

By

MND Staff

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February 19, 2022

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The president speaks at his Tuesday press conference. Presidencia de la República

President López Obrador, once known as El Peje, after a Tabascan fish, was on dry terrain on the weekend in Sonora. He met with members of the indigenous Yaqui and Seri communities and visited two baseball stadiums that are being converted into baseball schools. AMLO’s passion for the sport comes at a price: the stadiums were bought by the government in 2019 for 1.057 billion pesos (US $54.7 million).

Monday

Love was in the air on Monday, for Valentine’s Day.

“Happy Day of Love and Friendship, Mr. President, and to all of you,” said Ricardo Sheffield, the head of the consumer protection agency Profeco, calling the festivity by its alternative name.

Sheffield shared some money-saving romantic advice: “Remember: give love away, don’t buy it,” before mentioning that Russia’s military presence on the Ukrainian border was keeping fuel prices high.

However, there was only so much love on offer from the president.

“Did the people of Mexico know that this man [Carlos Loret de Mola] has an income as a journalist of 35 million pesos a year (US $1.7 million). Who earns that? A scientist, an intellectual and the president all earn … 10 times less,” López Obrador said.

The Tabascan’s derision extended to the #TodosSomosLoret (We Are All Loret) Twitter hashtag.

“My head hangs out of grief, out of shame. ‘Todos somos Loret,'” he said in mockery of the support given to the well known journalist who was been the target of the president’s ongoing attacks at the daily mañaneras.

Reflecting on his weekend trip, the president played a clip of a Seri woman welcoming a delegation by playing a drum and singing.

“This Mexico is sometimes discarded from daily life,” he said. “We forget it exists, and that public life only takes place among elites.”

Tuesday

Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell said the fourth wave of COVID-19 had been declining for three consecutive weeks.

“The COVID hospital units are emptying,” he declared.

The pandemic point man called on those that haven’t been vaccinated to get their shots, lamenting an “epidemic of the unvaccinated.”

The president hailed his government’s achievements in the pandemic: Mexico is “ninth in application of doses and 25th in deaths,” he said, pointing to two charts. The chart for doses was ordered by the absolute number of shots in arms, putting Mexico high on the chart due to its large population. However, the chart for deaths was relative to population size, putting Mexico some 20 places lower than it would be in absolute terms.

Branded “Mexico’s False Messiah” by a British newspaper last year, AMLO passed on the title. He called the journalist Enrique Krauze “the Messiah of Conservatism,” and said that political lobbying groups that received money from the United States might have committed treason.

Wednesday

Elizabeth García Vilchis gave some advice to keep a healthy mind during her media lies segment: “The best vaccine against lying is to inform yourself and compare the data,” she said.

García assured that the Patria (Homeland) vaccine being developed in Mexico wasn’t for chickens and that there were no dodgy deals between Pemex and supplier Baker Hughes. She added that the #TodosSomosLoret (We Are All Loret) Twitter protest, in support of the journalist, had been inflated by Twitterbots.

AMLO lined up the questions: “Let’s see. The lady in the yellow, then you, you, you and you,” he said, pointing to the chosen reporters.

However, one of the chosen few didn’t feel in an inquisitive mood.

“Yesterday … in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate, fellow journalists protested … in solidarity for the fallen journalists … With all due respect, we want to tell you that today, we don’t want to ask you questions,” the reporter said.

On Wednesday, one reporter declined to ask questions in protest of the administrations record on violence against media workers. — On Wednesday, one reporter declined to ask questions in protest of the administration’s record on violence against media workers. Presidencia de la República

A moment of silence was held at the end of the conference out of tribute to murdered reporters. Five have been killed so far this year.

Thursday

There was a late start to the conference on Thursday. AMLO was in Tijuana, Baja California, and started at 9 a.m., two hours behind Mexico City time.

He confirmed he’d tour the U.S. border and would travel by military helicopter due to the lack of commercial flights.

The governor, Marina del Pilar Ávila, kept it brief, thanking the president for his second visit in three and half months. She highlighted the federal government’s investigations into the murder of two reporters in Baja California.

Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval, back from a second stint with COVID, detailed the security situation in the crime-ridden state. He said it was the second worst in the country for homicides and human trafficking and the first for vehicle theft.

Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval gave a security report on Thursday. — Defense Minister Luis Cresencio gave a security report on Thursday. Presidencia de la República

Once again, a journalist spoke on behalf of murdered reporters.

“In Tijuana, where we buried two of our colleagues in less than a week, we will not stop demanding justice. You can’t kill the truth by killing journalists,” she said, before reading the names of those lost in 2022.

The president offered a fable to explain that some bad actors will never change.

“Do you know about the fable … of the toad and the scorpion? It’s great. There was a flood and the scorpion was going to drown and said to the toad, ‘Help me … save me. I’ll climb on top of you, and you can take me to the other side of the river.'”

The toad obliged. Reaching safety the scorpion stung the toad.

“‘Why did you do this to me, if I’m saving your life?'” the toad implored.

“‘That’s my nature,'” replied the scorpion.

Friday

The president was still on the border on Friday, in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.

Governor Maru Campos said homicides had fallen in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua city and Cuauhtémoc and gave a message of unity to the president.

“Between you and me there can be no room for indolence, confrontation, violence, omission or noise that does not allow us to hear each other,” she told him.

Cresencio said crime was generally going down in Chihuahua, save for extortion. He added that the state was third for homicides.

The accelerating breakdown of Mexican institutions and the rule of law under López Obrador is a threat to US national security.

Today, I pressed the Administration on the need to do more to stop and reverse this deadly trend. pic.twitter.com/h1ZAiNUB7c

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) February 17, 2022

Later in the conference, the president mentioned Ted Cruz, the U.S. senator whose remarks went viral on Twitter after he called the “accelerating breakdown of Mexican institutions” under López Obrador “a threat to U.S. national security.”

The president said it was natural that the Texas senator was “in opposition to the policies we are carrying out to benefit the people of Mexico and in defense of the Mexicans who work and live honorably in the United States.”

“It’s a point of pride that U.S. Senator Ted Cruz is setting himself against my administration … if Ted Cruz praised me, maybe I would think that we are not doing things right,” López Obrador said.

The Tabascan added that U.S. avocado exports could soon be reactivated. They were suspended after a U.S. inspector was threatened.

Mexico News Daily

COVID roundup: Children aged 5 to 11 have right to COVID vaccine, judge rules

By

MND Staff

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February 18, 2022

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A shot is given to a girl aboard a bus load of families from Nuevo León in Laredo, Texas, as part of a vaccination campaign last year by the state government.

A federal court has ruled that children aged 5 to 11 have the right to be vaccinated against COVID-19, setting a precedent that other courts are obliged to follow.

In a ruling published Friday, a Mexico City-based administrative court said that children between those ages remain susceptible to infection if they are not vaccinated and therefore their health and even lives could be placed at risk.

The court noted that coronavirus cases among young children are on the rise and “numerous” deaths have been recorded.

It referenced a Pfizer study that found that a reduced dose of its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for children aged 5 to 11.

The court’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of parents seeking an injunction obliging the federal government to offer shots to their children.

It said that health authorities have an obligation to offer vaccines to the children named in the lawsuit. Unless the ruling is superseded, other courts will have to issue similar injunctions to families who request them.

The government has not offered vaccines to children under 15 with the exception of those aged 12 and older with an existing health condition that makes them vulnerable to serious illness.

Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell has defended the government’s vaccination policy, saying late last month that the probability of a healthy child getting seriously ill or dying from COVID is “very, very low.”

In other COVID-19 news:

• The Health Ministry reported 21,565 new cases and 470 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday. Mexico’s accumulated tallies are 5.36 million confirmed infections and 314,598 fatalities. There are just over 82,000 estimated active cases, with the highest number per capita in Colima followed by Baja California Sur and Mexico City.

López-Gatell said Tuesday that the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic had declined during three consecutive weeks.

• Over 1.2 million vaccine doses were administered in Mexico on Thursday, lifting the total number of shots given to just under 176.2 million.

López-Gatell said Tuesday that 90% of Mexicans aged 18 and over are vaccinated, and tweeted Friday that the campaign to offer booster shots to eligible recipients is making progress across the entire country.

“There will be coverage in the most remote localities,” the coronavirus czar added.

With reports from Milenio