April fairs and festivals: rock music, strawberries, bulls and donkeys

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March 23, 2022

Texcoco horse festival — The International Horse Festival in México state returns this year on April 1 and runs for most of the month.

Spring has arrived, and there are plenty of events and festivities to dive into in April. Among Easter’s festivities is the annual Quema de Judas (Judas Burning) event, often a highly spirited ritual sacrifice of Christ’s betrayer on Holy Saturday, typically involving fireworks, on April 16 or April 17. It happens in many communities around Mexico, maybe even yours.

Also, if you’re a racing fan and are going to be in Mexico City in October, the time is now to buy tickets for CDMX’s Formula 1 racing events, from October 28–30 at the Hermanos Rodríguez Autodrome, with tickets going on sale via Ticketmaster on March 25. They always sell out quickly.

If you happen to have a Mexican credit card, some credit card companies are offering special Formula 1 ticket presales this week before they become available to the general public on the 25th, so check with yours.

• Strawberry Festival, Irapuato, Guanajuato (Now–April 3)

The world capital of strawberries invites visitors to enjoy its annual Feria de Fresas, fairground rides, watch Papantla Flyers and, yes, try a few strawberries. Also, get your cowboy hats at the ready to see Latin Grammys and Billboard Latin Music awards-winning Mexican singer Christian Nodal, as well as Julión Álvarez, a singer from Chiapas who’s also received nominations for both aforementioned awards. There will also be an homage to the late narcocorrido singer Valentín “El Gallo de Oro” (The Golden Rooster) Elizalde. Buy tickets for the concerts here.

SCORE 250 race San Felipe, Baja California — The annual SCORE 250 off-road desert racing event returns to San Felipe, Baja California, for another year, starting on March 30. File photo

• SCORE San Felipe off-road racing, San Felipe, Baja California (March 30–April 3)

Cars, motorcycles, quad bikes and other four-wheelers line up to race through the desert terrain of Baja California. Baja California’s Ministry of Health is currently requiring COVID safety protocols at all large events, so come prepared to use a facemask, keep a safe distance and encounter checkpoints with sanitizing gel and required temperature checks.

• Tecate Pa’l Norte Festival, Monterrey, Nuevo León (April 1–2)

The heavyweight rock and pop festival returns to Monterrey’s Fundidora Park. Caribou, Maroon 5, Nicola Cruz, the Libertines and the Strokes are some of the biggest names at this year’s event. Available tickets start at 4,068 (US $200).

• Festival Expo Tejupilco, Tejupilco, México state (April 1–10)

A local festival highlighting regional heritage, traditions and customs celebrated in honor of the Señor del Santo Entierro. Get a taste of traditional Mexican culture and food, including drinks typical of the event such as el chorreado — a hot drink made with milk, chocolate and alcohol of one’s choice — and the powerful torito (the little bull) cocktail.

• International Horse Festival, Texcoco, México state (April 1–24)

Horse shows, bull runs, cowboy culture, music and fairground rides all find their place at this annual horse festival in Texcoco, La Feria Internacional del Caballo Texcoco, which dates back to the 1940s. Tickets start at 336 pesos (US $16.50) to see well-known Mexican musical acts like Julión Álvarez, big band Banda MS and cumbia group Los Ángeles Azules.

• Domingo de Ramos Festival, Uruapan, Michoacán (April 9–24)

A folk art event in a region famed for the strength of its handicrafts and artisanship, taking place in various locations in the historic center. There will be artesanía and indigenous clothing contests, indigenous food displays and musical events as well as a revered artisan market with nearly 2,000 participants, this year taking place at Uruapan’s Casa de Cultura. The event been expanded this year to two weeks, so you’ll have more time to browse, but if you’re in the market for artisan goods, go on the first day to find the best items on offer. Find out more details here.

Also, as part of the festival, legendary Mexican songstress Lila Downs will be giving a free concert at Uruapan’s plaza de asta bandera (the municipal park where the Mexican flag is displayed) on April 9 at 8:30.

• Tuxpan Easter Festival, Tuxpan, Veracruz (April 8–20)

Tuxpan, a city on the Veracruz coast, celebrates its annual Easter Festival, the Feria de Semana Santa. Huapango, the traditional local music, will reverberate and matlachines dancers will be performing. Also, sample the region’s famous cuisine, including pumpkin, prawns and fried plantain dishes.

As part of the festival, there’ll be sports and cultural events and a fairground.

• Zacatecas Cultural Festival, Zacatecas city (April 9–23)

The 36th edition of the event aims to promote local art and exhibit the state’s cultural wealth with music and a nod to architecture. Theater, dance, opera and other shows will be on the bill at the city’s Plaza de Armas, the Fernando Calderón Theater, the Plaza Miguel Auza, the Plaza Goitia, and the old San Francisco convent. See the full schedule of events here.

• Jerez Spring Festival, Jerez, Zacatecas (April 13–25)

With a hint of rivalry, the historic Magical Town of Jerez, 56 kilometers southwest of Zacatecas city, holds its Feria de Primavera on similar dates. The traditional festival is strong on horses but also features a Queen of the Fair beauty pageant and various sports tournaments in volleyball, basketball and racquetball.

Texcoco hot air balloon festival — Texcoco’s free hot-air balloon festival takes place April 30–May 1. File photo

• San Marcos Festival, Aguascalientes city (April 16–May 8)

This 90-hectare festival in Aguascalientes celebrates its 193rd birthday this year and has something for everyone. The Feria Nacional de San Marcos offers visitors colonial tradition in the bullring, music, nightclubs and family attractions on an artificial lake on San Marcos Island. There will also be a number of Mexican artists performing as part of the fair’s palenque concerts, including Gloria Trevi, Christian Nodal, Edith Marquéz and Pepe Aguilar. Find tickets here, but note that when you are taken to the Ticketshop website, you must click the link in the middle of the screen where it says to “remove all filters” in order to see the available shows.

• Motorcycle Week, Mazatlán, Sinaloa (April 20–24)

The 26th edition of the Semana Internacional de la Moto Mazatlán is expected to attract thousands of bikers from Mexico and beyond. Events will include a beach party, a biker parade and concerts with both Mexican and international rock artists. General admission costs 550 pesos, while 950 pesos will get you a bracelet that provides VIP access. Photos from a previous event show that Carlos Santana once performed here. Buy tickets here.

• Expo Festival Guadalupe, Nuevo León (April 21–June 12)

A bull-heavy local festival in Nuevo León’s second biggest municipality with over 70 years of tradition. Expo Feria Guadalupe can entertain the kids at the fairground while parents find their way to the beer garden. Last year, the 60 pesos (US $3) at the gate gave people unlimited access to fairground rides.

• The International Image Festival (FINI), Pachuca, Hidalgo (April 22–29)

The festival organized by the Autonomous University of Hidalgo provides a space for artistic creation and visual communication through exhibits, conferences and workshops.

The theme this year is climate change and the invited country is Germany. Previous editions have taken borders, water and populism as themes.

• National Donkey Festival, Otumba, México state (April 29–May 1)

The running of the donkeys in Otumba, known as the Carrera Internacional del Burro, where the beasts of burden are dressed up in local traditional costumes and run five- and 10-kilometer races. If Donald Trump-themed donkeys or a Buzz Lightyear burro sound appealing, then this is a must. Visitors can also watch a donkey polo match. Note that the information about buying tickets that is listed at the link we provided applies to racers, not spectators.

• Puebla Festival, Puebla city (April 29–May 14)

Puebla’s major festival returns: the Feria de Puebla at the Centro Expositor y de Convenciones de Puebla (Puebla Expo and Convention Center).

Bull running and cockfighting events, plus music from famed Mexican artists such as Carlos Rivera, Banda MS and Los Tigres del Norte. Concerts start at about 11:30 p.m. Tickets cost from 300-3,500 pesos (US $15-172). Buy tickets for the concerts here. Any tickets labeled as “Palenque Puebla” are for concerts at the festival.

• Vaivén Festival, Tequesquitengo, Morelos (April 30)

The electronic and alternative festival returns to Tequesquitengo’s stately botanical garden, the Jardines de México. Acts will include Iceland’s Sigur Rós, the British group Jungle and U.S. DJ Porter Robinson. Available tickets start at 1,540 pesos (about US $75).

• Hot-Air Balloon Festival, Texcoco, México state (April 30–May 1)

This free event will take place at the San Nicolás Tlaminca soccer field. If you’re willing to shell out 300 pesos, you can enjoy a hot-air balloon ride as well.

Mexico News Daily

#Savethejunglefromthetrain: More voices join chorus protesting Maya Train route change

By

MND Staff

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March 23, 2022

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The signs declare an SOS for the Mayan jungle.

Dozens of famous Mexicans as well as environmental activists and others have joined a new campaign against the federal government’s Maya Train project, warning that construction of the railroad in Quintana Roo threatens jungle, subterranean rivers and wildlife.

The social media campaign – which specifically warns of the dangers of construction of section 5 of the railroad between Cancún and Tulum – was launched Tuesday (World Water Day) under the name and hashtag #SelvameDelTren, a play on words in which the Spanish word for jungle is used in place of the Spanish word for save.

Thus, through the use of an inventive double entendre, “save me from the train” becomes “save the jungle from the train” or “save me and the jungle from the train.”

In one of several campaign videos featuring prominent Mexicans, actor and comedian Eugenio Derbez declares that the Maya Train is “destroying the jungle,” which he describes as “our natural heritage.”

The federal government announced in January that the route for section 5 of the railroad would be moved inland after the Playa del Carmen business community complained that the construction of the railroad parallel to Highway 307 would effectively divide the city in two.

Virgin jungle has already been cleared to make way for tracks along the modified route.

“Hundreds, thousands of trees have already been cut down and it could be millions more,” says singer Natalia Lafourcade in the aforesaid Sélvame del Tren video.

“The subterranean rivers and cenotes [natural sinkholes] are being contaminated and it’s worth mentioning that the longest system of subterranean rivers on planet Earth is in that area,” says Arturo Islas, a television host, actor and environmentalist.

In a second appearance, Lafourcade asserts that “thousands of native species” are losing their habitat due to construction of the railroad, while Rubén Albarrán, singer of the acclaimed rock band Café Tacvba, declares that he and others who have joined the campaign are not the government’s “adversaries” but rather Mexicans who “want life for all of us.”

“We don’t need a train that hasn’t been evaluated environmentally and doesn’t comply with the law,” says Maya woman Imelda Kimil.

Roberto Rojo, a biologist and speleologist, advises President López Obrador that there is no hurry to complete the project, which is slated for completion in 2023.

Queremos que el #TrenMaya respete la naturaleza. 🍃
Hoy alzamos la voz. No al tramo 5, sí a los ríos, selva y cenotes. 🌳🐆💧#SélvameDelTren #SalvemosElAgua #SalvemosLaVida
firma la petición aquí. ⤵️https://t.co/eNBWum7FFK pic.twitter.com/8hzgeUjQb2

— Sélvame del Tren (@selvamedeltren) March 22, 2022

A video that is part of a new campaign in protest against the Maya Train.

“Section 5 will pass over subterranean rivers, caves and cenotes, a unique ecosystem and the longest in the world,” he says.

Albarrán invites López Obrador – who recently flew over a section of the modified route – to “tour the area and listen to the experts,” adding that “we don’t need a train – we need to conserve our territory.”

“And we want to stop the damage to the [Yucatán] Peninsula,” adds Islas. “If not today, when will we do it? The Riviera Maya is crying out to us.”

Actor Bárbara Mori concludes the video by calling for all citizens to come together for Mexico. “Let’s save the jungle, let’s save the water,” she says.

Among the other well-known Mexicans who lent their voices to the campaign in other videos are Kate del Castillo, Omar Chaparro, Saúl Hernández and Ana Claudia Talancón.

“We’re against the Maya Train having to pass precisely through a protected area,” says Hernández, singer of the band Caifanes.

A change.org petition against the modified route of rail project had attracted signatures from more than 90,000 people by Wednesday morning.

President López Obrador responded to the campaign at his press conference Wednesday morning, claiming that its supporters had been contracted by his opponents to criticize and discredit the government.

The opposition “convinces or contracts with artists and pseudoenvironmentalists who are supposedly worried about defending the environment …”

The new social media campaign, which is running on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, adds to opposition to the Maya Train in Quintana Roo as well as broader resistance to the US $8 billion project, which will also run through Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Chiapas.

One of the opponents is Centinelas del Agua, a non-profit organization focused on the protection of water resources on the Yucatán Peninsula.

“The nation’s budget is being spent on a project that doesn’t make financial sense, which is a threat to ecosystems, which will contaminate drinking water and which will affect Mexicans’ natural and tourism heritage,” said Otto Van Bertrab, the organization’s founder.

Raúl Padilla, president of the Quintana Roo-based Jaguar Wildlife Center, called on López Obrador to visit the region’s caves and cenotes, and inspect the work being done to monitor and protect wildlife.

Jaguars are one species that experts say will be adversely affected by the construction and operation of the 1,500-kilometer railroad.

The Maya Train, one of the federal government’s signature infrastructure projects, has also encountered resistance from Mayan communities, some of which have taken legal action against its construction.

Mayan residents of the states through which the train will run have complained about not being properly consulted about the project, which is slated to begin operations in late 2023, although a federal court recently suspended environmental permits for three sections.

In 2019, the Mexico office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights raised a range of concerns about the consultation process prior to a vote on the project, among which was that translations of information into indigenous languages were inadequate, if they existed at all.

With reports from El Universal and Reforma

Tlacotalpan’s lively Candelaria fest belies its quiet year-round appeal

By

Lydia Carey

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March 22, 2022

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Tlacotalpan, Veracruz Candelmas celebrations — Candelmas and a *son jarocho* festival fill the colonial Veracruz town in February, but otherwise, it's the perfect quiet getaway.

Arriving at night in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, the Papaloapan river is an unseen presence riding along beside you. A rural road dotted with streetlamps leads you down a skinny land bridge with the black-as-night river on one side and cattle farms stretching to the horizon on the other.

A hint of fish aroma wafts in through the car windows as you drive, and minus the modern electricity, the area looks very much like it must have when it was filled with sleepy fishing communities before the Spanish conquest.

According to town historian Alvaro Zarrabal, not much is known of Tlacotalpan’s early inhabitants. Neither artifacts nor written remains of their society remain, and nearby ruins that might have given researchers a clue were destroyed long ago. The town’s remembered history is decidedly colonial.

Spanish traders moved here in the 1600s, when their main settlement in Port of Alvarado, some 30 kilometers away, was beset by piracy. When they moved inland, they established Tlacotalpan for several centuries as a trading center for the entire area.

The small city boomed in the pre-railroad years when waterways were the main form of transport of people and goods throughout the country; it even boasted one of the many vacation homes of Mexico’s polarizing president Porfirio Díaz.

Tlacotalpan, Veracruz — The Papaloapan River is omnipresent in the town, a riverscape that peeks between Tlacotalpan’s houses.

But when the beginning of the 20th century brought railroads Tlacotalpan’s fortune began a downward trajectory. By 1998, when the town was named a UNESCO World Heritage site, it had spent a generation collecting little but dust in this sultry part of Mexico’s south.

But when the morning’s first rays of sun hit the town’s clay-tiled rooftops, the river gleams like a flood of diamonds on its 354-kilometer trek into the center of the state. While fishing is still a major source of income here, the town has seen a tourism boom since the 1990s and as its yearly Candelaria festival gained fame across the world.

Candelaria is the Mexican name for the Catholic feast of Candlemas, which occurs every year on February 2.

The Candelaria event in Tlacotalpan combines an homage to the town’s patron saint – who is the Virgin of Candelaria, protector of fishermen and the virgin of waterways – with a rambunctious son jarocho music festival, featuring performers from across the region.

Son jarocho, southeast Mexico’s traditional musical genre, comes from the combined influence of Afro-Caribbean, Spanish and indigenous rhythms and musical instruments, as well as zapateado dancing on raised wooden platforms. The music is fast-paced and old-timey, with a haunting singing style that reverberates in the ear long after the notes decay.

During the festival, founded in part by members of the country’s most famous son jarocho band Mono Blanco, hundreds of bands and individual musicians come together to play stage shows and participate in the fandangos – impromptu jam sessions that happen across the city during those days.

The Classical revival architecture around Tlacotalpan reflects its 19th century boom days before the railroads came to Mexico.

It’s also a time when the city fills with cowboys and tourists, drinking in the city’s makeshift outdoor pubs set up for the occasion and playing games of chance at the many fair tents that line the streets. Hawkers sell jewelry, artists host exhibitions of their work and the local government puts on three nights of fireworks displays that border on dangerous in the city’s main plaza.

One of the festival’s best highlights is the midnight mass on February 1, when bands come to pay homage to the Virgin. On February 2, a procession through the town’s narrow streets, and then a flotilla of boats, accompanies the Virgin on a yearly journey to bless the waterways.

There is also a release of bulls into the city streets – a tradition more hotly debated each year as to whether it amounts to animal cruelty – and concerts every night in one of the town’s main squares – everything from rock to banda music.

The cabalgata (a parade of horses and their riders dressed in traditional regional outfits) that starts the festivities off on the festival’s first night marches right past many of the hotels on Avenida Beltran, a main thoroughfare and the same street where a makeshift bus stop is set up each year for visitors. It’s a good place to set up a plastic chair or lean out a balcony window and watch the festivities without having to go too far from your hotel room.

Even without Candelaria’s revelry, Tlacotalpan is a little gem off the beaten tourism path suitable for most times of the year. The town’s houses glitter in Caribbean yellows, blues and pinks, and their entryways with Roman-style columns and arched front porches speak of another era.

Walk along Chazaro street, and you will get intermittent glances of the massive Papaolapan river in the meters-wide alleyways between homes. Palm trees swaying in the wind, these colonial mansions are legally required to be preserved in the style that they were built, giving the urbanscape a lost-in-time quality.

Down on the riverfront, little seafood eateries sell local delicacies: river shrimp, picadas (handmade tortillas topped with fish and other goodies), fish empanadas, chilpaya pepper salsas and torito – a local beverage often made with the local firewater (often cane liquor) that cloaks its potency in sweet and/or creamy flavors like peanut cream and joba fruit.

For Candelaria, these spaces are packed to the gills with roving vendors selling cheese, regional cookies, jewelry and more, but in the off-season, you can enjoy fresh seafood and a beer by the river with almost zero interruptions.

While less frequently visited most of the year, Tlacotalpan is definitely worth the side trip from the Port of Veracruz or the state’s southern beaches. Good food, a delectable climate and the town’s own brand of colonial quaintness will capture the heart of any traveler wishing to explore further afield and get to know Mexico’s southeast.

Lydia Carey is a freelance writer and translator based out of Mexico City. She has been published widely both online and in print, writing about Mexico for over a decade. She lives a double life as a local tour guide and is the author of Mexico City Streets: La Roma. Follow her urban adventures on Instagram and see more of her work at www.mexicocitystreets.com.

Soldier charged with murder in death of golfer-businesswoman during car chase

By

MND Staff

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March 22, 2022

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The vehicle in which former golf champion Lidia Villalba was killed.

A soldier has been charged with the murder of a golfer and businesswoman from San Luis Potosí who once ran as a candidate for federal deputy for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

Lidia Villalba de Heinz, a former national golf champion, was killed and four other people were wounded on Thursday night while returning to San Luis Potosí city from a golf tournament in Aguascalientes.

A soldier opened fire on the sports utility vehicle (SUV) transporting Villalba in Ojuelos, Jalisco, near the Zacatecas border, killing her. Two women in the backseats of the SUV were wounded in the legs and the driver and a person in the passenger seat suffered injuries to the arms.

Four police officers were also injured. However, there is no record stating that the occupants of the SUV attacked them. The shooting occurred in Jalisco, but the body and the vehicle were found over the state border in Zacatecas, the newspaper El Norte reported.

According to a statement provided to the federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) by an unconfirmed source, a Jalisco ministerial police vehicle, two military pickups and other municipal security vehicles pursued the SUV on Federal Highway 80 in the direction of San Luis Potosí city, after security officials saw the SUV speeding about 150 meters away from them.

The convoy chased the SUV for about five kilometers and repeatedly tried to cut it off.

The Jalisco police vehicle eventually managed to halt the SUV and the police officers approached the vehicle and demanded the driver and passengers exit.

The statement explains that the police officers fired a handgun and a soldier then fired a mounted machine gun into the back of the SUV.

However, it’s not clear whether weapons were fired from different angles: the newspaper Milenio reported that there were bullet holes visible at both the rear and front, and on the front passenger side of the SUV.

According to the statement, at around 10:40 p.m. a lieutenant ordered the solider to surrender his weapons and hand over his uniform. He was informed he was being arrested for murder and the attempted murder of four civilians.

Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro distanced his administration from the murder. “It was in Zacatecas, in a chase. The army is already giving information. It was a matter for the army, they are the ones who will have to give information,” he said.

The Zacatecas-Jalisco border is a territorial battleground between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

With reports from Milenio, Expansión Política and El Norte

Truckers block highways to protest insecurity, tolls and fuel prices

By

MND Staff

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March 22, 2022

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Truckers and other professional drivers blocked highways across Mexico on Tuesday to protest against insecurity and high toll costs and fuel prices.

There were blockades and marches in at least 20 of 30 states where protests were slated to be held, the newspaper Reforma reported.

Among the states where roads were at least partially blocked were Aguascalientes, Veracruz, Quintana Roo, Querétaro, Puebla, Jalisco, Chiapas, México state, Guerrero and Guanajuato.

Truckers in Guerrero protesting on the Mexico City-Acapulco highway denounced extortion by police and called for greater surveillance of highways by the National Guard, Reforma said.

A sign affixed to a bus in Querétaro read, “No more murders, no more robberies of vehicles on federal highways,” while one displayed on a truck in Veracruz said “no more abuses by the state police.”

Some motorists complained about delays on social media. In a tweet directed at several authorities, one motorist complained of being stuck on the Querétaro-Mexico City highway for six hours due to a blockade. “We need to move, there are families here,” he wrote.

Members of the truckers’ organization Amotac also protested outside the lower house of federal Congress in Mexico City.

Additional protests are scheduled for Wednesday in Mexico City’s central square and outside the Senate, Chamber of Deputies and Ministry of Communications and Transportation buildings.

“We’ll protest due to insecurity, which has been on the rise. Trucks are being stolen … in various states,” Amotac vice president Carlos García told Reforma.

He said it was difficult for truckers to recover financially if their vehicles are stolen or damaged by criminal groups.

“The presence of security [forces] on highways leaves a lot to be desired,” García said, adding that increases in toll costs are also affecting the financial viability of truckers and trucking companies.

Truckers also complained of rising fuel costs, although the war between Russia and Ukraine, among other factors, hasn’t pushed prices up here as much as it has in some other countries.

In a statement, Amotac put a number of requests to authorities, among which were the provision of greater security on highways; a reduction of toll costs; a reduction in the price of fuel; an embargo on new taxes on the transport industry; and a ban on double articulated vehicles, which the group said are responsible for accidents that have resulted in thousands of deaths.

With reports from Reforma

Health train to provide services to 10,000 in Sonora

By

MND Staff

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March 22, 2022

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Dr. Vagón travels to remote Mexican communities where access to doctors is scarce or nonexistent.

A train that tours the country providing health services to vulnerable, remote communities is about to stop in Sonora, where it will provide free consultations to 10,000 people.

Dr. Vagón (Dr. Railcar) will roll into the state on March 24 and spend four days in each of five Sonora towns, offering free services in Cananea, Agua Prieta, Esqueda, Nogales and Puerto Peñasco.

Dr. Vagón began touring in May 2014 and is operated by the private rail company Ferromex, part of Grupo México.

In almost eight years, the health train has visited 23 states and traveled 88,000 kilometers, transporting a team of 65 medical professionals who work and live onboard. The medical team has attended to some 400,000 patients and provided more than 1.5 million consultations since it was launched.

The 17 train cars boast an operating theater and clinics specialized in gynecology, diabetes treatment and general medicine. Patients can take advantage of consultations in nutrition, psychology, pediatrics, geriatrics, optometry and dentistry and receive blood tests, as well as tests for sexual health. They can even have X-rays, ultrasounds and other expensive tests done.

COVID-19 tests are available for patients that are considered at risk of carrying the virus.

Dr. Vagón has also previously helped in the aftermath of natural disasters. It reached communities in the Oaxaca Isthmus region in Ixtepec and Juchitán after the 2017 earthquake and provided relief after the tropical depression in Sinaloa and Sonora in 2018.

In addition to providing health services to the remote communities it visits, the touring train also partners with Cinemex, Mexico’s second largest cinema chain, to set up a free open-air cinema for residents that has so far screened 328 films.

With reports from Milenio

Toy-maker Mattel to invest 1 billion pesos in its Nuevo León factory

By

MND Staff

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March 22, 2022

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Mattel CEO Kreiz: Mexico could have a strong future in the toy industry.

The multinational toy company Mattel plans to invest more than 1 billion pesos (almost US $50 million) to expand its factory in Nuevo León.

The Montoi plant in north Monterrey is already 200,000 square meters and the expansion will make it the biggest toy factory in the world and create 4,000 jobs, according to the Nuevo León Economy Ministry.

The federal Economy Ministry said the company’s workforce at the plant had grown from 1,600 employees in 2019 to 3,500 in 2022 and it was Mattel’s largest. It added that the toy-maker exports its products to 30 countries.

The CEO of Mattel, Ynon Kreiz, said the plant was key to the company’s operations. “Montoi plays a central role in the operation of Mattel’s global value chain. It creates a key plant for our value chain in the Americas that supports our long-term strategy of growing as a high-performance toy company driven by its intellectual property,” he said.

He added that Mexico could have a strong future in the toy industry. “We believe that Mexico, given its geographical position, has a unique opportunity to position itself as a world toy hub. To contribute to the development of this industry in Mexico, we have supported local suppliers and motivated international suppliers to establish themselves in the country,” he said.

Kreiz also announced that the company plans to duplicate the investment over the next five years to further expand the Montoi plant.

Mattel is an American manufacturer founded in 1945 and headquartered in California. Among the products and brands in its portfolio are Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl and UNO.

The name Mattel is a blend of the names of two of the company’s founders, Harold Matson and Elliot Handler.

With reports from Proceso

Pianist’s win of Russian music award leaves bitter taste

By

MND Staff

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March 22, 2022

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Finding out he was the winner of a Russian classical music competition was a bittersweet experience for a Mexican pianist given his opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Anthony Tamayo won first place in the 19-30 age category of the Empire of Russian Music competition, for which musicians submitted their entries online. He also won a special prize for the best performance of a piece by an Italian composer.

The 29-year-old told the newspaper Reforma that he was notified of his victory on March 1, just five days after Russia began its large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“With the war, finding out I was the winner was a bucket of cold water,” he said. “On the inside I felt very proud but cold at the same time.”

Noting that he received some negative comments when he shared news of his victory on social media, Tamayo acknowledged that it’s not the best time to win a Russian competition.

He was also advised not to travel to Moscow, where prizes will be awarded and competition winners are scheduled to perform later this year. The pianist is supposed to receive a cash prize of 2,500 euros, but the competition organizers have warned there could be a delay due to the recent devaluation of the ruble.

Tamayo told Reforma that he condemns war and supports the people of Ukraine, including two Ukrainian musicians he met at previous international competitions.

“I’ve thought a lot about this prize, my first in Europe. I believe that art has nothing to do with war. I’m against war,” he said.

“I don’t think that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin needs to be murdering people in this way. I would say that he is a murderer,” said Tamayo, whose piano teacher is Russian.

Irina Shishinka is also a professor at the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico City and was a member of the Empire of Russian Music jury, although she was barred from adjudicating her student’s performance.

When Tamayo submitted his entry to the competition Russian war drums were not yet beating, and the pianist was still recovering from a nasty injury.

When he recorded his solo piano piece, Tamayo was still in therapy for a serious fracture of a finger on his left hand that he suffered when he was hit by a bus. He needed surgery and without medical insurance had to come up with 70,000 pesos (US $3,450) to pay for it.

It was his last chance to participate in the Empire of Russian Music competition as Tamayo turns 30 this Friday and will be too old to participate in the next edition.

While it’s unlikely that he will travel to Moscow, the pianist hopes to perform at another concert the competition winners are slated to offer in Rome, Italy, in September. He made it clear that he believes that music – and art more broadly – is a force for good in the world.

“Artists are not causing this war,” Tamayo said. “Music knows no wars, borders or religions.”

With reports from Reforma

AMLO criticizes US for quick support of Ukraine while stalling on Central America

By

MND Staff

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March 22, 2022

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lopez obrador — 'Support for our Central American brothers hasn't been approved in four years,' the president said at Tuesday's press conference.

President López Obrador on Tuesday questioned why the United States Congress is taking so long to approve aid for Central American countries when it promptly authorized resources to help Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The United States Senate gave final approval to a US $13.6 billion emergency military and humanitarian aid package for Ukraine earlier this month.

Speaking at his regular news conference, López Obrador said that in a meeting last week with United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas he insisted on the need for the U.S. to support El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala in order to stem migration.

“Nobody leaves their community, abandons their family for pleasure. They do it out of need,” he said.

“We’ve been saying this for a long time and we’ve been unable to get a favorable response. … We have to attend to the people of Central America, our Central American brothers, so that they have hope of being able to live with dignity, like they deserve,” López Obrador said.

The president noted that Mexico has extended the Sowing Life tree-planting employment program and the Youths Building the Future apprenticeship scheme to Central America before stressing that what his government wants is for the United States to invest in the region as well.

“We’re proposing that Sowing Life and Youths Building the Future be expanded. We’re already helping but of course we don’t have enough resources,” he said.

The Mexican and U.S. governments announced a new framework for development cooperation in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador late last year, but López Obrador said the approval of U.S. funding for Central America has been stalled for four years.

The U.S. Congress “just authorized resources for Ukraine and that’s fine because it’s their policy to protect Ukraine, they’ve decided that,” he said.

“… The United States Congress approved it in two days, I believe, but the support for our Central American brothers hasn’t been approved in four years,” López Obrador said.

“That’s what [Mayorkas and I] spoke about. And it’s not just about employment in Central America but also … the possibility of [Central Americans] obtaining temporary work visas [for the United States], putting migration flows in order, really changing migration policy,” he said.

AMLO also questioned why a commitment to regularize the migratory status of more than 10 million Mexicans who “live and work honestly in the United States” hasn’t been acted upon.

“Why is this initiative stalled in the Congress? Isn’t it important? Why don’t they approve the resources for Central America?” he asked.

“I saw what was approved for Ukraine. … With all respect, it was an amount much greater than what’s needed to support the poor people of Central American and Caribbean countries,” López Obrador said.

“The truth is the [bilateral] relation is very good but there is a lot of bureaucracy there as well. I think that the [United States] elephant is bigger and more rheumatic than ours,” López Obrador said, once again using the world’s largest land animal as a metaphor for cumbersome bureaucracy.

With reports from Reforma and El Universal

Home construction scheme defrauded more than 100 people in Oaxaca

By

MND Staff

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March 22, 2022

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Some of the victims of a construction scam in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

A law firm in Oaxaca allegedly defrauded more than 100 people with a home construction scam. Two years after they parted with their cash, the mostly poor victims are still waiting for justice – and to get their money back.

A group of 45 people who say they collectively lost more than 700,000 pesos (US $34,500) are among those who reported the apparent fraud to state authorities. The accused are due to appear in court on Wednesday.

According to a report by the newspaper El Universal, Isthmus of Tehuantepec residents handed over between 10,000 and 20,000 pesos (US $493-$986) each to Ciudad Ixtepec-based law firm Posada y Asocia2 in 2020 on the understanding they were paying for the construction of environmentally-friendly homes that would be completed in just six weeks.

The law firm was promoting an eco-home construction program, and claimed it was collaborating with the global humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger, according to documents the residents received.

However, the homes were never built and the residents have been unable to recover their money.

María de los Ángeles Juárez, a resident of the municipality of Matías Romero, told El Universal that she first heard about the scheme from a woman called Amanda Toledo, a municipal employee in Juchitán who apparently collaborated on the alleged fraud with Posada y Asocia2.

She said that Toledo offered the construction of eight homes for needy people in Matías Romero. The price per house was just 10,000 pesos.

To gain people’s confidence, Posada y Asocia2 showed those interested a model home that was built in a poor neighborhood of Juchitán. The law firm also began construction of one home in Matías Romero, but it was never completed. Ricardo Posada of Posada y Asocia2 said that a lack of building materials prevented its conclusion.

At that time, the law firm had already received eco-home payments from more than 100 people.

“I trusted Amanda and looked for people who really had a need for a home,” de los Ángeles said.

“I started with eight people, but my group grew to 50. Later another group with more than 100 people was created but I’m only speaking about my group, which was defrauded more than 700,000 pesos,” she said.

Many of the people who thought they would get new homes live in the Oaxaca municipality of Matías Romero.

“They’re poor people, all of them had to look for the money in order to hand over 10,000 pesos, … some gave 20,000 pesos for two houses. It really was a fraud,” de los Ángeles said.

She discovered that people in the towns of Juchitán, Ixhuatán and Ixtepec, among others, were swindled by Posada y Asocia2.

The law firm didn’t respond to a request from El Universal to offer its version of events. De los Ángeles said that complaints against 15 people, including Toledo and Posada, were filed with the Oaxaca Attorney General’s Office.

The accused were summoned to a court hearing last Wednesday but didn’t show up. They are scheduled to appear at a second hearing on Wednesday.

One of the alleged victims is Julieta Rueda, a 69-year-old Matiás Romero woman who paid 20,000 pesos for two homes. Unsurprisingly, she regrets handing over her money to Posada y Asocia2.

Among the other alleged victims are the sisters Eva and Elsa Santiago Sánchez, Zapotec textile artisans in Álvaro Obregón, a community in Juchitán.

Other artisans and tortilla chip makers were also deceived by the law firm, El Universal reported, noting that one group of 32 women gave 220,000 pesos to Posada y Asocia2 and spent more than 400,000 pesos on foundations for the promised eco-homes.

Some women were convinced to buy a home after they were given rice, beans and sugar free of charge, said Eva Santiago.

“In the town of Álvaro Obregón the women are poor and survive with what they sell. A lot pawned their jewelry, sold their animals and asked for loans to be able to give the money [to Posada y Asocia2],” she said.

“… We believed in Ricardo Posada because we needed a home, … but we were deceived,” said tortilla chip maker Rosalida Pineda López.

With reports from El Universal