United States customs officers found fentanyl hidden in an unusual way this week at the Mexico-U.S. border.Twitter @CBPPortDirNOG
Tamales are not always stuffed with delicacies such as chicharrón en salsa verde or mole.
They can also be filled with fentanyl pills, United States authorities discovered Wednesday.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers found more than 2,000 such pills inside tamales at the border crossing between Nogales, Sonora, and Nogales, Arizona.
“On Wednesday, CBP officers at the Nogales POE [port of entry] discovered approximately 2,100 fentanyl pills concealed inside tamales in an ice chest,” Michael W. Humphries, CBP port director in Nogales, wrote on Twitter.
“Each tamale contained a baggie of blue pills hidden inside. Excellent work by officers and K9 teams maintaining a high level of vigilance,” he added above photos of the illicit consignment.
10/9: CBP officers at the Nogales POE discovered a new version of “rainbow” fentanyl pills not encountered before. Approx 413,000 fentanyl pills were seized. 44,000 of those had the rainbow colors combined in each pill. 7.4 lbs fentanyl powder, 14.4 lbs heroin was also seized. pic.twitter.com/Kbs9XTdlWj
— Port Director Michael W. Humphries (@CBPPortDirNOG) October 11, 2022
This week, U.S. agents at the Nogales port of entry also seized a kind of rainbow-colored fentanyl pills that they hadn’t seen before.
Mexican drug cartels are major exporters of fentanyl to the United States, where overdose deaths from synthetic opioids exceeded 71,000 last year, according to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.
Wednesday’s seizure was at least the second time that fentanyl was confiscated by CBP officers in Nogales, Arizona, this week.
Humphries wrote on Twitter Tuesday that officers had “discovered a new version of ‘rainbow’ fentanyl pills not encountered before.”
He said that approximately 413,000 fentanyl pills were seized and 44,000 of that number “had the rainbow colors combined in each pill.”
The official didn’t report any arrests in connection with either fentanyl seizure.
Million flock to the Basilica showed up for this year's festival, which features a procession from Guadalajara to the Basilica of Zapopan, where the Virgin's statue resides. (Fernando Carranza/Cuartoscuro)
After two years of celebrating the Festival of the Virgin of Zapopan virtually, this year’s in-person festivities on Wednesday broke attendance records with 2.4 million guests.
The statue of the Virgin, who is Zapopan, Jalisco’s patron saint, resides permanently in the Basilica of Zapopan, but it is brought out for processions and festivities in the Virgin’s honor, a process that begins in May and culminates in an annual celebration called La Romería on October 12, in which it is brought back from Guadalajara to her home in the Basilica of Zapopan.
Her faithful call this version of the Virgin Mary “La Generala” (the general), “La Reina y Madre de Jalisco” (the queen and mother of Jalisco) and “La Estrella de la Evangelización” (the star of evangelization).
The history of the festival, known to Mexicans as La Romería, dates back to the 1600s, when Guadalajara faced flooding and illness. The statue was led through the city in supplication for the Virgin’s help at that time, and again in the 1700s, when Guadalajara once again faced devastating storms that killed many. The Virgin’s image was carried again through the city streets, and since that time, she has been proclaimed the protector of Guadalajara.
In 2018, UNESCO added the popular annual festival in this city — part of the metropolitan area of Guadalajara — to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
“La Romería is considered as one of the most popular and strongly rooted traditions in west Mexico,” according to UNESCO.
The festival’s culminating event involves carrying the statue for 9 kilometers, from the Metropolitan Cathedral in Guadalajara to the Basilica of Zapopan. The procession begins at four in the morning and is accompanied by music, prayers, fireworks and hundreds of indigenous dancers, a symbol of the religious syncredtism inherent in Mexican Catholicism.
Dance groups come from Mexico City, Michoacan and all over Guadalajara to participate, dancing for almost 48 hours straight.
A series of religious, artistic and cultural events follow in her wake. Her last stop is a tour through Chapala until she is taken to the Cathedral in Guadalajara to prepare for her procession home.
But the festival actually begins long before October 12: each year from May to October, the statue tours the region, visiting neighborhoods, parishes, hospitals, markets, factories, schools and even jails.
“Throughout the year, the planning of the activities depends on the interaction of different communities, helping them to renew and reinforce their social ties,” the UNESCO site says.
Ofrenda in the main square of Durango city, sponsored by one of the municipality's largest funeral homes.
One of the most ubiquitous manifestations of Day of the Dead is the ofrenda, a word that can be translated both as “altar” and “offering” because it is indeed both.
These highly decorated tables filled with food, photos, candles, whimsical figures and more have their origins in the Mesoamerican belief that the dead return home once a year. Mexicans prepare for that occasion not in dread but rather as a family reunion.
The ritual is millennia old, but it has seen some significant changes in the past century. Essentially, it has been extended from a home or small-community ritual to a major expression of mexicanidad or Mexican identity.
Despite its connection with the afterworld, Day of the Dead altars are not considered religious and are not part of official Catholic rites. They developed as one of many examples of syncretism between indigenous and European beliefs.
Aerial view of the altar set up in Mexico City’s main zócalo in 2021.
Ofrendas are set up not only in homes but also in more public places like cemeteries. Graves are cleaned and repaired for the occasion, and many families spend hours here, sometimes even the night.
Other notable locations can host ofrendas as well, the most famous of which is Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán.
The rise of setting up ofrendas in public spaces has much to do with the federal government’s promotion of a concept of Mexican identity promoted after the Revolution. The new government’s Education Ministry allied with artists and others starting in the 1920s to promote a national identity based on indigenous as well as European roots.
This might seem obvious today, but back then, it was a radical idea.
Among many other elements of traditional culture, images of ofrendas found their way into art and publications, and the altars themselves began to appear in schools and other public places.
But why has this particular expression of mexicanidad become so popular all over Mexico and even beyond?
First, you do not need to believe that spirits literally return on November 2 to find significance in remembering lost loved ones. Being mostly divorced from its religious roots and crossing many social and ethnic lines, ofrendas can exist in more secular situations and supported by public entities.
In essence, ofrendas found in schools, museums and government buildings are a cultural and social activity meant to emphasize shared bonds.
Until the 1980s, these altars were not common in northern Mexico because norteños have a different pre-Hispanic heritage and a modern culture more influenced by Mexico’s northern neighbor. But with a strong rise in the popularity of Halloween, federal cultural authorities were alarmed.
A new push to promote Day of the Dead was initiated, with public altars serving as focal points for community activities as an alternative to a “degenerate” gringo party.
The effort has been largely successful. The holiday is part of the Mexican consciousness in all parts of the country, even if the north still keeps certain aspects of Halloween such as costumes.
Public ofrendas are based on the ones that have been built in homes for millenia, especially in areas still maintaining strong local traditions. They are most often sponsored by a local government, which provides at least materials and sometimes labor.
These ofrendas are larger than their home counterparts, and depending on budget, can be monumental, covering entire plazas. But these altars are not always large-scale. Authorities may decide to make substitutions, such as lights instead of candles, for safety reasons. More striking, perhaps, is the addition of new elements.
Photos of notables who have recently died, as well as images related to local and national history are natural extensions of the traditional ofrenda concept. The appearance of elements related to the local economy is not uncommon either, especially if that commodity is a foodstuff.
The popularity of animated skeletal figures means that these altars can also pay homage to local dance and other culturally important activities.
In central Mexico, ofrendas can be surrounded by intricate arrangements of colored sawdust and other materials to create temporary “carpets,” a tradition taken from processions. In areas where Day of the Dead activities are relatively recent, ofrendas are more likely to integrate decorations made of plastics and other modern materials and even include light and sound displays.
The tradition can be used to make political statements. This ofrenda in Nayarit was dedicated to the 43 disappeared students from Guerrero’s Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College.
In some cases, politics and social issues can find their way onto public ofrendas. Especially at universities, it is not uncommon to see references to tragedies such as the Tlatelolco Massacre and the 43 missing students from the Ayontzinapa Rural Teachers College.
Many 2021 altars had sections or more dedicated to the Covid-19 pandemic and its victims.
Ofrendas and accompanying events are also important, like it or not, because of tourism.
Cities large and small have found the altars an effective way to attract visitors, prompting city officials to invest more in them. In some places, this can include the hiring of professional altar makers, such as Rodolfo Villena Hernández of Puebla, whose main commission this year is an ofrenda in Puebla city dedicated to the state’s gastronomy.
Mexico City’s public ofrendas are representative of most in the country. The two most important are located in the city’s zócalo and at the National Autonomous University (UNAM) at Plaza Santo Domingo. Both are conglomerates of individual altars bound together by a theme.
This year, the theme of the altar in the main zocalo is “celebrating life,” a nod to surviving the pandemic. The one in UNAM honors 100 years of muralism in Mexico.
Most cities follow suit often with regional variations on public spots. The ofrenda at the University of Guanajuato, for example, is set up on its iconic library stairs. Another popular place are large city parks, such as Calvarlandia in Guadalajara’s Parque Metropolitano.
Despite the great effort and expense that goes into them, public altars are generally up only from October 31 to November 2. That will likely change, but for now, make your plans to visit them early.
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.
A satellite image of Tropical Storm Karl. U.S. NOAA
Tropical Storm Karl is on track to make landfall in Tabasco or Veracruz late Friday or early Saturday.
The storm was 315 kilometers north-northeast of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, at 4 p.m. Central Time on Thursday and moving south-southeast at about 11 kilometers per hour, the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an advisory.
Karl, the 11th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, has maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h with higher gusts, the NHC said.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for Alvarado, Veracruz, to Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche.
This NHC map shows the area projected to be impacted by Karl Friday and Saturday. U.S. NOAA
“Karl is expected to turn southward or south-southwestward over the Bay of Campeche on Friday, and this motion should continue through early Saturday,” the NHC said.
“On the forecast track, the center of Karl should reach the coasts of Tabasco or Veracruz states … within the warning area late Friday night or early Saturday.”
Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) said that Karl would bring intense rain to parts of Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche and Chiapas, and very heavy rain to portions of Puebla and Yucatán.
The rain could cause flooding and landslides, the SMN said. Similarly, the NHC warned of the risk of flash flooding and mudslides, and forecast falls of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in some areas.
“Swells generated by Karl are expected to affect the … [Gulf of Mexico] coastline for the next couple of days,” the hurricane center added. “These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
The Atlantic hurricane season began June 1 and runs through November 30. Before Karl came hurricanes Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Ian and Julia, and tropical storms Alex, Bonnie (which became a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean), Colin, Gaston and Hermine.
A soldier patrols outside a prison in Cieneguillas, Zacatecas, after a prison break earlier this month. Cuartoscuro.com
The lower house of Congress has authorized the use of the military for public security tasks until 2028.
Just over two-thirds of the 500 deputies – 339 – voted in favor of a constitutional bill that seeks to extend the military’s involvement in public security by four years. The bill was approved by the Senate last week.
Deputies with the ruling Morena party and its allies, and the Institutional Revolutionary Party, supported the bill.
The Chamber of Deputies already approved an earlier version of the proposed reform, but it was returned to the lower house after the Senate modified it.
President López Obrador presents at his Thursday press conference as Deputy Security Minister Ricardo Mejia Berdeja looks on. Presidencia de la República
Among the modifications added by the Senate are provisions that establish congressional oversight of the public security actions of the military and allow for the creation of a fund that will provide resources for the professionalization of municipal and state police forces.
Critics of the bill argue that it will only perpetuate a militarized security strategy that has failed to combat Mexico’s high levels of violent crimes since it was first implemented by former president Felipe Calderón in late 2006.
President López Obrador said last month that the ongoing presence of the armed forces on the nation’s streets is essential to guarantee peace, even though he pledged before he took office to return soldiers to their barracks. He recently admitted he changed his mind on the matter once he realized the extent of the security problem he inherited.
As the bill that passed the lower house of Congress late Wednesday seeks to change the constitution, it requires approval by a majority of state legislatures. López Obrador on Thursday urged state lawmakers to support the reform.
“Hopefully the state congresses help us. … [The bill] was already approved in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. It just needs to be approved by half of state congresses plus one and it’s a constitutional reform,” he said.
The president – who has relied on the armed forces for a wide range of nontraditional tasks – rejected claims that his government is further militarizing the country with this bill and another recently passed by Congress that transferred control of the National Guard to the Ministry of National Defense.
He also accused members of previous governments – “the conservatives” – of hypocrisy.
“What did the conservatives do with the army? They used it to repress. Without a constitutional foundation, in an illegal way and without respect for human rights, they used the army and the navy for public security tasks,” López Obrador said.
“They’re complete hypocrites. Now that a constitutional reform is carried out and emphasis is placed on human rights, they’re throwing their arms up in horror.”
Still from video footage of the shooting at the Andares Shopping Mall in Zapopan on Oct. 2. Social media
An arrest has been made in connection to a shooting outside an upscale shopping mall in Zapopan, Jalisco, on Oct. 2 that left one dead and six injured, Deputy Security Minister Ricardo Mejía reported on Thursday.
The man captured and arrested by the Mexican army was named as César Augusto “N,” an alleged higher-up in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) who goes by the nickname “El Gafe.”
Mejia said “El Gafe” has been a regional leader for CJNG in the Jalisco municipalities of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga and El Salto, and as someone who coordinates ”drug dealing cells, hitmen and informants,” he is one of the main generators of violence in the Guadalajara metro area. He recruited people in Jalisco, México state Quintana Roo and Querétaro for criminal activities, Mejía added.
Mejía said that the seizure of “El Gafe” on Tuesday was carried out in three locations, during which 1,000 fentanyl pills, an assortment of rifles and guns, grenades, cartridges and vehicles were seized. An additional CJNG operative, said to be Juan Carlos “N.” (aka “Carlitos”) was arrested during the operation, Mejía added.
The detainees were transferred to the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime and are awaiting trial for the crimes of homicide and kidnapping.
Mejía said “Carlitos” participated in the series of violent outbreaks in Jalisco in August, when criminals blocked roads and burned vehicles and convenience stores, leaving at least three dead. Mejía said “Carlitos” was part of the uprising in Ixtlahuacán del Río, Jalisco.
The wave of violence in Jalisco has put the government of President López Obrador under the gun and set off alarms in the United States. On August 10, the U.S. Embassy issued a travel alert, stating, “Following numerous confirmed acts of violence on August 9, including arson of buildings and vehicles, U.S. citizens are reminded to reconsider travel to Guanajuato state.”
At the Oct. 2 shooting at the Andares Shopping Mall in Zapopan, a city of 1.5 million next to Guadalajara, several black vans stopped in front of the high-end center, at which point the shooting began, according to videos seen by Mejía and others. Hooded men dressed in black can be seen with assault rifles firing in different directions.
The man who died was a bodyguard in an escort car with Mexico City license plates, authorities said. The next day, López Obrador said the CJNG commandos intended to kidnap a businessman who deals in the purchase and sale of vehicles, though he didn’t reveal his identity.
The name of water boatmen eggs, ahuautle, means “water amaranth” in Nahuatl.
Mexico is famous for its edible bugs, from lime and chile roasted crickets sprinkled across guacamole to chicatana ants in a comal-toasted quesadilla. But one of Central Mexico’s most ancient bug proteins is now in danger of disappearing forever — ahuautle, the eggs of the aquatic insects in the Corixidae family. Those bugs, often called water boatmen in English and known as axayácatl or mosco para pajaro in Mexico, are found in the last remaining wetlands of the once-expansive Lake Texcoco, near Mexico City.
Lake Texcoco, part of the lake system that once covered the majority of the Valley of Mexico, has from the time of the Mexica (also known as Aztecs) been slowly drained and developed as Mexico’s capital expanded beyond every limit society has tried to place on it. Only a few traditional ahuautle “farmers” still collect in the remnants of Lake Texcoco at the edges of Mexico City. Juan Hernández, who in his 50s has been collecting since he was a young man, is only one of the half dozen or so collectors still harvesting and selling ahuautle, which he says is difficult and dirty work.
“Now we are just keeping ahuautle alive,” Hernández said according to the Associated Press, “I hope it doesn’t disappear, because it is a source of income for those of us who live off the land.”
The work starts with placing pine boughs on the muddy bottom of the lake’s shallow edges during the ahuautle laying season, from June to September. Hernández then goes back to collect the boughs about a week later, slinging them onto a Styrofoam raft that he drags behind him. The boughs are dried and eggs shook onto a cloth on the shore where they dry and then pass through a cleaning process back at the Hernandez household — put through a sieve to remove any final bits of mud or pine.
A kilo of the ahuautle can cost US $50 or about $23 a pound. The price has converted these tiny eggs into a kind of culinary delicacy not accessible to just any diner. But despite their exclusivity, the ahuautle have also fallen out of vogue among younger diners, a fact lamented by those trying to preserve it.
The dish “is associated with the countryside, perhaps with poverty, as if it were an undesirable protein,” says Edday Farfán, an entomologist at UNAM that has been studying water boatmensince 2016 and has the image of one tattooed on his arm.
For Juan Hernández, who is only one of six collectors still known to be doing this work, the ahuautle are not only a source of income but a way of life.
“For me, more than anything, it means tradition,” he says.
The Federal No. 1 school in Tapachula, Chiapas, has seen two incidents of apparent mass poisonings of students in the last month, the most recent on Tuesday. Parents gathered outside the school on Wednesday for answers. DAMIÁN SÁNCHEZ/CUARTOSCURO
For the third time in less than a week, a mass poisoning case affecting students has been reported in the southern state of Chiapas.
On Tuesday, October 11, 14 students who attend the Federal No. 1 Constitución secondary school in Tapachula became sick and were taken to a Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) hospital, the newspaper El Financiero reported.
Students said that some of their classmates felt dizzy and vomited before they were hospitalized.
IMSS said the 14 students had symptoms of “probable poisoning,” but what substance they had ingested was unclear. They were reported in stable condition.
Parents wait as authorities gathered evidence at the Tapachula school with the aid of police dogs. DAMIÁN SÁNCHEZ/CUARTOSCURO
In a separate incident on Friday, October 7, a large number of students mysteriously fell ill in the municipality of Bochil, only a day after a dozen students in Tapachula became sick due to suspected poisoning.
The events were all preceded by an incident in late September, where some 30 students fell ill in Tapachula.
The October 7 incident in Bochil, located about 80 kilometers northeast of state capital Tuxtla Gutiérrez, saw over 100 students in their early teens poisoned by an unidentified substance. Fifty-seven of the students were initially hospitalized, according to IMSS, but all but two – one of whom is reportedly in serious condition – were later released.
However, at least 20 Bochil students were readmitted to hospital on October 11 because they were suffering anxiety, nausea, vomiting and hallucinations, according to the newspaper El Heraldo de Chiapas, which spoke with family members.
Reports said that the Bochil students had ingested cocaine, but the Chiapas Attorney General’s Office (FGE) said Monday that 35 toxicology tests had been conducted by state authorities and the results were all negative for that drug as well as opioids, cannabis and amphetamines.
However, the state Attorney General’s Office noted in a statement that three adolescents had tested positive for cocaine in tests conducted by private laboratories. In a press conference on Thursday, Chiapas Attorney General Olaf López Hernández announced that due to this discrepancy, his office had asked the federal attorney general’s office to provide additional experts to evaluate the case.
The FGE said it had received 29 complaints from parents of students who study at Bochil’s Juana de Asbaja secondary school and that five students reported drinking water after recess that tasted bitter. They subsequently began to feel ill.
The FGE said that it collected evidence from the school, among which were 33 plastic bottles of varying sizes and nylon bags.
José Eduardo Morales, a prosecutor in Chiapas who focuses on cases involving adolescents, said in a radio interview Tuesday that a blue substance was found in the nylon bags. That substance, which is being analyzed, was presumably mixed with water the students drank.
Morales said that a total of 110 students were in fact taken to hospital and another 20 or so were treated by private practice doctors.
He said the case remains under investigation and that authorities were waiting to speak with more affected students.
President López Obrador had lots to say about who might represent opposition parties in 2024. Presidencia de la República
With Mexico’s 2024 presidential election less than two years away, speculation is growing about who the major political parties will nominate as their candidates for the nation’s top job.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebard and Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum are the leading contenders to secure the ruling Morena party’s nomination, but there is far less clarity about who will represent the main opposition parties, which could choose to field a common candidate.
In that context, President López Obrador offered his own (very) long-list of possible opposition candidates on Thursday, saying that a total of 43 people have either expressed interest in vying for the presidency or have been mentioned as potential contenders.
At his regular press conference, the president initially presented a list of 42 names, but later said that former Tamaulipas governor Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca – wanted by federal authorities on organized crime charges – was another possible “pre-candidate.”
Nuevo León Governor Samuel García, Federal Deputy Margarita Zavala and journalist Carlos Loret de Mola are a few of the names the president mentioned as possible opposition candidates for the next presidential election.
Among the 42 names on AMLO’s alphabetized long-list were:
Former Bank of México governor Agustín Carstens, currently serving as general manager of the Bank for International Settlements.
Institutional Revolutionary Party national president and federal Deputy Alejandro Moreno, a former Campeche governor who is accused of corruption in his home state.
Prominent journalist Carlos Loret de Mola, an outspoken critic of López Obrador and the federal government.
Businessman Carlos X. González, founder of a non-governmental anti-corruption organization and a leader of the Sí por México political movement.
Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro, who declared late last year that he is “more than prepared” to be a presidential candidate.
Former federal tourism minister Enrique de la Madrid, son of ex-president Miguel de la Madrid.
Former Mexican Employers Federation chief Gustavo de Hoyos, another Sí por México leader.
Former federal economy minister and current federal Deputy Ildefonso Guajardo, a key negotiator of the USMCA free trade pact.
Federal Deputy Margarita Zavala, wife of former president Felipe Calderón and a 2018 presidential candidate until she dropped out of the race 1 1/2 months before polling day.
National Action Party national president Marko Cortés, a former federal deputy.
Yucatán Governor Mauricio Vila, a former mayor of Mérida who frequently meets with AMLO during his visits to inspect progress on the Maya Train railroad.
Former Mexico City Mayor and current federal Senator Miguel Ángel Mancera.
Former federal Interior Minister and current federal Senator Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong.
Former lawmaker and 2018 presidential candidate Ricardo Anaya, a prominent antagonist of the president.
Nuevo León Governor Samuel García, a young Citizens Movement party politician who is perhaps not as well known as his social media influencer wife.
López Obrador said that the head honchos of the conservative side of politics – “those right at the top” – will ultimately decide who represents the opposition at the 2024 presidential election.
Some of those he mentioned would appear to have little or no chance of becoming a presidential candidate, and the president asserted he didn’t know a couple of the people on his list.
His presentation of possible opposition candidates came two days after he said that a total of five people could compete for Morena’s nomination.
The president cited Ebrard, Sheinbaum and Interior Minister Adán Agusto López as aspirants to the Morena candidacy, but acknowledged that Senator Ricardo Monreal, the ruling party’s leader in the upper house, and Gerardo Fernández Noroña, a Labor Party deputy, could also enter the fray. Morena intends to give its members a say in who will be the party’s presidential candidate at the July 2024 election.
López Obrador’s speculation about who the opposition might nominate as its representative came two days after six civil society organizations joined forces to create a new opposition alliance. Representatives of the Unid@s alliance urged the National Action Party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party, the Democratic Revolution Party and the Citizens Movement party to back a common candidate at the 2024 election.
The scene at the Juárez Theater was bright and lively Tuesday night, the day before the festival opened. Facebook / Festival Internacional Cervantino
After a fully virtual program in 2020 and a hybrid edition last year, it is back — and if you’re in the city of Guanajuato this week, there’s no need to ask what “it” is.
Running from Oct. 12 to 30, the International Cervantino Festival will draw hundreds of thousands of people to the city for what is not only its first full presentation since the pandemic struck, but also its 50th annual.
The last time the festival was held in full, in 2019, the massive music, arts and culture event drew 415,000 visitors to Guanajuato city, and this year organizers are hoping for 500,000, according to an Associated Press report that quoted Mariana Aymerich Ordóñez, the Cervantino’s general director.
While the festival can trace its roots back to the middle of the 20th century, when short plays written by Spaniard Miguel de Cervantes, the author of the novel “Don Quixote,” were performed in the city’s plaza and streets, it began in its current form in 1972.
A statue of Cervantes’ most famous characters, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, in Guanajuato city. Depositphotos
But even back then, the festival was nowhere near what it is today. At the inaugural event 50 years ago, there were 39 musical shows, 22 artists, 40 theater performances, 14 dance activities, three poetry recitals and four visual arts exhibitions.
This year, there will be 85 musical performances, 2,941 artists from 34 countries, 20 dance performances, three operas, 57 theater performances and 45 visual arts exhibitions. Sponsors range from Megacable to Yamaha to Oxxo.
Tickets are required for many events, but many others are available for free in public spaces and plazas.
“I am very excited,” said pianist María Hanneman, a 16-year-old prodigy who has already performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and is scheduled for four performances in this year’s Cervantino. “The truth is, I am a little nervous because it is a very important festival — the most important in the country — and there are many artists.”
The Cervantino is now considered perhaps the most important international artistic and cultural experience in Latin America, and one of the biggest events of its type in the world.
According to one media report, the city is expecting an influx of 120 million pesos (US $5.98 million). But that might seem a bit low based on another media report, which stated that the 2019 version saw an economic windfall of more than 615 million pesos (US $30.72 million).
In an interview in the newspaper El Universal, Guanajuato-based taxi driver José Manuel Cardona was eagerly anticipating a busy three weeks. The last two years during the pandemic “went very badly,” he said, but “this time the expectation of the influx is very good, for the benefit of service providers. One always waits for these times to get out of some debt.”
Average occupancy in the city’s 3,900 hotel rooms is expected to be 60% on weekdays and 90% on weekends.
South Korean soprano Hera Hyesang Park at Wednesday’s opening concert. Mario Jasso / Cuartoscuro.com
In her interview, Aymerich also touted the economic benefits, but highlighted a number of the “highly prestigious artists” participating this year. The lineup includes the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra conducted by Winton Marsalis, Spaniard Joan Manuel Serrat, Slavic star Goran Bregovic, the classic Mexican band Café Tacvba, current Mexican recording star Lila Downs and Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
In the opening concert on Wednesday, soprano Hera Hyesang Park of South Korea and Mexico City’s María Katzarava, accompanied by the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, sung a selection of arias on the esplanade of the Alhóndiga, a famous site in the Mexican War of Independence and now a museum. Others will perform there, too, and in plazas outside of the historic center, and at a handful of venues in other cities, as well.
South Korea is the guest country (and has brought nearly 100 artists) and Mexico City the guest “state” in this year’s festival; in the 47th edition three years ago, those honors went to Canada and Guerrero, respectively.
Other highlights include an interactive display celebrating 50 years of the festival, an exhibit of artistic works from nearby areas and the play “Kosa: Between Two Mirrors,” composed by Japanese choreographer Ushio Amagatsu and performed by the Butoh dance group Sankai Juku that he founded in 1975.
“This year’s programming was built with the nostalgic memory of the 50th anniversary, but also as a pause for reflection on the future of the festival,” Aymerich said. “Peace, sustainability, inclusion, collective rights, recognition of diversity, decentralization, as well as the defense of cultural heritage, are the issues and values that motivate us.”
Aymerich said the past two years have been “extremely difficult,” especially 2020, when organizers opted against canceling the event in part because they didn’t want to halt the unbroken progression to the 50th anniversary this year.
“Learning how to produce a festival virtually was very complex,” she said. “Yes there were tears, I’m not going to tell you no … because we were figuring out how to do it … However, I think we had a very important niche that we shouldn’t let go of [and] there was a big audience that followed us.”
In 2020, more than 6 million people around the globe reportedly tuned in to at least part of the festival through social networks and festival broadcast channels. Last year’s hybrid festival reportedly drew 369,000 in-person attendees and 290,000 virtual ones.
As for face masks this year, any obligation to wear them indoors is up to organizers of events in those spaces, because wearing masks in Guanajuato state hasn’t been mandatory since January. The state’s minister of health, Daniel Díaz Martínez, said people can do what they want, though he did advise visitors to wear masks in closed spaces, to wash their hands frequently, to use antibacterial gel and to avoid crowds.
