Irma Ríos described being repeatedly beaten and raped during her marriage of 30 years. Milenio
A three-decade-long nightmare that a Oaxaca woman endured after being sold into common-law marriage for a bottle of mezcal at the age of 10 has finally ended.
State Attorney General Arturo Peimbert Calvo said Tuesday that the man who gave Irma Ríos’ father the mezcal in exchange for his daughter in 1991, and proceeded to abuse her for the next 30 years, had been arrested.
The official said in an interview that authorities will prosecute the aggressor — Ignacio Rodríguez Cabrera — for a range of crimes and seek the maximum penalty the law permits.
Peimbert said that Ríos had been notified of her husband’s arrest and was receiving support from the Oaxaca Women’s Ministry and other authorities.
The victim said in a media interview before the arrest that her father sold her for a one-liter bottle of mezcal. Her husband was 20 when the exchange occurred.
"Por una botella de mezcal"; mujer indígena de Oaxaca detalla cómo fue vendida de niña
Irma Ríos’ interview with Milenio.
“… My dad said, ‘Go with him,’ but I didn’t want to go because I was 10 years old,” Ríos said.
She said she was beaten and repeatedly raped by Rodríguez, who fathered her three children. Ríos also said that she was locked up when her husband went to work and had effectively missed out on several years of her childhood.
“… I want to be happy, and I want to be free. … I want to be happy without violence,” she said.
Many of the child brides suffer years of sexual and other abuse, as was the case with Angélica, a 15-year-old girl sold into marriage at the age of 11 who was recently jailed for 10 days after she fled the home of her father-in-law, who allegedly attempted to rape her.
Indigenous girls sold into marriage in the Montaña region are “victims of the lack of attention of authorities,” said Abel Barrera, the director of a local human rights center. Families sell their daughters due to poverty, he told the newspaper Milenio.
Families who sell their daughters into marriage often do so because of poverty, said Abel Barrera, director of a Guerrero human rights center. Centro Derechos Humanos Tlachinollan
Barrera nevertheless expressed confidence that the federal and Guerrero governments will enact policies to reduce the incidence of child marriage and stop the suffering of hundreds of girls who are the victims of sexual, physical and psychological abuse perpetrated by their husbands.
Governor Carlos Joaquín welcomed federal troops to Tulum on October 26 after Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval promised to restore stability in the area. goverment of Quintara Roo Twitter
A number of foreigners have been killed in the Caribbean resort town of Tulum, shining a spotlight on a rapid rise in violence in one of the most sought-after destinations in all of Latin America.
Between January and September 2021, the town registered 65 murders, an 80.5% increase over the same period last year when just 36 murders took place, according to statistics from the National Security System.
And the violence has only continued. On October 20, two foreign tourists, a travel blogger from India and a German citizen were shot dead at a restaurant in Tulum, caught in the crossfire of a shootout between gangs. Three other tourists were injured.
This year has also seen attacks claim the lives of nationals from Spain, Uruguay and Belize.
While these killings only account for a fraction of the total death toll among Mexican citizens, local businesses are highly concerned that the violence is driving away tourism. In October, the German government issued a travel advisory warning about visiting Tulum, although this was later retracted.
The killing of two foreign tourists in a shootout is just the latest example of Tulum’s rise in violence. FGE Quintana Roo
Tulum may have become a victim of its own success, with criminal groups being attracted to the drug trafficking and extortion possibilities offered by this tourist hotspot.
The local hotel association says it knows who to blame. According to David Ortiz Mena, president of the Tulum Hotels Association, large raves and dance parties have led to an increase in demand for drugs, which attracted organized crime.
Speaking to the newspaper El Heraldo, Ortiz explained that while the world shut down during the pandemic, Tulum became known for continuing to hold raves and music festivals. This was accompanied by a rise in demand for drugs, he said.
Extortion attempts on hotels, restaurants and visitors have also increased. “Hotel owners are alarmed because their clients, tourists, are being threatened by the bad guys. And when they demand attention from authorities, they don’t get a response,” Juan Noriega Granados, another member of the Tulum Hotels Association, told the press.
Tulum has become known internationally as a party destination. This photo of a dance party was taken in December 2019. Facebook
The situation has grown so dire that security forces have had to be sent in. 450 federal troops were sent to Tulum in late October, among other security strategies, following the murder of the two tourists.
While a number of criminal groups, including national-level threats such as the Zetas Vieja Escuela cartel and local gangs such as the Bonfil, have long operated in Tulum, the arrival of the Jalisco Cartel New Generation has been blamed for an escalation in violence.
The crash on the Palenque-Playas de Catazajá highway left both transit vehicles completely burned. Chiapas Civil Protection
Two transit vans collided on the Palenque-Playas de Catazajá highway in Chiapas early on Tuesday, killing 12 people and leaving three others injured, all of whom were presumed to be migrants.
Seven bodies were recovered from one of the transit vans and five from the other. Photos published by the state’s Civil Protection office show that both vehicles caught fire and were burned out.
The state Attorney General’s Office said the victims appeared to be Central Americans but identification work is still being carried out. The three injured people, the office confirmed, were Honduran. One of the injured was a minor, identified by authorities as Kevin “N,” who had second-degree burns. He was transferred to Palenque General Hospital with the other two injured people.
The Palenque-Playas de Catazajá highway remained closed to traffic for several hours.
Criminal gangs dedicated to human trafficking are common in the area, TV Azteca reported. Known as polleros, they transport migrants from the southern Guatemala border to Mexico City or the United States border by vehicle for hefty sums.
Vehicles belonging to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel burn on a road in the Tierra Caliente region.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has carried out attacks in the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán this week but no fatalities have been reported.
A cell of the powerful criminal organization launched an offensive in the community of Taixtán early Tuesday afternoon but groups of armed residents contained the attack, the newspaper El Universal reported.
However, the offensive resumed Tuesday night and Wednesday morning with attacks against local residents and army personnel.
The CJNG reportedly used high-caliber weapons and explosive-laden drones in the offensive. It is unclear who or what the cartel was targeting in Taixtán, located in the municipality of Tepalcatepec, which borders Jalisco. However, the CJNG is engaged in a fierce turf war in the Tierra Caliente region with the Cárteles Unidos, led by the Viagras crime gang.
The cartel has also clashed with self-defense force members, and recently decapitated five men manning a checkpoint in Tepalcatepec.
A day before its attack in Taixtán, the CJNG went on the offensive in Villa Victoria, the municipal seat of Chinicuila, located on the border with Jalisco and Colima. Residents and local authorities reported that an armed gang entered the town in armored trucks known as monstruos (monsters) at about 4:30 a.m. Monday and shot at homes and vehicles.
The community guard and the army responded to the attack and a confrontation ensued that lasted more than 1 1/2 hours, El Universal said. Six soldiers were wounded and transferred to a hospital in Apatzingán.
The newspaper reported Wednesday that the CJNG’s advance had been halted.
The Tierra Caliente of Michoacán has been plagued by violent crime in 2021. Another hotspot is Aguililla, where the CJNG and the Cárteles Unidos have clashed on numerous occasions.
According to a report by the Associated Press, the army has largely stopped fighting the cartels in Aguililla and surrounding areas. Instead, soldiers guard dividing lines between cartel territories so they won’t encroach on each other’s turf, the news agency said.
AP also said that the army turns a blind eye to the cartels’ criminal activities. It reported that the Viagras are extorting lime producers, cattle ranchers, avocado farmers and iron ore mines and that CJNG leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera “wants to take over all this.”
Alejandro Hope, a security analyst, told AP that the federal government’s strategy in Michoacán is clearly “some sort of pact of non-aggression.”
“… [The soldiers] are not there to disarm the two sides, but rather to prevent the conflict from spreading. The problem is that we don’t know where the army draws the line, what they are willing to accept,” he said.
Violence in the Tierra Caliente region has displaced thousands of people since President López Obrador took office in late 2018, many of whom have sought asylum in the United States.
Ken Salazar stressed that Mexico needs US investment.
The United States ambassador to Mexico has expressed cautious confidence that the two countries can reach a mutually agreeable resolution with regard to President López Obrador’s proposed electricity reform, which seeks to limit the market share of foreign and private companies.
The constitutional bill aims to guarantee 54% of the power market to the state-owned Federal Electricity Commission and get rid of the independent National Hydrocarbons Commission and the Energy Regulatory Commission.
Salazar acknowledged that renewable energy companies that have invested heavily in Mexico are worried about the president’s proposal, even though its approval is far from guaranteed because the ruling Morena party and its allies don’t have the congressional supermajority required to pass constitutional bills on their own.
He said last week that the U.S. government had “serious concerns” about the plan and was “committed to continuing our dialogue on these critical issues.”
The ambassador stressed Tuesday that Mexico needs the investment of United States companies for its economy to flourish, not just in the energy sector “but also in many other things.”
He said the U.S. government is attempting to find out “whether there are some paths on which we can reach a resolution” vis-à-vis the electricity bill.
“I don’t know if that’s possible … I believe there are possibilities that we can reach a place where [the issue] can be resolved [but] I’m not sure,” Salazar said, without revealing what concessions the U.S. is seeking.
“… What I am sure about is that the two presidents have a good relationship, and we’re having meetings with the government leaders to see the way in which we can move ahead,” he said.
López Obrador said on Monday that he was unconcerned about Salazar’s remarks about his electricity proposal because the United States government hasn’t formally lodged a complaint about it.
“We have very good relations with the United States, the border is opening today, and we don’t have any kind of complaint or protest against the electricity matter,” he said.
López Obrador also said that the United States doesn’t consider Mexico to be its “backyard” and respects the country’s sovereignty. Salazar is a good ambassador who has the right to express himself, he added.
“We’re always going to be respectful of all opinions,” López Obrador said, before accusing the media of selective reporting on the ambassador’s remarks.
“Because he said — I don’t know whether it was before or after [he raised concerns about the electricity bill] — that the Mexican government was acting well, he even praised us for following the footsteps of Roosevelt. But they don’t publish that – that’s why we shouldn’t get heated up because they take a lot of statements out of context,” he said.
Health Minister Jorge Alcocer claimed last month that that vaccinating children could have a “limiting” effect on the development of their immune systems.
The federal government has challenged a court order instructing it to offer COVID-19 vaccines to all youths aged 12 to 17.
A México state court official announced Monday that the federal Health Ministry’s in-house lawyer had filed an appeal against the ruling handed down early last month.
The appeal was filed on behalf of Health Minister Jorge Alcocer; Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell, the government’s coronavirus czar; and President López Obrador.
The same México state court official formally notified health authorities on October 27 that if they didn’t modify the national vaccination policy to include all minors between 12 and 17 within five days, they would be reported to the federal Attorney General’s Office for contempt of court.
The government’s appeal will be referred to a collegiate court, which will determine whether it has the right to not offer vaccines to adolescents. The government has offered shots to minors aged 12 to 17 with underlying health conditions that make them susceptible to serious COVID-19 illness, but argued that the universal inoculation of youths is not necessary.
López Obrador indicated on October 14 that the government would challenge the court order, which was issued in response to an injunction request filed by the family of a girl seeking her vaccination. The judge determined there was no impediment to an order applying to all youths because access to health care is a universal human right. She ruled that the government must offer vaccines to youths during the fifth phase of the national vaccination plan, which concludes next March.
In other COVID-19 news:
• It’s “highly probable” that Mexico will enter a fourth wave of the pandemic in the coming weeks, a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) official said Monday.
PAHO Mexico representative Cristian Morales said it’s very likely the fourth wave will begin this month and extend into December.
He suggested that the wave could be fueled by large gatherings of people at the Day of the Dead parade and Formula One Grand Prix in Mexico City.
“We’ll see in the next two or three weeks if the public followed the social distancing, face mask use and frequent handwashing instructions,” Morales said.
• The Health Ministry reported 2,192 new cases and 137 additional COVID-19 deaths on Monday. Mexico’s accumulated tallies are currently just under 3.83 million and 289,811, respectively. Estimated active cases number 19,493.
Mexico’s fatality rate is 7.6 per 100 confirmed cases, while its mortality rate is 227.1 deaths per 100,000 people, the 21st highest in the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Profeco said that the practice breached the Mexican constitution as well as consumer protection and civil aviation laws. Blue planet Studio/Shutterstock
Consumer protection agency Profeco has told Mexico’s three biggest airlines to stop charging for carry-on luggage.
Profeco said in a statement it would take legal action against Aeroméxico, VivaAerobus and Volaris if they continue what it called an “abusive practice.”
The agency said that hand luggage is an inherent part of commercial air transport, which was “not open to negotiation,” and that denying passengers their right to carry-ons “could constitute a practice that harms the interests and rights of consumers.”
It added that the practice breached the Mexican constitution, consumer protection law and civil aviation law.
The latter states that passengers have a right to hand luggage: “The passenger may carry up to two pieces of hand luggage in the cabin. The dimensions of each one will be up to 55 centimeters long by 40 centimeters wide by 25 centimeters high, and the weight of both should not exceed 10 kilograms.”
A network of environmental groups was critical of Mexico's climate change efforts.
Mexico won an unenviable second place Monday in a daily contest held at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
Presented by the Climate Action Network (CAN), a global network of more than 1,500 civil society organizations in over 130 countries, “Fossil of the Day” awards are given to the countries that are “doing the most to achieve the least” in terms of the progress on climate change.
Mexico was awarded second place “for pumping more, not less, money into the fossil fuel industry, building oil refineries, and delaying policies aimed at carbon emissions reductions.”
In a press release, the CAN said that “Mexico has worked hard to earn its Fossil of the Day award.”
“Ranked as the 13th largest emitter of CO2 in the world, it’s not exactly spearheading energy transition,” it said.
Mexico’s status on the Climate Action Tracker.
The network insinuated that Mexico’s inaction on climate is confounding given that “in 2020 alone, at least 101,000 people were forcibly displaced because of natural disasters, according to the annual report of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center.”
It said that Mexico “turned up in Glasgow with out of date NDCs [nationally determined contributions] from 2015, previously rated as ‘insufficient’ to achieve the 1.5 C degree goal and with no loss and damage or emissions mitigation data.”
“And surprise, surprise, they also failed to support the recent ‘Global Coal to Clean Power Transition’ Statement which championed a just and inclusive transition to prevent loss and damage and human rights violations they’ve been linked to,” the CAN said.
“They’ve now fallen even further behind with a rating of ‘highly insufficient’ on their climate policies. How much further can this country slide?”
The highly insufficient rating comes from the Climate Action Tracker (CAT), an independent scientific analysis that tracks government climate action and measures it against the globally agreed Paris Agreement aim of holding warming well below 2 C, and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5 C.
“The ‘highly insufficient’ rating indicates that Mexico’s climate policies and commitments are not consistent with any interpretation of a fair-share contribution and lead to rising, rather than falling, emissions, with an exception being Mexico’s conditional NDC target, which roughly stabilizes emissions at today’s level,” the CAT said.
“… Mexico’s plans to not increase its 2030 mitigation ambition are contrary to the Paris Agreement’s requirement that each successive NDC should represent a progression on their mitigation efforts. This sends negative signals to the international community that Mexico is not serious about its commitment to reduce GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions in line with the Paris Agreement climate goals.”
The CAT noted that “in the midst of the pandemic, the Mexican Ministry of Energy published a bill (fast tracked due to COVID-19) that would effectively halt private renewable energy investment in the country, prioritizing the government’s own aging, fossil fuel-fired power plants.”
“… The decision to favor fossil fuel generation over renewable energy now puts Mexico on a path that is even more inconsistent with the steps needed to achieve the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 C limit. Its plans for the power sector – especially the decision to continue investing in coal – stands in stark contrast to what is required to achieve the 1.5 C limit.”
Among the other countries that have “highly insufficient” CAT ratings are Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, India and Saudi Arabia.
Edging out Mexico in Monday’s “Fossil of the Day” award were the United Kingdom (which has an “almost sufficient” CAT rating) and Saudi Arabia. Those two countries shared first place “for their sterling efforts in securing a weak new Work Program on Action for Climate Empowerment, which we’re now going to be lumbered with for the next decade!”
As Mexican wines grow in acclaim, many vineyards have opened their doors to host a variety of experiences, offering everything from traditional grape stomping to ziplining. La Redonda
Each year, Mexico’s clout in the wine industry grows, with production and consumption increasing in the past few years. In each national and international contest where it is presented, Mexican wine is increasingly awarded medals of distinction.
But the accolades don’t end with just production: wine tourism in Mexico is also praised for its agricultural excellence, hospitality, culinary renown and cultural offerings. The breadth of experiences that visitors can find in wineries here have made this kind of tourism unforgettable, and Mexico’s wine trails across the country keep expanding.
The Baja California wine trail (linked page in Spanish) continues to be the most developed, with more than 100 vineyards that offer all kinds of activities and events. Within the larger route — which runs from Valle de Guadalupe to Valle de San Vicente — are various smaller ones where you can find well-established vineyards like Ojos Negros in Real de Castillo Nuevo and the Santo Tomás, Monte Xanic and Pedro Domecq vineyards in Ensenada. There are also boutique wineries that bottle small amounts of high-quality wine and receive guests with family hospitality.
At these wineries, you learn how their wines are made, taste a range of bottles and try food pairings. Some wineries also host music concerts, hot-air balloon rides, bike trips, horseback riding or tours on all-terrain vehicles. The Baron Balche vineyard in Ensenada and the La Escuelita and El Cielo vineyards, both in El Porvenir, also offer experiences for visitors, including resort stays at El Cielo.
The area is also known for its cuisine, with surf-and-turf options in the area’s best restaurants in the vineyards and nearby. The region is famous for its lobster, so lobster tacos should be on every visitor’s list.
Probably the best time to hit the wine trails in Mexico is July-September, during grape harvesting time, when many vineyards host special events. La Redonda vineyard
Some of these wine trails are multi-day excursions, but there are plenty of excellent hotels to stay in along the way, including Hotel Burbuja in El Porvenir, where guests sleep inside see-through pods that provide a view of the starry night sky in Valle de Guadalupe, undoubtedly the most beautiful section of Baja’s wine country.
Vineyards also host special events throughout the year, such as Ensenada’s Festival de las Conchas y el Vino Nuevo in the first two weeks of April. If you love seafood, white wines and rosés, this is your party. Flying high on a zipline is a favorite guest activity, but best to do that before the tastings. For parents traveling with kids, there are plenty of safe, fun places for them to play while you tour the vineyards.
In the Santo Tomás valley, Bodega Santo Tomás’ Único wine was one of the first to win recognition for its quality at a time when most Mexican wines were still just mediocre. The winery is one of the largest and oldest vineyards in Mexico.
Moving southward, another important wine trail is the Bajío, in a region located in the states of Querétaro and Guanajuato in the center of Mexico. The father of the nation’s independence movement, the priest Miguel Hidalgo, had vineyards here.
Distinctly different from Baja, this wine route features colonial architecture, impressive aqueducts and mosaics that brighten the arid landscape, where wine production underwent a revolution in the 1980s and is now home to about 50 vineyards.
Among the more veteran vineyards in Querétaro is Ezquiel Montes’ Freixenet complex, the internationally known Catalan maker of sparkling wine, which has a winery here under the name Finca Sala Vivé. They host one of the most popular wine events in the country annually, the Festival de la Paella, a competition for experts and amateur paella makers.
Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California is Mexico’s best-known wine region. deposit photos
Also in Ezquiel Montes is La Redonda, with a more than 40-year history of pleasing Mexican palates. Each year, it hosts a grape harvest festival with tours, outdoor concerts, fireworks, and hot-air balloon rides and horse and bicycle tours to round out the wine tasting experience. You can even take part in a traditional grape stomping.
The San Juanito winery in San José de la Laja is tinier by comparison but well-known for its monovarietals, i.e. wines made from a specific grape. Some distinguished varietals they produce include a malbec, a merlot and a tempranillo, a type of wine made from a Spanish variety of black grape.
The grape has so well adapted to growing in central Mexico that the vineyard is working to certify the wine produced from it as a designation of origin vintage to be called Tinta de Bernal, perhaps because of the vineyard’s marvelous view of the Peña de Bernal — said to be the world’s second largest natural monolith — which attracts climbers from far and wide.
Speaking of Peña de Bernal, the Museo de Queso and Vino, a cheese and wine museum, makes the nearby colonial and quaint Magical Town of Tequisquiapan worth a visit, where the monolith dominates your view just about everywhere.
Lovingly called Tequis by locals, this town, dotted with colorful homes, has plenty of nice hotels where you can enjoy a weekend of hiking and shopping and be close to all the area’s vineyards.
Puerta del Lobo, in El Lobo, is one of Querétaro’s most recognized wineries, managed by a Spanish vintner making signature wines, different with each harvest.
The state of Querétaro has seen explosive growth of its wine industry. SECTUR
The Cuna de Tierra vineyard in Guanajuato is unmissable and considered one of the best wineries in the country. It has a particularly famous and delicious nebbiolo.
Because of their proximity, Querétaro and Guanajuato could almost be considered part of the same wine trail, but they are definitely not the same experience. While Querétaro has had a head start in winemaking, Guanajuato’s wineries are gaining more ground every day. It is currently the third-largest wine production region in the country and has a lot going on in terms of wine tourism.
Revived festivals and competitions — such as September’s Guanajuato Spirits Competition in the state capital and the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Mexico Selection coming up later this month in Mineral de Pozos, along with many other cultural events related to wine and spirits, are filling up this year’s calendar into 2022.
Tres Raices in Dolores Hidalgo is another interesting winery along this route, a beautiful modern vineyard surrounded by eye-catching sculptures. Its wine, after just a few years on the market, is being lauded for its quality and taste.
While Baja California’s vineyards are world-famous, other parts of northern Mexico shouldn’t be left off this list: in Coahuila you can find the oldest vineyard in the Americas, Casa Madero, in the ancient and beautifully decorated San Lorenzo hacienda.
Here they produce some of the most famous and award-winning wines in the country. Casa Madero also offers tours and overnight stays in the hacienda. Gardens, vineyards, good wine and food, and more than anything, lots of peace and tranquility await you here.
An owl takes a breather on the vines at Cuna de Tierra in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato. Cuna de Tierra
For years, Casa Madero was the only wine tourism stop in this part of the country, but a local wine trail is slowly being developed here. At the moment there are two routes, one in the desert and the other in the mountains.
This is wine tourism with an interesting twist, as it includes archaeology. One route, the Vinos y Dinos (Wine & Dinosaurs) route, takes you to see both wineries and prehistoric fossils. On this route, you can visit the Don Leo vineyards in Parras de la Fuente and the Bosques de Monterreal and the Los Cedros wineries, both in Arteaga. I also personally recommend Vinícola Rancho El Fortín in Saltillo where, in addition to great wine, you can dine on genuine Charolais beef. The combined ranch and winery was the first entity to bring Charolais cattle to Mexico from France in 1929.
Another important northern wine destination is Chihuahua, also a state with a bright future in wine production. Like much of wine country in Mexico, this area started off producing brandy and moved on to make great wines. Over 15 years 250 hectares of land for grape cultivation has been planted here, and there is plenty of room to grow due to the area’s sheer breadth of agricultural space.
With more than 20 active wineries, more than 10 offer visitor experiences, including Ciénega de Castilla in Cuauhtémoc, Molino Don Tomás in Santa Isabel, the Ruta Tres Ríos, the Vinícola Amelia and the Bodega Piñamora vineyards in the the capital, the Finca San Antonio y Saenz and, finally, the Vitivinicola Richesse vineyards in the municipality of Guerrero.
I have personally tasted several of the natural wines from Bodega Pinesque, also in Chihuahua, which has been fundamental in developing the winemaking industry in this state; its wines are delicious and of high quality. For more information, the organization Toma Vino de Chihuahua (Drink Chihuahuan Wine — linked page in Spanish) is a great source of information for first-timers about the region’s wine trails.
For the future, keep an eye out for other wine trails in the works in the states of Aguascalientes and Zacatecas. Cheers to Mexican wine!
Visitors at the Desert Museum in Saltillo, part of Coahuila’s unique Ruta Vinos y Dinos (Wine and Dinosaurs Route). Government of Saltillo
The Vidanta Vallarta golf course, home of the 2022 Mexican Open.
After runner-up success for golfer Carlos Ortiz on Sunday, there was more good news for Mexican golf: its most historic tournament will join the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour for 2022.
The contest is set for April 28-May 1 at the Vidanta Vallarta golf course in Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit. The annual competition already existed as the Mexico Championship on the PGA calendar, but has been promoted to an Open event.
It joins the World Wide Technology Championship at El Camaleón golf course near Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, — where Ortiz placed second on Sunday — as a PGA Tour event.
The Nayarit tournament will offer a purse of US $7.3 million to 132 players, of whom a minimum of four will be from Latin America.
Two Mexican winners of PGA tour events attended the PGA press conference, where the fixture was announced: Ortiz, who won the Vivint Houston Open in 2020, and Abraham Ancer, who won the St. Jude Invitational in 2021.
“For my part, I’m very excited, I already want it to start. The presence of this tournament will add to the growth of golf in our country. I have always said that playing in Mexico in front of the people of my country is very special. They give you an extra [impetus]. They help you play your best golf and that is why I am very motivated,” Ortiz said.
Ancer added that the tournament could help raise participation. “This is great news, especially considering that an event of this magnitude helps golf grow in Mexico and we are trying to get more people involved in this sport. It is always nice to be able to play a tournament of this level in front of your own people,” he said.
The vice president of tournament sponsor Grupo Salinas said expanding golf’s appeal was the company’s priority. “We are honored to host a world-class event in our country …” said Benjamín Salinas Sada. “We are convinced of the importance of taking this type of event to other locations within the country and thereby send a clear message: golf is not owned by just a few, it belongs to everyone. That is what we will always defend at Grupo Salinas,” he said.
Grupo Salinas owns TV Azteca and the Elektra retail and banking chain.
