Small stores such as this have seen their extortion charges rise.
Extortion costs for small retailers have surged across the country during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an organization that represents their interests.
Pre-pandemic, extortion costs hovered around 200 pesos (US $10) per business, but shot up to 500 pesos minimum during the pandemic, says the National Alliance of Small Businesses (ANPEC), which estimates that extortion generates US $11.3 billion for criminal groups throughout the country.
“Extortion operates with total impunity in practically the entire country due to the growing wave of insecurity and violence … in the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán and Guerrero; Bajío; Huasteca, Rivereña Tamaulipeca; the northeast of Chihuahua to Mexicali, passing through Magdalena de Quino, San Luis Río Colorado, Navolato, Culiacán, Los Mochis, Tijuana, Rosarito; towns in Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, and near Monterrey; Mexico City … among others,” ANPEC said.
For small businesses, that insecurity means dealing with both petty theft and armed robbery while local and state officials demand bribes. But a “culture of not reporting” remains, ANPEC said, due to lack of trust of the police.
“There is a justified suspicion that [the police] are colluding with criminals in many cases, leading thousands of small businesses to close their doors, since nobody likes working only to have the money they spent so much effort earning taken away by people threatening their families,” said alliance president Cuauhtémoc Rivera.
Orca and its offspring feed on dolphin meat in the waters off Los Cabos. evans baudin
Orcas are known to be voracious predators, but not many people get the chance to witness them in action. So when photographer Evans Baudin not only witnessed a hunt, but also captured it on camera, he felt particularly lucky.
Baudin, the owner of Baja Shark Experience in Baja California Sur, was diving near Los Cabos when he saw a group of orcas team up to hunt and then devour a bottlenose dolphin.
“That lucky day, I was able to document a complete scene, from start to finish, of their hunting strategy off the coast of Los Cabos. It was absolutely amazing how organized they were to separate the dolphin from the rest of its pod,” Baudin shared on Instagram. “It seemed that every move of the orcas was planned long in advance, like a synchronized dance repeated hundreds of times and with surgical precision … The dolphin had no way of escape. The hunt lasted about 40 minutes before the group of killer whales could finally capture the dolphin and share it.”
In Baudin’s stunning photo of the events, a mother orca and its offspring share a piece of dolphin meat.
Orca diets depend on where they live, Baudin said, and Baja California orcas have been documented feeding on rays, sharks, turtles, dolphins and even whales.
The flooding caused billions of pesos in damages, the governor of Hidalgo said in September.
More than six weeks after severe flooding claimed lives and damaged homes and businesses in Tula, Hidalgo, and other nearby municipalities, victims still haven’t received any support from the federal government.
The lack of support has provoked “enormous anger and disappointment” in Tula, according to the newspaper El Universal.
Banners hung from homes and businesses near the Tula River, which overflowed, claim that “Tula wasn’t flooded, they [Conagua] flooded it.”
According to the federal government’s social programs delegate in Hidalgo, a census identified 3,000 people in 12 municipalities in the state’s south whose homes and/or businesses were damaged in the flood.
“Tula wasn’t flooded, they [Conagua] flooded it,” reads a billboard protesting the flood in Tula, Hidalgo. Miguel Martínez
In an interview with El Universal, Abraham Mendoza Zenteno conceded that no date has been set for when residents will receive government assistance.
There has been speculation that recently announced support payments of between 4,500 and 35,000 pesos (US $220-$1,725) will go to victims of the September 7 flooding but Mendoza clarified that that assistance is for victims of Hurricane Grace, which affected several states, including Hidalgo, in late August.
In Tula, flooding victims are fed up with waiting for government support that might never arrive. Consuelo Ortiz, whose home (which doubles as a shop) was damaged by floodwaters, told El Universal she hasn’t received any assistance from any level of government.
She said she lost everything due to water damage, and she is still cleaning up 44 days later. Ortiz said the six members of her household, including two young girls, are all sleeping on the floor on thin mattresses donated by a telephone company.
For her and her family the federal government has been a disappointment, El Universal reported.
“They’re fine – they have food to eat and somewhere to sleep, that’s why they don’t care about what happened to us,” Ortiz said.
The owner of a Tula locksmith’s shop whose business/home also sustained extensive flooding claimed the federal government had forsaken him and other flooding victims.
“[President] López Obrador said he would visit us … but he didn’t and he won’t. We’ve had a lot of faith in him, he’s a good president but he abandoned us, he failed us,” said Vicente Castillo.
“We lost everything,” he said, adding that the cost of the damage was immense. Castillo said his home flooded in a matter of minutes and was eventually inundated by three meters of water.
A nearby laundromat also bore the brunt of the floodwaters, which damaged washing machines, dryers, computers and other valuable items. Owner Yésica Ochoa Hernández said her losses totaled 150,000 pesos (US $7,400), but she’s received no help from the government.
She told El Universal she had to take out a 13,000-peso loan to repair two of her washing machines so she could reopen her business and feed her family. Like many other Tula residents, Ochoa blames Conagua for the September 7 disaster.
“We’re not asking to be gifted anything … we’re demanding that they pay us, that they provide compensation for an act that the government provoked, it wasn’t the people or nature,” she said. “Conagua must take responsibility.”
Mendoza, the social programs delegate, rejected claims that the federal government has abandoned Tula, noting that the navy, army and National Guard were all deployed to the city to respond to the flood. He also dismissed claims that Conagua was to blame.
“What citizens are asking is that another flood be avoided and we’re working on that. We have to provide certainty to citizens that there will be no repeat of this kind of disaster,” Mendoza said.
Mexican beer drinkers already have a special seasonal brew for Christmas: Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma’s Nochebuena. Now there’s one for the Day of the Dead too.
Rival beer maker Grupo Modelo turned to an iconic Day of the Dead flower in the creation of its new beer, Victoria Cempasúchil. The beverage contains marigold extract and comes in a specially designed can, created by Mexican illustrator Revost. The beer will be available throughout the Day of the Dead season, the company said.
Marigolds are traditionally used to adorn altars and graves on Day of the Dead, and have been used since pre-Hispanic times for food and medicinal purposes.
“This innovation will not only bring the flavor of marigolds into Mexican homes, it will also be a messenger, since a few lucky people will get to customize a can of Victoria Cempasúchil with a commemorative message to those who are no longer with us,” the company said in a press release.
Participants can submit their messages to deceased loved ones through a company website. Then 240 winners will be selected and their messages printed on special edition cans of the beverage.
The new beer celebrates 2021, a year of reunions, the company said.
“We all are coming out of a long pause during which we stopped seeing the people we love the most; now every moment is a reunion and Day of the Dead is the ideal opportunity [for those reunions], including those with people who are no longer with us,” Grupo Modelo said.
According to market researcher Euromonitor International, Victoria is the beer with the third-largest market share in the country. This year marks Cerveza Victoria’s eighth year of seasonal marketing campaigns.
Mexican and US officials met in Tabasco on Wednesday to discuss economic investment in southern states.
Southeastern states are looking for billions of dollars in investment over the next three years as Mexican and United States authorities seek to spur development and stem migration from the region.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier and governors of several states met with United States Ambassador Ken Salazar and representatives of U.S. companies in Villahermosa, Tabasco, on Wednesday to discuss a plan for the development of the region.
The ministries of Foreign Affairs (SRE) and Economy (SE) said in a joint statement that the “productive dialogue” set a goal of US $25 billion in investment between 2022 and 2024 “to trigger economic growth” in Mexico’s southeast, a region that includes the states of Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo.
“To achieve it, an action plan, which the Economy Ministry will be in charge of, will be established soon,” the statement said.
The SRE and SE said the aim of the meeting with Mexico-based executives of U.S. companies — Constellation Brands, General Electric, Fedex, Honeywell and Amazon among them — was to “increase trade and investment to inject greater prosperity into the region.”
“… At the same time, the governors presented a panorama of their states, as well as the challenges and opportunities to boost the region hand in hand with our main trading partner [the United States] and the federal executive,” the ministries said.
Veracruz Governor Cuitláhuac García said that migration is a phenomenon that poses challenges for both Mexico and the United States and creating a solution is a shared responsibility. Chiapas Governor Rutilio Escandón said his state needs more industry to create jobs and stem northward migration.
“… I’m sure that [U.S. companies] will be able to make good use of people who want to work,” he said.
Campeche Governor Layda Sansores called on southeastern states to work together to spur economic growth.
“If we formed a great alliance … we wouldn’t need anything from the rest of the country; we have water, oil, gas, tourism, culture and the generosity of our people,” she said.
However, Economy Minister Clouthier said the aim of the development plan is to diversify the region’s economy with a particular focus on the manufacture of products for export.
High-ranking Mexican and U.S. officials have met on several occasions in recent months, including at bilateral meetings in Washington D.C. and Mexico City.
During a visit to the Mexican capital in June, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said that Mexico and the United States are “embarking on a new era” in bilateral relations, and the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic partnership to address the lack of economic opportunities in northern Central America.
After another high-level meeting in Mexico City this month, the two nations proposed “a new vision of regional security and collaboration,” releasing a joint statement in which they pledged to take concrete actions to “protect our people,” prevent transborder crime, and pursue criminal networks.
Canada has issued a travel alert warning its citizens to avoid nonessential travel to parts of 13 Mexican states due to high levels of violence and organized crime.
Citizens are advised to avoid:
the state of Chihuahua;
Colima, except the city of Manzanillo;
Coahuila, except the southern part of the state at and below the Saltillo-Torreón highway corridor;
the state of Durango, except Durango city;
Guerrero, except the cities of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and Taxco;
Highway 45 between León and Irapuato and the area south of and including Highway 45D between Irapuato and Celaya, in Guanajuato;
Michoacán, except the city of Morelia;
the Lagunas de Zempoala National Park and surrounding areas in Morelos;
the city of Tepic and the area within 20 km of the border with Sinaloa and Durango, in Nayarit;
Nuevo León, except the city of Monterrey;
Sinaloa, except the city of Mazatlán;
Sonora, except the cities of Hermosillo, Guaymas/San Carlos and Puerto Peñasco;
Tamaulipas.
The alert also advises that travelers exercise a high degree of caution throughout the country, due to high levels of criminal activity and kidnapping. A separate COVID-19 advisory recommends avoiding all nonessential travel outside of Canada.
“There are identifiable safety and security concerns or the safety and security situation could change with little notice. You should exercise a high degree of caution at all times, monitor local media and follow the instructions of local authorities,” the website says of travel in Mexico. Ultimately, “the decision to travel is your choice and you are responsible for your personal safety abroad.”
Francisco García Castillo and Verónica Avana Trejo's Nutella-filled pan de muerto is a decadent Puebla variant. photos by Joseph sorrentino
In October, pan de muerto — bread of the dead — starts showing up in panaderías (bakeries) and market stalls all across Mexico. Although it’s an integral part of the ofrendas — offerings made on altars in homes and atop graves in cemeteries during Day of the Dead ceremonies on November 1 and 2 — it’s so good, it’s consumed by the living as soon as it appears.
The origins of Day of the Dead stretch back millennia, with roots in pre-Hispanic Nahua civilizations, which include the Mexica (Aztecs), Toltecs, Xochimilca and Acolhua. For them, death was seen as a natural part of life, and the dead were still considered part of the community.
During specific times, they believed, the dead were able to return to the earth briefly. That belief continues to this day across Mexico.
Rather than being feared, the departed are welcomed and offered the food, drink and music they enjoyed in life. Although the ceremonies differ from region to region, there’s one constant: pan de muerto, a sweet yeast bread.
Francisco García Castillo and Verónica Avana Trejo, a husband-and-wife team, start making their pan de muerto in early October and can be found working in their panadería in Chipilo, Puebla, a little past dawn every day. The bread they make is one that’s the most familiar in Mexico: it has a round base that represents a skull and two strips across the top that are shaped to look like bones.
San Gregorio Atlapulco baker Eva Chapa makes two less common versions of the bread: blood-red golletes, left, and pretzel-like alamar, center.
The recipe they use, said García, is special. “This recipe is only used for pan de muerto,” he explained while mixing the ingredients for the dough. “It is exclusive for that.”
Avana asked that I not reveal the exact recipe, but she did point out the most important ingredient: a flavoring called esencia naranja oleosa — an orange flavored oil. “This flavoring is important for pan de muerto,” she said. “If there is no flavoring, it is not pan de muerto. It is the essence of pan de muerto.”
García sits on a stool and watches intently as the ingredients are mixed in an industrial machine. At various times, he removes a small sample and rolls it in his hands. “When the dough does not stick to my hands, it is ready,” he said.
Once it is, it’s set on a worktable and left to rise. When García determines that the dough is high enough, he cuts it into small sections and rolls it into little balls. Nearby, Avana mixes the dough that they will use to make the bones. García pats the balls flat with his hand and then places the bones on top.
Although the couple’s breads are all the same shape, the ones they sell have three different flavors: ajojonolí is sprinkled with sesame seeds before baking. The azucar flavor is slathered with melted butter after baking and then rolled in a generous amount of sugar. A third one contains the chocolate and hazelnut spread Nutella.
To make that one, García puts a generous spoonful of Nutella into a dozen of the unbaked rolls and then covers them with melted butter and sugar after baking. “Nutella,” he said, “is the most popular. It is something that is more or less only done in Puebla, although it is also popular in Mexico City.”
He then bakes the bread at 180 C for 13 minutes. The rolls emerge from the oven a lovely golden brown.
Interestingly, García said that he once tried making the bread in June but didn’t like the results. “The flavor was not the same,” he said. “It changed a lot. I used the same recipe, no changes. I think the difference is the time of year. This time of year, the flavor is much better.”
There are reportedly more than 900 versions of pan de muerto found across the country.
Eva Chapa sells three versions in San Gregorio Atlapulco, a pueblo in the Xochimilco borough of Mexico City, where she’s had a stand at the local market for over 20 years. She uses recipes handed down through her family for generations, ones she regards as special. “They are only used for pan de muerto,” she said. “Each family has its own recipe.”
In addition to a pan de muerto that’s the same shape as the ones sold by García and Avana, Chapa sells two other versions of the bread. The golletes looks like a large donut and is covered with sugar that is dyed red.
“The gollete symbolizes the skulls of Aztec sacrificial victims,” said Javier Márquez Juárez, who has extensively studied pre-Hispanic cultures. “The hole in the middle represents the hole in skulls through which a stick was placed before they were hung on a wall called a tzompantli, which was located in the Templo Mayor [in what is now Mexico City]. The red sugar represents their blood.”
Chipilo, Puebla, baker Francisco Garcia Castillo places the dough “bones” characteristic of Day of the Dead bread.
A third variety Chapa offers is called alamar. It’s pretzel-shaped and, according to Márquez, made to look like the designs found on the traditional clothing of a charro, a Mexican cowboy.
In addition to differences in the recipes and shapes for pan de muerto, there are other regional differences.
The Tecalo family panadería, also located in San Gregorio Atlapulco, is a popular choice for buying pan de muerto and is incredibly busy in October. Although there’s no way to tell how many breads they’ll eventually churn out, they do know that they use almost 4,400 pounds of flour and 20,000 eggs to make their bread.
Like other panaderías, they use a unique family recipe. “I learned how to make it from my grandparents,” said Imelda Tecalco Sandoval.
They also use a special flour. “We do not use this flour for other breads,” said Ludwig Tecalco. “It has a different flavor.” Customers can request their bread to be made with different ingredients like pecans, raisins or almonds.
While the majority of panaderías, especially those in cities, now use gas ovens — which are more easily regulated — ones in smaller, more indigenous pueblos often don’t. “We use wood in the stove because it is more traditional,” said Violeta Guzmán, who works in her small, family-run panadería in Santa Ana Tlacotenco, in the Milpa Alta borough of Mexico City. “Also, it gives the bread a better flavor.”
Agustín Melo, whose panadería is also in Santa Ana Tlacotenco, bakes very traditionally. He uses a recipe he learned from his grandparents, makes his pan de muerto with flour he doesn’t use for any other breads or pastries and bakes it in a wood-fired oven.
Like all the other bakers interviewed for this article, his bread will only be available until November 1 and won’t reappear until next October.
When asked why, he said simply: “It is because we respect the traditions of our ancestors.”
There was an average of 307 COVID deaths reported every day over the past week. Reuters said the daily average has declined by more than 230 over the past three weeks and is currently just 18% of its pandemic peak.
Mexico’s accumulated case tally rose to 3.76 million on Tuesday while the official death toll increased to 284,925. There are 32,816 estimated active cases across the country.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell said Tuesday that case numbers have been on the wane for 11 weeks.
“… The incidence of cases is now lower than at the lowest point between the first and second waves,” he said, adding that if the reduction in case numbers is maintained, Mexico will reach the “absolute lowest point of the epidemic” next week, even though infections will presumably still be higher than in the early days of the pandemic.
“Less than 1% of estimated [total] cases are active cases,” the coronavirus point man said.
He also said hospitalizations have decreased, adding that the number of patients currently in hospital is 81% lower than the pandemic peak. While case numbers were higher during the third wave than during the second, hospitalizations were much lower, the deputy minister said.
The majority of cases during the delta variant-driven third wave were among younger people who were less likely to be vaccinated but also less susceptible to serious disease. Most young people have now had at least one shot as Mexico nears the conclusion of its vaccine rollout.
The Health Ministry reported Tuesday that 77% of adults have had at least one shot. A total of 69.3 million people have been vaccinated, it said, adding that 51.5 million are fully vaccinated.
Mexico’s approach contrasts sharply with that of the United States, where vaccines are available to youths 12 and over and the Biden administration intends to offer the Pfizer shot to children aged 5 to 11 if it’s approved by U.S. drug regulators.
The White House said Wednesday that it will make vaccination convenient, easily accessible and free for kids aged 5 to 11 if the Pfizer shot is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Mexico's pavilion in Dubai seen as opportunity to show off Mexico's cultural wealth.
One of Mexico’s objectives at the world expo currently being held in Dubai is to broaden people’s perception of the country, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Tuesday.
He lamented that Mexico is best known internationally for its portrayal in television series that focus on the lives of drug traffickers such as Narcos México and El Chapo.
But Mexico’s participation at Expo 2020 Dubai, which began October 1 and will run through March 31, gives the country the opportunity to show off its cultural wealth, Ebrard told an event at which the program of events to take place at the Mexican Pavilion was presented.
“We can go to the other stands and defend, promote and publicize the interests of Mexico. What are they? First, its image,” he added.
Ebrard claimed that out of every 3,000 people who visit the Mexican pavilion, 2,900 or “maybe more” will only know about Mexico through “narco series.”
“They have no idea what Mexico [really] is,” the foreign minister said. “… The Dubai World Expo represents a unique opportunity to promote Mexico to faraway countries,” he said.
“We’re going to be able to be in contact with 100 countries where we don’t even have an embassy, … a lot can be achieved for Mexico.”
It wasn’t the first time that Ebrard has bemoaned the negative portrayal of Mexico by narco-related television series.
“Today the image of Mexico that is seen in almost the whole world is from narco series or similar [shows],” Ebrard said in 2019.
“I tell you this because prime ministers, high-ranking officials and representatives from the whole world have spoken to me about it and that [image] doesn’t do us justice.”
The Foreign Ministry said in a press release just before the start of the Dubai Expo that the Mexico Pavilion – known as the Weaving Life Pavilion because its exterior design was inspired by Mexican fabrics – “will have spaces that connect history, modern times and a proposal for the future of the country.”
“The pavilion has an area of 900 square meters divided into three levels to carry out cultural activities, and promote SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] investment and Mexican cuisine,” it said.
Numerous artists will present their work in the pavilion and singers such as Lila Downs, Natalia Lafourcade and Javier Camarena will offer performances.
The president issued a warning to parents about video games and violence. deposit photos
The strategy employed by a cartel to recruit teenagers through a video game was explained at President López Obrador’s Wednesday morning news conference where, for the second time this week, the president warned of the dangers of allowing children to play with Nintendo games.
Three 11 to 14-year-old boys were rescued on October 9 in Oaxaca after being taken hostage by affiliates of the Tamaulipas based Northeast Cartel. They had been lured by offers of lucrative work via the shooter video game Free Fire.
The cartel planned to send the boys from Tlacolula de Matamoros, about 30 kilometers from Oaxaca city, to Monterrey, Nuevo León, to employ them as “hawks,” or cartel lookouts. One of the boys left a letter to his parents telling them not to worry because he had gone to work in Monterrey and would send lots of money.
Deputy Security Minister Ricardo Mejía Berdeja explained the pertinence of the case. “This case is important … it intertwines the virtual world with the real world because criminals carried out their criminal activities through online multiplayer games and social networks,” he said.
Mejía detailed how the events unfolded: a cartel affiliate acting under the name “Rafael” communicated with one of the youths through Free Fire in August. He pretended to be the same age and to share the same interests. The youth added him on Facebook, and later gave him his cell phone number.
After the pair continued to communicate through Facebook and WhatsApp “Rafael” offered the youth 8,000 pesos per fortnight (about US $400) to work as a hawk in Monterrey. He credited the offer with the youth’s obvious fondness for weapons, and assured him that he would earn a lot of money.
The youth accepted the offer and invited two school friends to join him, informing “Rafael” that they would like to replicate the deal. They were told to contact a woman and were sent money for their bus tickets to Oaxaca city.
On arrival, they were bought bus tickets with false identity numbers and taken to an address in the east of Oaxaca city, where they were later rescued.
Mejía provided a warning, due to the ease with which Free Fire can be accessed: “It is … downloaded from any mobile device for free and has a high content of violence … currently this game has 80 million users worldwide … without any real restrictions.”
He added that the internet offers a host of dangers, which need to be negotiated. “These are the risks of the internet, the accessibility to a series of platforms without any control … criminal infiltration, the attempted recruitment or recruitment, imposing stereotypes such as narcoculture, addiction to easy money, overvaluation of economic capacity, normalization of violence, bullying, xenophobia, the risk of cyberbullying, early sexualization, anxiety disorders and neuropsychiatric implications,” he said.
President López Obrador criticized parents for entertaining their children with Nintendo and other video games, warning exposure to them could lead to violence and calling them harmful.
![“Tula wasn't flooded, they [Conagua] flooded it," reads a billboard protesting the flood in Tula, Hidalgo.](https://mexiconewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/tula-no-se-inundo.jpg)
