Mexico shone at this year’s World Youth Archery Championship in Wroclaw, Poland, bringing home three gold medals.
Selene Rodríguez claimed first place in the under-18 compound category, attending her first international competition. She beat Priya Gurjar of India 139-136.
“[I’m] very excited, it’s something I’ve never felt before. I’ve never been a world champion,” Rodríguez said.
In the final against Gurjar, each archer scored 28 points before Rodríguez took a three-point lead over her opponent in the second final. All of her arrows except one landed in the yellow bullseye.
Mexico’s under-21 compound women’s team, composed of Dafne Quintero, Mariana Bernal and Astrid Alanis, also took home gold after beating the Russian team.
On the men’s side, Mexico racked up another win thanks to the under-21 men’s team, made up of Rodrigo Olvera, Sebastián García y Luis Lezama, who won 230-229 against Turkey.
Sharks attack a body floating 124 kilometers north of Progreso.
A body was sighted Friday floating in the ocean 124 kilometers north of Progreso, Yucatán, near Isla Pérez. But before officials could recover the cadaver, it was devoured by sharks.
The body, which was in a state of decomposition and missing its legs, was first spotted by fishermen, who reported the finding to the Yucalpetén naval base. The navy informed the state Ministry of Public Security, which dispatched a team to recover the body.
However, before the team could do so, sharks attacked it and pulled it under the water, which SSP officials recorded on video. They were able to recover some body parts, giving them hints to the man’s identity.
From what officials could see, the body was that of a bearded man with tattoos. Though no fishermen have been reported missing in the area, the body was presumed to belong to a fisherman who fell overboard three days ago, according to rumor.
Violators of traffic laws learn about traffic safety.
The Mexico City Ministry of Transportation (Semovi) had a record-setting attendance at its “bikeschool” in July with 1,278 participants, motorists who had been sanctioned for violating traffic laws.
The bicycle education program is part of the city’s system of consequences for drivers who break the rules of the road. It seeks to raise awareness of the needs of cyclists and pedestrians, and provide information regarding the responsibilities of drivers.
Vehicles begin with 10 points (associated with the license plate number) which they can lose by breaking the speed limit, driving the wrong way down one-way streets, venturing into areas designated for bicyclists and motorcycles, or using cellphones while driving, among other infractions. A vehicle owner who loses five points gets two warnings then must take online safety courses.
If they continue to lose points, the driver then has to attend the one-hour “bikeschool” course. There, students learn about transit rules and put themselves in the place of cyclists, learning about the risks of the road, bicycle hand signals, and more.
“They explain to us the importance of driving and how to coexist with cyclists. They really do teach us. You always have to try to respect everyone … It’s time to be more careful with the speed limit and be more observant of the car’s surroundings,” Leonardo Rivera said of his experience in the class.
The class seems to have the desired effect: the course has reduced repeat law-breaking by 24%, according to course director Fernanda Rivera.
“The ‘bikeschool’ seeks to create sensitivity, above all in the people who have committed an infraction. We teach them about the rights that cyclists have but most importantly, about the way they must drive to guarantee our safety,” she said.
However, the school hasn’t yet managed to change a dangerous trend in transit deaths. According to Semovi, there was an 80% increase in the number of cyclists killed on the road in 2020. And in the first trimester of this year, deaths have doubled.
One “bikeschool” participant suggest that drivers should take the class before they commit an infraction, rather than after.
“It’s very useful,” Ricardo Orozco said. “I think the majority of drivers should take it.”
A large crowd was in the zócalo Friday evening to watch the new multimedia show.
Mexico City’s central square was the scene Friday of the first showings of “Luminous Memory,” a multimedia show celebrating the history of Tenochtitlán on the 500th anniversary of its fall, in a ceremony led by President López Obrador and Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum.
Thousands of people attended the opening night and again on Saturday, but few paid any regard to social distancing measures being promoted to curb the third wave of the coronavirus. Mayor Sheinbaum confirmed that there was an overflow crowd but observed it was fortunate that the event was held outdoors where there was a reduced risk of contagion.
The show, which is part of the government-organized commemoration “500 years of indigenous resistance,” will be shown nightly at 8:30, 9 and 9:30 p.m. until September 1.
A replica of the Templo Mayor serves as the backdrop for the 15-minute show, with images projected on the pyramid’s four sides. The show recounts the legend of the founding of Tenochtitlán, capital of the Aztec empire and precursor to Mexico City, including how the god Huitzilopochtli ordered the Aztecs to build a city in the place where they found an eagle eating a serpent atop a cactus. It goes on to depict the cultural and economic development of the war-like Aztecs, the arrival of Hernán Cortés and his Spanish soldiers, and the eventual fall of the Aztec capital.
To see the show, spectators can enter via the avenues 20 de Noviembre, 6 de Septiembre, Francisco I. Madero and 5 de Mayo. The exits are via Pino Suárez, 5 de Febrero and Tacuba.
The spectacle can also be seen on the city’s Capital 21 television station at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., or online.
The city government has also installed dramatic decorative lighting on the buildings of zócalo, as well as displays in Paseo de la Reforma and three screens on the street 16 de Septiembre, the Plaza del Empedradillo and the intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and Insurgentes. The lights show the glowing image of Quetzalcóatl, the feathered serpent god, as well as other figures from Aztec mythology and Mexican history.
The city government asked that spectators wear a face mask covering both the nose and mouth, use hand gel frequently and bring a raincoat rather than an umbrella, so as to not block the view.
One of the motorcycles after Sunday's series of accidents.
A series of four related accidents that left seven people dead and at least 15 injured on the Mexico-Cuernavaca toll highway Sunday were likely caused by extreme speeding, the federal highways agency (Capufe) said.
In total 13 motorcycles, two tractor-trailers, a white pickup truck and at least 12 other vehicles were involved in the crashes which closed the highway for five hours in the direction of Morelos.
The first crash occurred when a motorcycle crashed at full speed into the back of a pickup truck that had stopped in the middle of the highway after traffic had backed up and come to a halt.
That caused the second accident: another motorcyclist tried to brake about 500 meters farther up the highway so he and his passenger could help their fellow riders. The rider lost control and crashed into a vehicle, flying five meters before hitting the ground.
Moments later, another couple on a motorcycle lost control and were trapped under a tractor-trailer that could not brake in time. They were crushed by the trailer’s rear tires.
The crashes caused a pileup which left another15 people injured. Seven were taken to hospitals in Cuernavaca and were reported as stable in the latest medical reports, according to the newspaper El Universal.
A motorist driving a sports car, Carlos Rosete, admitted in an interview with television channel ForoTV that he had been racing one of the motorcyclists shortly before a crash. “We came through the toll plaza and I came through next to the motorbike … we were traveling at 250 [kilometers per hour], we were running races … I lost sight of them and they crashed behind the white pickup truck,” he said.
Numerous comments on Twitter revealed that racing motorcycles are common on the highway on weekends yet there is no enforcement of speed limits. The limit where the accidents took place is 110 kph.
The president met Sunday with Durango Governor Aispuro, left, and Coahuila Governor Riquelme.
President López Obrador blamed corruption in the judicial system for a delay in a water project in Durango and Coahuila while speaking Sunday in Lerdo, Durango.
Pro Defensa del Nazas, an environmental group, filed a suspension order against construction of the project in the natural protected area of Canyon de Fernández State Park. A district judge gave temporary approval to the suspension on May 27 and a final decision on the project’s cancellation will be delivered by the court on August 23, according to the newspaper Milenio.
The judge’s action triggered a new attack on the judiciary by the president, who said the judicial system could not be trusted. “Do you think I’m going to trust in the judiciary? I’m not sucking my thumb,” said the president, meaning he wasn’t born yesterday. “Disgracefully the judiciary is rotten, there are honorable exceptions but judges, magistrates and ministers are serving groups with vested interests, which have a very conservative, ultraconservative mentality,” he said.
“If we had a reliable judiciary, I would say ‘no problem, we’ll go to litigation, we are going to show that there is no damage’ [from the water project] but … [litigation] is a delaying tactic and the work is not getting done,” he added.
Pro Defensa del Nazas member Rodrigo Meza said the law should be respected. “The president must be the example that the laws are complied with. The case is being filed because they violated some laws and regulations,” he said.
At the Sunday event, the president argued the project’s completion was a matter of public health. “It is harmful, it is very irresponsible to continue over-exploiting the aquifers and extracting water with arsenic, which causes cancer and takes the lives of children and adults. It is one of the areas of the country with more diseases of this type,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to leave any projects unfinished for the next administration.
The Clean Water for the Laguna project seeks to supply drinking water from the Nazas River and the Lázaro Cárdenas and Francisco Zarco dams to 1.6 million people in the Durango municipalities of Gómez Palacio, Lerdo, Mapimí and Tlahualio, and the Coahuila municipalities of Francisco I Madero, Matamoros, San Pedro, Torreón and Viesca. The National Water Commission (Conagua) predicts the investment will cost over 10 billion pesos (about US $503 million.)
The project could be completed by the end of 2023, according to projections, and involves building a pumping station, a water treatment plant, 35 kilometers of gravity-fed lines and 11 kilometers of pressure lines, among other infrastructure.
Durango Governor José Rosas Aispuro Torres and Coahuila Governor Miguel Ángel Riquelme Solís both signaled at the conference that the availability of clean water was a priority for the region.
View of sections of two murals: Vivir en el Universo Náhuatl (above) and Homenaje al Maíz (below) near the lookout point of the Los Jilgueros Ravine. Alejandero Linares García
Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos (Magical Towns) tourism promotion program has been a phenomenal success, introducing city dwellers to small rural towns. However, too often those same visitors don’t make it out of the town’s historic center.
Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo has found one way to entice them out and spread the tourism money around a little better.
Zacatlán de las Manzanas, in the north of Puebla, has been a Pueblo Mágico since 2011. Like many others, it is home to quaint houses and a massive church and monastery complex.
One thing that sets it apart is that it is home to a monumental clock industry, epitomized by the main square’s “garden clock.” But there is more to see on the outskirts of town, such as the spectacular Jilgueros Ravine with its waterfall.
Olvera is a member of a prominent local family and involved in many civic affairs. In 2014, she organized Zacatlán’s first Corn Fair.
Volunteer working on a mural panel. Small pieces of the image are laid out and temporarily fastened onto a mesh. Alejandro Linares García
Her friend, American writer and philanthropist Dick W. Davis, suggested a commemorative mural for the event. Olvera agreed, and the two arranged for American tile artist Isaiah Zagar and local volunteers to work together to create Homenaje al Maíz (Homage to Corn) in the tunnel that links the ravine’s lookout point to the road leading to the town center.
Olvera was nervous when the images made from broken pieces of tile, plates, glass and mirrors started going up on the walls, but it soon became apparent that the result would be anything but graffiti. The mural, featuring an image of the god Quetzalcóatl, was an immediate success.
Only two months later, Olvera recruited another artist from the United States, Trish Metzner, to help design and direct a new mosaic mural dedicated to the area’s apple farming.
The work is titled Los 300 Años de Ser Zacatlán de las Manzanas (300 Years of Being Zacatlán of the Apples), referring to the first recorded reference of the town having the appended “de las Manzanas.” Finished in May 2015, the mural contains eight apples, each with a natural, architectural or cultural element related to Zacatlán. It was placed on the outer cemetery wall by both the tunnel and the lookout point.
By now, Olvera was completely hooked on the potential of community-assisted mural art. She continued by commissioning the mural Vivir en el Universo Náhuatl (Living in the Náhuatl Universe) for the back cemetery wall.
The front walls next to the main entrance were treated to a series of biblical scenes, a suggestion from the local priest. Olvera says these projects have been “… like hugs from the artists to give warmth, color, love and life to our ancestors …”
Portion of 300 Años de Ser Zacatlán de las Manzanas mural. Alejandro Linares García
These projects also had technical issues that led to an innovation I have not seen anywhere else: the biblical faces required a certain level of realism, and the haphazard pieces that result in smashing tile and glass could not provide sufficient detail.
They found that by using end nipper pliers, they could snap off very small and exact cuts.
This technique has since been refined, and its possibilities are strongly seen in the series of murals that followed. After the cemetery, Olvera turned her attention to a small winding alley called the Callejón de Hueso (Bone Alley).
Believe it or not, even small towns like Zacatlán have their seedy sections, and this was it, despite it being between the historic center and the Jilgueros Ravine. The alley is bordered on both sides by two- and three-story houses with few windows, perfect for murals.
These walls have become a winding photo album, recreations of faded black-and-white photographs of Zacatlán in the past, with the title Zacatlán de Mis Recuerdos (The Zacatlán of My Memories). The change in the neighborhood is phenomenal. It is hard to believe that people once did drugs here late at night.
The murals have been extremely effective in leading foot traffic along the residential streets in town between the main plaza and the ravine. Because of this, small businesses such as restaurants and handcraft shops are opening in this area.
Heralding Angel from Vida Eterna mural and clock tower containing locally made clock. Alejandro Linares García
The old cemetery, which was all but ignored, has become another attraction. People have become interested in the old abandoned tombs.
The murals give residents pride because they now live among something truly special — something they themselves helped to create. Littering, vandalism and crime have gone down, and in more than seven years of community murals, not a single one has been vandalized.
Olvera shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. This year, she established the Casa de Vitralmuralista, an art gallery and workshop dedicated to this craft in support of current and future projects. Located on Callejón Linda Vista (near Porfirio Díaz), it is where the next mural project, México Lindo y Querido (Mexico Beautiful and Loved), is in progress.
This mural will highlight the regional dress of Mexico’s states, using even more refined techniques than what was used in the Callejón del Hueso project.
Olvera’s main role is logistics — recruiting people and fundraising. Donations are from private sources, mostly from Olvera’s very wide circle of contacts in Mexico and the United States.
The donations they receive include money, of course, but also tile and cement from both companies and individuals, often leftovers from other projects.
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When Olvera started, it was just her and some of her family and friends. Today, mural-making is part of Zacatlán’s culture, with residents and other participants showing off their handiwork to friends, family and the world, both in person and through social media.
• If you are interested in knowing more about or even participating in one of the mural projects, you can contact Olvera on Facebook or on WhatsApp at 797-976-0018.
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.
Got company coming? Whip up this No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake in no time!
We’re at the height of summer, and where I am, it’s hot. And I mean really hot!
I know some of you are in cooler climes counting your blessings, but having a few easy no-bake treats to add to your repertoire is always a good thing.
Sometimes it’s as simple as freezing leftover coffee for an added flavor and caffeine blast in iced coffee. You can do the same with any kind of agua fresca too and mix-and-match the frozen cubes with different kinds of juice. I’ve been keeping a supply of frozen grapes in the freezer, next to some homemade ice pops.
I have to thank my neighbor Julie for sharing the Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars recipe after ambushing me at the front door with a sample. So yummy! And so easy to make. They’ve definitely earned a place in my “forever” recipe file.
The 5-Minute Fruit Mousse, too, is exactly what it says. I was skeptical; how could egg whites whip when mixed with frozen-fruit purée? Well, they do — and it’s absolutely delicious. Use whatever frozen fruit you have on hand: berries, cherries, mangos.
Regardless of the weather, who doesn’t have at least a little bit of a sweet tooth? For all of us who do — but don’t want to turn on the oven — here are some quick and easy, no-bake treats you’ll surely enjoy.
No-Bake Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (Nabisco “Honey Bran” cookies work well)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar or grated piloncillo
¾+ cup powdered sugar
½ cup peanut butter
½ tsp. vanilla
6 oz. (half a bag) chocolate chips
Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a bowl. Stir until smooth and creamy. Pour mixture into an 8-inch square pan. Melt chips in microwave (50% power for 1–2 minutes). Stir; pour over peanut butter mixture, spreading evenly with a spatula.
Chill for at least one hour or until set. Cut into squares and try not to eat them all.
5-Minute Fruit Mousse
Egg whites are the secret to this creamy, fluffy fruit mousse.
2¼ cups (about 8½ ounces) frozen berries or fruit
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 egg whites
Garnish: Fresh berries, whipped cream
Process fruit in food processor or with a hand mixer to a rough puree, about 1 minute. Add sugar, pulse briefly to combine. Add egg whites; process 2–3 minutes until smooth, fluffy and doubled or tripled in volume. Scrape down sides if needed.
Spoon mousse into glasses and garnish. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator for up to 2 hours; it won’t hold longer than that.
No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
10 oz. chocolate cookie wafers
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
3 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup sour cream
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
Cocoa powder for dusting
Pulse cookies and granulated sugar in food processor/blender until fine. Transfer to large bowl; stir in melted butter. Firmly press into bottom and 1½ inches up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan.
Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Mix in vanilla, sour cream and melted chocolate until smooth.
Spoon mixture into crust. Smooth top with spatula. Chill until set, about 4 hours. Dust with cocoa powder, let sit 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Bark
If you prefer, omit the espresso powder.
1 (12 oz.) bag white chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. pumpkin purée
¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp. instant espresso powder
Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Using a double-boiler or microwave, melt white chocolate chips until smooth. Transfer half to another bowl. Quickly stir in pumpkin purée and spice until fully incorporated.
During these dog days of summer, the flavor of Pumpkin Spice Latte Bark will remind you of cooler weather.
Pour pumpkin layer onto center of prepared cookie sheet. Using a spatula, quickly spread into a thin layer. Place in freezer for about 10 minutes.
Set aside a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate for drizzling. Add instant espresso powder to the remaining melted chocolate and stir until mixed. (Granules won’t fully dissolve.)
Once pumpkin layer is somewhat solid, pour coffee layer over top and smooth with a spatula. Return to freezer for 15 minutes or until solid.
Peel from parchment in one piece. Drizzle with melted chocolate and break into pieces. Bark will soften as it comes to room temperature; keep refrigerated and serve right before eating.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
½ cup. unsalted butter at room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar or grated piloncillo, packed
2 ¼ cup flour
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup mini chocolate chips
1½ lb. semisweet or milk chocolate, chopped, OR equivalent regular chocolate chips
Mini chocolate chips for garnish
You can substitute piloncillo for the brown sugar in these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles.
Mix butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until mixture can be formed into balls.
Shape chilled dough into 1½ inch balls. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment, cover loosely and freeze for 2 hours.
When ready to dip truffles, melt chopped chocolate in double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Using a fork, dip each chilled truffle one at a time, coating in the melted chocolate and shaking gently to remove excess.
To garnish, quickly sprinkle mini chips on top after dipping. If dough balls become too soft as you’re dipping, return to freezer for 30 minutes to chill. Transfer to wax-paper lined plate or tray to set. Store, covered, in refrigerator.
For a slightly and inexplicably lower number of raised hands, who’s tired of people refusing vaccines as the delta variant spreads like wildfire in a crisp haystack?
It’s an especially maddening development to witness since our own vaccine campaign here in Mexico seems to be moving at a snail’s pace. In my city of Xalapa, we’re currently in the middle of vaccinating the 30–39 age group — they’ve had their first shot, but the second hasn’t come up yet.
They’ve all received one of the Chinese Sinovac shots which, according to the World Health Organization, has an efficacy rate of 51%.
Although 51% is certainly better than the zero percent that no vaccine at all provides, I so wish the authorities had made a special effort for 30–39-year-olds to receive one of the more effective ones. That age group, after all, are some of the most active in the country. They’re very likely to have children at home and parents that are still alive, as well as to be economically and socially active.
And when might the 18–29 group be up for theirs? Hopefully soon, but I fear that it won’t be soon enough to stem the tide of this extra-fierce wave blazing through our communities.
And while I don’t have exact numbers about who is refusing the vaccine as these campaigns go on, anecdotally I know of plenty of people just in my city.
Like in the United States, vaccine hesitation or refusal — which in practical terms have the same result — seem to exist in an odd place in the Venn diagram where “all-natural is always best” types (in that case, why ever go to the doctor at all? Illness and dying are natural!) meet the “of course it’s true; I saw the proof in a WhatsApp message that it’s a form of government control/tracking/intentionally weakening the population!” people.
Spoiler alert: they don’t need to put a tracking device in you; your phone is a tracking device, and a very precise one at that. It even goes into the bathroom with you!
Meanwhile, quite a lot of people are getting sick and dying. And while this virus started out most gravely affecting older patients with pre-existing conditions, the new delta variant is making quick work of younger adults, teenagers and children.
And now, after a year of saying “I really think we should have kids in school and just obey safety measures there,” I’ve felt myself slowly backing away from the schoolroom door.
Now that AMLO has finally said “open the schools back up!” — after not seeming to have noticed that the schools being closed was hurting anyone — I’m worried about how vulnerable children might be in the face of this new strain.
I don’t know about you all, but I’m feeling two things keenly: helplessness and hopelessness.
I’ve had my second dose now (Pfizer); most of my friends have had at least one dose. There’s no telling when my child will be able to get a vaccine, but something tells me it could be quite a while as the trials make their way toward FDA approval in a way that’s considerably slower than the ones for adults.
No doubt their intention is to pre-cancel the arguments of “well, it was just approved too fast!” so that more parents would be inclined to take their children in for the shot, but I wonder if that will backfire since it will be giving the virus yet more opportunities to mutate and really hurt children in worse ways.
So what do we do in the meantime? At the very least, most Mexicans are compliant about wearing masks indoors, and many even wear them outside. I’ve also seen people wearing them alone in their cars. (Why? Did they forget to take them off?)
This is all in stark contrast to my home state of Texas, where the governor has made it illegal for anyone to demand that others wear masks and where scores of sick, unvaccinated coronavirus patients are filling hospitals — including pediatric hospitals.
So Mexico’s doing a pretty good job at wearing masks in public places, and very likely much worse on wearing them when around friends and family. Hopefully, the U.S.’s donation of 8.5 million vaccines will speed things up, but will it do so fast enough?
A glance at my state’s coronavirus statistics shows what you might expect: the highest number of cases are concentrated in populous urban centers. This is partly, of course, because there are simply more people living there. But for that very reason, wouldn’t it be great if we prioritized dense urban populations for those vaccines?
While we’re at it, could we demand that those working directly with the public either be vaccinated or subject to weekly testing like they’re starting to do in the U.S.?
I’ve heard some people compare the choice to get vaccinated or not with the choice to go through with a pregnancy or not. “My body, my choice.” On vaccines, however, I’d argue that refusing to get vaccinated is very much not just about one’s own body; it’s about all the bodies around you; it’s about your community.
When we first started quarantining in March, I remember saying to my daughter that surely things would be back to normal by the summer. Then my prediction moved to Christmas and then to summer again.
This summer started out promising, and I was already fantasizing about taking her to school. Now we’re in a nosedive again, and there’s not yet an end in sight.
Please, everyone, get vaccinated when you have the chance to.
President López Obrador speaks from Chihuahua at Monday's press conference.
President López Obrador is man of conviction. He has asserted that no other Mexican knows the municipalities of the country as well as he.
He has strong evidence to support the claim: from 2007 to 2009 he visited 2,452 municipalities in the country which, depending on the count, could be the lot.
Never shy of a trip, the 67-year-old AMLO’s weekend had taken him to three states in as many days.
Monday
A change of terrain for the first conference of the week: the desert city of Chihuahua.
Governor Javier Corral confirmed strong progress in the state’s vaccination program, and added that 84% less state money had been used for public relations. But he conceded that homicide was flying high: the third worst in the country.
A journalist put it to the president that 90% of the state’s homicides remained unsolved. “We have to keep advancing, we are achieving it here in Chihuahua little by little,” he replied.
Challenged on the reopening of the U.S. border, the president revealed he would have the U.S. vice president on the phone that day. He said whether the border could be reopened on August 21 would depend on that conversation.
On the media, AMLO said the hardball would continue, while quoting and recalling a national and local musical hero.
“Even though they attack, attack, attack … as my little finger says: ‘no, no, no’ … Juan Gabriel grew up here … a genius, a great songwriter like José Alfredo Jiménez and Armando Manzanero.”
Viewers, journalists and politicians were subsequently treated to the song Déjame Vivir (Let Me Live) by Juan Gabriel and Rocío Dúrcal.
Presenters wait their turn as the president speaks.
Tuesday
AMLO’s pandemic point man Hugo López-Gatell was in his Tuesday spot: “Seventy-three million doses applied; 51.4 million adults vaccinated; 57% of the adult population protected.”
Next up was Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard: 3.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine and up to five million of the AstraZeneca vaccine had been promised by the United States. An in-person meeting was scheduled with U.S. officials for that afternoon.
Ebrard was pressed on the reopening of the U.S. border, but it took the president to concede that August 21 was looking very unlikely. In an aside, AMLO expressed his support for journalist Azucena Uresti who was threatened by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel on Monday: “I utterly condemn these threats. We are going to protect Azucena,” he said.
A journalist pointed out a different kind of conflict: on Friday the health minister had announced Mexico City was red on the stoplight map, but Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum later contradicted him, and said the capital would remain orange.
“It corresponds to the city government … it’s orange and that’s what’s happening,” replied AMLO, before rejecting “authoritarian” measures.
Loose lawmaking was a target for the Tabascan later in the conference. Constitutional changes on presidential immunity and the renewal of the presidential mandate were stuck on the legislative conveyor belt, and AMLO cried foul. “It’s with bad intentions … it’s deliberate … I have to say it like that because a lot of legislators don’t even know about it.”
Wednesday
Ana Elizabeth García Vilchis dealt fake news a firm hand on Wednesday. Contrary to media claims the administration hadn’t financially neglected science centers or Mexico City’s Templo Mayor, and there was no deal between U.S. suppliers and Gas Bienestar. The last one, García declared, was “more phony than a 2,000-peso note.”
Asked about his Monday phone call with Kamala Harris, AMLO explained the border would remain closed largely due to the delta variant of the coronavirus. He added that a joint plan for economic development, security, migration and Central America was in formation, and that President Biden would receive an invite to visit in late September.
AMLO’s book was in the editing stage, he said, and would be on the shelves in 20 days. “It’s going to be called A la mitad del camino (Halfway There) and it has four chapters … the fourth is dedicated to our opponents … you won’t get bored,” he assured.
What did the president make of the International Monetary Fund’s latest recommendations for Mexico? “They don’t dictate the agenda anymore … They haven’t taken responsibility for the recent [financial] crisis in Argentina … In Colombia … they recommended taxes be raised in the middle of a pandemic … the people went out ont0 the streets to protest … we are not going to follow those policies.”
One journalist grappled with the president late in the conference for his treatment of the media. “I don’t question journalists on the street, no, no, no, I really respect them … I’m talking about the big boys, the ones at the top,” the Tabascan affirmed.
Ana Elizabeth García presents her weekly press segment, “Who’s who in the lies of the week.”
Thursday
It was education, education, education on Thursday. In a first announcement, infrastructure for disabled children would receive investment. Deputy Well-being Minister Ariadna Montiel Reyes confirmed the number of children in the category: 852,312.
Education Minister Delfina Gómez declared it was back to school on August 30, and laid out a 10-point plan. The director of National Council for Education Development and the head of the SNTE teachers union both spoke to demonstrate their support.
Wikileaks returned to the table: in a previous conference, AMLO had called for the release of the organization’s leader Julian Assange, who is in prison in the United Kingdom awaiting a court verdict on his extradition to the United States. A journalist said the investigative journalism organization had released reports on the international far right. A group in Mexico called El Yunque, with ties to the Catholic Church, was co-opting young people into paramilitary activities, she said.
“When they’re discovered I think they’ll feel ashamed … It is something prehistoric, it’s a sign of backwardness, which has nothing to do with our times,” replied the president.
Friday
A new project directed to the poorest was announced. The government had decided to clean out the political pantries and give away unused inventory to 70 municipalities in extreme poverty in Guerrero, Oaxaca, Veracruz and Chiapas.
At the Tianguis del Bienestar, or Well-being Market, which will be taken to the communities, clothes, shoes, fabrics, toys and home utensils will be among the goods on offer.
Challenged on the return to classes, the president argued it was essential, and reminded himself of a song. “We have to face adversity, the ways of life are not as I imagine … Why don’t you put on that one?” he said to an assistant, and the Colombian vallenato song Los Caminos de la Vida (the ways of life) was played.
The road beckoned for AMLO: he would visit Jalisco on Friday and Saturday to address security and visit a dam, and travel to Torreón on Sunday to examine a water project.
Before tying up the conference, the president reminded the room of the day’s big issue. “Today is a day, master [poet Carlos] Pellicer would say, like a funeral. Today, August 13, marks the 500th anniversary of the fall of, the taking of, Tenochtitlán,” he said.
Shortly after the conference, he attended the zócalo to give a speech in commemoration of the defeat of the Aztec Empire by invading conquistadors.
