The statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe that is in San Juan Cosalá turned 90 years old this December 12. Photo: Héctor Ruiz
Héctor Ruiz Mejía: Three thousand worshipers gathered around the statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the procession held in San Juan Cosalá, in the municipality of Jocotepec. Fatigue did not set in for the faithful in the procession for the annual celebration of the Virgin, accompanied on foot, with the float that carried the statue in its journey through the lakeside delegation.
Many of the faithful even made the procession barefoot and blindfolded as a “manda” to ask favors to the iconic image, or as a sign of their unwavering affection. A “manda” is a promise or vow made by the faithful to ask for a miracle to help oneself or a loved one. In exchange for the miracle, the petitioner promises to fulfill the manda by making an offering or a sacrifice like those barefoot and blindfolded.
«It is a tradition for people to make the procession barefoot and blindfolded for the manda, ever since the Virgin has been celebrated», explained the parish priest of the San Juan Bautista Church.
Thus, the 90th anniversary of the image of the Virgin of Tepeyac in San Juan Cosalá was commemorated to the music of ‘las mañanitas’ performed by the Mariachi Nuevo San Juan and the faithful who hoped, even for a brief moment, to get as close as possible to the statue.
This is one of the most important festivities not only for the country, but especially for the population of San Juan Cosalá, in which the Virgin has great religious relevance; «she is the woman who gave birth to Christ, the Mother of Our Savior,» commented one of the faithful who has been attending the procession all his life and reaffirmed his identity as a follower of the Virgin of Guadalupe or ‘Guadalupano.’
For one follower, Xochitl, it also represented a moment of hope, «since the pandemic we are going through a difficult economic situation, with many debts and other troubles. That is why I come today barefoot to ask the Virgin to give us the miracle to overcome these troubles», she explained while she was being led by the hand since she was blindfolded, and who had her feet hurt and covered with dirt from walking without shoes.
Another of the faithful followers was Anita, whose bent body gave away her advanced age and despite this, wrapped in her shawl and holding a rosary with both hands, remained walking at all times at the Virgin’s side.
«Every year we have come here to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe, and we will be here as long as God allows us,» Anita said.
Thus, the procession that began on the main street Porfirio Diaz and crossed the highway to return to the temple of San Juan Bautista, culminated with a huge mass in the atrium of the iconic church, where the faith of the believers was manifested in praises, songs, and applause.
Translated by Kerry Watson
Foto: Cortesía.
Redacción.- Cuerpo de bomberos rescató un majestuoso espécimen de Lechuza (Tyto Alba) en el municipio de Jocotepec. La cual se encontraba herida de un ala y tras ser capturada por el cuerpo de bomberos de Jocotepec, fue trasladada a la Dirección de Acopio y Salud Animal del municipio de Tlajomulco de Zúñiga para que fuera atendida de sus heridas.
La lechuza común (Tyto alba), también denominada lechuza de los campanarios o lechuza blanca, es una especie de ave estrigiforme perteneciente a la familia Tytonidae. Es una de las aves más ampliamente distribuidas del mundo, pudiendo encontrarse en casi todo el planeta, con excepción de regiones polares o desérticas, hacia el norte de los Himalayas, la mayor parte de Indonesia y algunas islas del Pacífico. El área de distribución de esta rapaz incluye los cinco continentes, en los que podemos encontrar varias subespecies.
Alfonso Hernández Barrón, titular de la Comisión de Derechos Humanos Jalisco, durante el acto conmemorativo, en el municipio de Jocotepec, el 14 de diciembre.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jocotepec, Jal.- La falta de protocolos que eviten la desaparición forzada de personas y la escasas políticas públicas que garanticen los derechos de personas con discapacidad, son parte de la agenda que durante los últimos tres años observó la Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos Jalisco (CEDHJ) en el municipio de Jocotepec.
Según el documento entregado a Semanario Laguna por la CEDHJ, de las 283 recomendaciones emitidas a nivel estatal, tres de ellas han sido para Jocotepec.
La primera, que se mantiene activa desde el 2019 y con número de folio 4930/2019/IV, señaló que autoridades municipales (quienes tienen a su cargo brindar seguridad a la ciudadanía), no implementaron acciones razonables para garantizar este derecho a las 31 personas cuyas desapariciones forzadas están señaladas en este documento.
La segunda recomendación, emitida en el 2020 y con número de folio 6431/2020-IV, indicó el incumplimiento de políticas públicas para la prevención de delitos de desaparición forzada de personas cometidas por particulares, las garantías suficientes para la búsqueda y localización de estas, así como la atención y asistencia de sus familiares.
Por último, la recomendación emitida bajo el número de folio 1817/2021-I, señaló el incumplimiento integral de los deberes y obligación del gobierno municipal en la elaboración de políticas públicas en materia de discapacidad.
Esto, se refiere a la carencia de acciones afirmativas a prevenir, disminuir y erradicar las brechas de accesibilidad, desigualdad y discriminación en el ejercicio de los derechos de personas con alguna discapacidad.
Así, bajo el panorama en materia de inseguridad y discriminación en el municipio de Jocotepec, Alfonso Hernández Barrón, titular de la Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos Jalisco (CEDHJ), se presentó el pasado 14 de diciembre a la plaza principal de Jocotepec.
El titular de la CEDHJ lamentó la situación en el cumplimiento de los Derechos Humanos en el municipio ribereño y recalcó la importancia de garantizar los mismos a todos los ciudadanos para una vida plena.
“En toda la región Ciénega, tenemos grandes retos en materia de Derechos Humanos y Jocotepec no es la excepción; por una parte, en medio de múltiples violencias, que termina impactando la vida de todos, aparecen las debilidades institucionales y la falta de conciencia colectiva para construir un mundo donde se respete la dignidad de las personas”, aseguró Hernández Barrón.
Por último, Barrón aseguró que, «el fenómeno de la seguridad pública y uno de sus rostros más fieros; la desaparición de personas, así como la violencia hacía la mujer y la discriminación” son los temas más urgentes, entre otros, y que la Comisión permanece en constante vigilancia.
Acto conmemorativo con motivo de la proclamación de Derechos Humanos, el 14 de diciembre en Chapala.
Redacción. – Erradicar la discriminación para que prevalezca la integridad y la convivencia sana entre los seres humanos, fue parte del mensaje de la presidenta de la comisión edilicia de Derechos Humanos en Chapala, María Isabel Mendoza Rodríguez, quien encabezó el acto conmemorativo con motivo de la proclamación de Derechos Humanos, el 14 de diciembre en Chapala.
“Necesitamos aprender y desaprender nuevos conceptos, dejar el egocentrismo para forjar la empatía y dejar la otredad como algo lejano y ajeno a nosotros, verlo como un individuo semejante para lograr una identidad individual, de esta manera ver que, lo que hago por el otro me lo hago a mí mismo”, ha dicho Mendoza Rodríguez, durante el acontecimiento realizado en el malecón de Chapala.
En su discurso, la edil fue más allá, invitando a dejar los prejuicios y hacer juicios basados en las apariencias. “Respeto a las personas por sus diferencias, por la variedad de formar de vestir, de pensar, de actuar de creer de ser y de vivir y con esto es un punto crucial para erradicar la discriminación…dejando a un lado los prejuicios sólo porque aquella persona es diferente”.
En el acontecimiento, Alfonso Hernández Barrón, titular de la Comisión de Derechos Humanos Jalisco, recordó la importancia de los derechos humanos y recalcó, la importancia del amor al prójimo.
Por su parte, el alcalde de Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel refrendó su compromiso de su gobierno para garantizar los derechos humanos de los ciudadanos chapalenses.
Sindicalizados del Ayuntamiento de Chapala. Foto: Archivo.
Arturo Ortega (Chapala, Jal). – El alcalde de Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, y el Sindicato Plural de Trabajadores del Ayuntamiento (SPTA) acordaron un incremento de 100 pesos para la caja de ahorro de los trabajadores municipales.
Los trabajadores, quienes de manera regular aportan 65 pesos quincenales que se les descuenta de su sueldo, incrementarán su aportación 35 pesos más, mientras el Ayuntamiento aportará una parte similar.
El incremento de la caja de ahorro que se incluye en el presupuesto de egresos del siguiente año aprobado por el cabildo de Chapala, significa que los trabajadores recibirán a finales del 2022 la cantidad de 4 mil 800 pesos.
Las aportaciones del incremento de la parte laboral y patronal iniciarán a partir de la primera quincena del mes de enero, mientras tanto; los trabajadores al final del presente año (2021) recibirán 3 mil 120 pesos por esta prestación.
Aguirre Curiel quien se hizo presente durante la asamblea sindical del 27 de noviembre, recordó que el incremento de la caja de ahorro de los trabajadores fue una de sus propuestas de campaña y con ello, los trabajadores laborarán de manera más comprometida con la ciudadanía del municipio.
Juan Cuevas Gudiño como representante del SPTA agradeció la disposición del alcalde por haber acordado el incremento de esta prestación, que desde hace varias administraciones se venía efectuando, pero que no se contemplaba dentro de las condiciones generales de trabajo, hasta que éstas fueron firmadas en el mes de octubre del 2019.
Durante la sesión de Cabildo del 15 de diciembre la regidora Verónica Torres Raygoza propuso, además de una homologación salarial conforme al cargo que ocupan los trabajadores, que la prestación de la caja de ahorro fuera para todo el personal basificado y no solo para los sindicalistas.
El síndico del Ayuntamiento, Gamaliel de Jesús Soto Pérez, externó que se giraría la invitación a la planta laboral de todas las direcciones del gobierno municipal, para integrar a aquellos quienes quieran participar de esta prestación y hacer el ajuste correspondiente al proyecto de egresos del 2022, aprobado en la misma sesión.
By: María del Refugio Reynozo Medina
Marco Antonio Solís says in the Hymn to Humility, that today is a day of celebration even in the smallest corner; San Cristóbal is a place in the municipality of Jocotepec and in this small corner, people gather around the statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
«La Casita», as some villagers refer to this place, is a small brick hut of about 5×3 meters, located at the crossroads at the entrance of the town; it was originally built so that people could take shelter while waiting for transportation. At that time there was no street lighting. Today, the gas station, which opened last year, lights it up along with the stalls selling handicrafts, fruit and alcoholic beverages.
It is past five in the morning, the mariachi band is about to arrive, while the hymns and songs to the Virgin of Guadalupe come out of some loudspeakers. About 150 people are gathered in front of the «little house of the Virgin». Arranged in rows of chairs, with coats, shawls and thick blankets over their legs, the people reverently look at the statue, the voice of Buki is heard again:
-Today rancor dies and forgiveness blooms… you are the land where faith is sown…».
The people here, in the cold, the hot cinnamon that they drink from the glasses and the sweet bread are their sisters. They are united by faith and fervor to the Virgin of Guadalupe; that is why they sent for the mariachi, to sing for three hours the songs of love.
The place is covered with multicolored Christmas lights that embroider the darkness like shining candies. On the ceiling, garlands of three-colored plastic flowers hang from the center to the ends. The place is now a burning chapel of supplications and candles.
«The flowers on the altars are your perfumed and colored thoughts,» Cura José Rubén López Barajas once wrote. One man sent the 600 roses today from Concepción de Buenos Aires, a couple of hours south in Michoacán. White, pink, red and lilac, they dye the frame of the brown Virgin.
Outside a large steamer boils over the firewood; on some tables rest four thermoses of cinnamon flavored with rompope, a drink combining egg yolk, milk, sugar, and alcoholic spirits used for many celebrations . There are 400 liters of drink and 400 loaves of bread to accompany the day.
A man is lying on one of the chairs, perhaps he is one of those who stayed up late, a group of the organizers spent the night awake to welcome the first minutes of the day and to take care of the cinnamon bonfire and the pot of menudo, which boiled slowly all night long.
The arrival of the mariachi revives the spirits and the faithful sing «La Guadalupana».
-The applause is for the artist,» says a woman and drinks from her glass.
Those in the vehicles passing along the road bow, make the sign of the cross, slow down and record or take pictures from their cell phones. The bus of the Sur de Jalisco bus line stops, passengers get off and the driver crosses himself.
José Luis Villa Jiménez is the organizer; he and Gonzalo Garita talked more than twenty years ago about how it was possible that «the Virgin had so many lights somewhere else and in San Cristóbal, there was only darkness».
Ricardo Amezcua was his first collaborator, they renovated the site and painted it.
Now, more helpers have joined; like the teacher Javier Osorio Rito, who is in charge of one day of the nine-day novenario; Eduardo Ortega Escoto who gives the flowers and the people who contribute with money according to their abilities. The expenses for this day average 30,000 pesos.
Supported also by his family, José Luis Villa makes sure that the cinnamon in the thermoses does not run out, that the attendees have a place in the chairs and that there is bread for everyone.
-We are poor, but blessed by her,» he says, referring to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
He feels grateful for life, for having her blessing.
-I think she follows me,» he says, smiling.
When José Luis worked in the Jocotepec City Hall’s Public Cleaning Department, a plaster figure of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared from among the black bags of garbage.
-It was just standing there, in the middle of the bags, it looked like new.
He picked it up and now it is also there on the altar, with a perfectly colored face and a profusely colored robe; it measures about 50 centimeters and still looks like new.
At eight o’clock in the morning the priest Carlos Enrique Medina Garibaldo arrives, accompanied by another priest Cristóbal Díaz Villalobos for the celebration. After mass, casseroles with food begin to arrive and people gather around the pot of menudo, meat in chili sauce and beans with cheese.
On the other side of the road, a man doesn’t miss the opportunity and sets up with a load of goats in a pickup truck to sell “pajarete” drinks with milk fresh from the goat served with chocolate, sugar, and cane alcohol. He ties the first one close to the tire of the vehicle and starts milking. A few meters away, a couple arrives and sets up with a stand of tachihual bread.
The wind blows cold, the decorations move and shadow the faces of those who are still there, now waiting for the next musical group.
Los Cadetes de Linares are coming,» says a man. And the Norteño band arrives, playing all the songs of Los Cadetes de Linares. La Guadalupana, mixed with Dos Coronas a Mi Madre, and No Hay Novedad.
-El Pávido Navido! shouts the delegate.
-I guess they didn’t know the Norteño song El Columpio,» says another woman.
And the songs continue to be played by the accordion at the stroke of noon.
The apparitions in Tepeyac
At the other end of town, very close to the shore of the lake, in the atrium, a woman recites a poem; it is Guillermina Garita Pila, one of the catechists of the parish.
«Juan Dieguito, my little son, I am the ever Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God and you are the most beloved son, the happy Indian Juan Diego like Juan of the Gospel. Jesus said it, the clean will see God, see God Transfigured and Mary in the midst of the sun, surrounded by splendors among perfumes and colors and in this moment of grace. Oh yes, moment of grace, you can hear thousands of hearts beating in Mexico and in the whole world».
Her voice is like a melody and the eyes and ears of the audience are set on her.
Around two o’clock in the afternoon, the catechists are gathered in the atrium of the parish for the representation of The Apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Each one organizes their pupils; the youngest ones are four and five years old; they are characterized as the main characters. There are about five girls with green cloaks and more than four boys evoke the indigenous Juan Diego. All are dressed in native attire and carry a rose in their hands.
The children’s actors get the applause and so does Guille, the catechist when she finishes in poetry:
«… Do you want to hear from your Mexico, the beating of their hearts?
Listen to them, here is our suffering, here is our pain, they are yours?
Our love is yours, our faith, our hope, receive them».
And the atrium is flooded with religious fervor.
Translated by Kerry Watson
By Leticia Trejo
If you are following this opinion column you may notice that I was writing about Physical Wellness in Part I, then last week about Mental Wellness in Part II and this time we finish with Spiritual Wellness. They say in some traditions that we are like an onion, made of several layers and that at the core of these layers is the great gift of BEING. And why is BEING a gift? Because the being is a free entity, the being no longer feels suffering, has no attachments, has no burdens, simply IS, and when you reach that state you live in what is known as joy and fullness, this is Spiritual Well-being. It is intangible, but it exists.
Being spiritual or having spiritual well-being is not the same as being religious, as the Dalai Lama states in one of his beautiful phrases: “I believe that the only true religion consists in having a good heart.”
I firmly believe that the onion layers exist in each one of us and the famous psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908 New York – June 1970 Palo Alto, California) expressed it very well with the Pyramid where he proposes a hierarchy of human needs, without which we could not live an authentic spirituality. His approach, in order of need, was as follows:
Physiological needs (food, sex, sleep, etc.).
Need for safety and security (income, place to live, etc.).
Need for belonging (social connection, family, friends, etc.).
Need for esteem and recognition (affirmation of identity).
Need for self-fulfillment (transcendence, positive results of their efforts).
Because of this hierarchy, we began these columns with physical well-being. It is difficult to reach self-realization when our body is sick, weak and vulnerable. The same is true when it comes to mental well-being, which is one of the great obstacles to transcendence. A confused mind, full of fears and doubts, does not transcend. But why should we seek spiritual well-being? Precisely because it is one of the great goals of the human being and one of the only possible answers to the questions: what am I doing here, what is my purpose in this world? These are questions that most of us ask ourselves at some point in our lives, especially when we feel empty and incomplete and have no purpose. We also ask it when our thirst for more success, more money, more partners, more of everything does not fulfill us.
Victor Frankl’s wonderful book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” unravels this mystery very well. Summarizing what is spiritual well-being we can affirm that: TO BE spiritual is to be authentically happy and capable of honestly practicing altruism and generously practicing solidarity. It is to feel real compassion for our fellow human beings and to see and treat ourselves and others with love.
This is an excellent time of the year to observe ourselves and recognize which of these basic needs we have met, which we have not, and perhaps discover what has prevented us from doing so. Hopefully we can dare to see those onion layers that keep us from reaching the Self and why we cannot experience Wellness in our lives (See the first column published on November 26, 2021: What is Wellness?).
Translated by Mike Rogers
State and municipal officials at the Tuxcueca vineyards. Photo: Ministry of Tourism of Jalisco.
D.Arturo Ortega.– The Lakeside municipalities of Chapala and Tuxcueca will become tourist destinations for wine lovers, says Xavier Orendáin de Obeso, the coordinator of Growth and Economic Development of Jalisco while he was visiting the Tejón and Cava Chalupo vineyards located in San Luis Soyotlán in Tuxcueca.
“We will promote the development of wine tourism in an orderly and sustainable manner,” Orendáin de Obeso emphasized. “We can have a united industry, we can have protected areas, and we come to ask for a vote of confidence. Opening these new opportunities for development is what moves us, and I toast to that commitment, that we can return soon and that we will see things accomplished. It is a privilege to receive your team, the secretariat and myself and all those who are with us,” declared the coordinator of Economic Growth and Development.
The toast was accompanied by the head of the Ministry of Tourism of Jalisco, Claudia Vanessa Pérez Lamas, as well as the mayors of Tuxcueca Luis Antonio Aceves García and of Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel.
Translated by Nita Rudy
Unionized workers of the Chapala City Hall. Photo: Archive.
D.Arturo Ortega (Chapala, Jal). – The mayor of Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, and the City Hall Workers’ Union (SPTA) have agreed on an increase of 100 pesos for the municipal workers’ savings fund.
The workers, who regularly contribute 65 pesos every two weeks by salary deduction, will increase their contribution by 35 pesos, while the City Hall will contribute a similar amount.
The increase in the savings fund, which is included in next year’s budget approved by the Chapala City Council, means that workers will receive 4,800 pesos by the end of 2022.
The increase in labor and employer contributions will begin from the first pay period in January. At the end of this year (2021), workers will receive 3,120 pesos for this benefit.
Aguirre Curiel, who was present during the union assembly on November 27, recalled that the increase in the workers’ savings fund was one of his campaign proposals, and says that it will encourage the workers to work in a more committed manner with the citizens of the municipality.
Juan Cuevas Gudiño, union representative, thanked the mayor for having agreed to the benefit increase, which had been taking place for several administrations, but was not considered part of the general working conditions until these were signed in October 2019.
The City Council’s trustee, Gamaliel de Jesús Soto Pérez, said that an invitation will be sent to the labor staff of all the departments of the municipal government, to invite those who would like to participate in this benefit, and to make the corresponding adjustment to the 2022 expenditure project that was approved in the same session.
Translated by Sandy Britton
Workers of the Municipality of Chapala during the collection of junk and tires.
Jazmin Stengel. – The Chapala Junk Cleanup campaign, which ran from November 29 in Ajijic and concluded on December 8 in Chapala, collected 37 tons of castoffs and 1088 old tires throughout the municipality. The purpose of the campaign is to prevent the breeding grounds of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, carriers of diseases such as Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya.
After the collection, the municipal departments of Social Development, Ecology and General Services expect in the coming days to sort the different materials and transport them to the respective recycling centers for processing.
The Social Communication Department encourages the community to keep their homes tidy, and to remove or discard containers of stagnant water, places where these insects reproduce, in order to help avoid diseases.
Translated by Sandy Britton
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