In Jocotepec alone, 9,100 children make up the basic education payroll. Photo: Courtesy.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía – Not even one percent of children in the municipality of Jocotepec benefited from the Jalisco Scholarship program, according to personnel from the Jalisco Ministry of Education (SEJ).
According to the SEJ, of the 12,106 scholarships awarded in 2021, only 106 went to children in the municipality of Jocotepec, representing just 0.84 percent of the total support granted to the state. In other words, of the approximately 9,100 children registered in the municipality’s basic education system, only 1.16 percent had access to the annual support.
The educational authorities of the lakeside municipality noted that this is a troubling situation, because although no precise data are available, they know from experience that there are many children who need support to continue or complete their studies.
Part of the problem, according to the municipality’s educational personnel, is that a considerable number of the applications do not meet the requirements and so do not qualify for the support. «We try to check that all the documentation is in order before passing it on to the person in charge, but in many cases the parents have failed to provide even proof of studies or proof of address,» said the representative, who preferred to remain anonymous.
Not meeting the requirements is one of the main reasons why the applications have been rejected. «We help with the processing of a thousand applications, however, for various reasons such as non-compliance with the paperwork, only 100 of these are approved» he explained.
The representative also made it clear that the low budget allocated to education programs is an ongoing obstacle to providing adequate support to the children and young people who need it to complete their studies.
In his most recent visit to Jocotepec, Jalisco Director of Focus and Follow-up of the Ministry of Education (SEJ Fernando Lozano Morales met with municipal education authorities to speak about the situation. He acknowledged the precarious financial situation due to the federal budget cuts, but also reminded those present that Becas Jalisco (Scholarships Jalisco) is one of the few support programs to survive the cutbacks.
Furthermore, Fernando Lozano assured that despite current budgetary challenges, the amount allocated this year to the program will be triple the previous budget. This year’s goal is to provide access to funding for more families in a vulnerable economic situation in the lakeside municipality.
The Jalisco Scholarship Program was established as part of a strategy to prevent students from dropping out of school solely due to their families’ economic situation. The support consists of a one-time (annual) payment exclusively for children in basic education; funding is available for 1,800 students for the period January – June, and for 1,200 students for the period September – December.
Translated by Rebecca Zittle
The Señor del Monte religious festival has filled the streets of Jocotepec for more than 180 years on the third Sunday of January.
By María del Refugio Reynozo Medina
That time long ago, we could not even reach the threshold of the parish; Juan Pablo and I got lost in the human tide that swirled around the statue of the Señor del Monte. We were going against the current; after the rubbing of sweaty bodies in which we could even feel each other’s ribs, we returned to the little truck that had taken us there and was about to leave us. We could not see the Señor del Monte.
More than 20 years have passed since that day. Today, half an hour before the start of the procession, the atrium begins to receive the pilgrims who continue to arrive, but do not flood the enclosure. According to some parishioners, this year there was half the attendance compared to the years without the Covid-19 pandemic. Some five thousand people this year, according to data from the Civil Protection Office of the municipality of Jocotepec.
In the temple, the members of the honor guard are already behind closed doors preparing the Señor del Monte for his journey, as has happened every third Sunday of January for more than 180 years.
The Jocotepec chronicler Manuel Flores Jiménez, marks the year 1834 as the first occasion that the ancestors celebrated his «miracle,» then November 8, 1833, as the date in which they also congregated, to swear in writing to take him as the patron saint of their lives. In 1918 the oath was renewed.
The honor guard is composed only of men, all direct descendants of those who took the original oath. There are about 150; most are adults, the youngest is 11 years old. They are grouped by families, each one with a specific task such as organization, preparation of the image for its journey and care and custody of the patron during the procession.
Belonging to the honor guard is a privilege that is inherited from generation to generation and becomes a gift that arrives by destiny.
The men of the honor guard are dressed in white shirts, surrounding the image that has already been taken down from the altar, and finish preparing it for its procession. There are few women in the place; not even ten, they are direct relatives of the members of the honor guard. It was not until about ten years ago that women were allowed to enter.
The Lord of the baptistery is already downstairs, as his ancestors called him before he became their official patron saint, according to the records of the chronicler Flores Jiménez.
The Christ directs his gaze to the sky with half-open lips, has a sharp nose, beard and black hair. He has his arms extended on the wooden cross that appears to shine; that cross «morena de sol» as father Benjamín Sánchez calls it in the Romancero de la vía dolorosa, is bordered with golden rays.
The Señor del Monte wears a coppery cloth with rich embroidery, and on his head, a splendorous crown made of prayers always heard, because «this Lord is very prodigious.»
“I am one of his miracles,» says Manuel Ibarra, who emerged victorious from a cancer diagnosis. Before going to the hospital, he prayed to the Señor del Monte for his health and touched the body of the Christ figure with a piece of absorbent cotton, to carry it with him in the battle against the disease. That was 12 years ago.
Jésus Pérez is the grandson of Cándido Pérez, the latter was present at that historic oath and appears in a painting, «The Oath» which is in the sacristy of the parish. Now Mr. Jésus participates with his son Óscar Pérez and his grandson Alejandro Pérez.
Minutes away from the beginning, the bells toll with a festive flavor, a human fence begins to form and dozens of eyes look anxiously at the huge wooden door.
-Long live the Señor del Monte!» shouts a man’s voice, seconded by another female voice.
-Long live! ¡Viva!
The fervent voices respond and the door opens.
The faithful crowd moves to meet the crucified Christ. The drums of the dancers sound and the pilgrimage begins.
Leading the procession is a girl of about five years old dressed as a dancer, she emulates the steps of her elders and glides safely across the width of the street.
A man and a woman wear white t-shirts with «Danza por manda» written in black letters. With them are more people who dance throughout the procession in orderly rows. There is also the marching band, a young man on stilts who helps with the order of the walkers, and a mariachi band.
A female voice prays the rosary and sings over a loudspeaker from a cart.
Some streets are adorned with bows of red and yellow satin ribbon, also with arches of fresh flowers.
The Señor del Monte is carried by a guard of 20 men, one of them walks backwards, every so often along the way they are exchanged for another group of 20. Five guard changes are made along the pilgrimage, in total there are one hundred men who help carry the patron saint.
«Vivas!» to the Señor del Monte are heard along the route, tearful eyes seek the face of the crucified, there are many tears shed, many prayers in silence, which are announced by the tearful look of those who come out in their path.
Some people go barefoot and blindfolded; a line of men and women who advance kneeling in the opposite direction to the procession, go to meet the image, supported by folded blankets thrown on the floor.
Civil Protection officers watch over those who are kneeling and help them to get back up.
The khaki uniforms of the officers and their yellow helmets contrast with the brightly buttoned suits of the mariachis and the white shirts of the guardians of the faith.
The officers, the faithful, musicians, and priests all converge in an ancestral procession, dedicated to that ancient Lord of the baptistery who summons thousands because his presence radiates something indescribable.
Translated by Kerry Watson
Three dead after fatal accident on the El Molino stretch, this would be the third accident at the same point so far this year. Photo: Courtesy.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía: Three people died and ten were injured in the tragic accident that occurred on the El Molino stretch in the municipality of Jocotepec on Sunday, January 16. The Guadalajara-Morelia highway at kilometer 11, on the El Molino stretch, was the scene of the accident involving three vehicles.
The accident claimed the lives of a baby girl of approximately one year of age and a man of approximately 45 years of age who died at the scene; in addition, a woman died while being transported to clinic 180 in Guadalajara. Ten other people were injured.
Civil Protection and Firefighters of Jocotepec, with the same unit from Acatlán de Juárez, assisted the woman who was pinned in the compact car; who unfortunately lost her life during the transfer.
One of the injured lost her leg just above the knee, according to medical authorities of the Rafael Gómez Rodríguez Municipal Clinic.
According to the medical and Civil Protection authorities, none of those involved were from Jocotepec, they were all from Zapopan and Cerro del Cuatro in Guadalajara and they added that they were on their way to a baseball game.
The reason for the fatal accident is still unknown, Oscar Rameño, Director of Mobility of Jocotepec. The Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences (IJCF) is reviewing the accident.
However, according to Civil Protection authorities, the main causes of accidents, specifically in the El Molino stretch, are mostly due to speeding, since it is a drastically reduced stretch, causing drivers to lose control.
So far this year, as of January 20, there have already been three accidents, involving a dairy truck that overturned and a private van whose driver was injured.
Civil Protection authorities urged the community to take the appropriate precautions when traveling along the stretch and to respect the speed limits because «your life can be changed in a split second.»
Translated by Kerry Watson
Foto: El lago de Chapala. Foto: Héctor Ruíz.
Redacción. – El lago de Chapala ha perdido 16 centímetros en esta temporada de estiaje, informó la Comisión Nacional del Agua (Conagua) Jalisco.
El vaso lacustre se encuentra al 73 % de su capacidad, mientras que las presas cuentan con 87% de almacenamiento.
Patrulla de la Fiscalía del Estado de Jalisco. La fotografía no pertenece a los hechos descritos en la nota, la imagen se utiliza sólo con fines ilustrativos. Juan Gabriel R., pues contaba con un mandato judicial emitido por el Juez de Control y Juicio Oral del Quinto Distrito Judicial con sede en Chapala
Redacción. – Por los delitos de violencia familiar y lesiones calificadas detienen a Juan Gabriel R, informó la Fiscalía Regional.
El masculino fue capturado cuando se hallaba en la calle Francisco I. Madero y la calle Obregón en el poblado de San Nicolás de Ibarra, en Chapala y se le relaciona con eventos que fueron denunciados ante la Fiscalía en el año 2021.
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