The volunteers place the sawdust in a four to five-hour day
By: María del Refugio Reynozo Medina
I do not know exactly when these walls first witnessed the hymns and songs of fervor to the Virgin of Guadalupe. My grandparents who were born here in 1917, had memory of it. In my town it seems that the whole altar shakes with the sounds of the band. Every December 30 after six in the morning, when the musicians sing the waltzes, pasodobles and the mañanitas around the dark-haired image that on the penultimate day of the year is still being celebrated, something happens in the hearts of those born here.
More than two hundred roses, carnations and chrysanthemums frame the image on a small platform. At four o’clock in the afternoon the streets are buzzing with people wandering around with a festive air.
Outside a house, a family prepares an arch supported by metal bars and lined with bouquets of fresh flowers and intertwined fabrics, as they drink from their glasses, chat and laugh. Two streets ahead, a man briskly throws buckets of water onto the swept cobblestone street. The scent of wet earth lingers for more than a block during my walk. In another house, a woman places a bouquet of flowers on a small improvised altar outside her home.
In this neighborhood that people call slum, black bags with garbage lie next to the streets. Other bags and boxes with garbage are at the entrance of the houses. In some of them there is a smell of decomposition. A woman says that the last day the municipal garbage truck passed by was more than seven days ago.
The sprawling garbage also greeted the passing of the image during the procession.
On Ramón Corona Oriente Street a group of people spread dyed sawdust to form a mosaic with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe and added bouquets of roses. The mosaic carpet covers about four blocks which have been closed to traffic by the organizers. The volunteers are armed with wheelbarrows, buckets and sacks filled with multicolored sawdust, and they walk through the streets embroidering the cobblestone street with wood dust.
On Porfirio Diaz Street, a group of young people and children assemble another sawdust mat with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe and more roses. A girl about six years old walks with a small bucket and sprinkles sawdust. On the corner, another arch of fresh flowers progresses. A man on the same street nails a canvas with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe to the wall, and places colored lights around it.
The mayor, Rosa Villa, sent for a tow truck to remove the vehicles that do not comply with the instructions to clear the main streets.
At six o’clock in the afternoon the first call is heard and people begin to pass by and head to the temple. There are women wearing blouses with ethnic touches, girls dressed as the Virgin of Guadalupe, children with blanket attire and tilmas with the image of the Virgin of Tepeyac.
At the front of the procession goes the dance, two young men carry a drum that they beat with force from time to time. Next, the group of dancers emits a sharp shout to then execute the series of dances of the ritual. The group of over 500 worshippers with their white flags is in the procession and at the end of the procession, the music band.
It begins to get dark and the faces of some pilgrims are illuminated by the lighted candles in their hands.
When arriving at the temple, the picture with the image is lowered from the platform and taken to the altar amidst the burning wicks and looks of fervor. The musicians enter playing the Guadalupan Hymn, the bright feathers of the dancers move to the beat of the drum and the conch shell and the faithful break into applause, some to tears.
The walls of the temple shake again and the image rests on its throne of flowers.
Translated by Sydney Metrick
At a press conference the Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the indictment of the parents of the child for the crime of parricide and homicide.
Editor. – The Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office held a press conference to announce that the parents of Angel Isaac, a child from Atotonilquillo, have been charged with parricide and homicide. The body of the one year old child was found inside a farm in Atotonilquillo, in the municipality of Chapala, where the child lived with his mother and two men.
First reports indicated that the child’s body showed traces of torture and sexual abuse, but the Jalisco Prosecutor, Gerardo Octavio Solis Gomez, attributed the cause of death to cranial encephalic trauma. The Prosecutor’s Office explained that experts investigating the case have ruled out any kind of sexual abuse. The parents could be sentenced to up to 45 years in prison.
In another case, an eight year old child was found dead on the night of December 31, at the corner of Herrera and Hidalgo streets. A woman has been arrested who is reported to be mentally ill.
Translated by Elisabeth Shields
The driver of the luxury car died instantly.
A fatal collision occurred on the Chapala-Jocotepec highway at the entrance to Canacinta in West Ajijic, where a Porsche was totaled after crashing into a heavy truck. The deceased is a U.S. citizen, whereas the driver of the truck is unknow, having fled from the scene.
The accident occurred on the afternoon of Thursday, January 6, and emergency responders arrived at the scene. Nothing could be done for the driver, who died instantly during the crash, so his body was collected by the Instituto Jalisciense de Ciencias Forenses (Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences).
The incident caused traffic chaos in the area, since the highway was partially blocked by the damaged black luxury car and the white heavy truck.
Translated by Colleen Beery
El alcalde de Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, durante una visita al Vivero Municipal.
Redacción. – El Vivero Municipal contará con una producción constante de plantas de ornato para embellecer el municipio durante todo el año, ello lo dio a conocer el alcalde de Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, durante una visita que realizó a las instalaciones.
A través de redes sociales el alcalde detalló que el proyecto de embellecimiento del municipio iniciaría por los camellones de la Avenida Francisco I. Madero, así como la Avenida González Gallo y Paseo Ramón Corona, en la cabecera municipal.
“Pedro Quiñones responsable del vivero me presentó proyectos a corto y mediano plazo para tener una producción constante de plantas que servirán para embellecer nuestro municipio durante todo el año”, compartió Aguirre Curiel a través de su cuenta personal de Facebook.
La visita al vivero acontecida el 5 de enero, también sirvió para supervisar el estado en que se encuentran las instalaciones, la maquinaria con la que se cuenta y la condición de las mismas, y contó además con la compañía del director de Parques y Jardines, José Luis Hernández y otros funcionarios.
El mismo día, el alcalde recorrió el malecón de Ajijic donde revisó algunas problemáticas del área, y giró instrucciones para atender y resolverlas con la finalidad “de que el municipio sea el referente de una ciudad amable, limpia y cálida”, escribió el munícipe.
José Guadalupe Dueñas Acosta rindió protesta como tesorero de Chapala por cuarta ocasión. Impresión de pantalla.
Arturo Ortega (Chapala, Jal). – Desde el primero de enero, José Guadalupe Dueñas Acosta funge por cuarta ocasión como tesorero de Chapala, luego de la renuncia “irrevocable y por motivos personales” de Jaime Nicolás Padilla Ramos quien se desempeñó en el cargo del 1 de octubre al 29 de diciembre.
El alcalde de Chapala Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel explicó que, Nicolás Padilla es persona de confianza debido a que trabaja en su empresa familiar desde hace años, y el compromiso desde un principio era para que recibiera la administración hasta que concluyera el 2021 y luego retomaría su antiguo cargo en la empresa para enfrentar una serie de reformas fiscales que se avecinan.
Alejandro Aguirre agregó que, tiene tiempo de conocer a Pepe Dueñas a quien eligió de manera personal como la nueva propuesta para tesorero y sabe de sus capacidades, además de que es una persona muy institucional, pero consideró sano hacer ese corte para que fuera una entrega a recepción clara, para ambas administraciones.
“Para mí es un orgullo y un privilegio la oportunidad que me brinda nuevamente el licenciado Alejandro”, dijo Dueñas Acosta quien rindió protesta como el titular de la Hacienda Pública Municipal durante la última sesión de cabildo que el Ayuntamiento celebró en el 2021, durante el desarrollo quinto punto de la orden del día.
El nuevo tesorero de la administración 2021-2024 reiteró que siempre ha estado comprometido con el trabajo y agregó: “sé la gran responsabilidad que implica la tesorería municipal y ténganlo por seguro que yo estaré enfocado a dar el mejor de los resultados”, dijo a los regidores.
“Sé de las grandes necesidades que hay en el municipio y yo siempre he estado enfocado a eso, a cuidar cada peso que ingrese a la tesorería y ser muy estricto también en el gasto, que se enfoque a cubrir esas necesidades y suprimir gastos innecesarios que no dejan ningún beneficio, esa ha sido mi carta de presentación”, añadió el Tesorero.
Por su parte, el actual regidor Moisés Alejandro Anaya Aguilar agregó que una de las piezas claves para una administración es el de la tesorería y la capacidad de Pepe ha dado resultados, por lo que le daría nuevamente la confianza a quien fuera su tesorero; finalmente dijo que independientemente de su relación, siempre estaría vigilante de las finanzas públicas.
Con anterioridad, José Guadalupe fue tesorero durante la administración que presidió J. Jesús Cabrera Jiménez (2010 – 2012), además de la administración que encabezó Joaquín Huerta Barrios (2013 – 2015) y más recientemente en la administración que dirigió Moisés Alejandro Anaya Aguilar (2018 – 2021) de las que no ha habido cargo alguno por parte de la Auditoría Superior del Estado, hasta los últimos dos periodos de la administración emecista.
Guadalupe Dueñas es egresado de la Universidad de Guadalajara en Contaduría Pública y Abogacía y cuenta con un despacho contable.
Ventanilla de pago en el Ayuntamiento de Chapala y contribuyentes a la espera de su turno.
Redacción.- Descuentos del 50, 15 y cinco por ciento ofrecerá el Ayuntamiento de Chapala para las personas que paguen de manera puntual el impuesto predial en los meses de enero a abril y el 15 por ciento de para quienes paguen el servicio de agua potable durante el mes de enero.
El Ayuntamiento de Chapala informó que para ello se han dispuesto cuatro cajas y cuatro terminales de cobro en las instalaciones del Ayuntamiento de Chapala ubicado en la Avenida Francisco I. Madero 202 y a través de una caja móvil que acude a condominios y cotos para que las personas no tengan que trasladarse hasta la cabecera municipal a efectuar sus pagos.
Al momento, aunque no se ha contabilizado cuánto ha ingresado a las arcas municipales durante los primeros días del año, la reacción de la gente para pagar sus impuestos ha sido buena y en los próximos días se espera activar una plataforma digital para que la ciudadanía que no quiera acudir de manera presencial a las instalaciones del Ayuntamiento, lo pueda hacer desde la comodidad de su casa, pero solo para el pago del impuesto predial.
De la misma manera, se informó que la dinámica de pagos ha sido muy fluida y acatando las medidas sanitarias vigentes para evitar contagios por coronavirus, por lo que las personas no tendrán que esperar mucho tiempo para poder efectuar sus pagos correspondientes.
Cabe mencionar que, los descuentos del 50 por ciento en el impuesto predial se aplicarán para pensionados, jubilados, personas con discapacidad, viudas, viudos y personas mayores de 60 años.
Al igual, el descuento del 15 por ciento se aplicará a la ciudadanía en general, que realice su pago predial durante los meses de enero y febrero y un descuento del cinco por ciento para quienes paguen durante los meses de marzo y abril.
Por otro lado, la aplicación del descuento del 15 por ciento, en el pago del agua potable aplicará sólo durante el mes de enero para los contribuyentes.
Los horarios de atención en ventanillas son de lunes a viernes, de las 9:00 de la mañana a las 2:45 de la tarde y los sábados de las 9:00 de la mañana a la 1:00 de la tarde.
Payment window at Chapala City Hall and taxpayers waiting for their turn.
Editor / With contributions from Jazmín Stengel. – Discounts on property tax of fifty-, fifteen- and five percent will be offered by the Municipality of Chapala for those who pay their property tax on time, from January to April 2022. Additionally, a fifteen percent discount is being offered to those who pay their potable water service bills during the month of January. The fifty percent discount on property tax will be applied to pensioners, retirees, people with disabilities, widows, widowers and people over 60 years of age.
The Municipality of Chapala, through its Social Communication Department, stated that four collection boxes and four collection terminals have been set up in the Municipality of Chapala facilities located at Avenida Francisco I. Madero 202, as well as a mobile box that will go to condominiums and ‘cotos’ so that people do not have to go to the municipal capital to make their payments.
So far the response to the tax initiative has been positive, although no official tally has been made as to how much municipal coffers have taken in during the first days of the year. In the next few days, the municipality expects to activate a digital platform so that citizens, who do not want to go in person to the City Hall facility, can pay their property tax from the comfort of their homes. The online option will not be available for water bills, however.
The Municipality says that the payment process has been operating very smoothly, and facilities are complying with sanitary measures to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. People will not have to wait long to make their property tax and water payments.
As noted, pensioners, retirees, people with disabilities, widows, widowers and people over 60 years of age are eligible for the fifty percent discount on property tax. A discount of fifteen percent will be applied to general citizens who make their property tax payments during the months of January and February, and a five percent discount will be applied to those who pay during the months of March and April.
The fifteen percent discount on payments of potable water bills will apply for taxpayers only during the month of January.
Payments may be made at the windows from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Translated by Rebecca Zittle
Pot with pozole cooking over firewood in the traditional way.
Jazmin Stengel. – The use of new technologies has led to the end of cooking over firewood. In the past, pozole was cooked for the whole block, now it is ordered to take away. On New Year’s Eve Chapala families still get together for dinner. On the one hand there are those who cook at home, but most choose to order something already prepared. The truth is that the flavor of the extinct pozole a la leña only lives on in the memories of the older ones.
About 35 years ago, when Lourdes was still a child, she used to watch the huge pots cooking pozole over the burning firewood. «All along the street there were bonfires,» she said, smiling and stretching out her hand as if pointing to something that has no end.
It was the older ladies who every year were in charge of cooking the traditional pozole, while the men were in charge of gathering the firewood and lighting the fire. The preparation began the day before, soaking the corn kernels so that they would swell.
“This practice kept the family awake all night, since the secret was to keep the fire burning,” stated Lourdes, who said she had learned the recipe from her aunts since she was a child. “Nowadays this is no longer done, now everyone cooks with gas, which makes the process faster, but it doesn’t taste the same,» said the cook.
These days, it is unusual to find families that still gather around a bonfire in the middle of the street as in the past when even the food and drinks were for everyone on the block. «You’d walk by and they’d invite you to stay,» Lourdes recalled with her childhood neighbors.
Most modern families now prefer the convenience and the comfort of their own home, making use of new digital technologies and ordering the family dinner to go.
Translated by Sydney Metrick
Truck in which the seven young people were traveling. Photo: Courtesy.
The year began with a tragic accident in the Jocotepec municipality that saw an 18 year-old young man dead and six others seriously injured.
The accident occurred on January 1st in San Pedro Tesistán at around 12:00 noon, and was so serious that one of the injured was taken to Guadalajara by helicopter with a fractured skull and fractured ribs. As of the closing of this edition, his condition remained delicate, according to medical authorities.
The red RAM model pickup truck, hit two other vehicles, then lost control and ended up completely overturned on the side of the road, said tone of the medical authorities. He added that the driver was one of the least injured and was assessed as conscious on the Glasgow scale (scale for assessing the level of consciousness). Since he did not have any type of Social Security (IMSS or ISSSTE) he was transferred to a private hospital.
According to unofficial information, the driver was in custody; however, no official statement has yet been issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Medical authorities one scene said that they did not have the toxicology reports on whether the alcoholic beverages was a determining factor in the tragic accident, since the Public Prosecutor’s Office has its own medical team to determine the possible causes and responsibilities.
«We were only in charge of safeguarding their lives; the Public Prosecutor’s Office will make causal determinations, including the injuries were aggravated by the fact that that some of them were being transported in the back of the truck», one of the medical authorities said, noting that. fractures in extremities, skull and spine were a common factor in these kinds of accidents.
The Civil Protection and Fire Department of Jocotepec has not delivered the report on the accident despite a request by Laguna.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
The mayor of Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, during a visit to the Municipal Nursery.
Editor. – The mayor of Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, announced during a visit he made to the Municipal Nursery, that the nursery will grow ornamental plants year-round in order to beautify the municipality.
Through social networks, the mayor detailed that the project of beautification of the municipality would start with the median strip along Avenida Francisco I. Madero, as well as Avenida González Gallo, and Paseo Ramón Corona, in the municipal capital.
«Pedro Quiñones, who is in charge of the nursery, presented me with both short and medium-term projects that will ensure we have a constant production of plants that will serve to beautify our municipality throughout the year,» shared Aguirre Curiel through his personal Facebook account.
The visit to the nursery, which took place on January 5, also provided an opportunity to review the state of the facilities, the machinery available, and their condition. The mayor was accompanied on this visit by the director of Parks and Gardens, José Luis Hernández, along with other officials.
On the same day, the mayor toured the Ajijic Boardwalk, where he observed some of the problems there, and gave instructions to address and resolve them in order «for the municipality to be the benchmark of a friendly, clean and warm city,» wrote the mayor.
Translated by Colleen Beery
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