Ciclovía a la altura de Villa Nova, al poniente de Ajijic se encuentra actualmente. Foto: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles.- En el transcurso de la semana se colocará la iluminación en la ciclovía en Ajijic a la altura de la calle Tempisque hasta Villa Nova, informó el encargado de despacho, Maximiliano Macías Arceo.
La semana pasada, personal de alumbrado público de Chapala acudió a la ciclovía en la zona mencionada para realizar el monitoreo de las luminarias y del cableado, y determinar qué material es el que se necesita.
Por su parte, la directora de Comunicación Social, Elizabeth Oropeza Silva, añadió que la dependencia ya se encuentra trabajando en conectar la luz y que los trabajos quedarían listos en el transcurso de esta semana.
Asimismo, aseveró que una parte de la obra ya fue entregada al municipio; no obstante, esta primera etapa abarca desde la avenida Francisco I. Madero a su cruce con avenida Hidalgo, en la cabecera municipal, hasta la carretera Chapala-Jocotepec, en su cruce con calle Tempisque, es decir, justo donde terminan las luminarias encendidas.
En redes sociales y en comentarios del día a día, son frecuentes las quejas de los ciudadanos por este motivo, preguntándose porqué se han tardado tanto con la iluminación de la zona, si la obra en apariencia ya está terminada.
Semanario Laguna realizó un recorrido por la zona, y se pudo observar que efectivamente está bastante oscura. Los ciclistas que transitaban la zona dijeron tener una visión muy limitada por lo que se sintieron en riesgo de sufrir algún incidente.
“Desde los tres puentes ya está muy oscuro y es peligroso, porque por este lado la gente usa la ciclovía como banqueta. Ni ellos nos ven, ni nosotros a ellos. Ya habido casos de que chocan las bicicletas con los peatones, pero no ha pasado a mayores, aunque podría, porque alguien por querer esquivar podría hacerse a la carretera y ocurre otro accidente. Ojalá que las autoridades tomen cartas en el asunto pronto”, compartió Andrés, oriundo de Ajijic, que con frecuencia utiliza la ciclovía.
La obra de la ciclovía está a cargo del Gobierno de Jalisco; su construcción comenzó en octubre del 2019, y la primera etapa que comprende 8 kilómetros desde Chapala y termina en Ajijic, se entregó en agosto del 2020 con una inversión de 58 millones de pesos.
Mientras la maquinaria se utiliza en la cabecera, las tierras ejidales se quedan sin poder trabajar. Foto: Cortesía.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía.- El Ayuntamiento ha acaparado la maquinaria pesada otorgada al municipio de Jocotepec para impulsar el desarrollo rural, denunciaron ejidatarios de San Luciano.
Los inconformes, quienes prefirieron mantenerse en el anonimato, aseguraron que el programa antes conocido como “Módulos SAGARPA”, ahora bajo el nombre de “A Toda Máquina”, se ha utilizado principalmente para proyectos gubernamentales de obra pública dentro de la cabecera y les han quitado parte del apoyo para el campo.
Aunque anteriormente se había firmado un acuerdo entre los ejidales y el Ayuntamiento para poder hacer uso de la maquinaria pesada mientras esta no estuviera en uso, no han podido hacer uso de ella.
“Nos dijeron que desde marzo ya está ocupada, que nos la pueden prestar hasta julio, pero en julio para qué, ya se vienen las lluvias, ya no podremos trabajar nada más que puro lodo”, agregó uno de los ejidatarios.
Además, aseguraron que la maquinaria se encuentra incompleta y que, pese a que el programa es «gratuito», siempre se les ha cobrado el diésel.
Fue en el 2019 cuando el presidente municipal de Jocotepec, José Miguel Gómez López, recibió por parte del Gobierno del Estado una moto compactadora, así como la retroexcavadora, un vibrocompactador, una excavadora y un camión de volteo por parte del programa A Toda Máquina.
No obstante, pese a que este medio contactó a Francisco Salazar Hernández, director de Desarrollo Rural, para confirmar la denuncia, el funcionario no se mostró disponible para contestar.
Este programa fue creado con la intención de impulsar el desarrollo rural, el Gobierno de Jalisco invirtió más de tres mil 600 millones de pesos para entregar a 121 municipios del estado alrededor de 641 máquinas, por lo que los ejidatarios exigieron solo poder tener acceso a ella.
La Delegación de Ajijic funge como caja de cobro del predial para facilitar el proceso a adultos mayores. Foto: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles.- Con buena aceptación, se realizó la primera fecha de cobro del predial en Ajijic; el pasado 19 de febrero, más de 50 personas acudieron a pagar a la delegación.
Esta medida se implementó con la intención de facilitar el pago del impuesto a los residentes de la población, especialmente para los adultos mayores, explicó el encargado de despacho Maximiliano Macías Arceo.
“Algunos adultos mayores, se les dificulta ir a Chapala, tomar el camión, llegar a la fila, a veces no escuchan su número y se les pasa el turno. Con los cobros en la delegación, es más cómodo para ellos, y no se tardan mucho en el pago. Llegan, se les anota y los pasamos. No duran más de cinco minutos en el pago”.
Además, el funcionario informó que el primer sábado que se programó para los pagos, llegaron al menos 50 personas a realizar la contribución.
“Hubo mucho orden, y llegaron desde temprano, aunque el inicio se anunció a las 9:30 de la mañana, a las 9:00 ya había algo de personas. Estuvieron llegando muchas personas a lo largo del día”, agregó
Aunque los temas de convenios se manejan exclusivamente en la cabecera municipal de Chapala; pero, los descuentos para adultos mayores o viudos se respetan y se aplican también en la delegación.
Macías Arceo anunció que nuevamente se podrá realizar el pago de este impuesto el 26 de febrero, además de que se espera contar con dos fechas más en marzo.
Habitantes de Ajijic consultados por Semanario Laguna confirmaron que la medida ha sido favorable para las personas mayores, e incluso le simplifica el proceso a la población en general.
“De la forma en la que se organiza aquí es más rápido y fácil que en Chapala. Allá, suele tomar toda la mañana ir a hacer el pago, pero aquí, solo es organizarte el sábado, y acabar ese pendiente en menos de media hora. Ojalá se siga haciendo este año, y también los próximos”, comentó Blanca.
Las próximas fechas de cobro se anunciarán por medio de la página en Facebook “Delegación Ajijic 2021-2024”, y este sábado, el horario para realizar el pago del predial será de las 10:30 a las13:00 horas.
Las 246 sillas nuevas y listas para instalarse fueron recibidas la semana pasada por la escuela J. Vicente Negrete. Foto: Cortesía.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía.- La Secretaría de Educación Jalisco (SEJ) en coordinación con las autoridades municipales, entregó la semana pasada mobiliario para dos escuelas de educación básica de Jocotepec.
Tras 20 años en el olvido, las autoridades educativas se acordaron de las primarias J. Vicente Negrete, de El Molino y la Francisco Villa, de la Loma, al entregarles 711 mil 978.56 pesos en equipamiento escolar.
La escuela Francisco Villa recibió 246 sillas hechas de herrería con plástico y 126 mesas binarias para los estudiantes, con un costo de 362 mil 743.60 pesos.
En el caso de la J. Vicente Negrete, dicho equipamiento constó también de 246 sillas y 126 mesas, más 12 sillas específicamente para el personal docente con un valor que ascendió a los 349 mil 234.96 pesos.
“La Secretaría de Educación dotó de todo el mobiliario completo para la primaria en colaboración con el personal del municipio para hacerlo llegar en tiempo y forma”, informó la maestra Ana María Cano Espinoza, directora de educación del municipio.
Al respecto, Mayra Berenice García Ramírez, directora de la escuela J. Vicente Negrete, agradeció el apoyo y el “por fin ser escuchados”, pues explicó que el equipo con el que contaban tenía ya más de 20 años sin ser renovado.
“Los niños están emocionados de estrenar, se siente ya diferente y pues ya teníamos más de 20 años con las mismas mesas y sillas, además ya eran un poco incómodas”.
También, la SSJ aportó 160 metros de cableado para la primaria de El Molino debido a que en septiembre de 2021 sufrió varios robos que la dejaron sin circuito eléctrico.
A permanent altar set up by the family in memory of Jorge Luis Padilla Perales during the 50th birthday of his sister Silvia Araceli at El Toro restaurant.
Jazmín Stengel (Chapala).– Trokita was an example to follow. Jorge Luis Padilla Perales, 1970 – 2021, better known in Chapala and California as ‘El Trokita’, was and will continue to be the absent son with the most presence in his hometown. His memory was engraved forever in the Paseo de los Ausentes on February 24.
“Hijos Ausentes” or Absent Children is a time-honored tradition for children who emigrate to the US or Canada to send money back to help support their family and hometown community. The Paseo de los Ausentes is a walkway in Chapala dedicated to their honor.
Jorge Luis was the oldest of five siblings and originally from the La Purisima neighborhood in Chapala. In 1987 he left for the United States at the young age of 17, with the mission of helping his mother Margarita Perales Perez after the separation with his father Jose Luis Padilla Sanchez.
From a young age, Padilla Perales was very supportive, «he took care of his people,» recalls Sandra, the second of the siblings, to whom he was very close. Once in California, ‘El Trokita’, a nickname that has been passed down through the generations to the men of the Padilla family, dedicated his time and effort to a graphic design printing company, with which he managed to support his family.
Like most absent children, there were times when ‘El Trokita’ visited. But he «never traveled empty-handed,» his family recalled. Jorge began his altruistic work by collecting money from fellow California emigrants to support Chapala’s needy with resources.
«He organized fairs and events,» said his sister Silvia. Trokita was supportive of those in need, «he bought medicine for the sick and even bought wheelchairs,» added Sandra.
For these and many other things, such as distributing food, promoting sports and supporting the education of children, Jorge remained until his last breath as the active link between the absent children and his people, an action that earned him the love of the people of Chapala.
After his death, still unknown to the family, on November 15, 2021, Sandra dedicated a corrido (story told through song) to her brother so that everyone in Chapala and California can remember him as he was. It can be found on YouTube with the title «Jorge Luis Padilla ‘El Trokita».
Sandra acknowledged that no one can match the social work that her brother was able to do to benefit the community of Chapala. But that does not mean that his legacy will be lost, «we will do our best to continue his mission, each one in the best way we can,» she said.
Following the death of ‘El Trokita’, the Government of Chapala announced Salvador Alcántar Hernández as the new Coordinator of Chapala’s Absent Children on February 24. The same day the black granite plaque honoring the memory of Jorge Luis Padilla Perales was placed in the Paseo de los Ausentes next to Chapala’s main square.
Translated by Christalle Dalsted
Alma Serrano.– Since February 11, the «KPetrom» gas station, located on the Chapala-Jocotepec highway, at the crossroads of San Juan Cosalá, has been out of service, due to a workers’ strike for breach of contract.
According to the notice placed on the dispensing machines, the union of workers and employees in the commerce branch in the state of Jalisco stated that, by agreement of the extraordinary general assembly, all the workers belonging to the company have agreed to call a strike in compliance with the demands of articles 920, 18, 782, 827, 921 of the Federal Labor Law.
The owners are Bransle, S. de R.L. de C.V., which is in the business of the purchase, sale, and distribution of diesel gasoline, with service station number E11757 and permit number PL/9296/EXP/ES/2015. The legal representative is José Carlos Martín Gonzáles.
Translated by Colleen Beery
Heavy machines in the area sometimes block one of the lanes of the road causing traffic. Photo by: Alma Serrano.
Alma Serrano (San Juan Cosalá).– Construction on the bicycle lane on the Chapala-Jocotepec carretera, in San Juan Cosalá has caused difficulty for both motorists and pedestrians.
Dump trucks and cement mixers are having to enter the car traffic lanes periodically, blocking the already busy road. Pedestrians are also facing obstacles, as there is little space to walk along the edge. Construction debris generated by the work is not always removed at the end of the workday.
In addition, exposed wires, unmarked excavations, and construction tools are left out; the area is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, especially at night. «It is not good that they leave debris on the road because accidents happen, especially at night,» commented a resident.
According to information from the Jalisco Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works (SIOP), the San Juan Cosalá section of the bike path is 85% complete, and is expected to be finished by the end of March.
Translated by Amy Esperanto
Mexico’s largest lake has lost 36 centimeters (about 14 inches) so far during the dry season. Photo: Archive.
So far in the dry season, Lake Chapala has lost 36 centimeters, and is down to 95.75 centimeters, 71 percent of its capacity, according to the National Water Commission (CONAGUA).
Francisca Lomelí Rodríguez is 96 years old and has retained all her vivid memories that describe the San Cristóbal of her childhood. Photo by: María Reynozo.
By: María del Refugio Reynozo Medina
Francisca Lomelí was orphaned at the age of eight. School was her life. In the San Cristóbal Zapotitlán of her childhood, classes only went up to third grade. She attended school and she remembers the name of her teacher, Trina.
The school was made of adobe and reed. It was not surrounded by a wall, but by a “wall” of huizaches and nopales (native trees and cactus). In addition to learning how to read, the girls learned how to sew and embroider napkins. They spent a lot of time at school because at noon they went home for lunch and then returned to continue the afternoon’s classes. At the end of the school year, the municipal president, accompanied by the town delegate, would go to see the students’ final work. The teachers would place a sample of the student’s embroidered napkins on display.
Corporal punishment was given by wooden ruler. When students did not finish their homework, they were given a few slaps of the ruler.
The teacher wrote lessons in chalk on a blackboard, using a cloth as an eraser. There were no notebooks. The students would buy a sheet of brown paper and tear it into four parts, and when the pages were worn out on both sides, they would buy another sheet.
Francisca remembers the delegate of that time, Beatriz Chavez’s father. He used to openly carry a gun every day. He was a man who was respected. He paid to have a cobblestone pavement installed in town. Despite looking different today, the plaza was the place to go for prominades and serenades.
Chica, as Francisca is known to the townspeople, remembers the nights of music and the women and men milling around. Some women would carry a “chiquihuite” or palm basket with flowers from their garden and sell them for pennies. It used to be very common for there to be fights on holidays. Men would go around armed with guns or knives. Sometimes as many as three or four people were killed, who were left lying around while the aggressor escaped, as there were no police as there are now. The police, who sometimes appeared, were called «Los Charros» by the people.
The women were guarded carefully by their male siblings and parents, although some, when there were weddings, carried a bottle of punch and danced to the music of the harp.
-We waltzed,» they would say.
Chica remembers “El Vapor,” which was a very large boat that came from Chapala. In the morning, very early, it arrived for the passengers and returned in the afternoon. On its journey over the waves of the waters of Chapala, El Vapor, emitted a high-pitched noise that reached the ears of the locals. It was a strange noise, like in the famous song «La Llorona,» the locals said.
People would come to the shore in the morning to say goodbye to their relatives and watch the boat floating in the water, until it was gone from view. In the afternoon, they would also come to the shore to receive the passengers, who came loaded with packages from errands in Chapala.
The steamboat was the only way out, since there was no highway around the lake in those times. The first streets that were made were called caminos. Everything was surrounded by mountains, so it was difficult traveling over them.
In town of San Cristobal, there was not much to buy. There was a store owned by Arnulfo and Lola Aceves. Everything could be bought by centavos: a centavo of butter, a centavo of salt, a centavo of cheese.
Another man was called Tacho. He sold meat, but not every day. When he was going to slaughter an animal, he would announce himself by standing in the middle of the street rubbing his knives against each other. The sound could be heard for many blocks and people knew that there would be fresh meat that day.
“Tacho is sharpening his knives,» people would think, and they would prepare to go shopping. Pigs and chickens were raised in the houses. On special days people would slaughter the pigs that they had raised. Chica remembers the whiteness of the lard and the smell of pork rinds from the houses, as there is no other smell like it. The pigs roamed the streets and none of them got lost. They could roam all day long and return home in the evening to sleep. Sometimes the sows were heavily pregnant and returned home, accompanied by the piglets walking alongside their mother. The chickens were also on the loose, going to and from their homes.
The water of the lagoon was so clean that the people could drink it. The townspeople went with pitchers to bring it back in order to prepare food and also to drink. Chica remembers that her grandfather had some beehives and extracted a lot of honey from them. He would invite the neighbors to bring a small pot to share his honey with them.
There was an «old boy» (that’s what they called him because he never married), but he was a older man. He sold bread in town.
The church was an old building, made of adobe and tile. Father Prisciliano Michel contributed to its improvement. Chica remembers, when she was a child, that after mass they would bring sand from the cemetery. Everyone cooperated, young and old, with whatever they could, and if they could bring a brick, they contributed.
The villagers contributed to the construction of the temple. There was a lot of religious fervor during Holy Week, remember that the women only made hats until Wednesday because Thursday, Friday and Saturday were days of mourning and fasting. The images hanging on the walls were covered with purple cloth as a sign of mourning. No music was played, and many went to church on their knees in the street. Nor did people ride horses; if they passed a cross, they crossed themselves with reverence and the men took off their hats.
In the town there was no Health Center; Daniel Cervantes was everyone’s doctor, he gave injections, he was very good at curing people. Then a doctor Ureña started to come, and another one was called Dr. Cuervo.
From her bed, Francisca continues talking about her childhood and youth.
It was nice,» she says with a smile.
When I ask her about her husband, she says:
“He was my first and last boyfriend.”
José Reynoso and she never talked, they shortened the distance with messages sent through friends, or with José’s whistles from the street informing her that he had been near. On some occasions her friend Margarita Solano, warned her.
-Chirin, chirin!
She would exclaim from the door and Chica would come out to greet her and raise her hand, while behind her friend’s back, Jose would return her greeting from a distance.
Translated by Colleen Beery
First on Morelos street and then in front of the presidency, a group of 15 street vendors demonstrated in Jocotepec. Photo: Miguel Cerna.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jococtepec).- A group of street vendors demonstrated on March 2 on Morelos Street and at the Municipal Presidency of Jocotepec.
A little more than a month after being relocated to the upper part of the market, the 15 dissatisfied merchants said they had low or no sales in the space assigned to them, so they decided to raise their voices to be heard by the municipal president José Miguel Gómez López.
The vendors set up their stalls on the sidewalk behind the DIF building around 7:00 a.m. with the intention of «giving away their products to passersby» in protest.
However, before their arrival, two municipal police patrol cars and at least ten police officers were already waiting for them. Immediately, the uniformed officers blocked the sidewalk and prevented citizens and merchants from selling their products.
An hour later, personnel from the Department of Registration and Licenses arrived at the site and proceeded to remove the merchandise from the demonstrators, their tables and all their work material. Avocados, honey, nopales and sweet bread were some of the products withheld.
«They took away our products, they did not let the people pass by. People wanted to come closer to buy from us, and I was giving them my product. The police did not let us give anything to them, that is unfair,» said Carmen Aguilar.
Demanding to be heard and attended to by Mayor José Miguel Gómez López, the vendors moved to the outskirts of the town where they placed signs with the slogans: «Our family depends on our work» and «I have three mouths to feed and there are no sales up here.»
In the absence of Gómez López who, according to information from the Registration & Licenses staff, was in the city of Guadalajara, the group of protesters was joined by municipal trustee Carlos Alberto Zúñiga Chacón in the Bicentennial Hall at 9:00 a.m.
«What was done today in the morning was a demonstration, not to make disorder as was mentioned (by Registration & Licenses personnel), but to make them listen to us, because the truth is that we all need to work, but to work in a place where we have sales,» said one of the affected merchants.
In the meeting, the merchants explained to the trustee the economic difficulties that the relocation has brought them due to low sales, and asked for his intervention to reach an agreement that will benefit them as soon as possible.
«We are day after day abiding by their rules, we have not left (the market) at all, and yet there are days when we take home 20 pesos in sales. My two sisters lost their rented houses and now they are living with me; there are 12 children sleeping on the floor and without much to eat,» commented Ana, who sells nopales.
«They don’t want to lend us (money), they have to leave without paying for the food because the children are hungry, do you think it’s fair that we go around scavenging for scraps from the fruit stores to have something to eat?» added Ana.
After listening to their demands, Zúñiga Chacón promised to work on a modification project that would allow the vendors to install themselves on the side of the market on Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez Street, although he clarified to them that there would not be an immediate resolution because the work would have to be requested from the State Government.
«The request that I made for the modification of the stairway on Josefa Street and/or inside the market cannot be made at the moment, since the work needs to be validated by the corresponding state authorities,» the trustee answered to the affected parties on March 3.
So far, the municipal president, José Miguel Gómez López, has not issued any statement on the matter. The merchants are hoping for a favorable resolution to the situation, since the almost null sales have already begun to affect their lives.
«The president can give us a statement whenever he wants, but he should know one thing: we no longer want to be upstairs,» said one of the vendors.
Translated by Sydney Metrick
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