The character of Pontius Pilate, accompanied by his wife and the women of his palace.
There are a little over 50 actors on stage, including girls, boys and adult men and women. Since last February they began to prepare the representation of the Passion of Christ in the municipal capital of Jocotepec.
A few minutes before the beginning of the Stations of the Cross, the participants take care of the last details gathered in the pastoral house of the parish of Señor del Monte. They arrange their hairstyles and tunics and the leaders give instructions.
Pedro Gómez Monreal is one of the organizers; also Benjamín Ramos Bautista. The last three weeks have been arduous rehearsals.
Lucia Mendoza is an elementary school teacher, she represents Pontius Pilate’s wife; she is dressed in a pearl-colored dress with satin sleeves and a golden diadem. For the teacher Luci it is extraordinary to be able to transmit a living God through the characters that she and her classmates represent.
There is also her father, Don Pedro Mendoza, the wool serapes maker, who yesterday represented the apostle Peter. Today he appears along with men and women of the town.
-Yesterday I cried,» he says, saddened.
«It doesn’t feel good to deny my God, let alone three times».
Angel Gael Ramos also represents a boy from the agitated town that demands the Crucifixion of Jesus. From a very young age he has accompanied his parents and now he does so from the character assigned to him.
The Jesus Christ of this 2022 edition is represented by Cristian José López López.
The parishioners are already in the atrium waiting. The three stages of the first Stations of the Cross are ready. In the first one, Pontius Pilate appears, played by Pedro Gómez and his wife amidst purple curtains. On another stage is Herod surrounded by his servants. Jesus goes from one stage to another amidst pushing and whipping by the soldiers amidst the shouts of the people.
In another painting, there is a huge trunk to which the Nazarene is tied. There he is scourged before the eyes of the actors who represent the enraged mob and the parishioners who live the Stations of the Cross.
A girl of about ten years old, dressed in a brown tunic, watches with anguished eyes; she anxiously pinches a wooden cane that she carries in her hands.
Amidst mocking laughter and pushing and shoving, the enormous wooden cross is placed on the shoulders of the personage of Jesus Christ. The faithful continue to pray the Stations of the Cross through the main streets of Jocotepec.
The night has fallen, from the celestial vault a round and brilliant moon observes us. Next to the solemnity of the prayers, a woman appears with a tricycle selling corn, chickpeas, peanuts and snacks. Accompanied by a girl, she observes the passing of the Viacrucis and continues on her way. The diner is open, «Today tamales and atole », says a small sign. A woman who dines pauses as the procession passes by. The flower shop is also open and a few people watch the Stations of the Cross from inside.
On arrival at the church, the crosses of the thieves Dimas and Gestas are raised and the cross of Jesus Christ is being prepared. The people swirl around the final scene, the atrium remains in darkness; the disturbing faces of some of the assistants are illuminated by the lamps outside.
Soldiers place Jesus on the cross without his clothes, holding him by his hands and feet and then lifting him up, supported by thick ropes.
In the midst of the funeral atmosphere, the thunderous reggaeton coming from a Razer type vehicle that passes outside the temple interrupts the ceremony while the attendees ignore it.
The scene is complete, the silhouettes of the three crosses can be seen amidst the foliage of the trees illuminated by a white light that focuses on the faces of the characters.
With a bloodied body, the crucified man pronounces his last words before the anguished gaze of the audience.
-Judas hanged himself,» shouts a male voice.
And the people turn their gazes to the back stage where the silhouette of a man hangs from a rope.
The agony of Jesus is again interrupted by the Razer with the song that passes by for the second time sporting a bar of colorful light.
The faithful concentrate on the naked and battered figure of the crucified man who, on the verge of expiring, exclaims:
-In your hands I commend my spirit-.
-Into your hands I commend my spirit.
Immediately, a voice floods the scene.
-He is trembling!
And everyone kneels down.
At the foot of the cross is the character of Mary accompanied by John and another woman.
The young man playing John is indeed weeping bitterly. He takes Mary by the arm with a face bathed in tears, a face that is really living the Calvary and death of the true Son of God and wipes her tears again and again, because for him his companions are at that moment the characters of the sacred scriptures and the atrium of the parish, it is not the atrium, but Golgotha itself.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
The workshop is coordinated by poet Mario Z. Puglisi. Photo: Alma Serrano.
Alma Serrano.- A literary creation workshop is being offered for all the public as part of the activities of promotion and diffusion of all the arts. It will be offered by the independent cultural center «Voz al Viento» in San Juan Cosalá, headed by its owner, the plastic artist Isidro Xilonzochitl «Xilotl.»
Coordinated by the poet Mario Z. Puglisi, the workshop is aimed at anyone interested in developing technical knowledge and literary tools to be able to write texts in the genres of short stories, poetry or literary essays with greater clarity and quality.
The workshop is also designed for literature lovers or those who wish to learn a little more about the history of art, the written word, established authors and universal works that even today continue to transmit the wisdom and sensitivity of human beings.
The workshop is divided into thematic cycles that cover one literary genre at a time and week by week, every Wednesday, you’ll learn the literary techniques necessary for a good writer, including the grammatical resources that deepen the understanding of our language; the history of literature with its currents, periods and styles; and the life and work of indispensable writers.
In addition to sharing stories, poems or fragments of novels will be commented upon and discussed by the group in a fraternal atmosphere that promotes the exchange of ideas and reading.
From April to October 2021, the workshop completed its first cycle dedicated to the genre of poetry with a group of attendees, mostly from San Juan Cosalá and Jocotepec. The group finished with great satisfaction at achieving their proposed goals and who continue to this day forming the group of the literary creation workshop of the cultural center.
The workshop is held every Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:30 in the evening, in the cultural space located at Calle Porfirio Díaz Poniente #120.
All those interested in attending the literary workshop and being part of this creative group are asked to request information related to registrations and requirements by WhatsApp message to 331-063-3976, or by message to the Facebook profile Mario Z Puglisi or Espacio de Arte y Cultura Xilotl «Voz al Viento.» «Voz al Viento» will soon start plastic arts workshops taught by maestro Xilotl and aimed at over 12 years of age, beginners and intermediates, with a duration of three months, starting on the following dates:
Drawing workshop for beginners. Wednesday, May 4 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Graphic workshop with «linocut» technique. Thursday, May 5 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm
Acrylic painting workshop. Friday, May 6 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm
For more information about these workshops, please call the cell phone number 331- 013-3995 or send a message to the Facebook profile Espacio de Arte y Cultura Xilotl «Voz al Viento».
Translated by Sydney Metrick
On April 30, Children’s Day, the first Kite (“Papalote”) Festival will be held in San Juan Cosalá, where between 100 and 150 children are expected to participate.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía.– On the occasion of Children’s Day, residents of the community of San Juan Cosalá are preparing to hold the first Kite Festival.
This event will take place next Saturday, April 30 at the San Juan Cosalá boardwalk, with the purpose of reviving the tradition of creating kites to fly them with the spring winds.
According to the organizers, although the original idea was to commemorate Children’s Day by painting and decorating the benches on the boardwalk, in the end it was decided to revive the tradition of the kites.
Organizers then set about the task of finding sponsors and people from the community to support the project, because although the materials are not expensive, «there is a cost, however minimal it may be».
The response has been good so far. The organizers say that the festival will take place on the boardwalk starting at 10:00 a.m. and is expected to have a total of between 100 and 150 children participating.
The requirement is that the children must be accompanied by at least one adult, since the goal is to provide an opportunity to bring families together, with the adults supporting the little ones in the construction of their own kite, and then learning to fly it together.
The event will be completely free, and children do not need to bring anything with them since all materials necessary to make the kites will be provided by the organizers.
«The only thing children need to come with is the desire to learn and have a good time, because once we finish making the kites, we will go to fly them in the field,» concluded the organizers.
Translated by Rebecca Zittle
Merchants during the demonstration on the access to Chapala on the Guadalajara – Chapala highway. Photo: Jazmín Stengel.
Jazmín Stengel(Chapala).- Despite demonstrations and blockades by a group of boardwalk merchants in the main access to the municipality of Chapala, the City Council removed the existing tarps covering outdoor merchants and imposed the use of umbrellas in the restaurant zone. The events took place during the first day of Holy Week, on April 14. Two protest leaders were arrested.
The double demonstration closed the access to the municipality by the Guadalajara – Chapala highway for more than an hour. The main intersection at Francisco I. Madero and Hidalgo avenues was obstructed for almost two-and-one-half hours. While the point at the entrance to the Ajijic beltway was only blocked for a few minutes.
The more than 50 protesters were invited to form a committee of five representatives to talk with authorities. Saying, “We are willing to work, but not in your way,” they asked for a personal meeting with Chapala Municipal President, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, who never showed up.
During the meeting of the protesters with municipal authorities, state and municipal authorities detained two of the merchants for “inciting the demonstrators” and “obstructing the freedom of transit,” according to Commissioner Sergio Conzuelo Ramírez.
The merchants’ main complaint is the requirement to buy umbrellas at a high cost. The Municipal Council intended the umbrellas to improve the boardwalk’s image.
A press release issued by Social Communication on April 14 read, “We hereby notify you that in order to provide better service and a better image to tourists and visitors to Chapala, especially to the boardwalk area, as of April 13 of this year, the use of tarpaulins, banners or awnings in the areas of food and beverage sales is prohibited.”
The only objects authorized by the Municipality to shade the area are “metal umbrellas painted in brown, with a cement casting base and a high-density green canvas with the logo of the Municipality of Chapala printed on it, which have a value of 4,000 pesos.”
Social Communication claimed, however, that “the total cost is 5,600 pesos per umbrella, of which 2,800, or 50 percent, must be paid by each tenant and the other 50 percent by the Municipality.”
Semanario Laguna compared the cost in another local store and the costs vary from 1,500 to 1,800 pesos per unit, with a canvas and a diameter of two meters. Meanwhile, larger umbrellas of three meters in diameter cost up to two thousand pesos in canvas, although of lower quality and lacking the basic joints to position the umbrella.
The umbrella requirements were imposed on the merchants without the option of looking for another supplier, said the merchants after two months of dialogue with the authorities. The merchants also proposed to install a dome financed by the interested vendors, but never received authorization.
Translated by Mike Rogers
Angel Serrano is currently 77 years old and has not fished Lake Chapala for more than 900 days. Photo: Alma Serrano.
Alma Serrano(San Juan Cosalá).- Fishing is an unceasing activity that balances calmness, sensibility, patience, and creativity. Fishing allows you to enjoy your work and share that joy with your family. Fishing was a job where you did not need vacations because you were always happy.
Fishing makes you an expert in so many things. You have had about eight canoes. You fished for mojarras (a species of whitefish) and charales (minnow-sized fish, a local delicacy). You used hooks and atarrayas (cone shaped fishing net).
You knew when to get into the canoe and arrive home with 100 kilos of tilapia. You knew you were an excellent swimmer.
You were able to use all your senses to know when a fish was near, look at it, not lose sight of it, and set the hook with hope and wealth in your hands. You have been an excellent spectator. You could detect a movement in the water, in the wind and throw the net with great force. You become more cunning with time, able to fix your attention on the target, concentrating only on the action.
Ironically, the fish ended up loving you, Ángel. For 50 years in San Juan Cosalá you have been their faithful companion. The fish got used to seeing you and they began to love you. It has been more than 900 days since they have seen you on the lake and they must be worried.
The lake must be in mourning, Ángel, you should not have left it.
One day you will not remember what your life consisted of for more than 60 years. You will not remember who you were and who you are now. Your hands have started to feel soft and empty. You need to go back to the lake, take the fishing line and create a new memory. Maybe that is the only way to remember yourself without using your memory, as the saying goes «what you learn well, you never forget».
Ángel, your hands are a memory of what you love, you may be forgetting faces, feelings, and activities, even the essence of what you are, but people do not forget you. When we see a landscape, a wave, a fish, we remember you. Your body is at home, but your heart is still on the lake, fishing.
Ángel Serrano Medina, is my grandfather, a 77-year-old resident of San Juan Cosalá who started fishing when he reached his first decade. He no longer remembers how to fish.
For three years his memory has been fragmenting bit by bit. He has the disease where he loses the ability to relive memories: Alzheimer’s.
He is a strong and overflowing man, passionate about what he does best and dedicated to what he has devoted most of his life to: fishing. “Do you remember when you were one of the pioneers of fishing in San Juan Cosalá and caught a tilapia of more than one meter?” I ask him. “I hope you remember,” I answered.
Translated by Nita Rudy
Slide area inside the waterpark at La Cristianía Park. Photograph: Jazmín Stengel.
Jazmín Stengel. – The remodeled waterpark located in the center of La Cristianía Park opened its doors this Easter vacation season, with a partial cost of 700,000 pesos (about US$34,000).
Two slides and a public pool were rehabilitated for the use of tourists and locals. As of the closing of this edition, there are accessories such as benches and umbrellas to be added and painting to be completed.
The budget included the purchase of new hydraulic pumps for the maintenance of the pools and another pump to drive the flow of the slides, as well as sand filters for them. It was also necessary to purchase new valves and piping.
The waterpark ceased to provide services during the 2018-2021 administration. The current administration’s Civil Protection and Firefighters departments carried out a safety diagnosis, which detailed the reinforcements that had to be made in the metal structure that supports the slides and pointed out the specific points to be repaired and marked inside the slides.
At the end of the work, a safety review was completed and Civil Protection and Firefighters gave the go-ahead for the reopening. The facilities were reopened on Thursday, April 14, the first day of vacation. The facilities were closed for maintenance on Wednesday, April 20.
Translated by Nita Rudy
Volunteers working on the repairs. Credit: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles.– Since the maintenance and repair work began on the Chapel of the Rosary, the group working on the project realized that the damage was greater than what was estimated before they began the restoration. Additional damage was found after work began; the workers found more cracks than they had initially noticed.
In an interview with Semanario Laguna, Josué Ramos, the current president of the volunteer group Sumando Voluntades, shared that the original project budget was $850,000 pesos (about US$42,000). After the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) evaluated the building they said it could probably be repaired for less. Ramos asserted that a budget of $1,000,000 (US$50,000) is more feasible as they may uncover additional work that needs to be done. The group has only raised about $500,000 pesos (US$25,000).
«INAH suggested only filling cracks and repairing the water damage in the roof, but we also want to fix the structural problems including reinforcing the structure, and the foundation. This will be evaluated after INAH’s visit, which will ensure that the structure remains as faithful as possible to its original design,» added Ramos. Another member of the group, treasurer Mónica Gutiérrez, assured that despite being more damage than they expected, they are already seeking bids to buy the necessary material to fill the cracks, and continue with the work on the roof.
The committee of Sumando Voluntades recently restructured after the death of their former president, Armando. The new officers are: president and architect Josué Ramos, secretary Juan Antonio Miramontes, and treasurers Monica Gutierrez and Honorata Gómez. To make donations, you can go to «Pollería Gutiérrez” in Ajijic, where one of the treasurers is located. You can also donate by going to any BBVA bank; use bank account number 4152 3137 0415 7622 in the name of Honorata Gómez to donate.
Translated by Amy Esperanto
Authorities were able to recover the body.
Staff. – Lake Chapala has taken another life, this time in the Jocotepec municipality delegation of San Cristobal. Personnel from the Civil Protection and Fire Department of Jalisco recovered the body April 17.
The person entered the lake but was not heard from again, so the authorities were called in to help. They located the body, which was taken to the forensic medical services.
The National Water Commission has warned of the risks of swimming in Lake Chapala. The underwater fences, wells, branches and mud can make it difficult for people to get back to land.
Translated by Mike Rogers
Los robos no son violentos, sino de oportunidad. Foto ilustrativa: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles- Reportan robos de carteras en al menos 17 lugares a lo largo de la ribera, siendo los poblados de Ajijic, San Antonio Tlayacapan, la cabecera municipal de Chapala y San Juan Cosalá, donde más se ha denunciado este tipo de crímenes, focalizados en turistas y extranjeros.
Uno de los sitios que tuvo dos incidencias de este tipo, fue en el Lake Chapala Society (LCS), su director ejecutivo, Luis Pacheco, aseguró que los percances no fueron violentos, si no que más bien tienen una forma de operar premeditada que se ejecuta a través de la distracción de las víctimas.
“Los dos robos ocurridos en LCS no han sido violentos, son personas que ya tienen bien estudiado su modus operandi. Las personas identificadas son una mujer extranjera y dos latinos. Son al menos 17 espacios públicos y restaurantes, o negocios, donde han ocurrido robos de este tipo y, en algunos de ellos, las personas denunciadas son las mismas que robaron aquí”, compartió Luis Pacheco.
Según el director ejecutivo del LCS, el modus operandi de los carteristas consiste en que la mujer extranjera se acerca a hablar con otros turistas o habitantes foráneos para distraerlos, mientras las otras dos personas crean una barrera y extraen las posesiones.
Pacheco señaló que tanto el encargado de despacho de Ajijic, Maximiano Macías Arceo, como el comisario de Chapala, Sergio Conzuelo Ramírez, y el presidente municipal, Alejandro Aguirre Curiel, están al tanto de los sucesos, por lo que están trabajando en conjunto para crear una campaña de prevención del delito en la zona.
Esto lo confirmó Macías Arceo quien dijo que esta campaña estaría enfocada en capacitar a los dueños de restaurantes, administradores, jefes de manzana, etcétera, para la prevención del delito, y que, aunque aún no hay una fecha para iniciar, se dará a conocer mediante el departamento de Comunicación Social.
Para finalizar, Luis Pacheco aseguró que lo más importante es restablecer el tejido social para disminuir los robos y la violencia, además de que se buscará que los vecinos tengan corresponsabilidad y se apoyen mutuamente para cuidarse e instruirse sobre este tipo de acontecimientos.
Ceremonia de apertura, del viernes 22 de abril. Foto: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles.– Con éxito y buenos comentarios de los asistentes, aunque con muy poca participación local, se llevó a cabo la primera conmemoración del Día de la Tierra en Ajijic. Mediante una serie de conferencias y actividades, se buscó concientizar a los asistentes sobre el cuidado del medio ambiente durante tres días.
Durante la celebración, que tuvo lugar los días 22, 23 y 24 de abril, hubo una asistencia aproximada de entre 500 y 600 personas, es decir, de 150 a 200 personas cada día. Aunque mayormente asistieron adultos, también hubo varios niños interesados.
El primer día se inició con una ceremonia de apertura, la cual consistió en pedir permiso a los elementos y deidades para realizar respetuosamente las actividades programadas; y el último día, durante la clausura, se le hizo un tributo y ofrenda al Lago de Chapala.
Las conferencias fueron con activistas que han logrado salvaguardar la integridad tanto del vaso lacustre como de las montañas, por ejemplo, Manuel Villagómez Rodríguez, Luis Valdivia Ornelas, Raquel Gutiérrez Nájera y el ajijiteco Julio Carmona; por otro lado, también hubo presentaciones musicales cinematográficas, y puntos informativos y venta de productos ecológicos.
“Creo que el evento fue efectivo tanto en la calidad profesional y académica de los presentadores. Creo que fue muy ambicioso hacerlo en tres días ya que demanda una mayor afluencia de público. Hubo tres enfoques relevantes que surgieron del evento: que se puede y se ha podido ganar batallas de este tipo, que se necesita urgentemente que el Lago de Chapala se convierta en sitio Ramsar, que se haga un mapeo de áreas en peligro y reservadas, donde se defina dónde no comprar o construir, petición que fue solicitada por la comunidad extranjera de manera colectiva”, compartió Noris Binet, una de las organizadoras. No obstante, el Lago de Chapala ya es considerado sitio Ramsar, es decir un humedal de suma importancia en el planeta.
Por su parte, Sihara Casillas Gaeta, otra de las organizadoras, comentó que este tipo de eventos ayuda a conocer el tipo de terrenos en las que la población vive, en este caso cuerpos acuíferos, y hacer un recuento de cómo la corrupción ha contribuido al deterioro de depósitos naturales de agua, lo cual ayuda a estar más al pendiente.
Jane Custer, quien fue la encargada de hacer las traducciones en el evento, compartió que le dio mucho gusto ver a la comunidad mexicana y extranjera de Ajijic, juntos en un lugar, además de adquiriendo conocimiento para proteger el Lago y el medio ambiente.
Noris manifestó que, en los próximos años, cree que el evento podría mejorar en cuanto a la participación local, involucrando desde los vecinos hasta miembros de comunidades indígenas, hablando de sus problemáticas relacionadas con temas medioambientales. Sus planes en puerta son hacer un documento oficial donde se recapitulen los puntos más importantes del evento que será presentado ante las autoridades gubernamentales, así como la creación de un observatorio ciudadano y académico para la supervisión y denuncias en materia de destrucción del medio ambiente.
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