Cruz con flores de papel, arreglos florales, un poco de despensa y pan tachihual embetunado. El altar del Día de la Cruz elaborado por la familia Contreras García se encontraba frente a la plazoleta de las 6 esquinas, en Ajijic. Foto: Sofía Medeles.
Redacción.- Las manifestaciones de fe y celebraciones entorno al 3 de mayo, Día de la Cruz fueron muy distintas en las diferentes poblaciones de la ribera. Procesiones, misas y decoraciones de altares con flores y despensa prevalecieron en unos lugares, mientras que en otros fue una oportunidad de practicar senderismo con los amigos y familia, sin faltar los bailes con agrupaciones famosas.
Es por ello, que Semanario Laguna te comparte la siguiente muestra de imágenes en las que se expone la manera de celebrar este día en poblaciones como Ajijic y Santa Cruz, así como en las cabeceras municipales de Chapala y Jocotepec.
Bertha Mendoza Díaz professes great fervor to the image of the Lord of Huaje
María del Refugio Reynozo Medina.- Seventy-three-year-old Bertha Mendoza Díaz is originally from Jocotepec. She and her brother Cándido Mendoza Díaz grew up seeing the loving devotion to the Lord of Huaje by their parents. The Lord of Huaje is one of the two sacred images of Christ revered in Jocotopec. The other is the Lord of the Mountain.
Their father, Cirilo Mendoza Valencia, one of Jocotepec’s artisan woodworkers taught the trade to Cándido. Cándido, in addition to being a woodworker, is a musician and has been a high school art teacher for 24 years.
Because of his great devotion, Cirilo Mendoza always wanted to be one of the organizers of the feast of the Lord of Huaje. Around 1970 he heard that it would be the last year that the Lord of Huaje would be celebrated due to lack of economic resources.
Don Cirilo went to the parish of Señor del Monte (Lord of the Mountain) to ask to borrow some banners and candlesticks because the precinct of the Lord of Huaje did not have any.
Don Cirilo asked the priest permission to borrow what he needed. The priest told him, “If any of the things are lost, you will pay for them. Don Cirilo replied, “If it is necessary for me to stay and sleep with him, I will.»
On the evening of the eve of the feast, a group of helpers set out to close the door when the decorating was finished. The door remained stuck open and could not be closed, even with the help of the others. Don Cirilo remembered that he had promised to stay overnight with the Lord. His sympathetic helpers, Ángel Paz, Benito Inés and Catarino Olmedo went to get their personal items to join Don Cirilo for a sleepless night. When they returned, ready to settle in, they tried to close the heavy wooden gate one more time. Before everyone’s eyes, the gate closed. “He was testing us,» said one of the helpers.
The first celebrations that honored this Christ were only two days: Saturday and Sunday occurring the days after the January feast. Then the celebration of a novena (nine-day prayers and celebration) was added.
Mrs. Bertha continued with her love for the image of Lord Huaje and was very close to the activities of the temple. Although in the temple a loving contemplation was not always experienced. She remembers a priest named Emeterio Romo, whose actions were very strange. He was allergic to flowers. He used to say, why are you having so many parties?” When he was asked to authorize a party, he was reluctant.
“They are our images of Christ,» the women would tell him.
On one occasion in 1975 Bertha found out that a meeting was being held to change the date of the feast. She and other people did not agree and tried to prevent it. In the end, the celebration date was changed to the current one in May. But the first year of the change they celebrated in January and May.
That last January celebration has been referred to as the feast of the excommunicated, referring to the people who participated in it. The first time the celebration was held in May, the organizers sent a summons to the organizers of the January celebration, through the presidency, so that they could borrow the platform. Tempers flared and the two groups were fighting for the platform. The platform was shared and that year the Lord of Huaje had two celebrations and many faithful gathered around the image.
Many stories are shared about this Christ figure. Someone once said that he opened his lips. Some say that sometimes it becomes very heavy to carry him. Or that sometimes the photos taken of him do not come out.
One time a man promised some banners, but he did not pay for them. One afternoon someone came to the man’s house carrying some banners. “Here are the ordered banners,» he said, and he asked for payment.
Mrs. Bertha professes great love for this crucified man and talks closely with him. On one occasion, her granddaughter had a pickup truck stolen. «Why?» she thought and questioned inwardly; «it was the truck or you,» she heard in her heart.
On one occasion, she thought it was all over, she was diagnosed with a tumor, and the need for intervention was urgent. Before leaving for the hospital, Bertha threw herself at the feet of the crucified one begging for her health. When she was in the hospital undergoing clinical examinations, the doctors found nothing malignant. In her heart, she understood that it was Him. “Do I love Him?” she says to me.
“Do I want it?” she says with a faraway look. “Oh, what if I don’t love him!” she says with a frank smile, very close to tears. “I have not only heard about him since I was in my mother’s womb. I have lived and loved him.”
Translated by Nita Rudy
Processions of the Señor del Huaje in previous years.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jocotepec).- After two years of suspension due to the pandemic, the festivities in honor of the Lord of Huaje, in the municipality of Jocotepec, returned.
The activities began April 23, with fireworks shows, regional music in the main square, and daily processions that have traveled to different localities and neighborhoods of the municipality, with participation by all parts of society. During the celebration, a carved wooden Christ, three meters high and weighing approximately half a ton, also known as the Santo Cristo de la Expiración, once again walked the streets of the town after two years of prohibitions and confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year carnival games and rides occupied Miguel Arana Street up to its intersection with Guadalupe Victoria, so that all this week, traffic was affected and those attending had to find alternative places to park.
This Sunday, May 1st, the festivities culminated with the Solemn Procession with the blessed image of the Lord of Huaje, which began at 5 pm traveled through the main streets to return to the mass at 7 pm in the atrium of his chapel.
At the end of the Eucharist, residents enjoyed the music, dances and food stalls, as well as the carnival rides and games and the fireworks display, produced by the masons’ guild this year.
The cult of the Señor del Huaje is one of the oldest in the region, since its appearance dates back to 1715 in a guaje tree in what today comprises a property located in the town of San Pedro Tesistan.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
La Policía del Estado realiza recorridos de vigilancia por los municipios de la zona. Foto: SSJ.
Redacción.- Oficiales de la Secretaría de Seguridad del Estado de Jalisco (SSE) mantienen patrullajes y recorridos de vigilancia permanentes en los municipios que comprenden la región Sureste de Jalisco, como parte del refuerzo de la vigilancia y con el objetivo de brindar seguridad y tranquilidad a las y los habitantes.
La SSE informó que los policías, además de patrullar, realizan acciones de proximidad con la ciudadanía en los municipios de Concepción de Buenos Aires, Manzanilla de la Paz, Mazamitla, Valle de Juárez, Quitupan, Tuxcueca y Tizapán el Alto.
La presencia de la Policía del Estado se da como parte de las acciones de refuerzo a la vigilancia en esta zona, así como en coordinación con las autoridades locales, la Guardia Nacional y la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional para propiciar entornos seguros tanto para los habitantes como para quienes realizan actividades turísticas.
Este refuerzo en la seguridad se da tras los hechos violentos que dejaron tres personas sin vida y diversos bloqueos carreteros, luego de un enfrentamiento armado acontecido el domingo primero de mayo en el municipio de Mazamitla.
Photograph of the original truck that had been identified by the Rotary Club Guadalajara International, equipped with the ladder and hoses. .
Héctor Ruiz Mejía.- The Civil Protection and Fire Department of Jocotepec received the donation of a fire truck.
The vehicle was acquired through a district grant organized by the Rotary Club Guadalajara International A.C., in conjunction with the other Rotary Clubs of Jocotepec, Ajijic and Chapala.
This is intended to improve the equipment of the fire department, which handles about two thousand reports per year, including firefighting, assistance in accidents and gas leaks.
However, Eduardo Góngora Olmedo, one of the organizers of the grant, commented that, despite «feeling happy» for the contribution to the firefighters, the purchase was not exactly as they had expected.
After the Rotary Club of Guadalajara identified the vehicle in the United States, they made arrangements for its purchase and subsequent transfer to Jocotepec, but when they received it, they realized that it was a different model. Consequently, the purchase price was higher than stipulated, since originally the truck would have cost $20,000 US dollars, which, with the exchange rate in pesos at that time, totalled about 407 thousand pesos. An additional 50,000 pesos to transport it to Mexico brought the total to approximately 457,000 pesos.
Although the actual amount paid was not specified, Góngora Olmedo assured that it was much higher than previously agreed.
He also explained that the model that was thought to have been purchased would have been «much better» equipped, as it had a ladder, hoses and other additional equipment. However, he said that he was satisfied with the truck that the Fire Department now has at its disposal.
In order to raise the funds for the purchase, many people joined the project. Two bazaars were opened where clothes were sold. In addition, the Jocotepec City Hall allocated 150,000 pesos.
Translated by Sandy Britton
From left to right: Diego Zamora «Dj Azteca», Jorge Ramón Rochin «Dj George» and Cristian Axel Rochin «Dj Kid». Photo: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- Ajijic has a reputation for being a center of artists, not only in painting, but also in music. Currently, the rap music genre has influenced it’s new generations, demonstrated by Diego Zamora, 11 years old, Cristian Axel Rochin, 12, and Jorge Ramón Rochin, 9, three children who decided to start their career as rappers. Their artistic names are: Dj Kid, Dj Azteca and Dj George and they acquired a taste for rap and an intention to perform it from an early age.
It was not until recently that they put it into practice, attending the Cochera Cultural art center in Ajijic where different workshops are taught for children in the San Sebastian neighborhood, north of the town of Ajijic. «We are the only ones who rap in the garage. (Cochera Cultural). Our favorites are Santa Fe Klan and Gera MX – they inspire us», they told Laguna.
Their first performance in front of an audience was last Friday, April 22, as part of the Earth Day commemoration program, in the main square of Ajijic. The three children had a space to share their rhymes, which were applauded by the audience.
«We were nervous, but once we finished we felt calm. Our teacher told us to put all our energy into the presentation. We don’t know when we will perform again with an audience like this, but this last time made us feel more encouraged,» shared Dj Kid.
The three kids, who say they are in the process of recording an album at the Cochera Cultural, said they would also like to publish their songs on video platforms such as YouTube. They also advised their contemporaries to continue with their goals, and to get support from teachers to increase their skills.
The artist from Ajijic and teacher of some of the workshops for children at the Cochera Cultural, Artistic Director Antonio López Vega, commented that the project is aimed at children from the San Sebastián neighborhood and its surroundings, with workshops on children’s painting, papier-mâché, ceramics, among others, as well as the music workshop taught by Eleazar Soto and the dance workshop with teacher Emilia Gálvez.
These workshops are held on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and are free of charge. Antonio Lopez said that the program is happy to accept donations in kind for the children, for example, paper for painting, brushes of different sizes, etcetera.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
Faced with water shortages in San Juan Cosalá, citizens opt to get containers for water. Photo: Alma Serrano
Alma Serrano (San Juan Cosalá).- The drought is worsening and the solutions have not arrived. Inhabitants of the delegation of San Juan Cosalá continue to suffer from the shortage of drinking water.
After the collapse of the Zaragoza well in March of last year and the usual shortage typical of the hot season, the people of San Juan Cosalá have had to adapt to living with the limited availability of water.
«I bought a tub that holds about 200 liters of water to conserve it when there is nothing. We use it to wash dishes normally, and when there is no water in the water tank, we also use it for the bathroom, because there is not always enough to wash clothes, so in the house we wash practically what we need because we don’t know when we will have no water,» commented a 60 year old resident.
Although both the operator of Agua Potable, Samuel Tolentino Alvarado, and the delegate, Carlos Vázquez Reyes, said that they were working to solve the problem, so far the shortage persists.
Citizens say that they have had at least four months with little water and they are dissatisfied with the action to solve the problem.
«It’s been a long time and you get tired of hauling water, of being aware of when there will be water, of managing and prioritizing it, and there has been no solution,» said an annoyed resident.
It was last March 13 when the municipal authorities announced the collapse of the Zaragoza well due to a failure in the motor, severely affecting the supply of drinking water to the homes in San Juan Cosalá.
«The motor was damaged because the well is throwing a lot of sand and the sand gets inside the motor, and while it is being sucked up it jams it. The operators have to remove the motor and maybe they will restore the well or build a new structure to put in another motor», explained Samuel Tolentino, the water operator.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
During the ceremony, 95 Single Police Certificates were handed over by municipal authorities from regions 4 and 12 of Jalisco, as well as the Deputy for electoral district 17 and representatives of the state of Jalisco.
Editor.- Ten officers of the Chapala Police Station graduated and were certified in the 11th Initial Training Course for Municipal Preventive Police Equivalent Modality, in front of the Chapala monumental letters at the entrance of the statue of Jesus Pescador.
With this, 54 of the 103 officers of Chapala have been certified and are responsible for protecting its 55 thousand inhabitants.
During the ceremony in which 95 Unique Police Certificates were delivered to officers of the region 4 Lakeside and region 12 of the Center of the state, the mayor of Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, set as a goal that all officers of the municipality are certified.
«In Chapala we always recognize the work done by the officers to have safe spaces, free of violence,» said the host mayor of the ceremony, while recognizing the work of the graduates to whom he reminded that the first duty of police forces is to serve and improve the safety of citizens.
The mayor of El Salto, Ricardo Said Santillan Cortes, representing the other municipalities, said that with the disappearance of federal resources for security, the municipalities were in serious trouble and that, first and foremost the people demand security, highlighting the support of the Government of Jalisco to train and equip the municipal police.
During the ceremony, 64 certificates for the Initial Training Course for Municipal Preventive Police Equivalent Modality were also delivered to the officers of the two zones of Jalisco.
The Strategic Coordinator of Security of the State of Jalisco, Ricardo Sánchez Beruben, shared that, as of a few years ago, being a police officer has been a reference for the following generations recognizing that behind every uniform there are stories and sacrifice that make Jalisco a safer place.
Since 2016, the Single Police Certificate has been mandatory, so since the beginning of the administration of Governor Enrique Alfaro Ramirez, the Regional Security Councils were created to understand the needs and shortcomings of the municipalities.
Thus, the Itinerant Training Strategy was implemented to obtain the Police Certificate, which has reached its ninth generation and has five regional and a central headquarters, graduating 2,461 police officers from 116 municipalities over a period of two years.
Police officers arrive at the scene in Tuxcueca
Staff.- The body and at least 5 vehicles with bullet holes were retained by Jalisco state police officers.
The confrontation took place around 2:30 am on Saturday, April 23, at the corner of Azucena street and Madero in the municipality of Tuxcueca, on the south shore of Lake Chapala. The man´s body was found with his hands tied and bullet wounds, inside a house with an open garage.
Several vehicles were recovered from the house along with shell casings of assorted calibers. The vehicles included a gray Kia Sportage van with Jalisco license plates, a low displacement motorcycle, a RAV 4 pickup truck without license plates that had been reported stolen in 2019, a gray Vitara pickup truck with Oaxaca license plates, and a white Chevy Van with Mexico state license plates, all of them with bullet holes.
Translated by Paul Weeks
Julissa Esmeralda Oliveros, 13 years old, disappeared in the municipal capital of Chapala on April 17.
Jazmín Stengel (Chapala).- Thirteen -year-old Julissa Esmeralda Oliveros of Chapala, has been missing since April 17 but an Amber Alert has not been issued despite the fact that the teenager’s mother has already filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The Amber Alert is a tool that «helps in the prompt location and recovery of children and adolescents at risk of suffering serious harm due to lack of location», according to the Jalisco State Government’s website.
According to her mother, Julissa Esmeralda Oliveros was last seen in the city of Chapala in a security camera image of her running in front of La Cristianía Park, along González Gallo Avenue.
Around 6:00 p.m. on April 17 Julissa was riding her bicycle with her older brother in the park, neighbors have told the mother that on that day they saw her on a yellow or green motorcycle heading «to the nursery», on Gonzalez Gallo Avenue.
Julissa Esmeralda has brown hair, small eyes and a thin mouth. She was wearing blue jeans with a long-sleeved black blouse and black sneakers and carrying a woven blue backpack.
The Strategic Security Coordinator of the State of Jalisco, Ricardo Sánchez Beruben, declared during his visit to Chapala on April 26th, that he was aware of the case of the missing child, but he has not reviewed the investigation file to establish a security strategy to locate her.
For this reason, Julissa’s relatives ask for the support of society in general to locate the teenager, since she was very shy and only went out accompanied by her mother or older brother, explained the family.
Any information to help locate the minor, please contact the Municipal Public Security of Chapala at (376) 765 4444.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
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