Mexican Army: Photo: Internet.
Editorial Staff.- The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, announced on May 13 that, due to the recent violent events in different municipalities, there are more than 12 thousand federal soldiers in Jalisco.
Following the wave of violence in some municipalities of Jalisco such as Jocotepec, Tamazula, La Manzanilla de la Paz, Mazamitla and Puerto Vallarta, 12,362 military and National Guard soldiers are guarding the state.
6,410 are members of the Army and the Air Force, 5,512 are members of the National Guard, and another 440 come from the Secretariat of the Navy «to guarantee the peace and tranquility of the inhabitants of the State,» stated AMLO in the meeting held in Zapotlanejo.
Translated by Paul Weeks
At 89 years old, Dominga Larios, the operator of the first telephone line in San Cristóbal Zapotitlán, keeps alive the memories of her great challenge.
By: María del Refugio Reynozo Medina
The women of her day were mostly dedicated to washing and ironing the clothes of the men of the house; also to cooking. «Sometimes I would finish a load of firewood in one of my dad’s and my brothers’ ironing.» In those days when there was no electricity in San Cristóbal Zapotitlán, the irons were made of iron and heated by fire.
Dominga Larios Díaz not only faced loads of clothes to wash and iron; she also defied her fears and became the first woman to operate the first telephone line in town, to establish communication with the outside world.
It was the priest Pedro Rivera Chávez who entrusted her with this responsibility and told her, “I have talked to the people in Mexico and yes, they are going to bring us the telephone.»
Dominga was afraid, but she knew that she had to obey the priest’s wishes.
“You are not going to have ears,» said the parish priest. Referring to the necessary discretion in having access to other people’s conversations.
«Letters are closed, telegrams too, but the telephone is a living thing, be very careful with your mouth.»
Father Pedro told her that he had received an offer to place it in Carmen Mosqueda’s store, but he did not want to because many people came and went to the store, and it would be difficult to maintain communication with the necessary privacy.
Minga, as she was affectionately called, was chosen to guard the telephone booth that would allow San Cristobal to communicate with the world. The arrival of this communication network placed the town on the stage along with many towns in Jalisco.
Her responsibility, besides sending and receiving the messages, consisted of going to the homes to let them know they had a call and traveling to Tizapán every month to deliver the reports and the money for the operations carried out to an office.
“I had never left town before then, but I would walk to the crossroads to wait for the bus that would take me to Tizapán.»
Everything was new to her; the operation of the network, the writing of the reports and the necessary trips out of the community where she had always stayed. In the office she met with the operators of other communication booths, they were all men.
She remembers when there was an inauguration; that day, many important people from Guadalajara and Mexico City came to San Cristóbal, and there was much jubilation in the town.
Although Dominga did not have a fixed salary, only what she could be given on a monthly basis, she always kept in mind Father Rivera’s command, mouth shut and ears absent. Even when on one occasion a groom from the United States communicated with the bride from San Cristóbal and in the middle of the wedding the other groom from San Cristóbal appeared on the scene. Minga had to hide the bride in the phone booth.
Deep in her memories, Dominga remembers the booth, it was a wooden structure where one person could fit, inside was the device with keys and a crank to make the dials.
Some people remember that she used to wind it up, while she would say okay, okay. She would call a switchboard so that from there she would be connected to the number she requested. The telephone was made of metal, big and heavy. The ringing of the phone was so loud that it could be heard all the way to the school that was almost a block away from her house.
The room where the phone booth was located was always clean, there was a large wooden bench, and around it were pots of green leaves.
-Jocotepec-
He repeatedly pronounced, to call the addressees.
-San Miguel Cuyutlán.
-Guadalajara-
Dominga’s house not only housed the first communication system; it was also the cradle of musicians. Her father Justino Larios, a town musician who learned to play more than three instruments, thanks to a priest from San Juan Cosalá, founded a band of more than twenty members. The students were very young, some children and teenagers, they even fell asleep at the end of the class, at night and thus asleep, Justino took them to his home. The largest room of the Larios’ house became a party after every rehearsal night, where the stage was set to music with waltzes and paso-doble dances. Musicians Silviano Reynoso and Martín Reynoso were his disciples.
Justino was also the teacher of his sons Fermín and Heriberto Larios. Heriberto, was almost a child when Justino was asked to be a trombonist, at the age of eleven, Heriberto was already playing trombone and clarinet. His father sent him with the musicians for the novenario 9-day religious event in Tala, Jalisco.
“They are taking my boy,» his mother would exclaim, preparing his clothes for the stay. As the days went by, she wondered, «How is my boy doing?”
Upon her return, Dominga recalls that Heriberto arrived bringing her mother a birote, a bread roll, from the plant.
“What a beautiful son,» said Petra with emotion. With the memory of that scene, Minga shed a tear.
In the midst of a sea of emotions, Dominga continues telling her story.
“Will you invite me to sit next to you?» I said to say goodbye.
“Will you buy me a drink or shall I buy you a drink,» she says smiling before I sit next to her on the edge of the bed.
At 89 years old, Minga lives from her memories in her neat bedroom accompanied by prayer books; the discreet operator who learned to forget names but to remember the stories that wove her youthful days.
Translated by Kerry Watson
Singer, soloist and actor Marco Leon will perform May 25th at the inauguration of the 2022 Terra Games at the Terranova Institute.
There will also be a meet and greet, a post-show meeting with the popular Tapatío. Famous for his song ‘Bonito’ he promises to start the performance with his biggest hit as a treat for fans.
After that, fans will be able to attend a meet-and-greet to take souvenir photos, get autographs, or just meet a favorite performer.
Translated by Amy Esperanto
Section of the Chapala-Jocotepec highway at Nextipac, where neighbors say ficus trees are slated for removal. Photo: Héctor Ruiz.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jocotepec).- At least seven trees are in danger of being cut down, according to residents of the community of Nextipac, in Jocotepec.
Large trees of the species ficus carica, or fig tree, have been marked for removal by presumed workers of the Secretariat of Infrastructure and Public Works (SIOP) as part of the construction of the bicycle path connecting the municipality of Jocotepec with Chapala. According to the neighbors, such an action «would be a great loss because they [the trees] have been here for years and are important for all the neighbors.»
The residents also said that proposals have been presented to prevent the seven trees, each about 8 meters tall and 15 years old, from being removed, but no dialogue between the community and the alleged SIOP workers has yet occurred.
«We do not agree that these trees should be cut down; birds and animals inhabit them, and in addition they provide shade…we do not know what we are going to do if they are removed,» commented the opposing parties.
However, officials from SIOP assured residents that this was not the final project design. During the community meetings on that section, at the intersection of Libertad and 16 de Septiembre streets, by the soccer field, SIOP personnel had said that the trees would not be cut down.
Nevertheless, a little more than a week ago, the same SIOP personnel marked with a white line (which was erased after the rains) the route where part of the bicycle path should run and where the trees were ordered to be cut down.
Also, the neighbors stated that they have asked for help from the Directorate of Ecology and Environmental Protection of Jocotepec; however, according to Daniel Alejandro Garabito Espinoza, director of the agency, little can be done.
The official explained that this is a state-level issue and the only way to solve this matter is to reach a direct agreement between the neighbors and SIOP. «It is up to them to decide whether or not they want the trees to be cut down.»
The community complainants stated that they will not allow the trees to be uprooted «under any circumstances,» and they hope that a dialogue between the state and the citizens can be opened.
The federal government will hire 500 specialized Cuban doctors to provide coverage to marginalized areas. Photo: Courtesy.
Abigail Angélica Correa Cisneros
In response to the ongoing lack of medical personnel and the low participation of Mexican doctors providing service to marginalized areas, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s solution is to hire foreign doctors. Recently, the President informed the public that Mexico will hire 500 Cuban doctors.
According to the President, this is necessary because existing Mexican doctors refuse to provide healthcare in communities in marginalized areas. López Obrador estimated that there is a deficit of 50,000 health professionals. He blames this deficit on the previous administrations and the systemic corruption that prevailed for 36 years resulting in a failure to invest in health and education.
The President’s announcement triggered a wave of criticism from some doctors who attribute the problems to multiple factors, such as «insecurity, the lack of medical equipment in these areas, and the low salary offered to doctors for practicing their profession.» These comments are taken from interviews with doctors and from forums used by doctors.
Data from the National Occupation and Employment Survey (ENOE) for the second quarter of 2021 show that Mexico has 305,418 doctors, of which 54 percent are men and 46 percent are women. The data also show that of the total, 67 percent are general practitioners and 33 percent are specialists in some branch of medicine.
Mexican doctors say that there are enough doctors to meet needs, but that many are unemployed because the health system does not hire them. They add that in public hospitals, many are hired as temporary personnel to cover absences or vacations, and so they have no benefits and are also paid a miserable salary.
Furthermore, they recalled that during the pandemic, they responded to the government’s call to attend to those affected by Covid-19, and the long lines revealed the extent of unemployment in the sector. At the end of the emergency, they were laid off.
It is interesting to note, however, that data from an analysis conducted externally by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), show that Mexico has just 2.4 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants compared to a worldwide average of 3.4. Additionally, Mexico has less than a third of the number of nurses and hospital beds per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the average. So, according to the standards of the OECD, Mexico ranks among the lowest countries regarding the ratio of healthcare workers to population.
Similarly, in terms of remuneration, Mexico is also lacking. For medical personnel, the average pay per hour worked is 122 pesos. Remuneration increases with an increase in level of education: those employed as doctors and who have a bachelor’s degree receive a monthly average of 17,422 pesos; those with a master’s degree receive an average of 21,041 pesos and those with a doctorate receive an average of 26,695 pesos per month.
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed in our country the highest excess mortality among OECD countries, as well as significant disruptions in the provision of other health services: in 2020 the pandemic caused a decrease in health care services and the number of face-to-face medical consultations fell by 9 percent compared to the previous year.
The crisis also highlighted the shortage of healthcare workers and the urgent need to invest more in the coming years to improve primary healthcare and disease prevention, as well as to strengthen the resilience and capacity of healthcare systems.
For 2022, the federal health sector budget increased 14.6 percent, with 824 thousand 181 million pesos allocated. Almost 10 percent (9.1%) of this increase is marked for the IMSS – Bienestar program. Depending upon which providers of services receive these funds and the efficiency with which the funds are spent, this increase could result in more equitable distribution of federal monies so that both the quality and availability of medical care and services improve for populations living in rural and marginalized areas.
The Center for Economic and Budgetary Research (CIEP) indicated in an analysis that the increase in the Federal health sector budget for 2022 for IMSS – Bienestar needs to result in an increase in the rate of care, and ambulatory and hospital medical assistance services, since these areas have all seen a downward trend starting before the pandemic. Since 2019, part of the decline in these health services has been due to the closure of medical units in urban areas.
Negative criticisms from Mexican healthcare workers are due to xenophobia and misinformation. The reality is that this support from Cuba, being promoted by our government, is indeed required. The medical care and attention provided by the 700 Cuban doctors who served in our country during the pandemic are evidence that the health of Mexicans living in remote areas will be in good hands, and that this type of collaboration is necessary.
Other important issues, which the government should not neglect, continue to be violence and the lack of opportunities in the country.
From the Center
By the close of 2021, Mexican farmers had achieved production of 268.4 million tons of food from the land, which marked an increase of 1.3 percent over the previous year. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that the increase in production was driven by higher yields of grains and oilseeds, used in both industry and as fodder. The Ministry’s report highlighted that the area sown during the agricultural year 2021 constituted 21,584,000 hectares, which generated a production volume with a value of 750,778,000 million pesos; 8.3 percent more compared to the previous year (693,072,000 million pesos).
Translated by Rebecca Zittle
Large bags of trash sit along a chain link fence. Credit: Jazmín Stengel.
Jazmín Stengel (Chapala).- Neighbors complain that garbage is still not being collected in some Chapala neighborhoods including San Juditas, San Miguel, La Purísima and Las Redes.
In response, the Chapala municipal government explained that the company in charge of garbage collection in the municipality, GIRRSA, has one broken-down truck. The broken truck is negatively impacting their ability to maintain the regular garbage pickup schedule.
In the interim, municipal employees are working to pick up the slack.
Translated by Amy Esperanto
Bridge near the cemetery being cleaned by hand by delegation personnel. Photo: Sofia Medeles.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).-The cleaning and clearing of bridges and streams in Ajijic is about to be finished, said Maximiano Macías Arceo, in charge of the office.
The bridges in the western zone of the delegation are already cleared, and the excavating machines are only giving the «final touches,» he commented.
The bridges that still need to be cleaned include one located between Rio Zula and Tio Domingo, which Macias Arceo defined as critical due to the obstruction it presents. It passes between several houses and runs into a wall at the hotel «La Joya del Lago» which cuts its course. It has already been reported and will be reviewed by the Urban Development Department.
The second is located in the area known as «three bridges,» which only needs the usual drainage since it was not affected by the landslides of last October 2021.
«Most of them have already been cleared, there is still a bit of work to be done, but they are free now, they are ready for the rainy season and will not have any problems,» concluded Maximiano Macias.
However, as of Sunday, 22 May,Laguna observed large boulders and rocks in the underpass at Sendero Christina, which serves several farms and ranches. The area was surrounded by security tape and large piles of debris had been cleared to one side of the road..
The patrol car was transferred on May 19. Photo: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- A patrol unit was given on loan to the Government of Chapala by the residents of La Floresta. They were responsible for acquiring the vehicle for the use and care of the subdivision and nearby areas.
The car is labeled with the logos of the municipal police and the subdivision. The neighborhood association president, Fernando Plata, said that the car cost more than 400 thousand pesos (about US$20,000). The car was paid for by residents of La Floresta.
Plata also pointed out that the municipal government provides the officers who will carry out the patrol work in the area and the surrounding streets. In case of emergencies, the car can be used in other parts of the municipality.
During the meeting held on May 19, Fernando Plata spoke with the municipal president, Alejandro Aguirre Curiel, about upcoming projects to improve the flow of traffic on the highway and pedestrian circulation in the area.
The formal handover ceremony, which took place at the La Floresta sculpture on the Chapala-Jocotepec highway, was also attended by acting Ajijic delegate Maximiano Macias Arceo, Sergio Conzuelo Ramirez, commander of the municipal police, and members of the board of directors of the subdivision.
Transformer that has not been repaired after a fire. It is located near the intersection of Ocampo and Francisco Villa. Photo: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- A transformer in Ajijic has been out of order for more than a month, and repairs have not been performed by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), despite multiple reports made by the town, neighbors, and the Chapala Directorate of Ecology.
On April 11, a fire in an electrical transformer located near the intersection of Francisco Villa and Ocampo streets was reported by nearby residents. The fire was extinguished; however, at the time of this writing, the transformer is still leaking oil.
More than 40 days later, those reports have not been addressed and the damage is still evident. Witnesses have commented that despite complaints, CFE does not provide any information other than the transformer will soon be attended to.
Ajijic acting delegate Maximiano Macias Arceo commented that he considers the oil spill to be a risk since he asserted that the oil is toxic and could cause burns if it comes into contact with the skin of passers-by.
«We have made countless reports and they have not attended [to repairs], we have even sent photos to the director of Ecology, and they have not attended the report either; we have not found the agency responsive to the danger and the need to get the transformer fixed,» Arceo pointed out.
Some of the neighbors interviewed in that area state that the device has stopped leaking oil, but even so, they have not reported it. «We have only been without internet, but never electricity, this failure has not affected us in that aspect,» said Andrés.
«It’s not that it doesn’t pump oil, but that it pumps very little. That scares some of us, because if it runs out of oil and overheats, it could cause a serious incident. Let’s see if they hurry before the worst happens, and God forbid, there are fatal accidents,» said Gloria.
Translated by MaryAnne Marble
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- In the last few weeks the doors of the Ajijic municipal cemetery have been closing before 10:00 p.m. due to the illicit activities that take place after nightfall.
Acting Ajijic delegateMaximiano Macias Arceo commented that this is an initiative that has been carried out throughout the municipality in an effort to prevent crime in these spaces. In this case to prevent garbage dumping and other misdeeds.
«It is because of littering, and other acts like the vandalization of tombs, the theft of articles from the tombs and other inappropriate activities. All this used to happen at night, that is why this decision was made,» said Macías Arceo.
Macías Arceo said he was aware of customs in Ajijic, so if a family needs permission to start digging a grave during the night or to dig a grave, they can contact him to talk to the caretaker at 331-537-9134.
He also said that even though he has been contacted by people who are upset by this new decision, he believes it is the best way to reduce the dumping of waste in the creek that crosses the cemetery since, he pointed out, garbage has been dumped through the side entrances.
Finally, he made a call to the conscience of Ajijic residents to improve their habits regarding waste.
«We are not children; we do not need to be herded and told to do things. We need to have a culture of cleanliness, both in the cemetery and in Ajijic. This is a very present problem,» he concluded.
Translated by Sydney Metrick
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