en inglés

Publicity image of the event. Photo: Noris Binet.

Sofia Medeles (Ajijic).- To commemorate Earth Day, a group of activists organized conferences, talks and free activities to raise environmental awareness among citizens. 

The events will take place from April 22 to 24, in the Ajijic Cultural Center and in the terrace on the main square.

This first-of-its-kind event will have three days of different activities for different ages, including conferences, musical shows and a children’s art contest. One of the organizers, Noris Binet, shared that this event aims to raise awareness, educate and inform people about the environment. 

«It is important for the community to know about this first special event dedicated to the people who have worked for the protection of the area’s environment. We hope that the event will be held every year in the future, and that it will unite the people of the Lakeside area to be aware of the need to defend the lake and the mountains,» Binet commented.

Program of the three days of activities in the delegation. Photo: Noris Binet.

Ajijic acting delegate Maximiliano Macias Arceo added that he thinks it is an interesting and good project to raise awareness and care about environmental issues in the area.

This event will be attended by the researcher Manuel Villagómez Rodríguez, the man who stopped the construction work on the mountain by the highway which left a scar on the hillside known as «the zigzag on the hill” and an activist for the protection of the lake, as well as Luis Valdivia Ornelas, who conducted a study on the landslide of the mountains of Ajijic due to urbanization in these, among a vast group of activists.

The event’s organizing committee is formed by Douglas Reid, Sihara Casillas Gaeta and Noris Binet.

Translated by Kerry Watson

Students receiving diplomas and certificates at Octavio Paz University Campus

Redaction.- Octavio Paz University Campus (CUOP) held the solemn graduation ceremony for high school and undergraduate students on March 30.

More than one hundred students graduated from CUOP’s high school level along with students completing their undergraduate level degrees.

CUOP educational programs and certifications are endorsed by the Ministry of Education of Jalisco (SEJ), University of Guadalajara (UdeG), Ministry of Public Education (SEP), Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS), Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT), as well as the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC).

CUOP received recent distinction when students Leonardo Gael Aldanda placed first, and Leonardo Gibrán placed second in the LIMATEJ Mathematical Tournament organized by the SEJ.

CUOP students also distinguish themselves in sports. At the last volleyball tournament organized by COMUDE Chapala.  The high school team won third place at its level, while the middle school (secundaria) team won first place in the competition.

For information about registration: 376 765-3355 and 331 843-4380.

Translated by Nita Rudy

About 50 merchants protest on Francisco I. Madero avenue after the stall and its merchandise was seized. Credit: Jazmín Stengel.

Jazmín Stengel (Chapala).– Street merchants were evicted, and their merchandise confiscated by the Department of Regulations, Registration and Licenses, near the recently restored area of the Chapala boardwalk. They protested on Francisco I. Madero Avenue, at the intersection with Hidalgo, on Saturday, April 2. 

The Triqui merchants are from Oaxaca. After having been relocated several times in the last month by the authorities (due to restoration of green space, and new urban image policies going into effect) they refused to move again. They had been asked to relocate to the east side of the boardwalk, in the parking lot of the restaurant area known as La Rampa. They were joined by ten other local merchants.

As a result, agents of the Department of Regulations, Registration and Licenses immediately confiscated a street stall on the Chapala boardwalk, using public security personnel; they denounced the Oaxaca Triqui merchants in the area. 

On Monday, April 4, a dialogue was scheduled with the authorities during working hours. Up to that time ten stalls had been allowed to continue working in the locations already registered, since the owners had a valid commercial permit. However, on Saturday, April 2, shortly after noon, inspectors accompanied by public security came to confiscate the merchandise from the first street stall, without having given prior official written notice, according to testimonies of the indigenous merchants. The stall had been there for thirty years.

Merchants and municipal authorities struggled during the seizure of merchandise. Credit: Special.

The agents involved refused to identify themselves, answering «oi este wey (I heard this guy).» As they moved on to other stalls, merchants struggled to defend their product and labor rights. One video of such an interaction went viral on social networks. «They take things away like vile thieves,» said one of the affected merchants on the video. In one of the multiple videos published by the Triqui Merchant Guild of Oaxaca, one can observe the struggle between merchants, officials, and public security. «Three men pulled me,» said a minor involved. A Triqui woman was bruised after the struggle.

The aggressions on both sides escalated when the merchants demanded that a count of the confiscated merchandise be made public. However, the product was taken to City Hall facilities, resulting in a blockade by about fifty protesters at the intersection of Francisco I. Madero Avenue and Hidalgo Avenue. The Triqui Merchant Guild said they are organizing to demand their human rights, labor rights, and the reimbursement of the affected merchandise. They have multiple options including a human rights complaint, a legal claim, or a commercial injunction to avoid being removed and discriminated against.

As of the closing of this edition, the affected parties were attended by the municipal president, and were informed that the count of the merchandise was finished. However, municipal president Alejandro Aguirre asked those present to keep the boardwalk free of street commerce during the upcoming Holy Week and Easter vacations. This does not solve the relocation problem for the indigenous merchants.

Translated by Amy Esperanto

 District 17 Deputy Maria Dolores Lopez Jara. Photo: El Occidental.

Redaction.- District 17 Deputy Maria Dolores Lopez Jara said she was in favor of the package of legal amendments to recognize equal marriage, gender identity and the prohibition of conversion therapies.

From the tribune of the Congress of Jalisco, the legislator from Jocotepec defended initiatives aimed at recognition of LGTBTTIQ+ community rights. López Jara stressed that the law should not support privileges for one group of people over another.

“In this country there are no first- and second-class people,” she said. “Human dignity is what counts. Our value is in how human we are – how good or wrong we are, not for what we prefer or what we like. To put it simply, human dignity is not bargained. I insist – there are no first- or second-class people,” she emphasized.

Saying that even if it represents her “political tomb,” López Jara defended human rights over political repercussions, as an act of congruence with her person and her family. 

“I don’t know what legacy you want to leave,” she said with emotion. “I just want to leave a legacy for my daughter, and that is called congruence. I want to tell you – neither my love nor my family is less worthy than yours, yours or yours.”

The three initiatives were approved by the local Congress on Thursday, April 7, in a session that lasted until the wee hours of the morning. 

Translated by Mike Rogers

The Palm Sunday route in 2019 went through village streets. Photo: La Tradición de Ajijic.

Sofía Medeles(Ajijic).- There will be changes to this year’s Holy Week celebrations, including the living representations of the Passion of Christ prior to the Viacrucis, or Way of the Cross.

Jesus will ride a donkey on Palm Sunday as usual, beginning at 6 p.m. at Six Corners. But the route will end in Ajijic’s main square rather than at the parish of San Andrés Apóstol as in the past. The blessing of palms will take place at all Sunday Mass times. 

Celebrations of Maundy Thursday (commemoration of the Last Supper) and Good Friday will be at 7 p.m. on April 14 and 15. A Holy Saturday service will be at 8 p.m. All liturgical services, unlike previous years, will be held inside the church and not in the atrium.

Translated by Mike Rogers

In Jalisco, 971,334.15 hectares–about 3,750 square miles–are under some conservation agency, including thirteen Ramsar sites, such as Lake Chapala. Credit: D. Arturo Ortega. 

Editor. – The director of the Intermunicipal Association for the Protection of the Environment and Sustainable Development of Lake Chapala (Aipromades), Gabriel Vásquez Sánchez, was appointed state representative in the State Council of Natural Protected Areas (ANP). He was installed by the Ministry of Environment and Territorial Development (Semadet) last week.

The Council was installed as part of the implementation of the State Program of ANP and Other Conservation Instruments (OIC). These organizations and programs aim to improve ecosystem management, and prioritize the recovery and maintenance of environmental services and their sustainable use. They will support Semadet with expert advice, recommendations for environmental policies, and decision making. 

Expert collaborators Eduardo Santana Castellón and Ernesto Sánchez Proal, as well as representatives of the advisory councils of the Sierra del Águila, the Mesophilic Forests and the Cerro Viejo – Chapinaya – Los Sabinos are also participating. The installation of the State Council of PNAs (Protected Natural Areas)  and ICOs is made up of representatives from Semadet, the State Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection (Proepa), the Jalisco Secretary of Rural Development (Sader), the Secretary of Tourism (SecturJal), the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp), the National Forestry Commission (Conafor), the University of Guadalajara (UdeG), the Northwest Fund (Fonnor A. C.), the State Livestock Unit, the Forestry Union, and the Chamber of Tourism.

Javier Sampayo Lazcano, director of the Decentralized Public Organization (OPD) Sierra de Quila, will represent the Federal Areas, and Gabriel Vásquez Sánchez, director of the Intermunicipal Association for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development of Lake Chapala (Aipromades), will represent the State Areas. Expert collaborators Eduardo Santana Castellón and Ernesto Sánchez Proal also participated, as well as representatives of the advisory councils of the Sierra del Águila, the Mesophilic Forests and Cerro Viejo – Chapinaya – Los Sabinos.

During the session, Fonnor A.C. was appointed as representative to the State Biodiversity Committee (CEB), a body that monitors and coordinates the execution of the actions established in the Jalisco State Biodiversity Strategy (EEB-Jal). In Jalisco, 971,334.15 hectares are under some kind of conservation agency, including eleven federal PNAs, eight state PNAs, and eight municipal PNAs. There are also two state Environmental Recovery Zones (ZRA) and one municipal PNA. There are thirteen Ramsar sites  (wetland sites designated to be of international importance under  Ramsar Convention on Wetlands)and seven Areas Voluntarily Designated for Conservation (ADVC).

Resources for more information:
The State Program of ANP and OIC:

https://gobjal.mx/PEANP 

Information about modification to the LEEEPA:

https://gobjal.mx/ReglamentoLEEEPAanp

Translated by Amy Esperanto

Attendees of the first garbage collection program. Photo: Alejandro Aguirre Curiel

Sofia Medeles (Ajijic).- A new clean-up program started in Ajijic on April 2nd. Dozens of young people, children and municipal authorities participated in the cleaning of several streets in the downtown area. 

On this occasion, students from the Centro de Estudios Técnicos en Aguas Continentales (CETAC) were invited to support the program. The person in charge of the program, Maximiano Macias Arceo, said that at least 12 children joined in the cleanup.  Also present were the municipal president of Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel; the councilwoman of the delegation, Denisse Michelle Ibarra; the municipal trustee, Gamaliel Soto Pérez; and other workers of the delegation.

Young people during the garbage collection in the streets of Ajijic. Photo: Maximiano Macias Arceo

The students who attended were provided with refreshments donated by several people, including Ajijic councilwoman Denisse Michelle Ibarra, trustee Gamaliel Soto Pérez and a member of the group Unidos por Ajijic (United for Ajijic).  Stickers for trash cans and waste containers were also provided. 

Although Macías Arceo was pleased that the work session had gone well, he said that both he and the participants were saddened that again there was garbage in the streets after the cleaning brigade.  

«During the tour, some people said that they remembered the work of Juanita, ‘La Japonesa,’ (a devoted member of CASA, of the Lake Chapala Garden Club, the Lakeside Garden Guild, the LCS, and of other civic-minded organizations who taught and worked with local children to beautify Lakeside) and hoped that we can achieve similar results. We want to revive that culture of cleanliness and control of garbage in the streets», he added. 

Children receiving snacks donated by public officials. Photo: Maximiano Macias Arceo

Macías Arceo said both donations and volunteers are welcome for future work sessions. The dates will be announced several days in advance  on the Facebook page «Delegación Ajijic 2021-2024»  and in local media. «The next date will be after Easter vacation. We will invite more schools to cooperate, whether public or private, because we want everyone to become aware and participate in cleaning the streets,» stated Macías Arceo.

Translated by Elisabeth Shields

The Los Bichos team won the championship over their similar team Los Bomboneros with a score of 3 to 1.

Editor. – With a score of 3 to 1 over their rival Los Bomboneros, the Bichos team was the winner during the final match, being crowned champions of the interim soccer tournament that was held for four weeks at the Terranova Institute. 

Students and teachers from high school and middle school at the Terranova Institute kicked off the Terranova 2022 Inter-School Tournament with six teams participating, from Tuesday, February 22 to Thursday, April 7.

Right from the start, the Bichos team won over the Cuervos, 5-0, demonstrating their desire to win from the very beginning of the tournament. 

The prize for the winners will be an all-expenses-paid trip to the movies, as well as recognition for the participation of the students who made up the six participating teams.

The next tournament will be held after the Holy Week and Easter holidays.

Translated by Kerry Watson

By Leticia Trejo

I am remembering a very particular meme, author unknown,  or at least the image did not contain the name of the author, alluding to how difficult it is to recognize our state of mind. It went something like this: 

Hello, how are you? 

-I’m fine.

Good of good or bad, but you don’t want me to know you’re bad?

-Fine, shut up and give me a hug.

Does the answer sound familiar? I believe that from a very young age we are taught that the right thing to do is not to show our emotions, so we get into a conflict because our heart, our guts, our breathing and our whole body screams at us that we are bad, but our mind is forced to deny any intense emotion that puts our interpersonal relationships in trouble. This is why visiting a psychologist is so important, to learn to express what we feel without being ashamed of it, to let the body and mind integrate and reconcile feeling-emotion-response in a safe space (maybe there are exceptions with unethical psychologists, but that is not our topic today).

When I began to delve deeper into the study of the Six Dimensional Wellness System I realized that there are six key questions that can help us to self-evaluate and thus find answers that will help us generate strategies to achieve balance in our integral health. These are the questions I designed a few years ago:

Physical wellness: Are you happy with your current physical condition?

Mental wellness: Do your thought patterns promote the achievement of your goals?

Family (social) well-being: How are you nurtured by your emotional ties?

Work (community) well-being: Do you love what you do to live in prosperity?

Financial well-being: To what extent does your financial health influence your level of satisfaction and happiness?

Spiritual well-being: Are you at peace with your place in the Universe, does it give meaning and purpose to your life?

The design of these questions inspired by the six dimensions of wellness was born out of the sad recognition that most people do not like the idea of visiting a psychologist. It is difficult to accept that there is still a cultural resistance, a deep-rooted belief that only «nutters» should visit, or that it is only when you have serious emotional problems that you should make an appointment with a «shrink», as some people offensively put it. These questions are not really profound, nor will answering them solve all the problems in our lives, but it is a start. The person who stops to answer them honestly to himself could start a path of inner reconciliation that, with the right counseling, could give him a guide to where he should direct his efforts to move from the place where he is now to a better place, with healthier relationships and clearer goals. If you answer them, dear reader, it only remains for me to wish you a stimulating and challenging journey that fills you with the desire to live and learn.

Translated by Christalle Dalsted

 During the early hours of Thursday, April 7, the Jalisco Congress approved three initiatives in favor of sexual diversity. Photo: Twitter. 

Under the slogans «It’s time Jalisco,» «Nothing to Cure» and «Jalisco of Equals,» the State Congress recognized same-sex marriage and gender identity, and prohibited conversion therapies. 

In a marathon session of the Plenary that lasted until the early hours of April 7, the local deputies legislated in favor of the fight for the recognition of the rights of the LGTBTTIQ+ community. 

With 26 votes in favor, eight against and three abstentions, the amendment to the Civil Code of Jalisco was approved so that marriage will be equal, that is, between people regardless of their gender identity and not between a man and a woman as previously established. 

Another of the initiatives voted was the prohibition of the Efforts to Correct Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (ECOSIG) also known as conversion therapies. 

This amendment was approved with 32 votes in favor, five against and zero abstentions, in which the Penal Code of Jalisco will be reformed so that those who promote, apply or finance conversion therapies will be fined from 50 to 300 times the daily minimum wage (currently from 4,811 to 28,866 pesos, about US$240 to US$1,440), or with 30 to 100 days of community service. 

The third reform approved by the legislators was the initiative to recognize the prerogative of transsexual persons to gender identity, which received 26 votes in favor, ten against and zero abstentions. 

The three initiatives were submitted for approval during the 38th extraordinary session of the local Congress which began around 11:00 pm and concluded at 2:00 am, with voting by secret ballot. 

Outside the building, sexual diversity collectives celebrated the approval of the legislative reforms as a historic event for the recognition of human rights and the promotion of a «Jalisco of Equals.» 

Translated by Kerry Watson