Moment of the arrest of Leo «N» in Ajijic. Photo: Facebook.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- An alleged stalker who was detained by police after he was chased and beaten by angry residents was released from custody after authorities said they had received no official complaints.
The individual, identified as Leo »N», had been accused of taking photographs and posting them without peoples’ consent. He was freed after serving 36 hours for an “administrative offense.”
The alleged stalker was arrested on Tuesday, May 31, outside the Italo hotel where he was staying in the center of Ajijic. According to Ramón Gabriel Cerna Sánchez, deputy director of Public Security of Chapala, there had been earlier complaints on social networks about a man with similar characteristics to the individual under arrest.
Ajijic Acting Delegate Maximiano Macías Arceo, said that while he had no precise information about the young man, his behavior appeared to suggest he suffered from mental problems.
Several people said they had contacted Macías Arceo to file a complaint against the young man with the Public Ministry. But no complaint reached the ministry, authorities said.
A source at the Italo hotel said the man had stayed there for about two months. While he was never aggressive or harassing, he was “rather distant.”
One of those whose photos were published said: “It alarms you, because they are exposing your image and what places you travel – along with a serious accusation.
“But from what (was) published, it is evident that he is not very well in the head. His family is the one that should be looking out for him, given his condition.”
Marcela Montaño, a psychologist, said that while she could not give a specific diagnosis, her advice for dealing with a mentally unstable person would be to avoid them to avert a dangerous situation..
Translated by Alan Ferguson
Officers of the Chapala Port Captaincy, as well as municipal authorities and service providers, commemorated the Navy Day with a civic act where poetry was recited and they asked to work as a team for the well-being of the Lakeside municipality. Photo: Mr. Arturo Ortega.
Staff (Chapala).- With poetry and recognition of the Navy sailors have helped protect the security Lakeside, , the 80th anniversary of the commemoration of the Navy Day was celebrated on June 1 in Chapala.
Those present, in addition to remembering the most important historical dates of Lake Chapala, offered an arrangement of flowers for sailors who died in the line of duty. «For us it is the “Chapalico Sea,” we have sailed in its waters and adventured in its waves», acknowledged one of those present.
Luis Jorge Ochoa Ochoa, former port captain in Chapala, recited the poem «Cruel Sea» by Gustavo Rueda Medina in commemoration of the Navy’s 80th anniversary, next to the ancient tree El Zalate de Felisa, on the Chapala boardwalk.
«The Mexican Navy has been and is for Mexicans, not only the guarantee of national sovereignty in our waters, but a source of pride and deep respect,» acknowledged municipal president Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel.
To conclude the commemoration, the sailors offered a wreath for the comrades who died in Lake Chapala, which was placed in front of the lighthouse.
The port captaincy in Chapala has been present at the lakeside municipality for more than 25 years.
Translated by Kerry Watson
Chapala President Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel (center) during the COPLADEMUN meeting and unveiling of the 2022 projects with FAIS investments.
Editor. – More than 13,778,000 pesos (about US$700,000) from the Contribution Fund for Social Infrastructure, or FAIS, will be invested this year in 13 projects for Ajijic, Atotonilquillo and the municipal capital of Chapala.
Details and budget amounts were announced during the May 31 meeting of the Committee for Municipal Development, or COPLADEMUN, at the Centro Cultural Antigua Presidencia in Chapala.
Construction and maintenance projects in Chapala will focus on Miguel Martínez, Zaragoza and Pípila streets. Architect María del Carmen Corona detailed the works to be carried out through the FAIS, starting with Miguel Martínez Street. This project includes installation of drinking water and sewage lines and the construction of a collector.
Also planned is installation of drainage lines on Zaragoza Street, construction of concrete pavement, sidewalks and trimmings in the northern part of Chapala. There are also plans for the construction of concrete pavement, sidewalks and pavers for Pípila Street, as well as rehabilitation of some other streets.
There will be three projects in the Magic Town of Ajijic, including rehabilitation of the Six Corners square at a cost of 652,000 pesos (about US$33,000). Also, firm floors will be installed in homes that need them the most. Crosswalks will be installed at the intersections of Juárez and Ángel Flores, Zaragoza and Juárez, Juárez and Ocampo, Hidalgo and Juárez, Constitución and Marcos Castellanos, Constitución and Aldama, Guadalupe Victoria and Aldama, Hidalgo and Álvaro Obregón, and Zaragoza and Hermenegildo Galeana.
Finally, the delegation of Atotonilquillo will have a budget of 500,000 pesos (about US$25,000) for the rehabilitation and maintenance of streets and sidewalks.
During the meeting, the mayor of Chapala swore in 24 of the 32 members of COPLADEMUN for the period 2021-2024. The group is made up of municipal authorities, citizens, businessmen, representatives of educational institutions, indigenous communities and others.
Translated by Mike Rogers
Linaje Bohemio in 2021. Photo: Courtesy
Alma Serrano (San Juan Cosalá).- The San Juan Cosalá musical trio Linaje Bohemio (Bohemian Lineage) appeared on the afternoon of May 13 on «TV Jalisco» in Zapopan, a channel dedicated to trends, entertainment and fun. The band consists of David Reyes Díaz as vocalist and brothers Carlos and César Torres on guitar and trumpet.
The musical trio is known for its outstanding talent, recognized in Lakeside and other places of the Republic, such as Chiapas and municipalities in Jalisco .
Their trajectory as a group began with the three becoming best friends and starting working as music partners for two and a half years from 2019 through May 2022, . Each member also played with other groups and they all had musical experience since they were children.
In the year 2019, they put together the group unexpectedly for a restaurant event. This led them to receive countless calls for their services at parties of many kinds, including music and art festivals which required them to formalize their act and create a name.
During their career, the memes of Linaje Bohemio have shared the stage with artists such as Brandon and James, winners of the America’s Got Talent contest in the United States; Francisco Puga, winner of the imitation contest in the TV show Parodiando; Alex Villareal, better known as «el Borrego,» former vocalist of Banda el Recodo, and countless Lakeside artists.
Because of their bohemian and inspiring music and their youth, Linaje Bohemio became the sensation of the moment, giving interviews and delighting radio shows such as Fanáticos al Aire, La Feroz FM, and El Desmoder with their music.
Due to the high demand, especially locally, David, Carlos and César were saturated with work, so they strategically rethought their roles as artists. They decided to obtain a manager, 26-year-old Victor Serrano who represenedt them with clients and manage their bookings.
Diego Amezcua and Anie Cerna helped with publicity and recording cover videos uploaded on the YouTube Channel, «Linaje Bohemio» . They are also exceedingly grateful to their fan club of more than 4,500 followers that extends throughout Lakeside and other countries such as the United States. Find more about this musical group on social networks as «Linaje Bohemio.»
Translated by Sydney Metrick
Efrén González with his wife and children, during the ribbon cutting of the Ajijic Art Museum. Photo: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- The new Ajijic Museum of Art opened this week with three days of art presentations and the unveiling of three new murals in the neighborhood surrounding the building in the west side of Ajijic.
The new museum, located on private Flores Magón 3, opened its doors on June 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The museum contains works by internationally renowned painters such as Georg Rauch, Carlos Terrés, Miguel Miramontes, Sylvia Fein, and other artists who found inspiration in the Magic Town. The oldest work of art is one from 1924, according to the museum’s curator, Antonio Velazco.
The murals located on Flores Magón Street range from a landscape of Parroquia Street in the center of the town, another illustrates the view of the lake next to anchored fishing boats. The third, located at the intersection of Flores Magón and Ocampo, is a Virgin of Guadalupe. In front of the latter, a second Wall of the Dead is in process, similar to the one located on Marcos Castellanos Street.
On the last day of the opening celebration, June 3, there was a parade with a band from the main square to the new museum, also inaugurated on the 50th anniversary of the life of its founder, Efrén González.
The museum will be open from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. and the entrance fee will be 40 pesos. Although, of course,” we will try to facilitate access to people from the neighborhood and locals,» said historian Antonio Velazco, a member of the presidium that founded the museum.
The presidium was formed by Efrén González, painter Javier Zaragoza, journalist Dale Hoyt Palfrey, the head of the González Gallo Cultural Center (CCGG), Gabriela Serrano, Ajijic Acting Director Maximiano Macías, Oscar Santoscoy, and historian Antonio Velazco.
The second stage of the museum will be inaugurated at the end of the year.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
Jesús María Higuera Hernández, born on March 1, 1951, passed away at the age of 71 on May 22, 2022. Photo: Facebook.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- Beloved Ajijic personality Jesús María Higuera Hernández, known as Katuza, was recognized worldwide, not only for his artistic skill, but for being a spiritual master and revolutionary man every day of his life.
Born on March 1, 1951, he grew up in Ajijic in a family originally from the town. Later he would travel to Canada to start a restaurant. After a few years abroad, he decided to return to his hometown after succumbing to excessive drinking.
Upon his return, according to one of his closest friends, Daniel Palma, he continued excessive drinking, until he had a scare that made him forswear alcohol. After this, he became interested in the Huichol culture and their pilgrimage of «La Cruz». Joining them he learned about dance, healing, spiritual rituals and temazcal (sweat lodge), and received the title of marakame (one who merges art and culture) by the Wixárika community.
One of the skills for which he was most recognized was the temazcal, an ancestral healing ritual connected to the sweat lodge. One of his students, Luis Ríos, shared that with his apprentices, Katuza was always very firm, with a strong and sincere character, which surprised many, and alienated many others.
«He handled the traditional Mexican temazcal with burnt brick, mud and his own hands. He fought so much that he lost the sense of the temazcal. It moves with love and with love people are healed. The temazcal goes deeper, cleanses your being, your soul, and returns the essence of why we are alive, that’s how he taught me,» Luis said.
He performed dozens of temazcals not only in Chapala, but also throughout México and even Europe. National and international people became interested in him because of his rituals. Several of his acquaintances said that he was always traveling to continue learning and cultivating his skills, which is why he was portrayed in articles in media around the world, such as the New York Times.
«Once, some friends of mine were looking for this kind of healing. I took them to Katuza because he did what they were looking for. After they left, they told me that, in healing them, he was very specific with each one, ridding them of what ailed them, without having to mention it to them. They were very surprised, that’s why they recognized him as the medicine man,» Daniel Palma shared.
As for his artistic side, his friend and colleague Daniel said that he handled wood and stone in a very rustic way, and his main creations portrayed lizards and iguanas.
Jesús María passed away last Sunday, May 22, at the age of 71. Many of his friends and acquaintances bid him farewell with a mass and small rituals.
He was a man who is a legend of the people Ajijic who is described with multiple titles: shaman, teacher, friend, artist, tyrant, and who inspired dozens of writings, songs, and videos that captured his eccentric life. One of those is a fragment of the song “Pájaro Rojo”, by Erick de Jesús Ocelotl:
Bajando luces de otros tiempos
Between the moon and the cold
Goes a marakame marking dreams
And the whispers of a child
[…]
Because you
You paint wings to my senses
And I
Smiling at your madness I tell you
[…]
Katuza is on an uncertain journey
Red bird red bird friend
Don’t forget what I say
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
By Patrick O’Heffernan
A Tapatio Mexican driver won the Monaco Grand Prix this week, the world cup of Formula 1 auto racing and to many the most difficult of auto racing’s unofficial Triple Crown. He is the first Mexican to win the Monaco Grand Prix, and the first North American to win it since 1981.
Now, you may not be excited about auto racing. I understand, although I am, having raced H-class Sprites in another lifetime. Formula l racing (the funny-looking really fast cars) is a rich person’s sport, sort of like yacht racing, only louder and more dangerous for both drivers and spectators. But this one is a win for the home team here is Jalisco as well as Mexico..
Mexico is justifiably proud that one of its sons topped the podium at Monaco, Sergio “Checo” Pérez, racing for the Red Bull team. This is Pérez ‘s third Grand Prix success, the first being winning the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and the second a pole position in the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix earlier this year.
Pérez ‘s win was based on strategy, as well as speed. A rainstorm on the track and a late race accident that took out a barrier forced the drivers and their crews to make multiple decisions on which tires to run on for the final laps and when to change them – a major set of strategic choices. Pérez and his crew got the strategy right; the other three top finishers did not
As a result Pérez was able to hold the lead to the checkered flag and cinch his third success in Formula One, finishing just over a second ahead of second place Carlos Sainz of Spain. The 32-year old was rewarded with lots of champagne in very big bottles, kisses from every woman within reach, a gold trophy in the shape of the track in a special Luis Vuitton case, and an $8 million contract renewal with Red Bull. Plus, the undying pride of his countrymen and women.
Why should Mexico be so proud that one of its own has won the top Formula 1 race in the world – or any F-1 race for that matter? Well, for starters, F-1 is arguably the most competitive sport in the world. There are 9 billion people on earth and only 20 Formula 1 seats available. That makes driving F-1 a more exclusive club than the US Senate, and Pérez has made Mexico a Member.
Secondly, unlike NASCAR where everyone is essentially driving the same car because of NASCAR rules, F-1 cars can be and are designed to be the fastest in the world. The engines generate 1,000 HP and rev at 15,000 RPMs, moving them at speeds of up to 240 mph (NASCAR tops out at 212 mph). There are different cars for different tracks, with the length and stiffness of the frame, the center gravity, the engines (four companies supply F-1 engines), and other components differing vastly from car to car and track to track.
In short, racing Formula – and winning – is a unique combination of a skilled driver willing to risk his or her life in every race, the pinnacle of auto design and technology, money, and strategy. Racing and winning a Formula 1 race puts Mexico in the most exclusive club in the world. Whether or not you follow auto racing, it is another reason to be proud of the country we live in. It can do big things.
Municipal President and SIMAPA officials during the announcement that the well would be connected to the potable water network. Photo: Government of Chapala.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- The well on the outskirts of Ajijic was put into operation at the end of last week, after approximately a year and a half of drilling, and will supply the areas from La Cristina to Alceseca, to the west of the town.
The person in charge of the Municipal System of Potable Water and Sewage (SIMAPA) Ajijic, Timoteo Aldana Pérez, said that although it does not have the expected capacity, the water is suitable for consumption and sufficient to cover the needs of the area.
«The well produces less water than we expected. Normally the capacity of the other wells ranges from 33 to 16 liters per second, but this one gives between eight and ten. It is not what we expected, but it is enough water for the area. We hope that with the rainy season it can improve,» said Aldana Pérez.
He also said that the low capacity of the well could be due to the fact that the bentonite -material used to avoid or reduce landslides in the wells- that was used during its drilling has not yet been completely cleaned. «It’s a matter of waiting to get it all out,» he mentioned.
He added that this well is the deepest of all the wells in Ajijic and the drilling expenses were assumed by the past administration. This administration was in charge of the electrification and the placement of the pumping system, and although he does not know the total cost of the well, he commented that he estimates it could be approximately three million pesos.
Neighbors of the zone said that the operation of the new well is already noticeable.
«Yes, there has been water for more days, although not all day. Before there was water two or three days a week, and now up to six days,» commented José Rosario, who lives in the Alceseca area.
On the other hand, one of the interviewees, an inhabitant of La Cristina, to the west of Ajijic, commented that she has noticed the change, however, the water has been more cloudy with a whitish color.
The well is located in «Rancho San Vicente», on the municipality’s borders. This was announced by the last administration (2018-2021), where the then municipal president Moisés Alejandro Anaya Aguilar stated in November 2020 that the well was already drilled, however, it was not actually completed in his administration.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
The Pedro Rey Mariachi School is located in Ajijic, at Constitución #147 in «la casa de adobe». Photo: Facebook.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- The first Mariachi School in Lakeside opened this week in Ajijic. Named after the musician Pedro Rey, the school will offer different disciplines in the most Mexican musical genre, the mariachi.
The presentation took place in the facilities of what will be the new school in the well-known adobe house, located at Constitución #147. Classes will begin on June 6th.
Present at the event were the founder of Mariachi Los Galleros, Pedro Rey, after whom the new school is named; musician and teacher Jorge Cerna; arranger and music producer Miguel Barrón; musical director of mariachi Los Toritos, Ramón García; and the director of the Pedro Rey Mariachi School, Daniel Arturo Medeles Córdova.
Medeles Córdova, director and founder of the school said that they will begin offering regular classes for the young people who join; approximately 35 people are already enrolled.
The school will offer classes to young people between 7 and 17 years of age; among others, the students will learn to play the trumpet, guitar, guitarrón, violin, vihuela, in addition to singing classes to tune the voice of those interested.
Information on the classes, convocations, schedules and information regarding the school, can be found on the Facebook page: «Escuela de Mariachi Pedro Rey» .
«I feel fulfilled and totally convinced to return to Ajijic. I am from here, my family is from here and here I grew up and became what I am. I feel fulfilled, motivated, and eager to give something back to the town for all that it has given me,» said Daniel.
Also on the podium at the opening were musician and composer René Mejía Jacobo; harpist and teacher, Carlos Mata; musician and business administrator, Jorge Corredor Zaraza; the municipal president of Chapala, Alejandro Aguirre Curiel and his wife Erika Eryn Torres Herrera, president of DIF.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
Path of the channeled creek at Piedra Barrenada. Photo: Héctor Ruiz.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jocotepec).- Restaurant owners of the tourist-gastronomic zone of Piedra Barrenada, in San Juan Cosalá, demanded the authorities of Jocotepec take precautions in the creek near the area.
Although authorities assured that work had already been carried out to channel the creek to two outlets, one of the streams passes by the Las Gaviotas restaurant. This has caused the owners to “feel concerned.”
The owner of one of the most affected restaurants, who asked for anonymity, pointed out that after the October 5 downpour, he registered losses of more than 280 thousand pesos (approx. $14,200 US) due to the damage caused by the landslide, «it has been a poorly executed intervention,» he commented.
The restaurateur explained that the depth of the channel is barely over one meter in height so as soon as the rains begin, this section is prone to overflowing due to its shallowness.
«I even sent up a drone to capture what happened in the last storm. Due to the amount of water that fell, the channel became like a lagoon, when it could not hold any more water, all those liters and liters of water flowed out,» he said.
Other businessmen consulted also said they were worried about this coming rainy season. They fear a repetition of last October’s situation, where they not only lost real estate, but one of the restaurateurs was almost swept away by the waterspout.
«Everything, everything was filled with mud and stones. The bar was filled to the top, the kitchen the same. I had to smash the main door so that all the debris would flow out and, in the attempt, I was dragged by the current. Civil Protection had to throw me a rope so that it would not wash me into the lake,” he explained.
For these reasons, they urged the Jocotepec City Hall to act on the matter and conduct the appropriate reports on the stream to rule out another possible landslide, while there is still time before the storms begin.
Translated by Nita Rudy
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