en inglés

Miss Grand México, Mariana Macías during the night of the Miss Grand International final. Photo: courtesy.

Editor- Mariana Macías Ornelas, representative of  México in the ninth edition of the Miss Grand International pageant, will return without the crown after competing in the final stage of the international  contest,  December 4, at the DC Hall Show in Bangkok, Thailand.

«I gave it my all and it didn’t happen, but now I hold my head high and I continue. I became a queen and a queen knows that she never loses herself,» wrote Mariana Macías on her Facebook page after she failed to place among  the 20 finalists of the beauty pageant.

 “I felt my heart leap out of pride every time I shouted the name of my country. It was an honor to have been MEXICO. I trust a lot in what life has for me ”, Mariana Macías posted on her Facebook account. The San Antonio Tlayacapan native  thanked her followers for their support at all times.

The Christmas tree installed in Chapala

Jazmín Stengel.– With an artificial snowfall during the lighting of the Christmas tree, decorative objects from other years and an investment of only 240 thousand pesos, the Municipality of Chapala illuminated its streets with the Christmas spirit. 

With  the intention to save money, city hall personnel found some nativity figures that were restored and placed them in the Plazoleta de la Hermandad. Christmas wreaths that decorated Chapala’s former administration offices are now decorating the current ones as well as the main square. Because of the savings from reusing past decorations, the administration was able to spend only 240 thousand pesos, mostly on lights, spheres, trees and artificial snow for the popular display.

The nativity set up in front of the municipal palace.

The lighting of the Christmas tree at 7 pm  in front of Chapala’s town hall on Thursday, December 9th,  was accompanied by two Christmas shows –  ‘La Rampa’ and ‘La Posada’ –  performed by Carlos Rayo, as well as the artificial snow that twice covered the happy spectators.

Of the 240 thousand peso budget,  70 thousand pesos were distributed among the towns  with Ajijic receiving 20 thousand pesos, the largest amount, followed by Atotonilquillo and San Antonio Tlayacapan with 15 thousand pesos each. The least populated towns of Santa Cruz de la Soledad and San Nicolás received 10 thousand pesos a piece.

The kiosk was decorated with Christmas lights.

One of the arrangements that the Government of Chapala recently reached with the merchants of the Tianguis Navideño in the municipal capital,  was a business contribution of five thousand pesos to decorate the main kiosk with lights, lighting it up at night.

The neighbors of Francisco I. Madero Avenue, which crosses the municipal capital, were also asked to collaborate by decorating the facades of their businesses or homes to spread the Christmas spirit in the streets of Chapala.

Maximiliano (Max) Macias Arceo, in charge of the office in the Ajijic delegation, last week asked  the general public to help with the restoration of the decorative objects that were rescued from previous years so they could be used again at no cost.

Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan

Fabián Heredia Perales passed away on November 19, at the age of 26.

Sofia Medeles (Ajijic, Jal.)- Fabián Heredia Perales, a young man who, despite his young age, left his mark in Ajijic and San Antonio Tlayacapan. He was known for his barbershop, his hobbies, and above all, for his friendly personality, and a life full of goals accomplished already in his short 26 years of life.

Born on August 10, 1995, he was the seventh of eight children; his parents, Emilio Heredia and Marisela Perales. As a child, he lived in Ajijic and his mother describes him as a very restless child, very mischievous. «The first time he became lost he was seven years old, he went to Chapala and we didn’t find him until late. He was always restless, he didn’t like to stay in one place for too long».

Altar in honor of «Cacheiris», at the site of the accident.

He also said that he was not good at studying; however, he had intelligence for other things, for example, modifying automobiles and motorcycles, which was his favorite hobby. His mother recalls amusingly, «once he came home from a ride in his little car and said to me: ‘Ma, what do you think, I was driving and the engine came out of the car, but nothing happened’ and after that, he fixed it.»

His parents, as well as his girlfriend -Alexa Hernández, originally from San Antonio, with whom he had been in a relationship for two years-, and Marcos, the boy with whom he worked, remember him as a focused person, who set goals and did not rest until they were accomplished, also, despite all he achieved, they said that he never lost his humility and his way of life.

Alexa commented that he was a boy who always maintained his ideals, very respectful, and that, with the years they had been in a relationship, he included her in his plans, starting a project to build the house where they would both live.

Fabián and his girlfriend Alexa. According to witnesses, his next goal was to get married.

«He always supported me in everything, with him I learned many things, like how to work and how to study, because he always motivated me. Just as he proposed his ideals and fulfilled them, he encouraged me to do the same. With him I learned responsibility, perseverance, love, I matured a lot and he will always be in my heart», said Alexa.

Marcos, a boy with whom he worked at Cacheiri’s Barber Shop, located in San Antonio Tlayacapan, recalled that at the beginning, he was Fabián’s boss and taught him the trade, but after going through some hard times in his life, he left his Barber Shop; later, Fabián offered him a job and they went back to work together. «He was always a good boss, even if he didn’t receive a salary, he always paid mine and always kept an eye on the business. As a friend he was very funny and cool, a while ago he became very mature and responsible in all aspects, we had many happy moments, and today I can’t get used to the idea that he will no longer be there.»

Fabian’s mother recalled that one of the last goals he talked about with them was that he wanted to marry his girlfriend Alexa and that they were already in the process of building a house. «He was planning to be married, preparing his house to start his family.»

The people interviewed said that they were grateful for what he brought to their lives, the love, the teachings, and the good times they had. His parents, Emilio and Marisela, commented that they were completely proud of him; while his girlfriend said that she will never forget him and will always keep in mind everything she has lived and learned; and Marcos said that he will always remember him in the best way.

Fabian died November 19, in a motorcycle accident near the Ajijic gas station. He was 26 years old and had a fleeting, but well-lived passage through this life.

Translated by Kerry Watson

Photo: As part of the sports activities, students from both institutions played friendly matches in three sports disciplines

Editor. – Students from the Terranova Institute of Ajijic visited the Villa de los Niños, a Boystown located between Jocotepec and Guadalajara, where they held several friendly competitions and gave away a little more than 50 balls to the students of that educational institution.  

There were a little more than 40 Terranova students with their sports teachers who played some friendly volleyball, basketball and soccer games.

During the visit, the students from the Terranova Institute were able to share a snack with each other to support and strengthen the ties between the two educational institutions. 

The students enjoyed the activities in the company of the boys from the Villa and hope to return soon to continue their visit.   

Villa de los Niños gives an opportunity to poor boys with an aptitude for learning to receive a good secondary education or vocational training. There is also a Villa de las Niñas near Mexico City.

Translated by Kerry Watson

The Mayor of Chapala, accompanied by ejido residents, public officials from the Municipality and the State Government

Editor. – The President of Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, announced the repair of 90 kilometers of farm-to-market roads during the start of the works in the ejido or communally-owned area of Potrero David López, in the Atotonilquillo delegation.

The work began with the receipt of heavy machinery from the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) through the Rural Development Directorate and the machinery module and the boards of directors of the ejido areas.

«Today we start with this commitment to refurbish the farm-to-market roads; this is coordinated with you (ejido representatives), in the sense that you have a part and the Municipal Government another part. We thank SADER for the coordination and support of machinery to be able to give a prompt and timely response to the ejidos of our delegation and the municipality of Chapala,» said Aguirre Curiel.

These actions will allow for the rehabilitation of approximately 30 kilometers of road in

Atotonilquillo and approximately 100 kilometers throughout the municipality. The program began in Atotonilquillo and will be replicated in the other ejidos of the municipality, including the indigenous communities.

«We have been in the government office only a month and a half, and it has not been an easy start. I would like us to be faster, but due to budget issues and conditions we will not describe in detail, it was not the best way to start our administration. However, we have resolved some of the problems and we have made progress and achieved many results,» said the mayor of Chapala.

Through a press release, the Municipality reported that, «the renewal of the heavy machinery agreement with the State Government will allow improving the connectivity of communities, plots, ejido areas and the economy of producers; supporting farmers in their agri-food production processes in Chapala, as well as facilitating their transit through the farm-to-market roads located within the municipality». 

Translated by Kerry Watson

Photo: Family van involved in an accident in El Molino.

Once again there was an accident on the Guadalajara-Morelia highway, near El Molino in the municipality of Jocotepec. The vehicle involved in the accident was a family van. No serious injuries were reported.  It appears that speeding was the cause of the accident, and resulted in traffic jams in the area where lanes were reduced.  This location has been a constant source of accidents. 

Translated by Dee Lynn

The unit was left on its side.

A heavy truck ended up on its side on the northbound lanes of the Chapala-Guadalajara highway, at the intersection of Calle El Zapote, just before the Guadalajara airport exit. The incident occurred during the morning of November 30.

The accident damaged the truck and caused a traffic jam in the area, which is already difficult at peak hours, because one lane was closed. No fatalities were reported. 

Translated by Mike Rogers

Lake Chapala is the biggest lake in México. 

During the 2021 rainy season, Lake Chapala recovered 2.02 meters, according to the National Water Commission (CONAGUA). The agency said the lake is now at 75 percent of its capacity.

Photo: One of the crashed cars.

Livestock  left to roam by irresponsible owners continues to be a problem for motorists, who are plagued by  accidents, such as the one that occurred on the Santa Rosa-La Barca highway during the morning of November 27, in which two cars were damaged. 

Stray cattle were the cause of the mishap.

The incident occurred a few meters from the access to Poncitlán, causing traffic congestion in both directions. Emergency services personnel arrived at the scene to attend to those affected. 

Translated by Dee Lynn

Vendors are opposed to leases, because since the market was founded no lease contract has ever been issued. Photo: Archive.

Héctor Ruiz Mejía: The renovation of the Jocotepec market not only includes the rehabilitation of the building over the last two years, but there will also be changes in the way in which the City Hall wants to manage the marketplace. 

Jocotepec Mayor José Miguel Gómez López said the only way to put an end to the problems of subletting, non-payment of electricity, theft of electricity (known as «diablitos«), non-payment of monthly rent, among others, is to extend an individual lease contract to each merchant. 

«There are around 40 percent of the tenants who have not made their payments regularly and have owed for years», said the mayor, who has been inflexible in the situation and asserted that, if necessary, he will not hesitate to use public force.

Also, the new measure seeks to provide legal security over the space, since according to Municipal Trustee Carlos Zúñiga Chacón, no tenant currently has documentation that proves their concession regarding the commercial premises, and «an authority could come and evict them since they cannot prove their right of possession», explained the official.

Vendors fear losing concessions they have held for generations. Photo: Archive.

This is why in recent weeks the City Council has summoned three to four of the approximately 50 merchants who work in the market to persuade them to sign, explained Juan Manuel Cuevas, who is in charge of the market.

For Manuel Cuevas, who views the measure favorably, the misinformation among the merchants has led to some of them not wanting to sign the contract, because they fear that not only will they lose their seniority, but they will be more vulnerable to any incoming government taking away the concession that many of them have had for generations. 

«When they wanted to make us sign, we asked about the benefits we would have, which they did not explain to us, and so far they have not called us to a formal meeting to tell us what it is all about, so we did not want to risk it», commented one of the many merchants affected by the uncertainty regarding the new measure. 

So far, the only  information available is that the measure is expected to take effect in January 2022 and that the contracts will be valid for three years (with the possibility of renewal), said Juan Manuel Cuevas, who added that the rent increase will be in accordance with the monthly payment currently being made.

«Currently, we pay 270 pesos per month. When I asked if there would be any increase now with the contract, they told me that it will go up to 280, 290 at the most; only 30 pesos», explained Juan Manuel, after consulting with his lawyer.

Finally, the mayor asserted that this measure will send the message that the market does not belong to the tenants, it belongs to the City Hall, he explained.

Translated by Kerry Watson