Last weekend, cones were placed to prevent people from parking, in preparation for the return of the Andador Cultural Axixic. Photo: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic, Jal.) – The current Encargado de Despacho of Ajijic, Maximiliano «Max» Macías Arceo, says there are plans to reinstall the andador on Calle Morelo, in the heart of Ajijic. He added that the reinstallation will not only benefit businesses, but also locals and tourists.
(Note: An “anador” means a walkway. In this case it is a “cultural walkway” of outside vendors, in front of existing shops on Calle Morelos)
Macías Arceo continued, «this time, we are planning for it to be a cultural walkway, focused on the local artisans, and the businesses of Calle Morelos.” He said he understands the objections some people have to the project; the previous administration (2015-2018) led a similar project. Objectors felt the previous version of the andador benefited the businesses located along Calle Morelos, but not the local artisans. Another objection is that the andador means Calle Morelos is closed to vehicular traffic on the weekends to make way for the vendors and pedestrians.
Since the new administration (PAN) took office, there has been speculation about if, or how the andador would return. In preparation for the revival of the andador, road agents have been in charge of preventing vehicles from parking on Calle Morelos, beginning at the intersection of Morelos and Ocampo.
In the first two weeks of the previous government (Ciudadano Movimiento), the andador was closed; seven street vendors were relocated close to the pier, at the entrance of the Ajijic malecón. There are now more than twenty street vendors selling at the new location.
When 17 people were interviewed about the return of the Andador Cultural Axixic, nine of them supported the re-opening, while eight others were opposed to closing a main street again for the sale of handicrafts. Francisco, a young resident of Ajijic, said «they are only giving way to the restaurants to bring their filth back to the streets little by little. They may say it is to support local culture, but they said the same thing last time. It’s good that they are fixing the street, but with the stalls there, they are only going to cause traffic chaos.»
On the other hand, those who support the re-opening,seem confident that it could be a profitable platform for local artists. «A cultural walkway, like the one in the plaza, but exclusively for people from Ajijic, is what the town needs. Ajijic has many artists who should have more visibility to those who come to visit our pueblo mágico,» commented Fany, an Ajijic resident.
The new Municipal President, Alejandro Aguirre, is aware of the mixed opinions. His administration is also looking to fix Calle Morelos starting at Calle Colón, always taking the opinions of the people into account. Macías Arceo says that the project should begin later this year. The Andador Cultural Axixic was started during the PRI administration by PRI member Javier Degollado. It had been cancelled during the Ciudadano Movimiento administration.
Translated by Amy Esperanto
Ajijic football pitch. Fhoto: Courtesy.
Redaction.- Tempers flared during a football match at the Ajijic football field, leading to a brawl which required the intervention of the municipal police. According to reports, the fans went too far with some of the players and threw objects onto the pitch, which led to the violence.
The events took place on Sunday, October 10. No one was arrested but a lot of people went home angry. Other football fields in the municipality also had conflicts.
Translated by Dee Lynn
Before, the mechanical games were just installed in 2018 and after, when the games were removed, in 2021.
Jazmín Stengel. – This week the Chapala boardwalk opened free of carnival rides. At the start of the new administration of Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, the order was issued to regulate all vendors in public areas in the municipality of Chapala, including the rides.
Arturo Rivera Mexicano, in charge of the Markets Department, told Laguna unofficially that the regulation began last weekend in the parks and boardwalk of the municipal capital, which led to the removal of the mechanical games, ponies and other attractions that were located next to the skateboard park in front of the Chapala Lagoon.
The municipal authorities have said that they received this instruction directly from the new mayor, who cited poor sanitary and hygienic and safety conditions . However, the merchants in the area disagreed, saying the people in charge of the games -were clean people, as one person who sells ice cream in the area attested, while the waiters affirmed to have had more opportunity to sell because of the attraction of the games.
As of the closing of this edition, the Municipality of Chapala did not issue any information on the matter; however, information has been leaked about irregularities in permits issued at the last minute by the past administration.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
The vaccination site was originally at the Community Hospital, but after the accreditation audit, the clinic had to be moved to the Marcos Castellanos auditorium in Jocotepec. Photo: Héctor Ruiz.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía. – They waited, but the vaccine never arrived. In Jocotepec, around 1,600 people between 18 and 29 years of age were left waiting for the vaccine against COVID-19, when rain and landslides delayed the arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccine being transported by National Guard troops to the Marcos Castellanos auditorium.
The 7,800 vaccines that the National Guard was transporting to Jocotepec were stranded in Tuxcueca after severe flooding. The National Guard finally arrived on Tuesday at 2:00 in the afternoon.. After a wait of nearly five hours, the nearly 1,600 people waiting to be vaccinated, received 500 tokens for postponed vacinations.
The 500 people with token’s received vaccinations on Wednesdy. Of those, 100 doses were Sinovac specifically for pregnant women, and another 165 doses were applied to those suffering from complications such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer. Some vaccines were given to those who had missed their original groups -called laggards- despite strict regulation of not permitting it.tThe clinic ended Wednesday at approximately 7:00 p.m.
By Thursday, October 7 at 1:00 p.m., around 1,400 doses had been applied. While there was no exact count of the number of laggards vaccinated, medical authorities confirmed that the majority of people vaccinated were young people between 18 and 29 years of age.
«There were no conflicts and despite the change of venue, there was a very good participation» said Dr. Miguel Ibarra, coordinator of the Health Center, who was in charge of this vaccination day. The clinic was originally scheduled to be held at the Jocotepec Community Hospital, but after accreditation audits of the facilities, it had to be moved to the Marcos Castellanos Auditorium.
He added that in contrast to past vaccination days, «people were very well prepared with their documentation.» According to Dr. Miguel Ibarra,, the documentation support module provided by the City Hall offered its services only the first day, since the young people had their paperwork in order and their documentation services were not required.
According to the Servidores de la Nación, the organization responsible for holding the vaccine clinics nationwide, the high attendance of the young people was important since «it is now the young people who are getting sick.»
Translated by Kerry Watson.
Governor of Jalisco Enrique Alfaro Ramirez during his visit to supervise the works of the auditorium of the riverbank.
Sofia Medeles (Ajijic, Jal.)– At the end of his visit to the La Ribera auditorium, Governor Enrique Alfaro Ramirez was questioned about his opinion on the «anti-rejas movement», to which he mentioned being aware of their work, and endorsed their work.
«I also joined in the complaint(about illegal building and filling of the Lake), these are acts of loafers that should not be allowed. However, it is not the responsibility of the state government, it is a federal problem, and we hope that the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) will take action on the matter,» said the governor.
He also commented that the issue of the Chapala invasions has not been mentioned specifically in the meetings he has had in Mexico City, but that the review by CONAGUA is a recurring theme, encompassing Lake Chapala, invasions in Lake Cajititlán, the Villa Corona lagoon, and the unregulated discharges into the Santiago River.
Without proposing a solution, he finally added that the problem is that CONAGUA does not regulate the invasions, and furthermore, it has neither the personnel nor the resources to carry out its investigations.
Ajijitecos interviewed both within and outside the movement, declared that they do not believe him, and that in their opinion, it is only a strategy to cover the eye of the beast, «He says it just to make himself look good, because it is an issue that is gaining a lot of momentum. If he were really interested, he would be the first to facilitate and manage solutions to avoid irregularities of this type», commented a member of the movement.
«He talks a lot and does little. I wish it were true what he says, but his words are worth the same as nothing if he is going to look the other way when it comes to action. We are used to promises, but we no longer believe them,» commented a native of the town.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
The Galeana intersection also sports a traffic signal bent from a collision, potentially exposing the wiring to the lights to the elements, and risking a short circuit.
Patrick O’Heffernan Ajijic (JAL). After watching both drivers and pedestrians take their lives in their hands at various intersections of city streets with the Carretera, a Federal highway, Laguna surveyed the traffic signals and found serious problems. The survey did not include the Walmart intersection at the Libramiento and Carretera, which we have covered in earlier editions.
From Calle Benito Juarez in Ajijic to the entrance to Chapala, Laguna found burned out traffic signal bulbs, a bent and unrepaired traffic signal, missing sunshades on lights making them hard to see, dim bulbs, and one intersection without a signal tell cars coming from the Lake side if they could safely enter the Carretera.
Altogether, the survey found:
1 traffic signal not functioning
2 traffic signal bulbs so dim they could not be seen in daylight
1 badly bent signal pole
2 burned out bulbs
1 pedestrian crossing light malfunctioning
1 intersection lacking traffic lights in one direction.
The most troublesome intersection was in Ajijic at the crossing of Calle Hermenegildo Galeana and the Carreterra. There is no signal on the mountain side of Galeana facing traffic coming from downtown Ajijic so drivers do not know if the light is red or green. Many drivers pull across the pedestrian area so they can look up and see the lights on the Carretera to know when to enter the section. This blocks pedestrians trying to cross Galeana, forcing them to walk on the Carretera.
The Galeana intersection also sports a traffic signal bent from a collision, potentially exposing the wiring to the lights to the elements, and risking a short circuit.
Other intersections have burned out or dim bulbs like the Calle Colon intersection, or lack sunshades like the intersection of Calle Marcos Castellanos, making the state of the lights impossible to see in bright sunlight.
The Carretera is Federal Highway 23, a toll-free part of the Federal highway system and under the control of the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes de Mexico (SCT) which has a regional office in Guadalajara. It is unclear whether the SCT or the Chapala and Jocotepec municipalidades are responsible for maintenance of traffic lights.
Looking down on illegal dwelling in Tepalo on hiking trail above Ajijic near Donaire Hotel.
Redacción. Jury-rigged bamboo and plastic tarp shacks appeared last week in the Tepalo land above Calle Benito Juárez and Calle Colón, near the Hotel Donaire. The largest shack is across the hiking trail from the sign identifying the land as Ejido property.
When a local resident tried to photograph a shack that had voices and smoke coming from it on Wednesday morning, he noticed a young boy on the road with a machete yelling “hey” at him. The boy was not threatening, but the resident stopped taking pictures and left.
Three or four men were observed by neighbors last week cutting underbrush and thought nothing of it until a framework for shacks appeared. When a neighbor asked one of the men if they were building a house, he said no, but would not say what the shack was for. There are three or four shacks in the area now, all but one carefully hidden from view by foliage. The largest is slightly visible from the road.
A number of unfamiliar men have been observed going in and out of the paths leading into the forest toward the shacks, and new garbage and broken roof tiles have appeared on the hiking trail that begins on Calle Juarez, across from the Donaire Hotel.
To date there has been no trouble at the illegal buildings, but neighbors report seeing smoke and hearing noise coming from at least one of the shacks, and new trails have been cut into the pristine forest. One neighbor interviewed speculated that the shacks are occupied by people who sold drugs on Colon and were chased away by local residents, but has no evidence.
The lake level has already moved inside the fence. Photo: Pueblos Unidos de la Ribera.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic, Jal)– «Pueblos Unidos de la Ribera» charges that the Urrea family in Ajijic has once again erected an illegal fence in Federal land along the shoreline of Lake Chapala. The activist group is now preparing complaints and vows to take it down themselves if the Federal authorities don’t act.
The «anti-fences» group announced to the media that this new invasion is more serious than the last ones because the fence is outside of any area available for a permit or concession and is now actually in the Lake because of the rise in the lake’s surface. They added that the family showed no proof of a permit or concession allowing them to erect a fence.
The fence in question is made of posts embedded in concrete and strung with barbed wire, replacing the cyclone fence removed earlier. The group claimed that the construction of the fence is designed to take advantage of guidelines that allow fences of wire and sticks to delist a property owner’s border with the Lake.
«Originally the fence was a great act of laziness, but now it is more of a crime, since the National Waters Law specifies that there cannot be any type of fencing within the water, so this new fence in the water will help us to act,» asserted one of the members of the group.
Those interviewed added that the lake is not far from reaching the elevation indicated by the National Water Commission (CONAGUA), which is 97.8, and is currently at 95.1, that is, the property is well within the permitted limit.
This action on the part of the owners of the property angered Ajijitecos, both from the movement and outside of it. «They must think they need another fence, they sure like to spend money; besides, why are they doing it now that the lake level has risen. Why do they want almost a hectare of flooded land,» said another member of the group.
For the moment, the activists are preparing complaints so that the corresponding authorities take action on the delimitation of the land located within the federal zone.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
Casa D owner Ray Domenech and long-time fan celebrate the Grand Opening of Casa D LCS.
Patrick O’Heffernan (Ajijic JAL). It’s official! The new, improved and larger Casa Domenech launched at the Lake Chapala Society with a packed – but Covid safe – Grand Opening Saturday. The community Ray Domenech has built for years around his original location – fans and musicians – turned out in force.
Casa Domenech is now in the space at the LCS formerly known as Angelina’s which was operated by Ray Domenech for lunch and breakfast. Casa Domenech is now open for breakfast lunch and dinner and features music most days for lunch and dinner.
The Grand Opening followed a short “break-in” period in which Casa D was open for food and music but had not yet been officially inaugurated. Ray Domenech wanted to make sure the operation was smoothed out and working perfectly, which it was by Opening Night. The celebration also showcased the advantage of moving Casa D from its original location in a small restaurant in West Ajijic to LCS where seating was outdoors and could spread beyond the immediate restaurant into the adjacent courtyard.
“I love the new space where we can continue to create food, music and community like we have for five years, only with more people. Many thanks to LCS for inviting us,” Domenech told Laguna.
According to Domenech, he can produce events for well over a hundred people at LCS. And the different seating locations give diners the option of being close to the music, or far away for conversation. And of course, special events like the recent Casa Domenech 5th Anniversary party in the LCS courtyard are always possible.
Music was in abundance, headlined by the Aloha Rock band and joined by the duo Old Souls – Scott Henrich and Yvonne Watterson, singer Barbara Sangrey and folksingers Mike and Terrie. And of course Ray Domenech sat in with his guitar whenever he could.
Casa D at LS is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner served at 4:30 pm until 8 pm. Enter through the library entrance to LCS for dinner.
Women in Mexico City celebrate victory at the Supreme Court.
Patrick O’Heffernan Ajijic (JAL) After a decade-long drive by women’s rights groups in Mexico, the Supreme Court has unanimously declared that state laws criminalizing abortion are unconstitutional. The unanimous decision of all 11 judges purpassed the threshold of judges needed to make the decision binding on the judges in all states.
The case was decided in a challenge to a law in the northern state of Coahuila, which could require prison for a woman for up to three years for having an abortion. The Court struck down the state law and went on to find broadly that any criminal penalties for abortion violated Mexico’s Constitution.
Currently the city of Mexico and the states of Oaxaca, Hidalgo and Veracruz allow abortion on request to any woman up to twelve weeks into a pregnancy, while abortion has been severely restricted in Jalisco and Mexico’s other states. Last year, according to Statistica, 100 women were prosecuted in conservative states for having an abortion, while as of March 2021, a total of 234,513 women in Mexico received legal abortions in Mexico City, 63,000 of whom came from other states. The Gutmacher Institute estimated that in 2006, the year when data is available, an estimated 875,000 women received abortions in Mexico, and 150,000 women were hospitalized for botched illegal abortions.
Catholic Church leaders expressed dismay at the decision, posting an article in one of its publications, and issuing a tweet condemning the decision and abortion. The Mexican bishops’ conference expressed sorrow over the Supreme Court decision to decriminalize abortion, while other church leaders called on Catholics to “not to be indifferent” on issues of life. While Mexico is a predominately Catholic country, over the past 10 years, women, including Catholic women, have repeatedly taken to the streets of major cities to demand greater rights and protections and the decriminalization of abortion.
The decision does not make abortion legal across Mexico but rather binds judges and prosecutor judges across the country to refrain from prosecuting women who have had the procedure, or anyone else involved, such as doctors.
The decision comes amid rising power of women and women’s organizations nationwide, and determined protests to stop the pervasive violence against women and demand full rights. The movement has seen an influx of women into political office, including the powerful Mayor of Mexico City, and social challenges to customs such as the use of masculine endings in nouns and adjectives that refer to women.
The decision also stands in contrast to the US Supreme Court’s failure to stay a Texas law restricting abortion to the first 6 weeks of pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant, setting off political clashes across Mexico’s southern neighbor. The decision will likely result in Mexico’s becoming the most populous Latin American country to allow abortion, and could impact women’s choices in Texas.
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