Localidades

Alma Serrano.– Since February 11, the «KPetrom» gas station, located on the Chapala-Jocotepec highway, at the crossroads of San Juan Cosalá, has been out of service, due to a workers’ strike for breach of contract. 

According to the notice placed on the dispensing machines, the union of workers and employees in the commerce branch in the state of Jalisco stated that, by agreement of the extraordinary general assembly, all the workers belonging to the company have agreed to call a strike in compliance with the demands of articles 920, 18, 782, 827, 921 of the Federal Labor Law. 

The owners are Bransle, S. de R.L. de C.V., which is in the business of the purchase, sale, and distribution of diesel gasoline, with service station number E11757 and permit number PL/9296/EXP/ES/2015. The legal representative is José Carlos Martín Gonzáles. 

Translated by Colleen Beery

Mexico’s largest lake has lost 36 centimeters (about 14 inches) so far during the dry season. Photo: Archive. 

So far in the dry season, Lake Chapala has lost 36 centimeters, and is down to 95.75 centimeters, 71 percent of its capacity, according to the National Water Commission (CONAGUA). 

Francisca Lomelí Rodríguez is 96 years old and has retained all her vivid memories that describe the San Cristóbal of her childhood. Photo by: María Reynozo. 

By: María del Refugio Reynozo Medina

Francisca Lomelí was orphaned at the age of eight. School was her life. In the San Cristóbal Zapotitlán of her childhood, classes only went up to third grade. She attended school and she remembers the name of her teacher, Trina.

The school was made of adobe and reed. It was not surrounded by a wall, but by a “wall” of huizaches and nopales (native trees and cactus). In addition to learning how to read, the girls learned how to sew and embroider napkins. They spent a lot of time at school because at noon they went home for lunch and then returned to continue the afternoon’s classes. At the end of the school year, the municipal president, accompanied by the town delegate, would go to see the students’ final work. The teachers would place a sample of the student’s embroidered napkins on display.

Corporal punishment was given by wooden ruler. When students did not finish their homework, they were given a few slaps of the ruler.

The teacher wrote lessons in chalk on a blackboard, using a cloth as an eraser. There were no notebooks. The students would buy a sheet of brown paper and tear it into four parts, and when the pages were worn out on both sides, they would buy another sheet.

Francisca remembers the delegate of that time, Beatriz Chavez’s father. He used to openly carry a gun every day. He was a man who was respected. He paid to have a cobblestone pavement installed in town. Despite looking different today, the plaza was the place to go for prominades and serenades.

Chica, as Francisca is known to the townspeople, remembers the nights of music and the women and men milling around. Some women would carry a “chiquihuite” or palm basket with flowers from their garden and sell them for pennies. It used to be very common for there to be fights on holidays. Men would go around armed with guns or knives. Sometimes as many as three or four people were killed, who were left lying around while the aggressor escaped, as there were no police as there are now. The police, who sometimes appeared, were called «Los Charros» by the people.

The women were guarded carefully by their male siblings and parents, although some, when there were weddings, carried a bottle of punch and danced to the music of the harp.

-We waltzed,» they would say.

Chica remembers “El Vapor,” which was a very large boat that came from Chapala. In the morning, very early, it arrived for the passengers and returned in the afternoon. On its journey over the waves of the waters of Chapala, El Vapor, emitted a high-pitched noise that reached the ears of the locals. It was a strange noise, like in the famous song  «La Llorona,» the locals said.

People would come to the shore in the morning to say goodbye to their relatives and watch the boat floating in the water, until it was gone from view. In the afternoon, they would also come to the shore to receive the passengers, who came loaded with packages from errands in Chapala. 

The steamboat was the only way out, since there was no highway around the lake in those times. The first streets that were made were called caminos. Everything was surrounded by mountains, so it was difficult traveling over them.

In town of San Cristobal, there was not much to buy. There was a store owned by Arnulfo and Lola Aceves. Everything could be bought by centavos: a centavo of butter, a centavo of salt, a centavo of cheese.

Another man was called Tacho. He sold meat, but not every day. When he was going to slaughter an animal, he would announce himself by standing in the middle of the street rubbing his knives against each other. The sound could be heard for many blocks and people knew that there would be fresh meat that day.

“Tacho is sharpening his knives,» people would think, and they would prepare to go shopping. Pigs and chickens were raised in the houses. On special days people would slaughter the pigs that they had raised. Chica remembers the whiteness of the lard and the smell of pork rinds from the houses, as there is no other smell like it. The pigs roamed the streets and none of them got lost. They could roam all day long and return home in the evening to sleep. Sometimes the sows were heavily pregnant and returned home, accompanied by the piglets walking alongside their mother. The chickens were also on the loose, going to and from their homes.

The water of the lagoon was so clean that the people could drink it. The townspeople went with pitchers to bring it back in order to prepare food and also to drink. Chica remembers that her grandfather had some beehives and extracted a lot of honey from them.  He would invite the neighbors to bring a small pot to share his honey with them.

There was an «old boy» (that’s what they called him because he never married), but he was a older man. He sold bread in town.

The church was an old building, made of adobe and tile. Father Prisciliano Michel contributed to its improvement. Chica remembers, when she was a child, that after mass they would bring sand from the cemetery. Everyone cooperated, young and old, with whatever they could, and if they could bring a brick, they contributed. 

The villagers contributed to the construction of the temple. There was a lot of religious fervor during Holy Week, remember that the women only made hats until Wednesday because Thursday, Friday and Saturday were days of mourning and fasting. The images hanging on the walls were covered with purple cloth as a sign of mourning. No music was played, and many went to church on their knees in the street. Nor did people ride horses; if they passed a cross, they crossed themselves with reverence and the men took off their hats.

In the town there was no Health Center; Daniel Cervantes was everyone’s doctor, he gave injections, he was very good at curing people. Then a doctor Ureña started to come, and another one was called Dr. Cuervo.

From her bed, Francisca continues talking about her childhood and youth. 

It was nice,» she says with a smile.

When I ask her about her husband, she says:

“He was my first and last boyfriend.”

José Reynoso and she never talked, they shortened the distance with messages sent through friends, or with José’s whistles from the street informing her that he had been near. On some occasions her friend Margarita Solano, warned her.

-Chirin, chirin!

She would exclaim from the door and Chica would come out to greet her and raise her hand, while behind her friend’s back, Jose would return her greeting from a distance.

Translated by Colleen Beery

First on Morelos street and then in front of the presidency, a group of 15 street vendors demonstrated in Jocotepec. Photo: Miguel Cerna.

Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jococtepec).- A group of street vendors demonstrated on March 2 on Morelos Street and at the Municipal Presidency of Jocotepec. 

A little more than a month after being relocated to the upper part of the market, the 15 dissatisfied merchants said they had low or no sales in the space assigned to them, so they decided to raise their voices to be heard by the municipal president José Miguel Gómez López. 

 The vendors set up their stalls on the sidewalk behind the DIF building around 7:00 a.m. with the intention of «giving away their products to passersby» in protest.

However, before their arrival, two municipal police patrol cars and at least ten police officers were already waiting for them. Immediately, the uniformed officers blocked the sidewalk and prevented citizens and merchants from selling their products. 

An hour later, personnel from the Department of Registration and Licenses arrived at the site and proceeded to remove the merchandise from the demonstrators, their tables and all their work material. Avocados, honey, nopales and sweet bread were some of the products withheld. 

«They took away our products, they did not let the people pass by. People wanted to come closer to buy from us, and I was giving them my product. The police did not let us give anything to them, that is unfair,» said Carmen Aguilar. 

Demanding to be heard and attended to by Mayor José Miguel Gómez López, the vendors moved to the outskirts of the town where they placed signs with the slogans: «Our family depends on our work» and «I have three mouths to feed and there are no sales up here.» 

In the absence of Gómez López who, according to information from the Registration & Licenses staff, was in the city of Guadalajara, the group of protesters was joined by municipal trustee Carlos Alberto Zúñiga Chacón in the Bicentennial Hall at 9:00 a.m. 

«What was done today in the morning was a demonstration, not to make disorder as was mentioned (by Registration & Licenses personnel), but to make them listen to us, because the truth is that we all need to work, but to work in a place where we have sales,» said one of the affected merchants. 

The merchants met in the town hall with Carlos Alberto Zúñiga Chacón, the municipal trustee, after the demonstration. Photo: Miguel Cerna.

In the meeting, the merchants explained to the trustee the economic difficulties that the relocation has brought them due to low sales, and asked for his intervention to reach an agreement that will benefit them as soon as possible. 

«We are day after day abiding by their rules, we have not left (the market) at all, and yet there are days when we take home 20 pesos in sales. My two sisters lost their rented houses and now they are living with me; there are 12 children sleeping on the floor and without much to eat,» commented Ana, who sells nopales. 

«They don’t want to lend us (money), they have to leave without paying for the food because the children are hungry, do you think it’s fair that we go around scavenging for scraps from the fruit stores to have something to eat?» added Ana.

After listening to their demands, Zúñiga Chacón promised to work on a modification project that would allow the vendors to install themselves on the side of the market on Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez Street, although he clarified to them that there would not be an immediate resolution because the work would have to be requested from the State Government. 

«The request that I made for the modification of the stairway on Josefa Street and/or inside the market cannot be made at the moment, since the work needs to be validated by the corresponding state authorities,» the trustee answered to the affected parties on March 3. 

So far, the municipal president, José Miguel Gómez López, has not issued any statement on the matter. The merchants are hoping for a favorable resolution to the situation, since the almost null sales have already begun to affect their lives.

«The president can give us a statement whenever he wants, but he should know one thing: we no longer want to be upstairs,» said one of the vendors. 

Translated by Sydney Metrick

The 246 new and ready to install chairs were received last week by the J. Vicente Negrete school. Photo: Courtesy.

Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jocotepec).– The Jalisco Ministry of Education (SEJ), in coordination with municipal authorities, delivered furniture for two basic education schools in Jocotepec last week. 

After 20 years of being overlooked, the J. Vicente Negrete elementary school in El Molino and the Francisco Villa elementary school in La Loma received 711,978.56 pesos (about US$34,000) in school equipment. 

The Francisco Villa school received 246 chairs made of ironwork with plastic and 126 binary tables for students, at a cost of 362,743.60 pesos (about US$17,300).

In the case of J. Vicente Negrete, the equipment also consisted of 246 chairs and 126 tables, plus 12 chairs specifically for the teaching staff at a value of 349,234.96 pesos (about US$16,700).

Jocotepec City Hall personnel delivered the furniture to the J. Vicente Negrete school in El Molino. Photo: Courtesy.

«The Ministry of Education provided complete furniture for the elementary school in collaboration with the municipality’s personnel,» stated Ana María Cano Espinoza, director of education of the municipality. 

Mayra Berenice García Ramírez, principal of the J. Vicente Negrete school, thanked the authorities for the support and for «finally being listened to,» as she explained that their equipment had not been updated for more than 20 years.

«The children are thrilled with the new furniture, it already feels different. We had been using the same tables and chairs for more than 20 years and they were getting uncomfortable,» she said.

Also, the SSJ provided 160 meters of wiring for the El Molino elementary school because in September 2021 it suffered several robberies that left it without electrical circuits. 

Translated by Sandy Britton 

People protested in front of the Lienzo Charro (rodeo ring) de Ajijic, located on Revolución street, to demand its opening. Photo: Sofía Medeles. 

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).-  People  who attended the sayacas parade last Sunday, February 27 pounded on the gate, threw rocks and shouted , demanding to enter the Lienzo Charro (rodeo ring) de Ajijic, waiting for the «Toro de Once», a traditional charro rodeo that normally follows the parade. 

Despite the fact that the Ajijic Charros Association had previously announced that this year the charreada would be canceled by agreement of the members of the association, the spectators followed the parade participants to the Lienzo Charro. 

When their access was denied, a group of more than 100 people protested at the gates of the venue to demand to be let in, thinking that there was to be a private celebration. The president of the Charros Association, Ernesto Perez Reyes, who was present, confirmed the cancellation of the «Toro de Once,” for which he received verbal abuse and pressure from the crowd, who demanded access.

Perez Reyes clarified the reasons for not holding the tradition, as well as the reception, citing the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

«The planning time was very short. The green light was only given a week and a half before, so there was no opportunity for planning the event. Another reason were the capacity restrictions, due to Covid, in venues where events are held, as in the case of the Lienzo.»

The representative of the charros explained that the permitted limit is 70 percent of the site’s capacity and, if the state restrictions are ignored, there could be consequences such as citations, fines, and even closures or limitations on future events.

Under this logic, because the «Toro de Once» is an event that packs the Lienzo Charro to overflowing, the association decided to omit the event entirely so as not to exclude anyone from the tradition. 

«It is a measure that was taken due to the restrictions of the pandemic and the lack of time, but the charros hope that next year it will be better organized, with all the tradition that has led us to be a Pueblo Mágico. Also, on behalf of the Association, we thank the participants, those who understood the situation, and those who did not understand as well, for continuing to be part of the customs of Ajijic,» concluded Pérez Reyes.

Translated by Sandy Britton

Chapala Mayor Alejandro Aguirre Curiel (left), with Congresswoman Claudia Murguía Torres and the Chief of the State Cabinet, Hugo Luna, after the mayor was informed of the repair approval.

Editor. – Chapala Municipal President Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel has announced approval of a Renovation of Urban Image project for the main street in downtown Chapala. Plans call for cobblestones to be replaced with hydraulic cement. Sidewalks and curbs will also be improved.

“I am very pleased that after presenting joint work projects with the government of Jalisco and the municipality, and thanks to the management of Congresswoman Claudia Murguía Torres, today the Chief of State Cabinet, Hugo Luna, has confirmed to me that the projects were accepted,” Aguirre posted on social networks.  

The Public Works Department of the Municipality of Chapala closed part of Avenida Francisco I. Madero at its intersection with Paseo Ramón Corona in May 2019 to build a crosswalk.

“One of the most important projects is the renovation of Avenida Madero. The cobblestone will be replaced by hydraulic concrete, plus the sidewalks and curbs will be replaced,” he added in his March 2 posting.

In his message he thanked Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro Ramírez and assured that, “with this support and coordinated work our city and delegations will have better infrastructure that will be good for tourism in the state.”

Chapala Director of Social Communication Elizabeth Oropeza said the municipality is waiting for the state’s Secretary of Infrastructure and Public Works to present the project, which will be adapted by the state agency to the needs of the population.

Translated by Mike Rogers

María Guadalupe Urzúa Flores was twice mayor of Jocotepec.

The Jalisco State Congress will recognize María Guadalupe Urzúa Flores, from Jocotepec, and Martha Rodríguez García, from Chapala, with the «Hermila Galindo Acosta» award on March 8th, International Women’s Day.  

The Commission for Substantive and Gender Equality of the Congress of the State of Jalisco approved honoring ten women from the state, and one civic organization, for their actions in favor of women’s human rights  through teaching and research, public service, art and culture, health, gender equality, or civic advocacy.

María Guadalupe Urzúa Flores will receive this distinction post mortem. She was a woman who did not think of herself. Although she did not have material wealth, nor did she marry, she dedicated her entire life to the service of others.

Among her actions as mayor of Jocotepec for two terms were overseeing the installation of cobblestone streets, water wells, roads, electricity, a sports courts, a library, a women’s training academy, a night literacy school for adult men and women, a hospital, the leprosarium, the «Pedro Ogazón» elementary school, the «Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla» high school, and the current regional high school.

Urzua Flores was a friend of several presidents of the republic and governors of Jalisco. She was the first federal deputy for Jalisco from 1955 to 1958 and she was elected to four federal deputies, which allowed the needs of the people to be heard through her voice and her administration.

She was also mayor of San Martin de Hidalgo and managed to establish a high school, recognized by the University of Guadalajara.

Martha Rodríguez García is a rural social environmentalist leader in the Chapala region.

Another Lakeside woman who will also be recognized on March 8th is Martha Rodríguez García. She is an environmental leader and representative of the rural Lakeside community. She has committed herself to the defense of the environment, rural values and traditions of her community. Her skills and talents were recognized when she was elected as President of the Commissariat of her town in Santa Cruz de la Soledad, municipality of Chapala.

Martha Rodríguez warns all that the growth of an urban development and tourism model is occupying the spaces of the agricultural territories worked by the “ejido” or communal landowners and indigenous people. They have been displaced by real estate and by external interests that are alien to the traditional communal structure. The social fabric of her ejido was damaged because of new real estate development projects.

From her position as an ejido communal landowner, Martha took on the task of compiling a documentary file that traced the history of the community from the endowment of land in 1919, its expansion in 1925 to include164 hectares. 145 of those hectares belong to the Cerro del Junco, a hill that is home to important species of flora and fauna, and from whose summit the Colima Volcano can be seen. 

With this documentation in hand, Martha has undertaken defending the heritage of her community. She has worked to decree the land as a Natural Protected Area, guaranteeing that the ejido’s will will be followed. She also has worked for the integration of an Ecological Land Management Plan for the Lake Chapala Lakeshore in the hope it will attract projects, such as those developed with technical assistance and support from Aipromades Lago de Chapala, obtain funding from the United Nations Development Program for the restoration of Cerro del Junco, and the participation of the Coca-Cola Foundation and Arca Continental as partners in the project.

Translated by Colleen Beery

El agresor fue detenido por elementos de la policía municipal de Chapala tras los hechos registrados el pasado 21 de febrero. Foto ilustrativa: Archivo. 

Redacción.- Un individuo identificado como el probable responsable de atacar con un cuchillo a otro hombre cuando viajaban en un camión de transporte público en Chapala, ya enfrenta un proceso penal tras la imputación de la Fiscalía Regional de Chapala.

José Luis G., la persona señalada, deberá permanecer en prisión preventiva oficiosa durante un año, como medida cautelar, por solicitud del agente del Ministerio Público. 

Con las indagatorias se pudo establecer que el pasado 21 de febrero, aproximadamente a las 09:40 horas, el detenido y su víctima viajaban a bordo de un camión de transporte urbano.

José Luis G. fue vinculado a proceso y deberá permanecer en prisión preventiva oficiosa durante un año como medida cautelar. Foto: Fiscalía de Jalisco.

Sin embargo, cuando se desplazaban sobre la carretera Chapala Jocotepec, a la altura del  poblado de San Antonio Tlayacapan, en el municipio de Chapala, José Luis G. sacó un cuchillo y presuntamente atacó al otro masculino, dejándolo herido en el lado derecho del abdomen.

Policías municipales que fueron alertados del hecho lograron la captura del probable agresor, mientras que el lesionado fue trasladado a recibir atención médica.

 Con base en los datos de prueba que reunió el agente del Ministerio Público se pudo acreditar la probable responsabilidad de José Luis G. en la comisión del delito de lesiones calificadas, por ello lo judicializó.

El Juez de Control y Oralidad en la audiencia inicial decretó como legal la captura del sujeto y tras la imputación que realizó la Fiscalía, consideró que los datos de prueba aportados eran suficientes y determinantes para vincularlo a proceso con prisión preventiva oficiosa durante un año.

Boutique hotel located next to Club Nautico, in La Floresta, east of the Ajijic delegation.  Photo: Sofía Medeles.

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- Three of the seven floors built by developers of the boutique hotel under construction La Floresta will have to be removed, following an agreement between representatives of Club Náutico and members of the Fraccionamiento La Floresta. 

The president of the Asociación de Colonos del Fraccionamiento La Floresta, Fernando Plata, said that after approximately seven years of conflict, the problem was finally resolved with an agreement unprecedented in conflicts of this type, given the legal framework in Mexico. 

The developers must remove three floors of the seven that have already been  built, and instead of constructing the  three buildings originally  approved – one for 8 stories – only one four story  building with a  Roof Garden  can be constructed.

Plata explained that the  court trials and the  negotiations to reach  an agreement with which both parties were satisfied took about seven years. He added that the approval and beginning of the  project  were irregular and were handled without informing the administration of the subdivision.

«Construction or modification projects in La Floresta first go through the colonos association to be approved or rejected, according to the regulations and norms of the area. This project never went through the office and we only found out about it after construction began,» said Fernando. 

The neighbors were even more surprised when they learned of the magnitude of the project: three buildings of five stories each. They were also surprised at the time period the developer got the approvals;  according to the representative’s calculations, it was between 2012 and 2014, and the work began in 2015, completely unknown to the neighbors.

«The subdivision  (La Floresta) has been residential, low-density and single-family since it was created. Over time, some of the local names  have changed, but the same character has been maintained. In addition to these characteristics, there is a maximum of two stories and a height limit that today is six meters and 30 centimeters. The Hotel Real de Chapala and the Club Nautico de Chapala, were originated with the subdivision, and adhered to the rules of this,» added Plata.

In 2016, with two lawsuits and a building that already had six floors built, the neighbors  managed to get a judge to suspend the work.  However, the Chapala administration of  Javier Degollado González (2015-2018), did not comply with the order until at least a year and a half after it was issued. But a few days  after the suspension, the permit  was modified and a license for eight floors was authorized, ignoring the judges order.

The president of the colonos reported that it was not until 2021, at the end of the administration of Moises Alejandro Anaya Aguilar, that the municipal authorities intervened to bring both sides together to reach an agreement.

«With knowledge, common sense and understanding on both sides, the director of Urban Development, Gilberto Chairez, brought us together with the developers and we started working on the agreement. You have to understand that in this case, winning was not entirely winning,” said Fernando,  “ if we won, the developers could sue the municipality for granting permits that could not be executed, and if they won, their hotel would be  a target for further action because of the conditions under which the permits were granted,»  he explained.

After approximately ten months of meetings, an agreement was signed before a notary, with the legal description  of the land,  the approved project was registered before the Public Registry of Property (RPP), a Federal Judge and the Magistrate of the Administrative Court were notified. 

Every two months, they  (Federal Judge and the Magistrate ) receive progress reports on the work at the colonos’ office.

«They have only removed the first of the seven floors, and have stopped on the other two, because they need to reinforce the structure  before continuing to remove stories. They have complied and I am sure they will continue to comply,» said Platas.

Fernando commented that he feels satisfied with the work and the agreements reached after seven years of conflicts, and that neither he, nor the neighbors of La Floresta, are opposed to the developments, as long as they are coherent, have a balance, and also conserve the essence for which make the municipality of Chapala a popular  tourist destination.

Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan