In this monthly series, we republish a few of the headlines from our July editions 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago.
1969
Local reaction to moon landing, walk
The entire American community was joined by their Mexican hosts this week in a feeling of deep accomplishment in the successful completion of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
Expressing the sentiment of the city was a statement by Mayor Efraín Urzúa Macias.
“The conquest of the moon by man constitutes a triumph for humanity and one of the great, historic steps in the exploration of the solar system.
“I am confident that this feat will be a decisive factor in achieving peace among the peoples of the earth.
“I congratulate the North American people because in the realization of this they have shown their determination, their force and their capacity.”
Speaking for the representatives of the 20 nations which have consular agents here, Consular Association President Jesus Gonzalez Gortazar said, “The Association joins in the jubilation of the people of the United States and of humanity in general in the opening of a new chapter in the history of our species. It is hoped that such a transcendental deed will give men a new vision of their destiny.”
Fred Mardus, technical advisor to the Astronomical Institute of the Universidad de Guadalajara and also vice president of the American Society of Jalisco, was elated at the success of every portion of the Apollo 11 mission, from launch to splashdown.
“During and after the moonwalk, many Mexicans, including students, scientists, and officials, telephoned me and expressed their admiration for the organization, the teamwork, the spirit of adventure and the scientific achievement involved in the U.S. space effort.”
On the evening after the launch a meeting of the Science Society of Jalisco in the Casa de Cultura was arranged with the cooperation of the United States Information Service (USIS). A color film of Apollo 10 was shown and the flight of Apollo 11 discussed. The auditorium was filled to capacity.
Editor’s note: A July 13, 2019 showing of “Apollo 11” – a documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing – at a Centro Magno theater was also full.
1979
Mexico eyes Pacific seabed wealth
In April, President Jose Lopez Portillo took a horde of officials and journalists out to Mexico’s Clarion Island, one of the three-island volcanic Revillagigedo Archipelago, to raise the national flag and sing the national anthem. Although he called on volunteers to colonize the 11-square mile island, 500 miles west of the mainland, saying that “fishing could be as important to us as oil,” the real reason Mexico is interested in this largely forgotten possession in the Pacific are manganese nodules.
In January a 29-man naval station was established at Clarion Island, which comes in response to recent progress in the technology of seabed mining in other countries and recent progress at the U.N. Conference on the Law of the Sea, where guidelines are being drawn up governing exploitation of all facets of maritime wealth. The conference agreement on a 200-mile exclusion zone within which coastal states are entitled to full fishing, seabed and subsoil rights, allows Mexico to expand its territorial boundaries as far as 700 miles from the west coast, due to possession of several Pacific Islands. This agreement carries Mexico’s sovereignty into one of the world’s richest areas of manganese nodules.
1989
Guadalajara rivals Mexico City in pollution
Air pollution in some parts of Guadalajara is as bad as the pollution in Mexico City — considered by many to be the most polluted city in the world. While the capital has finally begun to take steps to confront the problem, Guadalajara has not yet done anything, says Enrique Flores Tritschler, director of the University of Guadalajara’s Institute of Astronomy and Meteorology.
In some ways, said the engineer and environmentalist, Guadalajara is in a potentially worse situation than recent test data suggest. At heavily traveled streets such as Gigantes and parts of Calzada Independencia pollutant levels equaled that of downtown Mexico City, even though wind patterns in Guadalajara are more effective in sweeping away contamination.
1999
Extraordinary recovery of Lake Chapala
Lake Chapala, which just over a year ago was receding from its banks at the rate of 75 acres a day, is recovering at a pace that has both locals and expert observers astonished.
“We had to move our stand seven meters back because the water was rising so much, marveled Gloria Ramirez, a soft-drink vendor near the Chapala pier.
Boatmen say the lake is 35 centimeters higher than before the rainy season started and has recovered 100 meters of length. If that keeps up, the lake may overflow the new wooden pier built because of lower water levels.
Pleasure boat operators said July 15 that this makeshift pier was lifting off its supports because of the increased water levels. One lanchero noted that the appearance of clumps of water lilies in Lake Chapala since the first of this week is a clear indication that water from the Lerma River is now entering Lake Chapala.
Well-known Guadalajara ecologist Jose Briseño Muñiz calls the lake’s recovery an “extraordinary rhythm of growth.” He says it is due to more than just the rains, and guesses that a greater amount of water is being let through the Lerma, Duero and Zula rivers.
A trickle of water — 67 liters per second — flowed from the Lerma to Chapala in the summer of 1998, but that has transformed into a whopping 20,000 liters per second.
On top of the rains, Briseño feels that pressure on neighboring states to fulfill the Chapala Basin accords has resulted in more of the Lerma’s flow reaching Lake Chapala.
“It means the lake may soon reach the shores of five years ago,” predicts Briseño, which would be a boon for tourists and residents.
Tourist boat operators confirm there has been a notable increase in the lake’s level since the start of the summer rainy season.
2009
Mexico fires back in ‘visa war’
The government of Mexico has taken swift retaliatory action following Canada’s decision to make visas compulsory for Mexicans.
All Canadian diplomats and government officials will now need to apply for visas to enter Mexico.
Despite calls from legislators, the Mexican government decided not to take reciprocal measures and demand that all Canadian citizens require a visa for Mexico. Around 1.3 million Canadians visit Mexico each year, mostly for recreational purposes.
Mexico’s federal Congress passed a motion July 15 demanding that the Canadian government implement a 45-day grace period in the visa requirement so Mexicans with tickets for Canada are not hampered in their travel plans.
Anti-Canadian sentiment is running high on Mexican radio stations and over the Internet. Posters on Facebook sites compared Canada to the United States and complained of the poor treatment of Mexicans waiting in line for visas outside the Canadian embassy in Mexico City.
Editor’s note: The visa requirement was lifted after Justin Trudeau became prime minister in November 2015.