JANUARY
Smokeless zones ... Strict federal laws have been implemented further restricting smoking in public and tobacco promotion in Mexico.
The new General Tobacco Law basically prohibits smoking in all indoor (and many outdoor) public locations. In addition to restaurants and bars, this includes hotels and lodgings, workplaces, restaurants, public transport, shopping centers, sports stadiums, concert venues, schools, parks, plazas, beaches, and other indoor and outdoor locations where young people congregate.
Senseless killings ... More than 1,000 people attended the funerals of three innocent young women who were ambushed and murdered while driving on Highway 23 from the town of Jerez in Zacatecas to their home in Colotlán, Jalisco on December 25—one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in the region.
FEBRUARY
Canine heroes ... Sixteen dogs have formed part of a search and rescue team dispatched by the Mexican government to help look for survivors trapped under collapsed buildings in the aftermath of the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck an area of southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday, February 6.
Bankrupt ... Aeromar, the Mexican airline that offered a direct flight popular with expats from Guadalajara to McAllen, Texas, has gone into liquidation after falling into unsustainable debt. Despite taking “profound financial adjustments” to improve its situation, the measures, “aggravated by the Covid pandemic” were insufficient, the airline said in a statement.
Violent city ... In a recent study of homicide rates in metropolitan areas with populations over 300,000, the leafy colonial city of Colima has been slapped with the regrettable moniker as the “most violent city in the world.” Colima topped the list of “the world’s 50 most violent cities” with 181.94 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the survey carried out by the Consejo Ciudadano para la Seguridad Pública y la Justicia Penal.
Year of anguish ...
Ukrainians residing in Guadalajara took to the streets to mark the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of their nation. Carrying Ukrainian flags, the contingent of around 50 people marched along the Via RecreActiva singing patriotic songs and chanting peace slogans in their own language. Significant numbers of Ukrainians have arrived in Mexico since the outbreak of the war.
MARCH
Don’t mess with INE ... The 25,000 people gathered in Guadalajara’s Plaza de la Liberacion on Sunday were among thousands more around the country protesting a constitutional amendment that downsizes Mexico’s federal electoral authority (INE), a move they say weakens the autonomy of the institution and threatens the nation’s democratic progress.
Clean-air campaign ... Jalisco’s upgraded emissions testing program (Verification Responsable) finally got some teeth, as fines kicked in for non-compliers March 1. Traffic cops deployed checkpoints in the Guadalajara metropolitan area to identify Jalisco-plated vehicles with license plates ending in 1 not displaying an official windshield sticker (calcomania) and QR code issued after a successful smog check.
Well done LCS ... Local residents with hearing problems were the beneficiaries of a donation that serves as an outstanding example of community integration, spearheaded by the Lake Chapala Society’s “People Helping People” program in collaboration with the Clínica Audiológica Oír Bien. At a ceremony held March 9 at LCS, 15, mostly older residents were thrilled to receive high-tech Starkey hearing aids.
Tragic fire ... A fire at a National Immigration Institute (INM) migrant detention facility in Ciudad Juarez killed at least 39 people on March 27. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the fire was started by migrants who set mattresses ablaze in protest after hearing they were about to be deported. “They never imagined that it would cause this terrible tragedy,” he said.
APRIL
Rare sentence ... In a case that went underreported in the Mexican media, a woman, her son and brother were each sentenced to 56 years and three months in prison after being convicted in the “forced disappearance” of a Canadian citizen. Malcom Madsen, a retired real estate agent and jeweler from Sutton, Ontario, went missing on October 28, 2018, when he was last seen in the company of his girlfriend, Marcela “A,” at a bar in Puerto Vallarta’s Romantic Zone.
Book capital year ends ... Guadalajara’s year-long honor of being the World Book Capital concluded on April 22. To mark the occasion, a festival was held in downtown Guadalajara. A colorful parade saw participants dressed in costumes reflecting famous literary works, including Miguel de Cervantes epic “Don Quijote de la Mancha” and Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables.”
MAY
US citizens scammed ... Collaborators with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) have been operating a timeshare fraud scheme based out of Puerto Vallarta mostly targeting elderly American citizens, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued sanctions against 19 companies that it says are linked, directly or indirectly, to CJNG’s timeshare activities.
Deadly bus crash ... Eighteen holiday makers on their way from Guadalajara to a short break in the Pacific coastal town of Rincon de Guayabitos died when their chartered bus careened into a ravine on one of the most perilous sections of highway in Western Mexico. The deadly accident occurred on Highway 200, midway between Compostela and Las Varas, on the winding, mountainous 30-kilometer stretch commonly referred to as “Las Curvas” (The Curves).
Older drivers ... Jalisco’s Transportation Department says it will incorporate a clause into the regulatory code of the state mobility law that would require people over 75 years of age to prove they are still fit to drive when they go to renew their licenses every four years. The move comes on the back of several fatal accidents in metropolitan Guadalajara involving senior citizens.
JUNE
200th anniversary ... A huge celebration to mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of the state of Jalisco was held Friday, June 16 in the Parque Luis Quintanar in Tonala. Topping the entertainment bill were the Los Ángeles Azules, one of Mexico’s most popular bands, who debuted a new song written especially for the occasion in their cumbia sonidera style.
Kudos to local police ... The FBI has recognized seven Jalisco state police officers who were instrumental in the arrest last year of a U.S. citizen wanted for international narcotics trafficking. The officers participated in the arrest of Macalla Lee Knott, 30, in the Tonala suburb of Guadalajara in August 2022. After her capture, she was handed over to U.S. authorities and deported to North Dakota, where she was charged with coordinating a major drug distribution enterprise.
JULY
More magic in Jalisco ... The federal government added three new sites to Jalisco’s list of “Pueblos Magicos” (Magic Towns): Cocula, known as the “cradle of mariachi music;” Sayula, a charming and historic jewel located 97 kilometers west of Guadalajara; and Temacapulín in the northeastern Los Altos region of the state, a small and picturesque community that was saved from being inundated under the waters of the Zapotillo Dam.
Aussie sailor rescued ...
A crew from Manzanillo aboard a tuna fishing vessel rescued a 54-year-old Australian sailor and his dog 1,200 miles off the Pacific coast after he spent three months adrift in his catamaran. Timothy Shaddock left La Paz in Baja California Sur in early May headed for French Polynesia, a journey of approximately 4,500 miles. However, the electronics on his boat were damaged by a storm, making navigation impossible. Although stocked up on provisions, he said he had to eat raw fish and drink rainwater to survive.
Police targeted ... In an escalation of the violent tactics employed by criminal organizations in Jalisco, four police officers and two civilians died when their convoy was lured into a remote-controlled bomb attack in a semi-populated area of Tlajomulco, the town located 30 kilometers south of Guadalajara centro.
AUGUST
Text book controversy ... In a controversy not dissimilar to the battles raging in some U.S. states, a row has exploded in Mexico over the content of the free textbooks that are distributed to educación básica (primary and secondary) school children at the start of each academic year. Opposition parties and conservative parents’ associations are up in arms at the 2023-24 books, accusing the federal government and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of trying to indoctrinate children with leftist ideology, downplaying the importance of science and math, and including “confusing” references to gender diversity in the primary school tomes.
‘Inhumane’ barriers ... Although many Texas residents support his tactics, Governor Greg Abbott has been fiercely criticized for his decision to install a barrier of orange buoys on a section of the Rio Grande, separated with blade saw-like barbed disks, in a bid to deter migrants from crossing into his state. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador slammed Abbott’s move, describing the buoys and razor wire as “inhumane.”
SEPTEMBER
US troops to Mexico ... At a Trumpless debate of Republican presidential hopefuls on August 23, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he would declare a national emergency and send troops to the southern border, and even into Mexico, on “day one” of his presidency. Donald Trump has also said that he would dispatch troops to Mexico to combat the drug cartels if reelected.
Extraterrestrials? ... At a public hearing in the Mexican Senate focusing on “Unidentifed Anomalous Phenomena,” celebrity ufologist Jaime Maussan brought two caskets to the floor of the chamber containing what he claimed were the bodies of extraterrestrials found in Peru. Not just tabloid editors, but those at The New York Times, the Guardian, Le Monde, the Globe & Mail and many other broadsheets covered the story on their leading pages. The images of the alien faces were Xed (tweeted) around the world at a record pace.
Abortion decriminalized ... The Supreme Courts of Mexico and the United States are heading in completely opposite directions following Wednesday’s ruling by this country’s most senior judges slapping down federal laws decriminalizing abortion. According to many sources, the September 6 ruling means that all federal health institutions across the nation, including the IMSS, IMSS Bienestar and ISSSTE (for government employees), will be obliged to provide free abortion services to women who request them up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
Russian soldiers in Mexico ... Mexico’s federal government has been criticized for inviting representatives of the Russian military to participate in the September Independence Day parade in Mexico City. “It is an insult and a serious mistake,” said Alejandro Moreno, leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). “Opening the doors to them is endorsing their invasive actions.”
Record temperatures ... The Guadalajara metropolitan area roasted last month, with the average temperature recorded by the Institute of Astronomy and Meteorology (IAM) hitting its highest ever level. Staff at the Universidad de Guadalajara facility said the average temperature in August was 2.5 degrees Celsius above the norm for recent years. Record temperatures were also set in June and July.
OCTOBER
Israel slams AMLO ... The Israeli Embassy in Mexico City launched a fierce criticism of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s position of neutrality in the wake of Tuesday’s attack on Israeli civilians. AMLO said he would “not take sides” in the conflict, and called for more dialogue at the United Nations to find peace in the region. While offering his condolences to Israel, he said Mexico’s non-interventionist foreign policy is clearly laid out in the constitution. The Israeli embassy “deeply lamented” López Obrador’s position, and called for “a more energetic and determined stance” from the Mexican government, that “strongly condemns the barbaric acts perpetrated by the terrorist organization Hamas.”
Mayor assassinated ... Eduardo Cervantes Aguilar, the former mayor of Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, was gunned down by an unknown assailant Wednesday, October 18 while seated in his car parked on the side of the Chapala-Guadalajara highway across the road from the entrance to the town.
Acapulco decimated ... At least 60 people died when Category Five Hurricane Otis slammed into the Pacific coastline near Acapulco on Wednesday, October 25, wreaking massive damages on the popular beach resort.
NOVEMBER
Joyous celebration ... The Guadalajara Gay Games 2023 got underway Friday, November 3, followed by an opening ceremony the following day at the Aquatics Center located next to the Parque Metropolitano in Zapopan. Staging the Games is a major coup for Guadalajara and Jalisco, whose governments are making great strides in promoting diversity in the region. Lake Chapala area residents featured prominently in the Games.
Local racer fated ... Eulogies were thrown around liberally in the sporting realm when Guadalajara-born Formula One race driver Sergio “Checo” Perez finished third in the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, thus guaranteeing second position in the 2023 F1 driver’s championship—the best-ever showing by a Mexican driver.
DECEMBER
Legal blow for cruel ‘sport’ ... A Jalisco district judge ordered the suspension of the final two bullfights of the year at the Nuevo Progreso bullring in Guadalajara. Luis Alberto Márquez Pedroza granted a petition from the animal rights organization AnimaNaturalis that called on the bullfights to be halted because the activity breached local laws covering cruelty and torture of animals.
Tourist train opens ... The first stage of the Mayan Tourist Train route, approximately 470 kilometers running from Campeche to Cancun, began operations on December 15. The 1,550-kilometer train line circles the Yucatan peninsula. The remainder of the line is scheduled for opening by the end of February.
Vandals at lakeside ... Residents of Lake Chapala’s north shore corridor and local police were alarmed to discover the massive vandalism of the area’s Urban Shield security/surveillance system that occurred before dawn on Thursday, December 14.
Positive crime stats ... Governor Enrique Alfaro believes Jalisco is heading in the right direction after data released by the federal government showed a significant drop in crime levels in the state during his term of office. Alfaro said vehicle theft has decreased by 61 percent, robbery of businesses by 68.5 percent, home burglaries by 64.9 percent, and assaults on individuals by 49.6 percent.
Six decades of news ... The Guadalajara Reporter marked is 60th anniversary. The first, four-page, edition of this newspaper was published on December 19, 1963.