Women and men demonstrating last Saturday in a haven for foreign tourists and retirees in the state of Guanajuato report an enthusiastic showing of people expressing support for women’s rights and disdain for the agenda of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.

“It was wonderful to have and show a ‘voice of protest’ for all that Trump stands for, which is disrespect, intolerance and superiority, not just to women but to the majority of the human population,” said Canadian Deborah King of San Miguel de Allende, adding “God help America!” 

San Miguel resident and U.S. citizen Barbara Espinosa said she supported the march and donated toward it, but at the last moment decided not to attend. “Maybe it was silly, but I was concerned whether they had a permit and whether or not it was okay for foreigners to demonstrate here, even though we were not demonstrating against the Mexican government.

“I also wondered if a march would do any good. Then I saw that thousands came out around the world.”

She reported that it was also disconcerting that Mexicans from San Miguel were demonstrating at the same time against the jailing of a local father in the alleged killing of his three young sons (see story below) and, in addition, there were big crowds celebrating revolutionary hero Ignacio Allende, after whom the town is named.

Jude Wallesen, a Guadalajara resident, attended the  San Miguel march. “It was beautiful. Lots of men, everyone in red and white. I was glad to be a part of it.”

Marchers reported that organizers of the women’s demonstration provided very good simultaneous translations in Spanish of the speeches. However, the majority of the participants were foreigners, they noted, perhaps because other local events that weekend so greatly interested Mexicans. 

Estimates of the crowd size were informal, ranging from 250 people to over 2,000.

Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval has suggested that President Donald Trump’s policies toward Mexico endanger the “social harmony” enjoyed by the large U.S. expatriate community in this state.

Tequila companies toasted the new year with some bullish bottom line 2016 figures.

The University of Guadalajara (UdG) has emitted a “supervision alert” in response to the incident in the northern city of Monterrey Wednesday, in which a 15-year-old student opened fire at a private school, wounding a teacher and two other students  before turning his weapon on himself. 

Demonstrators picket outside a state tax collection center (recaudadora) in downtown Guadalajara Wednesday. 

Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval has announced austerity measures designed to help lessen the effects of the steep increase in the price of gasoline, enacted January 1.