In this monthly series, we republish a few of the headlines from our October editions 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 years ago.
1964
Historic footnote
Recently in El Paso, Texas, when Mexico’s President Adolfo López Mateos met President Lyndon Johnson for the symbolic delivery of the “Chamizal,” a 2.5-square-mile area ceded to Mexico by the U.S. after a long boundary dispute, López Mateos arrived at the International Bridge on the dot of the appointed hour. President Johnson, however, was 26 minutes late.
Officials blamed the enthusiasm of El Paso crowds lining the streets for the American president’s delay, but without a doubt there were some wildly enthusiastic crowds on the streets in Ciudad Juarez too.
The return of the Chamizal appears to have marked a new step ahead for Mexico in her relations with the United States. This newspaper wonders if it wasn’t also indicative of a new efficiency south of the border, where tradition has long held that only bullfights begin on time.
1974
Peso floats, drops, creating U.S. dollar spenders’ paradise
Sudden changes in Mexico’s monetary policies have given dollar-holding visitors and residents a buying bonanza. With the withdrawal of the peso’s support at 19.70 pesos to the U.S. dollar by the Bank of Mexico, the peso dropped to 25.50 at press time. This stunning announcement followed a declaration just one day earlier by central bank officials that the peso was firm and the government would maintain the 19.70 parity set in mid-September. (Until September 1, the peso had held a stable parity of 12.50 to the dollar for 22 years.).
Bankers in Mexico City and locally said dollars were being sold freely, with no immediate restrictions expected. The decision to allow more flexibility in the peso’s flotation was driven by unexpected international market pressures, capital flight, and inflation.
In response to the devaluation, consumer prices fluctuated wildly until the government imposed a 10-percent cap on basic goods, such as cigarettes, soft drinks, tortillas, bottled water, and paper products. However, price control enforcement has been inconsistent due to the overwhelming task of monitoring thousands of retail outlets.
1984
Plane hits lake, four die
A Cessna light aircraft with five people aboard crashed on September 29, about 400 meters off Isla Los Alacranes (Scorpion Island) in Lake Chapala. Witnesses reported the aircraft was flying low when it hit a tree, knocked off the top, and then plunged into the lake, striking the canopy of a nearby pleasure craft.
The pilot, Luis Manuel McCormick, and passenger Humberto Castrejón Gómez were recovered by Red Cross volunteers. The wife and two children of Castrejón Gómez remain missing and are presumed dead.
1994
Runaway train halts in devastating style
Homes and offices shook across ten blocks when a 35-car freight train, out of control, careened to a halt just 50 yards from where the tracks cross Avenida Arcos in Guadalajara’s Jardines del Bosque neighborhood. Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (FNM) dispatched a single engine to induce a crash after the freight train’s engineer reported brake failure and requested help. The impact was planned for Avenida Colón but happened earlier due to the train’s speed, derailing 18 cars filled with scrap metal—ironically from previously wrecked trains—and scattering debris across several blocks.
2004
Outrage over phone outage in San Miguel
Up to 2,000 phone lines in San Miguel de Allende’s central area and other neighborhoods were out of service for at least two weeks, coinciding with two of the busiest weekends for visitors—September 25, the Sanmiguelada (running of the bulls), and October 1, the Alborada, celebrating the city’s patron saint, San Miguel. Service was expected to be restored by mid-October, according to Telmex.
The company blamed heavy rains that flooded a major distribution point in the historic district, caused by excavation left incomplete. Telmex admitted they should have notified customers earlier, and promised to focus more on infrastructure improvements. Telmex supervisor Ricardo Belleza quipped, “People always complain about the service, so at first, we didn’t realize there was a problem.”
1964
Jaguar alert on metro-area rooftop
It’s not uncommon to see dogs on rooftops in Mexico, left by owners to bake in the heat. But this week in Tonalá, an adult jaguar was spotted sunbathing on a roof, surprising the neighbors. State environmental agency Semarnat quickly mobilized, evacuating 30 nearby homes and cordoning off a two-block radius. A sniper sedated the one-year-old, 50-kilogram jaguar with a single shot, and the animal was taken to the Guadalajara Zoo. Investigators later discovered the jaguar had escaped from a nearby residence where several wild animals were being kept illegally.