Mérida Crowns Stunning New Road Project

By Lic. Edward V. Byrne View Edward V. Byrne's profile


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Only in Mexico, perhaps, could a mini-revolution almost occur over a road construction project. But that's exactly what happened last July 4 . . . a rather ironical date. For the facts, click here, visit my blog for more photos.
The project was completed late last week, and last night (October 9) many thousands of Méridans turned out to enjoy its inauguration. Yucatán governor Ivonne Ortega and Mérida mayor Angelica Arajuo attended

"Glorietas" Protest March in Merida is a Bust

By Edward V. Byrne View Edward V. Byrne's profile

A lone protestor at the Cadena de Las Glorietas, displays her barely legible protest of "the monument of the lie". -Photo by Edward Byrne

Several hundred Meridans turned out Saturday afternoon (September 24) for the so-called Cadena de las Glorietas, or “Chain of the Glorietas” march.  The event was staged to protest a controversial underpass which is nearing completion at the intersection of Paseo de Montejo and Circuito Colonias in north central Merida.

The construction project was the scene of violence on July 4 when supporters and opponents of the underpass briefly clashed.  State police were called in to quell the disturbance, but the events have been kept alive by activists.  The march was announced and heavily promoted via social networks, email and in one of Merida’s principal newspapers, El Diario de la Yucatan.  Supporters had predicted that about 6,500 people would show up, but the crowd was a small fraction of that.

There was modest state and municipal police presence along Montejo during the anemic two hour demonstration, which ended just after 7:30 p.m.  Participants were in a festive mood, but the crowd appeared considerably less enthusiastic than during three previous protests against the underpass.  Many wore event T-shirts with the legend, “United Together Against Impunity.”

On Friday (September 23) the United States Consulate in Merida sent an emergency email to U.S. nationals in the city, encouraging them to avoid the march.  It is illegal under Mexican law for a foreigner to participate in the political affairs of the country.  It is not unlawful to observe political events or activities conducted in public venues, provided there is no direct participation.

The underpass at the Glorieta de la Paz is on or ahead of schedule.  City officials originally said it would be opened to traffic around October 1, but there have been no recent announcements.

Local Murder Victim Identified

By Edward V. Byrne for The Yucatan Times
September 17, 2011

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A man found dead Thursday night (September 15) in Merida’s Fraccionamiento Montejo has been identified as 67 year old Jorge Carrillo Farjat. Police say he was strangled, and that a sexual encounter turned violent was the likely explanation.

Farjat lived alone in a house at Calles 58 and 15, a short distance from the Glorieta de la Paz. Originally from Quintana Roo state, he had been a Merida resident for several years. Farjat’s body was discovered by friends in a bedroom of the home about 8:00 p.m.

Police say a number of valuable objects were missing from the house. They claim to have a “short list” of suspects. Local prosecutors have opened a formal investigation.

Yucatán: Desarraigan a homicidas de homosexuales
Confirman homicidio en predio del fraccionamiento Montejo

Monterrey Casino Attack Leaves 52 Dead

A two story casino in the northern Mexico city of Monterrey was attacked Wednesday (August 25) by a heavily armed commando force, possibly carrying grenades. Authorities said this evening at least 52 persons have been killed.

There was extensive fire damage to the structure, operated by the Royal Casinos group. Emergency personnel used machinery to remove rubble so they could reach injured victims and recover bodies, many severely burned. Some reports indicate the attackers set fire to the casino, trapping guests inside.

Monterrey is the capital of Nuevo León state, which has been wracked by narco violence as two rival organizations, Los Zetas and El Cartel del Gulfo, struggle for control.

In a Twitter message this evening Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón called the attack a “barbarous” act committed by criminals who “have no scruples.” He promised that those responsible would be hunted down and brought to justice. Alejandro Poiré, Mexico’s national security spokesman, said those responsible for the “unspeakable acts . . . will pay for their crimes.”

Calderón later declared three days of mourning for the victims.

Monterrey is no stranger to organized crime violence, but this attack may be its worst ever in terms of loss of life from a single incident. It is also one of the worst in the five year old offensive against the drug cartels launched by President Calderón in December 2006. That offensive is increasingly debated and criticized by political opponents, who have urged alternatives ranging from direct negotiations with organized crime to the legalization of drugs. Today’s brazen attack on a popular casino in a major city is certain to increase the fervor of the debate, and raise new questions about the government’s ability to guarantee anyone’s security.

By Edward V. Byrne for The Yucatan Times
August 25, 2011

Thirty Day Anniversary of Glorieta Street Violence Observed

By Lic. Edward V. Byrne

A youth carries the traditional cross "Rest in Peace, Justice of Yucatan" -Photographer Ed Byrne

Hundreds of persons gathered Thursday night (August 4) at Mérida's historic Monumento a la Bandera (Monument to the Flag), on its famous Paseo de Montejo, to commemorate the 30 day anniversary of street violence which erupted on July 4 at a nearby underpass construction site. The crowd was orderly and the demonstration was peaceful. Uniformed municipal police were on hand to direct traffic around the participants. Several blocks of the Paseo were closed to vehicles while demonstrators carrying candles marched north to the Glorieta de la Paz, where the construction is half-completed and purportedly on schedule, with an anticipated late September completion date.

New Human Trafficking Charges Filed Against Ex-Official

By Edward V. Byrne for The Yucatan Times
July 20, 2011

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A former mayor of Cancún, Gregorio (“Greg”) Sanchez, has been arrested for the second time in a year by Mexican federal authorities, this time charged with the illegal trafficking of Cubans who entered the country without lawful documentation.


Sanchez was detained the first time in May 2010, while attempting to board an aircraft in Cancún bound for the United States. At the time, he was a highly visible PDR candidate for the governorship of Quintana Roo. He was accused of having connections to drug traffickers and of money laundering during his tenure as mayor from 2002 to 2008. According to federal prosecutors, Sanchez was linked to the Beltrán Leyva and Los Zetas organizations, the latter of which is one of the most feared criminal enterprises in Mexico. The PGR, Mexico’s federal prosecutorial office, says that the Zetas (“Zs”) are comprised of former elite military forces who have switched sides and joined the lucrative narcotics industry. The group has also performed contract work as an “enforcer” for other drug dealers, eliminating competitors and carrying out hired killings throughout the country. The Zetas are known to be strong in Quintana Roo, just a few hours east of Mérida.

Sanchez maintained his innocence during the more than one year that he was incarcerated, while awaiting a preliminary legal determination of his case in Mexico City. Federal prosecutors were embarrassed several days ago when a judge found insufficient evidence to hold Sanchez any longer, and ordered his immediate release. One official said that he would be re-arrested “the moment he set foot on the street,” on new charges of human trafficking. That’s exactly what happened. Instead of jailing Sanchez again, however, his attorneys persuaded prosecutors to allow him to remain free, subject to wearing an electronic monitoring device and not leaving Mexico City. Mexico’s PGR head, Patricia Bugarin, said in a live nationally broadcast news conference today that this is the first time in the country’s history that electronically monitored “house arrest” had been permitted for a person under serious criminal investigation.

The illegal trafficking of Cuban nationals in Mexico strikes particularly close to home in Mérida, which was the center of a major immigration scandal two years ago. The Mexican National Institute of Migration (INM) has a busy regional office here, and in 2009 Hernán Vega Burgos, then a local INM chief of operations, was implicated in a scheme to arrange false identification and work documents for women who had been smuggled into Mexico from several neighboring countries, including Cuba. Some of those women were later found to be working as prostitutes at a residence located in Mérida’s Colonia Mexico. Authorities investigated but declined to file criminal charges, despite finding that Vega Burgos had participated in extortion. He lost his INM position, was fined $5,000 USD and was banned from any form of public employment for 15 years. There has been no allegation that Greg Sanchez, the former mayor of Cancún, was connected to the immigration scandal here, but trafficking in undocumented persons remains a major problem throughout Mexico, often involving women and minors in the sex-for-hire industry.

In Mexico City Sanchez said today, “I am innocent; I trust in my attorneys and in the word of God.” He has claimed that the charges against him are politically motivated, and were pressed by his opponents in PRD who want to keep him out of Quintana Roo’s governor’s office. It is unclear when a second judge will make a preliminary ruling on the new human trafficking charges, or consider an appeal of the dismissal of the original organized crime claims, which prosecutors have also said they will pursue. The agreed-upon order allowing Sanchez to be under house arrest and monitored by the electronic bracelet is valid for 20 days, unless extended.

Shakira Wows 170,000 Fans in La Plancha

By Edward V. Byrne for The Yucatan Times
July 17, 2011

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The long awaited and sometimes controversial Shakira concert went off without a hitch last night (July 16) in downtown Mérida. Under a clear sky, with a full moon rising in the east and a gentle breeze cooling the crowd, the Colombian singer, dancer and do-it-all performer strode on stage at 9:40 p.m., some 40 minutes after the scheduled start of her show. Nobody minded the delay. There’s no doubt that Shakira is multi-faceted: she sings, she dances, she gyrates, she cartwheels across stage, she plays multiple instruments and most importantly, she entertains. It’s easy to see why she’s a music icon of international stature. Heck, even Barack Obama wanted Shakira at his 2009 inaugural festivities.

Shakira in Mérida - by Edward V. Byrne

Municipal authorities estimated last night’s crowd at about 170,000. Concert-goers began queuing up as early as 3:00 p.m., some arriving on foot and others via bus. Attendees were orderly, polite and cooperative throughout the evening. There was an impressive display of police and paramilitary personnel to protect guests and to deter any possible misconduct. Law enforcement was even-handed and professional throughout the 12 acre concert site, which undoubtedly paid off: neither a single incident was reported nor arrest made. Medical first-responders, ambulances and fire trucks were close at hand, but they were not needed.

City workers, who together with Shakira employees led people to their seats and directed the flow of traffic within the concert perimeter, were exemplary.

Shakira’s performance ended exactly at 11:00 p.m., but the crowd demanded an encore, so she and her musical entourage strode back on stage for three more songs. Altogether, guests were treated to about 100 minutes of entertainment, and in two languages, since Shakira performs in both Spanish and English. The entertainment company’s traveling stage is enormous, and their equipment a marvel of high-tech wizardry. Brilliant stage lights bathed Shakira and her fellow performers in constantly changing colors, enormous television screens strategically placed throughout La Plancha ensured that all could see, the sound system literally rocked the earth, and artificial smoke, steam and bubbles at just the right moment added to the enchantment. Dozens of technicians monitored glowing computer screens as if they were preparing for a space launch. And the rain held out.

According to a local media source, the 170,000 Méridans who turned out last night were one of the largest crowds ever to attend a live Shakira concert. Her 2007 appearance in Mexico City – a much larger venue – reportedly drew over 200,000.

The concert was not without predictable controversy of a political nature. When first announced by the PRI administration of Mayor Angelica Arajuo Lara in March, at a reported cost of $21 million pesos (about $1.75 million USD), PAN leaders in the Ayuntamiento were quick to criticize, characterizing it as a massive waste of taxpayer money. The Mayor and her staff responded by assuring that the entire outlay – and then some – would be recovered by the city in the form of private donations and commercial sponsorships. That remains the sticking point. After PAN’s repeated demands for financial details, the city issued a press release early Friday morning, claiming that 51 sponsors had contributed an aggregate $24.5 million pesos to cover the costs of both the concert and the clean-up of La Plancha, Mérida’s former railway station, where it was staged.

But the press release was thin on specifics. Although the alleged sponsors were identified, there was no indication of how much each contributed, or when. Some PRI officials said that “full details” would be released after the concert, while at least one other said that “we never promised all the details.” The Mayor herself has been vague on the topic, and appeared to be preparing for any possible line of defense in her comments last week. She noted that La Plancha has been restored, and that over the long term, a concert by Shakira would bring Mérida international recognition and would promote tourism, with a probable boost to local investment. But the dollars and cents of last night’s event will likely remain a subject of partisan debate for a long time to come.

Local Businesses Lose Revenues

LOCAL BUSINESSES LOSE REVENUES, CLOSE DUE TO UNDERPASS PROJECT

The hotly controversial underpass now being built at the busy intersection of Paseo de Montejo and Circuito Colonias has caused a political firestorm in recent days, pitting Mexico’s two major political parties against one another. But while PAN and PRI leaders slug it out in the local press and prosecutors take preliminary steps to bring criminal charges against some involved in last week’s near riot, another negative consequence is being felt by those who do business there. The project has virtually shut down vehicular traffic in the area, and some businesses have already closed their doors after experiencing a dramatic decline in sales.

Former Mayor of Mérida Loses Bid for Quick Dismissal

A former mayor of Mérida, Cesar Bojorquez Zapata, has failed in his effort to derail a pending audit and investigation over accounting irregularities tied to his PAN (National Action Party) administration. The case involves 82 million pesos (about $7 million USD) which was either improperly spent or cannot otherwise be accounted for during the period from July – December 2008. Zapata and another ex-City official implicated in the audit tried to stop the inquiry earlier this year, but a Mexican federal judge has ruled against them, clearing the way for further proceedings.

Ex-Mayor of Merida, Cesar Bojorquez Zapata

Peaceful Protest Against Violence

bout 300 persons gathered Monday night at Merida's Monumento a la Patria, on Paseo de Monteo, to protest last week’s (July 4) violence at an underpass construction site just a few blocks north.  The crowd was orderly and the demonstration, which lasted about 90 minutes, was peaceful.

Demonstrators at Monument de la Patria on Monday, July 11

The march was announced Monday morning in several media sources, and apparently on various social networks as well.  Organizers had predicted as many as 2,500 persons would participate, but the crowd was far smaller.  Some carried placards asking for peace, and others named public officials they hold accountable for the violent events at Merida’s Glorieta de la Paz, where construction is well under way.  Some asked for Mexican President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa to intervene.

PAN Deputy Demands Mayor’s Impeachment for “Grave Violations of Human Rights”

Yesterday`s demonstrations at construction site, photo by Raul Ponce de Leon

In the wake of yesterday’s violent street demonstrations, with resultant injuries, over the planned underpass construction at Paseo de Montejo and Circuito Colonias, PAN (National Action Party) Deputy Renan Barrera Concha today delivered a formal statement of condemnation before the Yucatan Congress, demanding the immediate removal from office of Merida’s Mayor, Angelica Arajuo Lara. The statement in its entirety, edited only for linguistic clarity, is as follows:

PAN Claims $100 Million Peso Loan “Illegal”

In a continuing dispute between PAN and PRI representatives over budget matters and the use of public monies, PAN officials claim that a pending $100 million peso loan to the City will be illegal if used by Merida Mayor Angelica Arajo Lara for ”projects of her own choosing.” PRI officials maintain the loan has already been authorized and approved by both City and State officials, and complies with the law.
The dispute’s history can be traced to November 2010, when the City’s budget for 2011-12 was being prepared. The Mayor indicated that she would seek a loan of $100 million pesos to be used on five designated public works projects, including roadways and the preservation and the improvement of specified public spaces. For the City to borrow the money, both its own governing body and the State of Yucatan had to approve, which they did in December 2010. In May, the Mayor announced that the funds would not be used for the originally denominated projects, but for other various unspecified public works. She notified the Yucatan Congress of her changed spending intentions on June 18, which were approved by that body five days later, on June 23. However, Merida’s own governing council never met again nor voted upon the Mayor’s new spending plans, the details of which are apparently still unknown. According to PAN officials, this will make the loan illegal if it is in fact funded, and will place in jeopardy any public projects undertaken with the borrowed monies.