1. Candidates for
Congress Who
Gets to Run? And
Who Decides?
Unfit for
Hollywood A
Mexican Author
Remembers the
Alamo
Shale Gas
Mexico is
Sitting Atop a
Bonanza
¡Pleybol!
What’s in Store
For Mexican
Baseball
On the
Road Again
Mexican Bus
Travel and
The Stuff of
Memories
PEOPLE : POLITICS : CULTURE : TRAVEL FROMMEXICO. INENGLISH.
www.mexico-review.com
0018920360242
A BI-WEEKLY
April 1, 2012
Mexico City
Vol. 01 No. 06
32 pages

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3. From the Executive Director
BY ANA MARÍA SALAZAR :2
They Said It
Quotable quotes by, for and about Mexico : 3
The Dreaded ‘Dedazo’ Becomes a ‘Dedito’
The way the parties select their congressional and
gubernatorial candidates has one consistent outcome:
The local rank-and-file hates it.
BY TOM BUCKLEY
:POLITICS : ELECTIONS : 4
Cinco de Mayo Hits 150 in Style
For the celebrations in Puebla, the home of the holiday,
local and state governments are thinking big.
BY REBECCA SMITH HURD
:ECONOMY & FINANCE :PUBLIC WORKS :7
Mexico’s Shale Game
The country is sitting atop huge reserves of shale
gas. Is it better to move quickly to exploit this energy
resource, or hold back to see what develops?
BY SEAN GOFORTH
: ECONOMY & FINANCE : ENERGY : 10
By the Numbers
How much tequila gets exported? How much has
the birth rate declined? Are single fathers common in
Mexico?
: 13
Landfill Economics vs. Politics
So much trash. So little space to put it.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEITH DANNEMILLER
:ECONOMY & FINANCE :WASTE MANAGEMENT :14
Bus Memories
Moving through Mexico by bus is faster, safer and
more comfortable than it used to be. But there was
something about the funky travel of the old days that
made for more memories.
TEXT & PHOTOS BY DAVID BRACKNEY
:LIFE & LEISURE : TRAVEL : 18
Unfit for Hollywood
One of Mexico’s most prolific and popular writers has
turned a lot of heads with his new book about the
Battle of the Alamo. John Wayne would not approve.
BY KELLY ARTHUR GARRETT
:LIFE & LEISURE : BOOKS : 22
If That Doesn’t Take the Prize
A prestigious award, a plagiarism scandal, and a literary
shoot-out.
BY KELLY ARTHUR GARRETT
:LIFE & LEISURE : BOOKS : 25
¡Pleybol!
The Mexican Baseball League season is under way,
accompanied by a noticeable buzz and a renewed
sense of excitement.
TEXT & PHOTOS BY TOM BUCKLEY
:LIFE & LEISURE : SPORTS : 26
Only in Mexico
Hidden towers, empty stadiums, bogus beasts and
other odds and ends.
:LIFE & LEISURE : 30
Save the Dates …
Some of the big events to watch for in Mexico in the
coming months.
:LIFE & LEISURE : EVENTS : 32
: On the cover
The road from California to Guadalajara goes
through a lot of scenery changes along the way,
but it starts off as a lonely desert highway near
Mexicali. (Story on page 18.)
Photography by David Brackney
CONTENTS
MEXICO REVIEW
April 1, 2012

4. We were in make-up preparing to tape a pi-
lot news programwhen the building started pitching and
rolling at noon on March 20. Ironically, we were talking about the popu-
lar belief that the Maya calendar predicts an apocalypse this year.
Fortunately, the magnitude 7.8 earthquake did not become a major di-
saster although it has been qualified as the strongest quake in Mexico
since the tragic temblors of September 1985.
Some significant damage occurred in several areas of Mexico City and
in the towns close to the epicenter of the quake (along the Guerrero-
Oaxaca border), so we certainly don’t want to minimize the incident.
But perhaps it provides perspective with regard to the major events
that await us in the remainder of 2012.
By the time you read this, Pope Benedict XVI will have returned to the
Vatican after his first visit to Mexico. The presidential campaigns will
have begun their final three-month stretch run to Election Day. And the
annual nationwide shutdown that takes place during Holy Week will be
under way.
We believe this issue of Mexico Review offers additional perspective,
especially with regard to the ongoing electoral process (specifical-
ly controversies in the candidate selection process in each party) and
other developing issues.
Our concise report on how the state of Puebla is going about prepar-
ing for the 150th anniversary of Cinco de Mayo is just the beginning
of special coverage about Mexico’s glorious victory over the powerful
French army in the Battle of Puebla and about the special appeal that
state has for tourists and culinary travelers.
For our hard news readers, we provide a detailed look at how Mexico’s
shale gas reserves impacts the nation’s energy sector. But for those of
you who prefer lighter news, we’re sure you’ll enjoy reading our pre-
view of the Mexican Baseball League and the review of a new book
about the Alamo from a uniquely Mexican point of view.
Ana María Salazar
Executive Director
anamaria.salazar@mexico-review.com
Shake-Up Offers
Renewed
Perspective
2 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
Mexico Review@MexicoReview
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LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
E D I T O R I A L
Oscar McKelligan
PRESIDENT
Ana María Salazar
VICE PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Fernando Ortiz
LEGAL ADVISER
Tom Buckley
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Kelly Arthur Garrett
MANAGING EDITOR
Blake Lalonde
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Andrea Sánchez
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Daniela Graniel
ART DIRECTOR
S A L E S
Verónica Guerra de Alberti
CANCÚN REPRESENTATIVE
Abril de Aguinaco
CABO REPRESENTATIVE
Iker Amaya
Álvaro Sánchez
U.S. REPRESENTATIVES
C O N T R I B U T O R S
Keith Dannemiller
Sean Goforth
Rebecca Smith Hurd
David Brackney
Liliana Muciño
B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S
Oscar McKelligan
Ana María Salazar
Yurek McKelligan
Fernando Ortiz

5. ANDTHEYHAVETHENERVETOSAYTHERE’SIMPUNITYINCIUDADJUÁREZ
“I’
m surprised they didn’t give him a breathalyzer test for
chocolateandaccusehimofimbibingtomanysugarydrinks.”
– The mother of a 6-year-old Ciudad Juárez boy who was fined for driving
imprudently and without a license after his toy motorcycle hit a pickup truck which,
unfortunately for him and his family, belonged to a woman who claimed to be a municipal
employeeandwasabletogetthepolicetocometothescenequickly.
You’re okay, cabrón,
even if you are a
panista.’
JustPlay,OK?
t’struethat
outsidethecountry
we’reknownfor
theviolence.There’sviolence
inMexico,whicheverybody
considerstobehorrible,butwe
dohaveanormallifehere.Art,
lettersandresearchallcontinue
toflourish.”
–SculptorandpainterManuelFelguérez,
joiningotherMexicanartists,including
JoséLuisCuevasandVicenteRojo,in
urgingPresidentCalderóntopromoteart
overviolence.
THE OLD SCHOOL
“Even today, you listen to people in high places inside
the CFE talk and it’s like hearing comments from 30 years
ago. They think it’s science fiction.
”– Adrián Fernández, an energy consultant with the Metropolitan
Autonomous University, lamenting the slow pace of Mexico’s Federal
–VOICEFROMTHECROWDATCARLOS
SANTANA’S MEXICO CITY CONCERT
in early March, after the legendary guitarist
issuedanendorsementofJosefinaVázquez
Mota, presidential candidate for the
conservative National Action Party (PAN).
The VIEW from the
INSIDE
Books?We Don’t Gotta Show You No Stinkin’ Books
“IT’S A SILLY GOAL, OUTDATED, STUPID, CRAZY.
ACCUMULATING BOOKS IS PASSÉ. WHY NOT PUT
A MILLION BOOKS ON THE WEB SO THEY CAN BE
CONSULTED FROM ANY STATE IN THE REPUBLIC,
FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD?”– Historian Guillermo Tovar de Teresa, responding to the news that
the Vasconcelos Library, the huge national public library built during
the Fox administration, is a million books shy from completing its
collection as planned.
“Just from hearing the words ‘Oscar’
and ‘Mexican’ spoken together they
salivatechauvinistically,likePavlov’s
dogs. In their view there’s no more
important cinematic trophy, so they
consider it an ‘honor’ that a fellow
countryman might win something
that would mean nothing less than
the right to exist, professionally
speaking ... They are simpletons who
every year at this time turn a mere
nomination into a panegyric, even
though its only real importance is
monetary, and thereby do the bidding
– for free, no less – of the Motion
Picture Association of America and
the other U.S. film organizations.”
– Film critic Luis Tovar, commenting
on the pre-Oscar excitement in
Mexico resulting from Demián Bichir’s
nomination as Best Actor in a Leading
Role. The award went to Jean Dujardin.
OscarFever
“I
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 3
they
said it...

6. The Dreaded
‘Dedazo’
Becomes a
‘Dedito’INTERNAL PARTY FRICTION HAS FLARED UP as local rank-and-file
increasingly object to the imposition of candidates by national leadership
TEXT & PHOTOS BY TOM BUCKLEY
4 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
POLITICS ELECTIONS

7. A
fterthepresidentialcandidates
went silent in mid-February
thanks to a 45-day campaign
blackout imposed by the new
electionlaw,thepublicwasbombardedwith
thesordidbusinessofinternalpartypolitics.
Reportersandanalystsquicklytiredof
criticizingtheblackoutandattemptingto
cover the inactivity of the “presidencia-
bles.”Buttheywerenotatalossforlong.
Aspoliticalpartiesbeganselectingcan-
didatesforfederalandstateposts,criesof
protest grew to a din. The rank-and-file
within the three major parties raised a
clamor over the perceived imposition of
candidates seen as unworthy or non-rep-
resentative.Angerwasdirectedattheuse
oftheso-called“dedazo.”
While in power for 71 years, the Insti-
tutionalRevolutionaryParty(PRI)estab-
lishedthetraditionofallowingtheoutgo-
ing president to handpick his successor.
Thisanointment(“dedazo”literallymeans
“bigfinger,”euphemisticallysignifyingthe
pointingofthefingeratthechosencandi-
date)wasbasicallyunquestionedfromthe
1950suntilthelate1990s.
TheNationalActionParty(PAN)may
have ousted the PRI in 2000, but many of
the “institutions” of the old regime have
survived. The “dedazo” is one of them, al-
though it has evolved such that now cen-
tralpartyleadershipimposesitswillonthe
candidate selection process with little re-
gard to local realities. This prompted sev-
eralcolumniststosuggestthatthe“dedazo”
has now been transformed into “deditos”
(“littlefingers”).
“Thepartyleadershipischoosingcan-
didates with no regard to proposals made
by local party officials and they have ig-
nored vetos issued by local leadership,”
says Soledad Loaeza, a Colegio de Méxi-
coprofessorandcolumnistforLaJornada.
Therank-and-fileaswellasstateparty
leadershiphasreactednoisilytotheimpo-
sition.Candidatesseemtohavebeencho-
sen by national leadership to reward past
loyalties and to hand power to those who
have shown certain skills such as voter
mobilization and election manipulation
or to those who have exercised deferen-
tialbehavior.
The “deditos” have also been used to
bring in non-party members with little
regard for ideology. The notion that these
outsidersrepresentachancetowinmore
votes–andthusmorepublicfunding–out-
weighsallegiancetopartydoctrine.Eachof
thethreemajorpartieshasbeenwrestling
withthesedilemmaswithvaryingdegrees
ofinternaldissension.
IGNORING DOGMA, PAST SLIGHTS
The Party of the Democratic Revolution
(PRD) has a well-earned reputation as a
brawling collection of tribes. Their evolu-
tion from a frustrated faction of the PRI
that sought to eliminate the “dedazo” in
favor of greater internal party democracy
hasbeenstunted.
The PRD has been swelled by defect-
ingPRIistaswhobroughtwiththemtheir
preferenceforold-timePRIpractices.The
recruitment of aggrieved members of the
old ruling party encouraged members of
the PRI to change colors without chang-
ingideology.Thishasservedtoencourage
PRDtribalismratherthanunifytheparty
andmuddleditsoriginallyleftistideology.
When the PRD announced that Man-
uel Bartlett would be its top candidate for
senator in Puebla, the chattering classes
were set abuzz. Bartlett, a hard-line PRI-
ista, has an ignoble curriculum highlight-
edbyhiscontroversialparticipationinthe
1988 presidential election. PRD found-
er Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas was ahead in
theearlyvotecountwhenthevotecount-
ing machinery went on the fritz. When it
came back up, PRI candidate Carlos Sali-
nas de Gortari was ahead and he went on
towinquitecomfortably,accordingtothe
officialcount.Bartlett,asinteriorsecretary,
wasresponsibleformanagingtheelection
andtheconsensusisthathehelpedcheat
Cárdenasoutofvictory.
Bartlett’s selection is supposed to help
the PRD win greater presence in Puebla,
butsometoppartypoliticianshavereact-
ed with perplexity. The selection report-
edly had the blessing of presidential can-
didateAndrésManuelLópezObradorbut
thatdidlittletostiflethedissent,especially
sinceBartlettisstillamemberofthePRI.
Sen.CarlosNavarretesaid“Iwillnotlift
a finger to help Bartlett’s campaign.” But
López Obrador apparently dismisses Dr.
House’smaximthat“peopledon’tchange”
since he has told reporters that “we don’t
thinkthatpeoplecan’tchange…wewon’t
pre-judgehim”and“letthosewhoarefree
of sin throw the first stone.” The leader of
theleftistcoalitionknownasDIAdefend-
ed Bartlett saying “Instead of questioning
themeritsofacandidateweshouldobjec-
tivelyconsiderwhocanwinusmorevotes.”
Local Battles
Spark Unrest
Mexico City – The PRD has
dominated the political scene in the
capital since 1997 but internal
dissension threatens the party’s
supremacy, especially since iconic
former Mayor Andrés Manuel López
Obrador has cultivated close ties
with the two other leftist parties.
Now, if a PRDista fails to win a
candidacy, the Labor Party or
Movimiento Ciudadano is
considered an option. This could
weaken the PRD and cost it
considerable public funding.
Violence broke out at a March 16
PRD candidate selection forum and
national leadership is scrambling
into damage control mode. Mayor
Ebrard is also reportedly upset that
a gentlemen’s agreement with
López Obrador was not honored.
Ebrard was led to believe he would
have significant nominating
privileges after bowing out before
the PRD presidential primary.
Morelos – Members of both the PRI
and the PRD announced plans to file
formal complaints with the election
tribunal, accusing party leadership
of using illegal procedures to impose
candidates. The brother of the PRI
state party leader was awarded a
candidacy for state legislature. PRD
protesters said candidate selection
“put democracy back several years
and damages internal dialogue.”
Chiapas – Local PRD members are
furious that national leadership took
control of the candidate selection
process. Not only is the central
committee accused of trying to
handpick candidates that don’t have
widespread local support, but the
aggrieved local PRDistas say national
leadership is more interested in
promoting its presidential candidate
in the state than in boosting local
party membership. The dispute has
its roots in the alleged rift between
Gov. Juan José Sabines and Andrés
Manuel López Obrador, the
presidential candidate.
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 5

8. PAN HIT BY DEFECTIONS
Thefederaldeputycandidatespotawarded
toMonterreyMayorFernandoLarrazabal
byPANleadershiponlysevenmonthsafter
thesamepartyofficialsattemptedtoforce
him out of the party left long-time PANi-
stasinshock.
Butonlyforamoment.Thencameout-
rageandmassivedefections,mostimpor-
tantly by several seasoned and well-re-
spected individuals. Larrazabal and his
brother were damaged in August when
members ofadrugcartelsetaMonterrey
casinoablaze,killing52people.Avideotape
releaseddayslaterappearedtoshowJonas
Larrazabaltakingmoneyfromcasinoop-
eratorsandhewasaccusedofextortion(a
chargethatdidnotstick).
Rogelio Sada, a 50-year PAN veter-
an, quit the party in disgust. Other activ-
istswhoquittheconservativepartymade
itknownthattheythoughttheleadership
hadopenedthepartytopoliticalopportun-
istswithlittleregardtopartyprinciples.
SimilaroutcrieswereheardinChihua-
huawhereDeputyJavierCorralhasearned
areputationofintegrityandcourageashe
has battled Mexico’s monopolies from
Congress.AfterhelostaPANprimaryfor
aSenatecandidacy,heaccusedhisrivalsof
businginvotersfromoutofstate.Localbig-
wigs–includingthestate’sfirst-everPAN
governor,ErnestoRuffo,andelderstates-
man Luis Álvarez – signed a letter of pro-
test. In an effort to sweep some problems
undertheproverbialblue-coloredrug,the
centralcommitteefellbackonthe“dedito”
todesignateCorralasaSenatecandidate.
InMexicoCity,up-and-comingAssem-
blywomanLíaLimónquitthepartyonMarch
20,citingalaundrylistofirregularitiesinthe
primaryprocess.DeputyManuelClouthier–
sonofthe1988PANpresidentialcandidate
– quit the party in February, decrying dirty
tricksinkeepinghimoutoftheSinaloapri-
maryforaSenateseat.Electionauthorities
orderedthePANtoallowhimtoregister,but
heleftthepartyinstead.
When the PAN announced its Senate
candidates in early March, regional party
chiefs complained that Mexico City was
over-represented, arguing that the PAN
presence in the capital has shrunk yet its
local leaders were rewarded. The afore-
mentioned Limón was among the critics
and she slammed the unchecked control
exercised by the so-called “New Genera-
tion” in Mexico City, calling them “a rank
gangofhorsethieves.”
Quintana Roo – Local members of
the PRD raised strenuous
objections when former Cancún
Mayor Greg Sánchez was granted a
senatorial candidate. Sánchez
stepped down to run for governor
in April 2010 but was arrested on
drug charges. He was released late
last year, but local residents are still
rankled by the debt burden he ran
up as mayor. The state PRD
leadership in March announced it
would boycott the election if the
national committee didn’t rescind
Sánchez’s candidacy.
Veracruz – The PAN’s candidate
selection process was marred by
significant irregularities such that
the senatorial candidacy of
Fernando Yunes Márquez, scion of
a prominent local political clan, was
at risk of being annulled. More than
150 violations were reported during
the party primary, including one
voting precinct that registered 118
voters but reported 1,303 ballots.
Guanajuato – José Ángel Córdova
resigned his Cabinet post to
contend for the PAN gubernatorial
nomination in this conservative
state. The hard-liners, known as El
Yunque, thumbed their noses at
President Calderón and imposed
Miguel Márquez, the hand-picked
choice of outgoing Gov. Juan
Manuel Oliva. The PRI – fighting to
steal the state from the PAN – then
toyed with selecting Córdova as an
external candidate, and well-known
attorney José Luis Romero Hicks
(brother of a former PAN governor
of the state) was also linked to the
nomination, but this proved to be
little more than a media rumor. PRI
leadership then opted to
demonstrate that “we have no need
to look outside our own house
when our party has the best
candidates available” (Pedro
Joaquín Coldwell). Juan Ignacio
Torres Landa – the son of Gov. Juan
José Torres Landa (1961-67) was
selected as PRI nominee. Ironically,
the former federal deputy (1991-94)
lost to Juan Carlos Romero Hicks in
the 2000 Guanajuato gubernatorial
election.
SKIRMISHES IN THE PRI
The former ruling party has exercised
greater discipline in recent months after
president Humberto Moreira was forced
outinDecemberandthealliancewiththe
NationalAlliancePartywascanceled.
However,theGulfcoaststateofTabas-
coexperiencedsometurmoil.
PRIistashavebegundesertingindroves
sincethepartyannouncedonJan.19that
Jesús Alí de la Torre would be the “unity
candidate”forgovernor.OnMarch10,the
statepartyleaderandthestatedelegateto
the party’s National Executive Commis-
sionwerereplaced,butthatdidnotstopthe
defections.Thecriticsaccusedthenational
partyleadershipofusingthe“dedazo”and
manyannouncedplanstosupportArturo
Núñez, the PRD gubernatorial candidate
andaformerhard-linememberofthePRI.
InMexicoCity,mayoralcandidateBe-
atrizParedesisdealingwithinternalfric-
tion. El Universal reported on March 20
thatprimaryrivalCuauhtémocGutiérrez
has conspired with the PRD to campaign
againstParedesandherhand-pickedcan-
didatesinthecapital.Paredesappearedset
tocruisetothePRIcandidacybutGutiér-
rezrefusedtostepasideandathirdcandi-
date was included in the primary race by
election authorities who overturned the
party’sdecisiontoblockhisregistration.
WritinginElUniversalonMarch20,po-
liticalanalystJoséAntonioCresposummed
itupbest:“[Theselectionprocess]isoneof
the many abuses, one of the worst ‘jokes’
that the parties play on its constituents.
… Instead of picking candidates for their
knowledge and professionalism, they give
seatstotheirspouses,relatives,compadres
orusethemtopayofffavors.That’swhywe
endupwithnefariouslegislators.”
Unfortunately, the parties have gamed
the system and there is little that the vot-
ingpubliccandosincethepoliticianscon-
trolourdemocracy.
6 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
POLITICS ELECTIONS

9. W
henCincodeMayoturns
150thisyear,Pueblaaims
to finally get its due: The
holiday, which marks
theanniversaryofthevictoriousBattleof
Puebla against the French in 1862, is fet-
edworldwideyetfrequentlymisconstrued
abroadasMexico’sIndependenceDay.
Toreclaimtheoccasionastheirown,the
cityandstateofPueblaareinvestingmore
than $62 million (800 million pesos) on
publicprojectsandspecialevents,suchas
amassiveparade,anight-timespectacular,
and the first International Mole Festival.
Thecelebrationpromisesnotonlytohonor
history,butalsotoreclaimCincodeMayo
as distinctly “Poblano” with a local fiesta
ofglobalproportions.
PUBLIC PROJECTS
A host of improvements to the state
capital’s infrastructure are under way to
commemorate the sesquicentennial of
theBattleofPuebla.Themostnotableisa
viaductnamedforGen.IgnacioZaragoza,
whose primary claim to fame is directing
Mexico’s victory against the powerful
Frencharmy.(Hislikenessappearsonthe
500-pesobanknoteissuedin2000.)
Theviaductwillstretch1.24kilometers
along Calzada Ignacio Zaragoza from
Defensores de la República to Ejército de
Orienteinthenortheasternpartofthecapital.
The new road is expected to handle
4,800vehiclesperhourandimproveaccess
to Puebla’s Historic Center and nearby
attractions, such as the Cinco de Mayo
fortsandmonuments.
Cinco de Mayo
Hits 150 in StyleLOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS IN PUEBLA have invested millions on public projects and
special events in advance of the sesquicentennial of the historic victory over the French.
BY REBECCA SMITH HURD
Guadalupe Fort
PHOTO:REBECCASMITHHURD
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 7
ECONOMY
&FINANCEPUBLIC WORKS

10. Despite setbacks in its construction,
Puebla Gov. Rafael Moreno Valle plans
to inaugurate the viaduct in time for the
150thanniversaryCincodeMayoparade.
The traditional parade route has been
modifiedtotraversethenewthoroughfare,
which ends at a pre-existing monument
thatpaystributetothebattle’sheroes.
Another project slated for completion
by Cinco de Mayo is the roughly $20
million (more than 258 million pesos)
police academy. The federal edifice is
beingbuiltwithfundingfromtheMérida
Initiative (a U.S.-backed program aimed
at improving Mexico’s judicial and
security services) and the municipality
of Amozoc. The new Ignacio Zaragoza
Police Academy will train an estimated
6,000 law enforcement officers per year.
The U.S. State Department provided $4
million(51.5millionpesos)forthecenter,
for which the FBI and other security
agenciesareactingasadvisers.
Thegovernoralsoplanstobreakground
on the first Rural City, in San Miguel
Tenextatiloyan,onMay5.Thepilotprogram,
supported by $15.6 million (200 million
pesos) in local, state and federal funding,
aimstocombatpopulationdispersionand
toimproveemploymentopportunitiesand
accesstoservicesforsome4,000residents
in the state’s mountainous northeast. For
starters,thecommunitywillsupplyedible
mushrooms to Wal-Mart, according
to the National Construction Industry
Association(CMIC).
SPECIAL EVENTS
City and state officials are organizing an
ambitiouslineupoffestivitiesforthe150th
anniversaryoftheBattleofPuebla.Atleast
100artistic,academic,culturalandsporting
events are planned, including a massive
parade, a night-time spectacular, and the
firstInternationalFestivalofMole.
The International Mole Festival will
celebrate the state’s most iconic dish,
mole poblano, with a two-day culinary
conferenceonMay2and3.Theeventwill
bring international and national chefs
together with rising regional stars to
explorePoblanocuisine’ssignificanceand
influenceworldwide.Celebritiesscheduled
to appear include chef-restaurateur Rick
Bayless, cookbook author Mark Bittman,
andmoleauthorityPatriciaQuintana.
This year’s Cinco de Mayo parade will
vary from those in previous years with a
newstarttime,route,andscope,although
final confirmation is pending: The 2012
affair, marshaled by President Felipe
Calderón, is set to begin at 4 p.m. Some
20,000middle-andhigh-schoolstudents,
8,000militarytroops,anddecorativefloats
will make their way from Cuauhtémoc
Stadium near the Puebla-Mexico City
highway to the two hilltop forts made
famousduringthe1862battle.
Mariachis entertain the crowds at the 2011 Cinco de Mayo parade in Puebla. This year’s parade route has been changed but it will still feature upward of
20,000 participants.
PHOTO:REBECCASMITHHURD
8 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
ECONOMY
&FINANCE PUBLIC WORKS

11. Asbefore,theDefenseSecretariatwill
stageare-enactmentofthehistoricbattle
onthegroundsofthe25thMilitaryRegion
headquartersinPuebla.
After the parade, a night-time
spectacular – produced by Five Currents,
the company that handled the opening
andclosingceremoniesoflastyear’sPan-
AmericanGamesinGuadalajara–isslated
totakeplacefrom8to10p.m.infrontofthe
fortstotheeastofthecapital.Theshowwill
represent Puebla and all things Poblano
inmusicanddanceandwillalsofeaturea
fireworksdisplay,organizerssay.
TheNationalInstituteofAnthropology
and History is reportedly investing $3.5
million (45 million pesos) to spruce up
the battle site and to expand its regional
museum, which preserves artifacts from
theBattleofPuebla.
For more information about Cinco
de Mayo-related public projects and
festivities, visit the state’s official website,
5demayoPuebla.mx.
Rebecca Smith Hurd isthefounderandeditor
ofAllAboutPuebla.com,anEnglish-language
travelguidetothecityanditsenvirons.
PHOTO:REBECCASMITHHURD
PHOTO:COURTESYPUEBLASTATEGOVERNMENT
Gov. Rafael Moreno Valle has overseen the
expenditure of more than $62 million on public
projects and special events linked to the
sesquicentennial.
The city of Puebla and its cathedral is visible just
to the southwest from the hilltop forts.
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 9
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It offers a variety of entertainment and communications services to
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About us in www.cablecom.com.mx
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12. Mexico’s
Shale
GameMEXICO SITS ATOP the world’s fourth-largest shale gas
reserves, but has so far failed to cash in on the bonanza
under way in Canada and the U.S. Could dithering turn out
to be a virtue?
BY SEAN GOFORTH
PHOTO:KEITHDANNEMILLER
10 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
ECONOMY
&FINANCE ENERGY

13. H
ubbubovershalegas
grewwildlyin2011,
in part because of
the controversial
Keystone XL pipe-
line–slatedtotran-
sit gas from Cana-
da’s tar sands to refineries along the U.S.
GulfCoast–andinpartbecauseofdisclo-
sures about robust U.S. shale gas produc-
tionthatmadethecountryanetenergyex-
porterforthefirsttimesince1949.
“Shale gas, the biggest energy innova-
tion since the start of the new century,
has turned what was an imminent short-
ageintheUnitedStatesintowhatmaybe
a 100-year supply,” says Daniel Yergin, a
leadingenergyanalystandauthorof“The
Quest: Energy, Security, and Remaking of
theModernWorld.”
Mexico,despitehavingthefourth-larg-
estshalegasreservesintheworld(behind
China, the United States and Argentina),
hasbeenapassiveobserverofthetrend.
Whereasshaleexplorationnorthofthe
borderbeganinearnestadecadeago,itwas
onlyinMarchof2011thatPemex,Mexico’s
state-ownedenergymonopoly,starteddrill-
ingitsfirstexploratorywellatasiteinHidal-
go,atowninthenorthernstateofCoahuila.
Itproduces2.9millioncubicfeetofgasaday.
Mexicoisalsoapassiverecipient:After
adecadeofsteadynaturalgasimports,2011
sawaspikeintheamountofgasMexicoim-
portedfromtheUnitedStates,accentuated
bya5percentdropinPemex’sgasoutput.
Without tapping its shale reserves,
Mexico’s domestic demand for gas is ex-
pected to outpace production by 6.5 per-
centannuallyforthenext15years.Some-
time before then, Mexico will become an
overall energy – oil, natural gas, and coal
–importer.
To avoid that fate, Pemex has an-
nouncedplanstoexploreanadditional175
shalegassitesacrossthecountryby2015,
and6,500sitesby2050.Thatshouldn’tbe
overlyambitious:lastyearTexas,forexam-
ple,grantedover2,800licensestooperate
in its Eagle Ford shale reserve alone. But
thesemedium-andlong-termgoalsareun-
realisticonthecurrenttrack.
PEMEX RE-IMAGINED
Pemex’sforteisoil,andwhileithasplenty
of experience in natural gas the company
isill-suitedtotakeadvantageofemerging
energysourceslikeshale.
Energy Secretary Jordy Herrera
PHOTO:COURTESYENERGYSECRETARIAT
Until recently, Pemex’s monopoly ex-
tended to basic petrochemicals, and giv-
en that Mexico is already a major net im-
porterofallmannerofolefins,synthetics,
andpolymers,anyseriouscommitmentto
shalewouldincreaseusageof“petchems”
several fold. Constitutional restrictions
will need to be loosened so that foreign
gas companies can more easily partner
withPemex,bringingwiththemthetech-
nological expertise and advanced equip-
mentthatPemexlacks.
In short, if Mexico is to bring its esti-
mated 681 trillion cubic feet of shale gas
reservestomarket,Pemexwillneedtoun-
dergowholesalereform.
Jordy Herrera, Mexico’s energy secre-
tary for thepasteightmonths,isspurring
Pemex in this direction. Within weeks of
hisappointment,Herrerainitiatedapush
to substitute the source of Mexico’s long-
term electricity needs away from nuclear
powerandtowardnaturalgas.
Theeconomicbenefitswouldbesignif-
icant.AccordingtoHerrera,Mexicocould
draw$7billionto$10billionayearinfor-
eign investment through various Pemex
partnerships. This would create roughly
100,000 jobs a year, directly and indirect-
ly,outtothelate2020s.
It would also yield geopolitical gains.
Mexicostandstoachieveenergyindepen-
dence,insulatingthecountryfromvolatile
world gas prices for a number of decades
– based oncurrentestimates,Mexicohas
enoughshaletomeetdomesticgasdemand
for60years.
A continent-wide gas-exporting bloc
could be set to emerge, stretching from
the Yukon to the Yucatán. TransCanada
–thefirmbuildingtheKeystoneXLpipe-
line – has already announced plans for a
$500-million project to link a pipeline in
thestateofSanLuisPotosítoMexico’sna-
tional pipeline system, with the final des-
tinationtobeapowerplantinthestateof
Querétaro. Not incidentally, integrating
Mexico’senergygridinthisfashionwould
draw it closer into North America’s ener-
gymarket.
More fancifully, investment from U.S.
companiescouldhaveknock-oneffectsin
Washington,leadingtoabroadre-engage-
ment of Mexico. Whereas Mexico repre-
sentedthe“giantsuckingsound”oflostU.S.
manufacturingjobsinthe1990s,andadrug
violence-riddled neighbor in the 2000s, it
could become the go-to energy partner of
thisdecade.Mexico’sinternationalstand-
ing could be further bolstered by invest-
ment opportunities from energy-hungry
risingpowers.
Given these prospects, in December
Herrerasaidthatfailuretointensivelyhar-
vesttheshalegasreserveswouldbe“unfor-
givable.”But,paradoxically,ditheringmay
serveMexicaninterests.
Ablipintheglobalenergymarketcur-
rentlyallowsPemextoexportoilformore
than$100abarrel,whilethe“bonanza”to
the north has natural gas prices at histor-
ic lows, down over 80 percent in the past
five years. Reservations about domestic
productionofshalegasarealsogrowing.
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 11

14. WILL SHALE PROVE SHALLOW?
AsintheUnitedStates,environmentalists
inMexicosaythattheindustrialprocessof
hydraulicfracturing,or“fracking,”usedto
forceshalegastothesurfacewhereitcan
berecovered,maypollutedrinkingwater.
Rumorisalsofeedingworrythatfrack-
ingcouldinduceearthquakes,aratherdis-
quietingprospectinacountrywithahisto-
ryofmassiveearthquakes.Othersquestion
therealgainofshalegasgiventheimmense
energyexpendedfromthefrackingprocess.
AsingularchallengetoMexicoislackof
water.Coahuila,theepicenterofMexico’s
shale reserves, is the second-driest state
inthecountryandisfarremovedfromthe
typeofwaterinfrastructureneededtose-
riouslycommittofracking.
It’s anybody’s guess how much water
mightberequiredtofrackinthearidnorth,
andtherearenopubliclyavailablefeasibili-
tystudiesaboutthecostsofgettingthewa-
terinfrastructureinplace.Sofar,thegov-
ernment’sonlyproposedsolutioninvolves
vaguelydefined“serviceclusters”installed
aroundhighconcentrationsofwells.
Meanwhile, technological advance-
ment is proving to be a double-edged
sword. Instead of maximizing efficien-
cy and mitigating environmental disrup-
tion as fracking proponents had hoped,
more precise surveying technology is be-
ingusedtore-assessrecoverablereserves,
withsomedishearteningresults.
TheU.S.DepartmentofEnergyrecent-
ly cut its estimate of the amount of gas in
Pennsylvania’s Marcellus site by two-
thirds,anditsnationwideestimatebyover
40percent.Iftherevisednumbersturnout
tobeaccurate,theclaimsofa100-yearsup-
plymadebyYerginandindustrylobbyists
willbereducedtoabout35years.
Elsewhere, shale projects in Poland
andHungaryhaveprovenabust.(Bycon-
trast, within days of the downward revi-
sions in the United States, Spain’s ener-
gygiantRepsolmadesignificantupward
revisions to its estimates of Argentina’s
shalereserves.)
A SEISMIC SHIFT
If 2011 was the year of wide-armed em-
braceofshaleasthealternativefuelofthe
future,2012isshapinguptobetheyearof
soberresignation–shaleisjustoneener-
gysource,anditcarriesdrawbacksjustlike
allotherfossilfuels.
Herrera, who spoke of slowly wind-
ing down nuclear plants in October, has
changed his tune of late, putting new nu-
clearplantsbackonthetable.Perhapsthis
isonewaytohedgeagainstshalegas.
OnFeb.20,theUnitedStatesandMexi-
coagreedtocooperatewhendrillingforoil
andgasalongtheirmaritimeborderinthe
GulfofMexico.Undertheagreement,U.S.
energycompanieswillbeallowedtowork
with Pemex in the Western Gap, an enor-
mous area in the Gulf of Mexico that had
previouslybeenundermoratorium.
Celebrated by shale advocates as a
sign that Pemex is slowly liberalizing and
similar land-based agreements are in the
works,thedealcouldalsobereadasPemex
committingtooffshoreprojectsinsteadof
emergingpossibilitiesonland.
What’sclearistheNorthAmericanen-
ergy market is changing. Since the 1970s,
theU.S.representedthegreatmawwhere
gasandoilfromCanadaandMexicowent
fordigestion.However,thecontinentisre-
making itself as an energy corridor, with
theU.S.producingmorefuelandconsum-
ingless,whileMexicoisproducinglessand
consuming more. What’s unclear is how
Pemex and the Mexican government will
respondtothisfundamentalshift.
For now, soaring energy prices and
lingering doubts about fracking comple-
ment a wait-and-see approach. At some
point though, Pemex will have to bend to
theneedsofagrowingmiddle-classecono-
myandeitherdeviseenergysolutionswith
thehelpofforeignpartners–andshalere-
coverymightbeapromisingwaytostart–
orgraduallycedeitsroleasMexico’sindis-
pensiblefuelprovideraltogether.
Sean Goforth isananalystforWikistrat,ageo-
strategicconsultingfirm,andauthorof“Axisof
Unity:Venezuela,Iran&theThreattoAmerica”
(PotomacBooks,2012).
PHOTO:KEITHDANNEMILLER
12 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
ECONOMY
&FINANCE ENERGY

15. 261.1 millionLitersoftequilaexportedfromMexicoin2011,accordingtothe
ConsejoReguladordeTequila.Itwasthethirdstraightyearthat
tequilaexportsfellshortofthe2008highof312.1millionliters.
75PercentageofyoungMexicanadults,ages18-29,that
opposeslegalizinganycurrentlyoutlaweddrugs,including
marijuana,accordingtoapollbyUNESCOandUniversidad
Iberoamericana.
33PercentageofMexicansages18-29whosaytheywouldprefer
anon-democraticsystemofgovernmentifitwouldworkbetter
tosolveproblemsofsecurityandeconomics.
51PercentageofUNAMstudentswhoarefemale.UNAM,the
NationalAutonomousUniversityofMexico,isthenation’s
mostimportantpublicinstitutionofhigherlearning.
13,000Approximatenumberofsurveillancecamerasoperatedin
MexicoCitybylawenforcement.
7.8 millionNumberofsinglemothersinMexicotoday.
907,000NumberofsinglefathersinMexicoasof2009.
52.6Percentageofthosesinglemotherswhoareintheworkforce,
totaling4.1million.
7.2AveragenumberofbirthsperwomaninMexicoin1962.
39.3 millionPopulationofMexicoin1962
2.0AveragenumberofbirthsperwomaninMexicoin2012.
112.3 millionPopulationofMexicoin2012.
434,000NumberofMexicansunder18whoaremarriedorliving
togetherinarelationship,basedondatafrom2010byINEGI,
theNationalStatisticsInstitute.
32,000NumberofMexicansbetweentheagesof12and14whoare
marriedorlivingtogetherinarelationship.
19,000NumberofMexicansunder18
whoareeitherdivorcedorseparatedfromalegalspouse.
481,855AcresofforestlandlostperyearonaverageinMexicobetween
2000and2010,accordingtoGreenpeace.
70NumberofvertebratespeciesthathavegoneextinctinMexico
inthelastcentury,arateofextinctionthatwouldnormally
take3,000years,accordingtoUNAMresearchers.
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 13
By the
Numbers

16. Landfill
Economics
vs. Politics
F
or more than three decades, the Bordo Poniente
wastedumpontheeasternoutskirtsofMexicoCity
hasbeenthedestinationofthetrashgeneratedbythe
capital’smillionsofresidents.Thevastsitenowcon-
tains roughly 80 million tons of garbage across its 450 hect-
ares(927acres)ascityauthoritiesmanagedtokeepthedump
openalmost15yearslongerthanfederalenvironmentauthori-
tieswished.Aslocalofficialsextendedthelifeofthedumpsite,
morethan12,000tonsoftrashwasarrivingonadailybasis.
Finally,onDec.19,2011,theMexicoCitygovernmentclosed
theBordoPoniente.Unfortunately,theyhadnotfinalizedare-
placementsiteandtheyhavenotproducedalong-termsolution
fordealingwiththeever-increasingwaste.
“They didn’t have a ‘Plan A’ and they don’t have a ‘Plan B’
either,” UNAM sociologist Héctor Castillo told the Houston
Chronicle.“Theyneedlargepiecesoflandthattheydon’thave
inthecity.”
Authorities quickly negotiated deals with smaller private
dumpsintheneighboringStateofMexico,butlocalresidents
objected to the importation of trash to their back yards, so to
speak.Resultingprotestsandpoorcommunicationproduced
some chaos as trash started to accumulate on Mexico City
streetcornersandgarbagetruckdriverswerenotinformedof
plans.IllegaldumpingevencontinuedattheBordoPonienteun-
tillargerproblemswereavertedasMexicoCityofficialsfinally
beganestablishinganewgarbagedisposalsystem.
City officials say the shuttering of the Bordo Poniente will
reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly and the capi-
talgovernmenthasannouncedaplantosetupabio-gasplant
atthesite.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEITH DANNEMILLER
14 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
ECONOMY
&FINANCE WASTE MANAGEMENT

17. The Bordo Poniente landfill was the reception point for 12,000
tons of trash generated daily by Mexico City until it was closed on
Dec. 31, 2011.
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 15

18. Above, a junkyard dog prowls his section of the Bordo
Poniente landfill. Below, a “pepenador” sifts through the piles
of trash looking for recyclable materials.
Above, women separate plastics for recycling at the Bordo Poniente processing plant.
The recycling plant operates around the clock. Below, garbage trucks line up at the La
Viga transfer station in Mexico City.
“In real terms,
the capital
releases 1.5
million tons of
methane gas
per year into the
atmosphere and
at the forefront
is the Bordo
Poniente which
holds 70 million
tons of garbage.”
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard
16 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
ECONOMY
&FINANCE WASTE MANAGEMENT

19. Above, trucks park in front of the Bordo Poniente recycling plant to deposit garbage collected on the
streets of Mexico City. Below, city garbage collectors take a break on the back of their trash truck.
Loaded with toxins and decomposing
organic material, such dumps can leach
poisons into groundwater and produce
large amounts of methane gas, reported
the Houston Chronicle in January. Sci-
entistssaymethanegashasmorethan20
timestheatmosphere-warmingimpactas
carbondioxide.Officialshavesaidthatthe
Bordo Poniente produces as mjuch as 20
percentoftheValleyofMexico’sheat-trap-
pingemissions.
Itishopedthatthecapturingandresell-
ing of the methane for energy generation
canhelpoffsetthecostofclosingtheBordo
Poniente. Reports have indicated the clo-
surecostMexicoCityroughly$180million.
THE IMPACT ON ‘PEPENADORES’
Somewhat forgotten in the long-over-
due closure of the dump site are the hun-
dreds of unionized trash pickers – “pepe-
nadores”–whomakealivingattheBordo
Poniente.Thedumphasarecyclingplant
that continues to operate since there are
stillmillionsoftonsofgarbagetoscavenge
through.Insomeareas,towersofgarbage
arepiledover15feethigh.
Theplantoperatesround-the-clockon
threeshifts,everyday.Itisestimatedthat
onlyone-tenthofthegarbagesortedthere
canbesetasideforrecycling.
Professor Castillo, who has studied
Mexico’s waste industry for several de-
cades,toldtheNewYorkTimesthatrough-
ly250,000peopledependontrash.“Street
sweepers,garbagecollectors,pepenadores,
junkdealersandthefamiliestheysupport
alldependontrash,”hesaid.
Keepingtheseparationplantrunningat
theBordoPonientemakeslittleeconomic
sense,however.Thelogisticsoftheagree-
ment made between Mayor Marcelo Eb-
rard and the pepenadores means trash is
still delivered to the Bordo Poniente then
itisreloadedandtakentoanewdumpsite
afterithasbeensiftedthrough.
The National Water Commission has
filed an administrative complaint against
the Mexico City government, charging
that its failure to follow procedures with
regardtotheclosureoftheBordoPonien-
te threatens the nearby Río Churubusco
withcontamination.
Meanwhile,MayorEbrardsays50com-
panies have expressed interest in bidding
for the proposed bio-gas plant. The Wil-
liam Clinton Foundation is helping to or-
ganizethebiddingprocess..
—MEXICO REVIEW
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 17

20. 18 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
life&
leisure TRAVEL

21. Bus
MemoriesMOVING THROUGH MEXICO BY BUS today is fast, safe and
comfortable. Thirty years ago? Not so much. Still, there was
something about bus travel in those days …
TEXT & PHOTOS BY DAVID BRACKNEY
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 19

22. neswelteringmorninginJuly1982atthe
busstationinMexicali,BajaCalifornia,I
had a rendezvous with destiny. That was
the day I climbed aboard a Transport-
es Norte de Sonora bus and set off on a
36-hour journey to Guadalajara. I was a
monthoutofcollege,andknewverylittle
about life beyond the United States, hav-
ingneverleftmycountryexceptforashort
cross-borderhoptoTijuanaat15.Myhope
wastochangethat.
Itookmywindowseat.Itwasasecond-
classbus,themostaffordabletransporta-
tioninacountryknownatthetimeforits
low cost of living. I would make the best
ofmyhighschoolSpanishandrelyonthe
kindnessofstrangersforhelpinordering
roadsidemeals.
As the shantytowns and industrial
parksofMexicaligavewaytotractsofir-
rigated cropland, I craned my neck and
gazed about at the standing-room-only
crowdthatsharedthebuswithme–wiz-
ened old farm workers, teenage mothers
nursing their babies, wide-eyed children
who shamelessly stared at the lone grin-
goonboard.
Behindthewheelwasasweaty,40ish
man in a T-shirt, with a bushy mustache
andacomfortablepaunch.Icouldn’thelp
butthinkhewasthetypecastofaMexican
busdriver.Nowandthenhe’dreachintoa
communalicechestforanothergulpfrom
a tall bottle of Coke. He faithfully waved
wheneverabuspassedgoingintheother
direction.Abovethewindshield,apinupof
MissAugustsharedspacewithawooden
crucifixandatinyfanthatjerkedbackand
forth in a futile attempt to cool anything
pastthesecondrow.
Throughout the day and long into the
night, salsa and ranchera tunes thumped
from someone’s boom box. The farm-
land of the Mexicali Valley faded into the
1982: A blissful moment, somewhere in central Mexico. The author was already thinking about his
next trip south.
O
cactus-strewn desert of Sonora, which in
turngavewaytothelushtropicallowlands
ofSinaloa.Ibarelysleptthatnight(I’venev-
ersleptwellonmovingvehicles)andreal-
ized sometime before dawn that the blis-
teringheatofthedesertwasgone,replaced
bystiflinghumidityasweapproachedthe
TropicofCancer.Therewouldbenorelief
tillmid-afternoon,whenwelefttheresort
town of Mazatlán behind and began the
longclimbintothewesternSierraMadre.
Too bad I hadn’t paid more attention
in Spanish class. I would have put that
knowledgetogoodusewithmyseatmate
formuchoftheway–agenerouslycurved,
long-hairedlasswithlightbrownskinand
freckledcheckswhofromallappearanc-
eswasunattached.I’dhitthebusseating
jackpot, but all I could do was smile ner-
vously and repeat too many times, “Hace
muchocalor.”
Instead I struck up an acquaintance
with a young man about my age named
Roberto,perhapstheonlyotherEnglish-
speaker onboard. Heading home after a
stint working the fields in the Imperial
Valley,heinsistedonpayingformylunch,
andIlaterreturnedthefavorwitharound
ofsoftdrinks.
IsometimeswonderifRobertoremem-
bersme.Hejustmight,seeinghowhewas
there when I made the bemusing discov-
ery that tacos in Mexico had nothing in
common with the fare I’d been eating at
TacoBellallmylife.Idon’tknowwhowas
moreperplexed–Roberto,whostruckan
oddlookandsaid“¿Nadamás?”whenIor-
dered my two tacos, or me as I stared at
two pairs of teensy tortillas on my plate,
eachtoppedwithafewscrapsofmeat.
THEN …
MySpanishwouldgetagoodbrush-upon
that trip, as I struggled to field seeming-
ly endless questions from my bus mates.
Where was I from? What was I doing in
Mexico?HowlongwasIplanningtostay?
I also observed Mexican commerce at
its basest level. Any time we pulled into a
town, kindergarten-aged girls and tooth-
less old women climbed aboard and pa-
raded down the aisle, loudly hawking ice
cream bars, peanuts, chewing gum and
trashy fotonovelas. For the price of a bus
ticket,IwasreceivingfarmorethanIhad
everbargainedfor–animmersioncourse
inMexicancustoms,language,cultureand
food – something I never would have got-
ten had I traveled by cruise ship, airplane
orautomobile.
Unwittinglytoo,Iwassowingtheseeds
ofaloveaffairwiththeUnitedStates’south-
ernneighborthatcontinuestothisday.
Ialsorediscoveredthepowerofprayer.
I invoked the Almighty’s name over and
20 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
life&
leisure
life&
leisure TRAVEL

23. over–everytimeourdriverpulledoutin-
to oncoming traffic so he could pass oth-
er vehicles, often with a blind curve just
a few meters ahead. As best I recall, the
long road south was two lanes the entire
way, and mostly devoid of shoulders. And
inthemountainsofwesternJalisco,itwas
reduced to one lane, thanks to a landslide
thathadsweptawayafulllaneofroadway,
forcing vehicles to take turns and creep
around a harrowing drop-off in the dark.
(Seems my pleas to a higher power were
nottobemocked.)
Modern four-lane toll roads have ap-
peared across the country and reduced
travel times substantially. Case in point
is the trip from Mexicali to Guadalajara,
whichtakesonlyabout30hoursnow.And
whileGreyhoundandotherlong-distance
buslineshavefallenontoughtimesinthe
UnitedStates,squeezedbytheairlines,the
Mexican lines continue to thrive, thanks
inparttothedemiseofpassengerrailser-
viceintheearly2000s.
To help ease congestion, many bus
stations have moved from downtown to
the city outskirts; I still recall my sec-
ond visit to Guadalajara when I realized
the terminal had relocated, after bewil-
deredly searching at night for any famil-
iarlandmark.
And like everything else, computers
have revolutionized Mexican bus tran-
sit. Every carrier has a full-service web-
site where you can reserve a seat days or
even weeks ahead of time. No more trips
tothebusstationdaysinadvancetopur-
chaseyourtickets.
Thenagain,youcanstillwalkuptothe
counter,laydownyourcashandbuyyour
tickets a few minutes before departure. I
did just that earlier this year on my most
recentMexicanbustrip,whenmydaugh-
terMarthaandImadethefive-hourtrek
betweenMexicoCityandXalapa.TheVe-
racruz state capital had long been on my
listofmust-seecities,andwespentthree
memorabledaysthere–exploringdown-
town alleyways, hanging out in colonial
plazas,spendinganafternoonintheMu-
seum of Anthropology (one of the best of
its ilk in Mexico), dancing salsa late one
night to a band in the central zócalo. The
busride–first-classthistime–wassce-
nic and trouble-free, highlighted mainly
by iTunes sharing and plenty of father-
daughterchitchat.Incaseyouwondered,
aone-wayticketis265pesos,orabout$20.
BorninMexicoCity,Marthaturns20
thisyear,andwe’vesharedmanyofthese
trips since her early grade-school years.
With any luck, we have plenty more of
them ahead of us, each to be filled with
uniquememoriesandmisadventuresthat
willforeverbondus.
YetI’llalwayshaveaspecialfondness
for that first trip in the summer of ’82. I
stillhavethejournalIkeptthatsummer,
andIstillpullitouttore-readonoccasion,
starting with the entry dated Wednes-
day,July21,1982–thedayaMexicanbus
nudgedmylifeinanewdirection.
It was close to midnight when I
trampedofftheoldcoachindowntown
Guadalajara, bleary-eyed, stiff-legged,
badlyinneedofabath.Ihadlovedevery
minute of the previous day-and-a-half,
andasIfetchedmybagsandtrudgedoff
intothedarkness,Iknewthatsomehow
oranother,mylife’scoursehadbeenin-
alterably changed.
I’d spend the next three months ex-
ploring central and southern Mexico
by bus and rail, tacking on a few ex-
tra weeks after the peso collapsed in
the waning days of the López Portillo
administration. (A bus ticket that had
cost$50afewdaysbeforewasnowjust
$25 or $30.) I headed north reluctantly
whenfundsranlow,awarethatstudent
loanbillswerecomingduebackhome.I
knew,though,thatsomedayI’dbeback.
… AND NOW
Sincethatinauguralsummer,I’velogged
tensofthousandsofkilometersbyMexi-
can bus, criss-crossing the country from
the deserts of Baja to the jungles of Chi-
apas. A goodly number of those journeys
came during the seven years I worked as
a journalist in Mexico City in the 1990s,
when I realized a longstanding dream to
livefull-timeinMexico.
Mexico has changed in the last 30
years. So has the bus service. Nowa-
days, pretty much all buses are AC-
equipped, and most have TV monitors
that distract passengers with lowbrow
action or horror flicks. Onboard rest-
rooms – not so common in 1982 – are
the norm on nearly all long-haul buses
now. Even if you don’t need one, it’s re-
assuring to know it’s there.
“Everycarrier
hasawebsite
whereyoucan
reserveaseat
aheadoftime.”
2012: The author and his daughter Martha, on the road to Xalapa, with an iPod cord dangling from
his ear. Music-listening techniques are just one of many changes in bus travel in the last 30 years.
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 21

24. Unfit for Hollywood
P
acoIgnacioTaiboIIisoneofthoseoutspoken
popularwriterswhoseworkusuallyfindsaway
intothenationalconversation.Unflaggingand
prolific,he’smanagedtopublishmorethan50
volumeswithoutsofteninghisactivismoutside
thebookcovers,orhisrigorousstandardsinside
them.Thequantityandqualityofhisoutputhas
donemuchtodestroystereotypesabouttheenergylevelofslov-
enly,overweight,chain-smoking,60-somethingbookishtypes.
Taibo,orPITIIashe’softencalled,inventedtheMexicande-
tectivegenrewithhisnovelsofHéctorBelascoaránShayne,the
hipster sleuth with an eye-patch. He once coauthored a novel
withSubcomandanteMarcos,theheadofthemodernZapatis-
ta rebel movement. He may be best known for his recent non-
fiction,includingahistoryofthe1968massacreofstudentpro-
testers,andbiographiesofCheGuevaraandPanchoVilla.
Assubjectmatterchoices,1968,CheandPanchoVillaaren’t
exactlystretchesforaMexicanwriter(PITIIwasborninSpain,
and came to Mexico with his family as a pre-teen). But that’s
not at all the case with his latest effort. If people in Mexico are
talkingaboutthebattleoftheAlamothesedays,it’sentirelybe-
causePITIIhaswritten“ElÁlamo”(Planeta,2011,158pesos).
Before the release of PIT II’s latest book, and the publicity
campaignthataccompaniedit,theAlamoanditsbattlecount-
edfornexttonothinginMexico.Theauthorestimatesthatthere
areatleast5,000titlesdealingwiththeAlamo,almostallofthem
fromtheUnitedStates.“Ontheotherhand,theMexicanpublic
hasvirtuallynoaccesstothetruestoryofthebattleoftheAlamo,
or to false ones either,” he writes in the prologue. “There aren’t
manymorethanadozen[Mexican]booksabouttheTexaswar,
andthemajorityofthemconsiderthebattletobeaminorinci-
dent,notworthstudyingortellingabout.”
Howcanthatbe?Wasn’tthebattleoftheAlamoarareoccur-
renceinwhichMexicoroutedthegringos?Itwas.Buttheonly
reason anybody remembers the Alamo, so to speak, is because
of the myth that surrounds it. That myth is irrelevant in Mex-
ico; it’s an American thing. And without the myth, the battle of
theAlamoisjustanotherbloodybattle.
But,ohwhatamyth.Theideathatahandfulofgrittyheroesheld
offendlesswavesofwell-armedMexicansoldierslongenoughtotilt
thewarinfavoroftheforcesoflibertybeforedyingnoblyissofixed
intheAmericanpsychethatalotofpeoplewhothinktheyknowbet-
tersometimesfindthemselvessinkingbackintoit.
PIT II gives a surprising list of American writers who have
parroted the myth, including Whitman, Stephen Crane, Frost
and Steinbeck. He might have mentioned folk singers. Tex-
as songwriter Jane Bowers wrote a tune for the Kingston Trio
called “Remember the Alamo,” with lyrics almost comical in
their unnuanced faithfulness to the myth’s clichés, including
“the young Davy Crockett” (he was 49) who ¨lay laughing and
dying.” Few folksingers have more solid anti-war credentials
than Donovan, yet the Scot covered Bowers’ bellicose song in
the heat of the sixties without a hint of irony. To him, it was an
Americanfolksong.Endofdiscussion.
PIT II reserves several chapters in his book for describing
theAlamomyth’smeansofperpetratingitself,startingwiththe
earlyexaggerations,throughitsofficialpatriotictrappings,and
ontoits20th-centuryglorificationontelevisionandinfilm.But
he’snotinterestedinthepsychologyofnationalmythmakingin
general.That’stoobadinaway;thetopicwouldbeafertileone.
Mexico,ofcourse,manufactureditsowninspirationalmyth
outoftheashesofanignobledefeat–theoneaboutthesixboy
cadetswhojumpedtotheirdeathsratherthansurrendertothe
invading U.S. Army in the battle of Chapultepec a decade after
theAlamo.Thetaleismostlyhooey,andhasbeencalledoutas
suchinanumberofworks,mostrecently(and,inevitably,con-
troversially) by Francisco Martín Moreno in his popular com-
pendium“100MythsofMexicanHistory.”
But the legend of the Niños Héroes is literally cast in stone,
intheformofmonumentsattheentrancetoChapultepecPark,
andMexicanshavenointentionoflettinggoofitanytimesoon.
The power of myth can be stronger than mere historical accu-
racy,onbothsidesoftheborder.
PITII,however,doesn’tseetheAlamolegendasaharmless
delusionthathelpsanationfeelbetteraboutitself,astheNiños
Héroesconcoctionmightbethoughtof.Heknowsthatitsabsurd
contrast between American valor and the cruelty of the swar-
thysouthernhordeswasputtouseintheserviceof19thcentu-
ryU.S.expansionism,ofwhichMexicoandMexicanswereearly
andespeciallyunluckyvictims.Itfunctionsinasimilar,though
lessovert,mannertoday.Besides,it’sinaccurate,whichisoffen-
sivetoawriter,bydefinitionaseekeroftruth.
So with “El Álamo,” Taibo wants to set the record straight.
What percentage of the “Texans” fighting for “independence”
fromMexicowerereallyTexans?WasanindependentLoneStar
Statereallytheultimategoal,orwasthe“so-calledTexasRevo-
lution,”inthewordsofTexaswriterJeffLong,inhislandmark
1990 history “Duel of Eagles,” “designed only to wrench a huge
chunkofMexicanterritoryfreeofMexicancontrollongenough
fortheUnitedStatestoannexit”?
HowdidCrockettreallydie?OrBowie?DidTravisreallydraw
a line in the sand? Did the battle have any significant effect on
the war’s outcome? Was the Mexican death toll as dispropor-
tionatelyhighaswearetold?Howmuchofamotivewasslave
ownership,whichwaspracticedbytheAnglocolonistsinTex-
as,thoughillegalunderMexicanlaw?
FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, the Alamo legend has never caught on in Mexico. Paco Ignacio Taibo II wants
to make sure the true story does.
BY KELLY ARTHUR GARRETT
22 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
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leisure BOOKS

25. April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 23

26. PIT II goes about addressing those
questions and others in his usual crisp,
conversationalvoice.Hedoesn’tusethe
in-vogue fictional style of relating the
pastasthoughitwereanovel;hewrites
straighthistory,withcommentaryand
a lot of detail, like who had what kind
of rifle, what its range was and where
it came from.
Andhe’sclearabouthismission.“The
onlyreasontowritethisbook…istobring
thisdisturbingstorytoSpanish-language
readers,”hesays.
Thatdoesn’tbodewellforafutureEng-
lish translation. Which is a shame, since
whatTaibobringstothepartymorethan
anythingelseisaperspectivenotusually
availabletoU.S.readers.
Thecostofthatperspectiveisanocca-
sionaldoseofoverheatedrhetoric,suchas
the back-cover excerpt citing the Alamo
myth’srolein“focusingtheblackheartof
theNorthAmericanempire.”ButPITIIis
alsocapableofwryunderstatement,such
ashisresponsetothelaughablyover-the-
top claim on the Alamo Memorial’s web
site that without the battle of the Alamo,
there would be no Texas, the U.S. would
never have become a global power, “and
theworldasweseeitnowwouldnotexist.”
Taibo: “And they say this with self-con-
gratulation,notthinkingthatthe‘worldas
weseeitnow’isnotanespeciallypleasant
imageformillionsofLatinAmericans.”
PITIIsavesthebulkofhiscontempt
for the big and small screen portrayals
of the events surrounding the battle of
theAlamo.(Thesub-titleof“ElÁlamo”
translates to “A Story Unfit for Holly-
wood.”) There have been more than 20
filmsmadeabouttheAlamo,hetellsus.
ButwhenwetalkaboutHollywoodand
the Alamo, any American baby boom-
er worth his coonskin cap knows that
we’re mainly talking about Walt Dis-
ney’s1950stelevisionminiseries“Davy
Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier”
and the 1960 movie “The Alamo,” di-
rected by and starring John Wayne.
PITIIzeroesinonthewordstoasong
attheendofthefilm:“Theyfoughttogive
us liberty. That’s all we need to know.”
Nothing, he says, could be farther from
thetruth.“Weneedtoknowmuchmore.”
Well,yes,wedo,ifweonlygetourhisto-
ryfrommovies.Butthat’salosingproposi-
tion,nomatterhowgoodthecostumesare.
It’s especiallypointless with thatversion
of“TheAlamo.”WhatevervirtuesWayne
mayhavehad,hewasapoliticalextremist
whomadeanovertlypropagandisticand
historicallyridiculousmovie.
But it was much-loved and still seen
by many as a classic. People, after all,
don’t go to the movies to brush up on
their history. If they read, they turn to
history books for that.
Dealing as he is with the overwhelm-
ing pervasiveness of false versions of the
events at the Alamo in the 1830s, Taibo
doesn’t always make it clear that, for the
most part, modern American historians
are not the problem but part of the solu-
tion. He obviously knows this, since the
vastmajorityofworkshecitestomakehis
casearebyAmericanauthors.Andhegoes
outofhiswaytopraisesomeofthem–Jeff
Long,WilliamDavisandStephenHardin,
amongothers.Hehasjoinedthemnowin
the cause of putting an end to the myths
thatdivideus.
24 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
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27. If That Doesn’t
Take the Prize
Sealtiel Alatriste: The curse of the prize
I
f you want to hold onto a literary
prize in Mexico, you may want to
stayonthegoodsideofGabrielZaid.
It’salsoadvisabletoavoidliftingtext
wholesalefromothersources.
Mexican men and women of letters
seem to enjoy giving each other awards,
and there are at least a dozen prizes that
matteragreatdealintheSpanish-language
literary world. One is the Premio Xavier
Villaurrutia, named for the revered poet
andplaywrightofthefirsthalfofthe20th
century, and awarded annually to one or
more Latin American writers published
inMexico.
In January, Conaculta and INBA, the
two public arts agencies that administer
theprize,congratulatedapairofMexican
writersforbeingnamedthelatestVillaur-
rutia recipients. One was Felipe Garrido,
a 69-year-old Guadalajara-born essayist,
criticandmemberoftheprestigiousMex-
icanAcademyofLanguage.
The other was Sealtiel Alatriste, 62, a
novelist,essayistandthecoordinatorofthe
NationalAutonomousUniversityofMex-
ico’s Cultural Dissemination department,
controlling most of a 2.4 billion-peso bud-
get.INBA(theNationalFineArtsInstitute)
praisedAlatristefor“addressingthesame
subjectfromtwodifferentanglesinanorig-
inalandnovelway,andwithclearwriting.”
The two announced winners have at
leastonethingincommon:Fewinthegen-
eralpopulationhaveheardofeitherofthem.
That’s hardly unique in the literary prize
game.MostMexicanauthorsareacadem-
ics,andmostMexicanacademicswritefor
otherMexicanacademics.It’saclosedsoci-
etythatonlyahandfulstrayfrom.
Theusualsequenceofeventswouldbe
forthehonoreestoreceivethecongratula-
tionsoftheirpeers,grantinterviewstome-
diaoutletsthatotherwisewouldpaylittleat-
tentiontothem,accepttheawardatastuffy
affairintheManuelPonceauditoriumofthe
PalaciodeBellasArtes,giveaspeech,party
someandthengoonmuchasbefore.
Notthistime,though.
GabrielZaidisapoet,critic,essayistand
academic journalist whose work appears
regularlyinthehistorianEnriqueKrauze’s
monthly magazine Letras Libres, a direct
descendentofOctavioPaz’sVuelta.Hetoo
is a member of the Mexican Academy of
Language,aswellasaformerVillaurrutia
winnerhimself.Inhislate70s,Zaidisone
ofMexico’smostinfluentialpublicintellec-
tuals,aremarkableachievementgiventhat
healmostneverappearsinpublic.
Within hours of the announcement of
Alatriste’s award, Zaid published a frank
blog entry blasting the choice. His im-
plication was that Alatriste is a literary
lightweight unworthy of the prize. His di-
rect accusation was that the awards pro-
cess had been “colonized” by UNAM, the
NationalAutonomousUniversityofMexi-
co,whichimposedoneofitsownonthese-
lectioncommittee.
The implication is an opinion and the
accusationishardtoprove.Buttheycame
fromGabrielZaid,soAlatristesurelyknew
attheoutsetthattheywouldn’tbeignored.
Theothershoesoondropped.Zaid,along
withGuillermoSheridan,alsoaLetrasLi-
bres contributor (and member of its Ed-
itorial Board), and also a former Villaur-
rutia winner, bluntly accused Alatriste of
serial plagiarism. They produced several
examples of large chunks of prose in texts
by Alatriste that were identical, word for
word, with material published previously
byothers.
Immediately,andthroughoutFebruary,
newspaperscoveredtheplagiarism scan-
dalinsteadofrunningtheusualfawningin-
terviews with the honoree. Alatriste, who
couldhavebeenenjoyingthepeakmoment
ofhiscareer,foundhimselfindamage-con-
trol mode. He couldn’t deny that he lifted
text,buthedidtrytodownplayit.Hepoint-
ed out, probably correctly, that the bor-
rowingswereminorandincidentaltothe
thrustofthepiecesinwhichtheyappeared.
Hewasperhapssloppy,butnotlarcenous.
And,hewrotelater,hisonlyrealtrans-
gressionwasnothavingputtheborrowed
text in quotes, or cited its source. A le-
gitimate point, perhaps, but it comes off
sounding like a shoplifter who insists he
didn’tstealbutmerelyneglectedtopay.
Sealtiel Alatriste was outmatched. A
month after he won the Villaurrutia, he
publicly refused it. He also stepped down
from his UNAM post. Zaid took a victory
lapintheMarchissueofLetrasLibres,call-
ingforhonesty,integrityandgoodfaithin
the field of letters. Of Alatriste he wrote,
“Prudence dictates that a high function-
ary who is not considered a great writer,
and is a known plagiarizer, should not be
elevatedtothelevelofPaz,Rulfoandoth-
erswithsuchaprestigiousprize.”
OnMarch27,FelipeGarridowassched-
uledtoreceivethePremioXavierVillaurru-
tiaintheManuelPonceroom,alone.Unlike
his would-be co-recipient, he would wake
up on the 28th with his career on the rise,
hisreputationintactandhisCValittleshin-
ier.Butmorepeopleinthegeneralpopula-
tionhavenowheardofSealtielAlatriste.
—KELLYARTHURGARRETT
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 25

28. ¡Pleybol!
Echoes
Around
Ballparks
THE MEXICAN LEAGUE anticipates an
entertaining season as the Tigres and Diablos
are poised to reprise their finals clash.
TEXT & PHOTOS BY TOM BUCKLEY
The Diablos Rojos once again awarded 40-year-old lefty
Roberto “Machine Gun” Ramírez with the Opening Day start
against the rival Tigres on March 16.
26 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
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29. T
he sell-out crowd at
Estadio Beto Ávila in
Cancúnroareditsap-
provalastheTigresof
Quintana Roo com-
memoratedtheir2011
championshipinfront
ofthehomefansonMarch16.
In the visiting dugout as witnesses
were the Tigres’ bitter rivals, the Diab-
los Rojos, making the celebration all the
sweeter,especiallysincetheTigresswept
theDiablosRojosinthechampionshipse-
rieslastSeptember.
TheMexicanBaseballLeague(LMB)
could not have invented a better way to
startthe2012season.Theatmospherein
Cancún was festive and raucous, typical
ofbaseball’sso-called“GuerraCivil.”The
misnomerdatesbacktothedayswhenthe
two clubs shared the old Social Security
StadiuminMexicoCitybeforetheTigres
leftforPueblain2002,thenmovingtothe
beachresortin2007.
Thetwoteamsboast25leaguetitlesbe-
tween them and the old rivals are favored
tomeetonceagaininthefinals.Ofcourse,
theother14teamsacrossMexicowillhave
somethingtosayaboutthat,withtheMon-
terreySultanesandPueblaPericospoised
tolaunchchallengesthissummer.
This year, the LMB is eager to build on
lastyear’spositiveattendancefigures.Ticket
saleswereup30percentover2010numbers.
STIRRING UP EXCITEMENT
TheLMBturns88thisseasonandleague
officialswerelookingforwardtoasuccess-
fulyearonthefieldandoff.
Forthefirsttimeever,theleaguehost-
ed a public launch party at Mexico City’s
MonumenttotheRevolutiononMarch8.
Mascots from each team entertained the
crowd while league brass mingled with
City Hall officials in a celebration of the
“KingofSports.”
The event was televised on TVC De-
portes as the league presented details of
themanypromotionalcampaignsitwillbe
sponsoring,includingitsgoalofsupplying
16,000youngsterswitheyecareandglasses.
Eachteamwasalsorepresentedonthe
stage by one star player as Mayor Marce-
lo Ebrard ended the brief presentations
by delivering a rousing speech. After the
dignitaries climbed down, the meren-
guegroupMerenglasstookthestagefora
mini-concert.
Thefollowingweek,eachteamsubmit-
tedfinalrosterstotheleagueandprepared
for Opening Day weekend. Each of the 16
teams held splashy press conferences to
announcetheirrostersand,insomecases,
presentnewmanagers.InMexicoCityon
March14,DiablosRojosexecutivestalked
toreporters,hypingthepotentialofyoung-
sters brought up from the farm team and
explainingwhy2011LMBMVPLuisTer-
rerowasnotretained.
Similar exchanges took place across
Mexico as the new season’s approach fed
dreams of glory. Baseball fans are looking
forward to five months of entertainment,
with the May 18-20 All-Star Weekend in
Monterrey poised to be the midseason
centerpiece.
NEW RULES IMPACT ROSTERS
Someleaguebylawsweretweakedforthe
2012 season. This year, each team is per-
mittedtoincludefiveforeignplayersonits
roster,upfromfourayearago.
Each team must also have at least one
rookie on the roster with specific partic-
ipation requirements established. If the
rookie is a pitcher, he must throw at least
40inningsduringthe113-gameseason.If
therookieisapositionplayer,hemustget
atleast80at-bats.
The definition of a rookie was also
defined: a rookie pitcher must not have
Fans lined up for tickets on Opening Day at Puebla’s Estadio Hermanos Serdán on March 18 to see their beloved Pericos take on the Oaxaca Guerreros.
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 27

30. thrown25inningsin2011andisnotcon-
sideredarookieifhewasonanLMBros-
terduringpartsoftwopreviousseasons;a
rookieplayermustnothavehad50at-bats
intheLMBnorbeenonarosterduringany
twopreviousseasons.Also,ifaplayerhas
beenonarosterofanyprofessionalteam
intheUnitedStates–minorleagueorMa-
jor League – he is not considered a rook-
ieintheLMB.
The league also announced that nine
players were nailed with 50-game sus-
pensionsforfailinganti-dopingtestsdur-
ingthepreseason.Amongthesuspended
playerswasDiablosRojosoutfielderAlex-
isGómez,aDominicanwhohasplayedin
the Major Leagues with the Kansas City
RoyalsandtheDetroitTigers.
LeaguepresidentPlinioEscalantealso
confirmedthatformerAmericanLeague
MVPJoséCansecowouldnotbeallowed
toplayfortheQuintanaRooTigresafter
hedeclinedtotakeabloodtest.Canseco,
47, had played well during spring train-
ing,buttolddoctorsthathewasonaregi-
menoftestosteroneasaresultofyearsof
steroidabuse.However,becauseCanseco
was unable to provide a league-approved
prescription supporting his claim, Es-
calantewasleftwithnochoicebuttoban
Canseco,the1988ALMVPwhilewiththe
OaklandA’s.
Escalante also had to address ques-
tionsaboutsecurityaftertheMarch13in-
cidentinwhichCoahuilapoliceengagedin
ashoot-outwithfourheavilyarmedmen
intheparkinglotoutsideabaseballgame
involvingtheSaltilloSaraperos.Newspa-
pers throughout the Americas featured
photosofplayersandfansduckingforcov-
erinthestandsandinthedugout.
“This was an unfortunate incident
that did not have anything directly to do
This little tyke waits for customers at his father’s
souvenir stand outside Puebla’s Estadio
Hermanos Serdán.
withbaseball,”Escalantetoldreportersin
Mexico City. “This will not interrupt the
seasoninanywayandwearegratefulthat
nofanswerehurtintheincident.”
DOMINANT FORCE IN NORTH
The Diablos Rojos boasted the league’s
best record in 2011 (63-40) and avoid-
ed the post-season collapses that have
plagued them in recent years. Until the
championship series that is, where the
Tigres swept the Diablos without break-
ingasweat.
Mexico City fans demand nothing
shortoftheclub’s16thtitlethisseasonand
new manager Eddy Díaz is tasked with
leadingtheDiablostothePromisedLand.
Gone is MVP Terrero after he nearly
won the Triple Crown last year (.390, 38
HR,110RBI),butbackinthefoldisthird
basemanÓscarRobles.AformerDodger
andPadre,Roblesmissedlastseasonwith
kneesurgery.
John Rodriguez – a member of the
2006 St. Louis Cardinals World Series
champions–wasbroughtintobethedes-
ignatedhitter.Line-drivemachineJaphet
Amador (.376, 25 HR, 84 RBI) is back at
firstbaseandsecondbasemanCarlosVa-
lencia(.303,21HR,82RBI)isexpectedto
contributeattheplatetoo.
The Diablos led the league in hitting
last season (.334) but pitching was their
Achilles’ heel, primarily due to injuries.
This season, the Diablos starters include
veteranJulioMateo(formerlywiththeSe-
attleMariners)comingbackfromshoul-
dersurgeryandRolandoValdéz,acquired
inatradewithOaxaca.Graybeardsouth-
pawRobertoRamírez,40,isalsoexpect-
edtochewupsomeinnings.
LIKELY CHALLENGERS
The Monterrey Sultanes and Reynosa
Broncosareexpectedtobethemainrivals
intheNorthDivisionandPueblafeatures
newmanagerJulioFranco,thelong-time
MajorLeaguerwhoplayedintheMexican
Leaguein1999and2001.
The Sultanes are banking on the re-
turnofone-timeLosAngelesDodgerpros-
pect Karim García. After a 10-year Ma-
jorLeaguecareer,Garcíaknockedaround
South Korea and Japan before signing
with Monterrey before last season. Half
waythroughtheyear,Garcíawalkedaway
overadisputewithclubmanagement.The
sluggingoutfielderisbackthisseasonand
insiststherearenohardfeelingswithSul-
tanesGMRobertoMagdaleno.
Cuban first baseman Michel Abreu
(.339,21HR,82RBIwithTabasco)isslat-
edtostepintotheclean-upspot,aheadof
García and outfielder Edgar Quintero
(.357,32HR,78RBI)intheline-up.
Former San Diego Padre Walter Silva
(10-4, 3.51) heads the pitching rotation
alongsideJuanDelgadillo.
Reynosa manager Homar Rojas, a
former catcher, usually produces a solid
28 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
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31. pitching staff. This year, he’ll have 2011
ERA champ Marco Tovar (3.11) and the
league’s Pitcher of the Year at the top of
hisrotation.
Outfielder Eduardo Arredondo (.346)
will try to set the table for the middle of
theline-upfeaturingcatcherAdánMuñoz
(.304,20HR)and1999CollegeWorldSe-
ries hero Marshall MacDougall (.327, 15
HR,79RBI).
Puebla’s Franco makes his debut as a
managerhopingtorevivethePericos’for-
tunes. After reaching the finals in 2010,
Puebla stumbled in 2011, finishing last
seasonwitha53-53recordandfirst-round
eliminationintheplayoffs.
Outfielder Serafin Rodríguez (.344)
leads the Puebla hits brigade and first
baseman Mendy López (.321, 31 HR,
106 RBI) is the run producer. Andrés
Meza11-5,3.14)isthestafface.
Saltillo won the league crown in 2009
and2010butfailedtomaketheplayoffsin
2011(44-60)sotheSaraperosareeagerto
atoneforlastyear’sstumbles.Saltillo’spitch-
ingwasatrociouslastseason(6.13ERA).
The North Division also features the
reappearance of a franchise in Aguas-
calientes. Champions in 1978, the Riele-
rosfoldedfouryearsago.InearlyNovem-
ber,leagueofficialsapprovedthemoveof
the Chihuahua Dorados to Aguascalien-
tes, the third time in history that the Ri-
eleroshavebeenapartoftheLMB.
The Monclova Acereros and Laguna
VaquerosroundouttheNorthDivision.
TIGRES SET TO ROAR IN SOUTH
Baseballpuristssurelyfellinlovewiththe
Tigresof2011.
TheQuintanaRooclubplayeddefense
slickly,boastingtwoGoldGlovewinners
(second baseman Carlos Gastelúm and
outfielder Douglas Clark). The Tigres al-
so led the league in shutouts (9) and had
theleague’sbestbullpenheadedbysaves
leader Sandy Nin (24). And Pablo Ortega
hurled a no-hitter in addition to being a
solidstarterallseason(10-3,3.29).
Skipper Matías Carrillo has made
a smooth transition after 20 very pro-
ductive years in the Tigres’ outfield. He
seemed to make all the right moves last
seasonaspinchhitterscameupwithtime-
lyproduction.
TheTigrescanexpectthreeSouthDi-
visionclubstochasethemfromthebegin-
ning–Campeche,OaxacaandYucatán–
but otherwise Quintana Roo should face
littleresistance.
The Campeche Piratas typically re-
ly on solid starting pitching and 2011
shouldbenodifferent.FranciscoCam-
pos (12-5, 3.42) is still a No. 1 starter
while Alejandro Armenta (11-4, 3.80)
and Nick Singleton are expected to be
reliable on the hill.
At the plate, center fielder Rubén Ri-
vera–infamousforstealingDerekJeter’s
bat from the clubhouse and selling it to
a collector while a member of the Yan-
kees – will hit third. Behind him will
be Wes Bankston, a former Oakland A’s
first baseman and long-time clutch hit-
ter Jesús Robles.
NEW BLOOD FOR GUERREROS
Jesús Sommers will take over as Oaxa-
camanagerandhisGuerreroshope2011
batting champ Bárbaro Cañizares (.396)
picks up where he left off. Former Major
Leaguer Gerónimo Gil will handle first
base after a trade brought him over from
theDiablosRojos.
Pitching is untested except for Jorge
LuisCastillo(hetwirledano-hitteronthe
season’sfirstweekendlastyear)andSom-
merswilllikelyhavetorelyonhisbullpen
andyoungstersfromthefarmsystem.For
thatreason,thetopoftheGuerrerosorder
–AlexGonzálezandLuisFigueroa–must
consistentlygetonbase.
The Yucatán Leones might benefit
from the name recognition of first base-
manFernandoValenzuela,Jr.,butRubén
ValdezandAlejandroRiverowillbecalled
upontomakeadifferenceattheplate.
From the mound, Oscar Rivera will
point the way. He led the league in com-
plete games last season and the Leones
hope youngsters Luis Rodríguez, Os-
car Verdugo and Linder Castro develop
quickly.
The Ciudad del Carmen Delfines are
the new faces in the South. Ownership
acquired the franchise from Nuevo Lar-
edo. The manager will be long-time Ma-
jorLeagueshortstopFélixFermín.
VeracruzreachedtheSouthDivisionfi-
nals last season behind the league’s best
ERAbutmanagerDannyFernándezwas
notbroughtbackandtherosterhasunder-
goneconsiderableupheaval.
TheTabascoOlmecaslostsluggerMi-
chel Abreu but they still have ace Leon-
ardo González (12-5, 3.96) at the front of
theirrotation.TheMinatitlánPetroleros
have first baseman Carlos Rivera (.316)
andlittleelse.
Mascots representing all 16 Mexican League
teams arrive at Mexico City’s Monument to the
Revolution on March 8 to entertain fans who
showed up for the first-ever public launch party.
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 29

32. EVALUATE THIS!
Two of the reasons for the sorry state of education
in Mexico, according to “¡De Panzazo!,” the much-
talked-about propaganda documentary advocating
education reform, are teacher absenteeism and
teacher resistance to performance evaluations. The
teachers objected to the accusations, and then
promptly abandoned their classrooms in several
states and took to the streets of Mexico City in
mid-March to protest plans to implement …
performance evaluations.
Protest strategy in Mexico is mostly about
disruption and confrontation, and the CNTE, a
dissident teachers’ union that exists in parallel with
Elba Esther Gordillo’s SNTE, is a master at both.
Classrooms were empty (pictured below in an
outtake from the documentary), and traffic was
snarled in and around the capital’s Historic Center
in the days leading up to a holiday weekend
(Benito Juárez’s birthday).
Perhaps thanks to “¡De Panzazo!,” perhaps from
sheer exhaustion, there are signs that public
impatience with the renegade teachers is reaching a
tipping point. As Anel Guadalupe Montero Díaz, a
pro-teacher blogger, put it, “Whoever said that
hijacking Mexico City by creating traffic chaos would
give the teachers’ cause strength and legitimacy? …
How can teachers possibly restore their rights by
suspending classes in a clear violation of the rights of
the most vulnerable among us, the children?”
Backlash or not, the next generation appears set
to continue the teachers’ union’s aggressive anti-
reform tactics. During that same week in March,
students at the state of Michoacán’s Escuela Normal
Vasco de Quiroga, a teachers training college,
hijacked at least 27 buses and held the drivers
captive for days. Bus service to and from Michoacán
was suspended as the future teachers demanded
more scholarships, more matriculation and more
positions available upon graduation. Another
accusation in “¡De Panzazo!” is that teaching jobs
are too often obtained by cronyism, union pressure
or outright purchase, and too seldom by merit.
PARDON ME, BOY, IS THAT THE
CUAUHTÉMOC CHOO CHOO?
Hidalgo, Zapata, Allende, Pino Suárez, Lázaro Cárdenas. There’s
nothing unusual about stations in Mexico City’s immense Metro transit
system being named after historical icons, the kind every school child
knows about. But the vehicles themselves? They too will carry the
names of prominent figures, at least the 38 or so trains that will
traverse the southern part of the city on the new Line 12.
The initial honoree, announced March 15, is none other than
Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, son of the aforementioned Lázaro, three-time
presidential candidate, and the first elected mayor of Mexico City.
Cárdenas, who will turn 78 on May 1, right about the time the new
Metro line is expected to start operations, took the train that bears his
name for a short, and reportedly very slow, test drive (pictured
above). All seemed to go well. The city will name the remaining trains
(one per week, for maximum PR effect) over the next several months.
AND THEY SAY CRICKET MATCHES
ARE LONG …
Like one of her conservative counterparts in the United States, former
Education Secretary Josefina Vázquez Mota found herself delivering
a major address to a mostly empty stadium on the day she officially
registered as the candidate for president of the center-right National
Action Party. But the circumstances were different than Mitt
Romney’s folly in Detroit.
Vázquez Mota’s team actually had the 36,000-seat Estadio Azul
(home of the Cruz Azul soccer team) nice and full fairly early in the
morning, having bused in supporters from some 15 states. But then,
as they say, mistakes were made. They decided to go with a 12 noon
start. The candidate herself didn’t arrive until 12:30, even though her
campaign headquarters is just a few blocks from the stadium. When
the event finally kicked off at 12:52, several previously scheduled
speakers were, inexplicably, allowed to go ahead and give their
planned talks. By the time the candidate got to the microphone at
1:20 in the afternoon, the spectators, many of whom had been sitting
in the sun since 9 a.m., had wandered away.
It turned out the speech that Vázquez Mota ended up giving was
a recycled one. And the headlines the next day were not about the
first-ever official female presidential candidate for a major party. They
were about a near-empty stadium.
30 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
life&
leisure ONLY IN MEXICO

33. FANTASTIC PHONIES
Alebrijes, the brightly colored hand-crafted sculptures of
fantastical animal-like beings, have only been around for about a
century, but they’re high in the hierarchy of Mexican folk art
favorites. Perhaps helped along by the past attention they’ve
received from the likes of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Nelson
Rockefeller and the Rolling Stones, authentic alebrijes can fetch as
much as 20,000 pesos (about $1,600), are popular with residents
and tourists alike, and in October turn Mexico City’s broadest
avenue, Paseo de la Reforma, into a sort of imaginary bestiary as
oversized alebrijes parade down the street in an annual event
organized by the Museo de Arte Popular (pictured here).
Properly speaking, true alebrijes are those made in Mexico City,
descended from the work of Pedro Linares, inventor of the art
form and coiner of the name, which his family claims. Those made
in Oaxaca are supposed to be called Tonas de Oaxaca. In casual
use, though, they’re all alebrijes.
The problem isn’t nomenclature; it’s the cheap, mass-produced
knockoffs that have insinuated themselves into the lucrative
market like an invasive species. Concerned, the Oaxacan Crafts
Institute recently petitioned industrial product protection agency
(IMPI) to grant Geographical Indication status (Denominación de
Origen) to Oaxaca’s tonas, meaning that if they’re not made in
certain parts of the state of Oaxaca, and according to certain
traditions, then they’re not tonas.
What’s the difference? Authentic alebrijes are made of copal
wood or a close relative. The fake ones: clay or porcelain. Real: Natural dye for colors. Fake: Acrylics. Real:
Individual handcrafted. Fake: Manufactured in series. Real: Gasoline cured and oven dried. Fake: Not. Real: Three
months in the making. Fake: one week.
SHOWTIME
If you can judge the economic health of a metropolis by its music venues,
Mexico City is doing quite well, thank you. The biggest draws have been filling
stadiums (the Foro Sol and on occasion the 120,000-seat Estadio Azteca),
arenas (Palacio de los Deportes), the 10,000-seat National Auditorium, and
various venues run by Ocesa, the nation’s top event promoter.
Now add to the mix two major new projects. The Arena Ciudad de
México is an ambitious 20,000-seat mega-venue with luxury boxes and (a
rarity in the megalopolis) plenty of parking. Its inaugural shows in late
February featured Luis Miguel, the crooning heartthrob of middle-aged
housewives, followed by Carlos Santana, Yanni and (soon) Jane’s Addiction,
Il Volo and Scorpions.
Next up is the cozier but equally ultra-modern Pepsi Center WTC, a
7,500-seater built inside the massive World Trade Center. The WTC was
conceived as a mega-hotel in the 1960s, but by the time it opened its doors
in 1995, it consisted of an office complex and convention center. It now
includes the Pepsi Center, which will open to the public in May. Highlight: A
rare Mexico appearance by Bob Dylan in May.
THE TOWER TO NOWHERE
The Estela de Luz can’t catch a break. It was supposed to be
a lasting monument to the spirit of the nation’s Bicentennial
and a legacy of the Calderón administration, but by the time
the Pillar of Light was inaugurated in January, it was almost
a year and a half late (the Bicentennial was celebrated in
September of 2010), over-budget (costing 1.36 billion pesos
… so far), under investigation (for procedural irregularities)
and decidedly under-appreciated.
Now there’s another subject of conversation: you can’t
see it very well. From almost anywhere. The quartz panels
are on the north and south side of a 341-foot tower that rises
from an east-west avenue, Mexico City’s Paseo de la
Reforma. So what most people see looks more like a stray
section of infrastructure from the nearby skyscrapers in
progress.
If they see it at all. Architects and urbanists take constant
shots at the monument’s design, orientation and location.
But the most stinging rebuke may have come from Carlos
Fuentes, the author who actually is what the Estela de Luz
was meant to be – a Mexican icon. “The monument doesn’t
make any sense to me,” Fuentes said. “It’s surrounded by
buildings taller than it is, and you can’t even see it.”
Maybe that’s a good thing. Fuentes: “It’s so ugly that I’ve
never even gone near it.” Ouch.
April 1, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW 31

34. FERIA DE SAN MARCOS April14-May6inAguascalientes,Aguascalientes
If Mexico had a true national fair, this one in the San Marcos barrio of the city of Aguascalientes, in the
state of the same name, would be it. Celebrants flock in from across the country, and from abroad.
There will be a ton of cultural events and amusement rides, but the emphasis is also on the traditional
– including bullfights, cockfights, charro-style equestrian events and, of course, food.
EXPO JOYA GUADALAJARA April17-19inGuadalajara,Jalisco
Billed as Latin America’s most important trade fair for gold, silver, and jewelry of all kinds, including
watches and jewelry supplies. It’s primarily an industry fair for professionals, attracting buyers and
sellers from all over the world, but it’s also valuable for learning more about the jewelry industry, and
for those considering starting their own business.
ZONA MACO 2012 April18-22inMexicoCity
This is a huge international contemporary art exhibit organized by the Mexico City government, with selected pieces by more
than 900 artists from more than 90 galleries worldwide. It takes place at the spacious Centro Banamex.
INTERNATIONAL MOLE FESTIVAL May2-3,Puebla,Puebla
Callingallfoodies:TheinauguralInternationalMoleFestival–partoftheofficialfestivitiescommemorating
the 150th anniversary of Cinco de Mayo – brings international, national and regional chefs to the Puebla
capital to discuss mole and Poblano cuisine’s influence on Mexican and global gastronomy. There will
be expert talks, a crafts fair, demonstrations by third-generation moleras, and mole tastings. It all takes
place at the William O. Jenkins Convention Center, Bulevar Héroes del 5 de Mayo #402, in Puebla’s
Centro Histórico.
FESTIVAL DE MÉXICO May2-20MexicoCity
Patti Smith leads the musical line-up for this year’s edition of Mexico City’s premier cultural festival. There
will also be opera, theater, dance, literary presentations, children’s events and much more.
G-20 SUMMIT June18-19inLosCabos,BajaCaliforniaSur
Heads of state and other top government figures from the 20 biggest economies – including Mexico, the United States and the
European Union – will take over the Baja Peninsula resort area of Los Cabos for the annual G-20 Summit meeting, with President
Calderón wielding the gavel. A 653,400-square-foot, solar panel-equipped convention center is under construction to house
the sessions, though there is doubt that it will be ready in time. Some 11,000 of the 13,000 available rooms in the area have been
set aside for summit attendees.
Save
the Dates …
32 MEXICOREVIEW : April 1, 2012
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