El Monteon's Field of Dreams golf course now has its own Facebook Fans Page click here to become a fan

This Week

Popocatepetl: What a Blast

The Popocatepetl volcano south of Mexico City is shooting blasts of ash from its crater.

Mexico's national disaster prevention agency says the volcano has spewed ash more than a half mile (a kilometer) into the sky four times Tuesday. It says there is a possibility ash could fall onto Mexico City overnight. Go to original

FedEx Freight grows service in Mexico

Memphis Business Journal

FedEx Freight is expanding its service in Mexico. FedEx Freight is growing its Mexico operations by adding service to three more markets in that country. The less-than-truckload company, a subsidiary of Memphis-based FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), has added service centers in Toluca, Puebla and Veracruz….go to original article

Gross Advises Investing in Brazil, Mexico as U.S., Europe Face Recession

The global economic crisis is leading to a possible “developed economy” recession in the U.S. and Europe, which may be hard to alleviate, according to Pacific Investment Management Co.’s Bill Gross. In this environment, the world’s biggest manager of bond funds favors investing in Australia, Mexico, Brazil and Canada, along with non-dollar currencies that have strong ties to the Asian continent, Gross, co-chief investment officer and founder of Pimco, reiterated. …go to original article

Mexico arrests 5 in fatal casino blaze

Police have arrested five of at least seven men linked to the Zetas and wanted for Thursday's arson attack on a Monterrey gambling casino that killed 52 people, the governor of Nuevo Leon state said Monday.

State investigators had "sufficient scientific elements to demonstrate the participation of each and every one of them in this assault," Gov. Rodrigo Medina told reporters. "All of them have confessed to participating on behalf of the criminal group called the Zetas."….go to original

Mexico to give HPV vaccine to all girls from 2012

Mexico plans to administer the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer, to all girls beginning next year, the country’s health ministry said Tuesday.

Beginning in 2012, the HPV vaccine will be part of the normal course of shots given to all girls at the age of nine, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said….go to original article

Agents Raid New Mexico Gun Store in Gun Smuggling Case

Federal agents raided a New Mexico gun store Tuesday morning and arrested the owner, his wife and their two sons on a 30-count indictment accusing them of smuggling guns across the border with Mexico.

The firearms sold by the defendants included 27 AK-47-type rifles, three AR-15 rifles, two .50 caliber rifles, and two 9 mm pistols -- weapons favored by Mexican cartels, according to a federal indictment. …go to original article

Virgin America begins Puerto Vallarta flights Dec. 2

Virgin America Inc. begins flights to Puerto Vallarta on Dec. 2.

Virgin America Inc. will begin flights to Puerto Vallarta on Dec. 2, the third Mexican destination for the airline. Nonstop flights will be out of San Francisco….go to original article

Mexican snobs beat, insult cop, raise debate

An odd instance of police abuse in which two snobby women shoved, slapped and insulted a cop has captured Mexico's attention and sparked debate on gender and class issues.

Tapes of the late-night confrontation in the upscale Mexico City neighborhood of Polanco have been a hit on social networking and video-sharing sites. The two aggressive, shouting, swearing women have garnered the ironic nickname "The Ladies of Polanco."…go to original article

U.S. Widens Role in Mexican Fight

The Obama administration has expanded its role in Mexico’s fight against organized crime by allowing the Mexican police to stage cross-border drug raids from inside the United States, according to senior administration and military officials….go to original article

Mexico declares 3-day-mourning for 52 dead, offers $2.5 mln bounty

Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Friday declared three days of morning in the wake of an attack on a casino in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey that left 52 people dead.

In a message to a number of television and radio stations, Calderon described the attack as a "brutal and unspeakable homicide" and ordered the country's attorney generals both at state and federal level to vigorously investigate the event and hold those responsible accountable….go to original article

4 miners killed when explosion caves in section of coal mine in northern Mexico

Four miners have been killed in an explosion that caved in part of a coal mine in the northern Mexico border state of Coahuila.

The Minerales de Monclova company says Friday’s accident at its La Esmeralda mine was caused by methane gas, which apparently exploded. It says 132 other workers escaped unharmed and the bodies of the dead miners have been recovered….go to original article

Last Week

 

New Mexico lawmakers sue to stop governor’s plan for verifying immigrant driver’s licenses

New Mexico state legislators are asking a judge to stop Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration from trying to verify whether immigrants who received a driver’s license are still residents of the state.

A group of lawmakers filed a lawsuit Wednesday in state district court in Santa Fe seeking to block the Taxation and Revenue Department from checking a random sample of 10,000 license holders who are foreign nationals to determine their residency. The state sent notices to people that they must schedule an in-person appointment with the Motor Vehicle Division….go to original article

Mexico announces court proceedings on the Internet

Mexican officials have announced that select court proceedings will be available through the Internet for the first time in the country.

Officials say that civil, tax and administrative cases will be processed through a state website. Officials expect everything from filings to rulings to be done electronically.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon says the initiative will allow broader and faster access to the country's legal system. Officials didn't say when it would be launched….go to original article

Brazil, Mexico stocks climb after overseas data

Brazilian and Mexican stocks jumped Tuesday following a string of encouraging economic data from overseas markets that are key for exporters and companies across Latin America. …go to original article

Calderón administration slams Mexico's state governments for spiraling debt

Ahead of next year's presidential race, Mexico's ruling party is touting fiscal responsibility since most indebted states are run by the opposition, but unlike in the US, most voters don't seem to care.

The administration of Mexican President Felipe Calderón has been warning in recent weeks that while the federal government does not have the debt problem plaguing so many other countries, its state governments are a different story….go to original article

Kidnaps spur some in Mexico to implant own tracking chips

The tracking chips are about a half-inch long and the width of a boiled spaghetti noodle, and are implanted in fatty tissue of the upper arm. Critics say the chip strategy is worthless. Of all the strange circumstances surrounding the violent abduction last year of Diego Fernandez de Cevallos, the Mexican power broker and former presidential candidate known here as "Boss Diego," perhaps nothing was weirder than the mysterious tracking chip that the kidnappers allegedly cut from his body.

Lurid Mexican media accounts reported that an armed gang invaded Fernandez's home, sliced open his arm with a pair of scissors and extracted a satellite-enabled tracking device, leaving the chip and a streak of blood behind. …go to original article

Austin woman who smuggled guns to Mexico gets 30 years

Calling it reprehensible that American citizens would sell firearms to the drug cartels that continue to kill innocent people in Mexico, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel on Monday sentenced the woman authorities said led an Austin-to-Mexico gun-smuggling ring to 30 years in prison.

"It's disturbing that we would provide both ends of the drug pipeline," Yeakel said in sentencing Aurelia Ochoa Hernandez, 55. "We provide the market for the drugs here, and ... we send the weapons back to allow the cartels to control their territories and kill innocent people and keep the supply of drugs coming to this country."…go to original article

 

 

 

 

Rain clouds over north beach of Jaltemba Bay Photograph by Bill Bell

 

 

New In “Street Cuisine” in Guadalajara

We have traveled throughout the country and are very used to seeing taco carts, hotdog and hamburger stands throughout the streets everywhere! However this trip to Guadalajara we noticed something new in terms of street cuisine and it is catching on quickly.

The mobile vegetable cart is the dietary coming of age street cuisine in the capital of Jalisco. Based on the “wheelbarrow style” stand, this mobile cookery boasts a large circular propane heated hot water chamber approximately 2 ft in diameter that is used primarily for cooking the corn. It has a separate center core that also contains water and cooks other vegetables separately. Below our window at the Frances Hotel, the veggie vendor cooked potatoes in this center area.

Our cart chef served broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, onions and (of course) corn.  The customer orders a plate of veggies that appeals to him and the vendor places the veggies in the boiling water while he de-kernels the corn. Want it customized. There is the standard hot sauce, crema and grated – applied liberally by the chef.

The carts came out at 5:30 and several could be seem by 6 in various squares in Centro. Healthier living brought to you via Mexican street style.

 

 

Correction

Good afternoon:

I recently read your August 28, 2011 on-line issue and would like to congratulate you on an outstanding publication.

However...........in your "local news" article on page 2 by Tara A. Spears regarding the Dia de la Marina (Navy Day), I must make a correction.

Ms Spears wrote..."Mexico has not participated world conflicts for over a hundred years"........this statement is factually incorrect.

A Mexican Army/Air Force unit the "Aztec Eagles", Esquadron 201, participated in WWII and served with distinction in the Philippines: 

http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-mexican-air-force-helped-liberate-the-philippines.htm

Thank you for allowing me to correct the record, and the story of the Aztec Eagles might make a great article for a future edition.

Terry Callison

Captain (Ret), US Army

Letter to the Editor

Hi Bill & Dot,

We just received our latest copy of JaltembaSol.. Wow! It gets better with each issue...a real PLUS to the community...THANKS FOR THE GREAT SERVICE!!                                                       

  Charlie & Carmen

How to Dial a Number in Mexico

                             © Tara A. Spears

One of the challenges for gingos in Mexico is mastering the telephone dialing system.  The uninitiated reader is thinking, huh, what’s the big deal, you just punch in the numbers….. but the process is different from the north of the border system.  First off, you do not dial a land phone in the same way as a cellular number, plus add in the complication of needing to know if the number is a local call and the situation quickly turns frustrating. Not knowing Spanish really poses a challenge and increases the intimidation factor. While not a techie expert, I’ve managed to learn enough over the years that I can share some general guidelines that will empower you to place a call successfully.

Click here to read the entire story

Mexican Migrants Coming Home in Droves

laht.com
go to original
 

Over the past 5 years, almost 1 million Mexican emigrants have returned to Mexico from the United States, due largely to the recession and reduced expectations for an economic recovery in that country.

Mexico City – The number of Mexican emigrants who opted to return to their homeland from the United States increased sharply over the past five years to almost 1 million, according to census data.

The Deputy Secretary of Population, Migration and Religious Affairs, Rene Zenteno Quintero, told a press conference that that figure was 2.7 times higher than the amount registered in Mexico’s 2000 census.

The exodus of Mexicans to the United States has likewise been reduced, “seen in a net zero balance between emigrants and immigrants who return to Mexico, meaning we’re experiencing a historic moment,” he said.

Click here to read the entire story

 

Guayabitos 1974

Photograph by Tom Bennett

Guanajuato, Guanajuato
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photography by Bill Bell

Guanajuato is a city and municipality in central Mexico and the capital of the state of the same name. It is located in a narrow valley, which makes the streets of the city narrow and winding. Most are alleys that cars cannot pass through, and some are long sets of stairs up the mountainsides. Many of the city’s thoroughfares are partially or fully underground. The historic center of the city is filled with colonial area mansions, churches and civil constructions built with pink or green sandstone and small plazas. The city was the result of the discovery of mines in the mountains that surround it.

Click here to see and read more

Huichol Indians from the Mexican states of Jalisco and Nayarit spent more than 8 months to fully decorate a Volkswagen Beetle

 

Huichol Indians from the Mexican states of Jalisco and Nayarit spent more than 8 months to fully decorate a Volkswagen Beetle car with 200 pounds of beads and a special polymer glue, as reported by CBSNews' WorldWatch. Following a multi-city tour in Mexico this year, the beaded Volkswagen, which includes artistic designs of the Huichol Indian culture, is scheduled to tour around different key cities in the United States and Europe in 2012.

Cecilia Barbara de Moctezuma, President of the Association of Friends for the Museum of Popular Art, shared in exclusive with MexicoToday that they have already received a request from the Smithsonian in Washington, DC and are in the process of finalizing plans. Barbara de Moctezuma also added, "We are also talking to museums in Los Angeles, San Diego and possibly Atlanta. Sometime in 2012 we plan to bring the car to Paris, Berlin, and we'll see about also going to London and Madrid."

Click here to read more

San Miguel de Allende

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photography by Bill Bell

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Official name: Protective town of San Miguel de Allende and Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco

San Miguel de Allende is a city and municipality located in the far eastern part of the state of Guanajuato in central Mexico. It is 274 km from Mexico City and 97 km from the state capital of Guanajuato.[1] Historically, the town is important as the birthplace of Ignacio Allende, whose surname was added to the town’s name in 1826, as well as the first municipality declared independent of Spanish rule by the nascent insurgent army during the Mexican War of Independence.

Click here to read the rest  

 

 

 

          

Indulge Your Sweet Tooth with Mexican Candy
 

On your next visit to Puerto Vallarta, wander into a candy store or outdoor market and have a look around.

click here to read the entire story

 

 

 

 

 

Diego Rivera, Presidential Palace Mexico City

Photography by Bill and Dorothy Bell

The central door leads to the main patio which is surrounded by Baroque arches. Only the balustrade of this area has been remodeled, conserving the murals by Diego Rivera that adorn the main stairwell and the walls of the second floor. In the stairwell is a mural depicting the history of Mexico from 1521 to 1930, and covers an area of 450 m2 (4800 ft2). These murals were painted between 1929 and 1935, jointly titled "The Epic of the Mexican People". The work is divided like a triptych with each being somewhat autonomous. The right-hand wall contains murals depicting pre-Hispanic Mexico and centers around the life of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcóatl appears in the mural as a star, a god, and a human being. Created by serpents, he sails through space as a star that accompanies the sun at night. Quetzalcóatl then assumes a human body to teach the Aztec people as their king and patriarch. Last, when he sacrifices his blood to give life to men, he returns to the sky having completed his earthly cycle. Once he leaves the earth, Quetzalcóatl assumes the shape the morning star, called Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli.

Click here to view the entire story

A New Marina Projected at Rincon de Guayabitos/Los Ayala

Written by Luis Dominguez

Guayabitos/ Los Ayla will have its own marina cc César Rincón

Riviera Nayarit has quickly become a very popular destination, which means plenty of visitors every year. In order to improve its infrastructure, Riviera Nayarit is now projecting to build a new marina at Rincon de Guayabitos.

The new marina is projected to have capacity for 250 boats, and it will be located at the South end of Guayabitos, in the area known as Los Ayala, according to Vallarta Opina.

Hi, just read the latest Sol and saw the article on a marina at los ayala.  i clicked on the Vallarta Opina. the photo in the article seemed to indicate a breakwater maybe across the entire front of the beach and then all the slips behind it.  this would basically make the lovely little los ayala beach unuseable for swimming and all the things that have made the place so charming.  does anyone know anymore about these plans?? it's pretty scary.  thanks, ginnie porter

Click here to read the entire story

Click here to read about what is planned for Punta Raza

Do you have an opinion on this topic?  Click here to voice them

__________________________________

Manuel Gomez and Jo Lorimar

Artistic Couple-Jo and Manuel- Enhance Riviera Nayarit Coastal Living

                         © Tara A. Spears

The creative endeavors of local residents, Jo Lorimar and Manuel Gomez, add so much enjoyment and beauty to the already spectacular tropical setting of the Guayabitos/La Penita area.  They share a zest for life and huge talent: Jo is an accomplished professional artist who excels in several art mediums, and Manuel’s music touches everyone who hears him play. Together they are establishing a creative studio in La Colonia, a north La Penita neighborhood.  What distinguishes their artistic talent is that they create from the heart and strive to have a positive impact on the audience.

Go here for complete article

Suggested Crackdown on Beach Jewelry Vendors

click here to read more

Readers opinions

Mateja Mikunda;" I think the goverment should focus on some of our other problems first. Like the sewer or
robberies. At least the beach venders are trying to make an honest living. I like the beach venders. It's what makes Mexico. Sitting on the beach drinking a margaritas and buying souvenirs.
about an hour ago via mobile ·


Doug Bryden: "I totally agree with Mateja's statement. There are far more pressing issues that need to be addressed than restricting beach vendors."

Robin Serafini: "Agreed!"

Monica Szymczak Jurjaks
"OMG ... get a grip ... what would our experience be without the VENDORS. Over the years we have met and befriended many, many, vendors. Not only are the vendors something us CANUCKS love but what a better way make a connection with your people. Mateja you are 100% on the mark there are so many more important issues to deal with in Mexico NOT only those you have stated but what about getting the government to clean up the roadsides of trash and what about thinking about charging for ALL drinking bottles .... thereby creating a desire for people to return their empties rather than tossing them all over the highways/roads and helping the enviornment???"
 

Do you have an opinion on this topic?  Click here to voice them

Mexico Apartment-Hopping

By Dorothy Bell

We have discovered a new way to travel! We have either RV'ed or hotel stopped throughout this country half a dozen times or more and both have their up and down sides.

RV’s are a great deal of fun; you can sleep in your own bed, have all your own stuff, cook your own meals and be somewhat economical to boot. By the day RV parks can cost $200 to $300 pesos on average for full hookups. $5000 to $7000 pesos per month.

I am being brave here because pricing is relative to preference and there are those out there that will prefer to boon dock or stay in a Wal-Mart rather than an RV Park. On the flip side, there are those that will not stay in many of the parks that we think are just fine…they are too “rustic” for them. I am trying to generalize here so bear with me.

Hotels are a matter of personal preference too. For a clean motel/ motel 6 type room in a city you are likely to spend $500 to 750 pesos. If you stay a week, it calculates to $3500 to $5250 pesos a week. The sky is the limit on the upper side. You can spend as much as you want for the high end stuff.

So this trip Bill said why don’t we try booking apartments in the places we want to stay for more than a few days. We went on line and Googled apartments for rent in Oaxaca. Sure enough there were many to choose from. We decided to take a “lower-end” apartment – not just because we are CODO (cheap) but because we wanted to be able to walk out of the deal in case it didn’t work out.

Click here to read the entire story

 

High tides in La Peñita de Jaltemba threaten flooding along frontage roads Photo by Octaviano Figueroa Salazar

Guayabitos Flooding Must Stop!

By Bill Bell Jaltemba Sol

 

Rincon de Guayabitos residents, merchants and hotel owners filled a makeshift outdoor meeting place at the Posada Del Sol Tuesday to hear proposals to stop the recent spate of flooding in the town.

That flooding caused by infrastructure failure and recent alleged tampering with outflows by the State of Nayarit has seen severe damage to houses, stores and hotels with water in some areas reaching well over a meter.

“I lost everything in my store, I’m wiped out,” said one merchant.

“I was taking care of three houses and it has taken me days to clean up, some of the water damage is serious,” said another person at the meeting attended by 70 people.

click here to read more

How Safe is Travel in Mexico?
 

Chichén Itza and other Maya ruins draw visitors to Mexico's Yucatan. (Ellen Creager, Knight Ridder)

Click here to read more on this story

Kirk Swaggerty (ADAM) found guilty of murder…could serve 60 years

Kirk Swaggerty aka “Adam,” once Illinois State’s most wanted criminal, and the Jaltemba coast’s ‘man about town” while on the lam from the law was found guilty of murder.

Swaggerty was charged in a 2005 home invasion that left one man dead and another wounded was found guilty of murder Wednesday night.

Kirk B. Swaggerty, 41, was found guilty of murder, home invasion and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. Stephanie Klein, DeKalb County Assistant State's Attorney, said the sentencing range for Swaggerty is 20 to 60 years in prison.

Click here to read the entire story

 

Check it out here Mateja's Restaurant and Bar on the Beach in Rincon de Guayabitos has its fan page on Facebook Click here

 

Eastern Pacific Shark Species    

Part 2 of 2                  © Tara A. Spears

My reason to educate myself about the species and habits of sharks began more than 20 years ago due to a personal encounter with these predators. My sons and I were fishing in south Florida, having an exceptional morning having landed more than 50 fish.  By noon it was hot so we put down the rods and dove into the ocean.  Foolish idea. As I was handing a cool soda to my youngest son- who was sitting in ankle deep water at the shore- he screams and leaps up, blood running down his back.  To this day, he has scars from the 40 puncture marks from the shark bite. The lesson we learned is that you do not swim where you have been catching fish, as the larger predators are also working the same school of fish.  This incident didn’t deter my family from continuing to enjoy ocean water sports- both of my sons are certified scuba divers besides avid fishermen. 

Click here to read the entire shark story by Tara

Prepare