Crowd management problems at the Sanmiguelada: Have we avoided a disaster?
By J. Rick Altemose, Ph.D. June 29, 2007

The most frequently mentioned reason for the cancellation of the 2007 Sanmiguelada was the problem of providing security for the event. The rowdy crowd behavior and, in particular, the shooting incident in 2006 led many to argue that the dangers posed by the event outweighed the income generated. The most significant danger, however, has not been discussed publicly: that the way the “running of the bulls” in San Miguel de Allende has been conducted allows for the possibility, however remote, of a crowd panic resulting in multiple deaths and injuries.

Normally we think of deaths from crowd stampedes occurring indoors when a panicked crowd tries to exit a building, such as an overcrowded rock concert or nightclub. But some of the worst crowd panic disasters have occurred outdoors. In Saudi Arabia in January of 2006, over 400 pilgrims were killed in a panic at a holy site, the same site where 1,426 pilgrims were killed in a similar stampede in 1990. In Baghdad in August of 2005, over 400 Shiites in a religious procession were killed in a panic following a bridge collapse.

Could a similar crowd panic situation costing many lives have happened at a Sanmiguelada? Research suggests that four risk factors are involved in nearly every deadly crowd stampede:

Massive overcrowding

The brave, or foolish, young people interacting with the bulls inside the barriers were the safest people in centro, at least as far as a crowd panic is concerned. The crowding inside the barriers was not nearly enough to support a panic stampede. The crowding among the spectators outside the barriers is another story. Ironically, if there were to be mass causalities at the Sanmiguelada, they would be among the spectators, not the participants. 

Inadequate crowd management and control

There seems to be a consensus that the Sanmiguelada had outgrown its crowd control measures. Suggested improvements, such as a heliport to facilitate the evacuation of the injured, would be inadequate in the aftermath of a crowd panic incident where the numbers of injured would be in the hundreds.

A situation that triggers the panic

In 2006, despite the usual (rampaging bulls) and the unusual (shots fired into the crowd), nothing set off a panic. But the festive atmosphere of a crowd can quickly turn into panic when there is a triggering event. It is very difficult to predict exactly what might set off the fear that leads to a stampede. In Baghdad, in 2005, the panic started because of a rumor about a suicide bomber. A sudden rainstorm and a rush to get out of the rain was the triggering event that set off a stampede at a 1999 outdoor rock concert in Minsk, Belarus; 53 people died.

Blocking or partial blocking of one or more exits from the area 


The situation inside the barriers erected for the Sanmiguelada certainly fit this requirement; the same barriers that keep the bulls from getting to the spectators would also trap the people inside the barriers if a panic situation arose. In this case the massive overcrowding necessary for a stampede and mass casualties did not exist inside the barriers. 

The situation outside the barriers is more troubling. At first sight, the blocking of exits does not seem to be a problem, since the spectators could always leave the area by way of the various streets. But relying on the streets as pressure relief valves for a potential panic situation might be overly optimistic. For one thing, the more the overcrowding, the less it takes to block an exit. In the 2006 disaster in Saudi Arabia, members of the crowd themselves blocked the exits when they began tripping over their own dropped baggage. 

The crowd itself can serve as the exit block that turns the situation into a tragedy. The pressure of the crowd, enhanced by fear, can make it difficult to breathe. Fear and the heat built up by the packed conditions cause some to faint. When panicked members of the crowd begin to push the people who are between them and safety, it is difficult for crowd members who have fallen to get back on their feet. Crowd control personnel cannot possibly get to them. The people fallen to the ground can block the exit as surely as a wall. 

Could something along these lines have happened at a Sanmiguelada? The odds are strongly against such a disaster. Throughout the world, large crowds are handled every day without deaths or injuries. It would take a “perfect storm” of unfavorable circumstances.

But we can speculate what such a perfect storm would look like: an even bigger crowd of spectators, pushing towards the Jardín to see the spectacle. A barrier breaks and the bulls escape into the crowd. Crowd density prevents spectators from avoiding the bulls, so they turn away from the Jardín in panic, desperate to escape. Something (fallen members of the crowd itself? counterproductive crowd control measures?) blocks a street.

As the panicked people in back continue to push forward to avoid the bulls, the physical pressure on the trapped individuals increases. At a density of about 7 persons per square meter, people in the crowd begin to lose the ability to control their own movements. They are lifted off their feet and forced forward towards the blocked exit. Deaths are caused by compressive asphyxia, the inability to breathe because of the pressure on the rib cage. The elderly and the very young are particularly at risk.

Even though such a tragedy is most unlikely, the possibility of a crowd panic incident should be added to the list of dangers avoided by the cancellation of the Sanmiguelada. And, if a revised version of the “running of the bulls” is to return in the future, it might be well to structure it in such a way as to minimize the possibility. 









CASA Renovations in Full Force.
By Margaret Failoni

During a recent visit to CASA I was interested to see all of the renovations on the premises – they’re fantastic! Those in the hospital are almost complete, it is newly decorated; the plumbing is up-dated and it even includes a new water birthing room.

More and more foreigners as well as Mexicans, who believe in the natural birth process, are choosing the CASA hospital, for their fantastic midwifery care as well as the assurance that there’s always a gynecologist in house as well as an anesthetist if requested or needed. The percentage of caesarians is very low and the hospital does not practice a nine to five weekdays only birth schedule. 

It is the perfect place to give birth, with highly professional midwives and very personalized attention. Even if you are not a mother to be, CASA offers multiple services at the hospital including eye, ear and nose care, dentistry, pediatrics, weight control for cases of high cholesterol or diabetes, etc.

If they can’t handle it, they’ll send you to the best available. The hospital lab also performs free, no-questions-asked HIV blood tests, to name just a few of the community services. And to think that it’s all gratis for those who can’t afford to pay, others pay according to their resources. I paid only $100 pesos for perfect podiatric treatment, including medication, and that was the ‘top fee’.

CASA was founded in 1981 over a kitchen table with no funds but lots of dreams. Over the past 25 years, they have steadily worked at family planning and the education of young people through peer counseling. CASA built a hospital originally for the indigenous poor and has modernized to accommodate San Miguel’s growing population, regardless of ability to pay. They have set up a special counseling group which aids, both materially and legally, women and girls who fall victim to violence and have built a facility that includes libraries, a school, a computer center and large, well-equipped areas which are used for a variety of public events. Perhaps their greatest achievement has been to create, for the first time ever in Latin America, a qualified and certified Midwifery School recognized and awarded by the United Nations.

There are so many wonderful and worthy associations in San Miguel; those that feed the hungry, raise funds for the educational and medical needs of young children, those that provide education for handicapped children. There is the biblioteca pública, not only the second largest bi-lingual library in Latin America, but an important venue for student scholarships etc., but CASA is perhaps the one association that tries to solve the problems before they evolve, by using the most important tool in the world: education. CASA’s peer groups have been going into the field, to the ranches, to the schools, teaching family planning, birth control and sex education, since its onset 25 years ago. We look forward to the next 25 years.

To learn more about CASA visit us on the web: www.casa.org.mx 

To get involved call Elsbeth Friedli at 152-2813 or by email elsbeth@prodigy.net.mx 

New seven wonders countdown
By Atención staff

Who will win on the day of lucky seven’s? The countdown has begun! An estimated 50 million people around the world have already voted for the New Seven Wonders of the World (www.new7wonders.org ); and the results will be announced in Lisbon on July 7.

We at Atención decided to conduct an informal survey to get an idea of who may be pulling ahead in the race: our results show Chichen Itza, the Great Wall of China and the Acropolis in the top three, followed by the Statue of Liberty, Taj Mahal, Colosseum and Stonehenge, which all received the same number of votes.

The top write-in candidates were Pollo Féliz, Wrigley Field and Bloomingdale’s, in that order, but they seem unlikely to become dark-horse candidates at this time...

On a global scale, the New Seven Wonders organization has announced that the Great Wall, Colosseum and Machu Picchu are the top contenders, with the Acropolis, Chichen Itza, the Eiffel Tower, Easter Island, the statue of Christ Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Taj Mahal and Petra still in the top 10.

The most fervent voters have been in Asia and Latin America, but the organization expects and hopes that more votes will come in from the United States and Europe in the final days leading up to July 7.

Aside from this project, designed to draw attention to the world’s man-made heritage and cultural diversity, the New Seven Wonders organization raises funds for reconstruction and conservation of damaged or endangered treasures all over the world.

Their latest proposed project is a complete reconstruction of the Bamiyan Buddha in Afghanistan, which was destroyed by the Taliban regime in March 2001. 

As the spokeswoman for the campaign, Tia B Viering, observed: “There are not many things that could bring the world together like global culture...This is really something that every single person in the world can be interested in.” So, don’t waste any more time—you have eleven more days left to vote! Go to www.new7wonders.org 

A young woman’s struggle for life
By Jesús Ibarra

Mayra Villafranco is a 23-year-old woman who used to live with her family in the rural community of Estancia de San Antonio, near Rodríguez. She was active and enthusiastic and worked in a factory.

On March 2, 2005, Mayra and her family were in a car accident. Their van flipped over, and Mayra’s grandfather and little sister died, as well as her brother-in-law. The five other passengers were severely injured, Mayra among them. 

“My arm and spine were broken, and I was unconscious,” said Mayra. “I was taken to Celaya, but they did not have the appropriate equipment to operate on my spine, so they sent me to León.” Mayra was in the hospital for 22 days and afterward was taken home. But nothing was the same for her. She was paralyzed from the waist down. “At first, I went to rehabilitation at the Centro de Crecimiento. But my community is far away from San Miguel, and I had to pay 300 pesos per trip for a van to drive me here three times a week. I received a temporary 1,200-peso disability payment from my job, but I did not have the money to pay for the van, so I had to stop therapy.”

Mayra lay immobile on her bed for more than a year. She grew thin and pale, and her family was able to do little to help her. “It was very sad for me to be there, immobile, when I love to go out, to do things, to work,” said Mayra. 

One day, Mayra’s friend Doña Ángeles Agreda went to visit her and was shocked to see the girl in such a condition. “I had to help her,” said Doña Ángeles. “I knew some benefactors and members of the board of ALMA, the home for elderly people. I spoke with them to see whether there was a chance to help Mayra and give her a space at the home so that she could have therapy. They told me that they needed to visit the girl at her home to verify her condition, and they did. A few days later, they told me they would take Mayra in at ALMA.”

Mayra arrived at ALMA in July 2006, and thanks to Doña Ángeles a therapist, Manuel Castillón Hansen, agreed to see Mayra and give her therapy at a low cost.

“Mayra had multiple spinal fractures,” said Castillón. “The spinal cord was not injured but it was pressed, which caused the paralysis.” According to Castillón, when Mayra was operated on, metal rods were affixed to her spine. “When we began therapy, I found that she had 20 percent movement in her waist and knees, but her feet were completely paralyzed. She began using a walker and special shoes, and now, after a year of therapy, she is walking with crutches. Very few people achieve what Mayra has.”

Currently, Mayra needs help to continue with her rehabilitation. Her 1,200-peso pension has been suspended and her only modest income is from her brother. She needs to see an orthopedist to get a professional opinion on her case. “It would be good if she sees a specialist,” said Castillón. “An expert’s opinion is needed to determine whether the metal rods on her backbone can be safely removed.”

Mayra said that she also wants an opportunity to work. “I cannot do any hard job, but I could work in a store or an office. I would like to have an opportunity,” she said. 

Castillón commented that employers usually reject disabled persons. “This is unfair. People like Mayra deserve an opportunity.”

Meanwhile, Mayra is still at ALMA, receiving therapy from Dr. Castillón and waiting for an opportunity to work.

Rural women advance their education

Last weekend, 52 women in the rural community of Cañajo, on the road to Querétaro, received certificates—9 for learning to read, 16 for completing elementary school and 27 for finishing high school. Most of the women are housewives.

The Education and Culture Department, along with the Institute of Literacy and Elementary Education for Adults (INAEBA), works intensively to fight illiteracy by sending promoters and tutors to adults in rural communities. Currently, there are more than 13,000 illiterate adults and more than 36,000 who did not finish elementary school in San Miguel. INAEBA offers educational services for men and women over 15 who are not in school and want to learn to read or finish their basic education. 

Verónica Agundis, head of the Education and Culture Department, said that the Center for Access to Social Services and Learning (CASSA) in the Municipal Library on Pepe Llanos is available for all those who wish to finish their elementary school education. 

THE HOUSE & GARDEN TOUR

THANKS THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE

FOR SHOWING THEIR BEAUTIFUL HOMES

ON JUNE 24, 2007



Patrice Wynne

Ray Miles

Jan and Michael Quinn

4th Sunday in June for 2006 182 visitors on tour Year To Date 2006 5,998 visitors on tour

4th Sunday in June for 2007 184 visitors on tour Year To Date 2007 5,028 visitors on tour

The HOUSE & GARDEN TOUR will attempt to identify houses in advance whenever possible so that you may get some idea of which homes we will be visiting next week.

On July 1 we will be seeing an enchanting home nestled inside a concealed garden area just inside the centro boundaries. It contains cement arches, unusual pewter chairs placed around the cantera-based glass table, and glass shelves with incandescent lights placed in the intimate entertainment room. Ascending the stairwell is an oversized carved mirror with beveled glass which reflects additional light from the arched ceiling and cupola. Kilim rugs add warmth throughout. Then to our second house built and designed by its owner and located on a quiet street in a Mexican neighborhood. Tragaluces add light to the cozy living room with glass doors opening out to the lush garden. Stenciling was hand painted in the master bathroom, and a rooftop room and terrace were added later. The garden is accessible from every room on the first floor and filled with a stunning amount of flowers, plants, trees and a delightful small pond fed from a recycling waterfall. We end up at the home of an outstanding artist, incorporati
ng many of the ideas of Luis Barragán throughout. Filled with color and dramatic artwork (most of it the owner’s own work) it is a sheer delight. Light and cheerful, it is painted in wonderful colors, built on two levels, and containing a charmingly cosy garden.


IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MORE DETAILED INFORMATION

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL JENNIFER HAMILTON AT 152-4987

RESERVATIONS FOR THE HOUSE TOUR ARE NOT REQUIRED

Internationally famous chef prepares dinner for benefit event
By Carol Sedestrom Ross

Patricia Quintana, described as “The Matriarch of Mexican Flavor” by The New York Times, is coming to San Miguel on July 13 to prepare a gourmet meal for Feed the Hungry’s “Fiesta of Life.” The benefit will raise funds for operating 29 Feed the Hungry kitchens in the San Miguel area, which provide hot, nutritious meals to more than 3,000 hungry children every school day.

Quintana is graciously contributing her culinary talents as a donation to the little boys and girls served by Feed the Hungry.

The “Fiesta of Life” begins with cocktails at a large private home in Centro known for its extensive gardens and its roof terraces with spectacular views of San Miguel’s historic churches. From there guests are taken to Hacienda Calderón, a large hacienda on the old Camino Real, which has been beautifully restored and decorated by designer Marcia Brown. Guests will have an opportunity to tour the hacienda before they relax in the spacious gardens under tents and enjoy an exceptional three-course dinner prepared by Quintana. 

Born and raised in Veracruz, Patricia Quintana was initially taught to shop and cook by her mother. She went on to extend her culinary expertise by studying with some of the world’s most famous chefs in France, Switzerland and Canada. Returning to Mexico City, she established Mexico City’s first culinary institute, Alta Cocina, where she has taught for 20 years. She has served as executive chef for the Mexican Ministry of Tourism and has been referred to by the James Beard Foundation has referred to her as “the Julia Child of Mexico.”

For the past 35 years she has traveled throughout Mexico researching, teaching and writing about the range and sophistication of Mexico’s cuisine. “The origins of much of what I do lie with the Mayans, whose grand civilizations rose and fell long before the Spanish conquistadors stepped foot into the New World,” said Quintana adding that the Mayans ate corn, beans, chilies, vanilla, tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and chocolate long before Europeans arrived.

Her restaurant, Izote—named for the beautiful white flower of the yucca plant—is located in the elegant Mexico City neighborhood of Polanco. Izote opened seven years ago to rave reviews. Here Quintana is known for experimenting with classic recipes while striving to maintain local flavors and the techniques of ancient Mexican cooking. She often employs new methods that use less oil and include fresh indigenous herbs and vegetables. “My style of cooking is bringing sophistication to traditional recipes and giving Mexican food the recognition and honor it deserves,” she said.

Author of more than 20 cookbooks, her Taste of Mexico was lauded by the Chicago Tribune as “documented proof that Mexican food is sophisticated and worthy of a higher place in the culinary scheme of things.” Her latest cookbook—MULLI, the Book of Mole Sauces—includes mole recipes from all corners of Mexico and won the 2006 Gourmand Yearbook prize as one of the best cookbooks in its category.

She has written for such prestigious magazines as Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Connoisseur and Nouvelle Cuisine. She also has appeared on numerous television programs and participated as a speaker at the Culinary Institute of America and the Harvard School of Public Health, addressing the issue of the nutritional value of Mexican cuisine. Food Arts Magazine gave her their Silver Spoon Award, and she was awarded the Gold Laurel Prize from the Mexican-American Association.

Tickets for “Fiesta of Life” on July 13 are US$150 per person and are available online at www.feedthehungrysma.org or by calling Feed the Hungry at 152-2402. Tickets will be on sale in the Jardín from 10am until 1pm July 2–6 and 9–12. Tickets are available by advance purchase only.

A very small number of VIP packages are available which include the “Fiesta of Life” on July 13, a cooking class with Patricia Quintana at Sazon, a signed cookbook, a private cocktail party with the chef and a sterling silver keepsake designed by jeweler Renee Courtney especially for this event. VIP tickets are US$350.



Feed the Hungry is a nonprofit corporation in the US and Mexico and contributions are tax deductible. A donation of US$65 will feed a hungry child for an entire year. All proceeds from the “Fiesta of Life” will be used for operating Feed the Hungry kitchens. For more information please visit our website at www.feedthehungrysma.org or call Mary Murrell, President of the Board of Trustees, at 152-2402.

Save a Mexican mutt
By Atencion staff

The Sociedad Protectora de Animales (SPA) and Amigos de Animales have both helped tremendously to make San Miguel a safer and kinder place for all animals; Save a Mexican Mutt ( www.samm.petfinder.org ) deserves to be added to this list.

Begun in 2003 by Jim and Kelly Karger, this small organization has matched over 200 homeless sanmiguelense dogs with loving families in the US. Working with the SPA and respected shelters in Texas, New Mexico and Colorado—with the indispensable help of charitable individuals along the way—the Kargers have taken vaccinated, spayed/neutered dogs up for adoption. Prospective owners fill out a detailed application and a personal interview is conducted before the adoption.

There are currently four dogs awaiting adoption on the SAMM website list: a five-year-old German Shepherd mix named Choco Chip, a three-year-old boxer mix named Bebe, a two-year-old Doberman Pinscher mix named Mr. Nubs and a six-year-old black Labrador mix named Gloria.

The Kargers just returned from a trip to the US where they sent a dog from San Miguel to her new home in Connecticut by plane. She now has a family who absolutely adores her. In fact, many people who have adopted from SAMM apply to adopt a second canine companion from Mexico.

In April, the Kargers transported 11 dogs to Texas for distribution to their new homes, with the help of SAMM members Steve and Mary Dolch (from Albuquerque, New Mexico).

If you, or anyone you know, plans to drive to the US from San Miguel, or even fly, please consider helping transport some of these sweet animals to new homes up north by contacting the Kargers (kkarger@hotmail.com ). They are currently applying for 501(c)(3) status from the IRS, which would make SAMM a tax-exempt, non-profit organization; these trips and other donations would then be tax-deductible.

Another way you can contribute to this wonderful project is by fostering dogs while they wait to find a home. As many of you already know, the SPA is almost always overflowing, and the Kargers themselves do not have a shelter; thus, they usually need helpful dog-lovers here in San Miguel to temporarily care for the perritos. Save a Mexican Mutt is a heart-warming charity that deserves all the time and effort you can give, so get online and visit www.samm.petfinder.org and help San Miguel mutts on their way to happiness.