Letters, Dec 08, 2006

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Editor,

Indeed what we are living in San Miguel is a nightmare (Letter, Bob Freeman, Dec 1), and it will be difficult to awake from it. Unlike you, who have just returned to town, I have witnessed, astonished and powerless, day after day, the destruction of our main Jardín, of our sidewalks and squares, and of our green spaces and the construction of large buildings and signs. Also, we hear about new projects, such as the seven-floor El Caracol building, and the homes on the site of the former Hotel Aristos, which will include cutting down several dozen trees, among many other real state developments that like mushrooms will begin to sprout from the ground in 2007.
However, increasingly the number of sanmiguelenses who do not agree with this is growing. Some of us have let our authorities know this through a letter sent on November 29. When it is sent to the media, I hope Atención will be able to publish it in both languages. There are a lot more who will want to join us after reading the letter. 
The commission for the preservation of San Miguel’s cultural heritage has also been revitalized, according to what was published in the Official Diary on October 30, 1990. Among the objectives of this commission are “promoting the preservation of our cultural heritage and the traditions of the municipality” and “to gather groups and sectors of society to express their opinions and suggestions regarding the cultural heritage of the municipality and to transmit them to the authorities.” Last Thursday, November 30, a group of people, worried for what is happening, met with the head of the Urban Development Department and expressed to him their concerns. 
There is an email address, bastayasma@gmail.com, where people can voice their dissatisfaction with the actions taken against our cultural and natural heritage, as well as a website, www.bastayasma.blogspot.com, where people can find news, information and photos, published by different people and sources, which show the damage to this heritage.
Dear Freeman, not all is lost. It seems that authorities are able to listen, but we must make ourselves be heard. Using the proper means, we will undoubtedly obtain the results we want: to stop San Miguel’s destruction.
Best regards.

Lorea San Martín 

Editor, 

I would like to support Sr. Rodrigo Antonio Treviño Lozano’s concern about the recent construction of very tall buildings totally out of character for San Miguel.
A number of years ago, an international hotel chain built a six-story hotel in Bali, Indonesia. According to a Balinese friend, the people of Bali looked at it and decided that tall buildings did not belong in their country and were an insult to their cultural tradition. As a result, the people decided that adhering to their values was more important than money to be made from foreign development and that in the future no building should be taller than the palm trees on the island. 
I sincerely hope that when it comes to the planning and development of San Miguel the local citizens will protect the cultural and historical tradition of this beautiful old town by insisting that Mexican and foreign developers alike respect that unique tradition. 

Robert Alberts, MD

THANK YOU
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