Cont. from front page,

This first year has been one of study and analysis, working toward a better understanding of San Miguel’s problems and potential.

The mayor also noted substantial financial investment in the city from multinational enterprises. “During this first year of administration the city attracted important investments of more than 150 million dollars from the Spanish residential company FADESA, the International College for Experimental Learning (ICEL), the national chains Liverpool, MM Cinemas, Bajio, Banamex and Banorte banks and McDonalds.”

Public Security

Mayor Correa sees improvements made within the police force as the main achievement of his administration during the past year. “The budget for public security this year was 32 million pesos,” said Correa. “We have changed the image of the police and we have also introduced mobile police stations and three new stations in Los Rodríguez, Colonia Olimpo, and Colonia Bellavista.” 

Police Chief Daniel Trujillo said that one of the most important achievements of his department has been changing the public image of police officers. “I feel satisfied because all the objectives of my plan, which included the purchase of equipment and uniforms and increased salaries and benefits for officers, have been fulfilled.” Last year, the city had only five patrol cars; now, it has 15. 

In the coming year, Trujillo plans to hold more training courses for officers and to acquire additional technology. “One planned project is the installation of closed-circuit cameras throughout the urban area and more public lighting.” He added that he plans to form a special squad, the Ghost Group, made up of 12 highly trained members to deal with gangs in troublesome neighborhoods. The group will also guard banks. He plans to request a budget of 35 million pesos for the coming year. 

Trujillo thanked the mayor and the city council for having believed in him and his objectives. 


Education

Regarding education, Mayor Correa said that the greatest achievement has been the opening of a public university, housed within the Pípila High School facilities, that offers courses related to San Miguel’s main economic activity: tourism. “We also have an agreement with the ICEL (International College for Experimental Learning), to which the local government has already donated three hectares (7.4 acres) of land valued at 30 million pesos. The institution will pay for the land by granting scholarships to 250 students. Afterward, it will continue granting scholarships.”

Correa and Verónica Agundis, head of the Education and Culture Department, agreed that the CDCOM (Center of Community Development), located in Fraccionamiento Insurgentes, is another great achievement of this department. “It is bringing help to 20 poor neighborhoods in the upper part of the city, offering free workshops for all members of the family.”

Agundis said that since she assumed her post she has completed several projects she had begun during the past administration. Besides the public university, she indicated that another step forward for education is the new public library that will open in December at CDCOM. The new library will have a computer room as well as a game room and a language center. She said that the public library on calle Pepe Llanos will remain open. 

Agundis also noted that 10 million pesos have been invested in improving the educational infrastructure to meet needs in the urban and rural areas and increase the number of scholarships. “We sent 5,000 applications to the state program “Contigo vamos a la escuela” (“We go to school with you”), of which 1,900 were accepted. The local government invested 1 million pesos to increase these scholarships.” Agundis commented that along with these 1,900 scholarships the local government granted 508 additional scholarships through the public library on calle Pepe Llanos. 

Agundis also mentioned the expansion of the university and the technical high school CECITEG facilities in order to increase their capacities from 200 students each to 600. She also said that her department will continue working along with other departments such as Social and Human Development to increase assistance to rural communities in the areas of education and culture. 

Increase in levels of literacy was another achievement for Agundis. “The local government has issued 193 literacy certificates, 184 elementary school certificates and 380 high school certificates. One of the proposals of my department is that all the scholarship students give back to the community by working in a literacy program.”

Agundis said that the mayor and the city council have been supportive of her and her department and listen to her ideas with an open mind. She announced that her budget is three million pesos, which goes toward the 26 salaries of the department’s employees, the Angela Peralta Theater, the Casa de la Cultura, the public library, CDCOM, and support for all the festivities in town such as the fiestas patrias, Saint Michael the Archangel festivities, Day of the Dead and Christmas.

Urban Development

In the area of urban development, Correa noted that the major achievement during his administration has been analysis of 6 of the 10 micro-regions (see Atención, September 21) in the municipality, covering most of the rural communities. The analysis shows the problems and the development potential of each micro-region and aids authorities in making decisions and solving problems. “This analysis is a basic tool to guide the local government’s actions,” said Correa. “We are the first municipality in Guanajuato to do this.” 

Correa commented that the project for a new highway that will connect the road to Querétaro with Commonfort, diverting traffic from San Miguel, is in the stage of releasing the right of transit. “We are in talks with the owners of the land that will be affected. It is important to do this in order to avoid future problems,” he said. 

Ángel Gastélum, head of the Urban Development Department, sees as another success the removal of unauthorized advertising from the roadsides as well as posts and walls around the city. “If all the fees are paid, permission for posting announcements and publicity is granted without problem. We ask organizers of events to make their publicity removable so it can be taken down easily when the event has passed. This is important because it is a means of maintaining the urban image.”

He added that an urban image study was also conducted for all the entrances to San Miguel; in the coming year he will request funds to carry out the improvements suggested by the study. 

Gastélum said that another achievement is the 26 million pesos managed through the federal program “Pueblos Mágicos” (Magic Towns), of which 5 million are slated for Atotonilco. Other projects funded from this source include signs for the historic center and restoration of the Santa Escuela Church (next to the Parroquia) and clock tower, the Oratorio’s façade, the San Juan de Dios Cemetery and Santo Domingo Church. “It will also include a fifth stage of restoration of the Parroquia and installation of underground cable,” he explained.

Among his projects for the coming year, Gastélum hopes to request 60 million pesos from Pueblos Mágicos, which will cover part of the improvements to the entrances to the city. Another project is the analysis of the other four micro-regions. 

Ecology

Correa announced that the major achievement of the Ecology Department, whose director, Don Patterson, was not available for comment, was the study and analysis of the ecological sites within the municipality. The work was performed by the department along with nongovernment institutions such as the Autonomous University of Querétaro (UAQ), Biópolis, Save the Laja, and Ecosystem Science. Results of the analysis will allow the rescue of micro-basins and brooks such as Presa de las Colonias and Cachinches and help determine sites that should be reforested and the areas to be kept for collecting rain water and filtration. “These are solutions in which money has been invested but they are not immediately apparent. However, they have a great importance since they will ensure the availability and quality of water in San Miguel, as well maintaining ecological zones,” said the mayor. 

Another achievement of this department was the installation of a rain water collection and purification system at the school in the rural community of Agustín González; the water in the community’s well contains high levels of fluoride (see Atencion, July 6, 2007). 


Social and Human Development and Public Works

According to Correa, there have been several advances in the Social and Human Development area, such as the paving of streets in urban and rural areas, completion of the shelter at the General Hospital Felipe Dobarganes, which will allow the relatives of patients to spend the night there, a project for a new sports center, and the creation of 900 new jobs. 

“The local government invested 1,300,000 pesos for the construction of the hospital shelter. Some details concerning equipment are still lacking but will be provided by the board,” explained Correa. 

Regarding the sport center project, he said that he intends to build it in Ejido de Tirado. “It is not an officially sanctioned neighborhood, so we are now working on the legalization of the property, but the authorization for the project has already been signed.”

Another road, connecting La Cieneguita to the road to Guanajuato and passing through Cruz del Palmar, will also be constructed. 

Five neighborhood centers that will provide public space for family activities are also planned. Three will be located in Parque Clouthier, Colonia Santa Cecilia, and Fraccionamiento Insurgentes.

Correa said that 900 jobs were generated by the coming of Liverpool and other businesses to La Luciérnaga as well as at other developments; these include both temporary construction jobs and permanent positions. He added that an international software company, Next Door Inc., will come to San Miguel and provide around 350 jobs. 

José Luis Téllez, head of the Social and Human Development Department, said that some of the streets that were paved were Fray Servando Teresa de Mier Street, in Colonia San Rafael; Privada 5 de Mayo, near Pípila High School; and several streets in rural communities. Téllez said that there are projects for three important avenues, one that will connect the neighborhoods in San Luis Rey with the libramiento Manuel Zavala, another that will cross Fraccionamiento Ignacio Ramírez and a street that will connect the road to Alcocer with the Boulevard de la Conspiración. Téllez said that he worked with a budget of more than 150 million pesos, which came from local, state and federal funds. 


Tourism and Economic Development

Mayor Correa said that he asked Francisco Peyret, head of the Tourism and Economic Development Department, for a detailed analysis of the economic profile of San Miguel, with the intention of having a tool to design the economic future of the city and to attract the investments needed in the different economic sectors. “It will be useful to know which businesses are needed in San Miguel. All the investors request this kind of information,” said the mayor.

Peyret announced that the local government, through his department, has already signed an agreement with UNAM (The National Autonomous University of Mexico) in order to satisfy the mayor’s request. He said that this agreement will be disclosed in a few weeks.

He also mentioned that another agreement is about to be signed with UNAM and with the public library of San Miguel, which will include several projects such as an education center in which students and professionals can study for master’s degrees online, officially recognized by UNAM. “The presence of the library of UNAM will allow us to have access to major libraries and universities around the world from our own public library,” said Peyret. “UNAM will provide the appropriate technological resources for this project.” He added that through this agreement the Center of Economic Studies of the Bajío for UNAM will be established in San Miguel. 


Transit 

Samuel Mercadillo, head of the Transit Department, said that one of his main achievements is the intensive training given to children, teachers and parents in the schools on how to control traffic as students enter and leave school. He also noted that automobile accidents in the municipality have decreased but cannot give exact figures until the end of the year. 

He sees the program that gives pedestrians the right of way when crossing the street as another success. 

“We have also begun programs for regulating traffic downtown,” said Mercadillo, referring to the proposed installation of parking meters and a study of the traffic situation and needs in San Miguel, which “will be a very important tool for making decisions about traffic regulations.” 

“Some of the buses for public transport that have ended their cycle of 15 years have been replaced by new, shorter ones,” said Mercadillo, who added that buses on the blue line have installed a system that will not allow the bus to move if the door is open. 

Mercadillo said that his department’s oversight of bus drivers has reduced the number of citizen complaints. “Drivers must submit to drug tests, and we do not accept drivers with a history of alcohol or drug abuse,” he said. 

Another achievement of this department is the installation of a video camera in the downtown area that gives a 360-degree view and the installation of software in some buses that allows them to be continuously tracked.

The projects for next year include the installation of a second camera. 


Public Relations

For Miriam Alejo, head of the Public Relations Department, the major achievements of her department include approaching the media to improve communication with them and disseminating information concerning San Miguel’s bid to be named a UNESCO World Heritage site and the cancellation of the Sanmiguelada. 

“We had the support of the local and national media in the areas from which most visitors usually come for the Sanmiguelada: Monterrey, Querétaro, León, Aguascalientes and Mexico City,” said Alejo. “I think we did a good job since there were a lot of people during this past weekend but not as many as last year.” 

Another of her department’s achievements is approaching the foreign community through the Tourism, Economic Development and International Relations Department. “Through several meetings and with the support of this department we could approach the foreign community, which is a very important part of the society, to inform them about the issues that concern them.”

In the coming year Alejo hopes to increase contact between her department and the public and is planning to publish a quarterly magazine to be called “Cumplimos contigo.” 


ICOMOS experts, a successful visit 

Mayor Correa announced during his annual report on September 24 that the inspection in situ by ICOMOS (International Council of Monuments and Sites) experts concluded successfully this month.

“The visit was a great success. ICOMOS representative, Cuban architect Isabel Rigol Savio, said that San Miguel’s level of authenticity and integrity is extraordinary; and that the city has an excellent level of management—(M)superior to that in other sites.”

The Mayor expressed confidence in San Miguel’s bid to become a World Heritage city at the July 2008, meeting in Québec, Canada For more information see the article “Story of a Nomination” by Francisco Vidargas. 

Story of a nomination
By Francisco Vidargas

In today’s San Miguel de Allende there are, as in several other Mexican towns, various beautiful religious and civic buildings full of architectural contrasts. 

The cultural heritage of our stately colonial village has been preserved in great part due to the nature and love of its inhabitants, both Mexicans and foreigners. 

San Miguel’s architecture is witness to styles and emotions which found their maximum expression in buildings such as San Francisco Church and the Oratorio of San Felipe Neri, as well as in its singular Parroquia and the Convent of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, or Las Monjas as it is known. Each street, step by step, with its niches, stone arches, iron gates, lovely yards, halls and fountains, deeply touches us and lets us view—(M)as Francisco de la Maza, the first historian of samiguelense art, wrote—(M)one of the most surprising landscapes of the human effort. 

Many people have been concerned about preserving and protecting our city from destruction. Among the many groups that have worked in the last century and this are Sociedad de Amigos de San Miguel (Society of Friends of San Miguel), the Comité Organizador para la Conservación de San Miguel (Organizing Committee for San Miguel Preservation), and the always tenacious Comisión Local para la Preservación del Patrimonio Cultural (Local Commission for Cultural Heritage Preservation). 

Also, some responsible government administrations have been conscious of the historical and artistic value of the city and have worked to preserve it through legislation, chiefly the Law of Protection and Preservation of the City, which recognized San Miguel as a Typical Town in 1939; the Cooperation for Material Improvements in 1953; and the Decree of Historical Monuments Area in 1982. 

The rescue and preservation of the cultural heritage of San Miguel de Allende has been a subject of public interest on several occasions and has been the goal of several public and private institutions, among them the Society for the Defense of the Artistic Treasures of Mexico and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and individuals such as Carmen Masip, Rafael Solana, Jorge Alberto Manrique, Maruja González, Luis Weckmann, Gustavo Curiel, Leda Arias de la Canal, Federico Siller, Marthe Fernández and Luis Felipe Nieto. 

I invited the participation of members of the local commission at two national meetings, the First Colloquy on the Inclusion of Modern Architecture in Historic Downtowns (Conaculta/Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, 1991) and the Third Colloquy: The Civil Society Before the Cultural Heritage (UNAM, 1994), both with published proceedings. 

The rescue and preservation of the world’s cultural heritage requires not only great economic and human effort on the part of the involved authorities, but also the active participation of society. The authorities may put forth great effort, but the work becomes difficult because of several problems: costs, lack of experts, lack of political involvement, etc. But there is no doubt that without the presence of the appropriate authorities (responsible by law for taking care of the heritage) the destruction will be greater. 

Over the years, initiatives have been taken to nominate San Miguel for the World Heritage list. While Eleazar Romero worked on a local proposal, we promoted the city’s nomination among the Mexican Committee of ICOMOS (International Council of Monuments and Sites). 

But a very important component was missing: the political will of the local government. A change came just four years ago, thanks to the support of the current senator Luis Alberto Villarreal. From that moment, with the assistance of Francisco Javier López Morales from the World Heritage Department of INAH (in charge of coordinating the Mexican proposals), a work group was formed under the direction of Christopher Finkelstein and Edgar Urbán, with the collaboration of Guadalupe Horta, Don Patterson, Graciela Cruz, Luis Felipe Nieto, Jorge F. Hernández and Francisco Vidargas. 

This group devoted itself to getting San Miguel, along with the Shrine of Jesus Nazarenus in Atotonilco, on the list of recommended Mexican sites, and afterwards on developing the technical file, which was delivered by local authorities to the World Heritage Committee in Paris in February 2007. Having kept close communication with the experts in charge of the evaluation of proposals required by UNESCO, we can say that the San Miguel document that was delivered was one of the most complete that have been submitted from Mexico in recent years.

What comes now? After the inspection by ICOMOS experts (perhaps the most important and difficult part of the process, since acceptance of the site for inclusion on the list depends on it), we will wait for the upcoming meetings of the World Heritage Committee (one in January in Paris, and the decisive meeting in June or July in Québec) to learn whether San Miguel and Atotonilco have been accepted. 

The World Heritage list currently includes more than 830 sites that constitute exceptional universal value. There are, currently, 26 Mexican sites, both cultural and natural, and Mexico has more World Heritage sites than any other Latin American country. 

With the inclusion of San Miguel and Atotonilco, our city could gain access, through the World Heritage Convention, to the financial and technical assistance that UNESCO offers to its member sites. Each year, an average of 4 million dollars are provided to support the identification, preservation and promotion of the registered sites, channeled through five areas: assistance in preparing preservation proposals and management plans; training of the sites’ staff; technical cooperation for the development and execution of preservation plans and maintenance; support for educational and cultural promotion; and assistance in rescue following natural disasters. 

With the nomination, San Miguel will attract more cultural tourism, which will bring to the city a larger number of international visitors, and with them jobs and money, as happened in the case of Antigua, Guatemala, one of the first cities in Latin America to be named a World Heritage site. All this is within the framework of sustainable tourism, which combines the principles of conservation of the cultural and natural heritage and the development of tourist and business areas. 

If UNESCO decides to include San Miguel and Atotonilco, it will be recognizing not only isolated monuments but all the historical, artistic, natural and cultural aspects of our city, which is unique in Mexico. The technical file was developed with this in mind. 

The government, as well as the citizenry, will have more responsibility since they will have to help preserve the San Miguel’s cultural and natural heritage. But I think that recent history shows that sanmiguelenses have already gone a long way toward doing exactly that. 

Francisco Vidargas, ex-director of Bellas Artes San Miguel, is a consultant on cultural affairs.

Family Services department reaching out to community

Family Services Agency (DIF) annual report
Wed, Oct 3, 5:30–(N)7:30pm
Slide presentation in English
Wine reception
Teatro Angela Peralta
Cnr Hérnandez Macias & Mesones

The Family Services agency in San Miguel is one of the most important departments of the municipality, yet its activities, programs and contribution often pass unrecognized by the community. The agency provides a wide range of services to the urban and rural poor in five main areas: food and nutrition, education, housing, health and culture. Little known programs include school scholarships for the children who sell chicle in the streets, food packages for beggars and generic medicines for everyone for 20 pesos or at cost.

The state-funded agency is traditionally run by the wife of the current mayor, an obligatory but altruistic position. Patricia Gutièrez Rebollo, wife of mayor Jesus Correa, is the current director, and she will present, for the first time in San Miguel, the annual report in English. 

DIF’s services can be categorized into four areas.

Community Development—the objective of the housing program, Mi Casa DIFerente (My DIFerent home), is to provide families of urban or rural communities who live in extreme poverty a worthy house for their families. The program does require some financial or labor contribution to the house as the philosophy of the organization is that participation is part of the solution. In this past year, materials for houses were granted to 434 people in 85 families.

Nutrition and Food—the program promotes improving the nutrition of those who present indications of malnourishment, with the objective to support healthy eating. Through meetings, talks, culinary demonstrations, nutritional consultation, civic and cultural education, the program seeks to build healthy habits towards food and nutrition in the community, and so building healthy habits for life.

Social Assistance—the program looks to support the most vulnerable members of the community by offering assistance in battling psychological and social challenges with counseling and other programs.

Legal Protection for Children and Families—the program uses interdisciplinary resources to attend to the victims of family violence, with special allowances for medical, economic, social, personal and psychological challenges.

This event is an excellent opportunity to meet Gutièrez and assistant director Gabriela Bribiesca Finkelstein who will host a wine reception after the slide presentation.

Creating a picture of peace
By Larry Mills

International Day for Non-Violence
Mandala for Peace
Tues, Oct 2, 9am
Charco del Ingenio
152-0376

In celebration of the birth of Gandhi and his teachings of non-violence, a unique ceremony will be held in both Ahmedabad, India, Mexico City, Mexico and Rome, Italy on October 2.

One of the highlights will be the creation of a mandala (sacred plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically). Cesar Arias, director and founder of El Charco del Ingenio, will be in India to participate in this international event for non-violence taking with him some soil from El Charco del Ingenio to add to the mandala.

In support of the director and the principles of non-violence, a ceremony will be held at the botanical gardens. All sanmigulenses are invited to attend and create a mandala comprising of soil from their gardens.

Oraworld Mandala, a Rome based non-governmental organization working to promote Gandhian ideals, is the international coordinator of the event. ORA (Organization for Reconciliation through Art), identifies its role as “a worldwide community in which art, economics, science and spirituality intersect in the collective comprehension of our interdependence and oneness.”

The activities coincide with the recently instituted United Nations International Day of Non-Violence that honors the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth, October 2. The UN initiative originated at an international conference on “Peace, Non-Violence and Empowerment—Gandhian Philosophy in the 21st Century” that was held in New Delhi in January. For UN officials, the day represents the “desire to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence.” 

For more information, call Alicia Mayo on 152-0376 and visit www.oraworldmandala.org  or owm@oraworldmandala.org .

The Oraworld mandala

Each point in the mandala represents an initiative of the group

1. Education for a Culture of Peace

2. Human Rights and Responsibilities

3. Gender Equality

4. Disarmament and International Security

5. Understanding, Tolerance and Solidarity

6. Democratic Participation

7. Sustainable Economic and Social Development

8. Participatory Communication and Freedom of Information