June 13, 2008, Cont. fron front page, Head of Public Works leaves office, By Jesús Ibarra, The Locos are coming, By Jesús Ibarra

This caoba tree is in the jungles of Quintana Roo. Photo by Juan Salvador. Photo courtesy of Reforestemos México.

A photography exhibit of large, old trees in Mexico, called Centinelas del Tiempo (Sentinels of Time), was mounted in the former Presidencia building as part of the World Environment Day celebrations. The city council also officially voted that San Miguel should be a party to some important international ecological agreements.

Ecological projects by students

CECYTEG, a technical senior high school in San Miguel de Allende, presented two projects, snail breeding and recycling of batteries. “The slimy secretion of snails has important curative properties for first-, second- and third-degree burns,” said María de los Ángeles Zárate, coordinator of the Permanent Program of Environmental Education of CECYTEG. “We have a battery collection center to which people can take their old batteries. We then take the batteries to Civil Protection, which takes them to the recycling plant in Irapuato.” CECYTEG is located on Avenida Primero de Mayo, next to General Hospital Felipe G. Dobarganes.

Among the projects presented by CBTIS high school was a demonstration of the production of compost using the Red Californian worm, which produces a protein-rich humus used as a fertilizer.

The humus project dovetails with another CBTIS project, a greenhouse constructed of recycled plastic bottles. Plastic bottles are also used as pots for the plants. The greenhouse uses the humus fertilizer produced by the worms. According to the students, the first goal of the project is to plant trees around their school. “As the project grows, we would also help the authorities to reforest the whole municipality,” they said. The plants grown at the CBTIS greenhouse are local species such as pirul, cedar and ash trees. CBTIS, located on the road to Dolores at kilometer 2, collects all types of plastic bottles for recycling.

A third CBTIS project involves reclaiming waste water from school lavatories for irrigating the trees in the greenhouse. “The water from the lavatories is collected in a tank, where the sediments are separated from water,” said Carlos Ismael López Ortiz, a chemistry student at CBTIS. “The water then passes through a second tank, where it is filtered. In a third tank the water is chlorinated. Then it goes to the greenhouse.” The project is coodinated by biologist Armando Silva Pacheco. Local authorities presented an award to CBTIS for the water recycling project.

Proyecto de Educación Ambiental de San Miguel de Allende, PEASMA (Environmental Education Project of San Miguel), a program of FAI (Save the children), which promotes ecological education in elementary schools in the muncipality, also participated in the event.

Awards for other environmental projects

Besides the CBTIS water recycling program, four other outstanding environmental projects in San Miguel received awards of 5,000 pesos each.

An award was presented to Mark Thorne Hill for a system to test well water and the installation of rainwater collection systems. “Our project was about providing clean drinking water in the villages where we learned the wells are contaminated with fluoride. We have implemented a new technology to catch rainwater by building collection systems on top of schools and medical clinics in the rural communities,” said Thorne Hill. “The water is then saved in cisterns and filtered so that children in the villages can have clean drinking water. We tested 120 wells in different villages around the municipality. We demonstrated the program in the community of Agustín González and now we are trying to get more funding. We are hoping the Rotary Club of San Miguel will help to raise more money so that we can develop the project in other villages.”

An award was also granted to the Justo Sierra rural elementary school, in the community of Agustín Gonzáles, for participating in environmental projects and for implementing programs in environmental education. Teacher Edelmira Peralta Estudillo, the school’s principal, received the award and said that the school organizes theater productions with children, in the Otomí language, that have ecological themes.

Don Gustavo Spínolo, owner of Casa de Aves Hotel, was also granted an award for his support of ecological and environmental projects through the nonprofit civic association Fluviales de Vida. Don Gustavo has provided jobs at his hotel to several residents from the adjacent communities. He also has promoted environmental activities for saving the Laja River. Currently, he is working on a bicycle trail that would cross the nearby communities in the Atotonilco area. The trail could be a tourist attraction as well as a benefit for the inhabitants of the villages, whose main mode of transportation is the bicycle and who currently risk their lives riding along the road to Dolores. City Councilor Gerardo Arteaga, head of the City Council Ecology Commission, said that Don Gustavo has already presented his bicycle trail project to the city council and that it is being analyzed. “It is a very important and interesting project,” said Arteaga.

The fifth award was given in absentia to Doctor Alejandro Alatorre Ordaz, who directs a renewable energy project in three rural communities.

International environmental agreements

The city council officially approved the cooperation of San Miguel with three different international environmental agreements. The first one is the Carta de la Tierra (Letter of the Earth), managed by the United Nations and overseen in Mexico by Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, SEMARNAT (Federal Department of Environment and Natural Resources).

“The Letter of the Earth is a declaration of fundamental principles to form a globalized society, based on a respect for nature, social justice and human integrity,” said City Councilor Gerardo Arteaga. “With this agreement, San Miguel is obliged to respect such principles. We will send to SEMARNAT all the required documentation and they will send us the principles and activities we must follow and perform.” San Miguel de Allende is the first municipality in Guanajuato to join the Carta de la Tierra.

The San Francisco Urban Agreements are a series of 21 actions regarding energy, urban design, waste management, urban natural areas (parks), transportation, environmental health and water; cities that are party to the agreement pledge to uphold the terms. Arteaga explained that in 2005 representatives from San Miguel de Allende were invited to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the United Nations in San Francisco, along with representatives of world capitals such as London, Stockholm and New York. “We were invited because of a series of environmental activities we were performing at that time,” said Arteaga. “On that occasion we signed the Agreements but our participation was not official. Now, as part of the celebrations of the World Environment Day, it has been made official.”

The ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) is an organization of local governments working toward sustainability. According to Arteaga, there are more than 550 cities and municipalities in the organization. Its objective is to generate awareness about important subjects regarding the environment. The council provides training and technical assistance to the member cities for environmental projects and goals.

This ceiba tree is in a plaza in Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas. Photo by Jaime Meliton Pérez. Photo courtesy of Reforestemos México.

Sentinels of Time

Mexico is among the 15 most forested countries in the world. Its forests, woods and other varied ecosystems shelter more than 20 percent of the Earth’s biodiversity. Some of the large trees, whether in forests or other places, have been witnesses to our history. Bimbo Company, through its civic association Reforestemos México (Let’s Reforest Mexico) organized a photography contest, called “Sentinels of Time,” in order to identify these old trees around the country and start caring for and protecting them. More than 2,200 photographs of large trees from around Mexico were entered into the contest.

As part of the World Environment Day celebrations, Bimbo and the local Tourism, Economic Development and Foreign Relations Department mounted an exhibit of the best of the “Sentinels of Time” photographs on the first floor of the former Presidencia building. This exhibit will be open until June 29.

Jorge Zavala, who has been head of the local Public Works Department since Luis Alberto Villarreal’s administration, has resigned his post for personal reasons. He spoke with Atención about what he considers to be his achievements and what is pending in the department.

He also spoke about the new local slaughterhouse, which is being built on the road to Los Rodríguez.

Jesús Ibarra: Why did you resign?

Jorge Zavala: I left for personal reasons only.

JI: Are any projects pending in the department?

JZ: Yes, there are a lot, since we have started a lot of projects. Some of them are in progress. We are currently trying to get the resources to begin some others. I do not think it would be convenient to list them, since it might create uncertainty. They are all projects related to the development of San Miguel de Allende.

JI: What do you see as your main achievement during your tenure as director?

JZ: I think it would be unfair to mention achievements regarding public works, since they are not made by the Public Works Department alone but in coordination with other departments, with private support and with the goodwill of the people. But I would mention that I leave a lot of friends, a lot of companions, a lot of people who have collaborated with me to work successfully.

JI: Where will you be working now?

JZ: Well, I have my own businesses. This is the first time I have participated in public administration, first with Luis Alberto Villarreal, who invited me, and then with Mayor Correa. I have always been in private business. I have my own clients who are seeking me out and waiting on me, and I have a lot of things to do and a lot to develop. It is really sad for me to resign, since I don’t like to leave things undone, but I believe that the Public Works Department is well trained. People who work here are professionals and dedicated to their jobs and they know what to do.

JI: When do you leave office?

JZ: On Friday, June 13.

JI: Do you know who will take your place?

JZ: No.

JI: Are you satisfied with your work at the department?

JZ: I am very happy about what we do, but not satisfied. There are a lot of things to do in San Miguel. We have terrible delays. Progress and development have exceeded us. The population and number of vehicles have increased a lot in the last five years. This makes us feel that we are behind in getting things done.

JI: How is the new slaughterhouse going?

JZ: It is going fine in its first stage. There are still some questions, since we have to make the best choice regarding the type of equipment to use. However, we already have the resources for the next stage.

JI: When will it be ready?

JZ: According to the mayor’s goal, it must be ready before he leaves office.

JI: Where is it located?

JZ: It is on the road to Los Rodríguez, on the lefthand side, about 10 kilometers from San Miguel, between the communities of Puerto de Sosa and La Talega.

JI: Why was this site chosen?

JZ: A complete study was made to select the site, according to several requirements that were given to us.

JI: Will it be a TIF (Federal Inspection Type) slaughterhouse?

JZ: The project is designed as a TIF slaughterhouse; however, it could operate as a non-TIF slaughterhouse but it will have excellent sanitation.

On Sunday, June 15, at 11:30am the Locos (Crazy People) will depart from Ancha de San Antonio and frolic along Zacateros, Canal, Hernández Macías, Insurgentes, Pepe Llanos, Mesones, Núñez, and San Francisco, ending up on Plaza Principal along the Jardín.

Thousands of onlookers will crowd the sidewalks beginning in the early morning, awaiting the spectacle. Monsters, clowns, men dressed as grotesque women, Mexican politicians and popular entertainers are among the varied and original costumes to be seen, accompanied by colorfully decorated floats.

This carnival, celebrated the Sunday after San Antonio’s day on June 13, was originally an act of faith and devotion that began in the nioneteenth century, when orchard workers danced to give thanks and ask San Pascual Bailón for a prosperous year.

This Franciscan saint, who is celebrated on May 17, was in charge of the kitchen and the orchards of his monastery. Today, some of the Locos participate in the parade not only for fun, but also to show their great devotion to San Pascual Bailón.

During colonial times, San Miguel was surrounded by large orchards. From north to east lay the Sautto family orchard, which was irrigated with water from Presa del Obraje. To the west lay the orchards of the neighborhood of San Juan de Dios. They were all irrigated with natural springs and the water was carried through channels all around the city. The Franciscan friars at the Tercera Orden (Third Order) monastery, next to San Francisco church, held a celebration outside the church for the orchard workers to honor San Pascual Bailón on his day. In the afternoon, the friars went to the orchards to bless the crops. The Spanish landowners let their workers eat all they wanted from the orchard that day. The Locos parade derives from the orchard workers’ dance on San Pascual Bailón’s day. As onlookers increasingly crowded the dancers, some of the older celebrants began to disguise themselves as scarecrows to keep the crowd at a distance so the children would have room to dance. They also brought small wild animals such as raccoons, skunks or possums to scare the crowd away. The people began to call them “locos,” the name they still carry today.

During the nineteenth century, the Locos began to dress not only as scarecrows but also as clowns with colorful costumes and cardboard masks. The orchard laborers were divided into workgroups called cuadrillas, and each cuadrilla performed its own dance.

This is how the current groups, called cuadros, began; the groups take San Pascual Bailón as their patron.

The modern Locos parade actually condenses several celebrations into one event: San Isidro’s day on May 15, San Pascual Bailón’s day on May 17, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio’s day on June 1.

The Locos, although crazy, are well organized into four groups: Cuadro del Parque, Cuadro Antiguo, Cuadro Nuevo and Cuadro del Tecolote. Each cuadro is subdivided into several smaller groups. Colorful costumes, music, dance and candy are the main ingredients of this unique carnival.