cont. from front page,

Wishing to recognize the important role teachers play in society, in 1917 Colonel Benito Ramírez García and Doctor Enrique Viesca Lobatón presented a proposal to the Union Congress that May 15 be officially designated Teacher’s Day. The proposal was officially approved on September 27, 1917 by President Venustiano Carranza.

Schools in San Miguel

The municipality of San Miguel has 128 public kindergartens (27 urban and 101 rural) and 13 private kindergartens. Public primary schools number 197 (35 urban and 162 rural); an additional 13 are private institutions. Of the 50 secondary schools, 44 are rural and 6 urban. There are another nine private secondary schools. The city is home to nine private and three public senior high schools. Nine videobachilleratos, in which classes are taught by video, are also available. All but one such school are in rural locations.

The city has three private universities: the University of León, Universidad Continente Americano (American Continent University) and Centro de Estudios Superiores de Allende. A new public university, the Universidad Técnica del Norte de Guanajuato, just opened last year.

Requirements and wages for teachers

Teachers in Guanajuato are coordinated by the Secretaría de Educación de Guanajuato, SEG (Guanajuato’s Education Department), a branch of the Secretaría de Educación Pública, SEP (Federal Public Education Department). An office of the SEG located on Calzada de la Estación coordinates the teachers and schools of the municiality of Allende, in addition to some other municipalities in the area. According to school district superintendent José Carmen Bonilla, about 1,700 teachers are hired each year in the municipality. “Thanks to the anticipated enrollments in February, we know how many teachers we will need for the next academic year,” said Bonilla. He added that teachers must be certified to be hired. “If a teacher has finished his or her studies but still does not have a certificate, he or she would not be hired,” he said. 

Teachers in Guanajuato earn from 3,600 to 15,000 pesos a month, based on their preparation, level of study and years of service. SEP has a program for teachers called “Carrera Magisterial” in which teachers must take continuing education courses in order to increase their salaries. “The program offers training courses for teachers; after taking them, and according to their evaluations, teachers can increase their salaries, even doubling them,” said Bonilla. He explained that teachers can also take courses on their own and that this would also be taken into account when determining salaries.

Teachers who take these extra courses are classified into categories, denoted A, B, C and D, according to their level of study. “If a teacher advances a category, he or she could also receive an extra bonus of between 200 and 10,000 pesos. The higher the category, the higher the bonus,” said Bonilla. 

Estela de Anda, who has been a teacher in rural schools for 24 years, thinks salaries for teachers are quite low and said that it is very difficult to get into a category. “With 24 years of experience, I am only in the ‘A’ category. I think teachers are randomly chosen for passing from one category to another. It is so difficult that some of them have not even got into the ‘A’ category and have decided not to take the exams,” she said. 

Teachers in private schools in San Miguel earn between 8,000 and 10,000 pesos and usually do not participate in the “Carrera Magisterial” program. 

Teachers in rural communities

Estela de Anda, currently a teacher in the rural community of San José de Gracia, said that during her 24-year teaching career she has taught in six different rural communities in the municipalities of Allende and Doctor Mora. “When I was in Doctor Mora, it used to take me about two hours to get from my home in San Miguel to the school in the community. When it rained, it was almost impossible to get to the school. However, I have always enjoyed teaching in rural communities. It is very satisfactory to share with the children what I know and to help them as much as I can. There are two ex-students with whom I am still in contact; they say I am like their mother. One of them, a boy from the community of El Paredón, is now 27 years old and works in the US. He still calls me from time to time.”

Margarita Olvera, also a teacher in San José de Gracia, has taught for 19 years. She has always taught in rural communities and thinks it is difficult to be a teacher in a rural school because rural teachers have to develop strategies for teaching multiple grades in a single group. “In San José de Gracia there are three grades grouped together: first, second and third,” she said. She especially enjoys working with first and second graders, because they are just beginning to read. According to Olvera, parents in rural communities usually support the teachers. 

Olvera, like every public school teacher in the country, belongs to SNTE (National Syndicate of Education Workers). “The SNTE always gives us its support in all aspects,” she said. Olvera would not consider moving from a rural to an urban school. “I feel very happy in this rural school, and I like to work in open spaces. Besides, there are special programs of incentives for rural teachers so they will keep teaching in their communities,” she said. 

A mission for the future

María Eugenia Cerroblanco began teaching in 1973 in Fray Pedro de Gante School. “I was not yet a certified teacher. I was still studying, but I was already teaching first grade,” said Cerroblanco. “I stayed in Fray Pedro for 15 years.

My first group had 35 children, and when the nun tried to divide the group the mothers said they wanted their children to be with me, even though I was an inexperienced teacher. That was very heartening for me. Sometines I had groups of 75 children.” 

For Cerroblanco, it is not difficult to be a teacher. “It is only a matter of vocation and responsibility,” she said. “I have heard some teachers say that if they are only paid for half a job they will only do half the work, and it is really sad for me to hear that. Teachers must prepare a class even for one single student. I also taught in a public school in 1979, and some teachers there used to force the children to copy pages and pages, while they spent their time smoking outside the classroom. I was the only female teacher there and the only one who really prepared for and taught class, so I used to feel a little uncomfortable. This is not fair to students.”

Cerroblanco said that when she attends public school teachers’ meetings “they spend time arguing about salaries, benefits and unions, but nothing about students, who should be their priority.”

For Cerroblanco it is more difficult to teach in a public school than in a private one because “you do not have the support of the parents, and the basis of children’s education is the family. Our work as teachers does not have the same efficiency without the support of the parents.”

“Teachers must realize that they have a mission to give a quality education to students so that we can have a better country in the future,” said Cerroblanco.

Guanajuato to host Expo Bicentenario in 2010
By Gabriela Blanco and Jesús Ibarra

(source: www.expobicentenario.guanajuato.gob.mx )

Eighty hectares of land along the road from Guanajuato to Silao near the General Motors factory has been chosen as the site for Expo Bicentenario 2010, a sort of World’s Fair to celebrate the bicentennial of Mexican independence.

The Expo will be open from July to December 2010. The decision was officially announced by President Felipe Calderón, who, accompanied by Sergio Vela, head of CONACULTA (National Culture and Arts Center), and Rafael Tovar y de Teresa, national coordinator of the Bicentennial Organizing Commission, visited Guanajuato on May 8, the anniversary of Miguel Hidalgo’s birth 225 years ago. 

A large green area known as Bicentennial Park will surround the Expo and will include a cactus garden, a sculpture hall, a carnival, a transportation hub, hotels and a camping area.

Various pavilions will house cultural, historical, artistic, musical and ecological exhibits and events highlighting Mexico’s heritage. 

In addition to pavilions that spotlight Mexico’s culture and past, the Tomorrow Pavilion will focus on visualizing the future of the country. An Ibero-American Pavilion will showcase the connection among the nations linked by a common language. 

Coinciding with the Expo, three historical monuments in the area will undergo restoration: the Alhóndiga (granary) in Guanajuato, Museo Casa Hidalgo in Dolores Hidalgo and the Ángela Peralta Theater in San Miguel de Allende. Archeological sites such as Cañada de la Virgen in San Miguel and Peralta in Abasolo will be open to the public. A highway linking Guanajuato and Irapuato will be built and the roads linking San Miguel to Celaya and Dolores Hidalgo will be resurfaced. A new reservoir, Presa El Zapotillo, will be built to supply water to the city of Léon and other locations in the Bajío region of Mexico. 

State commissions have been formed in Campeche, Coahuila, Colima, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, México and Michoacán to organize celebrations under the auspices of the national commission headed by Tovar y de Teresa. 

Expected economic benefits of Expo Bicentenario 2010

3,000 construction jobs 15,000 indirectly related jobs 12 million estimated adult visitors 6 million estimated young visitors  3 billion pesos in revenue for the state

Final pitch in the City of Lights
By Jesús Ibarra

Mayor Jesús Correa and city secretary Cristóbal Finkelstein traveled to UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, to promote San Miguel de Allende one last time before this summer’s vote on the city’s World Heritage status.

During their trip, Corea and Finkelstein spoke with several of the ambassadors who will meet from July 2 to 10 in Québec, Canada, to decide whether San Miguel will be added to the list of sites. They expressed optimism about the outcome of the decision in July.

Playing aroun in Insurgentes Park

Last month, three city departments (Obras Públicas, Desarrollo Social, Desarrollo Urbano), Public Works, Social Development and Urban Development, presented the conclusion of the first phase of construction in Insurgentes Park. The park was included in the federal program of rescuing public spaces and the first stage consisted of design, reconstruction and park games for children. Construction began in November 2007 and took six months.

The second phase starts in June and will include benches, grills, lamps, trashcans and accessories, according to Felipe Tapia, subdirector of Social Development.

Insurgentes Park is located off Carretera a Querétaro in Fraccionamiento Insurgentes, between calles Santiago Cabrera and Mariscal Francisco de Lanzagorta.

Neighbors of Insurgentes are unhappy and angry at this first phase because the park is not finished. The trash, gravel and stones left behind are dangerous for children and the park games are not designed for small kids.

“The reconstruction of the park is so slow, the municipality already has spent one million pesos and the park is incomplete. Now the authorities want us to clean and do maintenance. That’s their work; we paid taxes,” said Arturo Gonzalez, a resident of the Insurgentes neighborhood.

Limited consular services

Last week San Miguel’s US consul Ed Clancy returned to the United States to continue important health treatments. His leave of absence extends until mid-July.

Services offered by the local consular agency will be highly limited during the next two months. Due to lack of personnel, the US Embassy in Mexico City can only send a representative every three weeks to provide consular services. San Miguel consul secretary Leticia Cerritos recommends that US citizens in need of immediate attention go directly to the US Embassy in Mexico City. She can receive documentation for notary services and for loss or replacement of passports. However, she cannot confirm when embassy officials will be in San Miguel. Cerritos will post a notice on the consul door to inform the public of the next visit by officials.

US Embassy information

US Consul San Miguel
152-2357

US Embassy in Mexico City
mexico.usembassy.gov/eng/main.html 
Paseo de la Reforma 305
Col. Cuauhtemoc
Mexico, DF 06500
E-mail: ccsmexicocity@state.gov
Tel: (01-55) 5080-2000
Fax: (01-55) 5525-5040

Citizen services
Visit mexico.usembassy.gov/eng/citizen_services.html

Organized crime attempt thwarted in San Miguel 
By Atención staff 

San Miguel and state police and the army shut down city hall Wednesday, May 7, for several hours after the capture of four criminals with drug trafficking connections. The 200-agent security operation reflects the zero-tolerance policy toward organized crime in Guajanuato after a similar incident in a small town at the north of the state ended in violence. 

Local and national media were called to the building for a press conference that day; however, local authorities remained tight lipped about the situation. Police Chief Daniel Trujillo confirmed in a radio interview that the arrested men had earlier attempted to bribe him to permit narcotienditas, or small points of drug trafficking.

A press release from Comunicacion Social (municipal public relations department) issued May 8 stated: “San Miguel Police detained four alleged criminals. The incident occurred at 7am Wednesday, May 7, on Calzada de La Estación, where they were apprehended for carrying ammunition permitted exclusively to the military.

“The subjects apprehended were identified as Javier Ortega Elizondo (39) from Monterrey; Cesar Gama Leonel (29) from Cuautla, Morelos; Epifano Abanco Flores (no age given), from Acapulco; and Antonio Hernandez Tapia (27), Mexico City.

“After eight hours’ detention in the municipal jail they were handed over to agents from the Procuraduria General de Justicia (Attorney General’s office) who will conduct the corresponding investigations.

“Given the alleged relation of those arrested with federal crimes and in the interest of public safety, a security operation was conducted with the participation of approximately 200 officials from municipal and state police and members of the army.” 

Presidencia evacuated

Presidencia staff were instructed to leave the building at 11am, May 7. Police officials from neighboring towns, the Ministerial Police, the Mexican Army and 20 agents of the Grupo Especial de Reacción Inmediata (Rapid Reaction Task Force) from the state Office of Justice, joined forces for the operation. Snipers were positioned on the roof of city hall and a federal police helicopter surveyed the area. The building remained off limits until after 3pm when the offenders were transported in a convoy of 10 state police vehicles to the State Attorney’s office in Guanajuato. Staff returned to work the next day; minimum security was implemented.

Details become public

More specific information was published May 8 in the state dailies El Correo and A.M.

According to the lead story in El Correo May 8 (www.correo-gto.com.mx), Elizondo was arrested for assault of a woman in a bar the night of May 6. The morning of May 7, three men arrived to pay his fine at the police station. The article quotes an unidentified source as saying that police officials recognized the men as the same ones who had earlier attempted to bribe the San Miguel Police Chief. Officials detained the men and found the ammunition, then called for reinforcements for the safety of city hall personnel.

El Correo also referred to previous incidents of threats of other police officials and drug-related activities in small towns in the north of the state which are part of organized crime activity from the neighboring state of Michoacán.

The state daily A.M. (www.am.com.mx) reported the same events with added comment from Procurador de Justicia del Estado (Attorney General) Federico Daniel Chowell, who confirmed that the four were arrested for attempting to bribe the police chief to permit asuntos de narcomenudeo (small drug stores and activities). Chowell further stated he has increased inter-institutional security operations and that such incidents and attacks by organized crime have further strengthened government resolve to fight organized crime.

San Miguel in the International News
Compiled by Atención staff

Recent newspaper articles from the US and Canada have focused, not surprisingly, on creativity in San Miguel, from designs for living to a house of art.

The art of living in Casa San Miguel
By Lisa Boone, March 27, 2008
Los Angeles Times

In reviewing the new book Casa San Miguel: Inspired Design and Decoration by 

Annie Kelly and Tim Street-Porter, Lisa Boone starts by quoting the author of the book´s foreword, Jorge Almada: “There is no ‘San Miguel style.’” Only “an amalgamation of influences,” says the co-founder of the Casamidy design store in the Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende.

Writer Annie Kelly and her husband, photographer Tim Street-Porter, highlight that diversity in narratives paired with captivating photographs that provide a real sense of why so many expatriates are flocking to this colony of artists.

Kelly’s profiles of the casas, casonas, haciendas and ranchos and their homeowners are part biography, part history lesson and part travelogue. But this is ultimately a design book. It is filled with ideas for anyone in need of Mexican inspiration such as painting a dining room red to reflect the color of the bougainvillea outside or pairing a red Chinese Art Deco rug with Mexican Deco-style furniture.

For complete text, http://www.latimes.com/features/home/
la-hm-book27mar27,1,3455060.story 

Former Montrealer becomes San Miguel’s brightest Cross
By Nancy Snipper, March 25, 2008

The Monitor

Carly Cross remembers the moment clearly. “I was coming out of my dorm from McGill University when I slipped on some ice, landing face first in slushy snow.” A turning point for this talented woman, she left Montreal after graduating with a double major in music and psychology. Cross, who has crossed borders most of her 33 years, including those of Hampstead and NDG and the USA looking for “a lighter light” (as she put it) is now in a brighter place: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Settling in 2001 in San Miguel, Carly fulfilled her dream of running a cultural arts camp. She had been a camp director in Maine for seven years, and in 2000, she established MexArt, her cozy camp for teens which she ran from Maine for a year.

Artsy and fun, MexArt’s busy schedule caters to teens looking for a unique cultural camp experience. Spanish classes are held at lovely Casa Crayola: a cocoon of seven casitas she designed with her engineer dad, Dave.

Carly tore down one dwelling, and in four months built meandering gardens, kept the trees filled with birdsong, built a breakfast café and those casitas that house teens during MexArt’s month-long summer sessions. “When the first group of 27 teens arrived in June, 2001, I was still laying roof tiles,” she recalled.

MexArt’s shining success isn’t solely about sunny climes. Daily Spanish classes are combined with art or dance workshops. There is painting, silver jewelry, photography, even metal work. Dancers learn Latin, jazz even hip hop, and they get to teach their moves to Mexican kids in a community project. Everyone gets involved with local life, including eating out for dinner in local venues, enjoying educational day trips and attending concerts. Staffers reside with and accompany MexArters at all times. Friendships form in MexArt’s culturally exhilarating milieu.

For complete text,
http://www.themonitor.ca/article-196245-Former-
Montrealer-becomes-San-Miguels-brightest-Cross.html 



National & Regional News Round-up

To keep our readers in San Miguel informed of recent developments across Mexico, we’ve compiled an overview of lead stories from last week’s national newspapers.



Several murders related to drug trafficking

According to several national and state media, last week the deaths of two law enforcement officers, two gang members and several others were related to drug trafficking operations. On May 8, Edgar Millán Gomez, a commander of the Federal Preventive Police, was killed in Mexico City by Alejandro Ramírez, head of a car theft ring; the killer was apparently hired by the Sinaloa Cartel. On May 9, judicial police officer Estebán Robles Espino was assassinated in Mexico City by a group of five armed assailants who opened fire against him and his men. 

La Jornada reported that Edgar Guzmán and César Loera Guzmán, son and nephew, respectively, of Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán, head of the Sinaloa Cartel, were also killed on May 8 in a shootout between rival gangs, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Juárez Cartel. These deaths occurred in Culiacán, Sinaloa, a few hours after Millán’s murder. Three days later, Guzmán’s other cousin, Alfonso Loera Gutiérrez, was captured by authorities in Sinaloa.

According to El Universal, these two cartels are fighting for control of the drug market in Sinaloa. The clash resulted in the deaths of more of 20 people during the past weekend. El Universal also reported that residents of Sinaloa are afraid to leave their homes because of the wave of violence. So far this month, 46 people have been killed in the state, and fear is spreading among the population.

SEP must present a new school program soon

According to La Jornada, President Felipe Calderón ordered Josefina Vázqquez Mota, head of the Secretaría de Educación Pública, SEP (Federal Public Education Department), to begin working to obtain resources to design a new program to improve the quality of education in the Mexican school system. Vázquez Mota has to present the proposal before the current school year ends and reach an agreement with all of Mexico’s state governors. 

The new program can be implemented gradually, but Vázquez and her team must commit to improving the quality of basic education across the country. Calderón announced this following renewed complaints about the poor condition of some secondary schools in Michoacán. 

Alarming suicide rate in Mexico

According to El Universal, suicide has become the third leading cause of death among Mexican adolescents and young adults; some victims have been as young as 10 years of age. 

It has been estimated that of the 3,200 people who commit suicide each year in Mexico most are between 11 and 20 years old. Yucatán, Campeche and Tabasco have the highest rates of suicides. Tabasco’s rate of suicide is 10 times higher than that of other Mexican states. 

Salvador González Gutiérrez, the former director of mental health services for the Federal State Department and current coordinator of the program “Salvemos una Vida” (Save a Life), which works to prevent suicide in Yucatán, said that the rate of suicide in Mexico has reached 3.4 per every 100,000 inhabitants. 

This proportion is relatively low compared to the suicide rate in other countries, such as Russia, with 22 suicides per 100,000, or Japan, with 36 per 100,000.

Suicide rates have increased 300% in the past 30 years in Mexico. González Gutiérrez said that it is very alarming that between 80% and 90% of the people who kill themselves have some kind of psychiatric illness or depression.



Regional News

Santa Cruz Celebrations Begin

According to El Sol del Bajío, a group of more that 100 people participated in the yearly ceremony of carrying the Santa Cruz from the hill named Cerro de Las Tres Cruces in San Miguel de Allende to a church in Colonia Guadiana.

Residents of Colonias Guadiana, Allende and Caracol took part in a pilgrimage following the ceremony.

The festivities in honor of the Santa Cruz started on May 1. Several neighborhoods participate each year, and the Santa Cruz is honored on every church altar in the city.