Gringo Gone Home
Yesterday George W. Bush left Mexico, and for many of the local inhabitants of Merida and the surrounding countryside, it wasn't a moment too soon.
From what we have seen in the past few days, the Leader of the Western World appears to be very afraid, and his presence projected those fears onto our traditionally tranquil city in a most bizarre and invasive manner.
First came the advance team. The Diario de Yucatan reported that at least 2,500 Secret Service agents from both the U.S. and Mexican governments were in town. Who knows when they really started moving in, but it became obvious about a week ago as the area around the Fiesta Americana and Hyatt hotels started crawling with young, tall, clean-cut Mexican men wearing golf shirts and khakis and strange-looking gringo tourists wearing sunglasses. On one of our morning walks, we saw an elderly gentleman who appeared to be a local retiree, but he was wearing black earplugs with wires trailing into his shirt. The security men were serious but friendly (especially to Norteamericanos), even as they made everyone step through metal detectors inside the hotels. And all the changes were pretty low-key at first.
Then the metal barriers started showing up around town. First stacked on street corners, then gradually blocking streets and keeping cars from parking. Eventually there were pairs of black-shirted policemen on every corner within twenty blocks in any direction from the Forbidden Zone around the hotels. Then two days before the arrival of the leaders, ten-foot-tall metal barricades were erected that connected together to form a solid metal wall around the hotel area, effectively creating a walled city of three square blocks with heavily guarded entrances. To pass through the gates on Monday morning before Bush arrived, a person had to show their ID and have a good reason to be there. After his arrival, it was impossible for most people to gain entry. Once inside this walled city, the empty streets were eerie. Businesses on the ground floors of the hotels were closed and other businesses, like taxi drivers who cater to the hotels, were also effectively shut down. Schools around the hotels and around the pueblo of Temozon were closed for several days as well. Traffic was re-routed around the Centro Historico to stay clear of the Forbidden Zone encircling the hotels. Most people we talked to were not too pleased to have their routines, their income and their studies interrupted for this circus of powerful potentates, a circus that their government paid handsomely to host.
We read that similar walls of metal barricades were erected around the entire hacienda at Temozon, forcing people who usually walk through the hacienda on their way to school or work to walk miles out of their way. In fact, the entire pueblo of Temozon was put under a 9:00 PM curfew for a week leading up to the president's arrival and not allowed out of their houses when the presidents were actually in the hacienda.
Other chilling touches included the multiple flyovers with large military Blackhawk helicopters and F-16 military jets, arriving from an aircraft carrier stationed off shore. The helicopters flew lower than anything ever flies over the city, creating a lot of noise, vibration and a sense of intimidation. Some we talked with questioned the legality of the United States flying military helicopters over Mexican soil. Can you imagine the U.S. Government allowing Mexico's president to fly a full military escort over any city in the United States?
Some Canadian friends told us that the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, arrived on the last day of these events in order to participate in talks with Bush and Calderon. In contrast to the arrival of the U.S. President, they told us he flew down from Canada on a commercial jet and drove into Merida by taxi, although we've not been able to confirm this.
We've been told that when President Clinton came here in 1998 to visit with Mexico's then-president Zedillo, there were no barricades or military flyovers. A friend of our assistant who lives in Muna, a small colonial town south of Merida on the way to Uxmal, remembers seeing Clinton walking down the streets of their small pueblo, waving and talking with passers-by.
In fact, Merida has a long history of playing host to world leaders and dignitaries, from Emperor Maxmilian to Porfirio Diaz to President Clinton. The protocol for the important visitor has traditionally been one of public ceremony and friendly invitation to enjoy the people and culture of Yucatan. The former president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, visited Merida and some of the surrounding pueblos at least twice since we moved here and was warmly received and moved freely among the people.
There was none of that this time. Bush and Calderon visited Uxmal, but no one was allowed near them. The two presidents and their wives had dinner at Hacienda Xcanatun and the wives visited Hacienda Ochil (hmmm, they must have read our article about haciendas...) But no one here saw the President of the United States unless they were invited to a private audience.
They say the president's people chose the city of Merida for its peaceful and friendly atmosphere. Admittedly, there were several small protests here before Bush came, but none while he was here that we heard of, though there were violent protests in Mexico City and in other countries during Bush's tour. We love our adopted city for its attitude but deplore the way the powers-that-be chose to use it for their own purposes, disrupting the very thing they came to take advantage of. It felt somehow insulting, even to us. We can only imagine how resentful many local Yucatecos might feel.
It was widely reported in the press that one of the main reasons for Bush's tour of Latin America was to counter the growing popularity here of socialist politics and especially the influence of Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela. If that really was his aim, it seems to us that he failed by design. There were no public appearances, no smiling and waving from a motorcade nor any speeches to win hearts and minds. Instead we were reminded of the distance imposed between poweful and ordinary people, the walls that separate the Latin and Anglo worlds, and the imposing military might of gringolandia.
But then, just as suddenly as they came, they are gone. The barricades are down. Business friends of ours in the Fiesta Americana have said we can come by their office now, because they are free again. Driving and parking on the streets that were emptied is allowed again, the small shops and parking attendants and taxi drivers can return to work now, feed their families and normal life goes on.
Frankly, we are left puzzled and confused by our President and by his visit to Merida. We know that Bush grew up in Texas, which has a long history of relations with Mexico. We know he and his family have many Mexican friends. We know he has a better grasp of the Spanish language and Mexican culture than most gringos, so ignorance cannot be what caused Bush to leave an impression that could only create the kind of resentment his tour was supposed to ameliorate. As U.S. expatriates living as guests in this country, we cannot help but feel that his visit reinforced old stereotypes and resentments toward the U.S. that may eventually - however unintentional, however impersonal - be directed toward us. Seeing what we've seen these past few days, we can hardly blame any Mexican for having those feelings. And so it seems to us that no one, not the U.S. nor Mexico nor the president himself was served by this visit.
Those of us who were here to witness the show of power and intimidation that this U.S. President brought to Merida will not soon forget it. Seeing and FEELING those jets and helicopters patrolling Merida in stark contrast to our usual tranquilidad makes us even more grateful for this friendly and peaceful place where we live called Yucatan.
- Al Giordano of Narco News reports on the real purpose of this meeting
- Diario de Yucatan's coverage of the Bush-Calderon meeting (in Spanish)
- The New York Times weighs in
Comments
Sadtobeatexan 17 years ago
I was in Merida just a week ago and heard mention of the killing of the dogs..I looked at the like in one of the previous post on here but can anyone give me an idea on where to get more info?? thanks in advance
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Working Gringos 18 years ago
You know, Faith, we find it hard to believe too. We were out at Temozon recently (since the visit of the Presidents) and there were one or two dogs there... but there used to be a lot more. We didn't ask any of the locals about it, but next time we will. And we'll let you know what we find out.
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Faith 18 years ago
I find it hard to believe that they actually killed animals to quiet them down. People sometimes tend to exagerate or make up stuff to shift the world to their side and their beliefs.
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Joseph 18 years ago
This is just too much. I didn't know about this, guess I missed the article about the killed animals.
I'm not an animal lover but, for pete's sake! They killed them so they wouldn't "make noise"??? How STUPID is that!!!!!?????
This time was animals, next time what? Protestors? Social leaders? Me?
I was disgusted and dissapointed, now I'm ANGRY :( :( :( :(
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Working Gringos 18 years ago
Si, es verdad. Here's the original article in a local daily newspaper here called Por Esto:
http://www.poresto.net/v06/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26444&Itemid=44
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Khaki 18 years ago
After your post about your own "puppies," I was just surfing the net - looking for dogs and cats in Yucatan - and found this. It broke my heart. I had no idea! Why haven't we heard about this? I guess this is the right thread to put it on.
The dogs of the tiny village where Bush met the President of Mexico were killed because they "barked at strangers" - meaning the hordes of U.S. military arriving there. [My note: I know that village. Those dogs belonged to little kids!]
The President of the Association of the Rights of Animals of the State of Yucatan said: An offering and sacrifice was given to George W. Bush by the Mexicans: The lives of a great number of animals to maintain his calm and avoid his wrath, an offering of blood to win us over to a man of questionable ethics and leader of the most powerful country on Earth. If one says that primative man was uncivilized, what an incongruence to speak of advances and evolution before this barbarism."
http://www.saladeprensa.yucatan.gob.mx/monitoreo/verarticulo.php?CategoriaSeleccionada=Monitoreo-FEDERAL&IdArticulo=95611
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Teresa in Minnesota 18 years ago
After reading many of these comments I needed a little spiritual lift and found a quote in The Four Agreements Compaion Book written by Don Miguel Ruiz.
"The great leaders of humanity have a lot of personal power because they have great faith. But their faith comes from love instead of fear, and from wisdom instead of knowledge. The kind of faith from the head is blind faith because it comes from knowledge, from false beliefs, from fear. Blind faith is a faith that leads to fanaticism and dogmatism, which explains all the religious wars, all the fear that other people don't believe what we believe. Blind faith is a faith that we have to defend and impose on other people in order to feel validated and safe."
I feel for the people of Merida. I am sorry for the behavior of my president and I do not look forward to the Republican Convention being held my city soon.
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tomasny 18 years ago
CasiYucateco
Well said, thank you.
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CasiYucateco 18 years ago
“Even George Bush, should he choose to start reading.â€
Maybe if you added pretzels every few lines?
Seriously, the oppressive Bush security was mentioned by the press all over his Latin American goodwill tour. Bringing along over 400 security agents, it was easy to see how many small nations felt "invaded" or imposed upon.
I was home on 9/11 recovering from incredibly painful surgery. My brother, an executive in a major airline at the time, called and said, "Turn on the TV. A plane hit the WTC." Oh whatever, I said. "NO. TURN IT ON!"
A few days later, All of Europe - indeed, nearly ALL the World - stopped. Traffic stopped. People stopped walking in the streets. Businesses stopped. Waitresses stopped serving. Fry cooks stopped slinging hash. Taxis, buses.
Everything stopped so the world could show their respect for those who died in 9/11.
Frankly, I was moved to tears. What an outpouring of grief, support and solidarity! I don't think the world had seen anything like that since maybe JFK.
And then what? It was all thrown away by an egotistical Eastern Establishment brat who'd be homeless if not for the Carlyle Group, Harriman-Brown, the Baker-Botts law firm and his dad's business investors hauling his butt out of the sling it was constantly in. And his dark shadow in its 'undisclosed location' was right there egging him on to be even more extreme.
Things America has never stood for have come to pass: Torture. International Kidnapping. Internment camps. Blatant illegal act after unilateral violation of international treaties after lies after bullying.
And all I can think of is the solidarity of the entire world. The nations who all stood with us and stopped what they were doing to show their respect. Millions upon millions of people.
And it was all throw away.
And for what? And endless war in a god-forsaken land that never has been a nation for thousands of years until the British drew lines in the sand (around the oil wells) and dropped their own poison gas on villages?
When has all of America ever done anything similar to show our respect? When the train stations of Madrid were blown up, the very idea wasn't even broached. Yet that was the 9/11 of Europe. What DID Americans do? Call the Spanish "queso-eating surrender monkeys," said one braying mule in the media.
Fearless Leader in the "Mission Accomplished" Pilot Suit threw it all away. Threw it away. A whistle stop tour with a private army of 400 isn't going to win back the hearts and minds of Latin America or anywhere else. It will take much more than that.
Final Point: Human beings are not "illegal." They may commit illegal acts. But the people themselves are not "illegal." Honestly, unless you are voluntarily paying higher prices at restaurants, grocery stores, and for home repair, streets, janitorial services, childcare, housekeeping, etc, then you have your own skin in the game - taking advantage of the situation the immigration fiasco has created.
Where do "illegal immigrants" work in my US city? Socket factory for Sears Craftsman. Cell phone packaging contractors for all 4 of the big cell companies. The daily newspaper printing plant. Nearly every restaurant. Nearly every labor-intensive job. Construction. Gardening. Dry cleaners.
Personally, I'd love for them all to just sit home and not work for a week. An awful lot of eyes would be opened.
NAFTA opened up "free trade" and "free flow" of capital. But it did nothing about the third leg of the economic footstool: Labor. Well, prohibition taught us that market forces are more powerful than law (as does the "War on Drugs" today). Labor is in demand in the USA. And people are coming to fill that demand. They will continue to come as long as there are job openings to fill.
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Faith 18 years ago
Sure, it is easy to compare ex-president Clinton's previous visit to that of President Bush, but the scenerios are totally different. The writer of this article fails to include all the facts. During Clinton's visit, the US was at peace, no need to bring your heavy armor then. Our President needs to be protected especially during a time of war, so it only makes sense for President Bush to have his military escort surround him wherever he travels. I personally don't think he should be appearing where many don't welcome him, but apparently some leader in Mex decided to welcome him over, otherwise he wouldn't have been there. Perhaps it is him who you all should take your complaints to. Everyone needs to get over this President Bush issue and continue with your own lives. He only stepped in your town for a short while and harmed no one. He won't be in power for too long and you will still find something else to critizize in the next president.
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Anonymousme 18 years ago
Thanks, interesting and informative article. Merida is a beautiful city.
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