Yucatan Living

Yucatan News: Alligators and Augmented Reality

11 September 2016 News 1

Cuisine: Yucatan Food Stars at Mexican Consulate Anniversary in Hong Kong

This week, the Mexican Consulate will celebrate its 50th anniversary in Hong Kong, China. This week also just so happens to contain Mexico’s Dia de la Independencia. To celebrate, the Mexican Consulate General of Mexico in Hong Kong has teamed up with the Mexican Consulate in Hong Kong to throw a week-long party that could never be complete without Merida’s own Chef David Cetina. Can you imagine a buffet created by a chef whose own restaurant La Tradicion is the first restaurant to be awarded the title of “Treasure of Mexico” in 2013? Every mention of this event speaks of its strong ties to Maya history, so we know this is one anniversary buffet Hong Kong is not likely to forget!

Merida Gets New Private Hospital

A new private hospital is going to be built on Avenida 42 por 75 de la Colonia Montes de Amé. It is part of a major chain of hospitals based in Mexico City. Clearing of the land and upgrading streets in the area have already begun. Merida currently has five private hospitals, another one that is under construction on Avenida Cocoyoles de Santa Gertrudis Copó, and two more that have purchased land for future, long-term projects. These hospitals, along with Yucatan’s superior medical education and laboratory support infrastructure have already guaranteed Yucatan’s place as a preferred destination in medical tourism.

Automobile Industry Growing Rapidly in Yucatan

The automobile industry has also been growing. In fact, in Mexico so far this year, the automobile industry has grown by 18.5%. That sounded good, until Yucatan’s numbers came in at 21% from the beginning of the year to the end of August, with plenty of time left to go. Automotive executives say the biggest draw to Yucatan from their point of view has been the security of the state and the new highway infrastructure. This past weekend, at the 13th Yucatan Motor Show, there were 33 different brands of vehicles that exhibited 150 models and the latest automotive technology available. The Motor Show was visited by more than 20,000 people over the three day weekend. Many thanks to the automotive industry for giving Yucatan the opportunity to show you just how talented Yucatan’s workforce really is and how engaged the auto dealers can be with the community.

Hurry: France Offering Business Incubators in France

French Tech Ticket is a program for international entrepreneurs to develop their own business in French cities, including Paris. Deadline for receipt of entries is September 23. Registration and much more Information an be found on their website: French Tech Ticket . Seventy winners will be announced in December 2016. Stay tuned!

Merida Summer Hotel Occupancy Up Over 12%

With six out of ten hotel rooms occupied throughout the summer in Merida, it was also noted that there was an increase in tourist activity in hotels in the interior of the state as well. This is great news now that Yucatan’s tourism industry has become so diversified and includes so much in the interior of the state. Most of the visitors (85%) were Mexican nationals, while the rest were mainly from the United States, France and Germany.

Science: Grolier Codex is Real and Oldest in the Americas

In 1965, looters discovered a Maya codex in a cave in Chiapas. Because looters discovered it, instead of archaeologists, it was declared a forgery. When the paper was carbon dated to the 13th century, it was declared real, but the drawings were still declared to be fake. Stephen Houston, co-director of the Program of the First Cultures at Brown University led a study to determine if the Grolier Codex is a forgery, all or in part. The end of the story is that the document and the drawings carbon dated to 1230, making this Maya document not only real, but the oldest of all manuscripts of ancient America. Many thanks to Stephen Houston for not accepting dogma as truth without serious investigation.

Science: Gators & Crocodiles to be First Victims of Global Warming

A team of biologists from the University of Clemson, in South Carolina, has just published research stating that alligators and crocodiles will be the first animals to become extinct due to global warming. This is for three main reasons. First, the oceans are sick, which makes their food supply sick. Second, the oceans are warmer, which drives their remaining food supplies toward the poles and away from their usual habitat. Third, private rivers with shade in tropical and subtropical areas, are becoming a thing of the past as human destructive behavior continues. We hope the scientists at Clemson and the University of Santa Cruz (also researching in this area) can help to turn humans around before it is too late. If you want to help, work to save the oceans and swamps, and stop carbon emissions.

15th IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality

This important seminar will be held in Merida on September 19-23. When we saw our first space movie with cyborgs in it, did we ever think that there would be a legitimate symposium featuring the work of 300 specialists in Merida, Yucatan? This program is organized by the IEEE and the IEEE VGTC, and is the fusion of two former academic events dedicated to this research field: the International Symposium on Augmented Reality (ISAR) and the International Symposium on Mixed Reality (ISMR). Probably the most famous game using Augmented Reality right now is the very popular Pokémon Go. The ultimate goal, however, includes many applications we can imagine and probably a few we cannot, such as producing an alternative rehabilitation for any part of the human body through human-machine symbiosis, training and of course, entertainment. Holding this seminar in Mexico opens up new horizons by including the emerging technological hubs in Latin America, the first time the symposium has been held in the Latin world. Read more about this festival on their website: ISMAR 2016. You might also like to follow them on their Facebook page.

Health: Dengue Vaccine Launched from Merida

Last weekend, the dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, was shipped from Merida throughout Mexico. It has already proven to be effective against all four serotypes of dengue in the 29 states that reported cases of the disease. As of now, Dengvaxia is available in the offices of physicians in private practice, and will soon be included in the public vaccination system. This vaccine should take an astounding amount of pressure off of medical services worldwide as it helps to stop one of the world’s deadly vector-borne diseases.

Health: Respiratory Infections in Yucatan

Thus far, in 2016, there have been 311,915 cases of acute respiratory illnesses, such as coughs and colds, recorded in Yucatan. That works out to nearly one new case reported every minute. The cause is Yucatan’s sudden changes in temperature, rainfall, and humidity. Doctors are asking that people do not self-medicate when they show symptoms of a cough or cold. Pneumonia is also a possibility and can be deadly if not treated in a timely manner. Don’t forget to take your flu shot, keep your house well ventilated, and eat plenty of fruits and yellow and orange vegetables. Drink plenty of fluids and wash your hands with soap and water after coughing or sneezing.

Community Service: UADY Volunteers Work With UN Development

Some roads in Yucatan are still less traveled and still lead to small Mayan villages in need of assistance. This road leads to a village that is receiving the help it needs. For twelve years, UADY students and teachers in almost every discipline have been giving up their free time to perform community service projects in outlying villages whose residents are mostly Maya. The purpose of these projects is to gradually improve the quality of life, organization and self-management of the Maya populations. Most of these projects are based in community health education, educating residents in the symptoms, causes and preventions of diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, as well as pregnancy and birth issues. Other projects are related to the economy, such as micro-loans, volunteer legal services, and sustainable backyard mini-farms. But the UADY students and teachers are there in times of disaster too, machetes in hand, and some even move to the villages to help rebuild. This UADY community service program has now been internationally recognized and a set of training protocols for Maya communities has been developed through an agreement between UADY and the United Nations Program for Development. Congratulations to everyone who has worked on this project over the past twelve years. Volunteer community service is its own reward, but Yucatan Living would like to give special thanks and congratulations to this exceptional group of young professionals and to UADY for recognizing the need and sponsoring the solution year after year.