Yucatan Living

Yucatan News: Ballet Shoes and Honey Bees

22 August 2016 News 0

Olympics 2016: Mexico

Mexico may not be the medaling star of the 2016 Olympics, but neither did they arrive with over 500 athletes, like some of the medal leaders did. This year, Mexico sent 125 athletes to Rio, the largest contingent since 1972. Mexico is improving with each passing Olympics and the number of Olympic quality athletes produced by Mexico increases each time as well. While there have been some complaints in the media about Mexico's poor performance in Rio, we feel congratulations are due to all of Mexico’s Olympic athletes, their coaches and their families... and especially to these medal winners:

Medal	Name	Sport	Event	Date
Silver	María Guadalupe González	Athletics	Women's 20 km walk	19 August
Silver	Germán Sánchez	Diving	10 m platform	20 August
Silver	María Espinoza	Taekwondo	Women's +67 kg	20 August
Bronze	Misael Rodríguez	Boxing	Men's middleweight	18 August
Bronze	Ismael Hernández	Modern pentathlon	Men's Modern Pentathlon	20 August

Archaeological Tourism

Mexico and the State of Yucatan put a lot of money into restoring and maintaining the 17 archaeological sites that are open to the public in Yucatan. Is that money being well spent? Yes it is, and amazingly so! In July 2016, a total of 330,333 tourists visited archaeological sites in the Yucatan and left behind 21 million pesos just in entrance fees. That was in one month and does not count the food and souvenirs purchased in the area of the sites, or the hotels, food and shopping done in the cities where tourists stay. With this type of tourism rising at almost 30% per year, it looks as if Yucatan is well positioned in the archaeological tourism industry for many years to come.

Weather: Tropical Storm Causing Rain

There has been more tropical storm activity in 2016 than last year, but so far nothing disastrous for the Yucatan Peninsula. Tropical storm Fiona fizzled and weakened and then swerved north to avoid the Yucatan. Tropical storm Gaston, however, is currently forming in the Atlantic Ocean as we write. There is no speculation yet as to which direction it will take. Vamos a ver!

Weather: Negative Effect on Honey Industry

While some places in the world suffer terribly with drought, such has not been the case this year in Yucatan. Excessive rainfall and heat have had a negative impact on the flowering of plants that feed the bees. This, of course, results in decreased honey production. Usually when this happens, Yucatan state provides the beekeepers with sugar to feed the bees. Unfortunately, the price of sugar has gone up to the point that the state cannot completely underwrite the Yucatan beekeeping industry. This has led to a drop in the number of beekeepers from 12,000 to 10,000 and a drop in the number of hives from 240,000 to 200,000 since last year. That may not sound too bad, but the actual honey production has fallen by 70%. Since beekeepers do not have an alternate crop, this is a serious situation. Hopefully, the fall flowers will be abundant and this little short period will be just a bad memory within three or four months.

Supermoscos

Overnight, the wind blew in what has been described as a plague of supermoscos (mosquitoes). The affected areas are in the north and west sections of Merida. Citizens are asked not to panic because the mosquitoes are not the kind that transmits dengue, chikungunya or zika. The health brigade immediately began fumigation, but continues its efforts to fight the mosquitoes that do transmit those viruses and asks that the people continue their efforts as well.

Tourism: Hotel Occupancy Still Growing in Merida

When hotel occupancy numbers for July 2016 rolled in, it was discovered that seven out of ten rooms were occupied during the month, which is 8.22% more than the same time last year and 21.27% more than the previous month. These statistics are not limited to Merida. Valladolid’s hotel occupancy is up 19.73% over the last month, while Chichen Itza’s hotel occupancy is up 18.11% over the previous month. Congratulations to the tourism industry in Yucatan for continuing to make the most of some of the best natural and cultural resources in the world.

Ballet Shoes to Protect Dancers’ Feet

Many parents have not allowed their children to participate in ballet because the damage to their feet, ankles, and legs often leads to life-long disability. Now, that need never be the case again. Yucateca Mariana Carrillo Palma recognized that orthopedic injuries from ballet are caused by incorrect posture and pressure on the wrong areas of the foot inside the ballet shoes. She invented a series of sensors to be attached to a dancer’s shoes. The object is to light up all of the lights, which signifies that the dancer’s posture is where it should be and that there will be no injuries. This young Yucateca has her prototype in hand and is on her way to Madrid, Spain, to participate in a program that will shepherd her through setting up her business and making sure it is successful. These injuries have been common for over 300 years and all of Yucatan is proud that the person who solved the dilemma is young Yucateca Mariana Carrillo Palma.

Crime: Cattle Rustling

It should come as no surprise that cattle rustlers would at least take a swipe or two at butchering some of Yucatan’s fine cattle in the fields. This is something we never used to hear of but, as the quality of Yucatan’s beef grew to a level that it is now USDA-certified and one of Yucatan’s most valuable exports, the sun goes down and here come the rustlers and their chainsaws. The rustlers need to take what they’ve got and keep going. What they don’t realize is how seriously Yucatecos take any activity that breaks the tranquility anywhere in the Yucatan. Now, Yucatan’s cattle are being monitored, so it would be a foolish rustler indeed who tries to come back for a second bite at that apple.

First Trial for Femicide in Yucatan

As part of the implementation of the adversarial system of justice in Yucatan, the defendant in the first trial for femicide in Yucatan is attempting to negotiate a plea deal. The defendant is accused of strangling his girlfriend and leaving her body, naked, along the side of the road between Conkal and Chicxulub Puerto. The full sentence is 50 years in prison and the mother of the victim is not in any mood to agree to a plea deal. Talks with the Attorney General are ongoing and it should not be long before we see if this first-ever trial for femicide in Yucatan will end up in a plea deal.

Employment: Job Fair for Seniors and Disabled

One of the cultural characteristics of Yucatan that draws expats to feel comfortable in building a life here is the way this culture treats its seniors and disabled citizens. This week, twenty one companies in a variety of industries, offered more than 300 jobs to senior and disabled citizens. And these were not token jobs either. They included Certified Public Accountant, head of industrial maintenance, administrative analyst, system administrator, data capture, financial analyst, occupational health and safety manager, sales executive, floor manager, and building maintenance manager.

Animals: UADY’s Special Clinic for Horses

More than one potential expat has opted out of moving to Yucatan because they think the heat, humidity, and a lack of vet care could be deadly for their horses. Such is not the case. We have polo in Yucatan. We have horses that work on ranches and horses that provide therapy for disabled children and adults. We have horses that take tourists for rides on the beach and even on rides in the interior of the state. You will find some of the finest quarter horses in the world in the eastern section of Yucatan. It stands to reason, then, that excellent vet care would be available for these prized animals – and so it is. The UADY Large Animal Clinic has specialists who deal with all manner of problems that plague horses. They even have surgeons experienced in abdominal surgery, eye surgery, and locomotor problems. If anyone is looking at Yucatan as a potential home, but worrying about the services available for their beloved horses, do come down and tour UADY’s Large Animal Clinic, as well as the eastern side of the state. We think you will be pleasantly surprised.