Yucatan Living

Yucatan News: Carnival Decision

Reptilian Visitor Strolled Briefly in Progreso

Progreso had rather a bit of excitement this week. A moreleti crocodile, more than 8 ½ feet in length, came walking up the street in one of Progreso’s neighborhoods. The police were called and the creature was picked up by the Municipal Police, ecology personnel, and members of the SSP’s fire department. There were no injuries to the animal, nor to any of the people. This is the second time this has happened in the past seven months. These crocodiles live in areas of swampy fresh water along the coast of Yucatan and travel inland along the underground river outlets. During cold weather, they come to the surface to sun themselves on the warm limestone on the surface. Crocodiles are not something anyone should hurt themselves trying to run from, but, if you see one where it shouldn’t be, stay away from it and call the authorities immediately.

New Quarterly Magazine: 'Merida: City of Museums'

Somehow, around the world, the notion that museums are for the elite continues to be pervasive enough to discourage a significant portion of the population from visiting them. Since museums are the repositories of who we are as human beings, how we came to be, and how our cultures continue to evolve, it is important that all of the people visit museums. Merida has long been a city of museums, and now it has a quarterly magazine that will showcase all the many museums that the city has to offer. In addition to articles about museums and the people involved with them, the magazine will have detailed information about current and past exhibitions. A copy of 'Merida: City of Museums' is available at the major museums in Merida. The first issue is 60 pages in length and presents not only the construction of the Great Museum of the Maya World, but also the recent Festival of Mayan Culture, and special reports on ongoing cultural shows and historical cultural figures, such as Guty Cardenas. We suspect that 2015 will be the year of the museums in Merida and that this new magazine is going to be a must-have guide, so pick up your copy of the very first issue of 'Merida: City of Museums' as soon as you can.

Carnival Will Remain at Xmatkuil

The Mayor of Merida has announced that Carnival (2015) will again be held at the Xmatkuil Fairgrounds. This year (2014) was the first time that Carnival parades did not roll down Paseo Montejo and through the historical center of the city. There is always resistance to change in traditions that have lasted for many decades. However, facts must also be taken into consideration. Merida is growing rapidly and the crowds that attend Carnival had grown to beyond the point where police and emergency personnel believe they can guarantee everyone's safety. That alone was enough to move to an area that allows for growth for many years to come. Another point of complaint was that moving Carnival to the Fairgrounds would have an adverse effect on the annual earnings of businesses in centro because many depend on holiday travelers for their annual profit. That has been addressed by allowing businesses to have booths throughout the Xmatkuil Fairgrounds. Throughout the year, the fairgrounds have seen constant improvement, with both the State Fair and Carnival in mind, and the City of Merida is poised to put even more investments into infrastructure between now and Carnival 2015. Be sure to mark your calendars and make arrangements to be in Yucatan for the week of Carnival: February 11 through 18, 2015!

First Disability Inclusion Expo Held in Merida

When we try to define “quality of life,” we have to include meaningful work, friends and family, and the perception that we can make a difference in our own lives, as well as in the lives of others. For several years now, a significant amount of resources and effort have been invested by the State of Yucatan in improving the quality of life for its disabled citizens. Now, the first Inclusion Expo in all of Mexico has been held right here in Merida. During this three day event, disabled Yucatecos were able to visit exhibits showing a wide range of opportunities for employment and academic growth that are now available to them. Yucatan well understands that satisfaction with both professional and personal lives, by all of its citizens, is the key to peaceful prosperity. Those who are disabled may be classified as belonging to a vulnerable population by others but, here in Yucatan, they hold an enormous productive and creative potential that is helping to propel Yucatan into first place on many fronts. While Yucatan is mindful of the rights and protections needed by the disabled population, Yucatan state continues to work toward the day when Yucatan’s disabled citizens are just ordinary folks, living a life that has all of the pleasures and successes of any other Yucatecos. We hope every other state follows Yucatan’s lead and holds an Inclusion Expo of its own.

First Laughter Therapy for Police Workshop Held in Merida

Over the past few months, the world has watched as tensions between police and citizens escalate worldwide. The Ministry of Public Security in Yucatan is working hard to see to it that those kinds of stressful situations do not happen here. Laughter and music have long been recognized as stress relievers, with strong mental and emotional benefits, so that is where they began. The suggested prescription for those of us who do not have the benefit of a laughter therapy class, is to laugh for more than one minute, more than three times a day. Actually, they discovered that almost all of an individual’s stress dissipates after laughing for about ten minutes. Laughter really is the best medicine and is essential to improving one’s quality of life.

Mexico/Yucatan/France: International Security Talks in Merida

Members of Yucatan’s arm of the National Gendarmerie, a division of the Federal Police of Mexico, met this past week with representatives of Yucatan’s State General Prosecutor’s Office, and with members of the French National Police to address issues related to combating crime. All of these agencies have agreed to work together to ensure peace and tranquility on an international scale. They shared their experiences and detailed their resources so that each can benefit from their alliance. Those who still think of Yucatan as a backward city surrounded by jungle would be surprised to see her today. Here they will find the best forensic labs in the entire region, as well as police forces that work seamlessly with their counterparts around the world. We are very proud of the level of security and tranquility we enjoy because of their vigilance and congratulate everyone who attended these international security talks.

Yucatan Adopts National Code of Criminal Procedure

Yucatan’s Legislature has decreed that the State of Yucatan will go under the National Code of Criminal Procedure on September 22, 2015. This will give them time to sift through the present code for the state laws that must be brought along, such as some tax laws. It is the criminal code that will be most affected, with due process as the most visible characteristic of the new code. Mexico has adopted these codes so that it will be easier to enter into a number of necessary political and economic treaties with other nations. This will be a new era for the Mexican judicial system, but Mexico now has excellent quality of life characteristics in every other category, so this new national criminal code procedure is welcomed throughout the nation.

Congratulations to Rene Gonzalez Puerto, PhD and More

A short 32 years ago, a deaf baby was born in Yucatan, with the good luck of having a well educated primary school teacher as his mother. While specialists were consulted, the baby grew to school age and off he went to regular school. Once it was realized that his deafness was causing him to feel isolated, resources were gathered to teach him to read lips and to talk. Young Rene forged ahead, earning his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Universidad Marista. He then earned his master’s degree and doctorate from Universidad del Mayab. He is continuing his education with postgraduate work in the field of Educational Governance. Young Dr. Gonzalez is the first deaf Mexican to reach that level of education. At just 32 years of age, only the limits of his own imagination could keep Rene Gonzalez Puerto from becoming a leader in deaf education both here in Yucatan and throughout the nation. His influence has also helped to lead Yucatan to a place where it has the strongest educational opportunities for deaf children in all of Mexico. This past week, the First Peninsular Congress of educators for deaf children met in Merida with the goal of helping teachers develop new strategies for teaching deaf and disabled children. This includes having sign language interpreters and teachers on hand as well. Yucatan Living congratulates Dr. Rene Gonzalez Puerto for being the kind of human being who can turn his own success into an opportunity for success for so many others, including deaf and disabled children, their families, their teachers, and the societies in which they live.

Unplug to Save on Electricity Bill

All those Christmas lights. All that money added to electric bills… At this time of year, people are busy adding the cost of Christmas lights to their electricity bills, but not realizing just how much they are spending. Experts across the energy field are pointing out that vampire use of electricity is on the rise, throughout Mexico, even with the use of surge protectors. This is caused in large part to the standby or sleep modes of modern electronics, such as televisions, computers, game consoles, battery chargers, and microwave ovens, among others. It can also be attributed to not turning off and/or unplugging appliances and electronics when not in use. It is estimated that 10% to 12% of the annual energy consumption and over 20% of the energy costs to consumers in Mexico is now due to this type of use. In the United States, this sort of energy consumption is now costing consumers upward of four billion dollars per year. No one is suggesting that people forego the use of Christmas lighting, but please do unplug them when not in use. Your wallet and the environment will be deeply appreciative. If you would like more information about how to save energy costs, visit the EPA’s Energy Star website.