Yucatan Living

Yucatan News: Chiles and the Beach

Price of LP Gas Rises Nationwide

As of August 1, 2013, the price of LP gas, in Yucatan, rose from 13 to 13.26 pesos per kilo, while the remainder of the nation saw increases in various increments. The lowest prices are in some areas of Tamaulipas (11.60 pesos per kilo), while the highest prices are in the center of the country. Exceptions to that generalization include 13.61 pesos per kilo in Baja California, while Mexico City and some municipalities in the states of Mexico and Hidalgo are paying only 12.42 pesos per kilogram. There are 145 economic regions in Mexico, for the purposes of VAT and LP gas prices. Yucatan is located in regions 140 and 141.

The Dilemma of Pulpo Fishermen in 2013

To fish or not to fish… pulpo season, in the State of Yucatan, benefits approximately 16,000 families. This includes the Yucatecos who work in the cleaning and freezing plants. The catch quota this year is 10,000 tons. The problem is that the cost of pulpo fishing is approximately $60 pesos per kilo and opening prices, on the international market, are $35 pesos per kilo. It looks as if Santa may need a little help in Yucatan this year. Our thoughts and prayers are with Yucatan’s fishing families as they work through this trying time.

Progreso: Bienestar en Vacaciones

The statewide Wellness Vacation concept swept through Progreso early last week with fun and games for 700 children and their parents taking place on two piers. Then, over the weekend, Merida got in on the wellness festivities on the last full weekend of summer by hosting a wrestling match at Siglo XXI Convention Center. This summer holiday will end on August 12, when the children go back to school, but there will be plenty of visitors still returning to fun and sun at the beach and around various parks and cenotes as long as warm sunshine and good weather lasts.

Motul’s Children Complete English Class

Forty-one sixth graders in Motul spent the past three months in a City Council-sponsored English class. All forty-one completed the course last week, with only a week or two of summer vacation left before they have to begin regular classes again. As most are aware, almost all of the children in Yucatan have an English class in public school, but this one was geared toward preparing them for a future in the tourism agency. We know that the children, their parents and their municipality are all very proud of them and Yucatan Living would like to add our voice to that chorus. Congratulations to all! We think you will find that most children in the Yucatan love to try out the English that they know with English-speaking extranjeros. We find it is a lot of fun to "trade" lessons... you teach them something in English and ask them to teach you a word in Spanish.

Fifty Composting Toilets in the Interior

Yucatan, like many other places in the world, is often a land of extremes. While there may be great pockets of wealth, there are also pockets of poverty. There is one thing, however, that seems to set Yucatan apart from many other places that struggle to move forward. Yucatan, wherever possible, is going forward “green.” That is certainly the case now in two communities in Ticul. JAPAY is building 25 composting toilets in each community. Local city councils will be responsible for 20% of the cost, while Conagua and JAPAY pick up the rest of the tab. Rural Yucatan is going to surprise everyone in the not too distant future because, every day now, they are moving mountains that have been blocking their way to the future.

Valladolid and Fall Holiday Tourism

Valladolid is looking forward to a couple of amazing tourism events this year. They begin with primera gran feria turística del oriente maya September 20 – 22, which is associated with the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies and will include artisans from 21 municipalities and 28 states across the nation. Also participating in this fair will be the nations of the Confederation of Latin American Tourism Organizations. At some point in this fair, Valladolid will be developing a sister relationship with the town of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The second big event will come on October 26, when Pueblo Magico of Mexico will co-host the 2013 International Festival of Maya Culture. If anyone has a friend or family member who has been known to utter the phrase “the Maya are extinct,” then, by all means, grab them and head for Valladolid during one of these marvelous fairs.

Exports of Chile on the Rise

A group of forty-three chile producers represented Yucatan’s Maya Agricultural Industry at the Tenth World Chili Convention in Durango, Mexico. Approximately 1,500 representatives of growers and exporters from countries in Europe and South America attended this annual event. Yucatan was the only southern state on Mexico to attend this convention. The representatives were able to pick up new accounts from Belgium, the United Kingdom and Germany and, following their successes at this convention, it was announced that Yucatan will be the beneficiary of a new nationwide program to improve productivity in Mexico through performance and quality. Yucatan’s chile industry is stable and growing, providing jobs in an industry that is still young.

Visitors to the Beach Still on the Rise

It is wonderful to hear that Progreso had 150,000 visitors to the beach this last Sunday. These last days of summer vacation and last weeks of August provide many merchants at the beach with a significant portion of their annual income, along with the Christmas and Easter crowds. It is also great to report that, with almost all of these people crowded onto a 17-block stretch of beach, there was virtually zero crime. It is, however, important to note that everyone must drive with care and beware of drivers who may have been drinking alcohol. Even with the many checkpoints, auto accidents involving alcohol still happen.

Summer Visitors in El Cuyo

If anyone is looking for a new beach that has all only 1,500 visitors on the same Sunday that Progreso had 150,000, we would like to suggest el Cuyo. This past Sunday, the Red Cross put on an event that drew the largest crowds ever seen in el Cuyo. The town was even a stop on a cycling event that came from Valladolid! Prices for food and boat rides were amazingly affordable and everyone had a wonderful time. Maybe its time to venture out a bit and see what’s going on in other towns in Yucatan during the heat of the summer.

Summer Visitors in Sisal

If you watch Yucatan Living’s Events page, you will see Municipal Festivals and Fiestas that begin each week. These are wonderful events that are well worth attending. In July, the image of Christ makes its annual trek from Hunucma to Sisal, where it remains for three weeks. During its last weekend in Sisal, the statue is put on a boat and there is a procession in the sea. These events are so unique and, no matter one’s religion, are often the highlight of a trip to Yucatan. For those who already live in Yucatan, these are the added wonders that that give our lives an extra dimension. We hope that, next year, everyone will make a trip to Sisal to see the procession of the image of Santo Cristo on the sea.