Yucatan News:Hanal Pixan 2012
News Starting October 29, 2012
XXIV Ticul Shoe and Handicrafts Fair: Hurry!
The Ticul Shoe Fair is in full swing and will continue through this weekend. This, along with their Spring show, is one of the most popular events in the entire state. The XXIV Ticul Shoe and Handicrafts Fair began on Sunday, October 28 and will continue through Sunday night, November 4. This event will showcase 50 exhibitors, including shoemakers and potters. Watch what is available here
Progreso: Glutton Taco Winner Named for 2012
Beaches are serious places in Yucatan – where there are sunbeams to soak up, music to listen to, and tacos to eat. Such is certainly the case in Progreso! This past week, the Second Annual Glutton Taco 2012 contest was held in the local market and sponsored by the taqueria “El Naranjo”. This year, 13 contestants fought hard to beat the record of eating 30 tacos in just 20 minutes. The winner for 2012 was Pat Santos, who ate 34 conchinita tacos in just 20 minutes. In what is described as a particularly vicious tie-breaker for second place, Eduardo “Furball” Campos took the honor for the second year in a row. Many thanks to Don Felipe Hernandez Esquivel, owner of “El Naranjo,” for maintaining the good food and good fun tradition begun by his father in 1937.
Progreso: Diesel Spill Near Shore
The Navy has confirmed that the oil sheen along the coast of Progreso is a diesel spill from Pemex pipelines. The problem seems to be increasing use of and increasing pressure on pipelines that have been in the sea for more than 30 years. Unfortunately, the pipeline in question runs underwater, along the east side of the pier. At this writing, more than 2,000 liters are suspected of having leaked, with containment equipment provided by the Navy until the issue is further sorted out. With luck, there will be a relatively quick and easy, if not inexpensive, fix or work-around. We'll keep an eye on the news and let you know.
Hurricane Sandy Boon for Yucatan Tourism
As Hurricane Sandy wound her way through the Caribbean, more than one cruise ship decided to stop in Progreso instead of canceling their voyages. This is not the first time a hurricane has brought cruise ships to the coast of Yucatan, nor is it the first time another state’s weather has brought unexpected profit to Yucatan’s vendors. While everyone in Yucatan is deeply appreciative of this economic surprise, it must be remembered that someone, somewhere else, lost their income because of this storm. Everyone is lucky that this storm didn’t do any major damage to life or property on the Yucatan Peninsula. However, with a tourism industry that depends on the cruising public for a significant portion of its income, even the threat of the dreaded word “hurricane” can have a swift and chilling economic impact, especially on lower wage workers. And now, our hearts and thoughts are with all of our friends on the East Coast who are battening down the hatches in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy.
Tourism Changes Course in Yucatan
With one fell swoop, the course of recent tourism efforts has been declared tired and unworkable. The new course sounds more like the city and state with which we all fell so deeply in love. Come to Merida to find world class health care or to find the perfect second home. Get married at a restored hacienda. Play golf on world class greens. Come for the Symphony, the art, and the theater. Visit local artisans throughout the state. Watch Olympic trials in Merida, plus baseball and soccer games galore. Come to the International Festivals of choirs, chess, dance, piano and more. Visit Yucatan’s Magical Cities, Merida, Izamal and Valladolid. Hold your convention here. In 2013, there will even be the every-other-year sailing regatta from France to Progreso. No matter who you are or what you love to see and do, it’s all here in the State of Yucatan. With a new attitude and fresh eyes, the city and state are pulling out all the stops to make the most of the wonderful opportunities Yucatan has always held for visitors. We hope 2013 is the year that everyone comes to Yucatan.
Dia de Los Muertos: Kinchil
Regional theater is alive and well in Yucatan, and often performed in the Mayan language. This past weekend, Kinchil hosted a stage production that featured all twelve of the regional theater groups in the state. Front and center were Progreso, Valladolid, Tizimin, Muna, Tecoh, Oxkutzcab, Damahil, Acanceh and Kinchil. The best part of this production was the inclusion of small children, with the stated purpose of making certain that their traditions are kept alive far into the future. One of the things we all find charming and encouraging is the Yucatan’s emphasis on including even small children in every phase of life here.
Day of the Dead: Banana Leaves
Once we pay proper respect to the underlying spiritual components of the Day of the Dead, we have to get down to practical matters. In this case, that includes cooking and eating traditional foods which, in turn, requires banana leaves. Whether you buy them or grow your own, it just won’t be Dia de Los Muertos if more than a few of the signature dishes in Yucatan aren’t wrapped and steamed in banana leaves. Banana leaves are used for everything from wrapping tamales and mucbil pollo, to putting in traditional soups and stews. Banana leaves are an absolute requirement for mastering the signature dishes of Yucatan. The bonus, if you grow your own, of course, is a wealth of bananas picked from your own garden.
Targeted Technical College Comes to Peto
Well known Akil Juicer has just signed an agreement with Universidad Tecnológica del Mayab (UTM) in Peto, in which the school will become a feeder school for the juicer. This is an important relationship because Akil already provides jobs that benefit 3,000 citrus growers living on twelve /em>ejidos. These technical schools are forming all over the state and are having an enormous effect on the willingness of manufacturing, as well as science projects, to come to Yucatan. That seems to be a prevalent attitude in the State of Yucatan. If Yucatan doesn’t have what a company needs before it comes here to do business, Yucatecos will move mountains to have those needs met by the time a company arrives, and this certainly means an educated workforce. The students at UTM will not only learn all phases of the juicing process, but will also be trained to counsel growers about a variety of agricultural practices. Yucatan Living is more than pleased to offer hearty congratulations to everyone involved in this project.
Mexico City’s F 1 in Schools Team Going to Abu Dhabi
This will be the first year that a Mexican F 1 in Schools team will compete in the world finals. The competition will be held from October 29 through 31, to coincide with the 2012 Formula 1 Ethidad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The F 1 in Schools program is designed to help change perceptions of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics by creating a fun and exciting learning environment in which it will be possible for students to develop an informed view of careers in engineering, Formula One, Science, marketing and technology. Students are given a brief to design a model compressed air powered F 1 Car of the future using CAD / CAM Engineering techniques. Cars are then manufactured on a CNC machine. Teams of between three and six students bring their portfolio of work to present to a judging panel, with a verbal and written presentation to support their model car, which is than raced on a specially designed test track. Each team also brings along a pit display. The track is 20 meters in length and the time to beat is 1.020 seconds, which is the record set by a team from Northern Ireland in 2007. They say this trip is life changing for everyone who goes. We wish our Mexican team all the best!
Valladolid: Kindergarten Children March for Peace
When kindergarteners still have to march for a peace that was promised almost 70 years ago, it is quite an indictment of the adult populations that cannot seem to get their acts together. Yet, the children of the world still carry on and still march in support of peace. In Valladolid, on October 24, the United Nations Day of Peace, kindergarceners in Valladolid donned the traditional costumes of major nations, while other students wore signs designating the different agencies of the United Nations. Flags of peace flew along with national flags and white balloons with peace messages were released. This scene was repeated around the world and we cannot help but have hope that, when these children grow up, most of our current problems will elicit little more than a groan of sympathy and a roll of the eyes, for us, from the best and brightest of these now kindergartners, around the world, whose turn it will be to find a path to peace.
China Dog!
This weeks banner for the News article is a photo of one of the best dogs we've ever had the pleasure to know. China belonged to Connie and Jerry, and we got their permission to use this photo that we found in our archives. This foto was taken on one of our many enjoyable mornings at Aquaparque in Merida. RIP, China Dog.
