We find out where this work resides in the Mesoamerican timeline the living languages that have kept it alive the role colonialism has played in its journey and the ways language Since we could always use another star or two in the neighborhood, our resident astronomer, Salman Hameed of Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College, introduces us to our cosmic next door neighbor, Barnard’s star Will we find those new stars with funding cuts at every juncture There may be conjectures about that as well.. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information 2017 at 12:47 PM EDTBookmarkSaveThe Neza of today is made of paved streets Not so long ago it nearly ran on willpower alone Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl serves as the central hub for commerce and services for Mexico City’s poorer eastern districts Located on the swampy remains of Lake Texoco along the eastern fringe of the city it’s commonly referred to as Neza—sometimes affectionately as “Neza York” or “MiNezota” which translates roughly as “my big Neza.” have recently been writing on the valorization The fact that I’ve been getting to know Neza recently has inspired me to weigh as well In Mexico City at the close of the Second World War where they crammed into central-city tenements reminiscent of New York at the turn of the century there’s a means; in Mexico City at that moment subdividing land that they had no legal right to sell and families desperately seeking homes of their own were able to buy because Neza was built on land that hadn’t even existed in 1900 Though much of the lake system upon which the pre-Hispanic city had floated had dried up was a body of water well into the 20th Century and low-lying—had fully emerged by the 1940s In a pattern that would be repeated through the present moment and slowly built into a functional piece of the metro area Neza is Mexico’s tenth biggest municipality Cabeza de Coyote - a Sculpture in the center of Neza — Photo by Author Though the developers laid out a street grid and advertised delineated plots for sale the residents moved in before the infrastructure Even as the city ballooned in population in the 1960s much of it was still without official hookups to electricity What David refers to as the “banality of poverty” in the neighborhoods that he’s worked in the daily grind of the working-class in Mexico City would have referred in Neza at that time to contracting water trucks perhaps stringing up pirate electrical wiring and the slow construction of the now ubiquitous 2- or 3-story cinderblock homes of Neza A Motorcyclist in Ciudad Neza — Photo by Author David’s conception of this “banality” is meant as a counterpoint to a sort of Slumdog Millionaire romanticization, by planners and architects, of what are often called “slum” neighborhoods. Paulina brings up Urban-Think Tank and Justin McGuirk’s award-winning research into the famous Torre David in Caracas an incomplete office tower that was repurposed into housing by the organized poor in that city (Disclosure: I’ve worked with Urban-Think Tank by being impressed by the design innovations of marginal communities we in the planning and design fields ignore their real challenges We revel in their ingenuity in the face of government neglect I have to disagree with this train of thought especially when it is brought to its seemingly logical conclusion which David hints at at the close of his piece I agree that there are “real dangers to…bulldozing over slums just to erect ugly and barely functional public housing,” but struggle a bit with the idea that the dangers of the “poverty aesthetic” are “even bigger,” or that they amount to “ignoring the pleas of the poor.” This presupposes that we as outsiders to these communities (and often the very countries themselves) are obligated to intervene architecturally in these people’s homes I believe the older informal settlements of Mexico City demonstrate that A famous image of Neza in the 1960s by the photographer Hector García Neza fought for far too long for its basic needs: the provision of services It’s shameful for a government to allow hundreds of thousands of residents to live adjacent to an open canal pressed into service as a sewer allowing them to participate in the construction and design of their homes the sheer diversity of built form reflects the myriad needs of its residents and their ability to shape buildings to meet those needs While few now propose the imposition of modernist housing blocks to replace “slum” housing and urban designers did time and time again throughout the 20th century the economies of scale housing movement of the contemporary era has proven similarly unpalatable A decorated home in Neza — Photo by author A long process of resident organization and eventual government support has succeeded in connecting homes to the city services Many homes look finished; it’s remarkable how quickly a bit of plaster and paint can make a grey cinderblock structure look like a home anywhere else in the city Neza is quiet streets of homes on what was once an edge of the city in terms of infrastructure and land titles to recognize achievements in design wherever they crop up then the roots of that inequality absolutely demand consideration To perpetuate those inequities by failing to provide services to the needy is abhorrent But to conflate informal architecture with its causes is a mistake its ability to provide a basis for self-improvement would be a failure on our part though it is far from the most pressing need for most residents to ignore what informality has done to empower the disenfranchised in the design of their own space would be a sorely missed opportunity About The National Geographic SocietyThe National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration investing in bold people and transformative ideas providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036 2015APSave this storySaveSave this storySaveThe water levels in a southeastern Mexican reservoir have dropped by nearly 100 feet in recent months but the drought hasn't been all negative Chiapas's Nezahualcoyotl reservoir has revealed a secret with its receding waters: the Temple of Santiago a 16th-century church that's also known as Temple of Quechula The reservoir was a result of the construction of a dam in the 1960s causing the 400-year-old ruins to be submerged The temple has been exposed only once before: In 2002 the water was so low that visitors could walk around inside the church The cathedral was built in the mid-16th century by Dominican monks led by Friar Bartolome de las Casas a Spanish missionary famed for opposing slavery in colonial Mexico The Temple of Santiago was deserted a few hundred years later "The church was abandoned due [to] the big plagues of 1773 to 1776," Carlos Navarete, an architect who worked with the Mexican government on an report on the church, told the Associated Press the church is drawing tourists back to the area Local fishermen are offering boat tours to visitors looking to explore the half-submerged structure This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from A Local's Guide to the Best of Mérida, MexicoThe Next List: Condé Nast Traveler Editors on What Travel Is up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world While the University of Florida climbs in national rankings they neglect the cries of their own community for them to address some of the most important issues of our time: community it revealed that UF Business Services continues to have a shallow consideration of ethics in their food procurement.  UF’s messaging is a response to mounting pressure from our broad-based Food Justice at UF Coalition staff, faculty and the community have called for concrete measures in the new contract to ensure its dining service lives up to UF’s missions as a university and land-grant institution:      • Exclusion of the use of prison labor and companies that profit from prisons;  fair wages and right to organize for food chain workers;  • $15/hour minimum wage and right to organize for campus dining workers;  addressing their concerns about accessing UF’s market;  • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions;  • Transparency and accountability for these aims with a credible third-party program.  UF/Aramark has focused on the lowest hanging fruit: new local sourcing initiatives — Restaurant Row a campus “farmers market” and a new-found relationship with Trader Hills Farm UF’s definition of local farms seems to be mainly about geography and does not ensure that smaller scale Do we know if they reflect fair relationships with farms they source from when they continue to avoid direct relationships with the producers themselves?    UF’s messaging and inadequate initiatives should not distract us from the opportunity to build a truly sustainable food system for all historically disenfranchised folks and the local economy.  It also requires accountability and transparency achievable by committing to a credible third-party monitoring program. Daniels states that UF will “ask or require our selected vendor to exceed baseline requirements” of such programs but this promise seems shallow when UF could instead commit to an existing program as county and city commissions have asked.   Partnerships with local farms and restaurants are insufficient if UF is not ensuring humane treatment of workers relied on creating an exploitable agricultural workforce beginning with the use of enslaved people from Africa and their descendants Our current farm workforce is largely immigrant and forced to take great risks to self-advocate against violations to the few protections they are afforded are at high risk of pesticide exposure and heat-related death UF acknowledged that prison labor is immoral and severed their contracts after public pressure stating: “The symbolism of inmate labor is incompatible with our university .. uncomfortable transformational work." However they have not committed to eliminating ties to prison slave labor in their food service Many of the companies vying for the contract profit off unpaid another way society has created an exploitable workforce As former prisoner Kevin Scott says: “You are exploited and the fact that somebody is profiting off that is despicable The vegetables on your plate come from an abused person.”   The Food Justice at UF Coalition provides a concrete action-based framework for countering the exploitative and extractive status quo food system that harms so many and provides obscene profits for a few.  the coalition includes voices and priorities of people throughout the food chain who are most negatively impacted by UF’s sourcing practices The committee UF convened to determine the new food service contract priorities and evaluate proposals behind closed doors does not represent these voices Input of those directly impacted is critical to ensuring the contract upholds values we expect of a “top-tier” institution of higher learning.  Nezahualcoyotl Xiuhtecutli is the general coordinator of the Farmworker Association of Florida. Kevin Scott is an organizer with Florida Prisoner Solidarity and project manager for Just Income GNV. Jimmy Peniston is a former UF graduate assistant. Leah Cohen is general coordinator of the Agricultural Justice Project. All are members of the Food Justice at UF Coalition.  Join the conversationSend a letter to the editor (up to 200 words) to letters@gainesville.com. Letters must include the writer's full name and city of residence. Additional guidelines for submitting letters and longer guest columns can be found at bit.ly/sunopinionguidelines Get a digital subscription to the Gainesville Sun. Includes must-see content on Gainesville.com and Gatorsports.com, breaking news and updates on all your devices, and access to the Gainesville.com ePaper. Visit www.gainesville.com/subscribenow to sign up The archaeological site of Chimalhuacán is surrounded by the city of the same name on the outskirts of México City one of the largest and most densely megalopolises on Earth The name of this Náhuatl ceremonial center translates as the place of the shields a fact which is reflected by the many stone-carved shields found at the site and its surroundings.  Also known as Los Poches, Chimalhuacán also shows evidence of being inhabited by Chichimec and Mixtec peoples during the time of the famous triple alliance that kickstarted the Aztec empire.  Archaeological evidence suggests that Chimalhuacán was first settled by Mesoamerican peoples in the 4th century BCE the vast majority of the architecture visible at the site today dates to the 11th century CE The settlement of Chimalhuacán is also known to have hosted the great Nezahualcóyotl who hailed from Texcoco and became one of the greatest military figures in the history of the Aztec empire Though much of the archaeological site has been destroyed over the centuries to make way for modern construction there are still plenty of interesting structures and objects to explore.  On exhibit within the museum and inside the site are several objects discovered during excavations in the 1980s it is also possible to observe a handful of stone-carved figures.  Though Chimalhuacán’s Mesoamerican ballcourt has not survived one of its rings was recently discovered and set into the facade of the site’s museum One of the most photographed attractions at Chimalhuacán that represents a fire deity is actually a fiberglass mold replica based on a sculpture found elsewhere Like virtually all Mesoamerican cities and settlements Chimalhuacán relied heavily on agriculture but also had the advantage of easy fishing in Lake Texcoco when large sections of Lake Texcoco were still navigable folks from the region still used to fish its waters using canoes identical to those of their ancestors.  But the story of the place today known as Chimalhuacán stretches way further back than even Mesoamerican civilization as it is also the site of the discovery of the so-called Man of Chimalhuacán who is thought to have lived 12,000 years ago Among the burial of the man of Chimalhuacán as well as mammoth tusks covered with markings Municipalities such as Chimalhuacán and Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl are reachable via public transit from Mexico City it is strongly recommended that you take a taxi or use a ride-sharing app as the area may present hazards to lost tourists The trip from downtown Mexico City to Chimalhuacán usually takes about one hour but can be much longer during rush hour It is a good idea to go early on weekends to avoid traffic This region of México state is jampacked with other extremely interesting sites, such as Acozac so making a list of sites to visit and trying to hit several during an extended day trip is a great idea.  Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer and translation degrees from universities in Mexico Tom Swope’s first Mérida exhibition will highlight unexplained similarities between archaic Chinese motifs and Maya art a former antiquities dealer about to open his eponymous gallery in the La Ermita neighborhood is inspired by Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias (1904-1957) and has examined Chinese jades in his own collection.  “I have been looking at archaic… We are in the middle of a massive remodel of a beautiful condo water-view home was built and furnished in 2008 Our goal is to bring everything in on time and on budget so that the owners can list the condo for sale by Jan If you are an owner of a vacation rental home then you know the importance of getting good reviews Anything less than five stars can lose the attention of every future potential guest who reads the reviews before booking your rental Home of the so-called Sistine Chapel of Mesoamerica the ruins of Bonampak lay deep in the thick Lacandon jungle in Chiapas The city was founded in the early 2nd century CE and had grown to be large by the time Yaxchilán invaded in the 5th century and installed Yajaw Chan Muwaan I as lord of… Yucatan — A lively new theater opens today in the Santa Ana neighborhood Teatro Casa Santa Ana will offer regional plays comedy shows and recitals in a small restaurant setting at Calle 58 and 47 The audience is invited to enjoy snacks or drinks during the performances happens to be the grandson of a woman from Merida which Joseph says should be in every cook’s repertoire I can’t believe how lucky I was to have grown up on caldo tlalpeño… Advertise With Us Apply Now Schedule Sign Me Up The framers were acutely aware of competing interests and they had great distrust of concentrated authority We inspire students to practice good global citizenship while strengthening their own communities Act Now Home News Highlights Spotlights With Haitian migration growing a Mexico City family of doctors is helping out the Hernández Pacheco family began to notice a number of Haitians arriving at an apartment across the street from their medical clinic on the outskirts of Mexico City mint-green office sits on a small street in working class Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl The Haitians stood out among the tamal vendors and street merchants sitting out in the sun to warm up in the chilled high-elevation air approached a 15-year-old Haitian boy who often looked sad and bored Haitian migrants make up a good portion of the medical practice of the clinic which is staffed by Hernández Pacheco and her mother and two of her siblings who are also doctors The Bassuary clinic offers free consultations and the family also began giving food to the Haitians Hernández Pacheco wants the clinic to be a safe haven for Haitian migrants whether they are planning to stay in Mexico or continue the journey north to the U.S “I can’t even imagine what it must be like to be in another country where there are so many limitations,” she said “My clinic’s doors are open to help them in everything we can originally came to the doctor when she had stomach pain They offered her a job cleaning at the clinic three times a week Lubin and the doctors have engaged in a dance of dialects the last eight months She started teaching me words in Creole and she says we’re friends,” said Berenice Political unrest and natural disasters have led to periods of migration through Mexico over the last decade Many Haitians initially emigrated to South America and then moved north after economies struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic Surging gang violence in Haiti has displaced nearly 580,000 Haitians internally since March More migrants like Lubin have been stuck in Mexico for months waiting for asylum appointments through U.S Customs and Border Protection’s online app The Hernández Pacheco sisters are following in the footsteps of their parents who both came from poor backgrounds and were the first doctors to practice medicine in the rural neighborhood They opened the family’s first clinic in 1963 who studied medicine at the National Autonomous University of Mexico opened her own private clinic in 2014 to provide free medical care for the low-income residents of her community It’s across the street from her parents’ practice The private clinic is not funded or subsidized by any institution They sometimes receive donations from non-governmental organizations and work to keep their costs low for patients in the area younger sister Berenice and brother also work as doctors at the Bassuary clinic they have noticed a number of health issues common to their Haitian patients “They had lower back problems because most of them sleep on the floor Dealing with the cold was difficult for them,” Berenice said “They also had stomach issues because their diet was completely different from the Mexican (diet).” was one of the Haitians living in the small apartment across the street Originally from the Haitian town of Dessalines Toussaint was a school principal and history teacher for 28 years He made the difficult decision of leaving his four children with relatives to try to join his wife in Florida he got by thanks to his studies in Spanish back home He came to the clinic for treatment of high blood pressure and pain in his eyes but there’s a bit of a problem here,” he said Mexico’s humanitarian visa can give Haitians benefits like work authorization Last year Haitians were the highest among all nationalities to request these visas according to the International Organization for Migration Mexico received fewer than 4,000 requests from Haitians for humanitarian visas the National Immigration Institute has restricted the distribution of this document,” said Alejandra Carrillo of the U.N “Now we’re seeing a significant number of Haitians working in the informal economy many Haitians like Toussaint struggle while waiting months for a humanitarian visa in Mexico or a CBP One appointment in the United States He had gigs in a factory and as a mechanic Toussaint and three of his roommates secured CBP One appointments their departure on June 20 was cause for celebration Before their trip she invited the men over for a farewell meal “You should eat more than one!” she exclaimed as they crowded around a table in the clinic’s courtyard motioning to the doctors and the other three Haitian men around him during their meal She arrived in Mexico last year fleeing violence in Port-Au-Prince, taking a flight to Nicaragua then crossing through Honduras and Guatemala to reach Mexico “My family has been a victim of insecurity,” she said “Bandits seized our home and my mother’s cars As the eldest in her family she left behind three siblings and her parents as well as her dream to attend medical school in Haiti Now she works at the clinic along with another young Haitian woman They live in a small room a five-minute walk away “It’s safe here and that makes me feel comfortable,” Lubin said Sarahí Hernández Pacheco says Haitians deserve more from the international community “What I’m doing is just a grain of sand,” she said “I would ask the government what they could do to speed up their procedures and get them where they feel safe.” Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america Discover the best of AP content in every format Explore diverse topics through our world-class journalism own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment University of Connecticut provides funding as a member of The Conversation US View all partners Leer en español Cape Town is not alone. While both rich and poor countries are drying out, the fast-growing cities of the developing world are projected to suffer the most acute shortages in coming years Scarcity turns water into a powerful political bargaining chip. From Delhi to Nairobi Mexico, too, has seen its water fall prey to cronyism in too many cities. I interviewed 180 engineers, politicians, business leaders and residents in eight Mexican cities for my book on politics and water I was startled to discover that Mexican officials frequently treat water distribution and treatment not as public services but as political favors Nezahualcoyotl is a city in Mexico State near the nation’s sprawling capital Just after lunch one Friday afternoon in 2008 was showing me around town when news of an unexpected thunderstorm began lighting up his team’s cell phones and pagers I did not yet understand why an everyday event like a thunderstorm would elicit such panic Pablo explained that Nezahualcoyotl’s aged electric grid often failed during big storms and that the city lacked backup generators If a power outage shut down the local sanitation treatment plant Pablo and his colleagues avoided a flood that day. But I later read news articles confirming how relatively common sewage overflows are there Nezahualcoyotl residents have been dealing with this multisystem failure for 30 years complaining of gastrointestinal illness and skin lesions all the while So why hasn’t this public health emergency been fixed? The answer is a primer on the tricky politics of urban water delivery in Mexico Public malfeasance in Mexico is widespread. Nearly 90 percent of citizens see the state and federal government as corrupt, according to the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography The country’s water situation, too, is pretty dire. The capital, Mexico City, is “parched and sinking,” according to a powerful 2017 New York Times report, and 81 percent of residents say they don’t drink from the tap either because they lack running water or they don’t trust its quality Officially, nearly all Mexicans have access to running water. But in practice, many – particularly poorer people – have intermittent service and very low pressure Workers in one city asked me to keep their identity anonymous before explaining why the water infrastructure there was so decrepit The mayor’s team actually profits from refusing to upgrade the city’s perpetually defunct hardware That’s because whenever a generator or valve breaks they send it to their buddies’ refurbishing shops Numerous engineers across Mexico similarly expressed frustration that they were sometimes forbidden from making technical fixes to improve local water service because of a mayor’s “political commitments.” I met a water director who openly boasted of using public water service for his political and personal gain he told me that he fought to keep water bills low in this mostly poor city because water was a “human right” but also that he had once turned off supplies to an entire neighborhood for weeks because of a feud with another city employee Public officials also use water to influence politics My sources also alleged that the powerful Revolutionary Institutional Party and thus controlled its water supply – has turned off the water in towns whose mayors belonged to opposition parties These tactics are not reported in the Mexican press but according to my research the cuts tend to occur just before municipal elections – a bid to make the PRI’s political competition look bad Water corruption isn’t limited to Mexico State The millions of Mexicans who lack reliable access to piped water are served by municipal water trucks called “pipas,” which drive around filling buildings’ cisterns This system seems prone to political exploitation Interviewees told me that city workers sometimes make people show their voter ID cards, demonstrating their affiliation to the governing party, before receiving their water. Across the country, mayoral candidates chase votes by promising to give residents free or subsidized water service rather than to charge based on consumption The phenomenon of trading water as a political favor is probably more common in lower income communities, which rely almost exclusively on the pipas I saw how water can hold a different kind of political power the location of underground pipes and other critical water infrastructure was guarded like a state secret So when customers complained that some municipal employees were asking for bribes to provide water The workers controlled valuable information about the city’s water system Water may be a human right But when politicians manipulate it for their personal or political benefit Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker hundreds of couples got married for free in different parts of the country thanks to collective weddings organized by local governments Offering couples a free-of-charge process to marry the annual event seeks to support hundreds of citizens to regularize their civil status mass unions of LGBT+ couples were held for the very first time “We’re happy because same-sex marriage was approved just three months ago here in the State of México so we decided to marry this year,” Sarai Vargas told France24 media According to a Nezahualcóyotl municipal official close to 1,000 couples took part in the event Authorities also provided hairdressing and makeup services for the couples México state, one of the most populous federal entities in the country, approved same-sex marriage in October Shortly afterward, Tamaulipas became the final state in the nation to change their state constitutions to legalize same-sex marriage Government-sponsored collective wedding ceremonies are an annual Valentine’s Day tradition throughout Mexico an event typically presided over by a state governor or local mayor as a feel-good photo opportunity Mexico City’s Civil Registry did not announce mass weddings this year but some borough governments within the city held free weddings for adult couples over 18 that had presented the required documents such as birth certificate Governor Salomón Jara Cruz served as the honorary witness to more than 400 marriage ceremonies that took place in the city The local government also surprised nine of the lucky couples with honeymoon trips to Oaxaca’s beach resort municipality of Huatulco With reports from France24, El Financiero and Expansión ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC Thanks to a drastic drought in the Grijalva River in Chiapas, Mexico, a mid-16th century church has resurfaced for a second time in the Nezahualcoyotl reservoir The church or Temple of Santiago or Temple of Quechula and was flooded when the dam was completed in 1966 They did processions around the church,” said local fisherman The church was built in by a group of monks lead by Friar Bartolome de las Casas who arrived in the Quechala locality in the mid-16th century De las Casas was the first Bishop of Chiapas and initially supported the colonization and subjugation of the native Indians of the region Architect Carlos Navarrete believes the convent seems to have been dependent on the nearby monastery of Tecpatan Now, local fishermen are taking curious visitors in boats to see the surfacing remains of the magnificent temple A colonial structure in Chiapas is back in view 46 years later it was sent to a watery grave. http://t.co/6IynaFT9MO pic.twitter.com/pLLA6sU359 Residents in the streets of Hacienda de Pastejé and Hacienda de Santa Ana reported the two packages in the street - authorities arrived and confirmed they were human bodies Meanwhile two more people have been killed and four more injured in an altercation at a bar in Nezahualcóyotl A young man and woman were killed in the altercation at Baby Coffee and Kareoke several men entered the esttablishment in the neighborhood of Benito Juarez and shot at the clientele Two people died in the attack: Verónica Méndez and Mario Francisco Sánchez Martínez Witnesses of the attack said that the attackers arrived in a black car flanked by several motorcycles who was celebrating his birthday in the bar a similar attack took place at the nearby Wings and Beer After experiencing intense drought conditions a recent report revealed that a 16th-century church emerged in the Nezahualcoyotl reservoir in South Mexico Recently, Reuters reported that parts of Mexico experienced challenging heatwaves causing six casualties due to the hot conditions in the country the dry and heat likely worsened the drought According to AccuWeather parts of Chiapas in Mexico had experienced drought conditions for about six months The drought impacted the Nezahualcoyotl reservoir In the latest AccuWeather and Newsweek reports a 16th-century church named the Temple of Quechula emerged due to the low water levels in the said reservoir and lack of rainfall the church was a home for the Zoque people that Friar Bartolome de la Casas led The reports noted that the drought conditions helped resurface the Roman Catholic church People could see and walk to the church's 30-foot tall wall and bell tower AccuWeather reported that the water levels in the reservoir declined five months ago as the wet season became unusually dry in 2022 architect Carlos Navarrete explained that the church was abandoned in 1773 - 1776 due to the plagues the drought conditions and low water levels in the reservoir have impacted the local fishermen the drop in the water could affect the fish Drought conditions have a significant toll on farmers and fishermen Furthermore, AccuWeather and Reuters reported a lost village of Aceredo in the Limia River The reports explained that the drought and lack of rainfall helped unfold the ancient village submerged when the Alto Lindoso reservoir was built The report said that the ancient village had been submerged in the water for more than 20 years that suddenly emerged due to drought As lack of rainfall and soaring temperatures continue in Mexico it could likely result in heat-related health concerns It is best that Mexicans should keep updated with the weather conditions as heat waves could become dangerous for vulnerable people people with medical conditions and children are at risk of the hot weather in Mexico Bringing bottled water is essential when traveling to tourist areas or enjoying outdoor activities Staying in cooler areas is also suggested to ease the troublesome heat in Mexico For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News © 2025 NatureWorldNews.com All rights reserved a classroom full of shoeless police officers trample somewhat sheepishly over the volumes spread out on the floor “Feel them enter your body,” the teacher urges the men and women in blue as they pass over Honoré de Balzac Nezahualcoyotl, a gritty working-class city of about 2 million people sprawling out from central Mexico City has become a crucible for an unusual experiment in enlightened police training Beset by table-topping crime figures that have resisted more conventional crime-busting efforts the city’s leftwing council has decided to try something new “The principle is that a police officer who is cultured is in a better position to be a better police officer,” says José Jorge Amador The experiment began early in 2005 with reading and writing classes It has since mushroomed into an entire literature course with its own constantly expanding editorial series All the 1,200 officers of the municipal force are now required to attend fortnightly book groups - while off duty - if they are to have any hope of promotion The scheme is particularly remarkable in Mexico where according to a 2005 study by the country’s biggest university only 28% of the population aged over 15 read more than two books a year and 40% read none at all It seems close to spectacular in the Nezahualcoyotl police force where only a fifth of the officers have the equivalent of a sixth-form education and many have only a few years of secondary schooling or even less It has also aroused interest around the world Mr Amador says he received a call from Scotland Yard last year The idea of getting the police reading in Neza is part of a wider “cultural dimension” to training This also obliges officers to learn to play chess On one level the reading groups are designed to broaden minds making officers more aware of what is going on in their local communities and more sensitive to the needs of the public But the idea is also to prove to the people that the police are no longer the scheming corrupt low-life most Mexicans assume them to be “We have a bad police force because society sees them as in the basement whose immediate predecessor is in a maximum-security jail for drug trafficking “In Nezahualcoyotl we want to elevate the police so [they are] worthy of fulfilling their obligations.” Such lofty aims are echoed by some of the officers in the workshops Jaime Ocampo says he proudly tells people he meets in the street that “the police are different now - we read” Others are more excited by finding parallels with their own experiences while roaming this traffic-clogged once notorious slum-turned-suburb of the metropolis “I think of myself as [Don] Quixote and my buddy who has to watch my back,” says Pedro Martinez referring to the Spanish classic his class read last year in a digested version A short story about a lynching in a rural town by the Mexican writer Edmundo Valadez prompts a group discussion ranging from the topic of recent cases of popular justice through to the country’s current electoral dispute and the Iraq war Some officers are most excited about the writing project covering accounts of their own time on the job For some this means blow-by-blow accounts of shootouts and car chases but others invest the texts with wistful romanticism Literature On Alert has already published a novel by one officer But is a reading and writing cop really a better cop The leading Mexican criminologist Rafael Ruiz Harrell is not convinced “Maybe it will make them better human beings But how this will be useful in decreasing crime is hard to see.” Mr Amador claims there has been a drop in crime and he credits the “cultural dimension” for it alongside other measures ranging from obligatory exercise (for the many cops who are all too fond of their tacos) to anti-corruption purges He is particularly proud of the city’s drop from No 3 to No 8 in the national car theft league table Mr Amador says he now rarely receives complaints and occasionally receives the once unheard of pleasure of a congratulatory call for all the good work A recent straw poll of passersby on a busy Neza street gathered mixed opinions Some residents saw improvements in policing while others simply guffawed at the idea that this could be possible But what is undeniable is that some police are having fun doing things they never imagined being an officer would involve they have also translated the first chapter into radio code “In a 22 [village] of La Mancha whose 62 [name] I have no desire to remember.” MEXICO CITY: With tears in their eyes and smiles beneath their face masks more than 660 couples tied the knot Monday at a Valentine´s Day mass wedding in Mexico "I didn´t think I would have another chance but love arrived because love arrived," Silva said smiling next to her new husband at the ceremony in a suburb of Mexico City "Two of my sisters in my family have already been married this way and we saw they were happy so we said ´let´s continue the tradition,´" the 40-year-old said What the mass wedding lacks in intimacy it makes up for with perks such as free marriage certificates a council official in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl "Gathering 661 families in one place was quite a challenge," she admitted But it is worth it for what is "a very emotional event for the families and for us who are going to witness it," she added Census first step to understanding density of animals in farming areas Haidilao says the incident occurred on Feb 24 but it only became aware of incident four days after it happened Oreo's dog-dad escapes with thigh graze after fur-raising mishap triggered by four-legged shooter Giant slab stamped with dozens of fossilised footprints dates to early Jurassic period some 200m years ago fell asleep along train tracks and did not feel the train coming," says official Only one out of a billion people have facial hair condition with only 50 such recorded cases since Middle Ages Copyright © 2025. The News International, All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Authors Mexico City is facing a crisis over where to put its trash - enough to fill four sports stadiums a year - with its sprawling dump already crammed to bursting and under a closure order. One of the world's biggest landfills, the Nezahualcoyotl dump site, is a fifth the size of Manhattan and sits inside the urban sprawl of the fast-growing Mexican capital. Mexico City is built on a dried-out lake bed first settled by the ancient Aztecs and grew at such a frenetic pace in the 1980s and 1990s that it now envelopes outlying villages, the dump and the international airport. Now, mountains of refuse piled several storeys high are pressing against a major drainage canal that runs along the dump's edge. That risks a rupture that could flood residential areas and the airport with stinking effluent and grime, says the federal government which ordered the dump closed in January. But city officials are stalling in court, arguing that the danger is exaggerated and asking for more time to implement ambitious recycling and green energy projects. "If the canal breaks it would be a disaster, you would have thousands of people inundated with sewage," said Mauricio Limon, an official at the Environment Ministry, which has been trying to close down the landfill for years. "More time in operation means more polluting methane ... tainted aquifers, more contamination of the surrounding areas, damaged wildlife and bad odours," said Mr Limon. Mexico City's left-wing government is facing off with the ruling conservatives to keep the dump open and find green alternatives to absorb the 12,500 tonnes of garbage produced each day by the capital's 20 million residents. City officials say garbage can be heaped up at the 10-square-kilometre site on the edge of Mexico City for several more years. Small privately-run landfills are offering their services, but at triple the price and with less space. "If we close it, they'll start chucking it wherever they can. Soon this garbage will be in our ditches," said Marta Delgado, the city's head of environmental policy. "Crises should give us opportunities to change. We need a profound transformation in the way this city deals with its waste." Mexico City launched a campaign several years ago to teach households to separate organic waste from recyclables. Sorting centres were built to replace informal workers who rake through trash for scraps of metal, plastic and paper. Despite that, only 15 per cent of the city's garbage is recycled, compared to up to 60 per cent in parts of Europe. There are no waste reduction programmes. Styrofoam plates, cups and plastic straws pile up at taco stands and shoppers pack groceries into doubled-up plastic bags. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, with one eye on a future presidential bid, has made strides towards making the capital greener, adding cycle lanes and public transport. Now he has big plans for a $186 million recycling centre and a methane gas project like one that fuels the metro in the northern city of Monterrey. The plans could take years to come to fruition. Nezahualcoyotl workers pushing bulldozers over animal carcasses from food markets, computer parts and plastic bottles say they are caught in the middle of a political fight. Pilot projects at the dump include one that has seven million worms chomping away at organic waste, including 14 tonnes a day of animal innards, to turn it into rich compost. Another project uses a water filter to skim off some of the black sludge that bubbles off the trash heaps and distil it into yellowish water, used to wet dusty roads in the area. To view comments, please register for free or log in to your account. With a unique blend of punk rock, Aztec instruments and indigenous lyrics, five brothers from a struggling suburb of Mexico City are using music to preserve their cultural heritage. "It has been an adventure," said Victor Hugo Sandoval, 31. "What we wanted when this dream of having a punk band started was sex, drugs and rock and roll, but things just happened as we went along." At a recent rehearsal for Los Cogelones in the capital city's Nezahualcoyotl district, the wail of guitars and thunder of drums mixed with the soothing sounds of a conch shell. The brothers, wearing traditional Aztec garments, sing in a combination of Spanish and the indigenous Nahuatl language, while young music students accompany on drums and brass instruments. "In 2012 we began to incorporate prayers like our Mexica (Aztec) grandparents did, and we integrated pre-Columbian instruments into this mix of our present and native past," Marco Sandoval, the 33-year-old drummer, told AFP. "We like to share music with the kids ... because it's our heritage," said Alberto Sandoval, 30, who plays indigenous instruments like the huehuetl, a tubular drum. Los Cogelones are among Mexican bands seeking to preserve ancestral culture through rock, heavy metal or blues. The band was formed in 2009 in the El Sol neighborhood of Nezahualcoyotl, named after a pre-Hispanic poet and ruler. When their parents moved to the area the roads were unpaved and the houses made of flimsy sheets of metal. Neza, as it is known, "is a place that grows from adversity," said Victor Hugo. Today the district of 1.2 million remains a tough place to live, with high rates of crime, including violence against women, and a dearth of basic services. The harshness of life there is reflected in the songs of the brothers, whose uncle introduced them to the music of punk bands like the Ramones as well as the Nahuatl language. The neighborhood has been hit hard by the coronavirus, with around 860 deaths and 5,600 confirmed cases in the district. The outbreak forced the band to postpone live performances of its debut album "Hijos del Sol" (Sons of El Sol) that was released in July. But they have already had a taste of fame. Late last year in the capital's main public square, near what was once the main temple of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, the band performed its song "500 Years," which touches on discrimination and racism. The epidemic has also impacted their weekly Aztec ritual dance in the district's main square. Police recently intervened, citing measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. "Days like these remind us that the struggle is not over. We live in eternal resistance," Marco said. © Copyright AFP 2024. All rights reserved. Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and Gonzalo Ramírez del Sordo which houses Latin America’s largest pipe organ Events held at the Auditorio Nacional include music concerts Located within a stunning Art Nouveau and Neoclassical building is the Palacio de Bellas Artes The Palacio de Bellas Artes is the most important cultural center in the country and is home to many professional orchestras and ensembles Visit the Palacio de Bellas Artes for excellent concerts which will keep you in awe from start to finish This venue also happens to be specifically designed for symphonic music creating a wonderful intimacy between the players and the audience Behind the Metropolitan Cathedral is the Centro Cultural de España an excellent example of Mexico City’s thriving art scene Located inside a 16th-century building which housed the Conquistadores the Centro Cultural’s bar-restaurant offers a terrace where independent national bands and singers perform You are most likely to catch electronic music here but indie and rock bands and DJs also occasionally perform Spend an evening at the bar after viewing an exhibition to capp off the evening in style Bulldog Café is a classic venue that all lovers of rock need to visit at least once this club has three floors and one huge stage on which the best rock and metal bands in the world have performed Zinco Jazz Club Zinco Jazz Club is arguably Mexico City’s most popular jazz bar, known for its vibrant atmosphere and excellent music selection, bringing a little bit of New York to the heart of Mexico City Located inside the basement a former bank — the old vaults are still visible — this small and intimate club has hosted a number of famous jazz players A high standard of music and a relaxed evening of entertainment is guaranteed at Zinco Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy Salón Los Ángeles The Salón Los Ángeles is a favorite spot among locals who enjoy Latin music “He who does not know Salón Los Ángeles does not know Mexico,” With décor recalls the Mexican golden age this bar is brought to life by local musicians and dancers with their amazing sounds and dance classes are even offered here on Mondays for those who are looking to take their listening experiences to the next level Paula has benefitted from a multicultural lifestyle An inexplicable love for even the most complicated grammar motivated her to study French and Russian at the University of Oxford She had the opportunity of spending most of her year abroad in Yaroslavl’ but also of travelling around Belgium and France there isn’t a moment where you won’t find Paula either listening to or playing music This little addiction however does allow time for Paula to enjoy other passions including fencing and chain-watching detective TV series See & Do The Most Magical Sites to Visit in Mexico See & Do Unique Indigenous Towns in Mexico See & Do How to Spend Christmas and New Years in Mexico City Guides & Tips 14 Things You Should Never Say to a Mexican See & Do A View of Mexico City Through the Xochimilco Canals Guides & Tips A Guide To The Palacio De Bellas Artes See & Do 16 Must Visit Attractions in Guadelejara See & Do The 10 Best Things to See and Do in Pachuca See & Do The Most Beautiful Plazas in Mexico City See & Do Mexico's Most Stunning Lakeside Towns and Villages See & Do The Top 10 Things to See and Do in Tlaxcala See & Do Must-Visit Attractions in the Copper Canyon US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd