This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Tucked away on the Morelos-Puebla border is a community that demonstrates that not all of Mexico’s magical towns are Pueblos Mágicos “Zacualpan is a little agricultural village with great tradition and culture Very pretty too,” says 18-year old Daniela García Caltempa with only about 10,000 residents whose lives revolve around the town’s 16th-century church and monastery and its agriculture even though the municipality is only 81 km from Mexico City Local historian Israel Sandoval Martínez takes great pride in that “The municipality has managed to preserve much of its unique character despite being so close to Mexico City,” he says Zacualpan’s story begins over 3,000 years ago with Olmecs in the region, later Toltecs and Chichimecas. As part of lands under the dominion of the Triple Alliance (the Mexica Empire), it was an important agricultural area. After the fall of Tenochtitlan, the Spanish quickly built a monastery-fortress here, one of a series that are now World Heritage Sites The town’s name comes from Nahuatl and means “atop something covered,” which is believed to refer to a pyramid that has not yet been discovered the communities outside are even smaller and more isolated They include the communities that were originally worker housing on old haciendas Zacualpan’s agricultural heritage is strongly shaped by its unique environment Located on the lower slopes of Popocatépetl it is in a transition zone from pine and oak to tropical forest which allows for the cultivation of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables said to have been invented by the monastery’s monks Locals might tell you they cannot legally call it rum (not true) but that is what it is — and a good one too Aguardiente de caña is most commonly enjoyed flavored with local fruits and herbs as a digestif Zacualpan’s annual festival calendar is important particularly the festival of its patron saint fireworks and Chinelos dancers but also features the mojiganga Like the more commonly-known puppets of the same name the purpose of this festival is to lighten the mood after the serious religious processions and masses are concluded Zacualpan’s mojiganga is a carnival-like celebration where comparsas (like Mardi Gras krewes) spend the year making new elaborate costumes and floats to parade in town only once but the distinctive feature is the use of a hard papier mache for masks and sometimes other elements Although there are precedents in the 19th century with young men dressing outlandishly in old clothes and using jugs for masks The festival draws tens of thousands spectators regionally In addition to being important economically Sandoval Martinez says that it remains important to locals because it helps to preserve community ties the best time to visit Zacualpan is Sunday morning: market day even the municipal market is empty the rest of the week Everyone does their shopping on this one day with open air stalls filling the center starting at 6 a.m but arrive early because just about everything sells out by 2 p.m There is one very special segment of this tianguis: the “barter market.” A rare vestige of how tianguis used to operate in the Mesoamerican period the barter market survives because many families still rely on growing much of their own food and are so isolated that they have little monetary income many exchange excess produce — mostly tomatoes onions — and  small handcrafts with their neighbors This tradition is so important to the town’s identity that each year in October they select a young woman to be the Barter Queen Her duties are to participate in the year’s festivities teach visitors about how bartering works in the town and represent Zacualpan to the rest of Morelos and beyond This year’s Queen is Daniela García Caltempa who sheepishly admits that while she competed for the title “somewhat out of vanity,” she believes strongly in maintaining Zacualpan’s unique identity Zacualpan is proud to have maintained its identity to the present day Sandoval Martínez says the town has changed greatly during his lifetime with the (late) introduction of electricity accompanied by deforestation and now problems with the formerly abundant water supply people have subdivided land and built new houses marginalizing old agricultural practices.The loss of family gardens and farms represents a loss of self-sufficiency and a “lack of consciousness.” Zacualpan does not seem to be particularly opposed to Pueblo Mágico status It is included in the state of Morelos’ Pueblos con Encanto (Charming Towns) program created when the federal Pueblos Mágicos ran into political difficulties please take care that too many gringos/foreigners don’t move in and change everything Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico over 20 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019) Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC IKL-FSE] said it has closed the first tranche of the non-brokered private placement financing that was originally expected to raise $6.2 million but has subsequently been upsized to $ 8.2 million the company has received gross proceeds of $2.93 million from the issuance of 10.48 million LIFE units priced at 28 cents each and gross proceeds of $4.19 million from the issuance of 15.5 million units (the Standard Units) priced at 27 cents per unit Total gross proceeds from the sale amount to $7.13 million The second tranche of the offering is expected to close by May 29th The company said it intends to use proceeds of the offering to accelerate exploration activity at its Plomosas high-grade zinc-silver property in Chihuahua further develop its prolific silver assets at its legacy Royal Mines of Zacualpan Silver-Gold District in central Mexico as well as invest in operational improvements to improve productivity and throughput as the price of silver nears 52-week highs and drilling with the intention of expanding the existing JORC mineral resource at Plomosas where only 600 metres of the 6.0-kilometre-long structure has been tested “With silver rallying to over US$30 per ounce last week and going higher not to mention strong zinc prices amidst a rally in base metals IMPACT Silver is well positioned to benefit from production at Plomosas and high potential exploration programs in 2024,’’ said Impact President and CEO Frederick Davidson IMPACT Silver is a successful producer-explorer with two mining projects in Mexico In the Royal Mines of Zacualpan Silver-Gold District Impact owns 100% of the 211 square kilometre Zacualpan project where three underground silver mines and one open pit mine feed the central Guadalupe processing plant The announcement comes after the company announced a new silver vein discovery in its producing Guadalupe silver mine in Royal Mines of Zacualpan Silver-Gold District the Capire Project includes the 200 tonne-per-day processing pilot plant adjacent to an open pit silver mine with NI 43-101 inferred mineral resource of over 4.5 million ounces of silver 48 million pounds of zinc and 21 million pounds of lead Impact has placed multiple zones into commercial production and produced over 13 million ounces of silver Impact has begun preliminary mining and processing operations at its Plomosas zinc mine where upgrades to facilities and equipment continue the previous owner processed 31,695 tonnes producing 2,442 tonnes of zinc concentrate and 599 tonnes of lead concentrate Impact Silver shares eased 3.2% or $0.01 to 30 cents and trade trade in a 52-week range of 38 cents and 14 cents is company that offers investors an opportunity to participate.. By Peter Kennedy Namib Minerals is set to become a publicly traded company in the U.S.,.. is a company that offers investors an opportunity into early-stage.. is entering a new growth phase as it moves to.. By Peter Kennedy Lack of available infrastructure has long been a perceived impediment to the development.. By Peter Kennedy The Golden Triangle mining district in northwestern British Columbia ranks among the richest.. Gunmen killed 13 police officers in an ambush in México state on Thursday in what was apparently a revenge attack for a security operation against the Familia Michoacana drug cartel two days earlier Eight state police and five investigative officers attached to the México state Attorney General’s Office were killed in the attack Thursday afternoon in Coatepec Harinas a municipality about 120 kilometers southwest of Mexico City members of the Familia Michoacana perpetrated the attack in retaliation for a joint state-federal security operation on Tuesday in Zacualpan a México state municipality 40 kilometers south of Coatepec Harinas Intelligence sources told the newspaper that 125 police 20 soldiers and 28 marines carried out an operation in the community of Gama de Paz and seized three vehicles allegedly stolen by cartel members the security forces found a notebook containing information about the location of cartel bases as well where halcones The security personnel saw alleged Familia Michoacana cartel members in Gama de Paz but the latter fled and there were no arrests or loss of life México state Security Minister Rodrigo Martínez-Celis Wogau called Thursday’s ambush an “affront to the Mexican state” and pledged to respond with “total force and the support of the law.” the army and the navy were deployed to Coatepec Harinas following the ambush The attack was the deadliest on police since 14 state officers were killed in the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán in October 2019 Ninety-nine police officers have now been killed in Mexico this year a government watchdog with a particular interest in public security making last year the deadliest year for police since the organization began tracking murders of police in 2018 Source: Milenio (sp)  my mind starts to turn from turkey toward tamales spread on corn husks or banana leaves filled with a stew-like concoction but get especially seduced in the run-up to Christmas Eve pre-order mania the choice is prodigious as regional variations are available from Mexico Bill and Javier each shared three picks from their extensive coverage Outside the MasaIndio -When I reached out to Gustavo for his pick, he responded, “Let’s carpool out to Indio right now!” Our destination: Outside the Masa food truck for their loaded corn tamal split open and topped with birria de res “enlivened with a ferocious salsa de chile de árbol and warming consommé on the side that you can either drizzle on the tamale or drink as a magnificent chaser.” Owner Juan Carlos Barajas is the culinary director of the Indio International Tamale Festival This is the loaded tamal topped with birria de res from Outside the Masa food truck in Indio Rosy’sPacoima -These are corn husk tamales made from Zacualpan Choices are chicken in red sauce with sliced vegetables or chicken in green sauce made with jalapeños There is also a tamal of sweet corn and cheese The corn husk-wrapped tamales from Zacualpan Nayarit are a specialty at Rosy’s in Pacoima with delivery available depending on the size of your order -These tamales are made from Oaxacan recipes of Melquiades and Elizabeth Silva They make a rarely seen type of tamal from Pinotepa Nacional in the Costa region of Oaxaca There’s a $5 delivery fee within 10 miles of Norwalk and $10 beyond 10 miles in the Los Angeles area These are family recipes and include chicken in a spicy mole They’re a unique taste of regional Oaxacan tamales in Los Angeles Call  (562) 503-1499 to place an order and get more information Guatemalan Night Market6th and Bonnie Brae -In the Westlake neighborhood close to MacArthur Park Lake on the northeast corner of Bonnie Brae and 6th Street are Guatemalans serving tamales de arroz (rice flour tamales) and pork and chicken tamales wrapped in banana leaves all flavored by tomato-based stews sweetened with bell peppers and mild chiles guaques Nehamia’sLong Beach sell tamales at their restaurant and from a car trunk in a Home Depot parking lot in Long Beach lard-based masa made from freshly nixtamalized corn pork or chicken in either red or green salsa as well as one made with cheese and jalapeño slices Tamales ElenaWatts -They’re known for their Afro-Mexican cuisine from Guerrero They offer both banana leaf and corn husk wrapped tamales Chichen ItzaSouth Central Chichen Itza’s tamales are inspired by recipes from the Yucatan The vaporcito is a thin tender tamal made with a choice of proteins and filled with cochinita pibil steamed in banana leaves and topped with pickled red onions The tamal horneado (oven-baked tamal) has a crunchy exterior and is filled with achiote seasoned chicken a tender banana leaf wrapped Yucatan style tamal at Chichen Itza in South Central LA Alchemy OrganicaKoreatown pick-up -Vegan chef Denise Vallego is making vegan tamales for pickup on December 20 Wrapped in corn husks and made with masa from Kernel of Truth tortilleria your choices are Jackfruit cooked in a red chili salsa with green olive an potato Or Yucatán-style banana wrapped Jackfruit “pibil” slow roasted jackfruit “pork” filled tamales steamed in aromatic banana leaves They also have sweet pineapple-coconut tamales If you want to make your own tamales but would like someone else to prepare the masa you may pick up their vegan Masa Preparada (tamale dough already premixed and seasoned) on December 23 by appointment only Pre-orders for tamales and masa are a must La Vegana Mexicana4th Street Market -I love the tamales that Chef Loreta Ruiz makes a white-corn masa tamal filled with house-made cashew cream and salsa casera This was one of the dishes that showed me that I could enjoy vegan tamales as much as the porkier variety and a chocolate-almond bundle I’d love to try But the Green Parrot has to be the most original with masa naturally colored and flavored with poblano chili stuffed with diced potatoes It’s Inspired by the green parrots in downtown Santa Ana The black bean and mole tamal at La Vegana Mexicana is their best seller Thousands of migrants are trying to cross the border in El Paso Lensa AI allows users to upload selfies and transforms them into fantastical portraits Some women say it's returning sexualized versions of their photos Women in Iran weren’t allowed to attend soccer games until 2019 — after decades of protests That history is the subject of the podcast “Pink Card.” FLASH SALE: Snag The OG Black Zip-Up designed by LA artist Chuy Hartman— inspired by the 24/7 service we provide to the LA community ends tonight Get the latest from KCRW in your inbox 3x a week Rosy’s Tamales and La Flor de Yucatán offer a taste of home by the dozen If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy a multi-generational battle of tamaleras has been waged in a winner-makes-all-the- tamales contest my abuela made all the tamales: red and green pork but for those without a Mexican grandmother LA has plenty of options long respected institutions such as Los 5 Puntos La Indiana and Tamara’s Tamales on the Westside the high-season for tamales begins at the end of October with preparations for Dia de Los Muertos and ends with Dia de La Candelaria in February Between the fine store bought options and various tamaleadas (incorrectly called tamaladas most of the time) some of the best tamales you can get come from LA’s regional vendors where artisanal practices honor traditions Whichever dates you observe on the Tamales Calendar, from Dia de Los Muertos (November 1-2), Thanksgiving (Latinos in the US only, 4th Thursday in November), Día de La Guadalupana (Dec. 12), Las Posadas (Dec. 16-24), Nochebuena (Chrismas Eve), New Year’s Eve, and Three Kings Day (December 2, where the one in the know gets the baby in their rosca de reyes or king’s cake slice) these three vendors have you covered in Los Angeles Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula contains a variety of interesting tamales like the mucbipollo Many of these tamales are made with Mayan techniques using recaudos (anatto seed pastes or achiote) as the flavor base wrapped in banana leaves as well as other leaves — in LA’s Yucatecan community La Flor de Yucatán has been the go-to spot since 1971 Marc and Annie Burgos make tamales yucatecos year round from tamales tortiados (also known as vaporcitos) filed with a pork and chicken mix with peppers in a recaudo rojo “We keep everything traditional here because the [Yucatecan] community wants us to keep the original flavors except for the dzotobichay — we put Pepperjack cheese in there and now people ask for it with the cheese,” said owner a mashup of her two daughters Roxy and Roxana and after a busy week that saw fifteen hundred tamales produced in her small tamaleria in Pacoima Her offerings include a spicy chicken in green sauce made from jalapeños These are recipes are passed down from Esparza’s mother and they’re one of your best options for corn husk tamales as many places used chile powder or canned sauces to keep their costs down “These are the same tamales I’ve been making since I was making them with my mother; nothing has changed,” added Esparza who only serves tamales and champurrado (chocolate and maize-based drink) the eight person squad of Tamales Elena: Maria Elena Lorenzo make around ten thousand corn husk tamales for Latinos and African-Americans in Watts LA’s reknowned Afro-Mexican family from Guerrero’s La Costa Chica has been making tamales for decades From their truck you can buy inexpensive corn husk tamales they prepare for locals for a buck traditional banana leaf tamales doesn’t fly in Watts but call in a special order of their Guerrero-style tamales for some of the best in LA and they might be better than your abuela’s Order pork or chicken made with a special masa prepared by Maria Elena cooked in a spicy stew of chile california and chile costeño or their most decadent tamal — a pork head and snout creation in a red sauce which adds an irresistible layer of fat from the glutinous cuts “This is the tamal we prepare for New Year’s Eve,” said Teresa Irra who had her mom make an extra one for her to eat while I picked up my order For Guatemalan and Salvadoran tamales, look for your Central-American friends on Instagram holding their tamaleadas and slide an order in their DM’s, or stop by MacArthur Park during the day and the popular Guatemalan Night Market after 5 p.m I will always miss my grandmother’s tamales and perhaps you are also without an abuela because this year the highly flavorful regional tamales from Guerrero and the Yucatán will keep you in the holiday spirit Government undermines Indigenous sovereignty Zacualpan is a community of mostly Nahua people in the state of Colima members of the community approached the organization Bios Iguana to help them decide whether or not to declare their community mining-free (a common practice for communities seeking to keep mining companies out) after they had been approached by Gabfer a mining company seeking a concession for the exploitation of gold Rural communities in Mexico contact environmental groups like Red Mexicana de Afectadas por la Minería (REMA) and Movimiento Mesoamericano contra el Modelo extractivo Minero (M4) once a North American mining company expresses interest in the area These groups then work together with the scientific and local authorities to educate the population on the risks of allowing mining operations to happen in their communities Many of these rural communities are Indigenous communities with a history of abuse from multinational extractive companies and the government of Mexico People working with Bios Iguana have recently received many threats from individuals linked to the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) which was formed by people who split from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in 1988 a member of Bios Iguana who has been forced out of her community and country by repeated threats against her life The McGill Daily (MD): Could you tell me a bit about yourself and what brought you to Canada Esperanza Salazar (ES): I am here because I had to leave my community and my nation and I belong to an organization called Bios Iguana which is the [fourth] smallest province in Mexico a community [Zacualpan] approached us to solicit our help because a Canadian [mining company] showed interest in mining gold in their territory The concession that they sought was for gold [The people] had a few assemblies to vote on these issues they decide what to do when things are happening to the land […] There had been assemblies where mining operations had been proposed and the community had said no [Usually] the presidente de bienes comunales [elected executive official of the Indigenous community who was Carlos Guzmán in Zacualpan] is supposed to bring this decision to those concerned and say […] He was giving money to people in the community to vote in favour of the mine The people of the community came to us and asked for our support so that we could come and explain the risks involved with a natural resources project like this “I want the Canadian government to know that they have a major role in the violence in Mexico.” Within a few days of arriving in Zacualpan we showed videos and photos of the damage caused by the mine at Carrizalillo in Guerrero You are not welcome; you have come only to misinform the people.” The public garden where we were showing our videos was where the attacks began we continued doing meetings with the people giving more information and one day we were […] preparing to present a video about the mining in Central America [and] one of our comrades was illegally detained Salazar also explained that Bios Iguana faced many more direct threats and members of communities affected by the actions of mining companies there was a bomb threat that their opponents employed in order to prevent people from hearing what they had to say were not able to fully do their jobs due to government intervention REMA began to work on a new legislation in the Mexican parliament that would prohibit open-pit mining I would like to know if these efforts have been successful REMA has left the legal process because there was a manipulation of the participation of the social organizations within the Senate of the Republic [national senate] but it wasn’t the one that we had worked on we said that it is not acceptable to put forward a proposal that isn’t ours If the proposal they receive is not the work of the communities and the organizations we cannot sign it and we cannot be a part of this process [PRD] put this proposal to the Senate as a part of the Party’s political project including Bios Iguana and other people that are inside the REMA And we support even less those political parties that use our work and the work of the people to make a power move put forth its own proposal to a different deputy This new proposal was actually in favour of the mining companies We realized that there was manipulation and a political game that we did not want to engage in REMA and Bios Iguana decided that our time would be best spent working on prevention within the communities instead of the courts MD: Canada keeps a list of countries that it recommends Canadians avoid travelling in – Mexico is not on this list There are regional advisories against travel in the northern states but the whole country remains ‘safe’ for Canadians ES: I want the Canadian government to know that they have a major role in the violence in Mexico This violence toward rural communities is a consequence of the entry of Canadian mining companies and is fomented by the companies’ disrespect for the people attempting to defend their territory There are two kinds of violence to consider here There is physical violence which spills into the streets The Mexican government responds to it with more violence sending the military and police into the streets to fight it They tell the people they are ‘defending’ them when in reality they are bringing terror directly to the people living in these communities This campaign of terrorism against social organizations like Bios Iguana is a specific example of [state-sponsored] physical violence The title of this article has been changed from “Esperanza in Canada” to “Nahua community in Mexico resists Canadian mining.” A previous version of this article referred to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) as the political party that has been threatening Bios Iguana this party has been the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) © 1911-2024 The McGill Daily | WordPress theme based on Neve | Powered by WordPress Neve | Powered by WordPress The private placement will consist of a LIFE (listed issuer financing exemption) offering for $1.75 million which is being fully allocated to Trafigura and a standard private placement for $1.75 million of which Palisades is participating for $1.1 million Trafigura is a major supplier of vital resources as a market leader in the global commodities industry The company is active in more than 150 countries Palisades is a publicly traded investment company with a focus on the junior resource space. Its diversified portfolio includes a 21.64% interest in New Found Gold Corp. [NFG-TSXV] Impact is a successful producer-explorer with two mining projects in Mexico Impact Silver intends to raise gross proceeds of up to $1.75 million from the sale of up to 8.75 million units at a price of 20 cents per LIFE unit and up to $1.75 million from to sale of up to 9.72 million standard private placement units priced at 18 cents each Each LIFE unit will consist of one common share and a one-half common share purchase warrant with each warrant entitling the holder to acquire one common share for 26 cents per warrant share for 24 months from the issue date Each standard private placement unit will consist of one common share and one full warrant each if which entitles the holder to acquire one warrant share for 24 cents for 36 months from the issue date Proceeds will be used to accelerate exploration activity at the Plomosas high-grade zinc-lead-silver property in Chihuahua and to further develop the company’s prolific silver assets at its legacy Royal mines of Zacualpan Gold district in central Mexico and well as invest in operational improvements to improve productivity and throughput as the price of silver nears 52-week highs and drilling with the intention of expanding the existing JORC (Joint Ore Reserve Committee) mineral resource at Plomosas where only 600 metres of the six-kilometre long structure has been tested The region is known for hosting some of the largest carbonate replacement deposits in the world the company intends to allocate a portion of the proceeds to continue development and grow production at the Plomosas high-grade zinc deposit as zinc prices continue to outperform on the back of forecasted supply deficits Impact Silver shares were unchanged at 20 cents and trade in a 52-week range of 33 cents and 15.5 cents Constant extortion of public transportation operators has now triggered the formation of self-defense forces in at least nine Morelos municipalities Residents of Totolapan, Tlalnepantla, Tlayacapan and Atlatlahucan formed self-defense forces last month to combat rising levels of extortion and other crimes allegedly committed by a gang known as La Maña Milenio said today that civilian security groups are now operating as well in the municipalities of Tetela del Volcán Zacualpan and Yautepec and that residents of Temoac Jonacatepec and Axochiapan have attended meetings at which they expressed their willingness to participate in community-based security operations In Tlayacapan and Tlalnepantla — both located in the north of the state — armed and masked civilians have set up checkpoints where they decide who can and can’t enter their municipalities Community guards in other municipalities have employed similar strategies although some are armed only with radios rather than weapons and work with authorities rather than outside the law who intervene in the case of someone suspicious [being detected],” said Jair Villanueva told Milenio that local authorities have decided to financially assist self-defense members who collaborate with official security forces so that their rudimentary blockades made out of sandbags can be replaced with formal security checkpoints equipped with cameras She said she was aware of the reports of extortion against local transportation operators but added that authorities couldn’t act because no official criminal complaints have been filed a municipality in the northeast of the state that borders both México state and Puebla local residents swung into action after twice being forced to collect 300,000 pesos (US $16,100) to pay off criminals threatening public transportation drivers and licensees residents also held a mass protest on the highway to Cuautla and for a while detained two municipal officials They also declared they would no longer make extortion payments to criminals a driver from Hueyapan was attacked by gangsters who warned him that the extortion payments would be permanent but residents continue to be defiant in their refusal to succumb to threats a Hueyapan resident and wife of the Tetela del Volcán municipal assistant said if they continue to make the payments extortion would become more widespread affecting not just transportation operators but also shopkeepers and farmers located to the south of Cuautla where residents claim organized crime has a stronghold a self-defense group has also sprung up to combat rising levels of extortion We’ve already put the first barricade in place in the neighborhood of Benito Juárez,” a masked self-defense leader known as El Comandante said in a video posted online “We’re going to continue neighborhood by neighborhood Autodefensas will go to every street [if that’s what’s needed] to bring confidence and security [to the people] We’re going to install loudspeakers and alarms so that if an asshole comes along and wants to charge extortion payments the alarms will go off and we’re already organized,” he continued If it’s a question of going to war with the government Source: Milenio (sp)