Racing To Save Mexico City's Floating Gardens

From Worldcrunch - top stories from the world's best news sources:

Pelicans glide in arrow formation over the lake at Xochimilco, south of Mexico City, as two elegant herons stand in the water and stare at a boatload of tourists. Extending across 7,500 hectares of canals and gardens, this bucolic landscape displays a range of greens almost unimaginable, all in sharp contrast to the smog and frenzy of the Mexican capital right next door.

The lake is the setting of chinampas, the floating vegetable gardens developed here more than 500 years ago. They are one of the last remaining features of the ancient Aztec capital of Mexico-Tenochtitlán, conquered by Spaniards in 1521.

Five centuries on, this network of waterways and artificial islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is threatened by the city's disorderly expansion and over-exploitation of its water resources. The government of Mexico City has an action plan, financed by France, to save this enormous district of the capital that is also the home of ancestral farming traditions and exceptional biodiversity.

"There is no time to lose," says resident Claudia Zenteno, pointing with clear frustration at plastic bottles, bags and cans floating in the dark, stagnant water outside her house.

Zenteno, a 50-year-old former accountant turned environmentalist, lives by the lake, in a part removed from the piers and boat tours where the water is regularly cleaned for the 1.2 million tourists who visit every year. "We used to have a wonderful view when we arrived here in 1995," she says. "It's a shantytown today."

Read the full article: Racing To Save Mexico City's Floating Gardens

Cinemex and Tomorrowland

Bev and I wanted to see a first-run movie tonight. We had two choices, one film "The Secret of Adaline" at 9:55 pm was about a girl who was in a car wreck which changed her so she never aged. The second at 7:20 pm was "Tomorrowland"with George Clooney. We chose George, along with  Hugh Laurie,  Britt Robertson,  Raffey Cassidy. Cinemex is in a mall called Liverpool. We took a taxi for 40 pesos and 50 pesos back.

The first thing you notice when you purchase your tickets is a screen that shows how much the movie costs for two people - $126 pesos. Then you see on the screen which seats are empty and you get to reserve your seats right there.

Next we checked out the concession stand. Yes they have popcorn, but they also sell caramelo, carmel corn. I ordered caramelo. They give you the popcorn  and you put on the butter flavoring like you would mustard on a hot dog. You can get a hot dog and you can get pizza.

There was stadium seating, the same untold number of commercials and previews. Many of the ads are in Spanish, The movie was in Ingles, with Spanish subtitles. The movies can be seen in Spanish, French and Ingles.

The movie was good. George was George, no disappointments and the girls in the show were very good. We liked the movie, I gave it an eight out of ten stars.

Shipments by truck up in volume and value

The volume of cargo moved by truck across the Mexico-United States border continues to rise, and its value is rising even faster.

The number of trucks that crossed the border in the first quarter of the year was up 2.9%, to a total of 1.37 million vehicles, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

But the value of the goods they carried between the two countries was up 9%, reaching US $68 billion.

The figures reflect a large increase in value from those of all of last year, when the number of trucks — 5.4 million — was up 4.2% and the value of the freight was up 9.1% to $266.8 billion.

“There is more complex manufacturing taking place and more goods coming from Mexico than what we’ve seen in previous years,” said Troy Ryley, managing director of logistics company Transplace de Mexico.

U.S. manufacturers are relying more and more on parts and components produced in or sourced through Mexico, and more of the cargo is higher-end, higher-cost merchandise in the automotive, electronics and aerospace sectors, Ryley said.

Source: joc.com (en)

An Ecovillage Survives as a Haven for Deep Ecology in Mexico’s Central Mountains

Christy Rodgers writes for The Dissident Voice, a radical internet newsletter dedicated to challenging the distortions and lies of the corporate press and the privileged classes it serves. "About an hour south of Mexico City, nestled in an extraordinary range of mountains called the Sierra del Tepozteco, whose fantastical rock formations studded with forest resemble those in ancient Chinese painted scrolls, an experiment in alternative living has been unfolding for more than 30 years now. The self-described “ecovillage” of Huehuecoyotl, where a group of itinerant artists from Mexico and elsewhere came to rest after traveling the world together for fifteen years, has become a kind of seedbed for visionary and transformative projects, particularly ecological ones. The multitude of such efforts, their persistence and success, is one of the stories buried under the avalanche of horror that characterizes the mainstream news from Mexico."

Read the rest here

Who is Sergio Perez?

Who is Sergio Perez? Why he is one of Mexico's premier Formula 1 race car drivers. Born in 1990 in Guadalajara, Jalisco,  WWW.Crash.Net interviewed him recently.

Sergio "Checo" Perez drives some of the best cars in the world for Sahara Force India team: “So I will go home (after Monaco) and spend time with my family and do some training. I have very good training in Mexico, a lot of cycling (he tells me he will do 100km in a day), and I also have some commitments with some personal partners and others so when I'm back in Mexico I will spend some time with them.”

That foundation is Checo's own charity 'Fundacion Checo Perez', a cause he is understandably proud of as he does his bit to use his global profile to help Mexico's disadvantaged children. Since its creation in March 2013, FCP has helped over 300 children thru, psychological companionship, workshops, human development programmes, sporting activities and the remodelling of their foster home.

Hotel Matilda Marks its Fifth Anniversary

By Gay Nagle Myers of Travel Weekly focuses on Hotel Matilda in San Miguel.

Incorporating contemporary art into the guest experience is a hallmark of the chic, hip Hotel Matilda, located on the cobblestone streets of San Miguel de Allende.

Since its opening in 2010, the trademark of the 32-suite boutique property has been its focus on contemporary art by established and emerging artists as a counterpoint to its location in the 500-year-old colonial town and Unesco Heritage site that it calls home.

The Hotel Matilda unveiled an interior design at its opening that resembled an art gallery. That focus on art has grown throughout the years, in part due to Tennessee businessman and longtime San Miguel homeowner Harold Stream III, the hotel developer, owner, art collector and patron of the arts.

Stream named the hotel for his mother who, in the 1940s, was painted by Mexican artist Diego Rivera. A reproduction of that painting, called "The Archer," hangs in the hotel living room, a comfortable gathering space that replaces what would be the lobby in other hotels.

Artwork by Miguel Angel Ruiz can be found at the hotel.

To celebrate its fifth anniversary this year, the hotel is showcasing paintings and sculptures from Stream's private collections as well as bringing together artists whose works are part of the hotel's permanent collection.

A year-round Hotel Matilda Art Tour was introduced in March that offers guests and visitors the opportunity to view the hotel's collection with insight into the works from curators and hotel staff.

"The goal since opening was to create an experiential atmosphere that is inspiring, fun and even whimsical, such as the wallpaper of hundreds of nudes in the lounge bathroom, a trio of riotous bronze masks on the lounge patio and a collage over the fireplace inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s ‘Garden of Earthly Delights,’” said Bruce James, hotel director.

Public spaces throughout the 32-suite property are filled with dramatic works of art from international artists.

"What we are doing is adding creative and colorful layers to the art experience at Hotel Matilda and making this year a celebration of our artistic soul,” James said.

He said that guests have a more personal and intimate experience with the art on view inside the hotel, at the pool, near the spa and in the restaurant than that would have at any art gallery.

“Having works of art all around you when you are sitting in the library or having lunch at our Moxi restaurant is completely different and infinitely more friendly than viewing art in a museum,” he said.

The Hotel Matilda is located at:

Aldama 53, Zona Centro, 37700 San Miguel de Allende, Gto.
01 415 152 1015

Rosewood Remains Bullish On Mexico

Claudette Covey at TravelPulse writes "Last month, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts announced plans for a fourth ultra-luxury hotel in Mexico, a country that it believes provides all the ingredients for the type of experiential vacations that its discerning and intellectually curious clientele demand.

That property, Rosewood Puebla, which will feature 79 guest rooms and suites, is scheduled to open next year.

“Our guests are sophisticated travelers, and they are interested in visiting destinations that offer authentic journeys of discovery,” said Radha Arora, president of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. “The diverse landscape of Mexico, particularly the settings where our properties are located, offer unique opportunities for our guests to become fully immersed in the Mexican culture.”

Puebla, of course, is no exception to that rule. “Puebla is renowned for its colonial architecture, traditional cuisine and colorful ceramics and offers endless opportunities for our guests to fully immerse themselves,” Arora said, adding that the city is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Puebla property will comprise a collection of buildings encircling a walled courtyard whose centerpiece is a 300-year-old chapel. It will house a restaurant, spa and two bars, one of which will be set on the roof along with a swimming pool. Like all Rosewood properties, the hotel will offer highly personalized service and top-of-the-line amenities.

To read more go to http://www.travelpulse.com/news/hotels-and-resorts/rosewood-remains-bullish-on-mexico.html