Leading stories of 2007 in review
By Jesús Ibarra December 28, 2007 San Miguel de Allende


The year 2007 was a year of “first times” for San Miguel. For the first time in the city’s history, a group of citizens concerned about uncontrolled growth in San Miguel formed a legal association to protect the cultural and natural heritage of the city and to participate and work together in the local government’s decisions.

For the first time in 33 years, there was no Sanmiguelada.


The first public university was opened in the city, and for the first time, the local government performed an exhaustive evaluation of the regions and ecological areas within the municipality. Atención presents its annual summary of the year that was 2007 in San Miguel.


January

The year began with apprehension on the parts of vendors who traditionally sell toys in local shops and the all-night market on January 5, the night before Three Kings Day, when children traditionally receive their gifts. The recently opened Comercial Mexicana (Mega), with its alternative choices and competitive pricing, helped fuel fears of low toy sales.

The citizen’s action group named Basta ya hosted a conference titled “Strategy to Defend the Cultural and Natural Heritage of San Miguel de Allende” on January 4. Among the presenters, Alberto Székely spoke on the importance of citizen participation to protect local natural and cultural resources.

On January 16, the presentation of the municipal development plan by local authorities and guest specialists was not well received by the crowd of more than 200, who criticized the inadequate size of the venue, lack of a publicly announced agenda and the absence of space for dialog.

Also in January, Atención reported on cajas populares, similar to US credit unions, which offer investment, savings and lending programs for Mexicans and foreigners.



February


More than half the total municipal population of 139,297 is dispersed among more than 534 rural communities with varying levels of basic services.

The Department of Social and Human Development tries to provide basic services (electricity, water and roads) to rural communities as well as poor urban colonias.

Heavy rains and the new location in El Cardo parking lot (which, according to authorities, would be temporary) affected sales of plants and flowers during San Miguel’s Candelaria festival.

A multistory parking lot on Calle Insurgentes came under scrutiny after construction work caused structural damage to walls of the neighboring General Hospital. Neighbors expressed their concern over the height of the parking lot and the noise level.

The city councilors spoke with Atención on the topics that have generated the most heated responses from the public—salary increases for councilors and public servants, housing development decision-making processes and the municipal government plan.


March

More than 100 dancers dressed in pre-Hispanic costumes filled the Jardín on March 2 to honor El Señor de la Conquista (Our Lord of the Conquest).

The New General Hospital Felipe G. Dobarganes moved on March 4 from its previous structure on Reloj to its new location on Calle 1 de Mayo #7, Fraccionamiento Ignacio Ramírez.


Ejido de Tirado, a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of town has been growing uncontrollably for 20 years and accounts for more than 20 percent of the city’s population of 65,000. It is one example of new colonias appearing without municipal authorization.

Alberto Székely, international legal expert on development and the environment, introduced and discussed a 27-point strategy that offers guidance on: enhancing cooperation between citizens, city hall and the state congress; protecting the environment and San Miguel’s cultural heritage; regulating urban development; and increasing transparency and accountability in local government.

Holy Week festivities began in San Miguel with the arrival of Nuestro Señor de la Columna (Our Lord of the Column). The impressive figure of the beaten and bloodied Christ, housed at the Shrine of Atotonilco, is borne to San Miguel during the week preceding Holy Week.

Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations in San Miguel officially began with two contrasting events: Viernes de Dolores (Friday of Our Lady of Sorrows) on Friday and Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) on Sunday.


April

The most solemn and longest procession of Holy Week is the Holy Burial on Good Friday, which departs from the Oratorio. An estimated 2,000 sanmiguelenses—uniformed Roman soldiers, young girls dressed in white as angels, women with black lace mantillas and black-suited pallbearers—accompanied carved statues of archangels, an eighteenth-century life-sized figure of the Virgin of Solitude and the figure of Jesus of Nazareth.

The growth of the city in recent years has created concern about the city’s long-term water supply. However, local authorities and SAPASMA are optimistic about the future of water in San Miguel. Arturo Morales Tirado, a member of the group Basta ya, said that the aquifers of San Miguel have not been recharged in at least 50 years.

The area now known as San Miguel de Allende is located at a crossroad traversed since pre-Hispanic times. The site of the original habitation, known as San Miguel el Viejo, is believed by archeologists to have been the most important religious center along the Río Laja basin.

For Mexicans in San Miguel de Allende, speaking English has become an important tool in daily life. However, not all native Spanish speakers in town are convinced of the importance of English as a second language.

President Felipe Calderón visited San Miguel for the opening of the Dr. Felipe G. Dobarganes General Hospital. “For my government, health is first,” said President Calderón during the formal opening on April 26.


May


The public transportation that nearly 50,000 sanmiguelenses rely on every day is one of the main sources of traffic congestion and air pollution in San Miguel. Local authorities are trying to address these problems by insisting that the owners of the pubic transport companies replace the older 10-meter-long behemoths with newer models no more than 8.5 meters long.

Complaints mounted against the local branch of the national power company, Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE). “The CFE is a monopoly and is taking advantage of this by abusing its customers,” said Manuel Huerta, who has tried to help some 340 residents deal with big increases in their electric bills since the beginning of 2007.

The neighborhood of Valle del Maíz held its annual Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) celebration, rich with a mix of Indian and Spanish cultures.


June

The civil association El Charco del Ingenio A.C. expressed concern about the potential threat to protected land posed by housing developments in areas adjacent to the park.

The San Miguel City Council cancelled the 34th annual Sanmiguelada (running of the bulls) because of concerns over security and the possible impact on the city’s bid to be named a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Daniel Trujillo, the new head of Public Security, explained the changes and restructuring his department has undergone since he took office in October 2006.

The parade of Los Locos (the crazy people) is the most cheerful and one of the most anticipated spectacles in San Miguel.

For many of the enterprising artisans in rural communities, establishing a small business is daunting because of a lack of economic resources and a surfeit of experience and information. The local government—through the Tourism and Economic Development Department—has worked to promote these San Miguel artisans.

A group of young people between the ages of 6 and 17 known as Grupo VIVO (Vigilante Voluntario) have pledged to report crime in their communities under the guidance of the Public Security Department.


July

Water from wells that supply the communities west of the city near Presa Allende and along the Río Laja basin contains fluoride, which is toxic at high levels. Communities north of the city, on the road to Rodríguez, are suffering a lack of water.

The internationally recognized short film festival Expresión en corto celebrated its tenth anniversary with the United States in the spotlight as guest country.

Approximately 200 people demonstrated in the Jardín on July 23 calling for the reinstatement of the Sanmiguelada, which was cancelled by the city council in June.

Heavy rains in late July, though beneficial to crops in the San Miguel countryside, flooded some rural communities in the northern area of the municipality.


August

The Festival of Sexual Diversity was held in San Miguel from August 9–11. The main event of the festival was screening the documentary Muxes: Authentic, Intrepid Seekers of Danger by Mexican filmmaker Alejandra Islas.

Ángel Gastélum, head of the Urban Development Department, announced that 26 million pesos had been allocated for the Pueblos Mágicos (Magic Towns) program in 2007, including restoration of: the façade of the Oratorio church; Santa Escuela next to the Parroquia and its tower; and the Atotonilco shrine and the spiritual exercises house. The funds also will be used for illumination of the Santa Ana and San Juan de Dios churches and to bury the cables on Ancha de San Antonio, Tenerías, Codo and Calle del Cardo.

The municipality of San Miguel has an illiteracy rate of 17.4 percent, almost three times the national rate of 6 percent, according to 2005 state census data. Local head of education Jesús Ledesma said that 36,000 adults in the municipality have not completed elementary school.
The Cultural Center Ignacio Ramírez, commonly known as Bellas Artes, celebrates its 45th anniversary during August with a variety of cultural events.

Tourism, San Miguel’s most important economic activity, has been decreasing, with the summer of 2007 bringing the lowest numbers in the last two years.

September

On September 4, a new public university opened in San Miguel de Allende, offering three degrees: a technical degree in tourism, technical degree in gastronomy and a degree in historical building restoration—all of which are in accordance with the city’s profile for employment.

September, the Mes de la Patria, celebrates the fight for Mexican independence from Spanish rule that began on September 16, 1810.

UNESCO officials were in town to evaluate whether San Miguel de Allende should be included on the organization’s list of World Heritage sites, under the criteria of integrity and authenticity. The final decision will be made in July 2008 in Quebec, Canada.

Over 100 women and children blocked the main entrance to Atotonilco on Thursday, September 20, refusing to be removed from the vendors’ esplanade in front the shrine and relocated in the community’s park and soccer court, 300 meters away.
On Monday, September 24, Jesús Correa presented his first annual report on the state of the local government. As his major achievements thus far as mayor, he cited improving the public image of the police force, opening a public university in San Miguel, examining and evaluating most of the regions and ecological areas in the municipality and forging an agreement with UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) to establish an online educational center in the city’s public library.


October

The young and the elderly are two of the most vulnerable groups of citizens. One government agency charged with allaying the suffering of the disenfranchised of San Miguel is the Family Services Department (DIF).

The Río Laja basin has been severely compromised by population growth, depleting underground water reserves, clearing forests for agricultural use, water pollution and quarrying sand and gravel in the basin, leading to erosion along the banks of the Laja. All of these factors have adversely affected the communities and ecosystems in this area.

From October 10 to 14, San Miguel hosted representatives from about 40 Mexican and American cities during the international convention of the US Mexico Sister Cities Association, dedicated to enhancing bonds between the two countries.

On October 10, UNAM, the local government through its Foreign Relations, Tourism and Economic Development Department and the Biblioteca Pública signed an agreement to establish a research and postgraduate online studies center at the Biblioteca.


November

Mexicans dedicate November 2—Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead—to remembering their loved ones who have passed on. Thousands of people gather in cemeteries around the graves of those they have lost but who nonetheless live on in the memories of their families.

On this Day of the Dead, Atención remembers some of San Miguel de Allende’s prominent residents who passed away: Manuel Zavala PPKBZON, Col. Philip Maher, Stirling Dickinson, Dr.Felipe G. Dobarganes, Susan Roettinger, Carmen Masip and Kendal Butler.

In November Atención also shone a spotlight on the volunteer firefighters of San Miguel risk their life to save others.

Tabasco remains under water, and the desperate situation was expected to continue for two to three months. The staff of the San Miguel Red Cross and Civil Protection left for Tabasco on November 10 with supplies collected during the past week.
Local gallery owner and artist Carmen Gutiérrez and the Biblioteca Pública held an art auction on November 18 to benefit Tabasco. On December 4, Gutiérrez, Biblioteca Pública President Ali Zerriffi and General Manager Miguel Kegel handed over a check for 257,384 pesos raised at the Art for Tabasco benefit to Banamex manager Alejandro Pérez Rocha and assistant manager Rafael Martínez.

We reported on Casa Esperanza, or the DIM program (Integrated Development for Children), which is run by the Department of Family Integration (DIF) and has the difficult mission of trying to steer street children back to school.

Through its Ecology Department, the municipal government has created a program called Verde y Sustentable (Green and Sustainable), which is to protect, recover and properly use natural resources and promote sustainable social and economic development of people in rural communities.


December

A new project is now underway to open a library in Cruz del Palmar, a rural community of Otomí origin in which a new videobachillerato was recently opened.

Two proposals for the former Presidencia (city hall) building were presented to the public on December 7. Archeologist Gabriela Zepeda and her team proposed converting the building into an archeology, ethnography and art and culture city museum. Television and radio producer Lucy Zavala presented a proposal for a museum of history and local traditions. After reviewing the two final proposals, the council determined that the former proposal was more appropriate and feasible.

Lack of time and space, the growth of the city and the introduction of foreign traditions such as the Christmas tree are some factors that have led to the diminution of the Christmas tradition of nacimientos (nativity scenes) set up around town.