Serenidad Update
The Group "Mulegé in Action" as of May 2 1997 is publishing an open Letter to the President of Mexico in behalf of the Serenidad.
Mulege, B.C.Sur, the 2nd of May of 1997.
OPEN LETTER. To:
C. Ernesto Zedio Ponce de Leon, President of the United States of Mexico Palacio Nacional, Mexico D.F.
Respectable Mr. President: The Town Mulege, B.C.S., by this medium thanks you and it reiterates in you the CONFIDENCE which it always had upon requesting you to act according to the law in the agrarian controversy, case 867/995 from the Tribunal Agrarian Unitario, District 39 with headquarters in Mazatlan Sinalora, (Town of Mulegé v /s Nucleo AGRARIAN 20 DE November) by whose sentence reigns the law, thanks to you. Now we send you a copy of the quoted sentence.
As consequence of the [anarchy] that [existia], from July of 1996, the Hotel Serenidad has been closed by petition of the supposed Ejidatarios, this has caused and continues causing a tremendous economic disadvantage to all of us in this town, in general in the field of Tourisms. We desire to recuperate soon our image which we have lost in the international Market.
In order to achieve that goal, we turn to you again to proceed according to law in the solution of the problem which confronts the quoted Hotel Serenidad, in returning the Inmueble to their legitimate owner, the Mrs. Nancy Ugalde Gorosave, as soon as possible.
You yourself have repeated in many ocaciones, that nobody should be above the LAW, here in Mulegé there are numerous that think they are above the Law.
Without other particular and while waiting for a fast, just and effective solution, we reiterate in you our confidence and profound gratefulness; thank you Mr. President for the fine attention which you are giving to us. Very Sincerely. Mulegé in Action, A.C.
President Secretario
" Mulegé in Action " a group of Mulegé Business Leaders filed a class action suit against the Ejido "20 de Noviembre". On March 12 came the result: the Agrarian Tribunal came to the conclusion that since 1869 all of the 1755 Hectares of the town is municipal land . Now that could mean that the land of the Serenidad is not Ejido property and also not property of D. Johnsens wife Nancy.
For better roadsite help for motorist In Mulegé we are now forming a Rescue Unit "Rescate" to assist the Green Angels, witch is a totally on the Governments Tourist Department depending service. The very friendly and helpful drivers are paid by the Mexican Tourist Dep., doe to the shortage of funds they many times have only enough gasoline to cover 100 miles per day. The new "Rescate" Unit is a group of volunteers, working very closely with the Mexican Red Cross, witch give their time as a service to the community and are supported by donation, the Rotary International Club of Mulegé and a very small substitution from the government. This will be a great improvement of roadside services for stranded motorist´s since there are more of them to help tourist´s on the road, also they will have a towing truck available witch the Green Angels doe not have. The "Rescate National de Mexico" is a national group of volunteer´s. A very active "Rescate" is operating since years in Ensenada with excellent results. Their cars will be equipped with CB and 2 meter VHF radios for communications, since there are 2 meter repeaters nearby in Guyamas and on one of the 3 Virgins Mountains. The Mexican government will give them the necessary license to operate. All 2 meter VHF repeaters in Mexico are used for official as well as Hamradio service. They where looking to find a location for a Rescue Station office with a possibility to set up radio communications & repair facilities. Our Rotary Club is helping them to setup a site for this. Presently they are looking for monetary donation´s as well as CB and 2 meter radio equipment. If you can help please contact one of the Rotary International members:
To the Editor: Los Angeles Times February 25,1997
One can only speculate as to the motivation of Mark Fineman's (Times staff writer) Standoff at the Hotel Serenidad article featured on the front page on Jan. 29,1997. It is full of half truths, personal insults, and as it relates to Mulegé, a lack of factual reporting. I doubt the purpose was to offend the Mulegé business community, and the community at large, but that is exactly what has happened. Not only that, but to suffer the indignity, and humiliation of having a major United States newspaper put it on the front page.
My name is Geary Ritchie. I am a retired American living in Mulegé. I am writing this letter because, as a resident, I am personally offended. I am also writing on behalf of several business leaders in the community including Rafael Garcia Espinoza who is the president of the Twentieth of November Ejido. This is the man Fineman referred to as a "toothless articulate peasant...". For the benefit of non-Hispanic readers, (if you have the courage to print this)...Ejidos are large tracts of land that are managed by an elected board of directors, and president. Many Mexicans refer to the Ejido's as The Corporation. The president is responsible for the economic prosperity of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. To refer to this man as an "toothless articulate peasant..." is beyond my comprehension. Anyone reading the article would be lead to believe that tourism is dead in Mulegé. Nothing could be further from the truth. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Mahaoff's statements regarding the effect the closure of the Hotel Serenidad is having on tourism are self-serving exaggerations and inaccurate. The Johnsons are wonderful people, and personally responsible for much of the growth of tourism in Mulegé, and everyone would love to see the hotel open again. But, it is a little presumptuous to think that Mulegé is going to die because of the temporary closure of one hotel. Had Mr. Fineman interviewed other businessmen in town besides Mr. Johnson and his friend Mr. Mahoff, or just taken a look around, he would have found that the shops are full of tourists. He would have seen planes land at the airstrip, with flight plans (he reported it as being seized, implying that it was closed). Had he asked he would have found the restaurants are packed, and the hotels and trailer parks at near capacity. Had he driven out to the beaches he would have seen RVs packing the beaches, bumper to bumper. If he checked at the local lumber yards, he would have found that the construction business is booming from the building of palapas to multi-hundred thousand dollar homes. If he drove, there is a good chance he would have been in a minor traffic jam in our small town. Mr. Fineman, please come on back! But, do it right this time. You will see everything I have mentioned above, however what you won't see, are any peasants. Here in Baja, as in the U.S., it is a derogatory term; a slur. You used this term 13 times.
Tourism in Mulegé is not dead sir, it is very much alive!
Geary Ritchie A.P.D.O. 131 Mulegé B.C.S. Mexico FAX 011-52-115-30190
Attached: Mulegé Post Advertisers Survey.
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Looking Back by Kiell Gartieg For those of you who knew Jim Quinn you will know by now that he died in a boating acident on Feb 13th. To know Jim was to like him. He had a simple honest outlook on life, my kind of person. On the morning afthe 131h. 5 of us went out in 2 boats to Isla Santa Ines looking for yellowtail. The weather turned rough and on the way back a freak wave hit Jim's boat on the beam and he was tossed overboard At the same time the engine quit and the boat drifted away from Jim. Another boat in the area responded to the radio call and rrtrieved Jim but too late to save his life. Many accidents are preventable and in Jim's case the cause was painfully obvious. He was not wearing a lifejacket, none of us were When Jim had come to my trailer that moming and asked me to go fishing I put my lifejacket in the truck, drove to the launching ramp and left it behind. I have most of a lifetime of varios boating behind me and should have known better. I should have been wearing mine and reminded the others to be wearing theirs. It would have been easy to say, for none of my friends would have told me to mind my own business. So, if you go boating wear your lifejacket, be assertive and tell your friends to do the same. Maybe someday you will have a reason to feel better than I do right now. The knowledge of curative plants has been parsed down through the generations so that it has become an i,tegral part of li6e for many people in Mulegé. Asking around I was surprised to find that so many people knew and used local plants as herbal remedies, either |
growing them or collecting from where they grow wild. Dona Rosalia, of Hotel Terrazas, said that an employee of her grandfather named Luis Sin Quin taught her mother some aspects of Chinese medicine wich mixed with the knowledge of the local Indians was passed down to her. Over the years she has put her skills to good use and is often visited by people looking for cures for their ailments. Many plants grow in the vicinity of Mulegé and can be found easily if you know what you're looking for. If not, there's a shop in town (on Calle Madero) dedicated to herbal remedies that can give you some information. It's owned by Dr. Albeno Morales Higuera who studied at an Escuela Naturista for 5 years and is here once a month to prescribe remedies. He's here next on March 8th. Here are a few useful plants that either grow locally or can be bought dried in town: Tomillo (Thyme): Helps digestive system and combats diarrhea. The essential oil, derived by distillation from fresh plants can be used on sore teeth and gums as an antiseptic, and to relieve pain Helps to destroy germs in cases of pleumonia. A tea can be made with 2g leaves to 150g of water, or the essential oil can be bought in bottles. Manzanilla (Chamomile): A usefull plant because it contains no toxic substances. 2-3g of leaves and flowers to 100g water. Double for external use. An appefite stimulant for those convalescing. It stimulates gastric juices and calms indigestion. can also be used as an eyewash for conjunctivitis. Hierba Buena (Peppermint): A hot tea made from l-2g leaves to 100g water will ease nauses and calm the stomach affer ingesting too much chili or alcohol. It's good for small children, especially while teething. It also helps bronchitis by reducing catarrh and inflammation ************************************ |