Mexico Review 02 by Yumac

Vive Latino

Mexico City’s Monster Rock Music Festival

www.mexico-review.com A BI-WEEKLY January 27, 2012 Mexico City Vol. 01 No. 02 32 pages

0018920360242

Just Say No

Why Can’t Congress Get Anything Done? IFE’s Groove Can the Election Referee Get It Back?

Anita’s Diary Hanging with Rivera, Orozco and the Rest

Soccer’s Start The Mexican League’s Clausura Gets Under Way

PEOPLE : POLITICS : CULTURE : TRAVEL

FROM MEXICO.

Plus: Pending Events, Revealing Numbers , Telling Quotes and More IN ENGLISH.

CONTENTS

MEXICO REVIEW January 27, 2012 From the Executive Director BY ANA MARÍA SALAZAR : 2

Solid Bulwark, Shaky Pillar

Two public works projects, two reasons for being. A fast photo essay. : ECONOMY & FINANCE : PUBLIC WORKS : 16

A Celebration of Words

Mexican authors have always been revered, if not always read widely. Now they have their own museum. BY KELLY ARTHUR GARRETT

: LIFE & LEISURE : MUSEUMS : 18

They Said It

Anita Brenner’s Diary

The Politics of ‘No!’

BY KELLY ARTHUR GARRETT

Quotable quotes by, for and about Mexico : 3 The current crop of lawmakers has been labeled the “failed generation.” Will the next one be any different? BY TOM BUCKLEY

: POLITICS : CONGRESS : 4

Alone in the Middle

IFE, the electoral referee, is looking to restore its credibility before the July 1 federal elections. BY TOM BUCKLEY

: POLITICS : ELECTIONS : 8

By the Numbers

A miscellany of the mathematics of modern Mexico : 11

Riding Out the Storm

Mexico’s ongoing effort to hold on during the global economic crisis has entered a new phase in 2012. BY EDUARDO DÍAZ RIVERA

: ECONOMY & FINANCE : 2012 OUTLOOK : 12

It’s our access to the everyday lives of the great Mexican artists of the first half of the 20th century.

: LIFE & LEISURE : BOOK REVIEW : 20

Let the Music Begin

Vive Latino, showcases Mexico’s vibrant music scene. BY MARIANA H. MONTERO

: LIFE & LEISURE : MUSIC : 23

Chasing the Clausura Trophy

The second half of the Mexican Soccer League season is just beginning. So are the questions. LIFE & LEISURE : SPORTS : 28

Coming Up ...

Major to-do’s in the weeks and months ahead. : LIFE & LEISURE : EVENTS : 32

: On the cover The Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City’s premier public fine arts center. Photography by Tom Buckley/Mexico Review

LETTER

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Elections Top 2012 Agenda In this edition we continue to analyze what to expect for Mexico in 2012.

What about the elections? As in the United States, Mexico will be occupied with federal elections this year. On July 1, not only will Mexicans vote for a new president, but also the renewal of the lower house – 583 deputies – and 128 new senators. Even though the formal campaign season has not “officially” begun, a lot is being written and said about the important challenges the electoral authorities are facing to assure that there is no repeat of the 2006 debacle. Nobody has forgotten that after weeks of uncertainty, the Federal Electoral Tribunal finally issued its decision confirming Felipe Calderón’s victory by only 0.57 percent of the more than 41 million votes! No one is predicting the 2012 race will be as close as the 2006 presidential race. But you should read Tom Buckley’s piece outlining some of the concerns about the election “referee” – the Federal Electoral Institute (page 8). This edition of Mexico Review also provides you a variety of stories on culture, books and entertainment that you simply can’t miss. Mexico can be a difficult country to understand, even if you speak and read Spanish. With so much going on in Mexico this year, can you afford not to read Mexico Review? Or visit our website www.mexico-review.com, where you will find additional stories, breaking news and much more information. Ana María Salazar Executive Director anamaria.salazar@mexico-review.com

2!MEXICOREVIEW : January 27, 2012

PRESIDENT

Ana María Salazar

VICE PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Fernando Ortiz LEGAL ADVISER

Tom Buckley

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Kelly Arthur Garrett MANAGING EDITOR

Blake Lalonde

Although most of the economists I have interviewed are betting on a stable recovery for Mexico that will translate into growth and employment for this year, there are concerns regarding how the international economic crisis could have a short -term impact in Mexico, issues that are addressed in the article written by Eduardo Díaz Rivera (page 12).

@MexicoReview

EDITORIAL

Oscar McKelligan

Mexico Review

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Andrea Sánchez

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Daniela Graniel ART DIRECTOR

SALES

Verónica Guerra de Alberti CANCÚN REPRESENTATIVE

Abril de Aguinaco

CABO REPRESENTATIVE

Iker Amaya Álvaro Sánchez

U.S. REPRESENTATIVES

CONTRIBUTORS Mariana H. Montero, Eduardo Díaz Rivera BOARD OF DIRECTORS Oscar McKelligan Ana María Salazar Yurek McKelligan Fernando Ortiz

“Mexico Review” ES UNA PUBLICACIÓN QUINCENAL PROPIEDAD DE YUMAC S.A. DE C.V. CON OFICINAS EN AVENIDA DURANGO NO. 243-7O PISO, COL. ROMA, DEL. CUAUHTÉMOC, C.P. 06700, TEL. 2455-5555 Y (949)6804336 EN CALIFORNIA USA, IMPRESO EN SPI SERVICIOS PROFESIONALES DE IMPRESIÓN, S.A. DE C.V., UBICADOS EN MIMOSAS NO. 31, COL. SANTA MARÍA INSURGENTES, C.P. 06430, DEL. CUAUHTÉMOC, MÉXICO D.F. FECHA DE IMPRESIÓN 16 DE DICIEMBRE DEL 2011. “Mexico Review” INVESTIGA SOBRE LA CALIDAD DE SUS ANUNCIANTES PERO NO SE RESPONSABILIZA CON LAS OFERTAS RELACIONADAS A LOS MISMOS. ATENCIÓN A CLIENTES EN ZONA METROPOLITANA 5203-4943. LOS ARTÍCULOS Y EL CONTENIDO EDITORIAL SON RESPONSABILIDAD DE SUS AUTORES Y NO REFLEJA NECESARIAMENTE EL PUNTO DE VISTA DE LA PUBLICACIÓN, NI DE LA EDITORIAL, TODOS LOS DERECHOS ESTAN RESERVADOS. PROHIBIDA LA REPRODUCIÓN TOTAL O PARCIAL DE LAS IMAGENES, Y/O TEXTOS SIN AUTORIZACIÓN PREVIA Y POR ESCRITO DEL EDITOR. “Mexico Review” HAS OFFICES IN MISSION VIEJO, CALIFORNIA 92691 (949) 680-4336 FOR ADVERTISEMENT CALL OR GO TO OUR WEBSITE www.mexico-review.com. THE PUBLICATION WILL START BEING FREE, ONE PER READER OR ONE PER HOUSEHOLD AND WILL DEVELOP INTO SUBSCRIPTIONS. PLEASE ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO “Mexico Review” 26861 TRABUCO ROAD SUITE E217 MISSION VIEJO, CALIFORNIA 92691-3537 USA EMAIL subscriptions@ mexico-review.com OR letters@mexico-review.com. PUBLISHED BY-WEEKLY (SUNDAYS) BY YUMAC S.A. DE C.V. APPLICATION TO MAIL AT PERIODICALS IS PENDING AT MISSION VIEJO CALIFORNIA. SUBMISSIONS OF ALL KIND ARE WELCOME. ADDRESS THEM TO THE EDITOR AND INCLUDE A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE. COPYRIGHT 2011. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. “Mexico Review” TRADEMARK IS PENDING.

they said it...

YOU MEAN LIKE REALLY TAKE CARE OF THE PLANET? If businesses really had an ecological conscience, they would eliminate throwaway containers as much as possible, or try to recover 99 percent of those they produce by working together with the retailers to encourage the public to return the containers, in exchange for a payment, so they can later be processed.

CROSSBORDER LOVE

“How is it our fault that those ‘hijos de la gran puta’ in the United States consume so many drugs?” – Armando Manzanero – singer, songwriter and a Mexican musical institution – on the drug trafficking violence plaguing Mexico

– Luis Gottdiener, physics professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), lamenting corporations’ tendency to print slogans like “Let’s take care of our planet” on packaging instead of implementing recycling programs

It’s Only Fiction

HIS GENTLEMAN HAS A RIGHT TO NOT READ ME. WHAT HE DOESN’T HAVE A RIGHT TO IS BEING PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, BASED ON IGNORANCE.”

– Carlos Fuentes, after presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto publicly identified historian Enrique Krauze as the author of Fuentes’ novel “La silla del águila”

BUT WITH 140 CHARACTERS OR FEWER

“Everything suggests that in Mexico, with its uncertainty in 2012, Twitter will be one of the battlefields where the fight for power will be decided.” – JAIME AVILÉS, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, looking ahead to the national elections scheduled for July 1

MODER

“

POLITICS

Peña Nieto creates erotic tension, at once

from envy and from a desire to get close. He’s an

”

erotic figure for women as well as for men.

– Sabina Berman, writer and playwright and political commentator, on the presumptive PRI candidate for president

WHAT’S NEXT? A FRIDAEROBICS CHAIN?

“Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo turned their marriage into a source of inspiration for their work, and their work into a testimonial to their relationship. Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo and Platino, the best tequilas, are proud to celebrate one of the couples that defined an era and a nation.” – A JOSÉ CUERVO marketing campaign for two premium tequilas, with the bottles sold in boxes featuring work by the two artists

WHO ARE WE

“Mexican identity is much more imaginary than in other countries. Between [Carlos] Slim and a child in Oaxaca, you tell me what the identity is. It’s purely ideological. Still, it’s more persuasive than in Spain. It’s more likely that an indigenous Oaxacan will beat his chest and proclaim ‘I am Mexican!’ than a Catalan will say ‘I am Spanish.’ ” – The late Tomás Segovia, Spanish poet and man of letters who spent much of his career in Mexico, in an interview shortly before his death January 27, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW"3

O POLITICS

CONGRESS

ver 60 years ago, U.S. President Harry Truman belittled legislators who regularly blocked his bills by labelingthemcollectively as “The Do Nothing Congress,” a phrase that has entered the political lexicon in the United States. In Mexico today, President Felipe Calderón likely feels a kinship with old “Give ’em hell, Harry.” A narrative has emerged in the media over the past two years to describe Mexico’s lawmakers and it is not flattering. Federico Reyes Heroles coined the term “The Generation of No!” while Ciro Gómez Leyva trotted out “the failed generation.” Enrique Krauze was a bit kinder, using “The Generation of Frustrated Modernization.” “The Generation of No is a trustworthy machine that freezes, postpones, filibusters and wastes the country’s time,” wrote Héctor Aguilar Camín in May 2010. The situation has not improved since then. STAGNATING REFORMS

During the second week of January, the secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development visited Mexico and delivered a stern message. “I’ve always thought that Mexico does not deserve the mediocrity of a mid-table performance, to use a soccer term,” said José Ángel Gurría, also a former Mexican Cabinet official. “Mexico should aspire to an economic performance worthy of the top of the table and make the playoffs regularly.” Gurría declared that no matter who comes out on top after the July elections major reforms are necessary, identifying labor reform, educational reform and energy reform as key requirements. Labor reform has been on the agenda for decades, but only recently has the power of unions been reduced enough to consider real reform. Business groups have lobbied extensively for changes that would allow employers more flexibility in hiring and a more streamlined adjudication process. Employers say that would reduce outsourcing and would encourage businesses to give younger people a chance without fear of stiff penalties if the new employee doesn’t work out. 4!MEXICOREVIEW : January 27, 2012

THE POLITICS OF â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;NO!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; LAWMAKERS CONTINUE to underachieve and obstruct much-needed reforms, prompting commentators to label them a failed generation. Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D;Ä Ĺ&#x17D; Ă˝Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D;

January 27, 2012â&#x20AC;&#x201A;:â&#x20AC;&#x201A;MEXICOREVIEW"5

POLITICS

CONGRESS

Overpaid, Underworked When the legislative session ended on Dec. 15, lawmakers pronounced their performance a success. A careful examination of their record can easily produce a different interpretation. From Sept. 1 through Dec. 15, the Chamber of Deputies was in session 33 days, six of which were suspended for a lack of a quorum. The total time these sessions lasted was 200 hours, according to Chamber statistics. So deputies worked just over four hours a day for their monthly salary of 150,000 pesos. But not all legislators worked every day. There were on average only 288 deputies present at each session (there are 500 deputies). Among the items these hard-working legislators took care of were to vote themselves new life insurance deals and to purchase new office furniture. The Chamber got by on a budget of nearly 5.2 billion pesos last year, of which 3 billion went to daily stipends for meal money (in addition to their wages) and staff salaries. Since polls show Congress is among the most reviled sectors of society, deputies voted for 60 million pesos to be spent on self-promotion. The Senate didn’t do much better. In December, quorums drifted uncomfortably low, averaging about 78 senators. Senate official Francisco Arroyo revealed to the press on Dec. 29 that at least 15 of the 128 senators had been fined for repeat absences.

Sen. Manlio Fabio Beltrones

The Labor Secretariat lobbied extensively for a reform bill that won support across the political spectrum, but the bill was pulled from the floor just before a final vote in December 2010 and has never been seen again. A security bill has been frozen for nearly four years even though the Defense Secretariat has gone on record saying that without certain legal reforms, major security issues will remain for another decade. Political reform has been on the agenda for almost a decade, but has rarely seen anything resembling consensus. Last year, a bill gained traction and reached the floor of the Chamber of Deputies in November. But the old guard of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) pulled off a power play and the section allowing for limited re-election for certain posts at the federal and state level was eliminated. The Senate re-instated the clause and sent it back to the Chamber in December, but no further action has been taken. ALL BLAME, NO RESPONSIBILITY

The PAN’s Senate leader, José González Morfín said PRI deputies and that party’s presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto had blocked these much-needed reforms. 6!MEXICOREVIEW : January 27, 2012

“There’s a dramatic difference between PRI senators and PRI deputies,” he said. “In the Senate, they have behaved responsibly while the PRI deputies have been duplicitous and small-minded.” “They prefer to whittle down reforms so that they are ineffective or just simply block them. And Peña Nieto has exerted tremendous influence over a large bloc of deputies who are trying to curry favor with him.” González Morfín’s predecessor as PAN Senate leader, Gustavo Madero (now the PAN president), had gone even further while still a senator, calling the PRI “obstructionist” and “retrograde.” PRI Sen. Carlos Jiménez Macías and PRD Deputy Armando Ríos Piter sought to blame President Calderón for the lack of progress in Congress, saying – among other things – that his interlocutors were ineffective and he failed to build consensus among parties or across society. PAN Secretary-General Cecilia Romero returned fire: “That is just plain pathetic,” said Romero in late December. “If they aren’t capable of analyzing a bill on its own merits without requiring lobbying from the president, then the people are in big trouble. Regardless of who a bill’s sponsors are, Congress should not need to rely on officious representatives who are pushing legislation. “That is just so infantile.” Political commentator Héctor Aguilar Camín came down on the side of Romero in a column entitled “A New Season of No.” “Congress seems more focused on spouting about what they don’t like about any legislation proposed by the president instead of discussing and improving upon what might be interesting within the bill,” he wrote. “Nobody is asking that they automatically approve any legislation as submitted … but the public should be able to expect that lawmakers address the fundamental problems that such legislation is targeting and improve the bills as they see fit.” Instead, Congress has simply ignored – or worse, blocked – key legislation and allowed issues in dire need of attention to fester. HYPOCRITICAL OATHS

Over a year ago, Ciro Gómez Leyva pointed out the hypocrisy of Congress loudly

criticizing Calderón for delays in monuments being built to celebrate Mexico’s bicentennial. “They publicly beat up the president for all these delays but when it came time for them to inaugurate the new Senate, they failed,” he wrote in November 2010. “This is just another failure delivered by the ‘failed generation’.” Even now, the extravagant new Senate building – described by Gómez Leyva as having “ a certain air of Soviet grandiosity” – is the subject of an investigation. The building was finally “inaugurated almost a year behind schedule, but features numerous problems such that senators still hold committee meetings and other events in the old Senate building. During the 2011 rainy season, the new building suffered leaks, and throughout the year the electrical circuitry was frequently shocking unsuspecting Senate employees and the expensive voting board was malfunctioning. GENERATION Z?

A few commentators are hopeful that a new generation of politicians will take the stage soon. Some observers aren’t convinced it will ever emerge. Gómez Leyva wrote of the youthful line-up of PRI governors – Ivonne Ortega (39), Rodrigo Medina (39), Miguel Alonso (40) and José Calzada (47) – and coalition governors Rafael Moreno Valle (43) and Gabino Cué (45). But in the 17 months since he penned those words, none of these governors has distinguished themselves, although Gov. Ortega has enjoyed some success in Yucatán. And Mexico scholar George Grayson has disparaged the stuttering political transition here, arguing that the decline of the once all-powerful presidency has allowed governors to become “the nation’s new feudal lords.” Although a few fresh faces have made it into Congress, the dynamics have not really changed. The proportional representation system for Congress allows politicians to “win” elections without ever facing an opponent, and many go the proportional route frequently. Four such sure-fire candidates for the PRI Senate slate in the July elections are Jorge Emilio González,

the scion of the Green Party, Fernando González (son-in-law of Elba Esther Gordillo), Mónica Arreola (Gordillo’s daughter) and María Elvia Amaya, wife of Jorge Hank Rhon. Televisa news anchor Joaquín LópezDóriga wrote disdainfully of the four likely soon-to-be lawmakers: “Their qualifications? They are children, in-laws and spouses of the ‘elite’ … and of course, they have a lot of money.” PROGNOSIS NEGATIVE

Potentially worse for Mexico’s short-term future and the political environment, the Spring session of Congress is likely to be even more unproductive. Traditionally, Congress does very little in the session leading up to a presidential election, preferring to focus on the campaign and avoid debating controversial legislation or major reforms. “This sexennial legislative paralysis is a result of our outmoded presidentialist model,” said political scientist Ezra Shabot. In addition, there is a lengthy parade of legislators stepping down in order to run for another post. Federal election law mandates that any legislator or government official that intends to run for office must step down before formally declaring his or her candidacy. “Usually what happens is that the most powerful politicians, key party leaders, leave Congress in search of their next job and that leaves nobody to direct debates,” said Alberto Aziz Nassif, a researcher at the CIESAS think tank. And since professional politicians rely on the government trough for their livelihood, they often jump from the Senate to the Chamber of Deputies or to contend for a governorship. That means that during the final session before an election, there are lots of substitute lawmakers holding court. But that suggests that Congress is populated by legislators who might not have a full grasp of the issues at hand. To make matters worse, that also typically means that the same faces regularly return to Congress, rotating from the Senate to the Chamber and vice versa. And if the premise of the failed generation turns out to be accurate, that surely bodes poorly for the prospects of political progress.

Church vs State A bill described as promoting greater freedom of religion has prompted widespread protests and could prove to be a hot-button topic in the upcoming elections. As the congressional session came to a close in December, the Chamber of Deputies approved a constitutional reform that amends Article 24 but does not threaten the secular state, its defenders say. The Left was quick to accuse the conservative PAN and the PRI of trying to ramrod through a reform that favored the Catholic Church, whose power was dramatically reduced in the second half of the 19th century and a nasty religious war – the Cristero Rebellion – took place in the late 1920s. Deputy Alejandro Encinas of the PRD wrote an op-ed piece insisting that the legislation was aimed at dismantling the secular state and protests occurred across the nation in early January. Ironically, PRD Deputy Guadalupe Acosta Naranjo – the president of the Chamber – was presiding over the session during which the bill was passed. Leftist deputies twice expressed their displeasure by taking over the speaker’s dais and preventing debate which dragged on for four hours as a result of the interruptions.

January 27, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW"7

POLITICS

ELECTIONS

Alone in the Middle

ELECTION OFFICIALS are off to a late start as they prepare to arbitrate campaigns leading up to the all-important July vote Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D; Ă˝Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D;

8!MEXICOREVIEWâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;:â&#x20AC;&#x201A;January 27, 2012

ports commentators are fond of saying that a good referee always prefers to go unnoticed. That means he made all the right calls, that he didn’t make any mistakes. Leonardo Valdés is hoping that old adage applies to his fellow election officials at the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) this year. The IFE has the unenviable task of acting as arbiters throughout the federal election campaign. The likelihood of remaining invisible is slim to none. The task has been made much harder because the IFE has suffered a dramatic loss of prestige since it was established as an autonomous entity in 1990. That first “independent” IFE (which included current presidential candidate Santiago Creel) was universally praised for its integrity and fairness. Even as recently as 2004, the IFE was regarded as one of the most trustworthy election institutions in the world. Its reputation was such that the United Nations asked the IFE to help direct the International Workshop for Election Administration in 2004 that was organized to help Iraqi election authorities prepare its 2005 elections. UNDER ATTACK

The difficult situation IFE now finds itself in is not entirely of its own making though

and the term “particracy” (partidocracia) gained a new foothold in the lexicon. Wikipedia defines particracy as “a de facto form of government where one or more political parties dominate the political process, rather than citizens and/or individual politicians.” “This particracy is like an oligarchy with another name: government by an elite that is only seeking benefits for itself without considering the good of the nation,” wrote Eduardo García Gaspar a few weeks after the 2008 reforms took effect. The concept is not new, however. Alexis de Tocqueville described the U.S. government as an aristocratic political system within which government officials were more concerned about themselves and their parties than with the general public.

the previous administration (2003-2008) was painted as the scapegoat for the 2006 presidential election fallout. The institute’s failure to declare a winner the night of that election set off a series of events that threatened to make Mexico ungovernable. But by then, the political parties had already been chipping away at the foundation of the IFE’s credibility – its autonomy. “The lack of consensus during the selection of the [IFE] general council in 2003 opened the door to questions … about its legitimacy and impartiality,” wrote Diódoro Carrasco, a PAN senatorial candidate, in a Dec. 22 newspaper column. PRD legislators abstained from the selection process to protest the lack of its own candidates on the final list. The PRI and the National Action Party chose not to compromise and filled the council with its own favorites. That set the stage for the post-election protests in 2006 led by the PRD candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The constitutional and legal regulations in electoral matters have experienced significant reform, broadly impacting the institute’s composition and responsibilities. The 2008 reforms were seen as a vindictive attack on the IFE by the two main losers of the 2006 election – the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). The reforms were criticized by political commentators as an effort by the parties to exert greater control over the IFE

MOVING FORWARD

Despite all the recent turmoil (see sidebar), the IFE has remained confident and Valdés is determined to act authoritatively. Even before the general council was fully staffed in December, the IFE was ruling on alleged election law violations. A PRI complaint that President Calderón intervened in the election process by criticizing previous PRI governments in an interview with the New York Times was rejected. The IFE also declined to order the removal of billboards promoting López Obrador’s candidacy since it was not clear who had paid for them. In early January, the IFE and the Interior Secretariat announced an agreement to protect the electoral process from organized crime and illicit funds. A committee to carry out the agreement was also installed and security protocols were established. Potential hot spots across the country were also identified. On Jan. 9, the IFE published its first biweekly report of its media monitoring activities. In mid-January, the institute was investigating charges related to publicity and activities on behalf of presidential candidates Enrique Peña Nieto of the PRI and Josefina Vázquez Mota of the PAN. And this is only the beginning. The formal campaign season doesn’t kick off until March. By then, the IFE hopes to have won the respect of the contenders and the electorate. The goal will be to convince all concerned that, like a real referee, they don’t care who wins. They only care that the rules are followed. January 27, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW"9

POLITICS

ELECTIONS

Behind the Makeover

New councilors were seated 13 months after their predecessors left

he 2008 electoral reform mandated that the IFE general council be staffed via a staggered selection process. The president was replaced shortly thereafter with Leonardo Valdés, the former head of the Mexico City Electoral Institute, taking over. Five other councilors were chosen during the course of 2008. Francisco Guerrero (2013), Marco Antonio Baños (2017), María Elizondo (2013), Alfredo Figueroa (2013) and Benito Nacif (2017) will serve out staggered terms. The three holdover councilors left the IFE when their terms ended in October 2010 and their successors were supposed to be selected no later than January 2011. Instead, the Chamber of Deputies squabbled over who to pick, with each party insisting on imposing its preferred choices. For 13 months, the IFE operated shorthanded. Councilors were forced to take on extra duties, even violating the law by sitting on more committees than permitted in order to make up for the three missing councilors. Political analysts wondered whether the situation would prompt accusations that IFE decisions were illegal, threatening the validity of the 2012 federal elections. On Nov. 30, the Federal Electoral Tribunal ordered Congress to fill the vacant seats in 15 days. Lawmakers finally reacted and on Dec. 15, the three new councilors were finally selected to new terms ending in 2020. Within hours, they were sworn in and had taken on their duties.

LORENZO CÓRDOVA

Córdova, 40, is a lawyer and academic

10!MEXICOREVIEW : January 27, 2012

with a Ph.D. in political theory from the University of Turin who was working in UNAM’s Legal Studies Institute as the coordinator of its Electoral Law department. He was employed by the Senate as an adviser for its political reform working group. Córdova has said that his focus will be on enforcing the most recent electoral reforms, even though he sees them as “incomplete.” “The goal of the reforms was to strengthen the autonomy of political organizations and reduce the impact of money on the electoral process” he said. “The new laws are ‘perfectible’ but until they are corrected they must be adhered to. The rules are in place and everybody must play by them.” Despite the criticism the IFE has received, Córdova insists the councilors must do their job “without bias or thoughts of revenge, completely independent of external factors and without regard to the person or parties being ruled on.” SERGIO GARCÍA

García is a politician and lawyer who served as the presiding judge on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights from 2004-2007. He previously worked at UNAM’s Legal Studies Institute. Perhaps most controversially, García is a member of the PRI, serving as labor secretary in the José López Portillo administration and contending for the party nomination for president in 1987. “I must answer the perfectly reasonable questions about my party affiliation with impeccable conduct,” he said. “My promise to be impartial will not alone be convincing, but my decisions can serve

to reassure the electorate that I will be an independent arbiter.” García insists that a careful examination of his political career would demonstrate that he has never blindly assumed party positions, but has “always demonstrated complete obedience to the law.” The 74-year-old García has said that one of his priorities will be to bring greater attention to gender equality in electoral practices. MARÍA MARVÁN

Marván has a Ph.D. in sociology and was the president of the Federal Public Information Institute when she was selected for the IFE. Before that, she was an investigator at UNAM’s Social Sciences Research Institute as well as a professor at the University of Guadalajara. She had been affiliated with the PAN in the state of Jalisco and also served as a councilor on that state’s electoral institute. Marván quickly sought to deflect any criticism related to her party affiliation. “I never took part in any policy or political decisions,” she said. “My contributions were strictly technical in nature. I never formally joined the (National Action) party.” Marván announced that she is in favor of making public the official voter rolls of political parties. “Parties are organizations of genuine public interest and as such their membership should be available to the general public,” she said. In a similar vein, Marván declared that the IFE must be transparent and accountable with regard to its budget: “We should be careful to spend prudently.” —TOM BUCKLEY

by the numbers

Number of presidential candidates supported by Carlos Fuentes, Mexico’s greatest living author

Number of candidates supported by Fuentes before Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard dropped out in favor of Andrés Manuel López Obrador

Mexicans who have played in the NBA after Gustavo Ayón signed with the New Orleans Hornets on Dec. 23, 2011. (The other two: Eduardo Nájera and Horacio Llamas)

3.4

Average annual per capita alcohol consumption in liters in Mexico in 1980, according to the OECD

5.9

Average annual per capita alcohol consumption in liters in Mexico in 2009, a 73.5 percent increase in three decades

Number of OECD countries whose average annual per capita alcohol consumption increased more than Mexico between 1980 and 2009 (China at 158.8 percent and Brazil at 188.4 percent)

Percentage of Mexico’s estimated 36 million Internet users who are under 35

32,000

4,103,200

Estimated number of Twitter accounts in Mexico as of March 2011

Minimum percentage of GDP that a nation needs to invest in scientific research in order to develop economically, according to Raúl Qintero Flores, 2011 winner of Mexico’s National Science and Arts Prize in the Technology and Design category

Percentage of Mexico City’s waste that Mayor Marcelo Ebrard says will be recycled thanks to the government’s new trash treatment program

74,442

Complaints filed with the Defense Secretariat by citizens against organized crime activities since the Army began its “We Will Take Action” program in March 2010

2.3

15,950,000,000

0.4

5,300,000,000

Average percentage of GDP that OECD nations invest in scientific research

Percentage of GDP that Mexico invests in scientific research

72,000,000

Tons of garbage stored at the Bordo Poniente trash dump, closed by the Mexico City government on Dec. 19

12,600

Tons of garbage generated daily by Mexico City residents

15.7

Number of years it would take to refill the Bordo Poniente dump at that 12,600-tons-per-day rate

Pesos budgeted to the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) for 2012

Total amount of pesos the IFE will distribute to political parties for their campaign funds in 2012

3.8

Percentage of average annual GDP growth in the first five years (1988-2003) of the Carlos Salinas administration

2.9

Percentage of average annual GDP growth in the first five years (1994-1999) of the Ernesto Zedillo administration

1.5

Percentage of average annual GDP growth in the first five years of both the Vicente Fox (2000-2005) and Felipe Calderón (2006-2011) administrations

Estimated number of Twitter accounts in Mexico as of July 2009 January 27, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW"11

ECONOMY &FINANCE

2012 OUTLOOK

RIDING OUT THE STORM

MEXICOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ECONOMIC variables should be strong enough to wait out the uncertainties abroad Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D; w Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D;Ä Ĺ&#x17D; Ă˝Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D;

12!MEXICOREVIEWâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;:â&#x20AC;&#x201A;January 27, 2012

he sense of exhaustion evident in the markets as 2011 drew to a close seems likely to last throughout the new year and continue to have a durable impact. The destruction and resulting fallout produced by the global crisis in 2008 has proven to be more comprehensive than was thought possible. The U.S. economy and emerging market economies including Mexico gave way so as to open up space for the European Union and its infamous PIIGS (an acronym for Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain) to become the principal preoccupation of financial markets in general An endless stream of emergency fiscal measures, new regulations and rescue efforts collided with political contradictions, leaving leading global investors with a bitter taste in their mouths. And this includes the investors that really control currency flows and liquidity – the big guns, so to speak. The disaster that began as a financial crisis and a liquidity crunch is now best described as a crisis of political credibility that seems likely to only worsen in the foreseeable future. The possibility of a viable solution – a well-structured financial response – would appear extremely difficult. Greece and Portugal are flat broke even as some political and financial figures try to deny it. Italy and Spain are walking a fiscal tightrope too, reflecting macroeconomic and microeconomic weakness. Worse yet, both the European private and public sectors have been equally and severely damaged. The upcoming presidential elections in the United States will divert the majority of attention there, especially since no real favorite has emerged. The U.S. economy, for its part, is demonstrating gradual improvement, though it can be argued that much of the growth is due to the fiscal and monetary “steroids” injected into the economy over the past three years. Meanwhile, U.S. politicians continue arguing over debt limits and will soon be engaging in an all-out battle to win all-important congressional majorities in November. SOUND FOUNDATION

In this context, it would seem that Mexico is stuck in neutral, both economically and politically. But the reality is that Mexico has developed a very sound macroeconomic January 27, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW"13

ECONOMY &FINANCE

2012 OUTLOOK

foundation that offers cause for hope. On the one hand, international reserves are at historically high levels and debt, current accounts and its fiscal leverage are optimal and 100-percent manageable. On the other hand, admittedly modest growth has been sustained at levels above 4 percent even in the face of disturbing economic noise on all sides. Domestic consumption has shown gradual improvement, and although employment data is nothing to brag about it has remained relatively stable thanks largely to the informal economy that supports millions of Mexicans. In addition, the manufacturing and industrial sectors have begun to show perceptible signs of growth despite the stuttering U.S. economy and Mexico’s overwhelming dependence on the U.S. economy. At the same time, Mexico’s central bank has done an extraordinary job holding firm 14!MEXICOREVIEW : January 27, 2012

on its policies, especially with regard to inflation targets announced to investors. Its ability to steer the Mexican economy and maintain a reliable monetary course in the face of rough economic seas have been witnessed by foreign investors who seem convinced of the certainty that the central bank’s navigation skills are genuine. The worrisome external financial variables that are quite evident in economic trouble spots abroad has helped the Mexican peso to become one of the five most liquid currencies in the world. It is a good parameter to keep an eye on when volatility and risk aversion spike. Even so, Mexico’s supposed macroeconomic stability did not prevent the peso from depreciating by more than 12 percent this year. The positive result of this has been that exporters have benefited and industrial output has been strengthened indirectly. However, profit margins have taken a serious hit at

both big and small corporations and family businesses that focus on imports. The stock market here has suffered the effects of the global environment, as have most markets around the world. But the Bolsa has experienced negative effects of significantly lower magnitude, helped equally by the macroeconomic foundation and the sound balances at the principal Mexican corporations. In comparison to Mexico’s principal competitors except with regard to exchange rate, Mexico’s financial variables have kept the economy afloat in extraordinarily volatile circumstances and with widespread uncertainty lingering at all turns. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

With the worst behind us, the primary focus of attention during the first half of 2012 will be the presidential election. In global circles, Mexico’s political battle will potentially be

obscured by presidential elections in 26 other countries, including Italy, Germany, France, South Korea and the United States. Market observers and financial decision-makers will be hopeful that Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campaign will generate little noise so as not to negatively impact Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation abroad, especially since the drug war violence has been a PR nightmare. Early polling has consistently favored the Institutional Revolutionary Party, though recent surveys indicate there might be growing discontent with the PRI candidate, Enrique PeĂąa Nieto. This could open a space for leftist candidate AndrĂŠs Manuel

LĂłpez Obrador to gain attention and develop momentum. LĂłpez Obrador has been â&#x20AC;&#x153;campaigningâ&#x20AC;? for six years now and has recently sought to revise his image from that of a radical, intransigent rebel to a conciliator. Meanwhile, the National Action Party has struggled in the face of a global recession and the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s controversial battle against organized crime. The PAN has been unable to get solid footing and the polls suggest the past 11 years of PAN rule have produced voter fatigue. If the presidential campaign takes place in a civilized atmosphere and in an orderly fashion, economic certainty and investor

confidence should remain favorable. Such a narrative will secure relatively stable prospects for Mexico despite all of its imperfections â&#x20AC;&#x201C; especially political deficiencies â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and the inevitable changes brought on by an election process. All in all, a relatively smooth political scenario through July 2012 on top of the economyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solid foundations should set the stage for Mexico to move ever closer to realizing its full potential. / , )Ĺ&#x17D; x 4Ĺ&#x17D; #0 ,)Ĺ&#x17D; wrote the column,

Alrededor de los Mercados, for the El Financiero daily from 2007-2011.

Steady as she goes

Growth will be slow in 2012 but peso and Bolsa outlooks are optimistic.

nalysts and pundits foresee a difficult economic scenario in 2012, and forecasts about Mexico include sluggish growth boosted by stable fundamentals. Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoA) predicts that Mexico will be among the slowest-growing Latin American economies in 2012, citing Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vulnerability to external factors, especially if the U.S. economy goes into recession. BoA sees Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GDP in 2012 at 3 percent, well below projections for Venezuela (5 percent), Peru (5.2 percent) and Colombia (4.1 percent). The Economic Commission for Latin America,orCepal,predictsLatinAmerican GDP at 3.7 percent in 2012, but sees Mexico coming in at 3.3 percent. Cepal projects better growth for Argentina (4.8 percent), Brazil (3.5), Colombia (4.5) and Chile (4.2). The Mexican Stock Exchange, or Bolsa, lost 3.82 percent in 2011. The Bolsa closed at 37,077.52 on Dec. 29, recording 120 losing days and 122 winning sessions. Ten trading days ended with no movement. The best trading day was Aug. 11 when the Bolsa climbed 4.26 percent; the worst day was Oct. 8 as the Bolsa index sank 5.88 percent. Experts are confident that the Bolsa index will surpass 42,000 points in 2012, although the Bolsa fell short of 2011 expectations (analysts predicted the index would end the year above 38,000).

The peso depreciated by 13 percent in 2011, closing the year at 13.9725 after opening the year at 12.3650. The strongest mark the peso hit in 2011 was on May 2 as it traded at 11.48 to the U.S. dollar and its weakest close was on Nov. 25 at 14.30. Analysts surveyed by the El Universal daily suggested the central bank would work hard to support the peso and likely would move toward relaxing monetary policy. The central bank could be expected todelaymovingthelendingratedownfrom 4.5 percent until the second quarter, riding out predicted currency volatility (the peso could rise above 14 to the U.S. dollar) until the situation in Europe settles. BOOSTING COMPETITION

The CalderĂłn administration is pleased about the macroeconomic outlook but disappointed at the lack of progress in the telecoms sector. The solid fundamentals have helped keep Mexico in the sights of foreign investors. The economic playing field is also becoming more level, if only gradually. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A critical step was the approval of the Federal Competition Law in May,â&#x20AC;? Economy Secretary Bruno Ferrari told reporters on Dec. 29. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was long overdue and it has created a legal standard featuring critical concepts with regard to competition that allowustocombatmonopolisticpractices.â&#x20AC;? The lawâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objective is to establish a stronger Federal Competition Commission, Ferrari said, in order to guarantee

genuine competitiveness within the economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This in turn will assure consumers that they have access to the best goods and services at the best prices.â&#x20AC;? ODDS AND ENDS

Foreign investment was on the rise throughout 2011 and it was driven by nine key sectors: the aerospace industry; the agroindustrial sector, the automotive sector; manufacturing of medical devices/equipment; electric appliances; electronics; renewable energy industries; creative industries (and arts); and information technology/software technology. The aerospace industry was the No. 1 recipient of foreign direct investment and has been a significant motor driving Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth in the past two years. There were a few significant foreign trade-related events in 2011. On Jan. 6, the United States consented to allow Mexican long-haul trucks into U.S. territory, as per the terms included in the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement. The U.S. government granted the first permit to a Mexican trucking company on Oct. 14 and one week later the first Mexican long-haul truck crossed the border and delivered goods to an interior U.S. destination. On Nov. 22, Mexico and Central America signed a free trade agreement and on Dec. 15, the Senate approved a free trade agreement with Peru. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;MEXICO REVIEW

January 27, 2012â&#x20AC;&#x201A;:â&#x20AC;&#x201A;MEXICOREVIEW"15

PUBLIC WORKS

REUTERS PHOTO

ECONOMY &FINANCE

16!MEXICOREVIEW : January 27, 2012

MEXICO REVIEW PHOTO / TOM BUCKLEY

REUTERS PHOTO

Solid Bulwark, Shaky Pillar THE BALUARTE BRIDGE enjoyed a better , *.#)(Ĺ&#x17D;." (Ĺ&#x17D; # Ĺ&#x17D;." Ĺ&#x17D; -. & Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D; /4

veryone speaks well of the bridge that carries him over, goes the old Chinese proverb. But what of a tower that casts a long shadow in which are hidden shocking cost overruns? President Felipe CalderĂłn inaugurated a bridge and a tower the first week of the New Year and the contrasts speak volumes. The Baluarte Bicentennial Bridge, or Puente Baluarte, is a new cable-stayed bridge linking the states of Sinaloa and Durango along the Durango-MazatlĂĄn highway. The Puente Baluarte has a total length of 1,124 meters (3,688 feet), with a central cable-stayed span of 520 meters (1,710 feet). The road deck itself is 403 meters (1,322 feet) above the river below. The Puente Baluarte is the highest cable-stayed bridge in the world and the second-highest bridge overall. A cable-stayed bridge consists of one or more columns (usually referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;towersâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;pylonsâ&#x20AC;?), with cables supporting the bridge deck. Construction of the bridge began in 2008 and it was inaugurated in January 2012. The bridge forms part of a new highway linking the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of northern Mexico and will greatly reduce the travel time between Durango and MazatlĂĄn. The cost of construction was nearly $159 million. Two days after inaugurating the monumental bridge, President CalderĂłn did the same for the controversial Estela de Luz, a quartzcovered â&#x20AC;&#x153;pillar of lightâ&#x20AC;? built in front of the gates to Chapultepec Park in the heart of Mexico City. The Estela de Luz â&#x20AC;&#x201C; finished 15 months after it was supposed to be completed as part of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bicentennial celebrations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; has been the focus of protests. It cost almost $75 million. Some activists have taken to calling the 104-meter high Estela de Luz the Monument to Corruption. The Associated Press reported that costs nearly tripled from an original estimate of 400 million pesos to more than 1 billion pesos, and auditors found 95 improprieties in contracting that resulted in criminal charges against at least four public employees. Authorities have said a government board incorrectly authorized payment for the architect even though he turned in incomplete designs. The construction management company bid out construction contracts without following normal procedures and before they even had final drawings. The project has also drawn criticism because only about onethird of the building materials came from Mexico. The stainlesssteel columns had to be imported from Italy, the quartz panels from Brazil and a specialized lighting system was made by a German-owned company. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;MEXICO REVIEW

January 27, 2012â&#x20AC;&#x201A;:â&#x20AC;&#x201A;MEXICOREVIEW"17

w life& leisure

MUSEUMS

hen Mexico City’s new Museo del Escritor opened its doors to first-nighters shortly before the winter holidays, a properly dressed lady of a certain age spent most of the evening seated and holding court at the open end of a partitioned section of the museum dedicated to the Centro Mexicano de Escritores, the prestigious Mexican writers center known as the CME that offered scholarships and endless workshops to promising authors and poets from 1951 until financial woes closed its doors in 2005. Though founded by an American (the novelist Margaret Shedd) and initially funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, the CME soon became a thoroughly Mexican power source for the nation’s remarkable literary output in the second half of the 20th century. It helped generate the Boom of Carlos Fuentes, the Wave of José Agustín, the Crack of Jorge Volpi and other literary movements with silly names and lasting import. “The best writers of the generations of the 50s, 60s and 70s were all in that place,” wrote Emmanuel Carballo, the pre-eminent Mexican literary critic during that same period, and to this day. All that’s left of that place now, aside from the work of its beneficiaries, is a long wood table donated by that lady of a certain age to the new Writer’s Museum. It sits chairless in the special CME area like a prop in a haunted house play, and we’re invited to image it occupied by, say, the Nayarit-born poet Alí Chumicero (1918-2010), the Jaliscan short story master Juan José Arreola (1918-2001) or the Mexico City novelist and critic Salvador Elizondo (1932-2006) – writing, critiquing, arguing, advising, reading and, one assumes, drinking. But what most grabs your attention inside the CME’s niche in the new museum are the scores of black and white photographs that take up most of the three walls. They’re head shots of young people in their 20s. Very few are female. 18!MEXICOREVIEW : January 27, 2012

Celebration of Words LITERARY LIONS are revered in Mexico. Now they have their own museum. Ŏ

Ŏ Ŏ

“These photos are from a book called “Los becarios del Centro Mexicano de Escritores (1952-1997),” our properly dressed lady announced from time to time to anybody and everybody. “It’s by Martha Domínguez Cuevas, who is me.” Ms. Domínguez was, along with the late Felipe García Beraza (1924-1997), a key CME administrator for most of its existence. Her book includes bios and bibliographies of all the center’s grant recipients (becarios) up to 1997. The book is hard to find now, but the photos are right there in

the Museo del Escritor for all to see. “They’re the photographs that were taken as soon as they got their grants,” Ms. Dominguez said. “That’s why they’re all so young.” Young, indeed. With their throats pinched by neckties and their cheeks unthreatened by middle-age pudge, the budding authors look like they’re posing for a college yearbook, not for what amounts to a Who’s Who of Mexican letters over the last half century. The youngest of the young on the wall is Homero Aridjis, the world renowned

poet, novelist, environmental activist and diplomat, who just came off a stint as President Calderón’s ambassador to UNESCO. Aridjis was barely 19 years old when he received his CME grant. Also on the wall, at the other end of the age spectrum, is Juan Rulfo (1917-1986), who was in his early thirties when he received one of the first CME grants given out. Within four years he had published “Pedro Páramo,” probably the most internationally admired novel ever to come out of Mexico, as well as “El llano en llamas,”

an equally admired collection of short stories. As literary investments go, that grant was a winner. Then there’s Carlos Monsiváis, a reasonably kempt and be-suited 24-year-old when he got his first CME grant in 1962 (he went back for seconds in 1967). The wit may have already been there when his picture was taken, but the unrulyhaired dean of cultural criticism had yet to emerge. There’s Fernando del Paso, who turned 30 in 1965, the year he received his CME grant. He went on to a wide-ranging and productive career as a man of letters, but we know him best today as the author of “Noticias del Imperio,” (1988) the ambitious and wildly popular (as well as much imitated) historical novel of Maximiliano and Carlota’s reign in Mexico. There’s Ángeles Mastretta, who was 26 when she got her grant in 1974, some 11 years before she wrote her hugely successful novel “Arráncame la vida,” which was translated into English as “Tear This Heart Out” and later turned into an equally successful film by Roberto Sneider. There’s a 20-something Carlos Fuentes, who turned his CME grant into “La región más transparente” (translated into English as “Where the Air is Clear”), which launched perhaps the most prolific and impressive literary career by any living author who hasn’t won the Nobel Prize for Literature. And there’s René Avilés Fabio, a 1965 becario who on this opening night stood out among the writers pictured because he was also there in the flesh. The museum is his brainchild, and it was he who amassed the thousands of books, including hundreds of first editions, now housed on the site. That site, to hear Avilés tell it, was hard to come by. Unable to convince either Mexico City or federal officials to lend him a building in the Historic Center for the project, he was forced to store the museum material at his foundation headquarters. “The public supported us,” he said. “The government didn’t.” Finally, Mexico City’s Miguel Hidalgo borough allowed him to use the ground floor of its cultural center, known as the Faro de Saber Bicentenario, meaning roughly the Bicentennial Lighthouse of Knowledge. Hidden deep in Parque Lira, a hilly park near Metro Constituyentes, the place is difficult to get to if you

don’t already know where it is. But that didn’t hurt attendance on opening night; many more showed up than could fit in the facility. The throngs were a reminder that literary figures – from Sor Juana in the 17th century to Paco Ignacio Taibo II in the 21st – are revered in Mexico, if not as widely read as they might be. That reverence is reflected in the museum set-up, which consists of altar-like glass enclosures containing photos, first editions (all paperbacks) and personal effects of countless Mexican authors, and some foreign ones (Gabriel García Márquez and José Saramago among them). The personal items were mostly donated. “For example, the widow of Rodolfo Usigli [the great Mexican playwright who died in 1979 and is best known for “El Gesticulador,” frequently assigned reading for American students studying Latin American literature] donated a tape recorder the master used, his glasses, posters for his plays,” Avilés Fabio said. “That’s how you create a museum without many economic resources.” Browsing around the museum’s “altars” is a pleasant and edifying way to spend an hour or two, and it doesn’t cost anything. Still, there’s something uncomfortable about having books presented as glass-enclosed museum pieces, in an era when their future is in doubt. As though aware of that, Avilés Fabio promised that the facility will be a “live museum,” with workshops, presentations, other literary events and access to the collection of volumes for scholars and the general public. Not exactly the reincarnation of the Centro Mexicano de Escritores, but at least a worthy display of its spirit.

January 27, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW"19

life& leisure

BOOK REVIEW

ANITA BRENNERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DIARY

JOURNAL ENTRIES from the 1920s take us into the everyday lives of Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great 20th-century artists. Ĺ&#x17D;

Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D;Ä Ĺ&#x17D; Ă˝Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D;

Susannah Glusker with one of the volumes of the published journals of her mother, Anita Brenner (inset), which she edited. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Diego Rivera on the back cover.

here was a time in Mexico when the future looked especially bright. It was the 1920s, when the bullets of the Revolution stilled, a new regime flirted with modernity and an unprecedented cultural explosion left an artistic heritage that included, but went well beyond, iconic figures such as Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros and Tamayo. Into this carnival of creativity entered a very young (barely 20) journalist and future anthropologist named Anita Brenner. Born in Aguascalientes to immigrant Jews, she returned to Mexico after sitting 20!MEXICOREVIEWâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;:â&#x20AC;&#x201A;January 27, 2012

out the Revolution as a child in Texas and immediately insinuated herself into Mexico Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vibrant art scene. Talented and precocious, Brenner soon joined a select few writers who were informing English-speaking readers about the extraordinary cultural Renaissance gathering steam in Mexico. Much like today, Mexico at the time was perceived in the U.S. press more as a problem than a place; Brenner, along with Alma Reed, Frances Toor and a few others, presented an entirely different view. They helped start a boomlet of interest in things Mexican, which eventually led to major exhibitions of Mexican art in the United States.

Brenner published a flood of articles, notably in The Nation, but is most remembered for her early survey of Mexican art â&#x20AC;&#x153;Idols Behind Altars,â&#x20AC;? a 1932 travel guide, whose unfortunate title â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your Mexican Holidayâ&#x20AC;? disguises its incisive and nonpatronizing approach, and a review of the Revolution entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Wind That Swept Mexico.â&#x20AC;? Now thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new addition to the Brenner opus. It turns out that the young Anita kept a journal, running from her 1925 arrival in Mexico City to her marriage to David Glusker, a New York doctor, in 1930. These near-daily musings on Mexico â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x153;notes,â&#x20AC;? as she called them

– were heroically edited and annotated by Susannah Joel Glusker, Anita’s daughter, and recently published by the University of Texas Press in a two-volume, 861-page, photo-rich book called “Avant-Garde Art & Artists in Mexico: Anita Brenner’s Journals of the Roaring Twenties.” As a rule, diaries not written by Anais Nin tend to have more scholarly than popular appeal, which may be why the publishers tried to spiff up the title with that incongruous “Roaring.” But lay-lovers of Mexican art history, and its culture in general, can potentially get more out of this one-of-a-kind work than from any re-reading of Brenner’s landmark, but superseded, books.

That’s because the richest reward of these diaries is not so much the voyeuristic experience of examining a thoughtful person’s exposed introspection (though that’s there too) but rather in what she has to say about the people around her. Not just any people, mind you, but virtually all of the major artists and writers of the era, and a good percentage of the minor ones. Brenner seems to have known them all – not as mere journalistic sources or professional acquaintances, but intimate friends. Scorned in her Texas high school as a Jew and a Mexican, she now claimed the twin tools of revenge: popularity and success. There’s an entry I’ve quoted before as especially indicative of the kind of crowd Anita Brenner ran with. In truth there are probably hundreds of other entries equally revealing of Anita’s amazing connectedness, but let’s stick with this one, from July 7, 1926: “Went with Chamaco and Rose to see Edward. Worked with him on choosing, etc. photos until two. A New Orleans man, Spratling was here also. Sort of amiable and vapid. Lunch at the Café Colón with Chamaco & Rose. Looked at her costumes & heard about the grace and flowers of Tehuantepec until five. To Diego’s & saw there Barreda, Carlos Chávez... talked about the ballets with Carlos. Home to find the boys –Jean and George– had been here twice. Fooled about & no work.” Now let’s take those names one at a time: Chamaco. That’s Miguel Covarrubias, the great sketch artist, cartoonist and designer of sets and costumes who published in Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and elsewhere in the United States and Mexico. They called him Chamaco (kid) for his youth, though he was slightly older than Anita. Rose. Covarrubias’ wife Rose Roland, sometimes called Rosa Rolanda but born Rosemonde Cowen of Scottish, Mexican and American decent, was an artist, dancer and photographer who was the subject of a retrospective in Mexico City last year at the Museo Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo and the Casa Luis Barragán. Edward. The noted American photographer Edward Weston was a fixture in Mexico at the time, working with his apprentice Tina Modotti, herself a transplant from Italy. The two played a major role in modernizing Mexican photography. Their

work, often with shared credit, makes up the bulk of the hundreds of photographs in Anita Brenner’s published journals. Spratling. William Spratling, an American architect who moved permanently to Mexico in the late 1920s, was an early promoter of Diego Rivera’s work, and later organized the artisanal silver cottage industry in Taxco, Guerrero. Diego. Yes, that would be Diego Rivera, then 39 years old, young for our image of him but older than most of this particular circle of artists. He and his wife Lupe Marín were lifelong friends of Anita, and recurring characters in the journals. Barreda. A writer and poet who worked with the Mexican Foreign Service in New York, Octavio Barreda was married to Carmen Marín, the first director of the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City. Carmen was Lupe’s sister, so Barreda was an in-law of Diego Rivera. Carlos Chávez. The composer/conductor, just 27 at the time of this diary entry, was the leading figure in 20th-century Mexican music and the first director of the national symphony orchestra. What we see here, then, is that Anita’s interests (and connections) extended beyond art, literature and politics and into serious music. Jean. Paris-born (in 1898) but with Mexican family roots, Jean Charlot was an important painter and illustrator who played a role in the development of Mexican muralism. In the journals, we’re aware of his on-again/off-again romantic involvement with Anita. George. George Vaillant, a Harvard anthropologist who wrote several books about the Aztecs. This excerpt’s mentions of those major players may be quick and superficial, but it’s just one entry among hundreds. The cumulative effect is an evolving sketch of the day-to-day lives of a lengthy roster of major figures – portraits of the artists as young men and women. What we get from these journals, then, is a privileged look at these artists as people, and not the historical figures or larger-than-life nationalist icons they’re often presented as. Perhaps because of the (temporarily) private nature of a diary, Brenner isn’t shy about sizing up her friends. That’s good for us. Here, for example, is an excerpt from 1926 about Rivera: “Diego told me once that he … has only at the most ten years left in which to paint … It seems to me, however, that he has descended January 27, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW"21

life& leisure

BOOK REVIEW

Susannah Glusker chatting with political cartoonist Rafael Barajas (El Fisgón) at a book presentation.

since the Preparatoria [an important commission]. From the splendor of geometry to the sentiment of the picturesque – Cubism to Gauguin.” They were both wrong. Rivera painted for four more decades and few would dismiss his post-Cubist work as “picturesque.” Brenner gives us hundreds of these little commentaries. A sampler: On Tamayo: “He has a very strong attraction for most women. Slim and terribly sensual, wide mouth and the savor of things apparent on it. He rouses desire. I am remembering that Carnival night, drink and dawn.[Sorry, she doesn’t elaborate on that.] His paintings are interesting insofar as they show effort and talent. [Damning with faint praise if there ever was such a thing.]… he has one thing I like especially of two children in a field.” [That would be his small woodcut from 1925 of “Two Children with Maguey” or “Dos niñas mexicanas,” helpfully reproduced by 22!MEXICOREVIEW : January 27, 2012

Glusker and the editors a page later. A wonderful feature of the UT Press’ presentation of these diaries is the careful placement of the abundant artwork.] On Siqueiros: “He has a sensitive, strange face, glittering eyes, clear, greenish blue, or hazel, hard and weird. Fine nose, small sensual mouth. Black, dark brown hair, slight queer cushion under chin, beautiful hands and great charm. He is much interested in the social end of the question.” [That last is an understatement. His political commitment is well-reflected in his art, his writings and his Communist Party membership, but curators have told me that it infused even his casual conversation – constant “exploited masses” this and “the people” that, anticipating the Monty Python bit.] On Orozco: “He is a dear and you feel a human being there –does not inspire awe, contempt, disgust or laughter– just kinship. I shall enjoy posing for him.”

And later: “Orozco came over in a very good mood. He is working very hard, he says. Wants to do ‘fresco’ on cement – entirely new procedure and it means new aesthetics.” [Orozco was onto something here. Cement and reinforced concrete, the Latin American literature professor and art critic Rubén Gallo tells us in his 2005 book “Mexican Modernity,” flourished in 1920s Mexico, and for a familiar reason: “Architects sought a building material to represent the new reality of post-revolutionary Mexico, one that enacted a clear break with the past.”] These penny insights into the quotidian life of working artists encourages something like a domino learning effect. You come across a little tidbit on an artist or writer you admire, you seek to find out more. You’re intrigued by a Brenner comment on an artist you’ve never heard of, you look him up. So those disinclined to slog through 860 pages of somebody’s personal diary can still use these journals like a study guide, and probably a lifelong one. Susannah Glusker makes that easy to do. The book is heavily annotated; everything is explained. Not a single foreign word – Spanish, Spanglish, French or Náhuatl – goes untranslated. Each year’s worth of entries are preceded by a round-up of that year’s goings-on, putting Brenner’s observations into context. There is a thorough index, a bibliography and a glossary that tells us a little bit about almost every name mentioned in the book. They all will be much appreciated by readers. But ultimately it’s Anita Brenner’s communication of the Mexican spirit that makes this volume worth its list price of $125. In his foreward to the book (marred by awkward diction that may be a case of translationese) the late Mexican cultural critic Carlos Monsiváis quotes a passage from “Your Mexican Holiday” that nicely summarizes her approach, and especially hits home with those of us in her profession: “Mexico means something to you, in a strange personal way. You remember things about it at unexpected moments and with startling force. You are apt even to quarrel, reset most of the things said and written about it. You would like to write something yourself, full of your observations and experiences, things which you have not seen in print.” Come to think of it, those words could serve as a working description of this magazine’s mission.

Let the Music Begin

VIVE LATINO, one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top rock festivals, will take place in Mexico City in March. The Mexican music scene, in all its richness and diversity, will be on full display. . Ĺ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D; ĂťĹ&#x17D; Ĺ&#x17D;

MUSIC

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or three days and nights over the March 23-25 weekend, Mexico Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top stadium venue, the Foro Sol, will be jammed with some 70,000 souls listening, screaming, slamming, dancing and otherwise grooving to more than 100 bands and other musicians in Latin Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most prestigious music festival, and one of the most important anywhere in the world. Officially, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Festival Iberoamericano de Cultura Musical Vive Latino, but nobody calls it anything else but Vive Latino. Since 1998 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; save for a few skipped years â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Vive Latino has been the showcase of Spanish-language rock and other Latin American popular music, serving as a sort of thermometer to measuretheheatofnewandestablishedacts, and the international music scene in general. Ocesa, Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dominant live entertainment promoter, organized the first festival with the idea of â&#x20AC;&#x153;bringing together a number of groups playing rock in Spanish that on their own might not have enough drawing power but together could form an attractive billing.â&#x20AC;? They created an institution, but also a living animal, whose behavior has evolved over the years to reflect the Latin American music sceneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing global prominence. No longer is Vive Latino limited to rock, to the Spanish language, to Latin American bands or to acts with limited drawing power. The acts are international and the genres diverse. And one of the true pleasures of Vive Latino today is seeing a major star like Enrique Bunbury take the stage just minutes after a surprisingly pleasing set by a little-known band that may have been playing in a stageless little dive with white plastic seats the week before. Some of the bigger international names at the 2012 Vive Latino will be Bunbury (from Spain), Kasabian and Madness (both from the UK), Illya Kuryaky (Argentina) and TV on the Radio (United States). But the home team is Mexico, and its contribution to the Vive Latino line-up is especially strong and diverse this year. So letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a look at 10 of the Mexican acts that will play the festival in March. Some will no doubt be familiar names to many, others not so much. But taken together, they give a good idea of what to expect at Vive Latino 2012, as well as a snapshot of the state of Mexican music today. January 27, 2012â&#x20AC;&#x201A;:â&#x20AC;&#x201A;MEXICOREVIEW"23

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THE WOOKIES They are a fairly new DJ act whose onstage costume is exactly what their name would lead you to suspect (although the Star Wars species is properly spelled Wookiees). “Calacas” and “André VII,” well-known in the Mexico City underground scene, come out of a creative collective known as Sicario, which started out as a clothes and design store, and grew into a blog (sicario.tv), an online record label (soundcloud.com/sicario-music) and an advertising agency – but it’s perhaps best-known for throwing wild parties. The Wookies have performed in venues worldwide, including in Tokyo, New York and Ottawa. But the Vive Latino stadium crowd will be by far the largest audience to see them. “It will be a great opportunity for the electronic music scene,” says Calacas, aka Hugo Díaz Barreiro. “We’ve prepared a show with a live band as well as the turntables.” Recommended “Discotechno” (available at http://soundcloud.com/the-wookies) is their debut EP, and its electronic beats recreate the discotheque scene in 90s-era Acapulco with songs such as “Costera Miguel Alemán,” “La Quebrada” and “Acapulco Golden.” But truth be told, no recording can match watching them perform live and party big time.

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SIDDHARTHA Jorge Siddhartha is an indie/alt soloist from Guadalajara who played drums for Zoé before breaking out with the 2008 release “Why You?” which was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the best solo rock album category. The recently released follow-up album, “Náufrago,” gives us sweet, beautifully crafted songs coming out of an isolation period in which Siddhartha explored other musical landscapes marked by layers of synths and electric guitars, as well as lyrics dealing with loneliness and times gone by. Siddhartha’s sound adheres to the Kings of Convenience dictum that “Quiet is the New Loud,” but he still manages to get things moving with upbeat and danceable pop-rock tunes. For him, Vive Latino is “the greatest festival in Latin America and a celebration of our music, identity and brotherhood.” Recommended “Why You?” is a subtle electronic pop-rock album with intelligent and poetic lyrics. It was the result of a solitary project that he worked on for years, even as he was playing with Zoé. “Náufrago,” (2011) continues the dreamy, introspective aura of “Why You?” but with its own personality and more radio-friendly singles.

JUAN CIREROL Relatively new on the scene out of Mexicali, Cirerol sings “anarco corridos,” accompanied onstage by little more than his acoustic guitar, his harmonica, his cowboy shirt, his jeans and a pair of boots. He’s been described as a blend of Johnny Lydon (of Sex Pistols fame), Johnny Cash, and the Sinaloa corrido crooner Chalino Sánchez (1960-1992). But he’s a highly original composer of songs packed with irreverent, tonguein-cheek lyrics. Narco culture is part of his work, but it’s not the core of it. Like other artists from northern Mexico, such as writer Carlos Velázquez, author of “La Biblia vaquera,” Cirerol captures the language, slang and vibes of the region in songs such as “Clonazepam blues,” “Vida de perro” and “Maldita maestra,” which have become musts at any party. Of his first appearance at Vive Latino, Juan says, “It’s a result of having good friends and colleagues who I trust and who believe in me.” Recommended “Ofrenda al Mictlán” is his debut album of corridos, the story songs of northern Mexico. (Mictlán is the underworld of Aztec mythology.) The topics range from complaints about everyday life to stealing drugs from your mother. This album is everything truly independent music should be – fresh, creative and cross-genre, with no nods to radio station profiles or chart climbing.

AMANDITITITA

ALFONSO ANDRÉ

The triple diminutive in her performing name turns her 4’9” stature into something like a dare. The daughter of the late and legendary urban rocker Rodrigo González (Rockdrigo), Amandititita’s musical genre is cumbia-pop-rock, but her posture is anti-establishment and scathingly satirical. Her songs and videos tap into humor, kitsch and pop aesthetics as she aims her merciless lyrics at such social types as “Metrosexual” and “La muy muy.” She has also declared war against her former record label, using You Tube, where she has her own channel, to make her feelings known to all. Amandititita’s debut album, “La reina de la anarcumbia,” thrust her into the spotlight, and she’s since become well known on Latin American stages, where audiences love her outrageous outfits, caustic songs and danceable cumbia. But Vive Latino will be her biggest date yet, and there’s a sense of anticipation about just what this charismatic and controversial performer has in store.

Rockabilly’s been enjoying a revival in Mexico over the last five years or so, with bands like Los Gatos and Los Rebel Cats reminding music lovers just how infectious this hyper-danceable genre can be. Eddie y los Grasosos, together and touring around the country since 2008, are a big part of the movement. Influenced by a combination of music types associated with the 50s and 60s – country, western swing, blues, doo wop and surf, as well as rockabilly itself – these guys are all about big greasy hair (hence their name), leather jackets, drums, double bass, a twangy guitar and lots of hip action. It’s the kind of timeless music that teens and their parents and grandparents can dig together.

He was on the Vive Latino stage last year, drumming for the reunited Caifanes in an epic show after that band’s 15-year break-up. He had followed Caifanes singer/songwriter Saúl Hernández to Jaguares, and also drummed for La Barranca. This time he’s coming out from behind the drums, fronting his own band in a much-anticipated, high-profile appearance that will take place just about a year after the release of his much-admired solo debut album, “Cerro del aire.” It’s a rock album, of course, but there’s a mystical vibe to it, along with a touch of funk, and a nod to pop, most notably a cover of “Penelope,” penned by the American-born Menudo grad Robby (Draco) Rosa. André may be a solo act now, writing and singing his own songs, but the production of “Cerro del aire” was something of a family affair. That refers both to his personal family (wife Cecilia Toussaint and son Julián were involved) and his musical family, with a number of musicians/producers in the Caifanes/ Barranca/Jaguares continuum participating, such as Federico Fong, Fobia’s Paco Huidobro (who, speaking of family, is the brother of Molotov’s Mickey Huidobro), Sabo Romo and Alejandro Marcovich, among several others..

Recommended

“Oh! Mi nena” is their independently released debut album packed with two-minute songs. With names like “Grasoso Rock,” “Cherry Bop” and “Fiesta Ye Ye,” the tunes stick to the timeless topics that matter most – i.e chicks, fashion, cars and partying. The only point is to have a good time, and most of us appreciate that.

It’s tempting to recommend going back and listening to every Caifanes, Jaguares and La Barranca album with Alfonso André on it, paying more attention to the percussion this time around. But the thing to do before the Vive Latino festival is get a hold of “Cerro del aire” and play it over and over. This work offers the rare pleasure of hearing a venerated music industry veteran make a fresh start, and a liberating one at that. “It’s the result of a personal journey,” André says. “This is a new and scary phase that I’m enjoying very much.”

Recommended “La reina de la anarcumbia” (2008) is a hilarious album that finds much to mock in popular Mexican culture, including the aforementioned social types, places (“El balneario”) and seemingly mundane situations such as “Viernes de quincena,” when the biweekly payday falls on a Friday, jamming the roads, the malls and the cantinas. Every song on this album is wittily written and slickly produced, and a lot of them still get airplay across the radio station categories, including rock, pop and grupero.

EDDIE Y LOS GRASOSOS

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CAFE TACVBA Yes, they’re still together and yes, they’ll be recording a new album soon. Possibly the biggest name in Mexican rock music, the band out of Satélite has been relatively quiet since celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2009 at the same site as the 2012 Vive Latino festival – the Foro Sol – where they’ll be one of the featured attractions. While all four members write music and lyrics, as well as produce and sing, it’s their extravagant front man, Rubén Albarrán, who’s the unpredictable character onstage, overflowing with energy, changing costumes and assuming diverse identities. But any stage antics are secondary to this band’s unique combination of rock and traditional Mexican music. Songs like “Ingrata,” “Las flores,” “Chica banda” and their cover of Jaime López’s “Chilanga Banda” are windows to contemporary Mexican culture. Recommended Go back to their self-titled 1992 debut album, “Café Tacvba,” a landmark in Mexican music that fuses their underground rock origin with traditional Mexican folk music. The lyrics deal with what living in Mexico is about, a break from other bands at the time who were more inspired by English, American or Argentine bands. “Re” (1994), produced by Oscar-winner Gustavo Santaolalla and considered Café Tacvba’s masterpiece, experiments with a variety of genres and stands out for the playfulness of its lyrics.

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MOLOTOV The energy level will palpably rise when these guys come on, and it’s not just because they’re one of the biggest names in the line-up, or because they boast all the trappings of rock success (foreign tours completed, CDs sold, Latin Grammies won and tunes penned for major films, such as Alfonso Cuarón’s “Y tu mamá también”). Molotov’s a steamroller on stage, ramming their way through one hit after another with an intense rock bass, driving guitar riffs, aggressive rap lyrics and a hint of Tex-Mex. The audience joins in like a war chant. The musical mix is powerful and danceable and fun, but Molotov is probably best known for its relentless political posture, as well as a lot of in-your-face lyrics that seem intentionally designed to get them into trouble. As can happen with uncompromising musicians, their motives are frequently misinterpreted. Their early hit “Puto” was condemned as homophobic (it wasn’t) and their best-known song, “Frijolero” – an uncomfortable portrayal of cross-border antagonism – struck a lot of listeners as simplistically nationalistic. But it’s worth noting that the band member who sings most of that song, Randy Ebright, is an American. Molotov is a veteran Vive Latino act, but as bassist Paco Ayala puts it, “It’s always an honor and a challenge to be part of a three-day event with so many bands. You get to play with a lot of friends.” Recommended Molotov has done a lot since they first hit the scene in the 1990s, and that includes covering, of all people, the balladeer José José. But their first release, “¿Dónde jugarán las niñas?” (1997), is still an essential introduction to what these guys are all about; it includes “Puto” and “Voto latino.” That album’s song titles and lyrics are a thorough introduction to Mexican “groserías.” “Frijolero,” which means “beaner,” is found on their 2003 release, “Dance and Dense Denso.”

ZOÉ They’ve been together for more than a decade. They are indisputably among the elite of Mexico’s indie/alt rock scene. They have recorded four superb studio albums. They’ve been amply honored, including as Best Rock Artist at the 2009 MTV Latinoamérica awards. But as Vive Latino 2012 looms, Zoé may be better than ever. León Larregui, the band’s sexy, untidy, bad-boy leader, pens dreamy, psychedelic lyrics that catch the attention of fans across the pop-to-rock spectrum. Zoé can follow an intense rocker with a love ballad that can be sung in arenas or weddings with equal effectiveness. Their latest effort is a 2011 release called “MTV Unplugged: Música de fondo,” featuring special guests such as Enrique Bunbury (with whom the band has been touring), Adrián Dárgeles (from the Argentine band Babasónicos) and the Monterrey rocker Chetes. The unplugged release, which took the 2011 Latin Grammy for best alternative music album, has clearly lifted the band to another level. And it confirms Zoé’s status as one of Mexico’s great live acts, with ethereal multi-instrumental and vocal arrangements that upgrade each song into an orchestral piece without losing any of that rock edge. Recommended Besides “MTV Unplugged: Música de fondo,” give a listen (if you haven’t already) to “Memo Rex Commander y el corazón atómico de la Vía Láctea” (2006), Zoé’s breakthrough third album that conquered audiences with songs like “Vía Láctea” and “No me destruyas.”

for Vive Latino there will be live drums, guitars, bass and voice. The musicians like to amuse the audience by appearing onstage with tails stuck to their behinds, brandishing confetti guns, giving away maracas, and similar crazy stunts. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re known for encouraging the audience to create a long viborita, the snakelike conga line you might see at traditional weddings and parties. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happened at previous IMS Vive Latino appearances. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s see if they do it again. Recommended

INSTITUTO MEXICANO DEL SONIDO Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see this project referred to as the Mexican Institute of Sound almost as often as the Spanish version, reflecting its appeal in both language-worlds. Despite the bureaucratic ring to the name, IMS (or MIS) is mostly the work of one extremely talented individual. Camilo Lara is a record label exec, a master collector of vinyl albums (45,000 and counting), a beloved DJ and a creator/ assembler of music that mixes electrĂłnica, mambo, cha cha cha, salsa and rock

and roll from the sixties and eighties. And you can consider that a partial list. His samples and sound mixes eventually sprouted lyrics, with wry, knowing references to Mexico City culture that are at once satiric and fond. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s likely that a hefty percentage of his listeners donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite catch all of what heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talking about, but that hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t prevented IMS from turning into an international sensation, at least as popular in the United States and Europe as at home. Laraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recorded output is creative and irreverent as it fuses retro and contemporary culture. But IMS is also a very fun act to see on stage, and

â&#x20AC;&#x153;MĂŠjico MĂĄxicoâ&#x20AC;? (2006) was the IMS studio recording debut, an instrumental album that surprised everybody for its innovative sound and mixing techniques. â&#x20AC;&#x153;PiĂąataâ&#x20AC;? (2007) turned IMS into an international festival mainstay with hits such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;El micrĂłfono,â&#x20AC;? a fun comment on the tendency today for just about anybody to consider himself or herself an opinion leader. Another favorite cut from â&#x20AC;&#x153;PiĂąataâ&#x20AC;? is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Katia, Tania, Paulina y la Kim,â&#x20AC;? a song dedicated to Camiloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former girlfriends. ,# ( Ĺ&#x17D; ĂťĹ&#x17D; )(. ,)Ĺ&#x17D;hosts â&#x20AC;&#x153;MĂşsica en Imagenâ&#x20AC;?

Monday through Friday from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Radio Imagen. She also talks in English about popular music in Mexico on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Living in Mexico,â&#x20AC;? an English-language radio program hosted by Ana MarĂa Salazar that airs on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. on Radio Imagen. For more information on Radio Imagen, check out the Mexico Review web site at www.mexico-review.com.

Jaime LĂłpez

The Master Makes an Appearance

aime LĂłpez appearing at Vive Latino 2012 gives a major boost in prestige â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not to Jaime, who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need it, but to the festival itself. Few Mexican acts at the event will owe no artistic debt to Jaime LĂłpez. That includes bands like CafĂŠ Tacvba who have gone on to a commercial success that Jaimeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dedication to his calling has kept out of his own reach. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a rocker with a voice so gravelly in the lower registers he makes Tom Waits sound like Karen Carpenter. Like Bruce Springsteen, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll write and sing tunes in calmer genres â&#x20AC;&#x201C; folk, traditional, pop â&#x20AC;&#x201C; yet somehow always bring a rock â&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; roll sensibility to it, if only implied. Also like Springsteen, he uses the

vernacular to achieve the lyrical power of poetry, if we define poetry as words meaning worlds more than they otherwise would. Put another way, a Jaime LĂłpez songs achieves the poetic without always sounding like it. But unlike Bruce, who is all-American, Jaime is all-Mexican, and the unofficial voice of the capital. He does little to discourage this image of a musical conduit of Mexico City street life, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really a far too limiting description of his work. Much of the urban chronicler tag stems from an early hit, a rapped-out novelty song called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chilanga Bandaâ&#x20AC;? in which he riffs off the ch-laden slang of the DF, with its â&#x20AC;&#x153;pachucos, cholos y chundos, chichifos y malafachas.â&#x20AC;? CafĂŠ

Tacvba covered it in 1996 on their third, all-covers album, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Avalanche de ĂŠxitos,â&#x20AC;? and Jaime has appeared lately with that bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead guitarist, Joselo Rangel. Pushing 60, Jaime LĂłpez is at the height of his powers. His latest album, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mujer y ego,â&#x20AC;? has been dubbed a â&#x20AC;&#x153;matureâ&#x20AC;? work, which sounds like trouble, especially when you hear the strings-like sound introducing the first song, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bailando a la distancia.â&#x20AC;? But not to worry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Matureâ&#x20AC;? here means â&#x20AC;&#x153;in total control,â&#x20AC;? and what follows is everything you can want from a Jaime LĂłpez album, albeit noticeably more haunting, perhaps more in touch with pain. Call it LĂłpez noir. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; KELLY ARTHUR GARRETT

January 27, 2012â&#x20AC;&#x201A;:â&#x20AC;&#x201A;MEXICOREVIEW"27

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SPORTS

Chasing the Clausura Trophy

THE OPENING of the second half of the Mexican Soccer League season has come with a lot of questions. "#-Ĺ&#x17D;1 -Ĺ&#x17D; -* # &&3Ĺ&#x17D;.,/ Ĺ&#x17D;#(Ĺ&#x17D; 2# )Ĺ&#x17D; #.3Ĺ&#x17D; ( Ĺ&#x17D; / & $ , ĂťĹ&#x17D;

T BY TOM BUCKLEY

he balance of power appears to have tilted north as the Mexican Soccer League kicked off its Clausura 2012 season on Jan. 6. The championship trophy resides in Monterrey again for the third time in five seasons after the Tigres claimed their first league title in 29 years with an easy triumph over fellow northern club Santos. The Monterrey Rayados wore the 28!MEXICOREVIEWâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;:â&#x20AC;&#x201A;January 27, 2012

crown after the Apertura 2009 and Apertura 2010 seasons in addition to winning the Concacaf Champions League title in April 2011. And Santos has been in three of the past four finals despite coming up empty each time.

Pumas followed up on their Clausura 2011 crown by failing to qualify for the Apertura 2011 playoffs. Not only that, the Pumas twice lost by 4-0 scores and suffered two 4-1 beatdowns.

In contrast, fans of Mexico City- and Guadalajara-based soccer teams have had little to cheer about lately. UNAM is the only one of these six clubs that has offered anything to celebrate, winning league titles in May 2009 and May 2011. However, the

HUMBLED Ă GUILAS

The biggest fall from grace in 2011 was suffered by the once-proud â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some might say arrogant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ă guilas. AmĂŠrica fans witnessed a circus, and not a funny one. The Ă guilas featured a league-worst defense

(31 goals allowed in 17 games), winning only three times and recording only 15 points. There was messy locker-room turmoil, player suspensions, and a late-season coaching change Mighty América finished alarmingly close to the cellar, saved only by lowly Atlas of Guadalajara, a club that has not won a title since 1951 and is in danger of relegation. Televisa-owned América carried out yet another house-cleaning in the front office in December, naming former national team striker and TV commentator Ricardo Peláez as team president and Miguel Herrera as head coach. Peláez didn’t waste any time, overhauling the roster and bringing in three members of El Tri before signing Venezuela’s big defender Oswaldo Vizcarrondo. The moves made coach Herrera giddy. “Man for man, América is the best team in the league … without a doubt,” Herrera said, immediately increasing the pressure on himself to win right away.

For his part, the 6’3” Vizcarrondo – signed from Argentina’s Olimpo – has been brought in to shore up the back line. The 27-year-old will start alongside Colombian Aquivaldo Mosquera to compose a formidable central defense for the Águilas. Still, Vizcarrondo was under no false impressions. “I’m not here to be a defensive savior. I just want to be ready to contribute in any way I can,” he said. Goalie Moisés Muñoz followed coach Herrera from Atlante to take over for Guillermo Ochoa who moved to France’s Ajaccio last summer. Muñoz will be expected to reduce the goals-against number significantly. Since former scoring champion Ángel Reyna was dealt to Monterrey, the Águilas will be looking to Christian Benítez and Daniel Montenegro (newly named captain) to generate offense. New acquisitions “Chema” Cárdenas (purchased from Santos) and Christian “The Hobbit” Bermúdez – also from Atlante – will be called upon to direct the attack from midfield.

In the preseason, América won only one of four games, but gave up only five goals. CHIVAS LICKING THEIR WOUNDS

Out west, Guadalajara must quickly recover from a shocking collapse. After claiming the No. 1 seed heading into the Apertura 2011 playoffs, the Chivas were knocked out by 8-seeded Querétaro in a stunning quarterfinals upset. Guadalajara struggled to score all season and found the net only once in the twogame playoff loss to Querétaro. Of additional concern for coach Fernando Quirarte, the Chivas enter Clausura 2012 with a long injury list. Scorer Marco Fabián and midfielder Patricio Araujo only rejoined training camp the week before the season opener while four other starters remain on the sidelines. Two other top subs won’t be ready to see the field regularly until February. Coach Quirarte will face pressure to win early, with team owner Jorge Vergara

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looking anxiously over his shoulder. The ever-meddling Vergara fired José Luis Real late last season when the Chivas were in second place. The move seemed to backfire even though Guadalajara finished atop the standings. The team never played consistently well and were once-and-done in the postseason. DESPERATE CEMENTEROS

Around the League Rayados suffer Suazo drama, Guille Franco returns to Mexico

Monterrey endured quite a bit of training camp turmoil as star striker Humberto Suazo did not report to camp until the week of the team’s home opener. The Chilean international earned heavy fines for his holdout as he was trying to force a trade to Boca Juniors and he was left off the roster for the first two games. The Rayados strengthened their offense over the winter break by trading for Ángel Reyna after the former scoring champ fell out of favor with América. Last season, Reyna caused strife in the Águilas locker room by calling out the captain and cursing some other teammates. He was suspended by América and put on the trading block as a result of his insubordination. In Pachuca, the Tuzos are looking to revisit the top of the table and proof of that was the signing of striker Guille Franco. The former Monterrey star (2002-05) who retired from El Tri after the 2010 World Cup, returns to Mexico after playing the past six seasons in Spain, England and Argentina. The Tuzos snuck into the playoffs last season with the No. 6 seed, but were knocked out by the eventual champion Tigres by a 4-0 aggregate score. Their biggest task might be filling >>

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Cruz Azul has not lifted a trophy since December 1997 and Cementero fans are fed up. Coach Enrique Meza might not survive the season if the Blue Machine starts off slowly. Cementero ownership has spent liberally to claim another title, instead getting treated to underachieving teams flaming out of the playoffs alternating with heartbreaking losses in finals. Cruz Azul has lost four finals in the past four years. The big news was the catch of striker Omar Bravo, who the club tried to sign in 2009 after he returned from a season in Spain. Back then, the swift striker from Nayarit signed with the Tigres instead. Bravo has been repatriated again after a successful season with Sporting Kansas City of the MLS. Said Bravo: “I’m here to work my butt off and to win over the Cruz Azul fans.” The former Guadalajara star (Bravo scored 108 goals with the Chivas) was brought in specifically to ignite an offense

whose performance last season can best be described as moribund. The Cementeros attack registered only 21 goals in 17 games and No. 2 seed Cruz Azul found the net only twice in the quarterfinals, bounced by Morelia on a 4-2 aggregate score. In five preseason games, Cruz Azul scored 19 goals and Bravo formed a dangerous strike force with Emanuel Villa. Midfield general Christian Giménez was enjoying directing the traffic and feeding balls to the dynamic duo. Now coach Meza must hope that the offense produces consistently in the regular season. PETULANT PUMAS

UNAM’s fall from the throne came suddenly and unexpectedly as the Pumas missed the playoffs one season after winning the title. A 1-1 tie at home in the finale against lowly Tijuana cost the Pumas and exposed the young club’s weaknesses, especially its lack of discipline and a lack of poise. UNAM spent many a game scrambling to plug holes after seeing a red card and its once-stingy defense sprang leaks that were worsened by playing shorthanded too often. The Pumas won only once in their final six games, losing twice by 4-1 scores. The club did not spend on new faces during the winter break and coach Memo Vázquez is confident that his young charges

the gaping hole left by long-time goalie Miguel Calero who retired. Calero was instrumental in helping Pachuca win four league titles and six international trophies including the Concacaf Champions League four times. The Tigres have to replace the offensive production provided by Danilinho if they hope to defend their crown. The acquisition of winger Elías Hernández is a good first step. The talented, young Morelia native will be looking to revive his career under the watchful eyes of coach Ricardo Ferretti.

will grow up, especially as the team is considering fining players for repeated yellow and red cards. But the Pumas went winless in the preseason and it wasn’t clear that the focus on discipline resonated with the team. In one game, David Cabrera was shown red against Puebla and the Pumas lost 2-1. “The coaching staff has been emphasizing disciplined play but in some cases it’s just a matter of being too aggressive while trying to make a play for the team,” said defender Luis Fuentes. The defense will rely on veteran center backs Dario Verón and Marco Antonio Palacios, while up front the Kiddie Corps of Javier Cortés, David Cabrera, Eduardo Herrera and Carlos Orrantia will be called upon to grow up quickly. ATLAS SHRUGGED ASIDE?

The Zorros franchise has fallen on hard times and the only thing that might keep Atlas from sinking into the second division is Estudiantes Tecos, the strange team based in the Guadalajara suburb of Zapopan. Atlas has not won a title since 1951 but the club’s faithful fans have helped make the Clásico Tapatío an entertaining spectacle year after year. Of course, it helped matters when the Zorros were featuring

an attacking brand of football, sparked by fresh legs from their youth development program. Rafael Márquez, Oswaldo Sánchez, Jared Borgetti, Pavel Pardo, Daniel Osorno and Juan Pablo Rodríguez were all products of the Atlas school in the 1990s. Now the Zorros face a relegation battle with the Tecos that has been complicated by the club’s financial difficulties. Vergara, the Chivas’ owner, even offered to rescue Atlas from bankruptcy last year. The Zorros showed disdain for the offer by handily defeating Guadalajara in a preseason match, 3-0. Coach Juan Carlos Chávez – a product of the Atlas school and the coach of Mexico’s Under-20 World Cup team that brought home bronze in 2011 – will be tested early and often. On Dec. 29, Chávez named as team captain striker Giancarlo Maldonado, the Venezuelan international who won a scoring crown and a league title with Atlante in 2007. Across town, José Luis Salgado takes over the helm at Estudiantes in a last-ditch effort to save the Tecos from demotion. The Tecos franchise is the only club in history to climb from third division to the first division, even winning a championship in 1994. But if owner Carlos Leaño isn’t careful, he’ll soon be finding out if the team can repeat the feat of reaching the first division from the third division.

The champs have an early Copa Libertadores test against Chile’s Unión Española with the winner claiming a spot in Group 3 alongside Bolivia’s Bolívar, Colombia’s Junior and Chile’s Universidad Católica. Ferretti has gone on record saying his team’s priority is the league, prompting ESPN personality David Faitelson to write: “You’d think the Tigres would be willing to take a one-season sabbatical to focus on a prestigious international tournament. After all their fans waited 29 years between league titles.” Cruz Azul and Guadalajara are the other Mexican teams in the Copa Libertadores. The Cementeros are in Group 6 with Brazil’s Corinthians, Venezuela’s Deportivo Tachira and Paraguay’s Nacional. The Chivas are in Group 7 with Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield, Ecuador’s Deportivo Quito and Uruguay’s Defensor. Four Mexican clubs are in contention for the Concacaf Champions League trophy with the quarterfinals set to begin in March. Morelia and Monterrey square off in one series, while Santos faces Seattle and UNAM takes on El Salvador’s Isidro Metapán. Monterrey is the defending champion. —MEXICO REVIEW

January 27, 2012 : MEXICOREVIEW"31

MARCH

FEBRUARY

life& leisure

Coming up ... EVENTS

CARNAVAL DE VERACRUZ Feb. 14–22 in Veracruz, Veracruz

Veracruz offers the truest — some say only — carnival experience in Mexico, or anywhere else north of Rio de Janeiro. After the ceremonial burning in effigy of Bad Humor, the streets of this historic port city are taken over by floats and costume parades, as well as the music, dance and food that Veracruz is known for even in more mundane times of the year.

THE GUADALAJARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL March 2-10 in Guadalajara, Jalisco

Festival Internacional de Cine de Guadalajara (FICG) is considered the most important film event in Latin America. Last year more than 300 movies were shown, about one-third of them Mexican, and the rest from 44 other countries. Part of its strength comes from the wide range of supporting institutions, including the University of Guadalajara, the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine), the National Council for Culture and the Arts (Conaculta), the Jalisco state Government, and the cities of Guadalajara and Zapopan.

FESTIVAL DE MÉXICO EN EL CENTRO HISTORICO Mid-March in Mexico City

Mexico City’s 668-block downtown Historic Center is a year-round cauldron of cultural celebration, but never more so than the three weeks in March when the annual Festival of Mexico fills more than 60 indoor and outdoor venues with music, art, theater, dance, film, food, traditional entertainment, academic activities and (if past is precedent) a number of cultural pursuits that defy definition. The urban festival, entering its 28th year, emphasizes the homegrown but is also generous in its international offerings. The main attraction, however, might be the old city itself; it seems to shine a bit brighter when it’s on display.

OLYMPIC QUALIFYING SOCCER March 22-27 in Nashville and Los Angeles

The penultimate stage of the qualifying tournament that will determine which two teams from the Concacaf region (which includes North and Central America and the Caribbean) will compete at the London Olympics will take place in Nashville, Tennessee and Carson, California (part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area) from March 22 to March 27. The Mexican team, which by Olympic rules must be an under-23 squad for the qualifiers, will play in Carson, facing Trinidad & Tobago on March 23, Honduras on March 25 and Panama on March 27. The U.S. plays in Nashville, against Cuba on March 22, Canada on March 24 and El Salvador on March 26. The top two teams from each of those groups will play in a semifinal round on March 31 in Kansas City. Those two winners get a ticket to London, but a final game to determine the tournament champion (and the seeding at the Olympics) will be played on April 2, also in Kansas City.

THE PAPAL VISIT March 23-26

Pope Benedict XVI will be in Guanajuato, a state known for its religious conservatism, before traveling to Cuba. He is scheduled to arrive at the Bajío Airport in the city of León on the afternoon of the 23rd, a Friday, where he will be received as a head of state by President Calderón. He will stay at the Miraflores College, a site of the “Slaves of the Most Holy Eucharist and of the Mother of God.” On Saturday, he will meet with Calderón in the city of Guanajuato and then appear in public in Guanajuato’s Plaza de la Paz. Sunday’s events will include a Mass in the new Bicentennial Park in Silao, between León and Guanajuato, at the foot of Cubilete Hill and its huge monument to Christ the King. Back in León, the Pope will celebrate Vespers in the cathedral there and address bishops and other representatives of the Bishops Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean. On Monday morning, he will fly to the city of Santiago de Cuba.

FESTIVAL VIVE LATINO March 23-25

The premier rock festival in Latin America will take place over three days and nights at the Foro Sol, a Mexico City stadium. The musical performers include Bunbury, Madness, Café Tacvba, Jaime López, Molotov and 100 others. (See page 23)

32!MEXICOREVIEW : January 27, 2012