MEXICO CITY BRIEFING
May 2002
News this month
A widening gulf
It was not so long ago that Cuba and Mexico were the best of friends. After the 1959 revolution that swept Fidel Castro to power in Cuba, Mexico was the only country in the region to support the new regime. For 43 years, both countries shared a common interest in gringo-bashing and one-party politics. But things have changed.
The two governments are locked in a downward spiral of mutual recriminations that began at a United Nations development conference in Monterrey, Mexico in March. Mr Castro accuses President Vincente Fox of conspiring with America to deny him a platform at the meeting. And in April, Mr Fox announced that Mexico would back a resolution criticising Cuba at the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission.
See article: The Cuba test, April 18th 2002
Licensed madness
No one could have predicted that issuing license plates to cars in Mexico city would cause such a fuss. Last July the Federal District Government decided to regulate city cars by requiring owners to get new number plates. But what seemed like a good idea has been foiled by the usual suspects: insufficient resources and limited funding. The deadline of April 30th came and went.
One of the main problems is that only around 300,000 of the 1.5m applicants have received their new license plates (government officials are keeping actual figures under wraps). Postal workers are particularly unhappy about handling the plates, which weigh 7 kilos each. No wonder, then, that it can take several minutes on a busy street before spotting a car bearing the new plates.
Take it to the bank
Following on the heels of a bungled assault on a Federal District bank, which left two police officers dead, Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico city's police chief, has decided to close the nearly 20% of the city's estimated 1,300 banks that do not meet security standards. This move coincides with the 65th Annual Banking Convention.
Mr Ebrard accuses the Mexican Bankers’ Association (ABM) of security negligence, while the ABM says that the government hasn't fulfilled its responsibilities (the policing of banks currently falls under the government's jurisdiction). In a move backed by Mayor Lopez Obrador, Mr Ebrard is trying to push through legislation that would make banks, rather than the police force, responsible for bank security.
Goodbye to a diva
Known as la Doña (“the Lady”), Maria Felix, a legendary screen siren, died in April in her Mexico city home. It was her 88th birthday.
Notorious for her beauty and her stream of famous ex-husbands (such as Agustin Lara, a composer, and Alex Berger, a French magnate, to name a few), Felix was a shining star in Mexican cinema. Her appeal spread to Latin America and Europe, though she always kept her distance from Hollywood.
A procession brought her remains directly to the National Arts Palace, where friends, loved ones and leaders of state came to pay tribute (President Vicente Fox even praised her for aiding Mexico’s democratisation process). She was later buried in the Capitol’s French Pantheon cemetery, beside her only son, Enrique Alvarez Felix, who died without children in 1996. Most of Felix's fortune (including the rights to nearly fifty films) was bequeathed to the Mexican public.
Cultural Calendar
May 2002
Kirov Ballet
May 8th-12th 2002
For the second year running, St Petersburg’s renowned Kirov Ballet troupe will grace Mexico city with full length performances of both “Swan Lake” and “Don Quixote”. The Kirov company dancers are known for their elegant interpretations of classic works.
In 2001, more than 45,000 ballet fans descended on the Kirov’s seven functions here. In a country with nearly 500 ballet academies, 150 of which are in the capital, this company's popularity is hardly surprising. Expect tickets to sell out quickly.
Auditorio Nacional, Paseo de la Reforma 50. Tel: +52 (55) 5280-9250.
More from the Mexico city cultural calendar |
