Merida myths

The PAN mayor of Mérida, Cecilia Patrón Laviada, has been in office for a year and is trying to become a counterweight to the Morena party, led in Yucatán by Governor Joaquín Huacho Díaz Mena.

The Yucatecan capital, an anchor of the Mayan Train, is the gateway for domestic and international tourism. To open new horizons, the councilwoman toured Spain, where she was dogged by allegations of alleged extortion and criminal collusion, incriminating municipal officials.

Sources? Owners of around thirty restaurants who, after rejecting advances and coercion, have suffered fines and closures. Gyms, shops, and other commercial establishments have also been sanctioned.

More serious complaints undermine the work of the mayor of Mérida. Civil organizations such as the Regional Coalition against Human Trafficking and the Smuggling of Migrants denounce the lack of follow-up on cases, exacerbated by alleged corruption within the PAN-led city council, particularly among the forces responsible for administrative verifications and law enforcement.

Is trafficking occurring in what is presumed to be the safest municipality in the country? The executive secretariat of the National Public Security System reported 56 cases of exploitation, mostly minors, in the Yucatecan capital in 2024. In the first four months of this year, 14.3% of the national cases were reported in Mérida. This represents a 17.5% increase in open files compared to the previous year.

Other NGOs, such as the Mérida Nucleus of the Rahamim Network, have also spoken out, but have received no response from local authorities charged with combating drug distribution and prostitution, illegal drug suppliers, extortion charges in mini-casinos, trafficking and the sale of stolen cell phones in markets, and pressure on street vendors and restaurateurs. Those who have been closed must hand over 400,000 pesos to reopen without formalities.

Side effects

ANGER. While the federal government is focused on assisting those affected by last weekend's rains, agricultural producers blocked highways and roads in six states, including Guanajuato and Jalisco. Collaterally, the Miguel Hidalgo International Airport in Guadalajara was affected by the isolation caused by the closure of the highway and other access routes to the metropolitan area of ​​Guadalajara. The Guadalajara-Colima highway remained closed for almost 24 hours, with no response from federal authorities—SAGARPA—to the complainants.

EXEMPLARY? Judged primarily by the opulence of their travels and their attire, the top brass of the 4T are under severe scrutiny. A fertile ground will be the review of their academic degrees. And the available evidence serves to question those who should be exemplary: those in charge of the SEP's General Directorate of Professions. The inconsistencies in various databases regarding Israel Jerónimo López, current director of Professional Authorization and Registration, set a precedent, but alarms have been raised by reports of alleged falsification of records by a Secretary of State, in charge of promoting the country abroad, who claims to have completed a master's degree in senior management... which is not registered with the competent authorities.