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Descendants of Moctezuma: who are they and where do they live today?

Current Countess of Miravalle

 

Have you ever wondered what happened to the descendants of Moctezuma? We tell you about the life of some of them in Mexico and Spain.

 

It has been speculated about the tlatoani Moctezuma that he had a large number of wives and concubines, as well as sons and daughters, who, according to some figures, could have reached more than 150 when Hernán Cortés arrived in Mexico-Tenochtitlán. However, the figure varies according to the source and it is not possible to know how many descendants he currently has.

 

Despite this, the truth is that Moctezuma had some notable descendants, whose descending genealogical line can be traced to this day. The most important of his daughters was Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin, who was christened Isabel Moctezuma in honor of the Spanish queen. She was the most beloved daughter of the tlatoani, who was born between 1503 and 1510.

 

Isabel: the best known descendants of Moctezuma

 

When Moctezuma was kidnapped by the colonizers, he asked Cortés to take care of his daughters: Isabel, María, and Marina. Some versions indicate that Cortés was the one who killed the tlatoani, while others mention that it was his own people who killed him when they saw his docility in front of the Spanish.

After the fall of Moctezuma, the Mexica people had a new tlatoani, Cuitláhuac, with whom Isabel married to give legitimacy to the government. The princess’s first marriage was short-lived, as the new tlatoani fell ill with smallpox and died.

Later, Isabel married the last Mexican tlatoani, Cuauhtémoc, who died at the hands of the Spanish. For the third time, Cortés arranged a marriage between Isabel and Alonso de Grado, who died a year later.

 

Isabel and Cortés

 

As a consequence, Hernán Cortés took Isabel as her concubine and forced her to have sex without consent. Leonor Cortés y Moctezuma was born from said violation. He initially forced Isabel to marry Pedro Gallego, who would take care of Isabel and Leonor. However, when noticing that Isabel did not want to take Leonor’s charge of her, he decided to recognize her and seek a tutor for her. Finally, Isabel married Juan Cano de Saavedra of her own free will, with whom she had six more children.

On her side, Leonor Cortés Moctezuma, whom her mother never wanted to see and even disinherited, married Juan de Tolosa, a Basque discoverer of the Zacatecas silver mines and had a life full of wealth.

On December 18, 1690, Carlos II granted the noble title of Count of Miravalle to Alonso Dávalos y Bracamontes, a descendant of Isabel Moctezuma and nephew of the Spanish king. The county had as territory the lands of the present Compostela, Nayarit. In addition, he owned – like all counts – a palace in Mexico City, on Calle de Isabel la Católica, in front of the Spanish casino. Today the House of the Counts of Miravalle houses the Downtown Hotel.

The children of Pedro Moctezuma

 

Another of the most important branches of descendants of Moctezuma was that of Tlacahuepantzin Yohualicahuacatzin, baptized as Pedro de Moctezuma and who died in 1570 and is buried in the Church of Santo Domingo. Diego Luis de Moctezuma, a descendant of Pedro, was taken to Spain and married the noble Francisca de la Cueva y Valenzuela. This offspring received the title of Duchy of Moctezuma de Tultengo. All the descendants of this line continued to be born in Spain.

Pablo Moctezuma Barragán, academic and politician, is among the descendants of the tlatoani in Mexico.

 

News of the descendants of Moctezuma

 

According to the historian, Blanca Barragán Moctezuma, a descendant of the emperor, by 2020 there are between 600 and 700 descendants of Moctezuma II in Mexico who are of legal age and in Spain around 350. Not all have noble titles. Another of the outstanding contemporary descendants in Mexico is Esteban Moctezuma, current Secretary of Public Education of the Government of Mexico.

In 2019, Federico Acosta and Ascanio Pignatelli, descendants of the Mexican emperor Moctezuma II and the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés, respectively, met in the Historic Center of Mexico City to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the meeting of their ancestors.

Today, the holder of the title of Duchy of Moctezuma de Tultengo is José Juan Marcilla de Teruel-Moctezuma y Valcárcel. In 2019, José Juan Marcilla spoke out against apologizing to the current King of Spain for crimes against native peoples during the conquest.

Jose Juan Marcilla

 

Along the line of Isabel Moctezuma, the current holder of the noble title is Carmen Ruiz Enríquez de Luna, XIII Countess of Miravalle, who lives in Andalusia, Spain. Until a few years ago, both the Spanish and Mexican governments granted a gold pension to the descendants of this line. In the event that the controversial pension was instituted again, Carmen Ruiz assures that she would use it to “help the indigenous Mexican peoples, which will surely come in handy for them; through a foundation or any other system. Because those theoretical sixty thousand dollars a year would have to be distributed among many descendants and it would not get us out of being poor. ”

XI Count of Miravalle, in his military post in North Africa, first decade of the 20th century.

 

PUBLIC NOTICE – CITY OF MENLO PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT LAW INITIATIVE

BY MEANS OF THIS NOTICE THAT the following initiative
of law will be put to the vote of the qualified electors of the
Menlo Park City School District on Tuesday, November 2,
2021 in the Special Election.
SCHOOL DISTRICT LAW INITIATIVE
MENLO PARK CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
PLOT TAX LAW INITIATIVE
LAW INITIATIVE ___ (APPROVAL REQUIRED BY 2/3
OF THE VOTERS)
Should the bill be taken to: protect schools
outstanding audiences, attract and retain high-quality teachers;
support essential academic and enrichment programs; Y
ensure a reasonable class size at Encinal, Laurel,
Oak Knoll, and Hillview by renewing the parcel tax that is
for defeating the Menlo Park City School District to a new
rate of $ 598 per parcel, which will expire after 12 years, providing
$ 4,600,000 each year, with exemptions for seniors,
annual adjustments, independent oversight, and that all funds
stay locally?
Otherwise _________
IT IS ALSO NOTIFIED that the main arguments in favor or in
against the aforementioned bill may be presented
in writing to the Registration & Elections Division.
Division), 40 Tower Road, San Mateo, CA 94402, for printing
and distribution to voters, in accordance with the provisions of the Code
California Election, until 5:00 P.M. August 13, 2021.
The refutation arguments of the authors of said arguments
Main can be presented in the same way until 5:00
P.M. August 23, 2021.
Printed arguments submitted to voters will be titled Now
be “Argument in Favor of Measure ___” or “Argument in
Against the Initiative of Law ___ ”, and“ Rebuttal to the Argument in Favor
of the Initiative of Law ___ ”or“ Rebuttal to the Argument Against the
Initiative of Law ___ ”respectively.
All the arguments referring to the aforementioned initiative of
law must have the following model declaration attached, which must be
be signed by each author and proponent, if they were different, of the
argument:
The undersigned (s) proponent (s) or author (s) of the argument ___________
(main or rebuttal) ______ (for or against) the Initiative
of Law ___ on the Electoral Ballot of ___________________ (name
of the election) of the _____________________ (name of jurisdiction)
to be held on _______________ (election date),
hereby declare (s) that said argument is true and correct
to the best of your knowledge and understanding.

Signed Date
_________________________ ___________________________
_________________________ ___________________________
The main arguments will not exceed 300 words. Will be selected
only one argument in favor and one argument against each
measure to be printed and distributed to voters. The
arguments may not have more than five signatures.
The authors of the main arguments for or against each
bill may draft and present rebuttal arguments
that do not exceed 250 words. Authors can authorize in writing
to any other person or persons to draft, present, or sign the
rebuttal argument. Rebuttal arguments may not carry
more than five signatures.
IT IS ALSO NOTIFIED that an inspection period will be established
10 calendar days for the public review of said arguments.
During this period, any registered voter eligible to vote in
the measure, or the election official, can request a mandate
court or an order requiring that some or all of the material
be amended or deleted. The argument review period
Major for or against ballot bills
will start at 5:00 P.M. of August 13, 2021 and will end on
5:00 P.M. of August 23, 2021. The review period of the
rebuttals to the main arguments for or against the
Ballot measures will begin at 5:00 P.M. of the
August 23, 2021 and will end at 5:00 P.M. from September 2
of 2021.
IT IS ALSO NOTIFIED that the Electoral Ballots for Voting by
Mail, Voting Center Ballots, and Ballots
Provisional Elections marked for the Election to be held
held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 will be computed on the spot
listed below:
San Mateo County
Registration and Elections Division
40 Tower Road
San Mateo, CA 94402
IT IS ALSO NOTIFIED that in said election the voting places
They will be open from 7:00 A.M. hours, until 8:00 P.M. hours,
on the mentioned day.
Dated: Aug 13, 2021
/F/
___________________________________

California Gubernatorial Recall Election Opens on Monday, August 16

Beginning August 16, the Voting Center in City Hall will be open as follows to all local voters who wish to register to vote or vote in person, use accessible voting equipment, receive personal assistance, or return their mailed ballots:

·         Every weekday (except Labor Day, September 6), from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

·         The last two weekends (September 4-5 and September 11-12), from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

·         On Election Day (Tuesday, September 14), from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Voting Center stocks official bilingual ballots and voting materials in English and Chinese, Filipino and Spanish, as well as facsimile ballots in Burmese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese, and offers accessible voting tools such as page magnifiers and pen grips, as well as accessible ballot-marking devices with touchscreen/audio format and personal assistive device compatibility. Any voter may request to vote “curbside” at the Voting Center by calling (415) 554-4375 or by asking a companion to enter the Voting Center to request delivery of voting materials to the voter.

Up through August 30, any eligible San Franciscan can register to vote and/or receive a vote-by-mail ballot packet to vote onsite at the Voting Center or take home and return by mail or in person at a later time. After August 30, any eligible resident can still register and vote a provisional ballot onsite.

There will be several ballot drop-off stations set up outside the Voting Center allowing for easy and convenient access for pedestrians, drivers, and bicyclists. Ballot drop-off stations will be located under blue tents, have red ballot boxes bearing the official seal of the City and County of San Francisco, and staffed by Department of Elections personnel available to accept voted vote-by-mail ballots during Voting Center hours.

As required by the San Francisco Health Officer’s Safer Return to Work Health Order No. C19-07y, all individuals must wear a face mask in indoor public settings at all times. To mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 and to protect the health and safety of all voters, observers, elections workers, and the general public, it is vital that all Voting Center visitors wear a facial covering at all times while inside City Hall. Face masks will be available at City Hall entrances to voters without a facial covering. As additional preventative measures, the Department has installed plexiglass partitions at each ballot-issuing station and will make masks, hand sanitizer and gloves available to all Voting Center visitors.

Anyone with questions about registration or voting is encouraged to call the Department of Elections at (415) 554-4375 or write to sfvote@sfgov.org.

Chase Survey Finds Demand for Digital Banking Tools Continues to Grow

Chase’s most recent survey examines consumers’ relationship with cash, savings and digital banking tools one year after the start of the pandemic.

Consumers Want More Personalization

Consumers want their bank to offer personalized tools and information to make them more informed about their savings and spending habits:

  • Gen Z are Early Adopters: 79% percent of Gen Z respondents said they would want more personalized offers or information from their banks to help them achieve their financial goals and save at their favorite retailers.
  • Personalization Boosts Savings: 41% of respondents wish their bank provided more personalized offers or information to help them achieve their financial goals, and save at their favorite retailers.
    • 48% of respondents believe personalized banking data, such as their spending habits, would help them to make changes in how they spend their money

Digital Features Offer Convenience

A strong majority of consumers cited they prefer to deposit money into their account using a mobile app. Mobile deposit options, like Chase QuickDeposit℠, provide flexibility to consumers, allowing them to deposit checks from virtually anywhere.

  • Deposit Dependency: 89% of respondents use a mobile app to deposit money at their bank.
  • Mobile Deposits Increase from Baby Boomers: More than half (52%) of Baby Boomers are now using mobile apps to deposit money in the bank.
  • Shared Preferences: Almost equal percentages of men (91%) and women (87%) use a mobile app to deposit money at their bank.

Contactless Payments and Cash Usage

As the pandemic moved into 2021, consumers continued to favor contactless payments. Peer-to-peer (P2P) payments, like  Zelle®1, provide convenience and security to consumers when making payments, with some consumers still not comfortable using cash post-vaccine. The survey found that:

  • Cash hasn’t been recrowned the king, yet: 13% of Baby Boomers and Gen Z agreed they would not feel comfortable using cash again, even post-pandemic.
  • Contactless Payments are a Must: 47% of respondents have started or continued to use contactless payment options in 2021 to avoid physical interactions amid the ongoing pandemic.
  • Convenience is Key: 73% of overall respondents also believe contactless payments are a more convenient form of payment.

Saving Is A Priority

As found in Chase’s 2020 Digital Banking Attitudes Study, 40 % of respondents said they looked forward to contributing more to their savings accounts in 2021 and believed automated tools would play an important role.  The new survey found:

  • The majority of respondents are using automatic saving features: 84% of respondents cited they currently use digital tools for saving, like Chase Autosave, which allows consumers to set up automatic and customized savings preferences.
  • Mobile apps help improve saving habits: On average, 41% of respondents believe seeing their credit and debit card usage, understanding their cash flow and reviewing their top spending categories would help them adjust their money management habits.

This information is based on a survey fielded between April 23-26, 2021 among 2,005 men and women, between the ages of 18 to 57+.

As of Q2 2021, Chase has nearly 57 million digitally active customers (+10% YoY) and roughly 43 million mobile active customers (+ 10% YoY).

For more information about Chase’s digital banking features, visit www.chase.com/digital/banking.

Privacy Company’ Apple plans to monitor all US iPhones for evidence of child porn

EDITOR’S NOTE

 

Dear readers:

 

Will this idea work against our privacy well protected by the US Constitution? – Marvin Ramirez

 

by Tyler Durden

 

As the old saying goes: If you aren’t doing anything illegal, then you have nothing to fear from surveillance.

Smartphones already act like tracking devices broadcasting the whereabouts of their owners, but Apple is about to open the door to far more advanced forms of smartphone-based voluntary surveillance by launching a new program designed to detect and report iPhone users who are found to have child pornography – known by the academic-speak acronym CSAM – which stands for Child Sexual Abuse Materials. According to a handful of academics who were offered a sneak preview of the company’s plans – then promptly spilled the beans on Twitter, and in interviews with the press.

The new system, called “neuralMatch”, is expected to be unveiled by Apple later this week. The software is expected to be installed on American iPhones via a software update. According to the FT, the automated system can proactively alert a team of human reviewers if it believes CSAM is present on a user’s iPhone. If the reviewers can verify the material, law enforcement will be contacted.

This is how “neuralMatch” will work, per the FT:

Apple’s neuralMatch algorithm will continuously scan photos that are stored on a US user’s iPhone and have also been uploaded to its iCloud back-up system. Users’ photos, converted into a string of numbers through a process known as “hashing”, will be compared with those on a database of known images of child sexual abuse.

The system has been trained on 200,000 sex abuse images collected by the US non-profit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

One academic who was offered a preview of the software explained why this could create serious privacy risks. Apple has gotten a lot of positive press for its commitment to user privacy – remember when it refused to crack an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters? Well, this encryption technology has become a perennial headache for law enforcement. Last January, Apple quietly abandoned plans to allow users to fully encrypt their iCloud backups due to complains from law enforcement.

Now, Apple has found a middle ground: it will assume responsibility for policing iPhones – well, at least to a degree. To accomplish this, the company is rolling out a new machine-learning tool that will scan iPhones for images that match certain “perceptual hashes” known to represent child pornography. But as academics have complained, could potentially be misled.

What’s more, the tool that’s today being used to unearth child pornography could one day be abused by authoritarian governments (like the CCP). And once Apple has committed to using this type of surveillance, governments will demand it from everyone.

8 Health benefits of bananas

A bunch of organic and yellow bananas

by Tonie Benally

 

07/07/2021 / The humble banana is perhaps one of the least-heralded supermarket staples. This superfood is more associated with kids, monkeys and slapstick comedy than with good health.

But the banana is actually a nutritional powerhouse. This fruit – actually a berry – is rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6, dietary fiber, magnesium, manganese and potassium. Bananas are also cholesterol-free, fat-free and virtually sodium-free.

If you still need more convincing that you need to take them seriously, here are some science-backed health benefits of bananas.

  1. Bananas contain powerful antioxidants

Fruits are great sources of antioxidants and bananas are no exception. In particular, bananas contain several types of antioxidants, including dopamine and catechins.

These antioxidants help fight oxidative stress, reducing your risk of heart disease and degenerative illness.

  1. Bananas may help moderate blood sugar levels

Bananas are rich in the dietary fibers pectin, which gives the fruit its spongy form; and resistant starch, which is a soluble fiber that escapes digestion. Both are believed to help moderate your blood sugar levels after meals and reduce your appetite by helping keep you feeling full for longer.

In addition, bananas also rank low to medium on the glycemic index (GI). This a measure – from 0 to 100 –of how quickly a food raises your blood sugar levels. Unripe bananas have a GI value of 30 while ripe bananas rank at 60. This means that bananas shouldn’t cause any major spikes in your blood sugar level.

4. Bananas may improve digestive health

In addition to keeping you feeling full for longer, dietary fibers have also been linked to improving digestion. In particular, the resistant starch in unripe bananas escapes digestion and ends up in your large intestine. Here, it becomes food for the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Meanwhile, studies have shown that the dietary fiber pectin may help protect you from colon cancer.

5. Bananas may aid in weight loss

Bananas have several attributes that help make them a weight-loss-friendly food. For one, they have relatively few calories, with an average banana having just over 100 calories. This is despite being very nutritious and filling.

In addition, the same filling effect from the dietary fibers pectin and resistant starch that helps keep your blood sugar down also help you feel full for much longer.

6. Bananas may have benefits for exercise

Bananas are sometimes referred to as a perfect food for athletes due to their easily digestible carbs and high mineral content. These fruits provide excellent nutrition before, during and after exercise.

In addition, studies show that eating bananas may help reduce exercise-related soreness and even muscle cramps. These are known to affect 95 percent of the population.

7. Bananas may support heart health

Bananas are rich in potassium, which is a mineral that’s essential for heart health and blood pressure control. Studies show that eating a potassium-rich diet lowers your risk of heart disease by around 27 percent. Meanwhile, one medium-sized banana (118 grams) contains about 9 percent of the recommended daily intake of potassium.

In addition, bananas are also rich in magnesium, which is also important for your heart’s health.

8. Bananas may support kidney health

On top of being good for the heart, potassium is also essential for the healthy function of your kidneys. Being a good dietary source of potassium, bananas then are quite beneficial for maintaining healthy kidneys.

One study noted that women who ate bananas two to three times per week were 33 percent less likely to develop kidney disease. Meanwhile, other studies noted that those who ate the fruit four to six times a week were almost 50 percent less likely to develop kidney disease than those who didn’t.

Bananas are a wonderful superfood that provides numerous health benefits. Beyond helping you satisfy your sweet tooth, both yellow and green bananas provide benefits for your heart, kidneys, gut and more. With this in mind, try your best to add bananas to your diet to experience these benefits.

Secretary of State Weber breaks down key facts about recall of Gabin Newsom

Secretary of State Shirley Nash Weber explained the nuts and bolts of the Sept. 14 election that will decide whether or not the Democratic governor ends his term

 

by Jenny Manrique, Ethnic Media Services

 

California will hold a recall election against Governor Gavin Newsom on September 14, and if a majority votes to remove him from power, a new governor will be elected that same day from a certified list of 46 candidates.

24 Republicans, nine Democrats, two members of the Green Party, one libertarian and 10 without party preference, compete to replace Newsom who will face a referendum on his administration at the polls amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the wildfires and a record-breaking drought.

“It is probably the most important election that we will see in a long time, not only because of the implications of who becomes governor, but also because of the message it sends across the nation about California politics,” said Secretary of State Shirley Nash Weber in a conversation with journalists hosted by Ethnic Media Services.

The best-known names on the list of certified candidates that include housewives, college students and former public officials are Republicans Caitlyn Jenner, an Olympic gold medalist, and Larry Elder, a conservative radio host. Democratic candidate Kevin Paffrath, a personal finance influencer with more than 1.6 million YouTube followers, is another popular name.

Weber, who is California’s first African-American secretary and took office on January 29, 2021 after replacing now-Senator Alex Padilla, said the elections can cost about $400 million, an “extremely expensive” price for an election that only needed to collect signatures from 12 percent of the electorate to be convened.

Other states authorize recalls based on at least 30 percent of voters and there are several in which this option does not exist. Since 1913 there have been 55 attempts in California to remove the governor, the only successful one being in 2003, when 55,4 percent of voters backed the removal of Gray Davis who was then replaced by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“After the elections I do plan to pull together a group of bipartisan individuals to look at our recall process, and see whether or not we need to continue down this path,” Weber added. “The bar (for the electorate to request a recall) is too low.”

On the idea that the Republican Party promotes recalls in a blue state where it cannot win elections, the secretary said that “may be true and that may be why we are seeing recalls in California while in other states you’re seeing voter suppression legislation.”

Weber said she has asked her staff for a list of recalls that have been occurring at more local levels such as county supervisor, city councils and school boards.

A daughter of sharecroppers in Hope, Arkansas, during the Jim Crow segregation era, whose family moved to California when she was three years old, Weber shared that her parents never had the opportunity to register to vote and that her grandparents passed away before the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

“Voting is extremely important to me and extremely important to the communities I serve,” Weber said. “We are in a critical period where people are voting in great numbers and as a result of that, there is also an effort to suppress those numbers.”

“A recall election is very important because you can potentially eliminate a person from office, not just pick a person to come into office,” added Weber. She urged Californians to verify if they are registered to vote on voterstatus.SOS.ca.gov, and if they are not, to do so virtually before August 30 to receive their ballot in the mail.

She also said that her office has a $17 million budget publicity campaign to get electoral information out.

There will be two questions on the ballot: Do you want to recall Governor Gavin Newsom? And who do you want to replace the governor?

Weber explained that if 50 percent plus one say yes to recall the Governor, then the answer to the second question “becomes relevant.” Of the 46 candidates to replace Newsom, whoever obtains a simple majority will win, even if the highest number of votes represents only 20 percent of the voters. If people say they don’t want to get rid of the government, it doesn’t matter who gets the most votes to replace Newsom.

“You should pick a person in the second question, because even if you don’t want to recall (Newsom) you would still want to have input in who becomes the governor,” Weber said.

Key dates

August 16: Counties will begin to send ballots to the homes of registered voters.
August 24: the secretary of state will publish the information guide with all the details of the election and competing candidates.
August 30: Last day for voters to register online and receive a ballot in the mail.
August 31 – September 14: In-person registration at polling stations and center boxes provided by local voter registries.
September 7: Last day for counties to send vote-by-mail ballots
September 14: Election Day. Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
September 16 to October 14: ballot counting.
October 22: official date on which the election results are known.

Voters can track their vote by mail through the portal: Where is my ballot

New Circus Bella Show for Summer 2021/CHCC news

Compiled by the star of El Reportero

 

Circus Bella is pleased to announce its triumphant return to the San Francisco Bay Area Parks

 

The circus has arrived with its twelfth annual, all-new outdoor show: Humorous. A post-pandemic season of mischief! Featuring some of the dazzling talents of the Bay Area circus and beyond, this FREE performance series will delight and wow audiences of all ages at a treasured family event for children of all ages.

Humorous is a celebration of the fantastic world that we discover together through the simple gifts of wonder and laughter. Directed by Abigail Munn, the 60-minute performance features the lively Circus Bella Company, a diverse and talented company of acrobats, aerialists, jugglers and clowns, performing to live music from Rob Reich and the Circus Bella All-Star Band.

HUMOROUS is led by Abigail Munn (Co-Founder and Director of Circus Bella).

Aug. 26 through Oct. 9, 2021. Multiple locations in Bay Area parks *

Limited participation – Only 12 presentations!

– Thursday preview. Aug. 26 – 5:15 p.m. – DeFremery Park, West Oakland

– Press Opening – Saturday, Aug. 28 at 11:45 a.m. – Yerba Buena Gardens, SF

 

CHCC announces its 42nd Annual Statewide Convention

California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce to announce lineup for their 42nd annual state convention September 9-11 in Indian Wells, California

More than 500 attendees are expected to attend as the Chamber honors the Hispanic community and entrepreneurs, as well as business leaders in the Coachella Valley after the pandemic.

The California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (CHCC) will announce their line of conventions, including on-site assistance for business owners applying for California Relief Grants, the latest rounds of government assistance for small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic during the next Annual State Convention.

This year’s Annual State Convention, “Beyond the Boundaries”, will take place September 9-11, 2021 in Indian Wells, California. The annual convention fosters Hispanic and diverse economic development for the great economies of California and the United States.

The CHCC attracts participation from Hispanic business and community leaders, corporate representatives, government officials, and Hispanic business members of our more than 105 local and regional Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and diverse members of business associations throughout the state, as well as chambers of the whole country.

On Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021 at 10 a.m., Webcast. CHCC 42nd Annual State Convention Virtual Press Conference

Time: Aug. 5, 2021 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join the Zoom meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254774376?pwd=TXNQYk1qTzBkMExENDdaejhoMkdQdz09

Zoom Dial 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID 824671 #

Mexico sues 11 US gun makers over illegal flow of weapons across border

2.5 million illicit weapons have crossed into Mexico in past decade, according to one government study

 

by Mexico News Daily

 

The federal government sued 11 United States-based gun manufacturers on Wednesday, accusing them of negligent business practices that have led to illegal arms trafficking and deaths in Mexico, where U.S.-sourced firearms are used in a majority of high-impact crimes.

The government filed the lawsuit in a United States federal court in Boston because some of the manufacturers are headquartered in Massachusetts. Among the accused are units of Smith & Wesson, Barrett Firearms, Colt’s Manufacturing Company and Glock Inc.

Mexico alleges that they and other gun companies knew that their business practices caused illegal arms trafficking in Mexico.

Colt’s, for example, manufactured a pistol embellished with an image of Emiliano Zapata, a hero of the Mexican revolution. That weapon was used in the 2017 murder of Chihuahua-based journalist Miroslava Breach.

The government alleges that other arms manufacturers also design weapons to appeal to criminal organizations in Mexico, among which are drug cartels such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

“Mexico is denouncing these promotional practices, along with other examples of negligence, like multiple weapons sales to a solo buyer, and the absence of background checks,” said a court document filed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE)

Firearms made in the United States and smuggled into Mexico – where there are tight restrictions on gun ownership and just one store, operated by the army, that sells guns – have fueled the high levels of violence here during the past 10 years, the government argues. There were more than 100,000 homicides in the last three years alone as cartels and other crime gangs fight each other for control of illicit rackets such as drug trafficking, kidnapping and extortion.

A government study published last year said that some 2.5 million illicit weapons have crossed the border into Mexico over the past decade. Such weapons have likely been used in tens of thousands of homicides in Mexico and account for the vast majority of gun seizures.

Mexico’s lawsuit, which The Washington Post described as “unusual” and the SRE called “unprecedented,” maintains that United States gun makers “are conscious of the fact that their products are trafficked and used in illicit activities against the civilian population and authorities of Mexico.”

“Nonetheless, they continue to prioritize their economic benefit, and use marketing strategies to promote weapons that are ever more lethal, without mechanisms of security or traceability,” an SRE document said.

Mexico is seeking financial compensation from the gun companies but has not yet specified an amount. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday that an amount will be determined as the court proceedings take place. The government wants the compensation amount to take into account losses sustained by industries such as tourism due to high levels of gun violence as well as its outlay on security to (try to) keep criminal organizations in check.

Mexican officials have estimated that damages could be as high as US $10 billion if the lawsuit is successful, but that appears unlikely. A U.S. federal law enacted in 2005 “shields gun manufacturers from most civil liability claims, making it difficult for lawsuits like Mexico’s to succeed,” the Post reported.

However, the Mexican government has drawn hope from several recent cases in the United States including one in which a San Diego judge said that survivors of a 2019 shooting at the Poway synagogue in California could proceed with a lawsuit against the company that manufactured the weapon used in the attack.

Gun manufacturers have previously denied responsibility for crimes in which their products were used, while the firearms industry has asserted that it does all it can to prevent the purchase of weapons by people who are not legally allowed to own them.

Nevertheless, “Mexican criminal organizations are able to obtain military-grade weapons through straw buyers in the United States with relative ease,” the Post said.

“In recent years, for example, the use of .50-caliber sniper rifles has increased in Mexico. The guns have been used by criminal organizations to target top Mexican officials.”

Mexico City Police Chief Omar García Harfuch was targeted in an armed attack in Mexico City last year that was allegedly perpetrated by CJNG gunmen.

The federal government has sought to ramp up pressure on the United States to do more to stop the illegal flow of weapons south of the border. Just days after a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, on August 3, 2019, in which eight Mexican citizens were killed, President López Obrador called on the U.S. to pass stricter legislation on gun sales.

Foreign Minister Ebrard, who attended a ceremony in El Paso on Tuesday to commemorate the second anniversary of the attack, has tried to manage the issue as a quid pro quo negotiation: Mexico will prioritize combatting the trafficking of drugs to the United States in exchange for authorities in the U.S. doing more to stop the shipment of weapons to the south.

He said Wednesday that the U.S. authorities have been willing to work with Mexico to stem the flow of weapons. Former United States ambassador to Mexico, Christopher Landau, said earlier this year that the U.S. had offered equipment to Mexico to help control illegal arms trafficking but the Mexican government rejected it. An SRE official subsequently accused Landau of lying.

The lawsuit filed in Boston is not directed at the U.S. government. A Mexican official quoted by the newspaper El País said the purpose of the legal action is not to pressure the United States but to reduce firearm deaths in Mexico.

In addition to compensation, the suit pushes for tighter restrictions on weapon sales and enhanced security features on weapons. It also calls on the gun manufacturers to launch media campaigns against arms trafficking and undertake studies to determine how the problem can be better addressed.

Ricardo Monreal, the ruling Morena party’s leader in the Senate, described the lawsuit as “correct, timely, brave and fair.”

“Mexico cannot remain silent” in the face of the deadly flow of illicit weapons into Mexico, he said.

“What is this lawsuit seeking? Not just compensation but to avoid the continuation of this tragedy of violence that Mexico is living. I’m sure that many of our violence problems are caused by the … smuggling of weapons into our country,” Monreal said.

Ebrard said the filing of the lawsuit is “an important step” in the fight against arms trafficking.

“We’re going to litigate it with complete seriousness and win the trial [in order to] reduce illegal arms trafficking. This … complements other actions we are taking,” he said.

The legal process is expected to be lengthy, and lawyers for the government have indicated they are prepared to take Mexico’s case to the Supreme Court of the United States if they can’t get the result they want in Boston.

With reports from El País, The Washington Post and Milenio 

 

 

AMLO suggests Cuba, ‘example of resistance,’ be declared World Heritage site

President says Cubans deserve it for their struggle in defense of sovereignty

 

by Mexico News Daily

 

Cuba is an “example of resistance” and the entire island nation should be declared a World Heritage site, President López Obrador said Saturday.

He made the remarks at an event in Mexico City to commemorate the 238th anniversary of the birth of Simón Bolivár, a military and political leader known as the “liberator of America” and a proponent of a unified Latin America.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez was among the guests at the event, held at the Chapultepec Castle.

“We can agree or not with the Cuban Revolution and its government but having resisted 62 years without subjugation is quite a feat. … For their struggle in defense of the sovereignty of the country, I believe that the Cuban people deserve the prize of dignity and the island should be considered the new Numantia [an ancient Iberian Peninsula city that clashed with Ancient Rome] for its example of resistance,” López Obrador said.

“And I think that it should be declared a World Heritage site for the same reason,” he said.

“… I also maintain that it’s now time for a new coexistence among all the countries of America because the model imposed more than two centuries ago is exhausted, it has no future, … it no longer benefits anyone,” López Obrador said two weeks after calling for an end to the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, which has recently seen large protests against the Communist Party government led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Mexico must ensure that it is not seen as a “protectorate, colony or backyard” of its northern neighbor, López Obrador said.

“… Obviously it’s no small thing to have a nation like the United States as a neighbor. Our proximity obliges us to seek agreements … but at the same time we have powerful reasons to assert our sovereignty,” he said.

The president also suggested that a common market similar to the European Union model could be created in Latin America.

“The proposal is neither more nor less than to build something similar to the European Union, but adhering to our history, our reality and our identities,” AMLO said.

In that context, the Organization of American States (OAS) should be replaced “by a body that is truly autonomous” and “not anybody’s lackey,” he said, insinuating that it takes orders from the United States.

“It’s a complex issue that requires a new political and economic vision. … [It’s] a large task for good diplomats and politicians, like those who fortunately exist in all the countries of the continent,” he said.

“What I’ve suggested here might seem to be a utopia but it must be considered that without ideals on the horizon you don’t get anywhere. Let’s keep the dream of Bolívar alive.”

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