MERIDA CHRONICLESCOVER

STORY RENOWNED ARTIST ALONSO GUTIÉRREZ

WORRIES ABOUT MERIDA’S FUTURE

CHICXULUB CRATER MUSEUM Scheduled to open in September

DREAM OR REALITY? Gran Parque La Plancha work is finally underway.......Or is it??

EDITION 3 YEAR 1MARCH 2018

www.mayakin.com.mx

CALLE 10 POR 5 #78B SAN AN-TONIO CINTA, MÉRIDA, YUCATÁN, MÉXICO.

287 49 79

WELCOME!

My name is Iván Cervera López, and I am director of Mayakin Real Esate Advisors. We would like

to put ourselves at your disposition for any matter

related to real estate in Méri-da and Yucatán.

We share with our clients many investment opportunities and housing options, as well as infor-mation we believe could improve your finances and provide greater economic security.

We have nine years of experience and are fully committed to offer the most professional service, ba-sed on our continuously updated training and constant pursuit of quality within our business.

We hope to offer you the highest quality service on which we have built our reputation. For any and all real estate matters, we are at your disposal at contactomaya-kin@gmail.com or 999 287 4979 (landline).

ADMINISTRATION Mauricio Valenzuela M.

ADVERTISING Luis Rejón Mex

EDITORIAL DIRECTIONAlejandro Fitzmaurice C.

CONTENT / EDITINGRobert Adams

DESIGNArbee Farid Antonio Chi

José Ramirez

PRODUCTIONNoé Moguel

PHOTOGRAPHYGael Medina

EDITORIAL ARTRaúl Mendoza (El Rulos Bar)

CIRCULATIONPaul Alfaro M.

WELCOME….

…To the third issue of Mid-Point Yucatán, the English supplement to Periódico Punto Medio here in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.

Mid-Point Yucatán, a twice-monthly news magazine directed to the rapidly expanding English-speaking community of the states of Yucatán and Campeche in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, is a true team effort.

Assembling this attractive product requires contributions from a talented staff of reporters, editors, photographers and graphic design-ers, as well as dedicated advertising, printing, circulation and administrative personnel.

Mid-Point Yucatán is a free twice-monthly news magazine. All rights reserved. Any reproduction of content through any means without previous permission is prohibited. Certificates of ownership and title in process. Certificates of legality and content in process. Opinions expressed herein are those of their authors and do not necessarily represent the editors or publishers of Mid-Point Yucatán. Advertisements are responsibility of the advertisers.

999 249 7100

midpoint.yucatan@gmail.com

WELCOME 3

Everyone here at Punto Medio / Mid-Point works hard but cheerfully to pull all the pieces of the publishing puzzle together so that the magazine hits the streets on time twice a month.

As the fleet of circulation motorbikes zip around Merida and up to Progreso and other nearby beach towns, we here in the office are already uploading stories and photos to the Mid-Point web site so you can also experience the magazine’s groundbreaking coverage online.

Now in its ninth year of publication in the Yucatecan capital of Mérida, Periódico Punto Medio – Mid-Point’s daily Spanish affiliate -- has established an outstanding reputation for thorough and impartial journalism in Yucatán and Campeche.

For readers who prefer information in English, Mid-Point vows to exceed your expectations for a lively source of essential news, features, photos, illustrations, maps and other enticing content.

We offer a variety of advertising packages to suit your budget. We also will gladly tailor a package to meet your individual needs. And we promise to utilize your comments, insights, input and criticism to make this an even more useful product with each forthcoming edition.

Thank you for reading Mid-Point. Enjoy!

Robert AdamsContent Manager / Editor

www.puntomedio.mx/category/midpoint/

Washington — Offi-cials are working to arrange a mee-

ting between U.S. Presi-dent Donald Trump and Mexican President Enri-que Peña Nieto “in the near future” to review pro-gress on trade talks, a bor-der wall and other issues, the White House said in a recent statement

Mexico’s foreign minis-try said in mid-February a meeting between the two leaders was being plan-ned for sometime during the next few weeks.

The U.S. and Mexico, along with Canada, are renegotiating the Nor-th American free trade agreement, which Trump has threatened to pull out

of unless significant chan-ges are made.

Trump has also vowed to build a wall along the southern border to pre-vent Illegal immigration and to make Mexico pay for it, a demand Mexico has emphatically rejected.

Trump had his first meeting as president with Peña Nieto last July on the sidelines of a G20 summit. Peña Nieto canceled an earlier scheduled mee-ting after Trump threa-tened to impose a tax on Mexican imports to pay for his border wall. Trump also met the Mexican lea-der once during the 2016 U.S. Election campaign.

U.S. officials, including Commerce Secretary

Wilbur Ross, Energy Se-cretary Rick Perry and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, met at the White House with a Mexi-can delegation led by Fo-reign Minister Luis Vide-garay.

“The meeting furthered the work of both govern-ments over the past year to establish comprehensive agreements on several is-sues, including economic cooperation and trade, security and law enforce-ment, energy, regional ini-tiatives, and immigration,” the White House state-ment said.

With information from Reuters News Agency and other source

Trump promises to meet with Peña Nieto

· H E M I S P H E R I C T H E M E S ·

Photos: AgenciesNEWS FROM HOME

More than five years have passed since a gunman killed 20

first graders and six educa-tors in Newtown, Connec-ticut, stirring the long U.S. debate about gun rights, which are protected by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

But on Feb. 14, a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at a South Florida high school he had previously been expelled from, killing 17 people before he was arrested by police, autho-rities said.

It was the 18th shoo-ting in a U.S. school so far this year, according to gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety. That ta-lly includes suicides and

incidents when no one was injured, as well as the January incident when a 15-year-old gunman killed two students at a Kentuc-ky high school.

The Feb. 14 violence erupted shortly before dismissal at Marjory Sto-neman Douglas High School in Parkland, about 45 miles (72 km) north of Miami. Live television footage showed students streaming out of the buil-ding as dozens of police and emergency person-nel swarmed the area.

The gunman was iden-tified as Nikolas Cruz, who previously attended the school and was expe-lled for unspecified disci-plinary reasons, Broward

County Sheriff Scott Israel said at a news briefing hours later.

Twelve of the dead were killed inside the school building, others outside and others died later in the hospital, Israel said.

The Florida incident re-newed the acrimonious debate among segments of U.S. society, particular-ly opponents and propo-nents of gun control.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week added his voice to the debate, with an appeal to arm school teachers, a propo-sal that has been floated by others.

By Robert Adams with information from El Uni-versal

Debated again in wake of tragic Florida student massacre

· G U N C O N T R O L ·

NEW

S FRO

M H

OM

EW

ith information

from El U

niversal

Don Alonso Gutiérrez, generally ac-knowledged as Yucatan’s most re-nowned living artist, says he beca-

me a painter to avoid having to talk to people. But ironically, Merida officials so much wanted to hear what he has to say that they invited him to deliver the key-note speech at the city’s 476th anniver-sary ceremony in January.

Reflecting on this irony during a re-cent exclusive interview at his apartment/studio in Colonia Mexico, Don Alonso chuckled and shrugged at life’s someti-mes unpredictable turns. The 81-year-old lion of Merida’s art scene said he is very alarmed about the White City’s “anarchi-cal development” that is sending the city sprawling in all directions -- north, south, east and west.

“This is a worldwide illness, killing off nature. It’s a serious thing. There are many ethical questions concerning deve-lopment. The basic interest is money.”

Don Alonso can look out the window of his modest third-floor apartment and glimpse the problem of which he speaks -- the continuing sprawl of development along Prolongación del Paseo de Montejo. He notes the “enormous” growth of shop-ping malls and commercial plazas during the 30 years he has lived in the apartment that also serves as his art studio.

“We must save nature if we are going to save ourselves,” said Don Alonso, refe-rring to the “decadence” and “superficia-lity” he perceives as the characteristics of the age in which we are living. He reflec-

Text / Photos by Robert AdamsMERIDA CHRONICLES

Yucatán’s most renowned living artist reflects on life and art... and Mérida’s future

· A L O N S O G U T I É R R E Z ·

ted that he sees parallels between the decadent and superficial art of the current age and the ge-neral malaise of modern life. This he attributes to a widespread lack of ethical values in our culture.

“There was an age of marvelous art after the (Mexican) Revolution,” he reflected. But that period gave way to what Don Alonso perceives as art lacking human values. He detects the same lack of ethical values in the U.S. and European art scenes. He cites the case of the American artist Jeff Koons who married the Italian prostitute-turned-politi-cian Cicciolina to become famous.

“To be a real artist, you need to be an ethical per-son,” he said. “But we are living in an epoch of deca-dence.”

The walls of Don Alon-so’s studio are filled with examples of his accompli-shments in many diverse styles and genres of art. These works range from highly realistic human por-traits to abstract impres-sions of people and objects.

As classical music wafts quietly from his stereo, Don Alonso recounts how he convinced himself he could be an artist and make his livelihood in this way. He points to a portrait he pain-ted in the early 1960s when

he was a young student li-ving in Madrid. The portrait is of an “abuela” (grand-mother) of a Madrid family that he knew. The painting, which shares features with some of the greatest Dutch masters of portraiture such as Frans Hals and Johannes Vermeer, convinced Don Alonso that he himself was a painter. “Yes, in truth, I can be a painter,” he recalls con-cluding after completing the work in his mid-20s.

While Don Alonso has lived in several of the

world’s art capitals inclu-ding Madrid, Paris, London and Mexico City, he choo-ses to make his home in Merida, where he was born in 1937. His ceramic murals and mosaics adorn several of the city’s impor-tant buildings, including the Siglo XXI complex. In addition to his painting, he has published several short works of philosphical fiction. He is active in con-servation effors. It would be fair to refer to him as a local treasure.

Text / Photos by Robert AdamsMÉRIDA CHRONICLES 7

MERIDA CHRONICLES

By Punto Medio: Jesús Gómez and Fernando Galaz

COVER STORY

It will be a reality, says Gov. Zapata Bello.Work starts, haltingly, to rescue the old train sta-

tion and convert it to a modern green space.

· M E R I D A ’ S “ C E N T R A L P A R K ” ·

WITH THE planned removal of 52 boxcars and 15 locomotives be-gan the recovery of eight hecta-

res of land called “La Plancha” to build the Meridano “Central Park,” a long-sought goal based on sentiments and needs of society.

The space will house the University of Arts of Yucatan, the Museum of Light, recreational and wooded areas, with an investment of 130 million pesos, said the Technical Secretary of Planning and Evaluation (Seplan), Guillermo Cortés González.

During an event held at La Plancha Feb. 8, which was headed by Governor Rolan-do Zapata Bello, Cortés Gon-zález explained that the work is based on a Master Plan, being the commitment of the state administration of eight hectares covering the staging yards, the Railway Museum area and the soft-ball park, in a first stage.

The project is divided into four areas: a) area of culture and art, where will be built the new University of the Arts, b) Museums, preser-ving the Railway Museum, as well as the construction of the Museum of Light in alliance with UNAM, c) Green Corridor and d) Multi-ple Use Area.

Photos by Robert Adams and Rodrigo Díaz Guzmán

COVER STORY

It should be remembered that the space served for many years as the loading and unloading yards for for-mation of trains, which ge-nerated the accumulation of boxcars, vans, gondolas, locomotives and 15 thou-sand tons of discarded iron material.

This equipment and the discarded materials are ex-pected to be transferred to the dead zone of the Railway Operations Center (COF) lo-cated in Poxilá, Uman.

For his part, Gustavo Baca Villanueva, director of Railways of the Isthmus of Tehuante-pec, highlighted that this im-portant project will preserve La Plancha’s urban, environmen-tal and cultural value.

Zapata Bello promised to work very hard until the last

COVER STORY

The La Plancha space served for many years as the train loading yards, which generated the accumulation of boxcars, vans, gondolas, locomotives and 15 thousand tons of discarded iron material...

12

Photos by Robert Adams and Rodrigo Díaz Guzmán

COVER STORY

day of his administration consolidating this great spa-ce for residents and for all Meridanos.

He pointed out that this work will encourage daily tourist activities thanks to the planned park’s strate-gic location near the Plaza Grande and the Paseo de Montejo, allowing the for-mation of an important cir-cuit.

“The great theme of a park in” La Plancha “is something we’ve heard for many years. Well today, today it has cer-tainty and clarity in the futu-re,” he said.

13

At the Science Mu-seum of the Chicxu-lub Crater, scien-

tists, professors, students, and the general public will find information related to the meteor that hit the Yucatán Penninsula 65 mi-llion years ago.

This space – unique in its kind – is intended to beco-me the key center on the re-search of asteroid impacts and related topics. During a walkthrough, Yucatán Governor Rolando Zapata and the dean of the Natio-nal Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Enrique Graue, verified the cons-truction progress in which MXN$50 billion pesos are being invested.

The Museum is expected to open in September. The project, located within the Scientific and Technological

Park of Yucatán, will host the Geophysics Laboratories of the UNAM, which is why it’s set to become Mexico’s most important research center on Earth Sciences.

The Museum will have four main exhibition rooms on the Universe, the Solar System, impact craters, the dinosaur mass extinction, and the biodiversity and cul-ture of Yucatán, including its network of aquifers.

The aim is to boost not only academic and scientific tourism but also to raise en-vironmental awareness. And of course, the museum will be fitted and run with cut-ting-edge technology.

In addition to interactive devices for visitors, the buil-ding will use information te-chnology to manage facility systems.

Source: El Universal

It expects to open in September, aiming to become the main center for research on the Chicxulub Crater

and meteor and asteroid impacts.

· C H I C X U L U B S C I E N C E M U S E U M ·

PHOTOS: El UniversalENVIRONMENT

from Merida to Las Vegas are planned: officials

· D I R E C T F L I G H T S · TRA

VEL / LEISU

RE

Las Vegas casinos, shop-ping, entertainment and other attractions could be

a mere direct flight away from Merida if tourism promoters in both cities are successful with negotiations currently un-derway with Aeromexico.

Already one of the most popular destinations for Yucatecan travelers, Las Ve-gas would be served direct-ly from Merida under a plan unveiled recently by Yuca-tan’s Tourism Secretary and the Nevada city’s Conven-tion and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).

Las Vegas tourism entre-preneurs consider Merida as one of their emerging markets because more Yu-catecans are interested in

traveling for shopping and entertainment in “Sin City”.

“Las Vegas has an average of 900 shopping complexes and outlet style malls. In ad-dition, in the near future, Me-rida will have shopping malls in the style of Las Vegas,” said Fernando Hurtado, LVCVA International Sales Manager.

“We want to leave behind the idea of visiting Las Ve-gas only for the casinos. It’s time to focus on other mar-ket niches, such as entertain-ment,” he said.

The Yucatecan capital was chosen as one of four destina-tions, together with Monte-rrey, Mexico City and Guada-lajara, for this year’s Las Vegas’ s a l e s

blitz with tour operators and travel agents.

“Las Vegas received more than 1.2 million Mexicans in 2016, keeping Mexico as our second source of interna-tional visitors after Canada,” Hurtado said at the Merida event.

The executive added that thanks to direct flights from Mexico’s main cities through Aeroméxico, In-terjet, Volaris and recently Viva Aerobus, Las Vegas is increasingly accessible to the Mexican market.

Aeromexico/Delta, United and American Airlines cu-rrently operate direct flights linking Merida with Atlanta,

Houston, Miami and Dallas in the U.S.

Source: Punto Medio

Photos: Agencies

Here is some advice from the IRS regarding filing tax returns from abroad.

If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien, the rules for filing income, estate, and gift tax returns and paying estimated tax are generally the same whether you are in the United States or abroad, according to the IRS. Your worldwide income is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you reside, the tax agency counsels.

When to fileIf you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien re-siding overseas, or are in the military on duty outside the U.S., on the regular due date of your return, you are allowed an automatic 2-month extension to file your return and pay any amount due without requesting an extension. For a calendar year return, the au-tomatic 2-month extension is to June 15. If you qualify for this 2-month extension, pen-alties for paying any tax late are assessed

from the 2-month extended due date of the payment (June 15 for calendar year taxpay-ers). However, even if you are allowed an ex-tension, you will have to pay interest on any tax not paid by the regular due date of your return (April 15 for calendar year taxpayers).

If you qualify for the 2-month extension but are unable to file your return by the au-tomatic 2-month extension date, you can request an additional extension to Octo-ber 15 by filing Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, before the automatic 2-month extension date. How-ever, if you qualify for the 2-month exten-sion, penalties for paying any tax late are assessed from the extended due date of the payment (June 15 for calendar year tax-payers). Otherwise, if you do not qualify for the 2-month extension, penalties for paying late are assessed from the original due date of your return (April 15 for calendar year tax-payers). Also, even if you are allowed exten-sions to June 15 and/or October 15, you will

for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad

· I R S T A X I S S U E S ·

EXPAT TAX ADVICE

owe interest on any unpaid tax amount from the orig-inal due date of the return (April 15 for calendar year taxpayers).

Where to FileIf you are a U.S. citizen or resi-dent alien (Green Card Hold-er) and you live in a foreign country, mail your U.S. tax re-turn to:

Department of the TreasuryInternal Revenue Service

CenterAustin, TX 73301-0215USAEstimated tax payments

should be mailed with form 1040-ES to:

Internal Revenue ServiceP.O. Box 1300Charlotte, NC 28201-1300USATaxpayers with an AGI (Ad-

justed Gross Income) with-in a specified threshold can electronically file their tax return for free using freefile. Taxpayers with an AGI great-er than the specified thresh-old can either use the Free File Fillable Forms or efile by purchasing commercial soft-ware. A limited number of companies provide software that can accommodate for-eign addresses. To determine which will work best for you, view the complete Free File

Software list and the services provided.

Tax ID NumberEach taxpayer who files, or is claimed as a dependent on, a U.S. tax return will need a social security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). To obtain a SSN, use form SS-5. to get form SS-5, contact a Social Security Office or visit Social Security International Operations. Source: IRS

https://www.irs.gov/in-dividuals/international-tax-payers/us-citizens-and-resident-aliens-abroad

EXPAT TAX ADVICE

ADVERTISE WITH USTEL. 469 7100

17

--Merida Medical Doctors--

H O W T O S T A Y H E A L T H Y

C ompiled by the U.S. Consulate in Merida, this partial list is not all-in-clusive nor a recommendation of

professional ability, reputation or quality of services provided. Inclusion on this list

is not an endorsement by the Consulate. The Consulate warns that it assumes no responsibility or liability for these doctors’ services. The order in which names appear has no significance or preference.

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Dr. Sergio A. Villareal Umana // (Eng / Spa)

926-6348Edificio anexo (Centro Médico las Américas). calle 54 no. 365, por av. Perez Ponce, col. Centro, Merida, Yuc. cp. 97090 first floor c room 9

Dr. Antonio Briceño Vargas // (Eng / Spa)

925-0868Clínica Mérida, Av. Itzaes no. 242. col. García Ginerés, Merida, Yuc. C.P. 97100 113

NEUROLOGISTSDr. Ruben Dario Vargas García // (Eng / Spa)

925-7508 Clínica de Mérida, Av. Itzaes no. 242. col. García Ginerés, Méri-da, Yuc. C.P. 97100 303

ONCOLOGISTSDr. Delio Ceballos Bojorquez // (Eng / Spa)

925-8333 925-5499Clínica de Mérida, Av. Itzaes no. 242. col. García Ginerés, Méri-da, Yuc. C.P. 97100 213

OPHTHALMOLOGISTS Dr. Adolfo Baqueiro Díaz // (Eng /Spa)

925-3253Clínica de Mérida, Av. Itzaes no. 242. col. García Ginerés, Méri-da, Yuc. C.P. 97100 304

PHOTO: CourtesyHEALTH

OPHTHALMOLOGISTS

Dr. Alberto Caceres Peniche // (Eng /Spa)

925-4152Clinica de Merida, av. Itzaes no. 242. col. García Gineres, Méri-da, Yuc. C.P. 97100 305

Dr. Alejandro Millet Molina // (Eng /Spa)

925-6944Clinica de Mérida, av. Itzaes no. 242. col. García Gineres, Méri-da, Yuc. C.P. 97100 310

ORTHOPEDISTS

Dr. Luis Mario Baeza Mezquita // (Eng / Spa)

926-2154Centro Médico las Américas. Calle 54 no. 365, por av. Pérez Ponce, col. Centro, Mérida Yuc. C.P. 97000 100

Dr. Felipe Eduardo Camara Arrigunaga // (Eng / Spa)

943-6202 943-7202Star Médica, Calle 26 no. 199 x 15 x 7, fracc. Altabrisa. 928

Dr. Herbe Rivero Maldonado // (Eng / Spa)

920-1658 Clínica de Mérida, av. Itzaes no. 242. col. García Gineres, Méri-da, Yuc. C.P. 97100 3

Dr. Eduardo Muñoz Menendez // (Eng / Spa)

925-4865 Clínica de Mérida, av. Itzaes no. 242. col. García Gineres, Méri-da, Yuc. C.P. 97100 201

Dr. Javier Pasos Novelo // (Eng / Spa)

926-2009 Centro Médico las Américas. Calle 54 no. 365, por av. Pérez Ponce, col. centro, Mérida Yuc. C.P. 97000 101

OTORRINOLARINGOLOGISTS

Dr. Miguel Baquedano Sauri // (Eng / Spa)

925-5034 Centro Especialidades Médicas, calle 60 no. 329-b por 35 y av. Colon, Merida Yuc. cp. 97000 15

Dr. Juan José Castellanos Dorbecker // (No Eng)

943-2991Star Médica, Calle 26 no. 199 x 15 x 7, fracc. Altabrisa 728

Dr. Sergio Ivan Díaz Esquivel // (No Eng)

926-4278 Centro Médico las Américas. Calle 54 no. 365, por av. Pérez Ponce, col. Centro, Mérida Yuc. C.P. 97000 312

HEALTH 19