Now that the wettest part of this year’s less-wet-than-usual rainy season is officially over, three-quarters of the country is officially in a drought, according to the National Meteorological Service. This might not be news to many of us here in Oaxaca, where those white water-tanker trucks have become an increasingly common sight. The Associated Press reports that part of the problem is due to the warming of the planet, but a large part of Mexico’s water crisis is worsened by two factors: leaky infrastructure and not taking full advantage of the water that is available, such as rainwater capture.
One year ago today, one U.S. dollar was worth 20 Mexican pesos. The rising strength of the peso, which some are calling the “superpeso” has seen the value of the U.S. dollar plummet over the past year, to a low of 16.68 pesos in July. Combined with inflation, the buying power of the dollar in Mexico remains weakened. That primarily affects the families of Mexicans sending remittances from the U.S.
According to data from the U.S. Congress, Mexico is by far the largest recipient of remittances from the U.S., receiving $52.6 billion USD in 2021. But of course anyone living in Mexico and spending money they either earn or have saved in dollars is feeling the pinch as well. The value of the US dollar against the peso has recovered somewhat since its low point in July, trading this morning at 18.29 pesos to the dollar, but over the course of the year, the US dollar has lost 8.67% of its value against the peso. The Canadian dollar has lost almost the exact same amount, while the Euro and the British Pound have fared much better, losing only around 2% of their value against the “superpeso” over the past year.
Support for today’s Oaxaca Newscast comes from Davá Artisanal Shoe Design. A collective of Zapotec women providing more than 100 sustainable jobs, Davá makes and sells contemporary shoes and sandals using traditional indiengous textiles. Visit their shoe boutique in Oaxaca’s Centro Histórico at Cinco de Mayo #210, near the corner of Murguía. Open every day from 8am to 5pm.
And from from Diseños SvdS. Offering custom-designed t-shirts and caps — embroidered or printed — for your business, sports team, or organization. You can find Diseños SvdS on Instagram or Facebook.
Venezuelan migrants continue to push northward through the state of Oaxaca toward the United States, but the U.S. yesterday deporting a group of Venezuelans who had entered to US illegally back to Venezuela yesterday. It was the first such deportation flight in four years, the New York Times reported.
Some 130 Venezuelan men and women shackled in wrist and ankle restraints boarded the flight in Texas. It made one stop in Miami before continuing on to Caracas. The AP reports that the Biden administration plans to run “multiple” deportation flights each week to Venezuela. This comes right after Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro agreed to a package of electoral reforms.
Earlier this month the Biden administration announced it would continue construction work on the border wall that was started under the Trump administration, reversing Joe Biden’s campaign pledge to abandon the project.
Have you noticed a stoplight in your area that’s not working, and maybe it hasn’t been working for quite some time? Well, you’re not alone: Oaxaca’s state Congress took up the issue yesterday. No action on the matter has been reported so far, but — hey… at least they’re talking about it!
In Winter League Baseball, the Guerreros take on the Águila of Veracruz tonight and tomorrow night here in Oaxaca at Eduardo Vasconcelos stadium.
In weather, highs in the capital city area today of around 25ºC (that’s 77ºF). Skies will turn cloudy in the afternoon with a 50% chance of some rain between 4 and 8 PM. On the coast, you can expect highs of 32ºC (or 90ºF) with thunderstorms likely in Huatulco by about 3pm and an 80 percent chance of light rain continuing in the evening. Mostly sunny skies in Puerto Escondido.
In the coming days and weeks, we’d to add more and more of our own independent, original reporting to Oaxaca Newscast. If you like the idea of having independent local English-language journalism here in Oaxaca and you’d like to see Oaxaca Newscast continue, the thing that would be most helpful right now would be for you to tell at least three friends about this podcast. And if they’re new to podcasts, please explain to them how they can subscribe so they automatically get Oaxaca Newscast on their smartphone.