February 2005

The actors who dub the voices for The Simpsons in Mexico went on strike over pay on Wednesday. Last month I drew some comparisons with the fat pay cheques received by their neighbours in gringolandia

Stephanie Mills has emailed this to me. Captured on a balcony overlooking Calle Alcala in Oaxaca.

The calavera (a typical Mexican skeletal figure) holds a heart bearing the inscription “Amor Mio… Sube… Abrazame” (“My love, come up, embrace me”).

The union actors who dub “The Simpsons” into Spanish for Mexican TV are involved in a dispute over the use of non-union labour. Humberto Velez, who is the voice of the cartoon legend Homer Simpson in Mexico, says he only earns about 600 pesos (£28) per episode. Nevertheless, the actors who have been voicing the mustard-coloured citizens of Springfield for the past 15 years fear losing their jobs because the dubbing company is seeking cheaper actors. By comparison, Dan Castellaneta, the ‘original’ voice of Homer, picked up an EMMY-award in August for his work on the hugely successful animated series. He receives well in excess of US$100,000 dollars per episode.

Sticking with the sporting theme… last October Mexican officials announced a 5-year contract with the head honchos at Formula 1 to host a Grand Prix from 2006 to 2010. But oh dear… with construction work yet to get underway due to a legal squabble over use of the proposed site, the chances of Mexico staging a Grand Prix in 2006 are diminishing quicker than you can say “Bernie Ecclestone”.

Jon Clark has conveniently pulled onto one page all the links to his journal, photos and news stories from last week’s Caribbean Series of baseball in Mazatlán.

Reforma sunset

A return visit beckons. Perhaps the great metropolis is luring me to return so that I may reassess the rather low opinion I have held of the place. There are seemingly plenty of converts.

New and exciting things are indeed sprouting up all over the city: a new monumental skyline, upscale boutiques, trendy restaurants, new nightspots and an incredible art scene. Not forgetting the favourable exchange rate (21 Mexican pesos = £1) .

There is no question however, that stylish modern hotels have been in short supply in the capital. The super-minimalist 36-room Habita was hailed as a trailblazer when it opened in October 2000; but it remained the city’s only ‘design’ hotel for the next three years – until the 237-room ‘W’ Mexico City opened in November 2003. But the pace of change is quickening.

Finally opening its doors a fortnight ago (31 Jan) was the hip Condesa DF – the first style-hotel in the recently-very-trendy neighborhood of La Condesa – known among young locals as ‘Condechi’ – with its tree-lined Parisian-style boulevards, small green spaces, and well-kept art-deco residences. The area is full of boutiques, street cafés, and a startling and ever-expanding number of new restaurants and nightspots.

At a lavish party, around 1,500 guests were invited to inspect some of the hotel’s facilities (the bar, gift shop, dining rooms…) and then to pop across the street to the garden of the former residence of Plutarco Elias Calles (president from 1924-28) for drinks and hors d’ouerves. The lobby bar-restaurant has already turned into something of a hangout for the city’s “beautiful people”.

The Condesa DF’s 40 sleek rooms are housed in a renovated 1928 apartment building. Each with custom-made furniture, stone floors and flashy extras like wide-screen TVs and DVD players. There’s a rooftop terrace with bar and also a Turkish-bath (why not a temazcal?). Doubles start at US$195.

My amigo, David Lida, who is more knowledgable about ‘el DF’ than most, has written a piece (not online) about the three chefs the hotel hired – a Brit, a Filipina and a Lebanese. They lingered for six months perfecting their own brand of “nueva cocina mexicana“, mainly Mexican with a pinch of Asian, and a little bit of French flair for fusing ingredients borrowed from many of the world’s cuisines.

Another Mexico City insider with whom I’ve recently been in touch is Chris Humphrey, author of Moon’s Mexico City Handbook. He agrees. “In the last couple of years in particular I’ve noticed a growing level of ‘cosmopolitan-ness’ in the city, more openness to and awareness of the rest of the world,” Chris told me. This is particularly noticeable in the dramatic upswing in the variety and quality of restaurants. “There are really some fantastic places to eat in DF now,” Chris continued, “it’s becoming a major culinary mecca.”

W Mexico City

Have you been seduced? To recap, Mexico City is among the top ten destinations to visit in 2005. So say Arcarnus, the exclusive ‘lifestyle management’ company (whatever that is) who has surveyed its client list of celebs and entrepreneurs. So it must be true.

Also among the new disciples is Gridskipper – the latest media offering from the bestubbled Nick Denton’s stable of trendy blogs. Trumpeting itself as “the decadent travel guide to urban destinations around the world”, those who consider themselves chic urbanites will find it well worth keeping tabs on what’s posted under their Mexico City category. So far, so good.

For sure, Mexico City is not alone. I have noted elsewhere that Mérida, the hub of Yucatan, is also undergoing a similar transformation. For now though, I will reserve judgement on the capital.

Photo: James and Ellen Fields, Eclectec SA de CV

The Financial Times has just posted a report suggesting that exit polls following Sunday’s bitterly-contested gubernatorial election showed the left-wing PRD poised for an important victory in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero.

The state – about the size of Ireland or West Virginia – is famed for beach resorts such as Acapulco and Ixtapa-Zihuatenejo. But leave behind the glistening bay for the journey inland to the Mexican capital and within minutes of exiting the bus terminal you will bear witness to the other Acapulco – the striking contrast between wealth and poverty that characterises the region.

Sprawling barrios cling precariously to eroded hillsides, offering a glimpse of the rutted canyons and hillsides of the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains that define the state’s rural character. A backdrop to the enduring poverty and simmering anger at government neglect and oppression. Lack of opportunities has spawned violence, ragtag bands of guerrillas and a heavy-handed response. I’d like to believe that wresting the state from the 76-year vice-like grip of the PRI may offer some new hope for change. Maybe… just maybe.

Carnival week is almost upon us but the razzmatazz has already started in the the port of Mazatlán in Sinaloa state, 850km (530 miles) northeast of Mexico City. The Pacific resort is playing host to the annual Caribbean Series – a week-long, round-robin tournament featuring the top baseball teams from the Mexican, Dominican, Venezuelan and Puerto Rican winter baseball leagues.

After three days of competition, Los Venados de Mazatlán (‘The Stags’) have put themselves in a good position to win the “Little World Series” title for the first time. Were that to happen, the baseball-mad Sinaloense would surely make this the biggest carnival celebration ever.

Journalist Jon Clark is on the spot and took a series of photos from the opening games. In this one (right), Arturo Vázquez López from Jalisco, dressed in a full charro cowboy costume, twirls a giant matraca, a wooden rattle, from his seat behind the home team’s dugout.

On Candlemas, a special mass for the 84-year old Pontiff has been held in the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Prayers were read after The Pope was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome suffering from acute inflammation of the larynx, brought on by a bout of flu.

Mexicans feel a special affinity with Pope John Paul II since he has visited their country – the second most populous Catholic country in the world after Brazil – on no less than 5 occasions during his 26-year papacy. The Pope kissed Mexican soil on his arrival for his very first overseas tour following his election in 1979. The most recent was in August 2002.