The Real Maya Calendar … all 7 of Them …

Posted on February 26, 2025 by yucalandia

March 5 update of Feb 26, 2025

One advantage of being in Social Media groups … is that we get to see what people are concerned about & thinking about from their questions … like :

What was the Maya Calendar ?
Seriously … there were & are at least 7 different Maya Calendars**
.… Just like we have multiple calenders today, like our solar calendar of 365 days in a year … plus our 7 named days of the week calendar (Sun Day, Moon Day, Thor’s Day, Friya’s day) to match the Jewish 7 day cycle … plus our Zodiac calendar (you know your Zodiac sign right?) … along with the named months of the year … with our 2-faced Janus (January) looking backward at the old year and forward to the new year … Mars- (March) God of War for marching to start new military campaigns … Maia (May) Roman God of Spring & new growth … etc.

**Similarly to all of our “modern” Calendars … The Maya have/had a Haab 365 day solar calendar of 18 months of 20 days per month +plus 5 extra days with no names. (but no leap day corrections – so this calendar gets way off from the sun’s actual day lengths & positions).

**The Maya also have/had a Tzolk’in Calendar 260 day religious(?) calendar of 13 months of 20 days per month,

**Next the Maya have the “Calendar Round” calendric system, which is a combination of the Tzolk’in day name with the Haab day name … where the Calendar Round has an overall 52 yr cycle, before the two day-name pairs repeats …
Credit and thanks to Sidney “Calman” Hollander for his Calendar Round image.

Continuing with the Calendar Round pairs of Tzolk’in Date Day Names +plus Haab Date Day Names, in one prominent example, when the LONG COUNT Calender (see below) for the new 0.0.0.0.1 starting Date when the Long Count finished it’s finished it’s last 2,880,000 day cycle… the NEW cycle’ s first 0.0.0.0.1 Long Count number … the corresponding CALENDAR ROUND day names were: 4-Ajau, 3-Kank’in … as the Tzolk’in Date name, followed by its Haab Date name … followed by its Lord of that Night = God 9 …



**Then the Maya had/have a 28 day LUNAR CALENDAR … that allows a person who knows their full Maya Birthdate, to also simultaneously know the phase of the moon on that night …

**AND the Maya have a running count of days … since Day 1 … named “Day 0.0.0.0.1” … (which was called 4-Ajau, 8-Kumku in Calendar Round dates) … The Maya LONG COUNT calendar counts the dayss linearly … which is the calendric cycle that ended on Dec. 21, 2012 when it hit 13.0.0.0.0

Here’s an example of a pair of glyphs from one Long Count date, from Palenque:
(Courtesy of FAMSI)


The best understanding is that Day 0 (or Day 1) of the Long Count started on August 11, 3114 BCE… So, the Maya’s Long Count Calendar cycle lasts 2,880,000 days, which Maya traditionalists consider a universal cycle. In modern terms, the Long Count cycle is equivalent to roughly 7,885 solar years … And yes, using the Maya Long Count calendar, you can quickly determine how many days you have been married to your spouse … by subtracting your Long Count Wedding Date number, from today’s Long Count number. 😉

… Yet, seriously, even our modern calendar systems don’t work well to determine: “How many days have I been alive?” … or “How many days until my birthday next year?” … while a sharp Maya priest could quickly answer these question.

AND
The Maya Calendar ALSO included a system of Days 0 – 9 for the “Lords of the NIGHT”

The 9 Lords of the Night glyphs are often called the “G’ Series”. Further note that every tun, k’atun and bak’tun since creation has ended with G9, the aged god of darkness and ‘night sun’, which are fitting ends to each block of time … Courtesy of Revista MesoAmerica.





AND
The Maya Calendar ALSO included a system of the visible cycles of Venus … which follow a 584 to 586 day cycle … where Venus spends roughly 263 days as the Evening Star … 50 days absent from our skies … followed by roughly another 263 days as the Morning Star …



SO
When a Mayan Shaman told a person their Birth Date … It started with the Calendar Round date (as the combination of the two Calendar dates of the Haab Calendar Day Name plus the Tzolkien Calendar Day name) plus a “Year Bearer” glyph, followed by their Long Count Calendar Date … followed by which Day Number of the 9 Lords of the Night the person was born on … followed by the phase of the moon as your Lunar Date when born … Followed by the phase of Venus as the Day number of the 584 day Venus Calendar of your birth date. … as shown in this example






and Yes, full credit on most of this goes to the fine mathematician, Sidney Hollander, who wrote the first computer program in the world to convert modern Gregorian Dates to full Mayan Dates back in the 1980’s … who is also the same professional “Calman” who worked at Chichen Itza from 1991 – 2004 as THE Maya Calendar expert for INAH

Credit & Thanks to Revista Mesoamerica




… and additional credit to Dr. Peter Schmid for some technical details in this report – as Peter was Regional Director for decades at INAH … for Yucatec Maya sites across the Yucatan Peninsula.





Our Dear Friend “Calman” Sid Hollander:
https://yucalandia.com/2022/05/30/sid-hollander-yucatans-loss-heavens-gain/


and our the delightful twinkly-eyed German friend … Dr. Peter Schmid

https://yucalandia.com/2023/09/03/chichen-viejo-finally-opens-after-6-years/

Descansa en Paz mis buen amigos …

Dr. Steven M. Fry


~ ~ ~ ~

March 5, 2026 Addendum:
**In response to good questions on the internet FB forums, we’re adding a few more details, to describe what all the glyphs are about on typical Maya Stelae:

Yeah, so very many Mayan glyphs are simply dates of key ceremonies or key births or key ascensions to thrones … dates that include the various glyphs from the 7 Mayan Calendars … generally including Haab, Tzolkien, Calendar Round and Long Count dates … which took a lot of glyphs to write out one specific date.

Each Long Count date took between 10 – 12 glyphs … and 4 glyphs for the Haab & Tzolkien dates, plus a Year Bearer glyph to finish out the Calendar Round Date … plus an “ISIG” glyph that described “Introduced” the Initial Series … summed to a typical minimum of 16 glyphs for a single date of an event.

and then … When the Maya included the Lords of the Night Glyph (G1 – G9) … and included date-position glyphs for the Maya VENUS Calendar … plus glyphs for the Maya Moon Calendar (describing phases of the moon on that night) …

a Maya simple single date of event could include over 20 glyphs** … 😉

SO … As a consequence of this, when Maya Stelae describe the key life events of some important person … they tended to write out ONLY his/her birthdate … and then ALL subsequent life-event dates would be described by a “distance number” saying :
” and blah-blah-blah (distance number) days after his/her birth … he/she did … “

So the stelae tend to have a lot of date-numbering glyphs, and day-date glyphs … which look really impressive to modern people … but they are little more than writing out:

“Today is Thursday, March 5’th, in the year 2026 of the Common Era of the Calendar of Pope Gregory, 2 days after the 3’rd Full Moon of 2026, with Venus being only briefly visible on the Southwest Horizon, just after sunset.”

and … “then 475 days later” a fresh new thing happened … like a wedding … or a birth of a child … or some important “Fire Ceremony” was performed.
🙂


~ ~ ~ ~
… And yes, the stela shown above is called This particular one is called “Stela 1”.

It is shared by the municipalities of Melchor de Mencos, Dolores, Poptún, and San Luis. Stela 1 of Ixkún (along with it’s companion Stela 2 of Sacul) record the visit of the ruler Ch’iyel of Sacul to dialogue with Rabbit God K of Ixkún in October 790 CE … Long Count 9.18.0.0.0.

According to the glyphs, the 2 rulers participated in a war against another, unidentified city. The glyphs then say that after this event, they performed a ritual of self-sacrifice to commemorate the end of a period.



Dr, Steven M. Fry

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VAT Tax Refunds or IVA Tax Refunds in Mexico

Posted on February 4, 2025 by yucalandia

Feb 4, 2025

One advantage of being in Social Media groups … is that we get to see what people are concerned about from their questions … like :

How Do I Get My VAT Tax Refund from Mexico?
First … Mexico has no VAT taxes like Europe & Canada, we have a 16% IVA. Next … even if you meet all 7 or so requirements, you likely only get part (say 8%) of the IVA tax refunded to you.

Next… Notice that many shops & businesses likely do NOT participate in the IVA-Refund scheme … When buying anything, make sure the vendor or store IS A MEMBER of Mexico’s tourist tax refund scheme. NOT ALL STORES OFFER TAX-FREE SHOPPING, so look for the tax-free sign or ask the cashier to confirm.

To be eligible for Mexico’s tax free shopping, you must ALSO meet these conditions:

~ You are a non-resident of Mexico, typically on a TOURIST – Visitante visa … RESIDENTE VISA HOLDERS likely need not apply for IVA refunds.

~ For TOURISTS buying stuff, you will take your purchased goods with you in your personal luggage;

~ Your purchase must be at least 1,200 MXN, and must be made in one store with credit card, debit card or services issued abroad by only FOREIGN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.

~ You can also pay in cash as long as they don’t exceed 3,000 MXN in total.

.
Next: You have to use an official Registered Agent, to handle your claim.

You can apply for your IVA refund in Mexico either offline or online. If you would like to apply for a IVA refund online, you should download the mobile app from one of the registered tax agents in Mexico. But before receiving your IVA refund in Mexico, you must follow the steps below:

~ ~ ~ ~
Get Your Tax Exemption Form(s) … every time:
When shopping, make sure the store IS A MEMBER of Mexico’s tourist tax refund scheme. NOT ALL STORES OFFER TAX-FREE SHOPPING, so look for the tax-free sign or ask the cashier to confirm.

Once you verify that the store is part of the Mexico VAT refund scheme, ask the sales assistant for a tax-free form. You’ll need this form and the original invoice to claim your IVA refund in Mexico. Without these documents, you will not be able to receive your IVA refund. The sales assistant may also request to see an officially recognized identity document, so remember to bring one (e.g., your passport) when you go shopping.

If you choose to process your Mexico tourist tax refund online, you can upload these documents and the migration form to the app’s platform.

Have the Forms Stamped:
Before leaving Mexico, you must validate your tax-free form and goods. At the airport, go to the designated tax-free station to present your goods, passport, tax-free form, and original receipts. If you’re processing your IVA refund at Mexico City Airport (MEX), you can easily find IVA refund counters in both terminals.

For goods valued at 5,000 MXN or more (including tax), customs validation is mandatory. However, keep your goods with you even if their value is below this threshold, as an officer might still need to inspect them.

Obtain an IVA Refund:
Now comes the most exciting part of the process: receiving your IVA refund in Mexico. If you’re working with a tax refund agent, visit their designated counter to claim your IVA refund. If you don’t want to go with any agents, you can follow the instructions on your tax-free form to get your money back.

.
If you choose to claim your IVA refund through an app, enter your credit card information to process the refund.

The IVA refunds will be paid in MXN directly to your credit card, debit card or other financial services that you use to purchase. You can also choose to receive in cash up to a maximum of 50% of the amount to be paid to tourists (not to exceed 10,000 MXN). The remainder of your IVA refunds in Mexico are deposited electronically in the bank card you provide.



Cheers,
Dr. Steven M. Fry


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Maximizing Solar System Returns in the Yucatan

Posted on January 20, 2025 by yucalandia

Jan. 20, 2025

Should you install & orient your solar system panels, to maximize Summertime production … Wintertime production …. or some combination???

Aim them due South ? … Aim them slightly South-East ?…

or … Is that asking the wrong question ?** 😉

. Imagine 3 simple orientations for Yucatan’s weather conditions … latitude … and our angles of the sun’s changing position in the Yucatan sky, relative to the front face of the panels.

1. For MAXIMUM WINTERTIME production … Point the panels due South … with a somewhat steep elevation angle of 19º-21º …. which maximizes the WINTER TIME 9 am to 6 pm energy production … where off-angle production is reduced by at least 10% – due to the sunlight captured is reduced from being deflected by off-angle sunlight reflections.

1.a. FOR THE SAME DAILY CLOUD FLUCTUATIONS (same number of morning clouds as afternoon clouds) … then a due-South orientation points the panels most-directly at the sun … with a higher 19º to 21º degree steeper elevation … to maximize WINTERTIME production … especially when the Sun is lower in the sky (because of the sunlight’s longer path through the earth’s atmosphere reduces the solar intensity at the panels)… and because in the mid-Sept to mid-March months our sun is in the SOUTHERN SKY all day.**

(See explanations of monthly, seasonal variation effects below).**

1.b. What temperatures are we having in Merida?
Merida is a HEAT ISLAND that generates it’s own clouds & own weather. When there is lots of sunlight – and hot conditions, as the daily HEAT increases … we have more afternoon clouds … meaning a due South orientation can sometimes give lower daily energy totals, when Merida’s HEAT (on hot day) drive BIGTIME afternoon cloud production.

IOW … Are this year’s COOLER Merida daytime winter temperatures the new normal? … because if so … then a due South orientation maximizes both morning & afternoon solar productions. … while past years’ warmer Merida winter*temperatures drove MORE PAST afternoon cloud production … making the previous slightly South-Eastern panel orientations more effective by gathering MORE of the pure-brighter morning sunlight …

2. For maximum late Spring, SUMMERTIME & early Fall maximum production … remember that the sun tracks PURELY, ONLY across the NORTHERN sky … from March 21’st to Sept 22’nd … each year.

So having a 14º elevation summer angle (lower height) of panels … lower angle than the 20º winter angle- gives lower wintertime production values … but gives roughly 10% more energy production from mid-March through mid-Sept …

IOW … a much improved energy-efficiency* (but not cost effective*) design would be to have panels on a teeter totter to point them NORTH for 6 months of the year … and SOUTH for the other 6 months of the year … to gain 10% – 15% more energy year round.

and the BEST energy efficiency design (but poorest cost effective design*) is to have them move like SUNFLOWERS … tracking the sun’s movement every 15 minutes… which gains roughly 44% more energy,,,

.
**BUT… because Chinese govt. $$$ subsidies are so large now… panels are CHEAP … so it’s actually cheaper now to just add an extra panel or 2 … to more than equal the lost 15% due to POOR ALIGNMENT.

Real World Example:
Notice that going from a 6 panel system to a 7 panel system, makes up that 15% inefficient-sun-angle problem … for the $200 cost of another panel. changing a 3.3kW system to a 3.8 kW system … gaining an extra 1000 kWh per yr from that panel … @ Merida’s current $4.3 pesos per kWh of Excedente power … => $4300 pesos per year of savings … WHICH PAYS FOR THE EXTRA PANEL IN as little as JUST ONE YEAR. 😉

.
Hint … IF YOUR SOLAR SALES guy did not explain these things … it’s time to get a better solar guy…

.
and …

3. Notice that BECAUSE OUR daily CLOUD CONDITIONS are changing with Global Climate change … a slight angling of the panels to the South-East … combined with a flatter 14º elevation angle … would give a higher YEAR ROUND total … but give poorer mid-Winter production.

.
Finally … Because CFE gives BIG SUMMERTIME April-Sept Hot Season Mexican taxpayer-paid subsidies vs small winter cool season taxpayer subsidies … of summertime 600 kWh’s subsidies to homeowners of almost 3X CHEAPER power

… Saving Merida homeowners $1,842 PER BILL from April through September using 1000 kWh … versus the small $602 pesos subsidies per bill Winter subsidies …

.
SO … Some solar homeowners CHOOSE to have their panels angled DUE SOUTH … to maximize their solar production during the EXPENSIVE POWER RATES Oct-March CFE cool season subsidies of just $602 pesos …

and yes, you lose 10%-15% of energy generation in the summertime … but summertime is when CFE GIVES YOU $1,842 per bill of subsidies…

subsidies paid by us Mexican taxpayers …

.
Again, IF your solar salesperson is NOT explaining these factual realities … maybe it’s time to change solar companies. 🙂

Dr. Steven M. Fry
Ph.D in Science … and Solar System repair guy in Yucatan since 2007.

https://app.cfe.mx/aplicaciones/ccfe/tarifas/TarifasCRECasa/Tarifas/Tarifa1D.aspx


Cheers,
Dr. Steven M. Fry


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Yucatan State 2025 Schedule for Renewing Car License Plates AND Vehicle Tarjeta de Circulació Info

Posted on January 5, 2025 by yucalandia

Jan. 5, 2025

‘Tis the Season (after May) to Renew your Plates – Between June – December.

Depending on the first 4 letters on your Yucatan plates, some plates with the correct 4 letters can be renewed starting June 2025 … followed by all the other combinations of letters through December.

Plan to go replace your plates only during your assigned month … going to the big SSP bldg. behind the Galarias (“Liverpool” Mall in Merida.

People who have lost their front plate, get a police report… and carry that police report in the car … and wait your turn until June – December.




Tarjeta de Circulación Rules Just Published:

The Tarjetas de Circulación are good until May 31, 2025, per Yucatan State Decreto 44/2024, only recently issued on Dec. 21, 2024.

SO YES … You will get a new Tarjeta de Circulacióm.


Here’s the Yucatan State website for registering to get a new Tarjeta de Circulación:

https://reemplacamiento.yucatan.gob.mx/

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CFE Electricity Bills Show Their Annual Increases, again

Posted on January 4, 2025 by yucalandia

Jan. 4, 2025

‘Tis the Season for Complaining about higher electricity bills here in Yucatan.

aka … Follow the Money … Money Talks !

Most immigrants here are seem unaware of the last 40 yr of CFE policies that give large government-handout subsidies of free power during the “Hot Season” (April-Sept) … of $1000 pesos of handouts per BEACH-bill during the Hot season at the beach … and $2,000 pesos of Merida*city handouts per bill in Merida …

– and then … the government-handout subsidies of free power are trimmed back for the Oct-March “Cool Season” months … as the bigger govt handouts are shown on May-Nov. bills … and then smaller ~handouts~ appear on our Dec.-April bills.**

…
For me, as a Mexican taxpayer, paying to subsidize artificially cheap power to foreigners … I am kind of confused by immigrants complaining that their government handout got smaller from Dec-April … ???
😉

$$$ Specifics?
The last 40 yrs of CFE policy has been that a typical immigrant’s beach-CFE-Bill goes up by 87% during the cool season, as almost 2X higher bills when using the same amount of kWh of electricity … due to getting smaller govt. handouts during the Cool Season.

Sure, lots of intenet posts mistakenly claim that:

“Something NEW is going on.”

“Maybe, somebody tapped into your power. “

“The Government changed their policy.”

“Have your electric meter checked … “

…
Yet … We’re simple experiencing the normal last 40 yrs of annual officially changing from LARGER “Hot Season” subsidies of govt. handouts of free power … to SMALLER “Cool Season” month’s subsidies of less govt. handouts of free power.

Seriously … Nothing much has changed … as we expect almost DOUBLED CFE bills when we go from CFE Hot Season big govt. handouts versus the Cool Season’s much smaller govt. handouts …


There has been one change this past 12 yrs … … The Excedente rate (cost of producing electricity) has gone from $2.8 per kWh in the past, now up to $3.7 per kWh … mostly due to a weaker peso & due to a drop in Mexican oil production … causing CFE to hemhorrage over $200 million pesos of losses per year … shortfalls PAID by us Mexican taxpayers.

“1B” Beach Rates for CFE: https://app.cfe.mx/aplicaciones/ccfe/tarifas/TarifasCRECasa/Tarifas/Tarifa1B.aspx

“1D” Merida Rates for CFE: https://app.cfe.mx/aplicaciones/ccfe/tarifas/TarifasCRECasa/Tarifas/Tarifa1D.aspx


Check the Official CFE Policies:
Doubters are welcomed to check out the actual various CFE subsidies, using the CFE link …. where Basico rates show the most VERY*heavily tax-payer subsidized rates …. versus the two Intermedio heavily-subsidized rates …. versus the Excedente (normal cost of producing & delivering electricity) rates …

as readers are welcomed to plug in “April” for the beginning of our “Hot Season” into the link … and enter the hot season or cool season month that you want to check.


Despite their complaints … in 2025 Beach Dwellers really do get $812 of free power each bill … paid for by us Mexican taxpayers every hot season … and they get just $536 of Mexican Taxpayer Handouts of free power from CFE … on evey Dec – April bill …



Meanwhile, further South, Meridanos using a lot of power get $1,850 pesos of Mexican Taxpayer Handouts of free power from CFE on evey May-Nov. bill … and they get just $609 of Mexican Taxpayer Handouts of free power from CFE on evey Dec – April bill.


Conclusions?
Sadly, in our modern world … typical USA & Canadian immigrants coming to Mexico really do publicly complain …. bitterly … every year … when our Mexican govt. annually cuts the size of the ~handouts~ of FREE POWER given to the expat-immigrants during the Cool Season months …


Why?
I think Boomer expats believe their anthem …

” I want it ALL … and I want it NOW !!! “

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFDcoX7s6rE


as harsh reality (aka facts) show that American Boomers & Canadian Boomers consume over 20X more than ordinary people of other nations …

…
as we were at SAFE levels of COC, just 350 ppm of CO2 Global Warming pollution, back in 1989 … yet just the last 35 yrs of Boomers’ excessive lifestyles … recently added as much pollution … as the previous 200 yrs of Industrial Revolution pollution combined … 😦


Time for Change??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4





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Change gonna come … Tren Maya news

Posted on December 30, 2024 by yucalandia

Dec. 30, 2024

Tren Maya Reminders … & Updates

 
Fresh questions keep coming up about the Tren Maya … schedules … and delays …
Remember the Current Factual Contexts:

As they keep adding new trains … the schedules change every 2 weeks, so the Tren Maya system has only been selling tickets online for 2 weeks or less in advance. … as it can be best to buy your ticket in person at the La Plancha station, or at their Torre Nia office in north Merida.

and no … Our Tren Maya PROGRAM … is not just some mythical bullet-train from Cancun to Palenque … It’s actually at least 5 total big different rail systems, most still in their final planning phases. … plus a BIG natural gas pipeline system from Vera Cruz to Merida …  running alongside the Tren Maya tracks … 

and yes … Remember that trains … run at least 20X more efficiently that buses & trucks … and they have 20X less pollution. 

… as 100,000’s of freight containers are scheduled to come from Taiwan, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Indonesia & Malaysia are scheduled to be dropped off at our new BIG Pacific Ocean port at the new Istmo de Tehuantepec mega-rail corridor program – shipping 100,000’s of future containers of parts & materials to the new maquiladora complex going in just west of Merida … and all those fresh new finished goods will flow straight out to the sea … to USA, Canda & Europe … through our new BIG port outside of Progreso.


May be an image of map and text

Short Term vs. Long Term Realities:
The system is still in it’s near infancy … of a big 5 yr planned roll-out of 5 big new programs, under the “Tren Maya” umbrella … including electric trains, hybrid trains

… high-speed express tourist trains …

… and freight trains from the Istmo de Tehuantepec all the way to Merida & Progreso’s new zona de maquiladoras …

& even a special Tren Maya route to Progreso’s NEW PORT …

. . .

So … Just like babies only crawl, at first …. and then toddle along in uncertain steps … and the ultimately run along gleefully … and joyfully … REMEMBER that our Tren Maya system really is still just in it’s ~ INFANCY ~ …
😉



Change gonna’ come …

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5zDRtEC0x0

image

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Merida Drinking Water Quality, Kidney Stones, and Staying Healthy in the Tropics

Posted on December 29, 2024 by yucalandia

Dec. 29, 2024

Merida Drinking Water Quality, Kidney Stones, and Staying Healthy in the Tropics

Helpful … Factual … Practical advice on Merida tap water?
The issue of Merida’s JAPAY drinking water keeps coming up on expat forums … yet most of the supposed ‘information’ & internet comments are completely factually false – and some are even destructively misleading (though well-intentioned).

Consider a series of 12 simple facts on Merida’s drinking water:

~ Pro Hint:
IF you are on Merida City tapwater, (JAPAY) or on  SMAPAP city water  at the beach – then test your incoming water for Free Chlorine, using just a simple swimming pool chlorine test kit.

IF your incoming JAPAY or SMAPAP water still has measureable free chlorine levels, then it’s safe. 😉


~ The last independent scientific study reported that over 97% of 364 Merida homes were found to have very clean, very safe drinking water at their meters, where the water enters their house. 


 ~ We really must drink healthful amounts of water … to stay healthy … especially in our hot humid Yucatan climate.
~ Drinking enough water to stay hydrated, is the BEST antidote to all 4 kinds of kidney stones …

 ~ Readers should monitor the intensity of the color of their urine in the toilet bowl … as a constant monitor of their hydration levels…

 ~ Our urine in the bowl has only the color of light-straw, when we are sufficiently hydrated.

 ~ People here should trust 97% of Merida’s tap water from our very clean 160 ft deep wells- because it is so much better quality & safer than typical USA drinking water from contaminated USA rivers & lakes.

 Data & Facts versus Myths & Personal Imaginings:
~ Reader`s should NOT drink the toxic lead-contaminated water of the over 5,000 US water districts (consistently failing US EPA standards every year since 2005) … because toxic lead … and other heavy metals …. accumulate toxic lead & heavy metals in our bodies throughout our lives
… so even small regular ingestions of toxic lead & heavy metals (like Nickel, Chromium & Mercury) add up to health problems over time.

~ Merida’s tap water has no toxic lead & no toxic heavy metals that are present in over 10,000 USA Drinking Water districts.

~ Don’t stress over all the fake claims and false opinions … of non-scientists … … Brush your teeth with Merida’s tap water … Drink healthy tap water & eat healthy foods, prepared in our Merida tap water, with confidence … versus the fear-mongoring, worry & fake claims of so many of the internet’s non-scientists.


 ~ Note that the rumor that drinking hard tap-water magically supposedly causes “kidney stones”… is completely FALSE … because each glass of Merida tap water contains just a trivial 3 mg of Ca.

 ~ Remember that a glass of milk has 220X times more Calcium than a whole LITER of Merida tap water. … and a small slice of cheese has 145X times MORE Calcium than a WHOLE liter of Merida tap water.

 ~ Realize the fact that 3 out of 4 kidney stones have ZERO CALCIUM in them. … Drinking water does NOT cause kidney stones – Instead … it is the best defense AGAINST them.

 ~ Just 1 vitamin-mineral daily supplement pill has more Calcium than 44 glasses of Merida tap water.

 . . .
Sadly … too many internet comments *trick* readers into ignoring those 12 pieces of …. helpful … practical … useful … FACTUAL advice. 😉

 


THE NEXT CHAPTER in this saga?
There have been some GREAT questions … coming in about the quality of water in the No. Yucatan Coast beach areas.
At first glance, I can’t tell if the quesitions are asked about personal well water or personal Ojo de Agua water in Chicxulub or Progreso … or whether they are asking about SMAPAP water quality there?
In either case … Great question !
1. Ignore the non-scientist’s unscientific, non-factual internet comments.
2. Most of Yucatan’s north coast beach communities are built on ‘permanent’ sand bars that sit on top of an AQUATARD (water-proof geological barrier) down at between 18 ft – 24 ft below the sandy surfaces.
3. … The PURE rainwater that on the north Yucatan beach areas percolates through the sand, and accumulates on top of this aquatard … creating small “perched aquifiers” of fairly pure rainwater.
4. They are called -> “Agua dulce” in Spanish … and sometimes the Yucatan’s north coast has natural springs of this pure rainwater … and near-surface pools of pure rainwater … in the form “Ojo’s de Agua” … that are proven FAR FAR CLEANER than most USA tapwater.
5. The question of purity of your personal well water from either Ojo’s de Agua … or from 18 ft – 24 ft deep wells (where the well driller does NOT penetrate the aquatard) …depends on:
~ The cleanliness of the sand in your area** …
~ The proximity of asphalt & concrete roadways (and their awful polluted runoff) ..
~ The proximity of your septic system …
~ The proximity of your neighbors’ septic systems …
~ and the occasional incursions of sea water (that makes the well water taste salty.
~ ~ ~ ~
FORTUNATELY, I have personally had “Agua Dulce ” and water from “Ojos de Agua” … tested … and those samples have tested clean, just like the rainwater that they come from.
~ ~ ~ ~
IF… however … somebody changed their motor-oil and dumped the oil onto the sand … or
IF your well / Ojo de Agua are near some septic system, or old gas station
… or some auto body shop where they spilled & dumped solvent or paint
… or some past dry-cleaners shop … or some guy who washes his dirty oily auto parts in solvent
or … IF your well / Ojo de Agua are contaminated by some fool using heavy amounts of pesticides or herbicides near your well …
then, in those cases … your well water may be contaminated …
but those instances are generally unusual in rural beach areas.
. . .
Still … there will be non-scientific naysayer internet commentors … who believe that … beach sand is somehow toxic** … and that pure rainwater is somehow toxic** …
**yet … what readers seeing this … are
~ AFRAID to walk on the beach sand?
~ Afraid of sea water ?
~ Afraid of the salt that crystalizes out as ocean wave spray droplets drying out …?
~ Afraid of sea sal ….?
and even
~ Afraid of rain water.
😉
. . .
IOW. …
IF I lived in downtown Progreso … I would NOT drink the well water …
… But I would be happy filling my swimming pool with it … and chlorinating that pool water.
SO …
This is one of those questions/issues where a mix of facts, science and COMMON SENSE … can work superbly well …
😉
Dr. Steven M. Fry
Ph.D. in Env. Health & Public Health

 

Dr. Steven M. Fry

Ph.D. in Env. Health & Public Health

 .
. .
Sadly … Facts … and reality … so often carry little weight … and have little value … in the personal imaginings of so many people on the internet…
🙁
Go with FACTS … Be Healthy !

 Follow good practical, factual advice … from talented well-trained professionals.

Dr. sez: Don’t worry … Be HAPPY ! 😉

https://yucalandia.com/2019/11/20/drinking-water-quality-in-merida/

 

 

—

= = = = = = = =
Mexico Cell:  +52 999-126-7725
US Phone & Voice Mail: 970-672-9133

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Ancient DNA results … Climate Change … and Data Driven Science versus Guesses & Handwaving**

Posted on December 26, 2024 by yucalandia

Dec. 26, 2024
Ancient DNA results … Climate Change … and Data Driven Science versus Guesses & Handwaving**

Walkers versus Boat-People:

When faced with dramatically rising sea levels, from Climate Change … Whom would you choose to join? 

Walk the 12,000 km (7,500 miles) from Russia to Mexico … or paddle your boat … or even hoist a sail?

According to the latest studies of ancient human DNA from Mexico, the first human civilizations to populate the Americas were the Central and South American peoples – by ancient Siberians and by Sundaland-ers* … using boats … The latest DNA results show that first colonizations most-likely took place at least 30,000 to 40,000 years ago**, which is much earlier than anthropologists’ & archeologists’ previous GUESSES.

Appearing & Disappearing Land Masses, Due to Ice Ages and Climate Change:
Sundaland was an ancient extension of the SE Asian continent corresponding to present-day Indonesia and surrounding islands … just like Doggerland … Both Sundaland & Doggerland disappeared due to rising sea levels at the end of the last Ice Age … as Climate Change forcing ancient humans to move.

*… where Sundaland was an extension of the Malay Peninsula, and Doggerland was the big area connecting the British Isles to Continental Europe … and Climate Change forced both sets of ancient peoples to move

… as Climate Change created the Islanders we now call Brits … and Climate Change also created the first “Americans” … 

Why care about Sundaland?
2023 DNA results published by Nanyang Tech. Institute (2023) in the Journal Nature (see below) …. show that South & Central Americans not only were the FIRST HUMANS to come to the Americas**, but that they came from Sundaland. In the Nature study, high-coverage whole-genome data generated by the GenomeAsia 100 K consortium29 for 763 individuals were derived from 59 ethnic groups that are native to Southeast and South Asia with European populations as reference groups – as the genetic basis for characterize Sundalanders.

CLIMATE CHANGE Driving Human Migrations:
Because Sundaland DISAPPEARED due to rising sea levels … the Sundalanders were forced to move … as some of them took to boats … and SAILED to AMERICA … at least 30,000 years ago.

Next:
**Pair the Sundaland DNA results & Siberian Inupiat DNA results with Mexican researchers results (from Nature, 2020) on ancient human remains from the Chiquihuite Cave, Mexico, plus comparably ancient findings in the Chiapas highlands, Central Mexico, and the Caribbean coast … and the results show that modern humans occupied various parts of Mexico at least 27,000 YEARS AGO … LONG before any previous anthropologists’ & archeologists’ previous ~GUESSES~ that ~”humans supposedly walked from Siberian” just “12,000 – 14,000 years ago”~ .

Guessing & Hand-Waving … versus Data Driven Science:
DNA studies of American Natives reveal that the Sundaland DNA data shows that the Sundalanders were the “mother people” … and that the Inupiat Siberians were the “father people” of those first “Americans” who colonized Mexico, Central America & South America between 27,000 – 40,000 yrs ago … Meanwhile the walkers from Siberia came over to North America a full 13,000 – 27,000 years later.

Using data-driven factual analyses… The simplest calculations show that:
“It takes centuries, or millennia, for (walking) people to cross Beringia and arrive in the middle of Mexico.”

Yet : “It (then) takes many years of previous presence for (even boat people) to get to inland points in Mexico & the Caribbean coast, (even) if they came (to Mexico) by sea … ”
per Dr. Ciprian Ardelean

… This DNA evidence means that humans were likely in Central America long before 30,000 years ago … and they came by boat, from Sundaland … and by boat from Siberian Inupiat peoples.

Why are the Two Ancient American Population Sources Important?
These latest DNA results show that those EARLIEST native peoples of Central and South America come from two distinct ancestral groups. The latest DNA evidence shows that they have both a “mother people,” who are identified as “population Y,” (the original inhabitants of Sundaland) …. and ancient DNA results show they have a “father people,” (“population X”) … from the Iñupiat peoples of Siberia.
…

So … Just like how 97% of Carl Sagan’s GUESSES that he told people – as supposed “science”, and 98% of Einstein’s GUESSES that he told people as supposed “science” … has been proven factually wrong by modern DATA-DRIVEN science.

REAL modern science … driven by data … is exposing just how much of 1950’s-1970’s supposed “Science” were just elaborate GUESSES … that were very very wrong.
😉

Dr. Steven M. Fry
Ph.D. in Science

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-04510-0
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2509-0
https://scelse.sg/scelse-pi-honoured-with-outstanding-woman-researcher-award/

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2024 Aguinaldo & Vacation Pay Rules for Mexico

Posted on November 20, 2024 by yucalandia

Nov. 27, 2023
AGUINALDOs … and Vacation Days-Pay … INCLUDING 2023’s Additional ~25% Vacation Pay Premium**

As Christmas holiday chatzkies are appearing on store shelves …. as we make our holiday plans … It’s time to remember our beloved household help and employees (including nuestro querido “muchachas” y “mozos”).

Please plan ahead to pay them their end of the year Aguinaldos and Vacation Pay by at least December 20’th …. and Plan to also give them paid-Vacation days OFF  for the year … Ignore the gringo-myths:   The Aguinaldo is NOT a optional bonus. Our Mexican workers and their families count-on and depend on these critical annual payments owed to them, by law.

Because the Annual vacation pay & Aguinaldo payments are mandatory, you can pay them whenever you want … like even ~NOW~ … so they can enjoy using those $$ for the upcoming holiday sales !

Aguinaldo Calculation:
Basically the Aguinaldo is 15 days of pay. (calculated on a 7 day work wk) – so it formally 2 weeks of pay, plus another day of “Daily Rate Pay”.

Specifically, the annual aguinaldo payment is precisely 15 days of “Daily Rate pay”. … Note that  “Daily Rate pay” is a bit peculiar, because you take their weekly pay, and divide by 7 days.

Example, if your cleaning person is paid $350 pesos each time, for 2 times a week, then their “Daily Rate Pay” is => $700/7 days = $100 per day.

This means a 15 day Aguinaldo for her would be:
15 days x $100/day =    $1,500 Aguinaldo   for the Year

It is not a Christmas bonus.   It is a mandatory wage payment that is due by the 20’th of December.   The aguinaldo is equivalent to at least “15 days wages”, and may be pro-rated if the employee has been working for you for less than a full year.

If the person only worked part time or just some months of the year ... One method is to simply divide their TOTAL annual pay $$  by 365 days … to get the “Daily Rate Pay” … and then MULTIPLY that part-year-adjusted “Daily Rate Pay” by 15 days.

mexico-ramirez-family

Note that if they work only a part year, and you don’t know the total amount paid during the whole year:
An alternate way of calculating the aguinaldo is determined by multiplying the total days they worked in current year  … times 15 … then divide by 365 days .. and then finally … multiply that value by the daily rate:

For a part-year worker coming in for 2 days a month for 9 months =>
18 days total worked … x  … 15 days of Aguinaldo = 270
270 / 365 = 0.7392 …    0.74 x   $Daily Rate ($100 pesos/day?)   = $ 74 pesos

==================================

Vacation Pay – 2023 Update !

4 pesos

==================================

Vacation Pay – 2023 Update !
Vacation pay starts with a basic minimum payment of 12 days of Daily Rate pay, plus a 25% bonus.** … => Daily Rate pay x 1.25 x # of Vacation Days.

**Further, as of 2023, Mexican labor law requires employers to pay a vacation premium, a bonus of **at least 25 percent of the base salary**, so that vacation days are paid at a 125 percent salary rate at a minimum,

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/global-hr/pages/mexico-paid-vacation-days.aspx

1st year – 12 days of Daily Rate pay**
2 years – 14 days
3 years – 16 days 
4 years – 18 days
5 years – 20 days
6 to 10 years – 22 days
11 to 15 years – 24 days
16 to 20 years – 26 days
21 to 25 years – 28 days
26 to 30 years – 30 days
31 to 36 years – 32 days

**Daily Rate pay is based on a 7 day work-week calculation.   Either divide their weekly pay by 7 to get their Daily Rate pay …  and then …
**Increase that Daily Rate pay by MULTIPLYING it by 1.25 for Vacation Pay calculations.

or .. Calculate the full year pay, and divide by 365 days to get the Daily Rate pay, and Increase that Daily Rate pay by MULTIPLYING it by 1.25 for Vacation Pay calculations.

Happy Holidays !

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See more details at our Full Articles:
https://yucalandia.com/answers-to-common-questions/labor-law-for-household-employees-in-mexico-what-must-we-pay/

… and   https://yucalandia.com/answers-to-common-questions/mexicos-new-2012-labor-law-and-the-effects-on-expats-with-household-help/

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Customs Fees Charged to Tourists Eliminated for Extra Electronics at Cancun Airport

Posted on October 12, 2024 by yucalandia

Oct. 12, 2024:
Friday, Oct. 11, the Q-Roo Governor, Mara Lezama, just announced:

~ Tourists passing through Cancun International Airport will NO LONGER be charged a fee for bringing more than one larger electronic device, including laptops and tablets. ~

The change is effective Saturday, 10/12/2024.

“We managed to eliminate the charge for bringing more than one computer or electronic tablet into your personal luggage, within the #Cancun International Airport, with the support of Mexican Customs,”
per Lezama’s Facebook page.

“”We are thankful to the authorities for their sensibility and for listening with the goal to adapt to this new era, and beginning today, this charge has been eliminated for both National and International travelers.”

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?mibextid=WC7FNe&v=1948074459034109&rdid=sxGZP4XurhWz4w1b

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Be afraid … Be stressed … or Be Prepared ?

Posted on October 7, 2024 by yucalandia

Oct. 7, 2024:
In addition to the comprehensive list below, consider saving key photos & key documents either online on The Cloud … and also on 2 different thumb-drive USB memory sticks … since so many people report that their pictures are what they most miss after losing things in a storm.

and … Here in the Tropics, it can be super helpful to put your outdoor lawn furniture into the swimming pool, to keep it from flying around, along with prepping a “Bug-Out Bag” of clothes & meds.
Cheers!

May be an image of text

*
Here’s a second list of storm preparation activities:

1. Experts now say
“Don’t bother taping your windows, it does nothing.”

2. If you are in a beachside home, consider installing good storm shutters.

3. Move patio furniture into your garage or shed (or in the swimming pool), trim your trees and shrubs, get rid of any yard debris.

4. Have a good store of potable drinking water.

5. Make sure your flashlights and battery powered devices (like a weather radio) are fully charged & working fine.

6. Keep a good stash of batteries & as much as a 3 month supply of key medicines … stored in your fridge.

7. Check outside for things that are not well secured that might fall or fly: even fences, decorative fountains, satellite dishes, solar panels, gazebos or other big outside structures, check them for damage and repair or replace anything that might come loose.

8. Solar chargers & hand-cranked chargers have become better & better quality – to charge cell phones, etc.

9. IF you live in a high-risk coastal area, pack up a BUG-OUT bag of essential things (meds, a few clothes, computer backups & foto backups on a memory stick**).

**10. After past disasters, many people report their key photos & key documents to be among their most precious possessions. **Consider making electronic copies of key fotos & key documents – and store them either on “The Cloud” … and additionally on 2 separate memory-sticks.

11.  Pack a “Bug-Out Bag” of essentials, including clothes & medications.

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May 24’th: The Day that Light-posts & Walls Cast no Shadows … (in Merida, Yuc.)

Posted on May 20, 2024 by yucalandia

May 20, 2024:
Among people who enjoy watching & exploring the natural world around us, there are those who love to jump into the sea; there are others who enjoy tramping around jungles to see exotic insects, exotic birds, exotic lizards … and there are even a few who enjoy marking the passage of celestial events in our skies.

For those who enjoy looking up at the sky:
Many readers know about the longest & shortest days of the year (Summer Solstice – 6/20/24 & Winter Solstice- 12/21/24), and they know about the 2 days when our Sun rises at (nearly) exactly due East … and set (nearly) exactly due West … aka the Spring & Fall Equinoxes …
Yet, if you live in the Tropics => at latitudes between the Tropic of Cancer & the Tropic of Capricorn, then you have a chance to experience an additional TWO special solar*days each year, called the Zenith passage days.
 
In Merida, our Sun will be (briefly) in the Southern sky for just 3 more days, with May 23’rd being the last day it briefly touches our Southern sky at solar-noon … THEN … on May 24’th …. our Sun moves just far enough further north, to be DIRECTLY overhead … at it’s ZENITH … at solar noon, 11:55 local Merida time.
 
This means that on May 24’th, in Merida, perfectly plumb light poles & perfectly plumb walls … will cast no shadows at solar noon (11:55 local time) … because the 24th is one of 2 Zenith passage days each year here, when our Sun is directly overhead at it’s Zenith …
 
Then, on the 25’th of May this year, our Sun then moves to being ONLY in the northern skies between May 25’th through to the next day when the Sun returns to being directly overhead
 
at 12:05 Solar Noon Zenith on July 19’th, 2024, in Merida.**
~ ~ ~ ~
For these reasons, we’re having some of the hottest days of the year, because the noon-time angles of the sun over Merida have been almost 90º perpendicular Sun overhead … as 89.2º today (5/20) … 89.4º tomorrow (5/21) … 89.59º on Wed (5/22) … 89.77º on Thurs (5/23) … 89.90º on Fri (5/24) … and 89.82º on Sat. (5/25) … where 90º is perfectly perpendicular at it’s Zenith = Sun directly overhead.
~ ~ ~ ~
**And YES, Virginia,
If your solar panels are tilted (angled) to face the south – they are pointed completely AWAY from the sun here in Merida, between May 25 through July 19’th … during our HOTTEST MONTHS …
So, South-aimed solar panels are now pointed away from the Sun here. 😉

and Yes, a few ancient people living in between the Tropic of Cancer & Tropic of Capricorn realized this, and they constructed wells with perfectly plumb (perpendicular) walls to detect the Zenith Days.

On the 2 Zenith days of the year, when the Sun is directly ovehead, the bottom of the well is illuminated – with no light touching the side walls.

There’s one Maya site and one Egyptian site with this curious type of well. The Egyptian well was at Syene. I have forgotten the location of the equivalent Maya site.

The Egyptian well at Syene was used by Eratothenes
“Simple trigonometry shows us that a large vertical object (like an obelisk) allows for a greater precision in observation than a short gnomon or sundial provides. Here are two examples of a shadow that objects with different heights will project for a 0º 22’ angle, the difference between the Tropic in Eratothenes’ time (23° 43′ N), and Syene (24° 05′ N).”

Solar Zenith diagram3

” … the arc in the bowl is found to be one-fiftieth of its proper circle. Therefore the distance from Syene to Alexandria must necessarily be one-fiftieth part of the great circle of the earth. And the said distance is 5000 stades; therefore the complete great circle measures 250,000 stades. Such is Eratosthenes‘ method.”

Solar Zenith diagram1

Solar Zenith diagram2

” Here we see the simple geometry of a sundial. The vertical h is shown for two examples: a 6ft (183cm) post and the height of one of the obelisks that still stands in Temple of Karnak, erected by Pharaoh Hatshepsut (c.1478 – 1458 B.C.) As we can see, the question of whether Eratosthenes would have noticed a shadow at Syene if he had carried out the observation is clearly yes. If Eratosthenes would have used a 183 cm staff or post to measure a shadow, he would have noticed a 1.17 cm shadow on the northern side of the hypothetical sundial.”

Or so goes the popular (myth) story …. YET:
“Form the information seen above, it is clear that Eratosthenes did not perform an observation or experiment at Syene to confirm that the city was under the North Tropic. Although many scholars have acknowledged this fact, to our awareness, none of them have calculated when the North Tropic was situated at the Latitude of Syene, nor have they taken into account Cleomedes’ margin of uncertainty in order to calculate a spectrum of time wherein the original observation was made. As we have shown, the time gives between 3750-1500 BC. This is the actual fact of science, but many questions arise from this piece of data. In the feedback we received from other scholars on this question, it has been proposed that Eratosthenes took for granted that Syene was under the Tropic, and that this information came to him through documents in the Library of Alexandria, or through “rumors” circulating at the time. It seems rather clear that the latter idea should be ruled out in favor of the first, not only because it seems the most reasonable in consideration of the volumes the library contained on a variety of sciences, but also because the Tropic had been displaced from Syene thousands of years before the time of Eratosthenes. If any oral tradition existed in Egypt regarding the lack of shadows on the day of North Solstice at Elephantine, it must have been 1300 years old by the time of Eratosthenes, and it is much more likely that such knowledge was preserved in writing. Everything indicates that the Greek geographer had access to ancient sources that provided the method he used and that was later related by Cleomedes, but the Obliquity of the Ecliptic and the chronology it provides forces us to acknowledge that both the method and the observations were originally carried out by the Ancient Egyptians between 3750-1500 BC,”

“Some have proposed that Eratosthenes did perform the experiment in Alexandria, and therefore used the angular shadow of a polos or gnomon to calculate the Polar Circumference of the Earth. Indeed, the thesis that the original method and observations were carried out by the Ancient Egyptians between 3750-1500 BC does not discard the possibility that Eratosthenes performed an observation at Alexandria, and then made his own estimate for the Earth’s circumference. But this theory presents us with the question of how Eratosthenes arrived at the measurement of 5000 stades between the latitudes of Syene and Alexandria. As we will see later, it is much more likely that the distance between Latitudes 24º 5’ – 31º 12’ N was measured by the Egyptians long before Eratosthenes time, and these “stades” are originally Egyptian units of measure. We also do not know how Eratosthenese knew that the Sun was at such a great distance from the Earth that it’s rays would fall parallel on the Earth as Cleomedes states. The fact that Cleomedes quotes Eratosthenes saying that Syene and Alexandria are on the same meridian is an error that indicates an incomplete understanding by Eratosthenes about the method in question, for it is not necessary for the locations to be on the same Longitude or E-W coordinate.”

https://www.academia.edu/27928173/How_the_Ancient_Egyptians_had_Calculated_the_Earths_Circumference_between_3750_1500_BC_a_revision_of_the_method_used_by_Eratosthenes_2020_Update_?auto=download

Other Celestial Curiosities you Might Not have Noticed:
How many readers have noticed

 how our Moon only touches her northernmost Full Moon rising point on the horizon once every 18 yrs…

and how she only touches her southernmost Full Moon rising point on the horizon once every 18 yrs.In other words => So a typical person only gets to see those special Lunar events about 3 times each … in a lifetime.

Here’s a Lunar Analemma … showing her position in the sky … throughout a year … at the same time of night.This Lunar Analemma image is for Turkey:
May be an image of twilight and horizon

 if you liked that Lunar Analemma … consider a Solar Analemma … from neighboring Greece
showing the Sun at the same Solar Noontime from the same viewing point … for a year … in our Northern Hemisphere skies:

May be an image of the Parthenon and text

====
Doubters are welcome to use this friendly solar calculator to check these dates out.https://www.suncalc.org/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3_a9X_mZNxMm3X3qMD_NwhcMyJnuhpfNgVW24xstrkI7JneWuJ6o8C2zQ_aem_AT-RFRsJ4Mj76QnS8yNo0WLqlczKNl1mGRfDAdmbqCWaEmsiwS7YSubaMhpaVx-MTXJHeN3FphMnBWq1yv017mG7#/20.9952,-89.6161,3/2024.05.20/17:39/1/3

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Estancia Nueva Vida Girl’s Program, March 2024 Updates

Posted on March 24, 2024 by yucalandia

March 24 Updates:
Here are the latest current needs at Estancia Nueva Vida   Girl’s Program for 18 poor girls in south Merida.   The girls range in age from ages 6 – 12.

Estancia Nueva Vida 
An Erie, PA – Yucatan Friendship Program

List of activities and possible improvements.

Activity Reason for activity
Renew computers Currently the girls are not taking computer classes due to lack of equipment and teachers. We have 5 computers and only 3 work correctly
Clothes and shoes for girls When it’s the girls’ birthday or Children’s Day, we give them a set of new or half-used clothes (in good condition). We currently do not have these materials in stock.
Body hygiene materials The girls use all the personal hygiene items when they are in the stay (toothbrush, shampoo , soap, feminine towels, perfume, hair dryer, etc. ) These materials are provided by the Stay and we require constant renewal
Appropriate furniture in the living rooms The girls take advice every day or classes in: crafts, English, baking, among others. The tables and chairs that we currently have are sometimes already damaged or are not made of appropriate materials for their age.
Repair of a good size refrigerator In the Mercedes Barrera neighborhood it is common for the electricity to go out. In one of those events, the good-sized refrigerator we had had a part break down that we quoted to repair and it was costing us $5,000. So we opted to have a new small one.

However, when preparing lunches and snacks every day, space is reduced.
School supplies Materials such as: hardcover and picture notebooks, foam , silicone, glue stick, folders, curry tape, concealer, paint eraser , etc.

They would be of great help to the girls.
Renovation of children’s play area (park) Since the games we have are very old, we must spend time in maintenance and the lighting is not the most appropriate. We would like to be able to have an outdoor area with games and lighting appropriate to the girls’ age.

 

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March 2024 Tren Maya Updates

Posted on March 21, 2024 by yucalandia

March 21 Updates:
Here are the latest current Tren Maya Stations & Stops into and out-of Merida including all the new stops opened since March 1, 2024… plus the current prices for Merida-Teya voyages:
Tren Maya March 24

Jan. 20 News:
Mexico unveiled special INAUGURAL ROUTES and special INAUGURAL trains between Cancun – Merida- Campeche on Dec. 15, 2023,  as one just subpart … of just one level …  of Tren Maya’s 5 different kinds of trains. In the meantime, a number of major stations (“estaciónes”) have opened and are now selling tickets:

Current Tren Maya Estaciónes – Train Stations Now Selling Tren Maya Tickets
Cancun, Valladolid, Merida Teya, Palenque, San Francisco de Campeche, Tenabo, Hecelchakan, Calkini, Maxcanu, Tixkokob, Izamal, Escárcega, Carrillo Puerto/Champoton and Edzna are selling tickets, as of 1/16/2024.  Knowing the current stations is important because the online E-Ticket website works for tracking some options, but has not worked for purchasing tickets (yet).

For now, we must either go to a currently active train estación** (major station) OR to the official Tren Maya office in Nia Torre, Merida, to actually buy the tickets … so far only available during the week of travel.

In Merida:   Tickets can be purchased for NOW at the San Ramón Norte TREN MAYA office in NIA Tower on Avenida Camara de Comercio:
aka … C49 #255 x C34 y C47 Diag.

Bring your ID. 😉

Where to Find Current Updated Train Schedules:
The most accurate place to check on departure & arrival times for the current very-limited* INAUGURAL Tren Maya services, is to go online to the E-ticket website (even though it does not yet work to buy tickets) … OR … Go to Nia Torre Tren Maya office in Merida (see address above or any Tren Maya station.   THE SCHEDULES ARE CHANGING WEEKLY, so we are not publishing a schedule => Go to the official Tren Maya locations to get the latest best information.
https://www.entradastrenmaya.com.mx/reserva?fbclid=IwAR0gjAZuJCsOLbaPVBc5PEVmRqGpFa3rPODRSdckpr0d1xQop03TOv8Sw-A

What’s Coming in the Future:
*Because the current very limited Inaugural Tren service is not representative of the ultimate future 5 Tren Maya different programs, the Tren Maya overall system will likely not be fully completely finished for as much as 2 years from now.

Still, it’s fun to consider what’s coming:
There will be Electric trains, Touristic Trains,  Local Passenger Trains,  Express Trains … and FREIGHT RAIL Service to from the Oaxaca/Veracruz Isthmus de Tehuantepec BIG rail corridor and new Pacific Ocean port, for FREIGHT TRAINS shipping Chinese, Vietnamese, Thailand, Indonesian, Malaysian, Indian, Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean goods & parts & materials – shipped by containers direct to Merida by Tren Maya’s upcoming freight train service.

As the big new industrial, manufacturing complexes west & northwest of Merida build out, those big business, High Tech complexes between Merida & Sisal, Merida & Celestun, and Merida-Papacal-Progreso open and expand, they will get parts & materials and goods from ALL the Asian Tiger nations shipped directly by rail to Merida, using Tren Maya freight trains that are 20X times more efficient than dirty truck traffic.    Further, with the construction & opening of a NEW DEEP WATER port in Progreso, all the new factories of Merida-Papacal will be able to ship finished goods by big containerized freight ships directly to the USA, Canada & Europe.***
=> Merida will be very different in 15 yrs.

In addition to the future mega-Freight Train service,   Tren Maya will also ADD Express Trains (high speed rail) and Touristic Trains that ALL use the major stations (Estaciones – see below), and  the Local Passenger trains (stopping at lots of local smaller Paraderos) … also consider how the Tren Maya will deliver container loads of materials & goods from the Asian Tigers directly to shops & factories in Merida.

**As the older August report on the freight rail connections with the huge Isthumus de Tehuantepec program, that will rival the Panama Canal … describes how the Tren Maya system wiil ultimately give direct freight rail service to Merida … of containers of materials & goods directly by rail from the ships of China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam & Thailand … to supply new factories in & around Merida …
See the Report at :https://yucalandia.com/2023/08/13/new-study-on-why-some-people-attract-mosquitoes-while-others-repel-mosquitoes-2/?fbclid=IwAR0seGZH6eVfoppxR-gdbhuRNo7ZSV7WFvgCfnfEX64kKYQejlRh2gJpVLE

~ ~ ~ ~

and then consider this more recent report:

Ticket Pricing on these INITIAL INAUGURAL … slow train … short routes:

Tren Maya Pricing

Notice that this set of prices is based on fares out of Merida-Teya’s station.

Notice that it shows 2 CURRENT levels of service:  “Clase Premier” that includes wider seats, food and beverages, along with cheaper basic “Clase Turista” service.  Also note that you have to be a local, with a local official ID, or INAPAM to get the “Tarifia Especial” prices, like the $22 peso price for Merida-Tixkokob.

May be an image of one or more people, map and text that says 'TAVA trenmaya_oficial TREN MAYA TSÍIMIN K'ÁAK Teya Mérida DESTINOS Inicio de operación Tramo Campeche Cancún diciembre.de ் MÉXICO TURISTA PREMIER Campeche $431.50 $688.50 Tenabo $341.50 $545.50 Hecelchakán $293.50 $468.50 Calkiní $230.50 $36800 Maxcanú $163.50 $261.00 Uman $69.00 $110.00 TEYA MÉRIDA Tixkokob Izamal Chichén Itzá Valladolid Nuevo Xcan Leona Vicario Cancún $41.00 $123.50 $286.50 $380.00 $537.50 $647.00 $735.00 $65.50 $197.00 $457.5 $606 $858.50 $1,033.50 $1,173'

and yes, these values above come from Tren Maya’s Instagram page.

For the longer Campeche – Merida – Cancun Routes:
Estación Cancún: Cancún, Quintana Roo & Estación Campeche: Campeche:

CLASE TURISTA  –  ADULTO      $1,166.00
CLASE PREMIER –  ADULTO      $1,862.00
Latest Updates on NEW Tren Maya Services to be Added by March 1, 2024:
By March 1’st they will have all the first, preliminary sections of only main tracks open for Tren Maya. Only the “tourist-loop” routes will be open, and only the slow Tren Xi’inbal services will be running, and only some stations (estaciónes) and some paraderos (local stops) will be open by March 1’st, 2024.Still, there’s a lot more in the Tren Maya plans that will happen in the future (Fast Express trains, freight trains, ELECTRIC trains, Electric-Hybrid trains, and a BIG NATURAL GAS PIPELINE running next to the Tren Maya rails, to feed natural gas to Merida … along with all the other fun Tren Maya services still to be rolled out.Things in the Tren Maya’s FUTURE Pipeline:
Because we will elect a new President in June, 2024, we will have to wait to see how our next President prioritizes the following Tren Maya projects:
There are no plans    announced yet   for when all the paraderos (small local train stops) will be open.
There are no plans    announced yet   for when all the estaciónes (major stations) will be open.
There are no plans    announced yet   for when all the other Tren Maya routes will be open, like the really important big Tren Maya line over to Oaxaca and to the Istmo de Tehuantepec.
There are no plans    announced yet  for when the really important Papacal Tren Maya route will be open.
There are no plans    announced yet  for when the P’atal fast-train, express train service will start. This future luxury express-train will take a little over 2 hrs to get from Merida to Cancun.
There are no plans    announced yet  for when the with long distance, luxury sleeping & dining cars will be open as a part of the special P’atal Tren Maya service
There are no plans    announced yet  for when the Tren Maya’s freight train service from the Istmo de Tehuantepec service will start.
There are no plans    announced yet   for when the new fast electric hybrid train-locomotives will be added, as the current Tren Maya plans include 44% of trains being electric or electric-hybrid locomotives.

Nov. 7, 2023    Original news

Tren Maya … “Tsíimin K’áak” … LATEST UPDATES:

AMLO announced several details about the various Tren Maya programs yesterday.

~ Passenger rail tickets will go on sale Dec. 1, 2023 for “Tramo 2, 3, y 4 del Proyecto Ferroviaro” … (See link below for details)**

Obviously tickets will being sold for just the completed parts of the 5 different Tren Maya sub-programs.

~ As a general rule: Ticket prices will be set at 10% lower than the bus costs for the same routes.  Past reports said that the cheapest slow train, stopping at all the local stops, will charge just $50 pesos.   The next level up (lujo) of the slow train with local stops may cost $75 peso.  The fast Tourist Train will be priced 10% below the typical bus prices for the same routes.

~ Just as our government will inaugurate (open) Le Parque La Plancha in Merida on Sunday, Nov. 19, they will inaugurate the stop at the Cancun International Airport on Dec. 1 .

~ The Campeche to Cancun loop (Tramos 2, 3, & 4 – see map below) will OPEN for service on Dec. 15, 2023.
(Read details below)

~ The Cancun to Palenque route (Tramos 1 through 5) are planned to open by Feb. 29, 2024.
.
The Mayan train project | Alstom

Background Information:
**”The route of the Tren Maya is made up of seven sections (7 tramos) of approx. 1460 km (total).”

“Section 2 of the Tren Maya covers 234 km from Campeche, from Escárcega to Calkiní, with a route that crosses six municipalities and 31 towns, You can ascend and descend at two stations and three stops, reported the general director of the National Fund for Tourism Promotion (Fonatur)… “

SEE Red-Line in this map:
image
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10227980972483409&set=pcb.10227981011364381= = = =
“The Mayan Train track in Section 2 (Tramo 2) is already finished and consists of 234 kilometers throughout six municipalities, from Escárcega to Calkiní, in the state of Campeche,

where the works have generated 27 thousand jobs, reported the general director of the Mayan Train company, Óscar David Lozano Águila.”

“.. the Campeche Railway Bypass, of 18.76 kilometers that is being built as a very important component of this route, the five viaducts were also completed and the 49 pedestrian, vehicular and wildlife crossings … “

” … on this Section 2 route, the Mayan Train benefits more than 535 thousand people who live in the area according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).”

” … the Section 2 route will have five stations located in Carrillo Puerto-Champotón, Edzná, San Francisco Campeche, Tenabo and Hecelchakán, as well as a Maintenance Base in Edzná and an operations yard in Pomuch as part of the infrastructure that will provide the transportation service. cargo on the Mayan Train. “
Mauricio Vila announces that “Gran Parque La Plancha” will be ready by November 19 - The Yucatan Times

” ESTACIONES:
(Major railway stations – not including minor local stops)

Las estaciones que están proyectadas para la operación en distintas fases del proyecto son las siguientes:
1. Palenque
2. Tenosique
3. Balancán
4. Escárcega
5. San Francisco de Campeche
6. Mérida
7. Izamal
8. Chichen Itzá
9. Valladolid
10. Cobá
11. Cancún
12. Puerto Morelos
13. Playa del Carmen
14. Tulum
15. Felipe Carrillo Puerto
16. Bacalar
17. Chetumal
18. Xpujil “
.

NOTICE that the “Estaciones” are the major railway stations for the ~fast~ Tourist train version of Tren Maya to stop at … MEANWHILE the 2 levels of slower Passenger local trains will have lots of additional local stops (Paradereos)

Be sure to look at the second map below for all the smalller local stops – Paraderos – for the 2 slower levels of passenger trains … 😉
image-1

Tren Maya menu

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10227980989043823&set=pcb.10227981011364381

Sources:

https://www.gob.mx/…/513993/TM_ANEXO_TECNICO_VF2__1_.pdf

https://www.gob.mx/…/tren-maya-tramo-2-concluida-la-via…

and the Nov. 6 , 2023 Matutina – as reported in the Nov. 7, 2023 “La Jornada Maya”

*                 *                 *                 *

Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read-on MacDuff . . .

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Jan. 2024 Tren Maya Updates

Posted on January 19, 2024 by yucalandia

March 21 Updates:
Current Prices into & out-of Merida-Teya:
Jan 29 Updates:
Current The Tren Maya track sections between Cancun airport and Playa del Carmen are scheduled to open on Feb. 29.

Also: The new official ON-LINE site to check train schedules and book tickets is here:
https://www.entradastrenmaya.com.mx/reserva?fbclid=IwAR0gjAZuJCsOLbaPVBc5PEVmRqGpFa3rPODRSdckpr0d1xQop03TOv8Sw-A

Jan. 20 News:
Mexico unveiled special INAUGURAL ROUTES and special INAUGURAL trains between Cancun – Merida- Campeche on Dec. 15, 2023,  as one just subpart … of just one level …  of Tren Maya’s 5 different kinds of trains. In the meantime, a number of major stations (“estaciónes”) have opened and are now selling tickets:

Current Tren Maya Estaciónes – Train Stations Now Selling Tren Maya Tickets
Cancun, Valladolid, Merida Teya, Palenque, San Francisco de Campeche, Tenabo, Hecelchakan, Calkini, Maxcanu, Tixkokob, Izamal, Escárcega, Carrillo Puerto/Champoton and Edzna are selling tickets, as of 1/16/2024.  This is important, because the online E-Ticket website has not worked, (yet), so we must either go to a currently active train estaciónes** (major station)    OR  to the official Tren Maya office in Nia Torre, Merida.

In Merida:   Tickets can be purchased for NOW at the San Ramón Norte TREN MAYA office in NIA Tower on Avenida Camara de Comercio:
aka … C49 #255 x C34 y C47 Diag.

Bring your ID. 😉

Where to Find Current Updated Train Schedules:
The most accurate place to check on departure & arrival times for the current very-limited* INAUGURAL Tren Maya services, is to go online to the E-ticket website (even though it does not yet work to buy tickets):
https://www.entradastrenmaya.com.mx/reserva?fbclid=IwAR0gjAZuJCsOLbaPVBc5PEVmRqGpFa3rPODRSdckpr0d1xQop03TOv8Sw-A

What’s Coming in the Future:
*Because the current very limited Inaugural Tren service is not representative of the ultimate future 5 Tren Maya different programs, the Tren Maya overall system will likely not be fully completely finished for as much as 2 years from now.

Still, it’s fun to consider what’s coming:
There will be Electric trains, Touristic Trains,  Local Passenger Trains,  Express Trains … and FREIGHT RAIL Service to from the Oaxaca/Veracruz Isthmus de Tehuantepec BIG rail corridor and new Pacific Ocean port, for FREIGHT TRAINS shipping Chinese, Vietnamese, Thailand, Indonesian, Malaysian, Indian, Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean goods & parts & materials – shipped by containers direct to Merida by Tren Maya’s upcoming freight train service.

As the big new industrial, manufacturing complexes west & northwest of Merida build out, those big business, High Tech complexes between Merida & Sisal, Merida & Celestun, and Merida-Papacal-Progreso open and expand, they will get parts & materials and goods from ALL the Asian Tiger nations shipped directly by rail to Merida, using Tren Maya freight trains that are 20X times more efficient than dirty truck traffic.    Further, with the construction & opening of a NEW DEEP WATER port in Progreso, all the new factories of Merida-Papacal will be able to ship finished goods by big containerized freight ships directly to the USA, Canada & Europe.***
=> Merida will be very different in 15 yrs.

In addition to the future mega-Freight Train service,   Tren Maya will also ADD Express Trains (high speed rail) and Touristic Trains that ALL use the major stations (Estaciones – see below), and  the Local Passenger trains (stopping at lots of local smaller Paraderos) … also consider how the Tren Maya will deliver container loads of materials & goods from the Asian Tigers directly to shops & factories in Merida.

**As the older August report on the freight rail connections with the huge Isthumus de Tehuantepec program, that will rival the Panama Canal … describes how the Tren Maya system wiil ultimately give direct freight rail service to Merida … of containers of materials & goods directly by rail from the ships of China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam & Thailand … to supply new factories in & around Merida …
See the Report at :https://yucalandia.com/2023/08/13/new-study-on-why-some-people-attract-mosquitoes-while-others-repel-mosquitoes-2/?fbclid=IwAR0seGZH6eVfoppxR-gdbhuRNo7ZSV7WFvgCfnfEX64kKYQejlRh2gJpVLE

~ ~ ~ ~

and then consider this more recent report:

Ticket Pricing on these INITIAL INAUGURAL … slow train … short routes:

Tren Maya Pricing

Notice that this set of prices is based on fares out of Merida-Teya’s station.

Notice that it shows 2 CURRENT levels of service:  “Clase Premier” that includes wider seats, food and beverages, along with cheaper basic “Clase Turista” service.  Also note that you have to be a local, with a local official ID, or INAPAM to get the “Tarifia Especial” prices, like the $22 peso price for Merida-Tixkokob.

May be an image of one or more people, map and text that says 'TAVA trenmaya_oficial TREN MAYA TSÍIMIN K'ÁAK Teya Mérida DESTINOS Inicio de operación Tramo Campeche Cancún diciembre.de ் MÉXICO TURISTA PREMIER Campeche $431.50 $688.50 Tenabo $341.50 $545.50 Hecelchakán $293.50 $468.50 Calkiní $230.50 $36800 Maxcanú $163.50 $261.00 Uman $69.00 $110.00 TEYA MÉRIDA Tixkokob Izamal Chichén Itzá Valladolid Nuevo Xcan Leona Vicario Cancún $41.00 $123.50 $286.50 $380.00 $537.50 $647.00 $735.00 $65.50 $197.00 $457.5 $606 $858.50 $1,033.50 $1,173'

and yes, these values above come from Tren Maya’s Instagram page.

For the longer Campeche – Merida – Cancun Routes:
Estación Cancún: Cancún, Quintana Roo & Estación Campeche: Campeche:

CLASE TURISTA  –  ADULTO      $1,166.00
CLASE PREMIER –  ADULTO      $1,862.00
Latest Updates on NEW Tren Maya Services to be Added by March 1, 2024:
By March 1’st they will have all the first, preliminary sections of only main tracks open for Tren Maya. Only the “tourist-loop” routes will be open, and only the slow Tren Xi’inbal services will be running, and only some stations (estaciónes) and some paraderos (local stops) will be open by March 1’st, 2024.Still, there’s a lot more in the Tren Maya plans that will happen in the future (Fast Express trains, freight trains, ELECTRIC trains, Electric-Hybrid trains, and a BIG NATURAL GAS PIPELINE running next to the Tren Maya rails, to feed natural gas to Merida … along with all the other fun Tren Maya services still to be rolled out.Things in the Tren Maya’s FUTURE Pipeline:
Because we will elect a new President in June, 2024, we will have to wait to see how our next President prioritizes the following Tren Maya projects:
There are no plans    announced yet   for when all the paraderos (small local train stops) will be open.
There are no plans    announced yet   for when all the estaciónes (major stations) will be open.
There are no plans    announced yet   for when all the other Tren Maya routes will be open, like the really important big Tren Maya line over to Oaxaca and to the Istmo de Tehuantepec.
There are no plans    announced yet  for when the really important Papacal Tren Maya route will be open.
There are no plans    announced yet  for when the P’atal fast-train, express train service will start. This future luxury express-train will take a little over 2 hrs to get from Merida to Cancun.
There are no plans    announced yet  for when the with long distance, luxury sleeping & dining cars will be open as a part of the special P’atal Tren Maya service
There are no plans    announced yet  for when the Tren Maya’s freight train service from the Istmo de Tehuantepec service will start.
There are no plans    announced yet   for when the new fast electric hybrid train-locomotives will be added, as the current Tren Maya plans include 44% of trains being electric or electric-hybrid locomotives.

Nov. 7, 2023    Original news

Tren Maya … “Tsíimin K’áak” … LATEST UPDATES:

AMLO announced several details about the various Tren Maya programs yesterday.

~ Passenger rail tickets will go on sale Dec. 1, 2023 for “Tramo 2, 3, y 4 del Proyecto Ferroviaro” … (See link below for details)**

Obviously tickets will being sold for just the completed parts of the 5 different Tren Maya sub-programs.

~ As a general rule: Ticket prices will be set at 10% lower than the bus costs for the same routes.  Past reports said that the cheapest slow train, stopping at all the local stops, will charge just $50 pesos.   The next level up (lujo) of the slow train with local stops may cost $75 peso.  The fast Tourist Train will be priced 10% below the typical bus prices for the same routes.

~ Just as our government will inaugurate (open) Le Parque La Plancha in Merida on Sunday, Nov. 19, they will inaugurate the stop at the Cancun International Airport on Dec. 1 .

~ The Campeche to Cancun loop (Tramos 2, 3, & 4 – see map below) will OPEN for service on Dec. 15, 2023.
(Read details below)

~ The Cancun to Palenque route (Tramos 1 through 5) are planned to open by Feb. 29, 2024.
.
The Mayan train project | Alstom

Background Information:
**”The route of the Tren Maya is made up of seven sections (7 tramos) of approx. 1460 km (total).”

“Section 2 of the Tren Maya covers 234 km from Campeche, from Escárcega to Calkiní, with a route that crosses six municipalities and 31 towns, You can ascend and descend at two stations and three stops, reported the general director of the National Fund for Tourism Promotion (Fonatur)… “

SEE Red-Line in this map:
image
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10227980972483409&set=pcb.10227981011364381= = = =
“The Mayan Train track in Section 2 (Tramo 2) is already finished and consists of 234 kilometers throughout six municipalities, from Escárcega to Calkiní, in the state of Campeche,

where the works have generated 27 thousand jobs, reported the general director of the Mayan Train company, Óscar David Lozano Águila.”

“.. the Campeche Railway Bypass, of 18.76 kilometers that is being built as a very important component of this route, the five viaducts were also completed and the 49 pedestrian, vehicular and wildlife crossings … “

” … on this Section 2 route, the Mayan Train benefits more than 535 thousand people who live in the area according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).”

” … the Section 2 route will have five stations located in Carrillo Puerto-Champotón, Edzná, San Francisco Campeche, Tenabo and Hecelchakán, as well as a Maintenance Base in Edzná and an operations yard in Pomuch as part of the infrastructure that will provide the transportation service. cargo on the Mayan Train. “
Mauricio Vila announces that “Gran Parque La Plancha” will be ready by November 19 - The Yucatan Times

” ESTACIONES:
(Major railway stations – not including minor local stops)

Las estaciones que están proyectadas para la operación en distintas fases del proyecto son las siguientes:
1. Palenque
2. Tenosique
3. Balancán
4. Escárcega
5. San Francisco de Campeche
6. Mérida
7. Izamal
8. Chichen Itzá
9. Valladolid
10. Cobá
11. Cancún
12. Puerto Morelos
13. Playa del Carmen
14. Tulum
15. Felipe Carrillo Puerto
16. Bacalar
17. Chetumal
18. Xpujil “
.

NOTICE that the “Estaciones” are the major railway stations for the ~fast~ Tourist train version of Tren Maya to stop at … MEANWHILE the 2 levels of slower Passenger local trains will have lots of additional local stops (Paradereos)

Be sure to look at the second map below for all the smalller local stops – Paraderos – for the 2 slower levels of passenger trains … 😉
image-1

Tren Maya menu

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10227980989043823&set=pcb.10227981011364381

Sources:

https://www.gob.mx/…/513993/TM_ANEXO_TECNICO_VF2__1_.pdf

https://www.gob.mx/…/tren-maya-tramo-2-concluida-la-via…

and the Nov. 6 , 2023 Matutina – as reported in the Nov. 7, 2023 “La Jornada Maya”

*                 *                 *                 *

Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read-on MacDuff . . .

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

INM Mexico’s 2024 Fee Schedule & New Income Requirements – Plus RNE Program Info

Posted on January 2, 2024 by yucalandia

Jan. 2, 2024

 

INM has published it’s 2024 Fee Schedule:

INM Fees 2024

  • * * * * * *
    The INM’s special RNE program allowing some qualifying foreigners to apply for a Residente Temporal visa in Mexico, without returning to your home country.

    “Special Residency in Mexico- NO INCOME NEEDED” … Details here:

    https://mexicorelocationguide.com/regularization-program-residency-in-mexico/?fbclid=IwAR3WBTbr-XFDlRPmMdnGSdt4bIyjbOOFB6f96ozV_6FxMBpdFqE0Nv1Csf0


    * * * * * *
    INM minimum personal fiscal requirements have also increased:

    Temporal/ Temporary Residency
  • Income starting as low as $3450 USD a month at some consulates and up to $4200 USD a month for the past 6 months. Most consulates only require 6 months of bank statements, while others want a full year back. … or​
  • Some consulates start as low as $57,000 USD and up to $66,000 USD in Savings or Investments for 12 months.

    Permanente/Permanent Residency
  • Income/Pension starting at $5700 and up to $6600 USD a month for 6 months
  • or
  • Savings or investments starting at $220,000 and up to $288,000 for 12 months
  • In most cases, these amounts are only for the main applicant.
  • If you’re a couple applying together, your spouse will need an additional $1300 USD monthly to qualify. This also varies by consulate.

*           *           *           *

Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read on, MacDuff.

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Full Eclipse Coming to Mazatlan, April, 2024

Posted on December 18, 2023 by yucalandia

Dec. 18, 2023

Mazatlan … Sinaloa … April 8, 2024.

NASA says this will be the best viewing spot in North America – to experience the ‘totality’ of this years Full Eclipse.

Why report this NOW? … Hotel-accomodation booking are going fast in the area. 😉

 

 

May be an image of eclipse

 

The line with the blue dots is NASA’s map of the April 8, 2024 Full Eclipse:

*           *           *           *

Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read on, MacDuff.

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Estancia Nueva Vida Girls Program in Merida

Posted on December 17, 2023 by yucalandia

Dec. 17, 2023
Welxome to an introductory presentation about the Estancia Nueva Vida Girls program in south Merida, Yucatan.  Please note that this presentation was created over a year ago, and some of the information is not current:

Nueva Vida-1


 

*           *           *           *

Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read on, MacDuff.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Tren Maya … Inauguration Day! … It’s RUNNING!

Posted on December 15, 2023 by yucalandia

Dec. 15 News:
Public Service Announcement:
The  first Tren Maya trains started running on schedule this monring on some special INAUGURAL ROUTES between Cancun – Merida- Campeche one just subpart … of just one level …  of Tren Maya’s 5 different kinds of trains.

Notice that the time to go from Merida’s TEYA station to the Cancun Airport is 3 hrs 26 minutes … plus another 30 minutes to take the tram to Merida Centro. (Note the time change loss of an hour.)
The Return voyage from Cancun Aerport to TEYA (outside Merida) takes 3:36 minutes. (Note the time change gains of an hour.)
|
Then, notice the 7 AM and 11 AM Departure times from Cancun, aren’t that practical for most travellers arriving in Cancun, who want to use the train to shuttle to Merida ..
Finally, notice the 2pm arrival time into Cancun … and 6 pm arrival time into Cancun … doesn’t coordinate well for using the train to get to the Cancun airport for same day flights.
Let’s hope they resolve these issues … as the bring more trains ONLINE. 😉And yes, this initial service describes less than 95% of the Tren Maya train services that will be coming in-line gradually this next 2 yrs,
(Editor’s professional estimate).

May be an image of train, map and text

Touristic Trains, Local Passenger Trains, Express Trains … and FREIGHT RAIL Service to Merida:
In addition to Express Trains (high speed rail) and Touristic Trains that ALL use the major stations (Estaciones – see below), and  the Local Passenger trains (stopping at lots of local smaller Paraderos) … also consider how the Tren Maya will deliver container loads of materials & goods from the Asian Tigers directly to shops & factories in Merida.

As the older August report on the freight rail connections with the huge Isthumus de Tehuantepec program, that will rival the Panama Canal … describes how the Tren Maya system wiil ultimately give direct freight rail service to Merida … of containers of materials & goods directly by rail from the ships of China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam & Thailand … to supply new factories in & around Merida …

~ ~ ~ ~

and then consider this more recent report:

Ticket Pricing on these INITIAL INAUGURAL … slow train … short routes:
(see more below in the early Dec. update section)

May be an image of one or more people, map and text that says 'TAVA trenmaya_oficial TREN MAYA TSÍIMIN K'ÁAK Teya Mérida DESTINOS Inicio de operación Tramo Campeche Cancún diciembre.de ் MÉXICO TURISTA PREMIER Campeche $431.50 $688.50 Tenabo $341.50 $545.50 Hecelchakán $293.50 $468.50 Calkiní $230.50 $36800 Maxcanú $163.50 $261.00 Uman $69.00 $110.00 TEYA MÉRIDA Tixkokob Izamal Chichén Itzá Valladolid Nuevo Xcan Leona Vicario Cancún $41.00 $123.50 $286.50 $380.00 $537.50 $647.00 $735.00 $65.50 $197.00 $457.5 $606 $858.50 $1,033.50 $1,173'

and yes, these values above come from Tren Maya’s Instagram page.

And from Merida’ ticket office yesterday:
May be an image of text

and from Campeche:May be an image of text that says 'Precio Nacional Estación S.F. Campeche Turista Destinos Mérida Teya Tixkokob Izamal Chichén Itzá Premier $ 431.50 472.50 554.50 $688.50 $754.50 885.50 718.00 1,146.00 Pregunta por el descuento local y especial. Consulta términos y condiciones.'

May be an image of text that says 'Precio Nacional 血 Estación S.F. Campeche Turista Destinos Valladolid Nuevo Xcán Leona Vicario Premier 火 1,295.50 $ 811.00 969.00 1,078.50 1,166.00 Cancún A. 1,547.50 1,722.00 1,862.00 Pregunta por el descuento local y especial. Consulta términos y condiciones.'

May be an image of text that says 'Precio Nacional Estación S.F. Campeche Turista Destinos Tenabo Hecelchakán Calkiní Maxcanú Umán Premier 89.50 $ 137.50 $ 201.00 $143.00 220.00 $268.00 362.50 321.00 $427.50 578.50 Pregunta por el descuento localy especial. Consulta términos y condiciones.'

https://www.eticket.mx/trenmaya/

Tickets are listed online, but the website is still not working.  Tickets can be purchased for NOW at the San Ramón Norte TREN MAYA office in NIA Tower on Avenida Camara de Comercio:
aka … C49 #255 x C34 y C47 Diag.

Bring your ID. 😉

As described above, these INAUGURAL ROUTE trains will depart Merida (Teya) at 9:36 … and arrive at the Cancun airport station at roughly 1:30.

Dec. 4, 2023 Update
The Tren Maya Program’s 5 levels of service … on 7 sections of tracks … will be starting on different dates, starting on Dec. 15 for the Campeche to Cancun round trip TOURIST service.

Tickets for the Campeche-Cancun TOURIST service route go on sale Dec. 1, 2023.

The Cancun-Campeche route shows just 2 Tourist trains per day right now leaving at 7:00 AM and 11:00 AM … with the same prices & same times whether you depart from Cancun Airport, or from Campeche City:

Estación Cancún: Cancún, Quintana Roo & Estación Campeche: Campeche:
CLASE TURISTA  –  ADULTO      $1,166.00
CLASE PREMIER –  ADULTO      $1,862.00

https://www.eticket.mx/masinformacion.aspx?idevento=31722

~NEW NOTICE~  Dec. 15, 2023
One poster from the beach just announced:
” I was on eticket.mx today and it shows a ticket for Sunday Cancun – Merida leaving at 7:00 am for $735 pesos for tourist ticket. ”

~ ~ ~ ~

Nov. 7, 2023    Original news

Tren Maya … “Tsíimin K’áak” … LATEST UPDATES:

AMLO announced several details about the various Tren Maya programs yesterday.

~ Passenger rail tickets will go on sale Dec. 1, 2023 for “Tramo 2, 3, y 4 del Proyecto Ferroviaro” … (See link below for details)**

Obviously tickets will being sold for just the completed parts of the 5 different Tren Maya sub-programs.

~ As a general rule: Ticket prices will be set at 10% lower than the bus costs for the same routes.  Past reports said that the cheapest slow train, stopping at all the local stops, will charge just $50 pesos.   The next level up (lujo) of the slow train with local stops may cost $75 peso.  The fast Tourist Train will be priced 10% below the typical bus prices for the same routes.

~ Just as our government will inaugurate (open) Le Parque La Plancha in Merida on Sunday, Nov. 19, they will inaugurate the stop at the Cancun International Airport on Dec. 1 .

~ The Campeche to Cancun loop (Tramos 2, 3, & 4 – see map below) will OPEN for service on Dec. 15, 2023.
(Read details below)

~ The Cancun to Palenque route (Tramos 1 through 5) are planned to open by Feb. 29, 2024.
.
The Mayan train project | Alstom

Background Information:
**”The route of the Tren Maya is made up of seven sections (7 tramos) of approx. 1460 km (total).”

“Section 2 of the Tren Maya covers 234 km from Campeche, from Escárcega to Calkiní, with a route that crosses six municipalities and 31 towns, You can ascend and descend at two stations and three stops, reported the general director of the National Fund for Tourism Promotion (Fonatur)… “

SEE Red-Line in this map:
image
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10227980972483409&set=pcb.10227981011364381= = = =
“The Mayan Train track in Section 2 (Tramo 2) is already finished and consists of 234 kilometers throughout six municipalities, from Escárcega to Calkiní, in the state of Campeche,

where the works have generated 27 thousand jobs, reported the general director of the Mayan Train company, Óscar David Lozano Águila.”

“.. the Campeche Railway Bypass, of 18.76 kilometers that is being built as a very important component of this route, the five viaducts were also completed and the 49 pedestrian, vehicular and wildlife crossings … “

” … on this Section 2 route, the Mayan Train benefits more than 535 thousand people who live in the area according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).”

” … the Section 2 route will have five stations located in Carrillo Puerto-Champotón, Edzná, San Francisco Campeche, Tenabo and Hecelchakán, as well as a Maintenance Base in Edzná and an operations yard in Pomuch as part of the infrastructure that will provide the transportation service. cargo on the Mayan Train. “
Mauricio Vila announces that “Gran Parque La Plancha” will be ready by November 19 - The Yucatan Times

” ESTACIONES:
(Major railway stations – not including minor local stops)

Las estaciones que están proyectadas para la operación en distintas fases del proyecto son las siguientes:
1. Palenque
2. Tenosique
3. Balancán
4. Escárcega
5. San Francisco de Campeche
6. Mérida
7. Izamal
8. Chichen Itzá
9. Valladolid
10. Cobá
11. Cancún
12. Puerto Morelos
13. Playa del Carmen
14. Tulum
15. Felipe Carrillo Puerto
16. Bacalar
17. Chetumal
18. Xpujil “
.

NOTICE that the “Estaciones” are the major railway stations for the ~fast~ Tourist train version of Tren Maya to stop at … MEANWHILE the 2 levels of slower Passenger local trains will have lots of additional local stops (Paradereos)

Be sure to look at the second map below for all the smalller local stops – Paraderos – for the 2 slower levels of passenger trains … 😉
image-1

Tren Maya menu

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10227980989043823&set=pcb.10227981011364381

Sources:

https://www.gob.mx/…/513993/TM_ANEXO_TECNICO_VF2__1_.pdf

https://www.gob.mx/…/tren-maya-tramo-2-concluida-la-via…

and the Nov. 6 , 2023 Matutina – as reported in the Nov. 7, 2023 “La Jornada Maya”

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Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read-on MacDuff . . .

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Early Germans Crafted & Killed with Boomerangs 300,000 Yrs Ago

Posted on December 7, 2023 by yucalandia

Nov. 27, 2023

Early Germans were making & throwing sharpened boomerangs … 300,000 yrs ago – outside of Schöningen, Germany.

The blood stains on the … carefully seasoned, carefully shaped… sharpened ends of several early German-boomerangs confirm their use & purpose.

Next Challenge: … Find an early German didgeridoo !

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0287719#pone.0287719.ref008

 

ADeadly Stick Recovered from Germany Dates to 300,000 Years Ago.
May be an image of 1 person


And yes, for the people who want to argue that today’s Germans are not related to the people who seasoned the wood to craft these sharpened hunting-boomerangs, remember that the DNA of the prehistoric peoples living in Germany 300,000 yrs ago … still exists in today’s Germanic peoples.

Current best scientific evidence shows there were at least 5 different types of humans living in the lands now called Germany, 300,000 yrs. ago

Humans in Germany 300,000 yrs ago:
Start by considering a 2016 study & then a 2021 study to our current picture. In one recent breakthrough, Chris Stringer’s 2016 study found Homo heidelbergensis to have NOT been the common ancestor of both Neanderthals and modern humans.

This means that if you’re reading sources that describe H. heidelbergensis as the supposed ancestor of both Neanderthals & modern humans, the you need to un-remember those studies & sourced. 2016 results show H. Heidelbergensis being placed entirely on the Neanderthal side of the tree as the LCA (Last Common Ancestor) of Neanderthals … coincidentally along with Denisovans (close relatives of the Neanderthals), and the LCA’s of the Steinheim skull … which is classified as an early Neanderthal fossil.

When we take this into account, the Last Common Ancestor (LCA) of modern humans and Neanderthals needs to be dated even further back, e. g. to Homo erectus the last LCA shared by Neanderthals & modern humans (Homo sapiens).

Then, to make the evolutionary bush even a bit more convolved (stealing from Stephen J. Gould) … It appears the Steinheim skull is part of the pre-neanderthal “Neandersovans”, the proposed LCA of Neanderthals and Denisovans.

Continuing to today’s latest information, Chris Stringer’s subsequent 2021 study found that Steinheim sits as a sole sister to a group containing H. antecessor and H. longi, who were also present at the 300,000 yr time window – along with Homo erectus also being present in Germany, as the Homo sapiens arrived later.

In this view, together they (H. antecessor, Steinheim and H. longi), are currently considered as sister to the Neanderthals … along with Denisovans.

AND YES … We are all sitting with bated-breath, until we get ancient DNA evidence to definitively sort this all out.

Yet, as good Germans … these 5 groups of folks were all our ancestors. 😉

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4920294/
&
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8454562/

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Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read on, MacDuff.

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