One of the main ways to fight the spread of coronavirus is washing hands. But for many families in one of Mexico City's poorest neighbourhoods, this is not an option due to the lack of clean water.

In San Gregorio, poverty rates hover around 40 percent according to the latest government data. There are some places with no running water with which one can wash your hands, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

It rains in Mexico City almost every day for six months per year. Yet years of poor city planning, a lack of infrastructure investment and corruption have led to severe water shortages.

Oil drum-sized blue plastic containers, often grouped together -- called "pipas" -- are used to deposit water, which is later used by the barrels' owners.

For families for who the amount of water does not last all day, people use the water for washing dishes and clothes, and buys drinking water. Each bottle of water costs 150 pesos.

As for the laundry, there are public washing stations.

Government data from 2018 shows that about 20 percent of Mexico City's population doesn't have access to water every day.

Coronavirus has claimed more than 730,000 cases and 76,430 deaths across the country.

One of the main ways to fight the spread of coronavirus is washing hands. But for many families in one of Mexico City's poorest neighbourhoods, this is not an option due to the lack of clean water.

One of the main ways to fight the spread of coronavirus is washing hands. But for many families in one of Mexico City's poorest neighbourhoods, this is not an option due to the lack of clean water. In San Gregorio, poverty rates hover around 40 percent according to the latest government data. There are some places with no running water with which one can wash your hands, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. It rains in Mexico City almost every day for six months per year. Yet years of poor city planning, a lack of infrastructure investment and corruption have led to severe water shortages. Oil drum-sized blue plastic containers, often grouped together -- called "pipas" -- are used to deposit water, which is later used by the barrels' owners. For families for who the amount of water does not last all day, people use the water for washing dishes and clothes, and buys drinking water. Each bottle of water costs 150 pesos. As for the laundry, there are public washing stations. Government data from 2018 shows that about 20 percent of Mexico City's population doesn't have access to water every day. Coronavirus has claimed more than 730,000 cases and 76,430 deaths across the country.

Mexico City is struggling to enforce hand washing amid pandemic. Here's why

This hands-on, interactive children's museum in Mexico City is re-adjusting to life under the pandemic, reopening its doors on Friday (September 18) but with strict social distancing norms in place.

Mexico City's hands-on kids museum re-opens

Mexico said Friday it has banned a foreign woman from re-entering the country after she was caught on video calling a woman in Mexico City a "horrible Indian"

The foreign woman was apparently angry at one of her Mexican neighbors over tree-trimming on their street, and at one point calls her the Spanish phrase "India horrible," an insulting way to refer to Indigenous or dark-skinned people.

The National Migration Institute said that the foreigner caught a flight out of Mexico after the incident earlier this week and that she would be prohibited from returning.

The agency did not identify the woman or her nationality, but she is heard on the video speaking with a strong Argentine accent and after the incident the Argentine Embassy posted a statement condemning the incident.

The embassy wrote on its Facebook page, "Regarding the events made public yesterday involving people who are apparently Argentine citizens, the country's Embassy in Mexico rejects and condemns any expression of discrimination and/or gender violence." It was unclear why ethnicity came up at all.

The incident took place in Mexico City's upscale Hip?dromo-Condesa neighborhood, where few Indigenous people can afford to live. Most Mexicans have some Indigenous ancestry and are often darker-skinned than Argentines, whose ancestors were often immigrants from Europe.

There have been complaints in the past among Mexicans that lighter-skinned Argentines are arrogant or get preferential treatment in Mexico.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Mexico said Friday it has banned a foreign woman from re-entering the country after she was caught on video calling a woman in Mexico City a "horrible Indian" The foreign woman was apparently angry at one of her Mexican neighbors over tree-trimming on their street, and at one point calls her the Spanish phrase "India horrible," an insulting way to refer to Indigenous or dark-skinned people.

Mexico said Friday it has banned a foreign woman from re-entering the country after she was caught on video calling a woman in Mexico City a "horrible Indian" The foreign woman was apparently angry at one of her Mexican neighbors over tree-trimming on their street, and at one point calls her the Spanish phrase "India horrible," an insulting way to refer to Indigenous or dark-skinned people. The National Migration Institute said that the foreigner caught a flight out of Mexico after the incident earlier this week and that she would be prohibited from returning. The agency did not identify the woman or her nationality, but she is heard on the video speaking with a strong Argentine accent and after the incident the Argentine Embassy posted a statement condemning the incident. The embassy wrote on its Facebook page, "Regarding the events made public yesterday involving people who are apparently Argentine citizens, the country's Embassy in Mexico rejects and condemns any expression of discrimination and/or gender violence." It was unclear why ethnicity came up at all. The incident took place in Mexico City's upscale Hip?dromo-Condesa neighborhood, where few Indigenous people can afford to live. Most Mexicans have some Indigenous ancestry and are often darker-skinned than Argentines, whose ancestors were often immigrants from Europe. There have been complaints in the past among Mexicans that lighter-skinned Argentines are arrogant or get preferential treatment in Mexico.

Mexico: Foreigner who used racist insult can't re-enter

Parents of children with cancer blockaded a street in Mexico City on Thursday (September 3) to speak out against shortages of cancer medicines at public hospitals.

Shortages in child cancer medicine stokes anger of Mexican parents

Authorities in sprawling Mexico City have long faced an uphill battle over how to get commuters onto bikes to ease the capital's snarling traffic woes.

People turn to Eco friendly alternative in Mexico

Authorities in sprawling Mexico City have long faced an uphill battle over how to get commuters onto bikes to ease the capital's snarling traffic woes. Now, coronavirus has made the task a little easier with bike shops in Mexico City reporting brisk trade in lockdown.

Bikes boom in Mexico City as COVID-19 puts brakes on public transport

Family members of some of the thousands of disappeared Mexicans marched on Mexico City's Zocalo square on Sunday (August 30), calling for justice and the return of their missing relatives.

'People continue to go missing' - relatives of Mexico's disappeared demand justice

Commuters on two wheels in Mexico City are making more use of new bike paths, a trend that's been catching on in cities across the globe as a way to stave off the wave of coronavirus infections and an alternative post-lockdown mode of transportation.

Bikes emerge as a post-lockdown transport option in Mexico City

After the coronavirus outbreak prompted the normally bustling streets of Mexico City to empty out, out-of-work musicians looking to make ends meet have been filling roadways with the melodies of their marimbas, trumpets and güiros.

Mexican street musicians bring melodies to people stuck at home

Mexicans are throwing food out of windows and from balconies to help their fellow residents. It's all part of a donation campaign called "Avienta Una Despensa" ("Throw an Item out of the Window") that launched recently to support Mexicans affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Mexicans toss donations from balconies for fellow residents in need during pandemic

The kidnapping and murder of Vivir Quintana's close friend by a man in northern Mexico was just one more femicide among thousands in the country over the past decade, but it forever transformed the songwriter's life.

The 36-year-old from Coahuila state has written a song that is shaping into an anthem for Mexico's growing outcry over the killings of women, channelling anger along with hope for justice.

"Everything changed in my perception of the world, in seeing that we were possible victims," Quintana said, describing how the killing of her friend inspired "Song Without Fear."

<img alt="Mexico" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="22bc9a55-c96e-485e-9a2a-fadf86c71409" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2815%29_18.jpg" />

Members of the female collective of Latin-American singers and authors 'El Palomar', who will sing a song against femicide at Zocalo square, pose for a picture in Mexico City, Mexico March 6, 2020. (Reuters Photo)

It demands an end to the murder of women, an issue that has spurred protests across Mexico, where femicides have risen 137% in the last five years and recent cases have drawn outrage for their brutality.

Quintana will perform the song at Mexico City's massive public square on Saturday evening with 40 other women and Chilean singer Mon Laferte, then reprise the tune at Sunday's march for International Women's Day, handing out song lyrics to encourage other voices to join.

At a recent rehearsal, Quintana strummed an acoustic guitar and belted in a deep voice: "At every minute of every week, they steal friends from us, they kill sisters. They destroy their bodies, they disappear them. Don't forget their names, please, Mister President."

The call is not only for Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whom critics say is dismissive towards protests over gender violence but for leaders across Latin America to prioritize the issue, Quintana said.

The commonplace names that punctuate the lyrics - Claudia, Esther, Teresa, Ingrid, Fabiola and Valeria - represent how typical femicide is across Mexico, Quintana said.

She chose them by asking friends to suggest favourite female names and then searching for them online. They all showed up as women who disappeared or were murdered.

A video of the song notched more than 12,000 views within hours of being posted online on Saturday, and Quintana hopes protesters will adopt it as their own. She also hopes its popularity will one day fade.

"We want it to be a song that hopefully won't stick around, that won't become popular every March 8," she said.

The kidnapping and murder of Vivir Quintana's close friend by a man in northern Mexico was just one more femicide among thousands in the country over the past decade, but it forever transformed the songwriter's life.

The kidnapping and murder of Vivir Quintana's close friend by a man in northern Mexico was just one more femicide among thousands in the country over the past decade, but it forever transformed the songwriter's life. The 36-year-old from Coahuila state has written a song that is shaping into an anthem for Mexico's growing outcry over the killings of women, channelling anger along with hope for justice. "Everything changed in my perception of the world, in seeing that we were possible victims," Quintana said, describing how the killing of her friend inspired "Song Without Fear." Members of the female collective of Latin-American singers and authors 'El Palomar', who will sing a song against femicide at Zocalo square, pose for a picture in Mexico City, Mexico March 6, 2020. (Reuters Photo) It demands an end to the murder of women, an issue that has spurred protests across Mexico, where femicides have risen 137% in the last five years and recent cases have drawn outrage for their brutality. Quintana will perform the song at Mexico City's massive public square on Saturday evening with 40 other women and Chilean singer Mon Laferte, then reprise the tune at Sunday's march for International Women's Day, handing out song lyrics to encourage other voices to join. At a recent rehearsal, Quintana strummed an acoustic guitar and belted in a deep voice: "At every minute of every week, they steal friends from us, they kill sisters. They destroy their bodies, they disappear them. Don't forget their names, please, Mister President." The call is not only for Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whom critics say is dismissive towards protests over gender violence but for leaders across Latin America to prioritize the issue, Quintana said. The commonplace names that punctuate the lyrics - Claudia, Esther, Teresa, Ingrid, Fabiola and Valeria - represent how typical femicide is across Mexico, Quintana said. She chose them by asking friends to suggest favourite female names and then searching for them online. They all showed up as women who disappeared or were murdered. A video of the song notched more than 12,000 views within hours of being posted online on Saturday, and Quintana hopes protesters will adopt it as their own. She also hopes its popularity will one day fade. "We want it to be a song that hopefully won't stick around, that won't become popular every March 8," she said.

'Don't forget their names': Women in Mexico sing anthem protesting femicides

A flutter of wings faster than the eye can see, a quick sip of nectar, and he vanishes from view. Once a common site in Mexico City but in 2020 a rarity in the sprawling metropolis.

Urban gardens in Mexico fight hummingbirds' extinction

Relatives of a seven-year-old girl murdered in Mexico said on Monday the government had failed to protect her despite their pleas, while President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador appeared to blame the crime on neo-liberal economics.

Relatives of a seven-year-old girl murdered in Mexico said on Monday the government had failed to protect her despite their pleas, while President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador appeared to blame the crime on neo-liberal economics. Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett went missing on February 11. Her body was discovered over the weekend in a plastic garbage bag in Mexico City's Tlahuac neighbourhood, days after another murder of a young woman triggered angry protests. Sonia Lopez, Aldrighett's aunt, said the girl could have been found alive if authorities had listened to the family. "Fatima is not with us because the protocols were not followed, because the institutions did not give the attention they should have," Lopez said, her voice breaking with emotion as she spoke to reporters. "We will not forget her." Also Read: Murders in Mexico hit record as Lopez Obrador seeks justice system reform Lopez said precious hours were wasted after Aldrighett was reported missing. She also said social services had not heeded calls to help the girl's mother, who has health problems, support her daughter. Mexico City's attorney general and mayor promised justice and offered a $107,000 reward for information. The attorney general, Ernestina Godoy Ramos, said she would review the office's handling of the case. "The full institution has been activated for the investigation," she told reporters. Asked about the girl's death, Lopez Obrador said he was sure authorities would catch the perpetrators, but said punishment alone was not the solution. [ People protest outside the school of seven-year old Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett, who went missing on February 11 and whose body was discovered last weekend inside a plastic garbage bag, in Mexico City (Courtesy: Reuters) ] The bigger challenge, he said, was to purify Mexican society, which he said had "fallen into decline, a progressive degradation that has to do with the neoliberal model." Lopez Obrador regularly blames problems such as corruption, poverty and violence on policies implemented during the era of pro-market policies such as economic liberalization starting in the 1980s. Family members and parents protested on Monday outside Aldrighett's home and her school, where she was seen leaving accompanied by an adult woman last week. #JuticiaParaFatima, or Justice for Fatima, was tweeted 179,000 times and her name was a top global trend. Footage on Twitter showed residents of the girl's neighbourhood pushing and shouting as they held signs demanding justice. The girl's grandfather, Guillermo Anton Godinez, standing outside the family's modest home, said Lopez Obrador could not blame only his predecessors for Mexico's problems. [ Man looks on next to white balloons and flowers at the site where the body of seven-year old Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett was discovered over the weekend inside a plastic garbage bag (Courtesy: Reuters) ] "Now he is in charge, he is president... He should show us he is different." Social media users noted other countries with free-market economies do not suffer the levels of gender violence seen in Mexico. Women on Friday daubed the words "femicide state" in blood-red on the door of Mexico's National Palace and demanded justice for 25-year-old Ingrid Escamilla, whose killer skinned her body last week. Lopez Obrador on Monday asked the protesters not to paint the palace, saying his government was working to end the murder of women. Approximately 10 women a day are killed in Mexico and the year 2019, the first of Lopez Obrador's government, set an overall homicide record, according to official data. Victims of femicide increased by 10 per cent in 2019 to over 1,000.

Government accused by Mexican family for daughter's murder in Mexico City

A <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/new-mexico-city-exhibition-paints-picture-of-love-between-frida-kahlo-and-diego-rivera-247975">Mexican art</a> critic has accidentally destroyed an artwork worth $20,000 at Mexico's premier Zona Maco art fair.

Mexican art critic Avelina Lésper said she accidentally shattered the contemporary piece when she placed an empty cold drink can near it to express her dislike towards the installation.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/new-mexico-city-exhibition-paints-picture-of-love-between-frida-kahlo-and-diego-rivera-247975">New Mexico City exhibition paints picture of love between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera</a>

''It was like the work heard my comment and felt what I thought of it as it shattered into pieces and collapsed and fell on the floor,'' she said.

<img alt="Shattered artwork" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d93f5fa0-726c-4e69-b3b9-d81671fa1434" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/EQSpiP6UUAEjKsY.jpg" />

(Image courtesy: Twitter/ @paveleguez)The work was made by a Mexican artist called Gabriel Rico, who contrasts manmade objects, with objects found in nature.

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Nos tocó show en Zona Maco. Avelina Lesper rompió una pieza de Gabriel Rico, se quiso huir, se declaró insolvente y pidió una cámara que lo probara. Muchxs la vimos <a href="https://t.co/vcfY5ryOl8">pic.twitter.com/vcfY5ryOl8</a>
— G. Mtz-Zalce (@grazalce) <a href="https://twitter.com/grazalce/status/1226291452289794048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The gallery which was displaying the work criticized Lésper's behaviour as ''unprofessional''.

Watch: Collective quilt art seeks to combat violence and misogyny in Mexico

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/collective-quilt-art-seeks-to-combat-violence-and-misogyny-in-mexico-276938/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

It said the critic's behaviour showed an “enormous lack of professionalism and respect.”&nbsp;The art critic offered to pay the charges needed to repair the piece.

The gallery said it would contact the artist first before taking any step.

A Mexican art critic has accidentally destroyed an artwork worth $20,000 at Mexico's premier Zona Maco art fair. Mexican art critic Avelina Lésper said she accidentally shattered the contemporary piece when she placed an empty cold drink can near it to express her dislike towards the installation.

A Mexican art critic has accidentally destroyed an artwork worth $20,000 at Mexico's premier Zona Maco art fair. Mexican art critic Avelina Lésper said she accidentally shattered the contemporary piece when she placed an empty cold drink can near it to express her dislike towards the installation. Also read: New Mexico City exhibition paints picture of love between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera ''It was like the work heard my comment and felt what I thought of it as it shattered into pieces and collapsed and fell on the floor,'' she said. (Image courtesy: Twitter/ @paveleguez)The work was made by a Mexican artist called Gabriel Rico, who contrasts manmade objects, with objects found in nature. Nos tocó show en Zona Maco. Avelina Lesper rompió una pieza de Gabriel Rico, se quiso huir, se declaró insolvente y pidió una cámara que lo probara. Muchxs la vimos pic.twitter.com/vcfY5ryOl8 — G. Mtz-Zalce (@grazalce) February 8, 2020 × The gallery which was displaying the work criticized Lésper's behaviour as ''unprofessional''. Watch: Collective quilt art seeks to combat violence and misogyny in Mexico It said the critic's behaviour showed an “enormous lack of professionalism and respect.” The art critic offered to pay the charges needed to repair the piece. The gallery said it would contact the artist first before taking any step.

Art critic accidentally shatters $20,000 contemporary piece at Mexico fair

More than 500 pieces of textile art were joined together on Mexico City's iconic Zocalo Square on Sunday (January 26) in a collective artwork that seeks to draw attention to the violence that organizers say women and children face in their daily lives in Mexico and around the world.

Collective quilt art seeks to combat violence and misogyny in Mexico

Four people were killed and two injured in a shooting on Saturday near Mexico's National Palace, the presidential residence in the capital's historic downtown, officials said.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was travelling outside of Mexico City on Saturday.

Preliminary reports indicated an armed man entered a building on a small street near the palace looking to relieve himself, Mexico City police said.

After two people in the building reproached him, the man withdrew a pistol and opened fire. When police arrived, they found four people with gunshot wounds lying in the building's courtyard, and shot at the gunman.

Paramedics found the gunman dead, along with two other people, the police said. One of three people who sustained injuries died en route to the hospital.

More than 100 police officers rapidly arrived and cordoned off the street, according to television images.

The building sits in a narrow, pedestrian-only street that opens onto an entrance of the National Palace used daily by government staff and reporters.

Lopez Obrador took office a year ago on pledges to run an austere government. In addition to cutting his salary by half, he shed various trappings of power, including a large force of secret-service style bodyguards.

The leftist also turned the luxurious Los Pinos presidential residence into a cultural center and moved into the centuries-old National Palace amid the bustle of Mexico City's historic center.

Four people were killed and two injured in a shooting on Saturday near Mexico's National Palace, the presidential residence in the capital's historic downtown, officials said.

Four people were killed and two injured in a shooting on Saturday near Mexico's National Palace, the presidential residence in the capital's historic downtown, officials said. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was travelling outside of Mexico City on Saturday. Preliminary reports indicated an armed man entered a building on a small street near the palace looking to relieve himself, Mexico City police said. After two people in the building reproached him, the man withdrew a pistol and opened fire. When police arrived, they found four people with gunshot wounds lying in the building's courtyard, and shot at the gunman. Paramedics found the gunman dead, along with two other people, the police said. One of three people who sustained injuries died en route to the hospital. More than 100 police officers rapidly arrived and cordoned off the street, according to television images. The building sits in a narrow, pedestrian-only street that opens onto an entrance of the National Palace used daily by government staff and reporters. Lopez Obrador took office a year ago on pledges to run an austere government. In addition to cutting his salary by half, he shed various trappings of power, including a large force of secret-service style bodyguards. The leftist also turned the luxurious Los Pinos presidential residence into a cultural center and moved into the centuries-old National Palace amid the bustle of Mexico City's historic center.

Four killed, 2 injured in shooting near Mexico's presidential residence

Archaeologists said Wednesday they have made the largest-ever discovery of&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;remains: a&nbsp;trove&nbsp;of 800 bones from at least 14 of the extinct giants&nbsp;found&nbsp;in central&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-probes-narco-group-la-linea-in-mormon-murders-260430">Mexico</a>.

Moreover, they believe they have made the first-ever find of a&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;trap set by humans, who would have used it to capture the&nbsp;huge&nbsp;herbivores more than 14,000 years ago, said&nbsp;Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

"This is the largest find of its kind ever made," the institute said in a statement.

The skeletal remains were&nbsp;found&nbsp;in Tultepec, near the site where President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's government is building a new airport for&nbsp;Mexico City.

Some bore signs that the animals had been hunted, leading experts to conclude that they had&nbsp;found&nbsp;"the world's first&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;trap," it said.

"Mammoths lived here for thousands of years. The herds grew, reproduced, died, were hunted... They lived alongside other species, including horses and camels," archaeologist Luis Cordoba told journalists.

Researchers said at least five&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;herds lived in the area of the find.

Mexico&nbsp;has been the scene of surprising&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;discoveries before.

In the 1970s, workers building the&nbsp;Mexico City&nbsp;subway&nbsp;found&nbsp;a&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;skeleton while digging on the capital's north side.

Archaeologists said Wednesday they have made the largest-ever discovery of mammoth remains: a trove of 800 bones from at least 14 of the extinct giants found in central Mexico.

Archaeologists said Wednesday they have made the largest-ever discovery of mammoth remains: a trove of 800 bones from at least 14 of the extinct giants found in central Mexico. Moreover, they believe they have made the first-ever find of a mammoth trap set by humans, who would have used it to capture the huge herbivores more than 14,000 years ago, said Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). "This is the largest find of its kind ever made," the institute said in a statement. The skeletal remains were found in Tultepec, near the site where President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's government is building a new airport for Mexico City. Some bore signs that the animals had been hunted, leading experts to conclude that they had found "the world's first mammoth trap," it said. "Mammoths lived here for thousands of years. The herds grew, reproduced, died, were hunted... They lived alongside other species, including horses and camels," archaeologist Luis Cordoba told journalists. Researchers said at least five mammoth herds lived in the area of the find. Mexico has been the scene of surprising mammoth discoveries before. In the 1970s, workers building the Mexico City subway found a mammoth skeleton while digging on the capital's north side.

Huge trove of mammoth skeletons found in Mexico

Watch in WION Wallet: Taxi drivers protest against Uber, Didi & Cabify in the Mexico City. The protesters claimed that App-based taxis not following norms.

WION Wallet: Taxi drivers protest in Mexico City, 'App-based taxis not following norms'

This segment offers you global round-up of top stories of 13 May 2019.

Global Round-up: Watch major global headlines of the day , 13 May 2019

Giant condom hands out rubbers ahead of Valentine's Day

*By Angelica Duran-Martinez

Nearly 34,000 people were murdered in Mexico last year, according to new government statistics - the deadliest year since modern record-keeping began.

Of all the challenges facing Mexico's new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, curbing violence may be the biggest.

Mexico has seen ever-growing bloodshed since 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed the Mexican armed forces to fight drug cartels.

Rather than reduce violence, the government’s crackdown actually increased conflicts between and among cartels, according to my research on criminal violence and numerous other studies. It also led to widespread military abuses of power against civilians.

More than 250,000 people have been murdered and 35,000 have disappeared since the beginning of Mexico’s drug war.

Lopez Obrador said on the campaign trail that Mexico must “consider multiple alternatives to achieve the pacification of the country.”

He pitched several possibilities to reduce crime without using law enforcement, including granting amnesty to low-level criminals, negotiating with crime bosses to dismantle their syndicates and confronting the human rights violations committed by soldiers, police and public officials.

Finding the truth

Some of those ideas - particularly the controversial notion of negotiating with organized crime - have faded away since Lopez Obrador took office on December 1.

So far, his administration has put more emphasis on traditional law-and-order policies.

In December, he ordered the creation of a Mexican national guard to fight organized crime. Though human rights advocates and security experts fear this approach will repeat past fatal mistakes of militarizing Mexican law enforcement, the lower house of Congress recently approved the measure. It will likely be approved in the Senate.

Lopez Obrador has followed through on one of his campaign proposals for "pacifying" Mexico, though.

Days after being sworn in, the president established a truth commission to investigate the unsolved disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teachers college in the southern Mexican town of Iguala in 2014.

Five years after their disappearance, the truth of this infamous case remains elusive.

According to the government of former president Enrique Pena Nieto, the crime was a local affair. Students en route to a protest march in Mexico City were detained by the Iguala police, and, at the mayor's order, handed over to a local gang, which killed them and burned their bodies.

Investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights could not corroborate this story. In the burn pit identified in 2016, they found no physical evidence of the missing students.

In a scathing final report, investigators said that authorities had ignored crucial evidence that the army and federal police were involved in the students’ disappearance.

A truth commission will help Mexicans "understand the truth and do justice to the young people of Ayotzinapa," Lopez Obrador said on Twitter in announcing its creation.

The Ayotzinapa truth commission will put extraordinary resources and personnel on the case and give the victims’ families and perpetrators a voice in the process - neither of which police investigations in Mexico typically do.

Transitional justice

Truth commissions aim to create a collective, participatory narrative of human rights atrocities that not only exposes the perpetrators but also identifies the conditions that facilitated violence. They are a central component of transitional justice, an approach to helping countries recover after civil war or dictatorship.

Countries like Argentina, Guatemala, Brazil and Peru all used truth commissions to reckon with the toll of their bloody dictatorships and wars and give reparations to victims. South Africa famously used a truth commission to document the horrific human rights violations committed under apartheid.

Mexico's situation is different: It has a criminal violence problem, not a civil war.

But my research indicates this pacification strategy may have some promise.

Recent studies suggest that truth commissions can actually help prevent future violence. Because they identify perpetrators, who then face punishment for their crimes, truth commissions can both take criminals off the street and deter others from committing crime.

Holding public officials responsible for their corruption would be a major achievement in Mexico.

As the US federal trial of drug trafficker Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman illustrates, corruption penetrates the highest levels of Mexican government.

Since the beginning of its drug war, in 2006, Mexican citizens have filed 10,000 complaints of abuse against soldiers, including accusations of extrajudicial killings and torture. The government has done little to look into those allegations. Nor has it actively investigated most of the murders of 97 Mexican journalists since then.

If an Ayotzinapa truth commission enjoys the full support of federal authorities - which is not a guarantee, given the corruption it will almost certainly uncover - it could restore some faith in Mexico’s justice system. Currently, 97 percent of all crimes go unpunished.

Focusing on truth may also help the country better understand - and therefore address - the root causes of violence in Mexico.

Truth commissions, however, will not immediately solve an incredibly complex security crisis.

As Amnesty International has said, the Mexican government cannot create a truth commission to investigate every mass atrocity of the drug war. Mexico also needs a functioning justice system.

Pardoning low level crimes

Another transitional justice tool the Lopez Obrador government has proposed is amnesty to non-violent, low-level drug offenders.

The president's chief-of-staff, Olga Sanchez Cordero, says that pardoning people convicted and jailed for growing, processing, transporting or using drugs - particularly women and offenders from marginalized populations - would stop the cycle of violence in Mexico and encourage petty criminals to disarm.

Mexico's amnesty proposal is not unlike the First Step Act recently passed in the United States, which will result in the early release of about 2,600 prisoners, many of them drug offenders.

Mexico’s prison population has been steadily rising for years.

Between 2000 and 2016, it increased 40 per cent, from 154,765 inmates to 217,868 inmates, according to the Institute of Criminal Policy Research. The number of people jailed in Mexico for drug offenders has also increased markedly.

As in the United States, most prisoners in Mexico come from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the Collective for the Study of Drugs and Law, a non-profit research group.

What lies ahead

Should Lopez Obrador's amnesty idea become policy, it would surely be controversial.

Victims of violence in Ciudad Juarez were outraged when, in August 2018, President-elect Lopez Obrador said residents must be "willing to forgive".

Many caught in the crossfire of Mexico's drug war say justice and punishment should come before forgiveness.

But violence in Mexico is so pervasive that, in my opinion, the country must consider every option that might stanch the bleeding.

Truth commissions and amnesties to low level crimes will not pacify the country immediately - but they may bring some of the truth and justice Mexicans so desperately need.

*(Angelica Duran-Martinez is Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Massachusetts Lowell)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/mexico-is-bleeding-can-its-new-president-stop-the-violence-109490">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

*By Angelica Duran-Martinez Nearly 34,000 people were murdered in Mexico last year, according to new government statistics - the deadliest year since modern record-keeping began.

*By Angelica Duran-Martinez Nearly 34,000 people were murdered in Mexico last year, according to new government statistics - the deadliest year since modern record-keeping began. Of all the challenges facing Mexico's new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, curbing violence may be the biggest. Mexico has seen ever-growing bloodshed since 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed the Mexican armed forces to fight drug cartels. Rather than reduce violence, the government’s crackdown actually increased conflicts between and among cartels, according to my research on criminal violence and numerous other studies. It also led to widespread military abuses of power against civilians. More than 250,000 people have been murdered and 35,000 have disappeared since the beginning of Mexico’s drug war. Lopez Obrador said on the campaign trail that Mexico must “consider multiple alternatives to achieve the pacification of the country.” He pitched several possibilities to reduce crime without using law enforcement, including granting amnesty to low-level criminals, negotiating with crime bosses to dismantle their syndicates and confronting the human rights violations committed by soldiers, police and public officials. Finding the truth Some of those ideas - particularly the controversial notion of negotiating with organized crime - have faded away since Lopez Obrador took office on December 1. So far, his administration has put more emphasis on traditional law-and-order policies. In December, he ordered the creation of a Mexican national guard to fight organized crime. Though human rights advocates and security experts fear this approach will repeat past fatal mistakes of militarizing Mexican law enforcement, the lower house of Congress recently approved the measure. It will likely be approved in the Senate. Lopez Obrador has followed through on one of his campaign proposals for "pacifying" Mexico, though. Days after being sworn in, the president established a truth commission to investigate the unsolved disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teachers college in the southern Mexican town of Iguala in 2014. Five years after their disappearance, the truth of this infamous case remains elusive. According to the government of former president Enrique Pena Nieto, the crime was a local affair. Students en route to a protest march in Mexico City were detained by the Iguala police, and, at the mayor's order, handed over to a local gang, which killed them and burned their bodies. Investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights could not corroborate this story. In the burn pit identified in 2016, they found no physical evidence of the missing students. In a scathing final report, investigators said that authorities had ignored crucial evidence that the army and federal police were involved in the students’ disappearance. A truth commission will help Mexicans "understand the truth and do justice to the young people of Ayotzinapa," Lopez Obrador said on Twitter in announcing its creation. The Ayotzinapa truth commission will put extraordinary resources and personnel on the case and give the victims’ families and perpetrators a voice in the process - neither of which police investigations in Mexico typically do. Transitional justice Truth commissions aim to create a collective, participatory narrative of human rights atrocities that not only exposes the perpetrators but also identifies the conditions that facilitated violence. They are a central component of transitional justice, an approach to helping countries recover after civil war or dictatorship. Countries like Argentina, Guatemala, Brazil and Peru all used truth commissions to reckon with the toll of their bloody dictatorships and wars and give reparations to victims. South Africa famously used a truth commission to document the horrific human rights violations committed under apartheid. Mexico's situation is different: It has a criminal violence problem, not a civil war. But my research indicates this pacification strategy may have some promise. Recent studies suggest that truth commissions can actually help prevent future violence. Because they identify perpetrators, who then face punishment for their crimes, truth commissions can both take criminals off the street and deter others from committing crime. Holding public officials responsible for their corruption would be a major achievement in Mexico. As the US federal trial of drug trafficker Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman illustrates, corruption penetrates the highest levels of Mexican government. Since the beginning of its drug war, in 2006, Mexican citizens have filed 10,000 complaints of abuse against soldiers, including accusations of extrajudicial killings and torture. The government has done little to look into those allegations. Nor has it actively investigated most of the murders of 97 Mexican journalists since then. If an Ayotzinapa truth commission enjoys the full support of federal authorities - which is not a guarantee, given the corruption it will almost certainly uncover - it could restore some faith in Mexico’s justice system. Currently, 97 percent of all crimes go unpunished. Focusing on truth may also help the country better understand - and therefore address - the root causes of violence in Mexico. Truth commissions, however, will not immediately solve an incredibly complex security crisis. As Amnesty International has said, the Mexican government cannot create a truth commission to investigate every mass atrocity of the drug war. Mexico also needs a functioning justice system. Pardoning low level crimes Another transitional justice tool the Lopez Obrador government has proposed is amnesty to non-violent, low-level drug offenders. The president's chief-of-staff, Olga Sanchez Cordero, says that pardoning people convicted and jailed for growing, processing, transporting or using drugs - particularly women and offenders from marginalized populations - would stop the cycle of violence in Mexico and encourage petty criminals to disarm. Mexico's amnesty proposal is not unlike the First Step Act recently passed in the United States, which will result in the early release of about 2,600 prisoners, many of them drug offenders. Mexico’s prison population has been steadily rising for years. Between 2000 and 2016, it increased 40 per cent, from 154,765 inmates to 217,868 inmates, according to the Institute of Criminal Policy Research. The number of people jailed in Mexico for drug offenders has also increased markedly. As in the United States, most prisoners in Mexico come from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the Collective for the Study of Drugs and Law, a non-profit research group. What lies ahead Should Lopez Obrador's amnesty idea become policy, it would surely be controversial. Victims of violence in Ciudad Juarez were outraged when, in August 2018, President-elect Lopez Obrador said residents must be "willing to forgive". Many caught in the crossfire of Mexico's drug war say justice and punishment should come before forgiveness. But violence in Mexico is so pervasive that, in my opinion, the country must consider every option that might stanch the bleeding. Truth commissions and amnesties to low level crimes will not pacify the country immediately - but they may bring some of the truth and justice Mexicans so desperately need. *(Angelica Duran-Martinez is Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Massachusetts Lowell) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Mexico is bleeding. Can its new President stop the violence?

The death toll from a <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/world/death-toll-in-mexico-gasoline-pipeline-blast-climbs-to-94-officials-192072&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjjlffwhojgAhWLvY8KHfJrAZoQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw3bP7-u_3Rnd7ojlT8gz_eh">pipeline explosion</a> in central Mexico caused by an illegal tap has reached 100, officials said Thursday.

Four of the people hospitalised following the blast died overnight, the IMSS public health service said.

Eleven others injured in the blast in Tlahuelilpan - a small town in Hidalgo state - remain hospitalized at IMSS institutions in the capital, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-fuel-pipeline-blast-death-toll-rises-to-73-191521&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjbp-eCh4jgAhXIL48KHSdaCngQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ytotPCwCCNr-WU342RNMO">Mexico state</a>, and Hidalgo, the service said in a statement.

The blast occurred last Friday night, hours after hundreds of Tlahuelilpan residents gathered near a pipeline to collect fuel after thieves had drilled a hole in the duct.

Army soldiers had arrived at the scene prior to the explosion but were unable to control the large crowd.

Stealing fuel from pipelines owned by state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and re-selling it on the black market has become a major criminal enterprise in Mexico.

This form of theft cost Mexico some $3.4 billion last year, according to official figures.

Since his December 1, 2018, inauguration, leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has launched an all-out fight against the racket, deploying thousands of police and troops to increase the surveillance of pipelines.

The administration also adopted a change in Pemex's method for shipping gasoline and diesel from refineries to urban distribution centres, opting to transport more fuel via tanker trucks instead of pipelines.

That modification has caused severe supply problems in at least 10 states and Mexico City and led to the closing of service stations and panic purchases.

In parallel with those steps, Lopez Obrador presented Tuesday a plan to provide economic aid to communities along the routes to discourage residents from illegally tapping into the conduits.

The plan is expected to benefit 1.68 million people in 91 municipalities and has an estimated price tag of 3.86 billion pesos ($187 million).

The goal is to alleviate poverty and end the need for people to tap the pipelines to get fuel, the president said.

The death toll from a pipeline explosion in central Mexico caused by an illegal tap has reached 100, officials said Thursday. Four of the people hospitalised following the blast died overnight, the IMSS public health service said.

The death toll from a pipeline explosion in central Mexico caused by an illegal tap has reached 100, officials said Thursday. Four of the people hospitalised following the blast died overnight, the IMSS public health service said. Eleven others injured in the blast in Tlahuelilpan - a small town in Hidalgo state - remain hospitalized at IMSS institutions in the capital, Mexico state, and Hidalgo, the service said in a statement. The blast occurred last Friday night, hours after hundreds of Tlahuelilpan residents gathered near a pipeline to collect fuel after thieves had drilled a hole in the duct. Army soldiers had arrived at the scene prior to the explosion but were unable to control the large crowd. Stealing fuel from pipelines owned by state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and re-selling it on the black market has become a major criminal enterprise in Mexico. This form of theft cost Mexico some $3.4 billion last year, according to official figures. Since his December 1, 2018, inauguration, leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has launched an all-out fight against the racket, deploying thousands of police and troops to increase the surveillance of pipelines. The administration also adopted a change in Pemex's method for shipping gasoline and diesel from refineries to urban distribution centres, opting to transport more fuel via tanker trucks instead of pipelines. That modification has caused severe supply problems in at least 10 states and Mexico City and led to the closing of service stations and panic purchases. In parallel with those steps, Lopez Obrador presented Tuesday a plan to provide economic aid to communities along the routes to discourage residents from illegally tapping into the conduits. The plan is expected to benefit 1.68 million people in 91 municipalities and has an estimated price tag of 3.86 billion pesos ($187 million). The goal is to alleviate poverty and end the need for people to tap the pipelines to get fuel, the president said.

Death toll from Mexico pipeline blast stands at 100

A fire at a shack in an impoverished Mexico City neighbourhood Friday killed six children and their adult caretaker, authorities said.

It was not known what caused the pre-dawn blaze at the sheet metal-and-cardboard shack in the densely populated neighbourhood of Iztapalapa, on the sprawling capital's east side.

The adult who died had been watching the children while their parents were at work, said prosecutor Jose Antonio Escobar.

The fire was similar to another less than a month ago that was caused by a gas leak, said the top city official for the area, Clara Brugada.

"We're going to investigate (what caused the fire), but we will have to launch a campaign on how to use gas heaters safely in the winter," she said.

Iztapalapa is the most populous area in Mexico City, with 1.8 million inhabitants, many of them living in destitute conditions. The capital's metropolitan area is home to more than 20 million people.

A fire at a shack in an impoverished Mexico City neighbourhood Friday killed six children and their adult caretaker, authorities said. It was not known what caused the pre-dawn blaze at the sheet metal-and-cardboard shack in the densely populated neighbourhood of Iztapalapa, on the sprawling capital's east side.

A fire at a shack in an impoverished Mexico City neighbourhood Friday killed six children and their adult caretaker, authorities said. It was not known what caused the pre-dawn blaze at the sheet metal-and-cardboard shack in the densely populated neighbourhood of Iztapalapa, on the sprawling capital's east side. The adult who died had been watching the children while their parents were at work, said prosecutor Jose Antonio Escobar. The fire was similar to another less than a month ago that was caused by a gas leak, said the top city official for the area, Clara Brugada. "We're going to investigate (what caused the fire), but we will have to launch a campaign on how to use gas heaters safely in the winter," she said. Iztapalapa is the most populous area in Mexico City, with 1.8 million inhabitants, many of them living in destitute conditions. The capital's metropolitan area is home to more than 20 million people.

Mexico fire kills six children, one adult

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday that he will ask the Senate to reform the Mexican Constitution to eliminate a provision barring criminal prosecution of the head of state for any offense short of treason.

"The initiative that I am sending to the Senate is to end this immunity. The impunity established by the constitution is over. The president will be judged like any other citizen for any crime," Lopez Obrador said during his morning press conference.

Lopez Obrador, who took office last Saturday, recalled that since 1917 the head of the Mexican state may only be prosecuted for "the crime of treason" and he said he disagreed with the fact that a president cannot be held accountable for crimes of corruption.

He also expressed confidence that lawmakers in the Senate and the lower house, where his Leftist Morena party has a majority, will approve the initiative so that "the immunities and privileges are ended."

In his inaugural address, Lopez Obrador declared that he intends to put a "definitive end" to corruption, although he announced that his government will not push for investigations against his presidential predecessors.

The elimination - or at least reduction - of certain privileges for top public officials is one of his "republican austerity" measures, which also include selling the presidential jet and refusing to live in the Los Pinos presidential residence, as well as the decision to slash his own salary by 60 per cent.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday that he will ask the Senate to reform the Mexican Constitution to eliminate a provision barring criminal prosecution of the head of state for any offense short of treason.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday that he will ask the Senate to reform the Mexican Constitution to eliminate a provision barring criminal prosecution of the head of state for any offense short of treason. "The initiative that I am sending to the Senate is to end this immunity. The impunity established by the constitution is over. The president will be judged like any other citizen for any crime," Lopez Obrador said during his morning press conference. Lopez Obrador, who took office last Saturday, recalled that since 1917 the head of the Mexican state may only be prosecuted for "the crime of treason" and he said he disagreed with the fact that a president cannot be held accountable for crimes of corruption. He also expressed confidence that lawmakers in the Senate and the lower house, where his Leftist Morena party has a majority, will approve the initiative so that "the immunities and privileges are ended." In his inaugural address, Lopez Obrador declared that he intends to put a "definitive end" to corruption, although he announced that his government will not push for investigations against his presidential predecessors. The elimination - or at least reduction - of certain privileges for top public officials is one of his "republican austerity" measures, which also include selling the presidential jet and refusing to live in the Los Pinos presidential residence, as well as the decision to slash his own salary by 60 per cent.

Mexico President Lopez Obrador wants to eliminate presidential immunity

Mexican officials said on Sunday the government was set to unleash a new wave of troops to crack down on criminal groups in regions where a surge in violence led to more than 25,000 murders last year.

National Security Commissioner Renato Sales said federal police troops will work with local officials to round up known major criminals and bolster investigations.

The aim was &ldquo;to recover peace and calm for all Mexicans,&rdquo; he said. He did not provide details on the number of federal police to be deployed.

More than 25,000 murders were recorded last year as rival drug gangs increasingly splintered into smaller, more blood-thirsty groups after more than a decade of a military-led campaign to battle the cartels.

Violence is a central issue ahead of the presidential election in July. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto&rsquo;s ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party is trailing in third place in recent polls.

Sales said federal police troops would be deployed in the states of Colima and Baja California Sur, the resort town of Cancun and the border city of Ciudad Juarez, among others. He said more details would be forthcoming within days.

Earlier this month, the United States slapped its most stringent travel warnings on the states of Colima, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Guerrero, ranking them as bad as war-ravaged Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

At least 25 people were murdered in Mexico this weekend, according to officials and local media, including nine men who were executed at a house party in a suburb of the wealthy northern industrial city of Monterrey.

Masked gunmen burst into a home in San Nicholas de los Garza as a group watched a local soccer team play on television, according to state prosecutors. Seven were killed at the scene and two more died later at a hospital.

There were a wave of attacks in night spots late Saturday and early Sunday. A group of armed men killed three people in a bar in the resort city of Cancun, a Chilean tourist was killed in the Pacific beach resort of Acapulco, and two more were killed in a bar in the capital of Veracruz state.

Six more were killed in the border city of Ciudad Juarez and four more died in the border state of Tamaulipas, where at least 10 were killed during the week at outlaw road blockades and in shootouts, local media reported.

More than 25,000 murders were recorded last year as rival drug gangs increasingly splintered into smaller, more blood-thirsty groups

Mexican officials said on Sunday the government was set to unleash a new wave of troops to crack down on criminal groups in regions where a surge in violence led to more than 25,000 murders last year. National Security Commissioner Renato Sales said federal police troops will work with local officials to round up known major criminals and bolster investigations. The aim was “to recover peace and calm for all Mexicans,” he said. He did not provide details on the number of federal police to be deployed. More than 25,000 murders were recorded last year as rival drug gangs increasingly splintered into smaller, more blood-thirsty groups after more than a decade of a military-led campaign to battle the cartels. Violence is a central issue ahead of the presidential election in July. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party is trailing in third place in recent polls. Sales said federal police troops would be deployed in the states of Colima and Baja California Sur, the resort town of Cancun and the border city of Ciudad Juarez, among others. He said more details would be forthcoming within days. Earlier this month, the United States slapped its most stringent travel warnings on the states of Colima, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Guerrero, ranking them as bad as war-ravaged Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. At least 25 people were murdered in Mexico this weekend, according to officials and local media, including nine men who were executed at a house party in a suburb of the wealthy northern industrial city of Monterrey. Masked gunmen burst into a home in San Nicholas de los Garza as a group watched a local soccer team play on television, according to state prosecutors. Seven were killed at the scene and two more died later at a hospital. There were a wave of attacks in night spots late Saturday and early Sunday. A group of armed men killed three people in a bar in the resort city of Cancun, a Chilean tourist was killed in the Pacific beach resort of Acapulco, and two more were killed in a bar in the capital of Veracruz state. Six more were killed in the border city of Ciudad Juarez and four more died in the border state of Tamaulipas, where at least 10 were killed during the week at outlaw road blockades and in shootouts, local media reported.

Mexico to send troops to stem violence after record 25,000 murders

The earthquake that hit Mexico on September 19 did not discriminate in its destruction, leveling homes in rich and poor neighborhoods alike.

But one month on, the tragedies facing Mexico City&#39;s newly homeless depend largely on class.

Residents of upscale neighborhoods like Roma and Condesa face a frenzied rush to rent or buy new homes in other neighbourhoods nearby, creating a real estate bubble.

Meanwhile, in far-flung corners like Xochimilco in the south, residents say the government has forgotten them and they fight to cling to whatever they can.

More than 8,000 homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed by the 7.1-magnitude quake, which left a trail of destruction that cut across Mexico City from north to south, hitting a broad cross-section of neighbourhoods.

&quot;You think it won&#39;t happen to you, until it does,&quot; said Gerardo Alvarez, who had to flee his home in the trendy Zona Rosa with his pregnant wife.

&quot;My house is collapsing, there are diagonal scars on the walls,&quot; he told AFP.

For now, he and his wife are staying with friends. But they are struggling to find a new home.

Homeless and shell-shocked residents are exiting the capital`s hip central neighborhoods in drones, leading to a frothy real estate bubble in surrounding&nbsp;neighborhoods built on more solid ground.

&quot;Prices have gone through the roof,&quot; said Paola Navarrete, a 31-year-old consultant.

She had to abandon her badly damaged building in Condesa. The authorities would only let her return to salvage three outfits of clothes and her documents.

Condesa, a hipster playground of trendy restaurants, bars and boutiques, looked like a wasteland after the quake, which killed 369 people, mostly in the capital.

There are no official figures on the number of newly homeless.

Some 600 people are staying in shelters. But many more are staying with relatives, friends or colleagues -- or a succession of all three.

These sometimes awkward stays have revived an old expression in Mexico: &quot;There are two things that start to stink after three days: dead bodies and guests.&quot;

Many companies are also looking to move.

Demand for new office buildings with the latest anti-earthquake features has surged by 30 to 40 percent since the same period last year, according to figures from real estate agency Coldwell Banker Mexico cited in the newspaper El Financiero.Far from the froth, many modest homes are also in ruins or on the verge of collapse in Xochimilco, on the southern outskirts of the capital.

The area, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is popular with tourists for its ancient floating gardens and languid canals.

Some quake exiles have taken to setting up communal tables on the unpaved streets outside their wrecked homes, fighting tragedy with conviviality.

Residents have also instituted a rotating night watch to help each other fend off looters.

But solidarity can&#39;t fix all their problems.

&quot;We still have no water, and the electricity only just came back,&quot; said Hortensia Fernandez, 50, in the empty plot where her house used to stand.

She has cleared away the rubble of her former home, leaving her with a desk, some broken wooden chairs, a small yard and an apple tree. She uses a plastic tarp to protect a few boxes of scattered belongings from the elements.

&quot;We&rsquo;re all sitting here waiting for them to come rebuild our homes, even if it`s just a ramshackle little house,&quot; she said.

&quot;But this is just a neighborhood of little houses, not big buildings like the ones that collapsed so spectacularly.&quot;

Across the way, the Lopez family house is on the verge of collapse, its windows broken and its porch covered in rubble.

&quot;The authorities said they&rsquo;d have to tear it down. But then they never came back. They&rsquo;ve forgotten about us,&quot; said Lorena Lopez.

Her family of six is staying with her sister-in-law down the street. But that house is damaged too.

&quot;It&rsquo;s tough,&quot; she said. &quot;There are nine of us staying in a house that used to hold six. We sleep on the floor, all squeezed in together.&quot;

Her septuagenarian mother breaks into tears as she speaks.

&quot;The worst part is losing our family heirlooms,&quot; she said.

More than 8,000 homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed by the 7.1-magnitude quake.

The earthquake that hit Mexico on September 19 did not discriminate in its destruction, leveling homes in rich and poor neighborhoods alike. But one month on, the tragedies facing Mexico City's newly homeless depend largely on class. Residents of upscale neighborhoods like Roma and Condesa face a frenzied rush to rent or buy new homes in other neighbourhoods nearby, creating a real estate bubble. Meanwhile, in far-flung corners like Xochimilco in the south, residents say the government has forgotten them and they fight to cling to whatever they can. More than 8,000 homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed by the 7.1-magnitude quake, which left a trail of destruction that cut across Mexico City from north to south, hitting a broad cross-section of neighbourhoods. "You think it won't happen to you, until it does," said Gerardo Alvarez, who had to flee his home in the trendy Zona Rosa with his pregnant wife. "My house is collapsing, there are diagonal scars on the walls," he told AFP. For now, he and his wife are staying with friends. But they are struggling to find a new home. Homeless and shell-shocked residents are exiting the capital`s hip central neighborhoods in drones, leading to a frothy real estate bubble in surrounding neighborhoods built on more solid ground. "Prices have gone through the roof," said Paola Navarrete, a 31-year-old consultant. She had to abandon her badly damaged building in Condesa. The authorities would only let her return to salvage three outfits of clothes and her documents. Condesa, a hipster playground of trendy restaurants, bars and boutiques, looked like a wasteland after the quake, which killed 369 people, mostly in the capital. There are no official figures on the number of newly homeless. Some 600 people are staying in shelters. But many more are staying with relatives, friends or colleagues -- or a succession of all three. These sometimes awkward stays have revived an old expression in Mexico: "There are two things that start to stink after three days: dead bodies and guests." Many companies are also looking to move. Demand for new office buildings with the latest anti-earthquake features has surged by 30 to 40 percent since the same period last year, according to figures from real estate agency Coldwell Banker Mexico cited in the newspaper El Financiero.Far from the froth, many modest homes are also in ruins or on the verge of collapse in Xochimilco, on the southern outskirts of the capital. The area, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is popular with tourists for its ancient floating gardens and languid canals. Some quake exiles have taken to setting up communal tables on the unpaved streets outside their wrecked homes, fighting tragedy with conviviality. Residents have also instituted a rotating night watch to help each other fend off looters. But solidarity can't fix all their problems. "We still have no water, and the electricity only just came back," said Hortensia Fernandez, 50, in the empty plot where her house used to stand. She has cleared away the rubble of her former home, leaving her with a desk, some broken wooden chairs, a small yard and an apple tree. She uses a plastic tarp to protect a few boxes of scattered belongings from the elements. "We’re all sitting here waiting for them to come rebuild our homes, even if it`s just a ramshackle little house," she said. "But this is just a neighborhood of little houses, not big buildings like the ones that collapsed so spectacularly." Across the way, the Lopez family house is on the verge of collapse, its windows broken and its porch covered in rubble. "The authorities said they’d have to tear it down. But then they never came back. They’ve forgotten about us," said Lorena Lopez. Her family of six is staying with her sister-in-law down the street. But that house is damaged too. "It’s tough," she said. "There are nine of us staying in a house that used to hold six. We sleep on the floor, all squeezed in together." Her septuagenarian mother breaks into tears as she speaks. "The worst part is losing our family heirlooms," she said.

Mexico quake hit rich and poor alike, but tragedies differ

Early in the morning on <a href="https://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/sept09/independence.html">Sept. 16, 1810</a>, priest, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the bell of his church in the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato, Mexico. His parishioners gathered round, and he <a href="https://books.google.com.sv/books?id=uuBVAAAAMAAJ&amp;source=gbs_navlinks_s">urged them</a> to revolt against Spain&rsquo;s two-year-old Napoleonic government.

Hidalgo&rsquo;s call to arms, which later became known later as the Grito de Dolores <a href="http://www.revistadelauniversidad.unam.mx/6709/carballo/67carballo.html">(Cry of Dolores)</a>, triggered the Mexican War of Independence. Every September 15, the president of Mexico takes to the balcony of the National Palace in Mexico City to <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=4Zn_nCFYY_4C&amp;pg=PA243&amp;dq=grito+de+Dolores+Hidalgo&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q=grito%20de%20Dolores&amp;f=false">reenact</a> it.

This year, just a week before Independence Day, a historic <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-seismologists-didnt-see-mexicos-deadly-earthquake-coming-83865">earthquake struck Mexico&rsquo;s southern coast</a>, killing <a href="https://elpais.com/internacional/2017/09/11/mexico/1505157398_686934.html">nearly 100 people</a>. So President Enrique Pe&ntilde;a Nieto added a poignant element to his Grito by including in the incantation a reference to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/09/world/americas/mexico-earthquake-juchitan-de-zaragoza.html?mcubz=3&amp;_r=0">impoverished states that were most devastated</a> by the quake, crying &ldquo;Long live the solidarity of Mexicans with Chiapas and Oaxaca!&rdquo;

It was a nice twist on tradition, but these two states will need more than expressions of solidarity to recover. The <a href="https://twitter.com/SismologicoMX/status/906132423275986945">8.2 magnitude</a> quake is the <a href="https://twitter.com/EPN/status/906079206987194368">strongest</a> Mexico has experienced in 100 years, surpassing even the Sept. 19, 1985 earthquake that killed an estimated <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080610175800/http:/www.ssn.unam.mx/website/jsp/Carteles/sismo85.jsp">40,000 people</a> in and around Mexico City.

It was also significantly more powerful than the recent <a href="https://twitter.com/SSNMexico/status/910223086263336961">7.1 magnitude</a> earthquake that <a href="http://www.reforma.com/aplicaciones/articulo/default.aspx?id=1213679&amp;v=15">killed upwards of 200 people</a> in and around Mexico&rsquo;s capital on September 19.

Natural and man-made disasters

This latest quake shook Mexico City 32 years to the day after the 1985 &ldquo;big one.&rdquo; I was 11 years old when the quake hit, and I recall the government of President Miguel de la Madrid reacting with what can only be described as criminal apathy: In the first days after the disaster, he <a href="http://www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2012/367226/6/de-la-madrid-el-presidente-recordado-por-el-terremoto-de-1985.htm">prevented the army from rescuing victims</a> and rejected international aid.

The people of Mexico City, however, <a href="http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2005/09/11/mas-jesus.html">took to the streets</a>, distributing food, water and blankets among those who needed them and digging neighbors free from the rubble with their <a href="http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/articulo/metropoli/df/2015/09/13/terremoto-de-1985-la-solidaridad-en-su-maxima-expresion#imagen-1">bare hands</a>.

This time around, the death toll is significantly lower than it was in 1985: 78 fatalities in Oaxaca, 16 in Chiapas and four in Tabasco for the <a href="https://elpais.com/internacional/2017/09/11/mexico/1505157398_686934.html">first earthquake</a>, and more than 220 for the <a href="https://elpais.com/internacional/2017/09/19/actualidad/1505845600_736646.html">second</a>. In part, this reflects <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/25/world/mexicans-link-damage-in-quake-to-breaches-of-city-building-code.html?mcubz=3">improvements</a> in building regulations since 1985 and the creation of both a <a href="http://www.cires.org.mx/">Mexican Seismic Alert System</a> and a <a href="https://www.gob.mx/proteccion-civil">National Civil Protection System</a>.

Still, the damages are daunting. Scores of buildings in Mexico City have suffered <a href="https://twitter.com/Enrique_Acevedo/status/910227100896022528">catastrophic damage</a>.

But it was Oaxaca and Chiapas &ndash; Mexico&rsquo;s two poorest states &ndash; that took the harshest blow. More than 2,500 <a href="http://www.jornada.com.mx/ultimas/2017/09/18/dano-el-sismo-2-646-escuelas-en-oaxaca-y-chiapas">schools</a> have been severely harmed and 85,000 <a href="http://www.animalpolitico.com/2017/09/censo-danos-oaxaca-chiapas/">houses</a> have been affected &ndash; more than 17,000 of them beyond repair.

Poverty makes these disaster impacts worse in the south. On average, <a href="https://www.forbes.com.mx/los-10-estados-con-mas-pobres-en-mexico/">46 percent of Mexican households live in poverty</a>. But <a href="http://www.coneval.org.mx/coordinacion/entidades/Oaxaca/Paginas/Pobreza-2016.aspx">70 percent of Oaxaca&rsquo;s population</a> earns less than what&rsquo;s needed to satisfy basic family needs, according to the government&rsquo;s CONEVAL agency, and 77 percent of <a href="http://www.coneval.org.mx/coordinacion/entidades/Chiapas/Paginas/Pobreza-2016.aspx">Chiapas</a> households do.

In both states, the lowest-income families making as little as <a href="http://www.animalpolitico.com/2017/08/ingreso-menos-ganan-mayor-inegi/">37 pesos</a> (US$2) per day, less than half&nbsp;<a href="http://www.sat.gob.mx/informacion_fiscal/tablas_indicadores/paginas/salarios_minimos.aspx">the Mexican minimum wage</a>, which is 80.04 pesos, or around $4.50 a day.

The World Bank lists Mexico as the <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?year_high_desc=true">15th most powerful economy</a> in the world, but its wealth has not trickled down to the southern states.

That fact has left many on the ground wondering whether the <a href="http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/seguridad/garantizan-recursos-para-damnificados">16 billion Mexican pesos</a> ($901 million) in federal disaster assistance being offered to <a href="http://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5497237&amp;fecha=14/09/2017">283 municipalities in Oaxaca</a> and <a href="http://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5497236&amp;fecha=14/09/2017">97 in Chiapas</a> will get to where it needs to go.

Unequal development in Mexico is an ongoing challenge. A <a href="http://www.banxico.org.mx/publicaciones-y-discursos/publicaciones/informes-periodicos/reportes-sobre-las-economias-regionales/%7BF88DFFC0-499D-D23B-BB92-E8D9539B76D1%7D.pdf">recent report from the Bank of Mexico</a> showed that during the second trimester of 2017, the Mexican economy grew in north (0.9 percent), center-north (1.2 percent) and central zones (0.7 percent), home to such powerhouse cities as Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City, but contracted over 1 percent in the rural south.

If there&rsquo;s a silver lining to these twin earthquakes, it&rsquo;s that the post-disaster recovery analyses have finally shed some light on the <a href="http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/monografias/informacion/chis/poblacion/default.aspx?tema=me&amp;e=07">historical neglect of Chiapas</a> and <a href="http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/monografias/informacion/oax/poblacion/">Oaxaca</a>, together home to around nine million Mexicans.

What the earthquake unearthed

It is not incidental that many of those residents are of indigenous descent. Upwards of <a href="https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/121653/Infografia_INDI_FINAL_08082016.pdf">40 percent</a> of Mexico&rsquo;s indigenous peoples live in the southern states of <a href="http://www.cuentame.inegi.org.mx/monografias/informacion/oax/poblacion/diversidad.aspx">Oaxaca</a>, <a href="http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/monografias/informacion/chis/poblacion/diversidad.aspx?tema=me&amp;e=07">Chiapas</a> and <a href="http://www.cuentame.inegi.org.mx/monografias/informacion/yuc/poblacion/diversidad.aspx?tema=me&amp;e=31">Yucat&aacute;n</a>.

Their economic exclusion dates back to the colonial era. In 1813, a Chiapas priest, Mariano Robles Dom&iacute;nguez de Mazariegos, testified in Spain to the &ldquo;<a href="http://weblioteca.uv.es/cgi/view7.pl?sesion=201709181948475512&amp;source=uv_im_b15136097&amp;div=34">violent humiliations</a>&rdquo; suffered by the indigenous inhabitants of Chiapas, who, he said, lived a life of &ldquo;<a href="http://weblioteca.uv.es/cgi/view7.pl?sesion=201709181948475512&amp;source=uv_im_b15136097&amp;div=41">agitation and continuous terror and distress</a>&rdquo; because they were treated with such &ldquo;<a href="http://weblioteca.uv.es/cgi/view7.pl?sesion=201709181948475512&amp;source=uv_im_b15136097&amp;div=41">contempt and hatred</a>.&rdquo;

More than 200 years later, on New Year&rsquo;s Day 1994, the <a href="http://hemisphericinstitute.org/hemi/en/su10-tourism/item/879-su10-brief-historical-background-zapatista-movement">Zapatistas</a>, whose ranks consist of largely of poor Mayans from Chiapas, used similar words to justify an indigenous rebellion against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which had just been signed.

Condemning NAFTA as a death sentence for traditional agricultural methods still practiced on collectively owned indigenous lands, the <a href="http://schoolsforchiapas.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/1st-Declaration-of-the-Lacandona-Jungle.pdf">First Declaration of the Lacandona Jungle</a> asserted that Chiapas&rsquo; rural population had &ldquo;nothing&rdquo;: &ldquo;no land, no work, no health care, no food nor education&rdquo; &ndash; not even a roof over their heads.

As the recent earthquake reveals, the plight of indigenous Mexicans has not improved markedly over the past 200 years. Their homes offered tenuous shelter from the quake at&nbsp;best, and their food supplies, long delicate, are <a href="https://lasillarota.com/nacion/a-una-semana-del-sismo-padecen-hambre-e-incertidumbre/176692">now running short</a>.

The worst and the best of Mexico

Mexico is and always will be a land of earthquakes. Pre-Columbian records <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-seismologists-didnt-see-mexicos-deadly-earthquake-coming-83865">report</a> seismic activity attributed to the wrath of gods said to be unhappy about the state of human affairs.

Today, quakes still <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=vAF-9pNtpg8C&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=gbs_ge_summary_r&amp;cad=0#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">unearth</a> the best and the worst in Mexico.

It&rsquo;s not clear that Pe&ntilde;a Nieto, whose government is dogged by <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-many-mexicans-this-government-spying-scandal-feels-eerily-familiar-79981">scandals</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/governors-gone-wild-mexico-faces-a-lost-generation-of-corrupt-leaders-76858">wildly public corruption</a>, can make use of this crisis to bring social change to Oaxaca and Chiapas.

Other politicians are falling short of this high bar, too. In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/anahimusic/videos/10155462147581368/">Facebook video</a>, the wife of <a href="http://www.24-horas.mx/reconoce-manuel-velasco-a-enrique-pena-nieto-como-aliado-de-chiapas/">Chiapas Governor Manuel Velasco</a>, a member of Pe&ntilde;a Nieto&rsquo;s inner circle, toured a ruined Chiapas home to show the administration &ldquo;is helping&rdquo; but lamented her &ldquo;tousled&rdquo; hair.

The populace, at least, is coming to its own assistance. Right after the quake in Mexico City, people formed veritable <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/19/552141609/at-least-42-people-killed-as-powerful-earthquake-convulses-central-mexico">factory lines of diggers</a> to excavate their buried neighbors and lent out bicycles so stranded colleagues could make their way home.

Residents of Mexico&rsquo;s southern region have also shown the country what resilience looks like, even in the face of overwhelming historical odds. In the town of Juchit&aacute;n, Oaxaca, where the historic town hall pancaked after the earthquake, a man picked up a Mexican flag that had previously decorated its facade, shook off the dust and then, in an act that touched millions, he placed it atop the debris.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" nofollow="" rel="">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/twin-earthquakes-expose-mexicos-deep-inequality-84012" nofollow="" rel="">original article</a>.

Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico?s two poorest states, have taken the harshest blow in the recent earthquakes.

Early in the morning on Sept. 16, 1810, priest, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the bell of his church in the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato, Mexico. His parishioners gathered round, and he urged them to revolt against Spain’s two-year-old Napoleonic government. Hidalgo’s call to arms, which later became known later as the Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores), triggered the Mexican War of Independence. Every September 15, the president of Mexico takes to the balcony of the National Palace in Mexico City to reenact it. This year, just a week before Independence Day, a historic earthquake struck Mexico’s southern coast, killing nearly 100 people. So President Enrique Peña Nieto added a poignant element to his Grito by including in the incantation a reference to the impoverished states that were most devastated by the quake, crying “Long live the solidarity of Mexicans with Chiapas and Oaxaca!” It was a nice twist on tradition, but these two states will need more than expressions of solidarity to recover. The 8.2 magnitude quake is the strongest Mexico has experienced in 100 years, surpassing even the Sept. 19, 1985 earthquake that killed an estimated 40,000 people in and around Mexico City. It was also significantly more powerful than the recent 7.1 magnitude earthquake that killed upwards of 200 people in and around Mexico’s capital on September 19. Natural and man-made disasters This latest quake shook Mexico City 32 years to the day after the 1985 “big one.” I was 11 years old when the quake hit, and I recall the government of President Miguel de la Madrid reacting with what can only be described as criminal apathy: In the first days after the disaster, he prevented the army from rescuing victims and rejected international aid. The people of Mexico City, however, took to the streets, distributing food, water and blankets among those who needed them and digging neighbors free from the rubble with their bare hands. This time around, the death toll is significantly lower than it was in 1985: 78 fatalities in Oaxaca, 16 in Chiapas and four in Tabasco for the first earthquake, and more than 220 for the second. In part, this reflects improvements in building regulations since 1985 and the creation of both a Mexican Seismic Alert System and a National Civil Protection System. Still, the damages are daunting. Scores of buildings in Mexico City have suffered catastrophic damage. But it was Oaxaca and Chiapas – Mexico’s two poorest states – that took the harshest blow. More than 2,500 schools have been severely harmed and 85,000 houses have been affected – more than 17,000 of them beyond repair. Poverty makes these disaster impacts worse in the south. On average, 46 percent of Mexican households live in poverty. But 70 percent of Oaxaca’s population earns less than what’s needed to satisfy basic family needs, according to the government’s CONEVAL agency, and 77 percent of Chiapas households do. In both states, the lowest-income families making as little as 37 pesos (US$2) per day, less than half the Mexican minimum wage, which is 80.04 pesos, or around $4.50 a day. The World Bank lists Mexico as the 15th most powerful economy in the world, but its wealth has not trickled down to the southern states. That fact has left many on the ground wondering whether the 16 billion Mexican pesos ($901 million) in federal disaster assistance being offered to 283 municipalities in Oaxaca and 97 in Chiapas will get to where it needs to go. Unequal development in Mexico is an ongoing challenge. A recent report from the Bank of Mexico showed that during the second trimester of 2017, the Mexican economy grew in north (0.9 percent), center-north (1.2 percent) and central zones (0.7 percent), home to such powerhouse cities as Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City, but contracted over 1 percent in the rural south. If there’s a silver lining to these twin earthquakes, it’s that the post-disaster recovery analyses have finally shed some light on the historical neglect of Chiapas and Oaxaca, together home to around nine million Mexicans. What the earthquake unearthed It is not incidental that many of those residents are of indigenous descent. Upwards of 40 percent of Mexico’s indigenous peoples live in the southern states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Yucatán. Their economic exclusion dates back to the colonial era. In 1813, a Chiapas priest, Mariano Robles Domínguez de Mazariegos, testified in Spain to the “violent humiliations” suffered by the indigenous inhabitants of Chiapas, who, he said, lived a life of “agitation and continuous terror and distress” because they were treated with such “contempt and hatred.” More than 200 years later, on New Year’s Day 1994, the Zapatistas, whose ranks consist of largely of poor Mayans from Chiapas, used similar words to justify an indigenous rebellion against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which had just been signed. Condemning NAFTA as a death sentence for traditional agricultural methods still practiced on collectively owned indigenous lands, the First Declaration of the Lacandona Jungle asserted that Chiapas’ rural population had “nothing”: “no land, no work, no health care, no food nor education” – not even a roof over their heads. As the recent earthquake reveals, the plight of indigenous Mexicans has not improved markedly over the past 200 years. Their homes offered tenuous shelter from the quake at best, and their food supplies, long delicate, are now running short. The worst and the best of Mexico Mexico is and always will be a land of earthquakes. Pre-Columbian records report seismic activity attributed to the wrath of gods said to be unhappy about the state of human affairs. Today, quakes still unearth the best and the worst in Mexico. It’s not clear that Peña Nieto, whose government is dogged by scandals and wildly public corruption, can make use of this crisis to bring social change to Oaxaca and Chiapas. Other politicians are falling short of this high bar, too. In a Facebook video, the wife of Chiapas Governor Manuel Velasco, a member of Peña Nieto’s inner circle, toured a ruined Chiapas home to show the administration “is helping” but lamented her “tousled” hair. The populace, at least, is coming to its own assistance. Right after the quake in Mexico City, people formed veritable factory lines of diggers to excavate their buried neighbors and lent out bicycles so stranded colleagues could make their way home. Residents of Mexico’s southern region have also shown the country what resilience looks like, even in the face of overwhelming historical odds. In the town of Juchitán, Oaxaca, where the historic town hall pancaked after the earthquake, a man picked up a Mexican flag that had previously decorated its facade, shook off the dust and then, in an act that touched millions, he placed it atop the debris. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Twin earthquakes expose Mexico's deep inequality

Rescuers dug Wednesday for survivors of a 7.1- magnitude earthquake that killed at least 230 people in Mexico, as the nation watched anxiously for signs of life at a collapsed school in the capital.

Firefighters, police, soldiers and volunteers worked frantically to remove rubble in scenes repeated across a swath of central states in Mexico&#39;s second killer earthquake this month.

The most agonizing search was at a school in the south of Mexico City where 21 children -- aged between seven and 13 -- and five adults were crushed to death. Many children were still missing.

By Wednesday afternoon, 24 hours after the quake struck, rescuers working under the gaze of anguished parents had managed to locate several signs of life under the rubble using a thermal scanner.

&quot;They are alive! Alive!&quot; shouted Civil Protection volunteer Enrique Garcia, 37. &quot;Someone hit a wall several times in one place, and in another there was a response to light signals with a lamp,&quot; he said.

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<h5>The quake hit on the anniversary of a huge quake in 1985 that killed more than 10,000 people. Tuesday&#39;s quake struck just two hours after Mexico held a national earthquake drill, as it does every September 19 to remember the 1985 disaster</h5>
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&quot;We have been at this since yesterday, but we cannot reach them, because they are trapped between two slabs...&quot;&nbsp;

So far, 11 children and at least one teacher have been rescued from the rubble of the Enrique Rebsamen elementary and middle school.

&quot;No one can possibly imagine the pain I&#39;m in right now,&quot; said one mother, Adriana Fargo, who was standing outside what remained of the school waiting for news of her seven-year-old daughter.

In the Condesa neighborhood, Karen Guzman sat on a stool in the street with her back to one of the collapsed buildings. She said she could not bear the tension of the search for around 30 people thought to be under the rubble, among them her brother.

Beside her were two street poles tagged with lists of rescued people, but they do not include the name of her brother Juan Antonio, a 43-year-old accountant who worked on the top floor of the four-story building.

&quot;My mom is looking for him in hospitals because we don&#39;t trust those lists. Sometimes I think nobody knows anything,&quot; she said.

Rescue workers reported that families were getting WhatsApp messages pleading for help from desperate relatives trapped under debris.

President Enrique Pena Nieto visited the hard-hit city of Jojutla in the state of Morelos and appealed for people to help in reconstruction efforts.&nbsp;

&quot;It is important for people to be part of this group effort,&quot; said the president, who also declared three days of national mourning.

Mexico City mayor Miguel Angel Mancera told Televisa TV that 39 buildings in the capital had collapsed. Searches were under way in all but five where rescuers had determined that nobody remained trapped, he said.

At least 53 people have been found alive in two of the collapsed buildings.&nbsp;

Nowhere to go 
Many residents were preparing to spend a second night in parks and plazas, in tents or makeshift shelters, unable or unwilling to return to their homes as authorities inspected some 600 buildings whose walls swayed and cracked when the quake struck.&nbsp;

Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray thanked the international community for offers of help in an unusual special intervention at the UN General Assembly.&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump called Pena Nieto and offered assistance and search-and-rescue teams which are now being deployed, the White House said.&nbsp;

Chile and El Salvador pledged aid, while Israel said it was sending a team of 70 soldiers including engineers and search and rescue specialists which would arrive Friday.&nbsp;

The quake hit on the anniversary of a huge quake in 1985 that killed more than 10,000 people, the disaster-prone country&#39;s deadliest ever.

Tuesday&#39;s struck just two hours after Mexico held a national earthquake drill, as it does every September 19 to remember the 1985 disaster.

A system of quake sensors was set up in 1993 along the Pacific coast, where tremors are more common. People in Mexico City were not warned by it on Tuesday because the epicenter was only 120 kilometers (75 miles) outside the capital and thus outside the main area of sensor coverage, said Carlos Valdes of National Center for Disaster Prevention.&nbsp;

Adding to the national sense of vulnerability, the earthquake struck just 12 days after another quake that killed nearly 100 people in southern Mexico.

Experts said the two quakes did not appear to be related, as their epicenters were far apart.

Mexico sits atop five tectonic plates, making it particularly vulnerable to earthquakes.

Luis Felipe Puente, the national disaster response agency chief, said that of the dead, 100 were in Mexico City, 69 in Morelos, 43 in Puebla, 13 in Mexico state, four in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

In Puebla, a picturesque colonial city near the quake&#39;s epicenter, several churches were damaged and one collapsed, killing 11 people, officials said.

Power had been restored to 85 percent of the Mexican capital, although the state electricity company maintained cuts to areas where rescue work was taking place, for fear of accidental electrocution or fires.

In the states of Puebla and Morelos, rescue work is also continuing in homes and destroyed buildings.

Mexico&#39;s professional and other football leagues suspended all games scheduled for the weekend.

The most agonising search was at a school in Mexico City where 21 children -- aged between seven and 13 -- and five adults were crushed to death

Rescuers dug Wednesday for survivors of a 7.1- magnitude earthquake that killed at least 230 people in Mexico, as the nation watched anxiously for signs of life at a collapsed school in the capital. Firefighters, police, soldiers and volunteers worked frantically to remove rubble in scenes repeated across a swath of central states in Mexico's second killer earthquake this month. The most agonizing search was at a school in the south of Mexico City where 21 children -- aged between seven and 13 -- and five adults were crushed to death. Many children were still missing. By Wednesday afternoon, 24 hours after the quake struck, rescuers working under the gaze of anguished parents had managed to locate several signs of life under the rubble using a thermal scanner. "They are alive! Alive!" shouted Civil Protection volunteer Enrique Garcia, 37. "Someone hit a wall several times in one place, and in another there was a response to light signals with a lamp," he said. The quake hit on the anniversary of a huge quake in 1985 that killed more than 10,000 people. Tuesday's quake struck just two hours after Mexico held a national earthquake drill, as it does every September 19 to remember the 1985 disaster × "We have been at this since yesterday, but we cannot reach them, because they are trapped between two slabs..." So far, 11 children and at least one teacher have been rescued from the rubble of the Enrique Rebsamen elementary and middle school. "No one can possibly imagine the pain I'm in right now," said one mother, Adriana Fargo, who was standing outside what remained of the school waiting for news of her seven-year-old daughter. In the Condesa neighborhood, Karen Guzman sat on a stool in the street with her back to one of the collapsed buildings. She said she could not bear the tension of the search for around 30 people thought to be under the rubble, among them her brother. Beside her were two street poles tagged with lists of rescued people, but they do not include the name of her brother Juan Antonio, a 43-year-old accountant who worked on the top floor of the four-story building. "My mom is looking for him in hospitals because we don't trust those lists. Sometimes I think nobody knows anything," she said. Rescue workers reported that families were getting WhatsApp messages pleading for help from desperate relatives trapped under debris. President Enrique Pena Nieto visited the hard-hit city of Jojutla in the state of Morelos and appealed for people to help in reconstruction efforts. "It is important for people to be part of this group effort," said the president, who also declared three days of national mourning. Mexico City mayor Miguel Angel Mancera told Televisa TV that 39 buildings in the capital had collapsed. Searches were under way in all but five where rescuers had determined that nobody remained trapped, he said. At least 53 people have been found alive in two of the collapsed buildings. Nowhere to go Many residents were preparing to spend a second night in parks and plazas, in tents or makeshift shelters, unable or unwilling to return to their homes as authorities inspected some 600 buildings whose walls swayed and cracked when the quake struck. Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray thanked the international community for offers of help in an unusual special intervention at the UN General Assembly. US President Donald Trump called Pena Nieto and offered assistance and search-and-rescue teams which are now being deployed, the White House said. Chile and El Salvador pledged aid, while Israel said it was sending a team of 70 soldiers including engineers and search and rescue specialists which would arrive Friday. The quake hit on the anniversary of a huge quake in 1985 that killed more than 10,000 people, the disaster-prone country's deadliest ever. Tuesday's struck just two hours after Mexico held a national earthquake drill, as it does every September 19 to remember the 1985 disaster. A system of quake sensors was set up in 1993 along the Pacific coast, where tremors are more common. People in Mexico City were not warned by it on Tuesday because the epicenter was only 120 kilometers (75 miles) outside the capital and thus outside the main area of sensor coverage, said Carlos Valdes of National Center for Disaster Prevention. Adding to the national sense of vulnerability, the earthquake struck just 12 days after another quake that killed nearly 100 people in southern Mexico. Experts said the two quakes did not appear to be related, as their epicenters were far apart. Mexico sits atop five tectonic plates, making it particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. Luis Felipe Puente, the national disaster response agency chief, said that of the dead, 100 were in Mexico City, 69 in Morelos, 43 in Puebla, 13 in Mexico state, four in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca. In Puebla, a picturesque colonial city near the quake's epicenter, several churches were damaged and one collapsed, killing 11 people, officials said. Power had been restored to 85 percent of the Mexican capital, although the state electricity company maintained cuts to areas where rescue work was taking place, for fear of accidental electrocution or fires. In the states of Puebla and Morelos, rescue work is also continuing in homes and destroyed buildings. Mexico's professional and other football leagues suspended all games scheduled for the weekend.

Mexico earthquake: 230 dead, rescuers search frantically for survivors

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that rocked Mexico on Tuesday has surged to 224 people, including 117 in the capital, said Interior Minister Miguel Osorio Chong.

The dead included at least 21 children crushed beneath a primary school that collapsed on Mexico City&#39;s south side during the 7.1-magnitude quake, authorities said.

.The earthquake struck Mexico on Tuesday, toppling buildings in the capital and sowing panic on the anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake.

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<h5>Memories of the devastating 1985 earthquake that killed 10,000 people in Mexico City spurred panic on Tuesday. Amamia Sanchez, a 45-year-old secretary cried out: &#39;It&#39;s just not possible that this happened also on September 19&#39;</h5>
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Rescue crews and volunteers in Mexico City -- home to 20 million people -- clawed through the rubble of at least 49 collapsed buildings looking for survivors and bodies.

Local media reported that families were getting Whatsapp messages pleading for help from desperate relatives trapped under the debris.

Mexico City recorded 36 of the deaths, while Morelos state directly south of it saw 64 killed. The others were registered in Puebla (29), a town southeast of the capital, and in Mexico state (nine), which lies just to the west of the capital.

National Coordinator for Civil Protection Luis Felipe Puente said a total of at least 138 people died.

Memories of the devastating 1985 earthquake that killed 10,000 people in Mexico City spurred panic on Tuesday. Many quickly ran for safety outdoors when walls around them swayed and cracked.

&quot;I&#39;m so worried. I can&#39;t stop crying. It&#39;s the same nightmare as in 1985,&quot; Georgina Sanchez, 52, sobbed to AFP in a plaza in the capital.

Amamia Sanchez, a 45-year-old secretary cried out: &quot;It&#39;s just not possible that this happened also on September 19.&quot;

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People react after the earthquake hit. (Reuters)
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A collapsed building is seen in Mexico City. (Reuters)
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The quake -- which occurred in the early afternoon, hours after city authorities had conducted an earthquake drill -- caused damage in the bustling center of the city, and to areas south and west of the capital.

&quot;We ran outside thinking all was going to collapse around us,&quot; said Lazaro Frutis, a 45-year-old who escaped an office building before it crumbled to the ground. &quot;The worst thing is, we don&#39;t know about our families or anything.&quot;

&quot;It was horrible,&quot; said resident Leiza Visaj Herrera, 27. &quot;I didn&#39;t want to get close under any tree. I had to hold on to the ground.&quot;

Scenes of chaos permeated the city straight after the earth shuddered. Traffic jammed to a standstill before blanked-out stop lights, and anxious people ran between vehicles as ambulances tried to make headway, sirens squealing.

Emergency officials warned people in the streets to avoid smoking because of the risk of igniting gas leaking from ruptured pipes.

In several locations, people were seen clambering on buildings that were now piles of stone and tangled metal to pull people out.

&#39;Everyone was frantic&#39; 
Jorge Lopez, a 49-year-old Spaniard living in Mexico City, said that he raced to the school in the central Roma district where his children aged six and three were in class, to find it collapsed but his offspring safe but terrified.

&quot;We arrived at the school and everyone was crying, everyone was frantic, and the kids were holding on to a rope,&quot; he said.

&quot;It&#39;s uncontrollable. You can&#39;t do anything against nature.&quot;

Witnesses said another school was smashed to rubble in Cuernavaca, a town just south of the capital. The fate of the pupils and teachers was unknown.

An office building of around five stories in the chic Condesa district of central Mexico City collapsed. Volunteers scrambled among the debris, pulling out three survivors and looking for more.

&quot;There are people trapped there!&quot; yelled one woman.

Similar efforts were made at other smashed buildings nearby. At one, an emergency worker held up a sign commanding &quot;Silence&quot; so crews could listen for the sounds of any survivors.

Patients were evacuated from a hospital in the adjoining Roma district, wheeled out on beds and wheelchairs as staff set up makeshift wards outside.

President Enrique Pena Neto said on Twitter he had ordered the evacuation of damaged hospitals &quot;and the transfer of their patients to other medical facilities.&quot;

At one collapsed building in the Roma district, dozens of people dug through rubble as they waited for the arrival of heavy machinery to move the massive chunks of stone. Officials called out for more volunteers, and for water.

A woman standing and watching the efforts with her husband, a doctor, turned to him and said, &quot;Darling, if you want to help, give me your glasses and take care.&quot;

The city&#39;s international airport closed for more than three hours following the quake, and the stock market was forced to shut down.

Hours after the quake, residents stood around outside, in the streets, fearing aftershocks.

On the clogged roads, many without lights, muggers came out at night to assault trapped motorists.

Appeals for missing people multiplied on television.

Trump&#39;s prayers 
Officials in other countries began to react to the disaster, with many offering to help.

&quot;With rising casualties &amp; many collapsed buildings, my thoughts are with those impacted by the Mexico earthquake. The UN is ready to support,&quot; tweeted the UN&#39;s emergency relief coordinator, Mark Lowcock.

Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis, who was in New York with other world leaders for the UN General Assembly, expressed his &quot;solidarity&quot; with the Mexican people.

US President Donald Trump, who has forged an antagonistic relationship with Mexico since coming to office, tweeted: &quot;God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you.&quot;

Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, tweeted: &quot;Devastating news from Mexico City. My thoughts are with those affected by today&rsquo;s earthquake - Canada will be ready to help our friends.&quot;

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray responded by saying &quot;Mexico sincerely thanks the displays of international solidarity that we are receiving.&quot;

Mexico is prone to earthquakes, being located in a seismically active region. Its last major quake, on September 7, killed 96 people in the southern part of the country.

The dead included at least 21 children crushed beneath a primary school that collapsed on Mexico City's south side during the 7.1-magnitude quake

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that rocked Mexico on Tuesday has surged to 224 people, including 117 in the capital, said Interior Minister Miguel Osorio Chong. The dead included at least 21 children crushed beneath a primary school that collapsed on Mexico City's south side during the 7.1-magnitude quake, authorities said. .The earthquake struck Mexico on Tuesday, toppling buildings in the capital and sowing panic on the anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake. Memories of the devastating 1985 earthquake that killed 10,000 people in Mexico City spurred panic on Tuesday. Amamia Sanchez, a 45-year-old secretary cried out: 'It's just not possible that this happened also on September 19' × Rescue crews and volunteers in Mexico City -- home to 20 million people -- clawed through the rubble of at least 49 collapsed buildings looking for survivors and bodies. Local media reported that families were getting Whatsapp messages pleading for help from desperate relatives trapped under the debris. Mexico City recorded 36 of the deaths, while Morelos state directly south of it saw 64 killed. The others were registered in Puebla (29), a town southeast of the capital, and in Mexico state (nine), which lies just to the west of the capital. National Coordinator for Civil Protection Luis Felipe Puente said a total of at least 138 people died. Memories of the devastating 1985 earthquake that killed 10,000 people in Mexico City spurred panic on Tuesday. Many quickly ran for safety outdoors when walls around them swayed and cracked. "I'm so worried. I can't stop crying. It's the same nightmare as in 1985," Georgina Sanchez, 52, sobbed to AFP in a plaza in the capital. Amamia Sanchez, a 45-year-old secretary cried out: "It's just not possible that this happened also on September 19." People react after the earthquake hit. (Reuters) × A collapsed building is seen in Mexico City. (Reuters) × The quake -- which occurred in the early afternoon, hours after city authorities had conducted an earthquake drill -- caused damage in the bustling center of the city, and to areas south and west of the capital. "We ran outside thinking all was going to collapse around us," said Lazaro Frutis, a 45-year-old who escaped an office building before it crumbled to the ground. "The worst thing is, we don't know about our families or anything." "It was horrible," said resident Leiza Visaj Herrera, 27. "I didn't want to get close under any tree. I had to hold on to the ground." Scenes of chaos permeated the city straight after the earth shuddered. Traffic jammed to a standstill before blanked-out stop lights, and anxious people ran between vehicles as ambulances tried to make headway, sirens squealing. Emergency officials warned people in the streets to avoid smoking because of the risk of igniting gas leaking from ruptured pipes. In several locations, people were seen clambering on buildings that were now piles of stone and tangled metal to pull people out. 'Everyone was frantic' Jorge Lopez, a 49-year-old Spaniard living in Mexico City, said that he raced to the school in the central Roma district where his children aged six and three were in class, to find it collapsed but his offspring safe but terrified. "We arrived at the school and everyone was crying, everyone was frantic, and the kids were holding on to a rope," he said. "It's uncontrollable. You can't do anything against nature." Witnesses said another school was smashed to rubble in Cuernavaca, a town just south of the capital. The fate of the pupils and teachers was unknown. An office building of around five stories in the chic Condesa district of central Mexico City collapsed. Volunteers scrambled among the debris, pulling out three survivors and looking for more. "There are people trapped there!" yelled one woman. Similar efforts were made at other smashed buildings nearby. At one, an emergency worker held up a sign commanding "Silence" so crews could listen for the sounds of any survivors. Patients were evacuated from a hospital in the adjoining Roma district, wheeled out on beds and wheelchairs as staff set up makeshift wards outside. President Enrique Pena Neto said on Twitter he had ordered the evacuation of damaged hospitals "and the transfer of their patients to other medical facilities." At one collapsed building in the Roma district, dozens of people dug through rubble as they waited for the arrival of heavy machinery to move the massive chunks of stone. Officials called out for more volunteers, and for water. A woman standing and watching the efforts with her husband, a doctor, turned to him and said, "Darling, if you want to help, give me your glasses and take care." The city's international airport closed for more than three hours following the quake, and the stock market was forced to shut down. Hours after the quake, residents stood around outside, in the streets, fearing aftershocks. On the clogged roads, many without lights, muggers came out at night to assault trapped motorists. Appeals for missing people multiplied on television. Trump's prayers Officials in other countries began to react to the disaster, with many offering to help. "With rising casualties & many collapsed buildings, my thoughts are with those impacted by the Mexico earthquake. The UN is ready to support," tweeted the UN's emergency relief coordinator, Mark Lowcock. Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis, who was in New York with other world leaders for the UN General Assembly, expressed his "solidarity" with the Mexican people. US President Donald Trump, who has forged an antagonistic relationship with Mexico since coming to office, tweeted: "God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you." Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, tweeted: "Devastating news from Mexico City. My thoughts are with those affected by today’s earthquake - Canada will be ready to help our friends." Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray responded by saying "Mexico sincerely thanks the displays of international solidarity that we are receiving." Mexico is prone to earthquakes, being located in a seismically active region. Its last major quake, on September 7, killed 96 people in the southern part of the country.

VIDEO: Death toll in Mexico earthquake surges to 248

The President of Mexico&#39;s ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, announced his resignation on Monday, two weeks after the party of President Enrique Pena Nieto suffered a humiliating defeat in regional elections. 
 
Manlio Fabio Beltrones, a former governor and veteran federal lawmaker, announced his decision to step down after the PRI won only five of the dozen governors races up for grabs in the June 5 vote. It previously held nine of them. 
 
The results were far worse for the centrist party than most polls had forecast. 
 
The PRI&#39;s losses included two oil-rich strongholds in the Gulf of Mexico, Veracruz and neighboring Tamaulipas, both of which have been plagued by gang violence for years, as well as Quintana Roo, home to Mexico&#39;s top tourist destination Cancun. All three states have been run by the PRI for over eight decades. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s time for a necessary pause,&quot; Beltrones told a news conference at the PRI&#39;s Mexico City headquarters. 
 
&quot;This is a responsible decision that opens space for an internal debate and allows our party to freely decide the best path forward,&quot; he said. 
 
Beltrones, 63, is still seen as a possible presidential contender for the PRI in 2018. Pena Nieto is not allowed by law to seek a second six-year term. 
 
In a poll published Monday by daily newspaper El Financiero, Beltrones was tied for second with 10 per cent among PRI voters, trailing Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, who had 32 per cent support. 
(Reuters)

Manlio Fabio Beltrones announced his decision after the PRI won only five of the dozen governors races up for grabs in the June 5 vote

The President of Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, announced his resignation on Monday, two weeks after the party of President Enrique Pena Nieto suffered a humiliating defeat in regional elections. Manlio Fabio Beltrones, a former governor and veteran federal lawmaker, announced his decision to step down after the PRI won only five of the dozen governors races up for grabs in the June 5 vote. It previously held nine of them. The results were far worse for the centrist party than most polls had forecast. The PRI's losses included two oil-rich strongholds in the Gulf of Mexico, Veracruz and neighboring Tamaulipas, both of which have been plagued by gang violence for years, as well as Quintana Roo, home to Mexico's top tourist destination Cancun. All three states have been run by the PRI for over eight decades. "It's time for a necessary pause," Beltrones told a news conference at the PRI's Mexico City headquarters. "This is a responsible decision that opens space for an internal debate and allows our party to freely decide the best path forward," he said. Beltrones, 63, is still seen as a possible presidential contender for the PRI in 2018. Pena Nieto is not allowed by law to seek a second six-year term. In a poll published Monday by daily newspaper El Financiero, Beltrones was tied for second with 10 per cent among PRI voters, trailing Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, who had 32 per cent support. (Reuters)

Head of Mexico's ruling party resigns after electoral drubbing

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