# Morelia



## A reef (Oct 2, 2012)

what is the general reaction from the people in Michoacan to recent violence there?


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

I understand investigators found over 130 homemade bombs at one of the sub-stations......que lastima


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

A reef said:


> what is the general reaction from the people in Michoacan to recent violence there?


Parts of Michoacan are central battleground in the war and there are, regularly, acts of terrorism and other criminal activity. Though there have been terrorist attacks and activity in Morelia, they have been few and far between. The most serious of the security problems in the state seem to be further away from Morelia itself. When I've spoken to Mexicans who live/work in Morelia, and elsewhere in Michoacan, they tend to shrug their shoulders and respond (in spanish, of course), "What are we to do? Where would we go? This is our home." So they pray for the best and and end to what has been now probably two decades of strife of varying degrees in that state. Its a shame what's happening in Michoacan, because it's a state so rich in culture (food, the arts).


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

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Longford said:



Parts of Michoacan are central battleground in the war and there are, regularly, acts of terrorism and other criminal activity. Though there have been terrorist attacks and activity in Morelia, they have been few and far between. The most serious of the security problems in the state seem to be further away from Morelia itself. When I've spoken to Mexicans who live/work in Morelia, and elsewhere in Michoacan, they tend to shrug their shoulders and respond (in spanish, of course), "What are we to do? Where would we go? This is our home." So they pray for the best and and end to what has been now probably two decades of strife of varying degrees in that state. Its a shame what's happening in Michoacan, because it's a state so rich in culture (food, the arts).

Click to expand...

_Actually Longford. in my experience in 13 years living in Eastern Jalisco just next to the Michoacan insurrection which is motivated primarily by greed and competition among poverty-stricken thugs versus idealogical or religoius ferver, I have never seen anything like what happened last Sunday night and Saturday morning when, supposedly, factions among the competing drug cartels or their sycophants attacked basic infrastructure as opposed to attacking other human beings or causing temporary and non-destructive disruptions in transportation links by blocking roadway thoroughfares. The infrastructure attacks last week wherein some warring faction sabotaged electrical power stations and PEMEX gasoline stations, was a step up in the process of declaring civil insurrection and is not a good sign for the future in the seemingly ungovernable state of Michoacan and surrounds. Nothing like this has happened before in Calderon/Pieto´s war-on-drugs folly which has always been a "pantalla". It signals a new twist in the civil strife in Michoacan bordering on civil war. As it is today, much of the rural Tierra Caliente in Michoacan is ruled by pseudo-religoius zealots pretending to accentuate community values while manufacturing methamphtamine in the woods there for sale in the U.S. market or, even increasingly in Mexico itself although that was initially forbidden among cartel members. 

Michoacan is coming apart at the seams and it has always been unnerving. Great food and culture indeed. Nonsense. The food is, at best mediocre and the culture is *******, hillbilly city. Just because they don´t sound like Jed Clampett doesn´t excuse them from being back-country goobers.

As for the Michoacan folks who shrug their shoulders and simply assert that that is the way it is there, you will find that fatalistic attitude all over Mexicoa among all groups when communicating with foreigners or people from the next pueblo.. In Mexico, you don´t wash your dirty laundry in from of strangers or even relatives when that can be avoided..


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Come on dog, Longford has been living in the windy city for the last 13 years, he a Mexico expert not an ex-pat................LOL


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Hound Dog said:


> Great food and culture indeed. Nonsense. The food is, at best mediocre and the culture is *******, hillbilly city. Just because they don´t sound like Jed Clampett doesn't excuse them from being back-country goobers...


I'll defer to you when it comes to understanding the lifestyle of a hillbilly. You seem to know a lot about such things. As for the cultural attractiveness of various parts of Mexico ... I'll make those determinations myself. I encourage you to visit Michoacan one day, however.


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## A reef (Oct 2, 2012)

*oh OK*

well I guess this info fleshes out the problem - and so I have to role back to our situation which is driving to Patzcuaro south on 15 via Mazatlan and San Blas in a couple of weeks. Can anyone suggest the way to know immediately when violence is occuring somewhere ahead? Are carjackings an issue in Michoacan? Certain towns to avoid? Does the violence stay pretty well contained between the warring factions? Does antiexpat or antiAmerican hostility have any part?


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

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Longford said:



I'll defer to you when it comes to understanding the lifestyle of a hillbilly. You seem to know a lot about such things. As for the cultural attractiveness of various parts of Mexico ... I'll make those determinations myself. I encourage you to visit Michoacan one day, however. 

Click to expand...

_You´re a good sport, Longford and I understand that discerning the cultural attractiveness of any region anywhere on the planet is a subjective exercise and you, as we, must make those decisions for ourselves. I was never really attracted to Michoacan even before it became unruly but, at one time a few years ago, we thought briefly of the possibility of moving to Pátzcuaro or, even Uruapan and explored the area in some depth. However, we found these places to lack sustainable interest for us so chose Chiapas as a second home site. That doesn´t mean we think we are right and people who choose Michoacan are wrong. We, like you, will make our determinations for ourselves. 

Michoacan is definitely off of our list except for that part upon which the Guadalajara-Mexico City Autopista traverses between Jalisco and Edomex as we head between San Cristóbal and Chapala periodically each year until they take away our driver´s licenses.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

The report the link below will take you to provides a glimpse, I think a good glimpse, into what's been happening in parts of Michoacan ... and why:

Who really governs Michoacan and how they do it


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