Four years ago,Coatepec was designatied a "Pueblo Mágico." This federally sponsored program (and I mean Mexico's federal government) developed by the Secretariat of Tourism in conjunction with local and stat governments is an effort to bring to attention the historical, architectural, geographical, etc. wealth of the interior of the country and of course to help local areas get some tourist money. It's not a bad idea. While I sure don't want to see our area overrun by US or any other tourists, USAers failure to visit the non-resort areas of Mexico plays into their terribly mistaken stereotypes of Mexico. Besides, Americans are doing themselves out of really interesting and enoyable vacations whether they aim for towns or countryside, strolling through parks or riding roughshod over rapids when they don't visit the interior.
But in Coatepec, not everyone is happy with the program. An article in Alta Voz, the local news outlet, gives you a flavor of some of the local reasons for this, as well as a taste of how local Coatepecanos react and respond to at least this local issue. Below is my translation. It was originally entitled Con amigos, celebra alcalde aniversario del "Pueblo Trágico" en Coatepec, written by Oscar León.
With more than an hour's dekat the event celebrating tge fourth anniversary of the designation of Coatepec as a Pueblo Mágico got underway. It was a cold, lifeless ceremony, without charm. The only people there who did manage to show a certain enthusiasm were the business people who had benefited economically from the arrival of tourists and the promotion by the federal program.
No one said why there was a delay. Neighbors and invited citizens didn't arrive, nor did the municipal workers who stayed away as a sign of protest, since the they haven't been paid for at least six weeks.
With the presence of midlevel officials from the state and national tourism sectors, the president of Coatepec gave thanks for the support received through the Programa de Pueblos Mágicos. He reported that more than twenty million pesos (maybe $1,700,000) have been invested. He said an additional four and a half million will be invested during the rest of this year. The money went to enhance the historic features and monuments, and the geographical magic that this area of Veracruz, which was necessary in order to stay in the program. However, there are problems. For instance, in the municipal park gas cylinders are used for the preparation of food which put at risk the well being of visitors in this family.oriented gathering place. In addition, there are often too many dogs crowding the area, and darkness rules at night, to mention only a few difficulties [I have to say here that the there are few cities and towns in the US that I've seen that are so lucky to have such a charming, well-used family park as this one is, including at night. But the Magic Pueblo designation is not what created it.]
Furthermore there are streets that are totally deteriorated because of their use by very heavy transportation and because of the heavy rains of the past weeks. The majority of local roadways which tie Coatepec to other communities and towns are in a deplorable state [This is absolutely true. Rumor has it that the town president who lost the election and is out of office I think in November and his cronies pocketed some of the money. I should show you a picture of the MAIN highway between Coatepec and San Marcos and then one of the hardly used bypass from San Marcos past our community which the Col. Ursulo Galván agente can't stop patting his back over. What a difference! At any rate, the current departing Coatepec prez is from the PRI. The PAN candidate won the recent election in a protest vote, and the PAN has been bringing various supporters and volunteers(probably for a fee) to fill the potholes bit by bit. They don't look like city street repair crews.] It is urgent that an investment be made for the complete rehabilitation of roads, not to mention that the streets which have cobblestone also urgently need prompt attention....
Also, people in the neighborhoods, colonias and congregations continue to ask what use the name "Pueblo Mágico " has for Coatepec if the people who live there never get any direct benefit. They see how the center has been dolled up, especialy the park and the area immediately around it, but no investment reaches other places to provide a better quality of life for the citizens.
Strong visual contamination continues throughout the center, including by politicians' signs which continue to hang in the streets long after the election; an excess of vehicular traffic, for which the bypass is essential, and of course there's a lack of respect for historical monuments and colonial a architecture, since the majority of these are graffitied by irresponsible gangs of young people who don't concern themselves about harming the city's image. In sum, there are various obligations pending on the part of the authorities with Coatepecan society which aspires to and deserves to live in a worthy place with a better quality of life."
[While I definitely agree with what the writer says, Coatepec offers a community which is filled with a vibrant sense of life.]