By Carola Rico
Mauricio Trejo Pureco, mayor of San Miguel, announced through his social networks on January 12 that the trees that were suddenly and unfairly removed in October 2019 by the previous administration, headed by Mayor Luis Alberto Villareal, would be returned to Avenida Guadalupe.
Trejo emphasized that replanting trees in the area does not represent an act of revenge, but of justice for the activists and citizens who protect the environment. He added that his government plan includes significant reforestation for San Miguel, and that during his administration trees will not be exchanged for concrete.
Given these statements, we visited merchants of the San Juan de Dios market whose stands face this avenue, and this is what they said:
Sra Teresa sells religious figures. When I asked her opinion about the trees that would be planted in front of her shop, she said that the government is spending lot of money on this, and that there are other more urgent needs. She added that the works under way in her area have not been completed as far as the merchants are concerned. She remembers when they built the arches, and in short she said she does not care. She still remembers that they and their businesses suffered a lot because of those projects. Then the pandemic dragged down the sales, so their economic situation has been seriously affected.
Senor Melquiades comes in from the community of Banda, and together with his family has two clothing stores facing Guadalupe Avenue. His major concern is security. He pointed out that they need more surveillance cameras to avoid vandalism near their businesses, and that the trees could take away parking space for loading and unloading, and for potential consumers. He ended by saying that they have never been asked their opinion; not for the construction of the arches, nor for the placement of trees.
Architect Sara Hernández, from the San Miguel College of Architects, had a different opinion. She said that planting trees again on avenida Guadalupe is a good attempt to restore the image a bit. It is also a small return to the microclimate that was unfortunately disturbed when they removed the trees. When walking around in hot weather, the heat of the sun is very strong, and the presence of the trees could mitigate that. She stressed that it would be important to do something with the arches and take public opinion into account. She does not see any benefit to them, or find that they contribute anything to the urban image of the heritage city.
To conclude, Hernández trusts that something major will be done with this government plan to determine how an image can be created with those arches. She pointed out that it is sad that citizens have to pay for disagreement and misgovernment, and stressed that something needs to be done and that we all have to do our bit.
On the night of Friday, January 14, 23 adult pine trees over 10 years old, and measuring six to eight meters were replanted in the parking lane. The trees were donated as part of an environmental compensation. Maintenance of this species is low, and they easily adapt because they are endemic to Central Mexico.
