The Integral Center of the South and the Cultural Center of the South distinguish the Merida City Council as a leader in projects of this type, which benefit the less favored sectors of the community, and which are examples that should be replicated throughout the country, said Grace Chun, Great Britain’s regional consul for Latin America, after a visit with Mayor María Fritz Sierra.
“Both facilities are impressive and wonderful projects because they help people to have more opportunities to achieve a much better life than they have had up to now,” she said.
During the visit to the Integral Center of the South, the diplomat also said she was pleased to learn of the work being done in that place to preserve an important part of Yucatecan roots with the Mayan language courses.
As part of her diplomatic missions in Latin America, the regional consul has visited many of the countries that make up the Mayan culture and other countries of strategic importance in the region such as Panama, and as High Commissioner in Belize. She has also provided diplomatic services in Nigeria, Russia, Spain and the United States.
“It is an excellent work to keep the Mayan language alive, the basis of culture, and for children and young people to have access to it, in order to empower it and prevent it from disappearing,” she added.
In the facilities of the Virtual Library of the Integral Center of the South, the visitor expressed her pleasure also for the facilities of the first level, as well as the gymnasium.
Shortly before, during the tour of the Integral Center of the South, Merida Mayor Maria Fritz Sierra explained to the consul t the impact that this work causes in the lives of thousands of families from the southern area of the city.
Also participating in the tour were the Vice Consul of Great Britain for Quintana Roo and Yucatan, Graciela Peña, and Andy Hancock, attaché of defense of Great Britain.
Graciela Peña highlighted these facilities “is like showing it off to all the states of Mexico, because of their social importance”.
The mayor guided the tour through dance halls, music, and photography studios, as well as the cinema that also aroused positive comments among visitors.
They were also in the playground for children, which has facilities for persons with disabilities, which caught the attention of visitors.
“The City Council should be very proud of these facilities because they are really designed for everyone, which I think does not happen in other parts of the country,” said Ms. Chun.
As part of the route, the delegation arrived at both centers through the Southern Circuit, a route that stands out for the connectivity it achieves for the area and which is also the work of the current municipal administration.
The municipal president said that since the beginning of the current municipal administration headed by Mauricio Vila, the City Council set out to improve the quality of life of Meridanos, especially those who live in the most vulnerable areas, and emphasized that the three projects visited (the Cultural Center of the South, the Integral Center of the South and the South Circuit, are already Merida emblems that are shaping up to be triggers of a social and economic improvement in the South.
“This area remained lagging for decades, until the current administration took action on the matter. The response of the families is very positive and the residents themselves have committed to take care of the facilities,” she added.
She stressed that the courses and other activities that are carried out in both centers are part of a special attention that had never been received in that area of the city.
On this occasion, she said, summer courses that include artistic disciplines, sports activities, as well as Mayan (language and history), English and fun math, among others, will be taught for the first time in both centers.
Carolina Cárdenas Sosa, general coordinator of Community Policy, and Enrique Domínguez León, director of Tourism and Economic Promotion of the City Council, also participated in the tour.
Text and photos: Acom
