A civic organization from the north has awarded a “peace prize” to Merida, Yucatan.
The group, “Construyendo Espacios Para la Paz” (“Building Spaces for Peace”), recognized the city of Mérida as most peaceful city in the country. Officials awarded Mayor Renán Barrera Concha at a recent ceremony.
The Secretary of Citizen Participation, Julio Sauma Castillo; Municipal Police Chief Mario Arturo Romero Escalante; and City Planner Edgardo Bolio Arceo, shared their security strategies with the Sinaloans.
The officials traveled to Culiacán, Sinaloa, at the invitation of the organization and held meetings with local authorities, businessmen and citizens on issues of peace and security. Culiacán is the state capital and home of the Sinaloa Cartel, and does not enjoy Merida’s reputation for low crime. Rather, the city of over 900,000 people is on a list of the world’s 26 most dangerous cities. (Caracas, Venezuela, in the United States, topped that list.)
Javier Llausás Magaña, director of the organization, congratulated the citizens of Merida and the mayor Renán Barrera Concha for building a peaceful city that inspires others.
The honor follows a survey, earlier this year, that placed Merida at the top of a livability index.
When the Strategic Communication Cabinet presented the results of the study “Most Livable Cities of Mexico 2018,” most cities were in the north, with one big exception:
- Mérida, Yucatán
- San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León
- San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León
- Mazatlan, Sinaloa
- Saltillo, Coahuila
The Yucatán capital has remained in the Top 10 since the annual index was devised six years ago.
