city

There is a city that maintains much of Russia’s economy in times of war. And it is on the Chinese border

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On the Manzhouli map is a small point north of Mongolia inner, a city with a population similar to Las Palmas and one picturesque square full of replicas of Russian monuments and Matrioskas giants, including a 30 m high that works as a hotel. That is at least what is seen with the naked eye. In Manzhouli practice it is much more: an important Logistics node located right on the border between China and Russia that has gained weight as Moscow’s economy was distanced from the West and narrowed his links with Beijing. So much so that There are those who point since Manzhouli is playing a fundamental role to keep the Russian economy afloat in times of war. In a place in northern China … Manzhouli is far from being the most populous, dynamic or busy city in China, but over the last months has caught the attention of several analysts. He traveled recently Lisa Visentin, correspondent for The Sydney Morning Post. And there has moved now Keith Bradsher, head of the office of The New York Times In Beijing. What is special for this sub -prefecture of Mongola in the interior of just 382,000 inhabitants and a picturesque Russian -inspired theme park full of buildings topped in domes similar to those that can be seen in Moscow and Matrioskas Xl? The answer is simple: Manzhouli is on the border between China and Russia and has managed to carve a key role in the relationship between the two countries at a strategic moment, with the Russian economy marked by the severe sanctions With which the West responded to the War of Ukraine, more than three years ago. At the right time and place. In a wide analysis Posted this week in TnytBradsher points out that today much of the commercial flow between Beijing and Moscow is channeled through Manzhouli, something that is possible thanks in part to its roads and the railway line built at the beginning of the last century by Russia and that passes through the city towards northwest China. Today, trains and trucks traveling from Russia are carried out by the town loaded with wood, planks and other materials that help Beijing avoid imports from North America. From the Chinese town there are also a large number of vehicles destination Russia, where the market suffers the consequences of the sanctions and The withdrawal of European manufacturers. A fact: 65%. As a reference and to understand the economic weight of Manzhouli, in 2022 Global Times (GT)a medium linked to the Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, I calculated that the sight border land port moved up to 65% of all bilateral terrestrial trade between China and Russia. In fact, when many years ago Manzhouli suspended the customs office for weeks to meet the “anti covid-19” measures, a local businessman lamented in GT of losses that amounted to hundreds of thousands of daily yuan. How is it possible? For several factors, although there are two that stand out: their location and infrastructure. Manzhouli is The main one China shopping center with Russia just like Erenhot It is between China and Mongolia. In fact, the city is ceasing to be a “traffic station” of merchandise to become an industrial center. Over there It is processed For example, roller or wood. “Trains from all about China arrive in Manzhouli, one of the six railway ports through which Chinese-Europa trains pass before addressing Russia or other countries in Europe,” collected in 2023 Global Times. “The trains from Europe that go through Russia enter China through Manzhouli before addressing other cities in the country.” During the first quarter the flow of China’s load trains with the continent registered a 7.1% growth In the land port. It matters where … and when. The role of Manzhiuli is today more important because they are also the economic ties between Beijing and Moscow. In 2024 the combined imports and exports of China with Russia added nearby 240,000 million of euros, a historical maximum. The data is also 2% greater than that of 2023, although that increase is far from the 26.3% registered between 2022 and 2023, coinciding with the beginning of the Ukraine War. Bradsher points out that today almost 6% of the Russian economy is based on exports to China and that the flow of merchandise that comes out of China heading to the north It has triggered 71% Since the Kremlin troops advanced on Ukraine. Beijing has become the largest buyer of oil, wood and coal from Russia and in Manzhouli a relationship in which Moscow provides raw materials for the powerful Chinese manufacturing is evident. A perfect relationship? No. Despite this narrow link and that entrepreneurs in the region have managed to make fun of the use of dollars in transactions with Russia (Tnyt speaks With an Entrepreneur from the Manzhouli area that pays Russian wood in Chinese renminbi or rubles through the VTB bank), in the economic relationship between the two countries there are also friction. Moscow forces for example that the carved pines become tables in their own territory and months ago China applied Russian coal tariffs to boost their own production. After the success of Chinese cars in the Russian market, Moscow also chose a considerable rate to imported cars. Images | Wikipedia 1 and 2 Via | Tnyt In Xataka | Ukraine has opened Russia’s last drone and does not leave his astonishment: it is the first time that China does something like that

The Wushang Dream was a mini -city

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There are shopping centers that are traveled. And there are others that are inhabited. In Wuhan, South of the Yangtsé Riverthere is one so big that it costs to locate it In a single idea. Not even the locals manage to agree: some compare it with a theme park, others with a vertical city. Those who already know him, simply call him by name: Wushang Dream was (武商梦时代). Actually, it is not just a matter of size, although the 800,000 square meters it occupies They do not go unnoticed. What makes it a difficult place to cover is its ambition. He doesn’t want you to pass, he wants you to stay. You don’t even need to plan what to do: you can ski, try traditional street food, ride a roller coaster that crosses several floors or take your children to a snow park without leaving the building. Between artificial snow and neon lights: this is how one day is lived in the Wushang Dream was It was not an improvised project. The Wushang Dream was is Fruit of six years of works and many concentrated ambitions. Behind is one of China’s most veteran commercial groups, which invested 12,000 million yuan (about 1.5 billion euros) with a clear idea: lift the largest “pure” shopping center of the worldaccording to its promoters, and turn it into a new cultural, gastronomic and entertainment axis. All that, in the center of Wuhan, just where two of its busiest streets cross. Since opening in 2022, the place has not stopped receiving visitors. According to the group’s own figuresit is one of the busiest spaces in the country and is part of the call “Gold triangle”Commercial of the city. The motto is clear: here it is not only bought. It comes to spend the day, or at least try. Because with its 13 levels, its 600 stores and its snowy park on a roof, it is not difficult to lose the notion of time. It is not necessary to go abroad to find strong emotions. Inside the complex, one can ski on snow slopes or slide by An ice cream. All this happens in differentiated, but well integrated areas: the WS Dreamland amusement park and the WS Snow Miracle space, which maintains a controlled temperature environment all year. The company ensures that the interior remains at about -5 ° C. More than an extravagance, the center seems to look for an alternative form of urban leisure. What are separate weekend plans in other places –ir to the park, pass through a store, dinner out – here it becomes a continuous experience. And if you do not see it, the building is responsible for reminding you: the mechanical stairs connect thematic areas, the posters indicate activities for children and adults, in each plant there are something else. One of the most unique areas of the complex is in the subsoil. It’s called “Chu Feng Han Wei” and it’s not just a food street. It is a complete recreation of Wuhan from the 80swith old posters, appliances from another era, shop windows with recorders, enameled thermos and tube televisions. Some visitors stop in front of their children and explain how things were “when they were little.” Others simply sit down to eat. Several of the premises that have a presence here are historical in the city: from the low -beef of Lao Wancheng to Sikimei vapor soups. Some have adapted their letter to the environment, with exclusive dishes that can only be tested in this commercial version of the past. Halfway between theme park and gastronomic fair, the area has become one of the busiest points in the center. Those who prefer the new to the nostalgic also find their land here. Among the more than 600 stores in the center, several have been presented as “First” in its category. Is, for example, The largest Sony store in the regiona space that not only exposes products, but allows you to try calmly. There is also a large space for Huawei, an urban design bookstore and even a Starbucks with personalized decoration for Wuhan. The result is a type of audience that not only enters by necessity, but out of curiosity. Young people looking for the latest releases, technology fans who compare prices and functionalities in situ, visitors who enter with the idea of “seeing what is” and end up doing sound, image or connectivity tests as if that were an electronics fair. Within the building there is also space for more visible innovations. Patrol do not make it vigilant on foot, but employees who move in equilibrium scooters. Visitor information centralizes interactive screens. And in some areas, logistics management incorporates Artificial Intelligence Models to anticipate needs depending on the time or volume of public. Everything looks for the same: that the center works as a miniature city, with its own rules, schedules and routines. At this point, it is difficult to pigeonhole the Wushang Dream was. Is it a shopping center? Yes, but it is also a theme park, an urban gallery, an architectural experiment and a place where many go without intention to buy anything. There may be its success there: in having turned a space designed for consumption into something more similar to an urban capsule where the day spends, see things or share time. Images | Hubei government | Wushang Group In Xataka | Someone wanted to build wakanda in real life financing it with cryptocurrencies: it ran out of city and without cryptocurrency

A rapper wanted to build a futuristic city of 6,000 million dollars in Senegal: a wakanda inspired

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The American rapper Alioune Badara Thiam, better known as AKON, announced in 2020 his goal of building a Megation of 6,000 million dollars In Senegal. This city would be inspired by wakanda, The Central African country invented by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to locate the kingdom of the Superhero Black Panther. The proposal promised to change the urban and economic landscape of the African country, serving as a magnet To attract investments and tourism to Senegal. In the same way that happened to them To other pharaonic projectsAkon’s “Wakanda” went from estimating its investment of 6,000 million to a sixth part and, finally, summarizing just a couple of buildings in a remote rural population southeast of the capital of Senegal. Akon City: Wakanda in real life Akon was A success rapper During the early 2000s. Although he spent most of his life in the United States, his origin is Senegalés. That is why it is not strange that he dreamed with taking Senegal the project of his life. The artist dreamed of building a futuristic megaciudad inspired by the wakanda I had seen in Marvel’s comics and movies. To anyone’s surprise, the rapper baptized the project as Akon City. Although the idea could have remained as An artistic eccentricitythe close ties that joined Senegal made the then Minister of Tourism of Senegal, Alioune Sarr, give institutional support to the project, such and As reported The avant -garde In 2020. “For all those who come from America, Europe or anywhere wanting to visit Africa, we want Senegal to be his first stop,” said the rapper in the presentation of the project. Akon City The rapper said “I want buildings to seem authentic African sculptures that make in the villages”, collected he Washington Post. That spirit was collected in the architecture that the artist imagined in the form of great skyscrapers in sinuous ways. As can be seen on the project website, the city was going to be divided into different thematic areas: educational, health, technological, entertainment, etc., etc., equipped with hospitals, football stadiums, filming studies or research laboratories and universities. And how is that paid? Financing, in addition to state investments and private investment, was going to be supported by a cryptocurrency that the rapper wanted to link to the development of the city: the Akoin. The Senegalese government fulfilled its part and contributed 800 coastal hectares without building to develop the new urban project. The chosen location was Mbodiène, an agricultural village about 100 kilometers southeast of Dakar. Akon City entertainment district However, like It has already happened With projects that start from Much more solvent pockets That Akon’s, Like NeomThe rapper soon realized that 6,000 million was a lot of money. Therefore, in 2024 investment expectations They were reduced from 6,000 million dollars to a much more modest plan, valued at 1,000 million dollars. For its part, Akoin began its price on the Bitget exchange platform at $ 0.15 on November 19, 2020. For December 11, its last available price had already fallen to $ 0.003 confirming the little support that the project had received and hurting it. Such and as he collected Bloomberg, At present, there are still no roads, homes or electricity grid on those land. The only constructions that the rapper has financed are a youth center, a basketball court in the nearby population of Mbodiène and a building reception still half building. Nor is there a trace of futuristic buildings They imagined for Akon City. The end of Akon City and the future of the land The outcome of the project came from the hand of Serigne Mamadou Mboup, director of Sapco, the Senegal Tourism Development Agency that in statements to the BBChe said: “The Akon City project no longer exists, fortunately, an agreement has been reached between Sapco and the businessman Alioune Badara Thiam. What is preparing with us is a realistic project, which Sapco will fully support” The artist himself acknowledged that the project was great and admitted that “it was not properly managing; I assume all responsibility.” Senegal has recovered 90% of the land that had yielded for the development of the city and plans to continue collaborating with the artist to build sports and civil equipment for 2026 Youth Olympic Games that are celebrated in Dakar. However, Senegal Wakanda will have to wait save in a drawer. Yibambe! In Xataka |The amazing history of the kingdom of Haiti, the American wakanda that did exist Image | Akon CityFlickr (Web Summit), Disney

Mexico City wanted to shine as Lisbon did. Now they have the same problems: Gentrification and Digital Nomads

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In recent weeks, Mexico City has been the scene of a wave of protests that have put in the center of the debate the coexistence of its inhabitants. The increase in housing prices, due to the gentrification of the most popular neighborhoods in the city, and the uncontrolled tourist They have put the Digital nomads In the spotlight causing an unprecedented social reaction in the Mexican capital. Mexico City is thrown out. Thousands of people went to protest through the streets of the most central and busy colonies (neighborhoods) like Rome and Countess, where rental prices have increased above 100% In the last three years. What began as a peaceful manifestation against the gentrification and the increase of life in those colonies, soon took a more violent look: Several businesses frequented by tourists and digital nomads were attacked under slogans From “Gringo, go home!” Some protesters carried banners with “gringos written messages, stop stealing the house”, while demanding laws to regulate the tourist and policies that allow access to a home at affordable prices for the premises. “They are expelling us from our own neighborhoods,” the protesters shouted. The government responds and the US does not lose Comba. The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, He expressed his outrage before the violence registered in the demonstrations and condemned Xenophobic attitudes that the protesters showed against the digital nomads and tourists who found in their path. “It cannot be that due to a lawsuit, however legitimate, that is gentrification, the demand is ‘any nationality of our country,’” said Sheinbaum. “Mexico is a country open to the world and is not discriminatory; then xenophobic attitudes cannot be justified.” The increase in tension against digital nomads, mainly Americans, also have a response component from citizenship to deportation policies That the Government of Donald Trump is applying, expelling many Mexican citizens from the US, while these digital nomads now occupy the homes in which the protesters lived. “Gentrification is colonization!” Some of the banners exhibited in the demonstration. For its part, far from showing a conciliatory message, the US National Security Department, on which mass deportations depend, threw more firewood by the fire by publishing In his X profile The message: “If you are illegally in the United States and want to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home application to facilitate your departure.” THE ORIGIN OF THE PROTEST: Gentrification. Such and As I pointed out The president of Mexico in her speech, the origin of the discomfort of the population of Mexico City has as a backdrop Gentrificationa process that has accelerated in recent years. During this period, the local government promoted the investment of foreign real estate funds and the Use of platforms such as Airbnbracing the way for the arrival of professionals with high purchasing power from the global northern. As a result, the price of housing in central colonies It has doubled In the last decade, and the cost of living has become unsustainable for many residents resulting from the pressure of investment funds for removing maximum profitability to their real estate investments. “When talking about real estate cartels, it is rightly said, because between cartels there are disputes over a territory or square, and today the (colony) Juarez is the center of a similar dispute,” assured In 2023 a BBC Neighborhood activist Sergio González. The average rental of an house in Mexico City went from 16,100 pesos per month (about 738 euros to change) in January 2018 to 20,426 pesos (about 936 euros) five years later, although this figure shoots more than double in colonies such as the Countess. The minimum monthly salary in Mexico City is around 8,364 pesos, the equivalent of just less than 384 euros. Digital nomads are not the (unique) responsible. Although US digital nomads have become the main objective of protests, Expert voices like that of the lawyer and activist Carla Escoffié indicate that her presence is only A part of the problem. The mere presence of a few thousand people with high purchasing power in a city like Mexico City does not elevate prices alone, explains Escoffié in his book ‘Country without a roof’. The true Gentrification Motor They are the real estate fundsthe greats LESSORSand the Tourist Rental Platformswhich modify the nature of the neighborhoods building luxury homes and replacing the local trade by multinational chains. President Sheinbaum pointed out that foreigners rejection is a response to mass arrival of digital nomads After the pandemic, mainly from the United States. These “visitors” have much greater purchasing power than the local population and its presence It increased In 60% compared to figures in 2019, and currently, some 700,000 Americans live in Mexico. The precedent: Portugal. Lisbon would have served of Canarian in the mine For the Mexican government to anticipate what would happen in the colonies of Mexico City, since Lisbon has suffered the same symptoms that the Mexican capital now presents. Such and as analyzed in The Guardian The researcher at the University of Lisbon Agustín Cocola-Gant, Portugal promoted for years a low taxation for real estate investors foreigners and launched “golden visas“To attract digital nomads and investors, granting tax advantages over local inhabitants. These policies caused a 105.8% increase in the price of housing in Lisbon between 2015 and 2023, according to published data by The confidential. The result was the expulsion of thousands of Portuguese of its traditional neighborhoodsunable to face the increase in life and housing. As Cocola-Gant explained, Portugal went from occupying the 22 of the 27 countries with the most expensive housing in 2015, to occupy first place today. In Xataka | Cities full of empty houses and neighbors incapable of finding housing: the cities of “Las Persianas descedas” arrive Image | Unspash (Keith Helfrich)

This city of China is the world epicenter of rare earths. The problem is that nobody thought of its inhabitants

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To get an idea to what extent It has control Of those precious minerals that form the set of rare earths, the greatest enemy that China has is not outside its borders. It is such a monopolization in the sector that the danger has in “house” through of the smugglers. And of all enclaves, one stands out greatly as an epicenter of the entire heart. His name is Baotou, and everything that shines for the surrounding inhabitants is not gold. A normal city in appearance. Baotouan industrial core of 2.7 million inhabitants on the border with the Gobi desert, seems to the naked eye a second category Chinese city like so many others: shopping centers with western chains, local restaurants overflowing and children playing late. However, a short journey to the outskirts is enough to discover His true nature: A landscape dominated by factories, smoking chimneys and an environmental legacy forged by one of the most strategic and persecuted sectors of the planet. The heart of rare earths. Yes, the enclave houses More than 80% of the Rare reserves of China. Since in the 30s they were discovered in the nearby Mining District of Bayan Obo elements such as Cerio, Lantano or Samario, its exploitation has turned the city on a chain axis on global supply on industries such as electronics, automotive and defense. We have counted before: During the 90s, China increased its production by 450%, while other countries, such as the United States, They closed their mines. This concentration made Beijin the almost exclusive supplier of these critical metals, and today, in the midst of the commercial war with Washington, its control has been transformed In diplomatic weapon. Economy vs Human Cost. The problem? The Guardian told that mineral wealth has favored the economic development of Baotou, whose GDP per capita It widely exceeds the national average. However, prosperity has Your reverse: Processing plants generate toxic (often radioactive) waste that are discharged into huge artificial rafts. The most infamous, the Weikuang dam, for years was the largest landfill of rare earth waste on the planet, without adequate coating and directly close to the Yellow River. In fact, official reports have confirmed that these activities caused a 87% decrease of ammoniacal nitrogen in a tributary between 2020 and 2024, although accumulated ravages remain visible. Yin mountains on the outskirts Cancer and poison. For example, numerous studies They have documented devastating consequences in the health of nearby communities: from bone malformations to a “Epidemic” of cancer. Exposure to these elements, capable of crossing the blood brain barrier, has been associated with motor and sensory disabilities, as well as alterations in fetal neurological development. Not just that. 2020 investigations revealed that the dust of the streets contains concentrations so high that the children of Baotou and surroundings are exposed to dangerous levels Just to breathe. Daily particle ingestion rates in mining areas far exceed the limits considered safe. A washing … halfway. Given the growing international criticism, China has tried to clean its image. In 2022, state media announced that Weikuang’s dam had been transformed into an urban wetland, now supposed paradise of migratory birds. The reality? Explained the medium British that when arriving at the place, what one is located is a concrete wall that hides a dry and desolate lodazal. Behind, ruins of ancient “villages of cancer” and oxidized industrial structures extend. New homes built for displaced are practically empty, and foreign journalists are It usually blocks actively to prevent them from talking to residents. Rural sacrifice. So things, Baotou exemplifies an uncomfortable truth: the China domain In the rare earth market it has been possible not only for its geological reserves, but for a political decision where rural communities have been allowed to support Toxic costs of a globalized economic boom. It is not an exempt problem from China, of course, the same thing happens in other sectors such as AI and its data centers (we recently counted it with the Elon Musk Supercomputer). Be that as it may, and although there are less polluting technologies to process these metals, they are rarely used: its implementation would make the low costs that have cemented the Chinese position. If you want, in a context of growing international pressure and commercial sanctions, the extractive model It reveals both the fragility of environmental balance and the rawness of contemporary geostrategic priorities. Image | 柏尔莫华, 天王星 In Xataka | The key to China’s success with rare earths are not the rare earths: it is the magnet In Xataka | China’s domain of rare earths has nothing to do with geography: it is born from 39 university programs

Vitoria has been the greatest city in Spain for years. Now he has turned against him for a gardener strike

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Vitoria-Gasteiz can boast many things. Of gastronomylandscapes or heritageto quote only a few examples. If something has presumed, however, in recent years the Basque capital is from Green areas. Its city council ensures that the city has 42 m2 of landscaped areas by each inhabitant, allowing it to be sneaking often in The Top 10 of the greatest cities in the country and even won the title of European Green Capital. Now its gardeners have strike and that vast vegetation cover has become a problem. The parks have gone from being a reason for pride to a headache. Vitoria, “Green Capital”. With the global warming Converted into the subject of priority (and recurring) discussion, more and more cities They choose to apply a “green” logic when planning their urban planning. It occurs both in Spain and in other countries, but few cities have taken a step as determined as Vitoria. In Your website The Basque City Council presumes to have 42 square meters of green areas for each neighbor, 171 kilometers of bike lanes, 115,000 trees in streets and parks and a green ring of 33 kilometers with hectares Field. The bet has not gone badly and the city It usually sneaks in The highest of the national top 10 of green cities. The effort has been accompanied in addition to some important international recognitions: the European Green Capital 2012, the Green Ciudad Global 2019 and the Biosphere Responsible Tourism certification. So much so that the city presumes being a “Green Capital”. And the strike arrived. For A few months However, the residents of Vitoria look at that vast green area, which include parks and gardens, but also roundabouts, gutters, alcorques and curbs with some concern. And the reason is very simple: professionals who are in charge of their care are on strike. At the end of March, the Envier Company Committee, the hire of the maintenance of the green areas of the municipality, He summoned a strike for Demand improvements labor. “Their working conditions are absolutely precarious, with salaries that barely reach the minimum interprofession He warned In March, the ELA union on the situation of the 85 employees affected by Envise. The first day of strike the tracking has already been around 90%, according to the workers, and the City Council has found that its municipal gardeners template It falls short to assume the management of all parks and gardens. “It is a risk”. Three months later and despite the Mediation attempts Among the parts involved, the gardener strike is still underway in Vitoria to desperate the authorities and neighbors. Its acts of fact were noticed very soon. Without pruning, irrigation or stubble withdrawal, the vegetation of the city has faded … with all its consequences. In May Antena3 He informed Already with grown weeds, plants more than a meter high in the gardens, green on the sidewalks and even the appearance of insects, including ticks and mosquitoes. “The presence of fleas and ticks begins to be common and is a health risk,” Recognize to Basque chronicle Rafa Busto, member of the ELA union. To the weed, the carelessness of the parks and the risk of bites is also added another handicap: a much harder year than usual for the allergic to the pollen. After three months of strike, the City Council has also found that the news has climbed nationally and Furibunda complaints of its citizens. “Threatens lives”. The situation has reached such a point that a few days ago the Basque Government ordered to the gardeners who guarantee minimum care of the green areas. The decree has served to The seasons come back to the parks of Vitoria, but has further walked the spirits. The syndiacts already They have warned that will resort to an order that, they insist, “condition the strike”; and the reports of the transport and firefighters service in which the Executive has been supported to make its decision stands out for its forcefulness, warning of serious risks. “The lack of clearing threatens lives, properties, infrastructure and public health, in addition to overflowing emergency services,” They warn Firefighters in their analysis. In a similar line, the traffic service warned that in some areas of Vitoria the vegetation has been felt so much that it has gained height that prevents traffic or traffic light signals. More vegetation, many more flowers. Not all the effects of the strike are negative or all see them with the same eyes. The rains and the fact that the bushes grow at ease has led certain areas of Vitoria to have seen a floral explosion, to the joy of botanists and biologists. “The flowers that we previously considered very rare, today we found them almost in any split”, Point out Gorka Belamendia, of the Center for Environmental Studies, in the SER. “If plants are allowed to develop, biodiversity is multiplied: insects and invertebrates especially,” coincides in The country Pello Urrutia, president of the Alavés de la Nature Institute (Ian). Irene Zúñiga, doctor in urban architecture, even He went further When assessing the effects of the strike: “All botany schools should be here, taking out inventory.” Images | RDA SUISSE (Flickr), Euskadi.eus and Mariya Prokopyuk (Flickr) In Xataka | The most unknown language in Spain is in danger. The 500 gypsies who speak it just want them to leave them alone

We have just discovered a Mayan city of more than 2,800 years in Guatemala. And rethink the history of the region

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The jungle of Peténnorth of Guatemala, he continues to surprise historians who are dedicated to exploring pre -Columbian history. There, near the border of Mexico, archaeologists have discovered a fascinating “Urban triangle” formed by three old cities that stand out for their architecture and heritage. Among all the most surprising is “the grandparents”, an important Mayan ceremonial center of More than 2,800 years of antiquity that takes its name of two pieces discovered by the experts: sculptures of an elderly couple who were probably used for rituals related to the cult of ancestors. The experts They recognize That the findings open the door to rethink what we know about ceremonies, society and pre -Hispanic politics in northern Guatemala. Beyond Uaxactun. For centuries the Mayan civilization extended in the south of what is today Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras, shaping a rich culture that dates back At least 2,000 ACreached its splendor during the 5th century of our era and declined in the post -classic stage, from X to XIII. During that wide period the Maya created great populations, as uaxactúna site located in the Petén region, in Guatemala. For some time, Guatemalan archaeologists have looked, however, beyond Uaxactún, towards the jungles of Petén, in search of old pre -Columbian cities. Hence, in 2009 they would boost the Uaxactún Archaeological Project (Paru), which explores a vast area of ​​around 1,200 square kilometers (km2) around the old Mayan city. Thanks to him and after more than a decade and a half of work, experts have cataloged about 176 deposits, from small archaeological vestiges to broader settlements. “An urban triangle”. That the researchers have found 176 sites does not mean that they have excavated them all. Over the last years they have observed three attention three, Mayan cities that have been studied thanks to the involvement of several Slovak institutions, including the Enoius University. Their conclusions have just been submitted and reveal Something amazing: an “Urban Triangle so far unknown” that lived its splendor in the Middle Preclassic (800-500 BC) and late and is formed by three cities that barely are far five kilometers each other. The discovery is interesting both for archaeological vestiges themselves and for the horizons they open. “The findings allow to rethink the understanding of the ceremonial and socio -political organization of the pre -Hispanic Petén,” They stand out from the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Guatemala. The three archaeological sites that have captured the attention of Guatemalan and Slovak experts and make up that new Mayan urban triangle are Petnal, Cambrayal and the grandparents, the most fascinating of all. A new archaeological jewel. Grandparents is a city dating from the Middle Preclassic (800-500 AC), reaches an extension of some 16 km2 and is located about 21 km northwest of Uxactún. In the opinion of the local authorities, it implies “one of the oldest and most important ceremonial centers of the preclassic in Petén.” In fact they expect light to contribute on the origins of Mayan civilization. His name is due to one of the most curious pieces found by archaeologists: human form sculptures that represent an ancestral couple and that experts relate to ancient worship rituals to ancestors. The initial dating places them towards 500 and 300 BC Architecture for stars. The sculptures however are only a small part of the archaeological treasure of the grandparents. In A statementthe Ministry of Culture highlights its “remarkable architectural planning”, with radial pyramids, triadic groups and sculpted monuments with an iconography of the region. “In addition to the sculptures, grandparents houses a type of architectural set known as group E, used as astronomical observatory,” They clarify. “The disposition of its buildings allows you to register with precision solstices and equinoxes.” Experts have known the Eaxactun Group E for years, but they believe that the one located in the grandparents could be even older. That without having the rest of the vestiges discovered. At the foot of the sculptures of the two ancestors, a human burial was located and not far from there remains of several felines, in addition to offerings of vessels, shells, arrow points and a trail from which archaeologists hope to obtain “valuable information” about the old Mayan settlement. Completing the triangle. The grandparents is the main course of the new findings presented by Guatemala, but not the only one. Another of the outstanding deposits is Petnal, a city that was equipped with a pyramid of 33 meters high decorated with preclassic murals. At their highest point, archaeologists have also discovered a well -preserved stay that still retains remains of painting on stucco with reddish, white and black tones, “another extraordinary discovery”, experts celebrate. Because of its characteristics and architecture, however they believe that, unlike grandparents, which probably acted as a “ceremonial center”, Petnal exercised political center. 57 meters of channels. The third city that completes the urban triangle of Petén is Cambrayal, equipped with a network of 57 meters long channels that part of a palace and extends through the facade. Interestingly, archaeologists believe that the channels, stuped, were not used to bring water to the rooms, but to evict waste, just like a primitive drainage system. Another piece discovered in Cambrayal by experts is a sculpture similar to others located on the southern coast. The Ministry of Culture of Guatemala Point out that the three cities share more than proximity and distribute throughout the petén. They all had a more or less similar story: the settlements remained inhabited during much of the preclassic, ended up abandoned and with the passage of the centuries they enjoyed a second golden age after being rediscovered, rebuilt and again populated, already during the stage called late classic. Images | Ministry of Culture of Guatemala In Xataka | 60 years ago we discovered a hidden gold in the jungle of Peru. Now we know that it was really much more

Starbase residents voted to be the city of Spacex. Now a letter has reached the right to their property

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In May, the residents of the small community that surrounded the SpaceX headquarters in Boca Chica, southeast of Texas, carried out A historical vote. An overwhelming mass was done in favor of constituting the city of Starbase, which most or less became that Elon Musk’s company became “almost” owner of the enclave, with levels of autonomy Never seen until now. That’s why, The letter That has just arrived at residents has been a surprise. Urban experiment. The transformation of the former Texano of Boca Chica village in the corporate city of Starbase represents much more than a simple name change. Conceived as the epicenter of Spacex’s space operations and, as we said, vmostly For a large -compound population for company employees, Starbase has now moved to a new phase of territorial reorganization. The problem. Than a disseminated memorandum by him city ​​administratorKent Myers, warns many residents who could “lose the right to continue using their property for current use” due to a rezoning proposal that will be debated on June 23. He Document is explicit: Those who have land in the affected area could be forced to modify or abandon them if they do not conform to the new urban plan. The city plans to become a mixed area of ​​residences, offices and services, although in practice the development model is almost exclusively oriented to support the Spacex expansion and its launch facilities. City-business. They counted in Fortune That the Starbase Urban Project recovers, with technologically sophisticated, but politically disturbing features, the model of the old ones “Company Towns“North American: cities where the owner company was also the employer, regulator and in many sovereign spaces of space. In fact, the current mayor, Robert Peden12 -year -old veteran in Spacex, and the majority of the electorate It is composed of company workers. This structure creates a fusion between civil governance and corporate objectives, where the public interest is subordinated to the industrial plan of a single entity. In this context, key decisions such as rezoning, mobility restrictions or access to common goods such as beaches are no longer settled in a Public Square open, but within the perimeter of a private logic protected by local legal structures. Public space restriction. One of the most visible consequences of Spacex’s advance in Starbase has been the progressive Restriction of access to Boca Chica Beacha coastal strip of great environmental and spiritual value, especially for the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe. With the argument of guaranteeing security during the releases, the restrictions have been multiplied, and recently the Texas Senate approved legislation which allows local authorities to close the beach during the week and limit their use during weekends. Ecological organizations They have denounced That, under the security pretext, a “system designed to give them a de facto private beach is consolidating.” The appropriation of a public good for corporate purposes awakens criticism and calls into question the compatibility between economic investment promises and collective rights. Global implications. It is the last of the legs that appears with the drift that is taking the case of Starbase. Its consolidation not only constitutes a local experiment, but also A possible model For future business colonies with functional sovereignty aspirations. Fortune explained that if a coastal settlement can be transformed into A corporate municipality With the right to issue land use, condition the permanence of non -affiliated residents and manage public infrastructure Like a beachdoors are also opened to an advanced form of territorial privatization. In a world where megacorporations such as Spacex, Tesla or X (yes, all of Musk) concentrate each time More economic power And symbolic, Starbase could serve General trial For similar projects in other regions with lax regulations. If you want also and put to think about Musk keyif the promise is that these cities are platforms for interplanetary expansion, the Texan experience suggests that, before conquering Mars, the conquest can begin with the political geography of the Earth. Image | Alexander Hatley In Xataka | Texas has a new city. Until a few days ago, it was only Spacex’s base in Boca Chica In Xataka | Leaving California is just the first step: Spacex has started the procedures to create an independent city in Texas

A marginal city in Italy established a direct flight with New York. Now they are not so clear if it was a good idea

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In front of massive cities Like Venice either Romein Italy there are other enclaves that look with some envy how the economies and investments produced by the paradoxical arrival of the arrival of Tourist hordes. One of those places was Bari, until recently a marginal port city with high crime rates. Then it was decided that it was time to fly and hug tourism. What happened later has left them serious doubts with the decision. The new jewel. I told this week The New York Times. After decades of being seen as a secondary scale on the way to more famous destinations in southern Italy or the Greek Islands, the port city from Bari He has begun to become an unexpected protagonist of European tourism. This metamorphosis has been largely driven by the effort of Antonio Maria Vasile, director of the airports of Pugliawho managed to establish the First direct flight Between Bari and New York, a symbolic bridge between the region and the millions of Italian Americans who share that origin. With this international connection, Bari seeks to claim its place not as a relegated south, but as a vibrant center of culture, history and gastronomy. Although for years his old town was Synonym of crime And abandonment, the city has experienced an urban rebirth that has given way to coastal walks, coffees, cultural routes and, very important, security, returning to its inhabitants a sense of pride so far scarce. First tourist line. He counted the medium that Puglia has silently conquered celebrities, investors and tourists, and has done so with its mix of crystalline sea, baroque architecture, rural hospitality and discreet luxury. While resorts like Burgi Egnazia They welcome G7 peaks And the Lamborghinis wait in the rental garages, Bari begins to benefit from the Halo effect which has elevated the region to the new epicenter of the Italian charm. The legacy of San Nicoláswhose grave is in the city, joins a Bari Vecchia completely renovated, where the medieval churches and the street sale of Orechiette They compete in attractive with The focaccia local. The walks through the historic center, before dominated By mafia clansnow they are full of visitors and residents who rediscovered the city with new eyes. In other words, the narrative of the impoverished and forgotten south begins to give in to a modernity, heritage and opportunity. Gentrification No doubt, this also entails others known evilsbecause the tourist boom does not come without tensions. The sudden popularity of Bari has Turned prices of the rent in the center, expelling pensioners and students, and putting in check To the young population which represents the demographic and creative future of the city. The massive reconversion of housing in tourist rentals has emptied traditional residential areas, repeating Dynamics seen In other saturated cities Like Venice, Madrid either Lisbon. Thus, more and more people fear that, after having rebuilt their identity, Bari loses it under the pressure of an economic model seasonal and fragile. Criticism also aims at the lack of investment in public transport, a basic lack that hinders both the daily mobility of residents and the full integration of tourist flows. As a local teacher synthesized to the Times: “In Puglia it is easy to rent a Ferrari, but finding a bus is another story.” Between the authentic and the fanfare. Explained at the NYT that Bari’s revitalization has been so deep that those who knew her in her most decadent stage barely recognize her. Ancient neighborhoods now shine with cultural routes, film festivals and a nightlife that, however, has begun to collide with the traditional social fabric, as was demonstrated recently when the neighbors They threw water cubes to disperse the hordes of tourists of the San Nicolás Festival. Enthusiasm coexists with the same concern of so many other enclaves: Can a city reinvent itself without selling itself completely, attract without blurring? The answer is not clear and, meanwhile, Vasile imagines a future where Bari does not depend on fleeting summers or celebrity names, but on a deep and sustainable consolidation. Under that prism, the new connection with New York should not be synonymous with tourism without more, but in his words“The inaugural symbol of a different era. We have realized new possibilities.” Now it remains to be seen if the city knows how to become a reality … without losing its essence along the way. Image | Jason Chung In Xataka | Italy has had an idea for mass tourism not to be attracted: higher and more places for travelers In Xataka | In full debate about tourist massification, Spain already has the first photo of how summer is going. And there are surprises

In 1963 we discovered a pre -Columbian city hidden in the jungle of Peru. It turns out that we only knew the tip of the iceberg

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Between the VII and XVI centuries the northeastern Andes of what is today Peru saw a rich civilization that planted the Incas: The Chachapoyasthe “cloud forest people.” There, between 2,000 and 3,000 meters above sea level, its people raised funeral and ceremonial constructions that over the centuries ended up devoured by weeds. One of his greatest legacies is Great Pajaténin the San Martín region. Archaeologists have known him for decades, but when studying it with new techniques, such as Lidar scanthey have been surprised. They knew only a small part of the complex. What they have found is so interesting that the World Monuments Fund (WMF) He already speaks of the greatest archaeological milestone in the region since the 80s. What happened? That Peru has just given a pleasant surprise to historians. Especially those dedicated to the study of pre -Hispanic civilizations. A few days ago the WMF) revealed that a group of researchers have identified and documented more than a hundred archaeological structures in the Great Pajaténone of the most important archaeological deposits of ABISEO RIVER NATIONAL PARKin the Peruvian Amazon. In fact It is also known as “the lost city of the Chachapoya” or “El Dorado del Antisuyo”. Why is it important? For several reasons. The study not only provides information that helps understand the settlement. It also helps us to know better the civilization to which it represents: The Chachapoya (“People of the cloud forest”), a pre -Columbian culture that flourished between The VII and XVI centuries and shone among other issues for its constructions, such as the impressive Kuelap fortressa citadel located at 3,000 meters above sea level in what is now the Luya province; or the Great Pajaténwith its circular stone buildings, decorated terraces, winding paths and platforms. And who were the Chachapoya? An outstanding part of the history of ancient Peru. As Remember the WMFthe civilization flourished between the VII and XVI in the northeastern Andes of what is now Peru, organizing around regional manors. Despite the steep terrain they managed to adapt and demonstrate their ability as architects: they built settlements with characteristic circular, friez and mausoleum constructions. Not just that. They also managed to resist the thrust of the Inca, although they ended up subjected in the fifteenth century. What have they discovered exactly? The Great Pajatén is known For decadesis in an environment cataloged by UNESCO And archaeologists had already been in charge of examining it before. In fact, in the 60s they documented 18 structures and time later, in the 80s, they expanded the list to the 26 elements. Now the experts They have discovered that was just the tip of the iceberg. With the help of new techniques and resources, the expedition led by the WMF has identified more than 100 archaeological structures that give a new dimension to the settlement. So relevant is the finding that the organism speaks of the “first important discovery in the region since the 1980s.” “More than duplicate the number of known archaeological structures”, celebrate. What tells us all about the great Pajatén? A lot. The site It was discovered In 1963 And since then archaeologists consider it “one of the most notable Chachapoya sites that are preserved”, with ceremonial buildings decorated with friezes and stone mosaics that represent human figures. The problem is that experts failed to make an overall image of the Chachapoya complex or its reach. The reason? Much of its architecture was still hidden, covered by the lush vegetation of the Peruvian high jungle. That handicap and the lack of perspective had so far conditioned the image that experts had of the deposit. “Its scale, function and chronology were subject to continuous speculation”, They point out from WMFwhich recalls the “unique and highly fragile ecosystem” that surrounds the settlement, in the Abyseo River Park. To shield it the authorities even restrict tourists’ access. And what conclusions have they taken? At the entrance, researchers have confirmed that the Chachapoya presence in large pajatén can be traced to the fourteenth century. And that at least. There are certain clues that suggest “a significantly earlier occupation.” During their expedition they also detected a nearby network of pre -Hispanic paths that connect the whole with the beach, papayas or slopes, which For the WMF It supports “a broader interpretation of the complex as part of a hierarchical and interconnected territory.” “The team documented an architectural set composed of multiple interconnected sectors. This allows us to understand the great Pajatén in its true magnitude, not as an isolated set, but as part of an articulated network of pre -Hispanic settlements of different periods,” Comment Juan Pablo de la Puente, WMF manager. “This finding radically changes the dimension of the site and raises new questions about the role of Pajatén in the Chachapoya world.” How have you discovered it? If great Pajatén has been known for more than half a century and until now the dense vegetation had prevented archaeologists from deepening their study, the following question is obvious: what has changed? Why have you discovered new constructions now? The answer is simple: experts have resorted to new tools that have allowed them to see through that green mantle without altering the environment or damaging structures. The key is in the Lidar scan aerial and manual, photogrammetry, topographic record and technomorphological analysis. Thanks to them, experts have been able to get up The dense mantle of vegetation to take a look at what is underneath, map everything, study the architectural techniques used in the settlement and how it adapts to its surroundings. “Everything without damaging the delicate landscape or its architectural vestiges”, insist From the International Federation. Have you done anything else? “Thanks to the use of advanced technology, our team was able to collect extraordinary visual and scientific documentation that gives life to the great Pajatén, preserving its delicate environment,” celebrateBénédicte de Montlaur, WMF president. “Although the site remains inaccessible to most people, these tools will allow us to share their meaning.” The … Read more

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