Founded in 1921, La Fuente is one of the oldest and most traditional cantinas in Guadalajara.
Step inside and it feels like you’ve walked onto a mid-twentieth century movie set from the golden age of Mexican cinema. Old men are knocking back tequila at the bar, while others are crowded around small wooden tables, sipping Corona and munching on spicy snacks to the sound of an accomplished live pianist.
A typically Mexican bar founded in 1921, La Fuente is one of the oldest and most traditional cantinas in Guadalajara. Situated at Pino Suarez 78 in the heart of the historic city center, La Fuente is a stone’s throw from Guadalajara’s biggest square, the Plaza de Liberacion, making it the perfect place to stop for a refreshing cold drink after a day of sightseeing, shopping or work.
While cantinas were once an exclusively male domain, they are now commonly frequented by the fairer sex and La Fuente in particular has established itself as one of Guadalajara’s more tourist-friendly cantinas – without ever diluting its authentic Mexican ambiance or diminishing its reputation as a popular local’s bar…
Click here to read this article in full at Global Delivery Report.
Legends abound regarding the origin of the iconic bike mounted above the bar in La Fuente.
Knights Templar leader Enrique “El Kike” Plancarte was killed by marines in Colon, Queretaro.
Enrique “El Kike” Plancarte Solis, the leader of Mexico’s infamous Knights Templar drug cartel, was killed by marines on Monday evening in the central state of Queretaro.
Plancarte was shot dead after resisting arrest sometime between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the town of Colon. Over 150 marines and federal police officers backed by two helicopters are said to have participated in the operation, which lasted over 24 hours as they searched several homes in Colon’s Las Cruces neighborhood.
Samuel Diaz Benitez, an alleged associate of the slain capo, who was arrested (despite offering federal police officers one million pesos to let him go) in the Knights Templar stronghold of Apatzingan, Michoacan on Saturday, is believed to have revealed Plancarte’s whereabouts.
Plancarte had assumed leadership of the Knights Templar cartel alongside Servando Gomez Martinez, alias “La Tuta,” after the death of founding member Nazario Moreno last month. Mexico’s federal Attorney General’s Office (PGR) had offered a ten-million-peso reward for information leading to the capture of Plancarte, who was accused of organized crime, drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder and robbery.
Several Mexican media outlets cited federal sources confirming Plancarte’s death on Monday night, but the government will not make an official announcement until forensic tests have been completed. The Felipe Calderon administration famously erred by prematurely announcing Nazario Moreno’s death in December 2010, more than three years before he was finally killed.
Plancarte’s death comes just two weeks after his nephew, Manuel Plancarte Gaspar, was arrested in Tarimbaro, Michoacan, where the state authorities accused him of murdering children and engaging in organ trafficking. Enrique Plancarte’s uncle, Dionisio Loya Plancarte, another high-ranking member of the Knights Templar known as “El Tio,” was also arrested by the Mexican Army in Morelia, Michoacan in January.
Enrique Plancarte’s daughter, the semi-successful pop star Melissa Plancarte, drew controversy to the family earlier this year by posing in outfits adorned with the iconic red cross of the Knights Templar.
An offshoot of the pseudo-religious Familia Michoacana cartel, the Knights Templar dominated drug trafficking in Michoacan in recent years, but has recently been weakened by a grassroots vigilante campaign and a federal offensive aimed at freeing the region from widespread extortion, kidnappings, murder, rape and theft. The death of Plancarte will further damage the cartel, which has already been driven out of many Michoacan towns this year.
The Enrique Peña Nieto administration has killed and captured the leaders of each of Mexico’s most prominent drug gangs since assuming power in December 2012, including the aforementioned Nazario Moreno, Miguel Angel Treviño Morales of Los Zetas, Mario Ramirez Treviño of the Gulf Cartel, and, most significantly, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the head of the Sinaloa Federation.
Knights Templar boss Enrique “El Kike” Plancarte was the father of pop star Melissa Plancarte.
Jalisco stadium closed after Chivas fans clash with police
Guadalajara authorities have closed the Estadio Jalisco soccer stadium following violent clashes between hooligans and police in Saturday’s game between local rivals Chivas and Atlas.
Seventeen people were arrested and at least 30 civilians and eight police officers were injured in the brawl, which began when the Chivas ultras – known in Mexico as barras – started throwing flares from the upper tier toward the end of the Clasico Tapatio, which finished one goal apiece.
Television footage showed chaotic scenes as unruly Chivas fans outnumbered the police and brutally beat several officers, leaving two seriously injured. Another video posted on YouTube also showed police officers aggressively manhandling fans.
“After revising the evidence we’re going to close the building,” Jesus Lomeli, general secretary of the Guadalajara municipal government, told reporters the following day. The Estadio Jalisco is home to Club Atlas, who used to share the stadium with Chivas de Guadalajara before the latter side moved across town to the Estadio Omnilife in 2010. It is unclear if the Estadio Jalisco will be reopened in time for Atlas’ next home game against Puebla on April 5, or where that match will take place if not.
Chivas can also expect heavy sanctions for its supporters’ role in the violence. The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has issued a statement of support for the Guadalajara authorities, declaring, “We reaffirm our commitment to a clean game inside and outside the grounds, the Federation will at all times support the investigation so as to identify and punish those responsible for such pitiful acts.”
Violencia en el Estadio Jalisco. En la imagen, aficionados de las Chivas golpean en el suelo a un policía municipal. pic.twitter.com/STedHe2fUw
— Proyecto Diez (@ProyectoDiez) March 23, 2014
In response to the bloody scenes, Chivas announced that is has banned all members of official supporter groups that are found to be responsible from attending games. The decision comes just a week before Chivas hosts its other bitter rival, Club America, in next Sunday’s Super Clasico.
“Following the shameful acts that occurred during the Clasico Tapatio, Club Deportivo Guadalajara S.A. de C.V. informs that it will investigate with photos, videos, and witnesses who were the responsible ones for the assault on the police officers. We will put our resources to make sure these individuals never go inside a Mexican soccer stadium ever again,” read an official Chivas press release. “In addition the club also announces that it has banned all members of organized supporter groups that were issued credentials at the start of this season if they are found to be responsible. This will take immediate effect for the upcoming Clasico against Club America.”
#UDLigaMx Foto: La violencia al final del #ClásicoTapatío ya tuvo consecuencias: el Estadio Jalisco fue CLAUSURADO pic.twitter.com/7pZEKMRn7J — Univision Deportes (@UnivisionSports) March 23, 2014
The Tequila Files 