Mexican Territory Research Articles

Inmigrantes laborales y flujo en tránsito en la Frontera Sur de México: dos manifestaciones del proceso y una política migratoria

This text presents a characterization of Guatemalan labor immigration into Mexico, its historical perspective and processes of change in relation to new places of destination, crossings and labor insertions. It also sets out the most fundamental traits of migrants who cross Mexican territory when in transit from Central America, new crossing trajectories and social costs in terms of human rights, within a framework of greater social vulnerability. It analyzes the role that the Mexican state has played in relation to the establishment of a new migration policy set forth in the last two administrations (2001–2012) by the Partido Acción Nacional (National Action Party), institutional and legislative arrandos gements, progress and unresolved matters with respect to the proclamation of human and labor rights. It is concluded that even though unprecedented progress has been made in terms of immigration regulations, these policies still have serious shortcomings with regards to Central American immigration into Mexico, be it labor immigration or migrants in transit. This migration has taken on new forms and has registered qualitative and quantitative changes in crossing, in an environment of greater risk in Mexican territory.

Estimation of Total Yearly CO2Emissions by Wildfires in Mexico during the Period 1999–2010

The phenomenon of wildfires became a global environmental problem which demands estimations of their CO2emissions. Wildfires have deteriorated the air quality increasingly. Using available information on documented wildfires and a data set of satellite detected hot spots, total yearly emissions of CO2in Mexico were estimated for the period 1999–2010. A map of the main vegetation groups was used to calculate total areas for every vegetation type. The yearly number of hot spots per vegetation type was calculated. Estimates of emitted CO2in a wildfire were then accomplished by considering parameters such as: forest fuel load, vegetation type, burning efficiency, and mean burned area. The number of wildfires and total affected areas showed an annual variability. The yearly mean of affected area by a single wildfire varied between 0.2 and 0.3 km2. The total affected area during the period 1999 to 2010 was 86800 km2which corresponds to 4.3% of the Mexican territory. Total CO2emissions were approximately 112 Tg. The most affected vegetation types were forest and rainforest.

Black bears in Mexico, an update of literature review

Black bears are widely distributed in North America; historically their range included most of northern Mexico. By the middle of the twentieth-century their distribution was reduced to about 20% and by 1994, black bears were classified as endangered. In recent years, however, there has been an increase in the number of black bears sightings in some of their historic distribution, suggesting that black bears in Mexico may be dispersing and recovering historical habitats. In spite of the fact that the black bear is one of the important mammals that inhabits Mexican territory, there is little knowledge concerning its life history. We present information about black bear presence in the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental. Also, we present a review of available research results on habitat, diet and population density. We include a review of peer-reviewed publications, theses, and grey literature, some of which are available only in Spanish. Our goal is to present a country-wide overview to show where studies of black bears have been conducted, where there is need for further research, and to make the information available for researchers in and outside of Mexico. Key words: current distribution, historical review, Ursus americanus

Perspectiva histórica de las Nutrias en México

Resumen The historical happenings of Mexico is presented in the context of the intimate relationship with the different species of otters found in Mexican territory, from historic records, based in codex and legends of the Aztecs, Colonial times, Independence and Contemporary Mexico.

Interpolation of Mexican soil properties at a scale of 1:1,000,000

México maintains several databases with biotic or abiotic information that enable large scale-studies (for example, at a resolution of 1km2); unfortunately, there is no information at this resolution for soil properties. The goal of this paper was to generate a set of soil variables to address this absence. We evaluated 4400 soil samples taken on Mexican territory. The following nine soil properties were evaluated for each sample: Ca, K, Mg, Na, organic C, organic matter, electrical conductivity, sodium absorption ratio, and pH. With the use of geostatistical methods, a layer was generated for each soil property after six different semivariance models were evaluated. The kriging model (simple, ordinary, or universal) was selected as the best semivariance method with a 10-fold cross-validation approach. Exponential, pentaspherical, and spherical models were selected with ordinary and universal kriging methods to spatially predict the soil properties. Five classes for each soil map were generated. The nine soil properties were classified primarily as slightly low or medium according to their distribution throughout Mexican territory.

La dimensión espacial del suicidio y su vínculo con el mercado laboral mexicano (2000-2004)

<p>A principios del siglo XXI en México se ha puesto de manifiesto en la opinión pública la preocupación respecto al ascenso de muertes por la causa de suicidio y de su posible vínculo con malas condiciones laborales. El objetivo principal del trabajo es comprobar si las tasas de suicidio son una respuesta a malas condiciones laborales. Para este propósito, partiendo de una perspectiva espacial, se buscó evidenciar el comportamiento heterogéneo del fenómeno del suicidio a través del territorio mexicano, verificar la existencia de “regiones” en el espacio de tasas de suicidio y comprobar si las tasas de suicidio son una respuesta a las características económicas, demográficas y sociales de los municipios de la República Mexicana en particular a las laborales. El trabajo encuentra que no existen las evidencias estadísticas suficientes para probar que malas condiciones laborales estén provocando un incremento en la incidencia del suicidio. Adicionalmente, se hace visible que las cifras nacionales y estatales no reconocen comportamientos regionales importantes.</p>

Evaluación espacio-temporal de vegetación y uso de suelo de la Cuenca Río Caliente, Jalisco, México

El territorio mexicano ha sufrido un proceso acelerado de degradación de bosques con transformación en áreas de uso agropecuario o urbano. Los estudios de procesos dinámicos del uso del suelo son importantes y necesarios, ya que proporcionan información de la degradación producto de factores antrópicos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue identificar y cuantificar la variación espacial de los tipos de vegetación y usos de suelo en la Cuenca Río Caliente del Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna La Primavera de 1990 a 1999. Se clasificaron escenas del satélite Landsat TM 1990 y Landsat ETM 1999. Se generaron mapas de vegetación y uso del suelo y se sobrepusieron para obtener un mapa de cambios entre 1990 y 1999. Las clases que perdieron área en 1999 con respecto a 1990 fueron el bosque de encino-pino 58 %, bosque de pino-encino 51 %, pastizal inducido 23 % y vegetación secundaria 8%. Las clases que ganaron superficie en 1999 con respecto a 1990 fueron suelo desnudo 119 %, zona agrícola 83 %, encino 70 % y pino 50 %. Esto muestra la tendencia hacia la consolidación de rodales puros desplazando a las mezclas. La tasa de cambio anual para encino fue de 6.27 %, pino 4.83 %, pino-encino -7.51 %, encino-pino -8.92 %, vegetación secundaria -0.75 %, pastizal inducido -2.65 %, zona agrícola 7.20 % y suelo desnudo 9.30 %. Los cambios pueden atribuirse a diversas causas como: incendios, apertura de caminos, sobreexplotación de recursos, expansión ganadera, extracción de madera y quema intencional para cambio de uso de suelo; esto debido a los problemas de tenencia de la tierra.

Maternal admixture and population structure in Mexican–Mestizos based on mtDNA haplogroups

The maternal ancestry (mtDNA) has important applications in different research fields, such as evolution, epidemiology, identification, and human population history. This is particularly interesting in Mestizos, which constitute the main population in Mexico (∼93%) resulting from post-Columbian admixture between Spaniards, Amerindians, and African slaves, principally. Consequently, we conducted minisequencing analysis (SNaPshot) of 11 mitochondrial single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 742 Mestizos of 10 populations from different regions in Mexico. The predominant maternal ancestry was Native American (92.9%), including Haplogroups A, B, C, and D (47, 23.7, 15.9, and 6.2%, respectively). Conversely, European and African ancestries were less frequent (5.3 and 1.9%, respectively). The main characteristics of the maternal lineages observed in Mexican-Mestizos comprised the following: 1) contrasting geographic gradient of Haplogroups A and C; 2) increase of European lineages toward the Northwest; 3) low or absent, but homogeneous, African ancestry throughout the Mexican territory; 4) maternal lineages in Mestizos roughly represent the genetic makeup of the surrounding Amerindian groups, particularly toward the Southeast, but not in the North and West; 5) continuity over time of the geographic distribution of Amerindian lineages in Mayas; and 6) low but significant maternal population structure (FST = 2.8%; P = 0.0000). The average ancestry obtained from uniparental systems (mtDNA and Y-chromosome) in Mexican-Mestizos was correlated with previous ancestry estimates based on autosomal systems (genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms and short tandem repeats). Finally, the comparison of paternal and maternal lineages provided additional information concerning the gender bias admixture, mating patterns, and population structure in Mestizos throughout the Mexican territory.

DNA barcoding species inventory of Microgastrinae wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from a Mexican tropical dry forest

The cosmopolitan Microgastrinae is probably the most diverse braconid subfamily of parasitoid wasps, yet its species diversity is far from being known. As part of a global initiative for DNA barcoding Microgastrinae species, here we show the results of a study that assessed the species richness of this subfamily in a Mexican tropical dry forest located in the Chamela region, near the Pacific coast of Jalisco. Barcoding sequences of a total of 551 microgastrine specimens were generated, corresponding to 238 haplotypes. Performance of two species delineation approaches, a 2% corrected pairwise distance criterion and the general mixed Yule-coalescent (GMYC) method, yielded 100 and 112 putative species, respectively, which belong to 13 genera. The species delimited by the above two approaches were mostly congruent with our morphospecies identification. Ten molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) were split into twenty-two species by the GMYC approach. We found morphological differences between the GMYC species corresponding to three of these MOTUs. Thus, a total of 103 microgastrine species were confirmed for the region of study. Thirty-three species were only represented by males, and therefore, their generic assignment is only tentatively proposed. Fornicia, Dolichogenoidea, Distatrix, Glyptapanteles and Pholetesor represent new generic records for the Mexican territory. A new record for the country is also provided for the Diolcogaster-basimacula species group. Based on a comparison of nearly 20000 barcoding sequences released for Microgastrinae from 75 countries, only five microgastrine species from Chamela were found to occur in other countries, four in Costa Rica and one in Canada and the United States.

Assessment of Pseudorange Multipath at Continuous GPS Stations in Mexico

We conducted a study to quantify the amount of pseudorange multipath at continuous Global Positioning System (CGPS) stations in the Mexican territory. These CGPS stations serve as reference stations enabling rapid high-precision three-dimensional positioning capabilities, supporting a number of commercial and public safety applications. We studied CGPS data from a large number of publicly available networks spanning Mexico. These include the RGNA (National Active Geodetic Network) administered by INEGI (National Institute of Statistics and Geography), the PBO network (Plate Boundary Observatory) funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by UNAVCO (University NAVstar Consortium), the Southern California Integrated GPS Network (SCIGN), which is a collaboration effort of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the UNAM network, operated by the National Seismological System (SSN) and the Institute of Geophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Suominet Geodetic Network (SNG) and the CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Station) network, operated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). We evaluated a total of 53 CGPS stations, where dual-frequency geodetic-grade receivers collected GPS data continuously during the period from 1994 to 2012. Despite carefully selected locations, all GPS stations are, to some extent, affected by the presence of signal multipath. For GPS network users that rely on pseudorange observables, the existence of pseudorange multipath could be a critical source of error depending on the time scale of the application. Thus, to identify the most and the least affected GPS stations, we analyzed the averaged daily root mean square pseudorange multipath variations (MP1-RMS and MP2-RMS) for all feasible satellites tracked by the CGPS networks. We investigated the sources of multipath, including changes associated with hardware replacement (i.e., receiver and antenna type) and receiver firmware upgrades.

Areas de Atención Prioritaria en México: una óptica medioambiental

According to the Regulation of the General Law of Ecological Equilibrium and Protection to the Environment (Spanish acronym LGEEPA), areas with ‘priority of attention’ within a territory are defined as zones presenting environmental conflicts due to antagonistic sectorial activities and areas which, due to their characteristics, deserve immediate environmental attention. The Program of General Ecological Planning of the Territory establishes these areas based on two indicators: the level of inter-sectorial conflict, which is defined in regional workshops with the participation of Federal Public Administration institutions, and the present state of the environment of 145 biophysical environmental units (BEUs) in the Mexican territory that are evaluated by means of 16 indicators of biophysical degradation, anthropic modification and socioeconomic situation. The sum total of inter-sectorial conflicts by BEU allowed the establishment of five categories (null to very high). Based on these categories, five levels of priority of attention were determined. The level of priority of attention is very high in 0.90 percent of the country’s surface, high in 6.75 percent, medium in 39.40 percent, low in 21.81 percent and 31.14 percent of the national territory of Mexico currently does not need attention.

Taxonomic composition and endemism of the helminth fauna of freshwater fishes of Mexico

We examine the taxonomic composition and endemism of adult helminth parasites of freshwater fishes of Mexico, with regard to the main hydrological basins of the country. A presence-absence matrix, including every species of adult helminth parasites of freshwater fishes from 23 Mexican hydrological basins was compiled and examined in this paper. The helminth fauna of freshwater fishes of Mexico consists of a large group of Central American Neotropical species (S = 119) and another set, less rich of Nearctic species (S = 48), which are distributed along with the families of its fish hosts; insufficient data preclude the assignation of three species. This fauna is composed predominantly by nematodes, trematodes, and monogeneans, which together contributed 86% of the total species recorded; cestodes and acanthocephalans being the taxa with the least species recorded. Current data suggests a 22% (37/170) endemism amongst helminths of freshwater fishes of Mexico. Data suggests that the isolation of bodies of water in the Mexican territory, mostly in the Neotropical areas of southeastern Mexico and in the central Altiplano Mexicano (Mexican Highland Plateau), with well delimited basins separated by orographic features, provided peculiar conditions that have been conducive to the diversification of a unique helminth fauna.

Design and set up of a hybrid power system (PV-WT-URFC) for a stand-alone application in Mexico

The Mexican territory has a large potential for renewable energy development, such as geothermal, hydro, biofuels, wind and solar. Thus, a 2.5 kW hybrid power system (solar, wind and hydrogen) was designed and installed to meet the power demand for a stand-alone application at the University of Zacatecas. The hybrid unit integrates three power energy sources –a photovoltaic system (PV), a micro-wind turbine (WT), a prototype of a unitized regenerative fuel cell (URFC) and energy storage devices (batteries)– in addition to their interaction methodology. The main contribution of this work is the URFC integration to a hybrid power system for the production of H2 (water electrolyzer mode) and energy (fuel cell mode). These three energy technologies were connected in parallel, synchronized to the energy storage system and finally coupled to a power conversion module. To achieve the best performance and energy management, an energy management and control strategy was developed to the properly operation of the power plant. A meteorological station that has wireless sensors for the temperature, the humidity, the solar radiation and the wind speed provides the necessary information (in real time) to the monitor and control software, which computes and executes the short and mid–term decisions about the energy management and the data storage for future analysis.

Vicissitudes of the Margins: An HIV/AIDS Theological Journey

Vicissitudes of the Margins: An HIV/AIDS Theological Journey Ángel F. Méndez Montoya Vicissitude is “a quality or state of being changeable,” implying mutability, a “natural change or mutation visible in nature or in human affairs.” It can also refer to a “favorable or unfavorable event or situation that occurs by chance: a fluctuation of state or condition: [such as] the vicissitudes of daily life; a difficulty or hardship attendant on a way of life, a career, or a course of action usually beyond one’s control.”1 Vicissitudes are part of my life, and in this essay, I want to present my experiences of hardship and elation as an example of a life on the margins and how such a life can be appreciated as a theological location (a locus theologicus). I am inviting the reader to think about a theology en conjunto (jointly), a queer theology amid hardship and chaos, a theology in the midst of a constant flux and marked by migration and expulsion. I do so as a queer and hybrid theologian. I am a Mexican, gay, HIV‐positive Dominican brother from the US Southern Dominican Province. I was born in the borderland of Mexicali, Baja California, near the monstrous wall (el muro) that divides Mexican and US territories. Vicissitudes of a Life Journey: Background It was not easy to be gay en la frontera (on the border). If we understand the term vicissitude as something that contains an internal paradox, that is, something that is simultaneously harsh and soft, sweet and sour, saddening and rejoicing, then I have experienced a life full of paradoxes. Back in the late sixties and early seventies, while growing up in Mexicali, I experienced the hardships of a violent macho culture. Although I believe I was aware of my gay orientation since early childhood, I nevertheless had to learn to hide it, make it invisible, and never talk about my homosexual feelings with family or friends. Hiding behind a mask offers protection within a hateful and unwelcoming environment. As an adolescent, I had to learn the discipline of masking my sexual orientation in order to be accepted. But I still enjoyed a supportive life growing up in la frontera. I experienced real love and caring from my parents and family, knowing that they accepted me just the way I am. We seldom talked about sexuality at home, yet I am grateful for the love my parents, family, and close friends showed through their actions. Living between Mexicali and Calexico made me aware of borders and walls. We Mexicans have never been fully accepted on the other side of the border, since for most US citizens we are the Other. Yet, we are nonetheless a valuable commodity for the US economic growth, as customers as well as laborers under harsh and abusive conditions. I became used to the constant flux of people coming and going from Mexico to the United States. Some were crossing the border with documents, but many without, looking for some improvement or following the fictitious dream of the American way of life. Others crossed the border to escape persecution and harassment, including many gay Latinos and lesbian Latinas who moved away from their homelands where they suffered discrimination. My life drastically changed at the age of 17 when I moved from my small border town to Mexico City. Perhaps escaping from my own sexuality—although we never fully know God’s deepest intentions—I joined the Mexican Dominicans. Since early childhood, as a Catholic I was deeply drawn toward God and the sacred, liturgical performance, community making, and the intertwining of faith and reason. My home parish was run by Dominicans, and since the age of 12 I studied pastoral and liturgical theology, church history, and the Bible. A true sense of mystery spoke to my vocation of responding to an earlier call to God’s voice and sharing God’s message of love and compassion with others. However, at that time, some of the Mexican Dominicans in charge of formation were ruthlessly homophobic, and I ended up leaving the Dominican community as I was beginning to accept my homosexuality. James Alison, a gay Catholic priest...

When Cooperation and Intervention Meet: Sovereignty in the Mexico-United States Relationship

The Merida Initiative is a new stage in the development of security cooperation between the two countries. [1] It is not a bilateral agreement or treaty; it is a collection of legislation on the part of the United States of America, in which the Congressional Appropriations Committee allocates resources used by Mexican agencies. Because there is no treaty or document with international legal validity that the Mexican Congress can accept, modify or ratify, it has no control over the manner in which resources are allocated. When it was unveiled, the Initiative was criticised along two main lines. The first referred to the supposed infringement of Mexican sovereignty by the United States government, and the second to fears of militarisation of the Mexican territory, which could foster human rights abuses. In this article, issues of sovereignty related to the Merida Initiative are discussed. The first section deals with the concept of sovereignty and its application. The second zooms into the relationship between Mexico and the United States after the Merida Initiative. In the third, some reflections on the way forward are expressed.

Mexican Oil Industry: Shifting to Difficult Oil

For many decades Mexico has been considered as one of the most important oil nations in the world. However, in the last few years, Mexico has stepped into an important transition under the light of declining oil fields and new challenging oil projects. The aim of this paper is to show a new perspective of the oil resources that have been exploited throughout the Mexican territory, as well as the remaining resources yet to be exploited. We have developed a resources/production-costs chart that illustrates the historical and future development of the Mexican oil industry, showing the shift that the industry will face in the coming years. The concept for this chart was taken from a model already in use by some of the most prestige energy agencies in the world.

Institucionalización de racionalidades en una industria cultural: la tauromaquia en México

This paper presents the results of the analysis with an organizational perspective of bullfighting in Mexico, called Tauromaquia. It shows the importance of the process of institutionalization of Tauromaquia since the beginning of this activities on the Iberian peninsula until the present in mexican territory. Analyzed the characteristics of organizational actors that currently form this sector, where they generate dynamics of interaction characterized by a tension between economic rationality focused on maximizing profits and symbolic rationality, based on various explanatory references only accessible through the symbols, evident in the Tauromaquia. It proposes an interpretive diagram that explains the dynamics of interaction between these actors and the coexistence of these two rationalities, which have contributed to the permanence of Tauromaquia in Mexico. Finally we reflect on the appropriateness of incorporating the symbolic dimension in organizational analysis in other sectors.

A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent (review)

Reviewed by: A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent John M. Belohlavek (bio) A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent. By Robert W. Merry. (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009. Pp. 576. $30.00 cloth) Several decades ago, an enduring alternative rock band, They Might Be Giants, recorded a tribute song that rather accurately [End Page 234] recounted the many foreign and domestic triumphs of the Polk administration. Even so, the band lamented, "Precious few have mourned the passing of Mr. James K. Polk, our eleventh president, Young Hickory, Napoleon of the Stump." Such anonymity no longer exists. A well-deserved revival is underway, and Robert Merry's volume constitutes a welcome addition to that list. While largely a study of the presidential years, the author offers insight into the personality, background, career, and marriage of Polk before he entered the White House. Born in North Carolina, he grew up a loyal disciple of Andrew Jackson in the Volunteer State, becoming a congressman and governor. While hard-working and resolute, Polk struggled politically, and his "dark horse" Democratic nomination in 1844 was primarily based on an unabashed support for expansion—the annexation of the Republic of Texas and the settlement of the Oregon territorial dispute with Great Britain. Polk was no deep thinker. As Merry claims, "With his limited imagination tied to a propulsive ambition and an unceasing tenacity, he embraced this new outlook (expansion) without thought of nuance or ramification" (p.129). The electoral victory over Whig Henry Clay combined those issues with the twin goals of revising the protective tariff and establishing a federally run independent treasury that would serve as a depository of government funds. The president successfully pursued his objectives with typical relentlessness during his first two years in office. Each was accomplished by the summer of 1846; Polk often surmounting serious obstacles erected by Congress which was dominated by Democrats but factionalized. Meanwhile, he determined that Mexico would have to yield even more of her lands to the United States. Merry suggests that "Polk genuinely wanted to avoid war. But he wanted Mexican territory more and it wasn't clear he could get it peacefully" (p. 195). Ultimately, he could not. Where his rather cagey dealings with Great Britain yielded an advantageous compromise on the Oregon boundary, U.S. diplomatic efforts to the south failed, and the conflict with Mexico commenced in April 1846. [End Page 235] Polk appears both self-reliant and self-righteous. However, his inability to confront and dismiss disloyal or inept advisors, particularly James Buchanan as secretary of state, reveals a disturbing and destructive character flaw. Thus, the president found himself battling not only the Mexicans but treacherous cabinet members, opposition Whigs and unfaithful Democrats in Congress, troublesome American generals, and fickle diplomats. No natural leader, Polk still eventually triumphed over adversity; the U.S. acquired the Southwest and Far West by treaty in March 1848. Polk earns respect but little true admiration from Merry. He concedes Polk's stature as a political visionary, but his sanctimonious nature, sly maneuvering, and secretive manner doomed efforts to build trust and teamwork. Bold and persistent, he emerges as a man of his time, eager to foster the will of the public, advancing "Manifest Destiny." Polk acted as an "imperialist manipulator" in promoting the war, but Merry asserts that an unstable and weak Mexican government must also bear some responsibility. The author's goal is to create an awareness of Polk among the interested public and academics outside of Jacksonian America. Merry is at his best—and most critical—in assessing his subject's personality and character. Some scholars might quibble with various assertions or omissions (efforts to purchase Cuba or apply the Monroe Doctrine in the rebellious Yucatan province of Mexico). Likewise, more extensive use of the published papers of contemporaries and biographies of various administration figures (George M. Dallas, Robert J. Walker, and Lewis Cass) could have strengthened solid research. Regardless, this worthy contribution to the literature on Polk deserves serious attention. [End Page 236] John M. Belohlavek John M...

Susceptibilidad a procesos de remoción en masa en el municipio de Tlatlauquitepec, Sierra Norte de Puebla

Desde tiempos históricos, los procesos de remoción en masa (PRM) han ocurrido en gran parte del territorio mexicano. Lo anterior debido a la naturaleza de su relieve y litología heterogéneos, intensas lluvias y el impacto de la actividad antrópica, particularmente en las zonas montañosas, como la Sierra Norte de Puebla (SNP). En esta región, y como resultado de precipitaciones extraordinarias, en octubre de 1999 ocurrieron numerosos movimientos gravitacionales, principalmente deslizamientos y flujos que afectaron aspectos económicos, estructurales, ambientales y ocasionaron decenas de pérdidas humanas. Entre los distintos enfoques empleados para analizar este tipo de peligros, la cartografía es de gran relevancia ya que permite entender y evaluar su distribución espacial, así como la interacción de elementos del terreno que condicionan la inestabilidad de laderas. En este sentido, en México se han realizado algunos trabajos de cartografía de susceptibilidad y peligro por deslizamientos, en los cuales predomina la sobreposición, en un ambiente de sistema de información geográfica, de capas de información de los parámetros que intervienen en la inestabilidad de laderas. Sin embargo, la tendencia de este enfoque implica establecer grados de influencia similares para todos los factores, sin considerar las particularidades del escenario en el que se realiza la investigación. Con la idea de tomar en cuenta de manera específica la influencia de los cinco principales parámetros que inciden en la estabilidad regional (pendiente, morfogénesis, disección, deforestación y vías de comunicación -caminos-), así como la validación de los resultados por medio de índice de recurrencia, en este trabajo se generó un mapa de susceptibilidad a PRM del municipio de Tlatlauquitepec, ubicado en la SNP, a partir de la aplicación de un análisis multicriterio.

Motivación y autorregulación a partir del uso del portafolio electrónico en los alumnos del nivel superior

El siguiente artículo de investigación, puesto al servicio de alumnos y docentes de nivel superior de tres distintos contextos del territorio mexicano, tiene como objetivo conocer si el uso de la estrategia del portafolio electrónico influye en el proceso de motivación y autorregulación de los estudiantes en asignaturas correspondientes al área de ciencias sociales. Para ello, la pregunta central del proyecto fue: ¿de qué manera los docentes de nivel superior utilizan el portafolio electrónico como estrategia de enseñanza basada en la reflexión, de modo que contribuya en la autorregulación y motivación del aprendizaje de los alumnos de segundo, quinto y sexto semestres, de tres contextos distintos, durante el periodo escolar 2010? Para responderla se planeó una metodología cualitativa y se empleó el método descriptivo; como apoyo, las técnicas de recolección de datos implementadas fueron tres: el registro observacional, el cuestionario y la entrevista. Los investigadores recopilaron información sobre las fortalezas de la aplicación y encontraron que los estudiantes se sienten motivados al realizar las actividades con el portafolio y muestran con ello un buen desempeño. Como principal debilidad se comprobó que el tiempo de desarrollo de las actividades no fue suficiente para el fomento de las competencias deseadas. Finalmente, a la luz de referencias teóricas, se llegó a la contrastación de los hallazgos y validación para así detallar propuestas de mejora para futuras investigaciones, poniendo de manifiesto trabajar la estrategia sistemática y, continuamente, para obtener mayor beneficio.