Puerto Vallarta, like other major Mexican resort areas, poses little difficulty for travelers with linguistic limitations. A knowledge of Spanish is helpful, of course, and it is considered courteous to at least make an attempt at using the local language, even if it's a simple hola, buenos días or muchas gracias.

How Prevalent is English?

But you don't necessarily need to know any Spanish to enjoy your visit, especially if you're content to remain within highly trafficked tourist areas, or to travel with trained tour guides.

The majority of workers in hotels and other industry speak very good English—it's a condition of their employment—and are happy to help visitors with advice and recommendations (especially if they're working for tips). Street vendors and local restaurant employees are less likely to be conversant in English, but they typically know enough to help guests with their menu, or to make change or negotiate a price amenable to both sides.

Adventurous sorts who want to get off the beaten tourist track will need some facility with Spanish (See the list of common words and phrases below.), and those interested in renting cars are well advised to at least learn the meanings of local street signs.

Common Spanish Words and Phrases

¡Hola! = Hello!

Buenos días. = Good morning.

Buenas tardes. = Good afternoon.

Buenas noches. = Good evening.

¿Cómo estás? = How are you?

Muy bien, gracias. = Very well, thank you.

¿Cómo se llamas? = What is your name?

Mucho gusto. = Nice to meet you.

¿Hablas inglés? = Do you speak English?

¿Dónde está el baño? = Where is the bathroom?

Mesa para dos, por favor. = Table for two, please.

¿Puedo ver el menú, por favor? = May I see the menu, please?

¿Cuánto cuesta? = How much does this cost?

La cuenta, por favor. = Check, please.

¿Acepta tarjetas de crédito? = Do you take credit cards?

¿Qué hora es? = What time is it?

Hasta luego. = See you later.

Hasta pronto. = See you soon.

Gracias. = Thanks.

Adiós. = Goodbye.

[readon1 url="http://www.tripology.com/trip-resources/article/language-in-puerto-vallarta-learn-key-spanish-phrases-before-visiting/"]Source:www.tripology.com[/readon1]

A look at WWF’s sea turtle conservation work happening around the globe in early 2014

A sanctuary for nesting created

Leatherbacks and hawksbills will benefit from Colombia’s recent decision to protect an important nesting area along its Caribbean coastline. Beach degradation, pollution and egg harvesting are all threats to nesting turtles. For nearly 10 years, WWF has been working to see such a declaration come to pass. The turtle sanctuary will prohibit development along the beach and the government will provide funding for nest monitoring.

Widespread awareness to reduce bycatch

WWF launched an awareness campaign across the entire Adriatic Sea to reduce turtle bycatch in longline fisheries. As fishing gear is the greatest threat to most turtle species, and in particular, loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean, fishermen play a critical role in reducing bycatch. WWF is informing fishermen in important ports in countries along the Adriatic coast (Italy, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro and Slovenia) about the on-board best practices to release caught turtles and thereby reduce deaths.

Gillnet deterrents spread east

WWF will pilot a device that illuminates gillnets to prevent turtles from becoming entangled in them in a popular nesting area in Indonesia. The 2011 International Smart Gear Competition selected the device—called ‘Turtle Lights for Gillnets’—as one of the winning ideas to address the threat of fishing gear to turtles. The design uses LED or chemical lightsticks to illuminate gillnets, which helps turtles to see the nets and avoid becoming entangled in them. Subsequent trials of this device in Mexico and Peru have had impressive results, with bycatch reduction rates of up to 60%.

Keeping those giant lizards away

Australia’s eastern beaches near the Great Barrier Reef support nesting populations of endangered loggerheads. But over the past few years, predators—such as monitor lizards—are decimating as many as 80-90% of turtle nests, which is a blow to these fragile populations.

WWF partnered with local nest monitors and the Queensland government to test the effectiveness of a screen-like device to keep predators from reaching eggs and hatchlings. So far the device appears to be working, but studies still need to be done during peak hatchling period. We’re hoping this device will give loggerhead hatchlings the best chance of survival to reach the water’s edge.

Tracking the mysterious turtle

Very little is known about the flatback sea turtle, except that it is only found in waters between southern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia, and only nests on Australia’s northern coast. Scientists still need to learn about their migration pathways, diets, foraging grounds and health.

To help fill the knowledge gap, WWF is working with Queensland volunteers, government scientists and the indigenous community to track flatbacks on their journey between nesting beaches and feeding grounds. Four turtles were fitted with satellite transmitters last November, and as of Dec. 31, have remained close to Australia’s northern shore. You can monitor the turtles’ movements here.

[readon1 url="http://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/new-year-starts-off-right-for-sea-turtles"]Source:www.worldwildlife.org[/readon1]

Los Angeles, Jun 20 (EFE).- Colombian actress Sofia Vergara, Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez and Cuban-American rapper Pitbull will each have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame beginning next year, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said.

Vergara, Derbez and Pitbull are among those announced for the 2015 list, which also features film celebs Will Ferrell, Jennifer Garner, Peter Jackson, Daniel Radcliffe, Paul Rudd, Snoopy, Melissa McCarthy, Christoph Waltz and, posthumously, Raymond Chandler and Bob Kane.

Stars from the small screen to be honored are James L. Brooks, Ken Ehrlich, Bobby Flay, Seth MacFarlane, Julianna Margulies, Chris O'Donnell, Jim Parsons, Amy Poehler and Kelly Ripa, while those from the world of song will be Lukasz 'Dr. Luke' Gottwald, Kool & The Gang, Al Schmitt and Pharrell Williams.

Also to see their names immortalized will be radio announcer Larry Elder, singer Kristin Chenoweth, activist Dick Gregory and composer Ennio Morricone.

"We know that the new selections represent the best of the entertainment industry, and will be a great addition to the Walk of Fame for both the Hollywood community and fans from around the world who visit Hollywood every year," Maureen Schultz, chair of the Walk of Fame selection committee for 2014-2015, said.

[readon1 url="http://www.laprensasa.com/309_america-in-english/2592943_sofia-vergara-derbez-and-pitbull-stars-to-shine-on-hollywood-walk-of-fame.html"]Source:www.laprensasa.com[/readon1]

Loyalties lie with cultural home

SAO PAULO – The number of fans cheering Mexico at the World Cup has taken observers in Brazil by surprise. But talk to those waving the green-white-and-red, and it becomes clear that when the tournament ends, many will return home not to Mexico, but to the United States.

It’s unknown how many of the 200,000 World Cup tickets sold to people in the U.S. were bought by fans of Mexico.

The number, however, certainly has boosted the 34,000 who purchased tickets from Mexico itself, according to sales figures released by international soccer’s governing body.

For Mexico’s first match at Dunas stadium in Natal, the Mexican Soccer Federation expected about 15,000 fans would be there to cheer for “el Tri,” as Mexico’s team is known. But by the time the team claimed its 1-0 victory over Cameroon, surprised local media speculated there were at least twice that number.

On Tuesday, when Mexico tied Brazil 0-0, the number of fans wearing green or red in Castelao Stadium was large and passionately loud against the World Cup host.

“That’s the talk here,” said Juan Chacon, a Mexico supporter who lives in Texas. “We’re asking each other, ‘Where did so many come from?’ ”

The United States has seen steady growth in its Hispanic population, which now makes up 17 percent of the total population, or 53 million people.

About two-thirds of those trace their roots to Mexico. At the same time, strong earning power in the United States makes it easier for Mexicans and Mexican-Americans living there to afford the trip to Brazil. Per-capita annual income in the U.S. is $47,000, compared with $9,000 in Mexico.

U.S. travel agencies were ready to capitalize on World Cup travelers, regardless of whether they were cheering for Team USA or Mexico.

Fans wanting to follow their preferred team to Brazil’s various host cities could buy a luxury travel package for $11,000.

Those tours include high-end hotels, personal tour guides and local transportation, or economy deals without the frills for between $3,000 and $4,000.

Many of the soccer fans traveling from the U.S. are part of the last great wave of Mexican migration to the United States, which spanned the 1990s to the mid-2000s. Others are second-generation Mexicans who grew up rooting for the Mexican team at a time when Team USA was still unknown.

Chacon, for one, was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, but grew up and studied in El Paso, Texas.

He and two of his American friends traveled to see Mexico in both Natal and Fortaleza, where the team faced Brazil.

While he speaks Spanish with his friends and with Mexicans he has met during his trip through Brazil, it’s not always smooth. “All of a sudden, out comes the Spanglish,” he said.

Daniel Hawkins, a professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha who has studied the sociology of sports, said the support for Team Mexico is only natural.

Mexican-Americans, he said, “love the U.S. They would cheer for them, but they have this loyalty to Mexico. It’s a cultural thing of identifying with your home culture in addition to being American.”

Marcos Mijares, a 42-year-old Atlanta resident, said he roots for Mexico even though he’s lived in the United States for more than 10 years.

“For us, to root for Mexico is like eating tortillas,” he said. “You’ve got to do it.”

[readon1 url="http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140620/SPORTS20/306209958/1094/SPORTS20"]Source:www.journalgazette.net[/readon1]

Nearly 5,000 miles of abandoned railways criss-cross the the landscape in Mexico and Ecuador, left dormant for decades after privatization of the national system suspended passenger service in 1995. Two Guadalajara-born artists wanted to travel the paths of these "modern ruins," so together they designed what just might be the coolest hybrid of all time.

Now, it's not the first of its kind. Cars and trucks that also act like trains are called road-rail vehicles, and are commonly used for maintenance (though some buses were attempted last century). Not so th e SEFT-1-aka Sonda de Exploracion Ferroviaria Tripulada or Manned Railway Exploration Probe en Ingles-which looks like an automotive mash-up of Bucky's Dymaxion car, Marty McFly's Delorean and and a vintage airstream.

The aluminum chassis houses what they call "space time location technology that fuses both analog and digital"-which I'm guessing is GPS paired with paper maps?-along with a solar panel, hydrogen fuel cell, and the essential steel wheels that stick out in front and back; these raise and lower depending on whether they're rolling on tracks or rough ground.

For a whole year the brothers covered as many of the routes as they could, visiting communities that were left suddenly isolated when the transit lines stopped running. Along the way they took pics, recorded vids, got insight from folks whose lives were changed, and collected artifacts-all of which will be on display at an upcoming exhibition in London. In the meantime, this clip gives a fascinating glimpse of what they experienced.

In a way, SEFT-1 exists in a unique nexus of past, present, and future, bound together by the promise of new technology to bridge geographic and cultural divides; the real-world, real-time effect of that potential-turned-dependence being unceremoniously yanked; and then the opportunity to reuse the forgotten infrastructure for this kind of creative research endeavor.

The pair compared their multi-media journey to something like a lunar mission. Granted, it's a relatively modest move towards understanding the needs of the countries and their people, but hey-even the most giant leaps sometimes start with a small step. Or a slow roll.

Aluminum Car

[readon1 url="http://www.gizmodo.in/Design/This-Aluminum-Car-Was-Built-To-Run-On-Abandoned-Railways/articleshow/36850731.cms"]Source:www.gizmodo.in/[/readon1]

Nearly all smartphone users plan to share World Cup content in some way - See more at:

Smartphone users in Mexico will be leveraging their phones to avoid missing out during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. According to a May 2014 Interactive Advertising Bureau study conducted by On Device Research in 11 countries worldwide, 56% of the nation’s smartphone users who planned to follow the tournament said they would do so on such a device—a close second behind TV (60%). Respondents from Mexico were also more likely to plan on following the tournament on their smartphones than the global average of 48%.

Despite TV’s ubiquity in Mexico (more common than toilets and running water in the country), smartphone users were more likely to be planning to follow the World Cup by using any digital means other than TV. In fact, TV sets were the only device less mentioned by respondents in Mexico than those in all countries polled. In that category, the worldwide average was 63%—3 percentage points higher than in Mexico.

In all likelihood, the rigid work policies still prevalent in Mexico (VPNs and telecommuting are rare) are pushing soccer fans to rely on their mobile devices to watch the event. Fully 37% of smartphone users who planned to follow the event on their phones said their main motivation to use the device in connection with the World Cup was to watch games while they were at work, commuting or just generally out of home.

This is also the first World Cup during which smartphone owners in Mexico expect to take advantage of simultaneous screen usage. Among those who planned to use more than one device to follow the monthlong event, 34% said they would watch games on TV while using their smartphones at the same time. Another 28% said they planned to simultaneously watch different games on TV and their phones.

Smartphone users in Mexico were also planning to be highly social, with 95% saying they would share World Cup content in some way. Facebook was the most cited platform (60%), followed by instant messaging apps like WhatsApp (44%) and Twitter (32%).

eMarketer expects Mexico to have 34.1 million smartphone users this year, as well as 47.2 million social networkers, 44.4 million Facebook users and 7.7 million Twitter users.

[readon1 url="http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Smartphone-Users-Mexico-Following-World-Cup-on-Their-Phones/1010934"]Source:www.emarketer.com[/readon1]

The people of Mexico must have woken up this morning shuddering in abject fear. The day began with an ominous threat directed at them by a frightful behemoth of American power.

That’s right. Bill O’Reilly is mad and his anger cannot be assuaged. Whether it’s immigration, or the arrest of Americans who broke Mexican laws, or heartburn that flared up suspiciously after consuming a Fiery Doritos Taco Supreme, O’Reilly is inconsolable. His fury has been unbound and woe be unto his foes.

Last night on the O’Reilly Factor, the irascible host had had enough and announced that he was not going to go to Mexico. He called on every American to join his boycott of the nation that he said is “not our friend”.

“It is time for all of us to stop going there. That country is not our friend. It knows and helps the millions of people that are crossing its territory to enter the USA illegally. Mexico is allowing that to happen. Why? Because they don’t really like us and they are corrupt. They get money to allow the human trafficking.

“Add to that the Marine, Sergeant Tahmooressi who has post-traumatic stress disorder incarcerated down there. And you have Mexican President Nieto giving us the middle finger. Well you know what Mr. Nieto? You know what? I’m not going to your country. And I’m asking every American to boycott you because you, and your government, is harming the USA.” And this is no idle threat. O’Reilly is dead serious. Just as he was when he initiated Mexican boycotts on three previous occasions:

May 17, 2006: I will call for a total boycott of Mexican goods and no travel to your country.

December 19, 2012: I’m calling for a national boycott of Mexico. No one goes and the airlines stop flying there.

May 29, 2013: I think this is the end of Mexican tourism. Well, guess who’s gonna lead that boycott?

As the world has seen, those previous economic actions devastated Mexico. Mexican tourism has ended. Unless you count the over 20 million Americans who traveled to Mexico last year making it the most popular destination for American tourists.

Further evidence of O’Reilly’s influence on international travel is evident in his boycott of France in 2003 because they refused to support George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Media Matters compiled the damage done by the boycott, including O’Reilly’s claim of declining revenue (which was false) as reported by the Paris Business Review (which doesn’t exist).

Nevertheless, O’Reilly is adamant that the Mexicans deserve to be punished for the unsatisfactory quality of their friendship. This despite the fact that he never offered proof that Mexico doesn’t like us, or that they help millions to cross the border illegally for profit. They have earned his wrath and they shall suffer it. He so upset that that he is pushing this boycott even though he regards boycotts as un-American. This is what he said about a boycott aimed at Rush Limbaugh after he insulted then law student Sandra Fluke by calling her a prostitute:

“The entire boycott movement is garbage. The far left threatening sponsors who advertise on programs they don’t like is flat-out un-American. The boycott movement from the left right now is driven by threats.”

So good luck, Mexico. You are in for some trying times as O’Reilly and his minions revamp their travel itineraries to avoid the southern border. I’m sure you are crushed by his criticisms and even more anguished by his personal promise to stay away. There will be no book signings, or paparazzi brigades, or arrogant lectures on the immorality of Spring Break. From now on, Mexico, you are on your own. You will have to find some way to endure without Bill O’Reilly.

[readon1 url="http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p=16985"]Source:www.newscorpse.com[/readon1]

Mexico City, Jun 18 (EFE).- The radioactive substances stolen from a government research facility last week in Tultitlan, a city in the central state of Mexico, were recovered early Wednesday, officials said.

The stolen piece of equipment containing cesium-137 and americium-beryllium was "identified" and "retrieved from the place" so it can be "fully safeguarded without affecting the population," emergency management coordinator Luis Felipe Puente said in a Twitter post.

The equipment, which is used to take soil readings, was left next to a canal and retrieved by emergency management personnel in an operation that also involved the Federal Police, state police and soldiers.

Indications are that the apparatus, which was taken from a National Construction Laboratory warehouse on June 8, was not tampered with, but it will be examined by the National Nuclear Safety Commission, or CNSNS.

The alert issued by the emergency management office last week to officials in the Federal District and the states of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Guerrero, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Hidalgo, Oaxaca and Veracruz has been cancelled.

The measurement device had warning labels on it, officials said.

Exposure to the cesium-137 and americium-beryllium inside the equipment was not likely to cause permanent injury, the CNSNS said.

Handling the material without proper safeguards or spending an extended period in close proximity to the radioactive substances, however, could result in temporary health problems, officials said.

Last December, armed robbers stole a truck transporting cobalt-60 from a hospital in the northwestern border city of Tijuana to a radioactive waste storage center.

Authorities located the truck and the radioactive material days later and arrested six people in connection with the heist.

None of the suspects suffered any effects of radiation exposure and officials found no trace of contamination at the site where the truck was recovered.

[readon1 url="http://www.laprensasa.com/309_america-in-english/2590181_missing-radioactive-material-recovered-in-mexico.html"Source:www.laprensasa.com[/readon1]

Mexico City, Jun 19 (EFE).- Mexico has been chosen to head the inter-governmental council that oversees UNESCO's International Hydrological Program, or IHP, officials said.

The director of Mexico's National Water Commission, or Conagua, David Korenfeld, was named the council's president for the next two years, Mexico's Environment Secretariat and Foreign Relations Secretariat said in a joint statement.

In his acceptance speech, Korenfeld said "improving the management and administration of water resources requires evolving toward a new stage of greater synergy between decision makers and specialists to combine theory and practice."

Although great strides have been made in the water sector, significant challenges remain, including integral basin management, application of the human right to water and water security and sustainability in the context of climate change, he said.

Korenfeld said, therefore, that he will work to strengthen IHP's national committees through mechanisms that ensure they have the necessary funds for their optimal and self-sufficient development.

He also said efforts will be carried out to strengthen international ties in the technical and scientific area and consolidate cooperation schemes.

These actions will enable a confluence of science, technology and public policy aimed at reducing the social and environmental vulnerability of emerging and developing countries amid the challenges of climate change.

The inter-governmental council is in charge of planning and defining the priorities of the IHP and supervising its execution.

The IHP is the only inter-governmental program of the U.N. system devoted to water research, water-resources management, and education and capacity building.

[readon1 url="http://www.laprensasa.com/309_america-in-english/2591450_mexico-to-oversee-unesco-s-international-hydrological-program.html"]Source:www.laprensasa.com[/readon1]

At a symbolic re-opening ceremony on Monday for the rehabilitated and modernized metropolitan park “La Eucalera,” and the Santa Rosa-Ocotlán road in Ocotlán, Jalisco, President Enrique Peña Nieto said that he is committed to move and transform Mexico.

The president said that reforms written and passed in 2013 not only created inertia but provide a more solid platform for achieving economic growth in the long run. He said that the previous, minimal level of development was insufficient.

“We have to remove everything underneath to avoid continuing on the same path,” said Peña Nieto. “For the past three decades development has been inadequate to create new employment opportunities. We decided to take the path of change to ensure that Mexico grows at an accelerated rate.”

The president said that his administ ration is “steadily moving foreword in the construction of the Mexico that we committed to.”

Presidential spokesman Eduardo Sánchez said that Peña Nieto will participate in the 11th session of the Pacific Alliance Council, on June 19 and 20, in Punta Mita, Nayarit.
The meeting will also be attended by the leaders of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, and Peru, Ollanta Humala, and by President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia.

The Pacific Alliance, founded in 2011 with the intention of promoting free trade and seeking regional integration, was created in collaboration by Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. Costa Rica is in the process of joining the alliance.

As part of the regional integration initiative, the member states are working to “build, in a participatory and consensual manner, an area of deep economic integration and to move gradually toward the free circulation of goods, services, capital and persons.”

[readon1 url="http://www.thenews.com.mx/index.php/mexico-articulos/22996-jaliscoopensnewparkroad"]Source:vallartanoticias.com[/readon1]

In May, ANA officially informed the AMPI, Puerto Vallarta’s real estate association, that the construction of D’Terrace – a new 9-story condo tower under construction in the heart of Amapas – exceeds the limits of the District 9 Plan Parcial.

We notified AMPI that PRODEUR (Jalisco State Attorney General) has announced it will file a lawsuit to nullify the permits, which could result in D’Terrace’s demolition. D’Terrace’s permit and advertised size are double the living space that local law allows, and about 30 feet taller.  The new development is represented by Applegate Realtors, an AMPI member.

To protect their clients, ANA asked that AMPI realtors not sell units in the building to unsuspecting buyers until D’Terrace conforms to the District 9 Plan Parcial – the zoning law in Amapas since September, 2012.

This week, AMPI President Harriet Murray published a letter to the ANA in her regular weekly PV Mirror ‘Viewpoint’ column, defending AMPI’s policy of looking the other way, by blaming the city for developments that aren’t in accordance with the law. AMPI’s public reply made two specific claims:

“AMPI is not a judge” of the legality of developments.  But actually it is. AMPI manages their MLS system to ensure that Developers meet certain standards for listing in the MLS.  Promoting the sale of these properties is condoning them – that is, judging them – favorably.
    
The ANA “does not have the right to request AMPI, or our members, to refrain from selling a property that is operating within the legalities set forth by the Municipality.”  But, as the legal representative of Amapas, and having sponsored the zoning law – the District 9 Plan Parcial – it is not only our ‘right’, but our duty to defend this law.

Here is the AMPI letter in full:

Asociación Vallartense de Profesionales Inmobiliarios, A.C.

Dear Amapas Homeowner’s Association,

AMPI as an organization requires our members to have certain documents in order to represent a pre-construction development to the public.

Among the list of required documentation is a copy of the construction license. Construction licenses involve review by the Municipality using a number of building requirements.

AMPI cannot be held responsible for the acts of governmental bodies or judge the validity of such when the documents presented by our clients are deemed to be filed with the Municipality in good faith.

In the particular case involving D’Terrace, AMPI respects the point of view of the Amapas Association, but unless the license is revoked, it remains a valid document before the Municipality.

AMPI suggests, and includes in our purchase-offer contracts, that buyers of pre-construction developments seek independent qualified legal counsel to help perform due diligence.

AMPI is in favor of legality and planned organized growth, but AMPI is not a Judge.

The Amapas Homeowner’s Association has the right to oppose matters that they believe damage the colonia, however the Association does not have the right to request AMPI, or our members, to refrain from selling a property that is operating within the legalities set forth by the Municipality and has the proper documentation, unless it obtains a suspension or a different resolution.

We request that you make our response available on your Association Facebook for others to read.

The Board of the Amapas Neighborhood Association and Junta Vecinal feel AMPI’s position, as stated above, is inadequate, and its ‘let the buyer beware and get their own lawyer’ attitude is not in the best interests of the buyers it purports to conscientiously represent. To simply declare, “D’Terrace has a building permit, end of story” is to be willfully blind to the problem, and condoning the issuance of building permits that are clearly outside the boundaries of established law.

ANA asks ALL realtors to simply disclose to their clients the truth: a PRODEUR lawsuit challenging the lawfulness of D’Terrace – or any other new development – could result in the building’s demolition at worst, and at best may cause problems with passing title to buyers for many years until lawsuits are resolved.

AMPI claims to be in favor of legal and planned growth.  But selling buildings that defy local zoning laws is, in fact, helping to undermine those very laws.  AMPI can’t have it both ways.

[readon1 url="http://amapaspv.com/wp/?p=2147"]Source:amapaspv.com[/readon1]

Mexico plans to "conquer new markets" with its national drink, tequila, with projections showing that China will be the liquor's No. 2 importer in five years, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said.

"If we all do our part, it is forecast that 10 million liters of tequila will be exported to China within five years," the president said during the celebration Monday of the Tequila Regulatory Council's 20th anniversary in Guadalajara, the capital of the western state of Jalisco.

Jalisco is the birthplace of tequila, the Mexican national beverage, which is made from the agave plant.

"The Chinese market would be the No. 2 export market, after just the U.S. (market)," the president said.

Mexico exported 70,000 bottles of 100 percent agave tequila to China in August 2013, when 15 producers of the liquor visited the Asian country on a trade mission, Peña Nieto said.

The federal government is working constantly with tequila producers to certify the beverage's authenticity and protect the denomination of origin, which has been around for 40 years, the Mexican leader said.

Mexico's tequila industry exported more than 150 million liters of the iconic liquor in 2013, "the highest figure in history," Peña Nieto said.

"I want to recognize the success that the Tequila Regulatory Council has achieved in proudly developing this Mexican industry. Today, Mexican tequila reaches 120 countries on all the continents," Peña Nieto said.

The Tequila Regulatory Council bestowed its Eagle in Flight award on the president for his support for the industry. EFE

[readon1 url="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/06/17/mexico-wants-to-make-inroads-in-new-markets-for-tequila/"]Source:latino.foxnews.com[/readon1]