Mexico, Persuasion, Speaker Standing

A Message Carried by a Noble

In the Nican Mopohua, the account of the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Juan Diego asks the Virgin to entrust her message “a alguno de los principales, conocido, respetado y estimado” (to one of the leading men, known, respected and esteemed), “para que le crean” (so that they will believe him). Of himself he says: “soy un hombrecillo… soy gente menuda” (I am a little man… I am small people).

The bishop does not accept the message from Juan Diego until there is “alguna señal” (some sign). The quotations are from the Spanish translation by Primo Feliciano Velázquez.

A Doctorate in Science

In September 2023, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador compared his own education with that of Claudia Sheinbaum. “Yo de milagro terminé la licenciatura, ella es Doctora en Ciencias” (It was a miracle that I finished my bachelor’s degree, she has a doctorate in science), he said, as quoted by SDP Noticias.

According to UnoTV, Sheinbaum studied for a master’s degree and a doctorate in energy engineering. She took the doctorate at the Faculty of Engineering of UNAM.

The Teacher

Elba Esther Gordillo took control of the national teachers’ union, the SNTE, on April 24, 1989. Expansión called her one of the most powerful women in Mexico. She was known simply as la Maestra, the Teacher. She had become a rural teacher in her native Chiapas.

In a 2015 profile, Expansión cited press investigations reporting that she “nunca tramitó su título” (never processed her title) at the teachers’ college where she studied.

The Most Trusted Professionals

In December 2023, IDC Online reported on a global index of trustworthiness by Ipsos. “Los doctores son aquellos a los que la población de nuestro país más confianza les tiene” (Doctors are the professionals the population of our country trusts most), it wrote. Scientists came second and teachers third. Politicians and cabinet ministers were the professionals Mexicans trusted least.

Helping the Boss Decide

In February 2009, Expansión published seven pieces of advice on how to influence one’s boss. One of them reads: “¿No quieres negativas? ¡Ayúdalo a decidir!” (Do not want to hear no? Help him decide!) The article says that an employee may influence the boss’s decisions. It also reminds the reader that leadership remains the boss’s task.

Credentials in the Advertisement

Article 19 of the regulation of the General Health Law on advertising applies to people who practice professional, technical and auxiliary activities in health. They “deberán expresar en la publicidad” (must state in their advertising) the educational institution that issued their degree and, where applicable, “el número de cédula profesional” (the number of their professional license).

Thirty-Five Years

Article 82 of the Constitution sets the requirements for the president. One of them is “tener 35 años cumplidos al tiempo de la elección” (to be 35 years old at the time of the election).

Other age limits are being lowered. In April 2023, the Chamber of Deputies voted 439 to 0 for a reform that would allow federal deputies from the age of 18 and governors from the age of 25. The decree then went to the Senate.

Licenciado

On December 1, 1946, Miguel Alemán Valdés became president of Mexico. He was a civilian and a law graduate of UNAM. According to México Desconocido, official protocol used his academic degree “como título de su investidura” (as the title of his office).

Many politicians then began to use licenciado as a title of prestige. Mi licenciado became “sinónimo de poder” (a synonym for power) in politics, the law and the bureaucracy. From there the use spread to the rest of society.