Mexico’s Napa Valley protests against unfettered development
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Defenders of Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe wine-producing valley are protesting unfettered development they say threatens the area’s environment and agriculture. On Saturday, federal authorities announced they shut down a land-clearing project that had bulldozed native semi-desert vegetation on a hillside to create a concert venue. Protesters gathered under the slogan “More grapevines, less plunder.” The area between Ensenada and the border city of Tijuana has become a victim of its own success as Mexico’s answer to California’s prized Napa Valley. Wine tours, traffic, hotels, luxury apartments and entertainment venues threaten the area’s already-scarce water and thin soil.