Marcela Yarce and Rocío González (credit: Contralinea)

Certain elements of the most recent crime against journalists stand out from other murders in the hemisphere’s deadliest country for press workers. First, it was a double homicide involving two women; Marcela Yarce and Rocío González. Second, it occurred in Mexico City – which has been spared much of the physical violence suffered by press workers in other parts of the country. Third, the two journalists were close friends. The two had gone to a cafe together on Wednesday night.

Marcela Yarce co-founded the critical investigative news magazine “Contralinea” which has been the target of lawsuits, harrassment, and office break-ins. She went from actively reporting to becoming a key figure in the magazine’s administrative functions. Noteably, she secured advertising revenue for the publication which receives no government-sponsored advertising. Official ads are the financial life blood of many commercial news outlets in Mexico.

Rocío González spent 15 years as a reporter at the Televisa network. She worked as as freelance journalist and owned a currency exchange booth in Mexico City’s international airport. Mexico City authorities have indicated they are investigating robbery as a possible motive, citing a large cash withdrawal from the business coffers before the women dissappeared.

Another publicly-disclosed line of investigation is that of femicide; a murder that specifically targets women and usually involves both physical torture and sexual assault. Femicide victims are usually in their teens or early 20s. Both of the murdered women were 48 years old.

Press freedom organizations have called on Mexico City investigators not to rule out the possibility that the murders were related to the journalism work of the women.

The bodies of Marcela Yarce and Rocío González were found dumped in a park Thursday in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district. They were stripped naked, hands and feet bound, mouths gagged, with a cord around their necks. Asfixiation is noted as the cause of death in both cases although their bodies bore gunshot wounds.

Their deaths came one week after the kidnapping and murder of veteran reporter Humberto Millán Salazar in the state capital of Sinaloa. Press freedom organizations say eight press workers have been killed in Mexico so far this year – half of them in the state of Veracruz.

Brightly colored murals decorate the walls of Mexico City's Las Duelistas pulquería

Pulque is a Mexican drink made from the fermented sap of the agave plant. It’s a mildly alcoholic beverage that’s been consumed in Mexico for thousands of years. The drink has fallen out of fashion in modern Mexico, but as reporter Shannon Young tell us, some scientific research is backing up the traditional believe that pulque is good for you. She reports from Mexico City.

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At the dawn of the 20th century, pulque bars known as “pulquerías” were everywhere in Mexico City. Now, only a few dozen remain. Pulque has a fresh, slightly acidic flavor and a thick consistency. It’s either served plain or blended with fruits or vegetables – like a smoothie.

Pulque fell out of favor due to a combination of the rise in beer consumption, unfounded rumors about bad production hygiene, and its stigmatization as a drink for the poor.

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The Magdalena River in southern Mexico City

Home to over 21 million people, Mexico City is the largest urban area in the Western Hemisphere. While its smog is world famous, its haphazard expansion has led to another environmental issue; it’s water system can’t cope. We sent Earth Beat correspondent Shannon Young to the city to look into the issues behind its those water problems.

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Live stand up next to river: “I’m standing along a stretch of the Magdalena River that comes through Mexico City proper. And at this point, it is a grey/green/brown mass of relatively viscous liquid. And there’s a small cascade here. It consists of a concrete block with broken tree branches and lots of garbage. I see a bottle of bleach, a rusty can of spray paint, lots of shredded tatters of plastic bags, some broken styrofoam plates, pieces of clothes…and it’s all really stinky.” (fade under river tone)

The Rio Magdalena is the only river considered to have any life within the limits of Mexico City. It originates in a forested area in the mountains west of the city, but is a putrid mess by the time it reaches the city’s southern edge.

Nearly all of the other rivers that used to exist in the city have since become vehicles for transporting sewage out of the metropolitan area.

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The high court ruling to uphold Mexico City’s adoption law comes just 2 weeks after the justices upheld a law allowing same sex couples to marry…and to have those marriages recognized nationwide. One of the justices said that refusing adoption rights to same sex couples would be tantamount to constitutionalized discrimination.

The challenges against Mexico City’s marriage and adoption codes were brought by the federal government. The ruling party of President Felipe Calderon, the PAN, is often in ideological alignment with the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic church. Mexico City is a stronghold of the left-leaning PRD party and has passed a number of reforms that run contrary to conservative Catholic doctrine.

The Mexican capitol began to recognize marriage and adoption by same sex couples earlier this year. Mexico City has the country’s most lenient divorce laws and is one of the few places in Latin America where a woman can obtain a legal and on-demand first trimester abortion.