They seek to keep the memory of Jaime Avilés alive with a tribute in Los Pinos

On August 8, 2017, Mexican journalism lost one of its greatest references: Jaime Avilés. In his memory, a group of friends and colleagues will pay him a tribute that, beyond remembering his professional side, seeks to honor his humanity, irreverence and ability to generate authentic connections with everyone who surrounded him.

The round table Jaime Avilés, 70 years old will take place this October 26 in the Venustiano Carranza hall of the Los Pinos Cultural Complex, with the participation of figures such as Elena Poniatowska, Jesusa Rodríguez, Blanche Petrich, Hermann Bellinghausen and Rafael Barajas The Snooper.

All the protagonists will share memories and anecdotes of a man who transcended the limits of journalism to become a symbol of social struggle and commitment.explained his son, Julio Avilés, in an interview.

The tribute is not just about nostalgia, but about an effort to keep alive the memory of my father, who was a very close person, who could talk to anyone regardless of the topic, from politics to anecdotes from an afternoon at the box office. of cinema.

This closeness, added to his ability to spin deep conversations with his characteristic sense of humor, is what gave a special touch to his presence, whether in the hallways of this publishing house, at the work tables or in everyday conversations. .

Chronicler and columnist

Jaime Avilés was a chronicler and columnist whose work transcended traditional journalism. In 1985, he joined The Day, where he developed some of his most emblematic reports, always with his acuity and unique style that made him a benchmark for immersive journalism.

Through his writing, Avilés not only reported facts, but managed to convey the essence of the stories he told, with a direct and visceral approach, as his son describes: Very leather. This led him to explore from the crudest realities, such as psychiatric hospitals, to the spheres of power, always with the desire to discover what society tried to hide.

However, his legacy is not limited to his chronicles. Jaime Avilés also left an indelible mark in other cultural spheres, such as cabaret theater, demonstrating that his social commitment extended to all forms of expression.

Avilés’ friends remember him as a man of endless conversations, but also as someone capable of breaking the seriousness of an encounter with a joke or a deep reflection. Despite the challenges he faced in the last years of his life, his son highlights how “he always had something funny to say, even in the most difficult times.

“The Day It was his home for many years,” added his son, who also highlighted the influence that the newspaper had on his father’s education, since There he found a space where his political convictions, his passion for journalism and his deep admiration for social causes converged..

Commitment to the causes

Jaime Avilés graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the National Autonomous University of Mexico to land directly in journalism. He started his career in Cruise, evening edition of the newspaper The Day.

The Mexico of the indigenous people, the union insurgency, the daily practice of torture in the police stations of the then Federal District, among others, were its themes. This commitment to the causes about which he reported and wrote led him, at the dawn of the uprising of the Zapatista National Liberation Army, to become involved in the Chiapas indigenous movement and, later, to be an active detractor of it.

Last March, my dad would have turned 70 years old and it was also seven years since his death (in August). It’s a special momentadded Julio Avilés.

Every year we get together with family and friends, but we had not been able to do it in a more formal way. For this reason, we want those who come to feel that they can contribute to this tribute, that they do not feel like spectators, but rather like part of a community that remembers my father with affection.

The round table Jaime Avilés, 70 years old It will be held on October 26 in the Venustiano Carranza hall of the Los Pinos Cultural Complex (Molino del Rey 252, Bosque de Chapultepec neighborhood, first section, Miguel Hidalgo mayor’s office).