Friday, January 9, 2026

Another airplane raffle but this one is an alebrije

A presidential plane was put up for raffle again, but this time it was a lot less controversial.

The plane in question, raffled Wednesday, was actually a whimsical painting of Mexico’s presidential plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Oaxaca artists Sergio Xross and Ángel Pacheco Soriano created the painting, which depicts the plane as an alebrije.

It was raffled off to benefit people with disabilities in Santa María Huatulco, Oaxaca, along with a series of other paintings by the artists.

The raffle poked fun at the fiasco surrounding President López Obrador’s attempts to dispose of Mexico’s presidential plane since he was elected in 2018. Calling the $130-million luxury jet “an insult to the people,” López Obrador has refused to use it and has flown commercial throughout his presidency.

The paintings’ raffle beneficiary was the nonprofit organization Acceptando mi Destino (Accepting My Destiny), which raises funds for people with disabilities in Huatulco.

The nonprofit’s president, Octavio Ramírez, said they conceived of the raffle because the organization’s normal fundraising figures have been affected this year by the coronavirus.

Source: El Heraldo de México (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
cell phone user

Starting Friday, cell users in Mexico must link their phones to an official ID

13
Cell users have until June 30 to carry out the registration with their cell phone companies or risk having their service cut off.
Forensic technicians in white cover-alls stand in front of a stretcher and a white van showing the word "Forense"

Mexico’s homicide rate dropped 30% in 2025, preliminary data shows

7
New data shows that homicides fell in 26 of the country's 32 states, with just six states seeing an increase in killings.
Downtown Mexico City

Citi survey: Banks predict 1.3% GDP growth, peso weakening to 19:1 in 2026

0
Growth forecasts for 2026 from 35 banks surveyed by Citi range from 0.6% to 1.8%, though estimates for 2027 range from 1% to 2.8% — a vote of confidence in Mexico's economy post-USMCA review.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity