In 2024, Mexico News Daily once again covered plenty of “hard news” and “bad news” stories.
As we have done since MND was founded more than 10 years ago, we also reported numerous stories that made us laugh, brought a smile to our faces, warmed our hearts and even left us scratching our heads in bewilderment.
Now, as we approach the end of the year, it’s time to look back at the amusing, uplifting, inspirational, heartening, gratifying, strange, surreal and “only in Mexico” stories that MND published this year.
We start today with a compilation of articles we published between January and March.
Look out for our “México Magico” compendiums for the other three quarters of the year in the coming days.
México Mágico: A look back at MND’s weird and wonderful stories in the first quarter of 2024
During the first days of 2024 we reported on two different creatures — albeit both foreign in origin — unexpectedly wandering the streets of Mexico.
The first specimen was a lion cub, which was eventually rescued by firefighters and Civil Protection personnel in a México state municipality northeast of Toluca.
The second creature on the loose in Mexico was a political animal — former United States president Bill Clinton. He was spotted walking through the streets of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, on Jan. 3.
Got 1 min? Bill and Hillary Clinton visit San Miguel de Allende
Later in January, we had some good news — a “citizens’ victory” in fact — when Benito the giraffe was transferred from unsafe living conditions at a public park in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, to a spacious safari park in Puebla.
Being an election year, there was always going to be some weird and wonderful political stories in 2024. In the first month of the year, the then Morena party candidate for president Claudia Sheinbaum made a strange campaign move by promoting a kind of pyramid scheme to the very citizens she hoped would vote for her later in the year — NOT! The video in which she purportedly appeared was, in fact, a deepfake.
In early February, bees hit the headlines when federal agents encountered a large swarm of the insects when making a drug bust in Sinaloa. The incident gave a new meaning to the term “sting operation.”
“Honey, I love you” was the message that more than 20 lovey-dovey twosomes sent to each other later in February when they participated in a Valentine’s Day “Besotón,” or “Kiss-a-thon,” in Mexico City. One very amorous couple locked lips for a mind-boggling — and tongue-twisting — four hours and 40 minutes to win the top prize. They celebrated their victory with — would you believe it — a kiss.
Got 1 min? Mariachi frogs stolen from Acapulco found hundreds of kilometers away
In early March, a ribbiting and infuriating heist occurred when Acapulco’s famous “mariachi frogs” were stolen. Fortunately there was a hoppy ending.
Later in March, a woman gave birth on a flight between Mexico City and Ciudad Juárez; a Tesla car was crushed by a colossal Olmec head in Mexico City; more than 300 people took an outdoor nap in the middle of the capital; and there were some unusual animal sightings in the urban jungle sometimes called chilangolandia.
Got 1 min? Unusual animal sightings in Mexico City this week
In the first quarter of the year, MND writer Gabriela Solis also introduced us to a very particular — and privileged — demographic in Mexico: whitexicans.
In addition, she gave us the lowdown on Mexico City’s famous (or infamous) quesadillas — without cheese!
We hope you enjoyed reading our quirkier stories this year, and perhaps found a few here that you missed. We’re already looking forward to another year of weird, wonderful and distinctively Mexican stories in 2025!
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
