In late 2022, Mexico News Daily began publishing regular data-driven articles that we believe provide our readers with interesting insights into a range of different topics, from the production of cempasúchil flowers to the size of Mexico City, to the construction of the Maya Train.
The graphs, maps and other visuals featured in our “Mexico in Numbers” articles are an integral part of our data journalism, and we hope they enhanced your understanding of the topics we’ve covered.
As 2023 draws to a close, it’s an opportune time to look back at the articles in this ongoing series, most of which were published this year. They are presented below in chronological order.
The cempásuchil, or marigold
In the lead-up to Day of the Dead in 2022, we published our first “Mexico in Numbers” article on cempasúchil flowers, an essential part of the annual commemoration of the departed.
Find out how many cempasúchil species are native to Mexico, how many flowers are grown here annually and which state is the nation’s biggest producer of the vividly orange blossom.
Mexico’s most popular archaeological sites and museums
In November 2022, we looked at data from the National Institute of Anthropology and History on the number of visitors to archaeological sites and museums in the first nine months of last year.
In the former category, Monte Albán and Palenque ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. Can you guess the top three?
Mexico in Numbers: Top 5 most-visited archaeological sites and museums in 2022
Natural heritage, World Cup results and the Mexican megalopolis
In late 2022, we also delved into data on Mexico’s natural protected areas; El Tri’s history at the men’s FIFA World Cup; and the enormity of Mexico City.
Mexico in Numbers: Protecting Mexico’s rich natural heritage
Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA)
In our first “Mexico in Numbers” article of 2023, we examined the most important figures pertaining to the new army-built airport located just north of Mexico City in México state.
How big is AIFA? How long did it take to build? How much did it cost? Find the answers to those questions and others in this article.
Skyscrapers and mangos
Get the lowdown on Mexico’s tallest buildings and mango-producing power in these two articles we published in early 2023.
Terawatts, gigawatts and megawatts
Ever wondered how much energy Mexico uses or how reliant the country is on fossil fuels? This is the article you’re looking for.
Visionary development, or destructive white elephant?
We turned our attention to another of the government’s large infrastructure projects for this “Mexico in Numbers” article last April.
The length of the Maya Train railroad compared to other railways around the world, the cost of construction and the archaeological, environmental and social impact of the project are all explored here.
Tourism, baby names and construction workers
In this trio of data-driven articles, we focused on the Mexican tourism industry; the names parents are giving to their newborn babies; and the nation’s construction workers, or albañiles.
The domestic market for electric vehicles (EVs)
With automakers such as BMW and Tesla recently announcing plans to make electric vehicles in Mexico, there was a lot of focus on the country’s burgeoning EV manufacturing sector this year.
For this article, we slightly shifted focus and primarily looked at electric sales in Mexico and the barriers to greater EV adoption.
Morena, the PAN, the PRI, the PRD, the PT, the PVEM and MC
With the 2024 elections fast approaching, we decided to do a deep dive into data on Mexico’s political parties to see which have the most members, how many governorships they hold and how well they are represented in federal Congress.
Day of the Dead and drought
For Day of the Dead this year, we reported on the number of people that observe the annual holiday, how they celebrate it, and the impact of the celebration on the Mexican economy.
Later in November, we looked at how prevalent drought has been in Mexico this year, and how the current drought compares to previous ones.
Trade and investment growth
In the lead-up to the 30th anniversary of the commencement of the now-defunct North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, we pored over data to see how Mexico’s export revenue and foreign direct investment inflows have changed over the past few decades.
The growth, as you’ll see in this article, has been quite remarkable.
How many people in Mexico are actually religious?
For our final “Mexico in Numbers” article of 2023, we looked at census data to find out how many Mexicans identify as religious, and how dominant Catholicism is in the country.
In addition, we discovered which states have the largest Protestant populations and which have the highest percentages of non-religious people.
We hope you found something of interest here, and look forward to publishing more data journalism in 2024.
Mexico News Daily
