This past week in Mexico opened with Day of the Dead on Nov. 2 and high-stakes elections in the United States on Nov. 3. Although Monday was a federal holiday, the long weekend was anything but quiet. In Uruapan, Michoacán, more than 2,000 people marched for peace and justice on the first anniversary of Mayor Carlos Manzo’s assassination, led by his partner and successor, Grecia Quiroz. Meanwhile, the army sent 450 troops to Matamoros and other Tamaulipas municipalities after cartel retaliation left six civilians dead on Oct. 29.
There was lighter news, too. Sergio “Checo” Pérez’s return to Formula 1 with Cadillac drew a record 405,363 fans to the Mexico City Grand Prix, topping the 2024 mark by just 405 admissions. Pérez finished 16th after a slow pit stop and a penalty, but called racing at home “a very special moment.”
North of the border, Mexican-Americans scored historic U.S. election wins, while south of the border, a Mexican judge was arrested in Colombia. At home, the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) surprised analysts, the corruption scandal at the National Electoral Institute (INE) deepened and President Sheinbaum celebrated another week of what she views as positive developments in global politics.
Didn’t have time to catch Mexico’s top stories of the week of Nov. 2-6? Here’s what you missed.
INE corruption scandal widens
The Finance Ministry’s Financial Intelligence Unit added 25 individuals and 15 companies “linked to electoral suppliers” to its Blocked Persons List, requiring banks to freeze their accounts. Media reports say former National Electoral Institute (INE) president Guadalupe Taddei and businessman José Alfredo Hernández Casillas, whose companies won lucrative INE contracts, are among them. The unit stressed that listing doesn’t establish liability and said it has filed a complaint with the Federal Attorney General’s Office.
On Friday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said the problem goes beyond Taddei, claiming corruption occurred “during the entire period” of predecessor Lorenzo Córdova and “probably before as well.” “The INE has to be cleaned up,” she said. She has also said the government will present a decree to strengthen the state-run Talleres Gráficos de México printing agency, and insists the scandal won’t compromise the June 6, 2027, elections.
US election results and Sheinbaum’s selective commentary
On election day, Sheinbaum broke into applause when asked about California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra, calling Mexican-American political representation “very good.” On the congressional races, though, she said it was “not our place to comment.”
🇺🇸 La presidenta de México, Claudia Sheinbaum, aplaude la candidatura de Xavier Becerra por la gobernatura del estado de California https://t.co/SA55sdBgNG
— EL PAÍS México (@elpaismexico) November 3, 2026
The results brought several historic wins. Becerra became California’s first elected Latino governor, and Gina Hinojosa defeated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to become Texas’ first Latina governor. At least three Latino Democrats flipped Republican House seats, including Bobby Pulido in Texas and Denise Powell in Nebraska.
On Thursday, Sheinbaum said it was “very likely” that immigration raids influenced the outcome. A New York Times estimate put Democrats’ margin among Latino voters at 40 points, up from 11 in 2024. She also confirmed she will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on Nov. 18-19. A meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump depends on whether he attends.
Plan Michoacán progress report
Wednesday’s mañanera was devoted to progress on Plan Michoacán, the federal response to Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo’s killing in November 2025. Sheinbaum said the plan is 67% complete, with 1,680 of more than 2,500 “actions” finished. Planned investment through 2030 has more than doubled from the original 57 billion pesos to 118 billion pesos (US $6.3 billion), and 72.43 billion pesos has been spent.
Cabinet members each highlighted a piece of the plan. Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said 115 “Well-being Fairs” across all 113 municipalities helped residents complete more than 1.1 million administrative procedures, and that 673 firearms were exchanged for cash. The government, together with the private sector, is investing more than 41 billion pesos in six highway projects covering 411 kilometers, and work on the 9.3-billion-peso Bajío Industrial Park in Zinapécuaro starts this month. Other officials cited scholarships for 795,000 students, 177,000 people aided by the Sembrando Vida reforestation program, electricity coverage reaching 99.99% of homes and a new addiction-treatment hospital in Apatzingán. Tourism is up 10.1% through August. Mexico News Daily noted that not all the investment cited is directly tied to Plan Michoacán funding.
Security was left for a separate update next Tuesday. Homicides in the state fell 40.3% in the first nine months of 2026. At the Uruapan march, Quiroz demanded an “exhaustive” and “independent” investigation into Manzo’s killing, noting that more than 30 people have been arrested, including seven of his bodyguards. She hasn’t decided whether to run for governor.
Banxico surprises with rate cut
The central bank lowered its benchmark rate 25 basis points to 6.25% in a split vote, though 30 of 36 institutions surveyed by Citi expected no change. Banxico raised its fourth-quarter headline inflation forecast from 3.5% to 3.7% and signaled it would hold the rate “for an extended period.” The dollar hit 18.96 pesos before closing at 18.75.
Mexican judge faces extradition
Luis Benítez Alcántara, a Mexico City district judge, was arrested in Colombia on Nov. 1. U.S. officials accuse him of accepting a US $2 million bribe to help free Andrew Clark, second-in-command to ex-Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding’s trafficking organization. Benítez is the first Mexican federal judge indicted by the United States, and he faces nine counts, each carrying up to 15 years. Separately, Édgar Aarón Vázquez, leader of the New Empire Cartel and accused of protecting Wedding, was killed Thursday in a confrontation with police in the State of Mexico.
Phone-free schools
Starting Tuesday, cell phones and tablets are restricted during classes and recess at public and private primary and secondary schools nationwide. High schools will set their own rules with their school communities. The Education Ministry’s slogan was “Turn off the screen and turn your imagination on!”
The rules follow a Sept. 18 decision by the National Council of Educational Authorities, in which officials from all 32 states agreed to the measures. Education Minister Mario Delgado said the goal is to boost focus, encourage socializing in schoolyards and hallways, and promote responsible technology use. The guidelines grew out of expert presentations on the addictive nature of certain algorithms and forums with parents and educators. According to Delgado, 81% of 565,000 educators surveyed backed guidelines for safe device use.
Papal visit confusion
A comment by the Vatican’s new communications chief about the pope visiting “Our Lady of Guadalupe” set off reports of a 2027 Mexico trip. Televisa’s Vatican correspondent Valentina Alazraki reported that a Vatican spokesperson clarified the comment referred to a parish in Casavalle, Uruguay. Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said she had no confirmation, and Alazraki reported that Leo XIV wants to come but “there is only the intention.”
- Mexican-American María Montserrat Alvarado took office as the Vatican’s communications chief on Sunday. The 39-year-old Mexico City native, raised in Miami, is the first laywoman to lead a ministry-level Vatican department.
Mexico’s economy gains momentum
The MND Economy Index™ hit a record 74.5 out of 100 for August, half a point shy of “strong.” Mexico-Canada trade rose 18.3% in the first eight months to 34.42 billion Canadian dollars, while Mexico’s trade surplus with the U.S. jumped 26.1% through September to a record US $184 billion, driven largely by AI-related equipment purchases.
2026 annual growth forecasts improved in both Banxico (1.5%) and Citi (1.8%) surveys.
Mexico City weighs tougher penalties for animal poisoning
After four dogs died from poisoned meat in Condesa’s Parque España, lawmakers proposed tougher penalties. Labor Party lawmaker Diana Barragán’s bill would allow three to nine years when poisoning kills an animal, and other proposals would bar convicted abusers from acquiring animals. A 58-year-old suspect is jailed pending trial.
Travel headlines
- Quintana Roo Gov. Mara Lezama inaugurated Cancún’s Kukulcán Interchange, speeding up trips between the airport and hotel zone.
- The Querétaro-Irapuato train line is 25% complete a year into construction.
- Mexico City’s Quintonil was named Latin America’s best restaurant and fourth globally by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, slipping one spot from last year.
- United Airlines is canceling its remaining Tulum flights, ending service Jan. 2 from Newark and Jan. 4 from Houston. Analysts cite weak demand, high hotel prices and sargassum.
Looking ahead
Banxico and Citi both predict Mexico’s economy will grow about 1.8% to 1.9% in 2027, with year-end 2026 inflation near 3.9%. Banxico has signaled it plans to hold its rate steady for an extended period.
One sector that will shape that outlook is data centers. Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said last week that companies have announced more than US $8 billion in data center projects, led by Querétaro, with Guanajuato and Nuevo León also drawing investment. Sheinbaum has said Mexico needs data centers to advance in artificial intelligence, but not necessarily to become a hub for the rest of the world, given their energy and water demands.
Data centers were also a hot topic in the U.S. midterms. The Associated Press reported that a campaign season filled with outrage against them ushered in a wave of Democrats pledging to clamp down on the facilities. Gina Hinojosa, who won the Texas governorship, campaigned on a moratorium on new data center construction. Whether the issue crosses the border is an open question as Mexico heads to its own midterms on June 6, 2027.
Mexico News Daily
This story contains summaries of original Mexico News Daily articles. The summaries were generated by Claude, then revised and fact-checked by a Mexico News Daily staff editor.
