The new U.S. ambassador to Mexico arrived in Mexico City on Saturday evening and toured some sites in the capital the following day.
Ken Salazar, 66, arrived in the country accompanied by his wife, two daughters, his son-in-law and his grandchildren.
The ambassador published photos on Twitter of visits to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the archaeological site at Tlatelolco, the San Fernando Pantheon and the Monument to the Revolution.
The posts, with captions in Spanish, detailed that the visit to the San Fernando Pantheon was to “honor Benito Juárez” and the visit to the Basilica was to “hear Mass and pray for both of our countries.”
A Spanish speaker, the new ambassador said he was proud to have grown up on a ranch, without a telephone, in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, near the western mouth of the Rio Grande. “That’s where I learned Spanish. My parents were proud of our [Hispanic] heritage and that’s where the path that I’ve taken began,” he said.
Salazar has named migration, the coronavirus pandemic, security and climate change as his priorities.
“Mexico beautiful and beloved, I come from the United States to greet the people of Mexico. President Joe Biden has sent me to ensure that our two nations have a prosperous future,” he said.
He added that he would “work to ensure that we have a migration system for the United States and Mexico … together, Mexico and the United States, we are stronger, because skills, lands and the hopes of both peoples come together.”
With reports from El Universal and Milenio
