Sunday, October 12, 2025

Where to find Baja California Sur’s best stargazing

By
Chris Sands
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Stars in the Baja California desert
(Pinterest)

For most of human history, people have felt connected to the cosmos. How could they not when the night sky was teeming with stars?

In modernity, this kind of connection has become less common, since 58% of the eight billion plus people who currently inhabit Earth live in cities, urban areas plagued with light pollution due to numerous factors, including the high density of artificial lights, many of which are continuously illuminated, producing a hazy skyglow effect that mutes the brilliance of the night sky. So completely have views been inhibited by light pollution that an estimated 80% of North Americans can no longer see the Milky Way.

Night sky with milky way visible
Night sky over the Gulf of Mexico. (Stanislav.nevyhosteny / CC BY SA 4.0)

Fortunately, despite increasing pollution, there is a growing movement to protect dark sky sanctuaries. Baja California Sur (BCS), the state with the weakest population density in Mexico, has many of them.

The dark sky movement

To be clear, BCS has no sites officially certified by Dark Sky International, the non-profit organization that has advocated for conserving dark sky areas since 1988. The organization has added far more in the past decade, growing from 54 Dark Sky protected places in 2015 to 150 in 2020 and 230 by 2024. Additions include the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, which spans over 15,000 square miles across the U.S. and Mexico — primarily in Texas and Coahuila — and is the largest Dark Sky place in the world since being certified in 2022. 

The uptick in Dark Sky-recognized parks, sanctuaries and reserves reflects interest in the astrotourism market, which is expected to grow from US $250 million in 2023 to $400 million by 2030. BCS has been a beneficiary of this increased tourism. Although it boasts no certified areas, it is so sparsely populated—less than 800,000 residents as of 2020—that there is little light pollution. 

The astronomical history of BCS

BCS’s suitability for star gazing has long been known. Indeed, it was one of the sites chosen for observations during the legendary 1769 Transit of Venus. Heeding the suggestions of Edmond Halley — yes, the one the comet is named for — hundreds of astronomers participated in an attempt to gather precise enough data to accurately measure the distance from Earth to the sun. 

Tres Virgenes volcanos in background, grassy plain in foreground
The Tres Vírgenes volcano complex in Mulegé is one of the best locations for stargazing in BCS. (Luis Beltran / CC BY SA 4.0)

A team led by French astronomer Abbot Jean-Baptiste Chappe d’Auteroche arrived in San José del Cabo in May 1769, managing to record observations there and at Real de Santa Ana, the region’s first mining operation south of San Antonio. However, this project proved a perilous undertaking given the dangers of traveling during the 18th century. Due to yellow fever, only two of the 28 members of the team made it home alive. 

The best places to view the stars in BCS

There’s no danger of contracting yellow fever in Baja California in 2025, but the great night sky visibility remains. This has been conclusively proven by a collaborative study by the astronomical societies Mira and Merak in conjunction with the Consejo Sudcaliforniano de Ciencia y Tecnología. Since December 2023, members of these groups have been measuring the visual magnitude of visible light per square arcsecond using SQM-L photometers. 

In other words, researchers measured the night skies of BCS, which they believe are the darkest in the nation, and have logged the magnitude levels for sites around the state to determine which are the best for stargazing purposes. According to the light magnitude scale, numbers above 18 indicate that stars can be seen. However, only places with measurements above 21 provide the best conditions for astronomical observations, with the Milky Way visible.

Seventy sites in BCS were recorded with measurements between 18 and 21, with seven exceeding 21.5. These last are astronomical sanctuaries for night sky viewing, and include Llanito de los Becerros (21.85) and La Purísima (21.74) in the municipality of Comondú, plus Playa El Coyote (21.73) and Volcán de las Tres Vírgenes (21.57) in Mulegé. Cañón de la Zorra (21.55) was the best site in Los Cabos, the state’s most popular tourism destination. 

Those sites are the stargazing gold standard in BCS. Some, it should be noted, are in remote areas. Cañón de la Zorra, a nature preserve with a picturesque waterfall west of Santiago, in the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range that runs up the center of the state between Los Cabos and Paz, is a great option for visiting stargazers thanks to the nearby Rancho Ecológico Sol de Mayo, which offers camping and cabins for overnight stays.

person stargazes through telescope in park at night
A stargazer in Mexico City. (Secretaría del Medio Ambiente de la Ciudad de México)

But as the numbers show, great stargazing is found around the state, including in and around cities and tourist destinations. For instance, Playa El Tecolote, outside La Paz, measured 20.88, while La Ribera, home to the Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas, rated 20.84.

Stargazing events and features in Los Cabos and BCS

While few, there are occasional stargazing events in BCS. La Paz, for example, was one of many sites across Mexico to host a Noche de las Estrellas in November 2024 to celebrate the anniversary of the death of Marie Curie, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. More recently, over a weekend in early 2025, Loreto held the first Cielo Mágico astronomical festival. The historic town, which has the distinction of being the first capital of California long before the modern U.S. state existed, is also a great stargazing destination, thanks to a light magnitude of 20.04.

Although there isn’t a specific measurement for Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, each offers dark skies, particularly away from the city centers. Two luxury resorts in Los Cabos are particularly notable for their stargazing features. One is Las Ventanas al Paraíso, which provides telescopes in every suite for those interested in viewing the heavens. Grand Velas Los Cabos is the other, offering a special stargazing package complete with a personal telescope and guide to the heavenly stars, plus canapés and a bottle of Champagne.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

A touch of Frank Lloyd Wright in San Miguel de Allende

By
Deborah McCoy
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A modern Mexican courtyard with parquet floor and stone double entrance doors to a home. The three sides around the doors feature modernist abstract colors of stained glass.
A courtyard featuring the stained glass work of master glassmaker Gustavo Cruz Gómez. (Deb McCoy)

Back in the days before San Miguel de Allende became a world-class phenomenon (“The most beautiful small city in the world,” said Conde Nast), it was a sleepy little Mexican town where kids rode their bikes or played a rousing game of soccer in the middle of the streets. The city was then dominated, for 90 years, by a textile factory called La Aurora (now a dynamic art complex), which was the cornerstone of its economy, employing over 300 workers, all from San Miguel.

One of these men, José Cruz Gómez Corona, worked for the owner of La Aurora, Don Francisco Garay Sr., but he had different ambitions. In a glass shop that stood across from La Aurora, he learned to cut and etch and engrave glass, to bend and to shape it. He saw his newly acquired skill as the road to a better life, and in the back of one of the small houses built for Aurora’s workers, where he lived with his family, he made a studio. There, he invented a device that etched glass. 

A large brick factory building entrance with the name "La Aurora" in black iron letters up top. There a large windows on either side with wrought-iron bars instead of glass.
The La Aurora art complex today in San Miguel de Allende. When it was a textile factory — from the turn of the 20th century to 1991 — José Cruz Gómez Corona worked here until he learned glassmaking and changed careers. (La Aurora)

In the interim, local artisans were trying to sell small glass jewelry boxes to tourists, but with little luck. José saw something in that box and changed the look by adding a door and etching the glass — and voila! They sold!

Then along came a guy, Maya, from the U.S. He ordered boxes — first a few, then hundreds and then thousands — selling them to U.S. stores like Sears and Pier One, changing José’s life forever. His days of working for Don Francisco were over. 

José taught his son Gustavo all he knew about glass, and when the boy was about 15, his uncle, Rafael, who worked for United Art Glass in Naperville, Illinois, asked if he’d like to come to the United States. He went. 

The company’s owner, Joe Freeze, asked him to demonstrate his ability in glass work by making a lampshade, which Gustavo did. This led to a full-time job, and within a few months’ time, Gustavo, despite speaking very little English, was the workshop’s manager, and his uncle, his employee.  

The company was known for its traditional leaded-glass windows, stained-glass repairs, and artistic workshops, catering to both hobbyists and professional artisans — and whenever Freeze had a job to install or to assess, he took Gustavo with him. Once he learned that Gustavo knew how to create shades in the Tiffany style, Gustavo’s horizons expanded, and so did his career. 

Never leaving Freeze behind, Gustavo also worked part-time for other prestigious companies in the area, including Amity Stained Glass and the legendary Norman Bourdage, as well as Curran-Glass, which specialized in leaded-glass restoration, custom beveled glass and bent glass and the production of stained glass windows and light fixtures.

A dark studio with a desk, glass lampshades, and stained glass windows in the ceiling and in the front of the room.
Frank Lloyd Wright was famous for making his own leaded-glass window designs, as is seen here in his Oak Park, Illinois home. Gustavo Cruz Gómez’s training in glasswork led him to restoring such windows in Lloyd Wright buildings in the area around Napierville, Illinois.

Bourdage crafted bespoke stained-glass windows, lamps and decorative panels for residential and commercial clients and also restored church windows, but it was at United Art Glass that Gustavo learned lead canes — the art of making slender, grooved bars of lead alloy that join individual pieces of glass into a unified panel. This technique, dating back to medieval times, remains the foundation of creating durable stained-glass artworks, particularly for architectural installations — and now Gustavo was a master! 

In the early 20th century, Frank Lloyd Wright had made his mark in Oak Park, Illinois, which was not far from Naperville, and so there was a lot of his glass to be restored. Wright had designed and built about 38 structures in the Oak Park area, and that’s where Gustavo and Curran-Glass came into play. 

Gustavo had opened his own studio in 1991, in Wheaton, Illinois, aptly called, Wheaton Stained Glass. Buying an old Victorian home, perfectly suited to his trade, he worked on Frank Lloyd Wright restoration and repairs, along with Curran-Glass, while making his own objets d’art and teaching classes in stained-glass design. 

But alas, all good things must come to an end. Gustavo was an undocumented immigrant, and although he bought property legally and paid his taxes, the IRS felt differently, and Gustavo was given a year to exit the U.S. There was no choice but to return to San Miguel. He had not cut ties there. He had commuted back and forth over the years and had a wife and two sons, whom he rarely saw. But it was time to go.

Coming back was not easy, but he figured if he could do it in the U.S., he could do it in San Miguel, and 25 years ago, this fantastic business was born. 

Gustavo is an artist in stained glass, and glass of all kinds — from classic to modern, from windows and doors and to lighting and more. He worked and learned from top artists and architects in San Miguel along the way and became diverse in his knowledge of furniture and lighting, creating custom pieces for all facets of home décor. And these clients, knowing his talent and artistry — and his insatiable desire for perfection, happily gave him their trade. 

Working with his two sons, Carlos and Christian, Gustavo hopes to take the business to a new level of design, and to expand into real estate, architecture and construction. 

“We never saw COVID-19 coming,” he said, “so you can make plans, but you don’t know… It’s up to you to make it happen. When you fall down, you get up. When you fall down again, you get up again… It’s called persistence.”

Deborah McCoy is the one-time author of mainstream, bridal-reference books who has turned her attention to food, particularly sweets, desserts and fruits. She is the founder of CakeChatter™ on FaceBook and X (Twitter), and the author of four baking books for “Dough Punchers” via CakeChatter (available @amazon.com). She is also the president of The American Academy of Wedding Professionals™ (aa-wp.com).

In 3 days, authorities confiscate 44 tonnes of drugs in operations across Mexico

By
MND Staff
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A historic weekend of drug busts started on Friday, when Mexican customs officials at the border with Guatemala intercepted a tractor-trailer carrying 1.193 tonnes of cocaine concealed within its cargo.
A historic weekend of drug busts started on Friday, when Mexican customs officials at the border with Guatemala intercepted a tractor-trailer carrying 1.193 tonnes of cocaine concealed within its cargo. (FGR)

A series of high-profile drug busts across Mexico in recent days has dealt a major blow to the country’s trafficking cartels.

Between June 6 and June 8, authorities reported seizing over 40 tonnes of narcotics and dismantling key infrastructure for synthetic drug production from Chiapas to Michoacán.

On Friday, Mexican customs officials at the Ciudad Hidalgo-Ciudad Tecún Umán border crossing, which links Mexico and Guatemala, intercepted a tractor-trailer carrying 1.193 tonnes of cocaine concealed within its cargo. The discovery was made during an X-ray inspection, and the driver — who reportedly claimed affiliation with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) — was arrested. Authorities estimate the shipment’s value at 274 million pesos (US $14.4 million).

That same day, federal agents in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, confiscated more than 500 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a truck during a checkpoint inspection, underscoring the strategic importance of this border city for trafficking drugs into the United States.

Baja California state police also made two significant finds on Friday. 

In Tijuana, a routine patrol along the Alamar Norte highway led officers to a suspicious truck parked on the roadside. An inspection uncovered 275 kilos of fentanyl hidden in cylinders in the truck bed, a haul with an estimated street value of 80 million pesos (US $4.2 million). Officials believe the shipment was linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. 

Meanwhile, in Playas de Rosarito, state authorities raided an auto repair shop allegedly used to modify vehicles with secret compartments for drug transport, seizing 10 vehicles during the operation.

In Michoacán, authorities dismantled major narco-laboratories in the municipalities of Arteaga, Madero and Morelia. On Friday, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported the confiscation of over 90 containers with chemical substances, 683 sacks of chemical precursors, and specialized equipment used for the production of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine in Arteaga. 

Three-hundred kilometers northeast, near the state capital of Morelia, a joint operation led by the Mexican Navy (Semar) with support from the National Guard, Army, federal Attorney General’s Office and state police, resulted in the seizure of approximately 42.24 tonnes of methamphetamine, 44 drums each containing 200 liters of methylamine, 8,800 liters of chemical precursors and a wide array of specialized equipment used for manufacturing synthetic drugs. The illicit substances and materials, found across five properties, were valued at over 1.06 billion pesos (US $55.6 million).

These busts are part of a broader cartel crackdown that, according to Security Minister Omar García Harfuch, has led to the inactivation of nearly 1,000 clandestine labs across Mexico so far this year, inflicting “hundreds of millions of pesos” in economic losses on criminal groups.

With reports from El Sol De México, Tribuna de San Luis, Infobae and El Financiero

Sheinbaum to attend next week’s G7 Summit: Monday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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Sheinbaum accepts G7 Summit invitation
Twelve days after she confirmed that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had invited her to the June 15-17 G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Sheibaum revealed that she had decided to attend. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

At the beginning of her Monday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum read out a statement in response to the protests in Los Angeles against raids carried out by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Later in her mañanera, the president revealed she will travel to Canada next week to attend the G7 Summit, and said she could hold a bilateral meeting with United States President Donald Trump at the event.

Sheinbaum urges peaceful protest and due process after 42 Mexicans detained in Los Angeles ICE raids

Among other issues, Sheinbaum also addressed criticism of the incoming Supreme Court justice and condemned the entry of Mexican police to Guatemala on Sunday,

Sheinbaum to attend G7 Summit in Canada; bilateral meeting with Trump ‘very probable’ 

Twelve days after she confirmed that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had invited her to the June 15-17 G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Sheibaum revealed that she had decided to attend.

She said she would attend the summit on Monday, June 16, for bilateral meetings and June 17 for the G7 “assembly.”

Sheinbaum said that Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente is working to arrange bilateral meetings with various presidents and prime ministers, and declared that a meeting with Trump was “very probable.”

Sheinbaum has spoken to Trump by telephone on seven occasions since the U.S. president won the U.S. presidential election last November, but the two leaders have not met face-to-face. Trade, migration and the trafficking of drugs and weapons will likely be among the top items for discussion if they hold in-person talks next week.

Sheinbaum said she would fly on a commercial airline to Canada to attend the G7 Summit.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum sitting in a commercial flight looking at an e-reader as she heads from Mexico to the 2024 G20 Leaders' Summit
Last year, President Claudia Sheinbaum flew to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro on a commercial flight with Copa Airlines. She sat in economy seating. (Claudia Sheinbaum/Facebook)

She said she would have a layover at an unspecified airport, explaining that there are no “direct” flights from Mexico. However, Sheinbaum didn’t say where she intended to fly from and where she planned to arrive in Canada. Kananaskis is located around 120 kilometers west of Calgary.

The trip to Canada will be Sheinbaum’s third international trip since she became president last October. She attended the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brazil last November, and the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in Honduras in April.

Sheinbaum calls out ‘racism’ and ‘classism’ in criticism of incoming Supreme Court chief justice 

Sheinbaum leapt to the defense of Hugo Aguilar Ortiz, an Indigenous lawyer originally from the Mixtec region of Oaxaca and the next chief justice of the Supreme Court, after a reporter suggested it would be difficult to find a “good jurist” among the nine justices elected to Mexico’s top court at the June 1 judicial elections.

“Hugo Aguilar is a good jurist,” she said.

“What’s happening is that there is a lot of racism,” Sheinbaum said, referring to criticism of the Mixtec man who received more votes than any other candidate in the Supreme Court election.

“Classism,” she added.

Aguilar has been criticized for a range of reasons, including that he is allegedly too close to the ruling Morena party. During the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples official played a leading role in the consultation process with Indigenous communities regarding the Maya Train railroad project. The United Nations said in 2019 that the consultation failed to meet all international human rights standards.

‘Not good’ that police from Chiapas entered Guatemala, says Sheinbaum 

A reporter asked the president whether members of the federal government’s security cabinet had provided her with a report on whether members of an “immediate reaction” police unit in Chiapas had entered Guatemalan territory as part of efforts to combat criminal groups.

Sheinbaum responded that “everything seems to indicate” that members of the Fuerza de Reacción Inmediata Pakal (Pakal Immediate Reaction Force) did indeed go into Guatemala, which borders the southern state of Chiapas.

The Mexican police reportedly killed four members of an organized crime group during a shootout on Sunday in the Huehuetenango department of Guatemala.

Sheinbaum didn’t refer to the deaths, but said “it’s not good” that Mexican police entered the territory of Guatemala. She frequently asserts that Mexico would never accept any kind of United States intervention in Mexican territory to combat Mexican cartels.

Sheinbaum said that Security Minister Omar García Harfuch would provide “all the information” about the apparent violation of Guatemala’s sovereignty on Tuesday.

The Pakal Immediate Reaction Force, or FRIP, is a special forces police unit created by the current government of Chiapas, which took office last December and is led by Governor Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

Mexico’s first-ever judicial elections draw international scrutiny over low turnout, process flaws

By
MND Staff
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3
Only about 13% of eligible voters in Mexico participated in the recent judicial elections.
Only about 13% of eligible voters in Mexico participated in the recent judicial elections. (Isabel Mateos Hinojosa/Cuartoscuro)

After observing Mexico’s judicial elections on June 1, the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) of the Organization of American States (OAS) offered some blunt advice to other Western Hemisphere countries: don’t attempt to replicate “this model of selecting judges.”

In a 34-page preliminary report published on June 6, the EOM expressed concern about “the low level of citizen participation” in the elections — around 13% of eligible voters — and noted that “a high percentage of null and unmarked ballots was recorded.”

Fewer than 1 in 7 Mexicans voted in first-ever judicial elections

It also highlighted that “there is no precedent in the world in which the entirety of a country’s judges is elected by universal suffrage.”

The publication of the EOM report came after a 16-person mission led by former Chilean Foreign Affairs Minister Heraldo Muñoz Valenzuela observed the elections at polling stations in Mexico City and México state.

In addition to monitoring voting on election day, the mission “analyzed various aspects of the elections such as electoral organization, electoral technology, the evaluation and selection process for judicial candidacies, electoral justice, and the participation of women,” the EOM said.

Criticisms of the judicial elections and electoral process 

The report stated that the EOM observed that the process related to Mexico’s first-ever judicial elections “was carried out in a very short timeframe and in a complex political context, characterized by strong polarization and a high level of litigation.”

“Last Sunday’s election is the result of the constitutional reform approved in September 2024, which establishes popular vote as the selection mechanism for those who will serve as judges and justices at all levels throughout the national territory,” it said.

A sign reading "Vote June 1 for the new judicial power" in spanish
A sign in Mexico City encouraging residents to vote in the judicial elections on June 1. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

As part of its observation mission, which began May 24, the EOM observers spoke to members of the judiciary, government representatives, academics, judicial election candidates and representatives of civil society organizations, among others.

The EOM said in its report that “most of the actors with whom the Mission interviewed agreed that, despite the efforts of the electoral authority, the electorate had little knowledge about the positions at stake in the election, their different responsibilities and the profiles of the applicants.”

“The interviewees also agreed that the prohibition on buying advertising space on radio, television, or social media made it very difficult for candidates to make themselves known,” the report said.

On June 1, voters faced the gargantuan and confusing task of electing a total of almost 2,700 judges, including nearly 900 federal ones, from a pool of some 7,700 candidates. Despite the low turnout, President Claudia Sheinbaum described the democratic exercise as a great success.

For its part, the EOM noted that:

  • Some candidates were accused of having links to criminal organizations.
  • Electoral packages containing 131,000 ballots were stolen in Chiapas.
  • Delays in the opening of polling stations “were recorded in various regions of the country.”
  • Complaints were filed “about the distribution of ‘cheat sheets’ (acordeones) during election day.”

Some of those cheat sheets were distributed by people affiliated with Mexico’s ruling party Morena, which, government critics say, will effectively come to control the country’s judiciary given that large numbers of candidates it tacitly supported were elected to judgeships.

The EOM highlighted that “the nine candidacies with the highest number of votes for the Supreme Court were promoted on physical and virtual ‘cheat sheets.'”

“Furthermore, it was verified that six of the new justices were nominated by the Executive Branch’s [candidate selection] committee and the remaining three are current members of the court appointed by the former president, which raises reasonable doubts about the autonomy and independence of the highest tribunal with respect to the Executive,” the mission said.

The OEM also pointed out that the National Electoral Institute (INE) only received just over half the funding it requested to organize the elections. It noted that the INE was consequently forced to cut costs in a range of ways, including by reducing “the number of sectional polling stations by more than 50%.”

Recommendations ahead of 2027 judicial elections 

The OEM made a number of recommendations based on its observation of the process related to Mexico’s June 1 judicial elections. A second round of judicial elections is slated to be held in 2027 on the same day that federal midterm elections will take place.

Among the EOM’s recommendations were that:

  • “The responsibility of verifying the eligibility and suitability of applicants” be assigned to “a single body, institutionally separate from the three branches of State, and composed of figures of recognized competence, impartiality and prestige.”
  • “Some type of public financing mechanism” be introduced “that allows applicants to truly make themselves known to the citizenry.”
  • “A working group between the INE and the involved branches of the federal government” be convened “in order to analyze the impact of the budget reduction, and ensure adequate resources for future electoral processes.”
  • “Civic education and dissemination strategies” be strengthened in order to “better explain voting methods, taking into account the age, cultural and educational diversity of the population.”
  • “Necessary legal reforms” be introduced to Congress “to avoid the concurrence of presidential, legislative, gubernatorial and local elections with judicial ones.”
Mexico's first-ever judicial elections
The major flaw of Mexico’s first-ever judicial elections, according to the OAS, was an underfunded and polarizing public education strategy. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

‘An extremely complex and polarizing electoral process’

In the “final considerations” section of its report, the EOM said that “an extremely complex and polarizing electoral process” had taken place in Mexico.

“The analysis of this first experience shows that there are multiple opportunities for improvement. The Mission urges electoral authorities and political bodies to consider the recommendations made to strengthen all stages of the process, correct current deficiencies, and ensure the sustainability of the adopted solutions,” it said.

The EOM also said that Mexican citizens and institutions “will have to evaluate whether the current model of selecting judicial authorities through popular vote, which is unprecedented worldwide, contributes to strengthening the fundamental principles of the administration of justice; or if, on the contrary, it ends up weakening the transparency, impartiality, effectiveness, and independence of the Judiciary.”

“The lessons learned in this process highlight the importance that any reform to the model for selecting judges be done gradually, based on a truly pluralistic debate and, above all, on a comprehensive, technical, and professional diagnosis of the problems sought to be resolved and the most effective mechanisms to do so,” it said.

“That being said, the Mission does not recommend that this model of selecting judges be replicated for other countries in the region,” the EOM said.

The Mexican government responds

President Sheinbaum, who argues that judicial elections are necessary to rid Mexico’s judiciary of corruption, declared on Saturday that “it’s not within the functions” of the Washington D.C.-based Organization of American States to “give recommendations on how a country should choose its judiciary.”

She acknowledged on Monday that improvements to the judicial election process can be made.

Sheinbaum on steel tariff
In response to the report, President Sheinbaum said that “it’s not within the functions” of the Organization of American States to “give recommendations on how a country should choose its judiciary.” (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

“I believe the INE has to do a review, and all of us have to as well, about what we learnt from this election and how to perfect the voting process,” Sheinbaum said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said in a statement on Saturday that through Mexico’s “permanent mission” to the OAS, it “expressed, through a diplomatic note addressed to the secretary general of the organization, its firm rejection of some recommendations contained in the preliminary report of the observers dispatched for the judicial election on June 1.”

The SRE said that it argued in the diplomatic note that the EOM “exceeded its mandate” and carried out “actions contrary to the principles of the [OAS] charter,” in particular the article that says that “every State has the right to choose, without external interference, its political, economic, and social system and to organize itself in the way best suited to it.”

“An Electoral Observation Mission doesn’t have the authority to try to impose its own criteria on the way in which countries, in use of their sovereignty, should put together their judiciary,” the ministry said.

Mexico News Daily 

Sheinbaum urges peaceful protest and due process after 42 Mexicans detained in Los Angeles ICE raids

By
MND Staff
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Sheinbaum June 9, 2025
According to ICE, operations in LA last week resulted in 118 immigrant arrests, of which one-third were Mexicans. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday condemned violence in Los Angeles during protests against immigration raids, and urged U.S. authorities to uphold due process when dealing with immigrants.

After three days of protests in Los Angeles that followed the arrest in the city last week of more than 100 undocumented immigrants, including dozens of Mexicans, Sheinbaum responded to the events at her Monday morning press conference.

“We don’t agree with violent actions as a form of protest. The burning of police cars seems more an act of provocation than resistance,” she said, reading from a prepared statement.

“It must be clear that we condemn violence, wherever it comes from. We call on the Mexican community to act peacefully and not succumb to provocations,” Sheinbaum said.

The president also expressed the Mexican government’s “unbreakable commitment” to “the protection and defense of the human rights of Mexicans abroad, regardless of their migratory situation.”

“In this sense, we respectfully but firmly call on U.S. authorities to carry out all migratory procedures with adherence to due process within a framework of respect for human dignity and the rule of law,” Sheinbaum said.

In earlier remarks, she said that Mexicans who live in the United States are “hardworking” and “honest” men and women.

Mexico's president lamented the violent confrontations between protesters and U.S. security forces in Los Angeles, but extended her support to Mexicans affected by immigration raids.
Mexico’s president lamented the violent confrontations between protesters and U.S. security forces in Los Angeles, but extended her support to Mexicans affected by the recent immigration raids. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

“The vast majority” of Mexicans in the United States have work permits or are U.S. citizens, Sheinbaum said. She added that “the vast majority” of those without documents have been living in the United States for more than five years, and “contribute to the economy of the United States and that of Mexico.”

“The United States needs them for their economy,” Sheinbaum said.

She said that her government will continue using “all available diplomatic and legal channels to express its disagreement with practices that criminalize migration and place at risk the safety and well-being of our communities in the United States.”

“Through our consular network, Mexico immediately activated all assistance and consular protection mechanisms to guarantee that our detained compatriots receive adequate legal advice and fair treatment,” Sheinbaum added.

“Our consulates have intensified their efforts to inform the Mexican community about their rights and the actions they can take if they are the target of an immigration operation,” she said, referring to raids carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The protests in various parts of Los Angeles in recent days came after ICE detained scores of undocumented immigrants in the city last week.

The agency said in a social media post on Saturday that “ICE operations in LA this week resulted in 118 alien arrests, including five gang members and numerous criminal aliens.”

“Despite what you may be hearing, the record checks show that we arrested illegal aliens with criminal histories including: child cruelty, domestic violence, drug trafficking, assault, robbery, human smuggling,” ICE said.

At an event in Puebla on Sunday, Sheinbaum also defended Mexicans in the United States, saying “they are not criminals,” but rather “good men and women.”

“They have all the solidarity of their government,” she said.

“… Our migrant brothers and sisters go … [to the United States] seeking better opportunities. The majority of them have been working there for many years. For example, there are a lot of poblanos and poblanas who live in New York, they call it ‘Puebla York’ because New York wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for the poblanos who are there. Los Angeles, California, wouldn’t be what it is without the Mexicans who are there,” Sheinbaum said.

“They migrate out of necessity and from there they send resources to their families,” she said.

Foreign minister: 42 Mexicans detained in ICE raids 

Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente told Sheinbaum’s Monday morning press conference that 42 Mexicans — 37 men and five women — were detained in recent immigration raids in Los Angeles. He said that four of those people have returned to Mexico.

“Yesterday we learned that four of them had already been deported,” de la Fuente said, explaining that two people were subject to removal orders and two others accepted deportation “voluntarily.”

Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente said on Monday that following the news of the raids in Los Angeles, Mexican consular officials "immediately" went to immigration detention centers in Los Angeles to "try to identify" and interview Mexicans who had been detained.
Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente said on Monday that following the news of the raids in Los Angeles, Mexican consular officials “immediately” went to immigration detention centers in Los Angeles to “try to identify” and interview Mexicans who had been detained. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

The foreign minister noted that ICE carried out two raids in Los Angeles on Friday, at which Mexicans were detained. He said that one raid occurred at a Home Depot and another took place at “a textile factory whose name is Ambience.”

Citing Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, NBC News reported that “among the sites targeted by federal agents” in immigration raids “was clothing manufacturer, importer and wholesaler Ambiance Apparel in the city’s Fashion District.”

De la Fuente said that Mexican consular officials “immediately” went to immigration detention centers in Los Angeles to “try to identify” and interview Mexicans who had been detained in order to offer them legal advice and contact their family members.

He said that relatives have been contacted “by our consular personnel,” and noted that Mexico is now carrying out “individual case by case” analyses “to see what are the next steps.”

“… I must also say that, on the instructions of the president, over the weekend we were in contact with the United States Ambassador in Mexico [Ron] Johnson and with the Ambassador [Esteban] Moctezuma, our ambassador in Washington, who were supporting us so that out consular agents, our protection personnel, could access the detention centers,” de la Fuente said.

Ambassador Johnson said on social media on Sunday that “the violent protesters in LA do not represent the proud and hardworking Mexican people we know and respect.”

“Our actions protect all communities and uphold the rule of law. Mexico is our partner — and the ties between our nations run deep,” he wrote on X.

Like Sheinbaum, De la Fuente called on Mexicans in the United States to respond to ICE actions in a peaceful way.

“We need to remain calm. We need all expressions [of protest] … to be peaceful,” he said.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “deep concern” about ICE raids in “several cities of the United States, particularly Los Angeles.”

The protests in LA 

There were protests against immigration raids in various parts of Los Angeles in recent days, including Paramount, where the raid at the Home Depot took place, and the downtown area of California’s largest city.

Police vehicles and other cars have been set on fire during protests and some protesters have thrown bottles and rocks. Police have deployed tear gas and fired rubber bullets in response. Dozens of protesters have been arrested.

California Governor Gavin Newsom accused United States President Donald Trump of inflaming the situation by deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to help quell the protests.

“Donald Trump is putting fuel on this fire. Commandeering a state’s National Guard without consulting the Governor of that state is illegal and immoral. California will be taking him to court,” Newsom wrote on social media.

In another post, the governor wrote:

“Los Angeles: don’t take Trump’s bait. Trump wants chaos and he’s instigated violence. Those who assault law enforcement or cause property damage will risk arrest. Stay peaceful. Stay focused. Don’t give him the excuse he’s looking for.”

Trump — who is spearheading a mass deportation program in the United States — declared on his social media site Truth Social that “we made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California.”

“If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated,” he wrote on Sunday.

Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff, asserted on X that Los Angeles is “occupied territory” due to the presence of “foreign flags” — including large numbers of Mexican ones — at protests in the city.

In an article headlined “The Mexican Flag Becomes a Potent L.A. Protest Symbol,” The New York Times reported that “Mexican and other Latin American flags have emerged as protest emblems, angering the Trump administration and its supporters.”

“Trump officials have cast flag wavers as insurrectionists and implied that they are not U.S. citizens,” the Times said.

“… But for many protesters who are American citizens, the flag signifies pride in their roots, as well as solidarity with immigrants who are being targeted for deportation,” the Times reported.

With reports from Reforma and Infobae

Historic infrastructure development fund for Indigenous towns begins rollout in Morelos

By
MND Staff
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President Sheinbaum with a gathering of local townspeople.
President Sheinbaum was on hand in Coatetelco, Morelos for the distribition of funds under the new Social Infrastructure Contribution Fund for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples (FAISPIAM), which leaves spending discretion to the local community organizations.(Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum was in the central state of Morelos over the weekend to celebrate the first public allocation from a new program that allows Indigenous communities throughout Mexico access to federal funds for infrastructure without the intervention of state or municipal governments.

Sheinbaum delivered 104 million pesos (US $5.5 million) to 82 Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities in Morelos that will be directly managed by local assemblies under a 2024 constitutional reform package championed by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

woman talking to a gathering of nurses
Two days earlier, the president was in nearby Yecapixtla for the groundbreaking of a new IMSS hospital in the same Morelos town. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

The landmark disbursement comes six months after Sheinbaum decreed the creation of the Presidential Commission on Justice Plans and Regional Development for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples.

The resulting program calls for 12.4 billion pesos (US $650 million) to go to ethnic communities to help them support projects such as drinking water systems, schools, housing, streets and sidewalks, sewage and electrification — each chosen by the communities themselves through local assemblies.

Depending on population and level of marginalization, individual communities will receive allocations ranging from 50,000 to 7 million pesos (US $2,600 to $367,600).

The money is being drawn from the Social Infrastructure Contribution Fund for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples (Faispiam), according to a government press release.

Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples “are not only the essence, the most intimate truth of the Mexican people, but are now recognized in the Constitution as subjects of public law,” Sheinbaum declared at the Saturday ceremony in Coatetelco, Morelos, alluding to 2024 reforms to Article 2 that grant these communities autonomy over resource allocation.

Ariadna Montiel Reyes, Mexico’s secretary of welfare since 2022, hailed the constitutional action being “transformed into reality.”

“Communities now control resources to combat poverty in marginalized areas,” she said.

Sheinbaum creates commission dedicated to ‘justice plans’ for Mexico’s Indigenous peoples

Adelfo Regino Montes, head of the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI), reported that all 82 communities in Morelos had already held assemblies to elect oversight committees and determine project priorities.

“These communities will leave a legacy for their children by targeting poverty through self-determined solutions,” he said.

Local leaders in Morelos welcomed the new era of autonomy.

“Our peoples will democratically decide how public funds are invested,” said Luis Eusebio Onofre Jiménez, president of Coatetelco, an autonomous Indigenous municipality and one of the few fishing communities in central Mexico — distinguished by a lake considered sacred since pre-Hispanic times.

The Faispiam program, which reserves 10% of Mexico’s federal infrastructure fund for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities, is being implemented nationwide.

bike infrastructure Yucatán
The communities receiving direct infrastructure financing via Faispiam are free to determine how they want to use it. (Francisco Balderas/Cuartoscuro)

Its aim is to benefit 15,217 communities in 27,792 locations: 14,742 Indigenous communities in 27,278 locations; 431 Afro-Mexican communities in 462 locations; and 44 multicultural communities in 52 locations.

Yuki Hueda Tanabe, a statistician at INPI, noted that the states with the largest number of Indigenous communities are Oaxaca (2,914), Chiapas (2,735) and Veracruz (2,584). 

Sheinbaum’s administration is said to be facing pressure to replicate the Morelos model in Oaxaca, Chiapas and elsewhere.

In Yucatán, 300 million pesos (US $15.8 million) is earmarked for Mayan communities, while Baja California is to receive 11 million pesos (US $578,000), including 8 million pesos (US $420,000) for the Cucapá community.

The implementation of the program involves holding community assemblies, where residents elect an administrative board and an oversight committee. According to the newspaper Novedades Yucatán, there is a requirement that women are mandated to serve as treasurers.

As of June 3, 344 of 558 planned assemblies nationwide had occurred, involving over 22,000 participants, according to federal data.

Critics have questioned whether communities have sufficient administrative capacity, but officials are highlighting precedents like La Escuela es Nuestra (The School is Ours) program, which successfully decentralized education funds.

“This is a new chapter in community development policy,” said Yucatán Welfare Delegate Rogerio Castro Vázquez. “Indigenous peoples are now managers of their own development.”

Mexico News Daily

After 23 days, teachers’ union ends sit-in at Mexico City’s Zócalo

By
MND Staff
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Mexico City Zócalo free of tents
The CNTE sit-in had occupied most of Mexico City's central square and surrounding streets, making it more difficult to get around an already crowded part of the city. (María José Martínez/Cuartoscuro)

The long-running National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) protest in Mexico City’s historic center came to an end on Sunday after 23 days.

The CNTE removed its tents and signs from the Zócalo and surrounding streets over the weekend, and by Monday, the main square had returned to business as usual. 

The Zócalo/Tenochtitlan metro station also reopened its access points on Sunday afternoon after being closed for almost one month.

Members of the CNTE launched protests as part of a national strike on May 15, demanding changes to working and educational conditions. Union members were specifically calling for the repeal of the 2007 ISSSTE Law, which changed the federal pension scheme from pooled to individual, and which President Sheinbaum previously pledged to reverse.

In addition, teachers are mobilizing for a pay increase of 100%.

On May 15, President Sheinbaum proposed a 10% increase for teachers across the country, which would put the average monthly salary at approximately 19,000 pesos (US $1,000). The CNTE rejected the president’s proposal and intensified their actions to include blockades and attacks on government buildings.

On May 21, members of the CNTE blocked the press entrance to the presidential palace in an attempt to put pressure on Sheinbaum to make good on her campaign promise to repeal the 2007 ISSSTE Law.

Local businesses in Mexico City’s historic center were affected by the disruptions, as restaurants and shops around the square were forced to close. Many began to reopen on Sunday and vendors have now returned to the streets. 

Over the weekend, a Mexico City representative of the opposition National Action Party (PAN), Miguel Errasti, called on President Claudia Sheinbaum to launch an emergency economic program to support merchants in the Historic Center who were affected by the protests. 

“Business groups report that the CNTE affected more than 30,000 businesses and accumulated losses [have totaled] 25 billion pesos, something the local government tolerated,” Errasti said. 

“This is a call for the immediate launch of an emergency economic recovery plan for the Zócalo and Reforma Avenue areas.” 

Meanwhile, the CNTE said it plans to continue with local demonstrations until a suitable agreement can be reached with the government. 

With reports from El Universal, La Prensa OEM and Sin Embargo

Airbus and Volaris partner to develop sustainable aviation fuels in Mexico

By
MND Staff
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Volaris jet in the air
The Mexican airline Volaris sees the eventual implementation of sustainable aviation fuel as reflecting "our participation in broader international decarbonization efforts.”(Shutterstock)

Airbus and Mexican airline Volaris have established a strategic alliance to support the development and adoption of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in Mexico, marking a milestone for sustainability in Latin America’s air travel industry.

“This initiative supports our environmental objectives and our participation in broader international decarbonization efforts,” Volaris said in a statement. 

airbus jet in the air
Airbus also has SAF agreements with Panama, Peru, and Argentina. (Daniel Eledut/Unsplash)

In a Letter of Intent (Lol) presented during the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 2025 Climate and Aviation Week, the low-cost airline agreed to contribute to the ICAO’s Voluntary Environment Fund to support a feasibility study for sustainable aviation fuel production in Mexico. The study will be conducted through the SAF Assistance, Capacity Building and Training Program (ACT-SAF) in collaboration with the Federal Civil Aeronautics Administration (AFAC) and Airports and Auxiliary Services (ASA).

Airbus and ICAO have previously announced feasibility studies for Argentina, Panama and Peru.

The ICAO ACT-SAF program assists countries in developing their SAF implementation potential, including reviewing policy and regulatory frameworks, assessing raw materials and pathways for SAF production, and providing support for implementation and financing.

“Through this collaboration, we aim to support the country in achieving the necessary conditions for SAF deployment,” Airbus executives said. 

SAF is an alternative to petroleum jet fuel. It’s produced from agricultural and waste feedstocks and is consumed in blends with petroleum jet fuel. In the United States, investments in SAF have increased because of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and state and federal tax credits incentivizing the use of the fuel.

On November 28, 2023, Virgin Atlantic flight VS100 completed the world’s first transatlantic flight powered by 100% SAF. The Boeing 787 made the 7 hours and 16-minute flight from London Heathrow to New York (JFK) using a SAF blend of 88% hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) supplied by Air BP and 12% synthetic aromatic kerosene (SAK).

Also in November 2023, Emirates Airlines in Dubai conducted a demonstration flight with an Airbus A380. One of its four engines was completely fueled with SAF.

To date, over 450,000 flights have taken off using a mix of SAF and traditional fuels, and more than 50 airlines around the world have introduced SAF in their operations.

With reports from Mexico Business Now and A21

Barbara now a Category 1 hurricane, with Cosme gaining strength off shore

By
MND Staff
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weather image showing storm
As of Monday morning, Barbara was about 186 miles (300 km) south-southwest of Playa Pérula, Jalisco, and less than 190 miles (305 km) southwest of Manzanillo, Colima. (@FerragamoWx/on X)

Tropical Storm Barbara has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane, the first of the 2025 Eastern Pacific hurricane season. 

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said early Monday that swells generated by the storm system are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions along the coast of southwestern Mexico over the next few days.  

At 6 a.m., Hurricane Barbara — the second named storm of the 2025 Eastern Pacific hurricane season — was located about 186 miles (300 km) south-southwest of Playa Pérula, Jalisco, and less than 190 miles (305 km) southwest of Manzanillo, Colima, one of Mexico’s biggest ports. By 9 a.m., it was within 150 miles (245 km) of Manzanillo.

The storm’s center was moving northwest at 10 mph (17 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 68 mph (110 kph) and gusts of up to 87 mph (140 kph), according to Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN). 

No coastal warnings or watches were in effect on Monday morning, according to The Associated Press, but the storm was expected to bring heavy rainfall and wind to coastal areas of the states of Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco. Barbara is not expected to make landfall.

The SMN said Guerrero, Michoacán and Colima would be most affected by Hurricane Barbara, but said the state of Nayarit would also see heavy rainfall, with waves of up to five meters along the coast. Further south, Oaxaca and Chiapas could also be affected by Barbara, the SMN said.

Authorities warned residents of the possibility of localized flooding as total rainfall could surpass 101 millimeters.

Also in the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Cosme strengthened slightly on Monday morning but remained well off the coast of Mexico. It was about 630 miles (1,015 kilometers) south-southwest of the tip of the Baja California Peninsula, the NHC said.

Cosme’s maximum sustained winds increased to near 65 mph (100 km/h) with higher gusts. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center. Some additional strengthening is forecast, and Cosme is expected to become a hurricane later today, the NHC said. 

Early Monday, Cosme was moving west-northwest near 6 mph (9 km/h) but was expected to turn toward the north with a decrease in forward speed by Monday night, followed by a faster north-northeast motion Tuesday through Wednesday. However, the NHC forecast that Cosme would begin weakening rapidly thereafter.

With reports from El Financiero, The Associated Press and Quadratin

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