Sunday, August 17, 2025

The Australian writing a guide to intercultural relationships with Mexicans

By
MND Staff
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A couple runs through the Chichén Itzá archaeological site on a sunny day.
What happens when a woman from the U.S. or Australia gets together with a Mexican man? (Melissa Sombrerero/Pexels)

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2021 census, only 2,140 Mexicans live in the Greater Sydney area, which boasts a population of 5.5 million people. As one might imagine after reading those stats, authentic, mouth-watering, throat-tickling Mexican restaurants are few and far between. So when Sunny, a born-and-raised Australian, met Héctor, a Mexican expat working in Sydney, and asked what he missed the most about living in Mexico, he didn’t hesitate in answering: “tacos al pastor.”

The problem was that Sunny had never even heard of tacos al pastor. “I went immediately to Google,” she said during our recent interview over Zoom, laughing. Drawing on years of working as a professional chef and a childhood spent in her family’s restaurant, Sunny scraped together her first of many traditional Mexican dishes. 

A couple watches the Milky Way in the wild
Intercultural relationships can open up new universes of understanding— but t (Nathan Jennings/Unsplash)

Héctor hadn’t been able to visit Mexico for three years due to Australia’s border policy during the pandemic, and he’d been surrounded predominately by Tex-Mex and other foreign interpretations of Mexican food. “I was so nervous when he was about to take his first bite,” Sunny says. 

There was nothing for her to worry about, though, because Héctor was delighted. “It tastes like home,” he told her. Several years later, they tied the knot. Héctor later told her that it was those same tacos al pastor that sealed the deal.

Doing it the Mexican way: Going from personal struggle to community solutions

Relationships are rarely an obstacle-free ride. Learning to communicate with anyone, regardless of their background, is a lesson in humility, patience and curiosity. Coming from different cultures can add yet another layer to the mix, and many people facing road bumps in intercultural relationships find themselves wondering “is this cultural, or is it just my partner?”

Specifically, if you’re an Anglo woman dating a Mexican man, you probably already know that there aren’t many resources out there that can help you navigate the nuances. “When Héctor’s mom came to Australia for the first time, I had a hard time finding anything online to help me prepare for it. None of my friends were married to a Mexican, so they couldn’t offer me any advice.” How was Sunny supposed to greet her? What was she supposed to call her? This gap in information led Sunny to building an online community of women like her. Through that community, she started to see how unique her relationship paradigm truly was.

A family gathers to have dinner in Christmas
Daily contact with a Mexican partner’s family can be jarring for a person coming from a culture where boundaries are more rigid. (Nicole Michalou/Pexels)

Taking off the Anglo goggles

A U.S.-raised woman myself, I can completely identify with the role we’re expected to fill these days – strong, independent, financially stable, able to raise a kid on her own if she wanted to. A woman like that definitely doesn’t “need” a man. But what happens when that woman falls in love with a Mexican man?

Clearly, we can’t fit the millions of Mexican men in and outside of Mexico into one shiny box with a list of instructions. Still, there are undeniable cultural differences that could, without the proper research, lead to unnecessary friction. Sunny believes that the uncertainty we face when entering intercultural relationships can all be avoided with cultural fluency. By “taking off your Western goggles and putting on your Mexican sunglasses,” the following dynamics might begin to surface.

  • Noncommittal responses: Mexicans often prefer to say “maybe” instead of a direct “no” to avoid causing disappointment. This tends to clash with the Anglo preference for concrete plans and direct refusals.
  • Group decision-making: People raised in Mexico may consult their family and friend group before finalizing plans in contrast to a U.S. or Australian emphasis on decisions made primarily by the couple for their own benefit.
  • Family involvement: Daily contact with parents and a tendency to seek family input during conflict may come as a surprise to women used to greater boundaries between the nuclear family and extended relatives.
  • Different emphases on the individual: Mexican culture tends toward group-oriented decision-making that prioritizes collective harmony as opposed to the Anglo tendency toward self-reliance and independence.
  • Traditional gender roles: Relationships may involve protective behaviors that might seem controlling by contemporary Anglo standards. Mexican cultural expectations tend to embrace traditional masculine and feminine expressions while Anglo culture trends toward more fluidity between gender roles.

Seeing the relationship through this lens will also help you identify which parts of your culture might leave him feeling confused. Héctor, for example, didn’t initially understand the casual approach to dinner parties in Australia. His upbringing taught him to always bring a gift for the host or hostess and make a point to personally thank them before leaving. Sunny’s experience was a bit more casual. What he initially thought of as rude simply became “Australian,” in a way that his formality might simply become “Mexican.”

Creating a handbook for bicultural relationships

Sunny’s adventure from a single Australian woman to creator of the Facebook community “I’m Married to a Mexican” has been a joyful one. More than building a strong partnership with her husband, she’s met women from all over the world in situations similar to her own, and the resulting insight has been fascinating. 

She’s able to document cultural nuances that aren’t found in traditional resources, and offer advice that takes into account the cultural backstory, something nearly impossible for AI to do. She started conducting hour-long calls with women from different countries in relationships with Mexican men, discovering a host of interesting quirks and unique approaches to conflict that keep these relationships strong and healthy.

With this information, Sunny wants to create a pool of resources for women, and eventually men, to refer to when they find themselves asking the question, “Is it cultural, or is it him?” Some practical strategies she’s found up to this point include using food as a cultural connector, knowing the major themes in Mexican history, understanding a collectivist mindset versus an individualist one and identifying what emotional safety feels like for you

The future of cross-cultural relationship resources

Sunny’s vision extends well beyond her thriving Facebook community. “What I’m trying to create is a way to avoid the angst, the overwhelm and the constant questioning of what’s going on, what to do and what’s considered correct social etiquette,” she explains. “I want to create a pathway for women to stay strong within themselves, even when cultural differences might throw them off balance.”

Unlike generic advice that tells intercultural partners it’s best to just adapt to the other’s quirks, Sunny’s approach emphasizes cultural fluency without sacrificing who you are. The mentorship program she is developing is aimed at giving newcomers a chance to connect with experienced women for help when navigating challenges like communicating with their partner’s  mother and sisters, first visits to Mexico and understanding when something is truly a red flag versus a cultural misunderstanding.

“When you’re struggling with these issues, you can’t always talk to your mom or friends about it because they’re viewing everything through a Western lens,” Sunny says. “You also can’t always talk to your Mexican friends because, for them, it’s normal.” Guidance from someone who’s walked this path before can be a game-changer.

Are you in a committed relationship with a Mexican partner and starting to feel the effects of those pesky cultural differences? Sunny is currently conducting research calls with women who feel confused, disconnected or unsure what’s cultural and what’s personal. She’s also interested in speaking with women who have it all figured out! If you’d like to participate, visit Calendy to schedule a call or join her Facebook group, I’m dating/I married a Mexican.

Mexico scrambles to boost US water deliveries ahead of next year’s USMCA treaty review

By
MND Staff
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A dry river in Nuevo León, Mexico, a state at risk of having its water resources confiscated by the federal government for delivery to the U.S.
Dry northern states like Nuevo León, pictured, could see their state water resources confiscated by the federal government as it seeks to increase water deliveries to the U.S. (Gabriela Pérez Montiel/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico currently owes the United States more than 1.5 billion cubic meters of water with just six months left to settle the debt, putting the federal government in a difficult situation as it seeks to appease its northern neighbor while ensuring there is sufficient water to meet the needs of Mexican citizens, agriculture and industry.

The United States government is pressuring Mexico to send the water north, but the country’s northern states are in drought, making it very difficult if not impossible to comply with the obligations set out in a 1944 bilateral water treaty.

The channelized Rio Grande runs under rail bridges on the border between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez
The 1944 treaty governs the distribution of water from rivers like the Rio Grande, shown here in Ciudad Juárez. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

What the outcome of this situation will be is not yet clear, but the potential for conflict between Mexico and the United States — at a time when the bilateral relationship is already strained — is high.

Mexico’s water debt predicament 

Under the Treaty relating to the utilization of waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande, Mexico must send 2.158 billion cubic meters (1.75 million acre feet) of water to the United States from the Rio Grande every five years. The water is transferred through a binational network of dams and reservoirs.

The current five-year cycle concludes in late October, but by March 29, Mexico had delivered just 28% of the water it is required to send to its northern neighbor in the 2020-25 period.

Consequently, Mexico currently owes the United States about 1.55 billion cubic meters of water. That quantity of water, Reuters reported, is enough to supply a mid-sized city for around 30 years.

Why is Mexico so far behind on its water debt? 

In a word — drought. The Mexican government has said that it has been unable to fulfill its water commitments under the 1944 treaty due to widespread drought that is particularly severe in the north of the country.

Poor infrastructure and growing local demand for water have also had an impact on Mexico’s capacity to meet its treaty obligations, according to Reuters.

Under the treaty, water debt can be rolled over into the next five-year cycle when drought precludes either Mexico or the United States from meeting its obligations to supply water to its neighbor.

That situation looks set to become increasingly common.

Reuters reported that the 81-year-old treaty “never contemplated climate change or massive industrial and agricultural growth along the border fueled by free trade between the two countries.”

“That is the disconnect,” said Vianey Rueda, a University of Michigan researcher who specializes in water issues.

Dry, cracked earth in an empty dam reservoir
Northern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest are considerably drier than when the water treaty was signed over 80 years ago. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)

“… There is pressure to continue to abide by a treaty, but there’s really no water to comply,” she said.

Federico Mancera, a water consultant and academic at CIDE, a Mexico City university, described the treaty as obsolete because it doesn’t consider the impacts of climate change and the decrease in water availability. The solution to the current conflict between Mexico and the United States is to update the treaty, he told the Expansión news website.

Pressure from the United States 

In March, for the first time since the 1944 treaty was signed, the United States denied a request by Mexico for water delivery.

In a statement posted to social media, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs defended the decision by saying that “Mexico’s continued shortfalls in its water deliveries under the 1944 water-sharing treaty are decimating American agriculture — particularly farmers in the Rio Grande valley.”

In addition to taking the unprecedented step of denying Mexico’s non-treaty request for water, the State Department “continues to urge the Mexican government at the highest levels to meet its 1944 treaty obligations and ensure predictable water deliveries,” a spokesperson for the agency told Reuters.

In March, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in an interview that Mexico is “decimating our farmers while they’re building their agriculture industry and breaking the agreement under that 1944 water treaty.”

“But no more,” she added.

Republicans from Texas have been especially vocal in their condemnation of Mexico for failing to meet its treaty obligations.

“Mexico’s repeated failure to uphold their end of the 1944 water treaty has devastated South Texas farmers, hindered the growth of our Texas agriculture economy, and threatened our national food security,” Congresswoman Monica de la Cruz said in January.

“Holding the Mexican government accountable is the first step in ensuring our farmers have the resources they need to thrive and I will continue to work to ensure South Texans are not left to deal with the consequences of Mexico’s non-compliance,” she said.

Reuters reported that the United States has “largely fulfilled” its obligations to send water to Mexico, “although recent deliveries have been reduced due to severe drought, something the 1944 accord allows for.”

Could Mexico’s water debt threaten the USMCA? 

Citing multiple sources, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Mexican officials are “scrambling to come up with a plan” to increase water deliveries to the United States.

Three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters the urgency is due to growing concern that United States President Donald Trump could bring the water dispute into trade negotiations with Mexico.

Trump has already imposed tariffs on Mexican steel, aluminum and vehicles, as well as imports from Mexico not covered by the USMCA free trade pact. He has indicated that he wants to renegotiate the agreement rather than just review it, as is scheduled to occur in 2026.

Hundreds of shipping containers stacked up on the docks at the Port of Manzanillo in Colima, Mexico
Ongoing tariff negotiations with the U.S. have added pressure as Mexico struggles to keep up with water deliveries. (International Container Terminal Services)

A Mexican source who works on water issues told Reuters that there are even concerns in Mexico that Trump could terminate the USMCA due to the Mexico’s water debt. The source said the issue has become “very political.”

Another option for Trump could be to use tariffs to pressure Mexico to meet its water commitments. He has already demonstrated he is willing to use protectionism to effectively force Mexico to ramp up action against the flow of fentanyl and migrants to the United States.

Last month, Texas Senator Ted Cruz expressed confidence that the United States will get the water it is owed.

“I believe with President Trump in office and the new administration, we are going to get the water. Mexico is going to comply. Ignoring the treaty will no longer be an option for Mexico,” he said.

A second Mexican source with knowledge of the dispute told Reuters that Mexico hopes to reach an agreement with the United States “in the next few weeks” in order to prevent the issue from affecting trade negotiations. The Mexican government is aiming to negotiate better trading conditions for Mexico — i.e. secure the suspension of U.S. tariffs that are currently levied on Mexican goods.

The source warned that “the expectations of the U.S. should be grounded in reality.”

“We cannot deliver water that does not exist,” the person told Reuters.

The news agency reported that “with the U.S.-Mexico relations already frayed over security, migration and tariffs, the two countries could now be on a collision course over water too, adding to Mexico’s woes as it struggles to navigate a minefield of issues with the Trump administration.”

Attempt to appease the US angers northern states 

President Claudia Sheinbaum last week told reporters that her government was in discussions with its U.S. counterpart and “will comply with the treaty bit by bit.”

Reuters said it was told by eight sources that Mexico is working to increase water deliveries to the United States before the current five-year treaty cycle comes to an end in October.

Six of those sources told Reuters that in order to increase its water deliveries Mexico will likely need to make use of a controversial amendment inserted into the 1944 treaty last year.

Open water faucet
Under a new treaty provision, the federal government could seize water belonging to northern states to make up for shortfalls in water deliveries to the U.S. (Cuartoscuro)

The amendment empowers the Mexican government to take extra water from states in order to meet its water delivery obligations.

Water in the northern border states of Nuevo León, Coahuila, Chihuahua and Tamaulipas is specifically in the sights of the federal government, according to six sources who spoke to Reuters.

“In recent weeks, at least one meeting has taken place between state governments and the federal water authority discussing how to increase Mexican deliveries to the United States,” the news agency reported. “… Tension is building both with the U.S. and within Mexico,” Reuters added.

None of the four border states mentioned above is happy about the federal government’s apparent plans for their water, according to Raúl Quiroga, Secretary of Hydraulic Resources for Social Development in Tamaulipas.

He said that in a meeting with federal government representatives last month, officials from Nuevo León, Coahuila, Chihuahua and Tamaulipas all protested the treaty amendment that allows their water to be taken without their consent under certain circumstances.

Mario Mata, the executive director of Chihuahua’s water council, said the state is considering launching legal action against the treaty amendment.

A map of Mexico shows the northwest part of the country painted red and yellow, indicating various degrees of drought and possible water crisis
Of the states that could face federal water seizures, Chihuahua has been the hardest hit by the current drought. (Conagua)

Tension between the federal government and states over water is not a new. In 2020, a high ranking foreign affairs official accused then Chihuahua governor Javier Corral of failing to comply with an agreement with the federal government to send water to the U.S.

Mexico narrowly met its water delivery obligations in the 2015-20 treaty period, but it appears almost certain it will fail in this current cycle.

A Mexican official told Reuters that the federal government has already agreed to send 150.48 million cubic meters of water to the United States and is working on a plan to deliver an additional 99.91 million cubic meters. But even if that water is delivered, Mexico would still fall more than 60% short of meeting its treaty obligations.

Of significant concern in Mexico is that there is no guarantee that the United States will be appeased by only receiving around 40% of the water Mexico is required to supply in each five-year treaty cycle.

‘To deliver water right now is death’

National Action Party Senator Mario Vázquez of Chihuahua said that “for Chihuahua to deliver water right now is death.”

While he was referring to the essential truth that “water is life,” Mexico’s obligation to deliver water to the United States was a factor in the death of a woman in Delicias, Chihuahua, in 2020.

Aerial view at sunset of La Boquilla dam in Chihuahua, where water could be diverted for Mexico's water deliveries to the US
La Boquilla dam in Chihuahua has been the site of protests in the past, when water from its reservoir was diverted to the United States. (Nomonday)

Yessica Silva and her husband Jaime Torres, both farmers, came under fire by the National Guard while driving home in September 2020 after attending a protest against the diversion of water to the United States at La Boquilla dam.

Silva died at the scene while Torres was seriously wounded and spent two weeks in the hospital.

Farmers in northern Mexico — where large swathes of land are currently affected by severe, extreme or “exceptional drought and water levels in many reservoirs are low — remain vehemently opposed to the diversion of water to the United States, meaning that the Mexican government will face fierce resistance as it seeks to placate its powerful northern neighbor.

Mexico’s water debt with the U.S. further emphasizes that addressing water scarcity is a major challenge for the Sheinbaum administration, which presented a new national water plan in November and announced 17 water infrastructure projects last month.

With reports from Reuters and Expansión Política

Tigers rescued in Sinaloa’s ‘Golden Triangle’ arrive at their new home

By
MND Staff
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A tiger is relocated after being rescued from abandonment
The rescued felines are now safe in their new home, the Ostok Santuary near Culiacán, Sinaloa. (Seguridad Pública de Sinaloa/Facebook)

Two Bengal tigers were rescued from an abandoned lot in San José de Gracia, a Sinaloa municipality located in an area known as the “Golden Triangle” — a key region for organized crime operations.

The rescue was carried out by Ostok Sanctuary staff on April 7 after receiving a report from the Navy Ministry (Semar) and the Office of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) about a pair of felines that were apparently abandoned.

Sanctuary founder Ernesto Zazueta said both tigers — an adult white tigress and a yellow tiger — were displaying violent behavior. 

“We responded to the call from Semar and Profepa to rescue two tigers,” Zazueta said. “We found them very upset, violent, and very aggressive. A tough rehabilitation task awaits us, but I believe we will succeed,” he noted in a video documenting the rescue.

Due to the risk they posed to security personnel, rescuers had to use chemical restraints to handle them safely, Zazueta added. The video shows that once they were calm, rescuers covered them with blankets to relocate them from the property where they were found. 

The tigers’ aggressive behavior was attributed to their living conditions, as both were confined in small space. However, Zazueta said both animals appear to be in good health.

Authorities are yet to release information about who the property belongs to. 

During the journey to Ostok Sanctuary, the rescuers and tigers were guarded by federal forces.

Zazueta revealed that since the armed conflict between factions of drug cartels began in Sinaloa on Sept. 9 last year, the sanctuary has rescued 14 large felines. “On average, we rescue two felines per month,” Zazueta remarked.

Last year, authorities also rescued 36 exotic animals from a private residency in the state of México. A report from newspaper El Financiero said that the property owner was “allegedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.”

Morose tiger in box
One of the tigers, in fine physical condition, during the recent relocation effort. (Seguridad Pública Sinaloa/Facebook)

According to a report by the Washington-based think tank Brooking Institution, criminal groups have turned to smuggling exotic animals, often to China. In exchange, China provides cartels with chemicals used in the production of fentanyl and methamphetamine. 

Cartel associates are also known for sometimes keeping exotic animals as pets. In 2023, U.S. prosecutors revealed that a Sinaloa Cartel drug lord fed his enemies, alive and dead, to tigers that he kept.

With reports from Infobae and CBS News

“José María Velasco: A View of Mexico” opens at London’s National Gallery

By
Sandra Gancz Kahan
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National Gallery in London, UK
London's National Gallery is hosting the first-ever UK exhibition of the works of painter José María Velasco through Aug. 17. (National Gallery)

A landmark exhibition honoring one of Mexico’s most important artists, “José María Velasco: A View of Mexico” is now on display at London’s National Gallery through  Aug. 17. The first time the gallery has dedicated a solo show to a Latin American artist, the exhibition marks 200 years of diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United Kingdom.

The National Gallery, located in London’s Trafalgar Square, is one of the world’s most visited museums. It houses over 2,300 Western European paintings,  from the Middle Ages through the early 20th century. Unlike many European museums, the National Gallery wasn’t founded on a royal collection; Instead, it began in 1824 when the British government acquired 38 paintings from a private banker. From the beginning, its mission has been clear: these paintings belong to the public. Admission has always been free.

José María Velasco as a younger man. (Gaceta UNAM)

The imagery created by José María Velasco is deeply woven into Mexico’s national identity. His landscapes are well known, and he is a household name across the country. Yet Velasco’s art is rarely seen in Europe. There isn’t a single Velasco painting in a UK public collection, and there hasn’t been a major international exhibition dedicated to the painter since 1976. This London showcase offers a rare and long-overdue opportunity for global audiences to experience his work.

A painter who defined a nation

Born in 1840, José María Velasco studied at the Academia de San Carlos in Mexico City under Italian painter Eugenio Landesio. Although trained in the European tradition, Velasco quickly developed his distinct style and became Mexico’s most celebrated landscape artist. Velasco was a true polymath: a man of deep intellect and wide-ranging curiosity, he pursued studies in fields that enriched his art, including anatomy, geology, botany, paleontology and Mesoamerican history. Velasco approached art from a scientific perspective, using it not only to capture beauty but also to explore and understand the world around him. His paintings reflect a deep reverence for nature and a growing awareness of its fragility during an era of rapid industrialization.

When José María Velasco began his career, Mexican painting was largely focused on the human figure. Nature, if included, was often just a backdrop. Velasco changed that by devoting most of his work to landscapes, placing the natural world at the center of his art. His paintings are visually stunning and technically sophisticated with a distinctive visual architecture: layered perspectives, precise compositions and a harmony of color and proportion that encourage viewers to pause and reflect on the richness of the natural world.

Combining the eye of a scientist and the soul of an artist, Velasco created nearly 300 works, including oil paintings, watercolors, lithographs and miniatures. These became valuable educational tools and brought him national and international recognition. In 1881, he was named president of the Mexican Society of Natural History, a rare honor for a painter and a testament to his standing in both the art and scientific communities.

Velasco’s “Valley of Mexico from the Hill of Santa Isabel.” (Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Letras)

Among his most iconic works are the “Valley of Mexico” paintings, panoramic views of the Valley of Mexico that he painted in multiple versions over the years. These sweeping landscapes offer a glimpse of the area around Mexico City before it was transformed by urban growth. One version was gifted to Pope Leo XIII and now belongs to the Vatican Museums.

Velasco at the National Gallery

The exhibition includes 30 works from public and private collections, 17 of which come from the Museo Nacional de Arte in Mexico City. Three paintings are on loan from the National Museum in Prague. These were once owned by František Kaška, personal pharmacist to Emperor Maximilian I. During Maximilian’s short-lived reign in Mexico, Kaška commissioned works directly from Velasco. After the emperor’s execution in 1867, Kaška continued to play a diplomatic role, helping to secretly rebuild ties between Austria and Mexico.

Among the highlights of the exhibition is “Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl seen from Lake Chalco,” an 1885 painting commissioned by František Kaška as a tribute to the lake’s vanishing beauty before it was drained. Velasco places the viewer at water level, drawing the eye upward to the two snow-capped volcanoes.

The exhibition covers more than 50 years of the artist’s career and is organized into six thematic sections, each reflecting Velasco’s wide range of interests and how they shaped his art. The section “Landscape and Industry” looks at how the artist  documented the rise of factories and railways in the late 1800s with paintings like “The Valley of Mexico from the Molino del Rey” and “The Textile Mill of La Carolina, Puebla.” The section “Flora” focuses on his love for plant life as seen in “A Rustic Bridge in San Ángel” and “Cardón, State of Oaxaca.” At the heart of the exhibition is “The Valley of Mexico from the Hill of Santa Isabel,” often considered Velasco’s masterpiece. Other sections include “Ruins and Archaeology,” “Geological Time” and “Late Works,” including his last known painting, “Study.”

Velasco’s “The Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon.” (Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Letras)

Velasco’s work helped define the visual identity of the nation. In 1943, the Mexican government declared his body of work a National Historic Monument in recognition of its enduring cultural value. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity for overseas audiences to explore the richness of his work, from volcanic peaks to ancient ruins, giant cactuses and bustling industrial scenes. For visitors to the National Gallery, it’s a chance to see Mexico through Velasco’s eyes in vivid, unforgettable detail.

Sandra Gancz Kahan is a Mexican writer and translator based in San Miguel de Allende who specializes in mental health and humanitarian aid. She believes in the power of language to foster compassion and understanding across cultures. She can be reached at [email protected]

Who is Altagracia Gómez and why is President Sheinbaum thanking her?

By
MND Staff
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Altagracia Gómez
Grabbing headlines for her style and poise, Altagracia Gómez has become an important part of President Claudia Sheinbaum's team. (Geocentenario)

Lawyer and businesswoman Altagracia Gómez Sierra, 32, is making a significant impact as one of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s key team members. As Coordinator of the Business Advisory Council for the Mexican government, she plays a crucial role in connecting the private sector with federal initiatives.

Gómez is vital to the success of President Sheinbaum’s economic vision, particularly through the ambitious Plan México, which seeks to position Mexico among the world’s largest economies. Before recent tariffs and protectionist policies took hold, Gómez Sierra championed nearshoring in critical sectors such as semiconductors, automobiles, and agribusiness. However, as global economic conditions shift, she faces new challenges.

Who is Altagracia Gómez Sierra, Coordinator of the Business Advisory Council?

One of her top priorities is addressing concerns within the private sector about the current economic environment while reassuring potential investors of Mexico’s competitive advantages. In an era of widespread tariffs, Gómez advocates for collaborating with nations that have trade agreements that allow certain goods to remain tariff-free.

Additionally, she is tasked with aligning private industry with President Sheinbaum’s goals by encouraging job creation, boosting local production and consumption, and supporting sectors affected by tariffs. Gómez must also work closely with government ministers and negotiators to strengthen ties with American counterparts.

The challenges are considerable, and the coming months will reveal how Gómez navigates these complexities. Her work presents a key opportunity to prove that public-private collaboration in Mexico is not only possible but essential for economic success, explains Mexico News Daily’s María Meléndez.

Mexico News Daily

Trump administration seeks to revoke US visas of all ‘narcocorrido’ singers

By
MND Staff
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trump and singer
Owing to the narco-related content in some of their material, popular Mexican artists such as Peso Pluma could be in danger of having their U.S. visas revoked by the administration of President Donald Trump, whose listening choice presumably lies elsewhere. (POTUS/X, Peso Pluma/Instagram)

Mexican “narcocorrido” singers are at risk of losing their entry visas to perform in the United States because their songs promote the activities of organized crime groups, according to U.S. officials. 

Last week, members of the group Los Alegres del Barranco had their U.S. visas revoked after the band played their hit song “El del Palenque,” which pays homage to the notorious drug lord “El Mencho” and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) that he allegedly leads. Photographs of El Mencho were also displayed during their Guadalajara concert on March 29. 

Mexican bands that include narcocorridos in their repertoire, such as Los Alegres del Barranco, are popular enough to play major venues such as the Auditorio Telmex in the greater Guadalajara area. (Fernando Carranza García/Cuartoscuro)

The group is also under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office of the state of Jalisco, where the concert took place. 

A corrido is a traditional Mexican narrative ballad often depicting real people or events. In the case of “narcocorridos,” the real people are alleged organized crime figures. 

The lyrics from certain narcocorridos can be specific enough that they have been used as intelligence by federal agencies to capture criminals. This may have been the case in the September 2024 arrest of Mario Alexander “N,” known as El Piyi, who was signaled out in the song el “Corrido del Piyi” by Larry Hernández and Los Caimanes de Sinaloa.

The Trump administration declared organized crime groups as terrorists in January. Therefore, all individuals who promote or support the activities of terrorist or criminal groups, such as cartels, are candidates for visa revocation, sources within President Trump’s government told the Mexican news outlet Milenio. 

“I’m pleased to announce that the State Department has revoked the band members’ work and tourism visas,” wrote Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau on X after news broke that Los Alegres del Barranco lost their U.S. visas days before scheduled performances in Oklahoma and Texas. “In the Trump Administration, we take seriously our responsibility over foreigners’ access to our country. The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists.”

The Trump administration has revoked over 800 visas in the last two and a half months, primarily from students who have voiced support for Palestine, foreigners from specific countries deemed noncompliant with the Department of State and promoters of drug trafficking violence, Milenio reported. Thousands more cases are currently under review. 

“I don’t know when we’ve gotten it in our head that a visa is some sort of birthright. It is not,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview on March 19. “It is a visitor into our country, and if you violate the terms of your visitation, you are going to leave.”

Previous U.S. governments have used the Patriot Act to revoke the visas of people whose actions they viewed as a threat to national security. However, the media has questioned the credibility of some of the Trump administration’s recent visa revocations. 

Critics query whether some recent visa decisions have been at odds with the rights set out in the First Amendment and have accused the Trump administration of stifling free speech.

“I’m a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn’t mean that expression should be free of consequences,” Landau wrote on X.

 With reports from Milenio, El Financiero, InfoBae and CNN

Sheinbaum turns her gaze toward Latin America at CELAC summit in Honduras

By
MND Staff
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Sheinbaum at CELAC in Tegucigalpa, Honduras
President Sheinbaum spent part of Wednesday at the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday called for “greater regional economic integration” during a speech at a gathering of Latin American and Caribbean leaders in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

“Today I have a proposal for you,” Sheinbaum told presidents and prime ministers at the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in the Honduran capital.

“I invite you, CELAC, to convene a ‘Summit for the Economic Wellbeing of Latin America and the Caribbean’ in order to make greater regional economic integration a reality,” she said.

Sheinbaum advocated enhanced economic integration between countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras and Jamaica on the basis of “shared prosperity and respect for our sovereignties.”

Her speech at the summit of the 14-year-old bloc of 33 Western Hemisphere nations came at a time when the United States is increasingly seen as an unpredictable and unreliable trade partner.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week imposed sweeping and in some cases very high “reciprocal tariffs” on scores of nations, only to announce on Wednesday an immediate “90-day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%” for scores of countries while raising the U.S. duty on Chinese goods to 125%.

In her address, Sheinbaum told her Latin American and Caribbean counterparts that “profound changes in global trade” are taking place and affecting “our countries.”

“Each one of us is legitimately seeking the best for our people and nations,” she said.

“However, I believe that today, more than ever before, is a good time to recognize that Latin America and the Caribbean need unity and solidarity from the governments and their people in order to strengthen regional integration, always within the framework of mutual respect and observance of the sovereignty and independence of our countries and the trade agreements that each one us might have,” Sheinbaum said.

Mexico has free trade agreements with Chile and Colombia, and is part of the Pacific Alliance bloc with those two countries and Peru. However, there is no trade pact that covers all the CELAC nations.

Sheinbaum highlighted the CELAC’s young population and abundant resources in her pitch for greater trade and social integration among countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

Sheinbaum asserted that “a more united region is a stronger region that can articulate solutions and concrete proposals for regional integration and actions of cooperation in trade, education, science, technological development, clean energy and conservation of biodiversity with the vision of always building more egalitarian societies.”

“No country of Latin America and the Caribbean should be left behind, no boy or girl of Latin American and the Caribbean should be left behind, no man or woman of Latin America and the Caribbean should be left behind,” she added.

Our people are ‘still young,’ our land is ‘still fertile’

Sheinbaum highlighted that the combined and “still young” population of Latin America and the Caribbean “reaches 663 million people,” while the region’s GDP is “around US $6.6 trillion.”

“We are the world’s leading net exporter of food,” she added.

“Our land is still fertile. … We have more than 30% of the planet’s primary forests, 33% of its fresh water, almost 20% of global oil reserves, at least 25% of strategic mineral [reserves], and we’re capable of building development with justice and care for the environment,” Sheinbaum said.

“… The Latin American and Caribbean people are united by history, culture and the geography of a continent that extends over two hemispheres and between two oceans. Trade and economic exchange have united us for centuries,” she said.

“… The history of Latin America and the Caribbean, since the struggle for our independence, has been characterized by solidarity and mutual support. Today shouldn’t be the exception. These are times of greater will in order to promote the improvement and well-being of our peoples,” Sheinbaum said.

Sheinbaum and Lula hold bilateral talks at CELAC

Among the heads of state at the CELAC summit hosted by Honduran President Xiomara Castro in Tegucigalpa were Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who assumed the presidency of the regional bloc, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Guatemalan President Bernado Arévalo and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

President of Brazil Luiz Lula da Silva and President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum
President of Brazil Luiz Lula da Silva said he and Sheinbaum agreed “to further strengthen relations between our two countries by promoting periodic meetings between our governments and the productive sectors.” (@Claudiashein/X)

Sheinbaum and Lula — the leaders of the two largest economies of Latin America — held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit.

“I met this morning with the president of Mexico @Claudiashein,” Lula wrote on social media.

“We spoke about the economic situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in the world. We decided to further strengthen relations between our two countries by promoting periodic meetings between our governments and the productive sectors of industry in Brazil and Mexico,” he said.

Two-way trade between Mexico and Brazil was worth more than US $16 billion in 2023, according to the Economy Ministry. Brazil sold more than $12 billion worth of goods to Mexico, while Mexico exports to South America’s largest country totaled just over $4 billion.

Last September, Brazilian and Mexican authorities advocated revising the current trade agreement between the two countries in order to strengthen bilateral ties.

A Mexico-Brazil trade pact signed in the early 2000s “sets the exemption or the reduction of imports fees for some 800 types of products,” Reuters reported.

Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said last September that “the growth of our relationship has already topped that agreement.”

“We need to update it,” he added.

Mexico News Daily 

Maya Train celebrates its one-millionth passenger

By
MND Staff
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passengers on the andenes
A 70-year-old man will be honored on Thursday as the one-millionth passenger on the Maya Train since it began service in December of 2023. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico’s Maya Train reached one million passengers since its launch in December 2023, the general director of the state-owned railroad, Óscar David Lozano Águila, announced on Wednesday. 

“Thanks to the trust Mexicans have placed in us, I am confident that the Maya Train will position itself as a regional transportation system that unites the communities of the Maya world in the southeast of the country,” Lozano said during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Wednesday morning press conference. 

passengers on the Maya Train
While the Maya Train serves some of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations, the majority of its riders are Mexican citizens. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

The millionth passenger was a 70-year-old man who purchased his ticket on Monday, according to Lozano. He will be recognized at a ceremony in the city of Mérida in Yucatán on Thursday. 

The Maya Train, or Tren Maya in Spanish, is a flagship project of the ruling Morena party’s so-called “Fourth Transformation” of Mexico. 

The final section of the Maya Train line was inaugurated by President Sheinbaum on Dec. 15, 2024, completing the 1,554-kilometer route that connects the southeastern states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo.

The railroad has stations in or near the cities of Palenque, Campeche, Mérida, Valladolid, Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Chetumal, among others, improving access to tourist attractions such as archaeological sites, cenotes (natural swimmable sinkholes) and beaches for foreigners.

Locals have also adopted the train as a transportation alternative: in 2024, over 281,000 passengers were nationals — 167,901 were local residents and 120,141 were senior citizens, students, teachers and people with disabilities.

During the press conference, Lozano said that passenger occupancy had been “steady and consistent,” with passenger numbers increasing by 181% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. 

Maya Train Director Oscar Lozano walks along the train platform in April.
Maya Train Director Óscar Lozano walks along the train platform in April. (@trenmayamx/X)

The Maya Train is expected to transport 1.2 million passengers this year, according to Lozano. More than 1,500 tickets have already been sold for the Easter period, bringing in revenue of 9.4 million pesos (US $462,000).

Most tickets for the Maya Train have been sold at the train stations and other in-person sales sites. By Jan. 21, 791,730 tickets had been sold in total, of which 500,427 were sold in person and 291,303 online. 

The busiest stations are Mérida, with 189,536 tickets sold, Cancún Airport, with 180,079, and Playa del Carmen, with 70,976.

What is the Maya Train?

The Maya Train project was launched by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador in June 2020, and faced opposition from environmental groups due to the deforestation and habitat destruction it caused to Mexico’s largest rainforest.

The construction of the railroad created more than 600,000 jobs, and cost approximately 500 billion pesos (US $24.8 billion). 

On April 2, Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena announced that the government is preparing a restoration plan to address the ecological damage done by the train.

With reports from Ovaciones and Excelsior

Guadalajara airport recognized for customer service as World Cup renovations ramp up

By
MND Staff
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Guadalajara International Airport
General Manager of GDL Martín Zazueta said that the airport’s renovations, which began in 2020, has been essential to it becoming one of the most advanced airports in compliance with FIFA’s guidelines. (Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara/Facebook)

Guadalajara International Airport (GDL) has received a 2024 Airport Experience Award from Airports Council International (ACI) in the “Airport Service Quality” (ASQ) category.

Launched in 2006, ASQ is the world’s leading airport passenger satisfaction program with more than 400 participating airports in 110 countries.

Taxis wait at the entrance of the Guadalajara International Airport
The Guadalajara International Airport offers the best passenger experience in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to Airports Council International. (Shutterstock)

The award recognizes airports that achieve a 20% overall satisfaction score, based on data from ASQ’s Departures and Arrivals Surveys. GDL made it to the top in the category for airports serving 15 to 25 million passengers per year in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

“We are very happy with this news because the arrival of national and international tourists to the Perla Tapatía [Guadalajara] is very important to us,” Gustavo Staufert, the general director of Guadalajara’s visitors’ office, told the news magazine Expansión. 

“What better reference than having an international airport that is on par with the best in the world, focused on providing excellent service and ensuring that it is at the forefront and maintained in optimal conditions? This undoubtedly impacts traveler preference and acceptance,” Staufert said.

So far this year, GDL has reported a flow of 2.9 million passengers, making it one of the most connected air terminals in Mexico.

The accolade boosts the airport’s confidence ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. In an interview with the Jalisco newspaper El Informador, the general manager of GDL Martín Zazueta said that the airport’s renovations, which began in 2020, has been essential to it becoming one of the most advanced airports in compliance with FIFA’s guidelines.

“They’re liking what they [FIFA] are seeing,” he noted. “They like the ‘look and feel’ of the airport.”

Pacific Airport Group to invest US $1.1B to expand Guadalajara International Airport

Staufert also confirmed previous news that the airport is planning a billion-dollar investment to build a new terminal and new platforms to increase flight capacity. 

Guadalajara International is part of the airport group Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), which is renovating all 12 of its airports in western Mexico. However, Guadalajara will receive the largest share of the funds — 22 billion pesos, or US $1.1 billion.

“I am sure that next year, the people of Jalisco, Guadalajara and Mexico overall, will be even more proud of the airport,” Zazueta concluded.

With reports from Expansión and El Informador

Household and beauty products giant Unilever to invest US $800M in Nuevo León

By
MND Staff
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0
Unilever building
Unilever's proposed Nuevo León plant is expected to create 850 direct jobs, with an additional 120 jobs possible in the future. (Shutterstock)

Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, has announced a multi-million dollar investment in Mexico to build a manufacturing plant in the northern state of Nuevo León. 

The move follows a previous announcement in February 2023, when the company said it planned to invest US $400 million in Mexico over the next three years. This week’s announcement increases that initial sum to $800 million. 

NL governor with Unilever executives
Nuevo León Governor Samuel García’s working tour of Europe to promote his state has paid dividends, with Unilever’s newly announced commitment to invest US $800 million being the latest success. (Gobierno de Nuevo León)

Despite the uncertainty resulting from a series of global tariffs imposed — and later paused — by U.S. President Donald Trump, the beauty and personal care products manufactured by the new facility will be destined primarily for export to the United States and Canada. The factory will be located at Nexxus and Nexxus2, within the Salinas Industrial Park in the municipality of Salinas Victoria near Monterrey, Nuevo León.

“Nuevo León continues to thrive!” Nuevo León Governor Samuel García wrote on his official X account from London, where he met with the company’s executives as part of a European working tour promoting Nuevo León as a strategic hub for new investments.

García’s state, in fact, has been on quite a run lately in attracting new investment.

Just a few days ago, during the same European working tour, García announced that toy company LEGO will invest $508 million to expand its plant in Ciénega de Flores, outside of Monterrey.

Other recent investments in Nuevo León include that of car manufacturer Volvo (US $1 billion), electric tools manufacturer Daye (US $260 million), mobility company Fixbus (US $162 million), zinc die casting products manufacturer Zinkteknik (US $60 million), industrial automation and robotics company Kuka (amount not made public yet) and global logistics service provider Rhenus (US $50 million).

“Investments like these prove that we are the industrial heart of Mexico and a global manufacturing powerhouse,” García added.

As for the Unilever project, in its first phase, the new plant is expected to create 850 direct jobs, with an additional 120 jobs possible in the future. The products manufactured in Monterrey will include deodorants, shampoos, hair conditioners and body lotions from well-known brands such as Dove and Sedal. 

Once finished, the plant will seek the coveted Lighthouse certification, an international recognition for factories that use cutting-edge technologies to increase productivity and efficiency while minimizing their environmental impact.

In addition to the Nuevo León project, Unilever has made significant investments in its four existing plants in México state, Morelos and Mexico City. Between 2021 and 2023, it allocated 5.5 billion pesos (US $277 million) to increase production capacity and boost exports from Mexico to its international markets. 

With over 400 brands across a wide range of industries in 190 countries worldwide, Unilever estimates that two billion people use their products every day. These brands include Magnum, Rexona, St. Ives, Hellman’s, Knorr, Ponds and TRESemmé, among many others.

With reports from El Economista

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