Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Bottlenose dolphins in Gulf of Mexico test positive for fentanyl, other pharmaceuticals

By
MND Staff
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Dolphins with their bodies sticking out of the water.
Researchers discovered the contamination of the Gulf dolphins' blubber while conducting an unrelated study. (Freddy Jiménez/Unsplash)

Traces of fentanyl have been found inside bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, raising concerns that pharmaceuticals may be affecting sea life in the Gulf.

Researchers at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) studied 89 dolphins from three areas of the Gulf of Mexico and found traces of drugs in 30 of them, including 24 that had traces of fentanyl.

Woman scientist in a white lab coat in a laboratory, looking into a microscope
Dr. Dara Orbach, leader of the study. (Texas A&M University Corpus Christi)

“It’s not something we were looking for, so of course we were alarmed to find something like fentanyl, especially with the fentanyl crisis happening in the world right now,” doctoral student Makayla Guinn said, according to KCRA TV News. 

Dara Orbach, the study’s lead author, said the findings are disturbing.

“Pharmaceuticals have become emerging micropollutants and are a growing global concern as their presence has been reported in freshwater ecosystems, rivers, and oceans worldwide,” Orbach said.

Guinn said there were more than 3,000 different pharmaceutical compounds inside the dolphin blubber, including opioids, sedatives and relaxants.

The study traces its roots to a routine boating survey in September 2020, when university researchers recovered a dead dolphin in the Gulf. About two years later, they used the carcass for hormone blubber analysis and came across the drug.

Since then, the TAMU-CC researchers have run tissue samples from 89 dolphins — including 83 collected via live dolphin biopsies and six from dead dolphins — through a mass spectrometer, looking to see how widespread the contamination was.

Orbach said that dolphins’ fatty blubber is a good indicator of ocean pollutant levels because it can store contaminants and be sampled in a minimally invasive way in live animals. She described dolphins as a bioindicator species of ecosystem health.

The dolphins were found in Redfish Bay and the Laguna Madre in Texas and in the Mississippi Sound, along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama.

While pharmaceuticals were found in 30 of the 89 samples, fentanyl was found in all six of the dead dolphins.

“These drugs and pharmaceuticals are entering our water, and they have cascading effects in our marine life,” Guinn added.

The big question the TAMU-CC researchers haven’t been able to answer, according to KCRA TV News, is how did fentanyl get into the dolphins’ blubber?

As dolphins don’t drink seawater — they get water mainly from the breakdown of their food — they may have acquired the chemicals through their diet or absorption through the skin, the science news media outlet Science Alert speculated. 

One possibility mentioned by TAMU-CC researchers is that the drugs come from wastewater absorbed by the dolphins’ prey, such as fish and shrimp. This would be a concern since humans eat fish and shrimp. 

Orbach hopes their findings lead to more wide-ranging research to trace the fentanyl’s source and to limit potential damage to the ecosystem.

Another potential source of contamination is from the fentanyl and other synthetic drugs being trafficked by Mexican drug cartels via the Gulf of Mexico. 

Given that more than a quarter of Earth’s rivers have been found to contain pharmaceuticals, according to Science Alert, it’s perhaps no surprise that these drugs are being found in sea life.

In July, the magazine Science reported that researchers in Brazil found traces of cocaine in the livers and muscles of sharks. Studies have shown that cocaine likely enters the sea in drainage from illegal labs where cocaine is refined.

With reports from Science Alert, KCRA News, Aristegui Noticias and El Pais

2024 Guadalajara International Book Fair breaks attendance record

By
Michelle Aguilar
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A woman browses books on a shelf at the Guadalajara International Book Fair
Between industry professionals and literary enthusiasts, the 2024 fair attracted more atendees than ever before. (Fernando Carranza García/Cuartoscuro)

After crunching numbers this week, organizers of the Guadalajara International Book Fair (Feria Internacional de Libro, or FIL) are reporting that this year’s annual event, which wrapped up on Sunday, attracted record attendance numbers — with nearly 1 million industry executives and book fans showing up for the weeklong festival.

A whopping 907,300 attendees came through the Guadalajara Expo’s doors between Nov. 30 and Dec. 8, just shy of 50,000 more than last year’s figure of 857,315. The number also breaks the FIL’s previous attendance record from the 2019 event, which occurred not long before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down public events across Mexico.

An aerial view of a convention center with the words "Expo Guadalajara" written in enormous letters on its roof
The festival took place at the Expo Guadalajara convention center. (Expo Guadalajara)

“This year’s fair exceeded our expectations in every way,” Marisol Schulz Manaut, general director of the FIL, told the U.S. publishing industry trade newspaper Publishers Weekly.

Organizers said that the fair also exceeded other expectations: The number of publishing companies with stands at the FIL this year was 2,769, an increase of 294 from last year. Also, 18,100 industry professionals attended as guests this year, up by 700 from 2023.

University of Guadalajara Rector Ricardo Villanueva Lormelí told the newspaper El Economista that FIL’s numbers this year “broke all the records that the fair has,” making it likely that next year, organizers would expand the FIL outside its traditional home at the Guadalajara Expo and add satellite locations around the city.

The event, founded in 1987 by former University of Guadalajara rector Raúl Padilla López, attracts publishers and industry executives from Spain, Mexico and Latin America, as well as from non-Spanish-speaking countries around the world, such as Norway, Taiwan and Italy. Increasingly, that list of countries includes the U.S., where demand for Spanish-language content from Latin America is increasing.

A crowd of young people listen to a poet who sits on a stage reading from his book.
The fair drew over 18,000 special guests — writers, poets, and industry professionals who gave talks and workshops for the public. (FIL Guadalajara/X)

Publishers Weekly noted that 150 U.S. librarians this year attended the fair through FIL’s Free Pass Program with the American Library Association. The program helps U.S. librarians acquire Spanish-language materials.

The event is also increasingly becoming a must-visit for publishers and movie companies looking to make translation, licensing or film-rights deals.

“Audiences aren’t just seeking stories set in Latin America,” said Carla Cumming Rivero, an attendee who is the development manager for Mexico and Latin America with the television and film agency Scenic Rights. “They want stories told by Latin Americans, with cultural nuances and perspectives that only local creators can provide,” she told Publishers Weekly.

The FIL is also a required stop for aspiring children’s book illustrators in Latin America, who network with publishers and professionals and can have their portfolio assessed affordably by a professional. Many also attend the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, an event within an event held at FIL that this year launched the Bologna Portfolio Prize, a new award recognizing illustrators early in their careers. Aspiring writers also take advantage of the affordable writing and marketing workshops led by authors and industry professionals.

Guadalajara International Book Fair director Marisol Schultz speaks into a microphone
The event exceeded expectations “in every way,” festival director Marisol Schulz said. (FIL Guadalajara/Flickr)

But the Guadalajara weeklong event, whose entrance fee is a highly affordable 25 pesos (US $1.24), also attracts a large number of book lovers each year, drawn in by the chance to see their favorite authors in person, buy books directly from publishers and mingle with other aficionados.

“The FIL is unique in that it is a significant trade show, yes, but it is also a major book festival,” Ethan Nosowsky, an editorial director at the Minneapolis publisher Graywolf Press told Publishers Weekly. “I love that the fair opens up to an enthusiastic public who are buying books directly from publisher stands, where they are generously displayed, and where young and old pack halls for author events.”

According to Schulz, publishers participating this year reported an estimated 35% increase in their sales. Overall, the event took in about 124 million pesos (US $6.1 million), organizers told the newspaper La Jornada.

With reports from El Economista, La Jornada and Publishers Weekly

Bloomberg: Mazda ready to move some Mexico operations if US imposes 25% tariff

By
MND Staff
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Closeup of the back of a red Mazda car with the Mazda 3 logo on it .
The automaker, which has multiple plants in Mexico, is on pace this year to produce 8,000 more vehicles than in 2023. But with Trump's threat of a 25% tariff on Mexico, Mazda is considering picking up stakes and moving some operations to the U.S. (Ivan Jevtic/Unsplash)

Japanese auto manufacturer Mazda is reportedly reconsidering its investment strategy in Mexico over uncertainty related to tariff threats made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Mazda México director Miguel Barbeyto said the auto company would institute an undisclosed “Plan B” if Trump applies the threatened 25% tariff on goods from Mexico, according to Bloomberg News in a report on Wednesday.

Mazda Mexico Director Miguel Barbeyto standing in front of a red Mazda car in a showroom, smiling.
Mazda México Director Miguel Barbeyto said tariffs are particularly worrisome for auto manufacturers, since thousands of auto parts must cross borders multiple times before final assembly. (Miguel Barbeyto/Instagram)

“We want to continue investing in [Mexico],” Barbeyto told Bloomberg but admitted that it would not be profitable for Mazda to go forward with plans until there is more clarity. 

Mazda’s shares dipped as much as 0.4% in early Tokyo trade on Thursday.

Two weeks ago, the news agency Reuters published a report on automakers and other major manufacturers Mexico who will face difficult decisions regarding investments and existing operations here.

Reuters reported that Mazda exported around 120,000 vehicles from its plant in Guanajuato state to the U.S. in 2023 — about 30% of the company’s U.S. sales volume. This represents about 70% of the vehicles it produced in Mexico, according to Bloomberg. 

One-quarter of the cars Mazda produces here are sold domestically, and the remaining 5% is shipped to Canada, Colombia and Central America.

Mazda is on pace to produce a record 210,000 vehicles this year in Mexico, roughly 8,000 more than it produced in 2023.  

Guanajuato governor Diego Sinhue shaking hands with a Japanese Mazda official at a ceremony. Behind them is a sign made to look like a car driving wheel that says GTO, 10 years and Mazda in large type.
In February, Guanajuato Gov. Diego Sinhue recently visited Mazda’s Salamanca plant to mark the company’s 10th year of operations in Guanajuato. (Miguel Barbeyto/X)

A chilling effect on automaker investment in Mexico 

A growing number of auto companies — including Tesla and the multinational manufacturer Stellantis — have either paused or are said to be reconsidering Mexico investment plans as a result of the tariffs Trump has threatened to levy upon taking office on Jan. 20, 2025. 

Barbeyto said tariffs are particularly worrisome for auto manufacturers who rely on thousands of parts that cross borders multiple times before final assembly is completed. Still, he said he was confident that the U.S. and Mexican governments would negotiate an acceptable solution.

Even though Mazda has a Plan B ready, Barbeyto said the company is “working to continue growing in [Mexico], both in manufacturing and in the sale of new vehicles.” 

Tom Donnelly, the chief of Mazda’s U.S. operations, told Bloomberg that Plan B could involve shifting some of its Mexico operations to a plant Mazda runs jointly with Toyota Motor Corp. in Alabama. 

Last week, Mexico’s Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard met with auto industry chiefs, asking them for information to help Mexico strengthen its negotiating position. According to Barbeyto, who attended the meeting, Ebrard also reportedly asked the auto companies to find ways to substitute components they currently buy from China for parts made in North America. 

Last month, Ebrard told reporters that the United States would be shooting itself in the foot if it imposed a 25% tariff on Mexican exports. He warned that a trade war — President Claudia Sheinbaum has strongly implied that she would respond with retaliatory tariffs — would negatively impact some of the most important North American companies, particularly automakers General Motors, Stellantis and Ford.

With reports from Bloomberg News, El Financiero and Reuters

International tourism spending up 5% through October, surpassing US $24 billion

By
MND Staff
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International tourists lay in a row on a sunny Cancún beach
Nearly 70 million international visitors had come to Mexico as of October, a number that includes both overnight tourists and day visitors. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

Foreign tourists have been arriving to Mexico in droves this year, the Tourism Ministry reported this week, with international tourism spending benefiting the Mexican economy by more than US $24 billion as a result.

Citing a survey published by the national statistics agency INEGI, Mexico’s Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez on Tuesday told reporters that 69.8 million international visitors arrived in Mexico from January through October, 15.1% more than during the same period in 2023. (The Tourism Ministry defines visitors as any non-resident who enters the country, while tourists are those who stay at least one night in Mexico.)

These international visitors, INEGI found, infused Mexico’s economy with US $26.5 billion, 6.8% more than during the same months last year.

Mexico received 69.8 million international visitors in the ten-month period, Rodríguez said. Of that number, 36.3 million were tourists who stayed at least overnight — 7.2% more tourists than Mexico welcomed last year. A record number of Canadian tourists contributed to the increase.

Furthermore, international tourists were responsible for US $24.3 billion of the revenue earned, 5.2% more than was spent during the first 10 months of 2023, and 32.2% more than during the same period in 2019.

The results of the survey indicate that Mexico’s tourism industry has fully recovered from the interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that began in March 2020. Rodríguez said that more than 4.9 million people were employed in Mexico’s tourism industry as of Sept. 30, 2024.

Tourists watch musicians perform in the street under colorful paper flags next to a colonial building
More than 4 million Mexicans have worked in tourism so far this year. (Los Cabos Tourism Board)

The US $26.5 billion in revenue from international visitors represented a 31.2% increase over revenue recorded during the January-October 2019 period.

In the first 10 months of 2024, Mexico also welcomed18.7 million international tourists by air, 1.8% more than last year, 17.3% more than in the same period in 2019.

These 18.7 million tourists spent an average of US $1,161 per day, 2.6% more than last year and 14.4% more than in 2019.

After presenting the INEGI report, Rodríguez praised the tourism sector for consolidating its role in producing shared prosperity by “bringing the benefits of this noble activity to all communities and all participants in the chain of production.”

Just a day earlier, Rodríguez met with state tourism ministers and members of the tourism industry. During her appearance, she applauded the tourism industry as “a genuine motor for transformation” and a key pillar in promoting “the economic growth that will procure prosperity for all.”

With reports from EFE and Once Noticias

Over 11 million pilgrims flock to Mexico City Basilica to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe

By
MND Staff
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Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said 11.5 million pilgrims had visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe as of Thursday morning. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)

Millions of Catholic pilgrims made their way to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Wednesday ahead of the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe this Thursday Dec. 12.

The Mexico City government reported that 8.5 million pilgrims had arrived to the Basilica precinct by 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The figure is almost as large as the population of Mexico City, whose 16 boroughs are home to some 9.2 million people, according to the 2020 census results.

Many more pilgrims arrived later on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning, some walking on their knees or crawling. Some arrived with tents, others just with blankets to bundle up on a chilly Mexico City night. The traditional Mexican birthday song “Las Mañanitas” was sung by pilgrims for the Virgin after the clock struck midnight.

The millions of pilgrims traveled to Mexico City from all all over the country and even abroad, according to media reports. Many pilgrims walked long distances to get to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (called Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe in Spanish), located in the northern borough of Gustavo A. Madero.

The Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe this year marks the 493rd anniversary of the purported apparition of the Virgin on Tepeyac hill, located near the Basilica site. Juan Diego, an Indigenous convert to Catholicism, is said to have seen the Virgin of Guadalupe on four occasions in December 1531.

Saint Juan Diego by Jose Guadalupe Posada
A rendering of Saint Juan Diego with dark skin, by famed artist José Guadalupe Posada, from circa 1895. ( Creative Commons)

Both the figure of Juan Diego and the dark-skinned depiction of the Virgin of Guadalupe are important elements of Mexico’s syncretic tradition, representing Indigenous Mexico’s embrace of Catholicism.

Many of the pilgrims who arrived at the Basilica on Wednesday were carrying pictures or statuettes of the “Virgen morena” (brown-skinned Virgin), the La Jornada newspaper reported. Others held small altars dedicated to her.

A number of pilgrims burst into tears upon arriving due to emotion, pain, tiredness, happiness or a combination of all of those things, La Jornada said.

The same newspaper reported that a group of five Venezuelan migrants were among the millions of pilgrims at the Basilica. The Venezuelans, who hope to eventually reach the United States, went to the Basilica to ask for “divine intervention,” La Jornada said.

Susana, a 63-year-old woman, made her way to the Catholic pilgrimage site from the state of Puebla. Accompanied by her children, friends and neighbors, she walked part of the way, aided by her walking stick, but covered a lot of the distance in one of various trucks that together formed a convoy.

“I’ve come to give thanks to the Virgencita because I’m alive and healthy,” Susana told La Jornada.

She said she would also pray for her family and world peace. “And while there is life and health, I will continue coming, as I’ve done since I was very young,” she said.

A young man wearing a crown bends down to light one of many candles, whose light illuminates his face
A young pilgrim lights a candle outside the basilica on Wednesday night. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

An elderly couple, Juana López and Francisco Hernández, made their way to the Basilica from Atizapán de Zaragoza, México state. As they have done for the past 10 years, they handed out food and drinks to the faithful — sandwiches, tacos, sweet bread (pan dulce), chocolate, candy, water and soda.

Accompanied by their daughter and granddaughters, the couple said the motive of their charity was to “thank God because he has always helped us and never abandoned us.”

A total of 12 million pilgrims expected between Dec. 6 and 15 

The Mexico City government estimates that some 12 million people will descend on the Basilica of Guadalupe between Dec. 6 and 15 to celebrate the Day of the Virgin. Just over 12 million people made their way to the Basilica during a similar period last year.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada reported on the X social media platform shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday that 11.5 million pilgrims had visited the Basilica. She said that no problems had been reported by law enforcement authorities.

In a post just after midnight, Brugada congratulated “all the Lupitas on their day!”

“In Mexico City, it fills us with happiness to welcome the pilgrims who arrive with faith and hope,” the mayor said.

In a statement on Wednesday night, the Mexico City government said that more than 6,000 police officers had been deployed to patrol the influx of pilgrims to the capital and their arrival at the Basilica. While no security incidents had been reported, almost 1,300 people received medical care or advice in the Basilica precinct. Most pilgrims received treatment for ailments related to their pilgrimage, such as dehydration and non-serious injuries, the government said. Just one person was transferred to hospital for “observation.”

Twelve people got lost amongst the massive crowd but all were located and reunited with their families, the Mexico City government said.

According to the government, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is “the second most visited religious place in the world,” receiving “about 30 million devout and 10 million non-religious visitors each year.”

With reports from La Jornada

The mastermind behind Mexico’s greatest hits 

By
Sandra Gancz Kahan
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José Alfredo Jiménez
You know him, you love him. José Alfredo Jiménez has been inescapable for almost an entire century. (José Alfredo Jiménez/Facebook)

Did you know that many songs you instantly associate with Mexico were written by just one man? José Alfredo Jiménez, one of the most prolific and cherished composers in Mexican history, is the mastermind behind countless ranchera and mariachi classics. Throughout his prolific career, he composed over 300 songs and appeared in several films.

Jiménez is known as “El Rey” (The King), for the title of one of his most iconic songs. This epic anthem has helped countless Mexicans rise back up with unapologetic pride when life has knocked them down. In “El Rey,” Jiménez boldly proclaims, “Con dinero y sin dinero hago siempre lo que quiero y mi palabra es la ley. No tengo trono ni reina ni nadie que me comprenda, pero sigo siendo el rey”: With or without money I always do what I want, and my word is the law. I have no throne or queen nor anyone who understands me, but I’m still the king.  

The macho way of letting go

Cuando Sale la Luna

If you ever need help overcoming a failed romance, ask the mariachi to play “Te Solté la Rienda.” “Como al caballo blanco,” the first verse begins, “le solté la rienda, a ti también te suelto y te me vas ahorita.” The same way I dropped the white horse’s reins, I’m letting you go, and you should leave immediately.

Then goes on to say: “Y cuando al fin comprendas que el amor bonito lo tenías conmigo, vas a extrañar los besos… y has de querer mirarte en mis ojos tristes que quisiste tanto.” And when you finally understand that you had beautiful love with me, you’ll miss the kisses… and you’ll want to look into my sad eyes that you loved so much. 

Dialing up the drama

In the guilt trippingly melodramatic “Pa’ Todo el Año,” he sings: “Si te cuentan que me vieron muy borracho, orgullosamente diles que es por ti / De hoy en adelante, ya el amor no me interesa. Cantaré por todo el mundo mi dolor y mi tristeza porque sé que de este golpe ya no voy a levantarme”: If they tell you they saw me very drunk, proudly say it’s because of you. From now on, I’m not interested in love / I will sing about my pain and sorrow all over the world because I will never recover from this blow. 

The rise of the charro icon

Jiménez’s music is closely related to the events that surrounded his life. Born in 1926 in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, he grew up in a country working to rebuild its identity after the Revolution. The figure of the charro, a farmer wearing a wide-brimmed hat and fitted suit, became a key unifying symbol in postrevolutionary Mexico. Famously performing in charro garb, Jiménez played a major role in strengthening this figure as a national icon, representing bravery, self-reliance and pride for rural people.

José Alfredo’s own background, however, was far from rural. The house where he was born, now a museum, reveals that he came from an upper-middle-class family. His father was the first person to open a pharmacy in Dolores Hidalgo, but his death in 1936, shattered the family’s comfortable lifestyle.

Jiménez, besides being a great singer, also explored acting. Here, the singer is pictured with Mexican actress Flor Silvestre. (José Alfredo Jiménez/Facebook)

After his father’s passing, at the age of 11, José Alfredo moved to Mexico City to live with his aunt and earn a living. There he began composing his first songs, whistling the melodies, as he never had any formal musical education. He dropped out of high school and formed a trio that played in bars for a few pesos. 

Jiménez’s life took a significant turn in the late 1940s when an established musician discovered his talent. Within a few years, his voice was heard on the radio across the country, and he quickly became one of Mexico’s most celebrated singers and composers. 

A monument to a legend at his final resting place

Jiménez was famously a heavy drinker, and the nightlife fueled his creativity. While drunk, he would grab whatever paper was nearby and start writing lyrics with remarkable ease. Unfortunately, years of alcohol abuse led to cirrhosis of the liver, and in 1973, he passed away in a Mexico City hospital at the age of 47. Despite his early death, his music continues to resonate across generations five decades later.

You can visit his final resting place in the municipal cemetery of Dolores Hidalgo. His tomb is an artistic masterpiece, featuring a colorful charro hat and sarape mosaic. At the base is inscribed, “Life is worthless. It always begins with tears and ends with tears. There, just beyond the hill, you can see Dolores Hidalgo. I’ll stay there, countryman, there’s my beloved town.”

The Mausoleum of José Alfredo Jiménez is a defining landmark of the Pueblo Mágico of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato. (Alistando maletas/Instagram)

His mausoleum is the only one in the cemetery facing west, a tribute to his song “La media vuelta,” where he sings: “Si encuentras un amor que te comprenda y sientes que te quiere más que nadie, entonces yo daré la media vuelta y me iré con el sol, cuando muera la tarde”: If you find a love that understands you, and you feel they love you more than anyone, then I’ll turn around and leave with the sun when the evening dies.

The legacy of José Alfredo Jiménez is a national treasure. His songs give voice to our emotions and the pride that holds us together. For many Mexicans, his music is a favorite form of therapy. He provides a safe space for us to feel our feelings and know that we’re not alone. In a very real sense, José Alfredo Jiménez understands us all.

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]

What’s in a Name? Unpacking the terms expat, immigrant, and migrant

By
Louisa Rogers
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Two expats in San Miguel de Allende asking if the term expat is offensive.
Most of us like to think of ourselves as expats, but what really are we? Louisa Rogers is on the case. (Michael Balam/Cuartoscuro)

I admit it: I liked calling myself an expat. Something about the word sounded cool, even though no Mexican has ever called me, or any other foreigner I know, an “expatriada.” They refer to us as either extranjeros or gringos.

I thought of this recently when two Mexico News Daily readers commented that my use of the word ‘expat’ in an article I wrote was offensive and elitist. I pointed out, defensively, that the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of expat is pretty innocuous: “a person who lives outside their native country.” 

We can probably all agree that this woman fits the description of an expat. (Shutterstock)

What’s not to like? But while the word ‘expat’ may seem neutral at first, its implications are not. As you probably remember from high school English class, there’s denotation, the literal, textbook meaning of a word, as opposed to connotation, the subjective idea or sense — positive or negative, but rarely neutral — associated with that word. And it turns out, the connotation of the word “expat” is very charged. 

Unpacking the terms expat, immigrant, and migrant

What makes one person an expat and another an immigrant? I doubt most foreigners who move to Mexico think of themselves as ‘immigrants’. Moving here, for most of us, is a lifestyle choice and not the result of economic deprivation or dire circumstances in our home country, such as oppression or persecution. Even those foreigners who move to Mexico because they can’t afford to buy a home in the U.S. are still privileged economically, compared to most Mexicans.

The truth is, the word expat carries assumptions about class, race, education, affluence, and privilege, and usually refers to Western white people working or retiring abroad.

There are a few exceptions. For example, I’ve met professionals from India who work in the US high-tech sector. Although they’re not White, the kind of work they do gives them expat status (although they may be perceived as immigrants because they’re dark-skinned, just as affluent African Americans are sometimes stereotyped as people on welfare). 

Is this man an expat, and immigrant or a migrant? (Juan José Estrada Serfín/Cuartoscuro)

“Migrants” are people searching for higher pay and better living conditions, who move back and forth across a border to find work, like seasonal crop harvesting or construction. I’ve never met a foreign resident in Mexico who picks avocados and sends money back to their family in the U.S., the way Latino migrants in California pick strawberries and send money back to Mexico. 

Then there are the foreigners who work within the Mexican economy, who don’t fit into any of these categories. In Guanajuato, for example, where my husband and I live, we know foreign residents who teach English at the University of Guanajuato or perform as musicians in the university symphony. Their salary is decent only by Mexican standards, and their pensions are small. These foreigners have the privilege that comes with skin color, without the usual economic advantages.

To me, the word “immigrant” sounds less affluent, more like a person searching for better economic opportunities, than the word expat, which sounds classy and hip. No wonder I liked the sound of it.

Changing the words we use will not, by itself, change the inequities that privilege brings, but it’s a start. How we refer to ourselves and others carries weight. I, for one, have decided not to use the term ‘expat’ anymore. I’m an extranjera, a foreign resident of Mexico.

How do you feel about the word expat being offensive in nature? Does it describe us best, or is there another word you would use when describing yourself?

Louisa Rogers and her husband Barry Evans divide their lives between Guanajuato and Eureka, on California’s North Coast. Louisa writes articles and essays about expat life, Mexico, travel, physical and psychological health, retirement and spirituality. Her recent articles are on her website, https://authory.com/LouisaRogers.

Sheinbaum blames US for Sinaloa’s wave of violence: Wednesday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, President of Mexico, led her daily morning press conference, accompanied by Ernestina Godoy Ramos, Legal Advisor to the Federal Executive; Arturo Zaldívar Lelo de Larrea, General Coordinator of Politics and Government; and Miguel Elorza Vázquez, Coordinator of Infodemia.
Whether she had planned to or not, President Claudia Sheinbaum spent a lot of her Wednesday morning press conference talking about the shaky security situation in Sinaloa. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum spent quite a bit of time speaking about the security situation in Sinaloa at her Wednesday morning press conference.

She also revealed that she will travel to the violence-stricken northern state later this month, but stated that her visit would be focused on infrastructure projects rather than security issues.

A state police pickup truck from Culiacan, Mexico, with a crushed grill and destroyed headlights. The truck is parked half on the sidewalk and half on the street.
The aftermath of a cartel attack earlier this month on state police forces in Culiacán, Sinaloa. (Jose Betanzos Zárate/Cuartoscuro)

Toward the end of her mañanera, Sheinbaum made a brief comment about Donald Trump’s recent taunting of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, even though she said on Tuesday that she wouldn’t engage in tit-for-tat public dialogue with the former and future United States president.

Sheinbaum repeats AMLO claim that US was involved in ‘El Mayo’ arrest

While speaking about the security situation in Sinaloa, Sheinbaum asserted that “the arrest of a drug trafficker” in the United States — alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada — was the result of a U.S. “operation.”

The U.S. government, she added, “didn’t inform” the Mexican government about the “operation.”

Sheinbaum’s remarks came almost three months after former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador claimed that the U.S. government was partly to blame for the wave of cartel violence in Sinaloa because it carried out an “operation” that resulted in the arrest of Zambada in the U.S. on July 25.

By “operation” the ex-president apparently meant a negotiation with another alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader, Joaquín Guzmán López, that he believes resulted in the delivery of Zambada to U.S. law enforcement authorities at an airport near El Paso, Texas.

Ismael El Mayo Zambada and Ovidio Guzmán
Sinaloa Cartel faction leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, left, claims his U.S. arrest in July happened because Joaquín Guzmán López — brother of former Sinaloa Cartel faction leader Ovidio Guzmán, right — forced Zambada to board a plane to the U.S. where officials were waiting to arrest them. Ovidio Guzmán had already been extradited to the U.S. in 2023. (File photos)

The U.S. government has denied any involvement in the capture of Zambada, who alleges he was abducted and forced onto a U.S.-bound plane by Guzmán López, one of Los Chapitos, as the sons of convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera are known.

Sheinbaum said Wednesday that the arrest of Zambada “triggered this wave of violence in Sinaloa” – i.e. a fierce war between the “Los Mayos” and “Los Chapitos” factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.

A long-running conflict between the rival groups escalated in September and has claimed more than 500 lives since then.

The presence of the federal security minister in Sinaloa was ‘welcomed,’ president says 

Sheinbaum told reporters that “there were very significant results” during the time Security Minister Omar García Harfuch spent in Sinaloa last week.

There were “very significant arrests” and drug seizures, and García met with members of the Sinaloa business community and the state’s security cabinet, she said.

“We’re going to continue getting results in Sinaloa and the whole country,” Sheinbaum said.

She asserted that the security strategy in Sinaloa has been strengthened as a result of García’s visit.

“There is different coordination now,” the president said.

She acknowledged that there is still fear and concerns about the security situation in Sinaloa among residents of the northern state, but stressed that she had “information” that the presence of García was very much “welcomed.”

Security Minister Omar Harfuch García
Security Minister Omar Harfuch García. (X)

“… It would be very good if that was also reported in the article,” Sheinbaum told a journalist, referring to a report on violence in Culiacán that was published by the El Universal newspaper on Wednesday.

‘I don’t think Canada should be spoken about like that’

A reporter noted that Trump called Prime Minister Trudeau “governor” of “the Great State of Canada” in a social media post, and asked Sheinbaum how she would respond if the president-elect referred to her in a similar way.

“I don’t think Canada should be spoken about in that way,” she said.

“Canada is also a free, independent, sovereign country. … I think that we should all treat each other as equals, in the end, it’s the maxim of [former Mexican president Benito] Júarez: ‘Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace,'” Sheinbaum said.

While she responded to Trump’s remark about Trudeau, the president reiterated that her government won’t respond to every statement the soon-to-be U.S. president makes.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sitting at a panel table at a negotiation meeting. Behind him are several large flags on stands.
President Sheinbaum also responded briefly on Wednesday to reports of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaking derisively about Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Justin Trudeau/X)

Trump has also suggested that Mexico should become a state of the United States due to the trade imbalance between the two countries.

Despite that remark, Trump’s tariff threats and his alleged mischaracterization of his call with the Mexican president last month, Sheinbaum said Wednesday that she was confident there would be “a good relationship with the United States” during the second Trump administration.

“And I say again, in the defense of our sovereignty and in the interests of the people of Mexico and the nation, we’re going to seek to collaborate [with the United States]. … In addition, we’re trade partners and we form a very powerful and strong joint economy,” she said.

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

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

By
MND Staff
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6
President Claudia Sheinbaum, center, poses with smiling government officials and Indigenous community representatives as they hold up two official presidential decrees for the camera.
With federal officials and Indigenous representatives in attendance, President Sheinbaum formally created the Presidential Commission on Justice Plans and Regional Development for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples at her Wednesday press conference. (Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum signed two presidential decrees on Tuesday that seek to benefit Mexico’s Indigenous peoples.

In one decree, Sheinbaum declared that Indigenous language translations of a recently approved constitutional reform must be published in the government’s official gazette.

A child wearing a cowboy hat and traditional clothing looks at the camera as festival dancers prepare to perform in the background.
There are 68 Indigenous groups officially recognized in Mexico, including Purépecha communities like this one in Coeneo, Michoacán. One in every five Mexicans is Indigenous, according to government data. (Juan Jose Estrada Serafín/Cuartoscuro)

The reform, which took effect Oct. 1, guarantees a range of rights for Indigenous peoples.

In the other decree, Sheinbaum instructed the creation of the Presidential Commission on Justice Plans and Regional Development for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples.

The president signed both decrees at her morning press conference on Human Rights Day, which is observed around the world annually on Dec. 10.

Article 2 of the Mexican Constitution now published in dozens of Indigenous languages 

A range of amendments to Article 2 of the Mexican Constitution took effect on Oct. 1 after they were approved by the federal Congress in September.

Article 2 guarantees a range of rights for Mexico’s Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples. According to a decree published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on Sept. 30, they now include:

Mexico already has an official federally recognized Indigenous government with Indigenous governors representing each of Mexico’s 32 states. Recent changes to Article 2 of Mexico’s Constitution enshrine Indigenous groups with the right to greater autonomy to make decisions affecting their own communities. (Mayan Change)
  • The right to “decide, according to their [own] regulatory systems and in accordance with this constitution, their internal forms of government, coexistence and social, economic, political and cultural organization.”
  • The right to “apply and develop their own regulatory systems for the regulation and solution of internal conflicts.”
  • The right to “preserve, protect and develop their tangible and intangible cultural heritage.”
  • The right to “promote the use, development, preservation, study and dissemination of Indigenous languages.”
  • The right to “be consulted about legislative or administrative measures that are intended to be adopted when these measures could affect or cause significant impacts on their lives or environments.”

The modified article of the Mexican Constitution has now been published in close to 60 Indigenous languages. Those languages include Chontal, K’iche’, Mazateco and Náhuatl.

Adelfo Regino Montes, director of the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI), told Sheinbaum’s press conference on Tuesday that Article 2 of the Constitution has been translated into “64 linguistic variations” of “57 Indigenous languages.”

He said that the article will be translated into an additional 11 Indigenous languages.

“This is the work we still have to do in the coming days so that we can complete [translations to] the 68 Indigenous languages that are spoken throughout [Mexico’s] national territory,” Montes said.

Presidential Commission to assist in execution of justice plans 

Sheinbaum said that the Presidential Commission on Justice Plans and Regional Development for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples will monitor and assist the execution of various government “justice plans.”

Montes noted that the Yaqui people in Sonora were the first Indigenous group to benefit from a justice plan before highlighting that there are now 17 justice plans that “benefit 26 Indigenous peoples in 12 federal entities.”

The investment in the plans, he added, is 27 billion pesos (US $1.33 billion).

“Our president has given us the instruction to provide continuity to these plans, but also to carry out new justice plans,” the INPI chief said.

Mexico's President Sheinbaum standing with a indigenous Yaqui woman in Sonora. She is holding a traditional Indigenous scepter in her hand decorated with ribbons in green, white and yellow.
Sheinbaum accompanied former President López Obrador in July to meetings between the federal government and the Yaqui of Sonora to hammer out a justice plan. Sheinbaum’s new commission will be tasked with bringing justice plans to all Mexico’s Indigenous peoples. (Cuartoscuro)

“We’re working on that; we’re coordinating with the different entities and departments,” Montes said.

Around one in five Mexicans identify as Indigenous, putting the nation’s Indigenous population at over 23 million. Indigenous Mexicans are more likely to live in poverty than non-Indigenous Mexicans and face discrimination in a variety of forms.

Many Indigenous groups claim they are owed compensation for past injustices.

The Yaqui people, for example, protested during Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s presidency to demand that the government compensate them for the expropriation of land for a range of infrastructure projects.

The López Obrador administration created a justice commission and justice plan for the Yaqui people and returned almost 3,000 hectares of land to them. It also carried out a range of projects, including water initiatives, in Yaqui communities.

On Tuesday, Montes said that the objective of the current federal government is to provide the resources that are required to attend to “the proposals and needs of our [Indigenous] peoples and communities.”

“That’s why the signing of this decree to create this presidential commission is of great importance,” he said.

Sheinbaum said that some 13,000 Indigenous communities will receive funding from the federal government in 2025 that they will be able to use in the way they see fit.

“We’re waiting for the federal budget to be approved. We hope that it’s approved this week so that next week, we can announce how this historic [measure] will be carried out,” she said, highlighting that “for the first time” local authorities in Indigenous communities will have “their own resources.”

With reports from El Universal and Sin Embargo

Mexico earns top spot in global food encyclopedia’s 2024 ranking

By
MND Staff
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3
A bowl of delicious pozole
Mexican pozole is one of the 100 best dishes of 2024/25 according to TasteAtlas. (Gonzalo Guzmán García/Pexels)

World-renowned food encyclopedia TasteAtlas has ranked Mexican cuisine third in its 2024/25 ranking of the world’s best food. Mexican follows Italian cuisine in second place, for dishes such as Pizza Napoletana, and Greek cuisine, for its Fystiki Aeginas and other famous dishes.

The annual ranking is based on 477,287 ratings of 15,478 foods from the TasteAtlas database. 

 

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A post shared by TasteAtlas (@tasteatlas)

The annual ranking is based on 477,287 ratings of 15,478 foods from the TasteAtlas database. 

Mexico has long been recognized for its rich food culture, particularly since UNESCO designated traditional Mexican cuisine as a cultural treasure, alongside French cuisine, in 2010.  

In this year’s “Best Food” ranking, TasteAtlas named several dishes, restaurants and regions across the country as some of the best in the world. 

Best Dishes 

TasteAtlas highlighted three famous Mexican dishes according to its user ratings including:

  • Cochinita pibil (ranked #12 out of 100) — a Mexican pork dish from the Yucatán region, typically marinated in annatto paste, bitter orange juice and garlic.
  • Sopa de lima (#53) — a chicken and tomato-based soup that is flavored with bittersweet Yucatán citrus and spicy habanero chilis.
  • Pozole (#75) — a hearty patriotic stew with hominy and pork.

Best Food Producers

Several food producers were awarded for their excellence in gourmet food and drinks. These include the spirits Mezcal Vago and Don Fulano, Oleosan (olive oil) and the cheeses Productos Lacteos La Providencia and Sierra Encantada.

Best Food Regions

The Yucatán Peninsula (#23) in the southeastern region of Mexico got 4.28 stars for 26 foods, including panuchos — a refried tortilla stuffed with refried black beans — and sopa de lima.

Puebla (#36) got 4.2 stars for 24 foods, including tacos arabes and chile relleno.

Oaxaca (#38) also got 4.2 stars for 33 foods, including several types of mole and chapulines (grasshoppers!).

The northern state of Sinaloa (#67) got 4.14 stars for six foods by TasteAtlas. In Mazatlán, you can visit high-rated restaurants such as El Mesón de Los Laureanos and Mariscos El Cuchupetas. 

Inside view of one of four large dining areas in El Meson de Los Laureanos restaurant in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, one of the four best food regions in Mexico according to TasteAtlas.

Iconic Traditional Restaurants 

TasteAtlas listed some of the most iconic traditional restaurants in Mexico, including the following: 

Best Drinks

Mexico is famous for its tequila, which is a distilled alcohol that comes from the agave cactus. This year, Cierto Reserve Collection Blanco from the town of Tequila in Jalisco was given a five-star rating in TasteAtlas. 

The country has recently become well-known for its mezcal, another agave-based alcohol that has a denomination of origin in Oaxaca, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Zacatecas, San Luís Potosí, Tamaulipas, Durango and Puebla.

Other best drinks in Mexico are Uciri organic coffee from Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, and Cielo Dentro Chocolate Balam from Morelos, just south of Mexico City.

TasteAtlas is an experiential travel online guide for traditional food. It has cataloged and mapped over 10,000 foods and drinks around the globe. 

With reports from NPR

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