Banco de México, Mexico's central bank, indicated after the last meeting of its board that future cuts in the interest rate would not happen soon, and it was true to its word this week as it held the benchmark rate to 6.50%. (Banxico / Facebook)
The Bank of Mexico (Banxico) board voted on Thursday to maintain the central bank’s benchmark interest rate at 6.50%, even as inflation continues to decline.
At Banxico’s fourth monetary policy meeting of 2026, all five members of the central bank’s board voted in favor of keeping the overnight interbank interest rate at 6.50%.
Meat prices were a big decliner during the first half of June, at 6.15% compared to the same period last year. (Jose Ignacio-Pompe / Unsplash)
The Bank of Mexico’s interest rate decision came a day after the national statistics agency INEGI reported that Mexico’s annual headline inflation rate was 3.55% in the first half of June, down from 3.94% across May. Banxico targets 3% inflation, with tolerance for a 2-4% range.
In a statement announcing its board’s interest rate decision, Banxico noted that “[b]etween April and the first fortnight of June 2026, headline inflation decreased from 4.45% to 3.55% due to a decline in both its core and non-core components.”
The central bank noted that “core inflation decreased from 4.26% to 4.12% during such period,” and Banxico expects that the core rate, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, will continue to decline in the second half of 2026.
However, Banxico did make slight upward adjustments to its core inflation forecasts, and is now predicting a rate of 3.5% in the final quarter of 2026, up from a previous outlook of 3.4%.
Regarding headline inflation, the central bank anticipates a rate of 3.8% in the third quarter, 3.5% in the fourth quarter, 3.2% in the first quarter of 2027 and 3% in the second quarter of next year.
Banxico said its forecasts are “subject to various risks,” including upside ones such as “disruptions due to foreign trade policies or to an inflationary impact from geopolitical conflicts”; “climate-related impacts”; and “a trend towards depreciation of the Mexican peso.”
The central bank said that its board “evaluated the inflationary outlook” and “assessed the observed levels of the exchange rate, the absence of demand-related pressures in the economy, and the level of monetary restriction implemented” before taking the decision to leave the benchmark interest rate at 6.50%.
“Looking ahead, the Governing Board estimates that it will be appropriate to maintain the reference rate at its current level. It judges that the monetary policy stance is well-suited to face the challenges posed by the macroeconomic environment, including those associated with the international context,” Banxico said in its statement.
Inflation appears set to decline for a third consecutive month in June
The 3.55% headline reading for the first half of June indicates that inflation is likely to decline for a third consecutive month in June. The annual headline rate increased in each of January, February and March, reaching 4.59% in the third month of the year. A downward trend began in April, with inflation falling to 4.45% that month and then to 3.94% in May.
In the first half of June, inflation declined 0.11% compared to the second half of May, while the annual core rate, as Banxico noted, was 4.12%.
INEGI reported that annual inflation for processed food, beverages and tobacco was 5.13% in the first half of June, while the price of non-food goods rose 2.38%.
The cost of services increased 4.57% compared to the first half of June 2025, while fruit and vegetables were 7.77% more expensive. Meat prices declined 6.15% annually, while energy prices, including those for electricity and gasoline, increased 3.49% compared to the first half of June 2025.
The Tate exhibit focuses as much on Frida the person as on Frida the artist, as highlighted in the museum's use of the work shown here to promote the show, along with the quote: "I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best."
(Tate / Facebook)
The Tate Modern’s exhibition “Frida: The Making of an Icon” has become the most pre-sold exhibition in the London museum’s storied history with more than 41,000 tickets bought before its opening date.
That figure easily exceeds the previous record of 32,000 pre-sold tickets, for the British artist David Hockney’s exhibition in 2017.
The Guardian newspaper reported that demand for advance tickets was so high that people lined up for hours to get them. What’s more, the museum’s website crashed.
On social media, users compared the phenomenon to the ticket frenzy of Glastonbury, a performing arts festival known for its crunching ticket demand.
The audience’s extraordinary response was something that not even the Tate anticipated. In an interview with The Guardian, Interim Director Catherine Wood said that they were “pretty blown away by it.”
For decades, Kahlo has been a nearly omnipresent figure in popular culture, with images of her persona or art adorning everything from tote bags to T-shirts and coffee mugs. The new exhibition, which opened Thursday, aims to explore the commercial phenomenon around Kahlo and her transformation from a local artist into a global sensation.
“There are many Frida exhibitions, but this one is unique in its perspective,” Tobias Ostrander, the chief exhibition curator told newspaper El Universal. “It’s the only one that’s focusing on her as a cultural phenomenon, really investigating or building how we got to this moment of so much visibility, so much love, so much attraction to Frida’s story and art.”
The exhibition examines Kahlo’s legacy through over 30 paintings that bring insight into her various roles — the wife, the intellectual, the modern artist, and the political activist — in addition to 250 works by artists who painted the Mexican painter or who were influenced by her work.
The show culminates with a display of over 200 commercial items adorned by her art, image, style and persona.
“This exhibition tells the story of how we arrived at Frida as an icon, as an artist, as a Mexican or international figure,” Ostrander said. “Today she is the most famous female artist. She is at this level with Picasso, Van Gogh or Warhol.”
For Wood, Kahlo’s enduring relevance and her resonance with different cultural movements reflect a broader search for authentic figures in an era of political uncertainty.
“People are looking for forms of continuity and stability, for figures who are bold in owning their own life experience,” she said. “Although her life had lots of trauma and disappointments, she showed a way to live and survive and thrive.”
The injured were taken to local hospitals, including the driver of the vehicle who arrived in cardiac arrest and was saved by hospital personnel.
(Facebook)
At least 17 people were injured in Los Cabos on Wednesday night when a vehicle plowed into a large gathering of fans celebrating Mexico’s World Cup victory.
In a Facebook post, Los Cabos authorities said they responded to “a traffic accident with multiple injuries on Lázaro Cárdenas Boulevard in the Cabo San Lucas tourist area” shortly after 9 p.m.
⚠️ Un conductor arrolló a un grupo de personas que celebraban el triunfo de la selección mexicana en el bulevar Lázaro Cárdenas, Los Cabos, Baja California, dejando 17 personas lesionadas que fueron trasladadas a diversos hospitales 🚑. Se reportó que el responsable fue detenido… pic.twitter.com/WhqbtiOZ30
The injured — one of whom has been listed in serious condition — were taken to area hospitals for treatment.
Los Cabos’ Acting Mayor Jose Manuel Larumbe promised to keep the public informed regarding official investigations, adding that “I would like to express our deepest solidarity with the people affected and their families following the unfortunate events that occurred tonight.”
The incident could have started before the driver moved through the crowd some celebrants acted toward the car in what could have been interpreted as a threatening. Officials say that “upon being surrounded by people obstructing the road and rocking his vehicle, [the driver] accelerated suddenly, striking several pedestrians.”
A video shared on social media shows a car trying to move slowly through the crowd, before running over several people and then crashing into short traffic-control posts and coming to a stop a few meters on.
The driver was dragged from the car and nearly lynched by the furious crowd. A video shows him lying on the asphalt, his face bruised and bloodied, while some people continue to kick him and curse him.
The unidentified driver was transported under police custody to Cabo San Lucas General Hospital where he reportedly arrived in a condition of cardiac arrest. Emergency personnel performed resuscitation measures and were able to restore his vital signs.
By early Thursday, the patient was still intubated and remained in serious condition, under specialized medical supervision.
The State Attorney General’s Office (PGJE) said it will open an investigation into the attack on the driver as well as on the inciting incident.
The PGJE told the newspaper Hoy BCS that the suspect is “in custody at the hospital and will remain at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, while investigations continue to determine his responsibility and the specific charges he may face” regarding the incident which is officially being labeled “multiple hit-and-run incidents.”
Prosecutors insist that regardless of the criminal liability that may arise from the hit-and-run, the driver is also “the victim of an act that may constitute assault and battery.”
Given that the injured were celebrating El Tri’s victory, the Mexican Soccer Federation (FMF) issued a statement early Thursday morning saying it deeply regrets the incident that occurred tonight in Los Cabos.”
“We express our solidarity with the affected people and their families, with the wish that those who were injured have a speedy recovery,” the FMF statement said.
A Mexico City man checks his phone outside the San Lazaro Legislative Palace. (Mario Jasso / Cuartoscuro.com)
With less than a week to go, a June 30 deadline for pre-paid Mexican cell phone users to link their number to their personal identity has been extended. With less than half of Mexico’s over 140 million phone lines registered, millions of people will now face staggered cutoff dates running from mid-August to late December.
The federal government last year implemented a mandatory mobile phone registry policy on the basis of public safety, saying that associating cell phone numbers with personal identities would help reduce telephone fraud, extortion and other crimes whose perpetrators use anonymous or easily rotated numbers. People who hadn’t registered their pre-paid cell phone line by June 30 were set to face service cuts.
Officials say the registry will reduce extortion, which is often committed using anonymous, pre-paid phones. (Shutterstock)
However, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) on Thursday announced not one but 10 new deadlines, the earliest of which is Aug. 15.
“Pre-paid lines that until now have not been linked [to their users’ identities] will have a deadline assigned according to the last digit of the telephone number,” the CRT said in a statement.
“Thus, a schedule is established so that, between August and December, each [pre-paid cell phone] user registers their line with their telephone company.”
The new deadlines are as follows:
Aug. 15 for numbers ending in 0.
Aug. 31 for numbers ending in 1.
Sept. 15 for numbers ending in 2.
Sept. 30 for numbers ending in 3.
Oct. 15 for numbers ending in 4.
Oct. 31 for numbers ending in 5.
Nov. 15 for numbers ending in 6.
Nov. 30 for numbers ending in 7.
Dec. 15 for numbers ending in 8.
Dec. 31 for numbers ending in 9.
The CRT said that telephone companies will suspend the telephone lines of pre-paid cell phone users who don’t register their lines by the applicable deadline. It said that suspensions will take place within 72 hours after the deadline expires, noting that cell phone users will only be able to call emergency numbers, “citizen attention” numbers and their phone companies, and receive earthquake alerts.
“Once the line is linked [to a person’s identity], the telephone company will reestablish all services (calls, messages and mobile data),” the CRT added.
“We reiterate that the government doesn’t carry out the [registration process],” the CRT said.
“Rather, it is carried out directly with telephone companies, which only associate the name and CURP [identity number] with the user of the cell phone number, eliminating any other data or image used during the registration process,” the commission said.
“If a crime involving the use of a telephone line is committed, the relevant authorities may request information from telephone companies, in accordance with the provisions of the National Code of Criminal Procedure,” the CRT said.
The main reason for scrapping the June 30 deadline and setting 10 new ones appears to be that tens of millions of phone lines have not yet been registered. Registering such a large number of lines by next Tuesday would be nigh on impossible.
The El Universal newspaper suggested that low cell phone registration rates were the reason for the deadline extension. The newspaper reported that only 43% of some 144.6 million cell phone lines in Mexico have been linked to their owners’ identities.
In its statement, the CRT sought to depict the situation in a positive light.
“The registration of lines has shown sustained and growing growth, and to date, 63 million lines have been registered: 40.2 million pre-paid lines and 22.8 million post-paid lines that do not require a new registration process because they have been associated with a person since they were contracted,” the commission said.
In its statement, the CRT also said that “for everyone’s safety, each telephone number must be [registered] in the name of a person in order to eliminate the anonymity that has allowed [organized] crime to commit offenses such as fraud and extortion.”
“With this measure, Mexico will cease being one of the few countries that allow a [cell phone] chip to be purchased without identification, and will add an international practice that is in force in 166 countries,” it added.
As Mexico News Daily reported earlier this year, critics have voiced several concerns about the mandatory registration of cell phone lines, including ones related to possible mass surveillance and misuse of people’s personal data.
No registration needed for post-paid cell phone plans, officials say
In a social media post earlier this month, the federal Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation wrote that “if you have a post-paid [cell phone] line, you don’t need to complete any registration as your information is already validated.”
📱✨ Si tienes una línea de pospago, no es necesario que realices ningún registro, ya que tu información ya está validada. Tú ya estás listo 🎉
Si manejas una línea de prepago y aún no la has registrado, el reloj está corriendo. Tienes hasta el 30 de junio para hacerlo.
The Science Ministry included a series of infographics in its post, on which it collaborated with the CRT and the federal government’s Digital Transformation Agency.
“Do you have a plan (post-paid) line? You’re already registered,” reads one.
“What is a post-paid line? Those for which you pay a fixed monthly plan,” reads another.
A third infographic reads: “Do I need to register my post-paid line? No. When you contracted your plan, the [telephone] company registered the line in your name.”
Mexico recently experienced a day with the lowest number of homicides in over a decade. (Jorge Aguilar/Unsplash)
Amigos, you’ve been reading about it everywhere: the homicide rate is significantly down in Mexico. The work that Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch has been doing is clearly bearing fruit. The security strategy has been steady and sustained. That said, critics have pointed out that some of the government’s numbers have been dressed up, and that those who don’t show up among the murdered may well be showing up among the disappeared. Whatever the case, one reality stands: President Sheinbaum’s government is working to contain the violence the cartels have unleashed — violence that we Mexicans have let grow for the past three decades.
Tuesday, June 16
Tuesday, June 16, is, so far, the day with the fewest homicides in Mexico this year, and for quite some time. The figures, according to the Security Cabinet’s preliminary report, are these: 27 homicides across the entire national territory, the lowest daily figure in over a decade. The President said as much in her morning press conference the following day from the National Palace: “I even applauded the security cabinet today, because 27 homicides in a single day is something Mexico hadn’t seen in at least 13, 14 years.”
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch has led the effort to reduce homicides in Mexico, a process that is working, based on recent statistics. (Omar García Harfuch/Instagram)
The most telling data point isn’t the number itself — it’s the geography. Nineteen states closed the day without a single homicide. If we add those that reported only one, 22 of the 32 states ended the day with zero or one homicide. Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Hidalgo, Michoacán, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Yucatán and Zacatecas reported no killings. That Chihuahua and Michoacán appear on this list is, frankly, remarkable.
The day’s hotspots were elsewhere: Colima led with four cases, followed by Oaxaca and Veracruz with three each. And here comes an important caveat we can’t gloss over: the June 16 dip is not an isolated event, but it’s also not a linear trend. As Milenio rightly points out, June 14 saw 49 homicides nationwide, so the new minimum has to be read as an exceptional day within a series that still has its peaks and valleys.
Where is this trend coming from?
The incidence of homicides dropped 46%, with the daily national average falling from 86.9 victims in September 2024 to 47.3 in May 2026. May 2026 had the fewest homicides for that month in the last 12 years. The strategy is producing measurable results. According to Harfuch himself, from Oct. 1, 2024, to May 31, 2026, 56,134 people were arrested for high-impact crimes, 419.3 tons of drugs were seized and 2,407 clandestine labs were dismantled across 22 states.
The counterweight that can’t be ignored
Amnesty International, in its annual report, documented that during 2025, forced disappearances and missing-persons cases in Mexico rose to 133,500, an increase of 10.5% over 2024. Red Lupa makes the contrast even more concrete: the number of disappeared persons at the start of the President’s term hovered around 115,000; by early 2026, the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons counted 133,485. In just 15 months, the number grew by some 18,000 disappeared people.
México Evalúa pushes the methodological analysis further. Using an integrated metric that combines intentional homicide, manslaughter, femicide, disappearances and other crimes against life, it estimates that lethal violence dropped 8.6% between 2024 and 2025, but accumulated a 68.2% increase over the past decade. The think tank explains it clearly: disappearances can operate as a mechanism for evading the immediate registration of homicides and generating social uncertainty. The coexistence of intense disputes with increases in disappearances suggests that part of the lethal violence may be displacing toward less visible categories.
Ricardo Anaya (PAN) and other opposition figures have gone further: they argue that the federal government is dressing up its violence data by reclassifying murders as disappearances, manslaughters and other crimes. I have no way to prove that charge, and I’d rather stick to what the numbers do allow us to say: there is a real drop in homicides, and there is a real rise in disappearances. Both things are true at once.
Amigos, for the past 15 days, it seems the only thing Mexicans can talk about is soccer. Those of you who’ve been living here for several years will agree with me: no World Cup has ever looked quite like this one. Every day is a party. The national mood these days is more cordial, more hopeful and more celebratory than usual.
This is where it’s very tempting to fall into lazy reductions and declare that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” and that the drop in violence is linked to the World Cup. But the data doesn’t allow that reading. On June 7, four days before the tournament kicked off, Mexico had already registered 28 homicides; on May 15, almost a month earlier, it was 29. January 2026 had closed with a daily average of 47.3 homicides, the lowest level since daily records have existed in this country. The downward trend started in September 2024 and has been sustained. The World Cup coincides with it, but does not cause it.
But the World Cup is revealing what happens when Mexicans share a collective project that isn’t mediated by individual economics.
The lesson nobody is drawing
On opening day, I took my dog out for a walk around the neighborhood, both of us wearing our national team jerseys. People smiled at us. A car gave us the classic celebratory honk. It’s not magic. It’s what happens when there is a collective experience — shared, free and sustained — that occupies public space and reorganizes community time for an entire month.
During a World Cup, we call that a “party.” The rest of the time, in normal conditions, it would be called cultural, sports, community and recreation policies. The kind of policy Mexico has been dismantling for the last 30 years.
Let’s look at the numbers from the 2026 Federal Budget. Culture will receive 13.097 billion pesos, 16% less than in 2025. The National Commission of Physical Culture and Sport (Conade), according to its own director Rommel Pacheco, will receive 2.5 billion pesos, a 133-million-peso cut from 2025. The deputy research director for the Center of Economic and Budgetary Research (Ciep), Judith Senyasen Méndez, puts it bluntly: “The emphasis remains on scholarships, because those are the ones with the largest real-terms increases, while areas like culture, sports and upper-secondary and higher education face significant cuts.”
President Sheinbaum’s administration isn’t the only one to cut cultural and community programs, a troubling tradition in Mexico for decades now. (Carlos Ramos Mamahua/Presidencia)
This isn’t a one-administration problem. It’s the culmination of a long process. Since the 1990s, Mexican public policy has been systematically eliminating the idea that the State has a responsibility to the community fabric: to municipal cultural centers, to neighborhood sports leagues, to free workshops, to community art schools, to local libraries, to the spaces where a teenager in Guerrero, in Zacatecas, in Chiapas or in Baja California, could find a sense of belonging different from what the cartels offer.
The World Cup is exposing what Mexico typically lacks
What replaced those policies was an exclusively economic logic: cash transfers, individual scholarships and direct subsidies. I’m not saying those programs are bad. I’m saying that a scholarship deposited into a bank account does not build a youth orchestra. A cash transfer does not teach a kid to train in soccer on Saturdays with his neighbors. A subsidy does not turn an empty lot into a lit-up sports court. And when the only thing the State offers a community is money — and nothing to build together — what prevails is the individual pursuit of economic improvement, not the shared quality of life of a neighborhood.
That’s why the World Cup is revealing. For one month, Mexicans are getting what we don’t have the rest of the year: a collective project not mediated by money, an excuse to occupy the street and a sense of belonging that doesn’t require individual achievement. And we behave differently. When a young person in Colima, in Guanajuato or in Veracruz weighs his life options, he doesn’t weigh them against an abstraction called “the rule of law.” He weighs them against what his community concretely offers him. If the only thing his colonia offers is absence — of sports courts, of workshops and of meaningful adults other than his exhausted mother or the cartel lookout on the corner — the calculation is very easy to make. And he makes it badly, but he makes it.
The General Law of Physical Culture and Sport, in its Article 2, establishes among its purposes the promotion of physical culture, recreation and sport in the general population as a means of crime prevention. The law says it. The budget denies it.
June 16 was good news
And we should celebrate it. Harfuch’s strategy is working; the arrests are piling up and the seizures too. But good days are not built solely on military intelligence. They are also built with orchestras, with sports courts, with reading clubs, with art teachers who come to the neighborhood twice a week and with boxing coaches who don’t charge a fee because the municipality pays their salary.
That is what Mexico dismantled in 30 years. And that is what no Harfuch, however good his work, will be able to rebuild from an intelligence room.
Community and culture programs are needed to sustain lower crime rates
The World Cup has brought Mexicans together, as at this Fan Festival in Guadalajara. The question is, why can’t communities function better regularly? (Ivan Villegas/Chivas)
The World Cup will end on July 19. The streets will empty again. And the question, amigos, is whether we will be able to read what the tournament is showing us these weeks: that the Mexicans do know how to share a project, do know how to occupy the streets cordially and do know how to build community when someone gives us the pretext and the space. What we need is for that pretext to exist year-round. Not once every four years.
We did it once before, when the Mexican Revolution ended. The newly formed Mexican State, under the cultural leadership of José Vasconcelos, sent painters, writers and playwrights traveling across the country with a single idea: to build a sense of belonging to the Mexican nation. The murals you see in every public building today are what’s left of that bet — a bet that the State could be a builder of shared meaning, not just a distributor of resources.
If we want Tuesday, June 16, to be the first of many, we are going to have to stop thinking about security only as arrests and begin to think of it as what it also is: a cultural policy, a sports policy and a community policy. In other words, a policy of the public sphere.
Maria Meléndez writes for Mexico News Daily in Mexico City.
Cars cross the Chac-Temal International Bridge, which connects Mexico and Belize south of Chetumal, Quintana Roo. (Amaranta Prieto / Cuartoscuro.com)
In last week’s “Mexico in Numbers” article we presented 10 facts about the Mexico-U.S. border. This week, we shift our focus to Mexico’s other land borders, those it shares with the Central American nations of Belize and Guatemala.
To enhance your knowledge of Mexico’s southern border, here’s a quick crash course in 10 numbers.
The length of the Mexico-Guatemala border is just under one-third (30.5%) of the length of the Mexico-U.S. border, which measures 3,145 kilometers. The Mexico-Guatemala border includes stretches of the Suchiate and Usumacinta Rivers.
288
This is the length in kilometers of the Mexico-Belize border, according to INEGI. The border, largely formed by the Hondo River, runs from southwestern Quintana Roo to Boca Bacalar Chico, a maritime canal south of Mahahual, a Caribbean coast town in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo.
The Mexico-Belize border is just under one-third (30%) the length of the Mexico-Guatemala border. The Mexico-U.S. border is about 11 times longer than the Mexico-Belize border.
1,247
This is the length in kilometers of Mexico’s entire southern border — i.e., the sum of the lengths of the Mexico-Guatemala border and the Mexico-Belize border.
The Mexico-U.S. border is just over 2.5 times longer than the combined length of the borders between Mexico and Guatemala and Mexico and Belize.
4
This is the number of Mexican states on Mexico’s southern border. Three states — Chiapas, Campeche and Tabasco — border Guatemala. Quintana Roo is the only Mexican state that borders Belize.
23
This is the number of Mexican municipalities that border Guatemala and Belize. Located on Mexico’s border with Guatemala are 18 municipalities in Chiapas, two in Tabasco and two in Campeche. The only Mexican municipality that borders Belize is Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo, where the state capital Chetumal is located.
5.7 million
This is the approximate size, in hectares, of the Great Maya Forest Biocultural Corridor, an area spanning parts of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize that is dedicated to protecting and preserving the biodiversity and cultural heritage of the region.
This is the number of official border crossings between Mexico and Guatemala. On the Mexican side, seven of those crossings are in Chiapas and one is in Tabasco.
2
This is the number of official land border crossings between Mexico and Belize. Two international bridges, the Santa Elena International Bridge and the nearby Chac-Temal International Bridge, cross the Hondo River into Belize southwest of Chetumal. The Santa Elena International Bridge is currently being rebuilt.
353,706
This was the population of Tapachula, the largest Mexican city within 50 kilometers of the southern border, when Mexico’s most recent census was conducted in 2020. Tapachula is the first port of call in Mexico for many migrants from Central America, South America and further afield who enter the country via the southern border with Guatemala.
The second largest city within 50 kilometers of the southern border is Chetumal, the capital of Quintana Roo. Its population was 233,648 when the 2020 census was conducted.
8
This is the percentage rate of Mexico’s IVA (value-added tax) in the southern border region. The same rate applies in the northern border region. The IVA in the rest of the country is 16%.
Of course, many other numbers could be included in a Mexico in Numbers article on Mexico’s southern border. Let us know of any that come to mind!
After celebrating a World Cup win by El Tri, Mexico's national soccer team, President Sheinbaum moved on to international relations, discussing tensions with the U.S., elections in Colombia and Venezuela's devastating double earthquake. (Carlos Ramos Mamahua / Presidencia)
Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
⚽ El Tri wins again: Sheinbaum opened the press conference by congratulating the national team on its third World Cup victory, then showed a video of celebrations across Mexico — including the crowds that gathered at the Angel of Independence in Mexico City. She capped the moment by gifting a soccer ball to a reporter who correctly predicted a 3-0 win over Czechia.
🌎 Solidarity with Venezuela: Following two powerful earthquakes that killed at least 164 people, Sheinbaum expressed the Mexican government’s solidarity with Venezuela and announced that a Defense Ministry rescue team and health personnel would travel to the South American country on Thursday, with the possibility of additional support to follow.
🤝 Mexico-U.S. relationship: Sheinbaum described the bilateral relationship as “very good” across all areas, while acknowledging points of contention — including deaths of Mexicans in ICE detention centers and U.S. tariffs on Mexican exports. She pointed to Saturday’s joint inauguration of a sterile fly plant in Chiapas, to be attended by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson, as evidence of ongoing cooperation.
🗳 Colombia transition: Asked about the election of right-wing President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, Sheinbaum said Mexico will congratulate him and that her government seeks good relations with all countries regardless of ideological differences.
Why today’s mañanera matters
There was no shortage of significant issues for President Claudia Sheinbaum to comment on at her Thursday morning press conference. Among those she addressed were the latest victory of Mexico’s FIFA men’s World Cup team, the two powerful earthquakes that rocked Venezuela on Wednesday, the Mexico-U.S. relationship and the election of a new president in Colombia.
The importance of today’s mañanera came from the breadth of the issues Sheinbaum spoke about. As always, the remarks of the Mexican president on developments that have a direct impact on Mexico and the Mexican people — and on people throughout the region, as was the case today — carry weight.
Sheinbaum congratulates the Mexican team on its third World Cup victory
“How was the match?” Sheinbaum asked reporters at the start of her press conference.
“Awesome, right? Very exciting. Congratulations to the selección,” she said, using the abbreviated version of the branded name Selección Nacional de México (National Team of Mexico).
Sheinbaum subsequently presented a video showing Mexicans celebrating El Tri’s victory in different parts of the country, including at the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, where a huge crowd of revelers once again arrived after the Wednesday night match.
Before moving on to other topics, the president gifted a World Cup soccer ball to a reporter who correctly predicted that Mexico would defeat Czechia 3-0.
The president gifted a World Cup soccer ball to a reporter who correctly predicted Mexico’s 3-0 win over Czechia. (Mario Jasso / Cuartoscuro.com)
Sheinbaum expresses ‘solidarity with the people of Venezuela’ after twin earthquakes
On behalf of the Mexican government, Sheinbaum expressed “solidarity with the people of Venezuela” after two powerful earthquakes rocked the South American country on Wednesday. The death toll from the twin quakes stood at 164 on Thursday morning.
Sheinbaum said that a Ministry of Defense rescue team and “health personnel” would travel to Venezuela on Thursday. She said that additional Mexican personnel could also travel to Venezuela to assist the rescue and recovery efforts.
Sheinbaum offers a summary of the state of the Mexico-US relationship
A reporter asked the president, who turned 64 on Wednesday, to respond to a birthday message from U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson.
On social media, Johnson wrote: “Happy Birthday, President @Claudiashein. I have seen firsthand your commitment to serving the people of Mexico and strengthening cooperation between our countries. I look forward to continuing our work together for the benefit of our nations. May God bless you in the year ahead.”
Happy Birthday, President @Claudiashein. I have seen firsthand your commitment to serving the people of Mexico and strengthening cooperation between our countries. I look forward to continuing our work together for the benefit of our nations. May God bless you in the year… pic.twitter.com/5eVbxQfKsE
— Embajador Ronald Johnson (@USAmbMex) June 24, 2026
The message, the reporter said, “is a complete contrast to the narrative that there is a bad relationship between Mexico and the United States, especially on issues related to security.”
Sheinbaum asserted that there is a “very good relationship” between Mexico and the United States across “all issues,” even though the bilateral relationship has recently been strained by the CIA’s alleged participation in a drug lab raid in Chihuahua without the knowledge and authorization of the Mexican government, and U.S. prosecutors drug trafficking allegations against Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and nine other current and former Mexican officials.
“As I have said on many occasions, there are issues on which we don’t agree,” she added.
“For example, one issue that concerns us and keeps us occupied is the death of Mexicans in ICE detention centers. And we’ve been talking about it with the ambassador and sending the diplomatic notes that are needed, and our consuls in the United States carry out inspections [of ICE detention centers] … to guarantee the protection of human rights of Mexicans in the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
She also noted that the Mexican government doesn’t like the tariffs that the Trump administration imposed last year on a range of Mexican exports, including vehicles, steel and aluminum.
“But that doesn’t mean that talks are interrupted, that we don’t engage in dialogue, that we don’t always seek the best agreement for both [countries], for Mexico and the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
She said that Johnson’s social media post on Wednesday is evidence of the cooperation between Mexico and the United States.
Sheinbaum subsequently revealed that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is traveling to Mexico on Saturday “to inaugurate the sterile fly plant in order to attend to the screwworm plague,” which led the U.S. government to suspend livestock imports from Mexico.
“We’re going to be together in Chiapas,” she said, adding that Ambassador Johnson will also travel to the southern state for the opening of the sterile fly plant, located in the municipality of Metapa de Domínguez.
“This is an example of the great collaboration there is [between Mexico and the United States]. For the construction of this plant there were resources from Mexico and resources from the United States, and there is constant communication between the agriculture minister of Mexico and the agriculture secretary of the United States in order to address this [screwworm] issue,” Sheinbaum said.
“There is constant dialogue about trade issues,” added the president, who is confident that the USMCA will be renewed for an additional 16 years during this year’s trilateral review of the free trade pact.
There is also frequent dialogue about security issues, Sheinbaum said.
“The government of Mexico does everything in its power to always seek a good relationship with the government of the United States,” she said.
“… We don’t want conflict with any country in the world, and even less so with our trade partners, with our neighboring country,” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum says her government will congratulate the president-elect of Colombia
A reporter asked the president whether she would congratulate Abelardo de la Espriella on his victory in the presidential election in Colombia. She also asked Sheinbaum how the election of a right-wing government in Colombia would affect Mexico’s relationship with the South American country.
“Obviously we’re going to congratulate the president-elect of Colombia and we always seek a good relationship with Colombia,” Sheinbaum said.
She said that the Mexican government seeks good relationships with all governments around the world regardless of whether it agrees with them on “certain issues” or not.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
El Tri celebrates after routing Czechia in its final group stage match, a memorable night that included a farewell tribute to retiring keeper Guillermo ¨Memo¨ Ochoa. (Edgar Negrete Lira / Cuartscuro.com)
Mexican soccer fans celebrated deep into a rainy night after El Tri found the net three times in the second half to ease past Czechia and complete its first-ever perfect group stage performance at a World Cup.
With Wednesday’s 3-0 victory at Mexico City Stadium, El Tri finished atop Group A with a 3-0-0 record and remains one of just four teams yet to concede a goal.
Teen soccer star Gilberto Mora provided a key pass into the box around minute 60, allowing winger Julián Quiñones to score Mexico´s second goal of the night. (Moisés Pablo / Cuartoscuro.com)
Coach Javier Aguirre’s men can now rest and watch how the Round of 32 knockout bracket fills in, knowing they will face a yet-to-be-determined third-place finisher next Tuesday in Mexico City.
The team’s perfect record and +6 goal differential ensures that El Tri will finish no worse than fifth-best after the group stage, and thus be matched with one of the worst third-place finishers.
A pedestrian first half saw Czechia exert pressure during the first 20 minutes, nearly scoring in minute 8 when a Denis Visinsky shot zipped just wide of Raúl Rangel’s right post.
Mexico opened the second half more assertively: After El Tri survived a series of nervy set pieces deep in its defensive zone, Israel Reyes sent a long clearance to midfield that Luis Romo — hero of Mexico’s 1-0 win over South Korea — brought down in traffic.
¡¡GOOOOL DE MÉXICO!! 🇲🇽¡¡GOOOOL DE MÉXICO!!🇲🇽
¡MATEO CHÁVEZ! ⚽
¡Se estrena como goleador en un Mundial! ¡Vamooos, carajooo!
Romo fought off three Czech defenders and poked the ball into the path of Cup debutante Mateo Chávez, who was racing forward on the right side. Chávez eluded a last-gasp sliding tackle about 35 meters from goal, dribbled into the box and cleanly beat Czech keeper Matěj Kovář, calmly slotting inside the far post with his left boot.
Álvaro Fidalgo added a third in stoppage time, putting an exclamation point on a festive night at the Estadio Azteca that included a farewell tribute to legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
Ochoa, on an El Tri World Cup roster for a record sixth time, was inserted in as a late sub when Mexico was ahead 2-0, eliciting a roar from the 81,000 in attendance. The 40-year-old Guadalajara native who brilliantly back-stopped underwhelming Mexico teams at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups announced last month that he was hanging up his gloves once the tournament ends.
Mexican refs in the spotlight
Earlier Wednesday, César Ramos served as referee in the Brazil-Scotland Group C match, his record-setting ninth World Cup game in charge.
Not only did Ramos, a Sinaloa native, surpass compatriot Armando Archundia’s eight World Cup matches, he is now tied for second-most with Argentine Néstor Pitana.
With considerable opportunity to get another assignment or two, Ramos is only two matches behind the all-time record held by Uzbeki ref Ravshon Irmatov (11 World Cup matches in 2010, 2014 and 2018).
Ramos held the whistle in three games in Russia 2018, four games in Qatar 2022 and now two at the 2026 World Cup.
García, 32, is set to become the first Mexican woman (and third woman ever) to be head referee at a men’s World Cup game, after being appointed head ref for Thursday’s Netherlands-Tunisia match in Kansas City. (César Gómez/Cuartoscuro)
García, a Mexico City native, is poised to become just the third woman in charge of a men’s World Cup match, appointed head referee for the Netherlands-Tunisia Group F match in Kansas City.
Just four years ago, France’s Stephanie Frappart was the first woman to serve as center ref at a men’s World Cup. American Tori Penso was in charge of the Czechia-South Africa match just last week, setting the stage for García, who has already served as fourth official for three matches at this year’s World Cup.
El Tri haven't taken home the World Cup trophy yet, but the tournament has proven to be an economic boost for restaurants in Puerto Vallarta. (Puerto Vallarta Restaurant/Instagram)
A week into the FIFA World Cup, at least two Puerto Vallarta restaurants are already seeing a measurable impact on their bottom lines.
For both Gina Rae Hendrix, owner and chef at Whiskey Kitchen, and the ownership team of Kimball Shirey, Mary Spencer, Adry Campos and General Manager David Torres at Sports Bar PV, the opening rounds of the tournament have provided a welcome boost during what’s traditionally one of the city’s most challenging periods for the hospitality industry.
Summer may be the slow season in Puerto Vallarta, but for drinking and dining establishments like The Sports Bar PV, there have been fewer empty seats than normal thanks to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Charlotte Smith)
While Puerto Vallarta isn’t hosting any World Cup matches, the excitement surrounding the tournament is drawing fans to local restaurants and bars, creating additional business at a time when many establishments are navigating the realities of the slow summer season.
The World Cup effect
Hendrix says the impact was evident almost immediately.
“From the very first match, we could see a difference,” she said when asked whether the tournament had benefited business. “And I only have one screen.”
At Sports Bar PV, the results have been even more dramatic. According to Shirey, match days have produced customer traffic and significant sales bumps compared with typical low-season business levels.
“The turnout has far exceeded our expectations and we’re grateful for the many patrons,” said Shirey. “It varies day to day, but we’ve seen increases by as much as 70%.”
For independent restaurant operators, even relatively small increases in customer numbers can make a significant difference. That’s especially true during the low season, when daily revenues can fluctuate considerably and many businesses work creatively just to cover operating expenses.
The World Cup is helping restaurants stay afloat during the slow season
At Whiskey Kitchen, those margins are particularly clear.
Hendrix estimates that the restaurant’s daily revenue currently ranges from approximately 2,500 pesos on slower days to around 6,000 pesos on busier ones. Since the World Cup began on June 11, match days have consistently fallen into the latter category.
The figure may seem modest compared to larger venues, but its significance becomes apparent when viewed against the restaurant’s operating costs.
According to Hendrix, Whiskey Kitchen’s daily break-even point is roughly 5,800 pesos. In practical terms, that means many regular low-season days can leave the business operating below the level needed to comfortably cover expenses. On World Cup match days, however, revenues exceed that threshold.
For small business owners, that difference, even when minimal, can be critical.
A needed business boost
Restaurants throughout Puerto Vallarta face a familiar seasonal cycle. Winter months bring an influx of tourists, snowbirds and international visitors, often resulting in packed dining rooms and strong revenues. Summer presents a different reality. Visitor numbers typically decline as temperatures rise, and many businesses experience a noticeable slowdown.
Puerto Vallarta attracts far fewer people in summer than it does in winter, making it difficult for restaurant owners to cover costs. (Miguel Naranjo/Unsplash)
Fixed costs, however, don’t disappear with the crowds.
Rent, utilities, payroll, inventory and other operating expenses continue regardless of how many customers walk through the door. As a result, restaurant owners often look for opportunities to attract additional traffic during quieter months.
The World Cup appears to be providing exactly that.
Community and game atmospheres
Mexico’s deep football culture, combined with the global appeal of the tournament, creates a unique environment where nationals, residents and tourists gather to watch matches together. For restaurants and bars, that often translates into longer visits, additional food and beverage purchases and a more energetic atmosphere overall.
At The Sports Bar PV, Shirey says patrons are not only showing up in greater numbers but also staying longer.
“The patrons don’t want to miss any of the exciting action,” he said when asked whether customers are extending their visits during matches.
As a venue built around live sports viewing, The Sports Bar PV has seen increased demand for many of its signature offerings.
“We’re a sports bar that specializes in providing the food, drinks and experiences to enjoy sports,” Shirey said. “The buckets of beer, shots of tequila, margaritas, wings and hamburgers are all being enjoyed while watching the World Cup on nine high-definition (HD) screens.”
At Whiskey Kitchen, the benefits extend beyond revenue alone.
The tournament has transformed otherwise ordinary afternoons and evenings into communal experiences.
“Our customers are coming together to cheer for their favorite teams and share in the excitement of the world’s biggest sporting event,” said Hendrix. “It’s great to see.”
A winning formula
That atmosphere can be difficult to create during the slow season, when quieter streets and reduced visitor numbers sometimes affect the energy of local businesses.
Gina Rae Hendrix’s Whiskey Kitchen in Puerto Vallarta doesn’t need any canine advertising this summer. The customers are coming for World Cup action. (Charlotte Smith)
For Hendrix, the World Cup has provided a timely reminder of the value major international events can bring to small hospitality operators.
“Beyond the excitement on screen, the tournament is helping generate sales on days that matter most,” she said.
Shirey agrees that the tournament has become an important source of support during the slower summer months.
“The tournament has been an exciting time for Sports Bar PV, getting to share our facility with so many new friends,” he said. “Certainly, their support is helping our business.
As group-stage play continues and fan interest builds, many restaurant and bar owners across Puerto Vallarta will be paying close attention not only to the scores but also to their own cash registers. If the opening week is any indication, the tournament could offer a meaningful economic boost for local businesses throughout the coming weeks.
Shirey is confident the momentum will continue.
A brief but beneficial alleviation of economic challenges
“One hundred percent,” he said when asked whether he expects the World Cup to remain a significant boost throughout the tournament. “This is an exciting time that will continue to attract many. The world watches as we cheer on Team Mexico.”
Still, he acknowledges that business owners remain mindful of the challenges that will remain once the tournament concludes.
“Concern isn’t the feeling as much as awareness of the current economic pressures affecting our city and industry,” Shirey said. “We’ll focus on providing the best sports bar experience for our patrons and supporting our hard-working staff.”
While the World Cup’s biggest headlines may be coming from stadiums, its impact is also being felt right here, where every extra table filled, every drink served and every cheering fan represents another step toward a successful season.
Charlotte Smith is a writer and journalist based in Mexico. Her work focuses on travel, politics and community. You can follow along with her travel stories at www.salsaandserendipity.com.
Avocado producers from the Michoacán Avocado Belt were presented a plaque at a ceremony commemorating their region's new official Protected Geographical Indication. (Marcelo Ebrard / X)
The Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) has recognized the Aguacate Franja Michoacán (Michoacán Avocado Belt) as a Protected Geographical Indication, with officials presenting a commemorative plaque at a ceremony on Tuesday.
The declaration was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on May 4.
Michocán is responsible for 68% of Mexico’s avocado production, and its sector generates more than 150,00 direct and indirect jobs. (Juan José Estrada Serafín / Cuartoscuro.com)
The move will protect Hass avocados produced in a specific region of Michoacán in Mexico’s Bajío and is expected to strengthen the authenticity, traceability, and positioning of the avocados in national and international markets.
The Protected Geographical Indication encompasses 31 municipalities in Michoacán where avocado cultivation has taken place since the 19th century.
The designation applies to Hass avocados grown within the region, whose specific geographic and climatic conditions give the avocados unique qualities, including their oval shape, rough skin, creamy pulp and high oil content, according to the IMPI.
The protection certifies the origin, quality and reputation of the product, as well as differentiating it from other similar avocados produced outside the recognized area.
The Michoacán Avocado Belt has shifted from traditional avocado cultivating practices to a consolidated agro-industry in recent years. There are now around 48,000 producers, 94 packing plants and an overall business that generates more than 150,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region.
“We received instructions from President Claudia Sheinbaum to support the economic development of the state of Michoacán,” said Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard during the ceremony. “Geographical Indications are an important instrument for this, as they contribute to generating a social economy and fulfills [Sheinbaum’s] economic vision.”
The endorsement is expected to serve as a catalyst for strengthening the regional and national economies, said Ebrard.
IMPI Director General Vidal Llerenas Morales said that the granting of the Geographical Indication gives the Hass avocado grown in the region greater value and visibility than other varieties.
Avocados are a highly nutritious fruit, rich in healthy fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals, associated with benefits for the heart, digestion, vision, skin and blood sugar control. The Hass avocado contains potassium, magnesium, folic acid and vitamins C, E, K and B, among other nutrients.
