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What happens when Mexican artisans meet Middle Eastern, South Asian design talent?

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MND Staff
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Two designers stand next to their artworks in a gallery.
Yasamin Shaikhi (left) partnered with Estudio Guerrero as part of Design Doha's international collaboration project. (Northbourne Advisory Press)

Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology is currently hosting a unique exhibition featuring works resulting from creative collaborations between Mexican master artisans and designers from Syria, Lebanon, Iran and India, as part of a cultural exchange program between Qatar and Mexico.

The exhibition showcases artworks created during Crafting Design Futures, a Design Doha residency program, which chose Mexico to celebrate its second edition. 

‘Building something together’

During the residency, traditional family-run artisan workshops in the states of Michoacán, Jalisco and Mexico City hosted international designers from the wider Middle East region and South Asia to explore ways in which inherited craft knowledge influences contemporary design.

Beyond a simple exhibition of objects, the program highlights dialogue and human collaboration across cultures in a time when using digital tools in the creative process is becoming more prevalent.  

“In a world where design is increasingly shaped by digital tools and speed, working directly with materials and with people who have spent decades understanding them gives designers a very different perspective on value, authorship and collaboration,” Design Doha Director Fahad Al Obaidly told Qatar News Agency. “It also teaches a more responsible way of working with craft communities by building something together.”

In Guadalajara, Jalisco, Qatar-based Iranian designer Yasamin Shaikhi worked with Estudio Guerrero on a ceramic vessel inspired by the Nasrid pottery of Al-Andalus, the name given to the medieval Muslim-ruled territories on the Iberian Peninsula from 711 to 1492.

This form of pottery would eventually arrive in Mexico with the Spanish conquest and influence other pottery styles, like Puebla’s Talavera. 

The artists being written about looking at their objects in the gallery crouched over
Yasamin Shaikhi is an internationally renowned designer. (Northbourne Advisory Press)

Dubbed Shared Traces, a crown of hand-hammered metallic petals emerges from the vessel, reflecting light across its glazed surface and creating a play of shadows that reveals and conceals geometric patterns inspired by motifs found in Qatar and Mexico. 

In a joint statement, the artists said the vessel represents a meeting point between East and West, Mexico and Qatar.

Middle Eastern designers influence Mexican locals

Meanwhile, in Xochimilco, located along the southern outskirts of Mexico City, Syrian designer Kenan Alkuwatly collaborated with José Cruz, one of Mexico’s most renowned pepita (dot-pattern) artists. Cruz began learning this craft at the age of 12 in the workshops of his father and uncle. By the time he turned 17, he was already recognized as a master engraver.

A large mirror-like artwork sits on a wooden structure in a gallery.
The process of Syrian artist Kenan Alkuwatly’s piece. (Northbourne Advisory Press)

To create MANUS_0X, the artists digitally reinterpreted a 1,000-year-old floral motif from the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, breaking it down into thousands of tiny fragments that were then incorporated into the traditional Mexican craft of pepita. The result is a mirror-like structure that reflects the tension between the human and digital world, the artists said. 

Meanwhile, in Uruapan, Michoacán, Lebanese designer Shirine Sbaiti collaborated with artisans Norberto and Rosi, master ceramists whose work fuses ancestral Mexican techniques with contemporary design.

Their sculpture and Raíz de Vida combine Sbaiti’s figurative style — characterized by fragmented bodies and multiple limbs — with the colorful depictions of animals, faces and natural elements typical of the work of Norberto and Rosi. 

Raíz de Vida shows the mutual appreciation and respect both cultures share for the land, animals and ancestors, the artists explained.

A woman in yellow t-shirt wokring ona. sculpture, appears grey. She is in her studio.
Lebanese artist Shirine Sbaiti working on her piece. (Northbourne Advisory Press)

Evolution of Mexican architecture

Finally, in Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán — a town renowned for its centuries-old hand-hammered copper tradition — British-Indian designer Armaan Bansal worked with Alan Pureco, whose family has spent more than three generations crafting hand-hammered copper objects. 

Using Santa Clara del Cobre’s deep-rooted technique, Despierto a estas horas features small openings in the copper, letting light glow from within and evoking an illuminated town in the dark hours of the night.  

The artists said their piece represents the evolution of Mexican architecture through copper, with forms inspired by how buildings have changed over time. 

These collaborations are part of Years of Culture (YoC), a Qatari initiative that seeks to strengthen ties between participating countries through projects in art, design, gastronomy and other disciplines. The 2026 edition has been dedicated to Mexico and Canada.

While the cultural exchange will continue with upcoming events in Doha, including a culinary demonstration by renowned chef Elena Reygadas from Panadería Rosetta, audiences in Mexico have until Nov. 1 to see the results at the Anthropology Museum’s Media Luna exhibition space. Admission is free of charge.

Gabriela Solís is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog, Dunas y Palmeras.

Mexicans Daniel Cruz and Valeria Juárez take home medals from World Karate Championships

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MND Staff
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Daniel Cruz
Originally from Baja California, Daniel Cruz became the world runner-up in the under-60kg kumite division after a tightly contested final against Belgium’s Amin Abdelmalki. (Daniel Cruz / Facebook)

Daniel Alejandro Cruz Romero won a silver medal and Valeria Linett Juárez Martínez won a bronze medal at the World Karate Championships in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, a five-day event that finished on Sunday.

The karate athletes’ performances in their U-21 division placed Mexico on the podium at the international competition, which brought together competitors from the cadet, junior and U-21 divisions.

Originally from Baja California, Cruz, 19, became the world runner-up in the under-60 kg kumite category after a tightly contested final against Belgium’s Amin Abdelmalki. The match ended with a 5-4 score in favor of the European athlete, who claimed the gold medal.

Cruz’s results, however, made him the first Mexican in 11 years to reach the final of a world junior championship in the discipline. 

Meanwhile, Juárez, 17, won her bronze medal in the junior kumite category (over 66 kg) after defeating Canadian Mariana Guerrero in the match for third place.

The medal marked her second world-level bronze, following the one she earned in Venice, Italy, in 2024. With this latest result, the Mexican athlete has established herself as a top contender in her division.

The Mexican contingent also included Tomás Acosta Aparicio, from Oaxaca, who finished in fifth place in the under-57 kg category. He reached the third-place bout but was ultimately defeated by Italy’s Giuliani Achille.

The medals in Poland add to other recent results for Mexican karate in international competitions, the most recent being the 2026 Pan American Senior and U-21 Championships held in Rio de Janeiro, in which the national delegation secured 13 medals: three gold, five silver and five bronze.

 Mexico News Daily

New Chiapas lab repairs and protects Indigenous clothing, helping to preserve a valued tradition

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MND Staff
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females textile artisans
Artisans gather at the Maya World Textile Center in Chiapas. (Centro de Textiles Mundo Maya)

A museum in southern Mexico devoted to Maya textiles has opened a conservation laboratory to help preserve its 3,400-piece collection.

The Maya World Textile Center — located in a former convent in the colonial city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas — houses collections of traditional clothing and other textiles from the region, including Chiapas and Guatemala.

CTMM
The Maya World Textile Center in San Cristóbal de las Casas houses collections of traditional clothing and other textiles from the region, including Chiapas and Guatemala. It has now opened a conservation laboratory to repair, clean and protect the pieces that are of invaluable cultural importance.
(Centro Textiles Mundo Maya)

Its new lab, which opened last week, includes equipment to repair damaged pieces and combat the insects and fungi that threaten them.

Specialists can wash textiles, remove stains, reinforce damaged areas, and identify materials and techniques.

The collections include everyday and ceremonial garments, with pieces mostly covering the last century. Pre-Hispanic, colonial and 19th-century artifacts are housed in the same building at the Museum of the Chiapas Highlands.

The goal is to extend the pieces’ lives so they remain available for research and exhibition in the Maya World Textile Center, described as the largest textile collection of the Maya world when it opened in 2012. It has received more than 342,000 visitors since then, according to figures reported by Diario de Chiapas.

Fomento Cultural Banamex — the Mexican bank’s nonprofit that supports arts, traditional crafts, exhibitions and heritage conservation — helped equip the center. Financial support from Fundación Diez Morodo, established by longtime Grupo Modelo executive Valentín Diez Morodo, helped fund staff and additional equipment.

Two apprentices who speak the Indigenous languages Tsotsil and Tseltal are training in handling, assessing, documenting and conserving the collections.

The opening comes as Indigenous communities pursue separate efforts to preserve the knowledge behind their crafts and defend designs against unauthorized copying.

Artisans from San Andrés Larrainzar — a Tsotsil Maya municipality located in the highlands of Chiapas — have documented 208 textile symbols through the Jolom Mayaetik cooperative. The catalog includes names and meanings passed down through generations; however, its copyright protection covers the research, not necessarily the designs, cooperative members said.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Oaxaca, officials have begun a process to register and protect Villa Hidalgo Yalálag’s traditional huarache designs after the controversy over Adidas’ Oaxaca Slip-On shoe in 2025. Adidas and designer Willy Chavarria apologized for developing the sandal-inspired shoe without the community’s involvement.

Preservation efforts also face economic pressures. Female textile artisans in Mexico earned an average of 3,699 pesos (about US $200) monthly, compared with 7,399 pesos (about US $400) for men, the news source Animal Político reported in August, citing national employment data.

Only 2.4% of female textile artisans in Mexico had social security coverage, compared with 12.4% of their male counterparts, it reported. Mexico’s social security system provides protections that include medical care, disability benefits and maternity leave, in addition to retirement benefits.

With reports from Diario de Chiapas, La Jornada, La Crónica, Clarín and Animal Político

Public healthcare workers plan more protests this week to demand better pay and working conditions

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MND Staff
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Workers at IMSS Regional General Hospital 220 in Toluca, México state, have staged a sit-in for 10 days now as part of nationwide protests by employees of Mexico's Social Security Institute (IMSS).
Workers at IMSS Regional General Hospital 220 in Toluca, México state, have staged a sit-in for 10 days now as part of nationwide protests by employees of Mexico's Social Security Institute (IMSS). (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)

Disgruntled healthcare workers will take to the streets of Mexico City again this Wednesday, eight days after participating in a large protest march to demand higher pay, better working conditions, increased funding for healthcare and an end to shortages of medicines and medical supplies.

Current and former Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) workers agreed to hold another march at a meeting in the capital on Sunday.

IMSS workers protesting in Mexico City on Oct. 13, 2026
At Tuesday’s protest in Mexico City, workers said they were formerly considered “heroes” because of their work during the COVID pandemic, but have now been “forgotten on the payroll.” (Camila Ayala Benabib/Cuartoscuro)

“La Gran Marcha en CDMX” (The Great March in Mexico City) will set off from the Siglo XXI National Medical Center on Cuauhtémoc Avenue in the Doctores neighborhood at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. The endpoint has not been defined, but it appears likely that workers will once again march to the IMSS offices on Paseo de la Reforma, where a protest camp was set up 10 days ago.

At Sunday’s meeting, held outside the IMSS offices, IMSS workers called on social organizations, other workers and citizens in general to join their march this Wednesday, according to the news magazine Proceso.

They also called on IMSS workers to protest in other states around the country, as occurred last Tuesday.

The IMSS workers have a range of demands, including a 10% pay rise; the adequate supply of medications and medical supplies in IMSS hospitals and clinics; the hiring of additional healthcare personnel in order to ease excessive workloads; the allocation of resources equivalent to 7% of GDP to healthcare; changes to their pension system; and the resignation or dismissal of Rafael Olivos Hernández, head of the National Social Security Workers Union.

In addition to organizing another march on Wednesday, IMSS workers will hold a press conference this Tuesday at the same time as President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning presser (mañanera) at the National Palace.

According to the workers, at the press conference — dubbed the IMSS resistance mañanera — representatives of their protest movement will present “verifiable information about the real state of [IMSS] medical facilities, [their] operational deficiencies and the status of our demands.”

Sheinbaum said last week that IMSS workers’ “legitimate demands” are being addressed. She said that IMSS director Zoé Robledo had been instructed to draw up an “action plan” to “immediately” address “all the legitimate demands of IMSS workers.”

On Monday, she said Robledo’s ongoing tenure at the helm of IMSS was “not in doubt.”

Sheinbaum also said the IMSS healthcare system is “better” now than it was “before,” asserting that the current situation is not comparable to that when Mikel Arriola was director of the social security institute and public healthcare provider during the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-18).

Sheinbaum pledges to ‘completely modernize’ Mexico’s public healthcare system  

During an address in Umán, Yucatán, on Saturday, Sheinbaum pledged to “completely modernize” Mexico’s public healthcare system, which includes services provided by IMSS, the Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers (ISSSTE) and IMSS Bienestar, which treats patients without social security coverage.

“I already put together a team to completely modernize the healthcare system,” she said.

“… We have to provide results, … and I’m sure we’re going to improve the healthcare service every day,” Sheinbaum said.

President Sheinbaum visited medical facilities on Saturday in Yucatán
President Sheinbaum visited medical facilities on Saturday in Yucatán, where she also pledged a total modernization of Mexico’s public healthcare system. (Presidencia)

“Resources aren’t lacking, money isn’t lacking, but we have to improve the way we’re working because a lot of processes come from 50 or 60 years ago and they haven’t been updated,” she said.

Sheinbaum once again acknowledged that there are problems related to the distribution of medicines to public healthcare facilities, but stressed that her government is working to resolve them, as well as staffing shortages.

“We’re hiring [more] doctors and nurses and guaranteeing the supply of medications,” she said.

Earlier this month, Sheinbaum noted that her government was preparing to launch Mexico’s Universal Health Service on Jan. 1, 2027.

“From Jan. 1, some services are going to be universal and we’re going to increase the [universal] services so that at the end of the six-year term of government, you can go to any healthcare center, doctor’s office or hospital regardless of which institution you are a beneficiary of,” she said on Oct. 6.

Sheinbaum said the “first step” in the process toward the commencement of the Universal Health Service is the issuance of universal healthcare cards. Those cards are currently being issued to seniors ahead of their rollout to younger Mexicans and eligible foreigners.

With reports from La Jornada, Proceso, Latinus and EFE 

Mexican plastic-free makeup line named a top invention of 2026 by TIME

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MND Staff
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AORA makeup
AORA'ss goal is to offer high-end makeup without conventional plastic packaging — a feature that also helped it make history as the first plastic-free brand sold at global beauty retailer Sephora. (AORA)

Published annually since 2000, TIME magazine’s list of the best inventions recognizes products and developments that transform the way we live, work and relate to the world. This year, AORA’s plastic-free cosmetics have been recognized among the top 300 innovations, alongside notable products like Apple’s iPhone Duo and Bosch’s new microplastic filter. 

Announced on Oct. 15, TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026 list highlights AORA’s use of materials such as aluminum, tinplate and wood to manufacture reusable and recyclable packaging. “A sustainable ingredient list rings hollow if the packaging isn’t earth-friendly too,” TIME wrote.

 

Founded in Mexico City in 2022 by Nour Tayara and Rodrigo Peñafiel, AORA has built its identity around bright colors, ingredients of Mexican origin and designs that seek to make beauty products more appealing while reducing reliance on single-use plastic.

Its goal is to offer high-end makeup without conventional plastic packaging — a feature that also helped it make history as the first plastic-free brand sold at global beauty retailer Sephora.  

“The beauty industry is full of trash, and we’re on a mission to change that, not just by eliminating plastic from our products, but by helping clean up the industry’s waste,” Nour Tayara, co-founder of AORA, told Mexico News Daily. 

“We set out to make sustainability sexy, cool, colorful and fun while tackling what seemed impossible: creating incredible makeup people want to cherish, without plastic,” Tayara added. “Years of research, development and innovation later, being named one of TIME’s Best Inventions proves the answer is a big, resounding yes.”

‘Sexy and hot, like Mexico’: How Mexican beauty brand AORA is taking on the global market

To compile the list, TIME gathers nominations from its editors and international correspondents, as well as submissions made online. It then evaluates these proposals based on criteria such as originality, effectiveness, ambition and impact. 

Mexico News Daily

Guadalajara unrest over water crisis intensifies as presumed infiltrators provoke violence

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MND Staff
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GDL water crisis march Oct 2026
For the second time in a week, frustrated Guadalajara residents turned out to protest what they feel is an insufficient effort by state and local authorities to solve the contaminated water crisis that has turned their tap water brown all year. (Fernando Carranza García/Cuartoscuro)

A second major march in a week drew some 10,000 people protesting the unresolved issue of contaminated water in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, but alleged infiltrators turned the otherwise peaceful demonstration violent.

Incidents of vandalism and looting occurred along the route of the march in downtown Guadalajara, which culminated with Molotov cocktails being hurled at the state Congress building.

GDL water protest
While last week’s march was marred by alleged police overreaction that is being investigated, the follow-up demonstration Sunday included rock throwing and explosives that damaged nearby businesses, which participants blame on masked infiltrators unaligned with the protest. (Fernando Carranza García/Cuartoscuro)

State police officers, riot squads and emergency personnel were immediately deployed to the area to extinguish the flames, prevent protesters from forcibly entering the government building and ensure the safety of the administrative staff and legislators present.

Participants insisted the vandals were not part of the protest group, some speculating they were agitators sent by the Citizens’ Movement party (MC) — the dominant political group in the state — to discredit the demonstration. Others suggested the provocateurs were sponsored by the nationally dominant Morena party in an effort to weaken the MC ahead of next year’s elections.

The newspaper La Jornada reported that citizens themselves drove out a group of at least 30 masked individuals before the march began, while also confiscating firecrackers, clubs and Molotov cocktails.

The protest started two hours later than planned as organizers sought to remove those identified as potential instigators.

Even so, a masked group of people trailed the march through the Historic Center, hurling firecrackers, looting shops and spray-painting buildings.

“At least six restaurants, department stores and sporting goods stores were damaged by acts of vandalism, graffiti, broken windows and looting,” the state government reported later Sunday. 

The government also reported five arrests, adding that another eight people required medical attention. 

By 2 p.m., the peaceful protesters had filled the Plaza de Armas, making the march one of the largest on record since Governor Pablo Lemus came to power in December 2024.

While banners demanding clean water fluttered in the breeze, cries of “Resign, Lemus” and chants for a recall referendum filled the square.

By then, the agitators had begun hurling rocks and explosives at the Congress building about three blocks away.

Sunday’s protest took place a week after the first mass demonstration was met with repressive tactics by state authorities who pepper-sprayed demonstrators and turned high-pressure fire hoses on the crowds. Dozens were beaten and arrested.

Governor Lemus subsequently apologized for the heavy-handed tactics, released those who had been detained and ordered an investigation. 

This time around, there was minimal police presence until the violence began.

Later Sunday, Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro, a native of Guadalajara, declared his support for the protesters during his appearance at the Morelia International Film Festival.

With reports from La Jornada, Reporte Indigo and UDG-TV

Former Chihuahua AG arrested on treason, conspiracy charges in connection with illegal CIA operation

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MND Staff
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César Jáuregui
If convicted, César Jáuregui faces a prison sentence of five to 40 years. (Manuel Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)

The former attorney general of Chihuahua, César Jáuregui, was taken into federal custody Sunday on a charge of treason related to allegations that U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers participated in a drug lab raid in Chihuahua in April without the knowledge or authorization of the Mexican government.

Jáuregui, Chihuahua’s attorney general from January 2023 until his resignation in April 2026, was detained by Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) agents in Chihuahua city Sunday night after appearing in a state court on two charges brought by the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office: unlawful exercise of public office and conspiracy by public officials.

Sheinbaum blames state officials as new evidence shows CIA joined multiple security operations in Chihuahua this year

He was subsequently flown to Toluca, México state, and transferred to the Altiplano federal prison, located northwest of Toluca, on Monday morning.

Jáuregui was first arrested on state and federal charges on Saturday. On Sunday night, a judge ruled that he did not need to be held in pretrial detention on the state charges. However, any hope Jáuregui had of regaining his freedom was short-lived, as federal agents took him into custody on the federal treason charge.

The treason charge stems from the allegation that the ex-attorney general allowed CIA officers to participate in a drug lab raid without authorization from the Mexican government. If convicted, Jáuregui faces a prison sentence of five to 40 years.

His arrest came six months after four CIA agents allegedly participated in a drug lab raid led by Chihuahua’s State Investigation Agency (AEI). Two CIA agents and two Chihuahua state police officials, including the head of the AEI, died in a car accident after the operation was carried out in the municipality of Morelos, located in the Sierra Tarahumara.

President Claudia Sheinbaum assigned most of the blame for the allegedly illegal security collaboration between Chihuahua and the United States to Chihuahua authorities, although she also accused the U.S. government of interference in Mexican affairs.

Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos said in May that she didn’t authorize or have knowledge of the presence of the CIA in the northern border state. If CIA officers did indeed participate in the drug lab operation, their involvement would have violated Mexico’s Constitution and National Security Law, according to federal authorities.

According to a report published by The Los Angeles Times in April, the raid in Chihuahua on the weekend of April 18 and 19 was “at least the third time this year that CIA operatives joined authorities in the northern border state of Chihuahua in an operation against a drug target.”

Guillermo Arturo Zuany Portillo, former head of the Strategic Operations division of the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office, is wanted in connection with the drug lab raid in April, but has not yet been detained.

Godoy: ‘No justification whatsoever’ for the CIA agents’ participation in the drug lab raid 

In a video message on Saturday, federal Attorney General Ernestina Godoy described the drug lab raid in Chihuahua in April as an “irregular operation” that constituted “an attack on the federal pact and the separation of powers.”

“It should be noted that our Constitution and the National Security Law restrict states’ ability to assume powers reserved to the federal government or to transfer governmental powers to foreign authorities,” she said.

Mensaje sobre orden de aprehensión contra César “N”. 171026

Godoy said that an FGR investigation determined that Jáuregui allegedly engaged in conduct that could constitute the offense of treason.

“This is because he allegedly allowed foreign nationals to operate without authorization on Mexican territory and to carry out activities reserved exclusively for federal forces,” she said.

“This undermines the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as such conduct is expressly prohibited by the Constitution,” Godoy said.

“It is clearly established in the investigation file, including through information provided by the [Chihuahua] State Attorney General’s Office itself, that the participation in the operation by these foreigners had no justification whatsoever,” she said.

“… State authorities lacked the legal authority to carry out activities reserved exclusively for the federal government,” Godoy said, referring to the dismantlement of drug labs.

“The National Security Law expressly prohibits states from doing so.”

The attorney general also said that Jáuregui allegedly “concealed information” from federal authorities.

“The State Attorney General’s Office, through its head, was required to inform the federal government [about the operation]. It did not do so,” Godoy said.

Sheinbaum: FGR is investigating Jáuregui’s alleged involvement in ‘other matters’ 

At her Monday morning press conference, Sheinbaum also said that the Chihuahua state government doesn’t have the authority to “dismantle a [drug] laboratory.”

“The Federal Attorney General’s Office has that authority,” she said.

“… The truth is that it was very irresponsible, to say the least, to not only allow the participation of foreign agents, against the law, in a ground operation, but also to do so in the way they did,” Sheinbaum said, highlighting that Chihuahua officials and CIA agents traveled on a dangerous, winding road at night after the drug lab raid.

After lamenting the deaths that occurred as a result of the accident on the road, she reiterated that the operation was “very irresponsible”

“In addition, they were violating the law because they didn’t inform [federal authorities] and ground operations by foreign agencies aren’t allowed,” Sheinbaum said.

“… The Federal Attorney General’s Office is investigating and based on what … [Godoy] tells me, those investigations haven’t finished because they’re investigating this ex-attorney general … for his involvement in other matters. The Attorney General’s Office will have to report [on that],” she said.

“This is important and it’s also good that the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting an attorney general who broke the law,” Sheinbaum said.

She added that, as far as she is aware, the FGR doesn’t have any evidence that links Governor Campos to state authorities’ alleged authorization of the CIA’s participation in a security operation in Chihuahua.

“That’s what I know so far. It’s up to the Federal Attorney General’s Office to clarify,” Sheinbaum said.

With reports from Reforma, La Jornada and El Universal 

Army detains ‘El Talibán’ and 4 others in Vizsla Silver kidnapping case

By
MND Staff
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Jesús Abraham “N,” also known as “El Talibán”
Jesús Abraham “N,” also known as “El Talibán,” is believed to be a trusted associate of Juan Benito “N”, alias “Beny 17,” Los Chapitos’s regional leader in southern Sinaloa. (@GabSeguridadMX/X)

Members of Mexico’s Ministry of National Defense (Defensa) arrested five alleged members of the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, seizing weapons, a vehicle and tactical equipment, in two separate operations on Friday and Saturday.

Those arrested are suspected of involvement both in the kidnapping of 10 employees of the Canadian mining company Vizsla Silver in Concordia, Sinaloa, in January and in the abduction of four tourists from México state in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, in February. 

An engineer, Antonio Ezparza, remains missing. Nine others have been found dead. (Social media)

Among those arrested was Jesús Abraham “N,” also known as “El Talibán,” who is believed to be a trusted associate of Juan Benito “N”, alias “Beny 17,” Los Chapitos’s regional leader in southern Sinaloa. 

Four additional men were arrested, including a Colombian citizen, in a separate operation in the municipality of El Rosario, located approximately 70 kilometers south of Concordia and Mazatlán.

According to Defensa, all four are security personnel of Óscar Luciano Martínez Larios, known by the names of “El Casco” (the helmet) and “El 81,” who allegedly leads a cell of Los Chapitos in Sinaloa. Martínez Larios is also reportedly part of the “Los Hermanos Martínez” (The Martínez Brothers) criminal group, whose membership also includes Gabriel Nicolás Martínez Larios, arrested in June of this year, and Eduardo Jonathan Martínez, who was killed on Oct. 9 during an armed riot at the “El Castillo” prison in Mazatlán. 

Los Chapitos are accused of orchestrating the kidnapping of the 10 Vizsla Silver workers on Jan. 23 after allegedly mistaking them for members of the rival group “Los Mayos.” Nine of the ten workers have since been found dead, while the tenth remains missing. 

The criminal group has also been linked to the kidnapping of four tourists on Feb. 3 when six members of the same family from Santa Ana Ixtlahuaca in México state were intercepted by armed men on Sábalo-Cerritos Avenue in Mazatlán after renting off-road vehicles to explore the area.

A 28-year-old woman and a nine-year-old girl were rescued alive the following day in the town of El Habal, while the remaining four brothers remain missing, despite significant media attention to the case and multiple search operations. 

The five arrests made this weekend bring the total number of arrests in the Vizsla Silver case to 19. The Sinaloa Attorney General’s Office is conducting further investigations to determine the next steps of the case.  

With reports from La Jornada, Infobae and El Economista

MND Local Guadalajara: New water protest draws thousands, Zapopan officials scrutinized over abandoned pet euthanasia

By
Dawn Stoner
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Protesters raise fists in solidarity at Guadalajara water protest.
Thousands of protesters turned out for the second clean water mega-march, pushing for government action during the ongoing Guadalajara water crisis. (Dawn Stoner)

This week, we take a look at local authorities in Zapopan who have come under fire for the city’s heavy reliance on euthanasia of homeless cats and dogs. But first, we have details on the second mega-march for clean water in Guadalajara this past weekend.

Guadalajara residents turn out in force for second clean water march

The second march for clean water on Sunday, Oct. 18, drew thousands of residents from across the metropolitan area.

Protesters hold up signs condemning government inaction, including by governor Pablo Lemus, in the second march against the Guadalajara water crisis.
Water protesters in Guadalajara carried signs reflective of their impatience with contaminated tap water and the lack of progress by public officials in fixing the problem. (Dawn Stoner)

Protesters for the latest rally gathered at Parque Rojo along Avenida Vallarta and marched to the Government Palace in Guadalajara’s historic center in yet another attempt to pressure the city to improve the public water supply.

The vibe Sunday was more political and defiant than at the march a week earlier. There were notably fewer elderly and child attendees this past week in light of the violence that broke out at the protest on Oct. 11.

In addition to calling for improvements to the city’s water, attendees were vocal in demanding justice for those detained during the Oct. 11 march. Numerous signs called for the ouster of Governor Pablo Lemus.

Sheinbaum commits federal help to Guadalajara water crisis, presses Jalisco on protest crackdown: Monday’s mañanera recapped

Second march monitored for human rights abuses

Many have condemned aggressive policing of protesters at the Oct. 11 rally. Officers’ use of tear gas, water cannons and brutal tactics on unarmed attendees resulted in numerous serious injuries.

The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) sent staff to monitor Sunday’s march while calling on the Jalisco state government to guarantee citizens’ rights to free expression and peaceful demonstration.

Protesters’ signs shared a mixture of sentiments. Some expressed anger over the prior week’s violence and vitriol toward Lemus. Others chanted for Lemus’ ouster, while many more signs simply decried the continued poor quality of public water supplies and warned that privatization was not an acceptable solution to the crisis.

Guadalajara’s water crisis reaches a boiling point

At various times, march organizers called on attendees to support those who had been detained and beaten for speaking out against the failure to deliver clean water by the Inter-Municipal Services for Water Supply and Sewerage (SIAPA). Many raised their fists in solidarity, while others knelt in a display of respect and gratitude.

Organizers could also be heard reminding the crowd that they were gathered in peace. Still, numerous attendees brought gas masks and goggles, not knowing what to expect.

The latest protest also included a handful of masked people — a so-called “black bloc” — who started throwing firecrackers and Molotov cocktails near Parque Rojo amid the gathered protesters. Organizers briefly paused the march while those individuals were expelled from the group. I personally witnessed numerous explosive devices detonating on Avenida Vallarta.

Protesters hold up "Agua y Libertad" banner during a protest against the ongoing Guadalajara water crisis
Water rationing has already been announced as Guadalajara tries to tackle its systemic water issues. (Dawn Stoner)

Some of these masked people later reportedly vandalized and looted several area businesses.

Instead of addressing the root causes of pet abandonment, Zapopan punishes animals

Zapopan’s city government earlier this month confirmed that it has euthanized 14,016 dogs and cats over the past four years, citing the need to eliminate health risks and remove aggressive animals from city streets.

This amounted to nearly 10 animal exterminations per day, every day, between 2022 and 2026, at the ironically named Zapopan Comprehensive Animal Health Center (CISAZ) located in the Jardines del Vergel neighborhood.

Amada Yamile Lofte Galán, director of animal protection for Zapopan, stated that euthanasia is carried out only on homeless animals exhibiting aggressive behavior, based on citizen reports. She also confirmed that Zapopan assists nine other municipalities with euthanasia. While not publicly identified, these cities most likely include neighboring Guadalajara, Tlaquepaque, Tlajomulco and Tonalá.

Low adoption rates trigger fierce legislative backlash

Galán also stated that the animals create trash and pose a risk to other animals, as most are not sterilized or vaccinated. While these observations are generally true, she has not addressed why the city has put so little effort into sterilization and adoption.

Since 2022, Zapopan has completed fewer than 150 adoptions annually. Unsurprisingly, Zapopan’s pitiful adoption record has fueled an outcry from several public officials and animal activists. One prominent critic is state legislator Tonantzin Cárdenas Méndez, who recently offered a new initiative to Jalisco’s State Congress.

street dog curled up next to a mexican road in morelos
Over 14,000 dogs and cats have been put to sleep by Zapopan city officials in the last four years alone. (Margarito Pérez Retana/Cuartoscuro)

Citing ongoing activities at CISAZ, Méndez condemned its practice of prioritizing euthanasia over adoption. “Article 39 of the Zapopan Regulations states that euthanasia is permitted after five business days (in city custody) if an animal has not been claimed,” she noted.

This amounts to a death sentence for nearly all of the animals taken into custody, as the statistics confirm. Since 2022, Zapopan has adopted just 4% of the animals city workers have taken off the streets, while killing the other 96%.

Critics demand structural reforms to animal welfare laws

Moreover, because there is no transparency in CISAZ’s system as to when animals are acquired or exterminated, independent observers cannot verify whether the city is even complying with its own minimum standards.

Méndez also called out the City Council’s published goal (it appeared within the administration’s budget matrix) of euthanizing 3,300 animals in 2026. She questioned why they set a death goal rather than something more humane, such as an adoption goal.

Underscoring the city’s seeming indifference to animal welfare, others have faulted CISAZ’s lack of proper hygiene, food and shelter for the animals in its care, as well as its failure to address any of the causes of animal homelessness, namely pet abandonments and low sterilization rates.

Méndez’s initiative to standardize the Federal Animal Health Law seeks to integrate with other previous animal welfare proposals, including a measure by legislator Itzul Barrera.

Their reforms call for new restrictions on euthanasia, limiting it to cases of animal illness, injury or serious untreatable conditions.

MND writer Dawn Stoner is reporting from Guadalajara.

The deadly brain-eating amoeba that killed a Mérida man has now been detected in 6 artificial lakes

By
MND Staff
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Entrance to Parque Ecológico del Poniente en Mérida, Yucatán
Mérida's Poniente Ecological Park is one of the sites in the area where the brain-eating amoeba has been detected in an aritficial lake. (Mérida Gobernación/Facebook)

Health authorities in the state of Yucatán have detected in six artificial lakes the same brain-eating amoeba that caused the death of a 34-year-old man last month. All six lakes have been closed. 

State officials ordered an investigation after an aquatic sports instructor was determined to have died in the state capital of Mérida last month from Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba which causes a rare and nearly always fatal brain infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).

Naegleria fowleri,
The brain-infecting amoeba Naegleria fowleri, as seen under a microscope. (Sciencephotos.com)

The authorities say it is the first — and so far only— death recorded in the state, famous for freshwater sinkholes known as cenotes. They said in a public statement that the organism is contained and poses no further risk. 

The government also increased health surveillance protocols.

After the death was confirmed as being caused by the brain-eating amoeba, tests were conducted at artificial lakes in and near Mérida. The organism was found in six of the nine lakes examined.

Naegleria fowleri thrives in stagnant freshwater in lakes, rivers, ponds and hot springs, especially between 35 and 46 degrees Celsius (95-115 F).

State Health Minister Alberto Alcocer urged the public to contact health personnel if they have been in contact with water from the six artifical lakes in the following five locations: Plaza La Isla (where the parasite was originally detected), the Cabo Norte complex (two) , the Centenario Zoo, the Gran Parque La Plancha and the Poniente Ecological Park.

“Finding this amoeba in the environment does not indicate an epidemic or that people who visited these places are sick,” Alcocer said.

The amoeba enters the body when water containing the organism goes up the nose. It then travels up the olfactory nerve directly to the brain, where it destroys brain tissue and causes severe swelling.

The contaminated areas have been marked with barriers and warning signs, and users are strictly prohibited from coming into contact with the water. Remediation efforts in collaboration with specialists from the Autonomous University of Yucatán and the Instituto Politécnico Nacional have already begun.

Additionally, the state government opened an investigation against the companies in charge of the maintenance and water quality of the lake at Plaza la Isla, the site at which the victim had been teaching wakeboarding.

With reports from El País and El Economista

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