Is hurricane season in Los Cabos getting longer?

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September 27, 2025

A hurricane map over Los Cabos — With climate change and global warming rapidly taking effect, Los Cabos is set to get hotter, wetter and windier in the coming years. What should residents expect? (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

If you’re a year-round resident of Los Cabos, September is likely the month when you spend the most time looking at weather reports. Yes, the weather here is gorgeous for nine months per year. But for a hot seasonal spell, August through October, tropical storms or even hurricanes are a distinct possibility. September, most of all, since historically speaking, more storms have affected Baja California Sur during this month than at any other time.

Thus, during this stormier season, like most residents, I am a frequent seasonal visitor to the National Hurricane Center and other weather-related websites. However, this year, my research has been more in-depth than usual. Why? Because through conversations with neighbors, I’ve been alerted to the possibility that hurricane season may be getting longer. No, not officially. Hurricane season in Los Cabos, and indeed the entirety of the Eastern Pacific region, has remained the same — May 15 to November 30 — since 1962. That being the year those calendar parameters were first established by the U.S. Navy Fleet Weather Center. Rather, such speculations are based purely on climate change and its possible effects. Here’s what I’ve found out.

Hurricane season will probably get longer, but not soon and not by much

By the year 2100, the hurricane season in Los Cabos will have stretched beyond its traditional close at the end of November into early December.

When a 2015 study was published in the “Journal of Climate,” the projections given for how hurricane season will change during the remainder of the 21st century varied widely according to the modeling methodologies used. Some models showed hurricane season getting longer, but at least one, using High-resolution atmospheric models (HIRAM), actually saw it getting shorter in many regions, including the Eastern Pacific.

However, more recent studies, like the 2021 one in “Oceans,” paint a clearer picture. Hurricane season will get longer by six days in the Eastern Pacific by the end of the century (but only by one day by 2040). But since hurricane season already comprises more than half of every year, a few more days being added over the next 75 years shouldn’t be the key takeaway from this latest research. Rather, what’s really important is the revelation that a) peak activity is going to happen sooner in the coming decades (think August instead of September), and b) that storms are going to get significantly stronger.

Peak hurricane activity will happen sooner in the coming decades

As previously mentioned, September is the month to watch in Los Cabos in terms of tropical storm activity, as over the years, more storms have affected the region during this month than in August and October combined. However, by 2100, it’s projected that the period of peak storm activity in Los Cabos will increasingly shift forward in the calendar, moving from September to mid-to-late August.

This trend was identified in a 2023 article in Nature, which noted “a significant seasonal advance of intense TCs (tropical cyclones) since the 1980s in most tropical oceans, with earlier-shifting rates of 3.7 and 3.2 days per decade for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, respectively.” Indeed, by the year 2090, peak storm activity will have moved up by an estimated 8-10 days.

There will likely be fewer storms, but they’ll be stronger

The good news is that the number of named storms in the Eastern Pacific region will decrease slightly on an annual basis moving forward. From 1991 to 2020, there were 15.4 named storms, on average, each year. By 2050, that number will decline to 14.8, and by the end of the century, it will only be 13.7.

The bad news is that because of rising ocean temperatures — up 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 125 years — plus other factors, storms are projected to increase in strength. Yes, this is the scary part. As ScienceBrief pointed out in 2021: “The proportion of category 4-5 storms is projected to increase substantially under a warming climate.”

Peak tropical storm activity in Los Cabos will occur earlier in the coming decades, pushing it from September into August.

Indeed, the largest increase in maximum wind speeds is expected to take place in the Eastern Pacific region, with an intensity of 7.7 more meters per second (equivalent to 17.24 miles per hour) above the baseline average. This increased intensity will help push storms into higher categories, lifting tropical storms into hurricane status, and elevating what would have been hurricanes into major hurricanes.

These stronger storms will also bring more rain, with a 40% increase in precipitation over Northern Mexico expected in the coming decades.

Los Cabos will get hotter by the end of the century

As long as we’re discussing climate change in Los Cabos, we might as well address the elephant in the room: that being increasingly rising temperatures. Concerningly, Mexico as a country is warming well above the global average, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) reports, heating up 3.2 degrees Celsius (5.76 degrees Fahrenheit) per century, compared to 2 degrees for the world at large.

As for Los Cabos, data gathered from weather stations and extrapolated in the 2021 study “Climate Change and Extreme Temperature Trends in the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico,” suggests that Cabo San Lucas will see temperatures increasing by 0.406 degrees Celsius (0.731 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade. Although temperatures are increasing throughout the peninsula, the study notes that Cabo San Lucas was one of the places “where a statistically significant trend of increasing maximum temperatures was determined.”

Thus, based on this warming trend, it’s possible to project that average August temperatures of 92.7 degrees Fahrenheit in Cabo San Lucas could exceed 96 degrees by the end of the 21st century. Although such projections don’t exist specifically for San José del Cabo (at least that I could find), it bears noting that temperatures there are traditionally even hotter (by 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit) than those in Cabo San Lucas, since the latter benefits from cooling Pacific Ocean breezes.

So it’ll be hotter, with longer hurricane seasons, stronger storms and more rain. Oh, the sea level is rising, too. Currently, only at a rate of 2.60 millimeters per year. But that will accelerate in the years to come, like seemingly everything else.

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

MND Tutor | Terremoto

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MND Plus

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September 27, 2025

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Welcome to MND Tutor! This interactive learning tool is designed to help you improve your Spanish by exploring real news articles from Mexico News Daily. Instead of just memorizing vocabulary lists or grammar rules, you’ll dive into authentic stories about Mexican culture, current events, and daily life… What better way to learn Spanish?

The Mexico City earthquake of 1985 was the most devastating moment in the country’s modern history. The 8.0 quake and several strong aftershocks turned most of the city’s high-rise buildings to rubble, killing tens of thousands of people.

As a result of the disaster, the capital of today is a well-constructed, safe metropolis, with early-warning systems and strict architectural requirements to ensure that if another major earthquake occurs, residents will be ready. Every year on the anniversary of the event, survivors gather to share stories and remember those who were lost in the disaster.

Learn about this momentous event in the latest instalation of our educational Spanish series, and familiarize yourself not only with Mexico’s language, but its history too.

To get started, choose your level of Spanish:

🌵 Choose your level of Spanish

Let us know how you did!

Less violence, more tariffs and the 11-year-old Ayotzinapa case: Friday’s mañanera recapped

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MND Staff

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September 26, 2025

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Pressident SHeinbau — A reporter raises a hand to ask a questiom of President Sheinbaum at her morning press conference Friday, the 11th anniversary of the Ayotzinapa kidnapping of 43 students, for whom she reiterated her goal of bringing justice. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro.com)

Murders, tariffs, Mexico’s relationship with China and the 11-year-old Ayotzinapa case involving the disappearance of 43 students were among the topics President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Friday morning press conference.

Later on Friday, Sheinbaum traveled to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, where she delivered yet another speech on her nationwide “accountability tour.”

Thursday was Mexico’s least violent day in years

Just before the end of her mañanera, Sheinbaum acknowledged that 37 homicides were recorded on Thursday.

“Yesterday was the lowest number of homicides for at least 10 years, I think,” she said before conceding that she wasn’t sure that Thursday was actually the least violent day in a decade.

“Let us know,” Sheinbaum said.

In fact, the murder count on Thursday was the lowest number of homicides on a single day in Mexico since December 2018, or almost seven years, according to media reports. Twelve of Mexico’s 32 federal entities reported no homicides on Thursday, while Guanajuato recorded the highest number with six.

At Friday’s mañanera, President Sheinbaum again insisted that her proposed tariffs on Asian cars were based on strengthening the Mexican economy and had nothing to do with “coercion” from the U.S. But it’s true that her tariff announcement at least coincided with ongoing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
(Juan Carlos Buenrostro / Presidencia)

Sheinbaum played down the importance of the (comparably) low number of homicides on Thursday, a figure 46% below the daily average in the first eight months of 2025.

She indicated that she was more interested in seeing the homicide data for the entire month of September, before noting that the number of murders in August was 32% lower than September 2024, the last month of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s presidency.

In the first eight months of 2025, the average daily homicide rate was almost 25% lower than the daily average during 2024.

Sheinbaum has attributed the decline in homicides to the effectiveness of her government’s security strategy. On Friday morning, she said that “this idea” that not all homicides are being reported by the federal government is “false.”

‘We have very good relations with China,’ and tariffs are ‘a matter of strengthening our economy’

Sheinbaum noted that Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard met on Thursday with China’s ambassador to Mexico.

The meeting took place two weeks after the president sent a proposal to Congress to implement tariffs of up to 50% on a wide range of goods from China and other countries with which Mexico doesn’t have trade agreements. This week, China’s Commerce Ministry initiated an investigation into the higher tariffs Mexico intends to implement.

Sheinbaum said that her government is proposing “high-level” talks with China on the issue, but she didn’t indicate any willingness to consider easing the proposed duties.

“Why was this decision taken? In [a period of] about four years, imports to our country [from China] increased by nearly 83% and [our] exports also increased. And what we want, … [with] Plan México, is to produce more in Mexico in order to have a trade balance where imports are not equal to exports,” she said, explaining that the goal is to maintain an overall trade surplus.

“At the moment we have a positive balance of trade,” Sheinbaum said before noting that the surplus is only “small.”

“… We want it to be bigger,” she said.

sheinbaum in a car in Chihuahua — Later in the day the president traveled to the border city of Ciudad Juárez as part of her campaign to deliver her Informe in person across the nation. (Pedro Anza/Cuartoscuro.com)

“… And that is the objective of the [proposed] tariffs,” Sheinbaum said, asserting that they are not specifically targeted at China as they will apply to all countries with which Mexico doesn’t have trade agreements.

“Obviously we’re interested in having dialogue [with those countries],” she said, adding that her government wants China to “understand” Mexico’s “situation.”

China has asserted that Mexico is acting “under coercion” from the United States “to constrain China,” but Mexican officials say that the primary goals of the proposed tariffs are to protect Mexican industry and reduce reliance on imports.

However, Mexico has faced pressure from the United States, and Canada, over its trade relationship with China as well as growing Chinese investment here. The decision to impose higher tariffs on imports from China, along with some other government measures and certain remarks by Mexican officials, indicate that Mexico is indeed yielding to that pressure — at least to some extent — ahead of the 2026 review of the USMCA free trade pact.

Despite Mexico’s less than uber-friendly attitude toward the East Asian economic powerhouse, Sheinbaum asserted on Friday that “we have very good relations with China.”

The decision to impose new tariffs on imports from that country and others is simply “a matter of strengthening our economy,” she said.

Sheinbaum restates her commitment to ‘truth and justice’ in Ayotzinapa case

On the 11th anniversary of the disappearance of 43 teachers’ college students in Guerrero, Sheinbaum reiterated her commitment to finding the “truth” and achieving “justice” in the unresolved case.

“We’re working on that,” she said. “There is a new special prosecutor. We have meetings with the families, with the mothers and fathers of the Ayotzinapa students.”

“Our commitment is to do everything in our power to reach the truth and justice, and to find the young men,” Sheinbaum said.

The remains of just three of the 43 students have been found. The young men were abducted in Iguala, Guerrero, on Sept. 26, 2014, and presumably killed some time after that.

The case — in which the army, municipal police and a crime gang called Guerreros Unidos were allegedly involved — shocked Mexico and triggered huge protests against the government of then-president Enrique Peña Nieto.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

11 years after the Ayotzinapa mass kidnapping, protesters demand answers in Mexico City ‘mega-march’

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MND Staff

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September 26, 2025

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mob protesting — A series of protests culminated in a mega-march Friday, the 11th anniversary of the mass kidnappiing in Iguala, Guerrero, of 43 students of the nearby Ayotzinapa teachers school. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro.com)

Mexico City authorities braced for potential violence ahead of Friday’s “mega-march” commemorating the 11th anniversary of the disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College in Guerrero.

The march’s planned route follows 4.2 kilometers from the Angel of Independence Monument on Paseo de la Reforma Avenue to the National Palace, which was sealed off with metal fences. Roughly 3,000 protesters are expected to attend, the publication Milenio reported. As of 5 p.m. local time, no attendance estimates were available.

protesters at teh Camp Militar — An earlier protest gathered outside the Campo Militar, where acts of violence took place that were later condmened by President Claudia Sheinbaum. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro.com)

In addition to demanding justice for the 43, this week’s demonstrations aim to highlight other forced disappearances and human rights violations that continue to occur in the country.

Other rallies took place on Friday morning, prompting city authorities to close off downtown streets, shutter federal ministries and protect historic structures in hopes of discouraging violence.

President Claudia Sheinbaum met with parents of the missing students on Sept. 4, but the families left the meeting disappointed, insisting that far from progress in the case, there was regression.

Sheinbaum created a new investigative unit to review the still unresolved case in March, but has little to show for it.

“We’re working on it,” she said Friday morning. “There’s a new special prosecutor … and we’re committed to doing everything possible to uncover the truth and provide justice.”

Even as Sheinbaum reiterated her promise to provide “truth and justice” to family members of the “disappeared,” she condemned Thursday’s violence at a notorious military installation in Mexico City.

Ayotizinapa protesters had gathered at the Campo Militar No. 1 in western Mexico City as part of the mobilizations organized ahead of Friday’s mega-march.

“We do not condone violence,” she said. “We are not going to be provoked into repressive action, but we do not agree with actions like we saw yesterday.”

The military base was a clandestine prison during the “Dirty War” of the 1970s and students detained there after the 1968 protests were tortured at the camp.

On Wednesday, another demonstration was held outside the Foreign Relations Ministry (SRE) building.

Metal fences were erected in front of the National Palace on the east side of the Zócalo, the planned ending point of Friday’s march. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro.com)

Students from the teachers’ college carried posters featuring the faces of their missing schoolmates while shouting slogans demanding justice. They also demanded that the SRE take action to repatriate suspects who fled abroad.

One such suspect, Tomás Zerón, has taken refuge in Israel. The country has refused to extradite him despite pleas from Sheinbaum to return him to Mexico. Zerón, the director of the Criminal Investigation Agency from 2013-2016, faces accusations of abduction, torture and tampering with evidence related to the Ayotzinapa case.

Thursday’s protest at the military installation turned violent when students crashed a cargo truck against the main gate in an effort to gain entry. When that failed, they set the truck ablaze and tossed fireworks at the wall.

Earlier, parents of the 43 “disappeared” young men led a rally outside the military camp, calling on the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to follow lines of investigation implicating military personnel.

The families of the disappeared continue to believe the military was involved in the Ayotzinapa case — either by omission or commission — and are frustrated over the arrest and release of suspects, including military personnel, that have beleaguered the investigation.

The protesters also reiterated their demand that the Army hand over hundreds of pages of so-called classified documents that allegedly contain information about the tragic incident in Iguala, Guerrero.

Sheinbaum has the authority to order the military to release the documents, but she has said that the Army already turned over all relevant information. However, members of an Inter-American Commission on Human Rights team that investigated the incident insist otherwise.

With reports from El Sol de México, Milenio, N+, Sin Embargo and Infobae

Central bank cuts interest rate to 7.5%, lowest since May 2022

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MND Staff

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September 26, 2025

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G05Vug-agAAh6VA — After 10 straight rate cuts, the central bank has cut the interest rate to its lowest level in three and a half years. (Banxico)

For the 10th consecutive meeting, Mexico’s central bank (Banxico) lowered its benchmark interest rate on Thursday, reducing it by 25 basis points to its lowest level since May 2022.

In a 4–1 vote, Banxico’s monetary policy committee reduced the overnight interbank interest rate to 7.5%, following a rate cut of the same amount by the US Federal Reserve on Sept. 17.

Lower interest rates tend to raise the risk of inflation, and the central bank made its cut this week even though core inflation hit 4.26% in the first half of September. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro.com)

The reduction was approved, Banxico noted, while “economic activity exhibited sluggishness at the beginning of the third quarter of 2025” amid ongoing concerns about global trade tensions.

Banxico faces the twin tasks of reducing inflation and stimulating the economy amid weak economic growth, while also factoring fluctuating global trade policies into the equation.

The concern is that while a monetary easing policy could spur the economy, it could also fuel inflation in Latin America’s second largest economy.

Headline inflation crept up to 3.57% in August from 3.51% in July and data released on Wednesday showed that annual core inflation — which has been rising in recent months — hit 4.26% in the first half of September.

Headline inflation — which also rose during the first two weeks of September — reflects price changes for all goods and services, while core inflation excludes volatile items like food and energy to show the underlying, longer-term inflation trend.

The news agency Reuters interpreted Thursday’s decision to reduce the interest rate by a quarter-point — instead of the half-point reduction that Banxico had decided on four times earlier this year — as an indication that the bank has “concerns about sticky inflation, particularly the closely-watched core index.”

Further demonstrating this concern in an updated inflation forecast released on Thursday, Banxico raised its estimate for year-end annual core inflation to 4.0% in the fourth quarter, up from its previous estimate of 3.7%.

While expressing unease that Banxico might be overlooking persistent core inflation pressures, Alberto Ramos, managing director at Goldman Sachs, said in a note to clients that he expects two more rate cuts of 25 basis points before the end of the year.

Gabriela Siller, head of analysis at Banco Base in Mexico City, concurred, saying in a post on X that “it is noteworthy that [Banxico’s] forward guidance remains unchanged, implying that the governing board remains open to further interest rate cuts.”

Banxico has two more meetings on its 2025 calendar (Nov. 6 and Dec. 18), which suggests the interest rate could finish the year at 7%.

With reports from El Financiero, Trading Economics and Reuters

New US tariff threatens Mexico’s automotive industry starting Oct. 1

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MND Staff

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September 26, 2025

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semi trucks at night — The new 25% U.S. tariff on imported heavy vehicles could damage Mexico's automotive industry unless it is found to be exempt due to the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement. (Shutterstock)

Another tariff threat hangs over Mexico’s automotive after U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a 25% tariff on heavy truck imports. The measure, set to go into effect Oct. 1, will have a significant impact on Mexico unless some or all Mexican products receive exemptions based on the USMCA free trade agreement.

It is unclear, however, if the duties will apply to Canada- or Mexico-made trucks that are compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Without that exemption, Mexico will be severely affected.

Mexico was the largest exporter of medium- and heavy-duty trucks to the U.S. last year, accounting for 78% of the market. (Omar Martínez/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico was the largest exporter of medium- and heavy-duty trucks to the U.S. last year (78% of the market), followed by Canada, Japan, Germany and Turkey, according to the International Trade Administration.

Claiming the sweeping new tariffs are designed to protect U.S. manufacturing and national security, Trump said they also include 100% duties on branded drugs and 30% levies on furniture.

Mexico is home to 14 manufacturers and assemblers of buses, trucks and tractor trucks, and two manufacturers of engines, NBC News reported. It is also the leading global exporter of tractor trucks, 95% of which are destined for the United States.

Juan Carlos Baker, CEO of Ansley Consultants, told transportation industry publication T21 that the immediate effect is that Mexican trucks and tractor-trailers will be more expensive when exported to the United States, though the direct impact on competitiveness and future investments remains to be seen.

Tariffs would likely affect Chrysler-parent Stellantis, which produces its popular heavy-duty Ram trucks as well as commercial vans in Mexico. Sweden’s Volvo Group is building a US $700 million heavy-truck factory in Monterrey that is set to start operations in 2026.

Trump said the new tariff on heavy trucks imported into the United States is designed to level the playing field for the U.S. truck-making industry which has suffered “from the onslaught of external disruptions” and “unfair foreign competition.”

CNN reported that U.S. truckmakers have been hit relentlessly by the White House’s compounding tariff.

Steel and aluminum tariffs applied in June have raised the price of all metals — both imported and domestic. As a result, some U.S.-built trucks are more costly than trucks made by foreign manufacturers.

Thursday’s announcement came about after a U.S. Commerce Department (DOC) investigation which Trump ordered to determine whether medium-duty and heavy-duty truck imports pose a national security threat.

Mexico voiced opposition to the investigation, telling the DOC in May that all Mexican trucks exported to the United States have on average 50% U.S. content, including diesel engines.

A truck factory — Mexico is home to 14 manufacturers and assemblers of buses, trucks and tractor trucks. (via FreightWaves)

Trump insisted the tariffs will protect the U.S. truck-making industry, adding that “we need our truckers to be financially sound and healthy, for many reasons, but above all, for national security.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce questioned that claim, saying that imports of commercial trucks and parts used in their manufacture are sourced overwhelmingly from U.S. allies, “posing no threat to U.S. national security.”

The Chamber said manufacturers should not be penalized with tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada after making significant investments and adjustments to overcome [supply chain] challenges.

Last year, the United States imported almost US $128 billion in heavy vehicle parts from Mexico, accounting for approximately 28% of total U.S. imports, Mexico said.

Truck sales in the U.S. have been sluggish for most of the year, however.

The U.S. imported US $32.41 billion worth of trucks, buses and special-purpose vehicles from around the world from January to July 2025, a 15.4% decrease compared to the same period in 2024.

Mexico dominated those shipments, exporting US $25.86 billion, a year-over-year decrease of 13.8%, according to data from the DOC.

With reports from El Economista, T21, CNN, Reuters, NBC News, Freight Waves and BBC

Meet Clutch, Maple and Zayu, the 2026 FIFA World Cup mascots

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MND Staff

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September 26, 2025

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FIFA mascots Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar and Clutch the Bald Eagle — Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar and Clutch the Bald Eagle will represent Canada, Mexico and the U.S. as the three countries co-host next year's FIFA World Cup. (FIFA)

More than seven years after Mexico, the U.S. and Canada were jointly awarded the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the mascots for each country have been revealed — and the roar you hear coming from Mexico is that of Zayu the Jaguar.

FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, announced this week that Zayu will join Clutch the Bald Eagle (United States) and Maple the Moose (Canada) in representing the three host countries.

A cartoon jaguar in a green jersey holds a soccer ball — Zayu the Jaguar represents Mexico and “embodies the rich heritage and vibrant spirit of the country,” FIFA says. (FIFA)

The world’s premier men’s soccer tournament will kick off June 11, 2026 at Mexico City’s Aztec Stadium, renamed as Estadio Banorte in a funding deal. There will be five games in Mexico City, four in Monterrey and four in Zapopan (adjacent to Guadalajara).

Each of the mascots is meant to symbolize national pride, but perhaps the quickest to win over its public — as evidenced by social media engagement and news coverage — is Zayu.

The stocky, smiling jaguar wears Mexico’s green jersey and the number 9.

FIFA says he is “from the jungles of southern Mexico” and that he “embodies the rich heritage and vibrant spirit of the country.” The name Zayu is “inspired by unity, strength and joy.”

Added FIFA President Gianni Infantino: “Maple, Zayu and Clutch convey joy, excitement and the spirit of togetherness that defines the FIFA World Cup. I can already imagine them on children’s jerseys, high-fiving football legends, and, for the first time, starring in video games that millions will enjoy.”

They will be the first mascots to be incorporated as interactive characters in FIFA Heroes, a video game for Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox and other platforms due out next year.

While officials did not specify a precise linguistic root for Zayu’s name, some Mexican scholars have noted its similarities with Indigenous words such as “Dzahui,” the Mixtec term for rain.

One pro team in Mexico, the Jaguares de Chiapas, celebrated the resemblance between Zaya and its old mascot, Balam, with a posting on Facebook.

Balam was the Jaguares’ mascot from 2002 to 2013 when they played in Mexico’s top-tier Liga MX. The team from the Chiapas capital of Tuxtla Gutiérrez now competes in Liga Premier, Mexico’s third division.

The jaguar has long been a sacred figure in Mexican history: revered by the Maya as a symbol of power and courage, appearing across art and mythology, and still present today as a powerful emblem of southern Mexico.

Mexico’s jaguar population has jumped 33% since 2010

Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism emphasized that Zayu was selected not merely as a sports figure, but as a cultural bridge carrying centuries of heritage.

This marks the fourth time a feline has served as a World Cup mascot: Spain’s León Willie in 1966, Germany’s Goleo VI in 2006 and Zakumi the leopard in South Africa 2010.

The mascot at the last men’s World Cup, in 2022 in Qatar, was named La’eeb, which means “super-skilled player.” It was supposed to be an animated version of a traditional Arabic headdress, but most people saw it as a ghost.

FIFA bills Zayu as forward, while Canada’s Maple is cast as goalkeeper and Clutch as a midfielder.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who was recently presented with the very first 2026 World Cup ticket — which she said she’ll give away, likely to a young girl from a family of meager means who loves soccer — talked over the summer about Mexico’s preparations for the upcoming tournament.

And similar types of stories — including future mascots — won’t be stopping any time soon, as Mexico is expected to co-host the 2031 Women’s World Cup along with the U.S., despite no official announcement yet from FIFA.

With reports from El Universal, Récord, ESPN México and The Athletic

Cancún and Riviera Maya dominate hotel construction in Mexico with over 90% of new rooms this year

By

MND Staff

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September 26, 2025

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An aerial view of massive hotels on the white sand beaches of Cancún — Cancún alone accounted for 75% of new hotel rooms in the first five months of the year. (Fernando García/Unsplash)

Cancún and the Riviera Maya have established themselves as the main drivers of Mexico’s hotel industry through 2025, leading the construction and expansion of hotels and accommodations nationwide.

According to a new report from commercial real estate firm CBRE, Cancún and other areas of the Riviera Maya added 2,070 new rooms between January and May, accounting for 91% of the national inventory. In other words, nine out of every 10 new hotel rooms that have opened in Mexico this year opened in that region.

In the first five months of the year, 2,280 new hotel rooms were built in Mexico. Of that total, 1,715 rooms (75%) opened in Cancún while 355 (16%) opened in the Riviera Maya.

“These results show that, despite current challenges, Cancún and the Riviera Maya continue to establish themselves as strategic destinations for hotel and tourism investment in Mexico,” Christian Lega, vice president of hospitality at CBRE Mexico said.

Meanwhile, Andrés Martínez Reynoso, head of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (CPTQ), said the state is close to matching Las Vegas in number of hotel rooms.

“We have more than 130,000 rooms. We are 20,000 rooms away from reaching the hotel capacity of Las Vegas. With the new hotels, the airport and the Maya Train, which will connect three international airports, we are facing a completely different change,” Martínez said.

After Cancún and the Riviera Maya, Riviera Nayarit comes next in the opening of new rooms, with 140 (6%) between January and May.

In the report, CBRE estimates that more than 3,900 new rooms will come into operation across Mexico during the second half of 2025.

Trends in the hotel and travel industry

According to CBRE, investment in resorts continues to be the most attractive alternative for investors, as growing demand has driven this type of development in both established destinations and emerging markets like Mexico.

“Mexico has established itself as a key destination, with multiple luxury brands expanding their presence,” the report says.

Currently, Cancún, Riviera Maya and Los Cabos have more than 5,000 rooms under construction, which could be released to the market between 2025 and 2027.

As for hotel occupancy, the Tourism Ministry reported that the average hotel occupancy rate in the 70 monitored tourist destinations was 58.7% between January and April, with Cancún and Los Cabos leading the way in arrival of international tourists.

Mexico News Daily

Casa Roja, a new Frida Kahlo museum focused on her family life, opens in Mexico City

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MND Staff

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September 26, 2025

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Frida Kahlo and La Casa Roja — The Kahlo family home, painted red by their descendants, now houses family memorabilia, including photos by Frida's father Guillermo and items of her sister and caregiver, Cristina. (Museo Casa Kahlo)

Museo Casa Kahlo, also called Casa Roja (Red House), has opened its doors as a museum in Mexico City, offering a new window into Frida Kahlo’s intimate and family life beyond what the familiar Casa Azul (Blue House) depicts.

The museum, located just steps away from Casa Azul in the Coyoacán neighborhood, was originally the home of Frida Kahlo’s parents and later of her sister Cristina. Until just two years ago, direct descendants of the Kahlo family lived there, where they catalogued and preserved personal belongings before turning the property into a museum.

Casa Roja basement — Visitors can explore the Kahlo basement, a favorite refuge of Frida where she used a microscope to study insects. (@Ancher_Politics/X)

The new museum intends to broaden Kahlo’s image beyond her art and mythologized fame by revealing intimate details about her close-knit family.

According to Kahlo’s great-niece María Romero Kahlo, who took the Associated Press on a tour, the family decided to paint the house red and keep it that way over the years, because, she said, it symbolizes “the heart of the Kahlo family.”

“You can find a more human approach to her story, to her origins,” the museum director Adán García said, adding that visitors will see that behind the great artist was a child who “struggled with polio and who was fond of her father and her mother.”

To get a sense of Kahlo’s private life, visitors will see extensive correspondence between Frida and her family, including her sister and caregiver Cristina, whom Frida has described as the other half of her heart.

Casa Roja also displays the work of her father, Guillermo Kahlo, a professional photographer. Visitors learn about his arrival in Mexico from his native Germany, as well as details about his first marriage, his two daughters, and how he met Frida’s’s mother, Matilde Calderón.

Personal items like jewelry pieces worn by Kahlo in pictures, embroidered dresses, her paint brushes and even a microscope the artist used as a child to find insects, are displayed throughout the house.

The exhibition also offers glimpses of the young Frida Kahlo’s artistic awakening, including the embroidery of a small house she completed when she was five, drawings of distant landscapes copied from postcards, and what is thought to be the only murals painted by the artist.

According to María Romero Kahlo, visitors to the museum will discover “the real Frida. The one who cried, who laughed, who shared secrets with her sisters — and these walls will reveal some of them.”

The museum is open Wednesday through Monday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

With reports from The Associated Press and El País

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