Weather forecasts predict cold front No. 18 will enter the country from the northwest, followed by polar air moving in from the Pacific towards the Altiplano, or Central Mexican Plateau. This weather phenomenon will affect all of Mexico except for the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and the southwest.
These weather conditions will generate windy conditions in several states. Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango can expect winds of 20 to 30 kilometers per hour with gusts of 40 to 60 kilometers per hour.
Heavy rains are expected in Quintana Roo, with lighter squalls predicted for the rest of the Yucatán Peninsula and Tabasco. Tamaulipas, Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz, Guerrero and Oaxaca could also see isolated showers.
Here is the weather report per state for the next 72 hours:
Minus 5 degrees Celsius with frost: Mountainous areas in Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua and Durango.
Minos 5 to 0 C with frost: Mountainous areas in Baja California Sur, Sinaloa (east), Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí (west), Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán, state of México, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla, Veracruz and Oaxaca.
0 to 5 C with frost: Mountainous areas in Nayarit, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Querétaro, Mexico City and Morelos.
The coldest temperature recorded in Mexico early Thursday was -13 degrees Celsius at La Rosilla, Durango.
The SMN has warned that freezing temperatures will prevail at night and at dawn for the rest of the week, with mild weather during the day.
Afternoons in the northwestern states will be warm, with temperatures ranging between 20 to 26 C. The western states of Nayarit to Colima will see afternoon temperatures ranging between 25 to 30 C.
In the Altiplano or Central Mexican Plateau, which includes Morelos valley to the south, the Puebla-Tlaxcala valley to the east, the Basin of Mexico at the center of the country, and the Toluca valley to the west, cool to warm temperatures ranging between 15 to 25 C are expected.
In contrast, hot temperatures between 25 and 35 C are expected in Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Michoacan, Guerrero, Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo.
High-pressure systems are common at any time of the year in Mexico. During the winter, they are mostly cold systems that bring periods of low temperatures while in spring and summer, high-pressure systems create hot, dry conditions.
A Morelet's crocodile was found on the Mexico City Metro in September.
(@DiariodeMorelos/X)
In 2024, Mexico News Daily once again covered plenty of “hard news” and “bad news” stories.
As we have done since MND was founded more than 10 years ago, we also reported numerous stories that made us laugh, brought a smile to our faces, warmed our hearts and even left us scratching our heads in bewilderment.
Now, as we approach the end of the year, it’s time to look back at the amusing, uplifting, inspirational, heartening, gratifying, strange, surreal and “only in Mexico” stories MND published this year.
We continue today with a compilation of articles we published between July and September.
Also in the news in early July was a statue of Poseidon in the surf just off the coast of Progreso, Yucatán. It was a bizarre story indeed: Check out our reports here and here.
In late August, another delegation of Mexican athletes headed to Paris to compete in this year’s Paralympic Games. They came home with a total of 17 medals including three golds!
We hope you enjoyed reading our quirkier stories this year, and perhaps found a few here that you missed. We’re already looking forward to another year of weird, wonderful and distinctively Mexican stories in 2025!
One of the competitors at this year's National Donkey Fair. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
In 2024, Mexico News Daily once again covered plenty of “hard news” and “bad news” stories.
As we have done since MND was founded more than 10 years ago, we also reported numerous stories that made us laugh, brought a smile to our faces, warmed our hearts and even left us scratching our heads in bewilderment.
Now, as we approach the end of the year, it’s time to look back at the amusing, uplifting, inspirational, heartening, gratifying, strange, surreal and “only in Mexico” stories MND published this year.
We continue today with a compilation of articles we published between April and June.
México Mágico: A look back at MND’s weird and wonderful stories in the second quarter of 2024
Early in the second quarter of 2025, millions of people in Mexico (and the United States and Canada) were mesmerized when a total solar eclipse caused skies to darken in various parts of the country on April 8. We published this photo essay of the captivating event.
Just as they were celebrating their newfound freedom (or divorced togetherness), a scary (or is that scaly?) situation was unfolding in a pool at a beachfront development in Zihuatanejo — a two-meter-long had crocodile dived in to cool off. Civil Protection had to be called to coax the croc out of the pool.
In early May, we took a virtual trip to México state, where an unusual burro (donkey) festival takes place every year in the municipality of Otumba. This year, 14 donkeys dressed up in elaborate costumes (Santa Claus donkey, Shakira donkey etc.) and participated in different activities.
I once ate donkey hotpot in China (a whole other story), but I’d much prefer a taco from Mexico City taquería El Califa de León, which was awarded a coveted Michelin Star in May, becoming the first Mexican taquería to receive the honor from the legendary international dining guide.
We hope you enjoyed reading our quirkier stories this year, and perhaps found a few here that you missed. We’re already looking forward to another year of weird, wonderful and distinctively Mexican stories in 2025!
The election of Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's first female president, was a watershed moment for the country in 2024. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
We are approaching the end of another year of big news in Mexico.
It was a historic year, as Mexicans elected a female president for the first time ever.
It was a year of change, as Claudia Sheinbaum took office, Andrés Manuel López Obrador left public life after a long political career and various modifications were made to the Mexican Constitution.
And, unfortunately, 2024 was also a violent year in Mexico, as the country’s notorious cartels continued to fight each other — and in the case of the Sinaloa Cartel, itself.
Of course plenty of other adjectives and nouns could be used to describe 2024 in Mexico: A year of hope. An uncertain year. A record-breaking year. A year of extreme weather.
As we did at the end of 2023, Mexico News Daily looked back at the year that was and selected 10 news and politics stories that we believe are among the biggest of 2024. In some cases they are stories that are ongoing, stories with no clear end or resolution in sight, stories that we will continue to watch closely in 2025.
Without further ado, let’s look back at 10 of the biggest news stories in Mexico in 2024, including those mentioned above.
Mexico makes history by electing a female president
Her ascension to the presidency less than three months ago ushered in a new period in the public life of Mexico — one in which the president has vowed that the well-being of women will be a central consideration in policy and decision-making.
Sheinbaum celebrates her landslide election win in June, in the Mexico City Zócalo. (Cuartoscuro)
“It’s time for women” is a familiar refrain of the 62-year-old former Mexico City mayor.
During her first full year as president, she will aim to further emerge from AMLO’s shadow even as she perpetuates virtually all of his signature policies.
She will also confront the task of dealing with Donald Trump and his unique style of governance, and no doubt face ongoing criticism over the government’s judicial reform as voters go to the polls to elect judges for the first time ever in Mexico.
AMLO departs public life after a long political career
The beginning of the Sheinbaum era in Mexican politics marked the end of the AMLO era, drawing the curtain on the long political career of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
López Obrador thoroughly dominated Mexican politics for the six years before Sheinbaum took office, holding press conferences every weekday morning that allowed him to set the national agenda as he held forth not just on government policies and actions but virtually anything that took his fancy.
Before assuming the presidency in late 2018, AMLO was essentially in campaign mode for some 13 years, a period that included two failed attempts to win Mexico’s top political job and his establishment of Mexico’s now dominant ruling party, Morena.
AMLO held his final morning press conference on Monday, Sept. 30. Since leaving the presidency, he has retired from public life. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
While he is now absent from the national political stage — he has retired to his ranch in Chiapas and made no public remarks since leaving the presidency — many believe that López Obrador will continue to have an influence on the decision-making of Sheinbaum and other federal government officials.
With the election of Sheinbaum, López Obrador has his preferred successor as president, while his son, Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, is the ruling Morena party’s secretary of organization.
It wouldn’t be fanciful to argue that the ex-president is now Mexico’s most powerful non-elected person. At the very least, he has the ears of Mexico’s political movers and shakers.
The Sinaloa Cartel kingpin widely known by his nickname “El Mayo” eluded justice for decades. But on July 25 news broke that the septuagenarian and alleged drug lord had been arrested, not in Mexico but at a little-known New Mexico airport about 30 kilometers northwest of El Paso, Texas.
Zambada later alleged that Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, kidnapped him in Culiacán, Sinaloa, and forced him onto a private plane that delivered him into the hands of United States law enforcement.
Guzmán López flew to the United States on the same plane and was also arrested at Doña Ana County International Jetport.
Both El Mayo and Guzmán López are accused of drug trafficking in the United States and remain in U.S. custody awaiting future court appearances.
The arrest of the Sinaloa Cartel founder triggered a full-blown war between the Sinaloa Cartel faction loyal to him, Los Mayos, and that led by El Chapo’s sons, Los Chapitos.
Zambada (left) alleged that Joaquín Guzmán López (at right), kidnapped and turned him into United States law enforcement agents. (Archive)
There is no doubt that Zambada’s arrest was one of the biggest, most impactful, most surprising and most intriguing news stories in Mexico in 2024.
* MORE READING ON EL MAYO: The day after his arrest, we published this profile on “El Mayo” Zambada. For an overview of the developments in the Zambada case, read this.
Morena dominates Mexico’s 2024 elections
Another big news story in 2024 was the electoral success of Mexico’s National Regeneration Movement, the political party commonly known as Morena.
Sheinbaum won the presidency on a Morena ticket on June 2; the ruling party and its allies secured a two-thirds majority in the lower house of Congress; and the governing coalition went mightily close to obtaining a supermajority in the Senate as well.
In addition to governing Mexico, Morena currently holds power in 23 of the country’s 32 states. The Green Party, a Morena ally, governs San Luis Potosí, meaning that exactly three-quarters of Mexico’s states are ruled by the ruling party or one of its coalition partners.
That kind of political dominance hasn’t been seen in Mexico since the 20th century, when the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, ruled the country as a virtual one-party state. The full impact of Morena’s dominance will only become clear in the years ahead.
As of late 2024, the once all-powerful PRI governs just two states — Durango and Coahuila — and has minimal clout at the federal level.
New Congress passes constitutional reforms in a flurry
As mentioned above, López Obrador sent a package of constitutional reforms to Congress in February, even though at the time Morena and its allies didn’t have the two-thirds majority required to pass them in either house of Congress.
Once the lawmakers elected in June assumed their positions on Sept. 1, the time was ripe for Morena to bring the proposals to Congress. The party didn’t waste any time.
Senate President Gerardo Fernández Noroña, of the Morena party, presides over the ratification of the controversial “constitutional supremacy” amendment in late October. (Cuartoscuro)
The former and current president argued that the reform — which allows Mexicans to directly elect all judges including Supreme Court justices — was necessary to rid the nation’s courts of corruption and other ills. Critics assert that the election of judges will lead to the politicization of Mexico’s judiciary. In a nutshell, they argue that Mexico’s courts will come to be dominated by judges sympathetic to Morena’s agenda, thus removing an essential check on government power.
At the end of 2024, Mexico’s Constitution is a considerably different document than it was just four months ago. Government critics argue that some of the modifications have a simple — yet dangerous — objective: to consolidate and concentrate the political power of Morena.
* MORE READING ON THE JUDICIAL REFORM: In early September, The Washington Post published a letter written by Mexico’s current economy minister and foreign affairs minister in defense of the judicial reform. Read our report on their views here.
Mexico’s trade and investment relationship with China raises concerns
Mexico’s trade relationship with China, and Chinese investment in Mexico, became even more contentious issues in 2024, partially — but certainly not entirely — due to Trump’s campaign rhetoric and his election as president in November.
More recently, the Sheinbaum administration has embarked on an attempt to reduce Mexico’s reliance on imports from China. That too appears at least partially motivated by a desire to not upset the United States, although the need to protect Mexican industry from cheap imports is another key consideration.
In October, Trump pledged to renegotiate the USMCA, in part to insert into the three-way trade pact what he described as “strong new protections against transshipment, so that China and other countries cannot smuggle their products and auto parts into the United States tax free through Mexico to the detriment of our workers and our supply chains.”
In the first months of the Sheinbaum administration, federal authorities have raided stores selling counterfeit and illegally imported Chinese goods. (Pablo Vázquez Camacho/X)
The president-elect has threatened to impose hefty tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico, rhetoric (at least at this stage) driven at least in part by Chinese automakers’ plans to open plants in Mexico — and perhaps export cars from here to the U.S. sometime in the future.
It’s not just the current United States government, U.S. lawmakers and the incoming Trump administration that are concerned about Mexico’s trade relationship with China and Chinese investment in Mexico.
Sheinbaum — whose government has also carried out raids on stores selling counterfeit Chinese goods — has made it clear that Mexico’s primary allegiance lies with North America, and the president is determined to negotiate a continuation of the USMCA when the scheduled review of the trade pact takes place in 2026.
But Mexico’s trade and investment relationship with China still looms as a potentially contentious issue between the USMCA partners.
Mexico-China relations was a big news story in 2024, and could well be an even bigger one in 2025. We’ll be watching closely.
Trump issued additional threats to impose tariffs on vehicles made on Mexico — even those manufactured by United States companies — as he sought to tout his “America first” credentials and court voters in states such as Michigan.
Trump has threatened to impose hefty tariffs on all cars made in Mexico, among other protectionist measures. (Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0)
Are Trump’s threats just rhetoric, a negotiating tactic designed to pressure Mexico to do even more to stop migrants and drugs reaching the United States?
Or will the 47th U.S. president actually follow through and initiate a trade war with Mexico, in apparent violation of the USMCA?
MORE READING ON TRUMP’S TARIFF THREATS AND MEXICO’S VIEWS: Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said in late November that the U.S. would be shooting itself in the foot if it imposed tariffs on Mexican exports. Read our report here.
Drug busts rise and border crossings fall, but Trump is still not satisfied
The seizure of large quantities of drugs in Mexico and the significant reduction in the number of migrants illegally crossing the Mexico-United States border were also big stories this year.
The potential for the issues of drug trafficking and migration to have a major impact on Mexico-United States relations in 2025 makes the stories even more significant.
Meanwhile, the number of migrants reaching the Mexico-United States border and attempting to cross into the U.S. between official ports of entry fell significantly.
Since U.S. President Biden restricted asylum claims, migration across the Mexico-U.S. border has plummeted. (File photo)
Sheinbaum has stressed that Mexico is already making major efforts to combat the flow of drugs and migrants to the United States, but Trump has made it clear that he wants more to be done.
Will the Mexican government be effectively forced to crack down even harder on drugs and migrants to stave off tariffs on Mexican exports to the United States? That scenario currently appears quite likely.
MORE READING ON FENTANYL: United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged in May that that the López Obrador administration had seized “a record amount of fentanyl.” Read out report here.
Heat stroke and dehydration claimed lives as Mexico and its residents sweltered through heatwave after heatwave.
Widespread drought also afflicted Mexico in 2024, heightening concerns about water availability. The rainy season brought some relief, with the percentage of the country affected by some level of drought declining to 40% in August from 76% just two months prior.
Mexico faced extreme heat and drought in 2024, impacting lives and livelihoods. (Gabriela Pérez Montiel/Cuartoscuro)
The federal government is aiming to improve the situation, presenting a National Water Plan last month that includes the revision of water concessions, law changes and the construction of new water infrastructure.
Let’s hope that it achieves its goals and water is guaranteed for all of Mexico’s needs in the near, medium and distant future.
MORE READING ON EXTREME HEAT IN MEXICO: In May we reported on monkeys falling dead from trees in Mexico’s tropical forests, and the hypothesis that the extreme heat sweeping the south of the country was to blame. Read our report here.
Homicides down (again), but violence remains a major problem
But murder numbers still remain very high in 2024, with almost 29,000 by mid-December. Reports of violence continue to remain ubiquitous in the Mexican media.
Indeed, for residents of certain parts of the country, violence remains — or has become — a major concern.
That’s certainly the case in Sinaloa, where rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel are engaged in a brutal war. That’s certainly the case in various municipalities of Guanajuato, where a long-running feud between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel has made the state Mexico’s most violent in recent years. And that’s certainly the case in the border region of Chiapas, where the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel are fighting each other for control of a lucrative smuggling route. The list goes on.
But will the government, in time, be able to make a real dent in the notoriously high levels of violence in Mexico even as demand for illicit drugs remains high in the United States?
We certainly hope so, but there is no doubt that plenty of work needs to be done on both sides of the border for that to happen.
MORE READING ON THE GOVERNMENT’S SECURITY STRATEGY: Last month we reported on signs that the Sheinbaum administration was forsaking the “not bullets” component of the so-called “hugs, not bullets” security strategy pursued by the administration of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Click here to read the report.
As the year comes to a close, here are some of the best movies and TV shows Mexico News Daily staff watched this year. (Apple TV/Netflix/HanWay Films)
As temperatures plunge to as low as they’re likely to get in Mexico, there’s no better time for a cozy movie night with friends and family. So for your viewing pleasure, here are a few of the best (mostly) Mexican movies and TV shows we watched in 2024. Or if you’re more of a bookworm than a cinephile, check out our staff’s favorite books of the year.
Y tu mamá también (And Your Mother Too)
Y tu mamá también (2001)
In this 2001 classic from director Alfonso Cuarón, the lives of Julio and Tenoch, like those of 17-year-old boys everywhere, are ruled by raging hormones and intense friendships as they rush headlong into adulthood. —Andrea Fischer, copy editor
Love is Blind: Mexico (2024) on Netflix
This 2024 reality TV series comes glowingly recommended by not one, but two MND staffers. (Netflix)
It starts out slow but then you’re hooked. Plus friends of friends know some of the gang, so I got post-production chisme as a bonus. —Bethany Plantanella, features writer
Oh my God, what a car crash of stereotypes, love triangles and trash TV. —Chris Havler-Barrett, chief features editor
La Cocina (The Kitchen)
La Cocina. (2024)
If you loved “Güeros,” you will find the same black-and-white cinematic charm in “La Cocina.” This 2024 masterpiece from director Alonso Ruizpalacios dissects the layers of capitalism and racism that sour the experience of immigrants in the United States — and serves it all on a stunning plate. Fans of “The Bear,” this one is for you. —Caitlin Cooper, senior news editor
Taste of Mexico with María Meléndez
Taste of Mexico: Ponche
Learn Mexican recipes and hear about traditional Mexican ingredients from María Meléndez, a young Chilanga, in one of Mexico News Daily’s new video series. —Tamanna Bembenek, Mexico News Daily co-owner and product manager
Cada minuto cuenta (Every Minute Counts)
(Amazon Prime Video)
This new series tells the human stories of the devastating 1985 earthquake in Mexico City. Find it on Prime Video. —Peter Davies, chief staff writer
A Walk in the Clouds
Keanu Reeves stars in this 1995 romance by director Alfonso Arau. (A Walk in the Clouds)
If you love romantic movies as much as I do… you probably already know this one! This Mexican-American movie tells the story of two young people who meet by chance and fall in love. Period. What I love so much about this movie is the cinematography, the music, the quality cast and the setting. When I watch it, it makes me want to live in a vineyard in California and find true love, just like Victoria did. —María Ruiz, assistant editor
Pastorela (Nativity Play)
Joaquín Cosío plays Chucho in the 2011 movie “Pastorela.” (Apple TV)
Chucho is very attached to his yearly role as Satan in his town’s Nativity play, so chaos ensues when a new pastor has other casting ideas. This raunchy 2011 Christmas comedy might be called “Pastorela,” but it’s nothing like the Nativity plays of my Midwestern U.S. childhood. —Rose Egelhoff, senior news editor
For more sensory entertainment, keep an eye out for upcoming staff recommendations for podcasts, music and too-good-to-miss tacos.
No green hydrogen industry yet exists in Mexico, but 16 projects are already in various phases of development. (Illustrative/Shutterstock)
The Mexican Association of Hydrogen, Storage, and Sustainable Mobility (AMH2), in collaboration with Mexico’s Ministry of Energy (SENER), will fund 18 clean hydrogen projects in an effort to reduce greenhouse gases and nurture a nascent green hydrogen industrial sector in the country.
The initiative would involve a total US $21 billion in investment hopes to create 3 million jobs by 2050.
AMH2’s Israel Hurtado presenting the Clean Hydrogen Industrial Strategy at a press conference in October. AMH2 says that green hydrogen could replace fossil fuels in various Mexican industries, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (AMH2)
Israel Hurtado, head of AMH2, met with Jorge Islas, the Undersecretary of Energy Transition at SENER, Jorge Islas, to present the association’s Clean Hydrogen Industrial Strategy, an action plan showing how green hydrogen could replace fossil fuels in various industries.
Key points of the strategy include establishing a manufacturing sector focused on hydrogen production and focusing on the production of hydrogen fuel cells, electrolyzers and hydrogen-powered electric turbines, as well as both light and heavy hydrogen vehicles.
Islas and his team reportedly committed to collaborating with AMH2 to promote a green hydrogen industry in Mexico in an organized and efficient way.
“The green hydrogen industry would also boost the generation of renewable energy, which is crucial for producing clean hydrogen. At the same time, leveraging the potential of clean hydrogen could significantly help decarbonize the country’s economy,” Hurtado told newspaper El Economista.
Mexico’s Paris Climate Agreement commitment is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 35% by 2030.
Hurtado added that AMH2’s strategy includes wide-ranging recommendations for execution, such as support for infrastructure development, technology adoption, training programs to build human capital and creating an inter-institutional monitoring system.
According to the industry association, Mexico is an optimal region for renewable energy production. Its hydrogen production costs are 64% lower — at US $1.40 compared to US $2.30 in other countries.
However, Islas said Mexico will face challenges to properly develop the nation’s green hydrogen industrial sector. Mexico needs to develop sufficient infrastructure, establish certifications and regulatory standards, as well as create a comprehensive national hydrogen strategy and reduce hydrogen production costs.
Incentives and tax benefits would also encourage clean hydrogen production, he said.
The scene of an armed ambush during a civic event in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, last month. A new Reforma poll suggests some Mexicans, tired of insecurity in their communities, would accept joint Mexico-U.S. operations to combat cartels. (Dassaev Téllez Adame/Cuartoscuro)
As Mexicans continue to debate whether or not U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is really planning a military invasion of Mexico, a new snap poll by the Mexican newspaper Reforma revealed this week that a surprising 46% of respondents had a favorable view of Mexico collaborating with the U.S. to fight Mexico’s drug cartels.
A member of Mexico’s military in Apodaca, Nuevo León, earlier this month, readying to incinerate over 950 kilograms of illicit drugs confiscated from Mexican cartels. (Gabriela Pérez Montiel/Cuartoscuro)
It’s worth noting, however, that an additional 50% told Reforma that they opposed such an idea. But the results of Reforma’s poll have made headlines in Mexico and suggest that a significant number of Mexicans are dissatisfied enough with their own country’s performance in combatting cartel violence that they would consider outside help.
When asked “What’s the best way the U.S. can help Mexico fight insecurity?” nearly two-thirds opted for “a collaborative scheme relying on joint operations,” while 24% chose “undercover operations by U.S. security agencies.”
To a third question — “How do you rate Mexico’s efforts to combat insecurity in your city?” — 47% responded “very bad,” 37% said “very good” and 12% conceded that the government’s security policy was “just OK.”
The Los Angeles Times newspaper reported Monday that many Mexicans lament U.S. intervention in security matters and blame the U.S. for advocating using Mexico’s military to fight drug cartels, a strategy that has produced shocking violence levels in Mexico.
However, the Times also said that many Mexicans have lost confidence in Mexican law enforcement and its suspected links to organized crime. Therefore, the paper said, Mexicans might welcome U.S. troops.
While President Claudia Sheinbaum insists that Trump’s comments weren’t an implied threat (“He never mentioned anything about an invasion. Not once,” she said on Monday, according to the newspaper La Jornada), her government is not taking Trump’s comments lightly.
“Designating cartels as terrorist organizations would be a strategic error with unpredictable consequences for both countries,” a senior official at the Mexican Embassy in the U.S. told the newspaper El País on Monday.
President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters Monday that Donald Trump has never mentioned the idea of a Mexico invasion in any of their conversations and that his comments Sunday were not an implied threat. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
Former Mexican ambassador to the United States, Gerónimo Gutiérrez, also weighed in, saying any U.S. military action in Mexico “would set the relationship between the two countries back three decades.”
Some opposition politicians in Mexico, however, are of a different mind.
Critics slammed the PAN at the time for “providing the United States with permission” to invade Mexico, though Pablo Girault Ruiz — a director of the NGO Mexico United Against Crime — soft-pedaled that notion.
“They aren’t going to ask permission,” Girault told the newspaper El Economista Monday. “If they decide cartels are terrorists and authority is granted to pursue them anywhere in the world, there’s not much we can do.”
“I would not be surprised to wake up one day to an American missile hitting a meth lab in Badiraguato (Sinaloa). It could happen,” academic and political columnist Carlos Pérez-Ricart told El Pais.
The project addresses a major cross-border pollution problem by treating the sewage flowing north from the Tijuana River.(Cuartoscuro)
The United States government approved US $250 million in short-term funding on Dec. 20 to expand the South Bay International Water Treatment Plant in San Diego, California.
The long-awaited project helps to address a major cross-border pollution problem by improving the treatment of wastewater flowing north from the Tijuana River.
As a result, Imperial Beach is considered one of the United States’ most polluted beaches nationwide.
“No more excuses and no more delays,” Fox 5 reported Democratic Congressman Mike Levin saying. “They now have all the money they need and all the money that they’ve said is necessary to get this plant done.”
The new funding package is expected to double the San Diego facility’s capacity to 50 million gallons a day within an estimated five to seven years.
Over the last five years, more than 100 billion gallons of sewage and waste have reportedly run into the Tijuana River Valley. (@usibwc/X)
Over the last five years, more than 100 billion gallons of sewage and waste have reportedly run into the Tijuana River Valley. San Diegans have been calling on the government to address the worsening pollution for years, hoping it will lead to the eventual reopening of Imperial Beach.
In January, Baja California officials broke ground on work to reconstruct and modernize Tijuana’s existing wastewater treatment plant in San Antonio de los Buenos. The upgrades are part of an estimated US $500 million binational project financed by the North American Development Bank, an entity funded and run equally by the federal governments of the U.S. and Mexico to provide financing for infrastructure projects.
New 450-meter barrier takes on Tijuana River Valley trash
Also in December, the state of California launched an innovative trash-collecting project with federal funding of $4.7 million. A trash boom measuring 137 meters (450 feet) in length and consisting of 150 individual sections tethered together has been anchored to both sides of the Tijuana River.
The boom is expected to help gather particle pollution close to the source outflow and stop waste from reaching the ocean, with the first phase of the project running to 2027.
“California is working with our local and federal partners to address the ongoing Tijuana River crisis,” California Governor Gavin Newsom stated. “This project to stop trash from clogging the river is part of an all-of-the-above approach we’re taking to help protect Tijuana River Valley communities.”
Oscar Romo, the Project Director at Alta Terra, proposed the project around two decades ago. The large, floating boom is designed to adapt to the changing topography of the river valley.
“The valley changes constantly every year after the storms,” Romo said. “All the hydraulic models that have been done have to be redone because they changed this year,” NBC San Diego reported Romo saying. “We are prepared, and we have started mapping the valley with a drone that produces lighter images, so we would have an exact three-dimensional map of the valley before the storms, during the storms and after the storms.”
While the boom project doesn’t address the sewage issue, it will go hand in hand with the wastewater treatment plant expansion to tackle water pollution on both sides of the border.
One amorous couple won 4,000 pesos in the official Mexico City "Besotón" on Valentine's Day after kissing for nearly five hours. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)
In 2024, Mexico News Daily once again covered plenty of “hard news” and “bad news” stories.
As we have done since MND was founded more than 10 years ago, we also reported numerous stories that made us laugh, brought a smile to our faces, warmed our hearts and even left us scratching our heads in bewilderment.
Now, as we approach the end of the year, it’s time to look back at the amusing, uplifting, inspirational, heartening, gratifying, strange, surreal and “only in Mexico” stories that MND published this year.
We start today with a compilation of articles we published between January and March.
Look out for our “México Magico” compendiums for the other three quarters of the year in the coming days.
México Mágico: A look back at MND’s weird and wonderful stories in the first quarter of 2024
During the first days of 2024 we reported on two different creatures — albeit both foreign in origin — unexpectedly wandering the streets of Mexico.
The first specimen was a lion cub, which was eventually rescued by firefighters and Civil Protection personnel in a México state municipality northeast of Toluca.
The second creature on the loose in Mexico was a political animal — former United States president Bill Clinton. He was spotted walking through the streets of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, on Jan. 3.
Later in January, we had some good news — a “citizens’ victory” in fact — when Benito the giraffe was transferred from unsafe living conditions at a public park in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, to a spacious safari park in Puebla.
Being an election year, there was always going to be some weird and wonderful political stories in 2024. In the first month of the year, the then Morena party candidate for president Claudia Sheinbaum made a strange campaign move by promoting a kind of pyramid scheme to the very citizens she hoped would vote for her later in the year — NOT! The video in which she purportedly appeared was, in fact, a deepfake.
“Honey, I love you” was the message that more than 20 lovey-dovey twosomes sent to each other later in February when they participated in a Valentine’s Day “Besotón,” or “Kiss-a-thon,” in Mexico City. One very amorous couple locked lips for a mind-boggling — and tongue-twisting — four hours and 40 minutes to win the top prize. They celebrated their victory with — would you believe it — a kiss.
We hope you enjoyed reading our quirkier stories this year, and perhaps found a few here that you missed. We’re already looking forward to another year of weird, wonderful and distinctively Mexican stories in 2025!
Cuetzalan, one of our favorite Hidden Mexico picks, was founded in the 1500s by missionaries. With its cobblestone streets, old churches and residents who still speak the Indigenous languages of their ancestors, it can feel like stepping back in time. (Photo: Government of Mexico)
We’ve all read countless guides to Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos and the Riviera Maya in 2024. There are those of us looking for another side of Mexico however — a quieter side that offers a window into the country we might not find elsewhere.
If that sounds like you, you’re in luck, because this year Mexico News Daily has visited some of these places. Here are five of the best.
If you’re looking for an authentic slice of Mexico, away from the crowds of popular Pueblos Mágicos, Calvillo in Aguascalientes is your answer. Nestled in a quiet valley with the Sierra Fría mountains as its backdrop, this charming town embodies the spirit of traditional Mexico, with cobblestone streets, colorful facades, and fluttering papel picado.
Founded in 1771, Calvillo’s Spanish influence shines through its baroque-style Templo del Señor del Salitre and elegant municipal palace. But what truly sets Calvillo apart is its status as the “Guava Capital of the World.” Here, guava isn’t just a crop — it’s a vital part of the local culture. You’ll find it in everything from guava jelly and pastries to guava mole and artisanal guava beer. Visit during December’s Guayaba Fair for music, dance, and an abundance of guava-inspired treats.
For outdoor enthusiasts, Calvillo offers rugged adventures in the Sierra Fría. Kayak or fish at the serene Presa de Malpaso, hike the trails of Cañón de Jaltiche, or stroll through El Tepozán Natural Park. A sunset hike to the Santa Cruz de Calvillo monument rewards you with sweeping views of the town and surrounding mountains.
Calvillo’s magic lies in its unpolished charm. It’s a town where history and tradition thrive, free from mass tourism’s gloss. Whether you’re savoring pastel de guayaba, exploring nature, or sipping a signature “Bomba” at a local cantina, Calvillo invites you to slow down and enjoy Mexico at its most genuine.
Tlaxcala, often overlooked and overshadowed by nearby UNESCO darling Puebla, isn’t trying to impress. That’s the charm. It’s a city that whispers rather than shouts—a place where simplicity reigns, and its unassuming nature invites you to slow down.
The Plaza de Constitución, shaded by generous trees, feels like a relic from a more laid-back era. It’s the perfect spot to sit, sip coffee, and people-watch. Nearby, the Cathedral, one of the oldest on the continent, looms with understated elegance, its cobbled roof and bell tower a testament to its 1524 origins. The streets, a mix of flat terrain and gently sloping hills, lead to treasures like the Ex Convento Franciscano de la Asunción, with its Moorish wooden ceiling, and bustling weekend markets hawking brightly woven sarapes.
Tlaxcala’s accessibility is its secret sauce. Its churches are open and inviting, free from the tourist crowds that often strip such spaces of their serenity. A short trip out of town takes you to Cacaxtla and Xochitecatl, ancient ruins that seem to breathe history. The botanical garden is a dreamy escape, misty greenhouses and winding paths evoking a quiet euphoria.
Stay at the Hotel San Francisco, right on the plaza, where an unexpectedly massive pool and hearty buffet breakfast make you feel like you’ve found a secret. Tlaxcala isn’t flashy, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a city that lets you breathe, think, and rediscover the joy of taking it slow.
Once a ghost town, Mineral de Pozos in Guanajuato is shaking off the dust of its past and stepping into a new role as a haven for artists, musicians, and dreamers. Just 37 miles from San Miguel de Allende, it’s a place where time stretches out, history whispers from crumbling ruins, and the smell of mezcal hangs in the air.
The town’s story is one of boom, bust, and rebirth. Founded in 1576, its mines once churned out silver and gold for the Spanish crown. By the late 19th century, it was thriving, with grand architecture and European investors. The city is also an excellent example of some of President Porfirio Díaz ambitious infrastructure projects.
Then came the Revolution, flooding mines, and an exodus that left the place all but abandoned.
Today, the ruins remain — a visual poem of broken chimneys, Moorish arches, and the eerie elegance of the Escuela Modelo. But Pozos isn’t content to be just a ghost town for history nerds. It’s alive with creativity. April brings the International Mariachi Festival, a raucous, joyful celebration of Mexico’s musical soul. In June, blues musicians take over, their gritty sound spilling out into the night. October’s indie film festival gives emerging filmmakers a chance to shine.
And the mezcal? It’s not just a drink here — it’s a way of life. Hit the distilleries, savor the smoky burn, and pair it with local cuisine that hits all the right notes. For something surreal, head to Spa Caliche, where you can soak in wine or coffee while pondering life’s absurdities.
Mineral de Pozos isn’t polished, and that’s the point. It’s raw, real, and absolutely worth your time.
San Luis Potosí is a hidden gem, its historic center a UNESCO World Heritage site brimming with Baroque and neoclassical architecture. Despite its charm, the city remains blissfully under the radar. Walking the tree-lined Calzada de Guadalupe, part of the Americas’ longest pedestrian street, takes you past the neoclassical Caja de Agua, a 19th-century water tank, and El Aguador, a bronze water boy statue that nods to the city’s past.
At the Leonora Carrington Museum, housed in a former prison, Surrealist sculptures — half-human, half-animal — stand as haunting reminders of her fascination with the uncanny. The Basilica of Guadalupe, with its cry stal caravel-shaped chandelier, adds a touch of mysticism. Every December, pilgrims crawl along the Calzada on their knees to honor the Virgin of Guadalupe.
For relaxation, Tangamanga Park offers expansive green spaces, trails, and sustainable features. Beyond the city, Cerro de San Pedro, a ghost town where gold and silver were first discovered in 1592, provides a stark contrast to San Luis’s vibrant streets.
Stay at the Gran Concordia, a tranquil hotel steps from the lively Plaza de Armas. Indulge in shrimp tacos at La Oruga y la Cebada or mojitos at La Posada del Virrey. Early risers should hit Cafe Tokio for hearty Mexican breakfasts.
San Luis Potosí is a city of contrasts, where opulence and tranquility coexist, its allure lingering long after you’ve left. A few days here will leave you craving more.
Cuetzalan is a place that’s hard to explain without sounding like you’ve just come back from some fevered dream — a place where the mountains meet the mist, the air’s thick with humidity, and every step through the winding, cobblestone streets feels like a different time.
Nestled in Puebla’s Sierra Norte, this town wears its age with pride, clinging to a mix of colonial architecture and old-world Mexican rusticity that most places have long lost. It’s not pretty in the way that glossy brochures promise. It’s real, gritty, and unapologetically itself.
The town’s charm lies in its contradictions. The market smells like fresh coffee and rain, where artisans hawk their woven textiles and hand-carved wares. You can feel the weight of centuries in the air, like you’ve stumbled onto something that hasn’t been curated for tourists, but rather just… exists. And it’s alive — locals in ranchero hats and embroidered huipils go about their business, while a bizarre ritual involving flying men, suspended on ropes, unfolds in the town square. The air hums with the sound of music blasting from quinceañeras, vendors yelling over the noise, and the distant toll of church bells.
It’s a town built on nature, with caves and waterfalls hidden in the lush forest, accessible only to the brave or foolish. But Cuetzalan is more than just a photo op for the Instagram crowd—it’s an escape. An unfiltered slice of Mexico that hasn’t been chewed up and spit out for the convenience of travelers. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’ll mess with your senses in all the right ways. Just don’t forget the umbrella. And maybe a bottle of mezcal.
