Puente de las Damas, one of the historic bridges that is hidden beneath Guadalajara. (Gobierno de Jalisco)
As I read a feature in the newspaper El Informador the other day about the oldest standing bridge in my hometown of Guadalajara, I was reminded of a scene from the Mary Poppins movie about our inability to see beyond the end of our noses.
How many times have we overlooked something that’s standing just in front of us because we don’t pay attention? The article made me reflect on this, as it told the story of the Zapopan Bridge, a 200-year-old structure that thousands of motorists cross every day without thinking about it.
The story of the Zapopan Bridge
Puente de Zapopan, a historic bridge now covered in graffiti. (PIM Guadalajara)
The bridge is located at a very busy intersection: Avenida de las Américas and Avenida Montevideo, in the Colomos Providencia neighborhood of Zapopan, part of the Guadalajara greater metropolitan area.
This landmark bridge, now neglected by city residents and covered in graffiti, was once an important thoroughfare that influenced the economic, social and cultural dynamics of Guadalajara and Zapopan.
According to the University of Guadalajara’s archives, the bridge was built in the early 19th century using stone, lime and sand. It was part of the old road to the Colomos area, when Zapopan was still a town far from Guadalajara.
Its stone arch structure once allowed residents to cross the rivers that flowed through the Colomos Forest: the Barranca Ancha stream, which is now Montevideo avenue, and the Atemajar River, which turned into Patria avenue.
The Barrancha Ancha is no longer visible as it has been channeled beneath the city. But the Atemajac River is a waterway that overflows every rainy season due to ongoing construction atop the remaining water streams.
Both the bridge and the old road once allowed travelers to navigate the ravines, hills and cliffs of the Colomos area, which are now evident in the irregular streets and winding avenues of the modern neighborhood.
Puente de las Damas, as it once looked in Guadalajara. (Facebook)
While the Zapopan Bridge lies overlooked under Guadalajara’s congested streets, another important bridge has been – thankfully – brought back to life and is now open for visitors.
The revival of Puente de las Damas
Built during the viceregal era by orders of Friar Antonio Alcalde — who also served as a Catholic bishop in Mérida and, later, Guadalajara — the Puente de las Damas remained buried underground for almost a century until it was rediscovered during drainage work in the Mexicaltzingo neighborhood almost a decade ago.
Inaugurated in 1798, the bridge connected the Spanish city of Guadalajara with the Indigenous Mexicaltzingo, today an industrial area of Guadalajara. The bridge also served as a pathway for commerce connected to the Camino Real de Colima — the major road between Manzanillo, Colima, and Guadalajara.
Following its rediscovery, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) conducted rehabilitation work and successfully unearthed five of the bridge’s arches. These colonial-era structures currently lie beneath Montenegro Street and Avenida de la Paz.
Since 2022, Puente de las Damas has been open to visitors from Monday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission is free.
One can only hope that authorities rehabilitate Zapopan Bridge and remind the people of Guadalajara of its historical value.
Gabriela Solis 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.
Pinguïno is a folk art movement begun by artists Renata Prieto and Santiago Fernández (Pinguïno)
Colorful, chimeric and brimming with tenderness and humor, the folk art collection Pingüino is a universe unto itself. Five years ago, Mexican interior architect Renata Prieto and graphic designer Santiago Fernández joined forces after a moment of revelation in Oaxaca.
In 2013, they discovered an extraordinary artisan piece featuring a penguin wearing a hat in a local market and were amazed by the artisan’s choice to adorn a bird she had never seen.
“Gossiping Devils” from Pinguïno’s collection of Mexican folk art. (Pinguïno)
This moment inspired them to create Pingüino.
Pingüino embodies an aesthetic concept that showcases Mexico’s inherent magical realism. As defined in the 1920s by German art critic Franz Roh, magical realism emerges when the extraordinary intertwines with the everyday — an experience evident in the daily life of Mexico through its art, music, crafts, and vibrant festivities, says Prieto.
“We Mexicans have a unique way of looking at life. I can’t really explain why, but we tend to create in unexpected ways,” she says. “For instance, we might find a piece of marble, and suddenly someone has transformed it into an improbable marble popsicle. There’s something very spontaneous, natural, naïve and playful about it.”
Fernández shares a complementary perspective: Mexican creativity also stems from necessity, he says.
“It’s about finding solutions, navigating precarious situations and achieving much with little. In folk art, this creativity is related to the possibilities offered by the materials at hand, reflecting our impressive biodiversity,” he reflects.
Pingüino throughout Mexican villages
Five years after founding Pingüino, Prieto and Fernández now collaborate with 100 artisans and workshops in dozens of towns across more than 14 states. They have visited numerous craft fairs and competitions, including Original, which brings together master artisans from across the country.
A marble armadillo from the “Guerrero” collection. (Pinguïno)
Pingüino’s aesthetic universe is influenced by Mexico’s nature and its people, inspiring a remarkable variety of folk art.
Prieto, for instance, expresses her enchantment with artisan towns in Michoacán.
“For me, this state is a journey from Ocumicho to Cuitzeo. It feels like an unreal territory. Capula also captivates me. I think Michoacán is one of Mexico’s richest folk art regions, featuring metalwork, leatherwork, claywork, feather art, toys, vines, fibers and textiles. I find it fascinating,” she says.
Fernández recalls a memorable place in Guerrero.
“San Agustin Oapan is a beautiful town with exceptionally friendly people, but the journey there can be chaotic, contrasting sharply with the peace and beauty of the town itself.”
Reinvention and preservation of an artisan lifestyle
“There is something mysterious about folk art in this country,” Prieto says, noting an invisible thread connecting the varied expressions of the genre. “I believe Mexico possesses a distinct aesthetic element: From the friezes of Mitla to the textiles of Tzintzuntzan, both share a similar type of abstraction, albeit from different time periods. Many scenes depict everyday life, such as fishing or women working with corn, illustrating the daily realities of countless people that continue even today.”
Pinguïno galleries can be found in three neighborhoods in Mexico City. (Pinguïno)
“In Mexico, there’s an abundance of materials, pigments and colors. There is also a need for innovation, which brings these pieces to life. A figure that a family started working with years ago can evolve into something entirely new, or people can create new forms of folk art inspired by the political or social context,” Fernández adds.
However, despite the vibrancy that exists in Mexico’s folk art, both creators observe that, overall, artisan production in the country is declining, with many younger generations not continuing in the trade. This is why fairs like Original and initiatives like Pingüino — which practice horizontal and fair trade principles — are vital for fostering, honoring and hopefully encouraging appreciation for Mexico’s fabulous ancestral aesthetic universe.
Ana Paula de la Torre is a Mexican journalist and collaborator for various outlets, including Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.
President Claudia Sheinbaum returned to the Treasury Hall of the National Palace on Monday morning after a weekend of major events both abroad and at home. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
After attending the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., on Friday and leading a rally in Mexico City’s central square, the Zócalo, on Saturday, President Claudia Sheinbaum returned to the Treasury Hall of the National Palace on Monday morning to preside over her regular press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s Dec. 8 mañanera.
Sheinbaum thanks Mexicans for attending her ‘7 years of transformation’ rally
“They came from the entire republic,” said Sheinbaum.
“… [There was] a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of young people. A lot of young people organized a march. … [There were] a lot of families, a lot of joy, the people were happy,” she said.
On Saturday, President Sheinbaum led a well-attended rally in Mexico City’s central square, the Zócalo, to celebrate seven years of her party’s political project. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
During her address to a sea of supporters in the Zócalo, Sheinbaum said that in 2018, the people of Mexico “took a wise and brave decision to begin a new stage” in Mexico, that of the country’s “rebirth” with Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) “at the front.”
The president, who took over the position of leader of the 4T from AMLO nine months before she won the presidential election in 2024, also said that Mexico has gone from being “a country governed by an oligarchy” to “a true democracy where the government works for everyone, but especially those who need the most help.”
Meeting with Trump and Carney was ‘very friendly,’ says Sheinbaum
Sheinbaum told reporters that her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Cup draw in Washington D.C. last Friday was a “very friendly” affair.
Trump showed “a lot of respect toward Mexico” and “we’re always going to thank him for that,” she said.
“Very good, very productive, talked mostly trade,” said the U.S. president, who this year has imposed tariffs on a range of imports from Mexico and Canada, undermining the USMCA free trade pact.
On Monday morning, Sheinbaum said that she is “convinced” that “Mexico always has to seek a good relationship with the United States for many reasons.”
The reasons she cited were that:
Mexico and the United States are neighbors.
40 million Mexicans live in the U.S. and “we always have to defend them.”
It’s “better to reach agreements” than to have “confrontations.”
Sheinbaum reiterates that she won’t attend World Cup opening in CDMX
After highlighting that the late Queen Elizabeth II and former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff are the only two female heads of state to have participated in a FIFA World Cup opening ceremony, and noting that no president of a host country has ever been absent at “this inauguration,” a reporter asked Sheinbaum whether she would reconsider attending the event in Mexico City next year.
“I’m going to watch the opening ceremony with the people in the Zócalo,” Sheinbaum said.
“And I’m going to give my ticket to someone who would never have the opportunity to go. There’s nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, it represents who we are,” she said.
After the June 11 opening ceremony at the Estadio Banorte (AKA Estadio Azteca) — a cavernous stadium in southern Mexico City that will be known as Mexico City Stadium during the World Cup — Mexico’s national team, El Tri, will play South Africa in the inaugural match of the quadrennial tournament.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
President Claudia Sheinbaum stands beside a graphic showing the amount of jobs registered with IMSS (i.e. formal) along with the description that it is, in the words of the graphic, "the highest number in history." (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
After registering 48,595 new paid jobs in November, the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) is reporting a record number of affiliated workers, according to Zoé Robledo, IMSS director general.
“As of Nov. 30, the new employment report shows that 22,837,768 jobs have been registered with Social Security,” he said, noting that IMSS registration is the criterion for employment to be considered formal. “This is the most since the IMSS began keeping records [in 1943].”
Zoe Robledo, director general of the Mexican Social Security Institute, delivered the formal employment figures during President Sheinbaum’s morning press conference on Monday. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
Speaking to reporters during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Monday morning press conference, Robledo said that during the first 11 months of 2025, 599,389 new jobs were created.
The cumulative job growth for 2025 thus far is equivalent to an annual rate of 2.7%, driven by both permanent and temporary hiring.
Robledo said 86.7%, or 19.8 million, of the registered positions are permanent, adding that the positive trend in employment is also accompanied by an uptick in average wages.
As a result of the minimum wage increase, the base salary for social security contributions — the average salary received by affiliated workers — was just under 625 pesos per day (US $34.27) in November, Robledo said, an annual increase of 7%.
Robledo also noted that total wages registered by the IMSS increased 6.5% compared to the first quarter, reaching 298 billion pesos (US $16.3 billion).
Robledo also highlighted the increased participation of women in the formal labor market, saying there are currently 9,229,000 female workers affiliated with the IMSS, representing 40.4% of total employment.
“Approximately 98,000 new jobs filled by women were created in the last 12 months,” he said.
Citing data from the national statistics agency INEGI, Robledo said nearly 600,000 new paid jobs were created through the second quarter of the year, an increase of 1.3% compared to 1Q 2025.
He said INEGI found that there were 39.4 million paid jobs (including the informal sector) by the end of March, while from April through June the figure rose to 40 million, confirming “a sustained trend of recovery and expansion in the labor market.”
Nevertheless, Robledo said, the increase in formal employment in 2025 should be seen as “a sign of resilience in the labor market,” even as nearly 55% of the workforce remains in the informal sector.
In its most recent report, INEGI found that 33.1 million people were employed in the informal sector through October, while calculating the rate of informal employment at 54.9%.
A reported 88% of companies claimed the use of AI has increased productivity, as well as boosted revenue or profits by at least 16%. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
There has been a significant increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Mexico’s business sector over the last year, Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) General Manager, Rubén Mugártegui, said during the conference re:Invent in Las Vegas, Nevada, last week.
Around 495,000 companies in Mexico have adopted AI over the last year, with 2 million businesses now using the technology, or around 38% of the country’s business sector, according to Mugártegui.
While more companies are using AI, around 72% of these firms are only using it for basic services, such as writing, translation or light automation.
A reported 88% of companies claimed the use of AI has increased productivity, as well as boosted revenue or profits by at least 16%. Meanwhile, 96% of organizations said they planned to increase their IT budget in 2026, with AI being the third-biggest investment area.
AWS recently held an Impact Bootcamp in Mexico, hosting 50 Mexican entrepreneurs who received US $5,000 in AWS credits to further develop their projects, with many coming from underrepresented communities in Chiapas and Oaxaca.
However, around 55% of Mexican companies said that a lack of trained personnel is restricting them from using more complex AI models.
To support workforce development, AWS will expand its partnership with Mexico’s Economy Ministry to provide 300 free courses in Spanish and train 500,000 people by 2028, said Mugártegui.
This is real connection and real momentum. Recently, we gathered founders for the AWS Impact Bootcamps powered by Techstars in Mexico City 🇲🇽, New York City 🇺🇸, and London 🇬🇧.
During these two-day workshops, we dove into strategy, customer discovery, pitching and fundraising.… pic.twitter.com/JJVLMRrt9E
AWS recently celebrated a decade of work in Mexico and confirmed an investment of $5 billion in the development of its new cloud region in the country. The company is thought to contribute around $1 billion a year to Mexico’s GDP and create around 7,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Pace of AI adoption in Latin America hindered by investment, skills
A November report from the United States cloud-based software firm Salesforce showed that the lack of investment, limited innovation and a significant skills gap in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina are limiting AI uptake.
The findings are based on data from an “AI Upskilling Survey,” conducted with 14,231 adults in 13 global markets.
“The lack of investment, the slow adoption rate, and, crucially, the skills gap in the workforce are holding the region back,” according to Alejandro Anderlic, Salesforce’s Director of Government and External Affairs for the region.
In Mexico, 45% of those surveyed acknowledged the negative impact of the lack of skilled AI workers. Meanwhile, around half of Latin American adults thought their governments were not doing enough to promote AI training.
Salesforce’s Global AI Readiness Index evaluates 16 markets across 31 indicators in five dimensions. While the United States led the index with 39.7 out of 50 points, Mexico was awarded just 15.3 points. Meanwhile, Mexico scored 3.3 for AI adoption, compared to the global average of 5.8.
To help boost AI adoption, in October, Salesforce announced an investment of $1 billion in Mexico over the next five years to expand operations, foster a digital transformation and accelerate the adoption of AI.
Though built by local artisans and compliant with international standards for rehabilitating archaeological monuments, the new wooden stairs would probably puzzle the original Maya creators of the pyramid. (@ccurieldeicaza/X)
Nohoch Mul, the tallest pre-Columbian structure in the northern Yucatán Peninsula and one of the few climbable pyramids near the Riviera Maya, is open again for ascending after six years of rehabilitation work.
The experience, however, will be considerably safer and less damaging to the structure than before. The path to the top is now via a newly installed wooden staircase, built by members of the nearby community of Noh Bec, who have extensive experience in crafting structures with regional wood.
Cobá sigue revelando su historia.
Como parte del Programa de Mejoramiento de Zonas Arqueológicas #PROMEZA y gracias al trabajo de la comunidad ejidal y al @INAHmx, se reabrió el ascenso al Nohoch Mul.
Aquí, donde mujeres mayas ejercieron el poder hace siglos, celebramos que el… pic.twitter.com/QXGB9TlZjq
At 42 meters (140 feet) tall and with 120 steps, Nohoch Mul is one of the architectural symbols of the ancient Maya city of Cobá. It is a favorite cultural tourism site, but its ascent had been suspended since 2019 due to the deterioration of the original steps, worsened by heavy tourist traffic.
Culture Minister Claudia Curiel Icaza inaugurated the new staircase in an opening ceremony on Sunday. “On behalf of President Claudia Sheinbaum, I want to reiterate that this work embodies our understanding of cultural policy,” she said. “We believe that heritage is a right for all, that caring for our territory is a public good, and that conservation is a task that can only be achieved in collaboration with the community.”
The renovation work cost 5 million pesos (US $277,000) and was conducted by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) as part of initiatives to enhance archaeological zones connected to the Maya Train project.
During the renovation works, INAH conducted a topographic survey of each step of Nohoch Mul, from its base to its summit, to produce a detailed model of the hollows and reliefs. The collected data enabled experts to identify precise locations for installing the wooden staircase. The data also guided preventive consolidation work, leveling of the steps, and micro-drilling for the insertion of the necessary anchors.
According to INAH, the modern structure is approved by INAH’s Archaeology Council (CA) and was carried out in full compliance with international standards for the restoration of archaeological monuments.
Tourists and local tour guides said that the reopening of the staircase restores a key experience of the site, allowing visitors to appreciate from above, once again, the expanse of the city of Cobá and its surrounding jungle.
When the naming rights were sold to help pay for renovations, the sports world had to get used to calling it Estadio Banorte rather than the familiar Estadio Azteca. As it turns out, neither will be its name during the World Cup when, because of a FIFA policy against using names of corporations that aren't World Cup sponsors, it will be called Estadio Ciudad de México or, if you will, Mexico City Stadium. (@MXEstadios/X)
Mexico City will get an early taste of World Cup fever in late March when Ronaldo, one of the world’s greatest soccer players, trots onto the newly renovated pitch at Estadio Banorte to lead his Portugal side in a friendly match against Mexico’s national team.
In one of the final warm-ups for both squads ahead of next year’s World Cup, Portugal, No. 6 in the FIFA World Rankings, will help the Mexican Soccer Federation celebrate the reopening of the iconic stadium.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be making his first competitive appearance in Mexico in March. Later, he will be competing in his sixth World Cup, an individual record he shares with Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Mexico’s Rafael Márquez, along with Lothar Matthäus. (@Cristiano/X)
For decades known as Estadio Azteca and nicknamed the Colossus of Santa Úrsula (the southern Mexico City neighborhood where it sits), the stadium has been closed for nearly a year for extensive improvements, such as new seating, renovated hospitality areas and upgraded media facilities, in preparation for the World Cup.
The financial group Banorte bought naming rights in March 2025 to fund the repairs, but the venue will be known as Mexico City Stadium during the June 11-July 19, 2026, soccer tournament, in accordance with a FIFA policy that prevents World Cup stadiums from having non-sponsor corporate names.
Regardless of what it’s called, the stadium will become the first venue to host matches at three World Cups, after Mexico staged the tournament in 1970 and 1986. As co-host of the 2026 tournament alongside the U.S. and Canada, Mexico will play host to 13 World Cup matches: five in Mexico City and four each in Monterrey and Guadalajara.
The March 28 friendly will be Ronaldo’s first competitive match in Mexico and the sixth meeting between the two nations. El Tri is 0-3-2 vs the Europeans, including a 2-1 overtime loss in the third-place match of the 2017 Confederations Cup in Moscow.
¡Ya es una realidad! 🤩🏟️
Incondicionales, nos enfrentaremos a Portugal, el país de Cristiano Ronaldo, para celebrar que nuestra casa volverá a abrir sus puertas. 🇲🇽🆚🇵🇹
Mexico, ranked No. 15 in the world despite being winless in its last six matches (0-4-2), has not won since defeating Team USA 2-1 in the Gold Cup final on July 6.
Since taking the reins of Mexico’s national squad for the third time on July 22, 2024, Javier “El Vasco” Aguirre has guided El Tri to a 12-5-4 record marred by a 4-0 trouncing at the hands of Colombia in October, an embarrassing loss to Argentine club side River Plate and a listless 2-1 setback against Paraguay last month.
This will be the third World Cup for Aguirre, who in previous stints led El Tri to the Round of 16 at Korea/Japan in 2002 and at South Africa 2010.
Tickets for the Portugal-Mexico clash will be available for purchase via Ticketmaster beginning Friday, Dec. 10.
President Sheinbaum's sky-high approval rating is under pressure from recent events in Michoacán. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)
President Claudia Sheinbaum’s approval rating has declined to its lowest level since she took office, but Mexico’s first female leader is still extremely popular.
Those findings come from the latest Enkoll poll, conducted between Nov. 28 and Dec. 1 for the newspaper El País and Mexico City-based W Radio.
On Saturday, President Sheinbaum led a well-attended rally in Mexico City’s central square, the Zócalo, to celebrate seven years of her party’s political project. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
The poll of 1,201 Mexican adults at their homes found 74% approval of Sheinbaum’s performance as president, a decline of four points compared to the survey conducted by Enkoll in September.
The approval rating is the lowest detected by the eight national polls Enkoll has conducted since Sheinbaum took office on Oct. 1, 2024. It represents a decline of nine points compared to the president’s 83% approval rating in May, the highest of her term so far.
Enkoll’s latest poll also detected 24% disapproval of Sheinbaum’s performance, an increase of six points compared to the previous survey, and the highest level to date.
The decline in Sheinbaum’s approval rating is indicative — at least in part — of a difficult November for the president. On the first day of last month, Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo was assassinated, triggering protests in the state of Michoacán.
Last Saturday, Sheinbaum led a rally in Mexico City’s central square, the Zócalo, to celebrate seven years of the fourth transformation (4T) political project, which officially commenced when former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office on Dec. 1, 2018. In part, the gathering was a response to the protests against the government last month, as well as the growing criticism of the Sheinbaum administration from opposition parties and others.
Sheinbaum is much more popular among older Mexicans than younger ones
Among the respondents to Enkoll’s poll who are aged 65 and older, 86% said they approved of Sheinbaum’s performance as president. Among those aged 55-64, the figure was 80%.
Mexico’s seniors are eligible for the federal government’s pension regardless of their wealth.
Separately, the Sheinbaum administration has created a new pension program for women aged 60-64, allowing them to receive a government payment every two months before they qualify for the old-age pension.
Among poll respondents aged 18-24 — i.e., members of Gen Z — only 61% said they approved of the president’s performance. Almost four in ten members of that cohort (37%) said they disapproved of Sheinbaum’s performance.
Among three other cohorts based on age, approval for Sheinbaum was as follows:
25-34: 70%
35-44: 79%
45-54: 69%.
Sheinbaum’s approval rating among women (75%) was slightly higher than among men (72%).
Among university-educated Mexicans, 60% said they approved of the president’s performance, whereas the figures were markedly higher among people whose highest level of educational attainment is primary school (81%), middle school (78%) and high school (71%).
Is Mexico’s ‘situation’ improving under Sheinbaum’s rule?
Asked whether “the situation of the country” has been improving or deteriorating since Sheinbaum took office in October 2024, 62% of respondents said it has been improving (48%), or that it remains as good as before (14%).
While 62% represents a strong majority, it is the lowest percentage detected by Enkoll polls during the term of the current government.
Around one-third of those polled by Enkoll in late November and early December — 34% — said that Mexico’s situation has been deteriorating under Sheinbaum’s rule (26%) or remains as bad as before (8%). The combined total of 32% is the highest detected since the government took office 14 months ago.
In terms of women’s rights, 79% of respondents said that Mexico’s situation is improving, while 75% said the same when asked to consider the government’s social support for citizens.
Only 35% of those polled think that Mexico is improving in terms of its security situation, while 36% said that efforts to combat corruption are getting better. A majority of respondents said that Mexico’s security situation is worsening (51%), even though homicides have declined this year, and that efforts to fight corruption are deteriorating (54%).
One Morena party figure that has faced allegations of corruption and criminal association dating back to his 2019-2021 governorship of Tabasco is Senator Adán Augusto López Hernández, who also served as interior minister for two years during López Obrador’s presidency.
What is the Sheinbaum administration’s biggest achievement?
Asked to nominate the “main achievement” of Sheinbaum’s government, 38% of the respondents who approved of the president’s performance chose things that fall into the “social support” category.
They were:
Social support: 14%
Support for seniors: 13%
The provision of scholarships: 9%
Support for women: 2%.
Among the other top achievements cited by respondents were:
The government has good proposals and works well: 7%
The fight against insecurity: 5%
Improving the Mexican economy: 3%
Having a female president: 3%
Perpetuating the fourth transformation initiated by ex-president López Obrador: 2%
What is the government’s biggest mistake?
Asked to nominate the government’s “main mistake,” 21% of respondents who disapproved of Sheinbaum’s performance chose things that fall into the “insecurity” category.
They were:
A failure to combat insecurity and crime: 18%
The government allying itself with drug traffickers or failing to stop them: 3%
Among the other “main” mistakes cited by respondents were that the government is:
Demonstrating a lack of interest in the population: 5%
What is Mexico’s biggest problem?
Asked what Mexico’s “main problem” is, 45% of respondents cited insecurity. Within the same category, an additional 5% mentioned drug trafficking as the No. 1 problem, while 1% cited violence and organized crime. Thus, 51% of respondents believe that Mexico’s biggest problem is insecurity, drug trafficking or violence.
Grouped together, economic problems were cited as Mexico’s top concern by 20% of those polled. That percentage was comprised as follows:
Strong support for the 4T; majority has negative view of government’s response to Manzo’s assassination
Among the other findings of the latest Enkoll poll were that:
61% of respondents believe that Mexico’s situation has been better under the 4T governments of López Obrador and Sheinbaum than under previous PRI and PAN governments.
57% of respondents believe their personal situation has been better under 4T governments than under PRI and PAN governments.
42% of respondents believe that members of Generation Z were the main participants in the Nov. 15 protests (even though the majority appeared to be older people), while 36% think that members of groups opposed to the government were the largest cohort.
54% of respondents think that the recent protests will influence the government’s decisions a lot (31%) or somewhat (23%).
51% of respondents rated the federal government’s response to Manzo’s assassination as bad (29%) or very bad (21%).
51% of respondents believe that the government’s “peace and justice” plan for Michoacán will be “very effective” (22%) or “somewhat effective” (29%), while 42% believe that it will be largely ineffective (28%) or not effective at all (14%).
the vehicle that exploded was a black Dodge Dakota pickup truck that entered Michoacán via Federal Highway 200 from the neighboring state of Colima. (Cuartoscuro)
The explosion of a car bomb outside a community police station in the town of Coahuayana, Michoacán, on Saturday killed six people, including at least three police officers.
Michoacán Attorney General Carlos Torres Piña reported on Sunday that the death toll had risen to six from an earlier report of five fatalities. He reported that seven other people were injured in the powerful blast, although the Coahuayana mayor said on Saturday that as many as 30 people were hurt.
One of the people killed was a man who drove the vehicle that was laden with explosives, while an accomplice also perished, Michoacán authorities told the EFE news agency.
The Michoacán Attorney General’s Office reported on Saturday that three members of the Coahuayana community police died in a hospital while they were receiving treatment. Some media reports said that four community police officers died.
Torres said that the vehicle that exploded was a black Dodge Dakota pickup truck that entered Michoacán via Federal Highway 200 from the neighboring state of Colima. The municipality of Coahuayana borders Colima and the Pacific Ocean.
The detonation of the car bomb occurred at 11:40 a.m. Saturday in the center of Coahuayana, the largest town in a municipality of around 17,000 people. The explosion caused damage to a number of other vehicles as well as nearby buildings, including the Coahuayana Municipal Palace.
FGR investigates
The Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) said in a statement on Sunday that it was investigating the organized crime-related incident in coordination with the federal government’s security cabinet and authorities in Michoacán.
It said that forensic experts and federal agents from the FGR’s Criminal Investigation Agency were investigating at the scene of the explosion.
The FGR also said that its organized crime division, known as FEMDO, would lead the investigation. It didn’t attribute the explosion to any specific criminal group, but media reports suggested that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was to blame.
Citing information from the Navy Ministry, EFE reported that community police in Coahuayana and the neighboring municipality of Aquila are engaged in a fierce “confrontation” with the CJNG “for the control of drug trafficking routes.”
The Michoacán state government doesn’t recognize the Coahuayana community police force as an official security force, as its members don’t have certified credentials, the newspaper Milenio reported. It is led by Héctor Zepeda Navarrete, a former member of the self-defense groups (autodefensas) that were created in Michoacán more than a decade ago to take up the fight against the Knights Templar cartel (Los Caballeros Templarios).
Car bomb explosion was initially called an act of terrorism
In a statement issued on Saturday, the FGR said it was investigating the car bomb explosion as a “crime of terrorism.”
However, the word terrorism didn’t appear in the statement the FGR issued on Sunday.
Earlier this year, the United States government designated six Mexican drug cartels, including the CJNG, as foreign terrorist organizations.
Explosion occurred 5 weeks after the assassination of the mayor of Uruapan
The car bomb explosion in Coahuayana occurred exactly five weeks after the mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo, was shot in the central square of that city, Michoacán’s second largest.
Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo made a name for himself for his hardline stance against organized crime. (Juan José Estrada Serafín/Cuartoscuro)
The federal government responded to the assassination and general insecurity in Michoacán — one of Mexico’s most violent states — with “Plan Michoacán for Peace and Justice,” a 57-billion-peso (US $3.1 billion) initiative that includes the deployment of additional troops, as well as various other actions.
The statistics indicated that the implementation of Plan Michoacán was having a positive impact on the security situation in the state, but Saturday’s car bomb attack was a brutal reminder that Michoacán remains a hotbed of organized crime.
As president of Mexico, Sheinbaum has used her clothing as an extension of her political and cultural agenda. (Presidencia)
The New York Times included President Claudia Sheinbaum in its list of the Most Stylish People of 2025, a cohort of 67 influential figures in fashion and style worldwide.
The recognition highlights how, as president of Mexico, Sheinbaum has used her clothing as an extension of her political and cultural agenda.
Whether meeting with foreign heads of state, consulting with leaders across different sectors, or on tours around the country, Sheinbaum shows a preference for modern silhouettes that incorporate motifs from Mexico’s rich Indigenous textile heritage.
In its mention of Sheinbaum, the NYT emphasized that she has taken action against major brands that replicate or imitate artisans’ work without acknowledging or adequately compensating them, thereby linking her aesthetic to a stance in defense of cultural property.
“In her first year in office, the president of Mexico has drawn attention to the country’s Indigenous fashion by wearing embroidered clothing and cracking down on big brands that knock off local artisans,” the NYT said.
Sheinbaum shows a preference for modern silhouettes that incorporate motifs from Mexico’s rich Indigenous textile heritage. (Presidencia)
Earlier this year, Mexican officials condemned the sportswear brand Adidas for committing cultural appropriation with the launch of the Oaxaca Slip-On, a locally inspired sandal that was made without the participation of the originating community.
“Big companies often take products, ideas and designs from Indigenous communities,” Sheinbaum said in response to the controversy. “We are looking at the legal part to be able to support them.”
Other trendsetters linked to politics included Melania Trump, who was chosen by the NYT due to her “habit of wearing striking hats that protect her face when making statements,” and Pope Leo XIV, who made the list after he wore a Chicago White Sox baseball cap with his papal garment.
