In the Mexico City borough of Xochimilco, which has many cempasúchil farmers, recent intense rains left 80% of crops temporarily under water. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
The yellow-orange cempasúchil, or marigold flower, that adorns Day of the Dead altars in Mexico could be in short supply this year as heavy rains have flooded fields and greenhouses in various growing regions, including the Xochimilco borough in Mexico City.
Growers in Xochimilco say they could lose up to 50% of their cempasúchil crop after intense rains left about 80% of their flowers under water. One grower told the newspaper El Universal that he’d lost 20,000 of his 25,000 plants.
The crop damage couldn’t come at a worse time, just as Mexico is gearing up for Day of the Dead celebrations. The Mexican marigold is a must-have adornment at family gravesites and altars. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
El Universal reported that the total cash value of the lost cempasúchil crop — the primary income for many families in Xochimilco — comes to about 500,000 pesos (approximately US $25,600).
The Mexico City growers were not the only ones hard-hit by heavy rains. According to newspaper El Financiero, the states of Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca and Puebla have also seen damage to their cempasúchil crops.
This will mean higher prices for the flowers this season.
Last year, the flowers cost approximately 4 or 5 pesos each, but this year consumers might have to pay up to 7 pesos per flower, according to Cuauhtémoc Rivera, a representative of the National Small Business Alliance (ANPEC) who spoke to El Financiero.
The weather agency Meteored warned of the impact of climate change on the flower crop back in June just as cempasúchil planting season was getting underway.
“Variations in temperature and precipitation patterns could alter cultivation cycles and affect the quality of the flowers,” Meteored reported, warning that climate change could endanger the profitability of cempasúchil production and gradually reduce suitable areas for cultivation.
The weather agency Meteored issued a warning in June that climate change was likely to harm this year’s cempasúchil crop, and could continue to be an annual problem. (Screen capture)
Mexico is one of the world’s primary producers of the flower, known taxonomically as tagetes erecta with Puebla, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos and Oaxaca among the top growing states.
Last year, growers in Mexico dedicated about 2,448 hectares to cempasúchil cultivation, a portion of which is exported to the United States and Europe.
Farmers in Mexico have been taking steps to address the challenges presented by climate change, Meteored said by adapting new, more resilient cultivation techniques and working to create more resistant varieties.
Still, some farmers have been forced to sell off parcels of land, as they face increases in costs of production and labor.
During the early months of the Sheinbaum administration, federal authorities have raided stores selling counterfeit and illegally imported Chinese goods. (Shutterstock)
The path to the United States goes through Mexico for a growing number of Chinese citizens.
United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents encountered 35,093 Chinese citizens at the U.S.-Mexico border between October 1, 2023 — when the current U.S. fiscal year began — and July 2024.
An article published in the migration-focused digital magazine of Mexico’s Interior Ministry (Segob) highlighted that the figure represents an increase of more than 1,600% compared to the 1,970 Chinese citizens detected crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2022.
In fiscal year 2023, the number of CBP encounters at the U.S. southern border with Chinese citizens increased 1,121% to 24,048, before increasing 46% in the current fiscal year (excluding data for August and September).
Mexican data on Chinese migrants who entered Mexico irregularly also shows an increase of over 1,000% between 2022 and 2023. Between 2019 and 2023, the increase was a whopping 42,367%.
The article published in Segob’s magazine said that the objective of most Chinese people who enter Mexico without going through official immigration channels — mainly via the country’s border with Guatemala — is to get to the United States.
Many irregular Chinese migrants enter Mexico on their way to the U.S. (Shutterstock)
An article published by the Wilson Center in March said that many Chinese who arrive at the United States southern border “claim political asylum, citing fears of President Xi Jinping’s authoritarian rule and the experience of draconian zero-COVID policies.”
“Many also express skepticism of the Chinese economy and fears of eventually being cast into poverty,” it added.
The article in the Segob magazine, written by Juan Bermúdez Lobera and María de los Ángeles Calderón San Martín, also noted that the number of irregular migrants in Mexico from other Asian countries, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, increased significantly between 2022 and 2023, although not to the extent that Chinese migration increased.
Mexico’s Chinese-born population has surged this century
Regular Chinese migration to Mexico has also increased significantly in recent years.
Federal government data shows that 5,070 Chinese citizens received temporary or permanent resident status in Mexico last year.
That figure represents an increase of 101% compared to the 2,517 residency cards issued to Chinese people in 2022.
According to an estimate in the article in Segob’s magazine, 5,872 residency cards will be issued to Chinese citizens this year. That would represent a 16% increase compared to 2023.
Segob estimates that close to 5,900 Chinese citizens will receive Mexican residency this year. (Shutterstock)
So far this year, the only countries whose citizens have been issued more temporary residence permits than Chinese people are the United States and Colombia.
The aforementioned article attributed the increase in Chinese residents in Mexico to growing trade and investment ties between China and Mexico as well as cultural and family reasons. Mexico is benefiting — and hopes to benefit a lot more — from the relocation of companies from China as part of the nearshoring trend.
In 2000, just 1,847 Chinese-born people were legal residents of Mexico, according to the census conducted that year. By the time the 2020 census was carried out, that number had risen 471% to 10,547. Close to 40% of that number were living in Mexico City.
Based on data pertaining to the issuance of residency cards between 2021 and 2024, the number of Chinese residents in Mexico is now around double the 2020 number.
In their article, Bermúdez and Calderón highlighted that there are more Chinese people living in Mexico than citizens of any other Asian country.
A search for freedom and opportunity
The Associated Press reported last month that many Chinese immigrants to Mexico “have hopes to start businesses, … taking advantage of Mexico’s proximity to the U.S.”
Others work for Chinese multinational companies that have a growing presence here.
AP also said that “others are leaving China in search of greater freedoms.”
One such person is 50-year-old Tan, who came to Mexico City from the Chinese province of Guangdong this year and found work at a Sam’s Club store.
In China, he said he could feel “the political regression, the retreat of freedom and democracy.”
“The implications of that truly make people feel twisted and sick. So, life is very painful,” Tan told AP.
In Mexico City, “what caught his attention … were the the protests that often pack the city’s main avenues,” the Associated Press reported. “Proof, he said, that the freedom of expression he longs for exists in this country.”
* Mexico News Daily regularly reports on growing ties between Mexico and China, with a particular emphasis on trade and investment. Here are some of our previous articles.
Royal Caribbean promised that its investment in Mahahual, Quintana Roo, will bring a total of 3,000 jobs to the area, between construction and long-term operations positions. (Mara Lezama/X)
Royal Caribbean announced it will invest over US $600 million to bring its Perfect Day concept for its cruise ship guests to the port of Mahahual, in southern Quintana Roo.
Dubbed Perfect Day Mexico, the project will involve an expansion of Mahahual’s port dock and the construction of amenities exclusive to Royal Caribbean guests who disembark in Mahahual for the day. The amenities will range from slides, international restaurants, infinity pools, beaches, and adults-only areas.
Among Mahahual’s attractions is the Mahuahual Reef, the world’s second largest barrier reef and part of the Mesoamerican Reef system. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
The experience will be similar to that at Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day CocoCay site, which the company already operates on a private, uninhabited island in the Bahamas.
“We are very excited that Royal Caribbean has decided to invest in Mahahual, a land of opportunity and hard-working people,” Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama said during the announcement ceremony in the state. “I am sure that guests will be marveled by the beauties that southern Quintana Roo has to offer, but, most importantly, the kindness of our people.”
According to official data, Mahahual received the second highest number of cruise ship tourists in Mexico in the first quarter of the year, after Cozumel. The former saw 207 cruise ship arrivals and 844,087 tourists while the latter saw 520 cruise ships and 1.81 million passengers.
One of the cruise ships that arrived in Mahahual this year was the Icon of the Seas — recently named the world’s biggest cruise ship — and also owned by Royal Caribbean.
Perfect Day Mexico will join the Royal Beach Club Cozumel, set to begin operations in 2026. The company said in a statement that Perfect Day Mexico “will be a hallmark of Royal Caribbean vacations,” introducing new adventures in the western Caribbean.
“With travelers prioritizing unique experiences and destinations driving their booking decisions, we’re excited to expand our Perfect Day Collection by creating Perfect Day Mexico to super serve guests who want to explore the Western Caribbean,” said Jason Liberty, CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group.
Quintana Roo Gov. Mara Lezama, sixth from left, announced the Mahahual investment with Michael Bayley, CEO of Royal Caribbean International, center, on Tuesday. (Mara Lezama/X)
With a daily capacity of 21,000 guests, the region is expected to grow from 2.6 million visitors in the first year, to over 5 million by 2033. Plans also include linking the site to the Maya Train route and cultural attractions.
To ensure the project’s positive social impact, Quintana Roo’s Agency for Strategic Projects, as well as the University of Quintana Roo, will collaborate on the project. Royal Caribbean has promised environmentally sustainable facilities, including a dedicated water treatment plant and a reverse-osmosis system to provide a self-sustaining drinking water supply.
Jay Schneider, head of product innovation for Royal Caribbean International, said the entire complex will create 3,000 jobs, of which at least 1,000 will be in the construction phase. The rest will be jobs tied to the complex’s operation.
A new study out of Barcelona posits that Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who suffered from severe chronic pain much of her life, was a victim of the rare condition known as Cauda Equina Syndrome. (fridakahlo.org)
Researchers at the Guttmann Institute in Barcelona have posthumously diagnosed the medical condition that Mexican artist and icon Frida Kahlo suffered from, a rare neurological condition called Cauda Equina Syndrome(CES), which the researchers say was caused by traumatic injury.
“The diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome, particularly in historical patients like Kahlo, can shed light on their experiences and the effects on their lives,” said Dr. Hatice Kumru, a neurologist at the Guttmann Institute and lead author of the study, which was published in the Journal of Neurology in September.
Researchers at the Guttmann Institute in Barcelona, Spain, believe the severe injuries she suffered in a bus accident at age 18 caused the syndrome, also known as CES. (Institut Guttman)
Kahlo is regarded as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century, and in 2021, one of her paintings sold for US $34.88 million at auction, a record at the time for any Latin American artist. Her experience of illness and suffering was a pervasive theme in her often autobiographical works of art.
When Kahlo (1907–1954) was six years old, she was diagnosed with polio, which left her with permanent damage — her right leg was shorter and weaker than her left.
When she was 18, she survived a severe bus accident that left her disabled — a long metal rod tore through her midsection when her bus slammed into a trolley car. She suffered multiple fractures in her pelvis, ribs, shoulders and spine.
Due to the accident, she endured chronic pain and fragile health for the rest of her life. Her injuries and paralysis at times left her confined to bed, and she often wore an orthopedic corset.
Medical documents from that time speculated Kahlo’s pain was the result of fractures, immobilization, postpolio syndrome or spina bifida. But this new research suggests a more specific cause behind her symptoms.
CES is a syndrome caused by an injury to the nerve roots in the lower part of the spinal cord.The cauda equina nerves communicate with the legs and bladder, and CES can cause back pain, weakness and incontinence. If not properly treated, it can lead to permanent damage, including paralysis.
Despite eight surgeries after her accident, Kahlo was bedridden at various times in her life and often wore an orthopedic corset, the latter of which may have worsened her condition, according to the study. (fridakahlo.org)
Kahlo’s medical documents show she suffered severe back pain, fatigue and genital discomfort. Between 1946 and 1950, she underwent eight surgeries, but her chronic pain persisted. She was also unable to bear children, which was a recurring theme in her paintings.
Kahlo’s personal physician, Dr. Leo Eloesser, documented her ongoing symptoms, including diminished sensitivity in the lower part of her body and worsening pain in her right leg. According to the researchers, this loss of feeling, coupled with the intense neuropathic pain she endured, matches the pattern of symptoms associated with CES.
The Guttmann Institute also concluded that Kahlo’s use of orthopedic corsets may have worsened her condition, as they can lead to muscle atrophy by impairing movement.
The World Bank is predicting an economic slowdown in Mexico, bringing its GDP growth forecast down from 2.3% to 1.7% for 2024. (Cuartoscuro)
The World Bank has lowered its economic growth forecasts for Mexico for this year and the next two, citing uncertainty for investors among the reasons for its more pessimistic outlook.
The Washington D.C.-based financial institution is now predicting that the Mexican economy will grow 1.7% this year, 0.6 percentage points lower than its 2.3% forecast in June.
The World Bank published its updated Latin America and Caribbean report on Wednesday. (Wikimedia Commons)
The World Bank anticipates GDP in Mexico will increase 1.5% in 2025, 0.6 points lower than its previous 2.1% forecast.
It also cut its forecast for 2026, lowering it to 1.6% from 2%.
If the projections come true, economic growth in Mexico will slow for a third consecutive year in 2024 and a fourth consecutive year in 2025.
Mexico’s economy will slow for a third consecutive year in 2024 if the World Bank’s projections are correct, after experiencing strong post-pandemic growth in 2021 and 2022. (BMW SLP)
The Mexican economy grew 6% in 2021 as it bounced back from a sharp pandemic-induced contraction in 2020. Growth moderated to 3.7% in 2022 before declining to 3.2% last year.
Why did the World Bank cut its growth forecasts for Mexico?
William Maloney, World Bank Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean, told a virtual press conference that high interest rates in Mexico, a weaker Mexican peso and uncertainty for investors were all factors in the lower growth forecasts.
The Bank of Mexico has cut its benchmark interest rate on three occasions this year, but it remains high at 10.50%.
William Maloney stressed the need for Mexico to address investor concerns about instability. (Screen capture)
The Mexican peso has weakened considerably since the June 2 elections, in large part due to concerns over the federal government’s judicial reform, which was signed into law by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador two weeks before he left office.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that foreign companies were holding back approximately US $35 billion in investment in Mexico due to uncertainty related to the judicial reform and the upcoming United States election. There are concerns that respect for the rule of law in Mexico will suffer as the result of the direct election of judges by citizens.
Maloney on Tuesday stressed the need for Mexico to create stability for investors by respecting the “rules of the game” for investment in the country.
He acknowledged that Mexico has made progress in combating poverty — including by increasing the minimum wage — but highlighted that more needs to be done. Maloney also said that advances in infrastructure (including water and energy infrastructure), innovation and education are crucial to Mexico’s future success.
In addition, the World Bank economist said that Mexico is well positioned to benefit from nearshoring, but added that the country needs to do more to attract foreign investment.
What does the World Bank report say about Mexico?
Entitled “Taxing Wealth for Equity and Growth,” the World Bank’s latest Latin America and Caribbean report also includes updated growth forecasts for other countries in the region, and the region as a whole.
The World Bank report says that Mexico has increased both private and public investment, led by large government infrastructure projects like the Maya Train. (Cuartoscuro)
The World Bank is forecasting that the regional economy will grow 1.9% this year and 2.6% in 2025.
Early in the 98-page report, the World Bank acknowledges that Mexico has “increased its level of private investment, by taking advantage of opportunities for nearshoring and friendshoring, and public investment, especially on infrastructure projects.”
Later in the report, the bank says that “Mexico’s policy of increasing the minimum wage from the previously low level” — it almost tripled during López Obrador’s presidency — “appears to have had some positive effects on earnings, and reducing poverty.”
“Yet, the economic literature and the region’s experience clearly suggests that there are limits to this strategy. The initial positive effects in Mexico may be related to the fact that minimum wages started off at very low levels relative to median or average wages, and further increases may have important employment trade-offs to consider,” it adds.
Toward the end of the report, the World Bank highlights that Mexico has the second highest number of billionaires among Latin America countries after Brazil. Mexico’s richest person is Carlos Slim, who, according to Forbes, is the 20th wealthiest person in the world.
“While rich,” Latin America’s billionaires are “modest” by global standards, according to the World Bank, which highlights that “the combined wealth of the top ten billionaires worldwide — nine of whom reside in the United States — totals an astounding [US] $1.7 trillion, nearly equal to Brazil’s GDP, and almost triple that of Argentina.”
He also said that Mexico has “great opportunities to produce more,” before asserting at the end of July that replacing just one-tenth of Chinese imports with products made in North America would significantly boost economic growth in Mexico and the United States.
Rogelio Ramírez de la O has continued as Finance Minister in President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration. (Claudia Sheinbaum/X)
Now, as Mexico seeks to reduce dependence on Chinese imports, the new federal government “is asking some of the world’s biggest manufacturers and tech firms operating in the country to identify Chinese products and parts that could be made locally,” according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The Journal spoke with Mexico’s Deputy Economy Minister for Foreign Trade Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez Romano, and included his remarks in an article published on Tuesday under the headline “Mexico wants to curb Chinese imports with help from U.S. companies.”
Gutiérrez, whose appointment was announced last week, told the WSJ that the administration led by President Claudia Sheinbaum wants U.S. automakers and semiconductor manufacturers, as well as large aerospace and electronics companies, to substitute some goods and components made in China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.
“We want to focus on supporting our domestic supply chains,” he said.
The semiconductor industry, which is today dominated by Asian countries, is a key area of manufacturing that Mexico is working to develop. (Intel Guadalajara)
The federal official told the Journal that talks with foreign companies to date have been informal.
The newspaper reported that “one person familiar with the government’s plan said that some companies haven’t agreed to any specific goal around import substitution and that discussions are part of the Economy Ministry’s aspirations to strengthen domestic supply chains in key sectors such as the semiconductors industry.”
The WSJ noted that the Mexican consulting company Empra said in a note to investors that the proposed measures will be focused primarily on China, a country with a huge manufacturing sector that produces goods well in excess of what can be sold locally.
China’s exports to Mexico — among which are raw materials, capital goods, consumer products and cars — have surged over the past decade. A significant portion of the Chinese imports go to U.S. companies in Mexico, including ones that operate in the automotive, semiconductor and aerospace industries.
BYD is a Chinese EV maker with plans to build a manufacturing plant in Mexico. (Shutterstock)
Citing Mexican government data, the WSJ said that China’s exports to Mexico now account for 20% of the country’s total imports. Some experts doubt that Mexico has the capacity to replace a significant portion of those imports.
“Bilateral trade and cooperation between Mexico and China have brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries,” the Chinese Foreign said in a statement to the WSJ.
“… Both sides should create favorable conditions for normal economic and trade interactions, as well as jointly maintain the stability of the global supply chain.”
A Hong Kong ship waits to unload Asian goods in Mexico. (SSA México)
Mexico’s trade relation with China could be a key focus of the USMCA review, which is scheduled to take place in 2026.
There are concerns that Chinese companies are using Mexico as a “backdoor” to the United States — i.e. establishing a presence here in order to ship products tariff-free to the U.S.
But Gutiérrez denied that is the case, telling the WSJ that “Mexico isn’t a springboard from Asia to the U.S.”
Mexico will ‘mobilize’ in favor of North America in the China-US trade war, says Ebrard
At a Bloomberg summit in Monterrey on Tuesday, Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard acknowledged that there is a “dispute between China and the United States” and said that it is “stronger now than it was a few years ago.”
“And we now have a plan for a route to follow,” he said.
“What will be the main idea, the main design of that route? To mobilize all legitimate interests in favor of North America,” said Ebrard, who was foreign affairs minister for 4 1/2 years during the 2018-24 presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Economy Minister Ebrard spoke on Tuesday about how Mexico will look to reduce imports and strengthen North American supply chains. (Marcelo Ebrard/X)
He also said that the federal government is looking at “how we can reduce all the imports we have, that is, to increase domestic content in any way we can.”
Ebrard said that Mexican content in the country’s manufacturing exports is currently less than 20%. He said that the government will work with individual companies as part of a strategy to encourage suppliers and parts producers to relocate to Mexico.
“Our mission is not just to increase our market share, but to increase what is produced in Mexico,” he said.
Mexico’s former ambassador to China, Jorge Guajardo, told Mexico News Daily in July that the most pressing and important task for Ebrard as economy minister would be to impose higher tariffs on Chinese imports to protect Mexican industry.
No new tariffs have been announced yet, but the federal government does appear determined to reduce Chinese imports — and is doubling down on its commitment to North America, a region from which Mexico derives the bulk of its export revenue.
Prior to her election as Mexico’s first female president, Sheinbaum noted that Mexico and the U.S. are “economically integrated” whereas “there is no free trade agreement with China.”
“… The relationship with China exists and it has to continue existing, but the agreement with the U.S. has to be maintained and strengthened as well,” she said of the USMCA free trade pact, which also includes Canada.
Vivir Quintana has provided a soundtrack to Mexico's burgeoning feminist movement. (Vivir Quintana/X)
Coahuila’s Viviana Monserrat Quintana Rodríguez has won the hearts of every woman fighting against gender violence in Mexico.
Meeting her in person feels like a hug; her gaze, smile, and voice convey that she believes in you, that she stands by you, and that you are not — and will never be — alone. She has been in the music industry for years, but in 2020, she launched “Canción sin miedo” (Song without Fear), and everything in her life changed. She became a reference and safeguard for every woman who heard her powerful voice.
Quintana has stormed into the public consciousness with her supportive and deeply poignant feminist songwriting. (Vivir Quintana/X)
From the very beginning, “Canción sin miedo” addresses the subject of fear so that it is not us, the women, who are afraid, but rather the state that has failed to confront the terrible acts of violence and the rising number of femicides happening in the country. The song has resonated throughout the nation and has even been sung at feminist public events in various Spanish-speaking countries and the United States.
Since childhood, music has flowed through Vivir’s veins. “They enrolled me in some singing classes, and the teacher said I was very in tune. He told my parents, and from then on, they supported me so I could pursue my dream of becoming a singer,” she told Mexico News Daily, expressing gratitude to her parents for allowing her to explore various disciplines, sports, and studies to find her calling in music.
“Songs are important in culture. If we promote songs about hate, suffering, and revenge, that is what we are promoting,” she continues.
Vivir Quintana has empowered millions of women to defend freedom, equality, and respect for women. In her life and work, she not only talks about sisterhood, but practices it every day. Today, she has the largest all-female crew in all of Latin America. “[I have] an all-women mariachi band, my entire band is made up of women, my crew —engineers — all of them are women. It’s about creating jobs for women, and it’s not easy because we live in a world promised to men. I was talking to a friend, and we were saying, ‘they wanted to erase our intuition,’ they tried to turn us against each other and make us believe that we don’t also own this world.”
Vivir Quintana - Canción sin miedo ft. El Palomar
Vivir Quintana’s talent has been internationally recognized, and in 2022, she contributed to the soundtrack of the movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” with the song “Árboles bajo el mar.” Here, the song stays true to the theme of resistance that characterizes Vivir’s music, as the lyrics speak of origins, of mothers, of ancestors, and of how diversity blooms into beautiful outcomes. The song is a collaboration with another great Mexican singer, the Zapotec feminist rapper Mare Advertencia Lirika.
Vivir has now ventured into the realm of traditional Mexican music known as “corridos”. In her new album, she explores the stories of 10 women currently imprisoned in Mexico for defending themselves against their aggressors. She uses the medium and pride of popular bands to shed light on another form of violence — systemic violence — that endangers the lives of every Mexican woman: gender-based violence. ‘Al Tiro’ is the first release from this album and is already available on all streaming platforms. “Musically, it wasn’t complicated for me. The most challenging part was the story’s background: what words to use, how to compose this story in a poetic way to convey the urgency of eradicating this kind of violence in our country,” Vivir adds.
Camila Sánchez Bolaño is a journalist, feminist, bookseller, lecturer, and cultural promoter and is the former Editor in Chief of Newsweek en Español magazine.
The majestic Pico de Orizaba is Mexico's highest mountain. Naturally it makes for a challenging but exceptional climb. (Wikimedia)
In Nahuatl, it’s called Citlaltépetl, the Star Mountain, a shimmering snow-covered peak that dominates the horizon for hundreds of kilometers. At 5,640 meters (18,504 feet) El Pico de Orizaba is Mexico’s tallest mountain and the third highest in North America.
Those who live on its flanks say the only way you can fully appreciate the beauty of Orizaba is to circumnavigate the volcano on foot, and after much effort, a few of them have established the sort of route that trekkers love: difficult, challenging, but extraordinarily rewarding.
The best way to experience Pico de Orizaba is to hike it. Walker Amadeus Vivero (center) has designed the perfect route for the adventurously minded to do just that. (Amadeus Vivero)
One of the pioneers who developed the Orizaba loop is Victor Vivero, who goes by the trail name Amadeus. For the last four years, Amadeus and friends have worked on connecting several already established tracks to create what they call La Circumvalación, The Loop.
I asked Amadeus to describe his most recent trek along The Pico de Orizaba loop.
“This took place in July,” he told me. “Our group met at a place appropriately called El Valle del Encuentro (the Meeting-place Valley), located in Pico de Orizaba National Park on the South Face of the volcano. Here there’s a mountain refuge, located in a big valley close to a small hill from which you have great views of both el Pico de Orizaba and the Sierra Negra Volcano, where the Large Millimeter Telescope (the biggest of its kind in the world) is located.
Beginning the Pico de Orizaba loop at 1:00 a.m.
Even rising early, the view of the mountain is no less majestic. (Amadeus Vivero)
The trekkers fell asleep in the shelter at 9:00 p.m.
“Our plan,” said Amadeus, “was to get up at 1:00 a.m. and start hiking. We needed to start very early so we’d be sure to reach the next refuge before dark. This way we wouldn’t need to carry tents. However, it was raining hard. So we waited another hour and started walking at about 2:30.There had been a race in this area recently so there was reflecting tape on the trees, making it easy to follow the trail in the dark. but you can always use Wikiloc to follow a route at night.
“For the first seven km the land was flat and here is where we got our rhythm. There were 12 of us, which is a rather big group, but we were soon nicely synchronized.
A sea of clouds
“Near sunrise, we reached the edge of a canyon. Below us stretched a whole sea of clouds. What a view! We had to bottom this canyon, but as we reached the top of the opposite end, we could enjoy a spectacular sunrise, right in front of us.”
“Now, after six hours, surrounded by pine trees, we were reaching the East Face, where we came to another canyon which everybody calls La Rompe Piernas, The Leg Breaker, because crossing it is very tricky. It has some very steep slopes and negotiating the whole thing is very tiring.”
Dwarf snakes and tiny rabbits
“Here we could hear birds, especially eagles and here you can also find rattlesnakes. These are what we call cascabeles enanas, “ dwarf rattlesnakes.” They are only 50 to 80 cm long, and they are poisonous. In this same area, I’ve also seen tiny teporingos or volcano rabbits. They’re endemic to Mexico and so small they weigh only half a kilo (one pound).”
The teporingo is the second smallest rabbit on earth. This threatened species is endemic to a small region on Mexico’s Neovolcanic Belt. (Difusionar)
Two hours beyond The Leg Breaker, the trekkers came to the Ice Cascades, where water pours out of two caves and freezes in the winter.
“Now we were on the Northeast Slope of the volcano,” Amadeus told me, “and here we filled our canteens with this water, which is good to drink. At this point, we had covered about half the first day’s march.”
“Next, to get to the North Face, you have to cross another canyon called La Barranca del Río Jamapa, named after the river created by the runoff from the volcano’s Jamapa Glacier. On the other side, we had to traverse a sandy space called Arenal, and then at about 6:30—after covering 27 kilometers in 17 hours—we reached our second mountain refuge, called Piedra Grande, Big Rock. No sooner did we get there than the weather turned bad. Suddenly it was cold, wet, and windy, but around 9:00 p.m. it all cleared up.”
Piedra Grande mountain shelter
The Piedra Grande shelter holds up to 60 people and can be used free of charge. It can fill up completely on weekends. (Summit Post)
The Piedra Grande refuge is on Pico de Orizaba’s North Face and is used by many climbers heading for the peak. Amadeus and friends had started out very early in the morning to make sure they would get bunks in this shelter, which holds 40 people when full.
“We arrived at the refuge really beat,” continued Amadeus. “[We] broke out our little cook stoves and made things like soup and coffee. Then we slept until 2:30 a.m., ready to go again. The weather was cold, but the sky was so clear, that we saw several shooting stars. After a while, we reached what we call The Wall. It’s almost vertical and takes us to the bottom of a canyon called La Barranca del Alpinaua. Here we always wear helmets and we break up into groups of three.
Treacherous riverbed
“At the bottom we came to the most dangerous part of the whole trek, a riverbed with plenty of loose rocks, some of them very big. So here too, we negotiate the area in small groups. This barranca is only 500 meters wide but it took us maybe two hours to cross it.”
“At sunrise we looked down upon a sea of clouds.” (Amadeus Vivero)
The hikers now arrived at the West Face, a long area of grassy meadows over 3,800 meters high, with hardly any trees. “On this high plateau,” commented Amadeus, “I think we enjoyed the very best views of Pico de Orizaba and from here we could also see Popocatepetl, El Iztaccíhuatl, and La Malinche.”
From this point the party had only nine kilometers more to go, up and over their last obstacle, the Saddle of Cerro Colorado, a pass 4,330 meters above sea level and the highest point of the entire loop.
“From this saddle,” Amadeus told me, “it’s all downhill, and about 1:00 p.m. we arrived back at our starting point on the South Face, so we spent about 10 hours on our second day, but the distance we covered was only 13 kilometers.
“In those two days we walked 40 kilometers and got to see all the faces of North America’s third-highest peak, views that very few have ever observed or photographed. It’s an incredible route!”
John Pint has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, for more than 30 years and is the author of A Guide to West Mexico’s Guachimontones and Surrounding Area and co-author of Outdoors in Western Mexico. More of his writing can be found on his website.
BYD Mexico General Director Jorge Vallejo outlined the company's Mexico sales projections at the BloombergNEF forum in Monterrey on Tuesday. (Screen capture)
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD is anticipating strong sales growth in Mexico in 2025.
Jorge Vallejo, BYD’s general director in Mexico, said Tuesday that the Shenzhen-based company expects to sell 50,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in Mexico this year and 100,000 in 2025.
A BYD Mexico showroom in Guadalajara. (BYD)
He outlined the projections at the BloombergNEF forum in Monterrey, Nuevo León.
Vallejo also said Tuesday that BYD will announce the location of its planned Mexico plant by the end of the year.
He said that the plant will manufacture 150,000 vehicles annually in a first phase of operations, before increasing production to 300,000 in a second phase.
Reuters recently reported that BYD was seeking an extension of tariff relief for its imports in Mexico, as “a decree exempting some 15% to 20% of tariff payments on EVs imported from countries with which Mexico does not have a trade agreement” was set to expire at the end of October. It was unclear whether that extension was granted.
BYD rejected a September Bloomberg News report saying that BYD had put its planned Mexico plant on hold until after the U.S. election. But BYD Mexico General Director Jorge Vallejo said in August that the company has narrowed down its plant location to three states. (BYD)
What has BYD said about its proposed Mexico plant?
The automaker confirmed in February that it would open a plant in Mexico. BYD’s Americas CEO Stella Li said that the plant would only make vehicles for the Mexican market.
Vallejo said in June that BYD’s proposed operations in Mexico will create around 10,000 jobs.
Vallejo said in August that the company had narrowed the list of potential locations for the plant to three states.
In September, Li rejected a Bloomberg News report that said the company had postponed a final decision about its proposed plant in Mexico until after the United States presidential election. Vallejo had previously said that the company was aiming to settle on a location for its plant by the end of the year.
More than 30 environmental groups staged a protest outside the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry in Mexico City on Tuesday. They want Mexico to cancel a planned Mexico Pacific LNG terminal in Sonora. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
Citing concerns over its impact on the Gulf of California, environmental groups are urging the Mexican government to cancel Mexico Pacific’s LNG megaproject in Sonora, a planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant and export terminal.
The US $14 billion project led by the Houston-based company would build the large-scale natural gas liquefaction terminal in Puerto Libertad and a pipeline stretching 800 kilometers to transport natural gas from the Permian Basin in Texas to the plant.
The Gulf of California is home to 39% of the world’s marine mammals, including whales, dolphins and sharks.(Adolfo Vladimir/Cuartoscuro)
The LNG produced in Puerto Libertad would then be exported via 300-meter-long ships to markets in Asia — thereby more easily connecting U.S. shale gas with Asian markets.
Mexico Business News wrote that the project “marks the largest foreign private investment in [Mexico’s] history for a project of this kind” and that it would reshape market dynamics.
Mexico Pacific’s 400-hectare Saguaro Energía LNG facility is expected to produce approximately 15 million tonnes of LNG annually.
“The initiative positions Mexico as the fourth-largest LNG exporting country and a key contributor in meeting the critical energy security needs of the region,” MPL President Alberto Alonzo told the publication.
Puerto Libertad is a small fishing town that is already home to one of the largest thermoelectric plants in Mexico, managed by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
Activists worry that the project and the presence of LNG tankers will bring harmful noise pollution, ship collisions and potential gas spills. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
On Tuesday, a coalition of more than 30 environmental groups staged a protest outside Mexico’s Environment and Natural Resources Ministry (Semarnat) in Mexico City. Many of them were dressed as whales, dolphins and sharks.
They argue that the project poses significant risks to marine life in the Gulf of California, known as the “Aquarium of the World” due to its rich biodiversity.
According to Greenpeace and other environmental protection NGOs, the area is home to 12,105 species, including 39% of the world’s marine mammals, including whales, dolphins and sharks.
The introduction of LNG tankers and the construction of the liquefaction terminal could disrupt these species’ habitats with noise pollution, the risk of ship collisions and potential gas spills, activists said. The ships that would transport the gas product to Asia are as long as 12 adult whales.
Also, to extract the natural gas in Texas, the project involves fracking, a controversial method criticized for its extensive water use and environmental hazards.
Greenpeace and other organizations highlight that fracking contributes to groundwater contamination and accelerates climate change by releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
The activists on Tuesday delivered a letter to Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena, calling for the project’s cancellation. The letter asked her to safeguard the interests and well-being of the Mexican population and its natural resources and not the economic interests of foreign companies.
The activists warned that the frequent passage of LNG tankers through the Gulf would endanger marine life, particularly whales, which rely on sound for communication and navigation.
Moreover, they point out that the proposed pipeline will cross mountains, rivers, streams, communities and areas of ecosystemic importance.
The coalition also expressed concerns about the project’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and called on President Claudia Sheinbaum to reject the initiative.
MPL last year signed an agreement with the government of Sonora to move forward on the project, according to the news source NS Energy Business. It has received official endorsement from Mexico’s federal government, including environmental permits, the publication said.
Construction has not yet begun, according to Mongabay, a nonprofit website focused on conservation and the environment.
If it moves forward, the project will become a pillar of the Sonora Plan, aimed at fostering economic prosperity and clean energy development in northwest Mexico. The plan was announced by the Mexican government at the North American Leaders’ Summit last year.
