Monday, July 7, 2025

Seven spa experiences in Mexico City to gift yourself this holiday season

By
Bethany Platanella
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A woman enjoying herself with a massage.
From mud massages to top ōnsen experiences, there's a spa experience in the capital that's right for you. (Rosa Rafael/Unsplash)

Stressing out during the holidays takes a lot of time and energy. From classic deep tissue massages to regional traditions like sweat lodges and salt caves, Mexico City is full of ways to relax at the spa. Set aside a few hours, or a full day, for a bit of indulgence with these memorable spa experiences that can be found in various locations throughout CDMX. You’re sure to emerge a happier, healthier, more holiday-ready person.

If needed, feel free to accidentally send this article to any family members, lovers, or friends who could use a little assistance in shopping for you this year. Look at you, Santa’s little helper.

Temazcal ceremonies

Temazcal in form of a snake at Nanciyaga Ecological Park in Catemaco, Veracruz
From the Nahuatl word temazcalli, a temazcal is an ancient system of daily steam baths. (Wikimedia Commons – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0/AlejandroLinaresGarcia)

If you live in Mexico or spend a significant amount of time here, chances are you’ve indulged in a traditional Temazcal experience. This Mesoamerican sweat lodge serves as both a physical and spiritual cleansing ritual, and derives from Nahuatl, where “temaz” means “steam” and “calli” means “house”. The Temazcal practice dates back to pre-Columbian civilizations such as the Maya and Mexica who used it often to promote relaxation, detoxification, and spiritual renewal. 

Sweat out impurities and find your mental focus right here in Mexico City. More than a detox, it’s also a great opportunity to hand over holiday prep duties to someone else for three hours.

Places to experience a Temazcal in Mexico City include:

Couples massages with champagne perks

Couples Massage at the Royal Thai Spa, a Mexico City Spa
A couples massage at Royal Thai Spa is the gift you didn’t know you needed. (Royal Thai Spa)

Unwind, reconnect, enhance intimacy… or just knock out a holiday present for yourself and your lover with a couples massage. Experience gifts are all the rage these days, and what could be better in this wintry weather than sitting in a steaming hot jacuzzi with a bottle of bubbly and artisanal chocolates? If your answer was “a 90-minute massage and 60-minute facial” and you live in Mexico City, you’re in luck. Forget your to-do list for a few hours and decompress in a tranquil escape right here in the city. Emerge totally rejuvenated with a spa treatment designed with you and your honey in mind.

Top spas for couples in Mexico City include:

*Writer’s note: The full-body massage I had here was one of the best of my life. I personally and highly recommend it. 

Luxurious day spas

 

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Una publicación compartida por Spa Marquis (@spamarquis)

Whether you choose to go with your girlfriends or fly solo, a surefire way to relax and refresh is spending the day at the spa. Between the plethora of upscale hotels on Paseo de la Reforma and the near-hidden spa at everyone’s favorite department store, you have plenty of options to luxuriate this winter. 

Start your relaxation journey swimming in the rooftop pool at the St. Regis or with a thermal bath in the Marquis. Settle in the steam room before a cold plunge to stimulate blood flow. Chill out with a massage, facial, or mani pedi. Mexico City’s elite spas provide a range of therapies that run from premium to affordable, so you can stay within budget while feeling five-star.

Popular day spas in Mexico City include:

Indigenous healing rituals

A person preparing a massage mix in a molcajete.
In Mexico, contemporary massage experiences mix with ancient Indigenous traditions. (Katherine Hanlon/Unsplash)

Mexico is a land of mysticism, interwoven so thoroughly with the Earth that ailments are often treated with natural ingredients or dietary changes before pharmaceutical prescriptions. Traditional healing therapies persist in Mexico and with fervor. Consider the popular Mayan healing ritual that incorporates space particles that resulted from a meteorite crashing into the Yucatán Peninsula millions of years ago.

The mud from this crater is scrubbed on the skin as the minerals repair the body’s immune system. Other curative elements used in many of Mexico’s indigenous healing rituals include lava shells, agave oil, volcanic salt and local herbs.

Spas that offer indigenous healing elements include:  

Ōnsen bath experience

This might be one of Mexico City’s best hidden gems. In the center of Cuauhtémoc, known at one time as Little Tokyo, is a semi-traditional ryokan hotel experience. According to reviews, the hotel itself leaves a bit to be desired but the rooftop onsen bath experience is a blast. Ōnsen is a traditional Japanese ritual centered around soaking in natural hot springs. While the water from these tubs doesn’t originate from hot springs, they are fun, and even better when sipping on champagne on a sunny day with a light breeze. 

Indulge in an onsen in CDMX at: 

Float therapy

Float therapy, also known as sensory deprivation, involves floating in a uniquely-designed bath tank filled with a high concentration of Epsom salt solution. The result is a zero-gravity environment where water and air temperature match that of the skin, minimizing sensory input from light and sound, which allows the mind to enter a meditative state. It’s said to significantly reduce stress and anxiety, relieve muscle tension, and improve sleep quality. Athletes such as Stephen Curry and Michael Phelps swear by float therapy for its ability to accelerate recovery and enhance creativity and focus. Sign up for a session of sensory deprivation and emerge a focused, creative, motivated holiday shopper! 

Float your fears away in Mexico City at: 

Calma Float and Wellness (Rome Norte) $$

Halotherapy

Tools for halotherapy
Halotherapy is a form of alternative medicine based on the use of salt on the skin. (Diana Light/Unsplash)

Colloquially known as salt therapy, halotherapy was discovered thanks to 19th century Polish physician Dr. Feliks Boczkowski, who observed that salt miners experienced fewer respiratory issues compared to other miners. His findings led him to establish the first health resort at the famous Wieliczka Salt Mines found just outside of Krakow. The benefits of inhaling salt particles lie in its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, which are said to improve respiratory health and skin wellness. 

Here’s where to get salty in CDMX:

Don’t see your favorite spa treatment listed here? Let other readers know the unique healing experiences you can find in Mexico City.

Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog or follow her on Instagram.

A desert state takes center stage in Mexico’s clean energy plans

By
MND Staff
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Thousands of solar panels in rows at an angle facing up at the sky in a desert area of Sonor
The centerpiece of the Plan Sonora is the Puerto Peñasco Solar Farm, which is partly operational but still under construction. (Cuartoscuro)

What are Mexico’s plans for the decarbonization of the global economy amid the worldwide call to combat climate change? And how is the northern state of Sonora involved?

Mexico’s “main bet” in its attempts to transition to cleaner energy is the Plan Sonora renewable energy initiative, Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo said Wednesday during a meeting in Mexico City with federal Energy Minister Luz Elena González Escobar.

Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo, left, with Energy Minister Luz Elena González Escobar posing for a pic in front of a wall banner saying Secretaria de Energia
Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo, left, with Energy Minister Luz Elena González Escobar. (Alfonso Durazo/X)

Under Durazo, the state has been working closely with the federal government for several years to execute Plan Sonora, a comprehensive energy, development and economic growth plan that would bring the state (and Mexico) foreign investment and greater energy independence as well as, Durazo is betting, turn Sonora into a “Silicon Valley” for clean energy.

The centerpiece of the US $7 billion Plan Sonora is a massive solar park in Puerto Peñasco, located on the northern coast of the Gulf of California just 100 kilometers from Sonora’s border with Arizona.

The aim is for the solar park to provide electricity to new industrial parks in Sonora and more than 160,000 homes. It is already partially operational, but not yet finished.

Authorities also hope that lithium mining will be another big part of Plan Sonora, given that there are large deposits of the sought-after metal in Sonora. However, the deposits are situated in clay, making the lithium difficult to mine. President Claudia Sheinbaum said earlier this month that the state-owned company Litio para México (Lithium for Mexico) is working toward the goal of mining lithium in Mexico.

At their meeting on Wednesday, Durazo and González agreed to keep pushing ahead with renewable energy initiatives in Sonora. Mexico, led by Sheinbaum, a climate scientist, since Oct. 1, is aiming for a 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Betting on the economic benefits of green energy

In addition to assisting the energy transition in Mexico, Plan Sonora has “a focus on the well-being” of the residents of Sonora, Durazo said.

Sonora has some of the world’s largest lithium deposits, but Mexico will likely need partnerships with foreign companies to extract it due to Mexico’s lack of experience with lithium mining and the technical challenges the clay soil poses to effective extraction. (Dylan Leagh/Unsplash)

He said that Plan Sonora is also attracting private investment to Sonora, citing Houston-based company Mexico Pacific Limited’s US $15 billion natural gas project in Puerto Libertad as one example.

A Chinese company, Ganfeng Lithium, has run into problems with the federal government over its plans to mine lithium in Sonora, but the two parties could come to an agreement in the near future. Mexico nationalized lithium in 2022.

Sonora lawmaker Amairany Peña Escalante said this week that Plan Sonora is already making state capital Hermosillo and the port city of Guaymas more competitive. The Mexican Institute for Competitiveness recently ranked Hermosillo as Mexico’s most competitive city among cities with a population between 500,000 and 1 million. Guaymas was ranked as the most competitive city among those with fewer than 250,000 residents.

Peña said that Sonora’s focus on renewable energy projects helped the cities come out on top in their population categories.

Plan Sonora is also expected to help strengthen bilateral relations between Mexico and the United States by encouraging nearshoring investment.

In a social media post on Wednesday, González said that federal and Sonora authorities were continuing to work on projects that “will strengthen regional development and improve the quality of life of businesses and families.”

With reports from Milenio and Reporte Indigo  

Bottlenose dolphins in Gulf of Mexico test positive for fentanyl, other pharmaceuticals

By
MND Staff
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Dolphins with their bodies sticking out of the water.
Researchers discovered the contamination of the Gulf dolphins' blubber while conducting an unrelated study. (Freddy Jiménez/Unsplash)

Traces of fentanyl have been found inside bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, raising concerns that pharmaceuticals may be affecting sea life in the Gulf.

Researchers at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) studied 89 dolphins from three areas of the Gulf of Mexico and found traces of drugs in 30 of them, including 24 that had traces of fentanyl.

Woman scientist in a white lab coat in a laboratory, looking into a microscope
Dr. Dara Orbach, leader of the study. (Texas A&M University Corpus Christi)

“It’s not something we were looking for, so of course we were alarmed to find something like fentanyl, especially with the fentanyl crisis happening in the world right now,” doctoral student Makayla Guinn said, according to KCRA TV News. 

Dara Orbach, the study’s lead author, said the findings are disturbing.

“Pharmaceuticals have become emerging micropollutants and are a growing global concern as their presence has been reported in freshwater ecosystems, rivers, and oceans worldwide,” Orbach said.

Guinn said there were more than 3,000 different pharmaceutical compounds inside the dolphin blubber, including opioids, sedatives and relaxants.

The study traces its roots to a routine boating survey in September 2020, when university researchers recovered a dead dolphin in the Gulf. About two years later, they used the carcass for hormone blubber analysis and came across the drug.

Since then, the TAMU-CC researchers have run tissue samples from 89 dolphins — including 83 collected via live dolphin biopsies and six from dead dolphins — through a mass spectrometer, looking to see how widespread the contamination was.

Orbach said that dolphins’ fatty blubber is a good indicator of ocean pollutant levels because it can store contaminants and be sampled in a minimally invasive way in live animals. She described dolphins as a bioindicator species of ecosystem health.

The dolphins were found in Redfish Bay and the Laguna Madre in Texas and in the Mississippi Sound, along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama.

While pharmaceuticals were found in 30 of the 89 samples, fentanyl was found in all six of the dead dolphins.

“These drugs and pharmaceuticals are entering our water, and they have cascading effects in our marine life,” Guinn added.

The big question the TAMU-CC researchers haven’t been able to answer, according to KCRA TV News, is how did fentanyl get into the dolphins’ blubber?

As dolphins don’t drink seawater — they get water mainly from the breakdown of their food — they may have acquired the chemicals through their diet or absorption through the skin, the science news media outlet Science Alert speculated. 

One possibility mentioned by TAMU-CC researchers is that the drugs come from wastewater absorbed by the dolphins’ prey, such as fish and shrimp. This would be a concern since humans eat fish and shrimp. 

Orbach hopes their findings lead to more wide-ranging research to trace the fentanyl’s source and to limit potential damage to the ecosystem.

Another potential source of contamination is from the fentanyl and other synthetic drugs being trafficked by Mexican drug cartels via the Gulf of Mexico. 

Given that more than a quarter of Earth’s rivers have been found to contain pharmaceuticals, according to Science Alert, it’s perhaps no surprise that these drugs are being found in sea life.

In July, the magazine Science reported that researchers in Brazil found traces of cocaine in the livers and muscles of sharks. Studies have shown that cocaine likely enters the sea in drainage from illegal labs where cocaine is refined.

With reports from Science Alert, KCRA News, Aristegui Noticias and El Pais

2024 Guadalajara International Book Fair breaks attendance record

By
Michelle Aguilar
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A woman browses books on a shelf at the Guadalajara International Book Fair
Between industry professionals and literary enthusiasts, the 2024 fair attracted more atendees than ever before. (Fernando Carranza García/Cuartoscuro)

After crunching numbers this week, organizers of the Guadalajara International Book Fair (Feria Internacional de Libro, or FIL) are reporting that this year’s annual event, which wrapped up on Sunday, attracted record attendance numbers — with nearly 1 million industry executives and book fans showing up for the weeklong festival.

A whopping 907,300 attendees came through the Guadalajara Expo’s doors between Nov. 30 and Dec. 8, just shy of 50,000 more than last year’s figure of 857,315. The number also breaks the FIL’s previous attendance record from the 2019 event, which occurred not long before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down public events across Mexico.

An aerial view of a convention center with the words "Expo Guadalajara" written in enormous letters on its roof
The festival took place at the Expo Guadalajara convention center. (Expo Guadalajara)

“This year’s fair exceeded our expectations in every way,” Marisol Schulz Manaut, general director of the FIL, told the U.S. publishing industry trade newspaper Publishers Weekly.

Organizers said that the fair also exceeded other expectations: The number of publishing companies with stands at the FIL this year was 2,769, an increase of 294 from last year. Also, 18,100 industry professionals attended as guests this year, up by 700 from 2023.

University of Guadalajara Rector Ricardo Villanueva Lormelí told the newspaper El Economista that FIL’s numbers this year “broke all the records that the fair has,” making it likely that next year, organizers would expand the FIL outside its traditional home at the Guadalajara Expo and add satellite locations around the city.

The event, founded in 1987 by former University of Guadalajara rector Raúl Padilla López, attracts publishers and industry executives from Spain, Mexico and Latin America, as well as from non-Spanish-speaking countries around the world, such as Norway, Taiwan and Italy. Increasingly, that list of countries includes the U.S., where demand for Spanish-language content from Latin America is increasing.

A crowd of young people listen to a poet who sits on a stage reading from his book.
The fair drew over 18,000 special guests — writers, poets, and industry professionals who gave talks and workshops for the public. (FIL Guadalajara/X)

Publishers Weekly noted that 150 U.S. librarians this year attended the fair through FIL’s Free Pass Program with the American Library Association. The program helps U.S. librarians acquire Spanish-language materials.

The event is also increasingly becoming a must-visit for publishers and movie companies looking to make translation, licensing or film-rights deals.

“Audiences aren’t just seeking stories set in Latin America,” said Carla Cumming Rivero, an attendee who is the development manager for Mexico and Latin America with the television and film agency Scenic Rights. “They want stories told by Latin Americans, with cultural nuances and perspectives that only local creators can provide,” she told Publishers Weekly.

The FIL is also a required stop for aspiring children’s book illustrators in Latin America, who network with publishers and professionals and can have their portfolio assessed affordably by a professional. Many also attend the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, an event within an event held at FIL that this year launched the Bologna Portfolio Prize, a new award recognizing illustrators early in their careers. Aspiring writers also take advantage of the affordable writing and marketing workshops led by authors and industry professionals.

Guadalajara International Book Fair director Marisol Schultz speaks into a microphone
The event exceeded expectations “in every way,” festival director Marisol Schulz said. (FIL Guadalajara/Flickr)

But the Guadalajara weeklong event, whose entrance fee is a highly affordable 25 pesos (US $1.24), also attracts a large number of book lovers each year, drawn in by the chance to see their favorite authors in person, buy books directly from publishers and mingle with other aficionados.

“The FIL is unique in that it is a significant trade show, yes, but it is also a major book festival,” Ethan Nosowsky, an editorial director at the Minneapolis publisher Graywolf Press told Publishers Weekly. “I love that the fair opens up to an enthusiastic public who are buying books directly from publisher stands, where they are generously displayed, and where young and old pack halls for author events.”

According to Schulz, publishers participating this year reported an estimated 35% increase in their sales. Overall, the event took in about 124 million pesos (US $6.1 million), organizers told the newspaper La Jornada.

With reports from El Economista, La Jornada and Publishers Weekly

Bloomberg: Mazda ready to move some Mexico operations if US imposes 25% tariff

By
MND Staff
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Closeup of the back of a red Mazda car with the Mazda 3 logo on it .
The automaker, which has multiple plants in Mexico, is on pace this year to produce 8,000 more vehicles than in 2023. But with Trump's threat of a 25% tariff on Mexico, Mazda is considering picking up stakes and moving some operations to the U.S. (Ivan Jevtic/Unsplash)

Japanese auto manufacturer Mazda is reportedly reconsidering its investment strategy in Mexico over uncertainty related to tariff threats made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Mazda México director Miguel Barbeyto said the auto company would institute an undisclosed “Plan B” if Trump applies the threatened 25% tariff on goods from Mexico, according to Bloomberg News in a report on Wednesday.

Mazda Mexico Director Miguel Barbeyto standing in front of a red Mazda car in a showroom, smiling.
Mazda México Director Miguel Barbeyto said tariffs are particularly worrisome for auto manufacturers, since thousands of auto parts must cross borders multiple times before final assembly. (Miguel Barbeyto/Instagram)

“We want to continue investing in [Mexico],” Barbeyto told Bloomberg but admitted that it would not be profitable for Mazda to go forward with plans until there is more clarity. 

Mazda’s shares dipped as much as 0.4% in early Tokyo trade on Thursday.

Two weeks ago, the news agency Reuters published a report on automakers and other major manufacturers Mexico who will face difficult decisions regarding investments and existing operations here.

Reuters reported that Mazda exported around 120,000 vehicles from its plant in Guanajuato state to the U.S. in 2023 — about 30% of the company’s U.S. sales volume. This represents about 70% of the vehicles it produced in Mexico, according to Bloomberg. 

One-quarter of the cars Mazda produces here are sold domestically, and the remaining 5% is shipped to Canada, Colombia and Central America.

Mazda is on pace to produce a record 210,000 vehicles this year in Mexico, roughly 8,000 more than it produced in 2023.  

Guanajuato governor Diego Sinhue shaking hands with a Japanese Mazda official at a ceremony. Behind them is a sign made to look like a car driving wheel that says GTO, 10 years and Mazda in large type.
In February, Guanajuato Gov. Diego Sinhue recently visited Mazda’s Salamanca plant to mark the company’s 10th year of operations in Guanajuato. (Miguel Barbeyto/X)

A chilling effect on automaker investment in Mexico 

A growing number of auto companies — including Tesla and the multinational manufacturer Stellantis — have either paused or are said to be reconsidering Mexico investment plans as a result of the tariffs Trump has threatened to levy upon taking office on Jan. 20, 2025. 

Barbeyto said tariffs are particularly worrisome for auto manufacturers who rely on thousands of parts that cross borders multiple times before final assembly is completed. Still, he said he was confident that the U.S. and Mexican governments would negotiate an acceptable solution.

Even though Mazda has a Plan B ready, Barbeyto said the company is “working to continue growing in [Mexico], both in manufacturing and in the sale of new vehicles.” 

Tom Donnelly, the chief of Mazda’s U.S. operations, told Bloomberg that Plan B could involve shifting some of its Mexico operations to a plant Mazda runs jointly with Toyota Motor Corp. in Alabama. 

Last week, Mexico’s Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard met with auto industry chiefs, asking them for information to help Mexico strengthen its negotiating position. According to Barbeyto, who attended the meeting, Ebrard also reportedly asked the auto companies to find ways to substitute components they currently buy from China for parts made in North America. 

Last month, Ebrard told reporters that the United States would be shooting itself in the foot if it imposed a 25% tariff on Mexican exports. He warned that a trade war — President Claudia Sheinbaum has strongly implied that she would respond with retaliatory tariffs — would negatively impact some of the most important North American companies, particularly automakers General Motors, Stellantis and Ford.

With reports from Bloomberg News, El Financiero and Reuters

International tourism spending up 5% through October, surpassing US $24 billion

By
MND Staff
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International tourists lay in a row on a sunny Cancún beach
Nearly 70 million international visitors had come to Mexico as of October, a number that includes both overnight tourists and day visitors. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

Foreign tourists have been arriving to Mexico in droves this year, the Tourism Ministry reported this week, with international tourism spending benefiting the Mexican economy by more than US $24 billion as a result.

Citing a survey published by the national statistics agency INEGI, Mexico’s Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez on Tuesday told reporters that 69.8 million international visitors arrived in Mexico from January through October, 15.1% more than during the same period in 2023. (The Tourism Ministry defines visitors as any non-resident who enters the country, while tourists are those who stay at least one night in Mexico.)

These international visitors, INEGI found, infused Mexico’s economy with US $26.5 billion, 6.8% more than during the same months last year.

Mexico received 69.8 million international visitors in the ten-month period, Rodríguez said. Of that number, 36.3 million were tourists who stayed at least overnight — 7.2% more tourists than Mexico welcomed last year. A record number of Canadian tourists contributed to the increase.

Furthermore, international tourists were responsible for US $24.3 billion of the revenue earned, 5.2% more than was spent during the first 10 months of 2023, and 32.2% more than during the same period in 2019.

The results of the survey indicate that Mexico’s tourism industry has fully recovered from the interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that began in March 2020. Rodríguez said that more than 4.9 million people were employed in Mexico’s tourism industry as of Sept. 30, 2024.

Tourists watch musicians perform in the street under colorful paper flags next to a colonial building
More than 4 million Mexicans have worked in tourism so far this year. (Los Cabos Tourism Board)

The US $26.5 billion in revenue from international visitors represented a 31.2% increase over revenue recorded during the January-October 2019 period.

In the first 10 months of 2024, Mexico also welcomed18.7 million international tourists by air, 1.8% more than last year, 17.3% more than in the same period in 2019.

These 18.7 million tourists spent an average of US $1,161 per day, 2.6% more than last year and 14.4% more than in 2019.

After presenting the INEGI report, Rodríguez praised the tourism sector for consolidating its role in producing shared prosperity by “bringing the benefits of this noble activity to all communities and all participants in the chain of production.”

Just a day earlier, Rodríguez met with state tourism ministers and members of the tourism industry. During her appearance, she applauded the tourism industry as “a genuine motor for transformation” and a key pillar in promoting “the economic growth that will procure prosperity for all.”

With reports from EFE and Once Noticias

Over 11 million pilgrims flock to Mexico City Basilica to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe

By
MND Staff
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Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said 11.5 million pilgrims had visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe as of Thursday morning. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)

Millions of Catholic pilgrims made their way to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Wednesday ahead of the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe this Thursday Dec. 12.

The Mexico City government reported that 8.5 million pilgrims had arrived to the Basilica precinct by 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The figure is almost as large as the population of Mexico City, whose 16 boroughs are home to some 9.2 million people, according to the 2020 census results.

Many more pilgrims arrived later on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning, some walking on their knees or crawling. Some arrived with tents, others just with blankets to bundle up on a chilly Mexico City night. The traditional Mexican birthday song “Las Mañanitas” was sung by pilgrims for the Virgin after the clock struck midnight.

The millions of pilgrims traveled to Mexico City from all all over the country and even abroad, according to media reports. Many pilgrims walked long distances to get to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (called Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe in Spanish), located in the northern borough of Gustavo A. Madero.

The Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe this year marks the 493rd anniversary of the purported apparition of the Virgin on Tepeyac hill, located near the Basilica site. Juan Diego, an Indigenous convert to Catholicism, is said to have seen the Virgin of Guadalupe on four occasions in December 1531.

Saint Juan Diego by Jose Guadalupe Posada
A rendering of Saint Juan Diego with dark skin, by famed artist José Guadalupe Posada, from circa 1895. ( Creative Commons)

Both the figure of Juan Diego and the dark-skinned depiction of the Virgin of Guadalupe are important elements of Mexico’s syncretic tradition, representing Indigenous Mexico’s embrace of Catholicism.

Many of the pilgrims who arrived at the Basilica on Wednesday were carrying pictures or statuettes of the “Virgen morena” (brown-skinned Virgin), the La Jornada newspaper reported. Others held small altars dedicated to her.

A number of pilgrims burst into tears upon arriving due to emotion, pain, tiredness, happiness or a combination of all of those things, La Jornada said.

The same newspaper reported that a group of five Venezuelan migrants were among the millions of pilgrims at the Basilica. The Venezuelans, who hope to eventually reach the United States, went to the Basilica to ask for “divine intervention,” La Jornada said.

Susana, a 63-year-old woman, made her way to the Catholic pilgrimage site from the state of Puebla. Accompanied by her children, friends and neighbors, she walked part of the way, aided by her walking stick, but covered a lot of the distance in one of various trucks that together formed a convoy.

“I’ve come to give thanks to the Virgencita because I’m alive and healthy,” Susana told La Jornada.

She said she would also pray for her family and world peace. “And while there is life and health, I will continue coming, as I’ve done since I was very young,” she said.

A young man wearing a crown bends down to light one of many candles, whose light illuminates his face
A young pilgrim lights a candle outside the basilica on Wednesday night. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

An elderly couple, Juana López and Francisco Hernández, made their way to the Basilica from Atizapán de Zaragoza, México state. As they have done for the past 10 years, they handed out food and drinks to the faithful — sandwiches, tacos, sweet bread (pan dulce), chocolate, candy, water and soda.

Accompanied by their daughter and granddaughters, the couple said the motive of their charity was to “thank God because he has always helped us and never abandoned us.”

A total of 12 million pilgrims expected between Dec. 6 and 15 

The Mexico City government estimates that some 12 million people will descend on the Basilica of Guadalupe between Dec. 6 and 15 to celebrate the Day of the Virgin. Just over 12 million people made their way to the Basilica during a similar period last year.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada reported on the X social media platform shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday that 11.5 million pilgrims had visited the Basilica. She said that no problems had been reported by law enforcement authorities.

In a post just after midnight, Brugada congratulated “all the Lupitas on their day!”

“In Mexico City, it fills us with happiness to welcome the pilgrims who arrive with faith and hope,” the mayor said.

In a statement on Wednesday night, the Mexico City government said that more than 6,000 police officers had been deployed to patrol the influx of pilgrims to the capital and their arrival at the Basilica. While no security incidents had been reported, almost 1,300 people received medical care or advice in the Basilica precinct. Most pilgrims received treatment for ailments related to their pilgrimage, such as dehydration and non-serious injuries, the government said. Just one person was transferred to hospital for “observation.”

Twelve people got lost amongst the massive crowd but all were located and reunited with their families, the Mexico City government said.

According to the government, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is “the second most visited religious place in the world,” receiving “about 30 million devout and 10 million non-religious visitors each year.”

With reports from La Jornada

The mastermind behind Mexico’s greatest hits 

By
Sandra Gancz Kahan
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José Alfredo Jiménez
You know him, you love him. José Alfredo Jiménez has been inescapable for almost an entire century. (José Alfredo Jiménez/Facebook)

Did you know that many songs you instantly associate with Mexico were written by just one man? José Alfredo Jiménez, one of the most prolific and cherished composers in Mexican history, is the mastermind behind countless ranchera and mariachi classics. Throughout his prolific career, he composed over 300 songs and appeared in several films.

Jiménez is known as “El Rey” (The King), for the title of one of his most iconic songs. This epic anthem has helped countless Mexicans rise back up with unapologetic pride when life has knocked them down. In “El Rey,” Jiménez boldly proclaims, “Con dinero y sin dinero hago siempre lo que quiero y mi palabra es la ley. No tengo trono ni reina ni nadie que me comprenda, pero sigo siendo el rey”: With or without money I always do what I want, and my word is the law. I have no throne or queen nor anyone who understands me, but I’m still the king.  

The macho way of letting go

Cuando Sale la Luna

If you ever need help overcoming a failed romance, ask the mariachi to play “Te Solté la Rienda.” “Como al caballo blanco,” the first verse begins, “le solté la rienda, a ti también te suelto y te me vas ahorita.” The same way I dropped the white horse’s reins, I’m letting you go, and you should leave immediately.

Then goes on to say: “Y cuando al fin comprendas que el amor bonito lo tenías conmigo, vas a extrañar los besos… y has de querer mirarte en mis ojos tristes que quisiste tanto.” And when you finally understand that you had beautiful love with me, you’ll miss the kisses… and you’ll want to look into my sad eyes that you loved so much. 

Dialing up the drama

In the guilt trippingly melodramatic “Pa’ Todo el Año,” he sings: “Si te cuentan que me vieron muy borracho, orgullosamente diles que es por ti / De hoy en adelante, ya el amor no me interesa. Cantaré por todo el mundo mi dolor y mi tristeza porque sé que de este golpe ya no voy a levantarme”: If they tell you they saw me very drunk, proudly say it’s because of you. From now on, I’m not interested in love / I will sing about my pain and sorrow all over the world because I will never recover from this blow. 

The rise of the charro icon

Jiménez’s music is closely related to the events that surrounded his life. Born in 1926 in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, he grew up in a country working to rebuild its identity after the Revolution. The figure of the charro, a farmer wearing a wide-brimmed hat and fitted suit, became a key unifying symbol in postrevolutionary Mexico. Famously performing in charro garb, Jiménez played a major role in strengthening this figure as a national icon, representing bravery, self-reliance and pride for rural people.

José Alfredo’s own background, however, was far from rural. The house where he was born, now a museum, reveals that he came from an upper-middle-class family. His father was the first person to open a pharmacy in Dolores Hidalgo, but his death in 1936, shattered the family’s comfortable lifestyle.

Jiménez, besides being a great singer, also explored acting. Here, the singer is pictured with Mexican actress Flor Silvestre. (José Alfredo Jiménez/Facebook)

After his father’s passing, at the age of 11, José Alfredo moved to Mexico City to live with his aunt and earn a living. There he began composing his first songs, whistling the melodies, as he never had any formal musical education. He dropped out of high school and formed a trio that played in bars for a few pesos. 

Jiménez’s life took a significant turn in the late 1940s when an established musician discovered his talent. Within a few years, his voice was heard on the radio across the country, and he quickly became one of Mexico’s most celebrated singers and composers. 

A monument to a legend at his final resting place

Jiménez was famously a heavy drinker, and the nightlife fueled his creativity. While drunk, he would grab whatever paper was nearby and start writing lyrics with remarkable ease. Unfortunately, years of alcohol abuse led to cirrhosis of the liver, and in 1973, he passed away in a Mexico City hospital at the age of 47. Despite his early death, his music continues to resonate across generations five decades later.

You can visit his final resting place in the municipal cemetery of Dolores Hidalgo. His tomb is an artistic masterpiece, featuring a colorful charro hat and sarape mosaic. At the base is inscribed, “Life is worthless. It always begins with tears and ends with tears. There, just beyond the hill, you can see Dolores Hidalgo. I’ll stay there, countryman, there’s my beloved town.”

The Mausoleum of José Alfredo Jiménez is a defining landmark of the Pueblo Mágico of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato. (Alistando maletas/Instagram)

His mausoleum is the only one in the cemetery facing west, a tribute to his song “La media vuelta,” where he sings: “Si encuentras un amor que te comprenda y sientes que te quiere más que nadie, entonces yo daré la media vuelta y me iré con el sol, cuando muera la tarde”: If you find a love that understands you, and you feel they love you more than anyone, then I’ll turn around and leave with the sun when the evening dies.

The legacy of José Alfredo Jiménez is a national treasure. His songs give voice to our emotions and the pride that holds us together. For many Mexicans, his music is a favorite form of therapy. He provides a safe space for us to feel our feelings and know that we’re not alone. In a very real sense, José Alfredo Jiménez understands us all.

Sandra Gancz Kahan is a Mexican writer and translator based in San Miguel de Allende who specializes in mental health and humanitarian aid. She believes in the power of language to foster compassion and understanding across cultures. She can be reached at: [email protected]

What’s in a Name? Unpacking the terms expat, immigrant, and migrant

By
Louisa Rogers
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60
Two expats in San Miguel de Allende asking if the term expat is offensive.
Most of us like to think of ourselves as expats, but what really are we? Louisa Rogers is on the case. (Michael Balam/Cuartoscuro)

I admit it: I liked calling myself an expat. Something about the word sounded cool, even though no Mexican has ever called me, or any other foreigner I know, an “expatriada.” They refer to us as either extranjeros or gringos.

I thought of this recently when two Mexico News Daily readers commented that my use of the word ‘expat’ in an article I wrote was offensive and elitist. I pointed out, defensively, that the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of expat is pretty innocuous: “a person who lives outside their native country.” 

We can probably all agree that this woman fits the description of an expat. (Shutterstock)

What’s not to like? But while the word ‘expat’ may seem neutral at first, its implications are not. As you probably remember from high school English class, there’s denotation, the literal, textbook meaning of a word, as opposed to connotation, the subjective idea or sense — positive or negative, but rarely neutral — associated with that word. And it turns out, the connotation of the word “expat” is very charged. 

Unpacking the terms expat, immigrant, and migrant

What makes one person an expat and another an immigrant? I doubt most foreigners who move to Mexico think of themselves as ‘immigrants’. Moving here, for most of us, is a lifestyle choice and not the result of economic deprivation or dire circumstances in our home country, such as oppression or persecution. Even those foreigners who move to Mexico because they can’t afford to buy a home in the U.S. are still privileged economically, compared to most Mexicans.

The truth is, the word expat carries assumptions about class, race, education, affluence, and privilege, and usually refers to Western white people working or retiring abroad.

There are a few exceptions. For example, I’ve met professionals from India who work in the US high-tech sector. Although they’re not White, the kind of work they do gives them expat status (although they may be perceived as immigrants because they’re dark-skinned, just as affluent African Americans are sometimes stereotyped as people on welfare). 

Is this man an expat, and immigrant or a migrant? (Juan José Estrada Serfín/Cuartoscuro)

“Migrants” are people searching for higher pay and better living conditions, who move back and forth across a border to find work, like seasonal crop harvesting or construction. I’ve never met a foreign resident in Mexico who picks avocados and sends money back to their family in the U.S., the way Latino migrants in California pick strawberries and send money back to Mexico. 

Then there are the foreigners who work within the Mexican economy, who don’t fit into any of these categories. In Guanajuato, for example, where my husband and I live, we know foreign residents who teach English at the University of Guanajuato or perform as musicians in the university symphony. Their salary is decent only by Mexican standards, and their pensions are small. These foreigners have the privilege that comes with skin color, without the usual economic advantages.

To me, the word “immigrant” sounds less affluent, more like a person searching for better economic opportunities, than the word expat, which sounds classy and hip. No wonder I liked the sound of it.

Changing the words we use will not, by itself, change the inequities that privilege brings, but it’s a start. How we refer to ourselves and others carries weight. I, for one, have decided not to use the term ‘expat’ anymore. I’m an extranjera, a foreign resident of Mexico.

How do you feel about the word expat being offensive in nature? Does it describe us best, or is there another word you would use when describing yourself?

Louisa Rogers and her husband Barry Evans divide their lives between Guanajuato and Eureka, on California’s North Coast. Louisa writes articles and essays about expat life, Mexico, travel, physical and psychological health, retirement and spirituality. Her recent articles are on her website, https://authory.com/LouisaRogers.

Sheinbaum blames US for Sinaloa’s wave of violence: Wednesday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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21
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, President of Mexico, led her daily morning press conference, accompanied by Ernestina Godoy Ramos, Legal Advisor to the Federal Executive; Arturo Zaldívar Lelo de Larrea, General Coordinator of Politics and Government; and Miguel Elorza Vázquez, Coordinator of Infodemia.
Whether she had planned to or not, President Claudia Sheinbaum spent a lot of her Wednesday morning press conference talking about the shaky security situation in Sinaloa. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum spent quite a bit of time speaking about the security situation in Sinaloa at her Wednesday morning press conference.

She also revealed that she will travel to the violence-stricken northern state later this month, but stated that her visit would be focused on infrastructure projects rather than security issues.

A state police pickup truck from Culiacan, Mexico, with a crushed grill and destroyed headlights. The truck is parked half on the sidewalk and half on the street.
The aftermath of a cartel attack earlier this month on state police forces in Culiacán, Sinaloa. (Jose Betanzos Zárate/Cuartoscuro)

Toward the end of her mañanera, Sheinbaum made a brief comment about Donald Trump’s recent taunting of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, even though she said on Tuesday that she wouldn’t engage in tit-for-tat public dialogue with the former and future United States president.

Sheinbaum repeats AMLO claim that US was involved in ‘El Mayo’ arrest

While speaking about the security situation in Sinaloa, Sheinbaum asserted that “the arrest of a drug trafficker” in the United States — alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada — was the result of a U.S. “operation.”

The U.S. government, she added, “didn’t inform” the Mexican government about the “operation.”

Sheinbaum’s remarks came almost three months after former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador claimed that the U.S. government was partly to blame for the wave of cartel violence in Sinaloa because it carried out an “operation” that resulted in the arrest of Zambada in the U.S. on July 25.

By “operation” the ex-president apparently meant a negotiation with another alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader, Joaquín Guzmán López, that he believes resulted in the delivery of Zambada to U.S. law enforcement authorities at an airport near El Paso, Texas.

Ismael El Mayo Zambada and Ovidio Guzmán
Sinaloa Cartel faction leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, left, claims his U.S. arrest in July happened because Joaquín Guzmán López — brother of former Sinaloa Cartel faction leader Ovidio Guzmán, right — forced Zambada to board a plane to the U.S. where officials were waiting to arrest them. Ovidio Guzmán had already been extradited to the U.S. in 2023. (File photos)

The U.S. government has denied any involvement in the capture of Zambada, who alleges he was abducted and forced onto a U.S.-bound plane by Guzmán López, one of Los Chapitos, as the sons of convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera are known.

Sheinbaum said Wednesday that the arrest of Zambada “triggered this wave of violence in Sinaloa” – i.e. a fierce war between the “Los Mayos” and “Los Chapitos” factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.

A long-running conflict between the rival groups escalated in September and has claimed more than 500 lives since then.

The presence of the federal security minister in Sinaloa was ‘welcomed,’ president says 

Sheinbaum told reporters that “there were very significant results” during the time Security Minister Omar García Harfuch spent in Sinaloa last week.

There were “very significant arrests” and drug seizures, and García met with members of the Sinaloa business community and the state’s security cabinet, she said.

“We’re going to continue getting results in Sinaloa and the whole country,” Sheinbaum said.

She asserted that the security strategy in Sinaloa has been strengthened as a result of García’s visit.

“There is different coordination now,” the president said.

She acknowledged that there is still fear and concerns about the security situation in Sinaloa among residents of the northern state, but stressed that she had “information” that the presence of García was very much “welcomed.”

Security Minister Omar Harfuch García
Security Minister Omar Harfuch García. (X)

“… It would be very good if that was also reported in the article,” Sheinbaum told a journalist, referring to a report on violence in Culiacán that was published by the El Universal newspaper on Wednesday.

‘I don’t think Canada should be spoken about like that’

A reporter noted that Trump called Prime Minister Trudeau “governor” of “the Great State of Canada” in a social media post, and asked Sheinbaum how she would respond if the president-elect referred to her in a similar way.

“I don’t think Canada should be spoken about in that way,” she said.

“Canada is also a free, independent, sovereign country. … I think that we should all treat each other as equals, in the end, it’s the maxim of [former Mexican president Benito] Júarez: ‘Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace,'” Sheinbaum said.

While she responded to Trump’s remark about Trudeau, the president reiterated that her government won’t respond to every statement the soon-to-be U.S. president makes.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sitting at a panel table at a negotiation meeting. Behind him are several large flags on stands.
President Sheinbaum also responded briefly on Wednesday to reports of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaking derisively about Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Justin Trudeau/X)

Trump has also suggested that Mexico should become a state of the United States due to the trade imbalance between the two countries.

Despite that remark, Trump’s tariff threats and his alleged mischaracterization of his call with the Mexican president last month, Sheinbaum said Wednesday that she was confident there would be “a good relationship with the United States” during the second Trump administration.

“And I say again, in the defense of our sovereignty and in the interests of the people of Mexico and the nation, we’re going to seek to collaborate [with the United States]. … In addition, we’re trade partners and we form a very powerful and strong joint economy,” she said.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

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