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99 facts you need to know about Mexico: 41-60

By
MND Staff
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fruits and vegetables on display at a market
There are over half a million tienditas registered throughout Mexico, making it the most common retail establishment. (Cuartoscuro)

In honor of World Statistics Day on Oct. 20, Mexico’s national statistics agency INEGI published a small book presenting the 99 facts you need to know about Mexico.

All week, we will be sharing the book’s contents translated into English.

Here is part 3! Read facts 21-40 here.

41) In 2024, households spent an average of 15,891 pesos (US $865) per month. Mexico City had the highest average, at 22,128 pesos (US $1,205), while Chiapas had the lowest, at 9,039 pesos (US $492) per month.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Household Income and Expenditures – ENIGH, 2024)

Household spending varies widely by region, reflecting differences in income, prices and cost of living.

42) In 2024, Santiago was the most registered name in Mexico, with 7,570 people; among females, the most common name was Sofía, with 5,192 people.

(Source: INEGI, Registered Birth Statistics – ENR, 2024)

Naming trends in Mexico have evolved, with classic names still popular alongside more contemporary choices.

‘Mary Joseph,’ ‘Little Town’ and ‘Holy Conception’: The unusual names I hear in Mexico

43) Between April and June 2025, 14.3 million people worked more than 48 hours per week.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Occupation and Employment – ENOE, second quarter 2025)

Long work hours affect nearly a quarter of Mexico’s workforce. A 6-day workweek is common in both formal and informal jobs, though the current administration is pushing to standardize a 40-hour or 5-day workweek.

44) In 2023, of the 8.9 million people with a disability in Mexico, 53.4 percent (4.7 million) were women.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Demographic Dynamics – ENADID, 2023)

Women represent a slight majority among people living with disabilities, a trend that grows with age. The intersection of gender and disability poses unique challenges in access to education, employment, healthcare and protection from discrimination.

45) Mexico has 12,557 kilometers of coastline — equivalent to traveling from Tapachula, Chiapas, to Tijuana, Baja California, three times.

(Source: INEGI, Coastline Data – LIC, 2023)

Mexico’s extensive coastline touches the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of California, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

Hurricane Priscilla lashing Colima coast with high waves
Hurricanes and their remnants impact nearly every corner of Mexico’s territory due to the fact that it is bordered by water on three sides. (Flor Larios/Cuartoscuro)

46) There are different types of households in Mexico; one of these is the single-person household, formed by just one individual. In 2023, 5.4 million such households were recorded.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Demographic Dynamics – ENADID, 2023)

Single-person households make up an increasing share of Mexican homes. This trend accompanies social changes such as later marriage, urbanization and a drop in fertility rates.

47) In 2023, the economic value of unpaid work performed by women in Mexico was nearly three times greater than that of men: 86,971 versus 36,471 pesos per year.

(Source: INEGI, Satellite Account of Unpaid Household Work – CSTNRHM, 2023)

Women carry out the large majority of unpaid domestic and caregiving tasks. This reflects persistent gender roles; unpaid labor remains central to household functioning, yet contributes to inequality in economic and social opportunities.

48) Between April and June 2025, 6.3 million people were employed in Mexico’s primary sector.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Occupation and Employment – ENOE, second quarter 2025)

The primary sector includes agriculture, livestock, forestry, fishing and hunting, and accounts for roughly one in ten jobs in the country.

49) In 2021, the main types of violence experienced by women in Mexico throughout their lives were psychological (51.6%), sexual (49.7%) and physical (34.7%).

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on the Dynamics of Relationships in Households – ENDIREH, 2021)

More than half of women in Mexico have faced psychological or sexual violence at some point.

1,500 Oxxos in Jalisco will serve as safe spaces for threatened women

50) There is a gender gap in caregiving for people with disabilities. In 2022, among those who provided this care, women dedicated an average of 35.9 hours per week, while men averaged 32.7 hours.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey for the Care System – ENASIC, 2022)

Most caregiving hours are still provided by women, who often balance these duties with employment and other family responsibilities.

51) What is Mexico’s literacy rate? In 1895 (the first year a modern census was carried out in Mexico), only 17.6% of the population aged 15 and over could read and write. By 2020 (the year of the most recent census), this had risen to 95.0%.

(Sources: DGE. General Census of the Mexican Republic, 1895; INEGI. Population and Housing Census – CPV, 2020)

Literacy rates in Mexico have risen dramatically in the last century, reaching near-universal levels today. Progress reflects expanded access to education and improved opportunities, though there are still regional and gender gaps in the country’s literacy.

52) Between 2000 and 2020, the average years of schooling for women in Mexico rose from 7.2 to 9.6 years; for men, it went from 7.7 to 9.8 years.

(Source: INEGI, Population and Housing Census – CPV, 2000 and 2020)

The gender gap in education has narrowed significantly, reaching near parity in years of schooling. Women are now equally likely — or even more likely in younger cohorts — to finish secondary or higher education, though differences persist in certain fields and access in rural areas.

53) In 2024, people with a disability in Mexico had an average monthly income of 6,927 pesos (US $377), compared to 10,366 pesos (US $565) for those reporting no disability.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Household Income and Expenditures – ENIGH, 2024)

This sizable income gap reflects continued barriers to education, employment and inclusion for people with disabilities. Inequality in pay and job access is even greater for women and those living in rural or marginalized areas.

54) Small grocery stores (tiendas de abarrotes) are the most common retail establishments in Mexico. In 2024, 672,075 of these businesses were registered.

(Source: INEGI, National Directory of Economic Units, 2024)

Small grocery stores form the backbone of the local retail economy throughout cities and rural areas. These stores play a crucial role in daily access to food, basic goods and community life, despite competition from large supermarkets.

My family runs a convenience store in México state: Here’s everything I’ve learned

55) In 2023, 214 billion cubic meters of water were sourced from groundwater, surface water, and rainfall for human use and economic activities in Mexico. This is equivalent to the volume of 85.7 million Olympic-sized pools.

(Source: INEGI, Economic and Ecological Accounts of Mexico – CEEM, 2023)

Agriculture is the largest consumer, accounting for almost a third of withdrawn water, followed by industry, services and households.

56) Between April and June 2025, microbusinesses employed 23.6 million people — 39.7% of the total working population.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Occupation and Employment – ENOE, second quarter 2025)

Small-scale enterprises are the most important source of jobs in Mexico, especially for self-employed workers and informal labor.

57) The Veracruz Reef System is a protected natural area where human activities and marine ecosystems coexist. In 2020, more than 809,000 people lived in 90 localities near this zone.

(Sources: INEGI. Línea de Costa – LIC, 2015; INEGI. Geo-statistical Framework – MG, 2020; INEGI. Population and Housing Census – CPV, 2020)

The region surrounding the Port of Veracruz is vital for biodiversity, tourism and fishing, while also facing pressures from development and environmental change.

Veracruz residents protest port expansion threatening Gulf’s coral reefs

58) The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average number of children a woman would have over her reproductive years. In Mexico, this TFR dropped from 2.21 in 2014 to 1.60 in 2023.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Demographic Dynamics – ENADID, 2014 & 2023)

Fertility rates in Mexico have declined sharply, now among the lowest in Latin America. The change reflects later childbearing, greater access to education and contraception and shifts in family aspirations.

59) In Mexico, a dry climate covers 50.3% of the national territory.

(Source: INEGI, Climate – CLIM, 2020)

Most of northern and central Mexico is dominated by arid or semi-arid zones, with low annual rainfall and high evaporation rates.

60) In 2023, 52.4% of people who personally carried out a government trámite went to a government office; 16.2% used the internet.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Government Quality and Impact – ENCIG, 2023)

Most people still prefer in-person government services, though digital options are on the rise.

Mexico News Daily

Foreign direct investment in Mexico climbs to record US $40.9B, already surpassing all of 2024

By
MND Staff
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the Angel of Independence in Mexico City
According to Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, new FDI increased from $2 billion in the first nine months of 2024 to $6.5 billion in the same period of this year, an increase of over 200%. (Shutterstock)

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Mexico increased 14.5% in the first nine months of 2025 to reach just over US $40.9 billion, the federal government reported on Wednesday.

President Claudia Sheinbaum posted an Economy Ministry infographic to social media that showed that Mexico received $40.906 billion in FDI between January and September, up from $35.737 billion in the same period of last year.

Sheinbaum wrote that the FDI amount in the first nine months of the year was the highest on record.

“The willingness to invest in our country is reaffirmed. We’re going to end 2025 very well,” she wrote.

Sheinbaum’s post to social media came after Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard spoke about FDI at the president’s Wednesday morning press conference and presented less precise data.

After referring to what he called a 15% annual increase to almost $41 billion in FDI between January and September, Ebrard said that “all expectations” were that the growth in foreign investment in Mexico wasn’t going to be so large.

He said that the FDI growth rate is very important because “it means that investors from around the world are deciding to invest in Mexico in greater proportions than we had expected.”

“That’s why it’s very good news,” Ebrard said.

He said that the “new investment” component of FDI had increased the most in the first nine months of the year. Ebrard said that new FDI increased from $2 billion in the first nine months of 2024 to $6.5 billion in the same period of this year, an increase of over 200%.

Thus new investment contributed to around 16% of total FDI in Mexico in the first nine months of the year, with the remainder of the money coming from reinvestment of profits by foreign companies with an existing presence in Mexico, as well as loans and payments between companies of the same corporate group.

Marcelo Ebrard presenting during the mañanera
The FDI data for the first nine months of the year confirms that foreign investment in Mexico has already exceeded the total for the entirety of 2024. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

Ebrard also highlighted that FDI in Mexico increased almost 70% in the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period of 2018, when Enrique Peña Nieto was president of Mexico.

FDI “is accelerating,” he said. “This signifies confidence in the government of President Sheinbaum. … It’s very good news for our country. Congratulations, president.”

Ebrard didn’t provide a breakdown of the countries from which FDI came in the first nine months of the year, but data he displayed showed that 37% of the money went to Mexico’s manufacturing sector, 25% went to financial services and 5% was invested in construction projects.

The FDI data for the first nine months of the year confirms that foreign investment in Mexico has already exceeded the total for the entirety of 2024. Mexico received just under $37 billion in FDI last year, an increase of just over 2% compared to 2023.

The federal government is aiming to increase FDI as part of its Plan México economic initiative, whose goals include reducing reliance on imports, especially from China and other Asian countries, and making Mexico the 10th largest economy in the world by 2030.

Mexico has benefited from the nearshoring trend, as companies seek to relocate production closer to the United States and take advantage of the USMCA trade pact, which still allows most goods to be traded tariff-free within North America, even though U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed various duties on imports from Mexico and Canada.

Mexico is still waiting for many foreign companies to act on the investment announcements they have made in recent months and years, although there is no guarantee that all of them will follow through. Among the companies whose investment announcements for Mexico appear unlikely to happen are electric vehicle manufacturers Tesla and BYD, although the latter firm is said to be reconsidering its decision to cancel a proposed plant.

Mexico News Daily 

Made in Mexico: José Emilio Pacheco

By
María Meléndez
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0
José Emilio Pacheco
José Emilio Pacheco was one of Mexico's greatest writers. (Octavio Nava/Wikimedia Commons)

Throughout my literary explorations, I have long professed my belief that literature is a
portal to understanding the world — a means of grasping how other cultures perceive
existence, mortality and meaning itself. Among the authors who fundamentally
reshaped my adolescence and early adulthood was José Emilio Pacheco. His
novel “You Will Die Far Away” became transformative. I have returned to it three times.

Yet Pacheco’s story defies the romantic archetype we construct around artists. He was
not born into revolution’s tumult, nor shaped by privation or trauma. And yet his
literature exhales melancholy — a profound, almost physical sadness that permeates his
work. Those who knew him well describe a paradox: a serious, reserved figure whose
wit was sharp and whose kindness was genuine. He was a man consumed by music, a
passion he channeled through poetry into something luminous.

José Emilio Pacheco Berny

José Emilio Pacheco
José Emilio Pacheco’s talent transcended literary genres. (Gobierno de Mexico)

José Emilio Pacheco Berny arrived in Mexico City on June 30, 1939, at a moment when
his nation was constructing the fiction of modernity and industrial progress. His
childhood was neither desperate nor ordinary. His father was a lawyer and an accountant.
His family lacked wealth but overflowed with intellectual capital. Their home became a
salon where the era’s great minds gathered — José Vasconcelos, Juan de la Cabada,
Martín Luis Guzmán, Julio Torri — figures who would later define Mexican letters.

It is impossible to overstate what such an environment bestows. Pacheco was
intellectually precocious, a voracious reader from childhood. He devoured the Hispanic
American canon: Borges, Alfonso Reyes. But he also looked beyond his own tradition,
absorbing the world’s literature with something approaching hunger.

His father had other plans. Hoping to pass on his law practice and clientele, he steered
his son toward the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. For a time, Pacheco
complied. But at nineteen, he abandoned jurisprudence for literature, a choice that
must have bewildered his father, though perhaps not surprised him.

The early break came through Carlos Fuentes, who recognized Pacheco’s gifts and
opened doors to literary magazines and supplements. But it was Fernando
Benítez — that colossus of Mexican cultural life, founder of the magazine La Cultura en
México — who genuinely transformed Pacheco’s trajectory. Through Benítez’s pages,
Pacheco found his generation, and his generation found him.

A man of his generation

Like his literary contemporaries, Pacheco interrogated nationalism, wrestled with history,
pondered the city, death, memory and truth. What distinguished him was his refusal of
ornament. His language was direct, austere. His critical eye missed nothing. And he commanded, with equal mastery, nearly every literary form: poetry, short stories, novels,
essays.

This eclecticism mattered. It meant that whatever consumed him, and he was
consumed by much, could be channeled through multiple prisms.

What should you read by Pacheco?

Made in Mexico: José Emilio Pacheco

Regrettably, only two of Pacheco’s major works exist in English translation: “Battles in
the Desert” (1981), a novel, and “You Will Die Far Away” (1967), likewise a novel. The
paucity of English translations is, frankly, a failure of the American literary
establishment.

‘You Will Die Far Away’

The title itself contains a tragedy. The novel was once rendered in English as “You Will
Die in a Distant Land,” a literal rendering that misses the philosophical thrust entirely.
The book speaks not merely of geography but of dislocation in time, being and
consciousness. It evokes war, humanity and the religious questions that torment us.

The novel unfolds against the Holocaust and the persecution of Jews — historical trauma
that Pacheco approaches obliquely, allowing readers to complete the narrative
themselves. We witness not the event but the impossibility of narrating it. We confront,
through fractured passages and deliberate silences, our own capacity for cruelty. The
book demolishes linear time, fracturing itself into temporal shards that force the reader
to pause, recalibrate and begin again.

Critics called it experimental. They were correct, though “ahead of its time” hardly captures it. Pacheco was reinventing the novel’s very structure decades before fragmentation became fashionable.

‘Battles in the Desert’

This novel and the song it inspired, composed and performed by Café
Tacvba, became the anthem of an entire Mexican generation. Through Carlitos, a boy
in La Roma during the waning 1940s, and his obsessive love for his schoolteacher
Mariana, Pacheco constructs something larger: a critique of Mexico’s contradictory
modernization project, its promises and failures.

The book functions as both an elegy and a historical document. Pacheco mourned the
Mexico City that he knew, even as he documented its metamorphosis. Read it now, in the
21st century, and you will feel the weight of his nostalgia — and perhaps share his
alarm at what his neighborhood has become.

Short stories

“La Sangre de Medusa,” or “Medusa’s Blood,” was the title of a short story (and short story collection) by José Emilio Pacheco. (Facebook)

“Medusa’s Blood” inaugurated Pacheco’s career in the form. His short fiction is indispensable. Despite their brevity, these stories contain the full spectrum of his obsessions: time, death, the city, love, betrayal. More importantly, they exemplify his direct, unadorned style — free from the baroque verbosity that characterized so much Mexican prose. This clarity is revolutionary.

Poetry

Literary scholars regard his verse as poesía perfecta, perfect poetry. Even when he
abandoned traditional metrical forms, his lines retained an almost mathematical
precision. His metrics were flawless.

His poems are acts of homage to Mexican writers and foreign masters alike. But their
real power lies in his prophetic sensibility. In the late 1960s and 1970s, when social
movements convulsed Mexico and inequality deepened, Pacheco foresaw poetry’s
impending exile from public life, its transformation into a luxury good, almost a
perversity, within modernity’s cold calculus.

Open any translated collection and you will find the same preoccupations recurring:
time’s passage, mortality’s inevitability, the nature of loss. His poems do not console;
they educate. They teach us to see the world anew, to live with greater presence. Yet
beneath this contemplative surface lies critique — a running commentary on the societal
pathologies of the 20th century’s second half.

The “New Zoology Album,” created in collaboration with the painter Francisco Toledo,
holds particular resonance for me. My father gave it to me in childhood, when I could
barely decipher the poems. Yet it was through that book that I first fell in love with art
itself. The memory alone justifies its existence.

The translator who claimed he did not translate

Pacheco insisted he was not a translator but a recreator. Yet if Spanish readers possess
exemplary translations of T.S. Eliot, Tennessee Williams, Oscar Wilde and Samuel
Beckett, they owe this abundance to him. He believed, with an almost religious
conviction, that language must never be a barrier to literature. His translations won
awards and they opened Spanish America to foreign voices.

José Emilio Pacheco
Pacheco was also an excellent translator, considering translation a creative act in its own right. (INBAL)

In interviews, Pacheco articulated something crucial: translation is as creative an act as
writing a novel. Selecting the precise word to honor the original’s meaning is as difficult
as inventing an entire narrative from nothing.

“Cómo es” (“How it is”) by Samuel Beckett, published in 1966 by Joaquín Mortiz, stands as
his masterwork in the form. Finding a copy in a contemporary bookstore is impossible,
though copies from that era remain affordable. If your Spanish permits, seek it out.

Cultural promoter and diffuser

No one asked me, but I believe Pacheco’s greatest love was knowledge itself — culture in its broadest sense. This conviction animated his journalism.

In Excélsior and Proceso, he wrote with a cultural lens, wielding literary criticism as a
tool for political commentary, resurrecting forgotten moments and figures, dismissed
movements.

He wrote extensively about Jorge Luis Borges and Mexican Modernism — artistic
movements that opposed nationalism and were consequently erased from official
histories. Pacheco rescued them from oblivion, restored them to view. In doing so, he
performed an act of cultural archaeology that still resonates.

A legacy of dissent

Pacheco accumulated honors during his lifetime. Yet he seemed uncomfortable with
acclaim, as though he doubted his own worth. He remains one of Mexico’s greatest
writers, nonetheless.

José Emilio Pacheco
Pacheco was always happy when surrounded by books. (Gaceta UNAM)

Across more than thirty works — excluding translations, screenplays and the countless
columns scattered across newspapers and magazines — he maintained a consistent
stance: critical, skeptical, alert to power’s abuses. And always present was his love for
language itself, for the precision and music of words arranged in sequence.

His style spoke to a generation distrustful of grand narratives and nationalism, a
generation that turned inward toward the self, toward the universal experiences of love,
fear, death, uncertainty and the particular Mexican experiences of crisis and nostalgia.
In Pacheco’s work, they found validation.

Reading Pacheco means witnessing Mexico through a dual optic: love and critique
simultaneously. He was enamored with his city, its streets and history, yet never blind to
the devastation modernization wrought. He contained contradictions. He was
perpetually dissatisfied, rewriting his work with each new edition, never quite satisfied
that he had said what needed saying.

‘Alta Traición’ (‘High Treason’)

I conclude with Pacheco’s most devastating poem — what follows is, admittedly, an
imperfect rendering into English. Yet it captures something essential about Pacheco’s
posture toward nationalism, government, homeland and love:

No amo mi Patria.
Su fulgor abstracto
es inasible.
Pero (aunque suene mal) daría la vida
por diez lugares suyos, cierta gente,
puertos, bosques de pinos, fortalezas,
una ciudad deshecha, gris,
monstruosa,
varias figuras de su historia,
montañas
(y tres o cuatro ríos).

I do not love my Fatherland.
Its abstract glow
is elusive.
But (although it sounds bad) I would give my
life
for ten of its places, certain people,
ports, pine forests, forts,
a torn city, gray, monstrous,
various figures from its history,
mountains
(and three or four rivers).

This poem has inhabited my thinking for years. In it, I have repeatedly found myself. Yet
I have also questioned it, interrogated it, resisted it. That Pacheco provokes such
reactions, even now, long after his death, is perhaps the truest measure of his
achievement.

Maria Meléndez is an influencer with half a degree in journalism

MND Local: November news in Puerto Vallarta

By
Meagan Drillinger
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Puerto Vallarta
There's plenty of news to report in Puerto Vallarta this November. (Unsplash/Miguel Naranjo)

Puerto Vallarta continues to strengthen its position as one of Mexico’s leading destinations, with new developments and community initiatives shaping the city’s growth ahead of the 2026 tourism season.

Federal court ruling may clear the way for Uber pickups at Puerto Vallarta Airport

A federal court has granted Uber a definitive injunction that allows its drivers to operate inside federally regulated airport zones across Mexico while a broader constitutional case proceeds. 

Puerto Vallarta Airport
Can Uber pick you up at Puerto Vallarta Airport? That depends on who you ask. (Puerto Vallarta Airport)

The decision, issued October 27 by District Judge Adriana Judith Uribe Vidal, prevents authorities from detaining or fining drivers who are completing app-based trips at more than 70 terminals nationwide.

In Jalisco, Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro confirmed that the state will honor the ruling, authorizing pickups and drop-offs at Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta airports. However, local reports indicate that the National Guard has yet to receive formal notification of the injunction, leading Uber drivers in Puerto Vallarta to delay their operations inside the airport zone to avoid possible detentions. 

The governor has called for a “piso parejo,” or a level playing field, between ride-hailing platforms and airport taxi concessions.

At Puerto Vallarta’s Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport, the ruling could soon end years of restrictions that forced travelers to meet Uber drivers outside terminal grounds. However, the federal government is currently claiming that the judge’s decision does not address Uber’s right to operate in Mexico’s airports.

In an October 29 press release, Mexico’s federal transport authority (SICT) clarified that the measure requires the National Guard to “follow the Federal Roads, Bridges, and Motor Transport Law, and the corresponding applicable regulations, preventing them from being arbitrary and discriminatory” but does not replace the existing permitting system and thus does not allow Uber to operate in airports, since the company does not have a federal permit to do so. 

No Supreme Court ruling issued

Despite what some Mexican social media channels and local media reports have reported since the federal judge’s ruling, the Mexican Supreme Court has not recently weighed in on the debate.

cell phone with Uber
A new ruling from a district judge should allow Uber drivers to operate at more than 70 airport terminals across Mexico, but some potential roadblocks remain. (Shutterstock)

As the holiday season approaches, authorities are working to coordinate curbside access and signage to ensure smooth service for passengers.

City advances on Agua Azul ecological park plans

Puerto Vallarta is moving forward with plans to develop Agua Azul Park, a new ecological and recreational area designed to promote environmental conservation and community use. The project aims to transform an abandoned natural space into a sustainable park featuring hiking trails and outdoor gathering areas, while maintaining the site’s ecological balance.

The initiative is part of Mayor Luis Munguía González’s broader strategy to expand green spaces throughout the city. PV’s Manager of Territory and Sustainable City, Vincent O’Halloran Lepe, recently led a coordination meeting with representatives from academic, cultural and private sectors to refine the park’s design and purpose. 

Attendees included Dr. Alberto Reyes from the Jalisco Higher Technological Institute, Óscar Morán from the Office of Cultural Projects (OPC) and Luis Salazar and Eduardo Tapia from the Banderas Bay Project.

Officials say that collaboration among the government, civil society and private sector is a key to ensuring the park reflects community needs and environmental goals. The proposed design emphasizes eco-friendly recreation, such as hiking and nature observation, as tools for education and preservation. 

Once complete, Agua Azul Park is expected to become a model for sustainable urban development and a new gathering place for residents and visitors.

TAFER Hotels expands its PV portfolio in 2026

Garza Blanca Puerto Vallarta
A new Garza Blanca Sanctuary Tower will offer more pampering pool options for travelers to the destination in 2026. (TAFER Hotels and Resorts)

TAFER Hotels & Resorts has announced the upcoming opening of Garza Blanca Sanctuary Tower, a new addition to its Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa complex in Puerto Vallarta. 

The first tower is scheduled to open in early 2026, with a second Sanctuary tower set to debut later next year.

The 20-story development will feature 118 oceanfront suites overlooking Banderas Bay, featuring private balconies and Jacuzzis. Accommodations will include family-friendly and adults-only options, with designs ranging from themed suites to luxury penthouses.

Guests will have access to the neighboring Garza Blanca Preserve’s amenities, including multiple pools, Jacuzzis, a white-sand beach, TierraLuna Gardens, a fitness center and a Kids’ Club. The culinary offerings will feature eight restaurants and two bars, including new Mediterranean and Japanese concepts, plus an adults-only rooftop lounge.

The project expands TAFER’s presence in Puerto Vallarta, where it already operates several properties under brands such as Garza Blanca Resort & Spa, Hotel Mousai and Villa del Palmar. Reservations for Garza Blanca Sanctuary are expected to open this month.

Meagan Drillinger is a New York native who has spent the past 15 years traveling around and writing about Mexico. While she’s on the road for assignments most of the time, Puerto Vallarta is her home base. Follow her travels on Instagram at @drillinjourneys or through her blog at drillinjourneys.com.

‘Last time the US came to Mexico, they took half the territory,’ Sheinbaum warns: Tuesday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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14
Sheinbaum Nov. 18, 2025
"The last time the United States came to Mexico with an intervention, they took half the territory. So, it's not that we don't want support, we do. But not with foreign troops, that's something else," the president said. (Juan Carlos Buenrostro/Presidencia)

At her Tuesday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest threats of intervention in Mexico, as well as new travel advice for Mexico that was issued by the Canadian government.

Among other issues, Sheinbaum spoke about the people who remain in custody after being detained in Mexico City’s central square on Saturday for allegedly attacking police at the end of a large anti-government protest march.

Here is a recap of the president’s Nov. 18 mañanera.

Sheinbaum says — once again — that US intervention in Mexico ‘won’t happen’

Asked about Trump’s comment on Monday that launching “strikes in Mexico to stop drugs” would be “OK” with him, Sheinbaum once again declared that a U.S. military intervention in Mexico “won’t happen.”

“… I’ve said it many times,” the president noted.

“In the conversations I’ve had with President Trump, over the phone, he has … said: ‘We offer you a United States military intervention in Mexico — whatever you need to combat criminal groups.’ But I have told him every time that we can collaborate, that they can help us with any information they have, but that we operate within our own territory, and we do not accept intervention from any foreign government,” Sheinbaum said.

“I’ve told him this over the phone, and we’ve also said it to the State Department, to Marco Rubio. And they’ve understood; in fact, the agreement we have with them is one of collaboration and coordination,” she said.

Sheinbaum stressed that “respect for sovereignty” and “respect for territorial integrity” are among “the first points” of a “joint statement on security cooperation” issued in early September.

She also said that the U.S. government has acknowledged in a statement that it won’t intervene in Mexico unless her administration requests such assistance.

“And we’re not going to ask for it because we don’t want interventions from any foreign government,” Sheinbaum said.

“There is collaboration and there is coordination, but there is not subordination, nor can we allow an intervention. … The last time the United States came to Mexico with an intervention, they took half the territory. So, it’s not that we don’t want support, we do. But not with foreign troops, that’s something else,” she said.

Sheinbaum says that Revolution Day military parade will go ahead in CDMX, despite new ‘Gen Z’ march 

Sheinbaum said that the annual Revolution Day military parade will take place in Mexico City this Thursday, even though a new “Generation Z” protest march is planned for the same day in the capital.

The first “Gen Z” march in the capital last Saturday turned violent, with some protesters attacking police officers in the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main square.

Sheinbaum declared that the Revolution Day parade “will take place on Nov. 20, as it always does.”

“… We have to have respect for what the Mexican Army represents,” she said.

gen z protest in Mexico City's central square
A total of 17,000 people participated in the Nov.15 march, according to the Mexico City government, but some media reports indicated that the turnout was significantly larger. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)

When a reporter suggested that there could be a clash between protesters and military personnel participating in the parade, the president dismissed such a possibility, before modifying her language and saying, “we don’t think” anything will happen.

According to a post on Sunday by the Generación Z México account on the X social media site, a protest march from the Angel of Independence Monument to the Zócalo will take place for the second time in less than a week this Thursday, starting at 11 a.m.

The same account promoted the anti-government marches against insecurity that took place last Saturday in Mexico City and other cities across the country.

Most of the participants were not members of Generation Z — people born between 1997 and 2012 — and before the protest took place, Sheinbaum accused opposition parties of infiltrating the Gen Z movement.

The president denounced the violence in the Zócalo that marred Saturday’s protest in Mexico City and left 100 police officers and 20 other people with injuries.

According to a post on Tuesday by the Generación Z México account, a protest will also be held at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City at 9 a.m. Thursday.

“We invite you to participate in our protest at UNAM,” reads a digital flyer. “For our people, for Generation Z.”

Sheinbaum: ‘There has to be evidence for any accusation’

A reporter noted that there is a lot of “commotion” on social media about protesters who were arrested at the end of the demonstration in Mexico City last Saturday. At least three of those people face charges of attempted murder, while 15 others face other charges, including assault of police officers.

Asked about those in custody, Sheinbaum said “there has to be evidence for any accusation” against them.

“The Mexico City Attorney General’s Office is handling the cases, and obviously, for any investigation file that is opened, there has to be evidence of the accusations,” she said.

“Yesterday we saw very disturbing images,” Sheinbaum said, referring to photos and video footage she presented of acts of violence being committed against police officers.

“The Attorney General’s Office has to show that the people who are detained really participated in an illegal act,” she added.

Sheinbaum responds to Canada’s new Mexico travel advice 

A reporter noted that the Canadian government has issued updated travel advice for Mexico, advising Canadian citizens to “avoid non-essential travel” to 14 states, with certain exceptions in each state.

Those states are Chiapas, Chihuahua, Colima, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco, Morelos, Michoacán, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.

Asked whether her government was aware of the new travel advice, Sheinbaum first noted that “a lot” of Canadian tourists come to Mexico. Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez promptly noted that Canadian tourist numbers are up 11% this year.

Tourism from Canada jumps 11.8% amid US boycott

Sheinbaum said that her government would ask the Canadian Embassy in Mexico about the Canadian government’s new travel advice, which warns against travel to some of Mexico’s most violent states.

The president subsequently declared that official advisories against travel to certain parts of Mexico are not very effective, “because Americans, Canadians [and] Europeans continue arriving to the southeast, to the center, to the entire country.”

International tourist numbers increased 6.4% annually in the first nine months of the year to reach 34.7 million. The total number of “international visitors” — including cruise ship passengers and day trippers from the countries that border Mexico — increased 13.9% to reach 71 million between January and September.

Mexico’s top source country for tourists is the United States, which advises U.S. citizens not to travel to six Mexican states (Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Guerrero) and to “reconsider travel” to seven others.

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

1,500 Oxxos in Jalisco will serve as safe spaces for threatened women

By
MND Staff
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Oxxo sign
There are more than 1,500 Oxxo convenience stores in the state of Jalisco, and all of them now serve as safe points, meaning any woman who finds herself at risk can simply enter and receive protection and help from authorities. (Oxxo)

More than 1,500 Oxxo convenience stores in Jalisco are now Safe Points for women at risk, as part of an initiative to provide safe spaces for women who feel threatened by gender violence.

This collaboration between Oxxo and Jalisco’s government is part of a broader nationwide program dubbed “Pulso de Vida” (Pulse of Life), which seeks zero tolerance for violence against women.

Gov. Pablo Lemus (center) stands outside a Jalisco Oxxo, one of 1,500 safe spaces in the Pulse of Life program designed to give women at risk protection. (@PabloLemusN/X)

“I’m very pleased to announce to all women in Jalisco the new agreement that we have signed with Oxxo,” Governor Pablo Lemus said in a video posted on his social media channels. “Starting today [Nov. 13], 1,500 Oxxo stores in the 125 municipalities of Jalisco will be Pulse of Life zones, meaning that if a woman feels at risk or is facing violence, she can be safeguarded at an Oxxo store.” 

In the video, Lemus explained that each branch will have an emergency button connected to the C5 Escudo Jalisco command center, allowing staff members — who have been previously trained in the matter — to directly alert authorities for an immediate response. 

Lemus said the measure is “innovative nationwide” and emphasized that Oxxo’s extensive presence in Jalisco guarantees effective support and protection coverage.

“Women need to know that if they find themselves in a dangerous situation anywhere in the state of Jalisco, they can seek help at any Oxxo convenience store,” he said. “They can enter the store, approach the staff and say: ‘I am in a risky situation. Please help me.’”

Lemus acknowledged that, despite previous efforts such as the Pulses of Life and Purple Points programs, existing protection mechanisms are insufficient to cover the vast expanse of the city and state. Therefore, integrating the Oxxo convenience store chain into the security network is seen as a crucial measure to fill these gaps and offer a safe haven in virtually any part of Jalisco.

Other states, including Coahuila and Aguascalientes, run a similar collaboration program with Oxxo.

“With its extensive network of branches, Oxxo can act as a pillar in the prevention and care of gender violence, providing a quick and effective response,” Oxxo said in a press release. 

Oxxo is part of the FEMSA group, which is also the owner of Coca-Cola’s largest bottling plant in the world. With more than 45 years in the market, the company holds a 70% market share of Mexico’s convenience store industry.

Mexico News Daily

Responding to sanctions, Mexico cedes slots to US airlines at AICM

By
MND Staff
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AICM
Mexico's president did not disclose the exact number of airport slots transferred to U.S. airlines, saying only that the measures are based on competitiveness criteria. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

In response to U.S. Department of Transportation sanctions against Mexico’s aviation sector, Mexican airlines ceded some time slots at Mexico City International Airport (AICM) to U.S. carriers.

“Several weeks ago, there was a redistribution in slots in which Mexican airlines gave up their spots to U.S. airlines, taking competitiveness into account,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said in her Monday morning press conference, adding that the Mexican airlines cooperated fully.

aaircraft at AIFA
The binational spat began in 2023 when Mexico moved some U.S. flights from the established AICM airport to the newer AIFA airport (shown here) for space reasons, leading to punitive sanctions by the U.S. Mexico seems to be walking that back, but President Sheinbaum emphasized that she will remind U.S. authorities that the Mexico City metropolitan area has two principal airports and she will make sure their use is integrated. (@Claudiashein/X)

Sheinbaum also sent a negotiating team to Washington to hold talks with the Transportation Department (DOT) in hopes of having the punitive measures lifted.

“We hope to make clear to U.S. officials that [greater Mexico City] has two principal airports and it is my government’s responsibility to make sure that they operate as an integrated system,” she said, claiming that DOT representatives appeared receptive to the notion.

The conflict over the allocation of flights and routes came to a head in October when DOT revoked approval for 13 routes operated by Mexican airlines to the U.S. from Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) and AICM. 

DOT’s actions were in response to the previous Mexican administration’s decision to reduce foreign slots at AICM — impacting U.S. carriers like United, Delta and American — and pushing U.S. cargo operators like FedEx and UPS to the new AIFA.

Then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced the slot cuts and cargo flight move in 2022, citing oversaturation at the centrally located AICM, which is presently undergoing renovations ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup.

The U.S. also canceled combined cargo and passenger services from AIFA and, in September, DOT ordered the termination of the Delta-Aeroméxico joint venture. Last week, a U.S. appeals court temporarily halted the order dissolving the Delta-Aeroméxico partnership.

Sheinbaum did not disclose the exact number of airport slots transferred to U.S. airlines, saying only that the measures are based on competitiveness criteria. She spoke of implementing a digital flight distribution system next year, insisting that U.S. and other international airlines were already on board.

The president also told reporters that she met personally with cargo carriers to address their concerns, which include a demand for new customs procedures as cargo companies must pay to ship imported goods by land from AIFA to AICM since the former does not have a customs office.

“They raised other issues that need addressing,” Sheinbaum said, “and we’re going to support them in this process … talks will continue with the understanding that we can reach an agreement.”

With reports from Reuters, Airline Geeks, El Universal and El Economista

99 facts you need to know about Mexico: 21-40

By
MND Staff
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a girl looks at shelves in a book store
Out of the 2,427 bookstores registered nationwide in 2024, Mexico City had the highest number with 544, while Campeche had the fewest, with just 14. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

In honor of World Statistics Day on Oct. 20, Mexico’s national statistics agency INEGI published a small book presenting the 99 facts you need to know about Mexico.

All week, we will be sharing the book’s contents translated into English.

Here is part 2! Read facts 1-20 here.

21) Mexico has a territorial area of 1,960,646.7 square kilometers. The largest state is Chihuahua, covering 247,412.6 km², while the smallest is Mexico City, with 1,494.3 km².

(Source: INEGI, Geo-statistical Framework – MG, 2020)

Mexico is the 14th-largest country in the world and its capital, Mexico City, is similar in surface area to Rome and London.

22) Out of the 2,427 bookstores registered nationwide in 2024, Mexico City had the highest number with 544, while Campeche had the fewest, with just 14.

(Source: National Directory of Economic Units, 2024)

Bookstores remain unevenly distributed in Mexico, mostly concentrated in the capital and larger urban centers. Access to books and reading materials still varies by region, reflecting differences in cultural infrastructure and local economies.

23) In 2024, 43.9% of households in Mexico had a computer. In 2015, this proportion was 44.9%.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Availability and Use of Information Technologies in Households – ENDUTIH, 2015 and 2024)

Computer ownership in Mexican homes has remained almost unchanged for decades. Smartphones have become the main device for connectivity, making access to computers a lesser priority in rural areas.

24) In 2024, 7.6 million households with children in Mexico faced difficulties accessing enough food in quantity or quality, mainly due to a lack of money or resources.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Household Income and Expenditures – ENIGH, 2024)

Food insecurity especially affects families with children, highlighting the impact of poverty on nutrition and daily life. Access to healthy foods still varies widely depending on income, region and social support.

25) A head of household is considered the person recognized as such by the other members of the home. In 2023, only 3 out of every 10 households nationwide were headed by a woman.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Demographic Dynamics, 2023)

The proportion of female-headed households in Mexico has grown, now accounting for about a third of all homes. Many of these women are also the main breadwinners and caregivers, reflecting both evolving family structures and persistent gender gaps in support and income.

Two women look at groceries at a public market
Only 3 out of every 10 households nationwide are headed by a woman. (Mauricio Mascaro/Pexels)

26) In 2024, Mexican households ate corn tortillas and cereals every day of the week.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Household Income and Expenditures – ENIGH, 2024)

Tortillas remain a staple food, but their consumption has dropped slightly due to inflation and shifting eating habits. Cereals such as bread and pasta also form an essential part of daily meals throughout the country.

27) Mexico’s highest elevation is Citlaltépetl or Pico de Orizaba, an active volcano that rises 5,636 meters above sea level.

(Source: INEGI, Digital Elevation Models – MDE, 2024)

Located on the border between Veracruz and Puebla, Pico de Orizaba is the highest mountain in Mexico and among the tallest in North America. Its icy summit is a destination for climbers and a symbol of natural diversity in the region.

28) In 2021, 908,000 people in Mexico identified as gender diverse.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Sexual and Gender Diversity – ENDISEG, 2021)

This group represents about 0.9% of the population aged 15 and over, including transgender, transsexual, non-binary and other non-normative gender identities. Younger generations are the most likely to openly identify with diverse gender categories, reflecting ongoing changes in social recognition and rights.

29) How long is your commute to work? In 2020, 61.0% of employed people in Mexico took less than 30 minutes to reach their workplace.

(Source: INEGI, Population and Housing Census – CPV, 2020)

Most workers have relatively short commutes, but there are still large regional differences. In Mexico City, travel times can be two hours or more.

Mexico City, Mexico June 17 2025. Traffic on roads in the western part of Mexico City.
The tendency for traffic flow to come to a standstill for uncomfortable periods of time has helped Mexico City “earn” the title of the world’s most congested city. (Shutterstock)

30) Between April and June 2025, of the 59.4 million employed people in Mexico, 1.2 million held positions of management, coordination or leadership — and 40.4% were women.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Occupation and Employment – ENOE, second quarter 2025)

More women are taking up leadership roles, but they are still underrepresented in senior positions. Promoting gender equality remains essential to closing gaps in workplace power and advancing opportunities across sectors.

31) In 2023, nearly one million people living in Mexico were born abroad.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Demographic Dynamics – ENADID, 2023)

Most foreign-born residents come from the United States, Central and South America, and Europe. Migration patterns are driven by work, family, study, and, in some cases, humanitarian reasons.

32) Between March 2015 and March 2020, 6.9 million people in Mexico moved to a different municipality or state — an amount equal to twice the population of Guerrero.

(Source: INEGI, Population and Housing Census – CPV, 2020)

Internal migration is driven by factors like employment, family needs, education and increasingly, security concerns.

33) In 2024, heart disease was the most common cause of death in Mexico, with 192,563 recorded deaths.

(Source: INEGI, Statistics on Registered Deaths – EDR, 2024)

Other leading causes were diabetes and malignant tumors. The high rate of heart disease is linked to aging, lifestyle and chronic health risks, and highlights the importance of medical care and prevention.

34) In 2022, 8 out of 10 people in Mexico believed that family members are responsible for caring for older adults.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey for the Care System – ENASIC, 2022)

Family caregiving remains the norm in Mexican society, with most care for elderly people provided by relatives — especially women. However, there is growing public debate on the need to expand public support systems as the population ages.

35) Between April and June 2025, 2.3 million people worked in paid domestic roles in Mexico. This includes tasks such as cleaning, cooking and/or caregiving.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Occupation and Employment – ENOE, second quarter 2025)

Domestic work is a major source of employment, especially for women and in urban areas. Despite contributing significantly to household well-being, domestic workers often face precarious conditions and limited labor rights.

36) Between 2016 and 2024, Michoacán was the state with the largest increase in average monthly household income, with a rise of 34.4%.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Household Income and Expenditures – ENIGH, 2016 and 2024)

Despite the improvement, income levels in Michoacán remain below the national average, underlining continued regional disparities.

37) Between 2001 and 2024, the proportion of Mexican households with internet access increased nearly twelvefold — from 6.2 to 73.6%.

(Sources: INEGI. Availability and Use of Information Technologies in Households Module – MODUTIH, 2001; National Survey on Availability and Use of Information Technologies in Households – ENDUTIH, 2024)

Widespread adoption of internet access reflects rapid technological change across the country. Despite progress, significant gaps remain by region and income, and mobile access now accounts for most connections.

38) A warm, humid climate is characterized by high temperatures and abundant rainfall. Tabasco is the state with the highest proportion of its territory under this climate type, at 95.5%.

(Sources: INEGI. Climate – CLIM, 2020; Geo-statistical Framework – MG, 2024)

This climate favors lush vegetation and extensive wetlands, making Tabasco one of the rainiest states in Mexico. The region’s weather patterns shape its agriculture, biodiversity and traditional ways of life.

What makes this Tabasco city a real estate hotspot?

39) A trámite is any procedure carried out by individuals or organizations with a government institution. In 2023, 81.7% of people in urban areas completed a trámite or requested a public service.

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Government Quality and Impact – ENCIG, 2023)

Most procedures involve payments, obtaining documents or notary services. While access to digital transactions is growing, many still encounter barriers and prefer in-person visits.

40) Did you know that half of the population (53.7%) who self-identified as LGBTQ+ in Mexico was between 15 and 24 years old in 2021?

(Source: INEGI, National Survey on Sexual and Gender Diversity – ENDISEG, 2021)

Young people are the most likely to openly disclose their LGBTQ+ identity, marking significant generational change in visibility and acceptance.

Mexico News Daily

5 killed in arson attack on Puebla night club

By
MND Staff
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exterior of the bar Lacoss
According to the newspaper El Sol de Puebla, witnesses told police that the alleged culprits were four armed men who arrived at the club on motorbikes and were carrying bottles of gasoline. (Mireya Novo/Cuartoscuro)

Five people were killed in an arson attack on a strip club in Puebla city early Tuesday.

The victims were reportedly two female dancers and three male waiters.

Fire truck outside of Bar La Coss
The Puebla Attorney General’s Office said investigations were ongoing to determine the motive of the events. (Mireya Novo/Cuartoscuro)

According to local media, armed men set the Lacoss Night Club on fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning. They also reportedly set alight a vehicle parked outside the “table dance” venue, located in Popular Coatepec, a neighborhood in the south of Puebla city.

The Puebla state government said in a statement that preliminary reports indicated that the five victims died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The government said that firefighters “immediately” responded to a report of a fire at an establishment in the Popular Coatepec neighborhood. It said that nine people were rescued and “immediately” assisted by paramedics.

The Puebla government said that firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze in the establishment, and a fire in a white Toyota. It said that the Puebla Attorney General’s Office was conducting investigations at the scene and working to determine the motive “of these events.”

According to El Sol de Puebla, the arson attack occurred at around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The newspaper reported that witnesses told police that the alleged culprits were four armed men who arrived at the club on motorbikes and were carrying bottles of gasoline.

El Sol de Puebla reported that the employees of the club were about to leave when the arson attack occurred. It also reported that the aggressors fired their weapons to intimidate the workers, “who returned to the bar to hide.”

After setting the club and vehicle on fire, the aggressors fled the scene and residents called 911, El Sol de Puebla reported.

Arson attacks on bars in Mexico have occurred previously, including in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, in 2023 and in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, in 2019. A total of 37 people were killed in those two attacks.

El Heraldo de San Luis Potosí reported that the attack in Puebla city on Tuesday morning may have been related to extortion or a “settling of scores” between criminal groups.

With reports from El Sol de Puebla, López-Dóriga Digital, El Universal and Milenio

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