Rainfall will decrease slightly by the third and fourth weeks of September. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
After a very rainy summer, September will continue to bring above-normal rainfall to most of Mexico, particularly in the central-southern strip and the Gulf coast.
According to meteorological models, the following 16 states are forecast to see above-average rainfall during the first week of September.
Tamaulipas
Veracruz
Tabasco
Campeche
Chiapas
Yucatán
Quintana Roo
Oaxaca
Puebla
Tlaxcala
México state
Morelos
Mexico City
Guerrero
Michoacán
Jalisco
Se prevén #Lluvias intensas en el norte de #Guerrero, y muy fuertes en zonas del occidente, centro, oriente y sur de #México.
Similar conditions are expected for Mexico’s central and western regions through the second week of the month. Rainfall will decrease slightly by the third and fourth weeks of September.
Mexico’s northeast, however, will remain mostly dry.
The National Meteorological System (SMN) has warned that heavy, sudden rainfall could lead to landslides, increased river and stream levels and flooding in low-lying areas, and urged residents of areas experiencing heavier levels of rain to take precautions.
The weather forecast for this week in Mexico
This week, tropical wave 19 will cause strong storms in the Valley of Mexico, the southern Bajío and the Pacific coast in the afternoon and evening hours.
Towards the end of the week, the southeast may see increased rainfall from Thursday through Sunday. These conditions will combine with a cold front north of Mexico near Texas.
The clash between humid tropical air and drier winter air will begin to happen as is typical for September, causing cooler temperatures and heavier rainfall.
Despite the rain, temperatures in the Gulf coast are above average for this time of year.
What’s the weather forecast for Wednesday?
40 to 45 degrees Celsius: Baja California and Sonora.
35 to 40 degrees Celsius: Baja California Sur, Campeche, northeast Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, southeast Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Tamaulipas and Yucatán.
30 to 35 degrees Celsius: Chiapas, Durango, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit, southwest Puebla, east San Luis Potosi, Veracruz and north Zacatecas.
An estimated tens of thousands of fish have died due to severe water depletion in three Chihuahua lakes. (Civil Protection Cuauhtémoc)
What is Mexico’s drought status?
The first half of August saw higher-than-usual levels of rainfall in the northwest, central west, south, and southeast Mexico, reducing drought conditions in these regions.
The northern and northeastern regions of Mexico, however, continued to experience hot to very hot weather, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. The state of Chihuahua recently reported that tens of thousands of fish died after three lakes dried up. Northeast Sonora and some areas in Baja California Sur are also reporting abnormal drought conditions.
Overall, as of Aug. 15, 2024, 34.73% of the country was affected by some level of drought, down 5.4 points from the end of July.
Demi Lovato was one of the stars headlining the Hera Festival in Mexico City. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)
In a historic celebration of female empowerment, the Hera HSBC Festival transformed the Hermanos Rodríguez Racetrack in Mexico City into a paradise of musical energy and good vibes last weekend.
The first festival in Mexico to feature a lineup of exclusively female artists from Latin America and beyond drew a spirited crowd of over 48,000 on Saturday night.
The festival lineup included stars like Camila Cabello and Evanescence. (Festival Hera HSBC/Facebook)
Organized by women and aimed to highlight gender inequality within the music industry — and coinciding with the forthcoming inauguration of Mexico’s first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum — the festival featured three stages and extensive seating arrangements to accommodate the large crowd.
There were also dedicated spaces for art installations, panel discussions and interactive experiences, all designed to create an immersive atmosphere celebrating women in the arts. Information booths provided resources for those interested in advocating for equal opportunities and supporting female artists.
The singer Ximena Sariñana, one of the festival’s co-creators, expressed her gratitude, saying,
“Thank you all for coming, for being part of this unique and historic moment!”
Ximena Sariñana (right), here with Paty Cantú, was one of the co-organizers and performed at the festival. (Cuartoscuro)
The powerhouse lineup included American artists such as Kesha, Demi Lovato and Cuban-born Camila Cabello, prominent Mexican performers such as Sariñana, Ely Guerra and Hello Seahorse, and Latin stars such as Bomba Estéreo from Colombia and Daniela Spalla from Argentina.
The festival is named after Hera, queen of the gods from Greek mythology and goddess of marriage, women and childbirth.
One of the festival highlights was Lovato’s powerful rendition of “Confident,” marking her return to Mexico after seven years.
“It feels so good to be back,” said the 32-year-old pop star who has become a symbol of female empowerment. “Thank you for being by my side during the hardest years of my life.”
Kesha made her first appearance in Mexico in a decade at the Hera Festival. (Cuartoscuro)
Similarly, Kesha made her first appearance in Mexico in 10 years. She walked onto the stage drinking a Corona beer and was showered with Dr. Simi dolls — in addition to actual rain showers. (Tossing the Farmacias Similares mascot onto the stage has become a tradition at concerts in Mexico.)
“What’s up, Mexico City?” she said. “Anybody else feeling especially free this afternoon?” she added, eliciting screams from her fans.
Bomba Estéreo closed the festival with their vibrant blend of cumbia, reggaeton and electro-pop.
¡Lxs queremos escuchar!
Hemos leído muchos comentarios sobre nuestra primera edición y queremos seguir mejorando para ustedes. 🪩✨
“Tonight is very special,” vocalist Li Saumet told the audience. “We are here gathered for something that is missing on this planet — feminine energy, balance, creation, intuition, life.”
Ivan Huerta, a 28-year-old attendee, expressed his appreciation for the all-female lineup, telling the Associated Press, “I love it. As part of the LGBT community, I feel more comfortable here. It’s amazing that there’s a festival for [women] and for everyone.”
The Tikkun Eco Center is an oasis of green calm in the midst of one of Mexico's driest areas. The experienced directorial team has helped make the center a vital pillar of the local community. (Tikkun/Facebook)
In the countryside of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, an ancient Jewish tenet guides a modern mission. The Talmudic concept of ”tikkun olam” — Hebrew for “repairing the world” — is a calling to reconnect our souls and spirits and to engage in social and ecological action to mend the damage inflicted on the world.
With this ideal as their foundation, Tikkun Eco Center is committed to community service for environmental restoration. They empower farming communities by reversing desertification, restoring water and food security and transforming barren areas into abundant, thriving ecosystems.
Careful stewardship of the land has brought back lush, verdant plant life to the center. (Sandra Gancz Kahan)
A delightful visit to Tikkun Eco Center for this article was made even more special by the company and guidance of environment enthusiasts Herb and Sally Silver, dear friends of mine. As we drove into the center, the sharp contrast in the landscape was breathtaking. The arid, scrubby terrain we had been navigating suddenly enveloped us in a lush jungle full of organic food, otherwise known as a “food forest.”
Meet the visionaries
We were warmly welcomed by Ben Ptashnik, Victoria Collier and Rebeca Ayala, Tikkun’s directors. Ptashnik was born in Israel, where he was influenced by his early experiences in cooperative agricultural life on a kibbutz. Later, as a Vermont state senator, he championed legislation promoting renewable energy and sustainable agriculture.
Collier, who runs project development and agriculture at Tikkun, deepened her ecological commitment in the early 2000s as the director of Tierra Lucero, a non-profit permaculture center in Taos, New Mexico, addressing the deep food insecurity of rural communities.
Born in Mexico City, Rebeca’s environmental advocacy began at 18 as a teacher in a Zapotec community in Oaxaca. With a degree in Environmental Engineering and a Green MBA, she worked with the Attorney General for Environmental Protection (Profepa) and the Dow Chemical Company, developing efficient models for water treatment plants.
Ben Ptashnik is one of the directors of Tikkun Eco Center and is a champion of sustainable agriculture. (Sandra Gancz Kahan)
A model for sustainable living
Ptashnik and Collier founded Tikkun Eco Center in 2008 in the rural village of San José de Gracia. The center’s 7.5 acres were initially a barren landscape dotted with only a few scattered trees, shrubs and cacti. Like many rural households in Mexico, Tikkun had no reliable access to water, public services or electricity.
With the goal of helping communities adapt to the challenges of the climate crisis, Tikkun is committed to reforestation, watershed restoration and ecological education. The center’s mission is to foster a more resilient and abundant world, where nature and people thrive together. By promoting sustainable practices and restoring vital ecosystems, Tikkun is not just responding to today’s urgent needs but also paving the way for a healthier, more sustainable future.
The lay of the land
The staff at Tikkun created this off-grid farm by constructing three adobe living and working sites that run entirely on solar and wind energy. To ensure a self-sufficient water supply, they set up a system of rainwater capture. The more than 2,000 trees, vines, shrubs, flowers and cacti they’ve planted contribute to a flourishing food forest and orchard. Their organic gardens, spanning over 2 acres, are supported by extensive earthworks and a site-wide drip irrigation system that keeps everything lush and green.
Adding to this vibrant ecosystem are eight interlocking ponds that house tilapia, koi and goldfish; these nutrient-rich waters are later used to irrigate the land. Onsite beehives pollinate Tikkun’s plants. The center’s two plow horses ensure that the soil is tilled gently, without the disruption caused by tractors. Additionally, their permaculture center proudly maintains a vast collection of heirloom seeds and enriches the soil by producing worm compost.
With a flourishing ecosystem came pests – who have in turn become delicious snacks for the chickens that roam the grounds. (Sandra Gancz Kahan)
This flourishing land attracted new species, not all of them welcome. For years, the center, like much of the entire region, battled a ruthless plague of grasshoppers. After trying numerous natural remedies without success, they found a solution in chickens. With the help of three roosters donated by a neighbor, Tikkun’s chicken population grew rapidly. Happy to feast on the all-you-can-eat grasshopper buffet, these chickens played a crucial role in saving the farm while also providing food and fertilizer.
Cultivating connection as a community hub
Tikkun has grown into a vibrant community hub dedicated to education, activism and ecological restoration. The center provides a variety of programs, workshops and retreats designed to cultivate a strong connection to the earth and a sense of environmental stewardship. They focus on advancing social and environmental justice by promoting equitable access to resources and empowering younger generations to take an active role in repairing and nurturing their land.
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on the local economy, Tikkun Eco Center expanded its farm to approximately 5 acres. Aimed at aiding local families in need, they distributed their organic crop of fruits and vegetables to families in the surrounding villages.
In 2021, the center’s community food distribution continued, providing around 4,200 meals per month to people in need. By 2022, Tikkun shifted its focus to restoring the village water reservoir, a project designed to strengthen local water and food resilience so communities could grow their own food. Tikkun Eco Center remains prepared to offer their farm as a food bank in the event of future crises.
The success of the center has also meant that it is able to supply local communities with food grown by volunteers at the site. (Sandra Gancz Kahan)
Leading by example in a global restoration movement
The team at Tikkun believes that the best path forward is to learn from the climate, the water cycle, the soil-food web and vast fungal networks to view the planet as a single, living organism. Tikkun’s restoration practices have demonstrated that the Earth has an incredible capacity to heal.
Their work is part of a growing global movement focused on ecological restoration and climate resilience. While communities in places like Zimbabwe, China and India are making significant strides with expansive restoration projects, the Tikkun team believes that Mexico also needs to embrace these efforts on a large scale. Tikkun is leading by example, showing how earth-healing projects can be successfully implemented to reverse biodiversity loss, water shortages and land degradation.
If you’re inspired by Tikkun Eco Center, you can support their ongoing efforts and get involved by donating or becoming a member. Tours are available to experience their gorgeous oasis firsthand, as are volunteering opportunities. To contribute, visit the center’s website.
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]
When Japanese and Mexican cuisine stops combining so perfectly, we'll stop mixing them up. Until then, here's a recipe for Baja style shrimp tacos with wasabi and pickled ginger slaw. (Jessica Gavin)
Wasabi has always been an this elusive ingredient for me. You see wasabi in the grocery store in a vaguely green box, read the back label, and somehow it’s always horseradish with coloring. It makes me question my reality, what else in my life is a blatant lie!? Whether you’re using the real deal or the fake wasabi powder, the recipe I want to share today is a flavor bomb. Wasabi Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos with Pickled Ginger Slaw., it works because it’s the culinary equivalent of a surprise party — unexpected, exciting, and just the right amount of wild.
First, let’s talk about the shrimp. Coating these little sea critters in a wasabi-infused beer batter, the beer makes the batter light and airy, while the wasabi adds a spicy kick that wakes you up faster than a double shot of espresso. Panko breadcrumbs add the final crispy crunch, making each bite feel like you’re indulging in something far fancier than the time you spent to make it.
Caution: This may turn out to be colored horseradish. Who cares, though? It’s still delicious. (Embassy)
Now, enter the pickled ginger slaw. The pickled ginger, long gone from the days of being disgraced and discarded on the edge of your sushi plate, brings a much needed punch that contrasts with the fried shrimp. It’s like the culinary version of that friend who always shows up with the best one-liners — sharp, unexpected, and absolutely essential to the experience.
The slaw also adds a refreshing crunch that balances out the shrimp’s richness. The rice vinegar and sesame oil give it a delicate Asian-inspired twist, making it the perfect partner in crime for our spicy, crispy shrimp.
In summary, these tacos are spicy, tangy, crispy, and refreshingly crunchy all at once. You’ll want to make these every Taco Tuesday — and possibly even some other days también.
Taco Tuesday just got delicious-ier. (Kikkoman)
Wasabi Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos with Pickled Ginger Slaw
Ingredients
For the Shrimp:
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup cold beer (lager or pale ale works best)
2 tbsp wasabi paste (adjust to how fiery you’re feeling)
Panko breadcrumbs for coating
Vegetable oil for frying
For the Pickled Ginger Slaw:
2 cups shredded cabbage (green or red)
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
1/4 cup pickled ginger, finely chopped
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp sesame seeds
For Assembly:
8 corn or flour tortillas
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
Prepare the Pickled Ginger Slaw:
In a large bowl, combine the shredded cabbage, julienned carrots, and chopped pickled ginger.
In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, salt, and pepper until well combined.
Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to coat.
Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, toss again, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors get to know each other.
Make the Beer Batter:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
Gradually add the cold beer, whisking until the batter is smooth.
Stir in the wasabi paste
Coat the Shrimp:
Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
Dip each shrimp into the beer batter, allowing any excess to drip off, then coat it in panko breadcrumbs for an extra crispy texture.
Fry the Shrimp:
Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat.
Fry the shrimp in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the shrimp and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Assemble the Tacos:
Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet
Place a few pieces of fried shrimp on each tortilla.
Top with a generous amount of the pickled ginger slaw.
Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Serve:
Serve the tacos immediately with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the top and let me know what you think in the comments. Enjoy!
Stephen Randall has lived in Mexico since 2018 by way of Kentucky, and before that, Germany. He’s an enthusiastic amateur chef who takes inspiration from many different cuisines, with favorites including Mexican and Mediterranean.
As Congress considers constitutional changes to Mexico's judicial system, legislators are debating the exact requirements of a Senate supermajority. (Dassaev Téllez Adame/Cuartoscuro)
One small step for President López Obrador’s judicial reform proposal, one sizable leap backward for the Mexican peso.
The Constitutional Points Committee of Mexico’s lower house of Congress approved a proposed judicial reform on Monday, paving the way for all 500 recently-elected deputies to vote on the constitutional bill once they assume their positions on Sept. 1.
The proposed judicial reforms have been a source of anxiety not only for some Mexicans but for US leaders and investors. US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, seen here, called the reform bill’s provision for direct popular vote of judges “a major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy.” (Ken Salazar/X)
Meanwhile, the peso — which has taken a battering since Claudia Sheinbaum and the ruling Morena party won comprehensive election victories on June 2 — depreciated close to 2% against the US dollar on Tuesday to trade at 19.78 to the greenback at 4 p.m. Mexico City time.
Causing the most concern both in Mexico and abroad is the bill’s provision that would allow Mexican citizens to directly elect thousands of judges, including the nation’s 11 Supreme Court justices.
United States Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar asserted last week that the “popular direct election of judges is a major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy.”
Meanwhile, members of the Constitutional Points Committee approved a modified version of the reform bill that AMLO sent to Congress in February. Deputies with the ruling Morena party and its allies voted in favor of the proposal, outnumbering the opposition lawmakers who voted against it.
The committee made one additional modification to the proposal, adding a “jueces sin rostro,” or “faceless judges” clause, which aims to protect the identity — and therefore the safety — of judges presiding over cases involving organized crime.
The bill is expected to pass the Chamber of Deputies as Morena and its allies — the Labor Party and the Ecological Green Party of Mexico — will have a two-thirds majority when the new Congress convenes next week.
In the Senate, the Morena-led coalition will be just short of the supermajority required to pass constitutional reform proposals on its own, but finding a few extra votes to get the judicial reform proposal through Congress is considered achievable if not a fait accompli.
Opponents of the judicial reform proposal say that the direct election of judges from candidates nominated by the sitting president, the Congress and the judiciary itself threatens the independence of Mexico’s justice system. Judicial elections, in some cases, would coincide with political elections, a situation that critics believe could lead to politicization of the judiciary.
On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of United States senators issued a statement in which they said they were “deeply concerned that the proposed judicial reforms in Mexico would undermine the independence and transparency of the country’s judiciary, jeopardizing critical economic and security interests shared by our two nations.”
If the proposal is approved, all 11 justices of the Supreme Court — which has handed down rulings against the current government’s policies and projects — could be replaced next year, potentially delivering a majority bench that is sympathetic to the agenda of incoming president Claudia Sheinbaum.
López Obrador, a frequent critic of the nation’s judges, argues that the reform is necessary to eradicate corruption within the judiciary. He would happily accept the approval of his proposal as a parting gift before he leaves office on Oct. 1 and retires to his ranch in Chiapas.
Paulina Rubio, a deputy with the National Action Party, expressed concern that the next federal government could condition the continuation of its social programs on support for judicial candidates put forward by Sheinbaum.
“I’m already imagining the servants of the nation intimidating the people [who benefit from] the social programs, [telling them] that if they don’t go out to vote for the president’s candidates, they’ll take away the social programs — that’s the problem,” Rubio said, referring to low-ranking, on-the-ground government officials who assist the delivery of multiple welfare and employment schemes that Mexico’s current government has instituted in the last six years.
President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, right, seen here at a private meeting on Tuesday with the newly elected Deputies in the lower house of Congress, has expressed her approval of the judicial reform and sought to assure the public that the choosing of judges would be “transparent.” (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
The Morena Party and AMLO say such programs are bringing about Mexico’s “fourth transformation” — one that is lifting up Mexico’s most economically disadvantaged.
Sheinbaum — who is committed to continuing AMLO’s policies and building “the second story” of the so-called fourth transformation that he initiated — said last week that the process to select judicial candidates would be “very transparent” and that prospective judges would have the required experience to do the job.
“The president will no longer have a hand in appointing justices,” she said.
“… It’s a very complete process,” Sheinbaum said, referring to both candidate selection and judicial elections.
“It’s new, but it has nothing to do with this idea … that [judges] are now going to be more aligned to the president. … It’s a complete proposal that guarantees autonomy [for the judiciary],” she said.
The American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (AmCham) has been a pillar of trust in Mexico for more than a century. Since our founding in 1917, we have been a proactive and committed community dedicated to generating shared well-being in Mexico.
Examples of this are our pioneering actions such as the historic job board, the reconstruction of Mexico City after the 1985 earthquake, the management to bring COVID-19 vaccines, or more recently, the coordination of support to rebuild Acapulco accompanied by the working mechanism with the governors of the south-southeast.
Our joint history with 19 administrations in the United States and 22 in Mexico has taught us that in dialogue, analysis, and finding common ground amidst differences lies the key to overcoming any challenge. In recent years, this lesson has been no different, and today, AmCham continues to trust in Mexico.
In the most recent quarter of 2024, more than 97% of foreign direct investment (FDI) was reinvestment of profits, and more than 44% came from American companies. Our companies — American, Mexican, and international; large, medium, and small — are invested in Mexico and provide formal employment to more than 10 million Mexicans.
In every democracy, the path to strengthening the rule of law must be evaluated, debated, and enriched. When multiple voices rise in a chorus of warnings, it is wise to pay attention. The convergence of diverse opinions on a risk is not mere coincidence but an echo of shared experiences and knowledge. Our Chamber has thoroughly analyzed the judicial reform and shared recommendations with the current government, the transition government, and representatives of Congress.
We agree with Ambassador Ken Salazar on the vision of Mexico-U.S. integration that transforms the region into an example of economic prosperity. This vision requires legal certainty, judicial transparency, and clarity in the application of laws.
As companies invested in Mexico and generating millions of jobs for past and future decades, we see risks in the independence of the judiciary in the judicial reform, and a potential delay in the professionalization of specialized justice, an increase in costs, a reduction in the effectiveness of the judicial system, and the generation of uncertainty for investment.
Mexico is a country that favors investment and the growth of companies. In light of this concern expressed by the private sector, we call for continued dialogue to carefully evaluate the potential consequences of this and other reforms, and we reaffirm our commitment to collaborating in the creation of public policies that strengthen legal security and Mexico’s competitiveness.
**It is important to remember Annex 23-A of the USMCA, where Mexico committed to having independent labor courts, and Chapter 31 on the use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. These mechanisms are essential for efficiently resolving business conflicts and reducing the workload of the judicial system. The proposed changes could compromise the fulfillment of the USMCA.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mexico News Daily, its owner or its employees.
President López Obrador responds to reporters Tuesday morning after questions regarding a nationwide work stoppage by judges and other workers in the judicial system in protest of his reform bill. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
The Mexican government’s relationship with the United States Embassy in Mexico is “on pause,” President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Tuesday, five days after U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar voiced concerns about his proposed judicial reform.
López Obrador also told reporters at his morning press conference that the government was pausing ties with the Canadian Embassy in light of the Canadian ambassador’s remarks about the same proposal.
Ken Salazar said Thursday that the direct election of judges would put Mexico’s democracy at risk. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
“How are we going to allow [Salazar] to opine that what we’re doing is wrong,” he said.
“We’re not going to tell him to leave the country, we’re not doing that, but we do have to read the constitution, which is like reading him the riot act,” López Obrador said.
He said that the government’s relationship with Salazar is “good, but on pause,” explaining that the suspension began immediately after the ambassador spoke out against his judicial reform proposal, which could be passed by Congress as soon as next month.
López Obrador — who would like to see the proposal passed before he leaves office on Oct. 1 — also said that Mexico’s relationship with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico is on pause, but the broader bilateral relation “continues.”
Nevertheless, he made it clear that he believes that Salazar was speaking on behalf of the U.S. government, not just himself, when he released his statement on the judicial reform last Thursday. López Obrador also asserted that the United States and Canada acted in concert.
In his statement last Thursday, Salazar said he believed that the “popular direct election of judges is a major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy.”
“… I also think the debate over the direct election of judges … as well as the fierce politics if the elections for judges in 2025 and 2027 were to be approved, will threaten the historic trade relationship we have built, which relies on investors’ confidence in Mexico’s legal framework,” the ambassador added.
“Direct elections would also make it easier for cartels and other bad actors to take advantage of politically motivated and inexperienced judges,” Salazar said.
Ambassador Salazar and AMLO have had a mostly friendly relationship. (Lopezobrador.org.mx)
For his part Canadian Ambassador Graeme Clarke said in an interview published late last week that Canadian investors were concerned about the judicial reform proposal.
López Obrador announced last Friday that the government was sending diplomatic notes to both the United States and Canada in light of the ambassadors’ remarks.
Salazar subsequently said that “the concerns” he expressed about the direct election of judges were made in the “spirit of collaboration.”
He also said he was willing to engage in dialogue with Mexico’s leaders.
On Monday, López Obrador said that he and the U.S. ambassador — a semi-regular visitor to the National Palace — were going to give each other some “time” before reconvening.
The president claimed that the government of Canada acted in an “embarrassing” way by joining the United States’ protest against the judicial reform proposal.
President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly met in late June, accompanied by Sheinbaum’s future foreign affairs minister, Juan Ramón de la Fuente (left) and Canadian Ambassador Graeme C. Clark (right). (Mélanie Joly/X)
“It looks like an associate state, [they acted] together,” he said.
“They wanted to interfere in matters that only correspond to Mexicans,” López Obrador added.
He said that the pause in the relationships with both the United States and Canadian embassies would continue until representatives of the two countries learned to respect the sovereignty of Mexico — which Salazar has stressed he does, including in an X post early Tuesday afternoon.
“We’re not going to give them advice nor say that this is good or this is bad,” López Obrador said, even though he has been critical of the U.S. government and Congress for not approving greater funding for regional development programs that could help reduce migration, and of the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
“We want them to be respectful — for there to be a reciprocal relationship with regard for respect for sovereignty,” the president said.
Opponents of the judicial reform proposal say that the direct election of judges from candidates nominated by the sitting president, the Congress and the judiciary itself threatens the independence of Mexico’s justice system. Judicial elections, in some cases, would coincide with political elections, a situation that critics believe could lead to politicization of the judiciary.
Members of Mexico’s Supreme Court at an international forum on judicial independence earlier this month. (Cuartoscuro)
If the proposal is approved, all 11 justices of the Supreme Court — which has handed down rulings against the current government’s policies and projects — could be replaced next year.
If a majority of justices sympathetic to the agenda of incoming president Claudia Sheinbaum are elected to the Supreme Court, Sheinbaum’s capacity to enact — and maintain — policies that face legal challenges could be enhanced.
Approval of the judicial reform proposal is likely given that the ruling Morena party and its allies will have a supermajority in the lower house of Congress and a strong majority in the Senate.
The last straw?
Beyond Salazar’s statement about the proposed judicial reform, López Obrador has been irked by the United States’ funding of organizations he regards as opponents of his government.
Earlier this month, he once again railed against the United States government’s funding — via the U.S. Embassy in Mexico — of Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity, an anti-graft group that has exposed alleged corruption in his administration.
“It’s outrageous … that a government that is a friend, a neighbor, is financing a group that opposes a legal, legitimate government. What’s that called? Interventionism,” López Obrador said Aug. 14 after announcing that he would send a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden to complain about the issue.
López Obrador has also criticized the U.S. Embassy for providing funding to various organizations that are critical of his government. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
In light of Salazar’s remarks, the president reiterated that the federal government doesn’t accept “interference” in Mexico’s internal affairs.
“We don’t accept any representative of foreign governments intervening in matters that are solely up to us to resolve,” he said.
Mexico shipped EVs worth US $3.127 billion to its northern neighbor in the first six months of the year. (IM Imagery/Shutterstock)
Mexico could become the top electric vehicle (EV) exporter to the United States in 2024 after EV shipments surged in the first half of the year, along with revenues.
U.S. Department of Commerce data shows that Mexico shipped EVs worth US $3.127 billion to its northern neighbor in the first six months of the year, an impressive 172% increase in EV export revenue compared to $1.15 billion in the same period of 2023.
Chinese electric automaker BYD opened its first showrooms in Mexico just over a year ago, but it already has its eye on building plants here as well, a factor that could solidify Mexico’s position as a top revenue generator in the EV market in years to come. (BYD)
Mexico ranked as the second biggest EV exporter to the world’s largest economy between January and June, behind only Germany.
German EV exports to the U.S. increased by a comparatively meager 7.8% in annual terms to reach $3.213 billion, or just $86 million more than Mexico’s revenue.
South Korea was the third biggest EV exporter to the U.S. in the first six months of the year, followed by Japan and Belgium.
The United States imported EVs worth a total of $11.95 billion in the period, a 36.1% year-over-year increase.
If Mexico maintains its strong EV export growth in the second half of 2024 it could finish the year as the top external supplier of electric vehicles to the United States. That would be an additional feather in the cap for Mexico, which dethroned China to become the largest overall exporter to the U.S. in 2023.
Among the automakers that make EVs in Mexico are Audi, BMW and General Motors.
Foreign automakers with plants in Mexico benefit from the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the free trade pact that superseded NAFTA in 2020.
Tesla and BYD — the world’s two top electric vehicle manufacturers — have announced plans to open plants here, but it is unclear when they might open.
Mexico’s EV exports increased more than 18,000% (yes, really!) in just 4 years
United States data shows that the value of EVs exported to the U.S. from Mexico in 2019 was just $21 million.
Revenue increased slightly to $25 million in 2020 — when the COVID pandemic disrupted auto production — before skyrocketing to $1.732 billion in 2021, a jump of 6,828% in just one year.
The value of Mexico’s EV exports rose to $2.346 billion in 2022, a 35% year-over-year increase, before surging to $3.811 billion in 2023, an annual gain of 62%.
The increase in Mexico’s EV revenue between 2019 and 2023 was a whopping 18,047%.
If the value of Mexico’s EV exports to the U.S. in the second half of 2024 matches that of the first half, revenue will be $6.254 billion.
That figure would represent an increase of almost 30,000% compared to 2019.
The numbers could be even more impressive – and mind-boggling – in the years ahead.
Tepeji's new landmark sign is the Hidalgo municipality's US $278,000 bet on attracting tourists to its historic and recreational offerings. (Francisco Villeda/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico’s little-known Tepeji municipality in central Mexico is far away from the glitz of Los Angeles, but with its newly built landmark sign, it is close to rivaling (in stature anyway) the iconic symbol of Hollywood.
Atop a hill in the town of Palo Grande, located in the municipality of Tepeji del Río, Hidalgo, officials have built the largest landmark sign in Mexico, according to Mayor Salvador Jiménez Calzadilla.
While iconic, the Hollywood letters aren’t actually the world’s tallest and are now shorter than the Tepeji sign. (Wikimedia Commons)
At 15 meters tall, the sign’s giant white letters — which read “Tepeji” — are taller than the world-famous “Hollywood” letters by 1.3 meters, say Palo Grande officials.
The letters on the Los Angeles Hollywood sign are each 13.7 meters tall (45 feet), according to a report published in 2021 by the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office.
The Tepeji sign is intended to be the “jewel in the crown” of Jiménez’s tourism strategy. The municipality’s mayor expects the 5.5-million-peso (US $278,000) sign to attract visitors.
The México-Querétaro highway, which connects Mexico City to multiple Mexican states, is one of the most traveled highways in central Mexico. However, Jiménez explained, most of the road’s travelers overlook Tepeji as a tourist attraction.
While Tepeji’s landmark sign’s letters are taller than that of the more famous Hollywood sign, the Guinness World Record for tallest landmark sign goes to a municipality in the United Arab Emirates. (Guinness World Records)
Tepeji’s other tourism offerings
Tepeji’s efforts to attract visitors have gone beyond erecting a flashy sign. Officials are also working with Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) to renovate and highlight the colonial town’s part of the Camino Real Tierra Adentro (the Royal Inland Road), a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The trade route — which stretched from Mexico City to Santa Fe, New Mexico, between themid-16th and 19th centuries — was part of the larger Spanish Intercontinental Royal Route, Spain’s global network of roads and maritime routes.
Other tourist sites located within the municipality of Tepeji include the Parish of Saint Francis of Assisi, its municipal zócalo (the town square), its craft market and municipal markets, the La Josefina textile museum, the Tepeji Cultural Center’s onsite museum and the 18th-century Santiago Apóstol Church.
In the future, Jiménez says he envisions building an ecotourism walkway in the area displaying the municipality’s giant letters.
Despite their massive size, neither Tepeji nor Los Angeles managed the Guinness World Record for the tallest landmark sign. That title currently goes to the oasis of Liwa in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 150 kilometers south of Abu Dhabi city, according to the Guinness World Records online site. Liwa’s landmark sign’s letters are each 23.59 meters tall.
The previous record holder was also located in the UAE: the village of Hatta, located near the Oman border, has a landmark sign with letters measuring 19.28 meters tall.
The school year in Mexico runs from Aug. 26, 2024 to July 16, 2025. (Carolina Jiménez/Cuartoscuro)
Nearly 24 million students at the basic level — including preschool, primary and secondary school — went back to school in Mexico on Monday in 231,000 schools across the country.
During President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s morning press conference, Education Minister Leticia Ramírez Amaya wished the students “a great school year,” and encouraged pupils “to socialize, to be with their friends, to learn in an atmosphere of joy and happiness.”
In Mexico, the majority of students attend public schools, with around 21 million enrolled in public primary and secondary schools. (Note Thanun/Unsplash)
How many students attend public versus private schools?
In Mexico, the majority of students attend public schools, with just over 21 million enrolled in public primary and secondary schools in 2024 according to the newspaper El Economista.
In contrast, just over 2 million students attend private schools.
How have school costs increased this year?
Parents of students must pay for school supplies and uniforms as well as tuition and re-enrollment fees, all of which have risen in cost due to inflation. According to a report by the newspaper El Economista, the education sector saw an annual inflation rate of 5.24% in the first half of August 2024.
The newspaper’s survey found that in Mexico City, the average cost of primary school supplies could range between 1,500 and 2,500 pesos (US $76 and $127). Meanwhile, the price of school supplies for secondary school ranges between 2,000 and 3,000 pesos (US $101 and $152).
These estimates do not consider tuition fees for private schools, uniforms or textbooks (in private schools, additional books are used in addition to those universally provided by the SEP).
Considering all expenses associated with the new school year, the National Alliance of Small Business Owners (ANPEC) reported that the return to school for each student will cost an average of 9,689 pesos (US $492).
19.2% of Mexico’s population, which represents 24.4 million people, have an educational deficit, meaning their educational outcome is lower than what the curriculum intends. (Rashide Frias/Cuartoscuro)
How many public schools lack basic infrastructure?
According to Aprender Parejo, a study conducted by Tecnológico de Monterrey (TEC), four out of 10 public schools (offering basic education) lack one of the following essential services: drinking water, electricity, sinks or private toilets.
Sixty-five out of 100 schools (offering basic education) lack an internet connection or computers.
The report reveals that between 2013 and 2024, Mexico spent 451.2 million pesos (US $22.9 billion) on educational infrastructure. Of this figure, 70.2% was allocated to basic education facilities, 7.7% to upper secondary education and 22.1% to higher education. However, it is not clear where and what types of investments were made in public schools.
“It’s not about making the school pretty, it’s about making it a decent space for learning,” the lead researcher Marco Fernández stressed.
In contrast, only 8% of private schools lack essential services.
Is there an educational deficit in Mexico?
According to data from the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval), 19.2% of Mexico’s population, which represents 24.4 million people, have an educational deficit, meaning their educational outcome is lower than what the curriculum intends.
According to the latest data, the educational gap increased from 19.0% to 19.2% between 2018 and 2020.
The Coneval said that the entities with the lowest rates of educational deficit are Mexico City (9.5%), México state (14.1%) and Coahuila (14.3%). Meanwhile, the states with the greatest rates of educational deficit include Chiapas (32.5%), Oaxaca (29.6%) and Michoacán (29.4%).
Moreover, according to an academic study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Mexico ranks 51st overall for its combined scores in math, reading and science, meaning that Mexican students are falling behind their global counterparts in those subjects.
