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MND Local: Murals, an eclipse and aura farming in San Miguel de Allende

By
Cathy Siegner
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A man serves elote, or roasted corn on the cob, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Elote, or roasted corn on the cob, is a popular street food in San Miguel. (Credit: Ria Talken)

The arroyo mural project is finally dedicated, a botanical sculptor reveals his latest project, a partial lunar eclipse is on its way, a spreading social phenomenon is coming to town and registration is open for the 2027 writers’ conference. Read on about some of the many community activities happening in and around San Miguel de Allende this month.

Mural project dedicated along the Las Cachinches Arroyo

A group of artists and patrons stand in front of an arroyo mural in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
The arroyo mural inauguration on Aug. 1 drew artists and patrons of the project. (Credit: Geoff Nilsen)

A dozen new large-scale murals were dedicated Aug. 1 along 90 meters of the Las Cachinches Arroyo just west of Calzada de la Aurora and across from Fábrica La Aurora.

The mural corridor project, coordinated by Audubon de México, was designed to transform the previously neglected area into an open-air gallery celebrating the arroyo’s history, ecology and enduring presence.

“A lot of people don’t even know it’s there,” said Audubon de México President April Gaydos. “It will be a lovely green place for people to walk.”

Gaydos emphasized that the area is often “tagged” with graffiti, and that “murals are a deterrent for tagging.” She added, “There have been studies done on this. It’s educational as much as creating a place people want to visit.”

See the Audubon de México website for additional details about the project and the artists and sponsors who participated.

Regular cleanup efforts are also taking place along the Las Cachinches Arroyo. Volunteers have spent their Saturdays hauling out a large amount of garbage from between Calzada de la Aurora and Canción de India.

This work is being organized by Colectiva Ecología en la Montaña with coordination by Gabriel González and Juanita Nolasco. For more information or to donate to the arroyo cleanup project, email arroyocachinches@gmail.com.

Botanical sculptures combine wood, plants and metal

An artist stands with his botanical sculpture.
Matt Wilson with one of his botanical sculptures, “Stitched Up,” a sutured log sculpture. (Credit: Matt Wilson)

“Rooted in Rust” is former landscape designer Matt Wilson’s latest artistic project. The work combines reclaimed iron relics, wood and succulent plants in permanent botanical sculptures.

“For 1,000 years, you’ve seen a single plant in a pot,” Wilson told Mexico News Daily. “Mine is a single composition with color, with a filler plant, and everything that hangs out of the pot is called the spiller. Those make up the criteria, and they’re very attractive, and nobody else is doing that in San Miguel.”

Wilson hails from San Diego and lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 40 years. He then moved to Costa Rica for four years and relocated to the Los López area south of San Miguel about 3.5 years ago. He started creating the Rooted in Rust sculptures last year.

“My girlfriend asked me, ‘Can you do something with this metal suitcase?’ and I laughed, and I said, ‘Of course, what do you want?’ So I came up with this succulent, which were unfamiliar to me, and there are thousands of succulents,” he said.

Wilson said the plants grew quickly, and in six months, the result was a “very nice” sculpture.

“I saw there was something there, and it really engaged my creative side,” he said. “I went out and bought an old rusted inner spring mattress, an old rusted tricycle with no rubber on the tires and an old Coca-Cola cooler. I put on an exhibition, and people said, ‘Oh, that’s great,’ and it just went from there.”

More images of Wilson’s work can be seen here.

Partial lunar eclipse coming later this week

A partial lunar eclipse.
A 2018 partial lunar eclipse resulted in a blood moon. (Credit: Yu Kato via Unsplash)

The partial lunar eclipse starting Thursday night and ending early Friday morning is expected to be visible from San Miguel. The penumbral eclipse will begin about 7:23 p.m. Thursday in the east-southeast and reach maximum eclipse about 10:12 p.m., creating a reddish-orange effect known as an “almost blood moon.”

A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves directly between the sun and the moon, casting the Earth’s shadow onto the moon’s surface. They only occur during a full moon when the sun, the Earth and the moon all line up.

Close to 1 billion people in South and North America will be able to fully see the eclipse, while more than 3 billion should be able to view part of the five-hour event. According to NASA, a similar eclipse last occurred on Aug. 16, 2008, and the next one will be on Sept. 7, 2044.

Ready for an ‘Aura Farming Battle’ this Sunday?

aura farming performance
The “battles” attract massive crowds who watch participants compete symbolically with poses, dances, gestures and meme references to demonstrate who has more “aura.” (Estrella Josento/Cuartoscuro)

It’s possible to observe the social phenomenon of “aura farming” on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Parque Juarez on the small basketball courts. The prize is 500 pesos.

Aura farming is a trend that started on TikTok and Instagram and consists of young participants silently making moves designed to appear confident and cool without seeming deliberate. The audience’s response decides who wins.

Aura farming battles have been spreading throughout Mexico, with recent ones occurring in Mexico City, Veracruz and Coahuila. Additional gatherings have been reported in Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.

Writers’ Conference registration discount ending soon

San Miguel Writers' Conference
San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival executive director Jodi Pincus thanks her staff at the end of a record-setting event. (Credit: Michele Rayvid)

The San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival is offering $95 off its registration packages until Aug. 31. The regular prices go into effect Sept. 1.

Scheduled for Feb. 10-14, 2027, at the Hotel Real de Minas, the conference will feature keynotes by U.S. authors Amor Towles and Jennifer Finney Boylan, Canadian author Michelle Good and Mexican author Martha Bátiz, along with literary presentations, workshops and many other events.

More information, along with the 2027 conference schedule, bilingual programming and free community events, is available here.

Cathy Siegner is an independent journalist based in San Miguel and Montana. She has journalism degrees from the University of Oregon and Northwestern University.

México Canta and Spotify partner up to amplify young talent across Mexico-US border

By
MND Staff
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Culture Minister Claudia Curiel de Icaza, Spotify executive Karen Duque, Canal 22 director Alonso Millán, and Mexican Music Council member Alejandro Aguirre Ruelas have finalized Spotify's role in the upcoming second México Canta event. (Camila Ayala Benabib/ Cuartoscuro)

México Canta is turning up the volume for its second season, tapping the music streaming service Spotify to give the cross-border contest’s top singers even more exposure.

The partnership will give the 14 semifinalists from Mexico and the United States an official Spotify playlist and offer them a career-development master class, and the three winners will be invited to a Spotify flagship event for emerging artists, the Mexican government said in a press release.

Spotify executive Karen Duque (right) is seen sitting with Culture Minister Claudia Curiel de Icaza. According to Duque, Mexico has entered the world’s 10 largest recorded-music markets. (Camila Ayala Benabib/Cuartoscuro)

México Canta (Mexico Sings) is a federal initiative led by the Culture Ministry in collaboration with the Mexican Music Council.

Open to Mexican and Mexican American artists ages 18 to 29, it is akin to “American Idol” with one overriding rule: It seeks songs promoting themes such as love, tradition and culture rather than glorifying violence, drugs, discrimination or misogyny.

Unlike last year’s inaugural contest — which staged semifinals in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Tijuana, Oaxaca and Mexico City that blossomed into must-see TV — this year’s whittling-down process was left in the hands of the Mexican Music Council. It reviewed online auditions to determine the best of more than 16,000 entries (about 1,200 more than last year).

Of the 5,760 U.S.-based registrants, seven were chosen for the first semifinal, which was Sunday at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. It produced three finalists.

The second semifinal is scheduled for Sunday at the Ángela Peralta Theater in Mazatlán, where three more finalists will be selected, plus a wild card from either semifinal. The contest drew 10,528 registrants from Mexico.

The finals are set for Sept. 13 at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, where winners will be selected in three as-yet-unnamed categories. Last year’s titles were for best performer and best song, alongside a wild-card pick.

The agreement with Spotify comes during a boom in regional Mexican music.

Global listening to the genre on Spotify has risen 450% over the last five years, while consumption in Mexico increased 560%, the Ministry of Culture noted. Moreover, more than 70% of Spotify Mexico’s daily Top 50 is made up of Mexican artists compared to 10% a decade ago, the ministry added.

Also, for the first time, Mexico has entered the world’s 10 largest recorded-music markets, noted Spotify representative Karen Duque.

“A decade ago, it was quite difficult to imagine that Mexico would become one of the most important powers in the world of the music industry,” she said.

Following the finals in Mexico City, the three winners will be scheduled to perform during Mexican Independence Day celebrations on Sept. 15.

With reports from La Jornada and Informador

Mexico’s first solar panel recycling plant coming to Jalisco

By
MND Staff
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solar panels
The recycling plant is expected to process up to 1,000 tonnes of “retired” solar panels annually, recovering core materials like silicon, aluminum and silver. (Unsplash)

The western state of Jalisco will soon boast Mexico’s very first solar panel recycling plant, an installation with the capacity to recover up to 95% of the materials from equipment that reaches the end of its useful life.

The project evolved in response to the growth of photovoltaic generation in Jalisco, which has approximately 1.6 million installed solar panels, equivalent to about 50,000 tonnes of equipment. 

Rafiqui — a non-profit civil organization dedicated to recycling and repurposing — is building the plant in Ciudad Guzmán, about 125 kilometers south of the state capital, Guadalajara. 

In its initial phase, the recycling plant is expected to process up to 1,000 tonnes of “retired” solar panels annually, recovering core materials like silicon, aluminum and silver to be used in other production chains.

Rafiqui director Ximena Cantú said her company’s model “goes beyond recycling because we believe in the circular economy.” 

Before sending any materials to the recycling plant, the decommissioned equipment will be evaluated to determine if it is still functional. Those that remain in suitable condition may be reused or donated to communities and non-profit organizations.

Manuel Gómez-Herrera Lasso, executive director of the Mexican Photovoltaic Industry Association, praised Jalisco as a pioneer in the adoption of solar energy. The first photovoltaic system interconnected to the national energy grid was installed in Jalisco in 2007.

The growth of the technology, however, presents a challenge for managing the waste generated by the replaced equipment. 

The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that 30,000 tonnes of solar panels in Mexico will be retired due to premature failure by 2030, while at the same time 6,500 tonnes will reach the end of their life cycle naturally.

As part of the strategy to address this, Rafiqui has established a collection center in a southern Guadalajara neighborhood to receive small volumes. It has also developed a collection scheme for larger quantities in different regions of the country.

Additionally, Rafiqui is holding discussions with municipalities and industrial associations to expand the alternatives for collecting solar panels in Jalisco.

With reports from Mexico Industry, Jalisco TV and El Financiero

Schneider Electric plans major Querétaro expansion to meet growing power demand

By
MND Staff
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Rueil-Malmaison, France - August 13, 2023: Sign and logo on the headquarters building of Schneider Electric, a French multinational company specializing in digital automation and energy management
The French energy management company says its Querétaro expansion will result in 4,000 new direct jobs in a little more than a year. Querétaro Governor Mauricio Kuri González gives an even more optimistic estimate of 7,000 to 8,000 direct jobs by 2028. (Shutterstock)

Schneider Electric, a France-based multinational, plans to expand its manufacturing capacity in Querétaro state with 115,000 square meters of new industrial facilities that will support the creation of 4,000 direct jobs by the end of 2027, the company has announced.

The expansion includes two completed facilities and a third planned for a later growth phase, where the firm will manufacture solutions for electrical distribution, equipment for critical energy infrastructure, and specialized projects under custom “engineer-to-order” (ETO) models.

Schneider Electric executives turned out en masse at last week’s expansion announcement, joining Governor Mauricio Kuri and Querétaro state officials for what is considered a major development in energy management for the region and job creation in Querétaro. (Gobierno Estado de Querétaro)

Schneider Senior Vice President of Power Systems and ETO Guillaume Le Gouic said that Querétaro, in Mexico’s Bajío region, provides the talent, industrial capacity, and strategic location required to advance the region’s electrification and digitalization processes. 

“We are very pleased to continue growing in Querétaro, and very grateful for the support of the state government,” Schneider Mexico and Central America President Luis D’Acosta Anezin said. “The truth is, we feel right at home here, and this is the first of many investments to come, and we’re very happy and excited.”

According to the announcement, Schneider is now hiring between 200 and 250 workers a month and training engineers, technicians, and specialists in advanced manufacturing and energy infrastructure to support its operations. 

Querétaro Governor Mauricio Kuri González met with Schneider Electric executives last  Wednesday to discuss the project. While the company did not share an investment figure, Kuri González said he expects the total job creation from new facilities to reach 7,000 or 8,000 by 2028.

Schneider currently has production plants in Querétaro, Nuevo León, and Tlaxcala, supporting industrial demand in North America and Central America.

The firm aims to strengthen production for sectors with a higher demand for electrical infrastructure, such as data centers, industry and the digital economy.

In a 2025 interview with MND, the president and managing director of Schneider Electric Mexico & Central America, Jesús Carmona Colina, said that President Claudia Sheinbaum had “correctly recognized that more energy is needed in Mexico” to meet demand, including from the country’s growing industrial sector.

He noted an energy imbalance in Mexico, with sufficient electricity in some regions and a shortfall in others. 

As part of its overarching economic strategy, Plan México, the government aims to increase electricity generation by 22,000 megawatts by 2030, investing US $12.3 billion over the next six years to build new power plants, $7.5 billion to strengthen transmission networks and $3.6 billion to improve distribution networks.

 With reports from Mexico Industry, Mexico Now and TYT

Despite a Q2 dip, first-semester foreign direct investment was Mexico’s highest ever

By
MND Staff
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KIA plant
Manufacturing was the main recipient of first-semester Foreign Direct Investment, accounting for 38.6% of the record-breaking total of US $34.968 billion. (Cuartoscuro)

Mexico attracted US $34.968 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) between January and June 2026, marking the highest amount ever recorded for a first semester, the Economy Ministry (SE) reported.

The figure represents a 2.1% year-on-year increase compared to the same period last year and confirms Mexico’s continued appeal as a destination for established international companies.

FDI graphic 2026
A graphic from the Economy Ministry shows the striking increase in first-semester Foreign Direct Investment into Mexico since 2021, jump-started by the merger of Televisa and Univision and the restructuring of Aeroméxico in 2022 and then continuing to rise steadily through the current figure of US $34.968 billion. The percentages represent the increase over the same period of the previous year. (SE)

Going back further, foreign investment practically doubled, with an accumulated growth of 89.7%, compared to the first half of 2021, when Mexico attracted US $18.433 billion,  

The 2026 advance lost momentum, however, during the second quarter, when revenues reached $10.464 billion, 3.5% less than the $10.848 billion originally recorded during the same period in 2025.

The SE attributed the contraction to last year’s high base of comparison and indicated that it does not represent a change in trend. Despite the year-on-year decline, the result for the second quarter of 2026 was the second highest in the last 16 years.

Who received the foreign investment?

The manufacturing industry was the primary recipient of the arriving resources, receiving $13.482 billion, equivalent to 38.6% of total FDI. The figure represents a 9.3% year-over-year increase for manufacturing.

Financial and insurance services ranked second, with $10.15 billion, followed by the transportation, postal, and warehousing sectors, which registered the strongest growth, attracting $2.65 billion.

Mexico City came in as the top destination for foreign investment, receiving $16.862 billion, or 48.2% of the national total. It was followed by Nuevo León, with $3.712 billion; México state, with $2.114 billion; Baja California, with $1.743 billion; and Jalisco, with $1.406 billion. 

Together, these five states accounted for 73.9% of all FDI received during the first half of the year.

Where did the first semester FDI come from?

In the first half of 2026, the United States remained the leading source of FDI in Mexico, with a flow of $16.871 billion, equivalent to 48.2% of the total. 

Spain ranked second with $4.954 billion, followed by Canada ($1.741 billion), Australia ($1.698 billion) and Germany ($1.647 billion). 

According to the SE, the positive FDI numbers are attributed to the country’s macroeconomic and institutional fundamentals and the guidelines of Plan México, the government’s flagship economic and policy strategy.

Mexico News Daily

MND Local: Is the tourism outlook in Los Cabos improving?

By
Chris Sands
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Catamaran sailing at Land's End in Cabo San Lucas
Is the tourism outlook brightening in Los Cabos? Despite the continued decline in international air arrivals in 2026, some indicators are positive. (Los Cabos Tourism Board)

Spring was a poor season for tourism in Mexico. International air arrivals — the driver of 80% of all tourism revenue in the country, with two out of every three passengers hailing from the U.S. — were down nationwide in March, April and May. 

That trend continued in June, as spring turned to summer, despite Mexico’s role as a host for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But outside of the host cities, which received a boost from the event — albeit not to the extent expected — high-value tourism to traditional beach tourism destinations in Mexico like Los Cabos continued to plummet. International air arrivals fell 7.1% in Los Cabos in March, 9.7% in April, 10.5% in May and 14.2% in June, relative to the same months in 2025.

Cocina del Mar restaurant at Esperanza, An Auberge Resort in Los Cabos
Despite spectacular attractions, such as seaside dining at Cocina del Mar, tourism has been down in Los Cabos so far in 2026. (Los Cabos Tourism Board)

July was even worse, with international air arrivals falling by 16.6%. That means that in the first seven months of the year, international tourism fell by 7.2% in Los Cabos, with overall tourism declining by 5.4%. Unfortunately, things don’t look much better for the second half of the year, with U.S. air bookings for the next six months down 13% from 2025. 

That said, there are some signs of a brightening outlook for Los Cabos.

Domestic tourism is beginning to improve

After seeing falling numbers for 10 straight months — from July 2025 to April 2026 — the domestic travel market has recently shown signs of life in Los Cabos. Domestic arrivals nosed into positive numbers in May and were up 7% in July, with nearly 20,000 more Mexican nationals visiting the destination relative to the same month in 2025. 

Low season rates are part of the appeal. High season prices typically peak in April (US $470 per night for hotels in 2026), with summer seeing lower average hotel room rates in Cabo San Lucas (US $336 as of the most recent numbers from May) and San José del Cabo (US $339), as well as for the destination as a whole (US $414). 

But since airline bookings for the next six months are up 5.4% domestically, with a better than 9% increase in passengers from Mexico City expected through the end of the year, it appears that this isn’t just a seasonal spike, but rather a welcome return to form for what has traditionally been an important market, accounting for over one-third of overall tourists to Los Cabos. 

Tourism from Canada is on the uptick

The Canadian tourism market is not as robust as the U.S., at least not in Los Cabos. Last year, for example, over two million tourists from the U.S. visited Los Cabos, versus 215,000 from Canada. So even though tourism from Canada is up 8.8% in 2026, that doesn’t make up for U.S. tourism being down by more than 7%.

Cruise ship at anchor off Medano Beach in Cabo San Lucas
Cruise ship tourism is booming in Cabo San Lucas, with 64.5% more passengers this year than in 2025. (Roman Denisenko/Unsplash)

Still, it’s significant that numbers are up this year for visitors from Canada, as well as for visitors from Europe, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. This diversification is important to the local economy, especially if U.S. tourism to Mexico continues to slump.

Cruise tourism continues to boom

The reason international arrivals are considered “high-value” is because these tourists, on average, spend more than US $1,300 each. Cruise ship tourists, by contrast, traditionally spend less than US $100 per person. Every little bit helps, however, especially when it comes to keeping businesses alive in downtown Cabo San Lucas.

Last year, the Land’s End city set a record, surpassing one million cruise ship tourists for the first time. This year, that record will almost certainly be broken, as through June, cruise ship arrivals were up by 64.5% through June; 789,919 through the first six months of 2026, compared to 480,198 during the same timeframe in 2025.

If this pace continues, Cabo San Lucas will top 1.5 million cruise ship passengers for the year, cementing its position as the nation’s fourth largest cruise ship destination, behind only Cozumel, Mahahual and Ensenada.

New air routes added to replace those that have been lost 

Airline capacity cuts due to rising jet fuel costs, combined with a declining demand for seats to Mexican beach destinations, have led to the cancelation of several Los Cabos-bound routes this year, including the loss of Southwest flights from Baltimore, Chicago and Indianapolis, and a Delta flight from Seattle. 

Fortunately, though, new flights have been added this summer to make up for, or at least mitigate, previous tourist losses. Southwest added its first nonstop flight from Las Vegas to Los Cabos during the first week of June, the same week a new domestic route was added by Volaris connecting Puebla to Los Cabos. 

Southwest Airlines jet on the tarmac
Southwest added a new nonstop from Las Vegas to Los Cabos in June 2026, and expanded service is also expected this fall. (Owen Lystrup/Unsplash)

Once high season returns this fall, expanded service to Los Cabos will also be offered by several airlines, including Volaris in Mexico; American, Southwest and United in the U.S.; and Air Transat, Porter and WestJet in Canada.

Chris Sands is a writer and editor for Mexico News Daily, and the former Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best and writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook. He has also contributed to numerous other websites and publications, including The San Diego Union-Tribune, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise and Travel, and Cabo Living. 

Former Sinaloa state official arrested in Utah with more than 100,000 fentanyl pills

By
MND Staff
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Ricardo Verduzco
Verduzco previously served as the director of the Municipal Institute of Sport in Guasave, a city in Sinaloa around 150 kilometers northwest of the state capital, Culiacán. (Facebook)

A former Sinaloa state official was arrested this month in a Utah hotel room with more than 100,000 fentanyl pills in his possession, U.S. authorities said.

Ricardo Verduzco Bernal, former head of the high-performance program at the Sinaloa Institute of Physical Culture and Sport, was detained in Salt Lake County on Aug. 12, according to an Aug. 20 statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Utah. He is currently in preventive detention awaiting trial.

In its statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that “according to allegations contained in court documents, in August 2026, the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force initiated a criminal investigation on Bernal and co-conspirators, both known and unknown, associated with a drug trafficking organization believed to be distributing large quantities of fentanyl and other narcotics in the District of Utah.”

The suspect is referred to as Bernal throughout the statement, although his first surname is Verduzco.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that in August 2026, FBI agents “conducted a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Bernal.”

“As a result of the controlled purchase, agents obtained and executed a search warrant on a hotel room in Salt Lake County, Utah. On August 12, 2026, agents executed the search warrant, and Bernal was alone inside the room where agents located and seized approximately 11,160.65 grams of field-tested positive fentanyl,” the Attorney’s Office said.

“Agents estimated the fentanyl evidence to be approximately 111,000 fentanyl pills. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Bernal is in the United States on a visitor visa.”

At the start of its statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that Bernal and another Mexican national “were indicted by a federal grand jury after they were arrested and charged in two separate and unrelated cases that led to the seizure of approximately 204,000 fentanyl pills in one week.”

“Jesus Alexis Cecena Cota, 22, of Mexico, residing illegally in West Jordan, Utah; and Ricardo Verduzco Bernal, 54, of West Valley City, Utah, were charged in two separate complaints August 13, 2026,” the statement said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that “Bernal is scheduled for a jury trial on August 26, 2026, before a U.S. Magistrate Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.” He is accused of “possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.”

During a court appearance last Wednesday, the suspect maintained his innocence despite the discovery of the fentanyl in the hotel room where he was arrested.

Verduzco’s civil service career 

Verduzco served as head of the high-performance program at the Sinaloa Institute of Physical Culture and Sport, a state government institute, during the governorship of Rubén Rocha Moya, who is also accused of drug trafficking by U.S. prosecutors. He left that position on July 31, according to the newspaper Milenio.

Verduzco previously served as the director of the Municipal Institute of Sport in Guasave, a city in Sinaloa around 150 kilometers northwest of the state capital, Culiacán. He occupied that position between 2022 and 2024. Before taking up that role, Verduzco was a manager with the Guasave water authority.

With reports from Milenio and Reforma

US issues security alert concerning area of Mexicali

By
MND Staff
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FGE Mexicali
All U.S. government activities in, and travel to, Mexicali were suspended on Tuesday due to an alleged threat of violence by the “Los Rusos” cell of the Sinaloa Cartel. (Juan Hernández/Cuartoscuro)

U.S. officials have expressed concern that a recent drug bust in the northern border city of Mexicali could result in retaliatory violence by the “Los Rusos” crime gang.

In a tersely worded alert issued on Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico urged U.S. citizens to be aware of the potential threat, adding that all “U.S. government activities in, and travel to, Mexicali have been suspended on August 25.”

The statement encouraged U.S. citizens to be aware of their surroundings at all times, to avoid local government buildings in Mexicali and to “notify friends and family of your safety in the event of an incident.”

The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana — about 180 kilometers (112 miles) east of Mexicali — shared the warning, but did not provide any details about the supposed threat.

On Tuesday morning, President Claudia Sheinbaum said the alert was issued due to the possibility that a criminal group could pose a danger, though she said “there is no specific issue.”

The Baja California state government said it has reinforced security in the entire municipality of Mexicali with the cooperation of federal agents and members of the armed forces.

“Prevention, patrol and surveillance efforts continue on a permanent basis to protect the peace of mind of Mexicali families,” Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar said on social media.

She urged members of the public to call 911 in case of emergency, or to make an anonymous report by calling 089.

State Security Minister General Laureano Carrillo said that “rigorous, continuous and coordinated work” is being carried out by state and federal authorities “to prevent and contain any type of contingency in Mexicali.” Mexico’s federal security cabinet released a statement saying it had not identified evidence confirming “a specific or imminent risk to the public” at midday on Tuesday.

Last week, Mexican authorities — with the help of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) — seized 120 kilograms of fentanyl pills in a joint operation carried out in Mexicali by federal and state agents. 

The raid occurred at a property linked to “Los Rusos” — a cell operating as part of the Los Mayos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel — and resulted in the seizure of approximately 4 million opioid doses.

According to reporting by Luis Chaparro, U.S. authorities decided to issue the security alert after the DEA intercepted at least one call in which alleged members of Los Rusos appeared to be planning an attack on the Municipal Police and the offices of the Federal Attorney General’s Office in Mexicali.

With reports from El Financiero, El País and La Jornada

Sheinbaum puts out more fires in the Morena party: Tuesday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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President Sheinbaum
President Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that all accused officials who are currently in office and under investigation in Mexico should go on leave. (Presidencia)

Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds

  • ⚖️ Rocha’s fate hinges on evidence: Sheinbaum reiterated that no one can be arrested or extradited from Mexico without evidence proving they committed a crime. Her remarks came after Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya requested leave again amid U.S. drug trafficking accusations.
  • 🚪 Other accused officials should follow suit: Asked whether Senator Enrique Inzunza — named in the same U.S. indictment as Rocha — should also step aside, Sheinbaum said she believes other accused officials still in office should go on leave as investigations continue. However, she stressed that “everyone has to make their own decisions.”
  • 🤝 New interim governor praised as “honest”: Sheinbaum said she doesn’t know Graciela Domínguez well but called her “an honest woman” who has long fought for social justice. The Morena deputy and former Sinaloa education minister was designated interim governor by the state Congress on Tuesday.
  • ✈️ Lezama pressed on private jet travel: Responding to a Reforma report alleging Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama took 97 private plane flights while in office, Sheinbaum said it’s up to Lezama to clarify the details. Lezama denied the figures and said she never used public funds for the flights.

Why today’s mañanera matters

The case of Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya — who U.S. prosecutors accuse of drug trafficking and weapons offenses — continues to be a hot topic in Mexico.

Rocha went on leave in early May, but returned to the governorship last Friday. However, under pressure from President Claudia Sheinbaum and Morena governors and lawmakers, he requested leave again on Saturday and the Sinaloa Congress approved his request on Sunday.

Another return to the governorship of Sinaloa appears highly unlikely for Rocha, a 77-year-old Morena politician who has essentially been disowned by his own party. Whether he can ultimately avoid extradition to the United States remains unclear. His fate appears to largely depend on U.S. authorities’ ability to submit evidence to Mexican authorities that convinces them that there is probable cause to believe the governor committed the crimes he is accused of.

At her Tuesday morning press conference, Sheinbaum stressed, once again, that no one can be arrested in Mexico or extradited from Mexico without evidence supporting an accusation that they committed a crime.

Her remarks came in response to a question about whether a Morena senator named in the same U.S. indictment as Rocha should also go on leave. The U.S. accusations against Rocha and other officials affiliated with Morena are a major headache for Sheinbaum, the leader of the “fourth transformation” political movement, of which Morena is a central part.

Also of note at today’s mañanera were Sheinbaum’s remarks about Sinaloa’s new interim governor, who is slated to govern the state until a new elected governor takes office in late 2027.

In addition, the president briefly commented on Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama’s reportedly extensive travel on private planes, revealed by the newspaper Reforma on Monday.

Should Enrique Inzunza go on leave?

A reporter asked the president whether Senator Enrique Inzunza should go on leave ahead of the Senate’s legislative period in September.

Inzunza, a senator for Sinaloa, is one of 10 current and former officials accused by U.S. prosecutors of drug trafficking in league with the Sinaloa Cartel.

Enrique Inzunza
Inzunza is accused of drug trafficking by the U.S. Department of Justice. (Wikimedia Commons)

Sheinbaum noted that she offered an opinion on the case of Governor Rocha on Monday, before declaring that she believed that other accused officials who are currently in office and under investigation in Mexico should also go on leave.

“But everyone has to make their own decisions,” she said.

Sheinbaum subsequently reiterated that “in Mexico Mexicans decide” whether a person accused of wrongdoing by U.S. authorities has a case to answer.

“When there is an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and it is asking for an extradition or an arrest, there has to proof,” she said.

“We’re always going to defend that [position],” Sheinbaum said.

“… It’s a matter of the law, of the constitution,” she said.

Sheinbaum: Interim governor of Sinaloa is an ‘honest woman’

A reporter noted that Graciela Domínguez, a federal Morena deputy, appeared likely to be appointed as interim governor of Sinaloa. Domínguez, who previously served as education minister in Sinaloa during Rocha’s government, was proposed for the job by the Sinaloa Congress and designated as interim governor on Tuesday morning during the president’s mañanera.

Sheinbaum said that she doesn’t know Domínguez well, but added: “I do know she is an honest woman.”

“… She’s a woman who has been fighting for social justice and people’s well-being for many years,” she said.

Sheinbaum said that the federal government would support Domínguez as interim governor. Her task, she said, will be to “work for the peace, security and well-being of the people of Sinaloa,” a violence-plagued state where rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel are engaged in a long-running and very bloody war.

After a reporter noted that there were calls for a person not linked to Rocha to be appointed as interim governor, Sheinbaum highlighted that the decision corresponded exclusively to the Sinaloa Congress.

“It’s not a decision for the president, it’s a decision for the state Congress,” she said.

Sheinbaum: Lezama has to explain her extensive travel

A reporter asked the president about Lezama’s reported travel on private planes to Mexican and international destinations, including Orlando and Vail in the United States.

According to Reforma, Lezama — a Morena governor who took office in Quintana Roo in September 2022 — has taken 97 flights on private planes while serving as a public official. Her husband and children accompanied her on many of those flights.

Lezama and Sheinbaum
Lezama (L) posted a statement on social media on Tuesday asserting that she has used private planes to meet the demands of being a governor and a mother, but that these flights were not paid for with public money. (@maralezama/X)

Sheinbaum said that it’s up to the governor to explain her travel.

“That’s the first thing,” she said. “It comes out in the media, but we don’t know how true it is,” Sheinbaum said.

“… [Lezama] has to clarify whether she used these planes and under what conditions,” she said.

In a social media post on Tuesday morning, the Quintana Roo governor said that she had taken flights on private planes, but asserted that she never paid for them with public money.

Lezama rejected Reforma’s reporting regarding the number of flights she has allegedly taken on private planes.

“It would mean being on vacation a whole year, it would be impossible,” she wrote.

“My commitment is to work 24/7, without rest, without neglecting my responsibility at any time,” Lezama said.

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

Inside the amphibious history and identity of Tenochtitlán-Mexico City

By
Lydia Leija
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1
A visual reimagining of the ancient city with mountains in the background
A 3D reconstruction of the city of Tenochtitlán (Thomas Kole, Wikimedia Commons)

The place we recognize today as Mexico City — known in pre-Hispanic times as Tenochtitlán — has always been fascinating and cosmopolitan. Modern Mexico City is defined by its various hotspots, the different languages that drift across its streets, and cultural exchange on every corner.

But 500 years ago, the landscape was not that different.

Before the Spanish ever set foot in the Mexica capital, it was already lauded as one of the most important cities in the Americas, and it remained so after the conquest. In short, half a millennium ago, a city built in the middle of a lake fell so that an amphibious, metaphorical city could rise.

As the commemorative plaque at Tlatelolco states: “On August 13, 1521, heroically defended by Cuauhtémoc, Tlatelolco fell to Hernán Cortés. It was neither a triumph nor a defeat; it was the painful birth of the mestizo people that is the Mexico of today.”

The plaque in question relating to the above quote in Mexico City
(Zona Arqueológica Tlatelolco via Facebook)

An aquatic city

Everyone who has been to Mexico City during the rainy season knows that a trip across downtown is something of an odyssey. The city’s weather has not changed for thousands of years; what has changed is its inhabitants’ approach to it. 

Tenochtitlán’s settlement on an islet in the middle of a lake made it unique, requiring the Mexicas to develop technology that remains innovative to this day: chinampas and a complex freshwater system.

a colourful sign displays "Xochimilco" on a small barge on a small creek
Chinampas remain in Xochimilco in Mexico City’s southern outskirts. (Emile Pavlich)

These conditions allowed crops to be cultivated around the city, boosting trade between different neighborhoods and establishing a symbiosis between humans and the natural environment. What we now call “bad weather” was eagerly awaited 600 years ago: the storms that made crops grow and the lake level rise.

The unveiling of a treasure

Drs. Antonio Rubial and Jessica Ramírez conducted extensive research on the city’s transformation, distinguishing Mexico-Tenochtitlán from any other major American city where the Spaniards chose to settle.

Given its impressive organization, Tenochtitlán was one of the most attractive urban centers in the Americas for the Spanish; however, the choice was not random. The city already possessed a perfectly coordinated political, social, economic and cultural system.

“Unlike Peru, where Lima, the Spanish city, and Cuzco, the Indigenous one, occupied two distinct sites, the founding of Mexico City on top of Tenochtitlán created a dual society within the same space: a Spanish center and an Indigenous periphery,” the authors state in their book, “Amphibious City: Mexico-Tenochtitlan in the 16th Century.”

An illustration of a historic biege temples with people walking between other buildings.
An illustration of Templo Mayor in Mexico-Tenochtitlán in the 16th century. (Wikimedia Commons)

As the experts describe, beyond precious materials, the Spanish found something far more valuable: an organized society they could leverage to extract resources from a new land — the direct ancestor of the city we inhabit today.

An amphibious city

Tenochtitlán’s grid layout reveals that it was a city of hierarchies. Its neighborhoods were carefully planned, featuring their own markets, schools and workshops. Canals were maintained to facilitate the transport of people and goods, while causeways and bridges stitched the whole thing together. 

Ramírez looks to the past to remind us that today’s challenges stem from the dissolution of the environmental dynamics that locals maintained before the conquest. According to the researcher, the transformation was radical.

With these changes, the landscape underwent a profound metamorphosis. Massive logging to provide wood for colonial construction became a decisive factor in weakening the soil, which historically propped up lighter, balanced structures. What had once been crop fields became cathedrals in less than a century.

Likewise, a lack of understanding regarding water management played a fundamental role in mutating the ecosystem where the imperial capital had thrived. The destruction of the Nezahualcóyotl dike was a major blow, as it was a crucial mechanism for separating fresh and salt waters. Once this system ceased to function, food production changed completely.

A heart that beats, even after the conquest of the Americas

Despite the dramatic shifts the capital of the Mexica empire underwent throughout its existence, the identity of Mexico-Tenochtitlán survived the passage of centuries.

More than 500 years after the fall of Tenochtitlán, chinampas still survive, albeit with difficulty, on the city’s outskirts; markets remain filled with dozens of languages; and a city that once thrived over a lake continues to defy ever-growing urban development.

 

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Ancient canals became the avenues traversed today by thousands of cars, while public squares remain gathering spots for surrounding communities. Its physical structure was altered, but its spirit never disappeared.

Where to find the ancient city

As the plaque at Tlatelolco reminds us, the fall of Tenochtitlán was “neither a triumph nor a defeat; it was the painful birth of the mestizo people that is the Mexico of today.” 

This relationship between what’s dying and what’s being born is a classic dichotomy in Mesoamerican philosophy. We have to feed the deities of death in order to create life. In this symbiotic relationship, something always remains. 

Removed from traffic and noise, Mexico City’s ‘floating gardens’ like another world

That’s why we can still see evidence of the old Tenochtitlán, not only as pieces in museums but as archaeological windows throughout the city. So, it is no surprise that the Museo de la Ciudad de México is guarded in one of its corners by a pre-Hispanic Quetzalcóatl, and the Centro Cultural de España en México holds an underground calmécac (the school for young nobles). 

Despite much of the ancient city being swallowed up by conquest, its roots, much like its ancient waterways, run deep underground while also being reflected in the city’s surface, reminding us of the duality that defines the amphibious Mexico City.

Lydia Leija is a linguist, journalist and visual storyteller. She has directed three feature films, and her audiovisual work has been featured in national and international media. She’s been part of National Geographic, Muy Interesante and Cosmopolitan.

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