Join in the family fun at San Miguel de Allende’s 10th annual Festival de Vivos y Muertos on October 26. (Festival de Vivos y Muertos)
San Miguel de Allende’s beloved Festival de Vivos y Muertos will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. The whole family can join in the fun on Sunday, October 26, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. After several years at the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramírez “El Nigromante” (Bellas Artes), this year Vivos y Muertos is returning to its roots in San Miguel’s beautiful Parque Juárez. As always, it is free and open to everyone.
At the festival, children are invited to prepare for el Día de Muertos by creating artworks for their families’ ofrendas, with a wonderful variety of art materials at their disposal. For example, they can paint ceramic skulls, craft puppets, make bracelets and decorate papier-mache sculptures, moving between makers’ stations throughout the day. Each year, several hundred children participate over the course of the day.
A participant in the 2024 Vivos y Muertos festival proudly shares her creations. (Ann Marie Jackson)
Enjoy 10th Anniversary surprises at this year’s festival
Kids also enjoy other fun activities, including face painting, storytelling, a puppet show, the crafting of a large community ofrenda, and the always-popular talent show, which is open to kids 16 and under. This year’s show will take place at 2:30 p.m. Sign up on the day of the event.
Co-founders Tina Bueche and Fernando Tovar envisioned the festival as a chance to offer the children of San Miguel de Allende a fun and deeply meaningful day of creative expression. The event is community-oriented and intentionally non-commercial.
This year’s edition will feature exciting surprises and special activities in honor of the anniversary, including a reunion of talent show participants from throughout the festival’s ten-year history.
Volunteers have been hard at work for weeks in preparation for the 2025 Festival de Vivos y Muertos in San Miguel de Allende. (Ann Marie Jackson)
Volunteers welcome: get involved!
Volunteers are currently collecting and preparing a wide variety of arts and craft supplies for children to use at the festival. The organizers are always open to additional volunteers and donations of art supplies. Please contact Tina Bueche at tinainsma@gmail.com for more information.
While preparing to remember and honor the family members who have gone before them, these kids get to spend a free, fun day exploring their own artistic talents and enjoying many methods of creative expression. This inclusive, community-building festival, which has grown organically over the years, is a wonderful gift to the children of San Miguel de Allende and the community as a whole.
Some of the dedicated volunteers behind Vivos y Muertos, co-founded by Tina Bueche and Fernando Tovar. (Ann Marie Jackson)
Based in San Miguel de Allende, Ann Marie Jackson is a writer and NGO leader who previously worked for the U.S. Department of State. Her award-winning novel “The Broken Hummingbird,” which is set in San Miguel de Allende, came out in October 2023. Ann Marie can be reached through her website, annmariejacksonauthor.com.
Foreign truck drivers have long been required to speak English if they carry loads inside the United States. But only lately has the requirement been strongly enforced, to such an extent that many have lost their premission to cross the border. (Shutterstock)
Drivers for Mexican commercial trucking companies that operate in the U.S. might soon be listening to something new in their cabs — AI English lessons.
Until then, truckers are filling up English-language classes in Nuevo Laredo and other border cities, rehearsing conversations they might have with U.S. authorities.
A cottage industry has sprung up along the border towns, offering English classes for Mexican truckers who are under pressure to learn the language or risk losing their permission to operate in the U.S. (@LatidosDePasion/X)
In April, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order requiring truck drivers to be proficient in English sufficiently so as to understand traffic signs and communicate with law enforcement officers — and imposing sanctions if they don’t.
On June 26, U.S. authorities began suspending licenses and issuing warnings to operators who demonstrated a lack of English proficiency. Within a week, 40 Mexican truckers had been stripped of their licenses and about 6,000 truckers have been pulled off the road to date for English-language proficiency violations.
There are roughly 80,000 commercial freight drivers operating along the Mexico-U.S. border, according to Mexico’s National Trucking Association (Canacar), but only about 20% are fluent in English.
“The situation has caused considerable distress in our community and will continue to be a problem for the industry,” Israel Delgado, a regional Canacar vice president, told the newspaper El Sol de Tijuana.
The English proficiency standard for truckers is longstanding U.S. law, but the current crackdown is unprecedented. Trump’s executive order reversed guidance from 2016 recommending that inspectors not place commercial drivers out of service if their only violation was a lack of English-speaking skills.
The Trump administration increased the pressure on Mexican trucking companies last week by suspending applications for new work visas for commercial truck drivers.
“We are seeing an increase in enforcement and a tightening of the rules,” Delgado said, calling the issue a priority for Canacar. “We expect these stringent measures to continue throughout the year and into the next, particularly in the state of Texas, where the majority of suspensions and citations have occurred.”
As such, Canacar is exploring the possibility of developing artificial intelligence programs that would allow the driver to learn and improve English proficiency while driving.
In the meantime, several institutes and schools along the northern border have taken on the task of offering specialized courses designed for truck drivers.
October has been a busy news month in Puerto Vallarta, as the Bay of Banderas seeks to replace a legend. (Unsplash/Roman Lopez)
From infrastructure upgrades to storm recovery, Puerto Vallarta is navigating a period of change along the coast.
In recent weeks, the city has seen major developments shaping daily life and mobility — from the opening of the new Las Juntas overpass to the brief suspension of the Malecón expansion amid resident protests.
The Marigalante, Puerto Vallarta’s distinctive pirate ship, will not be restored after sinking earlier this month. (Barco Pirata Marigalante)
Meanwhile, the community continues to rebound from weather-related setbacks, including flooding and the loss of the Marigalante pirate ship.
Historic Marigalante pirate ship replacement en route
The Marigalante, Puerto Vallarta’s beloved pirate ship and one of the city’s most recognizable silhouettes, sank earlier this month after high tides from Hurricane Priscilla and a failed bilge pump caused the vessel to take on water, according to the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board.
The ship, a replica of Christopher Columbus’ Santa María — a 15th-century carrack — had hosted nightly pirate-themed dinner shows since the 1990s. It will not be restored. Instead, its sister ship, the Jolly Roger, will arrive from Cancún after a transit through the Panama Canal, with the company expecting it to reach the Bay of Banderas before December 2025.
Built in Mazatlán in 2009 from a mix of steel and wood, the Jolly Roger combines the look of a classic galleon with modern durability. The company behind the Marigalante confirmed that the move aims to preserve local jobs and continue the city’s signature pirate entertainment. Crew members from both ships will be invited to join the new operation, and officials say they may even retain the Marigalante name to honor the legacy of a Vallarta icon that defined the city’s skyline for decades.
Puerto Vallarta Malecón expansion stalls amid protests
Plans to expand and rehabilitate Puerto Vallarta’s famed oceanfront walkway came to a brief halt earlier this month after residents and taxi drivers blocked Avenida México, the main site of the proposed works. The demonstration, sparked by concerns over timing and community input, forced construction crews to suspend activity just hours after City Hall announced the start of the 18-million-peso project.
Videos circulating on social media show a line of protestors marching with signs. The project, funded through the Federal Maritime Land Zone (ZOFEMAT) program, aims to extend the Malecón north from Calle 31 de Octubre to Calle Argentina, connecting it with Parque Hidalgo and the 5 de Diciembre neighborhood. Planned upgrades include new lighting, resurfacing, sidewalks, benches and utilities. The 80-day timeline targets completion before the holiday season.
(Visit Puerto Vallarta)
Residents say the work was rushed and imposed without sufficient consultation, while officials cite a three-week public survey as evidence of outreach. Business owners worry that construction will disrupt customer access during Puerto Vallarta’s high season.
New overpass eases traffic at Las Juntas Interchange
The newly opened overpass at the Las Juntas Interchange has significantly improved traffic flow in Puerto Vallarta’s northern corridor, reducing travel times between the airport and the interchange from as long as two hours in heavy traffic to just 10 to 15 minutes.
Although additional work continues, such as the installation of a pedestrian bridge and roadway adjustments requiring traffic officers, the benefits to daily commuters are already visible, including enhanced mobility for residents as well as streamlined travel to and from the airport and hotel zone.
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.
According to the Health Ministry, breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women in Mexico, with "approximately" one death every hour on average. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
In the context of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, President Claudia Sheinbaum told her Tuesday morning press conference that her government will make a “very significant investment” in a multifaceted program called the “Universal Care Model for Breast Cancer.”
Health Minister David Kershenobich outlined the scheme.
Early in the mañanera, Mexico’s Civil Protection chief Laura Velázquez gave a brief update on the floods that have devastated large swaths of the states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, Puebla, San Luis Potosí and Querétaro this month.
Health minister outlines 8-billion-peso breast cancer program
He said that women aged over 40 are most at risk, and highlighted that 25.5 million women in Mexico fall into that category.
“That’s why the Universal Care Model for Breast Cancer has been designed,” Kershenobich said.
During his presentation, the health minister said that the government will carry out an educational campaign that alerts “the population in general,” and especially women, to risk factors for developing breast cancer, including obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking.
He emphasized the importance of the early detection of breast cancer and noted that a separate campaign will encourage women to conduct breast self-exams.
Health Minister David Kershenobich said on Tuesday that the federal government will purchase 1,000 mammography systems and 1,000 ultrasound machines between 2026 and 2027. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
Kershenobich also said that the government will carry out a campaign encouraging women aged 40 and over to have a mammogram every two years.
“Currently, we have 656 mammography systems in 640 hospitals that treat breast cancer. It is necessary to increase this resource in order to provide care to all women who meet the criteria I just mentioned a few moments ago. To this end, one thousand new mammography systems and one thousand new ultrasound machines will be acquired,” he said.
Among other initiatives associated with the Universal Care Model for Breast Cancer, Kershenobich said that “32 hospital units,” where oncological care for women will be provided, will be built, one in each state of the country.
The total outlay on the government’s breast cancer initiative will be around 8 billion pesos (US $434 million), according to Sheinbaum.
“It’s a very significant investment; it [represents] a before and after in breast cancer care and the objective is to reduce deaths,” she said.
More than 100 communities still cut off due to flooding
Laura Velázquez reported that 112 communities in three flood-affected states remain isolated.
The Civil Protection chief said that 74 of those communities are in Hidalgo, 31 are in Veracruz and seven are in Puebla.
Although dozens of air bridges have been established, Velázquez said that authorities had been unable to reach 10 flood-affected communities in Hidalgo.
“Today we’ll be arriving in these 10 towns,” she said.
The flood-related death toll is currently 76, according to the government’s flood data website. An additional 31 people are classified as missing.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
The Maya ruins at Chichén Itzá are one of the top three archaeological sites contributing to the rise in visitors so far this year. (Martin Zetina/ Cuartoscuro)
The number of visitors to Mexico’s archaeological sites and museums has risen above pre-pandemic levels, Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez Zamora reported Sunday.
Attendance at Mexico’s archaeological sites and museums rose to 14.6 million between January and August 2025, reflecting a greater interest in or awareness of the country’s cultural heritage.
The rise in museum visitors has been even more impressive than at archaeological sites, the number increasing this year by a full 17.6% over 2024, thanks in large part to Mexico City’s National Anthropology Museum shown here, the most popular museum among national and foreign tourists alike. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico’s museums attracted 7.7 million visitors in this period, marking a 17.6% rise over the same period in 2024 and a 3.9% increase compared to 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic began. This figure consisted of 89% domestic and 11% foreign visitors.
Meanwhile, 6.9 million people visited Mexico’s archaeological sites between January and August, with 64% national and 36% foreign visitors. This marks a 4% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The most visited sites were the Maya ruins of Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán Peninsula, with 1.5 million visitors; the Teotihuacán pyramids in México state, with 1.2 million; and the Tulum ruins on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, with 790,000 visitors. Together, visitors to these sites represented 51% of the national total.
“The increase in visits to museums and archaeological sites reflects the interest of national and international tourists in learning about and appreciating our cultural heritage,” Rodríguez Zamora said in Sunday’s press release, “which in turn drives local economic development and contributes to the generation of shared prosperity.”
According to information from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Mexico’s most-visited museums so far this year have been the National Museum of Anthropology, the National Museum of History and the Templo Mayor Museum, all of which are in Mexico City.
“Mexico’s historical and cultural wealth is one of our greatest tourist attractions,” said Rodríguez Zamora. “Each museum and archaeological site tells a part of our history and allows us to showcase Mexico’s greatness to the world, thus strengthening the arrival of more visitors and the development of cultural tourism in the country.”
Shortly before his murder, Bernardo Bravo had warned President Sheinbaum that the growers were in crisis and needed help. (Social Media)
Hours after the murder of Bernardo Bravo, leader of the Apatzingán (Michoacán) Citrus Growers Association (ACVA), federal authorities announced the arrest of a man accused of extorting the lime growers Bravo was fighting to protect.
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch issued a statement on social media early Tuesday announcing that the detainee is allegedly a member of the crime gang collecting extortion fees from lime producers and avocado growers in the region.
Lime producers in Michoacán and their workers live under constant threat of extortion or physical harm, often requiring protection from the National Guard. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
The suspect was identified as Rigoberto “N,” aka “El Pantano” (“The Swamp”).
García Harfuch said the arrest was the result of an operation carried out in conjunction with the Defense Ministry, the National Security Cabinet, the Michoacán governor’s office and the state Attorney General’s Office.
The suspect is allegedly the operational chief of the extortionists known as “Los Blancos de Troya,” described as allies of “Los Viagras” — a drug trafficking crime family — and the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Though “El Pantano” has not been charged with the murder, he is suspected of playing a role in Bravo’s death.
“The investigation will continue until all those responsible are found,” García Harfuch said.
Bravo had been organizing local lime growers to resist the extortion scheme that has long plagued producers in the region. On Oct. 16, Bravo issued a video announcing that the ACVA was preparing to take action at Monday’s Tianguis Limonero (Lime Market) in Apatzingán by preventing “intermediaries” sent by crime gangs from setting prices for the farmers’ limes.
Days earlier, Bravo had rejected orders issued by the extortionists that limes only be harvested on specific days (so as to facilitate control) before leading a protest march from the tianguis to downtown Apatzingán.
On Oct. 14, Bravo called on President Claudia Sheinbaum and the federal government for help.
“We strongly, firmly and respectfully ask the president to recognize that the agricultural sector is in crisis, and … we need funds to continue working,” he said.
Six days later, Bravo’s tortured body was found in the front seat of his pick-up truck, killed by a bullet to the back of his head.
On Tuesday morning, Sheinbaum promised justice, saying her entire security cabinet was working with local authorities to investigate the murder.
State and federal authorities have been battling cartels in the Tierra Caliente (Hot Country) of Michoacán for years. Last year, five lime-packing houses went on strike to protest the lack of security.
Even recent arrests have not deterred the cartels.
In February, Gerardo “N,” alias “La Silla” — the leader of Los Blancos de Troya — was captured in Apatzingán. In addition to extortion charges, “La Silla” is accused of murdering two agents of the Federal Attorney General’s Office.
Earlier this year, Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla inaugurated a military barracks that cost 13 million pesos (US $705,500) in an effort to clamp down on criminal gangs operating in the Tierra Caliente.
However, a month later, at least 30 lime farmers temporarily shuttered operations after receiving threats from cartels.
The median estimate of 33 economists polled by Reuters this month is that Mexico's economy will record annual growth of 0.5% this year and 1.3% in 2026. (Daniel Yáñez/Cuartoscuro)
The Mexican economy contracted 0.6% in annual terms in September, according to preliminary data from the national statistics agency INEGI.
Reported by INEGI on Tuesday morning in its “Timely Indicator of Economic Activity” report, the contraction in September follows a preliminary data reading of a 0.6% year-over-year decline in August. Final data for August will be published this Wednesday.
If confirmed by final data, an annual economic contraction in the third quarter of 2025 — as appears inevitable — would be the Mexican economy’s first year-over-year decline for any quarter since Q1 of 2021, according to Banco Base’s director of economic analysis, Gabriela Siller.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Siller said that INEGI’s data indicates that the Mexican economy grew 0.5% in the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period of last year.
Weak activity in secondary sector
INEGI’s preliminary data shows that secondary sector activity declined 3% in annual seasonally adjusted terms in September. INEGI estimates that the sector’s output declined 2.7% annually in August, while a 2.8% contraction was reported for July.
In better news, INEGI’s preliminary data shows that the tertiary sector grew 0.8% annually in September and 0.4% in August, after expanding 0.4% in July.
INEGI didn’t publish preliminary data relating to the primary sector in September and August. That sector, which includes agricultural, forestry and fishing activities, contracted 12.2% annually in July.
Economy almost stagnant on a month-over-month basis
INEGI also published preliminary data on Tuesday that showed that the Mexican economy grew just 0.1% in September compared to the previous month. INEGI estimates that sequential growth was 0.1% in August as well.
In July, the economy contracted 0.9% compared to June.
The outlook for the Mexican economy
Mexico’s Finance Ministry is forecasting growth of between 0.5% and 1.5% this year, while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are predicting expansions within that range.
The median estimate of 33 economists polled by Reuters this month is that Mexico’s economy will record annual growth of 0.5% this year and 1.3% in 2026.
Reuters reported that “key drivers” of the forecasts for the Mexican economy in 2026 are “hopes for a successful renegotiation of the U.S.-Canada-Mexico (USMCA) trade deal and an expected short-term boost from the soccer World Cup to be hosted in the three countries” next year.
“Still, already implemented U.S. levies and the threat of more tariffs globally will continue limiting Mexico’s economy while trade negotiations drag on, particularly in most affected sectors like the automotive industry,” the news agency wrote.
Affectionately known as “sea puppies” for their dog-like eyes and playfulness, the Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) inhabits nine islands and archipelagos off the Baja Peninsula and parts of the coast. (Unsplash)
Pacific harbor seals — the playful, whiskered charmers found along the West Coast from southern Alaska to Baja California — are vanishing at an alarming rate from their southernmost range, new research shows.
A study found a 61.2% population decline on the Baja California Peninsula over a six-year period, with researchers recording a drop from 7,380 individuals in 2016 to 2,863 by 2022.
The study was led by the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE), a public research institute in Baja California founded by the federal government in 1973.
The Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) and the University of the Americas Puebla (UDLAP) also contributed.
“This is a decline by colony as well as across the entire area,” said María Guadalupe Ruiz Mar, a doctoral student at CICESE. She noted that colonies have collapsed from 44 in 2009 to just four sites this year, as revealed by aerial surveys conducted from April to June.
The species, though not listed as endangered, currently has special protection under Mexican official standard NOM-059, which is currently under review.
“It would be a good time to reconsider their conservation status,” said Gisela Heckel Dziendzielewski, a CICESE researcher and director of the study. “Their disappearance is a clear sign that the marine and terrestrial ecosystem is under pressure. Protecting their habitat also means protecting the health of the ocean.”
“If food availability is low, seals don’t have the energy reserves necessary to increase the number of pups,” Ruiz Mar added. “If the female isn’t well-fed and doesn’t have enough fat reserves, she won’t carry a pregnancy to term or be able to breastfeed successfully.”
Affectionately known as “sea puppies” for their dog-like eyes and playfulness, the Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) inhabits nine islands and archipelagos off the Baja Peninsula and parts of the coast.
Curious Harbor Seal Kisses GoPro 🎬 Jordan Manning #Shorts #Seal
They are not to be confused with the much larger elephant seal, and specifically one named Panchito — a rugged individualist who once again in 2025 traveled thousands of kilometers from his chilly home waters in the Southern Hemisphere to “summer” in Baja California.
Pacific harbor seals prefer nearshore coastal environments, especially subtidal and intertidal zones, bays, and estuaries. They frequently hang out on rocky shores, mudflats, sandbars and occasionally glacial ice for rest, molting and pupping.
“Seals are very sensitive to disturbance,” Ruiz Mar said. “We believe the presence of people and vehicles during [rock quarrying] causes them to persistently flee into the water and abandon the sites where they rest and breed.”
The former president and first lady of Mexico (R) with former president of Chile Sebastián Piñera, in 2011. (Rodolfo Angulo/Cuartoscuro)
Former Mexican president Felipe Calderón Hinojosa indicated on Monday that he is thinking about making some kind of political comeback more than a decade after completing his six-year term.
Former president Felipe Calderón poses for a photo along with PAN leaders Jorge Romero Herrera and Kenia López at a recent legislative report given by Deputy Margarita Zavala. (@PaulinaRubioFdz/X)
The 63-year-old ex-president said that he was interested in finding out what “exactly” the PAN relaunch consists of, and how the “relaunch process” will be carried out, “before making a personal decision that might involve returning to active politics, or not.”
Journalist Azucena Uresti put it to Calderón that he wanted to see “the results” of the PAN relaunch before deciding whether he would “actively return to the PAN,” or “let’s say politics.”
“To politics in general,” Calderón said, adding that he didn’t know whether he would return to the PAN, a conservative party that is currently the main opposition to the Morena party and its allies.
The ex-president quit the PAN in 2018, saying at the time that it had ceased to be “an instrument of citizen participation for the construction of a better Mexico” and that it had abandoned its “fundamental principles.”
In 2020, Calderón asserted that the México Libre (Free Mexico) political movement he co-founded with his wife, Margarita Zavala, would become the sole alternative to Morena.
Zavala, who launched an independent bid for the presidency in 2018, has been a federal deputy for the PAN since 2021. Calderón could potentially seek to enter the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate sometime in the future. Mexico’s next federal elections, at which the Chamber of Deputies will be renewed, will be held in 2027. Deputies, senators and a new president will all be elected in 2030.
Morena party leadership is critical of the former president’s militarized campaign against the country’s drug cartels, which led to a rise in civilian deaths, disappearances and torture. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
A return to the presidency is out of the question for Calderón as the Mexican Constitution prohibits presidents from serving more than one six-year term.
The Michoacán native, who narrowly defeated Andrés Manuel López Obrador in the 2006 presidential election, is a controversial figure in Mexican politics. He is perhaps best remembered for launching a militarized war on drug cartels shortly after he took office in late 2006.
López Obrador, who claimed that he was the rightful victor of the 2006 election, blamed Calderón for the high levels of violence that plagued Mexico during his 2018-24 presidency.
President Claudia Sheinbaum is also a fierce critic of Calderón, a former secretary general and president of the PAN, and energy minister for a period during the 2000-2006 presidency of Vicente Fox.
Since leaving the presidency in 2012, Calderón has worked in academia, in the private sector, and as a keynote speaker. In contrast to his successor, Enrique Peña Nieto, and López Obrador since he left the presidency, Calderón is regularly active on social media, where he comments on a range of Mexican and international issues.
The PAN relaunch
The National Action Party, founded shortly after World War II began in 1939, relaunched itself as a “more open, democratic and citizen-focused” party at an event in Mexico City on Saturday.
PAN national president Jorge Romero Herrera asserted that the party will be the “most open” in Mexico, with candidates selected via primary processes.
According to a statement issued by the PAN, the party’s relaunch is based on three central tenets:
Redefinition of the “causes” of the party, “reviving panista pride and empathy with the people.”
Reform of the PAN’s statutes in order to commence a new “stage of participation, transparency and democracy” in the party.
A refresh of the party’s “visual identity, with a revamped logo that reflects modernity, approachability and pride in its history.”
The PAN held a march in Mexico City to relaunch the party on Saturday. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
“The alliance that will most define our destiny is the one we will have with citizen leaders,” he said.
“… We want [the] National Action [Party] to be a vehicle for citizens that allows all Mexicans to decide who the best candidates are,” Romero said.
The PAN contested the 2021 and 2024 federal elections as part of an alliance that also included the PRI and the Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD.
The PRD lost its registration as a national-level political party after its poor showing at the 2024 elections. The influence of both the PRI and the PAN in national politics has been greatly diminished since the emergence of Morena as Mexico’s dominant political force in 2018, the year in which López Obrador won the presidency and the party he founded seized control of both houses of Congress.
Calderón: PAN is ‘on the right track’
Calderón said on Monday that he believed that the PAN is now “on the right track,” premising his view on “what was said or what was promised” by the party at its relaunch event.
He stressed the importance of the party fulfilling its promises.
Calderón said that “openness” to citizens — i.e., giving ordinary Mexicans a say in the management of the PAN and the selection of candidates — has been “the most important demand” regarding the political party. Openness to citizens is the party’s “most important need,” he added.
While offering a positive overall assessment of the PAN’s relaunch, Calderón was not enthused by the party’s decision to terminate its political alliances.
“Alliances have advantages and disadvantages. I think that the PAN shouldn’t break the relationship it finally managed to build with the PRI, with MC [the Citizens Movement party], with other parties,” he said.
“There are good people and very bad people in the parties, in all of them,” Calderón said.
The ex-president didn’t attend the PAN’s relaunch event in Mexico City on Saturday, but on Monday, he was in the audience when his wife and other PAN deputies presented reports on their work as members of Mexico’s lower house.
As of Oct. 20, the death toll stands at 76, with 31 individuals still reported missing across Veracruz, Puebla and Hidalgo. (Carlos Nava/Cuartoscuro)
Japan sent humanitarian aid to Mexico following the severe flood that has affected five states and left at least 76 dead and dozens missing.
“Today, the Japanese government has decided to send emergency aid to Mexico to support the victims of the floods that affected five states,” Japan’s ambassador to Mexico, Kozo Honsei, said Tuesday. “I hope the people find relief and recover soon. Mexico and Japan are friends in adversity,” he added.
According to an official statement from the Japanese government, the decision responds to a specific request from the Mexican government. The aid package, provided through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, includes sanitary supplies that are intended for the communities hardest hit by torrential rains and flooding.
In addition to granting emergency aid, Japan has expressed its support at a diplomatic level. On Oct. 16, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya sent a message of solidarity to his Mexican counterpart, Juan Ramón De La Fuente. Iwaya expressed his regret over the emergency situation, saying it caused him “great sadness to hear the news that many precious lives had been lost due to the floods.”
This is not the first time Japan has sent aid to Mexico in response to a natural disaster. In November 2007, the Japanese government sent aid for flooding in the states of Tabasco and Chiapas.
The torrential rains and flooding that affected the states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, Puebla, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí between Oct. 6 and 11 left a catastrophic scenario. According to official numbers, as of Oct. 20, the death toll stands at 76 with 31 individuals still reported missing.
Veracruz has the highest number of fatalities, totaling 34, with 18 people still unaccounted for. Hidalgo has reported 22 deaths and 8 individuals missing, followed by Puebla with 19 deaths and 5 missing. Querétaro recorded one death due to flooding.
Federal authorities are continuing their rescue and evacuation efforts as they conduct a census of the damage.
