The new president posted the portrait to social media on Sunday. “Official photograph in the presidential office of the National Palace,” Sheinbaum captioned the photo.
El equipo me convenció de tomar la foto oficial. Así fue el detrás de cámaras. pic.twitter.com/HT9Ou0dIy4
On Friday, the 62-year-old former Mexico City mayor said on X that her team had “convinced” her to pose for “the official photo.”
She also posted a 35-second “behind the cameras” video to the social media platform.
The official photo released on Sunday shows the president standing in her office wearing a white dress and the presidential sash, an adornment that is particularly common among Latin American leaders.
Sheinbaum’s decision to stand for the portrait sets her apart from previous Mexican presidents who posed while seated in the presidential chair. In the first presidenta‘s photo, that chair appears behind her.
Sheinbaum’s decision to pose for and release an official photo shortly after taking office also sets her apart from her political mentor, former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who didn’t initially sit — or stand — for an official snap.
Inspired by Indigenous designs and production techniques, Sustancia is bringing tradition back to Mexican interior design. (Sustancia).
Aruna Calderón Rivera fell in love with the ancient clay techniques of Oaxaca, nestled in the mountains of the Sierra Mixe and the Valles Centrales. While at that point working as an industrial designer, he soon felt the urge to create something more meaningful. Thus, in 2019, he launched Sustancia — an interior design project that blends pre-Columbian pottery techniques — dating back at least 3,000 years, with contemporary design. This exceptional enterprise thrives on true collaboration with artisans.
In Oaxaca alone, there are 70 active communities engaged in the art of pottery, “preserving about 3,000 years of unbroken lineage shared through oral traditions and maintained through the practice of trueque, an exchange of goods as an economic system”, Aruna explained to Mexico News Daily. The state is home to the Sierra Mixteca and Sierra Sur, often compared to a “crumpled sheet of paper” due to its orography. This topography is one reason why the region’s rich cultural diversity, including its exquisite clay traditions, is preserved.
The famed artisans of Oaxaca have been producing traditional arts for centuries. (Sustancia/Instagram)
“I refer to it as the resistance of the clay, it has been so for thousands of years. The farther you travel from the capital in Oaxaca, the more you will encounter different types of clay, such as the mud from the Sierra Mixe, which is very special. At first, it may seem quite rustic, but once you start to touch and work with it, you notice the color and texture. You realize the mastery in the use of the earth and a sophisticated technique: they polish the pieces with river stones, which gives them a shine, closes the pores, and enhances the durability of the pieces from their land, for example”.
Learning to design together
When Aruna began visiting these communities — there are a total of six: four in Oaxaca, one in Chiapas, and one in Morelos — he realized that a genuine design proposal would require co-designing with artisans. This journey has fostered beautiful surprises, including “a deep and lasting bond with the families and a profound respect for the traditional clay and the cultural and ritual identity behind it,” he shared.
Aruna adopted collaborative design methods that resulted in unique creations, such as a lamp that also serves as a flower stand. One of the most poignant stories of this venture occurred after the 2017 earthquake in the Zapotec community of San Marcos Tlapazola, when a family unearthed ancient objects shaped like faces. Inspired by this aesthetic, the Faces series was born and has since become a hallmark of Oaxacan ceramics.
“I understood that I needed to delve deeper into the design and move beyond the designer’s desire for personal recognition in the pieces. I realized that the community members were interested in understanding and participating in the design process. This created a fascinating partnership, as they are the masters of their technique, while I bring a contemporary vision, respecting various boundaries and fostering a participatory design approach.”
Aruna Calderón, founder of Sustancia (Ana Paula de la Torre).
Today, Sustancia collaborates with the community of Amatenango del Valle in Chiapas, Los Reyes Metzontla in Puebla, Ayala in Morelos, and in Oaxaca, with the Sierra Mixe communities of Las Flores and Tamazulapam del Espíritu Santo to create original designs. In the Valles Centrales, they work with San Marcos Tlapazola and Santa María Atzompa. Sustancia employs various techniques, including “burnished clay,” “red clay,” “glazed clay” and another known as “churro.” This technique involves making “churro” shaped rollers and using them to create the finished piece. At the end, it is smoothed with a cob or an olote and given another shape. They have their own polishing technique,” Aruna explains.
The contemporary and the millenary
Sustancia is an artisanal interior design company that intertwines research, knowledge, traditions, techniques and identity with contemporary creativity to the forefront of the current scene. 43% of sales go directly to the families, 30% cover operating expenses, and the remaining 20% is allocated to research, combining social design principles with solutions to specific community needs.
Regarding the Mexican interior design landscape and its connection to ceramic traditions, Aruna believes a revaluation of this millenary jewel is taking shape. This movement began with academic and research initiatives reflected in iconic publications such as Great Masters of Oaxacan Folk Art and Clay and Fire, leading to a growing market that embraces this knowledge and the ritual energy embodied in clay.
Ana Paula de la Torre is a Mexican journalist and contributor for Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.
Reader beware: Cash is king in Mexico, even in 2024. (Steve Johnson/Unsplash)
Have you traveled to Mexico for any amount of time? If so, you’ve probably quickly realized something: Paying cash in Mexico is an absolute must at (almost) all times.
If you want to buy something at the market, you need cash. If you want to tip one of themany tippable people, you need cash. If you want to buy something from an artisan, you need cash. If you want to pop into a local “tiendita” (neighborhood corner store) for something, you need cash.
It’s no surprise that these small street stalls are cash only – but much more of Mexico runs on cash than you might expect. (Cuartoscuro)
When I think of my trips back to the U.S., on the other hand, I realize I haven’t taken U.S. dollars out of an ATM there for at least the past 10 years. Every interaction, it seems, is done through cards, or even “Apple Pay,” which is still foreign to me.
Like, another new technology whose only purpose is to make parting with my money easier? We were supposed to have flying cars by now, people, and magic machines that sucked any disease right out of you. Seriously, what is this silliness?
The bills: the ones you want, and the ones you don’t
But I digress. In Mexico, it’s all about the Juanas. And the Miguels, and the José Marías, and the Benitos. And if you’re especially unlucky at the ATM, the Carmens, Hermilas, and Franciscos, the three who currently grace the 1000 peso note.
Get a high-denomination note from the ATM? Bad luck! (Cuartoscuro)
On the one hand,Mexico’s money is really, really pretty and has won lots of awards. The 50 peso note has an axolotl on it! When they first came into circulation, people would save them as if they were fine works of art to be conserved. And really, they are.
If you’ve got coins, 20s, 50s, and even 100s, you’re probably okay in most places. 200s are iffy, but typically okay in bigger establishments (though generally fine in major cities). 500s and 1000s are only for decidedly more expensive or at least established places, likely national or international chains.
¿No tendrá cambio?
Why? Because so, so many places simply do not have a lot of extra money on hand.
Most Mexican small businesses operate with an incredibly small cash cushion, if any. Many operate on debt. Even if they are “official” places, like restaurants and cafés, there’s no guarantee that they’re starting the day off with money in the register. They are counting on earning money as the day goes on, and hoping that the first chunk of customers will pay them in small bills.
If you think this seems like a precarious plan, it’s because it is. But most businesses do not earn enough to simply keep a pile of cash in small bills on hand just for change-making. The money that goes into the business gets used for the business, often to pay the workers at the end of the day. Also, most people do try to pay pretty close to what they owe so that minimal change will need to be made.
Try to pay for a 50 peso item with a 200 or 500, and you might get a slightly-embarrassed, ¿No tiene cambio? (You don’t have change?) response. If you say no, one of two things will happen: they will go off, or send someone else off, to try to make change with a neighboring vendor or store. Other times they’ll simply say, “Es que no tenemos cambio” (We just don’t have change) and stare at you.
That’s your cue to either magically produce the exact change, or, if you’re me on a bad day, scowl and say, “Oh well!” and leave. I mean, really. Do you want my business or not? I’m not going to run around looking for change so you can sell me something. Sheesh.
What to do
Use your cash wisely. (Shutterstock)
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, it’s important to be strategic about your cash. When you’re able to break a larger bill, do not – I repeat, do not – miss the opportunity. If you have to, you or anyone else can do it at any bank, though you might have to stand in line for a while.
First strategy: at the ATM, try to not ask for a multiple of 500 exactly. For example, you might ask for 5,300 pesos, which would at least give you a 200 and a 100 note.
You can also almost always get change at large, established chains. When I’ve got a 500 to break, for example, I’ll walk down to the Fasti and buy maybe a little over 100 worth of goods. Don’t be “abusive,” about it, though, as Mexicans would say. If you try buying a 15 peso item with a 500, they might very well tell you to go to hell – or at least tell you that there’s a higher minimum if you’re going to pay with that much.
Anyway, once I get that change, it goes into a separate coin purse that I pretty much guard with my life. This is the change you use in all the places that don’t have change, and I don’t use it unless I have to. And if you’re the type to give tips or money to people asking, put a bunch of change in one of your pockets for easy access!
So before you go out, think about the places you’re going, if you’ll need to give tips, or if you’ll be able to use debit or credit cards. It takes some planning, but it can save you a lot of headaches! Trust me.
Jorge Guajardo was Mexico's ambassador to China until 2013 and is now a partner in an advisory firm. Mexico News Daily asked him five questions about Mexico's trade relationships with both the U.S. and China. (Courtesy)
Reduce reliance on Asian imports to Mexico, especially Chinese imports. Increase Mexico’s manufacturing capacity. Seize the nearshoring opportunity by proactively seeking foreign investment.
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said last week that the federal government is looking at “how we can reduce all the imports we have” and “increase domestic content in any way we can.”
He also said that Mexico would “mobilize all legitimate interests in favor of North America” amid the ongoing trade war between the United States and China.
For his part, Deputy Economy Minister for Foreign Trade Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez Romano revealed that the Sheinbaum administration has asked U.S. companies and other foreign firms that operate in Mexico to look at substituting some goods and components made in China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan with locally-made products.
Mexico News Daily recently discussed the objectives listed at the top of this article — and related issues — with Jorge Guajardo, Mexico’s longest serving ambassador to China (2007-13) and a former consul general in Austin, Texas.
Guajardo told MND that previous Mexican administrations, and other governments around the world, have started their terms “thinking they could establish a new trade relationship with China.”
He said that many presidents and prime ministers come into power thinking they are going to “reset relations with China” before realizing later that their government’s trade relationship with the East Asian economic powerhouse is not in fact in their best interests.
“So the fact that the Sheinbaum administration starts from day one saying we’re going to be keeping an eye on Asian imports is very important and deserves a lot of credit,” Guajardo said.
“They’re not wasting a single day. … We should understand how big a statement that is. Right off the bat they understand that Mexico has nothing to gain from trading with Asia and a lot to gain from trading within North America,” he said.
While the federal government considers how to reduce reliance on imports from Asia, low-cost Chinese import stores are thriving in Mexico. (Shutterstock)
Guajardo noted that Sheinbaum administration officials have referred more broadly to Asia in their remarks about the desire to reduce Mexico’s dependence on imports, “and not just China.”
Guajardo said that the fact the current government is talking about import substitution is “visionary.”
With China, which has a vast industrial capacity — overcapacity in fact — a global trade environment that is open and free is not viable, he said.
“You will get overrun,” Guajardo said, emphasizing the need to protect “the industries we already have in Mexico” and the importance of not subjecting them to an “unfair playing field” by making them compete with Chinese products, many of which can be produced very cheaply, in part thanks to generous subsidies from the Chinese government.
The ex-ambassador said he didn’t know how realistic it is for Mexico to substitute a significant portion of the imports it receives from China and other Asian countries, but noted that Mexican companies already produce some of the products that are currently shipped here from there.
Guajardo said that the import substitution plan should be supported by both tariffs — he advocated even higher duties than those recently implemented by the Mexican government — as well as regulations that help to protect Mexican industry.
(Guajardo spoke to MND earlier this year about the need for the Mexican government to be “more creative with regulations” to shut out exports in certain sectors.)
Is protectionism worth it?
Before seeking to broaden the range of goods produced in Mexico, the government should first offer greater protection to existing industries whose products are being substituted by Chinese imports, Guajardo said.
“That in and of itself would be a huge step,” he said.
Guajardo cited the glass, petrochemical and textiles industries as three Mexican sectors that need to be protected.
The protection of domestic industries could incentivize other companies to invest in Mexico, he said.
The glass, petrochemical and textiles industries are three Mexican industries that would benefit from government protection, Guajardo says. Pictured: a Pemex petrochemical refinery in Dos Bocas, Veracruz. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
“You can not do that if there are no protections because there is no business model” for potential investors, Guajardo said.
He acknowledged that there will be blowback because protectionism will inevitably cause the price of goods to go up — say goodbye to dirt cheap Chinese imports, in other words.
However, “the question you have to ask yourself,” Guajardo said, is the following: “Is it worth paying a higher price [for goods] and in the process avoid being totally dependent on China and have a more independent supply chain?”
“Eventually I believe we have to come to terms with the answer being yes,” he said.
“We have to be willing to absorb a higher price in exchanging for having sovereignty over supply chains,” Guajardo added.
The importance of a supportive industrial policy
Guajardo told MND that the new government is cognizant that industry in Mexico will need government support to succeed.
The “realization” of the need to have a supportive industrial policy is “important,” he said, noting that the administration of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador was “reluctant to give any help to business” — even during the COVID pandemic.
Guajardo highlighted that the implementation of a supportive industrial policy is not risk-free: It could lead to corruption via the “misallocation of funds” and there is a “risk of betting on companies that end up losing.”
China, he continued, “inherently understands that industrial policy will create some duds.”
Providing government support to Mexican industry comes with risk, but is necessary to foster the sectors’ development, Guajardo said. (Wikimedia Commons)
“They’re willing to assume that risk and in the process create a lot of champions. As a country we have to understand that there will be duds, there will be things that don’t work out, but it’s important nevertheless that we take the risk in supporting sectors in which we want to have champions,” he said.
Doing so will mean “we have technology and [our own] intellectual property,” Guajardo added.
Promptly and unequivocally siding with the US is ‘huge’
Guajardo noted that many countries around the world come under pressure to choose between the United States and China in an economic and strategic sense, but most are reluctant to do so.
However, under the leadership of Sheinbaum, Mexico is “not hesitating for a second” in declaring that it is on the United States’ side, he said.
“Again that is a huge statement and I think the new administration deserves a lot of credit,” Guajardo said.
Rather than “hedging,” Mexico under Sheinbaum is going all in on the U.S. side, he stressed.
“Right off the bat they say, we’re going to put a stop to this [trade imbalance] and we’re going to align with North America. I’m hard pressed to think of another country that has been able to do that,” Guajardo said.
“That is big, that is significant and I give them a lot of credit for that. … It’s huge, I haven’t seen it in any other country in the world,” he said.
President Sheinbaum has emphasized the inseparable links between the Mexican and U.S. economies. (Comentario U de C/X)
In response, she said that Mexico has an “inseparable” trade relationship with the United States and noted that the two countries are “economically integrated” whereas “there is no free trade agreement with China.”
“… The relationship with China exists and it has to continue existing, but the agreement with the U.S. has to be maintained and strengthened as well,” Sheinbaum said of the USMCA free trade pact, which also includes Canada.
Proactively seeking investment is ‘very positive’
Guajardo said that the new federal administration has shown it is going to be “very aggressive” in its efforts to attract investment, and declared that such an approach is “very positive.”
However, he conceded that the judicial reform — which will allow Mexican citizens to directly elect judges, including Supreme Court justices — is the “elephant in the room” as far as investors, and potential investors, are concerned.
The proposed energy reform, which seeks to provide a constitutional guarantee for the state’s majority (54%) stake in electricity generation, “may also be a problem for investors,” Guajardo said.
However, he chose to “set those [concerns] aside for now and suspend judgement because I’m very optimistic about the way they’re trying to reach out [to potential investors] and really ride this nearshoring wave.”
“Hopefully with this new strategy of fitting the country into North America, industrial policy and import substitution we will make headway in bringing in new industries [to Mexico],” Guajardo said.
State officials and company executives pose for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Walmart distribution center, called CEDIS Bajío. (Gobierno de Guanajuato)
With an estimated US $500 million investment, Walmart has laid the first stone of a new artificial intelligence-powered warehouse in Silao (Guanajuato), in central Mexico.
“This investment represents jobs, progress, and opportunities for our Guanajuato families,” state Governor Libia Dennise García wrote on her official X account. “Thank you very much, Walmart Mexico, for trusting Guanajuato. I’m sure we will continue to work together.
The new distribution center will serve over 600 stores and clubs in Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. It will create 1,044 permanent jobs, according to reporting by the newspaper El Economista.
A warehouse with the highest levels of automation in all of Latin America
Ignacio Caride, CEO and Director of Walmart Mexico and Central America, said that the upcoming distribution center reiterates the company’s commitment to the state, automation and simplification.
“Customers and partners will save money,” Caride said at the event.
The new warehouse, featuring an AI-powered robotic technological platform, will cover 9.5 hectares of built area within a 45-hectare property.
Walmart Mexico boasts over 2,700 stores nationwide and employs more than 230,000 people. (Doctor Dragon 2000/Wikimedia Commons)
“This distribution center will feature one with the highest levels of automation in all of Latin America,” said Gastón Weinstein, a senior executive at Walmart Mexico. He also explained that Walmart Mexico will incorporate the same technologies used in the United States, due to its partnership with Symbotic, a robotic warehouse automation company based in Massachusetts.
Walmart Mexico began operations in Guanajuato almost three decades ago. It owns 143 stores, a portfolio which includes Walmart stores as well as Bodega Aurrerá and Sam’s Club.. Its expansion plans include new stores in the Guanajuato municipalities of Salamanca, Apaseo el Grande and Cortazar.
Walmart Mexico boasts over 2,700 stores nationwide and employs over 230,000 people, across the country.
National Guard agents found five victims of cartel violence near Ojuelos, Jalisco, on Sunday. (Noticias de Ojuelos/X)
The National Guard found five decapitated bodies along a rural stretch of federal Highway 80 in the western state of Jalisco on Sunday morning after motorists alerted officials about “several bags that looked like human silhouettes,” the state prosecutor’s office reported.
The bodies of the five men were discovered on the side of the San Luis Potosí-San Juan de los Lagos highway. Nearby, local officers found another plastic bag containing the victims’ heads.
Durante un recorrido de la Guardia Nacional se encontraron bultos con los cuerpos de 5 víctimas en la carretera de Ojuelos, Jalisco. Información de Hirma Espinoza de los Monteros.#FórmulaNoticias con Juan Pablo Pérez-Díaz (@perezdiazmx). pic.twitter.com/bH74fbKIyu
As the forensics team examined the scene, the unidentified victims were transported to the coroner’s office for autopsies. No additional information had been made available as of Monday afternoon.
The decapitated bodies were found in the northeasternmost municipality of Ojuelos de Jalisco, which borders the state of Zacatecas to the north, and the municipality of Lagos de Moreno to the south.
The Jalisco highlands have been a hotbed of criminal activity in recent years. The news agency Infobae reported that the region is the base of operations for the Grupo Élite Delictivo de Reacción Inmediata (Rapid Reaction Elite Criminal Group, or GEDDRI), an armed faction of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
GEDDRI’s objective, according to Infobae, is to stave off advances from the rival Sinaloa Cartel.
The newspaper La Jornada reported that there was a shootout between the National Guard and armed civilians on Saturday afternoon in Lagos de Moreno, located about 72 km south of Ojuelos. The attack occurred along Highway 212, during which the gunmen set six vehicles on fire.
Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro said two arrests were made and firemen were able to put out the flames and clear away the wreckage a few hours later. No further details were forthcoming.
In June, state officials increased the presence of local and federal security agents in northeastern Jalisco after a clash with armed civilians in Lagos de Moreno left one state prosecutor dead.
This is the second migrant caravan to form in Chiapas, Mexico, since Sheinbaum assumed the presidency on Oct. 1. (Damián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
A migrant caravan made up of some 1,000 people left Tapachula, Chiapas, on foot on Sunday, eight days after another caravan departed the same city.
The migrants, nationals of various countries including Venezuela, Haiti, Ecuador, El Salvador and Honduras, aim first to reach Mexico City before continuing the journey to the Mexico-United States border.
The migrants left Tapachula because they had become fed up with waiting to schedule an appointment with United States immigration authorities, which they can do using the CBP One app once in Mexico. (Damián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
On Sunday, they walked around 26 kilometers from Tapachula to reach the town of Huehuetán, where they spent the night.
The migrants told media outlets that they decided to leave Tapachula — located near the border with Guatemala — due to a lack of jobs and insecurity in southern Mexico, among other factors.
They also said they had become fed up with waiting for appointments with United States immigration authorities, which migrants have been attempting to schedule from southern Mexico using the U.S. government app CBP One.
“We’re leaving because there is no work here. We don’t have money to pay rent, the appointments are taking too long, we need to advance,” Mario Hernández, an Ecuadorian migrant, told the newspaper La Jornada.
Álvaro Batista, a Colombian man traveling with his family, defended the right of migrants to travel through Mexico to seek asylum in the United States.
“What we’re doing is not at all illegal,” he told the news agency EFE.
Migrants called on the National Guard, and health workers, to support the caravan as it moves through Mexico. (Damián Sanchez/Cuartoscuro)
Batista called on the National Guard to provide “support” to the migrant caravan as they headed north, even though that security force is better known for detaining migrants.
He indicated that he and his family joined the migrant caravan for safety reasons, saying, “It’s better to travel in a group than alone, especially for women and children.”
Another Colombian man told the newspaper Milenio that he and the other migrants are “vulnerable people” who “simply want God to lead” them on their journey through Mexico.
However, the migrant, identified only as Guillermo, also called on President Claudia Sheinbaum to lend them a “hand … in order to be able to continue.”
Other migrants called for health workers to accompany the caravan, which includes pregnant women as well as people from countries beyond the Western Hemisphere, such as Nepal and Afghanistan. Police officers in vehicles accompanied the migrants on Sunday.
Jeison, a Venezuelan man, said that he and other migrants left their countries due to a lack of work opportunities and high prices. Crime, political problems and climate change are among the other migration push factors for those seeking to reach the United States via Mexico.
The first caravan is currently in northwestern Chiapas, not far from the state’s border with Oaxaca.
La Jornada reported that another migrant caravan is currently being organized with plans to leave Tapachula this coming Sunday.
It remains to be seen whether the first two migrant caravans of the Sheinbaum presidency achieve their ultimate goal of reaching the United States’ southern border. One thing is certain: their journey won’t be easy.
Migrants face a range of risks on the road
Migrants typically walk, hitch rides on trucks and jump aboard freight trains to get to the Mexico-U.S. border.
The journey is a dangerous one. Migrants have been involved in countless truck and train accidents in Mexico, and are frequently preyed upon by criminal groups, whose members have been known to forcibly recruit men and rape women.
Migrants have been involved in countless truck and train accidents in Mexico, and are frequently preyed upon by criminal groups. (Damián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
Traveling in a large caravan might make the trip safer, but such groups typically break up as they move through the country.
Migrants also run the risk of being detained in Mexico, or the United States, and deported back to their country of origin.
At least one member of the caravan that left Tapachula on Sunday already knows that risk well. Honduran Carlos González told La Jornada that he was deported two months ago when he attempted to seek asylum in the United States.
As a result of a new United States border policy that took effect in June, it is easier for U.S. border officers to send migrants back to Mexico or their countries of origin, even if a migrant believes they have a worthy asylum claim.
The number of migrants attempting to illegally enter the U.S. via Mexico declined significantly after the implementation of the policy, which prevents migrants from making asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border at times when crossings between legal ports of entry surge.
González, a 35-year-old former soldier, said it wasn’t possible for him to stay in Honduras because he has received threats from gangs. His wife and daughter are already in the U.S.
“I want to see my daughter, … she’s eight. She [and my wife] escaped from our country two years ago because they were threatened by the 18th street gang,” he said.
Sheinbaum committed to AMLO’s migration strategy
Earlier this month, shortly after the Mexican army shot and killed six migrants in Chiapas, President Sheinbaum said that her government was committed to respecting the human rights of migrants and addressing the root causes of migration.
Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador frequently made the same remarks during his six-year term in government.
Speaking on Oct. 4, Sheinbaum acknowledged that the government has a strategy to stop migrants from reaching the northern border and crossing into the United States. She recognized that the strategy includes “repatriation flights” or deportations.
While the restrictive border policy implemented by the Biden administration in June has been cited as a major factor in the reduction of migrant encounters at the Mexico-U.S. border, USA Today reported on Sunday that Mexico was “the U.S. government’s secret weapon in cutting illegal crossings.”
“Mexico is holding the line, analysts say, thanks to a carefully negotiated — but unwritten — agreement between neighbors, executed late last year by the Biden-Harris administration,” the newspaper reported.
“It’s held, they say, because it’s in Mexico’s economic interest to keep the border chaos-free and exports flowing north. And because the political stakes are high for Mexico in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.”
The federal government expects the project to benefit more than 30,000 people and generate nearly 500,000 direct and indirect jobs. (Presidencia)
President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that construction on the Mexico City-Querétaro train line will begin in 2025, following her pledge to build more than 3,000 kilometers of passenger railways during her six-year term.
Speaking from an event in Querétaro to inaugurate preliminary studies for the railway, Sheinbaum said that construction will begin in April 2025 and will be completed in three years. It will require an investment of 75 billion pesos (US $3.8 billion).
Construction on the railroad is expected to take three years. (Presidencia)
At the Oct. 13 event, Querétaro Governor Mauricio Kuri González celebrated the news, anticipating that this mobility alternative would improve the quality of life of citizens and visitors to the state.
As with the Mexico City–Pachuca passenger train, and other federal infrastructure projects, the Defense Ministry (Sedena) will be responsible for the train’s construction.
Located about 206 kilometers north of Mexico City, Querétaro is a city of 1.6 million and the capital of the state bearing the same name. The passenger train will connect both cities within an estimated one hour and forty minutes — a 40% reduction in travel time compared to what it currently takes by car. The train will have a capacity of 450 passengers and an estimated speed of 160 km per hour.
The train’s main stations will be Buenavista, Mexico City, San Juan del Río, Querétaro, and Querétaro city, with intermediate stops in towns throughout México state and Hidalgo. In Querétaro, the train will connect with the Qrobús, a public bus line servicing the metropolitan Querétaro area. Meanwhile, in Mexico City, the train will connect with Line B of the Metro, Line 1, 3 and 4 of the Metrobús, and with ecobici bicycle ports.
During her visit, Sheinbaum met with Querétaro officials to discuss priority infrastructure projects for the state. (Claudia Sheinbaum/X)
According to Sheinbaum, the train will feature two parallel passenger lines built adjacent to existing freight lines.
As part of Sheinbaum’s goal to extend passenger train routes to the north of the country, the forthcoming Querétaro station will eventually offer passengers access to three new destinations by train: Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas; Guadalajara, Jalisco; and Nogales, Sonora.
“This train will improve the country’s connectivity, consolidating President López Obrador’s vision of recovering passenger trains,” said Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina, head of the Infrastructure, Communications and Transport Ministry (SCIT).
Meet the strange little fruit with a... powerful taste. (Veliya)
For me, there is a fascinating world of native plants in each country I live in. I don’t know if you have tried Nance, but it’s a fun little fruit about the size of a blueberry. Full of antioxidants and rich in vitamin C, this bright yellow, abundant little native fruit is the weirdest I’ve ever eaten. Now that’s saying something because I’m ex-Navy and have eaten some weird things during my travels.
Nance tastes unusual, but in a good way. First, it’s sweet, like a cross between lychee, pear and a banana. Then it’s slightly sour, but in a good way. Then, strangely, there’s with an aftertaste of cheese. No, I’m not pulling your leg. Parmesan or cheddar comes to mind every time.
A handful of tiny nance fruits. (Bel Woodhouse)
Delightful exotic fruits like these make living in Mexico such a joy, sspecially for a crazy plant lady like me. I adore plants and learning all about their beneficial properties. Speaking of which, this little fruit packs a punch in the health department.
How do I eat nance?
People use nance in both sweet and savory cooking because of the sweet/tangy taste profile. I first tried them in Guatemala years ago, but I was recently delighted to find them walking down the street one day here in Cozumel.
In Mexico, they are eaten raw or cooked and even made into a liquor called licor de nanche. I can’t wait to try it!
Nance, or nanche as it’s called in Veracruz, is a versatile little fruit. This makes it a common dessert element. You’ll find it in the form of popsicles (percheronas) and ice sorbets (raspado). It also makes an appearance in endless candies and candied fruits, cookies and cakes, jellies and jams, juices, liqueurs, nectars, and even fruit drinks.
Where can I find nance?
During the season, nance can be found in markets across Mexico. (Bel Woodhouse)
When in season, you’ll find them in mercados or just dropping in the street through southern Mexico. I was delighted to find a tree during my morning walk a few months ago. Stopping to pick some up, I realized I wasn’t the only one making the most of nature’s bounty. Within minutes another lady walking behind me stopped to grab some as well.
The nance tree, Byrsonima crassifolia, is quite a big tree and grows natively from central Mexico down to Panama, South America and across the Caribbean. It’s hardy and drought tolerant so will grow just about anywhere. From sea level to the mountains, many people plant nance in their gardens. Both for shade and the yummy fruits. Which, when in season, are abundant.
But my favorite thing is the tall spikes of flowers up to 20cm long in beautiful sunset colors. Starting out as a cheery sunflower yellow, they deepen to orange, then red as it ages. The flowers are stunning!
Health benefits of Nance
Dazzling nance blooms in the wild. (Bel Woodhouse)
This small fruit packs a punch. Just one cup provides 100% of the recommended daily dose of vitamin C. This is just one reason why I recommend trying it. Even if the sweet-savory-cheese taste described sounds a little weird to you, you may still be pleasantly surprised. I’ve had friends say “Nope, too weird, I don’t like it.” Others smile broadly having found a new fantastic fruit to eat. So promise me you’ll at least try it once, because it could be your new favorite snack.
As a great source of dietary fiber Nance helps to support and regulate the digestive tract. It also contains nutrients, vitamins and minerals known to reduce stroke and cardiovascular disease. A powerhouse of Vitamins E, A, and K, Manganese, and folate for those healthy bones. And the best thing is … it’s cheap, abundant, and available by the bag in mercados.
Or, if a neighbor has a tree, I’m sure you can offer them some pesos to fill a bag.
When can I try Nance?
Nance is a spring fruit. Abundant in spring and early summer, April through to June. I sincerely hope you’ll try it. Even if it’s just sampling one little bite at a mercado.
So, have I convinced you to try Nance? I’d love to hear if I have! Let me know in the comments below.
Mexico Correspondent for International Living, Bel is an experienced writer, author, photographer and videographer with 500+ articles published both in print and across digital platforms. Living in the Mexican Caribbean for over seven years now, she’s in love with Mexico and has no plans to go anywhere else anytime soon.
Day of the Dead, Halloween and Thanksgiving are all coming up, and all call for a pumpkin treat - so look no further. (Canva)
We associate pumpkin with Fall and Halloween — and with pie, especially Thanksgiving since it’s the holiday that wouldn’t be the same without this traditional dessert. But I guess we forget the role that Mexico played in introducing this versatile foodstuff to the world! It was Mexico who introduced pumpkin to the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, who then introduced it to the Europeans and then, eventually, it found its way to the rest of the Western world.
It all started about 9,000 years ago. Archeological findings date pumpkin seeds to caves found in Oaxaca (located in southern Mexico), about 8,000-10,000 BC. Aztecs and Mayans both used pumpkins as a food source and along with their seeds, valued them nutritionally — although they wouldn’t be cultivated until around 3,500 BC. The Aztecs served pumpkin delicacies to their gods during the festival of Huey Tecuilhuitl.
Pumpkin consumption in Mexico goes back to long before the arrival of the Spanish. (Calmecac Anahuac)
Ancient peoples loved calabaza and grew them beside other stable crops like beans and corn. This triumvirate became a method for cultivation and production which became known as “the three sisters, ” as each crop protected and nurtured the other.
Pumpkin was roasted, stewed and was also featured in soups and tamales — and even sweets! Calabaza en tacha, a popular candied pumpkin treat is traditionally served at Day of the Dead celebrations.
Pumpkins are grown all over Mexico, especially in the Yucatan and in Nayarit, but also grown in Sonora, Sinaloa, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, Puebla, and Morelos. There are large and small seed varieties of pumpkin, but the best known in Mexico is the Cucurbita pepo, which has been harvested for thousands of years.
Curcubita pepo is your classic halloween pumpkin, and as popular in Mexico as the United States. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)
Mexicans like to use their pumpkins fresh, not canned, and will take the time to turn the awesome, orange fruit into the varied delicacies of their choice. For that reason, I include simple instructions on how to make your own pumpkin puree, which will make this dessert even more “homemade,” tasteful and unforgettable!
To celebrate this wonderful Mexican fruit that made its way to the Western world and became an indelible part of its traditions, let’s make a pumpkin swirl cheesecake pie with a pecan crust, perfect for a month with two major pumpkin-heavy celebrations, don’t you think?
Pumpkin-swirl cheesecake pie with pecan crust:
Filling recipe adapted from secretlyhealthyhome.com (Canva)
* ½ Cup (170 g) Pure Maple Syrup* (jarabe de arce puro)
* Available in Mexican supermarkets, or order online.
* 2 Eggs (huevos)
* 2 tsp. (8.4 g) Vanilla Extract (extracto de vainilla)
*Mexican brands noted for their intense flavor: Villa Vainilla; Vainilla Totonac’s; Molina Vainilla
* 1 TBS. (10 g) Cornstarch (maicena)
* 1 Cup (245 g) Canned Pumpkin puree (calabaza)
* Libby’s canned pumpkin can be found in Mexican supermarkets or ordered online.
To make pumpkin puree (easy!):
5-8 lbs. pumpkin, about 2 small (makes 7 cups; freeze remainder):
* Preheat oven to 375F (191C)
* Wash pumpkin.
* Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
* Cut stems off and cut fruit in half, lengthwise.
* Scrape the seeds from inside.
* Put pumpkin halves, cut side down, on baking sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the tender when pierced with a fork.
* Scoop the cooked pumpkin out of the shells and place in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Add a tablespoon or two of water, if needed.
* 2 tsp. (28 g) Pumpkin-Pie Spice*
*The best is homemade: Combine: 4 tsp. (10.4 g) ground cinnamon (canela molida); 2 tsp. (5.6 g) ground ginger (jengibre molido); 1 tsp. (2.10 g) ground cloves (clavo molido); 1/2 tsp. (1.10 g) ground nutmeg (nuez moscada molida). Store in an air-tight jar in a cool place.
Directions:
* Beat softened cream cheese and yogurt until smooth.
* Add maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and cornstarch and mix until smooth.
* Pour half the batter into a separate bowl and add the pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie spice. Mix.
* Pour cheesecake batter into crust, switching between plain cheesecake batter and pumpkin batter. Use a spatula or spoon to intermix the batters together to create a swirl effect. Continue until all batter is gone, leaving some of the cream cheese-yogurt mixture to create a swirl on top.
*Smooth the top, and lightly drop pie pan on the counter a couple times to remove air bubbles.
* Fill a large baking dish halfway with water and place on the lower oven rack.
* Place cheesecake on middle rack of oven and bake 55-60 minutes, or until the middle is just set, and jiggles slightly, and the sides are slightly puffed.
* Turn off oven and open door. Leave cheesecake in the oven until slightly cooled (about an hour).
* Chill cheesecake in the refrigerator 4-6 hours or best, overnight, to allow it to set completely.
* Stores in refrigerator for about 10 days, covered in plastic wrap.
Deborah McCoy is the one-time author of mainstream, bridal-reference books who has turned her attention to food, particularly sweets, desserts and fruits. She is the founder of CakeChatter™ on FaceBook and X (Twitter), and the author of four baking books for “Dough Punchers” via CakeChatter (available @amazon.com). She is also the president of The American Academy of Wedding Professionals™ (aa-wp.com).
