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As Mexico’s poverty rate drops, southern states lag behind

By
MND Staff
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Chiapas leads the country in poverty, with 66% of the population living in multidimensional poverty and 27% living in extreme poverty. (Isabel Mateos/Cuartoscuro)

While President Claudia Sheinbaum lauded a report indicating a significant reduction in poverty since 2018, a breakdown of the figures demonstrates that southern Mexican states are lagging behind their northern brethren.

Mexico’s national statistics agency INEGI this week released its first survey measuring multidimensional poverty and Sheinbaum noted that “more than 13 million people were lifted out of poverty” between 2018 and 2024.

Poverty reduction and a major arrest: Thursday’s mañanera recapped

The multidimensional poverty index aims to calculate poverty beyond household income. It also considers access to health services, education, housing and food.

The number of people living in poverty declined from 51.9 million in 2018 to 38.5 million (29.6% of the population). Of those, 7 million (5.3% of the population) remained in extreme poverty in 2024. Most of them — nearly 4 million people — live in six southern states: Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Tabasco and Campeche.

While a September 2023 report indicated that southern states — a region comprising Mexico’s poorest and least developed states — were enjoying greater economic growth than some northern counterparts, the newest poverty data indicates there is still work to be done.

While the population deemed to be living in poverty decreased in all 32 states between 2018 and 2024, the decline was uneven.

In the northern states of Baja California, Colima, Coahuila, Sonora, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Chihuahua, the decrease was more than 40%.

In contrast, Chiapas was the state with the smallest decrease in poverty from 2018 through 2024 — just 7.2%. It was followed in ascending order by Tlaxcala (9.9%), Guerrero (12%) and Oaxaca (14.4%).

The five states with the lowest percentages of people living in extreme poverty are all in northern Mexico: Baja California (0.4%), Nuevo León (0.5%), Aguascalientes (0.6%), Coahuila (0.8%) and Colima (1.0%).

The four states with the highest percentages of people living in extreme poverty in 2024 were Chiapas (27.1%), Guerrero (21.3%), Oaxaca (16.3%) and Veracruz (8.8%).

These four states also feature the highest percentage of its population living in multidimensional poverty: Chiapas — 3.9 million, or 66% of its population; Guerrero — 2.1 million, or 58.1%; Oaxaca — 2.2 million, or 51.6%; and Veracruz — 3.6 million, or 44.5%.

Likewise, the INEGI report showed that multidimensional poverty decreased more rapidly in urban areas (from 34.5 million to 25.5 million) than in rural areas (from 17.4 million to 13 million).

INEGI’s inaugural poverty survey

This is INEGI’s first survey measuring poverty since mandated to do so by a Dec. 20, 2024, constitutional reform that took effect last month.

The stated objective of the reform is to provide a more accurate picture of the country’s social development so as to better formulate, implement and monitor public policy.

The reform was not approved without controversy as it also eliminated the agency known as the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval), transferring its duties to INEGI.

Coneval was established in 2005 to evaluate the effectiveness of social development policies and programs in Mexico.

Opponents of the reform insisted that Coneval provided reliable and objective information to policymakers and the public about the state of social policies, poverty and social development actions.

However, when Coneval contradicted the narrative favored by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024) or denounced his austerity policies, López Obrador criticized the agency.

López Obrador replaced Coneval’s director in July 2019 and suggested eliminating the agency in January 2024. He then fashioned the reform that effectively stripped the agency of its independence.

It is now managed by INEGI, which is directed by López Obrador’s former finance minister, Graciela Márquez.

Last month, former Coneval director Gonzalo Hernández said the new agency lacks credibility, accusing the government of insufficient transparency and accountability.

With reports from El Economista and La Jornada

Meet Waldog, the robotic canine that roams Monterrey’s streets with a message 

By
MND Staff
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robot dog and two kids
Senator Waldo Fernández named his creation after himself and uses it to educate people about the importance of animal welfare. (Screen capture/X)

A four-legged robot dog spotted recently on the streets of the Monterrey metropolitan area doesn’t bite, slobber or make messes on the sidewalk.

Rather, the robotic Waldog captivates residents while championing animal welfare with a distinctly metallic bark.

@nbcnews An AI-powered robot #dog named “Waldog,” is making the rounds in the Monterrey, #Mexico to raise awareness about #animal ♬ original sound – nbcnews

Sporting a beagle-like build and equipped with artificial intelligence, Waldog patrols neighborhoods, drawing the attention of children and adults wherever he roams. (Reuters and other news outlets use male pronouns when referring to Waldog.)

His mission is to speak up on behalf of real canines, and to promote adoption and respect for all species. 

“Hi, I’m Waldog, and I’m here to give a voice to those who don’t have one, the little animals who live on the streets,” the automaton said in Spanish to a group of smiling residents during his official debut in the Santa Catarina neighborhood last week.

The brainchild of federal Sen. Waldo Fernández González, an animal rights advocate from Monterrey, the capital of Nuevo León, Waldog represents a fusion of technology and activism seldom seen in public spaces.

Fernández — who reportedly used his own money to purchase the robot for about US $4,000 — named the “pet” as a play on his own name. He operates the device via remote control.

“The main objective of innovation should be to build better solutions for common problems,” Fernández said. “In that sense, animal welfare is an issue that is currently one of people’s main concerns, but one that we sometimes don’t know how to solve. With Waldog, we want to reach new generations, build community and foster a culture of care and responsibility.”

Fernández, 54, was elected to a six-year term, his first, in the Mexican Senate last year, and now, according to media reports, has his sights set on becoming the governor of Nuevo León in the 2027 elections, or, failing that, the mayor of Monterrey.

In that regard, perhaps Waldog is something of a public-relations gimmick  — but few believe he’s just a showpiece.

As Fernández has explained, the robot dog can identify litter and potholes on Monterrey’s streets, check on other stray dogs and help register them, and interact directly with people through a friendly voice and advanced recognition systems.

He can also easily stand up on his hind legs, and he even has his own Instagram account and Facebook page.

Since early July, before his official unveiling last week, he had been making short appearances here and there, including “My first visit to the Senate of the Republic,” which Waldog himself posted to Instagram on July 29.

His tech pedigree is impressive: The Unitree Go2 PRO, a model from Chinese robotics firm Unitree, gives Waldog cutting-edge autonomy, thanks to 4D L1 LIDAR that enables 360-degree navigation and remote operation from up to 100 meters away.

In one symbolic gesture to spark responsible pet adoption, Waldog was even “adopted” by a local veterinarian during his debut.

Fernández said he plans to deploy Waldog at schools, plazas and working-class neighborhoods across the Monterrey metro area — all with the hope of inspiring empathy, responsible ownership and community care for animals.

The senator’s Waldog campaign arrives as robotic dogs gather attention worldwide for their versatile roles.

In addition to activism, similar robots are used in search and rescue operations and are being developed by U.S. authorities for border patrol between the United States and Mexico.

Waldog’s packed schedule includes dozens of planned neighborhood visits and, of course, ample time posing for selfies with new friends.

With reports from Reuters, Infobae, ABC Noticias and Aristegui Noticias

Trump: ‘Mexico does what we tell them to do’

By
MND Staff
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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and US President Trump
"In Mexico, the people govern," Sheinbaum said in response to Trump's Thursday statements. (Cuartoscuro/The White House/X)

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum brushed aside U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion on Thursday that Mexico “does what we tell them to do” as she responded  by declaring that “In Mexico, the people govern.”

Sheinbaum made her initial comments in a video released on Thursday, but she doubled down on them during a press conference in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, on Friday.

“I’ve said this several times: President Trump has a way of speaking. But as I said yesterday, the only one who rules in Mexico is the people,” she said. “It’s that simple, and it’s that important.”

Trump’s public branding of Mexico as subservient is the latest in a string of provocations that Sheinbaum has had to deal with. The Mexican president has avoided direct confrontation with Trump despite the U.S. president’s aggressive approach, instead emphasizing Mexico’s sovereignty, and earning praise for keeping a “cool head” when dealing with her U.S. counterpart.

Trump’s comments to reporters came in the Oval Office on Thursday after he signed an executive order honoring the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act.

Trump says Canada and Mexico do 'what we tell them to do’

While bragging about his success at stemming the flow of immigration, Trump mocked his predecessor, Joe Biden for waiting on legislation to close the border.

“I had no legislation. I just said ‘We’re closing the borders’ and the whole world understood it because they … really respect this country again,” Trump said.

But now, Trump said, “Mexico does what we tell them to do. And Canada does what we tell them to do. Because we have the two borders … the northern border and southern border. And they were both horrible. But now … some people say it’s a miracle.”

Sheinbaum’s response came a few hours later, at the end of a video celebrating the recent opening of a new section of Chapultepec Park.

The president didn’t mention Trump by name, but she titled the social media post “En México, el pueblo manda” (“In Mexico, the people govern”), and concluded the video by saying “In case anybody has any doubts, this is a message from Mexico to the world: In Mexico, the people govern.”

Her message capped a week of repeated U.S. actions targeting Mexico. Last Friday, Aug. 8, she was forced to respond after The New York Times reported that Trump signed an executive order authorizing the Pentagon to target foreign drug cartels.

On Wednesday, the Mexican government responded to reports that a U.S. drone flew deep into Mexican airspace over an area considered a stronghold of the La Familia Michoacána drug cartel by saying it had requested the flyover.

‘There won’t be an invasion’: Sheinbaum de-escalates after Trump orders US military to target cartels

“It’s not a military plane, it’s not a military drone,” said Security Minister Omar García Harfuch, adding that it was sent to support an ongoing investigation by Mexican authorities.

Also this week, Mexico transferred 26 high-profile prisoners to the U.S., an action that García Harfuch said was an act of “bilateral coordination” and “with full respect for our sovereignty.”

One newspaper columnist suggested this was more about “placating Trump than keeping Mexico safe.” García Harfuch denied this, saying the expulsion of the criminals was not linked to Mexico’s efforts to avoid higher U.S. tariffs.

At the same time, Mexico is seeking the extradition of a former director of the state-owned oil company Pemex — arrested in Texas on Tuesday — on corruption charges, while cautiously awaiting developments in the unrelated case of two Mexican executives indicted on charges of bribing Pemex officials.

The latter case is fraught with peril for Sheinbaum and her party since the alleged infractions occurred after Morena took control of the federal government in December 2018 with the inauguration of Sheinbaum’s predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

With reports from Reforma, La Jornada, El Universal and El Financiero

Move over Frida and Diego: Here are history’s 5 most influential figures born and raised in Mexico City (Pt. 1)

By
Bethany Platanella
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Know your Santo from your Chespirito with the first instalment of our guide to Mexico City’s great and (possibly) good. (Canva)

To be fluent in “Mexican” requires an understanding of much more than Spanish. Like, knowing that Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera aren’t the sole defining figures of the culture. Cultural literacy demands familiarity with personalities whose influence runs far deeper into the fabric of Mexican society.

These ten icons, all born and raised in the capital, have shaped the country in many ways. Thus, knowing the stories behind these individuals will help outsiders understand much of Mexican humor, language, art, and chisme (gossip).

This two-part series was compiled thanks to three born-and-raised capitalinos who helped me identify the most important cultural phenoms for foreigners to know. There are just two women on this list. We hope that the next round will showcase more (Claudia Sheinbaum is notably missing, as we think she’s already getting her fair share of Mexico News Daily coverage). From personal scandal to powerful societal contributions, the following household names will lift you to a new level of fluency without taking one grammar class.

1. Mario Moreno “Cantinflas” (Comedian & Film Icon, 1911–1993)

Cantinflas deplaning and waving to fans.
Famed as an actor, comedian and movie star, Cantinflas was also an icon of Mexico City. (Iberia Airlines)

If you’ve never heard of Cantinflas, it can only be assumed that you have no Mexican friends. The beloved film star is so ingrained in the culture that he inspired a verb. “Cantinflear” refers to the act of talking, talking, talking — but never quite getting to the point. Born in Tepito, Cantinflas started in vaudeville-style theater,  going on to star in more than 50 films, including “Around the World in 80 Days.” He led the actors’ union, fought institutional corruption, and pushed for an independent union during the era of the PRI’s authoritarian dominance. Despite the ever-present temptation of Hollywood, the mustachioed comedian remained married to the same woman throughout his life. His death in April 1993 sent the nation into a deep mourning. Some estimates report that 500,000 people lined the nine-mile procession route his casket made through Mexico City.

2. Chespirito (Roberto Gómez Bolaños,TV Creator & Comedian, 1929–2014)

Chespirito dressed as his character Chavo.
Chespirito was famed for playing comedic characters such as Chavo. (Instagram)

If you’ve ever heard a friend say, “fue sin querer queriendo” (my subconscious made me do it), it’s thanks to the creator of El Chavo del Ocho and El Chapulín Colorado, Chespirito. His family-friendly characters allowed him to touch upon social themes like poverty and inequality through warmth and humor. Despite his jovial persona on screen, the backstage experience was entirely different. He spent years embroiled in drama over rights, money and his control over the legacy of his shows. There were well-publicized feuds over intellectual property with cast members, especially Carlos Villagrán (“Quico”) and María Antonieta de las Nieves (“La Chilindrina”), leading to lawsuits and lasting personal rifts. He died in 2014, but his shows remain popular across Latin America, underscoring his lasting cultural presence and the irony of his characters that preached harmony while their creator fought bitter legal battles.

3. José José (Singer & International Balladeer, 1948–2019)

José José - El Amar y El Querer (En Vivo)

“El Príncipe de la Canción” gained fame through his powerful emotional ballads, notably “El Triste” and “Gavilán o Paloma”, selling millions of albums across Latin America and beyond. His personal life told a very different story. José José’s violent, alcoholic father abandoned the family when he was a teen, a pivotal event that would ignite his own downward spiral. Struggles with alcohol and substances would plague him throughout his life and career. He was married three times – his second wife publicly accused him of serial infidelities, alcoholism and jealousy. A serious case of pneumonia in 1972 left one of his lungs permanently damaged, leading to a suicide attempt. His later years saw family disputes over his care and legacy, all broadcast in the Mexican media. In the early 2000s, José José moved to Miami with his third wife to be closer to his daughter Sara (Sarita). This decision ignited intense family controversy, as his children in Mexico — José Joel and Marysol Sosa — claimed they were kept in the dark about his condition, location and care. He died in 2019; his ashes were split between Miami and Mexico City in a final act of family division.

4. Hugo Sánchez (Athlete & Global Sports Figure, 1958–)

Hugo Sánchez in a pensive pose.
Hugo Sánchez was a legend on the pitch, both domestically and internationally. (Rob Bogaerts / Anefo)

Before becoming one of the best Latin American footballers worldwide, Hugo Sánchez studied dentistry at UNAM. But it was his spectacular goal-scoring and acrobatic moves at Real Madrid that thrust him into the spotlight. On the field, Sánchez was known for his larger-than-life ego, often calling out teammates and clashing with other stars. He was even quoted as insulting rival players off the field. Despite his spicy temper, he represented Mexico in multiple FIFA World Cups and continued his career as a coach and sports commentator for ESPN after retiring. His screen personality is just as bold as his player personality – he’s famous for candid, sometimes abrasive commentary. Sánchez’s success was not without scandal, and his decades-long marriage to Isabel Martín came to a disastrous end amid rumors of the worst kind — her infidelity with his best friend led to the “divorce of the decade.” Years later, Sánchez forgave her, sparking another round of gossip over his pride and reputation. The soccer star currently divides his time between Mexico and his luxury homes, including a seven-story mansion in Cancún measuring more than 900 square meters and multiple pools, jacuzzis, direct beach access and plenty of statues of himself playing his favorite sport. Fun fact: you can find him on TV, advertising toothpaste with #6 on this list.

5. Carlos Slim (Business Magnate, 1940–)

Carlos Slim in close-up.
Mexico’s richest man, circa 2007. (José Cruz/ABr – Agência Brasil)

Born in 1940 to Julián Slim Haddad, a Lebanese immigrant and self-made real estate mogul, Slim learned business skills from an early age. By age 12, the future magnate knew how to record finances and invest in stocks. But it wasn’t until his 40s that his fortune ballooned. In the wake of the 1982 crisis, Slim bought distressed assets (notably Telmex) cheaply and built a near-monopoly telecommunications company, shaping modern Mexican capitalism. Known as “El Ingeniero,” he’s a baseball fanatic (he loves the New York Yankees), famously frugal (according to Business Insider, he works from a simply furnished office and avoids luxury cars), and is heavily criticized for his market dominance that many argue stifles competition. He’s the founder of the free Museo Soumaya, named for his late wife, with whom he had six children, and several foundations focusing on education, health and downtown cultural preservation. Statista’s 2024 list of the richest Mexicans ranked Slim at #1 with an estimated worth of US $102 billion. Despite his unfathomable wealth, he embodies a particular brand of immigrant-family thriftiness and still lives in the Mexico City home he’s owned for three decades.

Want to find out who rounds out our esteemed list of Chilango megastars? Tune in next week for 5 more movers and shakers from Mexico City!

Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog or follow her on Instagram.

After an unusually wet summer, ‘average’ September rains expected to bring further drought relief to Mexico

By
MND Staff
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Rain clouds gather over Mexico City
After record-breaking June rains, some areas of Mexico are still in drought. September, usually the rainiest month of the year, should help. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)

September rains are expected to remain “close to the historical average” following a “very active” rainy season that has alleviated drought conditions across the country, the National Meteorological System (SMN) announced Thursday.

According to the agency, drought conditions dropped by 1.8% between July 27 and Aug. 10, compared to the previous 15-day period.

“In the center, the south, and the southeast in general, drought levels have dropped significantly with the rains. Fortunately, the monsoon has been very active throughout Sonora, Sinaloa, Oaxaca, and Durango. Only a few very limited regions on the northern border have still experienced persistent drought,” the SMN General Coordinator Fabián Vázquez Romaña explained.

In the short term, heavy rainfall is expected to continue across much of the country until Sunday, meteorologist Jesús Carachure told Uno TV. August and September are “statistically the months with the most rainfall,” he said.

Rains September average roughly 140 mm (5.5 in) while August generally sees 132 mm (5.2 in) of rain.

Vázquez recalled that June was the rainiest month nationwide on record, with a nation-wide average of 155 mm (6.12 in) of rain. The extra precipitation was especially notable in Mexico City, where repeated downpours led to unusual flooding.

It’s official: June was the rainiest month ever recorded in Mexico

The heavy rains have continued this month, as rainfall on Aug. 10 flooded Mexico City’s Zócalo and other areas of the Historic Center. It also led to the suspension of air operations in Mexico City International Airport (AICM) for about four hours and flooded several boroughs across the city.

According to Vázquez, that storm dumped  84 mm (3.3 in) of rain, a record for August. Although the rains caused traffic problems due to their intensity and short duration, Vázquez said the precipitation has been beneficial to the city’s water supply. The Cutzamala System, responsible for supplying water to both Mexico City and the state of México, is currently at over 60%, he said — a major improvement over this time last year.

He said September rains are expected to continue aiding the system’s recovery.

Invest 98 heading towards the Gulf of Mexico 

The SMN also warned of Invest 98, an unstable zone located in the western and southwestern Gulf of Mexico, which as of Friday morning had a 20% chance of developing into a cyclone (a tropical depression, storm or hurricane) within 48 hours. The weather system has generated very heavy rainfall in states such as Veracruz, Tamaulipas and Tabasco, with accumulated rainfall of up to 40 mm (1.6 in) and a high risk of flash flooding and thunderstorms.

In addition to being Mexico’s rainiest month, September is also the month of greatest hurricane activity in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. In October, rainfall begins to decrease with the arrival of cold fronts.

With reports from EFE and El Financiero

How two Irish boys took on a Mexican cycling adventure — and what they found when they got here

By
John Pint
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Two cyclists with their arms raised in the air posing in the desert
A pair of Irish cyclists had the adventure of their life — for better or for worse — when they traversed the Mexican mainland. (Jack Kenny and Oisin Dennehy)

A neighbor of mine is a member of Warmshowers, an international organization that provides long-distance cyclists with a place to rest and wash, free of charge. The other day, he invited me to meet two Irish lads from Cork who were bicycling their way from Vancouver, Canada, to Ushuaia, Argentina, a distance of 12,641 kilometers.

The cyclists, Jack Kenny and Oisin Dennehy, had arrived in Guadalajara after 51 days of hard pedaling, covering as many as 165 kilometers in one day.

The BikePack Boys
Long-distance cyclists Jack Kenny (left) and Oisín Dennehy take a break at a Warmshowers house in Zapopan, Jalisco. (John Pint)

A hot time in Baja

I asked Oisin how Mexico was treating them.

“The first days were rough,” he said. “But it was our fault, not Mexico’s. We entered through Mexicali and headed down Baja California in May. It was the worst heat experience we ever had.” The BikePack Boys, as they call themselves on Instagram, were soon enduring temperatures of 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit), so hot that very few businesses were open during daylight hours along their route. On various occasions, the pair were saved by truck drivers who saw them and stopped to give them water.

“To make matters worse,” continued Oisin, “we had a 15-mile-an-hour headwind the entire time. It was like pitting yourself against 10,000 hair dryers. Honestly, we came close to hallucinating.” 

Eventually, the hikers reached Santa Rosalia, halfway down the peninsula.

“At this point,” recalls Oisin, “I was so dehydrated and suffering from heat stroke that I went into the desert and tried to create a bit of shade by tying my tent up against a cactus. However, my attempt to create shade failed because the wind blew down whatever I tried to put up. So, after two hours of basically lying in the sun, I had to get back on the bike because I was running out of water. That was our most miserable day.”

The two cyclists told me they had been hit by the travel bug at age 20 and had started  by “tripping around Europe.” Jack then did a long bike ride from Cork to Istanbul, which led to two years of planning a trip through the Americas.

Cycling through the Baja California peninsula
Cycling the Baja California peninsula. (Jack Kenny)

“Ultimately,” said Jack, “we wanted an adventure, to cross borders and meet people, to get beyond preconceptions. We are going to take a few days off here in Guadalajara and try to immerse ourselves in the culture, meet new people, and try new food.”

The logging trail from Hell

“Was your ride down Baja the toughest part of the trip?” I asked the pair.

“Perhaps even worse,” said Oisin, “was a certain logging trail in Oregon. We had been enduring nonstop, intense rain for two days when we got onto that trail. It was very remote. There wasn’t even a road, just rock, gravel and steep gradients.”

“After lifting our bikes over multiple landslides in the pouring rain,” continued Jack, “our skin was puckered as if we had been swimming for hours. I emerged from the logging trail maybe half an hour before Oisin, and I said to myself: ‘We are going to treat ourselves and get a motel. This is too awful an experience not to take a warm shower.’”

“Then, two minutes after emerging from this non-road, a 4×4 truck came up to me. The driver put down his window and shouted, ‘Where are you coming from?’ And I said, ‘From the logging trail,’ and he got this very surprised look. Then he said, ‘Do you need anything? Do you need food or drink?’”

“So we ended up staying three days with this man and his wife, while we dried out.”

The BikePack Boys camping
The BikePack Boys experienced plenty of hospitality, but also enjoyed a few camping adventures. (Jack Kenny)

A Mexican welcome

The night before reaching their Warmshowers host in the Guadalajara area, the two Irish cyclists slept in Ixlán del Río, Nayarit. 

“Let me tell you about that,” said Jack, “because I think it will give you an inkling of the welcome we have been receiving from Mexicans.”

“I had been suffering for days from gastroenteritis. So I found a little hospital in Ixtlán where I saw a doctor.  They asked me to come back to get my blood work done. When I showed up in the morning, they smiled and said ‘Oh, Mr Kenny!’ as if I were a familiar face and they greeted me warmly, gave me a bottle of water and sat me down and when I was about to leave, a couple of the nurses hugged me and wished me luck on my adventure. Now I’ll tell you: You will get a good experience in an Irish hospital, but you won’t get a hug!”

Jack and Oisin reached Mexico City in June, and there their trans-American tour came to a halt.

“My gastrointestinal problems had gone from bad to worse,” Jack lamented, “and no amount of testing could find the cause. So, we’ve had to put our trip on pause. But we’ll be back!”

Danger ahead

“After cycling halfway down Mexico, how safe have you felt in this country?” I asked the BikePack Boys.

The BikePack Boys enjoying the scenery
The boys took a few breathers to enjoy the scenery and promised to visit Mexico again. (Jack Kenny)

“It’s funny,” replied Oisin. “In the U.S., we were told to prepare for the worst when we got into Baja.”

“‘It’s full of dangerous two-legged creatures,’ we were told.”

“When we got to Baja, we were treated royally, but everybody said, ‘Watch out for the dangerous people in Mazatlán.’”

“In Mazatlán, they told us the same story about Sinaloa, and in Sinaloa, they told us how dangerous it is in Guadalajara. When we got there, they said, ‘Beware of Michoacán,’ and then it was ‘God help you in Mexico City.’”

“Well, now we are in Mexico City, and I tell you, we’re just hoping to get robbed, so it will turn out that all those people were telling the truth.” 

On June 11, the BikePack Boys returned to Ireland, unharmed. Except, that is, for the bane of many a foreign traveler: Montezuma’s Revenge.

John Pint has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, for more than 30 years and is the author of “A Guide to West Mexico’s Guachimontones and Surrounding Area” and co-author of “Outdoors in Western Mexico.” More of his writing can be found on his website.

How Mexican archaeologists found the long-lost Maya city that resisted the Spanish 

By
MND Staff
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river in jungle
Near this stretch of the Lacantún River in the Mexican state of Chiapas, archaeologists have identified remnants of what they believe to be the Maya city of Sak-Bahlán. (Josuhé Lozada Toledo/ courtesy INAH)

With the help of 17th-century writings by a Spanish friar, archaeologists believe they have located Sak-Bahlán — the long-lost final stronghold of the Lacandón Maya rebels — deep in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas.

Abandoned more than 300 years ago, the fortified jungle city was the last independent settlement of the Lacandón-Ch’olti’ Maya after the Spanish captured their capital, Lacam-Tún, in 1586.

4 hilers in the jungle
The expedition, led by Josuhé Lozada Toledo of INAH, had modern technology at their disposal, but also needed good old-fashioned hiking skills for their jungle search. (Josuhé Lozada /Facebook)

The Lacandón Maya resisted conquest for 110 years before Spanish friars and soldiers subdued Sak-Bahlán in 1695 and renamed it Nuestra Señora de los Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrows).

The site was abandoned in 1721 and swallowed up by the jungle, its exact location long eluding historians and explorers, including a 1999 expedition with noted Belgian historian Jan de Vos.

Now, however, researchers say they pinpointed it using a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) model designed by Josuhé Lozada Toledo of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

“I took information from the chronicle of friar Diego de Rivas, from 1698,” Lozada said, referring to letters by the Spaniard that described the route to and from Sak-Bahlán in the 1690s.

“From those places mentioned, which I had georeferenced, I made a conversion of the four days mentioned … and obtained an approximate range of where the Sak-Bahlán site could be located.”

The model combined data on terrain, rivers, vegetation and the carrying load of travelers. De Rivas’ account described a four-day trek from the city to the Lacantún River, plus canoe trips to the Pasión River and onward to Lake Petén Itzá in Guatemala.

“I estimated how far a Maya would walk to get, for example, from Bonampak to Yaxchilán, or from Palenque to Bonampak,” he explained. “I developed an algorithm that allows me to calculate how many kilometers a person walks through the jungle in one hour.”

Fieldwork near the Jataté and Ixcán rivers revealed structures, pottery shards and other remains consistent with colonial-era accounts.

“It was the most arduous field trip I’ve ever had in my life, but … we found the archaeological evidence, right at the spot I had marked,” said Lozada, who also said he devoured Vos’ 1980 book “The Peace of God and of the King: The Conquest of the Lacandon Jungle, 1525–1821.”

According to an INAH press release, the site is now registered as “Sol y paraíso. Probablemente Sak-Bahlán,” or “Sun and Paradise. Probably Sak-Bahlán.”

Researchers rest by a river in Chiapas
Reaching the site was arduous, Lozada said, but researchers were rewarded when they found archeological remnants at the end of their journey. (Josuhé Lozada/ CINAH Chiapas)

Sak-Bahlán translates to “White Jaguar” in the Ch’olti’ language, a now-extinct branch of the Mayan language family spoken in this region.

An article detailing Lozada’s predictive model was published this week in the academic journal Chicomoztoc, and excavations, led by Lozada with Brent Woodfill of Winthrop University in South Carolina and Yuko Shiratori of Rissho University in Japan, will continue in 2026.

INAH said Lozada’s research project — which could reshape understanding of Maya resistance and survival — has been partially funded by the Discovery  Channel.

In 2023, the network’s “Expedition Unknown” series included an episode titled “Lost City of the White Jaguar” (see a clip here). Featuring footage of the archaeological work and early findings at the site, the full episode is on Discovery+, Max, Plex and other platforms.

With reports from El Universal, El Sol de México, Popular Mechanics and National Geographic

Poverty reduction and a major arrest: Thursday’s mañanera recapped

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MND Staff
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President Sheinbaum gestures at a graph showing a decrease in poverty in Mexico
President Sheinbaum celebrated the reduction in poverty Mexico experienced under her predecessor, after new INEGI data showed that 13 million Mexicans rose out of poverty during López Obrador's time in office. (Saúl López Escorcia/Presidencia)

The reduction in poverty during the sexenio (six-year term) of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the arrest of a former CEO of Pemex were among the issues President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Thursday morning press conference.

Here is a recap of the president’s Aug. 14 mañanera.

Sheinbaum highlights reduction in poverty during AMLO’s term 

Sheinbaum presented data from a new national statistics agency (INEGI) report that shows that 38.5 million people were living in poverty in Mexico in 2024, down from 51.9 million in 2018.

Of the 38.5 million people living in poverty last year, 31.5 million were in a situation of “moderate” poverty and 7 million were in a situation of “extreme” poverty, according to the INEGI data.

Sheinbaum noted that “more than 13 million people were lifted out of poverty” during the six-year term of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO).

She highlighted that the percentage of Mexico’s population living in poverty declined from 41.9% in 2018 to 29.6% in 2024.

An audience of reporters with cameras at a press conference
Sheinbaum credited the “Fourth Transformation,” the political movement started by her mentor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, for Mexico’s recent progress against poverty. (Saúl López Escorcia/Presidencia)

“Do we still have progress to make? Yes. It’s obvious that with 30% of the population in Mexico living in poverty, we have to keep advancing,” Sheinbaum said.

Still, “this reduction in poverty is a feat of the fourth transformation,” she said, referring to the Morena party-led political movement that has been in power since López Obrador took office in late 2018.

“It shows that the model works because it reduced poverty and inequality as well. In other words, there is greater distribution of wealth,” she said.

Sheinbaum said that the reduction in poverty was the result of the increase to the minimum wage in recent years — it almost tripled during AMLO’s term — government welfare programs and “access to rights” for citizens.

“We have to be very proud as Mexicans because this indicator speaks of the essence of our project — humanism. A humanist project is demonstrated in this, in the reduction of poverty,” she said.

“And we’re certain that we’re going to continue making progress. That’s why we talk about continuity and the advance of the fourth transformation,” Sheinbaum said.

Without COVID, poverty reduction would probably have been greater, says Sheinbaum

A reporter asked the president whether the reduction in poverty would have been “significantly greater” during AMLO’s sexenio if the COVID pandemic hadn’t occurred.

“It’s probable,” Sheinbaum responded.

“Remember that during the pandemic, due to the closure of companies that had to be done to avoid infections, GDP fell about 8% in 2020, a very sharp decline,” she said.

Sheinbaum stands next to a graph showing decreasing poverty rates in Mexico
Poverty levels increased at the start of the pandemic but fell in the later years of AMLO’s tenure. (Saúl López Escorcia/Presidencia)

Early in her press conference, Sheinbaum acknowledged that the number of people living in poverty actually increased during the first two year’s of López Obrador’s presidency due to the impact of the pandemic and associated restrictions.

However, after the sharp economic contraction in 2020, the economy recovered in 2021 and 2022, the president said.

INEGI data shows that the number of people living in poverty fell to 46.8 million in 2022 from 55.7 million in 2020. The decline continued between 2022 and 2024, with the number of people living in poverty in Mexico falling to 38.5 million people last year, as noted above.

Sheinbaum announces arrest in US of former CEO of Pemex  

Sheinbaum announced that a former CEO of Pemex was arrested in the United States on Wednesday on corruption charges. She didn’t initially name the CEO she was referring to, but later confirmed it was Carlos Alberto Treviño, head of Pemex during the final year of Enrique Peña Nieto’s 2012-18 presidency.

Former Pemex CEO Carlos Alberto Treviño
Sheinbaum confirmed that former Pemex CEO Carlos Alberto Treviño was arrested in the U.S. and will be tried in Mexico on corruption charges. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

“They’re going to deport him and he will be tried here in Mexico on corruption issues,” Sheinbaum said.

“… It has to do with the Odebrecht case,” she said, referring to a corruption investigation involving the Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht, which allegedly paid more than US $10 million in bribes to another former Pemex CEO, Emilio Lozoya.

Sheinbaum said that the case against Treviño is related to the allegations against Lozoya, who was released from preventive detention in early 2024, but still hasn’t faced trial.

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

US returns 500-year-old stolen manuscript signed by Hernán Cortés

By
MND Staff
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Part of the centuries-old manuscript, signed by Cortés himself, was found to be missing from Mexico's National Archives in 1993. (Gaceta UNAM/USA en español/X)

A stolen manuscript signed by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is back in Mexico after a binational investigation traced the document to the U.S.

Nearly five centuries after Cortés affixed his signature to the page, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) handed the priceless cultural artifact back to Mexico.

José Alfonso Suárez y Real, a spokesman for President Claudia Sheinbaum, on Thursday voiced appreciation for the return of the document, while the U.S. Embassy in Mexico praised the cross-border collaboration in a social media statement posted on Wednesday.

In a press release, U.S. Special Agent Jessica Dittmer, described the document as “an original manuscript page that was actually signed by Hernán Cortés on February 20, 1527.”

A member of the FBI’s Art Crime Team based in New York City, Dittmer said the document “outlines the payment of pesos of common gold for expenses in preparation for discovery of the spice lands.”

The manuscript also contains a detailed accounting of the logistics related to Cortés’ journey to what eventually became New Spain.

“Pieces like this are considered protected cultural property and represent valuable moments in Mexico’s history,” Dittmer said.

The newspaper The Guardian reported that the document was signed “just days before one of Cortés’ top lieutenants was appointed co-governor of the conquered territory.”

The Guardian further described 1527 as “a key year for the formation of royal and religious institutions that would rule over the Indigenous peoples of Mexico until its 1810-21 war of independence.”

The repatriation of the priceless document was the result of close collaboration between the FBI, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the U.S. Department of Justice and the Mexican government.

“This could not have been possible without the collaboration of … the FBI’s attaché office in Mexico … a valuable liaison between FBI personnel within the United States and … our foreign partners,” said NYPD Det. Rigel Zeledon, who helped Dittmer with the investigation.

Investigators believe the manuscript was stolen in the 1980s or 1990s, identifying the presence of wax numbering marks, a system used by Mexican archivists at that time. The FBI said these exacting details not only helped investigators find the document but also helped to authenticate it.

A painting depicts the fall of Tenochtitlan with war horses and pyramids
The manuscript was signed in 1527, just six years after the fall of Tenochtitlán (modern day Mexico City). Pictured: A 1650 painting by an unknown artist depicts the fall of Tenochtitlán. (Wikimedia Commons)

The FBI said Mexico’s National Archives “originally counted the repatriated manuscript among a collection of historical documents hand-signed by Cortés,” only to realize that 15 pages of the document was missing when an inventory was carried out while microfilming the collection in October 1993.

However, Mexico did not request the assistance of the FBI’s art crime team until last year, asking for help in finding the particular page returned on Wednesday.

The FBI says it is resolved to locate and repatriate the other missing pages.

“The United States — for better or for worse — is one of the largest, if not the largest, consumer of art and antiquities,” FBI Supervisory Special Agent Veh Bezdikian said in the press release. “We know how important it is for the United States to stay ahead of this, to support our foreign partners, and to try and make an impact as it relates to the trafficking of these artistic works and antiquities.”

The FBI said that open-source research suggested the missing manuscript was located in the continental United States, with the investigation narrowing in on stakeholders formerly and currently in possession of the manuscript page.

Investigators declined to disclose who was in possession of the document. And because they determined that the manuscript “changed hands several times over” in the decades since its disappearance, the FBI said no one will face prosecution.

FBI Boston recovers stolen manuscript signed by Hernán Cortés

This is the second time in two years that the FBI has returned a stolen Cortés document to Mexico. In July 2023, a 16th century letter from the conquistador that authorized a purchase of rose sugar was repatriated.

In 2022, a National Archives employee discovered that this manuscript — dated May 27, 1527 — was set to be auctioned in Boston in one week’s time. U.S. authorities halted the auction and gained possession of the document, which had received 22 bids and was on the verge of being sold for US $18,600.

With reports from El País, La Jornada, El Universal and The Guardian

US sanctions cartel-affiliated timeshare scammers in Puerto Vallarta

By
MND Staff
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beachfront with buildings
Resort areas like Puerto Vallarta attract timeshare arrangements where visitors, often foreigners, own a unit along with others and occupy it for a limited period at a time. (Nicole Herrero/Unsplash)

As part of a major crackdown on timeshare fraud in Mexico linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Wednesday sanctioned four Mexican nationals and 13 Mexican companies allegedly involved with fraud at resorts in Puerto Vallarta.

The CJNG, a powerful drug trafficking cartel designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization, allegedly leads the scams. The sanctions are part of a broader campaign against the financing of terrorist and criminal activities from Mexico, targeting their non-drug revenue streams such as fuel theft, human smuggling, extortion and fraud.

“We are coming for terrorist drug cartels like Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion that are flooding our country with fentanyl,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “These cartels continue to create new ways to generate revenue to fuel their terrorist operations. At President Trump’s direction, we will continue our effort to completely eradicate the cartels’ ability to generate revenue, including their efforts to prey on elderly Americans through timeshare fraud.”

The Treasury calls on current owners of timeshares in Mexico to stay vigilant. “If an unsolicited purchase or rental offer seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Treasury said.

This isn’t the first time the OFAC has sanctioned those linked, directly or indirectly, to the CJNG’s fraudulent activities. Similar actions occurred in  2023 and 2024.

The timeshare fraud that the CJNG uses in tourist destinations like Puerto Vallarta often targets U.S. citizens, particularly seniors, who are contacted by call centers posing as real estate agents, lawyers or representatives of U.S. companies. Cartels “generally obtain information about U.S. owners of timeshares in Mexico from complicit insiders at timeshare resorts,” the FBI said.

The fraud typically involves the victim paying “fees” or “advance taxes” with the promise of receiving funds from the supposed sale or rental of their timeshare. The money never arrives, and consumers are frequently asked to pay more to resolve fictitious problems.

After the initial fraud, consumers may experience “revictimization” scams, where other criminals pose as lawyers or officials who promise to recover the lost money in exchange for further sums.

Some 7,000 U.S. victims lost roughly US $350 million to timeshare scams in Mexico between 2019 and 2024. However, the FBI believes these figures don’t reflect the total losses, as many victims do not report scams due to embarrassment.

With reports from Fox News and UPI

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