Which type of tequila should I use in my cocktail?

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July 24, 2024

Three tequila cocktails — Do you know your types of tequila? Find out how to tell your añejo from your reposado, and what that means. (Shutterstock)

Choosing which tequila to use in a cocktail is an essential part of enjoying your drink to its fullest. But learning which ones you shouldn’t use is even more important. After all, you wouldn’t use your best malbec to prepare a Spanish sangría, right? Likewise, you’ll want to keep your best tequilas away from sodas and sparkling water.

Beyond the price of a bottle, it’s important to know which tequila will add the right flavor notes to your cocktail. Let’s say you’re preparing a margarita — should you use añejo, reposado or joven? The answer is not that simple.

What you add to your cocktail — or don’t — depends a lot on the type of tequila you use. (Shutterstock)

To help you confidently decide which type of tequila is best for mixed drinks and which is best for sipping, we’ve created a glossary classifying the available types of tequila and an explanation of how best to use each one.

What is tequila?

Tequila is a distilled beverage made exclusively with the blue agave, Tequilana weber, which is native to Mexico’s western states. Although 90% of the world’s supply of tequila is produced in Jalisco, the blue agave also grows in Michoacán, Nayarit, Guanajuato, Colima and Aguascalientes, among other states.

The appellation of origin system protects the Mexican tequila’s authenticity. Only spirits produced using the blue agave in 180 municipalities of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit and Tamaulipas, can be labeled as tequila.

How many types of tequila are there?

Tequila is divided into two categories based on the sugars the spirit contains. The first one is simply tequila, which comprises 51% blue agave and 49% other sugars. The other type is tequila 100% agave, which, as the name suggests, is made entirely from blue agave.

The blue agave cactus is the most important ingredient in tequila. (Stephan Hinni/Unsplash)

Based on the amount of time the spirit spends maturing in barrels, tequila is divided into five types: blanco, joven, reposado, añejo and extra añejo.

Let’s take a look at each one.

Blanco

Also known as plata or silver, blanco is the typical choice for preparing a margarita or paloma. It has a soft herbal aroma that includes notes of citrus, agave, fresh fruit and flowers.

Tequila blanco is not aged and spends no time in contact with oak, which is why it stays crystalline and colorless. For this reason, many tequila enthusiasts consider it the purest expression of an agave spirit. A good bottle of blanco can be prized for sipping, so don’t relegate it to cocktails alone.

Tequila blanco is often the cocktail tequila of choice, although some can be excellent for sipping. (Shutterstock)

Joven

Joven, which means “young,” is a somewhat rare style of tequila that blends tequila blanco and one or more aged tequilas. The time it spends aging varies, as it is a result of blends.

Taste wise, this type of tequila is a bridge between the herbal notes of tequila blanco and the delicate touches of oak and other additions of the tequila reposado. It is a good base for margaritas, palomas and martinis.

Tequila joven can feature additives allowed by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT), the organization that oversees tequila’s appellation of origin and represents producers. Some of these include caramel color, wood or oak extract, glycerin and sugar-based syrup. It is also known as oro, or gold.

Reposado

Reposado translates as “rested.” After distillation, it spends at least four months — and up to two years — in an American white oak barrel that infuses the spirit with its distinctive light straw color and golden reflections. It has ripe fruit aromas combined with wood and spices.

We Mexicans don’t blend a tequila reposado into a cocktail. The best recommendation is to drink it derecho, meaning without blending and at room temperature. To make it more refreshing, you can add ice.

Another popular and classic way to drink a reposado is sipping it in the form of a banderita, which replicates the colors of the Mexican flag. The drink consists of three different shot glasses called caballitos filled with lime juice, tequila and a spicy tomato-based drink called sangrita.

Añejo

Añejo means “old,” a name that references the years this tequila spends in an oak barrel after distillation — at least one, and up to three. This resting period gives añejo its characteristic amber and coppery brightness. It has dried fruit aromas blended with intense notes of wood, chocolate, honey, vanilla, olive or spices.

Due to its profound flavors, tequila añejo is best enjoyed through slow sipping, at room temperature or with ice. It is typically served in brandy or whiskey glasses. However, it can be a good substitute to whiskey in some cocktails, like the añejo old fashioned.

Tequila generally ages in oak barrels, giving it a distinctive dark color. (Shutterstock)

Extra Añejo

This is a relatively new style of tequila introduced to the market in 1995 by Jalisco’s Beckmann family, owners of tequila José Cuervo. Aged for at least 40 months, it has notes of honey with hints of cocoa, vanilla, nuts or candied orange.

While most distillers use a variety of wood barrels to age extra añejo tequila, the most popular ones are made of American and French oak.

Tequila extra añejo is a good substitute for bourbon or whiskey in cocktails. However, it is best enjoyed derecho: at room temperature or on the rocks in a cognac glass.

Salud!

Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog Dunas y Palmeras.

Explosion at José Cuervo distillery kills 6 workers

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MND Staff

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July 24, 2024

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The La Rojeña distillery caught fire on Tuesday after a tank exploded. (Facebook)

An explosion at a José Cuervo tequila distillery in Jalisco on Tuesday sparked a fire and killed six people, authorities said.

The Jalisco government said Tuesday that the deaths of five workers at the distillery in the municipality of Tequila had been confirmed, while state Civil Protection authorities reported Wednesday that a sixth body had been found.

Authorities said they do not know the cause of the two fires that broke out at the José Cuervo distillery. (Facebook)

“This morning while cooling operations and the removal of debris continued … a deceased person was found in a retention pit,” the Jalisco State Civil Protection and Firefighters Unit said on X.

It noted that the death toll from the incident had risen to six. Two other workers were injured, one seriously.

Casa Cuervo, which produces José Cuervo and other tequila and liquor brands, said in a statement that an accident that triggered a fire occurred at its La Rojeña factory at around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The fire was controlled and extinguished “efficiently” and the distillery was evacuated, the company said.

Casa Cuervo said it was cooperating with authorities to investigate the causes of the accident.

Citing first reports, the Jalisco government said that “the incident involved the explosion” of a tank, which sparked a fire in three additional tanks, each of which can hold 219,000 liters of “raw material.”

The government added that the cause of the explosion was unknown. Security camera footage showed the moment the explosion occurred. What appears to be a large tank or still is seen blasting out of the building. Photos showed it lying crumpled on the ground.

The explosion occurred on the grounds of José Cuervo's La Rojeña factory in downtown Tequila, Jalisco. — The explosion occurred on the grounds of José Cuervo’s La Rojeña factory in downtown Tequila, Jalisco. (José Cuervo)

Located around 65 kilometers northwest of Guadalajara, the “magical town” of Tequila is recognized as the birthplace of tequila, Mexico’s most famous spirit.

The “Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila” are together a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A “José Cuervo Express” train runs from Guadalajara to Tequila, where tourists can visit the La Rojeña factory — the world’s oldest tequila distillery — and other distilleries.

A second fire breaks out on Wednesday

The Jalisco government said that another fire occurred on Wednesday morning at the José Cuervo distillery in an area where cardboard and “other supplies” are stored.

The blaze – whose cause was also unclear – began as cooling operations and the removal of debris continued, the government said, adding that that the fire “reached a 200-liter barrel that contained residues of raw material.”

Firefighters and company personnel responded quickly and controlled the blaze without it posing “a major risk in the area,” the government said.

Mexico News Daily

This jailhouse carving may provide an early look into the conquest of Mexico

By

John Pint

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July 24, 2024

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Prisoner of Llerena carving — Does this show La Malinche marching with Hernán Cortés? While we know little about the story behind the mural, experts believe the artist must have experienced what happened first hand.

Who was the so called “Prisoner of Llerena,” an unfortunate prisoner detained by the Spanish government for crimes against the church? Recently, I stumbled upon a Facebook thread discussing the meaning of candlelight drawings scratched on the wall of a Spanish Inquisition jail cell in the early 1500s.

The sponsor of this conversation, an organization called Ruta Conquistadores, had published photos of the “mural” which had been copied and made available for public viewing in the Museo Histórico de Llerena, a small town in Spain’s Extremadura region.

Library archivist of Llerena, Francisco Mateos, discusses the jail-cell mural in a YouTube video.

The drawings seem to show Spanish soldiers, native Mexicans and several huge snakes possibly adorned with feathers.

Quetzalcoatl in the calaboose

Who might have been drawing conquistadores and Quetzalcoatl on the wall of a Spanish calaboose at such an early date?

Fortunately, I was able to contact Luisma Domínguez, director of Ruta Conquistadores, who kindly passed on to me explanations of the curious drawings, by local historian Manuel Toro and archivist Francisco Mateos:

“We see a great many Spanish soldiers, which may represent Hernán Cortés and his men. Among them walks a woman who may be La Malinche. There is a very large cross and below it a figure that I suppose is the author of the mural. There are birds and animals in the drawing and some huge serpents. Since we have only small snakes in Spain, I suppose all these things represent scenes in America, perhaps drawn by a soldier from this region, Extremadura, who ran afoul of the Inquisition.”

Domínguez thinks the Prisoner of Llerena may have been one of the 500 Spaniards who accompanied Cortés to America, “but one who had a problem. He might have been a Jew, a false convert, and when he came back to Spain, they put him in this prison.”

The full carving appears to depict the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

Prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition

“We see the author of this mural at the foot of the cross as a penitent,” says Domínguez, “realizing that he had to pay for his sin. But he appears to have drawn his own image twice. This has been interpreted to mean that he portrays himself as a Christian but deep down he is really a Jew. At some point in the New World, they must have discovered that he was a false convert and such was a person the Inquisition was after.”

Finding a conquistador in this part of Spain is not surprising, says Domínguez. “Almost all of Cortés’ men were born around here, within a circle about 100 kilometers in diameter. Soldiering was one of the main ways of life in Extremadura and once the Moors were driven out, most men were out of work… but then, America was discovered!”

The mural was quietly unveiled to the public seven years ago and since then a few Spanish historians and archaeologists have weighed in on just what it is.

I could, however, find no comments by experts in the New World, so I asked Luisma Domínguez for high-resolution photos of the drawings, which he sent me within a day. These I then forwarded to Mexican archaeologist Francisco Sánchez who specializes in the Pre-Hispanic ideographic tradition: how the Indigenous people transmitted information via images.

Many of the soliders who originally conquered Mexico hailed from the remote state of Extremadura. (about-spain.net)

A man named Snake

Sánchez immediately drew my attention to the lower left part of the drawing where we see a person wearing a crown with what appears to be a serpent attached to his head. “This,” he said, “is what is called a Name Glyph in the codices. It’s this figure’s name. It could be Quetzalcoatl, but there are many individuals whose names are related to a snake. Immediately behind this figure, we see what looks like two people kissing, but in reality, this is a symmetric face, a face seen from the front, but you have to see it close up. The two silhouettes form the nose, and the eyes in the two profiles are the eyes seen from the front. This is something very pre-Hispanic. We don’t know who that prisoner was, or where he was from, but one thing I can tell you for sure is that this was a person who had knowledge of what we call the Mixteca-Puebla iconographic tradition, found in the center of Mexico.”

Pre-Hispanic imagery

Sánchez pointed out that photos of the original wall show it very deteriorated. “So, when they did the restoration, they decided what was original and what was added later, and this they discarded. This influences the interpretation — but the snakes are pre-Hispanic without a doubt. A Spaniard could not have drawn them.”

So who made these images? Who was the Prisoner of Llerena?

Sánchez explained to me that in those days a favorite method of getting someone in the New World out of the way — without killing them — was to send them off to Spain and put them into what were called “secret” or “perpetual” jails, maintained by the Inquisition. One example is Nuño de Guzmán who died in such a jail cell, awaiting a royal audience which was never granted.

The unknown fate of Tenamaxtle

“The Spaniards also carried many indigenous to Spain,” Sánchez told me. “Some were nobles and some rebels. The latter, of course, ended up in prisons. One of them was Francisco Tenamaxtle, a leader of the Mixtón War in 1541, who was deported to Spain and then disappeared from history, lost in time…”

Was Tenamaxtle the mysterious Prisoner of Llerena? Let the research begin!

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.

Salma Hayek carries Olympic torch at official relay in Versailles

By

MND Staff

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July 24, 2024

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The Mexican actress Salma Hayek Pinault holding the 2024 Olympic torch in the Palace of Versailles — The Mexican actress Salma Hayek Pinault carried the torch from the Yvelines suburb of Versailles to the Palace of Versailles on Tuesday. (Paris 2024)

Mexican actress Salma Hayek Pinault was a guest of honor in the official torch relay in Versailles on Tuesday ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Queen Salma Hayek has entered the Chateau de Versailles,” reads the caption of a series of photos published by the Paris Olympics Instagram account.

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A post shared by Paris2024 (@paris2024)

The images show Hayek, 56, wearing the official Torch Relay uniform, consisting of a white track suit with orange detailing on the sleeves, and carrying the Olympic torch. In another video, Hayek appears next to French footballer and Paris Saint-Germain player Presnel Kimpembe, who also participated as a torchbearer.

The Mexican actress of Lebanese descent has deep ties to France. She has been married to French businessman Fracois-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of luxury group Kering and president of the investment holding group Artémis, since 2009.

“I represent everybody,” Hayek told the press. “I represent women, I represent Latinos, I represent Arabs, I represent middle-aged women, I represent housewives, mothers. But I also represent everyone who was ever told or made felt that they wouldn’t do anything with their lives. And every hardworking person. And I felt they were all with me as I was carrying the flame.”

The Oscar-nominated actress carried the torch from the Yvelines suburb of Versailles to the Palace of Versailles, joining the trainer of the France soccer national team Didier Deschamps and singer Patrick Bruel.

Salma Hayek at the Palace of Versailles ahead of the 2024 Olympics — “I represent women, I represent Latinos, I represent Arabs, I represent middle-aged women, I represent housewives, mothers,” reflected Hayek. (Paris 2024)

Hayek wasn’t the only celebrity participating in the relay. Other notable personalities included actress Halle Berry and F1 driver Charles Leclerc. The American rapper Snoop Dogg will carry the torch on Friday, July 26, the opening day of the Olympics. Other big names participating in the Olympics include Celine Dione and Lady Gaga, who will both perform at the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony will be held on the Seine River, the first time in history that an Olympics opening ceremony will take place in a venue other than a stadium.

The event will follow 85 boats carrying athletes from each Olympic delegation in a four-mile parade on the water. An ensemble of 3,500 actors, dancers and musical performers will put on a nautical show that will begin from the Pont d’Austerlitz and culminate at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

One hundred and nine athletes will represent Mexico at the 2024 Olympics, placing the country within the top 20 countries with the most participants.

With reports from El País and Variety

Inflation spikes more than expected in the first half of July

By

MND Staff

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July 24, 2024

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Fruits and vegetables at a market — Annual headline inflation rose to 5.61% in the first half of July, the highest in rate in over a year. (Cuartoscuro)

Mexico’s annual headline inflation rate continues to increase, rising well above 5% in the first half of July.

The national statistics agency INEGI reported Wednesday that the annual headline rate was 5.61% in the first 15 days of July, up from 4.98% across June.

Inflation has been on the rise since March, reaching 4.42% that month, 4.65% in April and 4.69% in May.

The headline rate in the first half of this month is the highest since the second half of May last year. It is above all forecasts in a Bloomberg survey of economists, whose median estimate was a 5.38% reading in the first half of July.

INEGI reported that consumer prices increased 0.71% in the first 15 days of the month compared to the second half of June.

The closely-watched annual core inflation rate, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, fell to 4.02% from 4.13% across June. The rate was on par with the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

The annual core rate has declined every month since February 2023.

Pricey produce pressures household budgets

INEGI data shows that fruit and vegetables were 25.69% more expensive in the first half of July than in the same period of last year. It was the highest annual inflation rate for those products since the first half of August 2017. The steepest annual price increases were for chayotes, tomatoes, green tomatoes and onions.

Overall inflation for fruit and vegetables across June was a slightly less painful 19.73%.

Annual inflation for the agricultural products category was 14.33% in the first half of the month, tempered by a 4.82% year-over-year increase in the cost of meat.

Chayotes and tomatoes saw some of the steepest price increases in the first half of July. (Cuartoscuro)

Andrés Abadía, chief Latin America economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said that adverse climatic conditions and “external factors” are the main drivers of inflation in Mexico this year.

Energy prices, including those for electricity and gasoline, increased 7.30% in annual terms in the first 15 days of July, while services were 5.17% more expensive.

Prices for processed food, beverages and tobacco increased 4.03% annually, while non-food goods were 1.94% more expensive.

Will the Bank of Mexico cut interest rates next month?

With headline inflation continuing to rise, it appears less likely that Mexico’s central bank will cut its benchmark interest rate after its board’s next monetary policy meeting on Aug. 8.

However, two economists quoted in a Bloomberg report believe that the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) — which targets 3% headline inflation — will make a cut to its 11% rate on the second Thursday in August.

“My feeling is central bankers will prioritize the improvement we see in core measures, which came in line with estimates, and cut,” said Jessica Roldán, chief economist at Casa de Bolsa Finamex and a former Banxico official.

Facade of the Bank of Mexico in Mexico City — The Bank of Mexico cut the key rate in March to 11% and will next meet to consider a rate cut in August. (Cuartsocuro)

However, she acknowledged that “it’s tricky to lower rates when this print should increase the bank’s inflation estimates.”

Kimberley Sperrfechter, an emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a note that “our base case remains that Banxico will resume its easing cycle next month.”

The central bank cut its key rate from a record high 11.25% to 11% in March, making its first reduction to borrowing costs in over three years.

Despite predicting a cut next month, Sperrfechter recognized that the probability of that occurring is diminishing “somewhat” due to the data showing that headline inflation reached its highest level in 14 months in the first half of July.

Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Mexico’s Banco Base, wrote on X on Wednesday morning that the Bank of Mexico “should wait longer to continue with interest rate cuts.”

Jonathan Heath, one of the central bank’s board members, said on X earlier this month that he agreed with the assessment of Jerome Powell, chair of the United States Federal Reserve, that “more benign inflation data” is needed before interest rates can be cut.

“He said it for the Federal Reserve, but it applies equally to the case of Mexico,” he wrote.

With reports from El Economista, El Financiero and Bloomberg

Musk says Tesla gigafactory in Mexico ‘paused’ because of potential Trump tariffs

By

MND Staff

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July 23, 2024

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Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla — Musk said there wouldn't be reason to invest in the factory in Mexico if Trump imposes tariffs on cars exported from Mexico. (Shutterstock)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday that the electric vehicle manufacturer’s planned “gigafactory” project in Nuevo León is currently “paused” because of the possibility that Donald Trump will impose tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico if he wins the Nov. 5 presidential election in the United States.

During Tesla’s Q2 earnings call, Musk was asked for an “updated timeline for Giga Mexico,” which the company first announced in March 2023.

Former president Donald Trump at a campaign rally — Trump has threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese-made cars exported to the U.S. from Mexico. (Shutterstock)

“We currently are paused on Giga Mexico. I think we need to see where things stand after the election. Trump has said he’ll put heavy tariffs on vehicles produced in Mexico,” he said.

“So it doesn’t make sense to invest a lot in Mexico if that is going to be the case. So we kind of need to see the way things play out politically. But we are increasing capacity at our existing factories quite significantly,” said Musk, who endorsed Trump after the assassination attempt on the former U.S president earlier this month.

Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on cars manufactured in Mexico by Chinese companies, but he hasn’t publicly announced any plan that would adversely affect vehicles made here by Tesla, a U.S. company based in Austin, Texas. United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai indicated in May that U.S. authorities could impose protective measures targeting vehicles and other products made in Mexico by Chinese companies.

As things stand, vehicles made in Mexico can be exported tariff-free to the United States provided they meet regional content rules.

Tesla gigafactory rendering for Nuevo Leon, Mexico — Rendering of the planned Tesla gigafactory in Nuevo León, which the state’s governor has said will lead to over US $15 billion in investment. (Tesla)

Musk said last October that Tesla was preparing to build a new factory in Nuevo León, but indicated that he was hesitant to “go full tilt” on the project due to prevailing global economic conditions and uncertainty. In May, Nuevo León Nuevo León Economy Minister Iván Rivas insisted that Tesla was still planning to build its highly-anticipated gigafactory in the municipality of Santa Catarina near Monterrey, despite the project being slow to start.

If the Mexico gigafactory doesn’t materialize, it will be a major blow for Nuevo León and the state government led by Governor Samuel García, who has been an outspoken champion of the project. His government agreed to provide a range of investments to facilitate the establishment of the plant.

According to the federal Economy Ministry, construction of the proposed gigafactory would involve an investment of more than US $10 billion. García said last September that Tesla and its suppliers would invest $15 billion in the state.

In February, Bloomberg reported that Musk had “invited Chinese suppliers to Mexico to replicate the local supply chain at Tesla’s Shanghai plant.”

The news agency said that “Chinese auto-parts makers are rapidly setting up plants” on the outskirts of Monterrey to supply the Tesla gigafactory.

BYD, a Chinese EV company and major competitor of Tesla, has also announced plans to build a plant in Mexico, but it hasn’t revealed a location or how much it intends to invest in it.

Mexico News Daily

A former head coach and a former star player return to save ‘El Tri’

By

MND Staff

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July 23, 2024

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From left to right: Mexican soccer star Rafa Marquez and coach Javier Aguirre on a soccer pitch in a previous World Cup — Former Mexican men's national team coach Javier Aguirre, right, and former national team member Rafa Márquez, left, have been hired has head coach and assistant coach respectively. They will lead the team in the 2026 World Cup. (FIFA)

In yet another effort to improve Mexico’s men’s national soccer team prospects in the 2026 World Cup — which will be held on Mexican soil — the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has brought back coach Javier Aguirre for his third stint leading the team affectionately known to fans as “El Tri.”

The FMF also named former Mexican national team star player, Rafa Márquez, as Aguirre’s assistant coach.

Mexico national team ex-player Rafa Marquez reacting to scoring against Argentina in the 2006 World Cup — Mexico player Rafa Márquez, the other half of the dynamic duo hired to lead El Tri, is considered to be Mexico’s fourth best soccer player of all time. (Rafa Márquez/Twitter)

Aguirre, 65, a Mexico City native, has coached nine professional teams in Mexico, Spain and United Arab Emirates over the past two decades. He’s also coached Japan and Egypt’s national teams and led Mexico to the knockout rounds of the 2002 and 2010 World Cups.

“El Vasco,” as he’s often referred to due to his parents’ origins in Spain’s Basque country — will have some solid help in bringing the Mexican team back to rights: newly hired assistant coach Rafa Márquez, 45, is considered one of the nation’s best players ever.

Márquez’s 147 appearances for the men’s national team ranks fourth all-time in Mexico. He was also the first Mexican ever to suit up for world-renowned FC Barcelona, where his seven-year stint included four La Liga titles, two Champions League titles and other honors. The Zamora, Michoacán, native has also played in five World Cups for Mexico.

FMF disclosed that it plans to keep Aguirre as head coach through the 2026 World Cup — which will be played in the U.S., Mexico and Canada — while grooming Márquez to take over in the years afterward, including the 2030 World Cup.

The changes to El Tri’s profile come after the July 16 firing of Jaime “Jimmy” Lozano, who had spurned an FMF offer to stay on as an assistant for two years and potentially take over again after 2026.

Lozano, who lasted just over a year at the helm, was sacked two weeks after Mexico failed to make it out of the group stage of the Copa América tournament earlier this month. The men’s national team won only 10 out of 21 games under his charge, although he did take the team to victory in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Mexican national soccer team former coach Jaime Lozano staring off beyond the camera at a game. — Men’s national team coach Jaime Lozano, was fired after Mexico’s humiliating failure to make it out of the group stage of the Copa América earlier this month. (FMF)

Despite that high point, Lozano ended up being just the latest in a string of what have been seen as coaching misses for Mexico’s team: the man Lozano replaced, Argentine Diego Cocca, lasted only seven games over four months, bringing the men’s national team only three wins. And the man before that, Gerardo “Tata” Martino, another Argentine, was fired after Mexico was eliminated in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.

The team has had a total of nine coaching changes over the past 10 years.

Mexico’s men’s national team has never won a World Cup — it’s only ever made it to the quarterfinals — but before 2022, it had at least advanced to the knockout round in seven straight World Cups (including the two times under Aguirre).

The recent coaching disasters — including a gut-grinding record of five losses and two ties in its last seven games against the United States — have put Mexican fans on edge.

FMF said it chose Aguirre for his national and international experience, his knowledge of Mexican soccer and how its players tick, his familiarity with high-stress situations and his leadership abilities.

Aguirre’s most recent coaching stint was two years with Spanish first-division team RCD Mallorca, but in May, the club announced he would not be returning. Aguirre was also a player from 1979 to 1993, playing for professional teams in Mexico and in Spain and also the defunct U.S. professional team, the Los Angeles Aztecs.

Mexico's national team posing for a group photo with their trophy for the Concacaf World Cup — Despite their 2023 Gold Cup victory, Mexico’s men’s national team has struggled in recent years with demoralizing losses and a revolving cast of coaches. (FIFA)

Márquez, who played professionally from 1996 to 2018, returns to Mexico after having coached FC Barcelona’s reserve team for two years. He was 39 when he played in his last World Cup for Mexico in 2018 — in Russia, where the men’s team got an early ego boost in the first round with a surprise defeat of Germany’s powerhouse national team.

El Tri was ultimately lost that year to Brazil, however, before reaching the quarterfinals.

FMF officials said they chose Márquez for his skills in developing young players and for his overall knowledge of the game.

“I haven’t been this excited for a coaching staff for the Mexican national team in a long time,” said Mauricio Pedroza, an analyst with ESPN.

“This is as good as it gets,” he said on “Futbol Americas,” an ESPN English-language show. “This is the best manager in the history of Mexico, and alongside him, the second-best player in the history of Mexico.”

Should Rafa Marquez trust FMF to follow through and give him the head coaching job in WC 2030 or is he making a mistake he will regret? #FutbolAmericas 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/FihDT3BmP6

— herculez gomez (@herculezg) July 23, 2024

ESPN commentator Mauricio said on the ESPN soccer show “Futbol Americas” that Mexican national team fans should be excited about the new coaching duo of Aguirre and Márquez.

“We can go through the ‘whys’ and ‘hows,’ and it’s not going to look great,” Pedroza added. “But in the end … I feel like all Mexican national team fans should be very excited.”

With reports from El Universal, Proceso, ESPN and Associated Press

Director says Lake Texcoco Ecological Park will be inaugurated in August

By

MND Staff

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July 23, 2024

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A bird flies over the wetlands with the city skyline in the background — The massive Lake Texcoco Ecological Park includes recreational areas, as well as protected wetlands. It is reportedly 95% complete. (Cuartoscuro)

The Lake Texcoco Ecological Park (PELT) — located on and around the site of the canceled Mexico City airport project — will open next month, according to the park’s director.

Iñaki Echeverría told reporters that the park — a federal government project — is 95% complete and will be inaugurated by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in the middle of August.

Texcoco park rendering — The park is reported to be 95% complete and will open in August. (Rendering/Gob MX)

It is more than twice the size of Manhattan and 17 times bigger than the Chapultepec Forest, the park in central Mexico City that is home to various tourist attractions including the Chapultepec Castle, the Chapultepec Zoo and the National Museum of Anthropology.

Echeverría, an urbanist and architect who designed the PELT, noted that the development of the México state site as an ecological park was first proposed during the 2006-12 presidency of Felipe Calderón.

However, the project wasn’t carried out, and the plan was scrapped when the 2012-18 government of former president Enrique Peña Nieto decided to build what was to be called the New Mexico City International Airport (NAICM) on the site.

López Obrador’s cancellation of the NAICM project after a legally-questionable vote held in late 2018 paved the way for the plan to be taken up once again.

Rows of cultivated cactus at the Texcoco park — The project includes a nursery where native species of plants are being cultivated. (Cuartoscuro)

At the heart of the project, Echeverría said, is the recovery of wetlands on the site of the ancient lakebed.

“It’s a project of environmental regeneration,” he said. “… It’s about recovering … all the bodies of water and habitat that we can.”

The 14,030-hectare PELT is located in the municipality of Texcoco around 25 kilometers northeast of the historic center of Mexico City. The park — declared a natural protected area in 2022 — is being developed with an investment of 5.5 billion pesos (US $302.8 million).

It aims to improve air quality in the eastern section of greater Mexico City and the quality of life of local residents by giving them easy access to a vast recreational space. In addition, Echeverría said the park will help regulate temperatures as it is located within the area of the Valley of Mexico’s worst urban heat island.

3 bodies of water have been restored

During a tour of the PELT with reporters late last week, Echeverría said that the San Juan Marsh and the Xalapango and Texcoco Norte lagoons have been restored. He also said that the park will enable public access for the first time ever to the artificial Lake Nabor Carillo, which was built in the 1980s.

A lookout has been built, providing an excellent vantage point to observe the lake and its birdlife.

“The idea … with this lookout is to open up to the public … a magical place that is very close to the most populated area of the Valley of Mexico. Few people have seen the lake up close and the number of birds, the sounds — it’s an experience that can be transformative,” Echeverría said.

AMLO and Iñaki Echeverría — AMLO and Echeverría (right) on a tour of the site in September of last year. (Lopezobrador.org.mx)

Gabriela González Márquez, the park’s head of natural resources protection, said that 250 bird species and 350 other species of fauna can be found in the PELT. Some of those birds migrate to Mexico from as far away as Alaska and South America.

The PELT at a glance

Among the additional park amenities are:

A 270-hectare sports area that includes soccer fields, basketball courts, baseball fields and “adventure games”
A site museum
Children’s parks
A restaurant
Cycleways
A running track
Skateparks
A nursery

Echeverría said that “practically everything” is ready.

“In overall progress, we’re at 95%. There are things that are already 100% [complete] and others that are being finished,” he said.

Some 8 million people are expected to visit the park annually.

Lake Texcoco park buildings — The park expects to receive around 8 million visitors a year. (Lopezobrador.com)

Getting to the park

Once the park is open, public buses will run to it from the Terminal Aérea metro station at the Mexico City International Airport, and from points in the México state municipalities of Nezahualcóyotl, Chimalhuacán, Ecatepec and Chiconcuac.

Buses will also operate on three different routes within the PELT, Echeverría said.

With reports from N+, Proceso and Milenio

Sofía Bassi: Mexico’s first and most murderous surrealist

By

Camila Sánchez Bolaño

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July 23, 2024

4

Sofía Bassi was born on July 13, 1913, in Mendoza, Veracruz, a city named after her uncle, Gen. Camerino Z. Mendoza. Sofía grew up with her brother, Fausto Celorio, the renowned inventor of the tortilla machine — yes, before him, all tortillas were handmade.

Bassi was married twice; her first marriage gave her two children, Hadelin and Claire. Later, she married Dr. Gian Franco Bassi, with whom she had one child, Franco. Gian Franco took in Haidelin and Claire, and the three children grew up together as siblings. It was for her art — and scandal — for which she would be best known, however.

A pioneer of Mexican surrealism

@artbypilart La pintora surrealista Sofía Bassi fue una exitosa artista mexicana en la década de los 60’s y 70’s, hasta que un trágico incidente la llevó a parar a la cárcel con una condena de once años, de la cual sólo permaneció cinco, ya que el gobierno de la época recibió una intensa demanda del público y de intelectuales para que se le dejase en libertad, ya que se cree que en realidad Bassi se inculpó de un crimen que no cometió para salvar a la verdadera culpable del asesinato: su hija. En toda su estancia en la prisión, Sofía nunca dejó de pintar, al contrario, acrecentó su bagaje artístico y hasta pintó murales dentro del lugar, los cuales aún permanecen. Además es curiosísimo que su estancia no hizo más que AUMENTAR su fama, y cuando salió continuó con una exitosa vida artística que la llevó a pintar un par de murales más y a tener gran reconocimiento en el país. ¿Ya conocías a esta artista? 💜 _________ #art #arte #womaninart #femart #mujeresenelarte #mujeresartistas #8m #diadelamujer #sofiabassi #rodin #surrealismo #mujeressurrealistas #artistasmexicanos #artistasmexicanas #mesdelamujer #8marzo #fyp #fypシ #fypage #fypppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp ♬ kill bill by sza – lyrics e traduções.

Sofía Bassi is considered the first Mexican surrealist painter, a contemporary of legends Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. Although Bassi began her artistic career in 1964, she transcended surrealism, creating oneiric works that blurred the boundary between fantasy and nightmare. Her paintings, characterized by green and ocher tones, depicted dreamlike landscapes and ethereal figures that are sometimes scary.

Bassi’s work began to gain attention among wealthy Mexicans in the 1960s and captured the interest of figures such as José Luis Cuevas, who described her as “a painter who really excites.” Her first solo exhibition in 1964 received positive reviews and in 1965 she exhibited at the Galeria Plastica in Mexico. Subsequently, pieces of hers were requested for the Lys Gallery in New York.

The Acapulco scandal

Bassi’s alleged killing of Count Cesare d’Acquarone shocked Mexican society. (Biblioteca Mario Vázquez Raña)

In 1968, just when Acapulco was the epicenter of the world’s jet set, the city’s image was tarnished by a murder. Sofía pled guilty to the murder of her son-in-law, Count Cesare d’Acquarone. This event, which shocked high society in Mexico and Italy, became one of the most relevant events of the year and was covered by newspapers worldwide.

The murder took place on Jan. 3, 1968, at the Quinta Babaji in Acapulco’s Las Brisas neighborhood. Bassi claimed responsibility for the shooting, alleging it was an accident. However, investigations revealed that the count was shot five times in different parts of his body, disproving Sofía’s version.

Some sources suggest that Sofía’s daughter Claire was the perpetrator of the crime and that Sofía took the blame to protect her. The true motivation for the assassination remains a mystery — the most widely accepted hypothesis is that the count sexually abused Claire’s younger brother, which led Claire to kill him. Sofía, upon discovering the crime, decided to incriminate herself and was sentenced to 11 years in Acapulco prison. Claire attempted suicide years later, supposedly leaving a note confessing to the crime, but the letter disappeared, and Claire survived the suicide attempt, although blinded for life.

The news spread quickly through the international press, mobilizing intellectuals from across the country to demand Sofía’s release. Colleagues like José Luis Cuevas, Alberto Gironella, Rafael Coronel and Francisco Corzas always considered her innocent and declared it whenever possible. They all painted the mural “First my homeland, then my life” together with Bassi inside the prison. The mural is 8 square meters and is now at the Municipal Palace in Acapulco.

Thanks to this pressure, Sofía spent only five years in prison. During her incarceration, she stayed in the prison infirmary and devoted herself to painting, creating over 250 works marked with the acronym ELC — “En La Cárcel,” or “In Prison.” These works became portals to other worlds, reflecting his attempt to escape the claustrophobia of confinement.

Art and prison

Bassi’s “Angel de la Fecundación,” 1980. The artist often used her work to process the feelings brought on by the scandal that had plagued her since the killing in Acapulco. (Unquiet Things)

Sofía used painting to overcome the scandal and tragedy that accompanied her for years. Although society decided to position her in the surrealist movement, her works integrated poetic elements, despite being self-taught. She painted two murals during her lifetime: “First My Homeland, Then My Life” and “Wisdom is Peace” at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Since her first exhibition, Sofía has exhibited in Mexico, the United States, Europe, and Africa. Some of her most important exhibitions are part of the Museum of Modern Art, La Maison de L’Amérique Latine in Paris, the Selma Lagerlöf Museum in Stockholm, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and the Gallery of the Presidency of the Republic in Mexico City.

In 1969, Sofía was invited by NASA to celebrate her work, and she painted “Viaje Espacial,” which astronaut Michel Collins presented for the first time. The work is part of the Smithsonian Museum collection.

In addition to her pictorial art, Sofía wrote several books, including “El Color del Aire,” “El Hombre Leyenda, Siete Cuentos Inserts,” and “Prohibido Pronunciar su Nombre,” a novelized autobiography that reflects part of the Mexican society of the time.

The crime had a brief life in the media, as the world’s eyes turned to the country’s capital for the 1968 Olympic Games. However, Sofía Bassi’s story continues to be a subject of interest because, beyond the morbidity and scandal, her artistic legacy and her ability to transform tragedy into art are things to be honored.

Camila Sánchez Bolaño is a journalist, feminist, bookseller, lecturer, and cultural promoter and is Editor in Chief of Newsweek en Español magazine.

Authorities shut down second-largest drug lab found during AMLO’s term

By

MND Staff

-

July 23, 2024

8

The authorities confiscated 3,920 kilograms of material presumed to be methamphetamine, along with precursor chemicals and lab materials. (Semar)

The Naval Ministry (Semar) on Monday announced that Navy personnel and officials from the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) located and neutralized a clandestine drug lab in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico.

In a press bulletin, the Navy said it destroyed the lab, the drugs and the chemicals which, taken together, comprised the second biggest drug bust during the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who took office Dec. 1, 2018.

Elementos de @SEMAR_mx y Agentes de la @FGRMexico Desmantelan un narcolaboratorio en #ElDorado, #Sinaloa, siendo el segundo más grande que desmantela la #Marina en 2024, con una afectación superior a los Mil 500 MDP al crimen organizado. (🎥) @Reporte_Indigo @CapitalMexico pic.twitter.com/2wI8wcs3A4

— Guillermo Espinosa (@Guiesga) July 23, 2024

The authorities confiscated 3,920 kilograms of material presumed to be methamphetamine along with 28,600 liquid liters and 2,250 kgs of precursor chemicals. Also seized were 19 500-liter storage drums, seven centrifuges, 124 plastic tubs of various sizes, 81 30-kg tanks of LP gas, five pumps, four generators, 28 current amplifiers and 23 fans, among other materials.

The drug lab was discovered near the village of El Dorado, about 198 km south of the Eighth Naval Zone based in Topolobampo, Sinaloa, during a routine Navy-FGR patrol. The authorities estimate the street value of the material confiscated exceeded 1.5 billion pesos (US $82.7 million).

The biggest drug bust during López Obrador’s term occurred in February of this year when the Navy uncovered a drug lab in the mountains of Sonora with over 35 tonnes of methamphetamines (crystal meth) ready for sale. Chemicals that could be used to produce an additional 41 tonnes of illegal drugs were also confiscated from the same site.

Combined, the potential street value of everything seized was more than US $600 million, according to Semar, which calculated that the operation had prevented roughly 1 billion fentanyl pills from reaching the United States, Canada, Australia, China, Spain, Japan and several European countries.

The El Dorado bust is the second significant blow handed by Semar to drug cartels this month.

On July 6, in the port of Manzanillo, Colima, Navy personnel teamed up with the Coast Guard to confiscate acetic acid, a corrosive organic acid that can be used in the manufacture of phenyl-2-propanone, methamphetamine and amphetamine.

On July 6, the Navy seized five industrial tanks containing acetic acid, a precursor chemical, at the port of Manzanillo, Colima. (@vivonoticiascol/X)

Nearly 90 tonnes of acetic acid, a strong, flammable irritant with a vinegar-like odor, was found inside polyethylene industrial tanks — also known as cubitainers or cubitanques — designed to hold corrosive materials. The cubitainers were hidden inside four shipping containers.

In May, the Navy also reported the confiscation and destruction of materials seized from eight clandestine drug labs in the state of Sonora.

The number of clandestine drug labs discovered throughout Mexico has grown from 58 in 2018 to 948 in 2023, according to a report published by the newspaper El País. Over 2,000 have been dismantled during President López Obrador’s term.

With reports from La Jornada and Milenio