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Former president AMLO calls on Mexicans to donate money for Cuba in rare public message

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MND Staff
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Miguel Díaz-Canel and Andrés Manuel López Obrador
AMLO awarded Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel with the Order of the Aztec Eagle in 2023. (@lopezobrador/X)

Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Saturday issued a call for Mexicans to make monetary donations to a recently created non-governmental organization in order to purchase food and other essentials for the people of Cuba.

His appeal came in a social media post, marking just the third time the ex-president has posted to Facebook and X since leaving office on Oct. 1, 2024.

“I’m retired but it pains me that they’re seeking to exterminate the brotherly people of Cuba due to their ideals of freedom and defense of sovereignty,” wrote AMLO, as López Obrador is widely known.

He was referring to the situation of extreme hardship the people of Cuba are facing amid a U.S. blockade on oil shipments to the Communist-run Caribbean island nation. The Mexican government last month shipped more than 2,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Cuba to alleviate shortages of food and other essentials.

AMLO’s post continued: “To those who think it’s someone else’s fight, I remind you what General [Lázaro] Cárdenas said when the Bay of Pigs Invasion occurred: ‘It is not right to claim indifference to their heroic struggle, because their fate is ours.’

“Consequently, I invite everyone to make a deposit into Banorte account 1358451779 of the civil association Humanidad con América Latina [Humanity with Latin America], which was opened by citizens, writers and journalists to purchase food, medicine, oil and gasoline … to help the Cuban people. Everyone should contribute what they can!”

As president, López Obrador made repeated calls for the United States to lift its embargo on Cuba. He visited Cuba in 2022 and received the country’s highest state honor from Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

In 2021, AMLO declared that Cuba is an “example of resistance” and asserted that the entire island nation should consequently be declared a World Heritage site.

Claims of corruption follow AMLO’s post 

López Obrador’s post came four days after the newspaper La Jornada published an editorial that announced the creation of the Humanidad con América Latina bank account to collect donations to purchase food, medicine and other essentials for the people of Cuba.

The March 10 editorial was endorsed by more than 200 people, including writers Elena Poniatowska and Laura Esquivel, director of La Jornada Carmen Lira Saade, and the illustrator and artist Carlos Pellicer López, nephew of the poet Carlos Pellicer Cámara, a native of the state of Tabasco and a political mentor of AMLO, who was also born in Tabasco.

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO, 22FEBRERO2024. Carlos Pellicer López durante la ceremonia solemne por la develación de la inscripción de la leyenda: “Carlos Pellicer Cámara, el Poeta de América", en el muro de honor del Senado de la República. FOTO: EDGAR NEGRETE LIRA/CUARTOSCURO.COM
Carlos Pellicer López, along with several other Morena-affiliated intellectuals, published an editorial promoting the Humanidad con América Latina bank account on Sunday. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)

Esquivel and Pellicer López were identified as those “responsible” for the editorial, which said that not supporting the people of Cuba at a time when the U.S. government is “seeking to vanquish them through hunger and shortages” would be a “crime.”

Pellicer’s personal email address is listed as the official contact for Humanidad con América Latina.

The online reaction to AMLO’s social media post was mixed, with some people praising the ex-president for bringing attention to the plight of the Cuban people and even sharing details of their deposits to the account of the NGO he promoted. Others questioned why he didn’t do more to help the people of Mexico when he was president, or pointed to the rapid creation of Humanidad con América Latina as a sign of corruption.

On X on Sunday, the journalist and lawyer Gildo Garza wrote:

“#Corruption #Mexico In Mexico there is no human power that can create a civil association and in a matter of days turn it into an authorized donee. That process normally takes three to six months … but now Humanidad con América Latina appears with express authorization. … This reeks of simulation and corruption within [tax agency] SAT. … While [AMLO] speaks of sovereignty and Cuba, in Mexico another trail remains: ‘civil’ structures that end up turning into vehicles of power and money.”

In another X post, Garza wrote that Carlos Peciller, “nephew of AMLO’s political father” and a member of the ex-president’s “own circle,” controls the bank account of Humanidad con América Latina.

“That doesn’t seem like help [for Cuba]. It reeks of opacity and simulation. They continue depositing [money to the account] and maintaining corruption,” he wrote.

The news outlet La Silla Rota said that Peciller is the “legal representative” of Humanidad con América Latina, which was created earlier this year and authorized by SAT to receive donations last Monday.

Prominent journalist Azucena Uresti, who interviewed Garza on Monday, wrote on X that “AMLO has used victims for his benefit.”

“Now he makes a call to support Cuba,” she wrote, “but after the 2017 earthquakes he created the ‘For the others’ trust,” which was supposed to collect money for earthquake victims, but which allegedly funded the campaigns of Morena party candidates at the 2018 election. The National Electoral Institute (INE) fined Morena 197 million pesos for the misuse of trust funds, but the Federal Electoral Institute subsequently revoked the punishment.

All bank accounts must follow rules, says Sheinbaum, before pledging to make a personal donation to the Cuban people

At her Monday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged both the La Jornada editorial and AMLO’s social media post.

“I believe the president López Obrador has come out [to make public comments] three times since his political retirement,” said Sheinbaum, who served as a minister in AMLO’s government when he was mayor of Mexico City.

She recalled that her ex-boss and political mentor made public remarks on the day of Mexico’s first-ever judicial elections last June, and appeared on social media last December to promote his new book.

“And this is the third time,” she said, although AMLO also commented on what he called the “kidnapping” of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in January.

Sheinbaum subsequently sought to respond to the questions that have been asked about the bank account created by Humanidad con América Latina, although she didn’t comment on how it obtained such prompt authorization from SAT to collect donations.

“All bank accounts are subject to regulations, this one too,” she said.

“In other words, it won’t be excluded from the rule for deposits. Everything is always audited,” Sheinbaum said.

What López Obrador and many other prominent people did was to issue a “call for solidarity” with the people of Cuba because they are “suffering,” she said.

“And it is suffering that has nothing to do with them, it is suffering that is related to isolation that has been in place for decades in the form of a [U.S.] trade embargo, and recently a fuel blockade,” Sheinbaum said.

Later in her press conference, the president said that Mexico has “always” supported the Cuban people and reiterated that her government will continue to do so.

Asked whether she would make a personal donation to the bank account set up by Humanidad con América Latina, Sheinbaum responded:

“Yes, I think so. I’m going to do it, on a personal basis.”

Garza — the journalist and lawyer who has emerged as a leading questioner of the circumstances surrounding the authorization by SAT of a bank account of an NGO focused on collecting donations to purchase essentials for the people of Cuba — asserted on X that Sheinbaum “didn’t clarify anything” with her remarks on Monday morning.

“She hid the heart of the matter beneath an administrative phrase. Nobody is asking if a bank account exists. The question is how a hastily put-together association found a way to collect public money in record time,” he wrote.

“She didn’t respond [to the questions about] legality. She managed the evasion,” Garza added.

With reports from Infobae, Político MX and La Silla Rota 

Army arrests key cartel operative who exposed location of ‘El Mencho’

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MND Staff
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José 'N' (alias) Pepe
José 'N' (alias) Pepe was one of the main logistics operators of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), according to Mexico's Defense Ministry. (Defensa)

A man who allegedly delivered Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera’s lover to him shortly before the cartel boss was killed in a military operation on Feb. 22 was detained on Sunday, authorities said.

The Ministry of National Defense (Defensa) announced that Mexican Army special forces and National Guard personnel arrested José “N” while they were carrying out “land patrols” in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, a municipality in Jalisco that is part of the Guadalajara metropolitan area.

Defensa said in a statement that “José ‘N’ (alias) Pepe is considered one of the main logistics operators” of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which Oseguera founded and led for many years until his death last month.

The ministry also said that the suspect “was the person in charge of transferring the romantic partner of the deceased Rubén Oseguera Cervantes (alias) Mencho to Tapalpa, Jalisco,” where the Feb. 22 military operation occurred.

Defensa said that military personnel seized drugs, weapons and a vehicle from José “N,” who was placed in the custody of the organized crime division of the Federal Attorney General’s Office.

The day after the military operation targeting Oseguera, Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo said that authorities determined the location of the CJNG leader after a man delivered one of his “romantic partners” to him.

Trevilla said that on Feb. 20, military intelligence work enabled the location of a “trusted man of one of the romantic partners of ‘El Mencho.'”

That man, he said, transported Oseguera’s lover to a property in Tapalpa, a municipality around 130 kilometers southwest of Guadalajara.

Trevilla said that the woman met with “El Mencho” at the property.

Inside El Mencho’s last hideout in Tapalpa, Jalisco

The next day — the day before Oseguera was killed — the woman left the property “and information was obtained that ‘El Mencho’ remained at that place,” the defense minister said.

Oseguera’s lover has been identified in media reports as Guadalupe Moreno Carrillo. The Mexican military “had photographs of her and maintained close surveillance of properties where she lived in Zapopan and Puerto Vallarta,” according to the news outlet La Silla Rota.

Moreno and Oseguera reportedly began their relationship after the CJNG leader separated from his wife, Rosalinda González Valencia, in 2022.

Asked last Thursday whether El Mencho’s lover had been detained, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she didn’t know, telling reporters that her government would report on the matter at a later date.

The newspaper El Financiero reported on Sunday that Moreno appears in military intelligence reports that were leaked in 2022 by a group of hackers called Guacamaya.

In military reports, she is referred to as a “recurrent companion of ‘El Mencho,’ with regional coordination roles within” the CJNG, El Financiero wrote.

With reports from El Financiero and La Jornada

Wolves return to Durango after 50-year absence in landmark binational conservation effort

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MND Staff
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The pack of one alpha male, one alpha female and two females (their pups) was transported from the U.S. to Durango last week. (Guerreros Mexicanos/Facebook)

A pack of endangered wolves was released into the wild in the northern Mexican state of Durango on Friday, thanks to collaboration between Mexico and the United States under the Saving Animals from Extinction (SAFE) program.

The reintroduction of the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) to Durango marks a historic moment for the species, allowing the wolf — to return to its natural habitat of Sierra Madre Occidental after 50 years of absence from the wild. According to Wolf Haven International, there are only 311 Mexican wolves known to be living in the wild today.

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) facilitated the return of the four wolves to the forest community of El Tarahumar and Bajíos del Tarahumar, in the municipality of Santa Catarina de Tepehuanes, following the unanimous approval of the community assembly.

“Durango boasts well-preserved forests thanks to the responsible management carried out by ejidos (communal landholdings) and communities, which creates optimal conditions for the return of emblematic species like the Mexican wolf,” said Semarnat Minister for the state of Durango Claudia Hernández Espino.

The pack of one alpha male, one alpha female and two females (their pups) was transported from the U.S. to Durango with support from various governmental and academic institutions, including: The General Directorate of Wildlife (DGVS) of Semarnat, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa), the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp), the Arizona Game & Fish Department and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, among others. 

The wolves underwent rigorous health inspections before the reintroduction. Now, they will remain in a pre-release enclosure under human care temporarily to allow them to adapt to the environment before their release into the wild.

Once released, the wolves will be monitored via radiotelemetry and camera traps to assess their adaptation and movements. Authorities will also work closely with rural communities to promote coexistence and wildlife conservation. 

Binational SAFE efforts have supported the breeding, reintroduction and conservation of the Mexican wolf since the 1970s. A second pack of wolves is expected to be reintroduced into the Sierra Madre Occidental at a later date, following monitoring and evaluation of the first pack. 

With reports from Milenio and Informador

Following France and Australia, Mexico studies setting a minimum age for social media

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MND Staff
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Diverse multiethnic kids students having break and using smartphones, sitting at desks in classroom, children playing games and checking social media at school
A minimum age, inspired by Australia's recent adoption of a similar restriction, would drastically change how Mexico's young people spend their free time. (Shutterstock)

The Mexican government is exploring age restrictions on social media, according to Education Minister Mario Delgado. 

In an interview with the news outlet AFP, Delgado said the initiative would aim to protect the mental health of young people, given the lack of regulation by the tech companies that control social media sites. 

Education Secretary Mario Delgado (left), shown here last week with Armando Contreras Castillo, director general of the National Adult Education Institute, has announced that Mexico is taking steps to impose a minimum age for access to social media. (Carlos Maduri/Cuartoscuro)

“The State has the responsibility for the guardianship and education of minors,” Delgado said. “And that’s why we should think about setting certain limits, because I don’t see any responsibility from companies to take charge of this.” 

Mentioning Facebook and TikTok by name, Delgado said the tech companies are only interested in attracting followers at the expense of protecting children. “There are no filters on the content that could affect the emotional health of children,” he said.

The secretary acknowledged that Mexico’s interest in banning young people from social media is a direct result of Australia’s pioneering efforts in recent months.

In December of last year, Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under 16 years of age, followed by France, which lowered the minimum age to 15. As of March 28, Indonesia will also join the trend, becoming the first country in Asia to ban social media platforms for minors younger than 16 years.

Mexico’s potential ban was celebrated by French President Emmanuel Macron, who wrote a short statement in Spanish on his official X account. 

“¡Qué padre! Gracias por unirse al movimiento,” the message said. (“How cool! Thanks for joining the movement.”)

Spain and Denmark are also exploring similar restrictions.   

The federal government has opened a series of consultations with experts, civil society and technology companies to determine the types of restrictions that should be implemented (age limits are not the only available restrictions). According to Delgado, the feedback gathered from these discussions is expected to lead to concrete proposals by June of this year.

“We want [the proposals] to come from the people, drawing on the experience of parents, communities and teachers,” Delgado said. “They should guide us on which restrictions to implement and how to regulate them.” 

At the local level, Jalisco’s Congress is studying a bill that bans the use of social networks by minors under 14 years of age on school grounds. Furthermore, it empowers municipalities to ensure that cafes, shopping centers and other public internet access points have content filters or require informed consent from parents.

In contrast, Australia’s federal law places almost all the burden on the platforms, not on minors or their families. According to the law, social media platforms must take “reasonable steps” to prevent minors under 16 years of age from creating or maintaining accounts, regardless of parental consent. 

With reports from Quadratin Jalisco and El Economista

Mexico’s ‘hot’ cop is the latest merch sensation

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MND Staff
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Girls look at a flannel blanket with Harfuch's face on it
Some shops say they are turning out up to 150 Harfuch blankets per day to meet demand. (Camila Ayala Benabib/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico is swooning over its top cop — and buying the merch to prove it.

Miniature dolls, plush toys nicknamed “Harfuchitos” and flannel blankets bearing the often shirtless image of Security Minister Omar García Harfuch have surged in popularity after the Feb. 22 raid that killed Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

The 44-year-old official, who is usually seen briefing the nation in a dark suit, now appears on cushions, towels, party decorations and cardboard cutouts in markets across Mexico — and as a Batman-themed doll, as well.

And it’s not only merchandise that is proliferating. On TikTok and other platforms, AI-generated images show the politician promoting products such as hair oil, and apps let users create photos of themselves hugging García Harfuch or lying with him on the grass.

On Mercado Libre, Latin America’s largest e-commerce site, a García Harfuch blanket has ranked among the platform’s bestsellers, while Amazon has offered a bed-sized flannel throw emblazoned with his face.

A report by Reuters said demand now includes customized products printed in small shops as well as factory lines turning out up to 150 blankets a day, with orders spilling into the United States.

“He is Mexico’s crush,” said Carolina García, who sells García Harfuch merchandise she makes with her home printing business in the central state of Tlaxcala. “Of course, we get more orders from women, as gifts, but we’ve also gotten some orders from men.”

“All the ladies love him,” added designer Ingrid Rebeca Sánchez. “They want to sleep with him, they want to dry themselves off with him. He’s Mexico’s new daddy.”

Harfuch beach towel
A 160 cm by 100 cm Harfuch-themed towel. It’s yours for 297 pesos on Mercado Libre. (Mercado Libre)

However, the craze reportedly has a darker edge in the textile hubs of Moroleón and Uriangato, two municipalities in southern Guanajuato where huge clothing markets and street stalls dominate the landscape. There, some vendors have allegedly received warnings from organized crime not to sell items with García Harfuch’s image, according to the newspaper Milenio.

Towels selling for about 100 pesos (US $5.64) and travel blankets from 180 pesos (US $10.15) are often sold only on request.

The emergence of the Batman dolls ties into an older backstory, from 2022, when Green Party lawmaker Jesús Sesma referred to García Harfuch, then Mexico City’s citizen security chief, as a “superhero” and crafted a Batman-modified action figure that went viral and sparked memes.

That also established a template for García Harfuch as a vigilante-style protector that current vendors are now seizing upon.

The sudden merch push comes as early polls and analysts see García Harfuch as a potential presidential contender in 2030, when President Claudia Sheinbaum’s term will end.

With reports from Reuters, Milenio, El Financiero and Forbes México

With 9,500 participants, Mexico City holds world’s largest-ever soccer class

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MND Staff
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an aerial shot of hundreds of soccer players on an artificial turf set up in Mexico City's Zócalo
Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said that with this event, the capital officially “kicked off the World Cup.” (@ClaraBrugadaM/X)

Mexico City established a Guinness World Record for the largest soccer class ever on Sunday as 9,500 futbolistas filled the Zócalo as part of a series of promotional events ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

The plaza in front of the National Palace served as a massive training ground with enthusiastic crowds engaging in soccer drills under the guidance of dozens of instructors. Participants kicked balls and took part in coordinated exercises under the guise of promoting sport and community engagement.

While presiding over the international class alongside soccer stars and former members of Mexican national teams, Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said that with this event, the capital officially “kicked off the World Cup.”

Mexico City will play host to five World Cup games, including the inaugural match on June 11.

Brugada, who joined participants on the pitch, said her government was hoping to send a message of “no to war, yes to peace,” saying, “Today we scored a goal against hatred, inequality and indifference.”

Among the soccer celebrities participating were former national team players Braulio Luna (1998 and 2002 World Cups), Francisco “Kikín” Fonseca (2006 World Cup), Óscar “Conejo” Pérez (2002 and 2010 World Cups), Miguel España (1986 World Cup) and Adrián Chávez (1994 World Cup), as well as several members of Mexico’s 1971 Women’s World Cup squad. 

The event easily surpassed the previous Guinness record set in Seattle in June 2025, when a soccer class brought together 1,038 participants.

Alfredo Arista Rueda, a Guinness World Records judge, confirmed that a record had been set, saying, “You are officially amazing … congratulations.”

“Today we broke this great record … ⁠and showed that we are capable of achieving the extraordinary and the impossible,” Brugada said after receiving the award, adding that “soccer is a universal language, a language of peace that needs no translation.”

This is not the first time Mexico has set a Guinness World Record for an instructional class.

In 2023, Mexico City set a new record with a total of 30,000 registered participants in a boxing class in the Zócalo, a crowd that doubled the record it had established a year earlier.

The soccer class was part of Mexico’s Social World Cup program that aims to bring educational, tourism and cultural activities to communities across the country. 

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO, 15MARZO2026.- Participantes de "La clase de futbol más grande del mundo 2026" realizada en la plancha del zócalo capitalino, la cual se hizo acreedora del World Record Guinness al juntar 9 mil 500 participantes. FOTO: MARIO JASSO/CUARTOSCURO.COM
The Zócalo was outfitted with artificial turf, transforming the historic space into a massive modern soccer pitch. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

Earlier this month, 4,757 people gathered inside the Víctor Manuel Reyna Stadium in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, to form the world’s largest soccer jersey.

A third Guinness World Record attempt — a massive collaborative soccer-themed mural — will be made in May.

With reports from El Sol de México, Reuters, The Associated Press and El Universal

Sheinbaum frames electoral reform as fight against political excess: Monday’s mañanera recapped

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MND Staff
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Sheinbaum mañanera Mar. 16, 2026
Sheinbaum told reporters that she will submit her "plan B" electoral reform proposal to Congress on Tuesday, one day later than originally planned. (Gabriel Monroy/Presidencia)

Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds

  • 🗳️ Plan B electoral reform proposal heads to Congress Tuesday: Sheinbaum will submit her scaled-back proposal — focused on cutting budgets for state legislatures, the Senate and some municipal governments — on Tuesday, with allied PT and PVEM parties now on board after voting down her original constitutional reform.
  • 💸 Fighting political privileges: The president highlighted stark budget inequalities between state legislatures — some receive more than 30 million pesos per deputy vs. 5 million in others — and said savings from the reform would fund infrastructure and public needs rather than politician salaries of up to 500,000 pesos a month.
  • 🇲🇽🇺🇸 Sheinbaum strikes a diplomatic tone on U.S. relations: Despite Trump sharing a post on Truth Social accusing her administration of being a “narco-government,” Sheinbaum said Mexico always seeks a good relationship with the US — and expressed optimism as formal USMCA review talks kicked off Monday.

Why today’s mañanera matters  

It’s another big week for the Mexican government as formal USMCA talks with the Trump administration commence Monday and President Claudia Sheinbaum’s “plan B” electoral reform proposal will be submitted to Congress on Tuesday.

At her Monday morning press conference, Sheinbaum spoke about her backup electoral initiative five days after her original reform was rejected by Mexico’s lower house of Congress.

She also acknowledged that her government and the Trump administration have their differences, especially when it comes to their preferred approaches to combating cartels on Mexican soil. (Trump would like to send U.S. troops into Mexico, but Sheinbaum is adamant that Mexican forces must combat Mexican cartels.)

Sheinbaum’s Monday mañanera was important as the president effectively set the scene for what is to come this week on two very important issues for her government.

Sheinbaum to send Plan B electoral reform to Congress on Tuesday 

Sheinbaum told reporters that she will submit her “plan B” electoral reform proposal to Congress on Tuesday, one day later than originally planned.

She acknowledged that the ruling Morena party’s allies, the Labor Party (PT) and the Green Party (PVEM), have agreed to back the plan.

Most PT and PVEM deputies voted against Sheinbaum’s original electoral reform proposal, which failed to pass the lower house of Congress as it didn’t meet the supermajority (2/3 support) threshold required for the approval of bills that seek to amend Mexico’s Constitution.

The president noted that her “plan B” proposal — which seeks to modify secondary laws — is largely focused on reducing the resources allocated to state legislatures and the federal Senate, and reducing the number of councilors in some municipal governments.

She reiterated that the savings generated from those initiatives would be used to fund infrastructure projects.

Sheinbaum said last week that her “plan B” proposal would seek to establish a “maximum limit” on resources that can be allocated to state legislatures and that savings will be allocated to “the needs of the people.”

She railed against excessive benefits for politicians, asserting that they allowed some elected officials to earn as much as 500,000 pesos (US $28,000) per month.

On Monday morning, Sheinbaum asserted that her government is continuing to “fight against privileges.”

“It cannot be that the Congress of one state … has [a budget of] 39 million pesos per deputy and another state has 5 million pesos [per deputy],” she said.

Sheinbaum: ‘We always seek a good relationship with the US government’ 

Asked when it would be “feasible” for her to have an in-person meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Sheinbaum said that her government would seek “the best time” for such an engagement to take place.

The question came after Trump on Friday shared on his Truth Social account video footage of Sheinbaum highlighting that her government has rejected the Trump administration’s offer to send the U.S. Army to Mexico to combat cartels.

U.S. President Trump, without further comment, shared a clip on Friday of Sheinbaum saying that Mexico will continue to reject the deployment of the U.S. military in Mexico to combat cartels.
U.S. President Trump, without further comment, shared a clip on Friday of Sheinbaum saying that Mexico will continue to reject the deployment of the U.S. military in Mexico to combat cartels. (Truth Social)

Trump also shared on Truth Social a post by an X (formerly Twitter) user who effectively accused the Sheinbaum administration of being a “narco-government” considering it rejected Trump’s offer of U.S. military assistance. The White House itself asserted last year that “Mexican drug trafficking organizations have an intolerable alliance with the government of Mexico,” while Trump has accused Sheinbaum of being “afraid” of cartels.

On Monday morning, Sheinbaum acknowledged that her government, at times, has disagreements with the Trump administration, especially on issues where Mexico’s sovereignty is at stake.

“But we always seek a good relationship with the United States government, and we have one on security and we have one on trade, ” she said, even though Trump has imposed tariffs on a range of Mexican goods.

Sheinbaum noted that Mexico’s formal USMCA talks with the United States are commencing this Monday ahead of the review of the six-year-old North American free trade pact.

“We hope to reach a very good outcome,” she said.

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

Brush fires mostly contained in Bahía de Banderas

By
Charlotte Smith
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Brush fires from afar in Puerto Vallarta/Bahía de Banderas
Authorities have not yet reported on the cause of the wildfires, nor the extent of the damage. (Charlotte Smith)

Brush fires broke out across Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, on Sunday, sending thick plumes of smoke across the area and alarming residents from Bucerías to Sayulita.

Late Sunday night, Bahía de Banderas Mayor Héctor Santana issued a statement saying that fires in Lago Real and Bucerías had been extinguished. However, he noted that emergency crews were still working to fully control hot spots in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, particularly in the area bordering the hotel zone.

The first reports came from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, where residents noticed smoke rising from the hills above town late Sunday morning.

Witnesses initially described the fire as small, burning through dry brush on the hillside above the town’s hotel zone. But residents say the blaze spread quickly as the day progressed, fuelled by dry vegetation on the slopes.

By Sunday evening, dramatic images and videos circulating on social media showed lines of fire stretching across the mountains above the bay, in Bucerías, Sayulita, Valle de Banderas and near the Lago Real residential development in Mezcales.

In Bucerías, flames were reported in the hills behind the Paraíso del Indio and Javier Ovando neighbourhoods. Witnesses described large sections of the mountainside engulfed in flames Sunday night as the fire spread across the dry hillside overlooking the town.

As the scale of the situation became clearer, multiple emergency agencies joined the response.

Civil Protection and municipal fire crews worked alongside state personnel in Nayarit, while members of the Mexican Army and Navy were deployed to assist in containing the fires and preventing them from reaching populated areas.

Mayor Santana also said that response teams had been sent to San Pancho to evaluate potential risks and prevent additional fires from spreading in the region.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the fires. Anecdotal reports suggest that some may have been sparked by the burning of brush or logs, a common practice in rural areas that can become dangerous during the dry season if fires spread beyond their intended boundaries.

Locals lament slow response time of authorities

Some residents claim municipal authorities failed to respond promptly, saying firefighters were not dispatched for several hours after the first calls for help. By the time crews arrived, they stated, the fire had already expanded significantly.

Reports also alleged that municipal firefighters lacked specialized equipment needed to combat brush fires in steep terrain, which may have contributed to the blaze spreading through the dry vegetation.

Some residents are calling for a closer review of emergency response procedures, including faster deployment of firefighting teams and improved equipment for battling wildfires in the region’s mountainous terrain.

Wildfires are most frequent in the dry months of March, April and May in Mexico. According to the National Forestry Commission (Conafor), more than 1,200 fires have been reported so far in 2026, and in 2025, approximately 70% were caused by human activities.

Mexico News Daily

MND Local: Exploring the legacy immigrant communities of Baja California

By
Chris Sands
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Mexicali’s Chinatown, the oldest and largest in Mexico, arose following the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 in the U.S. (Alejandra Rosales)

Borders are facilitators of exchange for the movement of goods and people, but also have the power to exclude. In Baja California, both sides of this axiomatic truth are clearly evident. 

In 2023, more than 16 million people crossed the border between California and Baja California on foot, over 30 million in vehicles, 1.8 million of which were commercial trucks carrying the goods that fuel the CaliBaja region’s US $70 billion in cross-border trade annually.

La Chinesca, the central district showcasing Mexicali’s Chinese culture, and the city’s population of over 20,000 people with Chinese heritage. (Instagram)

The flow of people, particularly immigrants seeking a new life, is more politicized and thus more complex. In some cases, immigrants who have set their hearts on the U.S. never make it there, a situation that, over the years, has often made Baja California stronger and more attractive as a tourist destination, although immigrants have sometimes found life there difficult, too.

A good example of this is La Chinesca in Mexicali, the oldest and largest Chinatown in Mexico.

The origins of the Chinese community in Mexicali

Imported Chinese labor built the Western railroads that connected travel and trade in the U.S. during the 19th century. But after this backbreaking task was complete, Chinese workers found they were unwanted competition for other jobs. In 1882, the U.S. passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, a sweeping, racist immigration preventative that wasn’t repealed until the Second World War.

Mexico was more welcoming, at least initially, and by the turn of the 20th century, a Chinese community had begun to form in Mexicali. Indeed, before long, Chinese outnumbered Mexicans in the newly created town — Mexicali was officially established in 1903 — by as many as three to one, with many engaged in building canals or raising cotton for the Colorado River Land Company. 

To avoid the intense summer heat, the Chinese built underground tunnels and subterranean spaces throughout the growing La Chinesca area, and by the 1920s, these were being profitably used for illicit entertainment for those escaping from Prohibition on the other side of the border. Hotels, bars and restaurants welcomed visitors above ground, while bordellos, gambling and opium dens were tucked out of sight below.

More than 300 restaurants serve Chinese cuisine or Chinese-Mexican fusions in Mexicali. (Instagram)

The evolution of La Chinesca as a tourist attraction

These tunnels have also proved handy in a period of persecution during the Mexican Revolution, when anti–Chinese sentiment ran high and over 300 people were massacred in Torreón, Coahuila. But Mexicali’s Chinatown survived, thriving during Prohibition and again following another influx of immigrants after the Second World War. Today, over 100 years after it was founded, some 20,000 or more descendants of this Chinese population still live in Mexicali’s La Chinesca district, and the neighborhood has become an increasingly popular tourism attraction for a new generation of cross-border explorers.   

One reason is the unique fusion cuisine that has evolved in Mexicali, as Chinese recipes and wok-cooking techniques benefited from Mexican ingredients like skirt steak arrachera, avocado, chile de árbol and jicama, and birthed local specialties like “rice tamales” with a variety of tasty proteins, including carnitas. Since 2023, La Chinesca has been one of the more than 30 Barrios Mágicos established to promote tourism in Mexico, and was the first named in Baja California. 

Notably, those satiated by the culinary offerings at Mexicali’s over 300 Chinese restaurants, many in La Chinesca, can also book public or private tours of La Chinesca’s famed underground tunnels. 

Experiencing the Russian legacy in Valle de Guadalupe

Russians, in the form of Molokans, a pacifistic Christian sect that had split with the Russian Orthodox Church, first came to Baja California in the early 1900s to avoid army conscription by Tsar Nicholas II. Known as “milk drinkers” for their refusal to abjure dairy during religious fasts — one of many reasons for their schism — the Molokans left the Kars Region on the border of Russia and Turkey, and settled in Valle de Guadalupe, now the center of Baja California wine production in the state that produces some 70% of the national total. 

The Molokans drank more than milk, but were teetotalers. Still, their influence on the region’s developing wine history was profound. After 105 families moved to Baja California in 1905, buying 13,000 acres of fertile land through an agreement with President Porfirio Díaz, and devoting it largely to the growing of crops, they also planted vineyards as early as 1915. 

Bibayoff is a reminder of the rich Molokan heritage of winemaking in Valle de Guadalupe, and a must-see for visitors to the area. (Facebook)

They weren’t the first winemakers in Baja California. Bodegas de Santo Tomás was founded in 1888 in the Valle de Santo Tomás. Nor were they the first to grow grapes in Valle de Guadalupe — Spanish missionaries had done it first. However, their introduction of European viticultural techniques and increase in production helped pave the way for commercial winemaking in Valle de Guadalupe.

The Molokan community formed an ejido in 1937 during the land reforms of President Lázaro Cárdenas. A, but a generation later, in the late 1950s, this ejido — originally named Guadalupe, later El Porvenir — found itself repeatedly beset by aggressive squatters.

“Although there is some dispute over what happened next, most of the Molokan community claim that Governor (Braulio) Maldonado expropriated 300 acres of their land to the squatters, who by then called themselves the Francisco Zarco group, after a young intellectual journalist of the early 1800s.”

So wrote Ralph Amey in his 1990 book on regional winemaking, “Wines of Baja California: Touring and Tasting Mexico’s Undiscovered Treasures,” adding: “In October 1962, Baja governor (Eligio) Esquivel, (Maldonado’s successor), recognized the claims of the squatters and rededicated the village of Guadalupe in the name of Francisco Zarco. By then, many of the remaining Molokans had sold their land at depreciated prices and emigrated to the United States.”

Molokan-related tourism attractions 

It was a shameful episode, a theft sanctioned by the state’s highest office holders. For by this time, the Molokans, like the Chinese in Mexicali, were gradually, through marriage, becoming absorbed into Mexico’s broad mestizo culture. More to the point, they had a legal right to the land two times over, through deed and ejido.  

But not all left of them left, and there is still a rich legacy that can be enjoyed by visitors to “the Valle.” Most notably, at Vinos Bibayoff. The roots of the winery trace back to Alexie M. Dolgoff, a Molokan who had been growing grapes since the early 1930s and selling them to commercial wine producers like L.A. Cetto and Domecq. In the 1980s, Vinos Bibayoff began commercially producing wine on its own under the stewardship of Dolgoff’s grandson, David Bibayoff, who steered it to success. Today, Daniel Bibayoff continues the tradition with the Molokan heritage of the family honored in a small on-site museum.

Only a few kilometers away, along the Carretera Francisco Zarco-El Tigre, in the small town of Francisco Zarco, on land that once belonged to the Molokans, lies another museum: the Museo Comunitario Ruso. Housed inside a former Molokan home built in 1905, the museum houses artifacts and photos, from traditional dress and samovars to a layout showing the original community. Next door, visitors can dine at the Restaurante Ruso Familia Samarin, which serves traditional Russian heritage dishes like borscht, babka and peroshki, as well as Mexican dishes, and is operated by descendants of the Molokan community. 

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

Meet TONO Festival: Time-based performance, video, music and dance

By
Ana Paula De la Torre
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TONO Festival
TONO explores time as part of artworks in experimental forms. (TONO Festival)

Sam Ozer is a writer, curator and producer, who is the mind behind the TONO Festival. Based in Mexico, this proposal showcases experimental contemporary art that is “time-based.” Despite being only 29 years old, her experience as a curator and programmer at the Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 in New York led her to create this event. Initially, she founded TONO, an arts organization based in New York that explores time as a significant variable in art. Then, organically, the festival emerged in Mexico after she visited the country and its art week.

Ozer explains that time is a statement for the artist when it comes to practices such as video art, performance and dance. “With a painting or sculpture, you could spend 10 seconds or 5 hours watching. In the case of a performance or video, the artist tells the audience how long they should engage with it; this is part of the message, even if the spectator leaves before it ends. TONO explores time as part of the artwork in experimental forms,” she explains.

TONO Festival
TONO Festival in Mexico City and Puebla is definitely one of the coolest things to do in March. (TONO Festival)

This March marks the fourth edition of the festival, which will be held at some of the most important museums in Mexico City, including Casa del Lago UNAM, Museo Jumex, Museo Universitario del Chopo, Museo de Arte Moderno, Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, La Laguna Bodega and Casa de la Acequia. The festival will also take place at the Museo Amparo in Puebla. “Video installation, performance, music and dance — this kind of experimental practice is what you will find during these two weeks of art,” Ozer shares.

What’s happening at TONO this year

According to Ozer, TONO showcases a diverse range of artists from around the globe. “We always present artists from Mexico City or Mexico, but also from many other countries who have never exhibited in Mexico or Latin America. This year, the festival began with Tino Sehgal, a renowned British artist who creates what he calls constructive situations. He takes the gallery or museum space and fills it with movement. His work isn’t about objects; it’s about movement,” she explains.

Additionally, Space Afrika, an electronic music duo and innovators who fuse U.K. dance, ambient, alternative, trip-hop, pop, modern classical and experimental genres, performed at Casa del Lago on March 12. Kianí del Valle, a Puerto Rican artist and choreographer who recently choreographed Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, will also participate in the festival.

“Alexa West, a New York City-based dance artist, will perform an amazing dance piece with her company. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, the first Mexican artist invited to the Venice Biennale in 2007, who creates participatory works with technologies such as robotic lights, digital fountains, and telematic networks, will present alongside percussionist Eli Keszler. We will also enjoy Kelman Duran, a producer, composer and DJ. The program includes Franziska Aigner, who blends performance, philosophy and music; Alessandro Sciarroni and his remarkable dance, and the prestigious British artist Melanie Smith, who will present an exhibition at Museo Jumex.”

The presence of Thailand 

The TONO Festival also arrives in Puebla at the Museo Amparo, where a selection of works by Thai filmmakers and video artists is on display. These proposals were curated by Rosalia Namsai Engchuan, the Bangkok Kunsthalle’s curator of moving images. Each year, the festival features an international guest, and in this edition, Thailand is represented by creators such as Montika Kham-on, an artist and filmmaker who explores collective fear, speculative futures, and dominant narratives through video, performance, installation and sculpture.

The work of Oat Montien, one of Thailand’s most prominent queer artists, will also be featured. He uses eroticism as a poetic allegory for the complex experiences of marginalized identities. Other filmmakers and artists, such as Tulapop Saenjaroen, who works with moving images, performance, and sound, will present some of their pieces. Additionally, Ho Tzu Nyen, an artist from Singapore who reflects on the histories, mythologies, and political impulses of Southeast Asia, will be present.

TONO Festival
The fourth edition of TONO will take place at the Museo Amparo in Puebla, and at least eight museums in Mexico City. (TONO Festival)

Undoubtedly, TONO is an open window to the avant-garde scene at the intersection of multimedia, performance, dance and music. It offers access to contemplation and contemporary reflections through the eyes of artists from all the world.

Find more information here.

Ana Paula de la Torre is a Mexican journalist and collaborator for various outlets, including Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.

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