Music is in the air wherever you go in Mexico and Travis Bembenek thinks it's part of why Mexicans are happy. (Cuartoscuro)
The Mexican love of music and dancing is something to admire, embrace and I think might just be a key element to their overall happiness.
Music is everywhere in Mexico. Traveling in a taxi anywhere in the country you’ll often get a mini DJ set — with the taxi driver never considering for a second that you might not want to hear their music. I actually think that many of them secretly take pride in their musical selection for you.
Both Taylor Swift and Madonna on their recent global tours performed more nights in Mexico City than any other city in the world, except for Los Angeles.
The sound of music is everywhere and seemingly enjoyed by everyone.
For Mother’s Day weekend here in San Miguel de Allende, there was a free concert in the town square by the Colombian cumbia group La Sonora Dinamita. Everyone there was singing and dancing — husbands and wives, mothers with their children, grandmothers with their grandchildren — it was magical. Pure bliss under the stars to end an oppressively hot week.
This past weekend was another example of the magic of music in our adopted hometown of San Miguel de Allende. On Friday night, after yet another long day of heat, we walked to the center of our town. In one small plaza in front of a beautiful 18th century church, a DJ had set up and was playing what can only be described as “cartoonish electronic dance music.”
People of all ages were dressed up as their favorite movie or cartoon characters and were dancing wildly and energetically to the music. I said to my wife: “that’s one way to shake off the stress of a long week — dress up like a Looney Tunes character and go dance like nobody’s watching!”
From that plaza, we walked a few more blocks to the main plaza in town. As is always the case, there were multiple mariachi bands playing to different groups of people. For some reason, it felt like more people were ordering up songs and dancing than usual. Perhaps the heat of the day inspired people in the cool evening to just want to get up and dance.
We saw a large extended family of nearly 20 people in a circle around a mariachi group, with a grandmother dancing away with what must have been her grandson. A sight like that is something truly special to observe. They didn’t just dance for a moment for a photo, but rather for multiple songs, and with the entire family singing and dancing around them. We sat for at least an hour and enjoyed watching other groups celebrating birthdays and anniversaries with music and dance.
The next morning, which was Saturday, I walked into town to get some fruits and vegetables. Walking by yet another church (SMA has lots of them!), I saw a DJ set up about 100 feet in front of the entrance absolutely blaring Mexican ranchero music. Next to the multiple 2 meter high speakers of the DJ were pictures of the bride and groom about to be married. I wonder if the bride and groom specifically requested this? Or did some crazy uncle or cousin just decide to surprise them upon their arrival at the church for their big day? Either way, it couldn’t help but make me smile.
Later that evening, we went to a “Candlelight concert” at a hotel in town. A quartet of Mexican classical musicians played Coldplay’s greatest hits — surrounded by over 4,000 candles and under the light of the moon and stars. It truly was a wow moment. They played two concerts that night and I was surprised and inspired to see that probably 95% of the attendees were Mexicans of all ages.
On Sunday morning, the musical weekend continued as we were awakened at 7:30 a.m. to music blaring from behind our house at a local park. The DJ was doing a sound check in advance of a race that was to take place at 9 in the morning. The song that woke us up was none other than “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees. I found it fitting — perhaps Mexicans have discovered that the secret to staying alive and happy is in fact listening to lots of music.
For those of you who know Mexico and have traveled a lot to other countries, what do you think? In what other countries of the world, would all of this have happened on one random weekend?
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.
When I was young, son, this was all lakes. (Shutterstock)
You’ve probably heard the legend before. Somewhere around the year 1322, the people of the coastal settlement of Aztlán were ordered by their god Huitzilopochtli to leave home and wander westward until they came across an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus, devouring a snake. Where they found it, they would create the largest empire Mesoamerica had ever known. But how did Mexico City come to be built on a lake, and why is it so… not wet today?
Worn and weary, the tribe eventually stumbled upon the Valley of Mexico. Lo and behold, there it was! The eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus, devouring a snake. Sitting atop a small island in the middle of a giant, shimmering lake. The lake was guarded by a string of mountains and volcanoes, including Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. The pilgrims were thrilled. It only took 100 years.
An eagle devours a snake, showing the site on which the Aztecs were to build their new city. This seems like a poor system for deciding where to conduct massive public works campaigns, but who are we to argue with the gods? (Marco Antonio Pacheco/Raíces)
The small island in the center of Lake Texcoco was situated close to another island in the same lake. The people settled here just as Huitzilopochtli had instructed, using dried mud, stone, and limestone plaster to build a vast kingdom made up of temples, marketplaces, schools, and homes. The two islands eventually fused to become Tenochtitlan, Mesoamerica’s most grand civilization, and the people became known as the Mexica (Aztec).
Grand Lake Texcoco, home of Tenochtitlán
The fact that Tenochtitlán thrived as a kingdom in the middle of a lake is extraordinary. Think of it like a bowl. Only the bowl is set in Mexico’s Central Highlands and is completely surrounded by mountains lacking any form of drainage. Each year would come an intense rainy season and this de facto “bowl” would fill with water, overflow, and flood the darn place.
But what Huitzilopochtli wants, Huitzilopochtli gets, and the Mexica were determined to find a solution. They decided to work with what nature had given them. Instead of fighting the lake (like the Spanish would eventually do), they used the abundance of water to their agricultural advantage, understanding that “floods were a precondition for a large part of the basin’s agricultural productivity,” according to the University of Texas at Austin.
So they began to build. The Mexica ingeniously constructed a system of canals, locks, and dikes to control water levels and prevent overflow. This divided salt water from fresh water, effectively creating two lakes. Where the water was brackish, a system of artificial land plots was created upon which maíz, beans, greens and onions could flourish. These small rectangular farms were known as chinampas, separated by canals through which canoes could transport newly harvested produce to the kingdom. Plots like this were probably not invented by Mexica but were enhanced in Tenochtitlan’s expansion.
A portrayal of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán and life in Aztec times by Diego Rivera. (Wikimedia Commons)
Because the mountains contained abundant amounts of drinking water, a 16km aqueduct was designed to supply the citizens with hydration. Four major causeways were built linking Tenochtitlán to mainland Mexico for trade and economic stability. By the time the Spanish arrived 200 years later, Tenochtitlán’s 200,000 inhabitants made it one of the biggest and most vibrant cities in the world. It was awesome, in the true sense of the word, beguiling the conquistadors.
How do we know? Hernan Cortes said so. Yeah yeah, he was a bit of a boaster. Still, historians believe his opening description of Tenochtitlán in his second letter to the King of Spain is accurate:
“I am fully aware that the account will appear so wonderful as to be deemed scarcely worthy of credit; since even when we who have seen these things with our own eyes, are yet so amazed as to be unable to comprehend their reality.”
Unfortunately, the Spanish did not maintain it as such
The Spanish conquest initiated an almost-total disappearance of Lake Texcoco. Instead of working with nature like the Mexica had done so successfully for centuries, the colonists took up arms against it. Not because they wanted to save Tenochtitlan in all its glory, but rather because they wanted to create a European-style hub by turning the dikes and canals into squares and streets. Flooding would threaten the new city’s property value.
A 1524 map of Tenochtitlán showing the extent of the once proud Lake Texcoco, before undergoing the most disastrous Spanish building project until the real estate bubble of the early 2000s. (Wikimedia Commons)
In 1607, a project known as Desagüe began. By constructing their own drainage system, the Spanish believed they could control the lake’s water levels. 40,000 local workers were rounded up and given hand tools to complete the dangerous job of excavating over 14 miles of channels and a 4 mile tunnel, 175 feet deep.
In 1629, a flood destroyed a significant percentage of the city, proving that the project had major flaws. Construction continued anyway through 1900. The city spread across the Valley of Mexico and usurped what was once a beautiful, bountiful environment for plants, animals, and people.
Lake Texcoco all but died
And now, we’re sitting on top of its grave. A waterless pit that was once a magical kingdom.
On the bright side, we get to enjoy one of the world’s greatest metropolises.
On the not so bright side, we don’t have enough water. Oh, the irony.
Sadly most of the capital’s rainwater is now lost to the sewage system. The rest seeps into the souls of the capitalinos for the duration of the rainy season. (Graciela López Herrera/Cuartoscuro.com)
The failed construction of the Desagüe system has resulted in a lack of water. CDMX still sees heavy rains and occasional flooding, but the channels and tunnels are ineffective in collecting the overflow for reservoirs. The lack of penetrable surfaces block rainwater from filtering into cisterns underneath. Only about 8% of the flood water can be obtained, whilst the remaining 92% flows freely into polluted rivers and the city’s sewage system.
Leading to yet another grave consequence. The city is sinking. Lack of reservoirs and failure to implement a rainwater collection system have propelled officials to over-pump the underground aquifers for drinking water. The extraction process weakens the clay beds on which Mexico City sits. It drops 1 meter (3.2 feet) every year and that figure will increase as the population swells.
Want to see it with your own eyes? In CDMX’s Centro Historico, the buildings of the Zócalo and the surrounding area are noticeably crooked.
Moreover, draining Lake Texcoco significantly altered the environment. The region was once teeming with waterfowl, algae, fish, reptiles and insects. It bred reeds and water lilies, cooled the valley through evaporation, and contributed to cloud formation and precipitation. Lake Texcoco was vital in maintaining a balanced atmosphere.
However, there are plans to bring it back
Hopefully, the new Lake Texcoco Ecological Park is the start of an exciting an unprecedented return of the lake. (Gobierno de México)
AMLO is overseeing the development of Lake Texcoco Ecological Park, a 14,000-hectare natural reserve on the site of the former Lake Texcoco on which sports fields, skateparks, restaurants, and a medical university will also be built. Its purpose is to preserve the flora and fauna that once flourished here through protected wetlands. It is scheduled to open later this year.
Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog, or follow her on Instagram.
From copal to cempasúchil, Mexico has always placed importance on the power of scent. (Karly Jones/Unsplash)
Though perhaps not the first country one associates with perfume, Mexico, with its rich cultural heritage, has a profound relationship with scent that transcends the boundaries of mere olfactory pleasure. The importance of scent is deeply woven into the social, religious, and daily life of Mexicans, influencing their traditions, rituals, and cuisine.
In our exploration of aroma, we’ll take a journey through time, touching upon the realms of the divine, the agricultural, and the historical, as we explore the fragrant ingredients native to Mexico and the key events that characterize the nation’s often-overlooked story of scent.
Indigenous rites have always used power fragrances to conduct meetings with the gods. (Ricky Turner/Unsplash)
Scent and Spirituality Among the Maya and Aztecs
We begin in Ancient Mesoamerica, among the Classic Maya and Aztec populations. Scent was closely associated with spiritual beliefs and practices, symbolizing the connection between the physical world and the supernatural realm. In a 1992 study of native peoples of Mesoamerica, anthropologist Jane Hill identified the widespread concept of a floral paradise present among Mesoamerican belief systems — a place of both ancestral origin and return. The paradisiacal afterlife is closely linked to the concept of the “breath soul”, symbolized by flowers or jade and believed to carry ethereal qualities such as life force, spirituality, and communication with the divine.
Though Mesoamerican cultures did not use the types of alcohol-based distilled perfumes we’re familiar with today, nobles likely used waters perfumed with soaked and pressed extracts of flowers or plants for personal hygiene, and as symbols of prestige and status. These types of perfumes were also used to treat the bodies of deceased Maya nobles, purifying them and staving off the odors of decomposition. Cinnabar and copal resin have been found in the funerary sites of Mayan royalty.
Aromas to Satiate the Gods
Pre-Hispanic Mexican cultures often used scent as a form of religious rites, in offerings, funerals and celebrations. (Diana Macías/Shutterstock)
Aromatic smoke from offerings played a significant role in Mexica belief, attracting and “feeding” the gods. Rather than eating actual food, Maya spirits and deities are believed to consume the aroma of food, flowers, incense, or blood. Anthropologist Miguel Aguilera notes that contemporary Yucatec beliefs hold that the ancient ancestors, known as the hach uchben Maya, did not labor in the fields for maize but instead subsisted on the scent of flowers. Breath or wind, he explains, is not only the sustenance of gods and ancestors but also embodies their spiritual essence, akin to the fragrance of flowers and incense. Copal, in particular, was known as the “food of the gods,” though certain deities were believed to have preferences for specific scents.
It’s fitting that the Latin etymology per fumum at the root of the word “perfume” literally translates to “through smoke.” Burning copal incense and other aromatic plants like tobacco was a central part of making offerings and appeasing the gods, particularly for deities associated with rain, vegetation, and fertility. The aromas were believed to attract the gods and signify veneration. Depictions in codices show flowing elements and glyphs representing the aromas emanating from offerings of flowers and other sacred items. Both nobles and commoners likely burned copal and other aromatics daily in home rituals.
Spanish “Cologne-ization”
The Spanish conquest of Mexico during the 16th century led to the discovery of new aromatic plants and flowers in Mexico, which were then introduced to Europe. These included vanilla and cacao, which were incorporated into perfumery and significantly expanded the palette of scents available to perfumers. Conversely, the Spanish also introduced European aromatic plants and practices to Mexico. This cross-cultural exchange resulted in a rich fusion of fragrances and practices, shaping the evolution of perfumery in both regions.
Franciscan friars, in particular, sent to convert the Indigenous populations to Christianity during the 1500s, were asked by the queen of Spain to collect flowers, herbs, and exotic plants from their station on the Yucatan peninsula. The friars developed a catalog of unique scents and flora, the emulsions of which were exported to Spain for use in perfumes for almost 300 years.
Mexico City’s Street of Scents
Calle Tacuba was the colonial hub of the perfume trade, a role it still retains today. (Todito Centro/Facebook)
A street in Mexico City’s historical center provides clues to the evolution of scent, ingredients, and perfume-selling in Mexico and beyond. Aptly nicknamed “La Calle de Los Perfumes,” Calle Tacuba is lined with shops offering everything from original proprietary blends to copies of famous colognes. Many of the shops also carry individual emulsions of ingredients, allowing you to create your custom blends of perfumes at an inexpensive cost.
During the Spanish colonial era, Calle Tacuba was known as one of the central commercial areas of the city, where Spanish settlers brought with them perfumes and fragrances from Europe, which were highly valued commodities among the colonial elite.
Today, the street also hosts a relative newcomer to the area- the beautifully curated Museum of Perfume (MUPE), housed in a stately 19th-century mansion. The space aims to educate visitors on everything from the history of perfume-making to the origins of global ingredients, and stories of famous perfumes and perfume-makers from all over the world. Also on display at the MUPE is an extensive collection of packaging and bottles from hundreds of luxury brands, from Balenciaga to Chanel, Moschino to Zegna. Through workshops, lectures, and interactive displays, MUPE fosters a deeper understanding of the intricate relationship between scent and society.
The Eau-So-Unique Ingredients of Mexico
Mexican perfumery traditionally utilizes a wide array of native scent ingredients, which are still in use today, albeit in a more modern context. The country’s biodiverse ingredients are sought after for their high quality and richness and are exported worldwide for use in the global perfume industry. The earthy aroma of copal, the tree resin used in spiritual rituals and as an insect repellent, is deeply ingrained in Mexican traditional and modern culture. The citrusy fragrance of cempasúchil, or marigold, is a staple on altars during the Day of the Dead celebrations, symbolizing the Mexican belief in the cycle of life and death. The sweet, warm scent of vanilla, originally cultivated by the Totonac people, is globally recognized and is frequently used as a base note in many fragrances. Cacao, the primary ingredient in chocolate, provides a robust aroma and is used in food, beverages, and aromatic blends. Another ingredient is the Yucatan honey, which lends a sweet, floral note to perfumes. Mexican lime, with its fresh and zesty scent, is often used as a top note in fragrances. The native Damiana flower, known for its strong and spicy aroma, is also used.
The Next Chapter: Mexican Perfumers on the World Stage
Coqui Coqui is among a new wave of Mexican perfumers making a splash on the global stage. (Coqui Coqui/Instagram)
Competing on the world stage today, a handful of contemporary Mexican luxury brands are capturing the attention of discerning noses worldwide, bringing Mexican flair, distinctive ingredients, and artisanal talent to the forefront. Coqui Coqui, Arquiste and XINU perfumes are headlining the next chapter in Mexico’s aromatic anthology, in which their perfumers blend traditional Mexican ingredients with other exotic scents to create unique and complex fragrances.
The founders of the brands weave Mexican history and storytelling into the fabric of contemporary Mexican culture to bring novel stories and aromas to international consumers. These and other emerging brands are the unseen olfactory threads that bind the past to the present, the spiritual to the sensory, creating a unique tapestry that is as vibrant as Mexico itself.
Monica Belot is a writer, researcher, strategist and adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she teaches in the Strategic Design & Management Program. Splitting her time between NYC and Mexico City, where she resides with her naughty silver labrador puppy Atlas, Monica writes about topics spanning everything from the human experience to travel and design research. Follow her varied scribbles on Medium at https://medium.com/@monicabelot.
The 2024 Mexico election has caused outbreaks of violence across the country, but how will this affect expats? Sarah DeVries explains. (Margarito Pérez Retana/Cuartoscuro)
If you’re an expat in Mexico, you may be wondering what this election has in store for us. If you’ve been following the news during this election cycle and in the year before, you’ve likely noticed a disturbing tread: a lot of candidates, particularly those running for local office, have been killed. A lot.
And that’s besides all the activists and journalists.
Lucero López Maza, candidate for mayor of La Concordia, Chiapas, was killed in a shooting on Thursday after a campaign event. (Gaby Coutino/X)
Sadder still is the fact that the killers are pretty much completely getting away with it. This fact that leads us to a painful truth: the people who say they’re in charge are not usually the people who actually are in charge.
Why not?
Why can’t the government control the violence?
Like a lot of things, it’s complicated. But I think our editor Kate Bohné put it very well in her Substack essay, Bullets, not hugs. When democracy truly came to Mexico (with Vicente Fox’s election in 2000), it disturbed the uneasy, corruption-enabled peace that had been in place for decades. It also failed to provide a mechanism for rooting out the small-time players of “the old guard” at the municipal and law enforcement levels: “This shift exposed the “gray zones” of criminal-state collusion to the pressures of election cycles, which at a municipal level, are frequent (mayoral terms are only for three years). Under the one-party system, these local arrangements among cops, officials and smugglers were somewhat stable, but with the end of PRI hegemony, they became fractured.”
AMLO’s famous phrase of “hugs, not bullets” is not turning out to be, in the end, a winning strategy. I, like many, gave it the benefit of the doubt: if Calederón’s strategy of targeting the powerful cartels with everything we had led to an unprecedented time of violence in Mexico, perhaps a softer approach was in order. The idea was to take a pro-social approach to keeping young people from joining cartels in the first place by offering them plenty of opportunity to be successful otherwise, and meanwhile, to not take a swinging bat to the hornet’s nest of well-armed and well-organized criminal gangs the way Calderón did.
Genaro García Luna, left, when he was Mexico’s security minister during the presidency of Felipe Calderón, right. (Cuartoscuro)
Unfortunately, most analysts have concluded that the result has mostly been what looks an awful lot like warm embraces for the bad guys and bullets for everyone else. I think we can all agree that this is not a winning strategy.
The problem isn’t a nationwide one
These problems, of course, are localized: there are very safe places in Mexico and there are very unsafe places in Mexico, the same way you’d find in any other country.
But the fact that cartels feel so emboldened in their efforts to control elections on the local level is disturbing at worst, terrifying at best: they are extremely well-organized, and the fact they’ve been so successful in eliminating so many candidates they consider unsatisfactory certainly makes it seem like they’re two very big steps ahead on all fronts.
Terror sucks, but terror is extremely effective.
Criminal groups, such as the CJNG cartel, have few obstacles to obtaining significant firepower. (Cuartoscuro)
And it’s not that people don’t care. It’s simply that the problem seems too big to handle. How does one drain the ocean we’re all swimming in of sharks? (Actually, I need a better analogy, as sharks aren’t even close to being as dangerous as the cartels are…humans, maybe?).
On a national level, Mexico just doesn’t have the resources to send in a literal army to protect small-town mayorial candidates; and even if they did, there’s been plenty of documented collusion between criminal groups and the armed forces, anyway. It’s not that all of them are corrupt; most are not. But as we all know, it doesn’t take a majority to poison a group.
Are expats affected by any of this?
Mostly not much; as foreigners, we’re barred from participating in politics anyway, and most of us gravitate toward communities with reputations for safety when deciding where to visit or to live already. But it does mean that we need to make a point of not being naïve when evaluating the risks of certain actions. As a handful of unlucky foreigners and quite a lot of Mexicans can attest to, the bad guys here do not mess around.
Protesters in Mexico City display banners demanding justice for murdered environmental activist Samir Flores and other causes related to environmental defense, in 2019. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
So when you’re “doing your research,” make sure you’re also paying special attention to things like the reputations of certain driving routes if you decide to come by car (which I would not recommend, though I know plenty of people who have without a hitch). Keep your embassy’s emergency contact number on speed dial, and maybe even permanently share your location with someone back home.
I’m not saying that you need to live in fear; what I am saying is that you need to remember that the justice system in Mexico is very, and perhaps extremely, different than the system you’re likely used to, and unnecessary risks should be 100% avoided.
Much to your shock, I am sure, I personally have not yet figured out a safe and fair path forward for so many swaths of Mexico to get out from under the drug cartels’ thumbs.
And anyway, Mexico’s ongoing security issues are for Mexico to solve, and I do believe that this will happen, especially as more opportunities for individuals and the country as a whole open up.
In the meantime: have fun, yes, but stay safe, and remember that part of the fun and the risk of traveling is the fact that you simply can’t be in charge of everything that happens: be strategic about the risks you decide to take.
A National Guard agent keeps watch outside of El Pueblito market in Acapulco, Guerrero, after an armed attack that killed 5 people. (Carlos Alberto Carbajal/Cuartoscuro)
Still recovering from the damage wrought by Hurricane Otis last October, Acapulco is now reeling from a wave of violence that has seen at least 15 people killed this week in the Guerrero resort city.
The latest incident of violence in Acapulco occurred Thursday at a grocery store within the El Pueblito handicrafts market, a popular stop for tourists. The Guerrero prosecutor’s office is investigating the attack, in which armed men killed four men and a woman and wounded a sixth victim.
Witnesses to the late afternoon shooting that took place near the Costera Miguel Alemán — the main beachfront strip around Acapulco harbor — told authorities that two men walked up to the store and started shooting. The suspects then fled north along Universidad Avenue.
National Guard troops arrived shortly thereafter to cordon off the area as forensic specialists combed the scene for evidence. Paramedics treated the injured victim and transported him to the hospital.
Acapulco authorities report more shoot-outs and more bodies
This shooting comes just two days after authorities revealed that they had recovered 10 bodies found scattered around the resort city, which has seen an increase in cartel violence in recent years. There were also at least four shoot-outs reported Monday night.
CBS News reported six bodies found Monday night “on an avenue near a market” about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of the harbor. The victims — among them two women — were bound hand and foot and piled on top of each other, according to the Spanish newspaper El País. Local media reported the bodies had been thrown from a car.
Despite the recent violence, Acapulco has been quick to build back after Hurricane Otis, which devastated the city just over six months ago. (Carlos Alberto Carbajal/Cuartoscuro)
The violence follows an April attack in which a traffic policeman was shot dead while the month of February saw the murder of three people on beaches in Acapulco, including one incident in which a gunman arrived and escaped by boat.
Disputes between drug cartels have plagued Guerrero for years, with federal authorities reporting 1,401 homicides in the Pacific coast state last year alone. Acapulco’s recent killings also come in the midst of a wave of electoral violence ahead of the June 2 elections, which will be the largest in Mexican history.
This makes Oaxaca the state with the most land area affected by fires so far this year in Mexico.
This chart shows the states with the largest surface areas affected by fires through May 16. Oaxaca is in the lead, with over 64,000 hectares affected. (Conafor)
Helicopters have been seen transporting water from reservoirs near Santiago Matatlán to battle the blazes. Some reports indicate 20,000 hectares have burned in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in both the states of Oaxaca and Puebla.
The fires are exacerbated by an overwhelming drought in Oaxaca, intensifying the severity of the situation. Barbara Garzon of eco-cultural organization Zapotrek, which has been coordinating donations of water, food, and face masks, told Mexico News Daily that “what little rain we’ve been blessed with is not enough.”
Local communities say government has been slow to respond
On May 18, San Pablo Villa de Mitla authorities announced that the latest fire was controlled. Their statement praised the volunteer efforts: “After thirteen days of intense and brave volunteer work by women and men, the forest fire which occurred in our territory has finally been extinguished.”
Unión Zapata ejido leaders shared this photo, described as “local brigade members and members from other communities looking at the results of their work. Physically exhausted, but morally full of energy. Many thanks to those who supported us and donated to put out the fire in our conservation area.” (Ejido of Unión Zapata/ADVC El Fuerte)
However, locals have reported slow governmental response, leading to three blockades near the communities closest to the fires: Unión Zapata, Rancho de Lago, and San Dionisio Ocotlán.
Locals attempted to suppress the blaze independently, but this carried risks. On Feb. 5, five men died trying to control a fire in nearby San Lucas Quiaviní. The communities called for federal intervention, requesting the Program for Emergency Response to Natural Threats and the DN III-E Plan, which outlines the Mexican Army and Air Force’s disaster relief activities.
Reforma newspaper reported that on May 11, residents of Villa de Mitla detained Víctor Vásquez Castillejos, head of Oaxaca’s Ministry of Culture, to demand more governmental effort in fighting the fires. Protesters intercepted him at a blockade and held him overnight at the municipal palace. He was released the next day.
Leodegario Monterrubio, a protester interviewed by Quadratín Oaxaca, emphasized the need for government support, stating that communal efforts alone were insufficient to fight the rapidly spreading fires. He highlighted the necessity of helicopter assistance, noting the area’s ecological importance, which includes sightings of jaguars and pumas.
Locals have called on the federal government to provide more helicopters to help battle the blazes. (Anna Bruce)
The government eventually responded with twelve brigades from Conafor and National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp), who fought the fires directly and created fire breaks. Community members from Unión Zapata, San Miguel del Valle, San Miguel Albarradas, Santa Catarina Albarradas, and San Pablo Güilá de Santiago Matatlán also assisted. Two helicopters were deployed to bring water to the active fire fronts, with additional reconnaissance aircraft surveying the area.
Despite these efforts, fires have continued to blaze across Oaxaca and the rest of Mexico. As of Friday, there are 109 active forest fires nationwide, in 24 states.
Deforestation, land clearing and human actions to blame
While climate change contributes to the current water scarcity and drought in Oaxaca, human actions are blamed for the majority of the forest fires according to the Forest Commission (Conafor) and Environment Ministry (Semarnat).
They identify the primary causes as accidental (e.g., power line breaks, car accidents), negligence (e.g., uncontrolled agricultural burning, campfires, burning garbage), and intentional actions (e.g., conflicts, illegal logging). Deforestation and land clearing for urbanization, mining, or agave growing exacerbate the situation, making landscapes vulnerable to erosion and further drought.
However, recent rainfall offers some hope for controlling the fires and preventing further spread. Organizations like Zapotrek are now shifting focus to reforestation efforts in affected areas.The ADVC “El Fuerte” plans reforestation activities starting in July.
How to report a fire
Reporting fires can save not only human lives, but vital forests, which are crucial for regulating water cycles, purifying air, and maintaining a stable climate. Allowing them to disappear through negligence or intentional actions can lead to negative weather cycles and a loss of vital resources.
Conafor’s 24-hour forest fire hotline number is 800 737 00 00 and 911 can also be dialed for assistance.
Anna Bruce is an award-winning British photojournalist based in Oaxaca, Mexico. Just some of the media outlets she has worked with include Vice, The Financial Times, Time Out, Huffington Post, The Times of London, the BBC and Sony TV. Find out more about her work at her website or visit her on social media on Instagram or on Facebook.
Growth in auto sector exports and the timing of the Easter holidays were two factors that boosted Mexico's export revenue in April. (Shutterstock)
Significant growth in auto sector export revenue helped Mexico record an 11.4% annual increase in export earnings in April, preliminary data shows.
Mexico’s exports were worth US $51.32 billion last month, national statistics agency INEGI reported Friday.
The newspaper El Economista said that the double-digit annual increase in export revenue was partially due to the fact that the Easter holiday period was in March this year while last year it fell in April. Mexico’s export earnings actually fell 2.6% in April compared to the previous month.
In April, auto sector export revenue surged 27.7% annually to $16.47 billion, or almost one-third of Mexico’s export earnings for the month. It was the largest year-over-year percentage-terms increase for auto sector exports since July last year.
Manufacturing exports, including auto exports, increased 12.9% to $45.97 billion, or almost 90% of the revenue total.
Non-auto manufacturing exports increased by 6.1% to just under $29.5 billion.
Mexico’s agricultural and manufacturing exports both increased in April, driving up export revenue. (Cuartoscuro)
Revenue from the export of agricultural products also spiked in April, increasing 22.6% to $2.4 billion.
The only export categories for which revenue fell last month were oil and mining.
Oil revenue declined 17.5% to $2.11 billion, while mining earnings fell 3.5% to $830 million. The drop in oil export revenue coincided with a decline in national crude production to its lowest level since 1979.
Meanwhile, the value of Mexico’s imports increased 15.4% in April to $55.06 billion. Mexico was thus left with a trade deficit of $3.74 billion last month.
Imports of non-oil consumer goods surged 48.7% to $7.32 billion last month, while incoming shipments of capital goods — things such as machinery, tools and heavy equipment — increased 32.5% to $5.82 billion.
Imports of non-oil intermediate goods increased 14% to $38.71 billion, while oil imports including ready-to-use fuel fell 28.2% to $3.2 billion.
Mining and oil were the only export categories to dip in April. (Cuartoscuro)
Mexico export revenue up more than 4% between January and April
INEGI also reported that Mexico’s export earnings totaled $194.84 billion in the first four months of the year, a 4.1% increase compared to the same period of 2023.
Agricultural exports increased 10.7% in the period, while auto exports increased 10.4%.
The value of imports also increased between January and April, rising 4% to $201.29 billion.
Mexico thus recorded a trade deficit of $6.45 billion in the first four months of 2024.
The agricultural sector showed the strongest year-over-year growth in March. (SADER/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico’s economy grew 3.3% in annual terms in March, a trend driven by the agriculture and service sectors. However, annual economic growth hit just 1.9% in the first quarter (Q1) of the year, according to data from national statistics agency INEGI.
The GDP of the primary or agricultural sector increased 4% annually in March while the tertiary or services sector grew 3.8%.
The GDP of the secondary or manufacturing sector also increased on a year-over-year basis but by a more modest 2.1%.
Compared to the final three months of last year, the economy grew 0.3% in the first quarter.
Mexico’s economic growth shows signs of wavering
The 1.9% annual growth rate between January and March is slightly lower than INEGI’s preliminary estimate of 2%. It is also 0.6 percentage points lower than the 2.3% rate recorded in the final quarter of 2023.
The El Economista newspaper reported that Mexico’s annual growth rate has now declined during six consecutive quarters.
The service sector grew 3.8% in March compared to the same month last year. (File photo)
The best performing sector in Q1 was the tertiary sector, which recorded 2.4% annual growth. That figure, however, was the lowest year-over-year growth rate for any quarter since Q2 of 2022.
The secondary sector grew 1.5% in the first quarter while the primary sector expanded 0.7%. Within the secondary sector, construction activity increased 10.7% compared to a year earlier.
Q1 growth remains high for the construction sector
Pamela Díaz Loubet, Mexico economist at BNP Paribas, said that the construction sector has been buoyed by government spending on infrastructure projects and private sector spending on facilities for companies relocating to Mexico as part of the nearshoring trend.
While impressive, the 10.7% construction sector growth figure in Q1 is well below the sector’s 24.4% annual growth in the second quarter of last year, and thus a sign that the construction boom is slowing.
Commenting on the economy as a whole in light of the latest data, the chief Latin America economist for Pantheon Macroeconomics, Andrés Abadia, said that “stricter financial conditions” and “difficult external conditions” are among the factors that have recently limited growth in Mexico.
The Bank of Mexico set its benchmark interest rate at a record high of 11.25% for a year until it made a 25-basis-point cut in March.
The International Monetary Fund is currently predicting a 2.4% expansion this year, while the consensus forecast of more than 30 banks, brokerages and research organizations recently surveyed by Citibanamex is that the Mexican economy will expand 2.2% in 2024.
The Thursday afternoon “non-supercell” tornado in the México state capital of Toluca knocked over a fence that fell on top of two pedestrians and killed them. The fence also crushed a vehicle near pedestrians but the driver survived.
The twister, which was accompanied by intense rain and hail, also felled at least 30 large trees, many of them in medians of the Toluca-Palmillas highway.
Images circulating on social media showed how the tornado lifted tin roofs from homes and businesses, and tossed rooftop water and gas tanks to and fro. It knocked down telephone and light poles, and damaged many homes and vehicles. In one area, a warehouse collapsed.
The Toluca city council confirmed that one of the tornado victims was of American origin and said it was in communication with personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. As of noon Friday, the victim’s identity had not been released.
One day earlier in the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Nuevo León, a stage at a rally for dark-horse presidential candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez collapsed due to strong winds, killing at least nine people and injuring scores of others, state authorities said.
Photos and videos of the funnel cloud were posted to social media on Thursday.
The phenomenon in Toluca was a funnel cloud and electrical storm, with surface winds of approximately 100 km/h, according to officials with the meteorological observatory of the Autonomous University of México State.
According to SkyAlert, the funnel reached a maximum height of 150 meters and was classified as a non-supercell tornado — meaning it was thinner, of shorter duration and didn’t pack as much power and wind intensity as a supercell tornado.
Continuing strong winds predicted for central Mexico
More strong winds in México state — with gusts up to 50 to 70 km/h — and potential whirlwinds and/or dust storms have been predicted for Friday and Saturday by Mexico’s National Meteorological Service. The agency is also predicting heavy rains in the area.
Zooming out, at the national level the agency forecasts wind gusts up to 40-70 km/h and possible whirlwinds for all 31 states in the country, along with Mexico City.
According to Mexico’s National Disaster Prevention Center, tornadoes occur in certain parts of the country, mainly between March and August and mainly in the north.
In May 2015, a tornado touched down in the northern border city of Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, and killed at least 13 people.
More recently, in November 2023, there was a tornado in western Michoacán that wreaked havoc on several avocado groves but didn’t claim any lives. Residents reportedly “attacked” the tornado with hail cannons to prevent it from reaching the town of Peribán.
A strong gust of wind caused a stage to collapse into the crowd at a campaign event in Monterrey on Wednesday. (Gabriel Pérez Montiel/Cuartoscuro)
The death toll from the collapse of a stage at a campaign event in Nuevo León on Wednesday remains at nine, but a number of people are still in the hospital, including two patients in serious condition, Governor Samuel García said Friday.
García provided an update on the situation in a post to his X account shortly after 6 a.m. Mexico City time.
People captured the moment of the stage collapse and ensuing chaos with their cell phones. (Cuartoscuro)
“Thank God there are no more deaths but we have two people hospitalized in serious/stable condition,” he wrote.
According to the governor, a total of 192 people were hospitalized after sustaining injuries when the roof of a concert-style stage collapsed due to strong wind at a Citizens Movement (MC) party event on Wednesday night in the municipality of San Pedro Garza García, outside of Monterrey.
García said in another X post on Friday morning that 147 are now at home.
“I am infinitely grateful to all the doctors and nurses for looking after so many patients immediately and effectively,” he wrote.
Nuevo León Governor Samuel García announced the compensation for the families of the victims on Thursday. (Samuel García/X)
García announced on Thursday that the Nuevo León government would provide 400,000 pesos (US $24,000) in compensation to the families of each of the nine people killed.
“We know at this time nothing can make amends for their loss, but we will do all that we can to support them and accompany them in their pain,” he wrote on X.
The governor told a press conference that the state government was also paying the funeral expenses of the deceased.
García said that those unable to work due to injuries they sustained will receive 100,000 pesos (US $6,000).
He noted that some of those still in hospital are female heads of households who could remain hospitalized for weeks and subsequently face a period of rehabilitation. State authorities will provide food, transport and other support to families that need it, the governor said.
In addition, psychological help will be offered to the 10,000 people who attended the political rally and witnessed the tragedy, García said.
The event was organized for Lorenia Canavati, MC’s mayoral candidate in San Pedro and was attended by some of the party’s other candidates, including presidential aspirant Jorge Álvarez Maynez, who was not injured.
He was on the stage when a powerful gust of wind swept through, causing a large screen emblazoned with the MC logo to lift off. Álvarez Máynez and other candidates and officials reacted quickly, running for their lives.
A short time later, the roof of the stage — including metal lighting trusses — collapsed onto the stage platform and into the crowds of people, killing nine and trapping and/or injuring more than 100 others.
