The Mexican low-cost carrier's deal with Air Canada will give passengers a single baggage policy and competitive fares, the airlines say. (Oliver Holzbauer/Flickr)
Mexican low-cost carrier Viva Aerobus and Air Canada have entered into an agreement to boost connectivity between the two countries, linking eight Canadian cities with 59 destinations in Mexico via connections in the cities of Cancún, Mexico City, and Monterrey.
Canadian passengers will enjoy a single baggage policy and competitive fares by having both airlines on a single ticket, regardless of the number of stops. Tickets will be available on Air Canada’s platforms.
The alliance will contact Mexican destinations with many of Canada’s major cities, from Halifax to Vancouver, seen here. (Aditya Chinchure/Unsplash)
“We are excited about this new partnership with Air Canada,”Jordi Porcel, Director of Alliances at Viva Aerobus said in a statement. “This alliance will allow Air Canada’ passengers to seamlessly reach and enjoy a wide range of destinations in Mexico, including beaches, large cities, and other towns.”
Travelers will be able to connect from Viva Aerobus flights originating in Mexico to Canadian cities like Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Halifax, Ottawa, Quebec and Winnipeg.
“We know that there is a large Mexican population of students and professionals in Canada who will also be able to take advantage of this opportunity to visit their families back home,” Porcel said.
Viva Aerobus commenced operations in Mexico almost 18 years ago. Currently, they operate the youngest fleet in the country and the fifth youngest in North America. Air Canada is Canada’s largest airline with 195 destinations and more than 46 million passengers flown in 2023.
Flair Airlines launches flight to Guadalajara
Canadian low-cost carrier Flair Airlines has also increased its routes to Mexico with a new direct flight between Toronto and Guadalajara.
The airline already operates a direct flight between Guadalajara and Vancouver.
“With this new route to Toronto, the second to Canada, Guadalajara airport is connected to 60 national and international destinations,” head of Guadalajara International Airport Martín Zazueta Chávez said.
Jalisco Tourism Ministry (Secturjal) head Vanessa Pérez Lamas said that the state received almost half a million Canadian tourists in 2023.
“Jalisco recognizes the importance of Canada as an international market for our state,” Pérez said. “We are confident that the routes from two important Canadian cities, Vancouver and now Toronto, will further expand this market.
Flair CEO and Interim President Maciej Wilk said that Flair-operated flights from Vancouver to Guadalajara “have been a huge success,” and that they are “very excited to see the same enthusiasm and demand from Toronto.”
Mexico has imported 11 tonnes of avocados to the United States without a single pest or phytosanitary incident in the last decade. (Government of Mexico)
The Mexican government announced on Monday that the United States has consented to authorize Mexico’s Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry (Sader) to do inspections to certify avocado orchards whose harvests are designated for export to the U.S.
In June, Agricultural Minister Victor Villalobos, at the podium, held a press conference with US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, to Villalobos’ right, to announce the lifting of a 10-day suspension on Mexican avocado exports to the U.S. prompted by threats to USDA staff in Michocán. (Government of Mexico)
The suspension went into place after two U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors had been threatened while making the rounds in Michoacán, one of only two states in Mexico authorized to export avocados into the U.S. The other is the neighboring state of Jalisco.
Mexican inspectors will now be in charge of supervising participating orchards and certifying the absence of invasive pests throughout harvesting and packing procedures.
Officials with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are tasked with working jointly with Senasica, the Mexican agency that protects agricultural, aquacultural and livestock resources from pests and diseases, to establish an annual orchard inspection program.
The decision recognizes that Mexico’s avocado exporters have complied with APHIS regulations since they were put in place in 1997, during which time no pest or phytosanitary problems have gone untreated.
For the past 27 years, producers, packers and exporters have efficiently addressed any and all issues related to pest invasions, adequately applied quarantines when available and cooperated fully with APHIS personnel, according to the news magazine Expansión.
APHIS personnel will continue to administer the orchard inspection process but will not be required to do so from Mexico. In addition, APHIS and Senasica will be jointly responsible for overseeing the packaging process for avocados exported to the United States.
Agricultural products, like avocados, are one of the primary exports from Mexico to the United States. (Cuartoscuro)
Upon announcing the agreement, Sader declared that the transfer of responsibilities to Senasica “reinforces cooperative efforts to promote a bilateral agenda that facilitates flexible and secure trade.”
It remains to be seen how U.S. avocado producers will react to this decision. In July, the California Avocado Commission demanded that the USDA continue directly supervising the harvesting and packing of Hass avocados destined for the US market from Mexico.
Ken Melban, a California Avocado Commission official, cautioned against jeopardizing the economic interests of U.S. farmers who rely on rigorous oversight, saying the threat of invasive pests is a critical concern.
“As reports of corruption and violence in Mexico continue, including regions authorized for avocado exports to the U.S., it is unimaginable that the U.S. government would consider abdicating inspection responsibilities to Mexico,” Melban said, according to Mexico Business News.
In the past 10 years, Mexico has exported approximately 11 million tonnes of avocados to the United States without a single pest-related violation.
Mexico is the world’s No. 1 producer of avocados, producing 2.5 million tonnes annually. In addition to supplying the domestic market, Mexico’s avocado farmers — primarily in the states of Michoacán, Jalisco, México state, Nayarit, Morelos and Puebla — export more than 1.1 million tonnes of the fruit annually worldwide.
In addition to the United States, Mexican avocados are exported to Canada, Japan, Spain, El Salvador, Holland and China.
Trade uncertainty has put the nearshoring (Juan José Estrada Serafín/Cuartoscuro)
Production at Mexican factories declined more than 1% annually in the second quarter of 2024, a slowdown the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) partially attributed to weak manufacturing activity in the United States.
In its second quarter “regional economies” report, Banxico published data that showed that manufacturing activity in Mexico’s northern region — home to large numbers of maquiladoras, or export-oriented factories — declined 2.6% annually between April and June.
Manufacturing activity decreased in all four regions monitored by the central bank: north, central-north, central and south. (Banxico)
Manufacturing activity also decreased in the three other regions monitored by the central bank, but the contraction in the north was easily the biggest.
In Mexico’s central north, which includes Mexico’s industry-focused Bajío region, the year-over-year decline in Q2 was 1.2%, while the country’s central and southern regions recorded annual manufacturing activity contractions of 0.7% and 0.4%, respectively.
Compared to the first quarter of 2024, national manufacturing activity declined 0.2% between April and June, marking the fourth consecutive quarter-over-quarter contraction.
Banxico said that the manufacturing sector’s performance in the second quarter continued to be “weak.”
The slowdown in manufacturing activity came as Mexico seeks to bolster the sector by attracting foreign investment amid the nearshoring trend.
The Bank of Mexico reported that 14 of 20 manufacturing sub-sectors recorded contractions in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the previous three-month period.
Banxico said that the declines were the product of “weakness in production destined both for the internal and external market.”
The decline in the production of goods for export could be related to the unfavorable performance of the manufacturing sector in the United States. (Together with Entrada Group)
The decline in the production of goods for export “could be related to the unfavorable performance” of the manufacturing sector in the United States given “the high integration of regional production chains,” the bank said.
Manufacturing output in the United States increased more than 3% annually in the second quarter, but Reuters reported that the sector “has at best been treading water as higher interest rates curb demand for goods and make capital investment challenging.”
The U.S. manufacturing sector declined 1.3% in the first quarter of the year.
Mexico’s central region, which includes Mexico City, led the way, recording annual economic growth of 1.9%.
The economy of the northern region expanded 1%, while the central-north recorded growth of 1.2%.
Mexico’s central region, which includes Mexico City, led the way, recording annual economic growth of 1.9%. (Wikimedia)
Mexico’s southern region, which includes the country’s poorest states, recorded annual economic growth of just 0.3% between April and June.
The national construction sector grew 7.3% annually in the period, a strong result, but a significant slowdown from 13.3% annual growth in the first quarter of the year.
The northern region recorded the largest construction sector growth in the second quarter, at 11.9% in annual terms.
The only other national sector monitored by Banxico that recorded annual growth between April and June was tourism. That sector grew 3.2%, up from 2.7% in the first quarter of the year.
In addition to manufacturing, activity in the mining, retail and agricultural sectors all declined in Q2. The annual contractions were 3.6% for mining, 0.7% for retail and 2.7% for agriculture.
Which regions are benefiting most from nearshoring?
Banxico’s Monthly Survey of Regional Business Activity, or EMAER, found that 12.9% of companies in Mexico with more than 100 employees recorded increases in production, sales or investment over the past year as a result of the nearshoring, or relocation, trend.
The figure — derived from reported increases in company production, sales or investment between July 2023 and July 2024 — is 3.6 percentage points higher than a year earlier.
Companies that operate in Mexico’s northern region were most likely to benefit from nearshoring, Banxico found.
Around one in six companies in the north — 16.9% — reported increases in production, sales or investment as a result of nearshoring. The percentage figure increased five points in the space of a year.
Companies that operate in Mexico’s northern region were most likely to benefit from nearshoring, Banxico found. (Cuartoscuro)
The percentage of companies that reported benefiting from nearshoring was 13.2% in the central north region of Mexico, 11.4% in central Mexico and 7.8% in the south. All those figures increased from a year earlier.
According to the Banxico report, the “perception” of Mexico’s business sector is that “the process of relocation is ongoing,” but the general opinion is that the full impact of the nearshoring trend will take some time to materialize.
Just over 41% of surveyed company representatives predicted that the greatest impact from nearshoring will be felt between 2026 and 2030. More than 31% believe that the nearshoring trend will make its biggest impact in 2025, while around 4% think that Mexico won’t reap the full rewards of the phenomenon until after 2030.
Exactly 23% of those surveyed believe that Mexico has already passed, or is currently at, its nearshoring peak.
However, there is no guarantee that all announced projects will go ahead, and there are concerns that the new judicial reform, and other as-yet-unapproved constitutional bills, could have a significant negative impact on Mexico’s attractiveness as an investment destination.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said last November that Mexico “might be the number one opportunity” in the world for investors, while in December Thor Equities founder and chairman Joseph Sitt asserted that Mexico had become the “alternative” to China and represented a “golden” opportunity for investment.
But it remains to be seen whether Mexico will in fact capitalize on its nearshoring opportunity during the 2024-30 presidency of Claudia Sheinbaum, or whether factors such as government policy, insecurity, lack of energy and water, and insufficient infrastructure cause the country to fail to reach its much-touted potential.
Denisse Ahumada Martínez was a Reynosa, Tamaulipas, city councilor when she was arrested in June 2023 after trying to cross the Mexico-U.S. border with 42 kilos of cocaine embedded in an SUV. (Social media/CBP)
A former Reynosa, Tamaulipas, city councilor has been sentenced to over three years in U.S. federal prison after being caught with 42.38 kilos (93 lbs.) of cocaine in her vehicle last year.
The arrest of Denisse Ahumada Martínez, 35, occurred on June 10, 2023, at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas. The agents found some of the cocaine hidden below the car seats on which the ex-Reynosa councilor’s two young daughters were sitting.
Ahumada after her detention in June 2023 for the second time, when she was returning home after being released by a federal judge because prosecutors could not prove that she had known that the car was laden with cocaine, only that it likely contained some kind of contraband. (Hidalgo County, TX Sherriff’s Office)
At the time, the DEA estimated the street value of the seized cocaine to be US $900,000.
Ahumada told the court she was coerced into trafficking the cocaine after receiving phone calls that included threats against her daughters. She claimed an unknown individual instructed her to drive the drug-laden vehicle to San Antonio, Texas.
Despite Ahumada’s claims, prosecutors said they found no conclusive evidence that her children had been in danger. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents testified that she had made similar trips before, including one to Houston.
Though Ahumada initially avoided charges after a federal judge dismissed the case when prosecutors could not prove Ahumada knew exactly what she was carrying in the Mazda SUV, she was detained again at the Mexico-U.S. border on her way back to Mexico after prosecutors in Brooks County, Texas — where Falfurrias is located — filed its own charges against her.
She was later indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury.
In October 2023, Ahumada pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, admitting that she knew drugs were in the vehicle while denying awareness of the amount or type. Texas attorney Samuel Reyes, who at the time was assigned to represent Ahumada in the Brooks County case, told the media outlet Border Report that he believed Ahumada pled guilty because she couldn’t afford the costs of proving that she’d been coerced.
Ahumada was a member of the Ecological Green Party of Mexico (PVEM) and later switched to the National Action Party (PAN).
At her sentencing hearing in McAllen, Texas, on Monday, Ahumada expressed regret but said she had feared for her children’s safety.
“I know I should have seen the other options that I had,” Ahumada said in court Monday. “But I didn’t.”
Judge Randy Crane, acknowledging her low-level role as a drug mule, sentenced her to 37 months in federal prison without parole.
Ahumada’s defense attorney in the federal case, Oscar Alvarez, pointed to her history of being a victim of domestic abuse and intimidation during “two very terrible relationships.” He also argued that she had been coerced by criminal elements.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia noted that Ahumada never reported the alleged threats, even though she had worked closely with law enforcement in the past due to her domestic violence experiences.
Ahumada was elected to the Reynosa City Council in 2021 representing the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM). She later allegedly switched her allegiance to the National Action Party (PAN), but after her arrest, the PAN’s Tamaulipas branch said in a statement that Ahumada is not a member of the party.
Another day of heavy rains in the Mexico City metropolitan area resulted in a second fatal mudslide in the capital’s outskirts. (Cuartoscuro)
Heavy rains in the Mexico City metropolitan area caused a fatal mudslide in the capital’s outskirts on Monday night, just days after a similar disaster that killed nine people in another México state municipality.
At least six people have been confirmed dead and three others were injured after a hillside collapsed in Naucalpan in México state on Monday night.
A hilltop that straddles the La Raquelita and Emiliano Zapata neighborhoods in western Naucalpan gave way on Monday night, killing six. (Cuartoscuro)
On Friday, a mudslide about 15 kilometers to the west of Naucalpan resulted in the deaths of at least nine people, after search teams on Monday found the bodies of five victims who had been reported missing.
Monday’s disaster occurred when a hilltop that straddles the La Raquelita and Emiliano Zapata neighborhoods in western Naucalpan gave way. The resulting mudslide destroyed one building and damaged a school.
Neighbors immediately came to the rescue, arriving with picks and shovels and pulling two women to safety, but the bodies of four men and two other victims were recovered shortly after. It is not clear if the victims were inside their homes or out on the street when the mudslide occurred.
A third person was rescued and all three survivors are now being treated at the General Hospital of Naucalpan.
The rescue operation in Jilotzingo — the site of Friday’s tragedy — continued on Tuesday. (Protección Civil Edomex)
Governor Delfina Gómez ordered emergency personnel and heavy machinery to the area of the search and rescue operation which continued throughout the night even as heavy rains continued to fall.
The online news site Infobae reported that rescuers were forced to enter the crushed building from an adjacent property as they looked for more victims in the debris.
The rescue operation in Jilotzingo — the site of Friday’s tragedy — continued on Tuesday. Officials had completed the search operation at the location of the largest mudslide, which took down 16 buildings and a mini-mall, while authorities explored the other areas where smaller mudslides had simultaneously occurred.
Clean-up crews were working to remove debris, clear streets and salvage properties. Geologists who examined the area on Monday reported that at least 60 buildings were at risk of another landslide. The authorities ordered those 60 buildings evacuated, prompting officials to establish shelters for displaced families.
The state government set up four command posts to provide medical attention to victims. The state Health Ministry sent doctors and psychologists to attend to the needs of the residents.
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) forecasts more rain in the Naucalpan area this afternoon and another storm tonight.
Volaris is the first Mexican airline to offer a direct flight from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Baja California coast.
(Unsplash)
Volaris has announced a new nonstop flight between the Baja California Peninsula and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Starting in March 2025, the flight will connect the city of Los Cabos (SJD), Baja California Sur, with San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK) in California.
The southbound flight from OAK will arrive at SJD at 3:38 p.m; the northbound flight will arrive at OAK at 7:49 p.m.(@IFlyOAKland/X)
“We know very well that East Bay residents prefer to start their vacations from OAK, the convenient airport closest to home,” Port of Oakland Director of Aviation Craig Simon said.
“The new flights to Cabo are well timed for hotel check-in and check-out allowing Volaris customers to optimize their fun and relaxation at this very popular destination.”
Daily flights between OAK and SJD will depart OAK at 12:30 p.m. and arrive at SJD at 3:38 p.m. The northbound flight will depart SJD at 4:38 p.m. and arrive at OAK at 7:49 p.m.
This isn’t Volaris’s first route to OAK. The airline already flies from Oakland to Guadalajara (two daily flights), Morelia (six weekly flights), León/Guanajuato (six weekly flights) and Mexico City (one daily flight). Starting on Nov. 5, Volaris will add three weekly flights to Monterrey.
Volaris is the biggest Mexican airline, having transported 33.4 million passengers last year — 7.9% more than in 2022.
“We are thrilled to launch our new service connecting Oakland and San José del Cabo, bringing more low fares to Bay Area travelers,” the Executive Vice President of Volaris Holger Blankenstein said.
The new flight will be operated by Volaris’s fleet of Airbus A320 Neo aircraft.
Los Cabos is one of Mexico’s most visited beach destinations, offering tourists experiences such as whale watching (between December and March), sailing, sportfishing, championship golf and scuba diving.
OAK is the main airport for the greater East Bay, the most populated area in the metropolitan San Francisco Bay area.
Chocoflan's three layers of deliciousness have made it a hit worldwide. (The Spruce Eats)
When researching trending desserts in the United States, I was shocked to see chocoflan touted in both Taste Tomorrow and Bake Magazine as a rising star in the dessert world. The former publication stated that chocoflan is now one of the top trends in the patisserie industry, “reflecting a consumer interest in innovative and nostalgic desserts.”
I was surprised on several accounts. First, I didn’t know chocoflan was Mexican and second, I didn’t realize this “impossible” cake — as it’s known — was such a novelty. Please don’t let me scare you! It is not impossible to make: it’s the way it bakes that defies logic!
Recipe adapted from Edson Díaz-Fuentes (Betty Crocker)
Chocoflan is composed of three layers. The first is caramel. In the vintage version, this caramel, called cajeta, was made from goat’s milk, which adds superior richness to the cake. The second layer is chocolate cake; the third is flan. But the amazing thing is this: when the layers bake, they reverse. The cake ends on the bottom and the flan rises to the top. The process has even been called “miraculous.”
Chocoflan originated in Mexico around the mid-20th century and is a staple of its celebrations and get-togethers. The recipe included here is from Mexican chef Edson Diaz-Fuentes. Before we jump in, let’s talk about the vanilla that’s used in this recipe. “At home in Mexico,” Díaz-Fuentes says, “we traditionally use vanilla from Papantla, Veracruz, the aroma and flavor of which is much appreciated around the world.” That’s because this famous vanilla — and all vanilla — originated in Mexico centuries ago.
It was the Totonac people of Mexico, in around the area that is now Veracruz, who first cultivated the vanilla orchid and processed it into vanilla, which they used for ritual and medicinal purposes. Then the Mexica came and conquered the Totonacs, adopting their methodology for making this sweet, aromatic “spice” — vanilla is considered a spice because it is generated from the pods of orchids. The eventual Spanish conquest of Mexico saw the exporting of vanilla to Europe, and the rest is history.
But there was a problem: vanilla could only be grown in Mexico because its pollination required the Melipona bee, the only known natural pollinator of the vanilla orchid. It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that artificial hand pollination was developed, which expanded the process of making vanilla to the tropical world. By the early 20th century, Madagascar was the world’s leading producer of vanilla, a position it retains today along with Indonesia. Vanilla production, however, continues to be a labor-intensive process, and vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, after saffron.
Vanilla was first domesticated by the Totonac people on the Gulf coast of Mexico. (The Gardener)
Authentic Mexican chocoflan
Ingredients
For the caramel
1 cup caster sugar (azúcar estándar). Caster sugar is superfine granulated sugar; to make, simply put granulated sugar in a food processor and give it a couple of pulses.
For the chocolate cake
¾ cup salted butter, softened, plus extra for the pan (mantequilla con sal)
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs (huevos)
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (you may find that the all-purpose flour available in Mexico does not work as well, in which case you can order a familiar brand online)
½ cup cocoa powder (cacao en polvo)
2 tsp ground cinnamon (canela molida)
½ tsp baking powder (polvo para hornear)
½ tsp baking soda (bicarbonato de sodio)
½ cup buttermilk (¾ cup of sour cream plus ¼ cup milk will make 1 cup of buttermilk)
For the flan
1 ¼ cups condensed milk (leche condensada)
1 cup evaporated milk (leche evaporada)
½ cup cream cheese (queso crema)
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract (extracto de vainilla). Mexican brands: Villa Vainilla, Vainilla Totonac, Molina Vainilla.
1 ¼ tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds (semillas de calabaza)
Optional: crushed ancho chili flakes (hojuelas de chile ancho trituradas)
Instructions
Prep
Heat the oven to 200 C (392 F), or 180 C (356 F) for a gas oven.
Butter and breadcrumb a large bundt pan, about 2.5 liters or 9 cups in volume. Use breadcrumbs instead of flour for easy release.
Select a deep roasting pan to use as a bain-marie (water bath). It should be deep enough to accommodate the cake pan. Pour enough water into the pan to come halfway up the sides.
Put the roasting pan in the middle shelf of the oven while it preheats.
Making the caramel
Put the caster sugar and 1/4 cup of water into a pan and stir to dissolve for 1 minute. Once dissolved, don’t stir again.
Cook over a medium-high heat for a few minutes until it turns a deep golden color.
Pour into the base of the bundt pan.
Making the chocolate cake
Use a stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and mix for a further 2 minutes until well combined.
Add dry ingredients in small portions, alternating with the buttermilk.
Once everything is well incorporated, put the cake batter into a piping bag and set aside. To make a piping bag, pour batter into a zip-lock or sandwich bag. Squeeze batter into the corner of the bag. When ready to use, snip the corner of the bag diagonally. The size of the snip will determine how much batter is released.
Making the flan
Put all ingredients into a blender and mix on high speed for 2-3 minutes or until well combined.
Set aside.
Assembling the chocoflan
Pipe the cake batter into the cake pan, covering the caramel you added earlier.
Level using a rubber spatula.
Pour the flan mixture on top of the cake batter.
Cover the cake pan with foil and put it in the bain-marie (water bath). If you need to, pour additional hot water into the roasting pan. It should come halfway up the sides of the pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake mixture has floated to the top of the pan.
Test by inserting a sharp knife into the deepest parts of the cake. It should come out clean. If not, bake for another 5-10 minutes.
Remove the cake from the bain-marie (water bath) and let it cool completely before taking it out of the pan. Shake the pan in circular movements to loosen any points of cake that stick to the pan around the edges.
Garnish with chopped toasted pumpkin seeds, toasted amaranth and cacao nibs.
Adding a touch of crushed ancho chili flakes will add a different dimension.
Did this chocoflan recipe work for you? Make any changes? Let us know in the comments below.
Deborah McCoy is the one-time author of mainstream, bridal-reference books who has turned her attention to food, particularly sweets, desserts and fruits. She is the founder of CakeChatter and the author of four baking books for “Dough Punchers” via CakeChatter (available @amazon.com). She is also the president of The American Academy of Wedding Professionals.
General Jesús Leana Ojeda (center) spoke about the Sinaloa security situation at a press conference on Monday with the state's governor, Rubén Rocha Moya (to the general's left). (Cuartoscuro)
A Sinaloa-based army commander appears to have admitted that the military is incapable of controlling violence in the northern state, saying that the reestablishment of order will only come when rival criminal factions stop fighting each other.
At least 39 people were killed in state capital Culiacán and nearby municipalities between Sept. 9 and 16 as a long-running battle between the “Los Chapos” and “Los Mayos” factions of the Sinaloa Cartel escalated.
Culiacán has seen an eruption of violence in the past week as confrontations between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel escalate. (Cuartoscuro)
In the same period, the army and National Guard — both of which play a central role in the federal government’s security strategy — were involved in more than a dozen confrontations with armed men in Sinaloa, including one on Monday during which one soldier was killed.
At a press conference on Monday, the top army official in Sinaloa said he hoped that peace would be restored in the state “as soon as possible.”
However, that eventuality “doesn’t depend on us,” said Commander Francisco Jesús Leana Ojeda.
There has been an increased presence of the Mexican armed forces in Culiacán since the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in July. (Cuartoscuro)
“It’s up to the opposing groups to stop confronting each other and to leave society in peace,” he said.
Pressed as to whether security in Sinaloa really depends on a truce between rival criminal groups, Leana responded:
“It depends on them, they’re the ones carrying out attacks and taking lives. We’re not doing that. On the contrary, we’re here to avoid confrontations and the loss of human lives.”
Despite the loss of more than three dozen lives in just eight days, and the abduction of more than 30 people in the same period, Leana asserted that the army has achieved “good results” in Sinaloa.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada claims he was kidnapped by one of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons and forced onto a plane bound for Texas, were he was arrested on July 25. (X)
“We’re living through a confrontation between opposing groups, we’re constantly planning the contention of attacks between them, between factions and we’ve had good results,” said the army commander.
According to state and federal authorities, security forces arrested 27 alleged cartel members in Sinaloa between Sept. 9 and 16 and seized more than 100 firearms, some 25,000 rounds of ammunition and 57 vehicles, including 12 armored pickup trucks and a fake police car.
Leana said that more than 3,000 members of the army, National Guard and Mexican Air Force are currently deployed in Sinaloa.
The escalation in the conflict between “Los Chapitos,” a Sinaloa Cartel faction led by the sons of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, and “Los Mayos,” a faction loyal to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García and his son Ismael “El Mayito Flaco” Zambada Sicairos, comes after the arrest of Zambada García in the United States on July 25.
El Mayo, a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel along with Guzmán Loera, has accused Joaquín Guzmán López, one of “Los Chapitos”, of kidnapping him in Culiacán and forcing him onto a plane that delivered him, and Guzmán López, into the hands of U.S. law enforcement authorities.
Zambada is currently in custody in New York, while Guzmán López is behind bars in Chicago.
A trip to Veracruz's Gulf Coast means escaping the cloud forests for the chaos and magic of the port city - and the downtown that defines it. (Expedia)
I’ve been spending much more time in the port city of Veracruz because of my partner’s job. Downtown Veracruz, to be precise.
Most of Veracruz state is rugged highland. The city of Veracruz itself is a riot of life, humidity and history. (Shutterstock)
It’s never a good idea to leave the house without a sweater and an umbrella. You can practically drink your weight in coffee without even realizing it. People are polite, but not exuberant.
De-pressurizing at sea level
But oh, slide down 1,417 meters of mountain range to the city of Veracruz, and how things change! The air even loosens up, infusing your lungs suddenly with a bounty of unexpected oxygen. If it weren’t for the oppressively wet heat, all that oxygen would have me running giddily in circles.
Once in Veracruz, stepping off the bus — or out of the car — is a shock to the system. The engulfing hot and muggy air always makes me start sweating immediately. It’s hard not to be self-conscious among the city’s residents, who seem perfectly used to it and not at all sweaty.
They’d never make you feel silly for it, though.
Los Jarochos
“Jarochos” are even more vibrant than their city, filled with life, color and passion. (Mexican Routes)
And let me tell you something: they are fun. They are nice. They are exuberant and gregarious. They do not attempt to be coy; they stare openly, and let you know it, though it somehow doesn’t feel aggressive. They say hello, and how are you, and they will probably wish you a good day.
They’re also funny. On a recent trip as I walked along the “malecón” (boardwalk) with my daughter after buying her the requisite güero güera ice cream, a man approached. After calling me “my love,” “my queen” and “my life,” he tried to sell me a watch from his collection. “They’re stolen, but they’re good!” he exclaimed.
If Xalapeños are cats, cool and collected, jarochos are the happiest — and sometimes the naughtiest — of puppies. “Hi, hello! I’m interested in you!”
It’s an interesting cultural personality given the physical backdrop.
The trees of Veracruz: “This is ours now”
If you decide to stroll around downtown Veracruz, you’ll notice that many parts of it seem downright gritty. Building after building is deteriorating, many of the large, old properties abandoned and/or in limbo. I haven’t been to Cuba, but it looks and feels the way I imagine urban Cuba to look and feel.
Some parts of the city center are being reclaimed by nature. It gives the whole town a very Havana feel. (Sarah DeVries)
The main story I’ve heard about the lack of upkeep of historic buildings, which is what most buildings in downtown Veracruz are, is aboutred tape. Some of them have been standing for 500 years, and well, wear and tear is bound to happen. While there’s certainly interest in rehabilitating these old buildings, the nightmare of paperwork and at times contradictory official requirements for remodeling is enough to discourage even the most enthusiastic investors. Some owners have even decided to just wait for their buildings to colapse. The reason? Once they do, they’re free to build on them without all the historical preservation rules.
In the absence of much human intervention, the trees have taken over. “This is mine now,” they seem to say as they grow out of the windows and over the roofs. It’s a part of the city that feels as if nature is reclaiming it, little by little.
Go down the coast a bit, and things get cleaner, nicer. Boca del Río is practically Miami by comparison: the fancier, more modern, more air-conditioned Veracruz. But if you want to take a stroll among the ghosts of early Mexico and meet their gregarious descendants, then Downtown Veracruz is the place for you.
At least 9 people were injured in when the tourist bus went off the road, falling to the switchback below. (Screenshot)
Four Mexicans were injured in a crash on Monday when a tourist bus plunged off a road near the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru, the Mexican government said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said on social media that four Mexicans sustained “multiple fractures” when the bus in which they were traveling crashed.
#Urgente Bus de la empresa Consettur que traslada turistas de Machu Picchu Pueblo al Parque Arqueológico se despistó hoy en la carretera Hiram Bingham. pic.twitter.com/AzugnsZErB
The bus went off the edge of a winding mountain road near Machu Picchu on Monday, amid foggy conditions.
At least five other tourists were also injured, but no deaths were immediately reported. Those injured were taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment.
In a video posted to social media by the journalist Lourdes Mendoza, a Mexican who was on the bus said that three other Mexicans were seriously injured.
Speaking from a clinic, Jorge Polanco said that those three people — among whom is his wife — had broken their legs and hips.
“They don’t know how to treat them,” added Polanco, who was also injured, according to Mendoza’s post.
The news website Perú 21 reported that approximately 32 foreign and Peruvian nationals were on board the bus when it crashed onto a lower section of a winding road on Monday morning.
The bus was returning to the town of Aguas Calientes from Machu Picchu when the accident occurred, according to the bus company Consettur MachuPicchu.
According to witnesses cited by Perú 21, the bus driver’s sight was impeded by fog.
The SRE said that the Mexican Embassy in Peru was in contact with the injured Mexicans and would provide them with the assistance they require.
AYUDA A los heridos en el accidente en #Perú donde hay mexicanos los están tratando de trasladarlos en un tren “No están organizados , nos saben qué hacer “ me dice Jorge Polanco https://t.co/F3kYwtMxiUpic.twitter.com/DOVIyvfW8l
In another video posted to X by Mendoza, Polanco said that Peruvian authorities were “trying to transport those injured by train,” presumably to a better-equipped hospital.
However, “they’re not organized, no one knows what to do,” he said.
The town of Aguas Calientes is located northwest of the city of Cusco. A train trip between the two destinations takes more than four hours.
According to Reuters, “deadly bus accidents are common in Peru, where many buses travel on precarious mountain roads or are driven by inadequately trained drivers.”
