Rojano Galván maintained an average speed of 8.42 kilometers per hour over 20 days. (Gaceta UNAM)
Gerardo “Coloso” Rojano Galván, 47, a student of the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s (UNAM) Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, crossed Mexico from north to south by bicycle in just over 20 days, earning a new record by the World Ultracycling Association (WUCA).
Rojano’s journey began June 8 in Los Algodones, Baja California, just 50 meters away from the United States border, and ended near the border of Mexico with Guatemala at Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, after 20 days, 6 hours and 3 minutes of cycling.
The exceptional feat, which saw Coloso cover 4,094 kilometers with an average speed of 8.42 kilometers per hour, established a new record in the men’s individual cross-country category for cyclists aged 18 to 49 certified by the World Ultra-Cycling Association (WUCA).
Coloso completed this route on a standard bicycle in an unsupported manner, meaning he had no outside assistance to cover the distance during the journey. The Mexican cyclist now awaits recognition of his journey as a Guinness World Record.
The nearly 21-day journey
Rojano’s journey took him across mountains, deserts, towns and cities throughout Mexico, and included efforts to engage with Indigenous communities such as the Seri, Yaqui, Wixárika, Tzotzil, Amuzgo and Huave peoples.
To prepare for the trip, he explained to Gaceta UNAM that he had to train to adapt to the country’s varying weather conditions, including pedaling during the day and at night, as well as in hot and cold weather.
He had to train his sleep schedule too, he explained. During the first week, Rojano cycled an average of 18 hours a day. Subsequently, he maintained daily rides of close to 15 hours and registered 13 hours as his shortest day.
“It was a stressful and grueling challenge,” he told Infobae. Rojano said that the most arduous part of the journey was traversing the challenging terrain of Baja California and Sonora, while the most extraordinary experience was having a coyote run next to him in the desert.
“You aren’t there to fight against nature; it’s more about running alongside it,” Rojano said.
This expedition isn’t Rojano’s first track record in ultracycling. In 2025, he set a WUCA city-to-city record in Cuba, biking from Cabo San Antonio and arriving in Santa Clara in 2 days, 17 hours and 21 minutes. Previously in 2020, he rode from Mexico City to Acapulco in one day, achieving the record time of 17 hours and 22 minutes.
Kali, Tara, Lalita… why are women in Mexico City so drawn to tantric goddesses? (Monojit Dutta/Pexels)
Ana Paula Ruiz Gatica has dedicated much of her life to singing. From a very young age, at the Colegio Sagrado Corazón in the Pedregal neighborhood, one of the most exclusive schools for girls in Mexico City, “I participated in devotional singing to Jesus,” she told Mexico News Daily in an interview, which was translated for publication.
At age 14, she took her first yoga class. By 2016, she bought a ticket to India to study for nine months at the Kaivalyadhama Institute, the first yoga school to conduct research demonstrating the benefits and uses of the practice. And her path changed completely.
Ruiz Gatica offers yoga teacher training courses based on “the original texts and practices transmitted from teacher to student in a living chain.” (Beepin4/Pexels)
“I stopped seeing yoga as a series of postures and understood it for what it is — a holistic path that includes ethics, breathwork, meditation, singing, philosophy, ritual and devotion,” she said. She chose the path of devotion.
A more traditional approach
Ruiz Gatica acknowledges that during a trip to Thailand in 2015, she studied with Bikram Choudhury, the controversial Indian teacher who introduced hot yoga to the West. After years of study in India and other Asian countries, she returned to Mexico with the intention of bringing back some of what she learned “without diluting it, without embellishing it and without turning it into a product.”
At some point during that journey, she publicly became Ana Prana. That name, along with a series of courses she promotes with Yogendra Sharma, who holds a doctorate in Hispanic literature from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and Deepak Bhardwaj, an award-winning international yoga champion, has earned her more than 20,000 followers on Instagram.
Ruiz Gatica, Sharma and Bhardwaj promote yoga teacher training courses with a more traditional approach. When asked what she means by that, Ruiz Gatica explains that it refers to “the original texts, to the practices transmitted from teacher to student in a living chain.” Today, she and her two partners organize retreats and ceremonies woven through the chanting of devotional Indian music — or “meditation through the chanting of mantras.”
‘A tool of the mind’
From Sanskrit, mantra translates as “tool for the mind,” used to achieve a profound contemplative state. In Mexico City, as in other cosmopolitan Western capitals, this tradition of devotional chanting has intersected with New Age practices. Therefore, it is not uncommon to find kirtan events, or devotional chanting, that also include cacao ceremonies. Sometimes, DJ sets are featured to keep the evening going. The entrance fee for these events can start at US $30.
This type of fusion, however, is not seen on the holy days of the Sanatana Dharma tradition, the set of practices, philosophical schools and rites known in colonial times as Hinduism. Furthermore, these ceremonies are performed as part of the lunar calendar cycle.
Devotional Indian music is at the heart of the retreats, ceremonies and training courses. (Yogakul)
Despite how other yoga centers in town practice kirtan ceremonies, Ruiz Gatica’s events focus mainly on the devotional dimension, as she aims for her ceremonies to be “a bridge between living Indian tradition and contemporary Western life.”
Gupta Navaratri in Mexico: The 9 secret nights
Recently, through her Instagram account, Ruiz Gatica announced a meditation cycle centered on Gupta Navaratri, the nine secret nights of the Brahmanic tantra tradition.
Unlike the large public festivals held along the banks of the Ganges River in India, these nine nights are meant to be kept secret — meaning they are practiced privately at home. For the 2026 edition, which took place July 15-23, Ruiz Gatica led the rituals online.
For this series of sacred nights, she underwent two weeks of preparation studying the Devi Mahatmyam, a sacred text of 700 verses written in the fifth or sixth century A.D. that describes the principal aspects of the Mother Goddess in all her forms. She accompanied her study with a daily practice of asana and pranayama — yoga postures and breathing techniques — “to sow the seed of sadhana (spiritual practice).” Ruiz Gatica is certain that, without these preparations, “the nine nights wouldn’t have landed in the same place.”
Each of these nine nights is dedicated to a specific goddess of the tantric tradition, or Mahavidya. Each represents a raw aspect of divinity in the Hindu tradition, such as time, radical offerings or the void.
Deepening connections
Once the preparations were complete, participants connected for nine consecutive nights via Zoom. “Each night,” she said, “we shared the energy of a specific Mahavidya and deepened our connection to that energy through mantra.”
After years of “holding sacred spaces,” as she describes it, Ruiz Gatica knows that many participants are women seeking a connection to spirituality through yoga. They may start a journey through postural yoga but wish to continue on the path of devotion, as she did.
Their age range is broad, from 25 to 65, and like her, these women have found something on the path of Bhakti, or ecstatic devotion in India, through guided meditations and chanting. “It’s a space for those who feel the calling,” she said. “Nothing more, nothing less.” Gupta Navaratri might just be the opportunity to dive deeper.
A shared connection with the mother
In previous articles for Mexico News Daily, the overflowing love Mexicans feel for the Virgin of Guadalupe has been discussed. This awe of the mother is not fear, but rather an ecstatic admiration. Ruiz Gatica believes this is a characteristic shared with the veneration of the goddesses in the Sanatana Dharma pantheon in all its forms.
Therefore, she believes there is a recognition of this same devotion that extends to female deities belonging to other cultures: “(In Mexico, there is) a living relationship with the sacred feminine that not all Western cultures maintain. When a Mexican woman encounters Kali, Lalita or Durga, there is a part of her that says: ‘I know this. This relationship with the mother is not new to me.’”
One of the goddesses venerated during Gupta Navaratri is Maa Kali, the goddess of destruction and time. Besides being one of the most revered tantric goddesses in Bengal in eastern India, she is also one of the Mahavidyas. She is depicted with a bare torso, flowing hair and wild eyes — an image far removed from the self-sacrificing representation of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Separating goddesses from feminism
Perhaps that is also why Western women sometimes label her a feminist. Regarding this interpretation, Ruiz Gatica does not consider “Kali to be a ‘feminist goddess’ in the modern political sense of the term.” On the contrary, she says that would remove her from her cultural and religious context.
Is the all-pervasive worship of Our Lady of Guadalupe linked in any way to the interest of the tantric goddess some Mexican women profess? Ruiz Gatica thinks so. (Leonardo Manjarrez/Pexels)
“Reducing Kali — or any goddess — to a feminist icon can be, paradoxically, part of the very problem of separation that she comes to break down. It is putting her into yet another category. Locking her in another box.”
It is also interesting that a large part of the devotion to the Black Mother, as she is also known in India, is comprised of men. This branch of Shaktism, or the veneration of the Mother Goddess, has roughly 300 million followers worldwide, according to census figures.
Therefore, it is clear that the goddess, in her destructive and transformative form, does not adhere solely to the Western logic of change and political renewal; ultimately, she is the force of time. “She doesn’t operate only on women,” Ruiz Gatica said. “She operates on consciousness itself.”
President Sheinbaum is being urged to nationalize the Gelman Collection, which includes priceless paintings by Mexico's most iconic artists. (Somos Arte Experiencias/Instagram)
History is rife with expropriations. Mexico, in fact, has a long track record of such actions — ranging from oil and electricity companies plagued by corruption to banks and, yes, even soda and bicycle factories — after these companies or industries lost money, eroded confidence in the respect for private property or distorted the market.
Few, however, came close to meeting the correct legal threshold for nationalization: “public utility.”
Jacques and Natasha Gelman were naturalized Mexican citizens who put together a world-class collection of paintings from their adopted country’s greatest artists. (Somos Arte Experiencias/Instagram)
But once every century or so, a compelling case arises for taking such a significant step. The Gelman Collection — which is currently on display in Mexico City and whose works include a virtual who’s who of 20th-century Mexican art, with paintings by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Rufino Tamayo, María Izquierdo, Gunther Gerzso, Carlos Mérida, Francisco Toledo, Agustín Lazo, Lucero Isaac and Miguel Covarrubias, among others — presents just such a moment.
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo must seize and nationalize it, and she must do so now.
History will be set right. Mexico will reclaim its artistic soul. A government will reaffirm the role of the state. Mexico’s youth will be enriched and compensated for potentially being deprived of the opportunity to view these works in the future. The tourism industry will flourish.
The legal reasoning for expropriation
Everyone wins when this collection is liberated from the hands of a privileged few whose connection to it remains unconvincing. Even the most staunch defenders of the free market would applaud such a move. To borrow the title of a 1949 painting by Frida Kahlo — whose works feature prominently in the Gelman Collection — an “Embrace of Love of the Universe” would finally be complete.
Let us begin with a fundamental matter: the legal basis. It lies with the Executive Branch. Article 27 of the 1917 Constitution provides the initial framework, establishing the right to seize property — with just compensation — to safeguard national sovereignty.
This is complemented by Article 36 of the 1972 Federal Law on Monuments and Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Zones, and is, in turn, reinforced by a 1984 decree issued by then-President Miguel de la Madrid. No court is likely to overturn a government claim involving Kahlo — a woman of German and mestizo descent — particularly when viewed alongside the warmth with which Mexico opened its doors to the Gelmans, Eastern European refugees who would eventually become her patrons.
What about political backlash?
Sheinbaum has said that while artworks designated as cultural heritage of Mexico — as is the case with works in the Gelman Collection — cannot be sold abroad, they can be exhibited in foreign countries. But what if they don’t come back? (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
There is no issue here. The Morena party majority in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate — a body seemingly unacquainted with the concept of dissent — would fall into line within seconds to establish a long-term financial compensation mechanism that ensures everyone involved in this process emerges a winner. If the President does not take the initiative, Congress could very well do so.
Nationalization secures a permanent home for a collection that, better than any other body of modern art, embodies the Mexico of a bygone era. Nearly a century ago, the country opened its doors to Jacques and Natasha Gelman — he a de facto refugee, she an officially recognized one — and their contribution to Mexican culture is now deeply woven into the fabric of daily life. Nationalization honors them by keeping the fruits of their labor within the borders of the nation that adopted them and offered them abundant opportunities.
The collection belongs in Mexico
The current generation of Mexicans knows next to nothing about Kahlo or the artists whose works comprise this coveted collection: a body of art officially designated as an “artistic monument.” To many, Kahlo is simply the artist whose image graces the 500-peso banknote. It is time to rectify this by making the Gelman Collection accessible to all — without requiring a passport or the burden of paying exorbitant admission fees abroad. There is no justification for this collection to be housed in Spain, just as there would be no justification for the United States Declaration of Independence to be housed in London.
Why should a piece by Kahlo, such as her masterpiece “Diego on My Mind,” be exhibited abroad for extended periods when it has barely been seen in Mexico during the 21st century?
A surfeit of wills
The “Mona Lisa” has not left the Louvre since 1974. It simply makes no sense.
Even if the legal status of the Gelman Collection were currently unimpeachable, nationalization would still be a legitimate consideration. But, given its legal fragility, it is even more so. Since Natasha Gelman died in Cuernavaca in 1998, the legal permitting process has been shrouded in shadows.
According to published reports, there have been five Mexican wills. There was also at least one — and possibly more — in the United States. What were the original wishes of Jacques, who died in Houston in 1986, and of Natasha, who died in Cuernavaca in 1998? The narratives differ, and there is little credible history available beyond the verbal testimonies and assurances of the small, predominantly American group that surrounded Natasha until her death; a group that would later face allegations of fraud, elder abuse, undue influence, organized crime and collusion.
Mexican courts, too, were treated with disdain by Robert Littman, the apparent legal beneficiary of the artworks. In 2008, the treasurer of the Vergel Foundation — John B. Koegel, an arts and entertainment attorney — justified moving the art out of Mexico without any known documentation of a legal export process.
Really? Would a dispute with a Mexican court justify a clandestine removal? If the collection was exported legally — and that remains a possibility — where is the Mexican government to confirm it? Requests for comment on this story directed to Littman, submitted through the New York-based nonprofit Vergel Foundation, have gone unanswered, although Littman’s staff did respond to The New York Times (and its largely favorable coverage).
A lack of accountability
The removal of the collection from Cuernavaca in 2008 is not the only instance of a lack of accountability on the part of the Mexican government. The agencies responsible for enforcing heritage laws have been absent — or less than responsible — when it comes to serving the Mexican people. Representatives from Mexican consulates have attended galas at exhibitions of the Gelman Collection around the world over the last decade, yet direct accountability to the Mexican people has been conspicuously absent. Requests for records have frequently been denied by the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL), the entity responsible for arts and culture. This lack of accountability, in and of itself, constitutes grounds for corrective action: nationalization.
Nationalization rectifies and reconciles legal decisions made in Mexico and the United States, decisions that raise more questions than they provide answers. Litigation in the United States cast serious doubt on whether Littman was, in fact, the legitimate designated beneficiary and whether he benefited unduly following Natasha’s death.
Not only do published reports document that Littman received more than US $11 million, but several lawsuits filed against Littman in Mexico challenged what are believed to be five wills created and revised by Natasha Gelman. Few who are familiar with the history of the Gelman saga believe that the contested Mexican wills were actually “created and revised by Natasha.”
The many schemes to defraud an elderly woman
This portrait of Natasha Gelman by Diego Rivera is a jewel of the Gelman art collection. (Diego Rivera)
In the United States, lawsuits filed in 2000 and 2002 accused Littman — along with other prominent New York attorneys — of elder abuse, alleging in specific detail that they kept Natasha confined to her home in Cuernavaca and induced changes to, as well as the removal of, beneficiaries. A lawsuit filed by the Weizmann Institute of Science begins:
“This action arises from a fraudulent scheme perpetrated by defendants Janet C. Neschis, Robert R. Littman and others, to defraud Ms. Natasha Gelman, a wealthy and elderly widow who became mentally incapacitated during the final years of her life. The purpose of the scheme was to gain control of Ms. Gelman’s considerable assets and divert them for the personal use and benefit of Neschis and Littman.”
Neschis, Littman, and others — including Marilyn Diamond, a prominent New York judge — also allegedly transferred funds from other accounts belonging to Natasha to themselves in various ways, according to the lawsuit. In a final will, the Metropolitan Museum of Art was cut out; Littman’s share of Natasha’s assets increased from 1% to 31%; members of the Gelman family virtually disappeared; the Jung family was offered US $10,000 instead of the percentage shares allotted in previous wills; and medical charities were similarly downgraded or eliminated.
Grounds for annulment of wills
Sufficient legal grounds likely exist for Mexico to, in fact, retroactively annul all of the Gelman wills based on testimony regarding elder abuse and unjust enrichment. Once again, it is reports published in New York newspapers that highlight the relationship of indulgence Sidney E. Cohn and William S. Liebermann maintained with Gelman — a relationship that ultimately allowed Marilyn Diamond to insert herself and her daughter into Gelman’s will.
Annulling the wills entirely would constitute a dramatic assertion of national rights and, if legally viable, would send an appropriate message to the rest of the world. Separately, Mexico could even invoke the Washington Principles, which provide ethical guidelines for identifying, locating and restituting works of art confiscated by the Nazis to their rightful owners of Jewish origin. These are longer-term and more sophisticated arguments; however, a direct nationalization would be more expeditious.
The stakes are very high when it comes to the Gelman Collection; this would be a landmark case for the people, one not involving energy or mining, but rather art and historical legacy, intended for the delight and cultural enrichment of a new generation of Mexicans who are showing increasing interest in the works currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City. Providing an additional jewel to Mexico’s booming tourism industry may not be — and should not be — the sole justification for nationalization; however, it is an indisputable collateral benefit. As such, the issue fits perfectly into the broader question of how a country with rising public debt can easily justify keeping such a collection at home.
An instructive look at another work of art
Is “Diego on My Mind” by Frida Kahlo the “Mona Lisa” of Mexico? A case can be made, including that it should be displayed and marketed similarly. (Fine Art America)
Last year, nearly 9 million people passed through the Louvre Museum in Paris to view the “Mona Lisa.” “Diego on My Mind” serves as its equivalent in the Western Hemisphere. Does no one realize that a museum — perhaps located in the Fourth Section of Chapultepec Park, or near the Soumaya, Jumex, Museum of Modern Art or National Museum of Anthropology — could be built around this painting by Kahlo and other iconic pieces?
Financially, this would not be the wasteful endeavor seen in other failed nationalizations, where there is never any hope of recouping the initial investment.
As with any expropriation, the Mexican Congress might need to allocate funds to cover the initial outlay; however, its role would be that of a guarantor rather than a debtor. As has been the case with other tourism ventures — such as the development of Cancún or Cabo San Lucas — Mexico would find private-sector entities (including non-profits) willing to assume the risks and reap the rewards of managing the operation. The country’s trust funds and public-private partnerships have often operated to the benefit of all stakeholders. In fact, Mexico could even choose to collaborate with the collection’s current owners in Monterrey.
The case for expropriation
Should the entire collection be seized? That matter can be addressed later.
It makes sense to seize all pieces of the Gelman Collection currently under Mexican control: specifically those housed at the government-owned Museum of Modern Art. Other works, including the 10 pieces by Kahlo and the 20 pieces classified as “historical monuments” by Diego Rivera, María Izquierdo, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros, can be handled on a case-by-case basis. It would be more advantageous for Mexico to acquire the entire package and sort out the minutiae later. This collection is scheduled to make its farewell in July. Time is running short.
… including other collections
Indeed, when observing Mexico’s detached attitude toward the Gelman Collection, the question arises: why not nationalize the SOP Collection, which was subject to the same history and legal conditions? It should be done. That collection — comprising 81 paintings, drawings and bronzes by 30 European artists — offers a glimpse into French and European culture during the early decades of the 20th century. The collection, which includes works by Bonnard, Braque, Dalí, Dubuffet, Matisse, Miró, Picasso, and Giacometti, was transferred to the Metropolitan Museum of Art from Natasha’s New York apartment in 1989; nine years later, at the time of Natasha’s death, it was designated a bequest.
Natasha Gelman (right) stipulated that she wanted the collection to remain in Mexico. The problem? Too many wills, which have created a vacuum for legal controversies. (Somos Arte Experiencias/Instagram)
Nationalization would serve another function as a kind of cleansing of governmental ineptitude or political corruption. Nationalizing would serve as a precedent, signaling to the world that Mexico’s heritage laws are real. No future concealment of collections or inaccurate tracking will be tolerated. The next time Mexico is called upon to protect its heritage, officials will not behave as if they were ignorant or complicit.
Stopping the pillage of Mexican art and culture
Of course, the nationalization of the Gelman Collection would cause entrepreneurs, art dealers and speculators at firms like Sotheby’s to raise their eyebrows, fearing a market disruption that would jeopardize their secretive business model. But this also presents a reward: an opportunity for Mexico to legitimize its stewardship of culture and send the right signals abroad to put a stop to all forms of pillage, however sophisticated they may be.
No, the history of nationalizations is not a pretty one, whether in Mexico, Venezuela, Iran or Russia. It is always concerning when leaders — vested with power and the national flag — decide that they know better than the market. Yet, there is a right moment for it. Like now.
To President Sheinbaum:
On the day you took office, you paid tribute to Frida Kahlo before your 125 million fellow citizens. Those words will ring hollow if you allow her works to be more acclaimed by others abroad than by those at home.
More recently, in Barcelona — during the so-called “Summit of Progressive Leaders” organized by the Spanish government — you stated: “I come here to acknowledge the courage of Frida Kahlo, who, even amidst physical frailty, knew how to fill the struggle for justice with color.”
It is a time for justice, not for patriotic narratives.
Frida Kahlo’s paintings have exploded in value at auctions in recent years, with at least one example fetching in excess of US $50 million. But to Mexico, these works are priceless. (Banco Santander)
You may, in good faith, accept the Banco Santander Foundation’s plans to return the collection within two years. Yet let us not forget that the art world is rife with unfulfilled guarantees and broken promises. The Banco Santander Foundation assures us that any damage or degradation will be minimal; however, those within the art world know that the deterioration of quality is as certain as the law of gravity. Published financial documents suggest that Banco Santander may hold a lien on a loan that enabled the Zambrano family to acquire the collection. What happens if the Zambrano family defaults? The Spanish bank becomes the owner.
What real guarantee is there that the Gelman Collection will return? Are we to take the word of the very same people, citizens and public servants alike, who have blocked us and denied us information for at least 18 years?
Precedents for action
Use the precedent of the private Remedios Varo collection — safeguarded by the INBAL since it was donated in 2002 by a foreign couple — as a basis to affirm that your administration protects our cultural heritage and historical monuments for the benefit of the people.
Leadership entails persuading, enticing, intimidating, pressuring and appealing to every type of personality under the sun. Nationalizing this collection need not be an adversarial process. Through just a few meetings — and by leveraging your authority — you could swiftly ensure that this works for all the stakeholders involved.
No matter how one views it, the ownership of the Gelman Collection remains murky. You must declare that no private interest stands above the interest of the Nation. Tell us all, right now, that reclaiming these works is genuinely “what the People demand.”
Keith Rosenblum and Jesús Ibarra are contributors to Mexico News Daily.
Shockingly, despite giving up naming rights to Estadio Azteca (or Estadio Banorte as it was known via a sponsorship deal), the owners of the iconic arena still lost US $47 million during the World Cup. (Tomás Pérez de la Cruz/Cuartoscuro)
MEXICO CITY — Representatives from world soccer’s governing body FIFA reassured Mexican fans and corporate investors this week that the 2026 World Cup was a deeply collaborative partnership, shortly after finalized financial terms confirmed that host venues were permitted to keep up to 100% of all unpaid operational cleanup costs.
The announcement comes on the heels of financial filings from Grupo Ollamani, owner of the iconic Estadio Azteca, which reported a net loss of 557.2 million pesos (US $32.2 million) during the second quarter, and a US $47 million loss on the World Cup in total. According to internal documents, the losses were directly linked to “standard tournament hosting compliance,” a procedural category that includes retrofitting stadium suites to FIFA specifications and legally surrendering the venue’s real estate and naming rights until mid-2027.
Although FIFA kept all the World Cup profits, the owners of Estadio Azteca were allowed to keep all the remaining trash in the concourse after the tournament was over. (This image was generated using AI tools)
“We were immensely proud to bring the spirit of global football back to Mexico City,” said FIFA Deputy Chief of Global Commercial Extraction Eric Van Houten, speaking to local reporters. “In exchange for providing the sacred privilege of hosting five matches, FIFA asked for very little: total concessions revenue, local tax exemptions, zero corporate liability and temporary power of attorney over the municipal water grid during match days.”
When queried if local venue operators might reasonably expect to break even on their multi-million dollar capital investments, Van Houten expressed visible confusion. “Break even? The stadium received global exposure,” he noted. “When three billion people tuned in to watch a group stage match, they saw an exquisite facility that was entirely renovated to FIFA specifications. That kind of promotional opportunity is simply priceless … unless of course you’re the one paying for it. Then there is definitely a price.”
Local stadium management confirmed that while financial projections remain temporarily negative, internal morale remains high following FIFA’s official confirmation that venue employees will be permitted to keep all uncollected trash left in the upper concourses after each match.
“This is an unprecedented business model, but we are learning to appreciate the efficiency of it,” said an anonymous financial analyst familiar with the venue’s operations. “Usually, a corporate takeover takes months of hostile negotiations. FIFA managed to convince a major media holding company to pay US $47 million for the privilege of letting strangers redecorate their house and take all the furniture when they left. It is truly a lesson in how modern sports management works.”
Winning the league championship in Expansión MX, Mexico's second tier of professional football, is no guarantee of promotion to the top level, Liga MX. (Fernando Carranza García/Cuartoscuro)
During the opening kickoff of the Expansión MX season, several teams decided not to play for the first minute of the game. Players passed the ball back and forth while opposing teams stood still. In one of the matches, a referee pleaded with players to resume play, to no avail.
The players, in effect, were protesting a change to the rules that have governed the Liga MX system for more than seven decades — a change they say permanently alters the spirit of the game.
The end of promotion and relegation
For seven decades, “promotion and relegation” has been an integral part of Mexican professional soccer. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) announced July 16 that it is doing away with promotion and relegation, known in Mexico as “ascenso y descenso.”
Essentially, the promotion and relegation system paved the way for lesser-known teams from Mexico’s second-tier league, Expansión MX, to move up to Liga MX, creating a pipeline where more players could perform under a bigger and brighter spotlight.
Now, however, Liga MX teams are set in stone, diminishing the tension that came with relegation.
‘Mourning’ the loss of promotion
The news did not sit well with players or fans.
Following the Expansión MX protest on the pitch, the FMF and the Comisión Disciplinaria (Disciplinary Commission) threatened to fine teams more than US $11,000 for any further disruptions.
In response, players have been covering their mouths during team photos, signaling that they will not be silenced. Atlético Morelia went a step further, asking fans to wear black to games as a symbolic gesture mourning the loss of possible promotion.
Fans of Liga MX stalwarts like Cruz Azul may not be mourning the loss of promotion and relegation, but the news has not been received well by fans at lower levels. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)
The controversy came to a head when, during his latest public appearance for the Concacaf U-20 final, FMF President Mikel Arriola was met with boos from the stands as chants of “ascenso” echoed throughout the stadium.
Five clubs from the second-tier division – Cancún FC, Club Atlético La Paz, Club Atlético Morelia, Club Universidad de Guadalajara, and Club Deportivo de Zacatecas – also filed an appeal in mid-August against FMF and Liga MX with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the removal.
The end of a 75-year-old tradition
While promotion and relegation existed in the broader Mexican soccer system since the early 1930s, it was not until 1950 that a “Second Division” was created and “Liga Mayor” became “Primera,” or “First Division.” With that, a new rule was instituted allowing one team to be promoted to the top league. One team was also relegated to the lower league each year.
The change was a response to the growing popularity of the sport and more teams joining the fold, fostering a more competitive structure and opening a pathway for additional cities across the country to reach the primetime that is Liga MX.
The system held for the next seven decades.
But in April 2020, promotion and relegation were paused for Liga MX over ongoing financial issues that were expected to compound due to the Coronavirus pandemic. At the time, then-Liga MX President Enrique Bonilla said, “Given that the financial crisis expanded the problems for the division, several current projects (clubs) are close to bankruptcy and in danger of disappearing.”
The pause was only supposed to last six seasons, a decision supported by FIFA, which urged Liga MX to bring back the system. In a 2020 interview, then-FMF President Yon de Luisa said, “The comment that FIFA made to us is that promotion and relegation has to return.”
A permanent ‘pause’
Liga MX telegraphed its intention to do away with promotion and relegation when it began insisting on infrastructure improvements to stadiums and pitches as a prerequisite in 2022. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
With FIFA applying this sort of pressure, it was assumed that the pause would be temporary. However, several decisions made in the intervening years suggested that the league had other plans in mind.
In February 2022, Liga MX released a statement detailing six certification requirements Expansión MX teams needed to meet before they could be promoted to Liga MX. That included new infrastructure and stadium standards, such as field of play, lighting, suites, dressing rooms and security. For many of the teams, the requirements were simply cost-prohibitive.
In response, nine Expansión MX teams released a statement in July 2022, arguing that “the ‘certification to ascend’ is nothing more than a legal simulation to disguise that there is no real commitment to return the promotion and relegation.”
An arbitration battle is lost
In their letter, the clubs stated that they took up their cause with the CAS because they are “tired of how Mexican football is managed.” They accused the league’s front office of turning the sport into a “business that favors only Liga MX clubs to the detriment of the entire national football ecosystem and where financial profits seem to carry more weight than passion for the sport.”
“The so-called certification process is not a quality filter,” the clubs added. “It is a padlock designed so that promotion to the First Division never opens.”
Another nail in the coffin came in September 2025, when the CAS handed down a ruling that denied the system’s return a year early.
Promotion and relegation was officially suspended at the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season, making some games a lot less meaningful than they were previously. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
In its ruling, the CAS noted that “after examining the evidence, the CAS Panel concluded that the FMF had always determined to suspend the system until the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season, which was made clear to the clubs when the decision was taken.”
It was a shock to those who expected Liga MX to return to the model that had been in place since the creation of the Segunda División (Second Division) during the 1950-1951 season.
What does the end of promotion and relegation mean for the sport?
Under the previous system, the bottom three teams in Liga MX would face fines upwards of US $4 million for ranking last. That money would then be funneled down to the Expansión MX league. Under the new system, those fines are no longer applicable, leaving Expansión MX teams with even fewer resources.
The new model more closely follows Major League Soccer in the United States, which focuses on commercial investments. “We proved that we can build the most valuable commercial market in the world (for soccer),” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a July interview with Front Office Sports.
In the wake of the 2026 World Cup, this money-driven model caused controversy after FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed a US $20 billion plan to sell the tournament’s commercial rights to private equity investors.
Infantino was forced to scrap the plan after all 55 member associations of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) threatened to boycott the 2030 World Cup, while all 41 member associations of Concacaf (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) unanimously rejected the idea.
A plan by FIFA head Gianni Infantino to sell commercial rights for the tournament to private investors was unanimously rejected, the latest in a series of controversies in the sport. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
On a global scale, getting rid of the promotion and relegation model deviates from soccer tradition and culture, as the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and the French Ligue 1 all use it.
‘Many fans have stopped believing’
The cloud currently hanging over Liga MX is a stark contrast to the 2026 World Cup, which saw the national Mexican team, El Tri, bring hope and optimism to the country at large.
Despite those hopes being dashed during a round of 16 defeat to England, Mexico had regained worldwide respect both on and off the pitch, as well as the faith of its loyal fanbase.
However, following the recent developments for Liga MX, that faith is now slowly fading away.
Mexican footballer Diego de Buen Juárez posted a statement to his X account highlighting some of the frustrations with the league’s decision.
“Without the chance to compete for a genuine sporting objective, many fans have stopped believing,” the statement reads. “And when that sense of hope vanishes, the bond connecting a city to its team is broken as well.”
Jesse Foley-Tapia is a writer and photographer living in the Yucatán Peninsula, where he has dedicated his time and energy to shedding light on issues affecting Indigenous communities. His biggest journalistic accomplishment is interviewing Kendrick Lamar in 2010. His work has appeared in The Sun Magazine and BreakThrough News.
Mexico has nearly 2,000 species of bees and is one of the world's top 10 honey exporters. (Boris Smokrovic/Unsplash)
Mexico ranks fourth among the world’s most biodiverse countries, hosting more than 10% of the world’s known species on just 1.5% of the planet’s territory. Due to its abundant biodiversity, Mexico is also considered one of the world’s bee diversity hotspots, with nearly 2,000 bee species found in the country.
In this week’s “Mexico in Numbers,” we’ll explore Mexico’s biodiversity and its importance as an apicultural hub and global honey exporter.
Mexico’s forests and bee habitats
It would be impossible to survive in a world without pollinators, which is why it is so important to protect Mexico’s bee populations. (Carolina Jiménez/Cuartoscuro)
A whopping 72.6% of Mexico’s surface is covered by plant life. Within this, the country has around 138 million hectares of forest ecosystems. Of these forest ecosystems, 40.5% are xerophytic scrub, or low-thorn forests found in arid and semi-arid areas capable of withstanding long periods of drought and extreme sun. Coahuila state, located in northern Mexico, boasts the highest abundance of xerophytic scrub.
Roughly a quarter of forest ecosystems are temperate forests, characterized by the dominance of broadleaf trees often found in mountainous regions such as Chihuahua and Durango. Of Durango’s total surface area of 9.1 million hectares, 4.98 million hectares are considered forest, making it Mexico’s top forestry state.
Rainforests make up 21.9% of the country’s forest ecosystems. Part of the rainforest is the dry tropics, which lie below 4,600 feet above sea level and present well-defined dry seasons, or semi-evergreen tropical forests with shorter dry seasons, as in Quintana Roo and Yucatán, and the humid tropical forests that have consistent yearly rainfall and are most abundant in Chiapas.
Mangroves cover 0.7% of Mexico’s forest ecosystems and are present in coastal regions such as the Mexican South Pacific coast and along the Baja California Peninsula. Oaxaca is the state that holds the most categories of forest ecosystems. (11.8% of the remaining ecosystems can be considered as “others.”)
Impact of pollination on food crops
According to a study on global patterns and drivers of bee distribution, xeric areas with arid and semi-arid climates are particularly rich in bee species. It is no surprise that Mexico, with its abundance of xerophytic scrub, is considered such a suitable habitat for bees, with an estimated 1,800 to 2,000 bee species represented, some of them stingless, such as the melipona bee.
Bees provide important ecosystem services because they are key pollinators. The global contribution of pollination services to food crops is estimated at between US $235 billion and US $577 billion annually, with the honeybee serving as the most important managed pollinator. In North America alone, honeybees pollinate more than 100 commercial crops, such as apples, almonds and pumpkins.
Mexico’s magical stingless melipona bees never cease to amaze the mind or the taste buds. But the country produces a wide variety of honey, from mesquite to orange blossom and mangrove honey. (Arwin Neil Baichoo/Unsplash)
Across Mexico — especially in Sinaloa, Chihuahua and Coahuila — honeybees are used for pollination services. In those states, 140,000 beehives are utilized for crop pollination.
In 2025, Mexico had a record year for honey production, with 60,297 tons of honey produced, a 5% increase from the previous year. Yucatán is Mexico’s top producer of honey, followed by Chiapas and Jalisco.
Mesquite honey and other regional varieties
According to the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development, the northern region of Mexico is the top producer of mesquite honey, foraged from the mesquite tree, part of the thorn forest, which has adapted to harsh climates and periods of drought through a deep root system. Mesquite honey is a light-colored, sometimes white honey with mild and smoky notes and rapid crystallization. The northern region produces around 7.4% of national honey production.
The Gulf Coast region of Mexico is especially known for its orange blossom honey, foraged from citrus plantations, with an acidic and tangy taste. Nine percent of all honey is harvested there.
The Pacific Coast region of Mexico produces 21.4% of all honey, with mangrove honey being a specialty due to its sweet and briny notes.
The Mexican Plateau region contributes 29.8% to national honey production, and the Yucatán Peninsula region is Mexico’s top honey producer, responsible for 32.4% of all honey production. The dzidzilché honey, a product of the native Mesoamerican Gymnopodium floribundum tree, is foraged not only by honeybees but also by the stingless melipona bee. It is an emblematic honey of the Yucatán region and, with its amber color and floral and caramel flavor profile, a sought-after delicacy worldwide.
Supporting local beekeepers
These beekeepers in the Yucatán Peninsula are among over 47,000 found throughout Mexico. (Martín Zetina/Cuartoscuro)
Over 47,000 beekeepers work in Mexico, of whom 2,322 are certified organic producers.
Mexico ranks ninth among the world’s honey exporters, with Germany being one of its top buyers. Out of every 10 kilograms of honey consumed in Germany, between 7 and 8 kilograms are of Mexican origin. In Germany, per-capita consumption of honey is around 2 kilograms per year. In Mexico, average per-capita consumption lies around 200 grams per year.
Mexico is not only rich in biodiversity but also rich in honey varieties and flavors. By consuming local honey, consumers can support local beekeepers who look after the health of beehives, which in turn play a significant role in biodiversity.
Katy Alivraz is a contributor to Mexico News Daily.
Sidewalks in Mexico come in all shapes and sizes, and with varying degrees of challenge and peril. (Loris Boulinguez/Unsplash)
The goal of our “From the Archive” series is to revisit popular stories that capture the unique history and culture of life in Mexico. This Sarah DeVries article, for example — originally published in Jan. 2025 — takes a humorous look at a uniquely Mexican phenomenon: shockingly bad sidewalks.
Y’all know what my favorite feature is of the sidewalks in my city?
When I say “favorite,” by the way, I mean “most shocking.”
Sometimes sidewalks end abruptly in Mexico, and often they feature steps in unusual patterns and gradations. (Jorge Gardner/Unsplash)
It’s the wheelchair ramps. If you weren’t already in a wheelchair before trying to brave them, trying to use them in a wheelchair would probably put you in a wheelchair.
Many of them are at full 45-degree angles. I don’t know if you’ve ever pushed someone around in a wheelchair before, but I can tell you that it is not as easy as it looks. And the upper-arm strength someone in an actual wheelchair would need to get up those ramps would necessitate comically muscly arms.
But fine. Let’s say you are Popeye and you make it up there. At least half the time, there will be nowhere else to go besides right back down the ramp. If you do this, of course, you risk gaining momentum on that 45-degree ramp for rolling straight out into traffic. The other option, amazingly, is suddenly not needing the wheelchair so you can walk off the curb or — I kid you not — down the steps.
It’s not easy to be in a wheelchair if you want to go exploring in Mexico.
But really, it’s not even that easy to walk around Mexico, either.
Let me preface this by saying that Mexicans themselves do not seem to be bothered at all by the sidewalks. I guess it’s like growing up a Sherpa, unfazed by Mt. Everest.
But for us weakling imports, things can get scary!
Oh Mexican sidewalks, let me count the ways — that you could kill me.
Uneven concrete
This, I know, is fairly common in most places. The difference between them here and, say, my hometown in Texas, is that it’s usually uniform by area. Nicer parts of the town can usually be expected to have nice, even sidewalks — not having to look down is one of the privileges. Older or less affluent parts of town might have bumpier ones, though I dare say they’re not as treacherous as Mexico’s.
Uneven widths
Another issue is how much space you’ve actually got on a sidewalk. It’s not consistent, and the width can fluctuate widely. You might be able to walk five abreast on one part, then need to switch to single-file. Sometimes this is because of obstructions — see below — but sometimes it’s just because of how things are built.
This doesn’t seem to have much to do with a sidewalk, but hear me out. The closer a vehicle has to drive to the curb, the closer the vehicle is to you and the sidewalk, my friend.
I still remember the shock of being hit by someone’s rear-view mirror; that’s how close the car had to drive to the curb.
There’s a somewhat busy street I take on my way to downtown too that makes me feel close to death. Gigantic buses come rambling by on the narrow parts, which also happens to be a place where you must walk single-file on the sidewalk. One step down without paying attention, and your second life as a pancake begins!
Poles, parked cars and other obstructions
Dodging things jutting out or taking up space on a sidewalk can be a kind of fun game with the right attitude. Throw in a hearty appreciation for the absurd, and you might even find ecstasy! Need a telephone pole there? Oh, right in the middle of the sidewalk is fine. Pointy decorative window molding right at eye level? Fabulous idea. Finding your way around a car considerately pulled up on the sidewalk to make room for other cars going by can also be a unique challenge. Houses might also decide to build some stairs right outside their doors, or perhaps a ramp for their garage and tall people must look out for awnings and the like. If you like your ankles of the non-twisty variety, look alive!
The moral of the story? Just keep looking down, up and all around. All the time. We didn’t get the mountain goat training as kids, so we’ve just got to power through it.
Sheinbaum speaks to a group of retired women in México state. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
President Claudia Sheinbaum spent the weekend before this week began in Puebla, kicking off the 2026 National Reforestation Day from the mountain pass between the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes. There, marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, she declared that the Paso de Cortés — named for the conquistador who marched through it in 1519 — would be a great candidate for a new name.
On Monday morning, the president’s attention had shifted south: a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, killing hundreds. Sheinbaum immediately pledged Mexico would send Colombia everything it needed, but the country’s military rescue brigade quickly ran into a diplomatic hurdle, part of a tangle of certification disputes and friction that unfolded even as quietly extraordinary Mexican solidarity continued — not just with Colombia, but with wildfire-stricken Canada as well. Colombia’s quake also revived an old question for Mexico, one we explore in more depth here: with Venezuela and now Colombia both rattled by major temblors this year, does Mexico’s own position on the Pacific Ring of Fire mean its odds just went up?
Otherwise, the week of Aug. 10-14 in Mexico brought big economic headlines, athletic glory and advances in the Ayotzinapa criminal case.
Didn’t have time to catch this week’s top stories? Here’s what you missed.
Mexico extends a hand abroad
Mexico’s instinct to help its neighbors was on full display this week. More than 300 Mexican firefighters traveled to British Columbia to help battle over 100 active wildfires that have forced tens of thousands to evacuate, drawing an outpouring of gratitude on Canadian social media. Farther south, a 45-member team of Mexico’s famed “Topos” rescue brigade reached Cali, Colombia, on Wednesday to dig through earthquake rubble — but only after Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella initially rejected their help, citing sovereignty concerns.
On Thursday, Sheinbaum confirmed that an official Mexican Army rescue brigade had not been authorized to enter Colombia and therefore remained at home. According to the president, Colombia’s new government demanded a type of certification the Mexican team does not have. Mexico kept sending humanitarian aid regardless — more than 58 tonnes of food, water and medicine by week’s end.
Ex-governor bound over in Ayotzinapa case
In one of the week’s most significant justice developments, former Guerrero Governor Ángel Aguirre was ordered to stand trial over his alleged role in the 2014 disappearance of 43 Ayotzinapa students. Prosecutors allege Aguirre ordered the destruction of security footage from Iguala’s Palace of Justice on the night the students vanished, partly to protect a nephew with ties to a local criminal gang. Aguirre, who resigned as governor weeks after the disappearances, remains jailed at the Altiplano maximum-security prison as the case — one of Mexico’s most notorious unsolved human rights tragedies — grinds toward trial nearly 12 years later.
The super peso returns
Mexico’s currency briefly broke back below 17 to the US dollar on Friday morning for the first time since 2024, in what analysts are calling the return of the “super peso.”
The peso has now strengthened for four consecutive days and appreciated more than 5% this year, a move Citibanamex attributes largely to global dollar weakness rather than Mexican fundamentals. Still, by the MND Peso Index™, which compares a basket of goods in Mexico and Dallas, the currency looks overvalued by 2.4% — a smaller gap than June’s 2.9%, suggesting the exchange rate isn’t too far removed from what prices on the ground would imply.
Homicides fall, but Sinaloa gets reinforcements
Security officials reported on Wednesday that the daily homicide average has fallen 51% since Sheinbaum took office, with July recording the lowest monthly tally of her administration so far. Even so, nearly half of the country’s murders remain concentrated in just seven states, Sinaloa among them. That reality was underscored by the Navy’s deployment of over 1,700 personnel to Mazatlán after the port city logged its bloodiest month of the year in July, as fighting between rival Sinaloa Cartel factions Los Chapitos and Los Mayos continues to spill beyond Culiacán into the tourist-heavy coastal city.
Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, the son of former President López Obrador and a former Morena party organization secretary, said the United States had revoked his visa, accusing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his deputy of a politically motivated move. At Friday’s mañanera, Sheinbaum called the decision “essentially political in nature,” urging Washington to produce evidence against anyone it targets while insisting the dispute won’t spiral into a broader conflict with the United States.
Peso: Trading just above 17 to the dollar, its strongest level since February, even as the MND Peso Index™ pegs it as 2.4% overvalued.
Inflation: July’s headline rate came in at 3.12%, its lowest since May 2020, though Banxico Governor Victoria Rodríguez says it’s too early to “claim victory.”
Jobs: Formal employment shed 19,550 positions in July, a seasonal dip IMSS attributes to the school year’s end, even as average wages hit a record daily high.
After British health authorities flagged a spike in cyclosporiasis cases among travelers returning from Mexico, Cofepris tested food and water samples from 16 Riviera Maya hotels — and found no trace of the parasite. All 43 samples, drawn from Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, Tulum and Isla Mujeres, tested negative, and no contamination indicators turned up elsewhere. Mexico’s Health Ministry has confirmed 33 cyclosporiasis cases nationwide this year, a tiny fraction of the population, though the source of the UK cases remains unidentified.
Tourism notes
June brought 4.11 million international tourists to Mexico, up just 1.1% year-on-year — a muted bump given that Mexico hosted 12 of its 13 World Cup matches that month.
Sargassum accumulation, though still tracking toward the second-heaviest year on record, has begun easing across most monitored stretches of the Quintana Roo coast as collection efforts and shifting currents bring relative relief to hard-hit beaches like Tulum and Playa del Carmen.
Mexican athletes seize the moment
It was a banner week for Mexican sport. The under-20 men’s soccer team defended its Concacaf title, beating the United States 2-0 at Mexico City’s Estadio Banorte for a record 15th championship, with defender Cristóbal Alfaro scoring twice.
In reaching, and winning, Sunday’s final, Mexico’s U-20 team has proven itself to be a strong Olympic contender in 2028. (Edgar Negrete/Cuartoscuro)
Meanwhile, Mexico delivered its best-ever medal haul at the Central American and Caribbean Games, where the delegation topped the table with a record 407 medals in Santo Domingo. The government announced every medal — not just an athlete’s best result — will now earn a cash prize, a change Conade chief Rommel Pacheco said was Sheinbaum’s own idea.
Mexico News Daily
This story contains summaries of original Mexico News Daily articles. The summaries were generated by Claude, then revised and fact-checked by a Mexico News Daily staff editor.
