On the sidelines of a G-20 meeting, Marcelo Ebrard told reporters that Mexico is in a better position regarding trade with the United States than other countries at the event, a statement supported by the fact that even with the recent U.S. protectionist measures, Mexican exports to the U.S. continue to grow at a double-digit rate. (Daniel Augusto /Cuartoscuro.com)
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard remains bullish about ongoing Mexico-U.S. trade talks, saying on Thursday that he is optimistic that new agreements are in the offing.
“We are getting closer on many issues, resolving problems, and we are making progress,” he said. “Every day we are closer to reaching new agreements.”
Ebrard, Mexico’s point man in the USMCA negotiations, was invited while in Milwaukee by his counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, to tour the Harley-Davidson plant in that area. (Marcelo Ebrard / Facebook)
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies, his tariffs and his lukewarm attitude toward the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Mexican exports to the U.S. continue to grow at a double-digit rate and bilateral trade is approaching US $900 billion annually.
Ebrard said his main priorities are negotiating the reduction of Section 232 tariffs, which affect Mexican exports of automobiles and other materials such as steel, aluminum and copper, and maintaining the preferential tariff treatment currently enjoyed by Mexican shipments that meet the requirements of the USMCA.
Even with the changes Washington is pushing for in its trade policy, Ebrard insists Mexico will maintain an advantageous position.
Comparing Mexico’s situation with representatives from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other nations present at the G-20, Ebrard said “I was able to confirm that we are in a more favorable situation than they are.”
Ebrard attributed Mexico’s preferential status to President Claudia Sheinbaum’s handling of relations with Trump and to the close economic integration on both sides of their shared border.
An unnamed Mexican official cited by France 24 television network supported Ebrard’s optimism regarding the tariff talks.
“We expect to have reductions in steel and cars and aluminum,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
When asked if a deal would be struck before critical midterm elections in the U.S. next month, the official said Mexico is content to be patient.
In addition to meeting with Greer, Ebrard took advantage of the G-20 summit to strengthen ties with the European Union, Canada, India, Japan and Argentina.
“Our primary objective here at the summit has been to … protect jobs, our companies and our interests,” he said.
He is now planning trade missions to the EU and Canada next year, while confirming that Mexico and India are poised to begin a “new stage” in their economic relationship, with discussions ranging from tequila, which is subject to a 150% tariff, to vehicles and auto parts.
Miguel Ángel Solano Ruiz, aka "Capitán Sol," was arrested in Jalisco on Thursday night. (SEMAR)
Miguel Ángel Solano Ruiz, a key participant in the fuel-smuggling scheme that has tarnished the Navy, was arrested in Zapopan, Jalisco, on Thursday night.
Solano Ruiz, aka “Capitán Sol,” is a retired Marine captain and purportedly one of the main operators of the fuel smuggling network allegedly orchestrated by the Farías Laguna brothers, both of whom were high-ranking Navy officers.
El traslado de Miguel Ángel Solano Ruiz, “El Capitán Sol” o “Mike”, señalado como uno de los principales operadores de la red de huachicol fiscal que involucró a mandos de la Marina y funcionarios de aduanas, quien fue detenido en Zapopan, Jalisco. pic.twitter.com/r6nLMvLVBo
According to witness testimony, Solano recruited active-duty and retired naval personnel to participate in the network that smuggled hydrocarbons through customs without paying the corresponding taxes, a crime known in Mexico as huachicol fiscal.
He allegedly used his influence within the Navy to place these men in key positions at maritime customs offices in ports such as Tampico, Altamira, Ensenada and Guaymas, while also corrupting public officials through bribes.
The Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) says Solano, 48, is the last remaining key player of the Farías Laguna criminal organization and will face organized crime and tax evasion charges.
The corruption scheme was uncovered when authorities seized a vessel carrying 10 million liters of diesel smuggled from Texas off the coast of Tamaulipas in March 2024.
While serving in the Navy, Solano held several positions related to intelligence at Central Command and retired in 2018 with a pension of 18,000 pesos per month.
However, investigators found that his lifestyle greatly exceeded that pension: He lost more than 52 million pesos (US $2.5 million) on gambling, while casinos and racetracks had issued 400 warnings about him to the authorities. He also owned eight properties in Veracruz and Mexico City valued at over 13 million pesos (US $714,000).
Investigations over the course of the past year led authorities to addresses in France, Greece, Monaco and Spain, before the net closed around the suspect in Jalisco.
Authorities said that following more than 300 days in pursuit of Solano, a search warrant was issued on Thursday for a property located in the Villa Verona subdivision of Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara.
During the search, an arrest warrant was issued and Solano was apprehended. He was transferred to the Altiplano maximum-security prison in México state on Friday.
The peso's 6.32% weakening in September was its largest monthly depreciation in more than two years. (Shutterstock)
The peso weakened 6.32% in September, its largest monthly depreciation since June 2024, pressured by monetary tightening and the less attractive interest rate differential with the United States.
A graphic from Banco de México, the nation’s central bank, demonstrates clearly how 2025 ended with more than 18 pesos needed to buy a dollar. That cost went down to where it cost less than 17 pesos to buy a dollar in August of this year, prompting talk of a “super peso.” But by the end of September, the exchange rate (tipo de cambio) shot back up over 18. (Banco de México)
Mexico’s currency had demonstrated unexpected strength in recent months, but the US dollar strengthened after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate to 4% on Sept. 16.
The dollar recovery extended pressure on the peso, which was already suffering from fluctuating oil prices and risks of a broader war in the Middle East, adding an inflationary component and complicating the monetary policy outlook while increasing market volatility.
When Mexico’s central bank kept its rate steady at 6.50% on Sept. 24 — reducing the spread between the two countries to just 250 basis points — the peso’s decline intensified as long-term U.S. bond yields climbed to multi-year highs.
The smaller spread weakened one of the supports of the “super peso,” reducing the appeal of “carry trade” operations, which for much of 2025 and the first half of this year generated demand for pesos.
Janeth Quiroz, a Grupo Financiero Monex analyst, warned that the carry-trade mechanism can now work in the opposite direction, telling El Economista that as the additional return decreases, the incentive to hold positions in pesos falls.
But although a stronger dollar and high yields on U.S. Treasury bonds add exchange rate pressure, Quiroz insisted it might be more accurate to speak of a loss of strength of the super peso rather than of its “definitive end.”
BBVA Mexico chief economist Carlos Serrano attributed the depreciation to external factors, pointing to the uncertainty surrounding the USMCA free trade deal.
He identified fiscal discipline and greater depth of the domestic financial market as supporting factors, suggesting the peso is still relatively strong and perhaps even overvalued.
For Mexican households, the depreciation cuts both ways. Families receiving dollar remittances gain purchasing power, while imported goods and fuel can become more expensive if the weaker peso lasts.
As October started, the peso closed at 18.30 per US dollar on Thursday, slipping 1.29%, but was up 0.67% at 1:30 p.m. Friday, trading at 18.1808.
And despite the recent jump above 18 pesos, the latest consensus from the central bank and Citi Mexico anticipates an appreciation to 17.50 pesos per US dollar by the end of 2026.
Mexican cultural officials have described their counterparts in France as “mutilators of collections and spoilers of the symmetry of shelves” after more than a century of bad-faith borrowing practices. (This image was generated using AI tools)
A cross-Atlantic rift is developing as Mexican cultural officials have accused counterparts in France of borrowing a book and not returning it for 166 years.
In a harshly worded statement, Emiliano Muñoz of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has accused the National Library of France of perfectly personifying Charles Lamb’s description of book borrowers as “mutilators of collections and spoilers of the symmetry of shelves.”
The Azcatitlan Codex is currently on display at Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, after being “borrowed” by France for the past 166 years. (Gerardo Peña / INAH)
Muñoz confirmed that repeated pleas by INAH for the National Library of France to return the Azcatitlan Codex — a priceless Mexica codex which it has possessed since the late 19th century — were always met with assurances that it intended to. But “something always came up.”
“That excuse is good for 70, maybe 80 years,” Muñoz said. “But once you hit 16 decades, it suggests bad faith.”
He also addressed France’s earlier assertion that it assumed the book was a gift. “Come on!” said an exasperated Muñoz. “You take a book from a friend’s house, you bring it back. That’s how it works. The fact that nobody ever does is no excuse.”
Reached for comment via WhatsApp, Jean-Luc Pierre-François de la Tour-du-Pin Baguette-Chauchard, director of the National Library of France, posted an eye-rolling emoji before countering the assertion: “It’s not like Mexico is a spotless borrower,” he said. “We sent them an emperor who wasn’t even ours to lend. And did they return him? No! They shot him.”
“Besides,” added Tour-du-Pin Baguette-Chauchard. “I never read the book. You know why? There were no words in it. It was a picture book. Sacré bleu!”
With no détente in sight, Muñoz said INAH will seek a new book-exchange partner who won’t spoil the symmetry of its shelves. “The National Library of France is lucky we’re not holding them to their own regulations,” Muñoz pointed out. “Or they would owe us €68 million in late fees.”
Though his position has been well-known since before the close of the World Cup, Rafael Márquez was not officially presented as the new head coach (technical director) of the Mexican Men's National Team until Sept. 10. (Rogelio Morales / Cuartoscuro.com)
The Rafael Márquez era kicked off last week with a pair of 1-1 draws against South American squads, but it truly gets underway Saturday night when El Tri squares off against a precocious U.S. squad outside Phoenix, Arizona.
Though just a friendly at the beginning of a long process pointing toward the 2030 World Cup, the intensity of this regional rivalry promises to make the outcome more impactful than it otherwise would be.
Mexico tied Colombia in Baltimore last Saturday (Sept. 26) and Peru in New Jersey three days later. (Cuartoscuro.com)
Both managers are focused more on development than results at this stage, but a loss to Team USA would be a blemish for Márquez, especially since U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino summoned 13 uncapped players, including eight teenagers.
A legendary defender and national team captain, “Rafa” assembled an experimental 30-man roster with a healthy mixture of veteran experience, players in their prime and youthful promise.
Unlike Pochettino, who provides continuity to the U.S. camp, Márquez is attempting to install a new, faster playing style that will require repetition, trial-and-error and patience.
Thus far, Mexico’s performance has been mixed.
Against Colombia in Baltimore last Saturday, Rafa trotted out an experienced team that was able to weather an early storm from a Cafeteros side largely similar to the line-up that looked so impressive at the World Cup.
Mexico settled down after falling behind in minute 9, dominating possession for long stretches and outshooting the South Americans 14-4. Teen sensation Gilberto Mora equalized in minute 62 with a splendid individual effort and El Tri fans were no doubt pleased with the overall effort.
Against Peru in New Jersey on Tuesday, however, a more callow line-up looked less decisive in attack and sloppy in possession against an inferior side.
Through two games, it is apparent that Rafa has work to do. He must address a toothless front line, instill the concept of quick ball movement and emphasize the importance of better first touches (a severe problem against Peru).
Although the 2030 World Cup is the ultimate goal, coach Márquez will get his first meaningful test next month in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.
Regardless of the outcome against Team USA (and against Chile on Oct. 6), what remains to be seen is whether the notoriously hypercritical Mexican sporting press avoids unnecessary hairsplitting and keeps the long-term goal in focus.
After marking the anniversary of the Tlatelolco student massacre, President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed Thursday's school attack in Torreón at her Friday mañanera. (Presidencia)
Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
🕊️ Sheinbaum marks 58th anniversary of Tlatelolco massacre: Opening the mañanera on Oct. 2, the president said “October 2 is not forgotten,” the rallying cry of annual commemorations of the 1968 massacre of student protesters.
🏫 Sheinbaum condemns ‘very terrible episode’ at Torreón school: Sheinbaum addressed Thursday’s attack at the Number 13 Secondary School in Torreón, Coahuila, in which a vice principal was killed. Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said four people were injured, including two teachers, a student and another bystander, with one teacher in serious condition. The attack was carried out with machetes and rudimentary explosives, allegedly by 18-year-old twin brothers who were former students at the school.
📵 Government to demand social media sites remove content inciting violence: Sheinbaum announced a working group whose first priority will be to “demand” that platforms take down content promoting “violence, abuse or harassment.” García Harfuch said a decree setting obligations for platforms on detecting, reporting and removing such content is expected to be worked on next week.
🎭 Culture minister reports 520,000 cultural activities in first 2 years of Sheinbaum administration: Claudia Curiel said the events were held across all 32 states between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2026. The “cultural offering” rose 32%, while attendance increased 13% to 50 million people. The conference closed with a performance by musicians from the Carlos Chávez School Orchestra.
Why today’s mañanera matters
President Claudia Sheinbaum held her Friday morning press conference on the 58th anniversary of the Tlatelolco Massacre, in which hundreds of protesting students were killed by the military in Mexico City.
Sheinbaum acknowledged the anniversary of one of the darkest days in modern Mexican history before noting that a “very terrible episode” occurred on Thursday at a secondary school in Torreón, Coahuila — an attack in which a vice principal was killed.
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported that four people — two teachers, a student and one other woman — were injured in the attack, which was perpetrated with machetes and rudimentary explosives. He said that one of the injured teachers was in serious condition.
Sheinbaum announced that her government would seek to decrease the probability of similar attacks occurring in the future by demanding that social media sites remove content that incites violence. That announcement was the most significant development at today’s mañanera, held 58 years after an immense national tragedy and one day after a distressing and terrifying episode in Torreón.
‘October 2 is not forgotten’
Student protesters gather in Mexico City’s Plaza de las Tres Culturas on Oct. 2, 1968, hours before the military killed hundreds in the Tlatelolco massacre. President Claudia Sheinbaum marked the massacre’s 58th anniversary on Friday. (CC BY-SA 4.0)
At the start of the press conference, Sheinbaum noted that today is Oct. 2.
“October 2 is not forgotten,” she said, using a phrase — 2 de octubre no se olvida — that is the enduring slogan and rallying cry of annual commemorations of the Tlatelolco massacre.
“We remember one of the most painful episodes of Mexico’s history — the repression of a student movement in the Plaza de Tlatelolco,” Sheinbaum said.
“We remind you that two years ago, when we took office, we read a statement that was subsequently published in the Official Gazette of the Federation in which it is recognized that the person primarily responsible [for the massacre] was the commander of the armed forces, the then-President of the republic Gustavo Díaz Ordaz. He recognized [his responsibility] himself at various times of his life after having been president,” she said.
“So our solidarity always with those who lived through this time, their families, and never again — never again a repression by the state of a social movement,” Sheinbaum said.
In light of Torreón attack, government to demand that social media sites remove content that incites violence
Immediately after acknowledging the anniversary of the Tlatelolco massacre, Sheinbaum turned her attention to the attack at the Number 13 Secondary School in Torreón.
“Yesterday a very terrible episode occurred … at a school in Coahuila. Some young people went into the school and attacked a teacher,” she said.
“There are some similar episodes that have occurred in the country in recent years, three or four,” Sheinbaum said.
The president subsequently announced that she was putting together a working group whose first priority will be to “demand” that social media sites remove content that promotes “violence, abuse or harassment.”
“In other words, prohibit that there are these kinds of posts on digital platforms,” Sheinbaum said.
Security Minister García Harfuch said that the working group will include officials from a range of government departments, including the ministry he leads, the Ministry of Public Education and the Digital Transformation Agency, as well as representatives from academic institutions. He said it will be led by Luisa María Alcalde, Sheinbaum’s top legal adviser.
“Next week we expect to work on a decree that establishes obligations for digital platforms regarding the detection, reporting and timely removal of content and comments that directly incite violence,” García Harfuch said.
520,000 cultural activities held in Mexico in first 2 years of Sheinbaum administration
Culture Minister Claudia Curiel reported that 520,000 cultural activities were held across all 32 states of Mexico during the first two years of the Sheinbaum administration — i.e. Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2026.
She said that the “cultural offering” increased 32%, presumably in comparison with the previous two years.
Curiel said that attendance at the cultural events increased 13% to 50 million people.
She said that the government’s cultural policy is to establish culture as a “right, a tool of transformation” and a generator of “well-being.”
After Curiel’s presentation, a group of musicians from the Orquesta Escuela Carlos Chávez (Carlos Chávez School Orchestra) performed two pieces, providing an example of Mexico’s immense wealth of cultural talent across numerous disciplines, including music, visual arts, literature, film and dance.
Friday’s conference ended with a performance by the Orquesta Escuela Carlos Chávez. (Presidencia)
The year 1968 will always be remembered in Mexico City, not only for the Tlatelolco student massacre and the Olympic Games, but for the ongoing social protests that forever changed the country. (Marcel·lí Perelló/Wikimedia Commons)
A lot has been said about the 1968 social protests in Mexico, but there are some pieces of cinema and literature that are key to understanding the motives behind the movement, the effect it had on people and the consequences we still face today. These are 10 key works that will guide you through 1968 in Mexico.
BOOKS
‘La noche de Tlatelolco’
Perhaps the most renowned book on this specific event, “La noche de Tlatelolco” was crafted by Elena Poniatowska as a stepping stone for all the research that came after it. The author divides the book into two parts: before and after the night of Oct. 2. In the first, she explains all the events that had been unfolding to create the movement and depicts the effervescent environment around student life.
A memorial in Mexico City remembering the 1968 student massacre at Tlatelolco. (Wikimedia Commons/Ralf Roletschek)
The second part is much more bitter, as it collects testimonies of people who were directly affected by the violent events. Elena interviewed not only those who managed to survive the slaughter but also families who lost a member and people in general, to create a broad contrast in how this day was lived by different sectors of society.
“The square woke up swept; the newspapers gave as their front-page news the weather” — Extract from Rosario Castellanos’s “Memorial de Tlatelolco,” written to open the second part of “La noche de Tlatelolco”
‘México 68: Juventud y Revolución’
Written by one of the most eager intellectuals of the movement, José Revueltas, “México 68: Juventud y Revolución” is a compilation of texts written for, during and about the student movement of 1968. The variety of texts includes letters, thoughts, essays and documents that transform the book into a chronicle, offering a “behind-the-scenes” look through Revueltas’ thick Coke-bottle glasses at a movement that was about to change Mexico’s history.
The author also took moral responsibility for the movement in order to free students from the brutal consequences they were facing. Revueltas was imprisoned with all the people captured during the protests; there he wrote “El Apando,” telling his story during the time he was incarcerated.
“The Student-Democratic Movement of 1968 has vanished, has not been stymied and its supply of Revolution remains intact.”
‘París, Praga, México, 1968’
We cannot understand the movement of 1968 without contextualizing the protests. Citizens from all around the world were organizing to ask for rights they felt entitled to. Three of the main cities where the fire was growing were Paris, Prague and Mexico City. Carlos Fuentes took a step back to revisit the events in 2005.
On the first page of the book, Fuentes recalled the movement through the lens of time. He claimed the event was not a total failure, but rather a pyrrhic defeat, as a counter-idea to the concept of pyrrhic victory. He explained that the results could only be appreciated in the long-term consequences it had on our society, one of the most important being the repeal of Article 145 of the Federal Penal Code, which condemned as a felony organizing gatherings that discussed ideas opposed to the government, limiting freedom of speech.
“Revolution contains the idyllic temptation of owning poetry, and poets welcome it because through Revolution they and their poetry will be loved.”
‘Amuleto’
Roberto Bolaño’s “Amuleto” is a work of fiction based on a true story. It follows Auxilio Lacouture (real-life Alcira Soust Scaffo), a Uruguayan poet and teacher who couldn’t manage to get out of Ciudad Universitaria when the army occupied it. Throughout the narration, you can feel Auxilio’s desperation growing bigger as the days go by. During her time locked inside a university toilet, she narrates different passages of her life, talks to imaginary people and starts predicting the future.
“The only thing that kept me from going mad was my sense of humor.”
‘Regina’
Antonio Velasco Piña’s “Regina” is perhaps the first novelized version of what happened around the student movement of 1968. It is also an important turning point in the comprehension of the events, as the author tries to give a spiritual meaning to a tremendously violent episode.
The story follows a young Mexican girl called Regina, who at a very early age is taken to Tibet to develop skills that will be useful in awakening Mexicans’ consciousness when she gets back. Once in her homeland, she is the piece that starts igniting the fire of the movement, accomplishing her mission of sparking a needed revolution.
“In a matter of days, basically the entire youth of a country stood with the pioneers of the protest.”
MOVIES
‘Borrar de la memoria’
The 2010 film “Borrar de la memoria” sets a murder investigation against the backdrop of the 1968 student protests in Mexico City. (Facebook)
This film follows crime journalist Germán Acosta on his endeavor to unveil the mysterious death of a young woman during the 1968 movement. Throughout the movie, Acosta gathers clues that lead him down an uncertain path. What seems to be an individual story turns into an investigation of all the injustices and loose ends around the presence of armed forces during the night of Oct. 2, 1968.
‘El Grito’
Leobardo López Arretche and his team captured the student protests of 1968 in documentary form in “El Grito.” (Cinéma du réel Archives)
During their days as film students at UNAM in 1968, Leobardo López Arretche and his team had the clarity to see that what they were living was something to be remembered (and registered). “El Grito” is a privileged 16 mm window into the assemblies, the organization and everything that went on from July to October of 1968. It is available online, for free, on UNAM’s Filmoteca YouTube channel.
‘Rojo Amanecer’
"ROJO AMANECER: EL CINE QUE NO SE OLVIDA"
Adding to the fictionalized characters and breakthroughs, “Rojo Amanecer” depicts some of the most famous events related to the movement and is one of the first cinematic pieces about it. The film tells the story of a family living in Tlatelolco; it introduces the context during a seemingly normal breakfast discussion. Later during the day, the members will be involved in the violent repression that happened on Oct. 2.
‘Los rollos perdidos’
Los Rollos Perdidos Trailer Oficial
Can a big, awful accident be the lead-in to a breakthrough? On March 24, 1982, a massive fire swept through Cineteca Nacional and its archive in a matter of minutes. Although one of the theories was that this accident was a way of getting rid of film evidence of the real responsibility for Tlatelolco’s events, this idea was discouraged, as there was indeed a misplacement of materials that caused the accident.
As a counterpart to “El Grito,” the first part of the documentary “Los rollos perdidos” explores the tapes that were recorded from the armed forces’ point of view and directed by Servando González. The filmmaker installed several 35 mm film cameras in the then-Foreign Affairs building to register the terrible event that would happen hours later, from the beginning of the gathering till its tragic end.
‘No nos moverán’
No nos moverán (We shall not be moved) | Official Trailer New HULU
Released in 2024, “No nos moverán” is the directorial debut of Pierre Saint-Martin Castellanos. Viewed from a contemporary perspective, the plot centers on the search for justice by a lawyer whose brother was assassinated in the Tlatelolco massacre and, when she finally finds a hint, she starts planning her revenge.
Lydia Leija is a linguist, journalist and visual storyteller. She has directed three feature films, and her audiovisual work has been featured in national and international media. She’s been part of National Geographic, Muy Interesante and Cosmopolitan.
Beware the chupacabra and other Mexican monsters during this year's spooky season. (Facebook)
In a country so deeply connected to its pre-Hispanic past, where scratching the earth reveals pyramids dating back millennia, it is only natural that some of those ancient spirits are still glimpsed in the streets and around the corners of houses.
Especially during the second half of the year — when the days grow shorter, colder and darker — it pays to keep your eyes wide open. You wouldn’t want a chaneque to swipe your wallet, or for your birth nahual to appear bearing bad news.
These are just a few of the Mexican monsters that still feature in popular culture and accompany us on our journey through this plane of existence.
Also known by the Hispanized name ahuizote, this wolf-like creature terrorized the Mexica people. Resembling a giant wolf with glowing eyes and fierce fangs, it was said to be a “friend of the rain gods.”
Its name, derived from Old Nahuatl, translates to “water-spiny one” or “river spines,” as its grayish fur would bristle upon contact with water. This mythological creature was likely inspired by the water opossum (Chironectes minimus).
The only surviving written account of this creature is attributed to Bernardino de Sahagún, the great chronicler of the Spanish invasion of present-day Mexico. In Book XI of “General History of the Things of New Spain,” he described the creature as having “small, pointed ears, a black and very smooth body, and a long tail with something resembling a human hand at the tip.”
In Maya mythology, aluxes were small spirits that inhabited the dark recesses of the jungle. They were found at sites considered to be gateways to the underworld, including trees, caves and cenotes.
Archaeological records from southeastern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala suggest that aluxes dressed like ordinary people of the Maya Empire, according to UNAM Global. Indeed, they were depicted as “little people” with angry expressions.
They are believed to be playful and mischievous, frequently stealing items to annoy humans. Even today, in some villages, farmers build aluxes small stone houses known as kahtal alux, and leave offerings of food or tobacco to earn their protection and ensure good harvests.
Axolotl
Look at that adorable water monster! Everyone’s hearts melt at the look of beloved axolotls. (LaDameBucolique/Wikimedia Commons)
Even though Clara Brugada might want everyone to love axolotls, historically, they have been considered “water monsters.” In fact, that is the translation of the word “axolotl” from ancient Nahuatl.
These creatures from Xochimilco are cousins of the tiger salamander, and because of their head shape, the Mexica found them hideous. Today, however, axolotls are widely considered to be adorable.
Even in ancient Tenochtitlán, the Mexica knew that these aquatic creatures — endemic to the iconic Xochimilco area — could “completely regenerate their limbs after suffering an attack or escaping a predator,” per the Ministry of the Environment.
Despite their friendly appearance and harmless nature, their natural habitat is severely degraded, which jeopardizes their continued survival in the canals of Xochimilco.
Chaneques
The Mexica spirits chaneques are in many ways the equivalent of the Maya aluxes, an example of which is seen here. (Gary Todd/Wikimedia Commons)
Chaneques are mischievous spirits that, disguised as children, steal the souls of those who bother them. In Mexico City’s traditionally Indigenous neighborhoods, they are still believed to be “invisible” guardians of nature who play pranks on ordinary people: Did you suddenly feel dizzy or lose your car keys? It was likely the chaneques.
In Mexica culture, they were known as ohuican chaneque, a term translating to “those who inhabit dangerous places” or “masters of the house.” Like the aluxes, they are responsible for protecting rivers, mountains and animals. The belief is so widespread across the country that, while it remains popular in parts of Mexico City, it is also found in the southern states of Tabasco and Veracruz.
Nahual
El nahualismo ha servido como herramienta de control social y sancionadora - UNAM Global
The figure of the nahual is not exclusive to Mexica mythology. On the contrary, it appears in various Mesoamerican civilizations under different names, yet its spiritual function remains the same. The term derives from nahualli, translated from Nahuatl as “hidden” or “disguise,” and refers to a mystical being that shapeshifts to guide human beings toward spiritual growth.
In the Mexica worldview, it was believed that every person was born with an animal spirit responsible for protecting and guiding them through life’s obstacles.
This “Mexican monster” emerged from Mexica mythology with three distinct natures. The first refers to a type of “spirit animal” that guides warriors on their journey of inner discovery, acting as a sort of alter ego. The second is a sorcerer, healer or shaman who “reveals hidden things” and possesses the ability to shapeshift. The third is a hybrid of the previous two. Interested readers can calculate their birth nahual online — for instance, 9 Kan, the fire serpent.
Police, emergency services and Civil Protection authorities responded to an attack on a secondary school in Torréon on Thursday. (Cuartoscuro)
A vice principal was killed at a secondary school in Torreón, Coahuila, on Thursday, in an attack allegedly committed by two former students.
Three other people, including students, were injured in the attack at the Number 13 Secondary School in Ejido La Unión, located north of downtown Torreón.
Vice principal Nery Edith Narváez González died in the Thursday attack, which also injured three other people. (Rodrigo Nerio / Cuartoscuro.com)
The alleged aggressors, 18-year-old twin brothers, were armed with machetes and explosives, according to witnesses cited in media reports. School prefect Héctor Rodríguez said that “explosions began in the bathroom” and that students ran to take shelter in classrooms. He also said that the alleged attackers entered the school behind a teacher between the second and third lessons of the day.
The two men were detained after the attack on Thursday morning. Video footage indicates that students helped to restrain the suspects.
Police, emergency services and Civil Protection authorities all responded to the attack in Torréon, located about 250 kilometers west of state capital of Saltillo, near Coahuila’s border with Durango.
The deceased vice principal was identified as Nery Edith Narváez González, who was aged in her mid-fifties. The cause of her death has not been confirmed, but it appears likely that she was stabbed.
Coahuila Attorney General Federico Fernández told reporters that two 18-year-old brothers were identified as the “probable” perpetrators of what he called a “brutal attack.” He noted that they were detained and turned over to the Coahuila Attorney General’s Office.
“What we’re told is that they are ex-students of this school,” Fernández said.
“… These two former students arrived and attacked the institution’s administrative authorities as well as some students,” he said, noting that the vice principal was killed.
Fernández acknowledged reports that the aggressors were carrying explosives, but said that authorities hadn’t confirmed that to be the case.
“They’re talking to us about bladed weapons … and a kind of firecrackers,” he said.
Regarding the possible motive for the attack, Fernández said that preliminary investigations indicated that the alleged aggressors had “feelings” against staff at the school.
He said that one of two students injured in the attack had been reported in “serious” condition.
Asked whether there was gunfire at the school, Fernández said that could be “ruled out for now.”
He said that he and state Security Secretary Hugo Gutiérrez were heading to Torreón to conduct investigative work and determine what weapons were used in the attack.
Federal authorities are assisting the investigation
The federal Security Cabinet said on social media that it is collaborating with Coahuila authorities to “shed light on “the events at the school in Torreón and “contribute to the development of the investigations.”
“We regret the death of a member of the educational staff and express our condolences to her family, as well as our solidarity with the entire educational community. Three people injured in these events are receiving medical care, and two individuals identified as responsible for the attack have already been detained,” the Security Cabinet said.
The federal Ministry of Public Education (SEP) described the attack as “reprehensible” and expressed its condolences to the family and friends of the deceased woman as well as to the “educational community.”
Fatal attacks are fairly rare at schools in Mexico, but there have been a number of previous cases.
Though Rachel's northwesterly course may spare Mexico another landfall so soon after Polo, it is expected to continue dumping heavy rain on Nayarit, Sinaloa and southern Baja California Sur at least through Friday, severely increasing the risk of landslides, cresting rivers and flooding. (SMN)
Rachel, hard on the heels of Polo, has become the latest major hurricane in the Pacific. Poised to increase to Category 4 as early as Friday, it is fueling dangerous flood threats along coastal areas.
The center of the storm system was 390 kilometers south of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, and was moving west at 6 km/h. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 40 km from Rachel’s center, with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 260 km.
While expected to increase to Category 4 and remain a major hurricane through Saturday, Rachel’s projected northwestern course suggests it will not make landfall in Mexico.
However, the National Meteorological Service (SMN) is forecasting very heavy rainfall for Nayarit, Sinaloa and southern Baja California Sur (up to 75 mm) through Friday, increasing the risk of landslides, cresting rivers and flooding.
The National Civil Protection Coordination is urging local authorities and residents of potentially affected areas to follow updates on Rachel’s development.
State and federal authorities are also on alert in the states of Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco. The Jalisco state government ordered schools closed on Wednesday, but they had reopened on Thursday.
The season’s first cold front has arrived
At the same time, the first cold front of the 2026-2027 season arrived and was poised to cause heavy rains, strong gusts of wind and a drop in temperature in several northern and central states.
According to the SMN, the cold front will move from the northern border towards the northern Gulf of Mexico, its mass of cold air lowering temperatures and stirring up conditions of atmospheric instability.
The SMN forecasts that the most significant effects of the cold front will last three to four days, impacting the following states: Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, Durango, Chihuahua, Sonora and Aguascalientes.
In addition to the colder temperatures, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Durango, Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí could see from 75 to 150 mm of rainfall.
Additionally, these northern and central states could see winds gusting up to 60-70 km/h (37-44 mph) with possible whirlwind formations in northern Coahuila.
