The repopulation program, responsible for the introduction of nearly 300,000 totoaba in Gulf of California waters, aims to reverse decades of overfishing and illegal trafficking that have pushed the totoaba to the brink of extinction. (Marina Robles/X)
As part of a milestone conservation effort led by Mexico’s Environment Ministry, 40,000 baby totoaba fish were released into the waters of the Gulf of California, a unique ecosystem where this threatened species is endemic.
This marks the tenth generation of totoaba — 270,000 individuals in the past 10 years — that Mexico has reintroduced to prevent the extinction of the species. The fish plays a crucial role in marine balance in the Gulf, dubbed by Jacques Cousteau as “The Aquarium of the World.”
The 40,000 hatchlings released measured on average 25 centimeters, but adult totoabas can reach two meters in length and weigh 100 kilograms. (Maria V/X)
In an official statement, the Environment Ministry (Semarnat) said the release of the totoaba hatchlings — each about 25 centimeters long — “is the result of a collaborative effort between the private sector, civil society and the government.”
Thanks to the joint program involving Semarnat, the regenerative aquaculture company Santomar and civil society, the baby totoaba are now swimming freely in the waters off Santispac Beach, in the municipality of Mulegé, Baja California Sur.
The program aims to reverse decades of overfishing and illegal trafficking that have pushed the totoaba to the brink of extinction.
“The reintroduction effort promotes the recovery of this threatened species,” said Dr. Marina Robles García, undersecretary of Biodiversity and Environmental Restoration at Semarnat. “And this is possible thanks to totoaba cultivation in laboratories located in Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur.”
Robles García attributed the program’s success to scientific developments at the Institute of Oceanological Research at the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC).
According to the website Big Fish, these research centers “have perfected the reproduction and rearing of the species under human care, then reintroduced them in a controlled manner to the wild.”
Robles García said the program is also assisted by a new, state-of-the-art regenerative aquaculture system in La Paz, Baja California Sur. There, larval food is cultivated in tanks filled with microalgae.
“This joint effort shows that it is indeed possible to recover threatened species, as has already happened with the California condor and the Mexican wolf,” she said.
The totoaba repopulation scheme is also aided by the nine Wildlife Conservation Management Units (UMAS) that are dedicated to the care of the Gulf corvina fish, where around 3 million totoabas have been produced in recent years.
Though prohibited since 1975, illegal fishing of the totoaba continues due to the demand for the fish’s swim bladder, an organ that helps the fish control its buoyancy and is considered a delicacy in certain parts of Asia. The swim bladder can fetch prices of around US $500 per kilo in Mexico and $8,000 per kilo on the international market.
With the totoaba population stabilizing, the Mexican government last month amended the import/export tax law to grant Santomar, which cultivates the totoaba in submersible farms on the high seas, the exclusive authority to export totoaba meat as long as it adheres to traceability regulations. According to the newspaper Milenio, this modification seeks to exercise greater control over the illegal totoaba market.
Selling the swim bladder is still prohibited, as are sales of live totoaba.
The crematorium provided (or was supposed to provide) cremation services to six funeral homes in Ciudad Juárez, located on Mexico's northern border opposite El Paso, Texas. (Manuel Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
The owner of a private crematorium in Ciudad Juárez where 383 bodies were left in piles to decompose has been arrested along with his sole employee.
The attorney general of Chihuahua, César Jáuregui Moreno, announced that José Luis Arellano Cuarón, the owner of the Plenitud crematorium in the Granjas Polo Gamboa neighborhood of Ciudad Juárez, and Facundo Martínez Robledo, an employee, were detained on Sunday.
A judge ruled that the two men must remain in preventive prison ahead of a court hearing on Friday. They face charges related to the improper handling of cadavers. If convicted on all counts, they face prison sentences of a minimum of eight and a maximum of 19 years.
Jáuregui said that the crematorium provided (or was supposed to provide) cremation services to six funeral homes in Ciudad Juárez, located on Mexico’s northern border opposite El Paso, Texas.
The 383 bodies found in the crematorium were “received by funeral homes, the mourning of families was carried out there and subsequently this company picked up the bodies to carry out the cremation service, which it didn’t do,” the attorney general said.
He said that the crematorium most probably charged the funeral homes for cremation services, but just left the bodies to pile up in its facilities.
Mexican police have discovered more than 350 corpses piled up, embalmed and abandoned at a private crematorium in Ciudad Juarez, local prosecutors reported pic.twitter.com/YrS8ma65Pw
Given that the bodies were taken to funeral homes by families, it is unlikely that any of them are of missing persons, Jáuregui said.
“In any case, each and every one of them will be investigated so that there is no doubt about the origin of the bodies. I think it will be difficult to determine how long they were there in the crematorium because all of them had funerary treatment [embalming],” he said.
“… The investigation will be sufficiently exhaustive to first provide dignity to these bodies, secondly to identify them [and] thirdly to provide them with the fate that their relatives decide,” Jáuregui said.
He also said that the investigation will look beyond the crematorium owner and employee to determine whether anyone else is guilty of negligence and/or criminal behavior. Officials responsible for inspecting such facilities and ensuring their compliance with applicable laws could be among those investigated. The crematorium had the permits required to operate.
Corpses ‘stacked’ in various rooms at crematorium
The 383 bodies found at the Ciudad Juárez crematorium were piled up in five or six rooms and in its yard, according to Jáuregui. Authorities discovered them last Thursday after receiving a report from a citizen about foul smells in the area. The bodies of four minors, including two babies, were found at the crematorium.
The Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office (FGE) announced on Monday that a total of 383 embalmed bodies were piled up at the crematorium. Some of them had been there for as long as five years, according to the FGE.
Eloy García, spokesperson for the FGE, told the AFP news agency that the cadavers were “stacked” in no apparent order.
They were “just thrown like that, indiscriminately, one on top of the other, on the floor,” he told AFP.
‘Unprecedented drama’: Prosecutor describes hell-like scene of 383 bodies in Juárez crematorium https://t.co/9P7FN6lLtx
García said that relatives of the deceased were given “other material” in lieu of ashes.
According to AFP, the FGE spokesperson “alleged ‘carelessness and irresponsibility’ by the crematorium owners, adding that all such businesses ‘know what their daily cremation capacity is.'”
“You can’t take in more than you can process,” García said.
Marcelo Ruiz, representative of the Ciudad Juárez Funeral Homes Union, said that it was not the first time that bodies were left to pile up in a crematorium in the border city, noting that there was a similar case in which 63 decomposing bodies were found during the COVID pandemic.
The law gives the federal Security Ministry broad powers to access people's personal and biometric data as well as their financial information, among other sensitive data. (Shutterstock)
The Mexican Senate on Tuesday approved legislation dubbed the “Spy Law,” which will give the federal government broad intelligence and surveillance powers.
The National Investigation and Intelligence System Law was supported by the ruling Morena party and its allies, ensuring its passage through the Chamber of Deputies last week and the Senate on Tuesday night.
Sixty-seven senators voted in favor of the legislation, 29 opposed it and there were three abstentions.
The law, which will take effect once promulgated by President Claudia Sheinbaum, will give the federal Security Ministry broad powers to access people’s personal and biometric data as well as their financial information, among other sensitive data. Security authorities will be able to access telecom metadata, allowing them to track people’s location.
They will be able to access people’s data, reportedly without obtaining a judicial warrant, and will have the capacity to seek information from public and private sources. Private companies that refuse to hand over data that authorities want face legal sanctions and other potential consequences.
Data collected will be used to create “intelligence products for the prevention, investigation and prosecution of crimes,” according to the law. Artificial intelligence tools and other digital systems and programs can be used to assist the creation and use of “public security strategies, actions and intelligence products that … strengthen operations” carried out by security forces.
The “intelligence products” will also help to “identify and combat threats to and impacts on public security,” according to the law.
The law also allows for the creation of a new intelligence division within the federal Security Ministry.
Senator Ricardo Anaya, the leader of the National Action Party (PAN) in the upper house, was outspoken about the bill, comparing its powers to those of Big Brother. (Cuartoscuro)
Senator Ricardo Anaya, the leader of the National Action Party (PAN) in the upper house and a former presidential candidate, was among the opposition senators who voted against the law.
“Big Brother is watching you,” he wrote on social media on Tuesday before the vote on the National Investigation and Intelligence System Law took place.
“This extraordinary period [of Senate sessions] will go down in history as the darkest. Morena consolidated the #SpyGovernment: geolocation, access to your health, bank and biometric data without [approval from a] judge. We will not be accomplices. We will vote no!” Anaya wrote.
The federal government, including Morena lawmakers, argue that the National Investigation and Intelligence System Law, and other security-related legislation, is required to bolster the state’s capacity to combat organized crime, which has a pernicious effect on Mexican society all over the country.
Central Intelligence Platform to be created
The National Investigation and Intelligence System Law allows for the creation of a Central Intelligence Platform, where data collected by security authorities will be stored. The platform must be ready for use within 180 days of the promulgation of the law.
Security officials, including National Guard personnel, will be able to access the information on the platform as part of their efforts to prevent and investigate crimes.
The investigation and intelligence law establishes a range of standards that all officials who manage intelligence information must meet.
The new law allows for the creation of a Central Intelligence Platform, which can be accessed by all security officials under the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena), including the National Guard. (Cuartoscuro)
“The dominance of organized crime in Mexico is the main reason that the surveillance apparatus is being bolstered. It’s not a surprise, given Sheinbaum’s clear desire to focus on intelligence rather than direct military confrontation,” he wrote.
“Additionally, pressure from the U.S. — cancelling prominent Mexicans’ visas and advocating for military intervention if Mexico can’t sort out cartels — has lit a fire under the government, explaining the rush to get these surveillance measures through,” González Ormerod wrote.
‘Extremely important’ legislation or ‘espionage disguised as public policy’?
She asserted that the new investigation and intelligence law will not allow unjustified invasions of people’s privacy, as decisions to obtain access to personal data must be approved by the Federal Attorney General’s Office — which is ostensibly independent of the federal government — and will be subject to judicial controls.
Senator María del Rosario Corona Nakamura of the Ecological Green Party of Mexico (PVEM), an ally of Morena, said that the law will provide authorities with the technological tools they need to prevent and prosecute crimes.
For his part, PAN Senator Francisco Ramírez Acuña described the law as “espionage disguised as public policy.”
He criticized what he called the capacity of authorities to have “disproportionate” access to sensitive information, and asserted that the law doesn’t establish clear rules or controls governing authorities’ ability to access personal data.
Morena Senator Félix Salgado Macedonio questioned opposition senators’ motivation for opposing the law, suggesting that they are worried about their bank accounts in tax havens being detected.
The National Investigation and Intelligence System Law has also faced significant criticism outside of Congress.
The Network in Defense of Digital Rights (R3D), a non-governmental organization, said on social media on Tuesday that the Senate had granted “permission to spy” with its approval of the law.
“Legalizing surveillance and access to our [personal] information without controls, judicial orders or any safeguard, through public and private databases, is an abuse of human rights,” the organization said.
🚨 “No hay un límite para el acceso de las autoridades a los datos”, me comentó Francia Pietrasanta, abogada en tecnología y datos en @R3Dmx.
👉 “El gran problema es lo que está en la leyes de investigación y de seguridad, que implementa la fusión de bases de datos (…) Podría… pic.twitter.com/DuG7p8Zzlo
In a radio interview on Wednesday, R3D lawyer and project leader Francia Pietrasanta said that “there is no limit” on authorities’ capacity to access people’s data.
“The authorities can access your movements in real time and very sensitive data could be revealed,” she said.
Pietrasanta said that the National Investigation and Intelligence System Law, and other security laws recently approved by Congress, “create massive infrastructure in order to be able to surveil all people.”
Luis Fernando García, a lawyer and former director of R3D, warned that the legislation could institutionalize espionage. He highlighted that the National Guard, the army and other security institutions will have real-time access to a range of personal data.
Senate also approves General National Public Security System Law
On Tuesday night, the Senate also approved the General National Public Security System Law, which, according to Morena senators, “establishes the operation of joint strategies between all public security institutions.”
Most senators with the PAN voted in favor of the law, as did Citizens’ Movement party senators, and those representing Morena and its allies, the PVEM and the Labor Party. Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) senators voted against it.
The law, which was also approved by the Chamber of Deputies last week, creates a new regulatory framework to coordinate security collaboration between federal, state and municipal authorities.
Increased coordination between security authorities at different levels of government is one of the four “ejes” — axes or core tenets — of the federal government’s national security strategy. Strengthening investigation and intelligence practices is another.
Morena senators said that the General National Public Security System Law will “optimize the functioning” of security policy by “establishing absolute coordination between the [federal] Security Cabinet and the federal entities,” or states.
The law creates “a model of total coordination for public security” between all levels of government, they said.
The General National Public Security System Law also creates a National Information System, of which various databases and registries — including ones with information on arrests, prisoners and court orders aimed at protecting women and children — will be part.
Morena Senator Lucía Trasviña, president of the upper house’s public security committee, declared that the law, and the National Investigation and Intelligence System Law, will right public security wrongs of the past.
“For decades, Mexico suffered the consequences of a [security] strategy focused on the excessive use of force and … [with] fragmented coordination structures,” she said.
“Today we’re consolidating a new model focused on intelligence, professionalization and cooperation,” Trasviña said.
Morena Senator Lucía Trasviña emphasized on Tuesday that the legislation will not be used for arbitrary surveillance. (@Luciatraswbcs/X)
“… It’s not about spying,” she said. “It’s about acting with institutional responsibility, legality and guarantees. [We’re] talking abut surveillance for security, not arbitrary surveillance,” Trasviña said.
Senator Anaya said that the General National Public Security System Law represented “recognition that the ‘hugs, not bullets’ strategy,” implemented by the administration of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, “was an absolute failure,” and for that reason, the PAN supported it.
However, the National Investigation and Intelligence System Law is the “final nail in the coffin” for privacy in Mexico and the installation of a “spy government,” he said.
The government “will be able to monitor your cell phone [to find out] what time you go out, who you meet up with,” Anaya said.
PRI Senator Miguel Ángel Riquelme, a former governor of Coahuila, said that both laws approved on Tuesday are part of a “legal framework that seeks to restrict freedoms and weaken our democracy.”
“They’re taking away rights … to establish a police-military state,” he said.
PAN Senator Marko Cortés was equally scathing in his assessment of the laws.
“They’re empowering the operational arms of the presidency without any control or limit. They’re militarizing security and the violation of human rights is clearly going to increase,” he said.
“We can’t accept that the government has unlimited, uncontrolled access to [people’s] private lives. They can already do that, but with judicial orders. It’s unacceptable that it will be permanent, discretional and without a judicial order. … They will have all our information,” Cortés said.
In addition to the two laws approved by the Senate on Tuesday, Morena has approved, or is seeking to approve, a range of other laws that government critics say violate people’s right to privacy and, in the case of a new National Guard Law, increase the militarization of public security in Mexico.
Señor Frog's Playa del Carmen location had been closed since October 2024. (Noticaribe/X)
Señor Frog’s, the chain of fiesta-themed eateries and bars often cited as the antithesis to “authentic Mexico,” has been reduced to nothing but a memory in what once stood as one of its prime locations — near the pier in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo.
Demolition began last week on the building that had housed Señor Frog’s for more than 25 years, adjacent to the terminal where people catch the ferry to Cozumel.
The building, which also housed offices and apartments on its upper floor, had deteriorated to the point where the possibility of collapse could not be ignored, officials said.
“There was a risk. That’s why the decision was made to intervene immediately,” said Hernán González, head of the city’s sustainable planning bureau.
This particular Señor Frog’s had already shut down last October, a closure that surprised tourists who considered the lively restaurant and bar a must-visit on the Riviera Maya.
Others, however, frequently use Señor Frog’s as shorthand for “tourist trap” and contrast it with authentic local experiences.
Although the company did not provide an official explanation for last October’s closure, local reports indicated that declining visitor numbers and reduced income contributed to the decision, with the venue having seen fewer guests for months prior to shuttering its doors.
Playa del Carmen still has two other Señor Frog’s in operation — each less than 1.5 km away from the razed location. One opened in December 2022, and both are on the city’s main commercial strip, Quinta Avenida, or Fifth Avenue.
Overall, Señor Frog’s has “over 17 locations worldwide” according to a summary on its website that also touts its restaurant-bars as places where “the fun never stops.”
Their Tex-Mex-heavy menu includes Mexican and American fare, from tacos, nachos and burritos to hamburgers and seafood — along with an extensive selection of beer, margaritas and other alcoholic drinks.
Señor Frog’s was founded in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, in 1971 by Jesús Humberto “Chuy” Juarez and Carlos Anderson.
The brand is owned by Cancún-based Grupo Anderson’s, which claims to be Mexico’s largest restaurateur, operating more than 50 restaurants. Two of its other prime holdings are Porfirio’s and Harry’s Prime Steakhouse & Raw Bar.
The Playa del Carmen closure follows other high-profile shutdowns, such as the Las Vegas location, which ceased operations at the end of 2024, and the original Mazatlán spot, which shut down in 2018.
A small example of the more than 2,600 hectares of cleared forest land indicates the kind of radical land use change the landowners were undertaking. (Profepa)
More than 2,600 hectares of forest were destroyed in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, leading to the closure of seven properties, the Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa) reported on Monday.
Profepa inspectors carried out operations between May 28 and June 14 on forest properties located in the states of Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, where they discovered the removal of trees and other vegetation, resulting in unauthorized use of forest lands across 2,608.9 hectares (ha).
Farm equipment found on the properties betrayed the intention to convert the forest into agricultural land. (Profepa)
Such activities have the effect of transforming forests into agro-industrial monocultures, Profeca wrote on the X social media site.
The agency seized 108.5 square meters of round and square timber, three tractors and a variety of agricultural equipment.
Of the seven properties that were closed, two were in Campeche, totaling 702 ha, two in Yucatán (606.4 ha) and three in Quintana Roo (1,300.5 ha). All seven are within an area where Mennonite populations have been expanding, according to Profepa.
In the popular tourist state of Quintana Roo, inspectors visited the municipalities of José María Morelos and Othón P. Blanco.
In the Piedras Negras ejido (communal farmland) in José María Morelos, inspectors identified a change in land use on 10.68 ha of forest, where a total of 1,057 square meters of native rainforest species had been removed without permission.
Profepa also sent inspectors to the municipalities of Hopelchén and Calakmul in Campeche and Tekax in Yucatán.
The inspectors found that natural vegetation had been replaced by leveled terrain in San Diego Buenavista in Tekax, where the cutting, felling, sectioning and elimination by fire of adult trees and sapling trees had taken place.
In a statement, Profepa said it plans to continue operations to halt and reverse the environmental impacts of deforestation on forest ecosystems on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Dance, swim and savor your way into the second half of the year throughout the Yucatán peninsula. (Martha xucunostli / CC BY-SA 3.0)
July is summer in the Riviera Maya, and it’s a steamy time of year. It gets steamier, either with sexy tangos and wine, or in the literal sense of enjoying a full moon temazcal. But the fun doesn’t stop there, we’ve got a weird and wonderful month of fermented foods, nature going wild and all the spiritual healing the region is known for.
Argentine Night at Panza Tulum
(Eventbrite)
An asado is an Argentine barbecue gathering, and who doesn’t love a gathering with wine and sexy dancing? An asado plus a live orchestra and chance to get out on the dance floor sounds wonderful to me. If you’re more of a listener than a dancer just sit back and sip wine watching the dazzling dance show and live orchestra.
Date: July 5, 7:30 – 10:30 pm Location: Panza Tulum, Av. Aldea Zama 10, Aldea Zama, Tulum Cost:270 pesos
Naturalist challenge at the Riviera Maya Forestry Nursery
(Facebook/Programa de Areas Verdes Flora, Fauna y Cultura de México)
Discover the beauty of the Riviera Maya’s biodiversity with conservation nonprofit Flora, Fauna y Cultura de México. Join other nature lovers for two hours exploring the Riviera Maya Forestry Nursery with a guide. Photograph and learn about the birds and bugs, plants and flowers, then submit your data iNaturalist Mexico, a citizen science platform. Come help contribute to a global database of biodiversity while learning about the natural world around you.
Date: 5 July at 8 a.m. Location: Vivero Forestal Riviera Maya,Km. 282, Carretera Federal Chetumal-Puerto Juárez, Playa del Carmen Cost: 50 pesos
Full moon temazcal
(Facebook/Centro Ceremonial Maya Oxlajuj)
If you’ve never experienced a temazcal — a traditional Mesoamerican sweat lodge — I highly recommend it. I’ve done a bunch and loved every experience at every location. It’s a chance to look within, heal your heart, let go of what no longer serves you and ask for healing. This temazcal takes place every sunday at the Centro Ceremonial Maya Oxlajuj.
Date: July 6, 13 and 20 at 6 p.m. Location:Centro Ceremonial Maya Oxlajuj, Carretera Chicxulub Puerto Km. 13, Mérida Cost: 300 pesos
Feria del Carmen
(Fiestas de México)
Playa del Carmen’s largest annual fair offers a cultural week full of family activities, music, fabulous foods, traditions and much more. Like all fairs, it’s open daily and goes into the night. You can see the program online to be sure you don’t miss anything. I’ll be popping over from Cozumel to enjoy some gastronomical treats and hopefully see you there!
Date: July 13 through August 6 Location: Playa del Carmen Cost: Free
Cozumel Vivo Fest 2025
(México Informa)
Cozumel’s Vivo Fest is a cultural experience of art, ocean conservation, live concerts, gastronomic sensations and much more. It’s a true celebration of life with guest chefs, Maya cultural activities and wellness practices. This is the way of the island and you’re all welcome to come down and enjoy it as well. See the full itinerary online.
Date: July 11 through 13 Location: Cozumel, with a lot of events happening at Hotel B Cost: 1955 pesos
Tequila University at La Sirena
(Eventbrite)
Want to learn more about gourmet tequila? This is the event for you. La Sirena is my favorite restaurant in Puerto Morelos, with great food and picturesque Caribbean views to watch as you sip and learn all about tequila in style. Taking place every Monday, Tequila University teaches attendees “how to truly taste, appreciate, and understand Mexico’s most iconic spirit.”
Date: July 7, 14 and 21 at 4 p.m. Location: La Sirena, Calle Jose Maria Morelos Mz 4, Puerto Morelos Cost: 150 pesos
Spiritual workshop with dolphins
(Facebook/Donna Kassewitz)
The Gathering of Light Workers and Dolphins promises a beautiful four-day event building heart connections with a pod of dolphins. These special creatures will help transform mind, body, and spirit in joyous co-creating sessions. It’s an experience of a lifetime, led by professionals of the Dolphin Ambassador Program who have studied and worked with dolphins for five decades.
Feeling disconnected, overwhelmed or just ‘meh’ on the inside? Then perhaps some self-care is what you need. The Sacred Awakening retreat offers six days of self-love and connection to nourish your soul. Experience sacred ceremonies and learn how to release stress and heal through breathwork and movement.
Date: July 21 through 26 Location: Lunita Jungle Retreat Center, Puerto Morelos Cost:Rooms start at 2297 pesos
Kombucha making course at Diosa Organics
(Facebook/Diosa Organics)
Delve into the world of the ever-popular kombucha. In this brewmaster’s course, you’ll make three kombuchas, try ten, get recipes and learn how to make the drink from scratch. It’s all included, complete with a starter kit to take home to continue making your own. No prior knowledge needed: just turn up and enjoy the day of getting down and healthy with this fermented beverage.
Date: July 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27 Location: Diosa Organics, Playa del Carmen Cost: 1,500 pesos
Mexico Correspondent for International Living, Bel is an experienced writer, author, photographer and videographer with 500+ articles published both in print and across digital platforms. Living in the Mexican Caribbean for over seven years now, she’s in love with Mexico and has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.
As San Miguel de Allende competes for another Travel + Leisure honor this month, the city is improving public safety and readying itself for a week-long cultural festival. (Wikimedia Commons)
San Miguel de Allende (SMA) continues to make headlines, from global travel honors to vibrant cultural festivals and public safety efforts. Here’s a snapshot of what’s happening in this beloved city.
SMA again eyes World’s Best Small City title
(Pau Morfin/Unsplash)
San Miguel de Allende continues to shine on the global stage as a finalist for the 2025 Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards, competing once more for the title of Best City in the World. The city last won this prestigious honor in 2024.
San Miguel is also distinguished by multiple accolades from Condé Nast Traveler, including being named the No. 1 Small City in the World in years 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Additionally, San Miguel was named the Best Wedding Destination in Mexico earlier this year by Mexican magazine, México Desconocido, further cementing its status as a top choice for travelers worldwide.
San Miguel is one of two final cities in the running. Results are expected in the coming days.
FASMA 2025 brings 2 weeks of arts and culture
(Adolfo Alejos/FASMA)
From August 1 to 17, the Festival of the Arts San Miguel de Allende (FASMA) returns for its third edition, bringing more than 100 events featuring opera, jazz, ballet, and visual arts to venues across the city.
Festival highlights include concerts at the historic Angela Peralta Theatre, such as a Cuban jazz evening with 13-time Grammy winner Chuchito Valdés and prize-winning classical pianist Gile Bae. Casa Europa will host events like The Eight Seasons by violinist Adolfo Alejos and a Lyric Gala by Operísima México, while Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramírez “El Nigromante” will present a retrospective of Leonard Brooks’ collage work. An exhibit of paintings by Enrique Guillén Sáenz also opens at Fábrica La Aurora during the festival.
Running alongside the festival is “The Diary of Anne Frank: Notes of Hope,” now open at Casa de la Cultura, offering an immersive exhibit with replicas of Anne’s personal belongings.
Festival president Eduardo Adame Goddard says FASMA was born from a desire to unify the city’s diverse artistic offerings into one annual celebration.
“We realized we didn’t have a festival that brought all the arts together. FASMA is a celebration of the fine arts and a way to give even more relevance to the city’s cultural life.”
FASMA brings together 25 of the city’s leading cultural organizations, from the Biblioteca Pública and the Opera of San Miguel to the San Miguel Writers’ Conference and many others representing the city’s diverse artistic community.
San Miguel gears up for month-long Pride celebrations
(Instagram)
COSMA (Colectivo Orgullo San Miguel de Allende) has announced the return of its LGBTQ+ Pride March, set for Friday, July 12 at 4 p.m. The march will begin at Parque Juárez and conclude in the Jardín Principal, anchoring a monthlong series of events centered on visibility, inclusion, and structural change.
This year’s march is both a celebration and a call to action in a state that continues to face barriers to equality for LGBTQ+ individuals.
“Visibility is not enough if it isn’t accompanied by guarantees,” COSMA emphasized in a statement. “Our fight is not for symbolic inclusion but for structural justice. We thank our sponsors and allies. All people are welcome to march, regardless of their gender identity or expression.”
Rafael Cabrera, cofounder of COSMA, added that this year’s march will highlight demands for structural reforms supporting LGBTQ+ rights in San Miguel. Key issues include ending oppression in public spaces, securing proper funding for the city’s diversity office and promoting ongoing sensitivity training for public officials.
City government to raise bus fares
(Autobuses en Guanajuato/Facebook)
After 13 years without changes, San Miguel de Allende’s municipal government has approved a public transportation fare increase from 8 pesos to 10 pesos (about US $0.50). The previous 8-peso fare had been the lowest in the entire state of Guanajuato, according to Mayor Mauricio Trejo.
The decision comes after weeks of negotiations between the mayor’s office and transportation operators, who had initially proposed raising the fare by as much as 7 pesos, with some reports speculating a jump as high as 18 pesos.
As part of the process, the mayor emphasized that although transportation operators have the right to request a fare adjustment, citizens also have the right to demand improved service. Among the conditions being discussed are a cleaner, more professional appearance for drivers and the removal of tinted windows.
The fare will remain discounted at 50% for students and seniors. Before taking effect, the increase will undergo a feasibility study and must be approved by the city council.
SMA strengthens public safety measures
San Miguel de Allende fortalece el C4 y mejor la seguridad ciudadana
Local officials are stepping up prevention efforts in response to shifting crime patterns in the region. Mayor Mauricio Trejo acknowledged the increasing pressure on the city as organized crime groups move north within the state.
“The worst thing a mayor can do is deny a problem. San Miguel de Allende is not an unsafe city, but there’s pressure coming from all sides, and it’s taking a lot of work to keep it secure,” Trejo said.
He added that the issue is not exclusive to San Miguel but rather the result of being surrounded by some of the most insecure municipalities in the country.
In response, the city has doubled the capacity of its C4 surveillance center (now the most advanced in the state), which coordinates emergency response and monitors activity across the city. Officials have also invested in better-equipped patrol units and expanded police training.
San Miguel is hosting a state-level coordination meeting this week, bringing together security leaders from across Guanajuato, including the National Guard (GN) and state officials. This meeting will address the issue of criminal group migration.
Did you know?
Ignacio Ramírez Calzada, known as “El Nigromante” (the necromancer), was born in San Miguel de Allende in 1818. A fierce defender of human rights, secular education and free speech, his legacy remains strong in the city through the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramírez “El Nigromante.” Last month, San Miguel honored his 207th birthday with a ceremony at the Jardín Principal and a tribute at his historic home, celebrating his lasting influence on Mexico’s values and culture.
On Tuesday, the president acknowledged that the growing prevalence of motorbikes on Mexican roads "has caused many problems," particularly for emergency rooms. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
President Claudia Sheinbaum has now completed nine months in Mexico’s top job, having been sworn in as the country’s first female leader on Oct. 1.
Following in the steps of her predecessor and political mentor Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), Sheinbaum holds weekday morning press conferences (mañaneras) at the National Palace in Mexico City.
Here is a recap of some of the issues Sheinbaum spoke about at her first mañanera in July.
Sheinbaum defends decision to cancel Peña Nieto’s airport project
A reporter noted that former president Enrique Peña Nieto “reappeared” in a documentary about the cancelation of the Mexico City airport project in Texcoco, México state.
Construction of what was called the new Mexico City International Airport (NAICM) began during Peña Nieto’s 2012-18 presidency, but ex-president Andrés Manuel López Obrador canceled the partially built project after a controversial public consultation held in October 2018, before AMLO had taken office.
The government of Enrique Peña Nieto spent between US $2 and 5 billion on the Texcoco airport before it was canceled. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
About 70% of just over 1 million citizens who voted in the consultation favored the conversion of a México state air force base as a commercial airport over the completion of the NAICM.
The administration of López Obrador — who argued against the Texcoco project on the basis that it was corrupt, too expensive and being built on land that was sinking — consequently went ahead with the construction of a new airport on the Santa Lucía Air Force Base. The army-built Felipe Ángeles International Airport opened on the site in March 2022.
On Tuesday morning, the aforesaid reporter asked the president how she interpreted the “reappearance” of Peña Nieto, who asserted in the documentary that claims of corruption related to the construction of the airport have not been confirmed or proven.
“It’s too early to know why he appears in this … documentary,” Sheinbaum said.
“The important thing about the airport, regardless of whether there was mismanagement [of resources]; … the essence is that they were going to build an airport on a site with subsidence, a site that is a regulating reservoir for water that leaves the Valley of Mexico metropolitan area in the rainy season,” she said.
Sheinbaum asserted that flooding that has recently occurred in Mexico City “would have been worse” if there was an airport in Texcoco “because there is no channel for the different rivers that flow into this area.”
Sheinbaum said that another reason for canceling the NAICM was because “they wanted to turn the current Mexico City airport into a real estate development.”
“That was where the big business was,” she said, insinuating that corrupt dealings would have taken place if the Mexico City airport had been closed and redeveloped.
“… So those were the reasons it was decided — that the people of Mexico decided because there was a consultation — to build the airport at Santa Lucía,” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum asked about ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
A reporter asked the president her opinion on the United States government’s plans to lock up immigrants at a detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
“Alligators, crocodiles and pythons in the surrounding wetlands are expected to keep detainees from escaping the centre, which is being built on an old airfield,” the BBC reported.
Sheinbaum didn’t make any direct comment about “Alligator Alcatraz,” but said that her government doesn’t agree with “treating migrants as criminals.”
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 1, 2025
“… The United States was built by migrants, it’s a country built by migrants from many places around the world. … In particular, the Latino and Mexican migrants are very important for the United States economy, that’s what we’ve been saying,” she said.
Sheinbaum advocated respect for immigrants’ human rights, and reiterated that her government will defend all Mexicans in the United States, whether they’ve been there for “a month, two months, three months, a year, two years, 10 years or 20 years.”
Sheinbaum: The increase in the use of motorbikes ‘has caused many problems’
A reporter noted that emergency room visits due to motorcycle accidents are on the rise, and mentioned that ridesharing companies such as Uber and Didi now offer trips by motorbike.
Sheinbaum said that the growing prevalence of motorbikes on Mexican roads “has caused many problems.”
“Here [in Mexico City] the doctors are saying it because trauma care due to the use of motorbikes has indeed increased a lot,” she said.
“We’re working on a [safety] campaign … but we want it to be more than a campaign,” Sheinbaum said.
“Normally, the regulations related to the use of motorcycles are state regulations,” she added.
“So we have to work with the states and see if national regulations can be made. It’s not about banning motorbikes, but rather, what are the regulations for using a motorcycle. And second, what fines will there be if it not used in the [correct] way,” Sheinbaum said.
“And the other thing is education. If you have a motorbike, [you have to know] how to use it,” she said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
In May, Mexico's budget deficit stood at 251 billion pesos, 160 billion pesos (US $8.5B) lower than the programmed 411 billion. (Francesca Albert/Unsplash)
The highest increase in tax revenue in almost a decade. A year-over-year reduction in public spending of over 5%. A reduction in government debt as a percentage of GDP. A lower-than-expected budget deficit.
Mexico’s Finance Ministry (SHCP) reported these results on Monday in a report on “public finances and public debt” in the first five months of 2025.
Here is the key information.
Tax revenue up 8.9%
The SHCP reported that tax collection increased 8.9% annually in real terms between January and May. That increase was the largest for the first five months of the year since 2016, the ministry said.
Total tax revenue for the January-May period was 2.41 trillion pesos (US $128.36 billion at the current exchange rate), 83 billion pesos higher than expected.
The SHCP said that the growth in tax revenue “was mainly driven” by increases in the collection of Mexico’s value-added tax (up 12.5% annually), income tax (up 8.2% annually) and taxes collected by customs (up 38.4% annually).
It said that the increase in tax revenue reflected “both the strength of the internal market and greater tax collection efficiency.”
The SHCP said that the increase in the collection of import taxes was driven by “increased customs surveillance” and the imposition of taxes on products brought into the country by “digital platforms.” (Cuartoscuro)
IVA:
The 12.5% growth in value-added tax (IVA) revenue was the highest increase for the January-May period since 2014.
Revenue collected via the IEPS excise tax — levied on products such as gasoline, alcohol and cigarettes — declined 1.1% annually in real terms between January and May.
IEPS revenue totaled 268.44 billion pesos in the first five months of the year.
Non-tax revenue rose almost 30%, but oil sales slumped
The SHCP reported that non-tax revenue increased 28.4% annually in real terms between January and May. It said the growth was driven by increases in revenue from royalties (+11%), the sale of “products” (+20.2%) and windfall gains (+42.6%).
Domestic and foreign petroleum sales brought in revenue of 375.21 billion pesos in the first five months of the year, a 23.8% reduction compared to the same period of 2024. Oil income was 175.56 billion pesos lower than anticipated.
The newspaper El Economista said that lower-than-expected oil production was the cause of the year-over-year decline in petroleum sales and the failure to reach the predicted revenue level.
Total government revenue, including tax and non-tax income, in the first five months of the year was 3.47 trillion pesos (US $185.15 billion), a 3.7% increase compared to the same period of 2024. Total revenue was 64.47 billion pesos lower than projected.
Public spending down 5.3%
The federal government spent 3.72 trillion pesos (US $198.26 billion) between January and May, a 5.3% decrease compared to the first five months of 2024.
“In compliance with fiscal goals, public spending decreased 5.3% annually in real terms,” the SHCP said, adding that there was an “efficient” use of resources in the January-May period.
Expenditure was lower than expected, accounting for 94.3% of the projected outlay, the Finance Ministry said.
Nevertheless, the government’s outlay “guaranteed the provision of social programs, infrastructure and public services,” the SHCP said.
Expenditure in detail:
The government spent around 2.6 trillion pesos on “programmed,” or planned, expenses.
The government spent 648.71 billion pesos on unprogrammed expenses.
Federal allocations to Mexico’s states increased 3% annually in the first five months of the year.
Public sector debt dips below 50% of GDP
The SHCP reported that public sector debt at the end of May totaled 17.67 trillion pesos (US $942.4 billion), a 13% increase compared to a year earlier.
It said that amount is equivalent to 49.2% of Mexico’s gross domestic product.
The current level of debt as a percentage of GDP “compares favorably with the 51.3% of GDP recorded at the close of 2024,” the SHCP said.
“Between December 2024 and May 2025, the debt balance increased 250 billion pesos, which represented a reduction of 0.1% in real terms, mainly attributable to the appreciation of the exchange rate [for the Mexican peso] on foreign debt,” the ministry said.
The SHCP said that the costs of serving Mexico’s debt increased 13.1% annually due to “restrictive local and global financial conditions.”
Nevertheless, those costs — 460.55 billion pesos — were 21 billion pesos lower than budgeted “thanks to financial management operations that generated savings and improved the maturity profile of the federal government’s debt,” the ministry said.
Budget deficit 160 billion pesos lower than expected
The SHCP said that at the end of May, Mexico’s “fiscal balances reflected a solid performance” and were better than expected.
“The budget deficit stood at 251 billion pesos, lower than the programmed 411 billion,” the ministry said.
The Finance Ministry said that “the balance of public finances at the close of May was maintained in line with the annual goals approved by the Congress of the Union, supported by a sustained growth in budget income and strategic management of public expenditure.”
The tougher immigration environment and overall fear among the Mexican community in the United States have impacted the number of people willing to risk the commute from Tijuana to San Diego. (Omar Martínez/Cuartoscuro)
The influx of cross-border workers from Mexico’s Baja California state to the U.S. has dropped by 20% between January 2024 and March 2025, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) reported on Friday.
INEGI’s 2025 National Survey of Occupation and Employment showed that Baja California residents who commute regularly to work in Southern California stood at 87,190 in the first quarter of 2024 before falling to 82,421 in the second quarter and to 71,471 in the third. Figures rose to 72,000 commuters in Q4, before falling to 70,642 in Q1 of 2025.
According to real estate industry representatives, the drop in cross-border traffic could create an imbalance in the Tijuana economy due to a decrease in both residential and commercial tenants.
A series of high-profile immigration raids in San Diego county recently has only added to concerns about the economic impacts of reduced cross-border mobility on both sides of the border.
Last week, San Diego County lawmakers Brian Jones and Laurie Davis signed a letter addressed to U.S. President Trump, which asked the current administration “to avoid the kinds of sweeping raids that instill fear and disrupt the workplace.”
“We have heard from employers in our districts that recent ICE raids are not only targeting undocumented workers, but also … those with legal immigration status,” the letter reads. “This fear is driving vital workers out of critical industries, taking California’s affordability crisis and making it even worse for our constituents.”
A 2024 study on international commuters at the Mexico-U.S. border found that between 2000 and 2020, the number of cross-border workers living in Tijuana grew by 30%, and the share of U.S.-born within this group increased substantially.
In 2020, cross-border workers accounted for 7.3% of the wage bill of Mexico’s northwestern border municipalities, down from 8.4% in 2000.
Remittances fell 4.6% in May
Remittances sent to Mexico from the U.S. fell by 4.6% in May compared to one year earlier, according to central bank data published on Tuesday.
Total remittances stood at US $5.36 billion (100.5 billion pesos) in May, consisting of 13.9 million transactions averaging $385 each.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate passed a bill establishing a 1% tax on remittances, though only those sent in cash.
In Mexico, cash makes up 1% of all remittances received, though remittances sent electronically via cash deposit (at a Western Union, for example) may account for up to 40% of all remittances sent from the U.S. to Mexico.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said that if signed into law, the Mexican government would announce on Friday a program to reimburse the 1% lost to the tax on cash transactions.
