Mexico’s ‘Valley of Candles’: A coast-to-coast trek in Baja California

By

-

April 12, 2024

sm-on-the-trail — The Baja California Coast-to-Coast trail offers hikers the chance to explore some of Mexico's most underappreciated stretches of nature. (Photos by John Pint)

In 1685, Franciscan missionary, explorer, cartographer and astronomer Padre Eusebio Kino led the first non-indigenous expedition across the width of Baja California, through the high walls and treacherous canyons of La Sierra de la Giganta.

Today you can repeat Kino’s feat—but via a much more hiker-friendly route—thanks to an organization called Adixion, which operates out of Mexicali. Their Coast to Coast trail is 111 kilometers long and is perhaps the most popular of very few organized trekking routes to be found in Mexico.

Valle de los Cirios is a perfect example of Baja California’s Pacific landscape. (Karen Alfaro)

Retired Guadalajara businessman Hector Casas walked this trail last year and claims it was one of the best experiences of his life.

“So what’s so special about trekking in Baja California?” I asked him.

“Baja California has always been one of my favorite places,” Casas replied. “Just for starters, take the Sea of Cortez. Jacques Cousteau called it the World’s Aquarium. Its turquoise waters are filled with thousands of amazing and rare species of sea creatures. But in addition to marine life, I love the desert, the cacti, the dunes. So I decided to give this route a try, to see if I could walk all the way from one coast to the other.

Surrounded by spectacular mountains and a salty lake

“I found out that Adixion Tours organizes the walk every year in November. They only do it in the winter because in the summer the temperature in the peninsula can reach 45 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit). In the winter, however, it’s a pleasant 24 C (75 F), with partly cloudy skies and even a bit of drizzle.”

Héctor Casas walked the trail in 2023 – and is ready to do it again this year.

Participants in the trek typically fly to Tijuana and travel to Mexicali by bus via what Casas describes as a “beautiful route through the Rumorosa Mountains, which are really spectacular on the Mexican side.”

Step two is a four-hour trip by bus and four-wheel-drive which passes through Baja’s celebrated Laguna Salada (Salty Lake) situated ten meters below sea level, finally arriving at the trek’s Kilometer Zero: Altamira Beach on the Pacific Coast.

“Here,” says Casas, “we found our tents already pitched for us and a great dinner to boot. I was surprised to find that one hundred people had signed up to do this trek. The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, we all went to touch the water of the Pacific Ocean and at 7:00 a.m. we started to walk.

50 kilometers of “la pura gloria”

“The trail is well marked. There’s no chance of getting lost, which is important because sometimes you find yourself walking all alone with no one else in sight ahead or behind. This trek was so well organized, I never had to carry anything on my back but water and I really didn’t need it because every five kilometers they have a checkpoint set up, with fruit and drinks, and at certain points there’s even a tent with paramedics ready to take care of possible blisters or whatever. So at each of these spots I would stop, take off my shoes and socks, and enjoy the refreshments. It was la pura gloria, pure glory! That’s how it went the first day and at 6:30 p.m. I arrived at the Mission of San Borja, 50 kilometers from my starting point.”

Trekkers around the campfire, relaxing in comfort with hot water and great food.

5-star hotel in the desert

Here the weary trekkers found their tents set up for them, each containing all their personal gear. At San Borja they could take a shower and then enjoy a fine dinner, such as spaghetti, fettucini, or fish fillets. Vegetarians, vegans, or anyone with a special diet could expect a meal designed just for them. “As far as I was concerned,” said Casas, “this was a five-star hotel in the desert.”

“The next morning we were back on the trail at 7:00,” continues Casas. “Everyone was friendly and I would sometimes chat with them or other times I would just appreciate the scenery by myself and enjoy moments of introspection.”

El cirio: the strangest tree on earth

On this second day, the trekkers entered El Valle de los Cirios (The Valley of the Candles) a wildlife protection area famed for what is often considered the strangest tree on earth: the “cirio” or “boojum” tree, a magnificent succulent — said to resemble an upside-down carrot — which can grow to an astonishing height of 26 meters (85 feet).

According to the international organization Wildcoast, Valle de los Cirios is globally unique: “There may be no other place that embodies the wild Pacific coastal landscapes of the Baja California peninsula than Valle de los Cirios… With some luck and a lot of patience, a visitor can catch glimpses of mule deer, kit foxes, bobcats, and stealthy mountain lions that wander among the giant Cardon cactus and fantastical cirios or boojum trees.”

Cirios or boojum trees in the distance, which give the valley its name. (Héctor Casas)

A sky filled with stars

Trekkers who found the going difficult also found an easy solution to their problem. All they had to do is wait for a barredora, (a sweeper). This was a four-wheel-drive vehicle that would pick up those who no longer wanted to walk. “We all understood,” said Casas, “that this was no competition, but rather a personal challenge. No one cared who arrived first.”

Entranced by the bizarre forest of boojum trees, the trekkers arrived at Agua de Higueras, “a little valley in the middle of nowhere, with no one to be seen but us trekkers.” Here the participants enjoyed a sky full of stars along with a spectacular display of meteorites. In this remote spot there was no cell phone service, but the tour organizers used satellite phones to communicate with the outside world.

“I couldn’t resist poking my head out of my tent at 2:00 in the morning, just for another look at that incredible sky,” says Casas.

The next day, a final 30-kilometer walk brought the trekkers to the Bay of Los Angeles on the Sea of Cortez… and a good night’s sleep in a real bed.

“I loved this trek,” said Hector Casas with a wistful look in his eye. “I loved it so much that I’ve signed up to do it again this coming November!”

If you’d like more information on the upcoming 2024 trek, visit the Baja Coast to Coast website.

John Pint has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, for more than 30 years and is the author of A Guide to West Mexico’s Guachimontones and Surrounding Area and co-author of Outdoors in Western Mexico. More of his writing can be found on his website.

Mexico City awaits lab results in water contamination mystery

By

MND Staff

-

April 11, 2024

0

Mexicans examining bottles of drinking water — Mexico City residents take bottles of drinking water from a distribution point in the Benito Juárez neighborhood, where a mysterious contamination of the water supply has occurred. (Cuartoscuro)

Residents suspected gasoline. Mexico City officials say that industrial oils and lubricants are to blame. But President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) affirmed on Thursday that the substance that contaminated the water supply in the Benito Juárez borough of the capital is not yet known.

How the contaminant got into the water supply in the first place is still a mystery as well.

Workers peering down a well in Mexico City — Mexico City employees work on cleanup of the Alfonso XIII well in the city’s Álvaro Obregón borough, which has been determined to be contaminated with chemicals of “unknown” origin. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)

Residents of several Benito Juárez neighborhoods began complaining of foul-smelling water in late March. Mexico City Mayor Marti Batrés confirmed on Monday that the water supply had been contaminated, and on Tuesday night the National Guard closed off a well in the neighboring borough of Álvaro Obregón that was identified as the source of the contamination.

At López Obrador’s morning press conference on Thursday, a reporter noted that there has been speculation that the theft of fuel from pipelines — a common crime in Mexico — could have caused the contamination.

AMLO responded that an investigation is underway, noting that both the Mexico City government and the state oil company Pemex are seeking to identify the cause. He said that “chemical substances” had been detected in the well that was closed off, but added that “it is not yet known” what they are.

“I believe that today there will be more clarity about what is causing the contamination of this well, which, of course, was closed,” López Obrador said.

Mayor Batres spoke about the water problem later on Thursday but didn’t say that the cause of the contamination had been determined. He previously ruled out the possibility that gasoline contaminated the water supply.

“Analyses carried out to date rule out the presence of gasoline,” he said Tuesday, adding that no explosion risk had been detected.

Mexico City protesters holding signs demanding clean water — Benito Juárez residents, who have been complaining of the “foul-smelling” water since late March, protest the lack of a solution to the problem on Wednesday. (Cuartoscuro)

Mexico City Risk Management and Civil Protection Minister Myriam Urzúa reiterated Thursday that a “lubricant or oil” caused the contamination and said that the government will receive lab results identifying the substance next week.

“We have absolute certainty that it isn’t gasoline,” she said.

López Obrador told reporters that Pemex pipelines near the contaminated well were being checked for leaks, but noted that “nothing” had been found so far.

“That doesn’t mean that the possibility of there being a leak has been ruled out,” he said before noting that earthquakes in the area — recent “microquakes” have affected Álvaro Obregón — could have ruptured pipelines. AMLO also acknowledged that a pipeline tap by thieves could be the cause.

Asked about the possibility of sabotage, he responded:

“There are those who say that there could have been the intention to throw fuel in the well. There is no evidence for that.”

López Obrador also said that the most important thing is to protect the safety of citizens and ensure that there is no risk of an explosion and a resultant “tragedy.” Fuel pipeline taps have caused a number of fatal explosions in Mexico, including one in Hidalgo in 2019 that claimed 137 lives.

Mayor defends Mexico City government’s response

Mayor Batres said on the X social media platform on Thursday that the Mexico City government responded promptly to the “water problem” in the northwestern part of Benito Juárez.

The city government has been criticized for an allegedly slow response to the situation, but Batres wrote that authorities have been “helping” in a range of ways since the problem was first reported. He said they have assessed the risk of an explosion with combustible gas detectors, carried out “health visits,” supplied free drinking water to affected residents and conducted safety “verifications of establishments.”

Meanwhile, the local governments in Benito Juárez and Álvaro Obregón have done “nothing” to help the Mexico City government, said Batres, who represents the Morena party. The local authorities — headed by opposition-party mayors — have instead focused on political point-scoring, he said.

Mexico City Mayor Marti Batres — Mexico City Mayor Martí Batres said that the city government has reacted swiftly to provide residents with safe water. (Martí Batres/X)

Benito Juárez residents continue to protest

Residents affected by the contamination set up a blockade on Insurgentes Avenue — Mexico City’s longest road — for a third consecutive day on Thursday. Their protest affected traffic, including Metrobús services, along a section of Insurgentes Sur, as the southern end of the avenue is known.

The Sin Embargo news website reported that protesters — who have demanded to meet with the Mexico City water chief — shouted, “We want a solution” and “We want clean water.”

Some residents turned up to the protest with samples of the contaminated water in bottles. The water was brown and smelled of gasoline or insecticide, Sin Embargo said.

Mexico City residents generally don’t drink tap water, but they do, of course, bathe in it and use it to wash dishes and clothes. Some Benito Juárez residents have reported skin and eye problems due to contact with the contaminated water.

Civil protection minister: contamination will continue for another two weeks

Urzúa said in a radio interview on Thursday that residents in affected Benito Juárez neighborhoods, including Del Valle, Nápoles and Nochebuena can expect to have contaminated water coming out of their faucets for another two weeks — even though the apparent source of the contamination has been closed off.

“An obvious recommendation is to drink water from another source,” she said.

Mexico City workers distributing 20 gallon bottles of water to Benito Juarez residents — Residents will likely be dealing with unsafe tap water for another two weeks, said city civil protection and risk management official Miriam Urzúa. (Martí Batres/X)

Urzúa said that the “intensity” of the contamination will decrease over time because contaminated water is no longer entering the water system.

She also said that the government has sufficient garrafones — 20-liter bottles of water — to hand out to all residents who ask for them. Some residents picked up bottles at the San Lorenzo park in Del Valle on Thursday.

The contamination of the water supply in Benito Juárez adds to Mexico City’s water problems. Water scarcity is a major concern in the capital, and supply is already unreliable or nonexistent in some parts of the city.

Benito Juárez, however, has generally had a dependable supply of water — that didn’t reek of gasoline until, suddenly, in late March, it did.

With reports from Sin Embargo, Aristegui Noticias, El Financiero, Dinero en Imágen and Excélsior

Meet Pedro Casas Alatriste, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico

By

MND Staff

-

April 11, 2024

6

Mexico News Daily is committed to bringing more opinion and analysis to readers, including contributions by diplomats, policy experts, business leaders and journalists.

Pedro Casas Alatriste is the Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (AmCham). Previously, he has been the Director of Research and Public Policy at the US-Mexico Foundation in Washington, D.C. and the Coordinator of International Affairs at the Business Coordinating Council (CCE). He has also served as a consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank.

Below you’ll find a Q&A with Casas that we did to introduce him to our readers. We are excited to bring his perspectives to you here at Mexico News Daily.

Tell us about your role at AmCham and what makes your point of view unique as an expert on Mexico-U.S. relations.

As Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico, I’m responsible for leading an organization with more than 60 employees across four offices in the country: Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Hermosillo.

AmCham represents close to 1,400 companies related to the bilateral trade between Mexico and the United States. These companies account for 25% of Mexico’s GDP and employ over 9 million people across every industry in the economy.

A substantial portion of the job is dedicated to talking and listening to our member companies’ CEOs and top executives, as well as high-level officials in both the Mexican and American governments. This gives me a unique and extremely wide vision of the bilateral relationship.

While I may not be an expert in every single industry within the economy, I do possess firsthand knowledge of both the positive and negative developments occurring across various economic sectors at the federal, state and municipal levels.

Why are you so passionate about Mexico-U.S. relations?

It all starts from a personal hobby: I’m an avid reader of Mexican history. Looking back at least 200 years into the past, you can’t understand Mexico without understanding the United States’ history as well. We are two countries that have been intertwined even before we both achieved independence — and much more ever since.

Personally and professionally, I have been deeply involved in the bilateral relationship. I have worked and studied in various locations in the United States, including New York City, Washington D.C., Boston and Rhode Island. I’m convinced that we are stronger together and deeply believe in the concept of the North American region. If things go well in the U.S., Mexico will follow, and vice versa.

What excites you about Mexico’s rising visibility and prominence on the global stage?

Mexico’s rise on the global stage brings us closer to a more functional North American region. Let’s remember that NAFTA was a one-of-a-kind trade deal. It was the first time two developed countries signed a trade agreement with a developing country. Those asymmetries posed several difficulties in building the next stage of a deeper integrated region. I believe that as Mexico catches up in the developing process, we can all envision a new paradigm for the regional and global economy.

How do you hope the world sees Mexico differently in the coming one to two years?

Mexico is now the nearshoring hub as well as the epicenter of North America. Mexico will become one of the most relevant export platforms to the world, as well as the capital for digital nomads, film, art, culture, gastronomy and [more]. In other words, this country has the potential to become not only an economic and industrial powerhouse but a cultural one as well.

Why is it important that people living in Mexico follow the U.S. presidential election?

As I mentioned before, Mexico and the U.S. are deeply interconnected. U.S. politics can have a direct effect on the Mexican economy and political system, especially now when many of our shared pressing issues depend on a regional solution: security, illegal flows of arms and drugs, migration and trade.

Why is it important that people globally follow the Mexican presidential election?

Mexico will most likely become the first North American country to elect a woman as president. This sets a new precedent in the region.

Furthermore, due to the ideological equilibriums in Latin America, Mexico, as a leading economy in the hemisphere, could [soon] increase the dominance of leftist governments or counterbalance with a right-wing president — both [due to] women.

What inspired you to contribute to Mexico News Daily?

I see in Mexico News Daily a project with a clear and truthful mission. I share MND’s vision of [bringing] a Mexican perspective to the world written in English for a broader audience.

Where are your favorite places to visit in Mexico, and why?

Depends on your preferences. If you are looking for an outstanding food scene along with cultural heritage, I would go to Oaxaca city and its surroundings. If you are looking for beautiful beaches and to explore Maya culture, I would visit Bacalar and the Riviera Maya.

If you are looking for the epicenter of culture, politics, and history, and the rise of a great civilization, I would definitely spend some time in Mexico City. If you aim to have good wine, visit colorful towns, [and] understand the birth of Mexico’s independence from Spain, I would visit the Bajío region, especially Querétaro, Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende.

If you want to experience a true tequila experience alongside mariachis, you must go to Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque in the state of Jalisco. If you want to visit the most extensive maritime biodiversity and a unique contrast where the desert and the ocean meet, go to the Baja California Peninsula, the Valle de Guadalupe and the Sea of Cortés [Gulf of Californina].

If you could describe your career in two words, what would they be and why?

Connecting people. I’ve dedicated all my life to building bridges between people and institutions in order to advance new ideas, projects and solutions.

Do you have a favorite quote or mantra?

If not now, when? If not you, who?

You will be able to read columns written by Pedro Casas on Mexico News Daily starting on April 12.

Navy seizes nearly 2 tonnes of cocaine off Mexico’s Pacific coast

By

MND Staff

-

April 11, 2024

0

Mexican navy personnel standing with their backs to the camera in front of black bags on the ground. — Navy ships off the coasts of Colima and Michoacán discovered the drugs while on routine patrols. (Semar/Cuartoscuro)

The Mexican Navy (SEMAR) announced on Wednesday that it had seized nearly 2 tonnes of cocaine in two separate actions off the Pacific coast.

In the first incident, naval vessels in the state of Colima were carrying out routine patrols when they came upon a small boat with a six-man crew. Upon boarding the ship, navy personnel uncovered a variety of packages concealing bricks of drugs, according to the navy press statement.

A big and small navy ship in the Mexican Pacific ocean side by side with a ramp floating in between them — In 2023, the navy seized a record 48.1 tonnes of cocaine as well as a large quantity of other illegal drugs. (Semar)

After field tests, navy personnel determined that the merchandise was likely cocaine and seized the packages, which weighed a total of just over 424 kilograms. The six suspects were taken into custody.

In the second incident, navy personnel in Michoacán came upon a number of packages floating in the ocean about 90 kilometers southwest of the port of Lázaro Cárdenas.

SEMAR immediately organized a search operation that collected more than 1.5 tonnes of contraband presumed to be cocaine.

The six suspects and all the drugs were turned over to the federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR), which has opened a formal investigation.

This latest seizure comes less than a month after navy personnel confiscated three large shipments of cocaine off the southern Pacific Coast in March, amounting to nearly 3 tonnes of the drug.

That naval action — featuring two separate incidents similar to this week’s events — took place off the coast of the state of Guerrero and was notable for the presence of a considerable number of packages emblazoned with the logo for the comic book character Batman.

In the first incident, a navy patrol found a number of “black sacks” tied together and floating in the ocean about 113 kilometers southeast of Acapulco.

In the second incident, sailors came upon two boats tied together which, when boarded, were found to be carrying roughly 1.3 tonnes of cocaine. The five people on the boats were arrested.

Drug busts off Mexico’s Pacific coast are a frequent occurrence. In 2023, the navy seized a record 48.1 tonnes of cocaine as well as a large quantity of other illegal drugs. In one incident last year, SEMAR captured a semi-submersible carrying 3.5 tonnes of cocaine off the coast of Baja California Sur that they’d been following for hours after spotting it off the Colima coast near Manzanillo.

With reports from Diario de México

Got 1 min? New domestic flights put Tulum within reach for more travelers

By

MND Staff

-

April 11, 2024

1

A VivaAerobus airlines plane parked on the runways at Tulum International Airport — Viva Aerobus has begun flights from Mexico City to Felipe Carrillo International Airport in Tulum. Aeromexico and Volaris are also offering new flights to the recently opened airport in the Caribbean destination. (VivaAerobus/Twitter)

Just two weeks after Tulum’s new Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport welcomed its first international flights, Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama announced that the airport will soon receive additional domestic traffic.

Beginning May 2, Aeroméxico will operate two daily nonstop flights from Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), outside Mexico City, to Tulum. And starting Dec. 5, Volaris will feature a nonstop Guadalajara-Tulum flight. Tickets for the latter route are already on sale, she said.

Lezama added that “Aeroméxico, Viva Aerobús, Volaris and Aerus will increase their routes to our destinations.”

The Quintana Roo governor made the announcements via social media from Acapulco, where she is attending the Tianguis Turístico, a national tourism fair that gathers industry representatives from around the world. She presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the fair’s Quintana Roo pavilion, which features representatives from the state’s 12 primary tourist destinations, the Quintana Roo Hotel Association and 16 tourism operators.

Lezama also revealed that Hopper, a travel booking app and online travel marketplace, had granted the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (CTPQ) its Best Campaign prize. Trip Advisor handed out 12 Best Destination awards to Quintana Roo, including one for Best Beach Destination.

In addition to the new routes to Tulum, Viva Aerobus celebrated a new Mexico City-to-Tulum flight, which started operating last week. Viva Aerobus spokesman Walfred Castro Novelo also told the newspaper El Economista that the airline’s seasonal Monterrey to Cozumel flight has become a year-round offering.

El Economista also reported on additional flights being offered by Aerus, an air taxi service based in San Luis Potosí:

Beginning May 13: five daily flights from Cancún to Mérida and Cancún to Cozumel.
Beginning June 1: flights from Cancún to Chetumal three times a week.

A daily Aerus Cozumel-Chichén Itzá flight is in the planning stages as well, El Economista reported.

With reports from El Economista and Riviera Maya News

A first look at Tiger Woods’ new restaurant in Cabo San Lucas

By

Chris Sands

-

April 11, 2024

4

Tiger Woods Los Cabos Bar — Tiger Woods new venture, The Woods Cabo, is set to be the newest of the famed golfer's business ventures in the area. (All photos belong to The Woods Cabo.)

In November 2023, within a week of the first-ever PGA-sponsored golf tour event teeing off in Cabo San Lucas, a new restaurant also opened in the Land’s End city.

That these things happened so close together was not an accident. The same man was responsible for both: legendary golfer and now golf course architect and restaurateur Tiger Woods. It was Tiger and his design team who crafted the course, El Cardonal, that the pros played during the World Wide Technology Championship, and it was Tiger who was responsible for the opening of The Woods Cabo, the restaurant that within days of its opening was already among the best in Los Cabos.

It’s a testament to the increasing presence Tiger has in Los Cabos and the legacy he is building here. In addition to El Cardonal and The Woods Cabo, he has also designed a 12-hole Oasis Short Course and is expected to premier a new course, The Legacy Club, next year at Diamante, the resort community associated with all his local projects. The difference between the golf courses and the restaurant, however, is that only the latter is open to the public. The golf courses are all private.

But according to Tiger, that’s all part of the plan. “TGR Design has been a part of Diamante since we broke ground on El Cardonal in 2013, so opening up The Woods Cabo at Diamante seemed like a natural extension of our partnership and the perfect backdrop for an elevated sports bar experience,” he told Mexico News Daily. “I look forward to enjoying The Woods Cabo as much as I hope the public will.”

What to know about The Woods Cabo

The Woods Cabo, like The Woods Jupiter in Florida, is billed as a sports bar, for obvious reasons – Tiger is one of the most famous sports figures of the past 30 years. But despite the televisions mounted around the bar and dining area, and despite a bar menu featuring lollipop chicken wings, this is as much a steakhouse or a fine dining restaurant as it is a sports bar. Hence, Tiger’s qualifier: “elevated.”

Poshly appointed, with a setting overlooking the 18th hole at El Cardonal (the terrace surveys a nearby driving range), The Woods Cabo is an oasis of wagyu steaks, sushi, fine wines, and other gustatory pleasures, and offers a dining experience completely unlike any other in Los Cabos. If that seems incongruous, it should be noted that Tiger isn’t the only legendary figure associated with the project.

The chef is a Los Cabos legend

When Chef Larbi Dahrouch came to Los Cabos in 2003 to helm what eventually became Agua by Larbi for benchmark local luxury resort, One&Only Palmilla, he was already famous in the culinary world. That was due in part to his long working relationship with Jean-Louis Palladin, who earned two Michelin stars in his native France and subsequently opened an acclaimed restaurant at the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. that hosted everyone from President Ronald Reagan (for his 70th birthday party) to iconic ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Dahrouch eventually ran that restaurant himself, as well as several others – including the Country Inn in Princeton, Massachusetts – and even helped launch Euro Disney before coming to Los Cabos. At each stop, his cuisine was premised on, as the chef himself puts it, “the freshest possible ingredients, but with a twist.” In Los Cabos, that twist has often been what Dahrouch refers to as “Mexiterranean”, meaning a blend of Mexican ingredients with Mediterranean influences. Palladin may be the “father of the farm-to-table movement in America,” per the Michelin Guide, but his former executive sous chef deserves plaudits aplenty, too, for enhancing the focus on great ingredients first, locally sourced if possible.

It’s perhaps no coincidence that the farm-to-table movement in Los Cabos, which has produced great restaurants like Flora’s Field Kitchen and Acre, where Dahrouch also served a stint as chef, began to flower soon after he arrived.

The menu is unlike any other in Los Cabos

Dahrouch doesn’t take credit for the bar menu at The Woods Cabo, but the dinner menu is all his and features many of his trademark specialties, like a focus on fresh local ingredients. The restaurant sources many ingredients from its nearby garden, for example, and much of the seafood is regionally caught.

Not all of it, though. The sublime trout, served with a green lentil stew that reflects the chef’s Moroccan heritage and an achiote sauce, is sourced from Tasmania; and the superb wagyu steaks are from eponymous cattle in Margaret River, Australia. The chef has also scoured the globe to find outstanding selections for the restaurant’s wine list, with fine offerings from France, Italy, the U.S., and elsewhere. México, whose burgeoning wine scene has now expanded well beyond Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California, is also well represented.

Some of these food and wine selections are quite expensive. If you want to try a 35-ounce wagyu tomahawk steak for two and order a bottle of Cheval Blanc to accompany it, the former will cost 5,520 pesos, the latter 48,530. But more reasonably priced fare is available (the trout entrée is 940 pesos), including discounts during Happy Hour from 3 to 5 p.m.

How to experience The Woods Cabo

Diamante is a very private resort community where many famous people have homes. Tiger himself has a home there. So given the very public status of his restaurant, it’s built on a corner of the 1,500-acre property on the Pacific Coast north of Cabo San Lucas (Diamante Blvd., to be exact), so diners who don’t live there don’t have to deal with Diamante’s notoriously unobliging gate guards. There’s a public entrance, although that too is manned by a security guard, albeit a much more friendly one.

Actually, there are two entrances to the restaurant. One for Diamante residents, and one for locals or visitors who want to sample one of the best dining experiences in Los Cabos. Reservations are strongly recommended in either case (call 624-144-2960), however, and if you’re interested in Los Cabos real estate, a new development will accompany The Legacy Club course from TGR Design. The restaurant, meanwhile, is open daily from 2 to 10 p.m. This includes its bar area and also the onsite butcher’s shop, where fine cuts are available from around the world. The former is a good place to watch the Masters Tournament, which Tiger has won five times. The latter is a grill master’s dream.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook, and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

Mexico moves up in global commercial services exports ranking

By

MND Staff

-

April 11, 2024

0

Data center — The value of Mexico's commercial services exports (which includes computer and telecommunication services) increased 9% annually in 2023. Economic analysts see potential for growth in this sector as more tech companies invest in data centers and other facilities in Mexico. (Shutterstock)

Mexico was the world’s 18th largest exporter of commercial services last year — excluding intra-European Union (EU) trade — rising five places from its 2022 ranking, according to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The value of Mexico’s commercial services exports increased 9% in 2023 to reach US $52 billion, WTO data shows.

Among the sectors that contributed to that figure were financial services, transport, computer services, telecommunication services, and personal, cultural and recreational services including those related to tourism.

The top 10 exporters of commercial services among the 164 WTO members last year were, in order, the European Union; the United States; the United Kingdom; China; India; Singapore; Japan; Switzerland; the United Arab Emirates; and Canada.

Mexico also ranked behind South Korea; Turkey; Hong Kong; Israel; Australia; Thailand; and Taiwan.

Global commercial services trade totaled US $7.54 trillion last year, a 9% increase compared to 2022.

Tourists on a beach in Cancún — Tourism has made a strong comeback since the COVID-19 pandemic, and contributed to Mexico’s commercial services exports. (Cuartoscuro)

In separate rankings that considered each European Union country individually and included their trade with other EU states, Mexico was not among the leading 30 exporters of commercial services. (The WTO only listed the top 30.)

While the 9% increase as shown by the WTO data is encouraging, the vice president of the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology said late last year that there was an opportunity for Mexico to grow its commercial services exports sector as more foreign companies establish a presence here amid the growing nearshoring trend.

However, Eugenio Salinas asserted that the sophistication of the services Mexico offers needs to increase. Investment by companies such as Amazon Web Services, which intends to invest more than US $5 billion in a cluster of data centers in Querétaro, should help in that regard.

The WTO said in its April 2024 Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report that “information and communication technology (ICT) services continued to rise in importance in overall
services trade [in 2023], reflecting pent-up demand for software, cloud services, machine learning and cybersecurity as well as increased global Internet traffic.”

Mexico could conceivably increase its ability to meet that demand in coming years.

Salinas said last October that Mexico needs to increase its capacity for “mentefactura” (mindfacturing), which Spain’s University of Murcia defines as an “economy based on knowledge.”

In addition, he said that Mexico should aim to continue growing other commercial services export sectors including tourism — both recreational and medical — telecommunications and software.

President López Obrador and officials at inauguration ceremony in Isthmus of Tehuantepec — President López Obrador (center) accompanied by government officials and magnate Carlos Slim (far right) at the inauguration of the first passenger train of the Interoceanic Corridor project in December. (Lopezobrador.org.mx)

Meanwhile, Mexico’s transport sector commercial services exports should get a boost once the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec becomes fully operational, allowing shipping companies to unload goods from Asia on the Pacific coast in Oaxaca and move them by train to the Gulf coast in Veracruz before they are transported via the Atlantic Ocean to points in North America or Europe.

The corridor, which includes a modernized railroad between Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz could — of course — also facilitate the movement of goods in the opposite direction. It has been touted as a rival to the Panama Canal.

Other WTO data on Mexico

The WTO’s latest Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report also showed that Mexico was the 17th largest importer of commercial services last year, excluding intra-EU trade.

Mexico rose two spots in the rankings in that category, its services imports increasing 10% compared to 2022 to US $69 billion. Mexico wasn’t among the top 30 countries in rankings that considered total commercial services imports of EU members individually.

WTO data also showed that Mexico ascended four positions to become the world’s ninth largest merchandise exporter in 2023 with revenue — as reported in January — of just over US $593 billion. Mexico ranked behind China; the United States; Germany; Netherlands; Japan; Italy; France and South Korea.

One of Mexico’s main exports to the U.S. is vehicles and auto parts, seen here being loaded on a dock in the port of Veracruz. (Asipona Veracruz)

Excluding intra-EU trade, Mexico was the world’s sixth largest exporter last year. It was the largest exporter to the United States in 2023, surpassing China to claim that enviable position.

Data also showed that Mexico was the 12th largest importer in 2023, purchasing foreign-made goods worth US $621 billion, a 1% decline compared to the previous year. Excluding intra-EU trade, it ranked as the ninth largest importer in the world.

Mexico wasn’t among the world’s 30 leading exporters of digitally delivered services. The United States ranked first in that category, followed by the United Kingdom, Ireland, India and Germany.

With reports from El Economista

Where are companies choosing to nearshore in Mexico?

By

MND Staff

-

April 11, 2024

4

392869349_717255607259149_3284383950349366497_n — Mexico is fast becoming a global nearshoring hub. Find out where companies are choosing to invest in their new businesses. (Gobierno de Querétaro/Facebook)

Mexico has become a top destination for relocation, as companies from across the world look to move their operations closer to the United States. Mexico has a skilled workforce and low production costs, making it an attractive option for manufacturers and distributors.

But once in Mexico, where are the best spots to relocate? Companies that have already made the leap to nearshore in Mexico are mostly concentrated in the country’s north, west and central regions. These locations are best for nearshoring in Mexico because they have access to natural resources such as water and energy, are close to the United States, have favorable logistics and infrastructure conditions and concentrate a strong talent pool.

Mexico’s skilled workforce means that businesses from automobiles to robotics have chosen the country to serve as a production and distribution hub for the United States. (Gobierno de Guanajuato/Facebook)

Here is a list of the best nearshoring spots in Mexico divided into four areas: northern Mexico, southern Mexico, western Mexico, the Bajío and Mexico City.

Northern Mexico

Several states in the North stand out when it comes to nearshoring, for several different reasons. According to a report by organization Caminos de la Libertad, Nuevo León, Chihuahua and Coahuila are attractive for their energy security, reduced bureaucracy, easier business startup processes and legal security.

Nuevo León

Nuevo León has become a leading destination for nearshoring. By the end of 2023, the state had successfully attracted US $45 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), largely due to nearshoring. Most of this investment has been directed towards the state’s capital, Monterrey.

Monterrey has been by far the biggest winner in the nearshoring boom. (David Liceaga/Unsplash)

To date, 76% of nearshoring in Mexico is concentrated in Nuevo León. Perhaps even more impressively, 45% of nearshoring in Latin America is also concentrated in the northern state.

The industries using the most real estate in Nuevo León are the automotive, electrical, electronics, construction and supply chain sectors.

Coahuila

Another popular state for nearshoring in Mexico is Coahuila. Until May 2023, it had received US $2.2 billion worth of FDI, and the previous year, it became the second-highest exporter of goods from Mexico.

Coahuila is known for its mining industry. The state is the world leader in refined silver production and holds Mexico’s largest steel producer.

The industry that has boosted nearshoring the most in Coahuila is the automotive sector, mainly located in the cities of Saltillo and Torreón.

Coahuila has become an auto manufacturing hotspot, predominantly for Asian firms. (Municipio de Torreón/Facebook)

Chihuahua

Last year, the state of Chihuahua received an impressive $2 billion in FDI, with more than 35 new investment projects. According to official numbers, 25 of these projects were the result of nearshoring.

These new investments have led to significant growth in the state’s industrial real estate sector. In 2023, Ciudad Juárez, the capital of Chihuahua, began constructing 458,000 square meters of new industrial space to meet the increased demand.

The industries that have attracted nearshoring in Chihuahua include automotive, aerospace, electronics, metalworking, and medical device industries.

Baja California

According to the Nearshoring Score by Mexican bank Banorte, Baja California is among the states with the greatest potential to receive the benefits of company relocation, along with Nuevo León and Chihuahua.

Tijuana has long played an important role in trade between the U.S. and Mexico, but nearshoring is taking it to an even greater level. (Gautman Krishnan/Unsplash)

Wall Street mega-funds like Oaktree Capital Management show a growing interest in Baja California, recognizing the region as key for strategic investments. Such interest has been driven by the notable improvement in the state’s financial health under the management of the Secretary of the Treasury.

Moreover, Mexico’s largest aerospace hub is in Baja California, where more than 100 aerospace companies generate 30,000 direct jobs, mostly around Tijuana and Mexicali.

The Bajío

Rodrigo Folgueras, regional head of real estate consulting firm CBRE in the Bajío, has praised the region as an investment destination thanks to its location, skilled labor force and infrastructure.

Querétaro

According to Banorte, Querétaro is the non-border state that stands to gain the most from nearshoring in 2024. This is attributed to the strategic location of its industrial parks and zones, the potential GDP by state and the influx of FDI over the past three years.

The state is known for its innovative industry, large aerospace cluster and its role in the global supply chain.

The industries that have attracted nearshoring in Querétaro include the automotive, aerospace, warehousing, transportation and food and beverage industries.

Querétaro has seen investment from a wide variety of industries. (Gobierno de Querétaro)

Guanajuato

Guanajuato and Querétaro were the most sought-after states for industrial space, a trend driven mainly by manufacturing companies over the first three quarters of 2023.

Guanajuato’s Ministry of Sustainable Economic Development (SDES) said the state secured 31 investment projects last year, all related to nearshoring. To attract this investment, the region tackled two primary challenges that often hinder relocation to other states: efficient energy management and attracting skilled human talent.

The industries that have boosted nearshoring in Guanajuato mainly belong to the automotive, food, household appliances and pharmaceutical chemical sectors, as well as the medical cluster.

Aguascalientes

The Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO), a think tank, has found that Aguascalientes is the state taking the most advantage of nearshoring. Foreign direct investment from sectors most related to this phenomenon increased by 310% from January to September in 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.

Warehousing space across Mexico is being leased almost as fast as it can be built. (Adalberto Ortega/Vesta)

IMCO highlighted that Aguascalientes’ performance reflects the state’s structural conditions in terms of labor, basic input infrastructure and regulatory quality, making it an attractive investment destination.

The industries that have boosted nearshoring in Aguascalientes are mainly the automobile and truck manufacturing sectors.

Western Mexico

Jalisco

After Querétaro, Jalisco stands out as the second non-border state that could benefit the most from nearshoring.

To enhance Jalisco’s appeal for nearshoring, the state’s government has implemented the Jalisco Tech Hub Act, a public policy initiative which includes investments in expanding educational infrastructure and developing highly specialized talent.

Tech-focused Jalisco is looking to receive investment from the digital sector. (Hiram Prigadáa)

In the last two years, the electronics and appliance manufacturing sector has driven the most nearshoring activity in Jalisco.

Mexico City

Of the US $32.92 million that arrived in the country in 2023, US $10,580 million went to Mexico City, according to Economy Ministry (SE) figures.

Although not an industrial city, the nation’s capital is the preferred location for the headquarters of companies operating in industrial cities in Mexico. Experts have stated that Mexico City is the country’s most competitive federal entity, offering a great educational environment and excellent local and international connectivity.

In 2023, IMCO found that 27% of the FDI that arrived in Mexico City was related to nearshoring.

Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog Dunas y Palmeras.

Reuters reports Pemex to cut crude exports next month

By

MND Staff

-

April 11, 2024

1

Pemex oil platform off Tabasco coast — Pemex crude production has dropped and in efforts to boost fuel self-sufficiency, the state oil company will reportedly reduce exports by at least 330,000 bpd in May. (Pemex/X)

State oil company Pemex plans to reduce crude exports by at least 330,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May as Mexico seeks to move toward self-sufficiency for fuel, Reuters reported Monday.

The news agency said that the information came from two sources, both of whom are traders.

Citing those sources, Reuters said that the planned cuts would leave Pemex customers in the United States, Europe and Asia with a third less supply. Pemex exported just over 1 million bpd of crude last year and 945,000 bpd in the first two months of 2024.

Exports are set to fall from early 2023 levels this month. Reuters reported last week that Pemex had asked its trading unit PMI Comercio Internacional to cancel up to 436,000 bpd of exports in April as it prepares to process oil at the new Olmeca refinery on the Tabasco coast.

Data published by the United States Energy Information Administration on Wednesday showed that U.S. imports of crude from Mexico fell to 209,000 bpd in the week to April 5, the lowest level on record. U.S. imports from Mexico averaged 733,000 bpd in 2023.

Reuters reported Wednesday that “Pemex has no option other than applying monthly cuts to exports after its crude production in February fell to the lowest level in 45 years and the country’s refineries, including a new facility in the port of Dos Bocas, began taking in more crude oil.”

Dos Bocas refinery, Tabasco — The Dos Bocas refinery in Paraíso, Tabasco is one of the president’s key infrastructure projects. (Gob MX)

However, the news agency reported that its sources said that PMI has not declared force majeure over its supply contracts. The sources explained that most of the contracts allow volumes of crude to be altered depending on availability.

The new refinery in Tabasco was inaugurated in July 2022, but didn’t begin producing fuel until the first quarter of this year, and is “yet to contribute to the domestic market with finished motor fuels,” according to Reuters.

Pemex — which Moody’s Investors Service dumped deeper into speculative, or junk, territory earlier this year — anticipates the facility will need an average of around 179,000 bpd of crude this year. The government has also invested in upgrading Pemex’s six other refineries in order to increase their production capacity.

Pemex CEO Octavio Romero said in January that Mexico would stop importing gasoline in the not too distant future, although projections he presented showed that Mexican production wouldn’t meet growing domestic demand in the coming years and that the soonest self-sufficiency can be achieved is 2027.

Octavio Romero, CEO of Pemex — Pemex CEO Octavio Romero has said that Mexico will soon be fuel self-sufficient but based on current government data, the soonest this could happen would be in 2027. (Cuartoscuro)

A Reuters source at Mexico’s Energy Ministry said that in addition to increasing domestic demand for fuel, another challenge for authorities is dwindling oil reserves, especially in old Gulf of Mexico fields. A number of new oil fields, such as the large Trion field jointly owned by Pemex and Australian company Woodside, are set to be developed, but it remains to be seen whether production will be sufficient to allow Mexico to achieve President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s coveted self-sufficiency objective. AMLO promised in 2020 that Mexico would be self-sufficient in gasoline by 2023 through the rehabilitation of the six existing refineries and the construction of a new one on the Tabasco coast.

Reuters quoted its Energy Minister source as saying that “there have been ‘discrepancies’ in Mexico’s data on [oil] reserves.”

Official numbers “overestimate both the amount of crude oil Pemex can technically recover at a cost that is financially feasible, and the quality of the crude oil itself,” according to the source.

“The prognosis for the future is not encouraging,” the person told Reuters, adding that a decline in petroleum production in Mexico — despite the opening of a new refinery and the rehabilitation of six others — is “unavoidable.”

With reports from Reuters

Nexteer Automotive to build engineering campus in Querétaro

By

MND Staff

-

April 10, 2024

0

Nexteer Automotive plant — Nexteer Automotive plans to invest US $20 million in a new engineering hub in the state of Querétaro. It already has three plants in the central Mexican state. (Nexteer)

Nexteer Automotive, a Michigan-based company that develops motion-control technology, will expand its operations in Mexico.

Nexteer announced its plans to build an engineering center in Mexico’s central state of Querétaro, known for its innovative industry and its position in the global automotive supply chain.

The new facility, expected to be completed in 2026, will serve as the hub for Nexteer Mexico’s engineering activities. It will provide local support, including prototyping, product validation, testing and vehicle systems integration.

Nexteer also plans to relocate 13 metal-mechanical suppliers from China to Mexico over the next two years to strengthen its supply chain.

According to Nexteer’s President Robin Milavec, the new Mexico Technical Center (MXTC) will create more than 350 new jobs by 2026 and increase the company’s local presence by 8,350 square meters.

The venture will require a US $20 million investment.

“Nexteer’s new, state-of-the-art Mexico Technical Center supports our strategy for creating a diversified and balanced approach across our products, customers and footprint by expanding our engineering capabilities to more effectively and efficiently serve our OEM customers’ needs in Mexico,” Milavec said in a statement.

Nexteer has five plants in Mexico — three in Querétaro and two in Ciudad Juárez. Across their five facilities, Nexteer employs 3,200 people, 2,100 of whom work in Querétaro.

Like an increasing number of foreign companies, Nexteer is beginning to bring more of its resources to Mexico. According to Abiel Villarreal, vice president and COO of Nexteer Automotive México, the company relocated two suppliers from Asia in 2023.

“We had a meeting with all of our suppliers inviting them to come to Mexico,” Villareal said. “As we have a global presence, we have many suppliers in China, and we’ve invited them to relocate.”

With reports from Diario de Querétaro and El Economista