Home to some of the Earth’s most ancient life forms, the Bacalar lagoon is one of the Yucatán Peninsula’s hidden jewels. Here’s how to visit in an eco-conscious way. (Andrea Fischer)
When we first arrived in Bacalar, the idyllic lagoon deep in the heart of Quintana Roo, I had mixed feelings.
My partner remembered Bacalar for its paradisiacal lagoon, nestled in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, with calm waters in deep shades of sky blue. I had never been. The lagoon is home to stromatolites, a very ancient form of life that thrives only in the remotest places on Earth. Now, that precious environment is increasingly endangered due to irresponsible tourism. I wanted to find out how damaged the ecological panorama was — and dive deep into the heart of the Maya jungle.
A breath of Huay Pix
Bacalar seemed like a wonderful destination to do exactly nothing. As one of Mexico’s wellness hotspots, we were looking for a place to take a morning yoga class, possibly do some kayaking and eat local seafood. That’s when we came acrossLa Embajada Universal, an eco-friendly hostel in the Milagros Lagoon in Huay Pix, a small Maya town minutes away from Bacalar.
We booked a four-night stay on Airbnb, just between Christmas Day and New Year’s. As we arrived in Chetumal, we headed for Huay Pix, where the hostel’s private pier is located. Once we arrived, Gustavo, a dark-haired man in his thirties, picked us up in an impressively large paddleboard. We hopped on board and he rowed softly for about half an hour, as if he were caressing the surface of the lagoon. Everything was silent. The iguanas watched us, perched on the roots of centuries-old mangroves.
This was exactly what we were looking for.
Fading splendor in Bacalar
However impressive Bacalar still is, tourism, real estate and agricultural waste have caused its splendor to fade. “Because this body of water is part of the hydrological basin,” explains UNAM ecologist Dr. Luisa Falcón, “large quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus are now being discharged from intensive agriculture and lack of wastewater treatment, which favors the growth of plankton.” These microorganisms have caused Bacalar to lose its multiple shades of blue rapidly.
Laguna Milagros is connected to Bacalar through an ancient aquifer system, protected by the mangroves that line the coast. (Andrea Fischer)
Falcón cites the “Bacalar Report Card” which reports an 800% increase in tourists to the area between 2008 and 2019. This influx has altered approximately 35% of the lagoon’s shoreline due to the loss of riparian vegetation. Furthermore, the report indicates that recreational and nautical activities have further damaged the area’s native mangroves.
Garbage, deforestation and agricultural activities have altered “the biogeochemical conditions of the lagoon,” the biologist says, “promoting the growth of primary producers in the water column, which changes its color.”
Although Bacalar is currentlydescribed as a new global wellness capital by both international and local real estate companies, Dr. Falcón says the growing demand for real estate and tourism is taking a heavy toll on the local fauna and flora. Both UNAM researchers and global organizations, such asGreenpeace, agree: they have incessantly denounced the devastating ecological impact that human activity has had on the lagoon.
So, how does one visit Bacalar in a sustainable way?
Visiting Bacalar sustainably
“Mexico is home to a great diversity of modern microbialites,” notes Dr. Falcón, which have lived here for less than 10,000 years. Currently, they are found in “communities of living microorganisms, both in desert pools, lagoons, rivers and cenotes.”
These microscopic communities “are sensitive to water quality,” she said. Therefore, to prevent their disappearance, “we must not disturb them.” Furthermore, the ecologist points out, “the tourism industry must respect the guidelines for proper wastewater treatment.”
Bacalar Lagoon is precious, but we need to take steps to conserve it. (Dimitris Kiriakakis/Unsplash)
Instead of adapting the ecosystem to tourism, tourism should adapt “to the karst nature of the Yucatán Peninsula,” to ensure that this and other native ecosystems survive. To guarantee the ecosystem’s survival, Dr. Falcón suggests these simple steps:
Choose only organic products.
Choose accommodations that have wastewater treatment systems.
Avoid using loudspeakers that could disturb the wildlife.
Use the restroom before entering the lagoon.
Wear sun protection to avoid using sunscreens and products that take a long time to decompose.
“Bacalar Lagoon is a unique and irreplaceable ecosystem that reflects the beauty of the Maya aquifer,” Falcón concludes. “It is our responsibility to protect it.”
Mexican schoolchildren are already behind in the major subjects, and some 29 million of them would be affected by Education Minister Mario Delgado's plan to cut short the current school year. (Unsplash)
The reasons given: “the World Cup and an unprecedented heat wave.” Neither reason makes any logical sense, and parents, teachers and just about everyone (except the kids, perhaps) were left angry, confused and stressed out.
On Friday, President Sheinbaum announced that the decision was under further review, additional discussions would take place over the weekend and a final decision would be presented on Monday.
So what’s really going on here? What could be the real reason behind this announcement?
Travis and George take it on in the latest episode of Confidently Wrong.
Confidently Wrong about Mexico's announcement to end the school year early
Travis Bembenek is the CEO ofMexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.
President Sheinbaum also announced on Monday that Mexico had sent another ship-load of humanitarian aid to Cuba. (Gabriel Monroy/Presidencia)
Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
🏫 Sheinbaum defended Education Minister Mario Delgado over his controversial announcement that the school year would end on June 5, saying the decision was unanimous among all state education ministers — not Delgado’s idea. Education ministers were meeting on Monday to reconsider the plan.
🇺🇸 The president effectively ruled out a U.S. military operation to extract Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, who U.S. prosecutors accuse of drug trafficking. Sheinbaum said such an action “mustn’t happen” and “we don’t believe it will happen,” while confirming Rocha remains in Sinaloa.
🚢 Mexico dispatched a new humanitarian aid shipment to Cuba, with Sheinbaum reaffirming solidarity with the island and opposition to the longstanding U.S. embargo.
Why today’s mañanera matters
At her Monday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum commented on the highly controversial announcement last week that the 2025-26 school year would end almost six weeks early on June 5. She defended her education minister, Mario Delgado, saying that the plan to end the school year early — a plan that could be revised later on Monday — was not his idea. Her defense of the minister was notable as Delgado stood firmly behind the shortened school schedule, even after Sheinbaum had expressed her dissatisfaction with the plan on Friday.
Also of note at today’s mañanera was the president’s remarks effectively ruling out the possibility that U.S. forces could come to Mexico to try to arrest Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and take him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.
Sheinbaum has said on numerous occasions that U.S. authorities have provided insufficient proof to warrant the arrest of Rocha and nine other Sinaloa-based current and former officials, including a Morena party senator and the mayor of Culiacán.
Rocha, who is currently on leave, denies the accusations against him, including allegations that he colluded with the “Los Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Sheinbaum: Decision to end school year early was ‘unanimous’
Sheinbaum highlighted that education ministers from all 31 states and Mexico City approved the modified school calendar announced by federal Education Minister Mario Delgado last Thursday.
Delgado announced that the school year would end on June 5 rather than July 15 due to the staging of the FIFA men’s World Cup in Mexico and hot weather. Sheinbaum subsequently called the decision a “proposal” amid widespread criticism of the plan, and Delgado announced that another review of the school calendar would take place Monday — i.e., today.
On Monday morning, Sheinbaum noted that some governors expressed their opposition to the plan to end the school year on June 5.
“They have the right to say they don’t agree, but their education ministers approved it,” she said.
“… It wasn’t Mario’s idea, but a request of many teachers and parents. … There was a campaign against Mario, but the truth is it was a unanimous decision of all of the country’s education ministers,” Sheinbaum said.
She noted that education ministers would meet again on Monday morning to reconsider the decision announced last week.
“They proposed very long vacations. The proposal now is to keep six weeks of vacations [as originally scheduled]. … We’re going to wait for the decision,” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum acknowledges Rocha’s former house was shot up
“[He lived there] 10 years ago. … It was abandoned,” she said of the house in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa.
Asked whether the government was aware of Rocha’s whereabouts, Sheinbaum said he is in Sinaloa.
“There is a lot of propaganda. … It is propaganda, not information,” she said, referring to speculation that the governor has left the state.
“We have to differentiate between information and propaganda. There are newspapers in Mexico that dedicate themselves to political propaganda,” Sheinbaum said.
On social media, “there is a lot of propaganda and a lot of lies,” she added.
Gunmen attacked former Governor of Sinaloa Rubén Rocha Moya’s home on Lago de Cuitzeo street in Culiacán over the weekend. (José Betanzos Zárate/Cuartoscuro)
Later in the press conference, Sheinbaum was asked whether her government sees a “risk” that U.S. forces could come to Mexico and “extract” Rocha, given Mexican authorities’ apparent reluctance to extradite the governor.
“We don’t believe this will happen. It mustn’t happen, but we don’t believe it will happen,” the president said.
Mexico sends new shipment of aid to Cuba
Asked what else Mexico can do to reduce the suffering of the Cuban people, Sheinbaum responded that her government is “going to continue sending humanitarian aid” to the Caribbean island nation.
“In fact, a ship is leaving today,” she said.
“Mexico will always be fraternal and show solidarity with all the nations of the world, and particularly with Cuba,” Sheinbaum said.
“We believe in people’s right to self-determination … and we’ve never agreed with … the [U.S.] embargo against Cuba,” she said.
The offshore waters in Loreto Bay National Park are home to an astonishing diversity of marine mammals, including as a seasonal habitat for endangered blue whales. (Baja Adventures)
On April 10, a federal decree was issued, officially reclassifying Loreto in Baja California Sur as a deep-sea cabotage port, thereby opening it to large-scale maritime traffic, including more and larger cruise ships. This decree, however, was not well-received. In fact, not only have residents and activists called for President Claudia Sheinbaum to revoke the decree, but a petition on Change.org seeking the same outcome already has over 47,000 signatures.
Why the decree is so unpopular
It’s not difficult to understand the pushback. Loreto and its offshore islands are a National Park and have been designated an Important Marina Mammal Area — the area is a prime seasonal habitat for endangered blue whales, the largest creature ever to have lived, and a sanctuary for many other creatures — as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importantce and a PACE Priority Site, under the Mexican government’s official framework for endangered species protection. Loreto itself, settled since 1697 and the capital of Baja California until 1829, is also a Pueblo Mágico.
In other words, this is one of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse places on the planet.
“We are not opposing development,” notes a recent release from the Nakawe Project, which works to conserve the Baja California peninsula’s environment and species. “We are demanding legality, science-based decision-making and responsibility toward our environment and our people. Loreto is not a deep-sea industrial port. It is a living ecosystem, a globally significant sanctuary, and a critical habitat within a transboundary ocean system. Protecting it is not optional — it is a legal, ecological and moral obligation.”
Potential recourses
The community of Loreto has until May 8 to file an amparo challenging the decree on constitutional grounds, with a ruling to follow in the coming months.
It’s a sure bet the filers mention legal precedent, since when the 206,580-hectare national park — much of it marine-based — was created in 1996, its goal was to preserve “ecological equilibrium,” a mandate since formalized through zoning by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT).
Who actually pushed for the decree to happen?
The key promoter appears to have been the Administración Portuaria Integral de Baja California Sur (API-BCS), whose director general, Narciso Agúndez Gómez, has stated that the decree is a “strategic step to strengthen the maritime and tourism development of Baja California Sur.”
Does Loreto, a town of just over 16,000 people, look like it’s primed for deepwater maritime traffic and enormous cruise ships? Its residents don’t seem to think so, despite a decree from President Claudia Sheinbaum. (API-BCS)
Agúndez knows the state’s tourism well. His father, Narciso Agúndez Montaño, was the state’s former governor, and his uncle and brother — José Antonio Agúndez Montaño and Christian Agúndez Gómez, respectively — have both served as president of the municipality of Los Cabos.
However, there was no broad consensus for the decree to occur, as evidenced by the fact that the state’s current governor, Víctor Castro Cosío, has already had at least three meetings with upset residents in Loreto, and more are scheduled.
“Although the decree reclassifying the port of Loreto as a deep-sea and coastal port has already been published,” added Loreto Mayor Paz del Alma Ochoa Amador, “it could be repealed if the community does not agree.”
It certainly appears as if they don’t.
How to bid on a luxurious Cabo villa
Have you ever dreamed of owning a villa in Los Cabos? Now’s your chance, although you’ll need to have some pretty deep pockets.
Between May 19-27, Concierge Auctions will be accepting bids on the 6,247-square-foot Villa 7 at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences at Costa Palmas in La Ribera, on the East Cape of Los Cabos, with live bidding taking place on May 27 at The Connaught in London’s upscale Mayfair district. The villa is listed at US $19.95 million and opening bids are expected to be in the range of US $7 to $12 million.
This villa at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences at Costa Palmas in Los Cabos is listed for over US $19 million, but could be a bargain at auction. (Concierge Auctions)
If that seems a little steep, it bears noting that ownership also includes membership in the Costa Palmas Beach and Yacht Club, as well as access to the Robert Trent Jones-designed Costa Palmas Golf Club.
“Our London Global Sale has become both a consistent and powerful platform for connecting engaged buyers with premier properties like this stunning Four Seasons residence within desirable Costas Palmas,” said Chad Roffers, CEO and co-founder of Concierge Auctions. “After selling branded residences for well over a decade, we know that the international appeal of these luxury properties isn’t just about location, but the promise of a world-class lifestyle, which we make possible in a matter of weeks.”
A Los Cabos golf course update
As Querencia’s Campo Alto moves closer to its opening date later this year, another Los Cabos golf course development is also inching towards completion. That would be Oleada Golf Links, the Ernie Els-designed course that will serve as a centerpiece of the 860-acre resort and residential community (also called Oleada) on the Pacific Coast north of Cabo San Lucas.
The course, Els’ first in Mexico, will have its grand opening in November, it was recently announced, with preview play starting in July. The early access allows for feedback and final adjustments ahead of the formal opening.
Fifteen of 18 holes at the 7,336-yard Oleada Golf Links are built around beachfront dunes and all the holes will feature Pacific Ocean views.
Oleada Golf Links
“Because the native contours and dune formations are so good, very little earthmoving was required to build the course,” Els told Sports Illustrated. “Shaping was minimalistic. Man cannot improve on what Mother Nature has created over the eons. The golf course that we’ve created at Oleada will be here long after I’m gone. That means something and it makes me feel very proud.”
Rendering of the dune-framed 6th hole at Ernie Els’ Oleada Golf Links in Los Cabos. (Oleada)
As for the rest of Oleada, it’s coming along, too. The 300-room Grand Hyatt Los Cabos at Oleada is also scheduled to open by the end of 2026, with the 175-key Conrad Los Cabos at Oleada to follow in 2027.
Chris Sands is a writer and editor for Mexico News Daily, and the former Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best and writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook. He has also contributed to numerous other websites and publications, including The San Diego Union-Tribune, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise and Travel, and Cabo Living.
With the superpeso rumbling ever onwards, American expats from Ajijic to Zacatecas have been forced to significantly downgrade their lifestyles in a collective belt-tightening exercise that one gringo described as “no bueno” and that the Mexican economy has not acknowledged as a crisis, because it isn’t one, for Mexico.
Digital nomad Chase Remote is gallantly refusing to move and gentrify other neighborhoods, instead sacrificing his Friday organic wine nights. (Image generated by AI)
“My wife and I used to buy rib eyes at City Market for lunch every Thursday; este jueves we’re having tacos de tripa,” New York transplant Don Manhattan told El Jalapeño in the meat section of a no-frills Bodega Aurrera in San Miguel de Allende, moments after bumbling his way through his weekly Spanish class, which has not yet covered the phrase “purchasing power parity” but has, apparently, covered “pinche,” a word his teacher told him to avoid using at all costs and which he deployed immediately upon being asked about the exchange rate.
For his part, Condesa-based digital nomad Chase Remote confirmed he was no longer frequenting natural wine bars, high-end contemporary Mexican restaurants with English menus, and the capital’s too-cool-for-school craft beer dens — establishments that, it should be noted, exist in Mexico City specifically because people like Chase Remote arrived and created demand for them.
He now drowns his dollar-denominated sorrows with bottles of Barrilito, one of Mexico’s lowest-cost mass-produced brews, while subsisting on a diet sourced primarily from his local OXXO, which has been feeding Mexicans through worse than this for considerably longer and without a lifestyle column about it.
One thing, however, remains non-negotiable: Remote will not be leaving the Condesa-Roma bubble in search of cheaper rent, no matter how many increasingly plump fistfuls of pesos his Airbnb requires.
“The thought of sparking a wave of gentrification in another neighbourhood instead of simply contributing to the one here is just too triggering,” he said, downing the dregs of his third Barrilito and gazing longingly across Parque México toward La Uva Orgánica, one of his erstwhile haunts, which is still there, still serving natural wine, still accepting pesos, and has not reduced its prices in response to his situation.
“Besides,” he added, “this is the only part of town where I don’t need to learn Spanish, and I feel like I’m in a hipster neighbourhood of Portland, even if I can no longer afford the single-origin coffee.”
Americans across Mexico reported similar stories to El Jalapeño, which is, it should be confirmed, also suffering from the exchange rate and is not pleased about it and who will be travelling on mechanically questionable third-class buses until such time as El Jalapeño either turns a profit or the peso rises above 20 to what is currently a feeble, embarrassed, and entirely inadequate greenback.
The sun is up, the sky is blue and Mexico City is beautiful! Do not miss these perfect picnic spots throughout the city. (Galo Cañas Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)
Summers are confusing in Mexico City — although we get thedriest season of the year from April to July, in recent years we’ve also hadheavy rain and sudden winds out of the blue. However, this does not stop us capitalinos from enjoying ourlush green areas, which come alive in the capital’s summer warmth.
While Chapultepec Park is a jewel of the city, it is also very busy almost every day of the year — especially when the weather is great. So where do locals go to beat the heat and unwind in a green space? Here’s Mexico News Daily’s list of the best picnic spots to enjoy this summer season for a well-deserved shot of vitamin D and hours of chatting with friends outdoors.
Jardín Botánico at UNAM
If you were curious to know what the capital was like in pre-Hispanic times, the UNAM Botanical Garden offers a fairly accurate glimpse. (Renato Dávalos/Cuartoscuro)
Operated by UNAM’sBiology Institute (IBUNAM), this protected natural area is home to more than 1,600 plant species native to Mexico City. Jardín Botánico holds a special place in my heart because it was one of the first places my partner took me on a date. So, from experience, I know it’s a beautiful place to enjoy a sunny picnic brunch.
If you’re coming with young children, they’ll love running among the volcanic rock formations and encountering native lizards and various birds. If they’re lucky, they might even spot an osprey (Pandion haliaetus) — and yes, that’s actually pretty exciting. In addition to guided tours with specialists and biologists, you can use the common areas outside the protected zone for an outdoor feast. Watch out, though! An iguana might steal your sandwich.
Where? Tercer Circuito exterior S/N, Ciudad Universitaria (C.U.), Coyoacán.
Cineteca Nacional
If you’re planning a picnic date with your significant other, you might as well do it the old-fashioned way and head to the Cineteca Nacional’s gardens. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
Cineteca’sOpen Air Forum is the perfect spot for a romantic summer date. While taking advantage of the warm weather, grab some chips from a street vendor in the Historic Center of Coyoacán, add some Valentina hot sauce, and bring your special someone to see a movie. Which one? Anything! They’re sure to be showing something really unusual, like Scandinavian or Kenyan cinema and anything in between.
Besides being free, the Open Air Forum has spacious gardens, with areas adapted for relaxing on the grass. Trust us: no one from Coyoacán’s “alternative scene” could imagine a better spot for a summer picnic in Mexico City.
Where? Av. México-Coyoacán 389, Xoco, Benito Juárez.
La Marquesa
Whether in cabins or in open-air spaces, barbecues in La Marquesa are a summer must every year. (Eneas De Troya/Wikimedia Commons)
If you’re looking for a place to have an outdoor barbecue, La Marquesa is the obvious choice. Located on the border between Mexico City and the State of Mexico, past Santa Fe, this area has benefited from the use of designated forest areas for horseback riding, picnics and even fishing. It’s also famous for its paintball spots.
This national park is so large,notes the Mexico City government, that “it covers most of the territory that divides the valleys of Mexico and Toluca.” In this area, there are cabins where you can spend the night andstargaze. However, if your plan is simply to have a barbecue and return before sunset, this is perhaps one of the most beautiful national parks to visit for a weekend getaway. Watch out for rain, though!
La Marquesa National Park, Toluca de Lerdo, Edomex.
Centro Nacional de las Artes (CENART)
Under the shade of the trees and in the summer warmth, it’s easy to fall asleep in the green areas of CENART. (Public Domain)
Just imagine it: art students leaving class, couples visiting contemporary art exhibitions in free galleries and expansive green spaces filled with grass and leafy trees. Sounds like the perfect spot for a picnic, right? That’s exactly what the gardens of the National Center for the Arts (CENART), south of the city, look like.
Designed by the great Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, this labyrinthine space is intended to create a play of light between the geometric shapes of the walls and their vibrant colors. The property spans12 hectares, at least half of which are dedicated to public parks that visitors use to lie on the grass, walk among the trees or leisurely listen to jazz.
Where? CENART. Av. Río Churubusco 79, Country Club Churubusco, Coyoacán.
It wouldn't be a World Cup without Panini cards and sticker albums. (Cardz Review)
Modena is a small Italian city of 184,739 inhabitants. It is known for its car industry with Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati all having connections to the city, for a university dating to 1175 and for its excellent balsamic vinegar. It is also home to Panini, the makers of the World Cup stickers and trading cards that millions of football fans will be collecting when the tournament kicks off in North America in a few weeks.
These items have a very special link to Mexico, for it was in the 1970 tournament — hosted by Mexico — that they went “international” for the first time.
A future in cards
Panini has been putting out official trading card sets for the World Cup since 1970. (Panini)
The story starts 60 years ago, when the Panini family operated one of the small kiosks that once thrived in Italy, a place to buy newspapers, magazines, postcards and cigarettes. Olga Panini managed the kiosk with help from two of her sons, Benito and Giuseppe.
The boys were entrepreneurs, and they formed a small business of their own that distributed newspapers around the town. The man who took them into cards was Giuseppe. He had the idea of selling pictures of local flowers and plants. There wasn’t much interest, but he sensed that the idea was good; it was only the subject matter that had let him down.
When offered a large number of leftover cards showing Italian soccer players, he bought them all. Poorly printed with faded colors on cheap cards, Giuseppe bundled them up into packets and sold them locally.
This was the early 1960s. The Northern Italian economy was slowly improving, but few people could afford the luxuries we enjoy today. Children longed for toys, and the cards (called figurines in Italy) were cheap enough to build up a large collection. It was not just a case of collecting the stickers; there was the excitement of swapping, completing a team from one club, and showing cards of your favorite player to envious schoolmates.
The cards sold well, and Giuseppe and Benito founded a company to expand the idea. The new firm was called Panini, and the brothers struck a deal with the Italian Football Association and went nationwide with their football cards.
The technology for producing the cards was still primitive. For example, it was vital to mix up the cards so that the young buyers didn’t feel cheated by getting two identical cards in the same pack, and the first way of doing this was to throw thousands of cards into a butter churn and whirl them around. That 1961–1962 collection, with its own special album, sold millions of packets, and the family has never looked back.
The 1970 World Cup in Mexico
By 1970, Panini was ready to move into the global market. Forming a partnership with FIFA, they published their first World Cup sticker album for the 1970 World Cup here in Mexico. It was a gamble. The 1966 tournament had been a dull and often bad-tempered event, saved in part by a dramatic final. There was no reason to presume Mexico would be any better.
Going international also brought considerable new challenges, from multilingual captions to world distribution. Marketing in 1970 was not international in today’s sense, and sales were limited to a few big European countries — West Germany, France, Spain and the U.K. Indeed, the stickers were not even on sale in Mexico!
The designs were of a reasonable quality, and a few of the special cards, such as those showing the national flags, introduced a new idea, a back that peeled away to reveal a sticky surface. There was a 48-page album consisting of 270 players, which meant only 11-14 players were featured per team. Mexico, as the host nation, was given three pages, while the “lesser teams,” such as El Salvador, were squeezed onto just two pages.
Panini leaps onto the world stage
Fourteen Mexican players, plus coach Raúl Cárdenas, appeared in the set, but of these, only seven were included in the World Cup squad when it was named. All the photos appear to have been taken at a training ground, and it seems likely that many players were absent when the photoshoot took place. Of the Mexican players featured in that collection, Ignacio Calderón, Gustavo Peña and Enrique Borja would rank amongst the nation’s all-time greats.
The 1970 World Cup in Mexico City proved the perfect occasion for Panini’s leap onto the world stage. Improved technology allowed the games to be beamed around the world, and more fans than ever watched the action on color television sets. The players joined in the excitement, with Peru and Brazil putting on a great show from the beginning. By the end, even the dull Italians were hitting four goals past Germany. The event captured the world’s imagination, and Panini rode the wave to become a billion-dollar business.
‘A network of soccer spies’
Since then, collecting and trading cards has become part of the World Cup experience. Noted collectors include Italy’s veteran goalkeeper Buffon and musician Ed Sheeran. The players themselves take it very seriously. Several have complained about unflattering pictures, and one team wrote to the designers informing them that the one of their squad was notably ugly, and could they do something about this on his card?
Collectors can put together sets for everything from the FIFA Club World Cup (pictured here) to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Panini)
Work starts on the next World Cup the day after the previous final, and Panini has to start printing their millions of cards a few months before the squads are officially announced. This means surprise call-ups might not find a place in the album. However, Panini have been remarkably accurate in their selections. Most famously, they left German striker Mario Gómez out of the 2014 collection, which was considered a mistake until the squad was named without him. This led to a conspiracy theory that Panini had a secret network of soccer spies.
When this year’s album came out in April, it sparked considerable debate in Mexico by including several players who were unlikely to be in the squad either through injury or falling out of favor with coach Javier Aguirre. Most notable was the inclusion of injured goalkeeper, Luis Ángel Malagón.
An expensive hobby
The cards are fun, but are they a good investment? In 2017, a 1970 World Cup Panini sticker album signed by Pelé sold for a record 240,000 pesos. The value of individual cards depends on a combination of condition, rarity and fame. For example, cards from the 1970 collection featuring Alan Ball and Geoff Hurst — men with a World Cup medal from the previous tournament — fetch about 1,500 pesos per card.
Collecting has become more expensive. In 1970, you completed your collection by a combination of buying packets in the shop and swapping doubles on the school playground. Depending on how lucky you were, you could complete the album for around 180 pesos. (About 1,400 pesos today) This year, with 48 teams, the album stretches to 112 pages, and a conservative estimate is that it will cost around 7,600 pesos to complete a collection.
Price is unlikely to put people off, because, as we have said, collecting Panini cards is part of the World Cup experience!
Bob Patemanlived in Mexico for six years. He is a librarian and teacher with a Master’s Degree in History.
Housing prices in Mexico tend to be highest in major cities like Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City. (Sotheby's International Realty)
Recent data from Inmuebles24, one of Mexico’s largest online property marketplaces, offers a snapshot of asking prices in the country’s three upcoming World Cup host cities — Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. The figures appear straightforward on the surface, but some context makes them more useful.
Based on the data, monthly rents for a 65-square-meter (m²) property average from 18,000 to 25,000 pesos, depending on the city. For a 100 m² property, rents range from 25,000 to 35,000 pesos, with Mexico City and Monterrey at the higher end.
On the sales side, home prices are also expressed per square meter, but without the monthly rental dimension. In Mexico City, home sales average between 47,000 to 54,000 pesos per m², Guadalajara around 56,000 to 60,000 pesos per m², with Monterrey reaching into the 70,000 to 80,000 peso range. In practical terms, that puts a 100 m² property somewhere between roughly 4.7 million and 7.5 million pesos.
Those numbers are the headline, but it’s worth digging a little deeper: Do they reflect what most people are actually paying?
What the data is really showing
Because the source is a listings platform, this data reflects asking prices rather than completed transactions. It shows what sellers and landlords are bringing to market, not necessarily where deals are closing.
That distinction matters. In most markets, some properties transact close to asking, while others sit and over time adjust downward, and ultimately sell or rent for less. Listing data captures the full range of expectations, not the final negotiation.
There is another layer that has an even bigger impact on how these numbers should be read.
When ‘average’ doesn’t mean typical
The report presents “average” prices, but in datasets like this, that usually means a mean average. And a mean can be influenced by a relatively small number of higher-end listings.
Housing prices in places like Mexico City show the mean, although the median would provide a much more accurate gauge. (Anton Lukin/Unsplash)
In cities like Mexico City and Monterrey, a handful of luxury rentals or premium new developments can push the overall average upward. Even if most renters or buyers are operating below those levels, those higher-priced properties still carry equal weight in the calculation.
The result is a number that can feel elevated compared to what many people experience in the market. A median price would often give a clearer picture of what is typical, but that isn’t what’s being shown here.
What kind of properties are included
Although the data refers broadly to “homes,” the pricing strongly suggests that much of it reflects urban apartments. In major cities, newer condominium developments and well-presented listings tend to dominate online platforms, and those properties typically carry higher prices per square meter.
A 100 m² apartment in a desirable neighborhood with modern finishes can reasonably fall into the 5 to 7 million peso range in these cities. That does not mean all properties of that size are priced that way. Older homes, properties outside central areas, or listings that are less aggressively marketed often trade at lower levels and may be underrepresented in this kind of dataset.
The limits of price per square meter
Price per square meter is a useful tool, but it only goes so far.
Smaller properties tend to carry a higher price per meter, while larger homes usually see that number come down. Beyond that, square meter pricing does not account for layout, natural light, finishes or how a property is presented. Two properties with similar size can vary widely in price once those factors are considered.
Home sale prices in Monterrey are even higher on average than in Guadalajara and Mexico City. (Steven Fernández/Unsplash)
That is why averages built on price per square meter can point in the right direction, but don’t always tell the full story.
A more practical way to read the market
Data like this is helpful as a broad indicator. It confirms that pricing in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey remains strong, particularly in well-located, newer inventory.
At the same time, it should not be taken as a direct reflection of what most people are paying. Markets are more varied than a single average suggests. Inventory has expanded in many areas, pricing is not always consistent, and while some properties move quickly when everything lines up, others take time and require adjustments.
For buyers and renters, the more reliable approach is still to look at comparable properties — what has actually rented or sold in a specific area with similar characteristics. That is where pricing becomes grounded in reality rather than averages.
The bottom line
The data from Inmuebles24 offers a useful snapshot of asking prices in Mexico’s largest urban markets. But because it is based on listings and mean averages, it can be influenced by higher-end properties and may not reflect the most common transaction.
Averages can be useful, but in real estate, they rarely tell the full story.
Glenn Rotton is a real estate agent with eight years of experience in San Miguel de Allende. Originally from Seattle, he has lived in Mexico for twelve years with his husband, Kiang Chong Ovalle, and their dog, Angus. Read more about Glenn here.
Reforma Avenue in Mexico City on Friday, May 8, 2026. (Victoria Valtierra/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico entered the week of May 4 already reeling from a bombshell: a U.S. federal indictment unsealed the previous week had charged 10 members of the ruling Morena party — including former Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya — with drug trafficking and collusion with the Sinaloa Cartel.
By Monday, several officials — Rocha among them — had stepped down and President Sheinbaum was in damage-control mode. Also making headlines were a 5.6-magnitude earthquake in Oaxaca, and NASA-backed news that Mexico City is sinking at up to 10 inches per year due to the over-extraction of groundwater beneath its ancient lakebed. Adding insult to injury, the mayor of Madrid arrived for a tour of Mexico during which she took the opportunity to defend the Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés.
Didn’t have time to catch this week’s top stories? Here’s what happened in Mexico between May 4 and May 8.
Sinaloa crisis deepens: A new governor and more US pressure
The fallout from the U.S. indictment of 10 Mexican officials continued to dominate the political landscape this week. After Governor Rubén Rocha Moya took a voluntary leave of absence, the Sinaloa legislature appointed Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde as interim governor on May 2. Bonilla Valverde, a Rocha ally who had served as the state’s Secretary of Government, was sworn in amid ongoing questions about the depth of alleged cartel ties within Sinaloa’s political establishment. The mayor of Culiacán, also named in the same indictment, likewise stepped aside.
Sheinbaum addressed the case repeatedly throughout the week. At Monday’s mañanera, she reiterated that the superseding indictment is nearly devoid of hard evidence — characterizing a handwritten list purporting to show bribe payments as “a sheet of paper” — and reaffirmed that it is Mexico’s attorney general, not Washington, who will determine whether grounds for arrest exist. She denied having asked Rocha to step aside, saying the decision was his own. Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. Department of Justice requesting substantive proof to support the allegations.
Madrid mayor cuts visit short after reigniting Conquest debate
What was billed as a trade-promotion tour by Madrid Mayor Isabel Díaz Ayuso became one of the week’s defining political dramas. Díaz Ayuso arrived in Mexico on a planned 10-day trip promoting Madrid as “a unique platform” for Mexican trade with Spain — but it was her public defense of the Conquest that ignited a firestorm. The ultra-conservative Díaz Ayuso and President Claudia Sheinbaum are fiercely at odds: Díaz Ayuso has referred to Sheinbaum as “a far-left dictator,” while the Mexican president has called the Madrid leader someone “clinging to visions of empire.” The Sheinbaum administration appeared to ignore her visit altogether.
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, mayor of the Spanish capital city of Madrid, speaks during a tribute to Hernán Cortés. (Graciela Lopez/Cuartoscuro)
A tribute to Hernán Cortés was originally planned at Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral, but the Archdiocese withdrew permission, going to great lengths to distance itself from any association with the event. It moved instead to Frontón México, the jai-alai venue where the conservative PAN party was founded in 1939. There, Díaz Ayuso praised the mestizaje that resulted from the Conquest. “Mestizaje is a message of hope and joy,” she said.
“Faced with hate speech that divides us, those of us who see life through these alliances must find ways to speak freely.” Indigenous groups organized protests throughout the week. According to the Spanish newspaper El País, Díaz Ayuso’s visit aimed to boost the conservative opposition in Mexico while consolidating political forces aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump. Her agenda included meetings with executives from Cemex and Alsea and reunions with all four PAN governors — a visit that was particularly sensitive given that the Sheinbaum administration was simultaneously managing U.S. accusations of drug trafficking against Morena officials, which Díaz Ayuso used to reinforce her claim that Mexico is “a narco-state.”
At Wednesday’s mañanera, Sheinbaum called Díaz Ayuso “one of the representatives of the far-right in Spain” and criticized Mexican opposition politicians for hosting her, naming the governor of Aguascalientes and the mayor of Mexico City’s Cuauhtémoc borough as examples. “What does that mean? That they think like her,” Sheinbaum said, attributing to Díaz Ayuso the view that welfare programs are wrong, that Cortés deserves recognition and that “the poor are poor because they don’t work.” The president said the Madrid mayor has the right to visit, “but it’s important to know what she says, who she meets with and who brought her.”
Díaz Ayuso cut her trip short on Friday, with her government accusing the Sheinbaum administration of orchestrating a “boycott” — claiming that Mexican federal authorities had threatened to close the hotel in Quintana Roo where the Platino Awards gala was to be held if Díaz Ayuso attended. The Sheinbaum government denied any such threats. Madrid’s opposition parties used her early return to attack her in Spain’s parliament, calling the trip “sectarian and fanatical,” while her People’s Party (PP) allies argued the objective had been to attract foreign investment.
More charges against Mexican politicians on the way, US AG warns
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche gave an interview to NewsNation on Wednesday, saying more charges against Mexican politicians are coming, noting that cooperation from cartel figures already in U.S. custody — many transferred from Mexico over the past year — could yield additional allegations.
“We’ve already indicted multiple government officials out of Mexico — a judge recently as well. And so that’s something that will continue,” he said. He added, however, that the U.S. currently has “a very good relationship with the Mexican government.” Sheinbaum pushed back on the broader framing, demanding reciprocity from Washington on arms trafficking and extradition requests Mexico has filed.
Are US consulates encouraging migration? Mexico says no
A new front opened Friday when the Trump administration announced it is conducting a review of all 53 Mexican consulates in the United States, a move a State Department official said could lead to closures, without providing reasons. U.S. officials have privately suggested that some consular offices may be facilitating irregular migration — a charge Sheinbaum flatly denied at Friday’s press conference, saying Mexico’s consular network exists to protect the rights of Mexican nationals abroad, not to steer migration.
Mexico operates the most extensive consular network in the United States of any foreign government, and the review was widely seen as the latest instrument of pressure from Washington in an increasingly strained bilateral relationship.
Montiel replaced Luisa María Alcalde, who stepped down to become the president’s top legal adviser. In her first speech, Montiel struck a zero-tolerance line on corruption, pledging that no candidate with proven wrongdoing would receive the party’s backing even if they won internal primaries — a pointed signal in the wake of the Sinaloa indictments. The congress was widely read as a bid to stabilize Morena’s image ahead of the 2027 midterm elections.
Education Ministry cuts school year short — then Sheinbaum backtracks
One of the week’s more surprising stories came from the Education Ministry.
Minister Mario Delgado announced Thursday that the national school calendar would end on June 5 rather than July 15 — a 40-day reduction — citing a nationwide heat wave and Mexico’s co-hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Some 32.6 million students would be affected.
Mexico’s National Union of Parent Associations called the decision “unacceptable,” arguing that education cannot be “sacrificed for a sporting event that will take place in only three of the country’s 2,500 municipalities.” By Friday, Sheinbaum appeared to distance herself from the announcement, telling reporters the proposal “was not yet final” and that children’s school days also had to be taken into account. The episode left parents and schools in limbo as the World Cup countdown continued.
Announced investments top US $20B
Despite the political noise, capital continued to flow toward Mexico this week on several fronts:
Mexico News Daily launched a new data product this week: the MND Peso Index™, a monthly economic indicator that measures whether the Mexican peso is overvalued or undervalued against the U.S. dollar by comparing the prices of 20 goods and services in Mexico’s biggest cities and Dallas, Texas.
The inaugural April 2026 edition found that the peso was modestly overvalued by roughly 3%, with a mean implied exchange rate of 17.85 pesos per dollar against the Banxico spot rate of 17.36 on the same date. Of the 20 items in the basket, half were cheaper in Mexico and half were more expensive — but the items that cost more in Mexico were expensive enough to tip the index into overvaluation territory. The index joins MND’s growing suite of proprietary data products and will be published monthly.
Good news roundup
🌊 President Sheinbaum and Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama inaugurated a new bridge in Cancún designed to ease traffic flow in one of the country’s most-visited tourist destinations.
🚗 Car sales in Mexico topped 500,000 units in the January-April period for the first time ever, a 4.8% increase over 2025, with April alone posting the best monthly result since 2013.
The school calendar saga is far from over. Education Minister Mario Delgado spent Friday insisting the June 5 end date was confirmed — even as Sheinbaum told reporters that nothing was final. By evening, he had announced a follow-up meeting with all 32 state education ministers for Monday, May 11, to produce a “definitive proposal.” The PRI has demanded his removal, Citizens’ Movement (MC) is pursuing legal injunctions and some private schools say they will not follow the shortened calendar regardless of what the federal government decides.
On the economic front, Mexico Infrastructure Partners’ $12 billion commitment was welcome news on the heels of the government’s Plan México investment-streamlining initiative, and more announcements are expected as the administration pushes its nearshoring agenda. The diplomatic picture is cloudier: with Todd Blanche warning of further indictments of Mexican officials, the U.S. consulate review still unresolved and trade negotiations ongoing, Sheinbaum faces a busy few weeks managing the bilateral relationship while keeping the domestic political house in order.
Mexico News Daily
This story contains summaries of original Mexico News Daily articles. The summaries were generated by Claude, then revised and fact-checked by a Mexico News Daily staff editor.
