The prison that occupied one of the islands until 2019 has given way to a tourist facility, which is soon to be joined by educational projects in park management and sustainable farming. (Gobierno de México)
The tourist center on the UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve of Islas Marías will soon be sharing space with an agroecological farm and a park ranger training center.
The federal government has authorized the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp) to use an area of more than 70,000 square meters located on Isla María Madre, according to the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) published on Oct. 8.
The grasslands and scrublands of the Islas Marías Biosphere Reserve are home to endemic species of raccoon and rabbit, and the surrounding waters teem with 21 species of sharks and 10 different ray species. (@jenarovillamil/X)
The Conanp project is part of the government’s National Environmental Restoration Program, whose goal for this year is to restore 5% of the total degraded surface area of coastal and marine ecosystems, 800 hectares of urban parks and forests, and 26,000 hectares of forest ecosystems.
Approximately 26,000 square meters of the Islas Marías project will be designated for “El Rehilete” (The Retreat), a self-sufficient and sustainable food production system.
The stated aim of El Rehilete is to support the local economy and promote the conservation of natural resources, while teaching a new generation of young people about food sovereignty.
The remaining 44,000 square meters will be dedicated to the construction of a training center to teach volunteer park rangers about conservation, preservation and management methods for Protected Natural Areas (ANPs).
Islas Marías is a Pacific Ocean archipelago comprising four main islets — María Madre, María Magdalena, María Cleofas and San Juanito — about 94 kilometers (58 miles) off the coast of the state of Nayarit.
Visitors can tour Islas Marías by purchasing government-regulated tourism packages with departures from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, or San Blas, Nayarit.
Originally named the Magdalenas Islands after they were discovered by Spanish explorers in the 1520s, the islands were used as a Mexican penal colony from 1905 until 2019.
Islas Marías earned its Biosphere Reserve status in 2010. Nine years later, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador closed the prison and announced it would be converted into an environmental education center named after the prison’s most famous inmate, José Revueltas, the Durango-born 20th-century author and dissident.
The islands are home to the Tres Marías raccoon (Procyon insularis), the endemic Tres Marías cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus graysoni), 21 species of sharks, 10 different rays, three species of sea turtles and healthy coral reefs.
The landscape consists of grasslands, shrublands and tropical deciduous and subdeciduous forest.
On Friday, Sheinbaum gave a thorough update on the simultaneous storm systems drenching Mexico. (Juan Carlos Buenrostro/Presidencia)
The heavy rain that fell in various parts of Mexico on Thursday and consequent flooding were a central focus of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Friday morning press conference.
Later on Friday, authorities in four states reported fatalities linked to the rain.
At the start of the mañanera, Sheinbaum said that national Civil Protection chief Laura Velázquez would join the press conference via video link to speak about “the situation with the rain in different parts of the republic.”
The Jalpan River in Querétaro had burst its banks.
Landslides had occurred in Veracruz, Querétaro and Puebla.
The Axtla River and the Moctezuma River in San Luis Potosí burst their banks.
A school and a hospital were flooded in Puebla.
Velázquez said that shelters had been set up in Álamo, and noted that the army and the navy, along with other authorities, were responding to flooding in different parts of the country.
Veracruz, Querétaro, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Puebla and Guerrero were the states most affected by rain this week. (@Claudiashein/X)
She said that the Federal Electricity Commission was working to reestablish power in areas where service had been cut, including in parts of Veracruz, San Luis Potosí and Puebla.
Velázquez said that rain would continue to fall in different parts of Mexico on Friday and advised citizens to be alert to official communication channels and to follow “all the recommendations” issued by Civil Protection authorities.
On Friday afternoon, the newspaper La Jornada reported that 24 people had died in rain-related incidents, while other media outlets reported slightly lower death tolls. With at least eight people reported as missing, it appears likely that the rain-related death toll will rise over the weekend.
Adidas to compensate Oaxaca community whose huarache design inspired its Oaxaca Slip-On sandal
Also at Sheinbaum’s Friday mañanera, Deputy Culture Minister Marina Núñez Bespalova told reporters that Adidas has committed to compensating the community of Villa Hidalgo Yalalág, Oaxaca, whose signature huarache sandal craftsmanship inspired the German athletic apparel and footwear company’s Oaxaca Slip-On sandals.
“Several agreements were reached with the brand,” Núñez said, adding that while “the compensation agreement” cannot yet be announced publicly, it involves Adidas funding “some” infrastructure projects that the community of Villa Hidalgo Yalalág had requested.
She said that there could be “some kind of collaboration” between Villa Hidalgo Yalalág artisans and Adidas at some point in the future.
“But there is already a compensation contract for the community,” Núñez stressed.
Asked whether Adidas would be allowed to sell its Oaxaca Slip-On sandals in Mexico, the deputy culture minister responded:
“No, no. They pulled those shoes off the market immediately; within a week, they were gone.”
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
Mexico City generates 6,400 tonnes of trash per day and the city is hoping that at least half of that amount will be recycled or reused by 2030. (Damián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico City’s latest attempt to improve waste management in the capital is an ambitious trash separation strategy that aims to ensure that by 2030, 50% of the estimated 8,600 tons of waste generated daily in the city is recycled or reused instead of being sent to landfills or tossed in streets and empty lots.
To achieve that goal, Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada has presented the campaign: “Transform your city, each piece of trash in its place.” Beginning January 1, 2026, homes, schools, offices and businesses will be required to separate their trash into three categories: organic waste, recyclable inorganic waste and non-recyclable inorganic waste.
Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada, shown here with some members of the recently created Integrated Waste Management Agency (AGIR) on the day of their swearing in, understands that the success of the plan depends on the good faith participation of the populace. (Clara Brugada/Facebook)
In a ceremony that installed the governing body of the new Integrated Waste Management Agency (AGIR) — officially created in November 2024 — Brugada noted that only 15% of the city’s garbage is properly separated today.
“Every piece of waste we throw away has a direct impact on the air, water and land,” she said. “Therefore, we believe that with good organization, awareness and determination, we can transform this challenge into a great opportunity to build a cleaner, more equitable and sustainable city.”
The program’s initial investment will be 400 million pesos (US $21.5 million) 250 million of which will go to the purchase of new waste collection trucks, and the rest to improve the Bordo Poniente recycling plant and to build new plants throughout the city.
For the remainder of the year, Brugada’s government will coordinate an educational campaign to teach residents how to separate their waste.
Brugada said that once this program kicks in, garbage collection will be carried out on a daily basis, as follows:
Friday and Sunday: non-recyclable inorganic waste, such as sanitary waste, diapers and cigarette butts.
This isn’t the first time the capital has sought to organize its waste management, as garbage separation is a long-standing environmental goal.
In 2003, the local government approved the Solid Waste Law of the Federal District, which established the obligation to separate waste into two basic categories: organic and inorganic. However, the lack of collection infrastructure and weak educational campaigns prevented effective implementation of the law.
Job creation in September by employers registered with IMSS increased by 28% over September 2024, helping to offset a disappointing year for new employment. (Pedro Anza/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico added nearly 117,000 new formal sector jobs last month, but job creation on the year is still down 27%.
The Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) reported that the number of people employed in new formal sector positions increased by 116,765 in September, a 28% increase over the same month a year ago. However, of the new jobs added last month, 50,412 — or 15% — were identified as temporary hires.
If the informal sector, which more than half of all Mexican workers are part of, is included in the job statistics, Mexico’s current unemployment rate plummets to a near-record low of 2.7%. (Cuartoscuro)
The total of new jobs created through the first nine months of 2025 has reached 333,303, well behind the 456,427 formal jobs created from January to September 2024. The newspaper El Economista reported that 16 states had negative figures for formal job creation last month.
“The new jobs data through September reflects the second-lowest figure for job creation since 2008, not counting the health emergencies of 2009 and 2020,” Fernando Bermúdez, director of Institutional Relations at the staffing firm ManpowerGroup, told El Economista.
The IMSS report indicated that overall formal employment is now just over 23.76 million, but that figure drops to 22,571,682 when people working in the digital economy are subtracted. And of this latter figure, 13% of the jobs are temporary positions.
Rodolfo Ostolaza, deputy director of Economic Studies at Banamex, told El Economista that subtracting the number of digital platform workers reveals that “employment has stagnated since mid-2024 … and [reflects] three consecutive months of annual declines.”
An additional concern is that the number of employers registered with IMSS has declined for 17 consecutive months. According to El Economista, IMSS reported 1,039,227 employer registrations with the Institute, a negative annual growth rate of 2.4%.
The loss of formal employers further strengthens the informal economy, which employs nearly 55% of the country’s workforce, according to the national statistics agency INEGI.
IMSS only records “formal” jobs, i.e., jobs registered with the Institute itself.
“Being formal is very expensive in this country,” Ostolaza said.
Still, because it includes both formal and informal jobs, INEGI’s most recent report shows a national unemployment rate of 2.7%, which is close to the historic low of 2.3% recorded in March 2024.
Day of the Dead festivities in Oaxaca take place from Oct. 26 to Nov. 4. (Carolina Jiménez/Cuartoscuro)
Oaxaca expects to welcome upwards of 89,000 visitors for its 2025 Day of the Dead celebration, according to officials who unveiled a packed cultural agenda this week.
Running from Oct. 26 to Nov. 4, the festivities will feature over 140 cultural and gastronomic events statewide.
Authorities with the Oaxaca Tourism Ministry said the anticipated uptick in visitors marks a nearly 6% jump over 2024, and they are projecting revenues of more than 381 million pesos (US $20.6 million).
Touted in a press release as “the most vibrant festival of all,” Oaxaca’s lineup of Day of the Dead activities is “one of the greatest symbols of Mexican identity, a celebration that transforms the vision of death into a celebration full of color, joy, flavor and tradition,” said Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, Mexico’s tourism minister.
Highlights include a monumental 250-square-meter sand carpet in the Jalatlaco neighborhood; the Historic Center Facade Competition on Oct. 27; Diverti Muertos festivities; concerts in neighborhoods such as Xochimilco and San Pablo Villa de Mitla; and marigold field tours in Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán and San Antonino Castillo Velasco, where the illuminated fields open at night Oct. 25.
Sporting events such as a state surfing tournament in Puerto Escondido and the Recorrido al Mictlán race on Nov. 2 round out the schedule.
Providing a window into local heritage will be the “Casa Hecho en Oaxaca” exhibition, market fairs at the Oaxaca Gastronomic Center, and displays of 35 altars representing the 16 Indigenous and Afro-Mexican cultures of Oaxaca (in the capital’s main square).
Don't panic! You have a year to retrieve your money, that is, until Oct. 13, 2026. (Shutterstock)
Mexico’s Institute for the Protection of Bank Savings (IPAB) has revoked CIBanco’s license and has begun to liquidate the embattled financial services provider.
IPAB announced Friday that it will begin paying out insured deposits beginning on Monday, Oct. 13, and advised account holders to visit its official website for information: www.gob.mx/ipab.
Complete the form with the required information, as shown on your latest CIBanco account statement.
Provide a CLABE account number from a Mexican commercial bank to receive your guaranteed deposits by transfer.
You will receive a confirmation email on the same day that the account holder’s details are correctly registered.
The estimated processing time is 48 to 72 business hours, depending on the bank you have registered to receive the transfer. If you do not have another bank account in Mexico, you must go to a CIBanco branch or an IPAB office to file a physical Payment Request; bank accounts corresponding to a third party will not be accepted.
Notices like this were posted at CIBanco branches on Friday.
Deposits at CIBanco are protected by the IPAB for up to 400,000 Investment Units (UDIs) per person, equivalent to $3,424,262.40 pesos as of Friday.
IPAB cautioned that this coverage only applies to products considered insured deposits, provided they do not fall under the exclusion criteria established in the Bank Savings Protection Act (LPAB). The deadline to complete the liquidation procedure is one year, that is, by Oct. 13, 2026.
Those who do not receive their payment or believe the amount refunded is incorrect may submit a request or claim directly to IPAB offices.
However, people holding loans with CIBanco must continue making payments, even though the bank is in liquidation.
Click here for a list of the CIBanco branches that will remain open for inquiries, clarifications and requests for payment of secured obligations. They will not be providing financial transactions or services.
IPAB also announced that it does not cover deposits belonging to CIBanco Shareholders, members of the board of directors, representatives with administrative powers and general managers, although they still retain their right to file claims directly.
CIBanco will begin paying out insured deposits beginning on Monday, Oct. 13. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
The Governing Board of the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) soon thereafter ordered the temporary management intervention of CIBanco, Vector and Intercam.
After initially staving off sanctions in July, regulators imposed restrictions on the three companies’ international transfers, depositor withdrawals, and banking operations, prompting them to sell off assets in August.
Intended to be the crown jewel of Mexican hospitality, the Posada del Sol hotel fell into ruin — and eternal damnation. (Facebook)
On the corner of Avenida Niños Héroes and Calle Dr. J. Navarro looms a towering, derelict structure with a facade resembling a collage — different patterns of brick and tile punctuated by arched windows and iron-wrought balconies. As is the unfortunate fate of many abandoned buildings, it’s swarming in graffiti and shards of broken glass. It’s hard to imagine that 80 years ago, this crumbling edifice was set to be the world’s most extravagant hotel — only, it never was.
What’s the history behind (and beneath!) Posada del Sol, the architectural gem situated in the center of the Doctores neighborhood? More importantly, what’s its future?
A Spanish visionary’s idea for a Mexican marvel
Once a grandiose dream, today, the Posada del Sol lies abandoned. (Mas por Mas)
The year was 1945, and the Doctores neighborhood was growing, attracting working-class families and small business owners thanks to a central location and affordable housing. Originally called “Hidalgo,” the area became known as Doctores because almost all of its streets were named after famous physicians. It seemed to Spanish-bornengineer Fernando Saldaña Galvánthe ideal place to unleash his vision: a luxurious complex intended as a meeting place for artists and intellectuals, featuring more than 600 rooms, an auditorium, a chapel, theater, library, and swimming pool.
The building showcased a fusion of architectural styles — art deco, baroque, and neo-colonialdesign. The complex overtook more than half a block; fifteen buildings behind giant green gates housed gardens, patios, fountains, terraces, and brightly painted murals, not to mention Turkish baths and tea rooms.Local lore speaks of winding secret passages beneath the structure, perhaps serving as staff transport or,more enticingly, occult rituals. Like so much about Posada del Sol, their existence remains unverified. What is verified is a spectacular fountain created by Colombian artist Rómulo Rozo, which depicts a woman gazing at the universe. Roberto Cueva del Río, a Puebla artist commissioned by President Lázaro Cárdenas on several occasions, painted a scene from the constitutional signing of Apatzingán in 1814. Inside the garden is a stone plaque signed by Saldaña Galván himself, which reads “Considering the adverse circumstances during the execution of La Posada del Sol that there will be few men capable of projecting, building, and finishing it.” These words would seal the hotel’s fate — the Posada remained open to the public for just a few months.
From dream to nightmare
The hotel opened while construction was still being completed, though work would be totally suspended the same year of its inauguration. Saldaña Galván’s financial burden was overwhelming — some publications, like El Financiero, suggest that he once held a position in public office, which allowed him to obtain resources necessary to build it. This strategy ultimately proved insufficient in completing his ambitious vision.
The building was quickly expropriated by the government and, according to family relatives, Saldaña Galván fell into a deep depression. Details about his death in 1952 remain murky: some say his body was found hanging from a bell in the courtyard, directly in front of a San Francisco de Asís statue. Other legends take it a step further, claiming he murdered his wife and children before taking his own life. A factual explanation has yet to be released, though most agree that he committed suicide due to economic pressures. Interestingly enough, there are no published photos of Saldaña Galván to be found.
For about two decades, Posada del Sol would serve as various administrative headquarters before finally falling into neglect under the care of federal authorities in the late 1970s. Since then, the hotel has remained abandoned, possibly due to high restoration costs, structural concerns, and overall bureaucratic issues.
The corridors of the Posada del Sol don’t just hide the ruins of a failed dream… (Rolloid.net)
The ghost stories that define Posada del Sol
The abandoned halls of Posada del Sol have become a magnet for the macabre. Neighbors have claimed to hear screams at night, documentary filmmakers have reported unexplained shadows and feelings of being watched.
Among these tales, the little girl of room 103 has proven remarkably persistent.
During the 1960s, the Hotel Posada del Sol became the headquarters of IDECO, a community development and rural housing institution. Employees had access to a daycare center within the old hotel’s walls. Legend has it that one little girl went missing, and after several hours of investigation, her lifeless body was found in room 103. Another version of the same legend claims that the girl’s ghost is actually that of Fernando Saldaña’s daughter.
Whoever the unfortunate child might be, her spirit remains trapped in that room and anyone who dares to enter might encounter her ghost. The walls are adorned with cartoon drawings and cryptic messages, and in the back corner is an altar holding an antique girl’s dress and candies, toys, faded photographs, flowers, and candles. Visitors leave such offerings not out of the goodness of their hearts but rather out of fear: it’s believed that the girl curses those who explore the hotel ruins without leaving her a gift.
Further supporting the legend are the actors and production teams of “Yago”, a Mexican telanovela, and the sequel to “Km 31”, a Mexican horror flick. Some report having seen the girl appear in room 103, and others admitted fear kept them from going to the bathroom alone. Rumors swirl that in an attempt to keep the child “calm”, the production team created the aforementioned altar and continues its upkeep to this day.
KM31_2 - Tráiler Oficial
Modern attempts and the fate of the hotel
The history of Posada del Sol’s abandonment has been punctuated by repeated attempts at revival, each ending in failure. In 1998, local politicians tried to convert the premises into the Office of the Attorney General of Justice of the Federal District. Unfortunately, that plan never materialized.
It was subsequently contemplated that it would make a great headquarters for a Faro de Artes y Oficios (Arts and Crafts Workshop). But that idea never came to fruition, either. In January 2021, the Real Estate Heritage Committee of the Government of Mexico City donated the property in the Doctores neighborhood to the Universidad del Bienestar Benito Juárez to create the law school. The donation was announced by Claudia Sheinbaum, then the head of government of CDMX. Sheinbaum explained that the Building Safety Institute had to conduct a very thorough study to determine which parts could be demolished and which parts could be reconstructed.
Yet even this latest initiative appears stalled. Sheinbaum estimated that the new Law School would operate that same year. However, the Universidad del Bienestar portal indicates that renovation work has not yet been carried out at Posada del Sol. Until now, no definitive plans have been realized.
The building currently belongs to the Government of the capital and is used occasionally as a location for film productions, as well as a warehouse for confiscated furniture. Some believe it was the architect himself who sealed the building’s fate — by placing a curse on the premises before his death, he ensured his beloved posada would never be anything else. Today, the structure remains in oblivion, its future as uncertain as the legends that haunt its corridors.
Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog or follow her on Instagram.
The deep hues of Oaxaca's precious indigo are on full display as Anna Bruce explores a rural festival celebrating the dye. (Anna Bruce)
Indigo is a rich blue color. We are all familiar with it, as the blue of our denim jeans.The dye that creates this iconic color is derived from a tall leafy bush called jicalete, which grows on the coast of Oaxaca in the small village of Santiago Niltepec (meaning “Hill of Indigo”). The Spanish word for indigo is anil, which is likely the origin of the community’s name.
(Anna Bruce)
Indigo has been produced in Oaxaca since pre-Columbian times and has global historical significance, having been used in Africa, Egypt, India and Japan. It was typically used for ritual dress or royalty, as the color symbolizes wisdom, with a connection to a higher consciousness. As a pigment, it has been ascribed protective properties and even healing powers.
(Anna Bruce)
Commercial production in Niltepec began in the 18th century. With a growing interest in natural and sustainable dying practices over the past decade, production has seen a revival. This has been supported by local intervention (such as the Textile Museum of Oaxaca) and increasing demand for artisanal textiles worldwide.
(Anna Bruce)
The revival of production is officially celebrated during the annual Feria de Anil. This year the festival took place on Sep. 27th and 28th, with tour of production facilties, presentations about the history and significance of indigo and workshops hosted by local and visiting artists. The festival fosters a renewed sense of pride and opens up opportunities for knowledge exchange within the community. This year, I was lucky enough to attend.
(Anna Bruce)
Arriving in Niltepec, after a 7-hour bus ride from Oaxaca City, you are immediately hit with a wave of heat thick with stifling humidity, perfect conditions for the growing of this valuable crop. It takes approximately 200 kilograms of raw plant material to end up with one kilogram of the dye, a dried fermented paste made from the leaves, with a charcoal-like consistency. Due to the intensive process and low yield, the dried indigo is often referred to as ‘blue gold’. Currently, the value is around 3,500 pesos (US $190) per kilo.
The indigo grown in Oaxaca is a strain called Indigofera suffruticosa, native to the Americas. The plant grows in the rainy season, typically between May and September, and must be harvested before it flowers.
(Anna Bruce)
The harvesting of jicalite is done in the cooler hours before dawn. They are bound, cut with a scythe and loaded into ox-drawn carts. These carts can pass through the mud, unpassable by car following the intense rains in the region.
The plants must be processed before they dry out. If they dry out they lose their dying potency, which comes from the fresh indican in the leaves, which is the chemical precursor to the indigo dye.
(Anna Bruce)
Processing takes place in large man-made pools called ‘pilas’, which are often hundreds of years old. The ‘añileros’ load up the pilas with the fresh cut plants, pressing them into water and held down with a heavy wooden lattice. Over several hours the plant ferments, turning the liquid an acid yellow/green color.
(Anna Bruce)
Eventually, they open a valve to release the liquid into a secondary lower pool, which they agitate and aerate with paddles for several hours. After the fermentation they add the berry of the Gulaver plant to thicken the liquid into a mud-like substance. Often the ancient pilas are built along the river, under Gulaver trees.
(Anna Bruce)
In the afternoon, the indigo water is taken from the pila’s back to the añileros home. There it is strained through cheese cloth to remove the excess liquid, before the remaining paste is dried in the sun, often using old roof tiles.
We visited the home of añilero Manuel Valencia and his wife Lulu. While Manuel managed the harvest and work at the pila, Maestra Lula managed the drying stage of the indigo process.
(Anna Bruce)
After learning about the process of making the indigo dye, we walked to the town center, which was decorated for the annual fair. There we got to dye some of our own clothes, using a japanese inspired technique called ‘shibori’ to create a tye-dye effect.
(Anna Bruce)
To begin with, the dyeing liquid is still yellow-green. It is warm, but not boiling. The material must be carefully submerged to not agitate the water too much. The fabric only turns blue as it meets the air and the dye oxidises.
(Anna Bruce)
Walking though the center of Santiago Niltepec, you see women dressed in traditional clothing, a huipil and falda (skirt and blouse). But unlike the typical embroidered textiles from neighboring towns, the fabric of these huipils and faldas have been dyed a beautiful blue patterned with the shibori method, illustrating a fusion of historical practices with new traditions.
During the feria we met with Oaxacan artist Carolina Garza, founder of Hilos Flojos (loose threads). She was running a workshop during the festival in Niltepec. Back in Oaxaca City she also manages workshops, teaching the method of dying with indigo. If you are visiting Oaxaca and are interested in taking an Indigo workshop, contact Hilos Flojos.
Anna Bruce is an award-winning British photojournalist based in Oaxaca, Mexico. Just some of the media outlets she has worked with include Vice, The Financial Times, Time Out, Huffington Post, The Times of London, the BBC and Sony TV. Find out more about her work at her website or visit her on social media on Instagram or on Facebook.
It was 15 years ago in 2010 when Mexico joined France as the first two nations whose cuisine was honored by UNESCO. (Dassaev Téllez Adame/Cuartoscuro)
More than 100 chefs from around the world will converge in Cuernavaca, Morelos, next month for the 10th World Forum of Mexican Gastronomy, a milestone event celebrating the 15th anniversary of UNESCO having designated traditional Mexican cuisine as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Mole is one of those only-in-Mexico works of gastronomic art that’s bringing hundreds of chefs from around the world to Cuernavaca next month to indulge themselves in Mexican cuisine. (Facebook)
The lineup of roundtable discussions, lectures, intercultural workshops and culinary showcases will spotlight Michoacán as the guest of honor.
In 2010, Mexico and France were the first two nations whose cuisine was honored by UNESCO.
The upcoming extravaganza was announced this week in Mexico City by Morelos Governor Margarita González Saravia and national Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez Zamora.
Participants will include traditional cooks, specialists and producers from Mexico, the United States, France, Italy, Spain and several regions in Asia. One of the main goals, organizers stated, is to have a dialogue between the ancestral and the contemporary aspects of Mexican gastronomy.
The forum will also seek to promote the international reach of Mexican cuisine and recognize its role as a driver of social cohesion, community development and tourism.
This is the first time Cuernavaca will host the event, which is usually held in Mexico, but has also been staged in Milan, Italy last year and in Long Beach, California in 2018. Downtown venues will include the Palace of Cortés, Borba Garden and Emiliano Zapata Square.
The event falls within Morelos’ broader “Xochicalco, Land of Encounters” program of eight festivals from October through December. Those events are expected to receive over 60,000 visitors and generate an estimated 100 million pesos (US $5.4 million) during the final quarter of 2025, said Morelos Tourism Minister Daniel Altafi Valladades.
Cuernavaca already achieved a measure of gastronomic fame earlier this year for constructing the world’s longest taco acorazado. The regional specialty, which translates to “armored taco,” was 80 meters long — equivalent to 88 yards on a U.S. football field or six standard school buses placed end to end.
President Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that there is "confidence that resources are being used transparently and honestly" and thanked Mexicans for paying their taxes. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
At her Thursday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about her meeting on Wednesday with business leaders from 17 different countries and responded to a question about the government’s proposed name for a new train that will run from Mexico City to the northern border.
Early in the mañanera, Mexico’s finance minister provided an update on government revenue.
Sheinbaum presents Plan México to international business leaders
Sheinbaum acknowledged that she met on Wednesday with business leaders from various companies that are members of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Among the people who attended the National Palace meeting were WEF president and CEO Børge Brende, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff.
Sheinbaum said that the businesspeople requested to meet with Mexican government officials in Mexico.
“They requested meetings in Mexico and for [government] ministers to speak about what Plan México is,” she said.
“And they asked me if I could give them a talk about Plan México,” Sheinbaum added.
In a meeting with representatives of WEF member companies on Wednesday, the president and her government colleagues spoke about the strengths of the Mexican economy and about Plan México. (SE/X)
The president said that she and her government colleagues spoke on Wednesday about “the main strengths” of the Mexican economy, and about Plan México, its objectives, the future outlook for Mexico and the country’s relationship with the United States, Canada and other nations around the world.
She said that there was no aim to reach any kind of agreement with the WEF-affiliated business leaders. They just wanted to come to Mexico to learn about “our proposals and how we see things” as well as investment opportunities “in our country,” Sheinbaum said.
In a video she shared to social media, the president speaks to the business leaders about the Plan México objective to “produce more in Mexico for the internal market and also for exports.”
Sheinbaum also speaks about increasing Mexico’s “food sovereignty” and “energy sovereignty” and strengthening public and private investment.
Government revenue up 9.1% in first 9 months of 2025
Speaking shortly after the commencement of the mañanera, Finance Minister Édgar Amador Zamora thanked Mexico’s taxpayers for their contribution to public resources.
He reported that the government’s tax and non-tax revenue increased 9.1% annually in real terms in the first nine months of 2025 to reach 4.63 trillion pesos (US $251.7 billion).
According to Mexico’s finance minister, approximately 200 billion pesos can be attributed to improved revenue collection in the area of foreign trade. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
Amador pointed out that the amount is 542 billion pesos higher than government revenue between January and September last year.
“Of those 542 billion [pesos], practically 200 billion corresponds to improved revenue collection in the area of foreign trade — all the taxes linked to foreign trade,” he said, adding that the “fight against corruption” at points of entry to, and exit from, the country has helped boost income.
“Thanks to that … it has been possible to have very, very solid growth of public income, amid an economic context in which [GDP] growth has been a little more moderate,” Amador said.
Sheinbaum highlighted that tax collection has reached its highest level on record, “without [the government] really having increased taxes or duties.”
She also thanked Mexicans for paying their taxes.
“A big applause for all the Mexican women and men,” Sheinbaum said.
She said that the latest tax revenue figures show that there is “confidence that resources are being used transparently and honestly.”
Sheinbaum also asserted that 99.9% of Mexicans are complying with their tax obligations, even though Mexico has a large cash-dependent informal sector.
A reporter asked the president why the government planned to name the train that will run on the Mexico City-Nuevo Laredo railroad the “Gulf of Mexico” train “when it doesn’t have a connection with the Gulf of Mexico.”
“But it’s in the west,” Sheinbaum said, using the word occidente (west) when she apparently meant to say oriente (east).
The reporter asked Sheinbaum why she hadn’t asked residents of Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas their opinion on the matter when she delivered speeches in those states during her recent nationwide “accountability tour.”
“Do the citizens of the northeast have no voice or vote in this matter?” the reporter probed.
“Even you’re laughing at the question,” Sheinbaum noted before breaking into laughter herself.
“We can do a [public] consultation to determine what to call the trains,” said the president, whose administration is building a range of rail projects in Mexico.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
