Automotive manufacturing in Mexico has its best July in 7 years

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August 7, 2024

A red Chevy Silverado pickup truck in a productin line inside a factory — Mexico's auto exports to the U.S. have surged over the past decade. (Guanajuato Puerto Interior)

More than 300,000 light vehicles were manufactured in Mexico last month, the highest total for July in seven years, according to official data.

The national statistics agency INEGI reported Tuesday that 302,309 cars and light trucks (including SUVs and pickups) rolled off production lines in July, a 2.7% increase compared to the same month of 2023.

It was just the third time ever that light vehicle exports exceeded 270,000 units in the month of July. (Cuartoscuro)

General Motors produced the most vehicles in Mexico last month, followed by Nissan, Volkswagen and Stellantis.

While production increased on an annual basis in July, light vehicle exports decreased 1.56%, according to INEGI. A total of 271,469 units were shipped abroad, down from 275,765 in July 2023.

Odracir Barquera, general director of the Mexican Automotive Industry Association, attributed the small decline in exports to a downturn in the automotive market in the United States.

On a positive note, it was just the third time ever that light vehicle exports exceeded 270,000 units in the month of July.

Mexico on track to have a record year for vehicle production

In the first seven months of 2024, light vehicle production increased 4.9% to 2.29 million, according to INEGI. If production continues at the same pace in the final five months of the year, close to 4 million light vehicles will be manufactured in Mexico in 2024. That would be a record high.

Just over three-quarters of all light vehicles made in Mexico between January and July were light trucks, while just under one-quarter were cars.

Cars to be exported — Exports of light vehicles increased 8.44% in the first seven months of 2024 to reach 1.98 million units. (Shutterstock)

Exports up more than 8% this year

Despite the slight decrease in July, exports of light vehicles increased 8.44% in the first seven months of 2024 to reach 1.98 million units.

Almost 80% of those vehicles were shipped to the United States. The next biggest export markets for Mexican-made vehicles were Canada, Germany and Brazil.

GM is the top auto producer and exporter in Mexico

Production

Detroit-based General Motors made more than 503,000 light vehicles in Mexico in the first seven months of the year, a 22.5% increase compared to the same period last year.

The company has plants in Toluca, México state; Silao, Guanajuato; Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila; and San Luis Potosí city.

The next biggest manufacturers of light vehicles in Mexico between January and July were:

Nissan: almost 383,000 units, a 9% annual increase.
Stellantis: more than 248,000 units, an 8.8% annual decline.
Volkswagen: more than 232,000 units, a 24.1% annual increase.
Ford: more than 227,000 units, a 4.7% increase.

Honda recorded the largest year-over-year production increase. The Japanese company’s Mexico output increased 24.8% to more than 117,000 units between January and July.

Toyota recorded the largest annual decrease in production. It made just over 123,000 vehicles in the first seven months of the year, a 23.5% decline compared to the same period of 2023.

Exports

GM exported more than 458,000 Mexican-made vehicles in the first seven months of the year, a 17.5% annual increase.

The next biggest exporters of Mexican-made vehicles were:

Nissan: more than 266,000 units, a 25.6% annual increase.
Ford: almost 230,000 units, an 11.9% increase.
Stellantis: more than 215,000 units, a 13.7% annual decrease.
Volkswagen: more than 188,000 units, a 29.4% increase.

Honda recorded the largest year-over-year increase in exports. It shipped more than 129,000 units abroad between January and July, a 72.3% increase compared to the same period of last year.

General Motors' Silao' manufacturing plant, where workers secured a 10% pay increase — General Motors saw a 17.5% annual increase in its auto exports from Mexico. (General Motors)

Audi recorded the biggest annual decline in exports. The German company, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, shipped just over 80,000 light vehicles out of Mexico, a 26.4% decline compared to the first seven months of 2023.

Vehicle sales in Mexico up 12% this year

INEGI reported that 833,411 light vehicles were sold in Mexico between January and July, a 12.03% increase compared to the same period of 2023.

Nissan was the most popular brand among Mexican consumers, followed by General Motors, Volkwagen, Toyota and KIA.

A total of 73,466 vehicles made by Chinese companies — Chirey, MG, Great Wall Motor, JAC and Motornation — were sold in Mexico in the first seven months of the year. Chinese vehicles thus accounted for 8.8% of total light vehicle sales in Mexico between January and July.

JAC is the only Chinese company that currently makes vehicles in Mexico, but some others, including major electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, have announced plans to open plants here.

Green vehicle sales surge 80%

According to Guillermo Rosales, president of the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors, 65,232 hybrid and electric vehicles were sold in Mexico in the first seven months of the year, an 80.2% increase compared to the same period of 2023.

Electric vehicles accounted for 23% of all green vehicle sales, while hybrids and plug-in hybrids accounted for 70.7% and 6.1%, respectively.

With reports from El Economista and El Financiero

Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada to stand trial in NYC courthouse

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MND Staff

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August 7, 2024

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The Brooklyn courthouse where "El Mayo" Zambada will stand trial. (Wikimedia Commons)

Alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García will soon be sent to New York to stand trial in the same Brooklyn courthouse where Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera was convicted in 2019, according to The New York Times.

Zambada, 76, is currently in El Paso, Texas, where he pleaded not guilty to crimes including drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder.

He was arrested on July 25 after flying into an airport near El Paso with Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons. Guzmán López, who was also detained, pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges during an appearance in federal court in Chicago last week.

Citing “four people familiar with the situation,” The New York Times reported Tuesday that the U.S. Justice Department decided to transfer Zambada to Brooklyn to stand trial.

Therefore, the Times said, he will face trial in the same federal courthouse where Guzmán Loera was convicted on drug trafficking charges in February 2019. El Chapo, who founded the Sinaloa Cartel with Zambada and others, was sentenced to life in prison in July 2019 and subsequently transferred to the Florence Supermax facility in Colorado.

The Times said that federal prosecutors in El Paso “vehemently sought” to keep the case against Zambada in Texas. Still, the Justice Department opted to send the suspect to Brooklyn “because they felt the case there was strong and they were concerned about the security issues involved in pursuing charges against a major Mexican drug lord so close to the border.”

Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez with photos of El Mayo and López Guzmán in the background — Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez asked the U.S. government to provide an official report on what it knew about the arrest. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

The newspaper said its sources also noted that some of the prosecutors involved in Guzmán Loera’s trial have agreed to prosecute Zambada’s case. In addition, the presiding judge in El Chapo’s trial, Brian Cogan, is “well versed in the issues surrounding the prosecution,” The Times said.

The newspaper said it was unclear when Zambada would be transferred to Brooklyn.

Citing three unnamed sources, The Times also reported that Zambada was “lured” from a mountaintop hide-out to the Sinaloa capital of Culiacán, where he “believed he was going to help one of El Chapo’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán López, mediate a dispute between two local politicians.”

“Instead, he was ambushed, muscled onto a plane and flown across the border to a small regional airport near El Paso, where agents from the F.B.I. and Homeland Security Investigations were waiting for him,” The Times said.

Zambada’s lawyer, Frank Perez, said in late July that Guzmán López “forcibly kidnapped” his client, “forced” him onto a plane and took him to the United States “against his will.”

The United States government hasn’t made any public statement clarifying how Zambada and Guzmán López came to be arrested on July 25.

Mexico’s Federal Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said Tuesday that the Mexican government expected to receive “a complete report” on the arrests of the two men by the end of this week.

The lawyers for both Zambada and Guzmán López have said that their clients didn’t enter into any kind of agreement with U.S. authorities prior to their arrest.

However, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Tuesday that Guzmán López — an alleged member of the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel — had been negotiating with the U.S. government and “apparently” reached a deal.

With reports from The New York Times

Sinaloa Cartel’s Joaquín Guzmán López made surrender agreement with brother Ovidio

By

MND Staff

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August 6, 2024

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Rosa Icela Rodriguez standing at a podium behind a large display screen that says "fortalecimiento de la justicia" — Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodíiguez, who told reporters about the agreement between the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Tuesday, said that Mexico still doesn't have enough details about the arrest from United States authorities (lopezobrador.org)

Accused drug trafficker Joaquín Guzmán López turned himself in to United States authorities after reaching an agreement with his imprisoned brother Ovidio Guzmán López to surrender, Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said Tuesday.

Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, and alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García were arrested in the United States on July 25 after arriving at an airport near El Paso, Texas.

Landed, open small private plane in background with U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents approaching it — Wanted Sinaloa Cartel leaders Joaquín Guzmán López and Ismael Zambada were arrested apparently without incident after landing at a private El Paso, Texas, airport on July 25, which has fueled speculation as to whether one or both of them made a deal to surrender to U.S. authorities. (Department of Homeland Security)

Rodríguez told President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s morning press conference “there was an agreement between the people who are in prison and the people who are free” before Guzmán López arrived in the United States.

“There was an agreement between them for … [their] respective surrender,” she said.

When asked whether she was referring to Joaquín and Ovidio Guzmán, she said she was without making any mention of Zambada or any other person.

Ovidio Guzmán was captured in Culiacán, Sinaloa, in January 2023 and extradited last September to the United States, where he faces drug trafficking charges.

Rodríguez said last week that the United States government had provided a report to the Mexican government in which it said it was informed on several occasions that Joaquín Guzmán López was considering handing himself in to U.S. authorities. However, Guzmán “had never concretized said intention,” Rodríguez said, indicating that there was no deal between the suspect and the United States.

Close-up photo of Joaquin Guzman Lopez in a office with several U.S. flags positioned in various places — Joaquín Guzmán López, seen here in this photo taken by US authorities sometime after his arrest, pleaded not guilty in U.S. court to drug trafficking and other charges. it is not clear how his surrender would benefit either him or his brother Ovidio. (Internet)

How Joaquín and Ovidio could benefit from an agreement with each other but without the involvement of United States authorities is unclear. López Obrador’s morning press conference ended as reporters sought to extract more information from Rodríguez.

Earlier in the presser, López Obrador said that “the United States government itself has acknowledged that it carried out a negotiation with at least one of the two people.”

He confirmed he was referring to Joaquín Guzmán rather than Zambada.

“That is what they informed us and there hasn’t been more information. We’re waiting for them to tell us [more]. What we’re sure about is that the armed forces of Mexico didn’t intervene,” López Obrador said.

“… Apparently there was an agreement between the authorities of the United States government and these people,” he said without clarifying whether he was referring to Joaquín and Ovidio Guzmán, or Joaquín Guzmán and Zambada.

That remark is at odds with the United States statement to Mexico — as revealed by Rodríguez last week — that Joaquín Guzmán “never concretized” his intention to surrender to U.S. authorities.

Ovidio Guzmán on his way to the US — Joaquín Guzmán López’s brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, also a major figure in the Sinaloa Cartel, in January 2023, when he was extradited to the U.S. (Cuartoscuro)

It is also contrary to a declaration by Guzmán López’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, that his client does not have a deal with United States authorities.

“We’ve got no agreement with the government. There has never been an agreement with the government with Joaquín Guzmán López. Period,” Lichtman said after Guzmán López pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges during an appearance in federal court in Chicago last week.

Zambada, who is said to have founded the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo and others in the 1980s, also pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces in the United States, among which are counts of drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping and money laundering.

His lawyer, Frank Perez, alleged that Guzmán López “forcibly kidnapped” Zambada before he was put on a plane bound for the United States.

He also said his client “neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the U.S. government.”

The circumstances that led to Zambada’s arrest remain murky, but U.S. officials who spoke to The New York Times supported the version of events put forward by Perez.

#FBI Director Wray highlights how today’s arrest of two alleged cartel leaders by the FBI and DEA is made possible through the strength of our partnerships and shared mission of keeping Americans safe. pic.twitter.com/zHasG6wP25

— FBI (@FBI) July 26, 2024

The FBI and DEA took credit for Guzmán López’s arrest in a July 25 post. Guzmán López’s lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman has said that there was no deal between Guzmán López and the U.S. government in exchange for his surrender.

Rodríguez said Tuesday that the Mexican government expects to receive “a complete report” on the arrests of Guzmán López and Zambada by the end of this week.

“We’ve been working well in collaboration with them. And we don’t want so much information either,” she said, noting that the Mexican government is only seeking details about “the arrival of the flight” in the United States and the subsequent “surrender or capture” of the two alleged cartel operatives.

“That is what we want,” Rodríguez said.

Mexico News Daily

Reporter murdered in Celaya while under police protection

By

MND Staff

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August 6, 2024

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People sitting surrounded by flower arrangements, photos and lit candles at funeral services for murdered journalist Alejandro Martinez — Friends and family at Alejandro Martínez's home in Celaya, where funeral services for the murdered reporter were held Monday. (Diego Costa/Cuartoscuro)

A reporter was murdered in Celaya, Guanajuato, on Sunday while under police protection, becoming the third journalist to have been killed in Mexico so far this year.

Alejandro Martínez Noguez, a crime reporter known as “El Hijo del Llanero Solitito” (The Son of the Lone Ranger), was shot in the head and body while in the back seat of a municipal police vehicle. He succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

Two bodyguards were also injured in the attack, which occurred on a stretch of Federal Highway 45 between Villagrán and Celaya. Gunmen shot at the 57-year-old journalist and the police officers tasked with protecting him from another vehicle. A woman traveling in another vehicle with her husband also sustained a bullet wound and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Martínez’s bodyguards reportedly returned fire, but apparently didn’t injure the aggressors.

The Guanajuato Attorney General’s Office said in a social media post on Sunday afternoon that an investigation into the murder was underway. No arrests were reported.

Prior to the attack, Martínez reported on the death of a pedestrian who was hit by a car on a section of highway in Villagrán. He live-streamed his report from the scene of the accident on his Facebook page, which has 345,000 followers.

People outside the murdered reporter's home in Celaya, Guanajuato — The reporter was murdered in Celaya on Sunday, and a wake held at his home in the city on Monday. (DIEGO COSTA/CUARTOSCURO.COM)

Martínez signed off with the following remarks:

“I’ll leave you here friends. Thank you for the great favor of your attention and for putting up with the nonsense I say. … As I always ask you, eat fruit and vegetables and remember my passion is gossip. See you soon.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based non-governmental organization, condemned the killing of Martínez in an article posted to its website.

“Mexican authorities must act immediately to find and arrest the killers of Alejandro Martínez Noguez, whose death underscores the dangers journalists face in the city of Celaya and its environs,” said CPJ Mexico Representative Jan-Albert Hootsen.

“His shooting while under police protection is a shocking example of the dangers facing journalists trying to keep the Mexican public informed about what is happening in their country.”

CPJ and Amnesty International said in March that “eight journalists have been killed while enrolled in Mexico’s Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists in the last seven years, a figure that highlights the urgent need to strengthen and reform the institution.”

Martínez survived an attempt on his life in 2022

Martínez was targeted in an armed attack outside his Celaya home on Nov. 29, 2022, but survived. He subsequently accepted an offer of police protection from Celaya Mayor Javier Mendoza Márquez.

Guanajuato Governor Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo said that Martínez specifically asked to be protected by traffic police officers, explaining that he “trusted” that unit of the Celaya municipal police force.

In light of his murder, he said he had asked his government secretary Jesús Oviedo to review the effectiveness of protection protocols provided to journalists, and to look at how state authorities can better protect those who face threats related to their work.

At least four reporters have been murdered in Guanajuato — Mexico’s most violent state in terms of total homicides — since Rodríguez took office in September 2018.

The El Universal newspaper reported that Martínez — who worked as a journalist for more than three decades — sometimes wore a jacket emblazoned with the words, “No dispares, soy periodista,” or “Don’t shoot, I’m a journalist.”

Celaya is a notoriously violent city

There were 351 homicides in Celaya during the 12 months to the end of June, according to the crime statistics website elcri.men. That made Celaya the 40th most violent municipality based on per-capita murders over the past year.

Gisela Gaytán, selected as the Morena party’s candidate for the June 2 mayoral election in Celaya, was murdered in April. Gaytán didn’t have government protection even though she asked for it.

Gisela Gaytán, mayoral candidate — Gisela Gaytán, 37, was a candidate for mayor of Celaya, Guanajuato, who was murdered in April. (Gisela Gaytán/Facebook)

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel are involved in a long-running turf war in Guanajuato that has led to increase violence in various municipalities including Celaya.

There were shootouts and narco-blockades in the city in January following the arrest of three suspected members of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel. Last December, five young men were found dead inside an abandoned car in a Celaya neighborhood.

Twenty-one police officers were killed in the municipality in 2023, according to the organization Causa en Común, and at least 18 more have been murdered so far this year.

Feds say 3 journalists have been killed in Mexico this year

Deputy Security Minister Luis Rodríguez Bucio told President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Tuesday morning press conference that Martínez was the third journalist to have been murdered in Mexico in 2024.

Víctor Culebro, director of the news website Realidades, was found dead in Chiapas in late June, while Roberto Carlos Figueroa, a journalist in Morelos, was kidnapped and killed in late April.

The body of another journalist, Víctor Manuel Jiménez Campos, was found in Villagrán, Guanajuato, in June. The last time he was seen alive was at a baseball game in Celaya in November 2020. The federal government is apparently not counting his death among the murders of journalists in 2024.

Luis Rodríguez Bucio at the morning press conference — Deputy Security Minister Rodríguez Bucio said Martínez is the third journalist to be killed in Mexico this year. (Cuartoscuro)

Since López Obrador took office in December 2018, 47 journalists have been murdered in Mexico, according to press freedom advocacy organization Article 19.

Before the June 2 presidential election, now President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum signed a letter prepared by Reporters Without Borders in which she pledged to “guarantee the full protection of journalists” and “fight against impunity” in crimes committed against them.

López Obrador, a frequent critic of the press, has been accused by Article 19 of using “stigmatizing discourse” against the media that heightens the risks journalists face in their work and which could “even generate attacks.”

With reports from El Universal, El País, El Financiero, Expansión and Reforma

Mexico’s Marco Verde poised to take boxing gold at Olympics

By

MND Staff

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August 6, 2024

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Boxer Marco Verde taking a punch at boxer Lewis Richardson at the 2024 Olympics semifinals in the 67kg division — Mexico's Marco Verde, left, won his chance for Olympic gold-medal glory by defeating Brit Lewis Richardson, right, in the 71 kg category on Tuesday. (Mexico Olympic Committee)

Mexican boxer Marco Verde advanced to the Olympics welterweight gold medal match Tuesday by edging out Great Britain’s Lewis Richardson in a closely contested bout in the 71 kg division.

Verde won the first and third rounds to earn a 3-2 split decision, outboxing the taller Richardson, whose right jab proved problematic for the 22-year-old from Mazatlán. Verde countered Richardson’s height advantage with quick combinations, landing lefts to the head throughout the match.

Boxer Marco Verde standing with his arms outstretched in front of coaches with a Mexican flag in the background — Verde could become only the third boxer in Olympic history to win a gold medal for Mexico. (Mexico Olympic Committee)

The Mexican advances to the Olympics’ gold medal match on Friday, where he will face Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev of Uzbekistan. He’ll now be going for Mexico’s third-ever gold in the men’s Olympic sport.

Muydinkhujaev defeated Omari Jones of the United States in a controversial split decision in the other semifinal on Tuesday. Jones and Richardson will end the Games with bronze medals.

Verde had already clinched Mexico’s 14th Olympic boxing medal when he defeated India’s Nishant Dev 4-1 to reach the semifinals.

Mexico has enjoyed considerable success in “the sweet science” at the Olympics, competing in all but one Olympiad since 1928, missing only the 1956 Melbourne Games. Boxers are behind only divers in the number of Olympic medals won.

Verde’s medal is the first-ever for Mexico in the welterweight category. Mexico’s previous Olympic boxing medals came in the bantamweight (four), flyweight (three), featherweight (two), middleweight (two), lightweight (one) and heavyweight (one) divisions.

Verde — winner of a gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games — is the first Mexican boxer to win an Olympic medal since Misael Rodríguez came home from the 2016 Rio Games with a bronze medal in the middleweight division (75kg).

Graphic showing Olympic medals Mexico has won in men's boxing — Mexico has had a respectable history at the Olympics when it comes to men’s boxing, although it has garnered mostly bronze medals. Its two gold medals occurred at home, when Mexico hosted the Olympics. (The Olympian Database/Mexico News Daily)

Before Tuesday’s match, Verde received a message of support from Mexico’s Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, considered one of the best boxers in the world today.

Álvarez, who has held multiple world championships in four weight classes since turning professional in 2005 at the age of 15, expressed his support for Verde in a video he posted on social media: “Congratulations, Marco Verde. Let’s go for the gold! We are 100% behind you. Courage, brother!”

Verde is following in the footsteps of his father, Manuel “Sammy” Verde, who was a member of Mexico’s Olympic boxing team at the 1992 Barcelona Games. “Sammy” fought in the light heavyweight division (81kg), losing his opening match to Frenchman Patrice Aouissi.

With reports from El Financiero, Debate, ESPN and Aristegui Noticias

Beat the leftover piles with this shepherd’s pie al pastor recipe

By

Stephen Randall

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August 6, 2024

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Shepherds pie al pastor — British comfort food meets Mexican taco heaven with this great fusion recipe. (Shutterstock)

You open the fridge the day after a party and it’s like a crime scene of leftovers. There’s a mountain of al pastor meat looking at you like, “Well, what now?” Sure, you could just eat tacos for the next three days straight, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, channel your inner culinary wizard and whip up something unique. Let’s make some al pastor shepherd’s pie.

This recipe works because it takes that leftover al pastor and turns it into something you’d actually brag about. The smoky, sweet meat teams up with creamy mashed potatoes, making you feel like you’ve upgraded from the after-party fridge raid to a gourmet meal. Plus, you can throw in black beans and corn, not just for the fiber but because it adds a nice crunch and a pop of color.

Too much of Mexico’s best taco filling? Fear not, we have the answer. (Denis Schrader/Unsplash)

Let’s face it, repurposing leftovers can often feel like culinary déjà vu, but this dish turns it into a brand-new adventure. It’s the perfect way to convince yourself — and anyone else you’re feeding — that you’re not just reheating yesterday’s leftover party.

Mexican Al Pastor Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

For the filling:

2 cups al pastor meat, chopped
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned corn, drained
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

For the mashed potato topping:

4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup milk
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and bell pepper and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the chopped leftover al pastor meat, black beans and corn to the skillet. Stir to combine.

Season with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until everything is heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.

@elicita13 Shepherd’s pie o el pastel del pastor. #lovecooking #wintervibes #cookingformyself ♬ original sound – Genime Capino Hechanova

In a large pot, boil the diced potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.
Add the milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Mash until smooth. Stir in the shredded cheese.
In the cast iron skillet or a large baking dish, spread the al pastor, beans, and corn mixture evenly on the bottom.

Top with the mashed potatoes, spreading them evenly over the filling. Use a fork to create a decorative pattern on the surface if you’re feeling fancy.
Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.

Let the shepherd’s pie cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro or a squeeze of lime juice if desired.

This Mexican al pastor shepherd’s pie is the perfect way to elevate your leftovers from last night. Why just zap that al pastor in the microwave when you can be a gourmet chef? Try it and let me know what you think!

Stephen Randall has lived in Mexico since 2018 by way of Kentucky, and before that, Germany. He’s an enthusiastic amateur chef who takes inspiration from many different cuisines, with favorites including Mexican and Mediterranean.

Getting around on foot: the good, the bad, the slippery

By

Sarah DeVries

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August 6, 2024

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973257_Altas temperaturas-1_impreso — Avoid slips, trips, falls and spills when out on the streets thanks to our expert advice. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

It’s true: in many parts of Mexico, you really don’t need a car. Not like you do in most of the U.S., anyway. It’s also true that walking in Mexico can present some unexpected hazards. But never fear, friends! I am here to help you prepare.

From car dependence to freedom

When I first moved to Mexico at the age of 20, I had never owned a car. I’d also done precious little driving, and as a result was one of the least-mobile people in my peer group.

Mel Gibson in Braveheart — This is an actual, real photo of Mexico News Daily’s Sarah DeVries discovering car-free life in Mexico (Editor’s note: are you sure this is right?!). (Paramount Pictures)

In Texas — not a state known for its great public transport system — this was a handicap and source of frustration. You weren’t getting anywhere without a car.

At my small Midwestern college things were easier, as everything I needed was on campus. Still, I’d have to depend on a friend’s generosity to get anywhere off campus. This was fine, but sometimes I just wanted to be able to get up and go without having to make a bunch of arrangements first.

Mexico, then, was a downright paradise. It offered me a kind of independence, even in an urban setting, that I’d never experienced before. I felt like Dorothy, walking out into a technicolor world.

No car? Meh. No need.

Why it’s different

Downtown Teul, Zacatecas, Mexico — Mexican cities are smaller and much more walkable than their American counterparts. (John Pint)

If you’re from the United States or Canada and newly arrived in Mexico, you’ll likely be struck by how many people are on the street. Lots of people walk to lots of places! It’s something you never see in Texas where we barely even have sidewalks in non-residential areas.

The short explanation is that most parts of most Mexican cities don’t have U.S. style zoning laws. This means that — imagine this! — you can usually find almost everything you need right in your neighborhood. Small convenience stores with all the basics, bakeries, maybe even laundromats and taco stands. All within walking distance!

If you want to drive places to get these things you can, but it’s certainly not necessary. And if you don’t have a car, buses are usually plentiful and taxis, depending on where you are, are relatively affordable.

The nuts and bolts of moving around

That said, you’re going to need some practice getting around the urban landscape if it’s not something you grew up doing.

Caution: Not as easy as it looks. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)

And I am here as well, my friends, to impart a bit of wisdom that will hopefully keep you accident-free! So get ready to be… less prone to accidents. It doesn’t sound sexy, but being in a hospital is even less sexy.

Remember that sidewalks and streets come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the shapes are holes. Some of the sizes are big. Sometimes there’s a sudden incline, and sometimes the incline is only on one part. Just trust me: you’ll want to keep your eyes focused on the ground as you plod around. If you’re tall, glance up every once in a while too — there are opportunities to hit your head a plenty!

Try not to be too grouchy about it: pretend you’re in a video game! Every obstacle dodged is a point.

You’re going to need some comfortable shoes with good traction. I cannot stress this enough. How many times have I nearly slipped and seen my life flash before my eyes?

Too many.

Cars are cars (and sometimes on top of cars?) – so watch out for errant traffic. Just because you’ve seen them doesn’t mean they’ve seen you. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)

Surfaces can be slick for any number of reasons. It could be from rain, or just from soapy concrete. People wash the concrete outside of their homes and businesses, which at first I thought was super weird and now I appreciate. A dog peed there? No worries — the evidence is gone! Sometimes too, garages are inexplicably “paved” in… tile? Tile is slippery anyway but especially when it’s wet. Be ready.

Cars are still cars. While cars are more accustomed to pedestrian traffic here than in other places, you still need to be cautious.

So look both ways before crossing the street, even if it’s a one-way street. If you’re about to pass in front of a garage or an entrance, peek around the corner first. Remember too that streets are narrow, and it’s very possible a car will pass a mere foot from your walking body. Careful not to step off without looking!

Drivers are distracted these days, and infrastructure can’t be counted on to keep you safe. And for goodness sake, take a pedestrian bridge if one’s offered.

And remember: if you get tired, or just plain fed up, public transportation is there for you.

Unlike in Texas.

Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com.

Viva Aerobus increases flights and routes to the US

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MND Staff

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August 6, 2024

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Since Mexico recovered its Category 1 aviation safety status in 2023, Mexican airlines have added new services and routes to the U.S. (Shutterstock)

Low-cost Mexican carrier Viva Aerobus is launching several new non-stop flights from Guadalajara and Monterrey to cities around the U.S. starting later this year.

The announcement comes almost a year after the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reinstated Mexico’s Category 1 aviation safety rating, more than two years after it was downgraded to Category 2. Since the return of the Category 1 status, Mexican airlines have added multiple new services and routes to the U.S.

¡Guadalajara, Guadalajaraaa! Prepárate para despegar 🎤🎺🎶 Así como lo leíste, los tapatíos tendrán 8 nuevas rutas nacionales e internacionales saliendo desde Guadalajara. Conócelas y vuela a partir de diciembre 2024. ✈️🧳 ¡Conoce más! 👉 https://t.co/DpNXx5P5s7 pic.twitter.com/ZTdItufpEu

— Viva Aerobus (@VivaAerobus) July 31, 2024

Here is the complete list of Viva Aerobus’ latest flights and frequencies between the two countries.

From Guadalajara, Jalisco

Starting in December, Viva Aerobus will connect Guadalajara with the following cities in the U.S.

Oakland, with one daily flight.

San Antonio, with four weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Las Vegas, with four weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Dallas, with four weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Juan Carlos Zuazua, CEO of Viva Aerobus, said these new routes will strengthen the airline’s presence in the U.S. and Mexico. Moreover, it will “position Guadalajara as a first-class destination thanks to its remarkable air connectivity that facilitates access to its historical and cultural wealth.”

In addition to these international routes, Viva Aerobus also announced new domestic flights from Guadalajara to Mexicali, Puerto Escondido, Ciudad Obregón and Torreón.

From Monterrey, Nuevo León

Starting in November, Viva Aerobus will increase flights to the following destinations in the U.S.

Chicago, from four weekly flights to one daily flight.

Oakland/San Francisco, from two to three weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

San Antonio, from one daily flight to three daily flights.

It will also increase the number of flights from Monterrey to the Mexican cities of Oaxaca, Querétaro, Los Mochis, Ciudad Obregón and Mexicali.

Airlines increase profits despite setbacks

According to the newspaper El Financiero, Viva Aerobus and competitor Volaris accumulated profits this year, despite setbacks related to engine overhaul issues and capacity reduction at Mexico City International Airport (AICM).

The report states that both airlines reported a joint profit of US $846 million from January to June 2024, compared to US $605 million of net profit last year.

With reports from El Financiero and Reporte Índigo

Tijuana fire demonstrates how not to charge your Tesla car

By

MND Staff

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August 6, 2024

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Tesla car in Tijuana next to a gutted building on fire. — The Tesla Model S was reportedly illegally connected to an electricity pole in a Tijuana residential neighborhood. (Omar Martinez/Cuartoscuro)

Word to the wise: after spending US $70,000 or more to buy a new Tesla Model S, don’t hook it up to an electricity pole in Tijuana to charge it.

That’s exactly what someone did this week, causing a fire Monday morning in the Baja California residential neighborhood that torched an adjacent house and severely damaged the performance-oriented electric vehicle.

There were no injuries, according to officials.

“This is something unusual that we are experiencing for the first time — seeing a Tesla on fire,” said Arturo Sánchez, a coordinator of the Tijuana Fire Department that responded to the blaze.

Social media users were a little less diplomatic about the illegal hookup that caused the fire.

“And what was a Tesla doing in that unpaved neighborhood?” wrote one person. Another said that an illegal hookup to power “Señora Pelo’s little stand with a light bulb and two fryers” is one thing; trying to charge a Tesla is another.

According to preliminary reports from the fire department, the vehicle was stealing power from a public power pole by using an unauthorized and risky connection — known in Mexico by the slang name diablito, or little devil.

Some suspicious-looking connections on utility poles in Mexico City. In 2021, the federal government estimated that Mexico’s national power company, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) loses about US $2.5 billion a year to illegal hookups. (File photo)

Frequently used at construction sites in Mexico before the Federal Electricity Commission has given a building zone power lines and by individuals seeking to avoid electricity bills, a diablito can lead to overloaded circuits, dangerous connections, fires and even electrocution.

In 2021, the federal government estimated that the Federal Electricity Commission loses 50 billion pesos (US $2.5 billion) a year to electricity theft.

According to most media reports, the incident occurred in Tijuana’s Lázaro Cárdenas neighborhood, close to the border between Mexico and the United States, although at least one report placed it near Lázaro Cárdenas Avenue, which is further south in the city.

Sánchez said a fire in a Tesla or any electric vehicle can be extremely challenging for firefighters for two reasons: A large amount of water is needed to extinguish the flames in a car laden with batteries that store power. Plus, in this case, the car was directly connected to high-voltage electricity.

The firefighter noted that his department has been offering training on how to fight fires in such vehicles. Nowadays, he said, “It is essential to know how.”

Sánchez noted that the house that caught fire was uninhabited and that the fire was contained quickly to prevent spreading to other homes. No fatalities or injuries were reported.

It was unknown if the car was a total loss, but it is certain that it was severely damaged.

Several news outlets reported the Tesla belonging to an American tourist, and one, the newspaper La Jornada, wondered why he or she made the illegal hookup “since in Tijuana there are charging stations for electric vehicles.”

Tesla has been in the Mexican news often in recent months, mainly due to CEO Elon Musk announcing it has “paused” its gigafactory project in Nuevo León, but also due to viral photos of a Tesla Model 3 being crushed by a huge, stone-carved Olmec head (not really).

With reports from El Universal, Infobae and La Jornada

Korean cable manufacturer breaks ground on 2 plants in Querétaro

By

MND Staff

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August 6, 2024

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LS Cable & System is one of the world’s largest cable producers. (Liliana San Martín Castillo)

Korean company LS Cable & System and its Mexican subsidiary LS EV México broke ground on two plants in the central state of Querétaro.

The new facilities will require an investment totaling US $100 million and will create 500 specialized jobs in manufacturing over the next three years.

Marco Del Prete, Querétaro's sustainable development minister, noted that the manufacture of components for EVs contributes to the state’s decarbonization goals. — Marco Del Prete, Querétaro’s sustainable development minister, noted that the manufacture of components for EVs contributes to the state’s decarbonization goals. (@mdelprete/X)

LS Cable & System is one of the world’s largest cable producers, manufacturing products for power and telecommunications systems, integrated modules and other related industrial materials.

Querétaro Governor Mauricio Kuri González, who participated in the groundbreaking ceremony, celebrated the company’s investment and the cutting-edge technology it will bring to the state.

According to Marco Antonio Del Prete Tercero, head of Querétaro’s Sustainable Development Ministry (Sedesu), LS Cable’s plant will manufacture cables for use in submarine, automotive and optical fiber systems. Meanwhile, LS EV México’s plant will focus on manufacturing energy storage components, systems and batteries for electric vehicles.

LS Cable & System CEO Bon Kyu Koo said that the company is expanding its business to play a leading role in the era of electrification. The plants, he said, will be an important production base for the battery components industry and boost duct industry.

Regarding the boost duct industry, Kyu Koo explained LS Cable & System supplies parts to EV, battery and semiconductor manufacturers as well as high-rise buildings and data centers. The industry is expected to rapidly grow, Koo said, due to the expansion of the data center market.

In his speech, Del Prete added that producing components for EVs contributes to the state’s decarbonization goals. In keeping with this purpose, he’s committed to educating local talent. The Polytechnic University of Querétaro and the Polytechnic University of Santa Rosa Jáuregui are now equipped with training and research laboratories to manage and maintain electric batteries in electromobility, embedded systems and software.

According to Governor Kuri, South Korea is Querétaro’s eighth top trading partner.

As per data from the Economy Ministry (SE), exports from Querétaro to South Korea in 2023 were worth $28.7 million, while imports from South Korea to Querétaro totaled $917 million.

With reports from El Economista, Reporte Índigo and Mexico Industry