The tragedy happened around 2 p.m. on Monday but the last victim was pulled from the rubble after dawn on Tuesday.
(Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
Three people were killed and another was badly injured when a building that was being demolished collapsed prematurely in Mexico City on Monday.
The accident happened at about 2 p.m. just across from the San Antonio Abad Metro station near the corner of Calzada de San Antonio Abad and Lorenzo Boturino Street about 1.5 miles south of the Zócalo.
Rescue workers were able to pull out one of the four demolition workers buried in the rubble of the collapsed building, but three others were found dead. (Camila Ayala Benabib/Cuartoscuro)
Media reports indicate there were 57 workers inside the structure when three of the building’s floor slabs reportedly gave way. Fifty-three men made it to safety, but the four victims were buried in the rubble.
Emergency services and Mexico City police officers arrived quickly and cordoned off the area, hastening to stabilize the fallen edifice before trying to locate the missing workers.
Ángel Miranda, 45, was extricated from the rock pile within an hour, but rescue workers had trouble reaching the other three victims. While Miranda was rushed to Rubén Leñero Hospital, a canine rescue unit was brought to the building site.
Mayor Clara Brugada and Secretary of Comprehensive Risk Management Myriam Urzúa were also on scene to help coordinate the recovery efforts.
City officials stopped traffic on the Calzada as more equipment arrived to help with the search and remove debris. Images of the structure showed fractured and displaced concrete slabs and exposed rebar.
As the search continued through the evening, Civil Protection personnel worked to prevent objects from spilling onto surrounding roadways, and move onlookers to a safe distance.
Defense Ministry personnel also joined the recovery efforts, but locating the remaining victims proved difficult.
By 10 p.m., officials confirmed that one of the missing was found dead, adding that it was unlikely that the other two workers would be found alive.
Rescue efforts continued through the night and by 8 a.m. officials confirmed that the two remaining victims had been found, although the workers were still struggling to extricate the final body.
Urzúa said rescuers were working by hand to remove debris from a 300-square-meter area to recover the remains of the final victim. She said the efforts were complicated by the amount of glass that was still inside frames and windows and was at risk of shattering.
Mayor Brugada said her government would provide all the support necessary to help the families of those affected.
The collapsed building was roughly 60 years old, Urzúa said, and had been badly damaged during the September 2017 earthquake and abandoned immediately thereafter.
The authorities have begun reviewing the documentation to verify that the demolition company has its permits in order and has complied with all applicable regulations.
Salpicón de res is a seasonal favorite in Mexico. (Recetas Nestlé)
I love my warming winter soups or a good pot of chili as much as the next girl. But as we start transitioning into warmer spring weather, I’m excited for lighter meals and salads. Shredded beef salad, jicama fries and slaw, and some delicious Mexican green beans are just the thing to make my tum tum happy.
Jicama
Crunch perfection, jicama was a game-changer for me the first time I tried it. I’ll admit, I was obsessed and tried it a bunch of different ways. Raw, cooked, steamed, fried, baked … you name it. After all that, here are two of my favorites: jicama slaw and jicama fries.
Fresh, healthy and delicious, who doesn’t love jicama fries? (Isabel Eats)
Jicama fries
With five simple ingredients, it’s a quick and easy meal. Just peel, season and pop them in the oven and walk away.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 medium-sized jicama, peeled and cut into even-sized fries
⅓ cup of water
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 Celsius). Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
Place cut jicama fries in a microwavable bowl, add water and cover. Cook in the microwave for ten minutes.
Once cooked, drain (be careful, it will be very hot) and pat dry with a paper towel. Once dry, add the olive oil and spices, season with salt and toss to coat the fries. Place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets and pop them in the oven.
Cook for 35-40 minutes until golden.
Serve with your sauce of choice.
Jicama-cilantro slaw
This slaw is one of my favorite salads and one of the best ways to eat jicama. Sometimes I add chickpeas for extra protein to beef up the slaw.
Add all the ingredients to a large bowl. Toss with the lime juice and spices, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Serve as a side or main meal.
Green beans
Green beans are a great ingredient to build spring dishes around. (Mamá Maggie’s Kitchen)
The best thing about these green beans is that they are ready in 20 minutes and packed with flavor. Add some serrano chili for more kick or chorizo to make a meatier meal. Either way, it’s a crowd pleaser and enjoyed at many a Mexican table.
Mexican green beans
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil (or oil of choice)
½ pound of green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tomatoes diced
1/4 white onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon oregano
¼ bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions:
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the cut green beans and reduce the heat to a simmer for about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the jalapeño, onion, garlic and spices. Cooking until a thick paste has formed (about 5 minutes).
Stir in the green beans, then the chopped cilantro.
Serve and enjoy.
Lettuce
Nothing says spring like a shredded beef salad, with crunchy romaine lettuce and avocado. (Mexico in My Kitchen)
This shredded beef salad is a hit and a great way to enjoy fresh, crunchy lettuce. A Mexican friend of mine loves this salad: salpicón de res. A shredded beef salad bursting with flavor and great for a light meal, packed for lunches, or as a side.
Shredded beef salad
½ pound beef of choice, cooked with ½ an onion, a bay leaf and 2 cloves of garlic until very tender
3 cups of romaine lettuce, finely sliced
4 radishes, finely sliced
1 large tomato
1 avocado, peeled, halved and sliced
8 pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced
For the dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar (or vinegar of choice)
½ teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook the meat until very tender and shred with two large forks.
Make the dressing by adding olive oil, vinegar and crushed oregano leaves into a small bowl, whisking and adding salt and pepper to taste. Put aside until time to serve.
In a large bowl, combine shredded beef, lettuce, radish, onion and tomato. Gently stir to combine and transfer to a large serving plate.
Top with avocado slices, then drizzle with dressing.
Enjoy with corn tortillas.
Mexico Correspondent for International Living, Bel is an experienced writer, author, photographer and videographer with 500+ articles published both in print and across digital platforms. Living in the Mexican Caribbean for over seven years now, she’s in love with Mexico and has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.
DORAL, FLORIDA — The United States formally unveiled its new Americas Counter Cartel Coalition on Saturday, bringing together a historic alliance of nations committed to eradicating drug trafficking across the Western Hemisphere.
The coalition, which Trump branded the “Shield of the Americas” at a summit held at a golf resort in Florida, includes Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay and Peru — countries analysts described as “enthusiastic but useless” — while excluding Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, which together account for the majority of the region’s GDP and, by most measures, the bulk of its institutional knowledge on the subject of cartels.
Astute Jalapeño readers may recognize none of these are cocaine producing nations or have endemic cartel issues. (@WhiteHouse/X)
“The epicenter of cartel violence is Mexico,” Trump told assembled leaders, at an event to which Mexico was not invited. “And I like the president very much,” he added. “Beautiful voice. Beautiful woman. Beautiful voice.” He then attempted to imitate it.
Trump said the coalition’s central commitment was to the use of “lethal military force,” demonstrating this point by mimicking a missile with his hand and making a sound that the White House transcript recorded as “Pew.”
Kristi Noem was appointed Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a role the White House described as critical, and which was announced four days after she was terminated from her previous job.
Mexico, for its part, has maintained a separate bilateral security arrangement with Washington, an approach Sheinbaum’s government describes as “sovereign cooperation” and which has already produced the arrest of El Mencho — a result the Shield of the Americas has not yet replicated, having existed for five days.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed the door is “not closed” to Mexico joining the coalition, a statement Mexican officials acknowledged with the measured tone of people who had not been aware the door was open in the first place.
President Sheinbaum, asked about the summit at her morning press conference, noted that Mexico remains committed to its own security strategy, thanked the journalist for the question, and moved on.
National Public Security System chief Marcela Figueroa reported that the daily homicide rate in February was 44% lower compared to September 2024. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
Today’s mañanera in 60 seconds
El Mencho’s death explained: Defense Minister Trevilla said soldiers attempted to capture the CJNG leader but returned fire after coming under attack — three military personnel were killed. Sheinbaum cited the National Law on the Use of Force.
Homicide numbers down: February averaged 48.8 murders per day — the least violent February in 11 years, down 35% vs. February 2025 and 44% vs. the final month of the López Obrador presidency.
Most violent states: Over half of all February homicides were concentrated in eight states, led by Guanajuato, Sinaloa and Chihuahua.
Shield of the Americas: Mexico was not invited to Trump’s new 17-nation counter-cartel coalition, but Sheinbaum was unfazed — pointing to an existing bilateral security agreement with the U.S. finalized when Marco Rubio visited Mexico City in September.
The Feb. 22 military operation targeting Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes and the national homicide rate in February were among the issues discussed during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Tuesday morning press conference.
Sheinbaum also made additional comments on the United States’ formation of a new “counter cartel coalition,” which is made up of various Western Hemisphere nations, but not Mexico.
Why today’s mañanera matters
More than two weeks after “El Mencho” was killed, interest in the operation that resulted in his death remains high. Reporters continue to attempt to extract more information from the government as they endeavor to piece together exactly what happened on the final Sunday in February.
On Tuesday, the government reported the latest homicide numbers, which are considered the most important indicator of the national security situation and a key barometer of the progress that has been made in addressing Mexico’s serious crime problems.
National Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla told reporters on Tuesday that military personnel aimed to arrest “El Mencho” but quickly realized that would be impossible given the firepower they were confronting. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
Before Trevilla responded to the question, Sheinbaum said that Oseguera was killed because soldiers were attacked and they returned fire in accordance with the National Law on the Use of Force.
After highlighting that three military personnel were killed in the operation, the defense minister said that the army attempted to capture Oseguera, but “our people” were dying.
“They have every right to use weapons to defend themselves,” Trevilla said.
“Now, given the particular characteristics of this criminal, it is clear that it was unlikely that he would surrender. They had a lot of weapons,” he said, referring to Oseguera and members of his security detail.
Last month was the least violent February in 11 years
National Public Security System chief Marcela Figueroa reported that there was an average of 48.8 homicides per day across Mexico in February, according to data provided to the federal government by Attorney General’s Offices in the country’s 32 states.
She highlighted that the daily homicide rate last month represents a reduction of 44% compared to September 2024, the final month of the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Compared to February 2025, the reduction in homicides was 35%.
Figueroa said that last month was the least violent February in terms of total murders in the past 11 years.
She also reported that 54.2% of all homicides in Mexico last month occurred in just eight states.
Guanajuato recorded the highest number of murders with 128, followed by Sinaloa (108); Chihuahua (102); Baja California (99); Morelos (82); Veracruz (77); México state (72); and Oaxaca (72).
Sheinbaum: Mexico ‘didn’t need to be invited’ to Shield of the Americas summit
Referring to the new Americas Counter Cartel Coalition — also known as the “Shield of the Americas” — a reporter asked the president her opinion on U.S. President Donald Trump’s formation of a group of “right-wing” Latin American countries.
“Well, it’s what he decided, right?” responded Sheinbaum.
“What I’ve said is that we have a prior [security] understanding with the United States,” she said.
Established last Thursday during the Americas Counter Cartel Conference in Miami, the “Shield” includes the leaders of the United States, Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay and Peru. (@WhiteHouse/X)
Sheinbaum acknowledged that Mexico wasn’t invited to the “Shield of the Americas” summit in Florida last Saturday, at which Trump signed a proclamation that states that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth “established the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, a pledge from military leaders and representatives from 17 countries demonstrating that the region is ready to operationalize hard power to defeat these threats to our security and civilization.”
“But we didn’t need to be invited because we already have a [security] agreement with the United States,” the president added.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
The acknowledgments were presented by Altagracia Gómez Sierra (left of center) during the 2026 General Assembly of the Mexican Association of Private Industrial Parks (AMPIP).
Mexico’s private industrial park sector has reached an early milestone in the government’s ambitious Plan México initiative, with 15 real estate developers recognized this week for bringing the first 20 of 100 planned industrial parks online.
The acknowledgments were presented by Altagracia Gómez Sierra, coordinator of the Regional Economic Development and Relocation Advisory Council (CADERR) and business-sector liaison to the president, during the 2026 General Assembly of the Mexican Association of Private Industrial Parks (AMPIP).
Together, the 20 parks represent more than US $711 million in direct investment and 3.5 million square meters of capacity for manufacturing and logistics facilities. Roughly 245 companies are expected to operate within the parks, creating an estimated 62,000 direct jobs.
The parks are located across 10 states, including Nuevo León, Baja California, Chihuahua, Jalisco and Mexico City.
AMPIP Director General Claudia Esteves called the milestone a sign of the public-private coordination underpinning Plan México’s industrial goals. “The delivery of these first 20 parks is not just a number — it is proof that we are working in coordination with the federal government for the industrial and economic development of the country,” she said.
Roughly 500 days into the Sheinbaum administration, AMPIP members have moved quickly to resolve regulatory bottlenecks and deliver operational infrastructure. Each of the 20 parks has at least one tenant already in operation, a threshold officials say provides confidence in the commercial viability of the spaces.
The parks are designed to serve manufacturers in advanced sectors, including automotive, aerospace, electronics and medical devices, as well as logistics companies — industries central to Mexico’s broader nearshoring strategy.
Plan México targets a total of 100 industrial parks to strengthen productive infrastructure, attract investment and consolidate Mexico’s role in North American supply chains. Read more about President Sheinbaum’s plan to make Mexico one of the top 10 world economies here.
TONO Festival in Mexico City and Puebla is definitely one of the coolest things to do in March. (TONO Festival)
Before I moved to Mexico a little over a month ago, I lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and spent my career as an arts and culture journalist, editor, professor and critic. Yes, it was fun, but yes, recent biological (COVID-19) and political (we all know what I mean) conditions completely changed the U.S. arts landscape and economy, making it no longer so much fun. These weren’t the only reasons I emigrated, but they sure lit a fire.
My knowledge of English-language culture isn’t encyclopedic, but it’s built over the past 30 or so years into a pretty solid foundation, which leaves me in the unenviable position of now starting nearly from scratch, with the exceptions of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and a few others who managed to jump the border and remain in the U.S. cultural consciousness. I’m learning a new language, while also learning an entirely new artistic history and lexicon. It’s a challenge as terrifying as it is exhilarating.
4-plus cool things
Before I left, I started a little Substack called “Five-and-a-Half Cool Things” to keep my regular audience updated on some, you know, cool things I liked. And so, here we are, maybe learning together about some of the cool things Mexico has on offer, maybe ready to share your own, maybe annoyed that this principiante is already making calls on coolness.
Welcome, all. These are the top four-and-a-half Mexican things that seem cool to me and are available to you within the next month.
1. TONO Time-Based Art Festival in Mexico City and Puebla — March 6-22
TONO Festival’s attractions aren’t static, but take place over specific durations in Puebla and Mexico City. (TONO Festival)
I get it, the title is already an issue, pretentiousness-wise, and there’s so much cool stuff in Mexico City. (Get me to that Leonora Carrington exhibition ASAP!) But stay with me: time-based art isn’t just Marina Abramović staring into strangers’ eyes and weeping all day.
The fourth year of this fest encompasses everything from a Beyoncé songwriter and DJ, Kelman Duran, to a Thai performance artist, Oat Moniten, who grew up designing lighting at his mother’s brothel, to a much-lauded Mexican artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, who uses robotic lights, programmed fountains and more to create installations the festival’s website says have been called “antimonuments for an alien agency.” Beam me up!
2. Chichén Itzá Spring Equinox in Yucatán — March 20 or 21
The Temple of Kukulkán at Chichén Itzá in Quintana Roo. (Daniel Schwen/Wikimedia Commons)
Speaking of monumental light shows, the Mayas, masters of impressive art and architecture, built the Great Pyramid of Kukulcán somewhere between the eighth and 12th centuries. While its name honors a feathered serpent deity, what makes it particularly cool is that the deity’s heads are carved at the bottom of each of the structure’s sides, flanking staircases that climb to its top. At the equinox, when the sun hits just so, its light produces the illusion of the serpent’s body snaking down the pyramid’s length, creating what is, perhaps, the ultimate time-based work of art.
3. ‘Güeros’ on Netflix — viewable at your leisure
Güeros - Trailer Oficial
Let’s say there’s no fiesta tonight (I know, crazy!) or perhaps your city is on cartel lockdown and you decide to stay in. (Even crazier!)Step back into 2014 and check out this delightful buddy road trip stoner comedy-political romance. The first film of writer-director Alonso Ruizpalacios (“Museo,” “La Cocina”), it features always fabulous Ténoch Huerta as the aptly named Sombra, who reluctantly takes in his little brother Tomás amidst a university strike.
In a loosely unspooling narrative, Tomás, Sombra and Sombra’s roommate, Santos, take off on a hunt for an elusive folk musician beloved by the brothers’ long-departed father. It’s funny and sweet, and a reminder that even though our world is tumultuous, our emotions — joy, love, yearning, disappointment and excitement — don’t disappear.
4. Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival Zihuatanejo — March 7-14
Since 2003, the Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival has been bringing smiles to musicians, attendees and local community members alike. (ZIGF)
Thisnonprofit event reaches its 22nd anniversary next month, and it wears the years well. Located in multiple indoor and outdoor venues, its lineup offers diversity in both genre and geography. In one week, attendees can hear Mè’phàà guitarist Bègò Mosso’s traditional Guerrero sounds alongside New Orleans-based singer-songwriter John Fohl, Italian classical guitarist Sara d’Ippolito Reichert, Argentine tango player Damián Tuso and a whole lot more. The fest’s setting and selections look fabulous, and I plan to daydream about them Shawshank Redemption-style until I canget there myself.
4.5. Feria de las Fresas in Irapuato, Guanajuato — March 13-19
It’s a lot more than just strawberries, althose those may also be found in abundance at the Feria de las Fresas. (Gobierno Municipal de Irapuato)
What’s a half-cool thing? Generally, it has interesting qualities, but for whatever reason, it also possesses some drawbacks. Take, for example, chapulines. It’s really cool that crickets, this ancient food source, are now considered the protein of the future. And yet, ask how they taste, and most newcomers will say they taste fine “except for all the legs.” You see what I mean.
I’d like to preface this particular half-cool thing by explaining that I am but two months into my life in Mexico and have as much to unlearn as I have yet to learn. Some subjects are still sticky, and the stickiest for me is cartel violence. I’m still reeling from an astonishing exhibition at Guanajuato Capital’s Museo de Arte Primer Depósito featuring Mexican artist Raúl Pineda’s mezzotints of gasping faces beneath plastic bags and the pierced, battered, tattooed corpses of young men floating through debris as though reenacting some ancient mythology.
So, when I received my residency visa, the consulate’s interviewer said not to missIrapuato’s Feria de las Fresas. Sure, Irapuato is the home of Driscoll, among many other global and local producers, and is lauded as the strawberry capital of the world. That’s cool.
But there is precious little information about strawberries in any publicity about the fair. There’s a livestock show, rides and tons of live bands every night, ranging from popsters OneRepublic to Philly-born DJ and producer Marshmello to Norteño superstarsLos Tigres del Norte.
Sure, they’ve softened, and part of me would love to see them play while downing a delicious strawberry-based confection. If the event sounds promising to you, go for it and please report back. If not, hit the mercado, pop on Spotify, and enjoy your very own Fresa Fest while berry season is still at its peak.
President Claudia Sheinbaum held her Monday morning press conference in the Gustavo A. Madero borough of Mexico City, where she officially inaugurated a new hospital for the treatment of women with cancer. (Juan Carlos Buenrostro/Presidencia)
Today’s mañanera in 60 seconds
Sheinbaum inaugurated a new women’s cancer hospital in the disadvantaged Gustavo A. Madero borough of Mexico City.
Sheinbaum said Sunday’s International Women’s Day marches were peaceful across the country, with around 100,000 women taking part in Mexico City alone.
Sheinbaum pushed back on Trump’s call for U.S. troops to operate on Mexican soil, saying “we have said no, and we proudly continue to say no.”
On the screwworm crisis, Sheinbaum said that a fly-production facility in Chiapas is about two months away from completion.
President Claudia Sheinbaum held her Monday morning press conference in the Gustavo A. Madero borough of Mexico City, where she officially inaugurated a new hospital for the treatment of women with cancer.
With U.S.-Mexico relations under strain on multiple fronts, Sheinbaum’s firm rejection of Trump’s troop-deployment proposal — delivered just 48 hours after the “Shield of the Americas” summit — signals that Mexico intends to hold its ground on sovereignty.
Women’s Day marches were peaceful across the country
Sheinbaum said that Sunday’s International Women’s Day marches were peaceful across the country, with women calling for an end to gender-based violence, among other “legitimate demands.”
Sheinbaum noted that around 100,000 women took part in a largely peaceful march in Mexico City.
Approximately 100,000 women took to Mexico City’s streets on Sunday, March 8, to protest all forms of inequality and violence against women. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
She acknowledged that a small minority of protesters committed acts of violence, but was unequivocal in her rejection of those incidents. She asserted that “many men” participated in acts of violence.
The violent fringe was “truly a minority,” she said, compared to the scale of marches held across the country.
Sheinbaum pushes back on Trump’s ‘Shield of the Americas’ remarks
Sheinbaum responded to comments made by Trump at Saturday’s “Shield of the Americas” summit, where the U.S. president referred to Mexico as the “epicenter of cartel violence” and indicated, once again, that he would like to deploy U.S. troops to combat cartels on Mexican soil.
“We have said no, and we proudly continue to say no,” she said, referring to her government’s rejection of Trump’s offers to send the U.S. army into Mexico.
Despite her opposition to U.S. military action in Mexico, Sheinbaum reiterated that cooperation with Washington on intelligence and other security matters continues.
Screwworm: Border reopening depends on Washington
Sheinbaum offered an update on the screwworm crisis, which has kept the U.S.-Mexico cattle border closed since the middle of last year.
She said that a sterile fly-production facility under construction in Chiapas — a key tool in the biological control of the pest — is around two months away from completion.
In the meantime, teams from the Sembrando Vida (Sowing Life) reforestation/employment program have been deploying traps to reduce screwworm populations, Sheinbaum said.
With regard to a reopening of the Mexico-U.S. border to Mexican cattle, the president said that Mexican authorities are working with their U.S. counterparts.
Ultimately, the reopening of the border to Mexican livestock “depends on them, not on us,” Sheinbaum said.
The bottom line
Sheinbaum’s tone on Monday was measured but firm — a calibrated response to a U.S. president who continues to push at Mexico’s red lines. Trump has made it clear that he is more than willing to send the U.S. army to Mexico, but the Mexican president has made it equally clear that she will never accept or authorize such a deployment.
The relatively peaceful nature of Sunday’s Women’s Day marches hands Sheinbaum a political dividend, giving her grounds to argue that her government is making tangible progress on women’s issues, although she acknowledged last week that “there is still more to be done.”
Mexico News Daily
This report was generated by Perplexity and Claude in a process guided by a Mexico News Daily staff writer. It was revised and fact-checked by an MND staff writer and an MND editor.
It's been a good century so far for the Mexican tourism industry, with annual international visits rising from 21 million in the year 2000 to 45 million in 2025. (José Betanzos Zárate/Cuartoscuro.com)
Tourism to Mexico has been on the rise since the early 2000s, with the annual number of international tourists more than doubling over the last 25 years, a new study shows.
Mexico, along with the rest of Latin America, is seen as ripe for increased tourism given the growing capacity of the middle class at the regional level. (Sectur)
With this trend, the report anticipates that Mexico is on the road to becoming one of the world’s top 10 countries by volume of visitors by 2050.
The report’s results are based on data drawn from predictive models fueled by billions of search queries,tourism datapoints, and airline travel trends that reveal the long-term trajectory on the market’s behavior for both domestic and international travel.
It also identifies Latin America, along with Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, as regions of high structural growth, driven by the expansion of the middle class in those regions, the incorporation of new travelers and a greater frequency of travel.
President Claudia Sheinbaum noted that Mexico’s cultural and natural attractions, the political transformation the country is undergoing, and the work of the Tourism Ministry are contributing to the country’s growing tourism industry.
“And the numbers will most likely grow this year, because we also have the World Cup, which will bring in millions of visitors,” Sheinbaum said.
According to official estimations, Mexico is expected to receive some 5 million international tourists across the three World Cup host cities.
Furthermore, Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez Zamora said that during the first half of 2026, the country will have 32 new domestic air routes and 22 new international routes, expanding Mexico’s air connectivity while introducing the country to new markets.
Rodríguez also said that Mexico will participate this year in 18 travel fairs and five caravans in different parts of the world to promote Mexico’s destinations to a global audience.
Mexico is the sixth-most-visited country in the world, behind France, Spain, the United States, Turkey and Italy. According to a separate study conducted by Google and the international professional services network Deloitte, it is on track to break into the top five by 2040.
The blue whale is considered “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, making the recording of whale sightings extremely important for the species’ conservation. (Conanp)
The sighting of an albino blue whale off the Baja Californian city of Loreto marks an unprecedented milestone for marine biology, the National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) announced on Friday.
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) sighting took place in Loreto Bay National Park (PNBL) and caps an unprecedented whale watching season, with at least 30 different blue whales having been identified within the protected natural area this past winter.
Albinism is a hereditary genetic condition, which manifests in the partial or total absence of melanin, the pigment responsible for color in the skin, eyes and hair. The condition is extremely rare, and while the percentage of blue whales with the condition is uncertain, albinism affects roughly 0.0025% of humpback whales.
Among the whale sightings this season was a mother whale and calf, “underscoring the critical importance of Loreto as a vital area for the breeding and refuge of this species,” CONANP stated.
The blue whale is considered “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, making the recording of whale sightings extremely important for the species’ conservation.
The PNBL has increased its photo-identification and monitoring efforts in recent years, viewing the work as essential to increasing knowledge about the presence and movements of whales in the region.
Scientists at PNBL aim to conduct scientific research without disturbing the natural cycles of the marine mammals, as well as promote a sustainable approach to whale watching among tourists.
The PNBL noted that, unlike in previous years, the whales in Loreto Bay have been cruising and feeding closer to shore.
They attribute this change in behavior to a large upwelling of nutrients that has boosted the availability of krill, the primary food source for the blue whale, which needs to consume up to four tonnes daily to survive.
The abundance of food closer to shore has allowed enhanced observation of the mammals and indicates that the marine ecosystem in the region is healthy and productive.
Overall, it has been a successful whale watching season on the Baja California peninsula, with the reporting of over 500 gray whales in residence at the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, in Los Cabos, in Baja California Sur.
The Mexican national baseball team has had a lot of success against the United States in international play, and much will be at stake when the two neighbors clash Monday night in Houston in a World Baseball Classic matchup. (Selección Mexicana de Beisbol/Facebook)
In a battle of undefeated squads, Mexico squares off against Team USA in a World Baseball Classic group-stage match in Houston on Monday night with a quarterfinal berth on the line.
Mexico trampled Brazil 16-0, in a 6-inningrun-rule-shortened outing on Sunday to move to 2-0, good enough to sit atop Pool B, thanks to a run differential of 24. The U.S. nine is close behind, also 2-0, with a run differential of 18.
The Mexican bats produced four home runs to make quick work of the South Americans, setting the stage for what is fast-becoming a classic rivalry.
Mexico has won three straight matches against their northern neighbors in WBC play, but manager Benji Gil knows his men face a formidable task.
“I’ve said this before, they are a super team,” Benji Gil said of Team USA. “They have a roster full of stars. They’ve got All-Stars, MVP candidates, Cy Young candidates, Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers.”
Mexico is led by Major League All-Stars Alejandro Kirk (catcher, Toronto Blue Jays), Randy Arozarena (outfielder, Seattle Mariners), Jonathan Aranda (infielder, Tampa Bay Rays) and Jarren Duran (outfielder, Minnesota Twins).
Team Mexico fans in Houston have been described as “ear-shatteringly loud,” so the atmosphere on Monday night at Daikin Park is expected to be like an MLB postseason game.
Gil is looking forward to the showdown.
“It has become a rivalry when maybe it should never have been a rivalry,” Gil said, acknowledging that the U.S. has always been heavily favored. “Maybe their rival should be Japan, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico. But it has become a rivalry because we’ve had success.”
This will be the fifth WBC match-up between these two teams and the only U.S. victory came nearly 20 years ago when the Stars-and-Stripes defeated Mexico on March 16, 2006, in a group-stage match.
However, Mexico quickly earned revenge, defeating Team USA 2-1 in the second round to eliminate the Americans from the competition.
El Tri beisbolero also defeated the U.S. 5-2 in 2013 and thumped the Red-White-and-Blue 11-5 in 2023. Both of those matches occurred in group play.
Mexico advanced to the semifinals in 2023, losing to eventual champion Japan 3-2. The U.S. won the 2017 WBC tournament and finished second to Japan in 2023.
The two teams did not face each other in the 2009 or the 2017 tournaments.
Italy has also won its first two Pool B games with a run differential of 11 and sits in second place thanks to the complex tiebreakers used to determine group standings. Great Britain and Brazil are each 0-3.
The Italians will face Team USA on Tuesday, then will take on Mexico on Wednesday.
The top two teams from Pool B will advance to the quarterfinals and the winner of Monday’s Mexico-USA clash is virtually guaranteed a spot in the knockout stage which begins on March 13.
