Next time you find yourself in a social situation with strangers, try these phrases to get the conversation going. (Clem Onojeghuo/Unsplash)
Have you ever found yourself in a social setting, wanting to strike up a conversation but not quite sure how to begin? Perhaps you’re at a networking event, a party, or even waiting in line for your morning coffee!
In these situations, the right question can be the key to breaking the ice. A few words can be the start of an extraordinary conversation and the beginning of a lasting relationship. So, don’t let fear and nerves paralyze you and deprive you of communication.
(Serge Esteve/Unsplash)
One way to avoid getting too confused is by being at the wheel of the conversation. Talk about the topics you are most familiar with. Ultimately, the primary goal of a language is to achieve communication, and in this case, we want to achieve it through conversation.
Speech is one of the bridges to achieve that connection – so here are some questions you can ask to start a conversation and enhance your speaking ability.
How to start a conversation in Spanish
Imagine you’re at a crowded bar on a sweltering summer evening. You turn to the person next to you and exclaim,
“¡Qué calor, ¿no?!”It’s so hot, isn’t it?
This simple remark about the weather serves as a universal conversation starter.
Suddenly, you’re engaged in a discussion about summer vacations or your favorite cooling drinks. You can also go:
“¿Qué tomas?”What are you drinking?
Now, picture yourself at a business conference, surrounded by professionals from various industries. You strike up a conversation with someone new and ask:
“¿A qué te dedicas?”What do you do?
This question not only demonstrates your interest in the other person but also provides an opportunity for them to showcase their expertise and accomplishments. As they share their professional background, you find common ground and explore potential areas of mutual interest.
In a different scenario, you’re waiting for a friend at a café. A stranger sitting nearby catches your eye, and you decide to break the silence with a friendly inquiry:
“¿Qué esperas?” What are you waiting for?
This question may seem straightforward, but it can lead to unexpected conversations about plans for the day, favorite coffee shops in the area, or shared experiences of waiting in line.
These examples illustrate how seemingly mundane questions can serve as powerful tools for initiating conversation and building connections. So the next time you find yourself in a situation where you’re unsure how to break the ice, don’t hesitate to ask a question. You never know where it might lead.
More starter questions
¿Vienes mucho aquí, o es la primera vez que vienes?Do you come here often, or is it the first time you’re here?
¿Vives cerca?Do you live close by?
¿Qué tal tu comida?How’s your food?
Obviously, it always depends on the context you find yourself in, but with the right question, you can turn a chance encounter into a meaningful connection.
Paulina Gerez is a translator-interpreter, content creator, and founder of Crack The Code, a series of online courses focused on languages. Through her social media, she helps people see learning a language from another perspective through her fun experiences. Instagram: paulinagerezm / Tiktok: paugerez3 / YT: paulina gerez
Is Mexican corrido sensation Peso Pluma an entertainer or public menace? The debate has been raging in Mexico for some time. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)
Unless you’re living under a giant rock, you’ve heard a classic corrido. You know — the soulful Mexican ballads that gradually take over the barbeque when a little too much tequila has been poured. The karaoke tune of choice for after work happy hours at the local cantina. The melody that guides the traditional father-daughter dance at your neighbor’s quinceñera.
The most generalized definition we can muster is that a corrido is a narrative ballad. Not very specific, as Whitney Houston and Taylor Swift are also both categorized as ballad singers, but it’s a start. A Mexican corrido is something different. It’s something very particular. A Mexican corrido is an eloquent form of story-telling, an oral history told from the perspective of the rural and working classes.
A brief history of corridos
Mexican culture is inextricably linked to the corrido, with singers like Antonio Aguilar playing a central part in recounting classic tales of Mexican folk heroes. (Victoria Gertz/Cuartoscuro)
Corrido music emerged on the US-Mexico border in the late 1800s and exploded during the Mexican Revolution. It served as a form of media for the general public — lyrics detailed the exploits of outlaws, battles lost and won, the lives of revolutionaries, even love and heartbreak.
Some highlighted a specific person — César Chávez in “Corrido de César Chávez”, composed by Lalo Guerrero in 1968. Others pertained to particular events — like the death of Pancho Villa of which there are dozens. Other sing the plights of romance, like “El Rey de Corazones” by Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes Del Rancho.
The traditional structure of a corrido
Corridos initially followed a very specific structure that consisted of the following actions:
The singer greets the audience.
Introduces location, time, and the main character.
Explains the character’s role in the story.
Explains the story.
Bids farewell to the main character.
Bids farewell to the audience.
While the formal structure has not stood the test of time, corridos are still used today as a means of expression modernized through narcocorrido music. Maybe a more accurate moniker would be ‘corrido tumbado’, a blend of Mexican regional melodies (think Ranchera, Norteño, Mariachi) with trap and hip hop. If you like hip hop beats and you like trumpets, the mix might sound appealing.
The lyrics stay somewhat true to the basic elements of corrido — stories told from an underserved, often impoverished class of society. The themes have drifted from that of border conflicts and broken hearts to the realities of living within the confines of Mexico’s drug war. Rebels are still glorified, though songs focus less on the likes of Pancho Villa and more on individuals like El Chapo.
Who is Peso Pluma?
Guadalajara native Peso Pluma has catapulted the narcocorrido to the top of the charts in Mexico and the United States. (@LaDobleP / Instagram)
And that’s where Peso Pluma enters the scene.
The 24-year-old Mexican star and Billboard Latin Music Awards’ Artist of the Year was born in Jalisco and is regularly embroiled in controversy. He keeps his personal life under wraps, but on stage he’s unreserved. The artist has been accused of openly inhaling drugs during a performance in Argentina. He smashed a TV monitor and threw it off stage in Ecuador. He canceled a concert in Tijuana after receiving death threats from Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación.
Peso Pluma has been denounced by AMLO and Juan Antonio Coloma, president of the Chilean Senate. Leaders point to his “normalizing narcoculture” in songs like “Gavilán II” and “PRC” in which he references drugs, sex and murder with laudable undertones. Or perhaps, overtones. In “Siempre Pendientes” he goes so far as to praise El Chapo, founder of the Sinaloa cartel. Some suggest this is hinting at a possible relationship with the notorious syndicate.
For this and other reasons, Chilean officials tried to ban him from this year’s Viña del Mar festival to no avail, with Coloma stating that Pluma’s participation would result in “a normalization of narcoculture in our country and it is unacceptable.”
Not everyone believes his music to be threatening. Besides arguments citing freedom of speech and the need to appeal to a younger audience, many supporters believe that narcocorridos unveil government neglect and violence spurred by former President Felipe Calderón’s “war on drugs” initiated in 2006. There are varying reports of the catastrophic results of the campaign, with related death counts ranging from 40,000 to more than 400,000. Some have claimed these statistics are largely ignored by those in power and music is the best way to tell the tale.
What’s the fuss?
Is there a significant difference between the outcry over narcocorridos and the outcry over rap that took place in the 1990s? (biography.com)
From the point of view of this American writer, nothing Peso Pluma, Los Tigres del Norte, and Movimiento Alterado sing about seems any different from the rap songs I’ve been listening to since the early 90’s. This begs the bigger and more obvious question of the repercussions of celebrating such lifestyles through music, but that is a debate for which I am not informationally equipped.
As a thorough writer should, I engaged in multiple avenues of research while crafting this article. Naturally, this included listening to Peso Pluma and the other artists mentioned above. Only a handful of Peso Pluma’s songs struck me as distinctly Mexican. That said, I did find myself jamming to Movimiento Alterado’s heavy use of traditional regional instruments. I can say with confidence that despite the lyrics, I have no desire to buy drugs (though another pan dulce would be nice and as far as I can tell, sugar is the worst drug out there) or objectify the women surrounding me in this cafe.
But I’m an adult. Therein lies the difference.
If you are a Peso Pluma aficionado, he will be kicking off his North America “Exodo Tour” in Chicago on May 25, 2024. Tickets start at US$35 and are available on Ticketmaster.
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 Gaonera taco was one dish that Michelin raved about at Mexico City's Taquería El Califa de León. The international fine dining organization called its combination of thinly sliced beef, salt and lime, "elemental and pure." (Michelin)
A “bare bones” Mexico City taqueria with “just enough room for a handful of diners to stand at the counter” — but offers a signature beef-filet taco that is “exceptional” — is among the 18 Mexico restaurants recognized with a coveted Michelin star this week.
Taquería El Califa de León, which has but four food items on its menu, is the only taco purveyor among the 16 restaurants that received one or two stars when the French dining guide unveiled on Tuesday its first grouping of Mexico-only honorees in the Michelin Guide Mexico 2024.
Chef Arturo Rivera Martínez in the days before he donned the Michelin white jacket. (Aracely Martínez/Ovaciones)
It also is the first Mexican taquería to receive the honor from the legendary international dining guide.
Most of the winners on the list are posh eateries in swanky settings. But not El Califa de León, a taco stand that’s been operating in the scruffy-but-now-semi-bohemian San Rafael neighborhood of Mexico City since 1968.
Michelin’s blurb on the tiny taquería Chef Arturo Rivera Martínez made famous includes the phrases quoted above, as well as the unequivocal praise: “There is a reason why El Califa de León has endured for more than half a century.”
The main reason? The Gaonera taco, described by Michelin thus: “Thinly sliced beef filet is expertly cooked to order, seasoned with only salt and a squeeze of lime. At the same time, a second cook prepares the excellent corn tortillas alongside.
“The resulting combination is elemental and pure. Other options are few but excellent and include bisteck (beef steak), chuleta (pork chop), and costilla (beef rib). With meat and tortillas of this caliber, the duo of house-made salsas is hardly even necessary.”
Each order comes two to a plate, with the bisteck tacos costing 53 pesos, the Gaonera tacos 70 pesos, and chuleta and costilla tacos 82 pesos (from USD $3.18 to $4.92). High-priced by Mexican standards? Perhaps, but the faithful don’t seem to be complaining.
One of the taquería’s famous patrons was presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio. (Tripadvisor)
Newly minted Michelin-starred Chef Rivera Martínez was presented with the famous white chef’s jacket on Wednesday, while on the job. Asked what drink he likes to pair the taco stand’s award-winning fare with, Rivera Martínez reportedly told CNN, “I like a Coke.”
The stand’s founder, Juan Hernández González, created the Gaonera taco and named it — and his shop — after the famous Mexican bullfighter Rodolfo Gaona (1888-1975) and the now ubiquitous gaonera maneuver that the toreador invented 125 years ago. Born in León, Guanajuato, Gaona’s nickname was “El Califa de León.”
Patrons at the popular Mexico City taquería are greeted upon arrival by a huge griddle, upon which is a menu that’s remained the same for nearly six decades. There is also a picture of a former El Califa regular: politician Luis Donaldo Colosio, a presidential candidate who was assassinated in Tijuana at a campaign rally in 1994.
Aside from perhaps a few street food stalls in Southeast Asia, El Califa de León is probably the smallest restaurant ever to get a Michelin star. Nearly half of the 9.29 square meters (100 square feet) of the feted taquería is taken up by a solid-steel grill — which heats up to an astounding 360 C (680 F) and is one of the only “secrets” of the shop’s success that Rivera Martínez is willing to disclose.
Thanks to its popularity, a new location of El Califa de León opened in Naucalpan, México state, in 2019.
The original, at Avenida Ribera de San Cosme 56, in the San Rafael neighborhood, is located in Mexico City’s Cuauhtémoc borough. It is open every day from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
It’s always been advisable to arrive early to avoid the crowds — and now it’s probably more crowded than ever.
The military has killed over 5,000 alleged criminals since 2007, incidents that are rarely investigated by civil authorities, the Human Rights Watch reported. (Cuartoscuro)
Another episode of shocking violence occurred this week in the southern state of Chiapas.
Eleven people — reported to be members of the same extended family — were murdered in the municipality of Chicomuselo, located near the state’s border with Guatemala.
The victims were reportedly gunned down in a single home where they were all living. They didn’t appear to have any involvement in organized crime. A motive for the massacre has not been officially established.
The State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) said in a statement on Tuesday that it had begun “investigations against the person or persons responsible for the homicide of 11 people in recent hours in the community of [Nueva] Morelia, municipality of Chicomuselo.”
It said that a group of officials led by the FGE recovered the bodies and that authorities were carrying out patrols in the area to locate the perpetrators and “guarantee peace” while investigations take place.
There are conflicting reports about when the massacre occurred, but news outlets that spoke to residents said it happened on Sunday night.
Ignacio López and his wife Isidra were Catholic Sunday school teachers. They and 9 others reported to be members of their extended family were murdered. (Social media)
Chicomuselo is part of a region of Chiapas where the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and their local affiliates have been involved in a turf war for some time. They are fighting to control routes along which narcotics, weapons and migrants are transported north after entering the country from Guatemala.
The intensity of the dispute has increased in recent times, resulting in numerous confrontations with multiple casualties. Earlier this year, Chicomuselo residents reported that one clash between the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG left at least 20 people dead, although state officials subsequently said there was “no record that proves” it.
The latest massacre
Isaín Mandujano, a journalist in Chiapas, said on the X social media platform on Tuesday that the 11 victims were not killed in a confrontation, but rather “a massacre perpetrated by an organized crime group.”
“The 11 dead people were not sicarios,” he added, using a word that means hitmen or hired assassins.
“They were civilians riddled with bullets in their own homes. The images say everything,” Mandujano said in a post that includes extremely graphic photos and video footage.
The Reforma newspaper reported Wednesday that “Ignacio López and at least six members of his family” were among the 11 people killed on Sunday night. Aristegui Noticias said that all 11 victims were members of that family, and that gunmen killed them at the same house before setting the residence on fire.
Reforma said that armed men arrived at “various houses in the municipality of Chicomuselo” on Sunday, including that of “Nacho” López, whom it described as a 52-year-old “Catholic catechist,” a religious educator akin to a Sunday School teacher.
The newspaper said that his wife (also described as a “catechist”), father, sister, sister-in-law and 18-year-old niece were killed. Reform identified the seventh victim of the family as the aunt of López’s sister-in-law. Aristegui Noticias identified additional family members.
Reforma reported that locals said that the victims had refused to work for criminal groups that operate in the area. It also said that López and his family were accused by one drug cartel of working for its rival.
Eighteen-year-old Yojari Belén Solís Arriola has been identified on social media as one of the victims of the massacre. (Isaín Mandujano/X)
A Nueva Morelia resident denied that was the case.
“We prepared a letter to disseminate among the population to say that neither [Nacho López] nor his family supported any criminal group,” he told Reforma.
A person close to the family told Aristegui Noticias that the victims were killed for “always resisting, for not being part of the ranks of either of the two [rival] groups.”
That person also said that López’s family, like many other people in Nueva Morelia, opposed the operation of a local mine, where one criminal group reportedly engaged in illegal mining activity.
The president weighs in
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was asked about the murder of the 11 people in Chicomuselo at his Thursday morning press conference.
“That area has insecurity problems,” noted the president, a fact that has become increasingly obvious over the past year or so.
In April, a gun battle between armed groups and the National Guard left civilians dead in the crossfire in La Angostura. (Isaín Mandujano/X)
“… The National Guard is there, but there have been confrontations and regrettably losses of human lives,” López Obrador said.
He said that “the people affected” by the violence “maintain that they don’t participate in any [criminal] group.”
“However, there are those who think the opposite,” López Obrador said, apparently indicating that those killed on Sunday may have had a connection to either the Sinaloa Cartel or the CJNG.
“All the investigations are being done,” he said.
López Obrador also said that elections will be able to be held in the border region of Chiapas on June 2, despite the ongoing violence that has caused many residents to flee.
“There is this tendency to say, ‘we can’t [hold the elections], violence rules,'” AMLO said before likening such comments to a United States government claim about cartels’ alleged control of certain parts of Mexico.
“Not long ago, the commander of the United States Northern Command declared that 70% of Mexico’s territory was dominated by drug trafficking,” he said, although General Glen D. VanHerck actually remarked in 2021 that transnational criminal organizations operate in “ungoverned areas” that account for “30% to 35% of Mexico.”
“We had to tell them that this is not the case. And constantly we have to be informing them,” said López Obrador, who declared last year that Mexico is safer than the United States and that “there is no problem with traveling around Mexico safely.”
Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama and Aerus owner Javier Herra (sixth and fifth from left) inaugurate Aerus' new direct Cancún-Cozumel flight route. (@MaraLezama/X)
The regional carrier Aerus launched new flights Tuesday that solve a vexing problem for visitors to Quintana Roo: finding Cancún-Cozumel flights that don’t take about as long as it would take to simply drive there — which includes a ferry trip.
The newly available direct route by Aerus airlines takes just over 30 minutes to do the Cancún-Cozumel run and will operate five flights a day. Until now, a direct flight had only been available from charter airlines.
Aerus, which began operations in 2023 in Monterrey, already has a network of flights between destinations in northeastern and southeastern Mexico. (Aerus)
Aerus, which began operations in 2023 and is based in Monterrey, also launched a Cancún-Mérida route, with one daily flight five days per week.
Aeroméxico and Volaris do offer commercial Cancún-Cozumel flights, but both airlines’ flight offerings require a stop at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), which can make the entire trip last anywhere between 1.5 hours and 28 hours, depending on the length of the Mexico City layover.
Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa, who attended Aerus’ inaugural Cancún-Cozumel flight, said that this was a historic day for Quintana Roo, as the state now has “a new tool to promote tourism.”
Lezama was also referring to Aerus’ plans to operate two additional routes starting July 1: one with three flights a week between Cancún and Chetumal, Quintana Roo’s coastal capital city, and one daily flight between Cozumel and the Chichén Itzá Airport.
Aerus’ arrival will mark the first time that the Chichén Itzá Airport, located in Kaua — a town near the famous archaeological site — will receive flights from commercial airlines. Airport manager José Miguel García Vales told the online industry news site Aviación Online that the airport is “fully equipped” to receive commercial flights and has created a business plan focused on commercial passenger transportation in anticipation of eventual increased interest in the airport.
For now, Aerus will ferry passengers between Cozumel and Chichén Itzá Airport on a Cessna C208 Caravan aircraft, which typically seats nine passengers plus a pilot.
Aerus’ new flights are projected to improve connectivity between northern, central and southern Quintana Roo, as well as support regional development.
“The presence of companies like Aerus shows the confidence of the private sector to invest in Quintana Roo and Cozumel,” said Cozumel Mayor Juanita Alonso Marrufo.
Writer Greg Custer digs into the U.S. State Department data on non-natural U.S. citizen deaths in Mexico and finds some interesting trends. (Shutterstock)
This is not a story about Mexico’s celebrated Day of the Dead rituals, or how Americans come here to retire, then forget to die.
The other day I came across the black-and-white details about where and how U.S. citizens die in Mexico. The U.S. State Department is required by law to report non-natural U.S. citizen deaths abroad. Analysis of the data reveals accidents (driving, swimming) and tragic events (homicide and suicide), along with some glaring media coverage omissions.
How many non-natural U.S. citizen deaths occur abroad?
Our global village has some tough neighborhoods. In fact, in 2021 and 2022 exactly 1,100 unfortunate U.S. citizens died from non-natural causes while abroad. Surprisingly, this total is a dramatic reduction from the 2014–2015 period, when 1,723 died overseas.
Some fatalities were in the pursuit of happiness: crossing a London street after a pint (then looking the wrong way), or a “man overboard!” while on a sunset booze cruise can at least be understood with a twinge of “oh well…”
More chilling of course are overseas homicides. Worldwide homicides of U.S. citizens fell significantly (from 339 to 196) in 2021-2022 compared to 2014-2015. Other categories (shown below) also experienced significant declines since 2014-2015.
It’s not easy to pinpoint why there have been declining non-natural U.S. citizen deaths abroad. The number living overseas has grown significantly over the last decade (currently believed to be over 11 million worldwide). COVID-19 was certainly a factor that kept us indoors and away from potentially dangerous situations.
Mexico detractors will zoom in on how many more Americans die of non-natural causes in Mexico than in any other country. This is indeed noteworthy: 393 U.S. citizen deaths of non-natural causes occurred in Mexico in the years 2021 and 2022, 36% of the global total.
Yes, more U.S. citizens die in Mexico, but this is more a reflection of our proximity and visitation frequency. So, bear in mind that this singular stat does not tell the whole story. While this 36% figure has risen (from 28% of the global total in 2014-2015), total Mexico deaths have fallen dramatically from their 2014-2015 figure of 488 non-natural deaths.
How do the deaths in Mexico compare to the rest of the world?
So, is Mexico getting safer?
A 24% drop sounds like good news. But lurking behind these statistics are some troubling trends.
The “other accidents” (64 fatalities) occurring across Mexico are alarming (38% of the global total). One can only speculate on these circumstances, which may go undisclosed in news reports. Does the State Department need to update its categories?
Homicide figures can be startling, in ways both alarming and (for the casual beach visitor) oddly reassuring.
Mexico accounted for 62% of worldwide homicides involving U.S. citizens, claiming 121 of the 196 mortal victims (over two years). But the details of where these homicides occurred are telling. It’s no surprise that six northern border states account for 68% of U.S. citizen homicides in Mexico. Bad outcomes happen across the entire 2,000-mile line in the sand, where drug traffickers have claimed major transit routes. Baja California (home of Tijuana) leads with the most homicides of U.S. citizens in all of Mexico–37 in 2021 and 2022.
Why don’t homicides in border states get more media coverage?
What’s shocking to me is the absence of media interest in homicides of U.S. citizens that occur in Mexican border states. When an American is killed at a beach destination, the coverage is loud and clear — and will lead the State Department to issue a travel warning. But just another shooting of a U.S. citizen along the border soon fades from the headlines.
Why is this?
I can only assume the lack of interest is tied to an assumption that this subset of U.S. citizens is thought to be less worthy of attention, perhaps for a range of reasons. Maybe they are more likely to be of Mexican descent, non-white or suspected of involvement in illegal activity in a dangerous region of Mexico.
There are of course some cases that do infiltrate the U.S. news cycle. At the end of April, the murder of three foreigners in the Ensenada area (one of the victims was an American, the other two Australian) drew international attention. Incidents in Matamoros (2023) and Sonora (2019) made U.S. headlines as well. This uneven reporting broadly confirms a media bias, as the victims were all ethnically non-Mexican.
The Ensenada incident did draw indignation from Mexicans, not about the media coverage, but rather the speed of action by Mexican law enforcement. The case was investigated and arrests were made very quickly, while tens of thousands of missing Mexicans are forgotten by the judicial system.
How safe is it to travel to Mexico?
The homicide figures at popular beach locations are also startling, but in a positive way: only seven total killings in 24 months (five in Quintana Roo and two in Puerto Vallarta).
In 2021-22, over 40 million U.S. citizens traveled to and from Mexico via plane, according to U.S. Department of Commerce statistics, which means the likelihood of being a homicide victim while on a beach vacation is extremely low.
So, how safe is it in Mexico?
The hundreds of thousands of us who call it home often look at “safety” through a hyper-local lens. Is it safe to drive my car on this road? Not entirely. How about riding my bike? Not really. Walking on sidewalks? Uh, sometimes no.
Accidents happen, and some of us are luckier (and more cautious) to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s just part of life and death in Mexico.
Greg Custer is a regular Mexico News Daily contributor. He has worked in Mexico’s tourism industry for over 40 years and has been a resident of Ajijic, Jalisco since 2015. He operates www.mexicoforliving.com
The bust in Villena, Spain, confiscated 1,800 kilos of methamphetamine smuggled into the country by the Sinaloa Cartel. It was destined for northern and central Europe. (Screenshot)
The May 6 meth bust occurred in the southeastern Spanish province of Alicante. It represents the largest seizure of illegal drugs ever made in Spain — and the second-largest in Europe.
Spanish federal police made the bust in the city of Villena, in Alicante, a Spanish province known mainly for its beaches and nightlife. (Cale Weaver/Unsplash)
Five suspects were arrested, including the leader of the operation, a Mexican national and alleged member of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, once headed by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is currently serving a life sentence in the United States.
Mexican officials confirmed to Spanish police that the detained Mexican national is a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, according to Antonio Martínez Duarte, head of the Spanish National Police’s Spain’s Drugs and Organized Crime Unit (Udyco). The other four suspects were three Spanish men and a Romanian woman.
Martínez told reporters that the Sinaloa Cartel member was sent from Mexico to oversee the arrival of and distribution of the confiscated methamphetamine. The drugs were reportedly not destined for Spain, where consumption is considered limited. Instead, they were headed for northern and central Europe.
Last week’s meth seizure was the second successful operation carried out by Spanish authorities against the Sinaloa Cartel, following the confiscation of 24 kilos (53 pounds) of cocaine in early 2023.
In the latter instance, a suspicious shipment of washing machines from Madrid to the Canary Islands raised alarms and the cocaine was found inside the appliances. Last week’s confiscation came as a result of an investigation prompted by the 2023 seizure, authorities said.
Martínez explained to reporters on Wednesday how the operation came to a conclusion.
A report by Spain’s RTVE TV network shows footage of Spanish federal police confiscating 1,800 kilos of methamphetamine.
Following the 2023 bust, police detected a safe house and distribution point belonging to the Sinaloa Cartel in the city of Villena. On May 6, Udyco investigators stopped a van leaving this house and discovered 224 kilos of meth hidden inside the vehicle. Authorities searched the house where the truck had loaded its cargo and found the rest of the contraband.
The apprehension and confiscation in Spain on May 6 comes on the heels of the successful Operation Hotline Bling in Los Angeles and the seizure of US $7 million worth of narcotics in late April in the San Diego area.
The Los Angeles operation netted 15 arrests and significant drug seizures of meth and fentanyl, which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration attributed to the Sinaloa Cartel.
In San Diego, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers confiscated 134 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of heroin, 2,716 pounds of methamphetamine and 152 pounds of fentanyl from April 15 to April 28. Those drugs were not immediately identified as belonging to the Sinaloa Cartel.
The seven suspects are allegedly part of a criminal cell operating in the region. (FGE)
Authorities in Guanajuato have arrested seven people in connection with the murder of Gisela Gaytán, the Morena party’s candidate for mayor in the city of Celaya.
Gaytán was killed on April 1, the first day of her campaign for mayor of Celaya. (Cuartoscuro)
The Guanajuato Attorney General’s Office (FGE) announced on Wednesday the “breaking up of a criminal cell” linked to the murder of Gaytán and several other crimes in the Laja-Bajío area of the state.
Four men, one woman and two adolescents were detained and are now in custody awaiting legal proceedings. The FGE said in a statement that the leader of the criminal cell, which it didn’t identify by name, was among those arrested. He was identified as Néstor Rafael “N” and is also known as “Valencia” and “El Nes.”
The other six people detained were described as sicarios — hitmen or hired assassins.
The FGE said that Guanajuato’s Specialized Homicide Investigation Unit established the involvement of those arrested in the homicide of the mayoral candidate through the use of “technological, scientific and computing tools” and “the analysis of hundreds of hours of video.”
Gaytán had visited the city’s central market hours before she was gunned down. (Facebook/Gisela Gaytán)
It said that the state Criminal Investigation Agency carried out several operations to search for “the alleged perpetrators of the murder,” adding that once they were located “the capture of the leader and those who acted as sicarios” was executed.
The FGE said that “information analysts” and “agents in the field” assisted the location of the suspects. It also noted that “expert ballistics opinions, interviews and hundreds of hours of analysis of telephone records” also informed the investigation and search for the suspects.
The FGE also said that police identified and seized “the motorcycles and the vehicle directly involved in the murder.”
It didn’t specify the other crimes the suspects allegedly committed, but said there is “information about their involvement in multiple high impact criminal events in the Laja-Bajío area,” which includes Celaya and several other municipalities where the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel is known to operate.
Gaytán – who didn’t have government protection even though she asked for it – is one of more than 30 candidates or political aspirants who have been murdered during the electoral period leading up to elections on June 2.
Which Baja California restaurants scooped a Michelin star, and where are they located?(Damiana/Michelin)
No publication can claim to have identified the world’s best restaurants if none in México are included. Thus it was only a matter of time before Michelin, the French tire company whose guidebooks are the ne plus ultra of restaurant ratings, arrived in México to award some of its coveted stars.
Animalón was awarded one Michelin star, becoming one of the first in Mexico to receive the honor. (Animalón)
Baja California, for example, is now home to three of the 16 one-star restaurants recognized by Michelin in México. Javier Plascencia, long noted as one of the nation’s top chefs, was awarded a star for Animalón, his restaurant in the renowned winemaking region Valle de Guadalupe. Conchas de Piedra and Damiana, also in Valle de Guadalupe, each received one star for the culinary mastery of chefs Drew Deckman and Esteban Lluis, respectively. Los Cabos, the popular vacation destination in Baja California Sur, received one star for Cocina de Autor, the Sidney Schutte-helmed restaurant at Tourist Corridor-based luxury resort Grand Velas.
Schutte, like Deckman, is no stranger to Michelin stars. The former helped De Librije in Zwolle, Netherlands ascend from two to three stars, then opened a second location in Amsterdam, and got it two stars. Deckman, meanwhile, earned his first Michelin star while working at Restaurant Vitus in Germany. He also pleased the palates of plenty of Cabeños (Los Cabos residents) during his time operating Deckman’s at Havana in San José del Cabo, before eventually decamping for Baja California wine country in Valle de Guadalupe. The move seems to have worked out quite well.
What are Michelin stars?
A Michelin star is considered to rank any recipient as among the best restaurants in the world. (Carmelito/Michelin)
What exactly does a Michelin star signify, you ask? According to Michelin, stars are only given to restaurants that use high-quality ingredients and consistently prepare their food to an exceptionally high standard. It’s a generic description for a very rare accomplishment. Gwendal Poullennec, Michelin’s International Director, explained it better by saying it honors restaurants that are not only among the best in their respective areas but also among the best in the world.
The Baja California peninsula, it should be noted, also scored four of the six awarded “green stars,” a category that represents restaurants with sustainable and eco-friendly practices. Acre and Flora’s Field Kitchen, beloved local members of San José del Cabo’s farm-to-table movement, each garnered a green star. So, too, did Conchas de Piedra and Deckman’s En El Mogor in Valle de Guadalupe.
Many more peninsular restaurants were recognized in the “Bib Gourmand” category, which signifies eateries that provide great value relative to pricing. Of the 42 restaurants nationwide to receive this recognition from Michelin, eight were in Baja California: Carmelita Molino y Cocina in Tijuana; La Concheria, Sabina, and Humo y Sal in Ensenada, Casa Marcelo in Valle de Ojos Negros; Merak and Villa Torél in Villa de Juárez; and La Cocina de Doña Esthela in Valle de Guadalupe. Doña Esthela can add this award to the one it received from FoodieHub in 2015 for serving “the best breakfast in the world.”
High class food for a high class region
Metate, in Cabo San Lucas, was one of 42 Bib Gourmand winners, Michelin’s junior award. (Metate)
Los Cabos, which has the dubious distinction of being the most expensive area in México, also got some “Bib Gourmand” love from Michelin. Metate, a restaurant in Cabo San Lucas, and Flora’s Field Kitchen, the already mentioned food-to-table mecca in Ánimas Bajas, just outside San José del Cabo, were also noted for serving outstanding food at reasonable prices. So also was Cocina de Campo by Agricole in El Pescadero, a small community just south of Todos Santos.
Michelin’s least prestigious prize, although still a great accomplishment, is simply to extend its imprimatur by “recommending” a restaurant. As in previous categories, many Baja California and Los Cabos-based dining spots qualified for the distinction. Los Tres Gallos, the wonderful traditional Mexican restaurant owned by Michel Zermeño and Fabiola Sánchez, with locations in Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, was recommended. Green star winner Acre was likewise singled out in this category, as were fellow San José del Cabo restaurants Lumbre, Omakai, and Ruba’s Bakery; Los Cabos Tourist Corridor standouts Arbol, Carbón Cabrón, Comal, Manta, and Nao; and Benno, Dum, Oystera, and Paradero in Todos Santos.
Recommended eateries
Restaurante Punta Morro was recommended by the guidebook, a noteworthy achievement for an outstanding eatery. (Restaurante Punta Morro)
In Baja California, Michelin recommended Misión 19, Oryx, and Tacos El Franc in Tijuana; Restaurant Amores in Tecate; Bruma Wine Garden, El Paisa, Madre, Malva, Manzanilla, Ophelia, Restaurante Punta Morro, Tacos Marco Antonio, Tacos Mi Ranchito El Fenix, and Taquería La Principal in Ensenada; Corazón D’Petra, Deckman’s en El Mogor, Envero en El Valle, Kous Kous, Latitud 32, Lunario, Olivea Farm To Table, and Primitivo in Valle de Guadalupe. Restaurante Amores was also acclaimed for its service and given Michelin’s Servicio Award for this often underappreciated aspect of the dining experience.
Alas, no restaurants on the Baja California peninsula were awarded two stars. That honor was given to only two restaurants in the country – Pujol and Quintonil – each in Mexico City. That three Michelin stars were not awarded to any Mexican restaurant is perhaps defensible, given that there are only 138 such restaurants of this quality that have been identified worldwide. However, the fact that Mexico as a country received only 18 stars in total, while cities New York and Tokyo have a combined 274, is less defensible. Michelin’s Mexican selections were all well-judged by its anonymous inspectors. But it probably needed to make many more to signify Mexico’s status as a premier international food destination … which those who live here know to be the case. UNESCO, which declared Mexico’s culinary tradition an intangible cultural heritage, did a far better job of making this point.
On the plus side, there are fewer restaurants than there should be in which it will now be almost impossible to get reservations. So thanks for that, Michelin!
Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook, and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.
Increased availability of high-quality childcare could allow more women to enter the labor force in Mexico. (Jhon David/Unsplash)
Up until recently, motherhood and moving abroad have been very idealized. But these are very complex issues with their own nuances that become even more complex when they happen at the same time. Motherhood abroad — and motherhood as an expat in Mexico — tends to be more solitary, with less help from family and friends. Even in countries where maternity leave conditions are good, immigrant mothers feel lonely because they can’t share their concerns about motherhood as they would if they were home.
The experience of motherhood away from your place of origin can lead to lots of questions, from the most practical issues — how do health care and the school system work? — to more complex ones: What does it mean that your child will grow up far from your family and your country of origin? Will she be very different from you? Will he speak your language? How will you transmit your culture?
The experience of motherhood away from home can lead to lots of questions, but help is at hand if you seek it. (Bethany Beck/Unsplash)
Raising immigrant kids in Mexico
For Ann, a mother of two living in San Miguel de Allende, “the hardest thing about it is not having extended family around. When we first moved here in 2012, my mom came too and she lived here for our first three years. And it was great, my kids could have sleepovers at grandma’s house! We were very sad when she decided to move back. My kids don’t get to see their cousins, their aunts and uncles very often, and that’s a real loss. Probably the biggest downside to all of this is missing out on having stronger relationships with their extended family.”
Sarah is from Germany and has three children between two and seven years of age. For her, some differences with her home country have been hard to deal with: “I see several cultural differences, especially related to those between men and women, that sometimes I find it hard to accept. Above all, I feel it is unfair to expect the mother to always be with her children, while if the father is there, it is seen as something extraordinary. If the mom takes care of the housework, it is her duty, and if the dad does it, he is ‘helping the mom.’ All of that seems very strange to me.”
Katie is a mother who moved to San Miguel 10 years ago with her children.“The benefit of being here of course is having my children be bilingual and bicultural,” she says. “It is just amazing.”
Among the concerns of women facing motherhood outside their country of origin, they worry that they will not be able to share the experience with family and friends in their homeland and that their children will not have a close relationship with their grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins. But culture is also an issue that causes some ambivalence. The concern that your children do not identify with your culture or share your identity, is recurrent among women who decide to become mothers in another country.
No matter how great your eventual destination, dealing with a change of cultures can be a challenge for mothers and children alike. (San Miguel Kids/Instagram)
Not one situation will be perfect. Motherhood has challenges anywhere, and new cultures have their benefits. For Sarah, Mexico is a place where “children are always welcome,” in contrast to Germany, where “it seems like nobody likes noise and kids.” On the other hand, “Germany has a lot of playgrounds everywhere. It is hard to find a playground in Mexico.”
Is there a best time to move to Mexico with children?
“My biggest advice to families considering a move like this is to come as early as possible into your kid’s lives,” Ann says. “My kids were four and six when we moved. They’re now 16 and 18. So they’ve basically grown up here and it was a pretty painless transition from my kids when they were that young.”
Language and cultural adaptation are common obstacles for expatriate women. Perhaps for this reason, in many cases, the first thing women do is to start studying the language of the place where they have arrived. This opens the doors to interact and gives you the independence to do daily business, make friends and find a job.
Ann shares that her children “both soaked up the language and the culture so easily, but it was even a bit easier for the four-year-old than the six-year-old. At that age, you’re not embarrassed about making a mistake. You just talk, and everybody learns to read at the same time. I have watched some families come with older kids and learning the language is a lot harder for them, so fitting in and making friends becomes more challenging.”
While cities might be less child friendly compared to places like Europe, Mexico has a culture built around supporting and welcoming children. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)
If you can, get help
Mothers tend to believe that we can do it all on our own. But being a working mom without help is very challenging. In Mexico, you can hire a nanny to help you out with children or someone to help you with domestic chores. Either way, try to make your own experience easier — no one needs a tired super-mommy.
Sarah shares her experience with this in Mexico: “What I like the most is the possibility of having a nanny to help me with the housework and to take care of my children when I can’t. I am from Germany and it is almost impossible to have a nanny there. This way I can work and exercise by myself and enjoy them and be with them instead of cooking, cleaning and washing when they are home. It gives me more freedom and more time for myself.”
Ann expands on this experience: “The economic benefits are important. It is very nice to be able to afford full-time help, private schools are more affordable, also the extracurricular lessons, so they get to try many sports, musical instruments, etc.”
Finding a school
Schools can be a perfect place for you to meet other parents who are in the same situation as you or local parents willing to show you how things are done in your new home. But finding a school that fits you and your family is not easy, even when you are in the same country that you were born in! And in Mexico, it can get especially hard if you decide to move to a small town.
San Miguel de Allende’s Academia Internacional offers quality education and a strong expat community. (Academia Internacional/Facebook)
On the other hand, Ann shares the relief she has felt about the culture at school in Mexico: “For the whole time we’ve been here I’ve never had to worry about things like school shootings. Kids my son’s age in the U.S. have all done active shooter drills to prepare for the next school shooting that could be at their school. My kids have never experienced that here.
Reflecting about the extracurriculars and sports on offer Katie shares, “I really have problems with some of the things that aren’t here in San Miguel. There’s not organized sports like in the U.S. So there’s soccer and there’s some dance classes, but not all these other things in the U.S. that aren’t here. But we feel like the benefits of having our kids be bicultural and bilingual far outweigh that.”
Mexican society can be considered a little conservative, and sometimes finding resources for children with special educational needs or LGBTQ+ children can be a challenge. If you’ve found resources, leave them in the comments!
Use technology
Keeping in touch with family and friends and connecting with other expats, especially if they are also mothers, can be very helpful. When you become a mother, you find yourself with a new vital need to surround yourself with other mothers. Especially if your mother lives far away, you will feel a desire to share, to ask questions, to talk to women who are also going through motherhood with all its ups and downs. Thanks to the Internet and social networking it is very easy to find other mothers in the country where you live, and to feel understood and accompanied.
Social media provides a lot of support, with dedicated groups for mothers looking for a community. (Asterfolio/Unsplash)
“What I miss the most is being with my parents. The support and love they give me and my children is unmatched. Here in Mexico, there are several moms from other places and there are many support and friendship groups, for which I am very grateful. But it is not the same, obviously. Maybe it has less to do with the culture I come from and the country I live in and more with the importance of my mom in my own experience of having children. But since I have children, I miss my parents more than before,” Sarah shares.
Being able to listen and feel that what you are living has been lived and is lived every day by other women will help you feel less alone. To feel part of the universal cycle of life. If where you live, you don’t find other women to share your doubts, joys or fears with, social networking groups may help you create your own circle of support.
Katie shares a little about her experience being a part of a community in WhatsApp groups for moms. “I don’t know of many support groups, which is sad because I’m a therapist, but I know that there are mom chats. I’m in a chat with more than 50 moms, and we throw back questions and get together sometimes.”
Embrace cultural diversity
The world is big and diverse, so showing your child that life does not revolve solely around what he is used to can be a game changer for his life. Ann shares, “It’s such a beautiful way to be in the world and move through it, being able to adapt to more than one culture and being comfortable. And that opens you up to be comfortable anywhere in the world. So, honestly, I think moving here and giving them that gift is the best parenting decision we ever made.”
Camila Sánchez Bolaño is a journalist, feminist, bookseller, lecturer, and cultural promoter and is Editor in Chief of Newsweek en Español magazine.
