Friday, June 27, 2025

Water shortages afflict at least 20 Guadalajara neighborhoods

By
MND Staff
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Empty 20-gallon plastic jugs of water arranged in a pile, pyramid style
In addition to the shortages, many residents have been affected by contaminated water, possibly a result of aquifer overexploitation. (Shutterstock)

Water shortages will continue to affect residents in several areas of Guadalajara, Jalisco, until at least Wednesday night, according to a statement by the Intermunicipal Drinking Water and Sewage Services System (SIAPA).

According to news outlet ADN40, at least 20 neighborhoods were experiencing water shortages Tuesday morning. 

On the social media platform X on Sunday, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro explained Guadalajara’s lack of water on electrical failures in the system that pumps water from Lake Chapala to the city. He blamed them on problems last week with the national power grid.

 

On Monday, the SIAPA announced that water had been restored to over 80% of the Guadalajara metro area (ZMG) and that service in all locations would be gradually restored throughout Tuesday and Wednesday night. 

According to authorities, the water shortages came after failures in the electrical system at the Chapala-Guadalajara pumping plant, caused by the nationwide power outages recorded during last week’s scorching heat wave.  

SIAPA has warned residents of a fake image with the agency’s logo circulating on social media which claims that water supply will not be restored until May 17 and 18. SIAPA urged residents to consult only official social media accounts for updated and accurate information.

Water contamination blamed on aquifer overexploitation 

In addition to water shortages, some residents have been affected by water contamination. 

In Toluquilla, a neighborhood south of Guadalajara, the local newspaper El Informador reported that what little water is available to residents is contaminated. In March, residents of Tlaquepaque also reported “oily and brown” water.

Carlos Hernández Solís, member of the Jalisco Water Advisory Council (CEA), a local NGO, said that the poor water quality is due to the overexploitation of aquifers.

aerial image of Jalisco's Lake Chapala with docked ships on the shoreline and homes on land.
Lake Chapala has long been Guadalajara’s main water source, but these days, local aquifers have been increasingly picking up the slack. According to Guadalajara’s Metropolitan Planning Institute, 26 of every 100 liters of water consumed in the city’s metropolitan zone comes from underground aquifers. (Government of Jalisco)

“When the water levels drop, old water, which contains other types of substances, is taken for supply,” Hernández told El Informador. “For example, the Toluquilla Aquifer [contains] lead and may also have heavy metals and arsenic.” 

The Toluquilla Aquifer extends through Zapopan, Tlaquepaque, El Salto, Tonalá and Tlajomulco, municipalities all located within 30 kilometers of Guadalajara.

According to the Metropolitan Planning Institute (Imeplan), which oversees municipal development in the ZMG, 26 of every 100 liters of water consumed in the area comes from underground aquifers such as the one in Toluquilla. The aquifers are overexploited by SIAPA, municipalities, private companies and the agroindustrial sector.

In a report published in November 2023, the National Water Commission (Conagua) said that the SIAPA-managed Toluquilla Aquifer is the most affected by overexploitation, with a deficit of 75.6 million cubic meters of water per year.

In 2022, an audit of Conagua by the Federal Auditor’s Office (ASF) reported that the Lerma Santiago Pacífico Hydrological-Administrative Region, which includes the state of Jalisco, has one of the highest proportions of overexploited aquifers in the entire country, with 24.2% of its aquifers overexploited.

Although Lake Chapala continues to be Guadalajara’s largest water source, accounting for 60%–65% of the city’s water supply, local aquifers have become increasingly important, as they provide 30%–35% of the water that reaches the city.

The ASF’s audit also revealed that out of 653 aquifers in the Lerma Santiago Pacifico region, 275 (42.1 percent) have a water availability deficit. Among the aquifers with a deficit, 111 (40.4 percent) are overexploited.

In addition, Lake Chapala itself appears to be struggling with its contamination problems. In Feburary, one of the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites caught images of the lake showing evidence of algal bloom along the coasts of San Juan Cosalá and Ajijic, which the agency says is due to lower water levels in Lake Chapala combined with high temperatures causing an excess of nutrients and a proliferation of microscopic algae

With the aim of addressing Guadalajara’s growing water shortage problems, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador inaugurated the El Salto-La Red-Calderón Aqueduct in February, the first of a network of aqueducts that will carry water from the El Zapotillo dam to the ZMG, and which will eventually supply Guadalajara with up to 3,000 liters of water per second, an additional 1,000 liters per second than currently, according to López Obrador. 

According to authorities, the new aqueduct will serve 1 million residents.

With reports from El Informador, ADN40 and Reporte Índigo

Sheinbaum still leads in new poll, but her rivals have gained ground

By
MND Staff
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Claudia Sheinbaum gives a speech
Morena candidate Claudia Sheinbaum is still well ahead of the two other presidential candidates in the latest poll published by El Economista newspaper.(Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

Claudia Sheinbaum remains the clear frontrunner less than three weeks before Mexico’s presidential election, but Xóchitl Gálvez and Jorge Álvarez Máynez have both gained ground, according to the results of a new poll.

A poll conducted for the newspaper El Economista earlier this month found that 48.9% of 1,600 eligible voters intend to vote for Sheinbaum, the candidate for the ruling Morena party, the Labor Party (PT) and the Ecological Green Party of Mexico (PVEM).

The latest poll conducted by Mitofksy reveals that Claudia Sheinbaum remains the clear frontrunner less than three weeks before Mexico's presidential election.
The latest poll conducted by Mitofksy reveals that Claudia Sheinbaum remains the clear frontrunner less than three weeks before Mexico’s presidential election. (Mitofsky)

Support for the former Mexico City mayor declined 2.5 points compared to the poll conducted by the Mitofsky polling company for El Economista in April.

Support for Gálvez, candidate for a three-party opposition bloc made up of the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), increased 1.4 points to 28.1%, while 10.3% of those polled indicated they would vote for Álvarez Máynez, the Citizens Movement (MC) Party aspirant.

Support for the MC candidate increased 1 point compared to a month earlier.

The remaining 12.7% of those polled — all of whom filled out mock ballots in their homes between May 3 and 6 — failed to indicate a preference for any of the three candidates vying to win the June 2 election and succeed President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Oct. 1.

If they are stripped out of the results, support for the three candidates is as follows:

  • Sheinbaum: 56% – a decline of 2.8 points compared to April.
  • Gálvez: 32.2% – an increase of 1.7 points compared to April.
  • Álvarez Máynez: 11.8% – an increase of 1.2 points compared to April.
The presidential candidates at podiums on stage for debate
The candidates have faced off in two of three debates. The final one will take place on Sunday, May 19. (Cuartoscuro/INE)

The poll was conducted shortly after the three candidates faced off in the second of three televised debates. Gálvez was a more assured debater on April 28 than she was in the first debate on April 7. Her performance may help to explain the increase in her support as reflected in the latest El Economista poll.

The 1,600 respondents were also asked to compare the personal attributes of the three candidates.

More than 55% of respondents said that Sheinbaum — a physicist and environmental scientist who was environment minister in Mexico City when López Obrador was mayor in the early 2000s — is the most experienced.

The figures for Gálvez, a former senator and mayor of the Mexico City borough of Miguel Hidalgo, and Álvarez Máynez, a 38-year-old ex-federal deputy, were 19.7% and 8.5% respectively.

Sheinbaum also came out on top when respondents where asked which candidate is the most intelligent; who is closest to the people; who would make the best president; who would attract the most investment; and who would create the most jobs.

In addition, higher percentages of those polled said that the Morena candidate “represents more of a change” and is “the most honest” of the three candidates.

Just over 20% of the respondents said they don’t trust Sheinbaum, while 46.3% said the same about Gálvez.

Regarding how voters feel about the two leading presidential candidates, voters see Sheinbaum and Álvarez Máynez positively, whereas Gálvez is seen negatively.
Regarding how voters feel about the two leading presidential candidates, voters see Sheinbaum and Álvarez Máynez positively, whereas Gálvez is seen negatively. (Mitofsky)

One in ten of those polled nominated Álvarez Máynez as the candidate they don’t trust. Much of his campaign messaging is directed at young voters, and there is evidence that he is winning some members of that cohort over. He finished well ahead of Gálvez in a mock election held on university campuses last week, although Sheinbaum was the clear winner.

The Morena candidate is campaigning heavily on the fact that she is the only presidential aspirant that represents a continuation of the so-called fourth transformation of Mexico initiated by López Obrador. She has committed to continuing all the current social and welfare programs — as has Gálvez — and has expressed support for the constitutional reform proposals López Obrador sent to Congress in February.

Among the proposals Gálvez is presenting to voters is her plan to put an end to the non-confrontational “hugs, not bullets” security strategy favored by the current government.

What do other polls say?

According to the latest “Encuesta de Encuestas,” or “Poll of Polls” published by the Expansión Política news site, Sheinbaum has 56% support, 23 points ahead of Gálvez on 33%.

Álvarez Máynez is in a distant third place with just 8% support.

Expansión Política says it collates poll results from more than 40 polling companies to come up with a  “more exact” assessment of voters’ intentions. It last updated its “Poll of Polls” on Monday.

Xóchitl Gálvez, Claudia Sheinbaum and Jorge Álvarez Máynez
The three presidential candidates (left to right): Xóchitl Gálvez, Claudia Sheinbaum and Jorge Álvarez Máynez. (MND)

Expansión Política said that its latest numbers were derived from more than 600 polls.

“We don’t discount any public poll that discloses its methodology, although we do assign different weights to each polling company depending on their historic performance,” the news site said.

Expansión Política also reported Monday that the probability of Sheinbaum winning the presidential election on June 2 is 98%, while the probability of Gálvez prevailing is 2%.

The news source said that Sheinbaum’s probability of winning is “significantly high and suggests that … [she] will be the winner.”

However, Expansión Política added that a Sheinbaum victory is not a sure thing, remarking that “saying an election is defined” ahead of it being held “implies certainty that is rarely possible in the context of political dynamics.”

With reports from El Economista 

The insider’s guide to investing in real estate in Monterrey

By
Cecilia Valdes
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Monterrey skyline
Mexico's second city is an economic powerhouse, bringing prosperity and security to the north. It's also the perfect place for a new home in Mexico. (Hello Cinthia/Shutterstock)

I take great pride in my upbringing in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Renowned for its perennial sunshine and industrial prowess, Monterrey’s majestic mountain backdrop holds a wealth of cultural and natural treasures. As one of Mexico’s primary urban centers, the city proudly preserves its colonial heritage alongside its surviving biodiversity. There is a fervent soccer culture, with locals passionately supporting Tigres and Rayados, two of Mexico’s most successful teams. Monterrey also embraces culinary traditions like carnes asadas (barbecues) for special occasions and maintains strong cultural ties with the neighboring United States. All of these factors make Monterrey real estate some of the most attractive in the country. 

On the cultural side, Monterrey has also fostered some of Mexico’s most iconic musical talents. Rock legends like Ely Guerra, El Gran Silencio, and Inspector hail from the city. The music scene is also no stranger to internationally acclaimed artists like Gloria Trevi and Celso Piña.

The Monterrey skyline is growing almost as fast as the local economy. (Samuel García/Facebook)

I would love to share the insights that I believe encapsulate Monterrey’s essence. So without any further delay, here is a regia’s insider’s guide to her vibrant home city. 

The historic center 

Monterrey’s historic center is undoubtedly my favorite spot in town. It is a focal point of cultural significance where visitors can easily spend a couple of days immersed in its captivating corridors. A recommended starting point is Barrio Antiguo, known for its meticulous preservation of colonial architecture.

For an unforgettable culinary experience, Trece Lunas on Calle Abasolo stands out for its slow-cooked delicacies, rustic ambiance, and generous portions. Hear me out—I have had the best chilaquiles of my life at Trece Lunas. You have got to check them out. Once you’ve tried those, I recommend a stroll down Morelos Street, where you can visit well-stocked record stores (believe me, you’ll find true gems here), antique boutiques, bars with live music, and great restaurants like Me Muero de Hambre.

If you’re looking for a quick coffee and pastry, I would definitely go for Café Pressente, Black Café, or Coffee Berry Borer on Diego de Montemayor Street. All three of them offer rich and delicious options for coffee enthusiasts, as well as a unique pastry selection you cannot miss.

Monterrey’s Barrio Antiguo offers a glimpse of history amid a modern metropolis. (El Barrio Antiguo de Monterrey/Facebook)

Art and nature in the historic center

If you’re into the art scene, a great place to visit is the Contemporary Art Museum (Museo MARCO). The museum itself is an architectural marvel designed by the esteemed Luis Barragán. There has not been a single visit to Monterrey that I have not visited MARCO, one of the city’s longest-standing attractions. This institution hosts captivating exhibitions featuring artists including Diego Rivera, Leonora Carrington, and Pablo Picasso, complemented by panoramic views of Monterrey’s most iconic natural landmark, el Cerro de la Silla (named for its resemblance to a horse saddle).

Equally important is the Museum of Mexican History, which houses the most important historical exhibition in northern Mexico. If you want a peek into everyday life in pre-Hispanic and colonial Mexico, this is the place to be. If you’re a remote worker like me, you’ll find a beautiful and quiet work environment at the Citizen Culture Lab (LABNL). This space is housed in a century-old art deco building, offering naturally lit workspace options and a comfortable library with an expansive range of topics.

For outdoor enthusiasts, Parque Fundidora is a fantastic opportunity to have fun on its expansive grounds, once the site of a steel factory pivotal to the city’s industrial growth. My personal favorite activity is renting a bike to explore the park’s picturesque trails. Also take time to admire the factory’s standing towers, and enjoy unique views of the city.

Nightlife

To culminate the Historic Center experience, indulging in a bout of bar hopping along the Corredor del Arte in Barrio Antiguo, with a final stop at Café Iguana, promises an evening steeped in Monterrey’s musical heritage. If you visit this bar, you’ll soon discover that coffee isn’t sold here, despite its name. It does, however, have a 30-year history of hosting musicians from all over the world. Many of the city’s most successful artists began their careers in this legendary cultural center.

Parque Fundidora, the sprawling central park that provides relaxation for Monterrey’s millions of inhabitants. (Cande Westh/Unsplash)

For a lighter dining experience, La Divina offers delectable regio-style steak at reasonable prices, while Botanero Moritas presents a plethora of culinary options to suit all kinds of palates. I promise you can’t go wrong with either one of these options.

If you’re interested in a real estate opportunity near the Historic Center, I suggest the newer apartment buildings on Avenida Constitution. The Puntacero building is a great option for a beautiful view of the cerro, and prices in the area range from US $160,000 up to US $530,000.

San Pedro Garza García 

While Monterrey is technically a single municipality, its Metropolitan Area comprises 13 municipalities. These include the affluent enclave of San Pedro Garza García, renowned as the wealthiest town in Latin America.

Nestled beneath the imposing Sierra Madre Oriental mountains, San Pedro is home to Chipinque National Park, a sanctuary for diverse flora and fauna. You can go up any of its enchanting hiking or cycling trails for a different view of the city. If you’ve got kids with you, there’s a fun section with games, slides, and picnic tables for them to enjoy.

Latin America’s most prosperous town is the perfect place for a new home in Mexico. (San Pedro Garza García/Facebook)

Shopping and history in the area

If you’re in town on a Sunday, you can always check out the famed San Pedro de Pinta, a space organized by local authorities along Calzada del Valle and Calzada San Pedro, the town’s biggest avenues. This is a great place to check out some boutiques and shops. Those inclined to activity can walk the dog, ride bikes, or go shopping for local crafts. 

Now, San Pedro’s newest attraction (set to open on May 18th of this year) is the La Milarca Museum. Curated by former mayor Mauricio Fernández, La Milarca is expected to showcase artifacts ranging from conquistador Hernán Cortes’s sword to fossils significant to the region’s history. 

If you’re interested in looking for real estate on this luxurious side of town, you should talk to your real estate agent. Traffic patterns around the options you’re considering can have a significant impact on your schedule. Apartment prices go from $250,000 USD to $5,500,000 USD. The average value per square meter in San Pedro is around US $4,071.

When it’s time to unwind and check out San Pedro’s nightlife, you can find Centrito Valle on Río Mississippi Street, a buzzing neighborhood with bars and clubs for all kinds of music tastes. If you’re into the rock scene like me, I strongly recommend Major Tom on Río Orinoco, parallel to Río Mississippi.

This is just one taste of Monterrey, a city whose reputation as an industrial powerhouse belies its rich cultural tapestry. I hope exploring these spots in town makes you love the city as much as I do. 

Ceci Valdés is a lawyer who grew up in Monterrey and has lived in Mexico City since 2013. She is passionate about the Mexican culinary and music scene, taking great pride in her country’s cultural contributions to the world.

Querétaro: A cultural gem and an economic powerhouse

By
Montserrat Castro
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Querétaro
The state of Querétaro is one of the fastest growing in Mexico and offers the perfect blend of culture and history. (Eric G. Photography)

Seated in the very heart of Mexico is the rapidly developing and economically powerful state of Querétaro. Last year, e-commerce giant Amazon announced that they would launch a new local zone here, their first in the whole of Mexico. This is a testament to Querétaro’s history, economic prowess and rapid development, something which has made its capital city highly important to the nation. 

What is less known is that Querétaro is also a state with great cultural importance and an intrinsic part of the fascinating history of Mexico. The state offers an interesting blend of tradition and progress, making it a promising destination for young professionals and families alike. 

Tequisquiapan, Queretaro in Mexico
Tequisquiapan, Querétaro, is a perfect example of all the things that make Querétaro great – history, culture and a vibrant economy. (Leigh Thelmadatter)

Querétaro’s historical significance

The history of Querétaro is long and storied. Santiago de Querétaro, the state capital, has flourished since the pre-Hispanic era when it was inhabited by indigenous groups including Otomís, Chichimecas and Aztecs. It officially became a city in July of 1531 by decree from San Fernando de Tapia Conín, an indigenous conqueror of Otomí origin who converted to catholicism under the Conquista. If you drive to Querétaro via the Mexico-Querétaro highway you will see a 70-meter statue of him — a sight as familiar to Queretanos as the Statue of Liberty is to any New Yorker. 

The state capital also played a role in the most important event in Mexico’s history. In the early 1800s, rebels conspiring to win independence used the city as a meeting point in a series of reunions that later became known as the Querétaro Conspiracy. This was where, in September of 1810, Miguel Hidalgo called for the start of the war that ultimately gave Mexico freedom from Spain eleven years later. 

A century later, President Venustiano Carranza signed the 1917 Mexican Constitution in the city of Querétaro, the first constitution and the pillar on which today’s legal system stands. Evidence, celebration, and remembrance of its rich history can be found all over the city, but especially in its historic downtown, one of the most beautiful in the country. Its colonial architecture, colorful buildings, and cobblestone streets warrant a visit all on their own. 

Pueblos Mágicos and Sierra Gorda

San Sebastian Bernal , Queretaro
San Sebastian Bernal, one of seven pueblos mágicos in the state of Querétaro. (Funny Uncle/Wikimedia)

“Querétaro” means “place of large rocks,” which makes sense when considering the state is home to the Bernal peak, the third biggest monolith in the world. 

Outside of the capital city, Querétaro is home to seven wonderful pueblos mágicos that add to its charm and cultural value. From the cobblestone streets of Bernal to the colonial charm of Tequisquiapan, these are towns that captivate visitors with their timeless beauty. Amealco, Cadereyta, San Joaquín, Jalpan de Serra, and Pinal de Amoles are just as special. Whether exploring ancient architecture and history or indulging in local delicacies, each one of these places invites travelers to embark on a journey that will be unlike to any other. 

Querétaro is also home to the Sierra Gorda natural reserve, which encompasses an impressive 32% of its territory, extending into neighboring states Guanajuato, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosí. The Sierra Gorda is a biodiverse region home to thousands of species, some endangered, and has so many natural wonders it takes several visits to see them all. From forests, waterfalls, rugged canyons with rivers, and mountains 3,000 meters above sea level, all a testament to the versatility of Querétaro’s ecosystems. 

Social and economic progress

Querétaro is one of the most industrialized states in the country, with industry producing 36% of the state’s GDP and over 400,000 jobs. Its strategic location, robust infrastructure, and growing workforce have been causes of its continuing social and economic growth, one that contributes significantly to the country’s GDP. This has attracted companies from a diverse range of industries to the state.

Companies from across Mexico – and the world – are flocking to open new facilities in Querétaro, attracted by highly trained workers and relative stability in the region. (Gobierno de Querétaro)

The automotive and aerospace sectors are both leading industries in Querétaro and a pillar of its economy, with major manufacturers like General Motors, Bombardier, and Continental Automotive Systems investing billions and creating thousands of jobs.

The social progress nonprofit México, ¿Cómo Vamos? identified that Querétaro was the state with the third most social and economic development in 2023, after Mexico City and Baja California. This is due not only to economic growth, but its index of poverty, unemployment rates, and general well-being and quality of life of its inhabitants. 

Out of 2,478 cities in the country, Querétaro has been frequently ranked in the top 5 with the best quality of life by news outlets and Mexican research institutions for years. Last year, newspaper El Universal ranked Querétaro #3 in Mexico, after Mérida and San Luis Potosí. 

Querétaro has something for everyone. Whether you’re coming for a couple of hours, a couple of days, or a couple of years, you will soon understand why it’s such an important and beautiful thread in Mexico’s tapestry. 

Montserrat Castro Gómez is a freelance writer and translator from Querétaro, México.

Weekend solar storm lights up Mexican skies with auroras

By
MND Staff
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Aurora borealis in Baja California
Mexicali, Baja California was one of the places in Mexico treated to the beautiful cosmic spectacle. (Dannae Villa/Cuartoscuro)

Thousands of miles from the Arctic regions where the northern lights are common, Mexicans were treated to mesmerizing aurora displays on Friday and Saturday nights.

Solar flares sparked what the Space Weather Prediction Center of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) described as the biggest geomagnetic storm in two decades, a storm big enough to cause a rare appearance in Mexico, where variations of green, pink and purple lights subtly illuminated the night sky in some areas.

Plasma from a powerful solar eruption called a coronal mass ejection (CME) slammed into Earth on Friday, sparking an intense geomagnetic storm, explained the news platform Space.com.

The plasma carries magnetic clouds that interact with the Earth’s magnetic field when it finds the planet on its path through interplanetary space. The interaction produces the light display witnessed over the weekend.

One of the effects was a supercharged northern lights display, which provided skywatchers in Mexico and other regions around the world with dazzling aurora views over the weekend. Skywatchers from the northern border city of Mexicali to the southeastern state of Yucatán reported seeing the effects of the solar flares.

The newspaper Riviera Maya News reported that views of the aurora borealis extended all the way to the east of the Yucatán Peninsula where people on Holbox Island witnessed the rare sighting. Sightings of northern lights were also reported in Chihuahua, Zacatecas and Sonora.

Auroras in Mexico were visible to the naked eye near Mexico's northern border. This photo was taken in Agua Prieta, Sonora
Auroras were visible to the naked eye near Mexico’s northern border, like in this photo taken in Agua Prieta, Sonora. (X/Sergio Rogel)

The natural lighting phenomenon, rarely visible in the region, was not as intense as it was in the United States.

Scientists from the Geophysics Institute at the National Autonomous University of Mexico  (UNAM) said that by Sunday evening the 39-hour phenomenon had concluded, but did report that another solar storm could produce a few additional hours of northern lights, though they would be less dramatic.

Heading into the weekend, the Baja California Civil Protection agency had alerted residents near the U.S. border that the display was viewable on the horizon to the north in places with little light pollution.

It also assured residents that the aurora borealis did not represent any danger, though warning that “in some cases it could generate slight and temporary interference in telecommunications systems.”

A photo of the aurora borealis in Mexico
In many places where the light show was not visible to the naked eye, it could still be captured by long-exposure photos like this one, taken in Chihuahua. (X/Set Domínguez)

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported on Monday that while the northern lights “are a delightful spectacle, geomagnetic storms also have potentially disrupting impacts such as the stress they can impose on the power grid due to induced currents in power lines, and possible impacts on communication and satellite operations.”

The WMO also said that the current cycle of solar storms reached its maximum last week and predictions of the the event turned out to be accurate. The weekend spectacle and its attendant dangers highlight the importance of forecasting potentially disruptive space weather events, the WMO said.

With reports from La Jornada, López-Dóriga Digital and El País

Fire consumes ‘artisanal’ bullring at Yucatán fair; no injuries reported

By
MND Staff
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The Yucatán bullring caught fire and burned to the ground in minutes.
The wood and thatch bullring burned to the ground in minutes. (X)

A bullring enclosed in a makeshift “stadium” constructed of wooden poles, tree needles and other natural materials caught fire Sunday afternoon and was completely consumed within 10 minutes at an annual fair in Panabá, Yucatán.

Miraculously, there were no reported injuries, according to several news sources, even though the first bullfight at 4 p.m. was just about to start and the facility was crowded with approximately 2,000 people.

The Yucatán bullring that caught fire was made entirely of natural materials.
The traditional bullring was made entirely of natural materials. (X)

The traditional structure included elevated, private viewing boxes surrounding a small, circular, wood-and-metal grandstand. Rustic staircases made with branches and other pieces of wood led to the upper viewing levels.

Tabbed the “plaza de toros artesanal,” the three-level “stadium” looked like a combination of a beachfront enramada and something straight off “Gilligan’s Island.”

Panabá is a town and municipality halfway between Mérida and Cancún.

Its annual fair pays homage to San Isidro Labrador, the locality’s patron saint to whom farmers and other residents pray for rain — not that their prayers had been answered. Temperatures over the weekend hit at least 46 Celsius (114 Fahrenheit) without a drop of rain in sight.

As the fire ignited and began to spread, screams could be heard as people, some of them jumping, tried to escape as quickly as possible. The palqueros, valued community members who are entrusted with building the Maya-type structure, were so busy assisting others and getting themselves to safety that many of their chairs were left behind.

Emergency personnel arrived at the site, but there was nothing they could do as the columns of smoke reached nearly 20 meters high.

While reports on social media said fireworks hit the bullring and caused the conflagration, the newspaper El Universal did not cite a cause. Mundo Toro, a website that reports on bullfighting, also said the structure caught fire due to pyrotechnics.

The Panabá city council opted to cancel the fair’s Cultural Night on Sunday in the town’s central plaza. It was to include folkloric dancing, comedy and more.

However, officials decided the fair would continue on Monday, with the bullfight in a permanent bullring in Panabá — the Plaza de Toros Monumental Aranda — and a folkloric ballet in the main square.

On Monday, the mayor of Panabá, Omar Adiel Mena, wrote on Facebook he worked out a deal with owner Fernando Aranda to rent the bullring for 35,000 pesos (US $2,083), with the city council absorbing the cost. In his post, he thanked Aranda and his wife for accepting the deal. “Last night he asked for 70,000 [pesos, but] today he agreed to give us a discount,” he wrote.

The mayor said his main goal was to financially support the palqueros, the respected town members who participate annually in the building of the structure and who then recoup their costs by selling tickets, snacks and beer. “The palqueros were satisfied with the support” they received, the mayor added.

In a reader comment underneath the article in El Universal, one person wrote, “I am glad that it was burned so that the bulls are not cruelly mistreated and murdered. Thank you God, thank you.”

With reports from El Universal, La Jornada Maya, Por Esto and Mundo Toro

19,000 people visit the Zócalo on its first day as a pedestrian-only plaza

By
MND Staff
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Nearly 20,000 people reported visited the Zócalo on it's first day as a pedestrian-only area.
Nearly 20,000 people reported visited the Zócalo on it's first day as a pedestrian-only area. (Martí Batres/X)

On Sunday, over 19,000 people gathered at the Zócalo public square in Mexico City to celebrate its transformation into a pedestrian-only plaza. The four perimeter roads around the square and sections of three roads that give access to it — 20 de Noviembre, Pino Suárez and 16 de Septiembre — are now all closed to vehicles.

Accompanied by various city officials, Mexico City Mayor Martí Batres cut the inaugural ribbon at around 10:45 a.m.

“Today, we reaffirm the Zócalo as the public space, and the public space is the people’s space and is the space of equality,” Batres proclaimed.

The attendees walked around the new pedestrian zone, led by Batres, while enjoying live performances by more than 200 artists. The musical shows included two mariachi groups, three batucadas, a pre-Hispanic dance show and organ grinders, among others.

While some walked, others cycled or skated around the plaza.

During his speech, Batres thanked the employees of the city’s Ministry of Works and Services (SOBSE), for working to turn the Zócalo into a pedestrian-only space. Meanwhile, the minister of the SOBSE, Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina, recalled that the decision to make the Zócalo a pedestrian-only space was the result of a public survey.

Mexico City's Zócalo, before it became pedestrian-only
Mexico City’s Zócalo, before it became pedestrian-only. (Gobierno de CDMX)

“It is a privilege, and it has been a great responsibility for the Ministry of Works, to have intervened in the second-largest square in the world,” Esteva said during his inaugural speech.

The renovation work, which commenced in February, included painting 39 posts, installing 31 planters, replacing 562 flagstones, removing 97 traffic lights, removing 14,163 square meters pavement, laying 5,713 square meters of asphalt, and finally, installing 13,163 cubic meters of hydraulic cement.

When the project was announced in January, Batres said that it would permit unobstructed pedestrian access to, and enjoyment of, the plaza. It would also encourage sustainable mobility around the city center, and “rescue, dignify and revitalize the use of public space.”

Finally, an official from the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, Patricia Ramírez Kuri, emphasized the importance of revitalizing public spaces for the progress of communities, for cultural appreciation and for the advocacy for human rights.

“A public space is the place where we’re educated as citizens, but also where we fight for our rights,” she said.

Newspaper Excélsior reported that in addition to Mexicans, “many foreigners” attended the inaugural event.

With reports from Forbes México and Excélsior

26 police injured as Ayotzinapa protesters attack National Palace

By
MND Staff
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Protesters launched fireworks and rockets at Mexico's National Palace on Monday.
Protesters launched fireworks and rockets at the National Palace on Monday. (Screenshot)

Twenty-six police officers were injured on Monday when students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College attacked Mexico’s National Palace with firecrackers.

The Mexico City Ministry of Citizens Security (SSC) said in a statement that the officers were injured by “shrapnel from firecrackers and rockets” while “carrying out a deployment due to the presence of protesters in the area.”

The National Palace, the seat of executive power and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s residence, is located in the historic center of Mexico City opposite the capital’s main square, the Zócalo.

The SSC said that paramedics treated the 26 injured officers, who mainly sustained wounds to their legs, arms and buttocks. All of the injured police were subsequently taken to hospital “for the specialized medical care they require,” the ministry said.

In one video posted to social media, several loud explosions can be heard as firecrackers land in a barricaded area in front of the National Palace.

According to reports, the students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College — a school in Guerrero attended by the 43 young men who were abducted and presumably killed in 2014 — fled in vehicles after launching the explosives at the building. No arrests were reported.

The attack came after a judge ruled that eight soldiers accused of involvement in the disappearance of the 43 students almost 10 years ago could leave preventive detention pending trial. They were released from a military prison late last week.

Ayotzinapa students have been demanding to meet with López Obrador to discuss the unsolved 2014 case for some time. They reiterated that demand at Monday’s protest in the Zócalo, the Milenio newspaper reported.

In March, Ayotzinapa normalistas, as student teachers are known, used a pickup truck to break open wooden doors at the National Palace while the president was speaking at a press conference inside the historic building. They didn’t reach the room where López Obrador was presiding over his daily mañanera.

Since the beginning of his six-year term in 2018, the president has pledged to solve the Ayotzinapa case and hold those responsible to account.

But less than five months before he leaves office, there is still no certainty about what happened to the 43 young men and no one has been convicted of the abduction and murder of the students, although more than 100 people have been arrested.

There have been countless protests across Mexico since the students disappeared on Sept. 26, 2014, during the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto. Authorities including the army and municipal police in Iguala, Guerrero, have long been suspected of involvement in the disappearance of the students.

Ayotzinapa students have also protested in recent months against the killing by Guerrero police of their classmate Yanqui Kothan Gómez Peralta. State police shot Gómez dead on March 7 while traveling in a vehicle in Chilpancingo with two other students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College.

Early last month, some 200 Ayotzinapa students carried out an attack on the state Government Palace complex in Chilpancingo that caused a fire on the second floor of one building.

With reports from El Universal, El Financiero, Milenio and López-Dóriga Digital

AMLO’s jokes about limiting visas for US citizens were all in good fun, the president confirms

By
MND Staff
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amlo jokes about visas americans
A cartoon Emiliano Zapata poses like Uncle Sam on a poster in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)

While many Mexicans have taken to social media to comment on the increase in the number of U.S. citizens living in certain parts of Mexico, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador raised the issue directly with United States President Joe Biden.

However, the conversation between the two leaders wasn’t an overly serious one, AMLO revealed at his Monday morning press conference.

With a wry smile on his face, López Obrador remarked that he told Biden that his government was thinking about being “more rigorous” in the issuance of visas to Americans.

Before breaking into a hearty laugh, he added that he told the U.S. president that he was thinking about “reserving the right of admission” for Americans, “because Mexico is paradise, Eden.”

When a reporter sought to confirm that he had been joking with Biden, AMLO responded:

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, because we have a very good relationship, we’re brother nations, we’re neighbors.”

AMLO jokes about limiting visas for Americans
AMLO confirmed that the jibe was a joke, all in good fun. (Lopezobrador.org.mx)

While recounting the same conversation with Biden, López Obrador remarked that large numbers of estadounidenses (Americans) are coming to Mexico City “because it’s one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”

“We’re all aware that a lot of Americans are coming to Mexico City to live, to the whole country; Yucatán, Jalisco, Baja California Sur,” he added.

“They’re building their houses, … many, many, many [of them],” AMLO said.

Mexico’s 2020 census found that more than 381,000 immigrants from the United States were living in Mexico, while the U.S. Department of State reported in 2022 that 1.6 million U.S. citizens were living here.

The latter figure includes Americans living in Mexico on tourist visas.

Among that cohort are many retirees, such as so-called snowbirds, and digital nomads. A significant number of Americans working remotely have moved into trendy Mexico City neighborhoods such as Condesa and Roma.

Some Mexicans have expressed concerns about the influx of digital nomads to certain parts of the capital during and after the pandemic, asserting that their presence has pushed up rents — a claim backed up by data compiled by the real estate website propiedades.com —  and driven locals out of desirable neighborhoods.

Angel of independence in Mexico City
The Latin America director of Moody’s credited the economic growth to increased political spending heading into the June elections. (Shutterstock)

Mexicans have also complained that Americans and other foreigners are turbocharging gentrification in other parts of the country.

For his part, López Obrador declared last September that Mexico City is “full of Americans.”

“That didn’t happen before. Now you go to a restaurant in La Roma, Colonia Del Valle, Polanco [or] Condesa — those who go to restaurants tell me — and half the tables are taken by Americans, and people even complain that prices have gone up,” he said.

“… There were a lot of them in the Zócalo for the Cry of Independence. And we’re pleased that they participate, that they integrate themselves into the life of Mexico, they’re welcome,” AMLO said.

On Monday, after recounting his jocular conversation with Biden, López Obrador said that “the only thing” he wants is for Mexico and the U.S. to be “good neighbors.”

“… I’ve said it many times, we should integrate more economically,” he said before noting that Mexico is the United States’ top trade partner.

“We need each other, we complement each other,” AMLO added.

Mexico News Daily 

* Interested in reading more about Americans and other foreigners in Mexico and Mexicans’ view on their presence? Check out these previous MND articles.

6.4-magnitude earthquake strikes near Mexico-Guatemala border

By
MND Staff
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0
An earthquake near the Mexico-Guatemala border on Sunday caused damages but no deaths.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake's magnitude at 6.4 and depth at 75 kilometers. (CONRED/Facebook)

A strong earthquake shook the Mexico-Guatemala border early Sunday morning, sending some frightened residents into the street but otherwise causing no deaths or reported injuries.

The quake struck at 5:39 a.m. with an epicenter 16 kilometers off the Pacific coast, approximately 76 kilometers southeast of Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas.

Videos posted to social media showed the impact of the quake early on Sunday morning.

 

The U.S. Geological Survey reported its magnitude at 6.4 and depth at 75 kilometers, while Mexico’s National Seismological Service (SSN) said it measured 6.2 on the Richter scale with a depth of 10 kilometers.

As of 8 a.m. Monday, SSN reported there had been 80 aftershocks, with the strongest at 4.6.

Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry (SRE) quickly opened emergency telephone lines for people who might have been affected.

Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena wrote in a post on the social media site X, “We stand in solidarity with the people of Guatemala who this morning suffered a strong earthquake in the border area with Mexico. No victims have been reported.”

The earthquake’s epicenter wasn’t far from where the Suchiate River — part of which defines the Mexico-Guatemala border — empties into the sea.

The earthquake's epicenter was slightly west of where the Suchiate River marks part of the border between Guatemala and Mexico.
The earthquake’s epicenter was slightly west of where the Suchiate River marks part of the border between Guatemala and Mexico. (Servicio Sismológico Nacional)

Though there were no initial reports of damage, more mountainous, remote parts of the border are prone to landslides.

Guatemala’s national disaster prevention agency shared photos of small landslides onto highways in the Quetzaltenango region and large cracks in walls in a hospital in San Marcos on social media, but there were no reports of deaths.

One video showed boulders that had tumbled onto a road, but it wasn’t clear if it was in Mexico or Guatemala.

Didier Solares, an official with Suchiate’s civil defense agency, said on Sunday that no immediate damage had been found.

“Luckily, everything is good,” he told the news magazine Proceso. “We are talking with companies, with the [rural areas] via radio and there’s nothing, there’s no damage, thank God.”

Shaking was reportedly felt in the colonial city of San Cristobal de las Casas, which is in the mountains about 250 kilometers from the epicenter.

In Tuxtla Chico, a town in Chiapas’ south much closer to the epicenter, “It was horrible,” according to teacher María Guzmán as quoted by the Mexican news magazine Proceso. “It felt strong. It was a real scare.”

Mexico experiences high seismicity due to its location over five tectonic plates, and Chiapas is one of the states that rattles the most.

This is due to the convergent contact of the Cocos, North American and Caribbean plates, according to a special report issued Sunday by SSN’s Institute of Geophysics based at the National Autonomous University (UNAM) in Mexico City.

Sunday’s earthquake was the 19th of magnitude 6.0 or greater in Chiapas since 2000, including a 6.5-magnitude earthquake in 2019. Since 1900, there have been seven earthquakes in Chiapas ranging from 7.2 to 8.2 on the Richter scale, according to SSN, the most recent being an 8.2 in 2017 that caused severe damage in southeast Mexico.

With reports from Proceso, Infobae and AP

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