The Mexican Navy seized 3 tonnes of cocaine in separate busts this week. (Cuartoscuro)
The Mexican Navy has seized three large shipments of cocaine off the Pacific coast of southern Mexico in recent days, including numerous packages emblazoned with the Batman logo.
The Ministry of the Navy (SEMAR) announced in a statement on Tuesday that personnel based in Acapulco, Guerrero, had recently confiscated “approximately 2,939 kilograms of white powder with characteristics of cocaine” and detained “five alleged lawbreakers.”
The packages of cocaine seized were emblazoned with the Batman logo. (SEMAR)
SEMAR didn’t mention that any of the packages of the apparent cocaine had Batman logos on them, but the newspaper Reforma reported that was the case and published a photo showing dozens of rectangular “bricks” to which the superhero’s silhouette was affixed.
In its headline, Reforma described the confiscated narcotics as a “baticargamento,” or bat-shipment. The word is a play on Batimóvil, as the Batmobile is known in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
SEMAR said that the almost three tonnes of cocaine were seized in two different operations.
Navy personnel on a Defender-class boat first found numerous “black sacks” floating in the ocean approximately 61 nautical miles or 113 kilometers southeast of Acapulco, the ministry said.
The sacks, which were tied together, contained approximately 1,610 kilograms of “white powder with characteristics of cocaine.”
Navy personnel aboard a different vessel subsequently located two boats that were tied together and carrying packages of apparent cocaine weighing 1,329 kilograms as well as 16 cans of fuel. The five people who were arrested were aboard those boats.
The suspects were taken to land and turned over to the Federal Attorney General’s Office, SEMAR said.
The navy also announced that it had confiscated just under one tonne (999.86 kilograms) of cocaine from a boat located off the coast of Lázaro Cárdenas, a Pacific coast port city in Michoacán. It didn’t report any arrests in connection with that seizure.
A fitness bootcamp in beautiful Tulum is just the way to make sure you look and feel great for the beach. (Bikini Bootcamp)
The Maya Riviera has become the center of the Mexican alternative wellness scene, with travelers flocking from all over the world to take part in a variety of alternative wellness retreats. The pristine beaches of Tulum, Quintana Roo, have become synonymous with fantastic Instagram shots, but they are also home to some of the trendiest (and most intensive) fitness retreats on the market.
It should be no surprise that a location as iconic as Tulum has a litany of options for the prospective fitness enthusiast to choose from — whether you’re looking to prepare your body or your mind.
Getting beach-ready for the summer doesn’t need to be the reserve of a sweaty gym. When it comes to working out, Tulum offers some incredible options to mix business with pleasure. (Kaxan Holistic Resort)
If you are looking to get ready to rock the beaches this summer, why not consider a visit to one of Tulum’s top fitness retreats?
Amansala Yoga & Wellness Retreat
Amansala, popular with U.S. celebrities, is set right down on the beach, making for perfect relaxation – and punishing training routines. (Amansala)
Describing itself as “eco-chic,” the Amansala Yoga & Wellness Retreat, set right on Tulum’s sweeping beach, is perhaps best known for its celebrity clientele. Its Bikini Bootcamp (a favorite of Drew Barrymore, no less), is a particular highlight — but more on that later.
If you think you’re already in great beach shape and would like something for the mind — fear not, Amansala has you covered here too. The hotel also claims to host Tulum’s most popular yoga retreat — the Restore & Renew program — held three times a month. A six day course promises that participants will experience “idyllic moments that give you space and time to journey back to yourself.”
No wellness center would truly be complete without great food, and Amansala is no exception. The full-service resort offers healthy, seasonal dishes, meaning that you can eat well knowing that your diet is getting you in shape and being kind to the local environment.
Azulik
Tulum’s Azulik wellness retreat offers art, food, fitness and relaxation in an unbeatable location. (Azulik)
Azulik has two locations — so whatever you want to do, this awe-inspiring resort has you covered. While many of the wellness retreats on this list offer a distinctly Mayan flavor (as you might expect in Tulum), Azulik offers an international standard that is unmatched by any of the other resorts.
The Tulum site is a series of treehouses, with walkways connecting the resort. From above, guests can enjoy the commanding views of the coast and the jungle, feeling at one with nature as they reconnect with themselves and their surroundings. At dinner, enjoy cuisine d’auteur sitting in a cozy nest.
As well as a stunning tree top setting, Azulik is a modern art pioneer, meaning that guests can combine fitness, yoga and spiritual healing workshops with an immersive art and food experience.
The Azulik spa also offers a mix of modern spa treatments and traditional Maya healing rituals.
Bikini Bootcamp
A favorite of Drew Barrymore, Amansala’s Bikini Bootcamp is a glamorous but effective tone-up. (Bikini Bootcamp)
We looked at Amansala earlier, but the Bikini Bootcamp, which takes place at the stunning hotel, is the highlight of Tulum’s wellness retreat scene. As for what goes on, well, the clue is in the name.
The standard six day retreat offers visitors the chance to enjoy beach walks along Tulum’s stunning coastline, tours of the town and surrounding area, as well as healthy eating and a range of fitness classes. At the end of your six days, Bikini Bootcamp promises to “send you home as the best version of yourself.”
Guests can choose from HIIT, cardio, sculpt and tone, box fit, yoga, pilates, salsa and dance classes. As well as getting your body in shape, the team at Bikini Bootcamp want to make sure your mind is toned too, so journaling and meditation also form an important part of every retreat.
The on-site spa also offers a range of treatments, including a traditional and ever-popular temazcal, the intriguing Mayan egg ritual and all the standard massages and physical therapy options you might expect.
Kaxan Santuary
With a focus on mental and physical wellness, Kaxan will help you get your mind and your body in fantastic shape. (Kaxan Holistic Resort)
Located a mere 15 minutes from the town, Kaxan Sanctuary has something for those seeking colonial luxury and those in search of a more intimate connection with nature in the heart of the jungle.
Kaxan offers healing for the soul in particular. The sanctuary has a private cenote, giving visitors the chance to relax and unwind far from the madding crowds that throng Tulum’s popular main beaches.
The on-site organic kitchen offers home-grown delights — including local melipona honey sourced directly from the local community. The access to nature also means that fruit and vegetable juices are made using local produce. As Yucatán is one of Mexico’s major cuisine capitals, the menu has a very local tilt, offering classics such as tamales, locally-caught fish and tacos, all cooked in a wood-fired oven. Kaxan can, of course, also cater to vegan and vegetarian requirements, and offers custom menu design for the most discerning eaters.
La Veleta
La Veleta, home to Tulum Strength Club, is an intense training camp – as the name suggests. (La Veleta)
Tulum Strength Club is the most serious workout on this list. Where other fitness retreats are mixing their workouts with wellness or focusing on a gourmet experience, Tulum Strength Club pulls no punches.
Their monthly retreats — which have very limited spaces — combine strength training and high-end dining, all within a luxurious private villa. With a private pool, personal trainers, chef and gymnasium, Tulum Strength Club ensures that you have everything you need to succeed.
The package also offers cooking classes, meaning you can learn to recreate the healthy (but tasty) food once you return home. The immersion camp is on the pricier side — six days with the trainers will cost you a cool US $5000 — but if you’re serious about looking serious, this is the place for you.
With the opening of the new Tulum airport, these amazing wellness destinations are now closer than ever — and if you’re breaking the bank to get there, Cancún International Airport is just two hours away, connecting the region with a host of low-cost carriers. If your goal is to feel and look your best this summer, a fitness retreat in Tulum could be just what you’re looking for.
The color and beauty of Indian weddings are coming to Mexico - but why has the country become such a hotspot for traditional wedding ceremonies? (All photos by Antonio Saucedo)
In this exclusive interview with Mexico News Daily, Valentina Corro, a wedding planner who specializes in Indian weddings in Mexico, shares her insights into captivating Indian wedding traditions, the costs associated with hosting an Indian wedding in Mexico, and more.
The colors of India and Mexico are remarkably similar. Imagine an Indian wedding taking place in Mexico: A golden explosion of colors, including yellows, bright pinks, and lots of orange, reminiscent of the cempasúchil flower used in the altars of the traditional Day of the Dead. Envision the traditional “Baraat” of Indian weddings, the procession of the groom with his family and friends, either on horseback or on an mounted on an amazing elephant, with the backdrop of the blue ocean in Cancún, the Ángel de Independencia, or the magical colonial streets of San Miguel de Allende behind. Every year, more and more Indian weddings are celebrated in Mexico, and it isn’t hard to see why.
What does a traditional Indian wedding ceremony look like?
Traditional Indian weddings typically take place over three days. They begin with a celebration known as the “Mehndi”, where the bride’s skin is painstakingly decorated with intricate henna paintings. Then, the couple are blessed during the “Haldi,” when yellow turmeric powder is thrown to bring luck to the marriage. This is followed by the “Sangeet,” a brightly colored festival of flavor and color that proceeds the Baraat.
Finally, on the third day, the wedding ceremony itself takes place. The “Samskara” is a rite that represents sacred trust between the newly wedded couple.
When did you start seeing more people planning Indian weddings in Mexico?
I have been a wedding planner for 13 years and I started specializing in destination weddings for foreigners in Mexico nine years ago, which led to my first Indian couple interested in getting married in Mexico City in 2018.
For me, it was something very different, before this, Indian weddings had never been received in Mexico City. Cities like Cancún, Los Cabos and San Miguel de Allende have been recognized as destinations for Indian weddings for about 15 years. Now there is a new trend that started in 2018 — National Geographic mentioned Mexico City as the best destination to travel in 2019, and I think that triggered a boom, a trend in the destination.
What extraordinary experiences stand out in the Indian weddings you have planned in Mexico?
We have to get some elements for the ceremony that are very specific, like dried coconuts, banana leaves, different fruits and seeds, which can sometimes be a challenge to source, although we always do our best to comply with every request.
All couples are looking for new experiences, from finding a very original destination like Mexico City and the surrounding areas, to discovering original experiences that can make guests say “wow” — which is our biggest challenge. For one of our recent weddings, we took the bride and groom out in a helicopter.
What are the latest trends in international weddings or destination weddings in Mexico?
I think that Mexico offers a higher level of hospitality and the trend is to have experiences that include different wedding days where the bride and groom can get to know better their guests and discover new experiences in the destination. These might include tourist attractions, a trip to Xochimilco or Teotihuacán before the wedding day; an icebreaker on a large terrace, in a skyscraper or in one of the many parks we have in the city. Then the main wedding day is celebrated, and afterward there is a brunch or some other tourist activity. I think this trend is occurring all over Mexico, not just in Mexico City, and as long as there is a guide who can orient and help execute this multi-day experience with good logistics, I think Indian weddings in Mexico will be the trend for the next ten years. They will continue to take place in big venues, with big productions and” wow” effects, all across the country. I am very excited because I love to see people leaving Mexico and talking amazingly about it, people wanting to come back and invite others to come — that is great.
How much would you estimate an Indian wedding in Mexico cost vs the U.S. or India?
In Mexico, the cost of an Indian wedding is not necessarily less than in the U.S., but you can certainly get more for the same price. One big difference is that you can not get an amazing setting in the U.S., whereas in Mexico, you can find historical, archaeological and natural wonders to host your dream wedding ceremony. I advise starting planning for the wedding a year in advance because it is necessary to make two visits. The first visit should be to select the venues for the Haldi, Mehndi, Ceremony, Baraat, Sangeet and Reception. It is also important to choose the hotel that your guests will be staying in. The second visit should be to finalize important details such as the menu tastings and makeup trials, as well as the events for the days of the wedding.
Many couples shared with MND that they were happy to see their money go 25-30% further by hosting their wedding in Mexico. And their guests were even happier to not only spend less on their travel and accommodations, but they got the added bonus of a Mexican vacation!
(Pipe Gaber)
What makes Mexico an ideal place to host your Indian wedding?
First, the similarity in the culture, and secondly the tourist attractions. Mexico’s cities offer completely different events, celebrations, and can really provide a complete wedding experience. In particular, Mexico City has world-class hotels like the St. Regis, Ritz Carlton, Sofitel and Hyatt Regency, so it has the glamour that they are looking for. Indian couples are looking for a good travel experience, good logistics, more tourist attractions, great suppliers and wedding productions, but also extra glamour — particularly great hotels with outstanding hospitality across the board. All these points have contributed to an emerging trend of marrying in Mexico. The production values for this type of wedding, and the advantages that Mexico offers these couples are countless.
I think there is a great similarity between the cultures and that is why Indian couples have been very attracted: there is a familiarity in the food, the color, the folklore, the music, the way our people are, the hospitality, we feel very similar. We identify very much.
Ana Paula de la Torre is a Mexican journalist and collaborator of various media such as Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.
Barrera said his abductors interrogated him about his journalism, which includes reporting on organized crime. (X)
Journalist Jaime Barrera, a newscaster for Televisa, is back with his family after he was released by his captors following his kidnapping in Guadalajara on Monday.
The 56-year-old’s daughter, Itzul Barrera, announced on social media early Wednesday that “my dad is now with us.”
Guadalajara journalists joined in protest on Tuesday evening to demand Barrera be located by authorities. (Cuartoscuro)
The Jalisco Attorney General’s Office confirmed later on Wednesday morning that Barrera — who was forcibly removed from his vehicle by three or four suspects on Monday — had been found and was in good health. The office noted that an investigation to find out what happened and detain those responsible for the abduction is ongoing.
Barrera, one of the best-known journalists in Jalisco, was released by his abductors in the municipality of Magdalena, located some 80 kilometers northwest of Guadalajara near the town of Tequila. He was subsequently able to borrow a telephone to call 911 and contact family, the newspaper Milenio reported.
The National Guard, army and state police all responded to the 911 call and Barrera was taken to hospital to undergo a medical check.
The journalist, who also works in radio and contributes to the newspaper El Informador, spoke to the media about his ordeal.
In addition to his work for Televisa, Barrera, second from right, was a regular pundit on a political panel discussion show, “Con Todo Respeto” (With All Due Respect), which broadcasts weekly on the University of Guadalajara’s Channel 44. (UDGTV)
He told journalist Azucena Uresti that his kidnappers gave him “unos tablazos” or whacks with a wooden board while he was in their custody. Barrera said he was forced to remain on the floor at at least two different addresses and that he was blindfolded, preventing him from seeing his captors.
He also said he was interrogated about his journalism, which includes reporting on organized crime. Barrera said he was asked why he writes what he writes and on whose behalf.
“I told them that I don’t write on anyone’s behalf or orders, I write what I believe is journalistic. I believe it was a little bit of intimidation,” he said.
An El Universal newspaper columnist speculated that Barrera’s abduction could be related to his writing about the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and in particular, the criminal organization’s leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes.
Barrera told Uresti that he will return to work next Monday and that he will seek protection from federal authorities under a program specifically designed to prevent attacks on journalists. He said his abduction on Monday was completely unexpected.
In a separate interview with broadcaster Ciro Gómez Leyva, Barrera said that he believed his abduction was a “kind of warning” to be careful about what he writes and says.
He said that while his abductors released him, they effectively conveyed the message that “we know where you live — where you and your family are.”
The journalist also said he would speak with lawyers “to make a more precise account” of what happened to him.
“It was a long, terrible odyssey, but fortunately it ended well,” he said.
Acts of aggression against journalists are common in Mexico.
Press freedom advocacy organization Article 19 said in a report last September that it had documented 2,941 “cases of violence against the press during the mandate of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador,” who was sworn in on Dec. 1, 2018.
Did you hit snooze on spring break? Now's your last chance to score a good deal on last-minute flights to popular destinations in Mexico. (Alex Bertha/Unsplash)
Spring break in Mexico is a no-brainer.
If you haven’t made any travel plans for Holy Week, Easter or spring break in Mexico yet, we’ve got you covered! Here is a list of airline promotions to help you arrange your last-minute national or international trip to sunny Mexico. Note that all flight prices listed below are before taxes.
¡Más tequila, por favor! These last-minute spring break flight deals to Mexico are too good to pass up.
Cancún
For travelers departing to Cancún from Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and San Francisco, Aeroméxico offers one-way ticket prices starting at US $174.
If you’re traveling within Mexico, one-way tickets from León with Volaris start at US $66.
Meanwhile, ticket prices from Mexico City to Cancún with Volaris start at US $134.
United Airlines offers flights and hotels in Cancún from the United States with packages starting at US $759.
With Aeroméxico, one-way ticket prices to the exotic beach destination of Cabo San Lucas start at US $125 from Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle and San Francisco.
Cancún is one of the best deals for spring break – both for national and international tourists. (Cuartoscuro)
Acapulco
Still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Otis, Acapulco is more than ready to receive tourists for spring break. One-way tickets from the northern city of Monterrey start at US $112 with Viva Aerobús.
Puerto Vallarta
Tijuana also looks to be an attractive departure airport for the international tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta. With Volaris, one-way ticket prices start at US $132.
Flair Airlines is also offering accessible prices for Canadians traveling from Calgary to Puerto Vallarta in the latter part of March, with one-way flights starting at US $121.
Canadian WestJet is taking it a step further by offering flight + hotel deals in Puerto Vallarta and other sunny destinations in Mexico. A one-week spring break package in Puerto Vallarta starts at US $2,297.
Huatulco
The secluded beach of Huatulco in Oaxaca is easily reachable with Aeroméxico, which is offering one-way tickets starting at US $285 from Los Angeles and Chicago.
Take an extra-long spring break getaway to Mazatlán, where you can see the next solar eclipse in totality on April 8, 2024. (Rashide Frias/Cuartoscuro)
Mazatlán
The Pacific coast beach destination of Mazatlán, famous for its seafood and sunsets, is easily reachable from Los Angeles and San Francisco with Aeroméxico. One-way tickets start at US $135.
What is the cheapest day to fly during spring break?
A study conducted by the international booking system Kayak has revealed that March 29 is the cheapest day for flights to global destinations during spring break in 2024.
The rates for flights on this day are significantly lower compared to those on Tuesday, March 26, which has higher average prices.
For additional information and to book your tickets for your spring break trip to Mexico, make sure to visit the airlines’ promo pages hyperlinked throughout the text.
Actress-turned-author Molly Ringwald spoke to Mexico News Daily about writers, cinema and life in Mexico. (Molly Ringwald)
Molly Ringwald, noted actor, singer, and author, visited San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato in late February to headline the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival. The multi-talented entertainer will perhaps always be best known for her iconic roles in the 1980s teen films The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Sixteen Candles, but she is also the best-selling author of When It Happens to You: A Novel in Stories and Getting the Pretty Back, as well as the translator of the French novel Lie With Me by Philippe Besson and the French memoir My Cousin Maria Schneider by Vanessa Schneider.
After the conference, Ringwald took time to reflect on her week in San Miguel de Allende, the memoir she is currently writing about her decade in Paris, the ways that creativity can be sparked by expatriate life, and much more with author Ann Marie Jackson.
Actress and author Molly Ringwald at the 2024 San Miguel Writers’ Conference. (Alistair Palmer)
What enticed you to come to the San Miguel Writers’ Conference, and how did you enjoy your time here?
My husband and I came to San Miguel with our daughter 15 years ago for Christmas, but I found out the day we were leaving that I was pregnant (with twins!) and spent the holiday a little queasy. I’ve always wanted to come back and was thrilled to be asked to participate in the literary festival. San Miguel de Allende is absolutely magical — even better than I remembered it!
Many of Mexico News Daily’s readers are American, Canadian, and European expats living in Mexico. In your [keynote speech at the San Miguel Writers’ Conference], you mentioned that your decade in France “turned on a light for you that your time in Hollywood had dimmed.” It gave you a creative spark to chase; it was a source of inspiration and joy. Many of us feel that way about Mexico. Do you believe there’s something universal about the expat experience that sparks creativity?
I have always found being around other cultures sparks my creativity. We tend to become myopic, only seeing things through the lens of our own lives and points of view, and getting outside of that can help us to see things differently.
2024 San Miguel Writers’ Conference keynote speakers C.S. Richardson, Christina Baker Kline, Molly Ringwald, Guillermo Arriaga, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia. (Alistair Palmer)
I started your novel, When it Happens to You: A Novel in Stories, on Monday, and I’ve nearly finished it already. I find it beautifully written, incredibly honest, and so moving. How did you come to choose that format: “a novel in stories”?
Thank you for reading and for the kind comment! I have always been drawn to the short story; Raymond Carver, Laurie Moore, and John Cheever are some of my favorites. I originally had the idea to do a collection of stories around the idea of betrayal, which is a theme that feels universal in that we have all betrayed and been betrayed—whether it’s by another person or ourselves. The idea was to explore it from as many different angles as I could, but as I started writing, I realized that I liked connecting the characters which I felt solidified this concept of betrayal being truly universal. There’s no escaping it — and the only way out of its grip is through acceptance and forgiveness, which I also tried to explore in the stories. The novel in stories really just means that all of the stories together tell one unifying story, although personally, I feel like the stories can be read alone and still be understood.
When Danielle [Trussoni, best-selling author,] called you brave the other night, you mentioned that actually “a little fear can be good in that it shows that something is enough of a challenge to be worth doing,” and that nervous flutter in your stomach is “the creativity trying to get out.” I love that. Is that how you feel about the new memoir you’re working on now about your Paris years?
It’s how I feel about everything I do. I think that if I don’t feel a little bit nervous, it generally means that I’m not challenging myself in some way.
Author Danielle Trussoni interviews Molly Ringwald at the 2024 San Miguel Writers’ Conference. (Alistair Palmer)
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Read. Read first for pleasure and then re-read to understand how it’s done. And then write and suffer through being a bad writer, because everyone is bad before they are good.
Who is your favorite Mexican author?
I haven’t read as many as I would like. I’m taking recommendations! There is a Mexican American poet named Rachel McKibbens whom I recently discovered and love. I haven’t written poetry since I was a kid and remain forever in awe of people that do. To me, it feels absolutely like the purest and most beautiful form of writing.
You have previously written, most famously in The New Yorker, about reassessing your iconic ‘80s films in light of the #MeToo movement. Would you like to say a little about that? How have your views changed or evolved over the years?
I feel like the pieces speak for themselves, and I spent a long time thinking about them and writing them to get them right, so I don’t think I have anything to add — other than that, I appreciate what is good about the films even if I am critical of certain elements.
So what has it been like working with such an all-star cast on Feud: Truman Capote vs. The Swans?
It was thrilling to work with so many great actresses whom I have admired over the years and Tom Hollander was a dream to work with.
Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers—about your books, the craft of writing, or your impressions of Mexico?
I really love Mexico. My recent visit has inspired me to start learning to speak Spanish so hopefully the next time I visit, I will be fluent!
The San Miguel Literary Sala A.C., organizers of the annual San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival, will announce in late summer the famous writers who will headline next year’s event. To learn more, visitsanmiguelwritersconference.org.
Based in San Miguel de Allende, Ann Marie Jackson is a writer and NGO leader who previously worked for the U.S. Department of State. Her award-winning novel “The Broken Hummingbird,” which is set in San Miguel de Allende, came out in October 2023. Ann Marie can be reached through her website, annmariejacksonauthor.com.
2024 presidential candidate Xóchitl Gálvez, left, stands with Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) President Rogelio Cabrera. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
Each of Mexico’s three presidential candidates has endorsed a “Commitment for Peace” document drawn up by Mexico’s Roman Catholic leadership, although leading aspirant Claudia Sheinbaum also expressed disagreement with the Church leaders’ assessment of the current security situation and some of the peace-building proposals they put forth.
Developed by the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) and presented at an event on Monday, the Commitment for Peace strategy contains more than 100 proposals. Among them are:
Morena candidate Claudia Sheinbaum, signed the bishops’ roadmap for improving security, democratic institutions and social well-being in Mexico, but she said she didn’t agree with the document’s assertion that Mexico is facing “a crisis of violence.” The sign behind Sheinbaum says “united by the same pain” in Spanish. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
the gradual demilitarization of public security work
the social reintegration of members of local crime groups
the implementation of an “international mechanism” against impunity
the protection and strengthening of autonomous government bodies
additional investment aimed at bolstering municipal police forces and the National Search Commission.
The proposals are spread across seven different areas: social fabric; security; justice; prisons; adolescents; governance; and human rights.
“With the conviction to not rest until the conditions to build peace in the country have been created, we present this Commitment for Peace, a route of collective action with an interdisciplinary, co-responsible and articulated perspective that seeks to tackle in an effective way the profound crisis of violence and social breakdown that afflicts our country,” the document said.
On Monday, Monterrey Archbishop and CEM President Rogelio Cabrera López told attendees of an event in Mexico City that the Catholic Church and a peace-building “movement” of more than 20,000 people are filled with “profound hope” for a peaceful Mexico as a result of having the opportunity to meet with the presidential candidates.
“We have witnessed the outcry of the victims [of violence],” he said.
“For the Church, an inflection point occurred more than 20 months ago when our dear Jesuit priests Javier [Campos] and Joaquín [Mora] were murdered in Cerocahui, Chihuahua. … Since then, we undertook decisive actions that began with days of prayer and transformed into a national movement for justice and security,” Cabrera said.
Citizens Movement candidate Jorge Álvarez accused both Sheinbaum and Gálvez of “being responsible for perpetuating” failed security strategies. Neither of the two other candidates has been involved in developing federal security strategies, however. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
Sheinbaum signs commitment but doesn’t agree with “the description of the problem”
At the CEM event, the ruling Morena party candidate and heavy favorite to win the June 2 election signed the 53-page Commitment for Peace but stressed that she didn’t agree with all of its contents.
“I’m signing the document with the understanding that there is a joint vision for building peace. However, there are several assertions and proposals with which I don’t agree,” Sheinbaum said.
The former Mexico City mayor and protege of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador noted that she was annexing a document to the Commitment for Peace that she signed. The document outlines her agreement and differences with the CEM plan.
“I don’t agree with the description of the insecurity problem,” Sheinbaum said, rejecting the document’s assertion that there is a “profound crisis of violence” in Mexico, even though homicide numbers remain very high.
“I don’t share the pessimistic assessment of the current moment. … Nor do I agree with some proposals that assume that there is no reliable data in the National Security System,” she said.
Sheinbaum also said that she doesn’t agree with “references to a supposed militarization” of Mexico nor with assertions that the state has only a minimal security presence in some parts of the country. In addition, she rejected the claim that there is a prevailing sense of “fear, impotence, mistrust and uncertainty” in Mexico.
Following the lead of his most recent predecessors, López Obrador has used the armed forces for public security — and a wide range of other nontraditional tasks, including infrastructure construction and the management of customs and ports.
Despite that, he has rejected claims that he has militarized the country, and in 2021 dismissed an assertion by a U.S. military official that criminal organizations control “ungoverned areas” of Mexico that account for about one-third of the country’s territory.
The National Guard, Mexico’s federal police force, is under the control of the military. The Commitment for Peace calls upon the government to make it a civilian force. (Sedena)
The Commitment for Peace recommends that the Guard be a civilian entity.
Sheinbaum also rejected another proposal in the document to increase funding for the judiciary, which she argued is guilty of squandering the resources it currently receives.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Norma Piña presides over a Court session in May 2023. President López Obrador has filed a proposal to change the justices from political appointees to citizen-elected officials, a move that Sheinbaum supports. (Cuartoscuro)
She did, however, express support for another proposal — to build peace by addressing the root causes of violence. López Obrador asserts that the government is doing this with its controversial “hugs, not bullets” security strategy, in which “hugs” is a metaphor for welfare and employment programs and the “not bullets” part refers to a commitment to avoiding violent confrontation with criminals where possible.
Sheinbaum is also committed to a proposed judicial reform that would allow citizens to elect Supreme Court justices and other judges directly. She also supports strengthening the National Guard and state police forces in order to increase their investigative capacity.
Gálvez finds “perfect harmony” with her own security agenda
Gálvez promised that if she’s elected president, she’ll meet with the Mexican Episcopal Conference on her first day in office to work on strategies for Mexico. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
Xóchitl Gálvez, presidential candidate for a three-party opposition alliance — and Sheinbaum’s main rival — also met with Catholic Church leaders at the National Autonomous University’s Cultural Center in Tlatelolco.
“I find perfect harmony and agreement with what I’ve been proposing,” said Gálvez, who declared that “a Mexico without fear is possible” when outlining her security plan at her campaign launch on March 1.
The former National Action Party senator said that the most important of the CEM’s proposals is the one to demilitarize the government. She previously said that she would continue using the armed forces for public security tasks but relieve them of other duties, such as building infrastructure, fixing roads and running hotels.
Álvarez, seen here on Tuesday at a different event in Monterrey, said that congressional candidates for his party, Citizens Movement, will also support candidates for the Senate and Chamber of Deputies will also support “this vision for strategy change…” (Gabriela Pérez Montiel/Cuartoscuro)
Gálvez, who trailed Sheinbaum by almost 24 points in one recent poll, committed to meeting with Church leaders to discuss their peace proposals the day after she is sworn in as Mexico’s first female president.
“On Oct. 2, I’ll meet with you, not as a candidate but as president, to have the first working session — dialogue and listening to commitments for peace,” she said.
Gálvez has pledged to increase the size of the National Guard and develop its capacity to investigate crimes and arrest criminals.
“Hugs for criminals are over. The law will be applied to them,” she said on March 1.
Among the other aspects of her security strategy are plans to increase funding for states to improve their crime-fighting capacity and to pay police higher salaries.
Álvarez Máynez embraces the strategy change that Mexico “urgently needs”
MC candidates for the Senate and Chamber of Deputies will also support “this vision for strategy change that the country urgently needs,” said the 38-year-old former lawmaker.
Álvarez Máynez, who is currently at a distant third in the polls, accused both Sheinbaum and Gálvez of “being responsible for perpetuating” failed security strategies.
Neither Sheinbaum nor Gálvez has been involved in security matters at a federal level.
The event on Monday was the first in which all three presidential candidates participated, although they attended at different times and thus weren’t pitted against each other in any way.
The aspirants will meet face-to-face at three presidential debates, two of which will be held in April, with a third to follow in May.
Crime and insecurity, and a range of other topics — including health, education, the fight against corruption and the economy — are set to be considered at the three debates, to be held in Mexico City.
The royal couple arrived at the Mexico City International Airport on Monday. (@SRE_mx/X)
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden arrived in Mexico on Monday night for a three-day state visit that includes activities in Mexico City and the Yucatán Peninsula. The royal couple have previously visited the country twice, in 1982 and 2002.
President López Obrador and his wife Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller with the Swedish royals on Tuesday. (SRE/X)
“It is an honor to be Mexican. We are very pleased and grateful for their visit,” López Obrador said in a statement. “We are going to invite the king and queen to visit Diego [Rivera]’s murals. They asked for that. They are intelligent, educated, generous monarchs.”
Upon arrival at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), they were welcomed by Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister María Teresa Mercado, Mexican Ambassador to Sweden Alejandro Alday and Swedish Ambassador to Mexico Gunnar Aldén.
In addition to visiting the National Palace, the monarchs will tour the Senate and the campus of the Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM).
On Wednesday morning, the king will inaugurate the Mexico-Sweden Business Forum to discuss sustainable transportation solutions, sustainable mining, the telecommunications industry and healthcare issues.
Before leaving the country, the couple will travel on the Maya Train to Uxmal, where they will meet with representatives of Indigenous communities. Reportedly, the royals will also meet with the governor of Yucatán, Mauricio Vila.
Who are the king and queen of Sweden?
King Carl XVI Gustaf ascended to the throne at age 27, succeeding his grandfather Gustaf VI Adolf after he passed away in 1973. The king’s father, second in line to the throne, had died in a plane accident while traveling to Denmark in 1947.
Queen Silvia is the first Swedish queen to have had a professional career. Of German-Brazilian descent, she met King Carl (then crown prince) during the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, where she was working as an interpreter and host.
The couple was married in 1976. The successor to the throne is their daughter Crown Princess Victoria.
Typically, the Swedish royals embark on two to three state visits overseas every year.
Student protesters stormed attacked the state Attorney General's Office in Chilpancingo on Tuesday. (Cuartoscuro)
The state police officer who allegedly shot and killed a college student in Guerrero last week is on the run — with the complicity of local authorities, according to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
One day after the president called the killing “an abuse of authority” because the victim “did not shoot,” he revealed in his Tuesday morning press conference that the officer who reportedly pulled the trigger is nowhere to be found.
The funeral of college student Yanqui Kothan Gómez Peralta who was killed by police last week in Guerrero. (Cuartoscuro)
And because the officer is not in custody, the Guerrero capital of Chilpancingo is now the site of protests by students and others. State government offices were evacuated late Tuesday morning, and images of protesters storming the Guerrero attorney general’s office (FGE) had begun circulating on social media by early afternoon.
“The investigation is being carried out, as is the search, of course,” the president said in his mañanera at the National Palace in Mexico City. “But part of the breakdown that we are facing is the interests that are involved.”
López Obrador said an arrest warrant had been issued along with instructions to bring the officer into custody in Chilpancingo.
“But they notified him, or he escaped,” he added. “It was in an administrative arrest, but the protocols were not followed … We realize how the situation is, that there are many interests. There are those who do not want justice to be done, and for us [the ruling party] to look bad.”
Students threw Molotov cocktails at the Attorney General’s Office in Chilpancingo, Guerrero. (Cuartoscuro)
The FGE published a press release on Tuesday afternoon stating that it never had the officer in question in custody and does not carry out administrative arrests, contradicting the president’s version of events. Some close to the case, however, have echoed the president’s version of the story. Lilia Vianey, the slain student’s mother, told news outlet Rompeviento on Tuesday that the officers involved in her son’s killing were “being kept safe, not detained.”
The killing of Yanqui Khotan Gómez Peralta took place last Thursday night at a police checkpoint in Chilpancingo. Gómez, a 23-year-old student at the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College in Tixtla, Guerrero, was reportedly in a pickup truck that was identified as stolen, according to the Guerrero Ministry of Public Security (SSP).
He was riding in the truck, reportedly a Nissan Frontier, with two other students from the college, although one allegedly got out before the checkpoint. The other student who stayed in the truck, Osiel Faustino Jimón Dircio, was injured in the incident. Jimón was released from FGE custody last Friday; his lawyer has since stated that while detained he was tortured by local police attempting to extract a false confession of illegal weapons possession.
Gómez, like many of his fellow Ayotzinapa students, sometimes participated in protests in Mexico City relating to the 2014 disappearance and presumed murder of 43 male students who were studying at the rural teachers’ college.The day before his death, there was such a protest in Mexico City, in which a Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) pickup truck was used as a battering ram to break down one of the doors of the National Palace. Guerrero government officials have asserted there was no concerted effort on the part of state police to go after students from the Ayotzinapa school.
However, according to the mother of one of the Ayotzinapa 43, the police always “have the [teachers’ college] students under close surveillance.”
“They knew that the normalistas were going [to a school celebration], that’s why they shot them,” Cristina Bautista Salvador told the newspaper La Jornada.
López Obrador also revealed in his press conference that two forensic experts with the federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR), Kassandra Domínguez Pastrana and Enrique Linares Ríos “disappeared” when they were en route from Cuernavaca to Chilpancingo on Saturday.
As of Tuesday late afternoon, authorities from Morelos announced the two missing officials had been found alive, however no further details were given about the circumstances of their abduction.
Jaime Barrera, a newscaster for the Televisa television network in Guadalajara, was reported missing Monday night. (Jaime Barrera/Twitter)
Journalist Jaime Barrera, a newscaster for Televisa, has been reported missing in the state of Jalisco.
On Monday evening, Barrera’s empty Fiat Fastback was found on a highway outside of Zapopan, a suburb of the state capital Guadalajara. The journalist’s daughter Itzul Barrrea, a national councilwoman for the ruling party Morena, alerted police to her father’s disappearance and posted a message on social media asking for help in locating him.
Barrera’s daughter Itzul Barrrea, a national councilwoman for Morena, alerted police to her father’s disappearance. (Itzul Barrera/Instagram)
“My father, the best journalist in Mexico, is missing,” she wrote. “I pray with all my soul that you all help us to find him.”
On Tuesday morning, the state Attorney General’s Office revealed further information thanks to traffic cameras. Video footage retrieved by state authorities showed that Barrera had been forcibly removed from his vehicle by three or four suspects who were traveling in an SUV. One of the suspects was holding what appeared to be an automatic weapon.
Forensic examiners gathered evidence from the journalist’s vehicle, including fingerprints.
Concerns arose Monday after Barrera failed to appear for his evening broadcast. He was last seen leaving the radio station after his midday broadcast, reportedly en route for lunch with his children. When he failed to return to the studio, a missing persons report was filed with police.
Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro stated that he is personally overseeing the investigation, posting on social media that all state security agencies are collaborating to locate Barrera.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador mentioned the disappearance during his Tuesday morning press conference.
In addition to his work for Televisa, Barrera, second from right, was a regular pundit on a political panel discussion show, “Con Todo Respeto” (With All Due Respect), which broadcasts weekly on the University of Guadalajara’s Channel 44. (UDGTV)
“Yes, we have been informed about the journalist from Jalisco … the father of a member of our party, and we are working to help,” the president said. “I can’t say more, but we are involved.”
The family, which claimed it was not aware of any threats made against Barrera, has called on the Federal Attorney General’s Office to take up the case.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which promotes press freedom and defends journalists’ rights, is also investigating the disappearance. In a statement issued March 6, the CPJ said it views Mexico as the most dangerous country in the Western Hemisphere not actively at war for journalists.
