The Pacific hurricane season last year was particularly intense in Mexico, but this year more are expected to develop in the Atlantic Ocean. (Alto Nivel/X)
Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) announced the hurricane forecast for 2024 on Saturday. The tropical cyclone season will begin on May 15 in the Northeast Pacific Ocean and June 1 in the Atlantic Ocean (includes the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico).
The weather agency predicts a more intense hurricane season in 2024 in the Atlantic Ocean, where hurricane activity is expected to increase by up to 50%, with 14 potential storm systems. Meanwhile, the Pacific Ocean will see around 10% more systems than average.
The 2024 hurricane forecast for Mexico includes a total of up to 41 storms, though only some of these will make landfall. (@mariablackmoon/X)
The meteorologists predict 15 to 18 storm systems in the Pacific Ocean — of these, four to five could be Category 1 or 2 hurricanes, and three to four could be Category 3 to 5 hurricanes.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic Ocean is expected to see 20 to 23 total systems, with five to six Category 1 or 2 hurricanes, and four to five Category 3 to 5 hurricanes.
However, not all of these hurricanes and storms are expected to make landfall on the Mexican mainland. Alejandra Méndez Girón, general coordinator of the National Meteorological Service (SMN), predicts that at least five hurricanes will make landfall during the season.
According to the national weather agency, the 2023 hurricane season was one of Mexico’s most active in the last 50 years, with 37 systems. Eight of these made landfall on national territory — 48% more than the average recorded over 50 years (5.4 cyclones per year).
The national weather agency predicts between 35-41 storms in the hurricane season in Mexico this year. (Conagua Clima/X)
How does the El Niño/La Niña system affect hurricane season?
The El Niño cyclical weather phenomenon, which started in June 2023, has been associated with widespread drought in Mexico, as well as a particularly intense Pacific hurricane season.
However, El Niño is weakening and predicted by the NOAA to end between April and June, with a 60% chance of being followed by La Niña, beginning between June and August.
With La Niña, the tropical cyclone season in the Atlantic is expected to intensify. This is particularly true for this year, as the ocean’s surface temperature is expected to be warmer than usual.
Most regions in Mexico are predicted to receive more rain this year if La Niña develops, which would bring welcome relief — nearly 70% of national territory is experiencing some degree of drought as of April 30, according to the national drought monitor.
Personnel remove chemicals in a Sinaloa synthetic drug lab that was making methamphetamine. (SEMAR)
The navy announced Tuesday that it shut down eight clandestine drug labs in the northern state of Sinaloa in recent days.
The Ministry of the Navy (SEMAR) said in a statement that “naval personnel in coordination with the Federal Attorney General’s Office located and neutralized eight clandestine laboratories” in Sinaloa where cartels were making tonnes of illegal synthetic drugs.
The Sinaloa Cartel is the likely group behind this clandestine lab. It is the predominant cartel in Sinaloa, and one of its most lucrative criminal enterprises is manufacturing and smuggling synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl to the United States. (SEMAR)
Authorities found at least two of the clandestine labs in the Culiacán municipality, the state capital. The others were found in other parts of Sinaloa.
“In a first event, seven labs were located and dismantled in the villages of La Pluma de la Gallina, El Bledal and Carricitos and in the vicinity of the José López Portillo dam,” SEMAR said.
The statement also said the navy found at the labs approximately 6 tonnes of methamphetamine, 12,750 liters of “essential chemicals,” 2 tonnes of precursor chemicals, “three reactors of different capacities” and a range of other materials for methamphetamine manufacturing.
“In a second action, a clandestine laboratory was destroyed in the village of El Tecomate in the municipality of Culiacán,” SEMAR said.
Officials said that they found approximately 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, 6,050 liters of “essential chemicals,” 1 tonne of precursor chemicals and equipment to make synthetic drugs at that lab.
According to SEMAR, the eight labs’ destruction represented “a loss of millions of dollars” in synthetic drug sales for organized crime.
The majority of the clandestine labs the navy recently found in Sinaloa were in villages and other rural areas, although one drug lab the navy dismantled was in the city limits of Culiacán. (SEMAR)
The Sinaloa Cartel is the dominant criminal organization and drug producer and trafficker in Sinaloa. The cartel formerly headed by imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán smuggles large quantities of drugs, including the synthetic drugs methamphetamine and fentanyl, into the United States.
Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, has said that the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) pose “the greatest criminal threat the United States has ever faced” due to the large quantities of narcotics they smuggle into the U.S.
The Xoloitzcuintle is instantly recognizable as a symbol of Mexico, but how much do you know about their history? (Diego Simon Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
You’ve seen them made of ceramic in anthropology museums, featured in Diego Rivera paintings and even as a main character in the Disney hit Coco. The is-it-ugly-or-is-it-cute Mexican hairless dog — el xoloitzcuintli — is one of the oldest documented dog breeds in history and serves today as a symbol of Mexico’s fascinating story.
What is the legend behind the Xoloitzcuintli?
Known affectionately as Xolo (Sho-lo), the name Xoloitzcuintli welds two Nahuatl words: itzcuintli, meaning dog, and Xolotl, the Mexica (Aztec) God and ruler of the dark and taboo, including lightning, twins and fire. Xolotl also leads the dead to Mictlán, or the Underworld.
Does this dog look like a guide to the underworld to you? (HotDOG/AKC)
Who was Xolotl?
According to legend, there were nine layers to pass through to arrive at a new life in Mictlán, one of which was the Apanohuaia River. Crossing this deep, treacherous body of water required the guidance of both Xolotl and a Xolo. The belief was so ingrained into pre-Hispanic society that the dead were commonly buried with sacrificed Xolo dogs to ensure a safe journey. When a dog couldn’t be sacrificed, a small wooden or ceramic statue stood in its place.
Aside from his role as a death doula of sorts, Xolotl had many other roles in pre-Columbian society. He was believed to be the twin brother of Quetzalcoatl, the creator of life. It was Xolotl’s job to lead the sun through the underworld during twilight so it could return safely the next day.
They were hunters.
History depicts Xolos as hunting companions that took down wild turkeys and deer for special occasions and festivals.
They were used as heaters.
Xolos are frequently called “hot water bottles” due to their high body temperatures. The Mexican highlands are known to be cold at night, so families would sleep with their dogs to keep warm.
The impressive lineage Xoloitzcuintle can be traced back to before the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico and the hound plays an important role in Indigenous mythology. (Ángel M. Felicísimo/Wikimedia)
Their role as a natural “heater” was also thought to heal the ill. Xolos were (and still are) credited with easing the pain of inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. As Kay Lawson, a Xolo breeder with 20 years of experience and past president of the Xoloitzcuintli Club of America, told National Geographic in 2017, “They know when you’re sick. They zero right in to where it hurts.”
They were considered a local delicacy.
The Mexica had considered Xolos a ceremonial food source long before the Spanish arrived. However, their place on the occasional dinner plate wasn’t documented until Hernán Cortez wrote about a “prized [canine] delicacy” in his letters to the King of Spain. Cortez did not specifically mention the dogs, but context clues lead historians to believe it was Xolos he was bragging about. In fact, overeating of Xolos may have led to their near-extinction.
It is widely understood that over-consumption by the conquistadors, combined with their waning popularity in modern Mexico, led to a severe decrease in population. Even though Xolos experienced a short revival due to nationalism in the 1920s, with a few dogs making it into the home and artwork of Frida Kahlo and Diego Riviera, it wasn’t until the 1950s that the breed saw signs of regrowth. Norman Pelham Wright led an expedition in Mexico’s remote areas where he and his team found 10 purebreds and incorporated them into an organized breeding program.
It’s hard to say how many Xolos exist today, though some sources claim there are only around 4,000 registered.
The more hairy patches you see, the older the Xolo’s soul.
Most Xoloitzcuintles are (usually) hairless, though some individuals boast hairy patches that are believed to be the mark of a reincarnated animal. (HotDOG/AKC)
Xolos are known for being hairless, hence the nickname of “Mexican hairless dog.” Their ears are long and erect and their frame is commonly described as regal. However, there are Xolos with patches of hair on certain parts of their bodies. Some will say it’s genes; the Aztecs will say it’s a sign of reincarnation. The same gene is responsible for the absence of a standard set of teeth.
But not all are hairless.
Xolos can be found in three distinct sizes: miniature, small and standard, measuring less than 14 inches to 23 inches tall. Xolos are usually black, dark gray, brown or even deep red. Some are hairless and others are completely coated, though the hairless breed usually has some tufts of shaggy hair on its head, paws and tail.
They make great service and therapy dogs.
Xolos are intuitive and devoted creatures. If the dog receives strict training and socialization skills from an early age, he or she can make an excellent therapy dog. In an interview with the American Kennel Club, Xolo breeder Stephanie Mazzarella revealed her Xolo’s therapeutic role in her recovery after surviving a car accident. The impacts she suffered were life threatening, from severe anxiety to loss of consciousness. One day, her own Xolo, Neina, sensed that Stephanie was about to lose consciousness before she did. Neina started barking frantically. When Stephanie came to, Neina was licking her face to wake her up.
From this moment, Stephanie started tracking the breed’s ability to connect with patients who suffered from PTSD or autism and found the dogs to be very gentle and protective. Other breeders have stated that Xolos can be trained to detect seizures and summon help when necessary.
They’ve aged gracefully.
Xolos can be dated 3,000 years back. They’re native to Mesoamerica (though there are a few that claim the dog was brought from Asia). Either way, it’s one of the most primitive breeds in the world and also one of the healthiest. Xolos are known to be nearly free from the common health problems found in most domestic dog breeds.
In 2016, then-governor Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa, declared the Xoloitzcuintli as the official breed of Mexico City at the request of the Mexican Canine Federation.
Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog, or follow her on Instagram.
How do you respond to the sometimes frustrating challenges of life in Mexico? (Travis Bembenek)
Many people, including myself, wax poetic about how life in Mexico has changed them.
We talk about how the different pace of life has made us more patient. We share how we have a newfound appreciation for things we didn’t notice before.
But how do we really know if we have actually changed, or if we are just telling ourselves (and others) that we have changed? I present to you: the Mexican Stress Test.
A disclaimer: I just invented the Mexican Stress Test last night — but I do think I am on to something.
My wife and I have had the luck of having the power go out in our home in San Miguel de Allende two of the past three nights. The first time, it was very localized, just the 20 or so homes in our privada. Last night, it was big — basically all of central San Miguel went out, and there were outages reported in 21 states across the country. When the power goes out in our home, it is extra special because it also immediately cuts out our water and internet. So we get the trifecta — an immediate total loss of our power, water, and internet. Oh, and we don’t have a backup generator.
Here is where the Mexican Stress Test comes into effect. The question I would like each of you to ask yourselves is: what do you do when your power goes out at your home?
Be honest with yourself. Do you stress out? Get angry? Call the power company repeatedly until you get a clear answer? I’ll be honest, when I lived in the U.S., I did all of those things.
I truly had a “time is money, I must be efficient, and the power outage is wasting my time and making me inefficient” mindset. I would call the power company, text friends and neighbors to see what they knew and complain to my wife. In summary, I wasted the entire power outage being stressed about the power outage.
In Mexico, I have found that I take the outages totally differently.
Of course, it’s hard to imagine how you will react until it actually happens. Two nights ago, the power went out around 9 p.m. with an exploding transformer that startled us. My wife and I just laughed, sighed and set up a makeshift bed on our ground floor to sleep (as it is relatively cooler than our upstairs bedroom).
We had never done this before, it’s not like we were super prepared to do this, but it just seemed like the logical thing to do at the moment. We slept fine, woke up without power, and walked to a friends house in a nearby neighborhood that had power so we could shower. We bought breakfast at a little coffee shop and by the time we got home by late morning, our power was back!
Tonight’s outage was a bit more dramatic as the power went out all over the city. I was finishing a walk and all of a sudden, boom!, it went out and everyone immediately started coming out of their homes and hanging out on the street.
I needed to buy some water, so I went to the local mini-store to find them still open, lit by a single Coke bottle with a candle in it. I talked to a family in the street, petted an 8-week-old husky puppy for awhile that a woman was playing with in the street, and then headed home to find my wife just laying on top of the bed, in the dark, meditating and thinking.
A new friend Travis made while the power was out. (Travis Bembenek)
After making a wager as to how long this particular outage would last, I laid down next to her and we spontaneously started having a strategic brainstorming session about our business — Mexico News Daily.
There we were, in total darkness, with no internet, and with phone signals jammed from so much cellular traffic that there was nothing to do but just talk. Over the period of the next 90 minutes, completely uninterrupted by the many distractions of modern life, we had a wonderful, high-quality discussion about some strategic issues that needed to be addressed.
When the power came back on, we were actually a bit disappointed that it returned so quickly, as we were still deep in thought and conversation.
I can’t say that I hope for another power outage anytime soon, but as I reflect on these two evenings, I am surprised by how calm I was on both occasions. I wasn’t stressed, I wasn’t complaining about what I wasn’t able to do, I just took it in stride, enjoyed the journey, and actually got some great thinking done that I was having trouble getting to when the power was on.
I think I passed this particular Mexican Stress Test. And I feel damn good about it.
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.
In May, a heat wave and subsequent increase in energy demand strained the national grid, causing blackouts in Quintana Roo and elsewhere. (Jorge Ortega/Cuartoscuro)
As extremely hot weather affects much of the country, many Mexicans were left without electricity on Tuesday afternoon and night.
Power outages were reported in 21 states, while the National Energy Control Center (Cenace) declared a state of emergency in Mexico’s electricity system on two occasions.
Cenace said in a statement on Tuesday night that Mexico’s electricity generation capacity was affected from 4:05 p.m. Mexico City time when a power plant in Tamaulipas “went out of service.”
Several other power plants in various parts of the country subsequently went offline and solar and wind power generation dropped, Cenace said.
Mexico’s energy control center didn’t say that the mass power outage was related to increased electricity demand generated by the current heat wave.
In fact, it didn’t specify a reason for the interruptions at the power plants but did say that solar generation decreased due to cloudy conditions in the Bajío region.
However, energy expert Arturo Carranza noted that increased electricity demand due to high temperatures in some parts of Mexico “causes stress” to the national system.
“To achieve conditions of reliability and safety in operations, Cenace declares these states of emergencies, which are accompanied by other actions [including programmed outages] to reduce the stress,” he said.
An “operational state of emergency in the interconnected national system” was declared at 5:04 p.m. Mexico City and lasted 48 minutes. The system needs electricity reserves of at least 6% to operate normally, but they had dropped below 3% when the emergency was declared.
A second state of emergency was declared at 7:10 p.m due to an increase in “night demand” for electricity as well as generation problems at several power plants.
Cenace said that rolling blackouts were required to “maintain safety and reliability” in the electricity system after each of the emergency declarations.
“At 20:10 the reconnection of affected electricity supply began,” Cenace said, adding that it was expected to conclude at 11 p.m.
Blackouts were reported in Mexico City, México state, Morelos, Campeche, Coahuila, Colima, Oaxaca, Puebla, Hidalgo, Chiapas, Jalisco, Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Veracruz, Tamaulipas and Tabasco.
Neither Cenace nor the Federal Electricity Commission specified the number of people who lost power on Tuesday.
Among the municipalities affected by power outages were San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Toluca in México state, Reynosa in Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí, the capital of the state of the same name.
Dirt race lovers rejoice! The 56th Baja 500 is almost here, and competition is stronger than ever. (BFGoodrich)
The Baja California peninsula’s rugged terrain and stark desert landscapes have provided the setting for seven decades of off-road racing, and the Baja 1000 is inarguably the most famous of these races. The legendary event dates back to 1967 and is still the longest continually operated desert race in the world. But the Baja 500, also run under the SCORE International banner, has been around almost as long. It celebrates its 56th race this year, only one less than the Baja 1000.
The green flag symbolizing the start of these iconic competitions typically drops in Ensenada, hence the city’s nickname: the Desert Racing Capital of the World. Forty-nine of the previous Baja 500 races began in Ensenada. So will the 2024 version, which kicks off on June 1 and will feature an estimated 280 racers in 45 classes. Competitors have 20 hours to log an official finish in the 483.06-mile course. Misleadingly, it’s not always 500 miles exactly, as the course can vary from year to year.
While the Baja 500 is considered the junior cousin to the more famous Baja 1000, the race has remained popular well into its sixth decade. (BFGoodrich)
What to know about this year’s race
The BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 500 officially happens from May 29 to June 2. The first day, however, is dedicated to technical inspections of participating vehicles and pre-race celebrations on Boulevard Costero in Ensenada. An estimated 50,000 people turn out to see the cars, trucks, motorcycles, quad bikes, UTVs, and other off-road racers. Local vendors and sponsors are also represented on the “Manufacturer’s Midway,” which is free to the public.
The next day, Saturday, June 1, the race begins on Boulevard Costero, with vehicles departing every 30 or 60 seconds, depending on the competition class. Although 20 hours are allotted to finish, the winners in each class will need only about half that time. The course is routed as a loop race, with the finish line also in Ensenada. After the clockwise-running race through a large swath of Baja California, an awards ceremony will be held at 12:30 p.m. on June 2 in the Cathedral Hall at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. It’s located on Boulevard Costero near the starting line.
The Baja 500 is the second of four races that comprise the SCORE (Southern California Off Road Enthusiasts) World Desert Championship series. The 37th San Felipe 250 was run in March and the 5th Baja 400 is scheduled for September, followed by the 57th running of the Baja 1000 in November. All are set on the Baja California peninsula.
The history of off-road racing in Baja California
The Baja 500 and Baja 1000 races weren’t originally organized by SCORE but run under the auspices of the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA). Founded in 1966 by Ed Pearlman, Don Francisco and other enthusiasts of the sport, NORRA’s first Baja 1000 was held in 1967, running from Tijuana to La Paz. Francisco, the mapper of the original course, was a veteran of the Carrera Panamericana, the notoriously dangerous highway race that spanned Mexico from north to south before being canceled in 1955. It has since been revived, safely. Francisco’s more rugged off-road Baja 1000 routing and the first Baja 500 in 1969 helped to set the template for Baja-style desert racing while connecting it to a national tradition.
The race takes place across (roughly) 500 miles of Mexican desert. (BFGoodrich)
NORRA, however, was removed as the sponsoring body for these races by the Mexican government in 1972. The Baja Sports Committee organized the Baja 500 in 1973 before SCORE’s long-time owner Sal Fish and promoter and former world land speed record holder Mickey Thompson took over in 1974. The first race on July 26 of that year was won by a Hollywood stuntman named Bobby Ferro, who drove a VW Sandmaster open-wheel race car. But for legal reasons, the race wasn’t referred to as the Baja 500 again until 1991. In the public mind, though, it was never anything else.
The Baja 500 and Baja 1000 races have long fascinated Hollywood movie stars and famous race car drivers. Steve McQueen, James Garner and Paul Newman each tackled the Baja 1000, the latter setting the record for oldest-ever competitor when he was 80. The Baja 500 hasn’t drawn as many actors as the Baja 1000, but it has always been considered a serious test by the pros on the IndyCar and NASCAR circuits. Indianapolis 500 winners Parnelli Jones, Rick Mears and Danny Sullivan also tested themselves in the Baja 500, with the former winning the overall title twice. So, too, did noted Nascar drivers like Jimmie Johnson and Robby Gordon. Gordon was the most successful to do so, winning the Baja 1000 three times and the Baja 500 on four occasions, most recently in 2013. That doubled the record set by father, Bob Gordon, who won the Baja 500 in 1980 and 1987.
The defending champion returns
The headliner for this year’s race is Bryce “Golden Boy” Menzies from Las Vegas. The 36-year-old is the defending SCORE series Trophy Truck title holder — he has 10 career victories in the Trophy Truck division — and the defending 2023 Baja 500 overall champion. He and his Menzies Motorsports Ford Raptor all-wheel drive truck are sure to be favorites again, although the estimated list of 260 entrants also includes racers from around the world, including countries as far-flung as Australia, Indonesia and Japan. Mexico will also be represented, of course, with Tijuana native and Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame member Eric Solorzano among those seeking to dethrone Menzies in 2024.
The course map for this year’s race has been released. So Baja California locals and U.S. visitors who make the 80-mile journey from the border to Ensenada now know where the finish line will be: on Boulevard Costero, in the same place as the starting line.
The Baja 500 course map, showing the ruggest terrain that racers must cross to claim the top prize. (SCORE International)
For those who’d like to monitor the upcoming race online, SCORE International tracks results on its website. Live coverage is also featured on SCORE’s YouTube and Facebook social media platforms, with a recap forthcoming in the monthly SCORE Journal Digital Magazine.
Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook, and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.
In 2022, the U.S. State Department reported that 1.6 million U.S. citizens were residing in Mexico, half of whom are retirees. (Unsplash)
Mexico continues to be the preferred country for retirement among United States citizens, as confirmed in an updated 2024 report by Investopedia.
In 2020, more U.S. citizens moved to Mexico than to any other country, and was a top destination for retirees. And in 2022, the U.S. State Department reported that 1.6 million U.S. citizens were residing in Mexico.
Mérida is becoming a popular destination for expats, thanks to its Caribbean weather, its Old World charm and its status as one of Mexico’s safest cities. (Like Where You’re Going)
For many, the main reason behind retiring in Mexico or any other country is affordability — looking for a quality of life that is no longer within reach in the U.S.
“While retirement abroad requires careful planning about visas and taxes, staying in the U.S. could mean managing higher costs of living and expensive health care,” Investopedia said in a March report.
Which countries are U.S. citizens’ favorite destinations abroad?
The other countries rounding out the top 10 choices are as follows:
The United Kingdom: 170,771
Germany: 152,639
Australia: 116,620
Israel: 76,794
South Korea: 68,050
France: 61,668
Japan: 58,340
Spain: 57,112
Cheaper housing and healthcare: big motivators
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that average housing prices in these countries are lower than in the United States, with the exception of Canada.
Mexico also has the cheapest healthcare among the top 10 destinations.
According to the OECD, healthcare in Mexico is 60% cheaper than in the U.S., a fact that is also driving Mexico’s medical tourism industry. In 2023, Mexico ranked as the world’s second most popular country for medical tourism.
U.S. retirees with legal residency in Mexico can sign up for public health insurance through the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and pay a premium that is much smaller than just about any health insurance premium in the U.S. However, most choose to buy private insurance coverage since many find private healthcare in Mexico to be more affordable than in the U.S.
Medicare doesn’t follow U.S. citizens abroad — but Social Security does in the top 10 countries on the list. And, yes, you can continue to collect your Social Security payments if you’re retired and living in Mexico. The U.S. Social Security Administration sent some 62,000 payments to Mexico as of November 2022, just behind Canada and Japan.
Author Cristina Rivera Garza, who grew up in Mexico and studied at the National Autonomous University, won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize Tuesday in the Autobiography and Memoir category for her book "Liliana's Invincible Summer." (Colegio Nacional/Cuartoscuro)
Crafting a rich, genre-bending account of her sister’s 1990 murder at the hands of an abusive ex-boyfriend has earned Mexican writer Cristina Rivera Garza a 2024 Pulitzer Prize, Columbia University has announced.
Rivera Garza’s “Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice” was lauded by the selection committee as a nonfiction work “that mixes memoir, feminist investigative journalism and poetic biography stitched together with a determination born of loss.”
Rivera Garza’s book, “Liliana’s Invincible Summer” was also a 2023 National Book Awards finalist. (Hogarth)
The book’s title in Spanish is “El invencible verano de Liliana.”
Best known for novels such as “Nadie me verá llorar” (“No One Will See Me Cry”), Rivera Garza, 59, won the Pulitzer in the category of memoirs or autobiographies — becoming the first Mexican ever to win a Pulitzer for literature.
Rivera Garza was born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and lived in several places in Mexico before moving to the United States in 1989. She studied urban sociology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and completed her PhD in Latin American history from the University of Houston. She is currently the M.D. Anderson Professor in Hispanic Studies and the director of the Creative Writing Program in Hispanic Studies at the University of Houston.
Her previous six novels, three collections of short stories, five poetry books and two nonfiction works have collected numerous awards, including the Roger Caillois Award for Latin American Literature in 2013 and the Anna Seghers Prize in 2005.
She is the only author who has won the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize twice — in 2001 for “Nadie me verá llorar” and in 2009 for her novel “La muerte me da,” a work that hasn’t been translated into English.
In July, Rivera Garza was inducted into the Colegio Nacional, Mexico’s honorary society for academics and intellectuals. (Cuartoscuro)
Rivera Garza has also been awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2020. In July, she was inducted into Mexico’s Colegio Nacional, the nation’s most prestigious honorary academic organization.
Her short poetic novel from 2017, “The Iliac Crest,” was included in the recent Mexico News Daily article “Books by Mexican writers to take you out of your comfort zone.” In her novel, Rivera Garza writes about the disappearance of several women and examines gender fluidity and identity.
“Liliana’s Invincible Summer,” which was published in English last year after debuting in Spanish in 2021, recounts in luminous, poetic prose her quest to resolve her sister’s murder 29 years after the fact.
It simultaneously tells the story of a brilliant and bold young woman who, as Rivera Garza writes, “lacked, like ourselves, the language necessary to identify, denounce and fight against sexist violence and intimate partner terrorism.”
The book has been praised for its honesty, beauty and importance. American novelist and essayist Jonathan Lethem wrote in 2018 that Rivera Garza is “one of Mexico’s greatest living writers.”
“We are just barely beginning to catch up to what she has to offer,” Lethem said.
The Pulitzer Prizes were established by Hungarian-American newspaper publisher and journalist Joseph Pulitzer, who left money to Columbia University after his death in 1911. First awarded in 1917, the prizes honor excellence in journalism, literature, drama and music.
“Liliana’s Invincible Summer” was selected over two other finalists in the memoirs/autobiography category: “The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions” by Jonathan Rosen and “The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight” by Andrew Leland.
The winner in the poetry category was “Tripas” by Brandon Som, a collection that examines the complexities of the poet’s dual Mexican and Chinese heritages.
Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Virtual Afternoon with Cristina Rivera Garza
Find out more about Cristina Rivera Garza in this online interview with her from 2023 by Oxford professor, author and The New Yorker critic Merve Emre.
The long steel that Gerdau produces is typically used in construction and manufacturing. (Thusbaudin Ph/Shutterstock)
The Brazilian company Gerdau, the largest producer of long steel in the Americas, could soon be investing up to US $600 million to build a factory in Mexico.
Already the owners of a steel mill in Hidalgo and two others in México state, Gerdau officials confirmed that the company has undertaken a cost-benefit analysis regarding construction of a new plant in Mexico.
If the company decides the project has commercial viability, Gerdau would begin building in 2025. The cost-benefit analysis will be finalized by the year’s end.
Manufacturing industry news site Cluster Industrial reported that the proposed plant would have the capacity to produce 600,000 tonnes of specialty steels per year. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Gerdau CEO Gustavo Werneck said that a steel mill of this size would require an investment of between US $500 million and $600 million.
Gerdau is also reviewing sites for the proposed steel mill. It is likely to be located in central Mexico, near the company’s three other plants.
Werneck told reporters that any new construction would adhere to the company’s sustainability principles, using state-of-the-art technology and its consumption of raw materials to minimize carbon emissions.
Gerdau — which claims to be the biggest recycling company in Latin America and says that 71% of its steel worldwide is produced from scrap metal — has a stated goal of reducing emissions by 0.82 tonnes of carbon per tonne of steel produced by 2031.
If the project goes forward, its production would target Mexico’s domestic market, primarily the auto industry. Werneck said Mexico’s attractiveness is bolstered by the cluster of important automakers in the country.
“Important players in the automotive industry, including current Gerdau customers, are expanding their operations to Mexico, which is becoming one of the most relevant countries in the production of automotive parts,” Werneck wrote in a Friday LinkedIn post.
According to Gerdau Vice President Rafael Japur, the Mexican market consumes 1.2 million tonnes of specialty steels per year, of which 70% is imported.
While the pharmacy has been touted as a solution to Mexico's drug shortages, a freedom of information request by El Universal shows a mere 2.7 prescriptions have been filled per day since it opened in December. (Cuartoscuro)
It opened with significant fanfare in late December, but in its first four months of operation the federal government’s “Well-Being Mega Pharmacy” didn’t even come close to fulfilling the function it was designed to fulfill.
In fact, the facility officially called the Federal Center for the Storage and Distribution of Health Supplies (Cefedis) only dispensed 341 prescriptions between December 29 and April 29, according to the El Universal newspaper, which submitted a freedom of information request to state-owned medical company Birmex, the pharmacy’s operator.
The pharmacy, which AMLO said could be the “largest” in the world, opened in December. (Cuartoscuro)
In other words, the megafarmacia — a warehouse that supplies medications to public hospitals and clinics, and to individual patients directly — filled an average of just 2.7 prescriptions per day in its first four months of operation.
At the inauguration of the pharmacy, located in the México state municipality of Huehuetoca, López Obrador said that the establishment of the facility would allow “everyone to have the medicines they need” wherever they are in the country and no matter whether they are rich or poor.
When he first proposed the creation of “a warehouse with all the medicines of the world in reasonable quantities,” he touted it as a a “definitive way out” of the medication shortages that have plagued his government.
Zoé Robledo, director of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), a major health care provider, dismissed the report as “ill-intentioned” and insisted that the mega pharmacy had all the medicines it needs.
Despite that claim, El Universal reported on Tuesday that the facility’s “attempt to solve the shortage of medications in the country” has so far “failed” due to its own “lack of drugs.”
It said that the mega pharmacy didn’t purchase any drugs prior to its inauguration, explaining that its stock was supplied “on loan” by IMSS, the State Workers’ Social Security Institute (ISSSTE) and the universal health scheme known as IMSS-Bienestar.
Protests against medicine shortages have occurred throughout AMLO’s term, and the Well-Being Mega Pharmacy is supposed to help resolve these issues. (Cuartoscuro)
The newspaper said that in its first four months of operation, the mega pharmacy received more than 95,000 telephone calls.
More than 16,000 of those calls were made by people who had previously contacted Cefedis to request a medication. They called again to follow up on their request as they hadn’t received their order. The data supplied to El Universal by Birmex indicates that the vast majority of those people have not yet received the medication they requested.
Cefedis was unable to dispatch medications requested in more than 27,000 calls because the people asking for the drugs either didn’t have a valid prescription or weren’t able to provide their CURP ID number, El Universal said.
Based on the Birmex data, it appears unlikely that the mega pharmacy would have been able to distribute the majority of the medications requested even if those making the requests had prescriptions and/or their CURP numbers.
Of the 341 prescriptions the facility did successfully dispense, 210 were distributed to ISSSTE patients, 129 to IMSS-Bienestar patients and two to IMSS patients.
Birmex said that Cefedis was seeking to fill an additional 1,168 prescriptions by sourcing the requested medications from IMSS, ISSSTE or IMSS-Bienestar.
“The Well-Being Mega Pharmacy is a MEGA-FAILURE, it only dispenses 2.7 prescriptions per day,” Marko Cortés, the national president of the National Action Party, wrote on the X social media platform on Tuesday.
“That’s López Obrador’s Mexico and the health crisis [the federal government] caused. The good news is that [opposition presidential candidate] Xóchitl Gálvez is coming,” he said.
