Mexico in Numbers: Women in the workforce

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March 8, 2024

Two women scientists look into microscopes — While progress has been slow, women are increasingly participating in the Mexican workforce and making strides in formal sector employment. (Cuartoscuro)

The participation of women in the workforce in Mexico is on the rise, but a range of gender disparities remain, including in the areas of pay and representation in positions of leadership.

This International Women’s Day, Mexico News Daily has compiled a range of statistics that provide an overview of the presence of women in the Mexican workforce and illustrate a range of inequalities that persist in the national labor market.

The data mainly comes from recent surveys conducted by the national statistics agency INEGI and a study by the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO), which published its findings earlier this week.

In the final section of the article, a range of proposals aimed at reducing inequality in the workplace and increasing the workforce participation rate for women are outlined.

Female labor force participation is increasing, but at a glacial pace

At the end of 2023, 46.5% of all working-age Mexican women were employed in the formal and informal sectors in Mexico. Excluding a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, women’s workforce participation has increased gradually since 2005, when 41% of Mexican women had paid jobs.

IMCO chart showing evolution of women's participation in the workforce in Mexico — This chart shows the evolution of women’s participation in the workforce since 2005. (IMCO)

However, the percentage of women in the workforce still lags the participation rate for men by more than 30 points.

At the pace that women’s workforce participation has increased over the past two decades, it will take 119 years to close the gap between the sexes, according to IMCO, a Mexico City-based think tank

In a recent report, Citibanamex highlighted that the labor force participation rate for women in Mexico is currently well below the 53.3% average across Latin America. IMCO said that Mexico has the fourth lowest rate in the region and stressed that the entry of more women into the Mexican workforce would not only benefit women personally but also increase Mexico’s competitiveness as a nation.

One positive is that of almost 630,000 new formal sector jobs created in Mexico in the first two months of 2024, 51.2% went to women. Labor Ministry data shows that an impressive 92.4% of new formal sector jobs in Tamaulipas went to women, while the percentage was above 70% in Sinaloa and above 60% in Baja California Sur, Sonora, Jalisco and Michoacán.

However, women filled just 27.9% of newly created jobs in Hidalgo, and the percentages were also low in several other states including Guerrero (30.5%); Campeche (31.5%); Quintana Roo (39.7%); Chiapas (39.8%); and Mexico City (40.6%).

How many women are in paid work? How much do they earn? Which sectors employ the most women?

Some 24.2 million women are in paid employment in Mexico, and they account for around four in ten of all workers in the country.

An INEGI survey in 2022 found that women on average earned 6,360 pesos (US $378 at today’s exchange rate) per month, while men had average monthly salaries that were over 50% higher at 9,762 pesos.

Average salaries for women (and men) have risen since then, in large part due to annual increases in the minimum wage.

While in 2022, women only earned 65 pesos for every 100 pesos paid to men, the income gap between genders has declined to 15%, the El Economista newspaper reported.

Woman selling tacos — More women than men are employed in the informal sector in Mexico, though their rate of formal employment is improving. (Cuartoscuro)

It said that half of all working women now earn the minimum wage or less — just under 7,500 pesos (US $446) per month in most of the country — while the other half earn more than that.

Women working in the formal sector must be paid at least the minimum salary, but 54% of working women in Mexico are employed in the vast informal sector and thus don’t pay taxes, but also don’t have access to social security benefits and don’t have any guaranteeing of earning the minimum daily wage, which since Jan. 1 has been just under 250 pesos (about US $15).

Around eight in ten Mexican women work in the commerce (retail/wholesale) and services sectors, data shows. Among the women in those categories are informal workers, including those who sell food or consumer goods in markets, on the street and in other public places such as the Mexico City metro system.

One services sub-sector that is dominated by women is domestic, or household, services. Around 90% of domestic workers — including cleaners and maids commonly known as muchachas — are women. Very few of those workers have access to social security benefits, even though the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that employers must make them available and a law to that end was approved by Congress in 2022.

Female representation in leadership positions

In Mexico, only 13% of the positions on the boards of companies listed on the stock exchange are occupied by women, according to IMCO. That figure is 17 points below the global average, IMCO said.

To change the situation “the will” of both board members and company owners is required, according to Irene Espinosa, a deputy governor of the Bank of Mexico and member of its governing board.

One in four companies in Mexico have boards made up exclusively of men, El Economista said.

Women are well represented in federal cabinet, occupying key positions including interior minister (usually considered the second most powerful position in the Mexican government), foreign affairs minister, economy minister and security minister. However, IMCO said that only 33% of high-ranking positions within ministries are occupied by women.

AMLO with female cabinet members — Women are increasingly represented in Mexican politics. Here President López Obrador is seen with the female members of his cabinet on Friday in recognition of International Women’s Day. (Lopezobrador.org.mx)

Close to one-third of Mexico’s 32 states have female governors, while the country is almost certain to get its first female president this year, as ruling party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum is the heavy favorite to win the June 2 election and her main rival is Xóchitl Gálvez, who will represent a three-party opposition alliance.

3 in 10 Mexican women have experienced workplace violence

IMCO said in a report that three of 10 Mexican women have experienced workplace violence during their working life.

“The kind of violence that women report with the greatest frequency is discrimination due to reasons of gender,” the think tank said.

Fewer than one in 10 women — 8% — who have suffered violence or discrimination in the workplace reported it, according to IMCO.

Two decades into the 21st century, women still do most of the housework

On average, women spend 40 hours per week on household chores, including looking after children or elderly family members, whereas the figure for men is significantly lower at 16 hours, according to IMCO.

More than 17 million Mexican women dedicate themselves exclusively to such work, while only 992,000 men do the same, the think tank said.

“Unpaid work has an economic value for the country, which INEGI estimates is more than 7.2 trillion pesos [per year],” IMCO said, adding that “women contribute 2.6 times more economic value than men” as a result of the uncompensated labor they perform.

How can Mexico move toward gender equality in the labor market?

IMCO highlighted that many women take leave from their careers when they become mothers and noted that women’s progression toward high-ranking positions can be “limited” both due to motherhood and other care responsibilities that disproportionately fall on their shoulders.

“The choice to interrupt a professional career is not just a personal decision, but also one that is often motivated by an absence of policies of inclusion and care alternatives,” the think tank said.

It said that it is “crucial” for both the public and private sector to “invest and collaborate in an inter-sectorial way in order to establish favorable conditions that allow women to progress in their careers and reach leadership positions.”

Woman kissing a school-age child on the forehead — Women often leave the workforce when they become mothers and face challenges in finding adequate and affordable childcare. (Cuartoscuro)

The promotion of more women to high-ranking positions within organizations will inevitably lead to a reduction in the gender pay gap.

IMCO advocated the “redistribution of care work” through the establishment of a “national care system,” which it described as “a system of coordination between public institutions that attends to the country’s care needs.”

“The Ministry of Finance and Public Credit estimates that it would require an annual public investment equivalent to about 1.4% of national GDP, which could be financed by a tripartite system … [including] the state, companies and collaborators,” it said.

“To achieve it, a constitutional reform that recognizes that every person has the right to decent care is needed,” IMCO said.

To distribute care duties more equitably between new parents, the think tank said that the length of paternity leave should be similar to that of maternity leave. By law, women are entitled to 84 days of maternity leave, but men only have access to five days paid leave upon the birth of a daughter or son.

IMCO also said that employers can do a range of things to create more equitable workplaces, and directed them to resources such as the United Nations’ Women’s Empowerment Principles.

Those principles include to “promote education, training and professional development for women” and to “implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women.”

The World Bank last year published a range of “interventions” that could help to increase labor force participation for women and close gender pay gaps. The measures it outlined were placed in three categories: effective; emerging/promising; and less promising.

Among the interventions classified as “effective” were:

Providing affordable, accessible, and quality childcare services
Imparting sector-specific training, like in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), to address occupational segregation and prepare women for future jobs, and
Promoting pay transparency in firms to reduce gender pay gaps.

With reports from El Economista and La Jornada

In less than a month, CDMX police detained 3 men carrying millions of pesos in cash

By

MND Staff

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March 8, 2024

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A police photo of a man in a suit with his eyes covered for anonymity — All three arrests occurred in the upscale Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood. (SSC CDMX)

The chance capture of three men found carrying a total of more than 4 million pesos (more than US $250,000) has Mexico City authorities looking for answers.

In all three separate cases, the suspects were pulled over for driving erratically and not wearing their seat belts and, upon inspection, found to be in possession of large sums of cash. None of the men were able to provide a reasonable explanation for the money.

The first incident occurred on Feb. 21 in the Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood in western Mexico City. When asked for his license, the driver exited his vehicle, claiming it was in the back seat, whereupon the policeman saw two boxes that were filled with cash.

Questioned about the money, the suspect contradicted himself repeatedly, offering incoherent explanations. The man, identified as Luis Ángeles Cano, 39, was apprehended and taken to the Mexico City District Attorney’s Office for further questioning.

On March 6, El Universal reported that another man was stopped in the same Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood under similar circumstances — changing lanes erratically and not wearing a seat belt.

During the traffic stop, police noticed a gray duffel bag in the front passenger seat stuffed with cash. The unidentified suspect could not satisfactorily explain the origin of the 1.1 million pesos (US $68,000) and was taken into custody.

Mexican pesos laid out on a car seat next to a shopping bag — The most recent detention involved a man carrying 700,000 pesos in cash. (Mexico City SSC).

Two days later, an El Universal report described a nearly identical episode, again in Lomas de Chapultepec. This time the driver reacted nervously upon spotting a police cruiser and when the officer noticed he was not wearing his seat belt, the car was pulled over.

When the driver reached into his backpack to retrieve his license, the policeman noticed a large amount of cash — 700,000 pesos (nearly US $42,000). The suspect was unable to produce any documentation authenticating the source of the money and was arrested.

The authorities have so far declined to verify the status of the three individuals involved.

The incidents had El Universal speculating the illicit cash might be related to the upcoming elections.

With reports from El Universal and Infobae

The risks of digging deeper wells in response to Mexico’s water crisis

By

MND Staff

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March 8, 2024

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dirty water flows out of a drain in an urban area — A 2022 Conagua study found that less than half of Mexican groundwater was fit for human consumption due to the presence of fluoride, coliform bacteria, nitrates and/or heavy metals. (Shutterstock)

As Mexico City’s worsening water crisis and continued drought across the country garner escalating national — and international — attention, some are also raising the alarm about the quality of the nation’s groundwater.

Sixty percent of Mexico City’s water comes from an over-exploited aquifer and about 28% is derived from the aging Cutzamala water system. Experts say the capital’s aquifer could be depleted in 40 years, if certain actions are not taken by authorities within the next 15.

The National Water Commission (Conagua) has dug increasingly deep wells (over 600 meters deep) in efforts to meet demand, according to a report by Infobae news outlet, but this can lead to a contaminated water supply.

Conagua has implemented a well and groundwater analysis program to determine the quality of water using a color-coding system. Its most recent study from 2022 found that only 42.5% of groundwater nationwide could be categorized as “green” (fit for human consumption), whereas 39% was categorized as “red.” The latter category means excess fluoride, coliform bacteria, nitrates or heavy metals were detected in the water.

Meanwhile, Conagua is working with the Mexico City and México state governments to increase the flow of water from the Cutzamala system.

This system, built between the late 1970s and early 1990s, is an inter-basin water transfer project that requires coordination among federal, state and municipal authorities. However, there is no autonomous agency authorized to make decisions for the entire Valley of México. Instead, Conagua, the Mexico City Water System (Sacmex) and the Mexico State Water Ministry each have their own policies and priorities, creating major gaps in management.

A woman fills tanks with a pipe of water — Water scarcity in Mexico City has led to some neighborhoods going for days without municipal water and depending on deliveries by truck. (Cuartoscuro)

Last week, 20 researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) also presented a proposal to address the valley’s water crisis. Their water security plan includes intensive water capture, increased use of treated residual waters in agriculture and artificially recharging the aquifer by injecting surface water directly into the ground.

The UNAM study also found that in the Valley of México, only 75% of irrigated lands utilize treated water and less than 12% of that water is reused. If more agricultural lands used residual waters, potable water would be freed up for consumers.

The UNAM plan requires an investment of 97 billion pesos (approximately US $5.8 billion), part of which would be used for much-needed maintenance on the aging Cutzamala system, originally designed to provide service for 20 years. Additional spending is required for maintenance on water pipes as a stunning 40% of water is estimated to be lost to leaks.

The urgency of Mexico City’s water crisis has led to media reports of an imminent “Day Zero” — cited as June 26, 2024 — when the Cutzamala system might not have enough water to supply the city.

With reports from La-Lista and Infobae

Ayotzinapa student killed by police in confrontation in Guerrero

By

MND Staff

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March 8, 2024

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Police patrol truck on fire in Chilpancingo — A police patrol vehicle was set on fire by protesters after the death of the student on Thursday. (Cuartoscuro)

A student from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College in Guerrero was killed in a confrontation with state police in Chilpancingo on Thursday, authorities said.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed the death at his Friday morning press conference in Morelia, saying that it was “very regrettable” that “this situation” occurred “a day after a protest was carried out at the National Palace.”

Protesters ramming a car through an entrance to Mexico City's National Palace on March 6, 2024 — Protesters used a Federal Electricity Commission truck to ram through the wooden doors of Mexico’s historic National Palace Wednesday. (Cuartoscuro)

On Wednesday morning, Ayotzinapa students used a pickup truck to break open wooden doors at the National Palace during a protest related to the disappearance and presumed murder in 2014 of 43 young men who were studying to become teachers at the Ayotzinapa school.

On Thursday night, Yanqui Kothan Gómez Peralta, 23, was killed when police shot at the occupants of a vehicle reported as stolen.

According to a statement from the Guerrero Ministry of Public Security (SSP), police used live security camera footage to locate the pickup truck and came under fire when they approached it near a hotel in Chilpancingo. The officers returned fire and one of the aggressors was injured, according to the SSP statement.

The Guerrero Attorney General’s Office later said that it had initiated a homicide investigation in connection with the incident. López Obrador said Friday that in addition to the death of one student, another young man was wounded.

Family members of the Ayotzinapa victims — Family members of the 43 students who disappeared in 2014 held a press conference on Thursday in Tixtla. (Cuartoscuro)

According to the SSP, police found a pistol in the stolen pickup as well as cartridges, three small bags of “a crystalline substance” — presumably methamphetamine — and beer.

Speaking at his morning press conference, López Obrador said that the second victim was not seriously injured. He conveyed his condolences to the family of the man who was killed and said he would ask the Federal Attorney General’s Office to take charge of the case.

“We’re going to respectfully ask that it investigate well and announce what happened,” he said.

“… It wasn’t a clash between police and protesters,” stressed the president, who frequently speaks out in support of people’s right to demonstrate peacefully. “… We don’t want anyone to lose their life.”

State government officials also asserted that there was no concerted effort on the part of Guerrero police to go after students from the Ayotzinapa school, who frequently participate in protests that sometimes turn violent.

Ayotzinapa students responded to the death of their fellow future teacher by seizing and setting on fire two state police vehicles in Chilpancingo, local media reported. The Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College is located around 15 kilometers east of the state capital in the municipality of Tixtla.

The death of the young man raises tension at a time when the families of the 43 abducted students, current Ayotzinapa students and others are already angry about the government’s failure to deliver justice in the almost 10-year-old case that occurred during the president of Enrique Peña Nieto.

Well over 100 people — including military personnel and police officers — have been arrested in connection with the students’ disappearance, but no one has faced trial or been convicted of the crime. The remains of just three students have been found.

The current government initiated a new investigation soon after taking office and pledged to definitively determine what happened to the young men. But just seven months before the end of López Obrador’s six-year term, it still hasn’t delivered on its promise, although it did publish a new report last September that outlines three “possible reasons” for the abduction of the students.

The president this week said that the government is “making progress in the investigation,” and reiterated that it would uncover the truth and “find the young men,” whose abduction and presumed murder is one of the most notorious criminal cases in Mexican history.

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

When and where are the Women’s Day marches in Mexico?

By

MND Staff

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March 8, 2024

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8M womens march — Find the International Women's Day march happening in your city on March 8, 2024. (Michael Balam Chan/Cuartoscuro)

Hundreds of thousands of women all over Mexico are getting ready to participate in International Women’s Day (8M) marches and rallies on Friday.

Feminist groups, activists of various human rights movements, family members and friends will be taking to the streets nationwide to demand – among other things – access to safe and legal abortions in all states; the eradication of gender violence; access to more jobs and better wages; more help from men with domestic work; and justice in cases of femicide that remain unpunished.

Every year on March 8, the women of Mexico take to the streets in protest against rampant gender violence in the country. (Victoria Razo/Cuartoscuro)

According to María de la Luz Estrada, director of the National Citizens’ Observatory of Femicide (OCNF), more than 3,000 women, girls and adolescents are murdered each year, although only 24% of these cases are counted as feminicide.

In Mexico, the March 8, or 8M, demonstrations began in the 1970s, but “in recent years they have acquired a sense of urgency due to the sexist context that women continue to face in the country,” Sara González wrote in the newspaper El País. Massive gatherings are set to occur all over the country.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador used his morning press conference to ask that the protests be peaceful. He also urged, “with all due respect,” that the demonstrators take off their hoods.

“It is not an order or a mandate, nor an instruction. It is a respectful recommendation,” he added. “If we live in a free country, why cover up? … You have to show your face.”

First and foremost, the 70-year-old AMLO stressed that he is 100% behind the right to demonstrate.

“Because in our country, there is no repression, freedoms are fully guaranteed, freedom of demonstration, expression, etc. are not limited,” he said. “It was before. I just say that you should try to protest, demonstrate, which is your right, in a peaceful manner.”

In Mexico City, 90,000 participants are expected, which would match last year’s total. Many streets will be closed to traffic as demonstrators follow a route that starts at the Glorieta de las Mujeres Que Luchan (Roundabout of the Women Who Fight).

Mexico City is also observing 8M with the Tiempo de Mujeres (Time for Women) festival from March 1-17, with more than 120 activities such as a March 16 free concert in the Zócalo by international pop star Julieta Venegas.

La Glorieta de Mujeres que Luchan — The Glorieta de las Mujeres Que Luchan in Mexico City was previously the site of a Christopher Columbus statue until 2021. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

Other marches are scheduled in cities all across Mexico. Find your city and the departure point and time for the march below:

Tijuana, La Glorieta, 1 p.m.
Tlaxcala, Asta Bandera (La Virgen), 3 p.m.
Oaxaca, Monumento a la Madre, 3:30 p.m.
Villahermosa, Parque Estrella, 3:30 p.m.
Mexico City, Glorieta de las Mujeres Que Luchan, 4 p.m.
Monterrey, Explanada de Colegio Civil, 4 p.m.
Querétaro, Plaza del Estudiante, 4 p.m.
Puebla, El Gallito, 5 p.m.
Morelia, Plaza Morelos/Plaza del Caballito, 5 p.m.
Puerto Vallarta, Parque de las Mujeres, 5:40 p.m.
Mérida, Plaza de España, 7:30 p.m.

Some demonstrations will include the construction or completion of (or paying homage to) an anti-monumento, installations that are traditionally placed during major protests in Mexico to remind people about important events and/or issues of justice that have been brushed aside or not adequately addressed by the government.

Many of these protest monuments relate to femicides, forced disappearances and violence against women. On Friday, at the installation in Mexico City (aptly referred to in the feminine anti-monumenta) where some marchers will gather, there will be an open microphone from 12-3:30 p.m. for direct and indirect victims of gender violence to speak their minds in a safe space.

With reports from El País, Animal Politico, Diario AS, La Voz, El Financiero and Mi Morelia

Mexico-US trade had a record-breaking January

By

MND Staff

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March 8, 2024

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Shipping containers filled with export and import goods at Lázaro Cárdenas port in Michoacán, Mexico — Export revenue grew over 4% in 2024, surpassing experts' expectations. (Cuartoscuro)

Mexico retained the enviable title of top exporter to the United States in January, sending products worth more than US $38 billion to its North American neighbor, according to U.S. government data.

Mexico also remained the United States’ top trade partner in the first month of the year, with two-way trade between the countries increasing just under 1% in annual terms to $64.52 billion, the highest figure ever for the month of January.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis published data on Thursday that showed that Mexico’s exports to the United States were worth $38.04 billion in January, a 2.8% increase compared to the same month of 2023. That was Mexico’s highest ever revenue total for exports shipped to the United States in the month of January. The value of Mexican exports to the U.S. has now risen during nine consecutive months.

Mexico ranked ahead of China and Canada as the No. 1 exporter to the U.S. in January. While the value of Mexican exports to the U.S. increased, the value of those from both China and Canada fell.

In 2023, Mexico surpassed China to become the top exporter to the United States, ousting the East Asian economic powerhouse from a position it had occupied for two decades.

In January, 15% of all exports to the United States came from Mexico, which ships a range of products to its USMCA trade partner including cars, auto parts, electronics, crude oil, alcoholic beverages and agricultural products.

Woman worker preparing avocados for shipment — Agricultural products, like avocados, are one of the primary exports from Mexico to the United States. (Cuartoscuro)

The total value of those exports easily exceeded the value of Mexico’s imports from the U.S. in January. United States exports to Mexico were worth $26.48 billion, down slightly from a year earlier, leaving Mexico with a trade surplus of $11.56 billion with the U.S. in the first month of 2024. Mexico’s surplus in January was just over 15% higher than it was in the same month of last year.

In 2023, Mexico was the United States largest trade partner for the first time in four years, dislodging Canada from the position it occupied in 2022.

Mexico’s exports to the U.S. were worth $475.6 billion last year, a 4.6% increase compared to 2022, while two-way trade totaled $798.8 billion, up 2.5% compared to the previous year.

Mexico’s exports to the United States and the rest of the world are expected to continue increasing in coming years as more and more foreign manufacturing companies establish a presence here, including firms from China seeking to circumvent U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made goods.

With reports from Reforma and El Financiero

Uff, qué cañón – how to use ‘cannon’ in conversation in Mexico

By

Paulina Gerez

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March 8, 2024

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carolina-de-la-torre-9GZQNka696Y-unsplash — Learn how to use the Mexican phrase "cañón" in different contexts with our handy guide. (Unsplash)

A simple truth: Mexico is a cannon country! – that didn’t sound good in English so let’s try again in Spanish: ¡México es un país cañón!

But, what does that actually mean? Well, this is what we are going to be discussing in today’s article since cañón is a slang word that we use all the time and in all kinds of contexts.

The phrase México es un país cañón means that Mexico is a really cool and outstanding country, like saying Mexico is the bomb! This word is used in a casual, informal environment and is used as an alternative to a bad word. Let’s dive into its usages.

Navigating Difficulty:

In its most common context, “está cañón” is used to articulate challenging circumstances. Whether facing a formidable task or encountering unexpected obstacles, Mexicans may casually remark, “Hoy estuvo cañón” (“Today was tough”) or “Estuvo cañona la clase” referring to a Crossfit class where people ended up exhausted due to the difficulty of the exercises. This usage reflects the resilience inherent in Mexican culture, acknowledging challenges while embracing the determination to overcome them.

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Exclaiming Surprise:

Beyond difficulties, we use “está cañón” to express surprise or amazement. When talking about an extraordinary experience or encountering something truly impressive, someone might exclaim, “¡Eso sí está cañón!” (“That’s really something!”) or simply “está cañón el pozole” to say that the food is incredibly delicious. This demonstrates the phrase’s versatility in capturing a spectrum of emotions, from astonishment to appreciation.

Describing Outstanding Individuals:

In a unique twist, “está cañón” or “es cañón” is also applied to describe individuals with exceptional qualities. When someone possesses remarkable skills, talents or stands out in a crowd, we can say “Ella está cañona” (“That girl is outstanding”). In this context, the phrase acquires a positive connotation, meaning that someone is really good at doing something celebrating uniqueness and excellence.

Acknowledging Adversity:

Whether referring to intense weather conditions, traffic congestion, or a challenging phase of life, we might state: “El tráfico está cañón hoy” (“The traffic is tough today”), “está cañón el calor/sol” (It’s crazy hot today/the Sun is really strong).

Affirmation:

It is similar to saying “sure,” “absolutely,” or “you bet” in English. When someone uses cañón in this context, they are expressing confirmation or agreement with what has been said or proposed.

For example:

Person A: “Está padre, ¿no?” (It is cool, right?)

Person B: “¡Cañón!” (Absolutely!)

This word serves as more than a linguistic tool. It reflects the Mexican spirit, emphasizing perseverance, resilience, and the ability to find humor even in challenging circumstances.

Paulina Gerez is a translator-interpreter, content creator, and founder of Crack The Code, a series of online courses focused on languages. Through her social media, she helps people see learning a language from another perspective through her fun experiences. Instagram: paulinagerezm / Tiktok: paugerez3 / YT: paulina gerez

It’s Women’s Day! 5 books by Mexican women about the history of Mexico

By

MND Staff

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March 8, 2024

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Mexican writers — Laura Esquivel (left), Elena Poniatowska (center) and Sofía Segovia (right) are some of the most important Mexican women writers of the last century. Each have provided critical perspectives on Mexican history.

Shaped by pre-Columbian traditions, Spanish colonization and Catholicism, Mexico is a diverse and intricate country that is impossible to comprehend just by visiting or living here. To understand Mexico, one must read their way through it.

Each book in this list is set in a different period of the country’s history, from the early years of the Spanish conquest to the Mexico of today.

Written with a strong female voice, each book offers a glimpse into the challenging context in which women and other vulnerable groups have lived. With richly researched plots and vivid descriptions of the past, these five books are sure to give you a new appreciation for Mexico’s woman authors.

The books are presented in chronological order (according to their settings) and include both historical fiction and journalistic accounts of events in Mexico’s history.

1. Malinche (2006) by Laura Esquivel

This book tells the fascinating story of one of the most controversial figures in Mexican history: la Malinche, the Indigenous woman many Mexicans decry for her role in the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

The novel follows the life of Malinalli (later known as La Malinche), from being given away as a slave to acquiring a significant role as the interpreter and lover of the Spanish conquistador, Hernán Cortés.

Malinalli believed that the gods sent Cortés to liberate her people from Mexica rule. With her assistance, Cortés was able to form strategic alliances with communities under Mexica rule, which ultimately led to the fall of Tenochtitlán.

As the love affair between Malinalli and Cortés unfolds, readers gain a deeper understanding of key historical events that contributed to the Spanish empire’s victory over the Mexica empire, and why, centuries later, La Malinche was accused of treason.

If you’ve ever heard the word malinchista in Mexican slang, now you know it was inspired by the story of La Malinche to refer to those who prefer “foreign” over Mexican.

2. Like Water for Chocolate (1989) by Laura Esquivel

Another entry from Laura Esquivel, “Like Water for Chocolate” (Como Agua para Chocolate) alludes to being at a boiling point, as water must be to make hot chocolate.

A lyrical and charming magical realism novel, this story accurately portrays rural Mexico’s social landscape during the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s. The book was also included in our must-read Mexican classics list.

Through homemade recipes in monthly installments, the story depicts the forbidden romance between Tita and Pedro, cursed from the start by Tita’s family. As the youngest of the family, Tita must never marry to care for her widowed mother.

The magical recipes that Tita cooks take the readers into the life of a household run by women as they navigate life with a tyrannical mother capable of frightening a Revolutionary army.

An instant international bestseller, Like Water for Chocolate has resonated with a large audience thanks to the creative way it depicts universal themes like love, treason, passion, family traditions and food.

3. In The Shadow of the Angel (1995) by Kathryn Blair

Taking place during three transformational decades in Mexico City, “In The Shadow of the Angel” (A la Sombra del Ángel) tells the captivating true story of Antonieta Rivas Mercado, daughter of the famed architect Antonio Rivas Mercado, who built the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City.

The story is told by Kathryn Blair, the wife of Antonieta’s only son, and is based on interviews she conducted with her husband Albert and the rest of Antonieta’s surviving family.

It begins when Antonieta, at the age of 31, takes her life in Notre Dame, Paris. What led Antonieta to commit suicide? The book then jumps back in time to Antonieta’s birth. It follows her life through Porfirio Díaz’s regime, the Mexican Revolution and the country’s first attempts to become a democratic nation.

With a deep love for Mexico, the fine arts and a large fortune, Antonieta played a significant role in shaping the country’s cultural landscape while also fighting for women’s rights, indigenous rights and education.

4. The Murmur of Bees (2015) by Sofía Segovia

Following in the path of Latin America’s tradition of magical realism, Segovia takes us to a remote place near Monterrey, Nuevo León, amidst the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution.

The epic story touches on love, loss, pain, hope and several societal issues, including national identity, traditional values, women’s roles, revenge and ambition.

The book begins in the early 1900s when a baby surrounded by bees is found under a bridge by Nana Reja, the Morales family’s nanny. Despite the superstition and hate that surrounds the child – due to a hollow in his face that prevents him from speaking – the family adopts the baby.

Simonopio, as he is named, grows up to develop a fantastical relationship with bees, who protect and guide the boy amidst the turbulent times of the Revolution and the fundamental changes the Morales family is destined to experience.

5. Massacre in Mexico (1971) by Elena Poniatowska

Massacre in Mexico chronicles the lives and deaths of Mexican students who protested police repression a week before the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. The massacre occurred during a peaceful rally on Oct. 2 in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco, Mexico City, during the government of President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz.

The book is a journalistic collection of testimonies from students, parents, workers and others who were part of the movement or witnessed the events. The text is divided into two parts, with an annex containing a chronology.

According to Mexico’s National Commission of Human Rights (CNDH), the massacre in Tlatelolco was the culmination of several state crimes that could be considered crimes against humanity.

La Noche de Tlatelolco, as it is known in Spanish, has helped bring to light a disturbing episode in Mexico’s authoritarian regime, highlighting a larger wave of repression against social movements in Latin America.

Gabriela Solís is a Mexican lawyer based in Dubai turned full-time writer. She covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her life in Dubai in her blog Dunas y Palmeras.

Aeroméxico-ITA Airways codeshare deal boosts Italy-Mexico air connectivity

By

MND Staff

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March 7, 2024

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Photo of Florence skyline — Thanks to the deal signed Thursday, Aeroméxico passengers flying from Mexico City's AICM will more easily connect to 15 Italian destinations, including Florence, pictured here. (Shutterstock)

Starting this Sunday, it’ll be easier to fly between Mexico and Italy thanks to a new codeshare agreement between Aeroméxico and ITA Airways.

The deal signed Thursday will allow Aeroméxico passengers flying from Mexico City International Airport (AICM) to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) to connect with a single ticket to 15 other Italian destinations, such as Milan, Genoa, Florence, Naples and Turin.

Similarly, those flying to Mexico City on ITA Airways will have access to 28 destinations in Mexico served by Aeroméxico.

One of the major pluses: your luggage will be checked straight through from your point of origin to your destination.

Additionally, both country’s flagship airlines will allow frequent flyers to accrue and redeem points with either airline. That’s in addition to benefits they already get as SkyTeam or Elite/Elite Plus members.

Notably, members of Aeroméxico Rewards who have Platinum or Titanium status will be able to use ITA Airways lounges in Italy, check an additional bag for free and get priority boarding.

The same will hold true for Premium- and Executive-level members of Volare, the ITA Airways loyalty program.

Aeroméxico said it will continue using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for its nonstop Mexico City/Rome route. ITA’s fleet comprises 83 Airbus airplanes.

Aeroméxico, which has established 36 codeshare agreements over the past two years, recently announced it would be resuming flights to South Korea on Aug. 1 and that it is expanding its service out of Mexico City’s second airport Felipe Ángeles International (AIFA).

Overall, the expansion of Mexican airline routes is on the upswing, especially since the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration reinstated Mexico’s Category 1 aviation safety rating last September after it had been downgraded to Category 2 for more than two years.

A recent report by Mabrian, a travel and tourism data intelligence company, showed that Mexico is No. 1 in international air connectivity among Latin American nations — by a large margin.

With reports from Reforma, American Journal of Transportation and Europa Press

E-commerce growth in Mexico beats other booming global markets

By

MND Staff

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March 7, 2024

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photo of a person's hands holding a credit card and entering information onto a laptop keyboard — The value of e-commerce sales in Mexico skyrocketed to 658.3 billion pesos (US $39 billion) in 2023, more than the usual top countries like the Philippines, Brazil and India. (EC/Wikimedia Commons)

Mexico has surged to the top of global e-commerce growth, experiencing a 24.6% increase in online sales in 2023, according to the Mexican Association of Online Sales (AMVO).

This spike surpasses the growth rates of established e-commerce markets like the Philippines, Brazil and India, placing Mexico at the forefront of a wave of dynamic e-commerce players.

Mexican man on his smartphone passing a poster advertising Mexico's Buen Fin sale — Mexico’s Black Friday-style sales events, such as Buen Fin and Hot Sale, lure deal-seeking Mexicans into brick-and-mortar stores, but increasingly, they also can shop these sales online. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

Booming market, booming users

The value of e-commerce sales in Mexico skyrocketed to 658.3 billion pesos (US $39 billion) in 2023, exceeding the previous record by a significant margin. This growth is fueled by a rapidly expanding user base, with over 69.5 million Mexicans — approximately 52% of the population — now embracing online shopping.

Smartphones are the preferred device for these digital shoppers, with 98% of them having used them for online purchases at least once.

What’s driving growth?

Major sales events here like Buen Fin and Hot Sale — both similar to Black Friday in the United States — and annual sales near Easter and Christmas have played a significant role. So have increasing internet penetration and widespread mobile phone adoption.

The growth trend is strongest in the southeast and central regions of Mexico, where the surge in e-commerce activity has exceeded 29% growth. At the state level, Tlaxcala, Chiapas and Hidalgo recorded the highest levels of growth.

photo of Mexicans sitting at a bus stop using their cell phones — Just over 50% of Mexico’s population has embraced online shopping, according to the Mexican Association of Online Sales — and 98% of them prefer doing it on a smartphone. (Moises Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro)

AMVO noted that the greatest expansion of e-commerce retail was most notable in the second quarter of 2023, largely due to the Buen Fin, Hot Sale and December holiday period.

Consumer preferences and challenges

E-commerce shoppers’ favorite categories were fashion, prepared food, beauty and personal care, electronics and cell phones. These represented the highest volume of purchases, AMVO noted, while kitchen utensils and tools were popular among first-time online buyers.

Also popular are online payment options for electricity, water and internet bills, and using digital banking, online subscription services and telecommunications.

A combination of online and physical stores is preferred by 70% of users, especially in higher socioeconomic groups, highlighting the importance of omnichannel shopping experiences.

Building trust is also crucial, with good customer service and review options being important for 87% of buyers. Lack of information and transparency are the main reasons that potential customers log off without making a purchase.

Mercado Libre rides the wave

The Argentine e-commerce and financial services platform Mercado Libre reported profits of US $1.2 billion at the end of 2023, a growth of 156% over the previous year. For the fourth quarter of 2023, it reported sales of US $14.5 billion across its various operating markets in Latin America, a year-over-year (YoY) increase of 37.4%.

Mercado Libre noted that its number of unique active buyers reached almost 85 million in 2023, its biggest annual jump in users in three years. Regarding its Paypal-like digital payment service, Mercado Pago — also used in Mexico by many smaller brick-and-mortar businesses to handle debit and credit card transactions with their in-person customers — growth in 2023’s fourth quarter increased 33% YoY.

According to a Mercado Libre report late last year, Mexico remains a priority market, with about 357 million items sold during 2023’s third quarter, a 38% YoY rise and a 34% jump from the previous quarter.

Amazon’s e-commerce presence in Mexico looms large, but Mexico’s antitrust regulation agency has concerns about it monopolizing the market, along with another online shopping giant, Mercado Libre. (Omar Martínez/Cuartoscuro)

Trouble ahead for e-commerce giants in Mexico?

Not all is going smoothly for e-commerce platforms, however.

In February, the Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece), Mexico’s antitrust regulation agency, reported having identified “possible barriers” to fair competition in the e-commerce market by Amazon and Mercado Libre. Together, the agency said, the two firms control more than 85% of transactions and sales.

In a preliminary investigation, Cofece noted that strong networks between users’ groups limit new entrants into the marketplace and pose a “practically insurmountable challenge for the expansion of the smaller players.”

“This market is very important since more and more consumers are using this option to acquire goods or services since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic” read Cofece’s preliminary findings in the government’s official gazette (DOF). Cofece recommended a program of corrective measures it wants the federal government to require from both companies within six months. One of those measures includes splitting customer rewards programs from streaming services.

Mercado Libre promised to “abide by the proceedings and applicable regulatory framework, including by cooperating with the relevant authorities, as it has always done.”

An Amazon representative echoed this statement, telling the magazine Expansión that the company would continue collaborating with Cofece.

Looking ahead, Mexico’s remarkable e-commerce sector growth is expected to continue, solidifying Mexico’s position as a key player in the global e-commerce landscape.

With reports from El Universal, Aristegui Noticias, Reuters and El Economista