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Homicides down 51% since Sheinbaum took office: Tuesday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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Sheinbaum
Sheinbaum's record on homicide reduction compares favorably to her predecessors, under whom Mexico's homicide rate increased dramatically. (Juan Carlos Buenrostro)

Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds

  • 🚔 Homicides down 51% in July vs. September 2024: Public Security System chief Marcela Figueroa reported an average of 42.5 homicides per day in July — the lowest monthly average since Sheinbaum took office 22 months ago.

  • 📉 Least violent July in more than a decade: Figueroa presented data showing July was the least violent in over 10 years, with homicides down 34.8% compared to July 2025.

  • 📊 7-month homicide count down 30.8%: Between January and July, the daily average was 48.6 homicides, the lowest for that period since 2015.

  • 🗺️ Nearly half of murders concentrated in 7 states: Guanajuato, Baja California, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, México state, Guerrero and Morelos accounted for just over 49% of the 10,309 homicides recorded nationwide from January to July.

  • ⚠️ García Harfuch: “the job is not finished”: The security minister acknowledged homicides fell 51% since September 2024 but said some regions and crimes still require constant attention.

  • 🔫 63,564 arrests since Sheinbaum took office: Authorities also seized 518.7 tonnes of drugs, 32,824 firearms, and dismantled 2,725 clandestine drug labs across 23 states between Oct. 1, 2024 and July 31, 2026.

Why today’s mañanera matters 

Today’s mañanera was significant as officials presented the national security report for the month of July.

President Claudia Sheinbaum and other federal officials frequently argue that the reduction in homicides and various other crimes is evidence that the federal government’s security strategy is working.

García Harfuch presents 4 pillars of national security strategy

However, there is skepticism about the accuracy of the government’s homicide numbers, which are based on data provided by Attorney General’s Offices in each of Mexico’s 32 federal entities. Last month, Sheinbaum rejected claims that homicide figures are not accurate because some murders are classified as other less serious crimes.

“Homicide is homicide, there is no manipulation,” she said.

Homicides down 51% in July compared to September 2024 

National Public Security System chief Marcela Figueroa reported that there was an average of 42.5 homicides per day in July, a reduction of 51% compared to September 2024, the final month of the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

She noted that the daily homicide average in July was the lowest of any month since Sheinbaum took office 22 months ago.

Figueroa also highlighted that, on average, there were 44 fewer homicides per day in July than in September 2024, a month in which the daily murder rate was 86.9.

The least violent July in more than a decade 

Figueroa presented a graph that showed that last month was the least violent July in terms of homicides of any year since 2015.

Compared to July 2025, the reduction in homicides last month was 34.8%.

The average daily homicide rate in July was 42.5, a figure not seen since 2015. (Juan Carlos Buenrostro)

Homicides decline 30.8% in first 7 months of 2026 

Figueroa reported that there was an average of 48.6 homicides per day between January and July, a reduction of 30.8% compared to the same period of last year.

She noted that the daily homicide average in the first seven months of the year was the lowest since 2015, when there was an average of 48 murders per day between January and July.

Sheinbaum’s record on homicide reduction compares favorably to her predecessors 

Figueroa highlighted that homicides increased during the presidencies of Felipe Calderón and Enrique Peña Nieto before falling during López Obrador’s six-year term.

The homicide rate in 2012, the final year of Calderón’s presidency, was 148% higher than in 2006, a year in which Vicente Fox was in office for the first 11 months. The homicide rate in 2018, the final year of Peña Nieto’s presidency, was 42% higher than in 2012, a year in which Calderón was in office for the first 11 months.

Homicides remained at record-high levels early in López Obrador’s presidency, but in 2024, a year in which AMLO was in office for the first nine months, murders declined 9% compared to 2018.

The daily homicide rate in the first seven months of 2026 was 47% lower than the daily rate in 2024.

Almost half of all murders this year were perpetrated in 7 states 

Figueroa presented data that showed there were 10,309 homicides across Mexico in the first seven months of 2026. Just over 49% of those murders — 5,058 — were committed in just seven states.

They were Guanajuato (884 homicides between January and July); Baja California (847); Chihuahua (832); Sinaloa (735); México state (618); Guerrero (579); and Morelos (563).

Navy ramps up security presence in Mazatlán after high July homicide count

Mexico City ranked as the 10th most violent entity between January and July with 488 homicides.

Seven states recorded fewer than 50 homicides in the period. They were Yucatán (15); Durango (29); San Luis Potosí (31); Baja California Sur (37); Nayarit (39); Aguascalientes (40); and Coahuila (42);

Homicides declined in 30 entities between January and July

Figueroa presented data that showed that homicides declined in 30 of Mexico’s 32 federal entities between January and July.

The five states with the biggest year-over-year reductions were San Luis Potosí (-80.5%); Nayarit (-63.2%); Quintana Roo (-60.4%); Zacatecas (-53.2%); and Baja California Sur (-51.3%).

The only states where homicides didn’t decline in the first seven months of 2026 were Oaxaca and Coahuila.

García Harfuch acknowledges there is still work to be done to combat insecurity  

At the start of his presentation, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch noted that homicides declined 51% in July compared to September 2024.

“With this, we don’t want to say that the job is finished,” he said.

“We know there are still regions and crimes that need constant attention, and authorities have situations to face up to every day,” García Harfuch said.

More than 63,000 people arrested for allegedly committing high-impact crimes 

According to data presented by García Harfuch, 63, 564 people were arrested between Oct. 1, 2024 — the date Sheinbaum was sworn in as president — and July 31, 2026, for allegedly committing high-impact crimes such as murder, kidnapping, extortion and violent robbery.

In the same period, authorities seized 518.7 tonnes of drugs and 32,824 firearms. In addition, the Mexican military dismantled 2,725 clandestine drug laboratories where criminal organizations produce narcotics such as methamphetamine. García Harfuch said that the laboratories were located in 23 states.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

‘The Forgotten Ones’: Mexico’s mysterious forest guardians

By
Robert Santacroce
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El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in Tamaulipas
The beauty of El Cielo Biosphere Reserve is captivating, even for those who don't believe the legendary stories about forgotten guardians. (William L. Farr/Wikimedia Commons)

Lately, I have been looking into stories and happenings in Mexico that, for one reason or another, never quite achieved the fame of other national legends. Some stories catch hold of the public imagination and refuse to let go. Others drift quietly along the margins of conversation, mentioned occasionally, then forgotten again. 

It occurred to me that some of these lesser-known tales should, from time to time, be dusted off, their origins once again wandering through conversation. 

El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in Tamaulipas
Does the fog of El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in Tamaulipas help to obscure the forest’s mysterious guardians, known as “The Forgotten Ones”? (William L. Farr/Wikimedia Commons)

Some legends age well, while others improve with neglect. Here is one such story. 

‘The Forgotten Ones’

High in the mountains of El Cielo Biosphere Reserve (ECBR) in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, there lingers a quiet legend about a group known simply as Los Olvidados, or “The Forgotten Ones.”

According to the tale, long ago, a band of shamans from the ancient Maya civilization slipped away from their communities and traveled north into these remote mountains. No one is entirely certain why they left. Still, it becomes remarkably vague whenever a group of mystics decides to walk into the wilderness and not come back. 

What the stories claim is that these shamans eventually settled deep in the forests of the protected ECBR region, where mountains rise high enough to catch the clouds and hold them for a while. It is a forest where mist drifts slowly through the trees and the trails twist out of sight after a few dozen yards. 

If a person wished to disappear into such a place, the forest would be more than willing to assist. 

And so, according to local lore, the shamans vanished into the mountains and became the quiet guardians of the forest. Over time, they came to be known as Los Olvidados. This name, however, presents a small problem. 

The mysterious stories about El Cielo’s forest guardians

El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in Tamaulipas
According to legend, the mysterious guardians are Maya shamans from an ancient civilization sworn to protect the forest. (William L. Farr/Wikimedia Commons)

Forgotten things generally stay forgotten. They do not occasionally appear on remote paths, standing silently among the trees before slipping back into the fog.  Yet hikers, ranchers and the occasional birdwatcher have all reported glimpsing figures in the forest; men who seem oddly out of place, watching the land with the patience of someone who has been waiting a very long time. 

Naturally, no one ever gets a very good look. This is one of the basic rules of folklore. The mysterious figure is always seen at a distance, often obscured by mist or trees. Still, the stories persist. 

Admittedly, the setting does much of the work. The ECBR forests are the sort of place where imagination feels perfectly comfortable stretching its legs. The mountains are steep, the vegetation thick and the fog drifts through the trees with the deliberate pace of a stage curtain preparing to draw. 

In such surroundings, even a perfectly ordinary person standing quietly on a hillside can look supernatural, if only for a moment. Add a few centuries of retelling, and the figure becomes a guardian spirit. 

Who are ‘The Forgotten Ones’?

Of course, historians point out a small geographical curiosity. The great centers of the Maya civilization were located hundreds of miles to the south. For a group of shamans to journey all the way north into the mountains of Tamaulipas would require a fairly determined expedition. 

But legends have never been especially bothered by geography. If a good story requires a few extra miles of travel, history generally looks the other way. 

El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in Tamaulipas
Look hard enough and you might spot a blurry figure high on a ridge or reflected in a cloud forest stream in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve. (Zona Turística)

In fact, legends thrive on exactly this kind of uncertainty. A small gap in the historical record is like a loose thread on a sweater. Once someone begins pulling on it, the entire garment slowly unravels into a much more interesting story.  Modern times, if anything, have helped the legend along. 

In earlier centuries, a mysterious sighting might circulate among a few nearby villages. Today, it can travel across the internet before dinner. A blurry photograph of a distant figure standing among trees can revive an old legend faster than a campfire story on a cold evening. 

A blurry figure on a ridge

Visitors now travel to the region precisely because of its wild beauty. Hikers arrive with cameras, binoculars and the quiet hope that they might glimpse something unusual among the trees. Most of them see nothing more mysterious than a bird, a deer or a particularly stubborn cloud of mosquitoes. 

But occasionally, someone notices a figure far up a ridge, standing quietly for a moment before disappearing into the forest. And the story begins again. 

Of course, there are other possible explanations. The mountains are large, and it would not be entirely surprising if a few solitary individuals had chosen to live quietly among them over the years. A hermit, a naturalist or perhaps a park ranger taking a moment to admire the view could easily appear briefly and vanish before anyone has time to ask for identification. But that explanation lacks poetry. 

The idea that ancient guardians still walk the forest has a certain elegance. It suggests that someone, somewhere, is quietly keeping an eye on things, someone who remembers the forest as it once was and would prefer that it remain that way.  

The legend lives on

And perhaps that is the real reason the legend of Los Olvidados survives.  

In a world where nearly every corner of the map has been photographed, cataloged and given directions on a phone, it is comforting to imagine that a few places remain slightly mysterious, and where the forest, for a moment, seems to remember something the rest of us have forgotten.

Robert Santacroce is a contributor to Mexico News Daily.

US border wall expansion threatens memory of Porvenir massacre

By
MND Staff
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border wall construction
Border wall construction is picking up, including a stretch being built within Big Bend National Park, and all environmental regulations have been waived by the Trump administration. (Gabriela Pérez Montiel/Cuartoscuro)

A border wall construction project in Big Bend National Park in West Texas began last week, with a separate, nearby access road threatening the archaeological landscape of Porvenir, the site of a 1918 massacre of ethnic Mexican villagers.

Contractors began work Thursday on 17 miles of low, noncontiguous barrier fences and patrol roads, with conservationists reporting bulldozers clearing native vegetation.

One new access road appears to cut directly through Porvenir, which was a small farming community along the Rio Grande over 100 years ago.

On Jan. 28, 1918, Texas Rangers, local ranchers and apparently U.S. Army soldiers removed 15 unarmed ethnic Mexican residents (13 men and two teenage boys) from their homes and executed them, according to a lengthy report in Texas Monthly last week.

The location remains a sacred place for descendants and an archaeological site. A 2015 excavation found military-issued cartridge casings, evidence that challenged the historical narrative that the killings were carried out solely by vigilantes and Texas Rangers. The Texas Historical Commission erected a marker in 2018 after descendants campaigned for recognition.

Archaeologist David Keller told Texas Monthly that a newly built access road about 16 feet wide crosses the eastern third of the archaeological area and has been traversed by heavy machinery.

He said contractors and local officials indicated the route could eventually be widened to 100 or 120 feet.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is managing the project through Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The CBP said the barriers, though low and not connected, are intended to prevent off-road vehicles from traveling to and from the Rio Grande, adding that the Porvenir access route is not finalized and public feedback will be considered.

DHS awarded a US $1.7 billion contract in May for the work, which has drawn widespread bipartisan opposition.

Even supporters of President Donald Trump have opposed the project for using billions of taxpayer dollars to build low fencing in a rugged, remote part of Texas where few illegal crossings have been recorded.

Podcaster Joe Rogan, who endorsed Trump in 2024, called the plan “B.S.” on his podcast, the San Antonio Current reported.

“This is the most heinous attack on an American national park in generations,” Laiken Jordahl, national public lands advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement posted to Instagram.

The Current reported that it was the first time in U.S. history that the federal government waived such a broad set of environmental protections for construction inside a national park.

With reports from Texas Monthly, AZFamily, San Antonio Current and Texas Standard

Mexico sends over 300 firefighters to British Columbia

By
MND Staff
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Mexican firefighters deployed to British Columbia
Mexican firefighters from around the country have been deployed to British Columbia's Thompson/Okanagan region. (@PCJalisco/X)

More than 300 Mexican firefighters and technical personnel specializing in forest fires have travelled to British Columbia (B.C.), Canada, to support emergency efforts during the intense wildfires that have led to the evacuation of more than 20,000 people in the areas of Summerland and Peachland. 

The Mexican teams arrived in separate contingents during the first few days of August, with the first group, comprising more than 100 people, arriving in Abbotsford on Aug. 3, and more than 200 crew arriving subsequently. A fourth delegation left on Sunday.

Groups are deployed primarily throughout Fraser Canyon and the Thompson/Okanagan region, where they are participating in firefighting and control operations. 

The contingent also features an incident management team, marking the first from Mexico to be deployed to B.C. under the mutual aid agreement between the two countries.

The tasks that the Mexican crew carry out include direct fire attack and the extinguishing of hot spots using hand tools and pumps, as well as reconnaissance and monitoring of areas where heat persists. They also participate in felling trees deemed hazardous and installing equipment to ensure a water supply during suppression operations. 

B.C. Premier David Eby recognized the crew’s work and gave a welcoming speech as one of the contingents arrived at the airport.

“Mexico heard the call and, as you can see, has stepped up in a significant way,” Eby said.

Okanagan Falls park acting as base camp for over 300 wildfire firefighters from B.C. and Mexico

Meanwhile, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar said that he felt proud of the firefighters’ joint work. 

“I’m proud of the wildland firefighters from Canada and Mexico who are not thinking about borders but are answering the call, as we do when our neighbours need us,” Parmar said. 

Mexico’s envoys are made up of experienced personnel from the National Forestry Commission (Conafor), the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp), state and municipal environmental agencies, Civil Protection, rural fire management brigades and civil society organizations.

The arrival of the firefighting crews comes as B.C. faces more than 100 active wildfires spanning 156 square kilometers. In addition to Mexico, British Columbia has received support from Australia, New Zealand and other Canadian provinces and territories.

With reports from Now Toronto, Publimetro, CBN Noticias and the CBC

Navy ramps up security presence in Mazatlán after high July homicide count

By
MND Staff
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Mexican Navy troops deployed in Mazatlán
The deployment follows the arrival of 900 Mexican Army troops in Mazatlán on July 23. (Semar/Cuartoscuro)

After Mazatlán in July recorded its highest monthly homicide total of the year, the Mexican Navy on Saturday announced the deployment of more than 1,700 of its personnel to the Sinaloa port and resort city.

In a statement, the Navy Ministry (SEMAR) said that the deployment was occurring “within the framework of ‘Operation Sable’ Mazatlán” and was aimed at the “strengthening of security” in the city, the second largest in Sinaloa after state capital Culiacán.

Mazatlán centro
Mazatlán recorded 36 homicides in July, the city’s highest monthly total of murders in 2026. (Unsplash)

The deployment comes after 36 homicides in Mazatlán in July, the city’s highest monthly total of murders in 2026, according to the newspaper El Sol de Mazatlán. It also follows the arrival of 900 Mexican Army troops in Mazatlán on July 23. The bolstering of the army’s presence in the city was part of a security reinforcement in response to a series of armed attacks.

In its statement, SEMAR said that the navy deployment reflects “the institution’s ongoing commitment to the well-being” of Mazatlán residents and tourists.

The ministry said that “operational actions will be focused on strategic areas … with the priority objective of reestablishing peace and public order and weakening illicit infrastructure that fuels schemes of violence and places the health of the population at risk.”

The term “illicit infrastructure” was a reference to clandestine drug laboratories and the cartel assets that support the distribution of narcotics, such as vehicles.

In its statement, SEMAR also issued what it called a “respectful call” for citizens and tourists to have “full confidence and certainty in the deployed forces.”

The ministry said that the central focus of the Mexican Navy’s operations is to “protect Mexican families while acting at all times with strict adherence to human rights, the proportional use of force and the current legal framework.”

“Its presence in the streets and on the coast has the sole aim of providing a safe and protected environment,” SEMAR said.

Violence in Mazatlán 

Of the 36 people murdered in Mazatlán in July, 32 were men and four were women, El Sol de Mazatlán reported on Monday. The newspaper wrote that two cases were investigated as femicides, while two of the victims were minors.

Among the armed attacks in Mazatlán last month was one allegedly perpetrated by the “Los Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel against marines, two of whom died from wounds they sustained. Marines returned fire and killed 10 criminals.

Much of the violence in Sinaloa is related to an ongoing battle between Los Chapitos, led by sons of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, and “Los Mayos,” a Sinaloa Cartel faction formerly led by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. The battle intensified in 2024 after Zambada was kidnapped by Joaquín Guzmán López and forced onto a plane that flew him to New Mexico. Both Zambada and Guzmán López, a son of “El Chapo,” were arrested by U.S. authorities at the Doña Ana County International Jetport in the U.S. border state in July 2024.

While the majority of the fighting between Los Chapitos and Los Mayos has occurred in Culiacán and surrounding areas, the battle has spilled into other parts of Sinaloa, including Mazatlán.

As Mexico News Daily reported last month, on July 17 and 18, six armed attacks were reported in Mazatlán in less than 24 hours, leaving four people dead and three others wounded. Between July 22 and 23, five more people were murdered.

El Sol de Mazatlán reported that episodes of violence in Mazatlán in July, including attacks on homes with firearms and explosives, occurred in rural and urban areas of the municipality of Mazatlán, including parts of the city frequented by tourists. Among those areas, the newspaper reported, were San Marcos, Lomas de Monterrey, Santa Fe, Infonavit Alarcón, Hacienda del Seminario, Lomas del Ébano, Zona Dorada and Pradera Dorada.

With reports from Expansión and El Sol de Mazatlán

Most avocado exports to the US have resumed after last week’s suspension

By
MND Staff
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0
avocados
Avocado packers cleared to resume trade include those in the municipalities of Tancítaro, Tacámbaro and Uruapan, as well as the area between the state capital of Morelia and Pátzcuaro, some of the most important producers in Mexico's top avocado-exporting state. (Victoria Valtierra/Cuartoscuro)

Approximately 75% of avocado packing facilities in Mexico’s Michoacán state have been cleared for export following a pause in the avocado trade with the United States over security concerns, Julio Berdegué, Mexico’s advisor for international agri-food affairs and strategic issues under the USMCA, announced on Saturday. 

The re-approved facilities handle roughly 85% of Michoacán’s avocado exports and the rest will be restored soon, according to Berdegué. 

Ag Minister
Former agriculture minister Julio Berdegué, who now coordinates international agri-food affairs for Mexico, was able to announce the resumption of avocado exports after a series of meetings and concrete actions by state and federal officials to address the U.S. concerns and boost security in Michoacán’s avocado belt. (Camila Ayala Benabib/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico exports over 1 million tonnes of avocados a year, according to data from the Mexican Agriculture Ministry. Meanwhile, Michoacán contributes the highest avocado production of any Mexican state, with an export market valued at US $3.65 billion.

U.S. avocado imports from Michoacán were temporarily suspended on Wednesday after the U.S. Embassy issued an alert regarding a “threat to U.S. interests.” It marked the third time in just over four years that the United States has suspended avocado trade with Mexico for security reasons. 

The embassy statement announcing the suspension did not reveal the nature of the threat, but President Sheinbaum has since said that the suspension followed a meeting at the U.S. embassy related to threats against some of the inspectors hired by the United States to monitor sanitary quality.

A meeting scheduled for the following day with an organization of avocado producers revealed that there had been an increase in extortion cases in certain regions of Michoacán. 

In response to the news, Mexico worked to “rapidly strengthen” security in the state for the “immediate and gradual” resumption of the export program, said U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson.

Following the suspension, Michoacán Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla deployed an extra 300 security operatives to Michoacán’s avocado-growing region “as a preventive measure.” Then, on Thursday morning, the federal Defense Ministry announced it had sent more than 1,500 soldiers to the state to “protect avocado producers and packing plants in the region.”

Exports resumed from the municipalities of Tancítaro, Tacámbaro and Uruapan, as well as the area between Morelia and Pátzcuaro, on Saturday. 

To prevent future security issues, the Mexican government has established a permanent working group to monitor security in the region and prevent extortion of producers.

With reports from ABC Noticias and La Jornada

Opinion: After growing up in Mexico, was I prepared for US high school?

By
Zella Golden
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12
Teen students hanging out in school hallway by lockers.
Zella Golden faced a few hurdles as a Mexico-raised American high school student, not the least of them being the infamous SSATs. (Shutterstock)

My parents took a big risk when they moved their newborn twins from Manhattan to a small town in central Mexico. Yet, I couldn’t be more grateful that they did. 

My family came to San Miguel de Allende when I was six months old, and I lived there until I was 15. And although we love San Miguel, my parents thought it best to send me back to the United States for high school. Having mastered the arts of reading, writing and calculating in Mexican schools, I think it’s safe to say that I learned to be a student there.

Academia Internacional in San Miguel de Allende
Golden’s first experiences as a student were at Academia Internacional in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. (Academia Internacional/Facebook)

I attended SMA-based Academia Internacional from preschool through third grade. Their school emphasizes diversity and individuality, with a multicultural student body comprising both Mexican and American students. At Academia, I met my best friends and made my favorite childhood memories. I began studying French in the third grade, took advanced English classes through the Cambridge program at school, performed dance shows at the local theater and, most importantly, became queen of the monkey bars.

In fourth grade, I transferred to Colegio Newland, another bilingual and diverse school that emphasizes leadership and hands-on learning. The school follows an innovative curriculum that integrates technology into the classroom, with much of our learning centered around a platform called Knotion. At Newland, I was the middle school student body president, competed in spelling bees, traveled to geography competitions in other cities and even created a haircare brand for my entrepreneurship class. I also played tennis and took piano lessons outside of school.

As I reflect on my schooling, I realize many people assume the Mexican education system is mediocre or easy. But in reality, it challenged me while providing a foundation I needed to comfortably transition to a U.S. high school. I recall my middle school teachers constantly assigning pop quizzes, and to make matters worse, they would hand back our tests from lowest grade to highest — yikes. I struggled a lot in the subject of history, and after failing an exam, I spent weeks studying to improve my grade, only to discover that the content was fascinating. Thanks to Newland, I found a passion for it.

My parents loved raising my brother and me in San Miguel and considered it the perfect place for young children. However, they believed it made sense for us to return to the United States for high school. And like many parents, mine worried about the transition and whether I was academically prepared for a more “rigorous” school. Nevertheless, they were confident my brother and I would be okay because of the values we grew up learning. In San Miguel, people respect each other, always offer help and love to joke around. My brother and I were raised with those same values. And because of them, we adapted and made friends quickly.

Newland
Thanks to middle school at Newland, Golden found a passion for history. (Newland)

I started by studying for the SSAT, the entrance exam required by most private high schools in the U.S., and it was rough. In Mexico, standardized tests barely exist, so I was unfamiliar with the idea of them. Additionally, I had never taken an exam in English, making it difficult to understand academic vocabulary. However, being fluent in Spanish often helped me identify the meaning of words with Latin roots. And ironically, my Mexican upbringing was the strongest part of my application as I drew on my childhood experiences in my essays. I wrote about Christmas, listening to mariachis and visiting Oaxaca.

After a long admissions process, I enrolled in a small boarding school in northern California. At first, the Spanish-to-English transition was difficult. My first year, I remember getting a 60% on a physics exam and feeling completely defeated. But seeing my international friends excel after going through the same transition motivated me to keep trying my best. 

It’s crazy to think that I moved away from home at just 15. My parents still live in Mexico while I’m at school thousands of miles away. Of course I was scared to be on my own, but growing up between two cultures has made adapting to a new environment much easier, and California has quickly become my second home.

Throughout the two years that I’ve studied in the U.S., I’ve learned so much. My love for history persists and I have even grown to like math! (sort of). I found that attending Spanish-speaking schools didn’t hold me back, but rather, it is one of the most fascinating parts of who I am. 

Now, I am going into my senior year, in which I will be editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and a prefect in the dorms. I continue to challenge myself academically with Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors courses, and can’t wait to have as much fun as possible with my friends.

As the college application process begins, I continue to write about my Mexican upbringing in every essay. I couldn’t be more grateful to have grown up and studied in such a beautiful place. I truly believe that I wouldn’t be as outgoing, determined or academically accomplished had my parents chosen to raise me in Manhattan instead.

Zella Golden grew up in San Miguel de Allende and is a senior in high school in Marin, California. Golden is completing an internship with MND.

Taylor Farms recalls its Mexico-sourced jalapeños, cuts ties with Sinaloa supplier over salmonella scare

By
MND Staff
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1
jalapeños
Jalapeño chiles, along with other Mexico-sourced food products containing them, have been pulled off the market by Taylor Farms following a salmonella outbreak in the United States. (gob.mx)

Just weeks after Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce products sourced from central Mexico, the Salinas, California-based company is voluntarily recalling some products that include jalapeño chiles due to concerns about possible salmonella contamination.

The decision by Taylor Fresh Foods — the parent company — is linked to a recall issued by San Diego-based Coast Citrus Distributors, which announced it was voluntarily recalling fresh jalapeños due to food safety concerns.

taylor farms Mexico
Taylor Farms is based in California but much of its produce is grown in Mexico. After the current one-two punch to its reputation, the parent company and a subsidiary have severed ties with one of its suppliers, a farm in Sinaloa. (Taylor Farms Mexico)

Taylor Fresh Foods said in a statement that it is not aware of any reported illnesses linked to its products containing jalapeños.

In its own statement, Coast Citrus said it will “no longer” source peppers from a farmer based in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa, while it “seeks alternative suppliers.”

Taylor Fresh Foods also stated that it no longer purchases products from the Sinaloa farmer and “will fulfill orders with alternative suppliers.”

Besides the chiles themselves, guacamole, pico de gallo, taco salsa, burritos and spicy sandwiches are among the jalapeño-containing prepared foods included in the latest Taylor Farms recall. 

Several U.S. states have been notified that all such products that feature a “Best If Used By” date up to and including Aug. 16, 2026, have been recalled. The products were sold at stores such as Kroger, Stop & Shop, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Walmart.

The recall comes as a result of a salmonella outbreak in the U.S. linked to jalapeño peppers imported from Mexico that had sickened 345 people in 27 states and led to 36 hospitalizations as of last Wednesday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert on Aug. 5, while the Food and Drug Administration is “working to determine if recalled jalapeños went to grocery stores,” so additional recalls could be announced.

As a result of the alert, Coast Citrus immediately agreed to recall the affected products and notify its customers. The Chipotle Mexican Grill and Qdoba restaurant chains also stopped serving the jalapeños in question.

Salmonella infections can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, and can be especially serious in young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment.

The latest recall comes amid heightened scrutiny of food safety in the U.S. restaurant industry, following last month’s outbreak of cyclosporiasis — a parasitic disease — linked to iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants that was reportedly sourced from central Mexico.

With reports from RTV Noticias, The Associated Press, the BBC and La Jornada

MND Local: Why is Puerto Vallarta so quiet right now?

By
Charlotte Smith
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Puerto Vallarta tour boats at the dock
Something feels different about Puerto Vallarta this summer: It's too quiet. (Taly Torres/Unsplash)

Walk around Puerto Vallarta right now and something feels different.

It’s not simply quieter in the way Vallarta is meant to feel during low season. There aren’t just shorter waits at restaurants, and there isn’t just a little more room on the beach.

Beach scene in Puerto Vallarta
There’s more room at the beach this summer than during the high season, as Puerto Vallarta is surprisingly empty. (Nicole Herrero/Unsplash)

It’s empty.

Restaurants have tables sitting unused. Tour operators are seeing smaller groups. Businesses that depend on visitors are wondering when the crowds will return.

More than just the ‘low season’

Anyone who has lived here for a while knows that summer is slower. That’s nothing new. But this one? This one feels different.

And the question being asked across the city is simple: “Where did everybody go?”

The events of Feb. 22 certainly didn’t help. The violence that followed the military operation against cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, brought roadblocks, burned vehicles, disruptions and international headlines. Several airlines temporarily suspended flights to Puerto Vallarta as the situation unfolded.

For those here at the time, the reality was more complicated than the images broadcast around the world. The immediate crisis passed quickly, and Puerto Vallarta reopened even faster.

But for people watching those images thousands of kilometers away, they may have been all they saw. Fear has a far longer memory than a roadblock.

A viewer in Canada or the United States doesn’t necessarily distinguish between what happened that day and what Puerto Vallarta was like the day after, let alone what it’s like six months later.

If your only knowledge of a place comes from television footage showing burning vehicles and blocked roads, you might think twice about booking a holiday there, too.

However, February isn’t the whole story.

Increased competition for travelers

Travelers have more choices now, and Puerto Vallarta is competing harder for holiday dollars. Airfares and promotions matter, and more destinations are competing for the same travelers than ever before.

People can visit somewhere new, find a cheaper flight, take advantage of a resort promotion elsewhere or simply decide after several trips to Vallarta that they would like a change of scenery.

Puerto Vallarta downtown at night
Puerto Vallarta is facing increasing competition for tourist dollars and must continue to earn the trust of travelers. (Alonso Reyes/Unsplash)

For a family deciding where to spend a week, a few hundred dollars makes a big difference.

Travelers don’t owe Puerto Vallarta their vacation, which means the city has to keep earning their business. That includes offering solid value.

Some may point out the prices certain restaurants are charging right now.

There are places in Puerto Vallarta where prices have climbed to the point that visitors can legitimately ask whether the experience still represents good value for money, particularly when compared with other destinations.

Yet there is another side to that conversation.

The economics of tourism

Restaurant owners still have employees to pay. They have rent, electricity, ingredients, maintenance, taxes and a list of other costs that don’t disappear because it’s August and the tables are empty.

When fewer people come through the door, every customer matters more. That doesn’t make every price reasonable, nor does it mean visitors should simply pay whatever they are asked. But to encourage lower prices, businesses need both a reason and a way to reduce them.

Volume matters. A restaurant with full tables can afford to make a little less per customer. A tour operator with full boats can offer a better deal. A shop with steady foot traffic can move more product at a smaller margin.

When the customers aren’t there, the math changes. That’s where the impact of a quiet tourism season spreads far beyond the hotel lobby.

Tourism isn’t just hotels. It’s the taxi driver waiting for a fare. It’s the server whose income depends partly on tips. The boat captain. The tour guide. The massage therapist. The shop owner. The market vendor. The person cleaning vacation rentals. It’s an enormous economic ecosystem that most people don’t consider until something goes wrong.

Why locals matter

The question isn’t necessarily whether businesses have any customers. It’s whether they have enough to make the numbers work. That’s where full-time residents come in, because local residents have far more influence than they realize.

Foreign residents often fall into the trap of thinking, “I’m not a tourist. Tourism doesn’t really affect me.”

Restaurant in Puerto Vallarta
The economics of tourism affect everyone who lives in Puerto Vallarta, which is why local patronage matters so much. (Nicole Herrero/Unsplash)

It does. Local restaurants employ neighbors. Local shops generate community income. Taxis, tours and business recommendations all drive the surrounding economy.

One response to a quiet summer is surprisingly simple: Go out.

Try the restaurant you’ve been meaning to visit. Use the independent shop with the quirky knickknack that caught your eye. Book the local tour you’ve thought about taking. Catch a bus and venture beyond the tourist zone.

Leave a review. Recommend a business. Spend money locally. And when someone back home asks whether Puerto Vallarta is still worth visiting, tell the truth.

A shared investment

Yes, there was violence on Feb. 22. Yes, Vallarta deals with crime, traffic, construction and infrastructure issues. But it also offers extraordinary natural beauty, remarkable food, generous people, neighborhoods full of character and a community that continues to evolve.

Both things can be true.

Don’t sell a fantasy. Tell people why you still live here. Long-term residents offer something tourism campaigns never will: personal credibility.

When a government campaign says Puerto Vallarta is wonderful, people expect it — it’s a sales pitch. But when someone who has lived here for five, 10 or 20 years says, “I know the problems. I know what happened. And I still think you should come,” that carries real weight.

Maybe this unusually quiet summer is a warning. Maybe it’s simply a blip. Either way, it would be foolish not to pay attention.

The question shouldn’t only be “Where did everybody go?” It should also be “What can residents do to make sure they want to come back?” That starts with remembering that tourism isn’t an entitlement; it’s an investment everyone shares.

When those tables sit empty, the impact doesn’t stop with the restaurant owner. It ripples out, eventually reaching everyone who calls Puerto Vallarta home.

And when home is hurting, no one is untouched.

Charlotte Smith is a writer and journalist based in Mexico. Her work focuses on travel, politics and community. You can follow along with her travel stories at www.salsaandserendipity.com.

Has Mexico reined in its inflation rate? Not yet, says Banxico chief

By
MND Staff
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0
Banxico building in Mexico City
The central bank anticipates that inflation will be higher between August and December than the 3.12% reading in July. (Shutterstock)

Inflation in Mexico fell to just 0.12 points above the Bank of Mexico’s 3% target in July, but the central bank’s governor says it’s too early to declare victory in the fight against rising prices.

“At the Bank of Mexico, we’re not claiming victory yet,” Victoria Rodríguez Ceja told the newspaper El Financiero in an interview published on Monday.

Her remarks came after the national statistics agency INEGI reported on Friday that Mexico’s annual headline inflation rate was 3.12% in July, down from 3.37% in June.

Rodríguez noted that the headline rate in July was the lowest since May 2020. However, “even though inflation is practically at the [3%] target,” the Bank of Mexico will continue to seek low and stable price rises, the central bank governor told El Financiero.

INEGI’s 3.12% annual inflation reading in July was the product of 3.95% year-over-year core inflation and 0.29% non-core inflation. Annual core inflation remained reasonably high due to factors such as 4.85% year-over-year price rises for processed food, beverages and tobacco and 4.36% year-over-year increases for services.

The low non-core reading was the product of a 3.34% annual drop in prices for agricultural products (fruit, vegetables and meat) and a 3.31% increase in energy prices, including those for electricity and gasoline. Prices for agricultural products also declined on a month-over-month basis in July, falling 1.51%.

Rodríguez: Lower prices for agricultural products won’t last 

Rodríguez’s interview with El Financiero came after Mexico’s headline inflation rate fell during four consecutive months from April to July. The headline rate last month was 1.47 percentage points below the 2026 peak of 4.59% in March.

Rodríguez said that the recent decline in inflation is explained, in part, by “changes in relative prices caused by favorable supply shocks.”

That was a reference to increased supply of fresh food, such as fruit and vegetables, and, as a result, lower prices for such products, as reflected in INEGI’s latest inflation data.

Rodríguez said that the Bank of Mexico doesn’t anticipate that lower prices for agricultural products will last due to “the unique characteristics of these prices and their exposure to meteorological phenomena.”

The easing of drought conditions in Mexico is a major reason why fresh food prices have recently come down, but there is no guarantee that weather-related factors won’t cause increases in the future.

A man looks at produce in a Mexican market
Falling prices on agricultural products brought inflation down in July. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

Further explaining why the Bank of Mexico isn’t yet declaring victory in the fight against rising prices, Rodríguez noted that core inflation was 3.95% in July, while services were 4.36% more expensive than a year earlier. Inflation for services has recently trended down, but is still higher than the central bank would like. One factor driving the increase in prices for services was a 5.93% year-over-year increase in private school fees in July.

The Bank of Mexico’s inflation outlook   

The Bank of Mexico (Banxico) forecasts that Mexico’s average annual headline inflation rate will be 3.5% in both the third and fourth quarters of 2026. In other words, the central bank anticipates that inflation will be higher between August and December than the 3.12% reading in July.

Banxico sees inflation declining in every quarter next year. It anticipates an average rate of 3.4% in Q1 of 2027, 3.3% in Q2, 3.2% in Q3 and 3% in Q4.

Those forecasts are included in a monetary policy statement released by Banxico last Thursday after its governing board voted in favor of maintaining the central bank’s key interest rate at 6.50%. Rodríguez told El Financiero that the bank’s current benchmark rate will contribute to the consolidation of “inflation’s downward path toward the [3%] target.”

However, she noted that the bank’s interest rate is subject to change based on “our assessment of the inflation outlook.”

In its Aug. 6 statement, the Bank of Mexico noted that headline inflation is “expected to converge to the target in the fourth quarter of 2027,” two quarters later than the bank anticipated when announcing its board’s interest rate decision in late June.

It said that its inflation forecasts “are subject to various risks.”

On the upside, they include “persistence of core inflation; disruptions due to foreign trade policies or to an inflationary impact from geopolitical conflicts; climate-related impacts; cost-related pressures, and a trend towards depreciation of the Mexican peso.”

On the downside, the risks include “lower-than-anticipated economic activity in Mexico and/or the United States; lower pass-through from increased costs, and lower pressures stemming from the appreciation that the national currency has been registering since last year.”

In her interview with El Financiero, Rodríguez stressed that the Bank of Mexico’s focus when making monetary policy decisions is the “inflation dynamic,” rather than economic growth, which had been very weak — or non-existent on a quarter-over-quarter basis — until a 1.5% sequential expansion in the second quarter of 2026.

With reports from El Financiero

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