The overloaded tourist boat was traveling between Isla Mujeres and Puerto Juárez. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
At least four people, including one minor, have died in an accident on an overloaded tourist boat traveling between Isla Mujeres and Puerto Juárez, Cancún.
The accident occurred on Monday night, when the catamaran Diosa del Mar was returning to Puerto Juárez after an afternoon trip to the Perla Negra restaurant bar on Isla Mujeres.
Local authorities’ delay in responding to the Diosa del Mar’s distress signal meant that tourism service providers were the first to reach the vessel. (Cuartoscuro.com)
According to local authorities who spoke to the newspaper El Universal, the 26-foot boat had capacity for 16 people but was carrying 19, including 14 adult tourists, one baby, two minors, the captain and a crew member.
The boat embarked on the return journey from Isla Mujeres at around 6:30 p.m., despite rough weather. Local meteorological reports recorded winds up to 50 kilometers per hour and waves up to 3 meters high.
The cause of the accident is still unconfirmed, but the boat is believed to have been capsized by a wave from a passing ship. It sent out a distress signal to local port and naval authorities, but their delayed response meant that tourism service providers from Isla Mujeres were the first to reach the stricken vessel.
As of Monday night, authorities had confirmed four people dead, including two women and a 10-year-old boy. Search operations continued for five passengers still missing at sea.
Several rescued passengers were transferred to hospital on Isla Mujeres, including some with serious injuries, at least one requiring life support and others suffering nervous breakdowns.
The remaining passengers were returned to Isla Mujeres. The captain, identified as Ramón C. M., was arrested for questioning on his role in the incident.
Authorities highlighted that the Perla Negra restaurant operates irregularly as a passenger dock and therefore lacks official personnel to check that vessels do not exceed capacity, passengers wear life jackets and captain and crew are fit to sail.
Officials from the Integral Port Administration of Quintana Roo (Apiqroo) also failed to prevent the boat departing from Puerto Juárez, despite it being over capacity. Local authorities have previously complained to the Apiqroo Operating Committee about a lack of maritime patrols to monitor boating operations.
In addition, the Port Captains of both Puerto Juárez and Isla Mujeres are being questioned for their failure to respond to the boat’s original distress calls, with some demanding that they be fired from their posts.
Eyes created for artist Lena Bartula’s current project, YO TE VEO
Lena Bartula, “La Huipilista,” an American textile artist living in San Miguel de Allende whose work is rooted in social consciousness and environmental awareness, is currently inviting anyone concerned about the plight of victims of the war in Gaza to participate in her latest project, YO TE VEO (I SEE YOU). Using crowd-sourced squares of fabric, each with an open eye stitched onto it by a volunteer, Bartula will craft a huge huipil, a traditional tunic worn by Indigenous women in Mexico and Central America.
YO TE VEO: Finding a way to bear witness and contribute
“YO TE VEO,” Bartula explained, “is a call to witness those who otherwise may be unseen or forgotten. I created this collaborative textile art project when I felt despair and hopelessness creep in over the tragic situation unfolding now in Gaza.
Lena Bartula and a volunteer sewing YO TE VEO squares. (Lena Bartula)
Bartula invites volunteers to join her at her studio and other locations in San Miguel de Allende and also encourages volunteers around the world to form their own stitching groups and mail the squares they create to her for inclusion in the project. Interested readers may contact her at [email protected] to request either “starter kits” of fabric squares precut to the correct dimensions or to learn the specifications to cut their own fabrics. Stitching groups have already formed in Mexico City, Mazatlán, Michoacán, and as far afield as Seattle and Ontario.
All YO TE VEO squares must be received by March 15, 2024, to be sewn into the oversize huipil, which will be displayed at the Museo de Arte Popular in the center of Mexico City from May 29 to Aug. 4 as part of a retrospective solo show entitled Hilo Corriendo or A Running Thread.
The role of the huipil
A traditional huipil is embroidered with geometric figures that reveal aspects of the wearer’s life, but only to the initiated — the Spanish conquerors could not read it. They didn’t know the story underneath the story.
Bartula explained why she chose the huipil as the underlying form for her artwork. “A huipil is known to be a messenger, a garment that carries information from the weaver to the wearer and to the world at large. With this project, YO TE VEO, our message to those persons suffering from genocide, political upheaval, displacement due to violence, climate change, et cetera, is that we see them. We witness what is happening. When feeling helpless to change their situations, we often despair and grow weary. Through this project, we commit in solidarity and humanity, to stand as witnesses, by embroidering an open eye that conveys the message I SEE YOU. YO TE VEO. Further, we ask for donations to be sent to an NGO to assist with addressing the medical emergencies that we are seeing now in Palestine.”
Sacrificio by Lena Bartula, created for an exhibition in San Miguel de Allende entitled Los Rostros de los Migrantes. (Lena Bartula)
Maité Jiménez, a textile designer who hosts sewing circles at Radio Nopal in San Miguel de Allende, was also motivated by this collaborative art project’s emphasis on acknowledging displacement and migration and giving disheartened observers a way to contribute.
Bartula strongly prefers that people work in groups, with friends or family members, because she believes that there is a healing quality in people sitting in community and together creating something beautiful for a cause.
Participants in the YO TE VEO project are encouraged to make a donation to an NGO that is providing emergency medical services and food in Gaza. For more information about the organization or to make a donation, visithttps://matwcheckout.org/.
From painter to textile artist, from Santa Fe to San Miguel de Allende
In 1993, Barula first traveled to Mexico and Central America with a group of American radical feminist nuns who were working in war-torn Central American countries. The nuns created an organization called GATE: Global Awareness Through Experience. “They left their Dominican convent and said, ‘We’re going to do the work.’ They were such revolutionaries, and I was awed by them and their work. I also fell in love with Mexico during that time,” she said.
Two years later, while still living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Bartula was invited to the Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara (Guadalajara International Book Fair) to present art commemorating the Royal Road that led from Mexico City to Santa Fe during colonial times. “I was a radical back then, so I painted a huge image of Indigenous people revolting against the priests and setting the churches on fire.”
Inspired by these experiences, Bartula moved to Mexico from Santa Fe in 2004, living for several years in Mineral de Pozos, Guanajuato, before settling in San Miguel de Allende.
Dark Goddess, Black Madonna. (Lena Bartula)
Her transition from painting to textile art has a practical backstory. After suffering the expense of shipping her paintings to France for an exhibition, when she received her next international invitation, to exhibit her work in Milan, Bartula consciously chose to work with fabric, so that her work could be folded into a suitcase. For years, she had been collecting traditional huipiles for their beauty and originality but hadn’t thought of making her own textile art until then.
Her first garment was inspired by Santa Lucía, who, according to legend, dug out her own eyes to keep herself from being married off to a man she didn’t love. For Bartula, this led to fifteen years of work to tell the stories of the many powerful women who need to be talked about, those who had to stand up for their rights but whom history has often forgotten, such as Mexico’s own Sor Juana and Hypatia, the noted philosopher of Alexandria who was killed by “mad monks” before they burned the Library of Alexandria. Bartula’s works about women are chronicled in a 2018 book entitled “Whispers in the Thread/Susurros en el Hilo: Celebrating 15 years of contemporary art huipils by Lena Bartula.”
Since 2018, pandemic isolation and migration have been dominant themes in Bartula’s work.
She also notes that 99% of the materials she uses are recycled or found objects. “I am both a recycling artist who loves textiles and a textile artist who loves to recycle. There’s no separation for me between my art and the world, or the world and my heart. When I see something happening in the world, it comes into me and then it comes out again as art. That way it doesn’t have to stay inside me, in my psyche. I work with it, and then it moves out into a bigger world so that other people can either feel it — or not. That is their choice, but at least I’ve done the work and offered it to the world.”
To learn more about Lena Bartula’s art and to participate in the YO TE VEO project, visitwww.lenabartula.com or contact her at [email protected].
Based in San Miguel de Allende, Ann Marie Jackson is a writer and NGO leader who previously worked for the U.S. Department of State. Her award-winning novel “The Broken Hummingbird,” which is set in San Miguel de Allende, came out in October 2023. Ann Marie can be reached through her website, annmariejacksonauthor.com.
There is a great variety of chili peppers used to prepare Mexican dishes. (Shutterstock)
Mexican cuisine is renowned for the lively and often spicy flavors that characterize traditional dishes like enchiladas, refried beans, pozole, guacamole and more.
Achieving these authentic flavors largely depends on having the right ingredients. But with so many types of chili pepper, spices and herbs, it can get overwhelming to even start thinking about cooking Mexican food at home.
Cilantro is the best accompaniment for tacos and other Mexican dishes. (Unsplash)
Fear not, because we’ve prepared a guide to help you stock your kitchen with the ingredients you’re most likely to use in your everyday life in Mexico – or anywhere you want to cook authentic Mexican food.
From fresh and dried herbs to dried chilis, canned goods and native spices like achiote or epazote, this guide breaks down the most popular foods you’ll need in your pantry so you can easily identify them at the supermarket and use them at home.
The ingredients are categorized into herbs, spices, canned goods and dried chilis, to make your grocery shopping a bit easier.
Let’s dive right in!
1. Herbs
As with any cuisine, herbs or hierbas de olor are an important part of Mexican cooking. These aromatic herbs are used in fresh and dried forms and are vital in almost every savory dish.
The basic herbs you need for a complete Mexican pantry include:
Cilantro: Cilantro is a ubiquitous herb in Mexican cuisine, employed in dishes like guacamole, broths, salsas, pico de gallo and more.
This herb is used in its fresh form and is available in every supermarket or tiendita de la esquina (corner store).
Parsley (perejil): Like cilantro, parsley is widely used in Mexican households to aromatize broths, stews, salads and even aguas frescas. Always use it fresh.
Bay leaves (hojas de laurel): These herbs are mostly sold in sealed plastic bags in dry form. We use it to aromatize broths and stews like pozole, or salsas like mole, the famous savory chocolate-chili sauce.
Mexican oregano: Mexican oreganois different from Mediterranean oregano in that it is brighter with floral and citrus notes rather than sweet and a bit bitter.
As one of the most common herbs in Mexico, we use oregano to aromatize everything from enfrijoladas — tortillas covered in refried beans — to chicken broth, marinades, braised meats and more.
Epazote: This aromatic herb has no translation in English and has been used since pre-Hispanic times. While it is not typically found in many dishes, it is essential to aromatize esquites — boiled and sauteed corn in a cup — and caldo de frijoles, or black bean soup.
2. Spices
Cinnamon (canela): Cinnamon is very popular in Mexican cuisine. In fact, it is so popular that many would think it is a Mexican ingredient — except it’s from Sri Lanka (former Ceylon). The spice made its way to Mexican cuisine during colonization, and it has remained a staple to both sweet and savory dishes since.
In Mexico we use Ceylon cinnamon, which is mellower and more subtle than the cassia type used in the United States.
You’ll find this spice ground into mole sauces, used as a flavor base in desserts like rice pudding and added to traditional beverages like horchata and hot chocolate.
Achiote: Achiote is the superstar spice responsible for the vibrant red color of cochinita pibil — a slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatán peninsula — and the popular taco al pastor.
While it is linked to Mexico, the spice is widely used in other parts of South America, the Caribbean and the Philippines. Globally, it is known as annatto. In Mexico, achiote is sold as a thick paste in any supermarket.
3. Canned goods
Chiles chipotle en adobo: No Mexican pantry is complete without at least a can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
Chipotle chilis are actually jalapeño peppers that have been dried, smoked and covered in a sauce made of tangy tomatoes and spices.
This single ingredient serves as the flavor base for many dishes that include marinades, soups like fideo soup with chipotle, dips,enchiladas, chilaquiles, stews and even tacos.
Pickled jalapeño: The jalapeño chili is a fundamental ingredient in Mexican cuisine that adds mild spiciness and flavor to various dishes and snack foods.
This ingredient is commonly used in sandwiches, potato salads and even American foods such as burgers, hot dogs and nachos — although it is important to note that nachos are not a traditional Mexican dish.
4. Dried chilis
There are so many varieties of chilis that they each deserve their own article, but for now, we’ve selected the most common ones and provided a brief explanation of each.
Chile guajillo: Also called chile marisol or chile colorado, the mildly spicy guajillo is the flavor base of enchiladas and chilaquiles. It also adds flavor and color to red pozole and serves as a garnish for the famous tortilla soup and fideos secos.
Chile de árbol: Don’t be fooled by its small size — this is one spicy chili.
It is often used along with the chile guajillo to add spiciness to recipes like enchiladas or chilaquiles and serves as the flavor and heat base of salsa macha, a very spicy sauce used to garnish almost every Mexican dish.
Start with half a chile de árbol if you want to start incorporating this ingredient into your Mexican meals.
Chile ancho: The ancho chile pepper is the dried version of the poblano pepper. It adds mild heat, sweetness and smokiness to many Mexican dishes like sauces for braised chicken or meat.
Along with the guajillo chile, ancho chilis are a staple ingredient of pipián, a sauce made of mild chilis and peanuts to accompany braised chicken.
Pro tip: remember to remove the seeds and veins of the dried chilis before you start cooking with them, as these are what give chilis their heat.
¡Buen provecho!
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
Two and a half years after it collapsed and killed 26 people, Mexico City's elevated metro line 12 has fully reopened. (Graciela López Herrera/Cuartoscuro)
The elevated section of Line 12 of the Mexico City metro reopens on Tuesday almost three years after part of it collapsed in an accident that claimed the lives of 26 passengers.
The reopening of the elevated section comes one year after the underground section of the line — the metro system’s newest — resumed operations.
The collapsed section of Line 12 after the accident on May 3, 2021. (Archive)
Built during the 2006-12 mayorship of former Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Line 12 — also known as the golden line for its assigned shade in Mexico City’s color-coded metro — runs between Mixcoac in the capital’s southwest and Tláhuac in the southeast.
Line 12 was plagued by problems after it opened in 2012, but none as serious as the collapse of an elevated section between the Olivos and Tezonco stations at 10:22 p.m. on May 3, 2021. In addition to the 26 deaths, around 100 passengers were injured in the accident, in which two train cars plunged onto a busy road in the Tláhuac borough of Mexico City.
Mayor Martí Batres announced the reopening on Saturday, explaining that the final preparations for the resumption of services along the entirety of Line 12 took place this month. He said that the project to reinforce the elevated section was completed on Dec. 31.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced in June 2021 that billionaire businessman Carlos Slim — whose company Carso Infrastructure and Construction (CICSA) was involved in the construction of Line 12 — would cover the costs of the repairs.
A New York Times investigation published a month after the accident also found serious flaws in the construction of the collapsed overpass. It said: “Steel studs that were vital to the strength of the overpass — linchpins of the entire structure — appear to have failed because of bad welds, critical mistakes that likely caused the crash.”
Ten former Mexico City officials, including the director of the Line 12 construction project, face charges including homicide in connection with the overpass collapse that caused the accident. Most of the passengers injured in the crash and the families of those who died accepted compensation payments from the city government and CICSA.
There was some speculation that the disaster would have an adverse effect on the presidential ambitions of Ebrard and Sheinbaum given that the former was mayor of Mexico City when the Line 12 was built and the latter was mayor when the accident occurred.
However, Ebrard and Sheinbaum finished second and first, respectively, in Morena’s candidate selection process, and Sheinbaum is widely projected to win the June 2 presidential election and become Mexico’s first female president.
The international tourist destination of San Miguel de Allende saw an unusual number of homicides last week. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
An 11-year-old girl and her 16-year-old brother were murdered in San Miguel de Allende last Thursday, a crime that added to a week of what the mayor called “atypical” violence in the popular tourism destination.
The siblings were shot while cleaning up a property where they planned to open a barbershop and nail salon. The girl, identified only as Aidé Yareli, was to work as a manicurist at the business, while her brother, Aldo Isaac, was to work as a barber, according to the El Universal newspaper.
Witnesses told municipal police that a lone gunman entered the shop, shot the two children and fled. The crime occurred in the late afternoon in Ejido de Tirado, a neighborhood about four kilometers northwest of the historic center of San Miguel de Allende, a well-preserved colonial city in the state of Guanajuato. Media reports linked the homicides to a failure to comply with demands from extortioners.
In a video posted to social media on Friday, Mayor Mauricio Trejo Pureco denounced the murder of the siblings, declaring that violence against children “is not allowed.”
He then suggested that the double murder was related to drug use.
“… At the end of the day, if you are a young person or you are someone who uses drugs, I want to tell you there isn’t a happy ending. If you use drugs, you are not consuming a product, you are the product,” Trejo said.
Mayor Mauricio Trejo Pureco said authorities would continue to investigate the murders in a video posted to social media (Mauricio Trejo Pureco/Facebook)
In another video message on Saturday, the mayor said that the 16-year-old victim had been arrested three times, and that his prior criminal activity “of course, placed his safety at risk.”
“The investigations continue and we’re not going to criminalize anyone,” said Trejo, who pledged that authorities will hold those responsible for the murders to account.
Citing municipal authorities, the news website AM reported that the 16-year-old youth had previously been arrested for drug use. It also said that authorities had spoken with the victims’ parents, who said their son had received death threats.
The murder of the siblings triggered an outpouring of anger among residents of San Miguel de Allende, which is home to a sizable community of foreigners. A “peace protest” was scheduled to take place in the city on Monday evening.
In his message on Friday, Trejo said that last week was “an atypical week” given that there was a string of violent incidents in San Miguel del Allende, which has largely been spared the violence that has plagued other municipalities in Guanajuato, the Mexican state with the highest number of murders in recent years (Guanajuato is the country’s sixth-largest state by population).
“Never before during this administration have we had three criminal acts like we had this week,” said the mayor, who took office in 2021.
A week before the two minors were murdered, two men were killed in what was described as a “direct attack” as they drove through a San Miguel de Allende neighborhood, while the body of a man was found Jan. 19 near Presa Allende, a dam in the municipality.
The municipality recently registered seven murders in eight days.
The violence continued last Tuesday when a man was shot and killed in a neighborhood near the historic center. Earlier the same day, a bag filled with human remains was found in an eastern neighborhood of San Miguel de Allende.
All told, the municipality counted seven homicide victims in the space of eight days.
Trejo said Friday that “this violence that we’ve seen in some municipalities” of Guanajuato is related to the recent arrest of a high-ranking criminal leader. He was apparently referring to Luis Antonio Yépez Cervantes, a son of José Antonio “El Marro” Yépez Ortiz, the leader of the Guanajuato-based Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel until his arrest in 2020. Yépez Cervantes was arrested the first week of January.
The mayor said that authorities were committed to strengthening their security strategies “so that we can remain without fear in San Miguel de Allende and so that one atypical week doesn’t tarnish the quality of life we have in our great municipality, and especially so that one atypical week doesn’t tarnish the great achievements you and I have had in security, in reducing criminal acts.”
The historic town of Taxco, Guerrero, founded in 1529, finds itself caught between organized crime groups vying for control of the city. (Raúl Varela/Unsplash)
The United States government has issued a security alert for Taxco, a pretty colonial city in Guerrero where public transport services were suspended last week due to violence and threats against drivers.
The United States Embassy in Mexico issued the alert last Friday, informing U.S. citizens that “due to recent security incidents, U.S. government employees may not travel to Taxco, Guerrero.”
The alert noted that the U.S. Department of State’s Travel Advisory for Guerrero is “level 4 — Do not travel due to crime” and advised U.S. citizens to monitor local media for updates, review their “personal security plans” and follow the instructions of local authorities.
A magical town marred by insecurity
The U.S. security alert came six days after the driver of a public transport van was killed by armed men in the historic center of Taxco, one of Mexico’s 177 pueblos mágicos, or magical towns. A woman, reportedly a tourist, was injured in the incident.
Public transport operators in Taxco promptly suspended services and maintained the suspension throughout last week, before reopening routes on Monday. Many businesses also closed their doors last week, while schools in the municipality, located about 180 kilometers southwest of Mexico City, were shut.
Police and Civil Protection vehicles helped ferry some residents around town amid the public transportation shut down. (Taxco Municipal Government)
Few people were seen on the streets of Taxco last week, giving the city the appearance of a ghost town.
“There is fear and despair [in Taxco],” one resident told the Proceso news magazine.
Public transport operators have received threats from La Familia Michoacana and Los Tlacos, crime groups vying for control of Taxco and other parts of Guerrero. Many criminal organizations in Mexico engage in extortion, targeting numerous sectors, including public transport.
One transport sector leader in Taxco told the Excélsior newspaper that La Familia Michoacana has forced drivers to act as lookouts (halcones, or hawks) because they can pass on information such as where police are located at any given time.
“We’re sick of this, they force us with threats to be their lookouts and now those from the other criminal group called La Federación Guerrense [as Los Tlacos are also known] … are asking us the same thing and threatening us by saying that if we’re with the opposing group they’ll kill us. We’re between a rock and a hard place,” he said.
The Pacific coast cities of Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, also located in Guerrero, are among the other places in Mexico where public transport workers, including taxi drivers, have been targeted by organized crime.
In Taxco, public transport drivers have been killed before the most recent murder, while shops that sell chicken, beer, tortillas and jewelry — the city is famous for its silver — have been victims of extortion, the Reforma newspaper reported.
State police patrol the historic center of Taxco. (SSC Taxco)
Citing police and media reports, Proceso said that the “security crisis” in Taxco intensified in 2021.
Municipal workers and teachers also among the victims of violence in Taxco
Last Wednesday, the Guerrero Attorney General’s Office reported that the bodies of two state police officers had been found in Tlamacazapa, a small town in the municipality of Taxco. The officers, Higinio Villanueva and Ángel Meza, disappeared the previous day in Pilcaya, a municipality north of Taxco on the border with México state and Morelos.
Earlier in January, a butcher was shot dead as he served customers in his shop.
In late December, eight municipal sanitation workers, the city’s director of sanitation, the manager of the local dump and two other people including a pregnant woman were abducted by a criminal group at the dump. Four of that number were located alive but the other eight are still missing.
Also in December, a married couple, both teachers, were abducted and killed by armed men.
In November, three journalists and the adult son of one of them were kidnapped, but they were subsequently released.
The El Financiero newspaper reported that at least 20 criminal organizations operate in Guerrero, Mexico’s seventh most violent state in 2023 with 1,688 homicides, according to preliminary data.
Authorities’ response to the current situation
In a statement last Monday, the Taxco municipal government said that, in conjunction with state and federal authorities, it was seeking dialogue aimed at reestablishing public transport services.
“Attending to the just demand of the population of Taxco, … patrols are being carried out to guarantee conditions of safety and certainty for drivers, owners and passengers of transport units,” the statement added.
The Guerrero state government announced in a statement on Sunday that public transport services would resume Monday after “intense work meetings with transport leaders and representatives of all three levels of government.”
Public transportation reopened on Monday. (X)
“In the meetings … it was agreed to continue with actions of social proximity and security operations so that transport workers can carry out their work,” the statement said.
“… The priority of the current state administration is for the population to have the necessary services and safety to carry out their activities in a normal way,” it added.
Mayor Mario Figueroa Mundo was in Spain last week to promote Taxco at a tourism fair, but returned from the trip early due to the troubling situation in the city. In a video posted to social media last Thursday, he defended his decision to travel to Madrid for the International Tourism Trade Fair, saying that “Taxco is a great product,” but still has to be continuously promoted.
“I know that these little rough patches are going to continue happening. We went [to Spain] for the whole week, but unfortunately this is happening and here I am showing my face,” Figueroa added.
Excélsior reported that La Familia Michoacana’s “control” of Taxco has been “obvious” since the mayor took office in 2021.
There are many cases in which people have been abducted after speaking out against the actions of the mayor, the newspaper added.
Renting a place to live is an important decision that greatly impacts our quality of life. The space where we spend our nights and days should meet various criteria, including budget, practicality, beauty and safety. Over the last decade, however, another crucial factor has emerged when considering a rental property: sustainability.
Living in a sustainable rental property has become increasingly important in today’s world. It not only helps achieve energy efficiency and long-term savings for individuals and communities but also contributes to a more sustainable future.
Plants in Pot on Wall. (Mark Neal)
If you are interested in renting a place in Mexico, you may know that the country experienced a real estate boom in 2023, with a record high value of US $34.27 billion, according to a recent Expert Market Research report. The same study projects an annual growth of 4.8% between 2024 and 2032. However, it is important to note that the best real estate choices will be those that prioritize sustainability criteria, as they offer long-term benefits.
Following this trend, to help you make a better choice when renting a house in Mexico, we share some tips for eco-friendly renting.
Tips for eco-friendly renting
In line with the United Nations definition of sustainability, this quality implies best practices and outcomes in terms of efficient land use, energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable mobility and preservation of the natural environment.
Following these criteria, we recommend the following tips to green your Mexican rental:
Energy and resources: To conserve energy and resources, ask the landlord if the house or apartment has water-saving devices installed. Specifically, inquire about water-saving devices for the toilet, shower and kitchen sink. In Mexico, conventional toilets can use almost 10 liters of water per flush. If the toilet does not have a water-saving device, consider investing in or requesting a household displacement device.
For the shower and kitchen sink, if there are no water-saving devices installed, you can easily install inexpensive devices that can save a significant amount of water with options sold by Mexican brands such as Helvex, Rotoplas, Nacional del Cobre, etc., approved by the Mexican government. These devices can help you save up to 50% of water per minute in both cases, according to Isla Urbana, a project to promote rainwater harvesting in Mexico.
In terms of electricity, according to the Mexican government, 72% of homes use compact fluorescent bulbs, but LED bulbs are the best option to reduce your electricity consumption. When it comes to your washing machine, make sure to choose a model with high energy efficiency.
Comfortable hammock near laptop in modern house. (Ksenia Chernaya)
Mobility: Factors like safety, cleanliness and beauty are clearly important when choosing a place to live. However, it is also crucial to consider the mobility options available in the area for everyday activities such as grocery shopping, walking the dog and exercising. Ask yourself: Is it easy to get around without a car? Can I use alternative methods like biking or walking for recreational activities? The way we choose to get around can have a significant impact on our carbon footprint.
Waste management: Waste management in many Mexican cities and towns is still in the early stages, but there are real estate developments that are making a difference by offering eco-friendly places to live in Mexico that create systems of recycling waste water, as in the case of Brasilia Sustentable in Guadalajara, or Lyra, Monterrey. These sustainable options prioritize waste management and aim to reduce their environmental impact.
If you’re unable to find a sustainable option that meets your needs or budget, there are still ways you can practice greener waste management on your own. For example, if the local authorities don’t separate recyclable waste, you can take the initiative to do it yourself and take the recyclables to a recycling center. Additionally, you can turn your organic waste into compost for your plants or even organize a collective with your neighbors to collectively manage waste in a greener way.
Green spaces: Living near green spaces is crucial for our mental and general health. The World Health Organization recommends that all people should reside within 300 meters of at least 0.5 hectares of green space.
If you can’t find a rental prospect that is close to a green space, there are still ways to incorporate greenery into your living environment. Indoor plants can help improve air quality and create a calming atmosphere indoors. Additionally, you can consider creating a collective urban garden with your neighbors, which not only brings greenery into the community but also fosters a sense of community and connection.
Already a renter? Make your home greener
Green decoration: To create a green decoration, stick to the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle when decorating your home. You can find beautiful furniture and items second-hand or repurpose the things you already have. If you choose to buy new items, make sure they are durable and produced using environmentally friendly processes.
Green cleaning: Opt for products like baking soda and vinegar when cleaning the house. You can also find green products at zero-waste stores, which allows you to avoid unnecessary packaging and use Mexican products like the famous Zote soap or Roma detergent which are biodegradable options you can use for household and laundry cleaning.
Buy local and seasonal: Research seasonal fruits and vegetables and try to find places where you can buy from local producers, such as traditional tianguis. These products are often better and healthier because they are grown on a small scale, which usually means fewer chemicals, less water usage and a lower carbon footprint.
Green appliances: Every day, there are more energy-efficient household appliances available in the market that can make a difference in both your wallet and your carbon footprint.
Home gardening: Create a wildlife sanctuary by planting native flowers that attract pollinators. This will not only beautify your garden but also support the local ecosystem. Additionally, you can grow your own vegetables or aromatic plants for cooking or medicinal purposes. This will reduce your reliance on store-bought produce and allow you to enjoy fresh, organic food. To further enhance sustainability, you can turn your organic waste into compost, which will enrich your soil and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers.
Green renting is a choice that benefits the environment and your well-being while also saving you money in the long run. Furthermore, by choosing green rental properties, you contribute to a more sustainable future and help drive the demand for greener housing options.
Ana Paula de la Torre is a Mexican journalist and collaborator of various media such as Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.
The Zona Maco exhibition is the highlight of Mexico Art Week. The fair brings together artists and galleries from all over the world. (Zona Maco)
Mexico City Art Week is just around the corner and with it comes the 20th edition of Zona Maco, the country’s largest art fair and the headline event of Mexico City Art Week. Here’s everything you need to know about cultural extravaganza.
What is Zona Maco?
Zona Maco is the largest art fair in Mexico and Latin America, founded in 2002 by entrepreneur and art specialist Zélika García of Monterrey.
On a mission to promote art in the industrial northern city of Monterrey, García started “Muestra 1” in Monterrey before moving the project to Mexico City and turning it into what Zona Maco is today — an art fair that brings together photography, antiques, design and contemporary art in a single space.
When and where will it take place?
The event will take place from Wednesday, Feb. 7, to Sunday, Feb. 11, at the Centro Citibanamex, in the Miguel Hidalgo borough of Mexico City.
This year’s fair will see Contemporary Art, Design, Furniture and Photography sections. (Zona Maco)
Tickets cost 450 pesos and are available in advance on the Zona Maco website. Tickets purchased at the door will cost 500 pesos.
What special events will happen in the fair’s 20th edition?
After a two-year break during the COVID-19 pandemic, Zona Maco returned in 2023, and this year it’s back with some very special events.
These include the “Artsy Nights” party, headlined by Californian musician Channel Tres. Other performers include Yulia Niko, Alex Pan, Yuksek and The Scumfrog.
Zona Maco is also offering the largest ever cash prize for the “most notable piece” selected by the public — the biggest prize ever granted in an art fair — a US $100,000 award sponsored by the Erarta Philanthropic Foundation.
The prize will be distributed equally between the artist and the presenting gallery.
What types of art can I expect to see?
There is a US $100,000 prize for the most popular piece, as voted for by the general public. (Zona Maco)
The fair consists of four sections:
Contemporary Art, featuring works from emerging and mid-career artists, as well as contemporary pieces by global artists
Design, showcasing furniture, jewelry, textiles, decorative and everyday objects, as well as limited editions and historical pieces
Photography, exhibiting the photographic possibilities offered by new tools and historical milestones
Antique Salon, showing a wide range of pieces created before the 1960s.
Which countries will participate?
The event will see more than 200 galleries from 25 countries, including Germany, Spain, Austria, the United States, Japan, Latvia, the United Kingdom, Peru, Colombia, and Cuba.
Three people have been killed in a shooting at an Hermosillo nightclub, allegedly between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. (Jakarta Clublife/Facebook)
Three people were killed and two injured in a Sonora nightclub this weekend, after a shooting allegedly linked to factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The shootout took place in the early hours of Sunday morning, in the Jakarta Clublife nightclub in Hermosillo, according to a statement by theSonora Prosecutor’s Office (FGJES).
Police are investigating the Jakarta Clublife nightclub following the shootout on Sunday. (Ruben Alberto/X)
The three men killed included Luis Antonio “N” and Felizardo Armando “N,” whom the FGJES identified as members of a criminal group based in Nogales, Sonora. The men allegedly led the group’s operations in a number of small towns surrounding Hermosillo.
One of the injured was identified as Kevin Alejandro “N,” the son of a man recently sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department for his role in the same Nogales-based criminal group.
Although the FGJES did not name the group, in November, theU.S. Treasury sanctioned several members of a Nogales-based faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Juan Carlos Morgan Huerta (alias “Cacayo”). The sanctioned men are accused of overseeing cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking in the Sonoran border city.
Local news outlets speculate that the shootout at Jakarta Clublife may be linked to a war between the “Los Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, led by the sons of jailed drug lord Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán, and the rival “Los Salazar” faction.
The split in the factions may have emerged over an order by leaders of the “Los Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel to stop trafficking fentanyl. (Guardía Nacional)
Although Los Salazar previously served as an armed wing for Los Chapitos, theyreportedly defied Los Chapitos’ attempted ban on fentanyl trafficking in 2023, sparking a new conflict over drug trafficking routes through Sonora’s Altar Desert.
This is not the only notable violent incident in Sonora in recent weeks. On Jan. 20, police killed12 suspected criminals in a shootout on the Hermosillo-Bahia de Kino highway. The men had allegedly attacked police following the arrest of Carlos Humberto Limón, a criminal leader linked to Los Chapitos.
Hours after the most recent shootout, the FGJES said that it had secured the crime scene and was interviewing employees of the nightclub to clarify the events and establish whether the attackers had received any support or cover-up.
The agency added that it was inquiring with local authorities whether the venue had all the permits necessary to operate legally.
The Los Cabos Tourism Trust hopes to welcome more European visitors this year. (Los Cabos Tourism Board)
Spanish airline Iberojet is resuming its seasonal international route between Madrid and Los Cabos this summer for the third consecutive year.
Starting June 23, the carrier will offer a weekly flight every Sunday through Sept. 28.
The announcement came during the 2024 International Tourism Fair (FITUR) in Spain last week, where Los Cabos Tourism and Economy Secretary Maribel Collins Sánchez said they expect to welcome more European travelers, predominantly from Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
With this new flight, Los Cabos also hopes to see an uptick in the number of Spanish tourists in the region — from 10,000 in 2023 to 15,000 in 2024.
“We will continue to work so that more and more Spaniards visit us,” said Rodrigo Esponda, director of the Los Cabos Tourism Trust.
According to news site Infobae, Spanish tourists to the region spend big — up to US $4,000 during a 10-day stay.
He noted that Spain’s largest airline, Iberia, operates three daily flights using its largest and most modern aircraft, the A350, and that Aeroméxico operates 25 weekly flights linking Madrid to Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara.
Torruco added that by the summer of 2024, the number of flights between the two countries would increase to 34.
This year, 58 international flights are confirmed for Los Cabos, cementing its place as one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations.
