Abraham Oseguera an older brother of CJNG leader, "El Mencho," was detained in Jalisco early on Sunday morning. (Screen capture/X)
Abraham Oseguera Cervantes, brother of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, was arrested in Jalisco on Sunday, authorities said.
The older brother of the CJNG kingpin was detained by the National Guard shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday in the municipality of Autlán de Navarro, according to an entry in the National Register of Arrests. He was subsequently transferred to a Federal Attorney General’s Office facility in Mexico City.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed the arrest of the man known as “Don Rodo” at his morning press conference on Monday.
The charges Abraham Oseguera faces were not disclosed, but he reportedly had a discreet, administrative role within the CJNG, one of Mexico’s two most powerful criminal organizations, the other being the Sinaloa Cartel.
Security analyst David Saucedo told the Associated Press that he carried out “administrative activities” within the CJNG, and was in charge of some of the cartel’s trafficking routes into the United States.
López Obrador said that the federal Security Ministry would provide details about Abraham Oseguera’s arrest later on Monday.
🚨 Detuvieron a Abraham “N”, “Don Rodo”, hermano de Nemesio Oceguera Cervantes, “El Mencho”, líder del Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generacion
— Manuel Lopez San Martin (@MLopezSanMartin) April 22, 2024
A video showing Abraham Oseguera after his arrest in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco
Don Rodo, who is reportedly 70 years old, and El Mencho were arrested on heroin trafficking charges in California in the early 1990s. Both returned to Mexico after serving their sentences in the U.S.
Just over 10 years ago, Abraham was formally accused of murder, but the case was time-barred and consequently didn’t proceed, according to reports.
Jessica Oseguera González, daughter of El Mencho, was arrested in the United States in 2020 on money laundering charges and sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2021. She walked free in 2022.
Antonio Oseguera Cervantes (left), another brother, was arrested in 2022, but Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes (right), leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, remains at large. (U.S. Treasury/X)
Meanwhile, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes is still on the lam. Aged in his late 50s, El Mencho is at the helm of a criminal organization that operates all over Mexico and in many countries around the world.
Anne Milgram, administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), has asserted that the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel pose “the greatest criminal threat the United States has ever faced” given the quantity of narcotics — including the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl — they smuggle into the country.
“He hides in the mountainous areas of Jalisco, Michoacán and Colima. We think he’s not in the cities anymore,” said Mori, who was in charge of the DEA’s efforts to apprehend the CJNG leader.
“I don’t think he spends a lot of time in one place, or in one type of house. … He’s definitely constantly moving,” he said.
Mexico's urban spaces can sometimes feel chaotic, but are filled with a certain magic that is lacking in other parts of the world. (All photos belong to Louisa Rogers)
It’s a Tuesday morning around 10:00, and I’m strolling along a pedestrian street in Guanajuato, Mexico, passing vendors selling cut-up fruit, corn on the cob, and pies. Later today, I might see the mime artist who wears an Edwardian top hat and sits erect in his chair, regally pouring water into a cup from his silver tea service. While Guanajuato is a bustling city of almost 200,000 people, it seldom feels like an urban area.
Instead, Guanajuato is a city filled with rhythm and movement. All day long, the streets are so colorful and lively that walking anywhere is a pleasure. Vibrant as it is, this is a place far from unique among Mexican cities. Whether you’re a visitor to Mexico or a resident, you can’t help but notice how every town has a generous amount of public space, and in particular a central plaza or “zócalo,” as it’s also called. Families, flirting teenagers, vendors, kids playing, mariachi bands, and the elderly all commingle in this “community living room.”
A landscaped pedestrian area near Tepoztlán, Morelos. Areas like this can be found in most Mexican cities.
Mexico’s plazas date back to Spanish laws in the 1500s, which required that every town have a public plaza surrounded by streets, arched passageways, a church, and public buildings. However, the Spanish were not the only people who left their architectural legacy in Mexico. The Moors, during their 700-year rule of Spain, brought with them from North Africa their Islamic art and architecture, such as ornate tile work, intricate geometric patterns, arches, and courtyards – all of which made their way to Mexico. Today, Mexican urban design is one of its greatest strengths. In addition to the ubiquitous plazas, here are eight examples of creative use of public space found in the country.
Colorful, User-Friendly Streets. Streets in Mexico aren’t empty; instead, they’re jammed with people – bustling and busy without being claustrophobic. Buildings rarely have setbacks but instead meet the sidewalk close up, creating a sense of coherence and unity.
Streets tend to be narrow, not the wide suburban-style streets dedicated to cars that you usually see in the US. No surprise, then, that I love wandering Guanajuato’s more than 3000 twisting, labyrinthine alleys, where I often come upon a surprise — a bench, an altar carved into a recessed wall, or a half-crumbling wall.
A sculpture of a man playing piano in Huichapan, Hidalgo, México.
A Sense of Enclosure. William Whyte, author ofThe Social Life of Small Urban Spaces maintains that the best public spaces offer the perception of being surrounded, creating a sense of intimacy and coziness. Mexican plazas are usually at least one square block in size, but they’re framed by a variety of features that foster a homey room-like quality. Besides a central kiosk or gazebo, they include benches, landscaping, trees, low walls, columns, sculptures, and murals.
Benches. Nowhere in the world have I seen as many benches as in Mexico. Benches invite! They say, “Welcome. Stay awhile. Join us.” As people sit, they chat, play music, flirt, eat ice cream, and feed the birds — what the urban visionary Jane Jacobs, author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, called the “sidewalk ballet.”
A green and airy plaza with central kiosk and seating, Valle de Bravo, México state.
Benches are not trivial. Edwin Heathcote, architecture and design critic for TheFinancial Times, calls the public bench “the seat of civilization” because it is a democratic space, available for people at any level of society. “A bench is a small space in the melee of the metropolis where it is acceptable to do nothing, to consume nothing, to just be,” he adds.
Pavements. Heathcote also wrote eloquently about the importance of pavement in urban design. He calls it “the skin of the city…a thin surface that can have a hugely powerful effect on how the city feels, looks, and behaves.”
Many Mexican towns, like Guanajuato, have a signature pavement style. But the use of aesthetic design is not just outside. I’m often struck by interior flooring — the elegant tile work and marble in Mexican atriums, banks, churches, shopping centers, staircases, supermarkets, and restaurants.
Doors, Arches, and Other Portals. Recently I took an acrylic painting class called “Doorways of Guanajuato,” whose theme reflected our human fascination with portals. Doors are a symbol of transition, delineating one state from another: outside versus inside, leaving versus returning.
Doorways, columns and arches have become an emblem of Mexican architecture. (Ara CG/Unsplash)
Some Mexican cities are famous for their doorways alone. In San Miguel de Allende’s central district, for example, there are said to be more than 2,000 distinct doorways.
Arches, too, are common throughout Mexico. Another Moorish import, arches were introduced during Spanish colonization and used in haciendas to create a sense of depth, perspective, and enclosure.
Public Art. No matter which town where you happen to be in Mexico, you’ll find sculptures in a park or square. Some are breathtaking, like the one I saw of a man playing the piano in the otherwise unremarkable town of Huichapan, Hidalgo.
Balconies. “Give me a balcony and I will become president,” boasted Jose Maria Velasco, Ecuador’s most prominent populist, who delivered on his promise by being elected five times, starting in the 1930s.
Who doesn’t love a balcony? Someone standing high up has a perfect, big-picture perch to watch the street rhythms below, while those on the street can look up and observe people hanging their clothes, sipping coffee, or stealing a kiss. Balconies are an invitation to permitted voyeurism. Thanks to the Spanish, the Moors, and the French, few urban Mexican spaces are without these windows into the nation’s soul.
Another Moorish gift, courtyards have come to define many of Mexico’s most iconic buildings. (Ciudades Mexicano Patrimonio Mundial)
Courtyards. One reason I enjoy visiting Mexican museums is that the buildings themselves are visually pleasing, often built around a tranquilo inner courtyard with a fountain at the center. Courtyards are another legacy of the Moors, who designed lush inner patios within their mosques and palaces. They considered courtyards an “earthly paradise.” This tradition continues in Mexico, where you’ll find graceful courtyards not just in museums, but also in government buildings, hotels, and private homes.
I fantasize that U.S. public works officials, instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on feasibility studies, would visit Mexico and consult with urban planners, who intuitively know how to design cities that invite a sense of connection, pleasure, and safety. That Mexico, a country where the average income is one fifth that in the US, invests in such “non-essentials” as art and aesthetics reflects to me a deep respect for the human spirit.
Louisa Rogers and her husband Barry Evans divide their lives between Guanajuato and Eureka, on California’s North Coast. Louisa writes articles and essays about expat life, Mexico, travel, physical and psychological health, retirement and spirituality. Her recent articles are on her website, https://authory.com/LouisaRogers
Yes, even tacos have gotten more expensive in Mexico. How have rising costs caused by inflation coupled with a stronger peso impacted expats? Mexico News Daily CEO Travis Bembenek shares his perspective. (Cuartoscuro)
It’s hard these days to avoid reading something about the rising cost of living in Mexico.
YouTube videos targeting expats are everywhere — carefully mapping out how much the costs of certain items and experiences have increased in different parts of Mexico. The commentary reached a fever pitch this past week with the peso hitting 16.30 to the US dollar, an almost 9-year high and a 30% move in just the past two years.
It is undeniable that there is a noticeable difference in the prices of most goods and services these days, even when paying in pesos and not thinking about the price in dollars.
This of course is due to the wave of high inflation that has affected pretty much every corner of the globe over the past several years. When one adds the impact of the recent peso appreciation, some price increases are downright startling! This has created some sticker shock and “Mexico soul searching” for more than a few expats. For decades now, expats in Mexico have been able to rely on a weak peso, which would often offset any inflation and make the country an affordable place to live for those from the U.S. or Canada. Those days are over.
Let me share a simple real-life example. I like to go to our local farmers’ market for breakfast on Saturday mornings. Last week, I ordered my usual, from the same three vendors: a fresh-squeezed orange juice (it would be really hard for me to go back to Tropicana at this point!), a fresh-baked cinnamon roll from a local bakery (sorry Cinnabon!) and two tacos with freshly made blue corn tortillas.
Two years ago, this meal cost me 86 pesos. Today, the exact same meal from the exact same vendors (all using 100% local products, nothing imported which could distort the costs) cost me 130 pesos. In other words, just the pure inflationary cost increase in pesos of my local breakfast is 51% over two years or 25% per year! Now, when we add in the appreciating peso impact, the increase is even more dramatic. The meal two years ago at a 22 peso to US dollar exchange rate cost me US $3.91. Today, that same meal cost me US $7.88 (at 16.5 pesos to the US dollar). This means that, in dollars and taking into account the inflation, the same meal from the same vendors increased 102% in price in just two years!
My point here is not to debate if the meal is worth US $7.88 or to compare how much the meal would cost in San Francisco or Dallas. I am simply pointing out the scale of the cost increases for expats in Mexico.
While costs of some goods and services have increased A LOT in Mexico over the past several years due to inflation and a stronger peso, does that mean living in Mexico now costs as much as living in the United States? Not at all. Let me explain.
There is another very important component that I think most of the YouTubers fail to point out — and that is the differences in levels of consumption. When I refer to consumption, of course I am generalizing as the consumption of each individual and household is different. In general, as I have personally experienced and have heard many expats agree, they consume far less in Mexico than in the United States.
In the U.S., consumption is usually quick, affordable and easy: online ordering, easy return policies, nearly constant sales promotions, ample parking and short check-out lanes all make it effortless. However, in Mexico, buying things can require more effort: service is often slower, returns are nearly impossible, lines are longer, parking is harder. I find this makes me buy less. Depending on where you live here, you might walk to the grocery store and as a result, end up only buying only you can carry home. People often have smaller cars and homes here which equals less consumption. Changing the décor of your home often is as simple as some new plants or flowers (less consumption). I’d go so far as to say the pressure to “keep up with the Joneses” is felt less by expats living in Mexico.
The bottom line is if you import the same lifestyle you had in the United States when moving to Mexico, you’ll really feel the pain of the increased costs. If you modify your consumption lifestyle, you will spend less, as well as be a lot less frustrated.
As a result, even if items cost a lot more than they used to, or even if they begin to approach U.S.-level prices, because there’s a tendency to consume less in Mexico, the overall cost of living is still much lower.
So, how much does it really cost to live in Mexico? Having lived here now for four years, I have been able to carefully do an “all-in” comparison of our monthly total living expenses in San Miguel de Allende versus Chicago. The result is that we spend 30-40% less in any given month here compared to up north.
Has this lifestyle change led to less fulfillment, less satisfaction, less happiness? Quite the contrary — at least in our case, we are healthier, happier and feel more fulfilled than ever.
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section. Do you agree with my analysis of the cost increases? Do you agree with my thoughts on consumption in the United States compared to Mexico?
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.
When city improvement works were held up by the central telephone exchange, Guadalajaran engineer Matute Remus devised an audacious plan to move the building while it continued to operate uninterrupted. (Mario Yair TS/Atlas Obscura)
In 1950, engineer Jorge Matute Remus (1912-2002) led the incredible feat of moving a building in downtown Guadalajara almost 40 feet backward to enable the expansion of Juárez Avenue.
The 1700-ton building on the corner of Juárez and Donato Guerra was relocated 11.82 meters (almost 40 feet) in only five days, a move that also included a slight rotation. But even more remarkable: It was moved while people were still working inside.
The Telmex building on Juárez. (Mario Yair TS/Atlas Obscura)
There’s a building standing in the way!
In the late 1940s, the governor of Jalisco, Jesús González Gallo, decided to widen Juárez Avenue in the capital city of Guadalajara due to increasing traffic congestion. As part of the expansion, the state government decided to demolish some buildings along Juárez Street, including the building of the Mexican Telephone Company — present-day Telmex.
However, the building’s owners won an amparo trial (injunction) that protected the three-story building from demolition.
“The telephone company was a foreign company owned by Swedes,” engineer Juan Armando Duarte, a former student of Remus, recalled in an interview.
“[The Swedish company] went to trial against the state government’s work to widen the avenue because demolishing and rebuilding the building was difficult and expensive. Moreover, they didn’t want the telephone services to be suspended.”
According to Guadalajara historian Armando González, the city had bought and demolished all the houses on the north sidewalk to expand Juárez Avenue, except for the Mexican Telephone Company building, which was in the middle of the new street, strangling circulation.
The issue, then, was how to get rid of a building without demolishing it.
The plan to move the exchange was anything but simple. (Ciencia UNAM)
It was then that Remus, then the Rector of the University of Guadalajara (UdeG) and a member of the State Planning Commission, suggested the impressive idea of relocating the building without demolishing it and interrupting the city’s phone services.
“More than one member of the City Hall thought it was a crazy idea,” Duarte said.
However, the project started to take shape, and executives from the telephone company traveled from New York — where the company was headquartered — to Guadalajara to talk to Remus and evaluate the proposal.
They estimated that moving the building would cost 1 million pesos at that time, compared to the 9 million pesos it would’ve cost to demolish the building and construct a new one.
Faced with no other alternative, the telephone company agreed.
Manos a la obra – let’s get to work!
Matute Remus’ feat is commemorated by a statue at the site of his achievement. (Alejandro Linares Garcia/Wikimedia)
In tandem with an exceptional team of engineers and construction workers, the amazing feat took four days, from Oct. 24 to Oct. 28, 1950, without affecting the building, breaking a single window pane, or interrupting the phone operators’ work.
The preparation work, however, took 6 months, including excavation, demolishing the neighboring houses, and building the foundations of the new location. After that, Remus and his team assembled a structure to slide the building over to its new location.
According to Duarte, Remus was inspired to move the building by the mechanism used to move train wagons — rails.
Four rails were placed on each side of the foundation columns, Geotecnia Magazine explains in an article dedicated to the maneuver. Railway-type mechanical jacks were installed horizontally in each of the drag beam axes to generate the thrust force.
A sound system with loudspeakers was also installed so workers could hear Remus counting down to each push. After a few hours of operation, all the jack operators worked on command in perfect synchronism.
Each operator’s impulse moved the building forward 4/5 of a millimeter at a speed of one centimeter per minute, making the building’s movement imperceptible to the telephone workers inside.
During the five-day relocation process, over 100 workers remained inside the building, ensuring that the telephone service was not interrupted at any time.
One of the telephone operators testified that they were nervous, but Matute reassured them by speaking to them.
“We were very nervous, but Engineer Matute explained clearly that there would be no problem and that we would not feel anything. He was confident in what he was doing and conveyed that to us.”
Other testimonies suggest that to reassure the telephone workers, Remus asked his wife, Esmeralda Villaseñor de Matute, to remain in the building with their 7-year-old son, Juan Jorge.
More historical works about Matute Remus
Experts consider Remus’ achievement the engineering masterpiece of Guadalajara in the 20th century. The project was highly praised by both the State Planning Commission and the telephone company’s headquarters in New York City.
After his great accomplishment, Matute Remus served as the mayor of Guadalajara from 1953 to 1955. One of the most significant achievements during his presidency was establishing a drinking water supply for the city from Lake Chapala.
Today, the Matute Remus bridge is named in his honor. (Moi Bernal/Unsplash)
During his tenure as Rector of the UdeG, he made it possible for students from all over the state to enroll in the university, which was previously only accessible to students from public schools in Jalisco. He was also instrumental in establishing the School of Architecture.
He also modernized the city’s urban planning, expanding and building new highways like the Guadalajara-Chapala road, Lázaro Cardenas, and the construction of Guadalajara’s International Airport, among many other public works.
Due to his accomplishments, he was honored with the title Benemérito Ilustre de Jalisco (Jalisco Distinguished Honoree) in 2012. His remains rest in the Rotunda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres in Guadalajara.
His achievements also gave him international fame, for which he received the French Order of Academic Palms and a UNESCO acknowledgment for his contribution to education.
Almost a century later, the building’s story continues to live in the collective imagination of Guadalajara’s residents, young and old.
To engrave his name in our memory and that of future generations, the Matute Remus bridge (built in 2011) carries his name, in honor of an engineer and leader who left a lasting mark on the city of Guadalajara.
Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog Dunas y Palmeras.
The ancient Toltec practice of Kinam, a form of pre-Hispanic "yoga," is becoming increasingly popular. (Mediateca INAH)
We live in a world where uncertainty and change abound, while rapid technological advancement ironically both expands and inhibits human connection. While several of these advancements have improved the state of the world to some degree, the negative consequences have humans facing an increasing lack of community, isolation from nature and one another, rootlessness, and disconnection from self. Mental health issues are at an all-time high, loneliness has been called a world epidemic, distraction reigns, and stress is an unwelcome frequent visitor for an increasingly disillusioned population.
In response to many of the challenges posed in modern society, which are often at odds with both human nature and the natural world (see: sitting stationary at one’s desk working at a computer screen for 8 hours), a new generation is looking to ancient wisdom to provide an antidote. The past several years have seen a hopeful movement looking to indigenous practices to help solve some of the world’s biggest environmental and social problems. Described by research agency Wunderman Thompson as the “Indigenous Innovation” trend, this revival of ancient practices draws upon the ability of indigenous cultures to maintain balance with nature and instill a sense of community, purpose, rootedness, physical strength, and mental equilibrium to individuals.
Olmec figurines in a series of Kinam poses. (Kinam Oficial)
Kinam – a physical practice based on ancient prehispanic Toltec wisdom – has recently gained popularity in Mexico, illuminating a path towards a more balanced and mindful existence. While Toltec mental and spiritual philosophy has previously been popularized through the teachings of authors like Don Miguel Ruiz, the physical practice of Kinam allows for a comprehensive, movement-based system that integrates bodily, emotional, and spiritual development. Kinam has drawn in individuals around the world seeking personal growth, mindfulness, physical embodiment, and deeper connection.
The Toltecs and the Origins of Kinam
The Toltecs were an advanced Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico between the 10th and 12th centuries AD, before the Mayans and Aztecs. Predating Yoga, the practice of power postures now referred to as Kinam was based on psychophysical techniques created by the Toltec shamans of ancient Mexico.
These techniques emerged based on the shamans’ unique perspective on the world, space, and time, centered on the belief that the world was not a set of objects in space-time as we understand it, but rather a perceptual effect. The shamans believed that to understand this reality in greater depth, it was necessary to balance four factors: body, mind, emotions and vital energy. The balance between these allows practitioners to gain access to the extraordinary capabilities to live in a higher state of consciousness. In response, the shamans created power postures and the arts of meditation, recapitulation, dreaming, and self-vigilance.
The renaissance of these practices is attributed to over 20 years of research by anthropologist Frank Diaz, and is the result of an amalgamation of Diaz’s archaeological study of thousands of Toltec sculptures, codices, and murals, indicating different postures, along with oral traditions gathered from indigenous communities who have passed down knowledge & variations of the practice. More recently, additional documentation of the Toltec practices was gathered from 16th and 17th-century archives found in Sevilla, Spain, gathered from Spanish conquistadors.
“El Ocelote” posture, one of the Kinam poses. (Kinam Oficial)
Despite the fascinating breadth of academic research, the Toltec teachings are ultimately understood best through practice. Recognizing the positive impact of applying these academic findings to physical practice, former principal dancer Alejandra Cobo and Pilates expert Ana Delia Benito, together with Frank Diaz, with the support of Fundación Dondé, established the Kinam Institute to bring this ancient knowledge to the world. The Kinam practice, based on Toltec balance and power postures, incorporates modern techniques of functional movement and dance, and uses psychophysical exercises to help practitioners find center, balance, and fluidity.
The Power of Postures
The positive impact of power postures on mental states has been widely researched and documented in recent years. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy suggests that adopting “power poses” can influence not only how others perceive us but also how we perceive ourselves. According to her research, assuming high-power poses for just a few minutes can lead to increased feelings of power and confidence, as well as changes in hormone levels associated with dominance and stress reduction.
Through the practice of postures, physical movements, manual exercises, meditation, sleep training, and breathing techniques inspired by pre-Hispanic sources, Kinam seeks to promote integral harmony and a deeper rootedness. Kinam emphasizes the importance of transitioning between postures, organizing practices into challenges, series, and sequences, and providing variations based on individual capabilities.
The physical Kinam practice begins by acknowledging the cardinal directions, a nod to the Toltecs’ deep reverence for the natural world. From there, practitioners move through a series of postures and exercises designed to cultivate a sense of centeredness, balance, and fluidity – both physically and energetically.
“Each posture represents a stage of life,” explains co-founder Ana Delia Benito. This is represented through their symbolism and meaning. For example, Sprout Pose, with its depiction of a sprouting seed, symbolizes rebirth and enlightenment, which can be associated with growth and development in a person’s life. The Root Posture, with its connection to the practitioner’s own experience and congruence, reflects the ability to incorporate achievements and learning into daily life. The Arrow Pose, with its symbolism of attention and perception, could represent a stage of focus and mental clarity. By exercising these postures, practitioners exercise their abilities to call upon these states in real life.
Embracing the Realm of Dreams
A key aspect of the Kinam practice is its incorporation of sleep and dreaming techniques. In Kinam’s symbolic framework, conscious dreaming, known as “ensueño,” plays a central role in training the practitioner’s “nahual” – their capacity for empowered action represented as vital energy. By applying willpower and intention to the dream state, Kinam teaches practitioners to command their dreams, develop focus, and the ability to plant seeds of transformation from the realm of the subconscious.
Through these conscious/awakened dreaming practices, or “ensoñar” as Kinam calls them, individuals can project their nahual, renew their vitality, and actively utilize the time spent sleeping, rather than passively accepting it. The texts emphasize that ensueño is not merely another dream, but a transformative state of consciousness that can lead to ecstatic experiences and a profound reconnection with the creative essence of existence. By mastering techniques like controlled dreaming, hand symbolism, and the management of emotional challenges, Kinam practitioners seek to unlock deeper layers of awareness and spiritual growth through the practice of conscious, intentional dreaming.
Accessing the Unseen
While the practice of Kinam offers a practical psychophysical way of interacting with the world and oneself, it also incorporates an exploration of energy work. With principles similar to chakra centers, Kinam implements practices to shift energy within the body, such as transforming or moving stagnant energy to revitalize and motivate. Furthermore, by engaging in static positions that compress certain glands to induce specific, focused perceptual states, Kinam allows practitioners to access states of consciousness outside of our normal purview. “Through these techniques, we can expand other faculties of humanity, including perception of the often hidden or unseen aspects of reality” says Benito.
Olmec and Jalisco figurines depicting Kinam practitioners. (Kinam Oficial)
Reconnecting with Toltec Wisdom
“Toltec” is a way of being, says Ana Delia Benito. “We can all be Toltec.”
Whether you’re seeking to deepen your own physical, emotional, and spiritual practice, or are a teacher looking to expand your offerings, Kinam presents an intriguing opportunity to reconnect with ancient Toltec wisdom in a modern context.
“Kinam is for anyone interested in reconnecting with their physical body, vital energy, and internal wisdom,” the Kinam Institute states, “as well as teachers of practices such as Yoga, Chik kung, and functional training, who wish to complement their teaching.”
While Kinam has enjoyed a spread throughout world cities from Mexico City to Los Angeles, in Mexico, classes are offered at Agoralucis in Polanco, Mexico City, as well as online through the studio. The Instituto Kinam also offers a six-module certification program, enabling you to become a Kinam practitioner and train others.
In a world that often feels disconnected and out of balance, the revival of Toltec practices like Kinam offers a powerful antidote. By reconnecting with ancient wisdom, Kinam provides a holistic path toward greater harmony, embodiment, spiritual growth, and awakened capabilities. As we navigate the challenges of modern life, the Toltec way of Kinam stands as a beacon, guiding us back to a more balanced and mindful existence.
Monica Belot is a writer, researcher, strategist and adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she teaches in the Strategic Design & Management Program. Splitting her time between NYC and Mexico City, where she resides with her naughty silver labrador puppy Atlas, Monica writes about topics spanning everything from the human experience to travel and design research. Follow her varied scribbles on Medium at https://medium.com/@monicabelot.
The funniest Mexican memes of the week have arrived to brighten your day.
Spring has arrived, and it is getting hot out there! But at least we can laugh while we drip in sweat, right? Grab a beer, and we can laugh extra hard at these Mexican memes currently making the rounds on social media.
The best part? You can legitimately say you were studying.
Meme translation:“Ma’am, classes were canceled today for the eclipse.”
“He wants to be an astronomer.”
What does it meme? Did everyone catch the eclipse last week? Depending on where you were, it was more or less dramatic (there was a little under 70% coverage where I was).
Plenty of schools canceled classes that day, and those who didn’t supposedly had pretty low turnouts. Some parents though, like the one in this meme, were apparently less than thrilled about having to find childcare for their little ones when they still had to go to work!
Meme translation: “If you drink, don’t drive. And please, don’t call your ex. Value your life and your dignity.”
What does it meme? Now this…is a good sign.
And now you know: drunk dialing isn’t just a problem in the English-speaking world. The plethora of memes and jokes about it here, in fact, would leave me to believe that it’s even more prevalent around here!
So remember, kids: if you’re going to drink, get a designated driver or take a taxi. And if you’re tempted to profess your love to someone long lost, give your friend your phone. Your dignity will thank you.
Meme translation: “Why hasn’t my package arrived? I ordered it through…”
(on screen) “FraudEx”
What does it meme? If you’ve had anything delivered to you in Mexico, chances are you’ve come into contact with one of the most prominent shipping companies here, Estafeta.
I’ve always thought it was a strange choice of a name, as (to me) it looks and sounds pretty similar to the word for “scam,” estafa. “-Ote/ota” is one of Spanish’s augmentative forms (as opposed to a diminutive form that you’re probably already familiar with, like “-ito/ita”), and visually it fits perfectly with this joke: “Estafota” would translate to something like “big scam” (I did my best above to make it look at least somewhat like the name of a shipping company).
I don’t think that kitty’s package is going to be making it after all.
Meme translation: “When you’re an English teacher and you see that there’s a kid from the United States in your class.”
What does it meme? Most kids in Mexican schools take English classes. But teaching a different language (especially one different than your own) ain’t no joke, and the truth is that most language teaching positions for Mexican nationals don’t pay enough to recruit teachers that are truly fluent in the language they’re teaching, as those who are can usually make much more money elsewhere.
So, when a student shows up in their class who does speak the language fluently, it can be a little intimidating. Knowing this, I’ve always given my daughter strict instructions to never, under any circumstances, publicly correct an English teacher unless specifically asked to.
Apparently, she’s taken that lesson to heart a bit too much: when I had a meeting with her teacher a few months into this last school year, he said he had no idea that she spoke English at all!
Meme translation: “If I could have one power, I’d like to be able to be retired.”
What does it meme? This one takes a little explanation: poder as a noun is “power”; poder as a verb is “to be able to” (basically, “can”). Perhaps a better translation might be, “If I could have one power, it would be the power to be retired,” though really, there’s no perfect option: plays on words don’t work across languages unless the languages have the same word for two of the same different concepts (which does sometimes happen, fortunately).
That said, I share your wish, my little tlacuache dude.
Meme translation:“It was there the whole time and we didn’t see it.”
What does it meme? If you’ve spent much time in Mexico, you’ve probably run across the cultural icon that is El Chavo del Ocho. The TV show ran through the 1970s until the early ‘80s, but I still don’t know a single Mexican, even under the age of 10, who wouldn’t immediately recognize the show’s character, who’s being rendered in the above photos out of the portrait of Benjamin Franklin. (They can all probably do a pretty good impression of the character, too.)
The series centered around a kid who lived in a barrel (and it was a comedy!) and his interactions with his neighbors in the vecindad, the little neighborhood where his barrel was located.
Meme translation: (on screen) “The Pope forgives everyone”
“And I said, ‘That’s good! One less thing to worry about.’”
What does it meme? I put this one up just because I thought it was adorable: the world might be falling apart, but, hey, the Pope forgives us. And whether from him or our dear ones, isn’t forgiveness for (and preferably ignorance of) all our shortcomings what we all really want?
Fernando shows off his divorce papers in a post that went viral. (El Cardenal Cantina/Facebook)
What do you do after you finalize your divorce in Mexico? Hit up the cantina with your ex-wife or ex-husband and have a few beers, of course.
At least that’s what one young man and woman did in Mérida, Yucatán, on Thursday.
Judging by the smile on the face of the man, it was more a matter of celebrating their newfound freedom than drowning their sorrows. Or maybe the recently-separated couple were just dying for a beer amid the intense heat that has plagued Mérida this week.
El Cardenal, a cantina in the Santiago neighborhood of the historic center of the Yucatán capital, brought the news of the divorcees’ drinking to the world’s attention with a post to its Facebook page.
“CONGRATULATIONS! Today we welcomed at the bar Fernando and Eli, a lovely couple who were celebrating their DIVORCE,” El Cardenal said.
The cantina published two photos in the post: one of the couple, although Eli’s face is obscured by a shushing face emoji, and one in which Fernando is showing off the former couple’s divorce certificate.
As of Friday afternoon, the post had been shared almost 150 times and attracted 99 comments.
One Facebook user suggested the couple would “reconcile” after having a few drinks, while another praised them for ending their marriage in a peaceful way and “without problems.”
At least two people wanted to know what El Cardenal’s “divorce promo” was.
“With the purchase of a divorce, take home a beautiful mention on social media,” responded another Facebook user.
Protesters in Mexico City display banners demanding justice for murdered environmental activist Samir Flores and other causes related to environmental defense, in 2019. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro.com)
Environmental activists in Mexico continue to face violence despite a slight decrease in attacks in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to a report released this week by the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA).
The report found 20 lethal attacks against environmental activists in 2023, which represents the fifth-highest number documented by CEMDA in the past decade. In 2022, the figure was 24.
Michoacán topped the list with seven victims, including Eustacio Alcalá Díaz, a 68-year-old Indigenous activist who was murdered last April. He was a community leader in Huitzontla, a village in the Michoacán highlands, who had been fighting against mining projects that were disfiguring the land and depleting natural resources.
For years, the Indigenous communities of Michoacán have fought against mining and illegal logging of the mountain region’s pine and fir forests. Loggers often cut down trees to plant avocados.
Guerrero was second on the list with six murders, followed by México state and Oaxaca with two each. Hidalgo, Sonora and Jalisco each had one.
Overall, CEMDA documented 123 acts of aggression that targeted activists, communities and Indigenous peoples in 2023. These attacks, which included threats, intimidation, physical assaults and kidnappings, were most prevalent in Jalisco (20), Oaxaca (19) and Mexico City (12).
Eustacio Alcalá Díaz was one of 20 environmental activists murdered in 2023. (@redsolidariaDH/Twitter)
“While the total number of attacks recorded in 2023 decreased compared to [197 in] 2022, these are still high and unacceptable figures,” the report stated.
The report criticized the Mexican government’s failure to fulfill its obligations under the Escazú Agreement, an international treaty requiring signatory countries to protect environmental activists. The Mexican Senate ratified the pact in 2020.
“Mexico must guarantee a safe environment for activists to carry out their work,” said Gustavo Alanís Ortega, executive director of CEMDA. “As of today, there is a total omission on the part of the government.”
CEMDA, a nonprofit and non-governmental organization, has been working for the defense of the environment and natural resources since it was founded in 1993 in conjunction with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The disappearance and deaths of environmental activists often occurs in conjunction with illegal mining, logging and other illicit forms of resource extraction. (Senado de la República)
According to data from CEMDA, murders of environmental activists reached a high of 29 in 2017, followed by 2021 with 25.
However, 2021’s total was much higher — 54 — according to another NGO watchdog group, Global Witness. Their worldwide analysis of 2021 data found that more land and environmental activists were killed that year in Mexico than in any other country in the world.
CEMDA’s new report also highlighted the human cost of the violence. It mentioned the case of Alcalá Díaz, as well as Ricardo Lagunes, a human rights lawyer who also was openly critical of mining projects in Michoacán.
Alfredo Cisneros, another environmental activist killed in 2023, was president of the Communal Assets Commission in the Indigenous community of Sicuicho, Michoacán. (Consejo Suprema Indigena Michoacán)
Another case mentioned was that of 27-year-old student, journalist and activist Abisaí Pérez Romero, who was conducting research for the Environmental Justice Atlas on environmental degradation along the Tula River when he went missing. Two days later, he turned up dead on a local road in Hidalgo.
It also mentioned the homicide of Alfredo Cisneros Madrigal, 60, an anti-logging and anti-mining activist and a member of the community land council in the municipality of Los Reyes, Michoacán.
“It seems the Mexican state does not care about life or death,” said Raquel Camacho Lagunes, Ricardo’s cousin, at the presentation of the report on Tuesday. “The state has failed, and only we are left.”
The report calls for urgent action from the Mexican government to address violence against defenders of the environment and ensure their safety.
Armed attackers stole debate notes and cell phones from the Irma Leticia González's personal secretary, the opposition candidate said. (Screenshot)
The Morena party’s candidate for mayor in Irapuato, Guanajuato, has accused a rival candidate of being behind a mugging of her personal secretary in which two men stole at gunpoint notes she was planning to use in Thursday night’s mayoral debate.
Irma Leticia González leveled the accusation at PAN-PRI-PRD candidate and current Mayor Lorena Alfaro during the debate before repeating it in posts to Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Morena party mayoral candidate Irma Leticia González (at left) accused Irapuato’s incumbent mayor, Lorena Alfaro, of orchestrating an armed attack on González’s personal secretary. (Irma Leticia González/Facebook/Gobierno Municipal de Irapuato)
“Today, before arriving to the debate, the bodyguards of the mayor who wants to be reelected, pointed a gun at my personal secretary, threw him to the floor and took all the information I had [for the debate]. That’s why I was late, because they printed it for me again,” she said before accusing Alfaro of orchestrating the attack.
“… That’s not the way to govern, that’s not the way to play fair,” the candidate told Alfaro.
In a subsequent Facebook post that included video footage of the mugging, González wrote that “the security personnel of the candidate of insecurity and corruption in Irapuato” stole the “materials” she intended to use in the debate.
“I hold the PRIAN candidate responsible for whatever happens to [my secretary] Lalo, to me, to my family or to anyone in my team,” she added, using a derogatory hybrid acronym for the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, and the National Action Party, or PAN.
Acusa candidata de Morena en Irapuato a guardaespaldas de Lorena Alfaro de presunto atraco a su asistente pic.twitter.com/jYUq71XzN0
Security footage of the attack was widely shared on social media.
Alfaro, mayor of Irapuato since 2021, condemned the mugging in a post to X. She also called for a complaint to be filed with authorities so that an investigation is carried out and those responsible are apprehended.
The footage of the attack shows two men — one of whom has a gun — entering an ice cream parlor and approaching González’s secretary, who is seated at a table. One man proceeds to steal a cardboard box presumably filled with documents and a backpack while his armed accomplice orders the victim to lie on the floor. The armed man then steals two cell phones from the table.
González said on Facebook on Friday that her team had asked the Federal Attorney General’s Office to investigate and punish those responsible.
“Irapuato deserves to live in peace with a government that looks out for the people, not one that attacks citizens. They believe that, at gunpoint and operating like the mafia they are, they’re going to break our spirit, but they’re not going to,” she wrote in the same post.
In another post, the mayoral aspirant described Alfaro’s municipal administration as a “failed government” and expressed confidence she would win the June 2 mayoral election in Irapuato, Mexico’s strawberry capital.
In addition to strawberries, the city has come to be known for violence, which is mainly caused by a long-running conflict between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel.
Earlier this month, Morena’s candidate for mayor in Celaya, Gisela Gaytán, was shot and killed while campaigning in the municipality, located in Guanajuato’s southeast.
The crocodile was estimated to be about 2 meters long. (X)
Always check the depth of the pool before you dive in, and make sure there isn’t a crocodile lurking beneath the surface.
That could be good advice for residents and tourists in certain parts of Mexico given that a crocodile was found in a pool at a luxury beachfront development in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, on Thursday.
The croc reportedly made its way to the pool from the Playa Blanca estuary, located about 20 kilometers southeast of the city of Zihuatanejo.
The reptile — approximately two meters long according to one report — was removed by Civil Protection personnel, who returned the specimen to its natural habitat.
Before they were called to coax the croc out of the pool, “the unexpected presence” of the reptile surprised tourists and workers at the residential complex, the website Noticias Énfasis reported.
Crocodiles are seen frequently in Zihuatanejo and nearby areas, although sightings in swimming pools are not common. At least nine have been seen outside their natural habitat this week, according to reports.
Civil Protection workers extracted the crocodile from it’s lounge spot and took it back to Playa Blanca estuary. (X)
Earlier this week, a crocodile (or caiman according to some reports) attacked three members of a family including an 11-year-old boy at Playa Linda in Ixtapa, located around eight kilometers northwest of Zihuatanejo. They were treated in hospital for injuries to various parts of their bodies, but the boy — who was bitten on his head and arms — and his parents all survived.
In December, local officials issued a crocodile warning after videos of one wading in the surf and swimming near a beach in Ixtapa went viral.
Earlier the same month, a 76-year-old Belgian man died after he was attacked by either a shark or a crocodile at a beach in the same location.
