According to the logistics company Hillebrand Gori, the 25% tariffs will apply to the value of the can, not its contents. (Edgardo Moya/Shutterstock)
Mexican beer Modelo Especial is one of the world’s 500 most valuable brands, according to consulting firm Brand Finance.
The firm’s annual “Global 500” brand list rankedModelo in 455th place, with a value of $5.2 billion. It is the second most valuable brand in Mexico after fellow beer brand Corona Extra, which came in 207th place. It is also one of only five Latin American brands in the top 500, alongside the Brazilian banks Itaú (263), Banco do Brasil (431) and Bradesco (477).
Corona has been Latin America’s most valuable brand according to the firm for some time. (Depositphotos)
“Beer brands of Mexican origin are recognized and appreciated around the world,” said Laurence Newell, Americas director at Brand Finance. He highlighted that Modelo Especial’s value “continues to grow, far exceeding pre-pandemic data, driven by the North American consumer.”
Modelo Especial’s brand value leaped by 24% last year. It became thetop-selling beer in the United States in May, with an 8.4% share of U.S. retail sales, temporarily displacing longtime leader Bud Light.
Analysts attributed Modelo’s success not only to controversies affecting Bud Light’s owner Anheuser-Busch, but also to Modelo’s brand diversification and a growing affinity for Mexican alcoholic beverages in the U.S.
Brand Finance gave Modelo Especial a brand score of 78.9 out of 100 and an AA+ rating, reflecting not only its value, but also its reputation and perception of sustainability.
However, it still lagged behind Corona Extra — long the most valuable brand in Latin America — which performed even more strongly in 2023, seeing its overall value surge by 40%, to $10.4 billion.
Meanwhile, Mexican telecommunications brand Claro dropped off Brand Finance’s top 500 list for the first time since 2009.
Overall, the combined value of Latin American brands on the list increased by 9% from 2023, to reach $34 billion.
The Wixárika women asked CJNG leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervante to kill a local cartel leader accused of a number of crimes against residents. (Screen capture)
A group of Indigenous women in northern Jalisco have asked the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to rid their region of a CJNG subordinate nicknamed “El Rojo.”
The plea to Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes — one of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 10 most wanted criminals before being removed from the list in August — came in the form of a video that has been circulating on social media since Tuesday.
The Wixárika, also known as the Huichol, live in the northern areas of Jalisco, and neighboring states of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí. (Pedro Anza/Cuartoscuro)
It shows five Wixárika (also known as Huichol) women, with their faces covered, accusing local boss “El Rojo” of committing serious crimes against their communities.
The Wixárika largely live in the mountainous areas of Jalisco, Durango, Nayarit, Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí, and like many Indigenous communities, are often at risk of exploitation by criminal organizations.
“Good afternoon, Señor Mencho, supreme commander of the CJNG. This letter is for you,” begins one of the women in a slow, dignified voice.
The letter goes on to complain about the extortion, murders and disappearances that have occurred during the five-year reign of the CJNG leader “in charge of the area.”
“El Mencho” is the leader of the powerful CJNG cartel, and was one of the most wanted men by the U.S. DEA. (DEA)
They said the remote Norte Region controlled by “El Rojo” includes 10 Jalisco municipalities near the Zacatecas border, about 225 kilometers from Guadalajara. The largest town is Mezquitic with a population of about 22,000; but most have 5,000 or fewer inhabitants.
“Never in the history of our northern Jalisco municipalities have we felt so insecure, so helpless, so unprotected, until this hijo de puta (son of a bitch) who is in charge of our area arrived,” the letter-reader continued.
The women charge him with setting up checkpoints “to rob people,” with the blessing of local police, and also with extorting ranchers, merchants and even mayors – “the complete opposite of the principles of the CJNG,” the women assert.
One of the women told a reporter from Proceso that they are also tired of the sexual abuse that they suffer from cartel members.
The CJNG controls much of the area in Jalisco, and often extorts residents. (Especial/Cuartoscuro)
The women ask “El Mencho” to investigate on his own to verify they are not lying.
They even go so far as to ask that “El Rojo” be neutralized as a New Year’s gift to local residents. “Cut off his head, kill that bandit,” they say. “Many people think the same, but they don’t say it out of fear.”
The women also requested that the CJNG should “respect our culture, our uses and customs … We want to continue maintaining our way of life and system of government.”
Despite fears that the video may lead to retaliatory violence, when asked about it, Mayor José Alfredo Solís of Villa Guerrero and Mayor Luz Elena Cárdenas of Totatiche assured that “everything is calm” in their respective areas.
The newspaper El País noted that “requests of this style are beginning to become common in Mexico.”
This week, for example, Tamaulipas Public Security Minister Sergio Chávez asked for “a little conscience from people who engage in criminal activities” during the upcoming elections.
Last week, Ceci Flores, a founder of Searching Mothers of Sonora, placed a blanket on the Angel of Independence in Mexico City as a way of asking cartel members not to threaten women who search for their missing children.
“Mexican beers are very easy to drink,” Jonnie Cahill, Chief Marketing Officer at Heineken USA. (Unsplash)
There are few places as perfect to open a cold beer at the end of a day as Mexico. Not only are the beaches a tiny slice of paradise, but the beer — which accounts for 30% of the entire global export market — is perfectly flavored to match.
But why is Mexican beer so popular? According to the experts, it is down to a simple reason: taste.
“Mexican beers are very easy to drink,” said Jonnie Cahill, Chief Marketing Officer at Heineken USA, which distributes the Mexican beers Dos Equis and Tecate, in an interview withCNBC last year. Mexico’s Modelo Especial has now replaced Bud Light as the best-selling beer in the U.S., while imports are up 10.6% from last year and today, the U.S. has become the largest market for Mexican beer.
Mexican lagers, malts and stouts have captured the imagination of beer lovers around the world with their unique blend of ingredients and innovative brewing methods. According to the Washington Post, Mexico exports more than twice as much beer as any other country. Mexican brewmasters gained further global prestige this year when Wendlandt Brewery’s American-style stout,Foca Parlante, won a Bronze medal at theWorld Beer Cup 2023.
A Mexican beer boom
The latesttrend in the industry is the production of Mexican homebrews with distinct aromas and aromatic flavors. In the southeast, the burgeoning tourism industry in Mérida — soon to be further boosted by the Maya Train — has also spurred the expansion of craft beer businesses. One pioneer, Carlos Jaime Gomory, 29, is proud of the family legacy his company left on Yucatán as the first craft beer brewery in the state.
Since the Gomory family’sCerveza Ceiba Company was founded in 2012, more than 20 artisanal breweries have followed in Mérida, with supply chains spanning the country.
Mérida’s upward spiral in tourism has led to the growth of craft beer merchants in the city. (Shutterstock)
“We started with a 50-liter production team, and we produced a total of 1,000 liters per month,” Gomory said. “Now we produce around 40,000 liters per month, which currently makes us the largest producer of craft beer in the whole of Yucatán,” Carlos explains.
The young entrepreneur believes Mérida will emerge as the next significant player in the growing global craft beer trend despite breweries being almost nonexistent in the city just a decade ago. He claims it was a struggle in the early years to convince locals of the value of homebrews, with many uncertain what the product was or how they could make a profit.
“At first, it was tough for stakeholders to understand the use of quality ingredients, careful brewing processes and the variety of styles employed in the product,” Gomory said. “Today, our craft beer is on the menus of the best restaurants in Mérida, Valladolid, Izamal, Chichen Itzá and along the Yucatán coastline. We have even received orders from Florida, Texas and California as well as other cities across Mexico. The growth of beer culture is not only seen in the number of customers but also in the number of new breweries that bring their own interesting ideas.”
Award-winning Cerveza Ceiba offers four regular beers, two seasonal brews and a number of experimental mixtures. One of their all-year-round blends is the multi-award-winningCeiba Ámbar Mestiza, which Gomory said is one of the most popular choices for consumers in Yucatan.
“It has received medals in professional competitions including Gold in the Pacific Cup and is on the list of the best beers in Mexico according to CAVA magazine,” he added.
Gomory describes the 4.8% Ceiba Ámbar Mestiza as a Viennese-style beer with an ideal balance, thanks to being fermented with larger yeast.
“It makes it very drinkable and refreshing, but we use smoked malts that give it a particular complexity and elegance,” he said. “For this beer, we use superior quality German malts and hops. It is an amber-colored beer, with woody aromas and smoky flavors, but ideal to enjoy in the Mérida sunshine.”
Another popular choice is theCeiba Summer All Year, a seasonal blend that is a little stronger at 5 percent proof with potent aromas and a fruity aftertaste.
“It is a Witbier mixture where we add sweet orange peel (in Yucatán we call it China — pronounced cheena) and coriander seed while it boils,” he said. “It is straw-colored, somewhat cloudy and a bit spicy with wheat and somewhat citrusy flavor. It is a juicy and very fresh beer. We have it in bottle and also on tap.”
Mérida’s craft beer renaissance
Gomory believes Mérida is witnessing the dawn of a craft beer renaissance and is wholly embracing the global shift in consumer preferences towards locally made beverages. The state capital’s cultural richness provides a fertile ground for the craft beer movement, with brewers infusing local flavors into their creations.
“Mérida’s rise as a craft beer hub combines a dynamic interplay of cultural identity, entrepreneurship, community involvement, and supportive regulations,” he said “As the craft beer landscape evolves, and Mérida stands out as a promising player, inviting residents and visitors to savor the unique flavors of its growing craft beer culture. We recommend staying updated on the latest developments, as the craft beer scene continues to rapidly evolve.”
To keep tabs on the latest brews and blends provided by Cerveza Ceiba and any other major developments in the craft beer craze in Mérida, Gomory recommends following the company’s Instagram account.
The percentage of Mexicans who feel unsafe where they live has dropped to the lowest rate since INEGI began its public security survey in 2013. (JUAN JOSÉ ESTRADA SERAFÍN /CUARTOSCURO.COM)
The percentage of Mexicans who believe the city in which they live is unsafe was lower in late 2023 than at any other time in the past 10 years, according to the results of a recent survey.
Conducted by the national statistics agency INEGI in late November and December, the National Survey of Urban Public Security (ENSU) found that 59.1% of adults consider their city unsafe, down from 64.2% a year earlier and 61.4% in the third quarter of 2023.
The percentage of Mexicans who felt unsafe in their city reached nearly 80% in 2017; the latest survey found that percentage had dropped to 59% in December 2023. (Cuartoscuro)
The percentage of those who classify their city as unsafe is the lowest since INEGI first conducted the ENSU in September 2013. The percentage reached almost 80% in 2017 and 2018, the final years of the government led by former president Enrique Peña Nieto.
At his Thursday morning press conference, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador described the latest ENSU results as “very good.”
He noted that citizens’ “perception of insecurity” is at its lowest level in 10 years, and declared that “people now feel that things are getting better.”
The publication of the survey results on Thursday came two days after preliminary homicide data showed that 2023 was the least violent year since 2016, although total murders including homicides and femicides once again exceeded 30,000.
The president described the results of the survey as “very good” at the Thursday morning press conference. (Lopezobrador.org.mx)
Although the decline in the percentage of people across Mexico who feel unsafe in the city in which they live is encouraging, the fact remains that close to six in 10 Mexicans have concerns about their personal safety.
Here’s a closer look at the results of the most recent ENSU, to which the occupants of almost 28,000 homes across 74 cities (including all 16 boroughs of Mexico City) responded.
(INEGI said it wasn’t possible to carry out the survey in Acapulco in late 2023 due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Otis).
Safety concerns are more prevalent among women than men
Almost two-thirds of female respondents to the survey — 64.8% — said they believe the city in which they live is unsafe, while the figure among men was considerably lower at 52.3%.
It is unsurprising that women feel unsafe in the cities in which they live in greater numbers than men given the prevalence of violence against women in Mexico.
There were 848 murders classified as femicides last year, while many other women were killed in crimes classified as homicides. An average of around 10 women are murdered every day in Mexico.
While the percentage of women with personal security concerns remains high, the figure derived from the latest ENSU is the lowest on record.
Which cities have the highest and lowest percentages of residents with personal security concerns?
Well over nine in 10 surveyed residents of Fresnillo, Zacatecas — 96.4% — consider their city is unsafe.
The state of Zacatecas had two cities with over 85% of citizens reporting they feel unsafe in the latest survey. (Cuartoscuro)
Located about 60 kilometers north of Zacatecas City, Fresnillo has been plagued by violent crime in recent years. The results of each of the four ENSUs in 2023 showed that the city of some 240,000 people was considered unsafe by over 90% of residents.
Data compiled by the website elcri.men shows that Fresnillo recorded 166 homicides last year for a per-capita homicide rate of 67.2. The per-capita murder rate made it the 42nd most violent municipality in Mexico.
The cities with the next highest percentages of residents with personal security concerns were:
Naucalpan, México state, considered unsafe by 91% of surveyed residents.
Uruapan, Michoacán, 89.9%
Ecatepec, México state, 88.7%
Zacatecas City, 87.6%
Cuernavaca, Morelos, 85.7%
The cities with the lowest percentages of residents with personal security concerns were:
The Mexico City borough of Benito Juárez, 15.2%
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, 19.4%
Piedras Negras, Coahuila, 20.5%
Mérida, Yucatán, 22.2%
La Paz, Baja California Sur, 22.4%
Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, 23.2%
The places where Mexicans most commonly feel unsafe
Just over 70% of respondents reported feeling unsafe while using ATMs on the street, while 64.1% expressed security concerns about traveling on public transport.
More than 50% of respondents said they felt unsafe at the bank, on the streets they regularly use, and on the highway.
Crime and anti-social behavior
Six in 10 respondents said they had seen people drinking in the street during the final quarter of 2023, 50.2% reported having witnessed a robbery or mugging, around four in 10 told INEGI they had seen people buying or consuming drugs and 38% reported having heard frequent gunshots.
Just under a quarter of respondents said they had witnessed some kind of gang activity in the city in which they live, while just over a quarter said that at least one member of their household had been a victim of robbery or extortion in the second half of 2023.
Opinions on security forces
The Mexican Navy is the country’s most effective security force, according to the results of the latest ENSU. Over 85% of respondents said they believe the navy is very or somewhat effective in preventing and combating crime.
The navy and the army ranked higher in public opinion than the National Guard in the INEGI survey. (Cuartoscuro)
A slightly lower 83.5% of those polled said the same about the army, while the figure for the National Guard was 74%.
Just over 54% of respondents said that state police forces are very or somewhat effective in preventing and combating crime, while 48.6% said the same about municipal police.
López Obrador, who has relied heavily on the military for public security tasks, highlighted the positive results for the federal security forces at his morning press conference.
Citizens’ security expectations
Around one-third of survey respondents — 32.9% — said they expected the security situation in their city to remain “just as bad” during the next 12 months, while 23.4% predicted a deterioration.
Just over one in five of those polled — 22.7% — said they expected security to improve in their place of residence during the next 12 months, while 19.5% anticipated that the situation would remain “just as good” as it currently is.
Experts say that shallow, low magnitude quakes.. (Shutterstock)
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake in Oaxaca state set off cell phone alerts in Mexico City on Thursday morning, but initial reports indicated it caused no injuries or significant damage.
The quake struck near the Oaxaca coast at 8:40 a.m., with an epicenter in Crucecita, about 25 kilometers from Santa María Huatulco. It occurred at a shallow depth of about 19.4 kilometers (12 miles), according to Mexico’s National Seismological Service (SSN).
Security cameras captured the moment that the earthquake struck the Oaxaca coast. (Screen Capture)
Light shaking was felt in Oaxaca and in parts of southern Veracruz and western Chiapas. Aside from objects falling from shelves, broken windows and the like, damage is unlikely, but it could take several hours for comprehensive assessments, especially in remote areas.
Though mobile alerts popped up on many people’s phones throughout Mexico City — including on reporters’ phones during the morning press conference of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — the magnitude and depth of the quake some 500 kilometers away did not warrant the activation of the seismic alert over loudspeakers.
Mexico City Mayor Martí Batres said on the social media site X that “everything is calm and orderly” in Mexico City, where the quake “was totally imperceptible.” The earthquake did not activate the seismic alert in Oaxaca city either.
The National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC) relayed an assessment from the Navy’s Tsunami Warning Center (CAT-SEMAR) that there would “be no danger to port operations or the population” along the Oaxaca coast. Mexico’s Ministry of Risk Management and Civil Protection (SGIRPC) noted on X that it was in communication with mayors’ offices.
Oaxaca’s Civil Protection office wrote on X at 11:10 a.m. that “because the earthquake was perceptible in the majority of the state with a moderate intensity, the regional delegations began their monitoring in the [state´s] eight regions to verify possible damage, which so far has not occurred.”
Oaxaca and other areas suffered significant damage in a magnitude 8.2 earthquake on Sept. 7, 2017 that struck off Mexico’s southern coast near the state of Chiapas. It shook all of Mexico City, generated a tsunami with waves 1.75 meters (5.75 feet) above tide level and killed at least 98 people, including 78 in Oaxaca state. Oaxaca also experienced a 7.4 earthquake on March 20, 2012, causing significant damage in the region.
The former mayor of the city of Toluca had been on the run for nearly two months, sought by authorities for the unlawful arrest of his father-in-law. (Cuartoscuro)
The former mayor of Toluca, accused of ordering the unlawful arrest of his former father-in-law, has been captured in Mexico City after nearly two months on the run.
Raymundo Martínez Carbajal was arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning by military ministerial police, according to a statement by theMéxico State Prosecutor’s Office (FGJEM). He was transferred to the FGJEM’s facilities under charges including “express kidnapping” and extortion.
Security forces first tried to execute an arrest warrant against Martínez on Nov. 24, carrying out three searches on properties linked to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) politician in Toluca and Metepec. However, they were unable to locate Martínez, prompting speculation that he had fled the country.
On Dec. 1, Interpolissued a Red Notice for Martínez — a request to international law enforcement to detain a fugitive pending extradition. Martínez was officially removed from his position as mayor of Toluca, to which he was elected in Dec. 2021. On Dec. 12,Juan Maccise Naime, also of the PRI, was appointed to replace Martínez until the end of his term in 2024.
Martínez is accused of ordering Toluca municipal police in April 2023 to arrest his former father-in-law, Emilio Rodríguez, a public official in the National System for the Integral Development of Families (DIF). Rodríguez was held against his will in the Municipal Qualification Office, accused of diverting resources from the DIF. No official warrant was ever issued for his arrest.
Martínez’s ex-wife, Viridiana Rodríguez, subsequently filed a complaint to the FGJEM, alleging that Martínez had orchestrated the unlawful detention to force her to return personal documents and sign a confidentiality agreement following their divorce.
Martínez Carbajal’s wife, Viridiana Rodríguez, accused Martínez of years of abuses as well as the “express kidnapping” of her father-in-law. (Toluca municipal government)
In a video, Rodríguez accused the politician of subjecting her to twelve years of “physical, emotional and sexual violence.” She said that the arbitrary detention of her father was part of a campaign of intimidation against her, also including threats and offensive language, in revenge for her decision to leave Martínez in Feb. 2023.
Two former municipal government officials and a police officer have already been arrested in the case.
It is expected that Martínez will now be transferred to the Santiaguito State Prison, in Almoloya de Juárez, México state, to await an initial court hearing.
Seven members of the same family were discovered hiding in a chapel in near Nevada de Toluca in México state. (Fiscalía Edoméx)
Seven out of nine family members kidnapped after a deadly shootout last month in México state have been found alive, the state Attorney General’s Office (FGJEM) announced Tuesday night.
An anonymous call tipped the prosecutor’s office to the location of the three women and four minors — in the village of Raíces, about 20 km outside of the state capital of Toluca on the slope of the volcano Nevado de Toluca.
Residents of the town of Texcaltitlán reportedly rose up and attacked members of the Familia Michoacana cartel in December, in a clash that killed 14. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
All seven underwent preliminary medical evaluations and were in good health, FGJEM reported.
The children (ages 1, 4, 13 and 14) and the three women (19, 23 and 36) are members of the Trinidad Huicochea family. Two men from the same family, a 67-year-old and a 34-year-old, are still missing.
All were abducted shortly after a Dec. 8 violent clash between residents in the small community of Texcapilla and alleged members of the La Familia Michoacana cartel in the surrounding municipality of Texcaltitlán.
Reportedly, the residents and farmers were fed up with paying extortion money, so they confronted a group of criminals. The ensuing clash on a soccer field left 14 people dead and seven others injured. The deceased reportedly included 10 members of the cartel and four members of the community.
Shortly after the confrontation, 14 local people were taken hostage. One media source opined that their release would be contingent on the handing over those responsible for killing the criminals, although authorities didn’t confirm that.
The nine members of the Trinidad Huicochea family were kidnapped at a cartel roadblock, officials said.
More than a month later, they were reportedly found at the back of a chapel in the municipality of Zinacantepec, State of México, thanks to a Jan. 16 anonymous call.
“Thank you very much, Virgin of Guadalupe, thank you very much. I only ask that you continue to protect my dad and my brother,” an overjoyed relative wrote on social media, according to the newspaper El Universal.
The military were deployed to reinforce security in the area. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
The rescue operation was a joint effort handled by the National Defense Ministry (Sedena) and the municipal police of Zinacantepec. Media reports made no mention of any arrests.
The search for the seven people still reported as missing will continue, with a reward of up to 500,000 pesos (US $29,000) for information leading to their location.
The Dec. 8 clash has left an emotional scar in the village of Texcapilla, where people remain on edge over possible retaliation.
Schools in the area resumed classes last week after being closed following the incident and students were being offered psychological and emotional support. School directors have set up direct communications with Sedena, the National Guard and other agencies in hopes of preventing any incident in area schools.
The United States Department of State (DOS) has announced a reward of up to US $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Jesús "Chuy" González Peñuelas. (DEA)
The United States Department of State (DOS) has announced a reward of up to US $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of a Sinaloa-based drug trafficker.
Jesús González Peñuelas, aka “Chuy” González, “reportedly leads an independent methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin, and cocaine distribution and production organization,” the DOS said in a statement on Wednesday in which it announced the reward.
González was indicted for international drug trafficking charges, as part of a criminal network he operates. (Office of Foreign Asset Control)
It also said that González is “believed to be responsible for transporting and selling cocaine and M-30s (fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone).”
He “was indicted on international narcotics charges in the District of Colorado and the Southern District of California,” the DOS added.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said in a separate statement that González’ drug production and trafficking organization is based in northern Sinaloa and “has been a prominent source for heroin distribution throughout Colorado.”
“DEA identified González as a primary supplier of heroin in the western United States over a decade ago just as Colorado experienced a spike in heroin-related overdose deaths. … In 2016, González was indicted on three counts by a grand jury in the District of Colorado. A superseding indictment was filed against him in 2018,” the agency said.
The DEA said that the suspect is a 54-year-old Mexican national with black hair and brown eyes. According to a profile on the DEA website, his last known address was in Gabriel Leyva Solano, a town in the Sinaloa municipality of Guasave.
González and his drug trafficking organization (DTO) were formally designated by the U.S. government in May 2021 as “significant foreign narcotics traffickers pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act.”
The U.S. Department of the Treasury said at the time that González “oversees multiple heroin processing laboratories in Sinaloa” and that “the upper echelons” of his DTO hierarchy consist of his family members.
“The González Peñuelas DTO cooperates with other DTOs within Mexico, including acting as an enforcement arm for the various Mexican DTO’s trafficking routes, and is aligned with Mexican drug kingpins Fausto Isidro Meza Flores and Rafael Caro Quintero, both of whom are subject to Treasury sanctions,” the department said on May 12, 2021.
Rafael Caro Quintero was arrested in July 2022 by Mexican authorities and his extradition to the U.S. is still pending. (DEA)
The $5 million reward for information that leads to the capture of González is offered under the Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP).
The DOS said that the NRP and another U.S. rewards program “have helped bring more than 90 transnational criminals and major narcotics traffickers to justice since the inception of the NRP in 1986.”
“The Department has paid more than $170 million in rewards under these programs for information leading to apprehensions and convictions,” the department added.
The Mexican government has reportedly received five proposals from companies interested in operating cross-country passenger train services.(Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT) said Tuesday that it had received five proposals from companies interested in operating passenger train services on existing freight tracks.
The announcement came after López Obrador published a decree last November that established the provision of passenger train services as a priority for national development, and called for existing freight railroad concessionaires to present proposals for such services by Jan. 15.
The SICT said in a statement that it is reviewing the five proposals “prior to the carrying out of the respective studies.”
The ministry didn’t identify the companies that presented proposals, but Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) – which last year committed to study the feasibility of a Mexico City-Querétaro passenger train – confirmed to media outlets including Milenio and Reuters that it had presented a proposal for passenger services on an unspecified number of routes.
Reuters reported that the transport division of the Grupo México conglomerate, a major railroad operator in Mexico, declined to comment when asked whether it had submitted a proposal.
The Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece), Mexico’s antitrust agency, said in 2021 that Grupo México, the parent company of Ferromex and Ferrosur, managed 56% of the country’s railroads, while CPKC managed 24%. The state-owned company Ferrocarril del Istmo managed 12%, leaving just 8% of tracks to other concessionaires.
López Obrador’s Nov. 20 decree said that the government would initially issue concessions for seven passenger train routes:
Mexico City-Veracruz city-Coatzacoalcos
Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA)-Pachuca–Tula
Mexico City-Querétaro city–León-Aguascalientes
Manzanillo-Colima-Guadalajara-Irapuato
Mexico City-San Luis Potosí-Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo
Citing unnamed sources, the El Economista newspaper reported that existing rail concessionaires hadn’t expressed interested in operating passenger services on the proposed line from AIFA or the one from Mexico City to Veracruz.
The massive Maya Train infrastructure project has brought passenger travel back to much of Southern Mexico. (Tren Maya/Twitter)
According to López Obrador’s decree, if the concessionaires “don’t present viable proposals in terms of investment, construction time [and] track modernization” or don’t show any interest at all, the federal government, via the SICT, “could grant titles of assignment to the Ministry of National Defense or the Ministry of the Navy given that they already operate the Maya Train and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec train.”
The decree also acknowledges that non-concessionaire private companies “that present proposals and are interested in providing passenger train services” could be considered.
On Tuesday, López Obrador said he expected to make progress on his rail plan before he leaves office on Oct. 1.
“There are some [companies] that are going to participate. We’re working on it, but before we go we’re going to leave the project [ready to start],” he said.
President López Obrador on an inaugural ride on the isthmus passenger train. (Lopezobrador.org.mx)
“Just imagine what [passenger train travel] means for the future,” López Obrador said before asserting that public and private investment in rail projects will create jobs and “reactivate the economy of the entire country.”
“It’s about having safe, cheap, non-contaminating transport in all of Mexico, at a national level. The only thing is we can’t start the project, but we can leave the general guidelines and blueprint,” he said.
López Obrador asserted that a project to revive nationwide train travel won’t be an expensive exercise.
“What will it cost? Nothing,” he said, adding that the project would involve nothing more than “fixing the tracks up a bit” and “buying passenger trains – what we did in the Isthmus [of Tehuantepec].”
The president is frequently critical of the privatization of Mexico’s railroads during the 1994-2000 presidency of Ernesto Zedillo, and the subsequent suspension of passenger train services across the country.
Tulum's new Jaguar Park, which includes the world famous ruins, is expected to be completed in the next few weeks. (INAH)
Tulum’s new Jaguar Park is almost ready to open, according to the Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development Minister Román Meyer Falcón, who said “the last details” of construction work are being finalized.
Located in northeastern Tulum, Jaguar Park stretches over 2,249 hectares encompassing numerous protected natural areas such as beaches, forests, the Tulum Archaeological Zone and the Tulum National Park. The site will also house an archaeological museum and a hotel.
The sprawling site takes in acres of jungle and ancient Maya ruins. (Román Meyer Falcón)
During his latest visit to the construction site on Jan. 12, Meyer explained they are “making progress” as they have already finished “the most important part”, including the primary access point, while the southern access point and beach access points are almost done.
In October 2023, part of the park caught fire and was destroyed during initial construction. Despite the incident, the project is scheduled to open only slightly behind schedule.
“We hope to conclude everything by the end of January or the beginning of February,” he added.
Once the Jaguar Park operates at total capacity, Meyer said the government plans to use electric vehicles to shuttle guests between the museum, hotel, beaches, and ruins. The park will also contain extensive cycling routes.
Recently, the park added a further 300 hectares, in which the Archaeological Zone Hotel and the Maya Culture center are being constructed. Both projects are expected to be completed by March.
Meyer said the Jaguar Park will be jointly managed by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the National Defense Ministry (Sedena).
