Mock presidential election on campuses predicts clear winner among young voters

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May 8, 2024

Smiling Mexican college student in a tee shirt and jeans placing a ballot in a box for a mock presidential election — Students at 400 college campuses across Mexico participated in the Simulacro Electoral Universitario, or university mock presidential election. This student voted at Chetumal Technological Institute in Quintana Roo. (SEU/Twitter)

Claudia Sheinbaum was the clear winner of a mock presidential election in Mexico held Tuesday at university campuses across the country, suggesting that the ruling Morena party candidate can expect strong support from young voters when the real deal takes place on June 2.

Students and university staff cast a total of 255,707 ballots in the Simulacro Electoral Universitario (SEU), or the University Electoral Simulation, which took place on around 400 campuses in all 32 of Mexico’s federal entities.

An oversized sheet of paper showing results of the Technological University of Southern Mexico State's mock presidential election, showing Claudia Sheinbaum with 109 votes, Jorge Maynez with 63 votes and Xochitl Galvez with 7 votes. — Results of SEU’s mock election at the Technological University of Southern México State mirrored results at several universities across Mexico, with candidate Claudia Sheinbaum achieving a wide lead. (SEU/Twitter)

A spokesperson for the SEU organizers told a press conference on Wednesday that Sheinbaum – a close ally of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and heavy favorite to prevail on June 2 – won 63.5% of the vote, while Jorge Álvarez Máynez, candidate for the Citizens Movement party, attracted the support of 23.1% of participants to finish second.

Xóchitl Gálvez, candidate for an opposition bloc made up of the National Action Party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party and the Democratic Revolution Party, attracted the support of just 8.5% of voters. Just under 5% of the votes cast were invalid.

Álvarez Máynez, who is a distant third in most polls, took to the X social media platform to acknowledge the results of the SEU.

“I feel very grateful to the more than 59,000 university students who voted for me yesterday in the #SimulacroElectoral2024,” he wrote on X.

“In just nine weeks of campaigning, and without dirty money, we’ve managed to ignite the hope of a generation,” Álvarez added.

Young voters are a key cohort in the June 2 elections, at which Mexicans will elect a new president and thousands of other federal, state and municipal representatives.

Two Mexican female college students on campus showing off their thumbs marked with indelible ink, proof that they voted in their university's mock presidential election — Students at the Autonomous University of the Northeast show off their thumbs bearing indelible ink — mimicking how polling stations in real Mexican elections mark a person to show that they have already voted. (SEU/Twitter)

According to the National Electoral Institute, 26.2 million Mexicans aged 18 to 29 are eligible to vote. That figure represents close to 30% of all voters on the electoral roll.

Atabeira Villegas, a sociology student at the Azcapotzalco campus of Mexico City’s Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM), told the news website Animal Político that the mock election was an opportunity to show the three presidential candidates that “the university communities are the strength and engine of this country and deserve to be listened to.”

Arturo Gómez, another UAM student, said that the SEU was an “important activity” because “young people are a vital force for democracy and the [kind of] critical thinking that strengthens the development of the country.”

Animal Político reported that most students it spoke to at several Mexico City university campuses indicated they would vote for “the left” — Claudia Sheinbaum, in other words, in the real presidential election.

“I’m in favor of a woman for president, and obviously, that’s Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum because she is the most qualified,” said a law student identified only as Marín.

“One on side, we have oppression, the old regime: Atenco, Ayotzinapa, Aguas Blancas, 1968, 1971,” he said, referring to massacres in which authorities were involved or allegedly involved.

“On the other side we have a project that has worked, that has taken resources to the people who need them the most,” Marín said, referring to the current government and its welfare and social programs.

“I just want Mexico to do well and to make progress,” said Arturo Gómez, adding that he also wants the presidential candidates to be “authentic” and “help young people.”

“I’ve always considered myself someone who fights, so I’ll vote for the representative of the left this election,” he said.

Another student, Osvaldo de la O, told Animal Político that he believes “we should keep giving the benefit of the doubt” to Morena because it has only been in office for one term and “not a lot can be done” in just six years.

Colleges students voting in Mexico's University Electoral Simulation under outdoor tents with tables and ballot boxes — Students and university staff cast a total of 255,707 ballots in all of Mexico’s 32 states at the Simulacro Electoral Universitario 2024, Mexico’s mock election event where students cast their votes for a presidential candidate. (SEU/X)

“So it’s necessary to see what they can do in 12 years. Claudia Sheinbaum is going to win, but what remains to be seen is how she can improve or fix some of the bad things that the government of [López] Obrador has left,” he said.

Pamela Guevara, a political science student at UAM’s Xochimilco campus and one of the SEU organizers, urged the three presidential candidates to “turn around and look at the young people” of Mexico.

The candidates should listen to the demands of young people and work to meet them, she told the Reforma newspaper. “We deserve to be seen,” Guevara added.

With reports from El Financiero, Reforma and Animal Político

Opinion: Mexico’s insecurity problem needs a solution based on evidence

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Mexico Institute/Wilson Center

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May 8, 2024

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Mexican solder with a weapon — Analyst Vidal Romero says that the past three administrations have failed the country in improving security, and considers how the next one could do better. (Cuartoscuro)

Mexico’s forthcoming national election is a great opportunity to take a step back and rethink the bigger picture of public insecurity in Mexico. Crime incidence data shows that the policies and actions of the last three administrations — Calderón, Peña Nieto and López Obrador — have not significantly reduced most crime and violence indicators.

If insecurity is to improve in Mexico, understanding what has gone wrong in security policy is of utmost importance. A good starting point is to question the core public premises behind the actions of the different administrations.

We could plausibly state that the Calderón administration assumed that “winning the war” was a matter of relative coercive power, which implies that a sufficiently powerful and well-designed intervention by state forces would reduce criminal organizations’ activities. This was clearly not the case. Other variables proved to have a greater effect, such as the inelastic demand for drugs and corruption by public officials.

The Peña Nieto administration was not fully explicit in its approach to fighting insecurity, which seemed to be a lighter version of Calderon’s policy but with less initiative and more reactivity in the use of public force. The results were no better.

The López Obrador government changed the core premise, at least in the discourse. It assumed that individuals — especially young people — commit crimes and join criminal organizations because of economic necessity. Massive amounts of unconditional cash were allocated to disincentivize criminal activity, coupled with a more passive role by state forces, mainly the military, which took control of public safety. Again, the problem of insecurity has not improved in Mexico.

Contrary to what the AMLO administration assumed, the government’s allocations have become a complement to other types of incomes — including that from criminal activities — rather than a substitute. And there is no solid evidence showing that necessity has a linear relationship with the likelihood of committing a crime, as the policy seems to assume.

Reducing the state’s use of force has not reduced criminal violence either because most of that violence is related to confrontations among criminal organizations in which the state is merely a spectator.

The above paragraphs are obviously a massive simplification but provide a useful guide on how not to think about the solutions to Mexico’s insecurity problems. The security strategy of the new administration, whether headed by Claudia Sheinbaum or Xóchitl Gálvez, should learn from past failures and ask the right questions when designing policy interventions.

Increasing the state’s coercive power is a necessary but not sufficient condition to effectively reduce crime and violence. We need to think beyond what the different administrations have already implemented.

Here are two key questions we should be asking ourselves when designing the new administration’s security policy.

First, how can the current public insecurity problem be turned into something more manageable? It is clear that state organizations are overwhelmed. When a problem is as big and complex as public insecurity in Mexico, a useful approach is to first consider how to make the problem smaller before thinking about potential solutions.

An obvious option to simplify the fight is to legalize drugs in order to minimize black markets and the conflict surrounding them. This will not solve the problem by itself but will free a lot of budgetary and human resources to fight “easier” crimes and will reduce the incentives for corruption.

Obviously, legalization is not trivial, but we should start thinking about and working on it.

Second, how can we reduce the lethality of criminal organizations’ confrontations? Criminal organizations and conflicts among them exist in most countries, but not all confrontations are equally lethal. The variance is strongly related to the sort of weapons that these organizations utilize to confront each other. In this respect, illegal arms trafficking from the United States is a key problem to tackle. The current administration has taken an important step by explicitly including the topic in the agenda and acting upon it. It should now be a priority.

Overall, the very least we should ask is that the new policies and actions be based on evidence. There is already significant knowledge on the matter, which should be used.

Vidal Romero is a professor in the Political Science Department at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), Codirector of ITAM’s Center for the Study of Security, Intelligence and Governance (CESIG), and a faculty affiliate at ITAM’s Center on Energy and Natural Resources. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University.

This article was originally published by the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mexico News Daily, its owner or its employees.

How many hurricanes are in the forecast for Mexico this year?

By

MND Staff

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May 8, 2024

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A storm on a beach on the Pacific coast — The Pacific hurricane season last year was particularly intense in Mexico, but this year more are expected to develop in the Atlantic Ocean. (Alto Nivel/X)

Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) announced the hurricane forecast for 2024 on Saturday. The tropical cyclone season will begin on May 15 in the Northeast Pacific Ocean and June 1 in the Atlantic Ocean (includes the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico).

The weather agency predicts a more intense hurricane season in 2024 in the Atlantic Ocean, where hurricane activity is expected to increase by up to 50%, with 14 potential storm systems. Meanwhile, the Pacific Ocean will see around 10% more systems than average.

The 2024 hurricane forecast for Mexico includes a total of up to 41 storms, though only some of these will make landfall. (@mariablackmoon/X)

The meteorologists predict 15 to 18 storm systems in the Pacific Ocean — of these, four to five could be Category 1 or 2 hurricanes, and three to four could be Category 3 to 5 hurricanes.

Meanwhile, the Atlantic Ocean is expected to see 20 to 23 total systems, with five to six Category 1 or 2 hurricanes, and four to five Category 3 to 5 hurricanes.

However, not all of these hurricanes and storms are expected to make landfall on the Mexican mainland. Alejandra Méndez Girón, general coordinator of the National Meteorological Service (SMN), predicts that at least five hurricanes will make landfall during the season.

According to the national weather agency, the 2023 hurricane season was one of Mexico’s most active in the last 50 years, with 37 systems. Eight of these made landfall on national territory — 48% more than the average recorded over 50 years (5.4 cyclones per year).

Chart of tropical storms and hurricanes in 2024 — The national weather agency predicts between 35-41 storms in the hurricane season in Mexico this year. (Conagua Clima/X)

Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm that hit the city of Acapulco and surrounding areas on Oct. 25 last year, was the strongest hurricane ever recorded on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

How does the El Niño/La Niña system affect hurricane season?

The El Niño cyclical weather phenomenon, which started in June 2023, has been associated with widespread drought in Mexico, as well as a particularly intense Pacific hurricane season.

However, El Niño is weakening and predicted by the NOAA to end between April and June, with a 60% chance of being followed by La Niña, beginning between June and August.

With La Niña, the tropical cyclone season in the Atlantic is expected to intensify. This is particularly true for this year, as the ocean’s surface temperature is expected to be warmer than usual.

Most regions in Mexico are predicted to receive more rain this year if La Niña develops, which would bring welcome relief — nearly 70% of national territory is experiencing some degree of drought as of April 30, according to the national drought monitor.

With reports from Milenio and Meteored

Mexican Navy shuts down 8 clandestine drug labs in Sinaloa

By

MND Staff

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May 8, 2024

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Two people in hazmat suits and with shovels removing industrial sized jugs of chemicals from a synthetic drug lab in Sinaloa — Personnel remove chemicals in a Sinaloa synthetic drug lab that was making methamphetamine. (SEMAR)

The navy announced Tuesday that it shut down eight clandestine drug labs in the northern state of Sinaloa in recent days.

The Ministry of the Navy (SEMAR) said in a statement that “naval personnel in coordination with the Federal Attorney General’s Office located and neutralized eight clandestine laboratories” in Sinaloa where cartels were making tonnes of illegal synthetic drugs.

five people in hazmat suits removing chemicals from a drug lab in Sinaloa — The Sinaloa Cartel is the likely group behind this clandestine lab. It is the predominant cartel in Sinaloa, and one of its most lucrative criminal enterprises is manufacturing and smuggling synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl to the United States. (SEMAR)

Authorities found at least two of the clandestine labs in the Culiacán municipality, the state capital. The others were found in other parts of Sinaloa.

“In a first event, seven labs were located and dismantled in the villages of La Pluma de la Gallina, El Bledal and Carricitos and in the vicinity of the José López Portillo dam,” SEMAR said.

The statement also said the navy found at the labs approximately 6 tonnes of methamphetamine, 12,750 liters of “essential chemicals,” 2 tonnes of precursor chemicals, “three reactors of different capacities” and a range of other materials for methamphetamine manufacturing.

“In a second action, a clandestine laboratory was destroyed in the village of El Tecomate in the municipality of Culiacán,” SEMAR said.

Officials said that they found approximately 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, 6,050 liters of “essential chemicals,” 1 tonne of precursor chemicals and equipment to make synthetic drugs at that lab.

According to SEMAR, the eight labs’ destruction represented “a loss of millions of dollars” in synthetic drug sales for organized crime.

a simple concrete building in Sinaloa with its roof on fire, surrounded by garbage, dismantled for being a synthetic drug lab — The majority of the clandestine labs the navy recently found in Sinaloa were in villages and other rural areas, although one drug lab the navy dismantled was in the city limits of Culiacán. (SEMAR)

The Sinaloa Cartel is the dominant criminal organization and drug producer and trafficker in Sinaloa. The cartel formerly headed by imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán smuggles large quantities of drugs, including the synthetic drugs methamphetamine and fentanyl, into the United States.

Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, has said that the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) pose “the greatest criminal threat the United States has ever faced” due to the large quantities of narcotics they smuggle into the U.S.

Mexico News Daily

How much do you know about the Xolo, the Mexican hairless dog?

By

Bethany Platanella

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May 8, 2024

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Xoloitzcuintle in Mexico City — The Xoloitzcuintle is instantly recognizable as a symbol of Mexico, but how much do you know about their history? (Diego Simon Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)

You’ve seen them made of ceramic in anthropology museums, featured in Diego Rivera paintings and even as a main character in the Disney hit Coco. The is-it-ugly-or-is-it-cute Mexican hairless dog — el xoloitzcuintli — is one of the oldest documented dog breeds in history and serves today as a symbol of Mexico’s fascinating story.

What is the legend behind the Xoloitzcuintli?

Known affectionately as Xolo (Sho-lo), the name Xoloitzcuintli welds two Nahuatl words: itzcuintli, meaning dog, and Xolotl, the Mexica (Aztec) God and ruler of the dark and taboo, including lightning, twins and fire. Xolotl also leads the dead to Mictlán, or the Underworld.

Xoloitzcuintle — Does this dog look like a guide to the underworld to you? (HotDOG/AKC)

Who was Xolotl?

According to legend, there were nine layers to pass through to arrive at a new life in Mictlán, one of which was the Apanohuaia River. Crossing this deep, treacherous body of water required the guidance of both Xolotl and a Xolo. The belief was so ingrained into pre-Hispanic society that the dead were commonly buried with sacrificed Xolo dogs to ensure a safe journey. When a dog couldn’t be sacrificed, a small wooden or ceramic statue stood in its place.

Aside from his role as a death doula of sorts, Xolotl had many other roles in pre-Columbian society. He was believed to be the twin brother of Quetzalcoatl, the creator of life. It was Xolotl’s job to lead the sun through the underworld during twilight so it could return safely the next day.

They were hunters.

History depicts Xolos as hunting companions that took down wild turkeys and deer for special occasions and festivals.

They were used as heaters.

Xolos are frequently called “hot water bottles” due to their high body temperatures. The Mexican highlands are known to be cold at night, so families would sleep with their dogs to keep warm.

Xoloitzcuintle statue — The impressive lineage Xoloitzcuintle can be traced back to before the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico and the hound plays an important role in Indigenous mythology. (Ángel M. Felicísimo/Wikimedia)

Their role as a natural “heater” was also thought to heal the ill. Xolos were (and still are) credited with easing the pain of inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. As Kay Lawson, a Xolo breeder with 20 years of experience and past president of the Xoloitzcuintli Club of America, told National Geographic in 2017, “They know when you’re sick. They zero right in to where it hurts.”

They were considered a local delicacy.

The Mexica had considered Xolos a ceremonial food source long before the Spanish arrived. However, their place on the occasional dinner plate wasn’t documented until Hernán Cortez wrote about a “prized [canine] delicacy” in his letters to the King of Spain. Cortez did not specifically mention the dogs, but context clues lead historians to believe it was Xolos he was bragging about. In fact, overeating of Xolos may have led to their near-extinction.

It is widely understood that over-consumption by the conquistadors, combined with their waning popularity in modern Mexico, led to a severe decrease in population. Even though Xolos experienced a short revival due to nationalism in the 1920s, with a few dogs making it into the home and artwork of Frida Kahlo and Diego Riviera, it wasn’t until the 1950s that the breed saw signs of regrowth. Norman Pelham Wright led an expedition in Mexico’s remote areas where he and his team found 10 purebreds and incorporated them into an organized breeding program.

It’s hard to say how many Xolos exist today, though some sources claim there are only around 4,000 registered.

The more hairy patches you see, the older the Xolo’s soul.

Xolos are known for being hairless, hence the nickname of “Mexican hairless dog.” Their ears are long and erect and their frame is commonly described as regal. However, there are Xolos with patches of hair on certain parts of their bodies. Some will say it’s genes; the Aztecs will say it’s a sign of reincarnation. The same gene is responsible for the absence of a standard set of teeth.

But not all are hairless.

Xolos can be found in three distinct sizes: miniature, small and standard, measuring less than 14 inches to 23 inches tall. Xolos are usually black, dark gray, brown or even deep red. Some are hairless and others are completely coated, though the hairless breed usually has some tufts of shaggy hair on its head, paws and tail.

They make great service and therapy dogs.

Xolos are intuitive and devoted creatures. If the dog receives strict training and socialization skills from an early age, he or she can make an excellent therapy dog. In an interview with the American Kennel Club, Xolo breeder Stephanie Mazzarella revealed her Xolo’s therapeutic role in her recovery after surviving a car accident. The impacts she suffered were life threatening, from severe anxiety to loss of consciousness. One day, her own Xolo, Neina, sensed that Stephanie was about to lose consciousness before she did. Neina started barking frantically. When Stephanie came to, Neina was licking her face to wake her up.

From this moment, Stephanie started tracking the breed’s ability to connect with patients who suffered from PTSD or autism and found the dogs to be very gentle and protective. Other breeders have stated that Xolos can be trained to detect seizures and summon help when necessary.

They’ve aged gracefully.

Xolos can be dated 3,000 years back. They’re native to Mesoamerica (though there are a few that claim the dog was brought from Asia). Either way, it’s one of the most primitive breeds in the world and also one of the healthiest. Xolos are known to be nearly free from the common health problems found in most domestic dog breeds.

In 2016, then-governor Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa, declared the Xoloitzcuintli as the official breed of Mexico City at the request of the Mexican Canine Federation.

Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog, or follow her on Instagram.

The Mexican Stress Test: How do you think you would do?

By

Travis Bembenek

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May 8, 2024

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Store lit with a candle — How do you respond to the sometimes frustrating challenges of life in Mexico? (Travis Bembenek)

Many people, including myself, wax poetic about how life in Mexico has changed them.

We talk about how the different pace of life has made us more patient. We share how we have a newfound appreciation for things we didn’t notice before.

But how do we really know if we have actually changed, or if we are just telling ourselves (and others) that we have changed? I present to you: the Mexican Stress Test.

A disclaimer: I just invented the Mexican Stress Test last night — but I do think I am on to something.

My wife and I have had the luck of having the power go out in our home in San Miguel de Allende two of the past three nights. The first time, it was very localized, just the 20 or so homes in our privada. Last night, it was big — basically all of central San Miguel went out, and there were outages reported in 21 states across the country. When the power goes out in our home, it is extra special because it also immediately cuts out our water and internet. So we get the trifecta — an immediate total loss of our power, water, and internet. Oh, and we don’t have a backup generator.

Here is where the Mexican Stress Test comes into effect. The question I would like each of you to ask yourselves is: what do you do when your power goes out at your home?

Be honest with yourself. Do you stress out? Get angry? Call the power company repeatedly until you get a clear answer? I’ll be honest, when I lived in the U.S., I did all of those things.

I truly had a “time is money, I must be efficient, and the power outage is wasting my time and making me inefficient” mindset. I would call the power company, text friends and neighbors to see what they knew and complain to my wife. In summary, I wasted the entire power outage being stressed about the power outage.

In Mexico, I have found that I take the outages totally differently.

Of course, it’s hard to imagine how you will react until it actually happens. Two nights ago, the power went out around 9 p.m. with an exploding transformer that startled us. My wife and I just laughed, sighed and set up a makeshift bed on our ground floor to sleep (as it is relatively cooler than our upstairs bedroom).

We had never done this before, it’s not like we were super prepared to do this, but it just seemed like the logical thing to do at the moment. We slept fine, woke up without power, and walked to a friends house in a nearby neighborhood that had power so we could shower. We bought breakfast at a little coffee shop and by the time we got home by late morning, our power was back!

Tonight’s outage was a bit more dramatic as the power went out all over the city. I was finishing a walk and all of a sudden, boom!, it went out and everyone immediately started coming out of their homes and hanging out on the street.

I needed to buy some water, so I went to the local mini-store to find them still open, lit by a single Coke bottle with a candle in it. I talked to a family in the street, petted an 8-week-old husky puppy for awhile that a woman was playing with in the street, and then headed home to find my wife just laying on top of the bed, in the dark, meditating and thinking.

Woman holding a husky puppy — A new friend Travis made while the power was out. (Travis Bembenek)

After making a wager as to how long this particular outage would last, I laid down next to her and we spontaneously started having a strategic brainstorming session about our business — Mexico News Daily.

There we were, in total darkness, with no internet, and with phone signals jammed from so much cellular traffic that there was nothing to do but just talk. Over the period of the next 90 minutes, completely uninterrupted by the many distractions of modern life, we had a wonderful, high-quality discussion about some strategic issues that needed to be addressed.

When the power came back on, we were actually a bit disappointed that it returned so quickly, as we were still deep in thought and conversation.

I can’t say that I hope for another power outage anytime soon, but as I reflect on these two evenings, I am surprised by how calm I was on both occasions. I wasn’t stressed, I wasn’t complaining about what I wasn’t able to do, I just took it in stride, enjoyed the journey, and actually got some great thinking done that I was having trouble getting to when the power was on.

I think I passed this particular Mexican Stress Test. And I feel damn good about it.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

Power outages affect 21 states in Mexico

By

MND Staff

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May 8, 2024

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Power outages affected more than half of Mexico's territory in May — In May, a heat wave and subsequent increase in energy demand strained the national grid, causing blackouts in Quintana Roo and elsewhere. (Jorge Ortega/Cuartoscuro)

As extremely hot weather affects much of the country, many Mexicans were left without electricity on Tuesday afternoon and night.

Power outages were reported in 21 states, while the National Energy Control Center (Cenace) declared a state of emergency in Mexico’s electricity system on two occasions.

Así el apagón en San Luis Potosí #SLP pic.twitter.com/frWsO1quFO

— Frankie 🇲🇽 (@frankiefran) May 8, 2024

Cenace said in a statement on Tuesday night that Mexico’s electricity generation capacity was affected from 4:05 p.m. Mexico City time when a power plant in Tamaulipas “went out of service.”

Several other power plants in various parts of the country subsequently went offline and solar and wind power generation dropped, Cenace said.

Mexico’s energy control center didn’t say that the mass power outage was related to increased electricity demand generated by the current heat wave.

In fact, it didn’t specify a reason for the interruptions at the power plants but did say that solar generation decreased due to cloudy conditions in the Bajío region.

However, energy expert Arturo Carranza noted that increased electricity demand due to high temperatures in some parts of Mexico “causes stress” to the national system.

“To achieve conditions of reliability and safety in operations, Cenace declares these states of emergencies, which are accompanied by other actions [including programmed outages] to reduce the stress,” he said.

An “operational state of emergency in the interconnected national system” was declared at 5:04 p.m. Mexico City and lasted 48 minutes. The system needs electricity reserves of at least 6% to operate normally, but they had dropped below 3% when the emergency was declared.

A second state of emergency was declared at 7:10 p.m due to an increase in “night demand” for electricity as well as generation problems at several power plants.

Cenace said that rolling blackouts were required to “maintain safety and reliability” in the electricity system after each of the emergency declarations.

“At 20:10 the reconnection of affected electricity supply began,” Cenace said, adding that it was expected to conclude at 11 p.m.

Blackouts were reported in Mexico City, México state, Morelos, Campeche, Coahuila, Colima, Oaxaca, Puebla, Hidalgo, Chiapas, Jalisco, Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Veracruz, Tamaulipas and Tabasco.

Neither Cenace nor the Federal Electricity Commission specified the number of people who lost power on Tuesday.

Among the municipalities affected by power outages were San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Toluca in México state, Reynosa in Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí, the capital of the state of the same name.

Much of Mexico will continue to swelter on Wednesday. The National Meteorological Service is forecasting temperatures above 45 C in 11 states and temperatures of 40-45 C in an additional 11.

With reports from Reforma, El Financiero, N+ and El Economista

The Baja 500 revs up for 56th annual offroad race

By

Chris Sands

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May 8, 2024

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Baja 500 race — Dirt race lovers rejoice! The 56th Baja 500 is almost here, and competition is stronger than ever. (BFGoodrich)

The Baja California peninsula’s rugged terrain and stark desert landscapes have provided the setting for seven decades of off-road racing, and the Baja 1000 is inarguably the most famous of these races. The legendary event dates back to 1967 and is still the longest continually operated desert race in the world. But the Baja 500, also run under the SCORE International banner, has been around almost as long. It celebrates its 56th race this year, only one less than the Baja 1000.

The green flag symbolizing the start of these iconic competitions typically drops in Ensenada, hence the city’s nickname: the Desert Racing Capital of the World. Forty-nine of the previous Baja 500 races began in Ensenada. So will the 2024 version, which kicks off on June 1 and will feature an estimated 280 racers in 45 classes. Competitors have 20 hours to log an official finish in the 483.06-mile course. Misleadingly, it’s not always 500 miles exactly, as the course can vary from year to year.

While the Baja 500 is considered the junior cousin to the more famous Baja 1000, the race has remained popular well into its sixth decade. (BFGoodrich)

What to know about this year’s race

The BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 500 officially happens from May 29 to June 2. The first day, however, is dedicated to technical inspections of participating vehicles and pre-race celebrations on Boulevard Costero in Ensenada. An estimated 50,000 people turn out to see the cars, trucks, motorcycles, quad bikes, UTVs, and other off-road racers. Local vendors and sponsors are also represented on the “Manufacturer’s Midway,” which is free to the public.

The next day, Saturday, June 1, the race begins on Boulevard Costero, with vehicles departing every 30 or 60 seconds, depending on the competition class. Although 20 hours are allotted to finish, the winners in each class will need only about half that time. The course is routed as a loop race, with the finish line also in Ensenada. After the clockwise-running race through a large swath of Baja California, an awards ceremony will be held at 12:30 p.m. on June 2 in the Cathedral Hall at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. It’s located on Boulevard Costero near the starting line.

The Baja 500 is the second of four races that comprise the SCORE (Southern California Off Road Enthusiasts) World Desert Championship series. The 37th San Felipe 250 was run in March and the 5th Baja 400 is scheduled for September, followed by the 57th running of the Baja 1000 in November. All are set on the Baja California peninsula.

The history of off-road racing in Baja California

The Baja 500 and Baja 1000 races weren’t originally organized by SCORE but run under the auspices of the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA). Founded in 1966 by Ed Pearlman, Don Francisco and other enthusiasts of the sport, NORRA’s first Baja 1000 was held in 1967, running from Tijuana to La Paz. Francisco, the mapper of the original course, was a veteran of the Carrera Panamericana, the notoriously dangerous highway race that spanned Mexico from north to south before being canceled in 1955. It has since been revived, safely. Francisco’s more rugged off-road Baja 1000 routing and the first Baja 500 in 1969 helped to set the template for Baja-style desert racing while connecting it to a national tradition.

The race takes place across (roughly) 500 miles of Mexican desert. (BFGoodrich)

NORRA, however, was removed as the sponsoring body for these races by the Mexican government in 1972. The Baja Sports Committee organized the Baja 500 in 1973 before SCORE’s long-time owner Sal Fish and promoter and former world land speed record holder Mickey Thompson took over in 1974. The first race on July 26 of that year was won by a Hollywood stuntman named Bobby Ferro, who drove a VW Sandmaster open-wheel race car. But for legal reasons, the race wasn’t referred to as the Baja 500 again until 1991. In the public mind, though, it was never anything else.

The Baja 500 and Baja 1000 races have long fascinated Hollywood movie stars and famous race car drivers. Steve McQueen, James Garner and Paul Newman each tackled the Baja 1000, the latter setting the record for oldest-ever competitor when he was 80. The Baja 500 hasn’t drawn as many actors as the Baja 1000, but it has always been considered a serious test by the pros on the IndyCar and NASCAR circuits. Indianapolis 500 winners Parnelli Jones, Rick Mears and Danny Sullivan also tested themselves in the Baja 500, with the former winning the overall title twice. So, too, did noted Nascar drivers like Jimmie Johnson and Robby Gordon. Gordon was the most successful to do so, winning the Baja 1000 three times and the Baja 500 on four occasions, most recently in 2013. That doubled the record set by father, Bob Gordon, who won the Baja 500 in 1980 and 1987.

The defending champion returns

The headliner for this year’s race is Bryce “Golden Boy” Menzies from Las Vegas. The 36-year-old is the defending SCORE series Trophy Truck title holder — he has 10 career victories in the Trophy Truck division — and the defending 2023 Baja 500 overall champion. He and his Menzies Motorsports Ford Raptor all-wheel drive truck are sure to be favorites again, although the estimated list of 260 entrants also includes racers from around the world, including countries as far-flung as Australia, Indonesia and Japan. Mexico will also be represented, of course, with Tijuana native and Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame member Eric Solorzano among those seeking to dethrone Menzies in 2024.

The course map for this year’s race has been released. So Baja California locals and U.S. visitors who make the 80-mile journey from the border to Ensenada now know where the finish line will be: on Boulevard Costero, in the same place as the starting line.

The Baja 500 course map, showing the ruggest terrain that racers must cross to claim the top prize. (SCORE International)

For those who’d like to monitor the upcoming race online, SCORE International tracks results on its website. Live coverage is also featured on SCORE’s YouTube and Facebook social media platforms, with a recap forthcoming in the monthly SCORE Journal Digital Magazine.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook, and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

Why do US citizens keep retiring to Mexico?

By

MND Staff

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May 7, 2024

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Colorful papel picado hanging in a Mexican town — In 2022, the U.S. State Department reported that 1.6 million U.S. citizens were residing in Mexico, half of whom are retirees. (Unsplash)

Mexico continues to be the preferred country for retirement among United States citizens, as confirmed in an updated 2024 report by Investopedia.

In 2020, more U.S. citizens moved to Mexico than to any other country, and was a top destination for retirees. And in 2022, the U.S. State Department reported that 1.6 million U.S. citizens were residing in Mexico.

Merida — Mérida is becoming a popular destination for expats, thanks to its Caribbean weather, its Old World charm and its status as one of Mexico’s safest cities. (Like Where You’re Going)

For many, the main reason behind retiring in Mexico or any other country is affordability — looking for a quality of life that is no longer within reach in the U.S.

“While retirement abroad requires careful planning about visas and taxes, staying in the U.S. could mean managing higher costs of living and expensive health care,” Investopedia said in a March report.

Which countries are U.S. citizens’ favorite destinations abroad?

Mexico tops the list as a destination for U.S. citizens living here, according to data reported by the U.N. in 2020. Canada is the second most popular destination, with 273,226 U.S citizens residing there.

The other countries rounding out the top 10 choices are as follows:

The United Kingdom: 170,771
Germany: 152,639
Australia: 116,620
Israel: 76,794
South Korea: 68,050
France: 61,668
Japan: 58,340
Spain: 57,112

Cheaper housing and healthcare: big motivators

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that average housing prices in these countries are lower than in the United States, with the exception of Canada.

However, according to the OECD’s most recent data, average housing costs in Mexico are significantly lower — 21% lower than in the U.S.

Mexico also has the cheapest healthcare among the top 10 destinations.

According to the OECD, healthcare in Mexico is 60% cheaper than in the U.S., a fact that is also driving Mexico’s medical tourism industry. In 2023, Mexico ranked as the world’s second most popular country for medical tourism.

U.S. retirees with legal residency in Mexico can sign up for public health insurance through the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and pay a premium that is much smaller than just about any health insurance premium in the U.S. However, most choose to buy private insurance coverage since many find private healthcare in Mexico to be more affordable than in the U.S.

Medicare doesn’t follow U.S. citizens abroad — but Social Security does in the top 10 countries on the list. And, yes, you can continue to collect your Social Security payments if you’re retired and living in Mexico. The U.S. Social Security Administration sent some 62,000 payments to Mexico as of November 2022, just behind Canada and Japan.

With reports from Investopedia

Mexican author Cristina Rivera Garza wins a 2024 Pulitzer Prize

By

MND Staff

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May 7, 2024

1

Author Cristina Rivera Garza at a podium with microphones — Author Cristina Rivera Garza, who grew up in Mexico and studied at the National Autonomous University, won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize Tuesday in the Autobiography and Memoir category for her book "Liliana's Invincible Summer." (Colegio Nacional/Cuartoscuro)

Crafting a rich, genre-bending account of her sister’s 1990 murder at the hands of an abusive ex-boyfriend has earned Mexican writer Cristina Rivera Garza a 2024 Pulitzer Prize, Columbia University has announced.

Rivera Garza’s “Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice” was lauded by the selection committee as a nonfiction work “that mixes memoir, feminist investigative journalism and poetic biography stitched together with a determination born of loss.”

Cover of book "Liliana's Invincible Summer" by Cristina Rivera Garza — Rivera Garza’s book, “Liliana’s Invincible Summer” was also a 2023 National Book Awards finalist. (Hogarth)

The book’s title in Spanish is “El invencible verano de Liliana.”

Best known for novels such as “Nadie me verá llorar” (“No One Will See Me Cry”), Rivera Garza, 59, won the Pulitzer in the category of memoirs or autobiographies — becoming the first Mexican ever to win a Pulitzer for literature.

Rivera Garza was born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and lived in several places in Mexico before moving to the United States in 1989. She studied urban sociology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and completed her PhD in Latin American history from the University of Houston. She is currently the M.D. Anderson Professor in Hispanic Studies and the director of the Creative Writing Program in Hispanic Studies at the University of Houston.

Her previous six novels, three collections of short stories, five poetry books and two nonfiction works have collected numerous awards, including the Roger Caillois Award for Latin American Literature in 2013 and the Anna Seghers Prize in 2005.

She is the only author who has won the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize twice — in 2001 for “Nadie me verá llorar” and in 2009 for her novel “La muerte me da,” a work that hasn’t been translated into English.

The Sor Juana prize is awarded by the Guadalajara International Book Fair to a work written in Spanish by a female author.

Cristina Rivera Garza onstage displaying certificate of membership after induction into Mexico's Colegio Nacional — In July, Rivera Garza was inducted into the Colegio Nacional, Mexico’s honorary society for academics and intellectuals. (Cuartoscuro)

Rivera Garza has also been awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2020. In July, she was inducted into Mexico’s Colegio Nacional, the nation’s most prestigious honorary academic organization.

Her short poetic novel from 2017, “The Iliac Crest,” was included in the recent Mexico News Daily article “Books by Mexican writers to take you out of your comfort zone.” In her novel, Rivera Garza writes about the disappearance of several women and examines gender fluidity and identity.

“Liliana’s Invincible Summer,” which was published in English last year after debuting in Spanish in 2021, recounts in luminous, poetic prose her quest to resolve her sister’s murder 29 years after the fact.

It simultaneously tells the story of a brilliant and bold young woman who, as Rivera Garza writes, “lacked, like ourselves, the language necessary to identify, denounce and fight against sexist violence and intimate partner terrorism.”

The book has been praised for its honesty, beauty and importance. American novelist and essayist Jonathan Lethem wrote in 2018 that Rivera Garza is “one of Mexico’s greatest living writers.”

“We are just barely beginning to catch up to what she has to offer,” Lethem said.

The Pulitzer Prizes were established by Hungarian-American newspaper publisher and journalist Joseph Pulitzer, who left money to Columbia University after his death in 1911. First awarded in 1917, the prizes honor excellence in journalism, literature, drama and music.

“Liliana’s Invincible Summer” was selected over two other finalists in the memoirs/autobiography category: “The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions” by Jonathan Rosen and “The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight” by Andrew Leland.

The winner in the poetry category was “Tripas” by Brandon Som, a collection that examines the complexities of the poet’s dual Mexican and Chinese heritages.

A full list of this year’s winners can be found on the Pulitzer Prize website.

Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Virtual Afternoon with Cristina Rivera Garza

Watch this video on YouTube

Find out more about Cristina Rivera Garza in this online interview with her from 2023 by Oxford professor, author and The New Yorker critic Merve Emre.

With reports from Proceso and La Jornada