Oaxaca’s Playa Escobilla is one of the most important nesting grounds in the world for the olive ridley sea turtle. Conanp)
More than 100,000 olive ridley sea turtles came ashore at Oaxaca’s Playa Escobilla in a single mass nesting event last week, but the spectacle masks a fragile reproductive outlook: As few as 30% to 40% of the eggs may hatch.
According to the newspaper El Universal Oaxaca, 101,500 females emerged from the Pacific Ocean in Santa María Tonameca last Tuesday in a huge, synchronous nesting event known as an arribada.
The sixth arribada (literally “arrival” in Spanish) of the 2026-27 season lifted the season’s running total to more than 465,000 turtles as of last week, according to the paper.
The olive ridley turtle is among the smallest species of sea turtle in the world. They are found primarily in tropical regions, with a nesting season that generally runs from May through February or March.
Playa Escobilla is among the world’s leading nesting sites for the olive ridley, or Lepidochelys olivacea.
The species is listed as endangered in Mexico and faces risks from egg poaching, fishing, destruction of nesting habitat and climate-related events. Conservation efforts are abundant all over Mexico, and volunteer opportunities are many, as detailed this month in Mexico News Daily.
Despite the current large Escobilla tally, Rafael Villanueva Alcázar of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) cautions that nesting totals do not guarantee a comparable increase in hatchlings.
“It sounds like a lot,” he said, “but it’s actually very low compared to other beaches that have a higher rate of hatchling production.”
No global hatching rate for sea turtle nests could be found, but one widely cited statistic is that roughly one in every 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings worldwide survives to adulthood.
Rising sand temperatures, changes in sand composition, erosion, strong swells and low humidity are among the factors reducing hatching success. Egg theft and other human-caused damage also take a toll.
Conditions can vary sharply between seasons and sanctuaries.
At Morro Ayuta, another major olive ridley refuge on Oaxaca’s coast, a record 1.9 million olive ridley nests were protected and more than 34 million hatchlings were released into the sea during the 2025-26 season.
Guillermo González Padilla, the head of that turtle camp, said those numbers were “unprecedented” thanks to “the rains, the wetter beaches and the fact that the summer’s temperature [in 2025] was ideal for egg incubation.”
(For this season, Morro Ayuta had counted about 135,000 turtles through the start of its third arribada earlier this month, according to Conanp.)
Meanwhile, at Escobilla, conservation work over the past 35 years has helped. Officials set aside a 5-kilometer protected area for nesting during last week’s arribada, and Conanp is monitoring the nesting grounds along with other federal agencies and local communities.
Local participation is critical because available park rangers alone cannot protect the beach from poachers and other threats. Also, according to EDUCA, a Oaxacan community development NGO, locals help strategically relocate eggs — which average 100 per nest — after arribadas.
Passengers check in for a flight at the Aeroméxico ticket counter at Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA). (Mario Jasso / Cuartoscuro.com)
Aeroméxico is investigating a possible leak of customer information after the federal Ministry of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance (SABG) identified an online user offering to sell a trove of over 15 million passenger records.
However, Aeroméxico said Sunday that it hadn’t identified any compromise of its customers’ financial information.
🚨Detectan posible exposición de datos personales vinculada a Aeroméxico
La Secretaría Anticorrupción y Buen Gobierno identificó indicios de una posible filtración de datos personales en un sistema que podría estar relacionado con Aeroméxico.
In a statement, Aeroméxico said that “based on the information available,” it hadn’t identified any “exposure” of its customers’ “financial information,” including details of cards used to purchase flights.
The airline also said it hadn’t detected any compromise of customers’ Aeroméxico account passwords, including those used to access the Aeroméxico rewards program.
“Furthermore, this situation has not created any impact on our operations,” Aeroméxico said.
The airline released its statement after SABG said it had detected that a user of the social media and instant messaging platform Telegram was attempting to sell a 1.1 gigabyte database “supposedly attributable” to Aeroméxico and containing more than 15 million passenger records.
“Within the framework of active forensic monitoring of possible security incidents, the Ministry of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance identified signs of a possible exposure of personal data in a system that could be related to Aeroméxico,” the SABG said in a statement.
The ministry said that its monitoring allowed it to locate a Sept. 18 post on Telegram in which “a user offers a database supposedly attributable to Aeroméxico with more than 15 million records,” including — allegedly — the full names of customers of the airline, their e-mail addresses, their telephone numbers and their dates of birth.
The SABG said that it “obtained a sample of 100,092 records” and subsequently identified the names of various people, including those of public servants and public figures.
The ministry said it would “analyze the data obtained” and begin an investigation aimed at determining “the alleged responsibility for the compromised databases.”
Aeroméxico said it would cooperate with federal authorities and report on any relevant developments in a timely manner.
The airline also said it had begun its own “exhaustive investigation” in order to “verify the authenticity and veracity” of the information being offered to “third parties,” determine “its origin” and “establish the reach of any possible impact.”
While the airline said it hadn’t identified any compromise of its customers’ financial information, it advised its customers to stay alert to “unusual e-mails, messages or calls that seek personal or financial information.”
Aeroméxico didn’t say that its systems or databases had been targeted in a cyberattack.
Visiting Sinaloa Sunday, President Sheinbaum promised Gov. Graciela Domínguez that no Navy, Army or National Guard troops will be withdrawn from the state, cartel-related violence is increasingly moving into the resort city of Mazatlán.
(José Betanzos Zárate / Cuartoscuro.com)
A day after pledging Sunday to keep federal security forces in Sinaloa “as long as necessary,” President Sheinbaum on Monday repeated her conviction that U.S. interference precipitated the cartel turf war plaguing the troubled state. The violence, previously centered in Culiacán and rural areas, has spread south in recent months to the resort city of Mazatlán.
While in Culiacán, the Sinaloa state capital, on Sunday, Sheinbaum said Governor Graciela Domínguez can count on the complete support of the federal government.
The president was in the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacán on Sept 20 as part of her series of visits to present in person her annual Informe to each state. (José Betanzos Zárate / Cuartoscuro.com)
Domínguez has been in office for less than a month after being appointed on Aug. 25 to replace Rubén Rocha, who was indicted by U.S. federal prosecutors for alleged links to drug trafficking.
“First and foremost, all federal forces … will remain here for as long as necessary,” she said. “We will not withdraw any element of the Army, the National Guard or the Navy; they will continue to support the governor and, above all, the people of Sinaloa.”
The state has been embroiled in a civil war between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel for two years, becoming what El País newspaper has described as “the biggest political crisis of Sheinbaum’s term.”
As the turf war spread to Mazatlán this summer, the government has deployed thousands of federal troops to the resort city, including 1,000 marines and over 800 Public Security Ministry agents last week. Despite an increase in military presence, homicides in Mazatlán outpaced killings in the larger city of Culiacán in August.
Sinaloa’s economy is facing a historic downturn, driven by severe security challenges and cartel-related violence, leading to a contraction of 4.5% in this year’s first quarter.
On Sunday, Sheinbaum blamed foreign interference for the current situation and then doubled down on that claim during her daily press conference on Monday.
“We don’t want interference from any foreign government in our territory,” she said on Sunday. “Interference generates violence, whereas cooperation for development generates peace.”
Sheinbaum said that before the U.S. “extraction” of drug kingpin Ismael Zambada, the murder rate in Sinaloa was low (“less than one homicide per day,” she claimed). Since then, violence has escalated, producing significant crime rates.
Sunday’s visit was Sheinbaum’s first to the state since the indictments against Rocha and nine other government and law enforcement officials from the state were made public in April.
To address the challenges, Sheinbaum said federal officials would travel in stages to Sinaloa; Security Cabinet officials will visit this week, followed by officials from the Agriculture Ministry.
“There will be no shortage of money to support farmers,” she said, acknowledging that agriculture is the backbone of the state’s economy.
The firefight and rescue took place in the Sonora beach town that many visitors know best as Rocky Point. (Shutterstock)
Security forces arrested seven people and freed three kidnapping victims during an operation Friday afternoon in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, a popular seaside resort city also known as Rocky Point.
Authorities also seized an arsenal that included more than 40 long guns, approximately 4,000 rounds of ammunition, two Minimi machine guns and a Browning M2 .50 caliber gun, the federal Security Cabinet announced on Monday.
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said that three federal agencies and the military joined an investigation by the Sonora Attorney General’s Office (FGJES), supplying intelligence that allowed state officials to identify a property linked to the kidnappings.
As state police and soldiers approached the premises, armed civilians opened fire. The authorities returned fire, eventually outflanking the suspects and containing them.
Three Sonora Investigative Police agents were wounded in the confrontation, none seriously, and three kidnapping victims were freed. Authorities captured seven suspects, including one minor.
The suspects will face charges for attempted aggravated homicide, crimes against public servants, aggravated vehicle theft, criminal association and kidnapping.
After the shootout, the authorities obtained a search warrant and re-entered the property, confiscating the weapons. The search also turned up evidence that was sufficient to merit another warrant that led to two weekend raids on additional properties in downtown Puerto Peñasco.
The sweep of those locations resulted in the seizure of heroin, methamphetamine, loaded magazines, bullet-proof vests, tactical gear and three high-end vehicles which had been reported stolen in the United States.
“We extend special recognition to the three AMIC [the Criminal Investigation Agency] agents who were injured during the attack,” García Harfuch said in a social media post.
A FGJES press release indicated that one of its agents was shot in a lower extremity, while two female agents suffered shrapnel wounds. All three were reported to be in stable condition.
The skirmish came about after several miners reported to police that they had escaped a kidnapping attempt last week, but others hadn’t. State officials alerted federal agencies, who were able to follow the route of the captors and locate a white Chevrolet Suburban truck that had been described by the near-victims.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted that Polo would become a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) by Tuesday morning. (US National Hurricane Center/NOAA)
Hurricane Polo is expected to quickly intensify after forming Monday morning in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Guerrero, with Civil Protection encouraging residents of several states to remain vigilant and follow safety recommendations.
◾️Se localiza a 305 km al sur-suroeste de Zihuatanejo, #Guerrero, y a 435 km al sur-sureste de Manzanillo, #Colima
◾️Su circulación refuerza la psibabilidad de #Lluvias de distintas intensidades en Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero… pic.twitter.com/3RRiy2j0PQ
— Coordinación Nacional de Protección Civil (@CNPC_MX) September 21, 2026
It was centered about 410 kilometers south-southeast of Manzanillo, Mexico, and 322 kilometers southwest of Zihuatanejo at 9 a.m. CST on Monday. As of 12 p.m., it was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 129 kph (80 mph).
Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) predicted Monday that Polo would bring heavy rainfall to Pacific coastal regions, potentially raising river and stream levels, triggering flooding and mudslides.
Intense rain is expected over the coming days in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero (75 to 150 millimeters), very heavy rainfall (50 to 75 mm) in Michoacán, and heavy rainfall (25 to 50 mm) in coastal Jalisco and Colima.
Winds of 10 to 20 kph, with gusts of 30 to 50 kph, can also be expected along the coasts of Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero and Oaxaca. In addition, the storm will bring waves of 1 to 3 meters to Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Jalisco and Colima.
The SMN and the U.S. National Hurricane Center established a watch zone from Tecpan de Galeana, Guerrero, to Punta San Telmo, Michoacán, warning that Polo’s trajectory will be “erratic.” It is expected to curve and move parallel to the coasts of Colima, Michoacán and Guerrero.
Farther west in the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Odalys is forecast to become a hurricane by mid-week. It was located over 2,000 kilometers west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Monday morning.
A second entrance to ease traffic at the Guadalajara International Airport won't be complete until March 2027, Jalisco's governor has confirmed. (Jerpag5891/Wikimedia Commons)
This week, we have an update on construction of the Guadalajara International Airport’s second entrance and how the buildout of bus rapid transit (Line 5) along the Chapala highway has affected the local environment.
Airport’s 2nd entrance road now expected to open by March 2027
The project to add a second airport entrance kicked off in earnest 13 months ago. It aimed to ease chronic traffic bottlenecks along the Chapala highway, where airport travelers, daily commuters and commercial trucks all battle for scarce road space.
In summer 2025, public officials promised the work would be finished in time for the FIFA World Cup earlier this summer, but that deadline came and went. Then work was suspended to prevent construction delays around the airport during the tournament.
Now that work has resumed, we have an updated timeline for completion. Earlier this month, Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus Navarro declared the airport’s new 6-kilometer entrance road should be ready for its debut by March 2027.
“The Guadalajara Airport will have a second entrance; it will no longer only be possible to enter via the Chapala Highway,” he told local newspaper El Informador. “This is good news for connectivity and mobility from the airport.”
The new road will connect Adolf Horn Avenue with the airport’s south side. For southbound drivers coming from areas like Tlajomulco, Tlaquepaque and Zapopan, the road will allow them to bypass the initial segment of the Chapala highway. It will also alleviate northbound traffic congestion on the Chapala highway by diverting drivers to Adolfo Horn.
Additional airport upgrades
In addition to a second airport access road, the project includes an internal interchange and new roads to connect to the airport’s future Terminal 2.
But that is not all. The final phase of work to modernize the Chapala highway also got started this month. This project involves new pedestrian bridges, public transport stations, storm drainage, sidewalks, streetlights, bike lanes and replacement trees (more on that below).
These improvements are expected to take eight months to complete, with final delivery by May 2027.
Airport access improvements are being jointly funded by the Jalisco state government and airport operator Pacific Airport Group (GAP). Guadalajara International Airport is the third busiest in Mexico, with annual passenger traffic of nearly 18.8 million in 2025.
The high environmental cost of the city’s new Line 5 mass transit system
The extension of public transit to the Guadalajara airport was constructed in a rush ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This new link to Guadalajara’s mass transit system was dubbed Line 5, even though it’s not a light rail system like Lines 1 through 4.
The impetus behind the new Line 5 was not visionary public planning but a FIFA requirement for all host cities, which mandated that tournament visitors have a public transport option from the airport to the soccer stadium. Chronic traffic bottlenecks along the Chapala highway, the sole access point to Guadalajara airport, also threatened to embarrass public officials on the world stage, something they were desperate to avoid.
Line 5 was completed in time for June’s World Cup matches. While some lamented the lack of rail service on this congested route, the project was widely hailed as a success.
The part that’s received far less attention is the environmental cost of this new infrastructure. Below is a look at that scorecard.
Constructing six new BRT stations over a 22.5-kilometer stretch of the Chapala highway involved the elimination of 1,541 trees along the route, according to the Ministry of Environment and Territorial Development.
All the trees cut were located in the El Salto and Tlajomulco municipalities, with authorization granted by local officials.
Tree cover loss and its effects
An environmental impact assessment completed ahead of Line 5’s construction identified 32 tree species (97% of which were deemed healthy), 133 bird species and six reptile species inhabiting the wooded areas in its path. The trees were removed anyway, with subsequent plans to add 2,846 new trees.
How has the sudden removal of so much tree cover impacted the urban area?
Dr. Lucila Méndez Morán of the Department of Applied Ecology at Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias (CUCBA) explained that deforestation on the city’s south side tied to Line 5 has intensified the “urban heat island” effect already afflicting this part of the metropolitan area.
The loss of vegetation and shade not only elevates local temperatures but also reduces the area’s ability to absorb water during the rainy season, dampen noise and flush air pollutants. The state has said that while the short-term environmental impact of Line 5 is negative, the landscape should improve over the medium term.
Despite more trees being replanted than removed, it’s not a net benefit, ecologically speaking. The amount of oxygen generated by small tree saplings is a fraction of what’s generated by mature trees. Until those trees grow to maturity over the coming decade or more, their loss will be acutely felt.
Line 5 construction compounds legacy environmental issues
Massive tree loss in Tlajomulco and El Salto is especially painful due to a well-documented environmental crisis that predates the construction of Line 5.
Uncontrolled real estate expansion on the city’s south side in recent decades has already stripped much of the forest cover, raising local temperatures by 2 degrees to 3 degrees Celsius relative to other parts of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (GMA). Besides Tlajomulco and El Salto, this area also includes popular tourist destinations Tlaquepaque and Tonalá.
In addition, this zone suffers severe air pollution tied to chronic heavy traffic, under-regulated industrial emissions and thermal inversions in wintertime.
Going forward, this poses a risk of worse public health outcomes due to poor air quality and even hotter temperatures.
MND writer Dawn Stoner is reporting from Guadalajara.
In addition to news of a school cell phone ban, Monday's press conference included comments from President Sheinbaum on two cases of alleged U.S. interference in Mexican affairs. (Presidencia)
Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
📵 Cell phones and tablets to be banned in primary and secondary schools: Education Minister Mario Delgado said federal and state education authorities agreed Friday to ban the devices at both levels. High schools will set their own limits. Once Sheinbaum approves and promulgates the agreement, it will take effect after 30 days.
🔍 Sheinbaum, Chihuahua governor talk security: Sheinbaum said she met Gov. Maru Campos in Ciudad Juárez on Saturday and reminded her that the FGR is investigating the alleged CIA participation in a Chihuahua drug lab raid five months ago.
🇺🇸 Sheinbaum blames US interference for Sinaloa violence: Sheinbaum said that Sinaloa — a state plagued by violence — is “proof that interference … caused the situation we have [in the state] today.” Like her predecessor AMLO, Sheinbaum believes that the U.S. was involved in the kidnapping of “El Mayo” Zambada, an event that led to an escalation in Sinaloa Cartel infighting.
Why today’s mañanera matters
At President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Monday morning press conference, Education Minister Mario Delgado announced that federal and state education authorities had reached an agreement to ban the use of cell phones and tablets in primary and secondary schools.
His announcement came three weeks after he reported that 81% of more than half a million surveyed teachers were in favor of there being “guidelines and rules to guarantee the safe use [of devices] for educational purposes.”
A school cell phone ban for primary and secondary students is expected to go into effect in late October, Education Minister Mario Delgado said. (Presidencia)
Sheinbaum says that the CIA personnel participated in the operation alongside state forces without the knowledge or authorization of her government, violating Mexico’s Constitution and National Security Law. Campos has claimed that she didn’t authorize or have knowledge of the presence of the CIA personnel in the drug lab raid.
Cell phones and tablets to be banned in primary and secondary schools across Mexico
Delgado told reporters that Sheinbaum had “initiated an essential debate for our country — a debate about the impact of screens and social media on this generation of boys and girls, adolescents and young people.”
He subsequently noted that federal and state education authorities reached an agreement last Friday “to regulate cell phones and tablets in schools.”
“The proposal is to not allow them for primary and secondary schools, to restrict their use in these education levels,” Delgado said.
At the high school level, the education minister said it will be up to “each institution” to determine “limitations” that ensure the “responsible and safe use” of devices for “educational purposes.”
Delgado noted that the agreement reached on Friday is subject to approval by Sheinbaum. He said that once the agreement is approved — which is certain to happen — and promulgated, it will take effect after 30 days.
“It will be at the end of October that this regulation will enter into force,” Delgado said.
“This agreement is a fundamental step forward in order to guarantee the rights of children, adolescents and young people, taking care of their mental health, their learning and their comprehensive development while strengthening their attention span, human contact and community,” he said.
Sheinbaum reminds Campos of the FGR’s ‘CIA in Chihuahua’ probe
Sheinbaum told reporters that she and Gov. Campos spoke about security coordination between federal and Chihuahua authorities at their meeting in Ciudad Juárez on Saturday.
“It’s essential that [coordination] occurs,” she said.
Regarding “the presence of individuals from a U.S. agency,” Sheinbaum said she reminded Campos that the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) is carrying out an investigation.
“That corresponds to the Attorney General’s Office. It’s not within our purview as the government of Mexico,” she said, noting that Campos acknowledged that the FGR is conducting a probe into the CIA’s alleged participation in the drug lab raid in Chihuahua.
Hoy me reuní en privado con la presidenta de la República, Claudia Sheinbaum. Un encuentro que era necesario para ambos gobiernos, ante las diferencias de lo que estamos haciendo en materia de seguridad.
“We both acknowledged that we must improve our channels of communication without renouncing our convictions and the positions we defend,” she said.
“I confirmed to her that my government will continue respecting the law while combating organized crime with complete force and all the capacities [we have],” Campos said.
Sheinbaum blames violence in Sinaloa on US interference
Sheinbaum, like her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, believes that the U.S. government was involved in the events that led to Zambada’s arrest in New Mexico on July 25, 2024. Consequently, she believes that the U.S. government is at least partially to blame for the ongoing violence in Sinaloa.
On Monday morning, the president said that “in Mexico and the whole world, it is proven that interference and intervention don’t strengthen national institutions.”
“… On the contrary, they weaken them,” she said.
Sheinbaum went on to say that “Sinaloa is proof that [U.S.] interference, with the rupture of a criminal group, caused the situation we have [in the state] today.”
Mexico City had the worst traffic in the world in 2025, according to Dutch multinational location technology company TomTom's annual traffic congestion index. Pictured: Traffic on Mexico City's Eje Central. (Victoria Valtierra / Cuartoscuro.com)
As World Car-Free Day approaches (Sept. 22), Mexico City residents have more reason than most to consider alternative modes of transportation, after the capital has again been named the most congested city in the world.
According to the annual Traffic Index by navigation-device maker TomTom, Mexico City recorded an average congestion level of 75.9% in 2025. Even though the indicator fell by 3.6 percentage points compared to 2024, the city occupies the top overall position, dethroning Barranquilla, Colombia, which had in turn dethroned Mexico City for the top spot in the previous edition.
The seven most congested cities in the world
(TomTom)
In this edition, Mexico City was closely followed by Bengaluru, India, which recorded an average congestion level of 74.4%, and Dublin, Ireland, at 72.9%.
The ranking is compiled using anonymous GPS data from up to one in three vehicles on the road from cities around the world, showing vehicle movement—or the lack thereof. TomTom then calculates a congestion level based on how much slower traffic is moving compared to when the roads are clear.
In Mexico City, the company estimated that traveling 10 kilometers took an average of 34 minutes and 29 seconds in 2025 — 58 seconds longer than the previous year. Overall, then, Mexico City drivers can expect to cover on average approximately 4.4 kilometers in a 15-minute span.
During peak hours, however, the average speed is reduced to 13.5 kilometers per hour.
The time cost for drivers was significant. TomTom calculated that each motorist lost 184 hours to congestion during peak periods over the course of a year, equivalent to a total of seven days and 16 hours.
Although the yearly lost-time figure was one hour and 16 minutes lower than that recorded in 2024, it reflects the persistence of traffic jams as one of the metropolitan area’s major daily mobility challenges.
The index also revealed that Wednesday, May 28, was the most congested day in 2025, with an average congestion level of 117%. On that day, the indicator peaked at 167% at 3:00 p.m., according to the report.
Mexico City’s traffic congestion is not an isolated phenomenon. TomTom’s report showed that major cities across the world experienced increased travel times, including London, Barcelona and Athens.
Overall, TomTom’s findings revealed that congestion worsened globally in 2025 compared to 2024, with congestion levels and travel times per kilometer increasing in the majority of the nearly 500 cities analyzed.
In Mexico, other cities that made the ranking included Guadalajara, Jalisco (No. 17), Monterrey, Nuevo León (No. 111), Tijuana, Baja California (No. 118), León, Guanajuato (No. 186), Ecatepec, Mexico state (No. 197), and Puebla city (No. 211).
The Netflix drama "Facing El Chapo" has proven popular with viewers, garnering 18 million views in its first weekend on the streaming platform. (Netflix)
Netflix’s “Facing El Chapo” (originally titled “La Captura”) has established itself as a true milestone for Mexican cinema. Directed by Chava Cartas, the film racked up more than 18 million views in its first weekend.
What’s truly surprising is that, without a massive advertising campaign and driven primarily by word-of-mouth, this police drama managed to claim the No. 1 spot on the global Top 10 chart, officially crowning itself as the streaming service’s most successful non-English-language debut of the year.
Inspired by the real-world events of the January 2016 military operation “Cisne Negro” and the journalistic chronicles of Héctor de Mauleón, the plot reconstructs the third and final arrest of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera.
However, the story does not focus on the drug trafficker or his head of security, Jorge Iván “El Cholo” Gastelum. Instead, the film portrays the suffocating ordeal of two police officers — portrayed by Alfonso Herrera and Noé Hernández — who, by a twist of fate, arrest the drug lord during a routine traffic stop on a highway in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, and must temporarily guard him before criminal cells locate their position. Of course, complications soon pile up as the officers struggle to maintain control of the situation and resist both Guzmán’s attempts to bribe them and the external siege.
La captura | Tráiler oficial | Netflix
Although rooted in a criminal environment, “Facing El Chapo” distances itself from glorifying crime or illicit opulence. Instead, it weaves together a buddy cop drama, psychological suspense and a modern western to tell a story where the dramatic tension stems from resisting crime rather than participating in it.
To understand how this Mexican streaming phenomenon came to be, we spoke exclusively with its screenwriter, Bernardo Esquinca, a renowned master of horror and crime fiction, as well as the creator of the celebrated “Casasola” series.
The official secrecy and the challenge of the screenplay
While writing “Facing El Chapo,” Esquinca faced a major challenge: the official secrecy surrounding the case.
Beyond the widely known events that took place at the motel — where the officers were locked in while the drug lord tried to bribe them — the specific details of the operation were, and remain, scarce. Furthermore, the identities of the real police officers are under strict protection, and the production team had no contact with them.
Faced with this lack of information, the author used Héctor de Mauleón’s journalistic chronicles — “Cómo atrapamos al Chapo” and “Veinte minutos a solas con ‘El Chapo’” — as a roadmap, taking creative liberties to develop the characters, expand on the situations and craft a solid plot.
“The screenplay presented several challenges, as does any story that needs to be adapted for the big screen,” Esquinca tells me. “But for me, the main (challenge) was addressing the fact that most of the action (in the early drafts) took place on the highway. Precisely because so little is actually known about it.”
With this in mind, the screenwriter explains that his priority was to prevent the narrative from becoming monotonous if it were confined to the road trip. After extensive research, he decided to expand the dramatic universe by devising narrative detours, such as a sudden lack of gas or an unexpected encounter with local criminals (there are many other surprises, but I don’t want to give too much away).
A true story that steals the spotlight from drug trafficking
It’s no secret that, over the past few decades, narco-genre productions have increased dramatically in Latin America, especially in Mexico. This narrative usually humanizes or glorifies the drug lord by portraying his lavish lifestyle, his unlimited power and an almost religious aura. “Facing El Chapo,” however, subverts this tendency by shifting the spotlight entirely to two honest and dedicated Federal Police officers.
The plot centers on the officers’ experiences and the enormous moral dilemma they face in balancing their institutional duty against the potentially deadly consequences of holding one of the world’s most dangerous criminals in custody.
The author explains it clearly: “It’s not the typical drug trafficking story that focuses on the bad guys — the drug traffickers, the villains — but rather on the police officers who capture El Chapo and do the right thing.”
Without a doubt, this shift in focus is the story’s main appeal: taking the spotlight away from drug trafficking and placing it on ordinary citizens who, despite the violence in the country, continue to strive to do their best.
Esquinca believes that the resounding success of “Facing El Chapo” offers important lessons that should not be overlooked. For the industry, the message is “that stories about the good guys can be told successfully.” At the same time, the message the audience is sending “is that we do want stories like this.”
The rescue of the Mexican hero
Much like the film “Counterstrike” (2025), “Facing El Chapo” continues the artistic vision of Mexican filmmaker Chava Cartas, who has embarked on a crusade to restore the image of the national hero. His primary goal has been to challenge the cultural prejudice that almost relentlessly brands the authorities of Mexico as incompetent or corrupt.
In this project, it’s a great move for Cartas and Esquinca to steer clear of the superhuman, nearly indestructible action hero of commercial cinema. The story instead focuses on flesh-and-blood characters who feel fear, struggle to get by and have a family to protect, defining heroism as their ability to maintain moral integrity in the face of extreme danger.
Thus, we meet Arturo Carmona (Herrera), overwhelmed by financial pressures as he prepares for the arrival of a new child, and Héctor Rosales (Hernández), recently transferred to the police station and facing the vulnerability that comes with retirement.
Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera was extradited to the U.S. in 2016. (Cuartoscuro)
“This film precisely offers many reflections, but the main takeaway is that there really are good people out there,” Esquinca says. “And those good people can succeed, and their adventures can be very exciting and keep you on the edge of your seat.”
Beyond the bullets
Although the production features scenes of armed confrontations, tactical operations and highway chases, the true dramatic power of “Facing El Chapo” lies in the way the events are told. Beginning with the accidental arrest, Esquinca opts for an almost claustrophobic psychological suspense that transforms the story into an intense survival thriller.
In this story, Carmona and Rosales are partners who have recently been assigned to work together, so neither of them trusts the other very much. In their unexpected situation with Guzmán and his lieutenant, the tension grows palpable, as the officers don’t know each other well and aren’t sure who to rely on while their surroundings become increasingly dangerous.
When asked about the emotional suffocation that defines the plot, Esquinca explains that the main driving force behind his writing was to put the viewer in the officers’ shoes.
“The viewer should feel as if they were there, as if they had to make the choice,” he says. “So the guiding principle was basically: What would you do? That’s what we’re trying to convey to the viewer the whole time. What would you do if you were in their place? Would you take the money or resist?”
The high cost of doing the right thing
With no complacent endings or filters to gloss over the country’s harsh social reality, “Facing El Chapo” highlights the true value of everyday heroes. A very human lesson that, to be fair, is always worth revisiting.
Esquinca notes that, although both the historical events and the film demonstrate that good can triumph over evil, it’s clear that doing the right thing can come at a significant cost.
Doing the right thing comes at a high cost, notes Bernardo Esquinca, who wrote the screenplay for “Facing El Chapo.” (Freddy Eduardo/Wikimedia Commons)
“That ending also tells us that this (being a hero) comes at a cost, and they had to pay a price,” Esquinca says. “They had to change their lives and go into hiding … because there is a danger — a sword of Damocles, as they say — hanging over them.”
Almost a month after its release, this 91-minute film remains a strong contender on global charts. If you haven’t seen “Facing El Chapo” yet, there’s still time to discover it. If you have, it’s worth returning to it with a fresh perspective.
Carolina Alvarado is a Venezuelan journalist who has devoted much of her career to creative writing, university teaching and social work. She has been published in Lady Science, Latina Media, Global Comment, Psiquide, Cinetopic, Get Me Giddy and Reader’s Digest, among others.
The southern state of Guerrero is home to history, mountains, oceanfront paradise and traditional pozole. (Pinterest)
No state in Mexico has raised pozole to the level of culinary art quite like Guerrero. Of course, that’s only appropriate. Pozole is a stew (excepting pozole seco) whose main ingredient is corn — nixtamalized maize, to be exact, or hominy in English — and Guerrero is where corn was first created, 9,000 years ago.
Originally domesticated in the Balsas River Basin in Guerrero from a species of teosinte called parviglumis, corn was a wonder of the ancient world. It took over 1200 years to spread as far as Panama and 2300 to reach Peru, but corn eventually became one of the most consumed foods on the planet. In its birthplace of Mexico, where there are now at least 59 varieties, it has always been assumed that pozole was a natural evolution from this invention.
The mountainous, coastal state of Guerrero has elevated a traditional soup to new heights. (Raúl Varela/Unsplash)
The origins of pozole
However, the origins of pozole are shrouded in controversy and contention. For instance, one of the most commonly shared stories about pozole is that the Mexica (Aztec) elites ate pozole with human flesh; essentially, committing cannibalism. This may or may not be true, but it must be noted that the oft-cited source, Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, never mentions pozole by name.
In fact, Alberto Peralta de Legarreta, who wrote the book on pre-Columbian food in Mexico (literally: “Cultura gastronómica en la Mesoamérica prehispánica”), insists that the word pozole was never used once in any pre-Hispanic text. He also explains that the Spanish authors who shaped our perception of this era, like Sahagún and Fray Diego Durán, didn’t use it either. They mention dishes of cooked corn, which may or may not have been pozole. After all, there are lots of corn dishes in Mexico.
The birth of pozole blanco, rojo and verde variations
Pozole blanco, the original pozole, made Guerrero style. (Ix kimiaranda/Wikimedia)
That doesn’t mean pozole didn’t exist in pre-Columbian Mexico. It’s almost certainly a staple from great antiquity. But we don’t know much about its origins, only how it’s made — and even that is controversial. The first cookbook recipe Peralta could find for pozole is from 1937, a year before the Mexican president of the time, Lázaro Cárdenas, took control of the oil industry by expropriating wells from foreign owners.
This period of patriotic fervor was profound for Mexican cuisine, particularly with dishes that mimic the colors of the Mexican flag, like the rojo, blanco and verde variations of pozole. One of them, pozole verde, my favorite, certainly originated in Guerrero, and pozole blanco, the original form of the dish, is sometimes credited to the state, too.
However, the latter statement, like all those dealing with the early history of pozole, is unprovable. Nevertheless, Guerrero is famous for pozole verde and pozole blanco, just as Jalisco and Michoacán are hailed for their pozole rojo, and Colima for pozole seco.
How pozole is made in Guerrero
Nixtamalization, a Mesoamerican technique still used to this day, involves soaking dried corn in an alkaline solution, typically made from slaked lime. (Unsplash)
Corn is nixtamalized for pozole via several methods — typically by boiling it in an alkaline solution. Afterward, the kernels are left to steep overnight before being washed to remove the outer shell. Notably, this is the prelude to grinding to make nixtamalized tortillas. However, for those who don’t want to go through the traditional effort of making pozole from scratch, nixtamalized corn in a can may be found at almost any grocery.
The corn used as the base for pozole varies from state to state. In Guerrero, they use the ancho variety, not cacahuazintle, a more generically acceptable type. This is the first of many ways the state distinguishes its pozoles. Pork is the protein of choice in Guerrero and for pozole verde, for instance, tomatillo is used to color and flavor the sauce, as are herbs like hoja santa and epazote.
To make pozole blanco, the pork-and-corn-simmering-broth acquires seasoning via ingredients like onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt, pepper and oregano. It’s simple and delicious, with chilies added as preferred. Of course, depending upon what part of the state of Guerrero one resides in — coast, mountains or plateau — some regionally specific ingredients like eggs, chicharrón and sardines may be added to both pozole blanco and pozole verde.
In rare pozole verde recipes, chicken may be substituted for pork. This exception is observable nationwide, although pork is easily the most common meat in Guerrero and elsewhere. Then there are the fixings, added afterward — but more on that subject later.
Always on Thursday — the creation of jueves pozolero
Pozole on a Thursday is a Guerrero staple. (Freepik)
The practice of serving pozole every Thursday, which originated in Guerrero and has now been picked up by restaurants in many states in Mexico, can be traced back to the 19th century in Iguala, where local families made it a custom. That’s one theory, anyway. Of course, many theories for how “jueves pozolero” began have been posited.
An earlier tale links the birth of jueves pozolero to a crucial event in Mexican history: namely, the Embrace of Acatempan, an 1821 agreement between military leaders Agustín de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero in the town of that name, Teloloapan municipality, in Guerrero — yes, it was named for him — that paved the way for Mexico’s independence from Spain. After the Thursday rapprochement, the two generals declared a feast, with a pig roasted for pozole served in clay pots.
Another theory claims the practice arose near a famous nightclub in Acapulco in the 1980s — News Disco & Concert Hall or Baby’O, perhaps — where the music scene was especially popular on Wednesday nights. Thus, hungover patrons needed their pozole verde or blanco to cure the condition on Thursdays, and there was always a vendor nearby to assist.
But who knows? Almost nothing about pozole is known with certainty. There are only legends and lore, so why not embrace them like Iturbide embraced Guerrero?
Building the perfect pozole
Guerrero-style pozole verde ready for fixings. (Pabliotecario/Wikimedia)
There’s a process to taking all the fixings home and arranging them in the bowl. That’s part of the pleasure. The stew with pork and hominy is packaged in a large styrofoam cup and poured straight into the bowl. Then come the fixings.
Oregano, onion and dried chili powder are rolled up in small foil balls and added as desired … as are the chicharrón — which I crumble — radish, avocado and lime; squeezed in the soup only.
Lettuce or the alternative cabbage is optional, at least in my opinion. And, like all lovers of Guerrero-style pozole, I have developed strong opinions.
Chris Sands is a writer and editor for Mexico News Daily, and the former Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best and writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook. He has also contributed to numerous other websites and publications, including The San Diego Union-Tribune, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise and Travel, and Cabo Living.
