All passengers made it to safety, though one person suffered burns. (Screenshots)
Passengers on a city bus in Monterrey, Nuevo León, narrowly escaped tragedy this week, fleeing the vehicle as the flames of a wildfire roared toward it.
This week’s incident — videos of which were published on social media, one from inside the bus and another from outside — occurred in Santa Catarina, a suburb of Monterrey, the capital of the northern state.
En su sección: “Cuenta la gente que el chofer gritó: ¡Atestígüenme!” 😮
Pasajeros tuvieron que descender del transporte público corriendo debido a que el chofer se detuvo cerca de un incendio en Nuevo León
After the bus was overtaken by the fast-moving conflagration, the terrified passengers hurried off the bus, most racing to safety inside the gates of a nearby industrial park.
On one video, you hear rising expressions of alarm at the approaching blaze, urgent cries to stop the bus, frantic screams of “Get out! Get out!” and a frightened child crying, as the passengers hasten toward the exit and scramble away from the bus.
This scene took place in the greater Monterrey metropolitan area where nearly 250 wildfires have been reported this week. Monterrey, the state capital, is a major industrial hub located in a dry valley surrounded by mountains, forests and ecological parks. The Santa Catarina River, which bisects Monterrey, is dry most of the year.
Nuevo León Governor Samuel García said on Wednesday that firefighters had extinguished 236 fires, but there were three active blazes — in Monterrey, García and Santa Catarina municipalities — that were still a concern.
A group of firefighters prepares to continue the battle against the Cerro Topo Chico fire in Monterrey Thursday morning. (Protección Civil Nuevo León)
After initially attributing the fires to high winds and dust storms in combination with the lack of rain, García said Wednesday that the authorities had solid evidence against three suspected arsonists, according to El Financiero.
The governor said one of the suspects confessed to being paid 300 pesos to set a fire in the municipality of García, where the blazes have caused more than 300 million pesos (US $14.8 million) worth of damage.
In Santa Catarina, more than 30 fires were reported, including the one that almost trapped the bus passengers. That fire reportedly started in a vacant lot and, although emergency personnel arrived on the scene swiftly, high winds whipped the blaze out of control.
The bus was traveling south on State Highway 65, which traverses a valley to the west of Monterrey and is populated by residential areas and industrial parks. As the fast-moving fire blasted across the highway, the driver attempted a U-turn. However, a wall of flames surrounded the bus, forcing it to stop and prompting the panicked passengers to flee.
According to UnoTV, a young female passenger suffered burns on one leg, but no other injury was reported.
State authorities have since shut down Highway 65 and an environmental emergency alert remains in effect.
According to a Reuters reported published Thursday, the Mexican state-owned oil company Pemex is in talks with buyers from Asia and Europe, where a source told Reuters, there is demand for heavy crude. (Shutterstock)
State oil company Pemex is seeking to further diversify its crude sales in light of the United States’ decision to impose 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico, according to the Reuters news agency.
Citing information from an unnamed senior Mexican government official, Reuters reported on Thursday that Pemex is in talks with potential buyers in Asia, including China, and Europe.
Recent drone attacks on Russia’s oil infrastructure have squeezed available supplies for Asia in 2025. In countries like China and India, Russia has been a top supplier of crude. (Bob63/Shutterstock)
The report — published before United States President Donald Trump announced on Thursday morning an almost one-month pause on tariffs on imports from Mexico — comes a day after President Claudia Sheinbaum said that Mexico will seek other trade partners if U.S. tariffs on Mexican goods remain in place.
The United States imposed 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico and most imports from Canada on Tuesday. The U.S. is taxing Canadian oil at 10%, but Mexican crude is (or was) subject to the full 25% levy.
Reuters reported that 57% of the 806,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude Pemex exported last year went to the United States.
It noted that Pemex exports some crude to Europe and Asia, particularly India and South Korea, but highlighted that “the lion’s share” of the state oil company’s flagship heavy sour Maya oil goes to the United States.
The government official who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity said “the good thing is that there’s appetite for Mexican crude in Europe, in India, in Asia.”
“There’s demand for heavy crude and Pemex crude,” the source said.
Mexican ports like Manzanillo in Colima, seen here, and Salina Cruz in Oaxaca could be exporting a lot more Pemex crude to Asia in the near future. (JRomero04/Shutterstock)
The official said that potential Chinese buyers were “very interested” in purchasing Mexican crude in initial talks with Pemex.
“Demand will decide how these flows are redirected,” the source said.
The official said that Pemex would not give a discount to United States clients in an attempt to retain them while its oil exports to the U.S. are taxed at 25%, as could once again be the case starting in early April. The source said that Pemex buyers in the U.S. haven’t discussed terminating their contracts.
Two other sources at Pemex’s trading arm PMI Comercio Internacional told Reuters that China, India, South Korea and even Japan would be suitable markets for Mexican crude in light of the United States tariffs on Mexican goods. Their assessment took into account higher shipping costs to get Mexican oil to Asia.
One of the PMI sources told Reuters that “only Asia” could take the volume of oil not sent to the United States. That assessment took into consideration the capacity of refineries to process the specific type of crude exported by Pemex.
The two PMI sources also said that Pemex doesn’t have any plans to discount crude to make exports more competitive.
Whether the United States’ tariffs on imports from Mexico will once again take effect in April is unclear. Trump announced Thursday morning that “Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement” until April 2.
The announcement came after Trump spoke to President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Whether Pemex will still seek to sell more crude to buyers in Asia and Europe wasn’t immediately clear.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. (File photo/Wikimedia Commons)
Mexico is aiming to become self-sufficient for fuel and consequently is keeping more crude in the country to refine at Pemex refineries. However, output from Mexico’s older oil fields, most of which are in the Gulf of Mexico, has declined to its lowest level in more than 40 years, Reuters said.
In January, “exports slumped 44% year-on-year to 532,404 bpd, the lowest level in decades,” the news agency reported.
"Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border," Trump wrote in reference to his Mexican counterpart. (Presidencia, Gage Skidmore)
United States President Donald Trump announced Thursday that imports from Mexico covered by the USMCA free trade pact will not be subject to U.S. tariffs until at least early April.
“After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, I have agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement,” Trump said in a post to his Truth Social account.
“This Agreement is until April 2nd. I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum. Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl,” he wrote.
“Thank you to President Sheinbaum for your hard work and cooperation!”
As of 11 a.m. Mexico City time, Trump had not announced a pause on U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods. However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt announced Wednesday that Trump had decided to give a one-month tariff exemption to automakers importing vehicles from Mexico and Canada.
Muchas gracias al presidente Donald Trump. Tuvimos una excelente y respetuosa llamada en la que coincidimos en que nuestro trabajo y colaboración han dado resultados sin precedentes, en el marco de respeto a nuestras soberanías. Continuaremos trabajando juntos, particularmente en… pic.twitter.com/JzD9jkm8tz
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) March 6, 2025
“Thank you very much to President Donald Trump. We had an excellent and respectful call during which we agreed that our work and collaboration have yielded unprecedented results within the framework of respect for our sovereignties,” she wrote.
“We will continue working together, particularly on the issues of migration and security, which include reducing the illegal crossing of fentanyl to the United States and weapons to Mexico. As President Trump mentions, Mexico won’t be required to pay tariffs on all products within the USMCA. This agreement is until April 2, when the United States will announce reciprocal tariffs for all countries,” Sheinbaum said.
The president subsequently told reporters at a (later than usual morning) press conference that “practically” all trade between Mexico and the United States occurs “within USMCA,” which stipulates rules including “rules of origin” that products must comply with in order to travel across borders in North America without being subject to tariffs.
Most Mexico-U.S. trade will be exempt from trade for the time being, Sheinbaum said. (Presidencia)
Sheinbaum also said that “practically” all of Mexico’s imports from the United States enter the country tariff-free and therefore U.S. reciprocal tariffs will have a negligible impact on Mexico if any. However, the United States could choose to reimpose tariffs on Mexico if it deems that its actions against drugs and migrants are lacking.
Sheinbaum told reporters that during her call with Trump she presented United States Customs and Border Protection data on fentanyl seizures at the Mexico-U.S. border.
She highlighted that fentanyl seizures at the border — which can be as used as a proxy to estimate whether the amount of the opioid entering the United States is going up or down — declined 41.5% in February compared to January.
Sheinbaum said that Trump wasn’t aware of that statistic, and attributed it to the increase in fentanyl seizures in Mexico.
Sheinbaum stressed that her agreement with Trump that will ward off tariffs for at least the next four weeks “benefits both countries.”
In the call with Trump, “we were treated with a lot of respect,” the president said, explaining that she used the word “we” because she represents the people of Mexico.
Sheinbaum said that “respect and dignity” have been the “characteristics” of all four calls she has had with Trump.
For the time being at least those measures won’t be necessary.
On Thursday, Sheinbaum said “a festival” with live music to celebrate the deal with Trump would take place in the Zócalo on Sunday. In addition to the tariff agreement, she said she might also “speak about the judicial reform,” whose approval late last year paved the way for Mexico’s first ever judicial elections to be held this June.
Local, state and federal police as well as the Mexican Army have been implicated in the 2014 disappearance of 43 student teachers in Iguala, Guerrero. To date, remains of three of the students have been found. (Dassaev Téllez Adame/Cuartoscuro)
More than a decade after the abduction and presumed murder of 43 Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College students in Guerrero, a new investigative unit has been assembled to review the still unresolved case.
Vidulfo Rosales, lawyer for the families of the 43 missing students, announced the new investigative unit Friday after he attended a meeting with President Claudia Sheinbaum and the family members at the National Palace. Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez, Undersecretary of Population, Human Rights and Migration Arturo Medina and head of the specialized Unit for the Ayotzinapa Case of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) Rosendo Gómez Piedra also attended the meeting.
Vidulfo Rosales Sierra, lawyer for the parents of the missing Ayotzinapa students, announced the new commission after meeting with President Sheinbaum. (File photo)
The new investigation unit will be led by the FGR and the Security and Citizen Protection Ministry. The Commission for Truth and Access to Justice in the Ayotzinapa Case (COVAJ), established under former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, will continue to operate as well.
On Jan. 17, Sheinbaum had told reporters that a “new team” would review the case. During the updated announcement on Friday, Rosales expressed guarded optimism about future results.
“I think we’re moving forward,” he said. “The progress is obviously not what we would like, but there is progress.”
While specific details of the operation are not being shared, the new investigation team will use advanced technology, including cell phone analysis.
In January, President Sheinbaum mentioned that the Ayotzinapa investigation would continue under her watch. (Gustavo Alberto/Cuartoscuro)
“The President said — and we agree on this point — that one cannot depend on witnesses … because witnesses are often weak, manipulable or changeable in a statement,” Rosales said. “Conversely, scientific evidence is more honest, and I believe that this new investigation team wants to reach that point.”
Rosales stressed what he said was the lack of access to important military documents.
“This team that has been formed will continue working on the issue of military archives that the Mexican Army has not delivered,” he said.
However, Sheinbaum has maintained that the army has already provided all the information it has, according to Rosales.
A new arrest
This review of the case follows a recent arrest in the municipality of Iztapalapa inMexico City.
Authorities detained Martín Alejandro “N,” known as “El Kamala,” who is alleged to have been involved in the students’ disappearance, following coordinated investigations between several security agencies.
“El Kamala” is accused of organized crime and forced disappearance. He was arrested previously and then released in 2018. There are reportedly statements in the case file in which “El Kamala” admits to being responsible for shooting the students, on orders from “Choky.”
Tomás Zerón, the former director of the Ayotzinapa investigation, fled to Israel after being accused of interfering in the investigative process. (Screenshot)
The new team may also revisit several other individuals related to the case.
In 2016, the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) accused Tomás Zerón de Lucio, the former director of the defunct Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC), of violating the investigation process.
Mexican authorities have accused Zerón of abduction, torture and tampering with evidence. Zerón has taken refuge in Israel, which currently refuses to extradite him. Rosales suggested the possibility of going to international courts to get the former official to testify.
During Friday’s meeting, Sheinbaum did not rule out calling former President Enrique Peña Nieto to testify in the Ayotzinapa case if evidence deems it necessary, according to Rosales.
Dancers at the El Señor de la Conquista festival in San Miguel de Allende, which celebrates a pivotal, but controversial moment in Mexican history. (Scott Umstattd/scott-pix.com)
The celebration of El Señor de la Conquista is one of San Miguel de Allende’s most important events. Every year, on the first Friday of March, hundreds of Indigenous Hñähñu (Otomi) dancers gather to honor a life-size statue of Christ that has been safeguarded in the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel for over 400 years.
A history of faith and conflict
The Indigenous Hñähñu people of modern-day Guanajuato fiercely resisted the Spanish conquest for many years. (Nicojs/Wikimedia)
Shortly after the town of San Miguel was founded in 1542, Spanish missionaries began efforts to colonize the Central Mexican Plateau and evangelize its Indigenous peoples, whom the Spanish referred to as “Chichimecas.” Threatened by Spanish slave-raiding and determined to defend their lands, the Chichimecas resisted fiercely, fighting the colonizers for 50 years in what is now called the Chichimeca War.
In 1564, Vasco de Quiroga, the first bishop of Michoacán, officially established San Miguel as a parish, entrusting Franciscan friars with the mission of converting the native population. In 1580, two friars set out from Valladolid, now Morelia, accompanied by a small group of Spanish soldiers. According to historical records, the friars carried two large crucifixes, both made in Pátzcuaro using the pasta de caña, or corn pulp technique, to appeal to native traditions.
As they approached San Miguel, the party was ambushed by Chichimeca warriors at the site now known as El Puente del Fraile. Just before dying, the friars are said to have clutched the crucifixes tightly, covering them with their blood.
A few soldiers survived and brought the crucifixes to San Miguel. One of the crucifixes had lost an arm during the attack. Days later, the missing arm was found at the ambush site and, when reattached, it fit perfectly, adding to the crucifix’s reputation for miracles.
Dancers fill the streets with noise, perfumed smoke and a riot of color to remember the arrival of Christianity in San Miguel de Allende. (Scott Umstattd/scott-pix.com)
It was then decided that one crucifix would remain in the Parroquia, or parish church, of San Miguel, while the other was sent to the town of San Felipe. Both were venerated as El Señor de la Conquista: the Lord of the Conquest. The title is supposedly meant to honor not military conquest but rather spiritual conversion. Many began attributing miracles to these crucifixes, said to heal the sick and protect the region from epidemics.
The celebration of El Señor de la Conquista today
During the colonial era, the crucifix was carried in a devotional procession through the town’s main streets, alongside other religious images still preserved in nearby communities. The last recorded procession took place in 1842. Since then, the celebration consists of gathering around the Parroquia every year on the first Friday of March. This is preceded by a novena, a nine-day prayer ritual, where 33 creeds are recited each day, honoring the 33 years of Christ’s life.
The event begins at 8 a.m., when hundreds of dancers dressed in elaborate traditional attire gather around the Parroquia. The area fills with color, movement and sound while distinct groups of worshipers take their place. The dancers move to the deep, steady pulse of drums while the scent of copal incense marks the space as sacred. As the ritual unfolds, locals and tourists gather, drawn by the powerful energy that fills the air.
20 SEÑOR DE LA CONQUISTA 2010
This celebration also marks the start of the planting season. The ritual is a show of gratitude, as if a good upcoming harvest had already arrived. In this tradition, gratitude comes first, with dancers moving in celebration of the abundance they trust will come, rather than praying for it to happen.
Each element in the dancers’ attire and body paint is filled with symbolism, a stunning display of pre-Columbian identity. Their towering headdresses are made of feathers arranged in elaborate patterns. Many wear pectoral plates depicting mythological symbols or animal spirits. Their arms and ankles are wrapped in rattling seed pods and shells, loudly proclaiming their every step.
Their shoes are usually simple sandals designed to allow contact with the earth. Many also carry shields painted with motifs that represent warrior heritage. Some shields feature mirrors, believed to reflect negative energy and protect the bearer. Combined with richly embroidered capes or skirts, these garments turn the dancers into moving altars, where every element carries significant meaning.
A paradox of faith and survival
While the festival marks the conquest of Mexico, and the subjugation of Indigenous culture, it also celebrates the traditional Hñähñu way of life. (Scott Umstattd/scott-pix.com)
The essence of this festivity can feel like a contradiction. El Señor de la Conquista was created to mark the religious conversion of Indigenous people through colonization and evangelization. Yet today, it is the descendants of those same original communities who lead the celebration, performing rituals and dances passed down from long before the Spanish arrived.
The clamorous rhythm of steps, drums, rattles and chanting pulls dancers and spectators alike into a trance-like state. This way of reaching spiritual heights stands in sharp contrast to Catholic traditions that emphasize verbal worship and quiet contemplation.
Like many other religious expressions in the country, this festivity serves as a living testament to Mexico’s ability to hold multiple truths at once: resistance and compliance, conquest and survival, and Catholic and Indigenous religion. The celebration of El Señor de la Conquista is a window into the complex soul of Mexico.
How to participate
You can witness the event at any time throughout the day, as the celebration continues well into the night. Remember that this is not a performance for tourists; it holds deep spiritual meaning for the dancers and their communities. Treat the space, rituals and participants with respect. Avoid blocking the dancers’ paths and be mindful when taking photos. By showing reverence and understanding, you honor the tradition and the people who have kept it alive.
Sandra Gancz Kahan is a Mexican writer and translator based in San Miguel de Allende who specializes in mental health and humanitarian aid. She believes in the power of language to foster compassion and understanding across cultures. She can be reached at sandragancz@gmail.com
Though never as big as in other countries, Pinball has a loyal following in Mexico, as evidenced by a tiny pinball museum in the heart of the capital. (Pinball México)
When it comes to visiting the Mexican capital, rife with world-class cuisine, museums and an endless amount of day trips within driving distance, pinballing might not be at the top of your list. And maybe it shouldn’t be. But, if like me, you enjoy discovering the many different angles of communities and subcommunities across Mexico, then you might enjoy a day in Mexico City through the eyes of an avid pinballer.
For starters, you can visit Pinball México, the country’s only official pinball distributor and private showroom — at least according to them. Located in Polanco, the small room is hidden within a larger coworking office building that you’ll need to have an appointment to get into. Just reach out to Pinball México in advance, and they’ll be happy to let you in.
Nothing screams “It’s 1985” like a pinball table, and Pinball México can take you right back to the glory days. (el-toro/CC BY 2.0)
Once inside, you’ll be able to tap into your inner 1980s and ‘90s child by playing four different machines all imported from Stern Pinball in Chicago, one of the most prominent pinball manufacturers in the world. Neon lighting and quirky comic book aesthetics give the extremely tiny showroom its outsized character and vibrancy, and someone will attend to your needs and answer your questions.
Pinball México is run by a group of Mexican pinball aficionados who sell, operate and fix machines in addition to hosting off-site tournaments by supplying machines from their abundantly-stocked warehouse, which is tucked away outside of the city. According to them, it’s the only one of its kind in the city and in the entire country. In my lifetime of visiting family members throughout Mexico, I don’t recall ever seeing a space strictly dedicated to celebrating and selling pinball machines, so I don’t doubt it.
Though it lacks the sheer volume of a real arcade, the spirit and soul of Pinball México is vibrant and inviting for an afternoon visit. Strolling around Chapultepec park, walking distance from the showroom, doesn’t hurt, either, and Pinball México is around the corner from the excellent Taquería El Turix, which specializes in Yucatecan dishes.
Currently, this pinball haven has four brand new pinball machines for use: “John Wick,” “Venom,” “Godzilla” and “Jaws.” Everything is digitized, so you don’t need physical pesos to play. Instead, you download a quick app and set up your account before using a QR code to connect to any machine and launch gameplay. 100 pesos gets you a half hour, and though you don’t need coins to play, they will charge you in cash upon entering.
Mexico’s moment in the global pinball spotlight came courtesy of Italian pinball manufacturer Zaccaria. (Tim Kells/Internet Pinball Database)
Pinball’s popularity was at its global height from the 1950s to the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, when newer video games and other technologies began to outpace the analog pleasures of yore. Though Mexico has never been particularly known for pinballing, Italian pinball manufacturer Zaccaria once paid tribute to the nation with “Mexico 86,” a classic pinball machine based on the 1986 World Cup, which Mexico hosted.
The game features a stereotyped rendition of Mexico — Aztec patterns, sombreros and an attractive Mexican woman inside of a soccer ball — over a soccer field backdrop.Though it’s unclear when pinball itself arrived in Mexico, it never fully took off in the way it did throughout the United States. But it has some roots here, and despite being miniscule, there is a map of where to play pinball in the sprawling metropolis of 22 million.
Commissioned by the museum in 2021, Andy Cavortorta — who holds a Masters degree from MIT and owns an arts studio in Brooklyn — designed and assembled what may be “the world’s most complex electromechanical game.” “Dual Coincidence” resembles a pinball machine on steroids in terms of its functionality and presentation, but is meant to simulate economic concepts to museum visitors with its five-player gaming system in which users trade resources with the use of interactive pinballs. As if that weren’t enough, the game is inspired by “2001: A Space Odyssey.” If it sounds like a lot, that’s because it kind of is.
But who knows? Maybe it’ll bring out the secret pinball player in you.
Alan Chazaro is the author of “This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album,” “Piñata Theory” and “Notes From the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge” (Ghost City Press, 2021). He is a graduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and a former Lawrence Ferlinghetti Fellow at the University of San Francisco. His writing can be found in GQ, NPR, The Guardian, L.A. Times and more. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, he is currently based in Veracruz.
From fine Baja Californian seafood to delectable highland mole, unleash your inner Michelin critic at one of these incredible food festivals near you. (Pachuca Vive)
March in Mexico brings the kind of heat that melts ice cream before you’ve paid for it and makes cold beer at bustling food festivals feel like an act of divine intervention. But the heat doesn’t keep people apart: it pulls them together, huddled under food stalls, bonded by shared shade and mutual respect for a properly made taco.
Everywhere you look, there’s something sizzling, bubbling or being dunked in chili and lime. People gather, sweat and feast, knowing that good food is best enjoyed shoulder to shoulder with strangers who, by the end of the meal, feel like old friends. Nowhere is this experience more potent than at a traditional Mexican food festival. Here are five this month you can’t miss.
Atotonilco el Grande, Hidalgo, is about to drown in turkey mole. From March 6 to 9, 12,000people are set to descend on this small town, armed with empty stomachs. Six expert cooks will stir pots big enough to swim in, proving once again that food festivals are just an excuse to overeat with strangers. There’ll be music, fireworks and a local economy high-fiving itself over 4 million pesos in spending. Somewhere between the folk dancing and the late-night banda, people will remember why they came: fa plate of mole so good, it might just ruin all other meals.
Where: Atotonilco el Grande, Hidalgo When: March 6 to 9
Not a food festival per se, but there’s plenty to eat at this music festival! In the heart of Mexico City, where the air hums with anticipation and the streets pulse to unseen rhythms, the Vive Latino Music Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this month.
As the sun sets and the stages light up, the festival grounds transform into a sensory feast. The aroma of sizzling tacos al pastor mingles with the distant chords of an electric guitar. Food trucks and street vendors line the pathways, offering a mosaic of flavors that tell the story of a culture rich in culinary tradition. From the hearty tamal to the spicy kick of a chile relleno, every bite is a testament to Mexico’s vibrant heritage. As you make your way through the festival, let the latino music guide your steps as the food fuels you to enjoy the tunes late into the night. Where: Estadio GNP Seguros, Itzacalco, Mexico City When: March 15 and 16
In La Ventana, a little community east of La Paz on the Gulf of California, the Festival Sabor a Mar is about more than just food: it’s a ceremony of salty air and fresh fish. Baja California’s coastal cuisine isn’t some afterthought. It’s a story told in fish tacos, ceviche and every possible iteration of seafood you can imagine. The festival celebrates a deep, primal connection to the sea. People come here not just to taste the ocean, but to understand it, from the seafood to the culture. Make sure you try all the unique salsas that come with the seafood: the Baja region is known to have an extra kick in the pants when it comes to spice.
Where: La Ventana, Baja California Sur When: March 29
The historic Centro Cultural Riviera de Ensenada stands ready to host this annual pilgrimage for craft beer aficionados, with over 120 national breweries set to showcase their liquid artistry. As the golden brews flow, the festival grounds transform into a gastronomic haven. Local food vendors, representing the rich tapestry of Baja California’s culinary scene, line the pathways. From the crunch of shrimp quesadillas to the warmth of carne asada grilled to perfection, every bite you find yourself wondering if you should move here. Make sure to switch back and forth between the craft beer and the tapas so you don’t start to feel like you’re seasick on land.
Where: Centro Cultural Riviera de Ensenada, Ensenada, Baja California When: March 21 and 22
In the heart of Veracruz, the Cumbre Tajín Festival prepares to celebrate its 25th edition. Set against the backdrop of the majestic Takilhsukut theme park and the enigmatic El Tajín archaeological zone in Papantla, this festival is more than an event; it’s a celebration of the spirit of the Totonac people.
Visitors from all walks of life converge to witness a tapestry of cultural expressions including traditional dances that echo ancient rituals and workshops that unveil the secrets of Totonac crafts.But beyond the visual and auditory feast lies a culinary journey that beckons the soul. Local food vendors selling bocoles, those humble discs of corn masa filled with delights like requesón or picadillo, topped with fresh cheese and salsa molcajeteada, remind us that simplicity often holds profound depth.The aroma of papas con chorizo wafts through the air, mingling with the scent of chiltepín and cilantro criollo, this is pure Totonac gastronomy.
Where: Parque Temático Takilhsukut, Papantla, Veracruz When: March 19 to 23
Stephen Randall has lived in Mexico since 2018 by way of Kentucky, and before that, Germany. He’s an enthusiastic amateur chef who takes inspiration from many different cuisines, with favorites including Mexican and Mediterranean.
A Toyota plant in Tijuana, where the Toyota Tacoma is assembled. (Toyota)
United States President Donald Trump is granting a one-month tariff exemption to automakers importing vehicles from Mexico and Canada, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, Mar. 5, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that President Trump is “open” to other exemptions like the one he just gave automakers operating within the USMCA but did not give any specifics.
At a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Leavitt said she had a statement “directly from” Trump on the tariff exemption for automakers.
“We spoke with the big three auto dealers. We are going to give a one-month exemption on any autos coming through USMCA,” she said without specifying whether the exemption would also apply to auto parts.
“Reciprocal tariffs will still go into effect on April 2, but at the request of the companies associated with USMCA, the president is giving them an exemption for one month so they are not at an economic disadvantage,” Leavitt said.
“The three companies that [Trump] spoke to are Stellantis, Ford and General Motors. They requested the call, they made the ask and the president is happy to do it; it’s a one-month exemption,” she said.
Leavitt said that Trump is “open” to requests from other industries seeking exemptions to U.S. tariffs.
Reuters reported that the exemption announced on Wednesday would also “benefit some foreign brand automakers with large U.S. production footprints, including Honda and Toyota.”
While automakers got a reprieve, the tariffs will soon impact U.S. prices on many everyday items imported from Mexico, including fruits like these strawberries being tended to in Irapuato, Guanajuato. (Mario Nulo/Cuartoscuro)
However, “some competitors that don’t comply” with USMCA rules would still have to pay the full 25% U.S. tariffs, the news agency said.
Asked whether 30 days was enough time for the auto sector to prepare for the impact of 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, Leavitt said that Trump told automakers that they should “start investing, start moving, shift production here to the United States of America where they will pay no tariff.”
“That’s the ultimate goal,” she said.
Auto production in North America is highly integrated, with automakers in the United States, for example, sourcing many of the constituent parts for the vehicles they make from Mexico and/or Canada. That makes tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada particularly damaging for automakers.
The United States is the top destination for finished vehicles exported from Mexico. A 25% tariff on those vehicles could increase their cost in the U.S. by several thousand dollars or more.
In response to a reporter who asked “how long should Americans expect to pay higher prices” for imported goods such as strawberries, bananas and avocados as a result of U.S. tariffs, the press secretary was non-committal.
“I don’t have a crystal ball but what I can assure the American people is that this president and this administration is doing everything they can” to make life more affordable, Leavitt said.
The United States’ main stated reason for imposing the tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods is that a large quantity of fentanyl is coming into the U.S. via its southern and northern borders.
“The president did just put out a statement on his call with the Governor Justin Trudeau, as he calls him, of Canada,” Leavitt said, referring to a post to Trump’s Truth Social account.
The moment U.S. tariffs came into effect this morning, so did the Canadian response.
Canada will be implementing 25% tariffs against $155 billion of American products.
Starting with $30 billion worth of goods immediately, and the remaining $125 billion in 21 days’ time.
On Tuesday, Canada launched retaliatory 25% tariffs on selected U.S. products. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada will impose more tariffs if the U.S. doesn’t lift its tariffs on Canada.
“He said that he was not pleased [with Canada’s action against fentanyl]. … He said it’s not good enough. He told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that directly,” she said.
“… When it comes to fentanyl, for the last four years, unfortunately, our neighbors to the north and the south, Canada and Mexico respectively, have allowed America to be a dumping ground, not just for illegal aliens but for illegal, poisonous deadly fentanyl, which is now the number one killer of young people in this country aged 18 to 34,” Leavitt said.
While the United States has made one concession by giving automakers a one-month reprieve from tariffs, a trade war between Mexico and the U.S. — each other’s largest trade partner — is still brewing.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that she will announce retaliatory “tariff and non-tariff measures” during a rally in Mexico City’s central square, the Zócalo, on Sunday.
The Canadian government announced Tuesday that it was moving forward with 25% tariffs on $155 billion worth of imported goods, beginning immediately with a list of goods worth $30 billion.
Mexican economic and trade officials have been in Washington D.C. in the last two weeks trying to convince the U.S. not to go forward with tariffs on Mexico. President Sheinbaum has said she will talk to Trump by phone on Thursday. (Gustavo Alberto/Cuartoscuro)
Sheinbaum has indicated that she will speak to Trump about tariffs on Thursday.
In early February, Mexico and Canada reached agreements with the United States that resulted in one-month pause on 25% tariffs that were due to take effect on Feb. 4. As part of the Mexico-U.S. deal, Sheinbaum agreed to deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to the northern border.
For months, the Mexican government has focused on pointing out that United States tariffs on Mexican exports would have a detrimental effect on the U.S. economy. Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard has said that 25% tariffs would cause the loss of 400,000 jobs in the United States and increase prices for U.S. consumers.
The suspect was arrested at a vehicle inspection post in the municipality of Huatabampo, Sonora. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
Mexican authorities have arrested a 29-year-old man in the northern border state of Sonora for transporting more than a quarter million fentanyl pills hidden in a shipment of nopales, or cactus leaves, officials said Wednesday.
In addition to 30 black packages containing approximately 275,000 fentanyl pills, authorities said they found two white packages of fentanyl powder. The combined weight of the pills and powder was 32 kilograms, they reported.
En Sonora fuerzas federales detuvieron a un hombre que transportaba 32 kilos de fentanilo ocultos en un cargamento de nopales en un tráiler.
According to the Security and Citizen Protection Ministry (SSPC), the street value of the drugs is 131.3 million pesos (US $6.44 million).
The suspect was arrested at a vehicle inspection post in the municipality of Huatabampo, Sonora, on the federal highway heading north between Los Mochis, Sinaloa, and Navojoa, Sonora — approximately 600 kilometers south of Nogales, Sonora, at the Mexico-U.S. border.
The suspect’s white tractor-trailer was transporting boxes of nopales, inside which the pills and powder were hidden, authorities said. The Spanish word nopales is also used in English, especially in culinary and agricultural contexts, to refer to the edible pads of a prickly pear cactus.
The seizure came amid heightened tensions between Mexico and the United States over fentanyl trafficking. The synthetic opioid, a major business for the cartels based in Sinaloa and Jalisco, is often smuggled into the U.S. hidden in buses, parcel shipments and even drones.
A press release noted that the arrest occurred “within the framework of the National Security Strategy and as a result of coordinated work” among the following agencies: the SSPC, the federal prosecutor’s Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC), National Defense (Sedena), the Navy Ministry (Semar) and the National Guard (GN).
“With these actions, the institutions of the Security Cabinet reaffirm their commitment to work in a coordinated manner to build peace and prevent drugs from reaching young people,” the SSPC stated in a press release.
Earlier this week, Mexican authorities reported that, since launching Operación Frontera Norte (Operation Northern Border) on Feb. 5, approximately 18,690 kilograms (18.7 tonnes) of illegal drugs — including nearly 56 kilograms of fentanyl — had been seized and more than 1,000 suspected drug traffickers arrested.
Sheinbaum has said that she plans to announce retaliatory "tariff and nontariff measures" against the U.S. on Sunday. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
The United States’ 25% tariffs on Mexican exports were once again a major topic of discussion at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Wednesday morning press conference.
Sheinbaum’s mañanera was held several hours before the United States government announced that U.S. automakers will be exempt from the tariffs for a period of one month.
Tractor-trailer trucks headed north to the U.S. border on the Zaragoza-Ysleta international bridge in Ciudad Juárez. U.S. tariffs of 25% on Mexico are threatening to have a chilling effect on Mexican exports to the U.S. (Carlos Sánchez Colunga/Cuartoscuro)
Here is a recap of the president’s March 5 press conference.
‘There will be no submission’
Now “is a very defining time for Mexico, depending on what happens these days until Sunday,” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum said Tuesday that she would announce retaliatory “tariff and nontariff measures” during a rally in Mexico City’s central square this Sunday. She told reporters on Wednesday that “there will be no submission” on Mexico’s part.
“Mexico is a great country. Mexicans are brave, tough. The people of Mexico have a lot of strength, and our economy is fine,” Sheinbaum said.
Chile’s President Gabriel Boric, in foreground, arriving for Sheinbaum’s inauguration as president of Mexico in October. (Andrea Murcia Monsivais/Cuartoscuro)
“[He was] very supportive … with regard to the tariffs issue. And we also spoke about greater collaboration, greater cooperation,” she said.
“… The truth is he’s a very intelligent young man, Gabriel Boric,” Sheinbaum said of the 39-year-old leader. “He’s made a good government. And we’re going to continue collaborating with Chile and other countries.”
Mexico will seek other trade partners ‘if necessary’
Mexico sends more than 80% of its exports to the United States, creating a significant economic dependency on its northern neighbor. The current tariff situation brings that dependency into sharp focus.
Sheinbaum said that if the United States’ 25% tariffs remain in place, her government will have to take “important decisions for the future of the country.”
“They’re not minor decisions, they’re substantive decisions because we have to defend the sovereignty and independence of Mexico,” she said.
“And, if necessary, we’ll look for other trade partners — everything to protect Mexico and Mexicans,” Sheinbaum said.
Event in Zócalo will go ahead regardless
Les invito el domingo 9 de marzo a las 12 del día al Zócalo de la Ciudad de México a una asamblea en la que presentaremos las acciones frente a la decisión unilateral del gobierno de los Estados Unidos de subir 25 por ciento los aranceles a las exportaciones de México.
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) March 5, 2025
Seeking to control the tariffs narrative in Mexico, President Sheinbaum is inviting the public to a rally in Mexico City’s Zócalo on Sunday to update Mexicans on what is quickly turning into a trade war with the U.S. and how Mexico intends to respond.
Sheinbaum said that the event planned for this Sunday in Mexico City’s central square, the Zócalo, will go ahead even if the United States government removes its tariffs on Mexican exports in the coming days.
“It’s very important to explain what is happening because, firstly, not a lot of people know what a tariff is,” she said.
“… It’s a tax that is put on what Mexico exports to the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
“It’s a decision that the government of the United States takes. … It’s very important to explain that the decision is being taken unilaterally by the government of the United States,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that if Mexico and the United States reach a deal before Sunday, she will explain “what was agreed” during her speech in the Zócalo.
“There is nothing to hide here,” she said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
