Nice Day Coffee: A successful, expat-run business in Mexico City

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December 6, 2023

Coffee (1) — Almost two years after opening, Nice Day Coffee is buzzing with customers from near and far. (Nice Day Café)

At least twice a week, I head around the corner to Nice Day Coffee in Mexico City’s Cuauhtémoc borough, where I spend the day clicking away at my laptop, sipping almond milk cappuccinos and chatting with the friendly staff. Over time, I got to know the owners Nery and Shirley. After spending the previous 12 years in Mérida, Nery teamed up with Shirley from San Francisco to open Nice Day Coffee in early 2022.

Curious about what it’s like to open a cafe in Mexico City as an expat, I sat down with Shirley to hear about the challenges and opportunities of opening in a metropolis as trendy as Mexico City. With an established background in the Bay Area tech scene, despite over a decade of experience from family restaurants growing up, owning a food and beverage establishment was never in her own plans.

Until Mexico.

“It all came from an eye-opening conversation about job and career opportunities in Mexico. In California, I had been afforded an abundance of opportunity and protection; the employment culture is vastly different here. The more Nery and I chatted, the more motivated we became to create something impactful. Something that would provide true opportunities for the awesome talent that is here,” she explained. She also mentioned that starting a brick-and-mortar business became a great way to make friends and immerse into a new neighborhood.

“We originally wanted to open in Mérida, since that’s where Nery was living,” Shirley explained. But after careful evaluation, they realized that the city might not be a viable location for their envisioned Mexican-Asian fusion coffee shop and bakery. The heat in Mérida significantly reduced foot traffic during the day. And, given Shirley’s many positive visits to Mexico City, they decided to expand their search radius.

“As a country, there are a ton of options for new businesses,” Shirley told me, noting that understanding the market, for whatever your offering may be, is a vital first step.

Nery (L) and Shirley (R) (Nice Day Coffee)

Nery spent two weeks checking out more than 30 locations in Mexico City while Shirley chimed in over FaceTime from San Francisco. On the very last day of Nery’s trip, they found the perfect spot: a former sushi restaurant with sidewalk access on a tree-lined street with signs of consistent pedestrian traffic. “To be honest, we wanted something with some foot traffic, but also not too much. Given the cultural and language barriers for myself at the time, I was terrified of what we were getting ourselves into.”

She needn’t be terrified. Almost two years after opening, Nice Day Coffee is buzzing with customers from near and far.

What makes this coffee shop stand out in a city full of, well…coffee shops?

According to Shirley and Nery, the secret to their success is the people. As owners, they have made it a priority to cultivate a “supportive, honest, and creative environment” for the team to deliver their best work.

As a customer, I couldn’t agree more. Of all the cafes I have to choose from, I regularly find myself here. Here are five reasons why.

The staff: Everyone who works here is friendly, conversational, and bilingual. It makes for a comfortable, light-hearted environment.
The pastries: Fresh, homemade and continuously perfected, the pan dulces often surprise the taste buds by adding an Asian spin to Mexican classics. Think matcha conchas, strawberry shortcakes with hojicha cream (an iteration of the common Mexican dessert fresas con crema, strawberries with cream), and braided croissants with figs, goat cheese, dill honey, and soy sauce. My personal favorite? The fresh-out-the-oven plain croissant.
The community: Think of it as your cozy watering hole without the booze. Patrons visit for their daily coffee fix and greet each other with a smile or handshake. I myself have made several friends at Nice Day Coffee that I wouldn’t have met otherwise!
The beverages: Aside from the expected cappuccinos and espressos, there is always something novel to try. The owners serve drinks like miso caramel lattes, strawberry and lychee raspados or icees, and then there’s the ever-popular Nice Day latte, made with homemade vanilla syrup and beans from Veracruz. An unexpected touch of color sparks “a smile or show of delight when we deliver it to the table” and it’s been a hit with the customers. There is also a selection of Asian-inspired teas, like jasmine and genmaicha. Mexico City is brimming with cafes, and unique twists on the usual menu items attract the attention of both locals and tourists.
The design: The coffee shop is bright and sunny, simple and clean. The store front is open to the sidewalk and framed by potted mandarin trees. Colors are soft shades of beige, white, peach, and wood. There is a small bar and both in and outdoor seating. Pastries are displayed in a glass case in full view from the sidewalk, and the happy chatter amongst locals is inviting to even the most insecure of visitors.

Since my personal opinion isn’t enough, I decided to enlist some patrons. I asked the question to four regulars, “Why do you choose to frequent Nice Day Coffee?”

Paco (a local): The community.
Carlos (an expat): Convenience, but if it wasn’t good coffee, I would go somewhere else!
Daniela (an expat): Well, we first went because it was close to home, but we kept coming back for the coffee, the service, and the oatmeal cookie!
Leo (a local): The conchas and the cortados.

Despite the coffee shop’s evident triumph, there is really only one way to truly know if the tenacity required to open up shop in Mexico City was all worth it. So I asked Shirley the almighty question. Would you do it again? Her answer? “Yes. The experience has been absolutely fulfilling and I don’t regret it at all.”

This must be true, as Shirley and Nery are set to open their second location in late 2024! Stay tuned by following Nice Day Coffee on Instagram and coming by to try what just might be the very best coffee and pastries in all of Mexico City.

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.

Mexican students have fallen behind in test scores since 2018

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MND Staff

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December 5, 2023

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Classroom — Student achievement has declined across Mexico, shows a new study from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (Carolina Jiménez/Cuartoscuro)

An academic study of 15-year-olds in 81 nations around the world ranks Mexico 51st overall for its combined scores in math, reading and science.

The conclusion is that Mexican students are falling behind their global counterparts in those subjects, according to the report released Monday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

While school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic are considered partially to blame for the decline, they are not the only factor, say researchers. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tested approximately 700,000 students from OECD member countries and partner economies throughout 2022.

Approximately one-third of Mexican students ranked at Level 1 or 2, the lowest level, while only seven out of every 1,000 Mexican students scored in the highest ranks (Levels 5 and 6).

In math, for example, only 34% of Mexico’s students achieved basic proficiency or better (Level 2 or higher), significantly less than the OECD average of 69%.

The report noted that while some falling results can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is inaccurate to blame prolonged school closures and social isolation as the sole causes of the drop in scores.

Many schools in Mexico are not properly built and lack basic facilities, including electricity or running water. This school in Zihuatanejo is a makeshift structure at a municipal dump. (Nuevo Manitoba/Facebook)

The country achieved 395 points in mathematics, 14 points below its 2018 score and 77 points below the 2022 OECD average of 472.

In reading, Mexico scored 415, only five points lower than 2018 and 61 points below the OECD average; and in science, Mexico scored 410, nine points lower than 2018 and 75 points below the OECD average.

Mexico isn’t the only nation with waning numbers. The report shows a general decline in the results overall. “From PISA 2018 to PISA 2022, the evaluation fell 15 points in mathematics, 10 points in reading and two in science,” the report noted.

“PISA provides the evidence and public policy findings that countries need to address these issues,” noted Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills and an adviser on education policy at the Paris-based OECD. “There is an urgent need to take action. The task for governments is to help education systems rise to this challenge.”

Children in school — Not all socioeconomically disadvantaged students have low scores however – 12% finished in the top quarter of Mexican math pupils. (UNICEF)

Mexican students achieved PISA gains between 2003 and 2009, but the new data shows a backslide over the past 10 years.

In math, Mexico’s number of low-performing students was 11 percentage points higher in 2022 than it was in 2012. In reading it was 5 percentage points higher and in science it didn’t change significantly.

The study also showed that 25% of students in Mexico reported feeling alone at school and 26% felt marginalized or excluded, higher than the OECD averages.

Additionally, 69% of students in Mexico reported that they made friends easily at school, close to the OECD average of 76%. Also, about 9% of students in Mexico reported that they had repeated at least one grade, which is the same as the OECD average.

One overall trend in Mexico is that the top 25% of students in terms of socioeconomic advantages outperformed disadvantaged students (the bottom 25%) by significant margins, with a 58 point spread in mathematics.

However, some economically disadvantaged students have thrived, with 12% of them finishing in the top 25% in math.

The countries that stood out in the results were Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Estonia, all surpassing 500 points in each of the three subjects. Canada was No. 5 while the United States raised some alarm bells with a No. 31 ranking.

With reports from Expansión Política

Julio Chavezmontes: The Mexican producer infiltrating international cinema

By

Montserrat Castro

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December 5, 2023

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Captura de pantalla 2023-12-05 a la(s) 16.06.13 — Julio Chavezmontes. (Courtesy PIANO)

If you are a cinema enthusiast, you might have seen “The Triangle of Sadness,” nominated for a series of awards last year, including the Oscar for Best Picture.

One of the many people who worked on this wonderfully bizarre production is Julio Chavezmontes, a film producer born and raised in Mexico City.

The producer first got his foot in the door of international cinema in 2013 when his horror film “Halley” was screened at the Sundance Festival. Halley was Julio’s first big project after earning an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and was co-written with Sebastian Hoffman, a colleague he met while working his first job in the film industry.

Julio and Hoffman’s creative bond led them to co-found their production company, PIANO, which aims to produce innovative and risky movies. Since then, the pair have received over 50 international awards and 100 nominations, including for the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Oscars.

Julio has been interested in cinema since he was 19 years old when he began his undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago. When he walked into a Virgin Megastore and stood in front of the DVD sales screens and watched the first minutes of Jean Luc Godard’s “Le Mépris” (Contempt). “I understood that cinema could be something that went much further than what I had been exposed to,” he said.

Following the success of Halley, Chavezmontes has worked on big cinematic productions such as “Tiempo Compartido” (2018), starring actor Luis Gerardo Méndez; “Annette” (2020), with Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard; “Memoria” (2021) with Tilda Swinton; and most recently “Triangle of Sadness” (2022).

Having now worked in both Mexico and the United States, he reflects on the differences between the two – and why getting international acclaim for non-U.S. filmmakers is quite an achievement.

“In the U.S., you need a good amount of resources to be able to release a movie in theaters. It’s a country where slots in theaters are highly coveted, and on top of that, any campaign of distribution and publicity is very expensive. So the truth is that getting a movie to U.S. theaters is a huge achievement.” He added: “I think it’s important for movies to reach the U.S. so that Mexicans and Mexican-Americans who live there can be connected to the cultural patrimony that belongs to them.”

In Mexico, movie distribution cost is much lower, with incentives like EFICINE that provide aid for financing more independent or artistic films. “This of course helps promote independent cinema, which is always at a disadvantage against studio releases,” he said.

For a producer like Chavezmontes, who has an arthouse background and a “cultural or artistic rationality,” rather than a commercial one, his focus is on finding wide distribution for his work.

This is a shared goal among his Mexican colleagues and fellow filmmakers, he explained. “I think all that we’re interested in, that is a common goal among all of us, is that movies reach the public. Different movies have different audiences, and not every distribution strategy works the same for all movies.”

Unfortunately for independent filmmakers in countries outside of the U.S., as well as for movie aficionados globally, Hollywood’s monopoly on cinematic distribution and consumption makes achieving this goal very difficult.

“Those studios operate, and I don’t say this negatively, but they operate under a market logic where they make movies that will sell. … In the majority of cases, the commercial rationality is incompatible with the artistic or cultural one,” he said. There are exceptions to the rule however, as artists like Iñárritu, Cuarón, and del Toro have found a way to add their personal touch within the Hollywood studio ecosystem, “but it’s not the norm,” said Chavezmontes.

Nevertheless, there has been an undoubtedly positive shift within historically homogeneous award ceremonies like the Oscars in the past few years, with increased representation of international filmmakers. “What would make it even better would be for there to exist a more diverse ecosystem where financing is increased and there are different ways to exhibit and distribute movies that don’t exactly fit commercially,” Chavezmontes added.

Julio is outspoken about public policies that incentivize and strengthen the national film industry. “All of this is fundamental in increasing viewership and widening our audiences. There needs to be a greater investment in that.” He added that cultural and artistic works are “part of the country’s cultural patrimony, and so should be accessible for the majority of Mexicans.”

PIANO is currently finishing a documentary directed by Argentinian Lucrecia Martell and a movie called “El Jockey,” starring Nahuél Pérez, Daniel Gimenez Cacho and Ursula Corberó. Julio’s biggest production this year is a film called “La Desaparición” (“The Disappearance),” which tells the story of Josef Mengele, Auschwitz’s “Angel of Death,” as a fugitive in South America. The film is directed by Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov.

Expect to see more of Julio Chavezmontes in the years to come.

Montserrat Castro Gómez is a freelance writer and translator from Querétaro, México.

US Ambassador Salazar acknowledges scale of illegal arms trafficking to Mexico

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MND Staff

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December 5, 2023

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Salazar CDMX guns — The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, has acknowledged that 70% of the firearms used to commit violent crimes in Mexico are smuggled from the United States. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

The United States ambassador to Mexico accepted on Monday that 70% of firearms used in violent crimes in Mexico come from the U.S., an acknowledgement that President López Obrador described as “extremely important.”

“Arms trafficking is a big problem in the United States. We acknowledge that 70% of the weapons that arrive in Mexico, that cause violence here in Mexico, arrive from the United States,” Ambassador Ken Salazar said at an event in Mexico City focused on the fight against gunrunning.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry said in 2019 that firearms from the United States are used in seven out of every 10 high-impact crimes committed in Mexico, explaining in a briefing note that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) had confirmed that most guns seized by Mexican authorities come from north of the border.

“Between fiscal years 2012 and 2017, Mexican authorities seized and sent to the ATF for verification a total of 98,654 weapons, of which 69,140 – in other words 70% – were traced to an origin (manufacture or legal importation) in the United States,” the note said.

Even though the 70% figure comes from the U.S. government, López Obrador on Tuesday praised Salazar for his public acknowledgement of it.

“What Ken Salazar acknowledged yesterday is extremely important. We’ve said it [and] we can prove it that at least 70% of weapons brought into Mexico are of U.S. origin because there’s no control over weapons. But for [Salazar] to say it is an act of sincerity and desire for this to be dealt with,” he said.

The smuggling of guns such as these, seized in Nogales, Arizona, is common.(CBP Nogales/X)

“This wasn’t spoken about before,” López Obrador added before going on to criticize the Mérida Initiative security pact between Mexico and the United States – declared “dead” by ex-foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard in 2021 – and the 2009-2011 “fast and furious” gun-running scheme, in which the U.S. government allowed people to buy guns illegally in the U.S. and smuggle them into Mexico so that the weapons could be tracked and law enforcement officials could locate and arrest crime bosses.

The scheme occurred when a “narco-government” was in power in Mexico, López Obrador said, referring to the administration led by former president Felipe Calderón.

“The worst thing is they used [the guns] to murder Mexican and foreign people, with a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of our country. But that’s the way it was,” he said.

“… Now it’s different and this attitude of the ambassador speaks well of there being joint work [to combat arms trafficking],” López Obrador said.

Salazar said Monday that the United States is going to do all it can to prevent the southward flow of firearms.

“That requires investment … to have a more secure border with modern equipment, with technology so that we can detect these weapons before they cross the border,” he said.

“Investigations have to be carried out, [we need] prosecutions of the criminals that use these weapons, of the [criminal] organizations that operate on that side of the border in the United States and here in Mexico,” Salazar said.

“… It’s not just a problem of the United States or of Mexico. It’s a problem we have to work on together,” the ambassador said.

Criminal groups, such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, have stockpiled significant firepower. (Cuartoscuro)

Combating arms trafficking was a key focus of high-level bilateral security talks held in Mexico City in October.

Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez told a press conference at the conclusion of the meeting that Mexico reiterated its request to the United States to “halt the illicit entry of high-powered firearms” to Mexico, while U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the U.S. would “do everything in our power to stop the unlawful trafficking of weapons to the drug traffickers as part of our fight to break up every link of the chain of the drug traffickers.”

As things stand, criminal groups in Mexico don’t appear to have much trouble getting and holding onto illegal firearms.

The Mexican government estimates that hundreds of thousands of guns enter Mexico illegally every year, while data from the Federal Attorney General’s Office obtained by the El Economista newspaper in August showed that the number of firearms estimated to have been brought into Mexico illegally since 2012 is more than 20 times higher than the number of guns seized by authorities in the same period.

While that data underscores the challenge Mexican authorities face, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ coordinator for North American political affairs said Monday that gun seizures have increased significantly during the current term of government.

“So far in this administration 47,481 firearms have been confiscated, 65% more than in the previous administration,” Cristina Planter told the Mexico City anti-arms smuggling event.

In addition to calling on the United States to do more to stop weapons entering Mexico, the federal government sued U.S. gunmakers in 2021, accusing them of negligent business practices that have led to illegal arms trafficking and deaths in Mexico.

Mexico’s case — championed by former foreign affairs minister Ebrard until he left that position in June — was dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in September 2022, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) filed an appeal in March. A ruling on the appeal has not yet been made.

With reports from Expansión, Infobae, El Universal and La Jornada

Over 17 million tourists have flown into Mexico this year

By

Cat Rainsford

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December 5, 2023

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Busy Cancun airport — Cancún International Airport was Mexico's busiest for international tourism for the first ten months of this year. (Elizabeth Ruíz/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico’s airports welcomed more than 17 million international visitors in the first 10 months of this year, and numbers look set to keep growing.

Between January and October 2023, 17.66 million foreign tourists flew into Mexico, according to the Tourism Ministry (Sectur). The figure is 6.2% higher than in the same period of 2022, and 13.8% higher than in the same period of 2019 – the latest sign that Mexico’s tourism industry continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Terminal 1 of Mexico City Airport (AICM) — Recent years have seen a spate of airport-building and renovation of existing airports, such as Mexico City International Airport. (X / AICM)

Visitors from the United States made up most air arrivals, totaling 11.21 million in the first ten months of the year – 27.9% more than in the same period of 2019. Canadians came in a distant second place, with 1.84 million visitors – up 51.6% from 2019. In third place were Colombians, with 604,468 tourists – up 23.9% from 2019.

Between them, these three nationalities made up 76% of all international tourists arriving in Mexico by air.

The busiest airports for international tourism were Cancún International Airport (CUN), with 8.16 million arrivals; Mexico City International Airport (AICM), with 3.5 million arrivals; and Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) in Baja California Sur, with 1.88 million arrivals. All showed significant growth from the previous year.

Sectur published figures in November showing that Mexico received US $22.91 billion of international tourism income between January and September. This is up 11.8% from the same period of 2022, and 23.3% from the same period of 2019.

The Tourism Ministry also highlighted the economic spillover that tourism generates in local communities, “thus fulfilling the mandate of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to make tourism a tool for social reconciliation.”

López Obrador has championed several initiatives aimed at using tourism to boost development in Mexico – notably the Maya Train and the new Tulum International Airport. However, these projects have been far from uncontroversial, with many activists criticizing their impact on the local environment and population.

Nevertheless, tourism remains vital to Mexico’s economy, representing more than 8% of the country’s GDP. And several developments mean that air arrivals are likely to grow further in 2024.

Most significantly, the restoration of Mexico’s Category 1 aviation safety rating has prompted several national airlines to open new international routes. Aeroméxico has recently announced 17 new flights to the U.S., VivaAerobus has announced 11 and the government expects the total to reach more than 50 in the near term.

With reports from La Jornada and Infobae

Michoacán governor announces European investments in the state

By

Cat Rainsford

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December 5, 2023

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A flurry of European businesses have committed to future investments in Michoacán Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla announced at a press conference following his trade tour to Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.

Ramírez spent the last week of November meeting with European business leaders to discuss opportunities to take advantage of Mexico’s nearshoring boom.

Michoacán’s major Lazaro Cardenas port complex makes it an attractive investment destination for businesses looking to do business in both North America and Asia. (Asipona)

One of the most important agreements was a 2.42 billion peso (US $139 million) contract with Dutch company APM Terminals to expand the Lázaro Cárdenas port terminal. The work is due to be carried out by May next year.

Other key deals include a commitment by the Austrian company Agrana Fruit to develop a fruit processing factory in Jacona, and a coordination agreement with Austria’s Andritz Group to modernize the Francisco J. Múgica dam.

“Synergy on green energies was also achieved with Siemens Energy, and the possibility of installing a hydrogen generating plant in Lázaro Cárdenas to serve the industrial, transportation and automotive sectors was evaluated,” Ramírez said.

The Michoacán government also committed to investing 3.2 billion pesos (US $184 million) in manufacturing metal structures for the planned Uruapan cable bus, which is being manufactured at a plant in Austria.

Michoacán also enjoys a direct rail link with the United States and Canada. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

Other possibilities Ramírez discussed on his tour included opening a liaison office in Germany to facilitate administrative procedures for European companies seeking to establish operations in Michoacán.

Ramírez highlighted that around 70% of the nearshoring investments in Michoacán during the first two years of his administration were of European origin, a total of 49.1 billion pesos (US $2.8 billion) since October 2021.

“Not only are companies in Asia going to come; there are also European companies that want to come or that want to expand their operations in Mexico to integrate into the North American market,” said Michoacán Economic Development Minister, Claudio Méndez Fernández.

Méndez added that the state is attractive to European businesses because it has strong connectivity not only to North America – via a 32,000-kilometer railway network that links the state directly to the U.S. and Canada – but also to Asian markets, via the Pacific port of Lázaro Cárdenas. This access is set to become even smoother, with the expansion to four lanes of the Siglo XXI highway that links the port to Michoacán’s state capital.

With reports from Milenio and El Economista

3 Mexican recipes (and secret tips) from my 99-year-old abuelita

By

MND Staff

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December 5, 2023

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A photo of plated enchiladas — MND writer Gabriela Solís abuela's enchiladas (and frijoles refritos, and chilaquiles) were a hit with readers earlier this month. (Unsplash)

My grandmother on my mother’s side will turn 100 years old in December and is the best cook I know. She married at 18, had 10 children, and spent over half her life cooking for her family, only stopping at age 93.

As the family grew and her children got married, my abuelita always had food ready on the stove in case one of my aunts, uncles or cousins stopped by to have lunch. That was the case with my sisters and I, who had lunch at her house at least twice a week while we were young.

Abu Ene (short for Abuelita) with one of her great-granddaughters in 2019. (Courtesy of Gabriela Solis)

Having grown up very close to my grandmother’s cooking, I asked her to teach me how to cook her best Mexican recipes before I got married. Today, I prepare these recipes almost every week.

Frijoles refritos

I’m probably one of very few Mexicans who are not fans of beans. Growing up, I would never eat them – I hated the flavor, the texture and specifically, the smell.

But as I grew up and realized how weird it was that I didn’t like beans, I ventured to try my grandma’s recipe because everybody praised them. Even my dad would say that no one, not even my mom, could cook frijoles like my grandma.

I finally tried her frijoles refritos as a teenager, and while I didn’t fall in love with frijoles themselves, this is the only bean recipe that I fancy to eat at home.

Ingredients:

1 cup of pre-cooked Mexican beans (bayos)
½ chile guajillo without seeds
½ piece of chile de árbol without seeds
50 g of Mexican chorizo (it doesn’t taste the same if you cook the frijoles with Spanish chorizo, but if that’s all you’ve got, go ahead)
1/3 cup of bean stock (the water where you cooked the beans)
1 Tbsp of vegetable or olive oil
Salt to season

Don’t be afraid to play around with the quantities depending on how spicy and liquefied you like the beans.

Procedure:

In a hot pan, pour the oil and stir fry the chiles with the chorizo until brown.

Blend the pre-cooked beans with the chiles, chorizo and bean stock using a blender or food processor. Pour the blended beans back into the same pan where you stir fried the chiles and add salt to taste. Stir with a wooden spoon and heat until the beans begin to bubble.

If the consistency of the beans is too thick, you can add more bean stock.

Serve hot and sprinkle cotija, adobera or cheddar cheese on top. Enjoy as a side dish for carne asada, scrambled or sunny side up eggs, on tostadas, on molletes…and beyond.

Abuelita’s tip:

*If you live abroad like me and can’t find Mexican beans, use canned frijoles refritos and mix them with the browned chilis and chorizo for added flavor.

Enchiladas

Enchiladas are my favorite Mexican dish. I could eat enchiladas every day if too much fried tortillas didn’t tip the scale!

This recipe is so tasty that, save for a few restaurants I know that make great enchiladas, I rarely order enchiladas at a Mexican restaurant because I know I have the best recipe at home.

Ingredients:

¼ cup of water to boil
¼ cup of water to mix
2 chiles guajillo without seeds
½ chile de árbol without seeds
½ clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp. of white vinegar
Tortillas
Vegetable oil or olive oil

Enchilada fillings:

Shredded chicken
Mashed potatoes mixed with salt

To garnish:

Lettuce
Shredded cheese (if you’re in Jalisco, have your enchiladas with adobera cheese. Otherwise, use cotija or cheddar cheese)
Sliced radish
Fresh crema

Procedure:

In a small saucepan, place water to boil on high. Once it starts boiling, add in the chiles and lower the flame to medium heat. Boil for two minutes and transfer to a blender with the other ¼ cup of water.

Add the garlic, vinegar and salt to the blender and mix until you get a smooth consistency. Place the chile mix on a plate and reserve.

Pour the oil into a hot pan, making sure it covers the whole surface. Keep the heat on low to medium. Meanwhile, dip your tortillas in the chile mix and fry them one by one in the pan. Leave for a few seconds before flipping each tortilla. After a few seconds, remove and place your chile-flavored tortillas on a plate.

Add the filling of your choice to each tortilla and fold it over twice. Repeat until you have at least three enchiladas and serve hot on the same plate.

Garnish with cheese, thinly sliced lettuce, fresh cream, and a few slices of radish.

Abuelita’s tip:

*You can add one raw egg to the chile mix if you want to add in more protein. It also helps the sauce and oil not to “jump” when you place the tortilla in the hot oil.

*Be generous with the oil. It must cover the whole pan and the tortilla must float, otherwise the tortilla will stick to the pan.

Chilaquiles

If you want to impress your friends and family with a delicious breakfast, nothing is more authentic than this flavorful chilaquiles recipe. Enjoy it with fresh orange juice and sliced bread or bolillo, and you’re in for a true Mexican feast!

Ingredients:

Totopos or tortilla chips
8 plum tomatoes
1 Tbsp of tomato paste
1 small clove of garlic, minced
4 guajillo chiles without seeds
1 chile de árbol without seeds
1/3 of an onion, chopped
1 cup of water
1 Tbsp of vegetable or olive oil
1 tsp of oregano
Salt to season

To garnish:

Fresh crema
Shredded cheddar, adobera or cotija cheese
Diced onion

Procedure:

In a saucepan, place the tomatoes and the chiles and cover with water. Cook until the skin on the tomatoes begins to break.

Drain the water from the saucepan and place the tomatoes and chiles in a blender along with the onion, garlic and water. Strain the mix and reserve.

In a hot saucepan over low heat, heat the oil and add the tomato paste. Toastry for a minute and add the tomato sauce. Add salt and oregano to taste and boil over low to medium heat for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.

To serve, place the totopos on a plate and pour the sauce evenly on top. Garnish with fresh crema, finely diced onion and shredded cheese.

¡Buen provecho! I hope you enjoy these recipes with your family and loved ones!

By Mexico News Daily writer Gabriela Solís

Foreign Affairs Minister Bárcena visits China to purchase supplies for Acapulco

By

MND Staff

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December 5, 2023

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Alicia Bárcena in China — Mexico's Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena met with Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday. (SRE/X)

Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena met with top officials in China on Monday and Tuesday during a trip to the east Asian nation to purchase household appliances and other goods for the victims of Hurricane Otis in Guerrero.

Bárcena held talks with Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Tuesday and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Monday.

Alicia Bárcena with Wang Wentao — Bárcena met with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao (center) on Monday. (SRE/X)

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said in a statement that Bárcena in her Tuesday meeting thanked China for its support in the wake of Hurricane Otis, which devastated Acapulco and nearby areas on Oct. 25, and for enabling “the immediate purchase of electrical appliances for affected families.”

The SRE said in a separate statement on Sunday that the foreign minister was leading a delegation to China and South Korea that was seeking to purchase “household goods, appliances and basic necessities for the victims of Hurricane Otis in Guerrero.”

President López Obrador said last week that Mexico was looking to buy some 200,000 appliances in China. The government intends to distribute appliances such as stoves and fridges free of charge to hurricane victims.

According to the SRE, Wang Yi on Tuesday “ratified the instruction given by President Xi Jinping to support Mexico on this issue.”

Acapulco residents receive household appliances — Acapulco residents wait in line for hours to receive household items, which the government is distributing to those affected by Hurricane Otis. (CARLOS ALBERTO CARBAJAL/CUARTOSCURO.COM)

At a meeting with López Obrador in San Francisco last month, Xi, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, conveyed his condolences “for the recent hurricane disaster on the Pacific coast of Mexico and said that China will provide substantial assistance to Mexico in the procurement of materials in response to the disaster.”

At their meeting on Tuesday, Bárcena and Wang Yi agreed that the presidents “strengthened bilateral ties, reaffirmed the friendship between Mexico and China and achieved important agreements” at their meeting on the sidelines of the APEC conference in San Francisco.

In his talks with Xi, López Obrador “mentioned the challenges shared by both countries, and the need to exchange information and lessons learned in the fight against the illicit trafficking of precursor chemicals” used to manufacture fentanyl, according to the Mexican government.

Earlier this year, the Chinese government denied that fentanyl and precursor chemicals used to make the synthetic opioid are shipped to Mexico from China, but has now accepted that they are.

AMLO meets with Xi Jinping — President López Obrador met with President Xi Jinping for the first time in November in San Francisco. (Andrés Manuel López Obrador/X)

In Beijing on Tuesday, Bárcena and her Chinese counterpart “agreed on the importance of the visit to China in October of a Mexican delegation that led to the establishment of a Mexico-China working group … to combat the trafficking of chemical precursors that can be used for the manufacture of synthetic drugs and fentanyl.”

The two countries are collaborating to monitor the movement of precursor chemicals and exchanging information to assist each other in the fight against fentanyl.

Among other remarks at her meeting with Wang Yi, Bárcena “emphasized the importance of strengthening the CELAC-China forum,” through which Latin American and Caribbean nations engage with the Asian superpower, and “reiterated Mexico’s adherence to the One China principle.”

Wang Yi, according to Xinhua, told Bárcena that “China is willing to view and develop relations with Mexico from a strategic and long-term perspective.”

He also said that “China stands ready to work with Mexico to uphold mutual respect and equal treatment, and bring bilateral relations to a new level.”

China is Mexico’s second largest trading partner after the United States, and the two countries entered into a “comprehensive strategic partnership” a decade ago.

Alicia Bárcena in meetings with Chinese officials — Mexican and Chinese officials both stated they are committed to a “deepening” of the Mexico-China relationship. (SRE/X)

But Mexican and Chinese officials are currently emphasizing that they are seeking to further strengthen bilateral ties. Bárcena and Wang Yi on Tuesday, and Bárcena and Wang Wentao on Monday, committed to “deepening” the Mexico-China relationship, according to the SRE and the Chinese government.

Wang Wentao told the Mexican foreign minister that China is willing to work with Mexico “to promote the high quality development of bilateral economic and trade relations,” while President Xi last month called on China and Mexico to increase cooperation in sectors including electric vehicles and finance.

Chinese investment in Mexico is growing, but China wasn’t among the top 10 investors in the country in the first nine months of 2023, according to the Economy Ministry.

However, based on investment announcements made by Chinese companies between January and November, China is currently the second largest foreign investor in Mexico behind the United States, reported Integralia, a Mexico City-based consultancy that tracks foreign investment in Mexico.

Bárcena, in her meeting with Wang Wentao, welcomed Chinese investment in Mexico.

The foreign minister, who was accompanied by Mexico’s Ambassador to China Jesús Seade and other officials, also thanked the commerce minister for his assistance in the aftermath of Otis, the most powerful hurricane to have ever made landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

Bárcena also met on Monday with Cong Liang, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, with whom she spoke about “issues of common interest,” according to the SRE.

The foreign minister will next head to South Korea, Mexico’s third largest trading partner in 2022. There she will meet with senior officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and representatives of the business community and the Mexican community, the SRE said.

Bárcena’s trip to Asia “reaffirms the importance Mexico attaches to its relationship with both China and the Republic of Korea,” the ministry said.

With reports from EFE, Xinhua and AP

10 best art and history exhibits to see in Mexico City in December

By

MND Staff

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December 5, 2023

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shutterstock_2057931812 — Close out the year with this tour of Mexico City's top art and culture exhibits.(Aberu.Go / Shutterstock)

Mexico City has been named the world’s best city for culture by Time Out magazine this year, which highlighted the city’s impressive array of museums.

Now is the time to explore the city’s art and culture scene with this selection of exhibitions running through December.

Everyone Gets Lighter — Everything Gets Lighter is an exhibition curated from the Museo Jumex collection in celebration of its 10th anniversary. (Fundación Jumex)

Everything Gets Lighter

Curated by the director of New York’s New Museum, Lisa Phillips, the exhibition celebrates the museum’s 10th anniversary and features artwork by 67 international artists exploring current events and focusing on the healing power of light and lightness.

When: Open now until Feb. 11, 2024
Where: Museo Jumex
Free of charge

Los Salvajes

An exhibition by Mexican artist Sergio Hernández that depicts his vision of the European savage. Works combine ancient omens that predicted the arrival of strangers to Teotihuacán, codices from the Spanish Conquest, and pre-Columbian themes to portray delusions, dreams, and nightmares.

When: Open now until Jan. 28, 2024
Where: Colegio de San Ildefonso
General Admission: 50 pesos

Images of Original Peoples

Featuring over 40 pieces, this exhibition showcases the richness of Mexico’s Indigenous communities through portraits, sculptures, and drawings covering social and political themes.

When: Open now through Feb. 3, 2024
Where: Inbal Museum
Free of charge

Perpetual Movement: Nahui Ollin

“Perpetual Movement” celebrates the 130th birth anniversary of Carmen Mondragón (also known as Nahui Ollin), a Mexican painter and poet. It features selected photography and documentary works that showcase Mondragón’s vision during her family’s exile in France and the death of her only son, Manuel.

When: Open now until Jan. 7, 2024
Where: Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo
General Admission: 45 pesos

Mexichrome: Photography and color in Mexico

RIng in the new year with some of Mexico City’s best art with our eclectic selection of cultural exhibitions. (Galería OMR/Rubén Ortiz Torres)

Through more than 180 photographs by Mexican and international artists, sourced from diverse archives and private collections around the world, this exhibition explores the events that happened in Mexico after the introduction of color film.

When: Open now until March 3, 2024
Where: Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes
General admission: 85 pesos

Pop, Politics, Punk

A collection of 150 varied artworks, the exhibition revisits the Museo de Arte Moderno’s collection through the lenses of pop, politics and punk, converging in their critique of modernity’s utopian ideals in the 20th century.

When: Open now until Jan. 14
Where: Museo de Arte Moderno
General admission: 85 pesos

Sound mind, sound body: In search of health

This exhibition explores the evolution of medicine, hygiene, and education, highlighting technological advancements that have improved our quality of life. It also reflects on daily practices and taboos that exist around health.

When: Open now until Feb. 25
Where: Museo del Objeto del Objeto
General admission: 65 pesos

Francisco Castro Leñero. The logic of beauty

Painting by Francisco Castro Leñero — Punto y línea by Francisco Castro Leñero [detail]. (Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes)

The exhibition is a tribute to one of the most prominent abstract artists in Mexico, on the first anniversary of his death. It showcases a diverse collection of acrylic paintings, engravings, drawings, and three-dimensional objects, spanning five decades of Castro’s work.

When: Open now until Jan. 14, 2024
Where: Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes
General admission: 85 pesos

The Carvajal Manuscript

The manuscript is one of the earliest stories about New Spain, written by colonial governor Luis Carvajal. The manuscript inspired muralist Diego Rivera to paint his famous mural “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon.”

When: From now until Jan. 28, 2024
Where: Museo Mural Diego Rivera
General admission: 45 pesos

Beyond Tutankhamun, The Immersive Experience

This National Geographic-produced virtual reality exhibition reconstructs the tomb and treasures of ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the tomb’s discovery.

When: Dec. 15 to May 16
Where: Monumento a las Madres
General Admission: 470 pesos

Mexico News Daily

Pro take: How have women risen to the top of Mexican politics?

By

MND Staff

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December 4, 2023

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Women politicians on International Women's Day — Women governors and members of President López Obrador's cabinet are seen here celebrating International Women's Day in March. Not only are two women in the lead for the presidency, gender quotas have brought women into all levels of Mexican politics. (ANDREA MURCIA/ CUARTOSCURO.COM)

You might have been surprised when the news broke that Mexico — a country historically known for chauvinism — is on the path to elect a woman as president in 2024.

But Xóchitl Gálvez and Claudia Sheinbaum are not aberrations in the country’s political landscape. Mexico’s Congress achieved gender parity in 2018, meaning half of Mexico’s senators and federal deputies are women. Women govern in 10 Mexican states, and President López Obrador’s cabinet is also 50-50 women and men, with women in some of the most prominent positions: Interior Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister and Security Minister.

In January, the Supreme Court elected its first female chief justice, Norma Piña. Ruling party Morena is again putting forward a woman, Clara Brugada, to run for Mexico City mayor (Sheinbaum was the city’s first female mayor, elected in 2018) in compliance with gender quotas that require parties choose five women as candidates in the nine gubernatorial races of 2024.

And yet, Mexican women didn’t gain the right to vote nationwide until 1953, three decades after women’s suffrage was achieved in the United States. How did this political transformation happen?

Xóchitl and Claudia were chosen by their respective parties as the most competitive candidates from a pool of mostly men. Their nominations were not the result of gender quotas, but it’s safe to say that the use of these quotas — most consistently since the electoral reform of 2014 – is responsible for bringing more women than ever into Mexican politics.

The numbers are startling. In 2009, 93.7% of Mexico’s governors were men, as were 72.4% of federal deputies and 80.5% of senators. At that point, only six women had ever been governor of a state. Yucatán state’s legislature had the highest number of women lawmakers in 2009, at 40%, and the lowest was Chiapas, with a mere 4.2%. In contrast, in 2022, for the first time, there were more women than men in state legislatures (566 women, 496 men and 1 non-binary person).

This acceleration hasn’t been smooth, with political parties at times resisting the push towards gender parity by exploiting legal loopholes.

One of the best-known cases of this occurred in 2009 when eight female federal deputies resigned and were replaced by their designated substitutes – all of whom happened to be men. In a number of cases, they were men related to the women who had been elected. The group of women legislators were dubbed “Las Juanitas” in the press, in reference to another 2009 election, when a man named Rafael “Juanito” Acosta agreed to resign upon election as mayor of Iztapalapa to make way for his substitute, Clara Brugada. The case of “Las Juanitas” led to modifications in electoral regulation – parties thereafter had to choose substitutes of the same gender as the candidates they put forward.

Another scandal happened much more recently: In 2021, a party called Fuerza por México (which has since dissolved) declared 18 male candidates for various municipal offices in the state of Tlaxcala were actually trans women in order to comply with gender parity law. The maneuver caused such confusion they almost got away with it. However, after word got out about the deception, the state electoral board revoked the candidacies of the men who had switched genders.

There are 19 states in Mexico that have gender identity laws on the books, which allows for individuals to officially change their gender at a civil registry. In the rest of the country, this change is a slower, more arduous legal process. Legal analysts and feminist activists have pointed out concerns similar to those in other countries debating how to avoid the abuse of gender self-ID to either “avoid financial, civil or judicial obligations” — or in this case, to get elected.

“It is essential to rethink these identity laws,” said feminist activist Arussi Unda in the immediate aftermath of the Tlaxcala case, quoted in El País newspaper. “Because they end up not benefiting women or the LGBTI community, since they are easily manipulated.”

So if we look beyond the sphere of politics, how do Mexican women fare in comparison to men?

Mexico ranked 25th on the 2020 World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report of 153 countries, which includes metrics beyond political representation, including women’s economic empowerment, educational attainment and health outcomes. The United States ranked in 53rd place in the same report, held back mostly by the relative lack of women in U.S. politics. Canada ranked 19th, but both the northern countries scored lower than Mexico on political empowerment, while Mexico scored below both on economic equality.

While women’s labor participation in Mexico has reached historic levels (46.4% in Q3 this year), according to a recent report by think tank IMCO, the gap in women’s leadership roles in the Mexican business world is wide. Women hold only 13% of leadership positions in the 184 companies surveyed and a mere 4% have a female chief executive.

At this rate, IMCO calculated that the gender gap in Mexican businesses will not be closed until 2052. Women in the U.S., by comparison, have reached 31.7% of top executive positions across industries.

Will female policymakers enable (and enforce) broader opportunities for women across society? As women advance into the highest levels of political power in Mexico, we will soon find out.

Kate Bohné is chief news editor at Mexico News Daily. You can find her writing on The Mexpatriate.