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Mexico’s new national water plan to review over 100K water concessions

By
MND Staff
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Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum at a podium talking to reporters about Mexico's national water plan at a press conference.
"There are people who have a water concession but don't use it; they even sell it in some cases," Sheinbaum told reporters Thursday. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

Reviewing hundreds of thousands of water use permits is a key focus of the National Water Plan presented by the federal government on Thursday.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said that one of the “essences” of the plan is to recognize water as a human right rather than a “good” to be sold.

Mexico's National Water Commission (Conagua) General Director Efraín Morales López standing at a podium at a presidential press conference speaking to reporters in front of a projection of a report on the National Water Plan. President Sheinbaum is looking at the screen turned away from the camera
National Water Commission General Director Efraín Morales López told reporters at President Sheinbaum’s press conference Thursday that only 15% of Mexico’s water is currently allocated for “public urban use.” (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

She noted that the plan aims to “sort out” the water concessions issued to private and public interests over the years and identify those not being used.

“There are people who have a water concession but don’t use it; they even sell it in some cases. … What we want is for water that isn’t being used to be returned to the nation, … even municipalities have water concessions,” Sheinbaum told her morning press conference.

“… Water belongs to the nation. … Fortunately we’ve had a lot of dialogue … with industry and with irrigation districts, and they’re willing … to return water concessions they are not using,” she said.

Sheinbaum said the plan will allow the government to “reduce overexploitation and make water available … for human consumption.”

Water shortages affect various parts of Mexico including Mexico City, where at least 60 companies reportedly have permits allowing them to extract more than 1 million liters of water per day from the Valley of Mexico’s water supply.

There was speculation this year that “Day Zero” – the oft-used term for the day on which Mexico City runs out of water – was nigh.

Corn farmer in Mexico
Agriculture accounts for the use of 76% of Mexico’s available water, according to government data. (Dreamstime)

Mexico currently has low water reserves, even after a rainy summer, amplifying concerns about current and future water scarcity and making the implementation of a plan to remedy the situation essential.

Water usage in Mexico

Before examining the details of the National Water Plan, it is pertinent to look at how water is used in Mexico.

National Water Commission (Conagua) General Director Efraín Morales López told Sheinbaum’s Thursday morning press conference that 76% of water in Mexico goes to the agricultural sector and 9% is used by industry (including for electricity generation).

The remaining 15% of water is allocated to “public urban use,” Morales said.

The National Water Plan’s objectives and 4 central tenets 

The Conagua chief said that the objectives of the water plan are to:

  • Guarantee the human right to water in sufficient quantity and quality.
  • Ensure the sustainability of Mexico’s water resources.
  • Promote responsible water management.

Morales said that the plan is based on four central tenets:

  • Water policy that supports national sovereignty.
  • Universal access to water.
  • Mitigation of climate change.
  • Comprehensive and transparent management of water resources.
In some parts of Mexico, water scarcity has been a way of life for decades. Some urban areas are unable to provide uninterrupted access to water to all residents. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

The specific ‘actions’ of the water plan 

1. Revision of water concessions. 

Morales said that Conagua is reviewing all water use permits and identifying “those that aren’t being used” with the aim of reincorporating the volumes of water allocated via concessions to “national availability.”

He said that around 2,600 concessions were issued between 1917 and 1992, but more than 360,000 were granted in the subsequent decade.

The issuance of so many permits led to overexploitation of water resources and other adverse impacts “that unfortunately we’re still experiencing,” Morales said.

2. A water ‘inspection program’ 

Elderly women carrying pumps and hoses into a pickup truck in rural Michoacan
In April, a Purépecha community made headlines when members dismantled makeshift pumps and hoses in Michoacán’s Zirahuén lake, which had lost three feet of water depth, according to the Environmental Ministry. The community said avocado farms were illegally siphoning the water. (Indigenous Community of Zirahuén/Facebook)

Morales said that Conagua, in conjunction with various federal departments and state and municipal authorities, would “implement an inspection program in the whole country to put order to the use of water.”

The aim is to detect illegal, improper and wasteful use of water.

“Our main collaborator will be the people of Mexico, so we make a call to report any irregularity with regard to the use of water,” Morales said.

3. Law changes 

Morales said that the government will present reforms to the National Water Law to prevent “any kind of speculation” on water including via the sale of water use permits.

He said that the “neoliberal model” that was in place for more than three decades before former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in 2018 created an “alternative market” for water and that people “took advantage” and turned water into a “business.”

Factories such as that of Leoni Wiring Systems will be able to reopen on Monday.
Some of Mexico’s water use permits originally meant for use by agriculture have in subsequent years been sold to real estate developers and to factories, Morales said.

Offering an example, Morales said that some water permits issued for use in the agricultural sector were sold to real estate developers and factories.

4. Irrigation technology 

The Conagua chief also outlined a plan to use technology to ensure the “more efficient” use of water in irrigation.

In conjunction with the Agriculture Ministry, “we’re going to apply technology to more than 200,000 hectares” of agricultural land, Morales said.

“… This will benefit  … more than 225,000 farming families and also all the people of Mexico because we’re going to produce more food with less water,” he said.

“… Part of the water we save will be allocated to human consumption and to replenish our aquifiers,” Morales said.

Streams of water spraying over farmland with young green, leafy plants from irrigation pipes.
Another way Mexico wants to tackle its water issues is by encouraging farmers to use more modern, sustainable and water-efficient irrigation systems. (Government of Mexico)

Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué Sacristán told Sheinbaum’s press conference that through the use of technology in irrigation, farmers will be able to “control very precisely how much water reaches each of their plants.”

He said that the Agriculture Ministry estimates that production on land where irrigation technology is used will consequently increase by 51%.

“So this doesn’t just contribute to [guaranteeing] the human right to water but also makes a formidable contribution to the nation’s food sovereignty,” Berdegué said.

5. Infrastructure projects 

As part of the National Water Plan, “we’re going to carry out infrastructure projects in the whole country,” Morales said.

The Conagua chief enumerated more than a dozen projects, including various dam and aqueduct initiatives. Morales also mentioned a planned desalination plant in Baja California, projects to mitigate the effects of flooding in Tabasco and initiatives for central Mexico that Sheinbaum outlined earlier this year.

A soldier helps a woman and her child escape flooding in Tabasco.
A soldier helps a woman and her child escape flooding in Tabasco in 2020. (File photo)

6. Cleaning up rivers 

Morales said that on the “instructions of the president,” cleaning up contaminated rivers is also part of the National Water Plan.

“We’re going to give priority to the three most contaminated rivers in the country,” he said, noting that they are the Lerma-Santiago River in Jalisco, the Atoyac River in Puebla and Tlaxcala and the Tula River in Hidalgo.

“For the planning and execution of this program we’re working very closely and in a very coordinated way with the Environment Ministry, with [Environment Minister] Alicia Bárcena and also with local governments,” Morales said.

7. The National Agreement for the Human Right to Water and Sustainability 

The Conagua chief said that the National Agreement for the Human Right to Water and Sustainability is an initiative in which irrigators — “the main industrial consumers” of water – educational institutes, communities and all three levels of government will participate.

Mexicans holding a large banner on a Mexico City street, protesting poor wastewater management by Conagua.
Residents of Hidalgo at Conagua headquarters in Mexico City in June, demanding a solution to flooding and pollution of the Tula river, which receives untreated wastewater from Mexico City. (Rogelio Morales Ponce/Cuartoscuro)

The ultimate aim of the agreement is for water to be used in the most efficient way possible to ensure adequate supply.

Companies that sign on to the agreement will invest in “making their production processes more efficient in order to save water,” Morales said.

Some companies will also invest in water projects that benefit the communities in which they are located, he said.

“We have commitments for private investment of more than 16.4 billion pesos,” Morales said.

“And as part of this agreement, there will be an awareness campaign about saving water, about the use and care of water,” he said. “This agreement will be signed on Nov. 25.”

How much will the federal government spend on water projects in 2025?

At the conclusion of his presentation on the National Water Plan, Morales said that the government will invest approximately 20 billion pesos (close to US $1 billion) on water projects next year.

He described the “outlook” on the water situation in Mexico and the world as “complex, noting the prevalence of water stress and “complications that climate change brings.”

However, via the “equitable distribution” of water and “adequate management of our resources,” it will be possible to have a future in which water is not a “matter for dispute,” Morales said.

“… Let’s all remember that water is wellbeing,” he added.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

Tec de Monterrey ranked one of the world’s top undergrad universities for entrepreneurship

By
MND Staff
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A sign reads Technológico de Monterrey, with glass and metal buildings in the background
The Monterrey Technological Institute, commonly known as the Tec de Monterry, is based in Nuevo León but has campuses across the country. (Guillermo Alejandro/Shutterstock)

Mexico’s Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey Technological Institute), a private university based in Monterrey, Nuevo León, is the ninth-best undergraduate university in the world for entrepreneurship according to a ranking by the Princeton Review.

The Princeton Review: Top Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurship 2025 said it evaluated entrepreneurship programs from nearly 300 schools based on surveys of schools conducted from June through August 2024.

The Mexican university stands out because, according to its data, over 68% of its students have taken at least one course related to entrepreneurship during their academic careers. Furthermore, 43% of its graduates have successfully launched businesses that create employment and positively impact their communities.

Tec de Monterrey is the only foreign university on the list and the first one in the international category. It has remained on the top 10 ranking since 2019.

Which universities make up the top 10 in the ranking?

The University of Houston came in as the best university for undergrad entrepreneurship, followed by University of Texas at Austin, Babson College, University of Washington, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Maryland College Park, Miami University and at No. 10 on the list, Northeastern University.

What does the Princeton Review ranking evaluate?

The entrepreneurship survey methodology is based on several fields.

  • Academics and requirements, which evaluate the number and type of entrepreneurship-related courses offered by the school. Tec de Monterrey offered 148 subjects and two courses to promote entrepreneurship for students.
  • Students and faculty, which considers the total enrollment of students in an entrepreneurship course, as well as the total number of faculty who teaches at least one entrepreneurship course. It also evaluates how many teachers have started a business.
  • Alumni entrepreneurship ventures, which counts how many students have started a business in the last five to ten years.
  • Activities outside the classroom, which evaluates how many mentorship or academic programs students have access to outside of campus.
  • Finally, the ranking evaluates the number, variety and cash prizes of competitions hosted by the school, as well as the scholarships offered.

About Tec de Monterrey

Eduardo Garza Sada (1892-1973), one of Mexico’s top businessmen and founder of today’s FEMSA group (Coca-Cola’s largest bottler and owner of Oxxo convenience stores) founded Tecnológico de Monterrey in 1943.

According to the university’s website, in July of that year, Garza convened a group of businessmen and professionals from Monterrey to form the Enseñanza e Investigación Superior, A.C.,with the “purpose of operating a private educational institution of the highest academic level.”

The university began with 350 students. Today, it teaches over 90,000 who study under some of the 11 doctoral programs, 59 master and specialization programs, 54 undergraduate degrees and 3 high school programs.

Tecnológico de Monterrey is a private, non-profit, independent institution with no political and religious affiliations.

With reports from El Economista

Preliminary economic data indicates a weak start to the fourth quarter of 2024

By
MND Staff
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Workers in lab coats and hard hats watch another worker in a Mexican factory
Growth in the industrial sector was stagnant in October. (IMSS/Cuartoscuro)

Preliminary data released by the national statistics institute INEGI on Thursday indicate that the Mexican economy may have slowed in October, at the start of Q4 2024.

The negative news comes a day before INEGI releases official economic data for September, which is expected to reveal a contraction. INEGI’s revised preliminary report for September — also released this week — projected a 0.2% contraction of the economy.

If the October results pan out as indicated, Mexico could be looking at a third consecutive month of negative growth as August saw a 0.3% economic contraction.

Thursday’s preliminary report — referred to by its acronym as IOAE — suggests that economic activity slowed in October. The contraction was barely perceptible at less than 0.1% compared to the previous month, hinting that the fourth quarter could be off to a sluggish start

The IOAE report uses “nowcasting” methodology to produce estimates of seasonally adjusted economic performance and year-on-year GDP variations. It is important to recognize that the IOAE report only analyzes industry and services. It does not consider the agriculture sector.

The IOAE report for October found that monthly industrial growth remained stagnant, exhibiting almost no growth following 0.6% growth in September’s IOAE report, according to the newspaper La Jornada.

The IOAE indicator allows INEGI to quickly estimate economic activity, rather than waiting months for full reports from each sector. IGAE, on the other hand, is a slower, more accurate measurement based on finalized data.

At the same time, the October report showed no significant monthly change in the services and trade sectors after September’s IOAE report indicated a 0.7% contraction.

“The IOAE paints a gloomier picture than the GDP estimates we’ve seen,” Julio Santaella, former INEGI director, said, according to the newspaper El Economista.

The IOAE report indicates that although there was moderate annualized growth compared to August, September and October of 2023, this year’s data reflects a contraction with regard to previous months.

The GDP estimates to which Santaella referred project 1% third-quarter growth and 1.5% growth compared to the same period in 2023, according to El Economista.

Analysts at Monex, a Mexican foreign exchange company, said the IOAE report contrasts with recent consumer confidence surveys, although it is in line with the latest business sentiment report.

The online publication Animal Político reported that a recent survey of businessmen by the central bank found that expectations of economic growth had slipped. Whereas the Banxico survey found that in January the private sector anticipated GDP growth of 2.4% this year, businessmen surveyed in October expected only 1.4% growth.

A Monex analyst told El Economista that Friday’s release of both September’s GDP report and the official third-quarter data will be revealing.

“Attention will be focused on the construction sector,” the Monex analyst told El Economista, “especially as several public and private sector projects were completed.

With reports from El Economista, La Jornada and Animal Político

Extreme cold front closes key Gulf Coast ports, as winter weather blows in from the north

By
MND Staff
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People in the water on a Cancun beach. On the beach near the shore is a red advisory flag warning of strong currents
Extremely cold and wIndy weather is hitting Mexico in its Gulf Coast states and in the Caribbean, which prompted the closure of several ports and restrictions on navigation starting Wednesday afternoon. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

The season’s 10th cold front has descended on Mexico, and with it has come warnings of a nortazo, or a norther, prompting the Naval Ministry (Semar) to close several key ports in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mexico’s National Water Commission (Conagua) issued alerts on Thursday morning that the norther — a cold gale or storm with north winds — would affect large sections of southeastern Mexico.

Mexico’s national weather service predicted heavy rains and strong winds in Gulf Coast states, prompting the navy, which runs Mexico’s ports, to order the temporary closures. (Conagua/Twitter)

 

 

Conagua forecast heavy rains along the Gulf Coast, while also issuing a special advisory for coastal areas of the state of Veracruz.

Veracruz state residents were warned of heavy rains throughout the morning, and Conagua forecast that the norther would produce gusts of wind up to 80 km/h. Coastal areas of Veracruz were warned that waves could reach as high as 2 to 3 meters.

The online news site Urbis reported that municipal authorities in the cities of Veracruz and Boca del Río had urged residents to remain indoors.

The Conagua forecast for southeastern Mexico included heavy rains and thick clouds in the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Tabasco. There, the norther was expected to produce gusts of wind from 80 to 100 km/h and waves reaching up to 5 meters in height in the Gulf of Tehuantepec. 

Conagua also issued an advisory about possible flooding and mudslides, while also advising that the high winds could topple trees and billboards.

Several Gulf ports closed

Some Gulf Coast states were already seeing windy weather as of Wednesday, when authorities began issuing advisories to port authorties.(PacoZea.com/Twitter)

Beginning on Wednesday, Semar began issuing advisories to port authorities up and down the Gulf of Mexico, as well as to ports on the Caribbean side of the country. Semar even used its social media account to urge the public to heed instructions from local Civil Protection officials.

Semar temporarily closed major ports in Tamaulipas (Tampico and Altamira), restricted navigation in the Veracruz ports of Tuxpan and Alvarado and closed the port of Seybaplaya in the state of Campeche.

Several smaller Veracruz ports — including Coatzacoalcos, Tecolutla, Tamiahua, Nautla, Cazones and Balzapote — were also ordered closed. Semar also ordered several ports to prohibit leisure navigation (lighter craft) in the Tampico ports of La Pesca and Matamoros, as well as at the Vicente Guerrero reservoir. 

Leisure navigation was also prohibited at El Cuchillo Solidaridad (a Nuevo León port) and at all ports primarily devoted to tourist activities in the states of Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo. The popular resort area of Isla del Carmen was also ordered to curtail all sailing and boating activities. 

Semar said it would issue updates later in the day, forecasting that the norther would likely weaken by Friday.

With reports from Debate and Urbis

Mexican Congress takes first step toward eliminating watchdog agencies

By
MND Staff
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Chamber of Deputies opposition politicians hold protest signs in front of a Mexican flag
Opposition lawmakers in the lower house of Congress protested the constitutional bill but were unable to prevent its passage. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

The lower house of federal Congress approved on Wednesday a constitutional bill that seeks to eliminate seven watchdog agencies including the national transparency agency.

Lawmakers with the ruling Morena party and its allies voted in favor of the bill that former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent to Congress in February targeting several autonomous government bodies.

The lower house of Congress in session.
The Chamber of Deputies approved the bill on Wednesday, but still needs to review individual articles of the proposed constitutional reform. (Cámara de Diputados)

The final count was 347 votes in favor — 13 more than the number needed to reach the two-thirds majority required to approve constitutional bills — and 128 against.

The Chamber of Deputies’ approval of the constitutional reform proposal was en lo general, or in a general sense. Individual articles of the bill were set to be considered by lawmakers on Thursday ahead of a vote en lo particular.

The bill, which has not yet been considered by the Senate, seeks to disband the following seven autonomous agencies:

  • The National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and the Protection of Personal Data (INAI).
  • The Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece).
  • The Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT).
  • The National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval).
  • The Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE).
  • The National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH).
  • The National Commission for the Continuous Improvement of Education (Mejoredu).

If the bill becomes law — essentially a fait accompli given Morena’s congressional dominance — the responsibilities of the autonomous agencies will be absorbed by government ministries and departments in most cases.

INAI’s responsibilities, for example, would be transferred to the Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Ministry (formerly called the Ministry of Public Administration), while the Energy Ministry would take over the work of the CRE and the CNH.

The work of Cofece, Mexico’s antitrust agency, and the IFT could be taken over by a new “decentralized” body that would have “technical independence” from the government. Morena lawmakers are seeking to create such a body.

Lawmakers affiliated with the government led by President Claudia Sheinbaum said that the main aim of the reform is to save money — more than 4 billion pesos (US $196.5 million) annually, according to an El País newspaper report.

Board members of the national transparency agency (INAI), one of Mexico's watchdog agencies
The responsibilities of the autonomous National Institute for Transparency, Access to Public Information and Data Protection (INAI) would be transferred to the the Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Ministry. (INAI/X)

Morena Deputy Olga Sánchez said that the reform will lead to the creation of regulatory systems similar to those of the United States and Canada.

Opposition lawmakers argued that it will have an adverse impact on transparency in Mexico and independent assessment of government policy. They claimed it is conducive to government opacity rather than transparency.

“Not even in the worst periods of the PRI and the PAN … did we think that we would arrive at a moment like this, of destruction … of the autonomous bodies” said Citizens Movement Deputy Anayeli Muñoz in reference to the periods when the Institutional Revolutionary Party and the National Action Party were in office.

If the bill becomes law, regulation of key sectors of the Mexican economy, the provision of information to citizens, including journalists, and compliance with transparency laws will become responsibilities of government ministries and departments that follow the directives of Sheinbaum and her cabinet ministers.

The government will be responsible for being transparent about its own actions, expenditure and decisions.

Critics have long argued that the incorporation of autonomous agencies into government ministries and other federal departments would eliminate important counterweights to government power and represent a backward step for democracy. The reform is seen by many as an attempt to concentrate power in the executive branch of government.

Sheinbaum said Thursday that the reform will lead to “more transparency” and help to eliminate corruption.

López Obrador was an outspoken critic of autonomous government agencies, accusing them of corruption and other ills and railing against their large budgets. Sheinbaum has made the same criticisms.

She said earlier this month that the creation of a “body with technical independence” to take on the work of Cofece and the IFT would ensure compliance with the USMCA, the North American free trade pact.

“I suggested to the deputies … to have a body with technical independence because that is the wording of the agreement, so that there is no problem [with the United States and Canada],” Sheinbaum said.

The bill aimed at eliminating the seven autonomous agencies is one of several constitutional reform proposals considered by Congress since lawmakers elected in June assumed their positions on Sept. 1.

Among those that have have recently been approved, ratified by a majority of state legislatures and signed into law are a controversial judicial overhaul and a reform that placed the National Guard under military control.

With reports from Reforma, El País, El Universal and Publimetro

President Sheinbaum leads Revolution Day parade in Mexico City

By
MND Staff
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Claudia Sheinbaum rides in a camo military jeep with two military leaders at the Revolution Day parade in Mexico City's main plaza
When Sheinbaum entered office, Mexico was already entangled in a human rights crisis caused by "extreme violence by organized crime groups and widespread abuse by state agents," the report found. (Presidencia)

President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday led Mexico’s civic-military parade marking Revolution Day on the 114th anniversary of the beginning of the Mexican Revolution.

In addition to being Mexico’s first female president, Sheinbaum is the first woman to serve as supreme commander of the Mexican armed forces and thus became the first woman to lead the annual Mexican Revolution Day parade.

Así fue el desfile de la Revolución Mexicana 2024 en la CDMX - En Punto

The parade began in Mexico City’s central square, the Zócalo, and concluded at the Campo Marte military complex west of the historic center.

At its commencement, Sheinbaum traveled around the Zócalo in a military vehicle to inspect the troops who participated in the parade. The president, who stood in the vehicle, was flanked by the chiefs of the Mexican Army and Navy.

Some 2,600 military personnel took part in the parade, including men and women dressed in attire used by the revolutionary soldiers who participated in the 1910-20 revolution. In its early stages, the revolution succeeded in ousting Porfirio Díaz, who ruled Mexico as a virtual dictator for over 30 years in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Horses — some of which took a tumble on the slick surface of the Zócalo — and children dressed in period costumes also participated in the parade. Military aircraft flew overhead.

Horses and riders at the 2024 Revolution Day parade in Mexico City
The parade featured hundreds of riders on horseback and many more participants decked out in revolutionary costumes. (Presidencia)

At the end of the parade, a girl and a boy handed a floral arrangement to Sheinbaum, telling the president that it symbolized “hope for a better Mexico in your hands.”

In a Revolution Day speech, Sheinbaum said that Mexico is an “extraordinary” nation and offered an overview of its history, focusing on “the first transformation: the independence of Mexico,” the “second transformation”: 19th liberal reforms and “the third transformation”: the Mexican Revolution.

The president noted that Francisco I. Madero, Porfirio Díaz’s opponent in the 1910 presidential election, called for Mexicans to take up arms against Díaz’s regime on Nov. 20, 1910.

Later in her address, Sheinbaum declared that the “fourth transformation” of Mexico began when former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in 2018.

“Today we’re living the second story of the fourth transformation. It’s based on the consolidation of justice, of democracy and of freedoms in order to achieve full happiness for our people,” she said.

“… We’re going through a profound transformation and believe me — the whole world looks at Mexico with admiration,” Sheinbaum said.

“… One hundred and fourteen years after the start of the Mexican Revolution we affirm that we are a free, sovereign, independent, caring, generous and democratic country and we don’t forget where we came from,” she said.

“That’s why we commemorate the Mexican Revolution. … Long live Mexicans! Long live the hardworking and brave people of Mexico! ¡Qué viva México!”

With reports from Excélsior, Reforma and La Jornada

Rodrigo Prieto’s ‘Pedro Páramo’ is a sharp reinterpretation of the Mexican classic

By
Carolina Alvarado
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Pedro Páramo Netflix
A new adaptation of the legendary novel Pedro Páramo has hit streaming service Netflix. It's every bit as good as the original book. (Netflix Latam/X)

Recently released on Netflix, “Pedro Páramo” is the fourth onscreen reimagining of Juan Rulfo’s classic 1955 novel of the same name. This sharp new adaptation is directed by Rodrigo Prieto, the enigmatic and brilliant 58-year-old responsible for the cinematography of films including “Silence,” “Barbie,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Amores Perros” and “Brokeback Mountain.” 

The film presents the pilgrimage of Juan Preciado, played by Tenoch Huerta, a grieving man who travels to the remote village of Comala in search of a father he never knew, a wealthy landowner named Pedro Páramo, played by Manuel García-Rulfo of “The Lincoln Lawyer.” However, in Comala, nothing is what it seems. 

Pedro Páramo | Tráiler oficial | Netflix

It is no exaggeration to say that Juan Rulfo’s novel changed the course of Latin American literature. A precursor of magical realism, novelists and critics from various around the world, including Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez and Susan Sontag, agree in describing Juan Rulfo’s short book as one of the greatest works of literature ever written. To date, the novel has been translated into more than 45 languages.

What you need to know about ‘Pedro Páramo’

For the uninitiated, Rulfo’s novel is a deeply fragmented and surrealistic rural tale that throws away the boundaries between the living and the dead. Set in the context of the Mexican Revolution and the Cristero War, the plot is essentially composed of two constantly meandering narrative threads.

The story of Pedro Páramo is, at first, that of the eponymous character’s son, Juan Preciado, who heads to Comala to fulfill the promise he made to his recently deceased mother: to search for his father, the heinous boss of the Media Luna hacienda. From there, Preciado, our narrator, finds himself in a ghost town, on the “burning embers of the earth, at the very mouth of Hell,” and several spectral villagers help him reconstruct his unsuspected and lurid family history. 

The novel, by author Juan Rulfo, focuses on the titular character and the town of Comala, blending past and present in an examination of the human condition.

The second plot focuses on Pedro’s life, his adolescence as a failed scion and his rise to power as a feudal lord. The father of countless illegitimate children, we learn that Pedro is an unscrupulous tyrant driven by overwhelming evil. It seems that his only weakness is his first and only love, Susana San Juan, played by Ilse Salas. In a way, Pedro Páramo, the “living resentment,” is the man who had everything and ended up with everything and everyone out of sheer viciousness. 

As the ghosts of Comala guide Juan Preciado between the present and the past, truths that cross time, space and generations are exposed.

Without contradicting the original text, the adaptation becomes a meditation on people and their sins, touching on themes such as abandonment, the search for one’s origins, violence, hate, death and the afterlife. “This film is an exploration of the destructive power of rancor, of how someone like Pedro Páramo, like you, can hold power and screw everyone else,” director Rodrigo Prieto told newspaper El Universal in October.  

What the Netflix adaptation brings to the table

The Jalisco-born Rulfo is not one of the easiest writers to adapt to the big screen, and even less so in the case of a fragmented and elusive work like “Pedro Páramo.” However, Rodrigo Prieto, four-time Oscar nominee for best cinematography, and his screenwriter Mateo Gil, present a generally faithful look at the lord of Comala, his land, his lovers and his children.  

The new show is produced by streaming giant Netflix. (Netflix Latam/X)

Although Gil’s adapted screenplay sometimes feels dizzyingly condensed, the new film manages to retain the core elements of the source material and translate Rulfo’s singular narrative structure to the screen. As in the novel, the story interweaves the present of the deceased and the past of the living in an unsettling way. Both times slide side by side and intertwine without room for loss.   

From flying animals to black and white images of a woman surrendered to the sea, Netflix’s “Pedro Páramo” is an ingenious display of magical realism. This film will be remembered, among other things, for its dazzling cinematography by Nico Aguilar, formidable production design by Eugenio Caballero and Carlos Y. Jacques, compelling sets by Daniela Rojas, and inspired musical score by Gustavo Santaolalla. 

In this sense, Prieto and his team construct impressive filmic spaces that aptly capture the aesthetic, emotional climate and rhythm of the different epochs through which Comala passes. We see a world in ruins and decay, full of grieving souls and decomposing bodies and simultaneously find a Comala brimming with life. As the narration explains the Comala that once was, we understand its decline and the tragedy it represents.

As always with the adaptation of an iconic literary work, the stakes are high. But Rodrigo Prieto understands the monumentality of Rulfo’s work, and his debut feature does justice to the Mexican classic. Prieto’s “Pedro Páramo” is the most convincing film version of the novel to date. For 130 minutes, we are treated to a deeply disturbing, labyrinthine, dreamlike and beautifully rendered film.

Carolina Alvarado is a Venezuelan journalist and has devoted much of her career to creative writing, university teaching and social work. She has been published in Lady Science, Latina Media, Global Comment, Psiquide, Cinetopic, Get me Giddy and Reader’s Digest, among others.

 

The Mexican Revolution’s forgotten British hero

By
MND Staff
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4
Albert Blair and Antonieta Rivas Mercado with their son
A close associate of the Madero family during the revolution and a founder of Lomas de Chapultepec, Albert Blair came from abroad to leave his mark on Mexico. (Casa Rivas Mercado)

Albert Edward Blair may not appear in many history books or be remembered as a figure of the Mexican Revolution. But his story is nothing short of extraordinary and completely bound up with the Revolution, which he took part in. When the fighting was over, Blair became a successful businessman and ultimately founded one of Mexico’s most upscale neighborhoods. 

Born into a conservative family in 1890 in England, Blair moved as a child to Kentucky, in the United States, where his family owned a coal mine. His parents, fundamentalist Protestants, expected him to become the mine’s manager and follow the same conservative path. The young Albert, however, had different plans.

Michigan School of Mines in the 1910s
The Michigan School of Mines, where Albert Blair met the Madero brothers. (Library of Congress)

In May 1910, Blair had traveled to Mexico City as part of a research trip from the Michigan Mining School to study the underground challenges architect Antonio Rivas Mercado faced during the construction of the Angel of Independence monument. There he met Antonieta, Antonio’s 10-year-old daughter, who would eventually become Blair’s wife. 

Albert Blair in the Revolution

Blair’s trip to Mexico, paired with the stories of social unrest he had heard from his university roommates Raúl and Julio Madero, enhanced his love for the country and anguish over its situation under the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. Raúl and Julio were the younger brothers of Francisco I. Madero, the northern liberal leader who would soon overthrow dictator Díaz to become president of Mexico. 

The Maderos were amongst the wealthiest families in the country. They owned vast cattle ranches and cotton plantations in the north, henequen plantations in Yucatán, mines, breweries and smelting plants, as well as the oldest winery in the Americas. Francisco I. Madero used the family fortune to cover the expenses of his revolution.  

Inspired and fascinated by the Madero family, Blair joined the Revolution after Francisco called on the country to revolt against the dictator on Nov. 20.

Madero’s triumphal train as it made its way towards Mexico City. (Archivo General de la Nación)

The bestselling novel “In the Shadow of the Angel,”  written by Kathryn Blair, the wife of Antonieta’s and Albert’s only child,  transcribes a telegram that Albert wrote to Julio and Raúl to express his revolutionary aspirations: 

“Read about Serdán. Long live Madero. Inform me of the situation. Meet in San Antonio when you send a signal. Albert.” 

Upon arrival to San Antonio in March 1911, Blair became a lieutenant in Madero’s army and was assigned to General Venustiano Carranza’s general staff. He served as part of a detachment with the mission of receiving and delivering ammunition in the border between Texas and Chihuahua, and participated in several battles

Blair’s bravery and loyalty to the Revolution earned him a place on the  “victory train” which took Francisco I. Madero and a select group of allies from northern Mexico to Mexico City, where he entered as Mexico’s new President on June 7, 1911.

Advertisement for Chapultepec Heights, future Lomas of Chapultepec
An ad for lots in the neighborhood now known as Lomas de Chapultepec. (México Desconocido)

Two years later, in February 1913, Madero was killed during the coup known as the Ten Tragic Days. Blair kept a lower profile during the rest of the Revolution, but his partnership with the Madero family continued.  At the age of 23, he became the representative in Mexico of all eight cotton haciendas owned by the Maderos, as well as the manager of their cattle farms and rubber haciendas. His power of attorney also included the collection of all dividends from the mines.

After the Revolution

As the Revolution came to a close, Albert married Antonieta Rivas Mercado in 1918. The couple had one son, Donald Antonio Blair.  In 1921, Albert partnered with Mexican and foreign investors to develop an upscale neighborhood overlooking the Valley of Mexico, dubbed Chapultepec Heights. This neighborhood is today’s Lomas de Chapultepec, one of the country’s wealthiest neighborhoods. 

Blair also became the Mexican representative of the Vacuum Oil Company, which sold its products in Mexico as Mobiloil; through a series of mergers, Vacuum eventually became the company we now know as ExxonMobil. With an avid eye for business, Blair managed to continue Vacuum’s business in Mexico after the oil expropriation decreed by President Lázaro Cárdenas in 1938.

Albert Blair and his team at Vacuum Oil
Albert Blair (third from left, front row) and his team at Vacuum Oil. (ExxonMobil México)

Blair’s business endeavors thrived. His marriage, however, did not. He was controlling and jealous with Antonieta, which ultimately led her to request a divorce. This made her one of the first women to ask for a divorce in the elite circles of Mexico City.

The divorce trial lasted years. During that time, Donald lived with Antonieta while Blair took care of his businesses. Antonieta, meanwhile, was becoming one of Mexico’s most important arts patrons, funding theatrical and musical initiatives and editing books. Her divorce trial culminated with a Supreme Court ruling that granted Albert custody of Donald. Still, Antonieta kept the boy and took him to Paris without Albert’s knowledge after escaping the country due to political persecution following the failed presidential bid of José Vasconcelos, her lover at the time. Months later, in February 1931, a heartbroken Antonieta killed herself in Paris’ Notre Dame. Albert primarily lived in Mexico. To protect Donald from the gossip surrounding his mother’s suicide, he took him to live with his sister, Grace, in the U.S., where he visited the boy regularly. 

Details on Blair’s later life are sparse, with no mention of the date of his death publicly available. Regardless of when it happened, it seems that Albert Blair’s story may not have ended with death: in 2019, no less than novelist Guadalupe Loaeza, author of “Las niñas bien,” published an article in which she revealed that she had owned the Lomas house where Donald and Kathryn Blair lived for many years and that Kathryn warned Loaeza that her father-in-law was a very annoying spectral presence around the house. 

Sure enough, Loaeza’s time at Montes Alpes 625 was marked by disappearing trinkets and inexplicable squeezes on the rear. Finally, the novelist writes, she held a dinner and invited the Blairs. Donald went up to the room where his father had died; when he came back down, he was as white as a sheet. Father and son had made up. From then on, there were no more supernatural events around the house. It seems as if after seven decades, Albert Blair’s work in Mexico was done at last.

Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog Dunas y Palmeras.

Port of Manzanillo to receive 64 billion pesos in investment

By
Felicity Bradstock
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0
Container ships arriving into the Port of Manzanillo in Mexico
The Mexican Navy (SEMAR) is in charge of the Nuevo Manzanillo Project, a massive overhaul of Colima's Port of Manzanillo that will make it Latin America's largest-capacity port. (Government of Mexico)

The Naval Ministry (SEMAR) will oversee the 64-billion-peso (US $3.15 billion) expansion of the Port of Manzanillo in the central Pacific Coast state of Colima between 2024 and 2030.

The Nuevo Manzanillo project will transform Mexico’s largest port into a major international logistics hub as installations are extended by 303% to cover 4,487 acres. 

Aerial view of Port of Manzanillo with rows of containers on a concrete loading deck and several cranes along where container ships dock
Mexico’s largest port, Manzanillo is the third busiest port in Latin America and a principal commercial route to Asia. (Asipona)

Financing will consist of 15.06 billion pesos ($741 million) in public investment and 48.56 billion pesos ($2.4 billion) in private funding. 

The port’s TEU (container) capacity is expected to increase from 3.7 million in 2023 to 10 million in 2030, positioning it in first place in Latin America and displacing Panama’s seaport in Colón and Brazil’s Santos Port from the top spots. 

“We are currently in position 53 in the world ranking of ports. We would be talking about the port of Manzanillo being positioned in 15th place in the international ranking,” Julieta Juárez Ochoa, Marketing Manager of Mexico’s National Port System Administration (ASIPONA) Manzanillo, told Excelsior. 

The port is currently the third largest in Latin America for shipping and is the principal commercial route to Asia across the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities said they aim to develop the port sustainably and have conducted an environmental impact study that identified mitigation measures to reduce the project’s impact on the area.

In addition to expanding the port’s operational capacity, the project will improve efficiency and competitiveness in the region, officials said. It is expected to create 11,132 direct and 28,626 indirect jobs and boost the local economy, according to government sources.. 

Greater digitalization will enhance efficiency and improve safety, while artificial intelligence will be used to support operations and monitor personnel. 

Mexican marine in fatigues standing in the bed of a pickup truck looking down an clear road with parked cars on either side
Due to ongoing cartel violence in Manzanillo, Mexico’s authorities have reinforced security in and around the port. (SEMAR)

President Claudia Sheinbaum will tour the site on Nov. 23 to launch construction, with the project expected to be completed in 2030.

Security concerns

Safety concerns surround port development plans given that three cartels – the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the Independent Cartel of Colima and the Sinaloa Cartel – are fighting for control of the Port of Nuevo Manzanillo, according to reports from El Financiero. 

Manzanillo is Mexico’s only Pacific port authorized for the entry of substances or chemical precursors, including those used in the production of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl. 

The rivalry between the cartels has led to a wave of violence in Manzanillo and a 17% increase in the city’s homicide rate so far this year. Some of the victims have included members of the navy and Colima state police. 

Other crimes that have gone up include drug trafficking and extortion, including the extortion of officials and customs workers.

On Nov. 11, authorities detained the Sinaloa Cartel’s main operator in the area, identified only by officials as Itania Noemí ‘N’. This was part of larger local and federal operations that led to a string of arrests and drug seizures. 

Due to the ongoing violence, authorities have reinforced security in and around the port.

With reports from Excelsior, El Financiero, Infobae and La Razón

President Sheinbaum: Prime Minister Trudeau supports keeping USMCA intact

By
MND Staff
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2
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum at her daily press conference, pointing with her index finger straight into the camera as if taking a reporter's question. Behind her is the logo for her presidency, a black and white illustration of a young Mexican Indigenous woman in a traditional white Mexican dress and holding the Mexican flag.
At her Wednesday press conference, President Sheinbaum told reporters about her discussion with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and about meeting China's leader. She also previewed new social programs in Mexico's 2025 budget. (Graciela López Herrera/Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum returned to Mexico City from São Paulo, Brazil, on a commercial flight on Tuesday after attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.

At the top of her morning press conference on Wednesday – her first since last Friday – Sheinbaum noted that her mañanera would be brief as Wednesday is Mexican Revolution Day and she needed to head out to participate in a military ceremony and parade.

Claudia Sheinbaum and Justin Trudeau smiling and talking as they sit in white upholstered chairs side by side. facing opposite each other. They have a small wooden table between them with a tiny Mexican flag and Canadian flag. Each leader has the other leader's flag on their side. Behind them is a wall with the logo for the 2024 G20 Leaders' Summit
Claudia Sheinbaum met individually with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio. Both spoke positively afterward of the meeting. (Cuartoscuro)

During her engagement with reporters, she fielded questions on her attendance at the G20 summit, where she also held individual meetings with the leaders of various countries including the United States, Canada and China.

Sheinbaum: Trudeau wants USMCA to continue

Sheinbaum told reporters that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “doesn’t agree” with calls from the premiers of the provinces of Ontario and Alberta for Canada to consider making a bilateral free trade agreement with the United States rather than seeking an extension of the existing USMCA free trade treaty, which includes Mexico.

Doug Ford of Ontario and Danielle Smith of Alberta are concerned about Mexico’s trade and investment relationship with China and its alleged transshipment of Chinese goods to other parts of North America.

Sheinbaum said that Trudeau “agrees with maintaining the [free trade] agreement between the three countries and strengthening relations.”

Sitting alongside Sheinbaum in Rio, Trudeau told reporters that there are “a lot of opportunities” for Canada and Mexico “to continue to work together very closely.”

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum shaking hands at the 2024 G20 Leaders' Summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Besides meeting with Trudeau and other world leaders, Sheinbaum also met individually with China’s President Xi Jinping at the G20 Leaders’ Summit and discussed Mexico’s and China’s trade relationship. (Cuartoscuro)

During a press conference on Tuesday, the prime minister said that he had “a good and frank conversation with the president of Mexico,” during which he “highlighted some of the concerns that have been expressed publicly by a number of people around some of the investments in Mexico.”

“But I also know that Mexico is dedicated to continuing in this extraordinarily successful trade deal, and I think the Mexican administration is looking at ways of either adjusting or sharing why people shouldn’t be worried about these investments,” Trudeau said.

“… I shared as a partner and friend that there are concerns, but I look forward to lots of discussions over the coming year before we approach the [USMCA] review in 2026,” he said.

United States President-elect Donald Trump said last month that he wants to renegotiate the USMCA, which superseded NAFTA in 2020.

Despite USMCA, ‘room’ for a relationship with China 

About her meeting with Xi Jinping, Sheinbaum said that she spoke to the Chinese president about Mexico’s relationship with China.

“I told him directly that we have a trade agreement with North America, but that there was room for a relationship with China, which was very important,” she said.

Chinese imports to and investment in Mexico have increased in recent years, raising concerns among some U.S. and Canadian officials, as well as President-elect Trump.

* Click here to read Mexico News Daily’s latest story on Chinese investment in Mexico.

Welfare programs a priority in the 2025 budget 

“The objective of the [2025] budget … is to continue investing, guaranteeing all the welfare programs,” Sheinbaum said.

“… The Welfare Ministry has a budget of about 550 billion pesos, but in reality, all the welfare programs together have a budget of more than 700 billion pesos,” the president said, noting that funds have been allocated for three new programs, including one that provides financial support to women aged 60-64 and an educational scholarship scheme.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

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