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‘All eyes are on the World Cup’: How Mexico’s searching mothers are seizing the tournament to fight for the disappeared

By
Millie Deere
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For Mexico's searching mothers, the inaugural match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was an important opportunity to keep the country's crisis of disappearances front and center.
For Mexico's searching mothers, the inaugural match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was an important opportunity to keep the country's crisis of disappearances front and center. (Photo by Millie Deere)

The Cerro Antonio Park in Coyoacán, Mexico City, smelled of damp soil and morning cigarettes on June 11, the day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener: Mexico against South Africa. But like any other day, it was also Mexico’s searching mothers against the state.

Mothers representing the Butterfly Collective (Colectivo Mariposas) donned green jerseys, the same hue as the men’s team kit that half the city was wearing, except theirs were printed with the faces of their disappeared loved ones.

Members of Colectivo Mariposas, a collective of searching mothers, protest along Tlalpan Avenue in Mexico City on Thursday morning. (Photo by Millie Deere)

The group of mothers took to Tlalpan Avenue, the rally growing quickly into the hundreds as it linked up with other protests marching toward Mexico City Stadium, to highlight the insecurity that persists and to demand government action.

“All eyes” are on the World Cup, said Irma Martínez Nicolás, who has been searching for her son, Felipe de Jesús Olvera, for seven years. “So that’s why we’re doing this today: to make the situation visible and to show that it’s not a lie, it’s real.”

“Just as the World Cup is important, so are the lives of our children,” said Geneveva Grijalva, who is “digging high and low” to find her daughter, Elizabeth López Grijalva, who went missing in 2025.

Amid the numerous handheld posters, a group of supporting students unfurled a 15-meter-long banner with about 250 photos of the disappeared — fewer than 1% of the more than 130,000 officially registered missing persons in Mexico, a number that is climbing every day.

Disappearances have soared by more than 200% in the last decade, driven in large part by the expansion of organized crime. The state’s “War on Drugs,” launched by former President Felipe Calderón in 2006, fostered widespread collusion between cartels and state actors — and in many cases, security forces themselves became perpetrators of enforced disappearances.

According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH), at least 70,000 unidentified bodies remain in state custody due to structural deficiencies that slow down or hinder their identification. The CIDH has alleged “alarming impunity,” as it is families themselves who do most of the searching.

“Our government does nothing. It doesn’t defend us. It doesn’t care about us. So that’s why we’ve become searchers, experts, lawyers, trying to find our children however we can,” Grijalva says.

 

Camila, whose name was changed to protect her identity, says her son was murdered at just 17 years old, a student and lover of football. “There’s no investigation, no arrest warrants, there is no justice.”

The sheer trauma of a loved one going missing is harshly amplified by the neglect of the authorities. “I’ve been through many difficult situations, but this one finished me because my life ended, my health ended,” Martínez said. Her son was 16 years old when he went missing in 2019.

According to Grijalva, the prosecutor’s office lost her file and the genetic test needed to find her daughter. “The prosecutor’s office and our authorities just sit around, and all we receive is contempt, scolding, indifference. They don’t care about our pain.”

One of the things that aggravates Martínez the most is the feeling of being directly cheated by her own president.

According to Martínez, as mayor of Mexico City, Sheinbaum held direct talks with families of the disappeared in neighboring México state, where cases of missing persons are highest, along with Jalisco and Tamaulipas.

“We talked face to face. I simply told her: I’m not looking for someone to blame. I’m looking for my son, and I want him back. And she said, ‘I don’t have the power yet. But when I do, we’ll get him.'”

“Now, how long have you been in power?” she asked. Sheinbaum is now approaching her 21st month in office after assuming the presidency in October 2024.

At midday on Thursday, the march came to a head in the neighborhood of Santa Úrsula. Access to the stadium had been cut off as part of the government’s Operation Last Mile, and hundreds of riot police assembled around the barriers.

The government’s vigorous defense of the stadium and the police mobilization against protesters stood in stark contrast to its inaction to locate the disappeared.

“The police, why aren’t they protecting us?” Camila questioned. “Why aren’t they protecting our children in the street?”

A grieving young man scattered marigold petals on an unflinching policeman. “Look at me! These are the tears of the disappeared,” he cried.

Numerous groups are protesting the World Cup in Mexico, including the National Coordination of Education Workers (CNTE), anti-gentrification activists, LGBTQ+ rights groups and agricultural workers.

In addition to raising awareness of their respective causes, collectives across the board are protesting what they say is an inequitable distribution of resources and the disregard of public needs in government spending for the World Cup — which has amounted to approximately US $3 billion on infrastructure improvements.

“They spent millions and millions supposedly fixing things, because they didn’t make any real repairs,” Martínez said.

For the groups protesting the tournament, the government’s response can be summarized by the lilac-painted overpasses that line Tlalpan Avenue: a superficial makeover that hides, rather than addresses, the violent reality of Mexico for many.

Protesters launched marigold petals at a wall of riot police blocking the entrance to Mexico City Stadium. (Photo by Millie Deere)

Right before the match kicked off at 1 p.m., six planes soared over the stadium, their smoke trails painting the Mexican flag, while mariachi music boomed down the street. For the students protesting, the image of Mexico being presented to the world during the tournament is an illusion meant to appeal to other countries.  

“If I had to say something to foreigners to give them a general idea, it would be that all the beauty that covers our country is stained with blood,” said Raquel, whose name was changed to protect her identity.

While President Sheinbaum said that protests would be allowed to go on throughout the World Cup period, the government has not issued a direct response to any groups beyond the CNTE teachers’ union.

The madres buscadoras are demanding justice for the disappeared. This includes government transparency on the true number of missing, the declaration of a national emergency, protection for searchers and improved forensic investment capacity.

Some mothers demand a direct conversation with Sheinbaum, or a change in government entirely.

In the shadow of the World Cup, the families of the missing want to remind the Mexican government that the ball is in their court, and that the priority should be “locating the disappeared, fighting the drug cartels and stopping the violence,” they said, not the football.

Millie Deere is a journalist working between Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Many Mexican fans are running up debt to attend World Cup matches

By
MND Staff
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Credit cards, personal loans and installment financing far outweigh debit cards or cash as the chosen method of paying for World Cup tickets in Mexico. (Nathana Reboucas / Unsplash)

The 2026 FIFA World Cup arrived in Mexico this week and the high cost of attending the matches has forced most fans to resort to credit cards, personal loans and interest-free installments to finance the experience. 

A survey by debt management firm Bravo revealed that Mexican fans attending a soccer match at a stadium may spend between 30,000 and 60,000 pesos (US $1,744 and $3,489) on match tickets, transportation, lodging, food and souvenirs.  

Going by average figures from the debt management firm Bravo, 62% of the Mexican fans attending Thursday’s World Cup opener bought their tickets using some kind of credit. (Moisés Pablo / Cuartoscuro.com)

“To specifically cover the cost of tickets to matches, credit cards and loans play a fundamental role,” Bravo said.

According to the survey, 38% of respondents paid their expenses with debit cards, cash or planned savings, while the remaining 62% resorted to financing options.

Of the latter, Bravo noted that 31% of participants used their credit cards to spread the payment over monthly installments, while 25% opted to pay the full amount with their credit card in a single transaction, hoping to settle the balance by their next billing date. 

Lastly, 6% chose to take out a personal loan.

It’s no surprise that fans have to resort to financing options, as ticket prices have skyrocketed by up to 584% compared to the 2024 World Cup in Qatar. But resorting to credit to pay for entertainment often brings future worries for consumers, Bravo said.

Indeed, 43% of respondents acknowledged a real risk of generating new debt in the aftermath of the World Cup – even more so when these expenses aren’t limited to Mexico, as 55% of respondents plan to travel to the United States or Canada to experience live matches, Bravo reported. 

Meanwhile, of those respondents staying in Mexico, 27% said they are willing to spend at least 10,000 pesos (US $581) to experience the World Cup in their home country, while 27% said they expect to spend between 6,000 and 10,000 pesos ($348 and $581). The remaining 46% plan to spend between 3,000 and 999 pesos ($174 and $58) to experience the sporting event.

“Since Mexico is one of the host countries, it will be experienced with great intensity from home, restaurants, or local events,” Bravo acknowledged.

But not everything is about spending, as 48% of respondents said they would take advantage of the tournament to generate extra income, either through business opportunities or alternative jobs that would allow them to balance their finances and cope with the expenses associated with the sporting event.

With reports from La Jornada

Cozumel’s dwarf fox lives! Mysterious canid gets a ‘second chance’ 20 years after its last sighting

By
MND Staff
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Cozumel Dwarf fox
In a photo taken by one of the study authors in 2023 the discovered individual Cozumel dwarf fox is seen shortly after its release into the Laguna Colombia State Reserve. (Rafael Chacón)

A tiny fox long feared lost has reappeared on the island of Cozumel, giving scientists what one calls an unusual “second chance” to save one of the world’s rarest canids.

In a paper published last month in the journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation, researchers reported the first confirmed sighting and photographs of the Cozumel dwarf fox in more than two decades.

Travis Bayer
Lead study author Travis Bayer, director of Pathos Wildlife and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Rhode Island, points out that “the rediscovery of the fox is not a conservation success story yet, but it represents a second chance.” (Pathos Wildlife)

An adult male was captured in September 2023 after locals reported a disoriented animal near Cozumel’s coastal highway, on the island of about 88,000 residents off Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

Staff from the Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel recovered the fox, kept it under observation for several days and conducted a full health check.

They released it in the Laguna Colombia State Reserve in southern Cozumel, a protected area chosen for its suitable habitat and distance from road hazards.

The Cozumel dwarf fox — a member of the family that includes wolves, coyotes, domestic dogs and other foxes — has inhabited the island for millennia but hadn’t been seen since 2001.

News of the fox’s “return” is breaking only now because the peer-reviewed study appeared May 4 and was picked up by media this month.

The fox belongs to the genus Urocyon — the same as the North American gray fox — but has shrunk dramatically after thousands of years of isolation on the island.

Subfossil remains indicate the fox is roughly 60% to 80% the size of its mainland gray fox relatives, which generally measure 80 to 110 centimeters (31 to 43 inches) and weigh roughly 3 to 7 kilograms (6.6 to 15 pounds).

The paper suggests isolation of the Cozumel fox began between about 5,000 and 37,000 years ago, possibly predating early Maya settlement.

Despite its long history on Cozumel and pronounced “insular dwarfism,” the population has never been formally described or recognized as a distinct species or subspecies.

Scientists say the finding confirms the fox still survives but likely in very low numbers. They do not know how many individuals remain, where they are distributed on the island or what role they play in Cozumel’s ecosystems.

“The rediscovery of the fox is not a conservation success story yet, but it represents a second chance,” lead author Travis D. Bayer, a zoologist and Ph.D. student at the University of Rhode Island, said in the paper.

“One of the most important takeaways from this research is that species can quietly disappear without the world even realizing they are gone,” he added. “The biggest challenge facing the Cozumel fox is that we still know almost nothing about it.”

The authors are calling for targeted field surveys, population monitoring and genetic work, along with stronger protections for remaining habitat in southern Cozumel, where development, land-use change, invasive species and natural disasters continue to erode the island’s forests.

With reports from Infobae, Sci News and Publimetro

He was named player of the match after scoring the first goal of the World Cup. Who is Julián Quiñones?

By
MND Staff
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Julián Quiñones celebrates after scoring the first goal of the 2026 FIFA world cup
El Tri's Julián Quiñones celebrates after scoring the first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. (Moisés Pablo / Cuartoscuro.com)

Just nine minutes after referee Wilton Sampaio blew his whistle to launch the 2026 World Cup, Julián Quiñones scored for Mexico, kick-starting El Tri toward a 2-0 win against South Africa.

The winger swooped in to collect a ball poked loose from South Africa midfielder Spephelo Sithole by teammate Erik Lira and fired home from just inside the box. Quiñones’ heroics earned him Man of the Match honors and a standing ovation from the crowd when he was subbed out in minute 79. 

Commentators described the performance as Quiñones’ best for Team Mexico since he earned his first cap on Nov. 17, 2023, and cemented his acceptance by El Tri fans who can be prickly about embracing naturalized players into their hearts.

His form comes as no surprise to those who have followed Quiñones’ career track, especially since the 29-year-old led the Saudi Pro League with 33 goals in 31 games this past season, topping even Cristiano Ronaldo, who finished third with 28 goals.

Julián Andrés Quiñones grew up in Magüí Payán, Colombia, a region known for armed conflict between guerrillas and the government. He started playing soccer barefoot and without his parents’ permission.

He arrived in Mexico in the summer of 2015 as an 18-year-old. He initially signed with Liga MX giants Tigres before moving to Atlas in 2021, then Mexico City powerhouse Club América, winning six titles along the way.

It was during his time with the Aguilas (as Club América is known) that Quiñones became a naturalized Mexican and earned his first invite to the national team. 

In 2024, Quiñones joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Qadsiah and quickly settled into a role as a hybrid winger/central attacker. He continued to hone his skills as a playmaking forward, attracting the attention of Javier Aguirre, who took the reins as Mexico coach in July 2024.

By late 2025, Quiñones seemed certain to be a starter for El Tri in the 2026 World Cup, though his progress was slowed by a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the November 2025 and February 2026 training camps.

Aguirre finally summoned Quiñones for the March training camp — giving him starts in key friendlies against Portugal and Belgium — and he has been a fixture in the squad since the Saudi league ended in May.

After Thursday’s goal in Estadio Azteca — the fastest World Cup goal in Mexico’s history, surpassing a 22nd-minute goal scored by Fernando Quirarte against Iraq in the 1986 World Cup — Quiñones is quickly — becoming a fixture in the hearts of El Tri fans.

With reports from BBC, ESPN and Record

How to check if your English-speaking doctor in Mexico City is actually licensed

By
MND Staff
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generic doctor
Most English-speaking doctors in Mexico City are most likely legally licensed to practice medicine in Mexico, but it's hard for the average person to verify it. That´s why CDMX Expats set out to see which English-language practitioners' licenses were publicly verifiable. (Unsplash)

If you Google “How to find English-speaking doctors in Mexico City,” you’re likely to find advice to start “tapping into expat communities on Facebook and dedicated forums.”

And if you want to dig deeper to ensure a doctor is fully credentialed, you’ll need to sift through government platforms and official registries to verify a doctor’s active license status — a task that few have the time or inclination to carry out, especially if they don’t know Spanish.

There’s an easier way.

Alfredo Arenal Quiroz
Alfredo del Arenal is the founder of CDMXExpats.com, an English-language resource that verifies the licenses and other required credentials of an assortment of professionals, including doctors, accountants and lawyers. (Alfredo del Arenal / Facebook)

CDMXExpats.com — founded by Alfredo del Arenal — is a directory and resource guide tailored for English-speaking expatriates in the capital. 

Its goal is to to help foreigners navigate life in Mexico City through features such as verified service provider directories (health care, accounting, banking, legal, tech support), housing and real estate guides (moving companies, relocation services, property managers) and lifestyle tips.

Recently, CDMXEpats.com updated its health care directory — the only credential-checked directory for English-speaking expats in Mexico City, according to Arenal — by conducting an audit aimed at answering the question: How many English-speaking doctors in CDMX are actually “cédula-verified?”

Every legally practicing physician in Mexico must hold a “cédula,” an official federal license to practice medicine. Their cédula status appears in a national registry of professionals, but, as Arenal discovered, almost nobody was checking it.

“So I started doing the checking,” he said. 

He understands the non-Spanish-speaking expats’ plight. “I’m an expat myself — I spent about 15 years in Canada before moving back to Mexico in 2022,” Arenal said. “I kept seeing people in Reddit and Facebook groups asking for the same thing: a doctor who actually speaks English … [and] ‘English-speaking’ gets repeated until it sounds official.”

CDMXExpats.com recently completed an audit to upgrade its healthcare directory.

To validate qualifications, the vetting process involved checking both academic and professional board credentials, because in addition to the license, legally recognized specialists must be certified by the appropriate medical council. The review also relied on a “tag system” that flagged unverified self-claims.

The audit examined 147 providers across six healthcare sub-categories (general practice, OB/GYN, dental, mental health, pediatrics and urgent care) and found that only 38 (or 26%) could be cédula-verified, or “credential-checked.”

But, he stressed, that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t have the required credentials.

“The story isn’t that these doctors are unlicensed, however, because most of them are [licensed],” Arenal said, adding that most doctors simply don’t publish their licenses. “So you, as a patient, have no way to tell and you might end up relying on a Facebook comment.”

“In one case,” Arenal said, “the cédula number being passed around online for a doctor didn’t match the name in the Federal Registry. We caught that because we checked the registry ourselves. A patient never would.”

The doctors reviewed in the audit were located in Polanco, Roma, Condesa, Santa Fe, Tlalpan and 10 other neighborhoods.

The results are documented with descriptions of methodology and screenshot evidence demonstrating the verification process. 

For example, a dual-license specialist was verified by finding the license and the specialty cédula and a foreign-trained OB/GYN was shown to have properly revalidated his degree with the Education Secretariat. 

The overriding issue is public transparency, not necessarily licensure, Arenal said

“Most doctors simply don’t publish a cédula for a patient to consult,” he said. “That’s the gap we’re trying to close.”

Arenal also said that his platform is careful to explain that its use of the word “verified” does not imply that it is vouching for the doctor’s quality or guaranteeing outcomes; it is only confirming that the licenses are real by checking the registration of the credentials.

Mexico News Daily

Stars in the stands: The celebrities spotted at the World Cup opener in Mexico City

By
MND Staff
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Salma Hayek and Samuel García
Actress Salma Hayek and Nuevo León Gov. Samuel García were a couple of the prominent Mexicans to watch the game live, along with a variety of international sports figures and artists. (Cuartoscuro, Samuel García)

While Mexico’s president and the capital’s mayor watched from a street fan festival, Mexican actress Salma Hayek stood on the pitch at Estadio Azteca and shouted “¡Viva México!” to 80,000 fans.

Hayek served as a cultural ambassador, giving an opening speech at the ceremony.

“We Mexicans are deeply honored that the first match of this wonderful football tradition that brings us all together begins here,” she said before appearing alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino and even getting the opportunity to hold the World Cup for a few minutes.

But Hayek wasn’t the only celebrity in Estadio Azteca (which has been re-dubbed Mexico City Stadium for the duration of the World Cup). A range of artists and sports stars showed up in Mexico City this week to witness the opening of the year’s biggest sporting event.

Before the game began, one of the celebrities generating buzz was the U.S. pop star Sabrina Carpenter, who hours before the opening match was spotted walking through the streets of Mexico City holding hands with a man in a hot dog costume.

Meanwhile, in the VIP stands, Mexican world boxing champion Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez was sitting with his wife Fernanda Gómez, both proudly wearing the Mexican national team jersey.

Another sports celebrity sitting in the VIP area was Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho, who attended as one of FIFA’s special guests for the tournament’s opening. Photos and videos that circulated on social media showed the former player mingling with other historical figures of world football, including Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Roberto Baggio.

Thomas Müller, a World Cup champion with Germany in 2014, was spotted enjoying the show, as well as the legendary German manager Jürgen Klopp.

MND’s reporter Peter Davies, who spent 10 hours at the Azteca Stadium reporting live on the event, also spotted and spoke with Grupo Firme’s manager Isael Gutiérrez.

A few conspicuous absences drew even more attention than the stars in attendance. President Claudia Sheinbaum and Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada both chose not to attend the match at Estadio Azteca, and instead watched the game alongside the capital’s residents at public events outside the venue.

World Cup live: ‘El Tri’ defeats South Africa in first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City

Their absence broke with the tradition of seeing top officials at the opening of a World Cup and became one of the most discussed political topics of the day.

Among the politicians who did make an appearance were Nuevo León’s Governor Samuel García — who recently declared himself in “party mode” for the duration of the World Cup — and his wife Mariana Rodríguez, as well as former México state Governor Alfredo del Mazo.

With reports from The Sun UK, El Financiero, La Jornada, Excelsior

Sheinbaum celebrates El Tri’s World Cup victory and massive fan turnout: Friday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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President Sheinbaum hailed El Tri's win Friday morning, but also faced questions about protests and other controversies surrounding the event. (Juan Carlos Buenrostro / Presidencia)

Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds

  • 🏆🇲🇽 El Tri victory sets the tone: Sheinbaum opened her mañanera in high spirits, congratulating the Mexican men’s team not just for the 2-0 win over South Africa but for “the happiness the players gave to the people of Mexico.”
  • 🎉 Hundreds of thousands of fans turn out in Mexico City alone: Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez reported 100,000 fans watched the match at the FIFA Fan Festival in Mexico City’s Zócalo and 200,000 more at viewing sites across the capital’s 16 boroughs. Tens of thousands of fans also went to FIFA Fan Festivals in Monterrey and Guadalajara.
  • 🎟️ Sheinbaum explains why she skipped the stadium: The president said she decided “from the beginning” not to attend the World Cup opener, choosing instead to give her ticket to the winner of a government-run soccer ball juggling competition that was open to young Mexican women.
  • 🪧 Protests noted, but framed as the exception: Sheinbaum briefly acknowledged Thursday’s demonstrations and clashes near the stadium, saying some wanted to “show another image of Mexico.” However, she insisted that “the image of Mexico is happiness.”
  • 🎬 Sheinbaum says Salma Hayek appearance was FIFA’s call, not hers: Pushed on why Hayek — not the juggling competition winner — spoke at the opener, Sheinbaum was emphatic: “I didn’t decide that.” She noted that neither Trump nor Carney attended either, and said that FIFA independently selects country representatives for its events.

Why today’s mañanera matters

President Claudia Sheinbaum applauded as she walked into her Friday morning press conference, continuing the acclaim for the Mexican men’s football team, which defeated South Africa 2-0 in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City on Thursday.

The opening day of the tournament, and the victory of El Tri, as Mexico’s team is known, were key focuses of today’s mañanera.

El Tri, as the Mexican national team is known, celebrates its first goal in Thursday’s 2-0 win over South Africa at the World Cup opener in Mexico City. (Edgar Negrete Lira / Cuartoscuro.com)

Sheinbaum was evidently happy that the first day of the World Cup — which Mexico is co-hosting with the United States and Canada — was a success, despite concerns about protests and security. The second match of the tournament was played in Guadalajara on Thursday night, with South Korea defeating the Czech Republic 2-1.

On Friday morning, Sheinbaum briefly addressed the protests that occurred on Thursday, but she made the overall success of the day — and in particular the Mexican team — her central focus.

Also of note at today’s mañanera were Sheinbaum’s comments about why she decided against attending the World Cup opener, and her remarks on the participation in the event of Mexican actress and film producer Salma Hayek.

Sheinbaum congratulates El Tri 

“How are you?” Sheinbaum asked reporters at the start of her mañanera.

“Content, happy,” she said, responding on the press corps’ behalf.

“The truth is it was extremely beautiful, the match was great,” Sheinbaum said.

The president, who watched Thursday’s match at a fan festival in the northern Mexico City borough of Gustavo A. Madero, went on to congratulate El Tri for the victory over Bafana Bafana, as the South African team is known.

She said her congratulations to the Mexican team wasn’t just for how it played on Thursday, but also for “the happiness the players gave to the people of Mexico.”

“… It’s very beautiful to see entire families in green [Mexican team] shirts,” Sheinbaum said.

She noted that people across Mexico watched the match with their families — some at home and others in public parks and squares, including the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main square, where an official FIFA Fan Festival opened on Thursday.

President Sheinbaum, children and families jump and cheer in excitement , wearing Mexico's World Cup jersey
President Sheinbaum watched the opening game not from the stadium, but from a fan event in the Gustavo A. Madero borough of Mexico City. (Gobierno de México)

Sheinbaum also acknowledged that people flocked to the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City to celebrate El Tri’s victory.

She subsequently declared that “he or she who bets against Mexico will always do poorly on the pitch, in politics and in life.”

“Those of us who love Mexico do well on the pitch, in life and in politics,” Sheinbaum said, adding that El Tri’s victory on Thursday created “enormous happiness” for the people of Mexico.

Mexicans flock to World Cup fan sites 

Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez reported that 100,000 football fans watched Thursday’s match in the Zócalo in Mexico City, while 200,000 people went to other fan sites set up in each of the capital’s 16 boroughs.

She also reported that 50,000 people attended the FIFA Fan Festival in Monterrey, and 38,000 people went to the FIFA Fan Festival in Guadalajara.

She stressed that many other people across Mexico watched the match in public squares, and celebrated El Tri’s victory in the nation’s streets.

President Sheinbaum with a slide showing FIFA fan festival attendance numbers
Over 300,000 fans joined World Cup festivities in Mexico City, with tens of thousands more tuning in from Monterrey and Guadalajara, officials said. (Juan Carlos Buenrostro / Presidencia)

“I invite you to continue living this World Cup and this pride of being Mexican,” Rodríguez said.

“I think we all got goosebumps yesterday,” she added.

Later in the press conference, Rodríguez said that more than 2 million tourists are expected to visit Mexico City in June, during which the capital will host four World Cup matches (with a fifth to be played in early July).

“I could say that we’re going to exceed 10 million international visitors in the month of June,” the tourism minister said, offering an optimistic prediction on the number of tourists who will visit Mexico this month.

‘They’re very expensive’: Sheinbaum acknowledges high World Cup ticket prices 

Sheinbaum told reporters that “from the beginning” she took the decision that she wouldn’t attend the World Cup opening ceremony and inaugural match at Mexico City Stadium. She noted that she decided to give her ticket to the winner of a government-run soccer ball juggling competition, which was open to young Mexican women.

“The tickets for the stadium are very expensive,” she said, citing prices as high as 120,000 pesos (about US $7,000).

“There are very few people that can pay for a ticket of this amount. By the same token there are people who can and it’s good they went to the stadium [on Thursday],” Sheinbaum said.

“But I believe that, as president, it’s better to give a place to a person who wouldn’t have been able to attend, who loves football, and, in particular, is a young woman,” she said.

Sheinbaum said that her decision to give away her ticket “is related to who we are” and “the vision we have as a government.”

She said that the young woman who won the juggling competition and went to the Mexico City Stadium on Thursday — 21-year-old Yolett Cervantes Cuaquehua of Veracruz — “had a wonderful” time at the match “and represented us very well.”

Sheinbaum: ‘The image of Mexico is happiness’

Sheinbaum acknowledged that there were protests on the opening day of the World Cup as well as violent clashes near the Mexico City Stadium between police and members of a so-called “black bloc” of protesters.

“Yesterday, there were people who wanted to show another image of Mexico,” she said.

“But the image of Mexico is happiness, the happiness of the people,” Sheinbaum said.

She also said that by hosting the World Cup opening ceremony and first match, Mexico was able to show off that happiness to the world, and also demonstrate that the country is a “cultural power.”

Sheinbaum: Salma Hayek is ‘a great representative of Mexico’

A reporter asked the president why she decided to make Salma Hayek her representative at the World Cup opener rather than the young woman who won the soccer ball juggling competition and was thus designated as a representative of the government.

“I didn’t decide that,” Sheinbaum said, explaining that Hayek — who gave a welcome address at the stadium on Thursday — was “a guest of FIFA” and not a representative of the president or Mexican government.

“Of course, Salma is a great representative of Mexico,” she said.

“All Mexicans love Salma, she has made wonderful movies, she is a great representative [of Mexico] in Hollywood and she is an ambassador of Mexico in the world,” Sheinbaum said.

“… She is a great ambassador, we value her a lot and I think that all Mexicans love her. But in this event, it was an invitation from FIFA,” she said.

The reporter put it to the president that Hayek was invited to attend the World Cup opener and speak because she herself decided not to go.

“No, no, no, no. You’re mistaken,” Sheinbaum said.

“It’s a FIFA event and FIFA decides, within the framework of its events, who the representatives of each of the countries are,” she said.

“It wasn’t a representation of states, of governments. President Trump didn’t go, Prime Minister Carney didn’t go. It was a decision of FIFA about who can represent countries, and Salma Hayek represents Mexico well,” Sheinbaum said.

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

El Jalapeño: Trump proposes tariffs on Mexican fentanyl, calls domestic cartel sector “tremendous opportunity”

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El Jalapeno
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It's hard to argue with the logic. (U.S. Embassy for Mauritania)

All stories in El Jalapeño are satire and not real news. This one was sent in by a reader.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that his administration’s sweeping campaign of indictments against Mexican officials and business figures is Phase One of a larger trade realignment — one designed to protect what he called “the last great American consumer market” from unfair foreign competition.

“Mexico has been dumping narcotics into our country for years — no tariffs, no inspections, no respect,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “America has millions of drug addicts, fine people, many of them voted for me. They deserve American-made product at a fair American price.”

(US Department of War)

The administration is expected to announce a 50 percent tariff on imported fentanyl and methamphetamine as early as next week, a measure trade advisors say will level the playing field for domestic producers currently unable to compete with heavily subsidized Mexican supply chains.

“This is textbook protectionism,” said one trade economist who asked not to be named. “You impose the tariff, prosecute the foreign competition and let the domestic industry fill the gap. The only unusual part is the product category.”

The president acknowledged one structural gap in the plan. Coca cultivation requires tropical conditions unavailable within current U.S. borders — a deficit he said would be resolved through Venezuela’s accession as the 51st state, at which point “new American farmers will grow the plants and legal American workers will process them, beautifully.”

The White House did not respond to questions about DEA jurisdiction, federal licensing frameworks, or whether existing cartel infrastructure would qualify for the administration’s previously announced small-business reshoring tax credits.

Mexico’s Economy Secretariat noted in a brief statement that it had spent forty years being told to stop exporting drugs, and requested clarification on which policy currently applied.

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Peso nears its best rate of 2026 as US-Iran tensions ease

By
MND Staff
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Mexican peso 500 peso bills
The peso opened Friday at 17.20 to the dollar, its strongest level since February. (Shutterstock)

The peso rebounded on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested tensions between the United States and Iran were easing.

At Friday’s opening, the exchange rate stood at 17.20 pesos to the US dollar, nearing its low point of the year. The lowest point so far was the 17.13 pesos per US dollar rate that it reached on Feb. 18.

“The peso is benefiting from the increased risk appetite among investors, stemming from the progress in the Middle East negotiations,” financial services holding company Grupo Monex said. 

Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Banco Base, said the peso’s attractiveness is also supported by “a weakening U.S. currency and increased appetite for emerging market assets, in an environment marked by expectations of interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve.”

Siller also said Mexico’s currency is benefiting from “a drag effect from the Colombian peso,” which is gaining against the US dollar because of the greater probability that the right-wing candidate will win the presidential elections in Colombia.

In Thursday’s wholesale trading, the peso strengthened by 16 cents (0.94%) after Trump mentioned on his Truth Social network that the U.S. and Iran had agreed to a “very strong memorandum of understanding” to stop the fighting.

Mexico’s currency is on pace to see a weekly appreciation of more than 1.5%. Since the new year began (with the peso at 18 to the US dollar), the accumulated appreciation is slightly above 4.4%.

The news about the Middle East also boosted the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) as the benchmark S&P/BMV IPC index rose 3.33% to 66,977.05 points, interrupting a six-day losing streak. Traders attributed the rebound to more than Trump’s optimistic comments, saying that bargain hunting and bets on heavyweight stocks also paid off.

The performance of the BMV was in line with global stock markets,which closed with strong gains, driven by renewed hopes for a Middle East agreement.

Excelsior newspaper said the financial outlook is also influenced by the latest macroeconomic data, which show different realities on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border:

  • Higher inflation in the U.S. could influence the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decisions.
  • Industrial growth in Mexico — strongly supported by the construction and manufacturing sectors — is a positive counterweight as industrial activity rebounded more than expected in April, posting its best performance since March 2021 and contributing to exchange rate stability.

With reports from La Jornada, El Financiero and Excelsior

The many talents of Guanajuato’s Rocío Sánchez

By
Louisa Rogers
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Rocío Sánchez in her garden, Guanajuato, Mexico
Artist Rocío Sánchez, seen here in her garden in Guanajuato, is still as prolific as ever. (Louisa Rogers)

When Guanajuato painter and sculptor Rocío Sánchez was ten years old, her convent school held a contest for students to represent the 1967 International Year of Peace. Sánchez chose to draw a portrait of Gandhi. “Although I had sketched before, drawing Gandhi was a new experience for me,” she said. “I was overwhelmed by the discovery that through creating a simple drawing I could express feelings so deeply.”

Today, more than fifty years later, Sánchez still expresses emotions through her paintings and sculptures, which she has exhibited not only in many parts of Mexico but also in Paris, Florence, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., as well as other U.S. states and Canadian provinces. 

How Rocío Sánchez became an artist

Originally from Michoacán, artist Rocío Sánchez has lived and created her art in Guanajuato since 2017. (El Viaje de la Consciencia)

Growing up in Sahuayo, Michoacán, she was fortunate to have the renowned Mexican artist Luis Sahagún Cortés as her mentor. “He inspired me. He was very generous, never charged for his services and would take me outside to paint in plein air,” Sánchez says.

Later, she won scholarships at both the state and federal levels, building a reputation by showcasing her portfolio to various galleries. She also represented Mexico in different countries. In Paris, for example, her paintings were exhibited for the Casa de México and at the 2013 Biennial of Florence.

One of Sánchez’s goals is to integrate art with the surrounding landscape, as she did with her sculpture, “The Queen of the Seas,” located on the malecón in La Paz, on the Baja Peninsula.

She moved to Guanajuato in 2017 to develop her artistic project, “The Journey of Consciousness,” which she first visualized in a dream and whose goal is to promote self-knowledge through art, nature and technology. Throughout her home and garden are paintings and stone carvings that are all part of this vision. 

A versatility in artworks and themes 

Currently, she paints primarily with acrylics. However, in her 53 years of making art, she’s explored many media, including oil, pastel, tempera and encaustic. She has also created prints and sculptures, using diverse techniques such as stone carving, clay modeling and lost-wax bronze casting, ranging from miniatures to large-format works. More recently, she’s experimented with digital arts, incorporating virtual reality.

In 2025, Sánchez was asked by the prolific Spanish poet Julie Sopetrán to illustrate her book of erotic poetry, “Las Cuatro Estaciones” (“The Four Seasons”). After reading the book, intrigued by the idea of a “dialogue between literature and art,” Sánchez flew to the Spanish province of Castilla y León to meet Sopetrán. Of the book’s 365 poems, representing each day of the year, one was accidentally repeated. “So Sopetrán had to write a new erotic poem. At 82 years old!” Sánchez exclaimed in amazement. She smiled impishly. “The heart never wrinkles.”

“The heart never wrinkles,” says Sánchez of some of the erotic themes in her art. (El Viaje de la Consciencia)

“Are the paintings erotic?” I asked Sánchez. Yes, but “eroticism is much more than human sexuality,” she said. “The illustrations are all acrylic paintings on canvas, in which I fuse nude human figures with mountains. It’s like a human landscape that evokes the sensuality of the close relationship between nature and humankind.”

Indeed, the cover shows a nude man and woman lying in each other’s arms, looking like a series of sensuously rounded hills. An exhibition of the illustrations was held in the Casa Gene Byron Museum outside Guanajuato in the fall of 2025.

The discipline and routine of an artist

Sánchez’s days vary. “My routine depends on the discipline I’m working on. For example, if I’m working on a direct plaster sculpture, I’m in my workshop. If I go to the foundry in Guadalajara to cast my pieces in bronze, it’s a different routine. If I’m painting, then I’m in my studio.”

She has experienced many changes throughout her artistic career, alternating between painting and sculpture and from the physical to the intangible. “For example, if I take a 3D photograph of a bronze or stone sculpture and then exhibit it in the Metaverse, what was once pure matter is transformed into a work that is visual but intangible.”

She’s also painted landscapes, portraits and nudes. During one period in the 1980s, she sketched classical musicians at concerts, then painted them at home, creating a project titled “Concerto in E Major with Countless Movements,” which was exhibited internationally.

Adapting to a changing landscape

Sánchez is not intimidated by the many changes in the art field. “It’s very exciting to see how organic art is,” she says, “and we’d better be flexible because it’s constantly changing, and faster all the time. She has experienced all the paradigm shifts that have occurred during the last two generations. “Private and public galleries, for example, which used to be entirely physical, have been transformed into virtual galleries, substantially changing the type of audience and collectors.” She shows her work at Saatchi Art, an online art gallery whose headquarters are in Los Angeles.

Sánchez at a showing of her work in the Casa Gene Byron Museum outside Guanajuato in 2025. (El Viaje de la Consciencia)

She applied to an innovative federal program called “Jovenes Construyendo el Futuro” (“Youth Building the Future”) to recruit two apprentices to work with her. Paid by the federal government, the young men currently work from 9:00 a.m. to 2 p.m., leaving them time to pursue their own creative interests.

A Renaissance woman, Sánchez gets her inspiration from her most intimate source: “Being a woman artist, I’m inspired by human nature and by the Earth as our mirror, which provides us with life itself.”

Louisa Rogers and her husband Barry Evans divide their lives between Guanajuato and Eureka, on California’s North Coast. Louisa writes articles and essays about expat life, Mexico, travel, physical and psychological health, retirement and spirituality. Her recent articles are available on her website, authory.com/LouisaRogers.

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