The Alfonso Serrano Large Millimeter Telescope (GTM), a joint project of the United States and Mexico, is the world’s largest single-aperture telescope in its frequency range. (INAOE)
A telescope in Puebla deemed “the most important astronomical project in Mexico” is in danger of having the plug pulled on August 31 due to a lack of funding, a group of Mexican and international scientists is warning.
The Alfonso Serrano Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT), a joint project of the United States and Mexico, is the world’s largest single-aperture telescope in its frequency range. Located in Pico de Orizaba National Park, it sits atop the extinct Sierra Negra volcano, the fifth-highest peak in Mexico at 4,580 meters (15,000 feet) above sea level.
Construction of the GTM took 20 years, beginning in the late 1990’s, though the telescope made its first observations in 2011. (lmtgtm.org)
With funds about to run dry, a group of scientists that includes leading astrophysicists and astronomers from around the globe has sent a letter to Mexico’s Secretary of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP).
The letter describes the telescope, built over 20 years, as a “flagship” project between Mexico and the United States and how its current funding comes from a National Council of the Humanities, Science and Technology (Conahcyt) program that was approved in 2018 and will soon expire.
“As of September 1, it will find itself without resources to continue operating,” the scientists wrote, adding that pulling the plug would be “a very serious obstacle to meeting the scientific, technological development and training objectives” of the project.
The scientists also noted that this would have a negative impact on the relations and commitments between Mexico and the United States. The telescope is 70% operated by Mexico’s National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE) and 30% by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and is part of a global network of telescopes that has been jointly collecting data since 2017. As reported by the news site La Silla Rota, the INAOE requires US $3 million annually to operate the LMT.
Six scientists, including Luis Alberto Zapata, director of the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), lent their names to the letter, which was supported by another 1,300 signatories.
“We have approached Conahcyt [before the letter] to talk about how to extend the funds, but they have not responded,” Zapata told the newspaper El País last week. “Previously, it was easier to approach the director of Conahcyt and talk to him about your concerns. Now, with the new director [María Elena Álvarez-Buylla Roces], it is more difficult. There is no conversation. It is more of a monologue.”
Dr. Luis Alberto Zapata has called the GTM “the most important astronomical project in Mexico.” (UNAM)
The GTM — which refers to its name in Spanish, Gran Telescopio Milimétrico — observes radio waves in lengths from approximately .85 to 4 millimeters (.033 to .158 inches). Its 50-meter diameter primary reflector makes it the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope performing observations at those wavelengths, and its high-elevation location gives it great sensitivity.
The GTM has made many significant contributions in exploring the physical processes behind the formation and evolution of planetary systems, stars, black holes and galaxies.
It participated in obtaining the first image in history of the shadow of a supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy. This resulted in several international awards, such as the Breakthrough Prize in 2020 in Fundamental Physics and the Albert Einstein Medal.
On Saturday, Ecuadorian police arrested former vice president Jorge Glas, who had been staying in the Mexican embassy. (National Police of Ecuador)
The Mexican government broke diplomatic relations with Ecuador on Saturday after Ecuadorian police broke into the Mexican Embassy in Quito on Friday night, seeking to detain a former vice president of the South American nation who had been promised asylum in Mexico.
Former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas had already been convicted of corruption by Ecuadorian courts at the time of his arrest. (Wikimedia Commons)
“In consultation with the president of Mexico … and in view of the flagrant and serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, in particular of the principle of inviolability of Mexico’s diplomatic premises and personnel, and the basic rules of international coexistence, Mexico announces that it is immediately breaking diplomatic relations with Ecuador,” said Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena.
“Mexico strongly condemns the acts of violence committed against the deputy chief of mission, Roberto Canseco Martínez, and the arbitrary arrest of former vice president Jorge Glas Espinel, who was in the embassy and seeking political asylum due to the persecution he has been experiencing,” the SRE said.
The New York Times described the events in Quito — during which Canseco was pushed to the ground by police — as “a rare instance of one government entering another’s embassy to make an arrest.”
In a post to the X social media platform that was “reposted” by Bárcena, human rights lawyer Aitor Martínez said that Mexico’s Embassy in Chile gave asylum to dozens of people during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
Así sometieron a Roberto Canseco en Ecuador
Recordings of Mexican diplomat Roberto Canseco’s impassioned defense of the embassy were shared widely on social media after the raid.
“Pinochet respected international conventions. The documents from the time attached here show that Daniel Noboa has crossed boundaries that not even Pinochet dared to cross,” Martínez wrote.
A day after the Mexican government severed ties with its South American neighbor, Mexico’s diplomatic personnel in Ecuador returned to Mexico. Among the 18 members of the diplomatic corps who arrived at the Mexico City airport on Sunday was Ambassador Raquel Serur Smeke, who was declared a persona non grata by Ecuadorian authorities on Thursday after López Obrador insinuated that Noboa benefited from the assassination of a rival candidate during last year’s presidential elections in the South American nation.
“I would like to commend all the officials and their families … who truly defended our embassy in Quito, even risking their own safety,” Bárcena said at the airport after welcoming the returning diplomatic staff.
“… Can you imagine what it is like to leave your life, to leave a life that you had planned in a country and to have 48 hours to leave the country? It is a shock, … this is something that has never happened in Mexico’s history and, I would say, in the recent history of Latin America, not even in the worst moments of dictatorships,” added the foreign minister.
Former Mexican ambassador to Ecuador Raquel Serur was declared a persona non grata in her country of residence last week. (Raquel Serur/X)
“We strongly condemn the violent intrusion of Ecuadorian security personnel into our embassy. … We will go to all the appropriate multilateral, regional and international forums so that this is absolutely condemned by the entire international community,” Bárcena said, specifically noting that Mexico would file a complaint with the International Court of Justice.
Glas — who served as vice president under two presidents, Rafael Correa (2007-17) and Lenín Moreno (2017-21) — was arrested four months after taking up residence in the Mexican Embassy in a move akin to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s habitation in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
The former official has already been sentenced to prison on corruption charges and a warrant had been issued for his arrest, President Noboa’s office said in a statement after the arrest on Friday night.
Last month, Mexico denied the Ecuadorian government’s request to enter the Quito embassy to arrest Glas, and announced Friday morning that it would grant the former vice president asylum. López Obrador said that the ex-official had faced “persecution” and “harassment” in Ecuador.
Before Glas’s arrest, the SRE requested that Ecuador guarantee safe conduct out of the country and officially objected to the police presence around its embassy, calling it a flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
For its part, the Ecuadorian president’s office asserted that “every embassy” has only one purpose: “to serve as a diplomatic space with the objective of strengthening relations between countries.”
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa. (Daniel Noboa Azin/Facebook)
“No criminal can be considered a politically persecuted person,” the office said, adding that “the diplomatic mission harboring Jorge Glas” had “abused the immunities and privileges” granted to it and gave the former vice president “diplomatic asylum contrary to the conventional legal framework.”
For those reasons, authorities proceeded with the “capture” of the ex-official, the statement said. Glas was subsequently transported to a high-security prison.
“Ecuador is a sovereign country and we’re not going to allow any criminal to go unpunished,” the president’s office said.
“We reiterate our respect for the Mexican people who share our commitment for the fight against the corruption that affects our countries,” added the statement from the office of President Noboa, who took office in late November and declared a state of emergency in January in recognition of “an internal armed conflict” in Ecuador.
More than two weeks later, there is no substantiated explanation of why the victims were kidnapped. (@linea_directa/X)
Officials in the northwestern state of Sinaloa reported on Sunday that all 66 victims of a mass kidnapping in Culiacán are now accounted for, more than two weeks after they went missing.
State Public Security Secretary Gerardo Mérida Sánchez told reporters that the remaining eight kidnap victims were back home and were deemed to be in good health.
Sinaloa Public Security Secretary Gerardo Mérida Sánchez said the kidnapping victims declined to file charges. (Sinaloa State Security Ministry/Facebook)
Mérida called the case “atypical,” explaining that none of the victims wanted to file charges, the newspaper Expansión reported.
“This [case] is atypical for Sinaloa as well as for the rest of the Republic,” Mérida said. “This doesn’t happen here on a daily basis. Well, in some states it doesn’t.”
The 66 victims went missing on March 22 — most of them abducted directly from their homes — and two days later, 58 had been released in two separate actions, the German newspaper DW reported on March 25.
After the kidnappings, banners bearing the faces of some kidnapping victims appeared around Culiacán, Sinaloa. (Twitter)
The signs vowed retribution “to all the thieves in Sinaloa,” warned that “robbery, kidnapping, extortion [and] collection of protection money aren’t allowed here,” and urged residents to report any act of that kind. They were signed with the initials of the son of “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is also a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel subgroup known as Los Chapitos.
Initially, authorities blamed a clash between rival criminal organizations. The day after the kidnapping, an Army contingent exchanged fire with armed civilians presumed responsible for the crime in Culiacán. The shoot-out resulted in the death of at least one soldier, reported the newspaper El Universal on March 25. Authorities have not confirmed whether those involved in the March 23 confrontation are connected with the kidnapping.
Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha was the subject of much criticism after addressing the mass abduction by saying “Sadly, these things happen” before urging residents not to be afraid.
On Sunday, Rocha expressed gratitude for the return of the final eight victims, thanking the authorities involved in the operation, including the Defense Ministry, Public Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez, the National Guard and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Upon questioning from reporters, Mérida declined to provide further information on the kidnapping, saying his office was continuing to investigate.
“I can’t provide additional details,” Mérida told reporters, “as this is an open investigation. The [state Attorney General’s Office] will determine when such information can be made available.”
The news site Infobae reported that state authorities had begun pursuing new leads during Easter Week, after reports that some of the final eight victims had already returned home, although no specifics were provided.
More than two weeks later, there is no substantiated explanation of why the victims were kidnapped. Rocha and Mérida have speculated that contrary to the statements on the narco banners, the kidnap was a cash grab — that criminals were looking to plunder the victims’ houses — but no evidence has been forthcoming.
Mexico's three presidential candidates participated in the first of three debates on Sunday night. (INE)
Personal attacks rather than proposals for the future were the defining feature of Mexico’s first presidential debate of 2024, held exactly eight weeks before Mexicans go to the polls to elect a successor to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO).
The two leading aspirants to the presidency, Claudia Sheinbaum of a coalition led by the ruling Morena party and Xóchitl Gálvez of a three-party opposition alliance, traded barbs during the two-hour debate in Mexico City on Sunday night, while the third candidate, Jorge Álvarez Máynez of the minor Citizens Movement (MC) party, went on the offensive against both women, and even took the opportunity to introduce himself to voters using sign language in one particularly memorable moment.
The candidates had two hours to debate topics as varied as education and health, corruption and violence against women. (INE/Cuartoscuro)
Moderated by two top journalists, the debate ostensibly focused on topics including education and health; the fight against corruption; and violence against women, but on several occasions, the candidates avoided or delayed responding to the questions put to them in favor of attacking their rivals.
After the debate, all three contenders claimed to have won, while manyanalysts concluded that Sheinbaum — the clear frontrunner in the race and a confident and calm debater —was the victor. In a “flash poll” conducted by the El País newspaper and W Radio, 46% of respondents declared that the Morena party candidate prevailed, while 25% said that Gálvez won and 10% concluded that Álvarez was the winner.
Sheinbaum, who leads the leftist “Let’s Keeping Making History” alliance made up of Morena, the Labor Party (PT) and the Green Party (PVEM), exclusively targeted Gálvez — a former senator and ex-mayor of the Mexico City borough of Miguel Hidalgo — accusing her of real estate-related corruption and of selling an apartment she pledged to donate to a Mexico City school.
The Morena candidate and former Mexico City mayor (2018-23) also took aim at the three parties that make up the Strength and Heart for Mexico opposition alliance, in particular, the National Action Party (PAN) and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), asserting that they want to return Mexico to its corrupt past, whereas she will continue the “transformation” initiated by AMLO, her political mentor.
“Today we have an honest president. You’ll never be able to say the same about the presidents of the PRIAN, which the candidate [Gálvez] represents,” said Sheinbaum, using a derogatory hybrid acronym for the PRI and the PAN.
Sheinbaum was deemed the victor in Sunday’s presidential debate. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
For her part, Gálvez, a computer engineer and businesswoman who has Indigenous Otomí ancestry, leveled a range of accusations at the Morena candidate, including that she was negligent in not shutting down a school in her borough before it collapsed in the 2017 earthquake, and that she is partially to blame for the fatal accident on Line 12 of the Mexico City metro in 2021.
“Claudia, you forgot to speak about the Rébsamen school. It’s unbelievable that due to your indifference, 19 children and seven adults died. A year before [the earthquake], Claudia, you had the evidence [necessary] to close that school, but you didn’t do it. I insist you’re a cold woman without a heart and that defines you completely,” said the PAN-PRI-PRD (Democratic Revolution Party) candidate, who also alleged that her rival has ignored the pleas of parents of children with cancer who have protested medicine shortages.
After highlighting that 26 people were also killed in the metro accident, Gálvez accused Sheinbaum of “criminal negligence,” noting that a private company determined that inadequate maintenance of Line 12 was one of the causes of the tragedy.
She also said she was prepared to take a polygraph test to demonstrate that corruption allegations made against her were untrue.
For her part, Shienbaum — who polls indicate is very likely to become Mexico’s first-ever female president — dismissed “everything the PRIAN candidate is saying” as “completely false.”
The Morena candidate, a physicist and environmental scientist, is aiming to use both her closeness to López Obrador, and her promise to perpetuate his political agenda, as an electoral asset. Early on in the debate, however, Gálvez remarked bluntly that “you are not AMLO” and declared that she can’t match the charisma of the current president, a loquacious nationalist and champion of the poor who has maintained high approval ratings throughout his 5 1/2 years in office.
Álvarez Máynez, MC candidate for president, deflected attacks by Gálvez with a big smile but didn’t hesitate to dish them back. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
Gálvez also asked Sheinbaum whether a government she leads would investigate AMLO’s sons for alleged corruption. “If there is proof, it should be presented to the Attorney General’s Office,” shot back the Morena candidate.
Álvarez, meanwhile, attacked Sheinbaum for what he characterized as a poor record of governance in Mexico City, and asserted on repeated occasions that Gálvez represents “the old politics” of Mexico, referring to the scandal-prone PRI that governed the country for the majority of the 20th century and the PAN, which held office between 2000 and 2012.
The candidates’ visions for the future
When they weren’t criticizing each other, the three candidates did outline some of their plans as president should they win the June 2 election and succeed AMLO on Oct. 1.
Sheinbaum committed to providing scholarships for all public school students, while Gálvez said that a government she leads would offer financial support to attendees of private schools as well.
The PAN-PRI-PRD candidate also proposed increasing salaries for teachers and restarting the Full-Time Schools Program that was terminated by the current government. The program extended school hours for students at more than 25,000 schools and thus gave their parents — especially mothers — more time to work to support their families.
Álvarez, when speaking about his education plans, asserted that textbooks should not seek to indoctrinate students, as the current government has been accused of doing with texts published last year.
Primer Debate Presidencial - México 2024
Concerning healthcare, Shienbaum pledged to strengthen the IMSS and ISSTE public health systems as well as IMSS Bienestar, the universal scheme created by the current government to offer care to people not registered via a formal employer.
Gálvez pledged to use technology to improve the healthcare system and put an end to medicine shortages that have plagued the current government. She also touted her plan to introduce a healthcare “smart card,” which would provide access to patients’ medical history among other information.
Sheinbaum, who was environment minister in the 2000-2005 Mexico City government led by AMLO, promised to continue the fight against corruption, which she asserted has generated huge savings over the past five years and thus allowed the current federal administration to allocate resources to major infrastructure projects and a range of welfare and social programs.
She also pledged to continue with the “republican austerity” doctrine of AMLO, who has cut public spending and eliminated what he describes as the unjust “privileges” enjoyed by officials in previous governments at the expense of the Mexican people.
In another memorable moment in the final minutes of the debate, Gálvez appeared to make a gaffe by holding a Mexican flag upside down as she declared she would defend the national symbol “from the corrupt [and] the criminals.”
“The Mexican flag will protect us all, it will protect us together, it will protect us in peace,” added the candidate.
Xóchitl Gálvez holds a Mexican flag outside of the INE, after holding the flag upside down in her closing message. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
Gálvez subsequently said on social media that a citizen who displays the flag upside down is in fact protesting the violence and insecurity currently plaguing the country.
Maintaining a happy demeanor through much of the debate and frequently flashing a broad grin, Álvarez pledged to put “the girls and boys” of Mexico at “the center” of his government’s education strategy and to use artificial intelligence to inform healthcare decisions. The 38-year-old former lawmaker asserted that a “new” Mexico is possible under his leadership and pledged that an MC government would treat migrants more humanely.
“What we have done with the southern border is inhumane,” he said, referring to the use of the National Guard and the armed forces to detain migrants who have entered the country from Guatemala.
“The militarization hasn’t made our border more secure but it has made it crueler. That’s why we have to change the model for one of human rights,” Álvarez said.
He and the two women seeking to become Mexico’s next president will meet again for a second debate on April 28. In the meantime, Sheinbaum, Gálvez and Álvarez will return to the campaign trail as they seek to convince some 100 million eligible voters that they are the right person to lead Mexico for the next six years.
The fire broke out in a section of the platform where gas pipelines are located. (@NoticiasRNN/X)
One person was killed and at least 13 others were injured after an explosion at an offshore platform operated by Mexico’s national oil company Pemex.
The Saturday afternoon explosion at the company’s Akal-B platform, located in the southern Gulf of Mexico, led to a fire that was controlled within thirty minutes of the explosion, according to a company statement.
The Akal-B platform is located within Pemex’s Cantarell Field, which was previously the site of a major oil spill and fire that killed two in July 2023. (Carlos Alvarez/Twitter)
At least six of the victims — including the one fatally injured — are employees of the contractor COTER, whereas three victims are employees of the company Diavaz. Five victims are direct employees of Pemex.
All were airlifted to a Social Security (IMSS) hospital in Isla del Carmen, just off the coast of the nearby state of Campeche, immediately following the incident.
In its statement, the state-owned oil company said one of its employees would be airlifted to Mexico City for treatment of life-threatening injuries; two others suffered second and third-degree burns but were in stable condition, and two had suffered serious contusions but were in stable condition.
Four victims so far have been released from the Isla del Carmen hospital in good condition.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing. The fire broke out in a section of the platform where gas pipelines are located. The newspaper Forbes México reported that a total of 28 people were on the platform when the explosion occurred.
Pemex has yet to explain how oil and gas production might be affected by the accident nor did it offer an estimate as to when operations might be re-established there.
The Akal-B platform is part of Pemex’s valuable Cantarell Field of shallow-water wells, where in July 2023, the Nohoch-A link platform caught fire, killing two contract workers.
The Cantarell Field produces roughly 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Mexicans and tourists alike stepped outside to enjoy the celestial spectacle, which could be seen in totality across northern Mexico. A partial eclipse was enjoyed from both sides of the eclipse’s path.
See the 2024 total solar eclipse in photos, from Sinaloa and Nayarit, to Islas Marías and beyond.
Sinaloa
Over 100,000 people descended on Mazatlán to view the total solar eclipse from the “Pearl of the Pacific.” (Adolfo Vladimir/Cuartoscuro)President Andrés Manuel López Obrador observing Monday’s total solar eclipse from the port of Mazatlán. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)The total solar eclipse as seen from Mazatlán, Mexico on April 8, 2024. (María Ruiz)Eclipse chasers wait for the spectacle to unfold in Mazatlán. (María Ruiz)
Nayarit
Beach-goers in Nayarit also saw the solar eclipse in totality. (Pedro Anza/Cuartoscuro)The 2024 total solar eclipse as seen from Playa de Novillero, Nayarit. (Pedro Anza/Cuartoscuro)The “night” lasted approximately four minutes in Islas Marías, Nayarit. (Kate Bohné)
Coahuila
Coahuila was the easternmost state along the path of totality in Mexico. (Alejandro Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)Cloudy skies in Saltillo made for a spooky eclipse experience. (Alejandro Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)
Oaxaca
The progression of the partial eclipse as seen from Oaxaca. (Carolina Jiménez/Cuartoscuro)Dozens of people came to the Canuto Muñoz Mares municipal observatory to see the partial eclipse in Oaxaca, where 61% coverage was observed. (Carolina Jiménez/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico City
Pets and people in Mexico City came prepared to snag a partial view of the solar eclipse from Ciudad Universitaria on Monday morning. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)The peak of the solar eclipse as seen in Mexico City, where visibility was 74%. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)UNAM’s Ciudad Universitaria, or University City, was one big eclipse picnic on Monday. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
On July 11, 1991, a total solar eclipse captivated — and terrified — millions of Mexicans who couldn't wait to witness the spectacle from their own backyard. (mmreportera.wordpress.com)
On July 11, 1991, Mexico witnessed a total solar eclipse, from the Baja California peninsula to the southern state of Chiapas.
Mexico’s primary school geography books of 1993 announced it would be another thirty-three years before this rare celestial event could again be observed from the Republic. Such a date has arrived.
Mexico City on July 11, 1991, the last time a total solar eclipse was visible from Mexico. (mmreportera.wordpress.com)
Those students (today 36-37 years old), along with many other lucky Mexicans, will today see a total solar eclipse for the second time in their lives.
In 1991, at least 20 states in Mexico, more than half of the country, witnessed a total solar eclipse. The strip of darkness covered an area of 2,000 kilometers in length and 250 kilometers in width.
Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and Brazil also witnessed the event.
Mexican news host Jacobo Zabludovsky narrated the eclipse on national television, saying that such an event was “a unique opportunity for our generation.” In an era before the Internet and social media, minute-by-minute television was an essential piece of the eclipse experience.
Mexico City’s “Zocalo” at 1 p.m. during the solar eclipse on July 11, 1991. (mmreportera.wordpress.com)
The total solar eclipse was visible at 1 p.m. in what was then known as Distrito Federal, today Mexico City. The “brief night” lasted for six minutes. The phenomenon was seen 15 minutes earlier in the north and over an hour later in the south.
Among Mexicans, fears of losing sight, prenatal deformities and strange animal behavior gripped many, despite endless explanations and precautions offered by the authorities and news media.
According to data from the newspaper El Universal, more than 800 million people worldwide observed the eclipse, as it was considered the most spectacular eclipse of the 20th century.
In Mexico City, many people stopped working between 12:10 and 2 p.m., and authorities — just like today — called on the population to avoid observing the sun directly, as it can cause blindness.
Lenses for the 1991 celestial event. (mmreportera.wordpress.com)
The last total solar eclipse in Mexico caused steep drops in temperatures. For instance, in Baja California, the temperature went from 31 degrees Celsius to 6 degrees Celsius in minutes, while in other areas, temperatures dropped below zero degrees. Scientists have noted that the eclipse was particularly visible from Mexico because the solar corona registered more brightness than anticipated, preventing total darkness.
Unlike the 1991 total solar eclipse that submerged most of the country in mid-day darkness, this year’s “brief night” will only be experienced by northern Mexico.
What was happening in Mexico in 1991?
Social media images and videos of Mexico on July 11, 1991, have been circulating over the weekend, recalling what was happening in Mexico at that time.
🌒La última vez que se pudo ver un eclipse solar total en México fue el 11 de julio de 1991. Muchas cosas han cambiado desde entonces.
¿Qué pasaba en el país ese año? ¿Cuánt@s mexican@s éramos? ¿Qué música sonaba?
In 1991, Mexico had 83 million residents and the president was Carlos Salinas de Gortari, a member of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). There was only one Mexican TV network, Televisa, and Mexico City still had its iconic taxi: the yellow and green VW bugs lovingly referred to as “vochos.”
Functional medicine, which believes that patients can reduce the likelihood of chronic illness through a series of simple lifestyle changes, is growing fast. Dr. Alexander Krouham speaks to Mexico News Daily about the new trend that is changing lives. (Marcelo Leal/Unsplash)
The moment Dr. Alexander Krouham knew something was wrong in his career came when, after 20 years of practicing conventional medicine, he began to feel sad. Krouham was not getting to the root of the problem whenever chronic disease appeared in his patients.
“That led to a terrible frustration and I considered leaving medicine for some time. Instead of doing that, I found another path that led me first to something called anti-aging and regenerative medicine, and then to functional medicine, and more recently to lifestyle medicine,” Dr. Krouham told Mexico News Daily.
Keeping healthy in body and mind is the key to functional medicine. (Gabin Vallet/Unsplash)
Now he is back in love with medicine and has become a leader in promoting functional medicine in Mexico. Some of his interviews and podcasts have more than 1.5 million views, and his approach to health resonates in the hearts and minds of many.
For Krouham, functional medicine is not alternative medicine; it is simply a different way of looking at our health. “It is a focus on everything that happens in the organism; functional medicine and lifestyle medicine seek to heal from the bottom, from the roots. It is basically about understanding physiology and biochemistry, how the organism works, what determines changes in the body and how it functions,” he explained.
Functional medicine as a way of thinking
“Originally, the main health problems we had were acute diseases, especially infections and trauma. Today, we face chronic degenerative diseases that obey completely different mechanisms; the conventional health model has not really proven effective in addressing these complications,” said Dr. Krouham.
Essentially, functional medicine focuses on the individual rather than the disease itself; pursuing personalized care. This focus expands the timeline of the person’s life, taking into account all the relevant events that have occurred. It involves thoroughly examining the individual’s medical history to address the issues and focuses holistically on the patient’s organism rather than just the disease itself.
Dr. Krouham has become a leading specialist in the field of functional medicine. (Alexander O. Krouham)
“If you notice, society in general has lost confidence in medicine, and people no longer feel close to the doctor. Therefore, another value of functional medicine is to reconnect the doctor with the patient; to strengthen that crucial doctor-patient relationship.”
The main values of functional medicine focus on personalized attention, taking responsibility for your own health through your lifestyle and habits, and a view of integral health that treats problems by focusing on the complexity of each person’s personal circumstances.
“We need to recognize that even if we have the same disease as someone else, it does not mean that the disease will behave in the same way. It is important to personalize our care and to train healthcare professionals who understand this,” Krouham continued.
Another aspect of functional medicine is that it also includes the emotional aspects of the individual to address diseases. “Any change in the neuro-emotional aspects has an impact on the physical processes. I can’t separate the individual at the neck and say, ‘From here up I deal with the emotional and from here down I deal with the biological,'” he explained.
Benefits of functional medicine
A healthy, mostly plant-based diet can help to dramatically increase health, says Dr. Krouham. (Brooke Lark/Unsplash)
Dr. Krouham used the example of the famous Cleveland Clinic: “This clinic dared to ally with the Institute of Functional Medicine, and in their organization, they have an area specifically designed for IFM, for Functional Medicine care. Their service was so successful that they had a two-year waiting list.”
The most important part of functional medicine is that the person becomes part of the recovery. This approach brings humanity and connection back to a practice that many people find increasingly depersonalized.
Functional medicine is based on five aspects that science has proven to be essential for a healthy life:
Nutrition
Exercise
Quality of sleep
Stress management
Quality of relationships
“It is important to eat fresh, real, seasonal foods, including a plant-based diet. That doesn’t mean vegan, but 80% plant-based and 20% animal protein. As for exercise, it’s important to include all four types: aerobic, strength, flexibility and balance,” he explains.
On the quality of sleep, Krouham said, “It is relevant to take care of the environment in which you sleep: disconnect cell phones, tablets and computers at least an hour before; try to get good-quality restful sleep.”
When it comes to managing stress, Krouham said that it is obvious that while stress is an unavoidable part of life, we do have control over how we choose to manage it.
For functional medicine, relationships are important and having healthy relationships with those around you is essential to good health. “It is incredibly important,” Dr. Krouham continued. “Family and social relationships enrich us, but they can also intoxicate us. Let’s dare to ask, is this a healthy relationship or not? If it’s not, what is it taking away from me, do I need to break up with it?”
Personal fitness is also key to overall good health. (Chander R/Unsplash)
The final part is to reduce substance abuse; do you smoke or do you drink excessively? This matter is absolutely in your hands.
Functional Medicine is gaining popularity across Mexico and the rest of the world
Functional medicine is not a new way of thinking. This approach to medicine was born in the United States around 30 years ago. Today, the Institute for Functional Medicine has gained significant popularity.
“Experts believe that 80% of today’s health problems are due to chronic degenerative diseases. And precisely 80% of chronic degenerative diseases are lifestyle-related,” Krouham explains.
Functional medicine came to the forefront in 2004, in Irvine, California, with the creation of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. However, there are still only a handful of doctors in Mexico who are certified by the IFM.
For Krouham, the new generations of patients and doctors are looking for a different perspective that allows the patient to feel more involved in their health, and also enables doctors and the health community to address problems more profoundly and integrally. The thousands of followers of Dr. Krouhman and the interest that his interventions have generated in the media are proof of this.
What do you think about this new way of thinking in medicine?
Ana Paula de la Torre is a Mexican journalist and collaborator for various outlets including Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.
The colors of Mexico City are in full view from the Cablebús, which soars above the city. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
What do San Francisco, Medellin, Tbilisi and Mexico City all have in common? Whilst each unique in its engineering, all of these cities are home to a cable car transportation system.
In Latin America specifically, cable cars fly riders above the traffic they are looking to avoid and were constructed in part “to establish connections between isolated low-income neighborhoods and city centers,” according to Morten Flesse and Bernhard Friedrich in their study “Are We Taking Off? A Critical Review of Urban Aerial Cable Cars as an Integrated Part of Sustainable Transport”. This is in sharp contrast with the majority of cable cars in Europe, which are mainly meant to serve tourists or skiers.
Soar above the traffic (and see the sights of the city) in the Cablebús. (Bethany Platanella)
Who constructed the first cable car for transportation?
Medellin was the first city in the world to introduce aerial transport in 2004 with much success. Even the World Bank commended the effort, citing increased access to job opportunities and other growth opportunities. The positive benefits that arose from Colombia’s leap of faith, combined with the relatively fast and affordable construction, encouraged more cities to implement similar systems, like Guayaquil, Ecuador and Santiago, Chile.
In 2021, Mexico City followed suit and unveiled the Cablebús, a campaign promise delivered by Mexico City’s mayor Claudia Sheinbaum. The first of two functioning lines was constructed by Mexico’s Gami in collaboration with Doppelmayr Mexico, an Austrian company that has installed more than 15,000 cable car systems worldwide. Cablebús Line 2 was built under a partnership between Mexico’s Alfa Proveedores y Contratistas S.A. de C.V. and Italian company Leitner Spa, which has been manufacturing cable cars since 1888.
How does Mexico City’s Cablebús work?
The Cablebús consists of two lines, one which runs in the northern part of the city and the other in the southeastern part.
Line 1 connects Indio Verdes (also on Metro Line 3) to Cuautepec, a route which has traditionally relied on overcrowded buses to get residents to the Metro lines that will take them to the center of Mexico City. María Juárez told El Financiero in July 2021, “It’s hard to get from here to Indios Verdes, the mini-buses are always full by 5 or 6 in the morning and it’s impossible to board and get to the metro.” Now, with the Cablebús, she can forgo the minibus entirely and shave minutes, if not hours, off her journey.
Almost two million people live in densely-populated Iztapalapa. The Cablebús is a life (and time) saver when commuting into the city. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
Line 2 links Santa Marta to Iztapalapa, whose 1.8 million inhabitants make it the most populated borough in Mexico City. Its steep hills make it one of the most arduous to travel by road, but with the Cablebús, residents can fly above them at a much faster pace. Line 2 alone carries up to 120,000 people per day and reduces travel time from 90 minutes to 36 minutes — critical for getting around in a city ranking #13 in Tomtom’s worst Traffic Index of worldwide city centers in 2023 (up from #1 in 2017).
What are some fun facts about the Cablebús?
At 10.6 km, it’s the longest public cable car in the world and was included in the Guinness Book of World Records in August 2021.
Unlike Medellin and La Paz’s state-run systems, Mexico City’s cable car works under a public-private partnership model. A 30-year concession contract including the system’s design, construction, operation, and maintenance is to be repaid through fare revenues by the operator.
It’s better for the environment. Mexico’s City’s transportation system has relied heavily on fossil fuels to function, but with the solar-powered gondola network comes a sustainable alternative. It has also reduced air pollution and traffic congestion.
It has turned boroughs like Iztapalapa into a work of art! More than 3,000 rooftops are covered in brightly-colored murals, as well as select gondolas and stations.
If you’re interested in riding the Cablebús for the views, Line 2 is the longer and more scenic of the routes. You can take the subway to either end and ride the cable car to the other. Metro Line 8 takes you to Constitución de 1917, and Metro Line A takes you to Santa Marta. Another option is to take a shared car service to the station. The Cablebús ride is about 30-40 minutes.
If you plan to explore the neighborhoods, we recommend going with a local guide. Iztapalapa is not a safe area and should not be explored alone or at night. Consider signing up for a tour, like Warrior Experience’s CableCar Tour, and read about my experience here.
Iztapalapa is quite the sight from above, but take care when traveling through the borough, as it is one of Mexico City’s less secure areas. (Cultura Iztapalapa)
What’s it like to ride the Cablebús?
The most challenging part of taking the Cablebús is getting to the station. The ride itself is smooth and easy. From here, staff have figured out how to streamline the constant flow of users to minimize wait times. The cars themselves are quite clean and fellow riders are always polite.
But you’re not here for the ride itself. You’re here for the views. And the views are all-encompassing. We know that Mexico City is vast but it’s unbelievable to see its expanse from up here. Imagine riding in a glass box over an open-air museum of rooftops adorned with murals, green palm trees, and a kaleidoscope of casitas that dot the hilly landscape. Down below are street vendors pushing their carts, lines of laundry billowing in the wind, dogs barking wildly at the cable car as it passes above them. The scene is so real, so raw, so Mexico. And I highly recommend it.
Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga, and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters in your inbox, peruse her blog, or follow her on Instagram.
Graffiti that says “Gringo Go Home” on the streets of Oaxaca. (Courtesy of Laurel Tuohy)
Let me start by expressing that I’ve always felt welcomed in Mexico. In the nearly 30 years I’ve been visiting the country for business, vacation, and now as a permanent resident, I can honestly say I’ve rarely, if ever, felt unwelcome. While speaking the language certainly helps, it’s more than that — I’ve found Mexicans to be generally warm, welcoming, and friendly.
So, what do we make of the emerging backlash on social media calling out foreigners living or traveling in Mexico? What’s the real cause, and is it something to be concerned about? Allow me to share my thoughts and perspective on this complex issue.
To begin with, it’s important to remember the long history between the United States and Mexico. Dating back to the 1800s, there was a war between the two nations, during which the U.S. military advanced all the way down to Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City, and resulting in Mexico losing over 50% of its territory to the United States. Obviously, this is not something easily forgotten. One of the most famous statues in Mexico, located in Chapultepec Park in front of the castle, honors the “Heroic Boys,” six young Mexican soldiers who died in the battle. According to legend, one of the six wrapped himself in the Mexican flag and jumped to his death to prevent the flag from being taken by the U.S. military.
In more recent history, former U.S. President Trump often exacerbated negative perceptions between the two countries with his inflammatory language about Mexico and its people. Just in the past few weeks, current U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson made it clear in a press conference that “we are the United States, Mexico will do what we say…”
Imagine a high-ranking Mexican political leader making such a statement about the United States, and it’s not difficult to understand why tensions are escalating. Add to this the presidential elections this year in both countries, and you have the perfect recipe for increased strain on the relationship.
Furthermore, Mexico’s current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), has been more nationalistic than many recent presidents. He has prioritized protecting and investing in state-owned electric (CFE) and oil (Pemex) companies, along with large infrastructure projects primarily undertaken by the Mexican military, such as the new Mexico City airport (AIFA), the Tulum airport, the Maya Train and the transoceanic train and trade corridor. He has also emphasized that the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico should be one “between equals.” Recently, he went on the popular U.S. news show 60 Minutes to refute Speaker Johnson’s comments by saying, “No, no, Mr. Legislator … that is disrespectful … we are an independent nation, free, sovereign … we are not the colony of any country … we are not subordinate to any other nation.”
So, on one hand, there’s a long history up to the present day of politicians stoking emotions. On the other hand, there’s an increasingly confident Mexico not willing to remain as passive as it has historically been. Mexicans are well aware that they are now the top exporter to the U.S. and that China views them as a strategic country, welcoming their investments. They also know that record numbers of Americans and Canadians are vacationing and living in their country. In short, Mexico realizes that it is more important and relevant to North America and the world than perhaps ever before.
Another aspect of this story is the “gentrification” occurring in many parts of Mexico. While much of this trend is driven by an increasingly wealthier and more mobile Mexican population, the influx of Americans and Canadians into many neighborhoods and cities is clearly exacerbating the issue and providing a focal point for resentment. Many social media posts imply that gentrification by fellow Mexican citizens is one thing, but when it’s done by foreigners who often don’t speak the language, seem unwilling to embrace many aspects of the culture (and even complain about parts of it), and constantly talk about “how cheap” it is here compared to back home, it creates an entirely different level of emotion and resentment.
I frequently witness examples of this in San Miguel de Allende, where I live, and while there is still relative harmony, there are increasingly difficult questions without easy answers. For instance, imagine being priced out of the neighborhood you live in, only for your former housing unit to be sold to someone who doesn’t even live in the city and then rented out to tourists. Some people benefit from this, but clearly, others do not. Imagine foreigners who have lived in town for a year or two complaining about the noise and traffic from your several hundred-year-old traditions. I increasingly see and hear these types of situations occurring, and one only needs to imagine these things happening in the U.S. or Canada to understand why people are expressing their frustrations on social media.
Just this past week, another example of increasing tensions occurred in the Pacific Ocean seaside city of Mazatlán. Foreign tourists listening to a sunset guitar solo were interrupted by noise from a local group on the beach playing banda music. While the music has deep roots and tradition in Mazatlán, it ignited a debate on whether this “local” music should take priority over music that may be preferred by outsiders (Mexican or foreign). To many locals in Mazatlán, it felt like yet another example of gentrification and its consequences being imposed on them.
I believe this issue is not going to dissipate quickly and should be taken seriously. The upcoming elections on both sides of the border will likely only further inflame emotions, and as Mexico continues to rise economically, the country rightfully becomes increasingly confident and proud of its culture, traditions, history and language.
What does this mean for foreigners living or traveling to Mexico? I think these incidents serve as an important reminder that whether we are in Mexico for a two-day business trip, a one-week vacation, or as a resident with a home, we are guests in this country. I would say the same to any foreign visitors to the U.S. or Canada. Perhaps many Americans and Canadians need to spend more time seeking to understand the history and the present of Mexico and take extra steps to ensure that they are respecting it, even if they don’t completely agree with it.
If the U.S., Canada, and Mexico can foster this mutual respect and cooperation, the potential for all three countries to be friends and partners is enormous. This will likely require residents of all three countries to invest more time in learning, understanding, and appreciating each other. The effort is more crucial and strategic than ever, so let’s commit to it!
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.
