German auto parts manufacturers Kostal and Brose have both committed to further investment in Querétaro. (Gobierno Querétaro/X)
German auto parts manufacturers Kostal and Brose are both setting up new factories in Querétaro while the state government has announced funding for new electrical infrastructure.
Kostal’s Electro Mobility Mexicana (KEMM) factory began operations this week at a new 20,000-square-meter site in the FINSA III Industrial Park, where it will make charging modules and components for electric vehicles. The 2.1-billion-peso (US $115 million) investment was first announced in December 2022 and will create around 750 jobs.
The new Kostal facility will create around 750 new jobs in the region. (Gobierno Querétaro/X)
Harry Asher, CEO of Kostal Automotive North America, said that the new facility would help serve its customers in North America, responding to the “rapidly growing market” for electric vehicles.
Around 50% of auto parts manufactured in Querétaro will now be focused on electric vehicles, making the state a leader in green technology, said Sustainable Development Minister Marco Antonio Del Prete Tercero.
Kostal opened its first foreign subsidiary in Mexico 50 years ago and has continued to invest in the country ever since. The new plant is its fourth in Mexico and third in Querétaro.
Echoing this vote of confidence in Querétaro’s economy and highly-educated workforce, Brose also announced plans for its fourth factory in the state, specialized in manufacturing vehicle window systems.
Brose is a key supplier for a number of major automakers in North America. (Brose México)
The project is scheduled to begin in 2025 and will create between 600 and 700 jobs, mostly for engineers and other skilled workers. Brose is already the fifth largest employer in Querétaro, employing around 4,500 people across its three existing plants.
In May of this year, Brose announced that it would also expand operations in another of its Querétaro plants, investing around 404 million pesos (US $22.3 million) and creating 110 skilled jobs.
In a speech celebrating the investments, Governor Mauricio Kuri González recognized that one of Querétaro’s biggest challenges is ensuring sufficient energy and water supply, and announced major newinfrastructural initiatives to support the state’s industrial growth.
“In Querétaro, no company is going to stop coming due to lack of energy,” he promised.
A traditional Catrina parade for Hanal Pixán. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
The Yucatán peninsula is home to one of the most unique local variations of Day of the Dead – Hanal Pixán, a Maya celebration distinct from celebrations held in other regions in Mexico.
What is Hanal Pixán?
Hanal Pixán is one of Mexico’s regional variations on Day of the Dead. (Yucatan.travel)
Hanal Pixán is a Maya tradition celebrated exclusively in the Yucatán peninsula. It means “food for the souls” and involves offering traditional foods to the deceased, who are believed to come back to visit their loved ones between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2.
The first day of the celebration is dedicated to remembering children who have passed away, while the second day is dedicated to adults. On the third day, a mass is traditionally held to honor all the deceased.
How are the rituals and traditions distinct from other regions of Mexico?
Unlike the rest of the country, where Day of the Dead is celebrated between Nov. 1 and 2, Yucatecan celebrations start earlier.
The “cleaning of the dead” is a ritual practiced by the Maya for centuries. (MICHAEL BALAM/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
At the end of October, the residents of the town of Pomuch begin with a tradition known as “the cleaning,” an ancient practice that involves cleaning the bones of the dead and is a fusion of Maya traditions and Christian beliefs.
Another difference is where altars are set up. While in other regions of Mexico the altar is set up in cemeteries or in homes, people in the Yucatán place them under trees near the graves of their relatives.
These altars remain through Nov. 1 and 2, and when the souls of the deceased “have received grace,” their relatives eat “mucbipollos” (chicken tamales) and “pibinales,” (grilled corn) and drink atole and “balché” (an alcoholic beverage made of tree bark and honey).
One week after the festivities have ended, people place candles outside their front door to create a row of light to guide the deceased back to the underworld, in a ritual known as “dix.”
Mucbipollos are a traditional Yucatecan chicken tamale often enjoyed during the festivities. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
What events are held to celebrate Hanal Pixán?
El Festival de las Ánimas 2023 (Festival of the Souls) in Mérida takes place from Oct. 24 through Nov. 2. The program includes 30 free activities ranging from photography exhibitions, to guided tours of the General Cemetery, a honey fair, musicals, bike rides, a Maya ball game, and many more.
One highlight will be the Catrinas Parade on Oct. 28, through Paseo Montejo. The march will represent various Mexican art and dance personalities, like renowned Mexican illustrator José Guadalupe Posada, creator of La Catrina.
To close the celebration, the Broadway musical adaptation of “Coco” will take place at 8 p.m. at Parque Las Américas.
The Mexican government has announced it intends to reduce airport use fees, which are among the highest in Latin America. (Anete Lusina/Unsplash)
Mexico is considering reducing airport use fees (TUA) as part of an airport tax shakeup intended to reduce flight prices for consumers.
The Chamber of Deputies voted last week to raise duties on airport operators’ gross revenues from their concessions by between 5-9%. If confirmed by the Senate, the extra income will be put into trusts to strengthen and improve the airport system, managed by the Defense Ministry (Sedena) and the Navy (Semar).
A reduction in the cost of TUAs should allow more people to fly, says Deputy Transport Minister Rogelio Jiménez. (Carlos Aranda/Unsplash)
Responding to concerns that the hike could raise costs for consumers, government officials said the change would be compensated by an 8-12% decrease in airport use fees, which travelers pay to operators as part of the cost of their flight ticket.
Miguel Vallin, head of the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) told the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum conference that the government expects the fare restructuring to reduce ticket costs by 9%-12%.
“The increase in duty will be offset by a decrease in the TUAs, so that the costs faced by airport groups do not vary and no cost is passed on to the [ticket] buyers,” Gabriel Yorio, undersecretary of the Finance Ministry (SCHP), told the Senate joint committee.
Mexico’s airport use fees are some of the highest in Latin America, adding up to US $60 to the price of an international flight, and up to US $40 to domestic flights.
TUA fees can add as much as $60 to the cost of an international flight in Mexico. (Another Believer/Wikimedia)
In an interview with Reuters, Deputy Transport Minister Rogelio Jiménez Pons said that the fee reduction should be in place by early next year and is intended to boost air travel in Mexico.
Airport groups reacted with alarm, as shares in some airport operators dropped by as much as 44%. ASUR, which operates nine airports in southeast Mexico, said it was forced to scrap a draft of its development plan after the tax hike was announced. The change could cost airport operators an extra US $118.58 million a year, according to Reuters.
“This represents a reduction in profits for airport groups,” Vallin conceded. “But it’s not as drastic as some want it to seem; rather, it’s a reordering of how rates should be based on growth and users’ ability to pay for the service.”
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has often criticized airlines and airport operators for profiteering. His government is planning to launch a new military-run commercial airline in December,Mexicana de Aviación, which the president claims will offer lower prices than the market rate.
Despite announcing that it will commence operations later this year, Mexicana is yet to officially submit its aircraft for inspection by Mexico’s civil aviation authority. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
However, tickets for the new airline are not yet available to the public, as AFAC has yet to fully approve its operation.
“We can’t talk about a precise date yet because as of Friday we hadn’t received the request to review the aircrafts’ information,” Vallin said. “Once we receive it, we will give it due process to authorize services, but for now we don’t have it.”
At least 27 people are dead and 4 more are missing after Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm, slammed into Guerrero, near the resort of Acapulco on Wednesday. Much of the city remains without power. (Cuartoscuro)
The federal government has announced a preliminary death toll from Hurricane Otis a day after the powerful Category 5 storm slammed into the Pacific coast near Acapulco: 27 dead and four others missing.
Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said Thursday morning that the federal government received news of the deaths from the Guerrero government and municipal authorities in Acapulco. She said that the government was awaiting more information on the destruction caused by Otis, which strengthened rapidly on Tuesday to become the most powerful hurricane to have ever hit Mexico’s Pacific coast.
Photos on social media showed the extent of the devastation wrought by Otis. (tsluv/X)
President López Obrador told his morning press conference that one of the victims was an off-duty soldier who died when a wall in his home collapsed on top of him.
“We very much regret the loss of 27 human beings,” he said, without offering any additional details about the 26 others who lost their lives.
“That is what hurts the most, because the material damage can be attended to and we’ll do it with great responsibility,” López Obrador said.
He said that three of the missing are navy marines.
The explosive intensification of #Otis from Tropical Storm to Category 5 Hurricane in only a few hours, followed by a devastating landfall near #Acapulco, Mexico. pic.twitter.com/fA3xtRYpGK
“The people sheltered, protected themselves and that’s why fortunately there weren’t more tragedies, loss of human life,” López Obrador said, although the death toll appeared likely to rise given that the full impact of the hurricane isn’t yet known.
Some 10,000 military and National Guard personnel are assisting the response to the disaster, but on Wednesday they “lacked the tools to clean tonnes of mud and fallen trees from the streets,” the Associated Press reported. More machinery is expected to arrive in Acapulco on Thursday.
Otis – which had maximum wind speeds of 270 km/h shortly after it made landfall – caused extensive and major damage in Acapulco, one of Mexico’s most popular tourism destinations.
In the metropolitan area of Acapulco, an estimated 1 million people have been adversely affected by Hurricane Otis, the newspaper Reforma reported. An additional 400,000 people in other municipalities of Guerrero were also affected, it said.
The extent of the devastation in Acapulco is not yet clear, but photos from the city suggest that the damage has been massive. (Freedom/X)
Hotels, stores, restaurants, apartment buildings and houses were rendered “denuded shells” by the strong winds, Reforma reported.
The newspaper said that roads in the Diamond hotel zone of Acapulco and residential neighborhoods were flooded, with cars, sheet metal, dead animals, trees and billboards floating in the water. Dozens of boats at the Acapulco marina took a severe battering, with many appearing destined for the scrapheap.
Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado said Thursday morning that Otis caused damage at 80% of hotels in Acapulco, explaining that the information came from the president of the local hotel association. She said that the state government would provide buses to evacuate tourists stranded in the resort city.
“We want to tell visitors that today we’ll start with 30 or 40 buses outside hotels to carry out the evacuation for free,” Salgado said during a call with federal officials that was broadcast during López Obrador’s press conference.
She described the toll Otis took on Acapulco as “totally devastating.”
Tourists recounted moments of terror as Otis touched down in Acapulco in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The damage to the Hotel Princess, one of Acapulco’s most recognizable landmarks, was heavily damaged by Hurricane Otis. (Cuartoscuro)
“We laid down on the floor, and some between beds. We prayed a lot,” Jacob Sauczuk, who was staying at a beachfront hotel with friends, told the Associated Press.
One of Sauczuk’s friends showed reporters photos of the windowless, shattered rooms in the hotel, AP said.
“It looked as if someone had put clothes, beds and furniture in a blender, leaving a shredded mass,” the news agency said.
Pablo Navarro, an auto parts worker who was staying on the 13th floor of a beachfront hotel, feared for his life, AP reported.
“I took shelter in the bathroom, and thankfully the door held. But there were some rooms where the wind blew out the windows and the doors,” Navarro said.
Widespread looting was reported in Acapulco on Wednesday, with residents getting away with essential items such as food, toilet paper and diapers, but also things such as widescreen televisions and refrigerators. One looter who loaded a shopping cart with diapers, instant noodles and toilet paper explained her motivation.
President López Obrador himself got stuck in mud on the way to visit the disaster zone. The airport remains closed. (Presidencia)
“When is the government ever going to look after the common people?” asked Isabel de la Cruz, who said that the tin roof of her home was blown off by the hurricane.
López Obrador, who made it to Acapulco by road on Wednesday night, said that the Welfare Ministry will carry out a damage census to determine who qualifies for federal funds. Home and business owners will be taken into account, he said.
“We’re going to help with a reconstruction and home improvement program,” López Obrador told reporters.
He also said that federal authorities will meet with hoteliers and business people on Monday with a view to “reestablishing tourism activities in Acapulco as soon as possible.”
The federal Finance Ministry said there was a budget of 35 billion pesos (US $1.9 billion) to respond to the disaster.
Meanwhile, as of Thursday morning, electricity service had only been reestablished for 40% of over 500,000 electricity customers whose power went out.
The military was deployed to restore access to the roadways linking Acapulco with the capital. (Dassaev Téllez/Cuartoscuro)
Winds brought by Otis toppled at least 58 transmission towers, according to authorities. López Obrador claimed that not a single power line was left standing in Acapulco.
Water, telephone and internet services were also affected in Acapulco and other parts of Guerrero. Over 200 patients had to be evacuated out of damaged hospitals, Security Minister Rodríguez said.
The Acapulco airport remained closed on Thursday morning, but Infrastructure, Communications and Transport Minister Jorge Nuño said that authorities were working to reopen it as soon as possible. He said Thursday morning that the terminal building was damaged, but the runways were fine and could receive emergency flights soon. Some tourists were traveling to Zihuatanejo to take flights from that city, located about 230 kilometers northwest of Acapulco.
López Obrador traveled from Mexico City to Acapulco on the Autopista del Sol highway, a journey that took much longer than usual because the road was blocked at several points by water, mud, trees and debris. He had to get out of his vehicle and walk when he encountered one blocked section of road.
Governor Salgado said Thursday that the highway had been cleared and had reopened. Blockages on Wednesday delayed the arrival of emergency personnel and trucks carrying essential supplies to Acapulco.
Heavy rain across Guerrero on Wednesday caused several waterways to overflow, including the Papagayo, Balsas and Truchas rivers. López Obrador said that rain and wind destroyed corn crops on small farms outside Acapulco.
The rapid strengthening of Otis, whose winds more than doubled in strength from 113 km/h to around 260 km/h in just 12 hours, surprised forecasters – and authorities and residents.
University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy told AP that the rapid intensification of the hurricane – which dissipated over mountains on Wednesday afternoon – “was just plain nuts.”
The Chinese company Ganfeng Lithium bought U.K.-based Bacanora Lithium in 2021, and its 100,000 hectares of lithium reserves in Sonora. (Bacanora Lithium)
The CEO of a Chinese company whose lithium mining concessions for a reserve in Sonora were reportedly canceled has vowed to defend the firm’s ownership of the licenses in Mexican courts.
According to reports published in late September, Ganfeng Lithium, the parent company of Bacanora Lithium, notified its investors in August that it had been advised by Mexico’s General Directorate of Mines that it had failed to meet minimum investment requirements between 2017 and 2021.
The president at the signature of a decree nationalizing the nation’s lithium reserves. (Cuartoscuro)
According to a Reuters report, Ganfeng said in a filing that Mexico’s mining authorities had issued a notice to its local subsidiaries indicating that nine of its concessions had been canceled. However, President López Obrador – whose government nationalized lithium last year – subsequently said that the cancellation of the concessions was still under consideration.
Peter Secker, the UK-based CEO of Bacanora Lithium, told the newspaper El País earlier this week that the federal government’s “apparent attempt to cancel the licenses” needs to be sorted out before the company can move ahead with its plans for Mexico’s largest – and as-yet-untapped – lithium reserve, located in the municipality of Bacadehuáchi, Sonora.
In an interview on Monday, Secker said that Bacanora – a British company until it was acquired by Ganfeng in 2021 – intends to make use of the Mexican legal system to defend its 50-year concessions, which it was granted in 2011 when the existence of lithium in the area hadn’t been confirmed.
He told El País that Bacanora has spent tens of million of dollars in Sonora over the past 12 years, adding that when initial mining law changes were made, the belief was that existing concessions would be respected.
Bacanora Lithium CEO Peter Secker said that Bacanora would use legal methods to force the Mexican government to resolve the dispute. (Bacanora Lithium)
“And then obviously, … we were informed that the government would be canceling the licenses,” Secker said.
“… We will maintain all our legal rights to defend this … [given] that we have spent many tens of millions. We’ve exceeded all the requirements for spending on the licenses. We’ve built a pilot plant; we have a design for a project that will produce 35,000 tonnes a year of lithium carbonate. It would be one of the largest plants in the world,” Secker said.
Asked whether Bacanora would consider taking its case to the World Bank’s International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes, the CEO told El País:
“We will work through the Mexico legal route and then consider anything else at a later date, but nothing is off the table. We will defend our ownership of the licenses to the full extent.”
Bacanora is open to collaborating on a joint venture with the Mexican government at the Sonora mine, according to company executives. (SQM)
Secker also said that Bacanora is open to forming a joint venture with Mexican authorities to carry out its “Sonora lithium project,” where the potential reserves of the alkali metal are in clay deposits that are technically difficult and expensive to mine. The partnership could be with the federal government, the Sonora government or Mexico’s new state-owned lithium company Litio para México (Lithium for Mexico), he said.
“Ganfeng has the money to do this. It’s got the technology, and it has the people to develop this project without any assistance from the government. However, we have had discussions with the government over the last few years and, and we’re happy to work with the government. We just need to sort out their apparent attempt to cancel the licenses,” Secker said.
The Finance Ministry has estimated that lithium reserves in Sonora – where Mexico’s largest potential deposits are located – could be worth as much as US $600 billion. There are smaller deposits in other states including Baja California, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas.
According to the Bacanora website, the company owns ten mining concessions covering approximately 100,000 hectares in the northeast of Sonora. It is estimated that there is some 8.8 million tonnes of lithium carbonate in the area for which the company received its precariously held, if not canceled, concessions.
Samuel García said the 42nd U.S. president, Bill Clinton, told him: "Go for it, age doesn't matter, what matters is the message" regarding García's presidential ambitions for 2024. (Samuel García/X)
Mexico’s 2024 presidential race just took an interesting turn.
On Monday, Nuevo León Governor Samuel García submitted a request to take a six-month leave of absence from his governorship to run for president. On Wednesday, he posted a photo of himself with former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who was visting Monterrey, the capital city of Nuevo León.
“‘Go for it, age doesn’t matter, what matters is the message.’ This was the advice that ex-President Bill Clinton gave me,” read García’s caption.
Although Mexico’s presidential election is not until next June, it’s been giving political spectators a lot to talk about. Let’s start with the ruling Morena party.
Claudia Sheinbaum was widely considered the odds-on favorite to represent the party in 2024, and much to no one’s surprise, Sheinbaum won the internal Morena polling process in September. This was contested (unsuccessfully thus far) by runner-up Marcelo Ebrard (AMLO’s former foreign affairs minister).
As I highlighted in a recent column, Mexico’s political landscape is fast evolving and in many ways that people in other countries (particularly the United States) might find interesting and inspiring.
One of the differences that I highlighted was the fast evolution of political alliances in the country. In particular, for this election cycle we have seen three formerly opposing parties (the PAN, the PRI, and the PRD), each with historically and ideologically different platforms, join forces to form the Broad Front for Mexico.
This opposition alliance followed its own internal process to select PAN Senator Xóchitl Gálvez for 2024. Here is a summary of Gálvez’s positions in a recent interview.
By September, the two main political forces in the country had selected their candidates, and in a historic first, they are both women. But there was still a wild card left.
Movimiento Cuidadano (MC), a social-democratic party, had been pressured to join forces with the Broad Front coalition to battle Morena. But recently, the party announced they would indeed name their own presidential candidate, by early next year.
Movimiento Cuidadano is a relatively small party, represented by governors in two of Mexico’s 32 states. However, these states — Jalisco (which includes the city of Guadalajara) and Nuevo León (which includes the city of Monterrey) — are both populous and economically significant. Both states have also benefited from the nearshoring trend. The governor of Nuevo León, Samuel García, has been extremely active traveling the world and successfully bringing foreign investment commitments to his state. I recently wrote about why it is important to follow García.
I made the following assumptions leading up to the presidential election up until yesterday:
MC ultimately would align behind the opposition coalition
García would delay his presidential ambitions until the next election in 2030
Ebrard would ultimately align with another candidate, either Gálvez or an MC candidate
While candidacy is not yet formalized, and the party’s leader has implied that Marcelo Ebrard could also be in the running to represent MC, this news could bring some added intrigue to the race.
García is very young (35 years old), has a savvy social media personality (in large part thanks to his wife), and is very pro-business, pro-nearshoring, and pro-globalization. He potentially could team up with Ebrard (who would bring significant experience to his candidacy) and offer a viable alternative to many Mexicans.
Pay close attention in the coming days as more announcements are likely to hit the news soon as the election cycle heats up.
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.
To use the makeup respectfully and avoid being accused of cultural appropriation, I would advise people not to wear it as part of a Halloween costume. (Canva)
In a world where being politically correct is increasingly important, some foreigners have wondered if it’s okay to paint their faces on Day of the Dead, fearing it might come across as inappropriate or, worse, as cultural appropriation.
As a Mexican expat living in Dubai, I empathize with the sentiment of not wanting to act disrespectfully when it comes to joining foreign traditions (like when I get to wear the traditional clothing Muslim women wear to enter a mosque but fear I might not wear it properly). So today, I want to share my perspective on foreigners using skull makeup on Day of the Dead – and ways to avoid being disrespectful to true observers – as we discuss the true meaning of the holiday and its original traditions.
Day of the Dead and its traditions
Day of the Dead or Día de Muertos (not Día de los Muertos), follows the pre-Columbian Indigenous belief that the dead temporarily return to Earth between Nov. 1 and 2.
While the origin of the holiday can be traced back to the Mexica (Aztec), Totonaca, Purépecha and Maya civilizations, the festivity we celebrate today is a syncretism of Indigenous beliefs and Christian tradition.
Families and communities gather to celebrate, go to church, and set up “altares de muertos” at home or at graveyards honoring their deceased loved ones. These altars are decorated with traditional items like “calaveras de azúcar” (sugar skulls), cempasúchil flowers – a native variety of Marigolds – candles, photos of the dead and their favorite foods.
While each region in Mexico celebrates Day of the Dead slightly differently, depending on how influential Christianity was in the region, the holiday’s essence remains the same – it is an intimate time spent with family, to honor and remember those who have passed away.
How Day of the Dead became a global trend
The story of how Day of the Dead became a global phenomenon actually lies with two recent movies.
In the opening scene of 2015’s “Spectre”, James Bond is seen chasing a villain through a crowded Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City’s Historic Center, which features enormous skulls and people adorned in colorful makeup.
James Bond as a Catrin during the parade scene in Spectre. (YouTube)
The parade, which had never actually taken place, has now become a tradition in Mexico City, attracting thousands of visitors every year, with both foreigners and Mexicans alike coming to admire the festivities.
When Disney released “Coco” in 2017, the hype for the holiday and the practice of face painting grew even more. In Mexico, children started attending Day of the Dead parades at school with their faces painted, while adults would wear skull makeup to parties.
La Catrina, the inspiration behind the Day of the Dead makeup
While movies played a big part in boosting this practice, our culture has been familiar with friendly images of skulls for quite some time – since around the time of the Mexican Revolution in 1910.
Back then, Porfirio Díaz had ruled Mexico for 30 years, modernizing the nation throughout his tenure. His obsession with all things French led illustrator José Guadalupe Posada to sketch “La Calavera Garbancera”, a satirical cartoon of a woman’s skull wearing a flamboyant bonnet with flowers.
“Garbancero” (which derives from the word garbanzo or chickpea) was a common word used to describe those members of the Mexican high society who shared Diaz’s vision and led a European-inspired lifestyle.
“Those who today are powdered [with makeup] ‘garbanceros’, will end up as deformed skulls,” was the caption that accompanied Posada’s cartoon when it was first published in a Mexican newspaper in 1913
Such was the resonance of Posada’s sketch, that the comical skull, later dubbed as “La Catrina” (in reference to an upper-class woman) by Diego Rivera became the iconic Mexican image of death.
The sketch later merged with the colorful sugar skulls we use in the altars and inspired the same skull makeup we see many people wearing on Day of the Dead.
Avoid going to a cementery or church with your face painted. (Canva)
So, is it OK for foreigners to paint their faces on Day of the Dead?
Posada’s message behind La Catrina is universal – we are all equal in death. It doesn’t matter where we come from, if we’re poor, rich, powerful, or influential – sooner or later, we will all share the same fate. For that reason, I think that anyone, be it Mexican or foreign, can paint their faces as a skull.
But it must be done with respect, because while La Catrina is not an original part of Day of the Dead, it is deeply rooted in our culture and serves as an icon of national identity. Seeing it as a “trend” can make our important traditions feel less appreciated and respected.
How to use the makeup respectfully
To use the makeup respectfully and avoid being accused of cultural appropriation, I would advise people not to wear it as part of a Halloween costume or alongside Halloween elements such as spider webs or pumpkins. I would especially advise visitors not to enter a church or cemetery with their face painted as it can be extremely disrespectful to locals – these places are not tourist attractions but sites of worship for families who have lost someone.
Aside from these scenarios, I do encourage you to paint your face and learn and engage with our beautiful holiday. Day of the Dead is more than just a fiesta vibe and skull makeup – it is a time when families get together to remember their loved ones through ancient rituals and traditions.
Find a Day of the Dead event in your city (preferably hosted by Mexicans), or ask your Mexican friends how they celebrate and if you can take part. We love to share our culture and always feel honored when foreigners show an interest and want to participate.
I can assure you that most Mexicans – if not all of us – will be more than happy to include you in our Day of the Dead celebrations.
San Miguel de Allende is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the best places in Mexico to experience Day of the Dead. (Traveler Broads)
World famous San Miguel de Allende, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico, is hosting a variety of celebrations to commemorate this year’s Day of the Dead.
Here are some of the best events for visitors looking to immerse themselves in the city.
San Miguel’s main square will be a hub for a variety of exciting activities throughout the week.(Rogelio Morales Ponce/Cuartoscuro)
Performances
Oct. 30 will see two performances take place in San Miguel’s main square. The play “Huesos, Calacas y Calaveras” (Bones, Skeletons and Skulls) at 6 p.m., and a contemporary dance performance from the Casa de la Cultura (House of Culture) – “Contemplando la Muerte” (Contemplating Death), at 7 p.m.
On Oct. 31, the program will begin at 4:45 p.m. with the ballet “En México, la Muerte está viva” (“In Mexico, Death is alive”), followed by the play “Cuenta la Leyenda Catrina” (The Catrina Says) at 6 p.m., and a musical at 7 p.m.
Finally, Nov. 1 will see “La Leyenda del Payaso” (The Clown Legend) at 6 p.m. and a performance bythe Ballet Chiapan from San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, at 7 p.m.
Oaxacan native and iconic performer Lila Downs, will close the Day of the Dead festivities in San Miguel de Allende on Nov. 5.
Lila Downs fuses Mexican culture with modern music. She will perform in San Miguel on Nov. 5. (Edgar Negrete/Cuartoscuro)
Downs is renowned for her performances in several Indigenous languages of Mexico, including Mixtec, Zapotec, Mayan, Purépecha and Nahuatl, as well as songs in English and Spanish.
The concert will take place in the main square at 9 p.m. and is free.
Parades
Since 2001, the community of Rancho Los Labradores has organized a Catrinas Parade on Nov. 1. The parade seeks to give foreigners living in San Miguel a taste of the original roots of the holiday.
The annual Catrina Parade organized by Rancho Los Labradores offers visitors to San Miguel the opportunity to experience a more authentic version of Day of the Dead. (Catrinas Parade San Miguel/Facebook)
This year, they will host three parties at three different locations in San Miguel. Times and locations of the Catrinas Makeup Party will be sent by email, so check out the event’s website for more information.
The official municipal Day of the Dead parade will take place on Nov. 2, at 6 p.m., from Cardo street to the main square.
Exhibitions
Art and design center Fábrica La Aurora, will host its traditional Art Walk on Oct. 28 from 5 to 8 p.m., showcasing art exhibitions based on Day of the Dead, as well as elaborate altars (“ofrendas”).
The Fábrica la Aurora gallery will host an Art Walk on October 28. (Fábrica Aurora/Facebook)
Running from Oct. 26 through Nov. 2, the “Coloreando la Muerte” (Coloring Death) festival will take place at the Hotel Hacienda de Santuario, to celebrate the union between mysticism and tradition during Day of the Dead.
The event will feature an array of activities, ranging from tamal-making workshops, to setting up a Day of the Dead altar, and constructing a paper skeleton using traditional “cartonería” techniques. Additionally, there will be hot chocolate and “pan de muerto”, as well as demonstrations of Mexican rituals and ceremonies.
For kids
The Casa de la Cultura at Mesones #75 will hold a junior film festival, with a selection of films for children about Day of the Dead, on Oct. 30 at 4:30 p.m. and Nov. 1 at 5 p.m.
The Morena party coalition is one-third of a senator shy of a supermajority in the upper house of Congress. (Cuartoscuro)
The Senate on Wednesday voted to eliminate 13 public trusts that help fund the federal judiciary, prompting court workers to extend their six-day-old strike for an additional five days.
Most senators with the ruling Morena party and its allies voted in favor of doing away with the trusts, which hold over 15 billion pesos (US $817.8 million). The bill, which passed the Chamber of Deputies last week, will now be promulgated by publication in the government’s official gazette.
The senate session went into the early hours of Wednesday morning. (Cuartoscuro)
President López Obrador says that the purpose of eliminating the trusts is to reduce the privileges enjoyed by those occupying the highest ranking positions in Mexico’s judicial system, including Supreme Court justices.
The president – a frequent critic of what he sees as a judicial system at the service of a “rapacious minority” rather than the majority of Mexicans – asserts that lower-ranking court workers won’t be affected, but the Supreme Court, and the workers themselves, disagree, citing a negative impact on “pension, housing, health coverage and retirement” rights.
As a vote on the bill to terminate the trusts was held in the Senate in the early hours of Wednesday morning, court employees protested outside the upper house. A total of 67 senators supported the bill, while 49 opposed it. Twelve senators, including presumptive opposition presidential candidate Xóchitl Gálvez, were absent.
Olga Sánchez Cordero, a former interior minister in the current government and an ex-Supreme Court justice, was among a small group of Morena senators who opposed the elimination of the 13 trusts. She argued that five of the trusts should be maintained, asserting that they provide essential benefits including healthcare to tens of thousands of workers and their families.
Former Supreme Court justice and interior minister Olga Sánchez Cordero speaks before the Senate about her opposition to eliminating some of the judiciary trusts. (Olga Sánchez Cordero/X)
Sánchez also said that some of the money held in the trusts comes from contributions made by court workers. The government intends to use the trust funds for its welfare and social programs.
“We must defend the judicial power, but the judicial power also has to change some things,” Sánchez said.
“I’m convinced that defending these trusts that are destined for extinction is to defend federal judicial workers,” she said before the vote was held.
Claudia Ruiz Massieu, an independent senator formerly affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party, asserted that the aim of the bill is to “blow up the independence the judicial power needs to fulfill its duties and dissolve the principle of separation of powers that is uncomfortable for a president of authoritarian character.”
Court workers protested against the bill outside the Senate on Tuesday. (EDGAR NEGRETE LIRA/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
The Morena party has argued that the trust funds haven’t been managed with transparency and afford undue privileges to Supreme Court justices and other judges. The bill, backed by López Obrador and Morena, states that the existence of “economic benefits of privilege” that go to “a very small group of officials” is absolutely unacceptable.”
Court employees affiliated with the Union of Federal Judicial Power workers have held several protests against the government’s plan and stopped working last Thursday. The strike was scheduled to conclude on Tuesday, but was extended until this Sunday in light of the Senate vote in favor of the elimination of the trusts. However, the union said there will be no consequences for employees who decide to return to work this week.
López Obrador on Wednesday said that he respected his former interior minister’s decision to go against her party and vote against the elimination of the trusts. Sánchez “was a Supreme Court justice and there is always union solidarity,” he said.
“They earn 700,000 pesos a month in a country where the average salary of workers is 16,000 pesos. … They’re violating the constitution … [as] it’s established that … [no public servant] can earn more than the president,” he said.
López Obrador has claimed that lower-level court workers are being “used” and manipulated” by their more senior colleagues.
On Wednesday, he questioned why workers earning 7,000 or 8,000 pesos per month participated in a march in support of 700,000-peso salaries. “A lot of information is needed,” López Obrador said.
Since Mexico's Category 1 aviation safety rating was restored, national airlines have been able to add new routes to the U.S. (Archive)
Since Mexico regained its FAA Category 1 safety rating in September, Mexican airlines have rushed to announce new flights to the United States and the increased demand has also led to new route announcements in Mexico from U.S. and Canadian carriers.
Here is a roundup of the latest flight announcements.
There have been many new flight announcements as airlines look to establish new routes between Mexico and the United States. (Shutterstock)
New flights announced to date by Mexican airlines
In the last month, Mexican airlines have announced 28 new routes to the U.S.
Aeroméxico has 17 new routes from seven Mexican airports to the United States:
Monterrey – Atlanta, Salt Lake City, New York and Los Ángeles
León – Atlanta and Detroit
Querétaro – Atlanta and Detroit
Mérida – Atlanta
Mexico City – Detroit, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C., Boston
Guadalajara – Atlanta and Detroit
Felipe Ángeles in Mexico City – McAllen and Dallas
Low-cost carrier Viva Aerobus has announced 11 new routes to the U.S.:
León – Dallas Fort Worth
Torreón – San Antonio
Querétaro – Houston San Antonio
Mérida – Orlando Miami
Monterrey – Denver, Austin, Orlando, Miami and San Francisco
Volaris has yet to confirm new flights to the United States but has applied for 33 new routes, the biggest number of any domestic airline.
Volaris, Mexico’s largest airline, is yet to confirm the 33 new routes for which it has applied. (Octavio Hoyos/Shutterstock)
New flights and capacity announced to date by U.S. and Canadian airlines
U.S. carriers have already announced a number of new flights, largely to popular tourist destinations.
American Airlines will increase its offer to 40 daily flights between Cancún and major cities in the U.S. making Cancún the second most-served international destination from the U.S. with an average of 127 flights per day during the wintertime.
United Airlines comes in second closely followed by Southwest. Frontier Airlines also recently expanded its winter schedule to include Cancún.
Canadian carrier Flair Airlines will be offering three weekly flights between Calgary and Cancún, and Air Canada is resuming direct flights between Toronto and Huatulco starting Oct. 29.
WestJet also serves Huatulco from Calgary, Winnipeg and Edmonton and will be offering flights out of Vancouver this winter to six different beach destinations in Mexico: Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mazatlán, Huatulco, Cancún, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta.
Delta is the first U.S. airline to offer flights to the new Tulum Airport in Quintana Roo. (Delta Airlines)
What’s next?
The Mexican government expects national airlines to add a total of over 50 new flights between Mexico and the U.S. in the near future.
“There will be more flights between both nations, which will strengthen air connectivity; [greater] competition will be encouraged and the quality of services for travelers will improve,” the Infrastructure, Communications and Transport Minister Jorge Nuño Lara said in a statement after the recovery of the Category 1 rating.
