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The healing power of horses: Equine therapy in Mexico

By
Elisabeth Ashe
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Equine therapy in Mexico
Pioneering therapy techniques that see horses help disabled children have been quietly operating across Mexico for years. Meet some of the organizations making a difference. (All photos by Elisabeth Ashe)

Horses have been a part of my personal and professional life for over 35 years. Living part time on Eden Valley Farms, in Ontario, Canada, I first learned about equine therapy from owner Mandy Carson and her partner Toni Cromwell’s program, the HARP-Art of Whitespace. HARP stands for Human-Animal Relationship Program, and in addition, as a treatment for children and adults with disabilities, it offers nature walks and forest bathing. Carson encouraged me to open a center in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, where I have lived since 1995. I knew there was no other equine facility in my area; the only previous one had closed years ago, and the closest one was a five-hour drive away in neighboring Michoacán. In fact, equine therapy in Mexico is still something of a rarity nationwide.

It took a bit of research, but I found an online course on hippotherapy. In simple terms, equine or hippotherapy is a form of therapy in which a therapist uses a horse’s characteristic range of movements to address a human patient’s physical or mental disorders.

Client at The Seahorse sanctuary & Equine Therapy Centre 2

Armed with some knowledge and a burning desire to build a dream, I was fortunate to be lent land to use for the program’s first two years by the Aguilars, a local family. I gathered a group of people to build from scratch and opened The Seahorse Sanctuary and Equine Therapy Centre in Coacoyul, a small town 15 minutes outside of Zihuatanejo.

Training and courses in equine therapy available are as numerous and varied as patients’ motivation and results therapists seek to achieve, but they include names like EAL Training Centers, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International, the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (Eagala) and the Mexican Association of Therapeutic Riding (AMET). Many centers specialize in working with children with disabilities or special needs, primarily with issues ranging from autism to cerebral palsy, as well as emotional issues such as anxiety and trauma. Others treat professionals who suffer from PTSD due to work in high-stress situations. 

Some organizations, including mine, work with seniors. Horses can serve as emotional support animals or help older people who have mobility issues due to age or medical procedures such as hip replacement surgery. With all patients, young or old, the gentle movement of the horse causes stimulation through the spinal column, which goes to the brain and affects the nerve branches. From there, this movement releases certain chemicals at the brain level, which generates stimulation in the body. The gentle movement of the horse also helps to massage the afflicted areas

There are several highly qualified centers for equine therapy in Mexico spread out across the country. Follow along to learn about four of them.

Leaning to jump at Crece S.A

Amigos de Riendas

Amigos de Riendas para la Vida, a civil association based in Guadalajara, was founded 15 years ago by Mercedes Arámbula. Arámbula started her journey with years of horseback riding experience, a love of horses and a desire to combine that love with helping others. She was impacted personally by the birth of a nephew with a severe disability, and she began to investigate how horses could help people like him. Her research showed very little training in Mexico, so she decided to obtain her certification at the High Hopes Therapeutic Riding center in Old Lyme, Connecticut, through PATH International.

In 2010, Amigos de Riendas was established with the new team certified by the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (Eagala). Today, the center boasts nine horses, 35 to 40 clients at any given time and volunteers and staff. The organization is almost completely funded by the government of Jalisco through agencies such as the Directorate for the Inclusion of Disabled Persons (DIPD) and the Social Aid System (SAS), as well as local and corporate companies and private benefactors, so that 75 percent of clients do not have to pay the 650-peso fee per class.

What made Arámbula sure this was the path for her?, “Being with horses, seeing kids grow, learn and improve is wonderful,” she says. “Seeing children walk who could not walk before, or who are now talking, is why I do what I do. And working with the children and their families for years is very special and rewarding.”

Crece

Further research took me to Michoacán, where I spoke to founder Carolina Escobedo of Crece, a non-profit in Morelia, Michoacán. Escobedo, a special education teacher who graduated from the University of Puebla, has extensive horse experience and a love of competition, which makes her approach slightly different from most centers, although equally effective: Escobedo believes in incorporating sporting events as part of therapy.

Competition sports at Crece S.A 1

“These kids can learn to ride and there is no reason why they can’t learn to jump too,” she told me. “Especially the kids with autism. And future plans and a possible source of revenue would be hosting competitions for kids with autism. We want them to feel as if they can achieve something. That there is something they can be good at and excel in. And so we do more than just physiotherapy: we do sports.”

Therapy and courses can start for children at three years of age and continue to classes for adolescents aged 12 to 17 and beyond. In operation for eight years, Crece’s 80 students mainly come from Morelia and the many surrounding towns. Courses range in cost and are dependent on income. Some students pay full price, while others pay only 50 per cent or nothing.

“The government does not help much, although the family services agency (DIF)at the state level does give them some money,” Escobsays. “But applying for it is a lot of work. To keep afloat we have other businesses such as buying and selling horses.”

Equinoterapia SMA

Jean Gerber has had a love affair with horses for much of her adult life, and San Miguel de Allende is where she can feed her passion. A friend told her about a relative who had severe neurological issues and how the only thing that helped him was the equine therapy classes he was taking. “It planted a seed,” Gerber said, leading her to investigate everything she could about equine therapy.

Gerber teamed up with fellow horse enthusiast and therapist Lisa Attridge de Gordillo, who also owns Rancho Corazón de Nopal, and started a 6-week pilot program. Today, they have three therapy horses and 14 students at Equinoterapia SMA.

Recently, the organization achieved non-profit status, but further certifications are needed to attain donation status, which will allow them to receive donations. “Only then will the government do much to help financially,” says Gerber, “however, local investors such as Daniel Ortiz of Coldwell Banker Smart in SMA and Vinedos San Lucas and a regional organization, Ninos con Autismo SMA help fill in the funds needed. In addition, the expat community and locals give generously.” 

Equinoterapia SMA founder Jean Gerber. (Equinoterapia SMA)

Fundraising is ongoing and headed by volunteers. “It’s wonderful how our volunteers and therapists become so invested in the project, asking to come two to three times a week to help their kids. They embrace this as if it were their own business.” says Gerber. “It is so rewarding to see the results from the therapy — to see children who were afraid of horses now become accustomed to them. The parents are telling us about the results the children are experiencing in their homes. It fills the heart. Everyone is smiling and happy.”

Equinoterapias Hossana

Founded in 2012 by Evelyn Trejo, Equinaterapias Hossana is a non-profit organization supported by the San José del Cabo-based Los Cabos Children’s Foundation. Trejo fell in love with horses at 15 years old, but as an adult, she became an accountant who worked in a government agency. While there, she learned there were many disabled children and adults in the area and no therapy available for them. She approached friends with horses, obtained some land and started her therapy center.

Their organization developed a very different method, incorporating psychologists and therapy to assess a child’s needs and develop activities to help them reach their goals.

“Some of our programs are free to children of low-income families, while others are very low cost, depending on the socioeconomic situation,” Trejo told me. “Our therapists are certified by the Mexican Association of Therapeutic Riding, and we have a psychologist, a physiotherapist and a wonderful group of teachers on our team. Equinaterapia Hossana’s goals have always been to improve children’s muscular tone and coordination and to help with their psychological attention, understanding, self-esteem and memory ability.”

Incorporating play with horse therapy at Equinterapia Hossana.

Over the years, Equinaterapias Hossana has served more than 500 children from the municipality of Los Cabos. They feel strongly they have achieved wonderful results with children and young people. But, says Trejo, “Horses are expensive and so are the professionals we work with, so we look for other ways to make money. We also have a farm, and every Saturday, we offer farm tours and allow families to tour our facilities and interact with the animals. We also offer horseback riding lessons that teach children the sport that it is.” 

When asked what drew her to this line of work, she says the same thing that all three of the other women — and myself — say about equine therapy: “It’s my passion.”

The writer divides her time between Canada and Zihuatanejo.

What’s the deal with retornables?

By
Sarah DeVries
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A man carrying a bundle of retornables.
It's on your water, your beer and even your Coca-Cola. What are you meant to do with retornables? (Diego Simón Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)

When it comes to buying liquid in Mexico, not everything is as straightforward as you might think.

I myself realized this the first time I was sent out by my family to buy a two-liter Coke at the local neighborhood store. As I started out the door, my then-mother-in-law said, “Hey, you forgot the Coke bottle!”

There’s nothing like the great taste of Coca-Cola, especially when you can get your deposit back at the end. (Coca-Cola)

“What?” I said. “What?” she responded.

This is how it went for a bit until I finally made the connection. We had a retornable.

What’s a retornable?

A retornable — literally, a returnable — is what it sounds like: a bottle of sturdier plastic or glass than the disposable kind that you can take to the store to return or “refill” by switching it for a full bottle.  Doing this has a couple of benefits. The one that people seem most keen on is that it’s cheaper. But it’s also ecological: switching out one piece of plastic or glass for another instead of throwing one away is a “granito de arena” (grain of sand), as they say.

So what can you return? Let’s have a look:

Garrafones

This 5-gallon water jug is likely the retornable that you’re probably the most familiar with. Because drinking water from the tap is not always the best idea, many people have a garrafón in their homes.

Initially, you need to buy a new one. The brand matters, as does the condition, when it comes to switching them out. If the garrafón is damaged or broken, the people at the store will not let you exchange it. If they do not have any new water-filled garrafones of the brand you have and want to exchange, then you’ll have to go somewhere else.

Empty garrafones ready to be returned and refilled. (Shutterstock)

Garrafones are distributed by bottling companies — Bonafont and Ciel are big ones — and there are often delivery trucks you might be able to catch and ask to come to your home every week or so. Smaller local companies will also distribute to local stores or deliver.

Walk into a store with your empty garrafón and show the attendant. They’ll usually tell you to leave it on the stand and grab a new one.

If you don’t want to exchange them, there are also places called expendios de agua or purificadoras — water dispensaries — where you can wash them and fill them back up. This is usually a cheaper option. These are less common in major cities but are a staple of small towns across the country.

Because garrafones are so heavy, I recommend having them delivered if you’re able to. With this option, just hand them to the delivery person and they’ll give you new ones.

Coca-Cola

As you’ve probably realized, Mexicans love their Coke. You might have noticed the harder plastic bottles in the refrigerators of your local store of Coke. Here it’s the same dynamic as with garrafones, though you don’t always need to buy one initially.

Often, you can pay an importe (fee) of around 10 pesos instead. When you bring back the envase (container), you can get the importe back. However, you’ll probably just take the envase back to get another full one, this time without paying an importe.

Caguamas and cartones

Delicious caguamas ready to deliver beer-flavored goodness. For an importe, of course. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

A caguama is a liter-sized bottle of beer, and a cartón is basically a box of 24 bottles of beer. And guess what? They’re also retornables and you can also leave importes if you don’t have anything to exchange yet.

As you can probably guess, this is a very popular option for parties. Just be sure everyone knows — if they’re foreigners, I mean, because Mexicans will know — not to throw away the beer bottles.

Assorted goods

Though not a drinkable liquid, there are also places where you can go to refill your cleaning supplies. You just need to take your own envases to get filled there instead of exchanging them. These places are called jarcierías, and you can get things like liquid and powdered cleaners and laundry detergent here, usually by the liter.

Happy shopping, and don’t forget your retornables when you head out!

Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, https://sarahedevries.substack.com/

Toyota announces US $1.4B investment in its Mexico factories

By
MND Staff
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0
Toyota automotive plant located in the border city of Tijuana (Baja California)
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard celebrated Toyota’s investment, one of the first major announcements following the uncertainty of the U.S. presidential elections. (Omar Martínez/Cuartoscuro)

Anticipating a new sales record this year, Toyota demonstrated its confidence in Mexico by announcing a US $1.45 billion investment in factories in two Mexican states.

The Japanese carmaker will renovate its facilities in Tecate, Baja California, and in Apaseo el Grande, Guanajuato. The funds will help adapt manufacturing for Toyota’s new Tacoma pick-up truck and its hybrid model.

The Toyota automotive complex in Apaseo el Grande (Guanajuato)
The Japanese carmaker will renovate this facility in Apaseo el Grande, Guanajuato, as well as another factory in Tecate, Baja California. (Cuartoscuro)

The new investments will also create 1,600 new jobs, Toyota México President Luis Lozano said on Thursday, after meeting with Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard.

Ebrard confirmed the news in a post on the social platform X, adding that Toyota “is one of the companies with which we are working closely, and it has a great future in our country.”

The announcement came just days after Donald Trump won re-election as U.S. president, following a campaign in which he pledged to place import tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico.

Ebrard celebrated Toyota’s news, highlighting the importance of creating certainty for investors in a challenging economic environment, the newspaper El Sol de Acapulco reported, especially as foreign direct investment plays such a crucial role in Mexico’s economy.

What will the Toyota investment bring to Mexico?

Toyota — which boasts 98 car dealerships in Mexico offering 18 vehicle models — said that not only will the investment increase production capacity at the two plants, but it will also incorporate new technologies that optimize use of resources and help reduce emissions.

After reporting a 22% increase in sales during the first half of the year, Toyota projected it would surpass 105,000 in combined sales — both internal combustion engine and hybrid electric vehicles — in 2024, according to El Financiero.

The company sold 58,081 vehicles — 27% of which were hybrid — during the first six months of the year, even after projecting sales of fewer than 100,000 cars in 2024. The initial forecast was influenced by supply problems — since resolved — involving semiconductors and other parts for hybrid vehicles.

Lozano said the latest investment announcement is in addition to those already made, and will bring Toyota’s total investment since arriving in Mexico 22 years ago to US $2 billion by the end of 2024.

Last year, the carmaker invested US $328 million in its Guanajuato plant, as it first moved to convert production processes for the new Tacoma hybrid. Overall, Toyota has invested close to $1.2 billion in the state since operations began there in 2019.

Last year’s investment converted Guanajuato into a key player in Toyota’s electrification production strategy, the company said in a June 2023 statement.

The success of Guanajuato’s transition is reflected in a study carried out by the digital platform Directorio Automotriz earlier this year.

The report found that in terms of suppliers, Guanajuato is home to 16 of the 67 electromobility and electrification component suppliers in the country, and to 18 of the 52 raw material suppliers nationwide. Since the beginning of 2023, 13 new investments directly related to electromobility have been established in Guanajuato.

With reports from El País, Reuters, Proceso, El Sol de Acapulco and El Economista

G20, Trump and peace in Mexico: Friday’s presidential mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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7
President Claudia Sheinbaum stands at a podium and points to the audience during her Friday morning mañanera, or press conference.
President Claudia Sheinbaum calls on a reporter during her Friday morning press conference. (Presidencia via Cuartoscuro)

Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente spoke about the upcoming G20 Summit at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference, or mañanera, on Friday.

Here is a summary of his remarks, as well as those made by the president in response to questions about her telephone conversation with Donald Trump and the “main challenge” of her six-year term in government.

The G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil   

De la Fuente told reporters that when Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva came to Mexico for Sheinbaum’s inauguration last month, he “reiterated” his interest in having Mexico’s new president attend the G20 Summit in Rio on Nov. 18 and 19.

“President Sheinbaum will be there the first day because she has decided … to return on the 19th to be here on the 20th for all the celebrations of the anniversary of the [Mexican] Revolution,” he said.

De la Fuente, formerly Mexico’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said that among the issues world leaders will discuss at the G20 meeting are the international economy, “the fight against hunger and poverty” and the energy transition.

He also said that various G20 countries have requested bilateral meetings with Mexico.

Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente
Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente said multiple G20 countries have requested bilateral meetings with Mexico’s new administration. (Andrea Murcia Monsivais/Cuartoscuro)

“I’m going to mention them in alphabetical order: Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and the United Kingdom. Obviously it won’t be possible to meet with all of them, there won’t be enough time, so we’re in the process of trying to establish [which meetings will go ahead],” de la Fuente said.

The foreign minister also noted that Sheinbaum is the only female leader who has so far confirmed she will attend the meeting in Rio.

The president herself said that Mexico’s delegation, including de la Fuente and Energy Minister Luz Elena González, will fly on a commercial airline to Brazil.

Her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, sold Mexico’s presidential plane to the government of Tajikistan last year.

Sheinbaum’s call with Trump 

The president revealed that Donald Trump briefly raised “the issue of the border” during her call with the United States president-elect on Thursday.

“A time came when he said, ‘there’s the issue of the border,’ that’s all he said. And I said to him, ‘yes, there’s the issue of the border, but there will be … [another time] to talk about it,” she said

Sheinbaum said that Trump also sent his best wishes to López Obrador, “with whom he said he had a very good relationship,” and invited her to his inauguration in January.

Donald Trump stands at a microphone
Sheinbaum described her call with the U.S. president-elect as “very cordial.” (Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0)

“He said ‘see you soon,’ nos vemos pronto, in other words, and I said, ‘Yes, see you soon.'”

Sheinbaum subsequently said that having a good relationship with the United States is “one of the challenges” of her six-year term in government, albeit not the biggest.

The main challenge of Sheinbaum’s sexenio

Sheinbaum told reporters that the biggest challenge of her six-year term, or sexenio, and the one to which her government will dedicate the most time, is the construction of “well-being and peace in Mexico.”

The government will dedicate 24 hours a day to achieving that goal “if necessary,” she said.

Sheinbaum, like López Obrador, is dedicating huge amounts of money to social and welfare programs as she seeks to further reduce poverty and inequality in Mexico. She hopes that that focus will aid the government’s efforts to combat crime across the country.

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

Sheinbaum’s security strategy: More social spending … and more military?

By
MND Staff
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6
President Sheinbaum on stage in a spotlight
President Sheinbaum has avoided using the phrase "hugs, not bullets," which defined her predecessor's approach to organized crime. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

Is President Sheinbaum’s new federal government forsaking the “not bullets” component of the so-called “hugs, not bullets” security strategy pursued by the administration of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO)?

In a report published on Thursday, the Associated Press said that “a string of bloody confrontations” during the first month of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s six-year term “suggests the government is quietly abandoning the ‘no bullets’ part of that strategy and is much more willing to use the full force of the military and the militarized National Guard.”

Before we look at the alleged evidence that the Sheinbaum administration is moving away from the security strategy championed by AMLO, let’s first take a step back.

What is (or was) the ‘Hugs, not bullets’ strategy?

In a nutshell, the “hugs, not bullets,” or “abrazos, no balazos,” strategy is an approach to public security in which addressing the root causes of crime through government social programs is favored over combating criminal groups with force.

The previous government poured huge amounts of money into social programs, including employment schemes that aim to provide work opportunities to disadvantaged young people who might otherwise be tempted to join the ranks of criminal groups.

In support of the “no bullets” aspect of the strategy, López Obrador directed federal security forces to avoid violent confrontations with cartels whenever possible, although clashes still occurred.

President López Obrador walks with the directors of Sedena and Semar during the Independence Day military parade on September 16, 2024.
López Obrador gave more power to the military, but directed it to avoid direct confrontations with cartels where possible. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

The previous president drew significant criticism in 2022 when he said that by avoiding confrontations, “We look after the members of the armed forces … but we also look after the members of the gangs.”

The Sheinbaum administration presented its national security strategy a month ago, and one of its four core tenets is attention to the root causes of crime, i.e. the “hugs” component of AMLO’s approach. The government is maintaining all existing social programs, and adding new ones, as part of its strategy to reduce crime.

What about the ‘not bullets’ part?

The “bloody confrontations” AP referred to in its report are the following:

Does the use of force by federal security forces in the incidents outlined above provide evidence that the government is abandoning the “not bullets” part of AMLO’s security strategy?

“There are traces of a change in tone toward organized crime, but it’s too early to call,” Falko Ernst, a security analyst, told AP.

“It seems unlikely that the Sheinbaum administration would risk a politically inconvenient, steady stream of violent imagery by betting on wholesale balazos [bullets]-only strategy,” he said.

López Obrador argues that the National Guard needs to be under the control of the military to prevent corruption and guarantee the force’s professionalism.
The new administration may be more willing to confront “the most overt” power displays by criminal organizations. (Margarito Pérez Retana/Cuartoscuro)

However, Ernst added that the government may be more willing to confront “the most overt and brazen displays of power” by criminal organizations.

David Saucedo, another security analyst, has a different view.

“The hugs not bullets strategy ended some time ago,” he told AP.

The Associated Press reported that Saucedo pointed to “an increased number of high-level drug arrests and extraditions of suspects” to support his claim.

“The U.S. government pressured Andrés Manuel López Obrador to resume the capture of high-level drug lords,” Saucedo said.

During the López Obrador administration, federal security forces did manage to finally capture Ovidio Guzmán, one of the sons of convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, after releasing him to avoid a bloodbath amid a violent Sinaloa Cartel response in 2019. However, they had no involvement in the arrest of the highest-level drug lord to be detained in recent years — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

Presenting the government’s new security strategy last month, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said the neutralization of “generators of violence and criminal networks” was an objective, but he didn’t say security forces were prepared to use a heavier hand to achieve it.

Instead, he emphasized the importance of other crime-fighting tools, such as intelligence.

What has Sheinbaum said about her government’s security strategy?

Although her government is perpetuating virtually all of AMLO’s policies as it seeks to build the “second story” of the so-called “fourth transformation” of Mexico, Sheinbaum “has studiously avoided using the ‘hugs, not bullets’ slogan popularized by her predecessor and mentor,” AP reported.

However, she has said on repeated occasions that her government won’t pursue the kind of militarized “war” against drug cartels that former president Felipe Calderón launched shortly after he took office in December 2006.

“Calderón’s war against narcos won’t return,” Sheinbaum said last month.

Those remarks appear to indicate that she doesn’t have any great appetite for increasing the use of force against criminal groups.

Military convoy in Culiacán, Sinaloa
Sheinbaum spoke of the risks of using “firepower” to quell cartel infighting in Culiacán, though more than 1000 troops have been sent to the region in recent months. (Cuartoscuro)

In addition, shortly before she was sworn in as president, Sheinbaum said that responding to the high levels of violence in Sinaloa with “firepower” would only trigger a “war” in the northern state, where rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel are engaged in a battle that has claimed scores of lives in recent months.

After García outlined the national security strategy on Oct. 8, Sheinbaum declared that her government wasn’t seeking to carry out “extrajudicial executions,” and would use “prevention, intelligence and presence” of security forces to combat crime.

While she avoids using the “hugs, not bullets” slogan, it would appear unlikely that the president and commander in chief of Mexico’s armed forces would agree with claims that her government, in its first month in office, has shown it is prepared to use more force than its predecessor to combat the country’s notorious cartels.

A fuller picture of the government’s security strategy, and the extent to which it is prepared to use military and National Guard firepower to respond to Mexico’s many and varied security challenges, will only truly emerge in the months and years ahead.

With reports from AP

Ebrard seeks meeting with Elon Musk to discuss future of Tesla ‘gigafactory’ in Mexico

By
MND Staff
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2
Marcelo Ebrard looks over his glasses
Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard hopes to speak with Elon Musk about the future of the Tesla factory planned for Nuevo León. (Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro)

Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Thursday that he will seek a meeting with Elon Musk to discuss Tesla’s plans for an electric vehicle plant in Mexico.

Asked in a radio interview whether he believed Tesla’s proposed gigafactory project near Monterrey, Nuevo León, wouldn’t go ahead due to Donald Trump’s victory in the United States presidential election, Ebrard said that Musk, Tesla’s CEO, “hasn’t told us anything.”

“… I’m going to arrange a meeting with him soon so that he tells me exactly what he’s thinking,” he said.

Ebrard said that the government will see what it can do to ensure that the multi-billion-dollar project goes ahead.

However, he added that it was “clear” that Tesla’s plans don’t “depend on the decisions we’re taking in Mexico, but rather the general situation of the company, which now has very strong competition from Chinese companies.”

That competition, especially from the Shenzhen-based electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, is “limiting” Tesla’s “capacity for investment in the short term,” Ebrard opined.

Construction begins on infrastructure for Tesla factory in Nuevo León, Mexico.
Musk paused development on Tesla’s Nuevo León factory, planned for this site near Monterrey, before the U.S. elections. (Samuel García/X)

Musk, the world’s richest person, announced in March 2023 that Tesla would build a gigafactory in Santa Catarina, a Nuevo León municipality just west of Monterrey that borders Coahuila.

However, he said in July that the project was “paused” because of the possibility that Trump would impose tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico if he won the presidential election in the United States.

That possibility remains live, although it is conceivable that Musk — a massive donor to Trump’s campaign — could negotiate an exemption from any tariffs that a second Trump administration imposes on vehicles made in Mexico.

As things stand, vehicles made in Mexico can be exported tariff-free to the United States provided they meet regional content rules. However, Trump has made repeated threats to impose hefty tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico, and last month pledged to renegotiate the USMCA free trade pact.

After his election as the United States’ 47th president this week, President Claudia Sheinbaum declared that “there is no reason for concern” for Mexicans, including business people who may be concerned about tariffs. Sheinbaum previously said she considered U.S. tariffs on products made in Mexico “very unlikely.”

A decision by Tesla to forge ahead with its planned factory in Nuevo León would be a shot in the arm for the new federal government, which is seeking to capitalize on Mexico’s nearshoring opportunity.

Nuevo León Governor Samuel García said late last year that Tesla and its suppliers would invest a combined total of US $15 billion in the northern state.

Ebrard ‘optimistic’ about USMCA renegotiation 

In separate remarks on Thursday, Ebrard said he was “optimistic” about the outcome of the USMCA review scheduled for 2026.

“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy because nothing is easy, but the relationship with President Trump and his government is going to be very good,” he told reporters in Mexico City after attending a retail industry meeting.

Ebrard, Mexico’s foreign minister during most of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s presidency, said that his confidence that the Mexican government will have a good relationship with the second Trump administration came from the fact that Mexico is the United States’ largest trade partner and that millions of jobs in the U.S. depend on exports to Mexico.

Trump and Ebrard shake hands in a backstage area
Ebrard expressed confidence that Mexico’s relationship with the second Trump administration would be positive. (Fabián Medina/X)

He highlighted that U.S. exports to Mexico increased more than 4% in the first nine months of the year, while Mexican exports to the United States increased 6.5%.

Ebrard stressed the importance of Mexico, the United States and Canada working together in order to compete with other regions of the world, such as Asia. He said last month that Mexico would “mobilize all legitimate interests in favor of North America” amid the ongoing trade war between the United States and China, which could escalate during Trump’s second term as U.S. president.

The economy minister said Thursday that tariffs on Mexican exports to the United States would only increase costs for U.S. consumers.

Ebrard looks set to play a key role in Mexico’s relationship with the United States during the second Trump presidency, which will commence Jan. 20. As foreign minister in the López Obrador administration, he dealt directly with Trump, including when Mexico was attempting to stave off a tariff threat in 2019.

Citing analysts, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Sheinbaum’s appointment of Ebrard as economy minister “was seen as a powerful signal that Mexico is readying itself with its best political firepower for the USMCA review.”

With reports from Radio Fórmula and El Financiero 

Guerrero prosecutors confirm the identity of 11 victims found dead in Chilpancingo

By
MND Staff
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Personnel of the Mexican Army guarded the facilities of the Attorney General's Office of the State of Guerrero,
The bodies of 11 vendors from a small mountain town were found on the outskirts of Guerrero's capital on Wednesday night. (Dassaev Téllez Adame/Cuartoscuro)

Ongoing turf wars between crime groups in the state of Guerrero have produced waves of violence this year, and the conflicts claimed 11 more victims this week in the state capital of Chilpancingo.

The bodies were found in an abandoned pick-up truck that had been set ablaze on the outskirts of the capital on Wednesday night.

A Spanish-language poster from Guerrero prosecutors offers a reward for information leading to the rescue of Chautipan residents, 12 of whom are pictured on the poster with a small photo of their face and name
The Guerrero Attorney General’s Office offered a million pesos for information that leading to the rescue of Chautipan residents who disappeared in late October. (FGE Guerrero)

Family members identified five of the victims — including three minors — on Thursday, and the local authorities confirmed they were part of a group of 17 who went missing last month. All were residents of Chautipan, a small town in the mountains of Guerrero.

On Nov. 6, the Defense Ministry (Sedena) announced that the criminal organization known as “Los Ardillos” had kidnapped the victims.

This pronouncement came a day after the Army said it was undertaking an all-out search to find the kidnapping victims and two days after one of the missing — a 14-year-old boy — “confessed” under obvious duress that the missing group was acting as look-outs for a rival crime gang.

Crime organizations diversify beyond drug trafficking

Guerrero is one of Mexico’s most violent states, partly due to its location on Pacific coast smuggling routes.

Last year, 1,890 homicides were reported in the state, according to the newspaper El País, while more than 500 murders occurred during just the first three months of 2024. The killings accelerated in October, according to El Sol de México, with 117 recorded in a 30-day period.

Long a focal point of marijuana and poppy cultivation, Guerrero serves as a key transit point for drug shipments traveling north to the United States, and criminal organizations use the port of Acapulco to receive shipments of cocaine from South America.

Crime groups have intensified their battle to control the local drug trade, while expanding operations to include extortion and other illicit activities. Sedena has said that at least 16 criminal organizations are operating in Guerrero. However, international observers such as the International Crisis Group have estimated that up to 40 groups are vying for a piece of local criminal economies.

Local businesses targeted for extortion

Chilpancingo, a city of about 280,000 people, has long been the scene of turf battles between two drug gangs, “Los Ardillos” and “Los Tlacos”, according to Insight Crime, a publication specializing in organized crime in Latin America. The intrusion of the “La Familia Michoacana” gang has heightened tensions, producing the latest round of killings in the state.

An aerial view of buildings and traffic in downtown Chilpancingo, Guerrero
While Chilpancingo businesses face pressure from extortion, vendors from outside the city have also been affected. (Gobierno de Chilpancingo)

Insight Crime wrote in February that “extortion rackets now extend across a variety of public sectors in Guerrero, from transportation, to local businesses, tour guides, religious events, mining companies, and even small stores selling everyday items.”

Those who refuse to pay up or follow rules sometimes find themselves the targets of violence.

Since the start of 2024, Guerrero has seen an outbreak of murders, which initially targeted taxi and bus drivers — eight of the former and one bus driver were gunned down during the first two months of the year. In October, four more taxi drivers were killed in Acapulco.

The state has also seen a spike in political violence. At least six candidates for public office were killed in Guerrero during the run-up to the national elections on June 2, according to the BBC. And last month, the mayor of Chilpancingo was murdered only a week after being sworn in.

Caught in the crossfire

The latest incident dates back to Oct. 21-22, when 11 Chautipan residents  traveled to the municipality of Chilapa to sell dinnerware. When family members lost contact with them, they contacted authorities. Several others went in search of the missing group, but they also failed to return.

When help was not forthcoming, residents of Chautipan staged a protest in front of the state Attorney General’s office (FGE) that lasted six days.

On Nov. 4, Barrera — the 14-year-old boy — was seen bound and injured, appearing to recite a message admitting that the members of his group were involved in drug trafficking.

State authorities immediately offered a 1 million peso reward for information that led to the safe return of the victims. On Tuesday, the Army announced it was sending 400 troops and three military helicopters to carry out a search and rescue operation.

Early on Wednesday morning, authorities found four bodies in an abandoned car in Acapulco, but the FGE has yet to release information regarding their identity.

Later that day, Chilpancingo authorities were alerted to the abandoned Silverado pick-up truck in which the 11 bodies were found.

While the FGE has publicly blamed “Los Ardillos” for the murders, one attorney cited by the newspaper Reforma accused authorities of ensuring impunity for the culprits.

Investigators did not isolate the crime scene and towed the vehicle to FGE headquarters before forensic scientists arrived.

Such failure to follow due process prevents effective prosecution and fuels allegations that some officials are on the payroll of the cartels. The magazine Proceso — citing data from the national statistics institute, INEGI — reported that more than half of Guerrero’s FGE officials failed background checks.

With reports from El Financiero, El País, Milenio, López-Dóriga Digital, BBC and Insight Crime

The life expectancy in Mexico’s healthiest state just got longer

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MND Staff
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Monterrey, the capital city of Nuevo León, as seen at night
The Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo passenger train line will give residents of Monterrey a direct land route to the U.S. border. (Javier Rentería/Pexels)

Residents of Nuevo León live longer than Mexicans in any other state, and their life expectancy is getting better every year.

According to official figures, life expectancy for the state’s residents was 77.7 as of 2023. The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) found that women’s life expectancy was 80.9, while men’s was 74.8. Life expectancy in the northern border state has increased steadily since 2020 (when average lifespan decreased across the country due to the pandemic).

Nuevo León Health Minister Alma Rosa Marroquín Escamilla said this milestone is a result of a health care model, followed by public and private institutions, that prioritizes quality and safety.

“We’re working all across Nuevo León to develop innovative strategies and new models of care that prioritize community and humane treatment,” Marroquín said Wednesday at the Sixth Symposium on Ethics, Quality and Safety in Health organized by the state government in collaboration with the private health network Auna México.

Currently, the state Health Department serves 1.2 million people through a program called “New Route: Take Care of Your Health,”, Marroquín explained. It guarantees universal access to medical services, including private hospitals and public clinics like the National Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) and the State Workers’ Social Security Institute (ISSSTE). In Mexico, only people with formal jobs can be enrolled in the IMSS or ISSSTE.

When Marroquín took office three years ago, over 1 million people lacked social security benefits including access to public health services, she said. At a national level, nearly 30% of Mexicans lack access to health services, a number that has nearly doubled since 2016. Similarly, nearly half the population is not enrolled in social security, which provides access to public hospitals.

Panoramic view of Cerro de la Silla, one of Monterrey's landmarks
Marroquín said this milestone is a result of a health care model, followed by public and private institutions, that prioritizes quality and safety. (Iván Guzmán/Pexels)

“This symposium, in collaboration with the government of Nuevo León, is a key opportunity to reinforce the importance of focusing our efforts on people, and thus, promote initiatives that generate a real change in health in Mexico,” said Carlos Aguilar Ojeda, General Manager of Auna México.

As part of their collaboration, the public and private health sectors exchange data, opinions and research through several committees created by the Nuevo León Council, a government advisory agency. Still, the minister acknowledged  it is a challenge to integrate everyone’s criteria to support the government’s decision-making process.

Life expectancy in Mexico

Wealth might also play a part in Nuevo León residents’ long life expectancy. Along with Mexico City, the northern state consistently ranks as one of Mexico’s wealthiest entities. Numerous studies have shown that being wealthy is linked to longer life expectancy.

Overall, life expectancy in Mexico is at 76 years — 78.4 for women and 72.1 for men. Following Nuevo León, these are the entities with the highest life expectancy in the country:

  • Baja California Sur (77.2)
  • Coahuila (77.1)
  • Aguascalientes Sonora and Mexico City (76.8)
  • Chihuahua and Baja California (76.6)
  • Querétaro (76.3)
  • Colima (76.2)
  • Sinaloa (76.1)
  • Jalisco and Quintana Roo (76)

In contrast, Chiapas (73.1), Guerrero (73.2) and Oaxaca (73.4) show the lowest life expectancy. Unsurprisingly, these are Mexico’s poorest states.

With reports from El Economista and El Porvenir

13th annual Chocolate Festival to open in Tabasco next week

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MND Staff
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a pile of raw cacao beans on display
Cacao pods on display at the 2022 Festival del Chocolate. (Damián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)

The southern state of Tabasco is set to host the 13th edition of the Festival del Chocolate, a massive event celebrating chocolate through cultural and culinary activities for both children and adults.

Happening from Nov. 14 to 17, the event will take place at the Parque Tabasco in the capital city of Villahermosa. Last year, the festival attracted more than 100,000 visitors, according to government estimates.

“This festival will showcase the best of our land, our cocoa and our gastronomy,” Katia Ornelas Gil, head of the Economic Development and Competitiveness Ministry of Tabasco said in a press conference.

The event’s guest of honor will be the Organización del Mundo Maya (Maya World Organization), made up of countries with Maya heritage including Honduras, Guatemala and the Mexican states of Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Tabasco and Chiapas. These countries and states will showcase their tourist destinations, cocoa products and culinary traditions. Representatives of these regions will also participate as judges in cultural competitions, and as conference speakers.

Overall, the event will host some 400 exhibitors and 200 cocoa producers, including chocolatiers, cocoa growers, traditional cooks and representatives of artisanal gastronomy, which will offer tastings, workshops, musical performances and pairings related to cocoa.

The festival will also gather chef celebrities like José Ramón Castillo, regarded as Mexico’s best chocolatier, Alana Literas, winner of Mexican cooking series like MasterChef Junior and Top Chef VIP, and Mariano Sandoval, chef of Televisa’s morning program “Hoy,” among others.

A woman grinds cacao into chocolate in a clay pot in Tabasco
Festival activities include guided “multisensory” tours of a cacao farm. (Festival del Chocolate/Facebook)

Beyond chocolate, attendees will see presentations of wines and craft beers that enhance the sensory experience of cocoa.

The event will also host three self-service stores and 15 buyers and producers of cocoa to boost chocolate commercialization.

The National System for the Comprehensive Development of Families (DIF) will organize activities for children to promote knowledge of cocoa. These include painting competitions using chocolate, photography events and a painting exhibition.

For the first time, this year’s edition will host a race at the fairgrounds.

Chocolate is deeply rooted in Mexico’s culture. From the Mayan Nahuatl “xocolatl” or “chicolatl,” pre-Columbian civilizations revered chocolate as a gift from the gods. They consumed it as a hot or cold beverage, used cacao beans as currency and considered it an aphrodisiac.

But despite being the birthplace of cacao, Mexico is not amongst the world’s top producers. According to official figures, Mexico produced over 28,000 tonnes of cacao in 2022, coming in as the 14th largest producer worldwide.

Tabasco, Guerrero and Chiapas are Mexico’s top producers of cacao.

With reports from La Chispa and Infobae

Why Atlixco is Mexico’s best Day of the Dead destination

By
Bethany Platanella
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Day of the Dead Atlixco
The towering sculptures and murals of Atlixco make the Puebla town a must-see destination for Day of the Dead. (Mireya Novo/Cuartoscuro)

Day of the Dead is arguably the most dynamic, unique and spectacular showcase of Mexican culture. I’ve spent the last several years enjoying the colorful celebration in Mexico City and, while lovely, it just doesn’t quite capture the family element I’ve been looking for. I decided in September that this would be the year that I’d hit the road in search of golder pastures, heading to a place that represented both sides of the coin: artistic creation and authentic reverence. So I made my way to Puebla, one of Mexico’s most culturally rich states and home to Atlixco, the City of Flowers. 

Absolutely dripping in marigolds and Day of the Dead decor, this Pueblo Mágico regularly draws tourists for its year-round warm and humid climate. It’s about a 30-minute drive from Puebla city and boasts magnificent views of the surrounding mountains, including the beloved Popocatépetl volcano. Late October is a particularly attractive time of year to visit, as Atlixcans truly go all out for the holiday.

The Valle de Catrinas project started in 2021 with five giant skeleton statues adorning various streets and strategic corners of town. This year, that number has jumped to 15 fantastical figures representing important figures in Mexico’s history, like Emiliano Zapata.

Atlixco’s stunning Day of the Dead in pictures

Also present was Porfirio Díaz, who ruled Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th centuries leading up to the Mexican Revolution.

Cuauhtémoc, the last king of the Mexica Empire, was also represented.

Revolutionary leader Pancho Villa was also represented, with a very literal homage to his nickname, the Centaur of the North.

As is the custom, many shops, hotels and restaurants showcased not just catrinas, but also elaborate altars for visitors to enjoy. 

Atlixco’s popularity as a wedding destination led locals to create “La novia de Atlixco,” or the bride of Atlixco.

This classic, stylish catrina greets visitors at the entrance of Casa de la Audiencia, a 16th-century building that now serves as an upscale hotel.

Through social media, visitors uncovered a hidden altar at Xolo Mezcalería.

Artist Omar Rangel’s monumental altar at Molino de San Mateo wasn’t just a creative masterpiece – it included an interactive screen for visitors to project photos of their loved ones.

Rangel also constructed a 5-meter-tall altar made solely of bread.

Just a 40-minute ride away is the charming town of Huaquechula, renowned for its majestic altars. Starting in the town’s main square, visitors can follow the journey of a soul from death to the afterlife.

Start in the graveyard, where “causes of death” are written on simple grave markers. This poor soul seems to have suffered dire consequences after some WhatsApp messages came to light.

Souls make their way along the river Apanohuaia on small, brightly-painted boats, dodging potential dangers with the help of the small but mighty Xolo dog. This is just one of nine harrowing stages the dead must pass in order to reach the afterlife.

A golden path of flowers insinuates that the afterlife has successfully been reached. 

Some homes were open for the public to enter and pay their respects.

Upon return to Atlixco, I couldn’t leave without climbing Mirador de Cristal on Cerro de San Miguel. I left my hotel on the outskirts of the Zócalo and made my way uphill. The walk was, by all standards, very pleasant. 

Parroquia de Santa María de la Natividad is a few blocks away from Atlixco’s main square and looks like an elaborately-decorated cake.

The arts and crafts market takes over a small alley just off the Zocalo.

Avenida Hidalgo, also known as flower street, is full of shops and eating establishments, all which were decorated to the nines for the holiday.

Atlixco is quite lovely to stroll before 9:00 a.m. It’s a sleepy town, with few cafes opening earlier than that.

There are street murals everywhere, many created by local artist Juan Manuel Martínez Caltenco.

The uphill walk to the Mirador Cristal is lined with scenic views and beautiful flowers.

How to reach Atlixco from Mexico City

Take the E-Bus to Paseo Destino, Puebla, which takes between two to three hours. From here, you can Uber about 30 minutes to the center of Atlixco. Alternatively, you can take the ADO bus line from TAPO to CAPU, Puebla’s central station. From CAPU, take the ORO bus to Atlixco’s city center, about 30 minutes.

Upcoming festivals in Atlixco

Christmas Lights Festival (Brilla Fest): Nov. 15 – Dec. 30
Holy Week (Semana Santa): April 14 – 25

Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog, or follow her on Instagram.

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