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Inside the massive cheating scandal shaking UNAM, Mexico’s top university

By
MND Staff
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Students who passed UNAM's 2026 entrance exams demonstated this week outside the UNAM rector's office after news of the cheating scandal broke.
Students who passed the 2026 entrance exams demonstated this week outside the UNAM rector's office, demanding that their test results be honored after enrollment for the fall semester was suspended. (Andrea Murcia Monsivais / Cuartoscuro.com)

“Scandal at UNAM.”

“Mexican university faces massive cheating scandal after first online entry exam.”

“158,000 exams under scrutiny: The biggest public university in Mexico investigates the use of AI to cheat.”

“UNAM: Was artificial intelligence to blame?”

These are some of the headlines that have appeared in the media in recent days amid intense and growing scrutiny of the results of the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s entrance exams, which were published earlier this month.

In this explainer, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about this “scandal,” which has also been widely referred to as a “crisis” for UNAM, Mexico’s largest and most prestigious university.

UNAM’s cheating scandal, explained 

In May and June, UNAM held its exams for people vying to become students at the university, whose main campus, Ciudad Universitaria (University City), is located in southern Mexico City.

The university’s entrance exams have previously been held in large auditoriums and stadiums, but in 2026 — for the first time ever — would-be UNAM students completed the tests online. One aim of moving exams online was to save aspirants the time and money involved in traveling to an exam center. Another was to make the exams more accessible to aspirants across the country and even abroad.

More than 158,000 aspirants sat the online exams. Among them were people hoping to gain entry to high-demand UNAM degree programs that are notoriously hard to get into, such as medicine and law.

The software for the exams was provided by the Mexican company Territorium Life. It had a range of AI-powered built-in features designed to prevent test-takers from cheating — including one that prevented additional computer tabs from being opened — but there is widespread suspicion that a significant number of them did indeed cheat, including by using artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT.

A phone displays AI application icons with a computer screen in the background
Some test-takers may have circumvented anti-cheating software by using a second device. (Solen Feyissa / Unsplash)

None of the software’s in-built features could physically stop people from using a second computer or a smartphone while sitting their UNAM entrance exams, although it was equipped with a camera and microphone-assisted surveillance system designed to detect irregular — i.e., deceitful — conduct.

Territorium Life said that its exam platform “operated as planned.”

Around 2% of exams have already been nullified because the software’s surveillance system, overseen by a group of human behavior experts, detected cheating.

Suspicious entrance exam results

UNAM published the results of its admission exams on July 17. The first suspicions about them emerged on social media, according to the newspaper El País.

Why were the results suspicious? In a nutshell, because they were unusually good.

In the past, the percentage of test-takers who responded correctly to more than 100 questions on 120-question multiple-choice exams was below 10%.

In 2025, the percentage of test-takers who got more than 100 questions correct on the medicine degree entrance exam was 9%. The figure this year was 29.3%.

Almost 19% of law degree candidates got more than 100 questions correct in 2026, up from just 3.7% last year. The figure for would-be UNAM science degree students rose to 30.4% from 9.7% a year earlier.

The higher incidence of excellent exam results “drastically increased the required thresholds to enter” UNAM degree programs, the BBC reported.

The cheating allegations 

The allegations that some people cheated in their UNAM entrance exams are, at this stage at least, exactly that — allegations. Nothing has yet been proven.

However, the widespread suspicion is that some, or perhaps many, aspirants used AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude while completing their exams.

The news outlet Infobae reported that before the various UNAM entrance exams were held, videos on the social media platform TikTok provided a “cheating instruction manual.”

Among the advice offered on TikTok was to have “ChatGPT running on a second monitor outside the [camera’s] frame,” Infobae reported.

A test-taker could conceivably have been assisted by a second person outside the camera’s view who held up AI-generated answers on a laptop, for example.

Eduardo Backhoff, a Mexican psychologist and education assessment expert, wrote on social media that “either the exams were easier [than in previous years], the students were smarter, or they cheated.”

“The first two possibilities are highly unlikely; the last one is the only plausible explanation. In this case, those who don’t deserve it are being rewarded,” he wrote.

Students yell into a megaphone, with one carrying a sign reading "Fraude"
UNAM applicants who failed the entrance exam have demanding tests be re-administered in person, alleging their spots were stolen by cheating. (Andrea Murcia Monsivais / Cuartoscuro.com)

In a radio report, NPR journalist Eyder Peralta said that “Raul Rojas, who teaches AI at the Free University of Berlin and statistics at the University of Nevada, Reno, says when he looked at all the test scores, he didn’t find the kind of deviation you can chalk up to an easier test or perhaps a smarter class.”

Rojas told NPR that his conclusion was that “almost half of the students were cheating when taking the exam online.”

Peralta said that the tests “were open for 17 days, giving ample chance for friends or internet entrepreneurs to leak or sell test questions.”

“Blind spots in technology also allowed students to have someone else take their test,” he said.

UNAM’s response 

UNAM has launched an investigation into the suspected cheating by some exam candidates and suspended the enrollment of new students shortly before the new academic year is scheduled to begin.

The university’s rector, Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas, has named a group of 16 experts in fields including education, AI and law, to examine what happened. Backhoff is a member of that group, which is expected to complete its investigation promptly.

Lomelí, UNAM rector since late 2023, said that fair access to the university’s degree programs cannot be compromised by “those aspirants who may have had some kind of help.”

He also said that none of the possible responses to the alleged cheating are ruled out — i.e., there is a chance that the exam results will be nullified and UNAM aspirants will have to sit entrance exams again.

If the results were nullified, would-be UNAM students who studied hard and did well in their exams without cheating would be unfairly penalized. However, having aspirants re-sit the exams — in person — may be the only way to ensure that the admission process is fair for everyone.

The National Autonomous University's main campus in Mexico City.
With the fall semester scheduled to begin in less than two weeks, enrollment has been suspended pending a decision from the university on whether the suspicious test results will be allowed to stand. Pictured: the National Autonomous University’s main campus in Mexico City. (UNAM)

The university’s decision “could set legal, technological, educational and evaluative precedents,” said Juan Manuel Flores Ayala, an education assessment expert who was quoted in the El País newspaper.

“… I would lean toward repeating the exam and moving the semester as needed to restore credibility and provide certainty to the people UNAM serves as a public institution. There is a political and legal cost to doing so, but I think more would be gained than lost,” Flores said.

UNAM, BBC reported, also announced that it filed criminal complaints against “people and companies that offer fraudulent services” related to its entrance exams.

The university is dealing with an issue faced by education institutes around the world — students’ use (including improper and fraudulent use) of AI.

Aspirants’ views 

Some UNAM aspirants have protested to demand that the exams be held again. Others want the results to stand.

In the aforementioned NPR radio report, protesting test-takers can be heard chanting, “We want honesty, not artificial intelligence.”

At Ciudad Universitaria, they also demanded that an “examen presencial,” or in-person exam, be held for UNAM aspirants.

One would-be applied mathematics student, Leonardo Ruiz, told NPR that his exam results had already been invalidated.

“He assumes his exam was flagged for cheating because he scored too well, but he says he did it by studying,” NPR’s Eyder Peralta reported.

Sheinbaum weighs in 

President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that the Federal Attorney General’s Office could assist UNAM in its investigation if required.

“They have to see how this fraud was committed,” she said.

It has to be established whether “the company … [UNAM] hired” to facilitate the online exams was complicit or whether “some” of the exam candidates used AI of their own accord, Sheinbaum said.

With reports from BBC, El País and Infobae

A 1.5-tonne sandwich sets a new world record at Mexico City’s Torta Fair

By
MND Staff
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Guinness record torta
The 1.5-tonne torta assembled by Mexico City volunteers set a Guinness World Record at the 2026 Torta Fair. (Venustiano Carranza borough government)

A 100-meter torta weighing more than one and a half metric tons set a Guinness World Record in Mexico City on Wednesday at the capital’s annual Torta Fair.

Guinness World Records adjudicator Alfredo Arista certified the sandwich on the esplanade of the Venustiano Carranza borough, declaring to organizers, “From today you are officially amazing. Congratulations!”

Evelyn Parra
Evelyn Parra, mayor (alcaldesa) of Mexico City’s Venustiano Carranza borough, welcomes visitors to the Torta Fair, which runs through Sunday and is expected to draw 600,000 attendees. (Venustiano Carranza borough government)

Guinness declared the record to be in the category “the largest serving of sandwiches arranged in a continuous line” — with media and local officials describing it as the largest torta the world has ever seen.

Laid out on long rows of tables, the torta was then cut into segments and moved to industrial scales in a weighing process carried out under strict hygiene protocols and Guinness supervision.

Officials said the mega-torta measured 100 meters (about 328 feet) and tipped the scales at 1,570 kilograms (about 3,460 pounds). A metric ton, or tonne, is 1,000 kilograms.

The 2026 torta surpassed previous giant tortas assembled at the same festival, which reached 76 meters in 2024 and 90 meters in 2025 but did not carry Guinness certification.

servers hand portions of the Guinness record winning torta to the public
What do you do with a 1.5-tonne record-setting but perishable torta after it’s certified? With thousands of hungry spectators around, the solution is easy. (Camila Ayala Benabib / Cuartoscuro.com)

The record-shattering event was documented by the Washington Post, the BBC, Reuters and other outlets.

Dozens of cooks, wearing caps, masks and gloves, assembled more than 50 varieties of fillings into a single continuous torta, including ham, breaded pork cutlet, sausage, beans, chistorra, mole, seafood, carnitas and even wild boar.

A torta in Mexican Spanish is a sandwich made on a roll, typically a bolillo or telera.

Once the weighing was complete, the sandwich was divided and distributed for free among the thousands of attendees.

Last year, volunteers in Toluca, the capital of México state, set what a notary public called a world record with an 82-meter chorizo torta. But that was specifically for a chorizo torta, nor was the record certified by Guinness.

For years, Guinness has turned down torta-specific records as part of their broader policy of avoiding overly specialized food categories.

torta being eaten
While the torta may be a beloved example of Mexico’s rich culinary tradition, its original designers seem to have known very little about the dimensions of an average human mouth.
(Camila Ayala Benabib / Cuartoscuro.com)

While this week’s mega-torta did enter the record book, it did not break the Guinness marks for the world’s largest sandwich (2,467 kilograms, assembled in Michigan, 2005) or the world’s longest sandwich (735 meters, assembled in Lebanon, 2011).

The current five-day Torta Fair opened Wednesday and runs through Sunday. It includes more than 100 vendors offering torta styles from Mexican states such as Jalisco, Puebla and Yucatán, alongside international options from countries including Colombia, Spain and China.

Admission is free, and organizers expect more than 600,000 visitors and an economic impact above 50 million pesos (US $2.9 million), with concerts, cultural activities and a pet “Adoptathon” rounding out the program.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada noted there are roughly 10,000 torta businesses in the capital, calling the fair a showcase for local commerce and a celebration of the city’s everyday cuisine.

With reports from El Heraldo de Puebla, AFN, SDP Noticias and Reuters 

World Cup spending fuels Mexico’s second-quarter economic rebound

By
MND Staff
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Mexican National team jerseys on sale at a street stand in Mexico
Construction ahead of the World Cup and a boost to retail spending gave Mexico's economy it's best quarterly result since the pandemic recovery started in Q3 2020. (Edgar Negrete Lira / Cuartoscuro.com)

The Mexican economy grew 1.5% in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the previous three-month period, according to preliminary data, recovering from a 0.6% contraction in the first quarter of the year.

The quarter-over-quarter growth rate, reported by the national statistics agency INEGI on Thursday, was the best result for the Mexican economy since the final quarter of 2020.

INEGI also reported that Mexico’s economy grew 2.1% annually in the second quarter of 2026, up from a 0.4% year-over-year expansion in the first quarter.

Both the quarter-over-quarter and annual growth rates came in above the median forecasts of economists surveyed by Reuters.

On social media, Banco Base’s director of economic analysis, Gabriela Siller, wrote that it is “estimated that approximately two-thirds of the quarter-over-quarter growth was due to the World Cup effect, with the remainder the result of a rebound effect following the contraction in the first quarter.”

She said that the quarter-over-quarter GDP “boost” mainly came from the secondary sector, driven by spending on construction in April and May ahead of the World Cup, as well as the tertiary sector due to greater retail and services expenditure “associated with the event.”

Similarly, Andrés Abadia, chief Latin America economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said that economic activity in Mexico in the second quarter “benefited from temporary supports, such as the boost the World Cup gave to tourism, retail trade and spending on entertainment.”

Mexico hosted 13 matches during this year’s FIFA men’s World Cup, 12 of which were played in June.

INEGI published preliminary data last week that showed that the Mexican economy grew 0.2% on a sequential basis in June and 1.7% annually.

All 3 sectors grew in Q2 

INEGI’s latest data showed that the primary sector grew 3.3% in the second quarter compared to the previous three-month period and 7.3% on an annual basis.

The secondary sector expanded 1.6% on a quarter-over-quarter basis and 0.8% annually, while the tertiary sector grew 1.5% sequentially and 2.5% compared to the first quarter of 2025.

While the primary sector recorded the strongest growth, Siller pointed out that its contribution to GDP is not significant compared to the other two sectors.

“Although primary activities showed the greatest quarter-over-quarter growth, they represent very little of GDP,” she wrote on X on Thursday morning.

Mexico’s economy shrank in this year’s first quarter, but less than anticipated

“Of the 1.5% quarter-over-quarter growth, primary activities contributed 0.12 percentage points, while secondary activities contributed 0.49 pp and tertiary activities 0.90 pp,” Siller wrote.

The outlook for the Mexican economy 

Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its 2026 growth forecast for Mexico to 1.2% from a previous prediction of 1.6%. Finance Minister Édgar Amador responded by expressing confidence that the economy will outperform the IMF projection. Indeed, the Finance Ministry is forecasting annual growth of between 1.8% and 2.8% this year.

While President Claudia Sheinbaum has predicted that economic activity will pick up in the second half of 2026 as new public and private investment projects commence, Siller anticipates a sequential contraction in the third quarter of the year.

The Banco Base analyst wrote on X that after the World Cup — Mexico hosted its final match on July 5 — “a downward correction in Mexico’s GDP is expected.”

“In other words, another [quarter-over-quarter] contraction,” Siller explained.

“This is because GDP measures the flow of goods and services produced in the country during a period, and production in the quarter following the World Cup will likely be lower in terms of construction, retail trade, and services, particularly services associated with the tourism sector and leisure activities.”

In her post, Siller included a table showing pessimistic, central and optimistic forecasts for the third and fourth quarters, and 2026 as a whole. Her pessimistic forecast is that the Mexican economy will contract 1.2% on a sequential basis in the third quarter.

Abadia, the Pantheon Macroeconomics economist, asserted that the pace of growth recorded in the second quarter “won’t be sustainable,” while Goldman Sachs’ head of Latin American economics, Alberto Ramos, said that moving forward “it’s probable that [Mexican] households’ consumption of goods and services will continue facing obstacles derived from internal and external uncertainty and weak consumer confidence.”

With reports from El Economista and Reuters 

Rain hampers cleanup of a hazardous chemical spill after a train derailment near the US border

By
MND Staff
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A Ferromex train
The weekend derailment of a Ferromex train near the U.S. border spilled 59,000 liters of sodium hydrosulfide, which is used in industrial processes such as the copper mining practiced by Ferromex's parent company, Grupo México. (Shutterstock)

A weekend train derailment in Sonora resulted in the spillage of approximately 59,000 liters of sodium hydrosulfide, prompting the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to open an investigation. 

The sodium hydrosulfide — a corrosive chemical compound used in industrial processes such as copper mining and considered hazardous to health and environment — was spilled after the derailment of several tank cars of a freight train belonging to Ferromex, a subsidiary of Grupo México.

arizona US border
A map shows the border town of Naco (center-left) connected to the Cuauhtémoc ejido by Highway 2D, between which two communities the derailment took place. The Douglas-Agua Prieta border crossing connecting Sonora with Arizona can be seen at the far right.
(Goodle Maps)

Grupo México is one of the biggest copper producers in the world and Ferromex is the largest train network in Mexico.

Weekend rains complicated containment efforts, heightening concerns about the environmental impact of the accident in northern Sonora, about 20 kilometers south of the U.S. border.

Governor Alfonso Durazo told the newspaper La Jornada that the impact of the tank car hitting the ground partly contained the leak, noting that not all of the chemical seeped out. He added that the spill was immediately addressed by emergency services.

“We immediately focused on addressing the incident; emergency measures were implemented to remove any material that could pose a risk,” Daniel Gámez, the coordinator of Sonora’s Civil Protection Agency, said.

Gámez said the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa), the Environment Ministry and the FGR were notified immediately and emergency personnel established a security perimeter while continuing to evaluate the conditions at the site of the derailment.

Officials from the border-straddling community of Naco, 18 miles north of the accident site, said that rains on Sunday hampered the clean-up effort, allowing some of the spilled material to be carried away by natural runoff.

Lorenzo Villegas, mayor of the municipality of Naco on the Sonora side, told La Jornada that the smell of the fumes generated by the reaction of sodium hydrosulfide with water forced several families from the nearby Cuauhtémoc ejido to temporarily abandon their homes.

The National Water Commission is sampling water and soil to determine if the compound caused contamination.

Profepa is monitoring the situation due to the possibility that the chemical could reach waterways leading to Cananea, a city of approximately 40,000 about 10 miles further south.

With reports from La Silla Rota, Aristegui Noticias and La Jornada

US resumes cattle imports from Mexico, with plans to reduce screwworm danger

By
MND Staff
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The U.S. government's "coordinated, phased reopening of southern cattle ports” will start at an Arizona-Sonora crossing and if all goes well extend to other ports. (Carolina Jiménez Mariscal / Cuartoscuro.com)

The U.S. government will resume importing Mexican cattle next month, more than a year after the May 2025 suspension due at the time to “the continued and rapid northward spread of New World Screwworm (NWS) in Mexico.”

President Claudia Sheinbaum said the reopening of commerce will begin during the last weeks of August through the Mexican border port of Agua Prieta, Sonora.

Sheinbaum expressed “great pleasure” to inform the public and especially ranchers of the U.S. decision. “This is great news for Mexican ranchers,” she said in a July 24 social media post. “I recognize the effort they have made for many months to contain the NWS plague.”

Mexico is required to enforce strict internal movement controls and documentary proof of treatment.

In a statement, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced “a coordinated, phased reopening of southern cattle ports,” while explaining that the action was contingent on Mexico’s adherence to a Joint Action Plan.

The USDA acknowledged that Mexico’s northern border states of Sonora and Chihuahua “have maintained a strong animal health infrastructure program, built on the backs of successful animal disease control measures.” 

As Sonora and Chihuahua are the lowest-risk states for the screwworm parasite, the reopening procedures will initially be limited to crossings in these two states.

Beginning Aug. 24, the USDA will allow cattle trade through the Douglas, Arizona, port of entry, while simultaneously taking the steps necessary for subsequent openings at two ports in New Mexico (Santa Teresa and Columbus) and their sister ports on the Mexican side (San Jerónimo, Chihuahua, and Puerto Palomas, Chihuahua, respectively).

Sheinbaum described the successful efforts to reopen the cattle trade as “a new example that dialogue, cooperation, and collaboration with mutual respect between Mexico and the United States yield great results for the benefit of our peoples.”

She thanked Secretary Rollins for her willingness to strengthen bilateral collaboration on health and trade matters, while also singling out Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry, Agriculture Minister Columba López and former Minister Julio Berdegué for praise. López succeeded Berdegué on May 1 of this year.

The easing of cattle crossings is expected to help the U.S. offset low herd counts that in January hit a 75-year low, as well as provide economic relief for ranchers, restore export revenue for Mexico and renew supply chain stability.

With reports  from LopezDoriga.com, El Financiero and MarketWatch

Mexico in Numbers: Internet use hits record high, but rural gap persists

By
MND Staff
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While internet use peaks in the 15-24 year old cohort, more than 85% of children aged 6-14 in Mexico are online. (Moisés Pablo Nava / Cuartoscuro.com)

What percentage of Mexicans are internet users?

How do internet connectivity rates differ across Mexico?

How many Mexican homes have computers?

Find out the answers to those questions in this week’s “Mexico in Numbers” article, which primarily focuses on internet use in Mexico.

* All of the data in this article comes from the results report of the latest National Survey on the Availability and Use of Information Technology in Homes (ENDUTIH). The survey was conducted by the national statistics agency INEGI in more than 65,000 homes between Aug. 25 and Oct. 17, 2025. INEGI published the results report in June 2026. 

More than 8 in 10 Mexicans use the internet 

Some 104.9 million people in Mexico were internet users in 2025, a figure equivalent to 86.1% of the population aged six and above.

The percentage of the population that uses the internet has gradually increased over the past decade. In 2022, the figure was 78.6% while in 2023 it was 81.2%.

In 2024, 83.1% of Mexicans aged 6 and older were internet users, a figure three percentage points below the most recent number.

Compared to 2015, the percentage of the Mexican population that were internet users in 2025 was 28.7 points higher.

The percentage of males aged six and older who use the internet was 86.6% last year, exactly one point higher than the figure for females (85.6%).

The urban/rural divide

INEGI reported that 88.9% of people who live in urban areas of Mexico were internet users in 2025. The figure for people who live in rural areas of the country was 75.2%.

Thus, the urban/rural internet use gap was 13.7 points in 2025, down from 27 points five years earlier.

Between 2020 and 2025, the percentage of urban internet users increased 10.7 points from 78.2% in the former year to 88.9% in the latter.

In the same period, the percentage of rural internet users increased 24 points, rising from 51.2% in 2020 to 75.2% last year.

The previous federal government launched a “Social Coverage Program” to increase internet coverage in rural parts of Mexico.

Nuevo León has the highest percentage of internet users 

In 2025, 93.9% of residents of the northern state of Nuevo León were internet users, the highest rate among Mexico’s 32 federal entities.

Baja California ranked second (93.2%), followed by Quintana Roo (92.1%).

More than 90% of the populations of four other entities were internet users in 2025: Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Aguascalientes and Mexico City.

The southern state of Chiapas had the lowest percentage of internet users in 2025. Just 71.2% of Chiapanecos were internet users last year. The only other state with a rate lower than 80% was Oaxaca (78.6%).

Teens and young adults are the most connected cohort 

In 2025, the percentage of internet users in eight different age cohorts was as follows:

  • 6-14: 85.4%
  • 15-24: 97.6%
  • 25-34: 96.5%
  • 35-44: 94.3%
  • 45-54: 88.9%
  • 55-64: 78.8%
  • 65-74: 57.8%
  • 75+: 30.3%

While the percentage of internet users aged 75 and over was low, it was much higher in 2025 than in 2015, when just 3% of that age cohort went online.

More than 8 in 10 Mexicans have cell phones 

In 2025, there were 103.2 million cell phone users in Mexico, representing 84.6% of the population aged six and over. That percentage increased 13.2 points from 71.4% in 2015.

The vast majority of cell phone users in Mexico — 97% — use smartphones.

Among those people, 90.6% use instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp on their phones, while 80.4% access social media.

Almost eight in 10 (77.8%) smartphone users access audio and video content on their devices, while 52% make use of navigation apps such as Google Maps and Waze.

The percentage of Mexican homes with computers has declined over the past decade

Person types on a laptop
Between 2015 and 2025, the percentage of Mexican homes with a desktop computer, laptop or tablet declined slightly. (Glenn Carstens / Unsplash)

In 2025, some 17.7 million Mexican homes — 44.7% of all homes in the country — had a computer, be it a desktop, a laptop or a tablet.

The percentage rose 0.8 points compared to 2024, but declined 0.2 points compared to 2015, when 44.9% of Mexican homes had a computer. The decline over the past decade is indicative of the rise of the smartphone, which in many ways is a small computer.

Mexico News Daily

Arturo Estrada, the last surviving student of Frida Kahlo, turns 101 today

By
Lydia Leija
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Photograph of famed Mexican painter Arturo Estrada
Arturo Estrada has been an integral part of the last 100 years of art history in Mexico, studying with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera before embarking on his own acclaimed career. (Thelmadatter/Wikimedia Commons)

If there’s someone who’s been able to depict the colors of Mexico, it is Arturo Estrada, a student of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera who turns 101 years old today. This is his story.

The dreamscapes of Arturo Estrada

Arturo Estrada’s painting has fascinated diverse audiences. Its fluidity, forcefulness and color turn his works into windows from which to look out into a dream. His figures metamorphose; his canvases dance to the melody of life. Fruits are people, people are trees; a flower is a star, a bird and a stone.

Estrada allows himself to be captivated by the natural world. He permits his mind to transform it, delivering it — lovingly crafted — to our eyes and hearts.

His origins

Arturo Estrada Hernández was born in 1925 in Panindícuaro, a town nestled in the mountains of Michoacán. The artist claims to have known his vocation from the very first moment: to be a painter. This journey began with his observations of the countryside, the clouds and the animals. He watched leather transform into footwear in the family shoe shop and, above all, flipped through books and newspapers, copying photographs and illustrations he found within their pages.

Part of his education took place during the Cristero War, when Catholic worship was forced underground. While still a child, he became an apprentice to the religious sculptor Miguel Moreno, from whom he learned the craft of carving religious effigies in wood and received his first painting lessons. Some of his early works were altarpieces and biblical scenes. At age 15, already with an established path in art, he moved to Mexico City to study formally.

La Esmeralda

Arturo Estrada entered the School of Painting and Sculpture of the Ministry of Public Education, known as La Esmeralda. The institution, which had a notable social mission, was dedicated to training artists and provided them with all the necessary tools. Meaning, in addition to being free, it covered the cost of materials and offered scholarships and other incentives.

In 1943, painter Antonio Ruiz, nicknamed “El Corcito,” became the director of La Esmeralda and invited his friends — artists of great renown — to teach at the school. This was how Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera came to head the courses in Pictorial Initiation and Mural Painting, respectively. Estrada enrolled in both courses, where he developed a close friendship with the couple, one that would leave a lasting mark on his life and his painting.

‘Los Fridos’

Amusing and dedicated, Frida Kahlo was an unusual teacher who quickly won the affection of her students. When her health declined, the group followed her to the garden of the Casa Azul (the Blue House). There, they established a painting workshop, led by their mentor.

Frida Kahlo with students circa 1943
Frida Kahlo wasn’t just one of the greatest painters of the 20th century; she was also a teacher. She’s pictured here with students, “Los Fridos,” in Mexico City circa 1943. (@womensart1/X)

Alongside Kahlo’s other students, Arturo Estrada painted his first mural at the pulquería La Rosita in Coyoacán. Commuting to that town from Mexico City was not easy, so the number of students dwindled until only the four known as “Los Fridos” remained. Along with Fanny Rabel, Arturo García Bustos and Guillermo Monroy, Arturo Estrada was a staple presence at Casa Azul for more than 10 years.

Kahlo and Rivera’s disciples painted murals in the auditorium of the Casa de la Madre Soltera and in the banquet hall of the Hotel Posada del Sol (this time featuring only the work of Estrada, Monroy and García Bustos).

Estrada as a teacher and emerging artist

Arturo Estrada balanced his creative career with teaching at La Esmeralda for more than four decades. He started as a professor shortly after graduating, and over the years he taught classes in oil and tempera, figure drawing and mural painting. In 1983, he was named director of the school, a position he used to elevate its educational offerings to a bachelor’s degree level.

From very early on, his solo work was widely celebrated, a recognition that opened valuable doors for him both at home and abroad. His experience as an assistant on murals by José Clemente Orozco, Juan O’Gorman and Diego Rivera qualified him to take on major artistic challenges.

For the SCOP Center, he designed the stone mosaic “El Aire” (“The Air”). He also received commissions for the mural “Tríptico de la Independencia” (“Independence Triptych”) in Cuautla, Morelos, and the decoration of the Nuevo Laredo Water Treatment Plant, crafted in Italian mosaic.

After participating in numerous collective exhibitions, he presented his first solo show in 1955 at the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. The centerpiece of the exhibition was the painting “Vida-Muerte de Frida Kahlo” (“Life-Death of Frida Kahlo”), which he had painted from a sketch made at his teacher’s funeral. Both Diego Rivera and Juan O’Gorman published positive reviews of the exhibition, which was also praised by Miguel Covarrubias and Doctor Atl.

Establishing a reputation for quality

"Pedimento o manda" ("Petition or Vow") painting by Arturo Estrada
“Pedimento o Manda” (“Petition or Vow”) by Arturo Estrada, painted in 1964 as a depiction of the festivities of the Virgin of Juquila, Oaxaca. (Arturo Estrada/Instagram)

In 1957, Marcel Duchamp visited the studio that Estrada shared with other artists in Mexico City. Following this encounter, the Frenchman supported the Michoacán native’s candidacy for the William and Noma Copley Foundation fellowship, for which he served as a juror.

Thanks to this support, Estrada traveled to Europe, where he immersed himself in Renaissance art and the avant-garde, and spent time with fellow fellowship winners such as Max Ernst and Roberto Matta. The following year, he was invited to various cities in East Germany and the Soviet Union, traveling from Russia to Armenia on a study and networking trip.

During the 1960s, he was called upon to paint murals at the Casa de la Juventud in San Luis Potosí, the Capilla Morelos in Nocupétaro and the National Museum of Anthropology, where he depicted the festivities of the Virgin of Juquila, Oaxaca, in the work “Pedimento o Manda” (“Petition or Vow”). He also painted several works for the church of San Andrés in his native Panindícuaro.

In 1988, Estrada created “Medicina Tradicional y Medicina Contemporánea” (“Traditional Medicine and Contemporary Medicine”). Located at the Centro Médico station of the Mexico City Metro, this mural is viewed daily by thousands of people.

Arturo Estrada today

At 101 years old, Arturo Estrada experiences art with a profound love. Recent exhibitions of his work have drawn crowds who never cease to marvel at his ingenuity. In 2024, he received the Gold Fine Arts Medal (Medalla Bellas Artes de Oro), awarded by the government to the most notable figures in Mexican creation. Humble, passionate and playful, the painter still enjoys life with an enthusiasm that shines through each of his brushstrokes.

Lydia Leija is a linguist, journalist and visual storyteller. She has directed three feature films, and her audiovisual work has been featured in national and international media. She’s been part of National Geographic, Muy Interesante and Cosmopolitan.

El Jalapeño: Mexico City unveils US $127 million in drainage system upgrades to ensure floods only reach ankle height

By
El Jalapeno
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Mexico City officials, renowned for their pragmatic approach, have come up with another elegant solution to a long-time problem. (This image was generated using AI tools)

All stories in El Jalapeño are satire and not real news. Check out the original article here.

MEXICO CITY — Municipal authorities on Tuesday announced a sweeping, multi-million-dollar infrastructure initiative aimed at transforming the capital’s relationship with the annual rainy season. The new 2.5-billion-peso (US $127 million) engineering blueprint promises to revolutionize the city’s complex hydraulic network, ensuring that by the summer of 2027, seasonal flash floods will strictly and uniformly terminate exactly at the human ankle.

The initiative, titled the Master Plan for Optimized Aquatic Moderation, represents a paradigm shift in how the capital city addresses its historic drainage challenges. Rather than chasing the logistically impossible dream of completely dry asphalt during a July downpour, urban planners confirmed they have pivoted to a strategy of highly regulated, premium-tier puddles.

Thanks to Mexico City’s upgraded new drainage system, flood waters should now barely reach hubcap level, officials say. (Sveta K/Pexels)

“For decades, residents have faced unpredictable water levels that could range from a minor splash to a mid-thigh wading experience,” said Director of Hydraulic Pragmatism, Jorge Valenzuela, standing before a meticulously drafted rendering of a local avenue covered in exactly three inches of pristine rainwater. “With this investment, we are bringing unprecedented standardization to our infrastructure. By 2027, whether you are in Polanco or Iztapalapa, you can step off the curb with the absolute confidence that the water will respect the structural boundary of a standard leather loafer.”

The upgrades will feature heavy-duty desilting machinery, localized retention tanks and specialized telemetry sensors calibrated to alert municipal workers the moment a puddle threatens to become a pond. Officials noted that while the water will still very much be there, it will exist in a state of administrative compliance. The city’s official weather app will also receive an update, replacing the traditional rain percentage icons with a standardized color-coded footwear guide ranging from “Sneaker Alert” to “Guaranteed Ankle-Zone.”

Response to the announcement has been cautiously optimistic among local business owners, who praised the administration’s commitment to predictable, manageable inconveniences. Many noted that knowing precisely how much of their storefront will submerge allows for far more accurate seasonal budgeting.

“It’s about managing expectations,” Valenzuela concluded, adjusting a promotional tape measure distributed to reporters. “We cannot stop the sky from opening up, but we can legally promise that the sky will stop precisely four inches above the pavement.”

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Navy unveils 2-billion-peso plan to combat surging sargassum in the Caribbean: Thursday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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Navy Minister Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles and President Sheinbaum at the July 30 mañanera
Navy Minister Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles and President Sheinbaum at Thursday's mañanera, where a new 2-billion-peso anti-sargassum strategy — including added collection vessels — was announced. (Presidencia)

Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds

  • 🌊 2-billion-peso sargassum investment: Navy Minister Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles announced the federal government will invest over 2 billion pesos to strengthen Mexico’s anti-sargassum strategy, with the Navy set to boost its at-sea collection capacity and install roughly 50 km of new barriers along the Caribbean coast.

  • 📈 Sheinbaum touts Q2 growth data: Responding to INEGI’s preliminary figures showing the economy grew 1.5% quarterly and 2.1% annually in Q2, Sheinbaum called it “very good news,” highlighting strong primary sector performance.

  • ⚖️ Sheinbaum backs INE ruling against PRI: After the INE ordered the PRI and its leader to stop calling the government a “narcogobierno” and Morena a “narcopartido,” Sheinbaum said she was satisfied with the ruling, saying it’s good that the INE is fulfilling its role of ensuring the political contest is conducted “with facts.”

Why today’s mañanera matters 

Combating Mexico’s sargassum problem — which is concentrated along the Caribbean coast of the state of Quintana Roo and is a substantial deterrent to tourism — was a key focus of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Thursday morning press conference.

In 2026, particularly large quantities of the smelly seaweed have reached Quintana Roo beaches and coastal waters, making today’s announcement of a large investment to strengthen the government’s anti-sargassum strategy especially significant.

A man wades through heaps of sargassum on a beach in Cancún on Wednesday
A man wades through heaps of sargassum in Cancún on Wednesday, where a heavy influx of the stinky seaweed is spoiling many of the region’s white sand beaches and threatening the area’s tourism economy. (Elizabeth Ruiz / Cuartoscuro.com)

Also of note at today’s mañanera was Sheinbaum’s acknowledgement of the latest economic growth data, which provided further evidence of a recovering Mexican economy, and her response to a National Electoral Institute (INE) ruling regarding the use of the words narcopartido (narco-party) and narcogobierno (narco-government).

Navy Minister announces 2 billion peso investment to bolster anti-sargassum strategy 

Navy Minister Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles announced that the federal government will invest more than 2 billion pesos (US $115.2 million) to strengthen its anti-sargassum strategy.

He said that the money will be invested in two stages.

Morales said the Navy has instructions from Sheinbaum to spend 768.7 million pesos in the first stage this year in order to increase its capacity to collect sargassum at sea to 1,870 tonnes per day from a current capacity of 1,227 tonnes per day.

The Navy has already purchased two new tugboats as well as six sargassum-collecting vessels known as sargaceros, he said. The Navy is also going to install around 50 kilometers of new anti-sargassum barriers at sea along Mexico’s Caribbean coast. He said they will be installed in “the most critical areas,” including Playa del Carmen, Cancún, Tulum, Puerto Morelos and Mahahual.

In the second stage of investment in 2027, the Navy will aim to increase its sargassum-collecting capacity to 4,000 tonnes per day. Morales said the Navy will purchase more sargassum-collecting vessels and install more anti-sargassum barriers. He also said that money will also be used to acquire more equipment to collect sargassum on beaches.

According to the information he presented, Mexican authorities and the private sector — including hotel employees — currently have the capacity to collect 2,177 tonnes of sargassum per day at sea and on beaches.

Sheinbaum acknowledges positive economic growth data 

A reporter asked the president about preliminary data published by the national statistics agency INEGI on Thursday that showed that the Mexican economy grew 1.5% in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the previous quarter and 2.1% on an annual basis.

“Very good news,” Sheinbaum responded.

She noted that Mexico’s primary sector performed particularly well in the second quarter, expanding 3.3% on a sequential basis and 7.3% annually.

President Sheinbaum shares an INEGI infographic showing a 1.5% growth in GDP
Preliminary data show the national economy grew 1.5% in the second quarter of the year. (Presidencia)

“The primary sector has to do with agriculture, mining,” Sheinbaum said, adding that the industry’s growth is related to greater production “in volume” and higher prices, “in particular” for gold and silver.

“The primary sector increased significantly and the tertiary sector as well, which is services,” she said.

“… In the case of manufacturing, which was declining a bit, the drop was practically contained,” Sheinbaum said.

The tertiary sector expanded 1.5% in Q2 compared to the previous quarter and 2.5% on an annual basis. The secondary sector grew 1.6% between April and June compared to Q1 and 0.8% annually.

Sheinbaum responds to INE ruling against the PRI 

A reporter noted that the INE on Wednesday ordered the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and its national president, Senator Alejandro Moreno, to remove from social media posts in which they use the word narcogobierno to refer to the federal government and narcopartido to refer to the ruling Morena party.

In a post to the X social media site on Wednesday, Moreno acknowledged that INE’s Complaints Commission had “decided unanimously to ban me from describing MORENA as a NARCOPARTIDO and ordered me to remove from my social media accounts, and those of @PRI_Nacional, posts in which I referred to it in that way.” 

“This ruling strengthens censorship, limits political criticism, and protects MORENA, while Mexico continues to suffer violence, territorial control by organized crime, and impunity that grows every day,” he added.

For her part, Sheinbaum expressed satisfaction with the INE’s ruling.

She said that the INE has the responsibility to ensure that “the political contest” between parties is conducted “with facts.”

“… I think it’s good that the INE is fulfilling its role,” Sheinbaum said.

A U.S. indictment unsealed in late April accuses various Morena party politicians, including Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, of drug trafficking in league with the Sinaloa Cartel. Rocha, who took leave as governor of Sinaloa, and other officials have rejected the charges.

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

Kia will invest US $649 million to manufacture electric SUVs in Mexico

By
MND Staff
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Sheinbaum with Kia Mexico CEO
President Sheinbaum receives from Kia Mexico CEO Andy Kim a scale model of the EV3 SUV the South Korean company will soon be manufacturing in Mexico. (Camila Ayala Benabib / Cuartoscuro.com)

South Korean automaker Kia announced Wednesday it will invest US $649 million in Mexico over the next two years to manufacture the EV3 SUV model, the company’s first fully electric vehicle to be produced in the country. 

Speaking at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Wednesday morning mañanera press conference, Kia Mexico CEO Andy Kim said his company’s project fits in with Plan Mexico, the administration’s ambitious economic strategy that seeks to promote industrialization, substitute imports and trigger regional development through multi-million dollar investments. 

The investment will be deployed between 2026 and 2028 and includes the expansion and adaptation of Kia’s Pesquería plant in the northern state of Nuevo León in order to receive production of the new vehicle, a compact SUV that until now was assembled exclusively in South Korea.

The company also said that part of the investment will be allocated to environmental and sustainability projects.

According to Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, operations will begin on Aug. 4, making Mexico the first country outside of Korea to manufacture the model. 

“This is great news because it allows Mexico to produce an electric vehicle with very competitive and advanced features,” Ebrard said at Wednesday’s mañanera. 

The project incorporates new industrial technology and more efficient energy systems, and will gradually increase the vehicle’s domestic content, which will start at around 27% and aims to rise with the inclusion of local suppliers.

Production of the new car will create 500 new jobs and later 1,500 additional direct jobs between 2027 and 2030. 

Although the Korean automaker has not yet released its production forecasts, President Claudia Sheinbaum assured the press that a significant portion of the production will be destined for the domestic market, a key promise of Plan Mexico. 

“The idea is to strengthen the adoption of electric vehicles in the country,” Sheinbaum said.

Kia’s move offers reassurance for Mexico at a time when certainty about the investment environment is scarce due to protectionist measures by the United States and the ongoing review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). 

“In a time of such uncertainty regarding the automotive industry […] this decision means that this company […] is seeing investment opportunities in the country,” Ebrard said. 

With reports from El Economista, Expansión and La Jornada

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