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Taste of Mexico: Mezcal

By
María Meléndez
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7
Taste of Mexico: Mezcal
(Andy Bardon/Unsplash)

This week’s taste of Mexico, mezcal, can be summed up with a classic idiom: “Para todo mal, mezcal; para todo bien, también; y si no hay remedio, litro y medio.”

“For everything bad, mezcal; for everything good, mezcal too; and if there’s no remedy, a liter and a half”

Actually, better make it two liters. (Shutterstock)

Here at Taste of Mexico, we believe that understanding the history and production process of an ingredient, dish, or drink can enhance your appreciation for it. This was certainly the case for me with mezcal.

My first experiences with mezcal were terrible. Around 10 years ago, mezcal became very popular in Mexico City’s nightlife, and mezcalerías started popping up everywhere, like La Botica which is still open today.

I used to order mezcal due to peer pressure, but honestly, I hated it. I initially found the strong and unpleasant taste of pure alcohol overwhelming, not to mention how much I disliked the bitter aftertaste. My friends insisted it was delicious, and I began to question their taste buds. As it turns out, we were simply drinking low-quality mezcal.

Years later, I was taken to the best mezcal bar, a now defunct speakeasy called Salvajes. They only served mezcal and beer, and the music was spectacular. Someone treated me to a mezcal, and I was blown away by its sweet, smooth, and pleasantly smoky flavor. I asked about the place, and they said, “Ah, güey, El Tigre (the owner) has the best bottles of mezcal.” Who was this Tigre guy, where did he get these mezcals, and what was going on?

 

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The first time I met El Tigre at his new place, he served us a tiny bit of mezcal in the smallest glass in the world from a beautiful bottle. “This is a punta of [a variety I don’t remember], try it,” he said. It was the most flavor packed sip I’d ever had. El Tigre explained what “puntas” were and why they had such an intense taste, and I realized I was completely ignorant about mezcal. I also thought maybe I should hang out more with my new friend El Tigre and start getting into the many intricacies of the mezcal world.

What is mezcal?

El Tigre gave me the most poetic definition: “It’s the juice of the earth.” Mezcal is a distilled spirit made from agave. It maintains much of the artisanal and ancestral process that has been used for hundreds of years. The agave is cooked in underground ovens, similar to a barbecue, and then crushed manually to extract the juices. These juices are collected in fermentation vats and patiently left to ferment with care. The name “mezcal” comes from the agave cooking process. It is the Spanish adaptation of “mexcalli,” a Nahuatl word meaning cooked maguey.

Mezcal Varieties

The agave fields of Mexico are not just destined for tequila production. (Margarito Pérez Retana/Cuartoscuro)

Think of mezcal like wine. Just as there are different types of grapes, there are different types of agaves. There are around 150 varieties of agave in Mexico, but only a few are used to make mezcal, such as Espadín and Tobalá. There’s also Cuishe, Madre Cuishe, Mexicano, and four types of Cupreata: Barranca, Gutiérrez, Vieyra, and Salinas. Other varieties include Mexicano, Tepesstate, Chuparosa, and Belatobe.

Just like wine, each of these varieties has different flavors. And yes, I think you have to start trying them all to find out which one is your favorite.

Origins and Myths

Like many alcoholic beverages, mezcal is shrouded in legend. One of the most popular suggests that mezcal was a gift from the gods to bring happiness to humanity. Weren’t they the best?

Another theory proposes that a lightning bolt struck an agave plant, naturally cooking it,  allowing ancient inhabitants to discover the taste of an early form of mezcal.

How do you know you’re drinking good mezcal?

I asked El Tigre how I could tell if I was drinking good mezcal, and his answer was straightforward: by tasting it. But that doesn’t mean ending up like a fumigated spider at your favorite mezcaleria. There’s a proper way of tasting it.

Dip a couple of clean fingers into your mezcal glass. Rub your hands together, and bring your palms to your nose. You should be able to smell all the aromas of the agave and the ingredients used in the fermentation process, like fruits, chilies, woods, or spices.

Then take the first sip; you won’t detect much. Until the third mini sip, you will start getting all the notes.

How should you drink it?

“Like your partner, with little kisses,” El Tigre advised us. When it comes to mezcal, taking shots is absolutely forbidden. Considering its high alcohol content, it’s best to have just a few glasses and not the whole bottle.

In some places, they may offer you an orange slice with chili powder to go with your mezcal. It’s best to decline if you’re enjoying a good mezcal, as the orange flavor can overpower your palate and you won’t fully experience the taste.

And always remember, drink responsibly, amigos. Salud!

María Meléndez is a Mexico City food blogger and influencer.

Can you live on US $13 a day? Our CEO’s perspective on Mexico’s minimum wage

By
Travis Bembenek
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18
It is estimated that nearly 40% of Mexico's workforce makes 13 dollars or less per day.
It is estimated that nearly 40% of Mexico's workforce makes 13 dollars or less per day. (Cuartoscuro)

I think many people would be surprised to learn that Mexico’s current minimum wage is around US $13 per day in most parts of the country.

Perhaps more surprising is that this amount represents a significant increase over the past several years. Former president AMLO made a step change in Mexico’s minimum wage a signature initiative of his administration, more than doubling the minimum wage from what it was at the start of his six-year term in 2018. A recent report indicated that Mexico showed the highest increases in its minimum wage of all of the 38 OECD countries since 2020.

Likewise, it is estimated that the number of Mexicans living in poverty declined by nearly nine million since 2020.

Just recently, newly elected President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that further minimum wage increases will be an important part of her platform, with a goal of increasing it by an average of 12% per year during her six-year term. She has set a goal for the minimum wage to be 10,000 pesos per month (approximately $500 USD / month) by the end of her administration.

In addition, new legislation has recently been proposed that would ensure that the minimum wage increase each year would always exceed the level of inflation.

Sheinbaum announces her initiative to seek annual minimum wage increases
Sheinbaum said that increases to the minimum wage would be gradual so as to not put upward pressure on inflation. (Presidencia)

For those living in the United States, I understand why there is a natural cynicism around the concept of a minimum wage.

The federal minimum wage in the United States is still only $7.25/hour. Political gridlock has kept the minimum wage at this rate since 2009 — despite significant inflation since then.

As a result, many cities and states in the U.S. have enacted their own laws regarding minimum wage, so the federal rate has become far less relevant. In fact, it is estimated that just 1.3% of all hourly workers, the lowest percentage on record, actually earn the minimum wage.

In Mexico however, things are starkly different.

It is estimated that nearly 40% of the workforce makes the minimum wage or less throughout the country. I will repeat that sentence again as I think it is so important:  nearly 40% of the Mexican workforce makes less than $13/day.

Perhaps this statistic sheds more light on why our team at MND is so passionate about our role in helping to shape the narrative on Mexico, and to help encourage more investment and tourism to the country. There is still a very, very long way to go to reduce the levels of working poor that many foreigners don’t see beyond their all-inclusive hotel, business compound or Expat neighborhood.

Mexican pesos
Minimum-wage workers earn approximately 1,500 pesos throughout a six-day workweek in Mexico. (Spanishandgo)

I have spoken to many businesspeople in Mexico who have expressed cynicism toward the minimum wage as well, but I don’t think their arguments hold weight.

One argument that I have heard is that “the minimum wage is irrelevant and really just a number that the local unions use as a reference point to negotiate their contracts.” Others argue that so many workers in Mexico are part of the informal economy that the minimum wage increases would not benefit them. This in fact is not true and research from several recent studies by the ENOE (National Survey of Employment) and the Coneval (National Board of Social Policy) have shown that as the formal economy minimum wage increases, it puts pressure on the informal economy wages at an even faster rate.

Another more common argument I often hear is that “Mexican workers will not be competitive with other countries (mainly China) if the minimum wage is increased.” I think that this argument is outdated for a number of reasons:

  • China’s cost of labor has risen significantly over the past decade. Most studies now show that Chinese labor is actually more expensive than Mexican labor. Even when taking into account labor productivity, Mexican labor is still less expensive than Chinese labor.
  • In addition to labor costs, companies are now considering many other factors such as supply chain risk, proximity to the U.S. market, shipping costs and timing, etc. that help Mexico and Mexican workers make a stronger case for higher wages than before.
  • Mexico and Mexican labor are increasingly “moving up the value chain” and moving beyond basic low-skilled jobs to ones that incorporate automation, technology, AI and increased training. This improves productivity and allows companies in Mexico to be more efficient, more competitive and improve pay for their employees.

Running a business and hiring staff is not easy.  A careful balance is needed of training and motivating employees, while staying competitive to stay in business. Not getting this right at the individual business level can be disastrous, as I wrote about here.

Not getting it right at the country level can also be a problem. I have previously written about how this can cause a “middle-income trap” that slows down a country’s progression.

Putting aside politics, I think Mexico is on the right path to getting this balance right.

On one hand, the federal government is pushing the minimum wage up from what most certainly is an unlivable level. On the other hand, the private sector is making significant investments in training and automation to ensure that, even with the higher wages, Mexican labor remains cost/productivity competitive.

The balance is not easy to achieve, but what I see at this point indicates that Mexico is on the right path of continuing to attract investment while improving the standard of living of its workers.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

The numbers behind the explosive Los Cabos population growth

By
Chris Sands
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1
Los Cabos population growth
Cabo San Lucas as it looks today. It wasn't always like this. (Los Cabos Tourism Board)

To say Los Cabos is experiencing rapid population growth is a massive understatement. Between 2010 and 2020, the population in the municipality that’s home to cape cities Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo grew by 47%, increasing from 238,487 residents to 351,111. To put that percentage in perspective, the population of México as a whole grew by a little over 11% during the decade from 2010 to 2020. 

However, it bears noting that this Los Cabos population explosion pales compared to the one from 2000 to 2010 when the growth rate was an astonishing 126%. Yes, the population in Los Cabos more than doubled in 10 years, growing from 105,469 residents to 238,487. It also pales compared to the decade before that (1990 to 2000) when Los Cabos’ growth rate was a jaw-dropping 140% — as the municipality’s population spiraled from a mere 43,920 residents to over 100,000 (105,469, to be exact).

Cabo San Lucas as it looked in 1960, long before the development of the resort paradise it has now become. (Howard E. Gulick Collection at the UC San Diego Library)

Is this growth sustainable?

These numbers, courtesy of the Gobierno de Baja California Sur’s 2023 Secretaría de Turismo y Economía report on Los Cabos paint a remarkable picture. From 1990 to 2020, the population grew from just over 40,000 to more than 350,000. Nearly half the people in Baja California Sur (44%) now live in Los Cabos, one of five statewide municipalities.

If you’re a long-time vacationer to Los Cabos and feel the destination looks markedly different each time you visit, you’re not alone in this perception. Locals, naturally, can more clearly see what’s happening, as they see it daily. Construction projects now proliferate in the cape cities, and each time we walk or drive by new apartment buildings, hotels and resorts, real estate developments, and golf courses, we see them inching a little closer to completion — with more projects coming up behind them.

Such phenomenal growth begs some serious questions. The first one that comes to mind is this: Is it sustainable? It’s hard to believe it is given that Los Cabos already operates at a deficit in terms of its water supply. According to the Plan Municipal de Desarrollo (Municipal Development Plan) for 2021 to 2024 issued by the government of Los Cabos, local aquifers can’t recharge themselves quickly enough to meet demand. Of course, another major desalinization plant is expected to come online next year, but that brings other problems. For starters, it will kill lots of fish. You know, the reason tourists came to Los Cabos in the first place.

The chicken or the egg? 

Here’s another question: Is the phenomenal spike in tourism in recent years driving population growth through a demand for new workers, or is the reverse true? Is a skyrocketing workforce making new projects more easily achievable? It’s complicated, but the number of tourists is, like the population, spiraling ever upwards. As Rodrigo Esponda, Managing Director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board, told Travel Age West, 34% more people are visiting Los Cabos this year than five years ago, and the average daily resort room rates have shot up 60% during the same timeframe. Los Cabos is white-hot in popularity, a fact reflected across the hospitality and construction sectors, where the greatest proportion of local jobs (38.5% and 15.5%, respectively as of 2019) are found.

San José del Cabo continues to expand almost unabated. (Ayuntamiento de Los Cabos)

The demographics of Los Cabos

Where are all the new people moving to Los Cabos from originally? There are fewer from the U.S. than you might think. Despite all the real estate sales and the growth of the digital nomad lifestyle, only 1,452 of the 63,440 new residents from 2015 to 2020 hailed from the U.S. Yes, that’s significantly more than any other country. Cuba provided the second most foreign-born Los Cabos residents during that period, with 144. Still, it bears noting that the expatriate population has remained remarkably stable in recent years. 

Just over 17,400 extranjeros live in Los Cabos (more than 10,000 of them from the U.S.), with another 1,700 from the U.S. in residence on temporary work permits. Thus, U.S. expats account for only about 3% of the local population, and foreign-born residents around 5% overall.

Most Baja California Sur residents (55.8%) moved from other Mexican states. Many undoubtedly came to seek better opportunities and higher-paying jobs in the booming Los Cabos tourism sector. Guerrero, Sinaloa, and Estado de México account for about half of these new arrivals – with the Los Cabos population now boasting slightly more men than women (180,944 to 170,167). This population, generally speaking, is quite young. The top two age ranges represented are 25 to 29 and 29 to 34, as one might expect given the influx of workers from other areas of México.

Which cities or towns in Los Cabos are the fastest growing?

Los Cabos has no shortage of new developments, with new properties springing up on lots across the city. (MLS #24-442)

Although Los Cabos has experienced rapid population growth sustained across several decades, it hasn’t proven consistent for all the towns and cities (there are but two of these: Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo) located within the bounds of the municipality. Smaller communities like Buenavista, Miraflores, and Santiago have seen marginal or, in one case, negative growth. Santiago saw its population decline by 139 residents from 2010 to 2020, dropping from 783 to 684. Meanwhile, the nearby farming community of Miraflores grew by 28 residents during the same decade. Buenavista, on the East Cape, added only 12. 

It’s the cities where the growth is undeniably evident. Between 2010 and 2020, the population of San José del Cabo nearly doubled in size, going from 69,788 residents to 136,285. However, that’s nothing compared to Cabo San Lucas, where the population almost tripled during the same timeframe, soaring from 68,463 to 202,694. Cabo San Lucas, traditionally smaller than San José del Cabo, has now blown by its cape sister in size. 

Will the growth continue?

Los Cabos’ runaway growth shows no signs of slowing down. According to Cuahtémoc Carmona Álvarez, general director of Desarrollo Social (Social Development) for the municipality, the population of Los Cabos, based on current estimates, is projected to reach between 700,000 and 800,000 by 2040. Meaning, the population is going to double. Again.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook, and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

Beauty is in the blue eye of the beholder

By
Sarah DeVries
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16
Casual racism in Mexico, as evidenced by Luis Miguel
Despite racism taking a different form south of the border, Mexicans have very particular dating standards that are closely connected to race. (Luis Miguel)

Want to know what casual racism in Mexico looks like? It’s pretty simple. When my Mexican friends met my ex-husband, they all said the same thing: “I could not believe that was your husband.”

It’s a confession that never comes until after at least a year of friendship. And it only comes from Mexicans.

If you want to look like an “Indigenous” Mexican, you’d better be rich. (Victor Quiroga/Unsplash)

The reason? My ex-husband is very dark-skinned. And for most Mexicans to consider you good-looking if you’re very dark-skinned, you need some other redeeming qualities. A supermodel’s body, perhaps, or piercing green eyes. The visual trappings of wealth are also an immense help, as they are anywhere.

To me, of course, he was very good-looking. And I wasn’t alone in my opinion. When we traveled to the States, my U.S. friends would pull me aside: “Wow, he’s cute!” Finally, some people who understood. They saw what I saw!

When I was talking to some women a few weeks ago for my article on reluctant immigrants, this was a theme that came up among those who’d “returned” to Mexico with their husbands. Many were repeatedly faced with confused questions about why on earth they were willing to come. An incredulous “¿A poco te gustan los morenos?” (So you really like brown guys?) was a common question.

Um. Yes? And also, what is wrong with you?

Racism a la mexicana

Racism south of the border is more heavily class-based than racial, but even so, it can be difficult to totally separate the two. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)

Modern racism in Mexico is a little hard to compare to the racism we find north of the border. It is just as real here as it is there and in the rest of the world, of course. But it’s a different flavor, mixed up to a greater degree here in social class.

The North American roots are the same: Europeans kidnapped Africans and brought them to the Americas to force them into slave labor. They ran the show, so society, including beauty standards, was set up in their image. To this day, the more European-looking you are, the better-looking many consider you to be.

One major difference, however, stems from the fact that Indigenous peoples were very nearly wiped out in what’s now the US and the ones that survived were siloed off. In Mexico, however — to put it politely — the Europeans “married” them instead. The ones that survived their initial onslaught, anyway. Were the European boats filled with couples and families or with single men? The answer to that question can give you a lot of clues into how the subsequent societies developed.

There was initially an elaborate “blood-based” caste system here that eventually gave way to “mestizaje” (mixing, I guess?). And as a mestizo country, differences in skin color became more economic indicators than “racial” ones. Those of Spanish descent could afford to give their kids a higher leg up because they of course placed themselves at the top of the social ladder when they took over. And while a few pockets of people of African-descent remain, most joined the mestizo population. Slavery, by the way, was outlawed in Mexico decades before it was in the States. In fact, that was one of the main roots of the fight over Texas, something you won’t ever learn in Texas History.

Mexico’s beauty standards were introduced when it was still a part of New Spain – and are Eurocentric as a result. (Wikimedia Commons)

So, even today, the Indigenous continue to find themselves at the bottom of the barrel. This isn’t because they are brown; it’s because they still belong to ethnic groups that are not part of the “mainstream.” They are the poorest and most isolated groups in Mexico and the ones with the least access to quality education and modern services.

Here, preserving one’s Indigenous roots means not “modernizing.” And not modernizing in Mexico means you’re left behind, basically, to toil for those in charge. While some make a big deal about embracing Mexico’s indigenous roots, it’s notable that those who do so are noticeably far-removed from them in background and social class.

So racism, in Mexico, is more about one’s perceived social class and lack of education. And because different “races” didn’t stay siloed off from each other like Jim Crow laws and institutionalized discrimination caused people to be in the US, markers of distinct culture and language didn’t develop, either. There’s no Spanish version of the “Black vernacular,” for example.

Mexico’s no racial utopia; it’s simply divided up based more on social class and education.

Still, the legacy of colonialism means that, generally, the higher up you go in wealth, the whiter people get. The opposite is also true: the darker and more Indigenous-looking someone is, the greater the likelihood that they’re poor and have had very little access to quality education.

Living with the legacy

Mexican Senator Ricardo Anaya on the Mexican Senate floor, behind a podium speaking into microphones and gesturing with his index finger.
Many members of the Mexican elite, like Senator Ricardo Anaya, seen here, look more Spanish than they do Mexican. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

So, here we are. Like in the rest of the Americas, white people are grossly overrepresented in positions of power. Any group that forcefully takes over gets to run things and impose its own beauty standards, I suppose.

And that in turn gives us things like mostly white Mexican models, though most Mexicans are much darker-skinned. It gives us things like Mexican TV shows where most principal characters are white, while the only darker-skinned actors play servants. It gives us fetishes for “light eyes” and anything but black hair. It makes people joke that to marry someone whiter than you is to “mejorar la raza” (improve the race).

It gives us the fame of Luis Miguel. Yes, he’s a great singer and performer, but come on. Would he be Mexico’s heartthrob if he weren’t blonde? It gives us the “common wisdom” that men from Guadalajara are the most handsome. Spoiler alert, I’ve been there: they’re not more handsome, they’re just whiter and taller.

So when some Mexicans see white foreigners who, because of this legacy of colonialism, are considered to be at the top of the “good-looking people” list fall in love with those they themselves might write off as too average, they’re confused. Perhaps to them, it looks like Brad Pitt falling madly in love with Rosie O’Donnell. “You could have your pick, and that’s your choice? Really?”

No doubt more than a few assume we’re being taken advantage of too, used for our imagined millions. Casual racism works both ways, after all, even in Mexico.

This is not cool, but it is the reality. Foreigners anywhere are often “othered,” our motivations a mystery. I won’t pretend to know what minorities in the US feel, but being a closely-inspected “representative” of one’s culture is not always fun.

At least my partner gets me.

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

Worldcoin’s iris-scanning orb — coming to a delivery app near you?

By
MND Staff
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1
A Worldcoin orb, a white device used to scan people's irises and collect biometric data.
Worldcoin plans to expand access to "the Orb" in Mexico via a partnership with the delivery app Rappi. (Worldcoin)

Do you want to order pizza, tacos, or an orb that will collect your biometric data? The latter may soon be an option in Mexico thanks to a partnership between the delivery application Rappi and Worldcoin, a project that uses data-collection globes to construct a database it hopes will one day be used to verify people’s humanity.

In September, Mexico’s National Institute for Transparency and Access to Information (INAI) opened an investigation of a project known as Worldcoin, an eye-scanning orb that records biometric data. Now Worldcoin has announced that, starting next year, “the Orb” will be available in Latin America on-demand like a pizza. Wired reported that through a partnership with the app Rappi, citizens will be able to have an Orb show up at their door to scan their irises, allowing them to sign up for the World Network from their own home.

Over 5 million people have already lined up to stare into an orb the size of a bowling ball and scan their irises is alarming privacy advocates and regulators
Over 5 million people have already lined up to stare into a sphere the size of a bowling ball and scan their irises, alarming privacy advocates and regulators. (v2osk/Unsplash)

Worldcoin arrived in Mexico last year and can be found in 13 locations across the country, from Monterrey to Guadalajara and at least six sites in Mexico City, according to the monthly tech magazine Wired.

Over 5 million people have already lined up to stare into a sphere the size of a bowling ball and scan their irises, alarming privacy advocates and regulators, several of whom have banned its use in their respective countries. In addition, Worldcoin came under scrutiny for allegedly deceptive and exploitative practices in recruiting individuals to scan their irises.

Early last month, INAI demonstrated its concern, announcing it had opened its own probe into the project. The institution is particularly concerned about the potential for misuse of personal information and biometric data, and decided to open an inquiry after receiving complaints from users in Mexico. 

Is “the Orb” collecting biometric data from children in Mexico?

INAI informed the public that anybody who believes their personal information was violated can file a complaint which would be incorporated into its investigation.

Early last month, INAI demonstrated its concern, announcing it had opened its own probe into the project.
Early last month, INAI announced that it had opened its own probe into the project. (Julio López/Pexels)

A few days later, Xataka, a Mexican tech publication, reported that it was unclear if INAI might take measures to restrict Worldcoin’s data collection or if it could ban its use.

According to the project, in addition to receiving online ID verification, users are rewarded 25 WLD, digital currency that is worth about US $115.

However, news agency N+ reported that a significant number of users claimed they had not received the digital currency. In addition, minors have allegedly participated in the project, a violation of Mexican laws banning the collection of biometric data from the underage population.

Defending Worldcoin

Sam Altman, founder of Worldcoin and CEO of OpenAI, claimed that the project — dating back to 2019 — aims to create “a global financial and identity network based on proof of personhood,” seen as essential in an era where artificial intelligence is commonplace.

Altman’s reasoning is that it is increasingly more important for people to prove they are not a bot. The result is iris-scanning technology to generate private tokens that would verify their identities around the world.

However, writes Cointelegraph, since its inception, Altman’s startup “has received significant backlash from influential privacy advocates, including American whistleblower Edward Snowden,” over concerns about how it was storing and using biometric data. 

Project managers insist they neither keep nor catalog the biometric data, but advocates argue that not collating names to data collected is not sufficient to guarantee that personal data is not vulnerable.

With reports from Xataka, N+, Cointelegraph and Wired

US ambassador emphasizes strong US-Mexico ties amid new rules for his position

By
MND Staff
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6
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar speaks at a press conference
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar emphasized the depth of his country's relationship with Mexico at a Thursday press conference in Mexico City. (Graciela López Herrera/Cuartoscuro)

A new rule from the Mexican government will guide, and possibly limit, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar’s contact with senior officials, even as the foreign dignitary emphasized the warm relationship between the U.S. and Mexico.

Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in late August that he had placed the Mexican government’s relationship with the United States Embassy in Mexico “on pause” due to Salazar’s critical remarks about his judicial reform proposal and what he characterized as the U.S. government’s lack of openness about the arrest of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

But Salazar said Thursday that “in reality there never has been a pause,” and declared that the relationship between Mexico and the United States is “very good.”

“I always look at the relationship with optimism,” he told a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

“The relationship between the United States and Mexico is going very well. … It’s never going to pause, it continues, there’s no pause now and in reality there never has been a pause,” Salazar said.

“The exchange we have is a strong, deep, authentic exchange — very good dialogue,” he said.

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada mugshot
The alleged kidnapping of drug kingpin “El Mayo” Zambada and his arrest in the U.S. is one of the issues that has recently caused tension between the U.S. and Mexico. (Cuartoscuro)

Salazar also said that U.S. President Joe Biden is “very happy” with the work the U.S. Embassy has done in Mexico.

“On behalf of President Biden and Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken, and on my part, I want to thank the government of Mexico because they’ve opened the doors to us as partners,” he said.

Speaking a day after Mexico’s former security minister Genaro García Luna was sentenced to 38 years in U.S. prison for colluding with the Sinaloa Cartel on drug trafficking operations, the ambassador said that the Biden administration and the Mexican government led by President Claudia Sheinbaum are “aligned” on their actions to “ensure that officials are not corrupt.”

“It’s a part of the [bilateral] agenda,” he said.

Salazar highlighted the security cooperation between the United States and Mexico, noting that the case in the U.S. against imprisoned Los Zetas/Northeast Cartel leaders Miguel Treviño Morales and Omar Treviño Morales is the result of “shared work and cooperation” with Mexico.

He also said that progress has been made on the broader fight against organized crime, including the trafficking of weapons and fentanyl, which drug cartels manufacture in Mexico and ship to the United States, where the powerful synthetic opioid is the main cause of the overdose crisis.

In addition, Salazar said that United States and Mexico have made progress in addressing irregular migration to the U.S.

U.S. President Joe Biden walking with US Border Patrol officers along the U.S. border wall with a border patrol SUV parked in the background.
Since an order from U.S. President Biden limiting asylum claims, migration across the U.S.-Mexico border has plummeted. (File photo)

The number of migrants attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico has fallen sharply since the Biden administration implemented a new border policy in early June.

“The decline in encounters has come amid policy changes on both sides of the border,” the Pew Research Center said earlier this month.

“Authorities in Mexico have stepped up enforcement to prevent migrants from reaching the U.S. border. And U.S. President Joe Biden issued an executive order in June that makes it much more difficult for migrants who enter the U.S. without legal permission to seek asylum and remain in the country.”

Salazar stressed that close cooperation between the United States and Mexico on security, migration and economic issues has continued since Sheinbaum was sworn in as president on Oct. 1. He highlighted that officials from both countries have met on several occasions in the past two weeks.

“In the meetings we’ve had with her cabinet, we’ve worked to advance security, … we’re working on energy, climate change, on the integration of our economies,” Salazar said.

“We’re creating the strongest power in the world in North America,” he added.

Salazar attended the United States-Mexico CEO Dialogue meeting on Tuesday at which Sheinbaum spoke, and returned to the National Palace for a meeting with high-ranking officials on Wednesday. The ambassador, and U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, also met with Sheinbaum the day before she was sworn in as president.

Sheinbaum sets new rules for the ambassador 

Sheinbaum said last Friday that the Foreign Affairs Ministry (SRE) will manage her government’s relationship with Salazar and the U.S. Embassy.

If the ambassador wants to speak about the USMCA with Mexico’s labor minister, for example, he will have to make the arrangement with the SRE, she said.

“A series of general guidelines were established because sometimes the ambassador got used to calling one minister, another minister, another minister,” Sheinbaum said.

“Now we told him: ‘If you want to touch on an issue with the energy minister because there are United States businesspeople interested in investing [in Mexico] … it’s through the Foreign Affairs Ministry,'” she said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente said that the new rules won’t limit interactions between U.S. and Mexican officials, but do create “a much more orderly and clear scheme in the complex [bilateral] agenda we have on multiple issues.”

Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente
Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente said the new guidelines will not limit contact between the U.S. ambassador and Mexican officials. (Andrea Murcia Monsivais/Cuartoscuro)

“… Clear rules, long friendships. Fundamentally, I believe that has been the message,” he said.

“… I’m sure that the relationship will continue being cordial, productive and very diverse,” de la Fuente said.

During the previous six-year period of government, Salazar met with López Obrador at the National Palace on numerous occasions.

Despite the ambassador’s declaration that the relationship between the United States and Mexico is “very good,” it doesn’t appear likely that he will be sitting down to one-on-one meetings with Sheinbaum on a regular basis.

Salazar, United States secretary of the interior during Barrack Obama’s first term as U.S. president, succeeded Christopher Landau as U.S. ambassador to Mexico in 2021.

The Mexico-US relationship at a glance

With reports from La Jornada, El Economista, El Financiero, Animal Político, Expansión and El País

Sheinbaum refuses judge’s order to withdraw judicial reform

By
MND Staff
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President Sheinbaum stands in front of a Mexican flag at her morning press conference
President Sheinbaum has argued that the 2024 reforms to Mexico's judicial branch will reduce corruption without compromising judicial independence. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday that she won’t comply with a judge’s order to withdraw the publication of a decree that promulgated the government’s controversial judicial reform.

Nancy Juárez Salas, a federal district judge based in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, ordered Sheinbaum and the director of the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) to remove the decree published on Sept. 15, ruling that the government breached a provisional suspension order against publication.

Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador promulgated the judicial reform despite a court in Colima ruling against its publication in the government’s gazette.

In her ruling on Thursday, Juárez ordered Sheinbaum and DOF Director Alejandro López González to eliminate the published decree within 24 hours.

She warned that the failure to do so is punishable in accordance with a law that stipulates that a public official who fails to comply with an injunction can be sentenced to a prison term of up to nine years as well as fined and removed from office.

However, the Reforma newspaper reported that the Federal Attorney General’s Office didn’t proceed against officials who defied court orders during the presidency of López Obrador.

Judge Nancy Juárez Salas
Federal district judge Nancy Juárez Salas ordered Sheinbaum to reverse the publication of the judicial reform, saying that it was published in violation of a previous suspension order. (@mitoteroenredes_/X)

At her morning press conference on Friday, Sheinbaum said that the judge in Coatzacoalcos doesn’t have the authority to order the removal of the decree from the DOF.

She offered three reasons in support of her assertion:

  • “A judge is not above the people.”
  • “What she’s doing doesn’t have any legal basis.”
  • Mexico’s Congress — which approved the judicial reform in September — “ordered the then President Andrés Manuel López Obrador” to publish the decree.

“So we’re not going to take the publication down,” Sheinbaum said.

The judicial reform — the most controversial aspect of which is the provision allowing citizens to elect all judges in Mexico, including Supreme Court justices — will not be stopped by anyone, the president said.

“Not a male judge nor a female judge, nor eight Supreme Court justices can stop the will of the people of Mexico,” said Sheinbaum, who made it known before she was elected in June that she supported all of the constitutional reform proposals that López Obrador submitted to Congress in February.

The president also said that the government would file a complaint against Juárez with the Federal Judiciary Council (CJF).

Rulings against constitutional reforms are invalid, says president’s legal advisor  

Ernestina Godoy, legal counsel to the president, told Sheinbaum’s press conference that constitutional reforms that have been approved by Mexico’s Congress are “exempt” from judicial revision.

She highlighted that the Supreme Court, “in multiple opinions and rulings,” has “rejected” the notion that a constitutional reform can be reviewed in court.

“It’s extremely clear,” said Godoy, who served as attorney general of Mexico City while Sheinbaum was mayor of the capital.

Ernestina Godoy, legal counsel to the president, speaks at a podium with President Sheinbaum standing behind her
Ernestina Godoy, legal counsel to the president, said approved constitutional reforms are not subject to judicial revision. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)

Arturo Zaldívar, a former chief justice of the Supreme Court who is now an official in the Sheinbaum administration, also said that judges don’t have the authority to hand down rulings against constitutional reforms.

Godoy said that the CJF needs to review the conduct of district judges who are “defying the constitution” by handing down rulings against constitutional reforms.

Many of those judges could soon be without a job as the federal government intends to hold a first round of judicial elections in 2025.

Critics of the reform argue that judges sympathetic to the ruling Morena party’s legislative agenda could come to dominate the nation’s courts, effectively removing an important check on government power.

With reports from Animal Político, Reforma, El Financiero and Milenio 

Day of the Dead 2024: Consumer spending to surpass 45 billion pesos

By
MND Staff
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Mexicans shopping for Day of the Dead
Approximately 4.8 million family businesses in Mexico will get an income boost from the holiday. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)

Consumers in Mexico will spend some 45.3 billion pesos (US $2.3 billion) this November to celebrate the Day of the Dead, as estimated by Octavio de la Torre, head of the National Confederation of Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Concanaco Servytur). 

The estimate represents a 10% increase compared to last year, when over 90% of Mexican families spent 41.2 billion pesos (US $2.1 billion) on purchases related to the holiday. The spending is also fueled by government expenditures and purchases related to Halloween, an increasingly popular holiday in Mexico.

The sectors that will benefit the most include short-term lodging, restaurants, travel agencies, transportation services, costume sales, candy stores and public markets.
The sectors that will benefit the most include short-term lodging, restaurants, travel agencies, transportation services, costume sales, candy stores and public markets. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)

De la Torre stated that 4.8 million family businesses will get an income boost from the holiday.

The sectors that will benefit the most include short-term lodging, restaurants, travel agencies, transportation services, costume sales, candy stores and public markets. The hotel industry alone, he said, will benefit from 4.2 billion pesos (US $200 million) in estimated economic revenue, with an occupancy rate of over 60%. 

Where are the biggest Day of the Dead events happening?  

According to Concanaco, Michoacán and Mexico City will host some of the country’s most popular festivities. 

In the capital, these include the Day of the Dead parade along Paseo de la Reforma, which last year drew over 1.2 million people, and the Alumbrada in the eastern borough of Mixquic, which saw over 120,000 visitors. 

The Popular Art Museum’s (MAP) Alebrije Parade will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19. Afterwards, the alebrijes will be on view along Paseo de la Reforma until early November. (@Latitud21mx/X)

Meanwhile, the state of Michoacán, known for its strong preservation of Day of the Dead traditions, expects thousands of visitors who come to witness its annual canoe parade over Lake Pátzcuaro and the illuminated altars on the lake’s Janitzio Island. 

“There are many traditional activities that take place in the country, with some areas standing out more than others, so we invite all our chambers of commerce, services and tourism to participate in the Day of the Dead festivities,” de la Torre stressed. 

What is Day of the Dead?  

Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is one of Mexico’s most cherished traditions, in which people honor their dead through several rituals and ceremonies. It follows the Indigenous belief that the dead temporarily return to Earth between Nov. 1 and 2.

While the origin of the holiday can be traced back to pre-Columbian civilizations, the festivity we celebrate today is a mix of Indigenous beliefs and Christian tradition unique to Mexico.  

With reports from Milenio

French companies to invest US $3B in nearshoring to Mexico

By
MND Staff
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Sanofi recently confirmed an investment of US $50 million to expand its plant in Ocoyoacac, México state
Sanofi recently confirmed an investment of US $50 million to expand its plant in Ocoyoacac, México state, where the company manufactures the probiotic Enterogermina. (Shutterstock)

France is bolstering its economic ties with Mexico by increasing investments in the energy, automotive and health industries, according to French Ambassador to Mexico Delphine Borione.

Speaking at the “France and Mexico: Allies Toward Sustainable Nearshoring” event, hosted by the Franco-Mexican Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI France Mexico), Borione highlighted recent announcements from French companies as evidence of France’s growing commitment to the Mexican market.

French Ambassador to Mexico Delphine Borione
At a nearshoring event held by CCI France Mexico, the ambassador stressed that Mexico must address challenges including access to clean energy, appropriate infrastructure, sufficient water and human resources for the industries of the future. (CCI France Mexico/LinkedIn)

In the automotive sector, Paris-based Valeo has plans to spend US $800 million over the next five years to expand and modernize its operations in Mexico. 

In the energy sector, green hydrogen giant Hydrogène de France announced an investment of US $2.5 billion in December 2023. 

In the health sector, Sanofi recently confirmed an investment of US $50 million to expand its plant in Ocoyoacac, México state, where the company manufactures the probiotic Enterogermina.

“These investments reflect not only the commitment of French companies to the development of Mexico, but also their fundamental role in job creation, infrastructure development and technology transfer,” Borione continued.  

While the ambassador acknowledged that Mexico brings great nearshoring opportunities, she said the country must address challenges including access to clean energy, appropriate infrastructure, sufficient water and human resources for the industries of the future.

Still, Borione said that Mexico is an “ideal candidate” for the relocation of multinational companies thanks to its strategic geographic position, its preferential access to the North American market, its robust industrial sector and the quality of its workforce.

Hajer Najjar, general director of the CCI, said that French companies are cautiously watching the political landscape in the United States and Mexico.

“Naturally, it is a challenging period as we do not know the impact that the elections in the United States and the situation of the reform of the judiciary will have on investments, but the companies that are already here are continuing their activities and growing,” Najjar said, adding that Mexico continues to provide the stability that investors are looking for.

Najjar also stressed that Mexico needs to support the development of sustainable finance. “We need investments that support innovative and sustainable projects. The creation of a financial framework that encourages responsible practices and collaboration between the public and private sectors is essential,” she said. 

Finally, Brione said that France is the eighth-largest source of investment projects in Mexico, and that the embassy is fully committed to facilitating exchanges between Mexican and French stakeholders to strengthen bilateral economic relations. 

This effort aligns with President Claudia Sheinbaum’s vision for nearshoring as a key driver of economic growth for Mexico. 

With reports from T21 and Top Management

Mexican government to partner with GM, Foxconn to reduce reliance on imports

By
MND Staff
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1
General Motors with new branding
General Motors said Thursday that it "fully supports" the Mexican government's efforts to strengthen regional supply chains. (Shutterstock)

United States automaker General Motors and Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn look set to help the Mexican government achieve its goal of reducing Mexico’s reliance on imports.

Vidal Llerenas, Mexico’s deputy economy minister for industry and trade, said Wednesday that the two companies will announce plans to substitute imports for locally made products later this month.

Deputy economy minister for industry and trade Vidal Llerenas said Wednesday that the two companies will announce plans to substitute imports for locally made products later this month.
Deputy Economy Minister for Industry and Trade Vidal Llerenas said Wednesday that GM and Foxconn will announce plans to substitute imports for locally made products later this month. (CAINTRA Nuevo León/Facebook)

GM said Thursday that it “fully supports” the Mexican government’s efforts to strengthen regional supply chains, but it declined to “respond to speculation about future plans.”

The company also said that 90% of the parts it uses for production in Mexico are sourced within North America.

GM has four plants in Mexico, while Foxconn has a presence in Chihuahua, and announced last week that it will build a huge factory in Guadalajara, Jalisco, where it will assemble “superchips” for California-based technology company Nvidia.

Speaking at an automotive industry event in Mexico City, Llerenas said that the federal government is holding talks with other large companies, such as logistics firm DHL and automaker Stellantis, to determine which of their imports could be manufactured in Mexico.

Microchips sitting in front of Nvidia logo
Foxconn announced last week that it will build a huge factory in Guadalajara, Jalisco, where it will assemble “superchips” for Nvidia. (Shutterstock)

According to Reuters, the official also said that U.S. tech company Intel — which has a facility in Guadalajara — has committed to substitute 12% of its imports to Mexico. Heat sinks and thermal trays are among the products it plans to source locally.

Llerenas also said that Mexican appliance manufacturer Mabe is seeking to substitute half of its imports with locally made products.

His remarks came a week after his colleague, Deputy Economy Minister for Foreign Trade Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez Romano, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that the new administration led by President Claudia Sheinbaum wants U.S. automakers and semiconductor manufacturers, as well as large aerospace and electronics companies, to substitute some goods and components made in China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.

“We want to focus on supporting our domestic supply chains,” Gutiérrez said.

The WSJ said that the government “is asking some of the world’s biggest manufacturers and tech firms operating in the country to identify Chinese products and parts that could be made locally.”

Finance Minister Rogelio Ramírez de la O said in late July that replacing just one-tenth of Chinese imports with products made in North America could increase GDP growth in Mexico by 1.4 percentage points over current or recent levels.

With reports from Reuters  

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