Travis Bembenek, CEO of Mexico News Daily with his wife Tamanna at the Australian Embassy in Mexico City. (Courtesy)
There is so much going on between the United States and Mexico — and with Canada in the USMCA treaty — that it is easy to forget that Mexico has dynamic, fascinating and long-standing relationships with many other countries from around the world. Mexico’s profile continues to rise globally, and there are many great stories to tell.
Our team at MND is committed to reporting more and more on these stories. The motivation behind our “Global Mexico” series is to bring you a new perspective on Mexico in a global context — beyond the daily headlines that focus mostly on US-Mexico relations. Every country has its own different and unique relationship with Mexico, and we think it’s important to understand these stories to fully understand the country and its future.
This series will focus on the relationships between Mexico and key countries from around the world. We have been working very hard over these past few months — meeting with different embassies, chambers of commerce and social associations to uncover the stories behind “Global Mexico.”
We will share with you — through the interviews and reporting we are doing — the thoughts and perspectives of leaders, as well as important initiatives, investments and experiences of people from around the world in Mexico.
It’s important to remember that Mexico has been a world leader in free trade for years, with agreements currently signed with 50 nations. Countries from around the world increasingly are connecting with Mexico for myriad reasons — business, political, cultural, tourism and lifestyle. The stories behind these connections are fascinating.
What our team has covered so far is informative, educational and inspiring. We are committed to helping you better understand Mexico and its position on the world stage.
Our first series, “Australia in Focus,” launched on February 5, and you can read all of the articles here.
Our second series “India in Focus” launched on March 11, and the full series will be updated here daily. More countries are in the works for the months to come. Stay tuned!
Thank you for supporting MND and helping us get better every day.
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.
All of Mexico’s Indigenous peoples struggle with issues like language loss and political and economic marginalization.
How did two countries figure out that harnessing the power of Indigenous culture on opposite sides of the Pacific is perfect for Mexican-Australian relations?
But as Mexican Secretary of Culture Alejandra Frausto Guerrero notes, “The best ambassador that we have outside the country is our culture.”
The demographic basis of Indigenous diplomacy
Few countries are as rich in Indigenous cultures as Mexico or Australia, and both nations are legally committed to their preservation and ancestral rights in the 21st century.
Mexico has 68 recognized Indigenous ethnicities, grouped primarily by language. The largest of these are Mesoamerican and speak varieties of language families including Nahuatl, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, Mazatec, Otomí and Totonac.
All of Mexico’s Indigenous peoples struggle with issues like language loss and political and economic marginalization. As younger generations have sought to integrate into Mexico’s dominant modern society, cultural erosion has also become a pressing concern for these communities.
Across the Pacific in Australia, census data shows that over 160 Indigenous languages are spoken at home. As in Mexico, however, language does not necessarily mean ethnicity, as other factors like history and cultural practices come into play.
Indigenous Australians today face many of the same challenges as those in Mexico do. The Australian Human Rights Commission recognizes that “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to be one of the most vulnerable groups in Australia.”
On the positive side, sociopolitical changes in both countries in the 20th century led to a greater appreciation for original peoples, both historically and as part of Mexico’s and Australia’s modern cultural identities. Although Indigenous people in Mexico and Australia remain highly vulnerable, both countries have implemented social and political efforts to conserve these cultures and protect their social and economic rights.
Relations between Mexico and Australia have grown closer over the years. (Cámara de Diputados)
Growth of Mexico-Australia relations
While both are home to ancient cultures, formal relations between the two countries date back only to 1966. Both nations are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and other intergovernmental organizations.
Australian Ambassador to Mexico Rachel Moseley notes that these ties have grown significantly in the past decade or so, with the Australian embassy’s activities in this country doubling. Mexican federal deputy Carolina Dávila Ramírez notes that “We share a profound pride in our roots which have enriched our identity, social reality and worldview.”
This pride was further prompted by the two countries’ growing economic ties. In 2022, trade between Mexico and Australia totaled almost US $2 billion, with Mexico exporting about $1.2 billion of automobiles and parts and importing about $8 million in grain and other agricultural products.
Cultural exchanges have been fairly typical, with Mexico sponsoring exhibitions of work by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and Mesoamerican artifacts. It also sends thousands of students to study at Australian universities.
But in 2020, the two countries signed a unique memorandum of understanding (MOU), the Memorandum of Understanding Between the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples of the United Mexican States and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies of the Commonwealth of Australia. This document is based specifically on the two countries’ Indigenous populations, a diplomatic angle few countries could ever contemplate.
What the Memorandum of Understanding does
Foremost, the MOU recognizes the “integral place of Indigenous Peoples historically and currently in both countries… as well as their contribution to the diversity and richness of our respective cultures.”
The exchange is primarily managed by the federal-level agencies dedicated to Indigenous affairs in both countries. In Australia, that entity is called the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). In Mexico, it is the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI). In addition to working to conserve knowledge of their respective Indigenous peoples and their material cultures, both institutes research and document these peoples’ modern realities.
One of the first activities that resulted from the MOU was an exchange of best practices between the two agencies. Through a series of online and presential exchanges of experts in 2023, INPI head archivist Octavio Murillo was pleased to discover that although Mexico does not have anywhere near the resources that Australia has, “We realized that many of the processes we do here in Mexico are very similar to those in Australia… there are the same standards for digitalization, for example. Even though we are not a rich institution, we already have what we need to do a good job.”
Sharing knowledge with the public in both countries
The other major INPI-AIATSIS initiative so far is the staging of various exhibitions in museums and other prominent locations in both countries to educate their respective populations about Indigenous peoples on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
In 2022, the Embassy of Mexico in Australia and AIATSIS presented “Portraits of Indigenous Mexico” at the Australian National University in Canberra, introducing Australians to the wide diversity of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican cultures. The exhibition featured work by famous Mexican photographers including Nacho López, Miguel Bracho and Leticia Olvera.
In Mexico, there have been two important exhibits of Indigenous Australian culture. Last August, the INPI-run Indigenous Museum in Mexico City hosted a documentary project “After 200 years: Photographic Essays of Aboriginal and Islander Australia” which began in 1988 and was updated in recent years. A month later, the Chamber of Deputies hosted the traveling exhibition “ Yuendumu Doors,” a collection of classroom doors painted in 1984 by elders of the Warlpiri people to keep the first generation of schoolchildren educated in Western schools connected to their ancestral culture.
The MOU stipulates much more than talks between experts and cultural exhibitions. It also calls for exchanges among the Indigenous people of both countries in areas like business and higher education. This year, the Australian government named Goreng Goreng public servant Justin Mohamed its inaugural Ambassador for First Nations People. As ambassador, he is tasked with working on international issues as they relate to Indigenous Australia, which includes establishing a University of Indigenous Languages in collaboration with Mexico.
Diplomatic impact
The initiatives that have come out of the AIATSIS-INPI memorandum of understanding have served to raise Indigenous historical and cultural awareness, not just as internal affairs but as international ones as well.
Notable at the two exhibitions in Mexico were the similarities in history and cultures of two sets of peoples separated by a vast ocean. There may be several conclusions to draw from that, but this global perspective is significant and needs to be explored.
Ambassador Moseley notes that Indigenous Australians now have an impact on how their country interacts with the rest of the world. “We see a First Nations approach to foreign policy as one that project our modern diversity… [t]his is particularly relevant in Mexico, which also has a rich indigenous history dating back tens of thousands of years,” She sees Indigenous viewpoints as particularly helpful with environmental issues, including the international management of natural resources.
There is still much more work to be done, including expert and student exchanges, their continued participation in the Indigenous Language Institute together, and even exchanges among Indigenous small business owners. But the basic groundwork has been laid for long-term cooperation in Indigenous issues.
Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico over 20 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019). Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily.
Nixtamalization, a Mesoamerican technique still used to this day, involves soaking dried corn in an alkaline solution, typically made from slaked lime. (Unsplash)
Have you wondered where and when Mexicans think it is appropriate to eat tortillas?
The answer is everywhere and all the time.
Tortillas are placed at the table in baskets, called tortilleros. (Unsplash)
In the ancient lands of Mesoamerica, the Aztecs and Maya were pioneers in cultivating corn. Aztec legend tells a mesmerizing tale of the “Children of Corn,” where the goddess Tonantzin crafted the first humans from the essence of this golden grain. This myth weaves a cosmic connection between Mexicans and their sacred crop, making corn not just a harvest, but also a profound part of their identity.
Even today, corn remains a fundamental element in the diets and cultural identity of people in Mexico and Central America, portrayed as a sacred and life-giving force.
How is corn turned into tortillas?
Nixtamalization, a Mesoamerican technique still used to this day, involves soaking dried corn in an alkaline solution, typically made from slaked lime. This process is crucial in creating masa, the dough, and improves the corn’s nutritional value by enhancing the bioavailability of nutrients, as well as contributing to its distinctive taste. After soaking, the corn is rinsed, cooked until plump, washed to remove excess alkaline solution, ground into masa, and finally shaped into thin discs, ready to be cooked and savored as delicious tortillas.
Corn tortillas are a nutritious choice for a healthy diet. They’re low in fat and packed with complex carbohydrates that provide a steady source of energy throughout the day. Their fiber content contributes to digestion and a feeling of fullness. Corn tortillas are also gluten-free and bring essential nutrients to the table, including calcium, iron, magnesium, and B vitamins.
Tortillas are a matter of national policy
In 2020, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador published a decree that effectively prohibits the use of genetically modified corn for human consumption. The decree also specifically demands that tortilla producers only use corn grown in Mexico. Citing the protection of native corn varieties and public health concerns related to agrochemicals, the decision is framed as a move to safeguard local agriculture and health. This has triggered international tensions due to its potential impact on grain exports from the United States to Mexico.
Tortillas are such a staple food in Mexico, that ensuring affordable tortilla prices has been a longstanding priority for the government. This commitment to affordability is rooted in the government’s aim to guarantee food security and meet the nutritional requirements of the people. Even inflation rates are closely linked to tortilla prices, so essential is the food to everyday life in Mexico.
How do Mexicans eat tortillas?
Tortillas are placed at the table in baskets, called tortilleros, which are often the most cherished item in the kitchen. Every neighborhood has at least one tortillería, where people line up at lunchtime to buy by the kilo.
Mexicans eat tortillas in every possible way. Roll some savory meat or stew into a tortilla, fold it snug, and bam, it’s taco time. Fold a tortilla with cheese, toss it on the grill, and voila, you’ve got a quesadilla. Dip the tortilla in salsa before filling and rolling, and there you have it, an enchilada. Grab some stale tortillas, chop them into bite-sized bits, fry to perfection, smother them in salsa, sprinkle cheese on top and dive into a bowl of tasty chilaquiles!
For cold weather, drop a handful of fried tortilla strips into warm flavorful broth, add avocado and cheese cubes and you have sopa de tortilla. Challenge the sturdiness of a flat crispy tortilla by piling on lots of toppings to enjoy a tostada. In an homage to lasagna, place layers of tortillas, shredded chicken, cheese and salsa in a baking dish and meet pastel azteca.
In Mexican households, the art of making tortillas isn’t just about sustenance; it’s a cherished tradition that unites families around the kitchen table. Often a collaborative effort, particularly among women, the process of pressing masa into perfectly round discs is a ritual that strengthens bonds. And when men return home from their day’s work, the sight of freshly handmade tortillas is a rewarding show of love.
A simple, unassuming tortilla can become a masterpiece, weaving stories of the divine origin, natural resilience and life-giving nutrition that are the sustenance of a nation’s soul. Among the culinary wonders of the world, the tortilla stands tall.
Sandra is a Mexican writer and translator based in San Miguel de Allende who specializes in mental health and humanitarian aid. She believes in the power of language to foster compassion and understanding across cultures. She can be reached at: [email protected]
I don’t know about you all, but I sure remember things better when they’re funny. Hence, it’s a logical conclusion that reading funny things in Spanish will help them stick better in your brain…right?
Whether you’re here to learn some new words, or just here for some good ol’ fashioned Mexican humor, we’ve got you covered with this week’s installment of Butwhat does it meme?
Meme translation: “Someone: Hey, isn’t it tiring being a mom and working?” “No, not at all.”
What does it meme? This is part of an entire genre of memes where women who look completely torn up say something to the degree of “Oh yes, doing everything on my own/motherhood/staying home with toddlers (etc.) is easy!” It’s a favorite of mine, as I’m generally a fan of finding the humorous side (sometimes the darkly humorous side) of tough situations that can’t be changed very easily.
I also appreciate that it’s appearing so much in Spanish for cultures where it’s been, until quite recently, pretty taboo for a mother to admit that being a mother is tough, as opposed to sucking it up and doing one’s best to be perceived as the Virgin Mary (everyone’s ideal mother around here) herself.
Meme translation: “We’ve been fired because they realized we lied in our interviews about speaking English fluently.” “Oh darno :(“
What does it meme? “Darno” is a made-up word, and so is “caracoleishion.” So what gives?
The same way an English speaker might jokingly put an “o” at the end of any word to make it “sound Spanish” (my sister loves doing this: “What do you think of my new plantos?”), so Spanish speakers put the /shun/ (like in the last syllable of “concentration”) sound at the end of Spanish words to make them sound like they’re in English. A good friend of mine who speaks zero English, for example, sometimes says to be funny “Estoy en la limpieshion” (she’s cleaning).
“Caracoles” is a funny way to say something like “darn it” or “dang it” in Spanish, which strikes me as 100% adorable. Snails!
Meme translation: “If a hen is overcome with emotion, does it get person bumps?”
What does it meme? In English, we say “goosebumps.” In Spanish, though, it’s “piel de gallina” (literally “hen skin”).
So what might hens say? We may never know, and that’s the kind of thing that keeps He-Man up at night.
Meme translation: “Why did you leave me on read?” “I was eating.” “For the past five days?” “I was really hungry.”
What does it meme? It’s cute, of course, but the main reason I added this meme is for the key phrase “dejar en visto.” This means to “leave on read,” considered by many — usually depending on their age — to be a grave sin.
My go-to when I’m the one who’s left someone else on read is usually, “I am so sorry, every time I thought about writing you I didn’t have my phone open in front of me and I’d get distracted and forget when I did,” which is lame but true. Maybe it’s time to get a little more creative!
Meme translation: “Entrepreneurship is my passion.” (on truck) “Mobile Motel”
What does it meme? Well, maybe it’s not the worst idea out there. Still, it looks a little grungy.
By the way, an important difference between “hotel” and “motel” down here: while the difference in the US is mostly regarding the price and how nice it is, in Mexico, it’s a bit more marked. “Hotels” are where you go to stay for one or more nights if you’re, say, on vacation or on a business trip.
A motel, however, is the kind of place where they rent the room by the hour (ahem) and you put your car in a hidden individual garage while you’re there, lest someone recognize it and start a trail of gossip. Since many Mexicans live with their parents until they get married, motels can provide the kind of privacy you wouldn’t find at home. And a mobile motel is actually not a terrible idea if no one in the relationship has a car! The one above, however, could still use a little work.
Meme translation: “My parents: What do you want to go to Oaxaca for?” “Me:”
What does it meme? I’m old enough to have seen “Nacho Libre” in the movie theater as a college student, and I loved it immediately. Believe it or not, I still watch it at least once a year, and I have a sister and a friend with whom I regularly quote the movie.
This cult classic about a monk who wants to be a pro wrestler was filmed in Oaxaca, and I would consider a trip to some of the filming sites a very worthy destination — but only if I had my lucha libre mask with me, of course!
Meme translation: “My family: ‘Heaven just got another angel.’” “Me, reincarnated as a rat.”
What does it meme? Mexicans are well-known for many wonderful qualities; that said, the ability to admit that maybe you haven’t been the perfect person you pretend to be (ask yourself how many times you’ve seen someone truly and sincerely take personal responsibility for something bad that happened), is not among them.
So, it’s refreshing to see this kind of sentiment expressed (albeit humorously): “Nah, I’m no angel.”
Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com.
The army was able to locate Buonincontri thanks to local residents of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, who reported seeing armed in a Tulum taxi pull off the road into the jungle. (Sedena via Noticaribe)
A United States man who was kidnapped from his Quintana Roo home last Sunday was found in a makeshift jungle hut with tape over his eyes and his wrists and ankles bound.
The Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office (FGE) said Tuesday that 35-year-old Jospeh Constantine Buonincontri had been found, but more details about his rescue emerged on Friday.
Buonincontri was found by soldiers, state police and members of the National Guard in a hut in the middle of jungle in the Quintana Roo municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, according to the FGE and reports that cited state authorities.
A photo published by the Reforma newspaper showed him seated on the ground clutching a water bottle. He reportedly didn’t sustain any serious injuries during his three-day ordeal.
Reforma reported that Buonincontri was violently abducted from his home in Limones last Sunday. Located in the municipality of Bacalar, Limones is about 90 kilometers north of Chetumal, the capital of Quintana Roo, and 50 kilometers north of the town of Bacalar.
On Tuesday, soldiers stationed at a highway checkpoint in southern Quintana Roo were alerted by locals to the presence of armed men in a taxi from Tulum that entered an “opening” in the jungle next to the road, Reforma reported.
Buonincontri was found in a rough shelter in the forest, three days after his abduction. (via Reforma)
Authorities found Buonincontri just 100 meters from the point where the taxi entered the jungle, according to Reforma. By that time, the armed men had apparently left the location.
Buonincontri — who is from New York, according to ABC News — reportedly told authorities that he had been abducted “by unknown people.”
The kidnappers had reportedly sought a US $200,000 ransom. Reforma said that soldiers found traces of marijuana, a tactical vest and AR-15 rifle magazines at the location where Buonincontri was found.
On the day of his abduction, the FGE published an online poster with details on the victim’s physical appearance. Probably the most striking detail was that he was said to be exactly two meters tall. The poster also mentioned that Buonincontri has numerous tattoos, including ones of macaws, an AK-47 and a pit bull.
The Baja California peninsula is slowly gaining on the Yucatán. (Matthew T Rader / CC BY-SA)
Millions of tourists visit Mexican beaches each year – and for good reason. In its 2024 edition, travel behemoth Lonely Planet has determined four Mexican beaches to be among the best in the world.
These are Lonely Planet’s best beaches in Mexico, some of the top 100 in the world.
Holbox, an island in the Mexican Caribbean, is one of Lonely Planet’s top beach destinations in 2024. (Unsplash)
Holbox, Quintana Roo
Located on Holbox Island, north of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Yum Balam nature reserve, Holbox beach (hol-bosh) is known for its fine white sand, turquoise waters and colorful Caribbean buildings.
Known in Mayan as “black hole,” Lonely Planet describes Holbox as “a portal to one of Mexico’s last unspoiled tropical islands.”
Visitors can also explore several spots around Holbox like Bird Island (Isla Pájaros), Passion Island (Isla Pasión) and the Yalahau freshwater pool.
Holbox is no stranger to international awards. In 2023, Condé Nast Traveler ranked it as one of North America’s best islands along with Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, also included in Lonely Planet’s list.
Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres. (playanorte.com)
Playa Norte, Quintana Roo
According to Lonely Planet, once you reach Playa Norte, you won’t want to leave. “Its warm, shallow waters are the color of blue raspberry syrup, and the beach is crushed coral,” the travel expert says.
Ten miles off the coast of Cancún, Playa Norte is located on Isla Mujeres, famous for having the largest concentration of whale sharks on the planet.
Compared to Cancún, Playa Norte is significantly quieter, and both locals and tourists use golf carts, bikes and scooters to move around the beach and the island.
Tulum will be receiving more tourists than ever with its new international airport, which will open to U.S. airlines as early as March 2024. (Wikimedia Commons)
Tulum, Quintana Roo
Tulum is one of the most popular beaches in Mexico, now with a shiny new airport to accommodate the growing number of tourists.
With seaside cliffs overlooking turquoise waters and white beaches, Tulum is one of the few Maya ruin sites with a beach.The main beach is beneath El Castillo, at the bottom of a steep wood staircase, and the second is below the Templo del Dios del Viento (Temple to the God of Wind).
Lonely Planet has said that Tulum captures the visitor’s imagination like no other, “perhaps conjuring visions of pre-Columbian tradesmen arriving in canoes laden with goods, and the Maya workers who received them, contemplating the same bracing views.”
The mushroom-shaped rock formation at Playa Balandra. (Wikimedia Commons)
Playa Balandra, Baja California
Perfect for kids, Lonely Planet describes Playa Balandra as “an enclosed cove beach with shallow deep blue waters.”
Located within a 30-minute drive from La Paz, beachgoers can enjoy tide pools and hike to neighboring coves and arid, cacti-covered mountains.
The beach is home to the famous mushroom-shaped rock formation which recently went viral on Instagram. The rock is the unofficial symbol of La Paz and though the top occasionally falls off, dedicated locals always repair it.
The trip to Mexico City will be the Yankees’ first since Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle’s final season in 1968. (@Yankees/X)
In a matchup of the two most iconic baseball teams in their respective countries, the New York Yankees are heading south next month to play two exhibition games against the Mexico City Diablos Rojos (Red Devils).
The games will be played at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 24 and 6 p.m. Monday, March 25 at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium in Mexico City.
The games will be played on Sunday, March 24 and Monday, March 25 at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium in Mexico City. (Diablos Rojos/Cuartoscuro)
Ticket prices at the 5-year-old ballpark range from 980 pesos (US $57.35) in the outfield bleachers to 4,800 pesos (US $281) in the VIP section. Stadium capacity is 20,062.
Season ticket holders were able to buy tickets starting this week, but a general sale to the public has not yet been announced.
The results will not count in the standings for either team. The Yankees will open their 2024 regular season on March 28 in Houston, and the Red Devils will begin Mexican League action on April 11 in Puebla.
For the Yankees, the Mexico City games come on the final two days of spring training and are denoted as “split-squad” games. That means the Yankees will divide into two squads; one will travel to Mexico and the other will stay behind in Florida to play two other exhibition games.
The Mexico City Reds have won the Serie del Rey (King’s Series) a record 16 times, whereas the Yankees have won the World Series 27 times. (diablos.com.mx)
It is expected that the Yankees will field “a representative lineup for the Mexico contests,” according to MLB.com. The team’s current roster includes three players with Mexican roots: reliever Victor González, catcher Jose Trevino and outfielder Alex Verdugo.
The Yankees have won the Major League Baseball’s World Series a record 27 times, but the 2009 championship represents their only triumph in the past 20 years. Last season, they finished fifth in the American League East and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
The Mexico City Reds have won the Serie del Rey (King’s Series) a record 16 times and have played in it a record 33 times. Last season, they finished first in the Southern Division of the Mexican League, or the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (LMB), but then lost in the second round of the playoffs.
The trip to Mexico City will be the Yankees’ first since Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle’s final season in 1968. In two exhibition games that year, the Red Devils won the first game 5-3 but lost the second 9-1.
No other MLB game had ever been played at such a high altitude, and it showed: The Padres won the opener 16-11 in a game that featured 11 home runs. The second game, a 6-4 Padres’ victory, had “only” three home runs.
MLB regular season games are returning to the same diamond again this year, when the Houston Astros play the Colorado Rockies on April 27 and 28.
Biden's flub comes just as the U.S. president is facing scrutiny over his age and alleged memory problems. (Wikimedia Commons/Presidencia de la República)
United States President Joe Biden referred to Egypt’s president as “the president of Mexico” on Thursday in a blunder that came shortly after he hit back at a special counsel’s claim that his memory is in decline.
Speaking about the Israel-Hamas war at a press conference, the octogenarian head of state said it was his view that “the conduct of the response” to Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 “has been over the top.”
He then referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as “the president of Mexico.”
“As you know, initially the president of Mexico Sisi did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in [to the Gaza Strip.] I talked to him, I convinced him to open the gate,” Biden said.
The U.S. president didn’t immediately acknowledge his mistake or appear to realize he had made one.
The focus on his flub was amplified because he called his press conference to respond to a report by Special Counsel Robert K. Hur, in which Hur presented his decision not to file criminal charges against the U.S. president for allegedly mishandling classified documents while describing him as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
Asked about that assessment, Biden responded, “I’m well-meaning and I’m an elderly man and I know what the hell I’m doing and I’m president and I put this country back on its feet. … My memory is fine.”
Biden most recently spoke to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in a call last Saturday, during which the two leaders discussed challenges at the Mexico-U.S. border, but presumably didn’t delve into the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Migration to the United States via Mexico is a key concern of the U.S. president, and perhaps for that reason — as the newspaper El Financiero said in a headline — he can’t get AMLO out of his mind.
Australia and Mexico are tied together not just by trade and politics, but also by the visitors and immigrants who connect the two countries. (Sophie Turner/Enrique Ortega Miranda/Unsplash)
This week is “Australia in Focus” week at Mexico News Daily so it’s an opportune time to look back at some of the previous stories we’ve published that feature both Australians in Mexico and Mexicans in Australia.
Here are seven such stories, presented here in chronological order.
A Mexican winemaker makes a mark far from home
In 2018, Susannah Rigg wrote about Mauricio Ruiz Cantú, an oenologist from Monterrey who moved to South Australia via Coahuila to develop his winemaking skills and start his own wine labels.
Last year we covered the extraordinary story of Tim Shaddock and his dog Bella, who were rescued by fisherman off the coast of Colima after spending a difficult three months at sea.
Earlier this year, Laurel Tuohy profiled Australian curator and potter Stellah de Ville, who described the tradition of “making” in Oaxaca as “unparalleled.”
Municipal governments, ranchers and avocado growers are just a few of the CJNG's extortion targets. (Juan José Estrada Serfaín/Cuartoscuro.com)
Six United States senators sent a letter to top Biden administration officials this week to raise concerns about the sale in the U.S. of Mexican avocados grown on illegally deforested land.
“We write regarding reports of widespread illegal deforestation and unsustainable water use linked to avocados imported from Mexico,” the six Democratic Party senators said in the Feb. 7 letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
The senators, among whom are Tim Kaine of Virginia and Ben Cardin of Maryland, sought “additional information” regarding the Biden administration’s “efforts to address environmental degradation linked to these imports.”
They also requested that the U.S. government work with Mexico “to prevent the sale of avocados grown on illegally deforested lands to American consumers.”
The senators cited an article published in The New York Times in November (“Americans Love Avocados. It’s Killing Mexico’s Forests.”), noting that it says that avocado production in Michoacán and Jalisco — the only Mexican states certified to export the fruit to the U.S. — “has had a catastrophic impact on the environment and local communities.”
“A report by Climate Rights International further outlines the devastating toll of the U.S.-Mexico avocado trade: government officials in Michoacán and Jalisco identify avocado production as ‘a central cause of deforestation and environmental destruction in their states,’ including water theft,” the senators continued.
Workers in Peribán, Michoacán, prepare avocados for export. (Juan José Estrada Serafín/Cuartoscuro)
“The report also outlines how Indigenous leaders and others seeking to defend their forests and water have been threatened, attacked and killed.”
To help meet international environmental commitments made by the U.S., the Biden administration, “in cooperation with our Mexican partners, should work to prevent Mexican avocados produced on illegally deforested land from reaching U.S. markets,” stressed Kaine, Cardin, Peter Welch, Chris Van Hollen, Martin Heinrich and Jeff Merkley.
The senators advocated denying export certification “to orchards installed on recently illegally deforested land — a change that senior Mexican officials have reportedly expressed interest in making.”
“Because most Mexican avocado orchards are not on recently deforested land, the [Biden] administration could implement policy changes without significantly reducing American consumers’ access to avocados or harming the livelihood of law-abiding avocado farmers,” they said.
Climate Rights International (CRI), a California-based advocacy organization, said in a statement that the U.S. government “should act” on the senators’ advice.
“The environmental destruction and abuse fueled by Mexican avocado exports to the United States require urgent attention by both countries,” said Brad Adams, CRI’s executive director.
“Denying export authorization to avocado orchards installed on recently deforested lands would dramatically reduce the economic incentive to clear the forests or attack the people defending them,” he said.
Activist Homero Gómez González fought to protect monarch butterfly habitat against against illegal logging and avocado orchards, until he was found dead in a well in 2020. (Homero Gomez Gonzalez/Facebook)
CRI said that the opposition of Michoacán and Jalisco residents, including Indigenous leaders, environmentalists, journalists, and academics, to the destruction of forests due to avocado production is “no match for the profits to be made selling avocados to corporations that export the fruit.”
“Mexico supplies four out of five avocados eaten in the United States, in exports worth US$3 billion per year. The U.S. market — which has tripled in size since 2000 — is the main factor motivating avocado producers to destroy forests to establish orchards,” the organization said.
The senators’ airing of their concerns comes ahead of the Super Bowl this Sunday, a day on which avocado consumption in the U.S. reaches its annual peak, mainly due to the use of the so-called alligator pear to make guacamole.
The Michoacán Ministry of Agriculture said last week that Mexico would send 138,000 tonnes of avocado to the United States to meet Super Bowl demand.
Mexico — the world’s largest avocado producer — is easily the top exporter of avocados to the United States. In 2023, a record high of 1.14 million tonnes of Mexican avocados were shipped north of the border, according to agriculture consultancy Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrícolas.
