Ferromex suspends operations of 60 freight trains in Mexico

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September 20, 2023

503515_Dr Vagón Zacatecas-2_impreso 850px — President López Obrador said in his morning press conference that operations had resumed, but so far, Ferromex has not confirmed this. (Cuartoscuro)

Railroad operator Ferromex halted on Tuesday the operations of 60 freight trains that run on routes to northern Mexico after a string of accidents involving migrants riding the rails.

Grupo México Transportes, Ferromex’s parent company, said in a statement that Ferromex was “forced” to temporarily suspend the operation of freight trains “to protect the safety of migrants.”

People come out to give food and clothing to migrants traveling on “La Bestia” in Zacatecas. (ADOLFO VLADIMIR /CUARTOSCURO.COM)

“Due to the significant increase of migrants concentrated in several regions of the country and the serious risk … of using freight trains for transport, Ferromex has temporarily stopped … 60 trains … on routes toward the north of the country,” the statement said.

Grupo México said that the capacity of the 60 trains is equivalent to that of 1,800 trucks.

The company said there had been “close to half a dozen regrettable cases of injury and death” among migrants riding on freight trains in recent days. It noted that boys and girls are among the migrants that have climbed aboard trains.

Hundreds if not thousands of migrants have sustained serious injuries while riding freight trains in Mexico. Boarding northbound freight trains known collectively and colloquially as “La Bestia” (The Beast) is a common practice among migrants aiming to reach the United States.

Migrants wait to board a train in southern Mexico — Migrants have suffered severe injuries and death riding the freight trains north. (ISABEL MATEOS /CUARTOSCURO.COM)

Grupo México Transportes said that large groups of migrants had boarded freight trains and gathered in and around rail yards and tracks in different parts of the country including Torreón, Coahuila; Irapuato, Guanajuato; and San Francisco de los Romo, Aguascalientes.

It said on Tuesday that over 1,000 migrants were riding the rails between Chihuahua city and Ciudad Juárez, located opposite El Paso, Texas.

The Associated Press reported that hundreds of migrants were waiting to board trains at a rail yard in Huehuetoca, México state, on Tuesday.

“We haven’t heard any news [about the stoppage]. We are going to continue on our journey, and in fact we’re waiting for a train,” said Venezuelan migrant Pavel Aguilar Flores, who was hoping to get to Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

Migrants on a freight train — According to Ferromex, there have been several recent accidents involving migrants on their freight trains, “forcing” them to temporarily halt operations. (ADOLFO VLADIMIR /CUARTOSCURO.COM)

“I have heard there have been accidents, but not so many as people say. You have to be careful and get on the train when it’s stopped, not when it’s moving,” he told AP.

Migrants began climbing onto freight trains in large numbers about five days ago. A Ferromex source told the newspaper El País that never before had so many migrants attempted to board trains in such a short period of time.

Grupo México Transportes said it would be “attentive” to the measures authorities take to address the situation.

The company said it had informed its clients about “the temporary impact on freight rail service” due to the suspension of the operations of 60 trains. It acknowledged that the suspension would have some impact on supply chains and international trade, but didn’t cite any projected economic loss.

Lourdes Aranda, director of institutional relations and communication at Grupo México, told the news outlet Milenio that suspending train services was “a difficult decision to take.”

“We’ve already worked on this humanitarian issue with authorities for several years, but we’re overwhelmed [with migrants],” she said.

“In some cases the migrants manipulate the signaling system to divert a train and stop it,” Aranda added.

Ana Bertha Gutiérrez, international trade coordinator for the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, a think tank, said that the impact of the train stoppage would be significant.

However, the president of the National Chamber of Trucking (Canacar), Miguel Ángel Martínez, told Milenio that Canacar members have the capacity to move freight that would normally go to the north of the country on freight trains.

The National Chamber of Trucking says they have the capacity to make up for the suspension of freight train services. (Archive)

Among the products that are routinely transported to northern Mexico on trains are foodstuffs, steel, electronics, clothes and vehicles. Some goods are then shipped on to the United States.

Private sector groups from Ciudad Juárez wrote to Interior Minister Luisa María Alcalde and Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena to complain about the government’s failure to address the situation and demand action.

President López Obrador said Wednesday that the government is “constantly” working on “the migration issue.”

Speaking at his regular news conference, he said that “what matters to us aren’t the trains” but rather the migrants.

“In a strange, unusual way, the owners of the trains released a statement [saying] that they were going to stop the trains. They didn’t even do that when the teachers took over the tracks in Michoacán,” López Obrador said.

“… We have to protect migrants, but the statement of Mr. Germán Larrea really caught my attention,” he said, mentioning the billionaire president of Grupo México.

López Obrador said he had been informed that the trains began running again after the statement was released, although Ferromex hasn’t said that services to northern Mexico have resumed.

German Larrea — Germán Larrea, the billionaire owner of Grupo México. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

“That was the report they gave me in the morning,” he said.

The news agency Reuters reported that Ferromex’s suspension of 60 northbound freight services coincided with the arrival of large groups of migrants in northern border cities such as Ciudad Juárez, Piedras Negras and Tijuana.

A Venezuelan migrant who asked only to be identified as Heyder spoke to Reuters by telephone as he rode a train through Chihuahua on Tuesday. He said he decided to hop a freight train to Ciudad Juárez after waiting for more than three months in northern Mexico while he attempted to get an appointment with U.S. immigration authorities using an official (and apparently glitchy) mobile app called CBP One.

“We are risking everything aboard the train, our lives, everything, because in our countries there is no hope,” said the migrant, who told Reuters that he planned to cross illegally into the United States.

With reports from Milenio, El País, AP, Reuters and Reforma

Mexico’s skylines are getting taller

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MND Staff

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September 19, 2023

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Mexico,City,,Mexico,-,Circa,May,2018:,Sunset,At,The — Mexican skylines (Mexico City is seen here) have been growing in recent years, as demand rises for more office and residential space. (Shutterstock)

The average size of skyscrapers in Mexico has increased over the past 10 years, a trend that is expected to continue as demand for office and residential space continues to grow, real estate market analysts Siila said.

According to Siila, since Mexico’s first skyscraper was built in 1956 – the 204-meter Torre Latinoamericana in Mexico City – the average height of buildings has grown decade-on-decade (see our previously published Mexico in Numbers on skyscrapers).

Mexico City is home to 46% of the country’s tall and super-tall buildings. (Rutio/Wikimedia)

Buildings like the World Trade Center (207 meters), Torre Mayor (225 meters) and the Torre Pemex (212 meters) in Mexico City were all built during the 1980s and 1990s, when the height of tall structures increased by 13% to 20%, the analysis said.

Later, between 2010 and 2020, skyscrapers became even taller – 33% higher than the previous decade.

In 2017, the KOI Tower in the San Pedro Garza García area of Monterrey, became the tallest skyscraper in Mexico at 279.5 meters high. In 2020, it was displaced by the Torre Obispado in the same city. At 305 meters high and 62 stories, it is currently the tallest building in Latin America.

As the height of tall buildings rises, so does the number – in the last ten years, Mexico has seen 10 tall to supertall buildings completed per year and is home to over 160 skyscrapers between 50 to 300 meters tall. Most of these are in Mexico City and Monterrey, which hold 46% and 27% of the country’s skyscrapers respectively.

Torres Obispados — Monterrey’s Torre Obispados is currently the tallest building in Latin America. (T.Op/Facebook)

Two new skyscrapers, Torre Puerta Reforma (305 meters) in Mexico City and Torre Rise (475 meters) in Monterrey are also projected to be built in the coming years. The latter would become the tallest building in Latin America upon completion. The size of these two new buildings represents a further 80% increase in the height of new supertall buildings.

This demonstrates the speed of the verticalization of cities, Siila said, particularly in Mexico City and Nuevo León, which seem to be in a race to build skyscrapers.

“Skyscrapers represent power, economic capacity and technological advancement. As cities become denser and space becomes scarce, verticality turns into an attractive solution to optimize available surface area,” says the report.

This statement is echoed by the 2023 Great Verticalization Report (GVR) from real estate firm 4S Real Estate Foresight, which reported that Mexico has seen “sustained growth” in recent years despite the COVID-19 pandemic – more vertical housing units were sold in 2022 than at any other time.

The skyline of Reforma Avenue — The skyline of Torre Reforma, in the heart of Mexico City. (Arup)

Another benefit of building upwards, says the GVR, is that the total cost of land and construction is reduced by increasing the height of buildings in high-demand areas.

However, high building density represents a challenge, as it impacts accessibility and mobility, which increases demand for transportation solutions and adequate public spaces. Urban planning, infrastructure, sustainability, environmental impact, visual impact, energy consumption, waste management, carbon footprint and resource efficiency are also vital concerns related to the construction of skylines, Siila said.

On the other hand, because tall buildings heavily rely on the office sector, it’s also important that this industry “continues to strengthen,” to support construction of vertical buildings, it added.

Hence, the evolution of skyscrapers in Mexico will depend on how developers and the public sector balance vertical growth, market demands, sustainability and quality of life in urban areas.

With reports from El Economista

How do Mexico’s top 10 universities rank globally?

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Cat Rainsford

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September 19, 2023

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UNAM Library — UNAM was rated as Mexico's best university, and 93rd in the world, according to the QS World University Rankings 2024. (Gomnrz/Wikimedia)

The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) once again ranks as the best university in Mexico, according to the QS World University Rankings 2024.

The 20th annual ranking, published in the journal Quacquarelli Symonds, compares 1,500 higher educational institutions around the world, on metrics including academic reputation, professor-student ratio, research prowess, sustainability and employability.

ITESM Monterrey — Monterrey’s ITESM, which came second, was only one of two universities outside of the capital. (ITESM/Wikimedia)

Mexico City’s UNAM was found to be the 93rd best university worldwide, having moved up from 104th place last year. It was also the second-best university in Latin America, after Sao Paulo University, Brazil, which ranked 85th.

One of the oldest and most respected public universities in the country, UNAM has consistently topped the QS ranking of Mexican universities since the list started, but has moved in and out of the top 100 worldwide.

Mexico’s second-best university this year was the Monterrey Technological (ITESM), which ranked 184th worldwide – dropping from 170th last year. It was one of only two universities outside of Mexico’s capital to make the national top 10.

The full ranking of Mexico’s top 10 universities is as follows:

National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City – 93
Monterrey Technological (ITESM), Monterrey – 184
Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), Mexico City – 651-660
Panamerican University (UP), Mexico City – 661-670
College of Mexico (COLMEX). Mexico City – 681-690
Iberoamerican University, Mexico City – 691-700
National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico City – 741-750
Anáhuac University of Mexico, Mexico State – 771-780
Guadalajara University, Guadalajara – 851-900
Autonomous Metropolitan University, Mexico City – 901-950

MIT in Massachusetts was ranked as the best university in the world. (Mys 721tx/Wikimedia)

The top three universities worldwide were the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge University, and Oxford University. All 10 Mexican universities on the list were within the top 950 globally.

With reports from El Economista and MVS Noticias

Peso Pluma’s ‘Ella Baila Sola’ nominated for 2 Latin Grammy awards

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MND Staff

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September 19, 2023

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946912_Peso Pluma Festival Arre_impreso 850px — Peso Pluma's "Ella Baila Sola" - declared "Global Song of the Summer" by streaming platform Spotify - has two nods at the Latin Grammy awards. (Cuartoscuro)

“Ella Baila Sola”, the hit performed by Mexican star Peso Pluma and written by Pedro Tovar, has been nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards.

At just 24 years old, Peso Pluma has taken the corridos tumbados genre on a journey from the north of Mexico to the top of global charts. Earlier this year, he became the first regional Mexican artist to perform on the late-night Jimmy Fallon show in the United States.

“Ella Baila Sola” (“She dances alone”) also features Mexican trio Eslabón Armado, and went on to become the first regional Mexican song ever to enter the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 and to hit No. 1 in the Billboard Global 200. With 367 million streams, the song was also crowned the global song of the summer by Spotify, surpassing global artists like Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Bad Bunny.

The hit has been nominated in the coveted Song of the Year category, alongside heavy hitters such as Bad Bunny and U.S. banda group Grupo Frontera (“Un X100to”), Shakira (for three songs), and Mexican artist Natalia Lafourcade (“De todas las flores”). It was also nominated in the category of Best Mexican Regional Song.

“Música Mexicana, in general, offers a rich cultural tapestry that touches upon tradition, emotion, and modernity, making it relatable and exciting for Latin music listeners and non-Spanish speakers alike,” explained Spotify’s Antonio Vazquez. “The strong appeal of this song reflects the power of Música Mexicana, proving that its moment in the sun is more than a trend.”

Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija (who goes by Peso Pluma) was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco and his corridos tumbados have taken a global stage thanks to a mix of typical northern music which combines guitars, wind instruments such as the trombone and tuba, and rap beats. However, if “Ella Baila Sola” wins in its nominated categories, songwriter Pedro Tovar will take home the award.

Other nominees at the Latin Grammys include 12-time winner and all-time great Shakira. (Shakira/X)

Even though Peso Pluma has broken records with “Ella Baila Sola”, it is fellow Mexican Edgar Barrera who leads the list of nominees for the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards with 13 nods, including Songwriter of the Year, Producer of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.

The awards ceremony, which will take place outside the U.S. for the first time, will be held in Seville, Spain on Nov. 16.

With reports from LA Times, BBC, Billboard, Variety

OECD upgrades Mexico growth forecasts for 2023 and 2024

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MND Staff

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September 19, 2023

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A view of the city of Monterrey — Industrial growth spurred by nearshoring in northern cities like Monterrey, Nuevo León, has contributed to improved national growth forecasts. (David Liceaga/Unsplash)

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has made upward revisions to its economic growth forecasts for Mexico in both 2023 and 2024.

In an interim Economic Outlook report published on Tuesday, the Paris-based organization forecast that GDP will grow by 3.3% in Mexico this year and 2.5% in 2024.

Better-than-expected economic growth in the United States is partly why forecasts have increased for Mexico. (U.S. CBP)

The former forecast is 0.7 percentage points higher than the prediction the OECD made in June, while the latter is 0.4 percentage points higher.

One factor contributing to the improved outlook for Mexico is that the OECD believes that the United States economy will perform better this year and next than it previously anticipated.

The organization, led by former Australian finance minister Mathias Cormann, increased its growth forecasts for the U.S. economy to 2.2% for this year and 1.3% for next year, improvements of 0.6 and 0.3 percentage points, respectively.

The Mexican and United States economies are integrated to a significant extent due to the impact of the current North American free trade agreement, called USMCA, and its predecessor NAFTA. Mexico was the United States’ largest trade partner in the first six months of 2023, with the value of the exchange of goods between the two countries reaching a record high of almost US $400 billion.

The current strength of Mexico’s labor market has boosted economic performance. (Rogelio Morales Ponce/Cuartoscuro)

The current strength of the labor market, the gradual decline in inflation this year, the federal government’s welfare spending and infrastructure projects, the growing nearshoring phenomenon and record-high inflows of remittances are among other factors currently benefiting the Mexican economy.

According to a recent Bank of Mexico report, GDP increased 3.7% in annual terms in the first quarter of 2023 and 3.6% in the second quarter. National statistics agency INEGI published preliminary data on Tuesday that showed that the economy grew 3.4% in August compared to the same month of last year.

The OECD also made an upward revision to its forecast for the global economy this year, raising its outlook to 3% from 2.7% in June. It anticipates a worldwide expansion of 2.7% in 2024, a reduction of 0.2 percentage points compared to its previous prediction.

“Global GDP growth is projected to remain sub-par in 2023 and 2024, at 3% and 2.7% respectively, held back by the macroeconomic policy tightening needed to rein in inflation,” the OECD said.

Mexico News Daily

Hotel occupancy in Mexico reached over 60% from January to July

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Cat Rainsford

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September 19, 2023

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Akumal had the highest levels of occupancy for the first seven months of 2023, at 85.1%. (Playa del Carmen)

Just over 50 million tourists checked into Mexican hotel rooms in the first seven months of 2023, boosting hotel occupancy to over 60%.

In the 70 destinations monitored by the Tourism Ministry (Sectur), the percentage of hotel rooms occupied between January and June of this year was 60.2%, up 4.7% from the same period of 2022, according to Mexico’s Tourism Minister, Miguel Torruco Marqués.

Mexican beach resorts saw an average occupancy of 69.2%. (Grand Velas Los Cabos)

An average of 261,446 hotel rooms were occupied at any one time, an increase of 11.5% from the year before.

During these seven months, 27.1 million tourists stayed in city hotels, while 23.3 million stayed in beach centers. Beach destinations achieved higher hotel occupancy, of 69.2%, compared to 52.2% in cities. However, cities showed a bigger annual increase in occupancy, of 14.7%, compared to 9% in beach centers.

The tourist destinations with the highest occupancy were all beach resorts: Akumal (85.1%), Playa del Carmen (84.1%), Cabo San Lucas (81.2%), Nuevo Nayarit (78.4%), Cancún (76.4%) and Puerto Vallarta (76.3%), Torruco said.

Of the 50.4 million tourists recorded, 36.9 million were domestic tourists (73.1%), while 13.5 million were foreigners (26.9%).

Teotihuacan — Hotels in urban centers, such as Mexico City, saw strong growth – 14.7% higher than in 2022. (Tripadvisor)

The numbers show that Mexico’s tourism industry is continuing to recover well from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with hotel occupancy now returning to pre-pandemic levels.

According to data site Statista, hotel occupancy in Mexico peaked in 2017 at 61.3% and dropped slightly to 60.3% by 2019. It then plunged to 26.1% during 2020 before recovering steadily to 41.2% in 2021 and 56.7% in 2022.

Torruco highlighted that this recovery in hotel occupancy has taken place alongside growth in the total number of hotel rooms available. He pointed out that 13,502 new rooms were built in 2021, bringing Mexico’s total to 867,328 rooms – 3.7% more than in 2019.

He hailed the hotel sector as a robust industry that is both supporting the growth of tourism in Mexico and creating positive economic spillover effects. Apart from the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, tourism has represented just over 8% of Mexico’s GDP every year since 2010 and is expected to continue to grow.

With reports from Forbes

Traditional uses of magic mushrooms in Mexico

By

Camila Sánchez Bolaño

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September 19, 2023

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shutterstock_2239967371 (1) — Psilocybin has a long history of traditional use in Mexico. These psychoactive fungi have been an integral part of indigenous life for centuries. (Shutterstock)

In Mexico, the use of magic, or hallucinogenic, mushrooms can be traced back to indigenous cultures that regarded them as sacred and revered their transformative properties. Many Indigenous groups, such as the Mazatecs, Mixtecs, and Zapotecs, have incorporated mushrooms into their traditional ceremonies for healing, divination, and connecting with the spiritual realm.

During mushroom ceremonies, a shaman, known as a curandero or curandera, guides participants through the experience, providing a safe and sacred environment. One of the most famous Mexican curanderas is María Sabina, who gained international recognition for her work with prominent individuals seeking profound insights and healing through traditional mushroom ceremonies. Her unique abilities and connections with the spiritual world attracted notable figures, including scholars, artists, and even celebrities, who traveled to her remote Oaxacan village to partake in the ancient rituals involving psilocybin-containing mushrooms. Sabina’s interactions with these prominent personalities contributed to the growing fascination with entheogenic experiences and their potential impact on creativity, spirituality, and personal growth.

The mushrooms are often consumed ritualistically, such as being ingested with specific chants, prayers, or offerings. The curandero facilitates the journey, helping individuals navigate their inner landscapes, confront fears, gain insights, and experience profound spiritual connections. We spoke with Fernanda, a Mexican practitioner of psilocybin treatments (name changed for safety), about her work combining her knowledge of curanderismo, allopathic medicine, and psychology in her practice.

How does psilocybin work on the body?

Psilocybin is metabolized in the liver, transformed into psilocin (the “molecule of happiness”), and then acts on serotonin receptors, explicitly regulating mood. Psilocybin stimulates neurogenesis, which is the generation of new neurons. It is extraordinary for neuroplasticity -the brain’s ability to recover, restructure, and adapt to new situations. Additionally, it stabilizes moods and allows for a higher level of consciousness.

What do psilocybin treatments consist of?

Natural medicine provides what you need. (Tania Malréchauffé/Unsplash)

Treatments can be administered in microdoses or macro doses, stimulating neurogenesis and offering extraordinary potential for neuroplasticity, mood stabilization, and heightened consciousness. A microdose contains approximately 0.010 to 0.5 grams, and although the doses are taken daily, they are so small that they are indistinguishable in everyday life. On the other hand, macrodose therapies contain 0.6 grams and above and are conducted in sessions of approximately five hours; you can do it as often as once a month.

How should I prepare before the psilocybin ceremony?

Compared to micro-dosing, before a macro dose session, the patient must avoid consuming fats, red meat, and pork for at least one week in advance. The approaches to psilocybin treatments must be individualized, with patients having various intentions and goals in mind.

What are the most popular things people seek in psilocybin treatments?

Overcoming depression is one of the main goals that drives people to psilocybin. (Yuris Alhumaydy/Unsplash)

Mostly, people look for this medicine to overcome loss, explore the inner depths of their personality, enhance concentration, or heal trauma. Psilocybin therapy bridges the conscious and subconscious realms, providing new perspectives and understanding of life.

Is psilocybin for everyone? Is psilocybin safe?

Natural medicine provides what you need. Therefore, anyone can consume psilocybin if they do not take antidepressants, anxiolytics, or antiepileptic drugs. This treatment is also unsuitable for people with a family history of dementia or psychosis.

Indigenous cultures in various parts of the world have used psilocybin-containing mushrooms for centuries in their spiritual and healing practices. It’s fascinating how these natural substances have been woven into cultural traditions, often seen as tools for gaining insights and connecting with the spiritual realm. And now, they are gaining popularity in less traditional contexts where people seek healing with natural substances and inner practices.

*This article is part of a series about psilocybin and its uses, both traditional and modern. We will also discuss its legal status worldwide and explore the physical and mental health benefits these mushrooms offer.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal or medical advice. Individuals should always consult with qualified professionals regarding using psilocybin or any other substance for medical purposes, considering their jurisdiction’s applicable laws and regulations.

Camila Sánchez Bolaño is a journalist, feminist, bookseller, lecturer, and cultural promoter. She is the Editor in Chief of Newsweek en Español magazine and is the features editor for Mexico News Daily.

Mexican gymnast Alexa Moreno continues comeback, wins gold in Paris

By

MND Staff

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September 19, 2023

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Alexa Moreno with a flag — Mexico's Alexa Moreno (seen here earlier this year) took home a gold and a bronze medal from competition in Paris, as her gymnastic comeback continues. (Alexa Moreno/X)

Two-time Olympic gymnast Alexa Moreno of Mexico added some major glimmer to her comeback by winning a gold medal and a bronze at a world-class gymnastics competition in Paris over the weekend.

The native of Mexicali, Baja California won gold in vault, her specialty event, and took home an unexpected bronze in the floor exercise at the season’s final event in the World Challenge Cup series run by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).

Moreno was voted “Mexican Woman of the Year” by readers of El Financiero in 2019, and received the Mexican Medal of Sporting Merit in 2020. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

Moreno, 29, was part of Team Mexico as a reserve in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, then finished fourth in vault in the 2020 Games in Tokyo, which were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She missed a bronze by less than one-tenth of a point, but was still only the second Mexican female gymnast to qualify for an Olympic final.

Moreno will turn 30 on the fourth-to-last day of the 2024 Olympics in Paris next summer — an advanced age for competitive women’s gymnastics. But she still has a chance to qualify for those games at the World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, starting Sept. 30.

After the 2020 Games, Moreno said she would retire from the sport that she began as a three-year-old. But in March of this year, she announced her return, setting her sights on the Pan American Gymnastics Championships in Medellín, Colombia, at the end of May. There, she won a gold medal in vault. Her comeback continued in July when she trained in Houston, Texas, alongside seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles of the U.S.

As part of what one publication dubbed “Alexa 2.0,” Moreno has said goodbye to her Spanish coach Alfredo Hueto, with whom she won bronze in vault in the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, becoming the first Mexican female gymnast to earn a medal in that competition.

Olympic medallist Moreno (left) has seen a resurgence in competition, after parting ways with her long-time coach Alfredo Hueto. (Alexa Moreno/Instagram)

This year, she has been training with former Mexican gymnast Aldo Torres Laveaga at the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC). At the Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador this summer, she brought home three golds, one silver and one bronze.

In addition, at the end of last year, she published a book, “Singular y extraordinaria” (Singular and Extraordinary). which related her emotional Olympics experience in 2016, during which she was body-shamed by internet trolls and others for not having a “typical” gymnast’s body.

In 2019, she won Mexico’s National Sports Award, honoring her as the country’s best non-professional athlete. In the same year, in a poll conducted by the newspaper El Financiero, she was named Mexico’s woman of the year.

With reports from Milenio, Reforma and Remezcla

From Hollywood to Mexico: Meet Kelley West, a leading lady

By

Henrietta Weekes

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September 19, 2023

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PHOTO-2023-08-21-20-53-20 (1) — Kelly West moved from LA to San Miguel de Allende at the beginning of the pandemic. (Courtesy)

Kelley talks to us about reinventing her life in the famous colonial city, San Miguel de Allende, after a career in television, a story of discovery, courage, adventure, and women empowering women.

Why she quit Los Angeles and moved to Mexico

Kelly West with the traditional Mojigangas. (Photo: Courtesy Kelly West)

When Kelley West moved from LA to San Miguel de Allende at the pandemic’s beginning, it would never be a conventional story. This is the woman who had leaped from her Arkansas roots to motherhood, to design and fashion styling, to co-starring on TV shows – like “The Gilmore Girls,” “Criminal Minds,” the Emmy-award-winning “The Doctors” and “Two and a Half Men” – and hosting Kelley West Beauty products on HSN: The Home Shopping Network. Her endeavors and dreams were always bold and innovative, so it wasn’t surprising that “after constantly jumping on planes to appear on TV shows and the crazy pace of LA life,” she decided it was time for the next chapter and a new place she could call home. San Miguel de Allende beckoned.

“My mom’s been visiting this city for over 30 years and loves it. And now I do, too. I made it a regular trip and rented a room from my “auntie” Gayle. Her home, La Mansion, is quite famous and such a fun place to stay!”

This city had always been a place for artists. Still, over the years, she felt the city was much less like a bohemian backwater for the adventurous but a thriving cross-cultural hub with many more opportunities for small business and creative ventures.

Following in the footsteps of a trailblazer, Auntie Gayle

Kelly West and her Auntie Gayle. (Photo: Courtesy of Kelly West)

Her auntie Gayle ran away from Las Vegas to San Miguel 30 years ago to nurse a broken heart – and never left. “Gayle is the original trailblazer of San Miguel,” Kelley says. “They call her “the OG,” the original gringa! She arrived with her car, her puppies, and not much more than a plan to recover. But she was smitten with the beauty and people here and took daily early evening walks to the central plaza, meeting locals and foreigners and inviting them all back to her house.”

Then began the fabulous dinner parties and the brainstorming sessions about possible pursuits. Kelley has heard many stories about Gayle’s colorful adventures, but what has captivated her most is her spirit. “This woman in her 80s has the energy and radiance of a teenager. How could I not find that inspiring?”

But Kelley’s blonde, sassy charm speaks directly to her auntie Gayle’s. And though Kelley’s business savvy is impressive, it’s hard not to be captured by her Southern sweetness. It’s probably why she’s one of the most respected realtors in town and on the most-wanted dinner guest list.

People come to San Miguel to heal

Artist Betty Goldberg surprised Kelley with this painting of her daughter at DesignHouse 2021. “Best gift ever”. (Photo: courtesy of Kelly West)

Yet Kelley’s accomplished life hasn’t come without a few hard knocks. The Southern girl whose mother and grandmother taught her a strong work ethic and to be a “people person” met her greatest challenge when she received the shattering news of her daughter’s death due to a tragic circumstance at the beginning of the pandemic, a week after her move. “San Miguel was the only place I could find pockets of joy. I could get lost wandering amongst the tapestry of street scenes. I still do that to this day.” Mexican culture has a much healthier connection to death, she says. The now famous Dia de Muertos has attracted many new visitors to Mexico every October. Alters to loved ones adorned with marigolds, photographs, candles, and talismans have inspired more festivities and a different outlook for those visitors. Kelley adds, “Strangely, the collective grief of the pandemic also made it easier to process my own.”

Supporting underserved women and animal rescue in Mexico

Recently, Kelley’s bespoke, woman-strong company that she’s built up over the last couple of years, West Realty Group, has joined forces with another prestigious real estate company. But that’s not enough to keep Kelley on her toes! She’s also a gifted interior designer who wants to give back to the community, supporting her transformation. It makes sense that she’d create a charity event which, for the last couple of years, presented 7 respected local interior designers, like Betty Goldberg, Fisher-Weisman, Rachel Horn, Victor Hugo, and others – all in one house! She calls it DesignHouseSMA and ensures the work is top-notch and the guest lists and locations are fabulous.

She contributed to a non-profit community foundation that helps disadvantaged rural women through health, education, and outreach programs. This year, her DesignHouseSMA 2023 will support the animal sanctuaries “Yo Amo Animalitos” and the “Angelitos Santuario”.

“People seem to rely on their pets even more since the pandemic. I’m single and always happy to come home to my horse-size pups, Tanner and Dash! Also, these sanctuaries are run by women, raising the bar by ensuring better conditions and a more organized system.”

San Miguel is a community of entrepreneurial women

Kelley says that she and auntie Gayle often talk about the curious magic San Miguel holds for women restarting their lives. From the TV set of “American Dreams” and being a leading figure in the beauty and design industry, this bright star is happy to have found a different galaxy to orbit. “I’m just as busy, my creativity feels reignited and I keep unearthing more gems amongst the community of entrepreneurial women here.”

One thing is for sure; here in San Miguel, Kelley West is unstoppable.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be hearing more about the designers contributing their work to the October 2023 DesignHouse charity event.

Henrietta Weekes is a writer, editor, actor and narrator. She divides her time between San Miguel de Allende, New York and Oxford, UK.

What happened to AMLO’s government decentralization plan?

By

MND Staff

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September 19, 2023

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Health Ministry building in Acapulco — The Health Ministry is one of eight government agencies that has moved its headquarters out of Mexico City (to Acapulco, Guerrero), but it is unclear how many of its employees have relocated. (Secretaría de Salud)

The federal government’s ambitious plan to move over 30 ministries and other departments out of Mexico City to various locations around the country mostly remains just that – a plan – five years after it was first proposed.

Just eight of 32 departments slated for relocation have actually moved, the newspaper El Universal reported Monday. The decentralization is only partial or in the very early stages of execution in some of those cases.

Mexico City street — President López Obrador’s plan was to reduce the concentration of government agencies in Mexico City and help catalyze development in other regions. (Jezael Melgoza/Unsplash)

Let’s take a look at the current decentralization situation and revisit the government’s underlying motivations for its plan.

What is (or was) the plan?

Before he took office in late 2018, López Obrador announced a plan to decentralize the federal government by moving numerous departments to different cities across the country, supposedly to ease population pressure in Mexico City and spur development elsewhere.

In a lengthy policy document published before he was sworn in as president, AMLO said that the country’s “exacerbated centralism” – with “practically the entire federal government” and many major businesses in Mexico City – has led to overpopulation in the capital while smaller cities remain underdeveloped, according to a Guardian newspaper report.

AMLO at new IMSS offices in Morelia — The president is seen here at the inauguration of IMSS offices in Morelia, Michoacán in 2019. To date, only 100 workers have been transferred to the new location. (Gob MX)

The president’s office told El Universal that López Obrador’s campaign promise to decentralize the federal government is still expected to be fulfilled during the current six-year term of government, which will conclude on Sept. 30, 2024.

However, the likelihood of that occurring would appear to be very low given the scant progress that has been made to date.

Which departments have actually moved at least part of their operations?

The eight departments that confirmed their partial or total relocation following requests for information submitted by El Universal are:

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat)

One division of Semarnat – the Office of the Deputy Minister for Environmental Policy and Natural Resources – has moved to Mérida, Yucatán, El Universal reported. Semarnat said in late 2021 that six areas of the ministry would move to Mérida by the end of that year.

The Ministry of Welfare (Bienestar)

Bienestar told El Universal that its “activities have now begun” in Oaxaca City.

However, an article published by the Buzos news website in early July described the transfer of the ministry to Oaxaca as “a failure,” noting, among other things, that a security guard advised that it would be better to direct questions about welfare-related matters to Bienestar offices in Mexico City.

The Ministry of Culture (Cultura)

Cultura told El Universal that it is renting an office building in the Tlaxcala municipality of Apetatitlán de Antonio Carvajal, located near the state capital. However, most employees remain in Mexico City.

The newspaper Excélsior reported in early June that the building in Tlaxcala was empty four months after the ministry pledged to transfer at least 180 workers there.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS)

The STPS said that its new headquarters in León, Guanajuato, have been operational since July 31, although the building wasn’t officially inaugurated until the middle of August.

The newspaper El Sol de León reported that the opening of the new office was “part of the first step” of the ministry’s decentralization plan.

The Ministry of Energy (SENER)

SENER told El Universal that its headquarters are still in Mexico City, but added that it now also has offices in Villahermosa, Tabasco. Energy Minister Rocío Nahle deals with energy sector matters including ones related to the new Pemex refinery on the Tabasco coast from the SENER offices in the Gulf coast state, the ministry said.

The Ministry of Health (Salud)

Salud is now based in the Pacific coast resort city of Acapulco, Guerrero. However, the ministry didn’t disclose to El Universal how many employees have actually moved to Acapulco from Mexico City.

Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex)

The state oil company told El Universal that it has completed its transfer to Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, by moving 2,458 employees there from 11 entities around the country. The relocation process occurred over the past four years, it said.

In a report sent to the Senate earlier this year, Pemex cited very different numbers. The company said that 15,730 employees had left Mexico City for different states around the country, including Campeche and Tabasco, where its exploration and production division is based. Pemex said that 88% of its entire workforce is now based outside Mexico City.

The National Water Commission (Conagua)

Conagua took possession of a former Pemex building in Veracruz city in April, but the commission told El Universal that the transfer there is still “in process.”

What about the other government departments slated for relocation?

Nineteen departments told El Universal that their decentralization plans haven’t been acted upon in any meaningful way for a range of reasons, including a lack of resources.

Torre del Mestizaje, Chetumal — This mega-sculpture building in Chetumal, Quintana Roo is slated to become the new national headquarters of the Tourism Ministry. (Shutterstock)

Among those 19 departments are the Ministry of the Economy, which was slated to move to Monterrey, Nuevo León; the National Immigration Institute, which was supposed to relocate to Tijuana, Baja California; the Ministry of Public Administration, which was going to head to Querétaro; and the National Customs Agency, which the federal government planned to move to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.

The Ministry of Tourism said it has a building lined up in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, but a moving date hasn’t been set, while the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport told El Universal that there is a “proposal” for it to occupy a state government building in San Luis Potosí.

Five government departments declined to disclose the status of their decentralization plans to El Universal. Among those departments were the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission, which was slated to move to Mazatlán, Sinaloa; the Ministry of Public Education (Puebla city); and the Mexican Social Security Institute, or IMSS (Morelia, Michoacán).

The newspaper Milenio reported earlier this month that the Education Ministry was still looking for a suitable building for new headquarters in Puebla city. A first group of 100 IMSS workers transferred to Morelia in February, but the institute hasn’t yet established headquarters in the Michoacán capital.

What was the initial reaction to the decentralization plan?

Many government employees promptly expressed their opposition to moving the departments they worked for out of Mexico City.

Gustavo de Hoyos Walther, who was the head of the Mexican Employers’ Federation (Coparmex) in 2018, criticized the decentralization plan and said its costs would be astronomical. (ILSE HUESCA /CUARTOSCURO.COM)

In a letter sent to López Obrador in July 2018, Environment Ministry workers said that moving the department would in many cases break families up because a Semarnat employee would be obliged to move to Mérida whereas his or her partner may have to move to a different state if they work for another ministry that was slated to be relocated.

The employees also said the decision to relocate the ministry failed to take into account the fact that many of them have mortgages, and didn’t consider the education situations of their children, whose schooling could be disrupted.

Employees of other departments including the Culture Ministry and the Health Ministry also opposed López Obrador’s decentralization plan.

In September 2018, the president of the Mexican Employers Federation at the time, Gustavo de Hoyos Walther, said that the decentralization of government departments would be one of the most expensive projects ever undertaken in the history of public administration in Mexico. He estimated a total cost of at least 125 billion pesos (US $7.3 billion at today’s exchange rate). Only a very small fraction of that amount appears to have been spent on the still very much incomplete decentralization plan.

Real estate industry representatives welcomed federal government plans to relocate some of its departments, contending that it would be a boon for the sector. But the decentralization plan so far doesn’t appear to have brought any major economic benefits to the countries’ regional cities.

With just over a year left in office, López Obrador is far more focused on completing public infrastructure projects than moving government departments out of the capital.

Some of those projects, such as the Maya Train railroad, the Tulum airport and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec trade corridor, are helping to fuel strong economic growth in Mexico’s south and southeast.

With reports from El Universal

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What happened to AMLO’s government decentralization plan?

What is (or was) the plan?

Which departments have actually moved at least part of their operations?

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat)

The Ministry of Welfare (Bienestar)

The Ministry of Culture (Cultura)

The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS)

The Ministry of Energy (SENER)

The Ministry of Health (Salud)

Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex)

The National Water Commission (Conagua)

What about the other government departments slated for relocation?

What was the initial reaction to the decentralization plan?