Saturday, August 23, 2025

Stonework reimagined: Querétaro’s Hugo Uribe ushers in a new age for cantera

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A large, light-colored cantera stone sculpture of a crouching gargoyle with outstretched wings, set against a blue sky with some clouds.
A demonic stone-carved creature looks over Hugo Uribe's family cantera sculpture studio in Querétaro. (Hugo Uribe)

Just outside the city of Querétaro lies Escolásticas, a town where the art of stonework is still passed down like a school lesson, from master sculptors to apprentices. 

On a friend’s recommendation, I visited Canteras Querétaro — one of over 300 local workshops — and quickly saw what set it apart: Amid the dust and towering sculptures of archangels, columns and fountains, I met Hugo Uribe, a young engineer, entrepreneur and sculptor blending tradition with technology. 

A Mexican man in his 20s or 30s stands outdoors with his arms crossed in front of his family's cantera artisan workshop, surrounded by diverse examples of their stone craftsmanship, including columns and balustrades.
Hugo Uribe, founder of Canteras Querétaro, learned the art of cantera sculpture years ago at his father’s workshop. But when he came of age, he first chose a tech career at Stallantis. (Karla Parra)

Like the cantera, or quarry stone, his team shapes, Hugo’s story is built on resilience, history and a drive to innovate.

This is the third installment of Hecho en México, a series celebrating the people behind Mexico’s vibrant creative traditions. From weavers and painters to entrepreneurial stoneworkers like Hugo, we explore the traditions, challenges and triumphs that drive Mexico’s artisans to share their talent while preserving Mexico’s rich artistic heritage.

From engineer to artisan entrepreneur

From an early age, Hugo was destined to build more than stone sculptures. 

While his father and uncle carved cantera in Toluca, young Hugo played at being a businessman. In his uncle’s workshop, he’d collect payments from real customers and pretend to invest the money, dreaming up profits and growth just for fun.

Childhood games evolved into a more technical path when, in college, he chose to study metrology, the engineering science of measurement. After graduation, he landed a well-paying job at Stellantis, one of the world’s largest automakers.

One of the several award-winning sculptures made at Canteras Querétaro. (Karla Parra)

“I didn’t know what I wanted,” Hugo admitted. “I was always good at math and physics, and I just knew I wanted something challenging. Easy things put me to sleep.”

Though short on experience, he earned a leadership role in the corporate world by promising discipline, responsibility and honesty. But the so-called dream job didn’t satisfy his entrepreneurial spirit.

“I kept thinking, I have so many projects, so many dreams. I wanted to help my mom, my dad. It was a good salary, enough for me, but not enough to help others. I’ve always loved helping people, even since kindergarten.”

Hugo ended up staying at Stellantis for five years. Meanwhile, his parents moved back to his hometown of Escolásticas, a village of 3,000 where, since the 1950s, residents have mastered the art of cantera sculpting at every stage — from quarrying locally to carving to finishing. With over 60% of the population working in the artisan trade, driving into Escolásticas feels like stepping into an open-air sculpture museum. 

Hugo learned the craft of cantera from his father and uncle, sanding and polishing stone by the time he was six. The work was in his blood, and he pursued it as a hobby, even during his corporate years. 

“When I work with cantera, I never feel the passing of time. I love sculpting, but I love business more — meeting people, building relationships. That’s what drives me.”

Hugo followed his entrepreneurial calling and built a side hustle, selling cantera online on behalf of workshops in Escolásticas. Many of his deals were done in the middle of the night as sleepless customers browsed his products.

“My dreams kept me awake,” he said. “I’d spend hours running numbers, testing ideas. At first, I kept it quiet. I didn’t want people to think I was doing it just because of my dad.”

But the business grew. He tested workshops by giving the same order to four and comparing their quality, reliability and timelines. He narrowed it down to a few he could trust and began placing consistent orders.

In 2020, when the pandemic hit and he was offered a severance package from Stellantis, the choice was clear: It was time to go all in.

Escolásticas, tierra de escultores y artesanos

Hugo’s family studio is located in his hometown of Escolásticas, a village in Querétaro known as “The Land of Cantera” due to the high number of cantera studios there.

Blending tradition with technology

Taking a bold leap of faith, Hugo founded Canteras Querétaro, now one of the region’s most respected workshops. At first, he partnered with local sculptors while he managed sales and marketing. But as the business grew, misaligned visions caused those early partnerships to dissolve.

So he turned to the two people he trusted most: his brother José, a systems engineer with a sharp eye for automation, and his father, a master craftsman with decades of cantera experience. Together, they built something unique: a family-run workshop blending tradition with innovation.

As demand surged during the pandemic, especially with more people investing in home renovations, the team needed to adapt.

“There was little workforce, sales were high and our processes were too slow,” Hugo explained. “And the truth is, fewer people want to do this kind of work.”

Curious about CNC (computer-controlled cutting) technology, Hugo heard about a new machine arriving from China. When the owner wouldn’t let him use it, Hugo offered to fix a problem with the machine, something even expert technicians from Monterrey couldn’t solve. 

Hugo Uribe (left) and his brother José Uribe (right) standing together in their Canteras Querétaro workshop, with sculptures and materials on shelves.
Hugo and José keep 3D-printed molds of their future sculptures in their office. (Karla Parra)

“‘I’ll solve it,’ I told the owner,” he said. “He was skeptical, but for me, there was never such a thing as an obstacle. If you don’t take the leap, you don’t learn.”

So he and José got to work, studying manuals and  rewriting code. Through trial and error, they finally got it running. Impressed, the owner let them use it — and asked Hugo to train his team.

That experience sparked a bigger idea: With some of his severance pay, Hugo traveled to Guadalajara and ordered two CNC machines, despite only having enough money for one.

“We’ll figure it out,” he told his brother. 

They sold two more machines for the manufacturer, used the commission toward their own, and secured a loan for the rest that they owed the manufacturer.

Today, those machines are essential tools in their workshop, alongside newer additions like 3-D printers and digital modeling — thanks to José’s tech expertise. But, as Hugo says, the soul of the work is still human.

“CNC can take a design maybe 40–60% of the way,” he explained. “The rest is craftsmanship — polishing, finishing, adding the detail that gives a piece life.”

For example, they’re currently producing a five-meter mural of galloping horses and a series of San Miguel Arcángel (St. Michael) sculptures. The machines handle the initial form, but it’s human hands (often his father’s) that complete the artistry.

“I’m convinced we shouldn’t lose the tradition of handcrafting,” Hugo told me. “It’s something beautiful, it’s art. But if you want to grow and survive, you simply can’t do everything by hand.”

Hugo Uribe's brother, José, working on a large computer screen with a small laptop inside their family workshop office.
Hugo’s brother, José, on the workshop’s computer. (Karla Parra)

The team’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Canteras Querétaro is currently bidding on a luxury hotel project in Mexico City, poised to be one of the most exclusive in the country.

The team has also earned top honors at local and regional competitions, including a recent cantera sculpture contest that brought together workshops from across the state. Hugo submitted a personal piece he carved in his spare time — a woman that symbolized freedom and abundance, qualities he sees reflected in his craft and his life.

But for Hugo, these milestones are just the beginning. His next big goal is to expand the workshop’s reach by opening dedicated cantera supply stores in Mexico and abroad, spaces that offer not only carved pieces but also raw stone, tools and materials like sealants and moldings.

“Sourcing cantera can be slow and fragmented,” he explained. “If someone urgently needs a specific molding for a construction project, I want them to be able to walk into a store and find it ready to go.” 

Beyond business, Hugo is committed to creating opportunity. Canteras Querétaro partners with Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro, a government program that connects unemployed youth (ages 18-29) with yearlong apprenticeships and paid training.

Hugo also mentors many of the young people who come through the workshop, sharing not just technique, but life lessons. He speaks openly about living free of addictions, a challenge that affects many in the region, and emphasizes the importance of knowing what you want. 

“If you don’t know what you want in life, life will give you whatever, and you won’t be satisfied or in the right place, with the right people, doing what truly matters.” 

His advice: Start by asking yourself what you really want.

A skilled stonemason artisan demonstrating traditional hand-carving techniques on an ornate cantera stone frieze. Around him are other stone pieces in the an outdoor workshop
Hugo’s father, a master cantera artisan, often takes charge of the painstaking decorative flourishes on the sculptures in their Querétaro workshop. (Karla Parra)

A legacy in the making

Hugo attributes the success of his business to prioritizing quality, investing more time and money than competitors to perfect details, especially in realistic features like faces. 

On the personal front, Hugo credits his achievements to fearlessness, a willingness to try anything, and, above all, the support of his family. 

He speaks with deep respect for his parents: his father, from whom he learned the value of hard work, and his mother, who championed education. Together, they instilled values that now shape the family business: growth over jealousy, long-term impact over short-term gain.

“We don’t spend just to spend,” he said. “There’s a dream behind it. It’s a seed we planted. Right now, it’s a medium-sized tree, but the more we water it, the more people it will feed and shade. That’s the goal: to grow a team and through that, be able to help others.”

To learn more about Hugo and the work of Canteras Querétaro, visit www.canterasqro.com or reach out to the team directly at +52 442 675 1945.

Hecho en México is a series written by Karla Parra, a Mexican-American writer born and raised in Mexico. While working on her memoir, Karla writes on Substack about home, creativity, and identity. She also works with the team behind the annual San Miguel Writers’ Conference. You can find her on Instagram @karlaexploradora.

Taste of Mexico: Chayote

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A pile of chayotes
Chayote (Greentology)

When we Mexicans struggle with a situation that seems impossible to handle, we say that we are pariendo chayotes, which can be translated as “giving birth to chayotes.” This expression paints a painful image since one variety of chayote is covered in thorns — definitely not something you’d wish on anyone, even your worst enemy.

Moreover, the chayote, with its delicate and mild flavor, is often underestimated in Mexico and associated with bland hospital food. This reputation is completely undeserved. Few vegetables deserve as much recognition as chayotes.

chayote on a tree
Yeah, ok, it looks weird, but hear me out — the chayote is so good for you. (Ecologia Verde)

Chayote? What are you talking about?

If someone confidently claims that the chayote was domesticated 2,000 or 3,000 years ago, approach this information with skepticism. There is no archaeological or historic record that can confirm when or where it first appeared. What we do know is that the name “chayote” is a distorted version of the Nahuatl word “tzapatliayotli,” which means “spiny squash.”

This vegetable originated in central and southern Mexico. Although it did not attain the cultural significance of corn or beans, it was still valued for its adaptability to various climates and the fact that nearly every part of it can be used.

To date, 365 varieties of chayote have been identified in Mexico and Central America. The most common types include the spiny chayote, the round green variety and the round white variety.

Nutritional information

For many Mexicans, chayote becomes a go-to ingredient when we’re trying to reclaim our summer figures, due to its low calorie content. Composed of around 90% water, a single chayote contains only 40 to 60 calories. Additionally, it is packed with essential minerals and vitamins, including vitamins C, B2, B9, and K, as well as potassium, iron, antioxidants and fiber.

 

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Une publication partagée par Mexico News Daily (@mexiconewsdaily)

Given its impressive nutritional profile, it’s no surprise that chayote is a common choice for hospital meals. However, this may also explain why it’s not very popular in home kitchens. But incorporating chayote into your regular diet can contribute to better health and help reduce the need for frequent doctor visits:

  1. It helps regulate blood sugar levels. Incorporating a salad with nopales and chayote into your diet might just become your new best friend.
  2. Its fiber and water content support healthy digestion in a gentle and tasty way.
  3. Thanks to its potassium content and low sodium levels, chayote is great for managing blood pressure. It also contains compounds that may lower blood lipids and help prevent cardiovascular disease.
  4. It has flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol, along with vitamin C and carotenoids — all of which are powerful antioxidants.
  5. Its diuretic properties help prevent fluid retention and eliminate toxins from the body.
  6. The vitamin B6 content in chayote helps keep your nervous system functioning smoothly.
  7. Quercetin and myricetin, both present in chayote, have anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties.
  8. Chayote is rich in folic acid, which supports healthy fetal development.
  9. While it doesn’t cure cancer, researchers in Mexico have been developing a “super chayote” since 2005, designed to target tumor cells without harming healthy ones. Preliminary studies from Mexico’s National Polytechnic Institute suggest that Mexican chayotes may promote antitumor activity. Once the super chayote hits the market, Mexico News Daily will be the first to let you know.

Okay, okay, okay! But does it actually taste good?

Two glasses of green juice
Chayote adds a superfood kick to your morning juice rituals. (Alex Lvrs/Unsplash)

The flavor is mild and slightly sweet, often described as watery. Its texture is similar to that of zucchini, cucumber, or even a firm potato. This makes it easy to cook and to incorporate into virtually any meal in your regular diet.

  1. You can add chayote to your orange juice, green juice, or even a pineapple smoothie for an extra nutritional boost
  2. Soups, broths, and creams are one of the most traditional ways to incorporate chayote into your meals. You’ll find it in dishes like chicken soup, beef stew, or mole de olla. A standout recipe is chayote cream soup: Sauté onion and garlic until translucent, then add two chopped chayotes and two cups of water. Once the chayote is tender, blend everything together with salt, pepper, and your favorite herbs. I enjoy using basil, but you can get creative with your own herb choices. Serve the soup hot or cold.
  3. Boil, sauté or fry chayote in cubes or strips to serve alongside other vegetables.
  4. Stuff with meat, cheese or vegetables and then bake it in the oven or air fryer.
  5. Think of chayote like a squash. You can use it as a flour substitute to make cakes with chayote purée. Chayote jams are a classic, and compotes made with chayote make for a delightful topping for toast.

The options for using chayote are endless. The key is to include it regularly in your diet so later on, you won’t be in a position of “pariendo chayotes” (struggling) to improve your health. Hope you enjoyed my dad joke!

Now, tell me: Have you eaten chayote? What is your favorite recipe?

María Meléndez is a Mexico City food blogger and influencer.

Lessons on life from seat 2C: A perspective from our CEO

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Travis and Tamanna Bembenek raise styrofoam cups to toast with Luis, an elderly Mexican man, on a plane
A toast in honor of Luis' 90th birthday was the start of a brief but memorable exchange. (Courtesy Travis Bembenek)

Domestic flights in Mexico tend to be spectacularly boring affairs. The airports are always packed, which is a great sign of an expanding and confident middle class. I have written about that fascinating economic indicator before. The weather is usually good in both the departure and arrival cities, so the flights tend to be on time. The planes are usually newer, so there tends to be very few maintenance issues. The flights are relatively short, so they are pretty easy to manage. The flight attendants are usually young and pleasant. And the flights are almost always packed — lots of kids, three-generation families, and in spite of the short flight time, almost everyone buys food from the flight attendants.

A recent flight from León’s BJX to Los Cabos SJD on Volaris ticked all of the boxes of a typical Mexican flight. My wife and I settled into our tiny legroom seats 2A and 2B, with an elderly gentleman already seated in 2C. “I’ll take the middle seat on this one,” I told her. As the flight took off and I was reading MND articles on my phone, the man — Luis from seat 2C — started asking me questions. Where was I from? Where did I live now? Did I like Mexico and Mexicans? I realized I likely would not get much reading done, and so I put my phone down and we started chatting.

Within a few minutes, he said, “I would like to invite you and your wife to have a tequila with me.” I told him that it was not necessary, that I really don’t drink much, and that it was a short flight. “But I would like you to join me in a celebration,” he said. “Tomorrow is my 90th birthday.”

Of course I had to take him up on that. He asked the nearest flight attendant for 3 tequilas en las rocas and we were promptly served. The couple in front of us, not wanting to be left out of the celebration, joined in and ordered tequilas for themselves as well.

Luis further elaborated on his birthday plans. He said he had never been to Los Cabos before, but it was always a dream of his to go there. On this flight, 10 family members were all flying with him to help realize his Cabo dream. He told me that a nephew, currently living in San Diego, California, was flying down to join them. He said that when his nephew found out about the planned trip, he said “I don’t want to miss that party,” and promptly bought a ticket. Luis was clearly touched by the gesture.

Within moments, he began to tell me about his wife. “We were married for 63 years and three months ago she passed away,” he said. “We had 8 children together.” When I proposed a toast to that, he said, “You should always kiss your wife when you do a toast with her.” I kissed my wife’s forehead. “Eso!” he said, smiling.

Luis shared that at his wedding, in the moment they were pronounced man and wife, the crowd started chanting, “Beso! Beso! Beso,” so he kissed his wife on her forehead. “There was no reason to put on a show in front of everyone”, he said with a smile.

He turned to his son-in-law across the aisle and asked if he had a picture of him and his wife on his phone. Of course, he did, and passed the phone over to us. It was of Luis and his wife elegantly dressed up for their 60th wedding anniversary. I asked him what the secret was to such a long and happy marriage. His immediate response: “We danced a lot. We loved to dance … especially to son music.” Having almost the entire family living so close was a big part of it as well, he said. He told me that the picture of their 50th wedding anniversary was even better.

As the plane began to descend and we handed our now empty glasses to the flight attendant, Luis took out a pen and asked me what our names were. I spelled out each of our names and he carefully wrote them directly onto his left hand. “I don’t want to forget you guys,” he said. It was an extremely touching moment. Tears literally started welling up in my eyes.

He asked me if he could ask me one more question, a personal one, to which I responded, “of course.” Luis leaned over and asked, “What faith are you? Are you Catholic?” The question made me smile, as it was one I was asked all of the time 30 years ago when I studied in Guadalajara. No one ever really asks it any more. I told him I was, and that even though my wife is from India, we had a Catholic priest preside over our wedding. “That’s good,” he said. “Faith is important.”

My wife has written about how she thinks the reason so many Mexicans are happy is because they tend to prioritize the 4 F’s: food, family, faith and fun. And in a short 90 minutes of flight time with Luis, that was on full display (with the “food” in this case being tequila!). As the flight landed, Luis, laughing, said “Whoa, that tequila made me a little dizzy as we were descending,” which made everyone around him laugh.

As the flight began taxiing towards the terminal Luis wanted to get up, saying his hip was stiff. The flight attendant came over to him, started saying that he needed to sit down as we were not yet parked at the gate, and then said with a smile, “Actually, it’s ok, no problem sir, you can stay standing.” Luis was anxious and ready to go — it was time to get out and start enjoying his big birthday celebration.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

Is ‘gaming the system’ in Mexico still a good economic solution for US citizens?

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A man in a remote work meeting
The economic tides are changing, and working remotely in Mexico may not be as profitable and secure as once it was, explains Sarah DeVries. (Surface)

Mexico has always been a popular destination with foreign migrants. Indeed, Americans make up the largest immigrant group in the country. It’s easy to see what attracts people here: a vibrant culture, gorgeous natural landscapes, delicious food. And, really, that’s only a fraction of the praises we typically sing.

But there’s another major reason as well, one that I’ve heard said over and over: “I just couldn’t afford to live in the U.S. anymore.”

A digital nomad working on a beach
Is this a fair representation of remote workers in Mexico anymore? (Peggy Anke/Unsplash)

Generations of US economic refugees in Mexico

I’ve most often heard this phrase from retirees. Whereas their monthly Social Security checks would have them living in virtual poverty in the United States, depending on where they are in Mexico, that money stretches just fine.

But retirees aren’t the only ones who have moved to Mexico at least partly as economic refugees. Increasingly, younger people and families with kids have taken the plunge and moved here. This is often couched in the language of “a more relaxed way of life,” or “slowing down and being able to spend time with my kids.” 

The only way you can have a more relaxed way of life, of course, is if you don’t have to work 60 hours a week just to put food on the table.

Economically, there are two major types of permanent and semipermanent immigrants from the north in Mexico.

There are retirees who mostly made their money at a time when a hard worker could, with reasonable effort, get the basics needed to live, plus some. In addition to working hard, labor laws were strong, and jobs with benefits and pensions were the norm. They mostly went to college when you could cover college payments with summer-job wages at McDonald’s. Housing was affordable, and buying a home was a reasonable expectation. This was especially true for college-educated people, but also true for many who’d simply “worked their way up” in their respective industries since high school.

A pickup truck in front of a blue painted house in a stereotypical US suburb
This is maybe not so representative of life in the United States in 2025. (Zachary Keimig/Unsplash)

At least until retirement age, the system worked for many the way it was supposed to.

As a result, those who wanted to were able to “cash out” upon retirement in the U.S. It’s a great deal: Proceeds from U.S. home sales can go quite far to buy or build in Mexico, and savings, pensions and Social Security stretch quite a bit further here than they do in the U.S. Though Mexican prices have been rising, just like they have in the rest of the world, things like healthcare and food are wildly inexpensive by comparison. And, of course, for many other noneconomic reasons, Mexico makes for the perfect retirement place.

I don’t begrudge these folks. They worked hard and are now enjoying the fruits of their labor in retirement, which is how it should be. I do think, however, that they should be able to enjoy retirement just as much in their home countries.

Alas, save for the wealthiest, the U.S. specifically is becoming less affordable by the minute. Thankfully, Mexico is a beautiful, affordable safety net for some well-deserved relaxing.

‘Gaming the system’ is decreasingly an option

But for my own generation of immigrants — younger people, some with families and kids —things are different, and getting different-er, fast. The willingness to work hard has not gone away. The education and skill level, if anything, have increased. But we’re in the unfortunate position of being workers during a time when “working hard” is simply not enough. 

Everyone can control how hard they work. Precious few can control how much they’re charged for basic things like housing. Everyone can apply for jobs they qualify for. No one can force someone to hire them. Another thing we can’t do? Oblige wages to keep up with the cost of living or inflation.

So, as many people my age have discovered, working online and living in Mexico offers a lovely reprieve. Time with your kids. Being able to afford going out to eat. Going to the doctor when you need to without waiting for months, only for insurance to later decide you don’t need the treatment after all, and now you have the choice of either buying it out of pocket or paying your rent.

But you can only “game the system” as long as the system stays stable. And this is not a time of great stability, my friends.

For many younger professional immigrants, including myself, the ability to work online was a godsend. While it hasn’t allowed me to purchase anything extravagant like a house, it has allowed me to comfortably pay rent and raise a kid, which is a lot more than plenty of workers in my home country can say. And while I personally would live in Mexico anyway, many others came, in part, because of this ability to earn good money relative to the cost of living.

Someone holding a bill
Online work is harder to get, thanks to AI and cost-cutting, and earning a solid wage in Mexico is tougher as a result. (Chanhee Lee/Unsplash)

This has generated some friction locally, especially given all the media hype about “digital nomads” during the pandemic. This is understandable. After all, if I were a Mexican just as educated and skilled as my U.S. counterpart, I’d feel resentful of the fact that, because of where I was born, my earning potential was roughly a fourth of theirs, thanks to their access to the U.S. job market. Add to that the norm becoming 100-peso lattes and inaccessible rents thanks to these newcomers and I’d be downright furious. At least they’ve got their families here for support.

But this temporary fix for the unaffordable U.S. economy is, I fear, coming to a close. Those online jobs? Suddenly, they’re not so easy to get, and the economic uncertainty brought on in part by all-over-the-place tariffs means that plenty of companies aren’t eager to do much hiring. Throw AI into the mix, and the situation gets trickier still.

Speaking of AI, it’s become the new bottom in the “race to the bottom” for companies looking to save on labor. AI predictably came for the translation jobs I used to make a living at, and it’s only a matter of time before it comes for what I’m doing now. Some AI experts predict that within only a few years, virtually all jobs that are done “in front of a computer” — that is, white-collar jobs — will be easily done by AI alone.

Whether in the U.S. or Mexico, this is bad news in a system where one must either already have money or earn money in order to get life’s necessities. The disadvantage that U.S. immigrants to Mexico have to Mexicans here, though, is the lack of family support systems that Mexicans rely on.

About a week ago, I was feeling very depressed. The prospect of a promised job contract seemed suddenly shaky, and I was worried, again, the way one might be while standing on a rock in the middle of a river and seeing the other rocks you might hop on to reach land sinking.

But then I went to a café, where I joined our small “foreigners breakfast” group. And it reminded me: I’m not alone. 

We’re not alone, fellow migrants. We can create new systems for ourselves; humans have certainly done it before. We can band together, and we can support each other.

You know, like Mexicans do.

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

A guide to medical tourism in Los Cabos

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A medical device at a Los Cabos hospital
Los Cabos and Baja California Sur offer top medical care at a fraction of the price of treatment at home. Where are the best hospitals for your upcoming procedure? (Jair Lazaro/Unsplash)

Medical tourism is a 100 billion dollar a year industry, one built on the desire for more affordable healthcare and surgery options. The U.S. is the source of most medical tourists, with Thailand and Mexico the two most popular destinations. Each has plenty to recommend it, both in terms of quality and price. Medical services in Mexico are typically about 40% to 60% less than those in the U.S., and those in Thailand can be even cheaper. 

These countries are also known for their picturesque vacation options. As long as you’re already traveling, after all, why not plan a vacation around your medical needs? But Mexico has something Thailand lacks. It’s a lot closer to the U.S., meaning shorter, cheaper flights to popular medical tourism and vacation destinations like Los Cabos.

The Christus Muguerza in Los Cabos
Design illustration of the Christus Muguerza, which will be a major addition to medical tourism in Los Cabos when it opens in 2028. (Christus Muguerza)

What to know about medical tourism in Los Cabos

Los Cabos is an emerging medical tourism powerhouse, with several high-quality hospitals and clinics, and more on the way. Ground was just broken in April for a new Christus Muguerza hospital in the Tourist Corridor, midway between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. This state-of-the-art 450,000 square foot facility will offer services from doctors and clinicians representing about 30 different medical specialties. When open, it’ll be one of several appealing Tourist Corridor options, joining established hospitals like Blue Net, Hospiten, and H+, with even more found in the cape cities themselves.

“There’s a huge opportunity for medical tourism in Cabo,” notes Raúl Rivas, Director General of Blue Net Hospitals. However, “if you ask 10 different people about medical tourism in Los Cabos, you’ll get 10 different answers.” Which is to say, there’s no road map for patients seeking the best and most affordable treatments, and no customer service agency to help them if they’re dissatisfied. 

Thus, it’s incumbent upon patients to ensure they’re doing the proper research beforehand. Rivas recommends that patients meet their doctors and visit hospital facilities to ensure they’re comfortable with the quality of service they’re going to receive, and confirm that their doctors are properly licensed. 

It’s also important to consider the issue of insurance and what you need to do to get reimbursed beyond your deductible. If your domestic healthcare insurer doesn’t cover the surgery you’re seeking outside the U.S., you may want to purchase some sort of supplemental insurance. You should also think about what you’re going to do if something goes wrong. Los Cabos offers very good healthcare, but there’s always a risk when it comes to major surgeries, no matter how skilled the operating team. 

Notable hospitals and facilities in Los Cabos

An annual report in 2022 by the Baja California Sur Ministry of Health listed no less than 34 healthcare facilities in Los Cabos, the most notable of which, for medical tourism purposes, include the aforementioned:

Blue Net Hospital

A doctor performs a septoplasty surgery at Blue Net Hospital in Los Cabos. (Blue Net Hospitals)
  • Location: Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 6.3, Cabo Bello, Tourist Corridor
  • Facilities include: 24/7 emergency services, intensive care units for adults and children, advanced operating rooms, a comprehensive imaging center with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, clinical laboratory services, a dialysis center, and more
  • Specialties include: bariatric surgery, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, oncology and chemotherapy, orthopedics and traumatology, plastic and cosmetic surgery
  • Notable for: Official healthcare provider during the G20 Summit in 2012

H+ Hospital

H+ Hospital in Los Cabos
H+ offers ultra-modern medical technology at affordable prices. (H+ Hospital)
  • Location: Koral Center, Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 24.5, Tourist Corridor
  • Facilities include: 16 single patient rooms, three fully-equipped operating rooms and specialized delivery rooms, intensive care unit, endoscopic procedural room with advanced equipment, comprehensive radiology and imaging department featuring the latest technology, including MRI, CT scanner, ultrasonography, digital radiology, mammography, and digital fluoroscopy, the only private blood bank in Los Cabos and Baja California Sur
  • Specialties include: Over 100 affiliated specialists
  • Notable for: Cutting-edge diagnostic imaging equipment 

Hospiten

Hospiten has opened medical facilities in San José del Cabo and just outside Cabo San Lucas in recent years. (Hospiten)
  • Location: Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 0.5, El Tezal, Tourist Corridor; and Paseo de las Misiones 266, San José del Cabo
  • Facilities include: two state-of-the-art operating rooms, emergency room, birthing room with advanced maternal-fetal monitoring, catheterization laboratory, clinical laboratory with advanced diagnostic capabilities, comprehensive imaging department with MRI, CT scanning, 3D-4D ultrasound, and X-ray capabilities
  • Specialties include: cardiology and interventional cardiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopedic surgery, plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic surgery, dermatology, ENT, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and pediatric cardiology, urology, and more
  • Notable for: Maintains upwards of 20 hospitals across several countries, including the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and Spain.

Naturally, not all local hospitals offer the same quality of care. For instance, I have omitted St. Luke’s Hospital in Cabo San Lucas from this list due to the number of complaints lodged for a wide array of issues, which ultimately caused the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico to issue a health alert.   

How much cheaper are surgeries in Mexico? 

The appeal of Los Cabos isn’t just its resorts, spas, beaches, and opportunities for outdoor adventure, although of course those contribute to its popularity as a vacation destination, and provide plenty to do for those awaiting treatments or recovering from surgeries. It’s also the prices. The average cost of a heart bypass surgery in the U.S. is about US $127,000. In Mexico, the average price of the same operation is $27,000. Joint replacements are even more popular, and here, too, the savings are significant. A hip replacement in the U.S. will run you $40,000, a knee replacement $35,000. Meanwhile, in Mexico, the same operations go for $12,500 and $10,500, respectively.

Plastic surgeries, another favorite for medical tourists in Los Cabos, also offer significant savings. For example, a facelift is typically less than half the price in Mexico than it would be in the U.S. (US $4,250 here versus $11,000 there), while rhinoplasties offer even steeper discounts ($2,800 compared to $12,000). Lasik eye surgeries also provide value, as they’re about $4,000 in the U.S. and only $1,900 in Mexico.

What to know about billing

Again, these are average prices. You’ll want to get a written estimate of the cost of any proposed procedures beforehand. The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico are a good resource, both for a list of preferred hospitals in Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo and as an ally if you later have any disputes with your chosen healthcare provider. Understand, though, that you will likely be expected to pay for services upfront.

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.

MND Tutor | Tianguis

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Welcome to MND Tutor! This interactive learning tool is designed to help you improve your Spanish by exploring real news articles from Mexico News Daily. Instead of just memorizing vocabulary lists or grammar rules, you’ll dive into authentic stories about Mexican culture, current events and daily life… What better way to learn Spanish?

Anyone who has been to Mexico before knows that the country is famous for its vibrant markets, selling everything from vintage furniture to fresh produce. Shopping here is a delight and has been an important part of Mexican culture for centuries.

Mexico News Daily’s Andrea Fischer explains why she still chooses to shop the traditional way, even in a world of Walmarts and express deliveries.


Let us know how you did!

The MND Quiz of the Week: June 28th

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News quiz
(Mexico News Daily)

What's been going on in the news this week? Our weekly quiz is here to keep you on top of what’s happening in Mexico.

Get informed, stay smart.

Are you ready?  Let’s see where you rank vs. our expert community!

Which Mexican stadium was recently named "best concert venue in the world"?

5000 people gathered in Mexico City's Zocaló last weekend to create what?

The Mexican Senate has unanimously voted to ban what from the country?

Ford is celebrating a milestone in Mexico this year. What is it?

Which Hollywood director is currently in Mexico City to promote his new "Labyrinth" exhibition?

President Claudia Sheinbaum celebrated her birthday this week. How old is she?

A new bridge is set to open at which U.S.-Mexico border crossing?

Which Mexican city is celebrating it's annual carnival this week?

Mexican open water swimmer David Olvera has just set a new Guinness World Record. What for?

Which Mexican bank has this week been accused of money laundering by the United States?

Street protests in the capital: A timeless feature of life in Mexico

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Multicolored tents in the Zócalo
The tent city that covered Mexico CIty's Zócalo in May and early June was not the first and won't be the last. Street protest is a time-honored, though often disruptive, feature of Mexico CIty life. (All photos by Peter Davies).

I’m a teacher, I chose to be one. I’m a mom and a daughter. Do you think I would leave what I love the most to come here to fight without a reason? 

— Words on a placard affixed to a tarpaulin shelter at the CNTE teachers’ union protest camp in the historic center of Mexico City.


A tent city spreads across the Zócalo, the political and cultural heart of Mexico, and for more than three weeks in May and June the site of a massive teachers’ sit-in. Just off Mexico City’s main square a stench emanates from a row of portable toilets, an olfactory indication of just one of the hardships of extended protest.

A group of young men partially block Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City’s most famous boulevard, after having traveled almost 1,000 kilometers to the capital from the southern state of Chiapas, where their teachers’ college classmate was allegedly shot dead by state police.

wrpds on cloth at a protest
This statement, given in English in the introduction to this article, is an eloquent answer to the oft-repeated question to protesting teachers: “Why aren’t you in the classroom?”

Protest is a constant in Mexico City, the seat of the federal government and thus a focal point for angry, disgruntled and dissatisfied citizens from around the country. As the National Palace — the seat of executive power and now the president’s residence as well — is located opposite the Zócalo, the central square is the most popular place for demonstrations, and many protest marches end there after commencing in other central parts of the capital.

Every day, early in the morning, the Mexico City government publishes a roundup of the protests it knows will take place that day. It often lists 10 or more, but inevitably fails to mention them all.

That’s no surprise given that there are around 3,000 protests and road blockades annually in Mexico City, according to the city government, equating to an average of more than eight organized expressions of disgruntlement every single day of the year. Indeed, protests are as much a part of the fabric of life in the capital as taco stands and traffic-clogged streets.

Of course, marches and street blockades don’t make traffic flow any easier, but rather add to the frustrations of the millions of daily motorists and public transport users in the greater Mexico City area.

The snarling of traffic is just one of the ways that protests disrupt everyday life in the capital.

But given the frequency with which they occur, many residents reluctantly accept them — what else can they do? — as just another unavoidable tax on their time, and in some cases, on their income as well.

informal puestos in the Zócalo.
The Zócalo is often the focal point of Mexico CIty social life, but it is also the common destination of protest marches through the streets. Sometimes it serves as both at once.

One day of protest in Mexico City 

On the morning of Friday June 6, I caught the metro into the historic center of Mexico City and walked over to the Zócalo, where thousands of teachers from various states around Mexico had been sleeping in tents since May 15. That Friday turned out to be the final day of the CNTE teachers’ union sit-in, as the many maestros who descended on the central square in May to express their various grievances finally packed up their tents on Saturday June 7 and left, without their demands having been met, but vowing to continue to fight.

I spoke to a number of teachers, who enumerated their complaints, chief among which is their vehement discontent with the 2007 ISSSTE Law, which changed their pension system and will leave them — they say — considerably worse off in retirement. Their anger with President Claudia Sheinbaum — who during the 2024 presidential election campaign pledged on numerous occasions to repeal the 2007 ISSSTE Law — was palpable.

My visit to the teachers’ protest camp came the morning after a group of CNTE members broke into the Mexico City headquarters of the rival SNTE teachers’ union, set a fire alight in the building and carried out other acts of vandalism. During their lengthy stay in Mexico City, some CNTE-affiliated teachers used other violent tactics as they sought to get their message across. On May 21, for example, CNTE members allegedly attacked journalists who were trying to get into the National Palace to attend Sheinbaum’s morning press conference. Earlier this month, a group of teachers vandalized the headquarters of the federal Interior Ministry.

A faction of the CNTE from Guerrero is especially known for being radical. But on June 6, all the teachers I met from that state, and others, were polite, friendly, soft-spoken and even shy in some cases.

They spoke about their concerns that they won’t have enough money in their retirement. They told me about the difficulties they face now to support themselves and their families on monthly salaries of just 5,000 to 7,000 pesos (US $265-$370) after tax and other deductions (including union dues). They complained about their inability to access medical treatments at public healthcare facilities that their ISSSTE health insurance is supposed to cover. And they spoke about their overwhelming disappointment with Sheinbaum, who was supported by teachers — including CNTE members — in large numbers at last year’s presidential election.

All the teachers I spoke to were clear with their convictions and steadfastly committed to their collective cause.

group of teachers standing around
The CNTE is the more radical of the two major Mexican teachers unions. Its name is practically synonymous with street protests.

But they did not deny that they had faced a range of challenges camping out in the Zócalo for three weeks during the annual rainy season: smelly and dirty toilets, no ready access to showering facilities, leaky tents, difficulty maintaining a healthy and balanced diet.

A couple from the Montaña region of Guerrero spoke about missing their young children, who they left with relatives to join the Mexico City protest.

Despite the hardships, the protesting CNTE teachers’ union members believe that their struggle is worth it, that they have to stand up for what they know is right. They believe — they know — they have to resist.

Of course, they are not alone in thinking that way — not in Mexico, not in the world. The recent protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles, and the “No Kings” protests on June 14, captured the zeitgeist of millions in the United States, providing one example of discontent about countless issues around the world.

In Mexico City’s central core, disaffection is on display in a variety of ways.

After I left the Zócalo on the first Friday in June, I walked to the Alameda Central, the large public park adjacent to the striking orange and yellow-domed Palace of Fine Arts. Lining the sidewalk at the park’s perimeter were female vendors, their various wares laid out next to or below posters and banners denouncing “economic violence” against women.

jewelry puesto
Women are as likely to march as men, and some protests are exclusively for women. Here, “self-managed” women deplore “economic violence.”

On boarding in front of the Benito Juárez Hemicycle — erected to protect the monument from vandalism by passing protesters — art calling for a “stop to the genocide” in Palestine and describing and depicting Donald Trump as a “colonialist, genocidal, coup-plotting pig” was on display. When I got to the intersection of avenues Júarez and Balderas, I saw a protest march approaching — judicial workers calling for a pay rise.

After passing countless protest messages scrawled on walls and the facades of buildings, I reached the intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and Insurgentes Avenue, Mexico City’s longest street. A huge banner accusing Chiapas Governor Eduardo Ramírez of being a “murderer of students” greeted me.

I approached a group of young men and asked them exactly what they were protesting. Their classmate, 22-year-old Jesús Alaín, who had almost completed his studies to become a primary school teacher, was shot dead by state police during a protest in Tuxtla Gutiérrez on May 15, they told me. Have any police officers been arrested? None, they said.

The young normalistas, as students that attend teacher training colleges called Escuelas Normales are known, had been camping at the Paseo de la Reforma-Insurgentes intersection for four days when I spoke to them. They said that authorities hadn’t made any serious attempt to dislodge them, but neither had they granted their requests to discuss the contested circumstances of the alleged murder in Tuxtla.

Unsurprisingly, the still-grieving young men want justice for their deceased classmate and friend, who will never get the opportunity to teach this generation, or any generation, of chiapaneco children as a fully qualified teacher.

In a country with sky-high levels of impunity, clamoring for justice is an unfortunate reality for millions of other Mexicans as well.

banner on city street
Teachers college students from the southern state of Chiapas came to Mexico City to protest the killing of one of their classmates by state police.

A short history of protest in Mexico City 

Protest in its various forms — some of them extremely violent — dates back hundreds if not thousands of years. The Peasants’ Revolt in England in the late 14th century. The Evil May Day xenophobic riot in London in 1517. The Boston Tea Party in 1773.

In Mexico, there were Indigenous uprisings during the Spanish colonial period, a riot in Mexico City in 1692 due to food shortages and racial resentment, and a groundswell of discontent that led to a revolt against Spanish rule in the Mexican War of Independence.

In the early 20th century, there was significant unrest as Porfirio Díaz’s already long-running presidency continued. Examples of this included the Cananea strike in Sonora in 1906, in which Mexican copper miners protested against poor working conditions and salaries that were lower than those received by their American colleagues, and the Río Blanco textile workers’ strike in Veracruz the following year. There was significant violence linked to both strikes.

A few years later, Díaz’s fraudulent re-election in 1910 was the catalyst for the commencement of the Mexican Revolution.

In the second half of the 20th century, student protesters were violently repressed — and killed — by government forces controlled by the-then ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI.

On October 2, 1968, just 10 days before the start of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, the military opened fire on student protesters in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in the Tlatelolco neighborhood of the capital, killing hundreds.

Less than three years later, another state-sponsored massacre of student demonstrators occurred in Mexico City. Known as “El Halconazo” (The Hawk Strike), as it was perpetrated by a government-trained paramilitary group called Los Halcones, the massacre claimed the lives of scores of students on June 10, 1971. It is briefly depicted in the award-winning 2018 film Roma.

Both the Tlatelolco massacre and El Halconazo (also known as the Corpus Christi massacre) are considered part of the Mexican Dirty War, an internal conflict from the 1960s to the 1980s in which successive PRI governments violently repressed left-wing student and guerrilla groups.

During this period, students and many other Mexicans participated in countless demonstrations against PRI authoritarianism. The students who participated in the 1968 protests had a range of demands, including the release of political prisoners and compensation for victims of police brutality and other state-sponsored repression. A march from Tlatelolco to the Zócalo commemorating those who lost their lives in 1968 takes place annually on Oct. 2.

Hemiciclo with fence in front
The Hemiciclo honoring Benito Juárez has been such a popular gathering spot for marchers that authorities often board off access during protests. Pro-Palestinian activists recently took advantage by using the barrier to display their message.

In the first quarter of the 21st century, protest has remained a major facet of life in Mexico City.

Perhaps the most prominent protest movement of the first decade of the century was that led by Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) after his defeat at what he claimed was a fraudulent presidential election in 2006. AMLO led huge rallies in the Zócalo after the election won by Felipe Calderón, and set up a protest camp that extended kilometers down Paseo de la Reforma and remained in place for almost seven weeks.

He even had himself sworn in as Mexico’s “legitimate president” during a ceremony in the Zócalo in November 2006.

“The losing leftist candidate for president swore himself in on Monday as ‘the legitimate president of Mexico’ before a huge crowd of his avid fans, ignoring rulings by federal electoral authorities and the courts that he narrowly lost the election last July,” The New York Times reported at the time.

The following decade, massive protests broke out in Mexico City, and other parts of the country, after the disappearance of 43 students in Iguala, Guerrero, on Sept. 26, 2014.

Hundreds of thousands of people descended on the historic center of the capital during a series of protest marches in late 2014 that called for the ouster of then-president Enrique Peña Nieto. “Fue el estado” (It was the state) and “Vivos se los llevaron, vivos los queremos” (They were taken alive, we want them back alive) became national catchphrases. In the almost 11 years since the 43 young men disappeared, large numbers of Mexicans, including the parents of the abducted and presumably murdered students, have continued to protest, including on the 10th anniversary of the still unresolved crime.

Among the other large protests that have taken place in Mexico City in recent years are ones led by Mexico’s madres buscadoras, or searching mothers; marches every year on International Women’s Day; an anti-AMLO camp in the Zócalo; and demonstrations in defense of the National Electoral Institute.

While most protests are peaceful, some are marred by violence, usually perpetrated by a minority of protesters. Some protesters use very different techniques to attract attention to their cause, such as farmers from Veracruz who, in years gone by, bared (almost) all on numerous occasions while in Mexico City.

While Mexico City draws protesters from around the country, there are also a lot of smaller protests revolving around local issues in the capital, as is the case with residents of the Benito Juárez borough fighting to save a 115-year-old laurel tree known as “Laureano.”

A view of the Mexico City cathedral from the zocalo, with protest tents pitched in the foreground
The Zócalo isn’t destination for protests in Mexico City. Smaller demonstrations routinely pop up all around the metropolis.

All protests, whether big or small, are guaranteed by the Mexican Constitution, which states that “the right to peacefully associate or assemble for any licit purpose cannot be restricted.”

It also states that “only citizens of the Republic may take part in the political affairs of the country,” meaning that foreigners are officially barred from participating in political protests.

Of course many of the protests in Mexico City and elsewhere fail to achieve their aims. The CNTE teachers haven’t yet gotten what they want. No one has been convicted of involvement in the abduction and murder of the 43 Ayotzinapa students. Peña Nieto wasn’t forced out of office before the completion of his six-year term.

But even so, to protest is to do something; to not accept the status quo; to defy a feeling of helplessness; to demonstrate opposition; to resist.

In the words of Martin Luther King: “Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.”

Permanent protest: Mexico City’s ‘anti-monuments’ 

Whether as sit-ins, hunger strikes, marches or the signing of petitions — to name just four — protest, as noted above, comes in various forms.

In Mexico City, there is a form of permanent, defiant and (almost) unmovable protest as well: the “anti-monument.”

There are a number of these antimonumentos — essentially sculptures of various kinds — in the capital, most prominently on Paseo de la Reforma.

An anti-monument calling for justice for the 43 abducted students. An anti-monument denouncing the 1971 “Halconazo.” An anti-monument inscribed with the message “No more femicides.” And various others.

monument to the 43 missing students
A recent innovation in protest strategies are the “anti-monuments,” such as this street sculpture reminding the world that the case of the 43 abducted Guerrero teachers college students, a subject of protests for more than a decade, is still unresolved.

The Mexico City anti-monuments “aren’t just a protest,” The Washington Post reported in 2024.

“Mexico’s leaders have long tried to control the historical narrative to legitimize their rule — from the Mexican-American War of the 1840s to the Revolution starting in 1910. Now, a movement of artists, grieving families and feminists is trying to wrest that narrative away.”

Disruptions and the financial cost of protests 

At their heart, protests are about people — their grievances, their demands, their heartbreak, their quest for justice. While authorities are often the primary target of protesters’ frustration and anger, the residents of Mexico City frequently become collateral damage.

Motorists and public transit users, as mentioned above, are among the capital-dwellers who are affected the most.

“What is the most frustrating thing about the traffic,” a Televisa reporter recently asked a taxi driver in Mexico City, a metropolis ranked as the “most congested” city in the world on the 2025 Tom Tom traffic index.

“The marches, when they close [streets],” he responded, adding that traffic congestion at such times becomes “unbearable.”

A street sculpture in the shape of a V
An anti-monument remembering the 1971 “Halconazo,” when authorities sent paramilitaries into the streets to kill suspected leftists, as dramatized in Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón’s award-winning film, Roma.

With their camp at the intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and Avenida Insurgentes, the protesting normalistas from Chiapas prevented buses running on Line 1 of the Metrobús system from continuing on their normal route. Much to their annoyance, passengers traveling to the north or south of the city along Line 1 were forced to alight and walk a considerable distance to the next stop on the other side of the protest.

Back in the historic center of the capital, business owners incurred losses of 250 million pesos (US $13 million) due to lost sales during the three weeks of the CNTE teachers sit-in, according to an estimate from the Mexico City chapter of the National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Canaco).

In a shopping plaza opposite the Zócalo that is filled with jewelry stores, several business owners and employees told me that their sales had declined while the teachers were camping out. They cited drop-offs in sales ranging between 50% and 80%.

The presence of the teachers’ camp is a “great annoyance,” one jewelry store owner told me, explaining that the area around the Zócalo is not such a pleasant place to visit or shop when tents fill the square as well as nearby streets and sidewalks. Tourists hoping to stroll around the large square while taking in nearby sites including the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace were simply unable to do so in the second half of May and early June.

The Mexico City Zócalo filled with the tents of protesters
Though the CNTE teachers’ most recent Zócalo occupation ended in early June, Mexico’s legacy of social resistance guarantees that there will be more to come.

According to Canaco president Vicente Gutiérrez Camposeco, almost 17,000 businesses were affected by the CNTE protest. He explained that restaurants, hotels and stores were among those that suffered during the 23-day period the teachers remained in the Mexico City downtown.

While the CNTE union members no longer occupy the Zócalo, protests in the central square, and indeed all over this sprawling capital city, will in all likelihood remain an ongoing recurrence as long as humans continue to live here.

Being held up by one — as will inevitably happen if you spend any length of time in the capital — is a Mexico City experience every bit as authentic as chowing down on a plate of tacos al pastor, floating through the canals of Xochimilco on a trajinera or watching the lucha libre with thousands of other michelada-guzzling fans.

Text and photographs by Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

Money of CIBanco and Intercam clients is ‘absolutely’ safe, officials say: Friday’s mañanera recapped

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President Claudia Sheinbaum at the podium of her morning press conference
The ramifications of recent U.S. sanctions on Mexican banks and the fight against money laundering were top themes at Friday's morning presser. (Presidencia)

Mexico’s finance minister attended President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Friday morning press conference to speak about the government’s administrative takeover of three Mexican financial institutions that the United States government this week accused of laundering millions of dollars for drug cartels.

During her Q&A session with reporters, Sheinbaum made the argument that the U.S. government shouldn’t just focus on Mexico in the fight against narcotics, but address issues in its own backyard as well.

The money of CIBanco and Intercam account holders is ‘absolutely’ safe, says finance minister 

Early in the press conference, Finance Minister Edgar Amador Zamora spoke about the decision of the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) to decree “temporary managerial interventions” at the Mexican banks CIBanco and Intercam and the Mexican brokerage firm Vector.

The move came after the United States Department of the Treasury accused the three financial institutions of laundering millions of dollars for drug cartels involved in the trafficking of fentanyl and other narcotics to the U.S.

Due to the money laundering concerns, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network prohibited certain transactions between U.S. banks and CIBanco, Intercam and Vector, all of which denied the accusations against them.

Amador said that after the close of financial markets on Wednesday, “it was found that the lines of financing for these three entities had problems.”

“With the aim of avoiding this situation and in a preventive way, the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, the Bank of Mexico, the Institute for the Protection of Bank Savings and the National Banking and Securities Commission decided to carry out a temporary intervention in the management of these institutions,” he said.

The aim, Amador clarified, was to “ensure there were no interruptions in the banking system and to look after, in a preventive way as well, the savings of the clients of these institutions.”

“The Mexican banking system hasn’t experienced any interruption, it’s operating normally and it remains one of the strongest internationally,” the finance minister said.

“… The exchange rate has remained stable, in a range between 18.85 [pesos to the US dollar] and 18.95,” he added.

Amador said that the managerial interventions at the three financial institutions “provide certainty to savers and investors.”

Later in the press conference, a reporter asked the finance minister what it means to have “problems in the lines of financing.”

Mexican Finance Minister Edgar Amador stands a podium
Finance Minister Amador declined to elaborate on financing problems facing Vector, CIBanco and Intercam. (Presidencia)

“Banks, like any business, also need lines of financing. There were some problems in the lines of financing for these financial institutions,” Amador said without going into further detail.

The three financial institutions’ capacity to access credit was presumably diminished as a result of the United States’ government accusing them of money laundering. On Friday, S&P Global lowered CIBanco’s credit rating.

Amador said that CIBanco, Intercam and Vector together hold less than 1% of “deposits in the banking system” in Mexico.

Nevertheless, “we didn’t want to take risks,” he said.

“The important thing is to protect savers, protect the integrity of the financial system,” Amador said.

Asked whether the money of account holders is safe, the finance minister responded, “Absolutely.”

Mexican government takes control of two Mexican banks facing US sanctions

Asked how long the managerial interventions would last, Amador responded:

“It’s a temporary intervention, only managerial, … to ensure that all liquidity conditions function normally. And we’re going to be assessing [the situation] and at the time it is considered appropriate to restore the original conditions, we’ll do so. But there is not a defined period.”

Amador said there would be no additional temporary government takeovers of Mexican financial institutions.

“They’re the only ones. And [this is] very important: It’s a very small scale,” he said before reiterating that CIBanco, Intercam and Vector hold less than 1% of deposits in Mexico.

Sheinbaum: ‘The issue is that the greatest demand for drugs is in the United States’

A reporter asked the president whether she considered the United States “measures” against CIBanco, Intercam and Vector — including the ban on U.S. banks completing transactions with them — were “fair.”

“For example,” the reporter continued, “United States banks that confessed in recent years that they have links to money laundering only received reprimands or fines from the United States government.”

President Sheinbaum stands on stage at her morning press conference in front of an audience full of reporters
Sheinbaum described the fight against drug trafficking and money laundering as a mutual responsibility with the U.S. (Presidencia)

Sheinbaum — who on Thursday said that the Treasury Department hadn’t provided any proof that CIBanco, Intercam and Vector were involved in money laundering — said that her government has raised the issue of fairness with relation to sanctions with the U.S. government.

“There is this idea that that problem of drug trafficking is an issue for Mexico,” she added.

“Of course we have to attend to what corresponds to us, and we are doing that, but the issue is that the greatest demand for drugs is in the United States,” Sheinbaum said.

She said that the United States shouldn’t just respond to the drug problem “with security measures” (such as by deploying troops to the U.S.-Mexico border), but also by “attending to young people and the people who have addictions.”

The United States needs to stop “more people from turning to drugs,” Sheinbaum said.

“… Drugs are sold on the other side [of the border]. Where is fentanyl sold? In the United States, in the cities of the United States,” she said.

The United States “also has the obligation to investigate and the obligation to stop the … weapons that come to Mexico from the United States. … It’s a reciprocal issue. It’s not just about the Department of the Treasury investigating banks in Mexico, but also about what’s happening there, what’s happening in the United States, and they are obliged to investigate,” Sheinbaum said.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

Mexican open-water swimmer David Olvera sets world record for fastest lap around Manhattan Island

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Mexican open water swimmer David Olvera stands on a boat in front of Manhattan Island in a swim suit, waving a Mexican flag
The San Luis Potosí native beat the previous record by almost seven minutes. (David Olvera/Instagram)

Mexican open-water swimmer David Olvera has completed a swim around Manhattan Island in 5 hours, 34 minutes and 58 seconds — an unofficial world record that would surpass the previous mark by nearly seven minutes.

Olvera, 31, from Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosí, finished the 48.5-kilometer (30.1-mile) course Thursday morning, according to New York Open Water, a nonprofit that provides safety, support and funding for open-water swimming and kayaking events and competitions.


“Huge congratulations to David Olvera 🇲🇽, who powered through the night to set a new Manhattan 20 Bridges record!” New York Open Water posted on Facebook. “David crushed the previous mark of 5:41:48, touching the finish in an unofficial 5:34:58 — nearly seven minutes faster! What a fast and phenomenal swim.”

The swim is nicknamed “20 Bridges” for the number of bridges it goes under; not surprisingly, a double loop around Manhattan is called “40 Bridges.”

And, as Facebook user Alex Arevalo trumpeted in a comment on the N.Y. Open Water post, “Now both the 20B and the 40B records reside in México!”

Indeed, the “Fastest double circumnavigation swim around Manhattan Island” — at least the one certified by Guinness World Records — was set by Mexican Jaime Lomelín Gavaldón on July 5, 2023 …. at age 60! His time was 19 hours, 25 minutes and 1 second.

A map of Manhattan showing the route of the 20 Bridges swim
The 20 Bridges swim is a challenging open water route stretching 48.5 kilometers. (NY Open Water)

Olvera’s 20 Bridges swim this week broke the previous record set by Andrew Donaldson of the United Kingdom on Sept. 19, 2024.

Though Donaldson’s record is recognized by Guinness, the record-keeper has yet to ratify Olvera’s time. However, Rondi Davies, president of N.Y. Open Water, wrote in an email that it’s fully expected that Olvera’s time “will be accepted and published” by Guinness World Records.

In a post on Facebook, Donaldson referred to Olvera’s swim as “a thrilling one to follow” and “blisteringly quick.”

“Huge congrats David and your team on an outstanding performance,” he added. “A truly inspiring swim.”

The route around Manhattan Island is considered one of the world’s most challenging urban open water swims, with competitors contending with cold temperatures and strong currents.

Olvera said his preparation included 14-hour continuous swims in a pool and 10-hour sessions against the current in Mexico’s Huasteca Potosina region, an area in the state of San Luis Potosí known for its lush jungles, turquoise waterfalls, rivers, caves and canyons.

 

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A post shared by David Olvera (@thefreezewiz)

In a post on Instagram after setting the record, Olvera wrote in Spanish: “All week I felt something different inside me. A calm, a deep instinct … as if I already knew that the only thing I could control, I had already done.

“After so many failed attempts, I finally did it. I hope you can feel the happiness that floods me right now. I’m a boy from a small town. For years, my mind was my worst enemy. It took me a long time to grow, to change, to create that unbreakable mindset. But I did it.”

Olvera has over 15 years of experience as a high-performance swimmer and used to work as an advanced instructor for Wim Hof Method, a wellness technique/breathing method.

He said his next goal is to swim from Isla Mujeres to Cozumel, a distance of approximately 83 kilometers (51.6 miles).

With reports from La Jornada, TresPM and LatinUS