Nuevo León Governor Samuel García (right) with Tesla CEO Elon Musk when the initial announcement was made in March. (Samuel García/X)
Nuevo León Governor Samuel García said Monday that Tesla and its suppliers will invest US $15 billion in a gigafactory project in the northern border state, an amount triple the figure previously cited by the federal government.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced in March that the electric vehicle manufacturer would build a new gigafactory in Santa Catarina, a municipality just west of Monterrey that borders Coahuila. As of last week, the Austin-based company hadn’t obtained any of the permits it requires to build and operate the facility.
Rendering of the planned Tesla gigafactory in Nuevo León. (Tesla)
Speaking at an event at the La Huasteca park in Santa Catarina, García said that the Tesla factory would be much bigger than originally thought.
“The plant that we announced in March – erase it from the map. It looks like it will be twice as big,” he said.
“Tesla and its suppliers are going to generate US $15 billion of investment in two years,” García said.
“It’s an enormous amount in a very short time,” he added. García didn’t specify whether any of the $15 billion amount would go to the construction of separate facilities operated by Tesla suppliers.
A Tesla factory assembly line. (Tesla)
Tesla itself hasn’t said how much it plans to invest in Nuevo León, which has a short border with Texas in the municipality of Anáhuac.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Martha Delgado said in March that the company would invest more than US $5 billion in the gigafactory and that it would employ up to 6,000 people. An unnamed Reuters source with knowledge of Tesla’s plans said at the same time that total spending could reach $10 billion, a figure that was also cited by Santa Catarina Mayor Jesús Nava.
García said Monday that authorities would be obliged to improve infrastructure in Nuevo León, such as highways and the water system, in response to Tesla’s investment. He also said security would have have to be ramped up.
It is unclear when the gigafactory – which is slated to use recycled water – will begin operations, but it appears unlikely to be finished before late 2026.
The new outlet is now the largest luxury mall in Latin America, and expects to bring in 90,000 visitors per day. (Grand Outlet Riviera Maya)
The Grand Outlet Riviera Maya, the largest luxury outlet mall in Latin America, reported drawing some 6,000 visitors a day since its opening on Aug. 31.
Located near the beach opposite Moon Palace hotel and eight miles from Cancún International Airport, the Grand Outlet will serve as a major al fresco lifestyle destination combining shopping, dining and entertainment for the whole family.
In addition to its 185 stores and restaurants, GO’s complex has an ice rink, an amusement park, a 7,500-seat auditorium, an aquarium, a mini golf course, and a go-kart track. (Grand Outlet Riviera Maya)
“We’ve been open for a week,” the General Operations manager Vladimir Maylén told newspaper La Jornada Maya. “In the first four days, the average attendance ranged between 6,500 to 7,000 people a day,” he said, while adding that it has been an “exciting” start of the project.
Developed by GICSA, a real estate development group based in Mexico that has opened malls like La Isla Mérida, Explanada Puebla and Paseo Querétaro, Cancún’s Grand Outlet will incorporate cascades, lakes, fountains and a beach club.
With a total gross leasable area of 58,013 square meters and an investment of 2.27 billion pesos (US $129 million) the Grand Outlet boasts 185 tenants that include luxury brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Carolina Herrera, Armani, Purificación García, Ermenegildo Zegna, Hugo Boss and Adolfo Domínguez, to mention a few.
Among the food and beverage options, 25 brands like the Hello Kitty Café, Wingstop, L’Osteria Totó, Starbucks, Sash-Tao Sushi and FRANKS, will have a home at the mall.
Grand Outlet Riviera Maya hopes to become an entertainment hub in addition to a shopping center for tourists in Cancún. (Grand Outlet Riviera Maya)
Other standouts include an ice rink, an amusement park, a 7,500-seat auditorium, an aquarium, a mini golf course and a go-kart track. Some of these attractions are planned to open in the next 30 to 60 days.
The complex will also include City Express Plus, City Express Suites and NH hotels.
The last phase of the project boasts a hot air balloon and an artificial lake to consolidate GICSA’s concept of “mall-tainment.”
With 70% of the shopping mall meant for retailers and 30% for dining and entertainment venues, developers told El Sol de México that Grand Outlet is expected to draw tourists and residents alike to experience a revolutionary concept in the Riviera Maya’s entertainment industry.
“It will surely be a project that will help tourism and will also strengthen the [entertainment] offer for residents,” Quintana Roo’s Minister of Tourism Bernardo Cueto Riestra told La Jornada Maya.
A rendering captures the intended vibe of Grand Outlet Riviera Maya, which is described as “mall-tainment.” (GICSA)
While 75% to 78% of the total leasable area has been let out, 47 shops have already opened and the remaining ones are expected to open soon. Once all the shops are up-and-running, the Grand Outlet expects an attendance of around 90,000 people per day.
Mall executives predict all retail stores will be open by December, when the mall is expected to employ around 5,000 people.
Finally, Maylén added that weekends will come along with surprises for all visitors, including live music events and other activities.
President López Obrador with President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, at their meeting on Monday. (Lopezobrador.org.mx)
President López Obrador returned to Mexico late Monday from a four-day trip to Colombia and Chile, where he met with Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Chilean President Gabriel Boric.
It was just the sixth time in his almost five years in office that López Obrador (AMLO) embarked on an international trip.
President López Obrador with his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
Both Petro and Boric are, like AMLO, representatives of the political left, a situation that ensured they had common ground from the get-go and added cordiality to their meetings.
López Obrador told reporters at his Wednesday morning press conference that his trip went “very well” and that the “love” and “respect” the Colombian and Chilean people have for Mexico was “confirmed.”
Here are some of the highlights and key outcomes from the time AMLO and his delegation (including Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena) spent in the Colombian city of Cali and the Chilean capital Santiago.
Mexico and Colombia agree to tackle the causes of drug trafficking and use
Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena at the conference in Cali, Colombia. (SRE/X)
López Obrador touched down in Cali on an Air Force flight from Mexico City on Friday afternoon. The city where the infamous Cali Cartel was founded hosted the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs between Sept. 7 and 9.
At the conclusion of the conference, which was attended by officials from across the region, the governments of Mexico and Colombia “agreed to combat the trafficking and use of drugs” by addressing the causes of those problems, according to a statement issued by López Obrador’s office.
Representatives of the 19 countries that attended the conference also expressed their commitment to addressing the root causes of the global drug problem.
“[We have to] address the causes with new criteria, not just think about coercive measures,” López Obrador told the conference.
AMLO at the Cali conference with Gustavo Petro – who pulled no punches about the drug war, saying that Latin America has suffered the consequences of a “disastrous and mistaken policy” that must end. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
He highlighted the need for more licit investment in rural areas to promote the production of crops such as beans, corn and coffee over illegal ones such as marijuana and opium poppies. AMLO also said that “development with well-being” must be pursued and that particular support must be provided to young people to steer them away from a life of crime and drug use.
Mexico to export part of its “well-being model” to Colombia
Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena, a former United Nations official and ambassador to Chile, met with her Colombian counterpart, Álvaro Leyva Durán, in Cali, and the pair signed “a letter of intent on bilateral cooperation to promote and carry out international development cooperation initiatives,” according to the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE).
Those initiatives will be pursued “through programs, projects and actions that counteract the causes of poverty and achieve greater social integration and well-being for the inhabitants of both countries,” the SRE said.
Mexico’s development agency, called Amexcid, will “provide technical assistance and support with the aim of adapting the Sembrando Vida (Sowing Life) and Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro (Youths Building the Future) projects to Colombian public policies on sustainable agriculture and youth,” the ministry said.
Mexico has already exported its reforestation/employment scheme and youth apprenticeship program to El Salvador and Honduras.
López Obrador asserts that the two programs help combat not only the root causes of crime and violence, but also key push factors for migration such as poverty and lack of opportunity.
AMLO attends ceremony in Santiago 50 years after the death of Allende
López Obrador on Monday was among current and former world leaders who attended a ceremony at Palacio de la Moneda, the seat of executive power in Chile where former president Salvador Allende took his own life on Sept. 11, 1973 during a military coup led by general Augusto Pinochet, who established a repressive dictatorship that lasted until 1990.
AMLO with his wife, Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, at the ceremony in Chile. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
In a brief address, the Mexican president called Allende – a socialist president who led Chile for just under three years – “the apostle of Chilean democracy” and asserted that he still “governs with his example.”
López Obrador also said that the ex-president, senator and secretary of the Socialist Party of Chile remains a “symbol of dignity for public servants in the entire world.”
Speaking alongside President Boric at La Moneda on Sunday, AMLO recalled that he was a university student when the 1973 coup occurred, and noted that he had previously studied the “Chilean process” in a political science class.
“In that class we reviewed the text The State and Revolution by Lenin, and with that theoretical framework we foresaw the terrible possibility of a coup, which was carried out on September 11, 1973 – 50 years ago. That had a great impact on me, it made a mark on me,” he said.
“The Chilean president Salvador Allende … is the foreign leader who I admire the most. … He was a humanist, a good man, a victim of swine,” López Obrador said.
Ceremony marks 50 years of “Chilean exile” in Mexico
Salvador Allende’s wife and children were among the Chileans who went into exile in Mexico during the rule of a Pinochet-led military government that rounded up, tortured and killed thousands of people.
Senator Isabel Allende Bussi, who was 28 when the coup occurred, was among the Chileans who escaped to Mexico, and who attended a ceremony at the Mexican Embassy in Santiago on Monday.
In a speech, Allende Bussi recalled that hundreds of Chileans escaped prison and torture by taking refuge in the Mexican embassy during the early days of the dictatorship. She acknowledged the “warmth, generosity and solidarity” shown by Mexicans toward Chileans who faced risks to their lives.
AMLO with Chile’s President Gabriel Boric (right) at a ceremony granting Allende’s daughter (left) the Order of the Aztec Eagle on behalf of her deceased father. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
Gonzalo Martínez Corbalá, Mexico’s ambassador to Chile at the time of the coup, opened the doors of the embassy to as many people as he could, Allende said.
At the ceremony, the senator accepted from López Obrador on behalf of her deceased father the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor Mexico bestows on foreigners.
In his address, AMLO noted that in 1973, the Mexican government and people “showed with words and actions our support for the defenders of democracy in Chile, for the victims of a coup.”
The commemoration of 50 years since the Chilean coup and death of Salvador Allende brought leaders from around the world to Chile. (SRE/X)
“… In those terrible times there were also coups in other Latin American countries and Mexico [also] opened its doors to a lot of people persecuted by the dictatorships in Bolivia, Uruguay, Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and other countries,” he said.
López Obrador told the Chileans in attendance that they will always be welcome to return to Mexico.
“I remind all of you of something that you already know and have lived: Mexico, like Chile, is your homeland,” he said.
Boric, who visited Mexico last November, also attended the ceremony, at which he declared that Mexicans, Chileans and Chilean Mexicans are united by “the same affection and reciprocal appreciation.”
Puebla Governor Sergio Salomón (center left) with representatives from Endurance Motive. (Sergio Salomón/X)
Spanish company Endurance Motive will open Mexico’s first lithium battery factory in Puebla, as Mexico continues to capitalize on the booming electric vehicle industry.
Puebla governor Sergio Salomón confirmed the investment viahis X social media account on Monday, after a meeting with Endurance Motive’s president, Ander Muelas. The plant will primarily supply the micro-electromobility sector. The amount of the investment has not been announced.
The Spanish company will plan to produce its first batteries in Mexico in February or March of next year. (Endurance Motive)
“This is proof that Puebla has the best conditions for investments, and that our actions in support of electromobility are giving results,” Salomón said.
In an interview with Portal Movilidad, Endurance Motive’s Mexico director, Francisco Mollá, described Puebla as a “strategic point” for the plant, located near Mexico City and other industrial clusters.
“It is a central location between the coasts, to bring in components via the Atlantic and the Pacific,” Mollá explained.
He added that Puebla is home to an “impressive concentration” of car assembly plants, having been a leader in Mexico’s automotive industry for more than 55 years. Endurance Motive’s new plant will be located near the Volkswagen factory, which is the company’s second largest site outside of Germany.
Puebla’s Volkswagen manufacturing plant, which has been in operation for over 55 years. (Volkswagen México)
Endurance Motive has also met with other potential customers, including the Mexican Association of the Photovoltaic Industry, which confirmed that there is increasing demand for lithium batteries in Mexico.
There is a small but growing domestic market for electric vehicles (EVs) in Mexico. Sales of hybrid or fully electric cars jumped bynearly 400% between 2021 and 2022, according to the national statistics agency, INEGI.
Several large automakers are also investing in EV plants in Mexico to supply the U.S. market, including a new BMW factory in San Luis Potosi and a Tesla gigafactory in Nuevo León.
“The business opportunity is very big,” Mollá told Portal Movilidad. “So far, all lithium batteries are imported from China, the United States and northern Europe. In a short time, we have participated in projects of greater size than we’ve seen in Europe in the last five years.”
He said that the company plans to be producing its first products in Mexico between February and March next year.
The Maya Train budget in 2024 is a hefty 120 billion pesos, bringing it more than 200% over original estimates for the project. (Cuartoscuro)
Construction of the Maya Train will require 120 billion pesos (US $6.9 billion) for 2024, bringing the total budget 207.5% above the projected costs in 2020.
Based on information contained in the federal government’s budget package for the coming year, total public expenditure on the Maya Train will amount to over $480 billion pesos (US $27.7 billion).
President López Obrador went for his first supervisory tour aboard the Maya Train on Sept. 1. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
On Friday, the Finance and Public Credit Ministry (SHCP) submitted next year’s government budget to the Chamber of Deputies. Regarding the proposal, Interior Minister Luisa María Alcalde said on Monday that the funding is primarily destined for President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s major infrastructure projects. One of these projects is the controversial Maya Train, which is expected to be completed before the end of AMLO’s term in October 2024.
“These projects include […] the Maya Train project, communication and transportation routes for the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, for the Mexico-Toluca interurban train, [and] the suburban train to the Felipe Ángeles airport,” Alcalde said.
The funding for the Maya Train will be managed by the Defense Ministry (Sedena), and will go towards the train’s construction and operation, and to the provision of “medium to long-term attention to the demand for railway services, and to strengthen the connectivity of the national railway system,” according to Sedena. In addition to the funding request of 120 billion pesos, the military company that will run the train requires an additional 5.9 billion pesos for operating costs.
In April, the Senate approved a series of bills promoted by President López Obrador, including a reform that allocates the Defense Ministry’s income derived from tourism for the federal government’s flagship projects, like the Maya Train.
The Maya Train will be operated by a Defense Ministry company. (Gob MX)
Under this new law, the Defense Ministry collects 80% of the Non-Resident Tax (DNR) revenue, a fee charged to foreign tourists who enter the country by sea, air or land. Before the law was changed, the DNR was funneled partly into the National Tourism Promotion Fund’s (Fonatur) budget.
However, the 2024 federal budget proposes that the totality of DNR revenue should now be reserved for the Maya Train.
Overall, reported criminal activity is down to its lowest level in over a decade, according to the survey. (Cuartoscuro)
An estimated 21.1 million Mexicans aged 18 and older were victims of crime last year, a figure that accounts for more than one in five adults in the country.
That alarming (but also encouraging) statistic – and many others – was calculated by the national statistics agency INEGI after it conducted its 2023 National Survey on Victimization and Public Security Perceptions (Envipe).
Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez has highlighted declines in homicide numbers and other indicators of decreased criminal activity this year. (Gob MX)
The results of the annual survey – which was conducted earlier this year in over 102,000 households – were published Monday. Here’s what you need to know, set out in an easy-to-follow Q & A format.
How much of a problem is crime in Mexico?
A total of 26.8 million crimes were committed in Mexico in 2022, according to INEGI estimates. While that number sounds – and is – high, it is in fact the lowest in over a decade.
The figure is 4.6% lower than the total number of estimated crimes in 2021, and 20.5% lower than the estimate for 2014, which was the worst year of the past decade.
Homicide numbers are still very high in Mexico, even though they declined 10% in 2022 compare to the previous year. (Omar Martínez Noyola/Cuartoscuro)
Per 100,000 residents, there were 22,587 victims of crime last year, which is the lowest per capita rate in over 10 years. The per-capita rate was slightly higher for men and slightly lower for women.
What are the most common crimes in Mexico?
The crime with the highest incidence in Mexico last year was fraud with 5,770 victims per 100,000 people. INEGI pointed out that the defrauding of bank customers and consumers in general falls under this category of crimes.
The next most common crimes were:
Robbery or assault on the street or on public transport.
Extortion.
Verbal threats.
Total or partial vehicle theft.
“Other crimes,” including kidnapping and sex crimes.
Home burglaries.
“Other robberies.”
Battery.
What about homicide?
While murder isn’t among the most common crimes committed in Mexico, tens of thousands of people are killed here every year.
Separate data published by INEGI in late July shows there were 32,223 homicides last year, a decline of almost 10% compared to 2021.
Where is crime most (and least) prevalent?
Residents of Mexico City and México state were victims of crime at higher rates than anywhere else in the country last year, Envipe found.
Over three in 10 chilangos (CDMX residents) and mexiquenses (México state residents) were crime victims in 2022, INEGI said. On a positive note, the per-capita victim rate declined in both entities compared to 2021.
Tlaxcala had the third highest per-capita victim rate followed by Querétaro, Aguascalientes, Nuevo León and Puebla.
The five states with the lowest per-capita victim rates were, in order, Chiapas, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas and Michoacán.
Are perpetrators of crime being held to account?
By and large, no. Of the 26.8 million crimes estimated to have been committed last year, 92.4% weren’t reported to law enforcement authorities or weren’t formally investigated, INEGI said.
Do Mexicans feel unsafe in the state in which they live?
By and large, yes. Almost three-quarters of Mexican adults – 74.6% – described the federal entity in which they live as unsafe, INEGI said.
The “perception of insecurity” was highest among residents of Zacatecas. Based on the Envipe results, it is estimated that 91.9% of people who live in the northern state consider it unsafe.
A peace march in Jerez, Zacatecas – the state that rated worst in citizen perception of safety this year. (ADOLFO VLADIMIR / CUARTOSCURO.COM)
The per-capita victim rate in Zacatecas was the sixth lowest in the country last year, but violent crime is a significant problem in the state due to the presence of cartels. That reality is no doubt a major factor in the “feeling” of insecurity identified by more than nine in 10 zacatecanos.
México state ranked behind Zacatecas, with 88% of residents calling the state unsafe. The figure for Morelos was 87%, making it the state with the third highest level of perceptions of insecurity.
Baja California Sur (33.4%), Yucatán (37.8%) and Coahuila (44.1%) had the lowest rates.
Are foreign residents and visitors targeted by criminals?
Foreign residents, by virtue of living here permanently or for extended periods, are theoretically more likely to be victims of crime.
Countless foreigners have been relieved of their cellphones while riding the Mexico City metro, for example, but whether they were targeted because of an outward “foreign” appearance is unlikely.
A member of the National Guard patrols a beach in Acapulco, Guerrero. (Carlos Alberto Carbajal / Cuartoscuro.com)
Foreigners may be targeted by opportunistic criminals in some tourist destinations, especially if they are are visibly inebriated, under the influence of drugs or openly flaunting wealth.
However, as The New York Times reported in an “Is is safe to travel to Mexico?” article earlier this year, “an overwhelming majority of visitors enjoy a safe vacation in Mexico, and tourists are largely sheltered from the violence that grips local communities.”
Foreign tourists – including citizens of wealthy countries such as the United States and Canada – sometimes become victims of violent crime, including murder, but these cases are rare.
Cases in which foreign migrants traveling through Mexico are robbed, raped, forcibly recruited or even murdered are much more common.
What does the United States Department of State say about security in Mexico?
The State Department advises U.S. citizens to not travel to six states – Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas – due to crime and kidnapping, and to reconsider travel to seven others.
Some of the cities in those 13 states – such as Mazatlán in Sinaloa and San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato – have sizable foreign populations who don’t live with, or fear, major security problems.
What does AMLO say?
Without citing any hard data to back up his claim, President López Obrador declared earlier this year that Mexico is safer than the United States.
“There is no problem with traveling around Mexico safely. United States citizens know that, and of course our compatriots … [in the U.S.] know that. They’re well-informed,” he said in March.
On Tuesday, federal Interior Minister Luisa María Alcalde said that the government is “very happy” with the INEGI data that shows that the overall crime rate in Mexico declined last year.
“It shows that the strategy of attending to the causes of violence is the correct strategy,” she said.
Fishers from the Playa Norte cooperative in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, pull in their nets shortly after sunrise. (All photos by Eduardo Esparza)
It’s 6:30 a.m. in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, and the sun peaks over the horizon. As most city residents begin their day, a group of fishers from the Playa Norte fishing cooperative has been at work for hours, preparing their gear, fueling up, and motoring out to their lobster nets. They scan the water for white diet Coke bottle caps – the DIY buoys that mark the nets they laid the day before. When they find a bottle, they grab it and start hauling up the attached net.
They’re catching lobster today, but it could be Pacific sierra or snapper tomorrow. Sometimes, in the winter, the fishers take a 6-meter panga (barge) hours offshore in search of larger pelagic fish.
After hauling in lobster nets, fishers carefully detangle and remove each animal before re-deploying the net.
Like many small-scale, artisanal fishers worldwide, the Playa Norte cooperative is on the front lines of environmental and social concerns that have increasingly impacted their work. Patchwork regulation and uneven legal enforcement contribute to the overfishing of some species. As mangroves are cleared for development and estuaries are dammed to make shrimp farms, marine wildlife has fewer protected areas to breed or raise young, making it harder for the environment to bounce back from overfishing. Despite the challenges, small-scale fishers like Playa Norte are still key seafood providers in Latin America. These groups provide 85% of the seafood eaten in the region, according to Julio Berdegué, former regional representative for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The Playa Norte fishers make enough to get by, though it’s tight sometimes, and fuel costs must be paid even on bad fishing days. However, being part of a cooperative helps decrease the risk of going home empty-handed. Profits are shared among the members, usually depending on how much time, money, and equipment each member has invested.
Farther north, the ostioneros (oystermen) of the Playita de las Barras de Piaxtla Cooperative have a similar arrangement in which they work together to pool resources and share profits. Instead of heading out in fishing boats, the ostioneros swim through the waves to reach rocky embankments where the oysters grow. With just a lungful of air, they dive down to chip oysters off the rocks, one by one. Their catch may then be sold locally or to a distributor.
Fish like dorado, sierra and tuna are also often sold to middlemen who distribute the fish to restaurants and markets nationwide. But some kinds of seafood are just for the local market. That’s the case for pajaritos (half beak), a seasonal delicacy in Sinaloa.
Polineros wait on the beach to help pull arriving boats onto dry land. Their job title comes from the word polínes, which refers to the wooden poles traditionally used to roll boats onto the sand. These days, most fishers use a wheeled dolly.
In May and June, the bright lights that local fishers use to lure the small jumping fish can often be seen twinkling off the coast in the early evening. When the boats return to shore, buyers line up with buckets to fill up with the freshest possible fish. In homes and restaurants, the pajaritos will be pan-fried whole, eaten with salt and lime or rolled into a warm tortilla and made into a taco.
The tradition of fishing for pajaritos is just one of many customs that could fade away or be lost forever without Sinaloa’s small-scale fishers. As in other countries, these fishers preserve cultural and local ocean knowledge. And though working for one of Sinaloa’s industrial fishing companies can yield a steadier paycheck, many continue to choose the freedom and self-determination that artisanal fishing offers.
Fishing net weaving is a traditional skill that remains relevant today; Some fishers make their own nets and others buy them from professional tejedores.The oystermen free dive down to oyster beds with a sharp pick to break off the rock-like mollusk. They collect their harvest in a floating basket made of a net and an intertube.A fisher displays pajaritos (halfbeak), a seasonal delicacy in Sinaloa. Most years, in the late spring, massive schools of the small jumping fish crowd into the coastal shallows during their mating season.
Rose Egelhoff is an associate editor at Mexico News Daily and a freelance writer. She’s on Twitter and the internet. Eduardo Esparza is a professor, filmmaker and professional photographer. Some of his work can be seen on Instagram.
The train connecting Toluca in México state with Mexico City has been in the works since 2014. (Cuartoscuro)
Nine years after construction began, the commuter train that will connect Mexico City with Toluca in México state is ready to launch into limited action.
On Friday, Section 1 of the 58-kilometer (36-mile) line is scheduled to come into operation with four trains. All four of this section’s stations are located in the Toluca metropolitan area, home to 2.5 million people.
Mexico City’s former mayor Claudia Sheinbaum on a train construction site visit in 2022. (Gob MX)
But the train will not yet go all the way to Mexico City. That is expected to occur in 2024, after work is completed on the rail line itself as well as the three stations in the capital’s metro area, including the eastern terminus of Observatorio, where riders will be able to transfer to the Metro system and an intercity bus terminal.
Section 1 of a 23 billion peso (US $1.3 billion) project that has been plagued by delays and cost overruns spans from the westernmost station, Zinacantepec, to the tunnel through the Sierra de las Cruces, which separates the Toluca Valley from the Valley of Mexico. This section’s 36 kilometers (22.4 miles) of track also include the Pino Suárez, Tecnológico and Lerma stations.
Pino Suárez is the station closest to downtown Toluca, and it’s also near the city’s main bus station.
The Tecnológico station is in Metepec, a Pueblo Mágico and one of the nation’s wealthiest municipalities, and will offer connecting shuttle service to the Toluca airport. Lerma is a municipality just east of Toluca and 54 kilometers (33.5 miles) west of Mexico City.
Only the Zinacantepec-Lerma stretch of the Intercity Train will be open during the initial months of the train’s operation. (SCT / gob.mx)
Section 2 of the project is a 4.6-kilometer (2.9-mile) tunnel through the Sierra de las Cruces mountains. Section 3 is the section that needs the most work. Its unfinished rails will cover 17 kilometers (11 miles) and its three stations are not yet completed. The newspaper El Universal reported that the Vasco de Quiroga station is 80-85% complete, Santa Fe is at 64.5% and Observatorio, which will have six levels (two underground, a ground floor and three upper floors) is at only 38.6%.
Luis Deya Oropeza, the deputy minister of infrastructure of the Ministry of Works and Services (Sobse), said there are also five major points of electrified track construction that won’t be completed until December, at best. Rain, bad soil and the route’s passage through some basins that collect water have been a challenge, he noted.
So Section 3 will not be operational at least until early 2024, and perhaps later.
Still, President López Obrador will inaugurate “El Insurgente” on Friday along with the current State of México Governor Alfredo del Mazo and governor-elect Delfina Gómez.
Originally called El Tren Interurbano (The Interurban Train) since its genesis in mid-2014 during the Enrique Peña Nieto presidency, the train line was recently renamed El Insurgente, “in honor and recognition of the father of our country,” López Obrador said, alluding to Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the Catholic priest who had a key role in the War of Independence that ended Spanish colonial rule in Mexico.
In order to maximize investments in Mexico, people might want to consider three things: annual return on investment, capital gains, and the destination's lifestyle. (Pau Morfin/Unsplash)
When foreigners hear the word “Mexico,” they might think of beautiful beaches, vacations, tacos, tequila, street food – “real estate investment” might be pretty far down the list. However, many national and international real estate investors find Mexico attractive. This can be attributed to several factors: geographic location, richness and variety in natural resources and ecosystems, a high return on investment (ROI), and diverse investment options. Whether they want to retire, buy a vacation home or a rental property, Mexico can provide beneficial deals in all cases.
It is known that Mexico’s coasts are beautiful but lively, colorful, and accessible to foreigners from all over the world. However, they are far from being the only worthwhile destinations the country offers. Big cities, such as Guadalajara and Mexico City, are great places to invest in thanks to their constant, stable economic growth, as well as their cultural heritage and a wide variety of social and entertainment opportunities.
Of course, investing in a property is not only high in cost, but it can also be risky. There are many factors to maximize this investment in Mexico; people might want to consider prices, weather, cultural access, capital gains, accessibility, etc. In this article, I will focus on three things: annual return on investment, capital gains, and the destination’s lifestyle.
Of course, many destinations have all three; in this article, I highlight five of them.
Tulum, Quintana Roo
Tulum is a coastal town located in the southeast and the southernmost point of what we call the Riviera Maya. Not far from the border with Belize, Tulum, once a Maya city, is now one of the top tourist destinations in the country. Its beautiful white sand beaches and the clear, blue Caribbean provide a resting place for well-preserved Maya ruins dating back to the 13th century.
Tulum: Beautiful white sand beaches and the clear, blue Caribbean provide a great resting place. (SpencerWatson/Unsplash)
Thanks to the construction of a new Tulum airport and the development of the Maya Train, the area will experience an economic push forward, causing an inevitable rise in real estate demand. Price ranges vary between apartments, houses, luxury homes, and condos.
ROI in Riviera Maya is around 6.6 percent yearly, and Tulum has some of the highest projected capital gains in the country, 7-11 percent. Between 2019 and 2021, the average ROI from renting in Tulum was between 8 and 15 percent.
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
Puerto Vallarta: Culinary excellence and luxury resorts make it a highly attractive and beautiful destination. (Taly Torres/Unsplash)
Puerto Vallarta is another coastal town to the west and right about the country’s middle. It is located in the state of Jalisco and adjacent to the Riviera Nayarit, which includes other beach towns such as Sayulita, San Francisco, Punta Mita, and San Blas. Puerto Vallarta’s beaches, culinary world, and luxury resorts make it a highly attractive and beautiful destination. Additionally, The Puerto Vallarta International Airport facilitates tourism and ensures the town remains connected to the rest of the world.
Thanks to the high influx of tourism, the cultural and leisure offerings, and the geographic area, Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit are becoming one of the biggest real estate markets in the country and the rest of the world. Investing in one of these properties could provide an annual ROI of 8 percent.
Mérida, Yucatán
Mérida: Nowadays, it is considered one of the safest places in Mexico to live and visit. (Estefania Cortes/Unsplash)
Mérida is located in the Yucatán Península, in the southeast of Mexico, and a 30-minute drive from the coast. It is surrounded by important archaeological and historical sites and stationed in the middle of the most important exporting, importing, and tourism ports in the southeast of Mexico. This, in combination with the boom in real estate demand and development it has experienced in recent years, makes Mérida a very attractive option. Additionally, it is considered one of the safest places in Mexico to live and visit.
Mérida has a significant amount of foreign investment, which has caused an improvement in the quality of its developments. Plus, according to El Financiero, this destination has an availability of more than 47 thousand estates to be purchased.
Properties at this destination have a projected capital gain of 12 to 20 percent, which could go as high as 25. The ROI in Mérida is currently around 8 percent.
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara: Its culinary street world is endless, and its museums provide more than a fair share of entertainment and culture.(Román López/Unsplash)
Guadalajara is the capital city of the state of Jalisco, located on the west coast and the birthplace of mariachi and tequila. The city is also home to 5.3 million people, according to the 2020 national census. Guadalajara offers a big city feel without being overwhelming, with sound public transportation systems and walkable distances. It is affordable, picturesque, and delicious, only 4 hours away from the coast. Its culinary street world is endless, and its museums provide more than a fair share of entertainment and culture.
Guadalajara is also the fourth city with the country’s biggest residential real estate demand (Real Estate Market & Lifestyle) due to its booming business opportunities and the low risk of investments. Properties in Guadalajara have a capital gain that varies based on their area, between 4 and 10 percent.
Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the world’s most extensive and most populated cities, and there’s a reason why. With an ever-changing flourish of businesses, corporations, start-ups, shops, stores, and restaurants, it provides many job opportunities and a lifestyle rich in variety and entertainment. As big and overwhelming as it can be, it is divided into many different areas with its own personality. It varies in visual and architectural design, population, attractions, food, employment types, etc.
Mexico City: Provides many job opportunities and a lifestyle rich in variety and entertainment. (Carlos Aranda/Unsplash)
Mexico City holds a unique historical and modern duality: it embraces centuries of history and cultural heritage while simultaneously providing an immense hub for design, art, and technology. It is no wonder it attracts so many people, temporarily and permanently.
ROI on properties in Mexico City is currently around 9.96 percent, and their expected capital gain within the city varies based on what borough (alcaldía) the property is on.
Should I invest in Mexico?
Whether investors are looking for a temporary or permanent stay, a residence or renting opportunity, a beach or city life, history or modernity, Mexico has it all. The boom in real estate the country is experiencing is only expected to grow in years to come, which makes right now the perfect time to look into these destinations.
All places mentioned in this article have different aspects to consider; some are excellent for renting, while others are better for appreciation. Yet, with thorough research, Mexico can be an excellent investment opportunity.
Montserrat Castro Gómez is a freelance writer and translator from Querétaro, México.
Marcelo Ebrard came in as the runner-up to Claudia Sheinbaum in Morena's polling to select a presidential candidate for 2024. (DANIEL AUGUSTO /CUARTOSCURO.COM)
Former foreign affairs minister Marcelo Ebrard has formally denounced alleged irregularities in the presidential candidate selection process used by the ruling Morena party and indicated that he will leave the party if his concerns aren’t addressed.
Morena, which was founded by President López Obrador with the assistance of Ebrard and others, announced last Wednesday that former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum won the polling process to determine the party’s candidate for the June 2, 2024 presidential election.
Marcelo Ebrard at a press conference where he called on his party, Morena, to repeat the polling process ahead of the announcement of results. (Cuartoscuro)
Ebrard, who finished second in a field of six aspirants, questioned the legitimacy of the polling process hours before the results were announced, citing “incidents,” irregularities and “serious inconsistencies.”
The ex-foreign minister formalized his complaint on Sunday, sending a 41-page document to Morena’s National Commission for Honesty and Justice in which he calls for the poll results to be nullified and for the process to be redone.
Morena officials have defended the polling process and ruled out any possibility that it could be repeated.
Among the alleged irregularities Ebrard says occurred were preferential treatment of Sheinbaum by Morena’s Polling Commission, the federal Ministry of Welfare and government and party officials; the placing of undue pressure on citizens; effective vote-buying; violence and intimidation on the part of pro-Sheinbaum groups; the disappearance of ballot boxes and generally lax oversight of the polling process; and the provision of information about polling locations to Sheinbaum’s team.
Ebrard alleges various forms of misconduct on the part of Claudia Sheinbaum’s team as well as by Morena officials. (Gobierno de la Ciudad de Mexico/Cuartoscuro)
The irregularities are “fully proven” and “place the certainty of the vote in doubt,” Ebrard said in the document submitted to the honesty commission, which was supported by evidence such as photographs and video footage.
He added that “physical violence and pressure” directed at people conducting the polling process or “electors” is cause for the nullification of that process under Morena party rules if those things had a “determining” impact on the result of the vote.
At a brief press conference on Monday after he met with hundreds of supporters, Ebrard said he will leave Morena if he is not satisfied with the party’s response to his complaint.
“We’re presenting a complaint … with total conviction that what I’m saying is true,” he said.
President López Obrador and Marcelo Ebrard have a long political history going back to Ebrard’s position as Mexico City’s Public Security Minister during AMLO’s term as mayor from 2000-2005. (Gob MX)
“What course of action we take will depend on the response from Morena. If these different circumstances, incidents, that occurred in the [polling] process remain the same, I would no longer be interested in being in Morena,” said Ebrard, who stepped down as foreign minister in June to focus on his presidential ambitions.
“… If from their point of view, everything that we’ve presented … didn’t happen … then my decision would be to no longer participate [in Morena] because I don’t endorse that conduct, these practices. I’ve been fighting against them for many years,” he said.
“… We mustn’t allow these practices, which are a virus, to be in the bloodstream of Morena because they’ll have a devastating effect,” Ebrard said.
“… I have enormous affection for President López Obrador, I’ve been his most loyal collaborator, I would never harm him for political purposes, but I have to say this because it took a lot of work to organize and form Morena,” he said.
Ebrard said he wasn’t interested in getting a consolation prize from Morena, such as one of the proportional-representation Senate seats the party will be allocated after next year’s election.
“I have the greatest respect for popular representation, but it’s not my objective to get a senatorship or [another] position, my objective is for this to be resolved,” he said.
Marcelo Ebrard (left), with other aspirants to represent Morena in 2024 (Adán Augusto López, Claudia Sheinbaum and Ricardo Monreal) at the beginning of the candidate selection process in June. (CNM/X)
Ebrard said he will embark on a month-long national tour next Monday to “meet again with those who supported us.”
“We’re going to organize and formalize our national political movement,” he said without specifying what his end goal was.
Ebrard said last week that he wasn’t planning to run as an independent candidate for president, but he hasn’t ruled out contesting the election next June. One possibility is that he will reach an agreement with the Citizens Movement (MC) party to run as its candidate.
The MC is the only significant party to have not yet selected a presidential candidate for next year’s election.
