Though numerous automakers and other manufacturers have announced plans to begin or expand operations in Mexico, the trend has yet to make a major impact on the country's economic growth. (Michael Fousert/Unsplash)
Mexico has the potential to become a key player in global manufacturing, particularly in industries such as automotive, electrical, household appliances, and metalworking according to Sergio Pérez Castilleja, executive managing director of Newmark, a global commercial real estate firm.
“Mexico is prepared to become a leader in the manufacturing sector, with a different production and supply structure. And we are ready for it,” Pérez said speaking at the Real Estate Symposium in Mexico City.
Pérez Castilleja is the executive managing director of Newmark, a global commercial real estate firm. (Sergio Pérez Castilleja/Facebook)
According to Pérez, nearshoring has opened opportunities to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) given the current geopolitical situation and the rise of electric and self-driving vehicles.
“Two fundamental things are about to happen,” Pérez anticipated. “Electric and self-driving cars will totally change the entire assembly and supply base, representing an immense opportunity.”
The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) has said that the market for electric vehicles, or EVs, is “evolving rapidly in Mexico as automakers have announced ambitious strategic goals to transition their offerings from gasoline to electric vehicles.”
BMW, Tesla, Volkswagen and Chinese companies BYD and SEV are among the automakers with plans to make EVs in Mexico.
Nearshoring has also increased industrial demand, Pérez said, but there is not enough space with the required infrastructure to meet it. “While there is land in the country, little land has infrastructure, primarily electric,” Pérez said.
According to Pérez, the availability of industrial space in Mexico is currently at merely 1.5%, a historic figure that poses a challenge for property developers.
Although the number of vacancies in the national industrial market is shrinking fast, custom-made projects are still being undertaken and Mexico is responding to this great challenge in an important way, Pérez said.
As for which region in Mexico is the most valuable for industrial space, Pérez mentioned Mexico City and its metropolitan area due to the level of income, logistical use and because much lighter construction is required.
Meanwhile, he also highlighted the central region of the country due to its competitiveness in engineering centers, patent development centers, back office and shared services companies and digital commerce.
The mission of the museum is to further empower master mezcaleros by working directly with them to sell and showcase their labels. (Montserrat Castro)
If you are a mezcal enthusiast, connoisseur, or simply curious, you should know that there’s a new and very complete museum in Oaxaca dedicated to this fascinating drink. TheCentro Cultural del Mezcal in Oaxaca city is a mezcal mecca: inaugurated this past October, it features more than 350 different labels of mezcal. It is the only place in Mexico and the world where you can find such an amount and variety of mezcal to taste, learn about and buy.
The center is a museum, a store and a restaurant all rolled into one. Inside the building, you’ll find a traditional Mexican courtyard — home to the center’s restaurant — surrounded by rooms filled with information, devices and pictures that tell the story of how mezcal is made.
A view of the restaurant at the Centro Cultural del Mezcal. (Montserrat Castro)
Each exhibition room offers an exploration of the history and production process of mezcal from various perspectives. When entering the museum, you have the option of purchasing a 170-peso “passport” which allows you to taste a wide selection of mezcals as you go through the rooms and learn more about the drink.
The cultural center displays different colors of mezcal, both for taste and for show; mezcals bottled with scorpions, insects, or snakes; and mezcals infused with a variety of animal meats, such as mezcal de pechuga —chicken or turkey breast mezcal. You’ll find bottles from brands that produce around 1,000 bottles per batch — like 400 Conejos, Creyente, Amarás and Montelobos — to more artisanal brands that produce 80 to 100 bottles per batch.
During your visit, you can learn about:
The difference between artisanal, ancestral and traditional mezcal.
The different types of magueyes used in mezcal production, such as the usual espadín, tobalá, cuishe,and other lesser-known varieties.
How different devices are used during the production process, some of which are physically part of the exhibition rooms.
How to read a mezcal label anywhere to know what you’re buying and if it’s authentic mezcal.
Master mezcaleros
Each exhibition room offers an exploration of the history and production process of mezcal from various perspectives. (Montserrat Castro)
Center to this museum’s story are maestros mezcaleros, the master artisans and craftspeople who dedicate their lives to the elaborate process of producing this drink. “Our idea is to empower the maestro mezcalero, to celebrate their product as a very high-quality product, and make them proud of that,” says Itzel Paniagua, the cultural center’s owner.
Oaxaca is the leading producer and exporter of mezcal in Mexico, accounting for 96.1% of the exported mezcal. The seven different regions that produce mezcal in the state have been strengthened since the recognition of mezcal’s appellation of origin in 1994.
The mission of the museum is to further empower master mezcaleros by working directly with them to sell and showcase their labels. By doing this, they are able to make the purchase and consumption of their mezcales more straightforward, as well as celebrate their work with the information offered at the museum.
Thanks to this initiative, they have fostered relationships with over 86 groups of master mezcaleros.
Comercam certification
All of the bottles showcased and sold at this museum are certified by the Mexican Regulatory Council for Mezcal Quality (COMERCAM), ensuring the mezcal has passed through rigorous and specific steps concerning its alcohol content, distillation process bottling, and labeling processes, etc. All brands, except for two from Puebla, come from Oaxaca.
Where it is and who will guide you
The center is located inside a classic example of a 17th-century colonial mansion in Oaxaca’s celebrated and colorful downtown. Prior to housing the Centro Cultural del Mezcal, the building has served as a house, the Arts and Sciences Institute of Oaxaca, a hardware store that used to sell bottles of a wine-mezcal combination and a bank.
Throughout your visit, you’ll be shown through the space’s various rooms by a museum guide. The guides have received highly curated training from different books and authors, as well as directly from some mezcal brands. They have extremely specialized and in-depth knowledge of the different labels and processes in which all varieties of mezcal are made. What’s more, they can recommend different mezcal bottles for you to try or buy depending on your specific tastes and interests.
Make sure you make the most out of this expertise, and ask them lots of questions!
Where to find more mezcal and how to get one of these bottles
If you’re in Mexico City, you can find 50 of these mezcal labels at Taller Gastronómico in San Ángel, a cooking workshop business owned also by Itzel Paniagua.
Additionally, the center can ship mezcal bottles to anywhere in Mexico. You can contact them via their website or through Whatsapp, at +52 1 951 579 1726.
Montserrat Castro Gómez is a freelance writer and translator from Querétaro, México.
The union workers are on strike following the rejection of a 15.5% pay raise. (MIREYA NOVO/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
Union workers at Audi’s plant in Puebla went on strike Wednesday after the carmaker rejected their request for a 15.5% pay raise.
The Audi workers union, called Sitaudi, said that more than 4,000 unionized employees would stop work until an agreement with the carmaker is reached.
According to a Reuters report, some 1,000 workers protested Wednesday morning outside the plant, which is located about 60 kilometers northeast of Puebla city in the municipality of San José Chiapa.
“We are workers, not beggars,” they chanted.
Audi said that Sitaudi rejected its offer of a 6.5% pay increase and asked for a 15.5% hike.
The carmaker, a subsidiary of Germany’s Volkswagen, said it was open to dialogue, but described a 15.5% increase as “beyond any comparative parameter.”
Audi had reached an agreement with workers to increase salaries by 9.4% in January 2023. (Cuartoscuro)
Audi and Sitaudi reached an agreement for a 9.4% pay raise in January 2023, which Reuters said was “one of the highest automaker wage hikes in Mexico in recent years.”
Sitaudi general secretary César Orta said that the union would “continue negotiating and … bring agreements to consultation only when we consider that they really dignify workers.”
The strike is the first at the Audi plant in Puebla, which opened in 2016, and the first automotive sector strike during the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who took office in late 2018.
Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto has earned an Oscar nomination in the Best Cinematography category for his work on Martin Scorsese’s latest movie, “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
The film earned nine additional nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Rodrigo Prieto also collaborated with Martin Scorsese on Silence (2016). (Saúl López/Cuartoscuro)
The 58-year-old from Mexico City will compete against Hoyte Van Hoytema (“Oppenheimer”), Robbie Ryan (“Poor Creatures”), Matthew Libatique (“Maestro”), and Edward Lachman (“The Count”).
This year’s Oscar nomination isn’t the first in Prieto’s repertoire. He has received three previous nominations in the Best Cinematography category for his work on “Brokeback Mountain” (2005), “Silence” (2016) and “The Irishman” (2019). The last two were also directed by Martin Scorsese.
Killers of the Flower Moon is Prieto’s fourth consecutive collaboration with Scorsese. Only two other cinematographers, Michael Ballhaus and Robert Richardson, have collaborated on more films with the legendary director.
In a recent interview with A.frame, Prieto said that it is “a joy” to work with Scorsese.
“In the case of cinema, filmmakers try to express something that maybe they can’t explain with words,” Prieto told A.frame. “And if there is anybody that’s a master at those words, in terms of the language of cinema, it’s Scorsese.”
Prieto was also involved in the production of another movie nominated for an Oscar this year in the Best Picture category: “Barbie.”
After finishing his work with Scorsese, Prieto went off to shoot the blockbuster movie in London. “That was a huge transition,” he told A.frame.
According to the newspaper El País, Prieto drew inspiration from the bright pink Bougainvillea flower and Luis Barragán’s architecture.
After working on “Barbie,” Prieto went on to direct a new Netflix film based on the classic Mexican novel by Juan Rulfo, Pedro Páramo. The film will be released in 2024 and will mark Prieto’s directorial debut.
The Oscars will take place in Los Angeles on March 10, 2024, and will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
Food and vegetables drove the spike in inflation in the first two weeks of January, with tomatoes showing an increase of 25% annually in price. (Cuartoscuro)
Mexico’s annual headline inflation rate rose for a fifth consecutive two-week period in the first half of January to reach 4.90%, well above the central bank’s 3% target.
An annual increase of over 20% in the cost of fruit and vegetables was the biggest driver of the increase.
The Bank of Mexico has maintained a high key rate of 11.25% to put downward pressure on inflation. (Cuartoscuro)
Reported by the national statistics agency INEGI on Wednesday, the annual headline rate is slightly higher than the 4.78% consensus forecast of analysts surveyed by Citibanamex, and 0.24 percentage points abovethe 4.66% rate for the entire month of December.
The 4.90% rate is the highest headline rate recorded in Mexico since a 4.93% reading in the second half of June.
In better news, annual core inflation fell to 4.78% in the first half of January from 4.98% in the second half of December and 5.09% across the final month of 2023.
The core rate, which excludes some volatile food and energy prices factored into the headline rate, has now declined during 23 consecutive half-month periods, or almost an entire year.
INEGI data showed that fruit and vegetable prices were 20.69% higher in the first half of January compared to the same period in 2023, while processed food, beverages and tobacco were 5.63% more expensive.
Tomato prices rose over 25% from the second half of December, while onion prices jumped more than 7%.
The cost of services rose 5.19% on an annual basis, non-food goods were 3.05% more expensive and energy prices, including those for gasoline and electricity, increased 1.41%.
The Bloomberg news agency reported that the increases in tomato and onion prices are “thought to reflect the warming waters in the tropical Pacific as part of the climate phenomenon known as El Niño,” whichcan affect crop yields.
Mexico continues to face extreme drought conditions in some areas, despite above-average rainfall in December. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
Despite the increase in headline inflation, many analysts believe that the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) will make an initial cut to its record high 11.25% benchmark interest rate in the first quarter of the year.
“El Niño affects tomato prices, but not Banxico’s willingness to cut,” said Gabriel Casillas, head of Latin America Economics at Barclays.
“Disinflation is coming from the core component, so even though the headline number might be higher, the composition from the central bank standpoint is way better,” he said.
Pamela Díaz Loubet, Mexico economist at BNP Paribas, expects the central bank to cut rates in March.
“Overall, it’s a positive reading, with surprises concentrated in very specific components, and core inflation showing a behavior similar to its pre-pandemic history,” she said, commenting on the latest inflation data.
Carlos Capistrán, chief economist for Mexico and Canada at Bank of America, said there was a risk that Banxico would “delay the first cut to later in the year,” but he agreed that an initial reduction to the 11.25% rate is likely in March.
A majority of respondents to the Citibanamex survey are forecasting a 25-basis-point cut in March.
Andrés Abadia, chief Latin America economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, predicted that inflation will fall gradually this year, “particularly in the second half” of 2024. However, he acknowledged that “poor climatic conditions” pose a risk, given that they could affect prices for fresh food.
Elevate your lifestyle by acquiring a stylish pied-à-terre in the sought-after downtown area of San Miguel de Allende. (CDR San Miguel Forbes Global Properties)
Dreaming of your home in Mexico? Come on down! With its expat-friendly cities and captivating landscapes, Mexico has become a beloved destination for those seeking an affordable yet vibrant lifestyle.
The current real estate market is experiencing a surge in interest. Fueled by comparatively affordable property prices and a welcoming atmosphere, Mexico has become an increasingly popular destination for those looking to explore, invest or retire.
From beachfront properties along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts to charming mansions in beautifully preserved colonial sites, Mexico offers options for any preference. Your dream home may be more within reach than you imagine!
Let’s get a sense of what you can purchase for around US$300,000 if you are looking to invest in real estate in Mexico.
Mexico City:
If you’re all about that big city swagger, get ready to claim your piece of the capital skyline with a pre-sale loft at The University Tower on Mexico City’s coveted Reforma Avenue. This VIP club is so swanky, it’s nestled within its very own restored 19th-century mansion.
This architectural masterpiece is set to be the capital’s second-tallest residential skyscraper, and will measure over 660 feet upon its completion in 2025. With 525 residential units on 47 floors, these modern lofts average 399 square feet each. The tower will offer amazing city views, security, and luxury hotel services.
When you’re not busy enjoying your stylish pad, you’ve got first-class amenities to indulge in. A gym and spa to keep you looking fabulous, a game room (because adulting is hard), a cafeteria for casually bumping into hot neighbors, a jacuzzi to soak away your worries, and a concierge to make you feel like Batman.
Loft on presale in Juárez The University Tower. (Sotheby’s International Real Estate)
Spanning 2619 square feet with two bathrooms and two bedrooms, this stunning property is conveniently located only 3 blocks from Parque Ermita and a 13-minute drive from Mérida’s International Airport. Meticulously remodeled by architect Victor Carrillo, this residence seamlessly blends modern features with original colonial charm.
Indulge in the grandeur of lofty beamed ceilings, skylights, an interior courtyard, a rooftop deck for sun-soaking sessions and a covered patio to keep cool in the shade. The sumptuous interior sports hardwood doors, ceramic tile tops, and a meditation/garden room that’s practically begging to declare you the zen master of power naps.
Plus, this property boasts all new electrical, plumbing, kitchen, and bath systems installed in 2017 – and comes fully furnished with ceiling fans, appliances, and furniture, because who needs the hassle of decorating?
Sweet Colonial. (Mexico International Real Estate)
Elevate your lifestyle by acquiring a stylish pied-à-terre in the sought-after downtown area of San Miguel de Allende, a city ever-popular with the international community.
This single-level residence, built on 552 square feet, boasts two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a seamless open concept encompassing the living room, dining area, and kitchen. The property provides a tranquil retreat within walking distance to the city’s finest restaurants and events.
Modern architecture and minimalist décor create a peaceful sanctuary within a leisurely stroll of the city’s finest restaurants and events. This place is so central that you’ll be sipping lattes in the city’s hotspots before your GPS can say, “You have arrived at your destination.”
Casa Elefante. (CDR San Miguel Forbes Global Properties)
Explore this fabulous house for sale in Tlalixtac de Cabrera, Oaxaca, where you’re not just buying a home; you’re getting a front-row view of the picturesque Huayapam Dam.
The property showcases two well-appointed apartments. Apartment 1 boasts two bedrooms, a full bathroom, kitchen, living room, and dining room, while Apartment 2 offers three bedrooms, a full bathroom, kitchen, living room, and dining room. With a total of 5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, this residence harmoniously combines comfort and style within 7056 square feet of land.
Feel the breeze in your hair as you step into a garden so spacious it makes other gardens jealous and a garage that can handle two cars with ease. The property also has its own water source from an on-site well. This is not just a house; it’s a lifestyle upgrade. Call it your own and get ready to be the talk of Tlalixtac!
Dive into Pacific coastal vibes with this charming 805-square-foot condominium, where you can lounge on the generous wrap-around terrace to practice the most rewarding hobby on Earth: staring at the ocean.
The newly remodeled kitchen provides panoramic views of the property’s swimming pool, as well as the enchanting sea and mountains of Puerto Vallarta. This lovable abode is the best spot in town, with air conditioning, private parking spot, security, and a pet-friendly policy so your furry friends can join the fiesta.
Welcome to Cabo – where the sun is shining, the tacos are calling, and your condo feels like the crown jewel of the coast!
Boasting 1,229 square feet of living area, this furnished condo in boutique development La Mar is move-in ready and offers breathtaking ocean views. Ideally situated within walking distance of restaurants, a farmer’s market, and more, it provides easy accessibility to all of Cabo. Enjoy community amenities such as two pools, a BBQ area, gym, security, and the convenience of your own parking space.
Elevate your living experience with a piece of this thriving Cabo community. This condo is your VIP pass to a life where the ocean views are as stunning as your wardrobe, and every day feels like a beachside party.
Cabo Corridor. (2SeasLosCabo Forbes Global Properties)
Get ready to own Tulum glam with this fully furnished residence!
Spanning three levels and meticulously furnished, this residence screams sophistication and comfort. The open-concept design seamlessly integrates the living, dining and kitchen areas and creates a space so inviting, your long-lost relatives will be knocking at the door.
Three bedrooms (with their own bathrooms) are strategically placed on each floor for maximum privacy, while the master suite is an indulgent sanctuary. Head up to the rooftop terrace for the amazing panoramic views of Tulum’s natural beauty and your very own pool.
Situated in the heart of Tulum, this home is your front-row ticket to the city’s best in food and beaches. Whether you’re looking for a home, a vacation haven or an investment property, this place could be your piece of Tulum’s paradise.
Find professional services to help your Mexico real estate dream come true
If you’ve pictured your dream home south of the border, but worry that the language and cultural differences can pose challenges in navigating the Mexican real estate process, fear not! There are many skilled local real estate agents available to guide you.
Engaging a professional real estate agent when buying a house in Mexico is a wise choice for several reasons. These agents aren’t just experts; they’re your secret weapon to crack the code on neighborhood trends, property values, and all the legal mumbo-jumbo you’d rather not deal with alone. From legal tangos to bureaucratic waltzes, the right real estate agent will become your dance partner ensuring you have fun while staying compliant with the rules. Plus, they’ve got the contact list to help find contractors, notaries, and anyone else you might need.
So, pack your sombrero and sunscreen, hop on over, and turn those property dreams into a reality. Mexico’s waiting, and it’s more than just a place, it’s a fiesta and siesta lifestyle.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. The writer and Mexico News Daily assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content on this site. Individuals should always consult with qualified professionals regarding investments in real estate. This article was independently researched and written by Mexico News Daily. It is not sponsored content, but some of the listings featured in this article are through Mexico News Daily advertisers.
Sandra is a Mexican writer and translator based in San Miguel de Allende who specializes in mental health and humanitarian aid. She believes in the power of language to foster compassion and understanding across cultures. She can be reached at: [email protected]
The security plan, scheduled to be announced next week, includes measures to increase highway security across the country according to Animal Político. (Dassaev Téllez Adame/Cuartoscuro)
A coalition of transport drivers from across Mexico is preparing a national strike on Feb. 5, to protest rising insecurity on national highways.
In a statement, the Coalition of United Organizations of Motor Transport called for an end to the violence suffered by industry workers and condemned the federal government for failing to tackle the issue.
Mexico’s highways can often be unsafe for transport drivers, with robberies and even murders becoming increasingly commonplace. (Margarito Pérez Retano/Cuartoscuro)
“We demand an urgent solution to the insecurity that threatens the life, integrity and freedom of people and drivers,” the statement said. “We are living in a crisis situation due to the insecurity that exists on the national road network, the solution to which cannot wait any longer.”
The group called on drivers of all forms of transport to join the strike, while apologizing to the citizens who would be affected.
In recent weeks, several industry bodies have highlighted alarming levels of insecurity on Mexico’s highways. The National Chamber of Freight Transportation (Canacar) recorded nearly 13,000 freight robberies in 2023, and the Confederation of Industrial Chambers (Concamin) reported that85,000 trucks have been targeted in robberies during the five years of the Andrés Manuel López Obrador presidency, costing the economy over 7 billion pesos (US $415 million) per year.
Luis García López Guerrero, Director for Security Affairs at Canacar said that 10 states account for 93% of incidents, led by México State and Puebla, followed by Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Michoacán, Jalisco, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Tlaxcala and Veracruz.
The government has said that the National Guard will increase patrols along major highways in response to increased robberies. (Carlos Alberto Carbajal)
Fear of violence has led to a national deficit of 50,000 truck drivers, according to Canacar, despite driver pay averaging between 60 and 70 thousand pesos (US $3,463-4,040) per month.
Petroleum, chemical and clothing trucks account for more than 80% of total robberies.
The Mexico-Querétaro highway has become a particular flashpoint for cargo robberies, with three cases of violence against truck drivers reported in one week alone. One driver was killed, another wounded, and another forced to leave his vehicle and board a pickup truck, before being released a few kilometers away. Rising violence sparked a protest on the highway by the Mexican Alliance of Transport Organizations (Amotac) in October 2023.
When questioned about the crisis at his morning press conference on Monday, President López Obrador said that the issue was being addressed by increased surveillance by the National Guard.
“We implemented a system of permanent patrols along the entire stretch from Mexico City to Acapulco, which has given us good results,” said National Guard commander David Córdova. “That is the procedure we are going to carry out, to increase patrols.”
Police surveillance is still in place on the highways of Veracruz following an upsurge of robberies last year, and the highways around Acapulco, Puebla and Querétaro have also been identified as in need of heightened security.
Four policemen have been arrested in connection with the killing of a young man after he didn't stop when ordered by the officers. (Fiscalía General de Veracruz)
Four municipal police officers face homicide charges after a 27-year-old father was killed in Veracruz on Friday, provoking an angry response from locals.
The Veracruz Attorney General’s Office said that four male officers are accused of murdering Brandon Arellano Cruz in Lerdo de Tejada, a municipality about 100 kilometers south of Veracruz city.
Brandon Arellano Cruz was shot by police during a traffic stop. (Social media)
A judge ruled that the police must remain in custody as they await trial.
Arellano — who was reportedly mistaken for a thief — was shot after officers ordered him to stop his vehicle, according to the victim’s father. Delfino Arellano Ramírez, a teacher, said that his son continued driving before parking his car outside his grandmother’s house. Arellano Cruz was shot in the head and neck while he was still in his vehicle and died immediately.
“After having been chased by municipal police he arrived here to this address … and they shot him with two bullets,” Arellano Ramírez said, adding that his son was the father of a six-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl.
In light of the shooting, residents detained the officers and set two police cars on fire. They reportedly attempted to lynch the officers by beating them. But the officers weren’t killed and were eventually arrested and taken away by state police.
Angry residents set fire to a municipal vehicle in response to the killing. (Francisco Elvira/X)
Residents — who denounced frequent abuses of power by municipal police — later set the Lerdo de Tejada municipal palace and a local government vehicle on fire.
César Maldonado Ramírez, a local, told the El Financiero newspaper that residents are “tired” of the abuses committed by municipal police and that “the people need justice.”
According to residents, police frequently detain people and plant drugs on them before demanding an on-the-spot payment. Lerdo de Tejada locals also accuse municipal police of beating some residents.
Arellano Cruz was buried at the Lerdo de Tejada municipal cemetery on Sunday. His mother told the news website La Silla Rota that she now feared for her own life.
“If [municipal police] were capable of taking one piece of my life, they could take another piece of my life or put an end to my life. … I fear for my personal safety,” Érika Cruz said.
Veracruz Governor Cuitláhuca García announced Monday that the National Guard and the army had assumed temporary control of security in Lerdo de Tejada, a coastal municipality with a population of around 20,000.
Africam already has a host of giraffes (seen here), and zookeepers are optimistic that Benito will be able to fit in quickly. (Mireya Novo/Cuartoscuro)
The much-anticipated transfer of Benito the giraffe from unsafe living conditions at a public park in Chihuahua to a spacious safari park in Puebla was completed on Tuesday morning.
Traveling across 10 states, in an epic 30-hour journey of 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), Benito arrived at Africam Safari, an accredited zoo near the city of Puebla.
Benito was previously living in a public park in the middle of Ciudad Juárez, in terrible conditions. (Salvemos A Benito/X)
His new home is a far cry from Central Park in Ciudad Juárez, where Benito had lived alone since May of last year. At less than 1 acre, the virtually treeless corral was way too small for an animal that likes to roam and eat from trees, lacked shade in the scorching summer and was frigid in the winter. The park also lacked the proper staff to administer regular feedings or proper health care.
Seeing those conditions — and noting that the previous occupant, Modesto, endured the same harsh life for 20 years before dying in 2022 — sent people into action.
For eight months, environmentalists banded together in the “Save Benito” campaign to get the 3-year-old male transferred again; he had come previously from a zoo in Culiacán, Sinaloa.
Images on social media last year showing the 14-foot-tall Benito crouching under a small awning, and others showing his living conditions raised the hackles of people across Mexico.
Activists responded by initiating litigation against Profepa and Ciudad Juárez’s Central Park, and a district judge in Chihuahua then issued a court order requiring the transfer.
Benito was transported by land in a temperature-controlled container under the care of specialists, with National Guard vehicles sometimes escorting alongside.
¡Llegamos a Africam! 🦒✨
Benito está muy bien, listo para poder ser revisado con todas las comodidades posibles.
Gracias a todos por su confianza y apoyo durante todo el camino. 🤍
¡Bienvenido Benito! 🏡 pic.twitter.com/UTegQU5wrr
“He is in very good condition,” said Frank Camacho, director of Africam Safari. “He was very curious…because of all the things here that are new to him.”
For the first few days, Benito will be under protection in “a room specially designed for giraffes, where we can do any medical management, any zootechnical management.”
He will slowly be converted to a new diet — starting with branches of African acacia trees — and he has already met his handlers.
“They will be taking care of him for a long time,” Camacho said. “The keepers at Africam have a lot of experience with giraffes … They know perfectly how to handle them, how to read them, how to understand them.”
Governor Samuel García and state and Kuka Home officials inaugurate the Chinese manufacturer's plant expansion on Jan. 18. (Gobierno de Nuevo León)
The Chinese furniture manufacturer Kuka Home Mexico has inaugurated a US $150 million expansion of its plant in Nuevo León, which is expected to create more than 4,000 jobs.
Kuka Home first announced the expansion of its factory in the Interpuerto Monterrey industrial park in Salinas Victoria, just north of Monterrey, in 2022. It inaugurated the project on Jan. 18, in a ceremony attended by Nuevo León governor Samuel García and state Economy Secretary Iván Rivas Rodríguez.
Gov. García and others tour Kuka Home’s Nuevo León plant. (Gobierno de Nuevo León)
Rivas said that the plant will employ 1,000 people from first opening, rising to 2,500 by the end of the year. By 2026, the company hopes that the factory will have a production value of $115 million and employ up to 5,000 staff.
Kuka Home currently employs around 25,000 people worldwide, with factories in China, Vietnam and Mexico. Its general director, Daniel Zhao, said that “the Monterrey factory provides basic services to customers in the North American market,” which accounts for most of its furniture sales.
Governor García used his inauguration speech to emphasize Nuevo León’s benefits for companies looking to supply international markets from Mexico.
“We have done everything to connect Nuevo León with the world,” he said. “We’re aiming for expansion and a double runway at theMonterrey International Airport, we will have 40 non-stop international flights, and soon another international airport will be ready.” He added that Nuevo León is also building six new highways in the next two years.
García has long been a passionate advocate for nearshoring – the relocation of plants from Asia to Mexico to be closer to U.S. markets. In March 2023, he predicted that the phenomenon could spur annualgrowth of up to 10% in Mexico, and this month he announcednew tax breaks for companies setting up in the Nuevo León border region.
“The entire section of Puerto Colombia [on the U.S. border] is going to be a free zone,” he said at the inauguration. “A free trade zone means zero taxes… If I were Kuka Home, I would already be buying land to have a transfer or a warehouse in this fiscal area; it’s zero taxes.”
Rivas added that Nuevo León already has a portfolio of projects from more than 100 countries, which are looking to invest up to $10 billion in the state. Major investment announcements in 2023 included a$15 billion Tesla “gigafactory” and a$5 billion industrial park to be built by Chinese construction company LGMG.
