Executives across the tourism and business industries voted Quintana Roo a top regional and national destination for its beaches, resorts and adventure offerings. (Unsplash)
Quintana Roo won a total of 21 awards at the 30th edition of the World Travel Awards, known as the “Tourism Oscars.” Seven awards were won in the Mexico and Central America category and 14 additional awards were won in competition with other destinations within the country, state Tourism Secretary Bernardo Cueto Riestra reported.
“The tourism development model that we are implementing within the new well-being and development plan for Quintana Roo establishes a collective commitment to creating sustainable, inclusive destinations that bring greater prosperity for all of Quintana Roo’s residents,” Cueto Riestra said.
Quintana Roo Tourism Secretary Bernardo Cueto Riestra says that Tulum is part of an overall “well-being and development plan” that aims to make the state’s tourist destinations more sustainable and inclusive. (Tulum Paradise/Facebook)
The Mexico and Central America awards category named Tulum a leading beach destination, a recognition it has won six times, in 2009, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022.
“This, of course, is an achievement for all of us from Tulum who are dedicated to the service of tourism, and we are very happy that this award builds prestige for Mexico and of course of Tulum,” president of the Tulum Tourism Promotion Council Mario Cruz Rodríguez said ahead of the official awards ceremony.
The top beach resort award went to the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancún, while the award for best new hotel went to the Kempinski Hotel Cancún. The St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya, won best new top resort and the Cancún Office of Visitors and Conventions was awarded best tourist board of a leading city.
At the national level, the top beach resort award went to the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancún, a five-star resort. (Grand Fiesta Americana)
In the Mexico category, Cancún was recognized as the leading beach destination.
In the same category, the company Xcaret was named best leading adventure tour operator, Puerto Morelos, the #1 destination in adventure tourism and Cancún Aventuras Extremas,s the best adventure tourist attraction.
Meanwhile, the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya hotel was recognized as the top all-inclusive resort and the Hyatt Ziva, Cancún was named the leading beach resort. Our Habitas, Tulum, was awarded best boutique resort and Atelier Playa Mujeres was recognized as the leading conference hotel in the continental area of Isla Mujeres. The top family resort award went to Hacienda Tres Ríos Resort, Spa and Natural Park.
Hotel Xcaret Arte won the recognition for top hotel overall with Grand Residencias Riviera Cancún winning the award for best hotel residences in Mexico. Hyatt Ziva Cancun won leading resort, while Hotel Secreto was voted best boutique hotel.
Riviera Maya’s Hacienda Tres Ríos Resort, Spa and Natural Park won best family resort in Mexico at the awards. (Sunset World Resorts)
Finally, México Kan Tours, in Tulum, won Mexico’s leading tour operator.
Kun Jiang (left), Luis Benitez-Esposa (center) and Chuen Yip (right) are all wanted in connection with fentanyl production and trafficking and are included in the most-wanted list. (U.S. DEA)
“El Mencho” and “El Mayo” no longer appear, but the DEA’s most wanted fugitives list is still dominated by Mexicans.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration updated its 10 most wanted list on Tuesday, removing the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, head of a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Authorities have been searching for El Mencho, the leader of the CJNG, for years, but he no longer appears on the DEA most-wanted list. (U.S. DEA)
Also off the list is Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, a son of imprisoned former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The DEA’s 10 most wanted fugitives list now includes seven Mexicans, the best known of whom is another of El Chapo’s sons: Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar.
The 40-year-old – a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos” due to the involvement of El Chapo’s sons – is wanted in the U.S. on various drug trafficking charges. A reward of up to US $10 million is on offer for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.
The six other Mexicans on the DEA’s list – all of whom also allegedly work for the Sinaloa Cartel – are:
Óscar Noé “El Panu” Medina González, described by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) as “the principal deputy for Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, a high-level leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and the day-to-day commander of Guzman Salzar’s and his brothers’ – the Chapitos’ – security apparatus.” He is one of three new entrants to the DEA’s 10 most wanted list.
Carlos Omar Félix Gutiérrez, who “allegedly operates clandestine fentanyl laboratories for the Sinaloa Cartel, where fentanyl precursor chemicals imported from China are processed into fully formed fentanyl for subsequent importation into the U.S,” according to the DOS. He was captured in Colombia in March, but remains on the DEA list pending extradition to the United States.
Liborio “El Karateca” Nuñez Aguirre, “a fentanyl trafficker for the Sinaloa Cartel engaged in the movement of vast quantities of fentanyl from Mexico into the U.S. in pill and powder form,” according to the DOS.
Luis Javier Benítez Espinoza, another alleged fentanyl trafficker for the Sinaloa Cartel and a new entrant to the DEA’s most wanted list.
Alan Gabriel Nuñez Herrera, “another significant Mexican fentanyl trafficker working for the Chapitos,” according to the DOS.
Oscar Noé Medina González is believed to be a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa cartel, controlling security for “Los Chapitos” – the sons of former leader Joaquín Guzman – and overseeing day-to-day operation of the group. (U.S. DEA)
Also on the list is Honduran Yulan Adonay “Porky” Archaga Carias, described by the DOS as “the highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras” and the person “responsible for directing the gang’s criminal activities” in that country.
Although they are no longer among the DEA’s 10 most wanted fugitives, the CJNG’s head honcho and veteran Sinaloa Cartel leader “El Mayo” Zambada remain high-level targets of U.S. authorities. A reward of up to US $10 million is on offer for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Oseguera Cervantes, while the figure for the 75-year-old former business partner of El Chapo – who has never been in jail – is $15 million.
The rewards for information leading to the arrest of those two men dwarf the majority of those offered for the capture of the fugitives on the most wanted list, a situation that reflects their power as leaders of two of Mexico’s most profitable and powerful criminal organizations.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in April that the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG pose “the greatest criminal threat the United States has ever faced” given that they are “primarily responsible for driving the drug poisoning epidemic” in the U.S.
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán (center), former head of the Sinaloa Cartel, is led by DEA agents during his extradition in 2017. One of Guzmán’s sons was removed from the updated fugitives list, but another (Iván Archivaldo) remains one of the most-wanted. (U.S. DEA)
Under the Department of State’s Narcotics Reward Program, $10 million is also on offer for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, a “Chapito” also known as “Alfredillo.”
Between Durango and Chihuahua lies an often overlooked stretch of country that was home to one of Mexico's most legendary folk heroes. (Arturo Ramos/Wikimedia)
In 2023, two important things happened in a beautiful and little-known corner of northern Mexico – the 100th anniversary of Pancho Villa’s death and the naming of Parral, Chihuahua as a Pueblo Mágico.
With luck, the two will eventually lead to more interest in Villa’s “home range,” the rural lands between the cities of Durango and Chihuahua. The journey offers both stretches of unspoiled natural beauty, and a testament to some of Mexico’s most colorful and chaotic history.
Northern Mexico is a continuing tribute to a man who played an important part of shaping the country we know today. Here, reenactors portray Villa and his División del Norte army. (Adolfo Valtierra/Cuartoscuro)
No other region in Mexico identifies more strongly with Villa than here. José Doroteo Arango Arámbula was his real name but the world knows him better as Francisco, or Pancho Villa. He was a complicated figure in a complicated time – part of a decade-long struggle for power among various factions that would define modern Mexico.
At his height, Villa and his División del Norte army would swiftly push south as far as Mexico City, but would also then be swiftly pushed back to Durango. Here Villa could not be beaten – a lifetime of being on the run from the law and his enemies meant he not only knew the area like the back of his hand, but that the locals supported him, too.
Until, of course, he was assassinated in Parral, Chihuahua.
To start exploring this region, the logical place to start is the city of Durango. Major highways take you there from Mazatlán and even Mexico City, (there is also an international airport), and it has much to offer visitors including Baroque architecture, a sprawling market, colonial history and, of course, mezcal. The city honors Villa, the state’s native son, with a 10-hall museum opened in 2013 in the downtown Zambrano Palace, which gives a good introduction to his life and times before you begin trekking north.
Mural work in a municipal building in Parral, Chihuahua dedicated to Villa (Leigh Thelmadatter)
Only a couple hours away from Durango is San Juan del Río, Villa’s birthplace. Even before you arrive, you will notice how much unspoiled nature there is just driving on Highway 45. Despite its claim to the Villa name, San Juan itself is still a typical rural mining and agricultural municipality, instead of a tourist attraction, although the town has several points-of-interest, including its 16th/17th century church and La Coyotada, the house where Villa was born.
Heading further north, the next stop is just before the Durango/Chihuahua state line, at the very rural municipality of Ocampo. The main attraction here is the former Canutillo Hacienda. Abandoned during the Revolution, the 87,000 hectare estate enticed Villa to sign the Sabinas Accords with then-President Adolfo de la Huerta to lay down his arms and become a civilian.
Back among the mountains and forests that served to protect him so well for decades, Villa and his allies spent three years growing crops and providing locals with work and education.
After Villa’s death in 1923, the hacienda was abandoned again, its contents ransacked and its lands eventually redistributed. In 1978, the federal government converted the main house into a regional museum. The building proper is in good condition and the guide very knowledgeable about Villa, but Canutillo needs much work before it really can be called a “regional museum.” Villa is important, but there is so much more to northern Durango.
The main house of the Canutillo Hacienda, now a regional museum dedicated to Villa (Leigh Thelmadatter)
So far, the state has done little to promote tourism here, prompting organizations such as Sombreros Unidos de Ocampo to take on the monumental task of developing infrastructure to let people know about the area’s impressive natural beauty, indigenous and colonial history, and more. If you visit, please contact the Sombreros beforehand as they are your best bet for lodging and guides.
Villa’s banking needs took him regularly to Parral, which would eventually seal his doom. On July 20, 1923, his car was ambushed by gunmen, killing him and the other occupants instantly. Perhaps Villa was a little too optimistic that someone of his caliber could just “retire.”
Parral is in the valley north of the El Toche mountains, which separate Durango and Chihuahua. Here, the land is noticeably drier, and the architecture is much more norteño, more like the Mexico of Hollywood films.
Although the town has an important history of mining and Indigenous multiculturalism, its Pueblo Mágico status is directly related to Villa. He was not only murdered here, but local Elisa Griersen faced down the U.S. Army here, when they passed through looking to capture Villa. They never did.
Villa supposedly married 26 women during his lifetime, but only one, Luz Corral, did he marry both legally and in church. (Wikimedia)
To get a taste of just how important Villa is to the town’s identity, visit during the Jornadas Villistas (Villa Days) in July, which feature a horseback parade with participants in period attire and a reenactment of Villa’s death.
This is not Chihuahua’s only association with Villa. During the height of his power, the general served as the state’s governor for short periods in 1913 and 1914. He bought a mansion here, renaming it Quinta Luz in honor of his wife, Luz Corral de Villa.
She would remain in this house the rest of her life, playing a pivotal role in preserving Villa’s legacy. Here, she established a museum to him and his army, preserving many of his belongings.
Just before her death in 1982, she negotiated a deal with the Defense Ministry to take over the building and completely remodel it. Today it is the Historic Museum of the Revolution, managed by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). The museum’s collection is extensive and even includes the car Villa was assassinated in.
Promotional poster for the Star Plus series on the life and times of Villa. (Star Plus)
Villa and his home range are particularly important now that history is reassessing his role in the “pantheon” of figures of the Mexican Revolution. For decades, he was vilified as a violent bandit by both the U.S. and Mexico, in part because he attacked the border looking to draw Mexico’s northern neighbor more directly into the internal conflict.
Over the course of the last century, both Mexico and the U.S. have produced books and films about Villa, slowly mythologizing his role in history, and in the 1970s, the general’s remains were moved to a place of honor at the Monument to the Revolution in Mexico City. The 100th anniversary has offered new opportunities with President López Obrador paying homage in Villa’s birthplace and Star Plus putting out a series about his life and times.
It may be about time that a man seen as little more than a bandit in the U.S. – and his homeland – got their due.
Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico over 20 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019). Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily.
The combination of a blue moon and a super moon will not happen again until 2037. (Cezar Popescu/Wikimedia)
Wednesday will see a “super blue moon,” a rare combination of two lunar events that will bring the second full moon of August and the year’s biggest and brightest moon to the night sky. The last super blue moon occurred in 2009.
August’s supermoon will appear above the horizon in Mexico after 7 p.m. and travel across the sky from east to west, setting at sunrise.
This will be the first blue moon since 2021. (Illia Panasenko/Cuartoscuro)
A blue moon refers to the appearance of a second full moon in a calendar month. According to NASA, they happen every two to three years because the time it takes for the moon to orbit Earth is slightly shorter than a month. The last blue moon was seen on Aug. 21, 2021.
The rarity of the 13th full moon of the year inspired the phrase “once in a blue moon.”
But don’t be disappointed if the moon doesn’t turn blue: on rare occasions, the moon can appear blue to our eyes if it is seen through smoke, but expect it to appear its normal color tonight.
A supermoon happens when the perigee – the point of the lunar orbit at which the moon is closest to Earth – coincides with the full moon phase, an event that happens three to four times a year. According to NASA, a super moon appears about 7% larger than a regular full moon.
The combination of the blue moon and supermoon happening together occurs about every 10 years, and won’t happen again until 2037.
Xóchitl Gálvez is one step closer to selection as the 2024 presidential candidate for the opposition. (Jorge Ortega/Cuartoscuro)
This is a developing story
National Action Party (PAN) Senator Xóchitl Gálvez defeated Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) Senator Beatriz Paredes by 15 points in polling that was slated to contribute to the determination of the 2024 presidential candidate for the Broad Front for Mexico (FAM) opposition bloc.
Beatriz Paredes is the PRI aspirant for the opposition coalition nomination. (Beatriz Paredes/X)
The result of a vote scheduled for this Sunday is also supposed to be taken into account, but it could be canceled if Paredes decides to withdraw.
The leadership of the PRI is set to make an announcement about Paredes’ intentions at 3:30 p.m. Mexico City time.
If the PRI senator withdraws from the contest, Gálvez will become the first confirmed candidate for the presidential election to be held on June 2, 2024. The ruling Morena party will announce its candidate next Wednesday.
The organizing committee of the FAM said in a statement that Gálvez attracted average support of 57.58% in two polls, one conducted by telephone and the other in people’s homes. Paredes had support of 42.42%.
The FAM is made up of the PAN, the PRI and the Democratic Revolution Party and supported by numerous civil society groups.
Gálvez, a 60-year-old indigenous Otomí woman from Hidalgo, is vying to become Mexico’s first ever female president. Her most likely opponent is former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, who polls show is the leading Morena aspirant.
Polling is being conducted this week to determine who will represent the ruling party and its allies next June. Former foreign affairs minister Marcelo Ebrard is Sheinbaum’s main rival.
Middle school students at the Academia Internacional in San Miguel de Allende learned more about their city through the film making project. (AISMA)
Times have certainly changed from my school days in 1980s England.
When I went to learn more about a student documentary film project at the bilingual Academia Internacional in San Miguel de Allende, I was stunned by the whole setup. The campus has mountain vistas, a food truck, a geodesic dome greenhouse, yurts, a “makers” design studio, and, wait, a… pirate ship?
Students collaborated across grades to work on the time-consuming project. (AISMA)
Founded in 2011 as a non-profit (SEP-affiliated) school, the creative vision, care and well-being of the students was immediately apparent. Dr. Laura Montes is head of the school board and “it’s essentially her genius, with a very good team around her, that has built this school”, the principal tells me. With 186 pupils from 14 different countries, it offers a diverse learning environment for students.
As a film enthusiast, I was keen to meet the teachers who developed the educational ethos of the school, and spearheaded a documentary project that had gained local attention. . Leo Utskot, a self-effacing but energetic and enthusiastic Norwegian teacher, addressed my questions immediately.
“We break all the rules!” he said. “We practice project-based learning. The pillars of this school are what we call SEL, or social emotional learning. Our students learn by hands-on experience, through collaborative effort. We encourage curiosity, the value of asking questions and discovery … Our longtime history and geography teacher, Leonardo Estrada Calva, wanted to spearhead a filmmaking project around social issues with students spanning 6th to 9th grades. He saw this as an exciting and ideal way to research and gain knowledge of local social systems and be engaged with the community, in teams of different age groups.”
Laura Montes echoed Estrada’s sentiment and added, “By focusing the students on community initiatives for the film topics, they had the chance to participate in local realities and form ideas about how to implement effective change. By being emotionally connected with their environment, I think the films convey more meaning and intimacy.”
Students engaged with topics that affect their community, like water shortages and contamination in the local reservoir. (Screenshot/AISMA)
At the Academia, students’ are able to explore their own agency, ideas and initiatives. Tackling wider, global topics is important, Laura continued, but more for historical and background context.
The kids chose from 16 issues facing their communities – finally settling on waste management, water, gentrification, addiction and women’s rights. Estrada, a film enthusiast himself, took the role of executive producer, helping the students procure the necessary finance, permits, equipment and guidance they needed.
“The project, from development, pre-production, shooting, post-production to screening and the exhibition, took 6 months,” he says. “They learned a very detailed process step by step. Then we screened the shorts at the local Cineplex, inviting all the parents and friends and hosting a Q & A. It was like a mini film festival with speeches and awards!”
The team invested in cameras, microphones, tripods and 10 laptops for editing the documentaries. “Touring the Televisa studios in Querétaro gave students the opportunity to experience a working production studio, take inspiration and practical field notes,” said Estrada.
Maddie, 9th-grader, with her parents at the showing of the student films at the local Cineplex. (AISMA)
Regina, a 9th-grade student, took part in the documentary about waste, called “Garbage”.
“There was so much I didn’t know. Laura Flores, the engineer at the San Miguel landfill taught us so much. How often do we think about local garbage? With the expanding population there is more garbage than ever. Did you know they see between 100-150 tonnes of garbage every day? We wanted to broadcast information that most people don’t think about on a daily basis.”
The garbage and water documentaries, informative and straightforward, were a lot more captivating when seen through the eyes of schoolchildren.
“This is important for their future, and their future family,” explains the school director. “We’re aware we live in turbulent times. It helps to not only be informed, but to engage, collaborate, and embrace questions, perspectives and to be able to learn from mistakes. So whether the kids are learning to grow vegetables in the greenhouse dome or to construct a table, they’re learning about life ‘in action’.
I witnessed that “life in action” philosophy in the film titled “Gentrification”.
Maddie, also a 9th-grader, said it took six months of research before completing their narrative structure. “We conducted so many interviews that we couldn’t show them all in the film. But our intention was to present perspectives from both the locals and the foreigners. The locals were much more positive about the influx of foreigners, seeing them as a boost for business. The Americans seemed to feel more guilty! But giving back to the community was a strong theme, so we wanted to show that. Gentrification has many different sides to it.”
Equipo 2 - Adicciones
The student documentary about addiction in San Miguel de Allende (“Adictopia”)
The students had also visited the Presa Allende (the reservoir just outside San Miguel) and learned about local water shortages from the farmers and residents. “Ultimately, we became aware that this is a main concern for the future of San Miguel. The water lilies [infestation] causes problems for the fish, de-oxygenating the water, threatening to dry up the dam,” explained a student named Lia.
In the students’ short film about addiction, I was surprised to learn that crystal meth and alcohol are the main substances abused in San Miguel. This film was impactful and heartfelt, with some talented use of animation and graphics.
The stamp of good filmmaking is to make it look easy, when in reality it’s a time-consuming, laborious and highly collaborative art. The students’ efforts with shooting, audio, music and editing were commendable. The less than perfect moments retained a sense of fresh delight for me, knowing that adults hadn’t interfered.
“As we say here, mistakes are important! Learning and developing step-by-step together is what education is all about”, Leo reiterates. “We teach a way of life here and not just a syllabus.”
Visual media is undoubtedly one of the leading communication tools we have today, and with the advancement of AI, our kids today will have more opportunity to present issues and form local and global initiatives using these powerful tools.
As 9th-grade student Regina told us, “It was amazing to be able to tell these stories on film about our own community, that most people don’t think about on a daily basis.”
Henrietta Weekes is a writer, editor, actor and narrator. She divides her time between San Miguel de Allende, New York and Oxford, UK.
Pemex chief Octavio Oropeza had claimed that in June that Pemex crude processing had reached 1.4 million barrels per day, a figure almost twice as high as official numbers for July. (Pemex/X)
State-owned oil company Pemex is increasingly slipping behind its ambitious production goals as crude processing fell in July to its lowest point so far this year.
Pemex’s domestic refineries processed 768,732 barrels per day (bpd) in July, well below President López Obrador’s target of between 900,000 and 1 million bpd target by 2024.
An area near Pemex’s Nohoch-A offshore platform in Campeche, which was involved in a fire in July. (Carlos Alvarez/Twitter)
Pemex’s processing had increased steadily from around 600,000 bpd at the start of AMLO’s administration in 2018 to a high point of 915,000 bpd in April of this year. However, a series of setbacks since May has caused processing to drop to an average of 821,233 bpd this year, only slightly above the 815,790 bpd registered in 2022.
July was a particularly difficult month for Pemex. A fire on anoffshore platform on July 7 killed two workers and caused crude production to temporarily drop by around 100,000 bpd;oil spilled from a nearby underwater pipeline shortly afterwards; and a leak forced the company toshut down Mexico’s largest oil-exporting terminal on July 26.
As a result, Pemex’s total crude production fell to 1.573 million bpd over the month, the lowest level this year. Crude exports fell by 13% from an annual high in June, while processing was also affected. Pemex was forced to import 317,879 bpd of gasoline and 142,167 bpd of diesel over the month, compared to domestic production of 265,771 bpd of gasoline and 153,553 bpd of diesel.
The disappointing performance stood in contrast to claims by Pemex director Octavio Romero Oropeza in June that Pemex had reached a fuel processing capacity of1.4 million bpd, putting it on track to meet AMLO’s goal of fuel self-sufficiency for Mexico by 2024.
Mexico’s energy policy has been the subject of much debate recently as President López Obrador prioritizes investment in state-run projects like this refinery in Dos Bocas, Tabasco. (Gob MX)
At the time, El Economistanewspaper raised concerns that Pemex was increasingly relying on residual heavy fuel oil, which is more polluting and less efficient than other fuels, to boost its total production.
The paper’s analysis suggested that lack of investment in updating Pemex’s machinery – in part due to López Obrador’s austerity plan for the struggling company – meant that its refineries lack the infrastructure needed to transform oil into lighter fuels. Pemex remains heavily indebted, with liabilities overUS $110 billion in the second quarter of the year.
Despite these difficulties, the government remains committed to its fuel self-sufficiency target. The new Olmeca refinery inaugurated last year in Dos Bocas, Tabasco, is predicted to boost processing by340,000 bpd, but only began initial processing operations in July of between 80,000 and 100,000 bpd. It is unlikely to come fully online until late this year, at the earliest.
The new airport, located in México state, saw it's busiest month on record, with more than 250,000 passengers passing through. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
Over 250,000 passengers used the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) in July, more than in any other month since the facility opened in March 2022.
AIFA data shows that 256,590 passengers passed through the airport last month, a 17.5% increase compared to the previous record set in May. The increase compared to July last year is a whopping 607%.
Passenger traffic at Felipe Ángeles airport in Mexico City went up 607% in July compared to 2022. (Gob MX)
AIFA reported that just over 93% of passengers who used the airport in July traveled domestically to destinations such as Cancún, Guadalajara and Tijuana, while just under 7% were on international flights to or from countries including the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Panama.
The army-built airport, located about 45 kilometers north of central Mexico City, got off to a slow start with fewer than 40,000 passengers in each month between March and July last year.
However, passenger numbers had increased significantly by the end of the year, exceeding 200,000 in both November and December. They dropped below that number in the first three months of 2023, but increased above 200,000 in April and have remained there ever since.
The AIFA opened in March 2022 and is one of President López Obrador’s flagship projects. (Gob MX)
There were just 356 takeoffs and landings by commercial airlines during the airport’s first full month of operations in April 2022, but operations reached a record high of 2,029 last month, an increase of 470% in just 15 months.
While the increase in passenger and flight numbers is undoubtedly good news, AIFA is still operating well under capacity, which, according to the government, is 20 million passengers per year.
In the first seven months of this year, 1.43 million passengers used the airport. That figure is just 5.1% of the 27.87 million people who, in the same period, passed through the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), where both terminals have reached saturation point, according to the federal government.
The main objective in building AIFA was to ease pressure on the AICM, but as the numbers above indicate, the new airport has not yet been able to do that to any meaningful extent.
The Felipe Ángeles airport remains underused, despite seeing continued growth this year. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
One factor that has hindered the growth of the airport is that the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration downgraded Mexico’s aviation safety rating from Category 1 to Category 2 in 2021. As a result, Mexican airlines – with one exception – have been banned from adding new flights to the U.S. for over two years.
Among the factors that have dissuaded some people from using the new airport is that it is quite far from the capital – especially its southern boroughs – and the planned rail link between the Buenavista suburban train station in central Mexico City and AIFA has not yet been completed. Once operational, getting to AIFA by train from Buenavista is slated to take just 39 minutes. López Obrador has said that the service will commence in the first quarter of next year.
Before that, flights between AIFA and the as yet unfinished airport in Tulum, Quintana Roo are expected to commence. Budget carrier Viva Aerobus and a relaunched, state-owned Mexicana will commence flights between the two airports in December, according to announcements by Viva and the federal government.
Qatar Airways is also set to begin using the airport, according to an Aug. 25 post on the X social media platform by the Federal Civil Aviation Agency. The agency said that the Middle Eastern airline planned to operate two routes to AIFA, but didn’t say what they would be.
With a passionate welcome from Mexican Swifties – as Swift’s fans are known – the singer left the country feeling grateful and in love with Mexico.
Fans exchanged friendship bracelets, a “Swiftie” tradition between concertgoers. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)
“After years of wanting to play in Mexico City, I just got to play 4 of the most unforgettable shows for the most beautiful and generous fans,” Swift wrote on Twitter and Instagram on Monday. “Feeling so grateful for the memories we’re making together on this tour … TE AMO,” she added, using a Mexican flag emoji to represent the popular phrase “Te Amo México.”
Videos on social media showed how Mexican fans embraced the Eras Tour, giving it a touch of Mexico’s unique culture.
Video shot prior to the concerts shows Swifties leaving a friendship bracelet at a statue of Tlaloc, the Mexica god of rain and lightning, so the artist would be spared bad weather. “Tlaloc is a Swiftie,” the video’s caption reads.
Other videos showed friendship bracelets customized with inscriptions like “Taynochtitlan,” a play on the name of the former capital of the Mexica empire or “Taymales,” among other Spanish-language puns. Even Supreme Court Justice Arturo Zaldívar was seen exchanging bracelets with fellow fans at Swift’s first concert.
Even Supreme Court Justice Arturo Zaldívar was spotted in the crowd, with friendship bracelets and a “Swiftie” jacket. (Arturo Zaldívar)
But many fans were left behind, unable to watch the artist perform live: while some never found tickets to the show, others were victims of ticketing scams.
The newspaper El País reported that some 200 people from Guatemala, who paid between US $1,500 and $3,000 per travel package to watch the show, were scammed by a company called Global W Producciones.
But Swift promised to visit Mexico soon again, giving hope to those who were unable to see her show this time around. Milenio reports that nearing the end of the last concert, the singer said: “Mexico, I love you very much… thank you very much, we’ll be back soon, you can count on it.”
Paul McCartney has visited the Mexican capital several times, including this trip in 2012. (Sara Ortíz/Cuartoscuro)
Sir Paul McCartney will bring his Got Back Tour to Mexico this year, at Foro Sol in Mexico City on Nov. 14.
The last time the former Beatle performed in Mexico City was in 2017, with a show at the Azteca Stadium.
The veteran Liverpudlian (second from left) will play a selection of his solo music, as well as major hits from former bands Wings and The Beatles. (UPI)
The Got Back tour is expected to take fans across Sir Paul McCartney’s 60-year career, including dozens of songs from Paul’s solo repertoire, Wings and of course, The Beatles.
Pre-sale tickets for the show started on Tuesday while the general sale will kick-off on Sept. 2 from 2 pm.
Ticket prices range from 680 pesos (US $40) to 12,080 pesos (US $717), and are available from Ticketmaster. Due to high demand, a virtual queue will open 30 minutes before sales start and organizers expect the show to sell out.
The 81-year-old Liverpudlian first came to Mexico in November 1993, playing what was only the second-ever show at the Foro Sol itself.
Organizers Ocesa say they anticipate the shows will sell out entirely. (Raph PH/Wikimedia)
The British singer came back again in November 2002, 2010 and 2012 – this time, adding a one-night-show in Guadalajara. That same year he gave a free concert in Mexico City’s Zocalo.
