Whatever you want on a night out, Mexico City probably has it. If you're looking for cool, then you'll find it on our list. (Orbita/Local MX)
When it comes to Mexico City nightlife, the scene is always changing. Sometimes, it’s the legendary fixtures that are popular. Sometimes, it’s undiscovered treasures that keep the energy going until the early hours. With some of the best clubs in the world, CDMX has something for everyone. Now, there’s a newcomer on everyone’s lips: El Micky.
If you haven’t heard of it, let me be the first to let you in on the not-so-secret secret. But beyond El Micky, here’s a rundown of some of the hottest places in town to grab a drink, let loose and soak in the nightlife.
El Micky
(El Micky/Instagram)
El Micky opened two years ago, but it’s the latest darling of the city’s nightlife scene, with a relaxed vibe that feels like you’re stepping into a close friend’s home — most of the decor on the walls is actually donations from friends of the owner. Think low lights, mismatched furniture and bartenders who treat you like an old friend.
Get here early or risk not getting in. The highlight of the place is the music, which ranges from jazz to pop, and features very sweaty cumbia and corridos night, with live sets popping up on weekends. This spot has all the magic you need for those nights when you go out for one drink but accidentally stay out until 3 a.m.
Veri Bari
Union Veri Bari (Revista Generación/Facebook)
If speakeasies are your thing, then Veri Bari is a must. More than a bar, it’s a collective born from a simple idea: to bring people together for good food, good music and good drinks without spending tons of money. Veri Bari doesn’t have a fixed location; instead, it hosts pop-up events in unexpected spots across Mexico City, from art galleries and historic buildings to private rooftops.
Each event has its own personality, with curated menus and live music. Following them on social media is essential if you want to catch their next event. Tracking down their latest location might feel like a bit of a treasure hunt, but the experience is well worth the search.
Cananea
(Cananea/Instagram)
For those craving something a little more cantina-like but still effortlessly cool and casual, Cananea should be high on your list. Nestled in the ever-trendy La Juárez, Cananea exudes old-school charm, with dim red lights casting a cozy glow, pool tables inviting some friendly fun and a jukebox spinning classic tunes. The menu covers a solid range of cocktails, wines and local craft beers, all at reasonable prices, making it an easy spot to settle in for a long night. If you’re feeling adventurous, order their tongue grilled cheese — a surprisingly mouth-watering twist on an American classic that pairs perfectly with a smoky mezcal. Trust me, you’ll be thanking me for that tip!
La Vista
(La Vista Bar/Instagram)
Sound bars are the latest craze in Mexico City, and La Vista is one of the most impressive around. With a chic, minimalist interior design that mirrors the sophistication of its cocktail menu, La Vista is a feast for the senses. Here, the music is an art form: DJs play exclusively vinyl records, hand-picking each track to create a rich, immersive experience that goes beyond your average playlist. Every detail is curated to perfection, from the acoustics to the lighting, giving you a night that feels elevated and intimate. But be warned: La Vista is one of the hottest spots in town right now, so showing up without a reservation might leave you out.
Órbita
@local_mx 〠♪Desde el Japón de los años 50 hasta la Ciudad de México del 2024, los listening bars se extienden por todo el mundo. @ooooorbita es uno de ellos. Con su comida, cocteles y una distribución espacial que está en constante movimiento e innovación, se trata de un refugio retrofuturista para los amantes de la música. Si quieres escapar de las playlists curadas por el algoritmo, este es tu lugar. 📍Orizaba 115, Roma Nte. ☞︎ Jueves a Lunes 8 am – 2 am #localmx#agendalocal#cdmxlife#listeningbar#bar#cocktailbar#desayunos#laromamx#coloniaromacdmx♬ Seventeen – Ladytron
Órbita works as a coffee shop serving breakfast during the day and transforms into a super hip bar at night. They are dedicated to expanding Mexican culture, so their cocktails recreate classics, like a Hai-Boll, with local produce and spice. The music is amazing, so don’t resist the dancing urge that you might feel. They also serve Mexican food: I ordered the quesabirrias and can’t wait to go back for more.
Camila Sánchez Bolaño is a journalist, feminist, bookseller, lecturer and cultural promoter and is Editor in Chief of Newsweek en Español magazine.
President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasizes a point during her daily press conference on Thursday morning. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan and the lower house of Congress’ approval of a constitutional bill that seeks to eliminate seven watchdog agencies were among the topics President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her morning press conference on Thursday.
A migrant mother and her children heading toward the U.S. border camp for the night in Acajete, Puebla, in May. President Sheinbaum was asked by reporters about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to conduct mass deportations of migrants in the U.S. (Mireya Novo/Cuartoscuro)
‘We don’t agree with migrants being treated like criminals’
“First, clearly, we don’t agree with migrants being treated like criminals,” she said.
Sheinbaum subsequently said that Mexican officials will highlight to members of Trump’s transition team “the importance of the work” that Mexicans do in the United States.
She said that officials will also attend meetings with Trump’s team armed with information about how much Mexicans pay in tax in the United States. The United States needs Mexican workers, the president said.
If Mexicans are deported, “we will welcome” them and “we have a plan for that, but before that, we’re going to work to demonstrate that there is no reason to deport our compatriots who are on the other side of the border,” Sheinbaum said.
Migrant workers in Florida. (kzoo)
“On the contrary they benefit the United States economy,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that no meetings with Trump’s team have been arranged as yet, but told reporters that she was “certain” they would happen.
‘Those who defend INAI to the hilt forgot about the corruption’
“Those who defend INAI to the hilt forgot about the corruption” in the agency, she told reporters.
The president proceeded to cite examples of corruption and nepotism within INAI that were uncovered by the Federal Auditor’s Office (ASF).
Sheinbaum’s take on the INAI Thursday echoed statements made Wednesday in Mexico’s lower house, where Morena party lawmakers also accused such watchdog agencies of being corrupt and wasteful. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
“Workers and ex-workers have reported that high-ranking INAI managers demanded between 10% and 60% of their salaries every two weeks,” Sheinbaum said before highlighting that the ASF also detected cases of relatives of INAI employees being appointed to positions in the institute for which they were not qualified.
She noted that INAI’s responsibilities are set to be taken on by the Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Ministry (formerly called the Ministry of Public Administration).
“There will be more transparency … [and] there won’t be corruption. … Personal data will be protected,” Sheinbaum said.
“And we’re going to create mechanisms to make transparency mandatory for all ministries,” she said, adding that it will be easy for citizens to obtain information about “everything the government of Mexico does.”
“We even received an invitation to go to China. We received invitations to go to France, to Korea, to Vietnam. … And we also made invitations,” she said.
Sheinbaum said she would consider the invitations to visit foreign countries but stressed that her “main job” is in Mexico.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
Numerous celebrity tequila brands, like Santo by Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar, cropped up during tequila's boom years over the past decade. (Santospirit/Instagram)
More than 24,000 bottles of Santo tequila — a brand founded by spiky-haired food celebrity Guy Fieri and 77-year-old rocker Sammy Hagar — reportedly have been stolen in a trucking heist.
“Reportedly” being the key word.
Guy Fieri’s Santos tequila was being delivered from the El Viejito tequila distillery in Atotonilco El Alto, Jalisco, where the brand is produced, about two hours’ drive from Guadalajara. (El Viejito website)
It’s not yet entirely clear whether the shipment was stolen or not, say Laredo authorities, although the two trucks delivering the tequila from Mexico’s state of Jalisco to the U.S. appear to have been diverted from their intended destination after crossing the Mexico-U.S. border in Laredo, Texas, and they remain missing.
The alleged crime occurred sometime after the tequila had been trucked to Laredo from where it was produced in Mexico, at the El Viejito Distillery in the state of Jalisco. U.S. media reports of it having been hijacked, however, are false, say Laredo authorities.
“There are no indications that these trailers were hijacked anywhere as alleged in national media publications,” Laredo officials said.
Nevertheless, authorities believe the trailers said to be carrying 24,240 bottles of tequila were diverted at some point during the weekend of Nov. 9-10.
The two trucks set out from the Jalisco distillery on Nov. 7 for a Lansdale, Pennsylvania, spirits importer in the U.S. that handles the tequila for Santo Spirits, which is touted as “premium” — though not the world’s best.
Sometime after it crossed into Laredo, Santo Spirits began getting what its CEO Dan Butkus described to USA Today as “fictitious updates from the trucker … about a breakdown … they were going to have to get some things fixed.”
The tequila disappeared sometime after crossing the Mexico-U.S. border in Laredo, Texas. (ICE)
He also said one of the trucks had used a GPS emulator to show that the product was still on its way to Pennsylvania.
The New York Times, People magazine, Forbes and other media outlets reported the story, most of them noting that the estimated value of the allegedly hijacked tequila was $1 million.
The Times even wrote that it would make for an excellent Hollywood pitch: “a heist movie starring a flamboyant television host and a veteran rock ’n’ roll frontman on the hunt for $1 million worth of stolen tequila.”
However, a report two days ago by the Laredo Morning Times was headlined “Laredo PD debunks $1M tequila ‘hijack’ that belonged to Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar.”
Citing a Laredo Police Department report, the newspaper wrote “further investigation revealed that no force was used and that the tequila … [had] a combined freight value listed at approximately $385,598.”
“At this preliminary phase of the investigation, it is believed that at some point the trucks with the tequila cargo were rerouted to California due to alleged issues with the warehouse at the original listed destination, which is still being vetted,” Laredo’s police department said in a statement.
The Los Angeles Police Department is now involved in the investigation, Laredo authorities added, because of “where both drivers stated the cargo was actually [being] transported to.”
As of Thursday, the cargo had not been located.
Laredo authorities also noted that no force was used, nor was either driver injured, and that the cargo left the Laredo warehouse with the trucking company “hired by the shipper” — although Butkus said his research shows that the job was actually transferred to another trucking company, a practice called “double brokering.”
An article posted on Barstool Sports, a controversial digital media company known for its irreverent and often provocative content, noted on “pure speculation” that “Guy is a marketing wizard.” Part of the headline reads, “Is Guy Fieri the Victim or a Genius Marketer?”
The duo of Fieri and Hagar founded the tequila brand in 2017 out of a desire to make a traditional Mexican tequila without additives. (Sammy Hagar/Instagram)
Fieri, 56, is the host of the TV show “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” and the owner of 17 restaurant brands. Hagar fronted his own band for years and also did two stints as the lead singer for the rock group Van Halen, from 1985 to 1996 and again from 2003 to 2005. The two men are friends and founded the Santos company in 2017.
According to Butkus, the missing tequila amounts to about 12% of the company’s annual sales. He said the trucks were carrying mostly cases of blanco and reposado tequilas but that there were also 240 bottles of extra añejo tequila that spent 39 months aging in single barrels — and typically sells for $119 per bottle.
Laredo police said that their only connection to this case is that the freight originated in the U.S. in their city.
“This is an ongoing investigation,” the department stated.
"There are people who have a water concession but don't use it; they even sell it in some cases," Sheinbaum told reporters Thursday. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
Reviewing hundreds of thousands of water use permits is a key focus of the National Water Plan presented by the federal government on Thursday.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said that one of the “essences” of the plan is to recognize water as a human right rather than a “good” to be sold.
National Water Commission General Director Efraín Morales López told reporters at President Sheinbaum’s press conference Thursday that only 15% of Mexico’s water is currently allocated for “public urban use.” (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
She noted that the plan aims to “sort out” the water concessions issued to private and public interests over the years and identify those not being used.
“There are people who have a water concession but don’t use it; they even sell it in some cases. … What we want is for water that isn’t being used to be returned to the nation, … even municipalities have water concessions,” Sheinbaum told her morning press conference.
“… Water belongs to the nation. … Fortunately we’ve had a lot of dialogue … with industry and with irrigation districts, and they’re willing … to return water concessions they are not using,” she said.
Sheinbaum said the plan will allow the government to “reduce overexploitation and make water available … for human consumption.”
Water shortages affect various parts of Mexico including Mexico City, where at least 60 companies reportedly have permits allowing them to extract more than 1 million liters of water per day from the Valley of Mexico’s water supply.
Before examining the details of the National Water Plan, it is pertinent to look at how water is used in Mexico.
National Water Commission (Conagua) General Director Efraín Morales López told Sheinbaum’s Thursday morning press conference that 76% of water in Mexico goes to the agricultural sector and 9% is used by industry (including for electricity generation).
The remaining 15% of water is allocated to “public urban use,” Morales said.
The National Water Plan’s objectives and 4 central tenets
The Conagua chief said that the objectives of the water plan are to:
Guarantee the human right to water in sufficient quantity and quality.
Ensure the sustainability of Mexico’s water resources.
Promote responsible water management.
Morales said that the plan is based on four central tenets:
Water policy that supports national sovereignty.
Universal access to water.
Mitigation of climate change.
Comprehensive and transparent management of water resources.
In some parts of Mexico, water scarcity has been a way of life for decades. Some urban areas are unable to provide uninterrupted access to water to all residents. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
The specific ‘actions’ of the water plan
1. Revision of water concessions.
Morales said that Conagua is reviewing all water use permits and identifying “those that aren’t being used” with the aim of reincorporating the volumes of water allocated via concessions to “national availability.”
He said that around 2,600 concessions were issued between 1917 and 1992, but more than 360,000 were granted in the subsequent decade.
The issuance of so many permits led to overexploitation of water resources and other adverse impacts “that unfortunately we’re still experiencing,” Morales said.
2. A water ‘inspection program’
In April, a Purépecha community made headlines when members dismantled makeshift pumps and hoses in Michoacán’s Zirahuén lake, which had lost three feet of water depth, according to the Environmental Ministry. The community said avocado farms were illegally siphoning the water. (Indigenous Community of Zirahuén/Facebook)
Morales said that Conagua, in conjunction with various federal departments and state and municipal authorities, would “implement an inspection program in the whole country to put order to the use of water.”
The aim is to detect illegal, improper and wasteful use of water.
“Our main collaborator will be the people of Mexico, so we make a call to report any irregularity with regard to the use of water,” Morales said.
3. Law changes
Morales said that the government will present reforms to the National Water Law to prevent “any kind of speculation” on water including via the sale of water use permits.
He said that the “neoliberal model” that was in place for more than three decades before former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in 2018 created an “alternative market” for water and that people “took advantage” and turned water into a “business.”
Some of Mexico’s water use permits originally meant for use by agriculture have in subsequent years been sold to real estate developers and to factories, Morales said.
Offering an example, Morales said that some water permits issued for use in the agricultural sector were sold to real estate developers and factories.
4. Irrigation technology
The Conagua chief also outlined a plan to use technology to ensure the “more efficient” use of water in irrigation.
In conjunction with the Agriculture Ministry, “we’re going to apply technology to more than 200,000 hectares” of agricultural land, Morales said.
“… This will benefit … more than 225,000 farming families and also all the people of Mexico because we’re going to produce more food with less water,” he said.
“… Part of the water we save will be allocated to human consumption and to replenish our aquifiers,” Morales said.
Another way Mexico wants to tackle its water issues is by encouraging farmers to use more modern, sustainable and water-efficient irrigation systems. (Government of Mexico)
Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué Sacristán told Sheinbaum’s press conference that through the use of technology in irrigation, farmers will be able to “control very precisely how much water reaches each of their plants.”
He said that the Agriculture Ministry estimates that production on land where irrigation technology is used will consequently increase by 51%.
“So this doesn’t just contribute to [guaranteeing] the human right to water but also makes a formidable contribution to the nation’s food sovereignty,” Berdegué said.
5. Infrastructure projects
As part of the National Water Plan, “we’re going to carry out infrastructure projects in the whole country,” Morales said.
A soldier helps a woman and her child escape flooding in Tabasco in 2020. (File photo)
6. Cleaning up rivers
Morales said that on the “instructions of the president,” cleaning up contaminated rivers is also part of the National Water Plan.
“We’re going to give priority to the three most contaminated rivers in the country,” he said, noting that they are the Lerma-Santiago River in Jalisco, the Atoyac River in Puebla and Tlaxcala and the Tula River in Hidalgo.
“For the planning and execution of this program we’re working very closely and in a very coordinated way with the Environment Ministry, with [Environment Minister] Alicia Bárcena and also with local governments,” Morales said.
7. The National Agreement for the Human Right to Water and Sustainability
The Conagua chief said that the National Agreement for the Human Right to Water and Sustainability is an initiative in which irrigators — “the main industrial consumers” of water – educational institutes, communities and all three levels of government will participate.
Residents of Hidalgo at Conagua headquarters in Mexico City in June, demanding a solution to flooding and pollution of the Tula river, which receives untreated wastewater from Mexico City. (Rogelio Morales Ponce/Cuartoscuro)
The ultimate aim of the agreement is for water to be used in the most efficient way possible to ensure adequate supply.
Companies that sign on to the agreement will invest in “making their production processes more efficient in order to save water,” Morales said.
Some companies will also invest in water projects that benefit the communities in which they are located, he said.
“We have commitments for private investment of more than 16.4 billion pesos,” Morales said.
“And as part of this agreement, there will be an awareness campaign about saving water, about the use and care of water,” he said. “This agreement will be signed on Nov. 25.”
How much will the federal government spend on water projects in 2025?
At the conclusion of his presentation on the National Water Plan, Morales said that the government will invest approximately 20 billion pesos (close to US $1 billion) on water projects next year.
He described the “outlook” on the water situation in Mexico and the world as “complex, noting the prevalence of water stress and “complications that climate change brings.”
However, via the “equitable distribution” of water and “adequate management of our resources,” it will be possible to have a future in which water is not a “matter for dispute,” Morales said.
“… Let’s all remember that water is wellbeing,” he added.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
The Monterrey Technological Institute, commonly known as the Tec de Monterry, is based in Nuevo León but has campuses across the country. (Guillermo Alejandro/Shutterstock)
Mexico’s Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey Technological Institute), a private university based in Monterrey, Nuevo León, is the ninth-best undergraduate university in the world for entrepreneurship according to a ranking by the Princeton Review.
The Mexican university stands out because, according to its data, over 68% of its students have taken at least one course related to entrepreneurship during their academic careers. Furthermore, 43% of its graduates have successfully launched businesses that create employment and positively impact their communities.
Tec de Monterrey is the only foreign university on the list and the first one in the international category. It has remained on the top 10 ranking since 2019.
Which universities make up the top 10 in the ranking?
The University of Houston came in as the best university for undergrad entrepreneurship, followed by University of Texas at Austin, Babson College, University of Washington, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Maryland College Park, Miami University and at No. 10 on the list, Northeastern University.
Academics and requirements, which evaluate the number and type of entrepreneurship-related courses offered by the school. Tec de Monterrey offered 148 subjects and two courses to promote entrepreneurship for students.
Students and faculty, which considers the total enrollment of students in an entrepreneurship course, as well as the total number of faculty who teaches at least one entrepreneurship course. It also evaluates how many teachers have started a business.
Alumni entrepreneurship ventures, which counts how many students have started a business in the last five to ten years.
Activities outside the classroom, which evaluates how many mentorship or academic programs students have access to outside of campus.
Finally, the ranking evaluates the number, variety and cash prizes of competitions hosted by the school, as well as the scholarships offered.
About Tec de Monterrey
Eduardo Garza Sada (1892-1973), one of Mexico’s top businessmen and founder of today’s FEMSA group (Coca-Cola’s largest bottler and owner of Oxxo convenience stores) founded Tecnológico de Monterrey in 1943.
According to the university’s website, in July of that year, Garza convened a group of businessmen and professionals from Monterrey to form the Enseñanza e Investigación Superior, A.C.,with the “purpose of operating a private educational institution of the highest academic level.”
The university began with 350 students. Today, it teaches over 90,000 who study under some of the 11 doctoral programs, 59 master and specialization programs, 54 undergraduate degrees and 3 high school programs.
Tecnológico de Monterrey is a private, non-profit, independent institution with no political and religious affiliations.
Growth in the industrial sector was stagnant in October. (IMSS/Cuartoscuro)
Preliminary data released by the national statistics institute INEGI on Thursday indicate that the Mexican economy may have slowed in October, at the start of Q4 2024.
The negative news comes a day before INEGI releases official economic data for September, which is expected to reveal a contraction. INEGI’s revised preliminary report for September — also released this week — projected a 0.2% contraction of the economy.
If the October results pan out as indicated, Mexico could be looking at a third consecutive month of negative growth as August saw a 0.3% economic contraction.
Thursday’s preliminary report — referred to by its acronym as IOAE — suggests that economic activity slowed in October. The contraction was barely perceptible at less than 0.1% compared to the previous month, hinting that the fourth quarter could be off to a sluggish start
The IOAE report uses “nowcasting” methodology to produce estimates of seasonally adjusted economic performance and year-on-year GDP variations. It is important to recognize that the IOAE report only analyzes industry and services. It does not consider the agriculture sector.
The IOAE report for October found that monthly industrial growth remained stagnant, exhibiting almost no growth following 0.6% growth in September’s IOAE report, according to the newspaper La Jornada.
The IOAE indicator allows INEGI to quickly estimate economic activity, rather than waiting months for full reports from each sector. IGAE, on the other hand, is a slower, more accurate measurement based on finalized data.
At the same time, the October report showed no significant monthly change in the services and trade sectors after September’s IOAE report indicated a 0.7% contraction.
“The IOAE paints a gloomier picture than the GDP estimates we’ve seen,” Julio Santaella, former INEGI director, said, according to the newspaper El Economista.
The IOAE report indicates that although there was moderate annualized growth compared to August, September and October of 2023, this year’s data reflects a contraction with regard to previous months.
The GDP estimates to which Santaella referred project 1% third-quarter growth and 1.5% growth compared to the same period in 2023, according to El Economista.
Analysts at Monex, a Mexican foreign exchange company, said the IOAE report contrasts with recent consumer confidence surveys, although it is in line with the latest business sentiment report.
The online publication Animal Político reported that a recent survey of businessmen by the central bank found that expectations of economic growth had slipped. Whereas the Banxico survey found that in January the private sector anticipated GDP growth of 2.4% this year, businessmen surveyed in October expected only 1.4% growth.
A Monex analyst told El Economista that Friday’s release of both September’s GDP report and the official third-quarter data will be revealing.
“Attention will be focused on the construction sector,” the Monex analyst told El Economista, “especially as several public and private sector projects were completed.
Extremely cold and wIndy weather is hitting Mexico in its Gulf Coast states and in the Caribbean, which prompted the closure of several ports and restrictions on navigation starting Wednesday afternoon. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
The season’s 10th cold front has descended on Mexico, and with it has come warnings of a nortazo, or a norther, prompting the Naval Ministry (Semar) to close several key ports in the Gulf of Mexico.
Mexico’s National Water Commission (Conagua) issued alerts on Thursday morning that the norther — a cold gale or storm with north winds — would affect large sections of southeastern Mexico.
Mexico’s national weather service predicted heavy rains and strong winds in Gulf Coast states, prompting the navy, which runs Mexico’s ports, to order the temporary closures. (Conagua/Twitter)
Veracruz state residents were warned of heavy rains throughout the morning, and Conagua forecast that the norther would produce gusts of wind up to 80 km/h. Coastal areas of Veracruz were warned that waves could reach as high as 2 to 3 meters.
The online news site Urbis reported that municipal authorities in the cities of Veracruz and Boca del Río had urged residents to remain indoors.
The Conagua forecast for southeastern Mexico included heavy rains and thick clouds in the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Tabasco. There, the norther was expected to produce gusts of wind from 80 to 100 km/h and waves reaching up to 5 meters in height in the Gulf of Tehuantepec.
Conagua also issued an advisory about possible flooding and mudslides, while also advising that the high winds could topple trees and billboards.
Some Gulf Coast states were already seeing windy weather as of Wednesday, when authorities began issuing advisories to port authorties.(PacoZea.com/Twitter)
Semar temporarily closed major ports in Tamaulipas (Tampico and Altamira), restricted navigation in the Veracruz ports of Tuxpan and Alvarado and closed the port of Seybaplaya in the state of Campeche.
Several smaller Veracruz ports — including Coatzacoalcos, Tecolutla, Tamiahua, Nautla, Cazones and Balzapote — were also ordered closed. Semar also ordered several ports to prohibit leisure navigation (lighter craft) in the Tampico ports of La Pesca and Matamoros, as well as at the Vicente Guerrero reservoir.
Leisure navigation was also prohibited at El Cuchillo Solidaridad (a Nuevo León port) and at all ports primarily devoted to tourist activities in the states of Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo. The popular resort area of Isla del Carmen was also ordered to curtail all sailing and boating activities.
Semar said it would issue updates later in the day, forecasting that the norther would likely weaken by Friday.
Opposition lawmakers in the lower house of Congress protested the constitutional bill but were unable to prevent its passage. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
The lower house of federal Congress approved on Wednesday a constitutional bill that seeks to eliminate seven watchdog agencies including the national transparency agency.
Lawmakers with the ruling Morena party and its allies voted in favor of the bill that former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent to Congress in February targeting several autonomous government bodies.
The Chamber of Deputies approved the bill on Wednesday, but still needs to review individual articles of the proposed constitutional reform. (Cámara de Diputados)
The final count was 347 votes in favor — 13 more than the number needed to reach the two-thirds majority required to approve constitutional bills — and 128 against.
The Chamber of Deputies’ approval of the constitutional reform proposal was en lo general, or in a general sense. Individual articles of the bill were set to be considered by lawmakers on Thursday ahead of a vote en lo particular.
The bill, which has not yet been considered by the Senate, seeks to disband the following seven autonomous agencies:
The National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and the Protection of Personal Data (INAI).
The Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece).
The Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT).
The National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval).
The Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE).
The National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH).
The National Commission for the Continuous Improvement of Education (Mejoredu).
If the bill becomes law — essentially a fait accompli given Morena’s congressional dominance — the responsibilities of the autonomous agencies will be absorbed by government ministries and departments in most cases.
INAI’s responsibilities, for example, would be transferred to the Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Ministry (formerly called the Ministry of Public Administration), while the Energy Ministry would take over the work of the CRE and the CNH.
The work of Cofece, Mexico’s antitrust agency, and the IFT could be taken over by a new “decentralized” body that would have “technical independence” from the government. Morena lawmakers are seeking to create such a body.
Lawmakers affiliated with the government led by President Claudia Sheinbaum said that the main aim of the reform is to save money — more than 4 billion pesos (US $196.5 million) annually, according to an El País newspaper report.
The responsibilities of the autonomous National Institute for Transparency, Access to Public Information and Data Protection (INAI) would be transferred to the the Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Ministry. (INAI/X)
Morena Deputy Olga Sánchez said that the reform will lead to the creation of regulatory systems similar to those of the United States and Canada.
Opposition lawmakers argued that it will have an adverse impact on transparency in Mexico and independent assessment of government policy. They claimed it is conducive to government opacity rather than transparency.
“Not even in the worst periods of the PRI and the PAN … did we think that we would arrive at a moment like this, of destruction … of the autonomous bodies” said Citizens Movement Deputy Anayeli Muñoz in reference to the periods when the Institutional Revolutionary Party and the National Action Party were in office.
If the bill becomes law, regulation of key sectors of the Mexican economy, the provision of information to citizens, including journalists, and compliance with transparency laws will become responsibilities of government ministries and departments that follow the directives of Sheinbaum and her cabinet ministers.
The government will be responsible for being transparent about its own actions, expenditure and decisions.
Critics have long argued that the incorporation of autonomous agencies into government ministries and other federal departments would eliminate important counterweights to government power and represent a backward step for democracy. The reform is seen by many as an attempt to concentrate power in the executive branch of government.
Mexico’s lower house approved a reform to disappear 7 autonomous agencies, including INAI, the transparency agency. (Modifications to be debated Thurs.) The functions of these organs would be absorbed into other government agencies, raising concerns about independence. https://t.co/tssnizfoTF
Sheinbaum said Thursday that the reform will lead to “more transparency” and help to eliminate corruption.
López Obrador was an outspoken critic of autonomous government agencies, accusing them of corruption and other ills and railing against their large budgets. Sheinbaum has made the same criticisms.
She said earlier this month that the creation of a “body with technical independence” to take on the work of Cofece and the IFT would ensure compliance with the USMCA, the North American free trade pact.
“I suggested to the deputies … to have a body with technical independence because that is the wording of the agreement, so that there is no problem [with the United States and Canada],” Sheinbaum said.
The bill aimed at eliminating the seven autonomous agencies is one of several constitutional reform proposals considered by Congress since lawmakers elected in June assumed their positions on Sept. 1.
When Sheinbaum entered office, Mexico was already entangled in a human rights crisis caused by "extreme violence by organized crime groups and widespread abuse by state agents," the report found. (Presidencia)
In addition to being Mexico’s first female president, Sheinbaum is the first woman to serve as supreme commander of the Mexican armed forces and thus became the first woman to lead the annual Mexican Revolution Day parade.
Así fue el desfile de la Revolución Mexicana 2024 en la CDMX - En Punto
The parade began in Mexico City’s central square, the Zócalo, and concluded at the Campo Marte military complex west of the historic center.
At its commencement, Sheinbaum traveled around the Zócalo in a military vehicle to inspect the troops who participated in the parade. The president, who stood in the vehicle, was flanked by the chiefs of the Mexican Army and Navy.
Some 2,600 military personnel took part in the parade, including men and women dressed in attire used by the revolutionary soldiers who participated in the 1910-20 revolution. In its early stages, the revolution succeeded in ousting Porfirio Díaz, who ruled Mexico as a virtual dictator for over 30 years in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Horses — some of which took a tumble on the slick surface of the Zócalo — and children dressed in period costumes also participated in the parade. Military aircraft flew overhead.
The parade featured hundreds of riders on horseback and many more participants decked out in revolutionary costumes. (Presidencia)
At the end of the parade, a girl and a boy handed a floral arrangement to Sheinbaum, telling the president that it symbolized “hope for a better Mexico in your hands.”
In a Revolution Day speech, Sheinbaum said that Mexico is an “extraordinary” nation and offered an overview of its history, focusing on “the first transformation: the independence of Mexico,” the “second transformation”: 19th liberal reforms and “the third transformation”: the Mexican Revolution.
The president noted that Francisco I. Madero, Porfirio Díaz’s opponent in the 1910 presidential election, called for Mexicans to take up arms against Díaz’s regime on Nov. 20, 1910.
Later in her address, Sheinbaum declared that the “fourth transformation” of Mexico began when former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in 2018.
“Today we’re living the second story of the fourth transformation. It’s based on the consolidation of justice, of democracy and of freedoms in order to achieve full happiness for our people,” she said.
“… We’re going through a profound transformation and believe me — the whole world looks at Mexico with admiration,” Sheinbaum said.
“… One hundred and fourteen years after the start of the Mexican Revolution we affirm that we are a free, sovereign, independent, caring, generous and democratic country and we don’t forget where we came from,” she said.
“That’s why we commemorate the Mexican Revolution. … Long live Mexicans! Long live the hardworking and brave people of Mexico! ¡Qué viva México!”
A new adaptation of the legendary novel Pedro Páramo has hit streaming service Netflix. It's every bit as good as the original book. (Netflix Latam/X)
Recently released on Netflix, “Pedro Páramo” is the fourth onscreen reimagining of Juan Rulfo’s classic 1955 novel of the same name. This sharp new adaptation is directed by Rodrigo Prieto, the enigmatic and brilliant 58-year-old responsible for the cinematography of films including “Silence,” “Barbie,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Amores Perros” and “Brokeback Mountain.”
The film presents the pilgrimage of Juan Preciado, played by Tenoch Huerta, a grieving man who travels to the remote village of Comala in search of a father he never knew, a wealthy landowner named Pedro Páramo, played by Manuel García-Rulfo of “The Lincoln Lawyer.” However, in Comala, nothing is what it seems.
Pedro Páramo | Tráiler oficial | Netflix
It is no exaggeration to say that Juan Rulfo’s novel changed the course of Latin American literature. A precursor of magical realism, novelists and critics from various around the world, including Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez and Susan Sontag, agree in describing Juan Rulfo’s short book as one of the greatest works of literature ever written. To date, the novel has been translated into more than 45 languages.
What you need to know about ‘Pedro Páramo’
For the uninitiated, Rulfo’s novel is a deeply fragmented and surrealistic rural tale that throws away the boundaries between the living and the dead. Set in the context of the Mexican Revolution and the Cristero War, the plot is essentially composed of two constantly meandering narrative threads.
The story of Pedro Páramo is, at first, that of the eponymous character’s son, Juan Preciado, who heads to Comala to fulfill the promise he made to his recently deceased mother: to search for his father, the heinous boss of the Media Luna hacienda. From there, Preciado, our narrator, finds himself in a ghost town, on the “burning embers of the earth, at the very mouth of Hell,” and several spectral villagers help him reconstruct his unsuspected and lurid family history.
The novel, by author Juan Rulfo, focuses on the titular character and the town of Comala, blending past and present in an examination of the human condition.
The second plot focuses on Pedro’s life, his adolescence as a failed scion and his rise to power as a feudal lord. The father of countless illegitimate children, we learn that Pedro is an unscrupulous tyrant driven by overwhelming evil. It seems that his only weakness is his first and only love, Susana San Juan, played by Ilse Salas. In a way, Pedro Páramo, the “living resentment,” is the man who had everything and ended up with everything and everyone out of sheer viciousness.
As the ghosts of Comala guide Juan Preciado between the present and the past, truths that cross time, space and generations are exposed.
Without contradicting the original text, the adaptation becomes a meditation on people and their sins, touching on themes such as abandonment, the search for one’s origins, violence, hate, death and the afterlife. “This film is an exploration of the destructive power of rancor, of how someone like Pedro Páramo, like you, can hold power and screw everyone else,” director Rodrigo Prieto told newspaper El Universal in October.
What the Netflix adaptation brings to the table
The Jalisco-born Rulfo is not one of the easiest writers to adapt to the big screen, and even less so in the case of a fragmented and elusive work like “Pedro Páramo.” However, Rodrigo Prieto, four-time Oscar nominee for best cinematography, and his screenwriter Mateo Gil, present a generally faithful look at the lord of Comala, his land, his lovers and his children.
The new show is produced by streaming giant Netflix. (Netflix Latam/X)
Although Gil’s adapted screenplay sometimes feels dizzyingly condensed, the new film manages to retain the core elements of the source material and translate Rulfo’s singular narrative structure to the screen. As in the novel, the story interweaves the present of the deceased and the past of the living in an unsettling way. Both times slide side by side and intertwine without room for loss.
From flying animals to black and white images of a woman surrendered to the sea, Netflix’s “Pedro Páramo” is an ingenious display of magical realism. This film will be remembered, among other things, for its dazzling cinematography by Nico Aguilar, formidable production design by Eugenio Caballero and Carlos Y. Jacques, compelling sets by Daniela Rojas, and inspired musical score by Gustavo Santaolalla.
In this sense, Prieto and his team construct impressive filmic spaces that aptly capture the aesthetic, emotional climate and rhythm of the different epochs through which Comala passes. We see a world in ruins and decay, full of grieving souls and decomposing bodies and simultaneously find a Comala brimming with life. As the narration explains the Comala that once was, we understand its decline and the tragedy it represents.
As always with the adaptation of an iconic literary work, the stakes are high. But Rodrigo Prieto understands the monumentality of Rulfo’s work, and his debut feature does justice to the Mexican classic. Prieto’s “Pedro Páramo” is the most convincing film version of the novel to date. For 130 minutes, we are treated to a deeply disturbing, labyrinthine, dreamlike and beautifully rendered film.
Carolina Alvarado is a Venezuelan journalist and has devoted much of her career to creative writing, university teaching and social work. She has been published in Lady Science, Latina Media, Global Comment, Psiquide, Cinetopic, Get me Giddy and Reader’s Digest, among others.
