Mexico's National Population Council sees the year 2030 as a turning point when people over 60 will outnumber those under 15, marking the end of the "dividend economy" and the start of an aging population structure. (Graciela López/ Cuartoscuro)
Mexico, long known for its youthful population, is about to enter an era of accelerated demographic aging that will lift the median age from its current 30.5 to 43 by 2050.
According to projections from the National Population Council (Conapo), the shift will begin in 2030 when people aged 60 and over will account for approximately 15% of the total population compared to just over 12% today.
By 2030, adults over 60 will account for 20% of the Mexican population. By 2070, their percentage will soar to 34.2%. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
More significantly, Mexico will begin to have more older adults than children under 15, marking the end of the so-called “demographic dividend” and the onset of an aging population structure. That change will have direct effects on the country’s economy, healthcare, and social security systems
The absolute number of older Mexicans is expected to rise from 17.1 million today to 20 million by 2030 — just four years from now. Currently, Mexico City, México state, Veracruz and Morelos have the highest rate of older people in Mexico.
Looking further ahead, Conapo projects that by 2070, more than one-third (34.2%) of Mexico’s population will consist of people over 60.
Serving as early microcosms of Mexico’s future, at least 30 municipalities across eight states are expected to reach a median age of 60 by 2040, meaning their older residents will be just as numerous as their younger residents.
Verónica Montes de Oca, coordinator of the Interdisciplinary University Seminar on Aging and Old Age (Suiev) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), has suggested that those already aging municipalities should serve as a guide for their states to promote programs and public policies that can be replicated in other regions.
Mexico’s National Institute for Older People (INAPAM) has said that Conapo’s projections “suggest that the growth of the elderly population will be sustained and accelerated in the coming decades, making it essential to adopt measures that guarantee the well-being and health of older people . . . allowing women and men to age with dignity and on equal terms, throughout their entire life course.”
On that note, Montes de Oca proposed designing and implementing strategies that delay the onset of chronic degenerative diseases, while also encouraging changes in eating habits. She said public campaigns should be aimed at raising awareness about healthy nutrition and its long-term benefits, as well as strengthening regulatory, fiscal and educational measures aimed at reducing the consumption of sugary drinks.
She also noted the need to bring medical services closer to remote or underserved communities by deploying mobile health units that can provide essential care in regions far from urban centers. This, she said, must go hand in hand with differentiated regional strategies tailored to the specific needs of each municipality.
Finally, she stressed the importance of reinforcing direct care programs, such as the “Salud Casa por Casa” (“House-to-House Health”) program, to ensure personalized and continuous medical follow-up for vulnerable people.
CEO Rodrigo Meinberg says Skeelo shuns the "Netflix for books" model as irrelevant to Mexican reading patterns: "Why put 50,000 or 100,000 titles on a platform if people only read an average of two per year? The goal is to encourage the reading of one good book per month per user.” (Skeelo)
In a nation often perceived as non-reading, a new digital book app now available in Mexico hopes to prove otherwise.
The Brazilian app Skeelo — which provides users one free e-book per month — has launched in Mexico after showcasing a month ago at the Guadalajara International Book Fair.
While many Mexicans don’t read books at all, those who do average only two or three per year. The Skeelo app seeks to boost that number through digital delivery of one free e-book per month. (Cuartoscuro)
Although 2025 data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) shows that, among those who read, 12-and-older Mexicans average about 3.2 books per year, earlier INEGI data had shown the figure to be 2.4 per year.
That’s a number that Skeelo’s founders say they can multiply six times with a one-book-a-month model that’s “very similar to a book subscription club,” founder and CEO Rodrigo Meinberg said.
It would be “impressive” if Mexicans can go from reading two books per year to 12, he added in his presentation at the book fair.
“We have a very different format from other digital book delivery platforms because we don’t believe in the ‘Netflix of books’ model,” he said. “If we consider the reading consumption patterns in [Mexico], why put 50,000 or 100,000 titles on a platform if people only read an average of two per year?The goal is to encourage the reading of one good book per month per user.”
Founded in Brazil in 2019, Skeelo reportedly now serves 2.7 million users there.
In Mexico, the app is partnering with major telecom providers, which will allow customers of services such as Izzi and Sky to receive one e-book per month at no additional charge. Each title sits on a user’s virtual shelf.
“Our model consists of not charging the customer more for the reading service,” Meinberg said. “We have managed to demonstrate to large companies that books have a very strong institutional value … [and] that all of this generates significant added value within their subscriptions.”
The company said it plans to invest 200 million pesos (US $11.2 million) in Mexico in 2026, including 80 million pesos (US $4.5 million) for copyright acquisitions and expansion of its 3,000-title Spanish-language catalog.
According to 2023 data from INEGI’s Module on Reading, the proportion of Mexicans who read has fallen more than 12% since 2016, with many non-readers saying they were never encouraged to visit libraries or bookstores, and have parents that don’t read.
Internationally, Mexico ranked second-to-last out of 108 nations on UNESCO’s “index of reading” survey about a decade ago — with only 2% of the population having the lifelong habit of reading. That survey noted that only 2.8 books per year were read by the average Mexican, compared to 7.5 in Spain and 12 in Germany.
“The book, despite being the third strongest form of content consumption on smartphones, has been left out of technological strategies,” Meinberg said.
In the past, military-led expansion did not bring stability or prosperity to occupied lands; instead, it often left further chaos, Dr. Joel Zapata argues. (Carlos Sánchez Colunga/Cuartoscuro)
Such dramatic moves follow Trump’s rhetoric since retaking the presidency, centered on reviving American interventionism and expansionism. In recent months, Trump has called Canada “the 51st state,” threatened Mexico with military incursions, renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” and even suggested that the United States should acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal.
At the start of his second administration, when asked at a Mar-a-Lago press conference whether he would rule out using military force to seize Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump replied, “I’m not going to commit to that.” Trump went on, “It might be that you’ll have to do something.” In Venezuela, Trump has now acted “to do something.”
But America’s leaders and people should consider the long-term consequences of such actions. As a historian of U.S. expansionism and the U.S.-Mexico border, I have studied how such ambitions have come at a great cost — to Americans, their neighbors and Indigenous populations.
In 1845, President James K. Polk embraced a similar vision for territorial expansion. He supported the annexation of Texas, then controlled by pro-slavery Anglo-American settlers who had declared independence from Mexico, which prohibited slavery. Intending to expand the United States, Polk sent U.S. troops across the Nueces River, the historical boundary of Texas, southward towards the Rio Grande.
Polk insisted the Rio Grande was the actual boundary between the United States and Mexico. After Mexican troops attacked American troops within territory Mexico considered its own, Polk asserted, “Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory, and shed American blood upon the American soil.” He successfully pressured Congress to declare war. The U.S.-Mexico War (1846-1848) became the United States’ first full-scale invasion of another nation-state.
Politicians, journalists and popular writers justified the war with interventionist propaganda, depicting the United States as a force for enlightenment and economic development. They even framed the United States as protecting Mexican people against Native American hostilities, arguing that Mexico had not been able to subdue Indigenous people in its northern territories. In the language of the time, Senator Robert Walker (D-Miss.) helped set the discourse in 1836, declaring that Anglo-Americans were invited to settle in Texas to “defend the Mexicans against the then frequent incursions of a savage foe.”
By land and sea, the United States conquered Mexico and occupied its capital for the better part of a year. But we should not overlook that, for the United States, the war resulted in one of the highest casualty rates of any conflict. Of the 79,000 soldiers who served, over 16% lost their lives in battle or due to disease. With more than 8% of soldiers abandoning their posts, the U.S.-Mexico War also had the highest desertion rate of any American conflict.
The Battle of Churubusco, fought near Mexico City on Aug. 20, 1847, killed and wounded thousands of troops on both sides. (J. Cameron/Library of Congress)
For Mexico, the war was catastrophic. At least 25,000 Mexican people — mainly civilians — died. In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war, Mexico ceded 55% of its claimed national territory: what is now the U.S. Southwest and more.
The treaty’s Article XI did stipulate that the United States would prevent Native American raiders from entering Mexico. But guarantees to subdue Indigenous populations and bring peace to the Mexican people proved hollow.
After the war, Native American resistance intensified, challenging the United States’ ability to govern its newly claimed lands and borders. On newly American-claimed soil, populations that were now Mexican-Americans engaged with Navajos in a cycle of raids and counterraids in New Mexico. In Texas, Comanches and Mexican Americans continued to attack one another. Native Americans also continued southward raids deep into Mexico, freely crossing the new border. The United States could not live up to its promises of peace or its treaty obligations. It could not better the lives of Mexican people or mount sufficient force to subdue Native American populations that fought to maintain their independence.
The United States’ inability to fulfill its treaty obligation revealed the limits of American power. Expansion did not bring stability or prosperity to occupied lands; instead, it often left further chaos.
As Trump restarts American interventionism and expansionism, Americans should grapple with the past.
Such actions often overextend the military and come at the cost of life for both the occupiers and the occupied. As history shows, threatening — or worse, invading — Greenland, Panama, Canada, Mexico and Venezuela risks straining U.S. military capabilities and provoking resistance.
The United States’ first invasion of another nation-state plainly demonstrates that American expansionism is a cautionary story from our past. It is up to us to ensure it remains so.
Joel Zapata is an Assistant Professor and the Cairns K. Smith Faculty Scholar at Oregon State University
Claudia Sheinbaum has been a popular Mexican president since she took office on Oct. 1, 2024, though her approval rating is beginning to slide. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
President Sheinbaum concluded her first full year in office with a 69% approval rating in December, according to the most recent national poll conducted by the newspaper El Financiero.
Though 69% is considered a healthy rating for a president, the numbers show a steady decline since February 2025, when Sheinbaum enjoyed an 85% overall approval rating in the same survey.
The latest numbers mark only the second time Sheinbaum’s approval rating in El Financiero’s survey dipped below 70% since she took office on Oct. 1, 2024. It also stood at 69% in November 2024, before soaring to 81% in January 2025.
The 16-point loss since February reflected in the December survey is attributed primarily to rising disapproval levels with regard to the government’s fight against corruption and organized crime. Even so, the poll suggests the public still trusts the president.
The telephone survey — conducted by phoning 800 Mexican adults across the country Dec. 10-17 — revealed that while Sheinbaum’s government continues to receive negative ratings in security and corruption (also reflected in a late-November Enkoll poll), opinions are divided with regard to the government’s economic performance.
When evaluating the Sheinbaum administration’s handling of the economy, 50% rated the government’s work positively, while 48% expressed a negative opinion.
As for public safety, perceptions were mostly unfavorable. Positive responses landed at 40% and negative opinions hit 57%.
Those polled voiced strong concern about Sheinbaum’s record on corruption: a mere 16% rated it as good or very good, while 76% viewed her performance against public malfeasance as bad or very bad.
Similar responses were offered when participants were asked about organized crime: 18% expressed a favorable opinion of Sheinbaum’s performance; 76% had an unfavorable opinion.
Sheinbaum’s highest marks came in the realm of her social programs.
Here, the president’s actions earned 65% support and only a 29% negative rating, although this was the least favorable level for Sheinbaum’s administration in this category since she took office. El Financiero’s September poll — released as Sheinbaum prepared to celebrate completing one year in the National Palace — indicated 75% support for her welfare programs.
With regard to the attributes the public perceives in the president, 58% rated her positively in honesty, 57% lauded her leadership, and 52% approved her ability to deliver results, the latter percentage an improvement compared to El Financiero’s November survey results, when only 47% responded positively.
On Saturday and again on Sunday, hundreds of Venezuelans residing in Mexico City marched along central avenues and outside the U.S. Embassy to demand a peaceful political transition in Venezuela. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
Protests in Mexico following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States on Saturday varied in mood between celebration and criticism, as President Claudia Sheinbaum and other Latin American leaders condemned the intervention.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, the U.S. carried out a military operation on Venezuelan territory in which they captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and charged them with crimes related to “narco-terrorism” conspiracy.
By Saturday afternoon, people in cities across Mexico, including Mexico City, Acapulco, León and San Cristobal de las Casas, joined protests condemning Trump’s intervention in Venezuela.
In Monterrey, Nuevo León, protesters voiced their opposition to the capture of Maduro in Plaza de las Banderas (Flag Square), chanting slogans such as “Yankees Out” and “We Are Venezuela.”
However, several Venezuelans residing in Mexico publicly praised the news.
In Monterrey’s Plaza Bolívar, a group gathered to celebrate Maduro’s capture by the U.S. Families carried national flags and signs showing their support for the overthrow of the longstanding president, while some displayed support for Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
“We learn so much from traveling to so many countries and realizing that no matter how much we adapt to places, it will never be like our homeland,” the newspaper La Jornada reported Alba Ruiz, one of the Venezuelan demonstrators, as saying.
Not all Venezuelans in Mexico shared this unequivocal support. Other contingents took a more nuanced stance, welcoming Maduro’s removal while opposing U.S. intervention in Latin American affairs.
In San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, a protester holds a sign reading: “Invasion is not celebrated. Strength, Venezuela.” (Isabel Mateos Hinojosa/Cuartoscuro)
Response in Mexico City
Hundreds of Venezuelans residing in Mexico City marched along central avenues and outside the U.S. Embassy on Sunday to demand a peaceful political transition in Venezuela. Many celebrated the potential end to the dictatorship of the last 13 years under Maduro (and 26 in total) and the first step toward a free Venezuela.
The march in Mexico City was part of the global #HastaElFinal (Until the End) movement, a slogan that has long been used by Venezuelan pro-freedom activists.
In response to the protests, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City warned of possible adjustments to visa appointments scheduled for Monday, Jan. 5.
Meanwhile, the Mexican government issued a statement expressing its condemnation of the United States’ military actions in Venezuela on Saturday, emphasizing its support for the principles of the UN Charter.
“We categorically reject intervention in the internal matters of other countries,” Sheinbaum reiterated during her daily press conference on Monday.
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Spain and Mexico have issued a joint statement rejecting the United States’ military operation in Venezuela.
Sheinbaum acknowledged that Venezuela’s oil reserves likely played a role in the U.S. actions, adding that other strategic resources, such as uranium, could be at the center of U.S. interest. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
While insisting that Mexico’s relationship with the United States is “one of cooperation, not subordination,” President Claudia Sheinbaum again condemned U.S. military intervention in Venezuela on Monday.
“Intervention does not bring democracy to the people,” she said, adding that armed intrusions neither generate stability nor benefit the general welfare of the public. “Only the people can build their own future.”
Reading a prepared statement, Sheinbaum said Mexico maintains a historical position based on non-intervention and the self-determination of peoples, principles enshrined both in its Constitution and in international law.
“Mexico’s position against any form of intervention is firm, clear and historic,” she said. “Mexico reaffirms a principle that is not new: we categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.”
Sheinbaum concluded by saying that, given the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, multilateral organizations, including the U.N. and the Organization of American States, must play an active role.
Addressing Trump’s allegations that “the cartels are running Mexico — she’s not running Mexico,” Sheinbaum laughed off the accusation and described the bilateral relationship as one of mutual respect.
“It is important to emphasize that when we talk about shared responsibility, respect and mutual trust, this violence that our country is experiencing has among its causes the illegal entry of high-powered weapons from the United States into Mexico, as well as the serious problem of drug use in the neighboring country,” she said.
Sheinbaum also revealed she held talks with her counterparts from Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and Spain, Pedro Sánchez, over the weekend, a dialogue that resulted in a joint statement rejecting the U.S. intervention and calling for a peaceful solution.
“We don’t believe development comes from the strength or vision of a single state, but from cooperation among all the countries of the continent,” she said. “This would give enormous economic strength to Latin America and the entire American continent.”
Sheinbaum acknowledged that Venezuela’s oil reserves likely played a role in the U.S. actions, adding that other strategic resources, such as uranium, could be at the center of U.S. interest.
The president also disclosed that a phone conversation with Trump is not currently planned.
The Akron Stadium in Zapopan, which can host approximately 48,000 fans, will receive an investment of 300 million pesos ($16 million) from owner Omnilife-Chivas. (Fernando Carranza García/Cuartoscuro)
Jalisco state is expected to spend around 700 million pesos (US $37.8 million) in preparation for the FIFA 2026 World Cup, with a significant portion going towards infrastructure.
Around 400 million pesos (US $21.6 million) for public works will come from the state, 200 million pesos ($10.8 million) from the municipality of Zapopan and 100 million pesos ($5.4 million) from the city of Guadalajara, Zapopan’s mayor, Juan José Frangie Saade, told the newspaper El Universal in June.
Improvements are aimed not only at the influx of World Cup ticket holders but also at responding to the growing demand for services in the greater Guadalajara area, such as urban and road infrastructure.
“We are undertaking some landmark projects, such as the complete urban redesign of the city’s entrance from the airport, a new transportation line, new roads and we are going to renovate the historic center,” said Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro.
“Mobility in the city has become very complex in the last decade, and we must focus on facilitating mobility for the World Cup and for the general public in their daily commutes,” he added.
The Akron Stadium in Zapopan, which can host approximately 48,000 fans, will receive an investment of 300 million pesos ($16 million) from owner Omnilife-Chivas. Spending will go towards replacing the stadium’s turf, improving the press area and communications infrastructure and installing more security cameras.
Roads and public transport
One of the biggest infrastructure projects coming to the area is the expansion of the Chapala Highway, which connects the city of Guadalajara to the international airport. An additional lane will be added in each direction, and the upgraded six-lane road will be fitted with a bike path, sidewalks and streetlights.
The government also plans to widen the ring road around Guadalajara to improve access to the Akron Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Camino Real a Colima (Royal Road to Colima) will become an alternative route to López Mateos Avenue, alleviating congestion in the southern part of the city.
A new Line 5 of Guadalajara’s electric BRT public transport system will connect the airport with Akron Stadium, downtown and Expo Guadalajara, and is expected to reduce travel time by 50 minutes.
Eight new hotels are expected to be completed for the World Cup. Developers have also announced improvements to existing hotels and restaurants.
Historic center upgrades
The historic center of Guadalajara is getting a glow-up ahead of the World Cup, resulting in long-term benefits for locals and tourists alike.
Projects include the installation of new streetlights, renovations to drinking water and sewage systems, improvements to pedestrian and vehicular crossings and the transfer of overhead wiring underground.
The Minerva roundabout will be adapted for pedestrian traffic as part of plans for Fan Festival, with improvements also being made to lighting and security throughout the city’s center.
“These aren’t [just] World Cup projects, they’re legacy projects for Guadalajara. The historic center had only been renovated once since its construction. What we want is for our center, our heart, to be able to beat strongly for at least the next 50 years,” Guadalajara mayor Verónica Delgadillo said at the presentation of her first government report in September.
The Guadalajara government announced in June that renovation works were due to be completed by the end of the year.
The last renovation to Guadalajara’s historic center was 40 years ago. (Movimiento Ciudadano Jalisco)
Improvements are underway in the following areas:
Plaza de la Liberación
Fountain and Esplanade of the Hospicio Cabañas
Plaza Fundadores
Plaza Tapatía
Paseo Degollado
The San Juan de Dios Market
All projects outlined above must be completed at least 60 days before the start of the World Cup, when FIFA begins its local operations, according to the mayor of Zapopan.
A trio of fruity delights are in season this month. Try them while you can! (Mexico in my Kitchen)
I’m all about the winter fruits right now, as we head into 2026. Guava’s sweet perfume as I enter a market is like a siren’s song drawing me straight to it. Big beautiful passionfruit, one of my all-time favourite fruits, are piled high.
And this holiday season, I also fell in love with Atole de Tamarindo! The traditional seasonal atole with tamarind is a match made in heaven on a cool night. Join me for a trio of recipes using these delicious local fruits.
Passionfruit
Freshly cut in my kitchen for agua fresca de maracuya! (Bel Woodhouse)
I love that passionfruit water is abundant this time of year. I can’t help myself; grabbing a bottle from the juice guys in the street while walking around just makes my day. Plus, it’s very easy to make. About 20 minutes, 3 ingredients, and 2 easy steps, and you have an amazing, refreshing drink at home.
Agua fresca de Maracuyá
Ingredients:
5 passionfruit (add more if you like)
4 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions:
Cut four of the passionfruit in half and scoop fruit into a bowl. Keep the last passionfruit for topping the drinks. Add a cup of water and two tablespoons of sugar to a blender and blend for 30 seconds.
Add the passionfruit and pulse two to three times then strain the mixture into a pitcher. Add the remaining three cups of water and stir well. Pour into glasses and top with the remaining passionfruit.
Tip — line the rim of the glasses with tajín, it’s delicious! Or, for an alcoholic version, passionfruit is amazing in margaritas as well.
Guava
A total crowd pleaser, my guava jam has chia and lime. (Bel Woodhouse)
Nutrient-packed and incredibly high in vitamin C (up to four times that of an orange), guavas have been a part of Mexican cuisine since approximately 200 B.C. I always snag a bag of guavas and make jam so I can enjoy it for weeks. Not only is it delicious, but at this time of year, our bodies could use a boost. If you’re a jam maker like me, consider adding a squeeze of lime and some chia seeds, but that’s just a matter of personal taste.
Traditional guava jam
Ingredients:
1 pound of guavas
4 cups of water
1 ½ cup sugar
Pectin, which helps thicken the jam, is not needed as guavas already contain it.
Instructions:
In a medium-sized saucepan, cover the guavas with the four cups of water and cook for 15 minutes until soft. Let cool until they can be handled, then cut in half and scoop out the seeds carefully, leaving as much flesh as possible.
Place the guavas, sugar, and one cup of the cooking water into a blender. Blend until smooth then return to the saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally for about half an hour.
Jam is cooked when it has thickened enough that you can see the bottom of the pan while stirring. Pour hot jam into your jar, or jars, then let cool. It will last up to a month in the fridge. Properly sterilised canning jars will last up to a year in a cool pantry.
Tamarind
Mexico’s favorite sweet treat, tamarind is now in season. (Germán Torreblanca)
This holiday season, I fell in love with atole de tamarindo. The delicious traditional warm atole with tamarind added is a sweet, tangy delight. The older the tamarind, the sweeter it is, so if yours tastes a little tart, add a little more sugar because it just means the tamarind pods were younger.
Atole de tamarindo
Allow half an hour soaking time for the tamarind pods. I promise it’s worth it!
Ingredients:
4 oz, (114 grams) tamarind without the shell
¾ cup sugar
4 ¾ cups water
6 tablespoons masa harina
An additional 1¼ cup of warm water for soaking the tamarind
Instructions:
Peel the tamarind and soak it in the warm water for half an hour. Then press the pods between your fingers to get the seeds out and rub to form a paste.
In a medium saucepan, add the 4 cups of water and sugar plus the tamarind paste and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil.
While that’s heating, add the remaining ¾ cup of water with the masa harina to form a paste. Add it gently to the boiling tamarind mix. Simmer for about eight minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm.
Mexico Correspondent for International Living, Bel is an experienced writer, author, photographer and videographer with 500+ articles published both in print and across digital platforms. Living in the Mexican Caribbean for over 7 years now, she’s in love with Mexico and has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.
An icon of the rails, the British Rail Class 43 is a triumph of invention, design, resourcefulness and longevity. How did it travel from southern England to the mountains of Oaxaca? (Phil Richards)
Long before it rumbled through the jungles and ports of southern Mexico, the British Class 43 High Speed Train was the sleek steel face of a confident, modernizing Britain, one that was hurtling out of the 1970s at 125 mph. Its journey from London to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is a story of reinvention and of a record‑breaking icon that refused to fade quietly into a scrapyard.
With its new home, the massive Interoceanic Train project (CIIT) coming into the headlines this week after a devastating crash, we take a look at the locomotive spearheading the Mexican government’s push for an alternative to the Panama Canal.
Birth of a speed icon
The sleek design of the HST made it instantly recognizable. (Dave Hitchbourne)
In the late 1960s, British Rail faced a problem: aging diesel fleets, rising competition from cars and planes, and no spare billions for brand‑new high‑speed lines. The answer was audacious but practical — they needed to build a very fast train for the Victorian track network that Britain already had.
The result was the InterCity 125, officially the British Rail Class 43 High Speed Train (HST), a formation with a power car at each end and a train of BR Mark 3 coaches in between. Designed and built between 1975 and 1982, the Class 43 power cars packed a 2,250‑horsepower Paxman Valenta engine and quickly earned the distinction of being the fastest diesel locomotives in the world, with a record run reaching 148.5 mph.
When HSTs entered service in 1976, first on the Western Region out of London Paddington, they transformed long‑distance rail travel almost overnight. Journeys that had taken hours longer suddenly felt sharp, punctual and distinctly modern, accompanied by bold “Inter‑City 125” branding that became a visual shorthand for speed.
The HST spread from the Great Western and South Wales main lines to the East Coast Main Line and beyond, anchoring many of Britain’s flagship routes for decades. Through new liveries, refurbishments and engine replacements, the Class 43s outlived multiple corporate identities and government policies, becoming an everyday backdrop to British life and a favorite among railfans.
A classic in search of a second life
A pair of HSTs at Kings’ Cross Station (Models of Hull/Geoffrey Spink)
By the 2010s, the same qualities that had once made the HST cutting edge started to count against it. New electric and bi‑mode trains began to replace Class 43 sets on core routes, and passenger operators thinned their fleets. For the power cars, the future forked three ways: preservation, scrap or export.
Fortunately, not all of them were destined for the torch. Preserved examples entered museums and heritage railways, while others found extended careers on secondary routes in Britain. But a growing number were sold abroad, their robust engineering and relatively low purchase price making them attractive for countries seeking proven, mid‑speed intercity trains without investing in new high‑speed rolling stock.
Among those new horizons were two particularly ambitious export programs: one to Nigeria and one to Mexico. For a handful of Class 43s, the story would now be written in Spanish.
Crossing the ocean: the Mexico deal
The stage for the Mexican chapter was the CIIT, the railway crossing the narrowest part of Mexico between the Gulf of Mexico port of Coatzacoalcos and the Pacific port of Salina Cruz.
To provide fast passenger services over the rebuilt route, Mexico acquired several HST power cars and Mark 3 coaches, working with leasing and logistics specialists to purchase, overhaul and ship the vehicles across the Atlantic. The first batch — three Class 43 power cars and 11 Mk 3 trailers — was dispatched in 2023 for trials, with further batches following in 2024 and 2025.
In Britain, the exported power cars were recorded with new Mexican numbers: 43022 and 43207 became FIT 3008 and FIT 3009, while 43170 became FIT 3007. Preparation work before shipping included mechanical overhauls and adaptation for new operating conditions on the Isthmus line.
Reinvented on the Isthmus
In Mexico, the once‑familiar British silhouettes began to look subtly different. The trains received new liveries to match FIT branding, trading InterCity stripes and later British operators’ colors for bright schemes suited to their new national role. They were also fitted with standard North American‑style couplers, allowing Mexican locomotives to rescue or haul the sets if needed, and adapted to local safety and operational requirements.
Trials on the Isthmus route began by late 2023, with videos showing HST sets running through tropical landscapes a world away from Yorkshire moors or the Severn estuary. After the infrastructure rebuild, the line was formally inaugurated, with HST‑based passenger services forming part of the renewed offering across the corridor between Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. In July 2025, FIT 3009 had the leading cab ripped off after colliding with a cement truck at a crossing in Oaxaca. Footage emerged online of the train, with pieces of carbon fiber wedged back down, carrying steadfastly on with its duty, a minor delay after damage that would have removed many other trains from service — possibly permanently.
FIT3008 was most recently spotted rescuing passengers after the tragic derailment at Asunción Ixtaltepec. The loco involved in the derailment was an ex-Union Pacific SD70M, pulling a train of U.S.-built Budd SPV-2000, itself an import from New York’s Hudson Line, which once ran between Croton and Harmon.
An unlikely but fitting epilogue
For the engineers who drew the first lines of the Class 43 in the early 1970s, it would have been hard to imagine their creation decades later carrying passengers across the mountains of Mexico, its Paxman‑engined heritage blending with tropical heat and port traffic. Yet the arc of the HST’s life — designed for austerity‑era tracks, crowned as the world’s fastest diesel, then repurposed for another continent — fits the locomotive’s character: pragmatic, tough and endlessly reusable.
The British Class 43 did not simply “end up” in Mexico by accident; it was chosen, exported and rebuilt because it still had something valuable to offer: reliable, relatively fast, intercity service on existing rails. On the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, as the old InterCity 125s thunder past palm trees instead of signal gantries, they carry with them half a century of British railway history — proof that some legends keep rolling as long as there is track ahead.
Chris Havler-Barrett is the Features Editor at Mexico News Daily.
Jalisco's flashy new police cars are going to fight crime. Maybe. Somehow. If they can figure out a plan to do it first.
JALISCO, MEXICO — In a move described by local officials as “absolutely not compensating for anything,” the Jalisco State Police rolled out three shiny new Tesla Cybertrucks this week, promising to chase down crime and Instagram likes faster than ever before.
Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro announced the purchase of the Cybertrucks as part of a 678-vehicle upgrade splurge ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing the 970 million peso price tag as “pocket change compared to our collective sense of security.” “We need to work hard on security perception,” Lemus said, moments before asking photographers to capture his best angle next to his armored Black Mamba “sort-of-like-tanks.”
You can’t expect to have a car capable of streaming the World Cup and not want cops to use it, right?
U.S. diplomats have praised Jalisco’s fleet on social media, declaring “Jalisco is stepping up into the future,” in a post suspected to be written by a chatbot developed for diplomatic optimism.
Not everyone is impressed. Leaders from the ruling Morena party mocked the fleet, with state president Erika Pérez remarking, “I see this and think Robocop is going to come out.” Congressman Carlos Lomelí demanded more transparency, and asked, “How will this reduce insecurity?” before reportedly getting a free Cybertruck test drive.
Police plan to use the Cybertrucks as mobile command centers, equipped with SpaceX’s Starlink internet “so they can patrol, tweet, and stream soccer matches in glorious 4K, all at the same time.” Tourists visiting Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Tequila will be safer — or at least “will see the Cybertrucks and feel vaguely safer, which is basically the same thing,” Lemus explained.
The World Cup is expected to bring over five million visitors, who will each have the chance to take a selfie with a Cybertruck. Plans for drone-mounted flamethrowers are currently on hold “pending Elon Musk’s next inspirational tweet.”
