Sunday, August 24, 2025

Ford celebrates 100 years in Mexico with investment announcement

By
MND Staff
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Ford CEO Jim Farley was joined by state governors, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson and other officials at a celebratory event in Mexico City on Monday night. (@MaruCampos_G/X)

Ford has now operated in Mexico for 100 years, and as part of the centennial celebrations on Monday, CEO Jim Farley announced that the company will expand its Global Technology and Business Center (GTBC) in México state.

Farley was joined by state governors, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson and other officials at a celebratory event in Mexico City. The company — founded by Henry Ford in Detroit, Michigan, in 1903 — opened its first factory in Mexico in Mexico City in 1925.

CEO Jim Farley greets Maru Campos, the governor of Chihuahua, where Ford has operated an engine plant since 1983.
Ford CEO Jim Farley greets Maru Campos, the governor of Chihuahua, where Ford has operated an engine plant since 1983. (@MaruCampos_G/X)

According to the newspaper Milenio, Farley said that the plan to expand the GTBC — located within the metropolitan area of Mexico City in Naucalpan, México state — is part of Ford’s efforts to develop its capabilities in Mexico. He didn’t specify how much Ford would invest to expand the center, which opened in 2022.

Farley spoke in extremely positive terms about Ford’s presence in Mexico, where the automaker has vehicle assembly plants in Sonora and México state, and engine production plants in Chihuahua and Guanajuato.

“Our factories in Mexico have set the standards for quality and productivity for Ford,” he said.

“… We will continue competing strongly here in Mexico, making and selling vehicles that customers want to drive and which satisfy their needs,” Farley said.

“To our dealers and employees: you are the reason we will continue investing in Mexico,” he said.

Ford sold just under 21,000 cars in Mexico in the first five months of the year, according to national statistics agency INEGI. The company exported more than 183,000 vehicles from Mexico in the same period, almost nine times the number it sold here.

In September last year, Ford announced a US $273 million investment for its plant in Irapuato, Guanajuato, where motors and transaxles for electric vehicles are made.

The company makes electric vehicles at its plant in Cuautitlán, México state, where in 2022 it unveiled its first car made exclusively by women.

‘A monumental milestone’ 

In a press release, Ford México declared that it was celebrating “a monumental milestone” on Monday: 100 years since it became the first automotive assembler [in Mexico].”

“As the country’s first automobile manufacturer, Ford de México has played a fundamental role in the development of the industry and has contributed significantly to the economic and social fabric of Mexico,” the company said.

“Today, Ford de México is made up of more than 14,000 employees and 113 Ford and Lincoln dealerships. Mexico is home to iconic vehicles such as the Mustang Mach-E, Ford Maverick, and Ford Bronco Sport,” it said.

In addition to making vehicles in Mexico, Ford said it has played a “key role” in the country’s auto parts sector, “with facilities such as the plant in Tlalnepantla, [México state], helping the emblem ‘Hecho en México‘ gain global recognition.”

Johnson, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, said on the X social media site on Monday that “‘Hecho en México’ were words inscribed inside the boxes of ‘genuine Ford’ auto parts that I remember from my teenage years working with my father in our family’s auto parts business.”

“And today we celebrated 100 years of @FordMX in Mexico!” he added.

“Building jobs and communities together. Thanks Ford! And happy 100th Anniversary!”

The Global Technology and Business Center

In its press release, Ford said that its teams in Mexico “are deeply involved” in the “design, development, testing, validation and manufacture” of the company’s vehicles.

“Mexico is also a center for global services, providing experience to Ford’s global organization in critical areas such as information technology, product development, finances, marketing, sales and service, purchases, human resources and Ford Credit,” the company said.

“A clear example of Mexico’s talent is the Global Technology and Business Center (GTBC), established in 2022. As one of Ford’s three global centers, the GTBC in Mexico is a powerhouse for product development, services, and process engineering,” Ford said.

“… It houses the largest automotive engineering center in Mexico and one of the largest in Latin America, employing a team of engineers who work across the entire spectrum of automotive engineering,” the company said.

Ford’s ‘Education in Movement’ program 

Ford also announced on Monday that it would expand its “Education in Movement” program in Mexico “through three different actions that will provide more opportunities for students.”

The company said it will allocate an additional US $2 million to its scholarship initiative for “outstanding students,” through which it supports young people attending educational institutions from primary school to university.

Ford also said it would build two new primary schools: one in Mexicali, Baja California, and another near the GTBC in México state. The company has funded the construction of 212 primary schools in Mexico over the past 59 years, but none since 2017, according to the El Universal newspaper.

Ford said that its third education-related “action” would be restoring and maintaining its existing schools.

“Investing in education is the promise of a better future and today it is possible thanks to every person who buys a Ford or Lincoln vehicle,” Farley said.

“Together we will continue building a future in which education is accessible, in which every child has the opportunity to dream and achieve their goals,” he said.

With reports from Milenio and El Universal

Grupo Pinsa agrees to conserve Sinaloa watershed in effort to neutralize water footprint

By
MND Staff
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Grupo Pinsa
Grupo Pinsa was established over 30 years ago and is a major producer of canned tuna and sardines, with over 100 products under the Dolores, Mazatún and El Dorado brands. (Shutterstock)

Major Mexican food supplier Grupo Pinsa agreed to conserve a watershed in the northern state of Sinaloa to neutralize its water footprint, the company announced on Friday. 

Grupo Pinsa signed an agreement with the National Forestry Commission (Conafor) and the community of La Noria on Friday to fund the protection of 1,375 hectares of forest in the upper Presidio River Basin, east of Mazatlán, for five years.

 

Head of Conafor Joanna Acosta Velázquez, representatives of the La Noria Community Assembly and Grupo Pinsa representatives Javier Humarán and Bernabé Herrera participated in the contract signing.  

The replenishment of the water body is equivalent to the annual volume of water used by the company, and the move makes it the first company in Mexico to offset its total water footprint through watershed conservation.

“This agreement reflects our real and tangible commitment to the environment. It’s not just about compensating, but also about regenerating and protecting the sources of life we ​​share with the communities,” said Grupo Pinsa’s CEO Víctor Manuel Ledón Lizárraga.

Grupo Pinsa was established over 30 years ago and is a major producer of canned tuna and sardines, with over 100 products under the Dolores, Mazatún and El Dorado brands, sold in Mexico, the United States and Europe. It is Sinaloa’s largest employer, contributing over 6,000 direct jobs.

The conservation strategy was approved as part of the Local Payment Mechanism for Environmental Services with Concurrent Funds (MLPSA FC) and is the largest MLPSA FC agreement approved in Sinaloa so far this year. 

The water conservation organization Conselva, Costas y Comunidades, helped identify Grupo Pinsa’s offset needs using hydrological models and will serve as a technical advisor for the program. 

The agreement “represents a model of water co-responsibility, in which the public, private and social sectors collaborate to address the water crisis with concrete, science-based actions,” the organization wrote on its Facebook page on Tuesday. 

“The community of La Noria will be a direct beneficiary of the mechanism, receiving payments for conserving its territory and participating in activities such as reforestation, soil restoration, community surveillance and fire brigades. These actions are also expected to contribute to increasing water production in the micro-basin, positively impacting water availability for Mazatlán.”

Availability of surface water in the Presidio River has decreased by 56.6% in the last 13 years, while its aquifer has an annual deficit of 22.10 cubic hectometers, making it one of Sinaloa’s most overexploited bodies of water, according to official data.

The worsening water situation is due to deforestation, uncontrolled urban and agricultural growth, irregular extraction and the effects of climate change. 

The recent agreement with Pinsa “is the result of more than a decade of technical and community work in the Presidio River basin,” said Executive Director of Conselva Sandra Guido Sánchez.

“It demonstrates that it is possible to build local solutions to a global crisis when the private sector assumes its shared environmental responsibility.”

With reports from Revista Espejo and Periódico Noroeste

Mexico posts stronger-than-expected growth as inflation hovers above 4.5%

By
MND Staff
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Meat prices increased 11.86% compared to a year earlier, while fruit and vegetables were 1.72% cheaper than in the first half of June 2024.
Meat prices increased 11.86% compared to a year earlier, while fruit and vegetables were 1.72% cheaper than in the first half of June 2024. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)

The Mexican economy is growing despite significant headwinds, but inflation is above the Bank of Mexico’s target range, according to the latest data from the national statistics agency INEGI.

On Monday, INEGI published data that showed that the Mexican economy grew 0.5% in April compared to the previous month and 1.4% in annual terms.

On Tuesday, INEGI reported that Mexico’s annual headline inflation rate was 4.51% in the first half of June, above the Bank of Mexico’s target of 3% with tolerance of one percentage point in either direction. The annual rate was lower than the 4.62% reading for the second half of May, but above the 4.42% rate for last month as a whole.

Growth data by sector

INEGI’s data showed that Mexico’s primary or agricultural sector grew 3.2% in annual terms in April, but declined 3.7% compared to March in seasonally adjusted terms.

The secondary sector, which includes manufacturing, mining, construction and electricity generation and distribution, declined 0.7% in annual terms in April, but grew 0.1% compared to March.

The tertiary or services sector grew 2.2% in annual terms in April and 0.9% compared to March.

The 1.4% annual growth and 0.5% month-over-month growth the Mexican economy recorded in April came the same month that U.S. tariffs on foreign vehicles, including ones made in Mexico, took effect. U.S. tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum entered into force in March at a rate of 25%. The rate doubled to 50% at the start of June.

Mexican goods that don’t comply with the USMCA free trade pact have been subject to a 25% tariff when entering the United States — Mexico’s largest trade partner — since early March.

Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Banco Base, described the 0.5% month-over-month expansion of the Mexican economy as “good news,” noting that the growth rate was above the expectation of a 0.26% decline.

Modest growth in first 4 months of 2025 

INEGI’s data showed that the Mexican economy grew 0.1% between January and April compared to the same period of last year.

The primary sector grew 6.5% in the period, while the tertiary sector expanded 0.7%.

The secondary sector declined 1.6% compared to the first four months of 2024.

All four sub-sectors of the secondary sector declined between January and April. The mining sector declined 8.9%; the construction sector contracted by 2%; the electricity/gas/water sector shrank 1.1%; and the manufacturing sector decreased 0.2%.

The World Bank is currently forecasting that the Mexican economy will grow just 0.2% in 2025. Increased trade barriers and greater uncertainty globally are expected to slow economic growth across Latin America, according to the World Bank’s June Global Economic Prospects report.

The International Monetary Fund is predicting that the Mexican economy will contract 0.3% in 2025.

Inflation data in detail 

Headline inflation increased 0.10% in the first half of June compared to the second half of May. That figure was just below the 0.11% increase predicted by economists surveyed by Reuters.

The 4.51% annual headline rate was just below the 4.52% consensus forecast of economists polled by Reuters.

INEGI also reported that Mexico’s core inflation rate, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, was 4.20% in the first half of June, up from 4.06% across May.

Meat prices increased 11.86% compared to a year earlier, while fruit and vegetables were 1.72% cheaper than in the first half of June 2024.

Prices for processed food, beverages and tobacco increased 4.82% annually, while non-food goods were 2.98% more expensive.

Mexicans paid 4.61% more for services than a year earlier, while energy costs, including those for gasoline and electricity, rose 3.92% in annual terms.

Will the Bank of Mexico cut interest rates again this week? 

The publication of the inflation data for the first half of the month comes ahead of a monetary policy meeting of the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) board on Thursday.

The central bank has cut its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points after all three monetary policy meetings held so far this year, most recently last month. Banxico’s key rate is currently set at 8.50%.

Siller, the Banco Base analyst, said on X that the central bank “should pause” its rate-cutting cycle given that headline inflation is “far” from its objective and core inflation increased in the first half of June.

Alberto Ramos, chief Latin America economist at Goldman Sachs, said that INEGI’s latest inflation data showed “uncomfortable core dynamics, particularly on services,” and asserted that Banxico will notice that.

The bank, he said, “will probably soften the guidance for August suggesting that the pace of rate cuts is likely to decelerate in coming meetings.”

“But for this week’s monetary policy meeting a 50bp cut is likely still in play,” Ramos said.

Twenty-one of 26 economists surveyed by Reuters before the latest inflation data was released predicted that the Banxico board will vote in favor of a 50 basis point cut at this week’s monetary policy meeting.

Bloomberg reported that Banxico “has suggested it may proceed with the same pace of cuts this Thursday,” but noted that “board members appear to be divided, with Deputy Governor Jonathan Heath saying the bank would do well to consider pausing before noting that policymakers would likely still proceed with a 50-basis-point cut.”

The news agency noted that Bloomberg Economics has “predicted that the bank could, out of caution, cut rates by only 25 basis points in June.”

The Bank of Mexico will announce the board’s decision shortly after Thursday’s monetary policy meeting. Any change to the bank’s benchmark interest rate will take effect on Friday.

Mexico News Daily

Iberia launches direct route from Madrid to Monterrey as part of €6B growth strategy

By
MND Staff
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Iberia Monterrey-Madrid
With its new route to Monterrey from Madrid, Iberia will compete with Aeroméxico, currently the only operator of this air link. (Miguel Ángel Sanz/Unsplash)

Spanish airline Iberia has announced an ambitious international expansion as part of its 2030 Flight Plan, with an investment of €6 billion. Monterrey, Nuevo León, is one of the new key destinations included in this strategy. 

The carrier’s expansion includes a direct flight between Monterrey and Madrid, becoming Iberia’s second nonstop destination in Mexico, in addition to Mexico City International Airport (AICM).  

With its new route to Monterrey from Madrid, Iberia will compete with Aeroméxico, currently the only operator of this air link. It also reopens Iberia’s roster of destinations that are not capitals of large Latin American countries; in December, the airline will also resume its direct route between Cali, Colombia, and Madrid with three weekly flights. 

The connections between Madrid and Mexico are enhanced by a direct link to a major holiday destination in Mexico: Cancún, via Air Europa, World2Fly and Iberojet.

According to the company, the expansion seeks to contribute to the development of Madrid’s Barajas Airport as a competitive intercontinental hub among its European counterparts. In addition to Monterrey, Iberia’s new flights include direct routes between Madrid and Toronto (Canada), Philadelphia (U.S.), Recife and Fortaleza (Brazil), and Orlando (U.S.), among others.

“Thanks to Iberia’s profound transformation over the last decade and the efforts of all our people, we are achieving results that allow us to look to the future,” Iberia’s President and CEO Marco Sansavini said.

Monterrey is currently also connected to Europe via Paris. Both Aeroméxico and Air France offer either direct routes or flights with stopovers to the French capital.

Monterrey International Airport is one of Mexico’s main air hubs and the most important in the northern part of the country. In 2024, the airport surpassed one million international passengers in a year for the first time, reaching 1.17 million travelers. This represented an increase of 18.8% compared to 2023.

With reports from Reportur, Aviación Online and Publimetro

Countdown: Our goal to visit every Pueblo Mágico

By
Louisa Rogers
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Taxco
There's nothing like a Pueblo Mágico to remind you what's great about Mexico. Louisa Rogers has seen more than most. (Authentic Mexico Tours)

I visited my first Pueblo Mágico (Magical Town), Tulum, in 1981, long before Mexico’s eponymous governmental tourism program even existed. In the 44 years since, my husband and I have been to 53 more. Not bad! The problem is that there are 177, so we have a long way to go before we reach our idealistic goal of visiting them all.

Several obstacles lie in the way, the main one being age. Barry’s 82, I’m 73, and as my mother-in-law used to say, “You’re not getting any younger.” 

Real del Monte, Hidalgo
Mexico’s Pueblo Mágico program celebrates the best of Mexico’s unique, characterful towns. (Real del Monte/Instagram)

What is a Pueblo Mágico?

The Pueblos Mágicos program, launched in 2001, promotes tourism in towns that offer natural beauty, cultural richness, history, archaeology, cuisine and the arts. Mexico’s federal Ministry of Tourism (Sectur) — in charge of permitting a town to don the moniker — is raising the bar this year for obtaining and maintaining Pueblo Mágico status, with upgraded standards set to take effect this year.

I’m happy to hear this, because we were disappointed by a couple of the towns, unclear why they deserved the designation.

We live in the city of Guanajuato, which is surrounded by the states of Querétaro, Jalisco, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, and Michoacán, so we’ve been to many pueblos mágicos in these states. Every January for years, before my father died, we’d visit him in the U.S. and fly back to a different city in Mexico.

In this way we were able to easily explore other more distant pueblos mágicos, like the coffee towns of Coatepec and Xico in the state of Veracruz. Here are a few of our favorites:

Valle de Bravo 

Magical Towns like Valle de Bravo are pretty much by default supposed to be historic and picturesque. But they must have stuff to do as well. (Tomás Martínez/Unsplash)

Valle de Bravo is a town built around an artificial lake, about 2 1/2 hours by bus from Mexico City, with a generous plaza and red terracotta-roofed whitewashed houses. It has a café ingeniously located right in the middle of a traffic circle, every window showing a different view — of virtually no traffic.

On the weekend, Valle gets busy with wealthy escapees from Mexico City who have second homes there, but during the week it’s tranquil.

The town offers plenty to do, from walking around the lake and kayaking to visiting the monarch butterflies and climbing the nontechnical Nevada de Toluca and hiking around its volcanic lake.

Nearby are also two spiritual centers of different types: About 45 minutes from town is a Tibetan Buddhist temple, said to be the tallest in the Western Hemisphere. We arrived in the middle of seemingly nowhere to find a huge white stupa with brightly-colored Tibetan prayer flags, an intricate awning, and a golden Buddha. Another spiritual structure on the edge of Valle is Marantha, a 1970s Carmelite sanctuary, with three chapels and stained glass windows. Its serene grounds include landscaped gardens, fountains, benches, and religious sculptures. 

Jalpan

Church in Jalpan built by Father Juniper Serra
Jalpan is built around this plaza, created by Franciscan priests. (Alejandro Linares García)

The town is the gateway to the Sierra Gorda, a mountainous area a few hours from the city of Querétaro. Picturesque Jalpan is built around a plaza and home to one of the five Franciscan missions built in the 17th century. The intricate and detailed mission is well worth a visit, but there’s much more to do around Jalpan, like visiting the other missions and the nearby Tancama ruins, which are among the most important pre-Hispanic settlements in the Sierra Gorda. Occupied between 200 and 900 C.E., the ruins are situated in a beautiful setting at the base of the Cerro Grande mountain. 

Puente de Dios, the “Bridge of God,” is a beautiful two-mile walk along a riverbank, crossing the river several times on small wooden bridges. It leads to a limestone grotto and three waterfalls that flow down from the roof of a cave. The current from the three waterfalls is so powerful that thick floating ropes have been installed to help anchor swimmers. 

Cuetzalan

Cuetzalan, Puebla, Mexico
Quiet Cuetzalan is home to artisans and traditions unique to the Puebla region. (Government of Mexico)

A sleepy remote village about two and a half hours from Puebla, Cuetzalan is famous for its weekly market and the Nahua people, who still wear native dress. On weekends, voladores climb a 100-foot pole in the central plaza, tie themselves with ropes, and spiral down, twirling around the pole. One remains on the top of the pole, unanchored, dancing and playing a flute and drum, before he also spirals gracefully down. The spiraling is a ritual ceremony that began in pre-Hispanic times and has since been incorporated into Mexican Catholicism. 

Near the village are waterfalls, natural pools, caves, woods, opportunities for ziplining, and a ruin. An American missionary couple we met told us we were the first foreign tourists they’d seen in two years. Indeed, I felt very far away from the modern world there.

San Sebastián del Oeste

The Pueblo Mágico of San Sebastian del Oeste.
The former Jalisco mining town offers a glimpse into a Mexico gone by. (México Desconocido)

A 17th-century mining town, the village is perched high in the Sierra Madre mountains at 1,400m (4,600 ft), about 45 minutes from Puerto Vallarta. With its old colonial church, restored haciendas, and cobblestone streets, San Sebastián is often cited as a prime example of well-preserved colonial architecture in Latin America. 

When Barry and I joined the local vaqueros in their cowboy hats sitting on the porch of the old historic hotel, I felt like I was in another century. We drank raicilla, the spirit cultivated locally from the agave plant, as we watched the festivities at the Saturday market below.

One of the reasons I like all these pueblos mágicos so much is that we saw almost no other tourists — Mexican or foreign. This is probably because we visited the towns midweek and because they’re either unknown, especially to foreigners, or not easily accessible. 

Now that I’ve described them, I have a strong urge to return. But didn’t I just say our goal was to visit every pueblo mágico? We should be going to new ones, not revisiting ones I’ve seen. So many pueblos mágicos, so little time! This is what I call a delicious dilemma.

Louisa Rogers and her husband Barry Evans divide their lives between Guanajuato and Eureka, on California’s North Coast. Louisa writes articles and essays about expat life, Mexico, travel, physical and psychological health, retirement and spirituality. Her recent articles are on her website, https://authory.com/LouisaRogers

Do they play ice hockey in Mexico? The answer may surprise you

By
Ian Ostroff
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International ice hockey in Mexico
Mexican-Canadian and general ice hockey aficionado Ian Ostroff spoke to the Mexican Hockey Federation about the growth of the sport in the country. (All photos by the Mexican Hockey Federation)

Fifteen years ago, I walked into the Paseo Interlomas mall in Mexico City with my cousins and found something that took me by surprise: a regulation-sized ice hockey rink. At first I thought the rink was a last-minute idea the builders of Paseo added as a novelty — a new activity for families to try on the weekend different from what you’d normally find in Mexico City.

I’ve returned to Paseo Interlomas several times in the last decade, and in that time I’ve seen countless Mexican residents play and enjoy the game of hockey (fair warning, as a Canadian, there is only one kind to me so put the balls away.) I’ve also seen the sport’s profile rise here: when Mexico won gold at the 2025 U18 Men’s World Championship Division 3, I felt the same sense of pride hit me as when Canada’s men’s soccer team made the semifinals in the last Copa America.

An ice hockey game in Mexico
Although the sport lags far behind even niche sports like rugby, ice hockey is beginning to find its feet in Mexico.

My curiosity about Mexico’s relationship with the sport led to a conversation with the president of the Mexican Ice Hockey Federation, Joaquín de la Garma.

A former architect, Garma has dedicated his life to growing the sport he loves in Mexico. It’s been challenging to introduce hockey to Mexican residents, he says, since the country’s national pastime is soccer, with baseball as a close second. But little by little, Garma and his staff have made progress.

“When I started as president of the Mexican Ice Hockey Federation, we had 600 to 700 members. Today we have about 5,000,” Garma said. “I have been very dedicated in trying to promote it among young kids and also with university students. Slowly, people are showing interest once they’re exposed to hockey and know how the game works.”

NHL teams like the Dallas Stars have offered Garma and the federation their support. Dwight Mullens, the developmental director of the Dallas Stars, organizes hockey clinics in Mexico City every month to help inspire young kids. Al Montoya, a former NHL pro who played for the Montreal Canadiens, has also done his part to nurture young talent on Mexican soil by teaching the skills players need to succeed on the ice. But support from abroad goes beyond hockey clinics.

“The Dallas Stars also help support us by giving kids hockey gear like skates and sticks,” Garma said. “We also have teams that play tournaments in Dallas, so that has been exciting for our federation.”

“This December, we are going to play in the second week of the Silver Stick, which is an important hockey tournament in the United States because it attracts talent in multiple divisions from Novice to Junior. We went the year before and took eight teams, which was 100 players. We knew it wouldn’t be easy to play there because of all the great programs in the U.S., but we gained a lot of experience and that will give us momentum to play well in future competitions.”

The Mexican national ice hockey team
Mexico’s U18 national hockey team.

Recently, the Las Vegas Golden Knights also began working with the Mexican hockey federation to help promote the sport and potentially develop young talent.

Mexico’s senior men’s hockey team plays in Division 3 Group A, while the senior women’s team is doing a little better, competing in Division 2 Group B. To give you perspective, hockey nations like Canada, the United States and Sweden play in what’s known as the Championship Level, three divisions above.

Mexico may have a long way to go until they move up to the top flight, but their gold medal in the U18 Men’s World Championship has earned them the right to compete in Division 2 Group B. Perhaps all the clinics are proving to be instrumental in elevating Mexico’s hockey culture.

“The U18 tournament was hosted in Mexico City and having home ice advantage was beneficial to us in our preparation. Our team went undefeated in five straight games en route to gold, which is something I’m proud of since we played with heart,” Garma said.

“It’s also important to note we sold over 3000 tickets for the games, and I was happy to see the excitement among local Mexican fans. I believe that’s going to encourage more kids to play hockey in the future. The more opportunities we give Mexicans to be exposed to hockey, the more our fanbase and talent pool will grow in the coming years.”

Mexico has 16 hockey rinks in the country, including several in Mexico City, Querétero, Monterey, León, and Puebla. Cancun, Mérida, Villahermosa, and Tabasco, have also opened hockey rinks. Garma has made sure each rink is home to one club team and that each club plays for a national championship. The rinks are also open to the public, where kids can be around hockey and ignite their passion for the game.

“The future is bright because we’re seeing progress in both the development of our national teams and in the reception of fans,” Garma said. “We’re selling tickets for tournament games, getting kids involved, and gaining traction as an organization, so I think hockey is a growing sport in Mexico.”

The Mexican team has now competed against some professional nations, but a matchup against giants Canada and the United States is some way off.

“My dream is to make it a universal sport throughout the Americas, not just in Canada and the United States. But it’s going to take time for Mexico to catch up to that level of play. A part of that is competing against respectable hockey nations, and we’ve managed to play against countries like Poland, Great Britain, France, and Italy, which all have great professional leagues and players.”

“I’m also trying to recruit foreign players to come play in Mexico. We’re getting interest from players in Europe, but hopefully one day Canadian and American players will also want to play pro hockey in Mexico and help give us more credibility on a global scale.”

The semi-professional Liga Mexicana Elite de Hockey is the highest level of competition in the country. It currently has five teams and draws a respectable amount of fans. You can stream the games online from the Mexican Hockey Federation’s website. But you can also watch the games live if you’re in Mexico City, especially if you’re in the Santa Fe area.

Exposure to the sport is an ongoing process in Mexico, but if you think you might have what it takes to be a Latin Gordie Howe, now is the time to show the country what you’re made of.

Ian Ostroff is an indie author, journalist, and copywriter from Montreal, Canada. You can find his work in various outlets, including Map Happy and The Suburban. When he’s not writing, you can find Ian at the gym, a café, or anywhere within Mexico visiting family and friends.

‘Don’t lie, don’t steal and don’t betray the people’: Monday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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Sheinbaum told reporters on Monday that there are three maxims for people aspiring to be candidates of her political movement: "don't lie, don't steal and don't betray the people."
Sheinbaum told reporters on Monday that there are three maxims for people aspiring to be candidates of her political movement: "don't lie, don't steal and don't betray the people." (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

Conflict in the Middle East and the strength of the ruling Morena party were among the issues President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Monday morning press conference.

Here is a recap of the president’s June 23 mañanera.

‘Every people has the right to decide their form of government’

A reporter asked Sheinbaum her opinion about Donald Trump’s “comment” or “insinuation” that regime change is needed in Iran.

On social media on Sunday, a day after he announced the U.S. military had attacked three nuclear sites in Iran, the U.S. president wrote:

“It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!”

For her part, Sheinbaum spoke in favor of “sovereignty” for the peoples of the world.

“That has always been the position of Mexico. Every people has the right to decide their form of government — that is the principle of the foreign policy of Mexico,” she said.

President Sheinbaum reiterated her defense of sovereignty, not just in the case of Mexico, but as it concerns all countries.
President Sheinbaum reiterated her defense of sovereignty, not just in the case of Mexico, but as it concerns all countries. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

“Few countries have these foreign policy principles,” said Sheinbaum, who in a social media post on Sunday declared that “Mexico will always be a factor for peace” and highlighted eight constitutionally-enshrined principles “on which the Federal Executive must base the conduct of Mexico’s foreign policy.”

Mexico is moving toward ‘energy sovereignty,’ Sheinbaum says 

The same reporter asked the president about the impact a closure of the Strait of Hormuz would have on Mexico. In retaliation for the U.S. strikes on three of its nuclear sites, Iran could potentially seek to shut down the strait, which links the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and is an important shipping route for oil and gas.

The New York Times reported that “a quarter of the world’s oil and 20 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so mining the choke point would cause oil and gas prices to soar.”

In response to the reporter’s question, Sheinbaum first said that the increase in world oil prices “in recent days” has been “very small.”

Later in the day, oil prices fell more than 7% after Iran’s retaliatory missile strike on a U.S. airbase in Qatar “raised hopes that the conflict would not immediately disrupt oil supplies from the region,” according to The Guardian.

Sheinbaum said that Mexico is in an advantageous position because “practically” all the oil produced in Mexico is refined “in our country.”

“Dos Bocas is operating,” she said, referring to the Pemex refinery built on the Tabasco coast during the term of the previous federal government.

“… The importation of fuel has decreased a lot,” Sheinbaum said, asserting that Mexico is making significant progress toward “energy sovereignty,” including its quest to reach self-sufficiency for fuel.

Pemex CEO says Dos Bocas refinery is now processing crude oil

That progress, she said, has been possible thanks to the purchase of the refinery in Deer Park, Texas, (which Pemex previously co-owned with Shell), the construction of the Dos Bocas refinery (officially called the Olmeca Refinery) and the work that has been done to upgrade the state oil’s company’s six other refineries.

“In the face of these international changes that there could be, Mexico is protected in terms of production of its [own] fuel,” Sheinbaum said, referring to gasoline and diesel.

“We have to continue making progress on natural gas … because we import a large part of the natural gas we use from Texas,” she said.

‘The transformation movement is very strong’ 

A reporter from El Heraldo de México noted that the newspaper published “a series of polls” that showed that the ruling Morena party is the most favored political party in 15 of 17 states that will hold elections in 2027.

Sheinbaum described the poll results as “interesting” and declared that they are worth looking at.

“The transformation movement is very strong in the country,” she said, referring to the Morena party and the so-called “fourth transformation” it says it is carrying out in Mexico.

“And there is recognition from the people,” said Sheinbaum, who won last year’s presidential election in a landslide.

She also said that for people aspiring to be candidates of “the movement” there are “three maxims: don’t lie, don’t steal and don’t betray the people.”

In addition to being in power at the federal level, Morena governs 22 of Mexico’s 31 states and Mexico City. It is also in office in more than 700 municipalities across the country, and many candidates aligned with Morena or seen as sympathetic to the party were elected to judgeships — including positions on the Supreme Court — at Mexico’s first ever judicial elections on June 1.

Sheinbaum will turn 63 on Tuesday 

The president acknowledged that she will turn 63 on Tuesday, before assuring a reporter that she hadn’t considered signing up for the pension the government is now paying to women aged 63 and 64.

Sheinbaum subsequently gave her consent for cake to be brought to her mañanera on June 24, which she noted is also the feast day of Saint John the Baptist.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

BYD’s first shipment to Mexico on company-owned vessel marks ‘milestone’ for EV expansion

By
MND Staff
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11
BYD ship docking at a Mexican port
The BYD Changzhou, named after the Jiangsu province city where the company has a plant, is one of four BYD vessels that are currently in service. (X)

It is not yet clear whether Chinese automaker BYD will build a plant in Mexico, but the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer underscored its commitment to the Mexican market by dispatching one of its own car carrier ships to ports in Sinaloa and Michoacán this month.

The BYD Changzhou, a 200-meter-long roll-on/roll-off ship that flies the flag of the West African country Liberia, docked in the ports of Mazatlán and Lázaro Cárdenas this month, delivering a total of 5,503 vehicles.

BYD has been selling cars in Mexico since 2023, but hadn’t previously brought vehicles to the country on one of its own ships.

In a video filmed at the port in Mazatlán, BYD México president Ray Zou said that the arrival of the company’s Changzhou vessel is not only a “milestone” for BYD, “but also shows how important the Mexican market is for BYD globally.”

“… In the future, BYD will continue to provide more reliable and fancy products to the Mexican market,” he said.

The BYD Changzhou, named after the Jiangsu province city where the company has a plant, is one of four BYD vessels that are currently in service. The company announced the delivery of its fifth vehicle carrier on Saturday, according to the state-owned China Daily.

The BYD Changzhou delivered 2,000 vehicles to the port in Mazatlán, where it arrived on June 6, and 3,503 to the port in Lázaro Cárdenas.

Mauricio Ortiz, general director of the Mazatlán Maritime Terminal, said that the arrival of the ship “reinforces the strategic position of Mazatlán in automotive sector logistics chains.”

Port authorities in Lázaro Cárdenas said that the arrival of BYD’s ship in Mexico represents “not just a logistical milestone, but also the strengthening of the trade relationship with a brand that is transforming the global electric transport panorama.”

BYD México said in a LinkedIn post last week that the company took “a decisive step in its expansion strategy with the arrival of its Changzhou ship to the port of Mazatlán.”

“This event doesn’t just represent a logistical advance but also reaffirms the commitment of the company to strengthen its presence in the entire country and take electric mobility to more regions of Mexico,” BYD said.

The company’s cars currently face a 20% tariff when entering Mexico, but there is a possibility that the duty will increase in the near future. BYD and other Chinese automakers are pursuing an aggressive export strategy and have found a significant number of buyers in Mexico in recent years.

BYD sales in Mexico 

BYD sold 40,000 electric and hybrid vehicles in Mexico last year, according to the company. That figure was 10,000 short of the company’s expectation of 50,000, as mentioned by BYD’s general director in Mexico, Jorge Vallejo, last October. The company is aiming to sell 80,000 vehicles in Mexico this year.

Sales of 40,000 units in 2024 made BYD the 13th best-selling car brand in Mexico, according to the newspaper El Financiero. A total of 69,713 electric and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles were sold in Mexico last year, according to the Electro Mobility Association, an increase of over 80% compared to 2023. Thus, BYD was No. 1 for sales in the EV/PHEV segment of the auto market, which accounted for around 5% of total car sales in Mexico in 2024.

BYD has some 50 dealerships in Mexico, and in January, Vallejo outlined plans to open 30 more.

In early 2024, the company confirmed that it intended to open a plant in Mexico, but almost one and a half years later, it is uncertain whether it will in fact do so.

FT: China is withholding approval for BYD’s Mexico plant due to tech concerns

The Financial Times reported in March that the Chinese government was delaying approval for BYD to build a plant in Mexico amid concerns that the company’s smart car technology could be accessed by the United States.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said last November that there was “not yet any firm investment project [in Mexico] from any Chinese automotive company,” including BYD.

In April, she described high demand for foreign-made vehicles in Mexico as a “problem.”

“The problem is that we’re importing a lot of vehicles, particularly from Asia, and this is not anything against any Asian country or anything like that,” Sheinbaum said.

She said that her government is seeking to bolster domestic vehicle production so that the majority of vehicles purchased in Mexico are made in Mexico.

It remains to be seen how that objective will affect BYD’s clear aim of selling more electric vehicles in Mexico and thus increasing its share of the overall market for new cars.

Jorge Guajardo, a former Mexican ambassador to China, asserted earlier this year that allowing Chinese vehicles to continue coming into the country with a tariff of just 20% will “put an end to [automotive] production in Mexico.”

In an interview with Mexico News Daily last year, he asserted that Mexico, where applicable, should raise its tariffs on Chinese imports to match those of the United States.

Reuters reported in April that “China ships very few cars to the United States, which imposed a 100% tariff on imported Chinese electric vehicles under the previous administration of President Joe Biden.”

With reports from Cluster Industrial and T21 

Mexico City’s GNP Seguros Stadium is named top concert stadium in the world

By
MND Staff
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1
stadium at night
GNP Seguros Stadium, formerly the Foro Sol, was once the home of Mexico City's baseball team. Now it's considered the best concert stadium in the world. (Cortesía OCESA/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico City’s GNP Seguros Stadium (formerly known as Foro Sol) has been recognized as the world’s best concert stadium in the 2025 Pollstar Mid-Year Top 50 Worldwide Stadium rankings, in which Mexican venues claimed three of the top five spots.

Pollstar, a leading provider in the entertainment industry, based its rankings on operational data, ticket sales and audience capacity.

Shakira performing
Shakira, seen here during her March show at GNP Seguros Stadium, sold so many tickets that she will return in August for a four-night encore of her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” World tour. (Cortesía OCESA/Cuartoscuro)

Carried out from November 14, 2024 to May 14, 2025, Pollstar’s research found that GNP Seguros Stadium hosted 26 concerts and accumulated US $135.3 million in revenue, surpassing famous venues such as Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The stadium sold over 1.5 million tickets and hosted major stars such as Paul McCartney, Shakira, Metallica, Bruno Mars and Eric Clapton, as well as massive K-pop acts like Twice. 

Some upcoming acts include Shakira (returning), Dua Lipa and eight sold-out concerts by Bad Bunny.

According to OCESA, Mexico’s largest live event promoter, the venue’s ranking at the top of the list consolidates Mexico “as a crucial destination for the success of any global tour.”

“GNP Seguros Stadium, with a capacity for 65,000 people, has been a key element of this recognition, thanks to its world-class infrastructure and its history as the epicenter of unforgettable moments for millions of fans,” OCESA said in a statement. The venue had already topped the same ranking in 2022 and 2023.

The stadium, located in the Magdalena Mixhuca sports district of Mexico City, opened as a concert venue in 1993. Then, for years, it also alternated as a baseball stadium, home to the Diablos Rojos de México. 

The name change from Foro Sol to Estadio GNP Seguros was officially announced on June 18, 2024, following an agreement between OCESA and GNP Seguros and a major refurbishment.

In addition to the GNP Seguros Stadium, two other Mexican venues made it to the top five best concert stadiums. Mexico City’s Auditorio Nacional secured the No. 2 spot with over 1.1 million tickets sold, worth US $67.3 million; and the Auditorio Telmex in Guadalajara came in at No. 4, selling 658,167 tickets, worth US $38.2 million.

With reports from Chilango and Sopitas.com

Heavy June rains reduce Mexico’s drought-affected territory by 13%

By
MND Staff
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2
2 people with rain umbrellas
Rainfall in the first half of June was above average, which is good news for water suppliers and farmers across drought-afflicted Mexico. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

Above-average rainfall in several regions of Mexico in the first half of June has finally alleviated some of the widespread drought felt across the country in recent months, the National Water Commission (Conagua) reported on Wednesday. 

May 15 marked the beginning of the rainy season, which, after one month, has reduced the area of Mexico affected by abnormally dry or drought-level conditions from 67.8% to 54.4%.

umbrellas in the city
A parade of umbrellas lends color to downtown Mexico City despite the gray weather, as above-average rainfall continues to drench the capital. (Andrea Murcia//Cuartoscuro)

Drought in Mexico is measured on a scale of D0 — abnormally dry — to D4 — extreme drought. As of June 15, the percentage of the country experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions fell to 37.5%, well below the 73.79% recorded on the same date in 2024. 

The widespread above-average rainfall was driven by various meteorological phenomena, according to Conagua, including the passage of two tropical waves and low-pressure troughs. The circulation and cloud formations of Tropical Storm Dalila brought heavy rainfall along Mexico’s Pacific coast (Hurricane Erick made landfall following the publication of the most recent Conagua report).

Extreme and exceptional drought (D3 and D4) also decreased in the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, while moderate drought (D1) and abnormally dry conditions (D0) subsided in western, central and southern Mexico. 

Only the north, northeast and southeast, including the Yucatán Peninsula, saw an increase in abnormally dry conditions due to a heatwave early in the month.

The June 15 Conagua report showed that 16.9% of the country was abnormally dry (D0), 10.7% was experiencing moderate drought (D1), 8.1% severe drought (D2), 11.8% extreme drought (D3) and 6.9% exceptional drought (D4). 

With reports from Excelsior

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