The new Mexicana de Aviación has promised to be cheaper than rivals - but will they live up to the promise? (Raul González Escobar/Unsplash)
The new state carrier Mexicana de Aviación has launched ticket reservations to 20 national destinations with special offers celebrating its launch.
The federal government has said that Mexicana’s tickets will cost 20% less than its competition and prices in the carrier’s website do show lower prices than other domestic airlines. A one-way flight from AIFA to Guadalajara, for instance, starts at 519 pesos (US $29) including taxes. Meanwhile, the same flight in Viva Aerobus starts at a price of 1,031 pesos (US $57).
The new airline will offer affordable flights to popular beach destinations, such as Zihuatanejo. (stacyarturogi/Shutterstock)
How much will tickets really cost?
A more thorough price check by Mexico News Daily found that a round-trip Mexicana flight from AIFA to Cancún departing on Dec. 5 costs 1,447 pesos (US $80), including Airport Use Fee (TUA) and additional taxes, seat selection, checked baggage of up to 15 kilograms, one piece of carry-on luggage and a 10-kilogram personal item. The same flight, including one checked baggage of up to 25 kilograms, costs 6,669 pesos (US $371) at Aeroméxico and 6,013 pesos (US $334) at Volaris.
The airline, run by the Defense Ministry under the Mexicana de Aviación brand purchased by the government in January, will operate hubs from the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) in Mexico City and the new Tulum airport, expected to open by year’s end.
The destinations listed on Mexicana’s website include Monterrey, Guadalajara, Tijuana, Campeche, Chetumal, Mérida, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Cozumel, Los Cabos, Hermosillo, Ciudad Juárez, Villahermosa, Huatulco, Oaxaca, Acapulco, Mazatlán, La Paz, Cancún and León.
The airline will have a fleet of 10 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, each of which can transport 180 passengers at a time.
The government has revived the former flag-carrier and promised to turn it into an affordable airline for all Mexicans, (Rodolfo Angulo/Cuartoscuro)
Tickets are now available to reserve on the Mexicana website, with flights expected to begin in December.
Neither Calderón's drug war nor AMLO's "hugs not bullets" strategy has managed to eradicate narco-trafficking organizations. (FGR/Cuartoscuro)
A Sinaloa Cartel faction led by the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has banned the production and sale of fentanyl in Sinaloa, according to banners that appeared in the northern state on Monday.
Machine-printed “narco-banners” containing a message that allegedly comes from the notoriously violent “Los Chapitos” faction of the powerful cartel were hung from bridges and overpasses in the municipalities of Culiacán, Mazatlán, Guamúchil and Ahome.
One of the banners seen in the state of Sinaloa on Monday, signed “Sincerely, Chapitos.” (Social media)
“The sale, manufacture, transportation or any kind of business involving the substance known as fentanyl, including the sale of chemical products for its production, is strictly prohibited in Sinaloa,” read the banners that ended with “Att:Chapitos” or “Sincerely, Chapitos.”
The banners said the ban on fentanyl-related business was “due to the incessant disinformation from some media outlets and the clear failure of government by not investigating and pursuing those truly responsible for this epidemic.”
They also said that Los Chapitos – who been identified as major suppliers of fentanyl to the United States – have never been involved in the fentanyl business nor ever will be, and warned the public to “beware of the consequences” of not abiding by the ban on the sale and production of the synthetic opioid, which is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States.
Sinaloa Attorney General Sara Bruna Quiñonez said Monday that authorities were conducting an investigation to determine who put the banners on public display. She asserted that the message was directed to the state government, but didn’t say why she believed that was the case.
The appearance of the banners came almost six months after the United States Department of Justice unsealed drug trafficking and other charges against more than 20 Sinaloa Cartel members and associates, including Los Chapitos: Ovidio Guzmán López, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Sálazar and Joaquín Guzmán López.
An indictment against the four brothers said their goal was to produce massive amounts of fentanyl and sell it at low prices. Prosecutors said they make huge profits even when they sell pills at a wholesale prices of just 50 cents per unit because production is so cheap.
Ovidio was detained in Culiacán in January and extradited to the United States last month to face charges including drug trafficking and money laundering. The U.S. is offering large rewards for information that leads to the capture of the other three men.
The Guzmán brothers previously denied their involvement in the illicit fentanyl business in a rambling four-page letter sent to the Mexican media outlet Milenio in May.
Some of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán form the faction of the Sinaloa Cartel known as Los Chapitos. Ovidio Guzmán López was recently extradited to the U.S., but the other remain at large. (ICE)
“We have never produced, manufactured or commercialized fentanyl or any of its derivatives,” they said in the letter, whose authenticity was confirmed by a lawyer for Los Chapitos.
“We are victims of persecution and have been made into scapegoats,” they claimed.
Culiacán-based news website Ríodoce reported in June that Los Chapitos had told fentanyl producers in the state capital to stop making the drug. Not long after that, “bodies were discovered of men who had been tortured and had fentanyl pills dumped on them, in an apparent signal to others,” Reuters reported.
Despite that, two former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials aren’t buying the Guzmán brothers’ latest claim that they are cracking down on the illicit fentanyl business.
“I think the Chapitos started feeling the pressure when they increased the reward for their capture. I think they are trying to create a massive illusion to take the pressure off,” said Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the DEA.
The Sinaloa Cartel and it’s “Los Chapitos” faction are accused of spearheading fentanyl production and trafficking from Mexico to the United States. (FGR/Cuartoscuro)
“It’s almost like a big campaign to convince the U.S. they’re not involved. It’s nothing more than pure propaganda,” he told the Associated Press.
Vigil said there is solid evidence that “Sinaloa is the biggest producer of fentanyl in Mexico” and asserted that the cartel won’t stop producing the drug because it is “their big money maker.”
He also said that the broader Sinaloa Cartel “would not go along with” any plan to stop its involvement in the fentanyl business. Reuters reported that it was unclear whether Los Chapitos could enforce a ban on fentanyl-related business across Sinaloa given that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, another Sinaloa Cartel leader, has criminal control of much of the state.
Leo Silva, a former DEA agent who worked in Mexico, said that the likely aim of the banners was to shift blame for fentanyl production.
DEA chief Anne Milgram called fentanyl the “greatest criminal threat the United States has ever faced.” (Anne Milgram/X)
“It’s a ploy to take the heat off of them,” he told Reuters.
“I don’t see them stopping production. It’s too much money to turn down or turn their back on,” Silva said.
Combating fentanyl production and trafficking is a top priority in the bilateral agenda of Mexico and the United States. The issue is set to be a central focus of the Mexico-U.S. High Level Security Dialogue to be held in Mexico City this Thursday.
Fentanyl pills are produced in clandestine labs in Mexico using precursor chemicals shipped to Pacific coast ports from Asian countries, especially China, according to Mexican and U.S. authorities.
Earlier this year, President López Obrador wrote to Chinese President Xi Jinping to seek his support in the fight against the synthetic opioid that was responsible for some 75,000 deaths in the United States last year.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson subsequently said that “there is no such thing as illegal trafficking of fentanyl between China and Mexico.”
Aeorméxico is among the airlines looking to increase services to the U.S. in the wake of the return of an FAA Category 1 safety rating, as part of a codeshare agreement with Delta Airlines. (Trac Vu/Unsplash)
New direct flights to the United States have been announced from Querétaro, Mérida, Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City as Mexican airlines expand their routes in the wake of Mexico’s restoration to an FAA Category 1 aviation safety rating.
According to Marco Antonio del Prete Tercero, head of Querétaro’s Sustainable Development Ministry (Sedesu), the Querétaro International Airport will offer two new daily routes to Atlanta, Georgia and Detroit, Michigan, starting in Q1 of 2024 and operated by Aeroméxico, in partnership with Delta Airlines.
Querétaro International Airport has become the latest part of the Mexican aviation industry to capitalize on the boom in demand for flights to the United States. (Miguel Vega Hernández/Wikimedia)
Del Prete added that Detroit is a business destination and one of the most important cities for the automotive industry, a predominant sector in Querétaro’s economy. Atlanta, on the other hand, is an international hub for Delta Air Lines.
In a separate announcement, Aeroméxico said it would gradually start operating 17 routes to nine new U.S. destinations via a codeshare partnership with Delta.
The new routes, paired with an increase in flights to Aeroméxico’s current destinations, will allow the Mexican carrier to reach close to 60 daily flights to the U.S. by July 2024 — a 35% increase in departures compared to 2023.
Delta will offer 34 daily flights to Mexico starting in July next year, flying to seven different Mexican destinations. Delta and Aeroméxico together will offer over 90 daily flights between the two countries by 2024.
The Aeromexico-Delta codeshare will add 34 new destinations to the United States to the airline’s growing portfolio. (Carlos Aranda/Unsplash)
In addition to Detroit and Atlanta flying from Querétaro, the new destinations in the U.S. include Salt Lake City, New York, Los Angeles and McAllen. The participating airports include both international airports in Mexico City (AICM and AIFA), and the international airports of Monterrey, Mérida and Guadalajara.
Finally, low-cost carrier Viva Aerobús announced two new routes to Miami and Orlando, Florida, departing from Mérida.
Viva Aerobus’ service to Orlando begins on July 1, 2024, with three weekly flights, while flights to Miami will start on July 2, with four departures per week.
These new flights add up to the new upcoming routes the budget airline recently announced between Monterrey and 6 cities in the U.S., an announcement that marked Viva Aerobus’ most significant expansion to date.
Strong rains are forecast for parts of the Pacific coast although the storm is not expected to make landfall. (Omar Martínez Noyola/Cuartoscuro)
A tropical storm well off the Pacific Coast of Mexico is expected to bring occasional but potentially very heavy rains to eight Mexican states on Tuesday.
The effects of Tropical Storm Lidia will be felt mostly in coastal areas of the western states of Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán and Nayarit, according to an advisory from the National Meteorological Service (SMN). As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, the center of the storm was 510 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Colima, and 745 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Its maximum sustained winds were 40 mph, with some higher gusts.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center forecast for Tropical Storm Lidia. (NHC)
The NHC was predicting that Lidia would move slowly in a northwest and north-northwest direction “over the next several days,” adding that there were no hazards affecting land.
By Friday, it could evolve into a Category 1 hurricane, with winds from 75 to 93 mph, according to both NHC and SMN. By then the storm is expected to have taken a sharp turn even further away from Mexico’s west coast while remaining well south of the Baja Peninsula.
Residents of coastal Pacific states should prepare for intense showers, warned the SMN. (Isabel Mateos/Cuartoscuro)
The last named Pacific storm to affect Mexico was Tropical Storm Kenneth, which peaked on Sept. 20 with maximum winds of 50 mph, before weakening to a tropical depression.
In September, Hurricane Jova quickly intensified from a tropical storm into a Category 5 hurricane, with winds going from 70 mph to 160 mph in less than 24 hours. However, it remained far from the coast as it went into a weakening trend.
In addition to Lidia, an area of low pressure off the coast of Central America is being monitored by NHC and SMN. “Conditions are expected to be conducive for a gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression is likely to form late this week or over the weekend,” NHC noted.
The storm is expected to come closer than Lidia to Mexico’s west coast.
The Rodriguez brothers pioneered Mexican motorsport, dazzling racing fans between 1957 and 1970. (Pirelli)
Every October, the world of Formula One comes to the Hermanos Rodríguez track in Iztacalco for the Mexico City Grand Prix. The race is among the most colorful on the calendar, and the award-winning event is a highlight of the annual calendar.
But who were the “Hermanos Rodríguez” and why is the track named for them? Like many tales of mid-20th century motor racing, the story is as tragic as it is glorious – a tale of two brothers, taken long before their time.
Ricardo Rodríguez at the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix. (Joop van Bilsen/Wikimedia)
Ricardo: The prodigy
Ricardo Valentín Rodríguez de la Vegawas just 16 when he first raced sportscars for Ferrari in 1957. Having conquered the local motorcycle (and before that, bicycle) racing scene, the young Mexican took on North America’s best sportscar racers – and won.
Ricardo was so young when he first found success that in 1958 he was unable to enter the 1958 24 Hours of Le Mans showpiece because, at just 16 years old, organizers felt he would be unable to handle the intense demands of the endurance race – and the horror of what had occurred in the enormous accident in 1955, in which 83 people were killed was fresh in the minds of many. Never one to be deterred, Ricardo returned two years later and aged just 18, came second in sportscar racing’s most prestigious race.
Success on one of the biggest stages in world motorsport did not go unnoticed, and in 1961, Ricardo became the youngest Formula One driver ever, aged 19, a record that would not be beaten until 2016. He celebrated by qualifying his Ferrari second on his debut.
Racing just once in 1961 – the sport was still in its infancy, and drivers would often race only a handful of events per season – Ricardo returned in 1962, and scored points in Belgium and Germany – no mean feat in an era where just 10 or so cars would finish a race.
The 1962 Mexican Grand Prix: Tragedy Strikes
Desperate to race in his native Mexico to inaugurate the first-ever Mexican Grand Prix – a non-championship event at the new Magdalena Mixhuica track – and so race in which his title-chasing Ferrari team would not compete, Ricardo managed to find a ride in a Rob Walker Lotus-Climax – an incredibly fast but notoriously dangerous experimental car. Ricardo qualified 8th, behind a host of names that would later become legends of the sport.
A teenage Ricardo Rodriguez found a drive with Ferrari – at that time the best seat in world motorsport, aged only 19. (Fuori Traietorria)
The track was almost instantaneously renamed the Autodromo Ricardo Rodríguez in his honor.
Aged just 20, Ricardo – married just weeks before the Mexican Grand Prix, and expecting his first child – had the unfortunate honor of becoming the youngest F1 fatality. His death left many wondering what might have been, as he would surely have won World Championship titles had he survived.
Pedro: The Master
Pedro Rodríguez, Mexico’s first Formula One winner. (Formula One)
While younger brother Ricardo stole the limelight, a brief, brilliant flame that propelled Mexico to the center of the Formula One stage, older brother Pedro was considered a somewhat less talented – if still reliable – driver.
As it turned out, this was an incorrect appraisal. Pedro became the first Mexican to win in Formula One (and the only Mexican apart from Checo Pérez). Pedro used to take a Mexican flag and a vinyl copy of the national anthem to races, but after his first win they had no flag, and accidentally played the “Jarabe Tapatío” (Mexican Hat Dance), instead of the national anthem. He rapidly became and rapidly became a national hero and a legend among the sportscar racing community, winning at Le Mans in 1968 and scoring major titles at almost every major sportscar event.
The 1970 Mexican Grand Prix: The passion, the chaos and the hero
In many ways, what happened at the 1970 Mexican Grand Prix is worthy of its own story. A good crowd was anticipated by event organizers, given the location of the track in the center of a large city, but nobody could predict what happened next. An estimated 200,000 fans descended upon the track, fighting police and soldiers to get close to the action and see their hero up close.
Despite protests from Pedro Rodríguez and Sir Jackie Stewart, fans surrounded the track at the 1970 Mexican Grand Prix, and refused to leave. (Checo Riojas/Pintrest)
Spectators lined the track, climbing – literally climbing over barriers and standing on kerbs to get a better view. Pedro, accompanied by reigning World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart, implored the thronging masses to return to the seating areas behind the Armco barriers, but they refused to move. Fearing a riot if the event were canceled, the race was reluctantly started. Fortunately, the only casualty that day was a stray dog who wandered into the path of Stewart’s Tyrrell car.
Pedro finished in the points and the crowd returned home happy – although the events of that day eventually led to a 16-year cancellation of the race.
The following year saw more success in Formula One – points in Spain and second place in the Dutch Grand Prix – as Pedro and team-mate Jackie Oliver drove the legendary Porsche 917K to utter domination in the World Sportscar Championship. Pedro had won 4 of 9 races that season, coming second in another, and had helped his team to the Championship in 1970, as he prepared to race in the Norisring 200 – an endurance race on the streets of Nuremberg, Germany.
Disaster struck on lap 12 when Pedro pitched into the barriers after a collision. The ensuing explosion killed him almost instantly, and the wreck burned so intensely that several firemen were hospitalized during the rescue attempt.
Chris Amon carefully navigates the circuit during the 1970 Mexican Grand Prix. Any small accident could potentially have killed hundreds of spectators. (Jetex)
He was the third Mexican F1 driver to be killed in the space of 9 years (after his brother, and Moisés Solana in 1969). Aside from the ignominious career of Hector Rebaque and his short-lived Mexican racing team, there would not be another Mexican in Formula One until the arrival of Checo in 2011.
Whether or not he would one day have been crowned as Formula One Drivers World Champion is unknown, but many still regard Ricardo as the greatest Mexican ever to drive in Formula One, and his incredible sportscar record elevates him to the upper echelons of the sport.
Back in Itzacalco, the Ricardo Rodríguez race track was once again renamed – commemorating the fallen brothers and becoming the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez that we know today.
Impact on Mexican motorsport
The then Magdalena Mixhuica racetrack in 1962, at the time of the first ever Mexican Grand Prix. (Wikimedia)
The heroic and tragic tale of the Rodríguez brothers lives on in the annals of racing history – even if they do not get the recognition they deserve outside of Mexico. When he took his third win, at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, Checo wore a Pedro Rodríguez tribute helmet, and paid homage to his hero on the radio.
We will never know what might have been for two of the most exciting talents in motorsport, but when the Formula One circus comes to Mexico City again this year – spare a thought for the two young chilangoswho made it all possible.
Total remittances to Mexico hit US $41.46 billion from January to August this year. (Archive)
Remittances to Mexico continue to break records with US $5.56 billion sent in August — the highest ever figure for that month — but the strong peso means their purchasing power is falling.
August’s figure represented an annual increase of 8.6% and brought total remittances for January-August up to US $41.46 billion, a 9.3% increase from the same period in 2022, according to data from theBank of Mexico (Banxico).
Profeco head Ricardo Sheffield Padilla discusses the primary money transfer services used to send funds to Mexico at a morning press conference. (Cuartoscuro.com)
There were 105.46 million individual transfers in this period, up 8.29% from the year before, while the average amount of each transfer increased by 0.91%, to US $393.
Mexico has seen asteady upward trend in remittances received since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, with nearly 40 consecutive months of year-on-year increases.
The growth largely reflects the strength of the U.S. economy. The United States is the source of more than 95% of remittances to Mexico, according to 2021 statistics analyzed by the Wilson Center, and U.S. wages are up to ten times higher than equivalent wages in Mexico.
Economists estimate that remittances account for between 3.5% and 4% of Mexico’s GDP. President López Obrador has called the 38 million Mexican workers in the U.S. “living heroes” who support about 10 million poor families.
Though August set a record in remittances for the year’s eighth month, the amount sent fell 12.5% in real terms from August 2022. (Gobierno de México)
However, high inflation in the U.S. also affects Mexican workers there, leaving them with less disposable income. Although August’s remittances were the highest ever for that month, they were down 1.8% from the month before.
Furthermore, the appreciation of the Mexican peso this year has eroded the purchasing power of remittances sent in dollars. Valued in pesos, August’s remittances in fact showed a 12.5% fall from August 2022.
Several analysts who spoke to the newspaper El Financiero warned that a flagging U.S. economy could bring the total value of remittances to Mexico down further over the coming months.
“If there is a recession in the U.S., it is inevitable that it will negatively affect Mexico’s income from remittances,” said Jesús Cervantes, director of economic statistics at the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA). “Even if the peso depreciates and domestic inflation continues to fall in Mexico, the annual comparisons will register year-on-year falls measured in pesos.”
The peso was at 17.67 to the U.S. dollar at end of trading on Monday and on Tuesday, went to 18.07. (Shutterstock)
This story was updated at 3:30 p.m. to reflect a more recent USD:MXN exchange rate.
The Mexican peso depreciated to above 18 to the US dollar on Tuesday afternoon, sliding to its weakest level since late April.
One greenback was trading at 18.07 pesos at 3:30 p.m. Mexico City time, according to Bloomberg. The last time the US dollar was stronger against the peso was April 26.
This is the worst level for the peso against the U.S. dollar since April. (Cuartoscuro)
The USD:MXN exchange rate was 17.67 at the close of markets on Monday, meaning that the peso lost over 2% of its value against the greenback on Tuesday.
Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Mexican bank Banco Base, said on X that the dollar strengthened and the peso weakened after the publication on Tuesday morning of “positive” data on job vacancies in the United States.
The U.S. Labor Department reported Tuesday that there were 9.61 million job openings in August, up from 8.9 million in July. The figure was significantly higher than a 8.8 million consensus forecast of economists, according to financial data company Refinitiv.
Analysts with Mexican bank CI bank predicted before the release of the data that a U.S. job openings figure that exceeded expectations “would intensify” losses for the peso.
The U.S. Federal Reserve may increase rates in November. (Shutterstock)
Investors “balked at the fresh numbers,” according to a New York Times report. The Times said that investors were “fearful that [the numbers] would signal to the Fed that the economy was still running too quickly, necessitating even higher interest rates to slow it.”
A rise in interest rates in the United States would likely cause the US dollar to strengthen against the peso as it would narrow the gap between the U.S. Federal Reserve’s federal funds rate and the Bank of Mexico’s key rate.
Currently set at a record high of 11.25%, the Bank of Mexico’s key rate is well above the Fed’s 5.25-5.5% range. Analysts cite the broad gap between the two rates as one factor that has helped the peso appreciate this year after it started the year at about 19.5 to the greenback.
The newspaper El Financiero reported that the dollar got a boost after Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said Tuesday that she was open to increasing rates again.
Positive job numbers in the U.S. strengthened the dollar. (Unsplash)
“If the economy looks the way it did at the next meeting, similar to the way it looked at our recent meeting, I would do the further rate increase,” she told reporters on a conference call.
The Fed’s next monetary policy meeting will be held on Nov. 1. Mester is not currently a member of the committee that sets interest rates in the United States.
Another factor that caused the peso to lose ground against the dollar was the increase in long-term U.S. treasury yields, El Economista reported. The 10-year and 30-year Treasury yields reached their highest level since 2007 on Tuesday.
The Financial Times reported that the 30-year yield reached 4.91% for the first time in 16 years “as markets adjusted to the prospect of a long period of high interest rates and governments’ vast borrowing needs.”
“… Expectations that U.S. interest rates will remain higher have boosted the dollar, heaping pressure on other currencies,” the newspaper said.
Creating your own little Mexican herb garden can spice up your food, bring color to your house and relax busy minds. (Shutterstock)
Fresh herbs provide a depth of flavor and nutritional value for cooking, teas, cocktails, and herbal remedies. Unfortunately, despite carefully picking the freshest at the store, they often wilt in the fridge before we get to use them. Growing your herb garden at home is not only an eco-friendly and affordable way to have fresh organic herbs available whenever you need and provides a beautiful scent for your home but also offers bees a safe place to rest and replenish on their pollinating journey.
So, are you ready to get your Mexican herb garden going? Here’s a basic guide:
The so called “Vicks plant” not only smells like its (unrelated) medicinal counterpart but is also a great remedy for colds. (Nickolay Kurzenko/Shutterstock)
Step 1: Select the right location
The first step in creating a herb garden is choosing the right location. Most herbs thrive in a spot that receives 4-8 hours of sunlight each day. Find a sunny area in your garden, on your balcony, or even on a windowsill that provides the necessary sunlight. If you have limited space, consider vertical gardening or hanging containers to make the most of your available area.
Step 2: Choose the right containers or beds
The choice of containers or beds for your herb garden depends on your space and preferences. You can use traditional garden beds, hanging baskets, or repurposed containers but your best choice would be, of course, Mexican terracotta pots. Ensure that your containers have adequate drainage. A good trick is to pile pebbles atop the pot’s drainage hole before adding the soil to prevent it from clogging.
Step 3: Prepare the soil
Herbs thrive in well-draining soil. Use a high-quality potting mix or prepare your garden soil by adding compost to improve its texture and fertility. Herbs generally don’t require heavy fertilization, so go easy on the nutrients.
Step 4: Selecting your herbs
You can buy ready-grown plants from your local “vivero” (plant nursery) and plant them into a dedicated herb garden or pot, or buy packets of seeds.
Herb selection is where the fun begins. Here are some traditional herbs well-suited to Mexico’s climate and cuisine, but you can try growing any herb you like.
Mentha spicata is the essential taste of a mojito, and easy to grow indoors. (Paul Maguire/Shutterstock)
Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)
Cilantro is a staple in Mexican cooking, is easy to grow and thrives in containers or garden beds. All you have to do is buy a packet of seeds, sprinkle on soil in a flower pot, and cover with half an inch of soil. Water the seeds just enough to make the soil moist but not flooded and continue lightly watering every day. The seeds will start sprouting about ten days later and continue growing. If you see the plants slanting diagonally, it means they are seeking sun, so move the flower pot to where it can receive more direct sunlight. You can start harvesting 40 days after planting by trimming the branches.
Vaporub (Plectranthus hadiensis)
This plant smells delightfully similar to Vicks Vaporub, hence the name, but is unrelated to the ingredients in the medicinal balm.It is widely used as an ornamental plant because it is easy to cultivate, propagate, and maintain, and its thick leaves on long branches provide a bright pop of color and fragrance. It can be grown in pots or outdoor gardens, grows quickly, and takes very simple care. It is popularly used for decongesting the respiratory tract in case of sinusitis or cough, just drop 12 leaves in a cooking pot with a quart of water, boil for 10 minutes, and then inhale the vapors.
Epazote is one of the most quintessentially Mexican herbs – and plays an important role in traditional cuisine. (Guajillo Studio/Shutterstock)
Epazote (Dysphania ambrosioides)
Epazote is a herb widely loved in Mexican cuisine. Traditionally added to black beans (for its anti-flatulence properties), it also contributes wonderful flavor to salsas, quesadillas and mushroom soup. This plant can be easily grown from a simple sprig. First, place the fresh epazote sprig in a glass of non-chlorinated water. Leave it there for about five days. If it stays green, it’s doing well; if it wilts, try another sprig. When it shows roots, transplant the epazote into the soil. Place it wherever it receives 4 hours of direct sunlight daily and water every three days.
Hoja Santa (Piper auritum)
Hoja Santa has a distinct anise flavor and adds a spectacular twist to many dishes. Designate its spot in an ample and shady spot, as it loves to spread out in warm and humid areas and does not like to share space with others. Sprinkle seeds in the soil and be patient. You will begin to notice growth in three months. Water it once daily, as it thrives in humidity and does not tolerate dryness.
Hoja Santa has an anise-like flavor. (Natalia Ec/Shutterstock)
Mint (Mentha spicata)
Mint is widely loved for its scent and is a very useful herb for making drinks, from tummy-soothing teas to mojitos. It is best to grow indoors year-round in a very bright location to prevent it from stretching for the light and becoming pale. Aim for a well-balanced soil by watering only when the soil feels dry to the touch and the pot feels light. A good trick is to move the pot to the sink, and let running water flush through and out the bottom drainage hole three times. Then let it drain fully and return it to its place. Regular trimmings are necessary to keep your mint plant bushy and encourage new growth. Cutting just above a set of leaves will prompt two new stems to sprout from the leaf nodes. Word of caution: mint is slightly toxic to dogs if eaten in large quantities, so keep this plant out of their reach.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
This plant is a real beauty to behold and is well loved in many dishes. Basil seeds are sown shallowly and covered with a thin layer of mulch. Keep the seedbed in the shade and constantly humid until the seeds germinate 10-15 days later. Then, water regularly and place the seedbed in the sun. Transplanting outdoors is usually done two months after sowing, leaving a space of 15 inches in all directions between plants. You can start harvesting 40 days after transplanting, cutting the ends of its stems before they grow any flowers.
Growing herbs is easier than it sounds, and helps pollinators, such as bees, to thrive. (Rawpixel/Shutterstock)
Step 5: Watering and maintenance
How can you tell when most plants need watering? When the leaves are looking “sad” and pointing to the ground. Consistent watering is essential for herb health. Herbs generally prefer slightly moist soil but be careful not to overwater, as this can lead to root rot. It’s a good idea to water your herbs in the morning to allow excess moisture to evaporate during the day.
Regular pruning and harvesting of your herbs promotes bushy growth and ensures you have a steady supply of fresh leaves. Remove yellowing or dead leaves to keep the plants healthy.
Creating an herb garden at home is a rewarding hobby that provides a relaxing green view, and a rich array of flavors and aromas. No matter your space or resources, there’s always room for a herb garden. So, roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty, and watch as your herb garden flourishes. Happy gardening!
Sandra is a Mexican writer and translator based in San Miguel de Allende who specializes in mental health and humanitarian aid. She believes in the power of language to foster compassion and understanding across cultures. She can be reached at: [email protected]
Representatives from the U.S. and Mexico discussed regional integration in the semiconductor industry, as well as exports and the U.S. opioid crisis. From left to right: Economy Minister Raquel Buenrostro, Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai. (Anthony Blinken/X)
Mexico and the United States have launched a joint “semiconductor action plan” that aims to make North America the world’s “most powerful” chip-producing region.
The announcement of the plan came after high-ranking Mexican and United States officials participated in the third meeting of the relaunched Mexico-U.S. High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) in Washington D.C. on Friday.
The summit was attended by top-level delegates from both the United States and Mexico. Seen here is Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena (center). (Alicia Bárcena/X)
“Today… we’re launching a joint semiconductor action plan to accelerate our integration, to scale our efforts to attract new investment,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a press conference.
“Under President Biden’s leadership, we’re building regional clean energy technologies and semiconductor supply chains through the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act that will drive our economies through this century,” he said.
Blinken said that “Mexico’s overhauled one-stop shop website” – the federal government’s “ventanilla única” – “is providing prospective investors the tax and regulatory information that they need to take advantage of this landmark legislation.”
At the same press conference, Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena and Economy Minister Raquel Buenrostro offered additional details on Mexico and the United States’ shared ambitions for the semiconductor industry.
The United States is seeking to establish localized supply chains in Mexico for a number of key industries. (Antony Blinken/X)
Bárcena, who succeeded Marcelo Ebrard as foreign minister earlier this year, said that “supply chains in our region and especially semiconductors and conductors” was “one of the most interesting topics” discussed at Friday’s bilateral meeting.
She said that Mexico and the United States have “a very clear strategy: for this region to become the most powerful region in production of semiconductors and conductors in the world.”
According to the international freight platform ShipHub, Taiwan is the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, accounting for 50% of total production. South Korea ranks second followed by Japan, China and the United States.
Buenrostro said Friday that Mexico and the U.S. are “working together to turn North America into the most important place for the integration of supply chains pertaining to several strategic sectors,” including semiconductors, electric vehicles and medical supplies.
With the advent of nearshoring, Mexico now harbors serious ambitions to manufacture semiconductors. (Vishnu Mohanan/Unsplash)
“Regarding semiconductors, Mexico, and the U.S. … are working to see how we can complement each other on this technology to have the strongest supply chain on semiconductors, taking advantage of different ICT markets,” she said.
“For Mexico, this is a significant opportunity. It allows us to have better paying jobs,” Buenrostro said.
At last year’s HLED, held shortly after the United States government released its implementation strategy for the US $50 billion “Chips for America” program, the U.S. invited Mexico to take advantage of massive investment in the sector.
“… What we have is an invitation that is received perhaps once in a lifetime, so we’re going to accept it, and thank you very much for thinking of Mexico,” Ebrard told U.S. officials at a press conference in September 2022.
Semiconductor manufacturing was also a major theme during last year’s talks. (Presidencia)
In a joint statement released on Friday, the Mexican and United States governments said that their officials had “discussed how to seize emerging opportunities through the HLED to promote manufacturing investment and generate employment and prosperity as the United States implements the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.”
Those two acts, the statement said, “together devote more than $400 billion to strengthening regional semiconductor supply chains, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and boosting demand for electric vehicles and clean energy technologies.”
“We discussed how to continue medical device and pharmaceutical regulatory collaboration, and advance other work. We also considered ways to address the climate crisis and strengthen regional energy security,” the statement added.
Mexico’s medical device manufacturing industry was also a subject of discussion at the talks. (Tetakawi)
Among other issues discussed at the HLED was cooperation at the Mexico-U.S. border, over which huge volumes of licit – and illicit – goods pass.
“We’re taking steps to improve and strengthen even more our border coordination, like piloting a model port to streamline inspections and finding ways to reduce wait times, making it easier for people and goods to cross legally while strengthening our capacity to deal with fentanyl and other illegal narcotics,” Blinken said.
Bárcena also noted that ways in which border infrastructure can be strengthened were discussed.
“When it comes to land trade between the U.S. and Mexico, we have lines of communications that are extremely important for the transportation of merchandise and people. … We have 60 ports of entry on our shared border. … We have shown progress and talked about the infrastructure on both sides [of the border], discussing how we can bring our infrastructure up to speed so that we have better outcomes,” she said.
Representatives from the two countries also discussed ways to modernize the U.S-Mexico border to improve crossing times and deter crime. (Josh Denmark/U.S. CBP)
The foreign minister noted that Mexico set aside 15 billion pesos (about US $860 million) to spend on the modernization of border infrastructure this year.
“Among other things, [the investment will] increase our capacity to detect weapons and synthetic drugs,” she said.
Bárcena also highlighted that Mexico is currently the United States’ largest trade partner, with close to $400 billion in two-way trade in the first half of the year.
“That means many things. It means that there are responsibilities, commitments, and I would also say that there is a shared vision to create one of the most powerful areas economically and socially speaking,” she said.
Fentanyl was also a key topic in the talks, as the U.S. and Mexico look to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, which is experiencing a surge in deaths, attributed to the trafficking of fentanyl. (CBP South Texas/Twitter)
The HLED was held ahead of this week’s Mexico-U.S. High-Level Security Dialogue, at which the fight against fentanyl is set to be a central issue. Blinken, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland are among the U.S. officials who will attend the meeting in Mexico City on Thursday.
Buenrostro said Friday that Mexico “is committed to supporting the fight against synthetic drugs,” a view that contrasts with that held by some Republican Party lawmakers in the U.S.
“This is something I want to convey. We want to cooperate. We want to help and do everything at our disposal to control the productive chain, the illicit productive chain of … fentanyl,” she said.
Part of the site of former Lake Texcoco has been designated a natural protected area. (Gobierno de México)
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador spent Friday and Saturday visiting four municipalities in México State where work is underway to create a 14,000-hectare natural reserve on the site of the former Lake Texcoco.
México state Governor Delfina Gómez accompanied AMLO on his tour of Tecámac, Ecatepec, Chimalhuacán and Texcoco, where he made a speech celebrating progress on the massive ecological project.
The new site will also host an array of sporting facilities and a new medical university for disadvantaged students in the region. (Screen Capture)
“Today we evaluated progress in the recovery of Lake Texcoco,” AMLO said in a statement on social media. “Wetlands, rivers, bird lagoons and lands comprising more than 14,000 hectares have already become natural protected areas.”
Information from the National Water Commission indicates that the park is now 77% complete, has cost 4.9 billion pesos (US $280 million) and generated 6,100 jobs. It is expected to open in 2024.
During the tour, AMLO announced another addition to the Lake Texcoco project – a new university for medical students –known as the Benito Juárez García Universities for Well-Being (UBBJ) – that will form part of his administration’s educational initiative.
The UBBJ are publichigher education institutes, generally located in marginalized areas where there are few tertiary education options. The new medical school will be the second university campus in Texcoco, alongside an existing civil engineering school
Lake Texcoco, which once dominated the valley, was largely drained off by the Spanish and is now a shadow of its former self. (Diego Simón Sanchez/Cuartoscuro)
Besides the new university, AMLO said that the park would include sports fields for soccer, American football, baseball, basketball and the pre-Columbian ball game “pelota”; a skatepark; recreation areas; walking circuits; sustainable gardens and agricultural spaces; a restaurant; offices and scientific research areas.
The main component of the project, however, is the restoration of four water bodies that once formed part of the enormous lake that filled the Valley of Mexico, but were drained or dried out over the centuries following the Spanish conquest: Lake Nabor Carrillo; the Xalapango and North Texcoco Lagoons; the San Juan Ciénaga and Lake Texcoco. Historic wetlands and forests will also be restored.
The government predicts that this will generate a range ofenvironmental benefits, including better regulation of water resources in the severely water-stressed Valley of Mexico, as well as health benefits for the local population.
The Lake Texcoco Ecological Park was originally designed by architect Iñaki Echeverría in 2010, but was sidelined four years later by former president Enrique Peña Nieto, who planned to build a new airport on the site at a projected cost of 169 billion pesos (US $9.6 billion) instead.
Iñaki Echeverría discusses the Texcoco project at a morning press conference in July. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro.com)
While running for office in 2018, AMLO claimed that the full cost of the airport could reach 285 billion pesos (US $16.2 billion) and campaigned to scrap the project and expand the existing Santa Lucía Military Air Base in nearby Zumpango.
In October of that year, a controversial referendum – in which less than 1% of eligible voters participated – backed AMLO plan. The Santa Lucía air base became the new Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), while the site of President Peña Nieto’s planned airport was given over to the “hydrological and social recovery of Lake Texcoco.”
