Six unexpected ways I learned Spanish while living in Mexico

By

-

June 8, 2023

Expat socializing with Mexicans in Guanajuato City, Mexico — The writer with her Guanajuato city neighbors on their terrace. (All photos by Louisa Rogers)

I turned to the last page of “Yo no soy tu perfecta hija mexicana,” (I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter) by Erika L. Sánchez and closed the novel with a happy sigh. Mission accomplished!

Although the book was originally written in English, I read all 300 pages in Graciela Romero Saldaña’s Spanish translation, which is one way I’ve found to boost my fluency in Spanish.

Hamming it up with an opera singer on the street in Guanajuato.

I’ve had an advantage learning the language because when I was nine, my family lived in Quito, Ecuador, where I attended a bilingual school. When we returned to the United States, however, French was the de rigueur foreign language taught in schools, and so I didn’t study Spanish again until I was 16.

My Spanish-language education continued in a hopscotch, on-again, off-again style — taking classes when I traveled to Latin America, then letting it lapse for long periods — until my husband and I bought our Guanajuato home in 2005. Then I started getting serious about Spanish, working toward being able to engage at a deep level.

Here are six strategies that helped me achieve my goal:

1. Reading popular magazines

Years ago, during a break between classes at the Spanish school I was attending, I found a stash of magazines on a shelf, including Buen Hogar, the Spanish-language version of Good Housekeeping. Browsing through it, I discovered that I understood more than I’d expected.

Thus began my popular-magazine approach to learning Spanish.

Image of Mexican magazine Buenhogar — The writer got her start reading Mexican magazines in a genre she was very familiar with in English, which helped her breach the gaps in her vocabulary. (Internet)

Women’s magazines came first because they offered content I was familiar with. Worldwide, they all focus on health, fitness, homemaking, marriage, parenting and psychological topics. As a freelance writer, I’ve not only read these evergreen articles for years, I’ve written them myself!

I found the short articles the easiest — those divided by subtitles or organized with numbers, like “8 Ways to Make Your Home Sparkle at Christmas” and “6 Ways To Look Younger.”

2. Hiring tutors

In the early stages of studying Spanish, when I had to learn basic grammar and vocabulary, classroom structure was beneficial. But once I had the basics down, I found it more helpful to hire a tutor for individual sessions than to attend a class.

With a tutor, you can not only customize the material to your specific needs but you also get to build a personal relationship with your teacher. It’s also often more affordable because you’re not paying school administration fees.

3. Joining language exchange websites

I joined a free site called Conversation Exchange, where people chat with others around the world in order to practice a language.

Joining was easy: I created a profile, giving English as my native language and stating that I wanted to practice advanced Spanish. I filtered for age (over 40) but not for gender. Since then, I’ve had exchanges with people from Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico and Spain.

4. Inviting people over

Coffee with the writer’s former Spanish teacher Laura in Querétaro.

Whether we’re at our home or on the road, Barry and I like to invite people we meet over to our house or Airbnb or hotel for a drink. We’ve hosted fellow travelers, our Spanish teachers and their kids, our neighbors, the owners of the Airbnb where we’re staying and builders working on our house.

We rarely invite people for dinner. Our goal is to have casual, semi-spontaneous interactions, not formal and elaborate meals, so we keep it simple and serve soft drinks, beer, wine and a few easy snacks. We’ve found this a great way to practice Spanish, get to know folks and have fun.

5. Chatting with taxi and Uber drivers

When Barry and I travel around Mexico or other Latin American countries, we don’t rent a car, since we like to interact with locals. Instead, we prefer public transit, taxis and Uber. We find that drivers are often not only providers of helpful information but also great conversationalists.

To get started, we introduce ourselves and ask how their day is going; before long, we’re off.

We’ve had lively discussions about which areas to visit and which to avoid, the drivers’ spouses, siblings, kids, in-laws — you name it. One guy even told us that he had informed his wife after their third child was born that the “factory was closed” and that he was planning to have a vasectomy. You can see why these conversations often turn into the highlight of our day!

Taxis in the city of Taxco — Starting a simple conversation with a willing taxi or Uber driver is a great way to practice your Spanish and maybe learn how residents see the city or town where you live. (freetworoam)

6. Offering my skills

Before Barry and I bought our home, we visited Guanajuato city several times. During one period, I learned from Juan Carlos, my Spanish tutor, that the University of Guanajuato had a degree program in Human Resources. In my business as a training consultant, I had worked closely with many HR managers who hired me to train their company’s staff.

Juan Carlos and I discussed the idea of giving a talk to Human Resources students on my experience working with HR professionals, offering an inside perspective they probably wouldn’t otherwise get.

He helped me figure out how to approach one of the department’s professors, who showed interest. I prepared a simple presentation, first in English, then translated it into Spanish. Finally, I spent several sessions with Juan Carlos going over the grammar and vocabulary.

Looking back, I’m amazed at my chutzpah. I didn’t even know the subjunctive tense yet! But two students even took me up on discussing their career plans one-on-one! My Spanish was good enough, and I was finding a way to interact with Mexicans and having fun doing it.

Since then, I’ve found many other ways to offer my skills.

I find Mexicans to be very forgiving of language errors. Even when I hear myself making a grammatical mistake, they don’t seem to mind. Frankly, their expectations are not very high when it comes to Americans speaking Spanish, and they’re delighted when they discover I can say more than buenos dias.

For me, even a simple conversation in Spanish is like a brisk walk in fresh air. It renews my energy, lifts my spirits and restores my confidence in the world.

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, louisarogers.contently.com

Retrospective of renowned Mexican artist Eduardo Terrazas opens in CDMX

By

Cat Rainsford

-

June 8, 2023

0

MuseoBellasArtesTwitter3_850 — Eduardo Terrazas (age 87) is considered a preeminent member of Mexico's contemporary art scene. (Culture Ministry/Twitter)

A retrospective exhibition of iconic Mexican artist and architect Eduardo Terrazas has opened in Mexico City, showcasing more than 50 years of his work.

“Eduardo Terrazas: multiple equilibria, works and projects (1968-2023)” will be open to the public until Oct. 8 at the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts). The exhibition contains 144 pieces spanning Terrazas’ career, drawn from various collections including the Carrillo Gil and Modern Art museums, as well as ten new pieces.

The Terrazas exhibit runs until Oct. 8 at the museum of the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. (Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes/Twitter)

“Terrazas is a multifaceted artist. It was very important to be able to contemplate all these perspectives without ruling anything out,” said the exhibition’s curator, Daniel Garza Usabiaga.

Born in Guadalajara in 1936, Terrazas originally trained as an architect. As a young man, he traveled through Europe and the Soviet Union with an exhibition of pre-Hispanic art.

These experiences inspired an artistic career that combines geometry and Mexican folk designs to create a distinctly Mexican contemporary artistic style, explored through the exhibition’s four sections.

The first section, “Urban environments,” highlights the artist’s first major public work: the logo for the 1968 Olympic Games, held in Mexico City. The design is influenced by tablas – a wool-based folk art made by Wixárika (or Huichol) Indigenous communities.

Terrazas designed the iconic logo for the Olympic Games held in Mexico in 1968, seen here outside the National Auditorium. (México en el tiempo/Twitter)

“We turned the Huichol tablas into a symbol of the Games by putting in one strand, and another, and another,” Terrazas says of the piece. “From that we were able to establish a whole identity, crossing the Mexican tradition with the modern essence of the games.”

The third section, “Possibilities of a structure,” contains a series of pieces based on geometric shapes.

It is divided into five axes titled “Nine Circles,” “Grid,” “Diagonals,” “Barcode” and “Cosmos,” which Terrazas says aim “to make sense of our time and present it as art.” The new pieces Terrazas created for the exhibition also draw from this style.

The final section, “Everything depends on everyone,” showcases two 16-piece mosaics Terrazas made in 1975 for a meeting of the Club of Rome in Guanajuato.

Culture Minister Alejandra Frausto with the artist at the opening on Wednesday at the Bellas Artes museum in Mexico City. (Alejandra Frausto/Twitter)

The monochrome “Exponential growth” is set alongside the brightly colored “Organic growth,” in a statement that Terrazas intended as a critique of unsustainable industrial development.

During a pre-opening tour of the exhibition, the 87 year-old artist reflected on beauty as a universal language that brings together the disparate elements of his work.

“We are in a crisis, not so much because we cannot see, but because there is such a complicated environment, so difficult, that it obfuscates us and we cannot appreciate the beauty or make it resurface,” he said. “In the things you see and how you look at them; everything starts with beauty.”

Pemex director says refinery capacity at 1.4 million barrels per day

By

Cat Rainsford

-

June 8, 2023

0

Pemex general director, Octavio Romero Oropeza, at the annual Mexican Petroleum Congress this week in Campeche. (Layda Sansores/Twitter)

Pemex’s fuel processing capacity has reached 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) according to the general director of the state oil company, Octavio Romero Oropeza.

In a speech at the annual Mexican Petroleum Congress, held this week in the city of Campeche, Romero said this makes Mexico competitive with other oil-producing countries.

Pemex gas station in Mexico — Pemex has significantly increased output, according to director Octavio Romero Oropeza – and now refines almost 1 million more barrels per day than at the start of the López Obrador presidency. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

He said this represented a turnaround after several years during which Pemex’s production was declining. Production reached a low point of 519,000 bpd in 2018, just before President López Obrador assumed the presidency.

According to Romero, this demonstrates that AMLO’s austerity plan for the struggling state oil company — which cut Pemex’s tax burden and capital investment — has succeeded. It will allow Pemex to take charge of 100% of Mexico’s fuel, LP gas, and subsidized fertilizer consumption over the coming years, he added.

However, data reviewed by El Economista newspaper shows that Pemex’s production of combustóleo or residual heavy fuel oil, grew 19% from January to April this year, hitting 305,447 bpd. This is more than double the 146,407 bpd produced during the first four months of 2019, at the beginning of President López Obrador’s administration.

This is concerning because heavy fuel oil is both more polluting and less efficient than other fuels. It is also worth considerably less than the cheapest regular gasoline.

Deer Park Refinery — Despite an expansion in production, Pemex still lacks the infrastructure to cleanly and effectively refine the crude oil it extracts. (Pemex)

Although Pemex’s leap in heavy fuel oil production is partly a reflection of its overall increased refining capacity, it also shows that Pemex refineries lack the infrastructure needed to transform oil into lighter fuels, causing heavier fractions such as asphalt and heavy fuel oil to be left over from the refining process.

This could reflect a lack of investment in renovating and updating Pemex’s machinery. El Economista found that the only two Pemex plants where heavy fuel oil production decreased between April 2022 and April 2023 — Cadereyta, in Nuevo León, and Salamanca, Guanajuato — are both plants that have seen significant renovations during AMLO’s presidency.

In Mexico’s two largest refineries — in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca and Tula, Hidalgo — heavy fuel oil production rose by 12% and 17.6%, respectively. Pemex says that both plants are installing coking plants that will increase their liquid transformation capacity. The Tula plant has seen 70% progress and is projected to be completed in 2024, but the Salina Cruz plant has only advanced 10%.

Romero predicted that Pemex will close the year with refinery capacity at 1.6 million bpd, and production of 1.9 million bpd. The administration has invested heavily in a new refinery in Dos Bocas, Tabasco with projected capacity to process 340,000 bpd, however the project is behind schedule and according to a recent internal audit, will miss its July deadline to begin operations.

Despite Pemex’s continued reliance on fossil fuels, in his speech Romero did say the company is looking to move into production of clean energies, in line with global goals to start reducing fossil fuel consumption by 2030.

With reports from La Jornada Maya and El Economista

Brazil’s Nubank enrolls 1M savings accounts in Mexico in 1 month

By

MND Staff

-

June 8, 2023

0

Nubank bank card — Brazil's Nubank has been offering savings accounts in Mexico for a month but has already managed to accrue 1 billion pesos of customer savings in that time. (Nubank)

Nubank, the largest financial technology (fintech) firm in Latin America, has opened 1 million savings accounts in Mexico one month after the accounts were made available in the country, the company said Wednesday.

Total deposits in the accounts total 1 billion pesos (US $58 million).

Nu México now offers debit cards and savings accounts. — Nu México introduced a credit card in 2020 but is now eyeing expansion in Mexico, believing that the market will be of major importance to the fintech firm. (Nu México)

Some 90% of these deposits are kept in what Nubank calls “little boxes,” a separate space within the accounts where customers can hold funds and receive a 9% annual return.

The digital bank’s Mexican arm, known as Nu México, opened a waiting list for the opening of the savings accounts in November.

Nu México previously launched an international credit card with no yearly fee in 2020. By September 2021, the company was the second largest issuer of credit cards in Mexico.

The firm now has a presence in nine out of 10 municipalities in the country and has issued 3.2 million credit cards in Mexico, a country with more than 126 million people.

Nubank is not the only Latin American fintech group to operate in Mexico: Argentina’s Ualá has been given clearance to acquire Mexico’s ABC Capital Bank as part of its expansion efforts. (Ualá)

Citing low penetration in the credit card market, an analysis by Citi said that the contribution of Nu México operations to the company’s total results might be limited in the short term. According to Citi data, credit card transaction volume in the country amounts only to about 20% of Brazil’s volume.

Despite this pessimism, Nubank is expanding across Latin America, with a planned checking account service scheduled to begin in Colombia. The company is also backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway investment fund.

Nubank cofounder Cristina Junqueira said last month that the bank sees growth opportunities in Mexico as “much bigger” than in Brazil. According to World Bank figures from 2021, only about 37% of Mexicans have bank accounts.

Nubank is not the only Latin American fintech firm aiming to win market share in Mexico however.

The Argentinian firm Ualá, which arrived in Mexico in 2020, announced on Wednesday the launch of a high-yield savings account available in the country, after gaining approval from the National Banking and Stock Commission (CNBV) to acquire Mexico’s ABC Capital Bank and expand operations in the country.

With reports from Reuters.

‘Clear signs of progress’ reported in protecting vaquita porpoise

By

MND Staff

-

June 8, 2023

0

Two vaquitas. — Between 10 and 13 vaquitas have been spotted this year, up from less than 10 in 2021. (Paula Olson/NOAA)

Efforts to protect the vaquita porpoise, the world’s most endangered mammal, seem to be paying off.

According to the results of the Vaquita Survey 2023, between 10 and 13 specimens of the vaquita were seen in May, including one newly born calf. Calves have now been sighted in two consecutive surveys.

Dr. Barbara Taylor and crew member of the vaquita survey. — The Vaquita Survey is the result of a two-week-long expedition by the Mexican government in collaboration with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (Photo: Sea Shepherd)

The expedition, which took place May 10–26 in the Upper Gulf of California, was a joint operation of the Mexican government and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society nongovernmental organization. The results were released in a press conference on Wednesday with senior Mexican government officials, survey leaders, and Sea Shepherd.

“The apparent 90% decrease in gillnetting within the last stronghold of the vaquitas is probably the most significant step taken to date to save this species,” the report said.

The gillnets used to catch the totoaba, a coveted fish in China for its supposed healing properties, poses a threat to the vaquita who often dies after becoming entangled in them.

Scientist and head of the expedition Barbara Taylor recalled that between 1997 and 2008, the vaquita population decreased from 567 specimens to 245. Later, from 2008 to 2015, the rate of decline of the porpoise grew from 8% to 45% per year, she said. By 2021, seven or eight adult specimens and one or two calves were believed to remain.

Surveyor looks through telescope. — A Sea Shepherd expedition member searches for vaquita specimens. (Sea Shepherd)

But this year’s results are hopeful.

“This is the most encouraging news ever of human intervention to save vaquitas,” Taylor said.

The porpoises were identified in the same area where the October 2021 survey took place, so the number of specimens alive in the Gulf of California is a minimum estimate, Sea Shepherd said.

The group, which traveled on Sea Shepherd’s Sea Horse vessel and Mexico’s Sirena de Mar boat, recorded 16 sightings. Three of the sightings were captured with a camera, and five were captured with a drone. The amount of time that allowed the experts to observe the vaquita was greater than in previous years.

Pritam Singh, Chairman and CEO of Sea Shepherd, which has been protecting the vaquita since 2015 jointly with the Mexican government via a program named Operation Milagro, said that the mission that Dr. Taylor, Sea Shepherd and the Mexican government have is simple: “save the vaquita.”

“Our commitment to that goal is complete,” Singh said. “For us at Sea Shepherd, the survey results we are announcing today do exactly one thing: increase our determination to save the vaquita.”

Dr. Taylor added that the results of the survey are clear and that “this type of protection needs to be expanded to cover more of the high-use areas of the remaining vaquitas.”

During the survey, eight Mexican observers from the port village of San Felipe, Baja California, received training for the sighting of marine mammals, helping to spot specimens from both boats. They will continue their training at the University of Baja California Sur.

With reports from Infobae

Mexico’s inflation rate saw year-on-year decline to 5.84% in May

By

MND Staff

-

June 8, 2023

0

mexican money in a cash register — Annual headline inflation came in at 4.69% last month. (Lupita Rojas Solis/Shutterstock)

Mexico’s annual inflation rate declined to 5.84% in May, the lowest level since August 2021.

The national statistics agency INEGI reported that the national consumer price index fell 0.22% last month compared to April.

It was the fourth consecutive month that the annual headline inflation rate slowed, indicating that record high interest rates are having the desired effect.

The rate in May was 0.41 percentage points lower than the 6.25% reading for April, and slightly lower than a 5.88% median forecast of analysts polled by Bloomberg.

Mexico’s core inflation rate, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, was 7.39% in May, down from 7.67% in April. That rate also declined for a fourth consecutive month.

INEGI’s data showed that processed food, beverages and tobacco were 11.4% more expensive in May than a year earlier, while meat prices rose 5.9% and the cost of fruit and vegetables was up 3.7%.

AMLO with graphic of inflation in Mexico — Mexico’s core inflation rate also declined last month. (Presidencia)

The cost of non-food goods rose 6.3% annually, while services were 5.4% more expensive.

Energy costs, including those for gasoline and electricity, fell 1.8% compared to May of 2022. Energy prices declined 3.2% between April and May “mainly due to adjustments in electricity rates” in 11 cities for the summer period, INEGI said.

The publication of the latest data comes three weeks after Bank of Mexico (Banxico) board members voted unanimously to hold the benchmark interest rate at a record high of 11.25%. That decision came after a monetary policy tightening cycle in which the central bank raised its key rate by a total of 725 basis points.

Mexico’s headline inflation rate, even with the latest decline, remains well above the bank’s 3% target.

Cashier in Mexico City — Contributing to a somewhat rosier picture is the fact that the consumer price index also showed downward movement in April. (Wikimedia Commons)

Banxico, which is expected to maintain its benchmark rate at 11.25% after its June 22 monetary policy meeting, predicts headline inflation will fall to 4.7% by the end of 2023 and continue declining next year to reach 3.1% in Q4 of 2024.

At his morning news conference on Thursday, President López Obrador described the decline in inflation and the current strength of the peso as “two pieces of good news.”

“After the pandemic [and] with the war between Russia and Ukraine there was this phenomenon of inflation in the whole world and it also affected us,” he said.

“Measures were applied. The Bank of Mexico, which is an autonomous institution, took decisions to increase inflation rates to control inflation. We entered into an an agreement with producers, with industry and with retailers to have a basic basket [of essential goods] at low, fair prices. That plan helped us a lot,” López Obrador said, adding that stable fuel and electricity prices also helped to keep inflation down.

He described the peso – which was trading at a seven-year high of 17.35 to the US dollar at the close of markets on Wednesday – as a “phenomenon.”

“When we arrived [to government] it was at over 20 [to the dollar] and the forecast of our adversaries was that it was going up to 30,” said López Obrador, who frequently points to the strength of the peso as an achievement of his government.

With reports from El Economista, El Financiero, Reforma and El Universal

Mexico’s car exports up 14% over last May

By

MND Staff

-

June 8, 2023

0

Cars ready for export in Veracruz — Mexico's automotive industry contributes nearly 4% to the national GDP, and 20.5% of manufacturing GDP. (Shutterstock)

Production of light vehicles in Mexican plants increased 25% in May compared to the same month of last year while export volumes rose 14.2%, official data shows.

The national statistics agency INEGI reported Tuesday that 344,201 light vehicles (cars and light trucks) were made in Mexico last month, an annual increase of 68,765 units.

An Audi employee at work at a manufacturing plant in San José Chiapa, Puebla. — Mexico has a thriving automotive manufacturing sector. (Carlos Aranda / Upslash)

INEGI said that 279,274 vehicles were exported last month, 34,631 more than in May of 2022.

Light vehicle production in the first five months of the year increased 13.4% to 1.56 million units, while exports rose 9.2% in the same period to 1.27 million.

INEGI also reported that light vehicle sales in Mexico increased 17.1% in May to 106,798 and 21.4% in the January-May period to 519,534. Those figures are slightly higher than those reported by trade associations last week.

The top three manufacturers of light vehicles in Mexico in the first five months of the year were General Motors, Nissan and Stellantis. Those three automakers were also the leading exporters.

Nissan manufacturing in Mexico — Nissan was one of the top three carmakers and exporters this year so far. (Nissan México)

INEGI’s publication of the positive auto sector data was cited as a factor that helped the Mexican peso to strengthen to a seven-year high against the US dollar on Tuesday. The peso appreciated again on Wednesday, but has since weakened slightly, trading at about 17.4 to the US dollar early Thursday.

Mexico’s automotive industry contributes to almost 4% of Mexico’s GDP and 20.5% of manufacturing GDP, according to industry association AMIA.

Exports of Mexican-made vehicles were worth US $165.2 billion last year, an 18.2% increase compared to 2021.

With reports from EFE

US sanctions CJNG leaders and money laundering network

By

MND Staff

-

June 7, 2023

0

The Guerrero Covarrubias brothers, suspected of being heads of the CJNG, have been sanctioned by the United States government. (Twitter)

The United States government on Tuesday announced sanctions against two alleged senior members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), as well as against a woman and a currency exchange house that both allegedly support the criminal organization.

According to a statement issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Alonso Guerrero Covarrubias, nicknamed “El Ocho,” and his brother Javier Guerrero Covarrubias are “violent senior CJNG members” engaged in various criminal activities on behalf of the cartel, including “the trafficking of weapons from the United States into Mexico, fuel theft and drug trafficking.”

Brian E. Nelson, Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, says that the cartel “relies upon a web of criminal activity that ultimately strengthens its ability to traffic fentanyl and other deadly drugs to the United States.” (Juan José Estrada Serafín/Cuartoscuro)

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also designated Mary Cruz Rodríguez Aguirre of Jalisco, who allegedly “directs a money laundering network moving illicit funds between the United States and Mexico, including on behalf of CJNG,” and her currency exchange house, Nacer Agencia Panamericana de Divisas y Centro Cambiario.

The three individuals and the business were designated by the OFAC in accordance with an executive order issued by U.S. President Joe Biden “on imposing sanctions on foreign persons involved in the global illicit-drug trade.”

“As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated individuals and entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC,” the Treasury said in a statement.

Alonso Guerrero, originally from Michoacán, is reportedly the godson of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the elusive leader of the CJNG, considered one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organizations.

The CJNG controls much of central Mexico and has consolidated much of the drug trade in the region. (Cuartoscuro)

Guerrero was arrested in 2019 on organized crime and kidnapping charges and remains in prison, according to the news website Expansión.

The Treasury noted in its statement that OFAC last year designated another “another member of the Guerrero Covarrubias weapons trafficking network,” Obed Christian Sepulveda Portillo, “for being directed by or acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, CJNG.”

It said that Rodríguez Aguirre works as a broker for CJNG regional commander Audias Flores Silva, “arranging the movement of drug proceeds from the United States to Mexico.”

In April 2021, OFAC identified Flores Silva as “a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, and the Department of State announced a reward offer through the Narcotics Rewards Program of up to $5 million for information leading to … [his] arrest and/or conviction,” the Treasury said.

The department said that Rodríguez Aguirre, using her currency exchange house and “a network of U.S.-based businesses,” operates a “trade-based money laundering system to move illicit narcotics proceeds from the United States to Mexico.”

The United States alleges that she “facilitated the collection and laundering of” US $6 million between 2020 and 2022.

Brian E. Nelson, Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said Tuesday that the CJNG “relies upon a web of criminal activity that ultimately strengthens its ability to traffic fentanyl and other deadly drugs to the United States.”

“Today’s action disrupts key support networks engaged in arms trafficking, fuel theft, and drug-related money laundering,” Nelson said.

“Treasury, in close coordination with the Government of Mexico and U.S. law enforcement, will continue to target those who support and supply drug trafficking and criminal organizations, especially those engaged in the production and distribution of synthetic opioids that claim the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year,” he said.

Mexico News Daily

Rancho Cacachilas: a sustainable adventure in Baja Sur

By

Lydia Carey

-

June 7, 2023

0

Glamping tent at Rancho Cacachilas. — Rancho Cacachilas, a BCS adventure camp, bills itself as "holistic all-inclusive experience, surrounded by endemic nature, adventure activities, and a great regenerative purpose." (Photo: Rancho Cacachilas)

Just beyond the open flap of my tent, I saw soft pink horizon tucked under a baby blue sky. The cactus wren, morning dove and northern cardinals were creating quite the symphony around my private desert patio.

Cozy in my king-sized bed, I was feeling more than a bit smug that my whole stay at Rancho Cacachilas in Baja California Sur was sustainable and basically carbon neutral, using solar power and eating meals that came mainly from the ranch’s garden, their nearby fish hatchery and the cattle grazing on their 15,700 hectares of land.

Sunrise over Rancho Cacachilas. — The glamping resort covers 60 kilometers of private trails. (Lydia Carey)

While La Paz and its surrounding area is not as big or glamorous as the cities of Los Cabos, this ranch about 40 minutes south of La Paz has views that rival the southernmost part of the coastline. This glamping site is so much more than just a quiet night’s rest: it’s a whole working ecosystem of projects to benefit the local environment and communities.

Though some things are still in process, this is a conscientious group that will not rest until they see the Sierra de las Cacachilas mountain range safeguarded for future generations.

My first day started with a tour through the ranch’s bee and butterfly filled garden, which grows lettuce, kale, eggplant, squash and sunflowers in a seemingly impossible soil substrate.

What started out as almost pure sand has been slowly enhanced over the past five years with manure-based compost and lots of love. Now it produces the majority of guest meals and is an incredible habitat for birds, my guide Pablo’s specialty.

A cyclist bikes trails at Rancho Cacachilas. — The ranch has an extensive trail system for outdoor recreational activities. (Rancho Cacachilas

He created a citizen science list of the birds we saw and heard walking around the property: orioles, cardinals, blue jays, wrens and even roadrunners crossed our path.

This part of Baja California has been raising cattle since the Jesuit missionaries came to evangelize the region’s Indigenous peoples, introducing cows, pigs and goats to the area. But according to Pablo, the combination of excessive grazing, soil erosion and local development led to an unsustainable situation: cattle ranchers need more and more grazing land to get the same amount of meat or milk as 100 years ago.

Rancho Cacachilas is trying to convince local ranchers to graze their cattle differently — moving herds from one section of land to another each month to let grazed land temporarily rest. Their own cattle serve as a living experiment.

The hike explored another way Rancho Cacachilas’ team is working to restore the environment’s most vital natural resource: water. All along the hiking route, we encountered stone walls that work to slow the water rushing down the mountains during the hurricane season’s intense rainfall.

These homemade dams create stopping points for the sand as well and allow the water to sink into the ground more slowly.

Proof of their success is the natural foliage sprouting around the dammed-up areas, as well as the presence of water at all, which Pablo said has never existed at this time of the year during the five seasons he has worked at Cacachilas.

Bowl of vegetables. — Food at the ranch is largely produce grown on the property. (Rancho Cacachilas)

When I asked if adjusting the natural flow of the water was too much intervention, Pablo said that humans have already drastically intervened in this ecosystem; Rancho Cacachilas, at least, is trying to do something positive.

After our hike, we visited the ranch’s goat farm, where 60-odd female goats were happily munching on cut green grass. These goats are the ranch’s source of its incredibly delicious cheese, aged anywhere from a few weeks to over a year.

Their milk produces a full flavor spectrum, including a fresh goat cheese with a crust of ash and an aged Parmesan-like cheese that crumbles in your hand. We washed it all down with one of Baja’s crisp white wines.

The ranch’s adventure camp is another sustainability experiment. The guest environment is both pampering and sustainable. I spent the afternoon back at camp, with a short nap after the morning’s drinks, followed by red snapper and grilled veggies for lunch and a dip in the swimming pool. Yes, there’s a swimming pool, but the fact that it’s not treated with chemicals makes it a little oasis for this harsh desert landscape’s wildlife: birds, bees and even deer come take a sip.

The camp’s lounge, styled like an old hunting lodge, has a working area, comfy leather couches and books to read. Relax for a few hours here before the 6 p.m. happy hour, followed by dinner and fireside stargazing; when the night is clear, the quantity of stars is head-spinning.

Every family or group that books here gets a private guide, much like their own personal concierge, but one who takes you mountain biking or riding the ranch’s mules into the hills.

Close-up of two goats with several more in the background. — The ranch’s herd of goats produces the milk used in making regional and European-style cheeses. (Lydia Carey)

All adventure activities are adaptable to your group’s experience level. Parents and kids can also be split up with two guides so the adults can enjoy their activity of choice.

Accommodations are divided into luxury glamping tents or a section of rooms in a single long building. Bathrooms are shared, but their outdoor layout is charming.

The only thing that might hold folks back is the bucket shower (designed to conserve water), but Pablo says that even the people who protest at first end up liking the Wild West feel of it.

Pro tip: take your shower during the day; the desert cools down considerably at night, when the faucet that says “hot” really means “tepid.”

All tents and rooms have flashlights, drinking water, hammocks, private patios looking out over the desert and even plastic containers for your food to keep critters away. And sustainable living doesn’t mean they scrimp on quality: the linens and blankets are as comfortable as any luxury hotel I’ve visited.

While the Rancho Cacachilas experience was excellent, knowing that I was touring responsibly might have made it even better. While you’ll need to drive there (there’s no public transportation in the area), once on the property, you can rest easy, knowing your environmental footprint is as small as possible.

For an unforgettable eco-adventure, Rancho Cacachilas is my new number-one spot in Baja Sur.

Lydia Carey is a freelance writer and translator based out of Mexico City. She has been published widely both online and in print, writing about Mexico for over a decade. She lives a double life as a local tour guide and is the author of Mexico City Streets: La Roma. Follow her urban adventures on Instagram and see more of her work at www.mexicocitystreets.com.

Fibra Prologis to invest US $700M in industrial spaces in Mexico

By

MND Staff

-

June 7, 2023

0

Mexican real estate investment trust Fibra Prologis is planning to invest US $700 million this year in warehouses and parks, managing director Héctor Ibarzabal told Bloomberg in an interview.

Parent company Prologis Inc., which owns 43% of Fibra Prologis and is a leader in global logistics real estate, will spend an additional US $500 million on undeveloped land.

Prologis warehouse — Fibra Prologis is investing a further US $ 700 million into its portfolio, in response to increased nearshoring demand by manufacturers from across the globe. (Prologis/Twitter)

Prologis is Amazon, Inc.’s largest lessor worldwide.

“About 3% of global GDP happens in our warehouses,” said Ibarzabal. MercadoLibre and Walmart are also among its largest clients.

Fibra has seen 270% growth since its IPO in 2014, in comparison to a Mexican average of 53%. The company now has a valuation of US $4 billion.

After supply-chain disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies in the United States are shifting their business from China to Mexico.

A Prologis warehouse in Sweden — The Mexican company has warehouses across the world, but says demand at the Mexico-U.S. border is higher than ever. (Prologis/Twitter)

“The entire Mexican border is experiencing unusual activity,” Ibarzabal said. “I have been in this business for 30 years and we have historic records of [rentals of new spaces].”

Prologis’ border markets in the northern cities of Reynosa, Ciudad Juárez and Tijuana are operating at almost full capacity, he added.

According to Mexico’s tax authority chief, Rogelio Ramírez de la O, investment from relocation companies has so far reached US $13 billion in 2023. Fifty-four percent of these companies are in the automotive sector, he said.

A study by Morgan Stanley showed that industrial real estate in Mexico is showing “strong momentum” amid a record-breaking decline in vacancy rates, which are now below 2%. The study cited Fibra Prologis as a standout example in the industry.

“We expect the momentum to continue,” the report stated. “We estimate that Mexico needs around 1.2 million square meters of new [industrial real estate] inventory over the next five years, an estimate that could easily be conservative, given the demand stemming from nearshoring.”

Ibarzabal said that companies are now aware of the value of being close to the United States.

“We are permanently [vulnerable] to a geopolitical conflict, to a meteorological issue, to another pandemic […] Mexico is where you can change global supply chains to regional chains.”

However, the country needs more infrastructure investment in order to meet the nearshoring demand. According to Ibarzabal, if it were not for the lack of energy supply in some Mexican states, the nearshoring boom could be three or four times larger than current figures.

“Electrical infrastructure is the Achilles’ heel,” he said. “Right now, there is no more energy to grow, and water is starting to be a significant issue.”

With reports from Bloomberg Línea and Milenio