The World Bank has revised growth expectations for the Mexican economy - although the forecast is still below the GDP growth registered in 2022. (World Bank)
The World Bank has improved its 2023 growth forecast for the Mexican economy to 2.5% from just 0.9% in January, but Mexico will still record lower growth than last year even if that level of GDP expansion is achieved.
At 2.5%, the World Bank’s new growth prediction is a significant improvement over the one it made in January, which was only 0.9%. (Graciela López Herrera/Cuartoscuro.com)
The prediction comes after the national statistics agency INEGI reported in late May that Mexico’s GDP increased 3.7% in seasonally-adjusted terms in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the first three months of last year.
While the World Bank’s latest forecast is a considerable improvement from that in its January GEP report, the level of growth it is predicting is 0.6 percentage points lower than the 3.1% economic expansion recorded in 2022. The bank acknowledged the anticipated downturn in its report.
“Mexico’s growth rate is expected to slow slightly to 2.5 percent this year, amid tighter monetary policy,” the World Bank said.
Foreign investment from companies like Germany’s BMW (plant pictured here) has contributed to strong GDP growth in 2023’s first quarter. (BMW Group)
The bank also said that “fiscal policy is not expected to support growth in 2023 given its focus on the completion of landmark public investment projects and social programs.”
The Maya Train railroad, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Interoceanic Corridor and the Olmeca Refinery on the Tabasco coast are among the projects the current government is aiming to complete while it continues to support millions of citizens through welfare programs, including the Sowing Life reforestation and employment initiative and the Youths Building the Future apprenticeship scheme.
The bank is now forecasting growth of 1.9% in 2024, down from a 2.3% prediction in January.
Finance Minister Rogelio Ramírez de la O last month predicted growth of at least 2.3% this year, while President López Obrador asserted last week that Mexico’s GDP will expand 4% in 2023.
The World Bank anticipates global growth of 2.1% in 2023, compared to 3.1% growth last year, and a 1.5% expansion across Latin American economies.
Its 2023 forecast for Mexico’s largest trade partner, the United States, is growth of 1.1%.
The port of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, is on the western side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. (Government of Oaxaca/Twitter)
The federal government on Monday announced a range of tax incentives designed to attract companies to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec trade corridor between Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.
The Finance Ministry (SHCP) said in a statement that among the “significant tax incentives” on offer to companies that invest in the 10 new industrial parks to be established in the Interoceanic Corridor is a “complete exemption” from the requirement to pay income tax during the first three years of operation.
The Economy Ministry held a press event regarding the investments in Mexico’s southeast region in May. (Economy Ministry/Twitter)
Companies will only have to pay 50% of regular income tax during their subsequent three years of operations, the SCHP said, adding that the discount could reach 90% “if established employment goals are reached.”
The ministry also said there will be an opportunity for “accelerated depreciation of investments” during a company’s first six years in operation, and that business operations conducted in the isthmus region will be exempt from value-added tax (VAT).
“In addition, the recovery of VAT paid on purchases made outside … [the isthmus region] will be allowed for four years … [and] companies will be able to access existing foreign trade benefits, such as the exemption of VAT on temporary imports of supplies, 0% tax on the export of goods and services, and administrative facilities that reduce costs,” the SHCP said.
The ministry said that the tax incentives are designed to “promote economic development in one of the most disadvantaged regions of the country – the southeast.”
The interoceanic corridor shown here on a map of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, located between Salina Cruz, Oaxaca and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. (Gobierno de Mexico)
They will be available to companies that operate in a range of sectors including automotive, energy generation, semiconductors, medical devices, pharmaceutical, agro-industrial, machinery, information technology and petrochemicals.
“For the government of Mexico, regional development and growth of laggard economic sectors are a priority, particularly in the most disadvantaged or marginalized areas,” the SHCP said.
“The objective is to reduce regional inequalities and promote investment in … [the isthmus], creating jobs and opportunities with decent wages for the local population,” it said.
President López Obrador said last week that a tendering process for the 10 industrial parks planned for the Isthmus of Tehuantepec will be launched in the middle of June.
President López Obrador with Oaxaca governor Salomón Jara (to AMLO’s left) and Navy Minister José Rafael Ojeda Durán in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca. (Gob MX)
The Interoceanic Corridor project also includes the modernization of the railroad and highways between Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos, and the expansion of the ports in those cities.
The establishment of the trade corridor – touted by the government as an alternative to the Panama Canal – will allow Mexico to become a “wold shipping power,” Navy Minister José Rafael Ojeda Durán said last week.
López Obrador said last Thursday that freight trains will begin running on the new trans-isthmus railroad in August and that passenger services will begin at a later date.
“Corn is our meat, our bones, our being, our life,” explained Zapotec corn god Pitao Cozobi through the voice of Alejandro Jiménez Molina, a master puppeteer who has been called the Geppetto of Oaxaca. (Photos by Tracy L. Barnett)
In a noisy back entrance to one of the oldest markets in Oaxaca city’s oldest markets, not far from one of the sites where corn originated around 9,000 years ago, muralist Mariel García stood on a scaffold in the hot sun for three weeks and painted her heart out.
The mural she was creating, more than a year in the planning and execution, is a tribute to Mexico’s long struggle to protect the country’s more than 1,000 native maize varieties from contamination by genetically modified (GMO) corn.
A campesino couple laments low energy and poor health after a junk food binge, as told through puppeteers Alejandro Jiménez and Soleil Marela in the mural’s opening inaugural presentation: Corn, Spirit of the Earth.
Garcia is part of a binational collective of artists, scientists and activists that has been working for more than a decade to raise awareness about the need to protect the diversity of corn. And though García, born into northern New Mexico’s traditional corn culture and now living in Mexico, considers herself anything but political, the mural comes out of the highly-politicized context that surrounds corn.
“When you turn daily news into a mural, you turn it into a legend to be looked up to by students of history in the future… and this one tells the story of how all of Mexico came together to save the milpa culture,” explained Chris Wells, founder of the All Species Project, the engine behind the mural and García’s inspiration.
The milpa, the ancient and complex agricultural system that has supported life for millennia throughout Mesoamerica, is much more than corn, explained Wells. Recent studies have documented up to 191 different edible plants in a traditional milpa, including beans, squash, various varieties of chili peppers, tomatoes, edible greens and even medicinal plants. It is also a habitat for a wide variety of animals.
“The milpa is Mexico’s gift to the world,” said Wells.
The new corn mural was inaugurated with a full puppet cast of corn deities and campesinos, various colors of maize and an ample lineup of speakers and performers.
In the best tradition of Mexican muralism Wells, a longtime native corn cultivator, songwriter and organizer from New Mexico residing in Oaxaca, worked with Garcia for a year planning the mural and inauguration and raising the money to cover expenses. Garcia and other collective members donated their time. The mural was the latest in a series of circuses, parades and even a traditional Oaxacan calenda – a dancing procession of giant puppets – to raise awareness in Mexico and in the U.S. about threats to native corn.
Corn has made headlines recently because of an ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and Mexico, due to Mexico’s pending partial ban on glyphosate and on GMO corn. But the mural was originally conceived to celebrate a less prominent but much more powerful victory for native corn defenders: the approaching tenth anniversary of the Demanda Colectiva en Defensa del Maíz Nativo (Class Action Lawsuit in Defense of the Native Corn).
This lawsuit resulted in a decision by the Mexican Supreme Court to ban the production of GMO corn in Mexico.
Members of the All Species Project and the Demanda Colectiva gathered recently along with local market vendors, artists, performers, schoolchildren, city authorities and a host of other attendees to inaugurate García’s mural at the Sánchez Pascuas market, and to pay homage to that long and diverse movement with a mixture of art, culture and science.
The mural, the backdrop of the entire event, features a lush and verdant milpa. Superimposed on that greenery is a biodiverse cast of characters.
On the right are the deer and the jaguar and the red-tailed hawk; there’s the monarch butterfly and other pollinators; there are the corn and beans and quelites, or edible greens that have developed amongst the dozens of different foods and medicines that have evolved from this ancient agroecology.
Tzeliee Ramírez, an Indigenous Wixárika student from Jalisco, shares the Wixárika corn origin story as a part of the mural inauguration event.
Also depicted amid the milpa are the human elements behind that ecosystem: the campesinos who over millennia have developed more than a 1,000 corn varieties, each one specific to a particular bioregion.
There, too, is the Mexican Supreme Court, seated at the center in their black robes; the high court upheld the Demanda Colectiva’s appeal twice, most recently in 2021, in challenges by the binational seed companies including Monsanto.
“A genetically modified corn plant is a pesticidal plant,” said Dr. Ana Ruíz Díaz, a leader in the class-action lawsuit who spoke at the mural inauguration event. “Why? Because it expresses pesticides within itself and because those who eat it transmit these toxins to their descendants. Be it cattle, be it insects, be it human beings.”
Ruíz Díaz of the Demanda Colectiva hailed the mural as a way of keeping the memory alive of these two watershed moments in Mexico’s legal history.
“These are two results that we celebrate because the leadership of the Judiciary, that is, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, ruled against the transnationals and against the Federal Executive Branch, that is, against the Secretaries of Environment and Agriculture, and ruled in favor of corn consumers.”
Juan Carlos Julián Morales of the Espacio Estatal del Maíz Nativo de Oaxaca (State Space for the Native Corn of Oaxaca), a collective of civil society and campesino organizations working to defend the diversity of corn, spoke of the importance of traditional and ancestral agricultural techniques.
Muralist Mariel García spent much of May painting the mural, which tells the story of the fight to save Mexico’s native corn.
“In many places in Oaxaca we still have the virtue that there is ancient peasant knowledge that you will not find in biology or science academies, and that, curiously, is our parents, our grandparents or our great-grandparents, still have. Sometimes it is enough to listen to them.”
The transmission of knowledge is fundamental, said Morales.
“Just as we inform them about GMOs, so, too, can they share information on how the corn is planted in the Sierra Norte, how a ritual is performed in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, how the seeds are preserved by drying in the sun, or stored with ash, or with dry chile, epazote or hierba santa. All this knowledge must continue to be consolidated.”
Alejandro Jiménez Molina, a master puppeteer who has been called the “Geppetto of Oaxaca,” together with partner Soleil Marela, kicked off the inauguration of the mural with an engaging performance peopled with wooden campesinos, Zapotec deities and a fluffy green axolotl.
Pitao Cozobi, the plumed and imposing Zapotec god of corn, had choice words for a pair of campesinos who became ill after switching to a diet of crispy corn chips and soft drinks and no longer had the energy to tend to their milpa.
“Corn is our meat, our bones, our being, our life,” intoned Pitao Cozobi. “This is a mortal battle between the before and the now, these forces that are trying to change what for more than 10,000 years the peoples of Mesoamerica have achieved: a corn that even today sates the hunger of many peoples.”
Tracy L. Barnett is a freelance writer based in Guadalajara. She is the founder of The Esperanza Project, a bilingual magazine covering social change movements in the Americas.
A nationwide survey conducted in May found that consumer confidence is up 0.8 points from May 2022, but respondents expressed caution about their economic situation in the short term. (Wikimedia Commons)
Consumer confidence increased slightly in May compared to April, after falling in each of the two previous months.
The national statistics agency Inegi reported Monday that the consumer confidence index (ICC) rose 0.3 points to 44.4 in May. The figure is 0.8 points higher than in May 2022.
Declining inflation and record-low unemployment have slowly increased consumer confidence in the first half of 2023. (Rmcarvalho/Istock)
Inegi, in conjunction with the Bank of Mexico, conducted its consumer confidence national survey at 2,336 homes in cities across all 32 federal entities during the first 20 days of May.
It asked respondents about:
Their current economic situation compared to a year earlier.
Their expected economic situation over the next 12 months.
Their opinion about Mexico’s current economic situation compared to 12 months earlier.
Their opinion about Mexico’s expected economic situation over the next 12 months.
Their current capacity to purchase furniture, a television, a washing machine and other home appliances compared to their capacity 12 months earlier.
The biggest driving factor of Inegi’s survey was respondents’ confidence to purchase a home appliance, like a washing machine. (Wikimedia Commons)
Their responses — derived from the options of much better, better, the same, worse and much worse with regard to the first four questions, and greater, the same or lesser with respect to the fifth — were weighted and used to formulate the ICC score.
The biggest drivers of the month-over-month increase in consumer confidence were improvements of 0.7 points in the sub-index that measures perceptions about the national economy compared to a year earlier and that which assesses the current capacity of respondents to purchase a home appliance.
However, the score for the home appliance sub-index — 27.2 — remained well below the other four.
Three other sub-indexes also increased on a month-over-month basis, but only by 0.3 points in the case of respondents’ current economic situation, and by just 0.1 points with regard to both respondents’, and Mexico’s, expected economic situation over the next 12 months.
Respondents felt in the month of May that they had more capacity to save money or spend on a vacation, but less capacity to spend on food, clothing and shoes, suggesting that respondents may still be adjusting to a rising cost of living. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
The only sub-index with a score above 50 — a level which indicates optimism among consumers — was respondents’ expected economic situation over the next 12 months.
Despite the overall increase in consumer confidence, a “complementary indicator” that measures people’s capacity to buy food, clothes and shoes fell, as did one that assesses plans to buy, build or renovate a home in the next two years. An indicator that gauges the expected employment situation over the next 12 months also declined.
However, seven other complimentary indicators rose, including those that measure people’s economic capacity to go on vacation within the next 12 months, their current capacity to save part of their income and their intention or lack thereof to buy a new or used car in the next two years.
After photojournalist Joseph Sorrentino began documenting various Indigenous ceremonies in Mexico meant to petition for favorable weather, he began to notice strange phenomena happening in his daily life that he couldn't explain. (Joseph Sorrentino)
All it took was one small incident to completely change my worldview.
One morning about a year ago, I was showering with Martha, my novia (don’t worry — the rest of this article is rated PG). I had my back to the shower curtain when she happened to glance over my shoulder.
“Look,” she said. “The shower curtain fell.”
I turned and saw that part of the curtain had become unhooked. Five or six shower curtain rings were gently swaying.
“That’s weird,” I said and rehooked the curtain, thinking nothing more about it.
We went out for breakfast, and it was then that I realized something wasn’t quite right about what I’d seen in the shower.
I asked Martha what she had seen, and she said she happened to be looking at the curtain and saw it fall.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “There’s no way that curtain could come unhooked without someone doing it, and neither of us did.”
It was the first of several incidents to come that defy a logical explanation.
At the time of this incident, I’d been working on a project photographing graniceros, traditional Mexican shamans who conduct five ceremonies a year to control the weather.
The first, the Blessing of the Seeds, is typically on February 2, the beginning of the agricultural cycle. After that comes the Petition for Rain in May, the Canicula in July and the Fiesta of the First Corn in August. The last is the Ceremony of Gratitude in November.
The ceremonies are held near Popocatépetl, an active volcano, and Iztaccíhuatl, a nearby extinct volcano. In the indigenous worldview, these two volcanoes are gods.
Before entering the place where the ceremony was to happen, each participant is sprayed with a liquid called “flower water” to protect us from malos aires — bad spirits. Participants kneel before an altar and say their name and where they’re from. According to Gerardo, one of the graniceros, we do this “because it is their house.”
During the ceremonies, I doused myself with flower water, introduced myself to the spirits and underwent cleansings, out of respect for the graniceros and their beliefs. My attitude when I first started documenting — and participating in — these ceremonies was that I believed that they believed; I didn’t.
Then things started happening in my home.
Books that were on a bookshelf ended up on the floor when they couldn’t have gotten there on their own. Curtains that I tied securely came untied after I left the room. No one else was around.
On at least three occasions, I was in my office when Martha walked in and asked, “What do you want?”
I told her I didn’t want anything.
“Then why did you call me?” she asked.
I hadn’t.
When something unusual happened, I first looked for a logical, non-supernatural explanation or blamed my cat. When neither of them worked, I had to accept the fact that something was going on that I didn’t understand.
I asked Gerardo about these incidents, and he said they were caused by aires, spirits that exist everywhere. He said they weren’t evil, that they were childlike spirits that aided Tlaloc, the god of rain. They liked to play games, he said. They could move things and, yes, call out my name.
Because I’d been attending ceremonies, I’d either awakened or attracted a spirit, he said.
I’ll always remember his answer when I asked him for a clearer explanation of who or what they are.
“They are,” he said, “immortales.”
He suggested making a small altar in my home with flowers, water and tobacco. I have.
At the end of an interview I conducted with Dr. Mauricio Ramsés Hernández Lucas, who has studied and written extensively about graniceros, I worked up the courage to tell him about the things happening in my house. I fully expected him to tell me it was my imagination or that there were logical explanations or that I needed professional help.
Instead, he smiled a little and nodded his head. He said it was nothing unusual and was completely expected because I’d participated in the ceremonies. He thought that a spirit had attached itself to me.
He said he’d experienced similar events and, in typical Mexican fashion, added, “No pasa nada.” Nothing will happen; don’t worry about it.
In addition to granicero ceremonies, I’ve attended dozens of other pre-Hispanic events that have caused me to think differently about religious or spiritual beliefs. While items placed in front of indigenous altars are called “offerings,” the same items placed on altars in churches and temples are called “decorations.” I’ve come to believe that they’re offerings.
I find it curious how every reported appearance of the Virgin Mary in Mexico has occurred on a site where an Indigenous goddess had been worshipped. And how every miraculous appearance of a Catholic cross happened in a place where an Indigenous god had been worshipped.
I now believe that while the names change, the god, or whatever you want to call it, stays the same.
Mexico is a land of mystery, one where indigenous cultures and traditions are still vibrantly alive. It’s a place where spirits exist and unexplainable things happen — Méxicoprofundo. During my four years living here, I’ve learned to be open to things, to accept things I can’t understand or explain: things like aires and the gods that live in the mountains.
A shower curtain falling isn’t exactly a St. Paul-on-the-road-to-Damascus moment, but it’s had the same effect: I didn’t believe before; I have to believe now — I have no choice.
Morena will govern 22 of Mexico's 32 federal entities once Morena's Delfina Gómez takes office in September. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
The Morena party is set to end almost 100 years of Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) rule in México state after former federal education minister Delfina Gómez triumphed in Sunday’s gubernatorial election.
There was better news for the PRI in Coahuila, where former Saltillo mayor Manolo Jiménez Salinas won the governorship for an alliance made up of the PRI, the National Action Party (PAN) and the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD).
Delfina Gómez became Mexico state’s first female governor on Sunday. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
Preliminary results published on Monday by the National Electoral Institute showed that in México state, Goméz — who was also backed by the Labor Party (PT) and the Ecological Green Party of Mexico (PVEM) — was expected to win about 52.7% of the vote, while her sole rival, PRI-PAN-PRD candidate Alejandra del Moral Vela, was forecast to garner 44.3%.
Morena will govern 22 of Mexico’s 32 federal entities once Gómez takes office in September as the first female governor of México state, which surrounds much of Mexico City
In Coahuila, where the PRI has also held power since 1929, Jiménez was a clear winner over Morena’s candidate Armando Guadiana Tijerina, a former senator. The PRI-PAN-PRD candidate was expected to win about 57% of the vote, while support for Guadiana was forecast at just 21.5%.
PT candidate Ricardo Mejía Berdeja was a distant third with about 13.3% support, while the vote for PVEM aspirant Evaristo Lenin Pérez Rivera was estimated at about 5.9%.
PRI-PAN-PRD candidate Alejandro del Moral Vela, seen here at one of her final campaign events in México state, received 44.3% of the vote, according to preliminary National Electoral Institute results. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
Gómez, who was education minister in President López Obrador’s government between early 2021 and last September, took to social media to celebrate her victory in México state, where turnout was around half of eligible voters.
“Your vote has spoken and it said: yes to change in #EdoMex,” she wrote on Twitter, using a common abbreviation for Mexico’s most populous state — and one of its most violent. “Your confidence in this project of transformation fills me with enthusiasm and commits me to work every day for the well-being of all. Today is a day to celebrate, the people of México state have won!”
In an address in the state capital of Toluca, the soon-to-be governor said that “100 long years of corruption and abandonment” were coming to an end in México state. Gómez’s victory in México state is a major boost for the government led by López Obrador, who founded Morena in 2011.
Mexicans will go to the polls on June 2, 2024 to elect the country’s next president. Polls consistently show that the Morena candidate — most likely Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum or Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard — will win.
Morena Party head Mario Delgado, who was in Toluca to celebrate Delfina Gómez’s victory, said her win must be an example for the party in 2024’s upcoming races. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
Sunday’s result in México state gives Morena additional confidence that it will remain in office after the departure of López Obrador, who has maintained a majority approval rating throughout his presidency.
The party’s national leader, Mario Delgado, said Sunday that the México state contest “must be an example” for Morena in 2024.
“From here, with a lot of unity, we’re going to win the presidency in 2024. We’re going to win [the mayorship of] Mexico City, we’re going to win the rest of the states up for grabs as well as the majority in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate,” he said.
The opposition PRI-PAN-PRD alliance, which has committed to fielding a common candidate at next year’s presidential election, can take some heart from Jiménez’s victory in Coahuila, but replicating that result at a federal level in 2024 looks, at this stage, to be a difficult if not insurmountable challenge.
Coahuila’s new governor-elect, PRI-PAN-PRD candidate Manolo Jiménez Salinas, shows his daughter how to put his voting ballot into an election box on Sunday. (Alejandro Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)
Results of a Reforma newspaper poll published in late May showed that the three opposition parties had combined support of 39%, compared to 55% for the alliance led by Morena.
On Twitter on Monday morning, Jiménez — who was aided electorally by a split between Morena and the PT in Coahuila — pledged to achieve “good results” as governor, and asserted that “we will begin a new history, a history that will be built and told by citizens who want to move forward.”
He will replace Governor Miguel Ángel Riquelme Solís in September, perpetuating the PRI’s near century-long rule, albeit with the support of the PAN and the PRD.
Citizens in Coahuila also voted for representatives to the northern state’s unicameral 25-seat Congress. The PRI-PAN-PRD alliance won all 16 directly-elected seats, while the occupants of the nine seats allocated via proportional representation have not yet been determined.
Taylor Swift has announced her first-ever Mexican tour dates, at Foro Sol in Mexico City this August. (Taylor Swift/Twitter)
Taylor Swift “Eras” tour coming to Mexico
Taylor Swift has announced her “Eras” tour will come to Mexico City, with three dates in the Foro Sol, alongside fellow Pennsylvanian singer Sabrina Carpenter.
Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour dates. (Taylor Swift/Twitter)
The American superstar, who has sold more than 200 million records since her debut in 2006, will finally play her first dates in Mexico as part of her new tour.
“Really thrilled to tell you this!! Mexico, Argentina and Brazil: We are bringing the Eras Tour to you this year! Sweet angel princess [Sabrina Carpenter] will be joining us on all of the shows,” said Swift in a statement via Twitter.
Tickets for the concert will be prioritized for Mexican residents, to ensure fair sales to local fans who might not otherwise have the opportunity to see the artist live in concert. Swift has been a longtime critic of what she claims are exploitative ticket sales by companies such as Ticketmaster.
Swift also announced concerts in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo.
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs set a new attendance record for concerts in Mexico City’s central Zocaló square. (Ioan Grillo/Twitter)
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs in the Zócalo
An estimated 300,000 fans packed into Mexico City’s central Zócalo plaza to see Argentina’s Los Fabulosos Cadillacs live in concert on Saturday night.
The stalwart Latin-rock group played a number of their hits, including Matador, Mal bicho and Vasos Vacíos,to a rapturous crowd of fans that spilled out into the side streets around the main square.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said that the crowd was responsible for a US $56 million boost in sales and hotel bookings in the historic center of the city over the weekend. Sheinbaum also said it is believed that Saturday’s concert set a new attendance record for shows in the massive square, beyond the 200,000 and 280,000 records set by Rosalía and Grupo Firme, respectively.
The festival has a special focus on Mexican and Latin American cinema. It runs in Guadalajara from from June 3-9. (FICG)
Guadalajara International Film Festival opens
The 38th Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) opened on Saturday and run through June 9. The event is considered one of the most important celebrations of Mexican and Spanish-language cinema in the world.
Among the entries to this year’s festival is Eva Longoria’s directorial debut, “Flamin’ Hot.” The film, directed by the former Desperate Housewives star, premiered in Los Angeles last month.
According to festival director Estrella Araiza, the festival has regained funding lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and will screen a total of 170 films in the 2023 edition.
“Documentaries are very strong and prolific this year, but the fiction films are just as good and varied,” she said.
Mexico and the U.S. launch joint Women’s World Cup 2027 bid
The U.S. and Mexican soccer federations have officially submitted a joint bid to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s Soccer World Cup.
Mexico and the U.S. have submitted a joint bid for the 2027 Women’s Soccer World Cup. The two countries are already hosting the men’s FIFA World Cup (with Canada) in 2026. (Twitter)
The two nations, alongside Canada, will host the 2026 men’s edition of the tournament, which is among the world’s most prestigious sporting events.
“The United States has always been a global leader for the women’s game, and we would be honored to co-host the world’s premier event for women’s soccer along with Mexico,” said President of U.S. Soccer Cindy Parlown Cone.
“Hosting the 2027 Women’s World Cup provides us an incredible opportunity to cap off two historic years of World Cup soccer in the [North American and Caribbean] region, helping us continue to grow the game among our confederation associations,” she continued.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 opens July 20, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Mexico’s national team did not make the cut for this year’s event, however the team did win 2-1 against the U.S. in the Concacaf (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) under-20 women’s championship final on Sunday.
Playa Zipolite makes top 20 nude beaches list
Oaxaca’s Playa Zipolite, a secluded beach town on the Pacific coast, has made CNN’s list of the 20 best nude beaches in the world.
Zipolite, Oaxaca’s clothing-optional beach, has been a popular destination since the 1960’s. (Jorge Maldonado Campos/YouTube)
The beach, which was featured in the 2001 movie “Y Tu Mamá También,” is one of the few places in Mexico where public nudity is expected — despite being illegal in the country.
The 2-km stretch of sand has been popular since the 1960s as a hippie destination, and several hotels, cafes and bars have popped up to keep visitors around after a day at the beach.
‘Tis the season, and Mexico’s mercados will be full of mangos.
Thumbnail-size Oreos and Chips Ahoy cookies. Pancakes the size of a dime (or peso). Even mini-carrots, which aren’t really baby carrots, but rather big ones cut small. And really, what are sliders but burgers in miniature? Hello, taquitos!
The truth is, when foods are made smaller than they usually are, we’re charmed and attracted and they seem to taste better too.
The same holds true for pie: whether you call ‘em “hand pies” or pastelitos, turnovers or empanadas, there’s just something charming about the small size. And with a warm mango filling?! ‘Nuff said.
Of course, it’s perfectly OK to use frozen puff pastry (if you’re lucky enough to find it!) or a frozen pie shell, rolled out to the shape you want. The advantage of using puff pastry — besides the fact that it’s already made — is that the finished pie crust will have many luscious, flaky layers.
There’s no need to start from scratch, because when all is said and done, everyone loves pie, however the crust was made. That said, I’m going to share my Missouri farm-girl mother’s never-fail pie crust recipe. (See below.)
In Mexico, mango season is in full swing, and using them as the filling in hand pies just seemed natural. Where I live, in Mazatlán, they’re everywhere: in all the stores and fruterías, hanging from big trees in neighborhoods all over town. In the mercados, you’ll see a handful of varieties, each with a slightly different flavor and texture.
An egg wash ensures a crispy, golden-brown crust.
I personally don’t like the thin, yellow Ataulfo mangos as much as the rounder, red-and-green Kent and Tommy Atkins, but any kind will work in this recipe. Look for ripe but firm mangos that smell sweet but feel like they can be cut up easily without turning into mush.
The tricky piece of this recipe is, of course, the crust. It’s already so hot and humid here that I had to keep putting the dough back in the fridge to keep it from getting too soft to roll out. If it’s the same where you are, keep that in mind, or start your baking during a cooler part of the day or evening.
Don’t leave out the sugar — it’s more to help with thickening than with sweetening. The other challenge is to not eat all the filling; it tastes so good! I thought about just making a yogurt parfait and calling it quits.
This master recipe will make delicious mango (or other fruit, like blueberry, apple or guava paste) hand pies. (If you use berries you may need more cornstarch.)
Mango Hand Pies
Pastry:
2 cups white flour
2-4 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
10 Tbsp. butter, cold, cut into pats
5-6 Tbsp. ice water
Filling:
About 2 cups fresh mango, diced
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch (fécula de maíz)
1 tsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten (for sealing dough)
Optional: coarse or regular sugar for sprinkling on top
To make the pastry: whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Using your hands, work in the butter until pecan-sized lumps form. Add ice water to flour mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, mixing to make a cohesive dough. Wrap in plastic or place in a glass or plastic container you can seal and refrigerate for at least one hour.
To make the filling: Combine mango cubes, cornstarch, sugar, lemon/lime juice and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until mixture just begins to thicken, about 4–5 minutes. Be careful it doesn’t burn! Transfer to a bowl, cool to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment.
To assemble: Divide dough in half; refrigerate one piece. Place other piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a big rectangle. Trim the edges to make them straight. Cut out 3”x6” rectangles or use a big glass to cut an even number of 3” circles.
Spread a heaping tablespoon or so of filling in the center of each rectangle or circle. For rectangles, fold in half, pressing edges firmly together and then sealing using the times of a fork.
For rounds, place a dough circle over the filling, stretching the edges. Press firmly all the way around and then use a fork to seal.
Poke the fork once or twice into the top of the pies for venting. Brush tops of the pies with beaten egg (this gives them a beautiful golden color). Sprinkle with sugar. Transfer to baking sheet. Bake for 28-33 minutes until light golden brown. Repeat process with remaining dough. Remove from oven, cool a little and eat.
Made with frozen puff pastry, hand pie crust will have lots of lovely, flaky layers.
“Wake & Bake” Mango Turnovers
If you’re lucky enough to be able to find frozen puff pastry, here’s an even simpler recipe.
2 cups diced fresh mangos
2 tsp. brown sugar
4 tsp. white sugar, divided
2 tsp. instant tapioca OR 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. lemon/lime juice
1 (17.3 ounce) package puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
Optional: ½ tsp. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine diced mangos, brown sugar, 2 tsp. white sugar, tapioca or cornstarch, salt, citrus juice and cinnamon, if using. Let stand 10 minutes.
Unfold puff pastry sheets onto a clean work surface. Cut each sheet of pastry into four rectangles.
Top one half of each rectangle with mango filling. Fold the pastry over the filling to form a triangle, pressing out excess air. Use your fingers or a fork to press and seal the pastry together.
Transfer to prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining squares. Brush each hand pie with egg wash and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Use a knife or fork to make three small slits on top of each pastry. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Best served warm.
Even though you're a foreigner living in Mexico, depending on your income profile, you may be affected by Mexican tax law. (Internet)
If you come to Mexico as a digital nomad, there may be some surprises in store for you about taxes.
Unlike in more than 50 countries, Mexico does not have a “digital nomad” visa; however, there are laws and regulations that apply as a foreign tourist and/or resident.
In recent years, Mexico has become a short-term destination for foreigners working for companies outside Mexico. (Saltinyourhair.com)
Mexican immigration and the SAT (the federal tax collection agency) are still pretty much stuck in a pre-remote-work paradigm despite recent political and social controversies surrounding the growing numbers of foreigners “visiting” or “living in” Mexico while working for foreign companies online, says Maurico Peña of Outbound Mexico, a legal firm that specializes in advising younger digital nomads in Mexico.
Mexico is no stranger to foreigners. Aside from the millions of tourists that come each year, there have been significant waves of mostly Americans who have created famous retirement enclaves.
But this has not necessarily translated into easy acceptance of younger digital nomads, whose income, like that of foreign retirees, is mostly or entirely derived from non-Mexican sources. Digital nomads’ recent visibility has raised questions about whether they should be paying (more) Mexican taxes based on that income.
Digital nomads may assume that if their income is completely from foreign sources, they are under no obligations to Mexican tax authorities; that may or may not be true.
Greece is one of many countries worldwide that are creating digital nomad visas in recognition of a new breed of shorter-term residents, but Mexico has no such visa. (Despina Galani/Unsplash)
Although many other countries have “digital nomad visas,” Peña does not think they are needed here.
“Mexican immigration law is very flexible as far as time you can stay, if you are an American… up to six months as a tourist,” he says.
He adds that most digital nomads stay only a few months and that the government right now is not particularly concerned with this type of “tourist.” But redefining what it means to “work in Mexico” might cause problems for those who do business while they are supposedly vacationing on the beach.
So basically, if you are here less than six months and have no “vital interests” in Mexico, like a business or investments, you are pretty much off the hook.
However, you do have an obligation if the SAT determines that you are a “tax resident,” which they determine by the time you’ve spent in Mexico (no matter the immigration status) and, more importantly, if and how your economic activity relates to Mexico.
According to Peña and Casey Leonard of Mexico Transitional Services, most digital nomads in Mexico are employees of U.S. firms. The two countries have a treaty to avoid U.S and Mexican citizens’ income from being “double taxed.”
If you are staying in Mexico for less than six months and the SAT doesn’t consider you a “tax resident” — someone whose income or assets are tied to Mexico, then you may not need to worry about tax obligations here. (Unsplash)
Since these Americans pay Uncle Sam, they do not owe Mexico, but they are required to report that income to the SAT. (The same holds true for retiree income, by the way).
Compliance is a different issue.
Leonard states that most of her clients declare themselves self-employed to immigration because current immigration rules require applicants who declare themselves an employee to provide a letter stating that their job is secure for at least a year — something that just about no U.S. company will do.
But this white lie isn’t a problem, Leonard says, as “…all immigration really cares about is the financials, which can be proven by bank statements.”
On the other hand, foreign income may not actually be foreign. Leonard has a client whose income is from freelancing gigs through Upwork, but since that company has an office in Mexico, there is a dispute about the withholding of Mexican taxes.
Things get trickier if you are not a U.S. citizen. Canada has a mutual tax treaty with Mexico, but Peña says that it is “more favorable to Mexico” than the U.S. one.
Even countries near Mexico like Canada don’t necessarily have as evolved tax agreements with the Mexican government as the U.S. does. (JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock)
“Many non-American digital nomads are in legal limbo because the laws in Mexico and their home countries have not caught up with the times.”
SAT must rely on digital nomads to provide financial information since the Mexican government’s ability to get or even verify such information is quite limited. Mexico cannot force the nomads’ foreign employers or banks to provide financial information. Many digital nomads simply do not report their foreign income, but if they would not owe Mexican taxes anyway, they are likely not to be hassled simply for not reporting.
Another complicating factor is being self-employed with unstable income streams from various countries. Mexico and many other countries have contemplated tax laws for “the big guys” in this situation, says Peña, but not individual freelancers.
Last but not least is the infamous tendency for Mexican offices and bureaucrats applying laws/regulations differently. Leonard says that even though all temporary and permanent residents are required to have RFC (a tax ID number), foreigners often have to tell another white lie (a car or house purchase) to convince the officials to do the paperwork.
All this, of course, does not mean that you should avoid reporting and payment of Mexican taxes. On the one hand, it is vital to know your status with the SAT, as well as your immigration status.
Also, Peña says, if you do have significant or complicated income, you can work with an accountant (perhaps a lawyer too) to keep any taxes you may owe low.
“Mexico is not a tax haven like the Cayman Islands, but it is competitive, [and it’s] even possible to pay fewer taxes for certain foreigners than in their home country.”
Neither Leonard nor Peña see any significant changes related to digital nomads coming in the near future. President López Obrador’s term is coming to an end, so nothing is forthcoming at least until 2025.
Even then, any changes will be difficult as Mexico needs to balance making the country attractive to foreigners who can spend money here with the concerns of Mexican citizens. Peña’s message for those currently enjoying tax loopholes: “Congratulations… I think the party will last for a couple of more years.”
But there are indications that there will be change eventually. SAT does have an official English-language website. Mandatory RFC numbers and the digitalization of the reporting system gives SAT tools to monitor foreigners’ financial transactions. (Whether immigration will follow along in modernization, and the two agencies will communicate remains to be seen.)
Overall, both Peña and Leonard continue to see Mexico as financially promising for foreigners of all kinds. For those looking to stay for a significant amount of time, however, it’s worthwhile to at least consult with an accountant to avoid problems and keep an eye on legal and political developments.
Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico over 20 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019). Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily.
A lot of people in Mexico still have a reason to come to your door. (Illustration by Angy Márquez)
I spend a lot of time these days ignoring my doorbell.
It rings a lot.
Because of the wonders of new technology, and because my front door is now right on the street instead of behind a fence, I now have a door cam. Well, sometimes I have a door cam; it runs through batteries like nobody’s business. But when it’s up and running, it gives me the magical power of seeing who’s at the door without letting them know that I’m seeing who’s at the door.
I know this kind of thing has been the norm in the United States for a while now, but here, it still feels brand new and a little sneaky. After all, a lot of people depend on people answering their doors to earn at least part of their living.
But my, oh my, it can sure get tiring. I mean, I work at home, and I work a lot. The work I do — I’ve got like five different contract gigs, this being one of them — requires concentration, and the less interruption, the better.
Unfortunately, that’s just not a possibility unless I outright ignore the people coming to my door.
Here’s a list of the usual suspects — that you probably have coming to your door, too! (As I’ve said before, if living in a place with plenty of peace and quiet is important to you, then Mexico is not the country for you.)
1. People asking for money. I’ve learned the hard way that helping someone out once or twice from your home means you may have them on your doorstep every day or two.
This can get pretty uncomfortable, especially if you’re a bleeding heart like me or have trouble drawing a line between being an occasional help and being someone’s main lifeline.
One of the most common scenarios is someone appearing, paper in hand, saying they need money for a medical prescription. It’s possible, of course, that they’re telling the truth: often at public health centers, the consultation is free, but the medicine they stock can be scarce, and medical workers will send patients out to buy it.
Occasionally as well, someone will come saying they need money for bus fare to get back to their small town. Are these stories true? Maybe, maybe not. In my view, if someone is in bad enough shape to knock on a stranger’s door, that’s usually enough for me to offer some help. But if they make a habit of knocking on the same stranger’s door — mine — I stop answering and just sit inside feeling guilty about it instead.
2. The self-appointed neighborhood security guard. In my old neighborhood, the guy who (supposedly) walked around our neighborhood all night blowing a whistle and scaring the bad guys away wore a cool camouflage uniform. The one in my new neighborhood has opted for just plain gray, but he does wear a hat!
This is not an official job that the person is formally hired for; it’s more like a position that they make up for themselves and begin performing — or say they are performing: I’ve never noticed this person when I’ve gone out at night.
This person will then ring your doorbell at some point, asking for payment for doing this job. The ones I’ve had also usually ask for an aguinaldo (a Christmas bonus) around the holidays. There’s a suggested price on the little piece of paper they give you as your “receipt,” but when I answer the door, I usually just give them whatever’s in the little change bowl by the door.
The neighborhood security guard I have now is incredibly persistent; he’ll ring the doorbell several times and stand there for quite a while before giving up, and his persistence, I’ll admit, makes me even less eager to get up from my work and answer the door.
3. Jehovah’s Witnesses. There seem to be a lot in my city, as I’ve never lived anywhere in Xalapa where they haven’t shown up. Perhaps, the Witnesses we have are just particularly active and enthusiastic? In any case, they always find me, and it’s usually a group of them all at once.
I’ve actually worked with quite a few Jehovah’s Witnesses over the years. Their training in presenting and talking to strangers makes them pretty excellent English teachers, and almost all the ones I’ve known have been incredibly friendly and personable.
The ones I’ve met in Mexico, though, have not been quite as friendly, and I can’t figure out why. I’m not against talking to them, but I must admit that I’m a little intimidated when it’s a family of six. The ones currently assigned to my house also have the habit of ringing the doorbell and then waiting out there for a good five minutes, perhaps trying to out-discomfort me.
4. The water guys. These are people that I’m happy to see at my door, as it means we don’t have to haul our five-gallon water containers (the garrafones) back to our homes from the store. Luckily they come somewhat predictably, so we can be ready for them.
5. The trash guys. Because our municipal trash service is not very predictable, a small industry has popped up of guys with trucks who offer to haul your trash off for you, rather than waiting for the cowbell call to take your stuff out. I took them up on it once, but they wanted to charge me so much that I never accepted again. For the most part, they’ve stopped ringing the doorbell, though they still come to my street and honk loudly, as does the guy selling tortillas.
6. Delivery and mail guys. These are also people that I want to answer the door for, and the main reason I have a door cam in the first place: I don’t want to accidentally ignore someone I’m waiting on. Delivery workers usually have our phone numbers, though, so it’s rare to miss them.
The list goes on, but these are the most common visitors, and it’s not unusual for my doorbell to ring five or six times a day.
But you know who never rings my doorbell? Friends. They just text instead.
Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com
