Exotic dragon fruit, or pitaya, will be the talk of the table, however it’s served!
Even after so many years, I still love going to the mercado and wandering the aisles looking at everything and everyone. There are a handful of vendors I shop with regularly, and they smile and wave when they see me or hold up something new or different they think I might be interested in.
Such was the case with dragon fruit. Of the several varieties available, the torpedo-shaped type with bright red and neon green “scales” are the most exotic looking. The scaled skin can also be luminous yellow-gold or matte red, and each kind will taste slightly different. In some parts of Mexico, pitaya, another variety, is more common, and although it tastes similar, it is rounder in shape, comes in a rainbow of colors inside and out and is covered with spiky spines that are usually removed before they go to market.
Pitaya is unusual in almost every way, from how it grows to what the fruit looks like and how it tastes.
Turns out they are deliciously edible, and you owe it to yourself to try ‘em. This unusual tropical fruit is native to Asia, Central America, Hawaii and Mexico, and grows on the Hylocereus cactus, hanging from the plant’s long spiky fronds like prehistoric Christmas ornaments. The plant, also known as the “Honolulu Queen,” only blooms at night, and once the flowers die, the fruits form. A mature plant can bear fruit four to six times a year, so they may come and go and then suddenly appear again in your local market. Pitayas, though, have a much shorter season and produce for only 6–8 weeks, so buy ‘em when you see ‘em!
Dragon fruit’s unusual bright red skin with chartreuse “scales” are what gives it its name. Inside, the crisp flesh is either white speckled with tiny, crunchy black seeds or a deep, dark pink with the same seeds. Both types are beautiful added to a fruit salad or smoothie, and also work well eaten alongside something salty and savory or as a palate cleanser between courses. Dragon fruit’s mild flavor is a sweet mix of watermelon and pear, with a delicate, tantalizing floral aroma. Commercial growers cultivate big fields of dragon fruit, but it’s also possible to grow the plant at home, in the ground or in large pots. Dragon fruit is high in antiinflammatory antioxidants, low in calories and naturally contains probiotic bacteria that promote gut health.
Ripe dragon fruit will be firm but give slightly when squeezed, like an almost-ready avocado. They’ll also have a sweet aroma, like a ripe peach. Store ripe fruit in the refrigerator until eating or using. Wash carefully, then simply slice it in half lengthwise; there’s no pit, and the crunchy black seeds are edible and fun. Next, either scoop out the flesh to use in a recipe or eat as-is with a spoon. If you like, save the shell to use as a dish for guacamole, fruit salad, etc. The deep pink-fleshed variety will have the most “wow” in a recipe, but the white-fleshed type is just as delicious and makes almost as unusual a presentation. You’ll be happy to add dragon fruit to your roster of regulars in the kitchen!
Dragon Fruit Margarita
1 dragon fruit (with pink flesh if possible)
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 shot of honey or simple syrup
2 shots tequila
1 cup ice
Slice dragon fruit in half, scoop out the flesh and add to a blender with lime juice, honey/syrup, tequila and ice. Blend on high until combined, divide between 2 glasses and serve.
Dragon Fruit Salsa
1 cup dragon fruit, cubed
½ red or white onion, chopped
5 sprigs cilantro, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
Combine all ingredients and mix gently. Let stand an hour or so to blend flavors.
Dragon Fruit Guacamole
For a striking presentation, add chunks of dragon fruit to your next batch of guacamole—and use the skins for serving.
3 medium avocados
½ cup diced dragon fruit
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped red onion
2½ Tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
Salt to taste
Using a fork, mash avocados in a bowl. Add lime/lemon juice, cilantro, onion and salt to taste. Fold in dragon fruit. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.
Berry Dragon Fruit Salad
Pretty, flavorful and aromatic, dragon fruit is a delicious addition to any fruit salad.
2 dragon fruits, white or red, scooped with a melon baller
1 pint strawberries, halved
1 pint blackberries or raspberries
1 pint blueberries
6 mint leaves, minced
Combine fruit in a medium bowl and stir gently. Top with mint leaves and serve.
Asian Shrimp & Dragon Fruit Salad
1 dragon fruit
8 large shrimp, deveined and skins removed
3 cups spring salad mix or other lettuces
Dressing:
3 Tbsp. plum or hoisin sauce*
2 tsp. apple cider or rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. water
Small bunch of fresh cilantro leaves roughly chopped
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
Toppings: 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, ¼ cup roasted peanuts unsalted
Prepare dressing by mixing the ingredients in a bowl; set aside. Cut dragon fruit in half, peel off the skin and cut flesh into large cubes; set aside in refrigerator.
Steam the shrimp over high heat for about 2 minutes or until pinkish and cooked through. Cool.
Place greens in large bowl. Add onions, cilantro, cooked shrimp and dragon fruit. Drizzle with dressing just before serving and sprinkle with sesame seeds and peanuts.
* If plum or hoisin sauce are not available, try teriyaki sauce or, in a pinch, apricot or peach jam mixed with 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger.
Hércules Cervecera is a craft brewery in Querétaro City, also known for its popular beer garden. (Courtesy)
Compañía Cervecera Hércules is an independent brewery in Querétaro City that makes a wide range of lagers and ales that are poured fresh at its on-site beer garden.
The brewery, which also sells canned and bottled beer online for direct delivery to homes in Querétaro and Mexico City, has built a reputation as one of Mexico’s best producers of craft beer.
Head brewer of Hércules, Josh Brengle, originally from the U.S., moved to Mexico in 2016. (Courtesy)
A big part of Hércules’ success today is head brewer Josh Brengle, who moved to Mexico from the United States in 2016. I recently chatted with him via email for this interview, which has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Peter Davies:
Hi Josh, thanks for speaking to Mexico News Daily. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your career as a brewer?
Josh Brengle:
Hey Peter, thanks for the opportunity. I’m a Florida native and started brewing at a pretty young age. I brewed at home a lot in my early 20s and helped out in some Orlando brewpubs while I had a non-beer related day job. I was also heavily involved in entering and organizing beer competitions.
By my mid 20s I was working at Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, where I started as a night shift brewer, later became lead brewer and finally worked as production manager. I spent about six years there until I met my future wife and moved to Mexico and started at Hércules in 2016.
PD:
I had the chance to spend a few hours in Hércules’ beer garden a few years ago. The beer and food was great, and the brewery/beer garden site, an old textiles factory, was equally impressive. What’s the history of Cervecera Hércules and its unique location?
An old textile factory is now the site of Hércules brewery and beer garden in Querétaro. (Courtesy)
JB:
Hércules is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Querétaro. It has pre-Hispanic roots and the property we’re on was once the property of Conín, an indigenous Otomí conquistador, and his sons. His sons had a mill here … and it was a convent for a while as well.
The textile plant itself was opened by Cayetano Rubio in 1846 and continued to operate until 2019. I am told it had around 8,000 employees at its peak and that it was the second biggest industrial textile plant in all of Latin America.
There is a ton of history here and it’s definitely one of the most interesting places I’ve ever been.
The brewery was founded in 2011 while the textile plant was still operational and placed inside one of the big production spaces that was no longer in use. Sales were slow but steady until 2016 when the beer garden opened. That created an avenue to get the freshest beer to our customers.
The brewery makes between 70-80 styles of beer each year. (Courtesy)
PD:
Hércules brews some very interesting beers including a Mexican porter with black corn, a cerveza de jamaica (hibiscus beer) and several spontaneous fermentation beers. Can you give us an overview of the brewery’s range of beers and what inspires you and your team to make them?
JB:
We make between 70 and 80 styles per year. We get tons of inspiration from local agriculture and our culinary surroundings here in Mexico, but we also try to base ourselves well within the idea of ‘beer flavored beer’.
Josh Brengle at work. (Courtesy)
So we make a ton of traditional European styles such as lagers, pale ales and saisons.
When we brew conceptual beers, we try to make sure the base beer or base style shines.
Aside from all of the ‘clean’ beers we make we also have a program called Cervezas Salvajes Hércules (Hércules Wild Beers), which consists of spontaneously fermented beers (think Mexican lambic/gueuze/kriek) and other beers with alternative yeasts and local fruits and spices. All of those beers are fermented and aged in wooden barrels and/or foeders.
PD:
Can you recommend a couple of your beers that are especially good to drink during the hotter months of the year?
The beer garden at Hércules is a popular place – for beer and food – in the city. (Courtesy)
JB:
Wow, there are a lot! At the top of my list would be Faro, a helles (traditional German pale lager), our summer ale Caballo Blanco, Lagermaíz, a lager with local corn, Buen Chofer, a witbier and Ráfaga, an American pale ale.
I guess any beer can be a hot weather beer if you are thirsty enough!
PD:
Craft beer is becoming increasingly popular in Mexico with independent breweries located across much of the country. What’s your view of the industry and what changes, if any, do you expect to see in the next few years?
JB:
I think it’s similar to other countries, it’s very regional. The beer culture in Monterrey is a lot different than say, Chiapas. In our part of the country we see people opening up more and more … to new styles and many people embracing fresh local beer.
Hércules is part of a growing craft beer industry in Mexico. (Courtesy)
But in general it’s still a pretty conservative area and beer consumption per capita is much lower than further north.
The trends are confusing as our best-selling beer in Querétaro is Macanuda, a brown ale. I can’t think of anywhere else in the world where a brown ale could be a brewery’s flagship beer.
In Mexico City, Súper Lupe, an IPA (India Pale Ale), is our top seller, which shows that the customer base is very different.
Trying to understand the market has been one of my goals since I arrived here in 2016. We spent time making many different styles – close to 100 unique beers some years – so that we could see which did well.
There were many styles that we adored but just didn’t sell, and vice versa. During the past two years we’ve reduced the list … to styles that sell well and that we like to make.
I think in the next few years I expect to see something similar to where the U.S. is now – more locality, more tied houses and [the opening of] new locations from existing breweries, (such as Hércules’ Lagerbar in Mexico City).
PD:
The craft beer industry seems to be quite collaborative with breweries often working together on limited edition beers. Has Hércules produced any beers with other breweries?
And, finally, could you recommend two or three beers made by other independent Mexican breweries?
JB:
We’re big fans of collaborations as they’re an opportunity to learn and make new friends, and sometimes revisit old ones. I think we’ve done close to 100 collaborations since 2017 or so.
This includes working with breweries in Europe, the U.S., Canada, South America and, of course, Mexico. The collaborations have sometimes influenced us to change a process or recipe, or even build a new brand from scratch.
There are a ton of great breweries in Mexico and plenty of great beers so picking three is tough! Here are five.
This interview is the first in a new series called “The Saturday Six”: six-question interviews to be published in upcoming Saturday editions of Mexico News Daily.
The president addressed the takeover of a section of Veracruz railway by his government from Ferrosur, the latest polls, the Peruvian government and much more this week. (Gob MX)
As part of his duties this week, President López Obrador received letters of credence from the ambassadors of seven countries: The Philippines, South Korea, the (partially recognized) Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Portugal, China, Colombia and Russia.
AMLO’s conversations with the diplomats of South Korea and China could have conceivably touched on fentanyl, as the president revealed at his final press conference of the week that the government would enter into agreements with those two Asian countries to cooperate on the fight against the trafficking of the synthetic opioid and associated precursor chemicals to Mexico.
China’s ambassador to Mexico, Zhang Run, with President López Obrador on Thursday. (AMLO/Twitter)
Among the other issues discussed at López Obrador’s morning press conferences, or mañaneras, this week were the government’s takeover of a section of railroad in Veracruz, alleged spying on a senior federal official, per-capita homicide rates and a meningitis outbreak linked to two clinics in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
Monday
“The Maya Train is a priority project of the Mexican government that will generate development with justice and allow the archaeological wealth, natural beauty and human grandeur of Mexico’s southeast to be appreciated,” said Javier May, director of the National Tourism Promotion Fund (Fonatur), which is overseeing construction of the ambitious – and controversial – railroad project.
Forty-two “modern, comfortable and safe” passenger trains will travel along the 1,554-kilometer-long railroad, which will have 20 stations and 14 more modest paraderos (stops), he said.
Contradicting the claims of some activists, the Fonatur chief asserted that the project is environmentally responsible because it is complemented by the planting of 500 million saplings in Mexico’s southeast.
In addition, existing protected areas will be expanded to together form “the largest natural reserve in Mexico,” said May, who was one of several speakers during the first hour of AMLO’s Monday presser.
Among the others were the government’s Financial Intelligence Unit chief Pablo Gómez, who expounded on corruption within the now-defunct Federal Police, and Chiapas Governor Rutilio Escandón Cadenas, who declared that residents of the southern state are “very excited” and “very happy” about the upcoming inauguration of the Maya Train.
Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit, Pablo Gómez, at the morning press conference. (Gob MX)
As loquacious as ever, López Obrador dedicated some 100 minutes to responding to reporters’ questions.
“There are those who maintain that it’s more reassuring when there are eruptions than when [the volcano] is silent. In any case, there is surveillance of the behavior of the volcano 24 hours [a day],” he said.
López Obrador said that authorities were ready to evacuate people if necessary, but stressed that the “traffic light” volcanic alert system still showed yellow rather than the more alarming red.
The president later denied that his government expropriated a section of railroad operated by Grupo México subsidiary Ferrosur in Veracruz, asserting that it simply “recovered a concession” that belongs to the nation when the navy took over a stretch of railroad between Medias Aguas and Coatzacoalcos on May 19.
A decree he issued that paved the way for the government’s “temporary occupation” of three sections of railroad said that “market-value” compensation would be paid to Ferrosur, but López Obrador complained that Grupo México had proposed 9.5 billion pesos.
“It’s not a fair price but rather an abuse,” he said, adding that an appraisal will be carried out to determine an appropriate compensation amount.
AMLO highlighted that trains are still running along the section occupied by the navy, and stressed that the takeover was not related to Grupo México’s planned purchase of Citibanamex, which ultimately didn’t go ahead.
The president shows the planned Isthmus of Tehuantepec railway project. (Gob MX)
Among other remarks, López Obrador announced that the government would offer one-year temporary visas to Central Americans that will allow them to work on public infrastructure projects.
“We need labor for the projects. … We need a lot of blacksmiths, welders, even engineers,” he said.
AMLO said that jobs are available on all government infrastructure projects, including the Maya Train railroad, the Olmeca Refinery on the Tabasco coast and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec trade corridor, which includes the modernization of a railroad between Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos and the construction of 10 industrial parks.
Tuesday
Introducing the government’s recurring “Pulso de la Salud” (Health Pulse) segment, AMLO noted that 700 specialist doctors from Cuba are now working in Mexican hospitals.
“And we’re still recruiting. … There are jobs, there is work … for general doctors and specialists because what we want is to leave the public health system working [optimally] before our government ends [in 2024],” he said.
Speaking again about the dangers of drug addiction, Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell stressed that people can get hooked on narcotics regardless of their social and financial situation.
“Last week we spoke about cocaine and crack and we displayed several real images … [that showed] the situations that people who consume drugs end up in. … All the images were of dispossessed people, poor people, highly-marginalized people and that can give the impression that the consumption of drugs is exclusive to people in situations of great poverty,” he said.
“So we want to emphasize [that] across the entire social and economic spectrum there can be problems of addiction,” said López-Gatell, the government’s newly-designated addiction prevention czar.
Later in the presser, a reporter noted that the Supreme Court on Monday invalidated the entirety of a 2021 decree that protected government infrastructure projects from legal challenges and scrutiny and asked the president whether a new similar decree he published last week would nullify the court’s decision.
“Yes, we brought [the new decree] forward because we knew that the court had the intention of stopping the projects we’re carrying out in the southeast – the Maya Train, the [trans-] isthmus [corridor] and other important projects,” López Obrador said.
“As is colloquially said, we lost the Supreme Court. I believe that it has always been far from the people and close to power, but now in a shameless way … [the justices] are at the service of the magnates, the minority, … the oligarchy,” he said.
The president was also probed about a report by The New York Times that claimed that Deputy Interior Minister Alejandro Encinas has been a victim of espionage.
Deputy Interior Minister, Alejandro Encinas, was reportedly a victim of espionage using Pegasus spyware. (Presidencia)
AMLO said that that Encinas had spoken to him about the espionage allegation, and that he told him to not “attach importance” to it because “there was no intention [of the government] to spy on anyone.”
He said he didn’t know whether the deputy minister had actually been spied on before repeating his assertion that his government doesn’t spy on anyone, a claim at odds with an investigation published late last year that found that the Defense Ministry used Pegasus spyware against journalists and human rights defenders in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Speaking a day before Citigroup announced it would pursue an initial public offering to offload Banamex, AMLO said that the government could buy a majority stake in the bank and wouldn’t stand to lose anything because banking is a “perfect business.”
“… Why can we do this? Because we have strong public finances. Why do we have strong public finances? Because there is no corruption, because theft isn’t allowed, because there is no superfluous spending,” he said.
Before bringing his presser to a close, López Obrador spoke briefly about the Popocatépetl volcano situation. He noted that the intensity of the volcano’s activity had declined and observed that it was emitting less ash.
“Reviews of evacuation routes were already carried out, there is no problem. We’re working on all the preventative measures, but there should be no alarm,” AMLO said.
Wednesday
“It’s the season of many, many lies,” López Obrador declared at the beginning of his presser.
“It’s raining lies. Yesterday I read a tweet about an Uber [driver] listening to a news bulletin on the radio and it was completely against us,” he said.
AMLO claimed that all radio stations in Mexico City are opposed to his government, and asserted that the hostility has only increased in recent days.
“The only logical explanation,” he said, is that they want to influence the election in México state, where citizens will elect a new governor on June 4.
Ana García Vilchis at the Wednesday press conference. (Gob MX)
Ana García Vilchis continued the government’ denunciation of the media in her “Who’s Who in the Lies of the Week” segment. Among her targets was José Antonio Crespo, a political scientist and columnist for the El Universal newspaper.
“As … the government that President López Obrador leads is doing so well, now they’re attacking the people,” García said before highlighting a tweet in which Crespo asserted that if an El Universal poll that found 65% support for the government “faithfully reflects what the people think, the country is lost.”
“They’re the ones who are lost,” she said, presumably referring to anyone opposed to AMLO and his government.
“… Es un honor estar con Obrador,” García added, using a popular slogan among AMLOvers that translates as “It’s an honor to be with Obrador.”
López Obrador acknowledged that there are millions of Mexicans who think like Crespo, but asserted that the El Universal poll – which found just 6% opposition to the government and 26% neutrality – showed that there is “no polarization” in Mexico.
“Polarization would be … 55-45 or 45-55 or 50-50,” he said.
“But if the poll faithfully reflects what the people think, as this conservative intellectual says, there is no polarization. What there is here is a minority [of people opposed to the government], an elite. Imagine a pyramid or a hill. At the top, there might be dissent, but below … the people are happy, they support the transformation,” AMLO said.
While responding to a question about security problems in San Luis Potosí later in his press conference, López Obrador called for per-capita homicide data to be displayed.
The data showed that Colima has the highest homicide rate among the 32 federal entities during the term of the current government, with 360 murders per 100,000 residents between December 2018 and March 2023. Baja California, Chihuahua, Zacatecas and Morelos ranked second to fifth, while San Luis Potosí ranked 14th.
“San Luis Potosí is below the average, 84 [homicides per 100,000 residents]. … I say to the people of San Luis that security is a basic priority for us, … that’s why we have a security meeting every day,” López Obrador said.
The president noted later in the mañanera that he had been informed that negotiations between Grupo México and Citigroup over the latter’s sale of Banamex had been suspended, and reiterated that the government could buy a majority stake in the bank.
“I’m going to speak with the finance minister … because we could do it,” AMLO said.
Thursday
The head of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) noted in an address to reporters that an ancient Olmec sculpture known as Portal al inframundo (Portal to the Underworld) had been returned to Mexico from the United States more than 50 years after its removal from an archaeological site in Morelos.
“It truly is a very impressive piece. The historical importance of this archaeological piece of over 2,500 years of age compares with the iconic colossal heads of the Olmec culture,” Diego Prieto Hernández said.
The “portal to the underworld” Olmec artifact in its new display in Cuernavaca, Morelos. (INAH)
“… Thanks to the efforts of the Mexican government, this piece, this national treasure, has returned to our country, and after a period of exhibition at the Regional Museum of the People of Morelos … it will return to the Chalcatzingo archaeological site in Morelos, from where it never should have left.”
During his Q & A session with the press corps, López Obrador said that cases of meningitis among people who underwent surgical procedures at two clinics in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, were caused by contaminated medication.
“A substance, a medication used as an anesthetic for plastic surgery, was contaminated. It was discovered that it was in a bad state,” he said.
AMLO at the Thursday morning press conference with the head of INAH, Diego Prieto Hernández. (INAH/Cuartoscuro.com)
“… Unfortunately there are deaths due to this situation,” AMLO said. “… I’m going to ask the doctor Hugo López-Gatell to issue a report about what’s happening.”
Later in his press conference, the president made it clear that he is no fan of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who announced on Wednesday that he would seek the Republican Party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election in the United States. He took aim at the governor for his anti-immigration policies, and called on Hispanics to “wake up” and not give him a single vote.
“They shouldn’t vote for those who go after migrants, those who don’t respect migrants, because a migrant, as the Bible says, deserves respect,” López Obrador said.
Responding to another question, AMLO insinuated that he has little respect for Ricardo Mejía, a former deputy security minister who is contesting the upcoming gubernatorial election in Coahuila on a Labor Party (PT) ticket after failing to secure the nomination for Mexico’s ruling party Morena, which is allied with PT at the federal level.
“I don’t have a relationship with Ricardo Mejía. He was here with us and he left without saying goodbye,” López Obrador said in response to a reporter who sought his opinion on the use of his image and name to promote the PT candidate.
“… I don’t want my name to be used because I don’t have a relationship with him, it’s as clear as that. It seems to me to be an act of dishonesty to use my name for a campaign when I don’t have a relationship [with the candidate],” he said.
“They’re my brothers and sister,” he said, referring to the aspirants to Morena’s candidacy, namely Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Interior Minister Adán Augusto López, Senator Ricardo Monreal and Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum.
“But whoever wins the survey, that’s who I’m going to support,” AMLO said.
Friday
In an introduction to his last mañanera of the week, López Obrador noted that inflation is declining (6% in the first half of May), the economy is growing (3.7% annually in the first quarter) and the peso remains strong (about 17.6 to the US dollar on Friday afternoon).
Another positive, he said, is that Carlos Slim’s Grupo Carso consortium agreed to buy just under half of the Mexican subsidiary of United States company Talos Energy, which has a 17.4% stake in a large Gulf of Mexico oil field.
“We’re pleased that this agreement was reached yesterday, that it’s a Mexican company,” AMLO said before noting that Grupo Carso will partner with Talos, two European firms and state oil company Pemex to develop the Zama oil field.
During his engagement with reporters, López Obrador revealed that the government was on the verge of entering into an agreement with China to combat fentanyl trafficking.
“[United States lawmakers] asked me to intervene so that fentanyl wouldn’t be transported to Mexico from China. I sent a letter to the president of China. … The first thing they said is that … fentanyl wasn’t exported from China. Shortly afterwards a shipment of fentanyl from China was found at the port of Lázaro Cárdenas and now the government of China is acting,” he said.
“We’re about to establish an agreement between the government of China and the government of Mexico … to avoid the entry to Mexico of fentanyl from China. We’re going to do the same thing with South Korea. There is willingness on their part to help. In that way we can guarantee that fentanyl and precursors that arrive from Asia are combated,” López Obrador said.
He later reaffirmed that he would file a lawsuit against a United States-based lawyer for allegedly slandering him at the New York trial of former federal security minister Genaro García Luna, who in February was found guilty of collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel in its drug trafficking activities.
“I’m waiting for the right time but I’m going to do it because for political purposes and in a biased way he tried to involve me in the case of García Luna,” López Obrador said, referring to defense lawyer César de Castro’s insinuation that his 2006 presidential campaign was partially funded by drug money.
“We’re going to ask for compensation because it’s not about Andrés Manuel, … it’s about the president of Mexico, and not just anyone, least of all a foreigner, can call into question the integrity and honesty of the president of Mexico,” he said.
Any compensation received would go to orphans, “children of parents who lost their lives when there was this criminal association between government and crime,” said AMLO.
AMLO does not recognize Peruvian president Dina Boluarte’s government and granted asylum to ousted president Pedro Castillo’s family in Mexico. (@PresidenciaPeru Twitter)
“I’m not going to hand it over to the lady that is usurping the presidency,” AMLO said in reference to Peruvian President Dina Boluarte.
“While there is no normality, no democracy in Peru we don’t want economic or trade relations with them,” he said before ruling out a breakup of the Pacific Alliance, which also includes Colombia and Chile.
The bloc, which was established 11 years ago, is just “on pause,” AMLO said.
Before bringing another week of mañaneras to an an end, López Obrador said that suspects in the murder of a journalist in Tehuacán, Puebla, on Tuesday had been identified, but offered few other details.
“It seems it’s not related to his recent journalistic activity, he said, adding that further information will be provided soon.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
Ten-year-old Daniela Zoé proudly displays a certificate placing her third in the Beginners category, for her app that teaches pre-pubescent girls about menstruation. (Photos by John Pint)
I’m on the campus of the Universidad Marista de Guadalajara (Marist University of Guadalajara) and the place is buzzing with activity. In just about every classroom, corridor and auditorium, teams of girls ranging in age from eight to 18 are talking to members of the general public, including members of their own families and communities.
These girls have spent the last few months developing their own smartphone applications and are now happily explaining how they work to anyone who approaches them.
The Busca y Encuentra app (Seek and Find) helps locate victims of forced disappearances, a crime which claims eight victims in Jalisco every day, the app’s developers say.
Every one of these apps, I discover, has been developed in response to a perceived problem. At the beginning of the project, all the girls were given the same challenge: to identify an issue in their community and develop an app that can help resolve it.
This is all happening through the Jalisco chapter of Technovation, a tech education nonprofit based in Los Angeles, California. Through Technovation Girls, its free global, free, technology education program for girls ages 8 to 18, Technovation has helped 350,000 girls and young women in 120 countries become technology leaders and entrepreneurs.
Every year, thousands of girls who work in teams of up to five and are assisted by 19,000 volunteer mentors participate in Technovation’s 12-week program, developing a working prototype for an app meant to solve a real-world problem in their communities.
Along the way, they develop their computer, design, collaboration, problem-solving, marketing and leadership skills.
Milu is an app that helps manage sadness and emotions.
At each display, I can get an idea of what young Mexican girls see as problems in their country or region.
Not surprisingly, many of the apps deal with nutrition, unemployment, security or stress, but some offer help for depression or even for the nationwide problem of enforced disappearances.
When I walk up to a stand labeled Work Now, I find five girls from the little town of Cocula, whose claim to fame is being as “the birthplace of mariachi.”
“What does your app do?” I ask them.
Girls from Cocula, Jalisco tell visitors all about their Work Now app, Girls from Cocula, Jalisco tell visitors all about their Work Now app, which helps people in rural areas connect with employers.
“As the name implies, Work Now gets you a job,” says Anay Camacho. “We live out in the country, where unemployment is one of the biggest problems — which is why so many country people go looking for work in the U.S.
The whole problem got a lot worse after COVID-19 came along, said Camacho.
“So we created this app, which simply connects people looking for a job with businesses looking for workers.”
At the other end of the room, I saw a big houseplant beneath the words Proyecto Maceta Inteligente (Project Smart Flowerpot).
The Smart Flowerpot app connects your phone to a sensor that monitors the needs of your favorite plant via your Wi-Fi system.
The developers of this app explained that it allows users’ phones to communicate with an inexpensive sensor in the flowerpot, telling the owner when the plant needs watering.
“There is a commercial version of this already on the market that does the same thing,” the girls told me, “but it costs 2,000 pesos. Our app does the exact same job, but it’s inexpensive and very easy to use.”
As I learn how an app could benefit my favorite houseplant, a voice rings out: “Everyone head for the auditorium — the Pitch Event is about to start!”
This is the part of the program that separates the wheat from the chaff. Each of the 87 teams must now get up on stage in front of a panel of jurors from tech companies like Oracle and HP. They have only four minutes to explain their apps.
The team Changing World P8 pitches their app, Magic 21C, which helps kids with Down Syndrome cope in the modern world, to executives from Fortune 500 technology companies.
The jurors’ questions are no-nonsense and can be tough: “How do you plan to finance this? What’s your competition like?”
The event I’m watching tests only participants from Jalisco, but parallel events have been held this month in Mexico City, Hermosillo, Mérida, León and Veracruz.
From here, Jalisco’s winners will compete nationally, and then the finalists from Mexico will go to San Francisco for the Technovation World Summit event in October. According to Technovation Girls, 76 percent of their program’s alumnae pursue STEM degrees.
This program in Mexico is coordinated by María Makarova, who was born in Novosibirsk, Russia, and originally volunteered as a Technovation mentor in the U.S. before moving to Mexico and taking charge of the project here.
María Makarova, coordinator of the program, founded the nonprofit Mentoralia in 2020 to manage the mentors.
The program has been so successful in Mexico that the number of participants and volunteer mentors grew too unwieldy for one person to handle, inspiring Makarova to found a nonprofit organization called Mentoralia, which now works in the background and keeps things running smoothly.
I asked Makarova to pick out one of today’s winners and tell me her story.
“I’d like to tell you about a girl named Daniela Zoé, who is 10 years old,” she replied. “Daniela joined our program at a community center called Kokone, in an economically depressed part of greater Guadalajara called San Juan de Ocotán. Today, she won third place in the Beginners category for an app called Días del Mes, which she designed to educate girls about menstruation.”
Alexa Guadarrama, one of Daniela’s mentors, told me how Daniela came up with her idea.
The Hearted Investment app makes it easy for people to donate food, clothes, toys or money to worthy causes.
“One of Daniela’s cousins had just gotten her period,” Guadarrama said. “She was 12 years old, and she had become really scared because no one had explained what was happening to her body. When we asked Daniela to think of a problem that she’d like to solve with an app, she told us this story and we helped her.
“She came up with the idea of a kind of roulette wheel. You would spin it every day, and it would give you an interesting fact about the body, or maybe an informational video that she wants to make in collaboration with a gynecologist, using non-technical terms that girls could understand.”
“The Technovation program encourages girls to study,” Makarova said. “It shows them what they are capable of and proves that they will really be able to do amazing things when they grow up. That’s my main motivation.”
The writer has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, since 1985. His most recent book is Outdoors in Western Mexico, Volume Three. More of his writing can be found on hisblog.
At his biannual literary festival in Guadalajara, the Peruvian novelist criticized the rise in populist governments across the region and warned of threats to freedom in Mexico. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
Freedom in Mexico “has endured very tough threats and challenges in recent years,” claimed Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosaduring a speech Thursday in Guadalajara at the opening of the literary festival that bears his name.
The fifth edition of the Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial is being held in Guadalajara from May 25 to 28. Under the motto “literature for hard times,” the festival is seeing around 30 writers from across the Spanish-speaking world coming together this year to discuss their work and current events.
The Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial celebrates Spanish-language novelists and awards an annual author prize of US $100,000. This year, three Mexican writers have been named as finalists. (Twitter)
“The Biennial takes place this year in a convulsive, uncertain world, shaken by wars and threatened by various [examples of] authoritarianism, and in a Latin America where populism, demagoguery, statism, intolerance and ideological extremism are causing much damage,” Vargas Llosa said in his speech.
The author referred specifically to his native Peru, arguing that recently ousted president Pedro Castillo had “tried to destroy democracy from power” when he attempted to dissolve Congress ahead of a vote on his impeachment in December last year.
Mexico’s President Lopez Obrador has been a staunch supporter of Castillo, long after Castillo’s ouster, and for more than six months has refused to hand over Mexico’s leadership of the Pacific Alliance to Peru’s current president, Dina Boluarte, whom Lopez Obrador has accused of “usurping” Castillo’s office.
Vargas Llosa also praised efforts to prevent a return to power of Ecuador’s fugitive former president Rafael Correa.
Mario Vargas Llosa, aged 87, is one of Latin America’s most widely read authors, known internationally for the novels “Conversation in the Cathedral” and “The Time of the Dog.” His writing has earned acclaim for its range and political undercurrents.
Although Vargas Llosa didn’t mention President López Obrador by name, AMLO was another clear target of the writer’s anti-populism message. A leftist in his youth, Vargas Llosa later moved towards a liberal view, and in recent years has directed harsh criticism toward populist governments identified with the left.
Vargas Llosa gained international readership with the novel “Conversation in the Cathedral,” which takes place in Peru during the dictatorship of Manuel Odría. (Wikimedia Commons)
“There are many [countries] … in the hands of authoritarian leaders, from whom it will take time and effort to free themselves,” Vargas Llosa said.
“In many cases, this is the fault of voters who did not know how to measure the consequences of their preferences, and in other [cases] because of acts of force or circumstances that twisted the popular will,” he said. “In any case, the reality is that in Latin America, our immediate geographic area, freedom is not having a good moment, and in the face of this, a necessary response is the affirmation of culture.”
The Nobel laureate also used his speech to celebrate the life of Raúl Padilla López, the former rector of Guadalajara University, who died in April. This praise was echoed by current rector Ricardo Villanueva, who described Padilla as “the most brilliant mind in 230 years of history of this university.”
After the opening speeches, Peruvian journalist Rosa María Palacios chaired a panel discussion between the six finalists for the Biennial novel prize, who include:
Héctor Abad Faciolince (Colombia), for Salvo mi corazón, todo está bien
Piedad Bonnett, (Colombia), for Qué hacer con estos pedazos
Brenda Navarro (México), for Ceniza en la boca
Cristina Rivera Garza (México), for El invencible verano de Liliana
Juan Tallón (España), for Obra maestra
David Toscana (México), for El peso de vivir en la tierra
The contest is open to novels originally written in Spanish between January 2021 and December 2022 and awards a top prize of US $100,000. The winner will be announced at the close of the Biennial on May 28.
Mangos may be native to Asia, but Mexican cuisine is full of dishes that incorporate the versatile fruit. (Sader)
Can you guess what is a close botanical cousin to cashews and pistachios? Did you guess walnuts, perhaps almonds? You may be surprised to learn that the mango actually belongs to the same anacardiaceae (sumac) family of plants.
The mango shows up everywhere in Mexican cuisine: from mango salsa, mango tamales, mango empanadas, mango ceviche, mango margaritas, to mango sorbet… you’d be hard-pressed to find a Mexican staple that isn’t elevated by the mighty mango.
Mango season stretches from February to August in Mexico. (Shutterstock)
Believed to be native to South Asia, the cultivation of mangos can be traced back as early as 2000 B.C.E. in India. The mango tree, with its broad evergreen leaves and fragrant flowers, became a symbol of love and fertility in Indian mythology and was often referred to as the “king of fruits.”
Over time, the popularity of mangos spread across different regions of Asia. Indian traders introduced the fruit to Southeast Asia, including Burma (now Myanmar) and Thailand, where it thrived in the tropical climate. From there, it made its way to the Philippines and Malaysia, becoming an integral part of the local cultures and cuisines. You might be wondering, when does Mexico come into the picture?
Mangos arrived in Mexico during the 16th century, brought by the Spanish. It turns out the favorable climate allowed mango cultivation to thrive. Over time, Mexico became a leading producer and exporter of mangos, with diverse varieties that have become integral to Mexican cuisine.
In the United States, mangos were first introduced in Florida in the early 19th century, but it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that commercial cultivation took off.
Sweet, smooth and just a touch sour, mangos are a mainstay of the Mexican diet. (Wikimedia Commons)
The 20th century also saw significant advancements in mango breeding and research.
Scientists developed techniques to improve the quality and yield of mango trees, resulting in new varieties with desirable traits, such as disease resistance and extended shelf life. These advancements have contributed to the global availability and popularity of the fruit throughout the year.
Mangos have been celebrated not only for their taste but also for their cultural significance. The fruit has inspired numerous works of art, literature, and songs in different cultures.
In India, mango festivals and competitions are held to showcase the best varieties, while in other countries, such as the Philippines, the mango is considered a national fruit. In fact, one of the most popular varieties of mango is called Manila, named after the capital of the Philippines. The Manila mango gained popularity for its unique flavor, smooth texture, and lack of fibers, making it a highly sought-after variety in both local and international markets.
The author’s mango habanero hot sauce makes a great marinade for wings. (Photo courtesy of the author)
On to one of my favorite uses of mango in the kitchen – mango habanero hot sauce! The co-stars of this recipe play off of each other exceptionally well.
Mango habanero hot sauce
3/4 lb ripe Manila mangos, peeled and chopped
5 habanero peppers, with their stems and seeds removed
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup raw honey
Salt to taste
Water (as needed for desired consistency)
In a blender or food processor, combine the chopped mangos, habanero peppers, apple cider vinegar, salt and honey. Blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water gradually until you reach the desired consistency. Be cautious not to dilute the flavors too much.
Pour the mixture into a saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mixture cool down.
If you’re looking for a milder sauce, add 2-3 peppers instead of 5. Once cooled, transfer the sauce to sterilized bottles or jars. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Stephen Randall has lived in Mexico since 2018 by way of Kentucky, and before that, Germany. He’s an enthusiastic amateur chef who takes inspiration from many different cuisines, with favorites including Mexican and Mediterranean.
The purchase gives Grupo Carso a stake in the Zama offshore oil field in the Gulf of Mexico. It's considered the largest oil reserves discovery in the last 20 years. (Zachary Theodore/Unsplash)
Carlos Slim’s Grupo Carso is set to acquire a stake in a large Gulf of Mexico oil field after reaching an agreement with the United States company Talos Energy to buy just under half of its Mexican subsidiary.
Talos announced Thursday that Grupo Carso subsidiary Zamajal had agree to acquire a 49.9% interest in Talos México, which holds a 17.4% stake in the Zama oil field, located off the coast of Tabasco.
Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, seen here last month with his wife Mercedes Sánchez-Navarro, owns Grupo Carso.
The purchase price is US $124.75 million, which Talos noted implies a minimum valuation of approximately $250 million for its 17.4% stake in Zama, which is believed to hold some 700 million barrels of oil.
“The transaction is expected to close within the third quarter of 2023, … subject to approval by Mexico’s Federal Economic Competition Commission,” Talos said.
The Houston-based company said that $74.85 million will be paid at closing and that the remaining $49.9 million will be due at first production of oil from Zama, which isn’t expected to occur before 2026.
“We are thrilled to partner with Grupo Carso. Our relationship dates back to the 2015 offshore [oil field] lease sales in Mexico. As we accelerate recent momentum and advance Zama toward FID [final investment decision] and first production, we are confident that Carso is the right partner at the right time,” said Talos president and CEO Timothy S. Duncan.
The oil reserves are located off the coast of Tabasco, not far from the Olmec (Dos Bocas) Refinery being built by the Mexican government. (Talos Energy)
“Carso’s investment is a testament to the economic potential of Zama, and the joint venture will also benefit from Carso’s critical presence in Mexico and global commercial experience. We are excited about this broad partnership in Mexico,” he said.
A consortium led by Talos discovered Zama off the coast of Tabasco, in 2017. In 2021, the federal Energy Ministry (SENER) awarded control of the field to Pemex as some of the project spills over on to acreage owned by the state oil company.
Talos submitted notices of dispute to the federal government over SENER’s decision, but Pemex ultimately retained control of Zama with a 50.4% stake.
However, the two companies reached an agreement in March that will allow Talos and its partners to participate in operational decisions. Germany’s Wintershall DEA has a 19.8% stake in the field and the United Kingdom company Harbour Energy has a 12.4% interest.
Talos noted in its statement that a development plan for Zama was submitted to Mexico’s National Hydrocarbons Commission in March for formal approval.
“Additionally, an Integrated Project Team comprised of individuals from all four Zama Unit Holders was established to manage the development and operation of Zama going forward,” the company said.
“Talos will co-lead the planning, drilling, construction, and completion of all Zama wells as well as the planning, execution, and delivery of Zama’s offshore infrastructure.”
Grupo Carso, which already has energy sector interests, said in a statement that it would “actively participate with Talos in order to obtain the most efficient execution of the project along with Pemex and the other members of the consortium.”
The "#EsClaudia" ("It's Claudia") slogan has been appearing around the country in support of the aspiring candidate. (Graciela López Herrera / Cuartoscuro.com)
The results of a new poll indicate that it’s quite likely that Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum will be sworn in as Mexico’s first female president on Oct. 1, 2024.
A poll conducted by the Reforma newspaper found that Morena is easily the most popular political party in Mexico, and that Sheinbaum is the favored presidential candidate for the party founded by President López Obrador.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum was thought to be AMLO’s favorite by 36% of respondents in the survey, ahead of Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard (26%). (Photo: Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)
Reforma surveyed 1,000 adults earlier this month and published the results of its poll on Friday, just over a year before Mexicans go to the polls to elect a new president and renew both houses of federal Congress.
One question the newspaper put to poll respondents was, “Which party would you vote for if the presidential election was held today?”
Excluding those who didn’t indicate a preference, 49% of respondents nominated Morena, compared to just 20% who opted for the conservative National Action Party (PAN), the second most popular choice.
Combined support for Morena and its allies, the Labor Party (PT) and the Ecological Green Party of Mexico (PVEM), was 55%, while the Va por México alliance, made up of the PAN, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), was 16 points behind, with 39% of those polled saying they would vote for one of those three parties.
Leaders of the Va por México parties from left to right: PRD, Jesús Zambrano, PAN, Marko Cortés and PRI, Alejandro “Alito” Moreno. (Twitter)
The Va Por México parties announced in January that they would field a common presidential candidate at the June 2, 2024 election, but there is currently little clarity about who that will be.
On the Morena-PT-PVEM side, there are four main contenders for the nomination, and one fringe one – PT Deputy José Gerardo Rodolfo Fernández Noroña.
Almost one-third of poll respondents – 31% – said that Sheinbaum was their preferred Morena candidate, while 26% nominated Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard.
Interior Minister Adán Augusto López Hernández and Senator Ricardo Monreal attracted support of just 6% and 5%, respectively, while 30% of those polled said they didn’t know who their preferred Morena candidate was.
President López Obrador, center, flanked by the four main contenders for the party’s nomination in 2024, seen from left to right: Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Interior Minister Adán Augusto López, Senate Majority Leader Ricardo Monreal and Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum. (Presidencia)
Sheinbaum, a physicist and engineer who was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, declared late last year that she is ready to take on the nation’s top job.
Thirty-six percent of poll respondents believe that the mayor is López Obrador’s favorite Morena aspirant, compared to just 19% who think AMLO prefers Ebrard. López Hernández is close to the president, and a fellow tabasqueño (Tabasco native), but only 6% of those polled believe he is the president’s número uno choice.
Morena has said it will survey its members to determine who its candidate will be, but less than half of those polled – 49% – indicated that they believed that is the way the party will ultimately decide on its flag bearer. While 13% said they didn’t know how Morena will choose its candidate, a not insignificant 38% expressed the view that López Obrador will have the final say. AMLO himself has asserted that will not be the case.
None of the potential Va por México candidates received double-digit support among those polled by Reforma.
PAN Deputy Santiago Creel, a former interior minister, was the preferred PAN-PRI-PRD candidate of 6% of respondents, while PAN Senator Lilly Téllez, a Morena defector, attracted the same level of support.
PAN leader Marko Cortés with Senator Lilly Téllez, who in the Reforma poll, got 6% of respondents’ support. (Lilly Téllez/Twitter)
Ricardo Anaya, a former deputy and PAN national presented who contested the 2018 election, was favored by 5% of those polled, while PRI Senator Beatriz Paredes was the top choice of the same percentage of respondents.
Almost six in 10 people – 59% – said they didn’t know who their preferred opposition candidate was, a situation that is perhaps reflective of the current lack of clarity about who will actually seek the PAN-PRI-PRD candidacy.
Another opposition party, Citizens Movement (MC), has indicated that it will also field a candidate at next year’s presidential election. Monterrey Mayor Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas, son of murdered PRI presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, was the preferred MC candidate of 30% of respondents, while Nuevo León Governor Samuel García and Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro were nominated by 13% and 6% of those polled, respectively.
Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro (left) and Nuevo León Governor Samuel García, both from the Citizens Movement (MC) party, have been considered potential presidential candidates for 2024. (Government of Jalisco)
Half of the 1,000 respondents didn’t cite a preferred candidate for the MC, which backed Anaya in 2018 and López Obrador in 2012.
Reforma also set up nine contests between potential candidates, and asked respondents to cast mock ballots. Sheinbaum easily won the three in which she was included, while Ebrard and López Obrador Hernández also came out on top in the three in which they competed, albeit by narrower margins.
The key takeaway is that Morena appears likely to win the presidency next year, regardless of the candidate the party ends up choosing.
López Obrador, who trounced his opponents at the 2018 election by winning over 53% of the vote, will hand over the presidential sash to his successor four months after next year’s election. Sheinbaum, at this stage, looks to be the most likely recipient.
The medications were seized by regulator Cofepris, after concerns about the manufacturing process. (Nastya Hulhiier/Unsplash)
Mexico’s health regulator has authorized the release of 653,000 boxes of medication for mental health disorders, which authorities have held back ever since an inspection In November at the labs where they were made detected multiple irregularities in the production process.
The Federal Commission for the Protection Against Health Risks (Cofepris) said the 10.4 million doses of imipramine, lorazepam, lozam and talpramin were released, partly to meet a shortage of psychiatric medication. The doses are only authorized for sale on the domestic market, Cofepris said.
The regulator has deemed the drugs safe for use in the domestic market, and has released them to combat a severe shortage in psychiatric medication. (Wikimedia)
The medications were all produced by Psicofarma, Mexico’s largest supplier of psychiatric drugs.
In November 2022, a Cofepris inspection of the Psicofarma laboratories found several failures in the company’s control of psychoactive substances, including cross-contamination and unsterile packaging procedures.
As a result, activity at two Psicofarma laboratories were suspended and millions of boxes of medication were seized for technical analysis, to ensure they were safe for human consumption.
This is the fourth batch of government-seized medications to be released. Nearly 1.5 million boxes of clonazepam, methylphenidate, lithium and methylphenidate were released on May 12, followed by more than7 million boxes of clonazepam and methylphenidate, before a further shipment of more than a million amitriptyline, clozapine, alprazolam, zolpidem and diazepam.
The list of medicines made by the company Psicofarma that Cofepris has recently re-released to the public after being seized by the regulatory agency. The first column refers to the order in which the medicines were released. The third column refers to the total number of boxes released in each category. (Cofepris)
In total, nearly 10.5 million boxes of seized medication have now been authorized for the national market. Cofepris said in its statement that Psicofarma assumes responsibility for any marketing of the medicines in question..
The Psicofarma debacle has only compounded existing issues in Mexico’s pharmaceutical supply. Between the first two months of 2022 and the same period of 2023, production of nervous system medicines dropped 17%. Cancer drugs production dropped 12.3%, and rheumatology drugs 21.5%.
Experts say the shortages are due partly to delays in Cofepris’ licensing and approval of imported precursors and finished products.
“If there are delays at every stage… it will push back the ability to have a product both in the public and the private sector, and this has affected all laboratories,” Enrique Martínez, general director of the pharmaceutical consulting firm INEFAM,told the newspaper El Financiero.
Mental health disorders saw a sharp rise due to the COVID-19 pandemic, compounding already problematic access issues. (Saúl López/Cuartoscuro)
Drugs that are in particularly short supply in Mexico include ADHD medication Tradea; antidepressants Adepsique and Anapsique; anxiety medication Kriadex; opioid Methadone; and schizophrenia drugs Clopsine and Clozapine, among others.
The shortages have caused severe issues for patients, many of whom have found themselves unable to access essential medications. To make matters worse, the crisis has coincided with a doubling in demand for psychiatric drugs, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated many mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
Manypatients reported consequences such as manic episodes, nausea or suicidal thoughts from being forced to stop their regular medication, which has driven some to look for relief on the black market.
“They are putting our lives at risk; they don’t take us seriously,” one woman with bipolar disorder, who gave her name as Melisa, told El País.
Cofepris insists that it is working to resolve the crisis, including by supporting Psicofarma in complying with regulations and by authorizing new permits to import precursors for psychiatric drugs.
“Cofepris is … building a regulatory path to promote advances in access to psychiatric care medications, [by] providing transparent support to the company [so it can] present the required documentation and tests, [and by] addressing the high-priority keys to supply to the public and private sectors.” the regulator said in a statement.
The bottles will be compacted and dispatched to the PetStar recycling plant in Toluca, México state, where they will be transformed into food-grade resin for packaging. (Marina del Pilar/Instagram)
A new plastic collection center in Tijuana claims to champion sustainability in Mexico, but activists argue that plastic recycling is a more complicated issue than the industry makes it seem.
Corporación del Fuerte and PetStar, both part of the Mexican Coca-Cola Industry (IMCC), inaugurated the collection center on May 16. They also announced an investment of 97 million pesos (US $5.43 million) to expand plastic collection points in the Baja California cities of Ensenada and Mexicali, aiming to collect more than 543 million polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles by the end of 2023.
Mexico has the highest level of plastics recycling in the Americas but is looking to recycle more, thanks in part to the involvement of Coca-Cola.(Marc Newberry/Unsplash)
The bottles will be compacted and dispatched to the PetStar recycling plant in Toluca, México state, where they will be transformed into food-grade resin for packaging.
“[The plant] is the perfect example of the virtuous circle, capable of generating a spiral of benefits in our community,” said the Governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila, during her speech at the inauguration.
“A collection plant means not only more job creation, but we are also talking about environmental and social well-being, about looking at solutions together to build a world without waste.”
Ávila said that Baja California leads the way in plastic recycling in Mexico, recovering around 67% of PET bottles, compared to a national average of 60%. PetStar says it has recycled 3.5 billion PET bottles in 2022, generating thousands of jobs for waste pickers and producers of recycled materials.
Bottles from the Baja California site will be sent to Toluca, where they will be recycled. (Petstar)
At the national level, Mexico has the highest level of plastics recycling in the Americas. The National Association of Plastic Industries (ANIPAC) counts 398 companies engaged in plastics recycling in Mexico, and the country recycled 1,682,913 tonnes of materials in 2022.
“Twenty years ago, when ECOCE was created, 8% of PET containers were recovered for recycling,” Jaime Torres Fidalgo, communications director of ECOCE — a nonprofit founded by a group of beverage industry entrepreneurs that conducts recycling campaigns in schools — told the newspaper El Economista.
“Today, the recovery percentage is 59%… This places us as leaders throughout the American continent, above Brazil, the United States and Canada in PET recovery.”
However, critics argue the type of recycling used in Mexico is less sustainable than claimed, involving poorly-regulated processes of washing and melting plastics that use large amounts of water and energy.
Between 2015 and 2021, Mexico imported plastic waste valued at a total of US $225 million. Cities on the pie chart represent customs locations where waste crossed the border into Mexico, not necessarily that the cities listed were the waste’s point of generation.
Furthermore, Marisa Jacot of the activist group Fronteras Comunes (Common Borders) argues that what large companies are promoting in Tijuana is “plastic garbage colonialism” that has turned Mexico into one of the main recipients of the United States’ single-use plastic waste.
In the three years following 2018, when China banned imports of single-use plastic waste, garbage imports to Mexico increased by 121%, from 79,291 tonnes to 175,586 tonnes, says Fronteras Comunes.
Tijuana became a key arrival point for this waste, receiving 140,000 tonnes of plastic garbage alone between 2015 and 2021, or 27% of the total shipped from the United States in that period.
Although this change has generated jobs in the recycling industry, it has likely also contributed to the city’s high levels of air pollution.
“The industry’s claim that their work is recycling is a fallacy, because incineration is not recycling, and the plastic recycling there… does not reach even 20% of the total plastic that is lying around,” Jacot told the newspaper Zeta Tijuana.
A truly sustainable solution to plastic garbage, she argued, would involve restricting production and companies taking responsibility for their own waste rather than passing the burden on to countries with weaker environmental regulations.
