More than 50 Morena-affiliated politicians have had their US visas revoked

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October 14, 2025

The United States government has revoked the U.S. visas of more than 50 Morena party politicians and dozens of officials from other Mexican political parties, according to an unnamed “senior Mexican politician” quoted by the Reuters news agency.

In an exclusive report published on Tuesday, Reuters, citing two unnamed Mexican officials, reported that “the U.S. government has revoked the visas of at least 50 politicians and government officials in Mexico amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on drug cartels and their suspected political allies.”

Later in the report, Reuters quoted one of the sources — “a senior Mexican politician” — as saying that more than 50 politicians from the ruling Morena party have had their visas revoked, along with dozens of officials from other political parties.

That would place the total number of Mexican politicians and officials who have had their U.S. visas revoked this year above 70, at least.

That figure is much higher than the number of confirmed revocations of Mexican officials’ U.S. visas in 2025.

Reuters said it was “unable to ascertain the names of the Mexican officials whose visas have been revoked” beyond those connected to a “handful” of cases that have been publicized.

Citing its sources, the news agency wrote: “The U.S. does not need to provide explanations for revoking someone’s visa and the threshold for doing so is much lower than for imposing sanctions or a prosecution.”

‘The Trump administration is finding new ways to exert more pressure on Mexico’

Citing three former U.S. ambassadors, Reuters reported that previous U.S. administrations “have revoked visas in this way — but not to the same degree.”

The apparent revocation of the visas of dozens of Mexican politicians and officials is “indicative of President Donald Trump’s willingness to use the diplomatic tool to achieve policy goals,” said Reuters, citing its conversations with former ambassadors to Mexico Earl Anthony Wayne and Roberta Jacobson, and ex-ambassador to Panama John Feeley.

ProPublica: US looks to revoke visas of Mexican politicians with alleged cartel ties

“The Trump administration is finding new ways to exert more pressure on Mexico,” said Wayne, ambassador to Mexico from 2011 to 2015.

Jacobson, ambassador to Mexico between 2016 and 2018, told Reuters that when she was a government official, the revocation of politicians’ U.S. visas usually only happened when they had been convicted of a crime or were subject to an ongoing criminal investigation.

According to Reuters, she said that the revocation of a visa could indicate that the person in question is under criminal investigation by the United States, but not necessarily.

“The likelihood is that you won’t know whether or not the U.S. is investigating potentially for years,” Jacobson said.

Feeley, who served as ambassador to Panama from 2015 to 2018, told Reuters that he didn’t recall any Panamanian politician having their visa revoked while he was the United States’ top diplomat in the Central American country.

He said that the apparent widespread revocations of Mexican politicians’ visas “could spur blowback, where President Sheinbaum sees collaborating with the U.S. [on security] as too high of a political cost.”

During the second Trump administration, officials in other Latin American countries, including Brazil and Costa Rica, have also had their U.S. visas revoked.

Reuters: Visa revocations send ‘shockwaves through Mexico’s political elite’

Reuters reported that the revocation of the U.S. visas of Mexican politicians and officials “has sent quiet shockwaves through Mexico’s political elite, who regularly travel to the U.S. and require a visa to do so.”

“It also marks a significant broadening of U.S. anti-narcotics action, with the Trump administration targeting active politicians usually seen as too diplomatically sensitive,” added the news agency.

The governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila, with her husband Carlos Torres, a politician and member of the ruling Morena party. — Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila and her husband Carlos Torres, from whom she recently filed for divorce, both lost their U.S. visas earlier this year. (@MarinadelPilar/X)

Among the politicians whose U.S. visas are known to have been revoked this year are:

Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila, who was elected on a Morena party ticket in 2021. She has denied any wrongdoing, saying that the revocation of her visa was “an administrative decision, not an accusation.”
Carlos Torres Torres, a former state and federal deputy, and soon-to-be ex-husband of the Baja California governor.
Juan Francisco Gim, the mayor of Nogales, Sonora. Gim is a Morena party politician.
Óscar Eduardo Castro Castro, the mayor of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora. Castro is also a Morena party politician.

An unnamed senior U.S. State Department official told Reuters that “visas, including those held by foreign officials, may be revoked at any time” for “activities that run contrary to America’s national interest.”

The official said those activities could include drug trafficking, visa overstay, corruption, spying or aiding illegal immigration.

Reuters reported that another unnamed source “with knowledge of the visa process said the revocations are part of Trump’s security strategy.”

That source added that “the administration’s designation of some cartels as terrorist organizations means intelligence held by the Drug Enforcement Administration increasingly impacts someone’s U.S. visa status.”

Asked on Tuesday morning about Reuters’ report, President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her government didn’t have information about the reported visa revocations.

“The United States government has been very clear in this, that it’s personal information. Who knows is the person who may have had their visa taken away,” she said.

“… It’s not information that they share with the government of Mexico, given that it’s personal information,” Sheinbaum said, adding that the U.S. government would only share such information if it was related to a “public security” investigation.

The news outlet ProPública reported in May that the Trump administration had “begun to impose travel restrictions and other sanctions on prominent Mexican politicians whom it believes are linked to drug corruption.”

At the time, only the Baja California governor and her husband had acknowledged the revocation of their visas, but ProPública reported U.S. officials as saying that “they expect more Mexicans to be targeted as the administration works through a list of several dozen political figures who have been identified by law enforcement and intelligence agencies as having ties to the drug trade.”

Asked on May 15 about a supposed U.S. “narco-list,” that allegedly includes the names of “narcogobernadores” (narco-governors) and other officials, Sheinbaum responded:

“There are a lot of rumors. They are rumors.”

In June, Reuters reported that “the Trump administration is pressuring Mexico to investigate and prosecute politicians with suspected links to organized crime, and to extradite them to the United States if there are criminal charges to answer there.”

Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and Sheinbaum denounced that reporting as “completely false.”

The president has defended Morena’s top senator, Adán Augusto López Hernández, who has faced mounting questions about what he knew about the alleged criminal activity of Hernán Bermúdez Requena, his security minister in Tabasco when he was governor of the Gulf coast state from 2019 to 2021. Bermúdez, who is accused of heading up a criminal group called La Barredora, was arrested in Paraguay last month and subsequently extradited to Mexico to face charges.

With reports from Reuters

Average rental price in CDMX forecast to surpass US $1,100 this year

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MND Staff

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October 14, 2025

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A house on Tonalá street in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, where 22 families were recently evicted on unclear grounds. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)

The average apartment rental price in Mexico City is projected to rise to 21,000 pesos (US $1,134) per month by the end of 2025, an increase of between 12 and 15% over 2024, the rental platform Mercado Libre Inmuebles announced on Tuesday.

The price increase stems from a range of factors, including increased demand for prime locations and the preference of renting rather than taking on a mortgage in the face of rising inflation, explained the platform’s senior manager for Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia, Juan Céspedes.

“The increase isn’t just an adjustment for inflation; it’s a direct result of people being willing to pay more to be close to work, prioritizing mobility and a central location,” Céspedes told the newspaper El Economista in an interview.

Rental prices for apartments in Mexico City range from 2,700 pesos ($145) to over 125,000 pesos ($6,750) a month, said Céspedes. The platform expects rental prices in the city to continue increasing in 2026, by between 8 to 10%.

“Construction is more expensive, and owners of new properties adjust rents upward to make their investment profitable,” Céspedes explained.

Céspedes also highlighted a shift in the size of average apartments in the capital, which range from 60 to 85 square meters.

“Value is no longer just about the square footage of the living space, but about the living experience. People prefer a small, efficient apartment that allows them to live close to work and have access to services,” said Céspedes.

"Fuera gringo!" is the battle cry of an emerging anti-gentrification movement in Mexico City. — “Fuera gringo!” is the battle cry of a small but growing anti-gentrification movement in Mexico City. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

Many of the city’s long-term residents have been hit hard by rental price increases in recent years, which is reflected in recent protests against gentrification.

Around 200 people recently participated in an anti-gentrification march in Mexico City, the third such protest in the capital in July. Many expressed their “rejection of the phenomenon of social displacement and the increase in the cost of housing in different areas of the city,” according to a government report.

An anti-gentrification group with almost 15,000 followers on its Instagram page held another protest, called the “Anti-Gentrification Grito,” on Sept. 14, the day before Mexico’s annual “Grito” of Independence.

The rise in popularity — and price — of certain locations, such as Roma, Condesa and Juárez, has pushed many residents to seek accommodation in emerging neighborhoods.

“Higher prices in prime areas have generated an influx of new corridors and previously underrated neighborhoods, such as Azcapotzalco or the well-connected eastern and southern areas,” explained Céspedes.

With reports from El Economista

Lawyer for high-profile defendants shot dead outside of Mexico City courthouse

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MND Staff

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October 14, 2025

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A lawyer who was shot outside the Ciudad Judicial court complex in Mexico City on Monday died in a hospital early Tuesday, authorities said.

David Cohen Sacal, a lawyer with the firm Cohen Medina Chávez, was shot in the head and thigh at point-blank range outside the José María Morelos y Pavón building of the court complex, located in the Doctores neighborhood of Mexico City.

The Mexico City Security Ministry said in a statement that an investigative police officer was in the area when the crime occurred and “repelled the attack,” wounding the alleged perpetrator, who was arrested and taken to the hospital.

The alleged aggressor, who was shot in the arm, was later identified as 18-year-old Héctor Hernández Escartín. He reportedly arrived at the crime scene on a motorbike, which was seized by police along with a firearm. The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

The Mexico City Attorney General’s Office (FGJ) said that Cohen died early on Tuesday morning.

“According to medical reports, the 48-year-old victim lost his life due to injuries caused by gunshot,” the FGJ said, noting that the lawyer was receiving medical care in a private hospital in Mexico City when he passed away.

The FGJ said on Monday that Cohen had died, but later on Monday night reported that wasn’t the case and that the lawyer was in “very serious condition.”

The newspaper Milenio stressed on Tuesday that the second notification of the lawyer’s death was “official.”

The victim was accompanied by two armed bodyguards at the time of the attack, but they were ultimately unable to protect Cohen.

Who was David Cohen?

David Cohen Sacal specialized in civil law, commercial law and administrative law litigation, according to a profile on the Cohen Medina Chávez website. Between 2000 and 2008, he taught a civil law subject at the Ibero-American University.

According to the newspaper Reforma, Cohen acted in “controversial cases like the long and violent conflict for control of” the Cruz Azul cement company and its soccer team. He represented former Cruz Azul president Guillermo “Billy” Álvarez Cuevas, among other prominent businesspeople. Álvarez was arrested in January on organized crime charges.

David Cohen represented telenovela actor Sebastián Rulli in a 2011 defamation lawsuit and in his divorce from Cecilia Galliano. — David Cohen represented telenovela actor Sebastián Rulli (R) in a 2011 defamation lawsuit and in his divorce from Cecilia Galliano. (Francisco Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)

Reforma also said that Cohen acted in a case defending victims of fraud perpetrated by a casino company. The newspaper noted that the lawyer also represented artists and politicians.

In 2020, the federal government’s Financial Intelligence Unit accused Cohen of receiving money illegally diverted from Cruz Azul.

Last Thursday, the lawyer posted a message on social media that was critical of the changes the previous and current federal governments made to the judiciary. The biggest change has been the election of Supreme Court justices, judges and magistrates in Mexico’s first judicial elections, held in June as a result of a judicial reform that took effect just before former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador left office last year.

Cohen wrote on X: “It took Mexico so many years and so much effort to establish a legal system and federal courts that were more or less independent and protected citizens, only for a bunch of ruffians to destroy it in just seven years.”

Politicians react to the attack

Senator Alejandro Moreno, national president of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), said on social media that the attack against Cohen was not an “isolated” incident.

“It’s the reflection of a country engulfed in violence, adrift and without any authority willing to take responsibility,” he wrote on X.

Green Party Senator Manuel Velasco, a former governor of Chiapas, acknowledged the death of Cohen in a social media post.

“With great sadness, we farewell our dear friend David Cohen,” he wrote on X.

With reports from El Universal, Reforma, Infobae, El Financiero, Milenio and El País

Using AI comes naturally to one of Mexico’s most innovative schools

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John Pint

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October 14, 2025

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sm-7 IMI — AI can be used to teach kids skills in a variety of disciplines, from mathematics to ecology. (IMI)

While school systems around the world debate whether children or even their teachers should use AI, Guadalajara’s award-winning Instituto México Inglés (IMI College) —accredited by Cognia, a major school-accreditation body that upholds U.S. educational standards throughout the world — has already incorporated Artificial Intelligence into its approach, one of the first schools in Mexico to do so.

Coaches instead of teachers

In 2015, IMI began replacing traditional textbooks, teachers and curricula with iPads, coaches and a monthly challenge that transforms students into investigators and researchers.

Kids at IMI school in Mexico — Young students at IMI have access to some of the most innovative learning tools in Mexico. (IMI)

Why coaches rather than teachers? Says IMI Director Luis Medina: “We call them coaches because we want them to behave like sports coaches. Sports coaches don’t do the push-ups for you, don’t play the game for you. They’re on the side supporting you, but you get to play the game.”

Every morning, the kids at IMI check their instructions for the day’s activities, and their coach tells them what they will be trying to accomplish. Then everybody puts their shoulder to the wheel.

Gemini to the rescue

Now, Medina told me, AI has been incorporated into the program, thanks to Google, which recently launched a version of its Gemini program designed for students under the age of 13.

“Each of our students now has his or her own specialized virtual assistant,” Medina told me. “So if a student didn’t understand something his coach explained in math, he can go to his ‘Math Gem’ and the Gem will explain everything. And, of course, you can converse with AI, as if it were a person. The Gem is told: ‘You are an expert in math for kids in third grade. Your job is to help the student.’

“Maybe the child says, ‘I didn’t understand addition and subtraction of fractions.’ So the AI explains how to add and subtract fractions. And it can keep on explaining until the student gets it. It has endless patience.”

Apart from Gemini, explained Medina, Google has created other AI programs for schools like his.

In the future, there will be only two kinds of students: those who can use AI to their benefit, and those who can’t. (IMI)

“There’s Google NotebookLM, for example. You just show a PDF to it and you say: turn this into a mental map, into a podcast, summarize it, turn it into a study guide.”

AI Studio

“Then there is AI Studio. It helps the students to create videos, images, presentations, or spreadsheets. These three applications give the student a lot of information and ways to do deeper investigations. For example, the student says, ‘Make me a video about a plant, showing all the stages from seed to flower.’

“Then the student shares this with his or her companions, and later this is included among the group’s monthly publications. They have to create a magazine with images, text and videos. They take the material AI gives them, and rework it, giving it their own personal touch.”

Google also has special forms of Gemini to assist the school’s staff. “We now have our own experts in psychology, planning, mathematics and even in educational law,” Medina says, “to make sure the teachers don’t do something that could be considered negligent or illegal.”

Kids turned into researchers

Since his school has done away with textbooks, I asked Medina what it is that students work on day by day.

I learned that every month, the coaches present the students with a challenge. For example, they might ask second graders, “How can you protect endangered species in your community?” More specifically, the children might be asked, “Which animals do I see in my community? How are they treated?”

Business project at IMI school — AI tools can also be used to inspire entrepreneurship in students. (IMI)

These might be followed by even more specific questions, like “What do I feel when I’m in contact with nature, with animals? How do I personally take care of them?”

Then they investigate. Which of these animals belongs to my state or my city or my country? What are their needs? Where do they live? What has happened to them?

All these questions lead the students into geographical and historical studies of the type Mexican educational authorities want to see. Then they might collaborate to create solutions to these problems, asking themselves, “What can we do? How can we prevent animals from becoming extinct?”

“It’s wonderful how they put these things into action,” Medina told me. “Little kids from second grade will put bird feeders outside their house. They come up with so many ideas!”

To carry out their research, the kids use an iPad. “You’d be amazed at what you can do with it,” says Medina. “It can become a microphone, a camera, a microscope, a telescope or a publisher. On your dining room table, it can project a chemistry set which you can actually use, or a model of a river basin, or even the entire solar system. It’s a powerful tool.”

The future of AI

“In the world of learning, where is AI taking us?” I asked another of Mexico’s innovative educators, who wishes to remain anonymous.

“One thing is clear,” she replied. “In a very near future, it’s not going to be about humans versus AI. It’s going to be between humans who know how to use AI in their favor and those who don’t. At one point in time, forks, knives and fire were super innovative. Well, fire is a technology that transformed us. But if you don’t use it carefully, you get burnt.”

To discover how Mexico News Daily is using AI innovation to help young learners in schools in Mexico and the United States, check out the MND Kids website.

John Pint has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, for more than 30 years and is the author of “A Guide to West Mexico’s Guachimontones and Surrounding Area” and co-author of “Outdoors in Western Mexico.” More of his writing can be found on his website.

Throttle therapy in the hills of Jalisco

By

Charlotte Smith

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October 14, 2025

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A woman in a white t-shirt stands next to a black touring motorcycle — Some days, you just need to jump on your bike and ride. Explore the Puerto Vallarta back country with Charlotte Smith, as she takes to the dirt roads of the Jalisco coast. (Charlotte Smith)

Sometimes, you don’t need a full-blown reason to jump onto a motorcycle and ride off into the horizon. There doesn’t have to be some dramatic burnout or emotional unraveling. Sometimes it takes nothing more than a simple tug in your gut that whispers, go. And if you’re lucky enough to be in Puerto Vallarta, that whisper turns into a roar the second your boots hit the pavement.

Recently, it was just one of those days. The house felt too quiet, my inbox was too full, and my brain was too loud. So when my boyfriend, Omar, looked at me with a smile and said, “Wanna ride?” There was only one acceptable answer. “Absolutely!”

Head the other way out of Puerto Vallarta, and suddenly you’re in the mountainous jungle, rich with life, culture and adventure. (Booking.com)

Forget the tour buses crammed with sunburned strangers and selfie sticks. There’s a different Puerto Vallarta for those of us on two wheels. You won’t find it in brochures or day-trip packages, but it’s there. It’s waiting just beyond the last set of traffic lights, where the cobblestone gives way to asphalt that winds into the hills like a promise.

We headed south out of town and then turned east, picking up Ruta 23 just past the Mojoneras area. It doesn’t look like much at first, just a narrow stretch of asphalt, patched here and there, rolling through the outer edge of the city. You’ll pass local buses, tiny tiendas, and families sitting on stoops watching the world roll by.

But give it a few miles, and Ruta 23 starts revealing itself.

Into the mountains

The road climbs slowly, not in a showy, dramatic way, but with quiet confidence. It’s not built for speed, but rather for looking up. It’s built for leaning into curves without needing to conquer them, and for remembering that the best rides are less about the destination and more about the way your shoulders start to drop with every turn.

The deeper into the hills we got, the more everything else faded. Notifications, work, and that’s vague sense you should be somewhere else; doing something more productive. Out on the road, none of that holds up. The world simplifies into nothing more than throttle, curve, breath, and repeat.

We passed through tiny ranchos so quiet we half-wondered if we were dreaming them. Dogs napped in the road, and kids played barefoot soccer in front yards that opened right into jungle. Sometimes we’d get a wave. Sometimes just a nod. But always that sense that we were guests in something slower and more grounded than the city allows.

A dirt road in the Jalisco mountains — The trails of the Jalisco hills are perfect for motorcycles. (Charlotte Smith)

We weren’t part of any tour group, and there were no signs in English. We were miles from any artisan markets or souvenir stands, and instead surrounded by a raw, beautiful Mexico that sometimes feels elusive after too long in a resort.

At one point, we pulled over at Mirador Mojoneras, a wide lookout where the mountains fold into each other like layers of green velvet. There’s no plaque and no fence, just a view that’ll gut punch you if you give it a second. We killed the engine, pulled off our helmets, and just stood there with the sun on our backs. Not talking, just breathing.

It’s wild how quiet it can get just thirty minutes from Puerto Vallarta’s bars and beach umbrellas. Up here, the sky stretches wider, and the wind is cooler. The road forgets the city, and so do you.

Watch out for beef

We didn’t time anything, just rode until something told us to stop. The ride becomes the destination, which is exactly the kind of therapy no guided tour will ever give you.

And then, the cows.

You always hear about animals in the road, but nothing quite prepares you for a full herd of horned cows parked across Ruta 23 like they were on strike. They weren’t in any rush, and they weren’t scared of us in the slightest. They were just a great wall of beef blocking our path.

Two white cows — Warning: Cows. (Charlotte Smith)

One especially massive bull looked at me like he was sizing up my soul. And maybe he was. I remembered, way too vividly, an episode of Jeremy Clarkson’s Farm where a similar bovine stare led to full panic, so I made a tactical jump and retreat behind Dora (our motorcycle, because it’s “the explorer”) while my boyfriend laughed and attempted slow, non-threatening negotiations with the herd. Eventually, we made it through with a little more humility than we had going in.

Not long after, the trees got thicker, and the road rougher. There’s something adventurous about being on a motorcycle when all around you are potholes, mud patches and loose gravel. Dora handled it like she always does, sure-footed and stubborn, like she was born for this kind of backroad freedom.

At the far reaches of Ruta 23, we reached Rancho Las Vegas. Not to be confused with its neon-lit American cousin, this place is the opposite of flashing lights and ringing slot machines. It’s quiet. It smells like pine, and dirt, and something cooking somewhere in the distance.

There’s a creek that runs nearby. It’s nothing fancy, just water dancing over rocks and roots. We found a flat spot, took off our gear, let the silence wash over us, and passed a cold bottle of Topo Chico between us.

We sat there longer than we meant to, saying things like “How is this just here?” and “We should do this more often,” even though we already knew we wouldn’t wait long before coming back.

We rolled back into the city covered in dust and grinning like two kids who got away with something. We were tired in the best way; that full in the soul kind of tired instead of full in the stomach. We felt a little more connected to each other, to the road, and to the parts of ourselves that don’t get much airtime in the noise of everyday life.

Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas (Jalisco). (Charlotte Smith)

Ruta 23 won’t be on most tourist maps. It’s not a major highway, and it doesn’t lead to a famous beach or a UNESCO heritage site. But if you’re on a motorcycle in Puerto Vallarta, and you’re craving something real, somewhere the road takes you deeper than a brochure ever could, this is it.

Don’t overthink it. Don’t over-plan it. Just get on the bike and go. The open road will handle the rest.

And if a herd of cows decides to test your nerve along the way? Smile, breathe, and for the love of all that’s holy, respect the horns.

Charlotte Smith is a writer and journalist based in Mexico. Her work focuses on travel, politics, and community. You can follow along with her travel stories at www.salsaandserendipity.com.

Gulf of California whales sue for their right to a livable habitat

By

MND Staff

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October 13, 2025

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candles in shape of a whale — Activists place candles in the shape of a whale to protest the planned gas plant that would transport gas across the Gulf of California, one of the issues in the lawsuit that has been brought on behalf of the whales native to that body of water. (Daniel August/Cuartoscuro)

A coalition of organizations has filed a potentially groundbreaking lawsuit on behalf of Gulf of California whales as deserving of legal protections equivalent to human rights.

The lawsuit — accepted by a district judge last week — seeks to have the Gulf of California declared “a critical habitat” in accordance with Mexico’s General Wildlife Law in order to conserve and protect the species that live there, as required by the Constitution and international treaties.

whale poster — As this poster pleads, “Whales are demanding justice!” That’s almost literally true as a lawsuit filed on their behalf seeks to establish for them certain legal rights, such as a livable habitat. (@VeroSantamariaC/X)

The litigation also seeks to halt the expansion of fossil gas megaprojects in the Gulf of California, also known as the “Aquarium of the World.”

The lawsuit — filed in District Courts in the state of Sonora and in Mexico City on Sept. 30 — hopes to pave the way for legal recognition of nature as a subject of rights.

The NGO Nuestro Futuro is managing the groundbreaking litigation on behalf of the whales and all marine mammals that inhabit, transit or reproduce in the Gulf of California.

Attorney Nora Cabrera said the lawsuit is based on Mexico’s constitutional obligations to conserve biodiversity as stated in Article 27. The litigation also cites Article 4, which refers to the right to a healthy environment — including for animals.

“Whales, due to their intrinsic value as beings, are demanding that the State take care of them and protect them from the expansion of gas projects in the Gulf of California,” Cabrera told the newspaper Milenio.

One immediate goal is to revoke “irregular” permits granted to the controversial US $30-billion Saguaro LNG Project located in Puerto Libertad, Sonora, without the benefit of environmental impact studies. The project would convert a former regasification plant into a liquefied natural gas plant whose production would be exported in large LNG tankers across the Gulf of California, threatening the UNESCO World Heritage site, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

92 gray whales have washed up dead in Baja California Sur, the worst die-off in decades

A similar case made its way through Mexican courts over the past two years as Maya human rights defenders sought protection for melipona bees in the Yucatán Peninsula

In November 2024, a district judge recognized the ecological and cultural value of the bees which have been cultivated by the Maya for centuries and, according to the newspaper El País, five months later another judge granted the bees the same legal representation that the whales have been granted. That case has not progressed further, however.

If successful, the whales’ lawsuit will set a historic precedent: species and ecosystems will be able to defend themselves in court to preserve their existence, which, Nuestro Futuro claims, will strengthen climate justice as well as human beings’ right to a healthy environment.

With reports from Animal Político, El País, W Radio and Milenio

Sheinbaum takes heat for flood response: Monday’s mañanera recapped

By

MND Staff

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October 13, 2025

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Sheinbaum Oct. 13, 2025 — "Were there no alerts? Was the population not informed in time? Did you not receive enough information? What happened?" a reporter asked the president on Monday. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

The flooding that has claimed scores of lives across four states — and the government’s response to it — was the central focus of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Monday morning press conference.

National Civil Protection chief Laura Velázquez reported that the death toll had risen to 64, with 65 other people missing.

The fatalities occurred in Veracruz, Hidalgo, Puebla and Querétaro.

Sheinbaum: There are ‘sufficient resources’ to respond to the flooding

Sheinbaum acknowledged that the federal National Disasters Fund (Fonden) no longer exists, but asserted that there is sufficient money in the budget to provide “all the support that is needed” to respond to the widespread flooding.

In 2025, there is 19 billion pesos in the budget (just over US $1 billion) for natural disaster relief, she said, explaining that only around 3 billion pesos of that amount has been used to date.

“There are sufficient resources,” Sheinbaum said, adding that the government wouldn’t “skimp on” its response.

Fonden was abolished in 2021 during the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. In 2020, AMLO claimed that the fund had been used as a “petty cash box” by corrupt officials.

Sheinbaum: Rain of such ‘magnitude’ was not expected

A reporter noted that the death toll associated with the flooding, and the number of missing people, are both high.

Flooding death toll reaches 64, Veracruz most affected with 29 dead, 18 missing

“Were there no alerts? Was the population not informed in time? Did you not receive enough information? What happened?” the reporter asked the president.

“I’m going to ask the navy minister to explain how this meteorological phenomenon occurred,” Sheinbaum said.

“… There was a warning that there would be heavy rains, but several phenomena occurred … that produced this intense rainfall, which was not expected to be of this magnitude,” she said.

“In other words, there was no scientific or meteorological condition that could have indicated to us that the rain would be of this magnitude,” Sheinbaum said.

Navy Minister Raymundo Morales indicated that a range of weather systems, including Tropical Storm Priscilla, Tropical Storm Raymond, Tropical Storm Octave, a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Veracruz and a cold front that moved into Mexico from Texas, created significant “atmospheric activity” and contributed to the heavy rain in states including Veracruz, Hidalgo and Puebla.

He noted that Mexico is currently in the “final part” of the rainy season and consequently rivers “are at a maximum level of capacity,” while “water tables are quite loaded.”

Consequently, various rivers burst their banks, which caused flooding, Morales said.

“This is predictable, it can be identified from analyzing the meteorological context. However, identifying exactly how much rain is going to fall isn’t so easy,” he said.

The navy minister said that warnings to move away from rivers were issued to residents in Veracruz, which has recorded the highest number of fatalities.

“For that reason, we were able to prevent some losses of human lives and assets,” Morales said.

‘I explained to them that more support was going to arrive’

Sheinbaum acknowledged that she faced criticism from residents of Poza Rica during her visit on Sunday to the flood-affected municipality in Veracruz.

“I personally got out of the vehicle so I could listen to the people,” she said.

Sheinbaum said that people “fairly” asked for more help, for “more tools” to remove “all this mud” in the city, and for “support” for families.

“I explained to them that more support was going to arrive and that, in addition, [damage] censuses were going to be carried out and no family would be left abandoned,” she said.

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

A sharp drop in hotel occupancy has the Tulum tourism sector worried

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MND Staff

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October 13, 2025

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Privacy for sunbathers has been easier to find on Tulum beaches lately as hotel occupancy plummeted in September. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

A sharp drop in hotel occupancy in the Quintana Roo resort destination of Tulum is causing alarm among the local tourism and commercial sectors, with videos circulating on social media showing empty streets, restaurants and beaches.

Hotel occupancy fell by 17.5 percentage points in September compared to the same month last year, from 66.7% to 49.2%, according to the state Tourism Ministry (Sedetur).

Tulum price chart — High prices for attractions, especially for foreign tourists, have been cited as a possible reason for the dip in tourists to Tulum. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

Mayor Diego Castañón did not deny the low figures, attributing them to a slower-than-usual low season. But he claimed that the seriousness of the situation has been exaggerated by a smear campaign orchestrated by the private sector and social media influencers.

He assured the media that tourism to Tulum should rebound from November through the end of the year.

The governor’s interpretation of the tourism drop is not universally shared, especially since the slowdown began to be noticeable over the summer, typically a high season for the beach destination.

Jorge Portillo Mánica, a member of the Tulum City Council, reported that during the 2025 summer break, hotels in the area of Tulum had reached a mere 15% occupancy.

“This isn’t a game,” Portillo said back then. “Tulum is experiencing its worst tourism crisis, and the sargassum is compounding the worst tourist season in history.”

Haydee Hernández, head of the Tourism Promotion for the Tulum City Council, told the news outlet Animal Político that one of the causes behind the atypical tourism drop during this slow season is the large quantities of sargassum washing up on the coast.

The noxious seaweed invaded Quintana Roo’s beaches with unprecedented intensity for much of the year. The situation became so critical over the summer that nearly all beaches from the northern part of Tulum to the southern coast of Playa del Carmen, as well as the eastern part of Cozumel, were on red alert.

However, social media users are blaming the decline in tourism on the high costs of lodging, recreational activities and food.

“Even small shops wanted to sell you a soda for 200 pesos. I hope they saved up for the time they [now have] to enjoy it,” a user said in a post with over 69,000 likes.

With reports from Animal Político, El Economista and Milenio

Archaeologists discover rare scorpion-shaped mound likely used for solar observation

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MND Staff

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October 13, 2025

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diagram of a scorpion-shaped mound in southeastern Mexico — In Mesoamerican cosmogony, the scorpion was a prominent celestial deity associated with Venus, the morning star, which in turn was linked to Tláloc and Quetzalcóatl, deities of rain and wind, respectively. (J. Neely et al., Ancient Mesoamerica 2025)

A 1,400-year-old scorpion-shaped effigy mound discovered in the Tehuacán Valley in the state of Puebla might have served as an astronomical observatory, researchers say.

The discovery, disclosed in the University of Cambridge’s Ancient Mesoamerica journal, has been described as “unprecedented.” Effigy mounds — prehistoric earthen mounds shaped like an animal, spirit or other figure — are common in the midwestern United States, but extremely uncommon in Mesoamerica.

Archaeologists came across the mound and plaza complex in 2004 while conducting a survey to document the prehistoric canal systems in the central portion of the Tehuacán Valley, about 160 miles southeast of Mexico City.

The scorpion-shaped mound is strategically placed in the center of the largest preserved prehistoric irrigation system in Mesoamerica, comprising approximately 100 square kilometers of canals that have functioned continuously for more than 4,000 years.

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which collaborated on the research, said in a press release that, based on the evidence gathered, the site appears to have been “part of a civic/ceremonial complex possibly used for astronomical observation.”

Researchers surmise that the orientation of the scorpion-shaped structure allowed the ancient inhabitants of the Tehuacán Valley to observe exactly when the sun rose over specific points of the mound during the solstices, enabling them to optimize their crops in one of Mexico’s driest regions.

If it was used for solar observation, researchers said it could provide “an insight into the integration of calendrical ritual with the surrounding complex system of fields and irrigation canals.”

The scorpion mound is 62.5 meters (205 feet) long, its body, head and pincers extending in an east-northeast orientation. It is 13.2 meters (43 feet) wide by 80 centimeters (31 inches) high and the space between the pincers is 22.1 meters (72.5 feet).

In Mesoamerican cosmogony, the scorpion was a prominent celestial deity associated with Venus, the morning star, which in turn was linked to Tláloc and Quetzalcóatl, deities of rain and wind, respectively.

A must-visit: the breathtaking Tehuacán biosphere in Puebla

Also uncovered at the site — within the tail and stinger of the scorpion — were large quantities of ceramics, including surface-decorated and polychromes, indicating a Late Classic and Postclassic occupation.

The discovery of the ceramics not only revealed the mound’s age, but also hinted at its social and economic significance.

The ceramic diversity — the materials correspond to ceramics from Cholula, the Mixteca region of Oaxaca and the Gulf of Mexico — suggests the site was a fundamental part of the valley’s commercial and social networks with the main power centers of Mesoamerica.

A modern offering was found on top of the head, according to INAH. The offering consisted of two light and dark brown tripod vessels containing tobacco and chili peppers, suggesting that the site continues to be part of the cultural practices of the present-day population.

With reports from Archaeology News and El Sol de Puebla

Macario Martínez, the former CDMX street sweeper, lights up NPR’s celebrated ‘Tiny Desk Concert’

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MND Staff

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October 13, 2025

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Macario Martínez performing — The cozy confines of NPR's "Tiny Desk" has hosted some of the world's most talented singer-songwriters, and now Macario Martínez is one of them. (YouTube)

A Mexico City street sweeper whose sweet, simple music turned him into a viral sensation eight months ago reached another plateau last week with an appearance on NPR’s celebrated “Tiny Desk Concert” series.

Macario Martínez was an aspiring 23-year-old musician when his music video — recorded in his work uniform after his shift with Mexico City’s sanitation department — went viral in February.

Mexico City sanitation worker blows up on TikTok with viral song

Less than 24 hours later, the yearning lyrics and simple guitar of “Sueña Lindo, Corazón” (“Sweet dreams, sweetheart”) had captivated thousands on social media.

“Life demands a lot, and I’m just a street sweeper who wants you to hear his music,” he posted, drawing empathy nationwide.

Flash forward to last Friday, when Martínez followed in the footsteps of an eye-popping list of major stars who had made “Tiny Desk” appearances over the past 17 years — including Sting, Dua Lipa, Alicia Keys, Ed Sheeran, Jackson Browne, Adele, John Legend, Bad Bunny, Dave Matthews and Justin Bieber.

The list also includes many Mexican standouts, such as Carín León and Grupo Frontera in a pair of recent appearances highlighting regional Mexican music, as well as the soul-stirring Natalie Lafourcade in 2017 (the 13th most-watched of all-time) and the poetic Silvana Estrada in 2021.

Like his predecessors, Martínez played in NPR’s famous cramped space, behind a work desk surrounded by shelves cluttered with books, memorabilia and office supplies — an unlikely venue that’s nevertheless coveted by top-of-the-line musicians.

He appeared during Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S., which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. During that timespan, NPR Music has “rebranded” the series “El Tiny” and has been celebrating with appearances by Cuban-American superstar Gloria Estefan, Colombian pop star Carlos Vives, Argentine rock icon Fito Páez and others.

Macario Martinez: Tiny Desk Concert

Watch this video on YouTube

Martínez played with four musicians and a distinctive array of traditional instruments — including the “mosquito” jarana jarocha (the smallest version of a guitar-shaped instrument from Veracruz) and a quijada de burro (a “jawbone of a donkey” that makes a distinctive rattling sound when struck).

He debuted songs from his upcoming album, “Si mañana ya no estoy” (“If I’m Not Here Tomorrow”), due for release later this month, with a set list of “Sueña Lindo, Corazón,” “Estrellas,” “Enhierbado” and “Azul.”

“Sueña Lindo, Corazón” was Martínez’s original viral hit, which has largely been scrubbed from online. In the months since then, an “official” video of the song — which includes lyrics that translate to “How come the not-knowing hurts so much?” — has been released.

It was recorded in Veracruz, his home state before he moved to the north side of Mexico City and became a street sweeper, a job he has since left to focus on music full time.

Going into the final song of his set, Martínez spoke about himself and his bandmates.

“We all come from pretty remote places in Mexico,” he said in Spanish. “Each of us, we’ve been through a lot in our lives. And today, life’s path brought us here. This song is called ‘Azul’, and long live Mexico.”

Martinez’s 14-minute “Tiny Desk Concert” can be viewed on YouTube with English subtitles. As of Monday morning, it was closing in on 500,000 views.

With reports from Infobae, N+ and NPR