Wednesday, June 18, 2025

AMLO’s ‘Well-being Playlist’ is actually pretty good

By
Rose Egelhoff
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AMLO's Bienestar playlist
While conceived as a bit of a finger-wagging exercise to suggest music with more "values" to Mexico's youth, the writer finds that AMLO's choices are pretty entertaining. (Shutterstock)

The playlist started in late June, after President López Obrador casually commented on the pointlessness of having a Mercedes SUV.

“What’s the use — like some song says — that I have my Mercedes Benz, a Mercedes Benz truck? As if material objects were the most important thing,” AMLO said before recommending that young people listen instead to music like the song “Ya Supérame” (“Get Over Me Already”) by Grupo Firme.

"AMG" song music video clip by Natanael Cano
The song that inspired AMLO’s playlist: “AMG,” by Natanael Cano, Gabito Ballesteros and Peso Pluma, is an ode to the singer’s favorite ride — the Mercedes-Benz AMG G-class SUV — and the criminal work he did to afford it. (Warner Music Latina-Los CT Records)

Observers quickly realized that the song mentioned by the president was the international hit “AMG” by Gabito Ballesteros, Peso Pluma and Natanael Cano. The song is an ode to the singer’s dream car, a Mercedes-AMG G-class SUV, and the work it took to get it, namely “moving ice” (meth) and being good with numbers.

“AMG” is what’s known as a corrido tumbado, a genre that combines traditional Mexican storytelling corridos with elements of trap, reggaeton and more. Many are narcocorridos — ballads that tell stories of drug traffickers and their lifestyles.

In “AMG,” the celebration of conspicuous consumption, along with its drug references, earned the president’s ire and inspired him to share his own playlist of youth-friendly songs as a more positive alternative to corridos tumbados.

His decidedly wholesome playlist showcases a variety of Latin American music, mostly contemporary Mexican artists. For a deeper understanding of the songs, search online for transcripts of the Spanish lyrics — called letras — or for translations.

Grupo Firme - Ya Superame - (Video Oficial)

“Ya Supérame” — Grupo Firme

Musical genres: norteña, banda sinaloense

AMLO kicked off his playlist with a corrido he has previously dedicated to his enemies. “Ya Supérame” (“Get Over Me Already”) starts with a booming tuba and the question “What part do you not understand when I tell you no? The ‘N’ or the ‘O’?”

The singer tells his toxic ex to take a hint while celebrating his own emotional liberation.

 

“No Se Va” — Grupo Frontera

Musical genre: norteña (cover of Columbian pop song)

If you live in Mexico, chances are you’ve heard “No Se Va” (“Don’t Leave”). Grupo Frontera started recording covers like this one, of a track by Colombian folk-pop band Morat, in 2019.

Released last April, it wasn’t until late 2022 that this song really took off, driven mostly by viewers on YouTube and TikTok.

 

“Te Mereces Un Amor” — Vivir Quintana

Genre: ranchera, Mexican folk

“Te Mereces Un Amor” (“You Deserve a Love”) is an earnest tribute to healthy love, woven from a mix of poetic metaphor and plainspoken affirmations. Singer and composer Vivir Quintana is also the composer of the feminist anthem “Canción Sin Miedo.”

She describes her sound as ranchero azul, a combination of ranchera music and the blues.

 

“Frágil” — Yahritza y Su Esencia and Grupo Frontera

Genres: sierreña, norteña

Yahritza y Su Esencia is a Washington state-based group of three siblings. Last year, Yahritza became the youngest Latin artist ever to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

Despite being separated this year while oldest brother Mando regularized his immigration status, the trio released “Frágil” in collaboration with Grupo Frontera in April, and it quickly went viral on TikTok.

 

“Latinoamérica” —  Calle 13, featuring Lila Downs

Genres: Hip hop, various

Puerto Rican alternative rap group Calle 13 once called this song “the most important track of our career.” The song is almost a hymn, celebrating the beauty, pain, history and culture that ties Latin America together.

Residente / Calle 13 & Lila Downs - Latinoamérica (En Vivo) [2016] HD

The version recommended by the president also features an appearance by celebrated Mexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs.

 

“América” — Los Tigres Del Norte

Genre: norteña

Another celebration of Latin American identity, “América” reclaims the word “American” as a way to refer to anyone born in the Americas. This popular version from “MTV Unplugged” also includes an extended break, with Calle 13 rapping part of “Latinoamérica.”

Los Tigres Del Norte - América (En Directo Desde Los Angeles MTV Unplugged) ft. Calle 13

 

“Tenías Que Ser Tú” — Silvana Estrada ft. Daniel, Me Estás Matando

Genres: pop, jazz, son jarocho

In this whimsical love song, Veracruz singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada slips between major and minor keys, accompanied by the Mexico City duo Daniel, Me Estás Matando. 

“Oye Mujer” — Raymix

Genres: Electrocumbia, trance

Raymix, the “king of electrocumbia,” hails from México state. Before “Oye Mujer” blew up in Mexico City’s cumbia sonidero scene in 2015, Raymix studied aerospace engineering and interned for NASA, where he worked on satellite design.

 

“unx100to” — Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny

Genres: norteña, reggaeton

“un x100to” (“One Percent”) doesn’t really count as reggaeton. What it does have is a reggaeton-like beat with norteña instrumentation and Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, an artist credited with bringing reggaeton into the global mainstream. The song tells the tale of a breakup that the singer initiated but now regrets.

 

La Santa Cecilia - Monedita

“Monedita” — La Santa Cecilia

Genres: pop, cumbia and various regional Mexican styles

“Your life looks grim without the coin’s shine,” La Santa Cecilia sings in this anti-materialist manifesto. The song is obviously included on the playlist as a rebuke to the consumerism on display in many corridos tumbados, but don’t worry: the preachy premise goes over much better coming from the talented La Santa Cecilia than it does from AMLO or any other politician.

 

“El Poder De Tus Manos” — Intocable

Genres: pop, norteña, tejana

Intocable - El Poder De Tus Manos

In this romantic 2002 ballad, Texas’ Intocable pays tribute to the hands (of a lover, presumably) that catch the singer when he falls and heal him when he’s hurt.

 

“Amor y Control” by Rubén Blades 

Genres: salsa, Latin jazz

AMLO’s last recommendation comes from iconic Panamanian singer Rubén Blades, the oldest artist on the list. Did AMLO get tired and toss out the name of one of his favorite songs to finish the playlist? Maybe, but it’s still worth listening to this song about the meaning of family.

 

Bonus songs:

“AMG” — Gabito Ballesteros, Peso Pluma and Natanael Cano

Genre: corrido tumbado

https://youtu.be/DWRj2BB8YHs

When was the last time you heard a trombone solo in a mainstream hit? “AMG,” the song that inspired AMLO’s playlist, has that and more, blending the horns of banda sinaloense with all kinds of other regional Mexican sounds into a hedonistic celebration of cars, girls, champagne and cash to spare.

Natanael Cano x Peso Pluma x Gabito Ballesteros - AMG | Video Oficial

There are corridos that don’t promote narco culture, but this isn’t one of them.

“La Bebe” —  Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma

Genre: corrido tumbado

Last but not least, this song comes to you not from AMLO’s list but another recent presidential playlist: Peso Pluma’s hit song “La Bebe” made it onto former U.S. president Barack Obama’s 2023 summer playlist.

As you might expect, this club-ready corrido tumbado stays away from the drug dealing and keeps things romantic-ish with a thumping reggaeton beat.

Rose Egelhoff is a freelance writer based in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. Follow her work at RoseEgelhoff.com

The Pastry War’s costly legacy: debts and loss of Mexican territory

By
Sheryl Losser
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Watercolor painting of French and Mexican soldiers fighting in Veracruz.
Though usually played down in Mexican historical narratives in light of the era's more dramatic events, the Pastry War was a sign of things to come in Mexico's difficult nineteenth century. (François d'Orléans, prince de Joinville, "Mexique 1838, Combat de Vera Cruz")

Though the name “Pastry War” may evoke images of bakers hurling eclairs and ganache at each other, it was actually something much more serious: the first French intervention in Mexico.  

Called the Guerra de los Pasteles by Mexicans and the Guerre des Pâtisseries by the French, it was a minor episode in the long history of Mexico but one that had serious consequences.

Expedition of Vice-Admiral Baudin to Mexico painting
The first fleet sent by Louis Philippe was defeated by yellow fever; it was a second, stronger fleet, led by Rear Admiral Charles Baudin, that actually attacked Veracruz in November 1838. (Théodore Gudin, Expedition of Vice-Admiral Baudin to Mexico [1839])

The Pastry War was short-lived, lasting approximately five months, from November 1838 to March 1839. But it began with an incident that occurred 10 years earlier. By 1828, Mexico had sunk into chaos following independence from Spain in 1821.

The capital had become lawless, with rioting and looting rampant. Elections were fraudulent, and the government was corrupt and in turmoil as presidents came and went abruptly, ousted by coup d’etats and executed or sent into exile. 

The Mexican War of Independence was quite destructive, leaving up to half a million dead and greatly weakening the country’s productive capacity. The independence factions were also bitterly divided, making the 1820s and 1830s a time of major political upheaval and civil unrest. In Mexico’s first 20 years of independence alone, the position of head of state switched hands more than 20 times.

The treasury was in shambles, and Mexico had longstanding debts to a number of European countries, including France. 

"French troops assault a Mexican convent, attack on the house of Arista," painting by by P. Pharamond.
Capturing the Mexican officers Santa Anna and José Mariano Arista was one of the central goals of the French force that stormed Veracruz on the morning of December 5, 1838; they caught Arista, but Santa Anna escaped. (Petros Pharamond, “French troops assault a Mexican convent, attack on the house of Arista”)

In 1828, a man identified by history only as “Monsieur Remontel” demanded reparations from the Mexican government, claiming that drunk military officers had looted and destroyed his pastry shop in Tacubaya, at the time a quiet town on the outskirts of Mexico City.

Unable to secure compensation from the government, Remontel appealed to the French charge d’affaires, who took his case to King Louis-Philippe I in 1837, along with the grievances of other French citizens. 

Although historical accounts focus mainly on the pastry shop episode, tensions were already running high between France and Mexico in the 1830s over a series of abuses committed against French citizens in Mexico, including French merchants having had their businesses destroyed in the Parián Riot of 1828, in which a mob of 5,000 attacked and looted a cluster of luxurious shops in Mexico City’s Parián market in the Zócalo main square.

The name “Pastry War,” coined by Mexican and European journalists at the time, conceals this context; historian Javier Torres Medina writes that it gives “a sense of ridiculousness and absurdity to a diplomatic conflict that was in fact very serious and complex.”

Épisode de l'expédition du Mexique en 1838, painting by Horace Vernet.
François d’Orléans, Prince of Joinville, observes the shelling of the fort of San Juan de Ulúa. (Horace Vernet, “Épisode de l’expédition du Mexique en 1838”)

The French king took the opportunity of addressing his subjects’ grievances to demand that Mexico finally repay its debt to France. Louis-Philippe issued an ultimatum to then-President Anastasio Bustamante y Oseguera, demanding 600,000 pesos in reparations. Bustamante ignored the demand; Mexico could not afford to pay it anyway.

The French monarch insisted on payment and sent warships to blockade the port of Veracruz, Mexico’s main Gulf port, to force Mexico’s hand. Negotiations began, and at one point, Mexico offered to pay the 600,000 in installments, but refused France’s other demand: that France have access to retail markets in Mexico, something not allowed at the time.

After months of diplomatic efforts broke down, in November, France’s fleet began shelling the fort of San Juan de Ulúa, which guarded the entrance to Veracruz.  Mexico declared war and sent troops, but the French captured the city.

This defeat created an opportunity for one of the major players of the time: Mexico’s former president Antonio López de Santa Anna. Held responsible by the Mexican public for the loss of Texas in the Texas Revolution (1835-1836), Santa Anna had been living out his retirement in disgrace. He rushed to Veracruz to lead defensive troops. The Mexicans lost the battle, but Santa Anna emerged as a national hero. The leg he lost in the fighting was buried with full military honors.

Anastasio Bustamante Oseguera portrait
Mexico’s president during the Pastry War, Anastasio Bustamante, was leading a country highly in debt and with little in the treasury. (National Archives)

With its major port out of commission, Mexico was forced to smuggle goods out of Corpus Christi in the Republic of Texas, which hadn’t yet been incorporated into the United States.  Distrustful of Mexico and wanting cordial relations with France, the United States sent the USS Woodbury — a 120-ton topsail schooner — to join the blockade. 

When Mexico then sent soldiers to Corpus Christi Bay to secure their supplies, Texas raised a large militia and repelled them.

After several months of poorly funded battle, Mexico finally relented and, through British diplomatic channels, agreed to pay France’s 600,000 pesos in installments. In March of 1839, the French withdrew from Veracruz. 

Soon afterward, Bustamante’s government collapsed, and Santa Anna — his prestige and prominence restored during the war — assumed the presidency in the interim before the next election could be held; it was his fifth time serving in that office.

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
Mexico’s former president Antonio López de Santa Anna, in a photo taken circa 1853.

Though relatively brief, the Pastry War was financially costly for Mexico. It added another 600,000 pesos to Mexico’s mounting debt with France, and the government had to fund the rebuilding of the Veracruz harbor. It had lost months of tariff revenue from its most important port, further weakening the country financially before the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). This lack of money forced the government during that war to accept a peace compromise in which it ceded half of its territory to the United States. 

Mexico’s debts and diminished stature would also eventually make it a target for a second French intervention — which culminated in France installing Archduke Maximilian of Austria as the Emperor of Mexico in 1864 — giving France a foothold in the Americas and access to Latin American markets, until Mexico executed Maximilian in 1867 and drove the French out for good.

Sheryl Losser is a former public relations executive and professional researcher.  She spent 45 years in national politics in the United States. She moved to Mazatlán in 2021 and works part-time doing freelance research and writing.

IMF improves economic growth outlook for Mexico this year

By
Cat Rainsford
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0
imf and mexico

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has increased its 2023 growth forecast for Mexico to 2.6%, a 0.8 percentage point improvement on the 1.8% growth it predicted in April.

This improved outlook reflects the positive economic results Mexico has seen over recent months. The economy grew 1.1% in the first quarter of 2023, exceeding analysts’ expectations and building on six consecutive quarters of growth as the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

President López Obrador poses in front of a graph showing consistent increases in the minimum wage, a factor that has positively impacted the labor market and individual purchasing power. (lopezobrador.org.mx)

Analysts attribute Mexico’s strong performance to a range of factors, including a strong labor market, government welfare spending and the growing nearshoring phenomenon. Although inflation remains above target, it has declined to its lowest level in two years, while average wages in real terms are increasing.

Mexico’s Finance Ministry has made a similar growth projection of 3.0% for this year, while Gabriel Castillas, chief economist for Latin America at Barclays, believes Mexico could even be on track to exceed that figure.

These positive forecasts keep coming despite an apparent economic slowdown in May. Although the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) predicted 0.4% growth for the month, the recently-released Global Indicator of Economic Activity showed 0% growth.

High interest rates, typically a factor of concern when looking at a country’s overall economic health, could darken the IMF’s long-term economic outlook. Even though the IMF  boosted Mexico’s growth forecast for 2023, it slightly cut Mexico’s 2024 growth forecast, from 1.6% to 1.5%.

Banxico
Mexico’s central bank (Banxico) must decide whether to begin lowering the interest rate of 11.25% as inflation continues to slow. (Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro.com)

At a regional level, the IMF increased its 2023 growth forecast for Latin America from 1.6% to 1.9%, largely due to the strong performance of large economies such as Mexico and Brazil. The 2024 prediction is slightly higher, at 2.2%.

The forecast is still significantly below 2022’s growth of 3.9%, which signaled the end of the COVID-19 recovery period. It would make Latin America the slowest-growing of the emerging market regions, but still a stronger performer than the Eurozone, which has projected growth of 0.9% for 2023, or the United States, which is projected to grow 1.8%.

Globally, the IMF predicts 3.0% growth for 2023, down from 3.5% in 2022. Its general policy recommendations are that governments maintain measures to control inflation, while gradually phasing out pandemic-era fiscal supports.

Overall, it considers that the global economy has proved resilient in the face of the challenges of the last few years, but sees risks for the future: namely, in the fragmentation of the global economy into regional blocs and insufficient progress on the climate transition.

With reports from Sin Embargo and El Economista

Guanajuato emerges as prime location for medical device industry

By
MND Staff
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The state of Guanajuato has a young workforce, central location and infrastructure to offer as a destination for the medical device manufacturing industry. (Entrada Group)

Which country has the youngest population out of the three USMCA trade partners? That’s right – the indisputable answer is Mexico.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook, the median age of the almost 130 million people who call Mexico home is 29.3, whereas the median is 38.5 in the United States and 41.8 in Canada.

Entrada Group
The median age in Mexico is 29.3 years old, making for a competitive workforce. (Entrada Group)

Mexico’s youthful population is a significant asset to the country’s labor market, as large numbers of young men and women frequently graduate from universities and other training institutes and promptly look to use their newfound knowledge and recently-developed skills in formal employment.

The motivation of young Mexicans to succeed in the workplace and their adeptness with new technologies are among a range of other reasons why they are desirable employees, including for foreign companies setting up in Mexico to take advantage of the country’s proximity to the United States, the world’s largest economy.

While many major companies, both Mexican and foreign, are based in Mexico’s most populous hubs – Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey – at least partially because of the presence of large talent pools, certain other regions of the country are also attractive places to operate due to factors such as their location, the available infrastructure, their experience with and openness to particular economic sectors, and their own young, educated and motivated workers.

One such region is the Bajío, especially the state of Guanajuato, where automotive manufacturing is a major driver of the local economy. Aerospace sector manufacturing has taken off in Guanajuato recent years, while the production of medical devices could be the next big thing.

Entrada Group
(Entrada Group)

For obvious reasons, medical device manufacturing is an important sector, especially as the world’s population ages. Additional investment in Mexico’s large and growing medical devices sector will help to meet the growing demand of healthcare providers in the USMCA region and beyond – and could be a lucrative enterprise at the same time.

Whether a company is looking to establish a new plant to make medical devices, or contract out manufacturing of those products on an as-needed basis, Guanajuato is an attractive option.

Guanajuato: A Prime Destination for Medical Device Manufacturing 

Situated about 250 kilometers northwest of Mexico City and bordering the states of Jalisco, Michoacán, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí and Querétaro, Guanajuato is an enviable location for medical device manufacturers. There are plenty of reasons for this, the most important of which are outlined below.

  • Guanajuato is Mexico’s leading non-border state for exports, and has a long history of manufacturing high-quality products across a range of industrial sectors.
  • There is less competition for top-tier talent than in northern border states – and labor costs are lower.
  • Guanajuato boasts a skilled and experienced manufacturing workforce, equipped with the expertise to drive success and deliver desired results on time.
  • The state is actively seeking investment from Mexican and foreign medical device manufacturers.
  • A new medical device cluster – Mexico’s first outside the border region – has recently formed. (More on this later)
  • Robust rail infrastructure and efficient highway connections facilitate the transport of finished products to the northern border and seaports.
  • Proximity to Guadalajara – a hub for medical device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and component providers – means that companies can get what they need when they need it.
  • Bajío-based manufacturers and suppliers of auto parts are actively exploring new opportunities to diversify their businesses and reduce their reliance on a single sector. They have the experience and capacity required to quickly pivot to the fabrication of high-quality medical device components.
  • The state has been governed by the traditionally business-friendly National Action Party (PAN) for almost 30 years.
  • Covering an area slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Maryland, Guanajuato is Mexico’s sixth most populous state with over 6 million residents. The large population ensures the ongoing presence of a large, educated talent pool.
  • Educational institutes such as Universidad De La Salle Bajío and Instituto Sanmiguelense offer courses in fields that are highly relevant to the medical device manufacturing sector, such as biomedical engineering and industrial engineering.

Guanajuato’s Life Innovation & Technologies Cluster

Eight companies, including US-based Entrada Group and Lumitex, have joined forces to create Guanajuato’s Life Innovation & Technologies Cluster, which launched officially earlier this year and will hold an inauguration event in late September.

The cluster aims to promote Guanajuato as a national and global leader in the life sciences field, and will offer expertise across a range of areas to its members and partners.

Members will be able to tap into invaluable information about things such as local regulations, logistical strategies, supply chains, medical device sector-specific manufacturing processes and educational institutes.

Backed by strategic partnerships with Guanajuato’s State Training Institute, state government export promotion agency Cofoce and the Ministry of Sustainable Economic Development, Guanajuato’s Life Innovation & Technologies Cluster is fully committed to fostering the growth of the medical device sector and helping to improve healthcare outcomes in Mexico and around the world.

Find out more about the cluster on its website.

AMLO says meeting with US security advisor was ‘very productive’

By
Cat Rainsford
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0
AMLO and US and Mexican officials sitting at a table in the National Palace.
President López Obrador and U.S. and Mexican officials including Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Ken Salazar, Rosa Icela Rodríguez and Luisa María Alcalde met at the National Palace Monday. (@lopezobrador_/Twitter)

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has described as “very productive” a meeting with a U.S. delegation on Monday to discuss mutual security concerns such as drug trafficking and migration.

The U.S. delegation was led by Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar and senior drug control policy advisor Kemp Chester, among others.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar and Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall arrive at the National Palace. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)

The delegation met at the National Palace with Mexican security officials, including Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodrígez, Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval and Interior Minister Luisa María Alcalde.

After more than three hours of discussion, AMLO released a statement on social media praising the meeting.

“We are dealing with the migration issue with a focus on respecting human rights and cooperation for human development, as well as [with] the fight against fentanyl and arms trafficking,” he said. “The ‘good neighbor’ policy is advancing without problems.”

Icela Rodríguez also hailed the meeting as “very good,” while Sherwood-Randall described it as “excellent.”

AMLO and Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.
This visit to Mexico is Sherwood-Randall’s fourth as Homeland Security Advisor. (@lopezobrador/Twitter)

In a press statement released on Tuesday, the Mexican government highlighted several areas of cooperation to combat fentanyl trafficking, including “discovering, disrupting and dismantling firearms trafficking networks.” 

It also praised commitments to address undocumented migration, including expanding legal avenues and joint development work in Central America.

All these issues have been tension points between the two countries in recent months, with the U.S. pressuring Mexico to do more to tackle drug trafficking and undocumented migration. Meanwhile, Mexico has continued to pursue a US $10 billion lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers for fueling illegal arms trafficking and criminal violence in Mexico.

Mutual security was also a key discussion topic at the North American Leaders Summit in January. Monday’s meeting aimed to build on agreements reached at the summit. A trilateral meeting will be held with Canadian security officials on Tuesday.

The delegation is Sherwood-Randall’s fourth official visit to Mexico. She last met with Mexican security officials on May 30 to discuss drug trafficking and the migration crisis. At his Tuesday morning press conference, President López Obrador praised her efforts to improve the bilateral security relationship.

“She has been in constant communication with us, and there are very good results in cooperation work,” he said. “We are working very well with the United States government; there are no fundamental differences.”

With reports from Arisegui Noticias and Milenio

Alejandro Martí, prominent businessman and activist, dies at 73

By
Cat Rainsford
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0
Mexican businesman and activist Alejandro Marti
Founder of the Deportes Martí chain of sports stores, Martí experienced a life-changing event that turned him into a tireless activist for public safety and equal justice. (Diego Simón Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)

Mexican businessman and activist Alejandro Martí, best remembered for challenging Mexico’s political class with the phrase “If you can’t, resign,” has died at the age of 73.

Martí founded the Deportes Martí chain of sports stores, which grew out of a sports stand he ran at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City while still only a teenager.

Alejandro Marti, center, Mexican businessman, with his family.
Martí, center, with his wife and son Fernando around 2008, shortly before 14-year-old Fernando was kidnapped and ultimately killed. The kidnapping changed Alejandro Marti’s life, driving him to become a lifelong activist for public security in Mexico. (File photo/Internet)

The chain was wildly successful, and in the 1990s, Martí expanded his footprint in the fitness industry, launching new sports clubs and gym chains known as Fitness Center and Sport City.

He only became a well-known public figure, however, after the kidnapping of his son Fernando in 2008. The 14-year-old boy was abducted on his way to school and held for ransom for nearly two months. Despite the Martí family agreeing to pay over 5 million pesos for his release, he was found dead in the Coyoacán delegation of Mexico City on July 31 of that year.

The tragedy pushed Martí to form the nongovernmental organization México SOS, which advocates for better public security. A month after his son’s body was found, Martí was invited to speak to the National Council of Public Security, where he delivered a blistering rebuke that became a symbol of the struggle for a safer Mexico.

“Gentlemen, if you think the bar is too high, if you think it is impossible, if you can’t, resign. But do not continue to occupy government offices, do not continue to receive a salary for doing nothing,” he said.


The eulogies for Martí came from far and wide, a testament to his impact. Activist lawyer and filmmaker Roberto Hernández paid tribute to Martí for using his visibility to support Hernández’s “Presumed Guilty,” a controversial 2008 documentary exposing contradictions in Mexico’s judicial system.

Although no information has been released about Martí’s cause of death, numerous public figures have expressed their admiration and condolences on social media.

José Antonio Meade, former presidential candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in 2018, described Martí as a “brave and committed man” who “turned his pain into a cause and demand for a better country.”

Felipe Calderón, who was president at the time of Fernando Martí’s murder, also hailed Martí as an “exemplary Mexican, enormously committed to Mexico.”

With reports from Milenio and Infobae

Mexico’s mighty nopal is a prickly culinary delight

By
Sandra Gancz Kahan
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Prickly pear cactus
The prickly pear cactus, or nopal, is a symbolic Mexican food that also offers health benefits. (Foto de Miguel Urieta en Unsplash)

For centuries, the nopal cactus – of the opuntia genus, also known as prickly pear – has symbolized resilience and adaptability, much like the Mexican people. In exploring the wisdom behind Mexican cuisine’s tapestry of seemingly modest ingredients, the mighty nopal is not to be missed!

Indigenous civilizations revered the cactus, recognizing its nutritional value and healing properties. It was also considered a sacred plant, appearing famously in the legend of the founding of Tenochtitlan by the Mexica (or Aztecs). The story says that an eagle devouring a snake while perched on a nopal was the sign that the Mexica were seeking to know where to build their city, and the image became the national coat of arms.

Mexico coat of arms
The country’s coat of arms includes the nopal cactus, and alludes to the legend of the Mexica founding of Tenochtitlan. (Wikimedia Commons)

What is nopal’s nutritional profile? The nopal’s composition is primarily water, giving it a refreshingly light and crisp texture. With a low caloric value of a mere 27 calories per 100 grams, it also boasts minimal digestible carbohydrates, making it a low-glycemic index food.

Nopal pads are also rich in soluble fibers, like pectins, gums, and mucilage. As a result, consuming nopal has been associated with a sensation of satiety, which aids in weight management and curbs excessive food intake. But wait, there’s more! The nopal’s fiber content can also contribute to regulating blood glucose levels.

The use of nopal in Mexican cuisine stretches back to pre-Columbian times, when it served as a dietary staple for the ancient Mesoamericans. Its versatility and abundance made it a vital ingredient, contributing to the sustenance and survival of these communities.

Fast forward to the present day, and the nopal’s culinary prowess has only grown stronger. In kitchens across Mexico, from bustling taquerías to high-end restaurants, the nopal is celebrated as a versatile and unique ingredient. Its tender pads, stripped of their spines, are sliced, diced, grilled, and sautéed to create a myriad of culinary delights.

Nopal pad
Nopal pads have been harvested and consumed in Mexico for centuries. (Daniel Lloyd Blunk-Fernández/ Unsplash)

The quintessential dish of nopalitos is a chilled salad made of cooked chopped nopal, tomatoes, onions and cilantro that is especially welcome during hot summer months.

My grandma’s cook would always add her treasured copper penny to the boiling pot of nopal, saying that was her secret to preserving their vibrant natural hue. Who knows? There are as many secret tricks as there are kitchens in Mexico.

Salvador Novo, in his fascinating book “Cocina Mexicana o Historia Gastronómica de la Ciudad de Mexico” published in 1967, writes about the nopal, which I translate below:

“Let’s think about the nopal. Let’s approach the contemplation of this strange desert plant that seems to greet passersby, or show them the path. It was born who knows how: sticking out its flat hands, an oval flat face from which one more sprouts, and another from this one, and another. All defended by sharp thorns geometrically installed on thick pads, and yet they are smooth under the numerous violent needles.
Nobody waters it, nobody cultivates it. It sips vital juices from the driest earth, from its rock throne. And one fine day, small red fingers sprout from those broad, flat hands: prickly pears, red as men’s hearts; sheltered, wrapped in the peel, where they briefly repeat, like a soft rhyme, the hostile geometry of their cradle’s thorns, their sustenance.”

So, my friends, let us (carefully) embrace the prickly nopal, and allow it to lead us to a delicious world of good health.

If you’re ready to start preparing nopal in your kitchen, the recipe below is a good place to start.

Cactus salad
This simple but satisfying and healthy cactus salad is a great way to introduce nopal into your kitchen. (Shutterstock)

Nopalitos salad

  • 8 medium-sized tender nopal pads
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 4 small tomatoes
  • 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper for seasoning

Cut cactus pads into 3/4-inch pieces. Rinse them 2-3 times under running water. 

Place the nopal pieces in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover them and a tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender but still crisp. 

Drain and let cool.

Place the cooked nopalitos in a large bowl, add diced tomatoes, chopped onion, cilantro, a pinch of dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine all the ingredients. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and mix evenly.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve chilled.

Sandra is a Mexican writer and translator based in San Miguel de Allende who specializes in mental health and humanitarian aid. She believes in the power of language to foster compassion and understanding across cultures. She can be reached at: [email protected] 

The remarkable efforts behind La Guelaguetza’s unstoppable spectacle

By
Mirja Vogel and Gordon Cole-Schmidt
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Woman performing at 2023 Guelaguetza
Dalia, left, danced at the Guelaguetza's finale on Monday. Her gold and black dress was handmade in Jalapa, located in Oaxaca’s Tuxtepec district. (Photos by Mira Vogel)

Every July, Oaxaca plays host to one of the most significant and popular cultural festivals in Latin America. La Guelaguetza — a joyous celebration of the region’s remarkably rich cultural heritage — sees thousands of people from Indigenous and regional communities across the state come together to celebrate their identity and traditions. 

What follows is a sensory extravaganza: swirling dancers, mouthwatering food, dreamlike clothing, tireless musicians, carnival-like street parades and infectious smiles are on show during every hour of the weeklong celebration. 

Mexican women preparing food at 2023 Guelaguetza
A feast for the senses – generations of cooks seamlessly work at their stations at one the festival’s most popular food stands

But behind the colorful parades lies the dedication of individuals, families and communities who spend much of the year preparing for the international spectacle. 

As the event grows every year, so does the responsibility of the communities to showcase the very best of their cultures. 

Dalia will have the responsibility of closing tonight’s performance. She is one of the region’s most prolific dancers. After a break that forced her to take time off from dancing, today will be her first performance in years. 

“I’m so excited to be dancing and performing again in front of huge crowds. I love the rush of excitement.”

Preparing papier mache figures for the 2023 Guelaguetza in Oaxaca
Artisan Anthony García prepares his 2-meter-tall traditional figures for this year’s Guelaguetza festivities.

Despite her nerves, she happily finds time to help a younger performer fix their outfit before her show. 

On the other side of the city, two men put the finishing touches to one of 20 2-meter-tall figures they have made by hand. 

Artisan Anthony García prepares his 2-meter-tall figures for this year’s Guelaguetza festivities.

Using just reeds and cardboard to create the figures, Anthony García, a 25-year-old artisan from the Trinidad de las Huertas region, tells us:

Dancers at the 2023 Guelaguetza in Oaxaca
Dancers take the main stage under bright stage lights before hundreds of seated spectators.

“We create eight different figures to showcase the identity of the eight regions of Oaxaca. Since I started dedicating my life to this craft 10 years ago, I’ve learnt a lot and take huge pride in each figure I make.”

Later in the day, as the sun sets over the Cerro del Fortin, the highest geographical point in Oaxaca city, an elderly musician poses for a photo. He has been performing at the Guelaguetza since he was small, and will walk the same 100 steep steps to the Auditorio Guelaguetza as the sun rises tomorrow morning. 

In the sweltering midsummer weeks leading up to the Guelaguetza, the famous mosaic streets of Oaxaca feel quieter. There was a palpable sense of anticipation among the locals and the businesses readying themselves for the celebration. 

From the humble lone drummer to the 50-strong dancing troupes, each thread of preparation is being woven together to create the stunning tapestry of identity exhibited every year during La Guelaguetza. 

Guelaguetza performer in Oaxaca, Mexico
Thousands of people from across Oaxaca come to perform in the annual festival.

On the last day, la Guelaguetza always ends with a bang — literally: rows of 20 fireworks stations are set up for the final celebration: a spectacular fireworks display.

Mirja Vogel is an international photographer based in Oaxaca.

Gordon Cole-Schmidt is a public relations specialist and freelance journalist, advising and writing on companies and issues across multi-national communication programs.

Ex-security chief García Luna’s US sentencing delayed until 2024

By
MND Staff
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Genaro García Luna, pictured here in 2011, served as federal security minister during the Calderón administration (2006-12). He was convicted on drug trafficking charges by a U.S. jury in February. (Shutterstock)

The sentencing of Mexico’s former federal security minister, Genaro García Luna, convicted on drug trafficking charges in the United States in February, has been postponed until March 1. García Luna could face a prison sentence of 20 years to life.

Former president Felipe Calderón’s security chief was scheduled to be sentenced in September of this year following a postponement in April, but Judge Brian M. Cogan of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York – who also presided over the trial of notorious cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán – has again ruled in favor of defense counsel’s request for an extension. The sentencing date had originally been set for June of this year.

Genaro Garcia Luna and Felipe Calderon
Genaro García Luna, left, when he was Mexico’s security minister during the presidency of Felipe Calderón, right. (Cuartoscuro)

García Luna’s defense team requested further time to review evidence that they believe is favorable to the disgraced politician, who was convicted of collusion with the Sinaloa Cartel during his time in office from 2006-2012. 

“After the verdict in February, several individuals, including several former Mexican and American officials, have contacted us with new evidence potentially favorable for the defense,” said César de Castro, García Luna’s lawyer.

The former security minister, who was arrested in Texas in 2019, has long proclaimed his innocence, and De Castro has described the verdict as “shocking”, alleging it was based entirely on the testimony of “some of the most notorious and ruthless criminals this world has ever seen.”

De Castro says that the defense now has access to “thousands of materials, as well as audio and video files potentially relevant to the case.” This evidence was not presented during García Luna’s trial, and delayed sentencing was opposed by the prosecutor’s office, arguing that the defense had “more than three years to talk to witnesses, prepare subpoenas and investigate ways to defend [themselves].” 

President Lopez Obrador with image of ex-security minister Genaro Garcia Luna
President López Obrador, seen here at a press conference on March 9, has used the García Luna trial to support his assertions that during the ex-security minister’s tenure under President Felipe Calderón, Mexico was a “narco-state.” (Galo Cañas Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)

“The delivery of the sentence should not be allowed to be delayed,” prosecutors concluded.

The decision means that García Luna will be sentenced during the heat of the 2024 Mexican presidential election campaigns. The National Action Party (PAN), for whom he served as minister, is part of the Va por México coalition opposing President López Obrador’s ruling Morena party. This high-profile sentencing is likely to become a major talking point.

President López Obrador has referenced the case repeatedly since the arrest of the former minister, highlighting it as an example of corruption under what he calls the “old regime.” In May, the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) obtained warrants for the arrest of García Luna and 60 others for embezzlement of 5.1 billion pesos of public monies.

For his part, Calderón has expressed doubts about the conviction of his security minister and claims he has been the victim of persecution by the media and opposition politicians.

According to a poll by El País newspaper, eight out of ten Mexicans say they believe Calderón should also be investigated over his time in office, in which there was a significant increase in violence and expansion of cartel operations across the country. 

With reports from Milenio and El Pais

Tropical depression predicted to bring rains across the country

By
MND Staff
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people walking in Mexico
Heavy to intense rains have been forecast for most parts of the country, as well as high temperatures in the north and southeast. (Isabel Mateos/Cuartoscuro)

If you’re experiencing wet weather, you’re not alone: according to Mexico’s National Weather Service (SMN), most parts of the country have been or will be dealing with rainfall, as well as high temperatures on Monday. 

But after a record-breaking drought and unusually low levels of rainfall, these weather conditions come as a relief for many.

Low levels of rainfall across Mexico have caused drought in many states, including in Campeche (seen here). Rain is finally forecast in many areas of the country this week. (Michael Balam/Cuartoscuro)

According to the SMN, tropical wave No. 16 was expected to move over the east, south, and center of the country and collide with a low-pressure channel originating in the Mexican southeast, producing heavy to intense rain in Veracruz, Oaxaca and the Valley of Mexico. 

The rain won’t help the heat, however, as temperatures in the northern part of the country and the Yucatán Península were expected to hit 45 degrees Celsius (113 F) on Monday.

Heavy to intense rain was also expected in the states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí, with temperatures oscillating between 30 to 35 degrees Celsius (86 to 95 F). Thunderstorms, strong gusts of wind and hail were also forecast for this area.

The Mexican monsoon over the northwest, coupled with low-pressure channels over the west and northeast and moisture from the coasts, was also expected to bring rain to these regions, along with scattered showers in the Baja California Peninsula.  

Low temperatures of zero to 5 degrees Celsius (32 to 41 F) were predicted to affect mountainous areas of México state, Hidalgo, Puebla and Tlaxcala.

The SMN has warned that torrential rains could increase river and stream levels and cause landslides and flooding. 

With reports from Proceso and El Informador

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