Where to find the newest Blue Flag beaches in Los Cabos

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June 29, 2024

Playa El Médano — Los Cabos is home to a large number of Blue Flag winning beaches. (Pueblo Bonito Rosé)

The latest Blue Flag beaches in Mexico have been announced and as has become a custom over the past decade, a large percentage of them are located in Los Cabos. In fact, of the 78 playas certified by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) to fly the Blue Flag nationally for 2024 and 2025, 25 of them, or over 32%, are found in Los Cabos. That tally includes popular beaches in Cabo San Lucas, the Tourist Corridor that connects it to San José del Cabo, and the municipality’s picturesque East Cape.

Notably, there were no new additions for the destination, as all 25 beaches maintained their Blue Flag status from the previous year. That means Los Cabos remains the leader in this category among all municipalities in México.

El Chileno beach — Playa El Chileno, a Blue Flag beach beloved by locals. (Los Cabos Tourism Board)

What is a Blue Flag beach?

No, Blue Flags are not guaranteed for the long term, nor are they an aesthetic evaluation. Ocean views or the fineness of beach sand aren’t criteria for the FEE, the Copenhagen, Denmark based non-profit that created the Blue Flag program in 1987. Water quality is, however, as are cleanliness and certain signs and services. Blue Flag jury members check thoroughly the safety of onshore waters, to ensure no sewage or harmful bacteria is present.

If a beach wants to receive a Blue Flag, it must also maintain essential services for visitors. These include clean restrooms, drinkable water for beachgoers, and trash facilities, with sortable bins for recycling. A map is also required showing where all these things are located, one of 33 individual criteria that a beach’s sponsors must meet before the coveted flag is awarded. Because sustainability is at the heart of the program, signs educating visitors on local flora, fauna, and ecosystems are also mandated. Free access to the public is also a prerequisite, but this is an unnecessary directive in México, where such access is guaranteed by federal law.

Similar criteria – minus the free access – are used to judge marinas and tourism boats which are also eligible to earn Blue Flags from FEE. For 2024 and 2025, for example, México garnered 78 Blue Flag beaches, two marinas (both in Nayarit), and 40 tourist vessels (all in Quintana Roo).

How does Los Cabos compare to other Mexican destinations?

Los Cabos has for several years been the leader among Mexican beach destinations for Blue Flags earned. Even though Quintana Roo as a state now has more than Baja California Sur – where Los Cabos is located – that’s still true. Los Cabos accounts for all the qualified beaches in its state. Benito Juárez, the municipality home to Cancún and the closest correlation, has only 11 of its state’s 33 Blue Flags overall. That’s less than half the number garnered by Los Cabos. Riviera Maya municipality Solidaridad, with 15, is now its closest competitor.

What’s even more remarkable is that Los Cabos has built up its blue flag inventory in a relatively short amount of time. Only nine years ago, Los Cabos had but three Blue Flag beaches: El Chileno, Palmilla, and Santa María. This recent buildup is the case for Mexico, too. As recently as 2014, there were only five Blue Flag beaches in the country, including El Chileno in Los Cabos.

The Sea of Cortez and Montage Los Cabos frame the golden sands of Playa Santa María. (Montage Los Cabos)

Nowadays, México boasts more Blue Flag-certified beaches, marinas, and boats than any other nation in the Americas. It has 120, vastly outpacing North American neighbors Canada, with 26, and the U.S., with only two. Mexico 10th internationally, behind European nations Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany – and Turkey, which bridges Europe and Asia.

Which beaches now carry the Blue Flag banner in Los Cabos?

Here’s the full list of Blue Flag beaches in Los Cabos for 2024 – 2025:

Cabo San Lucas (14)

El Corsario
Hacienda
Médano Breathless
Médano Casa Dorada
Médano Club Cascadas de Baja
Médano ME Cabo
Médano Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos
Médano Pueblo Bonito Rosé
Médano Riu Palace Baja California
Médano Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
Médano Riu Santa Fe
Médano Villa del Arco
Médano Villa del Palmar
Médano Villa La Estancia

Tourist Corridor (8)

Acapulquito
El Chileno
Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos
Grand Velas Los Cabos
Las Viudas
Palmilla
Paradisus Los Cabos
Santa María

East Cape (3)

El Surgidero
La Gaviota
La Ribera

Playa Palmilla is one of the best swimming beaches in Los Cabos, with a Blue Flag certification to attest to its water quality. (Los Cabos Tourism Board)

It makes sense that Cabo San Lucas is the local leader in this category. Its most popular beach, Playa El Médano, is more than two miles long, and hosts numerous Blue Flag stretches that front beachfront resorts. If you’re a local or traveling with pets, it’s important to note that dogs (unless designated service animals) are not allowed on the Blue Flag portions of Médano Beach. In fact, that stricture is in place for all local Blue Flag beaches.

Other flag colors of note in Los Cabos

However, blue isn’t the only hue seen on flags flying over Los Cabos beaches. Several other colors are also commonly used to indicate water conditions, not just overall quality and available services. Green flags, for example, confirm calm waters and thus safe swimming conditions – an important qualifier given that some of the region’s beaches are not swimming-friendly, either due to steep dropoffs in depth or, particularly on the Pacific Ocean side, because of strong rip currents.

Red flags, by contrast, warn against swimming due to adverse conditions. White flags indicate the presence of jellyfish in the water, which can inflict painful stings. Black flags are the worst, though. No, it doesn’t mean pirates are lurking about, but rather that the beach is closed, a rare occurrence but a possibility during hurricane season in Los Cabos.

So green and blue are the colors to look for. The first promises a great beach experience on the day you visit, and the second assures it remains sustainable for the future. However, that could all change next year when the Blue Flag jury returns to have another look.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook, and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

Laugh along with our Mexican memes of the week

By

Sarah DeVries

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June 29, 2024

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Screenshot 2024-06-26 at 3.30.54 p.m. — Welcome back to our biweekly dose of Spanish language Saturday memery!

It’s been an intense couple of months, hasn’t it? But never fear: your dose of Mexican memes (translated into English) has arrived! Whether you’re looking for an equivalent to the funny papers of old or wanting to learn a bit more Spanish than you did before, we’ve got you covered.

Enjoy!

Meme translation: “Today we’re going to be making some grey chilaquiles.”

What does it meme? First of all, pitbull faces are the most adorable faces. They’re naturally smiling! I don’t see how anyone could not love them.

But I digress. Ever had chilaquiles? I bet you have, mostly because every foreigner I have ever known, except me, seems to think they’re the best breakfast you could possibly have in Mexico (I myself am an enfrijoladas girl).

Anyway! When you order chilaquiles, the waiter will always ask if you’d like them “red” or “green,” depending on which salsa you’d like. Green salsa tends to be a bit spicier and sometimes a tad more tart, while the red salsa has a roastier taste to them which I myself prefer.

If you’re a colorblind dog, there’s only one color for salsa: grey. But we’re fine with the dog jumping on the YouTube recipe bandwagon: that smile was made to be seen!

Meme translation: “Things that make Mexicans sad: when your chicharrón gets soggy; when your corn falls; finishing your meal and realizing you didn’t add the avocado; not catching the tamal vendor.”

What does it meme? Mexicans really love their food. We all really love our food, I suppose, but they do have some extra delicious recipes around here.

So when something happens that makes you unable to eat that food, it’s a sad, sad time.

I’m guessing all the food above is familiar except, perhaps, the first one: chicharrón preparado. Chicharrón is pork rind, a favorite snack around here. In the form above it’s more a gigantic, crispy chip than anything, and all kinds of goodies get put on top of it: mayo, lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado, and of course a nice and spicy sauce to top it all off.

But its ultimate fate is similar to that of an ice cream cone: enjoy it in the moment, or it could all come apart in a devastating pile at your feet.

Meme translation: “Miss, could you put on some classical music, please?” “Yes, madam.” (on record cover: “Cumbia Classics”)

What does it meme? Well. She didn’t specify what kind of classical music, I suppose! (Classic and classical are the same word in Spanish, by the way.)

Mexicans will say “It’s a classic!” in the same way we do when referring to any number of things, including music. And for some reason cumbia, a Carribean style of music from Colombia that’s similar to salsa, has a reputation for being less desirable and not as classy; note the spelling with the “k” above.

But that doesn’t stop people from loving it…even at fancy restaurants!

Meme translation: “My trainer:” “Me:”

What does it meme? This is about where we all are on our New Year’s resolutions, yes?

All those chilaquiles, chicharrones, elotes, and tamales add up in the end. But after trying them, most people shout a resounding “worth it!” in response.

Don’t fret, the year’s not over. We’ve still got six months!

Meme translation: “Let whatever has to happen, happen.” *What has to happen happens.* “Me: It can’t be!”*

What does it meme? This is one of my favorite memes ever, because it’s such a perfect (and funny) illustration of the human tendency to feel strong in a moment of resolve. We might “give it to God” or say, “Okay, I’ve done all I can!” and then we start to freak out when the wheels actually start turning.

It’s the bird’s face that really does it for me: that shocked look we get when predictable consequences fall upon us.

It can be, little bird. And it is.

Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com.

After a 4-year legal battle, Monsanto drops lawsuit against Mexico’s GM corn ban

By

MND Staff

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June 28, 2024

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An industrial corn field, possibly cultivating Monsanto's GMO corn. — Mexico's 2020 order restricting the use of GM corn and glyphosate remains in place after Monsanto dropped its legal challenge. (Shutterstock)

In what is being called a significant victory for Mexico, Monsanto has withdrawn its legal challenge against the 2020 presidential decree aimed at banning glyphosate and genetically modified (GM) corn for human consumption.

The National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies (Conahcyt) heralded the decision as “a triumph for life, health and food sovereignty.”

Monsanto’s subsidiaries, Semillas y Agroproductos Monsanto and Monsanto Comercial, ratified their withdrawal on June 25.

Monsanto produces the herbicide Roundup, one of several glyphosate-based products that are used in the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMO) such as Roundup Ready corn, cotton and soybeans. A common genetic modification makes crops resistant to glyphosate, allowing farmers to apply large amounts of the weed-killer to GMO crops.

The legal battle was initiated in response to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s 2020 decree to ban the widely used but controversial herbicide, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified as a “probable carcinogen,” though its safety remains a subject of debate.

The battle included over 30 amparo (judicial protective order) suits aiming to declare the decree unconstitutional. In July 2022, for example, Bayer, which acquired Monsanto six years ago, obtained a court order against the application of the decree.

A worker sprays a field with a chemical like the glysophate manufactured by Monsanto — Glyphosate, often sold under the brand name Roundup, is classified as a “probable carcinogen” by the World Health Organization. (Shutterstock)

However, the majority of the cases concluded with rulings unfavorable to the corporations involved.

Conahcyt provided scientific and legal defenses, presenting more than 250 pieces of evidence to support the decree.

Judge Francisco Rebolledo Peña’s July 2022 ruling in favor of Monsanto was appealed by the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), the Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) and Conahcyt.

Citing human rights and environmental safety concerns, the appeal eventually led to Mexico’s Fourth Collegiate Court on Administrative Matters rejecting Monsanto’s arguments. Earlier this year, that same body slapped down an amparo brought by Walmart Mexico against the nation’s updated tobacco control law, which added promotional and advertising bans to the nationwide ban against smoking in public areas.

A bottle of glyphosate in Mexico, like that sold by Monsanto for use with GM corn and other crops — Monsanto sells the restricted herbicide glyphosate under the brand Roundup. (File photo)

Monsanto’s retreat is not its first legal setback. The company has faced extensive litigation in the United States, paying billions in punitive damages and settlements linked to glyphosate’s carcinogenic risks.

Internal documents revealed during the trials in Mexico indicated that Monsanto was aware of glyphosate’s cancer risks and engaged in misleading scientific practices and discrediting independent researchers.

The 2020 decree was replaced by a 2023 decree, which reaffirmed the initial ban and introduced additional restrictions on GM corn.

That led to Mexico also facing anger from the United States, which was not happy over Mexico’s plan to ban the importation of GM corn for use in dough and tortillas by 2024, then gradually phase out imports of GM corn for any kind of human consumption and then for use as animal feed.

In 2023, the U.S. government announced it had requested the establishment of a dispute settlement panel to resolve the issue.

Monsanto also wanted to suspend the 2023 decree, and a few months ago, Mexico seemed to be giving in a bit when it postponed the glyphosate ban citing lack of available alternatives.

Mexican native corn varieties — Mexico is home to dozens of native corn varieties. Roundup Ready corn, of course, is not one of them. (Conabio)

In shooting down Monsanto’s latest legal challenges, Judge Elizabeth Trejo Galán emphasized the precedence of public over private interest.

Conahcyt noted in a press release that it continues to support alternative agricultural practices and bioinputs, highlighting their effectiveness in various regions.

Noting that the legal victory over Monsanto underscores Mexico’s commitment to safeguarding public health and environmental integrity, Conahcyt vowed to continue its efforts to ensure that GM corn and glyphosate are removed from the Mexican food supply.

With reports from Regeneración, Reforma and Por Esto

Mexico seeks deal with Ganfeng Lithium over canceled mining concessions

By

MND Staff

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June 28, 2024

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amlo-thursday — At his Thursday morning press conference, AMLO said Mexico hopes to find a mutually satisfactory agreement with Ganfeng Lithium over the disputed mining concessions. (Andrea Murcia Monsivais/Cuartoscuro)

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday that the government of Mexico will seek an agreement with Ganfeng Lithium after the Chinese company filed an international arbitration case over disputed mining concessions for a project in the northern state of Sonora.

However, he stressed that Mexico would “defend our right” to lithium, a highly sought-after metal that was nationalized in Mexico in 2022.

Last Friday, Ganfeng and two of its subsidiaries, Bacanora Lithium and Sonora Lithium, filed a “request for the institution of arbitration proceedings” with the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

The dispute between Ganfeng and Mexico is over the federal government’s cancellation of concessions granted in 2011 for the Chinese company’s proposed Sonora Lithium Project.

Ganfeng told its investors last August that Mexico’s General Directorate of Mines said it had failed to meet minimum investment requirements between 2017 and 2021, resulting in the cancellation of nine lithium mining concessions it held for its project.

The company has asserted that its subsidiaries have presented “ample evidence of their compliance with the minimum investment obligations,” and had in fact “significantly” exceeded them.

Buildings and lithium mining pools, seen from an aerial view — Ganfeng’s Mariana mining operation in Argentina, shown here, gives a hint of what a Sonoran Ganfeng lithium mine might look like. (Ganfeng Lithium)

At his morning press conference on Thursday, López Obrador acknowledged that there was a dispute over “a few” lithium mining concessions, and said it was the result of the Mexican government’s view that “lithium belongs to the nation.”

He said that the federal government believes that concessions were previously issued in a “generic way, not specifically for lithium, but for mining” in general.

“And we think [Ganfeng’s concessions] don’t apply” for lithium mining, López Obrador said.

Nevertheless, the government will “seek an agreement” with the company, he said.

“Relatively recently, three months ago, the person in charge of Chinese diplomacy was here and I spoke about the issue. There has to be an agreement because lithium was nationalized and we don’t want private companies to participate. Yes, there can be a [public-private] partnership, but with the predominance of the national interest,” López Obrador.

“… That is the only issue we have and we’re going to go to these international panels to defend our right,” he said.

Peter Secker, the UK-based CEO of Bacanora Lithium, said late last year that Ganfeng had formed the view that it was not “legally valid” to cancel the company’s concessions in Sonora. The president of the Mexican Mining Chamber has expressed the same view.

Secker said the company would defend its ownership of the lithium mining concessions, including in Mexican courts. But he also said that Ganfeng was open to forming a joint venture with Mexican authorities to carry out the project in Sonora.

A clear-cut site in the Sonoran desert where Ganfeng Lithium had been granted mining concessions by the government of Mexico — A subsidiary of a subsidary of Ganfeng Lithium had already started preparing for construction of a mine in Bacadéhuachi, Sonora, when the Mexican government rescinded Ganfeng’s mining concessions. (Astrid Arellano and Wilbert Ayala via the Global Atlas of Environmental Justice)

The government created a state-owned lithium company, Litio para México (Lithium for Mexico), but there are significant doubts about its capacity to mine lithium on its own. The potential lithium reserves in Sonora are in clay deposits that are technically difficult and expensive to mine.

“Ganfeng has the money to do this. It’s got the technology, and it has the people to develop this project without any assistance from the government. However, we have had discussions with the government over the last few years and, and we’re happy to work with the government. We just need to sort out their apparent attempt to cancel the licenses,” Secker said last October.

“… It would be silly for the government not to work with Ganfeng to develop a strategy,” he said.

It remains to be seen whether the government will seek to enter into a joint venture with Ganfeng and its subsidiaries.

The Finance Ministry has estimated that lithium reserves in Sonora — where Mexico’s largest potential deposits are located — could be worth as much as US $600 billion. There are smaller deposits in other states including Baja California, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas.

Lithium is in high demand because it is a key component of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and green energy storage. The alkali metal can thus play an important role in the transition to clean energy.

Based in Shanghai, Ganfeng is one of the world’s leading lithium miners and battery makers.

With reports from El Financiero and Reuters

Mexico and immigration issues take center stage in US presidential debate

By

MND Staff

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June 28, 2024

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U.S. President Biden and Trump debate issues like immigration, border security and more from behind podiums on a stage. — U.S. President Biden and Trump on stage at Thursday's debate in Atlanta, Georgia. (CNN/YouTube)

Mexico was both an implicit and explicit topic in an acrimonious presidential debate in the United States on Thursday night, as President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump squared off on issues such as immigration, border security and the fentanyl crisis.

Biden, 81, is the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee, but his performance at last night’s debate led to increased speculation that he could be replaced by a younger candidate.

US President Biden and Trump on stage at the U.S. presidential debate. — Insults and accusations flew as the current and former U.S. presidents faced off Thursday night debate. (Joe Biden/X/CNN)

Trump, 78, is certain to be the Republican Party’s presidential candidate, even though he is now a convicted felon.

Illegal immigration into the United States from Mexico is set to be a major issue in the Nov. 5 presidential election, while the opioid crisis — mainly fueled by illegal fentanyl smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico — is also a significant concern for many voters.

Mexico and the United States collaborate on immigration issues and the fight against fentanyl, but some politicians in the U.S., especially Republicans, argue that Mexico isn’t doing enough to stem the flow of migrants and narcotics across the two countries’ shared border.

Below you’ll find a selection of remarks made by Biden and Trump during Thursday night’s presidential debate relating to immigration and other issues between Mexico and the United States.

Immigration and border security

U.S Customs and Border Protection encountered a record high of almost 2.5 million migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2023, which ended in September.

Arrests of people crossing illegally from Mexico into the U.S. reached a record monthly high of almost 250,000 last December, but the numbers decreased significantly in the first five months of 2024.

Migrants typically enter Mexico at the country’s southern border with Guatemala before making the long, arduous and dangerous journey to the northern border on buses, atop trains, in tractor trailers and on foot. Mexican authorities detain and deport significant numbers of migrants, but many others make it to the northern border before attempting to make asylum claims in the United States or cross into the U.S. illegally.

An immigration agent checks cars at Mexico's border with Guatemala, representing an issue discussed at the US presidential debate. — Many migrants cross into Mexico via its southern border with Guatemala before making their way to the United States. (Cuartoscuro)

Biden on immigration

“When … [Trump] was president, he was … separating babies from their mothers, putting them in cages, making sure the families were separated. That’s not the right way to go,” Biden said early in the debate.

The U.S. president claimed “there are 40% fewer people coming across the border illegally*” since he issued an executive order in early June that prevents migrants from making asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border at times when crossings between legal ports of entry surge.

* PBS News fact-checked the statement and determined that it was “mostly true.”

Trump on immigration

“We had the safest border in the history of our country [when I was president]. … All he had to do was leave it. He decided to open up our border, open up our country to people that are from prisons, people that are from mental institutions, … terrorists,” Trump said.

He later said that Biden “allowed millions of people to come in here from prisons, jails and mental institutions,” a remark PBS News determined was significantly exaggerated given that just over 100,000 noncitizens with criminal convictions were arrested in the past three years.

On Biden’s June 4 executive order, Trump said:

“Now all of a sudden he’s trying to get a little tough on the border, he came out with a nothing deal and it reduced [immigration] a little bit. … It’s insignificant, he wants open borders. He wants our country to either be destroyed or he wants to pick up those people as voters. And we just can’t let it happen.”

A group of mostly Black migrants, some of whom maybe be undocumented foreigners, walks down a Mexican highway under a bright sun. — Biden’s June 4 executive order blocks asylum claims when Border Patrol detains more than 2,500 people. (Mireya Novo/Cuartoscuro)

Trump also asserted that “because of [Biden’s] ridiculous, insane and very stupid policies, people are coming in and they’re killing our citizens at a level that we’ve never seen.”

“We call it migrant crime*. I call it Biden migrant crime,” he added.

* Reuters reported in April that “a range of studies by academics and think tanks have shown that immigrants do not commit crime at a higher rate than native-born Americans.”

Trump and Biden debate the fentanyl crisis

Around 107,500 people died from a drug overdose in the United States in 2023, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fentanyl — large quantities of which are manufactured by Mexican cartels with precursor chemicals imported from China — were responsible for almost 70% of the overdose deaths.

Mexican agents confiscating boxes of fentanyl packets — U.S. officials recognized that the current Mexican government has seized a record amount of fentanyl. (Cuartoscuro)

In recent years, Mexican and U.S. authorities have increased their cooperation on the fight against fentanyl, and the issue has been a key focus of bilateral security dialogue.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged last month that the current Mexican government has seized “a record amount of fentanyl” — more than eight tonnes between December 2018 and May 2024.

Some Republicans, including Trump, have advocated the use of the U.S. military in Mexico to combat Mexican drug cartels, two of which — the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel — pose “the greatest criminal threat the United States has ever faced,” according to Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram.

Biden on the fentanyl crisis

“[The entry to the U.S. of] fentanyl and the byproducts of fentanyl went down for a while. And I wanted to make sure we use the machinery that can detect fentanyl, these big machines that roll over everything that comes across the border, and it costs a lot of money. That was part of this deal we put together, this bipartisan deal,” Biden said.

“More fentanyl machines, more being able to detect drugs, more numbers of agents, more numbers of all the people at the border. And when we had that deal done, he went and he called his Republican colleagues and said ‘don’t do it. It’s going to hurt me politically,'” he continued.

“He never argued it’s not a good bill. It’s a really good bill. We need those machines. … And we’re coming down very hard in every country in Asia in terms of precursors for fentanyl. And Mexico is working with us to make sure they don’t have the technology to be able to put it together*. That’s what we have to do. We need those machines.”

* As The New York Times noted, it was unclear what Biden meant when he said that “Mexico is working with us to make sure they don’t have the technology to be able to put it together.”

He was possibly referring to Mexican authorities’ efforts to stop criminal groups from obtaining pill presses and other machinery used in the production of fentanyl.

Biden’s assertion that Mexico is working with the United States on the fight against fentanyl is correct.

A car passes through a scanner along the U.S. border. — Biden emphasized the role of technological border solutions, like giant scanners to detect drugs hidden in vehicles that cross into the U.S. (Josh Denmark / U.S. CBP)

Trump on the fentanyl crisis

“We were doing very well at addiction until the COVID came along. We had the two-and-a-half, almost three years of like nobody’s ever had before, any country in every way. And then we had to get tough. And it was the drugs pouring across the border, … it started to increase,” Trump said.

“We got great equipment. We bought the certain dog. That’s the most incredible thing that you’ve ever seen, the way they can spot it. We did a lot. And … we were getting very low numbers. Very, very low numbers,” he added.

“Then he came along. The numbers — have you seen the numbers now? … The amount of drugs and human trafficking in women coming across our border, the worst thing I’ve ever seen, at numbers that nobody’s ever seen — under him because the border is so bad. But the number of drugs coming across our border now is the largest we’ve ever had by far.”

* Drug overdose deaths in the United States have increased during the Biden administration compared to the Trump years. The number of overdose deaths last year was 17% higher than 2020, the last full year of the Trump administration, and 52% higher than 2019.

Trump’s immigration plan: Deport undocumented migrants en masse

Trump was specifically asked about his plan to deport large numbers of undocumented migrants, which could affect millions of Mexicans who live and work in the United States.

“President Trump, … you’ve said that you’re going to carry out, quote, ‘the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,’ unquote. Does that mean that you will deport every undocumented immigrant in America, including those who have jobs, including those whose spouses are citizens, and including those who have lived here for decades? And if so, how will you do it?” asked CNN’s Jake Tapper.

After railing against “migrant crime,” Trump accused Biden of opening the United States borders before he declared:

“We have to get a lot of these people out and we have to get them out fast, because they’re going to destroy our country. Just take a look at where they’re living. They’re living in luxury hotels in New York City and other places. Our veterans are on the street.”

For his part, Biden announced new immigration rules last week prior to the presidential debate. The new rules will allow certain undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens to apply for lawful permanent residence without leaving the country. As many as 400,000 Mexicans could obtain permanent residency in the U.S. through the program and eventually become American citizens, according to Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs official Roberto Velasco.

Mexico News Daily

CDMX launches affordable housing program offering rentals for as low as 2,500 pesos

By

MND Staff

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June 28, 2024

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Entrega llaves viviendas GAM-3.jpg — The new program is designed to help young adults find affordable housing in some areas of Mexico City where rents have increased recently.(Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

In a bid to assist young adults struggling to find affordable housing in Mexico City, the capital’s interim mayor, Martí Batres, this week introduced a pilot program to provide low-rent apartments in popular neighborhoods that have been impacted by gentrification.

The announcement comes one month after Mayor-elect Clara Brugada unveiled her ambitious social housing program which she described as the broadest in Mexico City history.

CDMX Mayor Martí Batres announcing a new housing program for students and young professionals — Batres announced that the pilot program will start with 150 units and will target university students and young professionals. (Gobierno de la Ciudad/Cuartoscuro)

For his part, Batres announced that the pilot program will start with 150 units and will target university students and young professionals. Each apartment will measure at least 40 square meters in size, will feature basic services and will be close to public transportation.

The program will be administered by the city’s Urban Development and Housing Ministry (Seduvi). Ínti Muñoz Santini, Seduvi director, said the initial apartments set aside for the program are located in the Doctores neighborhood, just east of the popular Roma neighborhood and south of the Centro Histórico.

Once approved by Seduvi, recipients of the apartments will receive a five-year lease with the option of a single two-year extension. Rents will range from 2,500 to 5,000 pesos/month (US $136 to $273), considerably lower than the 10,000 to 30,000 pesos (US $545 to $1,636) that rents can reach in the Roma neighborhood.

To participate in the program citizens:

Must be between 18 and 29 years old
Must have a job or be attending university
Earn a salary no more than twice the minimum wage, or 591 pesos/day (US $32)
Must not own property elsewhere

Batres, whose term ends on Oct. 5, did not say when the program would be launched though he expects it to be under way within a year.

Brugada announced her city-wide plan during the mayoral campaign to formalize and register deeds so as to provide juridical certainty to Mexico City homeowners, especially in low-income neighborhoods.

During a meeting with notaries public on May 20, Brugada said the goal is to regulate informal housing developments that have sprung up over the past several decades. Brugada’s administration will begin by carrying out a survey to evaluate the situation with regard to deeds and the registration of buildings and homes across the entire city.

The Ninth Notary Services Survey found that in 2022, only 51% of Mexico City property owners had a deed to their home.

With reports from El Financiero, Expansión, Via Tres, El Economista and ContraRéplica

Opinion: A big picture view of Mexico’s present and future in uncertain times

By

Agustín Barrios Gómez

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June 28, 2024

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A fisherman in Morelos — Despite the uncertainties faced by Mexico following the elections, Agustín Barrios Gómez is hopeful about Mexico's long-term future. (Cuartoscuro)

I am proud that Mexico will have its first female president. I am even more proud of the fact that she comes from the Mexican Jewish minority, a community that numbers a mere 58,876 citizens.

My Mexico is a country of racial diversity, where members of any minority should be able to aspire to the highest offices in the land, and I am glad that our future president reflects that.

Agustín Barrios Gómez, former Mexican Congressman. (Courtesy)

However, as a firm believer in both economic and political freedoms afforded by liberal democracy, as well as a staunch advocate for strong and independent institutions, I am worried by her party’s legislative agenda.

As of 1997, Mexico built what became the most sophisticated electoral system in the world, which gave the country free (if not always fair) elections, for nearly thirty years. I think we run the risk of losing those very real democratic gains.

I also think that we run the risk of squandering the immense opportunities afforded by the nearshoring phenomenon. Simply put, if Mexico were to liberalize its energy industry and quickly shore up at least some of its serious public security issues, the country could join the ranks of the developed world within a decade.

With a much stronger economy and some political will, the rule of law would be within reach and Mexico could finally fulfill the dreams of so many of its people in ways that it hasn’t been able to until now. As an added benefit, this would also mean that Mexico would no longer export its people, meaning that one of the main drivers of the dangerous radicalization of the U.S. electorate would be gone. It is no stretch to say that a prosperous Mexico would improve the chances of a prosperous and more peaceful world.

But it looks like this is not to be; at least not in the short term. Instead, Mexico joins in the worldwide zeitgeist, entering a period of — you guessed it — increased uncertainty.

What used to be shared values of equality of opportunity in the context of economic and political freedom are no longer in vogue for majority voting blocs around the world and Mexico is no exception.

In what is proving to be an uncanny repeat of the 1930s, xenophobic authoritarianism is on the march pretty much everywhere, even in those countries where freedom and democracy were formerly a given. Whether you believe in the theory of 80-year historical cycles and the overproduction of elites, or in the powers of the planets to mold our fate, this is a world that has stopped making sense. Particularly for people who, like me, came of age during what was supposed to be “the end of history.” Our optimism regarding markets, democracy and enlightened self-interest, the pillars of Pax Americana which were to lead us into a new Golden Age, is over.

For those of us who care about Mexico’s future, this leads to a number of recommendations. The first is to love Mexico for what it is, and not for what we want it to be. As the son of a Mexican diplomat who grew up in several countries (including Switzerland), I have heard versions of Mexico’s obituary for as long as I can remember. And, yet, the country remains one of the most attractive places in the world to invest and to live in, hosting (by far) the largest community of U.S. expatriates in the world.

While it is true that we could well be seeing the end of an independent judiciary, the basic ingredients that make living in Mexico attractive, its destinations, culture, people — and its food — look to endure. In fact, if the latest international rankings are to be believed, there is even an argument to be made that they will improve.

Second, it’s important not to have expectations based on our biases. Mexico is guaranteed to break your heart, but it will also make you fall in love with it. Sometimes these two things will happen on the same day. Just like everywhere else, this country has important challenges, but the world doesn’t need more Mexico catastrophizing. Observations and constructive criticisms are welcome, but no one benefits by propagating the old “Mexico is doomed” trope.

That goes double for expatriate Mexicans who, despite owing their family and fortune to Mexico, speak ill of their country from their perch in the Woodlands, or Miami. Harmful words are never a good look.

As the world enters a period of increased volatility, perspective is more important than ever. Europeans peer over Poland’s eastern border (which is also the border of NATO and the European Union) and see war being waged by an expansionist Russia. In Asia, China is also engaged in a frenzy of saber-rattling hostility.

Here in North America, we have many challenges, including a dangerous concentration of political power and organized crime in Mexico, as well as alarming political polarization in the United States. Add to that, the “polycrisis,” which is a bizarre metastasis of existential threats that include, but are not limited to, nuclear war, bioweapons, accelerated global warming and artificial intelligence.

In this context, the results of Mexico’s election, for good, or ill, are a footnote. I do not believe that the basic ingredients of what makes Mexico one of the top international destinations will change. And for those of us who want to contribute, we can always do so as individuals, through being positive and productive members of our communities.

In sum, it behooves us to appreciate everything that Mexico offers, even if circumstances are forcing us to also be mindful of a world that is more dangerous and less predictable than it should be.

Agustín Barrios Gómez is the founder of International Capital Partners, a former Mexican Congressman, and a member of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI).

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mexico News Daily, its owner or its employees.

New archaeological museum opens at Edzná site in Campeche

By

MND Staff

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June 28, 2024

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Edzná archaeological site, Mexico — Edzná was a powerful regional capital from 400 to 1000 A.D. (Shutterstock)

The archaeological site of Edzná, excavated over the course of the past 65 years, now features a museum housing archaeological pieces and vestiges recovered from the former regional Maya capital.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum inaugurated the new museum on Friday, highlighting the project’s aim to provide greater context and understanding of the rich Maya cultural heritage.

The Site Museum in Edzná, Campeche — The new museum showcases archaeological pieces and vestiges recovered from the former regional Maya capital. (@INAHmx/X)

Edzná, located 55 kilometers southeast of the city of Campeche, was inhabited as early as 400 B.C., evolving into a major city by 200 A.D. The diverse architectural styles located in the area around the main plaza indicate that it was a powerful regional capital from 400 to 1000 A.D.

The most remarkable structure at Edzná is the 40-meter-high temple in the main plaza, but the site also features groupings such as the Grand Acropolis and structures including a ball court and a 31-meter-high structure known as Cinco Pisos.

Due to its low-lying location, inhabitants of Edzná built a complex hydraulic system to direct surface water into a lake. The system featured a dam and irrigation canals.

While delivering an update on INAH activities, INAH Director Diego Prieto said that the Edzná Site Museum will not only serve as a space for the exhibition of recovered artifacts, but also as a living testimony of the cultural and archaeological wealth of the Maya civilization.

Prieto said the museum and the recent restoration work at Edzná are the product of the federal Archaeological Zone Improvement Program (Promeza) that was developed to take advantage of excavations done for the Maya Train project.

Promeza provided funding for the exploration of the territory and the verification of photogrammetric and LiDAR images, as well as for the prospecting, excavation and registration of archaeological materials.

After analysis and classification, some of the recent finds will be displayed at the new Edzná museum and other museums that are part of the network of recently created sites in ancient Maya cities in southeastern Mexico, including new facilities at Palenque, Moral-Reforma, Kabah, Dzibilchaltún, Tulum and Calakmul.

With reports from La Jornada and El Sol de México

Jennifer Clement’s new book is a love letter to Mexico

By

Camila Sánchez Bolaño

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June 28, 2024

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Award-winning author Jennifer Clement is deeply influenced by her life experiences in Mexico and New York. Her new book, “La Fiesta Prometida” (The Promised Party), is an intimate and nostalgic reflection on her past, social and cultural changes and the Mexican identity. Speaking to Mexico News Daily, Clement shared her inspirations, the central themes of her book and the importance of memory.

Through our conversation, we explored how these fragmented memories and personal experiences intertwine to form a rich and complex tapestry that reflects the reality of two distinct cities and eras.

“Growing up in Mexico, I knew the end of love was everywhere.”

Cover of The Promised Party — The Promised Party by Jennifer Clement (Facebook)

From her childhood in Mexico City, Clement felt the omnipresence of the end of love. In “The Promised Party,” this feeling is expressed through the losses and heartbreaks that are a fundamental part of the narrative and the author’s life.

The work also reflects a kind of personal odyssey. In the last chapter, Clement explores her return to Mexico after spending much of her adult life in the United States. She describes Mexico as having “a particular anarchy, where we know that all is lost.” This fatalistic perspective is something deeply rooted in Mexican identity and resonates with legendary Mexican poet Sor Juana’s sonnets against hope.

“Those were other times. Art was above anything else at that time.”

Clement also delves into common family dynamics of the era and the central figure of Chona, her nanny, who played a more significant maternal role than her own mother: “Chona was really, in profound terms, my mom, much more than my mom,” she explained. At a time when parents were often absent and art was above all things, her relationship with Chona became an emotional pillar. This parental absence, was a characteristic of Clement’s generation, contrasting with the current generation’s greater concern and attention to their children. “If one looks at the history of Mexican intellectuals and artists, notably many, they have stories with their children that are tragic and very sad.”

The author also discusses how the unusual permissiveness of the past provided her with unusual experiences, such as her visit to the public baths with Chona: “How did they allow it? I was like some kind of strange creature there, inside the steam bath where the poorest people in Mexico went because they didn’t have bathrooms.”

Mexico City in the 1970s — The Mexico City of the 1970s was a very different place to the capital of today. (Internet Archive)

These memories are part of a larger mosaic that reflects the extreme poverty and illiteracy of the time. Clement uses these fragments to create a collective memory that encompasses her personal life and the capital’s history. “Yes, it’s my story, my memory; it’s how I became a writer, the path I took; but it’s also a book about times: that time in Mexico, that time in New York.”

The city as a character

In Jennifer Clement’s literature, the city is not only a setting but a character in itself. Thus, Clement constructs the narrative of The Promised Party in fragments, reflective of the way in which human memory works.

The book is divided into two parts: Mexico City and New York City, covering the first 27 years of Clement’s life. This non-linear structure allows for a deeper exploration of the chance experiences and influences that shaped her life and writing career. “The book also has a lot to do with luck, chance, and fate. It starts with Burroughs and ends with Burroughs, with this very strong scene where he tells that all is lost.”

Clement’s life has been eventful. From her chance meeting with Basquiat’s girlfriend while they were working as waitresses in New York at a Mexican restaurant, to the stories told by notable figures such as Ana Maria Xirau and Elena Poniatowska, each fragment contributes to a narrative rich in context and meaning.

Jennifer Clement, Elena Poniatowska, Guillermo Arreola and Braulio Peralta. — Elena Poniatowska, Guillermo Arreola and Braulio Peralta with the author (Facebook)

“I had such an exceptional childhood and youth. I met and was influenced by so many people. And there is chance, when my parents arrived in Mexico, of all the thousands of streets they could have chosen to live on, they chose the same street where Frida and Diego lived. I would bathe in Frida’s now famous bathtub, but at that time, she wasn’t famous; there was no recognition on my part that I was in Frida Kahlo’s bathtub; it was my friend’s house and my second home. The same with Basquiat. Nobody was famous; the only famous person in New York was Andy Warhol,” she muses.

“And I talk about it in the book: the amount of Basquiat’s work, Suzanne and I threw away. We would be multimillionaires now, but it wasn’t important to us. It was the crap the ex left behind.”

“This book, deeply, is an act of love for Mexico.”

One of the most powerful themes in The Promised Party is Clement’s unconditional love for Mexico. “It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, a Mexican outside of Mexico will only think about Mexico.” This love manifests itself in her constant desire to return to her country despite having lived in places like New York. Clement describes this feeling as a Mexican inevitability, a need to be in Mexico despite the difficulties. This love is also reflected in Mexico’s cultural richness, something the author proudly highlights, mentioning the painters, architects, musicians, sculptors and writers who have put Mexico in a prominent place in the global art scene.

Despite the challenges that might be involved in publishing Mexican-themed books in English and abroad, Clement has managed to capture the interest of publishers worldwide. The Promised Party has already been sold to be published in several countries, including Mexico, the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Sweden. This global interest underscores the relevance and universal appeal of the stories and experiences she tells in her work.

The Promised Party is more than just an autobiography; it is a celebration of memory, an exploration of identity and a testament to Jennifer Clement’s undying love for Mexico. Through her narrative fragments, Clement manages to weave a story that resonates with the nostalgia and complexity of a life lived between two worlds. This book preserves not only her personal memories, but also the stories and historical context that could be lost in the passage of time.

The book is now available in England and the United States. The Promised Party will debut in Mexico in July. In addition, the rights have already been sold to an English filmmaker to make the movie. And Spielberg bought The Widow Basquiat. “There will be two projects about these books and this era coming soon.”

Camila Sánchez Bolaño is a journalist, feminist, bookseller, lecturer, and cultural promoter and is Editor in Chief of Newsweek en Español magazine.

Schneider Electric CEO in Mexico says he ‘believes’ in nearshoring

By

MND Staff

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June 28, 2024

0

Schneider Electric's "Smart Factory" in Monterrey, one of four plants forecast to reach net-zero status in 2025. (se.com)

Two weeks after Schneider Electric inaugurated a US $29.4 million plant in Monterrey, the CEO of the French multinational’s Mexican and Central American operations declared his faith in nearshoring.

Jesús Carmona, CEO of Schneider Mexico and Central America, recently told the newspaper El Economista that he is bullish on nearshoring, insisting that the impact in Mexico over the next 30 years will be enormous.

“I believe in nearshoring because I see [its impacts] every day,” he said. “The first place to feel its impact was Monterrey, but we see it in other northern cities and in the Bajío [region]. I have no doubt it will reach southern Mexico as well.”

Describing how Schneider’s presence in Mexico doubled between 2021 and 2023, Carmona said there are three reasons for his company’s accelerated growth here: “nearshoring, increasing demand for efficient solutions to electrical energy needs, and the great abilities of Mexican labor.”

Schneider employs 1,600 people across Mexico in 10 plants, with 1,000 of those workers hired in the past four years. Last year, Schneider invested US $72.5 million in its Mexican energy automation services.

At the June 13 inauguration of the new plant known as Monterrey 4, Schneider’s director of operations in North America, Agustín López, said that the new plant in Monterrey — its fourth facility in the northern Mexico city — would strengthen its local economic ecosystem by 17%–20% over the next two to three years.

“We are always trying to optimize our technological capital via the development of a campus,” he said. “That’s why we build these production centers.”

Monterrey 4 will eventually create 460 jobs (257 people are on the payroll at present) and will be focused on the manufacture of specialized products, such as low-voltage electrical distribution boards — essential for hospitals, data centers; digital companies and organizations with high energy consumption.

Schneider Electric's recently inaugurated Monterrey 4, an Engineer to Order (ETO) facility. — Schneider Electric recently inaugurated Monterrey 4, an Engineer to Order (ETO) facility. (@SchneiderMX/X)

Schneider Electric, which has been operating in Mexico since 1945, specializes in digital automation and energy management by combining energy technologies, real-time automation, software, and services.

The 183,000-square-foot plant will boost the company’s production in North America as it will be an Engineer to Order (ETO) facility, which manufactures products to customer specifications and engineering designs.

López said that by next year, its four plants in Monterrey will reach net-zero status (a balance between the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere). The new plant is also the first in the world in which it will be possible to reutilize scrap metal.

In addition to the new Monterrey plant, Schneider is also building an 11th plant in the state of Tlaxcala.

With reports from El Financiero and El Economista