The island of Cozumel is one of the busiest cruise destinations in the world welcoming over 4 million cruise ship passengers a year. (Mara Lezama/X)
The on-again, off-again, on-again project to build a fourth cruise ship dock in Cozumel has been paused by the Environment Ministry (Semarnat) which is reconsidering the approval it granted just two months ago.
Advocates for Cozumel’s coral reefs were stunned in April when Semarnat greenlit the project to expand a cruise ship port that would allegedly damage the Villa Blanca Reef, reversing a 2022 decision to cancel the construction.
Cozumel currently has three docks that can accommodate cruise ships. Each dock has two to three docking slips. (Cuartoscuro)
On Friday, Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena announced that Semarnat would carry out a new environmental impact study with a particular focus on the reef, and the rights of the local population to a healthy environment.
The Villa Blanca Reef is a critical habitat for marine life and a popular site for divers and snorkelers, according to Yucatán Magazine. Construction of the dock over the reef will smother coral formations, displace marine species and degrade water quality, scientists say.
Opponents of the project insist the planned pier would disrupt the island’s delicate ecological balance, undoing 20 years of restoration work.
Emergency responders say the pier project — which would occupy 59,000 square meters of federal maritime zone — would obstruct Coast Guard routes, delaying rescue missions in southern waters.
Among the economic repercussions, long-standing dive operators and scuba training centers would lose access to the reef, effectively shutting down their operations. Snorkeling guides who provide tours in Villa Blanca would also face an uncertain future.
Activists also point out that the location chosen for the new dock lies on the only readily accessible beach for locals.
Residents are also largely against the construction project, according to tourism website Reportur. Many cozmuleños, as residents are known, not only oppose the environmental damage, but also prefer overnight visitors who spend more money than cruise passengers.
“Cruises … offer far fewer benefits per visitor than overnight visitors,” Cozumel resident Rodrigo Huesca Alcántara told Reportur. A visitor who stays five days, eats at local restaurants and pays for tours provides a much larger profit than cruise passengers who visit for just a few hours, he said.
Toni Cháves, president of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association, also criticized the environmental damage the project would cause.
“We don’t live off of tourism,” he said. “We live off of the natural beauty that attracts tourism.”
The proposal for a fourth cruise ship dock has stirred controversy on the island of Cozumel, where a population of 88,000 hosts millions of tourists a year. (Ryan Grewell/Unsplash)
The latest pause was prompted by an injunction filed against Semarnat’s decision on June 13, after which Semarnat acknowledged that some permits and concessions related to the required environmental impact study have yet to be granted.
Opponents insist their opposition goes beyond the environmental destruction the project would cause. They say the financial benefits of the cruise industry do not trickle down to local residents.
The Economy Ministry sees Mexico's success in attracting foreign investment as the result of favorable geography, competitive costs, a young and talented population, and a strong internal market. (Bosch Mexico)
Mexico held firm as one of the most attractive countries for foreign investors last year, even as global foreign direct investment (FDI) declined for a second consecutive year
According to the UN report, Mexico’s ability to consistently attract FDI in recent years bucks a global trend in which foreign investment is tight. (UNCTAD)
In contrast, at the global level, FDI last year was down 11% from 2023, reaching less than US $1.5 trillion in 2024. The decline was driven by losses in developed countries, particularly China and parts of Europe. Global FDI in 2023 surpassed US $1.67 trillion, according to UNCTAD.
The downward trend confirms a deepening slowdown in productive capital flows, the UNCTAD report found.
UNCTAD said shrinking investment funds pose acute challenges to developing countries, including Mexico, while warning that uncertainty is affecting global investment. The report indicated that FDI in developing economies was virtually unchanged in 2024 compared to 2023.
Whereas foreign investment flows to Latin American and the Caribbean were down 12% last year, UNCTAD reported that “sectoral and country-level gains signal underlying resilience and long-term potential.”
Mexico was second only to Brazil (US $59 billion) in Latin America, thanks to investment in manufacturing and logistics, UNCTAD found.
According to Mexico’s Economy Ministry, FDI flows into Mexico have performed favorably during the last 10 years, with a total amount of US $300 billion during the 2011-2021 period.
The Economy Ministry attributes Mexico’s success in attracting FDI to its strategic geographical position, competitive costs, young and talented population, and the size and strength of its internal market.
The UNCTAD report cautions that macroeconomic indicators point to a slowdown, however. Global GDP growth forecasts have been revised downward since the beginning of the year, while projections for capital formation and trade — crucial for value chain-driven investment — have also weakened.
Multinationals like Spanish bank BBVA have continued to invest in Mexico despite challenging global economic conditions. (Shutterstock)
The report underscores that investment shortfalls are stalling jobs, infrastructure and sustainable development – especially in the least developed and most vulnerable economies.
“Too many economies are being left behind not for a lack of potential – but because the system still sends capital where it’s easiest, not where it’s needed,” Grynspan said.
The report concludes that the investment landscape in 2024 was “shaped by geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation and intensifying industrial policy competition.”
The slowdown in FDI flows is also being driven by policies restricting foreign investment. UNCTAD reported that in the past decade, the number of countries imposing FDI controls, citing national security, increased from 21 to 46.
The experts who did the ranking praised Quintonil for Chef Jorge Vallejo's innovative use of Mexican flavors and for the "exceptional hospitality" of his wife Alejandra Flores.
(Quintonil/Facebook)
Quintonil, a high-end restaurant in Mexico City, has been recognized as the No. 3 restaurant in the world in the much-anticipated 2025 list from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, marking a historic moment for Mexico’s culinary scene.
No Mexican restaurant had ever made the top 3 until Quintonil’s achievement was announced at a ceremony in Turin, Italy Thursday.
The third-best restaurant in the world is named after an herb that Quintonil uses in some of its dishes and drinks. (Quintonil/Facebook)
Another Mexico City eatery, Rosetta, cracked the list at No. 46.
Maido in Peru was named the best restaurant in the world, followed by Asador Etxebarri, in Spain, at No. 2.
Run by Chef Jorge Vallejo and his wife Alejandra Flores, Quintonil combines an innovative use of Mexican flavors with exceptional hospitality. It specializes in contemporary Mexican cuisine, reinterpreting traditional ingredients and recipes with modern techniques. It uses fresh, local ingredients, many sourced from a nearby urban garden., bringing unique creativity and authentic flavors to its dishes.
“What we do wouldn’t make sense without the people who make it possible every day,” reads a post on Quintonil’s social media channels. “Thank you to those who are part of our home — to the team that lives here with dedication, to those who provide us with the best of their trade, and to those who come through our doors to be part of this story.”
The coveted spot in the World’s 50 Best adds to Quintonil’s recent achievement of earning its second Michelin star, an honor shared with only one other restaurant in Mexico — Pujol by acclaimed Chef Enrique Olvera.
“Quintonil is the setting for chef Jorge Vallejo’s boundary-pushing Mexican cuisine and his wife Alejandra Flores’ exceptional hospitality,” the World’s 50 Best said. “Together, this charismatic duo brings a winning combination of warmth, energy and exceptional food that has diners returning again and again.”
Quintonil (the name refers to a green herb used in some of the restaurant’s dishes and drinks) opened in 2012 following Jorge and Alejandra’s work at Pujol. Surprisingly, Pujol didn’t make it to the World’s 50 Best. That restaurant fell 27 places and was ranked No. 60 this year, leaving it out of the top 50, although it still appears on the extended list from 51 to 100.
No. 46 Rosetta, led by Chef Elena Reygadas, began as an Italian restaurant in Mexico City, before it moved on to a more Mexican-centered cuisine.
“The focus is now on re-interpreting traditional dishes in a new light,” the World’s 50 Best said.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is an annual ranking created in 2002 by the British company William Reed Business Media. The list is compiled from the votes of the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy,” made up of 26 regional panels of 40 experts each, including chefs, restaurateurs, food critics, and gourmets. They cast votes based on their recent experiences in restaurants around the world.
Screwworm infestations can be fatal to cattle and other animals. (Jin Yeong/Unsplash)
The United States has announced the reopening and modernization of the sterile fly production plant in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas as part of a joint strategy with Mexico to combat cattle screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax), a pest that affects livestock and recently led to the temporary suspension of Mexican cattle imports by the U.S.
Screwworm flies afflict livestock and other animals — including humans — by laying their larvae in open wounds. The resulting infestations can be fatal without treatment.
Mexican’s Agriculture Ministry Julio Berdegué, confirmed Wednesday that his U.S. counterpart, Brooke Rollins, has allocated a US $21 million investment to renovate the sterile fly manufacturing plant. The goal is to generate approximately 100 million sterile flies each week, in addition to those produced at another plant in Panama, which, until now, has been operating at maximum capacity to ship the insect to Mexico.
The sterile flies are key to sterile insect technique, a biological control method that floods an area with sterile screwworm flies and makes it more difficult for fertile flies to find each other, thus disrupting the reproductive cycle.
The sterile insect technique is not new to Mexico. In 1972, Mexico and the U.S. adopted a joint strategy to eradicate the screwworm, leading to the opening of the plant in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, in 1976. The formal eradication campaign began in 1981, and by 1991, the states of Tabasco, Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán were declared pest-free. In 2003, Chiapas also achieved this status, marking the elimination of the screwworm throughout Mexico.
La secretaria @USDA@SecRollins acaba de anunciar un plan para reforzar el combate al gusano barrenador del ganado. Nos parece un paso positivo que, en distintos aspectos, fortalecerá el trabajo conjunto México-EUA. Por ejemplo:…
Abro 🧵
The reopening of the Chiapas plant seeks not only to control the current health emergency, but also to ensure the resumption of livestock trade between the two countries.
The outbreak of screwworm represents a serious risk to animal health and Mexico’s livestock economy. Mexico’s National Agricultural Council (CNA) said the United States’ decision to halt imports of cattle, horses, and bison from Mexico due to new outbreaks of the screwworm could mean losses of US $11.4 million per day for the country while the trade ban remains in effect.
In a statement on his official X account, Berdegué said following Rollins announcement that thanks to the “spirit of cooperation” shown by U.S. officials, he hopes Mexico “can resume the export of our cattle as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, Rollins said the U.S. has “entered a new era of productive partnership, perhaps better than ever before, with our Mexican counterparts.”
In addition to reopening the Chiapas plant, Rollins revealed their strategy includes opening a new sterile fly dispersal plant in Texas, strengthening surveillance measures in the Mexico-U.S. border to prevent entry of the pest and conducting audits in Mexico, among other measures.
Why is Oatly oat milk advertising in English in Mexico, and what does that tell us about gentrification in 2025? (Mexico News Daily)
The billboard appeared overnight on the side of a building next to my apartment in Mexico City’s Condesa neighborhood, its English text standing out against the morning sky: an Oatly advertisement. In English. In a country where nearly 95% of the population speaks Spanish. As I passed by, I observed how the Swedish oat milk brand’s latest activation settled into the visual landscape of my neighborhood, with its quirky messaging that had made the company famous worldwide.
Why did I care about this marketing campaign? Firstly because I’m a university professor teaching Marketing and Branding at Parsons School of Design in New York City, so I notice these things with the obsessive attention of someone who dissects campaigns for a living. Secondly I own a juice bar café here in Mexico City. That makes Oatly’s particular over-processed brand of plant milk both fascinating to study and troubling to witness succeed.
The controversy in question appeared in ultra-gentrified Roma Norte. (Andrew Levenson)
The billboard was just a small piece of the series of activations launched by the company in its efforts to penetrate the Mexican market. Over the following months, Oatly’s English-language advertisements would continue to appear on walls and billboards across Condesa, Roma Norte and Hipódromo — neighborhoods at the center of Mexico City’s ongoing gentrification debate. Each ad would maintain the Swedish brand’s signature aesthetic: quirky and consistent with their global approach, regardless of local linguistic preferences. They ignored what we in the marketing space call “transcreation” — the adaptation of advertising content to accommodate different audiences and cultures.
My initial reaction was dislike. Beyond the language choice and disregard for Mexican cultural recognition in Oatly’s visual advertisements, I had concerns about the product itself. While Oatly has gained popularity among baristas worldwide for its ability to steam Oat Milk into a creamy foam, the product contains ingredients and fillers that research has linked to numerous health problems. As if Mexico didn’t have enough public health issues already.
Yet even as I bristled at the campaign cues around me, I begrudgingly had to acknowledge the marketing smarts of the Oatly team.
A calculated approach
Oatly’s recent Mexico City campaign wasn’t simply advertising; it was a calculated market penetration strategy that didn’t rely on simple placement of ads around the city and hope for results. It was an approach that demonstrated sophisticated market research and planning.
A Film About Drinking Coffee in Mexico City | Oatly
First came the coffee shop partnerships. Oatly’s Barista Blend appeared in over 100 specialty coffee shops across the city — from the popular Panadería Rosetta to Roma Norte favorite Café Tormenta. They began with pop-up events, offering free coffee made with their product, a sampling strategy that’s been proven effective time and time again.
Oatly’s team also released short films distributed on video and their social media platforms, including notable cafes, streets and parks in Mexico City, and interviews with baristas and residents.
But here’s where Oatly showed they’d done their homework beyond mere demographic analysis. Within their broader campaign were moments of genuine cultural insight that caught even my skeptical attention. Most notably, they incorporated references to “Se compran colchones,” the ubiquitous audio recording that echoes through Mexico City’s neighborhoods as buyers in pickup trucks drive around soliciting used mattresses, refrigerators and washing machines.
If you’ve lived in Mexico City for more than a week, that recording is seared into your consciousness. It’s become so omnipresent that it’s become a cultural artifact — the unofficial soundtrack of urban Mexico. Oatly’s creative team adapted the recording and enlisted their own pickup truck to drive around broadcasting Oatly’s product taste and benefits — “Cremoso y vegano” — in the same style of the ubiquitous recording. That Oatly’s creative team recognized this phenomenon and wove it into their activations suggested a level of cultural fluency that their English-only advertising seemed to contradict.
The paradox
Which brings us to the elephant in the room: Why advertise in English in a Spanish-speaking country? It’s not a lack of budget for translation. The answer lies in both Oatly’s strategic calculations and its bold confidence as a brand.
The neighborhoods targeted — Condesa, Roma Norte, Hipódromo — aren’t chosen at random. These are Mexico City’s cosmopolitan epicenters, home to the city’s young professionals, expats and English-speaking elite. They’re also the neighborhoods where conversations about gentrification and foreign influence burn hottest, making Oatly’s linguistic choices feel less like oversight and more like provocation. Oatly’s visual advertising’s disregard for the host country language doesn’t only appear to be unique to Mexico. In fact, Oatly’s use of English extends globally — even, as it appears, to their campaigns in Paris.
So much has been said about Roma Norte’s rapid rise, it doesn’t bear repeating, but it’s no surprise Oatly planned their publicity stunt in this area of the city. (Colima 71)
And provocation, as it seems, is one of Oatly’s tactics. The brand has built its global reputation on controversy as marketing fuel, transforming criticism into engagement and debate into brand awareness. Every angry tweet becomes content, every complaint becomes conversation. It’s a strategy that requires corporate nerves of steel and a thick skin, but it works.
The numbers support this. Oatly has dramatically increased its presence across Mexico City’s supermarkets and coffee shops, and the brand has announced expansion plans for Guadalajara, Monterrey and San Miguel de Allende, suggesting their approach has been commercially successful.
What that means for the controversy surrounding Mexico’s rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, however, is an even hotter debate.
Monica Belot is a writer, researcher, strategist and adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she teaches in the Strategic Design & Management Program. Splitting her time between NYC and Mexico City, where she resides with her naughty silver labrador puppy Atlas, Monica writes about topics spanning everything from the human experience to travel and design research. Follow her varied scribbles on Medium at medium.com/@monicabelot.
The elegant and historic Hacienda de Cortés hotel in Cuernavaca, Morelos, occupies a Spanish hacienda founded in 1530 by Hernán Cortés. The room is a perfect example of how the hotel industry is striving to put Mexican authenticity at the forefront of tourism. (Tesoros de Mexico)
It’s starting to feel like every new hotel worldwide is cut from the same cloth. Each corner is curated with Instagram in mind, from the expected Edison bulb fixtures to mass-produced “locally-influenced” artwork. The lobby bartender sports a denim apron while mixing that flower-topped crafted cocktail you just ordered from a QR menu stamped on a coaster. Don’t worry, though: The drink is mezcal-based — a supposedly authentic nod to Mexico’s deep-rooted agave culture.
While many vacation rental platforms and international hotel chains have homogenized travel experiences across the globe, Mexico has quietly built something real travelers crave: a network of irreplaceable hotels that Hilton cannot replicate.
Puebla city’s historic Mesón Sacristía de la Compañía hotel occupies a historic 250-year-old mansion protected by the federal government. (Tesoros de Mexico)
The birth of something authentic
In 2000, a group of hoteliers approached Leobardo Espinosa, owner of Puebla’s Mesónes Sacristía, with an ambitious proposal. They wanted to save historic buildings by converting them into hotels and restaurants, and in doing so, create a consortium that both represented Mexican identity and supported traditional culture.
At the time, Puebla had little to offer tourists in terms of hotels and restaurants, so the group headed south to Michoacán. Their idea proved successful. Within eight years, a premium certification program was introduced, and properties that met certain quality standards and embodied Mexico’s cultural, architectural and gastronomic heritage were inducted.
Today, that consortium is known as Tesoros de México, and it encompasses 130 properties across 48 cities in 13 states.
The unreplicable advantage
“What makes the difference is that none of the Tesoros hotels and restaurants can be replicated,” explains Leobardo Espinosa, former president of the Tesoros consortium and current owner of two colonial-era mansions-turned-boutique-hotels in Puebla city — Mesón Sacristía de la Compañía, once described by Journey Mexico as “cute, kitsch and ever-so colorful, a beautiful expression of Mexico, old and new,” and the nearby Sacristía de la Soledad, rented in its entirety to a single party seeking a private experience.
Unlike branded hotels that roll out identical designs across continents, Tesoros properties start with something no corporate headquarters can manufacture: history.
Many Tesoros hotels occupy buildings protected by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which requires at least 60% of the structure’s original construction to be authentically preserved. Maintaining a 250-year-old mansion’s structure while modernizing it for today’s guests presents some challenges, but it ensures centuries of local history isn’t bulldozed for a luxury brand name.
All members of the Tesoros de México consortium, like Atlixco’s Hacienda Santo Cristo, proudly bear the Tesoros plaque. (Tesoros de Mexico)
The program’s rigorous standards go far beyond facades. Everything inside matters, from thread counts to room sizes, specific bedding quality and Mexican-made amenities. Lighting and ventilation must be current, while artwork and furniture should reflect Mexico or be crafted by Mexican artists. Restaurants must source local ingredients whenever possible, with recipes traditional to the region.
Over 500 requirements must be met, making the process to become a Tesoros property exclusive and often lengthy.
Where authenticity meets economics
This isn’t preservation for preservation’s sake, but instead strategic economic development. “Almost everything is made in Mexico, and some is made in the community itself, such as textiles provided by local women using traditional techniques,” Espinosa notes. While Airbnb or resort chains source furnishings from global suppliers, Tesoros hotels say they create local supply chains that keep tourism dollars circulating in Mexican communities.
The seven Tesoros member hotels and restaurants in Morelos state, for example, support local chefs and exhibit art made by Mexican artists. In Puebla, local textile producers participate in interior design efforts while nearby suppliers provide cheese, honey and other ingredients for traditional dishes of the state like mole or chile en nogada.
The effects extend beyond direct employment. “Many small hotels see Tesoros de México as a goal,” Espinosa explains. “It lifts the standard, even if they’re not in the program.” This aspirational quality means the certification influences far beyond current members, inspiring small hotel owners to showcase their property’s authentic character.
Member sites must preserve at least 60% of the historic building’s original construction to qualify. (Tesoros de Mexico)
The real challenge: Perception versus reality
While competition with Airbnb and international chains poses challenges, Espinosa identifies a deeper threat: people’s perception of security.
“The main threat is security and the perception of insecurity. Perception is often more influential than reality,” he says.
A 2023 report by the Center for Tourism Research and Competitiveness (Cicotur) at Anáhuac University found that nearly 94% of tourism service providers in Mexico warn about insecurity’s negative effects. States like Michoacán and Guanajuato have been particularly impacted by increased organized crime-related violence and infrastructure disruption.
The impact of potential tourists’ perception of safety extends beyond hotels and restaurants to surrounding working-class and rural communities who rely on programs like Tesoros for regular income. When visitor numbers drop, everyone from farmers to artists suffers immediate hardship. Addressing this perception gap is critical not only for individual hotels but for entire regions dependent on tourism.
A growing movement
For North American travelers weary of identical experiences, Tesoros represents something increasingly rare: authenticity. Since Mexico’s Tourism Ministry obtained the rights to officially manage and regulate Tesoros de México in 2008, new properties have joined annually, and plans are in the works to increase membership growth with locations that best reflect the country’s unique character.
The newest addition is in Atlixco, Puebla. Hacienda Santo Cristo is a recognized historic monument that dates back to 1540. After falling into disrepair, the INAH supervised a meticulous three-year restoration under which 80% of the hacienda’s colonial architecture has been preserved, including original walls made from volcanic stone and brick. It now functions as a luxury hotel and event space with two restaurants, a spa, a pool and spectacular views of the Popocatépetl volcano.
The future of authentic travel
Tourism to Mexico is booming. TripAdvisor named Cancún the top vacation destination for North Americans in 2025. However, for those seeking something different, genuine and irreplaceable, initiatives like Tesoros de México represent more than a certification program. As hospitality platforms and chains typically optimize for efficiency and scalability, Tesoros optimizes for something that can’t be quantified: a true sense of place.
Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog or follow her on Instagram.
Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), and Ricardo Ruiz, a CJNG commander who is the prime suspect in the May 15 murder of TikTok infuencer Valeria Márquez, are two of the targets of the new sanctions. (U.S. Treasury Dept.)
U.S. Treasury authorities have applied sanctions to five leaders of Mexico’s notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeted CJNG leader Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, aka “El Mencho,” and three of his top lieutenants, along with Ricardo Ruiz, a CJNG commander who has been implicated in high-profile murders in Mexico for more than a decade.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control, an agency in the U.S. Treasury Department, has the power to prohibit Americans or anyone on U.S. soil from engaging in any transaction involving property that sanctioned forergn criminal suspects own or have an interest in. (U.S. Treasury Department)
In a press release, the OFAC announced that “all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons … that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.”
This designation also prohibits all transactions by persons from or within the United States that involve any property of the sanctioned individuals.
The CJNG is accused of producing fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and other illicit drugs trafficked into the United States. The cartel also allegedly controls the deep-water port of Manzanillo in the western state of Colima, where it obtains fentanyl precursors and controls other drug trafficking operations through the port.
“CJNG’s reign of terror across Mexico and its trafficking of fentanyl into the United States has destroyed countless innocent lives,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a press release.
The U.S. government is offering a reward of up to US $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Oseguera.
In addition to “El Mencho” and Ruiz, the OFAC designated Julio Alberto Castillo, Audias Flores and Gonzalo Mendoza as “blocked persons.”
Castillo is a senior CJNG member and Oseguera’s son-in-law and is regarded as a potential successor to “El Mencho.”
Flores is described as a CJNG regional commander in charge of producing meth in the states of Zacatecas, Guerrero, Nayarit, Jalisco and Michoacán. There is a US $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Flores.
Mendoza is known for prolific recruitment strategies, the OFAC alleges, and links him to the CJNG recruitment camp in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, known as Izaguirre Ranch. Mendoza has also been involved in the murder of numerous Mexican law enforcement officers.
Space junk and bilateral trade were notable topics at Thursday's presidential press conference. (Presidencia)
The discovery of space debris in Tamaulipas and Mexico’s desire to promptly enter into a “global agreement” with the United States were among the topics President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Thursday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s June 19 mañanera.
Elon Musk’s space debris washes up in Tamaulipas
A reporter from Grupo Milenio noted that the Milenio newspaper published a report on Thursday about space debris that was found on Playa Bagdad, a beach in Tamaulipas just south of the border with Texas and the SpaceX Starbase rocket launch facility.
The Milenio article was published under the headline “Musk’s space debris places at risk the lives of animals and people in the north of Tamaulipas.”
In the article, Milenio reported that a metal tank was found on Playa Bagdad, adding that the device was “preliminarily identified” as a “pressurized tank with phosphorous remains.”
The newspaper said that the tank was part of the Super Heavy launch vehicle of the SpaceX Starship. SpaceX is majority-owned by Elon Musk, the company’s founder and CEO.
#OchoColumnas | Basura espacial de Musk pone en riesgo la vida de animales y personas… y le explota otro cohete 🚀
La inhalación o ingestión de este químico puede afectar órganos internos, en particular el hígado, los riñones y el sistema nervioso.https://t.co/Tlz8tCCXYX
“The phosphorous contained in the tank located in the Playa Bagdad area — especially in its white form — is highly reactive upon contact with oxygen and can cause severe skin injuries and represents an environmental risk,” Milenio reported.
“The inhalation or ingestion of this chemical can affect internal organs, particularly the liver, the kidneys and the nervous system. Even small quantities can be lethal if they enter the body. In addition, if it is not managed correctly, phosphorous can contaminate bodies of water and affect marine animals. Its degradation in natural environments is slow and dangerous,” Milenio said.
The tank, Milenio said, “has not been the only discovery” on the coast of northern Tamaulipas in recent weeks.
“In the past four weeks, hundreds of metal and plastic remains of various sizes have been swept by the tide from the Gulf of Mexico to the coast, after the ninth launch test of Musk’s aerospace company,” the newspaper said, referring to Starship’s test flight on May 27.
The “failure” of that test flight “has placed ecological balance at risk, threatening the lives of animal species and also people,” Milenio said.
Sheinbaum said she had seen the newspaper’s report.
Sheinbaum told reporters that the Digital Agency and Environment Ministry would look into the rocket debris problem. (Presidencia)
“This morning I asked if it could be reviewed by the [government’s] Digital Agency,” she said, noting that the agency has responsibility for certain aerospace and telecommunications matters.
Sheinbaum said that the Environment Ministry and other ministries would also investigate.
She said that her government would report back when it was in a position to do so.
Mexico wants to sign a ‘global agreement’ with US ‘very soon’
Sheinbaum reiterated that she had a “very good” call with United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday while she was at the G7 Summit in Canada, which Trump left earlier than expected.
She also noted once again that she and Trump had agreed in principle on a “global agreement” between Mexico and the United States that covers migration, security and trade.
Though they were unable to meet in person at the G7 Summit after Trump left early, Sheinbaum spoke with the US leader by phone on Tuesday. (Donald Trump/Facebook)
On Thursday, she said that “our objective” is for the agreement to be signed “very soon.”
“… It has to be soon,” she said before indicating that she was seeking the finalization of an agreement in coming months.
Sheinbaum didn’t say whether her government would insist on the removal of tariffs on Mexican steel, aluminum and cars as part of a “global agreement” between Mexico and the U.S., but it would be logical for it to do so.
‘I’m proud to represent Mexico’
A reporter asked the president what “emotions” she experienced while interacting with other world leaders at this week’s G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.
“I think that the most important thing is to know that you’re representing Mexico,” Sheinbaum responded.
“This is not a personal issue. If you think it’s a personal issue, you have your head in the clouds,” she said.
“The most important thing here is that the president of Mexico represents our people, our culture, our history, our nation, our homeland and for that reason you have to be very proud,” Sheinbaum said.
“So I’m proud to represent Mexico. … The important thing is to hold Mexico’s name up high, always,” she said.
“So it’s not a personal issue, it’s the pride of representing our homeland, Sheinbaum said.
An old industrial waste processing plant was repurposed to create an illegal fuel refinery in Coatzacoalcos. (Defensa)
Federal authorities located a clandestine oil refinery in Veracruz at which they seized more than half a million liters of crude, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported on Wednesday.
“As a result of field intelligence work and reconnaissance flights, a clandestine operation to produce artisanal or alternative diesel, light naphtha or solvents and treated oils or light fuel, was identified in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz,” García Harfuch said on the X social media site.
Derivado de labores de inteligencia de campo y vuelos de reconocimiento, se identificó una operación clandestina, ubicada en Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, para producir diésel artesanal o alternativo, nafta ligera o solventes y aceites tratados o combustóleo ligero, que operaba sin… pic.twitter.com/kUASRb7SoM
He said that the facility was operating “without the appropriate permits and represented a risk to local ecosystems.”
García Harfuch said that federal authorities including the Army (Defensa), Navy (SEMAR), National Guard and state oil company Pemex executed a search warrant at the illegal refinery.
“More than 500,000 liters of crude as well as infrastructure for production destined for the illegal fuel market was recovered,” he wrote on X.
In a joint statement, the federal Security Ministry, the National Guard, the Federal Attorney General’s Office, Defensa and SEMAR said that the facility in Coatzacoalcos was used as “a small-scale refinery” and had “equipment to separate fuels” and “pipes for their transport.”
The authorities said that “seven large capacity mobile tanks” and “four vertical tanks” were found at the clandestine refinery.
They said that the facility formerly treated industrial waste, but was subsequently used for the “illegal processing of hydrocarbons.”
The authorities said that further investigations into the operation of the illegal refinery will take place. They said the facility was cordoned off and is under police guard.
No arrests were reported in connection with the detection and search of the illegal refinery.
Fuel theft and trafficking is the most lucrative non-drug industry for organized crime in Mexico. (Beto Arias /Cuartoscuro)
Criminal cells of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the Gulf Cartel and other organized crime groups operate in the area where the facility is located, the Reforma newspaper reported. Cartels have been involved in fuel theft — colloquially known in Mexico as huachicoleo — for years. The crime — often committed by tapping fuel pipelines — costs Pemex hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
Coatzacoalcos is located on the Gulf of Mexico, where most of Mexico’s crude comes from. One of Pemex’s seven refineries in Mexico is located 25 kilometers inland in the city of Minatitlán.
1.2 million liters of stolen fuel seized in Nuevo León
García Harfuch also reported on Wednesday that authorities had seized 1.2 million liters of fuel in the northern state of Nuevo León.
“In following up on actions to prevent the theft of fuel in the country,” federal and state authorities “executed a search warrant in the municipality of Allende, Nuevo León, where they secured 1.2 million liters of hydrocarbons as well as tanker trucks and containers,” he wrote on X.
Federal authorities said in a statement that investigative work led to the detection of a property in Allende that was used to store fuel of “illicit origin.”
They said the property posed a risk to the local population as it wasn’t operating with “appropriate safety measures.”
The property was also cordoned off and place under police guard. No arrests were reported.
Marilyn Manson, born Brian Warner in Canton, Ohio, has been drawing fans to his concerts for three decades, since his first hit "The Beautiful People," took off in 1996.
(Marilyn Manson/Facebook)
Despite a formal request from a Catholic archbishop asking for the concert to be cancelled, a free performance by rocker Marilyn Manson will take place as scheduled in San Luis Potosí this summer.
Catholic Church Archbishop Jorge Alberto Cavazos Arizpe had sought the cancellation, comparing the concert to banned narcocorridos and arguing that Manson “promotes evil” and mocks religious beliefs.
Governor Gallardo defended the concert from official Church pressure, pointing out that “San Luis Potosí is a secular state, where freedoms and beliefs are respected.” (Astrolabio/X)
But Governor Ricardo Gallardo said this week that the show will go on, and compared the cancellation attempt to the Holy Inquisition.
The concert is set for Aug. 10 as part of the 2025 Potosina National Fair (Fenapo), scheduled for Aug. 8-31 in the city of San Luis Potosí, the capital of the east-central state of the same name.
The decades-old fair — one of the oldest and most traditional in the country — includes a diverse lineup of acts, with confirmed artists such as DJ Tiësto, Belinda and Los Tigres del Norte all set to perform for free at the Teatro del Pueblo within the fairgrounds.
Manson’s inclusion in the lineup ignited a debate between the Catholic Church and state officials over cultural values and artistic freedom — which in turn unleashed a wave of memes.
Despite the archbishop’s objections, Manson remains on the schedule at the Potosina National Fair. (Marilyn Manson/Facebook)
Manson, 56, is an American heavy metal star who has been one of rock ’n’ roll’s most controversial figures since his breakthrough 1996 album “Antichrist Superstar,” which featured the hit “The Beautiful People.”
He was born Brian Warner in Canton, Ohio.
His provocative stage persona, shocking performances, and penchant for challenging religious and societal norms have long resonated with fans who feel alienated or misunderstood. His themes of rebellion and nonconformity have created a legion of devoted followers around the world — including in Mexico.
There’s no need to guess on which side of the Manson fence Archbishop Cavazos falls.
He argued that Manson’s presence contradicts the fair’s religious origins.
“I have sent a letter to the state governor asking him that for the good of society, and not only for the good of Christians but for society in general, the [Manson concert] should not take place,” Cavazos said last week. “We know the personality’s history, and his show would bring neither brotherhood nor joy to the people of Potosí.”
Catholic Church Archbishop Jorge Alberto Cavazos Arizpe officially requested that the concert be canceled, arguing that Marilyn Manson promotes evil much like Mexico’s often-banned drug ballad genre. (Archdiocese of Monterrey)
Cavazos, who was appointed the archbishop of San Luis Potosí by Pope Francis in 2022, questioned the government’s consistency, saying, “The government itself has raised the issue of banning narcocorridos. How can we endorse the presentation of someone who represents worse things, given that he is also a person who mocks the Christian faith and people’s beliefs?”
In calling for Fenapo to remain a family-friendly event rooted in its patron saint’s legacy, Cavazos insisted it’s the Church’s responsibility to oppose “any suggestion of evil.”
In response, Gov. Gallardo defended the concert and the state’s secular principles. “We are no longer in the times of the Holy Inquisition to prohibit artistic expression,” Gallardo said.
He stressed that attendance is voluntary, just as participation in religious events is.
“San Luis Potosí is a secular state, where freedoms and beliefs are respected,” he said. “When we do the Procession of Silence, no one is forced to go; whoever wants to, goes, and thousands go. When an artist comes, whoever it may be, well no one is forced; whoever wants to, goes.”
Gallardo acknowledged the archbishop’s concerns but called for unity.
The concert will mark Manson’s first performance in San Luis Potosí.
However, he has performed in Mexico multiple times, including in 2012 on his “Hey Cruel World” tour, in 2018 on his “Heaven Upside Down” tour and last November at the Machaca Fest in Monterrey.
At the Potosina National Fair in August, admission, parking, concerts and rides will all be free. This year’s theme is “The Magic of Our Magical Towns,” featuring Zacatecas as a guest state and six San Luis Potosí towns that have a Pueblo Magico designation.
