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JetBlue launches direct flights from New York City to Tulum

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MND Staff
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A JetBlue Airbus A321
JetBlue is the first airline to offer non-stop flights from New York City's JFK airport to Tulum. (JetBlue)

The low-cost airline JetBlue officially launched its new direct flight between John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City and Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport (TQO) in Tulum on Thursday.

The route, which will operate daily, is the U.S. airline’s third destination in Mexico, in addition to Cancún and Los Cabos. It is currently the only direct route connecting New York with the popular Mexican beach destination. Ticket prices start at US $116. 

Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport in Tulum
New Yorkers now have a direct flight available to Tulum. (Mara Lezama/X)

“As the only airline with direct service from New York’s JFK to Tulum, we are thrilled to offer our customers our award-winning service, low fares, and another option when traveling to the Mexican Caribbean,” said JetBlue Vice President David Jehn. 

Passengers on the inaugural flight were offered breakfast burritos and fruit towers, according to a report in Travel and Leisure magazine. JetBlue also handed out free round-trip tickets and travel vouchers as part of a round of in-flight bingo organized by the crew. 

The new daily flight takes off at 8 a.m. and arrives in Tulum at 11:15 a.m. 

Before the Tulum airport opened in December 2023, travelers had to fly into Cancún, located about 130 kilometers to the north. 

“We’re already seeing a different dynamic that we never had [because] people planned their vacation [around] landing in Cancún,” Andrés Martínez Reynoso, the director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Board, told Travel and Leisure, adding that the airport is “changing the way we look at our own destination … Now with Tulum, it brings especially the destinations that we have in the south … closer to the north of the state. In a way, people are going to have more options when they vacation there.” 

International flights to Tulum began in March, with major carriers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines currently operating flights from U.S. cities including Atlanta, Dallas and Miami. 

Canadian airline WestJet will operate limited seasonal flights starting in November, and Air Canada began operating flights from Toronto to Tulum in May.

Copa Airlines is scheduled to inaugurate its first flight between Panama City and Tulum on June 26, and there will be connections to Europe launching this winter.

Viva Aerobús, Mexicana de Aviación and Aeroméxico offer domestic connections to Tulum airport. 

With reports from Aviación al Día and Travel and Leisure

HVAC manufacturer Daikin Applied breaks ground on US $121M plant in Tijuana

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MND Staff
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Daikin Data Center
The new facility in Tijuana will create more than 1,150 jobs. (Daikin)

Daikin Applied, a global leader in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) products, broke ground on its new manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Baja California, last week. Daikin will invest at least US $121 million in the new plant, which is expected to create at least 1,150 permanent jobs.

The energy-efficient manufacturing plant is being built in collaboration with the Daikin subsidiary Alliance Air Products, based across the border in San Diego, and is expected to be operational by June 2025, according to the news website Forbes México.

Daikin HVAC equipment
Alliance Air Products will produce the Daikin branded HVAC equipment. (National Elektronik)

Alliance Air Products, which currently operates a construction plant in Tijuana, is considered an expert in custom HVAC manufacturing, encompassing all aspects of implementation and operation while also manufacturing the equipment to fit specific client needs.

The new 46,000-square-meter plant will manufacture energy-efficient HVAC cooling solutions tailored specifically for data centers across North America. It also aims to achieve maximum efficiency and meet sustainability goals for both Daikin Applied and its customers, according to the newspaper Mexico Business News.

Yu Nishiwaka, director of operations at Daikin Applied, hailed the initiative, saying this is an important time for the HVAC industry which is growing exponentially due to economic trends and forces such as artificial intelligence and insourcing manufacturing.

“It is critical not just to meet the demand for cooling in data centers, but also to help data centers improve efficiency and sustainability with regard to energy consumption,” Nishiwaka said. “This expansion underlines our commitment to help our clients identify sustainability opportunities and achieve, if not surpass, decarbonization design objectives.”

The project also reflects Daikin’s and Alliance Air’s belief that there will be significant growth in the data center market throughout Mexico and North America. 

Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila praised Daikin for the investment, saying it aligns with her government’s economic policies. “Baja California emphasizes attracting foreign investment that will foster innovation and create well-paying jobs,” she said, according to Mexico Business News.

Luis Plascencia, president and general manager of Alliance Air, spoke glowingly of the new plant. “We’ve been operating successfully in Tijuana for 20 years and have 986 exceptionally talented employees here. We are eager to continue this success and strengthen our relationship with the Baja California government as well as local leaders in Tijuana to make this new installation a reality.”

The Tijuana plant investment is part of the more than US $39 billion that foreign and multinational companies plan to invest in Mexico over the next two to three years, according to data compiled by the Economy Ministry (SE) from Jan. 1 through May 31.

With reports from Mexico Industry, Forbes México and Mexico Business News

Should I get offended?

By
Sarah DeVries
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US and Mexican soccer fans
Mexicans and Americans have a friendly relationship. Mostly. Here's how to tell. (Major League Soccer)

Gringos and Mexicans make a pretty good match. We really do like each other! Our cultural personalities mesh well. Think the opposite of the friction often noted between U.S. and French citizens. Or British and French citizens. Or anyone and French citizens.

But even the loveliest matches don’t love and admire each other 100% of the time.

Sometimes, we downright annoy each other, or worse, offend each other!

AMLO, president of Mexico, and Joe Biden, president of US, hugging
If two divisive politicians can get along, so can you guys. (lopezbrador.org)

When Not to Be Offended

As is often the case, simple misunderstandings can lead to some Big Feelings. When it comes to gringos in Mexico, there are some pretty predictable circumstances. But fear not! Behold, reasons for you to not suspect you’re getting especially raw treatment:

When you feel like the entire country is conspiring to not let you get anything done “on time.”

Don’t worry! That is not what’s happening.

Because, as you’ve discovered if you’ve spent any amount of time here, rushing is no national value. Things get started when they get started and they get done when they get done. Chill. If you’re always in a rush, then this is not your perfect match. Swipe left and go find yourself a nice little town in Germany.

This includes parties, by the way. People will show up an hour or three later, and it doesn’t occur to anyone to apologize for it. Why? Because the important part of it is being there (and by the way, you can likely stay until the sun comes up).

Parties. They start whenever, and if you’re lucky they finish on the same day. (Kelsey Chance/Unsplash)

What offends them: Want to get a Mexican as annoyed with you as you might be feeling? Show your impatience, and be loud and obvious about it.

We gringos tend to be a little obsessive about wanting all the information we can get before making a single move.

Unfortunately, that’s not always possible around here.

Want to get the official scoop on a specific neighborhood? Too bad. Want to have the complete list of items you need for a dreaded trámite before arriving? Ha! You’re funny. Think you can have a look at the dogs up for adoption at the local shelter online before arriving? Oh, honey.

If you’re going to hang out in Mexico, bringing along your sense of adventure is essential. Preparation is for suckers, and plus, it makes things less fun! You’ll find out when you get there.

You will never have the correct paperwork. Just roll with it. (Christian Serna/Cuartoscuro)

What offends them: You treat someone like an idiot for not knowing what they “should” ahead of time. Obsessively researching everything before diving in just ain’t their style.

When you’ve got noisy neighbors, there’s no “beat ’em.” You can either join ’em or die mad about it.

Mexico is not a quiet place. If you want a quiet place, this is not the country for you. But look: no one is trying to bother you by making noise. We’re all just used to there being a lot of noise a lot of the time; it’s part of life, and most people don’t notice it.

You getting upset about noisiness seems about as logical as getting upset that it’s windy. Okay, it might be annoying, but what are any of us going to do about it?

It’s true, you can call the police. Some people do, actually. If the noise is above the level of, say, a Metallica concert, they come and might tell them to pipe down. Then they’ll leave, and the volume will go back up. Get some earplugs?

@delacruz20340 #secomprancolchones #conbuenhumor ♬ sonido original – Delacruz20340

What offends them: People coming to visit or live in Mexico on purpose and then complaining. One of the most popular and endearing phrases in Mexico: “Si ya saben cómo soy, ¿para qué me invitan?” (You know what I’m like, so why’d you even invite me?)

Happily Ever After, Anyway

But like I said before: there’s no such thing as the perfect pair. And there are plenty of things to love and admire about each other. So try not to get too worked up about things, my fellow countrymen.

And if you do, give yourself a nice time out. Preferably with a beer (or a shot of tequila if it’s been a particularly rough day). Say what you will about casual alcoholism; at least it’s relaxing. Invite a friend!

Just don’t expect them to arrive on time.

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

Wife of US tourist who died in Puerto Peñasco hot tub electrocution files US $1M suit

By
MND Staff
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Worried guests gather around a hot tub in Puerto Peñasco
Helpless condo guests gather around the hot tub after Jorge Guillén was electrocuted. His wife, Lizzette Zambrano, was also electrocuted but survived. (Video screenshot)

A U.S. woman whose husband passed away after being electrocuted in a hotel hot tub in the Mexican beach town of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, has filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against the resort operator seeking US $1 million in damages.

According to the Associated Press, the woman named Lizzette Zambrano, 35, filed the lawsuit against vacation rental provider Casago International and travel company High Desert Travel, both based in Arizona. The lawsuit holds them responsible for faulty electrical wiring in the Puerto Peñasco hot tub that caused the electrocution and death of Jorge Guillén, 43, and electrocution of Zambrano, which resulted in serious injury.

Jorge Guillen holds his wife Lizzette Zambrano in his arms, in what appears to be a vacation photo.
When she saw Jorge caught under the water, Lizzette jumped in to help him, only to be electrocuted herself. (Courtesy photo)

The Arizona-based travel operators did not respond to a request for comment from the AP.

Zambrano’s claim says that the tragedy began when her husband Guillén and several other family members arrived at the Sonoran Sea Resort, a complex of high-rise condos in Puerto Peñasco. Zambrano and Guillén headed to the jacuzzi to watch the sunset over the sea. When Guillén dipped his foot inside the hot tub, he was electrocuted. The shock knocked him down and he fell into the tub, quickly becoming trapped underwater.

As reported by the AP, the Mexican-American couple didn’t know an electric current was rippling through the hot tub water.

“It’s absolutely terrifying,” Tej Paranjpe, an attorney at the Houston-based firm PMR Law, told the AP on Saturday.

The pool and condos of Sonoran Sea Resort, the site of the hot tub electrocution
The fatal accident occurred at Sonoran Sea Resort in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora. (TripAdvisor)

Zambrano jumped in to rescue her drowning husband, but was jolted by the current and sucked in, too. Cellphone footage from the incident shows hysterical hotel guests gathering around the jacuzzi unable to help as they discover the invisible danger of the water.

The lawsuit says that the resort managers not only failed to prevent and warn guests about the hazards of the hot tub, but also failed to react quickly enough to the emergency. Ten minutes passed until hotel employees responded to the guests’ cries for help, Zambrano’s lawyers said.

“There was not a single staff member that did anything while Jorge was getting continuously shocked again and again underwater,” Paranjpe said.

According to the lawsuit, a guest dragged Zambrano out of the water. However, efforts to retrieve Guillén with poles and various metal tools only unleashed electric shocks on more people. When the manager eventually retrieved Guillén from the bottom of the jacuzzi, it was too late.

Zambrano was medevacked to Phoenix by helicopter and was discharged from the hospital on Friday.

The accident, which occurred on June 11 at around 8:30 pm, is currently being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office of Sonora.

Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point, is located on the Gulf of California, and is a popular beach destination among U.S. tourists due to its proximity to the Arizona border.

With reports from the Associated Press

Bobcat breaks ground on US $300M plant in Nuevo León

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MND Staff
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A Bobcat backhoe-loader, similar to the equipment the company plans to manufacture at its new plant in Mexico.
A Bobcat backhoe-loader in action. (Facebook/Bobcat México)

Leading Korean-owned construction equipment firm Doosan Bobcat has begun construction of a new manufacturing plant in northern Mexico.

With a planned investment of US $300 million, the new plant in Salinas Victoria, near the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, will manufacture the Bobcat ‘M-Series’ compact loaders to meet the increasing demand in the North American market.

Nuevo León Governor Samuel García shakes hands with Doosan Group CEO Geewon Park and Doosan Bobcat CEO Scott Park, at the groundbreaking of Doosan Bobcat's new manufacturing plant in Mexico.
Nuevo León Governor Samuel García shakes hands with Doosan Group CEO Geewon Park and Doosan Bobcat CEO Scott Park. (Gobierno de Nuevo León/X)

The 65,000-square-meter factory is expected to commence operations in 2026 and create between 600 and 800 new jobs. According to the company, the plant will seek a LEED Silver energy efficiency certification and will feature state-of-the-art technology.

“The new plant in Mexico will support Doosan Bobcat’s continuous growth by responding to the increasing demand for Doosan Bobcat products, including its largest market, North America,” Geewon Park, Vice Chairman of Doosan Group said during the groundbreaking ceremony. (Doosan Group bought Bobcat Company in 2007.)

Doosan Bobcat executives and local government officials, including Nuevo León Governor Samuel García, attended the ceremony.

The new manufacturing plant is the company’s first production facility in Mexico, joining Doosan Bobcat’s existing global production sites in Korea, the U.S., the Czech Republic, France, Germany, India and China. Once the Mexico plant is operational, Doosan Bobcat expects it to increase the production of North American loaders by about 20%.

Government and company officials hold shovels and pose with Bobcat construction equipment at manufacturing plant groundbreaking ceremony.
Government and company officials pose at the groundbreaking ceremony. (Gobierno de Nuevo León/X)

The company explained that it chose Mexico as the location of its new plant because it “offers the benefits of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a strong manufacturing infrastructure, and a skilled workforce, making it an ideal global production hub.” It added that they specifically chose Nuevo León due to its accessibility as the “industrial capital of Mexico.”

Other Asian companies that have recently announced major investments in Nuevo León include Japanese motorcycle maker Kawasaki and Chinese solar panels manufacturer Trina Solar. Tesla also plans to build its new gigafactory in the northern state.

Nuevo León has been one of Mexico’s leading destinations for foreign investment. According to recent figures from the Economy Ministry (SE), Nuevo León received US $1.35 billion in FDI during the first quarter of the year, second only  after Mexico City, which reported  US $12 billion in FDI in the same period.

With reports from El Economista 

Nearly 1.4 million undocumented migrants detected in Mexico so far this year

By
MND Staff
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A group of mostly Black migrants, some of whom maybe be undocumented foreigners, walks down a Mexican highway under a bright sun.
Border crossings along the Mexico-U.S. border have been on the decline since June 2024, former President Biden sharply limited asylum claims . (Mireya Novo/Cuartoscuro)

In the first five months of the year, almost 1.4 million undocumented foreigners were detected traveling in Mexico without entry authorization, the National Immigration Institute (INM) said Sunday.

The INM said in a statement that “through various immigration verification actions” between January and May, it located and “rescued” just over 1.39 million “foreign persons traveling through the country in an irregular condition.”

The figure is almost double the number of encounters authorities had with undocumented foreigners in Mexico in all of last year, according to data from the International Organization for Migration. In turn, the 2023 statistics showed a 77% increase in such encounters compared to 2022.

Most migrants who enter Mexico in an irregular fashion do so at Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala before attempting to make the long, arduous and dangerous journey through the country to the northern border to enter the United States, either legally or illegally.

According to the INM, citizens from 177 countries — or around 90% of the world’s nations — were detected traveling irregularly through Mexico in the first five months of 2024. It said that those people came from “the five continents” of the world,” but the majority left other countries in the Americas.

The data shows that more than 377,000 of the 1.39 million irregular migrants detected between January and May, or 27%, came to Mexico from Venezuela, a country where citizens “suffer repression and a humanitarian crisis,” according to Human Rights Watch.

Men, women and children wave to the camera from atop the cars of a freight train.
A group of mostly Venezuelan migrants rides a freight train through Zacatecas in September 2023. (Adolfo Vladimir/Cuartoscuro)

The next biggest cohorts of irregular migrants came from:

  • Guatemala (209,540)
  • Honduras (144,499)
  • Ecuador (136,699)
  • Haiti (107,432)
  • Colombia (70,371)
  • El Salvador (52,636)
  • Nicaragua (45,364)
  • Peru (28,167)
  • Cuba (27,404)

Beyond the Western Hemisphere, the largest source countries for irregular migrants to Mexico so far this year were Senegal (20,847); Guinea (19,922); China (13,780); Mauritania (9,757); India (8,914); and Angola (7,037).

The INM also said that more than 738,000 of the irregular migrants detected in the first five months of the year, or 53% of the total, were men traveling on their own.

Just under 363,000 were unaccompanied women, while the remainder were migrants traveling with other family members. Among the latter cohort were 154,291 adults and 135,151 children.

The INM said it took unaccompanied adult foreigners to “immigration stations,” or detention centers, while families went to facilities operated by the DIF family services agency. It didn’t say how many of those people Mexico deported to their countries of origin.

“The INM works and conducts itself with adherence to current migration laws and within the framework of unconditional respect for the human rights of migrants traveling through our country. Upon being rescued, they cease to be exposed to criminal groups and migrant traffickers,” the institute’s statement concluded.

Foreigners wait in line with paperwork at the Tapachula office of the INM, near the border between Mexico and Guatemala.
Migrants wait in line with paperwork at the Tapachula office of the INM, near the Guatemalan border. (Damián Sánchez Jesús/Cuarotscuro)

In addition to sending migrants to detention centers, Mexican immigration authorities “round them up across the country and dump them in the southern Mexican cities of Villahermosa and Tapachula,” the Associated Press reported last week. 

“Some have been punted back as many as six times,” the news agency added.

Migration to the United States via Mexico has increased significantly during the presidential terms of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico and Joe Biden in the United States.

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.

Earlier this month, Biden issued an executive order that prevents migrants from making asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border at times when crossings between legal ports of entry surge.

The New York Times described the order as “the most restrictive border policy instituted by Mr. Biden, or any other modern Democrat,” while the office of Mike Johnson, Republican speaker of the United States House of Representatives, said it was an “election-year border charade.”

Mexico News Daily 

NBA confirms a regular-season game for Mexico City this year

By
MND Staff
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0
Basketball players
The Washington Wizards will face down the Miami Heat in Mexico City this November, the NBA has announced. (Washington Wizards/X)

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced it will be returning to Mexico City with a regular-season game pitting the Miami Heat against the Washington Wizards on Nov. 2.

The early season matchup at Arena CDMX will coincide with traditional Day of the Dead celebrations around the country. The Day of the Dead theme will be showcased as part of a variety of in-arena activations during the game, as well as a specially themed court.

The official announcement of the game appeared to show the players in San Miguel de Allende rather than Mexico City. (NBA)

The announcement was made at the first-ever NBA House Mexico, a fan event in Mexico City on Friday that coincided with Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

The game will mark the league’s 33rd tipoff in Mexico since 1992, more than any country outside of the United States and Canada. It will be the 14th regular-season game in Mexico in the NBA’s Global Games series, and there have also been 19 preseason games.

Last November in Mexico City, the Atlanta Hawks edged the Orlando Magic 120-119 before a sellout crowd of 19,986 fans. All-star guard Trae Young led the way with a game-high 41 points for Atlanta.

“It was dope,” Orlando’s Jalen Suggs said after the final buzzer. “What a blessing this was, to come play an NBA game in a different country, just different fans, and a different environment. They embraced us with open arms. The whole time we’ve been here, we’ve seen nothing but love.”

Every NBA contest in Mexico City brings forth talk about an NBA expansion team possibly being placed in the world’s fifth most-populous metropolitan area.

2024 will be the 33rd time the NBA has visited Mexico, the most of any nation outside of the United States or Canada. (NBA)

NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed that topic last week, saying that the league could eventually add two more teams.

“There’s been some discussion about going back to Seattle, potentially,” he said. “Las Vegas, no doubt, is very interested in a team. Mexico City one day.”

Altitude presents one major concern, as Mexico City sits 2,240 meters above sea level, much higher than the NBA’s highest city, Denver at 1,609 meters. This can lead to players being out of breath and other health issues.

The Miami Heat roster for the Nov. 2 game is expected to include 6-foot-6 Mexican-American standout Jaime Jaquez Jr. Born in California, Jaquez Jr. was a part-time starter for the Heat as a rookie this season, following a senior year at UCLA in which he was Pac-12 Player of the Year.

Tickets will go on sale July 10-11, but only for fans who pre-register. Sales to the general public begin July 12. Special ticket packages offering VIP experiences, hospitality and hotel rooms are also available online.

Raúl Zárraga, vice president and general director of the NBA in Mexico, said the Day of the Dead game will “mark another special milestone in the long history of the NBA in Mexico” and will serve “as the ultimate celebration of the NBA for fans in Mexico and throughout Latin America at a time when momentum around basketball in the region is at an all-time high.”

With reports from Animal Politico, Sports Travel Magazine and Field Level Media

CoLores Decor: Classic meets new for iconic Mexican designs

By
Ana Paula De la Torre
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One of the most inspiring and recognizable designers of the day, CoLores Deco produces pieces that capture the joy and color of Mexico. (CoLores Decor/Instagram)

According to the nation’s Culture Ministry, Mexico has at least 160 different types of traditional handicraft styles. One of the most enduring is CoLores Decor created by Gil Herrera, a Los Angeles, California based artist. Herrera is part of a wave of Mexican artists who are currently reinventing Mexican culture, including names like Laura Kirar and Mestiz.

From the clay of Oaxaca to Puebla’s renowned Talavera pottery, the practicality and beauty of these popular and magnificent objects are transformed into new expressions of Mexican being thanks to these skilled artists. Each evolves without losing the essence that has allowed it to endure over time.

Resembling hanging sculptures, evoke abstract art and blur the lines between sculpture, painting, and impeccable craftsmanship.
Resembling hanging sculptures, Gil Herrera’s pieces evoke abstract art and blur the lines between sculpture, painting, and impeccable craftsmanship. (CoLores Decor)

The secret to reinventing crafts lies in preserving their essence while taking them to new realms. In some cases, this transformation leads to artistic pieces that both surprise and honor the traditional object and its artisans. CoLores Decor is a perfect example of this.

The power of CoLores Decor

CoLores Deco is characterized by grandeur. Imagine immense chandeliers crafted from Hilaza cotton, resembling oversized hanging sculptures. Through simple yet astounding forms, this company transforms spaces with unique and grand pieces crafted by skilled Mexican artisans. Whether for a house, palace, or restaurant, the simplicity and artistry of these creations will transport you into an artistic realm.

The uniqueness of CoLores Decor lies in Herrera’s approach to interior design, who reinterprets common objects such as molcajetes, clay, equipales, traditional beaten copper, tortilleros, and tableware, as well as clothing items like hats and jewelry.

According to Herrera, the brand’s aim is to “showcase the great talent and originality of Mexico.” It is also a way of preserving ancient traditions and providing income for Mexican families.

“CoLores Decor is deeply committed and grateful to work with wonderful Mexican artisans. These collaborations, which take place in several Mexican states, allow indigenous tribes to maintain their divine talents that have existed for decades. They can still provide for their families and we can all enjoy the fruits of their labor,” he explains on the CoLores Deco website.

The interior design of CoLores Decor blends surrealism, modernism, and a deep sense of Mexican identity
The interior design of CoLores Decor demonstrates a bold dedication to modernism intertwined with an attention to tradition. (CoLores Decor)

The interior design of CoLores Decor blends surrealism, modernism, and a deep sense of Mexican identity. The combinations are striking, transporting you to a dreamlike space reminiscent of Wes Anderson and Tim Burton’s futuristic worlds.

Here are a few of the interiors Herrera has created:

Need to know pieces from CoLores Decor

Mexican Handmade Acapulco Macrame Chair: You are likely familiar with the classic Acapulco chairs, but this one elevates to an elegant and sophisticated level by combining the expertise of Mexican artisan hands with a modernist approach to a classic piece.

Hammocks: These hammocks are truly remarkable in their sophistication and elegance. The meticulous handiwork involved in their creation makes them a work of art in themselves.

CoLores Decor´s hammocks are truly remarkable in their sophistication and elegance
CoLores Decor hammocks are truly remarkable. Their sophistication, color and elegance are unmatched by other designers. (CoLores Decor)

Wall Decor: These compositions, resembling hanging sculptures, evoke abstract art and blur the lines between sculpture, painting, and impeccable craftsmanship.

Equipales: Primarily crafted in the small town of Zacoalco de Torres, in the state of Jalisco, just 50 minutes away from Guadalajara, these beautiful chairs, with ancient pre-Hispanic roots made of wood and leather, represent one of Mexico’s most exquisite contributions to interior design. Incredibly comfortable and durable, these seats can last up to 20 years. CoLores Decor’s reinvention of this model is astounding, featuring square designs and a minimalist touch, resulting in a truly elegant aesthetic.

Parota wood chairs: You may have encountered gorgeous hand chiselled leather in the form of handbags, but you might not have envisioned how this exquisite craftsmanship could seamlessly complement an elegant, sophisticated, and minimalist chair. The outcome speaks volumes for itself.

These amazing reinventions truly pay tribute to the skill and dedication of the artisan, and showcase how Mexican culture can be effortlessly updated and modernized to incredible effect.

Ana Paula de la Torre is a Mexican journalist and collaborator for various outlets including Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.

Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) leader confirms the party’s demise

By
MND Staff
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0
A man walks by PRD campaign posters on posts in Mexico City
The leftist party founded 35 years ago will be deregistered after receiving less than 3% of the vote in federal elections on June 2. (Cuartoscuro)

The Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) — which Andrés Manuel López Obrador represented in the 2006 and 2012 presidential elections — will lose its registration as a national-level political party because it failed to get 3% of the vote in all three federal elections held on June 2.

PRD national president Jesús Zambrano effectively acknowledged the demise of the leftist party at an event in Mexico City on Saturday.

Jesús Zambrano waves to reporters
Jesús Zambrano, the national leader of the PRD, said that “the PRD we built 35 years ago no longer exists” on Saturday. (Jesús Zambrano/X)

“It hurts, but it’s up to me to say it. … The PRD we built 35 years ago no longer exists as such,” said Zambrano, who represented the party in the Chamber of Deputies during three separate three-year terms.

However, the “enthusiasm” to “continue fighting for a democracy that today is under threat” is still “alive,” he said.

“I can’t hide my sadness, … but I hope that with all this political capital we accumulated … we have something to start a new cycle with,” Zambrano said.

The National Electoral Institute (INE) announced last week that it had advised the PRD that it had entered a “period of precaution” because it didn’t reach “3% of the valid vote” in any of the three federal elections held earlier this month.

Marko Cortés, Jesús Zambrano and Alejandro Moreno at a campaign event
The national party leaders of the opposition bloc, from left: Marko Cortés (PAN), Jesús Zambrano (PRD) and Alejandro Moreno (PRI). The PRD received merely 1.86% of the vote in the presidential election on June 2. (Cuartoscuro)

The PRD contested the elections as part of a three-party opposition bloc that also included the National Action Party (PAN) and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

The INE said in a statement last Monday that, “in accordance with article 94 of the General Law on Political Parties,” a party “enters a period of precaution” when it faces “any” situation that would cause it to lose its registration as a “national political party.”

The PRD is set to be deregistered at the national level because it obtained just 1.86% of the vote in the presidential election, in which it supported Xóchitl Gálvez; only 2.43% of the vote in the Chamber of Deputies election; and just 2.27% of the vote in the Senate election.

The INE will appoint a person this Wednesday to carry out the process to liquidate the PRD.

Founded in 1989 by a group of people that included López Obrador and well-known leftist political figure Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, the PRD quickly became Mexico’s third political force, after the PRI and the PAN.

Cárdenas represented the party at the 1994 and 2000 presidential elections, after he finished second to the PRI’s Carlos Salinas in the 1988 contest, which was widely considered to have been fraudulent. The National Democratic Front he represented in 1988 is considered the immediate predecessor to the PRD.

López Obrador won the 2000 mayoral election in Mexico City on a PRD ticket, and subsequently represented the party at the 2006 and 2012 presidential elections, which he lost to the PAN’s Felipe Calderón and the PRI’s Enrique Peña Nieto, respectively.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador with Marcelo Ebrard and Jesús Zambrano
AMLO ran for president twice on the PRD ticket, in 2006 and 2012. Here he is seen with Marcelo Ebrard (left) and Jesús Zambrano in 2011, shortly after the announcement he would be the party’s candidate for president. (Cuartoscuro)

He won the 2018 election as the candidate for the Morena party he founded just a few years earlier, while the PRD joined the PAN in a right-left alliance that backed Ricardo Anaya.

On Saturday, Zambrano acknowledged that the “majority” of Mexican voters “rejected Xóchitl and the PRI-PAN-PRD coalition” on June 2.

“They didn’t trust us. We didn’t win them over. … There was never a campaign strategy that was discussed and agreed to by everybody. … The war room operated without coordination with the leadership of the parties,” he said.

On social media after the party event, Zambrano said that if the PRD loses its national registration “we must work for the legal registration of a new party, with a new name, leaving behind the practices and bad habits that caused the current results.”

On Monday, López Obrador acknowledged the PRD leader’s remarks, and said that party he helped found “played an important role in its time because … [it] avoided that bipartisan attempt [to control politics by the PRI and the PAN].”

“And it was a party that arose from the people, from an electoral fraud. … It fought for just causes,” he added.

With reports from El Financiero, El Economista and Latinus

Meteorologists monitor possible tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico

By
MND Staff
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NOAA satellite imagery of low pressure system in Gulf of Mexico
Meteorologists are monitoring the low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico, which is predicted to develop into a tropical depression or storm by midweek. (NOAA)

Meteorologists are tracking two Atlantic systems that may develop into tropical storms this week.

The first, off the coast of Florida, appears unlikely to become a storm, though it is expected to dump rain on the already drenched state.

NOAA Hurricane map
The system forming near the Mexican coast has a 70% chance of strengthening, according to forecasters. (NOAA)

The other low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico has the potential to become the first Atlantic tropical storm of 2024, with forecasters predicting a 70% chance of it  strengthening by midweek. 

In a statement updated at 12 p.m. Mexico City time on Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said “a tropical depression or tropical storm is likely to form by midweek while the low moves slowly west-northwestward toward the western Gulf coast,” adding that “tropical storm watches and warnings may be required for portions of this area later this afternoon or tonight.”

Torrential rains continue in the forecast for southeastern Mexico, as well as lightning storms and hail. Residents of Chiapas, Yucatán and Quintana Roo are warned to be on the lookout for mudslides and should be alert to flash floods. 

Several municipalities in Chetumal in southeastern Quintan Roo canceled classes on Monday due to the heavy rains, according to newspaper La Jornada Maya. Officials also closed down several roads close to Chetumal Bay and along the Hondo River. On Sunday night, the National Guard (GN) began executing an evacuation plan in Chetumal, opening temporary shelters for those affected by flooding.

Flooding in Chetumal
Heavy rains in the city of Chetumal have led to evacuations as water levels rise. More storms are set to hit the area this week. (Especial/Cuartoscuro)

The national weather agency’s Monday forecast anticipates torrential rains along the Oaxaca coast, as well as in Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo. Heavy rains are predicted for Veracruz and parts of Puebla. High winds are forecast for the Yucatán Peninsula, with gusts reaching 60-80 km/h, while windy conditions and a downpour are forecast for Guerrero on the west coast.

At the same time, the SMN has identified another low-pressure system stretching from northeastern Mexico to the west coast and down toward the country’s midsection that is being fed by moisture coming in from the Pacific Ocean. Heavy rains are forecast for Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Coahuila and Tamaulipas up north, as well as in the Pacific Coast states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán.

The torrential rains and tropical storms are in keeping with the forecasts of meteorologists expecting a rainy month in much of Mexico. 

With reports from Proceso, La Jornada Maya and Aristegui Noticias

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