Unhealthy purchases made using the card will be between the debtor and Dr. Simi. (Stori)
The Mexican pharmacy chain Farmacias Similares and fintech firm Stori have launched a new co-branded credit card, which is expected to help millions of Mexicans who are not enrolled in the formal financial system access credit.
The card is adorned with the Farmacias Similares mascot, Dr. Simi, a mustachioed character wearing a white lab coat, who has become a Mexican cultural icon.
Farmacias Similares is one of the most important pharmaceutical chains in the country, covering the health of thousands of Mexicans at an affordable cost. (Dr. Simi/Instagram)
The Farmacias Similares x Stori card is the company’s latest effort to connect its credit products with a retailer following the 2024 launch of Stori SHEIN, expanding the ultra-fast-fashion brand’s reach in the Mexican market. It also aims to provide credit for people who cannot easily access traditional financial institutions.
Around 51% of Mexico’s population is unbanked, according to the 2023 World Bank Financial Inclusion National Survey. This is largely because Mexico continues to have a large informal workforce, at almost 55% of workers, who contribute around 25.4% of GDP, according to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
“We want to tear down the barriers that separate Mexicans from credit and demonstrate that money can also be on the side of the most important thing we have, which is health,” said Stori’s co-founder and chief governance officer, Marlene Garayzar.
The card offers users a 25% discount on their first purchase and a monthly discount of up to 10% on purchases at Farmacias Similares’s physical and online stores, so long as the card was used as payment elsewhere during the previous month.
Farmacias Similares is popular for offering a wide range of low-cost generic medicines and is now one of Mexico’s most well-known retail brands, operating over 11,000 stores across the country and launching in Texas in 2025.
Stori was founded in Mexico in 2018 and has expanded rapidly by offering credit products to people with limited or no formal credit history, with a customer base of around 5 million.
Sheinbaum said that whether she went to the World Cup final or not, she would have faced criticism. (Juan Carlos Buenrostro/Presidencia)
Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
⚽ World Cup final attendance takes center stage: Monday’s mañanera came a day after President Sheinbaum attended the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey, seated with President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Prime Minister Carney — a trip with added weight given the tense state of the Mexico-U.S. relationship.
✈️ A last-minute military flight to NYC: Sheinbaum said she’d planned to skip the final until Trump personally invited her by phone on Friday. A canceled commercial flight forced a military flight instead, landing the delegation in the northeastern U.S. at 2 a.m. Sunday.
🤝 Brief chats with Trump’s cabinet: Sheinbaum said she spoke with Commerce Secretary Lutnick, U.S. Trade Representative Greer and Secretary of State Rubio at the match, describing the exchanges as short but cordial. Greer is expected in Mexico City Wednesday or Thursday.
🇲🇽🇺🇸 USMCA talks resume: Sheinbaum confirmed a new round of Mexico-U.S. USMCA review talks begins Monday, saying she’d also briefly discussed trade with Trump and Carney at the stadium and hopes for agreements this week.
🏛🦅 Defending the relationship with Trump: Asked about her personal rapport with Trump, Sheinbaum said Mexico must always seek good relations with the U.S. president, citing shared geography, diplomacy and the 40 million Mexicans living in the U.S., while stressing disagreements needn’t become personal.
🎤 Pushing back on critics: Sheinbaum argued she’d have been criticized either way — for skipping the final or for attending it — and noted neither Trump nor Carney attended their own countries’ World Cup openers. She framed the closing as a joint moment for the three co-hosts.
Why today’s mañanera matters
Today’s mañanera came a day after President Claudia Sheinbaum attended the FIFA men’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just west of New York City.
Sheinbaum was seated with U.S. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, among other officials, and participated in the post-match trophy ceremony.
The Mexican president’s attendance at the match, which Spain won 1-0 in extra time, was significant as it came at a crucial time in the Mexico-U.S. relationship. Sheinbaum’s brief visit to the U.S. came ahead of the commencement on Monday of a new round of trade talks between Mexico and the United States, which announced at the start of July that it had declined to extend the USMCA for an additional 16 years.
In addition, the Mexican government recently filed criminal complaints in the United States as it seeks thorough investigations into the deaths of Mexicans in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers and in ICE operations.
Therefore, Sheinbaum’s remarks on Monday morning about her face-to-face interactions with U.S. officials, including Trump, took on added significance, even though she didn’t provide many details about them.
Sheinbaum explains why she decided to attend the World Cup final
Sheinbaum told reporters that before Friday, the only invitation she had received to attend the World Cup final was from FIFA.
“I was weighing up whether to go or not, but I had thought I wouldn’t attend,” she said.
Sheinbaum alongside U.S. President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Spanish King Felipe VI at Sunday’s World Cup final ceremony. (@Claudiashein/X)
Sheinbaum said she spoke by telephone to Trump on Friday and he personally invited her to attend the final.
“He said, ‘Claudia, are you going to come?’ And I said, ‘Well, if you invite me, President Trump.’ And he said, ‘Yes, you’re invited. Come. You’re going to be seated with us,’” she explained.
Sheinbaum said she consequently decided to go to the match. She noted that she and five aides got tickets to fly to New York from Cancún, but their flight was canceled due to stormy weather in New York.
Sheinbaum said she spoke to Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo and organized a military flight to the United States.
“We arrived at about 2 in the morning [on Sunday]. Thank you to all the compatriots who waited for us outside the hotel. And early [on Sunday] we went to the stadium,” she said.
Sheinbaum: ‘I had the opportunity to speak to some Trump administration secretaries’
Sheinbaum said she had the opportunity to speak to some Trump administration secretaries who attended the World Cup final on Sunday.
She said she spoke to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
🇲🇽⚽ La final del Mundial también sirvió para la diplomacia. @Claudiashein aseguró que conversó brevemente con Donald Trump y Mark Carney sobre las negociaciones del T-MEC.
Además, sostuvo encuentros con Marco Rubio, Felipe VI y Pedro Sánchez durante su visita a Nueva York.… pic.twitter.com/qB3mIFq0qi
“In reality, they were little moments,” Sheinbaum said without providing details of the conversations.
She said that all the U.S. officials at the stadium were “very respectful” and “pleasant.”
“[There was] an atmosphere of a lot of cordiality, also with the King of Spain, … with the Prime Minister of Spain,” Sheinbaum said.
“It was a good environment,” she said.
Sheinbaum says she spoke about trade with Trump and Carney
Sheinbaum said that she, Trump and Carney had the opportunity to briefly discuss trade, but didn’t provide many details of the conversation.
“With Canada [the United States] has other issues, the issue of security, because Canada belongs to NATO,” she said.
“… Remember that today this second round of conversations about the review of the USMCA begins and we hope to be able to reach some agreements this week,” Sheinbaum added.
She said she would welcome Ambassador Greer to Mexico City on Wednesday or Thursday.
In remarks early in her press conference, Sheinbaum also highlighted her social media post on Sunday after the completion of the World Cup.
In that post, she congratulated Spain and said that the three World Cup host countries — Mexico, the United States and Canada — showed that “when we work together, we are capable of making great projects reality and leaving a legacy of cooperation, friendship and hope for the world.”
Later in the press conference, when asked about her personal relationship with the U.S. president, Sheinbaum said that she and Trump “have sought a good relationship.”
“I think that Mexico must always seek a good relationship with the president of the United States and his government,” she said.
“First of all because we’re neighbors. Secondly because we always have to prioritize diplomatic relationships and promote a good-neighbor policy. And thirdly because there are 40 million Mexicans who live in the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
“In addition, there has to be respect between people. We can disagree with President Trump on issues, but we have no reason to make this a personal matter,” she said.
Sheinbaum said she spoke to Trump on Sunday about the aim of “reaching an agreement” regarding USMCA at this week’s bilateral trade talks.
“We didn’t go much beyond that,” she said.
“… And I raised other issues we want to talk about. Obviously we referred to Mexicans in the United States and other issues,” Sheinbaum said.
Damned if you do and damned if you don’t
Sheinbaum said that whether she went to the World Cup final or not, she would have faced criticism.
🗳️⚽️ Claudia Sheinbaum entrega el Balón de Oro a Rodri
La presidenta de México entregó el reconocimiento al mejor jugador del Mundial 2026 al capitán de España, tras la victoria 1-0 sobre Argentina en la final disputada en Nueva Jersey. 🇪🇸🏆 pic.twitter.com/Mev8cxW9Ka
“If we hadn’t gone, what would they have said?” she asked, referring to government critics.
“How is it possible that they leave Mexico’s position in a World Cup empty? Sheinbaum said.
“… If we go, [they say] ‘Why is she going? How is it possible?’” she said.
“‘What lack of coherence! How is it possible that she smiles alongside President Trump? … Why did she go to the closing [of the World Cup], but not the opening?’” Sheinbaum said before noting that neither Trump nor Carney attended the opening matches of the tournament in their respective countries.
“The closing was a matter of the three of us being together because the three of us, North America, organized [the World Cup],” she said.
In a situation similar to the 2004 Steven Spielberg comedy-drama, "The Terminal," Mexico's President, Claudia, Sheinbaum found herself trapped in the Cancún airport for several hours yesterday. (This image was generated by AI tools)
President Claudia Sheinbaum was briefly stranded at Cancún International Airport on Saturday after the commercial flight she was expected to take to the World Cup final in New Jersey at Donald Trump’s invitation was delayed and later canceled in favor of military jet, prompting witnesses to report that she spent several hours moving through Terminal 4 like Tom Hanks in “The Terminal,” but with a larger security detail and significantly more exposure to confused passengers in matching resort wristbands.
Airport sources said the terminal adjusted quickly to the unusual overlap of presidential scheduling and peak vacation disorientation, as travelers dragging inflatable neck pillows, duty-free tequila and unresolved check-in grievances repeatedly stopped federal aides to ask whether “this line” was for New York, customs, lounge access or “just kind of life now.” One tourist, still clutching a family-sized sunscreen bottle, said he assumed the president was part of a new premium airport experience. “We thought maybe Cancún had introduced roaming government for elite passengers.”
President Sheinbaum shops for gifts at the Cancún airport to bring fellow North American leaders Donald Trump and Mark Carney at the World Cup final in New Jersey. (This image was generated using AI tools)
Officials said Sheinbaum remained calm as the terminal continued to function as the country’s most honest model of national administration: fully staffed, widely announced and governed largely by the principle that everyone should remain attentive for further information that may or may not arrive.
The comparison to “The Terminal” intensified after the president was seen seated near a charging station, reviewing options while surrounded by sleeping passengers, abandoned frappes and a child using a carry-on suitcase as a percussion instrument. Airport concession workers said the atmosphere shifted once travelers realized that the president herself was waiting for updates from a departure screen, and was thus in the same situation as everyone else.
In fact, several passengers said the experience had given them their first meaningful cultural immersion of the trip, as they were forced to spend more than 40 consecutive minutes in Mexico without being handed a welcome cocktail.
Mexican health officials have issued a warning to those traveling to the U.S., based on an outbreak of gastrointestinal ailments across 34 U.S. states. (This image was generated by AI tools)
In a historic and utterly unprecedented shift in cross-border health politics, Mexico’s National Epidemiological Surveillance System (Sinave) issued an urgent, high-alert travel advisory on Friday. The directive officially cautions its citizens against the rapidly rising risks of contracting severe, explosive diarrhea while visiting the United States.
For decades, American tourists have fretted over “Montezuma’s Revenge” when traveling south of the border. Now, in a spectacular turning of the biochemical tables, Mexico is issuing its own warning for those heading north.
Health advisory issued in response to diarrhea outbreak
Iceberg lettuce used in fast food tacos in the U.S. has been linked to a stomach ailment that causes explosive diarrhea. (This image was generated using AI tools)
The official health advisory specifically targets a highly disruptive condition called cyclosporiasis — colloquially dubbed by Mexican health officials as “yankee doodle doo-doo.” This sudden, violent stomach ailment is reportedly triggered by feces-contaminated food and water supply chains across the American culinary landscape.
A recent massive outbreak has already swept through 34 U.S. states. Epidemiologists have directly linked the epicenter of the crisis to the popular American fast-food giant, Taco Bell.
According to Mexican health officials, the warning was prompted by a notable and alarming uptick in Mexican tourists returning from major U.S. destinations — such as Disneyland, Times Square and various strip malls — with severely compromised digestive systems. They emphasize that while the United States boasts a visionary ambition for drive-thru convenience and late-night value menus, there is often an “eruptive” penalty to be paid for indulging in such pleasures.
A ‘recipe for gastrointestinal disaster’
The advisory notes that American fast food relies heavily on highly processed, industrialized food that the Mexican stomach was simply not designed to handle.
“We want our citizens to experience the massive portion sizes and oversized theme parks of our northern neighbors,” said Dr. Alejandro Cruz, a risk assessment specialist for Sinave. “However, the domestic flora of the Mexican digestive tract is finely tuned to fresh, natural ingredients, real limes and actual spices. Introducing a pristine stomach to hard-shell tortillas and mass-produced, factory-shredded, chlorine-washed fast-food iceberg lettuce is a surefire recipe for gastrointestinal disaster.”
Dr. Cruz further explained that Mexican guts react to synthetic cheese sauce and highly preserved “seasoned beef” as if they were foreign invaders, resulting in what he described as “Uncle Sam’s revenge.”
“If you want tacos,” he added, “just wait until you get home.”
Mexico's private healthcare system is getting increasingly expensive. How can you keep your bills down? (Caglar Oskay/Unsplash)
Last month, I received a renewal notice for my private health insurance plan with MetLife Mexico. At first glance, the premium seemed high, so I dug up my paperwork from last year to compare the numbers.
I was shocked to discover that the new premium had surged 24% year over year, even though I’d filed no claims in the past 12 months and made no changes to my coverage. With Mexico’s overall inflation trending at 3.37% as of June 2026, the cost of my health insurance policy was rising many times faster.
Luxury healthcare developments are increasingly common in Mexico, but they come at a steep price. (Bellphoria)
What’s going on here?
Key factors driving up health insurance premiums in 2026
The massive inflation in Mexico’s private health insurance market is currently being driven by four main factors.
A surge in health claims
Mexican insurers are under financial strain right now due to high loss ratios (siniestralidad), which in plain English means they’re paying out more in claims than they’re collecting in premiums.
The big uptick in claims has resulted from a greater volume of elective surgeries, as people who had postponed procedures during the pandemic decided to get them done. Higher claims are also the result of an aging insurance pool with a higher prevalence of chronic medical conditions.
These trends are precipitating a dangerous phenomenon private insurers refer to as the “death spiral.” In essence, as health premiums surge, younger and healthier people opt out of the system, leaving a greater concentration of older and sicker individuals in the insurance pool, which pushes costs (and premiums) ever higher.
Tax policy changes
In a major shift under the 2026 Federal Revenue Law, the Mexican Tax Administration Service (SAT) eliminated the ability of insurance companies to claim a tax credit for the 16% value-added tax paid on medical claims.
Instead of incentivizing private health spending to alleviate the burden on an overwhelmed public system, the new tax policy essentially treats private health insurance as a luxury good. As a result, the industry is attempting to shift this cost burden back onto its customers.
But there’s good news for policyholders who file taxes in Mexico — they’re entitled to deduct the cost of insurance premiums on their annual tax return.
For policyholders like me who don’t file taxes in Mexico, there is no relief.
Changes to Mexico’s tax system mean hospitals are passing costs on to patients, although if you file your taxes in the country, you may be eligible for a discount. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
Skyrocketing hospital costs
Private hospitals are passing along rapidly rising costs for imported medical technology, advanced diagnostics and specialized biological drugs, such as those used in cancer treatments. Additionally, hospital markups on some basic supplies and other essential medicines have spiked recently.
Besides rising product and technology costs, Mexico’s major private hospital networks (e.g., Grupo Angeles, Star Medica) have been consolidating lately, which in turn reduces competition and increases their pricing power.
Shifting demand from public to private providers
Worsening bottlenecks in Mexico’s public health system (IMSS), along with specialized medicine shortages, have driven thousands of Mexican households to rely more heavily on private providers than in years past.
This increased demand for private health services, on top of rising demand from legacy participants, is yet another factor driving up prices.
Looking for more insights on these market dynamics, I spoke with my local insurance broker, Veronica Renner, who happens to use the same MetLife plan that I do. In addition to the factors described above, she reminded me that my age (another year older!) was also contributing to my rising premium.
It turns out that women my age file a lot of health claims.
From her perspective, MetLife’s 24% premium hike wasn’t so bad given that other Mexican insurers have raised their rates by as much as 80% this year.
The financial impact on US residents in Mexico
For U.S. expats buying private health insurance in the Mexican market, the sting from hyper-inflation is twofold.
Residents who generate their income from U.S. dollar investments or pensions were already looking at a 10% cost increase before medical inflation, given the peso’s roughly 10% rise against the U.S. dollar over the past year.
The combined impact of dollar devaluation and medical inflation this year means the real increase in my private health insurance premium is more like 34%.
What residents can do to lessen the impact of rising premiums
Medical inflation is prompting many people in the private insurance market to look for ways to restructure their coverage and reduce the sting. Below are several options.
One of the easiest ways to reduce premium costs is to increase your deductible. Tactically, you could consider using your health policy strictly for catastrophic events, while paying for minor, everyday medical needs out of pocket, as these costs are still very reasonable in Mexico. This move alone could significantly reduce your annual bill.
Eliminate top-tier hospitals from your coverage
Instead, opt to receive care from local clinics or mid-tier hospitals near where you live. This isn’t something I’d want to do, but if your finances demand a lower premium, it’s another straightforward adjustment.
Increase your co-insuranceobligation
Co-insurance refers to the percentage of the total medical bill you split with your insurance company after paying the deductible. If the customer increases the co-insurance percentage, say from 10% to 20%, they will pay a larger share of the bill following a health event, but less in premiums.
If you go this route, be sure to keep “topes de seguro” (a defined maximum payout per event) in place to ensure that a catastrophic medical need doesn’t bury you in unlimited medical bills.
Scrutinize any optional coverage in your plan
Many plans contain optional coverage that can jack up the annual premium. This could include international coverage when you travel, emergency dental care or a zero-deductible for accidents. Reducing or eliminating these optional coverages can also lower your annual premium.
Changes coming to the public health system may also help
Mexico’s Universal Health Service could offer respite in the face of rising prices, although the rollout is limited to Mexican citizens to begin with(Presidencia)
Alongside this turmoil in the private health insurance market, President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced plans to implement a Universal Health Service (Servicio Universal de Salud) that will guarantee free, integrated healthcare for all Mexican citizens, starting in 2027.
The public initiative, perhaps a tacit acknowledgement of the untenable situation in the private market, aims to unify the myriad public health systems — IMSS, ISSSTE and IMSS-Bienestar — and enable any citizen to receive care at any public facility, regardless of their insurance status.
The move is also designed to improve the efficiency of health care delivery in the public sector. If successful, this could reduce some of the demand shifting from public to private providers — and alleviate some inflationary pressures.
MND Writer Dawn Stoner is reporting from Guadalajara.
The Cozumel racoon is an an example of "insular dwarfism," but there are now less than 200 of them estimated in the wild. (Scott Camazine/Wikimedia Commons)
If you vacation on Cozumel, you might be lucky enough to see one of the island’s most charming inhabitants, Procyon pygmaeus, or the Cozumel raccoon. It is not unknown for them to hang around picnic sites looking for food handouts, but tourists throwing these bold little animals scraps of food — and tortilla chips seem to be a favorite — probably don’t realize they are feeding one of the most endangered mammals in the world.
Procyon pygmaeus is classified as one of only three species of raccoon on the planet. Here, we should take a moment to explain the difference between a species and a subspecies. A subspecies of any animal is an isolated population that has been separated long enough to display some unique differences. A subspecies might, for example, have grown longer fur for a colder environment or adapted its diet to exploit local availability.
Cozumel raccoons have learned to love tortilla chips, but feeding them to a critically endangered animal is a very bad idea. (Possiblynessie/Wikimedia Commons)
However, should this population be reunited with the “mother” population, they will be capable of breeding and presumably, given a few generations, any differences will have merged back into a single population. A species is a population of animals that has grown so different in appearance and behavior that they can no longer successfully interbreed with other branches of the family.
A species apart due to insular dwarfism
The distinction is not always clear and might be subject to scientific debate. However, in the case of the raccoon, scientists generally agree there are 22 subspecies of the common raccoon in the world, but only three distinct species. These are the common raccoon (Procyon lotor), which is found all across North and Central America; the crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus), which is native to Central and South America; and the Cozumel raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus), which is found only on Cozumel.
As is often the case with a population of animals restricted to a relatively small island, insular dwarfism has taken place, and the raccoons on Cozumel are about 18% shorter and 45% lighter than the common raccoons found on the mainland. As a result, they are often referred to as the pygmy raccoon or the dwarf raccoon. It was the American zoologist C. Hart Merriam, back in 1901, who first identified Procyon pygmaeus as a separate species, and this view has generally been accepted ever since. In addition to its reduced size, the Cozumel population has a broad black throat band, a golden yellow tail and reduced teeth. The species/subspecies debate now rests on firmer evidence than simple observation, and a study of raccoon molecular data (mtDNA) by Katherine W. McFadden in 2008 has secured the acceptance of the Cozumel population as a distinct species.
The history of the species
How long does it take for a new species to emerge? Cozumel separated from the mainland during the late Pleistocene, so Procyon pygmaeus is unlikely to have been isolated for more than 122,000 years. The latest research, using data from molecular clock studies, suggests that the divergence from the common raccoon population is more recent, dating somewhere between 26,000 and 69,000 years ago.
In addition to their physical appearance, life on an island has changed the animals’ lifestyle, and they have adapted to a coastal and mangrove environment where crabs make up between 44% and 50% of their diet. This is seasonal, and while crabs are abundant during the wet season, at other times the raccoons’ diet might include more insects and seasonal fruits. They are largely nocturnal, becoming active just after sunset, and females give birth primarily between November and January, possibly with a second litter during the summer months.
Habitat loss and ecosystem damage
Sadly, the mangrove forests and coastal areas on the west side of the island, where the raccoons once thrived, have been a favorite location for new hotels and resorts, causing a considerable loss of wilderness.As their habitat has shrunk, the Cozumel raccoon has become one of the most endangered animals on the planet. The best estimate — and it has to be an estimate because the last major, official and academic count was conducted in 2008 — is that the population is probably down to fewer than 200 adult animals.
The declining population of Cozumel raccoons faces several challenges, including predators, habitat loss, storms, and the dangers of crossing well-traveled roads. (Scott Camazine/Wikimedia Commons)
The population is not only low, but as the island develops, it has become increasingly fragmented. Generally, the raccoons are most numerous in the south, survive in small numbers in the north (which is where tourists are most likely to see them) and have disappeared from much of the center of the island. After the 2008 survey, the IUCN Red List classified Procyon pygmaeus as “critically endangered,” a status that remains its official designation today.
While the loss of habitat is at the heart of the raccoon’s decline, there are other concerns. Roadkills take several animals each year, and this is likely to increase as the island’s road system is both extended and widened. Cozumel is also regularly struck by hurricanes, which are likely to become more violent and more frequent as the climate changes. Raccoons, particularly young and inexperienced animals, are known to be killed during storms, while those that survive might emerge to find their coastal habitat devastated. It is documented that after Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, much of the small population of raccoons on Passion Island disappeared.
Predators and existential threats
The biggest threat on the immediate horizon might prove to be the increase in the number of feral and domestic cats and dogs. Such animals might both hunt the raccoon and transmit diseases to them. While dogs have been on the island for a while, domestic and semi-wild cats are a relatively new danger, and their impact is uncertain. Boa constrictors, believed to have been released by a film crew in 1971, also thrived on the island, and the raccoons are a perfect size for them to prey on.
One factor in the animals’ favor is that, like their mainland cousins, they are clever and adaptable. While the raccoons have adapted to a life of hunting crabs in the mangroves, they have also been seen in the semi-evergreen forests and agricultural lands surrounding these preferred habitats. There is no captive breeding program at the moment, but such a step might be taken in the future. While taking animals out of a small wild population carries risks, Mexico does have a record of success with captive breeding of wolves and the tiny volcano rabbits. For now, education plays a vital role in the raccoon’s conservation, ensuring that both residents and tourists are aware of the raccoons’ special status and how to care for them. That might start by resisting the temptation to feed them those tasty but unhealthy tortilla chips.
Bob Patemanlived in Mexico for six years. He is a librarian and teacher with a Master’s Degree in History.
President Sheinbaum'previously met with U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Cup draw last December. (Presidencia)
President Claudia Sheinbaum will attend the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey after receiving an invitation from United States President Donald Trump. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will also attend.
“I received an invitation from President Trump to go Sunday to the final of the World Cup,” Sheinbaum told reporters after an event in Quintana Roo on Friday. “I made the decision, yes, to go because, well, it’s a direct invitation from the president of the United States.”
🚨#AHORA La presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum confirmó que fue invitada por el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, para presenciar en Nueva York la final entre España y Argentina.
A la cita también asistirá el primer ministro de Canadá, Mark Carney, por lo que los mandatarios… pic.twitter.com/RZxHbg0Vn6
The final will mark the first game that Sheinbaum will attend throughout the whole tournament, despite Mexico hosting 16 of the 104 games played. She gave her tickets to the opening Mexico vs South Africa match to Yolette Cervantes, a 21-year-old indigenous woman, and watched Mexico’s group-clinching 3-0 win over Czechia from her home with her husband on her birthday.
Mexico is now taking legal action of its own against its northern neighbor. Sheinbaum announced earlier this week that Mexico was initiating both criminal and civil complaints over the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals in ICE custody or by ICE operations. Most recently, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican citizen, was killed by ICE agents in Houston, Texas, on July 7.
Trump’s involvement in the World Cup final has been highly publicized, and he plans to take part in the final trophy ceremony. Trump appeared in the championship celebrations of the 2025 Club World Cup, which the United States also hosted.
Sheinbaum said she will release a video message with more information on Saturday afternoon and vowed to be back at work by Monday morning.
“If there is a person who committed a crime, he or she must be pursued. But migration in itself shouldn’t be criminalized,” Sheinbaum said on Thursday. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
July 13 to July 17 in Mexico was a week that swung wildly between the serious and the mildly absurd.
Fittingly, the week’s biggest bilateral dust-ups both involved, one way or another, potentially “deadly connections” between Mexico and the U.S. On Tuesday, DEA Administrator Terry Cole’s claimed at a Florida conference that the Mexican government and cartel networks are “one … [and] the same,” an assertion that Mexico’s Security Cabinet flatly rejected, calling the remarks baseless and unfounded.
Later in the week, Mexico’s Health Ministry issued a formal travel advisory warning citizens about a rapidly growing cross-border cyclosporiasis outbreak, the parasitic illness nicknamed the “explosive diarrhea bug” that U.S. health officials have traced to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in five states.
Awkwardly for Mexico, the lettuce in question was grown on a Mexican farm, prompting supplier Taylor Farms to pull all central Mexico-sourced iceberg lettuce from the U.S. market — a deadly connection of the gastrointestinal variety, if you will.
On a lighter, more hopeful note, bees in Campeche may soon gain legal rights before the Supreme Court. All in all, an interesting week to say the least — read on for the full rundown.
Sheinbaum called the shooting death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston “practically murder” and urged Mexican society to show solidarity with compatriots living in the United States. Days later, following the news of yet another death — a Mexican man struck by a vehicle while fleeing an ICE operation in Florida — Sheinbaum insisted that migration “should not be criminalized” and called for due process in any deportation proceedings.
US designates two more cartels as terrorist organizations
Amid all that friction, the U.S. Treasury formally designated the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras as foreign terrorist organizations, bringing the total number of Mexican criminal groups with that label to eight. The designation lets the Treasury freeze the groups’ U.S. assets and bars Americans from doing business with them, adding another layer of pressure on Sheinbaum’s government even as it seeks continued security cooperation with Washington.
The Juárez Cartel is one of the oldest drug trafficking organizations in Mexico and primarily operates along the border with Texas by exercising control of the Ciudad Juárez-El Paso corridor, a critical crossing point.
Los Viagras mostly work in the western state of Michoacán, where, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, “criminal extortion is particularly prevalent in the lucrative agricultural sector and economy of Michoacán.”
Sheinbaum unveils anti-femicide bill
On Wednesday, Sheinbaum and her chief legal adviser, Luisa María Alcalde, presented a bill to standardize femicide prosecution nationwide, the General Law for the Prevention, Investigation, Punishment and Reparation of Damage for the Crime of Femicide.
It proposes 10 legally defined “reasons of gender” for the crime and uniform sentences of 50 to 70 years, with attempted femicide carrying up to 45 years and 19 aggravating circumstances able to lengthen punishments further. The president said the goal is “zero impunity” and an end to the practice, still common in some state prosecutors’ offices, of reclassifying violent deaths of women as suicides. Officials reported femicides declined 10.7% in the first half of 2026, though more than 6,400 women were killed for gender-related reasons between January 2019 and January 2026.
Alcalde explained that aggravating circumstances, such as if the victim was a girl; an adolescent; a journalist; a human rights defender; a migrant; elderly; pregnant; or had a disability, will increase offenders’ prison sentences according to the text of the bill. (Gabriel Monroy/Presidencia)
Inflation drops to 5-year low
Mexico’s annual headline inflation rate fell to 3.37% in June, down from 3.94% in May and its lowest level since December 2020, landing just 0.37 percentage points above Banxico’s 3% target after three consecutive months of decline.
Tomatoes alone dropped 39% month-over-month, helping pull the non-core index lower, even as core inflation held at a stickier 4.03%. MND CEO Travis Bembenek weighed in with a perspective on why Mexico’s inflation rate, now running below that of the United States, is such a big deal, arguing it could reshape how businesses, investors and everyday households on both sides of the border plan and spend in the months ahead.
Sargassum scares — one exaggerated, one very real
Not every seaweed panic is the real thing. Beachgoers on Nayarit’s Pacific coast were alarmed this week by piles of gelatinous brown algae washing ashore, but researchers from the Autonomous University of Nayarit confirmed it wasn’t sargassum but Hypnea, a naturally occurring macroalgae tied to seasonal shifts in ocean currents and temperature that poses no known health risk, unlike its foul-smelling Atlantic cousin.
The real thing, however, is very much a problem on the Caribbean coast: Sheinbaum toured Tulum and Cancún this week to address a genuine sargassum crisis that is dumping 9,000 tonnes of smelly seaweed on Quintana Roo’s beaches every day. The president outlined a strategy to intercept the algae at sea before it reaches shore and to promote projects that recycle the collected seaweed, part of a “Tulum Reborn” package of measures she unveiled at a Friday press conference held in the beleaguered beach town itself.
Sargassum covers the beach below the Tulum Archaeological Zone on Friday morning. This year’s heavy seaweed arrivals have contributed to a drop in tourism along Mexico’s Caribbean coast. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
Foreign business ties strengthen
It was a busy week for international commerce and diplomacy.
The state government confirmed the audios’ authenticity even as the governor denied striking any formal deal, and the opposition National Action Party (PAN) demanded she take a leave of absence pending investigation. Separately, Morena councilor María de Jesús Quijada of Tecate survived an armed attack that killed her husband, a former security official. And in a case unrelated to the governor but very much part of the state’s turbulent week, former Gov. Ernesto Ruffo Appel was arrested in Ensenada on organized crime and fuel-smuggling charges. Ruffo, Mexico’s first opposition governor, elected in 1989, is accused of being the majority shareholder of a company tied to a seizure of more than 15 million liters of hydrocarbons smuggled from the U.S.
Chipotle arrives — but will it stay?
The U.S. fast-food chain opened its first restaurant in Mexico this week, choosing the upmarket Monterrey suburb of San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, citing the region’s economic strength. Predictably, the idea of a U.S. chain selling a Tex-Mex take on Mexican food inside Mexico itself provoked plenty of social media mockery — and sparked an in-house debate over whether Chipotle’s arrival is good or bad for the country.
Another accident on the Interoceanic Railroad
Less than seven months after a passenger derailment killed 14 people, another accident struck the same rail line this week. A freight train came off the tracks in Asunción Ixtaltepec, Oaxaca, though officials reported no injuries and said cargo service was barely interrupted. Sheinbaum downplayed the severity, saying the train “moved” rather than fully derailed, and that inspections were underway. Passenger service on the line remains suspended following December’s fatal crash.
Mexico News Daily
This story contains summaries of original Mexico News Daily articles. The summaries were generated by Claude, then revised and fact-checked by a Mexico News Daily staff editor.
Pulque, an ancestral Mexican beverage made from fermented agave sap, is still a cultural touchstone in places like Tepoztlán, Morelos. (Tradición es cultura)
Arriving in Tepoztlán — the mountainous Pueblo Mágico about 90 minutes south of the heart of Mexico City’s Coyoacán neighborhood — evokes a surrealistic reverence for Mexico’s natural splendor.
Cradled in the Sacred Valley of Tepoztlán, after crossing into the state of Morelos, you’ll make a sweeping, winding descent into the forest-encircled town. A natural amphitheater is formed by the surrounding Sierra de Tepoztlán and Chichinautzin mountain range, while Tepoztlán’s cobblestoned roads and lazy plazas underscore the small town’s relaxing rhythms.
A spiritualist getaway
The Pueblo Mágico of Tepoztlán is a remarkable place to visit under any circumstances. But if you love pulque, it’s paradise. (Enrique Amaya/Unsplash)
The pueblo is largely known for attracting hikers from around the globe, conveniently located at the edge of El Tepozteco National Park, which includes a 1.8-mile round-trip trek up a steep hill that culminates with the 500-year-old Pyramid of Tepoztecatl and panoramic views at the summit. In addition, the town provides a modernized mix of high-end dining options (such as Nixte, an upscale smokehouse serving indigenous Mexican food from a wood-fired kitchen), minimalistic elegance (Casa Ayehualco once belonged to the Mexican architects Diego Villaseñor and Ana María Maldonado) and contemporary Mexican art (Dilao, a surrealist sculpture garden, was inaugurated by the artist Eduardo Olbés in 2019).
Above all, Tepoztlán is heralded as a spiritualist getaway, with an abundance of health-forward, organic and old-world experiences focused on rejuvenating the body, mind and spirit. Massages, temazcales and psychedelic-induced retreats abound in the pueblo of just over 14,000.
And yet, one of its greatest features, which perhaps gets overlooked among Tepoztlán’s surplus of attractions and temptations, can be literally traced back to Mexico’s Indigenous roots with pulque.
Tepoztlán, a town of pulque worship
Pulque — the fermented sap of agave plants, known as aguamiel — is believed to be over 2,000 years old. A viscous, milky powerhouse, it’s one of Indigenous Mexico’s most defining libations.
What exactly does Tepoztlán have to do with pulque? Mexicas believed the region to be the site of Tepoztécatl — the god of fermentation and drunkenness. If that’s not convincing enough, Tepoztécatl’s mother, Mayahuel, is celebrated as the goddess of agave, fertility and — you guessed it — pulque.
Both Tepoztécatl and Mayahuel are intimately linked to Tepoztlán’s pre-Hispanic mythology, where Tepoztécatl, in particular, is believed to have founded the community. The nearby pyramid is recognized as an important ceremonial site dedicated to Tepoztécatl, built between 1150 and 1350.
The El Tepozteco pyramid in Tepoztlán was an ancient pilgrimage site for worshippers of Tepoztēcatl, the Mexica god of pulque. (Asedzie/Wikimedia Commons)
It makes sense, then, that Tepoztlán has become a pilgrimage-worthy center for pulque worship, with more than two millennia’s worth of pulque cultivation and consumption. To date, tlachiqueros — a term derived from the Nahuatl word tlachiqui, or “one who scrapes,” to denote agricultural workers who tend agave sap — can be found throughout the region, gathering the aguamiel that eventually alchemizes into pulque. This fresh supply can be found at various pulquerias in town today, where there is never a shortage of the Mesoamerican “nectar of the gods.”
Pulque consumption in Mexico
And yet, Tepoztlán is not a mass producer of pulque, either. Instead, it’s hyper-local, artisanal and family-operated. Rural areas in Puebla, Hidalgo and Tlaxcala boast the largest pulque production. But Tepoztlán, despite its relatively diminutive size, is still viewed as a pulque drinker’s paradise for its quality and range of pulquerias.
Though deeply steeped in ancient customs, pulque is very much a part of the present-day Mexican lifestyle. According to Scielo, the consumption of pulque has risen in the last few years “due to a greater appreciation of national identity and its organic nature free of conservatives.” The love of pulque is ostensibly trending upward, as has been documented by Mexico News Daily. Tepoztlán, therefore, is in a prime position to showcase its best properties.
Gardens, wellness and pulque
When it comes to the artistry of organic, slow consumption, it doesn’t get more earthy than a glass of pulque. The beverage is a great fit for Tepoztlán’s gastronomic ethos, known for its array of healthy foods and traditional kitchens that serve regional dishes like itacates — a simple, corn-based dish often stuffed with natural ingredients like flor de calabaza.
In a modern-day context, this combination of wellness and indigenous foods translates deliciously for travelers and locals alike, who can taste a range of pulque styles and flavors to go along with it all.
Pulquimia — a botanical garden and pulqueria rolled into one — is a leading example of how the next generation of pulquerias are able to offer an elevated experience that remains grounded in pulque traditions. Flavors include inventive, health-forward combinations like cacao with amaranth, cinnamon and rose petals, or peanut with manzanilla and orange. The elixirs are said to help with one’s digestive and immune systems and overall health. Here, pulque isn’t something of the past to be consumed as a novelty. It’s a daily lifestyle anchored in holistic health practices. The pulqueria includes a covered outdoor patio with views of a lush garden and the abutting mountain peaks. In all, the experience is refreshing and calming, if not medicinal, in a way that would be hard to find in a larger city environment.
A guide to Tepoztlán pulquerias
Pulquimia, both a botanical garden and a pulqueria, is one of the top spots to sample the ancestral beverage in Tepoztlán. (Pulquimia/Instagram)
Of course, there are also classic pulquerias that supply old-school dive-bar vibes rather than that of a glamorous resort getaway. One such joint is Pulques El Nectar Tepozteco, located on one of the pueblo’s main streets — which closes to vehicles on weekends and becomes swarmed by passersby and vendors on foot. The pulqueria is easy to find: it has a giant mural of a rabbit holding up a clay cup that is overflowing with pulque froth. Symbolically, the rabbit is a sign of fertility and intoxication in Mexica cosmology, and it is believed that the goddess of pulque gave birth to 400 rabbits. There is even a codex of drunkenness associated with various rabbits from Mexica times, demarcating one’s various levels of intoxication (loss of control, happiness, etc.).
Reveling in the spirit of pulque
El Nectar embodies this spirit. When I entered upon my first of a few visits, a man was passed out in a chair, drunkenly asleep, while others reveled joyously nearby. The menu is extensive, with no less than 10 options listed behind the counter at any time. I went with a mazapan and later a guayaba — both rich in texture, and one of which included the ground remains of natural ingredients that were at some point broken down to make the base of the beverage.
The pulque is thick, unmistakably fresh and made in-house, poured from ladles into various cup sizes, depending on your level of thirst and appetite. I asked to speak with an owner to get a sense of the place’s history, but I was told he’s only available on weekends, and alas, I was there during the week. But even without a private history lesson, the pulque at El Nectar was truly among the best I’ve ever encountered in my search for the finest “Champagne of the gods.”
Sipping all the way
I was also informed that the creatively named Pulques Tepoztlán, located further up the village roads, was a worthwhile stop on my pulque tour. Unfortunately, I was never able to make it due to ongoing storming conditions during my visit and constant power outages.
Before I left town, I did, however, swing by another purveyor of pulque: Pulque Coyote. Surreptitiously found inside a corner store that otherwise functions as a de facto Oxxo, you can ask the cashier about their pulque. It’s made locally, of course, and is bottled in an old, unmarked plastic jug, which certainly did not have pulque in it before. It’s a bit of a moonshine variety, without much explanation or frills. The place was only on my radar because I asked the concierge at my hotel where he recommends trying pulque. At Coyote, you can ask for your desired amount and take it to go, as there are no seats or places to lounge inside the small corner shop.
Wherever you load up, you will encounter a variety of pulquerias with their own spin on pulque, to be sure, all around town. Go forth, and drink responsibly.
Alan Chazaro is the author of “These Spaceships Weren’t Built For Us” (Tia Chucha Press, 2026), “Notes from the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge” (Ghost City Press, 2021), “Piñata Theory” (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), and “This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album” (Black Lawrence Press, 2019). He is a graduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and was selected as a Lawrence Ferlinghetti Poetry Fellow at the University of San Francisco. His work can be found in NPR, The Guardian, SLAM, GQ, L.A. Times, and more. He is currently based in Veracruz.
