Why is this cat annoyed by a tin can? Find out with our guide to Mexican slang!
Deja de dar lata, en lugar de echarte una pestañita ¡pónte las pilas y aprende español! (Stop giving cans and instead of throwing an eyelash, put in your batteries and learn Spanish). Whaaaaat?
This doesn’t make any sense, right? Well, in Spanish it does.
Just as you do, we have idioms and slang phrases that help communicate our feelings and states in a more accurate way. As humans, we are always searching for new words that can describe us better, even if that means not making sense at all. That’s why languages are so fun to learn!
So today, we are going to learn 3 expressions for three different states: being sleepy, being annoyed by someone or you being that person who annoys others, and to get motivated and start working hard.
What do batteries have to do with working hard? (Ganfeng Lithium)
Echar una pestañita
Explanation: “Echar una pestañita” is a colloquial phrase that means to take a short nap or a quick rest. It literally translates to throwing an eyelash, though the word “pestañita” refers to a little blink, metaphorically representing a brief sleep.
English Equivalent: “To take a catnap”
Examples in Context:
Me voy a echar una pestañita para recuperar energías.
I’m going to take a catnap to recharge my energy.
Estaba muy cansado en la oficina, así que decidí echar una pestañita en mi descanso.
I was very tired at the office, so I decided to take a catnap during my break.
Me eché una pestañita antes de seguir trabajando.
I took a catnap before continuing working.
Dar lata
Explanation: “Dar lata” is used to describe someone who is being annoying or bothersome. It literally translates to “give a tin can” but is understood as causing inconvenience or disturbance.
English Equivalent: “To be a nuisance”
Examples in Context:
¡Ya deja de dar lata!
Stop being a nuisance.
Hola Lupita, perdón que te dé lata a esta hora, pero de casualidad viste mis llaves, las traigo perdidas.
Hello Lupita, sorry to be a nuisance/bother you this late, but did you see my keys by any chance? I’ve lost them.
Ese perro no deja de dar lata ladrando toda la noche.
That dog won’t stop being a nuisance, barking all night long.
Explanation: “Ponerse las pilas” means to get one’s act together or to get motivated and start working hard. The phrase conjures the image of putting in fresh batteries to become more energetic or efficient.
English Equivalent: “To get one’s act together”
Examples in Context:
Si quieres pasar el examen, tienes que ponerte las pilas y estudiar todos los días.
If you want to pass the exam, you need to get your act together and study every day.
Ya me tengo que poner las pilas.
I have to get my act together.
Tienes que ponerte las pilas si quieres mejorar tu condición física.
You need to get your act together if you want to improve your physical condition.
So now you now how to “echarte una pestañita,” “dar lata,” and “ponerte las pilas” in Spanish! Have fun trying them out next time you’re having a conversation.
Paulina Gerez is a translator-interpreter, content creator, and founder of Crack The Code, a series of online courses focused on languages. Through her social media, she helps people see learning a language from another perspective through her fun experiences. Instagram: paulinagerezm / Tiktok: paugerez3 / YT: paulina gerez
An avocado processing plant in Jalisco. Avocado production has become a big business in Mexico, with both domestic consumption and export demand having shot up in the last 20 years. (Fernando Carranza García/Cuartoscuro)
Avocado exports have been spiking, and the amount of land farmers are using to cultivate the fruit — known as “green gold” — has expanded dramatically in the past four decades. A recent study conducted by economists at BBVA bank found that the amount of land used for avocado farming in Mexico more than tripled over a 40-year period.
BBVA Research also reported that avocados have become one of Mexico’s principal commodities for export and domestic consumption. It found that in 2003, avocado farmers across the country earned 22 billion pesos (about US $2 billion back then), whereas in 2022, avocado sales surpassed 66 billion pesos (about US $3.9 billion).
Avocado production by Mexican farmers has grown between 2003 and 2022 from around 900,000 tonnes to over 2.5 million in 2022. One can also track the increasing share of the nation’s avocado production belonging to states like Jalisco and México state. (BBVA Research/Mexico News Daily)
The study illustrates how the avocado has gained increasing relevance in Mexico’s economy by examining the total area used for avocado farming in Mexico, as well as figures for production, sales and exports.
The BBVA Research team found that in 2020, there were 241,100 hectares (596,000 acres) dedicated to avocado production, 268.6% more than in 1980, when that number was just 65,400 hectares (161,600 acres). In 2003, 93,500 hectares (231,000 acres) were devoted to avocado farming in Mexico.
As a result, avocado production increased from just over 907,000 tonnes in 2000 to more than 2.5 million tonnes in 2022. Much of this increase was driven by exports, which grew from 89,300 tonnes in 2000 to just over 1.2 million tons in 2021.
The BBVA economists noted that “although the domestic market continues to consume more than half of the avocados produced, the export market has grown from just 9.8% in 2000 to 41% in 2022.”
That increase by 31.2 percentage points is remarkable when taking into account that domestic consumption also grew by 83% (from 818,000 tonnes to 1.5 million tonnes) during that same period.
Over the last two decades, the number of hectares of land on which avocados were harvested in Mexico increased by nearly 170% between 2003 and 2022. Between 1980 and 2020, the overall percent increase in land use for avocado farming has been nearly 270%.
Avocado sales peaked in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, bringing in 74.6 billion pesos (US $4.4 billion).
The BBVA report also broke down revenues by state, with Michoacán and Jalisco leading the way — not surprising given that these are the only two states in Mexico authorized by U.S. officials to export to the United States, which is by far the biggest importer of Mexican avocados.
83% of the country’s avocado exports go to Mexico’s northern neighbor.
Avocado farming: a recipe for environmental damage?
The increase in land in Mexico used for avocado farming has caused concern for a number of reasons.
In February, six U.S. senators raised concerns about Mexican avocados farmed on illegally deforested land, urging the U.S. government to work with Mexico “to prevent the sale of avocados grown on illegally deforested lands to American consumers.” A November 2023 report by the U.S. nonprofit Climate Rights International documented how forests in Mexico are being illegally cleared in Jalisco and Michoacán to make way for avocado farming, producing avocados that end up exported to the U.S.
Avocado farming is also becoming a water issue in Mexico: last month, Indigenous villagers living alongside Lake Zirahuén in Michoacán dismantled illegal pumping equipment that was siphoning water from the lake to irrigate nearby avocado farms.
The incident occurred just weeks after local and federal authorities had established a joint operation to halt illegal pumping from Lake Pátzcuaro.
Leading presidential candidates Xóchitl Gálvez (PAN-PRI-PRD), left, and Claudia Sheinbaum (Morena-PT-PVEM) both held large events to close their campaigns on Wednesday night. The third candidate, Jorge Álvarez Máynez, also held a closing concert event in Mexico City. (Cuartoscuro)
Mexico’s three presidential candidates held their final campaign events on Wednesday, four days before millions of Mexicans go to to the polls to elect a successor to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Claudia Sheinbaum, the ruling Morena party candidate and the clear frontrunner, drew more than half a million people to Mexico City’s main square, the Zócalo, for her cierre de campaña, or campaign closure, according to the Mexico City government.
Claudia Sheinbaum’s event in the Zócalo of Mexico City was reportedly attended by over 500,000 people. (Cuartoscuro)
Her main rival, Xóchitl Gálvez of the three-party Strength and Heart for Mexico opposition bloc, made her final campaign address in her home town of Tepatepec, Hidalgo, but before that she spoke in front of more than 20,000 people at a packed Arena Monterrey in the capital of the northern border state of Nuevo León.
The third candidate, Jorge Álvarez Máynez of the Citizens Movement party, closed his campaign with a music festival-style event at a Mexico City concert venue.
The three candidates criss-crossed Mexico during the almost three-month-long official campaign period, holding countless events in every state of the country and facing off against each other in three debates replete with accusations and personal attacks.
Campaigning is prohibited on the final three days before Mexicans cast votes to elect a new president — most likely a woman for the first time ever — and thousands of other federal, state and municipal representatives.
The three presidential candidates closed their campaigns on Wednesday. Polls show Claudia Sheinbaum (left) has a commanding lead over both Xóchitl Gálvez (right) and Jorge Álvarez Máynez (center). (Cuartoscuro)
Sheinbaum pledges to continue and strengthen the ‘transformation’ of Mexico
In a 40-minute speech from a stage set up in front of Mexico’s National Palace, Sheinbaum declared that López Obrador — her political mentor and close ally — has “laid the foundations and the first story” of the so-called “fourth transformation” of Mexico, but asserted that a “consolidation” of “this true change” is still required.
“That’s why I’ve made the call to build — together — the second story of the fourth transformation of public life in Mexico,” she said.
Sheinbaum, mayor of the capital for five years before officially becoming the leader of the “fourth transformation” political project last September, also pledged to “protect the legacy” of López Obrador, whose six-year term has been defined by the implementation of social programs aimed at benefiting Mexico’s most disadvantaged people, the construction of various large-scale infrastructure projects, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, record high levels of violence, and, of course, many other things.
“The transformation will continue moving forward and, for the first time in the 200 years of the republic, women will reach the highest honor that our people can give us: the presidency of Mexico. I use the plural because I’m not arriving [to the presidency] on my own, all women are arriving,” she said.
Claudia Sheinbaum (center) was joined by other Morena politicians at the campaign closing event, including Mexico City mayoral candidate Clara Brugada (to the left of Sheinbaum). (Cuartoscuro)
She pledged that her government would be “honest” and “austere,” that it will never be subjugated by any “economic or foreign power,” that it will guarantee people’s “freedoms,” that it will deliver “all” the current social programs and that it will ensure that increases to the minimum wage always outpace inflation.
Among her other commitments, the Morena party candidate said her administration would “strengthen” the “strategic” infrastructure projects carried out by the current government, such as the Maya Train railroad and the Olmeca Refinery, “promote energy sovereignty” and “deepen the strategy of peace and security.”
Gálvez promises to combat crime and to be Mexico’s ‘bravest president’
“There will be no greater priority in my government than your security and the security of your families, your daughters and your sons,” declared Xóchitl Gálvez during her campaign event in Monterrey.
Throughout her campaign, the PAN-PRI-PRD candidate has stressed that a government she leads will implement a tough-on-crime security strategy, and asserted that López Obrador’s so-called “hugs, not bullets” approach to combating violent crime has been a failure.
“You will have the bravest president, who does confront crime,” Gálvez told supporters at Arena Monterrey, a sports and concert venue in the Nuevo León capital.
Xóchitl Gálvez (center left) stood with family members on stage at her final campaign event in her hometown of Tepatepec, Hidalgo. (Cuartoscuro)
Her decision to hold her final major campaign event in Monterrey appeared to be aimed at winning back votes from Citizens Movement (MC), which holds the city’s mayorship and the governorship of Nuevo León.
Gálvez repeatedly criticized MC during her address on Wednesday, and some of the proposals she outlined were squarely aimed at voters in Nuevo León, such as a plan to close the Pemex refinery in the municipality of Cadereyta Jiménez to ensure residents of the northern state have clean air.
The former senator is trailing Sheinbaum by 20 points or more in several major polls, but she asserted that “they’re scared to death in the National Palace” — the seat of executive power and López Obrador’s residence — because she’s going to win.
“They’re shaking in their boots because they know there are more of us good people and we’re fed up,” said Gálvez, who was joined on stage by Monterrey mayoral candidate Adrián de la Garza.
“We’ve grown tired of their lies, of so much death, of so much injustice,” she added.
Xóchitl Gálvez promised to be the “bravest” president of Mexico at her campaign closure event in front of over 20,000 supporters in Monterrey, Nuevo León. (Cuartoscuro)
“Be assured: God is with us, have faith. If God is with me, who is against me? Long live Mexico!” Gálvez concluded before taking a flight to Hidalgo to attend a much smaller cierre de campaña in her birthplace.
“In front of us we have a false idol with feet of clay, who thinks he’s invincible,” she said at that event, referring to López Obrador.
“But like all false idols, he’s condemned to fall,” Gálvez said.
Máynez: ‘It’s not that we’re not interested in politics, but that we’re not interested in their politics’
Jorge Álvarez Máynez — commonly known by his second surname only — held an exuberant event at the BlackBerry auditorium in Mexico City — with beer, live music and marijuana smoke perfuming the air.
The 38-year-old candidate courted the youth vote during the campaign, and there is evidence his strategy was somewhat successful as he finished well above Gálvez, albeit well below Sheinbaum, in a large mock election held across university campuses in Mexico.
On Wednesday — exactly one week after nine people were killed in an accident at an MC event he attended in Nuevo León — Máynez asserted that he and his supporters have showed Mexico’s old political parties and officials that “it’s not that we’re not interested in politics, but that we’re not interested in their politics.”
Jorge Álvarez Máynez (MC) at his closing event in Mexico City on Wednesday, which was dubbed the “Máynez Capital Fest.” (Cuartoscuro)
The MC candidate, a former federal deputy who is in a distant third place in the polls, told some 3,000 attendees of the “Máynez Capital Fest” that “the country will change” under his leadership.
“Never again are we going to have a young person in jail for smoking marijuana or a woman in jail for making a decision about her own body,” Máynez said during a relatively brief speech.
Accompanied by MC’s Mexico City mayoral candidate Salomón Chertorivski, Máynez also pledged to fight for people’s right to adequate housing.
Among the candidate’s other commitments are to increase the minimum salary to 10,000 pesos (US $590) per month, shorten the standard working week to 40 hours and provide students with free access to “concerts, books, artistic shows, theater and dance” performances.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
Mexican film star Diego Luna, seen here in a still from the 2022 Stars Wars movie "Andor," will receive the festival's Mayahuel Award for Mexican Cinema for his contributions to his nation's cinema. (Des Willie/Lucasfilm Ltd.)
Next week’s Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) will celebrate its 39th anniversary June 7–15 with a diverse lineup of films and honors for prominent figures in cinema as it highlights Spanish filmmaking.
The film festival will kick off with the two-hour documentary “Esta ambición desmedida” (“This Excessive Ambition”), which chronicles 33-year-old Spanish rapper C. Tangana’s creative process behind his 2021 album “El Madrileño” (“The Man From Madrid”) and the challenges of creating a subsequent tour worthy of his newfound global superstar status.
Madrid rapper C. Tangana will attend the screening of the 2023 documentary “Esta ambición desmedida,” about the making of his most recent album, “El Madrileño.” (Pedro J. Pachecho / Wikimedia Commons)
Directed by Santos Bacana, Cris Trenas and Rogelio González of Spain, the 2023 film will screen at the FICG’s opening gala on June 7 at the Telmex Auditorium in Zapopan, Jalisco.
The rapper is expected to attend, according to festival officials.
Closing night of the Guadalajara festival will feature “Kinds of Kindness” — an absurdist dark comedy by six-time Oscar-nominated Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Jesse Plemons. Premiering in Mexico and the U.S. on June 21, it received a Palme D’Or (the top prize) nomination at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where the audience gave it a four-minute standing ovation.
Several awards will be presented at this year’s FICG.
Mexican actor Diego Luna will receive the Mayahuel Award for Mexican Cinema for his career and contributions to national cinema. A former Mexican telenovela child actor, Luna broke through to the big screen in the internationally acclaimed 2001 film “Y tu mamá también.” He’s lately known for portraying Cassian Andor in the Star Wars films “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Andor.“ Luna is also known for playing drug kingpin Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo in the Netflix series “Narcos: Mexico.”
This year’s Guadalajara International Film Festival highlights Spanish filmmakers, particularly from Madrid. This poster image was created by tattoo artist and graphic artist Tata Muciño, a Guadalajara resident who says she was inspired by the beauty of the features of Mexican women. (FICG)
Spanish producer Enrique Cerezo, president of the soccer club Atlético de Madrid, will be honored with the inaugural FICG Industry Award. Alex de la Iglesia, a prolific Spanish filmmaker, will receive the Mayahuel International Award.
The Guadalajara film festival’s connections to Spain are not by chance. This year’s guest of honor is the community of Madrid, Spain, and a core program of the festival will be highlighting films from that region.
Activism in cinema will also be recognized at the festival:
Mexican actress Ángeles Cruz will be awarded the Maguey Prize for her dedication to LGBTQ+ rights.
Chilean actor Alfredo Castro will be presented with the Mayahuel Ibero-American Award.
The Spanish filmmaking duo Los Javis, known for their work promoting LGBTQ+ equality, will receive the Maguey Award for their career.
The festival will screen over 200 films, including Mexican and Ibero-American productions in fiction, documentary and animation. There will also be films exploring environmental and LGBTQ+ themes. FICG officials said they are hoping to exceed 50,000 attendees.
The FICG Cineteca in Zapopan will serve as the main venue, with additional screenings at the Telmex Auditorium, the Museum of the Arts, the Diana Theater and the Carlos Fuentes Bookstore.
In conjunction with the film festival, the Guadalajara Museum of Arts will host a “Nazarín” photo exhibit from June 6 to August 4. “Nazarín” is a provocative 1959 film made in Mexico by acclaimed Spanish director Luis Buñuel with the Mexican cinematographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo.
The PRI-PAN-PRD candidate Alfredo Cabrera (seen here campaigning earlier this month) was shot point-blank shortly before giving his final campaign speech. (Cuartoscuro)
A Guerrero mayoral candidate was killed at a campaign event on Wednesday, becoming the latest political aspirant to be murdered during an electoral period marred by violence.
Alfredo Cabrera Barrientos, PRI-PAN-PRD candidate for mayor in the municipality of Coyuca de Benítez, was shot at point-blank range at his final campaign event.
The aggressor was shot dead by the National Guard, which had been deployed to protect the candidate.
Video footage showed that Cabrera, 40, was shot in the head as he was about to take the stage to make the final speech of his campaign.
The event was held in the community of Las Lomas in Coyuca de Benítez, a coastal municipality that borders Acapulco to the west.
Videos and photos of the brazen murder quickly went viral on Thursday. (CUARTOSCURO.COM)
It noted that the “presumed aggressor” was killed. The FGE didn’t mention a possible motive for the attack, but organized crime groups are known to target politicians and candidates they see as unwilling to accommodate, or at least tolerate, their activities.
Cabrera was previously targeted in a 2023 armed attack, according to Alejandro Bravo Abarca, leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, in Guerrero.
Earlier this month, a PRI-PAN-PRD candidate for councilor in Coyuca de Benítez, Aníbal Zúñiga Cortés, and her husband, Rubí Bravo Solís, were found dead. Their bodies had been dismembered.
A municipal security secretary and 12 police officers were killed in an ambush in Coyuca de Benítez last October.
Cabrera, who in video footage is seen smiling and greeting his supporters just before he was killed, became the 35th candidate or political aspirant to be murdered during the 2023-24 electoral period, according to a count by the Mexico City-based consultancy firm Integralia.
Based on the number of candidates and aspirants killed, this electoral cycle, which began last September, is the most violent in Mexican history.
Japanese ambassador to Mexico Noriteru Fukushima shares his thoughts on the business and cultural ties between the two countries in an interview with Mexico News Daily. (Cuartoscuro)
It’s easy to look at Mexico through the lens of the United States and Canada, and lose sight of many other important relationships.
Mexico News Daily’s “Global Mexico” series is dedicated to highlighting the political, economic and cultural relationships between Mexico and other countries around the world.
Mexico News Daily CEO Travis Bembenek (right) with co-owner Tamanna Bembenek in the interview with Ambassador Fukushima. (Courtesy)
Recently I had the opportunity to sit down for a one-on-one meeting with the Japanese ambassador to Mexico, Noriteru Fukushima as part of our “Japan in focus” week. Below I share some highlights and takeaways from our 90-minute conversation about Mexico and Japan, and the future of their relationship.
Ambassador Fukushima was born in Mexico City (in Polanco) and has lived in Mexico multiple times throughout his life. However, Fukushima actually had to give up his Mexican citizenship in order to become Japan’s ambassador.
Mexicans love to travel to Japan. Mexico is the country with the highest percentage increase in tourists to Japan since the pandemic. Currently there are direct flights between Japan and Mexico operated by two airlines, Aeroméxico and All Nippon Airways (ANA).
There are more than 7,000 Japanese restaurants in Mexico, ranking fifth among countries with the most Japanese eateries in the world.
The beautiful jacaranda trees that we enjoy every spring in many parts of the country were introduced in the 20th century by two Japanese expats — Tatsugoro Matsumoto and his son Sanshiro — who started a gardening business in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City.
The Japanese are huge fans of Mexican lucha libre wrestling. In fact, there is currently a Japanese luchador wrestling in Mexico named Shigeo Okumura.
Mexicans are some of the biggest fans of Japanese anime anywhere in the world — and have been now for many years. On a very personal note, my first job out of college nearly 30 years ago was creating and selling billions (that number is not a typo!) of Tazos to Mexicans of all ages working with the Sabritas company. At one point we were selling over 100 million Tazos per week in Mexico alone. By far the most popular characters were those of Japanese anime.
There are currently about 1,500 Japanese companies across many industries with operations in Mexico. This number has increased by over 200 companies in just the past few years. Over 50% of the companies are in the manufacturing sector, including the automotive industry.
There are nearly 10,000 Japanese citizens currently living in Mexico (the 3rd largestpopulation in Latin America after Brazil and Argentina) and around 79,000 Nikkei (people of Japanese descent) who call Mexico home.
The first people-to-people exchange between Mexico and Japan began over 400 years ago — with the first diplomatic relations dating back over 130 years. The first Japanese to arrive in Mexico came to the southern state of Chiapas over 100 years ago to work in the coffee plantations. The next waves came to the states of Coahuila for mining and Baja California for fishing.
This year Japan and Mexico celebrate the 50thanniversary of the Japan-Mexico Training Program for the Strategic Global Partnership. Over 5,000 students and young engineers from Mexico and Japan have exchanged through and benefited from this unique government-to-government scholarship program. Many business, academic and government leaders furthered their studies through this program.
Since 1999, Japan has ranked fourth in terms of foreign direct investment in Mexico. Ambassador Fukushima sees huge potential for further investment by Japanese companies in important industries including in the automotive sector.
Ambassador Fukushima has seen a lot in both countries over the years. He ended our conversation with an optimistic tone and expectations. Optimistic due to the opportunities that lie ahead, the strong historical foundation, and the deep ties of the relationship between the two countries. Mexico has potential and prospects due to its geographic importance in relation to nearshoring.
On a personal level, I have a deep respect for Japanese culture and companies. As a resident of Mexico and a big proponent of a strong Japan-Mexico relationship, I am excited to see what is to come for these two countries.
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.
This article is part of Mexico News Daily’s “Japan in Focus” series. Read the other articles from the series here.
In March 2023, Tesla announced that it would build its first gigafactory in Mexico — similar to this one in the U.S. state of Nevada. However, 14 months later, the Monterrey, Nuevo León, site has only seen construction by state public works crews, not Tesla. (Tesla)
Nuevo León Economy Minister Iván Rivas insists that Tesla is still planning to build its highly-anticipated gigafactory in Mexico, despite the project being slow to start and amid the company’s ongoing layoffs worldwide.
“We have not had any signal change,” said Rivas at a press conference announcing Nuevo León’s upcoming International Mobility of the Future Summit (IMOF). “We are working hand in hand [with Tesla] on the incentive contract,” he assured.
Nuevo León Economy Minister Iván Rivas, seen here in 2022, recently assured inquiring reporters this week that the Tesla gigafactory in his state is a sure thing. (File photo)
Since Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the plans for an electric vehicle (EV) factory in northern Mexico in March last year, the start date for construction has been postponed and a lack of information has fueled speculation about the project’s viability. According to Nuevo León’s governor Samuel García, the project will generate US $15 billion in investment.
While Rivas admitted that there’s not an agreed date to break ground, he stressed there’s no doubt that the Tesla gigafactory in Mexico is happening.
“Tesla is coming, it is coming,” Rivas said.
Incentives for Tesla to build their latest factory in Mexico were confirmed last year, and include widening the Monterrey-Saltillo highway (from two to three lanes), building road infrastructure to enter and exit the factory and constructing water treatment infrastructure, as well as tax benefits.
When asked by reporters whether the recent worldwide layoffs at Tesla might have had an effect on the project, Rivas said that layoffs in Mexico were in the commercial area, not those positions related to the development and construction of the Nuevo León plant.
“The engineers working on the plant development … come from abroad and have visited the plant many times,” he said.
Back in March 2023, when Elon Musk announced the plans for the factory, President López Obrador met with Tesla officials in the National Palace. (Cuartoscuro)
Eduardo Aguilar, a professor at the University of Monterrey (Udem), told the newspaper El País that infrastructure construction by Nuevo León public works officials to accommodate the plant is ongoing at the planned gigafactory site in Santa Catarina — located about 15 kilometers from Monterrey.
“The land remains the same as it was a year ago, that is undoubtedly true, but all the government works related to the plant’s construction have already begun,” Aguilar said. “The machinery and signage indicate that the promised expansions to access and stormwater infrastructure by the state have already begun.”
Musk himself said last October that while the Nuevo León factory was confirmed, he was not ready to “go full tilt” given global economic conditions. At the time, he said the first phase of construction would begin in early 2024.
Despite the speculation about the gigafactory’s fate, Rivas said that the announcement of the Tesla plant has boosted Nuevo León as an electromobility hub since Tesla has invited its suppliers to relocate to Mexico.
“Around 30 [Tesla] suppliers are already here in Nuevo León,” Rivas said.
Under the direction of Maestro Rogelio Riojas-Nolasco, an exciting new opera studio, Operísima México, is off to an impressive start.
I recently had the very enjoyable opportunity to meet Maestro Rogelio Riojas-Nolasco, director and founder of San Miguel de Allende’s inspiring new opera studio, Operísima México. We discussed the maestro’s illustrious career, the remarkable potential of his 22 current students, his vision for the organization, and the considerable challenges of establishing an opera studio.
“For over three decades,” Riojas-Nolasco explained, “I worked as a pianist, vocal coach, and assistant conductor in some of the most important opera houses around the world, mostly in Europe. In those elite venues, I played 30 to 35 operas a year, often with daily performances.”
A performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in León featured two soloists from Operísima México.
Riojas-Nolasco’s international experience in the preparation and perfection of artists in the operatic field is certainly extensive. He has performed in nearly 30 countries, including at such venues as the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia and the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall in the United States, and collaborated with many of the greatest singers and conductors in the world, such as Plácido Domingo, Javier Camarena, Rolando Villazón, Roberto Alagna, José Carreras, Neil Schikof, Francisco Araiza, Ramón Vargas, Edita Gruberova, Elina Garança, Cecilia Bartoli, Mirella Freni, and Renata Scotto.
In 2014, Ramón Vargas, the famed Mexican tenor, was named director of the Opera de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. Vargas invited Riojas-Nolasco to come home to Mexico to develop the Fine Arts Opera Studio there.
“Of course I said yes,” explained Riojas-Nolasco. “For five years, I was the director and primary coach. It was a very successful program: my students won 14 international prizes.”
In 2022, Riojas-Nolasco felt inspired to move to San Miguel de Allende to launch his own studio. “Some of my students came with me,” he noted. “Olymar Salinas, for example, an incredible young tenor, has been studying with me for almost seven years now, since he was 18 years old, and he’s doing very well.”
Operísima México performed at Casa Europa in San Miguel de Allende.
Salinas himself explained: “Many young singers are looking for a place like Operísima México to train in voice, movement, languages, and more, to build our repertoires and gain experience. In my case, performing in Europe and the United States has been invaluable.”
The Covid-19 pandemic interrupted the careers of many young singers. “In the moment when they should have started to do something important, their careers were blocked by the pandemic,” said Riojas-Nolasco. “I want to help these talented young people succeed now, to make up for lost time.”
When Riojas-Nolasco arrived in San Miguel de Allende, “The first institution to throw open their doors to us was Casa Europa. We performed five complete operas there, and I used a rotating cast to give all my students a chance to perform. They rotated between soloist and choir positions. It is important to me that young singers gain experience performing complete operas in order to be hired at leading opera houses. The directors need to see proof of the stamina and vocal maturity to finish a three-hour opera.”
Two of the maestro’s students, Salinas and Karla Pineda, went to the finals for the Vienna Opera last year, a huge honor for any young singer in the world. Salinas also made it to the semifinals for the Metropolitan Opera in New York, an impressive accomplishment.
An Operísima México performance at beautiful Villa Puccini MusikHaus in San Miguel de Allende.
“For me, as a Costa Rican singer, joining Operísima México has been an incredible experience,” Pineda explained. “I have learned so much from our amazing maestro and gained access to important competitions and auditions in Europe as well as here in the Americas. I am so thankful.”
The next phase for Operísima México is one of institutional development. The organization is in the process of obtaining official nonprofit status, at which point donations will become tax-deductible. Riojas-Nolasco credits Jack Kelly, executive director, for his exhaustive fundraising efforts. For example, Kelly organized a private event at beautiful Casa Proserpina in San Miguel de Allende to raise funds for Salinas and Pineda’s travel to Vienna and New York.
Riojas-Nolasco acknowledges that fundraising goals will remain significant for the foreseeable future. “As our studio grows, I hope to hire a variety of specialists. Right now, I am the director, pianist, acting coach, and language teacher. I speak German, French, Italian, Spanish, and English.”
“Eventually,” he continued, “we intend to have our own physical space, our own performing arts center. We have been welcomed at venues throughout San Miguel de Allende, such as Casa Europa, Villa Puccini MusikHaus, and now Foro Obraje, but it will be wonderful to have our own permanent venue, as well as dedicated housing and living stipends for the students — the kind of benefits my students in Mexico City received. We want them to be able to focus entirely on their music and not have to work other jobs to survive. Currently, kind donors are paying the rent for a house for five of the girls. We are so grateful for every bit of support we receive along the way.”
Operísima México is proud to offer residents of San Miguel the opportunity to enjoy opera throughout the year. Not only will the group perform a number of complete operas every year, but they also plan to offer an evening of opera highlights every other Thursday, beginning in July. Riojas-Nolasco hopes “Thursday night at the Opera” will become a regular part of many Sanmigelenses’ routines.
Further, he noted, “We are delighted by the growing opera community in San Miguel de Allende and proud to be part of it. For example, some of our students have participated, quite successfully, in competitions sponsored byOpera de San Miguel and the San Miguel MetOpera Trust.”
A performance of Parsifal in León featuring Operísima México singers.
Operísima México will next present “Opera Scenes, Program 2” featuring works by Verdi, Puccini, Bizet, Strauss, Gounod, Mozart, and Donizetti at Arthur Murray San Miguel on May 31 and June 1 at 7:00. Tickets are available online for MXN$500 and at the El Petit Four café.
Currently, the best way to connect with Maestro Rogelio Riojas-Nolasco to support this exciting new opera studio in San Miguel de Allende is through the group’s Facebook page.
Based in San Miguel de Allende, Ann Marie Jackson is a writer and NGO leader who previously worked for the U.S. Department of State. Her award-winning novel “The Broken Hummingbird,” which is set in San Miguel de Allende, came out in October 2023. Ann Marie can be reached through her website, annmariejacksonauthor.com.
There may be no bigger music star for Mexicans than the one and only Luis Miguel. (All photos by Luis Miguel Oficial/Facebook)
Luis Miguel’s music evokes childhood road trips in my grandparents’ car listening to boleros like “El Reloj” or “No Se Tú.” High energy pop songs like “Ahora Te Puedes Marchar” take me back to late-night parties or the dance floor at Mexican weddings. Now in my mid-30s and living abroad, his mariachi songs make me appreciate Mexican regional music even more.
No matter the setting and no matter the audience, Luis Miguel has stayed relevant to every Latin generation — and in many music genres — since he began his career in 1982. From pop to jazz to boleros and, of course, mariachi, Luis Miguel, 54, has secured hits in every single genre.
I mean, is there anything he can’t sing?
A young(ish) Luis Miguel in the 1990s, at the height of his powers.
A versatile and prolific career
With a voice that spans three octaves (comparable to Freddie Mercury), Billboard has named him “one of the top voices of our generation.”
On tour since last year (including the United States) despite not having released a single album in seven years, Luis Miguel kicked off 2024 with the No.3 spot on the first LIVE75 chart of the year. By the second issue, Luis Miguel moved to No. 1 based on a 17-show ticket average of 20,808 per night.
With those numbers, “El Sol de México,” (The Mexican Sun) surpassed singers like Madonna (13,880) and U2 (16,585). Moreover, Luis Miguel’s México Por Siempre Tour (2018-19) was the highest-grossing Latin tour in Boxscore history until Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee in 2022.
He became the youngest artist ever to win a Grammy at age 14, for his duet “Me Gustas Tal y Como Eres” with Sheena Easton. He maintained this record until 1997 when LeAnn Rimes won the Grammy for Best New Artist (also aged 14).
1988’s “Busca un Mujer,” complete with the sort of haircut that mercifully stayed in the 1980s where it belonged.
He has since won 5 more Grammys and over 100 national and international awards. He was also the only Hispanic artist invited to perform at Frank Sinatra’s 80th birthday celebration.
Furthermore, Luis Miguel has consistently made the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart since his debut in 1987 with the hit “Ahora Te Puedes Marchar.” Since then, he’s scored 15 more No. 1s, including “Tengo Todo Excepto a Ti” and “La Media Vuelta.” He’s also the artist with the most entries among Latin pop acts on Hot Latin Songs, with 58.
But despite his massive fame, “LuisMi” is incredibly reclusive.
A tumultuous personal life
Over his career, he has granted only a handful of interviews, always being careful around sensitive subjects like his paternity of model Michelle Salas, 35 – which he only acknowledged when she turned 18, the disappearance of his mother, or his true birthplace, which turns out, is not Mexico (although has since naturalized as a Mexican).
Luis Miguel and his mother during the 1980s. The singer has been notoriously secretive about his private life.
Born in 1970 in Puerto Rico to Spanish singer Luisito Rey and Italian mother Marcela Basteri, the family moved to Mexico City in the late 70s due to Luisito’s music career. But when Luisito discovered his son’s talent, he set aside his career to focus on Luis Miguel.
This is vividly portrayed in the first episode of Luis Miguel La Serie, a three-part Netflix biopic released in 2018. Reportedly, deeply private Luis Miguel only agreed to the series to settle a multi-million-dollar debt.
Showing his many romances (including his relationship with Mariah Carey) and a highly vulnerable LuisMi amidst a dramatic family life and a controlling and dominant father, the series satisfied Mexican fans’ curiosity over Luis Miguel’s life — and made them (us) love him even more.
It also brought the Sun back to the center of the universe.
A resounding success, the series revived Luis Miguel’s dormant career after years of absence and questionable concerts during which he appeared drunk or unable to properly sing (something that the series helped us all forgive him for). With the release of Season 1, Spotify reported that “Culpable O No” was the second most played song in Mexico. Moreover, plays of Luis Miguel’s music soared by 200% in the weeks after the series premiered.
LuisMi live in concert, Guatemala 2019. His popularity is enormous throughout all of Latin America, even if he is primarily identified with Mexico.
But with 34 albums in total, we must acknowledge the hidden heroes behind Luis Miguel’s successful career. After all, he sings songs other people write.
A revival of romantic Latin music
Not much of a songwriter himself, Luis Miguel has collaborated with many talented Latin songwriters and musicians. One of the most famous collaborations was with Mexican Armando Manzanero, who died aged 85 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Composers of some of the most iconic songs of Latin America, Manzanero and Luis Miguel worked together on four albums. These were: “Romance” (LuisMi’s first Gold Album in the US) “Segundo Romance,” “Romances” and “Mis Romances.” Each album included songs written by Manzanero, including “Somos Novios” or “No Sé Tú.”
Thanks to these albums, Luis Miguel turned the world’s attention to Latin romantic music, including the world-wide famous “Bésame Mucho.”
Luis Miguel - "No Sé Tú" (Video Oficial)
Bésame Mucho is indisputably one of Latin America’s most famous songs, written by Mexican songwriter Consuelito Velásquez in 1932. Luis Miguel’s interpretation of the song is one of the most recognized worldwide.
Another blast from the past was “Solamente Una Vez,” by one of Mexico’s most famous songwriters, Agustín Lara.
Thanks to the Netflix series, we learned that Dominican bachata songwriter and superstar Juan Luis Guerra wrote the romantic ballad “Hasta Que Me Olvides.” This song has even become a trend on TikTok, where users pick Luis Miguel as their ultimate favorite singer with the song as the soundtrack.
Other songwriters included Francisco Céspedes, Jorge Alfredo Jiménez, María Grever and Roberto Cantoral, amongst others.
As for musicians, one that stands out is Kiko Gibrán, Luis Miguel’s loyal guitarist and Mexican music producer who has collaborated with the artist since the ‘90s.
With an array of Hispanic and Latin collaborators and never having ventured into the US market to increase sales, Luis Miguel is one of the best-selling and most loved Latin singers of all time — and, as you could probably tell, my favorite.
Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog Dunas y Palmeras.
Yucatan gubernatorial candidate Joaquín "Huacho" Díaz initially said on social media today that he was unhurt in the accident, but later posted updates in which he said that he was being hospitalized. (SSP Yucatán)
A Yucatán gubernatorial candidate and supporters of presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum were injured in separate highway accidents on Wednesday morning.
Joaquín Díaz Mena, the Morena party’s candidate for governor of Yucatán, said on social media that he was involved in a car accident while traveling to Mérida on the highway after a rally on Tuesday in Chemax, a municipality that borders Quintana Roo.
Díaz was campaigning in Chemax and Mérida in the final push of his campaign for governor of Yucatán. Voters will decide the candidate’s political fate on Sunday. (Joaquín Díaz/X)
In a post to X, Díaz said that some members of his team were injured, but he was fine.
However, in a subsequent voice message posted to X, the candidate revealed that he sustained “some knocks” in the accident in the municipality of Seyé and would spend “a few days” in hospital.
In another post, he said he had a “small fracture” and an injury to his eyelid as the result of a “knock to the face.”
Díaz, widely known as “Huacho,” added that he would later undergo surgery due to injuries sustained in the highway accident.
Citing preliminary reports, the El Financiero newspaper said that the driver of the vehicle the gubernatorial candidate was traveling in became distracted before the highway accident occurred.
The SUV reportedly crashed into a stationary heavy vehicle. A photo posted to social media showed that the vehicle, a Ford Explorer, sustained significant damage.
A bus of supporters on their way to a Claudia Sheinbaum campaign rally in Mexico City crashed on a highway in southern Veracruz. The overturned bus can be seen on the right. (Veracruz SSP)
Díaz, the driver and one other person were taken to a hospital in Mérida. It was unclear what injuries the driver and the other person sustained, but they apparently weren’t life-threatening.
Díaz is aiming to become the first Morena party governor of Yucatán. A recent El Universal newspaper poll showed he trailed PAN-PRI candidate Renán Barrera by more than 12 points.
Claudia Sheinbaum supporters injured en route to CDMX campaign rally
The Veracruz Ministry of Civil Protection reported on X that 18 people were injured when a bus veered off the road and overturned on the La Tinaja-Cosoleacaque highway in the Gulf coast state.
The injured passengers were taken to local hospitals. The severity of their injuries was unclear, but according to a Morena Senate candidate in Veracruz, they are not life-threatening. Manuel Huerta Ladrón de Guevara said that the injured people were in stable condition in hospital.
Rocío Nahle, Morena’s gubernatorial candidate in Veracruz, said that the bus involved in the accident was transporting Morena members and supporters to Mexico City for Claudia Sheinbaum’s “close of campaign” event in the Zócalo, the capital’s central square.
“I’m in contact with Veracruz authorities to attend to the colleagues from [the municipality of] Oluta, who suffered a highway accident,” Nahle wrote on X.
The accident occurred in the municipality of Cosamaloapan, located in southern Veracruz on that state’s border with Oaxaca. Authorities haven’t commented publicly on the cause of the crash.
