Three works by Claude Monet will be displayed at the National Museum of Art in an exhibit that opens Thursday. (MUNAL/Twitter)
Three paintings by world-famous French impressionist Claude Monet, as well as several works by Mexican painters influenced by the impressionists, are on display in the National Museum of Art (MUNAL) in Mexico City until August 27.
This is the first time that one of the famous “Water Lilies”, painted in 1908, as well as the earlier “Valle Buona” painting from 1884, have come to Mexico. Both works are part of the collection of the Dallas Museum of Art in the United States. Together with “Landscape in Port-Villez” (1883), from the Soumaya Museum collection in Mexico City, the three pieces make up the “Monet: Lights of Impressionism” exhibit at the MUNAL.
Aside from the works by Monet, MUNAL will also showcase works by prominent Mexican impressionists of the era. (MUNAL/Twitter)
The exhibit is complemented by works of great Mexican Impressionist masters from the MUNAL collection, such as Joaquín Clausell, Francisco Romano Guillemín, Armando García Núñez, Mateo Herrera and José María Velasco.
These Mexican artists portrayed the vegetation, mountains and volcanoes of Oaxaca, Campeche and the Valley of Mexico with impressionist techniques.
“It is an unprecedented exhibition in the history of the museum,” curator Héctor Palhares said, adding that impressionism “is the movement that attracts the most people, and the one that generates the greatest expectation as it continues to shape a core part of our contemporary culture.”
Impressionism is a technique in which artists try to capture movement and life as they experience it – an attempt to portray an “impression” of what they see.
Curator Héctor Palhares says that impressionist exhibitions always draw large crowds. (MUNAL/Twitter)
“For Monet, the subject of his paintings turned more and more towards the surface of water,” the team in charge of the painter’s collection at the Dallas Museum of Art explained to El País newspaper. “By 1910, he had transcended the conventional limits of easel painting and had begun creating immense decorations culminating in the series of water lilies commissioned by the French Government for two oval galleries in the Orangerie, Paris.”
The piece exhibited at MUNAL is the antecedent to the “Water Lilies” of the Museum of the Orangerie – the most iconic of the water lily paintings – an enclosure that is considered the sanctuary of Monet, Palhares explained.
The “Valle Buona” painting, which represents a colorful journey through a landscape on the Franco-Italian border, was painted by Monet during his first trip to the Mediterranean to paint.
Finally, “Landscape in Port-Villez”, from the Soumaya Museum collection, provides a captivating experience in which Monet captured the reflections of the water of the Seine as it passed through a town.
The “Monet: Lights of Impressionism” talk will be hosted by Héctor Palhares on May 3, at 4 p.m., on the museum’s grounds. “The legacy of light in the landscape of José María Velasco” talk is scheduled for May 31.
Spanish singer Rosalía, one of the best-selling artists in contemporary Latin music, will play Mexico City's Zócalo this Friday in a free concert. (Rosalia/Twitter)
Mexico City officials expect at least 200,000 people to attend a free concert by Spanish musical sensation Rosalía in the Zócalo, the city’s historic main square, on Friday.
The 12-time Latin Grammy winner, known for hits like “DESPECHÁ,” “Besos Moja2” and “BESO,” will appear on Friday April 28, the kickoff to a long May Day weekend. Admission to her concert will be free, thanks to the government of Mexico City, which will pay her appearance fee. The total cost to the city is unknown, although the booking agency Celebrity Talent International lists her US appearance fees as ranging between US $300,000 and $499,999.
(Rosalía/Twitter)
Mexico City Culture Minister Claudia Curiel de Icaza told the newspaper Infobae that the city expects over 200,000 attendees. Past musical acts have drawn upward of that number to the Zócalo: Justin Bieber and Shakira both attracted 210,000, while Mexican singer Vicente Fernández drew 217,000.
In September, the regional Mexican band Grupo Firme broke attendance records for concerts in the Zócalo, attracting 280,000 spectators, according to the Culture Ministry.
Rosalía, who is Catalán, has become an enormous success in Latin music since her 2017 debut thanks to her eclectic mix of traditional Spanish music, reggaeton and rap. She was ranked in Rolling Stone magazine’s Top 200 singers of all time earlier this year.
Regardless of the cost of hosting the concert, it is believed that the event will bring significant benefits to businesses in downtown Mexico City. Mexico’s Chamber of Commerce for Services and Tourism president José de Jesús Rodríguez Cárdenas has said that the group expects that as much as $1 billion pesos (upwards of US $55 million) may be spent as a result of Rosalía’s appearance.
The Zócalo has seen various free concerts over the years. Major concerts, such as the one given by Roger Waters in 2016, pictured above, have drawn over 200,000 spectators. (Wotancito/Wikimedia Commons)
Consumer spending is expected to be similar to that of major events such as Day of the Dead and the Mexican Formula 1 Grand Prix, Rodríguez added. The money will be spent across the hospitality industry, in hotels, shops and restaurants.
To handle the enormous crowds expected in the Zócalo, roads around the square will close early on Friday. Giant screens will be erected around the city’s historic center to help those unable to reach the main square enjoy the concert.
The business magazine Expansión reported that accommodations surrounding the square have been selling for as much as $3,500 pesos (US $194) per night. Hotels are fully booked, and some guests have told the outlet that their reservations were canceled without warning.
Expansion also predicted that the total number of concertgoers will exceed the 280,000 who packed in to see Mexican band Grupo Firme in September 2022.
Rosalía is not the only major draw in town this long weekend. An MLB baseball game between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants will take place at the Alfredo Harp Helú stadium in the borough of Iztacalco. It is hoped that the big game will generate 1.8 billion pesos, in addition to the billion pesos generated by the free concert.
Entrada Group has over 20 years of experience supporting companies with the move to Mexico. (Courtesy)
Interested in expanding your company’s manufacturing operations to Mexico but not sure how to go about it? Read on.
In our first article in this nearshoring series we looked at a range of reasons why a growing number of foreign manufacturing companies are choosing to set up in Mexico or expand their existing Mexican operations.
Mexico is an attractive option for companies seeking to relocate manufacturing operations. (Courtesy)
Now we’ll consider four different operational models that companies seeking to establish a manufacturing presence in Mexico can choose from.
Each has its pros and cons, and each is best suited to specific company types and business objectives. The guide below can help you begin the process to select the right one for your company.
The Standalone Model
Under this model, your company establishes a wholly owned subsidiary in Mexico. BMW México and Honeywell México are two examples.
There are several options available for manufacturers looking to relocate to Mexico. (Courtesy)
According to U.S. based Entrada Group – a company with more than 20 years’ experience guiding international manufacturers in establishing and running their own operations in Mexico – the standalone route is best suited to major companies that require complete independence and control over all aspects of their business – not just production.
Significant investment is required and the model entails significant risk, according to John Paul McDaris, Entrada’s director of business development.
“Just getting started requires selecting and either leasing or buying a site, establishing a legal Mexico entity, securing permits and leases and adhering to Mexican tax obligations,” he says.
McDaris notes that companies that choose the standalone route need to be fully compliant with all federal, state and municipal regulations from day one, which requires them to hire a full support staff even before production begins.
“All of this demands a deep amount of local knowledge, attention to detail, time and capital. One clear disadvantage of the standalone option is time,” he says.
“It can take years for a major company to complete a site location, fully staff operations, and build a plant and select suppliers before the first car, light truck, airplane or widget rolls off the production line. For most smaller companies, the standalone model in Mexico is cost-prohibitive and, in most cases, overkill.”
The Contract Manufacturing Model
According to Entrada Group, this model could be a viable option for small-to-midsize firms not ready, willing or able to set up their own Mexican subsidiary.
Under the contract manufacturing model, your company contracts an existing Mexico-based manufacturer that has the capacity to make your products. Once a contract is signed, that manufacturer begins producing your products on your behalf.
“This model allows companies to start manufacturing in Mexico relatively quickly and cheaply,” McDaris says.
Entrada Group presents four options for manufacturers interested in nearshoring to Mexico. (Courtesy)
“The biggest time commitment occurs upfront in seeking and evaluating proposals from Mexican manufacturers, negotiating prices and drafting contracts and non-disclosure agreements. After that, manufacturing can begin almost immediately.”
However, finding a subcontractor is much more challenging in Mexico than it is in China, for instance. In Mexico, there is not a strong, established track record of international subcontracting.
Further, the contract manufacturing model also comes with risks, most notably the lack of control of production and the risk that your contract manufacturer will make off with your intellectual property. “For tier two and tier three manufacturers considering Mexico, contract manufacturing can be the least desirable method,” McDaris says.
The Joint Venture Model
Another way a foreign firm can establish a manufacturing presence in Mexico is by joining forces with a Mexican company.
In one potential joint venture (JV) scenario, your company partners with a Mexican business that contributes knowledge on things such as local laws and regulations.
The JV model allows a foreign company to share the risk with a Mexico-based partner and access important local knowledge and information, according to Entrada.
“JVs can be an attractive option for small companies that have limited capital and manpower, and prefer to reduce and share risks,” McDaris says.
However, the JV model comes with “ample room for disagreements over things such as marketing or management, and disagreements can become amplified due to cultural differences,” he warns.
Entrada Group has manufacturing campuses in Guanajuato and Zacatecas. (Courtesy)
McDaris also says it’s important for a foreign firm to know how it can terminate an agreement with a Mexican company if the partnership doesn’t work out.
“That part is crucial because you are fully dependent on your Mexico partner to navigate all the ‘Mexico complexities’ you are unfamiliar with,” he says.
“If they make mistakes in the process, whether through incompetence or negligence, you are equally liable alongside them in the eyes of Mexican authorities.”
The Shelter Model
A fourth way in which your company can establish a manufacturing presence in Mexico is by setting up operations in an established manufacturing community established and operated by a company known as a shelter provider.
Under the shelter model, “you maintain full control and responsibility of the actual manufacturing process, but the shelter provider handles all non-production-related responsibilities, and in some cases can provide all of your required Mexican corporate services” McDaris explains.
Shelter providers, known as such because they shelter companies from some of the risks and liabilities of offshore production, have operated in Mexico for decades.
“In essence, the shelter model provides the structure, facilities and services while you provide the machinery and production know-how,” McDaris says.
“You can build the operations to your specifications and scale general and administrative support services up or down according to your needs. With some shelter service providers, you can also increase or decrease your square footage or headcount, based on your fluctuating needs.”
Another advantage of the shelter model is that your company is not required to pay import taxes or duties if the finished goods it manufactures are exported out of Mexico.
According to Entrada, the shelter model is well suited to most small-to-midsized manufacturers, but choosing a shelter provider with a proven track record is important.
Shelter providers bear your risk, but if they don’t have the capacity to deliver the specific support services your company needs, and lack the flexibility and scalability for future growth, they may end up hindering your Mexico operations more than helping them.
There are a range of different shelter provider types, or “flavors”, some of which will be described in our next article in this series.
Entrada, which has manufacturing campuses in Guanajuato and Zacatecas, offers a comprehensive shelter solution that provides companies from North America and Europe with all the non-production related support they require and ensures they are – and remain – compliant will all local laws and regulations.
Entrada’s Manufacturing Support Platform, as the company’s shelter solution is called, will be the focus of our next article, to be published in the near future.
More information about each of the models outlined above is available in Entrada’s “Different Routes to Mexico Manufacturing” white paper, which can be downloaded here.
Viva Aerobus started flying out of AIFA in May 2022.(Viva Aerobus)
Viva Aerobus announced four new routes departing from the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) in Mexico City, as well as additional flights for existing routes.
Starting July 2, the carrier will take passengers from AIFA to Hermosillo, Sonora; Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo; and Mazatlán. For the summer season, the airline will open a new route to Puerto Vallarta on July 14.
Passengers in the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, which opened last March. (Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro)
Viva Aerobus also increased the number of flights for existing routes out of the Mexico City airport, now offering four per week to the cities of Oaxaca and Acapulco.
During the summer, the airline announced it will also offer two daily flights to Tijuana and three daily departures to Cancún. The low-cost carrier will now operate a daily flight instead of the three weekly frequencies it currently runs to Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.
“We’ve already added eleven routes from the new Mexico City Airport and soon we will operate more than 50 flights a week, thus strengthening the connectivity of the Mexico City metro area, in support of an important government infrastructure and mobility project,” said Viva Aerobus CEO Juan Carlos Zuazua.
He added that the carrier is seeking to open more non-stop flights with new aircraft, offer more convenient schedules, and provide customers with better prices.
The Felipe Ángeles airport is one of this administration’s major flagship infrastructure projects, which also include the controversial Maya Train and the Dos Bocas refinery.
Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris was the first airline to begin operating flights from AIFA, but Viva Aerobus followed soon after in May 2022.
The 18-minute video was filmed at the National Palace. The president dismissed recent speculations that he'd had a heart attack, saying instead that he'd had an episode of low blood pressure. (Presidencia)
Three days after announcing he had tested positive for COVID-19 for the third time, and as rumors about his health continued to swirl, President López Obrador declared in a video message on Wednesday that he was fine but acknowledged that he briefly fainted last Sunday.
“As president of Mexico I have the responsibility to inform you about my health,” he said in an 18-minute video filmed at the National Palace, the seat of executive power and the president’s residence.
“… As there has been speculation, it’s important to tell you that I’m fine. I have COVID,” López Obrador said in his message, which he directed to both his “friends and adversaries.”
The 69-year-old president, who suffered a heart attack a decade ago and has a range of medical problems, said his blood pressure suddenly dropped while he was at a meeting in Mérida on Sunday at which he was discussing the Maya Train railroad project with military engineers and other officials.
“It was like I fell asleep, it was a kind of giddiness, to speak colloquially,” he said.
López Obrador claimed he didn’t lose consciousness, but said immediately afterward that he had a “temporary blackout” due to the sudden drop in his blood pressure.
The president was on his third day in as many states when he had the low-blood pressure incident: on Thursday he was in Mexico City announcing the sale of the presidential plane, and on Friday, he visited Veracruz to mark the 109th anniversary of the Battle of Veracruz before heading to Yucatán. (Presidencia)
He said that doctors wanted to put him on a stretcher and take him to hospital in an ambulance. But López Obrador said he told them he wasn’t going anywhere and directed them to treat him on the spot.
He said doctors gave him a liter of rehydration fluids, and his blood pressure normalized.
“Nothing else was needed. There was no impact on my heart or brain. … I decided to come to Mexico City, they transferred me in an air ambulance, but not in a stretcher, I was conscious,” López Obrador said.
He noted that even though he posted to social media about his health — saying that his illness wasn’t serious and his heart was “100%” fine — there has been significant speculation about his condition, including claims on social media that he suffered a heart attack or stroke in the Yucatán capital.
“My adversaries have a lot of imagination,” López Obrador said, observing that “a lot of things have been said,” including that “I had a stroke” and that cardiologists and other specialist doctors were treating him at the National Palace.
“That’s not the case. Fortunately, I’m very well; I’m working, I already wrote two drafts … of two speeches,” he said, referring to addresses he will give on International Workers Day on May 1 and on May 5 to mark the 161st anniversary of the Battle of Puebla
On Monday, Interior Minister Adán Augusto López, who has been filling in for the president all week at the daily presidential press conferences, denied that President Lopez Obrador had fainted. (Galo Cañas Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)
An article published in the Mérida-based newspaper Diario de Yucatán last Sunday said that López Obrador fainted due to an apparent heart attack and was transferred to a military hospital in Mexico City after taking an emergency flight to the capital on a Mexican Air Force jet.
Interior Minister Adán Augusto López Hernández rejected the report on Monday.
“There was no emergency transfer [from Mérida to Mexico City], there was no fainting episode,” he said.
The interior minister said Wednesday it was likely the president would resume his normal activities before the end of the working week.
López Hernández, who is aiming to become the ruling Morena party’s candidate at the 2024 presidential election, stood in for López Obrador at the government’s morning press conferences, or mañaneras, between Monday and Thursday.
It remains to be seen whether AMLO will return for the last presser of the week on Friday.
The Tramo 5 section of the Maya Train, seen here, is home to a delicate system of underwater channels. Activists are concerned that engineering works will destroy the local ecosystem and cause serious damage to the area. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
The Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has recommended an investigation into the environmental impact caused by the construction of the Maya Train.
The CEC is the watchdog group established by the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, a NAFTA-era side treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada that was absorbed by the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2020. The Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s investigation seeks to assess the procedure by which the Mexican government evaluated the Maya Train’s environmental impact.
The train has been a target of protest for activists since work began, but the Mexican government says that it has complied with all relevant environmental legislation. (Greenpeace/Paola Chiomante)
The recommendation was given after Moce Yax Cuxtal, an environmental group from Quintana Roo, and other local campaigners submitted a petition to the CEC in 2022. Moce Yax Cuxtal claims that the construction of Section 5-south of the Maya Train breaches environmental requirements laid out in the USMCA.
The section runs through the municipalities of Solidaridad and Tulum, Quintana Roo, where there are significant areas of geological interest, including cenotes (underground caverns) and surface streams – including the Sac Actun-Dos Ojos underwater system, which forms an essential resource for the local ecosystem.
Failure to protect the ecosystem is a breach of the Mexican constitution, as well as a breach of water quality, land use and wildlife protection laws. Environmental campaigners in the southeast region have claimed that the infrastructure project will cause irreversible damage to one of the most fragile ecosystems in the country.
The assessment aims to provide “a factual record [that] will help the public to understand the procedure behind the impact study…and the measures implemented [by the Mexican government] to protect the environment,” the CEC said in a statement.
Section 5-south, in bright green, was moved further inland in 2022. (Photo credit: Causa Natura)
A full impact report will be prepared by the CEC if at least two members of the three-person council instruct it to do so. The panel is composed of one member from each of the three countries in the treaty.
Mexico claims that the project has met all legal requirements and has properly conducted an environmental impact study. It has denied breaching any legislation, saying that the relevant permits had been granted prior to the commencement of construction.
This setback is the latest in a string of problems for the controversial train. Earlier this month, a judge issued an injunction against the import of ballast for the railroad, after a cargo ship damaged a protected coral reef near Puerto Morelos.
When complete, the 1,460-kilometer (907-mile) Maya Train will have 18 stations and will run through the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo.
San Agustinillo, Oaxaca, isn't a vacation hotspot, but it's the perfect place to go with your beach read and sip spicy margaritas. (Alejandro Linares García/Wikimedia Commons)
Every summer of my childhood, my extended family got together to spend a full week at the beach. We’d sit on the sand for hours, catching up on life, reading books, eating our prepacked sandwiches and fruit when we got hungry. Then we’d go back to our book until we were ready for a swim or a good boogie board session.
At night, the adults would have a glass of wine on the terrace, talking and laughing before everyone finally went to bed, sun-kissed and satisfied after yet another full day of doing absolutely nothing of true importance.
Like many towns on Oaxaca’s coast, San Agustinillo has traditionally been a fishing community. (Adam Jones/Wikimedia Commons)
There was no planning, sightseeing or doing any tourist stuff. Just relaxing and living without an agenda.
It’s almost impossible to find that anymore. Wherever you go these days, there’s a “restaurant you HAVE to try” or a “museum you CANNOT miss.” We arrive at our dreamy beach getaway fully equipped with lists upon lists of activities with which we absolutely must jam-pack our open schedules.
But maybe, just maybe, you WANT to skip the museum. Maybe you don’t want to hike to the top of Mount So-and-So. Maybe you don’t really care how good the tacos al pastor are at María’s streetside stand.
Maybe you want to simply be.
Oaxaca’s Pacific coast is renowned for the size of its waves, attracting surfers from around the world. But San Agustinillo’s are minor in comparison to its neighbors, making it a good place to learn. (pueblosmagicos.mexicodesconocido.com)
With a book, a beer and the beach. (And probably an umbrella).
Have I got the place for you.
Sandwiched between Mazunte to the west and Zipolite a bit further to the east, San Agustinillo is a digital detoxer’s paradise. Its beach clocks in at a mere 1,300 meters in length. Its waves are minor in comparison to those of its neighbors, making them simply perfecto for beginner wannabe surfers — or for watching beginner wannabe surfers from your lounge chair while sipping on a spicy margarita and snacking on guacamole; because what else are vacations in Mexico really for?
My recent solo trip to the absolutely-breathtaking coast of Oaxaca was centered around the Airbnb I rented in the town of Mazunte.
I appreciated three things about Mazunte:
Watching the sunset with hoards of French, German, Mexican and American tourists from Punta Cometa. (Pro tip: Want a slightly more solitary experience? When trekking to the lookout point, there will come a fork in the road. Everyone will go left. You will go right.)
The outdoor produce & flower market, which sold not only ripe and juicy guavas (to which I am unabashedly addicted) but also tacos, chilaquiles, and pozole. Bring your own bag.
The light and not-too-sweet homemade vegan ice cream at CocoMiel.
An ocean overlook in Mazunte, where the author stayed on her trip to San Agustinillo. (pueblosmagicos.mexicodesconocido.com)
And while I do love myself a good kundalini yoga class, I personally drew the line at “womb healing” and “yoni massage” ceremonies, available on a much more frequent basis than at even the most hippie of California communes.
Crowds of barefoot tourists in colorful elephant-print pants poured into Mazunte’s tiny, dusty streets to stock up on cold-pressed juices and fair-trade drip coffee. And while there is nothing wrong with any of that, it’s just not quite what I was in the mood for.
Which is why I found myself walking westward toward San Agustinillo each morning. Apart from the heart-tickling, thunderous waves of the Pacific, San Agustinillo is relatively quiet. There is almost nothing to do in this tiny town of 267 people outside of beach strolls and fish tacos.
But that’s the point.
The beach itself is divided into three sections, separated by rock formations. To the west is a fisherman’s beach, and to the east is Playa Aragon. When the tide is high, Playa Aragon is only accessible via the main street, meaning you’ll have to walk a solid 20 minutes uphill and another 10 down a dirt path to reach it. But boy, is it worth your while.
The rocks that encase tiny Playa Aragon are chock full of tiny coves to snuggle in and watch the waves. (Please only do so when the tide is low. Please.) Since this section of the beach is so secluded, you’re guaranteed few visitors, but half of those who do show up will likely be naked. There are no umbrellas for rent, no restaurants, no shops. What you will get is rocks, sand, sea and your book, if you brought one.
But I get it. You’ve made it this far into the article because you want some guidance. Read on for all the things that I thought made San Agustinillo beautiful.
Mazunte is known as a nesting ground for sea turtles and is home to the Mexican Center for the Turtle. (pueblosmagicos.mexicodesconocido.com)
If you’re looking for…
…things to do:
Swim in the ocean
Sign up for beginner surf lessons
Haggle with a fisherman to take you on a boat ride
El Navegante (highly rated Mexican seafood restaurant)
Temporada Oaxaca (higher-end creative farm-to-table establishment)
La Termita (where you can rent a room or just get some pizza!)
Luz del Sol (vegetarian menu with an organic market and holistic center)
…a market:
If the 15-minute walk to Mazunte feels too far (or hot), there is a family that sells fresh fruits and veggies in an alley that leads to the beach. I can’t tell you where it is exactly but it’s hard to miss. Get there before 1 p.m. My personal shopping experience here was made unforgettable by an adorable 9-year-old boss lady who barked out pricing to customers and assistance requests to her father with a confidence I’ve yet to find in most adults.
…a place to sit all day with a drink and an umbrella
Casa Corazon. I’ll be straight up: aside from the guacamole, the food here leaves a bit to be desired. The friendly, welcoming staff, however, more than makes up for that. I sat here staring at the sea from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., nursing fresh juices in the morning and margaritas in the afternoon, and not one server pressured me to do anything more than that.
…transportation to neighboring towns
When walking is not an option, there are many colectivos (shared vans) that you can hop on to and travel up and down the coast. Taxis are also available. Uber does not exist here.
…places to stay
Casa Pan de Miel (this is technically in Mazunte, but borders San Agustinillo. It’s highly rated, it’s beachfront, it’s elegant, it’s boutique.)
Casa la Ola (considered the top hotel in town according to Booking.com.)
Casa Cometa (totally 5-star with sweeping views. As tucked away from the “action” of San Agustinillo as one can be.)
Casa Bagus (Watch out, as you might not ever want to leave the property. Offers a private beach and activities like surfing and whale-watching.)
Just writing this makes me want to go back — immediately. And I think I will. So here’s to crossing paths (or not) on an ideal solo getaway in San Agustinillo.
Bethany Platanella is a travel and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. With her company,Active Escapes International, she plans and leads private and small-group active retreats. She loves Mexico’s local markets, Mexican slang, practicing yoga and fresh tortillas. Sign up for her (almost) weeklylove letters or follow her Instagram account,@a.e.i.wellness.
The bill will also require that after working 40 hours, workers have two days off. (Francisco Balderas/Cuartoscuro)
The constitutional points committee in the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill on Tuesday to reduce the workweek from 48 to 40 hours. The legislation also states that for every five eight-hour days Mexicans work, they must get at least two days off.
Currently, per Article 123 of the Mexican constitution, employers can only require a maximum 48 hours per week of their workers — or six eight-hour days per week. But if the bill passes both houses of Congress, workers would receive overtime pay for any hours beyond the proscribed 40.
The Chamber of Deputies voted to pass a somewhat watered-down version of the original bill formulated by the Citizens’ Movement Party, which had called for a 35-hour workweek. (Chamber of Deputies)
As a constitutional amendment, the bill must be approved by a two-thirds majority of each congressional chamber.
Proposed by the Citizens Movement (MC) party, the final version of the bill emerged from discussion in committee somewhat watered down: it originally suggested a 35-hour workweek from Monday to Thursday. The new version of the bill was approved by 27 votes and five abstentions from the Chamber of Deputies’ constitutional points committee.
If the bill becomes law, Mexico will join Chile, Ecuador and some Caribbean nations as the only countries in Latin America with a 40-hour workweek. Other countries in the region — including El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Belize — have a workweek of less than 48 hours but over 40. Mexico currently stands alongside Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Panama, Costa Rica and Paraguay as the only Latin American countries with a 48-hour workweek.
Among OECD countries, Mexico is at the very top in the average number of work hours per worker. This graph only accounts for people with full-time employment.
In contrast, almost all of Europe and some countries in Asia have a 40-hour workweek, according to data from the International Labour Organization (ILO). In the U.S. and Canada, overtime kicks in after 40 hours of work each week.
“It appears that the classic ‘working 9 to 5’ standard workweek is slowly declining, particularly in many of the developed countries,” ILO labor conditions specialist Jon Messenger stated in a 2018 report entitled “Working time and the future of work.”
The ILO suggests a 40-hour workweek as conducive to a better work-life balance for employees.
In December 2022, Congress approved a historic bill to increase paid vacation days from six to 12 for workers who have completed at least one year with their employer.
It remains to be seen if the 40-hour work week will follow the same path.
Toys “R” Us parent company WHP Global announced an alliance with retailer El Puerto de Liverpool to open their toy stores across Mexico starting this year. (Rob Hainer/Depositphotos)
Toys “R” Us parent company WHP Global will launch the United States toy brand in Mexico for the first time in alliance with the Mexican retail giant El Puerto de Liverpool.
El Puerto de Liverpool, owner of the department store brands Liverpool and Suburbia, told Reforma newspaper that it plans to invest over $100 million pesos (US $5.5 million) in the opening of flagship toy stores in key cities of the country. The first physical store is projected to open by Q3 of 2023.
Liverpool’s parent company El Puerto de Liverpool announced its plans to bring Toys “R” Us to Mexico in 2023 (El Puerto de Liverpool).
The agreement also includes the launch of a dedicated e-commerce site.
“We are very proud to be partnering with WHP Global to bring the iconic Toys ‘R’ Us brand to Mexico,” General Manager of Liverpool International and Boutiques Charles Johnson said in a statement.
“At El Puerto de Liverpool, we always seek to bring the best brands and products closer to Mexican families, and we are sure that this new association will add value to them through new spaces and the best and latest options in toys,” Johnson added.
WHP Global acquired Toys “R” Us in 2021 after the brand went bankrupt in 2017, laying off some 33,000 people and shuttering more than 900 stores across the United States.
Toys and games are a big business in Mexico, where imported products account for more than 70% of the total market. (junpinzon/Depositphotos)
Since the acquisition, the toy retailer has been steadily recovering and expanding. In 2022, Toys “R” Us doubled its presence thanks to a national rollout in the United States at all Macy’s stores and international launches in India, the United Kingdom and Australia.
According to the Executive Vice President of Toys “R” Us at WHP Global Jamie Uitdenhowen, the expansion into Mexico “marks an exciting new chapter in [the brand’s] history,” he said in a statement, adding that the toy brand is set to become “the go-to toy destination for Mexican families for years to come.”
Market research firm NPD ranks Mexico as the second fastest-growing market in the world for toys and games, valued at US $2.1 billion. Mexican toy stores Juguetrón, Julio Cepeda Jugueterías, and Juguetibici currently represent nearly 50% of the national market.
Commercial Director of WHP Global Stanley Silverstein said that they are excited to arrive in Mexico with a “great partner like El Puerto de Liverpool, one of the largest and most dynamic omnichannel retailers in the world.”
El Puerto de Liverpool is a public company (S.A.B.) registered on the Mexican Stock Exchange. It has 122 department stores across the country bearing the name Liverpool, 172 stores under the name of Suburbia and 115 specialized stores.
Colonel Amelio Robles, seen here in 1914, fought with distinction in the Mexican Revolution for Emiliano Zapata's army. Although the military knew he was a transgender man, few Mexicans did for decades. (INAH)
The history of Mexico has many stories about the heroes and events of the Mexican Revolution but one military leader was, until recently, rarely mentioned: the transgender soldier Colonel Amelio Robles — whose gender identity was not generally a known fact for much of Mexico’s history but was known by the Mexican Army.
Robles lived his life as a man from the age of 24 until his death at the age of 95. Shortly before his death, he was finally recognized for his service to the country and decorated as a hero of the Mexican Revolution.
Amelio Robles’ assigned gender at birth was female. As such, Robles was brought up learning “women’s tasks,” but from a young age preferred pursuits such as riding horses, managing cattle and marksmanship. (INAH)
His story became better known in 2022 with the publication of Ignacio Casas’ novel, “Amelio, Mi Coronel.” (Amelio, My Colonel).
“Robles was a very complex person,” Casas states. “In order to understand him, you have to look at his life in three phases — his youth, the Mexican Revolution years, and the post-revolution years.”
Amelio was born Malaquías Amelia de Jesús Robles Ávila in 1889 in Xochipala, Guerrero to Casimiro Robles and Josefa Ávila. The youngest of three children, Robles was from the country but not poor — Casimiro was a well-to-do rancher and owned a mezcal distillery. Robles received a Catholic education from the Society of the Daughters of Mary of the Miraculous Medal, a congregation dedicated to the spiritual formation of young girls.
Robles was raised learning how to sew, cook and iron, but preferred riding horses, lassoing cattle and practicing marksmanship. After Casimiro died, Robles became rebellious. Josefa remarried and bore three children to a man with whom Robles didn’t get along; reportedly, Robles was jailed for killing one of these half-brothers, although this isn’t proven.
Robles initially joined the Mexican Revolution identifying as a woman. It was not uncommon for women to join the cause and fight alongside male soldiers as equals. (INAH)
In 1912, at the age of 23, Robles joined Emiliano Zapata’s army, not because of revolutionary beliefs but because it offered freedom from conservative rural society.
The war was forever life-changing for Robles, whom fellow soldiers initially called “La Güera Amelia.” However, Robles began to dress in typical male attire of the time, took the name Amelio and insisted — often at gunpoint — at being referred to by others as male, according to a history of Robles written by the Ministry of Culture.
Robles rose quickly through the ranks, attaining the rank of colonel. In his personal logs, he listed participation in 70 battles — gaining the respect of fellow revolutionaries with his prowess as a military leader — commanding up to 1,000 soldiers. He was a skilled horseman, an excellent marksman and a fearless soldier.
There were also numerous examples of women who fought in the revolution alongside male soldiers, and some wore men’s clothing and took male names. Petra Herrera, credited with seizing Torreón as a Villista soldier in 1914, was known as Pedro Herrera. Ángela Jiménez, who fought with the Zapatistas and Villistas, became Ángel Jiménez.
Years later, Robles began to fight for recognition as a veteran of the Mexican Revolution. He finally achieved this goal in 1970. (INAH)
Robles embraced his gender identity until his death in 1984 at the age of 95. In the 1950s, he even managed to alter records to reflect it.
After the military phase of the revolution ended in 1920, Robles supported revolutionary general Álvaro Obregón, who became president (1920–1924). He took up arms and fought with Obregón forces in the Agua Prieta Revolt, which brought an end to the government of Venustiano Carranza.
He then settled in Iguala for a time afterwards but was attacked by a group of men attempting to disrobe him so as to “prove” him to be a woman. Robles killed two men in self-defense and was incarcerated for a second time, confined to the women’s area of the jail.
Robles settled down to a civilian life, married a woman and adopted a daughter. (INAH)
In the 1930s, Robles met Ángela Torres and married, settling into civilian life and later adopting a daughter, Regula Robles Torres. He remained politically active, joining the Socialist Party of Guerrero and the League of Agrarian Communities. But he still had not received the recognition he deserved as a revolutionary leader.
Robles was determined to get that recognition. In 1948, he finally received the medical certificate required to officially enter the Confederation of Veterans of the Revolution — confirming that he had taken six bullet wounds in battle.
In 1955, he also began the process of changing his service files to identify him as Amelio Robles rather than his prior name; he even had a false birth certificate inserted into his personal files at Mexico’s military archives.
Amelio Robles’ conribution to Mexico is recognized in some respects. He was acknowledged as a Legionnaire of Mexico and his house in Guerrero is a museum. He’s also featured in the permanent exhibit of the Regional Museum of Guerrero, his home state. (INAH)
According to historian Gabriela Cano, “The [false] document attests to the birth of the child Amelio Malaquías Robles Ávila. Except for the baby’s name and sex, all other data coincides with the original birth certificate from the Zumpango del Río civil registry book.”
Robles was in his 80s when the Ministry of National Defense finally recognized him as a veteran of the Mexican Revolution. Shortly thereafter, he received the Legionnaire of Honor of the Mexican Army distinction and the Medal of Revolutionary Merit.
Before his death, he was recognized by three former presidents — Adolfo López Mateos, Manuel Ávila Camacho and Luis Echeverría — as an outstanding revolutionary.
But for all his attempts to change his identity records, some still refused to accept him as male: his childhood home became the Coronela Amelia Robles Museum.
Perhaps as a sign that Mexico is changing — becoming more tolerant and supportive of gender diversity — the Culture Ministry’s website states that “the participation in the [Mexican] Revolution [of Amelio Robles] as a transgender man whose identity was recognized and who was a colonel marks a milestone. And contrary to what is commonly thought, it indicates that people of gender diversity have always been present and have participated in many historical events of the country.”
Sheryl Losser is a former public relations executive and professional researcher. She spent 45 years in national politics in the United States. She moved to Mazatlán in 2021 and works part-time doing freelance research and writing.
