The opposition coalition, including the PAN, PRI and PRD, has formed the "broad front for Mexico" and announced their selection method for a presidential candidate on Monday. (Daniel Augusto / Cuartoscuro.com)
The alliance of Mexico’s main opposition parties unveiled on Monday the method it will use to select its 2024 presidential candidate, and said that the winner will be announced Sept. 3.
The National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), which together form the Va por México coalition, will back a single candidate to contest the June 2, 2024 election.
The PAN-PRI-PRD coalition at a June 5 press conference. (Marko Cortés/Twitter)
Six aspirants to the candidacy of the ruling Morena party are already campaigning to become “the coordinator of the defense of the transformation” of Mexico that President López Obrador asserts his government is carrying out. Morena is set to announce its new standard bearer on Sept. 6.
At an event in Mexico City on Monday, the three-party opposition alliance presented a video outlining the process it will use to select “the person responsible for the construction of the Frente Amplio por México” (Broad Front for Mexico), which will also include citizens’ groups, such as those that opposed the government’s recently-invalidated electoral reform laws.
The Frente Amplio will apparently supersede the Va por México brand in the lead-up to the 2024 election.
In an attempt to avoid violating established timeframes for “pre-campaigns” for the presidential election and thus evade sanctions, both Morena and Va por México are using alternative terms to describe the person who will become their presidential candidate.
Alejandro Moreno (center), leader of the PRI, flanked by Marko Cortés (left), PAN president, and Jesús Zambrano (right), PRD president. (Alejandro Moreno/Twitter)
The Va por México video explains that the opposition’s selection process will be carried out in three stages.
In the first stage, which will commence July 4, aspirants to the Va por México candidacy will be required to register their interest with one of the alliance’s three parties.
The registered participants will subsequently be required to collect signatures of support via an “electronic platform” to be set up by Va por México. Those who reach the minimum level of support required – which wasn’t announced Monday but is believed to be 150,000 signatures – will be permitted to advance to the subsequent stage of the selection process.
The presidential hopefuls who reach the second stage will be required to participate in a “great forum” to “discuss and analyze” their vision for Mexico. The aspirants will subsequently be included in “public opinion studies” – polling, in other words – that will determine the three contenders with the greatest support.
The leaders of the three parties at a “meeting with civil society” held on Saturday. (Marko Cortés/Twitter)
The three “finalists” will progress to the third stage, during which five “regional forums” will be held to give the would-be candidates another opportunity to present their ideas and sell themselves to voters.
New public opinion studies will be carried out to gauge support for the three aspirants and the results will be published on Sept. 3.
A “direct” vote in which registered citizens can participate will be held on the same date, with the results to be announced that night.
The results of the third stage public opinion studies and the vote will be given equal weighting to determine the “person responsible for the construction of the Frente Amplio por México.”
The entire process will be run by an “organizing committee” and overseen by a “citizens’ observatory,” according to the video presentation.
“The presidential candidacy will be decided by all Mexicans,” said PAN national president Marko Cortés, perhaps forgetting to use the alternative moniker for the future Frente Amplio leader.
Marko Cortés, national president of the PAN, at the Monday announcement. (Marko Cortés/Twitter)
Among the citizens who have expressed interest in representing the PAN, the PRI and the PRD at the 2024 presidential election are:
Senator Claudia Ruiz Massieu, a former PRI national president and cabinet minister in the 2012–18 government led by Enrique Peña Nieto.
Senator Beatriz Paredes, a former ambassador to Brazil who has also served as PRI national president.
Enrique de la Madrid, tourism minister in the Peña Nieto administration and son of former president Miguel de la Madrid.
José Ángel Gurría, a cabinet minister in the 1994-2000 government led by Ernesto Zedillo and secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development between 2006 and 2021.
Deputy Ildefenso Guajardo, economy minister in the Peña Nieto government.
Deputy Santiago Creel, interior minister in the 2000-2006 government led by Vicente Fox.
Senator Lilly Téllez, who defected from the ruling Morena party to join the PAN’s congressional team in 2020.
Senator Xóchitl Gálvez, a former mayor of the Mexico City borough of Miguel Hidalgo.
Silvano Aureoles, Former governor of Michoacán
Gustavo Hoyos, former head of the Mexican Employers Federation.
Senator Miguel Ángel Mancera, a former mayor of Mexico City.
All those aspirants – bar Mancera – attended the Va por México event, held in a hotel in the capital. Yucatán Governor Mauricio Vila announced Sunday that he had decided not to seek the opposition alliance’s candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
Former president Vicente Fox and businessman Claudio X. González, a leading figure in the opposition movement, were among the distinguished guests at the event.
Businessman Claudio X. González (left) and former president Vicente Fox (right) were guests at the event. (Daniel Augusto / Cuartoscuro.com)
President López Obrador sought to discredit the opposition’s candidate selection process even before it was officially announced.
The “corrupt, looting oligarchy” led by González is “coming to an agreement” to decide the opposition candidate, he said at his Monday morning press conference after dismissing the selection process as a “sham.”
“… The top magnates are consulted, the conservative political leaders are also consulted. What do [former presidents] Fox, Calderón and Salinas think? They do that consultation then they interact with organic intellectuals, writers, journalists and after that [the candidate] is known,” López Obrador said.
“[The selection process] is a sham, and the conservative bloc candidate, regardless of who it is, … [will] continue with the same classist, racist, discriminatory politics,” he asserted.
Jesús Zambrano, national president of the PRD, assured aspirants that there will be no “simulation” in the selection process, but rather “democratic decisions” taken by citizens.
Most polls suggest that Morena – which was founded by López Obrador – will win a second consecutive term in government at the 2024 elections, at which the federal Congress will also be renewed.
The leading contenders for Morena’s nomination are Claudia Sheinbaum, Marcelo Ebrard and Adán Augusto López Hernández, who left their respective positions as Mexico City mayor, foreign affairs minister and interior minister earlier this month to focus on winning the ruling party’s candidacy and defending and building on López Obrador’s political and social legacy.
The national statistics agency INEGI reports that economic activity grew 0.8% from March to April, the best month-on-month growth for over a year. (Shutterstock)
Mexico in April recorded its strongest month-over-month economic growth in more than a year, official data shows.
The national statistics agency INEGI reported Monday that the Global Indicator of Economic Activity (IGAE), which measures gross domestic product on a monthly basis, increased 0.8% in April compared to the previous month.
Economic activity in the primary sector (including agriculture) increased 1.2% from March to April. (Secretaría de Trabajo)
It was the best result since March 2022, following a 0.2% month-over-month contraction in March. The 0.8% growth figure easily exceeded the expectations of analysts from Citibanamex, who forecast a 0.4% month-over-month increase.
Seasonally adjusted figures show that primary sector economic activity increased 1.2% in April compared to March, secondary sector activity grew 0.4% and tertiary sector activity expanded 1%.
The annual increase on the IGAE based on seasonally adjusted figures was 3.3%, INEGI said.
Andrés Abadia, chief Latin America economist at the U.K.-based Pantheon Macroeconomics, attributed the strong economic result in April to a range of factors, including the strength of the labor market, the decline in inflation, the federal government’s welfare spending and the growing nearshoring phenomenon.
A factory in Salinas Victoria, Nuevo León – seen here under construction in 2022 – is part of a wave of nearshoring by manufacturers looking to strategically access the North American market. (Hofusan Industrial Park/Twitter)
“These drivers [of economic growth] have completely offset the impact of tighter financial conditions and the weakening of external demand,” he said.
The publication of the final economic data for April comes a week after INEGI released preliminary figures for May showing month-over-month and annual growth of 0.1% and 2.5%, respectively.
Mexico’s economy grew 3.1% in 2022, while President López Obrador recently asserted that GDP will expand by 4% this year. Earlier this month, the World Bank updated its 2023 growth forecast for the Mexican economy to 2.5%, a significant improvement from the 0.9% prediction it made in January.
Navigating tipping can be difficult anywhere, but in an unfamiliar country, it can be even harder - especially where there is a large informal economy. (Blaser)
The bagger at the grocery store, the man helping you park outside the store, waiters, the porter at the airport who helps with your baggage, the receptionist checking you in at the front desk, the maids cleaning your room every day, the woman in the ladies’ bathroom handing you toilet paper. And there’s that ubiquitous tip jar sitting on counters everywhere.
Who should be tipped? When? How much?
You might see a charge labeled “IVA” on your final bill, which is Mexico’s 16% value-added tax. That goes to the government, not the waitstaff or owner. (Shutterstock)
The tipping landscape has changed so much in recent years that many of us are experiencing what’s been dubbed “tip fatigue.” It seems that everyone wants a tip (propina in Spanish), even without direct or personal service.
Trying to figure it out in another country is even more overwhelming, with a different culture, currency, language and customs. Mexico’s informal, cash-driven economy adds another layer to an already confusing set of expectations—you can’t assume, for instance, that waiters will ever see the tip you add when paying with a credit card (it is better to leave the gratuity in cash if you can.)
Sure, there’s lots of information online—from reputable places like TripAdvisor, Frommer’s, Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, etc.—but recommendations differ widely as to what’s proper and expected, and don’t necessarily cover the fine points of tipping in everyday life, like what to tip the baggers at nearly every Mexican grocery store.
Veteran travelers and agencies say a good rule of thumb when traveling is to budget for gratuities as you would in your home country—unless you’ve learned otherwise. That means 15% to 20% in restaurants, where workers rely on tips for a good portion of their take-home pay. (Bartenders should be tipped 10-15% of the entire bill or $20 pesos per drink.) Some countries though, have very different parameters; this world map shows estimated international tipping norms, based on Tripadvisor data, for restaurants, hotels and taxis.
Tipping taxi drivers is not customary in Mexico. (Taxistas Cancún)
Once you arrive at your vacation destination, prioritize getting small bills and change so you’re prepared to tip, in cash, in the local currency. Ask at the front desk; they should be able to help you. Don’t think a gratuity in US or Canadian dollars will be more appreciated; it won’t. In Mexico, foreign coins are useless—there’s no way to exchange them—and if you give bills, by the time someone pays the conversion fees at a casa de cambio for an already-low exchange rate, there’s not much left.
“It’s really about what a person’s time is worth,” explained Jamie Alexander, Business Development Manager at PVPVR Real Estate, one of the largest rental agencies in Puerto Vallarta. “When you’re in a foreign country, x-y-z may not be possible, to know where to go or find these things or communicate properly or get a fair price. Service people are local nationals, and they know what things should cost.”
A host of those service workers—drivers, waiters, bellhops, parking attendants, tour guides, housekeepers, the concierge, drivers—are all helping you enjoy your vacation by taking care of the pesky details you don’t want to deal with, so be prepared and be generous.
“If 15-20% is standard in the U.S. or Canada, why is it that in Mexico—where the wages are a tenth of what they are up north—you would tip less?!” Alexander said. “Tip with your conscience; if anybody deserves a tip on your extravagant meal, it’s the waiter while you’re on vacation in Mexico.”
Tipping by card does not guarantee that your tip will make it to your server – cash is often the best way to say thank you. (Blake Wisz/Unsplash)
For full- or part-time foreign residents, it’s a little different; we’re in this kind of situation daily. Those seniors bagging at the grocery store receive no salary and work for propinas only. How much should they be tipped—whether or not they do a good job? And must you allow them to pack your groceries?
It’s these kinds of gray areas that leave us scratching our heads. In this case, watch what locals do and follow suit or tip a little more just because you can; a few pesos or up to $10 pesos is sufficient.
Here are some other tipping guidelines to consider while in Mexico:
Porters: $20 pesos per bag; more for heavy, unwieldy golf or surf bags.
Bellhops: $20-$50 pesos per bag.
Valet parkers: $20-$50 pesos at drop-off or pickup.
Cab drivers: In Mexico, tipping isn’t customary.
Tour guides: $150-$200 pesos a day per person, above the tour cost.
Small, owner-run business? No need to tip more than you’ve already paid, unless you feel they went above and beyond somehow.
Public restroom attendants: $5 pesos per visit.
Home delivery people (water, groceries, drugstores, Amazon): $5-$10 pesos.
Gas station attendants: In Mexico, these folks clean your windshield, check your tires and fluids, as well as pump your gas. A $10 peso tip says thank you.
Many Mexicans, such as parking attendants, work informal jobs and rely on tips as income. (Chris Havler-Barrett)
Tips for hotel or vacation rental housekeeping should be left each day, as schedules change and it won’t be the same person every time.
“We’re always asked about tipping the maid: “When is too little too little?” said Alexander, who suggests $100-$200 pesos per person per cleaning.
Some types of service are time- and energy-consuming and can’t be easily categorized. Alexander tells stories of vacationers forgetting bathing suits and phone chargers, entailing frantic trips to the mall by a concierge. For that kind of “over the top” specialty service, tip well: You’re sitting by the pool drinking a margarita while they fight traffic and stand in lines. How much are those hours—and headache—worth to you? A tip of $250-$500 pesos would be appropriate.
In an all-inclusive resort, tips are usually built into the price.But if someone has made your stay extra-special, a 10-15% tip will show your appreciation.
“The old adage is true: time is money, time is worth money,” Alexander continued. “How much is your time on vacation worth to you? Would you rather spend 30 minutes in an Uber to get to the mall to buy something, trying to communicate in a language you don’t know? Or would you rather relax on the beach or by the pool and have someone do this errand for you?”
The tariff is designed to reduce the use of genetically modified corn in making food products in Mexico. (Cuartoscuro)
The federal government has imposed a 50% tariff on white corn imports in an effort to limit human consumption of genetically modified (GM) maize.
The hefty tariff on maíz blanco harinero – white corn used to make corn flour – took effect Saturday, a day after the measure was announced in a presidential decree.
The U.S. National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has said that Mexico’s planned ban on GM corn imports “would be catastrophic for American corn growers as well as the Mexican people.” (Gob MX)
The tariff, which ends access to cheap white corn imports, is scheduled to remain in force until Dec. 31, 2023, after which Mexico intends to ban the importation of GM maize for human consumption.
The decree also extends until the end of the year a 50% levy on white corn exports that was due to expire this week. That measure is aimed at encouraging Mexican producers to sell their harvests locally.
A 20% tariff had applied to white corn imports, but the government removed that levy – and other duties on basic foodstuffs – in January in an attempt to put downward pressure on consumer prices as high inflation continued to afflict the country.
However, the decree published on Friday said that “the exemption of the tariff on the importation of white corn … has not generated a significant impact on the decrease in prices in the national market.”
A corn farmer in Tlaxcala (Cuartoscuro)
Therefore, doing away with the exemption is “appropriate,” said the decree issued by President López Obrador, an outspoken critic of GM corn.
Mexico buys some foreign-grown white corn, but local production easily outweighs imports. Agriculture Ministry data shows that Mexican farmers produced almost 23 million tonnes of white corn in 2022, while imports totaled just 614,000 tonnes between January and October last year. Only a small quantity of domestic production is sent abroad.
In May 2023, Mexico imported 67,000 tonnes of white corn from the United States and 258,000 tonnes from South Africa.
López Obrador, who asserts that the consumption of GM corn is harmful to human health, said last week that the government had found that some supposedly non-GM white corn imports from South Africa were in fact genetically modified. “We have proof,” he said last Monday.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai has said that Mexico’s biotechnology policies are not based on science. (U.S. Department of State)
While white corn imports from the United States are not significant, the imposition of a 50% tariff could complicate the trade dispute Mexico has with that country over its plans to end imports of GM maize destined for human consumption by 2024, and phase out imports of GM yellow corn used as animal feed over an unspecified period.
Achieving the latter aim won’t be easy as Mexican farmers have long relied on United States-grown yellow corn as fodder. The United States government and U.S. corn producers are vehemently opposed to the move, which is unsurprising given that exports of U.S. yellow corn to Mexico are worth about US $3 billion a year.
According to agriculture consultancy Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrícolas (GCMA), the imposition of a tariff on white corn violates the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the free trade pact that superseded NAFTA in 2020.
The U.S. government requested dispute settlement consultations with its Mexican counterpart on June 2, explaining that its concern was with “measures set out in Mexico’s February 13, 2023 decree, specifically the ban on use of biotechnology corn in tortillas or dough, and the instruction to Mexican government agencies to gradually substitute — i.e., ban — the use of biotechnology corn in all products for human consumption and for animal feed.”
United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai said at the time that the U.S. had “repeatedly conveyed its concerns that Mexico’s biotechnology policies are not based on science and threaten to disrupt U.S. exports to Mexico to the detriment of agricultural producers, which in turn can exacerbate food security challenges.”
According to the Economy Ministry, there are 59 endemic varieties of corn in the country. (Denisse Hernández Rubio/Cuartoscuro)
The government of Canada announced June 9 that it would participate as a third party in the dispute settlement consultations initiated by the United States. The U.S. government can request the establishment of a dispute settlement panel to make a ruling if the consultations don’t resolve the conflict within 75 days.
While López Obrador said last week that he aims to eliminate the use of imported white corn by tortillerías (tortilla shops), GCMA general director Juan Carlos Anaya highlighted that imported white corn is used to make corn flour rather than “nixtamal tortillas” – tortillas made from grain soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution. Most tortillerías in Mexico use the nixtamalization process to make tortillas.
Anaya also said that the 50% tariff will give the United States and Canada “more reasons” to request convening a dispute panel under USMCA.
López Obrador acknowledged last week that the U.S. “might take us to a panel,” but indicated that Mexico wasn’t willing to change its position as the use of GM corn in products destined for human consumption is “a matter of public health.”
On their "ultimate road trip through Mexico", Tom Williams and Todd Nevins experienced the diversity of the country and its people, from Isla Mujeres to the Copper Canyon to Tijuana. (Courtesy)
How many Mexican states have you been to? Five? 10? 15?
Two long-term Mexico residents originally from the United States have checked off all 32 federal entities – not in a lifetime of travel, but during a single 10,415-kilometer-long road trip they completed earlier this year.
The route followed by Todd Nevins and Tom Williams through Mexico’s 32 states. (Courtesy)
Beginning in Mexico’s “far east” and finishing in the country’s northwest corner, Todd Nevins and Tom Williams traversed Mexico in just 38 days, spending at least one night in each state and the capital during an adventure they dubbed Mexplore32: The Ultimate Road Trip Across Mexico.
The ancient Maya city of Palenque in Chiapas, a pulque hacienda in Tlaxcala, Edward James’ surreal sculpture gardens in San Luis Potosí, the Tamaulipas pueblo mágico of Tula and the beach town of Sayulita in Nayarit are just some of the places the pair visited during five and a half weeks of fun.
As they traveled, Nevins and Williams posted snippets of their experience to Instagram and TikTok, giving followers a virtual seat in their vehicle as they explored each and every state that together make up the country officially known as the Estados Unidos Mexicanos, or United Mexican States.
I recently caught up with them via email to find out a bit more about their trip.
Tom (left) and Todd (right) enjoy a Tijuana sunset at the end of their journey. (Courtesy)
Peter Davies:
Hi Todd and Tom, thanks for speaking to Mexico News Daily. Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves and the inspiration for your road trip to all 32 federal entities (31 states and Mexico City) of Mexico?
Todd Nevins:
I live in Mexico City with my wife and our dog Santo. We previously lived in Mérida for five years and have lived in Mexico for over 10. I run a Google Ads marketing agency, which luckily can be run from anywhere, including the front seat of Tom’s SUV for 38 straight days.
For me, the inspiration for the trip started with Tom saying during COVID lockdown, “I have an idea for a trip and you are the only one dumb enough to do it with me.”
I was immediately in – then asked where we were going.
Tom Williams:
I live in Mérida with my wife Julissa and our two dogs Luz and Sombra. I’m co-owner of a small hotel in Mérida, Hotel Luz en Yucatán, which I bought with a friend in 2006. I was a tour manager in North America for 16 years – the first six years leading adventure camping tours, which is where my love of road trips began.
I have always liked big trips and part of the fun is the planning and research that goes into them. I recently did one of my biggest, “50 adventures for my 50th birthday,” in which we visited over 20 countries and all seven continents over six months to celebrate my 50th!
My inspiration for Mexplore32 came during the pandemic, sitting on the couch thinking, ‘Hmm.. Isla Mujeres is the furthest east in Mexico, where is the furthest west? Tijuana!’
Tom and Todd at sunrise on Isla Mujeres. (Courtesy)
That led to: ‘it would be fun to road trip from sunrise to sunset and why not visit all 32 states on the way!’
The idea was one day in each state, but we finally added a few extra days to make sure we didn’t miss out seeing the sights in Baja California and the Copper Canyon.
PD:
You started your trip in Mexico’s easternmost state, Quintana Roo, and finished in Tijuana, in the country’s northwest. What was the route you took between those points and how did you decide it?
TW:
Once the concept of going from sunrise to sunset and visiting all 32 states was born it became an exercise in planning a route that made it to each state with time to visit things along the way and enjoy the typical local food and drinks of each one.
Tom at the Barranca del Cobre in Chihuahua. (Courtesy)
After 16 years of leading and planning tours, this is a part I really enjoy. It was a matter of using Google maps and a notepad and writing out itineraries, researching what to do in each place and fine tuning as you go.
It also takes a lot of research to figure out the timing: When is the train running? Ferry? Lucha Libre days? Is that cantina open on a Monday?
PD:
There was obviously a lot of driving involved, but you also took the time to experience something unique in each of the states you visited.
What were some of the highlights and/or most memorable experiences of your trip?
TN:
There WAS a lot of driving and Tom drove all 6,471 miles! One of my trip missions was to show people that Mexico isn’t just beaches and all-inclusive resorts so we published a video each day on our Instagram channel to showcase each state and the highlights of the trip.
Yes, those are lemurs! A favorite experience for Todd and Tom was the Africam safari in Puebla. (Courtesy)
Africam Safari, Puebla City, Puebla – yes, there is an African safari in Mexico and it happens to be in one of our favorite cities.
El Chepe Train, Copper Canyon, Chihuahua – the canyon was picturesque and well worth the effort to get there.
Gray Whales, Puerto Chale, Baja California Sur – we caught the tail end of their migration and jumped in a 20-foot boat to see 50-foot whales.
Tamul Waterfalls, San Luis Potosí – by far the toughest spot to reach, but after a pothole filled, bumpy 2 hour drive and another 30 minute hike we reached these 300-foot beasts.
Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary “El Rosario”, Michoacán – these beauties nest in the mountains from November to March and we were surrounded by them fluttering around us.
TW:
Some of the best experiences were meeting all the different people along the way and enjoying the typical food and drink from each state – spending the afternoon drinking with new friends in a cantina in Taxco, learning the process of making pulque in Tlaxcala, a late night tlayuda after an evening of mezcal tasting [in Oaxaca], getting the cemita girls in the market in Cholula to follow us on Instagram!
Getting to know the locals at a cantina in Taxco. (Courtesy)
You can plan the trip, but you can’t plan the people you meet along the way.
PD:
I saw on Instagram that you were stranded for a period in the Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) area of Chihuahua after leaving your vehicle in Sinaloa to travel on the El Chepe train.
What happened? And can you tell us about some of the other challenges you faced?
TW:
We weren’t actually “stranded” in the Copper Canyon – the train got canceled and we couldn’t take the chance of it not running the next day. We had to make it back to get the car to catch the Baja Ferry on time, so we quickly improvised.
TN:
Of all the planned stops, I was most excited to see Copper Canyon, however…
We left the SUV in El Fuerte, Sinaloa, and hopped on the El Chepe train. We took it 6 hours up into the canyon and planned on staying two nights in Divisadero, which gave us one full day to take the second longest zip line in the world across the canyon, do some hiking and enjoy the views. The weather had different plans.
The first night and morning were great, but then the rain and clouds blew in, halting our adventures. The next morning we planned on taking the train back to El Fuerte to get our car, but we were told that a rock slide over the tracks happened overnight and the train was cancelled, possibly for a few days.
We had a lot of intricate travel plans ahead in the next two to three days and this was a massive problem.
The closest city was Chihuahua, Chihuahua – a seven-hour bus ride away in the wrong direction, but at least it had an airport which gave us options. This is when a stranger overheard our conversation and offered to drive us directly to the Chihuahua airport. Getting there in his car would only take four hours, which bought us the time we needed.
We took a flight from Chihuahua to Guadalajara, stayed at an airport hotel, caught a 6 a.m. flight to Los Mochis, took a cab two hours to the SUV in El Fuerte and then drove three hours to Topolobampo to catch the ferry just in time.
This experience encapsulated the entire trip. When we were in a bind, a stranger appeared to help us on our way. It happened multiple times and continued to prove the point that “strangers are just friends that you haven’t met yet.”
TW:
Todd also likes to say that we “ran out of gas” in Baja, but technically we were just on empty and when we pulled into the Pemex, it was abandoned. Luckily a nice person was selling expensive gas nearby! ¡No hay problema!
Overall, road tripping is a lot easier than the old days with a Guía Roji (Mexico Road Atlas) in hand, and gas stations few and far in between. Driving during the day and utilizing toll roads and Google maps makes it faster and safer, but maybe a little less adventurous.
PD:
You’re both long-term Mexico residents. In what ways did the trip broaden your knowledge and understanding of your adopted country?
TN:
The people that we met along the way made an unforgettable impact. Once they got over the disbelief that two guys from the U.S. were undertaking such a road trip, they were proud to show us their city, graciously shared the food and drinks that their area was known for and gave us insider tips on the coolest sights around.
Also, I can now put the Mexico puzzle map of the states together in under three minutes!
TW:
It confirmed my love of a country I have lived in for 16 years and have been visiting since my first international trip after high school almost 40 years ago!
It was a great way to share our experiences and showcase the real Mexico. We were able to meet and talk with so many amazing people, visit new places, try new food and drinks and realize we have just scratched the surface of this culturally rich and diverse country.
PD:
What advice would you give to someone thinking of undertaking a similar trip through Mexico? And, finally, do you have any plans for any other ambitious travel or projects?
TW:
My advice for someone looking to take a similar trip or any trip in Mexico is: Do it.
If you haven’t had some experience in Mexico you might want to start on a shorter road trip around southern Baja or the Yucatán Peninsula or stay in a resort area like the Mayan Riviera or Puerto Vallarta and rent a car to do a few day trips and work your way up to an epic road trip someday.
The next trip for Mexplore32 is a more in-depth exploration of the Yucatán Peninsula, a two-week road trip starting in Mérida at my hotel, Luz en Yucatán and visiting beaches, Mayan ruins, colonial cities, haciendas and cenotes, and highlighting the amazing Yucatecan cuisine.
Also, we have another Mexplore32 in mind, visiting all 32 states again, but completely different places! Mexplore32 “Off the beaten path!” Stay tuned.
TN:
Thank you, Mexico. You are beautiful.
Check out the Mexplore32 Instagram and TikTok accounts to see more photos and videos from The Ultimate Road Trip Across Mexico.
This interview is the third in a series called “The Saturday Six”: six-question interviews published in Saturday editions of Mexico News Daily. Read the first two interviews in the series here and here.
From "generational change" in his cabinet appointments, to the GM corn trade dispute to the heat wave, it was a busy week as usual at President López Obrador's press conferences. (Gob MX)
There was another round of musical chairs in the federal government this week, with President López Obrador announcing that his labor minister would become interior minister, a deputy labor minister would become labor minister and a Labor Ministry official would become a deputy labor minister.
With more senior officials set to leave the government in coming weeks and months to focus on contesting elections in 2024, keeping up with all the changes – and finding replacements in the president’s case – is set to become an even more laborious task.
There have been a number of significant cabinet changes since the beginning of Morena’s internal selection process. (Mario Jasso / Cuartoscuro.com)
Apart from touting “generational change” in his government as a result of his latest appointments, AMLO, as always, spoke about a broad range of his issues at his morning press conferences, or mañaneras, this week.
Among the topics he covered were the government’s stance on genetically modified corn, the state of the public health system, his upcoming rally to mark the fifth anniversary of his election and the Supreme Court’s ruling against his controversial electoral reform.
Monday
After another lengthy update on the construction of the Maya Train railroad, López Obrador returned to the mañanera lectern to engage with reporters.
“Article 4 must also be changed with respect to pensions,” AMLO said in an indirect response to an inquiry about whether he would seek to enshrine the protection of animals in Mexico’s constitution.
AMLO said that in the final month of his presidency – September 2024 – when the sitting period of Mexico’s 66th legislature has begun, he will send a bill to Congress proposing that the constitution be amended to state that all citizens are entitled to the seniors’ pension from the age of 65.
“It’s already being delivered [to citizens] from the age of 65 … but in the constitution [eligibility] is established from the age of 68,” he said.
“So we’re going to correct that,” López Obrador said, adding that he will also seek to enshrine pensions for people with disabilities in the constitution.
The president with cabinet members and other officials at the Monday press conference. (Gob MX)
In addition, he said he would seek to guarantee “human respect for animals” via a modification to article 4.
“It’s a package of initiatives that I will send … when the new [congressional] period begins,” said AMLO, who hopes that the ruling Morena party and its allies will have a supermajority in both houses of Congress following next year’s elections, which would allow them to change the constitution without having to rely on support from opposition parties.
Later in his press conference, the president reaffirmed his opposition to genetically modified corn, and conceded that the government’s plan to ban the use of such maize in tortillas and dough by 2024, and as animal feed at a later date, could lead the United States to request the establishment of a dispute settlement panel under the USMCA free trade pact.
“We don’t allow the use of genetically modified corn for human consumption. That was a commitment we made … and we’re fulfilling it,” López Obrador said.
“… The deadline for [banning] the use of yellow corn for fodder was extended, … but [the United States] keeps insisting on being able to use yellow [GM] corn for human consumption and we’re not going to allow it. That’s why [we have] this consultation,” he said in reference to dispute settlement talks requested by the U.S. earlier this month.
“They might take us to a panel, but it’s a matter of public health,” said AMLO, who believes that GM corn consumption is harmful to humans.
Labor Minister Luisa María Alcalde Luján has been named the new interior minister following the resignation of Adán Augusto López Hernández last week. (Luisa Alcalde/Twitter)
“Luisa María … is young; it’s very important to think about generational change, to give opportunities to young people,” he said.
“In addition, Luisa María is a lawyer and she was already a legislator,” López Obrador said before praising her performance in her current position.
With Alcalde as labor minister “there have been four increases to the minimum wage,” he said.
“… So, she’s going to be interior minister. … I believe there are now more women than men in the cabinet,” said López Obrador, who announced last week that Mexico’s ambassador to Chile, Alicia Bárcena, would replace Marcelo Ebrard as foreign minister.
“They’re women with conviction, with principles, with ideals, and that helps a lot,” he said.
Tuesday
Introducing the recurring “Pulso de la Salud” (Health Pulse) segment, AMLO reaffirmed that Mexico will soon have a public health system that is better than those in Denmark and Canada.
By eliminating government corruption, including graft related to healthcare, there is sufficient money to improve the public health system, he said.
“There is no budgetary limit to guarantee the right to healthcare,” López Obrador added.
The governors of Nayarit, Tlaxcala, Colima, Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California Sur attended the press conference to formally sign on to the federal IMSS-Bienestar health care scheme, which provides care to patients who don’t have health insurance.
“IMSS-Bienestar is today an institution of the Mexican state that provides medical care and free medications to people without social security,” said Zoé Robledo, director of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS).
Six governors and the head of IMSS, Zoé Robledo, with the president at the Tuesday morning press conference. (Gob MX)
He said that 17 states and Mexico City have implemented the IMSS-Bienestar scheme, and indicated that seven other states are likely to follow suit.
“We’re convinced that by the end of the year IMSS-Bienestar will become the largest public health care provider on the entire planet, with the most hospitals, the most workers [and] the most healthcare centers,” the IMSS chief said.
“The most important thing … [is that it’s] made for Mexicans, for the diseases they suffer,” Robledo added.
Later in the presser, a reporter noted that former foreign affairs minister Marcelo Ebrard had proposed creating a ministry of the 4T, or fourth transformation – the monumental change AMLO claims his government is carrying out – if he wins next year’s presidential election.
The reporter also noted that one of the president’s sons had rejected the idea that he could head up the ministry, as Ebrard proposed.
“I don’t want to give an opinion on matters … [related] to the survey to choose the coordinator of the defense of the transformation,” López Obrador said, referring to the ruling Morena party’s process to select a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
As an aspirant to the Morena candidacy for 2024, Marcelo Ebrard has been touring the country this week. (Marcelo Ebrard/Twitter)
“… The transformation will continue and it requires direction, it requires someone who will provide continuity, [a person] to whom I’m going to hand over the baton of the transformation movement, but I don’t want to give an opinion on the process,” he said.
“… My immediate family – my sons, my wife Beatriz, don’t get involved at all in this process. … We don’t have favorites,” AMLO said.
López Obrador subsequently confirmed that he would travel to Chile in September to attend events marking the 50th anniversary of the death of former Chilean president Salvador Allende, who was killed in the 1973 military coup in the South American country.
“I consider president Allende a pacifist with a democratic vocation, I believe he is the most important [such person] of recent times,” AMLO said.
“I would compare him with [former Mexican president Francisco I.] Madero because at that time, 50 years ago, it was very much insisted on … that transformation – structural changes – could only be achieved by armed means. But he always sought transformation by peaceful means and that’s why he was the victim of a gang of ruffians, starting with the treacherous general Augusto Pinochet.”
Just before the conclusion of his press conference, López Obrador announced that Marath Bolaños López would succeed Luisa María Alcalde Luján as labor minister.
The new labor minister to take over from Luisa María Alcalde will be deputy minister Marath Bolaños López. (Marath Bolaños/Twitter)
“He’s currently deputy labor minister and in charge of the Youths Building the Future [apprenticeship] program. … He’s young, I believe he’s the same age as Luisa María [35], it’s generational change,” AMLO said.
“Tomorrow we’re going to announce another change,” he added without providing any other details.
Wednesday
“As we do every Wednesday, we’re going to report on “Who’s who in the lies of the week,” AMLO said, referring to the recurring fake news exposé segment presented by Ana García Vilchis.
“… It’s a sample, a summary [of fake news] because there’s a bombardment of lies like never before. With honorable exceptions, media outlets don’t report but manipulate,” he added.
García took aim at the “prophets of doom” in the media, asserting that they had once again lied by reporting that the Federal Electricity Commission doesn’t have sufficient electricity generation capacity for the summer months.
Ana García Vilchis during the weekly “fake news” exposé section of the morning press conferences, this time debunking a photo that was supposed to show AMLO embracing Hugo Chávez. (Mario Jasso / Cuartoscuro.com)
“Reforma and El Heraldo [de México] disseminated a lie, according to which the Federal Electricity Commission would be overwhelmed by the heat wave our country is currently going through and that there would be blackouts as a result. This is false,” she said.
“Manipulation of information seeks to sow uncertainty, but we say to everyone: don’t be fooled, the Federal Electricity Commission has sufficient capacity to respond to maximum energy demand during summer,” García said.
“… With the current heatwave it is estimated that electricity demand increases by up to 5% across the country. The Federal Electricity Commission has that [higher] demand covered and more. … There has been no shortage of electricity, the operating conditions across the country are normal.”
Back before reporters, López Obrador also asserted that “there is no problem” with electricity supply. An alert declaration issued by the National Energy Control Center on Tuesday due to dwindling electricity reserves was “routine,” he said.
Responding to a question about rules related to parties’ selection of presidential candidates and allegations that Morena has violated them, AMLO said it was normal for “temperatures to rise” and for there to be “nervousness” a year out from the election.
He defended the legality of Morena’s selection process amid claims that under electoral laws it is too soon for presidential aspirants to begin campaigning for a party’s candidacy.
The ruling party process currently underway is to choose “the coordinator for the defense of the transformation” rather than the 2024 presidential candidate, he said.
“I conclude my mandate [as president] in September next year, but at the same time I’m … the leader of the process of transformation and that’s what’s going to be resolved, [it’s about selecting] who will receive the baton so that I have complete freedom and can use my last year [in office] to finish the [government’s infrastructure] projects,” he said.
The president, who is obliged by Morena rules to remain neutral in the selection process, noted that he would hold a rally in Mexico City’s central square, the Zócalo, on July 1 to mark the fifth anniversary of his comprehensive 2018 election victory, and called on those planning to attend to not demonstrate their support for any of the presidential aspirants.
The president last called for supporters to rally in the Zócalo to commemorate the nationalization of oil in March. (Gob MX)
“This is to commemorate the triumph of the transformation of Mexico. … Everyone is invited, but there should be zero politicking,” he said.
AMLO later confirmed that a photo circulating on social media that showed him embracing the late former president of Venezuela Hugo Chávez was doctored.
“I never saw him, … I never spoke to him, but I’m not going to disrespect him,” he said.
In a change of pace, one reporter sought the president’s opinion on legislation in Mexico City that allowed “nightclubs with table dance and erotic dances” to open.
“I have no knowledge about that,” AMLO retorted. “But we’re going to ask [Security Minister] Rosa Icela [Rodríguez] to inform us, she’ll be with us on Tuesday.”
Among other remarks, López Obrador said that the personnel change he had flagged announcing would be held off until Thursday, and defended the government’s reforestation/employment program Sembrando Vida (Sowing Life) in response to an assertion that its implementation in El Salvador and Honduras isn’t helping to stem northward migration.
“It’s extremely important and it helps a lot,” he said. “Of course, more support is needed. … It’s not possible that Mexico is investing more than the United States in programs dedicated to the people.”
“I believe it’s an invasion, an interference with the legislative power,” he said of the court’s overruling of the Congress.
The SCJN has become the “supreme conservative power” that defends the interests of the “conservative minority,” López Obrador asserted.
“[The justices] are arguing that the … [electoral reform] wasn’t discussed in Congress, wasn’t discussed enough when it was discussed and the conservative bloc … didn’t want to participate,” he said.
“That’s why they’re going to annul the electoral law,” AMLO added.
“… That’s why I think it’s extremely important for the members of the judicial power to be elected, like the president is elected, like deputies are elected, like senators are elected,” he said.
“… I’m going to present a reform bill … so that the people chose [judges] like in the time of the Restored Republic, the time of [former president Benito] Juárez and [former finance minister Miguel] Lerdo, when judges with a lot of integrity, a lot of principles and who represented the interests of the people were those who made up the judicial power, not employees of vested interest groups,” AMLO said.
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a 9-2 vote to strike down electoral reform passed in February. Justice Javier Laynez argued the legislation was rushed through the lower house of Congress contrary to the “principle of democratic deliberation.” (SCJN)
Later in the mañanera, a reporter reminded the president that he hadn’t announced the personnel change he mentioned at his two previous pressers.
“Ah, yes, it’s done. Look, you’re going to say it’s [just] a deputy minister role, but it’s a very important one that matters a lot to me due to what is done in benefit of young people,” López Obrador said.
Quiahuitl Chávez Domínguez, a Labor Ministry official, will replace Marath Bolaños López as deputy labor minister, he announced.
AMLO noted that she will be responsible for the government’s apprenticeship scheme called Youths Building the Future. He said that 2.6 million young people are benefiting from or have benefited from the scheme, which in addition to providing on-the-job training has been the subject of corruption allegations.
“Of these 2.6 million, half have stayed to work permanently in the place they were trained,” López Obrador said.
“Who is the tutor? The maestro of a mechanical workshop, the owner of a shop, a factory, … a handicrafts workshop – that’s where they’re learning.”
After AMLO listed a range of reasons why his July 1 rally will be a celebration, a reporter put a simple question to him: “Are you satisfied, Mr. President?”
“I’m very satisfied, I’m very pleased,” he responded before conceding that he still has things to do in his 15 months left in office.
“I have to keep applying myself in order to not leave anything outstanding, to not leave unfinished [infrastructure] projects. [I have to] finish the Maya Train, finish the trans-isthmus [corridor], finish the Tulum airport, finish the irrigation systems, … finish the aqueducts, … establish the network of 3,000 branches of the Bank of Well-Being, … [have] the health system working perfectly. … We still have a lot of things to do, but we are doing well, we are making progress,” López Obrador said.
Friday
AMLO held his last press conference of the week in the capital of Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, where he was joined by officials including Governor Rutilio Escandón, National Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval and new Interior Minister Luisa María Alcalde.
“I’m truly very pleased to be here. The sun rises very early, Chiapas is luminous and one of the most beautiful states of Mexico, with good, hard-working, peaceful people. Now we’re going to confirm that with the security data,” López Obrador said.
Sandoval, who regularly offers state-based security reports when the president takes his mañanera on the road, noted that Chiapas is the eighth most populous state of Mexico with 5.5 million residents.
Based on per-capita data for the 4 1/2 years since the current government took office, Chiapas ranks 25th among the 32 federal entities for kidnapping and human trafficking, 26th for homicides and extortion, 30th for vehicle theft and 32nd for home burglaries, he said.
Data presented by Sandoval showed there were 1,969 homicides in Chiapas between December 2018 and May 2023, making the southern state the 21st most violent based on absolute murder numbers.
Escandón, elected governor in 2018 on a Morena party ticket, pledged Chiapas’ commitment to the “transformation” being carried out by the López Obrador administration and asserted that the chiapanecos, as residents of the southern state are known, are “witnesses of the fulfillment of government proposals.”
Chiapas governor Rutilio Escandón at the Friday press conference. (Gob MX)
“The southeast of Mexico now reflects socio-economic development thanks to the great infrastructure projects [of the federal government] such as the Olmeca refinery, the Maya Train and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Trade Corridor,” he said.
Among other remarks, the governor said that his government is speaking with “the relevant authorities” about the creation of a regional low-cost airline to be called Chiapas Despega (Chiapas Takes Off).
The airline, he said, would “satisfy demand for flights between municipalities” in the southern state.
Responding to his first question of the day, López Obrador expressed his dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court’s ruling against the second part of his electoral reform.
“What [the justices] did yesterday was to correct another power,” he said.
“It’s like the legislative power deciding to prosecute corrupt judges, magistrates, justices. … It’s one power intervening in the internal processes of another,” AMLO said.
“… More than anything, I interpret this as a political attitude of protection, of defense of the interests of a greedy and corrupt minority, which [previously] dominated in Mexico – those who felt they were the owners of Mexico hijacked the government. … As they can no longer dominate in the executive or the legislative, that minority is taking over the judicial power, turning it into a supreme conservative power,” he said.
“… With what moral authority [can the justices] question the procedures of the legislative power,” López Obrador said after railing against the high salaries they earn.
Asked why the security situation in Chiapas is better than in most other states, AMLO offered a thoughtful response.
“It’s largely due to cultures, to deep Mexico, to traditions, to customs, to conserving our background and cultural heritage. When there is more community life, there is less crime. It’s because there is integration in families, the social fabric isn’t broken, there is mutual support – that is extremely important. There is solidarity, fraternity,” he said.
Protesters in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, as a show of support for the EZLN on June 8. (Isabel Mateos Hinojosa / Cuartoscuro.com)
“… Another very favorable element has been the work of the churches in Chiapas, … I’m referring to the Catholic Church and evangelical churches in all their denominations – that has helped as well.”
The president later acknowledged that Alcalde has faced criticism – especially on social media – since her appointment as interior minister and offered her the opportunity to respond.
“Although it seems incredible, what I believe is that these kinds of openly misogynist and sexist comments help. They expose a conservative way of thinking, in which you can only place a woman or a young woman in some spaces of society. … The good news is that there are fewer and fewer [people who think that way]. We’ve made a lot of progress on the path … to equality,” she said.
AMLO resumed his position at the mañanera lectern, and promptly asserted that progress on security matters in Chiapas – where violence has recently affected border and Zapatista communities – “also has to do with the participation of the governor” in the federal government’s security strategy.
In his final remarks of his presser, López Obrador noted that he had asked the king of Spain (in 2019) to apologize for the “extermination, repression and exploitation” of Indigenous people in Mexico during the colonial period.
“He sent his spokespeople, [Peruvian novelist Mario] Vargas Llosa among others, to respond to us by attacking us,” AMLO said shortly before declaring it was time for breakfast.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
The proximity of Mexico to the United States has made it an attractive target for industries looking to localize, or "nearshore", their supply chains. (Asipona)
With the new Tesla plant coming to Monterrey, the Mexican press has been all abuzz about “nearshoring,” and the idea that Mexico could rival Asia as a global manufacturing hub.
Iván Rivas of the Nuevo León Economy Ministry calls it a “… wave of economic opportunity for Nuevo León, with foreign investment as well as domestic … leading to an export economy.”
Nearshoring refers to international companies moving factories and other business infrastructure closer to the world’s largest market for their goods: the United States. As has been much reported in the media, the impetus for this particular move is a combination of logistical and political issues related to China, which has been “the world’s factory” for several decades.
Rivas and many others are quick to point out Mexico’s huge advantage: its proximity to the U.S., which means more reliable, flexible and cheaper shipping options. Recent years have seen companies from North America, Europe and even Asia build facilities, as noted by the abundance of new industrial parks from Monterrey, Nuevo León southward into Querétaro.
But foreign investment in Mexico is nothing new. Latin American economics expert Michael J. Twomey, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, says that what we are seeing is really “…the newest phase of Mexico’s economic development in relation to the rest of the world…” with many of the same factors that Mexico has faced before with foreign investment.
More than 20 years ago, the city of Querétaro anticipated the rise of industrial parks in the area. That foresight moved commercial development to the periphery and beyond to keep the original charm of the older parts of the historic city. (NAI Mexico)
Since Mexico’s independence, foreign investors have been attracted to Mexico for one or more of the following reasons: natural resources, inexpensive labor, government enticements and proximity to the United States. Notable early examples include European textile mills and the revival of many colonial-era mines by the British.
The government of Porfirio Díaz (1876–1911) gave great incentives to foreign-owned industry, but to the detriment of many Mexicans — this was one cause of the Mexican Revolution.
In the 1960s, Mexico began offering tax breaks to factories on the border doing assembly work, which was followed by the development of an auto manufacturing industry. Volkswagen has had a plant in Puebla for decades, and more recently, Kia opened a plant in the state of Nuevo León. Both operations have been large enough for long enough to establish German and Korean communities in the two states respectively.
What makes nearshoring different from previous investment cycles is not what Mexico is doing but how much it depends on what the U.S. and China are doing.
Twomey believes that it will be a matter of if and how China adapts to the new global reality and how much the U.S. “paints itself into a corner” through anti-Chinese tariffs and other trade policies.
Mexico does have other unique advantages: although other Latin American countries could take advantage of geography, Mexico has a far better developed industrial infrastructure along with free trade agreements such as the USMCA and the IMMEX program.
While Mexico’s relationship with the U.S. is not perfect by any means, it is certainly better than China’s relationship with that same country.
Foreign companies seeking proximity to the U.S. in Mexico isn’t exactly new, as this sign in Pesquería, Nuevo León, implies. South Korean automakers Kia and Hyundai have increased Pesquería’s population and earned it the nickname “Pescorea.” (Gabriela Pérez Montiel/Cuartoscuro)
At least for the short term, few doubt the economic impact that the global production shift has had on Mexico, even if there are no national statistics about the number of foreign operations moved here or jobs created. Mexico’s Economic Research and Teaching Center (CIDE) estimates that nearshoring will generate around 150,000 engineering jobs. By 2025, Mexico will need to produce about 5 million workers in STEM, it says
Jorge Martinez of Think Tank Financiero at the Tec de Monterrey university also forecasts a boom in the energy sector, education and commercial and residential construction. A number of schools have already made changes to accommodate this growth. The University of Monterrey recently responded similarly to the so-called “Tesla effect” with a curriculum update.
Mauricio Peña of Outbound Mexico sees the surge of foreign manufacturing growing Mexico’s expatriate population as companies send contingents of mostly managerial staff to supervise construction, set up and oversee local teams. But it is not limited to the industrial parks.
Edyta Norejko of ForHouse real estate services has seen impact in mostly industry-free Mexico City. She is currently working with an aeronautical company building a factory in San Luis Potosí but needs housing for executives in the capital.
But aside from the possibility that China and the U.S. find some way to patch things up, there are other challenges to a nearshoring revolution in Mexico: energy expert Ramses Pech has opined in the newspaper Milenio that Mexico’s energy infrastructure is inadequate and becoming more so. He doesn’t see the political will to make the necessary investments to meet current or future demand.
Other criticisms of the Mexican government include that it doesn’t do more to make Mexico appealing, such as providing a more certain regulatory environment and — perhaps more importantly — clamping down on organized crime, which targets the flow of trucks northward to the U.S.
Much nearshoring investment is either on the northern border with the United States or located on the Pacific coast, in reach of Asia. (Invest in MX)
But perhaps the biggest risk to all this foreign investment is that a strong dependence on exporting to the U.S. could compromise Mexico’s economic and even political independence.
To date, the type of manufacturing being done here is limited, often consisting of the assembly of final products with imported parts. This is particularly true with Chinese investment. China ships parts like chips and batteries, and Mexico assembles electronics and other consumer goods.
This setup not only allows China to handle some of its logistical issues but also helps them get around U.S. tariffs, as long as the correct percentage of the final product’s parts were made in the USMCA trade zone. Whether foreign companies will expand their operations into other products remains to be seen.
Nearshoring’s effects are not evenly distributed in the country. Most of the benefit has been in the northeast and central part of the country, with about half of foreign investment going to the Monterrey area, says Martínez. Twomey adds that only areas that have invested in technology have benefited, as there has not been any national-level push either in education or infrastructure by the Mexican government.
Twomey also notes that how Mexico fares with nearshoring has as much to do with its relationship with China as its relationship with the U.S. He notes that Mexico is in the middle of a larger dispute between these two countries, with little control on how that plays out.
With China making its presence felt in various parts of the world (economically and diplomatically), Mexico needs to be careful that it doesn’t wind up trading one dominant trading partner for another.
Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico over 20 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019). Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mexico News Daily, its owner or its employees.
Mexico's heat wave has put a strain on the national grid as energy demand increases. Is the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) up to this test? (Illustration by Angy Márquez)
This week we saw the summer solstice: the longest day of the year.
It was a long day, literally, because the sun was out for the greatest number of minutes this year, and it was a long day figuratively, because we’re all trying to get too much stuff done while also melting in our seats.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but the strong peso means lots more working hours for me, as the value of my earnings continues to decrease. The heat may make me want to sleep, but the economy has me running that hamster wheel harder and harder.
Usually, I take some time on the solstice to do some kind of “witchy stuff,” as my sister and I call it. But yesterday, my tarot deck remained on the shelf, untouched. No candles were lit, because why light candles when it’s so hot already? I didn’t even go out to pick flowers or herbs for a nice table centerpiece.
I mean, how do you celebrate the sun when the sun is actively trying to kill you?
Mexico, along with other parts of the Americas, has been suffering from an impressive heat wave for weeks now. Where I live in Xalapa, it hasn’t been uncommon in previous years to find me in a sweater and boots in June, feeling chilly from the cool temperatures and drizzle that arrive with the rainy season.
But this month, I’ve been sleeping with a fan on every night, often kicking the covers off too, something I pretty much never, ever do (what if ghosts come and grab my feet while I’m sleeping?)
I don’t even have it that bad: where I am, it’s pretty mild compared to other parts of the country. High temperatures in Xalapa have hovered around 90F — a beautiful, if slightly warm, spring day where I’m from in Texas. Of course, in Texas, we have central air conditioning, so the suffering one is subjected to usually only takes place on the walk to the car.
Here, there’s no fresh, cool air flowing through empty walls and out of vents into each room. The breeze from open windows is pretty much it, alongside whatever fan you might happen to have on hand. If you’re planning on buying one just now, you’re out of luck: most stores have been left with the scrawniest of collections.
Especially alarming was the news of fires in the region. After a friend sent me a video of the smoke billowing out of the forest near his home, I received more official news: firefighting brigades are asking for help to combat burning in the cloud forest that surrounds us. The cloud forest, people. Where usually, nothing can burn at all because everything’s always damp.
In Xalapa, we’re uncomfortable, but we’re surviving the heat. We’re just working and walking a little slower than usual and taking more naps if we can (what is it about heat that’s so exhausting?). But in the places where the temperatures are up in the hundreds, like down the road in Veracruz, I have no idea how they’re coping. Many homes have air-conditioning units, but plenty don’t. Those who do probably have them on at full blast, and who can blame them? You just can’t get stuff done when you’re melting.
Unfortunately, Mexico’s electrical grid may not be up for the job of supporting all of these attempts to cool down, and I pray that we don’t see anything like my home state did last year when the power grid collapsed due to unprecedented demand.
After years of chasing off alternative private energy providers in Mexico to prioritize the nationalized energy provider, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), we’ve arrived at an unhappy experiment that asks the question: will the state-owned company actually be up to the job of keeping the homes and businesses of Mexico powered? Plenty of blackouts have already been reported.
If you ask the president, of course, he’ll tell you what he usually tells citizens when they say “hey, this is a problem.”
“No,” says AMLO, “there is no problem.”
Helpful, right?
Energy policy in both of my countries is tough to work out. Though it should simply be considered a public good, there are plenty of economic interests that want to make sure that those currently providing power, efficiently or not, are not put at a disadvantage.
In Texas, private companies maintain their power over the grid and keep it that way because of the outsized economic influence they’re able to have on politics. In Mexico, the president’s tireless efforts are keeping the electricity market increasingly competition-free. AMLO caused quite a stir a few years ago, and a possible run-in with the U.S. and Canada, with energy laws that effectively revoked or “froze” permits for foreign alternative energy companies by prioritizing energy produced by the CFE.
That pretty well spooked most others from expanding in Mexico’s renewable energy sector, so it seems we’ll be finding out soon how well CFE can manage.
This administration does not seem to worry too much about the pollution CFE and Pemex cause by burning fossil fuels, and that will ensure even higher temperatures in the future; that worries and saddens me.
Because nature and physics don’t care about the CFE or any other energy company. Its laws are indifferent to our economies, our claims of sovereignty, our discomfort. I hope and pray we start making policies with an eye toward those laws from now on.
Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mexico News Daily, its owner or its employees.
The Key lime travelled across the world to become a staple of Mexican cuisine. (Gobierno de México)
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that not only taste the best but are really good for us. Fresh limes and lime juice are one of those things, and we’re lucky in Mexico that they’re plentiful and inexpensive. The little limones so common in the public markets and neighborhood stores are a variety of Key lime, full of valuable electrolytes like calcium, magnesium and potassium as well as Vitamin C and antioxidant flavonoids.
You could say Key limes are international nomads: hailing from Southeast Asia, their cultivation spread throughout the Middle East to North Africa, Sicily, and the Iberian Peninsula. The species ended up in the Florida Keys thanks to early Spanish explorers, from there spreading to the Caribbean, Mexico and California.
When a severe freeze destroyed Florida’s lemon crop at the turn of the 20th century, growers turned to the prolific little limes, soon calling them “Key limes” since they were grown in the Florida Keys. Since 2002, the Key lime and its culinary contributions have been celebrated with its own Key Lime Festival in Key West, Florida over the U.S. Independence Day weekend.
Look for limes that are shiny, bright green and firm to the touch. They’ll keep the longest stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them; I have an open-topped plastic box I keep full of limes at all times.
Brazilian Lemonade is a creamy take on the classic drink. (Jamie C Brandon/CC BY 2.0)
If it sometimes feels like juicing a bunch of limes is just too much to do, consider freezing the juice in ice cube trays and then putting the frozen cubes in a zipper-lock bag. That way you’ll have fresh lime juice at almost a moment’s notice.
Any of these lime drinks can be made into an “adult beverage” by adding a splash of rum, tequila, mezcal or vodka.
Brazilian Lemonade
4 big limes or 8-10 Key limes, scrubbed and washed
⅓ cup granulated sugar
Half of a 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
4 cups cold water
4 cups ice, plus more for serving
OR
100-gram can of sweetened condensed milk
3 small limes
1 cup cold water
2-3 ice cubes
Cut off and discard the tips of the limes, then cut the limes in quarters. Don’t worry about the seeds.
Mangos, another foreign fruit that became a Mexican favorite, are perfect for combining with lime in a slushy or smoothie. (Vivekpat30/Wikimedia Commons)
In a blender or food processor, pulse limes, sugar (if using), condensed milk, water and ice until the ingredients are just combined. You’re looking to extract flavor from the limes, not pulverize them, which can make the drink too bitter. The limes should not disintegrate but still be in pieces.
Press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large pitcher or bowl with a spout. Use the back of a spoon to push out as much liquid as possible; discard the solids.
Divide in tall, ice-filled glasses, garnish with lime wedges and serve immediately.
Hibiscus-Mint Cooler with Pineapple Ice Cubes
Pineapple juice
6 cups boiling water
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
½ cup dried hibiscus flowers
¼ cup fresh lime juice
½ pound fresh strawberries, hulled
½ cup simple syrup*
Garnish: strawberries, lime slices, mint leaves
*To make simple syrup: Boil equal amounts of water and sugar for about 5 minutes. Cool and use.
Pineapple ice cubes are as easy to make as pouring some pineapple juice into an ice cube tray! (Dole)
The night before serving, make pineapple ice cubes: Pour pineapple juice into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight.
Muddle mint leaves in a pitcher. Stir in hibiscus, boiling water and lime juice. Steep 15 minutes.
Purée strawberries in a blender. Add strawberry purée and simple syrup to the pitcher, stir and refrigerate. When ready to serve, put pineapple ice cubes in each glass and pour limeade over. Garnish with strawberries, lime slices and mint.
Jamaican Limeade
½ cup fresh lime juice
1 cup packed grated piloncillo or brown sugar
4½ cups water
Mix lime juice and piloncillo or brown sugar in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. In a large pitcher, mix the lime juice and brown sugar mixture. Add the water to the pitcher and stir to combine. Serve over ice.
Mango-Lime White Wine Slushy
2 cups frozen mango in chunks
2 cups chilled white wine
2 cups ice cubes
2-4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses, garnish with a thin slice of lime and serve. If you use fresh mango, it won’t be a slushy but will taste delicious nonetheless.
Homemade Suero (electrolyte drink)
12 oz. cold, plain water
¾ – 1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Pour everything into a tall glass and mix well. Add ice if desired and drink immediately.
A Citrus Tea Cooler is just the thing to beat the heat! (Tetley)
Citrus-Tea Cooler
1 lemon
4 limes
2 oranges
¾ cup sugar
4 bags black tea (Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchong, Darjeeling)
1 cup soda water
1 cup seltzer or tonic water
Citrus slices, for serving
The day before serving, peel lemons and oranges. Place the peels in a medium bowl or large jar and reserve fruit. Add the sugar and use a muddler or the end of a rolling pin to work it into the peels until they start to turn slightly translucent, about 2 minutes. Set aside at room temperature for at least 2 hours or overnight.
In a pitcher or large glass jar, place 3 tea bags. Pour in 3 cups of water, cover and refrigerate for 8–12 hours. Remove and discard the tea bags.
Bring the remaining water to a boil. Add the last tea bag; steep 5 minutes, then remove.
Add brewed tea to the citrus-sugar mixture; stir to dissolve sugar. Push through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
When ready to serve, juice the reserved lemons, limes and oranges to make 1 cup of juice. Mix citrus juice, reserved citrus/sugar/tea mixture and cold-brewed tea. Gently stir in the soda water and seltzer or tonic water.
Ladle into individual glasses garnished with citrus slices.
Colombian lawyer Ángela Buitrago (pictured) is one of the remaining members of the GIEI (Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts) who reportedly will depart Mexico soon. The GIEI has been involved in the investigation since 2015. (Moisés Pablo Nava / Cuartoscuro.com)
Eight soldiers were arrested this week in connection with the disappearance and presumed murder of 43 male teaching students in Iguala, Guerrero, in 2014.
The soldiers turned themselves in to authorities on Tuesday, according to federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) documents reviewed by the Reforma newspaper.
Ayotzinapa has become one of the most emblematic cases of Mexico’s ongoing struggle against organized crime and violence. Despite years of protest and investigation, little justice has been achieved for the victims’ families.(Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
They are among 16 army members, including a colonel, for whom arrest warrants were issued on June 13 due to their alleged involvement in the abduction and presumed murder of 43 Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College students on Sept. 26, 2014.
The eight other military personnel with arrest warrants, including Colonel Rafael Hernández Nieto, remain at large.
Colonel Hernández is accused of involvement in organized crime, while the 15 soldiers are accused of engaging in organized crime and forced disappearance, according to a Toluca-based judge’s order issuing the arrest warrants, which was reviewed by The New York Times.
The students, traveling on buses they commandeered to go to a protest in Mexico City, were intercepted by security forces who allegedly handed them over to members of the Guerreros Unidos crime gang. The gangsters allegedly killed the students — who were possibly mistaken for members of, or collaborators with, a rival crime gang — and disposed of their bodies. The remains of only three of the students have been found.
An Ayotzinapa truth commission report implicated the army in the disappearance of the students. Deputy Interior Minister Alejandro Encinas called the students’ kidnapping “a crime of the state.” (Twitter)
The disappearance of the students is one of the worst atrocities in recent Mexican history and was a major blight on the 2012-18 presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto, whose government has been accused of bungling the investigation and participating in and covering up the crime.
Fue el estado — it was the state — has been a common refrain at countless protests held across Mexico in the years since the tragedy that cut short the lives of the Ayotzinapa trainee teachers.
At a lengthy preliminary hearing that began Wednesday afternoon and concluded Thursday morning, the detained soldiers chose to remain silent. They are currently being held at a Mexico City military prison and are set to face another hearing in the coming days at which a decision on whether they must remain incarcerated will be made.
According to a protected witness identified only as “Juan,” soldiers that belonged to the 27th and 41st infantry battalions were on the payroll of the Guerreros Unidos.
Alejandro Encinas, deputy interior minister, left, and former special prosecutor Omar Gómez Trejo, right, at a press conference in 2021. (Galo Cañas Rodríguez / Cuartoscuro.com)
Arrest warrants were issued for 20 members of those battalions in August last year, but the FGR, citing “deficient evidence” in its own case, successfully requested the cancellation of 16 of them the following month. According to Reforma, the 16 warrants issued in Toluca last week were for the arrest of the soldiers the FGR previously decided not to prosecute.
Omar Gómez Trejo, the special prosecutor who was in charge of the case’s reexamination, resigned shortly after the FGR requested the cancellation of the arrest warrants. It appears that he disagreed with the FGR’s decision.
Santiago Aguirre, a lawyer and director of the Centro Prodh human rights center, said that the seriousness of the FGR’s current investigation won’t be established until all 16 arrest warrants have been executed and the suspects are in preventive detention awaiting trial. If the FGR succeeds in having them put on trial, advancement toward justice will be possible, he said.
Cesár Gonzalez, a lawyer for the detained soldiers, said Wednesday that the FGR’s case against his clients was weak. He asserted that the FGR is “manipulating at will the statements of members of organized crime to try to give a little more support to a case that has been falling apart.”
Retired Gen. José Rodríguez Pérez, a former colonel who commanded the 27th infantry battalion at the time of the students’ disappearance, is accused of ordering the murders of six of the kidnapped students several days after they went missing. He was arrested last September.
Retired general José Rodríguez Pérez commanded the 27th infantry battalion in Iguala in 2014 when 43 Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College students disappeared. (Sedena)
Former Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam, the architect of the previous government’s widely discredited “historical truth” vis-à-vis the disappearance of the students, was arrested last August in connection with the Ayotzinapa case. The 75-year-old is in poor health and has been in and out of hospital since he was placed in preventive prison.
The federal government has asked the government of Israel to extradite Tomás Zerón — head of the now-defunct Criminal Investigation Agency during the government of former president Peña Nieto — to Mexico, where he faces charges of abduction, torture and tampering with evidence in connection with the Ayotzinapa case.
President López Obrador, who has vowed to deliver justice for the students and their families and created a super commission to conduct a new investigation into the case, said earlier this week that he had sent a second letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asking for the extradition of the ex-official.
Tomás Zerón and former attorney general Jesús Murillo, key figures in the Ayotzinapa investigation. (PGR)
Both the government’s commission and independent experts have concluded that all levels of government, including the military, were involved in the abduction and presumed murder of the students.
López Obrador’s willingness to prosecute members of the military in connection with the case has been questioned due to his heavy reliance on the armed forces for a range of nontraditional tasks and his apparent desire to not upset its different branches.
Aguirre told The New York Times that the government’s case against the 16 members of the army is solid and that the arrest warrants issued last year were canceled due to political pressure.
“The president informed the families directly that the accusation of such a high number of soldiers had made the army angry,” the Centro Prodh director said of a meeting last September, “and that caused Attorney General Alejandro Gertz to order his people to suspend some of the warrants.”
The arrest of the soldiers wasn’t this week’s only development in the nebulous, almost 9-year-old case.
The newspaper El País reported Thursday that the two remaining members of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI), which has been investigating the Ayotzinapa case since 2015, will soon leave Mexico. Citing sources close to the group, El País said that Carlos Beristain and Ángela Buitrago have no intention of renewing their current mandate, which expires July 31.
Created by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the GIEI has delivered five reports based on its investigations into the events of September 2014. Its most recent report asserted that the military has hidden information that could help shed light on what happened to the students.
The group has clashed with the Defense Ministry, and its relationship with the federal government more broadly has deteriorated over the past year, apparently reaching a point at which Beristain, a veteran human rights investigator from Spain, and Buitrago, a Colombian lawyer, believe it is better for them to leave the country.
