It has yet to be determined how many games each country will host and if there will be games beyond the U.S. and Mexico. (@Miseleccionfem/X)
The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has confirmed that Mexico will co-host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup alongside the United States — and perhaps another country or two — marking the first time the tournament will be played on Mexican soil.
Moreover, it will be the first women’s World Cup to feature an expanded field of 48 teams, matching the expansion for the 2026 men’s World Cup when the U.S., Mexico and Canada will co-host.
Mexico and the U.S. previously withdrew a joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup to focus on the expanded 2031 edition. Brazil was subsequently awarded the 2027 tournament, which will include 32 teams.
The announcement regarding Mexico was first revealed in a press release last week following a meeting of Liga MX owners. Mexico’s top professional men’s league, Liga MX shares the same General Assembly as the women’s pro league, Liga MX Femenil.
“The Assembly [of owners] was informed that Mexico was designated to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup alongside the United States and other CONCACAF countries, with equal number of matches,” the FMF stated after the meeting.
CONCACAF is one of FIFA’s six governing bodies around the globe; it stands for the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football.
Though the FMF confirmed Mexico’s co-hosting role, details remain scarce and an FMF source told ESPN it was “premature” to define how many games each country will host and if there will be games beyond the U.S. and Mexico.
FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, didn’t respond to media requests for further information, nor did the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer). Moreover, the FMF did not share additional details.
Mexico returned to the #FIFAWWC in 2011, 12 years on from their debut at USA 1999. It was a new era for La Tri, with only captain Maribel Dominguez arriving in Germany having tasted Women’s World Cup football.
According to several sources, including Canadian Soccer Daily, FIFA was expected to confirm the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cup hosts at the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada in April 2026.
Spain is the current defending women’s champion, having won the 32-team tournament in 2023, up from 24 in previous years. It marked the first Women’s World Cup to be jointly hosted by two countries, Australia and New Zealand.
For the 2031 tournament, the United States initially submitted the only valid bid, but U.S. Soccer later expressed openness to co-hosting.
“We very much view 2031 as a chance to grow the game at all levels, but also using it as an opportunity to grow the game in the region and globally,” U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson told reporters in April.
In 1971, Mexico hosted what was called at the time the Women’s World Cup, though FIFA wasn’t involved. Six national teams from Latin America and Europe participated, and the final between Mexico and Denmark drew an estimated 100,000 spectators to Aztec Stadium, captivating the nation and inspiring a new generation of players.
In the state of Guanajuato, residents of León, Guanajuato city and San Miguel de Allende have been caught off guard by incessant rainfall. At the end of May, the average accumulated rainfall for the entire state was 48.4 mm (48 liters per square meter); in 2024, it was only 26.4 mm.
Officials in León reported that 84 mm of rain fell in May, nearly quadrupling the amount of rain recorded last year (22 mm). In Guanajuato city, a record 42.4 mm of rain had fallen as of midday Saturday, surpassing the record 41 mm seen in May 1991 and May 2020.
“It has been far rainier here in May than normal,” said Marcos Esquivel, the director of the Atmospheric Sciences Department at the University of Guanajuato.
Though Esquivel said the precipitation is favorable in hydric and environmental terms, the excess water has flooded streets and tunnels in Guanajuato city and León, causing several cars to stall out in deep water. Shopkeepers in Guanajuato city were sweeping mud and accumulated garbage from their storefronts each morning over the weekend.
More rain is in the forecast for Guanajuato this week. (María Ruiz)
Residents in the state capital reported that the Presa de la Olla reservoir on the outskirts of Guanajuato city was overflowing into the spillways, an eventuality that doesn’t typically occur until late June.
In other parts of the state, reservoirs that are well below capacity due to years of drought are recovering nicely. The Ignacio Allende Reservoir near San Miguel de Allende had risen to 46% capacity and the Solis Reservoir near Acámbaro had surpassed 60% capacity, boosting the cumulative capacity of reservoirs across the state to above 50% as of Thursday.
Still, the northern regions of the state have not been so lucky. The El Palote Reservoir near León had risen from a low of 3.5% capacity to only 6% capacity and the Peñuelitas Reservoir near Dolores Hidalgo was at 5.5% as of Sunday.
Esquivel said the early onset of heavy rains will not only continue to mitigate the effects of drought, but will also have a positive impact in the agriculture sector and will recharge aquifers in the region.
Showers will continue this week in the Valley of Mexico and the Bajío states, with rain forecast as far west as Colima.
Storms are in the forecast for Oaxaca, Veracruz, Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche and the Yucatán Peninsula, and severe heat (40 to 45 degrees Celsius) is expected in Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Durango, Sinaloa, Michoacán and Guerrero.
Local officials hope community-wide efforts like the sashimi challenge will help reverse negative perceptions of Sinaloa state.
(Luz María Rodríguez/X)
The city of Mazatlán in the western state of Sinaloa set a Guinness World Record yesterday for the longest sashimi in the world. Measuring one kilometer, the sushi spectacle was prepared on Sunday, June 1, along the port’s coastal promenade, popularly called the malecón.
The event brought together hundreds of tourists and locals, who enjoyed more than 19,000 pieces of sashimi made with over two tonnes of fresh tuna, far surpassing the previous record of 5,343 pieces.
It’s not easy earning Guinness honors for a kilometer-long sashimi. Besides the sheer quantity of fresh raw tuna, the food must be validated as truly sashimi, as edible, and, at the end of the day, verifiably eaten. (Sectur/X)
The feat required 300 chefs to cut, assemble and serve the tuna. To qualify as a Guinness Record, all the sashimi had to be eaten on the spot.
“We have confirmed the longest line of sashimi in the world, a great record, but also very difficult,” Judge Alfredo Arista Rueda, who accredited the achievement, said to attendees. “[The chefs] had to meet many health standards, and we were able to confirm that it was truly sashimi, that it was edible and that it was accessible to eat for all of you.”
The event was organized by Canaco Mazatlán, the National Gastronomic Council of Mazatlán (Conagam) and Club Vatel, with the aim of highlighting the city as an international culinary destination, and offsetting the perception of the state of Sinaloa as unsafe for visitors.
Sinaloa, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, has suffered from an unprecedented security crisis that began in September 2024 after the arrest of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. While clashes between factions of organized crime have mainly affected the capital city of Culiacán, they have also impacted the tourism industry in other areas of the state, including the resort city of Mazatlán.
Roberto Osuna, leader of the Conagam of Mazatlán, told the newspaper El Economista that events like the Guinness World Record seek to reverse that image and recover lost tourism. Osuna is also the owner of the restaurant La Vaca Lupe, which has been negatively impacted by the decline in tourists and diners.
The sashimi event joins other efforts from the city to reactivate its tourism industry. In February, the port city launched the campaign “A Sea of Stories,” which aims to promote Mazatlán as a destination for sporting events, business meetings, weddings, fishing tournaments and more.
“Today we celebrate our identity, the creativity of our people, the pride of having the largest tuna fleet in Latin America, and the talent and flavor of our cuisine,” Sinaloa Tourism Minister Mireya Sosa Osuna said at the event.
Sosa said that this kilometer-long sashimi is a symbol of what civil society, the private sector, and the public sector can achieve when they collaborate.
During the event, ten musical bands performed live from the Letters of Mazatlán to Avenida del Mar, contributing to a festive and family-friendly atmosphere. Officials described the event as filled with “a great display of flavor and joy.”
AMLO, as the ex-president is best known, voted Sunday morning at a polling station in Palenque, where he now lives. (Especial/Cuartoscuro)
Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Sunday made his first public appearance since finishing his six-year term eight months ago, leaving his ranch in the southern state of Chiapas to cast his vote in Mexico’s first-ever judicial elections.
AMLO, as the ex-president is best known, voted Sunday morning at a polling station in Palenque, where he now lives.
It was the first time he had been seen in public since handing over the presidential sash to President Claudia Sheinbaum on Oct. 1.
López Obrador, the architect of the 2024 judicial reform that allowed the judicial elections to take place, used a “cheat sheet” to help him select his preferred candidates from a field of thousands, the newspaper Reforma reported.
AMLO was filmed bending over at a cardboard voting booth as he filled out his ballots.
“Never in the history of our country had the people directly decided, and had the right to elect judges, magistrates and Supreme Court justices,” said López Obrador, who was a fierce critic of the judiciary during his presidency.
“… This is the first time in history and that’s why I wanted to participate in this historic election,” he said.
“… I am very happy to live in a free and democratic country,” AMLO added.
“We should have an authentic, a true rule of law, not a crooked one. The simulation must end because it was said we lived in a democracy but we didn’t. An oligarchy dominated. Those right at the top were the ones who were in charge, a minority with the facade of democracy.”
AMLO seizes opportunity to offer public praise of Sheinbaum
On Sunday in Palenque, a city best known for its archeological site of the same name, López Obrador also took the opportunity to share an “opinion” with reporters.
“Something that I publicly confess [is that] we have the best president in the world, Claudia Sheinbaum,” he said, using the feminine Spanish word presidenta to refer to Mexico’s highly popular first female president.
“I repeat, we have the best president in the world, and I’m very happy to see you,” AMLO told reporters after casting his ballot for judicial candidates at the state and federal level.
Sheinbaum has expressed unwavering support for the judicial reform put forward by her predecessor and political mentor. Like AMLO, she has asserted on countless occasions that judicial elections were needed to get rid of corruption in Mexico’s judiciary.
In his brief encounter with the press, López Obrador also sent his “regards to all the people of Mexico” and declared that he hasn’t “been able to come out” because he is maintaining a busy schedule at his ranch.
“It’s [only] the third time I’ve left the farm because I’m writing,” he said.
“I’m doing something that you’ll like a lot, about our cultural greatness. Soon you will see a new book. Soon, very soon, at the end of the year,” said AMLO, a prolific writer.
The cycling community in Toluca, México state, celebrated Isaac del Toro's second-place finish at the prestigious Giro d'Italia bike race on Sunday. Nearby, in Mexico City, cyclists organized a bike-out to the Angel of Independence. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
Baja California native Isaac del Toro thrilled his countrymen with a performance for the ages, finishing second in the Giro d’Italia on Sunday and earning praise from President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Del Toro, just 21 years old, strikes a triumphant pose after the race. His fine performance is seen as a turning point in the development of Mexican cycling. (Isaac del Toro/Instagram)
At the Angel of Independence, the crowd cheered and chanted, thanking Del Toro for “putting Mexico in the global spotlight.” Others called him “St. Isaac del Toro, patron saint of cyclists.”
“Congratulations to Isaac del Toro for his historic second place in the Giro d’Italia. At 21, he’s a source of pride for Mexico. He has many years ahead of him to continue triumphing. Keep it up!”
Del Toro sped into the spotlight during Stage 9 of the race on May 18, which took the cyclists from Gubbio to Siena. Finishing with an overall time of 33 hours and 36 minutes, Del Toro started Stage 10 wearing a pink jersey — at the Giro d’Italia, the cyclist in first place after each stage wears the maglia rosa the following day.
Del Toro continued to wear the pink for 11 straight days before succumbing to a charge by eventual champion Simon Yates of the United Kingdom.
Cientos de ciclistas celebran el segundo lugar de Isaac del Toro en el Ángel de la Independencia
Though he finished in second place, Del Toro’s run made cycling history. No Mexican cyclist had ever worn the pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia, nor had any Mexican cyclist ever finished on the podium at any of the three prestigious Grand Tour cycling events (the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España).
Legendary Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa and Mexican boxer “Canelo” Álvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, also praised Del Toro. Ochoa said she cried with joy, while “Canelo” said he swelled with pride, according to the newspaper El Universal.
The Baja California native praised his teammates and promised to come back stronger. He later reflected on his performance on his Instagram page:
“What a race! … It was a big dream to be here now and to be able to realize my dreams with the help of my idols. … By far, it was my best race … I couldn’t be more proud. I made mistakes that I solved with a very strong mentality, and that’s something to be proud of. … I’m never going to give up, and it was very nice to fight until the end. … I couldn’t be happier,” Del Toro said.
The counting of votes has commenced, but the final results — including those revealing who Mexico's nine Supreme Court justices will be — won't be known until later this week. (Michael Balam/Cuartoscuro)
Turnout at Mexico’s first-ever judicial elections on Sunday was only around 13% of eligible voters, but President Claudia Sheinbaum nevertheless described the democratic exercise as a great success.
Around 7,700 candidates appeared on ballot papers, presenting a gargantuan and confusing task for voters. All told, citizens were required to elect almost 2,700 judges, including nearly 900 federal ones. Voters in 19 of Mexico’s 32 federal entities voted for local judges in addition to members of the federal judiciary.
Some citizens relied on “cheat sheets” known in Mexico as acordeones when voting in the controversial elections. The counting of votes has commenced, but the final results — including those revealing who Mexico’s nine Supreme Court justices will be — won’t be known until later this week.
The president of the National Electoral Institute (INE), Guadalupe Taddei, announced late on Sunday night that the estimated turnout was between 12.57% and 13.32% of eligible voters. Just under 100 million people appear on Mexico’s electoral roll, meaning that around 13 million citizens voted on Sunday.
Around 20% of all votes were invalid, either due to voters’ mistakes or because they chose to annul their ballots on purpose.
The turnout was the lowest for a federal election in years, but there was no minimum threshold that was required to be met to make the vote binding, as was the case with a 2021 referendum on whether past presidents should be investigated for crimes they might have committed while in office. The polling places observed by Mexico News Daily in Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende on Sunday were not at all busy.
Many Mexicans “expressed a deep sense of apathy” with the elections, “citing disillusionment due to decades of corruption and lack of basic information about the vote,” the Associated Press reported.
One year ago, when Mexicans elected Sheinbaum as president, as well as federal deputies and senators, voter turnout was 61%, or more than four times that recorded on Sunday.
An exit poll conducted by the newspaper El Financiero at 40 polling places across Mexico found that 54% of voters supported candidates seen as sympathetic to Morena. (Peter Davies)
The elections took place due to the approval by Congress last year of a judicial reform put forward by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was an open critic of Mexico’s judiciary and angered by rulings against some of his flagship policies and projects.
The popular election of judges replaces a system in which merit and experience of aspirants were taken into account. Among the criteria candidates who contested Sunday’s elections were required to meet was to have a law degree and a “good reputation,” but the overall threshold to become a judge was widely seen as considerably lower than in the past. Some candidates allegedly have links to organized crime.
The main official reason for holding the elections was to renew Mexico’s judiciary and thus rid it of ills such as corruption and nepotism. However, critics argued that the staging of the elections was an attempt by the government and ruling Morena party to seize control of the judiciary. They warned that the independence of Mexico’s judiciary would be eroded by the elections, thus removing, or at least weakening, an essential check on executive power.
As evidenced by last year’s election results as well as poll results, Morena is extremely popular in Mexico, and thus judicial candidates seen as allied with or at least sympathetic to the ruling party were predicted to do well.
An exit poll conducted by the newspaper El Financiero at 40 polling places across Mexico found that 54% of voters supported candidates seen as sympathetic to Morena. The same poll found that half of voters found the ballots “simple” and “understandable,” while the other half considered them “complicated” and “confusing.”
Over 1,700 “incidents” were reported on Sunday, including the robbery of ballots and other crimes, but the elections weren’t marred by any events of significant violence. Some polling places opened much later than scheduled for reasons including an absence of voting officials.
The newspaper El Universal reported that “due to the complexity of the exercise, a lot of citizens arrived [at polling places] with a ‘support.’
Confusion contributed to the low voter turnout for Mexico’s first-ever judicial elections on Sunday. (Victoria Valtierra/Cuartoscuro)
“People were seen consulting their telephone, others took out sheets of paper with their own notes; many others made use of the acordeones that were distributed en masse,” the newspaper said.
In Tultitlán, México state, 37-year-old Jazmín Gutiérrez Ruiz told the Times that her reasons for voting were personal as two of her brothers have been in prison for two years, accused of a homicide “they didn’t do.”
“I want the magistrates and judges to change, and for them to take the time to carefully look at the cases,” said Gutiérrez, an employee of a processed meat company.
“Just like my brothers, there are many people locked up unjustly,” she told the Times.
In addition to the use of “cheat sheets,” there were also reports of acarreo — a practice in which voters are transported to polling places and incentivized to vote for certain candidates.
Sheinbaum: ‘Historic election’ was a ‘complete success’
In a video message posted to social media on Sunday night, Sheinbaum declared that the “historic election” was a “complete success.” ”
“Close to 13 million Mexicans went out to exercise for the first time in history their right to decide who the new Supreme Court justices, magistrates and judges should be,” she said.
“Today millions of Mexicans freely voted for the new guardians of justice. We shouldn’t forget that the current judiciary, who some people defend, has been responsible for favoring members of organized crime” as well as white-collar criminals, Sheinbaum said.
“Half of the judiciary, as stated by its own president [Chief Supreme Court Justice Norma Piña], got their positions due to nepotism, in other words by being siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews or in-laws of a magistrate or justice,” she added.
Sheinbaum also responded to claims that the motivation for holding judicial elections was to seize control of the judiciary.
Early on Sunday, the president voted from the polling place closest to the National Palace in Mexico City. She said afterwards that the judicial elections will lead to the establishment of a “true rule of law” in Mexico, “where no one, not even the most powerful, will be above the law.” (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
“As I have said many times, if we wanted to change the judiciary to control it, what sense would holding a universal election have? It would have been better to change the constitution to install justices to suit one’s interests, as was done in the past,” she said.
“Instead of that, we chose the best alternative — that the people decide. Yes, the power in Mexico lies in the people, it no longer lies in the few,” Sheinbaum said.
“Today was a transparent process. The candidates were selected by professional committees of the executive, legislative and judicial powers. The campaigns were austere and the voting was free,” she said.
Sheinbaum asserted that the judicial elections will lead to the establishment of a “true rule of law” in Mexico, “where no one, not even the most powerful, will be above the law.”
“Yes, Mexico is the most democratic country in the world,” she said.
“I say to all Mexicans, let’s have confidence. We live in an extraordinary time. We are a free, sovereign, independent country [that is becoming] fairer and more democratic every day.”
During her eight months in office, Sheinbaum has frequently defended the staging of judicial elections, noting on several occasions that many judges in the United States — albeit not federal ones — are elected by citizens.
According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted earlier this year, a strong majority of Mexicans (66%) approve of the election of judges by popular vote, but that support evidently didn’t translate into a large turnout.
The Pew Research Center said that “approval of Mexico’s judicial change is linked to support for Morena and its alliance partners in last year’s election, the Labor Party (PT) and the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM).”
“Among those who support these groups, 76% approve of the [judicial reform] policy, compared with 54% of non-supporters,” the research center said.
The Supreme Court race
The number of Supreme Court justices will decline to nine from 11 once the newly elected justices assume their positions later this year. Five of those justices must be women, according to the approved rules for this election.
At midday Mexico City time on Monday, with over 50% of the vote counted, the five leading female candidates were Lenia Batres, Yasmin Esquivel, Loretta Ortiz, María Rios and Sara Herrerías.
Batres, Esquivel and Ortiz are currently Supreme Court justices, all having been appointed during López Obrador’s 2018-2024 presidency. They are widely regarded as sympathetic to the Morena party and its agenda.
In June, Oaxaca city's got activities available for just about every taste — from classical to rock to arts and crafts. (CN Band)
June is typically a quiet time of year in Oaxaca. With impending rain, and the buildup to the Guelaguetza season in July, we see somewhat of a calm before the storm. Despite this, it is still a lovely time to visit.
But there are still plenty of things to do in June. Check out the activities below!
(CN Band/Instagram)
Bachata class to live music by the CN Band
If you are looking to meet some people during your stay in Oaxaca city, Casa de Elfo is a great spot for it. And a night of dancing is a great way to break the ice! Learn how to dance bachata, which originates from the Dominican Republic, to live music by Oaxaca’s own CN Band.
When: Every Monday, 8 p.m. Where: Casa del Elfo, 703 Reforma (Casa de Barro), Oaxaca Cost: Free (donation 50 pesos)
A photographic exhibition by Claudio Vandi at the Museum of Oaxaca Painters, a.k.a., El MUPO is running all throughout June. In his show “Viernes,” Vandi brings together photography and storytelling to explore how the weekly market (specifically of Ocotlán de Morelos, Oaxaca) can become a symbolic stage.
Vandi transforms the town into a theater of possibility, where forms, colors, and people reveal mythical and cultural resonances. The work is meant to be a dialogue with the work of the late Oaxacan artist Rodolfo Morales (1925–2001) on the centenary of his birth.
When: Open throughout June, Tuesday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Where: Museo del Pintores Oaxaqueños, Avenida Independencia 607, Centro, in the Rufino Tamayo Room. Cost: 20 pesos
Create bespoke jewelry
Mexico City’s Diego Mario Estudio will be teaching an incredible workshop at Habita. Create your own necklace, even if you have no experience in jewelry.
Over 100 types of recycled beads made with natural materials will be provided. Plus, a delicious brunch is included, prepared by Onnno Cafe. A creative and delicious experience!
When: June 7, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Where: Habita, Calle de la Constitución 215, Centro Cost: 1,600 pesos
(Oaxaca Symphony Orchestra/Facebook)
Oaxaca Symphony Orchestra: Mozart and Mendelssohn concert
This concert on the Oaxaca Symphony Orchestra’s summer schedule highlights the work of Mozart and Mendelssohn, by guest director Luis Manuel García, a former México State Orchestra conductor and current director of the México State Music Conservatory.
The program will also feature performances of pieces by modernist French composer Darius Mihaud, who as a professor at U.S universities in the 1950s was a teacher and mentor to Dave Brubeck, Philip Glass and Burt Bacharach, among many other modernist composers of the 20th century.
When: June 7, 7 p.m. Where: Macedonia Alcalá Theater Cost: Free For more information, call: (951) 516-8312 or (951) 516-8292
Cyanotype is an early photographic printing process, often called “sun printing,” that produces a blue print with a distinctive Prussian blue color.
When: June 7, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Where: Panal de Abejas MX, San Andrés Huayapam Cost: 200 pesos (materials included). More info and registration: @carobau.art
(Miel San Marcos)
Miel San Marco’s 25th anniversary tour
Miel San Marcos performs in Oaxaca as part of its 25th-anniversary tour. A Christian band from Guatemala, they were founded in 2000 by the Morales brothers, Josh, Luis and Samy. The group has gained recognition and multiple awards for their music, including nominations for Latin Grammys and Dove Awards.
Oaxaca city’s annual LGBTQ+ Pride caravan marches through Oaxaca city this year on June 21. The march’s welcoming slogan is “The March belongs to everyone!”
The starting meetup point is at the Fuente de las Ocho Regiones, near the nursing school. Participants will then walk down Calzada Porfirio Diaz towards Oaxaca’s historic center.
When: June 21, 4 p.m. Where: Meetup point is at Fuente de Ocho Regiones, Oaxaca Cost: Free
Anna Bruce is an award-winning British photojournalist based in Oaxaca, Mexico. Just some of the media outlets she has worked with include Vice, The Financial Times, Time Out, Huffington Post, The Times of London, the BBC and Sony TV. Find out more about her work at her website or visit her on social media on Instagram or on Facebook.
Esteemed archaeological illustrator Don Patterson, who has catalogued many of Mexico's premier archaelogical treasures over several decades. (Jessica Patterson)
I had the recent honor and pleasure of chatting with Don Patterson in San Miguel de Allende about his fascinating career in Mesoamerican archaeology, which spanned three decades from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Over the course of his career, Patterson worked on more than 150 archaeological sites from Honduras to northern Mexico. He is an expert in archaeological illustration, recording innumerable discoveries of pre-Hispanic artworks by photographing them and then creating stunning drawings.
Patterson arrived in Mexico in 1970 at the age of 27, inspired by the opportunity to study with the esteemed sculptorLothar Kestenbaum at the Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende. Kestenbaum gave Patterson his first book about the Maya, which sparked a life-long fascination and course of study.
Patterson spent many years working on major Mexican archaelogical sites, including Chichén Itzá (seen here) and Monte Alban. (INAH/Cuartoscuro)
At the Instituto Allende, Patterson earned a Masters in Fine Arts. He also gained a wife — less than a year after arriving in San Miguel, Patterson married the beautiful Marisela García de la Soto. They have one daughter, Jessica Patterson. After graduating, he was offered a job teaching painting and life drawing at the Instituto Allende, while fascinating discoveries of pre-Hispanic artifacts in the local area drew him inexorably to archaeological work.
Discovering the throne of Bird Jaguar III, Lord of Yaxchilan
The Yaxchilan project was one of his favorites because of the site’s storied history — and because of the incredible discovery he made there.
“I can recall with great clarity the days excavating and the subsequent nights drawing and photographing the throne of Bird Jaguar III,” said Patterson. “In the world of the classic Maya, Bird Jaguar was the Lord of Yaxchilan during the eighth century after Christ. Roberto [García Moll, the site director] gave me the opportunity to excavate the northwest exterior corner of Structure No. 7. Known as “Templo Rojo de la Rivera,“ it was famous because Teobert Maler spent nights in this building during his renowned explorations of the late 1890s.”
Patterson continued. “As my brush began to reveal the undulating surface along the sides of the first of two large stones beneath the soil, my excitement rose. At moments like these, controlling your impulse to attack the dirt like a dog looking for a bone is very difficult. The next hour seemed like an eternity before enough dirt was removed around the edges and the full-figure glyphs were exposed. I was ecstatic.”
“At that time there were few places apart from Copan, Honduras, and Quirigua, Guatemala, where full-figured glyphs had been found on carved stone. When the complete throne was freed and I saw the glyph for Bird Jaguar, I thought there would never be another moment in my life such as this. But of course I was wrong.”
The discovery of the throne of Bird Jaguar III, Lord of Yaxchilan was a highlight of Patterson’s career. (Smarthistory)
A new golden age in Mexican archaeology
For centuries, the looting of archaeological sites — in Mexico and throughout the world — had been out of control. Then in 1973, an important law was passed in Mexico. As Patterson explained, this critical legislation “gave the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) decisive power in the determination of the national patrimony. Those who looted and trafficked in [objects from archaeological sites] were now subject to very stringent laws and severe punishments.” Importantly, the legislation “gave INAH a mandate to conserve, protect, investigate and diffuse the archaeological patrimony of Mexico.”
And it worked. “Compared to many other countries in Latin America, Mexico virtually stopped the massive looting that had been taking place for centuries… Moreover, during this period there was a resurgence of pride in the national patrimony unheard of since the golden epoch of Manual Gamío, Alfonso Caso and Jose Vasconcélos, one consequence being the swelling up of nationalistic fervor. Of course, this was augmented within and outside INAH by the discovery of the huge Coyolxāuhqui stone and the subsequent excavations at the Templo Mayor.”
Joining INAH to work on the Templo Mayor
Patterson knew he’d received a big break in 1978 when the National Institute of Anthropology and History’s highly respected general director, Professor Gaston García Cantú, referred him for a job at the Templo Mayor, where his use of a “camera lucida” technique enabled him to be highly efficient and effective in documenting the many exciting discoveries being made at the site. Only two gringos worked for INAH at the time.
“I was extremely lucky that my first paying job for INAH, in 1978, was at the Templo Mayor… it was an exciting place to be working. Every day something new was brought to light in the excavations. Academics, kings, presidents, congressmen, ambassadors and movie stars from around the world came to see the Coyolxāuhqui, whose dismembered body, weighing eight tons, lay at the bottom of the stairs to the temple of Huitzilopochtli.”
The Coyolxāuhqui stone from the Templo Mayor, drawn by Don Patterson. Rediscovered in 1978, this huge circular stone carved by the Mexica (Aztecs) depicts the moon goddess Coyolxāuhqui after she was decapitated and dismembered by her brother, Huitzilopochtli. (Don Patterson)
Monte Alban and Chichén Itzá
“Monte Alban was the first project I coordinated for the INAH general director’s office. During that time, we documented the carved monuments of Monte Alban, Dianzu, and Yagul, Oaxaca. After a few more years of labor, the work at Monte Alban evolved into a reference book, ‘Los Monumentos Escultóricos de Monte Albán,’ in Spanish and German.”
Patterson loves that his daughter, Jessica, has memories of playing among the ruins of Chichén Itzá as a child while her dad worked there on a six-year project. Some of his other fondest memories are of the talented and dedicated people he worked with.
For example, Patterson spoke highly of Don Eugenio May, an experienced leader of the excavation team at Chichén Itzá, who, “having worked the better part of his life at the site, knew the location of every mound in the 22 square kilometers that encompassed the great center of Chichén. All 64 Mayans I hired, from three villages around Chichén Itzá, treated Don Eugenio with great respect and referred to him as El Abuelo.”
While identifying chultuns (artificial storage units dug into the bedrock) at Chichén Itzá, Patterson felt like he and his crew were facing tests from the lords of Xibalba, the underworld depicted in the classic Maya text the Popol Vuh: in one day, the first chultun they explored contained a rattlesnake, the second a wasps’ nest, and the third dozens of bats! A few days later they also found a “three-meter-long boa appropriately coiled in the mouth of one of the stone serpent heads in the main plaza.”
Coming home to San Miguel: Río Laja and the Cañada de la Virgen project
The Cañada de la Virgen archaeological site was Patterson’s final project. (Eric Reinecke/Wikimedia)
Also during this time, Patterson’s team began a settlement pattern study along the central portion of the Río Laja in Mexico’s Bajío region, which led to fascinating results. As Patterson explained, “Wherever we found a present-day rural community, or ranchería, there was sure to be at least one pre-Hispanic settlement nearby. In other words, the present-day farmers are utilizing the same alluvial soils that their predecessors had a thousand years earlier! As well, nearly every ranchería has an 18th century chapel, while a few were built around the structure of colonial haciendas. This was convenient and facilitated our documentation of the colonial heritage as well, since we could accomplish it simultaneously with the pre-Hispanic.”
Once their survey was completed, they began to analyze the data. “The density of the sites with standing architecture in this northern frontier valley of Mesoamerica was nearly one every ten square kilometers. We presumed that the site density would surely be greater as one traveled south toward the heartland of Mesoamerica. If this was true, then Mesoamerica contained potentially more archaeological sites than previously suggested.”
With these compelling results, Patterson’s team made a strong case for the creation of a national registry of sites, a National Archaeological Atlas.
Patterson’s last project was in his own proverbial backyard, at the Cañada de la Virgen archaeological site near San Miguel de Allende. “For four and a half years, for 48 hours per week, we worked at the site in an unbroken chain of field seasons” from December 1995 through January 2000.
After the Cañada de la Virgen project, Patterson worked as the Director of Ecology for the municipality of San Miguel.
In closing, Patterson explained a guiding principle of archaeology: Beyond economic limitations, “an important reason for not excavating any structure completely is the professional obligation to preserve as much data as possible for future research. With proper funding and the rapidity with which technology and other sciences like physics, chemistry, biology and botany were becoming involved in archaeological projects, it was more important than ever to maintain this time-honored ethic.”
Journey to Xibalba: A Life in Archaeology
The legacy of this feisty gringo’s contribution to Mesoamerican archaeology is impressive. The collection of books that he either wrote, edited, or was extensively cited in fills several bookshelves. I can personally confirm that Patterson’s memoir, “Journey to Xibalba: A Life in Archaeology,” is a fantastic read, and he would want me to also encourage you, dear reader, to study the Popol Vuh in order to hear from the classic Maya in their own words and perhaps even embark on your own “journey to Xibalba.”
Don Patterson passed away on June 2 in San Miguel de Allende.
Based in San Miguel de Allende, Ann Marie Jackson is a writer and NGO leader who previously worked for the U.S. Department of State. Her award-winning novel “The Broken Hummingbird,” which is set in San Miguel de Allende, came out in October 2023. Ann Marie can be reached through her website, annmariejacksonauthor.com.
There is a contrast between the American view of time as a commodity — measured, monetized and maximized — and the Mexican perspective, which values experiences and community over efficiency. In Mexico, the concept of “ahorita” reflects a flexible, cyclical approach to time, where events and traditions, such as Day of the Dead, connect time to nature and spirituality.
MND Perspectives Podcast | Mexico's approach to time and 'Ahorita'
As AI advances, society may need to shift from maximizing productivity to seeking fulfillment in meaningful experiences, understanding the difference between “spending” and “wasting” time. Taking a leaf from Mexico’s book might be just the way to maximize our enjoyment.
This podcast was produced using AI tools. All information collected and discussed in this episode was investigated, written and edited by human journalists. Compiled from a series of Mexico News Daily articles by Tamanna Bembenek. Edited by Rose Eglhoff. Podcast produced by Chris Havler-Barrett.
Built by expats working with pioneering Mexican architects who sought to pay homage to Puerto Vallarta's traditional architectural style, Gringo Gulch's homes called back to the city's past but with modern luxury. (Viator)
From a lofty perch overlooking the clamor of Puerto Vallarta’s Malecon and the ever-buzzing Zona Romántica, where most tourists tend to cluster, lies a quiet corner of the city that often gets overlooked. Just a few elevated steps away from downtown’s cobblestone chaos is Gringo Gulch, a hillside neighborhood with a bird’s-eye view of the Bay of Banderas and a story far deeper than its gussied facades suggest.
From the vantage point of Gringo Gulch’s terraced homes, the bay yawns wide, a scene that once captivated Hollywood royalty and inspired a distinctive architectural style. Red-tiled rooftops peek through cascading bougainvillea and wrought-iron balconies spill over with potted palms. Visually classic, yes, but also the setting for a cultural exchange that helped define modern-day Vallarta.
The Gringo Gulch is a #PuertoVallarta colorfull neighbourhood, where you can take amazing photos and visit the house of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. It is truly a beautiful historical zone. pic.twitter.com/D2dWtd7IoD
“The Gringo Gulch is more than just a group of houses on a hill,” says Puerto Vallarta historian Moisés Hernández López. “It’s a tangible symbol of the encounter between two worlds, nestled on the northern slope of the Río Cuale and surrounded by the jungle vegetation that characterizes the heart of Puerto Vallarta.”
While the Zona Romántica has become a magnet for trendy bars and pricey Airbnb rentals, Gringo Gulch holds the echoes of an early transformation. It’s the one that turned Puerto Vallarta from a quiet fishing village into a destination of global interest. In the 1950s, American and Canadian expats began settling just behind the historic center, drawn by the natural beauty, affordable real estate and the spirit of the local community. The name “Gringo Gulch” arose organically.
“‘Gulch’ fit the natural terrain of the ravine, and ‘gringo’ was used affectionately to refer to the northern newcomers,” explains Hernández.
The architectural legacy of Freddy Romero
What set this community apart was both the elevated location and the architecture. The houses were designed with intention, led by Fernando “Freddy” Romero Escalante, a visionary architect who moved to Puerto Vallarta in 1952.
Architect Fernando “Freddy” Romero is responsible for many of the homes that populate Gringo Gulch. He sought to create a hybrid style that incorporated modern elements into Puerto Vallarta’s traditional architectural style. (Puertovallarta.net)
“Freddy’s legacy transcended that of a mere builder,” says Hernández. “He could discern the architectural essence of the town and metamorphose it into homes that paid homage to the environment and the local forms.”
Romero’s Estilo Vallarta, an architectural style he pioneered, was rooted in the landscape. Homes were built with adobe and tile, decorated with local ceramics, gardens and wrought-iron accents that reflected colonial Mexico with a tropical twist. His designs were sensitive to the environment and the town’s identity.
Romero designed emblematic estates such as the Las Campanas complex and several others on Calles Matamoros, Mina, Galeana, Cuauhtémoc and Miramar. He was also the driving force behind the establishment of the first real estate office in the city, according to Hernández. Often, Romero would be seen navigating the narrow streets in his Jeep, tourists in tow, introducing them to what would become their second homes.
A cultural crossroads on the hill
“The foreign residents who took up residence in Gringo Gulch during the fifties and sixties not only procured properties but also assimilated themselves into the fabric of community life,” says Hernández. “They taught English classes, helped in social assistance groups like the Red Cross and Becas Vallarta, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for low-income students. Many even married locals, creating binational families.”
Figures like Berenice Starr, who founded Biblioteca Los Mangos, and the Holt family, who promoted English education, left lasting legacies that stretched far beyond the walls of their homes. Through these acts, Gringo Gulch became a community of cultural exchange.
Then the quiet hillside was thrust into the spotlight.
In the 1960s, film director John Huston arrived to shoot “The Night of the Iguana,” and with him came Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and a storm of paparazzi. Though not directly involved in the film, Taylor’s presence in Puerto Vallarta, and specifically in Gringo Gulch, transformed the neighborhood into a tabloid sensation. Casa Kimberly, the cluster of homes where Taylor and Burton stayed, became a pilgrimage site for fans and gossip columnists.
While the media frenzy brought global attention, the original heartbeat of Gringo Gulch continued quietly under the radar. The neighborhood still grew organically, supported by the thoughtful work of engineers like Guillermo Wulff and Luis Favela Icaza, who helped design homes that integrated with Romero’s aesthetic and the land’s topography. Infrastructure, including water tanks, pumps and pathways, was added to meet the needs of the growing community.
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor thrust Gringo Gulch into the international spotlight when they stayed in a cluster of casitas there in the 1960s. Taylor’s home, Casa Kimberly, which she kept until the 1990s, is now a luxury hotel made up of what were Burton and Taylor’s residences. (Casa Kimberly)
Hollywood glamor, lasting charm
“Gringo Gulch represents a key chapter in the urbanist history of Puerto Vallarta,” Hernández notes. “These homes weren’t plopped down arbitrarily. They were integrated into the hillside, designed to last and to respect what was already here.”
Today, as luxury condos and high-rise hotels creep along the coast, Gringo Gulch remains largely as it was: a collection of quiet streets, shaded staircases and hidden plazas where the past still lingers in the curve of a balcony or the hand-painted tile of a doorway.
“The Gringo Gulch is regarded as more than a hillside neighborhood,” Hernández says. “It is a living testimony of how a community can be positively transformed by the coexistence of cultures. The neighborhood has become a nucleus of identity, beauty and international fraternity thanks to the pioneering spirit of men like Fernando Romero Escalante and the openness of the Vallarta community.”
Learn more about Freddy Romero in this short documentary featuring the architect’s son discussing how his father came to Puerto Vallarta in the 1950s to design homes for expats who fell in love with the area.
As visitors stream in for sunsets and street tacos, few may realize that just above them, in a leafy enclave with the best bay views in town, lies the original heart of Vallarta’s international appeal.
Getting to Gringo Gulch
Gringo Gulch is a short uphill walk from the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Rio Cuale footbridge. The stairs and cobblestones are part of the experience: Be sure to wear good shoes. Stop for a drink at Casa Kimberly’s terrace bar, or simply wander the streets and snap photos of the bougainvillea blossoms and the views that once captured the hearts of Vallarta’s original expat community.
Meagan Drillinger is a New York native who has spent the past 15 years traveling around and writing about Mexico. While she’s on the road for assignments most of the time, Puerto Vallarta is her home base. Follow her travels on Instagram at @drillinjourneys or through her blog at drillinjourneys.com.
