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Where to find cenotes for non-swimmers in Mérida

By
Mark Viales
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You can find several accessible cenotes very close to Merida. (TripAdvisor)

The crystalline waters of Mexico’s prehistoric sinkholes can be daunting, especially for non-swimmers, but some sites are accessible to visitors of all kinds. These beautiful natural freshwater pools, formed by collapsed caves, attract thousands of visitors to the Yucatán Peninsula, each searching for their piece of paradise. An experience that will stay with you forever, the journey through the gateway to the ancient Maya underworld, known as Xibalba, is not to be missed.

While all seems picture perfect, there are some who may take cenotes off their Mexico wish list over safety and accessibility concerns. However, there are a number of alternative ways to enjoy these wonders of nature that are inclusive and safe to swim or snorkel. With that in mind, here is a list of three cenotes close to Mérida, Yucatán, that should satisfy all visitors to the peninsula.

El Corchito

Within a spectacular lagoon surrounded by mangrove forests, El Corchito Nature Reserve in Progreso consists of three open-air cenotes shallow enough to stand in. There is also plenty of wildlife around for nature lovers, from exotic birds to friendly resident coatis (members of the raccoon family), who will greet you on arrival. You will even find a small pool where you can dip your toes and get a free pedicure from tiny fish. The water is rich in minerals, giving it a silky texture that feels amazing against your skin. It is a perfect place to relax for hours idling in serenity.

A five-minute boat ride from an onshore jetty takes you through manmade canals and onto flat wooden walkways created by local fishermen. In 2019, the Mexican Government upgraded El Corchito, providing proper accessibility for visitors of all kinds. Now, it serves as a starting point for children, the elderly and others who want to experience cenotes but remain uncertain about the options available.  

How to get there from Mérida: Taxis and buses run from Mérida City Center to Progreso (22 miles ). El Corchito is a few miles from the drop-off, where taxis are available.

Cost: 90 pesos

Hacienda San Nicolás Dzoyaxché

If you’re looking to combine history, cenotes and family fun, then this former colonial estate is just the place. Apart from several attractions, including a kids area, rustic camping and a restaurant, the swimming pools are filled with water drawn from a cenote below. The children’s pool is shallow, while the adult pool has two levels, one of which is waist-deep. The relatively small cenote is open to visitors and has a mysterious cavernous feel with its overhanging stalactite walls.

Hacienda San Nicolás was once a hefty contributor to the old henequen fiber industry that dominated the peninsula and filled Spanish coffers. It is one of seven former estates within the Cuxtal Nature Reserve and still maintains much of the heavy machinery used in production. It has now been converted into a museum and leisure center for the community of Dzoyaxché.

How to get there from Mérida: Taxis and buses run from Mérida City Center to Dzoyaxché (15 ½ miles).

Cost: 20 pesos

Cenote Aketzali 

Have you ever wondered what having a cenote in your backyard would be like? Well, one family from the village of Tixcocob has exactly that, and they are happy to open it up for visitors. This small, semi-open cenote with translucent water looks more like a romantic grotto than an intimidating bottomless cave. A stone platform extending halfway across Aketzali allows you to paddle safely in a knee-deep environment, while a stone table and chairs give it a unique picnic option. For those who may find it difficult to navigate down the stairwell, a pool is also filled with water from the cenote.

The welcome gets even better because Aketzali includes local Yucatecan cuisine at a reasonable price. A pleasant shaded area beside the pool provides another option to relax in a natural environment away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

How to get there from Mérida: Taxis and buses run from Mérida City Center to Tixcocob (15 miles )

Cost: 60 pesos

Mark Viales writes for Mexico News Daily.

Government takes over private hydrogen plant in Tula, Hidalgo

By
MND Staff
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Tula refinery in Hidalgo
The hydrogen plant is part of a Pemex refinery that was sold to a French company in 2017. (Cuartoscuro)

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador issued a decree on Friday that orders the “immediate temporary occupation” by Pemex of a privately-owned hydrogen plant in Hidalgo.

Pemex, Mexico’s state oil company, sold a hydrogen plant within its Tula, Hidalgo, refinery complex to French company Air Liquide for US $52.7 million in 2017.

Air Liquide plant in Mexico
French company Air Liquide has various facilities around Mexico and a presence globally in 73 countries. (Air Liquide Mexico)

On Friday, López Obrador published a decree in the government’s official gazette that declared the supply of hydrogen from the plant a matter of “public interest.”

The decree ordered the immediate takeover of the plant by Pemex Transformación Industrial (TRI), the state oil company’s refining arm. It didn’t say how long the occupation would last.

Several Mexican media outlets have reported the takeover as an expropriation. The decree cites Mexico’s Expropriation Law, which stipulates the conditions under which a “temporary occupation” can occur.

The decree notes that “all refineries need hydrogen for the production of gasoline and diesel,” adding that “to achieve the federal government’s objective of reaching energy sovereignty … through self-sufficiency in the production of petroleum, it’s necessary to have autonomy in hydrogen supply at the Miguel Hidalgo Refinery in Tula, Hidalgo.”

AMLO visits the Tula refinery
President López Obrador, seen here in May with Energy Minister Nahle and Pemex director Octavio Romero (both on the left) during a visit to the Tula refinery, is a staunch energy nationalist. (Cuartsoscuro)

The current “dependency on a third party” for hydrogen at the Tula refinery places the production of gasoline and diesel at risk, the decree says.

It also says that the “temporary occupation for a reason of public interest … complies with the requirements of the law” given that “it responds to economic and social needs for the benefit of the population.”

TRI must compensate Air Liquide in accordance with an appraisal made by the Institute of Administration and Appraisal of National Assets, according to the decree.

In accordance with the Expropriation Law, the French company has the option to initiate legal action within 10 business days for “the sole objective of disputing the compensation amount,” the decree says.

In 2021, Pemex CEO Octavio Romero said that López Obrador had ordered negotiations to buy back hydrogen plants within the state oil company’s refinery complexes in Tula and Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas.

The plants were privatized during the 2012-18 presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto, whose government opened up Mexico’s energy sector to foreign and private companies.

López Obrador, a staunch energy nationalist, has long criticized the previous government’s energy reform, and implemented policies to favor Pemex and the state-owned Federal Electricity Commission.

Mexico is currently engaged in a long-running dispute with the United States and Canada over its energy policies.

The U.S. and Canadian governments claim that American and Canadian energy companies that operate in Mexico are being treated unfairly by the Mexican government in violation of the USMCA trade pact.

During López Obrador’s presidency, the government has shut down privately-owned fuel terminals, and in March the navy temporarily took control of a United States-owned marine terminal in Quintana Roo, a move U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said could have a “chilling effect” on future U.S. investment in Mexico

With reports from Reforma 

What’s on Mexico’s cultural calendar for 2024?

By
MND Staff
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Guelaguetza in July is one of the year's most festive events. (Carolina Jiménez Mariscal/Cuartoscuro)

It’s time to mark your calendar for 2024. From art fairs to carnivals and everything in between, Mexico has plenty of events to keep you busy!

Zona Maco

From Feb. 7 to 11, Mexico City will host the 20th edition of Zona Maco, Latin America’s largest art fair and one of the most important in the world. 

At Polanco’s Centro Citibanamex, Zona Maco will showcase 200 galleries featuring artists from 25 countries. (Zona Maco)

At Polanco’s Centro Citibanamex, the exposition will showcase 200 galleries featuring artists from 25 countries, including Germany, Austria, Japan, Latvia, Peru, Colombia, and more. The exhibitions will range from contemporary art to design and photography.

Carnaval de Mazatlán  

From Feb. 8 to 12, the Pacific beach city of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, will host its annual carnival, featuring cultural activities such as poetry contests, literature prizes and art exhibitions as well as musical performances and parades. 

The main events take place at the Paseo de Olas Altas and the Claussen, right by the sea, and include floats, games and the coronation of carnival kings and queens. 

Last year saw performances by Mexican groups like Jesse y Joy, Eden Muñoz and Banda MS. Performers for 2024 will be announced in January. 

Feria Nacional de San Marcos

The San Marcos National Fair will take place in Aguascalientes from April 13 to May 5. The fair will feature various cultural and artistic events, including musical performances, charrería, bullfights and other traditional elements of Mexican culture. 

This year featured renowned international artists such as Rod Stewart, Ricky Martin, and Maluma, as well as home-grown superstars like Danna Paola, Los Tigres del Norte, Christian Nodal and Alejandro Fernández, among others. This year’s lineup has yet to be unveiled.

The Carnival of Veracruz takes over the port city of Veracruz in late June. (Victoria Razo/Cuartoscuro)

Carnaval de Veracruz

From June 29 to July 5, the Gulf coast city of Veracruz will host its traditional carnival with arts, performances, floating cars and a wide range of spectacles.  

The festival begins with the “burning of the bad mood,” where a figure representing negative aspects of the state is set ablaze.

The carnival is the state’s most important annual event and is free to attend.

La Guelaguetza

Moving south to one of Mexico’s most iconic cultural states brings us to the Guelaguetza, Oaxaca’s biggest cultural event, which will take place throughout the month of July.

The Guelaguetza dates to pre-Columbian times, and the celebrations include craft exhibitions, dance performances, invitations and food fairs.

52nd Festival Internacional Cervantino

Guanajuato’s International Cervantino Festival is Latin America’s biggest cultural festival and will take place from Oct. 11 to 27.

The festival is known for featuring various performing and visual artists, and events in the visual arts, cinema, and literature.

One of the most popular features of the festival is walking through the winding alleys of the colonial city of Guanajuato to reach the different venues.

The Morelia Film Festival, which takes place in the picturesque Michoacán capital around Day of the Dead, celebrates the best of Mexican and world cinema. (Morelia Film Festival)

Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia 

The historic city of Morelia, Michoacán, is set to host its annual film festival from Oct. 18 to 27 next year. The festival will feature both national and international talent. Programming will be divided into four competitive sections, including short film, documentary, Mexican feature film and Michoacán cinema.

International Hot Air Balloon Festival 

From Nov. 15 to 18, the International Balloon Festival (FIG), one of the world’s three largest ballooning events, is held in the city of León, Guanajuato. 

In 2024, the festival will include sunrise takeoffs, the Zeppelin Show, a gastronomic pavilion, and the so-called “magic nights,” in which the balloons will light up to music.

The International Balloon Festival held in León is one of the world’s largest ballooning events. (vivefig.mx)

Guadalajara International Book Fair 

The Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) will invite Spain as the guest of honor next year. It is the most important literary event in the Spanish-speaking world and registered over 800,000 visitors this year. 

It runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 6, and includes author talks, children’s activities, book sales and more.

With reports from La Lista, Time Out and Milenio

14 townspeople kidnapped after deadly clash between farmers and cartel in Texcaltitlán

By
MND Staff
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State police, army and National Guard troops stand guard in Texcapilla, three days after the violent clash of Dec. 8.
State police, army and National Guard troops stand guard in Texcapilla, three days after the violent clash of Dec. 8. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro.com)

Fourteen people remain missing after they were kidnapped in the wake of a deadly confrontation in México state earlier this month, according to the local Attorney General’s Office.

A clash on Dec. 8 between farmers and alleged members of the La Familia Michoacana criminal organization in the municipality of Texcaltitlán left 14 people dead and seven others injured.

Texcaltitlán
On Dec. 8 clash, a group of México state farmers clashed with suspected cartel members, leaving 14 people dead. (Screen Capture/Cuartoscuro)

Ten of those killed were presumed cartel members, while the other four were local residents. The bodies of the alleged criminals were set on fire.

The confrontation reportedly occurred after members of La Familia Michoacana — a notoriously violent cartel — attempted to raise the payments they were demanding from farmers and business owners in exchange for allowing them to operate unimpeded.

México state Attorney General José Luis Cervantes told a press conference on Wednesday that none of the farmers involved in the clash would face charges as it was determined they acted in “legitimate self-defense.”

On the day of the clash, which occurred on a soccer field in Texcapilla, a small community in Texcaltitlán, the local residents came under attack first and consequently retaliated with their own gunfire, he said. The attorney general also said that residents and their families had faced constant threats from extortioners.

Delfina Gómez speaks at a podium while other officials listen
Delfina Gómez, governor of México state, announced a plan on Wednesday to boost security and “strengthen the social fabric” of the state after the recent violence in Texcaltitlán. (Delfina Gómez/X)

Cervantes said that authorities are searching for 14 people who were abducted shortly after the confrontation. It appears that the abductions were retaliation for the deaths of the cartel members in the clash, although authorities didn’t confirm that was the case.

Nine members of the same family, including four children aged between 18 months and 14, were kidnapped at a cartel roadblock, while two people were abducted by armed men from the Coatepec General Hospital, where they were receiving treatment for injuries they sustained in the Dec. 8 clash.

Three men including a Texcaltitlán municipal policeman were also abducted at a cartel roadblock.

Cervantes noted that the missing are two girls, two boys, three women and seven men. He said that no ransom requests had been received, and noted that authorities have conducted searches in Texcaltitlán and several other municipalities in the area.

The México state Attorney General’s Office is offering a reward of up to 500,000 pesos (about US $29,500) for information that leads to the location of those missing.

Cervantes called on citizens to provide any information that could help authorities locate the missing persons.

According to an Associated Press report, Texcaltitlán residents said that the Familia Michoacana was demanding they hand over the leaders of the Dec. 8 uprising, in exchange for releasing the kidnapped children and adults.

Yellow caution tape in front of a burned area of ground
After the Dec. 8 confrontation, a mob set the bodies of 10 alleged cartel members on fire. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)

Security Minister Andrés Andrade Téllez told the press conference on Wednesday that eight alleged members of the La Familia Michoacana cartel had been arrested since the Dec. 8 clash. Weapons, vehicles and other assets were seized from those detained, he said.

Andrade said that state police and federal security forces are maintaining a presence in Texcaltitlán to prevent extortion, a common crime in many parts of Mexico.

Governor Delfina Gómez said that a number of government ministries would contribute to a plan to improve security and “strengthen the social fabric” in Texcaltitlán and other parts of southern México state.

La Familia Michoacana has a strong presence in México state and the neighboring states of Michoacán and Guerrero.

One of the organization’s leaders, Rigoberto de la Sancha Santillán, was killed in the Dec. 8 clash.

De la Sancha, who was known as “El Payaso” (The Clown), allegedly participated in a 2021 ambush that killed 13 police officers in Coatepec Harinas, a México state municipality that borders Texcaltitlán.

He was the target of a 2022 police operation during which at least 10 presumed Familia Michoacana members were killed in Texcaltitlán.

With reports from Sin Embargo, El Universal, La Jornada and AP

Dengue cases on the rise in Guerrero

By
Cat Rainsford
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Dengue mosquito
Mexico's current dengue outbreak comes as part of the worst worldwide outbreak ever recorded. Doctors in Oaxaca are leading the fight to neutralize it. (Niny2405/Shutterstock)

Dengue cases are spiking in the coastal state of Guerrero in the wake of Hurricane Otis, with 14 deaths from the mosquito-borne condition reported in the state this year.

So far this year, 1,181of the registered cases are non-severe dengue, 1,665 are dengue with warning signs, and 141 are severe cases of dengue. The 14 deaths have been recorded in the regions of Tierra Caliente, Norte, Centro, Costa Chica and Acapulco.

Acapulco Otis
The devastation from Hurricane Otis has created perfect conditions for mosquitos, which spread the dengue virus, to breed. (Carlos Alberto Carbajal/Cuartoscuro)

The Guerrero Health Ministry (SSG) said in a bulletin that it had registered 2,671 cases up to Dec. 14. Of these, 918 were in Acapulco, the municipality hardest hit when Hurricane Otis made landfall on Oct. 25.

The Special Dengue Epidemiological Surveillance System reported an even higher number of 3,259 dengue cases in Guerrero in 2023, compared to 914 in all of 2022. The system detected a spike in cases of 82.2% following Hurricane Otis.

In response, the SSG has sprayed insecticides in fields and more than two million homes across the state, to control the breeding of the mosquitoes that spread the disease.

Dengue is spread by the bites of female Aedes mosquitoes. Its symptoms range from “mild fever to incapacitating high fever, with severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and rash,” according to the Pan American Health Organization. In the most severe cases, symptoms can progress to “shock, respiratory distress, severe bleeding, and/or serious organ impairment.”

It is particularly dangerous to children and young adults. Acapulco’s municipal health director Aniceto Leguizamo Dimas noted that around half of the confirmed cases in the municipality are in children under 15 years old.

Leguizamo urged residents to be aware of bodies of standing water that can serve as mosquito breeding grounds and to wash and turn over any pots that may be collecting water.

Dengue cases more than tripled across southern Mexico between 2022 and 2023, likely spreading from outbreaks in Central and South America earlier this year. According to Health Ministry figures, Guerrero is the state with the fifth highest number of cumulative cases, after Yucatán, Veracruz, Quintana Roo and Morelos.

However, according to the ministry’s most recent dengue report, cases dropped nationwide after a peak in around October. In contrast, cases in Guerrero showed a second spike in the wake of Hurricane Otis, and have continued to increase.

With reports from Sur Acapulco

Why is the Maya Train taking the weekend off?

By
MND Staff
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Service on the new Maya Train is suspended until the new year, as work continues on vital infrastructure. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

Operations on the Maya Train railroad have been temporarily suspended just two weeks after President López Obrador inaugurated the first sections of his signature infrastructure project.

The Maya Train announced in a statement and on social media that trains wouldn’t run on Dec. 28, 29, 30 and 31.

The Maya Train carried its first paying passengers on Dec. 16, with trips between Cancún and Campeche. (Michael Balam/Cuartocuro)

The suspension of operations was attributed to the “upcoming pre-opening” of the Cancún-Palenque stretch of the 1,554-kilometer-long railroad on Jan. 1.

The announcement on Thursday came after López Obrador inaugurated the Campeche-Cancún stretch of the railroad on Dec. 15.

That stretch comprises sections 2,3 and 4 of the railroad and has stations in or near the Yucatán cities of Mérida, Izamal and Valladolid, and the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá.

Although trains began running along those sections earlier this month, some of the 14 stations have not yet been completed.

Much of the Maya Train’s infrastructure still remains under construction. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

People with tickets to travel on the Maya Train between Dec. 28 and 31 should write to info@ventaboletostrenmaya.com.mx to seek a refund or make alternative travel arrangements, the statement said.

“On Jan. 1, 2024, we’ll resume our operations,” the Maya Train said before reiterating its “commitment to providing the best service” to passengers.

Since operations began, 10,680 passengers have “enjoyed the experience of traveling on the Maya Train,” the statement said.

López Obrador inaugurated construction of the Maya Train railroad in June 2020. Private companies and the military have worked on the railroad, which includes sections of newly-built tracks and ones that already existed.

The multi-billion-dollar railroad connects cities and towns in five states: Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, Quintana Roo and Chiapas.

The entire railroad, which has a total of seven sections, is scheduled to be operational by the end of February.

López Obrador asserts that the operation of the railroad – which will eventually be used by tourist, commuter and freight trains – will spur economic development in Mexico’s historically disadvantaged southeast.

The federal government has invested heavily in the region, building a new refinery on the Tabasco coast and a new airport in Tulum, and developing a trade corridor, which includes a modernized train line, across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to link the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts.

With reports from El Universal and Reforma 

Bodies of 2 miners located in El Pinabete mine

By
MND Staff
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Their bodies had been trapped underground since August 2022 when the Pinabete mine flooded. (@laoctavadigital/X)

The bodies of two of the 10 miners trapped underground when the Sabinas, Coahuila coal mine they were working in flooded in August 2022 have been located, the Coahuila Attorney General’s Office announced today.

Military personnel and specialists from the Coahuila Labor Ministry, the state’s Civil Protection body, the Federal Electricity Commission (FCE) and National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC) worked to locate the remains just over 200 feet underground. The bodies will now be identified and delivered to their respective families.

Rescue attempt at Pinabete
10 miners were killed at the Pinabete mine in Coahuila last year, despite immediate rescue efforts by an international team. (Especial/Cuartoscuro)

A statement from the federal government reported that 2.3 million cubic meters of rock and soil have been extracted during nearly 12,000 hours of uninterrupted recovery efforts at the El Pinabete mine. Given the amount of material necessary to remove from the mine – including water, which has been pumped out with purpose-built pumps – recovering the remains only became possible recently. CNPC reports discussing plans to recover the bodies had been published earlier this month.

El Pinabete reportedly flooded when uncontrolled mining at the site broke into Las Conchas, an abandoned neighboring mine, itself flooded by the nearby Sabinas River. This year, the newspaper El País described El Pinabete as “a tragedy waiting to happen” that lacked “even the most basic safety conditions.”

On May 24, Luis Rafael García Luna Acuña, majority stakeholder of El Pinabete, was arrested by the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) in Nuevo León on charges of illegal mining. In July, pre-trial judge José Luis Hernández Hernández granted García a stay and ordered his immediate release. The FGR appealed this decision, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals revoked the stay on Dec. 15.

The El Pinabete tragedy once again drew attention to the precarious conditions faced by miners in Mexico, particularly in Coahuila, where over 60 percent of mining accidents in Mexico take place. This July, almost one year after the collapse, two miners lost their lives in an accident at a different mine in Sabinas, the same city where El Pinabete is located.

With reports from Proceso, La Jornada San Luis

Did you notice any fishy headlines in Mexican news today?

By
MND Staff
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President López Obrador
Some of the president's signature mega-projects were the targets of joke news stories this year for Día de los Inocentes. (Cuartoscuro)

As is the case every Dec. 28, Mexican newspapers attempted to trick their readers on Thursday by publishing articles containing false information – fake news if you will.

The annual tradition is the way in which some newspapers observe Día de los Inocentes, Mexico’s equivalent of April Fools’ Day.

(Read about the origin of the “Feast of the Holy Innocents” in this 2022 Mexico News Daily article.)

While we’re not publishing our own “fake news story” this Día de los Inocentes (maybe next year!), we have prepared this brief roundup of noticias falsas found in Mexican newspapers.

A magical trip on the Maya Train 

El Universal reported that the Maya Train will start running recorridos nocturnos, or night trips, to allow passengers to see and interact with aluxes, mischievous woodland spirits in Maya folklore.

A dark blurry photo of an animal or human in a tree, next to a photo of a stone carving
The president shared the photo of a supposed alux (left) along with an ancient carving depicting the mythical creature earlier this year. (Andrés Manuel López Obrador/X)

On the trips there will be a “special stop at Chichén Itzá so tourists can interact with an alux in the vicinity of the jungle,” according to a concocted statement attributed to Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco.

“We hope that this Día de los Inocentes joke doesn’t become a [correct] prediction,” the article concluded.

New cat and rat-like animal discovered in Quintana Roo 

La Jornada Maya reported that workers on the Maya Train and Tulum airport projects had brought to light “what the Ministry of National Defense and the National Institute of Anthropology and History were hiding all these months” – the presence of a “never before seen animal” deep in the Maya Jungle.

Could an unknown species be lurking in the jungles of Tulum? (Gob MX)

According to the article, the new species – captured on camera by the workers – “looks like a combination of a cat and a giant rodent” and was observed “tearing to shreds and eating a tepezcuintle,” a large rodent called paca in English.

“The witnesses couldn’t believe what they saw,” reported La Jornada before conceding that “this content doesn’t correspond to reality.”

Mexican-made COVID vaccine finally available 

El Gran Diario de México (The Great Newspaper of Mexico), as El Universal calls itself, wasn’t content with just one fake news story, and in fact published several to mark Día de los Inocentes.

In this article, the newspaper reported that Mexico’s Patria COVID-19 vaccine is now available and that Maya Train, Interoceanic Train and Mexicana airline passengers will be the first to receive it.

Getting a shot and taking a trip on one of the “great transport projects created by and for the people of Mexico” are both ways in which people can demonstrate their patriotism, according to a mock press release from the National Council of Humanities, Science and Technology.

Read a couple of other spoof El Universal articles here and here.

Claudia Sheinbaum to travel on luxurious plane when president

This story didn’t come from a Mexican newspaper, but from the Morena candidate herself.

“Now that I’ve been traveling through the country so much, I’ve thought that it’s important that the next president has a plane of the kind that not even [Barack] Obama had,” Sheinbaum said in a video posted to social media.

“¡Ah! Inocentes palomitas se dejaron engañar. We’re going to continue with republican austerity,” she added.

Inocente palomita is the term used for anyone fooled on Día de los Inocentes.

Sheinbaum – whose political mentor, President López Obrador, sold the luxurious presidential plane used by his predecessor – told viewers of her video that they had allowed themselves to be deceived.

Not fake news, but seemingly so 

To mark Día de los Inocentes, the Reforma newspaper highlighted actual stories from 2023 that people could conceivably believe were in fact fake news.

Under the headline “It’s not fake news, it’s reality!,” the newspaper published 13 headlines relating to true stories. Among them were:

Mexico News Daily  

Got 1 min? Cold front causes strange phenomenon in Chiapas sky

By
MND Staff
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The phenomenon sparked several conspiracy theories on social media on Wednesday. (Geoamantes/Facebook)

On Wednesday morning, the residents of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas observed a peculiar event in the sky: a hole in the clouds.

The phenomenon occurred at around 9:00 a.m., when some captured an unusual cloud formation with a hole in it. The cloud appeared either oval or round, depending on the location from which it was observed, with an irregular rainbow also visible in its center. 

Images of this distinct phenomenon went viral on Wednesday, giving way to all kinds of conjectures. 

While some people suggested it was an extraterrestrial ship with an invisibility effect, others claimed it was a portal or an apocalyptic signal. Even Mexico’s best-known ufologist Jaime Maussan shared the videos of the strange cloud on his social media accounts, saying it could be “atmospheric” but could also be an “anomaly.”

However, as odd as the sighting was, it was none of the above. The spectacle was a rare but natural occurrence known as a cavum. According to NASA, cavum “are among the most eye-catching cloud formations spotted by sky watchers.”

Also known as hole-punch clouds, cavum are formed due to cold air temperatures and atmospheric instability. When viewed from below, they look like a small lake of blue sky surrounded by feathery clouds, and – though cavum appear to have the exact circumference of a UFO – they are often triggered by a passing aircraft.   

With reports from Infobae

Walmart and Red Cross to sell Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines in Mexico

By
Cat Rainsford
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The vaccines will cost 845 pesos (US $50) at Walmart in Mexico. (CRISANTA ESPINOSA AGUILAR /CUARTOSCURO.COM)

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be available at some Walmart stores and Red Cross centers across Mexico starting Thursday, a week after it went on sale in some Mexican pharmacies.

In a statement, Walmart Mexico announced that Pfizer’s Comirnaty vaccine would be administered by trained medical personnel in more than 130 Walmart Express and Walmart Supercenter pharmacies in 19 Mexican states, at a cost of 845 pesos (US $50).

Currently, Pfizer, Abdala and Sputnik are the only Covid-19 vaccines available in Mexico. Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine has been authorized by Cofepris but has yet to be distributed to pharmacies. (Demián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)

It will be available for people over 12 years old from Dec. 28, and for children aged 5-11 from Jan. 4. The supermarket chain urged interested customers to check availability and hours of operation on its Walmart Pharmacy page.

The vaccine also became available at select Red Cross centers starting on Thursday in Mexico City and México state, at the lower price of 785 pesos (US $46.50). Jorge Alberto Forastieri, Red Cross representative in México state, explained that profits from initial vaccine sales would be used to deliver doses to marginalized communities.

“It’s a very small recovery fee,” he told the Ciro Gómez Leyva morning news program. “We have this recovery quota to reach vulnerable communities and be able to give [the vaccine] at a much better price.”

In the initial phase, Forastieri explained, around 100 doses per day of the vaccine will be available in Red Cross centers in Cuajimalpa and Polanco, in Mexico City, and Toluca, Naucalpan, Cuautitlán and Huixquilucan, in México state. It will be administered to both children and adults between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. 

The Red Cross’ charitable vaccine program will initially focus on vulnerable communities in the mountainous regions of México state, where winter conditions and high costs are preventing many people from accessing the vaccine. The program will later roll out to other areas of the country, as the Red Cross expands its cold-chain distribution network.

Forastieri said that the Red Cross had launched its vaccination program upon seeing the vaccines rapidly sell out after becoming available for purchase in pharmacies across Mexico last week.

“From the moment we saw this – fortunately, the vaccines immediately sold out [only] in the pharmacies – we talked to the company [Pfizer] and they guaranteed to supply us with the vaccines that are necessary,” Forastieri said. “We are going to request them as they run out, to never stop delivering them and covering society’s needs.”

Mexico’s health regulatory agency Cofepris approved the sale of Pfizer’s Cominarty Omicron XBB 1.5 and Moderna’s Spikevax monovalent XBB 1.5 vaccines in early December. Both are effective against the newer Omicron variant XBB 1.5 of COVID-19.

Public hospitals around Mexico offer the Russian Sputnik vaccine and Cuban Abdala vaccine free of charge – but the latter does not protect against newer strains of the virus. 

With reports from Expansión Política

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