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Sheinbaum celebrates Mexico’s history-making match: Wednesday’s mañanera recapped

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President Sheinbaum standing before a tweet she wrote
President Sheinbaum congratulated the Mexican team on Wednesday for playing "with heart, with soul and with pride." (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds

  • El Tri advances, but tragedy strikes: Sheinbaum celebrated Mexico’s 2-0 win over Ecuador — the country’s first World Cup knockout victory since 1986 — calling it “a source of pride for all Mexicans,” but also expressed the government’s solidarity with the families of three people who died of suffocation in apparent crowd crushes near the Angel of Independence during post-match celebrations. She said Mexico City’s Attorney General’s Office will review what happened and consider preventative measures ahead of Sunday’s match.
  • 🎉 Celebrations across the country: Sheinbaum shared a video of El Tri celebrations in the Mexico City Zócalo, Guadalajara’s Glorieta La Minerva and Veracruz, among other places, and read aloud her social media post praising the team for playing “with heart, with soul and with pride.”
  • 🌎 World Cup as tourism boost: Sheinbaum asserted that foreign visitors’ positive experiences during the World Cup — contrasting with perceptions of Mexico as violent — will drive future tourism, crediting “the happy, hospitable people of Mexico” as the country’s best promotional campaign.

Why today’s mañanera matters

President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Wednesday morning press conference came the morning after Mexico’s World Cup football team, El Tri, defeated Ecuador 2-0 at Mexico City Stadium (aka Estadio Azteca). The victory — Mexico’s first in a World Cup knockout match since 1986 — sparked boisterous celebrations across Mexico, including in the vicinity of Mexico City’s Angel of Independence monument, where around 1 million people are said to have gathered.

Sheinbaum watched the match with Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada at a fan festival in the borough of Azcapotzalco.

President Sheinbaum and Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada watched Tuesday's match with neighbors of Azcapotzalco in the northwest part of the capital.
President Sheinbaum and Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada watched Tuesday’s match with neighbors of Azcapotzalco in the northwest part of the capital. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

At today’s mañanera, the president celebrated the victory, but also acknowledged that the celebrations in Mexico City turned fatal, with three people dying due to suffocation amid the huge crowds.

Despite that tragedy, Sheinbaum said that “the happiness of the people of Mexico today is very great.”

Also of note at today’s mañanera were the president’s remarks about how the World Cup in Mexico — and especially the happiness of celebrating Mexicans — will help attract more foreign tourists to the country.

Sheinbaum congratulates El Tri 

Sheinbaum presented a video showing celebrations in different parts of Mexico during and after El Tri’s match against Ecuador, nicknamed “La Tri.” Among the places featured were the Mexico City Zócalo — site of the official FIFA Fan Festival, Glorieta La Minerva in Guadalajara and the port city of Veracruz.

After the video played, Sheinbaum congratulated “la selección” before applauding the team.

On social media on Tuesday night, the president wrote:

“They played with heart, with soul and with pride. Today our team gave us unforgettable happiness and showed that we must never stop believing in Mexico. Thank you for defending our colors with passion and for making an entire country celebrate together. May the cry of goal continue ringing loud! ¡Viva México!”

Sheinbaum read out her post at this morning’s press conference.

She also said that the Mexican team “gave it their all” on the pitch, displaying “exceptional professionalism.”

“[The victory] is a source of pride for all Mexicans,” Sheinbaum said.

Sheinbaum laments death of 3 people during post-match celebrations 

At the start of her press conference, Sheinbaum told reporters she was hoarse from yelling “goal!” during Tuesday night’s match.

She subsequently expressed the federal government’s “solidarity” with the families of three people who died of suffocation during post-match celebrations in the vicinity of the Angel of Independence, a monument on Mexico City’s Paseo de la Reforma. The victims, a 44-year-old man, a 19-year-old woman and a 48-year-old woman, were apparently killed in crowd crushes. The Mexico City Health Ministry reported the deaths.

Sheinbaum said that Mayor Brugada had been in contact with the victims’ families. She also said she had instructed Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez to provide “all necessary support.”

Later in the press conference, Sheinbaum said that the Mexico City Attorney General’s Office has to review “exactly what happened” during the celebrations near the Angel of Independence.

“We’re going to look at exactly what happened and see if some preventative actions are needed for Sunday,” she said.

At Mexico City Stadium on Sunday, Mexico will play the winner of Wednesday’s round of 32 match between England and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sheinbaum: All foreigners who came to Mexico for the World Cup will return

Sheinbaum asserted that all the foreign tourists who have come to Mexico for the World Cup will return to the country. She has noted on several occasions that World Cup visitors have been warmly welcomed by Mexicans, and claims that the World Cup atmosphere — including post-match celebrations — is better in Mexico than in the United States or Canada.

On Wednesday morning, Sheinbaum said that foreigners who have visited Mexico during the World Cup will talk to their friends and family about their experience in Mexico and what Mexican people are like.

“That part is very important [for tourism promotion], as is the international promotion [showing] how the World Cup is experienced” in Mexico, she said.

“… They said that Mexico was nothing but violence,” Sheinbaum said.

“Nobody imagined they were going to arrive in Mexico City, Monterrey or Guadalajara and there was going to be the jubilation there is,” she said.

“… What is happening in Mexico is the best [tourism] campaign. … And who did it? The people, the people did it. The happy, hospitable people [of Mexico].”

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

El Tri wins its first knockout game in 40 years, fueling Mexico with unlimited optimism

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Julian Quiñones (seen flying) and Raúl Jiménez scored first-half goals, leading Mexico to a dramatic 2-0 win over Ecuador Tuesday night at Mexico City Stadium.
Julian Quiñones (seen flying) and Raúl Jiménez scored first-half goals, leading Mexico to a dramatic 2-0 win over Ecuador Tuesday night at Mexico City Stadium. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored first-half goals, leading Mexico to a dramatic 2-0 win over Ecuador Tuesday night at Mexico City Stadium, El Tri’s first victory in a World Cup knockout game in 40 years.

Goalie Raúl Rangel made a remarkable save to preserve the advantage shortly before halftime and El Tri saw out the remaining 45 minutes efficiently, improving Mexico’s all-time World Cup record at the iconic Mexico City stadium to 7-2-0.

Electrical storms delayed kick-off by an hour, but coach Javier Aguirre’s men started the game on the front foot, creating three good scoring chances in the first 15 minutes.

Mexico City Stadium (and millions in plazas across the country) erupted in full-throated celebration shortly thereafter when Quiñones fired a shot into the short-side netting, his third goal of the 2026 World Cup. 

Quiñones raced down the left flank in pursuit of a perfectly weighted lead pass by Roberto Alvarado, dribbled into the box, then turned defender William Pacho around, before thumping the ball past Hernán Galíndez. 1-0 Mexico.

Just past the half-hour mark, Quiñones played facilitator, feeding Jiménez at the top of the box with enough room to take one touch before spinning a right-footed shot inside the right post, doubling Mexico’s lead.

It was the first time Ecuador had given up two goals in a game in more than two years.

Jiménez created the chance by acrobatically flicking the ball into the Ecuador defensive third, then stealing a stubbed clearance by center-back Joel Ordóñez. 

Quiñones and Jiménez on the pitch
The goal by Raúl Jiménez (right) lifted him into second place on the all-time Mexico scoring list with 47, just five behind Javier “Chicharito” Hernández. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

The former Fulham forward eluded Chelsea midfielder Moisés Caicedo about 25 meters from goal and squared a pass to Quiñones at the top of the box. Quiñones stepped around Alan Franco and slipped a return pass to Jiménez who had drifted into a clearing between four Ecuadorian defenders with space to control and shoot.

Jiménez’s goal lifted him into second place on the all-time Mexico scoring list with 47, just five behind Javier “Chicharito” Hernández. 

Less than 10 minutes later, the 26-year-old Rangel rose to the occasion. At full stretch, the Chivas goalkeeper parried aside a John Yeboah blast that was ticketed for the far corner. He followed that up by punching the ensuing corner kick clear of the box, leading to a short-lived breakout that set Ecuador back on its collective heels.

Aguirre may have been disappointed that Mexico squandered a few chances to increase the lead before halftime, but his men won the tactical battle thereafter.

Despite ceding possession to Ecuador in the second half, El Tri still outshot the South Americans 14-4 and harassed Sebastián Beccacece’s squad into numerous unforced errors, even provoking stalwart defenseman Piero Hincapíe into losing his composure and earning a red card.

President Sheinbaum and Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada watched Tuesday's match with neighbors of Azcapotzalco in the northwest part of the capital.
President Sheinbaum and Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada watched Tuesday’s match with neighbors of Azcapotzalco in the northwest part of the capital. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico maintained solid defensive shape throughout and enough counterattacking flair in the second half to keep the flashy Ecuadorians at bay, continuing its perfect run into the Round of 16 and a potential clash with world No. 4 England next Sunday.

With the victory, Mexico improved its all-time record at Estadio Banorte (formerly Azteca) in nine World Cup games to 7 wins and 2 draws (with 15 goals scored and 2 goals allowed). This includes three wins this month (2-0 over South Africa in the inaugural match, 3-0 over Czechia on June 24 and Tuesday’s triumph).

Post-game notes

With the victory over Ecuador, El Tri is now 2-2-7 all-time in World Cup knockout games, its only prior win coming just over 40 years ago, at the very same venue in southern Mexico City. 

That 2-0 victory over Bulgaria in a Round of 16 match on June 15, 1986, featured the Greatest Goal in World Cup History (according to a 2018 FIFA poll). Also of note, Manuel Negrete’s stunning left-footed scissors kick was assisted by none other than Javier Aguirre.

Goalie Raúl Rangel has yet to let a single goal hit his net in this World Cup
Goalie Raúl Rangel has yet to let a single goal hit his net in this World Cup. (Edgar Negrete/Cuartoscuro)

With Tuesday night’s shutout, El Tri is one of just two teams yet to give up a goal at the World Cup; Spain — which will play its Round of 32 match on Thursday against Austria — is the other.

Mexico is also only the fourth team in FIFA World Cup history to start a tournament with four straight shutouts, joining Brazil (1986), Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006).

Mexico News Daily

MND Local: Guadalajara wraps up World Cup hosting duties, but continues exciting art exhibition

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Lamine Yamal of Spain operates against Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Guadalajara hosted four group stage games in this year's World Cup, giving local fans the chance to see international stars such as Spain's teenage prodigy, Lamine Yamal. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)

Guadalajara wrapped up hosting duties for the 2026 FIFA World Cup last week with two games at Guadalajara Stadium, while Plácido Domingo performed a sold-out concert at the Santander Performing Arts Center in Zapopan to cap Jalisco’s World Cup cultural program. However, for those who have soccer fatigue (or never cared to begin with), there is also a stellar modern art exhibit showing at Museo Cabañas in the city center

Spain beats Uruguay with a monarch in attendance

The city’s crème de la crème turned out in force for the final night of live World Cup action at Guadalajara Stadium last Friday night, a highly anticipated matchup between the national teams of Spain and Uruguay. With most attendees sporting new Spanish team jerseys, the stands were transformed into a sea of crimson, save for a few pockets of blue and white worn by the outnumbered Uruguayan fans.

King Felipe VI of Spain watching the World Cup in Estadio Akron in Zapopan
Spain’s King Felipe VI visited Guadalajara to see his nation’s team play Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)

The game itself was uninspired and at times downright boring, with neither side delivering much spark or creativity on the pitch. But Spain prevailed 1-0 to close out the group stage of its campaign and advance to the round of 32, a result that surely pleased the Spanish monarch, King Felipe VI, seated in the front row of the honorary VIP box.

Early last week, fan zones and public spaces were chock-full of boisterous Colombian soccer fans, who had arrived to support their team as it took on the Republic of Congo in Guadalajara on June 23

Colombians keep one eye on soccer scores and the other on presidential politics

But even as they cheered on their squad, Colombian visitors here last week had one eye on events back home. In one of Colombia’s most polarizing presidential elections in recent memory, the results were unexpected. Abelardo de la Espriella, a right-wing lawyer backed by Donald Trump, won the election by less than 1% of the vote.

While united in their support of the national team, Colombian visitors in Guadalajara were sharply divided on who should lead their country — and were not shy about sharing their thoughts as World Cup celebrations carried on around them. To supporters like José Vaquero, a businessman from Bogotá, De la Espriella’s victory represents a respite amid a crisis that in his view is suffocating Colombia.

“I see a very positive outlook, with a lot of activity, especially in the oil and corporate sectors. We lead an important business community in Bogotá … and we hope that everything will turn out well,” he said, per Milenio.

On the other side of the political spectrum are Colombians like Genaro Ruiz, who noted of the newly elected leader: “He does not have firsthand knowledge of the problems facing our country, considering that he lives between the United States and Italy. Colombia is facing a very difficult situation in education and health, and I believe that these are the issues he should be focusing on.”

Plácido Domingo delights fans in a sold-out concert in Zapopan

 

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It was a week for star-studded events and visiting dignitaries. Capping Jalisco’s cultural program for the 2026 World Cup, the legendary Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo performed at a sold-out gala last Thursday evening in the performance hall bearing his name at the Santander Performing Arts Center. 

It was a special return to the city where Domingo made his stage debut back in 1958. The production, billed as a “Concert for Three Voices,” was designed to showcase the historical, artistic and musical ties shared by Mexico and Spain. 

The concert brought together more than 150 artists and combined two musical traditions with deep historical roots: Spanish zarzuela and Jalisco mariachi. The evening unfolded as a round trip between Spain and Mexico, with Plácido Domingo as the central figure, complemented by extensive participation from various soloists, orchestras and choirs. 

The concert reached its emotional peak with the mariachi finale. Dressed as a charro and accompanied by the Mariachi Femenil Nuevo Tecalitlán, Domingo closed with a resounding rendition of “El Rey,” which brought the audience to its feet for a long ovation, as if welcoming back one of their own.

A journey through 20th-century Mexican art in Museo Cabañas exhibition

An exceptional collection of modern Mexican art is now on display at the Museo Cabañas in downtown Guadalajara. Titled “Journeys Through Mexico: Territories and Roots,” it’s being presented in collaboration with the National Bank of Mexico. 

Curated by Carlos Segoviano, the exhibit showcases the bank’s historically significant collection of Mexican art, bringing together 55 works by 43 iconic artists, including Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Rufino Tamayo and Miguel Covarrubias. 

Frida Kahlo painting "Fruits of the Earth"
Before the recent Museo Cabañas exhibition, Frida Kahlo’s “Fruits of the Earth” had never been shown in Guadalajara. (Frida Kahlo)

It marks the first time that Frida Kahlo’s vibrant and poignant “Fruits of the Earth” is on display in Guadalajara. Also on display is Diego Rivera’s masterpiece “The Flower Vendor (Girl with Lilies).” The visually striking portrayal of an Indigenous girl gathering calla lilies showcases Rivera’s distinct stylized naturalism, while conveying a deeper commentary about the struggles of Mexico’s Indigenous people. 

Dates: April 28 to July 19. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Location: Cabañas Museum, Cabañas 8, Plaza Tapatía, Guadalajara

Cost: 160 pesos for general admission, with reduced prices for children, residents, students and teachers. The exhibit is free on Tuesdays.

MND Writer Dawn Stoner is reporting from Guadalajara.

Oaxaca’s signature cantera verde has been recognized globally as a Heritage Stone

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The Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in the state capital is a famous example of the use of Oaxaca's cantera verde, or green tuff. (INAH)

Oaxaca’s signature quarry stone cantera verde has been officially recognized as a “Heritage Stone” by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), revealing the stone’s fundamental role in shaping the city’s architectural identity. 

“Its unique color remains a defining characteristic of the city of Oaxaca,” IUGS said

The recognition by the International Union of Geological Sciences puts Oaxaca’s signature stone in the same globally honored category as another Mexican stone, cantera Tezoantla.
(CINAH)

The recognition places the Mexican stone, known in English as green tuff, in a highly select group of historic stones of universal value alongside Italy’s Carrara marble, Norwegian larvikite, Alpedrete granite from Spain and cantera Tezoantla, also from Mexico. 

“This international designation celebrates a stone, but also the memory of a city, the work of generations of stonemasons and artisans and the strength of a living heritage,” Culture Minister Claudia Curiel Icaza said.

Oaxaca’s cantera verde has been used since at least the 16th century in temples, convents, civic buildings, houses, fountains, sidewalks and ornamental elements of Oaxaca’s Historic Center, and stands out for its distinctive grayish-green hues. 

Notable examples include the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, the Government Palace of Oaxaca, the Macedonio Alcalá Theater, the Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art and the Basilica of Our Lady of Solitude.

Of volcanic origin, Oaxaca’s original quarries are now closed due to the city’s continuous growth. Nowadays, the stone is primarily extracted from the mines of Magdalena Apasco Etla in the same state, with artisans using it as a material in the conservation and maintenance of historic buildings.

The designation was the result of an initiative developed by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) — through its Faculty of Architecture and Institute of Geophysics — and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). 

With it, Mexico seeks to “strengthen efforts regarding the research, conservation and dissemination of cultural heritage, and to reaffirm the close relationship between geology, architecture, heritage and identity,” INAH said

With reports from Architectural Digest and The Art Newspaper

Mexico’s faithful fans have a nearby Soccer Baby Jesus to turn to for ‘a little help’ in the World Cup

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El Niño Futbolero
Church authorities themselves arranged for the Soccer Baby Jesus to be placed inside the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, to which eager fans of El Tri have flocked for devine help against Ecuador in the knockout round of the World Cup. (Andrea Murcia / Cuartoscuro.com )

World Cup fans desperate for their team to take home the trophy often turn to expressions of faith and prayer. Mexican fans are no different, and in Mexico City they have the perfect icon to which they can voice their petitions.

Perched in front of the magnificent Altar of the Kings in the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral is Soccer Baby Jesus (aka El Niño Futbolero) clad in a Mexican national team jersey with a soccer ball sitting next to him.

In the days leading up to the Mexico-Ecuador World Cup showdown Tuesday evening, the jersey-clad Soccer Baby Jesus occupied a prominent place in the Cathedral.
(Estrella Josento / Cuartoscuro.com)

“We ask the Christ Child for a victory for Mexico … and possibly that we can win the World Cup,” one fan told ESPN after visiting the shrine.

“We want Mexico to win and advance to the fifth game,” said another before Tuesday’s (fourth) game. “We’re all excited and looking forward to the next match, to seeing Mexico in the finals. A little help wouldn’t hurt.”

The massive 16th-century Cathedral sits in the heart of downtown Mexico City, adjacent to the FIFA Fan Fest erected in the Zócalo for the duration of the World Cup.

Thousands of fans attending the soccer festival have also entered the Cathedral to pray and pay homage to the baby Jesus.

It is common in Catholic countries across the world to dress a baby Jesus in different vestments depending on the liturgical season. In Mexico, that practice has come to include cloaking the infant to look like a ​pilgrim to grant protection to travellers, or to clothe him in a doctor’s outfit for good health.

Corral said the pilgrims are not just Mexico fans, noting that Colombian fans were “saying their prayers to ask for victory” the day before Colombia played Uzbekistan at Mexico City Stadium.

Supporters of the national teams of Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Mexico and other countries could be seen posing for photos in front of the figure, others simply praying for victory.

Cathedral officials say the baby Jesus will remain on display until ​the end of the ⁠tournament, and will be attired in El Tri gear regardless of Mexico’s performance.

With reports from ESPN, Reuters, Forbes México and Heraldo de México

New arrest made in double homicide of Mexico City mayor’s aides

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Jovany "N"
According to El Universal, Jovany "N" is a close collaborator of Samuel Santos Carvajal, aka "El Chamaco" (The Kid), an alleged mastermind of last year's double homicide. (SSPC/Cuartoscuro)

Federal and Mexico City authorities announced on Monday the arrest in Morelos of a man allegedly connected to the May 2025 murder of two aides of Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada.

Ximena Guzmán, Brugada’s personal secretary, and José Muñoz, an advisor to the mayor, were shot dead on a busy Mexico City avenue on May 20, 2025.

Ximena Guzmán and José Muñoz
The attack occurred as Ximena Guzmán picked up her colleague José Muñoz before work. (X)

In a joint statement issued on Monday, the federal and Mexico City Security Ministries and the federal and Mexico City Attorney General’s Offices said that Jovany “N” — identified in media reports as Jovany Santa Cruz Molina — was arrested in Yautepec, a municipality in Morelos, about 30 kilometers southeast of state capital Cuernavaca.

The authorities said that the suspect is allegedly a member of a criminal cell linked to the murders of the two Mexico City officials. They said that investigative and intelligence work carried out by federal and Mexico City authorities in coordination with the National Intelligence Center led to the location of Santa Cruz in Yautepec, where he was arrested by federal agents near a market in the center of the municipal seat, called Yautepec de Zaragoza. The suspect was in the possession of a firearm, a bag of unidentified drugs and scales at the time of his arrest.

The federal and Mexico City authorities didn’t identify the criminal group of which Santa Cruz is allegedly a member, but the news outlet Eje Central reported that said group has links to La Unión Tepito, a notorious Mexico City crime gang based in the inner-city neighborhood of Tepito.

The newspaper El Universal reported that investigations link Santa Cruz, known as “La Muñeca” (The Doll), to drug trafficking in northern Mexico City. El Universal wrote that the suspect has been identified as a close collaborator of Samuel Santos Carvajal, aka “El Chamaco” (The Kid), an alleged mastermind of last year’s double homicide.

Last August, Mayor Brugada announced the arrest of 13 people in connection with the murder of Guzmán and Muñoz, but the perpetrator of the crime and the alleged mastermind or masterminds were not among those taken into custody.

On May 20, 2025, security cameras captured a man in a motorcycle helmet shooting the two mayoral aides through the windshield of a vehicle they were traveling in. Authorities haven’t disclosed a motive for the crime, but the media has speculated that the murders were payback for the arrests of criminal leaders in the capital.

Mexico City Attorney General Bertha Alcalde said last August that Guzmán and Muñoz were followed for approximately 20 days before they were murdered. There was “advanced planning sustained over time,” she said.

With reports from Excélsior, El Universal and La Jornada

Mexico’s Health Ministry plans to eliminate transmission of HIV by 2030

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Health Minister David Kershenobich
Health Minister David Kershenobich shared the stage with President Sheinbaum Tuesday as he explained his ministry's plan to eliminate HIV transmission in Mexico by 2030. (Juan Carlos Ramos Mamahua/Presidencia)

Mexico aims to eliminate the transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) by 2030, Health Minister David Kershenobich announced Tuesday.

“Mexico ensures universal access to prevention, detection and care … within the framework of universal health coverage,” Kershenobich said during President Sheinbaum’s daily morning press conference. “The goal is to eliminate HIV by 2030.”

HIV march Dec 2025
The Health Ministry’s ambitious plan to eradicate HIV once and for all comes in the context of a population that has demonstrated notable awareness of the virus, as witnessed by the demonstration last December that included the slogan “HIV doesn’t kill — stigma and ignorance do.” (Haarón Álvarez/Cuartoscuro)

HIV testing is free in Mexico. It does not require an appointment and is available at primary care facilities across all 32 states, as well as through campaigns in schools, workplaces and health fairs.

An estimated 430,000 people are currently living with HIV in Mexico, but approximately 128,000, or around 30%, are unaware they are infected.  

To achieve its 2030 goal, the Health Ministry will strengthen detection strategies and urge young people to get tested, according to Kershenobich. 

At present, 95% of identified patients receive treatment, and a similar percentage maintain a controlled viral load, which significantly improves their quality of life and reduces the risk of virus transmission, as patients with an undetectable viral load no longer transmit the disease. 

“Therefore, HIV control not only protects the individual but also prevents new transmissions,” explained Kershenobich. “The concept of undetectable means untransmittable… [which] has significantly changed the course of HIV care for patients.”

Mexico aims to achieve the international 95-95-95 target by 2030, meaning that 95% of people living with HIV are diagnosed, that 95% of those who have been diagnosed receive treatment and that 95% of those receiving treatment achieve viral control. 

Kershenobich stressed that antiretroviral treatment is free of charge from all public institutions, including the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), the IMSS-Bienestar program and the Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers (ISSSTE), as well as from health services provided by Pemex, the states and the Armed Forces. 

In addition, Mexico’s public health system offers free pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for people at higher risk of acquiring the virus, as well as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which can be administered within 72 hours of possible exposure.

With reports from Milenio, MVS Noticias and Infobae

Mexico begins consultation process with over 16,000 communities on new Indigenous rights law

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book on the General Law on the Rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples
If, as expected, the proposed General Law on the Rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples is approved by Congress, Mexico's Indigenous and Afro-Mexican people and communities will have additional legal protection of their rights. (Gabriel Monroy/Presidencia)

Before sending the proposed General Law on the Rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples to Congress in October, the federal government will consult more than 16,000 communities on the bill.

President Claudia Sheinbaum signed a convocatoria, or official announcement, at her Monday morning press conference that sets the consultation process in motion.

Sheinbaum presenting a new law on Indigenous rights with members of Mexico's Indigenous population
The proposed law seeks to benefit some 25.8 million Indigenous and Afro-Mexican people across Mexico as well as 16,728 communities. (Gabriel Monroy/Presidencia)

Luisa María Alcalde, the president’s top legal adviser, told reporters on Monday that “the time has come” to consult “the holders” of the rights under the proposed law — i.e., Mexico’s Indigenous and Afro-Mexican people.

Alcalde said that people belonging to 69 different Indigenous groups as well as Afro-Mexicans across 16,728 communities will be consulted on the proposed law, which is scheduled to be sent to Congress on Oct. 12, a date that has been known in Mexico as the Day of the Pluricultural Nation since 2021.

She said that the proposed law was developed by “many” government agencies, including the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI).

The proposed law 

At Sheinbaum’s Monday morning press conference, INPI General Director Adelfo Regino Montes spoke about the content of the proposed law and how it came about. Regino Montes said that the “foundation” or “origin” of the proposed law is “the new Article 2 of the Mexican Constitution,” which took effect on Oct. 1, 2024 and sets out a range of rights for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples and communities.

He said that the objective of the proposed law is to “promote, protect, guarantee and implement the rights of Indigenous and Afro‑Mexican peoples and communities in their capacity as subjects of public law … with legal personality and their own heritage so that they can exercise their autonomy and participate in national public life.”

The recognition of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples “as subjects of public law” — i.e., individuals and groups with distinct legal rights — is at the heart of the 2024 constitutional reform, Regino Montes said.

He said that the “subjects” of the proposed law are some 25.8 million Indigenous and Afro-Mexican people across Mexico as well as 16,728 communities, of which 16,232 are Indigenous and 496 are Afro-Mexican. That number of people represents 20.5% of the Mexican population, Regino Montes said.

He said that the proposed law consists of “eight books,” whose titles include “Indigenous Peoples and Communities as Subjects of Public Law” and “Self-determination and Autonomy.”

Other books that are part of the proposed law seek to enshrine in law the specific rights of Afro-Mexican people and communities, of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women and girls, and of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican migrants, seniors and people with disabilities.

Among the other books that make up the proposed law is Book 6, which sets out “the bases, methodologies and procedures” for consultations with Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities.

“The idea is that now we will have a legal framework to guarantee the right to consultation for our [Indigenous and Afro-Mexican] people and communities,” Regino Montes said.

Some previous consultations with Indigenous peoples, such as that related to the Maya Train project, have faced criticism. In 2019, the Mexico office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that during the month-long Maya Train consultation process in southeastern states, it observed that the information presented to Indigenous communities only outlined the potential benefits of the project and not the negative impacts it may cause.

Topolobampo ammonia plant protests
Members of the Aquí No movement speak to the media in Topolobampo, Sinaloa, where Indigenous activists say authorities conducted an illegitimate consultation on the construction of an ammonia plant on Ohuira Bay. (José Luis Luna)

The INPI chief said on Monday that the proposed law was developed at 148 work meetings in which 35 federal agencies and entities participated. He said that the Supreme Court was also consulted on the bill, “particularly on those aspects related to justice.”

If, as expected, the proposed General Law on the Rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples is approved by Congress, Mexico’s Indigenous and Afro-Mexican people and communities will have additional legal protection of their rights.

Regino Montes highlighted that Mexico is set to have “an Indigenous Law” for the first time since the Mexican state came into being more than 200 years ago.

Consequently, “our people” and “our communities” will be able to “provide their grain of corn in this process of construction of national public life,” he said.

The 5 stages of the consultation process 

Alcalde said that the aim of the consultation is to “receive opinions, suggestions and proposals on the draft General Law on the Rights of Indigenous and Afro‑Mexican Peoples from the subjects of this Law.”

She said that the consultation process consists of five stages.

“The first stage is today, today we sign the convocatoria,” Alcalde said.

“We’ll see the convocatoria published today in the evening edition of the Official Gazette of the federation,” she said.

Alcalde said that the second stage of the consultation process would run from July 1 to Aug. 6 and consist of providing information about the proposed law to the more than 16,000 Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities across Mexico.

The INPI has created a “booklet” with information about the law that will allow Indigenous and Afro-Mexican people to analyze it, she said.

The third stage will take place between Aug. 7 and Sept. 13 and will consist of deliberations on the proposed law by each of the thousands of communities, Alcalde said.

“Each community will deliberate in accordance with its own internal regulatory system, respecting its traditional ways of organization and decision-making,” she said.

“During this stage, 82 regional consultation assemblies will be carried out,” Alcalde added.

An ejido leader addresses a consultation in Felipe Carillo Puerto.
An ejido leader addresses a consultation in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Yucatán.

She said that a fourth stage of the consultation process will take place once the government has received comments and proposals related to the draft law. The stage, Alcalde said, will be one of “study” and “adjustment” of the proposed law.

“The proposals, recommendations and conclusions gathered at the regional assemblies and working meetings will be analyzed and incorporated into the bill between Sept. 21 and Oct. 11,” she said.

The fifth and final stage of the process, Alclade said, is the “formal presentation” of the bill to Congress on Oct. 12.

Sheinbaum said that the bill will first be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies “so that the approval process begins there.”

The legal “rules” of Article 2 of the Mexican Constitution “are coming,” the president said.

“What does that mean? That Indigenous and Afro-Mexican people will have complete rights as communities and as individuals,” Sheinbaum said.

With reports from Zeta Tijuana and El Economista

The real story behind the Maná song ‘En El Muelle de San Blas’

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Maná, members of the iconic Mexican rock band
Maná is the best-selling rock band in Mexican history, with a set list of iconic songs, some of which don't always stick to the facts. (Maná)

For years, visitors to the quaint Pacific coast town of San Blas, Nayarit, have been drawn to this place by the story of a woman who never actually lived there, but whose story inspired the 1998 hit song “En El Muelle de San Blas” by Mexican rock band Maná

The romantic ballad follows the tragic story of a woman who for years waits at the San Blas pier for her lover, who left on a ship with the promise to return. Eventually, after many years have passed, she becomes known as “La Loca de San Blas” (The Crazy Lady of San Blas).

The location was changed to make the song sound better

Maná - En El Muelle De San Blás (Official Video)

The song became so popular that a statue was erected in the woman’s honor in 2015.

But in an interview with Buena Vibra radio station nearly two decades after the song was released, the band’s lead singer Fher Olvera revealed that “La Loca de San Blas” wasn’t from San Blas at all. 

On a pier in Puerto Vallarta?

“San Blas rhymed very well with the lyrics and, besides, it’s a very beautiful pier, so we named the song ‘En El Muelle de San Blas,’” Fher Olvera confessed with a giggle, adding that they decided not to use the original place because they didn’t like how its name sounded in the song.

“It just didn’t sound nice,” Olvera said. 

Indeed, the name of the real setting wasn’t as fitting as San Blas. 

As it turns out, the name of the real pier, which is located a few dozen kilometers away from San Blas in the neighboring state of Jalisco, is none other than Los Muertos Beach in Puerto Vallarta — one of the most popular beaches in the country.

Los Muertos beach in Puerto Vallarta, with boats surrounding its iconic pier
The real pier referenced in the song wasn’t in San Blas, but in Puerto Vallarta, off of Playa Los Muertos. (Emmanuel Appiah/Unsplash)

“It doesn’t sound nice, right? ‘La Loca de la Playa de Los Muertos,’” Olvera said, laughing because los muertos means “the dead” in Spanish. 

The real story behind the song? 

For Olvera, the real location of the pier was irrelevant, as it was the essence of the story — love and loss, hope and despair — that he wanted to capture in the song.  

Since the song was released nearly 20 years ago, many articles have been written about the real “Loca de San Blas,” with some even identifying a woman named Rebeca Méndez as the inspiration for the ballad. 

But all these stories turned out to be pure speculation, as the truth is that not even Olvera knew the woman’s real name. 

According to Olvera’s story, he was leaving a taquería in Puerto Vallarta at around 6 a.m. one day, when his friends pointed to an old woman sweeping the street and asking for money. 

“My friends, who were originally from Puerto Vallarta, told me that that woman was known as the “Loca del Muelle” (Crazy Lady of the Pier) because every Sunday she would wear a white dress and go to the pier to wait for her lover. 

‘She waited on the pier and her eyes got filled with sunrises’

Maná lead singer Fher Olvera on stage.
Fher Olvera, the lead singer of Maná who wrote “En El Muelle de San Blas,” admits he took some creative liberties with the story and its locale. (MerleEllaPatsy/Wikimedia Commons)

Such a pier was located on Los Muertos beach. Olvera said he approached the woman and asked her if the story was true, to which she replied that it was. 

“I was really impressed,” Olvera said. 

And so, in a stroke of inspiration — which he admitted was probably due to his drunkenness after a night out — Olvera produced what would become one of the song’s most powerful images.  

The songwriter recounts that he engraved the phrase “she waited on the pier and her eyes got filled with sunrises” on a wall in his Puerto Vallarta cabin and would read it every day as he passed by, later fleshing the lyric out into a full song. 

Olvera never saw the woman again, and made up the rest of the story.

A lasting cultural legacy

Partly due to its nostalgic melody and partly to the tragic lyrics, the ballad was an instant success, turning the story of the grieving woman into a legend and helping to put the unpretentious town of San Blas on the tourism map.  

San Blas pier jutting into the Pacific in Nayarit
San Blas and its pier will always be remembered for their use in a Maná song, even if the real inspiration was elsewhere. (Visit Nayarit)

Today, it’s virtually impossible for anyone familiar with the song to think of San Blas without evoking the song — a testament to how music can influence the identity of a place and become part of its cultural heritage. 

And it is perhaps the band’s ability to transform seemingly ordinary human experiences into emotionally powerful stories that has sustained Maná’s popularity throughout its decades-long career.  

Formed in Guadalajara, Jalisco, in 1986, Maná is one of the most successful and influential Spanish-language rock bands of all time, thanks to hits like “Rayando el Sol,” “Vivir Sin Aire” and “Oye Mi Amor” — which the band performed at the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Although the band was already well established when “En El Muelle de San Blas” was released in 1997, the song further consolidated its position as one of the most influential bands in the Hispanic world with a strong emotional and social narrative.

Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog Dunas y Palmeras. 

MND Local: Mayor addresses tourism growth in San Miguel de Allende

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Residents and visitors walking through the streets of San Miguel de Allende
Does San Miguel de Allende have too many tourists? Not necessarily, says the city's mayor, but more infrastructure and services are needed for continued growth. (Jezael Melgoza/Unsplash)

Mayor Mauricio Trejo Pureco reportedly said recently that an airport and another golf course for San Miguel de Allende are just possibilities and should be analyzed in terms of the planning and infrastructure development they would require. He added there is no official information suggesting a defined airport project.

Trejo said a record number of two million visitors came to San Miguel de Allende last year and that the city is nearing the point where it “must begin to assess its actual capacity to continue receiving more people without affecting the functioning of urban services and spaces.”

San Miguel de Allende downtown vista
Despite record tourism numbers last year in San Miguel de Allende, its mayor, Mauricio Trejo Pureco, said no airport plans are currently in the works, and that the city is nearing its limit in terms of strain on services and urban spaces. (Tania Ramírez Trejo/Unsplash)

Airport discussions for San Miguel 

The mayor was responding to comments about a potential San Miguel airport by Guanajuato Secretary of Tourism María Guadalupe Robles León, whose support for the project was echoed by Miriam Reyes Carmona, a Morena deputy to the Congress of the State of Guanajuato. Reyes Carmona noted it would be up to the executive branch to conduct feasibility studies and identify where it might be built.

Discussion about a San Miguel airport has been going on for years, but the idea doesn’t seem to have progressed beyond the planning and study stage. One potential location east of the city known as the San Julián aerodrome has been suggested, and additional sites west and southwest of San Miguel may also be under consideration.

However, the projects to upgrade and expand the airports in Guanajuato (BJX) and Querétaro (QRO), plus the ever-increasing number of domestic and international flights that are being added, raise the question of whether San Miguel really needs its own airport.

Querétaro train route to Mexico City 20% complete 

Construction of the train route from Mexico City to Querétaro is 20% complete, according to General Ricardo Vallejo, commander of the Felipe Ángeles Engineering Group. He gave an update on that route and the one from Mexico City to Pachuca during a June 25 press conference with President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Sheinbaum stated during the press conference that both routes are expected to be inaugurated next year and that bidding is now underway for two segments: from Mexico City to Querétaro, and Mexico City to Guadalajara.

Vallejo said the Querétaro line will require 232 kilometers of double track, and the construction of 33 kilometers of elevated railway. The non-electrified passenger line will parallel the existing double-track freight railway.

More than 30,000 people from 22 municipalities who commute daily between Mexico City and Querétaro will benefit immediately from the new train line
More than 30,000 people from 22 municipalities who commute daily between Mexico City and Querétaro will benefit immediately from the new train line, with a total population of 5.6 million also expected to benefit. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

The federal government plans to construct more than 3,000 kilometers of passenger railway line before Sheinbaum’s term ends in 2030. The Felipe Ángeles Engineering Group responsible for the work is a military-civilian engineering corps and a specialized branch of Mexico’s Ministry of National Defense.

According to government data, 55.1 million passengers traveled on Mexico’s six active rail systems in 2025, which was a 6.9% jump from 2024.

Guanajuato deputy seeks ban on certain private school fees 

Sergio Contreras Guerrero, an independent deputy to the Congress of the State of Guanajuato, has proposed reforming the state’s education law to forbid private schools from charging enrollment and re-enrollment fees. He called such practices “an unjustified economic burden for families” and said administrative and operational costs should already be included in tuition fees.

While 14% of students nationwide are enrolled in private schools, Contreras said that number is 16% in the state of Guanajuato — representing more than 250,000 students. Tuition fees were up 5.82% last year, he added, which was higher than the general annual inflation rate of 3.69%.

San Miguel offers several private and bilingual schools for students from preschool to high school. Tuition depends on the school and grade level.

La Frontera opens second location in San Miguel

The Mexican-American restaurant at Refugio Sur 28 in the San Antonio neighborhood has opened another outlet at Calle la Carreta 1 in the Los Frailes neighborhood southeast of the city. Hours are Thursday through Monday, 12:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

La Frontera restaurant opens new location in San Miguel de Allende
La Frontera has opened a second location in San Miguel de Allende, in the city’s Los Frailes neighborhood. (Facebook)

La Frontera owner Noren Cáceres reported some initial “bumps on the road” via Facebook regarding the June 11 opening, adding that the new location would start by offering some of the restaurant’s signature dishes and go from there.

In other local restaurant news, Rústica has added a dinner menu to its popular breakfast and lunch offerings at Salida a Celaya 34. New hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cathy Siegner is an independent journalist based in San Miguel de Allende and Montana. She has journalism degrees from the University of Oregon and Northwestern University.