The facility, to be built near Topolobampo, will produce approximately 1.8 million tonnes of blue methanol and 350,000 tonnes of green methanol per year. (Pacifico Mexinol)
Houston-based Transition Industries is set to begin construction of a US $3.3 billion blue and green methanol production facility on the Sinaloa coast after signing a natural gas supply contract with a subsidiary of Mexico’s state-owned Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
The company announced on Monday that it had signed “a long-term firm natural gas supply contract” with CFEnergía for its planned Pacifico Mexinol project near Topolobampo, a port town southwest of Los Mochis.
“The contract signing with CFEnergía represents the final outstanding commercial milestone, enabling the start of the construction phase, and confirming the timeline for Mexinol’s operational readiness in late 2029 to early 2030,” Transition Industries said in a statement.
“… With the gas supply contract secured, Mexinol enters the execution phase, solidifying its position as a key project in the transition to net-zero emissions and establishing itself as a strategic industrial platform for innovation in Mexico,” the company said.
Transition Industries said that CFEnergía has agreed to supply “approximately 160 million cubic feet per day of natural gas over the long term, ensuring a critical input for Mexinol’s production of ultra-low carbon methanol.”
“The supply will be provided by CFEnergía at market prices and will optimize the use of existing infrastructure,” the company said.
“CFEnergía will source the natural gas from the USA. The agreement is subject to customary conditions,” it noted.
When the methanol plant begins operations, it is “expected to be the largest ultra-low carbon chemicals facility in the world,” Transition Industries said.
The firm said the facility will produce approximately 1.8 million tonnes of blue methanol and 350,000 tonnes of green methanol per year.
“With an investment exceeding USD 3.3 billion, its prime location on the west coast of Mexico meets emerging demand for clean methanol in the Pacific and beyond,” Transition Industries said.
Transition Industries said that “Mexinol is committed to the highest environmental and sustainability standards, leveraging technology and innovation to treat and use municipal wastewater instead of seawater and other natural sources of water.”
“MexinolwillhavenowastewaterdischargeintotheBayofOhuira.Mexinol’spurpose-drivenwaterstrategyisdesignedtocompletelyavoidimpactingtheBayofOhuira,” the company says on the Pacifico Mexinol website.
In its press release, the firm said that the project will support “the long term socioeconomic development in the local area” via the creation of “more than 6,000 jobs in Sinaloa during construction and at least 450 permanent jobs (direct and indirect) in operations.”
The company’s CEO, Rommel Gallo, said the project “further creates bilateral economic development through the creation of jobs in both Mexico and the U.S., and the export and consumption of more than US $4 billion worth of U.S. natural gas.”
A Japanese company will be the facility’s top customer
Transition Industries said that the Pacifico Mexinol project “positions Mexico as a reliable supplier of ultra-low carbon methanol to strategic markets in Asia, including Japan, while also boosting the development of the domestic market and the Mexican chemical industry.”
“Mitsubishi Gas Chemical (MGC), a world-class company based in Tokyo, has committed to purchasing approximately 50% of the project’s production,” the company said.
Transition Industries said that the project’s location near Topolobampo “strengthens its export profile, facilitates access to global markets, and improves its logistical competitiveness, while also boosting domestic market development and the integration of the national chemical industry.”
The public is expected to participate in the Mexico City and México state earthquake drill scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico City and México state will hold a regional earthquake drill on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 11 a.m. to promote prevention in a region prone to seismic activity.
According to National Civil Protection Coordinator Laura Velázquez, the drill will activate 13,900 loudspeakers in addition to cell phone alerts, signaling residents to evacuate.
Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada (left) spoke in advance of the most recent previous quake simulation that took place on Sept. 19, 2025, the 40th anniversary of the tragic 1985 earthquake. (Victoria Valtierra/Cuartoscuro.com)
While tomorrow’s drill will take place only in Mexico City and México state, federal authorities have announced two others for May 6 and Sept. 19, which will be national.
“September 19 will also be very important because for the first time we will be conducting a national drill on a Saturday,” Velázquez said. “This puts us in an unusual context for all our work-hour activities.”
Historically, strong earthquakes have hit the capital on weekdays.
“This change will allow for the evaluation of the mechanisms of action and family organization in a non-work and weekend context,” an official statement explained.
Sept. 19 marks the anniversary of strong earthquakes that struck Mexico City in three different years: 1985, 2017 and 2022. They happened on a Thursday, a Tuesday and a Monday.
Velázquez noted that the Seismic Alert System has operated normally and successfully during the seismic movements recorded so far this year, specifically those that occurred on Jan. 2 and 16 with epicenter in San Marcos, Guerrero, and the one on Feb. 8 in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.
Authorities have called on residents to remain calm upon hearing the alert, locate the safest areas, follow evacuation routes from buildings and heed the instructions of the authorities, remembering that preparation and active participation are essential to safeguard life.
Last year, some 73,224 tonnes of sargassum were collected from Mexico's beaches. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
The Mexican Caribbean could be in for its worst sargassum season yet, with the Navy warning that arrivals along the Quintana Roo coast may run more than 75% above historical averages during March and April.
According to a statement, Semar has assembled what it calls a record-scale containment operation: 16 surface vessels, an oceangoing ship, 11 coastal boats, four amphibious collection crafts and 9,500 meters of offshore barriers already in the water, with plans to add another 6,000 meters in partnership with the Quintana Roo government.
Easter week is one of the most critical periods for tourism to the Mexican Caribbean, and this summer will bring unprecedented scrutiny to the region’s beaches as the FIFA World Cup draws international visitors and media.
Sargassum typically arrives on Mexico’s easternmost beaches between April and November. According to a crowd-sourced sargassum map, beachgoers located between Puerto Aventuras and Tulum have already reported the presence of the seaweed on the coastline.
Playa del Carmen is installing the longest anti-sargassum barrier in its history ahead of the spring arrival season — a five-kilometer stretch running offshore from Playa Fundadores, in the city center, north to Playa Esmeralda.
That doubles the reach of the previous 2.5-kilometer barrier that had protected the same section of coastline. The project is a joint effort between the municipality and Semar.
Irving Lili Madrigal, director of the Federal Maritime Land Zone, said the expanded barrier will cover essentially all of the city’s public beach access points — around 21 in total.
Hotels along the coast maintain their own separate barriers, and officials say they’re working to better coordinate those private systems with the municipal deployment.
The Mexico City area's highly polluted air over the weekend and into the early part of this week is a seasonal phenomenon associated with late winter's warmer days, cool nights and dry conditions.
(Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)
Nearly 50 days into the new year Mexico City residents have experienced only three “good” air quality days so far.
The Mexico City Environment Ministry reported that the situation is even worse for those living in the greater Valley of Mexico and México state where not a single good air quality day has been recorded.
“Doble Hoy No Circula” days were imposed beginning last Friday in the Mexico City metropolitan area, meaning three different groups of license plate numbers plus one group of taxi plates are restricted from transiting between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. (Victoria Valtierra/Cuartoscuro)
So far in 2026, capital authorities have declared four Phase 1 environmental alerts, primarily due to high ozone levels. Last year, the fourth Phase 1 alert was not declared until early April.
Tuesday marks the fifth day that the city’s environmental contingency has been activated in less than a week, bringing the total to more than 100 hours in which transit restrictions have been applied to reduce ozone levels in the environment.
The Environmental Commission of the Megalopolis (CAMe) has called on the public to heed health recommendations to avoid exposure to pollution peaks between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., especially for minors, the elderly, pregnant women and people with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
The most recent stretch of bad air saw the CAMe declare an alert last Thursday that was maintained for more than 40 hours before it was suspended. Then, just 15 hours later, the Phase 1 alert was reissued and remains in place for a third straight day.
The current Phase 1 alert is a reaction to solar radiation and high temperatures, with conditions further impacted by a huge fire consuming the grasslands in Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl to the east of Mexico City.
A high concentration of ozone typically occurs through late winter and early spring. The phenomenon is directly linked to the climate in the Valley of Mexico, which is dry this time of year, creating the perfect conditions for ozone to form.
Ground-level ozone is formed through the interaction of nitrogen oxides with volatile organic compounds, and ultraviolet radiation from the sun accelerates the reaction. This month’s unseasonably high temperatures — and the forecast is for highs between 83 (28.3 °C) and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (29.4 °C) the rest of this week — have resulted in high ozone levels.
President Sheinbaum also pointed out on Tuesday morning that seasonal factors are mainly responsible for the current contamination levels, including thermal inversion.
“It happens at this time of year because it is still cold (but only) at night,” said Sheinbaum, who is a climate scientist with a PhD. “Normally, the warmest air is on the ground and as you go higher, it is colder, but what happens in the metropolitan area is that at night the lower part cools down while above it is hot as the sun begins to rise.”
Therefore, the pollutants concentrated in the lower layer stagnate, right at the level where people breathe.
The so-called “ozone season” typically ends with the first rains in June, when weather conditions change and the dispersion of pollutants improves.
CAMe has forecast between five and 11 ozone contingencies for the 2026 dry season in the Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico.
Hundreds of Canadian business sector representatives are in Mexico this week to engage with public officials and companies in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. (@DLeBlancNB/X)
Mexico and Canada are aiming to deepen their economic integration via a joint action plan that will be unveiled in the second half of the year.
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced the initiative on Monday after meeting in Mexico City with Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister for Canada-U.S. trade, intergovernmental affairs and One Canadian Economy.
Dominic LeBlanc (L) said he felt “privileged” to be able to work with Ebrard (R) “at what is a critical moment for our countries and the North American relationship.” (@m_ebrard/X)
Ebrard told reporters that Mexico and Canada are preparing an “action plan” in order to “expand investment, increase commerce, reduce regulatory difficulties or obstacles, and facilitate the investment and the commerce between our countries.”
He said that the plan will be presented in the second half of 2026, and indicated that it will focus on joint initiatives related to minerals, investment in ports, infrastructure and supply chain security.
Cooperation on security issues also looks set to be a feature of the joint action plan. Ebrard dismissed a suggestion that the abduction in Sinaloa of 10 employees of a Canadian mining company would affect Mexico’s relationship with Canada. However, LeBlanc stressed that Canada, in order to increase investment in Mexico, will need to see the Mexican government “working on priorities” such as security.
The announcement of the bilateral action plan comes ahead of the formal review of the USMCA free trade pact, which includes Mexico, Canada and the United States. The U.S. government has imposed tariffs on a range of Mexican and Canadian goods since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, a move that has angered the United States’ neighbors and served to bring them closer together.
Ebrard on Monday acknowledged that times are “uncertain,” but asserted that uncertainty “always” creates “opportunity.”
“We have a great opportunity in front of us, which is to increase our relationship,” he told Canadian officials and hundreds of business representatives who made the trip to Mexico to explore investment opportunities.
“… We need to increase the presence of Mexican exports and investments … in countries like Canada. This is a necessity,” Ebrard said.
“… We are not in a comfort zone as we were in the past,” he said.
Ebrard highlighted that the trade and investment relationship between Mexico and Canada has grown twelvefold over the past 30 years, and prompted citizens of both countries to “imagine what can be accomplished in the next years, starting now, if we have the will, … the commitment to increase our relationship.”
“… It makes sense, it’s about our safety in the future, it’s about opportunities for investment and to learn from each other. You can imagine [the] pharmaceutical industry, you can imagine [the] aeronautical industry, [the] space industry, advanced manufacturing in our countries, refined minerals, critical minerals, many fields which have been explored in the past, but [which] can be explored in other ways in the next years,” he said.
“Robotics, drones, artificial intelligence, vaccines, new technologies and medicine, everything can be done,” said Ebrard, who described Canada as a “very reliable partner for Mexico.”
“… We have the tremendous opportunity to start to work in this direction. … So we are very, very happy. I think it’s very good news for Canada and for Mexico,” he said.
For his part, LeBlanc said he felt “privileged” to be able to work with Ebrard “at what is a critical moment for our countries and the North American relationship.”
“So I just wanted to say in front of our Canadian and Mexican friends how much I value and how much Canada values your engagement, Secretary Ebrard, and we thank you very, very much,” he said.
LeBlanc noted that he was accompanied in Mexico by “over 240 organizations and more than 370 business leaders from across Canada, representing all 10 provinces and one territory.”
Más de 400 empresas participan en el encuentro entre empresas canadienses y mexicanas que inició esta mañana . Crecer y diversificar nuestro comercio es la meta . pic.twitter.com/G6BauvyIxw
“The incredible level of interest generated by this trade mission is a testament to Canada’s commitment to a renewed and sustained partnership with Mexico,” he said.
LeBlanc’s visit to Mexico came five months after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with President Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico City. At the time, Carney said that Canada and Mexico were “beginning a new era of elevated cooperation,” while Sheinbaum declared that the bilateral partnership would “bring a new era of further strengthening economic ties.”
Bilateral private sector dialogue ‘largest’ and ‘most important’ in years, says Ebrard
Ebrard noted that hundreds of Canadian business sector representatives traveled to Mexico to engage with Mexican companies in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
“[This] is the largest and most important dialogue between [the] private sectors [of] both countries in recent years,” he said.
In Mexico City on Monday, Mexico’s Business Coordinating Council (CCE) and the Business Council of Canada signed a memorandum of understanding, which, according to the CCE, “strengthens a permanent dialogue mechanism and business cooperation between both countries.”
Ebrard noted that Mexican officials and business representatives will make a reciprocal visit to Canada at an unspecified date.
In Mexico, the Canadian business delegation — which will remain in the country until Friday — will “focus on areas including advanced manufacturing; agriculture, processed foods, and agricultural technology; clean technologies and clean energy; creative industries; and information and communications technologies,” according to the Canadian government.
In a statement issued last Friday, the Canadian government said that “in the face of a shifting global economic landscape, Canada is moving to diversify and strengthen its international trade relationships to ensure that Canadian workers and businesses can thrive.”
LeBlanc told CNN on Monday that Canada’s trade mission to Mexico was the largest the country has organized “in decades, and probably ever.”
He said that Canadian companies and business organizations are “interested in seeing how we can expand our two-way trade with Mexico.”
“… I was told this afternoon that more than 2,000 business-to-business meetings have been set up,” LeBlanc said.
When CNN journalist Gabriela Frías put it to him that “pressure from the Trump administration” has forced Canada and Mexico to seek greater engagement with each other, the Canadian minister responded:
“I wouldn’t pretend to speak for the government of Mexico, but for the government of Canada that’s absolutely true. And Mexico for us is a very reliable partner. There are deep people-to-people cultural ties, business leaders in Canada that talk to me about their relationships with Mexican companies — it’s very positive. But there’s an opportunity for us in the face of some of the headwind created by the [U.S.] tariffs.”
Mexico’s exports to Canada surged in 2025
Data from the national statistics agency INEGI shows that Mexico’s exports to Canada were worth US $22.16 billion last year.
INEGI data, cited in a report by the newspaper El Economista, shows that Mexico’s imports from Canada were worth $12.55 billion in 2025, a 3.9% decrease compared to the previous year.
In an opinion article published in The Globe and Mail on Monday, Catherine Fortin LeFaivre, senior vice president for international policy and global relationships at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, wrote that “although we often hear of Mexico as Canada’s third-largest trading partner, it only accounts for 1.1 per cent of our exports, or 3.6 per cent of our two-way trade.”
She wrote that “investing more” in the relationship with Mexico “isn’t just good diplomacy for Canada,” but also “smart strategy.”
“… Mexico offers an obvious and underused opportunity,” Fortin LeFaivre wrote.
“With a population of 133 million, a growing middle class, similar time zones, and a clear openness to deeper collaboration with Canada, it checks many of the boxes,” she wrote.
“… Strengthening ties with Mexico isn’t only about diversification. It’s also about leverage,” Fortin LeFaivre said, adding that “a deeper, more resilient partnership” with Mexico could be beneficial during this year’s USMCA negotiations with the United States.
The contingent was allowed to march in front of the annual parade along the boardwalk and their peaceful demonstration was met with applause and shouts of support from the spectators. (Dania Robles/Cuartoscuro)
A contingent of mothers searching for their missing loved ones briefly interrupted the traditional opening parade of the five-day Mazatlán Carnival on Sunday night in the Pacific coast port.
Taking advantage of the visibility enjoyed by what is considered one of the best carnivals in Mexico, more than 100 women marched in silence, displaying banners and signs with the names of their missing loved ones to the thousands of people who had gathered along the boardwalk to see the parade floats.
A group of search collectives had issued a threat on social media that they would interrupt the festivities to protest the lack of attention they’ve received from authorities.
Instead, they were allowed to march in front of the parade and their peaceful demonstration was met with applause and shouts of support from the spectators. Their posters included photos of the missing and phrases demanding government action. One sign said: “I don’t want to bother anyone, I simply want to raise awareness.”
Nadia Margarita Berrelleza Flores, one of the mothers, said her group decided to use the massive event to bring attention to the problem of disappearances in the country.
Nearly seven months after her sister’s disappearance, Nadia said there has been no significant progress from the authorities.
“We wanted to publicly show the anguish experienced by the families of the missing youth,” she said, adding that the decision to protest arose spontaneously.
This year’s carnival is taking place amidst a massive federal security operation.
The state of Sinaloa, where Mazatlán is located, has been hit by a wave of violence since a civil war between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel began in September 2024. A tally by the local newspaper Noroeste calculates that more than 2,800 people have been murdered in the state since.
Local hoteliers say fewer tourists have arrived for this year’s carnival due to security concerns.
Last month, 10 miners were kidnapped from a mine site about 50 kilometers northeast of Mazatlán. The remains of five of the victims were discovered in a mass grave in a village near the La Concordia mine project. Several search collectives have been camped near the mass graves awaiting information from the authorities, who continue to process the bodies found there.
Why is an Arab nation on the other side of the world celebrating the best of Mexico? Gaby Solís went to investigate. (Mike Bravo/Unsplash)
It was an extraordinarily cold and windy night in Doha — 6 degrees Celsius, yet the atmosphere was warm and lively at the 2026 Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF), where over 200 local and international vendors gathered to showcase cuisines from all over the world.
Among all these vendors, three stalls proudly represented Mexican food, offering staples like tacos, guacamole, salsas and churros. But taking center stage was Mexican chef Lupita Vidal, who closed the 2026 QIFF with a masterclass on Mexican cuisine.
Mexican culture (and food) is the flavor of the year in Qatar, as part of a series of international exchanges. (QIFF)
A yearlong cultural exchange
The event was part of a year-long international cultural exchange program led by the government of Qatar, dubbed the Years of Culture program (YoC).
The initiative seeks to foster cultural dialogue and collaboration between nations with the aim of building lasting partnerships between Qatar and countries worldwide. Qatar’s partner countries this year are Mexico and Canada — who, like Qatar in 2022 — will be hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“The programmes seek to establish Mexico as a central partner in a sustained cultural collaboration that places creativity, knowledge exchange, and people-to-people connection at its core,” YoC said in a statement last week announcing the program in Mexico.
During the year-long initiative, Qatar will host influential personalities from Mexico’s culinary and creative arts scenes to introduce Qataris to Mexican culture. Meanwhile, cultural events in Mexico will introduce Qatar’s culture to audiences across the country.
Mohammed Al Kuwari, Qatar’s former ambassador to Mexico and the YoC advisor on Latin America, described the program as a long-term cultural investment.
Mohammed Al Kuwari meets then-Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Barcenas during his time as Qatari ambassador to Mexico. (MOFA)
“Years of Culture is about building relationships that endure,” said Al Kuwari, noting that the program seeks to “form partnerships that extend well beyond the year itself.”
YoC was born in 2012 — an initiative to build global understanding of the Arab world in the decade-long lead-up to the FIFA World Cup that would take place in Qatar in 2022. This year’s chosen partners echo the program’s initial purpose with a year-round calendar of tailored programs that showcase the unique nature of each participating country.
Which activities are planned for the 2026 YoC?
The YoC program works around four pillars, including cultural heritage, creative industries, social and economic development and innovation. Landmark events in both countries will represent film, arts, sports, education, gastronomy and social development.
The calendar of events kicked off with the QIFF in Qatar’s capital and Vidal’s participation, as she represented Mexican food through the flavors of her home state of Tabasco. There were also retail stands featuring Mexican products.
The next event was Design in Dialogue, a Qatar-Mexico residency which culminated in a public exhibition at the creative hub G56 during Design Week Mexico (Feb. 4-8), before traveling to the Design Doha Biennial between Apr. 16 and June 30. The initiative brings together designers, artisans, and materials to explore heritage crafts through contemporary practice.
The QIFF, in the Qatari capital of Doha. (Gaby Solís)
“We have been building partnerships in Mexico for several years, and we are excited to see these relationships take shape during Mexico Design Week — a pivotal moment in Mexico’s cultural calendar — with projects that will continue to resonate in Qatar and beyond,” Fahad Al Obaidly, acting director of the Design Doha Biennial, said.
Art exhibitions across Qatar will also spotlight Mexican artists and designers, including a newly commissioned exhibition by Fernando Laposse at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. The program also includes commissions to Mexican artists for large-scale, key public sites in Qatar.
Finally, Mal Lawal, a biennial exhibition that invites private collectors to display highlights from their collections at the National Museum of Qatar, will bring together Qatari and Mexican collections to explore clothing and textiles as living cultural archives.
QIFF served as a glimpse of how the initiative will ultimately unfold – in smaller, personal interactions between people from different countries and backgrounds. Perhaps a Mexican artist discovering the warmth of Qatari hospitality, or a Qatari finding joy in mariachi music may spark curiosity and appreciation between cultures.
Everyday exchanges like these may well be the most lasting legacy of a year-long program dedicated to culture.
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.
Construction and demolition are the theme of our latest Guadalajara news roundup, as Jalisco's crown jewel undergoes some changes. (Sergio Rodríguez/Unsplash)
Guadalajara is undergoing some intense transformation in 2026, thanks to major investments in the city’s international airport ahead of the World Cup and the demolition of architectural gems in the city’s historic Colonia Americana. Read all the details about the changes coming for tapatíos, plus the latest on a noise crackdown in the city’s popular nightlife areas.
GDL Airport to boost capacity to 40M passengers
(Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara/Facebook)
In early February, Mexican Pacific Airport Group (GAP) announced a historic investment of 52 billion pesos (approximately USD $3.0 billion) for modernization of the airports it oversees in western Mexico, as part of its five-year capital program.
Guadalajara’s Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport is set to receive a significant share of these new funds, with investments totaling $22.4 billion pesos (US $1.3 billion).
GAP’s infrastructure strategy for Guadalajara includes the construction of a second terminal, which will add another 87,000 square meters of capacity to the existing airport footprint; the acquisition of adjacent land to support future expansion; and the buildout of a third runway.
Terminal 2 is on track to be completed later this year, with full operation by 2027. It is expected to boost Guadalajara airport’s capacity to 40 million passengers per year.
Another key area of focus in GAP’s capital plan is addressing the chronic bottlenecks passengers face when attempting to access or depart the Guadalajara airport grounds, due to the single point of entrance and egress via the Carretera Chapala, a road perennially choked with commercial trucks, private cars and taxi traffic.
The airport group’s plan involves adding a second point of entry for cars, a new dedicated access point for mass transit and the separation of arrival and departure traffic flows via a two-level road structure into and out of the new terminal. All told, the project is slated to add 17 kilometers of new roads to the airport’s grounds.
In 2025, Guadalajara’s airport received nearly 18.7 million passengers. Visitor volume is expected to rise further this year due to an anticipated surge in air arrivals for the four World Cup games to be played in the city this June.
To ensure that the airport operates smoothly during this time of peak demand, GAP will be making additional investments in Guadalajara airport security, personnel and operational protocols to complement the infrastructure improvements.
The demolition of Guadalajara’s architectural gems
(X)
Colonia Americana in the Guadalajara Centro is recognized worldwide for its early 20th-century mansions, cultural riches, charming tree-lined streets and cosmopolitan vibe. It’s an enticing combination that attracts hip young locals, expats and tourists alike.
Despite the neighborhood’s widespread appeal, its emblematic mansions are under increasing threat from local developers. In the past year, numerous buildings — including several with recognized architectural value — have been demolished or altered without permission.
Why is this happening?
The historic properties stand on valuable land viewed as ideal for new higher-density buildings, in a city that has seen housing rents escalate rapidly in recent years.
One notorious case involves a property located at 180 Francisco Javier Gamboa Street. Last August, the Guadalajara City Council intervened to halt illicit construction activities for the sixth time, following repeated violations of building permits. That same month, another property with significant artistic value was destroyed without warning on José Guadalupe Montenegro Street.
Ximena López Nakashima, director of cultural heritage for the Jalisco government, noted that while her agency receives citizen complaints about protected buildings being damaged or destroyed, it lacks the authority and personnel to directly halt construction. Instead, it must coordinate a response with the city government, and that typically costs valuable time.
The situation feels even more dire when you discover that Avenida La Paz (which spans some of the most stunning blocks in the neighborhood) houses roughly 40 properties of artistic value, including several designed by Luis Barragán, the only Mexican architect to win the Pritzker Prize.
Despite the ongoing assault on the city’s artistic heritage, not all interventions on historic properties are denied. In fact, there are multiple avenues for developers to legally build new projects in Colonia Americana.
In 2024, the Ministry of Culture issued 185 permits for interventions on properties in the Colonia Americana neighborhood. Last year, the number rose to 210 permits, 49 of which were for demolition.
A common practice that’s often greenlit by local authorities involves the restoration of a historic building while adding a modern new structure to the property. These projects often become residential buildings or hotels, according to López.
One recent example is a property located in Avenida La Paz and Progreso, also designed by Barragán. While these builds fundamentally change the property’s character, they’re viewed as preferable to letting historic buildings sit abandoned or fall into disrepair.
City closes more bars and restaurants in popular expat neighborhoods for excessive noise
(Los Afferados/Facebook)
Colonia Americana and Providencia may get a little quieter in 2026, following the municipal government’s decision to crack down on excessive noise at a handful of bars and restaurants in these two popular urban neighborhoods.
In early January, the Los Aferrados restaurant, located at López Cotilla 1905B, was closed after registering 71 decibels, well above the legal maximum of 65 decibels. Several days later, the (In)Oportuno bar, at Pedro Moreno 1164, was closed after measuring 69 decibels during an inspection.
With these recent actions, the total number of businesses sanctioned since December 2025 has risen to six. Late last year, Casa Clover Lawn, Bar Plo, Galería Aguafuerte and Bar Rey Gallo were also closed by authorities due to excessive noise.
City officials reiterated their commitment to addressing citizen complaints and performing regular inspections to ensure that restaurants, bars and entertainment venues in heavily residential areas comply with municipal noise limits.
After discovering that life in Mexico was a lot more fun than working in corporate America, Dawn Stoner moved to Guadalajara in 2022, where she lives with her husband, two cats and Tapatío rescue dog. Her blog livewellmexico.comhelps expats live their best life south of the border.
Sheinbaum poses with professional boxers Cristian Mijares and Isaac Jonathan Cruz González "El Pitbull" during her Feb. 16 press conference. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president, subsequently took the opportunity to repeat a message she has conveyed before — that girls and women can aspire to be whatever they want to be.
Among other remarks, she acknowledged the OECD’s latest data on unemployment and expressed discontent with the United Kingdom’s decision to grant political asylum to the ex-wife of an incarcerated former governor of Veracruz.
Sheinbaum reiterates ‘there is no limit’ to women’s ambitions
After professional female boxers encouraged women and girls to give boxing a try, Sheinbaum highlighted that while women love their families and their children, they also have the “right” to pursue their own “growth and development.”
“… Women can be whatever we want to be,” she said.
“… Women can be presidents, governors, mayors, firefighters, police officers, soldiers, reporters, journalists, teachers, doctors [and] engineers,” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum recalled that she saw something on social media that conveyed the message, “the worst thing is to have your dreams taken away.”
“Saying ‘you can’t be this’ is also discrimination,” she said.
“And sometimes it even comes from the family,” Sheinbaum said before providing examples of the kind of things some Mexican fathers (and mothers) might say to their daughters:
“How are you going to study engineering, sweetie?! That’s for men.”
“How are you going to be a mechanic?! That’s for men.”
“How are you going to be a soldier, sweetie?! That’s for men.”
“How are you going to be a journalist? You’ll be running around all over the place! That’s for men.”
“How are you going to be a fighter? How are you going to be a boxer?”
Sheinbaum expressed her repudiation of such thinking before declaring, once again, that “women can be whatever we want to be.”
Sheinbaum: Low unemployment rate is a source of pride
Later in the press conference, a reporter told the president that Mexico has the second-lowest unemployment rate among the 38 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)
Both Mexico and Japan had unemployment rates of 2.6% in the final month of last year, the OECD reported.
Sheinbaum said that Mexico’s low unemployment rate is “a source of pride for everyone.”
She quipped that the OECD unemployment data would be good to show to “those who say ‘the transformation doesn’t get results'” — transformation being shorthand for the Morena party-led political movement, known as the “fourth transformation,” or 4T.
Macías, who was arrested in London in 2019 but released on bail a short time later, is wanted in Mexico in connection with her alleged involvement in an embezzlement scheme while she headed up the DIF family services agency in Veracruz. Her obtainment of political asylum in the United Kingdom, where she has now lived for around nine years, allows her to avoid extradition to Mexico.
In contrast, average spending per tourist across all categories of travelers fell 7.7% compared to December 2024, reaching US $659.37 from $714.75. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico received 47.8 million international tourists in 2025 — up from 45 million in 2024 — marking a historic year for an industry that contributes approximately 8% of total GDP.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the largest increase in tourists occurred among those arriving by land, rising by 15.6% to 4.5 million. The number of tourists arriving by air declined 1.3%.
Day-trippers — visitors who did not stay overnight — also increased. Their total reached over 50.4 million, a 21.9% year-over-year increase. Of these, 38.9 million entered via land borders and 11.4 million via cruise ships.
In economic terms, revenue from international tourism rose by 4.9% to US $31.7 billion; however, average international tourist expenditure fell by 1.2% to $663.69.
The tourism-related economy, which INEGI calls tourism gross domestic product (GDP), grew 0.6% annually in the third quarter of 2025, driven in particular by a 1.8% increase in the price of goods.
Foreign income from visitors arriving by land grew by around 14.1%, while income from air travelers increased by about 3.3%, confirming the greater dynamism of Mexico’s land corridors. Those arriving by air spent an average of $1,221.36 in Mexico, while those arriving by land averaged $328.45.
As is typical during holidays, the month of December 2025 saw more than 5.21 million foreign tourists, marking a year-on-year increase of 9%, according to INEGI. Likewise, December saw total spending by international tourists rise by 0.5% to $3.441 billion compared to the same month of 2024.
In contrast, average spending per tourist across all categories of travelers fell 7.7% compared to December 2024, reaching $659.37 from $714.75.
Mexico is currently the sixth most visited country in the world, behind France, Spain, the United States, Turkey and Italy. According to a study conducted by Google and the international professional services network Deloitte, it is on track to break into the top five by 2040.
