Chevron is one of several foreign companies planning to halt exploration efforts in the Gulf of Mexico after finding the area unfavorable. (Shutterstock)
The oil company Chevron is pulling out of oil and gas exploration in Mexico due to disappointing results, just seven years after entering the market.
Mexico’s National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH) gave approval on September 7 for Chevron Energía de México, the company’s Mexican subsidiary, to return the Block 22 exploration area located in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a Bloomberg report.
Chevron found that there was “no favorable prospectivity” in the Block 22 exploration area, which they shared with Japan’s INPEX and Mexico’s Pemex. (Chevron)
“While Chevron and our partners have decided not to continue exploratory work on Block 22, Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico business will maintain an office in Mexico City and will continue to monitor industry developments in the country,” Deena McMullen, Chevron’s head of external affairs in North America, told Bloomberg.
Chevron won the contract in 2016, following an energy reform by former President Enrique Peña Nieto that opened Mexican oil exploration to private companies. But the company has concluded that “there is no favorable prospectivity in the block,” according to CNH representative Oliver Antonio Mayo Cruz.
Chevron is also returning area 3 of the Lost Fold Belt, while its partner Shell is returning blocks 20, 21 and 23. The Spanish company Repsol will also return a block in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Several other foreign oil companies are also in the process of returning concessions to the Mexican government, including BP, Equinor and Total Energies, according to documents seen by Reuters.
Exploratory oil contracts awarded during former president Enrique Peña Nieto’s government have not met the production targets set by the current administration. (@Chevron/X)
Only a handful of foreign companies have seen success from exploratory oil contracts won under Peña Nieto’s energy policy, including Italy’s CNI, Mexico’s Hokchi Energy and the United States’ Talos Energy. Repsol also maintains one deepwater block.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador suspended oil auctions when he took office in 2018, and set a production target of 280,000 barrels of oil per day for contract-holding companies by the end of his presidential term in 2024. However, most companies have failed to meet their forecasts.
Last week, the Mexican Association of Hydrocarbons Companies (Amexhi) admitted that, in light of these disappointing results, private oil companies in Mexico will not have anew production target for 2024.
Amexhi sought to explain the poor performance by stressing that even successful exploratory oil contracts can take up to 15 years to give results, and recalled that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected oil production.
Crude processing in Pemex-operated facilities such as Quesqui, in Tabasco, dropped in July to the lowest rate in the year. (@Pemex/X)
President López Obrador has often expressed doubts about private investment in Mexico’s oil industry, seeking instead to strengthen the finances and boost the production of state oil company Pemex. But Pemex is also struggling, with crude production dropping to its lowest point this year, at just under1.6 million barrels per day in July.
Mexico’s total oil production is currently at 1.9 million barrels per day – far below the 2.6 million barrels per day predicted at the beginning of López Obrador’s term.
The trails around Guadalajara, where Mexico's different biomes all converge, are a paradise for hikers and climbers of all abilities. (All photos by John Pint)
Over the past months—with the collaboration of outdoor enthusiasts living in different parts of Mexico—I’ve listed some excellent hikes you can do from San Miguel de Allende, Monterrey, and Queretaro, not to mention several really spectacular ones you can do inside Mexico City, without ever leaving town. This time around, I want to describe some delightful places you can visit from the city of Guadalajara.
This is an easy task because Guadalajara is literally surrounded by captivating canyons, waterfalls, forests, hot springs, jungles, volcanoes, and much more. I’ve described 90 such sites in a series of books called Outdoors in Western Mexico plus another 10 great places you will find in my Guide to West Mexico’s Guachimontones and Surrounding Area.
A picturesque amate tree (strangler fig) on the Salty River section of Río Caliente.
Why are there so many attractive outdoor sites within easy reach of Guadalajara?
Guadalajara happens to lie at a spot where all five of Mexico’s ecosystems come together. So, whichever direction you leave the city, you’ll soon find yourself in a different environment with its own flora, fauna, and geology. It’s so extraordinary that I decided to call the area within a day’s drive of Guadalajara, “The Magic Circle.”
Here are a few examples of great places you can easily visit from Mexico’s second-largest city.
Río Caliente
Taking a selfie at boiling hot Emerald Falls, Río Caliente. (John Pint)
This hot river is the number one attraction of the vast Primavera Forest which lies directly west of Guadalajara. Studies show that the water is chock full of minerals, including organic lithium, and for years people from all over the world flocked to the Río Caliente Spa (now closed) to soak in its healing waters.
Today most people come here to take a dip in the rustic pools, constructed at a point where the river is really hot, right next to a large parking lot easily reachable by any sort of vehicle. This place is always open!
From this parking area, hikers may choose to follow a trail paralleling the river, eventually leading to the cooled-down section of Río Caliente known as Rio Salado (Salty River) where bathers can enjoy a soothing Jacuzzi effect caused by water swirling around rocks. Search Google Maps for “MCMF+34 La Primavera, Jalisco” to reach the Río Caliente parking area. It’s a 35-minute drive from the west end of Guadalajara.
La Barranca de Huentitán
Drenched with sweat, a hiker reaches the top of the steep trail down Huentitán Canyon.
This hike takes you 500 meters down to the bottom of the spectacular canyon which forms the northern boundary of Guadalajara. The view is breathtaking and so is the steep, zigzagging trail. Once you’ve reached the Santiago River at the bottom, a short walk downstream will bring you to the picturesque Arcediano Suspension Bridge, the historic gateway to all points north of Guadalajara in bygone days. Would you believe that the record for running down and back up this steep path is 43 minutes?
To reach the trailhead, ask Google Maps to take you to “Barranca de Huentitán-Capilla y Camino Empedrado.”
El Diente
Climbers on El Diente: solitude only six kilometers from Guadalajara’s noisy Periférico (Ring Road).
Here is a beautiful location six kilometers north of town, filled with huge rocks 30 million years old, including a few that look like giant teeth. It’s the favorite hangout of Guadalajara’s rock-climbing community. On any weekend you can spend hours watching them inch their way up impossible-looking surfaces set at crazy angles. If you wish, you can do a most interesting six-kilometer loop hike around the monolith-topped peak. Look for “El Diente Zapopan, Jalisco” to get you to this unique site.
Rio Seco
The north-central part of the Primavera Forest is characterized by slot canyons typically varying in width from two to ten meters, with sheer walls rising as high as 50 meters. From your access point near the town of La Venta del Astillero (ten kilometers west of Guadalajara), you can follow the Rio Seco for 3 kilometers, frequently walking among huge boulders of pumice, a rock so light it actually floats. Erosion is forever sculpting these soft volcanic walls, creating bizarre shapes and scenes that look different every time you visit the place.
Climbers, intent on topping Tequila Volcano’s spike, make their way across the picturesque crater.
To reach the trailhead, ask Google Maps for “PFC6+78J La Venta del Astillero, Jalisco.” The hike begins near the lip of a high cliff at the south end of La Venta del Astillero. Park far from the cliff edge and follow an old cobblestone road that takes you south, down into the canyon. From here the Rio Seco takes you east for two kilometers and then goes south for another three kilometers. When you’re tired of walking, head back the way you came. Shortcuts are not recommended in an area crisscrossed by slot canyons!
Tequila Volcano
This volcano is 2920 meters (9580 feet) high and is completely dormant. During its last gasp of activity 200,000 years ago, a spike rose straight up out of the crater. The view from the top of this spike is spectacular… and deceptive. At first, you see lakes everywhere, but a second look reveals that they are fields of blue-green agaves: countless gallons of tequila in the making!
The spike of Tequila Volcano, known as La Tetilla, rises to a height of 2920 meters above sea level.
Hiking along the trail that crosses the crater is an unforgettable experience because the scenery is gorgeous during both the dry and the rainy seasons. Yes, unlike many other volcanic craters, this one is as pretty as a picture, though only experienced climbers should try to scale the spike.
To reach the trailhead for the cross-crater hike, ask Google Maps to take you to “Q5Q2+RP3 Tequila, Jalisco.” You may also want to consult the map on Wikiloc. Note that you’ll need a high-clearance vehicle to drive up to the top of the volcano.
Just think, once you’ve finished these five hikes, you still have 95 more to go before you’ve visited all the places in western Mexico I’ve been writing about for the last 38 years!
The writer has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, since 1985. His most recent book is Outdoors in Western Mexico, Volume Three. More of his writing can be found on his blog.
The president handed over the baton - literally - of his "Fourth Transformation" to Morena 2024 candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, on Thursday night. (MARIO JASSO/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
President López Obrador on Thursday formally ceded the leadership of the “fourth transformation” political project he initiated by handing over a symbolic “baton of command” to Claudia Sheinbaum, who will be the ruling Morena party’s candidate at next year’s presidential election.
Sheinbaum, mayor of Mexico City between December 2018 and last June, came out on top in polling to determine who would represent Morena and its allies at the June 2, 2024 election. Her victory was announced Wednesday night.
Sheinbaum and the president stand together with the baton overlooking the Templo Mayor ruins in the Zócalo. (Andrés Manuel López Obrador/X)
López Obrador handed over the bastón de mando to Sheinbaum at a ceremony held at a restaurant in the historic center of Mexico City. The president received a “baton of command” from an Indigenous leader shortly after he was sworn in on Dec. 1, 2018, but what he handed to the ex-mayor on Thursday was a different one.
According to a statement posted to López Obrador’s personal website on Thursday night, Sheinbaum is now the “new national coordinator of the defense of the transformation.”
The president claims that his government is carrying out a transformation as significant as those that occurred as a result of independence from Spain in the early 19th century, liberal reforms enacted in the 1850s and the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century.
Among the central features of the “fourth transformation” – a term that is also the current government’s self-anointed nickname – are a stated attitude of zero tolerance toward corruption and impunity, government austerity and support for Mexico’s most disadvantaged citizens.
The president speaking at an event commemorating his 2018 election in Mexico City’s Zócalo in July. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
After receiving the baton at an event attended by four of her five rivals for the Morena nomination as well as Morena governors and other party officials, Sheinbaum pledged to continue the “transformation” initiated by “President AMLO.”
Conforming to López Obrador’s oft-repeated philosophy, the ruling party’s new standard-bearer also pledged to never lie, steal or betray the people of Mexico.
As president, Sheinbaum said she would continue building a “fairer, more fraternal” Mexico that is “sovereign, free and democratic.”
“… Mexico belongs to everyone, but above all it belongs to the more than 8 million seniors who receive their pension every two months, to the hundreds of thousands of people who receive disability support payments, to the millions of young people that write and build the future, to the engineers and laborers who build trains, airports, refineries, solar plants, ports, dams and highways, to the teachers who teach with the new textbooks, … [and] to the health workers,” she said.
Sheinbaum has promised she will continue with the “fourth transformation” of President López Obrador. (Cuartoscuro)
Sheinbaum also took the opportunity to attack Mexico’s opposition parties, three of which – the PAN, the PRI and the PRD – have banded together to form an alliance that will back a common candidate at next year’s presidential election. Those now in opposition never fulfilled their promises when they were in government and are “the living image of corruption,” she said.
Morena and the FAM are not currently referring to their presidential contenders as candidates to avoid falling foul of electoral laws that stipulate when that designation can occur.
Gálvez, who defeated Senator Beatriz Paredes in polling to determine the FAM’s presumptive nominee, asserted that López Obrador was acting more like an “emperor” than a president by giving Sheinbaum the “baton of command.”
“Today is a historic day. Today is the day on which Andrés Manuel López Obrador, as if he were an emperor and not the president of a republic, will hand over the imperial scepter to Sheinbaum,” she said in a video posted to social media.
“It’s a circus, … an act of authoritarianism typical of the Mexico we want to leave behind,” Gálvez said.
Xóchitl Gálvez was officially designated the opposition candidate for 2024 at the Ángel de la Independencia in Mexico City on Sunday. (Xóchitl Gálvez/X)
When he leaves office, López Obrador will leave behind a country marked by “fear and violence,” she said.
“… The presidential sash is not a scepter that is inherited,” Gálvez added. “It’s the will and the hope of the entire country. That hope already changed hands and now belongs to us.”
López Obrador was asked earlier this week why he had decided to hand over a “baton of command” to Morena’s new standard bearer when such an object is a “representation of the entire citizenry, not one political party.”
“Look, it’s a way of passing on a responsibility that I’ve had to attend to as the leader of a movement of transformation. That’s what the baton symbolizes,” he responded.
“Above all, it’s a symbol of Indigenous communities, the poorest people of this country and it’s about handing over that symbol to he or she who must lead the transformation, provide continuity to what for us is essential – helping the poor and helping the Indigenous people.”
Mexico's drinking culture may be best known for agave distillates, but they aren't the only options.(Stanislav Ivanitskiy/Unsplash)
Agave is at the heart of Mexican drinking culture. Without this lustrous plant, we’d be denied many a uniquely Mexican moment. A weekend in Jalisco without tequila? A festival in Oaxaca without mezcal? A random Tuesday lunch with friends without a light, fresh margarita?
No, thank you.
What would one do here in Mexico with, say, an aversion to agave? I’ve done some research, and I’ve got some answers. Each of the following six spirits is produced right here in Mexico and none is a product of the agave plant.
Maize vodka
What’s it made of? Organic corn.
Maize vodka has a milder, sweeter profile than potato-based varieties. (Casa Zea)
Where is it from? Puebla, Tlaxcala
Tell me more
Vodka was my preferred spirit in my late teens and early 20s. Not because I wanted to elegantly sip on an extra dirty vodka martini. Rather, it was the quickest way to lose my inhibitions and act like every other shameful college student in the U.S. Needless to say, by my mid-20s, I had had my fill and never touched the stuff again. That is, until recently, when I was offered a taste of ZEA Spirits’ premier creation, ZEA Vodka. The multicolored maize from which it is derived is grown in the Puebla-Tlaxcala valley, where it has been cultivated for 3,000 years. Its pleasant, smooth taste is light yet grainy, making for a unique cocktail base. I’ve never tasted anything quite like it, and I really enjoyed the flavor. What’s more, it’s still in its marketing infancy, meaning it’s only available for purchase at the sexy, artsy Casa Zea tasting house hidden on the outskirts of Puebla’s historical center.
What’s the best way to drink it? Neat, on ice, or as a cocktail with ginger kombucha, fresh lemon juice, and agave.
Sotol
What’s it made of? Dasilyrion wheeler, a desert spoon plant, which has long been identified incorrectly as part of the agave family.
Sotol grows mainly on rocky, well-drained slopes with thin calcareous soils and tends to form dense stands. (Unsplash)
Where is it from? Durango, Chihuahua, Coahuila
Tell me more
It’s herbal and dense, with a yellowish hue. It’s got a metallic side to it, and if mezcal were silver, sotol would be bronze. It took me 3 full weeks to try sotol, otherwise this article would have been out already. I went to my corner bar, Pata Negra, to inquire if they carried it. They did not, and the manager, Pablo, was nice enough to invite me back once he could procure a bottle. I returned days later, zenned out from a yoga class, with expectations of a quick shot and a side of peanuts. What I got was a full-blown tasting and a detailed explanation of its 15-year distillation process. The spirit is intense and I don’t know that I could drink more than one, but that one feels sophisticated and fulfilling and great for a special occasion.
What’s the best way to drink it? Straight.
Pox
What’s it made of? Corn, wheat bran, sugarcane
Pox was commonly used in religious ceremonies and festivals in San Juan Chamula, Chiapas. (Fundación Tortilla)
Where is it from? Chiapas
Tell me more
Invented by the Tzotzil Mayas, pox (pronounced posh) was used in religious ceremonies as a gateway to the underworld. It’s got a slightly smoky, sweet flavor and is often used as a replacement for rum in cocktails. Pox is fairly new to the spirit scene due to strict regulations that previously prevented its distribution outside of Chiapas. In 2012, however, the restrictions were lifted and pox quickly became a bartender favorite. I recently tried a friend’s pox for the first time at Destilado Urbano in Puebla’s Historic Center and was surprised by its sweetness, which was in sharp contrast with the mezcal I had ordered for myself. It is best served with a side of pineapple to highlight its fruity notes.
What’s the best way to drink it? Neat with a side of fruit, or as the base of fruity cocktails with citrus or pineapple notes.
Xtabentún
What’s it made of? Honey, anisette, and rum
The word xtabentún means “vines growing on stone” in the Mayan language. (Merida Elite)
Where is it from? Yucatán
Tell me more
If you’re looking for love, this might be the ticket. According to the ancient Maya who created it, drinking Xtabentún increases your chances of meeting your mate. If you’re not in the market, its digestive properties are still a perk. Its light aftertaste pairs well with the thick heat often found in the Yucatan.
What’s the best way to drink it? On the rocks or as a refreshing cocktail with tequila and lime. It’s also common to add this liquor to coffee.
Kahlua
What’s it made of? Coffee, rum, vanilla bean.
Kahlua can be used when baking desserts, and/or as a topping for ice cream, and cakes. (Unsplash)
Where is it from? Veracruz
Tell me more
In 1936, Kahlúa was born in the hot and humid state of Veracruz and quickly became a fan favorite, spreading to the USA just 4 years later. According to its website, it takes 7 years to produce one bottle of Kahlua. The Arabica coffee beans are grown in the shade instead of the sun, meaning they don’t reach maturity for a full six years. Once harvested, they sit another 6 months in burlap bags before they’re roasted and combined with rum. Four weeks later, the liquor is ready for consumption.
What’s the best way to drink it? As a White or Black Russian, an Espresso Martini, or added to coffee.
Ancho Reyes
What’s it made of? Sugarcane and either chile poblano or chile ancho.
Carajillo prepared with Ancho Reyes Original. (Ancho Reyes)
Where is it from? Puebla
Tell me more
Don’t be misled – while it might strike you as filler liquor, this sweet, spicy spirit has a 40% alcohol content and a generous kick. Made in Puebla with regional chiles and sugarcane from Veracruz, chiles are soaked for 6 months to extract maximum flavor. There are two types: the Original is made with chile ancho, and the Verde is made with chile poblano. I had often seen and noticed the bottles at various bars, but it wasn’t until my aforementioned Sotol tasting that I actually sipped it. It’s fun and flirty, the flavor briefly whisking me away to my fantastic solo getaway to San Agustinillo, where I spent days on the beach sipping margaritas in the sun. A punch of picante is just the thing a citrusy cocktail needs to go from good to great.
What’s the best way to drink it? Ancho Reyes Verde is ideal in a spicy margarita. Ancho Reyes Chile Ancho is often found added to a Carajillo, or simply enjoyed with lemon juice.
Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga, and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters in your inbox, peruse her blog, or follow her on Instagram.
With almost 1.9 million visitors this summer, Quintana Roo has seen a strong recovery in the tourism sector. (Cuartoscuro)
Quintana Roo maintained its position as one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations with a reported 1.87 million overnight visitors during summer vacation, a figure up 3.9% from last year.
Cancún was by far the most popular destination, receiving 613,193 of the state’s 1,877,546 summer visitors – a 6.1% increase from 2022 – according to data from the state Tourism Ministry (Sedetur).
Tourists flocked to Quintana Roo for its popular beaches and world-class tourism facilities. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
Other key destinations included the Riviera Maya with 397,384 visitors (up 0.3%), including Playa del Carmen with 172,259 (up 3.4%) and Tulum with 167,055 (up 0.8%).
Notable increases were also seen in Costa Mujeres (up 6.1% to 102,997 visitors), state capital Chetumal (up 9.7% to 101,236), Puerto Morelos (up 5.6% to 92,611), Holbox (up 5.3% to 49,832), Isla Mujeres (up 4.9% to 27,085) and Bacalar (up 7.7% to 22,899).
“We are growing and what we seek is to generate shared prosperity and that tourism success is reflected in well-being for the people of Quintana Roo,” said state Governor Mara Lezama, who stressed that tourists are drawn to the state’s sun, beaches, ecology, gastronomy and high-quality services.
Quintana Roo is also Mexico’s leading cruise ship destination, with over 2.7 million cruise passengers visiting the state in the first eight months of the year. The majority arrived in the Caribbean island of Cozumel, which saw a74% jump in arrivals between the first half of 2022 and the same period of 2023.
The new Maya Train will also help drive further tourism to Quintana Roo when it begins operation later this year. (Cuartoscuro)
The rise in visitors shows that Quintana Roo is playing an important role in the recovery of Mexico’s tourism industry after the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco predicted that Mexico would receive up to40 million tourists in 2023, up 2.7% from 2022, although still 12.6% short of the 45 million record set in 2019.
International tourism in Mexico dropped by nearly half in the pandemic year of 2020, but hasrecovered steadily since then. Cancún airport accounts for the vast majority of international tourist arrivals – 1.64 million in the first two months of 2023, compared to just 670,000 in Mexico City.
Quintana Roo’s tourism industry is also set to benefit from the Maya Train – the new 1,554-kilometer railroad loop on the Yucatán Peninsula, set toopen on Dec. 1 – and the opening of a new international airport in Tulum, also anticipated to begin operations at the end of this year.
The Atzlán Parque Urbano's Ferris wheel lights up a view of the city from Chapultepec Park. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
Parque Aztlán, the new amusement park on the site of the former Chapultepec Fair in Mexico City, was scheduled to open on Aug. 30. However, Mexico City Mayor Martí Batres Guadarrama said on Wednesday night that there’s still no confirmed date for the park’s inauguration.
During the lighting ceremony for Aztlán 360, the park’s giant new ferris wheel, Batres added that installation and testing of various rides still need to be performed before the park is ready to open.
The site of the old Chapultepec Fair, with the Quimera rollercoaster, has been replaced with Parque Aztlán. (Cuartoscuro)
At 84 meters tall, Aztlán 360 already lights up Chapultepec Park with more than 218,000 light bulbs. According to Batres, the lights will never turn off.
“With this, we are starting a story that is not going to stop,” Batres said after turning on the ferris wheel’s lights with a crowbar. “[The lights] are going to stay on permanently,” he added.
Aztlán 360 will be an icon of Mexico City, just like the Azteca Stadium or the Torre Latinoamericana, Batres said. It will be “a symbol of culture, recreation and the [park],” he added.
According to José Miguel Bejos, head of Mota-Engil Mexico, the company developing the amusement park, the ferris wheel will serve a double purpose. Aztlán 360 is meant to entertain as an urban icon and to accompany the city during “important celebrations for chilangos” he said, as it will light up with different colors depending on the occasion.
The opening of the new park is highly anticipated by city residents. (Cuartoscuro)
The ferris wheel will have 40 air-conditioned cabins, heating and Bluetooth for listening to music.
During his speech, Batres mentioned another icon that used to stand on the same premises: the Chapultepec Fair roller coaster Quimera, which was in the park for over 50 years.
Built in 1964, the rollercoaster derailed in 2019, causing the deaths of two people and severe injuries in others. Mexico City’s Attorney General’s Office ordered the park’s eviction, and when investigations revealed lack of maintenance to the roller coaster, the city government revoked the concession granted to the fair’s managing company and shuttered the fair.
Two years later, construction of the new amusement park began in the second section of Chapultepec Park. With an investment close to 4 billion pesos (US $227 million), the park will be part of the cultural and recreational corridor of the four sections of Chapultepec Park.
The park, named after the mythical place where the Mexica and other Nahua peoples are said to have come from, will be able to welcome 15,000 people at a time. Unlike the former Chapultepec Fair, entrance will be free of charge, though visitors will have to pay to go on the rides of their choice.
Emirates will offer passengers access to 8 new Mexican destinations via its codeshare agreement with United Airlines. (Emirates)
Emirates will expand its codeshare partnership with United Airlines to include eight new destinations in Mexico in addition to their Mexico City route, which the airline already serves via Barcelona.
Starting from Sept. 14, the Emirati carrier will allow passengers flying to Chicago or Houston from their Dubai hub, to connect onwards with Cancún, Cozumel, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, San José del Cabo, León, and Querétaro via their codeshare agreement with United Airlines.
Emirates offers daily services to Houston and Chicago, where passengers can connect to flights to popular Mexican cities and resorts. (Emirates)
“The newly expanded network of Mexican destinations now available to Emirates customers is expected to be popular amongst customers from the Middle East, India and South Africa, to name a few,” Emirates said in a statement.
“The most frequented destinations for global travelers embarking from points in Mexico include India, Israel, UAE, South Africa and select points in Southeast Asia,” the airline added.
The popular tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta is one of the new destinations in the codeshare agreement. (Deposit photos)
The Dubai-based airline offers daily services to Houston with the Airbus A380, and to Chicago onboard the Boeing 777, where passengers will be able to connect to the new codeshare routes directly.
Besides Emirates’ commercial flight to Mexico City, the freight division of the carrier, Emirates SkyCargo, operates two freighter services in the country to Mexico City and Guadalajara.
Emirates’ expansion in Mexico through its alliance with United comes after legal wrangling with competitor Aeroméxico, which filed a complaint against the airline in 2019 over its Barcelona-Mexico City route, claiming a 2016 agreement between Emirates and the Mexican government was invalid. However, Emirates was allowed to continue operating its Mexico City route.
The president said at the Friday morning press conference that the official announcement will come next week. (Depositphotos)
United States authorities have decided to reinstate Mexico’s Category 1 aviation safety rating, President López Obrador said Friday.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Mexico from Category 1 to Category 2 in May 2021 after finding that it wasn’t meeting standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations.
President López Obrador made the announcement at the Friday morning press conference. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
“A Category 2 rating means that the country’s laws or regulations lack the necessary requirements to oversee the country’s air carriers in accordance with minimum international safety standards, or the civil aviation authority is lacking in one or more areas such as technical expertise, trained personnel, recordkeeping, inspection procedures, or resolution of safety concerns,” the FAA said at the time.
The lower rating has prevented Mexican airlines from adding new routes to the United States and has been seen as a barrier to growth at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), which opened just north of Mexico City in March 2022.
López Obrador told reporters at his morning news conference that United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg had informed Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena that the U.S. had decided to restore Mexico’s Category 1 rating.
“It’s good news, they’re going to formalize [the decision] next week. We’re very grateful to the United States Secretary of Transportation and we thank President Biden,” he said.
President López Obrador met with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in June. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
López Obrador said that Mexico had met all the relevant safety requirements and the U.S. consequently took the decision to reinstate the top-tier rating. He also said that the decision is “a sign that relations are very good” between Mexico and the U.S.
The news that Mexico is set to recover the Category 1 rating comes after officials with the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) held discussions with FAA representatives on the audit process that was carried out to assess aviation safety standards at Mexican airports.
The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation, of which AFAC is part, initially pledged to recover the Category 1 rating within four months of the downgrade.
However, a year after the downgrade, a former executive with AFAC’s predecessor said that Mexico’s aviation authority hadn’t taken any decisive action that would help Mexico regain its Category 1 rating.
The Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) opened in March 2022, and at first seemed to cause confusion for air traffic control at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM). (Gob MX)
No additional resources have been allocated to address the FAA’s concerns, Rogelio Rodríguez said in May 2022, adding that there had been a “chain of systematic failures in the [aviation] sector due to the lack of training of key personnel, such as [air traffic] controllers.”
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations said the same month that it appeared that air traffic controllers at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) had received “little training and support” as to how to direct flights operating in the new airspace configuration precipitated by the opening of AIFA north of the capital.
“The airport is saturated, … there are a lot of operations, there are risks and we want to prevent [mishaps],” he said.
The reduction in hourly flight numbers from 52 to 43 was scheduled to commence in October, but was subsequently postponed to Jan. 8 to prevent a negative impact on travelers using Mexico’s busiest airport during the winter travel season.
Mexico is known for its beaches, its culture and its cuisine, but how about for its international sporting events? (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico is home to some of the world’s most exciting sporting events. From Formula One to the PGA Golf Tour, fans from all over the world flock to Mexico to experience the spectacle.
Aside from the annual competitions, Mexico has hosted two World Cups and will soon see a third one in 2026, when Mexico will host a third time, shared with the United States and Canada.
Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca will play host to a record third FIFA World Cup. (Cuartoscuro)
So, if you’ve traditionally thought of Mexico as a holiday destination only, think again – it is also a sporting one.
Telcel Mexican Open
Acapulco, a city on the Pacific coast, became popular among the rich and famous in the 1960s. It was Mexico’s first international tourist port and its cliff divers at La Quebrada are iconic. The city has also been the setting for a James Bond movie – 1989’s Licence to Kill – and Elvis Presley’s “Fun in Acapulco.”
Since 1993, Acapulco has also been home to one of 13 ATP 500 tournaments held annually across the globe. Taking place between late February and early March the Mexican Open is the fourth-highest tier of annual men’s tennis tournaments.
This year’s Mexican Open champion, Alex de Minaur. (Mexican Open)
The tournament initially took place in Mexico City on clay courts, before shifting to hard courts at the Hotel Fairmont Acapulco Princess (now known as the Hotel Princess Mundo Imperial) in 1998.
Some of the best players in the world have set foot in Acapulco, with Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, and Thomas Muster holding four Mexican Open titles apiece.
PGA Mexico Open and LIV Golf
With nearly 200 golf courses and a year-round warm climate that provides near perfect golfing conditions, it comes as little surprise that major golf tournaments take place in Mexico.
Patrick Cantlay at last year’s Mexican Open. (PGA Mexican Open/X)
Nuevo Vallarta and the Riviera Maya are some of Mexico’s most popular destinations for beachgoers combining lush jungle and extraordinary beaches. With both tournaments happening in some of the country’s most exclusive resorts, visitors can combine the excitement of a top-of-the-class sporting event with a luxurious vacation.
Since 1944, the Mexican Open has been the national open golf tournament of Mexico. In 2022, the tournament became an official event on the PGA Tour with a purse of US $7.3 million and 500 FedEx Cup points for the winner.
Played at the Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta hotel, along the Pacific coast of Jalisco and Nayarit, it is the only PGA Tour tournament in Mexico and Latin America. It usually takes place between March and April.
Rivaling the PGA tour, LIV Golf hosted its first-ever tournament in Latin America at Mayakoba’s El Camaleón Golf course in 2023 – ranked as one of the top courses in Mexico – in the Riviera Maya. World-class golfers, including Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, and Phil Mickelson, competed for the first-place prize, with Charles Howell III eventually crowned the winner.
Formula 1
Mexico has long been part of the Formula 1 story, but it wasn’t until recently that the need for speed was reignited with the return of the Mexican Grand Prix and the brilliant performance of Checo Pérez – Mexico’s most successful driver of all time.
His recent victory in Jeddah makes for Pérez’s fifth career win. (@redbullracing/Twitter)
The first Mexican Grand Prix was a non-championship race in 1962. Tragically, Mexican driver Ricardo Rodriguez – one of the brothers for whom the circuit is now named – was killed in practice, at just 20 years old.
The following year, the event was added to the official championship and became a mainstay of the calendar until 1970. Crowd trouble forced the cancellation of the race, but it later returned to the championship between 1986 and 1992, when it was once again canceled after the circuit was deemed unsafe. After an extensive renovation of the track to meet the F1 standards, the Mexican Grand Prix came back in 2015 and is still running to this day.
In its latest version, the new track layout has become an icon of modern Formula One by having a track wind through a baseball stadium: the Foro Sol is also used as a concert site.
The event’s unique fiesta vibe saw the race organizers claim the Best Promoter award for four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018. It also won the coveted accolade for Best Live Sporting Event at the 2019 Leaders Sports Awards in London, England.
The Formula 1 audience in Mexico has grown year-on-year thanks in part to “Checomanía,” the phenomenon surrounding Checo Pérez, who’s a 6-time Grand Prix winner and the only Mexican and Latin American driver in the Formula 1 grid.
Guadalajara Open Akron
Paula Badosa at the WTA Guadalajara Open. (WTA)
Taking place from Sept. 17 to 23 this year, Guadalajara will see the second edition of the Akron Guadalajara Open, one of the WTA’s high-level women’s tennis tournaments.
Played on hard courts, the tournament brings a mix of established players and up-and-coming talent. In its first edition last year, the tournament saw players like Maria Sakkari, Victoria Azarenka, and Jessica Pegula, with the latter crowned as the tournament’s winner.
Micky Lawler, president of the WTA Tour, has said that the Mexican crowd understands and appreciates tennis, which is what “excites them the most.”
Guadalajara is the second-biggest city in Mexico. With nearby attractions like the towns of Tlaquepaque, Tequila – yes, the place that saw the birth of the Mexican agave spirit – and the Colonia Americana neighborhood – recently declared Time Out’s coolest neighborhood in the world – Guadalajara makes for a cosmopolitan, cultural, and fun tourist destination.
2026 FIFA World Cup
The biggest prize in football – and the most widely watched sporting event in the world – returns to Mexico in 2026, to a country where passion for soccer bursts in every corner.
The 1986 World Cup saw the controversial “Hand of God,” when Argentina’s Diego Maradona was awarded the winning goal, despite using his hands. (Wikimedia)
Having hosted the 1970 and 1986 events, Mexico will become the first country to host three World Cups.
Taking place in the summer of 2026, the World Cup will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It will be the largest in FIFA World history.
Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey will be hosting 10 soccer games in Mexico, while Canada will see the same number in Toronto and Vancouver. Meanwhile, the remaining 60 games will be played in the cities of Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle in the U.S.
The World Cup is a great opportunity to travel to Mexico and watch a soccer game in one of football’s truly iconic sporting locations: the Azteca Stadium. This stadium witnessed the infamous “The Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century,” both scored by Diego Maradona against England, en route to winning the World Cup.
Renovation of Mexico’s biggest stadium – the eighth-largest in the world – will require an investment of US 1.5 billion and will see the redevelopment of the Santa Úrsula neighborhood of historic Coyoacán.
Coatepec, Veracruz, is known for its high-quality coffee. (Shutterstock)
Coatepec is a Náhuatl word that means The Hill of the Snakes. According to official government websites, there have been excavations in and around Coatepec revealing that the area was originally settled by the Totonac people.
Though there are no ruins open to the public, the town does have around 370 buildings that are considered “historically significant” – many with beautifully painted exteriors – a tree-filled zócalo (square), and several waterfalls nearby.
DGI Copenhagen’s Representation Team at Coatepec, Veracruz. (Joseph Sorrentino)
The heart of the pueblo is the Parque Hidalgo. While sitting in a café across from the park we noticed a group dancing. Though a little unusual, what was really unusual was that they were all blondes. Not something you see every day in Mexico.
Curious, we wandered over. The group of dancers was DGI Copenhagen’s Representation Team, a group of gymnasts from Denmark. “We are visiting Mexico to do shows and teach,” said Julie Lykke, one of the members. They were taking part in a gymnastics festival that was being held in Coatepec and were performing in the park to show people that “gymnastics and dancing are for everyone,” she added. There always seems to be something unexpected happening – no matter where you go – in Mexico.
Coatepec: coffee capital of Mexico
There’s a kiosk in the park with a café that’s a great spot to sip coffee. Nearby is a small monument honoring María Enriqueta Camarill y Roa de Pereyra, a writer who was born in Coatepec and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1951. Around the perimeter of the park, you’ll find many small carts offering snacks, ice cream, and souvenirs.
Coffee fields in Coatepec, Veracruz. (Shutterstock)
Across from the park is the beautiful Parroquia de San Jerónimo. The church was founded by the Franciscans in 1684, but it wasn’t until 1806 that its construction was finished. Inside, there are several statues of saints and virgins, including Nuestra Señora del Café. In early November, during the coffee harvest, there’s a fiesta and mass honoring her.
A half block from the park is Robertina la Casa de Chocolate, a shop featuring over 150 types of chocolates, including ones with macadamia nuts, coffee, pistachios, and even one made with mole.
“The chocolate comes from Comalcalco, Tabasco,” said Javier Quitano, one of the employees. “All of the chocolates are made here in the pueblo. It is a family business started fifteen years ago by Coatepecanos (people from Coatepec).” Quitano was eager to dole out sample after sample of the chocolates, which we were very happy to accept.
Although generally known for its coffee, Coatepec is also famous for its orchids and holds a second title: Mexico’s Orchid Capital. A trip to the Museo de Orquídeas is a must.
“There are 1,400 species of orchids in Mexico and 315 in Veracruz,” said Carlos Montaño Gracia, a museum guide. “Worldwide, there are 25,000 species.” The museum’s large room has walls, trees, and stands covered with orchids – 5,000 in total from 3,000 species. I asked Elias Hernández, another guide at the museum, why he thought people should visit Coatepec. “For its history, food, and customs,” he said. “But the best reason to visit Coatepec is [to see] the orchids.”
Can’t leave without trying a pambazo
On the second floor of the museum is a rooftop café named Mr. Pombacho which offers a lovely view of the pueblo and the surrounding mountains. It was there, at Mr. Pombacho, that we first tried a pambazo, a local sandwich. “We offer seven types of pambazos,” said Habid Ocotla, the owner, including pork, chicken, and a couple of vegetarian options. “We only use bread from local bakeries because they have the exact size and consistency we want.”
We bumped into Hernandez on the way out and mentioned we were looking for a bakery to buy some rolls. He pointed us toward El Rezobado, the oldest bakery in town, located a couple of blocks away.
Traditional bakery in Coatepec, Veracruz.(Joseph Sorrentino)
Walking into the bakery is like walking into the past. Two large, dimly lit rooms with huge wood-burning stoves crank out hundreds of cookies, rolls, and pastries a day.
“The bakery opened in 1883,” said Oswaldo Ruiz, a family member overseeing operations that day. “Six or eight generations have worked here.” The bakery is open from 4:30 in the morning until 11 at night. “But we only bake at 11 and 12 during the day and 6 and 8 at night,” he said. We arrived just before 11 a.m. and the place quickly filled with people buying freshly baked goods.
There’s also Mole Museum, which is billed as the only one dedicated to mole in all of Mexico. It’s just one small room and, if you know nothing at all about mole’s history, it’s worth the $50 pesos to enter. They do sell several types of mole and there’s a restaurant attached.
Torito: The flavor of Veracruz
A popular, and mildly alcoholic, drink in Veracruz is called torito and it’s sold in stores around Coatepec. This traditional drink was born in Veracruz in the 1800s when sugar cane workers mixed alcohol with a variety of fruits. Supposedly, after drinking it, workers felt like toritos: little bulls. Today, the drink is made with milk and, at least in stores owned by Vainimex, it comes in seven flavors including peanut, coffee, cajeta, and piñon.
Nature and adventure in Coatepec
Waterfalls is Coatepec, Veracruz. (CC/Koffermejia)
There are five waterfalls near Coatepec and, because we didn’t have a lot of time, we decided to head to Cascada Bola de Oro (Gold Ball Waterfall), which is only about 20 minutes from the town center. Unfortunately, it was a bad decision. After leaving the highway, the road, such as it is, is only partially paved and filled with holes.
When we supposedly arrived at the path that would lead us to the waterfall, we saw nothing that looked like a path. Fortunately, there was a young man who was parked on the road. But, when we told him we wanted to go to the waterfall, he strongly advised us not to go. Not only does the one road leading there require a 4×4, but the area’s also dangerous.
Coatepec is a place we want to visit again. On our next trip, though, we’ll try a different waterfall.
