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Top 5 Thanksgiving getaways in Mexico 2023

By
Mark Viales
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Cancún is a wonderful spot to travel alone, or with. your family. (Unsplash)

Thanksgiving is almost here, and while some people are sizing up turkeys for dinner, others may wish to replace the chilly autumn embrace with a warm summer kiss. For those searching for something different this festive season, Mexico offers sun, sea and superb cuisine that can be enjoyed in a safe and culturally-rich travel experience. 

According to the 2023 Allianz Partners Top 10 Thanksgiving Destination Index, travelers continue to choose the beaches of Mexico for their holiday breaks. In fact, the top three places on the list for the last four years in a row have all been destinations on the other side of America’s southern border. One of the many reasons why the country is so popular is because of the all-year warm-weather patterns that attract thousands of visitors from cooler climates during the autumn months. They see Mexico as an ideal place to rest and recharge under the sun in a stress-free environment.

With that in mind, here is a list of the top five Thanksgiving getaways in Mexico chosen by the masses, which feature pristine white sand beaches, world-renowned traditional cooking and a healthy taste of culture.

Cancún

It is no wonder why Cancún’s spectacular beaches with powdery white sand stretching as far as the eye can see made the top of the list. Against the mesmerizing backdrop of the Caribbean Sea, the shallow waters create a captivating turquoise-blue panorama, inviting visitors into a world of serenity and tranquility. This award-winning vacation spot is extremely easy to travel to; the Cancún International Airport has daily flights from major cities in the USA, Canada and Europe. 

At the heart of Cancún’s allure lies its world-class hotel infrastructure, a testament to luxury and comfort that positions the city as one of the premier destinations for tourists globally. Not only do these accommodations provide a lavish retreat, but they also serve as a gateway to a myriad of experiences catering to every taste and preference.

After the sun goes down, Cancún transforms into a hub of seductive entertainment, ranging from lively nightclubs to cultural performances. The city comes alive with the rhythm of music, dance, and vibrant energy, offering a nightlife that is as diverse as the day is enchanting.

San José Del Cabo

San José del Cabo, Mexico. (Unsplash)

The second-best beach paradise on the list, San José del Cabo is a serene town hidden along the Gulf of California. Nature enthusiasts can explore an expansive estuary in the southeast that is home to over 100 bird species and diverse marine life. The newly developed Puerto Los Cabos is a modern marina connecting to the tranquil village of La Playita, offering golf courses, private homes and resort-style amenities.

The downtown area is filled with fine dining and shopping centers that attract a blend of tourists and locals. The recently refurbished historic center acts as a calming focal point amid the town’s hustle and bustle.

Puerto Vallarta

Third on the list and sitting at the base of the expansive Sierra Madre mountain range, Puerto Vallarta boasts one of the largest and most stunning bays in Latin America. The resort city is an integral part of the renowned Banderas Bay, which measures 26 miles from east to west and 20 miles from north to south.

Puerto Vallarta is just two meters above sea level and shares latitude with Hawaii, which means there is a consistent temperate tropical climate throughout the year. It is a youthful destination where majestic mountains and lush green jungles conjoin to frame one of the most picturesque sunset views in the country.

Riviera Maya

Coba, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (Unsplash)

Stretching over 87 miles along the Mexican Caribbean coast on the eastern edge of the Yucatán peninsula, the Riviera Maya is a haven of untouched beaches and charming towns like Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. Beyond its renowned beaches, the region boasts a network of underground rivers, lagoons and cenotes, set against a backdrop of mangroves and jungle.

Conveniently located just over ten miles from the Cancún International Airport, the Riviera Maya begins in Puerto Morelos and weaves through diverse locales. Tulum, the sole surviving Ancient Maya city perched on the Caribbean Sea’s shores, is only a five-minute drive from the town with the same name. The Riviera Maya concludes in Carrillo Puerto, a charming town blending colonial remnants with rich Mayan traditions.

Yucatán

This southern state in Mexico is still largely unexplored by travelers and remains a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. 

A harmonious blend of Mayan heritage, colonial charm and natural wonders awaits visitors who choose Yucatán for their next trip. Archaeological marvels like the UNESCO World Heritage site of Chichen Itzá, vibrant colonial cities like Mérida and Valladolid and perfect, waveless beaches leave visitors spoiled for choice. The region’s cenotes offer refreshing escapes, while ecotourism adventures accompanied by Yucatán’s warm hospitality invite visitors to immerse themselves in local living, creating a culturally rich and unforgettable tourist experience.

Mark Viales writes for Mexico News Daily.

Got 1 min? Señor Air to begin flights out of Cabo San Lucas

By
MND Staff
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0
Señor Air
The new airline will operate regional jets to Los Mochis, Mazatlán and Guadalajara from their Cabo San Lucas base. (Señor Air)

New regional airline Señor Air has begun selling tickets for flights out of the Cabo San Lucas airport starting on Dec. 8, offering service to popular destinations across Mexico. 

The airline says it will start with four weekly flights to Los Mochis, six to Mazatlán, and two to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, offering 1,086 weekly seats on 14 weekly flights.

Plane in flight
The new airline will operate from Los Cabos Airport from December 8th. (Señor Air)

The carrier will operate 37-seat Brazilian Embraer ERJ-135s, and an ERJ-145, which has a capacity for 50 passengers

The airline said it also eventually plans to connect Cabo San Lucas with the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) in Mexico City. 

With ticket sales now live, the flight ticket prices for the initial routes between Los Cabos and Los Mochis range from 1,900 to 2600 pesos (US $111 to 152), while those to Mazatlán range from 2,200 pesos to 3,300 (US $128 to $192).

With reports from Proceso

López Obrador decree outlines plan to restore passenger trains in Mexico

By
MND Staff
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8
A black train approaches in a forest
The Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico, known as El Chepe, is one of few passenger train routes still operating in Mexico — something the presidential decree hopes to change. (Alan Lara via Unsplash)

President López Obrador on Monday published a decree that establishes the provision of passenger train services as a priority for national development, taking a first step toward achieving his goal of restoring Mexico’s passenger train network to its former glory.

Published in the federal government’s official gazette, the decree outlines a plan to recommence passenger train services on seven routes that were previously in operation.

Companies that currently have concessions for freight tracks will have first dibs on operating passenger trains on them, but if they don’t want to do so, the military could be asked to step in.

“We want to make it possible to travel from Cancún to Mexico City by train. From Mexico City to Guadalajara and on to Nayarit, Sinaloa, Sonora, to the border. From Mexico City to Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Monterrey, on to Nuevo Laredo. From Mexico City to Chihuahua, by train,” López Obrador said earlier this month.

Key points of the decree 

The decree declares that “the provision of public rail transportation services for passengers on the Mexican railroad system” is a “priority area for national development.”

President L{opez Obrador gestures at a screen behind him, showing an historic train illustration
The president discussed the history of the Mexican rail system and his motives for reestablishing passenger service at press conference earlier this month. (Lopezobrador.org.mx)

Passenger train services “will be given preference” on the rail system, but freight services “will be respected” in accordance with the provisions of the concessions granted to private companies.

The decree states that companies with concessions for freight tracks — namely Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Ferromex, Ferrosur and Ferrovalle — “will be the first to be invited to present projects for the implementation of passenger train services” and that “those interested must present their proposals to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation [SICT] by Jan. 15, 2024 at the latest.”

If the concessionaires “don’t present viable proposals in terms of investment, construction time [and] track modernization” or don’t show any interest at all, the federal government, via the SICT, “could grant titles of assignment to the Ministry of National Defense or the Ministry of the Navy given that they already operate the Maya Train and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec train,” the decree says.

López Obrador’s edict also acknowledges that non-concessionaire private companies “that present proposals and are interested in providing passenger train services” could be considered.

Mexico's railways map
This map shows the seven rail routes that will first be revived for passenger travel. (SICT)

Which passenger train routes will be revived first?

The decree says that the government will initially issue concessions for the following seven routes:

  • Mexico City-Veracruz city-Coatzacoalcos
  • Felipe Ángeles International Airport-Pachuca
  • Mexico City-Querétaro city–León-Aguascalientes
  • Manzanillo-Colima-Guadalajara-Irapuato
  • Mexico City-San Luis Potosí-Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo
  • Mexico City-Querétaro city-Guadalajara-Tepic-Mazatlán-Nogales
  • Aguascalientes-Chihuahua city-Ciudad Juárez

Stations along those routes that were in operation before 1995 must be considered “preferably,” the decree says.

CPCK “directly engaged” with the federal government 

Canadian Pacific Kansas City said in a statement on Saturday that it was reviewing a draft of the decree and “remains directly engaged with the Mexican federal government regarding potential passenger rail service on certain existing freight rail corridors.”

A red train with grass in the foreground and a forest behind it
Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd., one of Mexico’s major private railway concessionaires, manages a rail network that runs from Mexico to Canada. (Canadian Pacific Kansas City)

The statement noted that CPKC de México previously reached an agreement with the government “to perform a study of what is required for the proposed new passenger rail service on the right of way of the corridor between Mexico City and Querétaro.”

“The draft decree, which is expected to become effective by November 20, 2023, also identifies the San Luis Potosí-Monterrey-Laredo corridor for the proposed passenger rail service. As required by our concession, CPKC de México will work closely with the Mexican federal government to evaluate passenger service on that corridor,” CPKC said.

The company acknowledged the government’s commitment to “respect” freight rail services and as a result does not expect an “adverse impact” on its concession.

“CPKC has extensive experience hosting passenger rail services in multiple locations across its network in the United States and Canada while efficiently managing freight service,” the statement added.

A jab at the Zedillo government 

After outlining 17 “main” passenger train routes that previously operated in Mexico, the decree states that “it really was a disgrace that the president Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León, perpetuator of the policies … [of Carlos Salinas de Gortari], privatized railroads in Mexico” in 1995.

In May of that year, the Rail Service Regulation Law was promulgated, allowing the executive to award [concessions for] 84.5% of existing main lines to private companies,” the decree says.

At the end of the 1990s, the federal government granted concessions for tracks across Mexico, “keeping only the Isthmus of Tehuantepec railroad under its control,” it adds.

“In other words, 17,484 kilometers of tracks were essentially handed over to two companies … and passenger train service was canceled,” the decree says.

A photo of former president Ernesto Zedillo seated at a conference
The decree criticized the administration of former president Ernesto Zedillo for giving railway concessions to private companies. (Wikimedia Commons)

While criticizing the Zedillo government on Nov. 8, López Obrador noted that it did at least enter into an agreement with concessionaires under which the Mexican state retained the right to use freight tracks for passenger trains.

His decree states that restoring passenger train services would improve “quality of life, well-being and people’s mobility,” adding that train travel is cheaper, “less polluting” and safer than other modes of travel.

A train-loving president 

At the opening of a new park in Mérida on Sunday, López Obrador said that traveling by train is “less stressful” and “more relaxing” that traveling by plane, helicopter or bus.

He also asserted — not for the first time — that the Maya Train railroad, which is scheduled to begin operations in December, is “without doubt the most important public [infrastructure] project being built in the world today.”

The government is also close to finishing work on the modernization of rail tracks across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec between Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.

Workers on the Maya Train
Builders at work on the Maya Train. (Lopezobrador.org.mx)

“With what we’re doing [with those projects] and two or three other trains, we’re going to leave 3,000 kilometers of tracks for passenger trains [before we leave office in 2024]. We began the recovery of passenger trains,” López Obrador said Nov. 8.

He acknowledged that creating a new state-owned train company to offer additional passenger services won’t be possible before he leaves office next October, but added that a future government could create and “directly” run new passenger train services, “as the Maya Train will be run, as the Isthmus train will be run.”

The military, as Monday’s decree indicates, would likely operate additional state-run passenger train services if freight companies decide against it, although López Obrador’s successor — most likely Claudia Sheinbaum or Xóchitl Gálvez — could devise a different plan.

López Obrador has relied heavily on the armed forces during his almost five years as president, using them for a range of non-traditional tasks including infrastructure construction and the management of customs, ports and airports.

Mexico News Daily 

See it for yourself: 16th-century encyclopedia on Mexica life made public online

By
Cat Rainsford
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3
An illustration of Mexica drummers alongside Nahuatl text
An illustration of Mexica drummers alongside Nahuatl text in Book 4 of the Codex. (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana / MiBACT)

A treasure-trove of knowledge on 16th-century Indigenous Mexican culture is now available to the global public, via a new digitization of the Florentine Codex in Nahuatl, Spanish and English.

The Codex is a 12-book encyclopedia of Mexica (Aztec) life, written between 1575 and 1577 by Nahua scholars, based on interviews with elders who lived before and during the Spanish conquest. (Nahua refers to the Nahuatl-speaking Indigenous people of Mexico and Central America, a group that includes the Mexica.)

An feather-working artisan plies his trade in a tiled outdoor space (illustration)
An feather-working artisan at work, as show in Book 9 of the Codex. (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana / MiBACT)

It also contains nearly 2,500 images by Nahua artists, depicting the daily life and mythology of their people. It was co-created and translated into Spanish by the Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagún, who hoped that knowledge of Nahua culture would help convert them to Christianity.

Although the Codex was first digitized a decade ago, a project led by UCLA’s Latin American Institute and the Getty Research Institute has produced a new, easily navigable and searchable version, with the languages modernized and a parallel English translation.

The project is the result of seven years of work by 68 researchers, led by Mesoamerican art expert Kim N. Richter. The collaborators included Indigenous scholars who deciphered not only the ancient Nahua text, but also the various logograms — pictures used to represent words — embedded in its artwork.

“[The Codex] is the most remarkable cultural and intellectual product of the early Americas,” said Kevin Terraciano, chair of the UCLA history department and co-founder of the project. “The fact that many Nahua people in Mexico, including Nahua scholars who are working with us on the initiative, did not even know about the Florentine Codex before we began collaborating, suggests the real value of the project.”

An illustration of a group of people sharing a meal of water fowl and tortillas in a small room
A group of people share a meal of water fowl and tortillas, as shown in book 11 of the Codex. (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana / MiBACT)

One of the many fascinating aspects of the Codex is that the Spanish and Nahuatl texts are not direct translations of each other, but separate texts that present different views. The new translations will therefore allow non-Náhuatl-speaking people to read for the first time its Indigenous authors’ perspective on the colonization period.

Eduardo de la Cruz Cruz, a collaborator of the project and director of the Institute of Teaching and Ethnological Research of Zacatecas, described in a Getty symposium the impact of presenting the Codex to primary and secondary school children in Nahuatl-speaking communities in La Huasteca, a region along Mexico’s Gulf coast.

He said the children had been brought up with access only to European sources that described their ancestors as ignorant, violent and evil. Reading the Codex allowed the children to hear their ancestors’ own voices for the first time and find new pride in their history and culture.

“Believing that your heritage is inferior and that civilization came from outside must make you feel very small as a young Indigenous person, especially when you have experienced discrimination,” Richter said. “We are eager to see how scholars will utilize this resource to better understand the agency of the individual authors and artists who worked on the Codex — Sahagún and his many Nahua collaborators.”

With reports from UCLA, The Los Angeles Times and La Jornada Maya

Claudia Sheinbaum gets married in small civil ceremony

By
MND Staff
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3
Sheinbaum wedding
The presidential hopeful married partner Jesús María Tarriba Unger, with whom she has been in a relationship for six years, (Claudia Sheinbaum)

Presidential frontrunner Claudia Sheinbaum has tied the knot to Jesús María Tarriba Unger, her former university classmate.

The Morena party 2024 candidate shared her happiness on Instagram last week, first with a teaser photo of two wedding bands and the message “I have news for you…”

Sheinbaum wedding
The couple married in a small ceremony in Mexico City. (Claudia Sheinbaum/X)

On Friday, the couple was married in an intimate civil ceremony before family and friends in Mexico City. “We are so happy,” Sheinbaum wrote on social media.

Their romantic journey was unveiled during a 2022 radio interview, in which the then-mayor of Mexico City disclosed that she had been in a six-year relationship with Tarriba and that the two were engaged.

Their shared history, dating back to their days at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), found renewed vigor after years of separation. In 2018, during her campaign for Mexico City mayor, Sheinbaum hinted at the relationship but kept her partner’s identity under wraps.

Last year, Sheinbaum recounted their reconnection in 2016: “I was head of the delegation in Tlalpan [borough of Mexico City]. We saw each other in 2016 around Christmas, and we hit it off very well. He returned to Spain, then he came to Mexico again, and then I went to Spain for about five days to see him there, to see where he lived and so on, and that’s when he tells me, ‘I want to go to Mexico with you.’”

Sheinbaum wedding bands
The former mayor broke the news last week in an Instagram post showing their wedding bands. (Claudia Sheinbaum/Instagram)

Tarriba, who turned 61 on Sept. 1, has a Ph.D. in physics from UNAM and works as an economic risk analyst.

Sheinbaum, who turned 61 on June 24, earned an undergraduate degree in physics followed by two postgraduate degrees in energy engineering from UNAM. She spent for years at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California completing work for her doctoral thesis.

Sheinbaum was previously married, from 1987 to 2016, to politician Carlos Ímaz Gispert. Together they have one daughter, Mariana Imaz, 35, who earned a Ph.D. in philosophy at University of California, Santa Cruz and is now the academic coordinator of humanities at UNAM-Boston. Sheinbaum also has a very close relationship with Rodrigo Imaz, Carlos Ímaz Gispert’s son from a former marriage. 

Sheinbaum is seeking to become the first female president of Mexico, with the election set for June 2, 2024. Her main competitor is Xóchitl Gálvez of the Broad Front for Mexico (FAM).Although Sheinbaum is Jewish, nothing on social media indicated the wedding had any Jewish touches. Sheinbaum is generally very quiet about her Judaism.

With reports from El País and Expansión Política

Foreign direct investment in Mexico’s auto industry surges

By
MND Staff
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Audi Mexico plant
Almost US $5.5 billion in FDI was allocated to the auto manufacturing industry between January and September this year, a 67.7% increase over 2022. (Audi México)

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Mexico’s automotive industry surged in the first three quarters of 2023 to reach a record annual high three months before the end of the year.

Economy Ministry (SE) data shows that US $5.44 billion in FDI was allocated to the manufacture of cars, trucks and other vehicles between January and September, a 67.7% increase compared to the same period of 2022.

BMW San Luis
The new BMW factory in San Luis Potosí, which will build many of the German giant’s new EVs. (BMW México)

The previous annual record for auto sector FDI was $4.29 billion in 2019. By the end of September, that amount had already been exceeded by 26.7%

The increase in FDI in the automotive industry comes as more and more foreign companies that operate in the sector take the decision to establish a presence in Mexico or expand their existing operations here.

Tesla’s announcement in March that it would build a $5-10 billion electric vehicle “gigafactory” in Nuevo León was undoubtedly the most prominent development in Mexico’s auto sector this year, but a number of other companies have also recently decided to invest significant amounts of capital here.

They include BMW, which announced in February that it would invest 800 million euros in San Luis Potosí to produce high-voltage batteries and fully electric “Neue Klasse” vehicles and Volkswagen, which is planning an initial $763.5 million investment to modernize production processes at its plant in Puebla.

VW plant in Puebla
The Volkswagen plant in Puebla has long been a cornerstone of the Mexican auto industry. (Volkswagen México)

Among the new auto sector plants that have opened in Mexico this year is an $80 million one built by Chinese parts manufacturer Yinlun in Nuevo León.

Proximity to the United States, competitive labor costs and benefits associated with the USMCA free trade pact all make Mexico an attractive location for auto companies.

A total of just over $39 billion in FDI has flowed into Mexico’s automotive industry since 2013, according to SE data compiled by the El Economista newspaper.

That investment has helped spur production, which, in turn, has allowed vehicle exports to increase.

Ford Mexico
Manufacturers from across the world have invested more than US $39 billion since 2013. (Ford)

Automakers with factories in Mexico exported 301,341 new vehicles in September, the highest monthly figure since June 2019, while 112,261 new cars were sold in Mexico in October, the strongest performance for that month since 2018.

According to the International Trade Administration, a U.S. government agency, Mexico’s automotive industry employs over 1 million people and contributes to 3.6% of the country’s GDP and 18% of manufacturing GDP.

With reports from El Economista

Families say authorities have stopped looking for Hurricane Otis victims

By
Cat Rainsford
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At least 30 sailors and crew members remain missing nearly one month after Hurricane Otis made landfall in Acapulco. (Carlos Alberto Carbajal/Cuartoscuro)

Families of more than 20 sailors still missing after Hurricane Otis are protesting that authorities appear to have stopped the search for their loved ones.

Around 50 relatives and friends of the missing blocked the Costera Miguel Alemán Avenue outside Acapulco’s Icacos Naval Base on Saturday morning. They demanded that Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado and President López Obrador give more support to the Navy to continue the search and extend it to the Oaxaca coast.

Family members of the missing accuse the government of prematurely abandoning the search at sea and demand that the Navy extend the search area to Oaxaca. (Carlos Carbajal/Cuartoscuro)

“The Navy no longer wants to look for our relatives, my father and people from other ships are still missing,” Laura Castro, daughter of yacht captain Felipe Castro, said in an interview with Aristegui Noticias. “There are more deaths than the 49 that the government says, but they want to hide them so as not to give real figures.”

Other protesters said that the exact number of people missing at sea is unknown, but is believed to be between 22 and 30, and could be more than 60. They added that they do not know which authority to approach for accurate information, more than three weeks after the Category 5 hurricane devastated Acapulco on Oct. 25. Most of the missing were crew members who cared for luxury yachts moored in Acapulco Bay.

“We ask the owners of the boats to support us in locating our relatives,” said Jesús Lopez Sarabi, husband of one of the workers who was quoted by Aristegui Noticias. “The authorities have told us that they are carrying out tours with boats, submarines and divers on the coast, but we don’t know if the divers are going to the bottom.”

He added that local sailors were “moving faster than the authorities,” having already located several bodies themselves.

Families are frustrated by a lack of transparency regarding the Navy’s efforts to recover bodies from the over 300 sunken vessels in Acapulco Bay. (Carlos Carbajal/Cuartoscuro)

The latest official death toll from Hurricane Otis is 49 (plus 26 missing), but the local news agency Quadratín has claimed that the true deaths could be as high as 350, based on information from local funeral parlors, and the number of people still reported missing. An Acapulco business leader claimed in late October that up to 120 sailors were dead or missing, but only 11 of their bodies have been recovered so far.

President López Obrador emphatically denies that authorities have suppressed the Acapulco death count, and insists that the Navy is continuing to support the local population and search for the missing. A statement by the Navy on Nov. 14 said that 310 sunken vessels have been located and 72 of them recovered, but gave no figures about the missing sailors.

After blocking traffic for around an hour on Saturday, representatives of the protesting families were received by Navy authorities, but it is unclear if any agreement was reached.

With reports from La Jornada Maya, Aristegui Noticias and Proceso

Mexico marks 113 years since the revolution

By
MND Staff
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Revolution Day parade in Puebla
Nov. 20 is a federal holiday in Mexico commemorating the Mexican Revolution. (MIREYA NOVO/CUARTOSCURO.COM

Today marks the 113th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, a critical event in Mexico’s history that helped shape the country’s modern political and social structures.

Here are the basics you need to know about the Mexican Revolution.

Most people associate the Mexican Revolution with figures like Pancho Villa, but there were many actors and outcomes from this moment in Mexican history. (@SPRInforma/Twitter)

When was the Mexican Revolution?

The Mexican Revolution was an armed conflict that began in 1910 as a rebellion against General Porfirio Díaz’s prolonged rule. However, it quickly escalated into a civil war with various factions vying for control of the revolution. An estimated 2 million people died in the conflict, which continued until 1920. 

Why is Revolution Day on Nov. 20?

When President Porfirio Díaz was elected for another term in 1910, former candidate and liberal leader Francisco I. Madero launched a plan to overthrow him.

Mexico City held a celebratory parade this morning in the Zócalo. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

The plan had a main motto: “Effective suffrage, no re-election.” It demanded labor rights and land distribution, which were sought after by social groups against Díaz.

According to the Chronology of the Revolution by the National Institute of Historical Studies on the Revolutions of Mexico (Inehrm), the plan called for an armed struggle on Nov. 20, from 6 p.m. onwards, in which all citizens of the Republic were called to take up arms to overthrow Díaz.  

Nationwide, however, 13 armed struggles had already begun before 6 p.m. on that day, marking Nov. 20 as the start of the Mexican Revolution. 

Who were the major figures of the Mexican Revolution? 

Women were active participants in the Mexican Revolution. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

Some of the most important – and familiar – historical figures of the conflict include Pancho Villa, Venustiano Carranza, Emiliano Zapata, Álvaro Obregón, Victoriano Huerta and Francisco I. Madero.

Women also played an important role in the revolution, supporting and even participating in armed combat on all sides. They were known as Las Adelitas.

What were the key long-term outcomes of the Revolution?

  • Porfirio Díaz’s resignation
  • The ratification of the Mexican Constitution in Februrary 1917, which is still in effect today
  • The nationalization of Mexico’s natural resources
  • Agrarian reform that gave farmers land ownership and supported subsistence agriculture
  • A public education program
  • Recognition of labor rights

How is the holiday celebrated today?

Nov. 20 is a national holiday in Mexico. To commemorate it, many cities around the country organize a military parade.

This year, over 2,200 soldiers participated in the Mexico City parade, and it included a special recognition of the women who participated in the Revolution.

With reports from BBC, El Universal and México AS

Mexico’s aerospace exports are booming

By
Cat Rainsford
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The projected industry figures for 2023 are just under the 2019 record of US $9.6 billion. (Safran/Facebook)

Mexico’s aerospace exports are predicted to jump 16% year-on-year to hit US $9.4 billion in 2023, bringing them back up to nearly pre-pandemic levels.

Figures from the Mexican Aerospace Industry Federation (FEMIA) show that Mexico’s aerospace exports dropped from over $9.6 billion in 2019 to $6.6 billion in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the industry. Air travel dropped by nearly 50%, and Mexican aerospace production declined between 25 and 40%.

Between 2010 and 2020, the Mexican aerospace industry saw average annual export growth of 15%, created more than 60,000 jobs, and generated up to $5.5 billion of foreign direct investment. (Safran/Facebook)

Exports remained deflated at $6.7 billion in 2021, but have since recovered faster than most other countries’ aerospace exports, according to the United States International Trade Administration. They hit $8.1 billion in 2022, and by the end of 2023, will get close to 2019’s record levels.

Though relatively young, Mexico’s aerospace industry has been hugely successful. FEMIA’s figures show that between 2010 and 2020, the industry saw average annual export growth of 15%, created more than 60,000 jobs, and generated up to $5.5 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI), primarily from Canada and the United States.

By 2022, the sector comprised 368 firms – up from 100 in 2004 – including aircraft manufacturers, maintenance-repair-overhaul facilities (MROs), technical schools, research centers, universities and other service providers.

The largest aerospace hub is in Baja California, where more than 100 aerospace companies generate 30,000 direct jobs, mostly around Tijuana and Mexicali. Mexico’s other main aerospace hubs are in Sonora, Chihuahua, Querétaro and Nuevo León.

Mexico manufactures airframes, aerospace parts and assemblies integrated into final systems. (Safran/Facebook)

The seeds for these hubs were laid in the late 1960s, when companies such as Collins Aerospace moved into Mexico to take advantage of its maquiladora export programs. Another wave of companies set up in Mexico in the 1990s, including Safran Group, which now has 17 facilities across the country and is the sector’s largest employer.

The industry got a further boost in 2004, when the Canadian company Bombardier entered several government programs to provide business incentives, job training programs and universities in the sector. Such initiatives have helped Mexico gradually improve its aerospace manufacturing capabilities from small components to airframes, drones and avionic assemblies.

Today, the industry focuses on aerospace parts and assemblies integrated into final systems, with other key players including GE and Rolls Royce producing turbine systems, and Fokker Aerostructures manufacturing jet wings. Mexico’s skilled workforce means that the industry is well-placed to take advantage of the country’s recent nearshoring boom.

As global air travel continues its post-pandemic regrowth and global demand for aircraft and maintenance systems increases, the International Trade Administration predicts that Mexico’s aerospace sector will continue its ascent.

With reports from El Economista

Why the Tulum airport is inspiring for Mexico’s future: A perspective from our CEO

By
Travis Bembenek
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Tulum airport under construction
The airport has been built quickly, and is supposed to open in December. (Mara Lezama/X)

It’s easy to be negative about the rapid changes happening in the Tulum area. I recently wrote about the mixed feelings I myself have about so much change in that area.

But even with these mixed feelings, I can’t help but marvel at the progress and potential of the new Tulum airport.

This airport was first conceived more than a decade ago. I remember when the local municipality actually put up official signs with arrows pointing to the yet-to-be constructed airport, only for the project to subsequently be shelved for many years.

This time around, it’s real. The airport has been built at lightning speed, and next month it will be up and running after less than three years of construction.

It will be easy to criticize the start up. Most certainly there will be things that won’t work, and in today’s “everything is recorded on people’s cell phones” world, the initial glitches will be shared quickly. Others, including many people who live in big wealthy cities far away from Tulum, will relentlessly criticize the environmental impact of the airport and lament the changes it will bring. Still others will point to examples of corruption that likely took place during the construction.

I don’t mean to minimize any of these issues, but I do think that it’s important to also focus on the positives that will come from the airport. It’s important to remember that this part of Mexico is extremely poor. Generations of families have lived in poverty or had to move to other parts of Mexico or the United States in search of employment and a better standard of living.

The construction of the airport has resulted in the creation of thousands of jobs.  The completed airport will have thousands of direct jobs and create tens of thousands of indirect jobs. These are jobs that allow families to stay in their community, or their state, or their country without having to leave. These are jobs that are consistent and predictable which allow families to plan for their future and invest in themselves and their community.  That’s a very, very big deal.

In the past few months, airlines have begun announcing new flights to the airport.  First came the domestic airlines, with Viva Aerobus and Volaris announcing flights to Tulum starting in December from several major cities throughout Mexico – including Tijuana, Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara.

In just the past few weeks, four major airlines from the United States have announced an unprecedented amount of new direct flights to Tulum starting in March.

First came Delta Airlines, announcing daily flights from Atlanta. Then came Spirit Airlines with flights from Orlando and Miami. Then just this week American Airlines announced flights from Dallas, Miami, and Charlotte and United Airlines announced flights from Los Angeles, Newark, Chicago, and Houston. More announcements are certainly on the way soon.

Think about that for a moment. Tulum went from being a two-hour drive from the Cancún airport to having direct flights from more than a dozen major cities in the U.S. and Mexico.  Well over 100 million people now have direct flight access to Tulum.

Imagine the economic impact that will have on tens if not hundreds of thousands of families. Of course, with this growth will come other problems, but as the saying goes, “first or second world problems are much preferred over third world problems.”

I am more bullish than ever on Mexico’s future. The country has a historic opportunity to raise its standard of living through projects like the Tulum airport, the Maya Train, the Isthmus de Tehuantepec trade corridor, and other infrastructure and nearshoring projects throughout the country.

We cannot forget that nearly 40% of Mexicans still live in poverty, and that there is a long way to go to improve the health care, education, and housing of millions of its citizens.  Projects like the Tulum airport are exactly those that can help improve these problems and should be celebrated.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.

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