El Torito is Mexico City's drunk tank for impaired drivers, but it's not all that bad a place to be. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
If you’re caught driving and drinking in Mexico City, chances are you’ll get to spend a night in the Administrative Sanctions and Social Integration Center, where people who exceed the legal alcohol limit can be detained. Never heard of it? Odds are you have, but by a different name: El Torito.
The reasons someone may be taken to El Torito include failing a breathalyzer test, drinking alcohol in prohibited areas or obstructing public roadways. While all states across Mexico have a dedicated area for these kinds of infractors, only people in Mexico City and a few cities in the country, including Guadalajara, call it El Torito. You’re probably wondering why.
The Tacuba slaughterhouse, where El Torito now stands, in the early 20th century. (INAH)
Why is it called El Torito?
All other cities that call their drunk tanks El Torito do so because of the one in Mexico City, whose nickname has historical significance linked to the site’s past. Located in the neighborhood of San Diego Ocoyac, in Miguel Hidalgo, it was inaugurated on October 28, 1958, by President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines.
The center was established on the site of a former slaughterhouse, hence the name “El Torito,” which literally means “the little bull.”
How do people end up in El Torito?
At “retenes” (checkpoints), strategically located across the city, police officers randomly select drivers to take a breathalyzer test. Those whose blood alcohol concentration exceeds 0.8 grams per liter or whose breath alcohol level exceeds 0.4 milligrams per liter are taken to El Torito.
Drivers under the influence of narcotics, intoxicants or psychotropic drugs are also taken to the center, where they spend between 20 and 36 hours, while their vehicle is taken to a “corralón,” or city impound lot.
The El Torito staff celebrates the center’s 66th anniversary in October 2024. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
The breathalyzer is part of the Drive Without Alcohol program, which began in 2003 with the goal of preventing alcohol-related road accidents. According to authorities, this program has reduced fatalities by 70%.
The administration of El Torito prides itself on the humane treatment of inmate, and the center’s scope is not strictly punitive. During their stay at El Torito, detained drivers receive medical and psychological attention, as well as integration activities to prevent recidivism. The center can hold up to 72 men and 52 women, the latter of whom are assigned to a women’s wing run by female personnel. El Torito sees its greatest number of inmates during the holidays— but the menu is also exceptionally good those days.
What inmates eat at El Torito?
Local media typically covers the number of inmates during holidays, and the menu for those days.
The menu on Christmas Eve 2024 included rice, romeritos with potatos and prawns, fried beans and fresh juice. Meanwhile, the food served on New Year’s Eve included pasta soup with cream, pozole with lettuce, radish and tostadas and fresh juice.
Among Trump's list of requests is for Mexico to provide biometric data on migrants who cross its borders. (@POTUS/@Sec_Noem/X)
United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem suggested Monday that President Claudia Sheinbaum could reach a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump to avoid tariffs on Mexican goods if Mexico complies with a list of U.S. requests.
During an interview broadcast on Fox News, chief political anchor Bret Baier asked Noem whether she believes Sheinbaum is “doing enough to defeat the cartels down there.”
La secretaria Kristi Noem dijo que dio algunas opciones sobre seguridad a la presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum durante su reunión del viernes; calificó a la mandataria mexicana como “extraordinaria”.pic.twitter.com/4E4bHQcFC3
“I gave her some options of more she could do. She’s participated a lot on our southern border, but we want her to secure her southern border with Guatemala,” Noem said.
“We want her to share some more information with us. Right now we don’t scan every single shipment that comes into this country over air freight. We have some information sharing that could happen on criminal background checks so I gave her a list of things that President Trump would be very happy to see and she was remarkable,” she said.
Noem said that her meeting with Sheinbaum was “very productive” and lasted almost two hours, much longer than the scheduled 30 minutes.
“She did sign some of those agreements with us, and I asked her specifically to share biometric information [of migrants] with us and she’s willing to discuss that even though that in her country would be a little bit controversial,” Noem said.
“She’s putting a good faith effort, but President Trump is clear. He doesn’t want people to keep talking, he wants to see action and she has an opportunity to do some things that I will give a report to the president on, and see if we can deal with the tariff situation that may be facing her people,” she said.
.@PressSec Karoline Leavitt: “On Wednesday it will be ‘Liberation Day’ in America as President Trump has so proudly dubbed it…the president will be announcing a tariff plan that will roll back the unfair trade practices that have been ripping off our country for decades.” pic.twitter.com/igw3zgVRfg
“We’re going to be very nice, relatively speaking, we’re going to be very kind,” Trump told reporters on Monday.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that “White House aides have drafted a proposal to impose tariffs of around 20 percent on most imports to the United States, three people familiar with the matter said, as President Donald Trump pushes for the most aggressive overhaul of the global economic system in decades.”
Sheinbaum said last week that her government will provide “a comprehensive response” to the United States’ tariffs on April 3, once it knows whether Mexican goods will face additional duties.
“We don’t want to give a response to each issue, but rather a comprehensive response,” said the president, who pledged to “always protect Mexico.”
On Tuesday, she reiterated that her government will wait to see what happens on Wednesday while maintaining dialogue with its U.S. and Canadian counterparts.
Asked at her morning press conference about potential retaliation to additional U.S. tariffs on Mexican goods, Sheinbaum said:
“We don’t believe in an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth because that always leads to a bad situation.”
With regard to Noem’s remarks, Sheinbaum stressed on Tuesday that she did not agree to anything requiring the transfer of biometric data and that she “only responds to the people of Mexico.”
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has developed a tortilla low in calories but dense in nutrients. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
Researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) have developed a nutritionally fortified tortilla to help address the country’s obesity and malnutrition problems.
The tortillas are made through a double fermentation process and are fortified with protein, calcium, fiber, folic acid, probiotics, and prebiotics. The double fermentation process reduces pH (a measure of acidity and alkali) and increases the food’s shelf life so that artificial preservatives are not necessary.
The tortilla dough was created by professors and students at UNAM’s Food Engineering and Industrial Chemistry department at its Cuautitlán campus. (UNAM Global TV)
The addition of probiotics — living microorganisms — is beneficial to the health of the consumer, says Dr. Raquel Gómez, a microbiologist and a member of the UNAM research team.
“Living microorganisms are beneficial to our health,” she said. “They decrease plasma levels of lipids and chronic inflammation, which causes illnesses such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and even cancer.”
The probiotics pass into the consumers’ gastrointestinal tract, where they help protect the so-called “good bacteria” in the body and promote digestive health.
Gómez said the tortillas are low in calories and eating two of them is equivalent to drinking a glass of milk. In fact, the tortillas are enriched with milk proteins, and the double fermentation process also eliminates the need for anti-clumping agents.
The researchers — professors and students at UNAM’s Food Engineering and Industrial Chemistry department at its Cuautitlán campus — say the tortillas can last more than one month at room temperature and over three months when refrigerated.
The increased shelf life and high nutritional value make the tortillas a viable alternative for remote communities where malnutrition and lack of electricity are issues.
The researchers also hope the new tortilla will provide nutritional support to Mexicans in remote, vulnerable communities with little access to fresh, quality food. (Margarito Pérez Retana/Cuartoscuro)
However, the double fermentation process means that, after a certain length of time, it is necessary to sprinkle a bit of water on the tortilla before it is reheated so it can recover its original texture and malleable properties.
Gómez said the tortillas are made by mixing all the ingredients and letting the masa, or dough, sit for two or three hours before it is shaped into tortillas and cooked.
The researchers tested the masa for humidity and texture to make sure it was sufficiently malleable to stretch and shape without tearing. Gómez said the use of probiotics and the double fermentation process made the masa more elastic and spongy without subtracting at all from the taste and smell.
The cooked tortillas were analyzed to ensure that the probiotics survived the entire process and chemical analysis was carried out to determine the amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals that remained.
The study was done exclusively with wheat flour, but Gómez said there is no reason that corn flour could not be used.
There's food, drink and endless art to enjoy in and around Oaxaca city this April. (LBM1948/CC BY SA 4.0)
April is usually a fairly quiet time of year in Oaxaca. It is getting warmer with temperatures averaging around 30 C (86 F) in the city. It is a lovely time to explore, as the famous jacaranda trees are still in full bloom. This year Semana Santa (Holy Week) is celebrated in April. From the moment you arrive in the city, you can find symbols of the upcoming celebrations. Shops and homes are decorated with purple and white ornaments, which were hung, announcing the arrival of Lent.
The testimony of a collective organization for water autonomy that demonstrates that, when the community comes together, change is possible. This is the final installment of a viewing series that began with International Water Day on March 22 at Matamoros 404, a cultural center and transdisciplinary arts space. After the screening, there will be an opportunity to discuss issues of water security and environmental sustainability.
Dates: April 4 at 7 p.m. Cost: No cover Location: Mariano Matamoros 404, Centro, Oaxaca de Juárez
These hot, dry Oaxacan afternoons are perfect for sipping on a cold beer. And what could be more perfect than sipping a locally made one on top of a beautiful rooftop? 18 breweries, one mead project and one kombucha project will gather at the Casa de Barro cultural and commercial center to celebrate craft beer made in Oaxaca.
Each brewery will feature at least two different styles of beer, ranging from lagers, IPAs, red ales, stouts and sours, among others. There will also be DJs and live music throughout the event. Coordinated by the Asociación de Cerveceros de Oaxaca, it is an opportunity to try different styles of locally crafted beer, eat delicious food and dance the evening away.
Dates: April 4 and 5, 12:30 to 11 p.m. Cost: 70 peso cover Location: Reforma 703, Centro, Oaxaca de Juárez
This exhibition at Oaxaca’s beautiful photography museum showcases work by esteemed photographer Alberto “El Negro” Ibáñez. During his career, Ibáñez has explored the cultural and ethnic diversity of Oaxaca and the world Originally from Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, Ibáñez says that over the past thirty years he has focused on documentary photography.
The artist focuses his photography on portraits, which, he says, means “confronting a society, a person.” This exhibition captures a picture-postcard life of Paris at the turn of the millennium. A must-see exhibition that reveals the city from an intimate and surreal perspective through subway scenes, nightlife, gay pride and portraits reflected in urban window displays.
Dates: April 5 at 12 p.m. Cost: Entry is free Location: Centro Fotográfico Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Manuel Bravo 116, Centro, Oaxaca de Juárez
If you are keen to find a night of dance and electronic music in Oaxaca city, then Estación Morelos is a great venue to be aware of. This April, they’re hosting a Closed Society Record’s event, the third edition of “Under Control.” The night will feature performances and music from 3Gallos, Bibi8, Lanyster, Martsal and MGNO.
Dates: April 5 at 8 p.m. Cost: No cover, but online registration is required. Location: Av. José María Morelos 1309, Centro, Oaxaca de Juárez
You can’t go more than a block or two in downtown Oaxaca without finding a printmaking workshop or exhibition. This artform is a significant art movement in Oaxaca and the aesthetic behind many forms of resistance. Ludwing Franco is a local artist whose art is inspired by his traditions and culture. During the workshop Franco will share a brief history and context of print-making in Oaxaca and the world more generally. Then he will guide you to make your own design. The workshop costs includes all materials needed to make your own engraving and prints, as well as a free signed print by Franco. Artisanal coffee and mezcal will be available throughout the session.
Dates: April 9, 3 to 5 p.m. Cost: 1,230 pesos Location: Tlayudona, Manuel Bravo 210 C, Oaxaca de Juárez
Insitu, one of Oaxaca’s foremost mezcalerías, will host an exhibition from photographer Anna Bruce and tattoo artist Edgar Gopar, including Gopar’s interventions on Bruce’s photographs from the world of mezcal production. The photos are selected from over a decade of Bruce’s close work with the agave spirits community in Oaxaca state.
Gopar explains that his “inspiration, in essence, is the photos themselves,” “those windows that took me to a moment where the spirit of the maguey-mezcal was present.” A courtesy mezcal is available on arrival, and Gopar will be tattooing. A Rambling Spirits bartender will collaborate with Insitu’s managing bartender David Castillo for some bespoke cocktails
Dates: April 12, 5 to 11 p.m. Cost: Free entry Location: Reforma 306, Centro, Oaxaca de Juárez
Holy Week processions
(Galo Caños Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)
April 13 is Palm Sunday, which marks the first day of Holy Week. In the capital, it is customary to visit churches just to see the decorations and offerings. One of the main days of reverence in Oaxaca is Good Friday. During the day, you will find the various stagings of the ‘Stations of the Cross’ in the streets of the city and in the afternoon you can follow along with the majestic Procesión del Silencio at 5 p.m. During the procession, participants walk in complete silence, carrying lit candles and wearing tunics and hoods, symbols of penitence and humility. The procession winds through the Historic Center. You can see depictions of Christ’s passion and biblical scenes evoking Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Dates: April 13 through 20 Cost: Free Location: Throughout Oaxaca city
Bread and Leatherworking Festival in Santo Domingo Tomaltepec
Santo Domingo, about 30 minutes from Oaxaca city, shares its culinary and artisanal traditions in the 12th annual Expo-Feria del Pan y la Talabartería. Attendees will be able to discover the community’s baking and saddlery traditions, as well as participate in activities such as tasting traditional foods such as liver, yellow pork empanadas, enchiladas, memelitas and more.
Fifteen bakeries and ten leather workshops will participate. Belts, keychains, wallets, bags, purses, and other leather products will be available for purchase, as will the town’s traditional drink, Catalan, made with anise. A cultural program will also be held, featuring dancing, music as well as a cycling race.
Dates: April 20, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Cost: Free entry Location: Explanada Municipal, Santo Domingo Tomaltepec
Latin Mafia at Auditorio Guelaguetza
(Ticketmaster)
In April 2024, Mexican indie pop group Latin Mafia made their U.S. debut performing at Coachella. The group consists of twin brothers Milton and Emilio de la Rosa on vocals, produced by older brother Mike de la Rosa. Their music has been described as a reggaeton, R&B, trap and house hybrid. On April 24, they take the stage at the Auditorio Guelaguetza as part of their “Te odio y te extraño mucho” tour.
Dates: April 24 at 9 p.m. Cost: Tickets start at 490 pesos Location: Auditorio Guelaguetza, Carretera Panamericana s/n, Oaxaca de Juárez
Tlacolula de Matamoros, a majority-Zapotec municipality, is about 45 minutes from downtown Oaxaca city. At this annual festival, you can try traditional mezcals by 40 mezcaleros and delicious ice creams with natural flavors. The festival will have a pavilion of artisans, food samples, and tours with visits to mezcal palenques, including tastings, so that visitors can learn about the culture of the drink. The festival also offers mixology courses, with a wide range of options for enjoying this municipality and its surroundings. Families who make the sorbet-like nieve will be showcasing classic and unconventional flavors such as grasshoppers, chepil, maguey worms, bougainvillea and pan de cazuela, among others.
Dates: April 25 through 27 Cost: Free entry Location: Parque Municipal, Tacolula de Matamoros
Anna Bruce is an award-winning British photojournalist based in Oaxaca, Mexico. Just some of the media outlets she has worked with include Vice, The Financial Times, Time Out, Huffington Post, The Times of London, the BBC and Sony TV. Find out more about her work at her website or visit her on social media on Instagram or on Facebook.
People in Mexico are so polite, it can sometimes be hard to have an honest and frank conversation. (Jametiene Reskp/Unsplash)
When my friend called me to tell me thatshe’d lost my dog, we first had a regular conversation for a full ten minutes. Then came the kicker: “I’m so ashamed to tell you this, but…”
Honestly, I’d personally have lead with, “Hello, I am calling because I lost your dog.” Is time not of the essence in these cases?
You’d think if you were calling to break the bad news, you’d get to the point, right? Not in Mexico. (Randy Laybourne/Unsplash)
But first, we talked about my trip. I told her about the article I was writing. She told me about her week at work. We might have talked about our altar preparations for Day of the Dead.
When I ask another friend if she wants to go out and do something, she never asks if I’ll give her a ride. She says she would love to, only she doesn’t have money for a taxi. Honestly, I’d rather she just say, “I’m a little short on taxi money. Any chance you could pick me up and take me home?”
But this is a cultural preference of mine, and not the cultural preference of most people around me.
My partner manages a popular tap room that’s currently running with only a third of the people they actually need. They hire people often, and those same people leave without a word often. No two-week notice, no “Hey, this isn’t working out for me.” Usually, they simply stop showing up. When they do this, they don’t respond to messages or answer the phone, either.
Final example: a guy once didn’t show up for a date with me because — he told me later — it was raining really hard. But on the day of our date, he didn’t show up or say a word about it: no apology, no excuse. The next week, he wanted to reschedule, assuming an easy forgiveness for a very minor sin. Dude!
Mexicans hate, hate, hate giving bad news. They don’t want you to panic. They don’t want you to sigh in frustration. They especially don’t want you to get mad.They don’t want to tell you “no.”
Archive footage of a Mexican attempting to say “no.” (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
But if they can find a way to soften bad news — or better yet, not say it at all — they will.
For me and many of my compatriots, acting like you’re just going to have a normal conversation before asking for a favor especially seems disingenuous. “You didn’t really want to talk to me, you just wanted to borrow money!”
Okay, but what if they alsowanted to talk to you? Mexicans are good at buttering people up, sometimes with what feels like literal butter. Things may be transactional, but that doesn’t mean they have to be unpleasant, right?
Because just coming out and saying things is not usually the best way to do things around here. Not to be crude, but the best metaphor I can think of for pleasantries is… lubricant.
Dive right in, and it will be unpleasant and uncomfortable for the person on the receiving end. It’s practically violent, really. They might hide their grimace, but believe me, it’ll be just under the surface. Don’t have time to have a whole conversation before asking for something or giving information they won’t like? At least start with a “buenos días” or a “buenas tardes.” At least.
This woman has just received bad news without so much as a “como estas?” to soften the blow. (Jonatas Domingos/Unsplash)
Here’s the question we usually have in response: are they being disingenuous? Everyone’s capable, of course. But most Mexicans really are educated to be polite and exchange pleasantries in all types of situations. Whereas I’d be suspicious of a friend in the U.S. applying this technique, here I’ve come to expect it.
“Geez, not even a ‘buenos días’?” I might think these days.
So what do we do with this information as foreigners, especially those of us who have and appreciate a much more direct style?
Sometimes I am direct myself — after some pleasantries, of course — with those close to me, or those I have to work with. “Please just tell me directly. It really is okay, and it will really help me.”
Because on this, I can’t ignore my own cultural bias completely: avoiding giving bad news is, to me, just lying. Plus, obscuring the truth just slows everything down, because when there’s a problem, I want to get it solved quickly. My partner always says that the truth always comes out, eventually. This is true, and I’m of the bad idea that sooner is always better than later.
Still, I don’t make the rules around here, so like it is for immigrants everywhere in the world, there’s a bit of “go along to get along” that has to happen.
All jokes aside, it’s important to remember that what we see as directness maybe interpreted as rudeness by others. (Canva)
Now, even when I’d really like to dive in to what it is I want to talk about or ask, I remember: the spoonful of sugar really is needed to make the medicine go down. Without it, people might be so put off by the bad taste that they can’t appreciate the substance in the least. Honestly,it’s easy to inadvertently offend Mexicans. And who wants to do that?
So let loose with those pleasantries. Talk about the weather. Ask about their families. Find out if they’ve got any fun weekend plans they’re looking forward to.
And when someone asks you for a favor after a bunch of pleasantries, remember that they’re exercising a cultural value we all admire: extreme politeness. Dive in and enjoy it. And if you want to say “no,” in the end, that’s okay — just try to be suave about it.
President Sheinbaum highlighted the first shipment of vehicles across Mexico's trans-isthmus shipping corridor during her Monday presser. (Hazel Cárdenas/Presidencia)
A milestone in the operation of the railroad across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a National Electoral Institute ruling and her ever-soaring popularity were among the issues she spoke about.
‘It’s an exceptional project — it provides an alternative to the Panama Canal’
Sheinbaum acknowledged that a maiden shipment of vehicles — 900 Hyundai cars from South Korea — was transported across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec by train over the weekend.
She said that “some products” had already been transported across the isthmus between Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, but it was the first time that vehicles were taken across the 308-kilometer-long modernized railroad between the two ports.
The modernized railroad is the centerpiece of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT) infrastructure project.
Sheinbaum said that the port in Salina Cruz is “still being developed” with public and private investment. Even so, “larger ships” have begun docking there thanks to the breakwater built during the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, she said.
Sheinbaum added that a grain storage terminal will be built at the Salina Cruz port and “other actions” will be undertaken to “strengthen the port.”
“And when the port of Salina Cruz is finished, it will have a lot more activity,” she said.
According to the Oaxaca Ministry of Economic Development, the shipment of Hyundai cars is destined for the east coast of the United States. Transporting the cars from Korea to their final destination via Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos — where they are re-loaded onto a ship — reduces the total shipping time by five days in comparison with a voyage that includes traversing the Panama Canal, according to the ministry. It said that total logistics costs are 15% lower, and highlighted that it takes nine hours to transport the vehicles across the isthmus by rail.
The Interoceanic Train is the key to the now-operational trans-isthmus shipping corridor. (Gobierno de Oaxaca)
Former Navy Minister José Rafael Ojeda Durán asserted in 2023 that Mexico would become a “world shipping power” thanks to the construction of the trade corridor between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Sheinbaum to challenge INE ruling against promotion of judicial elections
Sheinbaum told reporters that her government has not yet been formally notified of the decision by the National Electoral Institute (INE) to prohibit federal, state and municipal governments, public institutions and individual officials from promoting Mexico’s first ever judicial elections.
“We haven’t been notified yet,” she said, adding that such a rule only takes effect after notification of those affected.
Sheinbaum said that her government has simply been reminding people that the elections are coming up, not campaigning on behalf of any candidates.
She made it clear that she doesn’t agree with the INE’s ruling, and on both Sunday — when the ban took effect — and Monday when she didn’t comply with it.
President Sheinbaum said her government would challenge the National Electoral Institute (INE) ruling that prohibits public institutions from promoting the upcoming judicial elections. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)
“We’re not going to promote voting for one person or another, but simply participation [in the elections],” Sheinbaum emphasized.
She told reporters that the federal government will challenge the INE’s decision at the Federal Electoral Tribunal “because we believe it’s important that the executive power and the legislative power, without directing [citizens to vote for] one person or another, … participate in the dissemination of this transformational event that will take place in Mexico on June 1.”
Sheinbaum and other federal officials say that the election of judges is necessary to rid the judiciary of corruption and other ills such as nepotism.
Critics of the judicial elections argue that the election of judges will erode the independence of Mexico’s judiciary because it will come to be stacked with judges sympathetic to the ruling Morena party’s agenda, thus removing a vital check on executive power.
Another poll, another sky-high approval rating for the president
The president — as she invariably does when flattering poll results are mentioned at her mañanera — thanked the people of Mexico for their support.
She added that her government will “never betray the people.”
Sheinbaum said that the high levels of support she enjoys reflect a “very different” reality in Mexico to that perceived or promoted by “the famous commentariat of intellectuals from the past linked to the regime of the past — that before 2018.”
López Obrador took office in late 2018, marking the commencement of the so-called “fourth transformation” of public life in Mexico, of which the current president says she is building “el segundo piso,” or second story.
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch credited strong coordination among many agencies for the success of the two operations. (Semar)
Mexican authorities have seized over 17 million liters of stolen diesel and hydrocarbons in two major operations, marking a significant blow to illegal fuel trafficking networks.
The largest single seizure — 10 million liters of diesel — occurred in Tamaulipas about 10 days after a Singapore-flagged ship, the Challenge Procyon, arrived at the port of Tampico on March 19, allegedly transporting lubricating oil additives.
En Altamira, Tamaulipas, elementos de @SEMAR_mx, @FGRMexico y @SSPCMexico realizaron un aseguramiento de 10 millones de litros de diésel. Se aseguraron 192 contenedores, un buque, 29 tractocamiones, armamento y vehículos.
Esta acción es resultado de la coordinación del Gabinete… pic.twitter.com/zYOZydGYir
However, the vessel, which had sailed on March 16 from Beaumont, Texas, was soon linked to illicit hydrocarbon trafficking. Hydrocarbons are a class of compounds that includes gasoline, diesel and many other substances both in gaseous and liquid forms.
Federal forces including the Navy (Semar), the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) and the National Guard (GN) raided multiple sites in Altamira, Tamaulipas, seizing 192 containers, 23 tractor-trailers, firearms and documentation.
In a press release issued Monday, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch emphasized that the operation was a result of strong intelligence and investigative work and coordination among many agencies, including the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (FEMDO) and the Ministry of Security and Civilian Protection (SSPC) plus those mentioned above.
A separate operation in Ensenada, Baja California, uncovered 7.9 million liters of hydrocarbons on March 29 at a property reportedly owned by former Morena senator Gerardo Novelo Osuna, an ally of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The newspaper El Financiero wrote that it “was described as the largest seizure of ‘black gold’ ever found in a single location.”
Novelo strongly denied involvement, stating he had rented the property to a man known as “Gussy” (Luis Francisco Rodríguez Orozco) under a lease agreement.
Located 1.2 kilometers from a Pemex pipeline, the site contained 119 storage tanks, 46 tanker trailers and 19 tractor-trailers.
In both operations, authorities emphasized interagency collaboration.
Just one day prior, authorities discovered nearly eight million liters of hydrocarbons on an Ensenada property reportedly owned by a member of the Morena party. (Defensa)
The Tamaulipas operation alone involved six federal agencies and also recovered two handguns, 102 cartridges and computer equipment, alongside the fuel.
In Baja California, Pemex security teams discovered the storage site during intensified patrols, with ongoing monitoring by defense officials.
Critics on social media dubbed the Baja California case “huachicol del bienestar” — combining the concept of fuel theft (huachicol) with government welfare programs. They apply it to people who have benefited from stealing and illegally selling diesel and gasoline who are tied to political figures or parties, especially those associated with populist policies aimed at benefiting the public.
Huachicol alludes to activities such as tapping pipelines,using tunnels to steal gas,hijacking tanker trucks or storing stolen fuel for resale on the black market. The term originates from its historical use to describe adulterated products, evolving to signify stolen or diluted fuel in Mexico.
Combined, the Tamaulipas bust, which Semar deemed “historic,” and the Baja California operation netted more than 17 million liters, represent one of Mexico’s largest crackdowns on fuel theft over the past decade.
Soft drinks and industrially produced aguas frescas like jamaica and horchata are on the government's naughty list. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)
A ban on junk food in Mexico’s schools will enter into effect on Monday, government officials announced on Saturday.
The junk food ban is part of the government’s Healthy Living program, a collaboration between the Public Education Ministry (SEP) and the Health Ministry. The ban applies to both public and private schools across all levels of education.
👋🏼🍟🥤 ¡Adiós a la comida chatarra! A partir del 29 de marzo, estará prohibida su venta en las escuelas de todo el país. 🏫🙌🏼 En el Manual para madres y padres de familia, encontrarán recetas nutritivas y deliciosas para sus hijas e hijos. 😋🥗 Disponible en:… pic.twitter.com/A6ouxQtlK4
Mexico’s Education Ministry announced the ban on the social media site X, writing “Farewell, junk food!”
“One of the core principles of the new Mexican school system is healthy living,” federal Education Minister Mario Delgado said. “There’s a high level of acceptance of this policy among parents.”
“It is much better to eat a bean taco than a bag of potato chips,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who advocated for the ban, said in October when she introduced the guidelines.
Under the new guidelines, schools must phase out any food and beverage displaying one or more black warning logo marking it as high in salt, sugar, calories or fat. The warning label system was introduced in 2020 to better inform consumers about food products.
According to SEP, cafeterias in all schools nationwide will no longer be able to sell junk food including:
Fried, salted peanuts
Donuts
Flan
Hamburgers
Hot dogs
Juice boxes, soda or carbonated drinks
French fries
Cake
Pizza
Chicharrones (fried pork rinds)
Cueritos (pickled pork rinds)
Canned fruit in syrup
Candy
Cream pops and ice cream
Flavored milk
Nachos with cheese
Industrialized snacks
School cooperatives and cafeterias may sell foods such as:
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Desserts made with seeds and/or whole grains (without added fat or sugar) such as natural popcorn or amaranth bars
Mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, cranberries, or prunes, among others).
Herbal or fruit infusions, and natural teas.
Legumes: broad beans, lentils and kidney beans, among others.
Foods of animal origin like panela cheese, jocoque, cottage cheese, eggs and chicken.
Cereals including corn tortillas, whole-wheat bread and oats.
The ban requires schools to provide more nutritious food and drink alternatives. School administrators who violate the ban could face fines of between 545 to 5,450 pesos (US $27 and $266).
A junk food epidemic
The government is implementing the change to tackle one of the world’s worst obesity and diabetes epidemics. According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey, 37% of Mexican children between the ages of 5 and 11 are obese.
Food products with government health warning labels must be phased out under the new guidelines. (ProtoplasmaKid CC BY-SA 4.0)
UNICEF classifies Mexico’s childhood obesity epidemic as an emergency. Mexico is the largest consumer of ultra-processed products, including sugary drinks, in Latin America, according to the agency. Sugary drinks and highly processed food account for around 40% of the total calories preschoolers consume in a day, the agency reported.
The tricky part: Enforcement
While the move is a step in the right direction, it will be difficult to enforce. In the past, junk food bans in Mexico have had a limited effect, as monitoring Mexico’s 255,000 schools, many of which lack water fountains and even electricity, is no easy feat.
The government has not yet announced how it plans to enforce the ban in and around schools.
Renata Judith de la Torre Ley, director of the Program for Comprehensive Care and Development at the Jalisco Ministry of Education (SEJ), said that school administrators will be required to notify the corresponding authorities of noncompliance.
“We want to provide this support at all our schools, and we believe it’s important to inform [cafeteria cooperatives of potential violations] before resorting to sanctions,” de la Torre explained.
Alejandro "N," alias "El Rayo," was arrested in Veracruz last Thursday. (FGE Quintana Roo/X)
The attorney general of Quintana Roo revealed on Monday that a 42-year-old male suspect was arrested last Thursday in connection with the murder of the police chief in the Caribbean coast resort town of Tulum.
Tulum Security Minister José Roberto Rodríguez Bautista was shot on March 21 and died the next day. (Cuartoscuro)
Quintana Roo Attorney General Raciel López told a press conference that state and federal authorities arrested Alejandro “N,” alias “El Rayo,” in Veracruz city for his alleged involvement in the murder of the municipal security chief.
He said that the suspect is from Taxco, Guerrero, and is a member of a criminal group.
“He participated in the homicide of the municipal secretary of public security,” said López, who noted that authorities determined that after the Tulum shooting, the suspect fled to Tampico, Tamaulipas, before traveling to Veracruz.
Another gunmen, a Guatemalan national known as “El Chaparro,” “El Guatemalteco” and “El Kaibil,” was killed by a bodyguard after he allegedly fired the bullet that ultimately took the life of Rodríguez. “El Guatemalteco” and “El Rayo” were on a motorbike when they allegedly attacked the security minister.
The attorney general said that “El Rayo” acted on the instructions of a criminal leader from the northern state of Tamaulipas to kill Rodríguez.
He said that the criminal leader was angry about the work Rodríguez carried out while a member of the state police of Colima, including his participation in a search operation near the border with Jalisco.
López described the detained suspect as a “dangerous individual” who is linked to more than 100 murders perpetrated in the north of Mexico.
He said that “El Rayo” planned the murder with eight other sicarios, or hired assassins, including “El Guatemalteco.”
López said that the homicide was “very well planned,” explaining that Rodríguez and relevant social media accounts were monitored for approximately five months before the security minister was killed in order to determine things such as his day-to-day movements, the number of bodyguards he had and what public events he would be attending.
He also said that criminals attempted to murder the security minister on six different occasions.
“El Rayo” is allegedly part of a criminal group that monitored the police chief’s social media for months leading up to the assassination. (FGE Quintana Roo)
“Due to various circumstances they didn’t achieve their objective,” López said.
After his arrest, Alejandro “N” was flown to Cancún, where a judge ordered he be placed in preventive detention on homicide charges.
If found guilty, he faces a sentence of up to 50 years in prison. López said that authorities are seeking to arrest those who allegedly collaborated with the detained suspect in the planning of the homicide in Tulum.
“In Quintana Roo, he who commits a crime of this nature will face the consequences,” he said.
A deal to bring down 50% tariffs on Mexican steel is in the works, Bloomberg reported earlier this week. (Mads Eneqvist/Unsplash)
Shrugging off the weight of a 25% tariff from the United States, Mexico’s steel industry doubled down on its commitment to President Sheinbaum’s Plan México last week, confirming it will invest US $8.7 billion over the next five years to increase domestic production.
“The funds to expand facilities will go ahead with or without [U.S.] tariffs,” said National Steel and Iron Industry Chamber (Canacero) President Víctor Martínez Cairo, while emphasizing that all members of his Chamber support Plan México.
Despite new steel tariffs, Víctor Martínez Cairo, head of Canacero, sees “opportunities to create synergies with the U.S.” (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
Plan México — officially The National Strategy for Industrialization and Shared Prosperity — is President Sheinbaum’s economic development project focused on strengthening the country’s role in global value chains.
Canacero’s expressed goal is to fulfill all of Mexico’s steel needs via local production. To do so, however, Canacero has suggested that the Mexican government will have to take action.
One of those actions could be to abandon the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement. Canacero has asked the administration to do just that, or at least to consider applying tariffs to steel imported from Vietnam and Malaysia.
A significant amount of steel of dubious origin is imported to Mexico from Vietnam and Malaysia, with the U.S. market as the ultimate destination, Canacero claims. The implication is that China is using TPP to triangulate its steel through Mexico and into the U.S., a practice that the U.S. government is determined to eliminate.
Members of Canacero say they are willing to absorb the tariffs on steel imports to the U.S. in exchange for a crackdown on Asian imports by the Mexican government.
While expressing confidence in the negotiations Mexico’s government has undertaken to negotiate U.S. tariffs on steel, Martínez Cairo said he believes there are “opportunities to create synergies with the United States.”
“This is the moment to join forces to eliminate disloyal practices that affect our nations and our industries,” he said. “We want to work together as a regional bloc to strengthen national and regional content.”
Martínez Cairo said that North American neighbors import roughly 9.7 million tonnes of steel from Asia each year. Replacing this with domestic and regional production would be a boon to both countries, he said.
Mexico consumes approximately 30 million tonnes of steel each year. Canacero says its five-year investment plan, first publicized in February, seeks to satisfy all of the country’s domestic needs, complementing its own production with imports from the U.S. and ending reliance on heavily subsidized Chinese steel.
Bilateral trade in steel between Mexico and the U.S. is approximately 7.6 million tonnes annually — 4.4 million tonnes from the U.S. to Mexico and 3.2 million tonnes from Mexico to the U.S.
As such, Martínez Cairo points out, the U.S. has a 1.2 million-tonne trade surplus in steel vis-a-vis Mexico, making a trade war illogical.
