Visitors to the Formula 1 Exhibition can virtually drive F-1 cars, among other activities. (F1 Media)
Long a hub of Formula 1 passion thanks to its sold-out Grand Prix every fall, Mexico City will get an early burst of speed this year when the massive Formula 1 Exhibition opens March 20 in the capital.
The interactive showcase — which has been extremely popular in previous stops from Madrid to Melbourne to Buenos Aires — will make its Latin American return in Mexico City, the ninth host city worldwide, according to Formula1.com.
The exhibit also features numerous Formula 1 artifacts, such as this undersized but powerful engine. (F1 Media)
The exhibition will be at Yama Punta Museo, an automobile-themed museum on the third floor of an upscale residential/retail complex in the southern Mexico City borough of Coyoacán.
“Since Formula 1 Exhibition’s debut in Madrid in 2023, the show has gone from strength to strength to attract over 1 million visitors,” said Emily Prazer, Formula 1’s chief commercial officer. “Mexico City is a vibrant cultural hub with a true passion for motorsport, so it made perfect sense for it to be the next stop on the Latin American tour.”
The city has embraced Formula 1 as one of its biggest annual spectacles.
Held each fall at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the Mexico City Grand Prix has sold out every year since rejoining the calendar in 2015. Attendance is roughly 400,000 across the full race weekend, with around 150,000 on race day.
This year’s race on Sunday, Nov. 1 — with three free practice sessions plus qualifying on Oct. 30-31 — will see local favorite Sergio Pérez compete with F1’s newest team, Cadillac.
The exhibition at the museum 10 kilometers away will feature six immersive galleries across 2,000 square meters, including Pit Wall, a cinematic look at F1’s most unforgettable moments; Design Lab, an insider’s view into race car engineering; and Drivers & Duels, chronicling the sport’s historic rivalries.
A special room will honor Mexico’s racing legacy and pay homage to Pérez, a Guadalajara native who started in Formula 1 in 2011 and drove for Red Bull Racing from 2021 to 2024.
Artifacts will include historic cars, rare photos and the remains of French-Swiss driver Romain Grosjean’s fiery 2020 Bahrain crash — when his car was engulfed in flames for half a minute after hitting a barrier at high speed, yet he escaped alive.
The exhibit debuted in Madrid, where it became Spain’s top-selling temporary exhibit of 2023; the next year in London, it won a prize for being the city’s best visitor experience of the year.
Tickets in Mexico City start at 295 pesos (about US $17), with early-access registration open before public sales launch Jan. 28. There will be no ticket sales on site. The exhibit will run daily from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
No closing date has been provided; past versions have run anywhere from five to nine months, with extensions due to strong ticket sales.
The transfer of 37 prisoners to the U.S., Mexican firefighters in Chile and an update on the investigation into December's train derailment were all topics of Thursday's presidential press conference. (Hazel Cárdenas / Presidencia)
President Claudia Sheinbaum held her Thursday morning press conference in Puebla de Zaragoza, capital of the state of Puebla.
She spoke about the future of the USMCA free trade pact amid increased tension between the United States and Canada (read MND’s story here), while Security Minister Omar García Harfuch announced the arrest of a man in connection with the murder of Bernardo Bravo, who led a lime growers’ association in Michoacán before his death in October. (Read MND’s story here.)
Security minister: Transfer of prisoners to US benefits Mexico
On Tuesday, García Harfuch announced that “37 operators of criminal organizations who represented a real threat to the security of the country” were flown to various cities in the United States on seven Mexican military planes.
On Thursday morning, he was asked to provide details on the threats the cartel figures posed.
García Harfuch told reporters that in “various” prisons in Mexico, inmates “have the opportunity to continue committing crimes.”
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch provided details about the recent transfer of Mexican prisoners to the U.S. (Hazel Cárdenas / Presidencia)
On Thursday, García Harfuch stressed that the transfer of the prisoners to the United States is “for the benefit of our country.”
The handover of 37 people on Tuesday was the third large transfer of prisoners to the U.S. since Sheinbaum took office after transfers last February (29 people) and August (26 people).
With the removal of more than 90 criminals from the country, “what we’re avoiding,” García Harfuch said, “is extortion of Mexican citizens [and] homicides of Mexican citizens.”
He also said that authorities are working to strengthen security in prisons in order to stop crimes being committed from within them.
FGR report on Interoceanic Train accident to be ready next week
Sheinbaum told reporters that she spoke to Attorney General Ernestina Godoy on Wednesday and was informed that the report the Federal Attorney General’s Office is preparing about the cause (or causes) of the Dec. 28 accident involving the Interoceanic Train will be ready next week.
The derailment of the train in the state of Oaxaca claimed 14 lives, and around 100 other people were injured.
The accident occurred nearly 90 minutes after the six-car Z-line train departed from Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, en route to Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.
Mexican firefighters battle blazes in Chile
A reporter noted that a lot of Chileans have been thanking Mexico for sending firefighters to Chile to help battle wildfires that have claimed more than 20 lives.
Ya aterrizaron en Concepción 145 brigadistas y más de 360 kilos de carga para el combate de incendios en la zona centro-sur del país. El contingente se desplegará en los múltiples focos de incendio activos desarrollando diversas tareas. pic.twitter.com/TPNl3dDRZp
“Thank you, Mexico,” the Chilean government wrote above the video.
Sheinbaum said that Mexico’s National Forestry Commission is coordinating the deployment of Mexican firefighters in Chile.
“Mexico will always show solidarity, always. It is in our essence. Those values come from México profundo [deep Mexico], from the Indigenous peoples,” she said.
“Mexicans have great values that come from those civilizations, values that have to do with brotherhood, solidarity, family support, and love for one’s neighbor,” Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
President Sheinbaum will seek a call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, she said, as Canada-U.S. tensions build. Pictured: The three North American leaders meeting in Washington, D.C., after the FIFA World Cup draw in December. (Claudia Sheinbaum/X)
Amid increased tension between the United States and Canada, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday that her government would work to ensure that there is no rupture of the USMCA, the North American free trade pact that is subject to a formal review process this year.
At her morning press conference, Sheinbaum was asked whether the “clash” between the viewpoints expressed by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump in speeches at the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting placed “the life” of the USMCA at risk.
At her Thursday morning press conference, Sheinbaum addressed questions about the sharp words exchanged between Mexico’s North American free trade partners at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (Hazel Cárdenas / Presidencia)
“And we believe it’s a good idea for the three countries to maintain the trade agreement,” said Sheinbaum, who noted that Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard will travel to Washington D.C. next week “to continue working on trade issues” with U.S. officials.
Even if Mexico, the United States and Canada don’t agree to extend the USMCA during this year’s review process, the pact would not be terminated until 2036. An agreement to extend the pact would ensure its survival until at least 2042. Mexico and Canada’s trade relationships with China will likely be discussed during bilateral and trilateral negotiations, along with things such as rules of origin and the United States’ trade deficit with each of its neighbors.
Sheinbaum remains optimistic that the review process will go well, despite the differences between the U.S. and Canadian leaders.
On Thursday morning, she told reporters that she wouldn’t describe the expression of different opinions by Carney and Trump in Davos, Switzerland, over the past two days as a “clash of discourse.”
“They’re simply different points of view regarding what is happening internationally,” said Sheinbaum, who on Wednesday endorsed Carney’s WEF speech, describing it as “very good” and “very much in tune with the current times.”
The Canadian prime minister said that “for decades, countries like Canada prospered under what we called the rules-based international order,” even though “we knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false” due to factors including that “trade rules were enforced asymmetrically.”
“… This fiction was useful,” Carney said.
“And American hegemony, in particular, helped provide public goods: open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security and support for frameworks for resolving disputes.”
This speech *is* one for the history books. But that’s less a compliment, than a coda.
Carney has given us the words to mark the end of the ‘rules-based order’…by acknowledging it never really existed.
Canada, Carney continued, “participated in the rituals” of the the rules-based international order, “but this bargain no longer works.”
“Let me be direct: We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” he said.
“Over the past two decades, a series of crises in finance, health, energy and geopolitics have laid bare the risks of extreme global integration,” Carney said.
“But more recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons. Tariffs as leverage. Financial infrastructure as coercion. Supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited,” said Carney, who was widely interpreted to be referring to the United States under Trump.
In that context — one that includes tariffs Trump imposed on a range of Canadian goods, and Mexican goods, in defiance of the free trade framework the USMCA provides — the prime minister noted that Canada has been diversifying its security and trade relationships.
“We are rapidly diversifying abroad. We’ve agreed a comprehensive strategic partnership with the EU, including joining SAFE, the European defense procurement arrangements. We have signed 12 other trade and security deals on four continents in six months,” Carney said.
While Mexico has raised tariffs on goods from countries including China, Canada — under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Carney — has worked to lower trade barriers. (Presidencia)
“In the past few days, we have concluded new strategic partnerships with China and Qatar. We’re negotiating free trade pacts with India, ASEAN, Thailand, Philippines and Mercosur,” he said.
Carney said last Friday that “the world has changed” and that improved trade ties with China — the United States’ main strategic rival — sets Canada up “well for the new world order.”
Still, the United States is by far Canada’s largest trade partner, and the Canadian government remains firmly committed to the USMCA despite Trump’s rhetoric and its decision to ease trade barriers on China, at a time when Mexico is taking the opposite approach.
Trump hit back at Carney in his WEF address on Wednesday, calling the Canadian prime minister ungrateful.
Referring to a proposed missile defense system for the United States, he said:
“We’re building a golden dome that’s going to, just by its very nature, going to be defending Canada. Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful also. But they’re not. I watched their prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful, they should be grateful to us. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
Trump: “Canada lives because of the United States”
While Trump claims that the United States doesn’t need Canadian goods, The New York Times pointed out in a report published on Tuesday that “the majority of the oil the United States imports comes from Canada.”
Companies in the U.S. across a range of sectors, including automakers, are dependent on inputs that are made in Mexico. In light of the economic integration across North America, Sheinbaum has said she is “very optimistic” about the USMCA review.
Sheinbaum to seek calls with Trump and Carney
Sheinbaum told reporters on Thursday morning that she hasn’t recently spoken with Carney, but would seek a call with him.
“We’re going to try to have a conversation, and of course with President Trump [as well],” she said, adding that they would discuss “all the negotiations that have to do with the trade agreement.”
After the 15-minute call, Sheinbaum said she and Trump agreed to another call soon in order to discuss “other issues,” including trade.
In a future trade-focused call with Trump, Sheinbaum’s main aim — it would appear — will be to convince her U.S. counterpart of the relevance and vitalness of the USMCA, including by emphasizing that the United States does indeed need Mexican (and Canadian) goods.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
The peso's strong finish Wednesday continued a trend for the new year in which the Mexican currency has gained 2.91% against the dollar. (Shutterstock)
The peso appreciated to less than 17.5 units per US dollar on Wednesday, its strongest level since May 2024.
The closing rate of 17.483, represented an appreciation of 0.69%, or 12.13 centavos for the day. Through the first three weeks of the new year, the peso has gained 2.91% against the dollar.
The exchange rate actually approached 17.40 pesos per greenback during the day, only to lose some ground after U.S. President Donald Trump said that attacks against Mexican cartels would “begin soon.”
Banamex reported that the dollar was selling for 17.91 pesos on Wednesday afternoon, while the purchase price was 16.93 units.
The peso movement was supported by a decrease in geopolitical tensions following comments by Trump in Davos, as well as by the narrative of less economic pressure in the U.S., which is seen as a positive for Mexico.
“Even so, the market remains sensitive to any news from the United States that could quickly shift sentiment,” Diego Albuja, market analyst at ATFX LATAM, told El Economista newspaper.
Wednesday’s strong performance led Banamex to revise its exchange rate projections. They now anticipate that the peso will trade below 19 units within the next two years.
“The superpeso could be making a comeback, supported by greater risk appetite and high interest rates,” Banamex economists said in a note. “We now estimate it at 18.36 pesos per dollar in December of this year and at 18.73 by 2027.”
The appreciation of the peso is not entirely good news, however.
Those who receive remittances — an estimated 1 in 10 adults in Mexico rely on money from abroad — receive fewer pesos when they exchange the money.
At the same time, companies in the export sector, an economic driver in recent years, generate less income in local currency.
“Currency appreciation can cause domestic production to lose competitiveness in the international market because local products are now worth more in foreign currency,” Monex economists told the newspaper La Jornada.
As such, exports tend to decrease, contributing to the trade deficit.
A relatively weaker dollar has also helped the peso demonstrate strength in 2026. Analysts anticipate that continued nearshoring with the U.S. and Canada, along with overall foreign direct investment into Mexico, will continue driving strong demand for pesos.
Looking further into the future, the market consensus is that the exchange rate “will remain in the range of 18 to 20 pesos per dollar with a slight tendency towards depreciation, given a still weak economy and attention to monetary policy decisions both at home and in the U.S.”
A recent Reuters survey found that those polled believe the peso will keep trading close to the center of a range between 16-22 per U.S. dollar that has held firm for more than a decade.
Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila spoke to the press last May shortly after having her U.S. visa revoked, which she dismissed by saying, "Millions of Mexicans from Baja California have lived without a visa all their lives." Eight months later, she has confirmed that her then-husband is being investigated for organized crime activities. (Karen Castañeda/Cuartoscuro.com)
The Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) is investigating the former first gentleman of the state of Baja California for crimes related to arms trafficking, drug trafficking and money laundering.
Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila on Wednesday confirmed that Carlos Torres is the subject of a probe that stemmed from an anonymous complaint implicating her ex-husband in a plot to allow a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel to operate in the northern border state.
Carlos Torres is under investigation for crimes allegedly committed while he was married to Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila. (Carlos Torres/Facebook)
After referring reporters to a statement issued by Torres (in which he called the accusations “slanderous”), Ávila said she is confident that the FGR “will conduct a thorough investigation and the facts will be clarified.”
Last May, the U.S. government revoked the governor’s and her then-husband’s tourist visas. At the time, Avila said the decision by the U.S. government was “neither an accusation nor an investigation.” The news was significant, however, as it represented the first time in recent history that a sitting Mexican official was denied entry to the U.S. In following months, dozens of Mexican politicians had their U.S. visas revoked by the Trump administration.
According to N+, the news division of the Grupo Televisa-Univision media conglomerate, the Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office received a complaint on June 11, 2025, that Torres received US $150,000 a month from Pedro Ariel Mendivil García, former security minister for the Mexicali City Council, to allow the Los Rusos Cartel to operate in the northern state.
By then, Torres had stepped down from his honorary posts and in October the governor and he began divorce proceedings.
N+ identified Luis Alfonso Torres, Carlos’ brother, as the alleged leader of the criminal network under investigation, reporting that Luis “directed the administrative operations of illicit funds through companies and support for political campaigns in Mexico.”
The network allegedly carried out extortion by seizing merchandise or shipments and demanding millions of dollars for their release at state customs offices. The payments were then allegedly sent to a local notary. The network is also accused of trafficking in weapons, money and drugs.
Among the names mentioned in the file as subjects of investigation are high-ranking state officials from the Tax Administration Service (SAT) and Customs, as well as mayors and municipal leaders. Also appearing is Sen. Armando Ayala Robles, the former mayor of Ensenada, Baja California.
Carlos Torres was a member of the National Action Party (PAN) for 20 years during which time he was a state congressman (2016-2019), competed to be mayor of Tijuana in 2010 and served as a federal deputy (2006-2009).
In February 2025, Torres resigned from the PAN and joined Morena, the dominant party in Mexico. Ávila and Sen. Ayala are also members of Morena.
Royal Caribbean hopes to welcome over 5 million tourists a year at its Mahahual water park, Perfect Day Mexico. (Royal Caribbean)
Royal Caribbean is aiming high in Mahahual, Quintana Roo. The cruise company hopes to build an exclusive, beach-front water park that could welcome millions of cruise passengers a year — but local opposition threatens to halt the project. Activists say the park will worsen infrastructure woes in the 2,600-person town, where an overloaded sewage system regularly leaks into nearby mangroves and reefs.
Perfect Day Mexico involves the construction of a 80-hectare water park across from the Mahahual cruise ship pier in southern Quintana Roo. The initial plan calls for an operational capacity of up to 21,000 cruise ship tourists per day, in addition to 2,500 employees for the park’s operation.
Activists, however, warned that Mahahual has serious drainage and sewage management problems, and they worry that a mega-park would overload the town’s already saturated infrastructure.
The complaints prompted the non-profit Defending the Right to a Healthy Environment (DMAS) to file an amparo lawsuit (a legal action or writ in Mexico used to protect individuals from violations of their human rights) against the Perfect Day Project.
In the lawsuit, DMAS challenges recent land use modifications to the municipal Urban Development Program (PDU), including the removal of roads and other restrictions to allow the construction of the water park planned by Royal Caribbean in Mahahual.
Antonella Vázquez Cavedón, head of DMAS, told newspaper El Economista that the modifications to the PDU are a clear violation of the Human Settlements Law.
She explained that given the project’s significance for the entire community, authorities were obliged to carry out a public consultation process to ensure that citizens understand the project’s scope and consequences to the urban growth of Mahahual.
According to Vázquez, Royal Caribbean’s interests prevailed over the interests of the community.
“The mayor presented the ruling to the city council and in just a few days, they granted [Royal Caribbean] every request,” she said.
Currently, an incomplete water treatment plant leaks raw sewage into Mahahual’s coastal mangrove forest and the nearby reef, Vázquez said.
Royal Caribbean has promised to clean up the area contaminated by the sewage leaks, but activists say the project’s operation will further strain the community’s already poor infrastructure and drainage system.
The company has also recognized the presence of endangered species like the ocelot, margay and white turtle. According to the Environmental Impact Statement (MIA), mitigation measures will be undertaken to “reduce stress and ensure the physical integrity of the individuals.”
César Alejandro Sepúlveda Arrellano, known as "El Botox," was arrested in a small town near Apatzingán, a regional agricultural hub. (SSPC)
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch announced on Thursday the arrest of a man in connection with the murder of Bernardo Bravo, who led a lime growers’ association in Michoacán.
At President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference, García Harfuch said that “an individual nicknamed El Botox” had been detained “a few minutes ago” in an operation carried out by federal and state security forces in Michoacán.
En un operación conjunta de @Defensamx1@SEMAR_mx@SSPCMexico@FiscaliaMich y autoridades del estado de Michoacán fue detenido el Carlos Alejandro N “Botox” objetivo prioritario y generador de violencia en Michoacán. Principal extorsionador de limoneros y responsable de varios… pic.twitter.com/HlpOlEqwVt
“El Botox” is César Alejandro Sepúlveda Arrellano, alleged leader of Los Blanco de Troya, a crime group described in media reports as the armed wing of Los Viagras, a criminal organization affiliated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
García Harfuch said that Sepúlveda is “responsible” for extorting lime growers and other agricultural producers, and for homicides, including that of Bravo, who was killed last October.
He said that the suspect attempted to escape from the address authorities raided on Thursday morning, but a female security agent detained him. The arrest reportedly took place near Apatzingán, a municipality in the notoriously dangerous Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán.
García Harfuch said that “a woman very close to” Sepúlveda was arrested around midnight on Thursday. He noted also that three people within Sepúlveda’s “close circles” were detained last week.
On social media, García Harfuch wrote that “El Botox,” who has previously spent time in prison, was a “priority target” of authorities and a “generator of violence in Michoacán,” one of Mexico’s most violent states.
The Michoacán Attorney General’s office accuses Sepúlveda of both planning the murder of Bravo and carrying it out. A warrant was issued for his arrest before he was taken into custody on Thursday morning. The Milenio newspaper reported that Sepúlveda recently posted videos to social media in which he asserted that he didn’t murder Bravo and that he was in fact a defender of the citrus industry in Michoacán.
The arrest of the suspect came three months and one day after Bravo, president of the Apatzingán Citrus Growers Association in Michoacán, was found dead in the front seat of his pick-up truck, killed by a bullet to the back of his head.
The next day, García Harfuch announced that a man identified as Rigoberto “N” had been detained.
“As a result of investigative work following the homicide of Bernardo Bravo, leader of citrus growers in the region, an operation was carried out in Michoacán … during which Rigoberto “N” was arrested,” he wrote on social media on Oct. 21.
“The detainee is identified as one of those responsible for collecting extortion payments from lime producers in Apatzingán,” García Harfuch wrote.
Though Rigoberto “N” was not charged with the murder of Bravo, he is suspected of playing a role in his death.
Before he was murdered, Bravo had been urging lime growers in the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán to resist the extortion scheme that has long plagued producers in the area.
The US Treasury Department announced sanctions against ‘El Botox’ last year
Last August, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced that it was “sanctioning two notorious Mexican cartels — Carteles Unidos (a.k.a. ‘United Cartels’)and Los Viagras — and seven affiliated individuals linked to terrorism, drug trafficking, and extortion in Mexico’s agricultural sector.”
One of the sanctioned individuals was Sepúlveda.
“César Alejandro Sepúlveda Arellano, a.k.a. ‘El Botox,’ is a Los Viagras leader responsible for the killing of a citrus producer,” the Treasury Department said in an Aug. 14 statement, released more than two months before Sepúlveda allegedly murdered Bravo.
In the same press release, Treasury wrote that “Los Viagras has extorted avocado and citrus growers, cattle ranchers, and entire towns to generate revenue.”
Highway blockades reported after arrest
Highway blockades set up by armed civilians were reported at three different points in the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán following the arrest of Sepúlveda. Two of the blockades were set up in Apatzingán and one in the neighboring municipality of Buenavista.
It is relatively common in Mexico for crime groups to set up highway blockades in response to arrests, and to hinder additional actions against their members. Sometimes the blockades include burning vehicles, but that didn’t appear to be the case in the Tierra Caliente region on Thursday morning.
The Soothsayer's Temple, or Pyramid of the Magician, in Uxmal. (Jan Dommerhold/Unsplash)
As explorer John Lloyd Stephens wrote in “Incidents of Travel in Yucatán” (1843), “It stood in its suit of somber gray.” He and his companion, illustrator Frederick Catherwood, were seeing Uxmal for the first time, an ancient Maya city abandoned a millennium earlier. Their accounts are amongst the few precious sources for understanding the exploration of Uxmal during the 19th century, a time when technology, science and geopolitics were rapidly transforming the world.
There is a thing or two that make Uxmal one of the most distinctive expressions of the Puuc architectural style. In contrast with other magnificent Maya buildings, such as the main constructions of Chichén Itzá or Tikal, the spirit of the Soothsayer’s Temple (Pirámide del Adivino) feels almost mystical and, at the risk of sounding redundant, magical. This is a site that has enchanted every traveler who steps onto its ever-growing carpet of grass.
What we know about Uxmal
The House of the Governor in Uxmal is a masterpiece of Puuc design. (Norbysea/Unsplash)
Uxmal lies in the western part of Yucatán, about 80 kilometers south of Mérida. It is considered the most representative site of Puuc architecture, which flourished roughly between 800 and 1,100 C.E. Yet archaeological evidence shows earlier occupations: one around 300 C.E. and another around 700 C.E. It was the final stage of the city, the one that produced its most iconic monuments. Such buildings continue to impress both locals and foreign visitors today.
Exploring Uxmal can feel overwhelming, but only because the city preserves endless secrets for those who look closely. As with all great architectural wonders, every engraving and every stone seems meticulously placed — sometimes for structural reasons, sometimes for symbolic meaning. From its interior corbel arches to its ornate façades, every corner has something to say.
Three Times Founded
The origin of Uxmal’s name remains uncertain, but many studies suggest it means “Three Times Founded” or “Three Times Harvested” in Yucatec Mayan. The name possibly refers to the city’s repeated resettlements during centuries of rivalry between Maya city-states.
Another possible meaning of the word Uxmal is “Future”. The name proves to be right, as the site, its silent stone monuments and its majestic architecture seem to always be waiting, sitting in expectation for future eyes to be laid upon them and new minds to decipher their hidden messages.
Uxmal’s buildings
Uxmal is known for its remarkably preserved buildings, among the finest in the Maya world. The main character of the site is, of course, the Soothsayer’s Temple, a 35-meter pyramid with an unusual oval base. It consists of five superimposed temples built at different moments, a common tradition in Mesoamerican sacred architecture. The structure was likely dedicated to Chaac, the Maya Lord of Rain and Thunder, to whom many Uxmal temples appear to pay homage.
Before the pyramid stands the Cuadrángulo de las Monjas (Quadrangle of the Nuns), named by the Spanish conquistadors for its convent-like layout. But, from what we know now, it likely functioned as a palace or administrative complex — the Maya were especially fond of enclosed courtyards.
The Quadrangle of the Nuns in Uxmal is another example of Puuc architectural artistry. (José Pablo Domínguez/Unsplash)
The House of the Governor, one of the masterpieces of Puuc design, features exquisitely carved façades. The so-called “elephant trunks,” once misinterpreted by early explorers, are actually stylized masks of Chaac. On the other hand, the stone carvings that Empress Charlotte mistook for the biblical devil in the guise of a snake show is actually one of the most important deities of the Mesoamerican pantheon. Called Quetzalcoatl by the Nahua people of central Mexico, and Kukulkan by the Maya, the lord of light, creation and wisdom is a deity worshipped all over Mesoamerica, and, needless to say, it is not related to a devil of any kind.
Like many travelers whose hearts remain tied to these ruins, Stephens and Catherwood returned several times. “The ruins of Uxmal presented themselves to me as a home,” Stephens later wrote, “and I looked upon them with more interest than before.”
Your visit
If Uxmal is on your bucket list, here’s what you should know before you go:
How to get there: The easiest route is to drive from Mérida, though ADO buses also depart from the city’s main terminal.
Weather: Expect heat and sun year-round; bring a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water.
Entry fees: Visitors must pay two separate fees: one to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and another to the State of Yucatán.
A signature corbel arch in Uxmal. (José Pablo Domínguez/Unsplash)
Time needed: Given the size of the site, set aside at least three hours for the visit.
Post scriptum for explorers
In case you have the adventurer expertise of Stephens and Catherwood, Uxmal must not appear to be a challenging visit. There are other sites on the Puuc route that are worth visiting: Kabah, Sayil, Xlapak and Labná.
Although the architectural resemblance is undeniable, each one has its own personality and exposes different aspects of the Maya cities of the moment. In contrast with Uxmal, these sites still have a lot of archaeological work to be done. The upside is that they are also less crowded and can be explored at a slower pace.
Lydia Leija is a linguist, journalist and visual storyteller. She has directed three feature films, and her audiovisual work has been featured in national and international media. She’s been part of National Geographic, Muy Interesante and Cosmopolitan.
Visiting the beautiful grounds of the Casa Museo Gene Byron is one of Guanajuato's most underrated pleasures. (Casa Museo Gene Byron)
Foreign and Mexican tourists alike visit the city of Guanajuato for its beauty, history and charm. Captivated by the downtown center, they often miss the quirky, storied Gene Byron museum and gallery housed in an 18th-century ex-hacienda, tucked away in the suburb of Marfil.
The museum is named for Gene Byron, a Canadian artist (related by birth to the British Romantic poet Lord Byron), who bought the former silver and gold hacienda in 1962 with her Spanish husband, Virgilio Fernández.
Who was Gene Byron?
The woman for whom the museum is named: Canadian artist and “Renaissance woman” Gene Byron, who passed away in 1987. (Casa Museo Gene Byron)
Gene Byron was a Renaissance woman — originally a successful Broadway actress and radio performer, she later became a painter. Influenced by Mexico’s muralists, she moved to Mexico in the 1940s, visiting diverse parts of the country like Veracruz, Guerrero, Chiapas, Yucatán, Campeche and Oaxaca.
In Mexico, she continued to paint, but added design and restoration work to her repertoire. She specialized in mid-century modern design, creating distinctive tin and copper lighting, wall sconces and decorative items, often incorporating hand-painted tiles. Her artwork was exhibited in museums in Houston, San Antonio, Chicago, New York and Mexico City.
Meanwhile, Fernández, born in Morocco, became a Communist at a young age and was working as a nurse in Madrid when the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936. He spent much of the war as a medic on the front lines of Madrid and Guadalajara, Spain, participating in some of the most decisive battles of the Civil War alongside volunteers from across Europe and America.
How Gene Byron and Virgilio Fernández met
In 1938, Fernández was captured by Nationalist forces and interned in a concentration camp in France. He later escaped and was exiled to Mexico, where, along with over 25,000 other Spanish refugees, he was welcomed. He spent the rest of his life in exile in Mexico.
Fernández studied pediatrics in Monterrey, where he met Byron. They moved to Guanajuato in 1958, buying the former Santa Ana hacienda, which they restored, transforming it into both their home and a gathering place for artists and creatives.
Byron decorated and furnished the ex-hacienda with many of her own designs. The couple lived there together until she died in 1987. Today, it is still full of her furniture, paintings and even the light fixtures and other metal accessories that she designed.
In 1997, Fernández and his second wife, Estela Cordero, decided to convert the house into a museum. This was no small task because the property was an immueble catalogado (listed on Mexico’s historic register) and they had to acquire lengthy permissions for any changes, even minor ones, from INAH, the federal department that protects and preserves Mexico’s archeological and historical structures.
Today, the property encompasses a museum, gardens, a restaurant, a gift shop and the apartment where museum director Estela Cordero now lives, and where she and Fernández lived until he died in 2019. One of the last surviving members of the International Brigades fighting the Spanish Civil War, Fernández passed away in 2019 at age 100.
The museum maintains a permanent collection of Byron’s work but also offers visiting exhibitions, literary presentations, book talks, art workshops and weekly classical music and jazz concerts. With its extensive gardens and courtyard, the museum is also a popular venue for large functions.
A popular venue for art exhibitions and special events
The restaurant, located on the grounds with a view of trees, offers Mexican cuisine with European influences, and is open from 8:30 to 1 p.m. and then reopens from 2 to 6 p.m. The gift shop sells artisanal products, designs by Gene Byron — such as lamps, mirrors, and ashtrays — and rebozos and other fabrics.
In her role as the museum director, Estela Cordero selects Mexican and international artists to display their work there. Currently, there are shows by the Canadian oil painter and part-time Guanajuato resident Martine Bilodeau, as well as two Spanish artists, Luis González and Miguel Sánchez de San Bernardo.
Speaking with Cordero, she said she sees several trends in contemporary Mexican art: the fusion of pre-Hispanic and folk art with modern techniques and perspectives; art as a social commentary on cultural issues such as violence, machismo, inequality, migration, gender, feminism and identity; and the mixing of traditional art forms with experimental, immersive techniques like multimedia, digital art, videos and performance art.
The property has become popular for special events such as weddings. (Casa Museo Gene Byron)
Only a 10-minute taxi ride from Guanajuato’s center, the museum is well worth a visit. And while you’re in Marfil, you can enjoy two other local assets: Stroll along the nearby tree-lined Camino Antiguo (Historic Walk) and visit another ex-hacienda, San Gabriel de Barrera, which contains 17 themed gardens.
Louisa Rogers and her husband Barry Evans divide their lives between Guanajuato and Eureka, on California’s North Coast. Louisa writes articles and essays about expat life, Mexico, travel, physical and psychological health, retirement and spirituality. Her recent articles are available on her website, authory.com/LouisaRogers
Also on Wednesday, the president offered some advice to cell phone users to help them avoid becoming victims of crime, and pitched Mexico's advantages for investors. (Saúl López/Cuartoscuro)
At her Wednesday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about her government’s transfer to the United States on Tuesday of 37 cartel figures. (Read Mexico News Daily’s report here.)
She also offered some advice to cell phone users to help them avoid becoming victims of crime, and took a moment to endorse the speech Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Here is a recap of the president’s Jan. 21 mañanera.
Sheinbaum: Don’t answer telephone calls from unknown numbers
Late in her press conference, Sheinbaum told reporters that Mexico was one of a small number of countries where mobile telephone SIM cards could be purchased without the need to show identification.
Sheinbaum subsequently advised Mexicans not to answer calls from numbers they don’t recognize.
Owners of mobile phones in Mexico are required to register and link each number with their personal identity by June 30 or face service cuts. (Camila Ayaya Benabib/Cuartoscuro)
“It is important that we do not answer calls from numbers that are not identified in our contacts,” she said.
Responding to privacy concerns related to the need to register and link a cell phone number to one’s personal identity, Sheinbaum stressed that telephone companies rather than the government stores people’s personal information.
She indicated that authorities, when investigating a crime facilitated by the use of a telephone, can ask for information from telecommunications companies as they seek to establish the identity of the perpetrator.
Sheinbaum praises Carney’s WEF address
Early in her Q&A session with reporters, Sheinbaum praised Prime Minister Carney for his speech in Davos.
“[It was a] very good speech by Carney, by Prime Minister Carney, I don’t know if you heard it,” she said.
“[It was] very much in tune with the current times,” Sheinbaum said.
During his address, Carney asserted that the rules-based international order is undergoing a “rupture, not a transition.”
The Canadian prime minister “never mentioned President Trump by name, but his reference was clear,” wrote The New York Times, noting that “the speech came as President Trump doubled down on his threats to take Greenland away from Denmark.”
Mexico’s ‘advantages’ as an investment destination, according to Sheinbaum
A reporter asked the president what message her government was seeking to send to international investors at the WEF meeting in Davos, where Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena and Altagracia Gómez, head of the government’s Advisory Council for Regional Development and Relocation, are representing Mexico.
“That Mexico is open to private investment from different countries, to foreign direct investment,” Sheinbaum responded.
She also said that Mexico’s representatives would promote the Economic Development Hubs for Well-being, new industrial corridors that will be located in various states across the country.
Asked what “advantages” Mexico offers to investors, Sheinbaum first cited the “hardworking” and “responsible” people of Mexico and the presence of “a government recognized by its people.”
She also mentioned “certainty” and her government’s vision of investment “not just as a means of growth” but also as “a means of creating employment with wellbeing.”
Although she mentioned certainty as an “advantage” offered by Mexico, the Trump administration’s undermining of the USMCA free trade pact via the implementation of various tariffs on Mexican goods has decreased certainty for investors in Mexico. Some Mexican government initiatives, such as the controversial judicial reform and the disbandment of various autonomous agencies, have had the same effect, according to critics of Sheinbaum and her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
