The disc is 32.5 centimeters in diameter, 9.5 centimeters thick and 40 kilograms in weight.
Researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have unearthed a pre-Hispanic ballgame stone marker in the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá in Yucatán.
The limestone circle has images of Maya dignitaries in the center playing the ancient ballgame Pok Ta Pok, along with Mayan hieroglyphics along the edge. Unlike many discoveries at the archeological site, the disc presents its complete glyphic text.
Chichén Itzá is a UNESCO world heritage site, and one of the most historically significant cities of the Maya world. (Luka Peternel/Wikimedia)
“It is rare to find hieroglyphic writing in Chichén Itzá,” said archaeologist Francisco Pérez Ruiz, “let alone a complete text.”
Marco Antonio Santos Ramírez, head of Chichén Itzá’s archeological zone, told the EFE news outlet that the discovery could change the way archeologists think about Chichén Itzá, “by adding a new element that we were unaware of,” he said.
The “Piedra Juego de Pelota” (Ballgame Disc), as archeologists are referring to it, is a marker of some important event related to the Casa Colorada Ball Game played in a smaller court than that of the Great Game of Chichén Itzá.
“The character on the left wears a feathered headdress and a sash that features a flower-shaped element, probably a water lily. At the height of the face, one can distinguish a scroll, which can be interpreted as breath or voice. The opponent wears a headdress known as a “snake turban,” a representation observed multiple times in Chichén Itzá,” archeologist Santiago Alberto Sobrino Fernández detailed.
Pelota was ancient Maya game similar to basketball. It was often played for ritual reasons and formed an important part of the culture. (infoquintanaroo)
Santos agreed that the artifact could expand our knowledge about Mayan culture, as “it apparently contains dates, names and actions that were recorded by the ancient inhabitants of Chichén Itzá.”
The hieroglyphics depicted in the 40-kilogram stone could be some of the last ones written about the ancient culture around the Late Classic or Early Postclassic period (approximately between around A.D 800 and a short time after A.D. 900), before classical Mayan writing ceased, he added.
Pablo Alberto Mumary Farto, a professor of Mesoamerican history at the National Autonomous University (UNAM), noted that the discovery of the artifact represented a chance to understand more about the rituals and events associated with the game.
“What is interesting is that [this disc] comes from the ninth century, and it will surely provide us more information about the government [during that period], as the image appears to depict two possible governors engaged in a ritual or event,” he told Mexico News Daily.
Found by archeologist Lizbeth Beatriz Mendicuti Pérez, the disc is one of the many archeological findings unearthed as part of the Program for the Improvement of Archaeological Zones (Promeza), which undertakes archaeological projects along the controversial route of the Mayan Train.
“Since the creation of INAH, there has not been such an important investment in the archeology of Mexico. And now it is paying off,” Santos stressed.
Just in February, archaeologists reported yet another finding in Chichén Itzá: the tomb of a person from the city’s elite belonging to the Canules dynasty (Ah Canul). It was found in “Chichén Viejo,” an underexplored area of the archeological site which, according to INAH Yucatán, will soon open to the public.
The new card-only system will be required on the refurbished Line 1. (Gobierno CDMX/Cuartoscuro)
Next year, the Mexico City subway’s paper tickets will be a thing of the past: riders will have to use a rechargeable card, according to Metro head Guillermo Calderón.
The new cards, known as Integrated Mobility (MI) cards, are already in use and required for Line 12. Line 1 — currently under renovation — will be the first to follow Line 12 with the requirement, Calderón said Monday during a press conference with Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum.
The Metro network is undergoing significant renovations, including a deep-clean across the network. (@Claudiashein/Twitter)
While Calderón did not give an exact date for when the transition would begin, he said that the switchover next year would be a gradual process.
“Line 1 will fully move on to the prepaid system of the Integrated Mobility Card, and by next year, the entire Metro System will only be using the electronic payment system,” he said.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum tweeted on her account that Mexico City has bought 1,548 turnstiles to support the changeover, and is making other investments in new lamps and a deep cleaning of all the city’s Metro stations.
Launched in 2020, the MI card is a payment method to access the city’s Metro, Metrobús, Light Train, Cablebús, Trolebús and Ecobici transportation networks. In addition to the Metro ticketing office, users can top up their cards using the MercadoPago app, the largest online payment platform in the country.
In a statement published early March, Mexico City’s government reported more than 4.3 million recharges to the MI card through MercadoPago. This is equivalent to some 192.6 million pesos (US $10.6 million) and 28.5 million trips on the city’s transportation network.
Mexico City’s Metro boasts that the cost of its ticket is one of the cheapest in the world: since 2013, a Metro ticket has cost just 5 pesos (worth a bit more than a U.S. quarter), according to the city government.
The MI card itself has a one-time price of 15 pesos (US $0.83) and can only be topped up to 120 pesos (US $5.45). The card’s balance is valid for 300 days.
The capital’s Metro system — the country’s most-used public transportation network — ferried more than 241 million people in 2022’s first quarter, according to the Metro’s own data. According to the newspaper Expansión, 2.5 million people have stopped using the Metro since the pandemic began.
The March 27 fire that left 40 migrants dead has sparked outrage both across Mexico and from countries like El Salvador, whose nationals were among the dead. (Isabel Mateos Hinajosa/Cuartoscuro)
President López Obrador said Monday that the governments of countries mourning the deaths of their citizens in a fire in a Ciudad Juárez migrant detention center late last month “are right” to demand the resignation of Mexican immigration officials.
A reporter at the president’s morning press conference noted that the government of El Salvador had demanded the resignation of National Immigration Institute (INM) officials in light of the March 27 blaze that claimed the lives of 40 Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran, Venezuelan and Colombian migrants.
The fire at the detention center in Ciudad Juarez left 40 migrants dead. (Juan Ortega/Cuartoscuro)
Video footage showed that the migrants were left in cells as the fire raged inside the INM facility.
Asked for his opinion on El Salvador’s demand, López Obrador remarked that the authorities of El Salvador, as well as those of Guatemala, Colombia and Venezuela, “are right” to make such an exhortation to the Mexican government.
“What happened is very regrettable,” the president said, adding that the authorities of the countries whose nationals died in the fire “have to protect the lives of their fellow citizens.
“That’s the work of governments, and we’re in contact with them to help,” López Obrador said.
The fate of INM director Francisco Garduño is uncertain after migrants were left inside a burning INM facility. (Gob MX)
“As I said from the first day, there will be no impunity, the culprits will be punished, the investigation will continue. There are people arrested already, but the investigation process to punish those responsible for this tragedy isn’t yet finished,” he said.
Three INM agents, a security guard employed by a private company and a Venezuelan migrant accused of starting the fire are in preventive detention on charges of homicide and causing injury.
López Obrador said in the days after the fire that the government would wait for the result of the investigation before deciding the fate of INM director Francisco Garduño. He did not specifically name the immigration chief on Monday.
Cindy Portal, a vice foreign affairs minister in the El Salvador government led by President Nayib Bukele, spoke to the media on Sunday after the remains of seven Salvadoran migrants were returned to their families.
Vice foreign affairs minister of El Salvador Cindy Portal called on Mexico to hold immigration authorities accountable for the tragedy. (Foreign Ministry of El Salvador/Twitter)
“We’re demanding the resignation of the people responsible for Mexico’s immigration policy,” she said.
Portal also said that the El Salvador government is demanding the imprisonment of those found responsible for the crime. Prosecutors must carry out an “exhaustive investigation,” said the official, who denounced impunity in previous cases involving Salvadoran migrants in Mexico.
Emilio Álvarez Icaza, an independent federal senator and former head of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, described the detention center fire tragedy as a “state crime” and López Obrador’s “Ayotzinapa” in a media interview broadcast Sunday.
López Obrador said on March 31 that the case had “pained” him and was the second most difficult event he had faced as president, after a 2019 petroleum pipeline explosion in Hidalgo that claimed close to 140 lives.
The deaths of the migrants in Ciudad Juárez “moved me” and “broke my soul,” he said.
Volaris airlines topped Mexico's list for ferrying domestic airline passengers in January and February. It transported 3.94 million people, giving it a 41.7% market share. (
The number of passengers who traveled on domestic flights in Mexico in the first two months of 2023 increased almost 30% compared to the same period last year, Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco reported Sunday.
Just under 9.44 million passengers flew within Mexico in January and February, an increase of 28.2% compared to the first two months of 2022, Torruco said in a statement.
Viva Aerobus saw the second-highest numbers in the domestic market, according to the Ministry of Tourism. (Sedetur)
The figure is 24.2% higher than that recorded in the first two months of 2019, when the airline industry had not yet been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions.
The low-cost airlines Volaris and Viva Aerobus dominated the domestic air travel market in January and February, transporting just over 6.7 million passengers – 71% of the total.
Volaris transported 3.94 million passengers for a 41.7% market share, while Viva Aerobus filled 2.76 million seats for a 29.3% share. Both serve Mexico’s largest cities and main tourism destinations.
National flag carrier Aeroméxico was the third biggest airline in the domestic market, transporting just under 1.75 million passengers, or 18.5% of the total, while its subsidiary Aeroméxico Connect had a 9.1% share of the market.
Passenger numbers on international flights to and from Mexico also increased, by 29.5% on an annual basis. The first two months of 2023 saw movement of 9.43 million international passengers. (Milosz Maslanka/Shutterstock)
The Queretaro-based airline TAR only moved 43,384 passengers, for a 0.5% share of the market. It was the only airline among the top five that transported fewer passengers in January and February than in the same period of last year.
Volaris and Viva Aerobus also increased their domestic passenger numbers by 18.3% and 26.2% respectively, according to data published by the Tourism Ministry, but Aeromexico could also be considered a winner in this area: its number of domestic travelers went up by 79.2% in the period, and Aeroméxico Connect flights saw a 22% increase in passenger numbers.
Torruco also reported that passenger numbers on international flights to and from Mexico increased 29.5% on an annual basis to 9.43 million in the first two months of 2023. The figure is 12.5% higher than what was recorded in January and February of 2019.
According to Tourism Ministry data:
Around 85% of the 9.43 million passengers traveled within North America
7.6% flew to or from Central America and South America
6.9% began or ended their trips in Europe
0.5% boarded or disembarked in Asia.
Aeroméxico and Volaris were the top Mexican airlines for international flights, together transporting 1.87 million passengers in January and February. Torruco said the two airlines’ combined international passenger numbers were 35.4% higher than those recorded a year earlier and 19.7% above those recorded in the first two months of 2019.
American Airlines and United Airlines were the leading U.S. carriers for trips to and from Mexico in the same period.
ZF already employs 7,000 in the state of Chihuahua, and hopes the new investment will add a further 500 jobs to the region. (ZF Group)
German automotive supplier ZF Group will build a new US $194 million plant in the northern city of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, to expand its e-mobility business in North America.
With over 22,000 square meters and an initial investment of US $150 million, the new plant will increase the production capability of the company’s current facilities in Ciudad Juárez. It expects to employ some 500 people in the next four years and begin production in 2024.
ZF group will also open a research and development center in Nuevo León. (ZF Group)
With 16 plants in Mexico, the multinational company employs more than 25,000 people in the country and manufactures everything from airbags and seat belts to steering wheels and brakes, as well as suspension systems. The company currently employs some 7,000 people in Chihuahua, where it manufactures steering wheel systems and airbags.
“The e-mobility market continues to gain momentum in all major markets, and ZF is investing to match the growth trajectory in North America,” vice president of electrified powertrain technology John Hawkins said.
He added that the investment in Ciudad Juárez will further establish ZF as a leader in advanced e-mobility technologies and as investors that are significantly contributing to the efficiency and range of electric vehicles.
The new plant is one of the latest in a growing list of the company’s investments in Mexico.
In February, ZF Group also announced it would invest 245 million euros (US $266.18 million) into the opening of a distribution center and expanding existing facilities near the city of Querétaro that manufacture brake safety systems and aims to create US $1 billion of the US $4 billion of sales by ZF in Mexico.
The company is also building a research and development center in Nuevo León. According to the group, this research center will carry out “cutting-edge projects for autonomous and electric driving.”
Bullfighting has been a traditional part of the festival for years. (@PrensaEsau/Twitter)
Bullfighting events at an annual fair in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, that’s over a century old were banned Sunday by a judge, hours before the first bullfighting event was due to begin.
A judge in the state capital of Tuxtla Gutiérrez ordered the provisional suspension of the blood sport at the Spring and Peace fair in San Cristóbal after complaints were filed by a local activist group, Animalix Alma Mestiza (Mixed-Breed Souls). Erika Brand, director of the group, said that the decision represented not only a victory for local animals but also for the municipality.
The fair will continue despite the absence of bullfights, said San Cristóbál’s mayor, Mariano Díaz Ochoa. (Chiapas Viajes)
“We hope that this [ruling] represents a clear message to the rest of the country that it is time to put an end to this cruel and archaic practice,” she said in a statement.
San Cristóbal Mayor Mariano Alberto Díaz Ochoa said that the city will abide by the ruling, although he added that the municipal council, which owns the La Coleta bullring where the bullfights were to take place, has filed an appeal.
“The protection of the environment and animals is always welcome, but that is not what this is about,” Díaz said, suggesting that “third parties” and “particular interests” were behind the decision to suspend bullfighting.
The fair, which is taking place for the 153rd time this year, started yesterday and runs until April 16. It was due to see appearances by the rejoneador (a mounted, lance-wielding bullfighter) Fauro Aloi, matador José María Pastor, and another matador who goes by simply Jussef.
Bullfighting is only one part of the fair, which also features Chiapas cuisine and local artisan products for sale. Nevertheless, some residents of the city expressed disappointment by the decision to pause bullfighting, which they see as an important cultural expression of the region.
Local businessman Enrique Solis was among them: he expressed sadness that the festival would no longer feature bullfighting — although he also said he was sure that the injunction would be lifted before the end of the festival, according to local news channel 7 de Chiapas.
“We are going to comply with the court order that declares [the fight] suspended,” he said. “We do not want to provoke acts of violence at this fair.”
Despite the suspension, the festival will continue “with or without bulls,” Díaz told the newspaper El Universal.
It remains to be seen what will come of a second round of bullfighting scheduled for the upcoming weekend.
A record 21.79 million people are now registered with the Mexican Social Security Institute, meaning that they have employment in the formal jobs sector. (Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock)
Mexico has recorded its best ever first-quarter job creation result, adding over 420,000 formal sector positions in the first three months of the year.
The Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) reported that the number of people in formal sector IMSS-affiliated jobs rose by 423,384 between January and March, a 10% increase compared to the first quarter of 2022.
January through March saw the largest first-quarter formal-sector job creation growth on record, according to IMSS. (IMSS)
The loss of more than 345,000 positions in December has now been more than offset by job creation in the first three months of the year.
A record 21.79 million people are now registered with IMSS after 790,428 formal sector positions were added in the 12-month period to the end of March. Just over 86% of the positions are permanent while the remainder are temporary, IMSS said.
The total number of formal sector employees is up 3.8% from just over 21 million a year ago.
IMSS said that the sectors that recorded the strongest job growth in the past year were construction, up 6.8%; transport and communications, up 6.4%; and services for companies, up 4.5%.
Nuevo León saw more than 47,500 new jobs, partly thanks to the boom in nearshoring. (Wikimedia Commons)
The number of people in formal sector positions increased over 9.5% annually in Tabasco, Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo, which recorded the largest percentage term-gains among Mexico’s 32 federal entities.
However, Nuevo León, an industrial powerhouse and leading recipient of foreign investment, added more formal sector jobs than any other state in the past 12 months, with 47,540 additional positions created. Jalisco, Baja California and Guanajuato ranked second to fourth.
Mónica Flores, president of the Latin America division of ManpowerGroup, said that a poll carried out by that staffing firm showed that 43% of more than 1,000 surveyed employers planned to increase their workforces during the second quarter of 2023.
Manpower’s general director for Mexico, Alberto Alesi, said that foreign investment could spur higher levels of hiring in the formal sector.
Although there is global economic uncertainty, Mexico’s economy remains stable, and that generates confidence among investors, Flores said.
Foreign direct investment increased 12% in 2022 to more than US $35 billion, the Economy Ministry said in February, while the Mexican economy grew 3.1%. The federal government is predicting 3% growth this year, while the International Monetary Fund and World Bank are considerably less optimistic.
The tourism sector also likely helped Quintana Roo see 9.5% formal job growth in the same period. (Sectur)
President López Obrador recently asserted that Mexico is on its way to becoming an economic powerhouse given the current levels of foreign investment and the country’s “trained responsible workforce.”
Draws for potential investors include Mexico’s proximity to the United States and competitive labor costs. IMSS reported that the average base salary of formal sector workers at the end of March was 525.3 pesos per day (about US $29), up 11.2% from a year earlier.
President López Obrador during the morning presser on April 5, 2023 (lopezobrador.org.mx)
With Semana Santa, or Holy Week, upon us, President López Obrador held just three morning press conferences this week instead of the usual five.
He announced at his Wednesday mañanera that he would spend the following days at his ranch in Palenque, but remain “attentive” to national affairs.
President López Obrador addressed the fentanyl crisis, fuel prices, easing inflation, and more at last week’s morning pressers.
AMLO plans to spend a lot more time at his property in Chiapas once he leaves office in September 2024. He said in late 2021 he would retire there, turn off his phone and settle in to write a book on “conservative thought,” one of his pet hates.
Monday
In a preamble to the weekly update on fuel and food prices, López Obrador noted that his government took the “unorthodox” decision early in its six-year term to subsidize gasoline.
“The experts, the orthodox economists, don’t recommend that,” he said.
President López Obrador, right, is pictured with Raúl Quintana, senior vice president of Bodega Aurora, which the government announced was the cheapest supermarket in the first quarter of the year. (lopezobrador.gob.mx)
“What have we achieved? Well, we have very low inflation for energy, and that helps us to contain inflation in general,” AMLO said.
The head of the consumer protection agency Profeco subsequently reported that the average price for a liter of regular gasoline last week was just over 22 pesos.
“The three priciest brands were Oxxo Gas, Petro Seven and Akron. … Petro Seven and Akron hadn’t been in these first three places, but now they appear. Hopefully, they’ll adjust their internal policies,” Ricardo Sheffield said.
He said that the three cheapest gas stations last week, and therefore “the allies of consumers,” were Rendichicas, Exxon Mobil and Orsan.
The Profeco chief also said that Bodega Aurrera was the cheapest supermarket in the first quarter of the year for the 24 essential products that make up the canasta básica, or basic basket of goods.
The director of the National Tourism Promotion Fund later reported that tracks along just under half of the 159-kilometer-long section of the Maya Train railroad between Calkiní, Campeche, and Izamal, Yucatán, have been laid.
“In this part of the train route, passengers will be able to get to know and admire emblematic places like the Dzibilchaltún archaeological zone, Izamal, the port of Progreso and the city of Mérida with its rich cultural life,” Javier May said.
Federal Electricity Commission chief Manuel Bartlett gave an update on more than 50 electrical projects along what will be a 1,554-kilometer railroad, and declared that the construction of the Maya Train is one of the most significant infrastructure undertakings in Mexican history.
“The Maya Train will mean development for the south-southeast,” he added.
The Maya Train is one of President López Obrador’s signature infrastructure projects. (@TrenMaya/Twitter)
“It’s just that you, the representatives of the conservative and corrupt press that is against us, are using these cases to try to project the idea that we’re the same [as past governments],” he said.
“… Firstly, we don’t tolerate corruption, or to say it more clearly, we’re not corrupt, we’re not thieves like previous governments, during which corruption with … the complicity of the media reigned. In the case of Segalmex, there are already arrest warrants issued and there are already people detained,” López Obrador said.
“And we’re going to explain — next week maybe — how the fraud occurred and how much [money] has been recovered because you’re taking about 15 billion pesos.”
Turning his attention to the March 27 fire in Ciudad Juárez that claimed the lives of 40 migrants, López Obrador acknowledged that security guards from a private company were working at the National Immigration Institute detention center where the blaze occurred despite his instruction that only government officials provide security at such facilities.
The president said that the government doesn’t yet have enough of its own security personnel to completely replace guards employed by private companies, two of whom were formally accused of homicide in light of video footage showing that migrants were left in a locked section of the detention center while the fire raged.
“I suppose that’s why they entered into that contract,” he said in reference to an agreement with a security company owned by an honorary consul of the government of Nicaragua.
A total of 4,824 GN troops will be deployed across the six destinations, while 3,800 more will patrol highways, he said. Sandoval said that GN members will also be on the ground in 14 airports across the country and 42 bus stations.
In the recurring “Zero Impunity” report, Deputy Security Minister Ricardo Mejía said that 16,722 presumed criminals were arrested in the period between March 22 and April 3.
In the April 4 mañanera, López Obrador revealed that he had written a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping to seek his support in the fight against fentanyl. (Gob MX)
Among those he mentioned was an alleged pollero, or people smuggler, who was taken into custody in Nuevo León and seven presumed members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) — including one nicknamed “el Bonito” (The Pretty One) — who were arrested in Colima.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard later offered a brief history of fentanyl, noting that the drug was first synthesized by the “great” Belgian scientist Paul Janssen over 60 years ago and approved as an analgesic by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1968.
He declared that Mexico’s efforts to combat illicit fentanyl today “are the most significant in the world” and conveyed a blunt message to U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who claims that Mexico isn’t doing enough to stop the flow of the drug across its northern border.
“Mexico is not the problem. Rather … it’s the main part of the solution to the [fentanyl] problem. … The senator says that we, the Mexicans, are not just the origin of the problem [via the production of fentanyl] but that we’re the ones who traffic … fentanyl. But according to United States statistics, … 86.3% of the people in prison for fentanyl trafficking are United States citizens,” Ebrard said.
Any information China can provide about who fentanyl is being sent to, the quantities being shipped, the vessels used to transport the drug and when and where shipments will arrive in Mexico would be “invaluable,” the president said in his letter, which he read aloud to reporters.
The president expressed a desire to increase regional trade integration at a virtual meeting held on Wednesday. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
Holding forth on disparate political ideologies during his subsequent Q&A session with reporters, AMLO asserted that the “sole doctrine” of the “conservative right” is “hypocrisy” and that members of such parties and groups are not supporters of democracy but rather defenders of oligarchy.
“… Democracy is government of the people and it annoys [conservatives] greatly when the government is of the people and for the people, when … everyone is listened to and everyone is respected but preference is given to the poor. That really irritates them because they’re very classist and racist,” he said.
At the conclusion of his presser, López Obrador noted he would meet virtually on Wednesday with a group of leftist leaders from Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Gabriel Boric of Chile, Alberto Fernández of Argentina and Miguel Díaz-Canel of Cuba.
“There are 10 of us. We’re basically going to take about how to exchange foodstuffs – the trade of food, of raw materials, to confront together the problem of inflation. … That’s the basic issue,” he said.
Wednesday
In a continuation of her purported myth-busting work, government media monitor Ana García Vilchis took center stage early in the press conference to present another edition of her “Who’s Who in the Lies of the Week” segment.
Ana Elizabeth García reveals the media’s lies of the week. (Gob MX)
“According to opposition media outlets and journalists, … the President Andrés Manuelovich is receiving help from Moscow to confront the fuel prices crisis,” she said, using a nickname AMLO invented for himself during the 2018 presidential election campaign.
“But all that turned out to be a fairy tale,” García said.
Reports that a Russian ship carrying diesel had arrived in Guaymas, Sonora, were false, she said, explaining that the vessel in question had set off from Russia but was in fact sailing under the Cyprus flag and carrying 25,000 tonnes of fertilizer “that will be distributed to farmers across the country.”
García also took aim at a “veritable disinformation campaign” that claimed that AMLO suffered a heart attack last week.
“There are professional liars and slanderers … that repeat these kinds of attacks against the government, against officials and especially against President López Obrador every day,” she said.
Apparently in good health, AMLO strode back to his lectern as reporters vied to be selected as his first inquisitor of the day. The victor asked the president about the agreement the government reached with the Spanish energy company Iberdrola to buy 13 of its power plants in Mexico for approximately US $6 billion.
“I believe the agreement signed yesterday is very important for the country … especially consumers, because in essence what it guarantees is that the price of electricity won’t go up. That’s the essential thing,” López Obrador said.
“There are a lot of technical elements, but to those watching us, listening to us, I say that we’re making this purchase to strengthen the public company – the Federal Electricity Commission, in order to be in a position to offer electricity at fair prices,” AMLO said.
“I made a commitment that prices for fuel, electricity, gas, gasoline and diesel wouldn’t increase and I’m fulfilling it. In more than four years, there haven’t been increases and I can prove it,” he said.
The ruling Morena party and the National Action Party reached an agreement to select one commissioner each, but the two people chosen weren’t the best candidates, he said.
After they were unable to reach a two-thirds majority for any candidates for the open positions, the Chamber of Deputies voted to use sortition, or lottery, to fill the slots. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
“In the case of the INE there were 20 [candidates] and there was a draw and four [names] came out. That’s democratic,” he said.
Before calling an end to his third and final presser of the week, AMLO described data showing that inflation declined to 6.85% in March as “very good” and briefly weighed in on the legal troubles faced by former United States president Donald Trump.
“Now I’m going to give you a story,” he told reporters.
“I reiterate, I maintain my position that … supposedly legal issues should not be used for political-electoral purposes. That’s why I don’t agree with what they’re doing to the ex-president Trump. I don’t agree, I already suffered from that myself,” López Obrador said, referring once again to an accusation related to a property expropriation that he faced while mayor of Mexico City in the early 2000s.
Depending on where you came from and where you now live in Mexico, you may have to learn to deal with new wildlife that have easier access to your home than you're accustomed to. (Illustration: Angy Márquez)
Every evening in my living room, usually around dusk, I hear a high chirping sound that lasts for about two seconds. My hearing is not great, but one thing’s for certain: it’s definitely coming from inside the house.
What could it be? In my head, it’s an adorable tiny lizard that’s found a home up in the wood beams of my ceiling, calling out a sweet (if detached) “good night.” It’s my little buddy, a companion sharing the space. It doesn’t pay rent, but the presence of this critter is inevitable, so I sigh and pretend that I’m the one that invited it in in the first place.
And if you think about it, I kind of did. (We enthusiastic immigrants are nothing if not romantic.)
Since I almost always have my windows open to let in the typically perfect breeze and often leave the back door slightly ajar for my dog to wander in and out — I’ve lucked out in having impenetrable back patios and yards — I can hardly expect to be the only species hanging out within the confines of my home.
Over the years, I’ve had my fair share of encounters with what I’ll (romantically, of course) designate as “critters,” and chances are you have too.
My first scorpion was on purpose. I didn’t want it, but my boyfriend did, and I was so in love that I agreed to let him take “Fred” home from the pet shop. I cried in fear and disgust when he was dumped from the carrying box into the fishbowl and woke my boyfriend up at 3 a.m. when I got up for the bathroom and saw he was no longer there.
It was a long night, and at 7 a.m. Fred was finally located wandering amongst our shoes in the closet.
Since then, I’ve had wild scorpions wander in that my mild-mannered dog She-ra mercifully hunted and killed, a bat fly into the living room that my current dog Lola trapped and killed before I could usher it back outside (I’m a big fan of bats, actually) and a tarantula that I caught creeping toward my couch — I trapped it with an old mayonnaise jar and tossed out into the woods in front of my house.
Lizards scurry into hiding when I walk outside, and squirrels eat the avocados from my tree before they’re ripe enough to fall down for our guacamole. Chachalacas (birds that look and sound like a chicken and a pigeon had a baby) gossip loudly in the early-morning hours, and one large spider with a golden web (the Xalapa-common nephila clavipes) stuck around so long and provided such excellent mosquito-trapping services that I named her Lupita.
If you’ve lived in Mexico for any extended period of time, chances are you’ve encountered your fair share of animals and insects. Chances are, too, that you’ve encountered them in your home, quite a bit closer to you and your family than you’d like or expect them to be.
Depending on where you live, a whole host of critters could become close, intimate family members, regardless of whether or not you’re aware of their presence. If you’re “city folk” like I am, you’ve probably met these, depending on your disposition, with a mixture of squeamishness and bafflement.
And herein lies, I believe, one of the bigger differences in home design and cleanliness preferences between Mexicans and more recent immigrants: while those of us from overall more intentionally sanitized through closing-off, climate-controlled worlds have long romanticized the idea of “getting back to nature,” there are also plenty of people here who have downright had it with nature.
Getting covered in mosquito bites (or worse, the dreaded chaquistes – “no-see-ums”) when you’re outside, having flies swarm above your lovingly-prepared meals on hot days or all manner of tiny mammals and reptiles helping themselves to your stored food: they’ve all got a way of turning off our cheerful “Well, we all share this world!” attitude and activating the narrowing of our front-facing predator eyes in search of what’s bugging us.
After all, we’re animals too. The main difference is that we’re animals who think we’re gods.
In Mexico, this means that many of us go about marking our territory, not with urine but with a potent mixture of Fabuloso and bleach. Many people daily sweep and mop their homes, as well as the sidewalk in front of their homes; a home’s overall cleanliness almost always takes preference above its organization and decoration. (Curiously, few people install mosquito nets on their windows, though.)
For most people, prevention through extreme cleanliness — which, if they can afford it, will often include a concrete patio rather than a critter-filled yard — is the initial solution. When that doesn’t work, most are not afraid to call an exterminator to get rid of pests using pretty much whatever chemicals they need to get the job done.
Few and far between are the Facebook posts I see from Mexicans saying, “Who can tell me a safe, organic, humane way to get rid of [fill-in-the-blank pests] in my house?” Those types of questions are mostly from us foreigners.
Demand, and therefore supply, for these environmentally gentler types of services are typically found in areas heavily populated with foreigners unaccustomed to fending off unwelcome animals and insects but with a preference for lo más natural and generally with larger budgets.
In the meantime, I’d recommend focusing on prevention: keep things as clean as you can, including nooks and crannies. Get some mosquito netting — if not for your windows and doors, at least for your bed.
Shake out shoes before putting them on and your blankets before climbing into bed, especially during the rainy season when you’re likely to be accommodating some uninvited guests.
And hey, if you’re overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to call an exterminator or ask a gardener about options. They might not be able to get it done with vinegar and lemon juice (or whatever), but they can help.
Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com
Like Parmesan-Reggiano and Champagne, Spain’s Pimientos de Padrón have a protected designation of origin.
Last weekend at one of my favorite vendor’s stands at the local organic market, I spied a small bag of — could it be?! — bright green Padrón peppers leaning up against a basket of heirloom tomatoes. Had someone forgotten them, I wondered? But no, Lorenzo had, in fact, grown them, and these were the first small harvest.
To say I was thrilled would be an understatement. I’ve loved these spicy little peppers ever since I first ate them a decade ago at a huge farmers’ market in Los Angeles where they were being served from a food truck. Since then I’ve learned that grilled or broiled Padrón peppers, drizzled with a flavorful olive oil, are a standard Spanish tapa, their slightly spicy, earthy flavor the perfect accompaniment to other, more mild dishes.
Quick-fried at high heat and sprinkled with coarse salt, Padrón peppers are delicious.
I won’t go so far as to say I cooked up a table full of tapas and invited friends over, but the Padróns did turn my own personal happy hour into something special.
Like shishito peppers (their longer, thinner cousins), Padróns are thin-walled, making them easy to broil or grill and blister. They have a mild taste, only somewhat spicy, although every once in a while, (plant biologists say every 10–20 peppers) one will be really hot. A popular northern Spanish adage says, “Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non.” (“Padrón peppers, some are hot, some are not.”
This variety of pepper originated in Galicia, Spain, in the municipality of — you guessed it — Padrón. Like Parmesan-Reggiano and Champagne, Pimientos de Padrón (a.k.a., Pimientos de Herbón) have a protected designation of origin. They’re picked while small and unripe, usually curled in somewhat of a “C” shape. Nowadays, they’re also grown in the Caribbean, South America and some parts of the United States.
The most popular method of cooking Padróns is to sauté them in hot oil until they blister, then sprinkle with coarse salt and eat while they’re still hot. It’s easy, simple and decadently delicious. Use a high-quality, aromatic Spanish olive oil; they’re meant to be oily, so you want it to be as flavorful as possible. (Purists may prefer to use a neutral oil for frying and save the olive oil for drizzling once they’re off the heat. Why? Olive oil turns bitter when heated, although not everyone will taste it.) They can also be stuffed or made like poppers, should you feel so inclined (recipe below). Either remove the stems before cooking or leave them intact for holding while eating; your choice.
Padrón peppers are a classic Spanish tapa you can easily make at home.
A few tips: Dry the peppers well after washing for the best blistering. Use a very hot cast-iron skillet if you have one; you want to heat the oil almost to the smoking stage.While the traditional way to serve Padróns is simply with a generous dusting of a coarse sea salt like Maldon, I also like to dip them in mayo (somehow, they taste like artichokes, what can I say?), sprinkle them with Parmesan or squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over them.
If you can’t find Padrón peppers, shishito peppers are a similar substitute, and actually are a little easier to cook with because they’re straighter in shape.
Pimientos de Padrón (Spanish-Style Blistered Padrón Peppers)
1 Tbsp. neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
12 oz. Padrón peppers
Coarse sea salt (like Maldon)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Heat oil over high heat in a cast-iron skillet big enough to fit the peppers in a single layer. Heat until very hot (almost smoking), then add peppers. Cook without moving until blistered on one side, about 30 seconds. Turn peppers a couple of times until they’re tender-crisp and blistered all over, about 2 minutes total. Remove from pan onto paper towels. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and serve immediately.
Fresh pineapple and tomatillos combine with Padrón peppers to make an irresistible salsa.
Pineapple Tomatillo Salsa
Tastes best after chilling at least an hour.
1 lb. tomatillos (about 6 medium)
6 Padrón or shishito peppers, stems removed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
1 cup diced onion
½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Optional: 1 habanero, serrano or jalapeno pepper, stem and seeds removed
Remove husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Halve the tomatillos and Padrón peppers.
Set a skillet over medium-high heat; add olive oil. When oil is hot, add tomatillos, Padrón and other peppers, pineapple, garlic, oregano and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until everything starts to char, 5–7 minutes.
Transfer everything in the skillet to a blender or food processor; add ½ cup water. Blend until almost puréed. Pour mixture into a bowl; chill for 1 hour. Stir in onion, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt to taste and serve.
Just a few minutes under the broiler turns these stuffed Padróns into a tasty appetizer.
Baked Padrón Poppers
12 Padrón peppers, as straight as possible
2 oz. very thinly sliced Serrano ham, prosciutto or dry salami
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. grated Manchego cheese
1 Tbsp. finely minced chives or scallion greens
1 ¼ cups panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Smoked paprika
If using Serrano ham, preheat a toaster oven or regular oven to 400 F (200 C). Lay ham on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Bake 6–8 minutes until beginning to crisp. Remove from the oven, cool, then crumble into small pieces. Set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 375 F (190 C). Slice peppers in half lengthwise, preserving stems if possible. Use the edge of a metal spoon to remove any seeds and ribs.
In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, Manchego, chives and chopped ham. Using a small spoon, fill pepper halves with the mixture. In another bowl, combine panko with the olive oil. Dip each popper into panko mix, filling side down, pressing the panko with your fingers to make it adhere. Dust each popper lightly with paprika.
Arrange poppers in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet. Bake 20–25 minutes or until the peppers soften and panko is golden brown. Remove from the oven; let cool slightly and serve.
