President López Obrador, seen here at a press conference earlier this month, accused the Supreme Court justices of forming part of the "mafia of power" following the ruling on Saturday. ( Mario Jasso / Cuartoscuro.com)
The federal government has announced it will challenge a Supreme Court (SCJN) ruling against a major electoral reform package that passed Congress last month.
The SCJN announced Friday that Justice Javier Laynez Potisek had authorized the suspension of “Plan B” electoral reform laws, which took effect after the publication of a presidential decree on March 2.
Justice Javier Laynez in court in 2019. ( ISAAC ESQUIVEL /CUARTOSCURO.COM)
The suspension – which Laynez said was necessary to protect democracy and voters’ rights – was requested by the National Electoral Institute (INE), which is seeking to prevent a significant cut to its budget as well as measures that curtail its autonomy and diminish its capacity to sanction politicians who violate electoral laws.
The institute says the budget cut approved by the Congress will force it to dismiss some 6,000 employees, or about a third of its workforce, in the lead-up to next year’s presidential and congressional elections.
Laynez also ruled that the SCJN will “admit” an INE lawsuit that seeks to invalidate the “Plan B” reform package, which the ruling Morena party put forward after a more ambitious plan to overhaul Mexico’s electoral system was rejected late last year.
The suspension of the laws will remain in effect until the SCJN makes a definitive ruling on INE’s lawsuit. The case involves a “possible violation of citizens’ political-electoral rights,” the SCJN said in a statement.
The seat of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SJCN) in Mexico City. (ArturoZaldivar.com)
The court said that Laynez asked the Mexican Congress and the federal executive to present their defense “within the legal period.”
The office of President López Obrador published a statement on Sunday that asserted that Laynez had “ripped pages out of the constitution” in issuing a suspension of the electoral reform laws and accepting the INE’s lawsuit for consideration.
“The people of Mexico should know that it’s not common for the Supreme Court to announce, on Friday night and without formally notifying the authorities, a ruling that is so important,” the president’s office said.
The office asserted that the Mexican constitution “doesn’t allow” constitutional challenges on electoral matters, and said it is the first time in Mexican history that “a single constitutional judge” has ruled against “the totality of an electoral law legitimately approved by the legislative power and ordered the revival of repealed provisions.”
Such a ruling, the office added, can only be made via “a definitive decision approved by at least eight justices.”
It also said it’s “worrying” that Laynez suspended “the application of the entirety of the [electoral reform] decree … when the INE … didn’t challenge the entirety of the modified regulations, but rather only those it believes may affect the operating capacity of the institute.”
“In addition, it’s false that the fundamental rights of citizens and the organization of elections are placed at risk. … The rule of law has never been threatened by the approval of the electoral reform laws. On the contrary, their approval guarantees the efficient use of public resources in order to strengthen our democratic regime at a lower cost for taxpayers,” the office said.
“Faced with this series of arbitrary actions, … the federal executive, through its legal department, will challenge the decision of Justice Laynez Potisek,” it said.
The office said “the federal executive will not allow the constitution or the Mexican legal system to be violated,” and will ask the SCJN to revoke both the suspension of the electoral reform laws and Laynez’s admission of the INE’s lawsuit.
López Obrador said Saturday that the SCJN is “part of the mafia of power,” asserting that the court’s justices are “the same as the conservatives” who are opposed to his government and democracy in Mexico.
“That’s why they don’t want the electoral reform,” he said during a visit to Chetumal, Quintana Roo.
López Obrador is also a fierce critic of the electoral institute, which he claims was complicit with fraud that cost him the 2006 and 2012 presidential elections.
The statement issued by his office said that the objective of the electoral reform package is to “reduce the bureaucratic costs of elections and strengthen democratic principles so that the political-electoral rights of citizens are truly respected and more frauds, like those in the past, don’t occur.”
The national leaders of the main opposition parties – all of which opposed the electoral reform package – welcomed the SCJN’s decision to suspend the application of the laws and consider the INE’s lawsuit.
National Action Party leader Marko Cortés said that Plan B “violates the law and infringes on the autonomy of our electoral body,” while Democratic Revolution Party chief Jesús Zambrano said that the court’s decision is “a good sign that the division of powers and the democratic regime will prevail.”
Marko Cortés (with the hat, center) in attendance at the pro-INE protest in February. (@MarkoCortes/Twitter)
“Great day for Mexico, bad news for the [National] Palace autocrat,” Zambrano wrote on Twitter.
Alejandro Moreno, national president of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, said that the Supreme Court’s ruling was “another victory for Mexico’s democracy.”
Large protests against the electoral reform and in defense of the INE were held across Mexico on Feb. 26. The INE oversees the electoral system in Mexico, where the transition to a full multi-party democracy was completed just 23 years ago.
Christina Whiteley and her family went through the process of obtaining temporary residency in Mexico. (Courtesy)
Moving to a foreign country and starting a new chapter in the sun sounds appealing, but the thought of immigrating can be overwhelming and sometimes confusing due to the plethora of contradictory or ambiguous online information. I wanted to share a little about our own personal experience, and a few things that you can consider if you’re thinking of making the leap.
Our story is somewhat unique in that we didn’t plan ahead to move here. Although we had spent a lot of time in Mexico over the years, when we came to Cabo in October 2021, it was simply to take a break from our lives and get a balcony view of our current situation.
When we arrived, we had booked an Airbnb for a few months, to give us time to figure out our next move. Fortunately, we booked a spot where there were a lot of other Americans and Canadians either living in Cabo as residents, or spending the winter. Many of them have remote work and flexible schedules like us.
We loved our rental so much that we asked them if there were any long-term rentals in the building. Within minutes we were connected to the landlord and offered a six-month stay, for a fraction of the price. These people instantly became our community. They would spend time with our daughter and watch our dog for the weekend if we went away.
During the pandemic, this community became our extended family; we spent holidays, celebrated birthdays and went out for dinner together once a week. I was blown away by how connected and close we had become almost overnight, because we had never had that connection with our neighbors in Canada. We barely knew their last names.
We started inquiring about next steps with our new neighbors. Everyone was open and willing to share a phone number of someone local who could help. We would meet people on the street who had lived in Cabo for a decade or more, and simply asked for help when setting up our phone, electricity, and attaining our driver’s licenses. We met our realtor this way too.
Christina and her family found an instant community when they started living in Cabo. (Courtesy)
So when the topic of immigration came up, we already had the resources we needed, we just needed to figure out the logistics. We ordered a new birth certificate for our daughter (to get legally authorized and translated) and used a company in Canada called ALSC (Authentication Legalization Services Canada) for that service. They couriered it to us in Mexico. We had heard horror stories of lost documents, passports and people waiting months to receive them in Canada – even missing vacations and holidays they had booked six months out, because everything was so backed up. So we didn’t feel comfortable parting with her original birth certificate while she was in Mexico with us.
There are multiple ways to immigrate to Mexico, but the most popular thing for people spending winter here is to come down on a 180-day tourist visa. With that visa you can rent a place to live, purchase health insurance, and get a Mexican phone number (for a fraction of the cost, US $13-20 a month). Many people use Whatsapp down here because the calls are clearer and you can text/call internationally without the charges of long distance. It is best to check the Mexican consulate closest to you to assess your options and limitations as the regulations vary, but to begin the process of applying for residency, you start at a Mexican consulate in your home country.
There are two options for residency in Mexico. Temporary residency can be granted up to four years and is usually renewable, or you can apply for permanent residency at the end of the term. A permanent residency is for those looking to stay in Mexico indefinitely and does not need to be renewed. With temporary residency you can open a Mexican bank account, legally buy and register a vehicle, enroll in the public medical system (although you also have access to private insurance, if you can afford it), and are able to come and go as often as you want.
Having a temporary resident visa doesn’t instantly qualify you to work here, you also must apply for a separate work visa or be sponsored by a company or business here. I’m an entrepreneur who works online and I am paid through my account in Canada. Mexico does offer temporary residency to remote workers and digital nomads, as long as you are able to prove economic solvency. The solvency requirements for temporary residency are lower than for permanent. This piece is very important. The country wants to make sure you are not a burden or taking a job from someone local. This dollar amount also changes each year, so make sure you check before you apply.
If you want a more detailed overview on these requirements, check out this primer in the Mexico News Daily Expat Resources section. If you are married to a Mexican national, you are granted a temporary residency for two years that can be changed to permanent residency at the end of this period.
We were also told that we could apply for permanent residency directly, without being a temporary resident first, if you are retired. You must be able to show either investing or financial records of your bank statements of the last 12 months and the minimum amounts required vary by consulate.
So why would you consider residency over the temporary tourist visa? A few reasons: you may not want to leave the country after 180 days; you may have kids in school or have work commitments here. You may want to apply for citizenship eventually (which you can do after you become a permanent resident). You may want to work down here, and will need to apply for a tax number through your residency. Another reason you may want temporary residency is so you can buy and register a car here.
It’s not as daunting as you may think. If you’re not sure where to book an appointment to apply for your visa, you can Google “Mexican consulate” and choose the one closest to you to call and inquire. They will give you the next steps and information you will need to gather for your appointment. Once you find your dream location in Mexico, it won’t be difficult to find someone willing to help with the paperwork, I just recommend you hire someone based on a referral.
We’ve been so blessed by the community of people here who support us and helped our family adapt to living in another country. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know not only our neighbors, but local businesses and the people who run them, because just like back in Canada, we want to support as many people as possible in our local community.
Christina Whiteley, founder of Life Transformed, is a bestselling author, speaker and business strategist who leads the 6 Figure Profit Plan Mastermind and hosts corporate retreats where she resides in Cabo San Lucas. She and her husband Ryan, who is a realtor, live for road trips and weekend adventures with their daughter and their dog, Larry. You can also join her private Facebook group here.
The exhibition will run through March 29, and will see thousands of attendees in the Mexican capital. (@SECTUR_mx/Twitter)
The 47th edition of the Tianguis Turístico, Mexico’s largest tourism fair, has opened in Mexico City.
The event will be held in the capital for the first time, at the Citibanamex business center through Mar. 29.
Mexican culture will be on full display throughout the exhibition. (@GobOax/Twitter)
It is set to be the largest Mexican tourism fair ever and officials hope that it will prove a defining moment for the national tourism industry.
“This edition will be remembered forever and will mark a milestone in the history of national tourism, ratifying our country as a world tourism power and a destination full of success and exponential growth,” Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco said during the opening of the event.
Torruco said that his goal is to make tourism an “instrument of social welfare” and a “reconciliation tool” to promote sustainable development and boost local economies at all levels of Mexican society.
Among the highlights of the event is the Mundo Maya Pavilion, which seeks to promote tourist offerings from the five countries that make up the historically Mayan world: Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
The new Felipe Ángeles International Airport and Maya Train also take center stage, as the government seeks to promote the projects for domestic travel. International carriers are also prominently displayed.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum at the Tianguis Turístico on Monday. (@Claudiashein/Twitter)
The fair boasts 150 exhibitors and expects the attendance of nearly 2,000 national and international buyers. Organizers anticipate that about 6,000 business deals will be closed during the four-day event.
Overall, the capital anticipates 15,000 visitors to the fair and overall revenue of more than US $1.7 million.
According to the head of the Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services, and Tourism Héctor Tejada, the fair will tap into emergent trends within the tourism sector, to increase the number of visitors, and promote Mexico as a tourist destination.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the capital had exceeded all pre-pandemic indicators and said that the country has moved up five positions since 2018 rankings to become the second most-visited country in the world.
Sheinbaum also inaugurated a Mexico City Tourism Festival along Paseo de la Reforma to showcase artisan works and cultural expressions from across the country. The festival will run until Tuesday.
3000 participants turned out to support migrant charities in the city of San Luis Potosí. (@EF_Galindo/Twitter)
The Cáritas half-marathon to raise funds for migrant groups saw 3,000 runners turn out in the city of San Luis Potosí on Sunday.
The aim of the race was to “[combine] sport with solidarity and support those who have less,” explained Enrique Galindo Ceballos, president of San Luis Potosí council.
Participants came from across the community, creating a family atmosphere that the city hopes will promote “solidarity and support”. (@EF_Galindo/Twitter)
The race was organized in association with both the migrant charity Casa del Migrante (Migrant House) and the office of the Archbishop of San Luis Potosí.
The runners were joined by families and children, who all entered the race to show their support for charitable causes, passing 21 churches in 21 kilometers.
Archbishop Jose Alberto Cavazos noted that charity would help to “do good for the city” and that the event would help to bring residents together.
The Cáritas half marathon will become an annual event, to promote the health of the city, and help those in need, according to Ceballos.
Those staying in the Casa del Migrante accommodation in San Luis Potosí have been in need of basic supplies for some time, including clothing, food, shoes and personal hygiene items.
San Luis Potosí is a key waypoint on the journey to the border with the United States, and for many migrants marks the last major city before they leave Mexico.
Chabelo enjoyed near-universal reverence from Mexicans of all ages. (Saúl Lopez/Cuartoscuro)
Xavier “Chabelo” López, best known for his record-spanning career as a children’s television host, died on Saturday aged 88.
The actor was best known for his show “En Familia con Chabelo” (Family Time with Chabelo), which ran from 1967 until 2015.
Chabelo was a staple of Mexican children’s entertainment for almost 3 generations. (Armando Monroy/Cuartoscuro)
His family stated that he had died “unexpectedly due to abdominal complications” and asked for privacy as they mourned his death in Mexico City.
There has been an outpouring of grief from all levels of Mexican society.
President Andres Manuel López Obrador sent his condolences to the family, reminiscing how his oldest son (now aged over forty) would get up early to watch Chabelo’s show.
Former president Felipe Calderón also lamented his death. “The impression I have of him is that of a hard-working Mexican, persevering in his work,” he wrote on Twitter.
The veteran actor also enjoyed a number of awards throughout his career. (Rodolfo Angulo/Cuartoscuro)
Chabelo was born on Feb. 17, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois to Mexican parents. Shortly after, his parents moved back to the city of León, Guanajuato with him and his two sisters.
He was drafted into the US army at 18, during the Korean war, though the conflict ended before he could be deployed. He later returned to Mexico and enrolled in medical school, working as a doctor in a private clinic for several years.
While studying medicine, he also started working part-time as an assistant at the headquarters of the Mexican broadcasting titan, Televisa, often filling in for actors who were late for their shows.
In 2020, he told Caras magazine he was asked to read a joke on air about a boy named Chabelo. “I read it and the voice came out like a child, and that’s where Chabelo was born,” he said
Thanks to his longevity as a performer, Chabelo was often lovingly photo-shopped into memes of historical moments. (Pinterest)
He later decided to quit his job as a doctor to become an actor. “I’ll never forget my father’s face [when I told him].” His radio show “La media hora de Chabelo” (The Chabelo Half Hour), was launched in the 1950s, before making the transition to television in December 1969.
Family Time with Chabelo aired live on television nearly every Sunday from 7 to 10 a.m. for almost 46 years.
The game show, which saw families competing in various challenges and games for prizes, only went off the air on a few special occasions such as during the 2009 swine flu pandemic, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Mexico in 2012, or when Chabelo fell ill.
The show’s permanent presence on TV even introduced a new verb to Spanish slang in Mexico – catafixiar, referring to the final segment of the program “La Catafixia.” In it, participants were given the choice to risk what they had won for hidden prizes that could range from sweets and toys to furniture, electronic goods, and even a car.
“¿Le entras a la catafixia?” Chabelo would ask participants – “do you accept the catafixia challenge?
“His show lasted so long,” Laura Martínez, a Mexcian journalist, told the BBC in an interview. “My aunts and uncles got to see him. He used to be a figure in their childhood. And then I was born, and he was a figure in my childhood.”
As the show spanned many generations, Chabelo’s character has been the subject of memes that joked about his longevity – inserting him in historical events such as the declaration of Mexican Independence in 1810 or Biblical events like the Last Supper.
Chabelo felt honored by his online popularity.
“I am very grateful to each and every one of the people who take the trouble to make a meme about me,” he told the news program Hoy. “Maybe they think they are offensive, I don’t take it that way, with all my heart… I say thank you.”
Over the weekend, Televisa paid tribute to Chabelo with reruns of his shows and movies.
When Chabelo’s final episode aired in 2015, then-Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto, wrote López a letter thanking him for a lifetime dedicated to promoting “family values” through his TV show.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Xavier “Chabelo” López’s year of birth. He was born in 1935.
This 16th-century building once occupied by conquistador Hernán Cortés will reopen to the public after being closed five years for restoration work. (INAH)
The Palace of Cortés, a 16th-century building once occupied by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, will reopen to the public this week as a museum focused on the history and people of the state of Morelos.
Located in Cuernavaca, the palace was damaged in the devastating 2017 Puebla earthquake that claimed 370 lives in central Mexico.
The Regional Museum of the Peoples of Morelos (MRPM) includes new permanent exhibits about the history of the area. (INAH)
After remaining closed for more than five years, the restored structure – built in the years after the conquest of the Aztec Empire (or Triple Alliance) in 1521 – will open this Thursday as the Regional Museum of the People of Morelos (MRPM). The palace previously housed the Cuauhnáhuac Regional Museum.
The MRPM features five rooms that will house permanent exhibitions, while there is space for three temporary exhibitions on the palace’s ground floor. The permanent exhibitions explore biodiversity; bioculture; landscape; peoples of corn and stone; and the Olmec phenomenon, according to a statement issued by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
A collection of 30 archaeological pieces known as the Leof-Vinot Collection will also be on display starting next Thursday.
Museum director Rodolfo Candelas Castañeda said that the permanent exhibitions will showcase the cultural and natural diversity of Morelos, a small state that borders Mexico City as well as Puebla, Guerrero and México state.
The exhibitions are not focused on “important dates or the great figures [of history] but rather the people who have given life and shape to … [Morelos], in the past and the present,” he said.
Announcing the imminent reopening of the Palacio de Cortés, INAH said that construction of the building was “the first civil project in America after the European invasion.”
“The museographic restructuring … is the product of two years of reflection and the consensus of an academic council made up of more than 20 specialists,” it added.
During the restoration of the palace – in which Cortés lived with his second wife Juana Zúñiga – a team of experts repaired the structure’s “iconic turret” using materials that reduced its overall weight by 70%, the institute said.
Diego Rivera’s restored mural in the Palacio de Cortés. (INAH)
Once it is open, the MRPM will welcome visitors Tuesday to Sunday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. The palace is located in the historic center of Cuernavaca, known colloquially as the city of eternal spring for its pleasant year-round climate.
The writer and her husband finally signed divorce papers after a process that was not only long and technically complicated, but also emotionally difficult in a way particular to Mexico that she didn't expect. (Illustration: Angy Márquez)
The song was right: breaking up is hard to do.
If you were married in Mexico and wish to not be anymore, then breaking up legally can be especially difficult. Figuring out your place within, as well as the actions you must take to navigate any legal system is hard enough. Figuring it out in your second language when conflicting advice and instructions abound can feel downright impossible.
The whole process has made me personally realize why, religious reasons aside, many married couples in Mexico simply decide to stay “separated” forever, never getting around to signing actual divorce papers.
I’m writing this on the day after my husband (technically, still) and I finally signed a legal agreement through a free state mediation service to dissolve our marriage and cement the specifics of the responsibility and care of our daughter. It gets us almost to the end of what has been a long, winding, and painful road to something I’ve been hoping to do for three years now. Now that the final pieces are falling into place, it feels like a weight is, at last, being lifted off of my shoulders.
Before getting too deeply into it, a caveat: this is not a “how to get a divorce in Mexico” article. I don’t have the legal expertise for it, and frankly, don’t get paid enough to do the extensive research that would be needed for such an article. I simply want to share my own experience as a long-term immigrant to Mexico married to a Mexican citizen. This is also not a “let’s publicly trash my ex” article, but a series of observations made from my own and others’ experiences.
The process differs by state anyway, the common thread among them being that you’ll need quite a lot of guidance in taking the correct of many possible steps (some of them landmines) to deal with what is likely one of the most emotionally consequential actions of your life. Most lawyers will talk to you initially for free, though, so if it’s a move you’re thinking of making, the office of someone recommended should be your first stop.
As foreigners, we don’t have the “home advantage;” legally, there is no home advantage, of course, but culturally and linguistically there certainly is, beginning with the fact that the Mexican party is likely to be surrounded by an extensive family network ready to lend them a hand. For us, reliance on a network of friends is pretty much it. And as I’ve said before, friends ain’t family around here. If you happen to be a woman with children, you’ve also got some deeply-ingrained and very specific cultural ideas about what it means to be a good mother to contend with. It’s tough on top of what would be tough even in your own country.
They say that you really get to know the person you married during a divorce. This, I’m afraid, is a sad fact wherever you are. After going through this experience, I’d add to it: when people are under a great amount of mental and emotional stress — and separation and divorce will usually get them to that point – then we tend to revert to well-worn cultural scripts.
The cultural scripts of Mexicans upset about the end of a relationship, I’ve found, can be quite dramatic (all these soap opera tropes didn’t come from nowhere). There’s drama, there are accusations, there are threats, there are assurances that a desire to no longer be with that person is evidence of mental instability. And once you’ve run the gamut one time, it’s possible that it will start all over again!
Another thing to be prepared for: there’s a certain innocence in many well-meaning non-Mexicans, possibly born of our generally Pollyanna view that people will mostly behave decently given the chance. Most Mexicans do not possess this naturally trusting disposition; on a cultural level, they know better than to simply take things at face value.
That trusting disposition that many of us have, then, can leave some of us feeling a bit like Charlie Brown tumbling backward when Lucy inevitably pulls the football away at the last moment until we knock the habit of trying to be fair and agreeable above all else. “Fair and agreeable” is not always how the game is played around here.
To be fair, the timing of our separation was difficult. “February 2020,” I believe, says it all. Most all institutions were closed shortly after, and many of the support systems I was planning on relying on throughout that difficult time were suddenly not available. My young daughter and I were now in a different house, without her dad and with very little real live contact with anyone. It was rough.
We’d previously agreed to use a mediation service through the CEJAV (a free state-wide center for alternative justice). Many states have similar institutions which allow you to resolve your differences both peacefully and legally, and divorce agreements are a large portion of what they provide help with.
The trouble came, however, with our first (online) session: after telling the mediator that we wanted to share custody of our young daughter, he told us that it would be impossible; one parent had to have primary custody. (Later — too late — I realized that shared custody had been written into Veracruz state law in 2019, something the mediator apparently had not been aware of.)
Our inability to find a solution we were both okay with eventually led to me filing a lawsuit: if you don’t go the mediation or jurisdicción voluntaria route with the help of a lawyer, then the only way to get a divorce, if you have a kid together anyway, is by literally suing the other person.
My husband convinced me to desist (which I recognized almost immediately as something I should not have done) as a condition of agreeing to the convenio that I’d wanted in the first place – the lawsuit was a means to that end. This is a legal agreement to both the divorce and shared custody, which I knew by then indeed was a possibility. Said convenio was drawn up but never paid for as promised, alas, and nearly two years went by before finally getting to the CEJAV, this time, in person, for two two-hour sessions to get it all done.
By the time we finally went, I’d been gearing up to once again find a lawyer to sue for exactly what I wanted in the convenio anyway, as I’d despaired of ever being told, “Okay, I’ve got time now; let’s go.”
But it finally happened, y’all. It took a while, and the pandemic didn’t help things. Me being a somewhat gullible and disoriented foreigner, at least when it comes to the law, didn’t help, either. But here we are. At last.
Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com
Would you believe this light, creamy meringue substitute is vegan — it's thanks to the magic of chickpeas.
I didn’t believe it either. Could not imagine how it could possibly work.
But aquafaba—the protein-packed liquid in a can of chickpeas—really does whip up like meringue, into shiny, billowing, cloud-like foam. As I’m writing this, I have a pavlova and a tray of “vegan meringue” kisses in the oven.
The scientific explanation escapes me, but it’s a simple, straightforward process to use aquafaba in place of egg whites. (It won’t work for everything, though; read on.) In the vegan world, this has been a well-kept secret that’s now been picked up by foodies—and those who can’t eat eggs—everywhere.
In my kitchen, the liquid from one 15-ounce can of chickpeas whipped up to about four cups of beautiful, white, frothy foam. Before being sweetened and flavored, there was a definite “beany” taste, but once vanilla and sugar were added, it was delicious and hard to stop taste-testing. (Ahem.)
Stiff enough to shape, I spooned some into a piping bag and made “kisses” on one cookie sheet and an 8-inch pavlova on another. Both went into a 200 F (100 C) oven for an hour while I waited excitedly for the results.
Well. Oops. Turns out my oven won’t go lower than 250F, which meant the kisses were done perfectly in an hour but the pavlova was a liquidy mess. Maybe because it was piled too deep? I re-whipped the remaining aquafaba (which worked!) and made another, thinner pavlova, this time on parchment paper. Back into the oven it went.
Save that chickpea water—it’s an amazing egg substitute in a plethora of recipes!
Aquafaba won’t work as a substitute for egg whites in every recipe; cakes, for instance—including angel food — need more structure than whipped aquafaba provides. Some cookies will work, some won’t. Mayonnaise, cocktails, froth for lattes or other coffee drinks, pie topping, mousse-like pudding? Yes indeed.
It also works to make fluffier pancakes and waffles, as long as you gently and carefully fold the airy aquafaba into the batter instead of mixing it in vigorously. Also, anything you make using aquafaba needs to be cooked or baked slowly, at a low temperature, to prevent it from turning gummy or mushy.
Some other tips: look for low-sodium chickpeas (although mine were “regular” and it was fine). Some folks say you can use the liquid from any canned beans, but somehow the idea of dark brown meringue from black beans doesn’t work for me. Cannellini or white northern beans? Maybe. But why fix what isn’t broken? Garbanzos work perfectly and are easily available almost everywhere.
Can you use the water from dried chickpeas you’ve soaked or cooked? Possibly, but the ratio of water to whatever proteins make the aquafaba whip won’t be the same as in canned ones. Stick with canned chickpeas and maybe make hummus too.
Aquafaba meringue, like regular meringue, quickly absorbs humidity and gets sticky. I just popped the kisses into the toaster oven set on 200F for about 10 minutes and they crisped right up. Cream of tartar will make aquafaba beat up shinier, with stiffer peaks, but isn’t necessary.
Easily make an egg-free meringue topping for your favorite pie using aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas.
Oh, and that pavlova? The second, thinner one baked fine. I’ll keep playing around to figure out how to make it work (or just use egg whites!)
Aquafaba Meringue
Liquid from 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas
1½-2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
About ¼ cup sugar
Optional: ½ tsp. cream of tartar
Beat chickpea liquid on highest speed in bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer for about 20–25 minutes until fairly stiff peaks form. (Whisking won’t work.)
Once thickened, sprinkle in sugar and vanilla, beating between each addition. If using cream of tartar, add that as well. Taste and adjust flavor and sweetness. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
For kisses, pipe onto cookie sheet and bake at 200 F (100 C) about 1½ hours, till golden on top. Allow to cool on rack and then carefully remove with a spatula. Store in tightly closed glass container, layered with parchment, for 2–3 days.
These melt-in-your-mouth vegan meringue kisses are as good as the “real thing.”
Vegan Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
½-1 tsp. mustard
½ tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. liquid from a can of chickpeas (at room temperature)
¾-1 cup neutral oil (canola, vegetable), not olive oil
Using an immersion blender, in a small bowl combine vinegar, mustard, salt and chickpea liquid. Drizzle in oil ¼ cup at a time, beating with each addition. The mayo will thicken quickly. Transfer to a jar and store, covered, in the fridge. Yield: ¾–1 cup
Aquafaba Chocolate “Mousse”
1 cup aquafaba room temperature
2-3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
6 oz dark chocolate, melted
Optional: 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
Melt chocolate over boiling water or in the microwave.
In a stand mixer, combine aquafaba and cream of tartar. Whisk until soft peaks form, about 15 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla; mix until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in melted chocolate until evenly incorporated. Pour into ramekins; chill at least 4 hours.
Skyline of the city of Monterrey featuring many of its iconic buildings. (Daniel Escobedo)
Recently, President López Obrador tried to convince Elon Musk to place his new Mexican Tesla factory in the south of the country instead of the north — without success.
Why was Musk so adamant about locating Tesla in Monterrey?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (left) with Nuevo León governor Samuel García (@SamuelGarciaS Twitter)
The simple answer is that Mexico’s second-largest city has advantages in geography and infrastructure, but also in culture, that are difficult to reproduce in other parts of Mexico.
Monterrey is the country’s industrial capital; the wide variety of products made here are found all over Mexico and in many parts of the world. There are an estimated 10,000 industrial enterprises in the metro area; more than 2,200 of them are foreign-owned. With the rise of “nearshoring” (moving industry closer to the U.S.), these numbers are expected to grow.
Almost nothing in Monterrey’s early history would indicate its role today. Lacking silver and gold but plenty of Indigenous inhabitants willing to fight, Spanish conquest here was slow. There was a small, isolated settlement here by 1600, mostly a military outpost defending against the Indigenous people and the U.S.
Histories of the city generally skip over to the 19th century, when Mexico encouraged the Spanish and other Europeans to come and establish businesses, taking advantage of government incentives along with rail lines that connected Monterrey with the U.S., Mexico City and the port of Tampico in Tamaulipas.
Old postcard of the original Cuauhtémoc Brewery. Unlike other cities in Mexico, most landmarks here are industry-built and modern.
Unlike U.S. immigrants in Texas, the newcomers would assimilate, so while names like Rangel and Bremer are prominent here, these families and their companies are Mexican.
Early factories here focused on textiles, but starting in the 1890s, diversification began into products such as steel, cement, glass, machinery and more, distinguishing Monterrey from other northern industrial cities. The U.S. has been an important customer, but Monterrey steel is found in important Mexican buildings, including the Monument to the Revolution.
The entrepreneurship that made this possible continues and still makes Monterrey distinct from the rest of the country as it adds new technologies.
For over a century, business magnates here have focused on infrastructure since it is essential to their continued success. Rail lines remain important even to this day, but they are now supplemented by major highways and an airport that handles over 200 international and domestic flights per day. Public transportation exists and is of good quality, although Monterrey remains a car culture.
Needing a supply of quality engineers and other professionals, industry here founded the Tec de Monterrey in 1943, Mexico’s most important private high school and university.
Even tourism infrastructure here caters to business travelers, who fill most of the 12,000 rooms in over 100 hotels and the two major convention centers — Cintermex and Convex.
The Paseo Santa Lucia in downtown, inspired by San Antonio’s River Walk, is one of the amenities added over the years to make the city more attractive to people and businesses (Cranket)
Although recent severe droughts have called this into question, the business publication Forbes has listed Monterrey as one of the most promising in terms of sustainable development.
There are modern systems to monitor air quality and recycle waste products. It ranks fourth in Mexico in terms of green space, with 3.4 square meters per person — its gem is the massive Fundidora Park.
Monterrey’s infrastructure reflects what writer Raúl Rangel Frías called the city’s “industrial culture,” a social organization “unabashedly” based on its economy, influencing its relationship with architecture, intellectual thought and the arts.
The foreign families and their businesses introduced a work ethic similar to that of the Protestant work ethic of the U.S., with a focus on ideals such as discipline, hard work, strict divisions of labor and punctuality.
One thing industrialization did not change was the basic relationship among the three main ethnic classes — the European-descended, the mestizo and the Indigenous. The hierarchy found everywhere else in Mexico appears here as well, but imposed over it is another hierarchy consisting of business owners, followed by white- and blue-collar workers.
Monterrey’s “historic center” is marred by many abandoned buildings, as development has concentrated outward and on the new. (To be fair, there is some bohemian-style development that might be this area’s niche in the future.)
Main entrance to the headquarters of the Tec de Monterrey, which leads private education not only in Nuevo León but in many Mexican states. (Leigh Thelmadatter)
Focus on the past is most strongly found in fiction and nonfiction writing, especially that of Alfonso Reyes and Rangel Frías, but even this is focused on Monterrey’s industrial culture. This writing is often positive, both about the industries and the people who work in them, because of local pride as well as factory sponsorship of newspapers and other publications.
But it cannot be denied that these factories, past and present, are instrumental in how Monterrey’s people see themselves. The closing of the Fundidora Monterrey steel mill in 1986 hit the city hard, but instead of redeveloping the grounds commercially, the massive swath of land became Fundidora Park, with waterways, museums, auditoriums and much more.
It’s an interesting example of “industrial chic” repurposing as many of the old brick structures, metal tubes and machinery as possible.
Monterrey’s other massive, immediately-identifiable enterprise is the Cuauhtémoc Brewery, which now owns almost all of Mexico’s commercial beer brands. Other names you will probably recognize include Cemex, Femsa (owners of Coca-Cola, Oxxo etc.) and VivaAerobus.
Although Monterrey comes in behind Mexico City by some measures, the statistics tell a more interesting story.
Monterrey has one-eighth of the population of Mexico City (1.1 million compared to 8.8 million) but generates 7.5% of Mexico’s GDP, compared to Mexico City’s 17.5%. Monterrey has the highest overall standard of living in Mexico and is ranked ninth in Latin America according to ProMéxico.
Only a bunch of fields 100 years ago, the suburb of San Pedro Garza García houses almost all of the city’s movers and shakers. It’s the richest municipality not only in Mexico but in Latin America.
Monterrey boasts a unique position in Mexico’s economy, one that only now cities like Querétaro and San Luis Potosí are trying to emulate, says Monterrey business coach Augustín Torres.
If Monterrey is not that familiar to the average expat, it is because it has not developed a tourism industry that shapes much of Mexico’s “face” to the world. But the city’s “hidden” status should not be taken to mean that there is nothing here to appreciate.
Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico over 20 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019). Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily.
In this week's morning press conferences, the president rejected claims of narco-controlled areas of Mexico, accused U.S. company Vulcan Materials of "ecocide" and floated a theory about the leak of Defense Ministry documents last year. (Mario Jasso / Cuartoscuro.com)
While millions of Mexicans enjoyed a three-day weekend last Saturday, Sunday and Monday, President López Obrador had little time for a break.
On the first day of the puente – as long weekends are known in Mexico – AMLO delivered an hour-long speech in front of a huge crowd of supporters to mark the 85th anniversary of the nationalization of Mexico’s oil industry.
AMLO and his wife Beatriz Gutiérrez wave to the crowd at the event in the Zócalo on March 18. (Gob MX)
On Sunday he met with a group of 12 United States lawmakers in the National Palace, located opposite Mexico City’s central square, where Saturday’s event took place, while he was back in front of reporters early Monday morning to begin another week of government press conferences, colloquially known as mañaneras.
Monday
On a public holiday to mark the 217th anniversary of the birth of former president Benito Juárez, López Obrador gave his first press conference of the week in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, capital of the southern state of Chiapas.
“The federal government is investing like never before in Chiapas, … both in infrastructure and welfare programs,” AMLO said at the start of his presser, adding that residents of the state along with inhabitants of Oaxaca and Guerrero are the nation’s biggest beneficiaries of the latter.
Governor of Chiapas, Rutilio Escandón, speaks at the Monday morning press conference. (Gob MX)
“Billions of pesos are being allocated in benefit of the people,” he said.
Governor Rutilio Escandón, who represents the ruling Morena party, agreed that welfare and social programs are bringing “big benefits” to his state – one of Mexico’s poorest – and noted that the Maya Train railroad, which is scheduled to begin operations in December, would soon link Chiapas to other states in “south-southeastern” Mexico.
“Here in Chiapas we look at the rise of the south with great pleasure,” he said, adding that the region’s ascent was made possible by “the fourth transformation” – the federal government’s self-anointed nickname as well as a byword for the change it claims to be bringing to Mexico.
López Obrador, who has made investing in Mexico’s south and southeast a priority for his government, declared that now is “the time of the southeast,” which he described as “a region that was abandoned for a long time but is now rising again.”
AMLO has focused much of his government’s investment on the south, with projects like the Maya Train in the Yucatán and the Dos Bocas refinery in Tabasco. (Gob MX)
In his subsequent engagement with reporters, the Tabasco-born leader cited his favorite past president when answering a question about Saturday’s rally.
“The truth is that a transformation can’t be carried out … if you don’t have the support of the people. … As Juárez said: ‘Con el pueblo todo, sin el pueblo nada,'” López Obrador said, indicating that anything – or literally everything – is possible with the support of the people but nothing can be achieved without it.
Asked about a group of people who burned an effigy of Supreme Court Chief Justice Norma Piña during the rally to express their dissatisfaction with Mexico’s judicial branch of government, the president said he disapproved.
“These kinds of actions shouldn’t be carried out, it’s not the best thing to do. I believe there are ways of protesting without reaching those extremes,” he said.
In response to another query, AMLO said that migration, development cooperation and security were among the issues discussed at his meeting with U.S. lawmakers last Sunday.
“The meeting was very good, very respectful and we reached agreements to continue working together with respect for our sovereignties,” he said.
López Obrador later said he didn’t envision any major problems for Mexican financial institutions or the Mexican economy in light of the collapse of two banks in the United States.
“The situation in Mexico is special. Of course there can be unexpected events, external factors … but the Mexican economy is solid,” he said, adding that Mexican banks obtained “record profits” of 240 billion pesos last year.
“… There is macroeconomic stability in the country and no crisis in sight. The Mexican economy grew more than the United States and Chinese economies last year. So we have very good economic indicators,” AMLO said.
Tuesday
On the actual anniversary of Benito Juárez’s birth, López Obrador was in the city of Oaxaca, capital of the state where the former president was born in 1806.
“Later we’ll be in Gueletao,” AMLO said, referring to the small town where Júarez was born. “As we do every year we’re going to hold a ceremony there to remember Benito Juárez.”
Oaxaca governor Salomón Jara with AMLO at the Tuesday press conference. (@salomonj/Twitter)
Governor Salomón Jara, another representative of the ruling Morena party, welcomed the president to Oaxaca and praised him and his government for completing infrastructure projects in the state including the paving of roads to 240 municipal seats.
“As you mentioned, in 2009 we toured the 570 municipalities of Oaxaca and we took note of all the municipalities that didn’t have [paved] roads to their municipal seats. [It was] half of the municipalities of Oaxaca – a disgrace of the previous governments, the neoliberal governments that never looked toward Oaxaca, toward the south and southeast,” he said.
The official in charge of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Interoceanic Corridor (CIIT) later gave an update on that infrastructure project, which includes the modernization of a railroad between Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.
“The rehabilitation of the tracks” is just over 79% complete, Raymundo Morales said, adding that the rail project would be finished in August.
López Obrador noted that 10 industrial parks are also part of the CIIT project.
“Companies will set up [in the parks], there will be work. This is the future for the isthmus, for the new generations,” he said. “So that they set up these plants, we’re going to … offer tax subsidies.”
The president also outlined a range of other advantages of manufacturing in Mexico.
“We have natural resources, electricity, water and the most important thing – a trained responsible workforce,” said López Obrador, who has promoted development in the country’s southeast due to the abundance of water there.
“… And we have another advantage: the average age in Mexico is 29, we have a young workforce and in the United States, Canada and Europe they have a serious problem because their population is older,” he said.
“They’re comparative advantages; that’s why I’m sure that Mexico is already on its way to becoming an [economic] powerhouse. It’s going to take a little bit of time but the foundations for this are being laid.”
Among other remarks, López Obrador asserted that a new U.S. State Department report that detailed “significant human rights issues” in Mexico is full of lies, and claimed that the case against former U.S. president Donald Trump involving his payment of hush money to a porn star is politically motivated.
“They’re going to arrest him … so that he doesn’t appear on the electoral ballot for the 2024 presidential election,” he said.
“I say this because I suffered from the fabrication of a crime because they didn’t want me to be a candidate [at the 2006 presidential election], and that’s completely anti-democratic,” López Obrador said, referring to an accusation related to a property expropriation that he faced while mayor of Mexico City in the early 2000s.
Wednesday
Back at the National Palace in Mexico City after two days in the south, AMLO began his presser with a lesson on ways to prevent crime.
“Attention to the causes, attending to young people, is very important,” he said.
“… It’s very important that people have job opportunities, that their incomes, their salaries, are enough. Combating social inequality is very important. Strengthening cultural, moral and spiritual values is very important. Avoiding family breakdown is very important,” López Obrador said.
He declared that the government’s security strategy – colloquially known as “abrazos, no balazos,” or hugs, not bullets – is working and that the national crime rate is going down.
“This is very good because if there is peace, … if there is no violence, one lives without fear, one lives in freedom. We’re making progress, we’re implementing our strategy of attending to the causes,” AMLO said.
Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez later reported that a total of 6,352 federal crimes – among which are firearms, financial and migration offenses – were reported in February, a 29.9% decline compared to December 2018, the government’s first month in office.
A comparison between the same two months found that homicides declined 21.1% in February to 2,282 – an average of 81.5 per day.
Security minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez shows homicide stats at the Wendesday press conference. (Daniel Augusto / Cuartoscuro.com)
Rodríguez was relieved by media monitor Ana García Vilchis, who sought to clear up misconceptions about who smuggles fentanyl into the United States.
“An NPR/Ipsos poll from September 2022 found that 39% of Americans and 60% of Republicans believe that the majority of fentanyl that enters the United States [from Mexico] is brought in by unauthorized migrants who cross the border illegally. This is false,” she said.
“In reality, fentanyl is mainly smuggled across the border by United States citizens for users who are almost completely United States citizens,” García said while presenting U.S. data that showed that 86% of arrests in 2021 for the trafficking of the synthetic opioid were of American citizens.
López Obrador once again took aim at the United States government when he returned to the helm of his mañanera to respond to reporters’ questions.
“Of course we’re against the blockade of Cuba,” he said in response to a journalist who accused the United States government of hypocrisy by pointing out human rights violations committed by other governments while ignoring its own.
“We consider it a flagrant violation of human rights. … No people are authorized to subjugate another people. … We’ll always be with [the people of Cuba], we’re brothers, Latin Americans, and we won’t allow this perverse strategy to continue,” said López Obrador, who has previously advocated an end to the U.S. embargo.
Jesuit priests Joaquín Mora, left, and Javier Campos were allegedly killed by José Noriel “El Chueco” Portillo Gil in Chihuahua last June. (Photo: social media)
In subsequent remarks, the president acknowledged that a body believed to be that of a man accused of murdering two priests in Chihuahua last June had been found in Sinaloa.
“It has now been confirmed by studies. I just got the information,” he told reporters.
Earlier in his mañanera, AMLO gave what he described as a “scoop” to a reporter from a Sonora-based news outlet, although dozens of other journalists were in the room.
“The deadline for the regularization of [illegally imported] foreign cars is going to be extended, three more months,” the president said, referring to an amnesty program that was set to conclude this month.
“… We’re doing this because having records [of so-called autos chocolates] helps us on the issue of security,” he said. “There are crimes committed in these vehicles and we can’t identify their real owners because they’re not registered.”
While responding to a question about the plight of beekeepers on the Yucatán Peninsula, AMLO spotted an opportunity to take aim at Vulcan Materials Company, a United States construction aggregates firm that denounced an “illegal” takeover and occupation of its Quintana Roo marine terminal by federal and state security forces last week.
AMLO describes what he termed the “ecocide” committed by U.S. company Vulcan Materials in Quintana Roo. (Gob MX)
The company, he said, has committed “ecocide” on the Quintana Roo coast by destroying mangroves across a “large area” and even damaging archaeological sites.
“… It took gravel from Playa del Carmen … and the coast of the Caribbean, from the most beautiful tourism area of Mexico and one of the most beautiful in the world,” López Obrador said.
“They used land … to extract gravel and took that material to the United States to use in the construction of highways. All this because of the complicity there was with [past] pseudo-environmentalist authorities … who gave them the permits,” he said.
The president indicated that he believed that the security forces and personnel from the building materials company Cemex had done nothing wrong by entering Vulcan’s facility because judges had “authorized” its use by Cemex.
In a presser dedicated entirely to responding to reporters’ questions, AMLO repeated his assertion that his government doesn’t spy on citizens and said he suspected that the Guacamaya hacking group – which last year leaked thousands of Defense Ministry documents – is made up of “international agencies linked to the conservative group headed by [businessman and government critic] Claudio X. González.”
He also took a shot at the three-party opposition alliance known as Va por México when a reporter asked him whether it would be weakened by the removal of former interior minister Miguel Osorio Chong as Senate leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party.
“I don’t get involved in that,” López said before adding: “Look, the conservative bloc has no future because they’re divorced from the people.
Friday
AMLO showed off his grade school poetry skills at the beginning of his last presser of the week after announcing he would spend another weekend inspecting progress on the construction of the Maya Train railroad.
“As you already know an order dada [given] but not supervisada [supervised] is good for nada [nothing],” he quipped.
With a pass to probe the president pending from the previous day, one reporter inquired about a meeting on Thursday with billionaire businessman Larry Fink, CEO of investment company BlackRock.
“In general there is a good environment for investment,” López Obrador began.
AMLO gave few details about his Thursday meeting with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. (@lopezobrador/Twitter)
“Mexico is among the countries … with the most advantages for foreign investment because it has a trade agreement that allows what is produced in Mexico to be exported to the United States and Canada [tariff-free]. That’s why a lot of investment is arriving and the forecast is that Mexico is going to grow a lot more than other countries,” he said.
“There are unbeatable conditions; Mexico is becoming an economic powerhouse with a social dimension. Business people agree with that and that’s what Larry Fink expressed yesterday. … We spoke about projects for Mexico and they’re determined to keep investing in the country,” AMLO said of BlackRock, which has investments worth US $102 billion in Latin America, according to the company’s website.
He was later asked about U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s acceptance this week that drug cartels control parts of Mexico.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his remarks on the Vulcan Materials case during testimony before the House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs on Thursday. (Antony Blinken/Twitter)
“That’s false, it’s not true,” López Obrador said after claiming that a Republican – Senator Lindsey Graham – effectively put the words in Blinken’s mouth.
“About a year ago a commander of the armed forces of the United States said the same thing and he was informed that it wasn’t true,” he added.
“Maybe [Blinken] doesn’t have all the information and … it would be good for him to know about this company, Vulcan, which, in cahoots with former Mexican authorities, destroyed our territory,” López Obrador said.
Remaining on the attack, AMLO accused National Electoral Institute (INE) chief Lorenzo Córdova of traveling to the United States to partake in “right-wing, fascist political tourism.”
He said he wasn’t surprised that Córdova, whose tenure at the helm of the INE ends in early April, attended a meeting in Washington with the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro.
INE chief Lorenzo Córdova meets with OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro on Wednesday. (@Almagro_OEA2015/Twitter)
“It’s not news that he met with Almagro,” he said after describing Córdova as “a representative of Mexico’s oligarchy” and an “anti-democratic character.”
“They’re the same, they’re like other internationalists in Washington, … [like] those in the State Department dedicated to supporting the right-wing movements of Latin America and the world,” AMLO said.
Among other remarks, the president said that the “serious” security situation in Guanajuato is related to the use of drugs in that state – Mexico’s most violent – and declared that Thursday was a “bad day” with 80 homicides across the country, a figure that is in fact below the daily average last year, during which over 30,000 murders were recorded.
Before calling an end to another week of mañaneras, López Obrador took a moment to call out the Reforma newspaper’s publication on Twitter of a video that showed the terminal of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport – one of the president’s signature infrastructure projects – largely empty on the first anniversary of its opening earlier this week.
“It has flights and planes are arriving and it’s [doing] fine, but they dedicate themselves to this. I think they went there at about four in the morning,” he said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
