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In the wake of Venezuela, is Mexico next? A perspective from our CEO

By
Travis Bembenek
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39
Protesters shout and wave Venezuelan flags in Mexico City
Protesters gathered Saturday in Mexico City at the Venezuelan Embassy (pictured) and the United States Embassy following news of the U.S. military strike on Venezuela. (Gustavo Alberto / Cuartoscuro.com)

President Trump won in part on a platform in which he promised to take decisive action against drug traffickers, drug cartels and those nations harboring them. Let’s set aside any cynicism on the “real motives” of the Venezuela attack (yes oil, I mean you) and assume that a key objective was to take action on the production and distribution of drugs from Venezuela to the United States and other countries around the world.

What began as a small drug boat getting blown up on Sept. 1 off the Caribbean coast of Venezuela had quickly turned into a steady flow of attacks in both the Caribbean and Pacific. The most recent account is that there have been 36 vessels attacked, with at least 115 people killed. In addition to the boat attacks, there has of course been the U.S. military buildup in the area around Venezuela. Never in recent history have so many U.S. soldiers and military assets been stationed in the region.

Throughout this period, the rhetoric on Mexico has been relatively consistent. President Sheinbaum has continued to emphasize the sovereignty of Mexico and insist that U.S. troops are not acceptable in the country. She recently even went so far as to say that, “The last time the United States came to Mexico with an intervention, they took half of the territory.” President Trump has been consistent in his rhetoric towards Mexico, on more than one occasion insisting that “Mexico is run by the cartels,” while at the same time praising the Sheinbaum administration for the collaboration with the U.S. against the cartels.

Sheinbaum in fact has taken some significant actions against the cartels, and has demonstrated a step change in action compared to her predecessor. AMLO’s “hugs, not bullets” strategy against the cartels clearly was ineffective and insincere. No one can forget AMLO briefly meeting Chapo’s mother in Sinaloa.

But today, everything changed. Sheinbaum’s immediate reaction to the Venezuelan attack was to issue a statement “condemning the military intervention in Venezuela” and citing Article 2, paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter that reads: “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” That is a logical and valid reaction, especially given her consistent references to Mexico’s sovereignty.

That being said, the United Nations stood by and did little over the past several decades as first Chávez and then Maduro ruled Venezuela with an iron fist. Corruption was rampant, elections were rigged, and millions of Venezuelans were forced to flee the country in search of a better life. The United Nations and most nations of the world stood silent as millions of Venezuelans were forced to walk through the Darien Gap, as countless stories were told of many of them being robbed, raped or killed in the journey. The millions that ultimately made it to the U.S. border were treated as asylum seekers and welcomed into the country. This led to many communities across the nation having their schools, hospitals, and support organizations overwhelmed as they attempted to support the massive wave of new immigrants into the country. This of course was another key theme of the recent U.S. elections.

So the Trump administration finally took action. And in taking action, also said that Mexico, along with Cuba and Colombia could be next. He also once again reiterated to Fox News that Mexico is run by the drug cartels and added that, “Something’s going to have to be done with Mexico.” Is this a threat that should be taken seriously? And if so, what should Mexico do?

Here is my personal take. Not only President Trump, but also Secretary Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson and even Secretary Noem have recently commented on the cooperation and collaboration of the Sheinbaum administration in the war on drugs. Clearly this is a completely different tone than what was being said about Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia. The Trump administration has ratcheted up the pressure on Mexico to take action on the cartels, and Mexico has many examples of improved action and results.

I believe that today’s Venezuelan actions will serve as an even larger “stick” to get Mexico to do more, much faster. I also believe that Trump will also use the “carrot” of the upcoming USMCA trade agreement renewal to exert even more pressure on Mexico to quickly produce results. It cannot be forgotten that the U.S. is Mexico’s largest customer, and Mexico is the U.S.’s largest customer. That means alot and obviously isn’t the case with Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia.

What do these results ultimately look like? Look for more cartel leader arrests, more drug seizures, more collaboration on the flow of money, weapons and drugs. And look for the use of drone strikes on Mexican fentanyl labs. This was my “wildcard” prediction for Mexico for 2026 that I think just became a lot more likely today. The drone strikes might be ultimately conducted by Mexico (with behind the scenes support from the U.S. military), but I do believe that they will begin happening sooner rather than later.

I believe that these actions by Mexico will happen, and as a result will prevent any direct U.S. actions or intervention in Mexico. The real question to begin to think about, both in Venezuela and if increased actions take place in Mexico, is what will happen next. In other words, what will the cartels do next? Where will they go? How will they respond? History teaches us that it is not the success of the attack, but rather the lack of a plan after the attack, that often ultimately determines future success. Let’s hope that the U.S. has a comprehensive, well-thought-out plan to address that.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

Sheinbaum condemns US military intervention in Venezuela; Trump says ‘something’s going to have to be done with Mexico’

By
MND Staff
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41
Sheinbaum juxtaposed with a Venezuela flag in the background
Sheinbaum had said on repeated occasions that Mexico was opposed to U.S. military action in Venezuela. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro/Wikimedia Commons)

The Mexican government on Saturday issued a statement expressing its condemnation of the United States’ military actions in Venezuela, where President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured by U.S. forces before being flown to the USS Iwo Jima naval vessel in the Caribbean Sea prior to their transfer to New York to face criminal charges.

“The government of Mexico vigorously condemns and rejects the military actions carried out unilaterally in recent hours by the armed forces of the United States of America against targets in the territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” says the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) and shared on social media by President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The statement adds that the U.S. actions — which included strikes in and around the Venezuelan capital of Caracas — were “in clear violation of article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations.”

In her social media post, Sheinbaum pointed to the fourth paragraph of Article 2 of the UN Charter, which states that “all [UN] Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”

In its statement, the SRE also referred to Mexico’s “foreign policy principles,” which include a constitutionally-enshrined principle of “non-intervention” in the internal affairs of foreign countries.

Sheinbaum had said on repeated occasions that Mexico was opposed to U.S. military action in Venezuela.

The SRE’s statement said:

“Based on its foreign policy principles and its pacifist vocation, Mexico makes an urgent call to respect international law, as well as the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, and to cease any acts of aggression against the Venezuelan government and people. Latin America and the Caribbean is an area of peace, built on the basis of mutual respect, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the prohibition of the use and threat of force. Therefore, any military action poses a serious risk to regional stability.”

The Mexican government also asserted that “dialogue and negotiation are the only legitimate and effective means to resolve existing differences” and consequently reaffirmed its “willingness to support any effort aimed at facilitating dialogue, mediation, or accompaniment that contributes to preserving regional peace and avoiding confrontation.”

In addition, it urged the UN to “act immediately to contribute to the deescalation of tensions and facilitate dialogue and create conditions that allow for a peaceful and sustainable solution in accordance with international law.”

Trump: ‘Something’s going to have to be done with Mexico’

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social in the early hours of Saturday that the United States had “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country.”

The attack on Venezuela came after the U.S. military carried out strikes in recent months on numerous alleged drug boats from the South American nation, where Maduro assumed the presidency after the death of Hugo Chávez in 2013.

The United States government accuses Maduro of leading a drug trafficking organization it refers to as the Cartel de los Soles, which the Trump administration last year designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).

During an interview with Fox News later on Saturday, Trump spoke not only about Venezuela but also about Mexico, where the U.S. last year flew drones to spy on cartels.

He described Sheinbaum as “a good woman,” but asserted — and not for the first time — that “the cartels are running Mexico.”

“She’s not running Mexico, the cartels are running Mexico,” Trump said.

“… [Sheinbaum’s] very frightened of the cartels, they’re running Mexico, and I’ve asked her numerous times, ‘would you like us to take out the cartels?’ [and she says] ‘No, no, no, Mr. President, no, no, no please,'” he said.

“So we have to do something,” Trump said before speaking about people who have died in the United States from overdoses after taking drugs that “mostly” enter the U.S. from Mexico.

“They come in from the southern border and something’s going to have to be done with Mexico,” said the U.S. president, who told a press conference on Saturday that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until a proper transition of power could take place.

Hundreds gathered in front of the United States Embassy in Mexico City on Saturday morning to protest U.S. intervention in Latin America.
Hundreds gathered in front of the United States Embassy in Mexico City on Saturday morning to protest U.S. intervention in Latin America. (Gustavo Alberto/Cuartoscuro)

Sheinbaum has said on repeated occasions that her government is willing to collaborate with its U.S. counterpart on security matters, but would never accept any violation of its sovereignty.

A violation of Mexico’s sovereignty would occur if the U.S. military were to unilaterally carry out a strike on a cartel target within Mexico or deploy troops south of the border to combat Mexican criminal groups that the Trump administration has designated as FTOs, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

Opinion: ‘Something’s going to have to be done with Mexico’ but it must not be by Trump

By
María Meléndez
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35
Donald Trump in front of a Mexican flag
After his unprecedented invasion of Venezuela, Donald Trump has claimed Mexico is out of control. What's the truth behind the headline?

We all heard it. President Trump, in a Fox News interview, declared that Mexico’s President Sheinbaum is afraid of the cartels, and then, with his trademark bluntness, delivered the phrase that now echoes across both sides of the border: “Something has to be done with Mexico.”

The question, of course, is what that “something” means. A mobilization like the one he boasted about in Venezuela? A military strike disguised as humanitarian aid? In geopolitics, answers are never simple, but several factors suggest such a U.S.-led operation would be not only ineffective but dangerously misguided.

The United States’ strike on Venezuela, and extraordinary rendition of President Nicolás Maduro took place in a landscape very different to that of Mexico. (X)

Balkanization

Cartels function everywhere in Mexico, but their activities vary. Along the borders, they once specialized in human smuggling — a business reshaped, though not erased, by Trump’s immigration crackdowns. In Puebla, they steal. In Mexico City, they extort. Their operations reach deep into daily life, adapting like a shadow economy that feeds on absence and fear.

The popular image of gleaming narcos with gold chains and pet tigers misses the truth. These are not caricatures; they are corporations. They run logistics networks that operate with the efficiency of global retailers. The difference is that Walmart files taxes; cartels file body counts.

And when you remove cartel leaders, you don’t end the organization. The fall of El Chapo divided the Sinaloa cartel into rival factions, as his sons, Los Chapitos, battled his old partner Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada for control. Violence surged. New cells formed. “Kingpin strategy” is not a decapitation, but instead a fragmentation of the problem into even harder to remove pieces. Each head cut off becomes a new command structure, smaller, quicker, and often more violent.

Something is already being done

Let’s not pretend Mexico and the U.S. operate in isolation. DEA agents and American intelligence personnel have worked in Mexico for decades. Bilateral operations against cartels are routine; intelligence is shared, coordinated, and, often, successful.

Mexican law enforcment has been seizing and destroying increasing amounts of illicit drugs in recent years. (Gabriela Pérez Montiel/Cuartoscuro)

If what Trump imagines is Marines parading through Mexican streets, that’s not cooperation. It’s an invasion. President Sheinbaum is right: that would be a direct violation of Mexican sovereignty. Mexico is not a failed state begging for rescue; it’s a struggling democracy managing one of the harshest criminal ecosystems on the planet, one fed by its neighbour, often with limited tools and too little support.

Just look at Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch’s record — his operations dismantled dozens of criminal cells and captured high-ranking traffickers. Progress exists. What doesn’t is patience.

As long as demand exists

Believing that killing cartel leaders will end drug addiction is delusional. The only way to deal with the problem seriously is to treat addiction as the public health crisis it is. Switzerland learned that decades ago. Instead of declaring war on heroin in the 1980s, the Swiss government created supervised heroin and methadone programs so addicts could transition safely toward recovery. Infection rates dropped, overdose deaths plummeted, and drug-related crime fell. The state, not the streets, took control.

Mexico has destroyed countless synthetic drug labs, but the results are temporary at best. When one operation disappears, another one appears elsewhere. As long as the U.S. appetite for narcotics endures, Mexico’s cartels will adapt, relocate, and rebuild.

In essence, legalization removes control from the hands of the criminal underworld and places it squarely with institutions. It doesn’t celebrate drug use, it sets boundaries around it—with rules about who can sell, who can buy, and where consumption can happen. Legalization doesn’t mean permissiveness; it means precision.

Legalized dispensaries in the United States and Canada have undermined the once powerful illicit marijuana trade. (Sophie Nieto-Munoz/New Jersey Monitor)

“Something has to be done”

On this point, Trump isn’t alone. Mexicans are equally desperate. We are tired of the headlines, the funerals and the fear. Our parents remember another Mexico, one where you could travel at night without locking your doors. My generation remembers the warning signs: don’t drive certain highways, don’t look at strangers too long, don’t ask who lives next door.

Of course, we want the violence to stop. But we also know what happens when foreign troops step in under the pretext of restoration. They rarely leave when the fighting’s over. Once a Marine garrison appears in Chiapas or Sinaloa, sovereignty becomes a negotiation, not a right.

Intervention promises quick relief but often ends in permanent instability. The “war on terror” taught us that lesson painfully well.

A final thought

Drugs are already here. The question is who decides their terms — cartels or governments. Prohibition has failed for half a century; legalization, for all its risks, at least offers the chance to manage the damage instead of multiplying it.

Something does have to be done about Mexico — about the violence, about the fear, about the hypocrisy on both sides of the border. But the solution won’t come from cruise missiles or foreign boots on Mexican soil. It will come when both countries can admit that the drug war, as we’ve waged it, has been an act of self-deception.

As Mexicans, we’ve lived with this crisis for far too long and perhaps we’ve also been shortsighted about how to confront it. We’ve demanded action, yet often repeated the same failed formulas. Maybe the real challenge is daring to do something different — and finally breaking free from the cycle that keeps us trapped between fear and denial.

Maria Meléndez writes for Mexico News Daily in Mexico City.

Mexico’s week in review: Train tragedy shadows strong economic close to 2025

By
MND Staff
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0
President Claudia Sheinbaum traveled to Oaxaca Monday afternoon, immediately after her daily press conference, to meet with victims' families.
President Claudia Sheinbaum traveled to Oaxaca Monday afternoon, immediately after her daily press conference, to meet with victims' families. (Carolina Jiménez Mariscal/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico’s final week of 2025 began with devastating loss as a train derailment claimed 13 lives Sunday morning, prompting President Claudia Sheinbaum to travel to Oaxaca Monday afternoon, immediately after her mañanera, to meet with victims’ families.

The tragedy cast a somber shadow over the year’s end, even as Sheinbaum delivered her New Year’s message emphasizing unity and progress.

Didn’t have time to read this week’s top stories? Here’s what you missed.

Fatal interoceanic train derailment

The week’s most tragic story unfolded Sunday morning when the Interoceanic Train derailed near Nizanda, Oaxaca, approximately 85 kilometers north of its destination in the port city of Salina Cruz. The accident killed at least 13 people and injured more than 100 of the 250 passengers and crew aboard the two-locomotive, four-carriage train.

The derailment occurred on a curved section of track at the edge of a ravine. While the two locomotives avoided falling down the embankment, the first passenger car detached and slid approximately 6.5 meters down the slope. The second car was left partially suspended in mid-air, while the third and fourth cars came to rest crosswise over the tracks but remained undamaged.

President Claudia Sheinbaum immediately dispatched Navy Minister Admiral Raymundo Morales to the scene and mobilized medical teams. On Wednesday, the president announced plans to seek international certification to improve railway safety, stating that once investigators submit their report, a certifying body should recommend improvements to ensure the track and locomotives are in proper working order.

The accident has increased pressure on Sheinbaum over the safety of recent government megaprojects. Investigative journalist Alejandra Crail reported that Mexico’s federal auditing agency had cited concerns during the train’s construction phase about steep slopes, curves and undulations in the mountainous terrain, as well as questions about contractors’ technical capacity. This marks the third train accident in Mexico this year, following one derailment on the Maya Train in Yucatán and another in Quintana Roo, though neither resulted in serious injuries.

Market performance defies economic headwinds

Despite ongoing struggles in Mexico’s macroeconomy, the nation’s financial markets closed 2025 with remarkable strength.

Mexican stocks outperformed Wall Street, with the iShares Mexico ETF rising over 50% — its highest increase since 1999, significantly exceeding major U.S. benchmarks. Mining and materials companies particularly benefited, with Industrias Peñoles surging more than 260% and Gentera climbing over 100%.

The peso’s performance proved equally impressive. Mexico’s currency strengthened nearly 14% against the U.S. dollar in 2025, marking its best year since before 1994, when the country established its current free-floating exchange rate regime.

2025 was the modern Mexican peso’s best year ever

The peso closed around 18 per dollar and ranked as the sixth-best-performing major currency globally. The Bank of Mexico’s interest rate cuts — reducing rates by 300 basis points to 7% — helped inject cash into the economy while maintaining investor confidence, alongside structural factors like nearshoring and export resilience.

Mexico’s tourism engine full steam ahead into 2026

Mexico’s tourism industry demonstrated impressive momentum as the year closed, with the country expecting nearly 5 million tourists during the 2025-2026 year-end holidays between Dec. 20 and Jan. 11. This represents a 5% increase over the previous season, with national hotel occupancy rates reaching 56.6% and some destinations exceeding 80%. Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez Zamora emphasized that the sector’s strong performance underscores tourism’s role as a vital engine for Mexican families’ well-being.

Felipe Ángeles International Airport moved more than 7 million passengers in 2025, a 12% jump over 2024, bringing the Mexico City area’s second international airport to 17 million passengers served since operations began in March 2022. AIFA’s Master Development Plan projects serving 9 million passengers by 2026, with the FIFA World Cup expected to drive significant additional traffic.

These are all the upgrades coming to Mexico City ahead of the World Cup

The airport faced challenges during the year, including cancellation of 11 international routes by the U.S. Department of Transportation, eliminating approximately 84,000 passengers. President Sheinbaum has committed to recovering these routes in 2026. The long-awaited Lechería-AIFA train connection remains on schedule to open by late March, just in time for Holy Week travel.

Meanwhile, Cancún will welcome 17 new international flight routes for 2026, connecting Mexico’s Caribbean coast to 11 U.S. cities, five Canadian cities and Dublin, Ireland — marking the first non-stop flight between Cancún and Ireland. Additional domestic connectivity came through Viva Aerobus’s new Saltillo-Cancún route launching in March.

New trade barriers take effect

The new year brought sweeping tariff increases on imports from China and other countries without free trade agreements with Mexico. The measures, effective Jan. 1, affect 1,463 product categories across sectors, including automotive, textiles, steel, plastics and electronics. New duties range from 5% to 50%, with the highest rates on vehicles from China and certain Asian nations.

The policy aims to safeguard approximately 350,000 jobs and advance “sovereign, sustainable and inclusive reindustrialization” under Plan México, President Sheinbaum’s strategy targeting a 15% increase in domestic content and 1.5 million new jobs. The government estimates the tariffs will generate 70 billion pesos in annual revenue. Chinese cars, including electric vehicles from manufacturers like BYD, previously faced 20% duties; the new 50% tariff has been welcomed by Mexican auto industry leaders. Critics warn the measures could increase consumer prices and hurt small businesses relying on imported inputs.

Earthquake rocks capital on second day of the year

Mexico City residents barely had time to ring in the new year before a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Friday morning at 7:58 a.m., triggering the capital’s seismic alarm and sending people into the streets. The epicenter was located 15 kilometers south of San Marcos, Guerrero, at a depth of 5 kilometers, and was especially strong in Acapulco, where residents reported intense shaking lasting 30 seconds.

As of midday Friday, authorities confirmed one death — a man who fell while rushing down stairs — with 12 people injured. Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada reported five downed poles and four fallen trees, with power outages affecting multiple boroughs.

 

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A small electrical substation fire was quickly contained with no injuries. The National Seismological Service recorded 273 aftershocks by 10 a.m., with the largest at magnitude 4.2. Both President Sheinbaum and Mayor Brugada confirmed no serious structural damage in the capital, while Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX) reported normal operations.

Looking ahead

As Mexico moves into 2026, the nation faces great opportunities and tests. The USMCA review process begins this month, with formal discussions expected to dominate trade policy headlines through mid-year. The new tariffs on Chinese imports will reshape supply chains and potentially affect consumer prices, while their long-term impact on domestic manufacturing and job creation remains to be seen.

Tourism’s continued momentum — bolstered by new flight routes and strong year-end numbers — positions the sector as a key economic driver, particularly with the FIFA World Cup on the horizon in June.

Whether the peso can maintain its remarkable performance and stocks continue their rally will depend on how successfully Mexico navigates these trade negotiations and implements its economic development strategy. The investigation into the Interoceanic Train derailment will also test the government’s commitment to accountability and infrastructure safety as it pushes forward with ambitious transportation projects.

Mexico News Daily

This story contains summaries of original Mexico News Daily articles. The summaries were generated by Claude, then revised and fact-checked by a Mexico News Daily staff editor.

My 2026 predictions for Mexico: A perspective from our CEO

By
Travis Bembenek
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14
A bearded man stares into a crystal ball
What surprises does 2026 hold for Mexico? (Shutterstock)

After a news-filled 2025, we begin another important year for Mexico. If you didn’t check out the results of how I did versus my 2025 predictions, you can check it out here. What will 2026 have in store for Mexico? These are my 10 predictions for the year:

1. President Sheinbaum will continue to have a 70%-plus approval rating. Nearly every president sees their approval rating consistently decline during their term; I think Sheinbaum will be an exception as she continues to guide the country through difficult domestic and international issues.

2. Sheinbaum and her team will be successful in renewing the USMCA agreement with the U.S. and Canada in a way that maintains and even strengthens the relationship between the countries. There will be drama, there will be fireworks, but ultimately, the deal will get done.

3. Sheinbaum and her team will continue to make progress against the cartels and on violence in the country. After very limited results for six years under AMLO, a step change in actions and results began in 2025. We will see it continue in 2026. The country and the world will take notice.

4. The Mexican peso will finally start to follow the laws of economics and weaken against the USD. I predict that the peso will devalue at least 10% and finish above 20 pesos to the USD. Why? Slower economic growth, lower interest rates and higher inflation rates will all be contributors.

5. GDP growth, which is predicted to be between 1 and 1.5%, will surprise to the upside. I think 2% is possible, fueled by World Cup tourism spending, government infrastructure spending, help from U.S. growth and foreign direct investment.

How accurate were my 2025 predictions for Mexico? A perspective from our CEO

6. Mexico will make it out of the first round of the World Cup, but lose in the round of 16. Sorry Mexican fans, but I have seen it happen too many times before. That being said, Mexico will be a great host to the games and the world will take notice.

7. Tourism numbers will again hit a record, fueled by World Cup tourism and increased interest and excitement in the country’s many cities and attractions. Becoming a top 5 destination for tourists globally is in sight.

8. Continued tensions globally against China will make Mexico an increasingly attractive location for businesses to invest. As the U.S. receives more investment, Mexico will benefit as well. I think foreign direct investment will again hit a record in 2026.

9. AMLO’s legacy projects will begin to show some increased momentum. The Felipe Ángeles airport in Mexico City, the Dos Bocas refinery, the Interoceanic freight train, the Maya Train and the Tulum airport will all look like less “white elephant” projects than they did in 2025. They will all remain very far from profitability and expected capacity, but the momentum will be positive.

10. Sheinbaum will begin to make a positive dent in the energy industry. After largely ignoring the oil production (Pemex) and energy production (CFE) industries in 2025, she will begin to pressure them to reform and allow increased private investment. It will just be the start, but there will be a clear change in tone.

I will also add one “wild card” prediction. I think there is a strong possibility that there will be at least one drone strike against a fentanyl lab in Mexico. I don’t know if it will be done directly by the Trump administration, in coordination with the Sheinbaum administration, or solely by Mexico — but I think it will happen as the pressure is ratcheted up against the cartels.

What do you think? Do you agree with my predictions? Am I missing something? Please add your thoughts in the comments.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

The MND News Quiz of the Week: January 3rd

By
MND Plus
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0
News quiz
(Mexico News Daily)

What's been going on in the news this week? Our weekly quiz is here to keep you on top of what’s happening in Mexico.

Get informed, stay smart.

Are you ready?  Let’s see where you rank vs. our expert community!

Traffic at Mexico City's troubled AIFA airport is up. How many visitors do they hope to attract in 2026?
An Aeromexico plane outside the AIFA terminal

Norteño band 'Los Tigres del Norte' unveiled their new song on which U.S. show?

Archeology ministry INAH reported a bumper haul of repatriated treasures in 2025. How many artefacts were returned to Mexico?
pre-Columbian pieces

Mexico’s Health Minister David Kershenobich is hoping to entice Mexicans into what, as part of a new health drive?
Helth Minister

The state of Chiapas has changed its official shield. What object has replaced the Spanish castle that was there previously?
Suspension bridge crossing over a wide dam in La Concordia, Chiapas.

Mexico has launched its own tariffs this week. Which country isn't being tariffed?
A closeup of the front of a BYD dolphin electric car.

Storms lashed Mexico on New Year's Day. Which of these states was not affected by rain and freezing conditions?
woman bundled up in copld weather

A tragic derailment on the Interoceanic Train killed 14 passengers this week. In which state did the accident take place?
The derailment happened as the train rounded a curve on Sunday morning near Nizanda, Oaxaca.

The first major earthquake of the year has struck! What magnitude was it?
tree down on car during quake

2025 was the best year ever for the modern Mexican peso. How much did it appreciate against the dollar?
A 100 dollar bill and a 100 Mexican peso bill.

MND Tutor | Año Nuevo

By
MND Plus
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0

Welcome to MND Tutor! This interactive learning tool is designed to help you improve your Spanish by exploring real news articles from Mexico News Daily. Instead of just memorizing vocabulary lists or grammar rules, you’ll dive into authentic stories about Mexican culture, current events, and daily

We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, Mexican style.

Mexican New Year’s Eve is a chaotic, joyfully superstitious whirlwind where families cram into kitchens, shout about missing grapes, and believe — deep down — that this is the year everything changes. From racing to eat 12 wish-filled grapes at midnight to choosing destiny-colored underwear (red for love, yellow for money, green for health, white for peace), the night turns superstition into a full-contact sport. People jog around the block with suitcases to “manifest” travel, burn stuffed año viejo dummies to torch bad vibes, feast on bacalao and tamales, then cry, laugh, and hug under explosive fireworks that light up every barrio and big city alike.

Dive into a joyous celebration and learn Spanish at the same time as we take a look at the first MND Tutor of 2026!



Let us know how you did!

How to stop extortion in Mexico

By
Sarah DeVries
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7
President Claudia Sheinbaum
President Sheinbaum acknowledged that the government hasn't made progress reducing extortion rates. (Gabriel Monroy/Presidencia)

Over the past few weeks, I’ve watched a Mexican series on Netflix, “Las Muertas.” It’s a Luis Estrada series, meaning it’s a dark comedy that leaves you both amused and uneasy.

I’ve reviewed a few of his movies here before. Each one, really, is a Mexican classic. Watching them, you’d think he’s utterly without hope about our ability to shed our cultural habits of the sins of corruption and contempt. That’s the part that makes me uneasy. To watch his work, your only conclusion could be that corruption is baked into the culture. Like a cancer, it’s never completely eradicated; it hides in the cells and emerges opportunistically.

The problem of extortion in Mexico

"Las Muertas"
The Luis Estrada series “Las Muertas” touches on a long-running problem in Mexico: extortion. (IMDb)

If you’ve got a strong stomach (and a tolerance for nudity and sex scenes that are both hot and off-putting), it’s a fantastic show to watch. I mean, I wouldn’t let my kid watch it. Not because of the sex scenes, but because of its bleak view of humanity. Why let her in on this cynical view of the world so soon?

I’ve been thinking about “Las Muertas” as I’ve read about Sheinbaum’s desire to curb extortion. Clearly, extortion is a problem in Mexico. “Pay me and I won’t destroy you.” In fact, many businesses consider it a cost of doing business in the first place.

What exactly is extortion? Well, it’s forcing people to give you money by threatening them. “Pay up or else.” In Mexico, this often takes the form of “cobro de piso” (officially a “floor charge”), which is when criminal gangs, typically, charge businesses a sort of “tax” for “protection.” Protection from whom? Honestly, from the people charging the cobro de piso.

The poorest are most vulnerable

It breaks my heart that there are so many people willing to take advantage of others. It breaks my heart more that there are people who think they have a right to take advantage of others. They’re preying on the most vulnerable, of course. A fruit seller is paying 1,000 pesos of his meager earnings a week. Liverpool is not. The more money you have, the more protected you are.

That’s not all, of course. Extortion is increasingly attached to very scary scams. In the absence of any real authoritative controls in prisons, for example, prisoners with nothing but time on their hands and phones can spend all day trying their luck at tricking people into believing that a loved one has been kidnapped. “Pay up to this bank account, or else.”

How these prisoners have access to phones and their bank accounts in the first place is beyond me. Okay, it’s not really beyond me — it just amazes me about how confidently and brazenly those behind bars can act and with such few repercussions. Sheinbaum’s administration is doing what it can — signal jammers, security scanners — it will take more than that, of course.

Bribery and extortion are two sides of the same coin

Bribe changing hands
Bribes are as ubiquitous a part of life for many Mexicans as extortion. (DepositPhotos)

In the show “Las Muertas,” the idea of “money as social and legal lubricant” wasn’t so much happening around extortion, but around bribery. Alas, they are two sides of the same coin, and sometimes indistinguishable.

In the show, the women got away with so much because they bribed every government official they could. “Money and extra special treatment at the brothel? You’ve got yourself a deal!”

Unfortunately, in Mexico, bribes still very much work. A common example that nearly every Mexican I know has encountered is being stopped by the transit police. Even for minor infractions, the threat is often that they’ll need to have the car towed off right then and there. “Or ...”

To get out of such a fate, most drivers pay the police a mordida — a bribe. But is it really a bribe if they have to pay it to keep their vehicle?

Extortion is forced upon the payer; bribery is voluntary from the payer.

Laws and the difficulty in enforcing them

Then there’s the icky in-between kind, like bribes to traffic cops and bureaucratic workers. “You know, I could focus on getting this paperwork through a lot faster if I didn’t have to work a second job to afford my poor mother’s medicine …”

Military leaders announce strategy against extortion
Army, Navy and National Guard leaders accompanied Security Minister García Harfuch as he announced the new strategy against extortion in summer 2025. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

For so long in Mexico, under-the-table money has been the lubricant both for getting out of frictional situations and into the kinds of situations you want.

And as I’ve written before, the “on-the-ground” law in Mexico takes place at the local level, not the federal. Mexico City can turn out however many laws it wants, but without the cooperation of local governments, how can they be enforced?

So though Mexico City might say, “Okay, everyone, don’t let extortion happen in your towns and cities,” if the same people meant to enforce the law are benefiting from extortion schemes, how effective can that be?

Making extortion a federal crime

What’s the new proposal, then? Rather than being a state crime, extortion would now be a federal crime. That means it’s no longer a crime against the victim only; it’s a crime against society.

In addition to that, the burden would no longer be on the victim to report it. This is smart. Who’s going to report a crime when they’ve been told they’ll be killed if they report a crime? It’s not like they could trust the police to protect them — they’re often in collusion with the very criminal gangs they’re supposed to be protecting people from. It sounds cowardly, but police officers are people too, with families and fears. And they certainly don’t get trained or paid enough to go above and beyond in selfless ways, so what are we expecting?

But this law would up the ante: “Officials who are convicted of failing to report known extortion crimes face up to 20 years in prison, and prison authorities or public servants who facilitate extortion could be jailed for up to 25 years.”

lime orchard with GN soldier
Lime producers in Michoacán and their workers live under constant threat of extortion or physical harm, often requiring protection from the National Guard. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro.com)

Well!

Extortion is disgusting; I do not approve of it under any circumstances. But you have to ask: Why is it so prevalent? And given the prevalence of extortion and bribery, why do so many people think this is the only viable business they might be able to maintain?

For answers to these questions, might I suggest a Luis Estrada movie?

Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com.

How golf sells real estate in Los Cabos

By
Chris Sands
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Diamante Dunes Course Los Cabos
Diamante’s Dunes Course, designed by major champion Davis Love III, has been considered one of the world’s best courses since it first opened in 2009. (Diamante)

Several of the golf courses in Los Cabos have been ranked among the best in the world. Two layouts — Diamante’s Dunes Course and the Cove Club (formerly the Cabo del Sol Ocean Course) — are currently ranked among Golf Digest’s “World 100 Greatest Golf Courses,” for instance, and two others, Quivira Golf Club and Querencia Golf Club, have also made the list in recent years. Chileno Bay and Twin Dolphin Golf Clubs, meanwhile, have made Golf Magazine’s list of “Top 100 Courses You Can Play.”

Several more local loops have been rated tops in their region. Diamante Dunes and Querencia were declared the “Best in Mexico” by Golf Digest and Golfweek, respectively, and Solmar Golf Links was recently named “Latin America’s Best Course” by the World Golf Awards.

How much would you pay for the opportunity to play this spectacular Jack Nicklaus-designed course at Quivira Golf Club every day? It’s not a rhetorical question.  (Quivira Los Cabos)

The area’s rich array of world-class golf courses is amazing. But then, they have to be, since they’re also meant to sell luxury real estate.

Why golf is so important to real estate sales in Los Cabos

A 2017 study of more than 10,000 real estate transactions by researchers at Florida Atlantic University showed that buying property near a golf course positively affected its value moving forward, boosting it by 8 to 12%. The researchers also noted, anecdotally, that golf itself is likely a lure to convince prospective homeowners to buy.

The latter assertion may not be backed up by statistical evidence. But it is taken for granted by many real estate developers, especially those in Mexico, where the second home market in destinations like Los Cabos is thriving. According to a recently published article in Barron’s, this is how the formula works: “In the golf real estate realm, developers build courses to sell houses. They hire big-name designers like Jack Nicklaus, Coore and Crenshaw, or Robert Trent Jones Jr. to lend star power to create an impressive 18 holes, confident the chance to play such a layout every day will draw buyers willing to pay millions for a second home or vacation escape.”

How golf and real estate in Los Cabos became synonymous

This formula has driven interest in resorts and real estate in Los Cabos since the early 1990s, when real estate magnate Don Koll brought in Nicklaus to design a course for Hotel Palmilla (now One&Only Palmilla), which he owned. Thirty years later, there are 18 currently operating golf courses in Los Cabos — a municipality with a population of about 350,000 — and at least three more are in the works. All serve as upscale amenities for resorts or real estate developments, or in some cases, both. 

Why big-name course designers cost more and why they matter?

Big names like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, the two most successful golfers ever and designers of eight, soon to be nine total courses in Los Cabos, do not come cheap. Whereas notable designers and major champions like Greg Norman and Ernie Els charge more than US $1 million per effort, Nicklaus and Woods, because of their exceptional star power, can command that and more … sometimes much more. Nicklaus’ fees are said to start in the range of $2-3 million, for example, while Woods’ fees are said to be even higher.

Of course, beyond bringing star power, their return on investment (ROI) for real estate is also high. To state the obvious, it’s not just that golf helps sell real estate in Los Cabos; it’s for how much.

Cabo del Sol

This Cove Club property in Cabo del Sol is currently listed at US $13.5 million. (Sun Cabo)

Cabo del Sol, a 1,800-acre luxury community a half dozen miles from Cabo San Lucas, is also home to Nicklaus’ Cove Club and Tom Weiskopf’s Cabo del Sol Course (currently under renovation), plus several luxurious resorts, including properties for Four Seasons, Park Hyatt, and soon, Soho House. It’s the real estate developments, however, that will benefit most from access to Nicklaus’ and Weiskopf’s loops. Homesites at the Cove Club start at US $3.7 million, villas at $8.6 million.

Diamante

At Diamante on the Pacific Coast of Cabo San Lucas, the biggest real estate development is the one surrounding Tiger Woods’ new invitation-only Legacy Club golf course and community, which is capped at only 250 members or families. List prices begin for homesites in Legacy Estates at $4 million, with larger homes in the range of $10 and $11 million. The Legacy Club is expected to open by the end of 2026.

Considering the Legacy Club course is reportedly going to take over from Tiger’s El Cardonal Course as the host of the PGA World Wide Technology Championship by 2027, the only PGA tournament in Los Cabos, expect list prices for nearby homesites in Legacy Estates, Legacy Villas and Legacy Gardens to remain robust.

Querencia

A comfort station at Querencia
A comfort station at Querencia. (Querencia Golf Club)

In Querencia, which is expecting a second course, Campo Alto, from acclaimed designer Tom Fazio in late 2026, prices likewise start in seven figures. At El Parque, a family-centric neighborhood of single-family homes and homesites in the upscale development, properties are now being listed between US $5.95 and $7.6 million.

Quivira

Signals are mixed on whether a second Jack Nicklaus course will ever be added to accompany the spectacular original, Quivira Golf Club, which opened in late 2014. However, real estate sales remain brisk regardless. Prive residences at St. Regis and Montecristo start at US $1 million, while 4- and 5-bedroom homes at Coronado are currently being listed for between $2.2 and $6.9 million.

Oleada

The 860-acre Oleada community is expecting its Ernie Els-designed golf course to open in 2026, while the 43 luxury two- and four-bedroom residences comprising the Conrad Residences at Oleada will be available beginning in 2027. Contact Hilton-owned Conrad for pricing information.

Chris Sands is the former Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best and writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook. He’s also a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily.

 

Worried by yesterday’s earthquake? Honor Tepeyólotl, the Great Lord of Earthquakes in Mexico

By
Andrea Fischer
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0
Tepeyóllotl
During an earthquake, when in doubt, offer a prayer to the great Tepeyóllotl, the great Mexica god of seismic activity. He’s waiting. (Wikimedia Commons)

Yes, it happened — again. Earthquakes are one of those annoying peculiarities of the our beloved Mexico City. However! These natural (yet terrifying) phenomena bring back ancient devotions to the deities that made the earth roar. For the Indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico, that means the return of the terrifying Tepeyóllotl.

Like the rest of the region, the capital is subject to the seismic activity of our majestic volcanoes, Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. Although at this time of year the pair gives us magnificent views of their snow-covered faces , it is also true that they are some of the most active volcanoes in the world — hence, we get pretty strong earthquakes! If the editors will allow me a superstitious note, it’s best to offer a prayer to the One Who Moves the Earth when we are surprised by tremors like yesterday’s! Here’s everything you need to know.

The mountain-heart guardian of the Valley of Mexico

Tepeyóllotl’s echoing roar was interpreted as a terrible omen, often bringing desease, death and misery to those who heard it. (Héctor Montaño/INAH)

Tepeyóllotl is the Mexica god of earthquakes and seismic activity. His name translates from ancient Náhuatl as ‘Heart of the Mountain’, and was commonly represented as a jaguar who inhabited mountains. It was said that his roar caused deadly earthquakes, a common occurrence even in pre-Columbian times in present-day Mexico. However, he was also associated with echoes and the night, as this feline is a silent night hunter.

As was common in Mexica mythology, the gods had ‘avatars’ — or manifestations — who served specific purposes. For example, Quetzalcóatl was frequently represented as Ehécatl, the venerable lord of the wind.

Ancient Mexica priests honored Tepeyóllotl as a manifestation of the powerful Tezcatlipoca, one of the most venerated gods in the Mexica Empire. In their world vision, “his presence was omnipresent, embodying the duality of life and death”, as described by UNAM’s Institute of Historical Research. 

Tepeyóllotl mirrors Tezcatlipoca’s dark and nocturnal nature, often depicted as “the Sun descending to the realm of the deceased.” As much as he was feared as a liminal deity, who bestowed life and death upon the inhabitants of México-Tenochtitlan, he was also revered as the “empty space” in the Cosmos. No wonder several offerings to him have been found in the Templo Mayor site.

Tepeyóllotl, the great Lord of Earthquakes

Tepeyóllotl inherited the destructive power of Tezcatlipoca. As unpredictable as earthquakes are, it was known that Tepeyóllotl was capricious and erratic. Just as he inherited Tezcatlipoca’s destructive power, like all good cats, he also had a fickle character, which kept the inhabitants of the imperial capital on their toes. Nobody knew when he might attack: whether in the middle of the night, as jaguars usually do, or in broad daylight. So yes, he was a moody one, wasn’t he?

Tepeyóllotl, the Great Lord of Earthquakes in the Mexica pantheon, is often mistaken for Tlaltecuhtli, the Lady of the Earth. However, no roar was louder than his, which was said to be the cause of seismic activity. (Wikimedia Commons)

Considering the above, there is evidence that the ancient Mexicas built their civil and residential buildings taking into account the intense seismic activity inherent to their territory, according to the UNAM’s Institute of Engineering. To prevent landslides and collapses, they modified the course of some of their rivers and secured the flourishing city with quite effective urban engineering — so much so that it allowed them to live for centuries on a lake.

Although he appears to have been a widely venerated deity in Mexico-Tenochtitlan, as anthropologist Luz María Guerrero wrote for Estudios de la Cultura Náhuatl magazine, few records survive of the jaguar god of echoes and earthquakes. The oldest representations date from the 16th century — long after the fall of the great imperial capital.

From the few accounts we have, we know that Tepeyóllotl was depicted with stars for eyes, his characteristic jaguar attire and bandages covering his face. Sometimes, he is shown with a beard, a necklace of rattles and an obsidian mirror on his temple, similar to Tezcatlipoca. Iconographically, his fierce and destructive nature is suggested by a series of knives hanging from his body.

He was repeatedly described like this in the Codex Telleriano-Remensis and the Vatican-Latin Codex, and for his thunderous roar, “that echoed in the mountains” and was “a sign of bad luck that preceded death, misery and disease.” Given his humongous destructive power, no wonder we get terrifying earthquakes in the Basin of Mexico!

Andrea Fischer contributes to the features desk at Mexico News Daily. She has edited and written for National Geographic en Español and Muy Interesante México, and continues to be an advocate for anything that screams science. Or yoga. Or both.

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