"Ground Control," from the Monterrey, Nuevo León, production company WHA, is currently on the film festival circuit, which includes the famed Morelia festival. (WHA Productions)
A Mexican film crew has pulled science fiction into near space with “Ground Control,” a 16-minute short that incorporates real images from the mesosphere roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) above Earth.
As it begins a run on the international festival circuit, the production is being billed as the first Mexican short film to use original imagery shot in space.
In “Ground Control,” Isaac, nearing retirement as a space engineer, makes one last desperate effort to realize his dream of exploring space first-hand. (WHA Productions)
Filmmakers from Monterrey-based WHA Productions partnered with aerospace video company BXPACE to obtain about 60 seconds of footage from the mesosphere, a rarely explored atmospheric layer typically reached only by rockets.
The team launched a camera module on a large helium balloon from the outskirts of Monterrey — near the highway to Piedras Negras — then tracked it by GPS as the balloon burst and the payload fell back to Earth by parachute.
The balloon needed to have the proper weight and size to reach its destination and descend via parachute — all the while avoiding interfering with airplanes.
The space scenes they captured are without actors, appearing in the film simply as real images shot in the mesosphere.
“Ground Control” is a fictional film — with its title in English and its dialogue in Spanish — that centers on Isaac, a 60-year-old aerospace engineer and astronaut on the verge of retirement.
Haunted by unfulfilled ambitions to explore space, he reaches the final selection phase for a mission — but his broken relationship with his daughter and other challenges impact his long-held dream.
The project was developed over three years by producer and co-director Werner Heinze Amador of San Luis Potosí, who founded WHA Productions in 2021 to pursue visually ambitious, emotionally focused work.
He co-directs “Ground Control” with Hugo Montes de Oca of Monterrey and Mauricio Ramos Figueroa of Guadalajara, as part of a new wave of Mexican filmmakers seeking to expand the country’s presence in science fiction.
The project began as a thesis project at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM).
“From the beginning, we wanted to do something with a space theme,” Heinze Amador told the newspaper El Universal. “The initial idea was to shoot with a green screen, the traditional way, but by chance we came across a space video agency in Monterrey. We approached them, they believed in the story, and we put everything together.”
The filmmakers say their film will be heading to festivals including Morelia,Sundance, Toronto and Sitges (Spain).
“In Mexico, we consume a lot of science fiction, but we don’t make it because it’s very expensive,” Heinze Amador said. “It’s good to realize that, with things like this, it can be done.”
An earthquake interruped Friday's press conference, which otherwise focused on unemployment data, the strong peso and other positive economic indicators. (Saúl López / Presidencia)
President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Friday morning press conference was interrupted by an earthquake, but not before she summarized the past year’s positive economic news, including a record year for the peso, a big increase in foreign tourism and a strong performance by the stock market.
After conferring with members of civil protection authorities in Mexico City and Guerrero (the epicenter of the 6.5-magnitude temblor), Sheinbaum resumed the mañanera, concluding with the news that she would be taking the daily press conference on the road this year.
After evacuating the National Palace, President Sheinbaum spoke with Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado and Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada for an update on any damage caused by the earthquake. (Gustavo Alberto / Cuartoscuro.com)
Five positive economic headlines highlighted
Sheinbaum was outlining Mexico’s solid financial footing heading into the new year when the earthquake alarm sounded inside Guillermo Prieto Hall, where presidential press conferences have been held since December 2018.
Before ordering the evacuation of the National Palace, Sheinbaum was discussing five big stories that played out in 2025:
Mexico now has the second-lowest unemployment in the world, a claim Sheinbaum first made on Dec. 26 when she announced Mexico recorded an unemployment rate of 2.7% in November, just behind Japan (2.6%). She said the data revealed tangible results from her government’s economic and labor policies.
Foreign visitors increased by 13.3% and the tourism sector saw sustained growth in investment and job creation. Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez told the assembled reporters that tourism GDP reached 2.71 trillion pesos (US $151 billion), comprising 8.7% of the national GDP and a growth of 2.5% compared to 2024.
Upon resuming her press conference, Sheinbaum said she had spoken with Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado who indicated no serious damage had been reported from the earthquake which had its epicenter in San Marcos, about 74 kilometers (46 miles) east of Acapulco.
Sheinbaum also said overflights of Mexico City had not revealed any damage, although her Cabinet would remain vigilant and continue evaluating the situation in the capital and across the nation.
Así fue como la conferencia matutina de la presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum fue evacuada ante el sismo registrado la mañana de este viernes.
Mexico’s primary health regulatory agency, Cofepris, will now be headed by Víctor Hugo Borja, Sheinbaum announced.
Cofepris is responsible for protecting the public from health risks by overseeing products and services like food, medicines, medical devices, cosmetics and environmental factors.
The Health Ministry confirmed the appointment and Sheinbaum praised the work carried out by Cofepris since it was overhauled by her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
“It’s a very important institution,” she said, adding that the implementation of new mechanisms has reduced approval times, making the institution more efficient.
In related news, Sheinbaum announced that the Welfare Pharmacies pilot program in México state is being evaluated and, if all goes well, it will be implemented across the country beginning in March. The goal is to “guarantee access to free medications at health centers and hospitals, as well as to strengthen the government’s door-to-door health care program,” she said.
Mañanera road shows begin next week
Starting on Jan. 8, the president will hold her Thursday and Friday morning press conferences “outside the National Palace in various locations throughout the country.”
Sheinbaum said she will travel with her Security Cabinet which will meet with their respective state and municipal counterparts, with the goal of monitoring security problems in each region and evaluating the progress of the implemented strategies.
Saying the decision responds to the need to strengthen dialogue and coordination between the federal government and local authorities, the itinerant press conferences will begin on Jan. 8 in Morelos. The following day, the mañanera will be held in Acapulco, Guerrero.
The mañanera road show will last at least until mid-February, she said.
Pedro Inzunza is accused of running a drug production and trafficking network, primarily dealing in fentanyl. (FGR)
Pedro Inzunza Noriega, a cartel operative wanted by U.S. authorities on narcoterrorism charges, was arrested in Culiacán, Sinaloa, on Wednesday during a special operation carried out by Mexico’s National Guard, the Navy and the Army.
Inzunza, 62 and known as “El Señor de la Silla” (“The Lord of the Chair”) and “Sagitario,” is accused of running a drug production and trafficking network, primarily dealing in fentanyl, with a direct impact on the U.S. market.
The operation that netted “The Lord of the Chair” was carried out jointly by the Mexican Navy, Army and National Guard. (José Betanzos Zarate / Cuartoscuro.com)
Allegedly members of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel, Inzunza and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, alias “El Pichón,” were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in May 2025. Inzunza Coronel was killed in a clash with the Mexican military on Nov. 30, 2025.
The newspaper El País reported that the Inzunzas were among the first suspects to be charged with narcoterrorism following U.S. President Donald Trump’s designation of several Mexican drug cartels as terrorists in February 2025.
“An indictment unsealed [on May 13, 2025] is the first in the nation to charge alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel with narco-terrorism and material support of terrorism in connection with trafficking massive amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin into the United States,” a DOJ statement read.
The arrest of Inzunza Noriega came during a joint operation in the Guadalupe neighborhood of the Sinaloa state capital, Culiacán, which was carried out without any reported clashes. Three other people were arrested along with Inzunza, and weapons and drugs were seized.
The four detainees have been transferred to Mexico City where they have been placed at the disposal of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime.
Inzunza is believed to be second in command of the Beltrán Leyva group, behind Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, alias “El Chapo Isidro,” who took over after cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was kidnapped and flown to the U.S. in July 2024. Meza was also named in the May 2025 indictment.
In a scene repeated in much of Mexico City Friday morning, residents of the Mexico City borough of Miguel Hidalgo gather in the street after evacuating during the 6.5 quake that hit just before 8 a.m. (Galo Cañas /Cuartoscuro.com).
Just two days into 2026, Mexico City residents were awakened early Friday morning by a 6.5 earthquake that triggered the capital’s seismic alarm system, prompting emergency evacuations that sent people into the streets.
As of noon Friday, there had been no reports of serious damage and just one death, of a man who fell while rushing down a flight of stairs to get out of the building he lived in. Earlier, Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada reported that there had been 12 people injured from the quake, with five poles and four trees downed.
Firefighters from the Civil Protection Agency of Acapulco, where the quake was also felt strongly, inspect a closed street where a transformer had fallen over an ambulance during the quake. (Carlos Alberto Carbajal/Cuartoscuro.com)
President Claudia Sheinbaum, who had to suspend her daily morning press conference went the quake hit, also confirmed that the quake caused no serious damage in the capital.
However, power outages were reported across the city, including in the boroughs of Benito Juárez, Coyoacán, Cuauhtémoc, Gustavo A. Madero, Iztapalapa, Tláhuac, Venustiano Carranza and Xochimilco.
Besides Mexico City, the quake was registered across much of central and southern Mexico, a region prone to earthquakes due to the interaction of the Cocos Plate with the North American Plates.
It was especially strong in Acapulco, Guerrero, near the quake’s epicenter 15 kilometers south of San Marcos. Residents of the Pacific port and resort reported strong shaking that lasted 30 seconds. The seismic alarm triggered emergency protocols in hotels in the Golden Zone and along the bay.
Reports of a lack of major damage in Mexico City were probably small consolation to the owner of this parked vehicle in the Portales neighborhood that took the brunt of a tree felled by the eathquake Friday. (Cuartoscuro.com)
The states of Morelos, Puebla, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Tabasco, Veracruz and Colima also registered the earthquake, albeit more moderately, causing it to go unnoticed by many residents.
According to the National Seismological Service (SSN), the earthquake started at 7:58 a.m. and registered a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale, from a depth of 5 kilometers. The SSN said that as of 10:00 a.m., 273 aftershocks were recorded, the largest of magnitude 4.2.
Benito Juárez International Airport reported that no damage to people or facilities was identified, so operations continue as normal.
The CFE has said that its personnel are conducting inspections; reviewing substations, lines and networks; and continuously monitoring the electrical system.
A small fire at an electrical substation was also reported on Artículo 123 street in the Centro neighborhood of Mexico City’s Cuauhtémoc borough. Emergency services attended to the incident and no injuries were reported.
Meanwhile, Brugada wrote on her official X account that Civil Protection protocols were activated promptly across all 16 boroughs following the earthquake, including ground and aerial surveillance tours. Some of these efforts included the deployment of five Condor helicopters to perform an aerial assessment of the city, while personnel from the Ministry of Works and Services (SOBSE) conducted preventive inspections of strategic infrastructure.
Is the super peso making a comeback? The currency has hovered near or below 18 to the dollar since mid-December, making a strong finish after a banner year. (Shutterstock)
Last year was a good one for the Mexican peso, as it ranked among the world’s best-performing emerging market currencies in 2025.
Mexico’s currency closed the year around 18 pesos per dollar, with an appreciation of close to 14% against the greenback — its best performance since before 1994, when the current free-floating exchange rate regime was established.
Before that, the next-best year was 2023, when it appreciated 13% against the dollar, largely due to the Bank of Mexico maintaining a restrictive monetary policy for an extended period. This approach allowed speculative positions favoring the Mexican peso to continue accumulating, as investors anticipated an attractive interest rate differential compared to other economies.
In the broader landscape of major currency pairs, the Mexican peso stands as the sixth best-performing currency in 2025. The top five include the Russian ruble at 30.4%, the Hungarian forint at 17.6%, the Swedish krona at 16.7%, the Czech koruna at 15.5%, the Colombian peso at 14.3%, and the Mexican peso at 13.8%.
In contrast, the currencies that depreciated the most against the dollar were the Argentine peso with 40.8%, the Turkish lira with 21.5%, the Indian rupiah with 5%, the Indonesian rupiah with 3.4%, and the Hong Kong dollar with 0.2 percent.
A little help from the dollar
The superpeso’s comeback is not entirely attributable to domestic factors. The dollar, as measured by the dollar index, has fallen steeply amid interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, fiscal concerns and President Donald Trump’s trade policy.
“As long as the dollar does not regain clear momentum and Mexico’s macroeconomic data remains solid, this range can continue to function as an equilibrium zone for the exchange rate,” Diego Albuja, market analyst at the broker ATFX Latam, said in a report.
“In the case of Mexico, the peso has found support in the resilience of economic activity and in the expectation that the interest rate differential will remain attractive, even as the market begins to discount gradual adjustments in U.S. monetary policy in 2026,” Albuja added.
Meanwhile, Felipe Mendoza, CEO of IMB Capital Quants, told the newspaper El Economista that President Claudia Sheinbaum’s foreign policy has helped prevent sudden changes.
“Claudia Sheinbaum’s messages reiterating a diplomatic stance regarding the crisis between the United States and Venezuela, and her confidence that the USMCA review will prevail over scenarios of a breakdown, help to anchor expectations and prevent abrupt movements,” Mendoza said, adding that the structural weakness of the dollar and the still-attractive interest rate differentials compared to developed economies are also boosting the peso.
The new flight routes connect Cancún (and in one case Cozumel) with 11 US cities, five Canadian cities and Dublin, Ireland. (Mara Lezama/ Facebook)
New Year, new routes. For Cancún, that means no fewer than 17 new flights for 2026, connecting Mexico’s Caribbean coast to cities in the United States, Canada and even Ireland, along with an additional domestic route to and from Saltillo, Coahuila.
Of the 17 international routes launching through June 2026, 11 will connect to U.S. cities, five to Canadian cities, and one to Dublin, marking the first non-stop flight between Cancún and Ireland.
Quintana Roo Gov. Mara Lezama announced the new flights this week, promising they would help improve the state’s economy. (Mara Lezama/Facebook)
“We will continue to promote connectivity so that the Mexican Caribbean remains a world leader in tourism, said Mara Lezama, governor of Quintana Roo, Cancún’s state, in an announcement. “The transformation is moving forward.”
The confirmed routes include Oklahoma City–Cancún, operated by American Airlines from Dec. 6 to April 4; Toronto–Cancún and Hamilton–Cancun, operated by Porter Airlines since Dec. 12; and one from Cozumel to Calgary with WestJet from Dec. 20 until April 11.
As of Jan. 6, Aer Lingus will start operating the route to Dublin.
Breeze Airways will launch its Cancún–Charleston and Cancún–Norfolk routes this month, and its Cancún–New Orleans and Cancún–Providence routes in February.
Air Transat will connect Cancún with Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Fredericton, New Brunswick, both starting in February, while Southwest will inaugurate its Las Vegas–Cancún route on June 4. Sun Country Airlines will operate the Tulsa–Cancún route starting May 21, while Frontier Airlines will launch its Charlotte–Cancún, Chicago Midway–Cancún, and Raleigh-Durham–Cancún routes in March.
The Saltillo-Cancún national route will be operated by Viva Aerobus starting March 29.
Lezama noted that each new air connection represents more visitors, more jobs, and greater well-being for Quintana Roo families, and reiterated that she will continue working to ensure that shared prosperity reaches everyone in the state.
While Cancún International Airport remains one of Mexico’s busiest airports, it didn’t perform as expected in 2025. Francisco Madrid Flores, head of the Center for Advanced Research in Sustainable Tourism (STARC) at Anáhuac University Cancún, said that the year showed irregular behavior, especially in the international market, due to “a lack of a sufficient supply of seats on routes to the Caribbean.”
However, the industry is beginning to show a sustained recovery with encouraging projections for 2026, in part due to the new announced routes, Madrid said.
Monterrey will host four matches, three in the group stage and one in the round of 16, as well as a playoff prior to the tournament in March. (Monterrey FIFA World Cup 2026/Facebook)
Monterrey, Nuevo León, will host four World Cup games, as will Guadalajara. The Rayados stadium in Monterrey holds 53,500 people and millions more visitors are expected to flock to the state capital in June to attend the FIFA Fan Festival.
Nos estamos preparando para ofrecer el mejor FanFest del Mundial 2026. 🎉⚽️
En Fundidora vamos a celebrar cada gol, cantar, bailar y vivir el Mundial como en ningún otro lugar. ¿Estás Listo? ¡Ponte Nuevo, Ponte Mundial!🔥🦁 pic.twitter.com/PSn5TAi5of
The state government will invest in new highways, metro lines and bus fleets, and will make significant improvements to public spaces to prepare for the World Cup and support the long-term development of the city.
Governor Samuel García announced a budget of 150 billion pesos (US $8 billion) for his six-year term, which includes funding for all the planned World Cup projects.
“This is a historic investment in infrastructure that includes sports, culture, infrastructure and mobility,” said García. “150 billion pesos are earmarked for this six-year term, and now we must spend them over five years to be ready for the World Cup,” he said at a press conference earlier in the year.
Monterrey’s urban transformation
In October, the Monterrey city government announced a strategic campaign entitled “The World Cup is in my Home, the World Cup is in Monterrey.”
The 1.6-billion-peso ($85.6 million) plan aims to integrate all local sectors and showcase the hospitality and way of life of the Monterrey community to the world, according to Mayor Adrián de la Garza Santos.
The government has launched several key initiatives under the “Monterrey brand.” These include:
“My Beautiful Neighborhood” (Mi barrio bonito), which focuses on making improvements to Monterrey’s Barrio Antiguo (Old Quarter), such as the creation of a pedestrian-only zone during the World Cup and the installation of new street furniture and lighting.
“Monterrey Paints Itself” (Monterrey se pinta solo), which will beautify the city through the creation of an art route with murals and sculptures.
“Monterrey Experience” (Experiencia Monterrey), a digital and printed guide for both visitors and locals with routes, activities and dining options across the city.
The government is also improving Monterrey’s recreational spaces, with the development of an 80-hectare water park, which will include a 4,000-person capacity open-air amphitheater.
Fundidora Park will be renovated to hold Fan Fest, and the City is also developing a linear park along Constitución Avenue, with 41 kilometers of bike paths and pedestrian bridges crossing the Santa Catarina River. This will run under the monorail from the Obispado area to Fundidora Park and will include bike and pedestrian connections to the Rayados Stadium.
Transport
Governor García has outlined plans for multiple transport projects ahead of the World Cup, including the new 20-million-peso ($1.1 billion) Interserrana Highway, new metro lines, a bus fleet expansion and improved pedestrian links in the city.
Highways
The new Interserrana Highway is expected to span 3,143 kilometers and connect Texas in the United States with the rest of Mexico once complete. It will offer an alternative route to the Saltillo crossing in Coahuila.
In addition, the 5-billion-peso ($268 million) Gloria-Colombia highway, which is currently under construction, is expected to provide the fastest, safest, toll-free route from Mexico to the United States. The 102-kilometer road will run from Monterrey to the Colombia-Laredo border crossing.
Expanded bus network
Governor García has also promised to expand Monterrey’s bus network by delivering 4,000 new buses, developing 30 transfer centers and installing 500 bus stops, ahead of the World Cup.
Just two of 4,000 new buses that Governor García has promised to deliver ahead of the World Cup in Monterrey. (nl.gob.mx)
The government plans to lease land in high-traffic public transportation areas to build 30 “transfer centers” across the metropolitan area.
“These will be covered transfer centers with drinking fountains, some even with air conditioning, so that people getting off the metro and catching a bus won’t be standing on the sidewalk in the blazing sun, but rather in a designated transfer center,” García said in an October press conference.
New metro lines
Improvements to the city’s metro network are also underway, including the development of the monorail Lines 4 and 6, and the remodeling of stations along Line 1.
In October, Lines 4 and 6 were 57% and 61% complete, respectively, according to government reports.
Construction on one of Monterrey’s two new metro lines. (nl.gob.mx)
Once complete, Line 6 will connect the municipalities of Monterrey, Guadalupe, San Nicolás de los Garza, Apodaca and Escobedo with the international airport.
“The extension that will reach the airport will allow us to connect the entire Apodaca area to Monterrey, and it will also allow us… to connect with BBVA Stadium, Fundidora Park and other key areas for Fan Fest,” explained the state’s Mobility and Urban Planning Minister, Hernán Villarreal.
We “are racing against the clock to complete the public transportation improvements,” said Bernardo Baranda, the Latin America Director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.
Monterrey will host four matches, three in the group stage and one in the round of 16, as well as a playoff prior to the tournament in March. Between 350,000 and 400,000 visitors are expected for these matches.
Hopefully you welcomed in 2026 in traditional Mexican style. If you didn't — here's what you missed. (Shutterstock)
There’s a moment every 31 December in Mexico when time goes a bit wobbly. Midnight is creeping closer, the kitchen is full, la matriarca de la familia is shouting that the grapes aren’t ready, and Tía María is absolutely convinced that this year, this perfectly forming new year, is the year everything changes.
New Year’s Eve in Mexico isn’t a quiet, reflective pause with a classy drink and a vague promise to be better. It’s loud, crowded, emotional, deeply superstitious, and weirdly optimistic. It’s part family reunion, part spiritual reset, part performance art, and everyone understands the assignment.
A Mexican new year celebration is quite the event. (Canva)
Someone always underestimates the size of the grapes. Someone else forgets to make wishes altogether and ends up frantically whispering things like “health, money, world peace” while chewing at record speed. There’s usually one person who finishes early and feels unbearably smug, and another who’s still chewing grape number nine well into the New Year, refusing to accept defeat.
But it doesn’t matter, because the wishes count anyway. Mexico is generous like that.
Red underwear isn’t just racy, but lucky too. (Lolo Mercadito)
Red underwear is for love. Yellow is for prosperity. White is for peace. Green is for health. The colour choice is a direct conversation between you and the universe, and it’s best not to be vague.
Markets fill up with bright, lacy, aggressively symbolic underwear. Abuelas buy it for their grandkids. Amigas gift it with a wink. No one’s embarrassed, because this is serious business.
Some people hedge their bets and wear multiple colours. Some commit hard to one goal. And some insist they don’t believe in any of it, while quietly choosing yellow, just in case.
If you step outside just as the clock strikes midnight, you may notice something else entirely. People are running with suitcases.
Don’t panic! They’re not fleeing the party. They’re manifesting travel.
The tradition is simple. You grab a suitcase and take a quick walk or run around the block at midnight to invite adventure in the coming year. The size of the suitcase varies, but the enthusiasm does not.
This is a man who took the suitcase thing too seriously. (Archive)
Teenagers sprint, laughing. Adults jog with determination. Someone’s padre takes it far too seriously and disappears for a full five minutes. There’s always at least one person who’s never left the country but runs anyway, hopeful, breathless, dragging a suitcase that’s mostly empty but full of intention.
In some parts of Mexico, the year doesn’t just begin, it burns.
Families make an año viejo, a dummy stuffed with old clothes, cardboard, and sometimes handwritten notes listing everything they want to leave behind. Bad habits, bad luck, bad years, and even bad relationships are fed to the fire at midnight.
Watching it burn is dramatic and oddly peaceful. The air smells like smoke and closure. People stand quietly for a moment, faces lit by the flames, as if the fire might actually understand what it’s being asked to destroy. For a few seconds, it feels like it does.
New Year’s Eve food in Mexico is not subtle.
Tables groan under bacalao, romeritos, pozole, tamales, and dishes that only appear once a year and somehow take three days to prepare. Everyone swears they’re too full, yet everyone eats more anyway.
Just one dish for the New Year? Never. (Food Fun Travel)
Plates are refilled. Recipes are debated. Someone insists it tastes better this year; someone else insists it doesn’t. Both are lying, because it always tastes of tradition, exactly as it should.
As midnight arrives, fireworks erupt across Mexico’s largest cities and smallest pueblos alike. The noise is unavoidable, echoing through streets and patios, lighting up the sky whether you’re ready or not. Music spills out from everywhere. People hug with the long kind of intention where you feel everything from the year you’ve just survived.
Some cry. Some laugh. Everyone is fully present.
No matter how old you are, New Year’s in Mexico is a family affair. Even if you swear you’re going out later, you start at home.
There are toasts from tíos who never usually give speeches. Resolutions are announced loudly and forgotten immediately. There’s advice you didn’t ask for, and those long hugs you didn’t realise you needed.
Someone brings up last year’s messes. Someone says, “This year will be my year.” And everyone believes it.
New Year’s Day is slow
Leftovers reappear. Coffee is strong. Stories from the night before are retold with generous embellishment. There’s a feeling of reset, and not because everything is suddenly perfect, but because the year feels open. Like a blank notebook you fully intend to write in neatly this time.
New Year’s in Mexico isn’t about perfection or becoming a brand-new person overnight. It’s about hope with humour. It’s about saying, “I don’t know what’s coming, but my grapes and I are ready.”
It understands that life is a bit frantic, so celebrations should be too. It understands that superstition and laughter can coexist. It understands that starting fresh doesn’t require silence, but rather fireworks, running shoes, and red underwear.
And maybe that’s why it feels so good.
Because when Mexico welcomes a new year, it kicks the door open, eats twelve grapes, grabs a suitcase, and dares you to believe, even for a moment, anything is possible
And as with most things, following Mexico’s lead is a very good idea.
Charlotte Smith is a writer and journalist based in Mexico. Her work focuses on travel, politics, and community. You can follow along with her travel stories at www.salsaandserendipity.com.
Ring in 2026 in true Yucatán style, with parties, retreats and everything you've come to expect from life in the Caribbean. (Digital Nomad Couple)
The Riviera Maya is starting 2026 one of two ways: With healing, vitality, and wellness rituals like free Tai Chi in the park or with partying and celebrating another trip around the sun. There’s a nice musical selection of smooth blues, jazz, and candlelight string quartets for a mellower experience, or grab your bathers and get on the party boat with champagne showers and tequila water guns.
Merida Fest 2026
(Merida Fest)
Merida Fest is huge, celebrating the founding of Merida! Two weeks of fun activities for the whole family. It takes place throughout Merida city. In parks, along the street like Paseo Montejo, in the Cultural Center, and the Municipal Palace, so be sure to check the program. There’s musical groups, folkloric groups, International artists, concerts spread out in 39 venues, with more than 165 shows and 600 artists of dance, literature, visual arts, theater, and music. Date: January 5-18
I’m tempted to catch the ferry across to Playa del Carmen for this. Tai Chi is a wonderful way to relax, move your body, and revitalize your mind. Healthful for every age, body type, and fitness level, enjoy the almost meditation experience, breathing, and gentle movement for your body in a natural setting.
Date: 7 January, 9 a.m.
Location: Parque La Ceiba, Playa del Carmen
Cost: Free
Out of the Blue Music Festival
Kahancun - Out of the Blue Festival 2024
Out of the Blue attracts hundreds of music lovers who come back year after year. So much so, they offer discounts for returning visitors. More than just music, this festival is full of amazing food, pool parties, fun in the sun, water activities. There’s even a cooking class! Friendships are formed and great music serenades you al day and night.
Date: 8-11 January
Location: Riviera Cancun, Cancun
Cost: Depending on package
Fire – K’AAK Vitality Ritual
(K’aak)
Whether you choose the singles massage using traditional Mexican wellness practices. Or the couples massage experience with a reconnecting love ceremony, I love that they are using traditional methods handed down from generation to generation. With herbs to help heal your body in an oceanside treatment deck, so you can relax to the sound of the waves. Choose your 90-minute or 120-minute option when booking.
Date: 8 January
Location: AZULIK Tulum
Cost: 333 pesos for singles, 889 pesos for couples
Clay Rebirth Ritual
(Eventbrite)
If you’re like me and would prefer smaller, private healing ceremonies (up to 6 people), then this one is for you. Start your new year with a healing ritual of clay, sound and dance. Inspired by the turtle, guardian of the Maya, it helps shed what no longer serves, cleanse both body and spirit, reconnect with the earth and be reborn.
Here’s something different, and a fun event to volunteer at. Isla Mujeres has an annual shoe giveaway, supplying shoes to over 600 children. If you’d like to join in and feel your heart swell surrounded by little smiling faces, then head to Isla Mujeres for a day trip or stay a night or two and enjoy the island.
Date: 10 January, 12 p.m.
Location: Isla Mujeres
Cost: Free
Movies in the park
(El Cine Club/Facebook)
Is there anything better than free movies in the park? I love to pack a picnic and sit under the stars watching movies. Especially in the Riviera Maya with their mild nights and clear skies. So come join us, relax and don’t forget your blanket and picnic basket!
Date: 14 January
Location: Parque La Ceiba, Playa del Carmen
Cost: Free
Candlelight tribute to José José
(Eventbrite)
If I weren’t traveling, I’d have front row seats to this one. Imagine the magic of musicians surrounded by a sea of candles. Add in the romance of the violin and cellos, and I’m in music lovers’ heaven. Just give me a glass of wine (or two), and this is my perfect night. Be sure to get there early to get the best seats, as it’s first come, first served.
Wheelchair access is only available to the ground floor. The venue has its own parking lot for an additional fee.
Calling all Canadians and blues lovers. Quebec is coming to Playa del Carmen for a night of chill blues under the Caribbean stars. Join Hugo Lapointe, Carl Tremblay, and Ritchy Lemay for an authentic, vibrant show under the stars which boasts 100% Quebec vibes.
Date: 20 January, 8 p.m.- 11 p.m.
Location: Hotel Boutique Caché Rooftop – Playa del Carmen
Cost: 500 pesos
Hip Hop boat party
(Hip Hop MX)
For an epic Cancun memory, join Rock Star Crawls for their party boat, voted #1 for eight years running. A day of top DJs, sweet Hip Hop and R&B beats, dancing, swimming, snorkelling, water activities, an open bar, and snacks, all while cruising through the Mexican Caribbean. There’s even a champagne shower! You’ll receive fun photos of the day too.
Date: 27 January, 12-3 p.m.
Location: Caribbean Carnival, Cancun.
Cost: US $102
Mexico Correspondent for International Living, Bel is an experienced writer, author, photographer and videographer with 500+ articles published both in print and across digital platforms. Living in the Mexican Caribbean for over 7 years now, she’s in love with Mexico and has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.
Cars from China and other Asian countries will now face 50% tariffs. The companies affected include popular electric carmaker BYD, which is based in China. (Michael Fortsch / Unsplash)
Sweeping tariff increases on imports from China and other countries without free trade agreements (FTAs) with Mexico officially took effect Jan. 1, marking a significant shift in the country’s trade policy aimed at protecting domestic industries and jobs.
The tariff modifications, published in Mexico’s Official Gazette on Dec. 30, affect 1,463 product categories across more than a dozen sectors including automotive, textiles, clothing, steel, plastics, footwear, furniture, toys, aluminum and glass. The new duties range from 5% to 50%, with the highest rates applied to vehicles from China and certain other Asian nations.
The tariffs will affect imports of cars, clothing, plastics, furniture, toys and more from China and other non-free trade agreement countries. Pictured: A Chinese import store in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. (Eduardo Esparza)
According to Mexico’s Economy Ministry, the measure is designed to safeguard approximately 350,000 jobs in sensitive sectors and advance what the government calls “sovereign, sustainable and inclusive reindustrialization.”
The tariffs are also linked to Plan México, President Claudia Sheinbaum’s economic development strategy that aims to increase domestic content in production chains by 15% and generate 1.5 million new jobs.
“This tariff modification constitutes a commercial and economic measure that seeks to benefit the people of Mexico, and is not directed at any particular country,” the Economy Ministry stated in its announcement. The changes impact imports from countries including China, India, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
The measure follows Congressional approval of the tariff reform in December, when the Chamber of Deputies voted 281-24 in favor of the bill. The legislation was significantly softened from Sheinbaum’s original September proposal before passage, though the 50% maximum tariff on imported vehicles remained intact.
Chinese cars, including electric vehicles from manufacturers like BYD, have surged in popularity in Mexico in recent years and faced a 20% import duty in 2025. The new 50% tariff represents a substantial increase that Mexican auto industry leaders have welcomed as protection for domestic manufacturers.
The government estimates the tariffs will generate an additional 70 billion pesos ($3.8 billion) in annual revenue.
Critics have warned the tariffs could increase consumer prices and hurt small businesses that rely on imported inputs. The measure also comes as Mexico seeks to strengthen its position ahead of the 2026 review of the USMCA free trade agreement with the United States and Canada, both of which have questioned Mexico’s growing economic ties with China.
Mexico News Daily
This story was written by a Mexico News Daily staff editor with the assistance of Claude, then revised and fact-checked before publication.
