What’s the next golf course to open in Los Cabos?

By

-

July 26, 2025

2325_Baja-Bay_Cam_Hole_12_004_Final_6K-2048x1152 — (Baja Bay Club)

It has been six years since the last new golf course opened in Los Cabos. By local standards, that’s an eternity. Indeed, it’s the longest gap between openings since the initial course, a 9-hole Fonatur layout now known as Vidanta Los Cabos, premiered in 1987, with Palmilla Golf Club and Cabo Real following in 1993.

However, this fact should not be taken to mean that tourists have grown tired of the sport, or that local developers have grown weary of using it to attract tourists or homebuyers for real estate developments. More new courses, plural, are on the way, with three of them expected in 2026.

Some context is needed, though. Last year, I reported that there were a handful of golf course projects under development. Two of those are now suspended, with the other three, as noted, proceeding toward completion. Thus, it seems a good time to catch up on how all five stand currently.

The Legacy Club at Diamante, a Tiger Woods design

A rendering of The Legacy Club, the latest Tiger Woods design project slated to open at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas. (Diamante Cabo San Lucas)

The Legacy Club will be the third course designed by Tiger Woods at Diamante, an upscale development on the Pacific Coast of Cabo San Lucas. His first completed design, El Cardonal, opened in 2014, followed by the 12-hole, par-3 Oasis Short Course in 2017. As if Tiger’s commitment to Diamante isn’t evident, he also has a restaurant there called The Woods Cabo.

El Cardonal is currently his most famous local layout, if only because it’s the Los Cabos course to host a PGA Tour event, the annual World Wide Technology Championship. However, that will change in 2027, when the Legacy Club takes over hosting duties for the tournament. By all accounts, the new course will be spectacular. As TGR Design notes, “the concept for The Legacy Club is to create a course that transports golfers from the open desert landscape of southern Baja into a new, secluded environment of lush vegetation—truly an oasis in the desert.”

The Legacy Club, like all of Tiger’s local designs, will be private, with membership capped at 250. The sprigging of grass began this summer, and the course is expected to open by the end of 2026.

Campo Alto at Querencia, a Tom Fazio design

The projected routing for Querencia’s new Tom Fazio-designed Campo Alto course. (Querencia)

Querencia, too, has hosted tournaments, in its case, the Cabo Collegiate, which was held at the private luxury community’s Tom Fazio-designed course a few miles outside San José del Cabo. Fazio’s layout premiered in 2000 and was immediately hailed as world-class. However, over the years, its reputation has only continued to grow. It was named one of the World’s 100 Greatest by Golf Digest in 2016, by which time Golfweek had already acclaimed it as the best in Mexico.

Originally, that course, like the community in which it is set, was dubbed Querencia. But it has since been renamed Campo Bajo to distinguish it from Fazio’s second course on the property, Campo Alto. Can Fazio craft another masterpiece in Los Cabos? All signs point to yes. Three holes have already been sprigged with a newer Bermuda grass type that is perfectly suited to the local climate, one of two varieties of Bermuda that will be used for the course as a whole.

When finished in late 2026, Campo Alto will feature finishing holes routed through dramatic canyons, as well as four tunnels and one bridge so that golfers are shielded from any interactions with those traveling along local roads.

Oleada Golf Links, an Ernie Els design

Ernie Els’ Oleada Golf Links is slowly coming into focus in Cabo San Lucas. (Ernie Els)

Ernie “the Big Easy” Els won four major championships during his career on the PGA Tour, and is still playing on the PGA Tour Champions. However, the South African has since turned his attention to golf course architecture, too, most notably at Oleada Golf Links, the latest project set on Cabo San Lucas’ duneswept Pacific Coast, with the course and its accompanying oceanfront resort community situated between Diamante’s El Cardonal and the Solmar Golf Links.

“This is one of the most spectacular projects on our books,” Els reported in his latest update on ernieels.com in April 2025. “We’ve got a great team here, and the boys are doing an incredible job. As a golf course designer, whenever we can work in sand, it’s heaven for us! We got a lot of great work done today; we wanted to do as much as possible so that the boys can really get going. This one is going to be very special, and we’re so excited for the grand opening next year.”

Yes, that means Oleada Golf Links is also targeting 2026.

Baja Bay Club, a David McLay Kidd design

David McLay Kidd’s Baja Bay Club course. (Baja Bay Club)

Scottish course architect David McLay Kidd created a legendary layout at Bandon Dunes in Oregon, and his course at Baja Bay Club on Los Cabos’ East Cape, announced in 2024, would likely have generated significantly more excitement had it not been located so close to Cabo Pulmo, the national park and marine sanctuary that is home to a living coral reef and the largest abundance of marine life in the Sea of Cortés.

Due to this proximity and possible impacts, local activists and environmental organizations protested, and in February of this year, the project was provisionally suspended by Semarnat, Mexico’s environmental agency. Appeals will likely be held soon, so there’s nothing conclusive to report. However, it should be noted that local activists have successfully scuttled large-scale projects near Cabo Pulmo in the past, most famously the Cabo Cortés development in 2012.

A second Quivira course, with another Jack Nicklaus design

Hole routing along the Pacific Ocean coastline at Quivira Golf Club. (Clint Johnston/Quivira Los Cabos)

Jack Nicklaus, the winningest major champion in golf history, has also had a hall-of-fame design career, crafting six layouts in Los Cabos alone. The most recent was Quivira, a stunning Pacific Coast routing that opened in late 2014. Based on the success of this course, a second Nicklaus course at Quivira has long been expected. However, according to a well-paced source, this project too has been suspended, although no reason was given as to why.

So, for now, three courses are coming in 2026, which will elevate Los Cabos’ total number of golf courses from 18 to 21.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

Americans making a positive impact in Mexico: Our CEO talks with Dr. Billy Andrews of Kids First Orthopaedics

By

Travis Bembenek

-

July 26, 2025

10

Two children, patients of Kids First Orthopaedics, smile at the camera. One little girl has casts on both legs. The other, a little boy, hides behind his mother — At Kids First Orthopedics, over 100 volunteer doctors, nurses, therapists, drivers, translators and more work together to provide treatment to children in need of orthopedic care. (Travis Bembenek)

Last week I wrote about how many Mexicans are increasingly troubled by policies and actions of the U.S. government towards Mexico. I explained how many are struggling to understand if the pain they are feeling should be attributed only to the U.S. government or to Americans in general. This is a big deal. Nearly 2 million Americans live in Mexico. Tens of millions of Americans travel each year to Mexico for work or vacation. I shared three ideas for what each of us can do to help show the Mexican people the real spirit of Americans and how we feel about our Mexican friends and neighbors.

This week, I want to highlight a group of Americans doing amazing volunteer work in San Miguel de Allende to help locals and build bridges between the two countries. I was fortunate enough to meet this group several months ago — a team of Americans from across the United States that make up the organization Kids First Orthopaedics (KFO).

Dr. Billy Andrews, an middle-aged American man in shorts, poses with a young Mexican girl in a hospital — Dr. Billy Andrews poses with a young patient in San Miguel de Allende. (Travis Bembenek)

I first connected with the organization through its leader, Dr. Billy Andrews. Dr. Billy is an orthopedic surgeon from Duke University in North Carolina who has practiced for nearly 50 years. Dr. Billy and his wife Peggy both love Mexico and have traveled to San Miguel de Allende since the year 2000. At that time, Billy was already a member of the organization and had done volunteer work in Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador and Brazil. On this particular trip to Mexico, on the last day of vacation he met with a San Miguel woman who ran a local rehabilitation center for children with neurological impairments. He returned multiple times over the next three years to meet with local officials, and in 2005, Kids First relocated to San Miguel.

Out of that visit, Kids First Orthopaedics found a community willing to embrace the team and help them make an impact. Since that initial visit to San Miguel 25 years ago, the organization has come back every year to help thousands of local kids. I had the opportunity to see the KFO team in action at a local hospital here in San Miguel and recently had the chance to catch up with Dr. Billy to ask him some questions about their work.

Travis Bembenek: Tell us exactly what your team does?

Dr. Billy: Our focus is on children’s orthopedics. We treat kids with neck, back, arms, legs, hands and feet problems. Some of them need surgery, while others we can help in other ways.

Who makes up the team that does the work?

We have a core group of 30-plus orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, physician assistants, nurses, therapists — the entire team needed to provide complete care to the kids. Many have been members of the team since the 1990s. This continuity allows us to work more efficiently and to enjoy long-standing relationships in our team, which has essentially become a big family.

So everyone involved is brought in from the United States?

No. Not at all. We also have over 100 local San Miguel volunteers that help make it all happen. Everyone ranging from local healthcare staff, translators, people that donate their homes for us to stay in, drivers who take us to the hospital — it’s one big bicultural, bilingual team effort.

Do you use local equipment?

We bring in from the U.S. all of the equipment and items we use. The local hospital (Hospital Joya) provides the space and local resources. We provide the equipment and the orthopedic team.

Explain how it works each year.

Each year the process consists of two separate trips, each of about 10 days. On the first trip, in May, we review and assess the kids in need. In that one week we see over 250 kids! Our orthopedic team then gets to work and does the surgery on those that need work to be done. (Some are still too young, or don’t need surgery.) On our May trip this year, we did a total of 105 operations on 43 kids. The second trip, which takes place in July, is for us to go back and review progress with each kid and do any follow up work needed.

So the members of your team take significant time off of work and miss several weekends from their families to do this volunteer work? It’s one thing to do it one time for one year, but another thing to do it year after year. That’s amazing.

We have an awesome team with wonderful people. They love doing it.

What an act of kindness and selflessness. Why do you think they do it?

The joy and satisfaction that our team gets in working together to help kids that otherwise likely would not have received care is a reward that is impossible to describe unless you have seen or experienced it first hand.

I actually went to the hospital in May and saw your team first hand in action. It was like a symphony, each team member knowing their part — where to go, what to do and how to do it. I saw them working with each other, with local staff and with kids. It was truly beautiful to observe the whole process of the team working together and the impact on the kids and their families.

That’s why we do it. Many of these families come in from rural areas in the countryside. We work to help them, give them hope, and correct their problems or at least make life more manageable for them.

You and your wife didn’t have any direct connection to Mexico or Mexicans. Why do this here?

Mexicans are our friends, our colleagues, our neighbors. They have an enormous impact on the United States. This is our small way of helping to have an impact on the people of Mexico and their country.

You have been doing this for many years. How will you ensure that the work continues when you ultimately step down?

We have an incredible team that is totally committed to our cause. We have already incorporated the next generation of KFO team members, many much younger, that are stepping up to ensure that the work of our organization continues long after I am gone.

A group of doctors and volunteers poses for a photo outside a hospital — The KFO team performed 105 operations on 43 kids during their May trip this year. (KFO/Facebook)

Seeing the work of the Kids First Orthopaedics team first hand was touching, inspiring and motivating. While there, I was able to follow the progress of a young boy, probably 8 years old, being worked on by the team. I saw him carted to the recovery area in his bed, patently waiting and resting. After a few minutes, his mother came in and stood next to me. The boy saw his mom and gave her a thumbs up and a big smile. It brought tears to the eyes of both of us. As I wiped my eyes, a little embarrassed, Dr. Billy said to me with a smile, “I’m so glad you are here to see this.”

Check out this video to see the great work and great people of Kids First Orthopaedics:

And remember, as evidenced by Dr. Billy and his team, regardless of how you feel about the current policies of the U.S. government towards Mexico, there is always something that you as an individual can do to make a positive impact on our Mexican friends and neighbors.

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

MND Tutor | Puebla

By

MND Plus

-

July 26, 2025

0

Colonial mansions in Mexico you can actually sleep in

By

Bethany Platanella

-

July 25, 2025

0

A woman sat on a bed in a luxury hotel — Mexico's grand old colonial houses are still around and you can enjoy the very best of them for a night (or more). (Casa Blanca 7)

Growing up as an innocent child of the 1980s and ‘90s, I had big dreams of being a princess — still do. As I aged, however, I recognized how small the princess job market was, and so I decided to settle for another regal role; a countess, or something. Living in Mexico, I’m surrounded by palaces and colonial mansions in which I can spend a night and live my royal fantasy, without the hard work of doing whatever it is that a countess actually does.

If I’ve learned one thing in my adult years, it’s that there is always someone else out there with a similar dream — maybe you, too, have gotten lost in the idea of one day waking up a viceroy, marquess or an attaché. Now, you can. These colonial mansions — defined as such when built between 1519 and 1821 and featuring thick stone walls, high ceilings and classic central courtyards — offer a unique way to experience Mexico’s rich history. Like the hidden gems featured in a previous piece on Mexico’s authentic travel treasures, these properties let you step into Mexico’s aristocratic past without sacrificing that glorious rainfall shower.

Mexico City: Gran Hotel Ciudad de México

This former 17th-century palace puts you in the heart of Mexico, within walking distance of the Zócalo, Metropolitan Cathedral, and National Palace, where the current president resides. One of CDMX’s oldest houses, it was once the Palacio de los Condes de Miravalle, a name you may recall from my article Know your neighborhood: Condesa, or from James Bond’s brief appearance in the Mexican capital. The third countess from this family line owned the hacienda that eventually became the neighborhood of Condesa. The boutique’s breakfast patio features a captivating fresco by Manuel Rodríguez Lozano, and its rooftop terrace offers panoramic views of Centro Histórico and a pool for the ultimate royal treatment.

Mérida: La Misión de Fray Diego

A colonial hotel with yellow walls and white arches. A swimming pool is in the foreground. — (Expedia)

Partially built in 1596 as part of the Temple of Nuns, this mansion harbors Mérida’s most tantalizing mystery: a rumored underground tunnel connecting the adjacent church to the cathedral. Legend claims cloistered nuns used this secret passage to move unseen through the city. While archaeologists have never confirmed the tunnel’s existence, the possibility adds intrigue to your stay in one of Mérida’s storied buildings. The hotel embraces its convent origins with meditation-worthy courtyards, religious relics, and graceful iron-wrought details.

San Miguel de Allende: Casa Blanca 7

Mexico meets Morocco in this 300-year-old house that defies colonial convention. Spanish arches frame Islamic tiles, Berber carpets warm stone floors, and inlaid furniture, such as four-poster beds, creates an Arabian Nights atmosphere in the heart of Mexico. With just ten suites, it feels like staying in a wealthy merchant’s private home. San Miguel’s well-to-do flock to Fatima 7, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, for Mediterranean dishes and vistas of the Templo de San Francisco, a view that perfectly captures this property’s East-meets-West magic.

Puebla: Mesón Sacristía de la Compañía

A hotel room decorated in period Mexican colonial furniture in a 250 year old mansion in Puebla city — (Tesoros de Mexico)

Shop while you sleep at this 250-year-old treasure hunter’s paradise. Every antique in your room, from hand-carved armoires to colonial ceramics, comes with a price tag. The “hotel-antique gallery concept” turns browsing into an art form across just four rooms in the charming boutique situated on the famous Callejón de los Sapos. Sip coffee in the courtyard café while plotting which 19th-century Mexican artifacts will fit in your suitcase, or book a mole-making class in the colonial kitchen. The Mesón Sacristía is retail therapy meets colonial history, perfect for travelers who prefer souvenirs with centuries of stories.

Guanajuato: El Mesón de los Poetas

Breakfast with Octavio Paz, lunch with Federico García Lorca and cocktails with Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz? Bookworms will have a field day in any of the hotel’s 48 rooms, each of which honors a different poet through personalized décor and ambiance. This 18th-century mansion doubles as a living literature museum, where labyrinthine corridors echo the city’s winding alleyways. The hotel’s central courtyard, El Patio de la Palabra — The Patio of the Word — is the ideal setting to recite your latest literary masterpiece. The property also functions as an art gallery, so you’re essentially sleeping inside a cultural center where creativity flows as freely as the tequila.

Morelia: Hotel de la Soledad

Tragedy, bankruptcy, war and resurrection: This hotel’s 290-year saga reads like a Mexican telenovela. Built in 1735, the project halted when the owners’ only son died suddenly, leaving behind a half-finished dream. The building survived Morelia’s near-abandonment during the War of Independence, multiple bankruptcies and a parade of desperate owners before its 2008 resurrection as a luxury hotel. Today it holds Small Luxury Hotels status and Condé Nast recognition, proving that sometimes the best stories come from the darkest chapters. The name “La Soledad” — Solitude — perfectly captures the property’s epic journey from ruin to glory.

Querétaro: La Casa de la Marquesa

According to local lore, Emperor Maximilian slept here, and that’s just the beginning. This baroque palace was built in 1756 as a love letter — or perhaps a pacification of sorts — from the Marqués de la Villa del Villar del Águila to his wife, complete with elaborate carved stonework and Moorish-inspired arches. The 25 suites overflow with period antiques, while balconies offer views of UNESCO-listed streets that remain as lively as imperial times. The palace chapel, grand staircases, and original paintings create an atmosphere so authentically aristocratic that you may confuse your travel partner with your personal jester.

Zacatecas: Hotel Mesón de Jobito

Don Jobito died in room 107 and apparently never left. This early-18th-century inn embraces its haunted reputation with enthusiasm, and guests report flickering lights, moving objects and an invisible presence watching them around 4 a.m. The ghost of the former night watchman seems particularly fond of playful pranks, from mysterious phone calls to unexplained laughter echoing through the halls. Originally built for miners and merchants during Zacatecas’s silver boom, the mesón now caters to ghost hunters and thrill-seekers who want their colonial experience with a side of the supernatural.

These colonial mansions offer more than just comfortable accommodation. They’re portals to Mexico’s aristocratic past, where you can live like royalty while experiencing Mexican history. Each property preserves centuries-old architecture and stories, providing the kind of immersive cultural experience that makes Mexico’s colonial heritage come to life.

Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog or follow her on Instagram.

A year after El Mayo’s capture, Sinaloa’s capital is seen as Mexico’s most dangerous city

By

MND Staff

-

July 25, 2025

1

inside a Cruz Roja ambulance — A staggering 90.8% of Culiacán residents perceive their city to be unsafe, more than double the number who felt that way last year at this time. (José Betanzos Zárate/Cuartoscuro)

The latest National Survey of Urban Public Safety, released by the national statistics agency INEGI on Thursday, shows that residents of Culiacán consider their city, the state capital of Sinaloa, to be the least safe of any urban area in Mexico.

That finding is unlikely to surprise many, given that the state has been under siege since a civil war erupted among rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel last year. Still, even in a nation where 63% of urbanites feel unsafe in their own city (up from 59.4% of a year ago), the 90.8% who feel Culiacán is unsafe is a striking figure, and a major increase from the 44.7% who felt unsafe this time last year.

cordoned-off street in Culiacán — The current feud between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel has convinced Culiacán residents that they are “living in a war zone.”
(José Betanzos Zárate/Cuartoscuro)

The current war was triggered after Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was allegedly kidnapped and taken to the U.S., where he was arrested.

Zambada’s arrest escalated a long-running dispute between the “Los Chapitos” and “Los Mayos” factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The internecine conflict — which was foreseen back in 2021 — began less than a month later, grabbing headlines after the military was targeted via a narco-blockade in a rural area north of Culiacán on Aug. 29.

Official records show that there were 50 murders officially reported in Sinaloa in July 2024 and 44 the following month. In September, that number spiked to 142 and has consistently exceeded three figures since, peaking at 207 in June.

The news website N+ reported that 2,092 people were killed across the state between September 2024 and June 30, 2025. Also, nearly 2,000 civilians have been “disappeared,” with 278 of these disappearances occurring in Culiacán since Jan. 1, according to the newspaper Infobae.

Additionally, officials received 1,794 complaints of kidnapping, arbitrary detention and sexual harassment between September 2024 and June 1, 2025. Among those kidnapped are teen-agers as young as 14 who are “recruited” by the cartel to serve as look-outs and gunmen.

A Culiacán merchant who spoke to N+ summed up the situation frankly, saying, “We are living in a war zone.”

The violence has also devastated the local economy. Since the beginning of the crisis, it is estimated that more than 1,800 businesses in Culiacán have closed and an additional 800 people have lost their jobs.

In the incident that sparked the firestorm of violence, Zambada claims he was kidnapped by Joaquín Guzmán López (son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera) and his associates on July 25, 2024, forced onto a private plane and flown to an airport in the U.S.

Zambada was eventually transferred to a prison in New York City and is scheduled for a hearing in U.S. federal court in Brooklyn on Aug. 25.

Although Culiacán is the epitome of unsafe cities in Mexico, it is not alone in producing high negative numbers in public safety perception.

In the INEGI survey, residents of Ecatepec de Morelos in México state (90.7%), Uruapan, Michoacán (89.5%), Tapachula, Chiapas (88.1%) and Ciudad Obregón, Sonora (88.0%), overwhelmingly reported feeling unsafe in their own cities.

On the other hand, residents of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, just 215 kilometers south of Culiacán, said they felt safer than they did a year ago. There, the negative perception fell from 75.5% in June 2024 to 64.5% this year.

With reports from El País, N+, Infobae and Noroeste

Sheinbaum condemns war in Gaza: Friday’s mañanera recapped

By

MND Staff

-

July 25, 2025

4

President Sheinbaum at the podium during her mañanera press conference on July 25. — President Sheinbaum speaks at her morning press conference on Friday, where she reiterated her suppport for a peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine, and vowed to "pacify" the violence-riddled state of Sinaloa. (Presidencia)

At her Friday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to a question about the situation in the Gaza Strip, where a “nightmare of historic proportions” is unfolding, according to the United Nations’ assistant secretary-general for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.

She also promised to bring peace to the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa, where Sinaloa Cartel infighting has claimed well over 1,000 lives since last September.

Reporters in the audience of President Sheinbaum's morning press conference raise their hands to ask questions — Reporters in the audience at Friday morning’s mañanera raise their hands to ask President Sheinbaum a question. In response to one of them, the president vowed to reduce the violence plaguing the state of Sinaloa, which on the anniversary of the 2024 arrest of cartel leader “El Mayo” continues unabated. (Presidencia)

Here is a recap of the remarks the president made about Gaza and Sinaloa at her July 25 mañanera.

‘We condemn what is happening at this time,’ Sheinbaum says of the situation in Gaza

A reporter asked the president whether Mexico would add its name to an intergovernmental statement calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza.

Signed by the foreign ministers of 30 countries including those of Canada, France, Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom, the statement says: “We, the signatories listed below, come together with a simple, urgent message: the war in Gaza must end now.”

“The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,” it continues.

“… We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and to urgently enable the UN and humanitarian NGOs to do their life saving work safely and effectively,” said the July 21 statement.

Israel on Friday reportedly took the decision to allow foreign countries to parachute aid into Gaza starting on Friday. Famine is a major problem in the besieged Palestinian territory, where scores of adults and children have died from hunger, and close to 60,000 people have been been killed by Israeli forces since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

On Friday morning, Sheinbaum said that “in all international forums,” and in Mexico, the Mexican government has made it clear that it is in favor of peace and the “peaceful” coexistence of two states — “the state of Israel and the state of Palestine.”

“Of course we condemn what is happening at this time, and Mexico is putting all its words and actions into building peace between these two states,” she said.

In March, Sheinbaum, who has a Jewish background, officially recognized Nadya Rasheed as the Palestinian Ambassador to Mexico at a ceremony held at the National Palace.

Sheinbaum: ‘We’re going to pacify Sinaloa’

A reporter noted that this Friday, July 25, marks the first anniversary of the arrest in the United States of alleged Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

She said that the arrest of Zambada — who alleges he was kidnapped by Joaquín Guzmán López and forced onto a U.S.-bound private plane — was a “trigger” for the “war” between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, namely “Los Mayos” and “Los Chapitos.”

El Mayo Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López — Sinaloa Cartel kingpin “El Mayo” Zambada (left) alleged that Los Chapitos leader Joaquín Guzmán López (right) kidnapped him and delivered him to U.S. authorities in July 2024. (Archive)

The reporter asked the president whether there is a “way out” of the cartel war in Sinaloa, which recorded the third highest number of homicides among Mexico’s 32 states in the first six months of 2025.

“We’re working and we’re going to pacify Sinaloa,” Sheinbaum responded.

“That will be the case. We work every day and when there is honesty, strategy and work there are results, in Sinaloa and the entire country,” she said.

“Of course Sinaloa will be pacified,” Sheinbaum added.

Like her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the president has asserted that the arrest of Zambada was the result of a U.S. “operation.”

Last September, López Obrador claimed that the U.S. government was partly to blame for the wave of cartel violence in Sinaloa because it carried out an “operation” that resulted in the arrest of Zambada in the U.S. on July 25, 2024.

By “operation,” the ex-president apparently meant a negotiation with Joaquín Guzmán López — another alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader and one of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons — that he believes resulted in the delivery of Zambada to U.S. law enforcement authorities at an airport in New Mexico a year ago today.

The U.S. government has denied any direct involvement in the capture of Zambada.

For much of the last year, the Mexican government has been calling on its U.S. counterpart to provide it with all the information it has about the events leading up to the arrest of Zambada.

On Friday, Sheinbaum spoke about the importance of “collaboration and coordination” between the Mexican and U.S. governments on security issues.

She expressed full confidence in her own government’s security strategy, declaring that she is “convinced we’re doing the right thing” and highlighting that homicide numbers are trending down.

“We’re going to reduce all crimes,” Sheinbaum added.

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

5 Mexica customs you’ve adopted if you live in Mexico City (and you haven’t even noticed)

By

Andrea Fischer

-

July 25, 2025

17

A painting of Mexica people in Tenochtitlán — Believe it or not, Mexico City dwellers keep some Mexica customs alive in our everyday lives. These are some of the most common. (INAH/Wikimedia Commons)

It’s a quintessential Mexico City experience: driving south across the Anillo Periférico ring road, you find archaeological ruins on the side of the road almost out of the blue. One of the most famous sites in the southern part of the city is Cuicuilco, the remains of a powerful ancient city that was destroyed by the volcano Xitle around AD 315.

Coming across these ancient ruins can also happen when finding your way across the Metro. The Pino Suárez station is famous fthe Pyramid of Ehécatl, which was built in honor of the Mexica (Aztec) god of the winds and sits in the middle of the station.

Templo Mayor, the most important religious and political center of the ancient Mexica city of Tenochtitlan, the ruins of Cuicuilco and these other sites are a testament to how our pre-Columbian past has not abandoned us, despite the efforts made by European invaders to eradicate our ancient roots. Similarly, denizens of the capital keep some Mexica customs alive in our everyday lives. These are some of the most iconic.

Grocery shopping at a traditional market

Tianguis and traditional markets in Mexico have been around for centuries. (Amar Preciado/Pexels)

The joy of grocery shopping at a traditional Mexican market comes from embodying a living, centuries-oldMesoamerican tradition. Mesoamerica’s largest market was built in Tlatelolco, near the present-day Historic Center in Mexico City, around 1337. This became the main market that supplied the population of Tenochtitlán with all the products that could be imagined at that time, as documented by the Institute of Historical Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Today, over 600 years later, markets and tianguis continue to be a form of social cohesion, where reminiscences of that Mexica past still resonate with the voices of the merchants.

Training your palate to be resistant to spicy meals

Honor the gods. Try spicy, hot salsa! (RDNE Stock Project/Pexels)

Every time a foreign customer orders non-spicy salsa at a taquería, the great Mexica goddess Tlatlauhqui Cihuatl Ichilzintli, the Respectable Lady of Chilis, cries in desperation. But she finds solace when those of us who have found a home in this country bathe our daily meals with anything spicy. Hot peppers were a central part of Mexica cuisine and medicine and were even used to discipline unruly children. Be it having a bowl of salsa verde at the table or sprinkling chile en polvo on our freshly cut fruit, adding a spicy touch to whatever we eat is undeniably a Mexica heritage, which we have kept alive in our eating habits.

Eating bugs, mushrooms and flowers

Of all the edible insect species documented to date, as per the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry’s latest figures, Mexico has (and eats) about a third of them. (Jhovani Morales/Pexels)

Chapulines? Escamoles? Gusanos de maguey? Yes! Crickets, ant eggs and worms were at the center of Mexica tables,— and if you’ve ever had lunch at a tianguis a taquero may have offered you one of these delicacies. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, as documented by the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry, over 96 different species of insects were a fundamental part of Mexica cuisine. Even the most upscale restaurants in Polanco offer these delights.

However, you don’t have to eat anything previously alive to embody a living Mexica tradition. You can go veggie, as well! For example, eating mushroom quesadillas is a must at any mercado de antojitos. And of course, if you haven’t tried pumpkin flower tamales at Xochimilco, you’re absolutely missing out.

Including native corn in your daily diet

Tortillas serve both as sustenance and cutlery at Mexican tables. (Victoria Valtierra/Cuartoscuro)

I can’t fathom a Mexican table without tortillas. Tortillas serve both as sustenance and cutlery at Mexican tables. As a key ingredient for main Mexican courses, per capita consumption is recorded at around 331 kilograms per year, as suggested by the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry’s latest figures. And how could we not? Our land has nurtured roughly 67 different species of corn for over 10,000 years. Tortillas — “tlaxcalli” in Nahuatl — were a staple food as important for the Mexica and other ancient Mesoamerican cultures as they are for modern day Mexicans.

Using a molcajete to pound grains, spices and veggies

The Mexica custom of having a molcajete in every kitchen is still alive today in present-day Mexico. (Óscar Damián Jiménez/Pexels)

If you ever go to a fonda serving comida corrida, an establishment where you can have a three-course meal for less than 100 pesos, you’ll probably see the cook making their own salsa in a molcajete. The term comes from Náhuatl words “molli,” which means sauce, and “caxtli,” or bowl: “mollicaxtli” therefore means the sauce bowl, as documented by the Exterior Relations Ministry (SRE). It’s usually made of volcanic rock, and traditionally has the face of an animal — usually, a pig — carved in the front.

If you live in Mexico and love to cook, a molcajete is an absolute kitchen must, especially if you’re into making your own spicy salsas. There is no bigger joy than smashing chilis and tomatoes against the pig’s volcanic back, and using the mortar to get the best of their juices. That, too, is a Mexica tradition that Mexican households have kept alive — and will probably persist through the passage of time.

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.

Mexico and US sign agreement to end Tijuana sewage crisis

By

MND Staff

-

July 25, 2025

10

Alicia Bárcena and Zeldin hold up copies of a signed agreement to fund sewage treatment for the Tijuana River — Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin signed the deal Thursday in Mexico City. (Lee Zeldin/X)

Mexico and the United States reached an agreement on Thursday that aims to permanently fix a long-running environmental problem in which Mexican sewage flows into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California after crossing the border via the Tijuana River.

Mexico’s Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Mexico City that seeks to address “the sanitation and environmental crisis in the Tijuana–San Diego Region.”

Imperial Beach in San Diego, where the Tijuana River meets the Pacific Ocean, has been repeatedly closed in past years for unsafe levels of sewage in the water. — Imperial Beach in San Diego, where the Tijuana River meets the Pacific Ocean, has been repeatedly closed in past years due to unsafe levels of sewage in the water. (File photo)

The MOU states that there is a shared desire to “coordinate cross-border solutions that permanently stop untreated wastewater from polluting coastal communities, harming public health, and damaging the environment on both sides of the border.”

The document outlines commitments of both Mexico and the United States that are aimed at achieving those objectives. One of Mexico’s commitments is to allocate US $93 million in 2026 and 2027 to “facilitate completion” of a number of projects to improve the Tijuana sewage system by December 31, 2027, “or sooner.”

The EPA said in a statement that the MOU “achieves the three top Trump Administration priorities and milestones critical to ensuring a 100% solution” to the sewage crisis in the Tijuana-San Diego area.

The agency noted that Mexico will allocate $93 million to sewage system projects and that the timeline for the completion of those projects has been reduced by up to four years in some cases. It also said that “several necessary Mexico side projects have been added to account for future population growth in Tijuana and operation and maintenance costs.”

Zeldin declared that “the Trump Administration is proud to deliver this massive environmental and national security win for Americans in the San Diego area who have been living with this disgusting raw sewage flowing into their communities for far too long.”

He emphasized the need for speed in the completion of projects to solve the sewage crisis, telling reporters “that if any speed changes, that speed will have to be a speed to go faster.”

Earlier this year, Zeldin accused Mexico of being too slow to complete projects it has committed to carrying out in Tijuana, where the population and industry have grown significantly in recent decades and wastewater treatment plants and other sewage infrastructure have become ineffective.

The signing of the MOU came three months after the EPA chief said that Mexico must act to stop the massive flow of sewage and toxic chemicals from the Tijuana River into the Pacific Ocean.

The sewage has contaminated the coastline of southern California for years, and sickened U.S. Navy seals, Border Patrol agents, beach users and others.

Bárcena said on Thursday that Mexico and the United States are committed to solving the binational sewage problem “once and for all.”

She highlighted that the MOU is “the first binational agreement … between Mexico and the United States under the administration of President Donald Trump and President Claudia Sheinbaum.”

“There is a great commitment on the part of both countries to strengthen cooperation and this is what we’re demonstrating today,” Bárcena said.

The agreement comes at a time when there are range of tensions in the Mexico-United States relationship, including ones related to trade and drug trafficking.

The memorandum in detail

The MOU states that Mexico “intends to immediately seek internal funding” to initiate construction of two projects in 2025.

One US $13.3-million project will divert 10 million gallons per day of treated effluent to the Rodríguez Dam, located upstream on the Tijuana River.

Another $8.4-million project will rehabilitate the Parallel Gravity Line, a major wastewater pipeline.

Those two projects will be completed by the end of 2025, the EPA said.

The $93 million in funding to be used in 2026 and 2027 is to rehabilitate various sewers in the Tijuana sewage system and to carry out upgrades to the Arturo Herrera and La Morita wastewater treatment plants, among other projects. That money is so-called “Minute 328 funds,” part of a financial commitment Mexico pledged to make in accordance with a 2022 agreement.

Bárcena said that Mexico is also committed to doubling the capacity of the San Antonio de los Buenos wastewater treatment plant. The Environment Ministry said in a statement that it is “exploring financing alternatives” to achieve that goal, including the possibility of accessing “support” from the EPA “through existing mechanisms at the North American Development Bank.”

🇺🇸🇲🇽 Major Milestone Reached! The US & Mexico are collaborating to improve water infrastructure in the Tijuana River watershed. The US will fund key projects, continue expanding the South Bay wastewater plant capacity, and inform Mexico of trash removal expenses. Mexico will… pic.twitter.com/T9nk7WRIuQ

— U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (@usibwc) July 25, 2025

The San Antonio de los Buenos plant “had been spewing at least 23 million gallons of sewage per day (1,000 liters per second) into the Pacific Ocean” before recent repairs, Reuters reported.

Even now, “millions of gallons of treated and untreated sewage from Tijuana’s overburdened [sewage] system makes its way daily into the Tijuana River and reaches the ocean in the San Diego suburb of Imperial Beach,” the news agency said.

Among the United States’ commitments, as detailed in the MOU, is to release EPA Border Water Infrastructure Program funding to complete the rehabilitation of Pump Station 1 in San Diego as well as Tijuana River collection pipes. Pump Station 1 treats sewage pumped in from Tijuana.

The United States also committed to “expand treatment capacity” at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Diego “from 25 to 50 million gallons per day (‘MGD’) by December 2027, with an interim expansion to 35 MGD by August 2025.”

That plant also treats sewage from Tijuana.

The MOU also states that Mexico and the United States “intend to enter into a new Minute by December 31, 2025, or sooner,” that will contain a number of actions to be “executed immediately through existing or new binational workgroups led by the two Sections of IBWC” — the International Boundary and Water Commission.

Among the 13 actions are to:

Initiate engineering and financial studies to assess the feasibility of installing an ocean outfall at the San Antonio de los Buenos plant in Tijuana.
Assess the technical and financial feasibility of expanding treatment capacity of the San Antonio de los Buenos plant from 18.26 to 43.37 million gallons per day.
Develop a routine schedule and cost-sharing formula for cleaning and sediment dredging operations in the Tijuana River.
Develop a Tijuana water infrastructure master plan to ensure that sufficient water infrastructure is planned and constructed commensurate with anticipated population growth.

The MOU states that the 13 actions “are deemed necessary to ensure a comprehensive and durable solution to address transboundary wastewater management issues, human health concerns, and environmental conditions in the Tijuana River watershed.”

On Friday morning, President Sheinbaum described the MOU as a “very important agreement” and highlighted that the United States is committing $600 million to projects in the San Diego area.

“It’s a comprehensive bilateral agreement,” she said.

With reports from Reuters, NBC San Diego and La Jornada

Nayarit expects a million visitors this summer, bringing a 5-billion-peso boost to its economy

By

MND Staff

-

July 25, 2025

2

golf cart, people and buidlings of a Nayarit town — At once a Pueblo Mágico and a surfing mecca, Sayulita typifies Nayarit's attractiveness to tourists, foreign and domestic. (Maximus Meadowcroft/Unsplash)

Summer vacation has begun and Nayarit officials are projecting a five billion-peso windfall from the one million tourists expected to visit the state’s beaches and pueblos mágicos.

State and federal officials launched Operation Summer Vacation 2025 on July 4, a program aimed at providing security to tourists and Nayarit residents. The strategy involves state and federal security, health, civil protection and tourism agencies.

aerial view of beach in Nayarit — Plenty of seaside micro-destinations have earned the state’s coast the title of Riviera Nayarit. (Michele Feola/Unsplash)

Hotel occupancy in the state’s coastal areas is projected to reach 88%, contributing mightily to the 5 billion pesos (US $270 million) expected to enter the state this summer.

While providing an update this week, state Tourism Minister Juan Enrique Suárez del Real spoke of the growth in domestic and international tourists and visitors to Nayarit in recent years.

He said that while roughly two-thirds of visitors to Nayarit arrive by land, more than 60% of passengers arriving at the Puerto Vallarta International Airport in neighboring Jalisco visit destinations in Nayarit. This translates to approximately four million tourists arriving by air each year, he said.

Suárez del Real said Governor Miguel Ángel Navarro has prioritized air connectivity with new international routes arriving at the Tepic International Airport (TPQ) from the U.S. and a direct flight from Canada due to launch in December. The airport in Tepic, the state capital, officially became an international airport in 2009, but a July 16 flight from Los Angeles was TPQ’s first-ever international arrival.

Navarro oversaw a 4.1-billion-peso (US $221 million) renovation project to expand TPQ’s runways and build a new terminal and a new control tower that he said further strengthens the state’s position as a key destination for international tourism.

The tourism minister called on all state residents “to embrace tourism as a matter of shared responsibility and commitment.” He said that beyond entertainment, tourism means “meeting all the needs of those who visit Nayarit with quality and efficiency.”

With reports from El Universal and El Economista

What’s the next golf course to open in Los Cabos?

The Legacy Club at Diamante, a Tiger Woods design

Campo Alto at Querencia, a Tom Fazio design

Oleada Golf Links, an Ernie Els design

Baja Bay Club, a David McLay Kidd design

A second Quivira course, with another Jack Nicklaus design

Americans making a positive impact in Mexico: Our CEO talks with Dr. Billy Andrews of Kids First Orthopaedics

MND Tutor | Puebla

The city of Puebla is one of Mexico’s most historic. A major centre for both Indigenous cultures and the Spanish colonial rulers, it has played a major role in Mexico’s food, culture and art over several centuries.

Bethany Platanella recently visited the city and shared some of the interesting facts that she learnt during her stay.

🌵 Choose your level of Spanish:

The MND News Quiz of the Week: July 26th

Colonial mansions in Mexico you can actually sleep in

Mexico City: Gran Hotel Ciudad de México

Mérida: La Misión de Fray Diego

San Miguel de Allende: Casa Blanca 7

Puebla: Mesón Sacristía de la Compañía

Guanajuato: El Mesón de los Poetas

Morelia: Hotel de la Soledad

Querétaro: La Casa de la Marquesa

Zacatecas: Hotel Mesón de Jobito

A year after El Mayo’s capture, Sinaloa’s capital is seen as Mexico’s most dangerous city

Sheinbaum condemns war in Gaza: Friday’s mañanera recapped

‘We condemn what is happening at this time,’ Sheinbaum says of the situation in Gaza

Sheinbaum: ‘We’re going to pacify Sinaloa’

5 Mexica customs you’ve adopted if you live in Mexico City (and you haven’t even noticed)

Grocery shopping at a traditional market

Training your palate to be resistant to spicy meals

Eating bugs, mushrooms and flowers

Including native corn in your daily diet

Mexico and US sign agreement to end Tijuana sewage crisis

The memorandum in detail

Nayarit expects a million visitors this summer, bringing a 5-billion-peso boost to its economy

<img class="tdb-logo-img" src="https://mexiconewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Logo-Mexico-News-Daily-.png" alt="Logo" title="" width="864" height="205" />

The Legacy Club at Diamante, a Tiger Woods design

Campo Alto at Querencia, a Tom Fazio design

Oleada Golf Links, an Ernie Els design

Baja Bay Club, a David McLay Kidd design

A second Quivira course, with another Jack Nicklaus design

The city of Puebla is one of Mexico’s most historic. A major centre for both Indigenous cultures and the Spanish colonial rulers, it has played a major role in Mexico’s food, culture and art over several centuries.

Bethany Platanella recently visited the city and shared some of the interesting facts that she learnt during her stay.

🌵 Choose your level of Spanish: — Choose Level —🌵 Beginner🇲🇽 Intermediate🔥 Advanced

Mexico City: Gran Hotel Ciudad de México

Mérida: La Misión de Fray Diego

San Miguel de Allende: Casa Blanca 7

Puebla: Mesón Sacristía de la Compañía

Guanajuato: El Mesón de los Poetas

Morelia: Hotel de la Soledad

Querétaro: La Casa de la Marquesa

Zacatecas: Hotel Mesón de Jobito

‘We condemn what is happening at this time,’ Sheinbaum says of the situation in Gaza

Sheinbaum: ‘We’re going to pacify Sinaloa’

Grocery shopping at a traditional market

Training your palate to be resistant to spicy meals

Eating bugs, mushrooms and flowers

Including native corn in your daily diet

The memorandum in detail

🌵 Choose your level of Spanish: