U.S. teen Jason Peña, at left, is fighting for his life after being shot in the head while visiting family in Mexico. (Spotfund)
A Chicago teenager who was shot in the head while visiting family in Mexico has been transferred to a hospital in Texas, according to the U.S. State Department and family members.
Jason Peña, 14, has been in a medically induced coma since he and three other members of his family were attacked on a highway on Dec. 27 in the northwestern state of Durango. Jason is the lone survivor of the attack.
On Thursday, Jason was flown on a private plane to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston where he will receive treatment. “He is in critical condition in ICU and on life support,” his mother, Ana Cabral, said in a post on the fundraising site Spotfund.
Local authorities are investigating the attack, which has generated indignation in the Duranguense community in the Chicago area, according to the newspaper El Siglo de Durango.
A birthday celebration becomes a tragedy
Jason, his father Vicente Peña Jr. and his younger brother drove 3,000 miles from Chicago to the municipality of Santiago Papasquiaro in Durango, where they planned to celebrate Jason’s 14th birthday with family, according to Telemundo Chicago.
Family spokesperson and lawyer Julie Contreras said that two days before the birthday, Jason jumped into his father’s car as his dad, his uncle and a cousin left to buy food and drinks in Santiago Papasquiaro.
When the group had not returned after two hours, Vicente Peña Sr. — Jason’s grandfather — alerted the authorities.
Shortly thereafter, police located the vehicle, an SUV with Illinois license plates, along the Francisco Zarco Highway. All four occupants had been shot; the three adults — Vicente Jr., 38, Antonio Fernández, 44 (Vicente’s brother who flew from Chicago to join the festivities), and Jorge Eduardo Vargas, 22 — were pronounced dead at the scene.
Vicente Jr., Jason and Fernández were all U.S. citizens, Contreras said, and Jason was a student at Prairie Hills Junior High School in Markham, Illinois.
Jason was taken to a public hospital in Durango city, the state capital, but the hospital was not equipped to treat the severe brain injury. Cabral flew to Durango to be with Jason and her other son and began working to fly Jason to Houston for better care and to ensure his safety, Contreras said, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The U.S. State Department told USA Today that they had been in touch with the victims’ families and confirmed that Mexican authorities are conducting an investigation.
Contreras, through her NGO United Giving Hope, worked with the family to arrange for the private plane to carry Jason back to the U.S., while also alerting the public to a fake GoFundMe page that had been opened in Jason’s name.
The boy’s grandfather, Vicente Sr., spoke to Chicago television station WMAQ-TV in Spanish and said the shooting had wrecked their family.
“I feel very devastated because they wiped out my entire family,” he told the outlet. “It was a massacre … because my son was shot four times in the head and once in the shoulder.”
In the statement to USA Today, the U.S. State Department said “Durango, Mexico, has a Level 2 Exercise Increased Caution Travel advisory due to crime.”
On the subject of receiving non-Mexican deportees from the U.S., "we could collaborate through different mechanisms," Sheinbaum said Friday. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
Possible mass deportations of immigrants living in the United States and tariffs implemented by the Mexican government this week were among the topics President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Friday morning press conference.
She also announced that a former governor would take over the leadership of one of Mexico’s energy agencies.
Mexico could receive non-Mexican deportees, Sheinbaum says
Sheinbaum reiterated that Mexico “is not in favor” of the mass deportations United States President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to undertake during his second stint in the White House.
“But if they happen … we’re going to receive the Mexicans that arrive in our country, and we’re going to ask the United States to, as far as is possible, send migrants who aren’t from Mexico to their countries of origin. And if they can’t, we could collaborate through different mechanisms,” she said.
Sheinbaum said last month that Mexico has an agreement with the Biden administration under which the United States sends deportees “of many nationalities” on direct flights to their countries of origin. She said that her government hoped to reach a deal with the incoming Trump administration so that most non-Mexican deportees continue to be sent to their countries of origin.
If Mexico were to agree to receive non-Mexican deportees, the federal government could limit acceptance “to certain nationalities or request compensation from the U.S. to move the deportees from Mexico to their home countries,” The Associated Press reported.
Mexican authorities previously said they would push for Trump to return migrants directly to their country of origin, though Mexico has accepted non-Mexican deportees from Venezuela, Cuba and other countries in the past. Shown: Officials in Reynosa transport recently arrived U.S. deportees. (CBP/Twitter)
AP noted that “Mexico, like any other country, is not obligated to accept non-Mexican migrants, but it has agreed to do so in the recent past, especially from countries like Cuba and Venezuela.”
Those countries, the news agency added, “often refuse deportation flights from the United States, but may accept them from Mexico.”
Sheinbaum said Friday “there will be a time to speak with the United States government if these [proposed] deportations really happen.”
“But we will receive … [deportees] here and we will receive them properly. We have a plan that I said yesterday we would present in due course,” she said.
“There are these [online] platforms where one can request any product. One thing is the individual arrival [to Mexico] of one piece, but what we detected is that in reality [the e-commerce sites] were being used to bring [products into Mexico] and then sell them in Mexico,” she said.
E-commerce companies are the target of new taxes and import duties, which went into effect Jan. 1. (File photo)
“One person, an individual, requesting a piece is not the same thing as [many] pieces being brought in to be sold, right?” Sheinbaum added.
She said that many Mexican small businesses have closed down due to reasons that include the entry of products from countries with which Mexico doesn’t have trade agreements, such as China. Some of those products enter Mexico to be sold “widely” after they were purchased on e-commerce sites (such as Temu and Shein), Sheinbaum said.
Disincentivizing that practice is the objective of the new tariffs, she said.
Former Veracruz governor joins federal government
Sheinbaum announced that former Veracruz Governor Cuitláhuac García will take on the role of director of the National Center for Natural Gas Control (Cenagas).
García, who completed his six-year term as governor of Veracruz last November, will start in the position next Monday, the president said.
“Few people know that Cuitláhuac is a mechanical and electrical engineer who studied at the Veracruzana University. He’s a very good engineer,” Sheinbaum said.
Cuitláhuac García wrapped up his term as governor of Veracruz in November. (Cuitláhuac García/Facebook)
“He was studying his doctorate abroad and in 2006, if I’m not mistaken, or 2012, he took the decision to leave the doctorate to come to fight for the transformation of Mexico,” she said of the former Morena party governor.
Sheinbaum described García as an “honest” man “with a lot of technical knowledge” about energy.
“He will help us coordinate all the work at Cenagas related to the production, use and distribution of natural gas,” she said.
Roughly 100 metric tons of tilapia have died over the past week in Guerrero's El Gallo reservoir. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
A major fish die-off killed roughly 100 metric tons of tilapia Guerrero’s El Gallo reservoir this week, local fishermen have reported.
Fishing groups across the region blame the massive die-off on a lack of oxygenation in the water due to poor management at the Mexicana de Hidroelectricidad Mexhidro (Mexhidro) hydroelectric plant, located in the municipality of Cutzamala de Pinzón.
Piles of dead fish crowd the shore of the El Gallo reservoir. (via La Jornada)
“For four days now, the tilapia has been dying in the entire dam; it is sad that neither the state nor the federal government pay attention. Who knows what they want us to do?” a local group of fishermen from the Guerrero town of La Dicha told the newspaper La Jornada.
Mexico’s National Water Commission (Conagua) constructed the El Gallo dam on the Cutzamala River in the northwestern part of the state of Guerrero to expand the irrigation system to the valleys of Cutzamala and Ciudad Altamirano.
Fishing groups say that the floodgates at the dam are not opened often enough, leading to a lack of water oxygenation, which then causes mass fish die-offs. The eight cooperatives operating in the region have reported similar experiences along the reservoir’s 30-kilometer length.
The cooperatives have been reporting the issue since 2013 and are now calling on President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene. Fishermen previously caught between 20 and 30 metric tons of fish a year in the region, supporting the supply of Mexico City’s famous La Viga fish market. However, this figure has fallen significantly in recent years.
Each metric ton of fish lost is valued at 50,000 to 60,000 pesos (US $2,420-2,905), according to reports from the news site Sur Acapulco.
Local fishing groups have threatened to protest if the government does not intervene.
Cutzamala: A key Mexican waterway
The Cutzamala River originates in the central state of Michoacán and ends in Guerrero. Dams on the upper part of the river provide water to Mexico City, via an aqueduct over the mountains known as the Cutzamala System.
The system is one of the world’s largest networks of dams, canals and pipes, supplying around 27% of the capital’s water. However, in recent years, water levels in the system have decreased due to drought and other factors, falling to a historic low of below 30% in May 2024, according to Conagua.
As Mexico City officials race to develop alternative water networks, Mayor Clara Brugada last week announced a plan to halve the capital’s reliance on the Cutzamala reservoir system for the next two years. The goal of cutting withdrawals is to allow the water levels of Cutzamala System reservoirs to recover from extended drought conditions, and any excess water could boost downstream reservoirs like El Gallo in Guerrero.
Chinese e-commerce retailers like Temu will face some of the highest rates under Mexico's new tariffs. (Shutterstock)
New tariffs on products imported to Mexico via e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Temu and international courier companies took effect on Jan. 1.
Ranging from 17% to 19%, the tariffs entered into force the same day a new rule took effect requiring foreign e-commerce companies to pay Mexico’s 16% value-added tax (IVA) on products they export to and sell in Mexico.
On top of recent tax increases, e-commerce sites like Amazon, Shein and Temu will also be subject to importation tariffs. (Álvaro Ibáñez/Flickr)
Federal tax agency SAT said in a statement that the tariffs were being implemented to “continue strengthening the fight against abusive practices” of foreign companies that import products to Mexico.
SAT also said that surveillance of goods entering Mexico from Asia will be strengthened, which could lengthen delivery times.
Outlined in the General Rules of Foreign Trade for 2025 document that was published in the federal government’s official gazette earlier this week, the tariffs are as follows:
All products imported via e-commerce sites and courier companies from countries with which Mexico doesn’t have a trade agreement are subject to a uniform 19% tariff. Mexico doesn’t have a trade pact with China, where Temu, Shein, AliExpress and other e-commerce companies are based.
A 19% tariff also applies to goods valued at more than US $1 that are imported via e-commerce sites and courier companies from countries with which Mexico does have a trade agreement, with a couple major exceptions: Goods imported from the United States and Canada are exempt.
Products entering Mexico via e-commerce sites and courier companies from the United States and Canada are subject to a 17% tariff if their value is greater than US $50 but doesn’t exceed $117. Goods from the U.S. and Canada — Mexico’s USMCA trade partners — are not subject to any tariff if their value doesn’t exceed $50.
Products entering Mexico via e-commerce sites and courier companies from the United States and Canada are subject to a 19% tariff if their value is between US $118 and $2,500.
Previously, countries were not required to pay duties on goods of those values, according to a SAT spokesperson quoted by the Reuters news agency.
Media organization Merca 2.0 noted that “a decorative LED desk lamp purchased on Amazon and shipped [to Mexico] from China with a base price of $700 MXN would incur a 19% tariff equivalent to $133 MXN, bringing the cost to $833 MXN.”
The price of the lamp would be even higher if Amazon passed on the 16% IVA to the customer.
Imports from e-commerce companies like Chinese fast fashion retailer Shein are often cheaper than Mexican-made products, threatening domestic industries. (Mictlancihuatl/CC BY-SA 4.0)
Last month, the federal government announced new tariffs on clothes and textiles imported from countries with which Mexico doesn’t have a free trade agreement. The stated aim was to protect the Mexican textile/clothing industry, which the Mexican government says is losing jobs due to, in large part, unfair competition from underpriced Chinese imports.
The El País newspaper reported that the objective of the 35% tariffs on imported clothes and textiles is to “kill three birds with one stone”: to encourage production in the Mexican textile industry; to increase tax collection in a country that has one of the lowest collection rates in the OECD; and to send a “conciliatory message” to the incoming U.S. government led by Donald Trump.
Obliging foreign e-commerce companies to pay IVA and tariffs on products they import to Mexico will create a more level playing field between foreign and Mexican businesses — and thus should make locally made goods more competitive.
Shoppers browse toys at Mexico City's Balderas Station market on Dec. 28. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
Kings’ Day, celebrated on Jan. 6, will generate 3.9 billion pesos (US $189.5 million) of economic revenue in Mexico City, according to the city’s National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Canaco CDMX).
Canaco CDMX President José de Jesús Rodríguez Cárdenas reported that sales for the holiday are expected to exceed the figures reported in 2024 by 8.1%, when sales expectations were 3.6 billion pesos (US $174.9 million).
Kings’ Day is traditionally a day for gift-giving, to celebrate the gifts the three wise men gave to baby Jesus in the Bible. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
Kings’ Day (Día de los Reyes Magos) is a common celebration in Latin America and some European countries like Spain. On the morning of Jan. 6, children wake up to gifts brought to them by the three wise men Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar, also known as the Three Kings.
Rodríguez said the three wise men are expected to bring toys to 1.78 million children in Mexico City on Kings’ Day, with an average spending per kid of 2,200 pesos (US $106).
Popular toys on the children’s wish list include video game consoles, cell phones, computer equipment, bicycles, tricycles, scooters, electric bicycles, mini-motorcycles, remote control items, dolls, action figures and balls. The most dynamic sales sectors will be toy stores, candy stores, bakeries, shoe stores, department stores, video game stores, technology stores and clothing stores.
Across the country, economic spending will amount to 24.2 billion pesos, up 10% compared to 2024, the Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Concanaco-Servytur) reported. Some 36 million children in the country expect the gifts from the three wise men home.
No Kings’ Day celebration is complete without a rosca de reyes, or king cake. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
“Three Kings’ Day is not only a holiday for children, but also an opportunity for businesses to boost their activity, benefiting millions of Mexican families,” Octavio de la Torre, president of Concanaco-Servytur, said.
What’s the origin of Kings’ Day?
According to the biblical story, the three wise men followed a star to Bethlehem to worship and bring gifts to the baby Jesus. The Bible does not mention the men were kings or that there were three of them. However, tradition says they were three because the Bible mentions they offered three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The wise men appeared only once in the Bible. Still, they left behind a rich tradition.
How is Kings’ Day celebrated in Mexico?
In Mexico, Catholics celebrate the holiday by sharing a sweet, circular bread known as rosca de reyes. The oval shape of the bread symbolizes God’s eternal love, while the crystallized fruits on its surface symbolize the jewels in the crowns of the three kings. A tiny doll, symbolizing baby Jesus, is baked into the bread to represent how the holy family hid him from King Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents by fleeing to Egypt.
Whoever finds the baby Jesus in their piece of bread must provide tamales on Candlemas Day (Día de la Candelaria) on Feb. 2.
Kings’ Day is also known as the Feast of Epiphany, which celebrates the manifestation of Christ on Earth for the first time.
Austin and Lida Lowrey at Casa Lida, their San Miguel de Allende home. (All photos by Austin Lowrey)
Austin Lowrey is a prolific artist who has created both a stunning body of work and a unique dream home on the outskirts of San Miguel de Allende. The house is not only a beautiful fusion of art and design but also a homage to his late wife, artist Lida Lowrey.
Lowrey’s body of work encompasses vibrantly colorful paintings and collages that lift the spirits of the viewer. Many incorporate lyrics, poetry, puns and elements of graphic design. They offer a provocative dose of irony or punchy humor, often with a Southern U.S. lilt. Some are abstractions featuring tactile explorations with paint, while others are explosions of geometry and still others are illustrative. At age 91, Lowrey paints for approximately four hours per day.
Austin Lowrey in his studio at Casa Lida, San Miguel de Allende.
Building a dream home in Mexico
How did this couple, originally from Alabama and Tennessee, whose careers led them over the decades to various universities and artistic communities in the U.S. South, and who ultimately established themselves in Los Angeles, suddenly decide to move to Mexico?
“Lida had a friend who talked incessantly about a special Mexican town,” explains Lowrey. “We decided we had to see San Miguel de Allende. We came down in 2010 and immediately fell in love with the people, the architecture, the quality of the art scene and the sophistication of the design ethos here that we saw epitomized at YAM Gallery and Skot Foreman Fine Art. Within days, we bought a colonial-era house on Canal Street.”
“We named the house Casa de los Tíos in honor of the inheritance we had each received from beloved uncles, which enabled us to buy it.” The couple worked with Barboza Arquitectos to create a multiple-story, light-filled interior.
Casa Lida, San Miguel de Allende.
Then they set about building their dream home in the countryside on the outskirts of San Miguel. Working with another Mexican architect, Luis Sánchez Renero, they designed a truly spectacular house that would provide each of them with a gorgeous studio. The house consists of three glass pavilions connected by glass corridors. The stunning home has been featured in various international magazines, from Italy to Brazil.
“My parents were ahead of their time in the way they moved between the disciplines of art and design. They both had a profound, intuitive curiosity about the connections, overlap and points of mutual inspiration in the art and design worlds,” noted their daughter, artist Sheridan Lowrey, who has added numerous dramatic, intriguing art installations to the landscape surrounding the home. She uses locally-made tiles and displays Mexican vernacular pottery.
A collage made with CEMEX cement construction debris.
Making artistic connections in San Miguel de Allende
“I love L.A. and miss many things about the South — the waterfalls and mountains, the places I danced in my youth — but I have found fresh inspiration and beauty here in Mexico,” noted Lowrey.
In San Miguel, the Lowreys discovered a thriving community of art- and design-oriented expats and found that noted L.A. artists such as Lari Pittman and Roy Dowell had homes here. San Miguel’s art scene has certainly evolved over the years. For decades, art students have come to study at the Instituto Allende and Bellas Artes. Now those storied institutions are somewhat less central to the scene, with many established artists working out of Fabrica la Aurora and creating their own studio spaces throughout the city and its environs.
The first work Lowrey created in San Miguel de Allende.
Pilgrimages to San Miguel by Lowrey’s former art and design students
Lowrey received his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Auburn University in graphic design and fine art. He was a career professor of graphic design at the University of Georgia, Indiana State University and last and longest at North Carolina State School of Design.
In each place Austin and Lida lived, they established architecturally interesting live-work spaces for themselves. They did this in the university towns of Raleigh, North Carolina; Athens, Georgia; and Terre Haute, Indiana. In Terre Haute, for example, Lida bought an old church in a blue-collar neighborhood and turned it into a gallery and antiques store named Revival.
Eventually, they moved to San Pedro, the port of Los Angeles, where they became well-established in the local artist community. They had conjoined 3,000-square-foot spaces; Austin’s space was decorated with early American art pottery, flea market objects and outsider art and design, while Lida’s was a white cube gallery.
Lowrey’s students keep in touch with him, and a number have journeyed to San Miguel to visit him, including, most recently, the previous design director at Appalachian State University.
Lowrey even taught his daughter Sheridan at North Carolina State University. “My parents have always been my best friends,” she said, “because we share a love for art and design.”
A view of Casa Lida showing a headboard extending through a window to the exterior of the home and tilework by artist Sheridan Lowrey.
Lowrey’s other daughter, Elizabeth, is a designer named to Boston Magazine’s list of Most Influential Bostonians for six consecutive years.
Lida, who passed away in 2020, described herself as “a prolific artist, working in various paint and print media exploring both abstract and representational imagery with conceptual and technical vigor.” Her work, she wrote “is also knowingly referential and witty in subject matter and form.”
Debra Broussard, Lowrey’s current gallerist, noted that “Both the artist and his art are not only deeply sophisticated and moving but also approachable and welcoming.” Lowrey’s work may be viewed at the San Miguel Art Loft.
Based in San Miguel de Allende, Ann Marie Jackson is a writer and NGO leader who previously worked for the U.S. Department of State. Her award-winning novel “The Broken Hummingbird,” which is set in San Miguel de Allende, came out in October 2023. Ann Marie can be reached through her website, annmariejacksonauthor.com.
Colonia Nápoles, in the heart of Benito Juárez borough, is home to younger urbanites looking for fun-yet-affordable living areas. (JavierDo/Wikimedia Commons - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0)
Borough: Benito Juárez Established: 1908 Location: 6 km south of the Ángel de la Independencia
Who lives in Nápoles
Colonia Nápoles, in Mexico City’s Benito Juárez borough, is reeling from its recent years of revitalization and a growing interest from younger urbanites looking for fun-yet-affordable living areas. With an average resident age of 38, Nápoles attracts a diverse mix of professionals, creatives and entrepreneurs.
Mexico City’s Colonia Nápoles has blossomed with cultural venues and local businesses, that keep life at an affordable price range. (Gobierno de la Ciudad de México)
Speaking of creatives, renowned Colombian artist Fernando Botero briefly resided on Calle Kansas in 1956. During his stay, Botero — whose works can be found at the Museo Tamayo and Museo Soumaya — immersed himself in Mexico’s thriving art scene, using this time as a period of intense intellectual exploration and artistic development.
A brief history of Nápoles
With its establishment in 1908, Colonia Nápoles quickly defined itself as a key player in the ever-expanding metropolis that was Mexico City. The neighborhood emerged from Rancho de Amores and Rancho de Nápoles, former agricultural estates primed for urban development. English women Francisca Julia Willie and her business partner Enrique Marcial Beale worked together to bring to life their envisioned “model town” with large lots and accessible routes to Mexico City.
Pretty soon, California Colonial-style mansions started popping up and Nápoles was divided into two sections: the original and Ampliación Nápoles. Over time, Nápoles evolved from a residential area to a commercial hub, particularly along Avenida de los Insurgentes, with modern buildings replacing many of its original houses.
A typical Colonial California-style house in Colonia Nápoles, Mexico City. (Keizers/CC BY-SA 3.0)
A guide to Nápoles today
Perhaps thanks to the World Trade Center complex, Nápoles offers a unique blend of international flair and local charm. This is evident most notably through its culinary scene, especially along Calle Nueva York, where you can sample bites ranging from Polish to French, Spanish to Indian, all within a few blocks.
The neighborhood strikes an agreeable balance between the trendiness of areas like Roma or Condesa and a more authentic local experience. Nápoles is characterized by a cosmopolitan vibe that showcases street vendors and upscale dining options on its streets named after U.S. states. The location is strategic and well-connected, making it an ideal base for exploring or living.
Nápoles is great if you love: A down-to-earth, non-curated neighborhood with a vibrance that could only exist in Mexico City.
What to do in Nápoles
Polyforum Siqueiros showcases humanity’s evolution through art.()
Polyforum Siqueiros: A cultural landmark housing a giant mural, “La Marcha de la Humanidad,” this multifunctional space showcases humanity’s evolution through art. Check out a lineup of diverse cultural events including theater and exhibitions, in its unique circular auditorium.
Pepsi Center WTC: A versatile, state-of-the-art venue is capable of hosting a range of events, from lectures to concerts by the likes of Bob Dylan and Alejandro Sanchez. It boasts modern amenities, exceptional acoustics and a prime location within the World Trade Center complex.
WTC México: One of the city’s premier event spaces is known for large-scale gatherings that run the gamut of spirituality expos to pharmaceutical conventions. Ideal for networking or accidentally bumping into potential clients. Check out the CETRO Mirador on the 46th floor in Torre 1 for sweeping views of the city.
Mexico City’s World Trade Center (WTC) hosts large-scale gatherings that run the gamut of spirituality expos to pharmaceutical conventions. (Alejandro Juárez/CC BY-SA 2.0)
Plaza México: Despite ongoing legal battles, the world’s largest bullring has resumed activity in the center of Nápoles. Plaza México is an architectural marvel that hosts bullfights and various cultural events, including concerts, serving as a symbol of Mexican heritage and a unique attraction for visitors.
Alameda Nápoles (Parque Alfonso Esparza Oteo): Nápoles’ main park features a distinctive clock tower that has become a symbol of the neighborhood. Enjoy green spaces, a small open-air forum for live performances and recreational facilities.
Parque Hundido: Located in neighboring Extremadura Insurgentes, this expansive urban park is a favorite for families and teenage Mexican couples looking for a place to make out. There are plenty of unique attractions here that you won’t find in other city parks, including the hard-to-miss sculpture of an Olmec head and a recognizable clock made of flowers.
Things to eat in Nápoles
El Corazón del Mar: This popular seafood restaurant is known for a diverse menu and creative cocktails. The ambiance is relaxed and casual, with outdoor seating perfect for an outing with friends. Make sure to order the octopus or tacos al pastor.
Hijos del Maíz: Mexico is all about celebrating corn, and that’s the premise of this modern Mexican eatery. The menu is abundant in tamales, tlayudas and breakfast dishes like chilaquiles. Don’t miss the interesting mix of cocktails available, including virgin options. Try their flautas ahogadas for an authentic taste of Mexican cuisine.
Vainila Bar: Head here when you’re in the mood for breakfast with an artistic flair. Vainila’s “Brunching and Painting” series is an all-inclusive event, where you can choose a ceramic piece to decorate while enjoying a filling breakfast and unlimited coffee, tea or soft drinks.
Mazurka: I loved knocking back chilled vodka in this surprisingly authentic Polish restaurant located inside a house with Polish-style furnishing. I can almost guarantee you’ll feel like a true aristocrat ordering from an endless menu boasting dozens of traditional dishes. The restaurant, a staple in Nápoles for over 40 years, is famous for its duck dishes and the “Pope’s menu” once served to Pope John Paul II.
Mazurka is a traditional Polish place in Mexico City’s Colonia Nápoles, that Pope John Paul II couldn’t miss in one of his visits to the capital. (Mazurka)
Goy’s Plant-Based Burgers: It ain’t easy being vegan in a meat-loving country, which might be why this lively and friendly plant-based burger joint is always busy. Goy’s attracts both vegans and meat-eaters to its menu of house-made burger patties that rival traditional burgers. Try their “chicken” burger, which customers claim is indistinguishable from the real thing.
Dulce Madero: This quaint pet-friendly restaurant, cafe and deli focuses on a health-conscious yet very hearty menu. There’s a little bit of everything, so whether you’re in the mood for a superfood smoothie and eggs or a crisp white wine and charcuterie, you’ll find what you’re looking for here. Patrons love the rustic feel and cozy outdoor patio.
Debarbas Nueva York – Tapas Bar: Want the beach but can’t quite swing a getaway to the coast? Come to Nápoles’s gourmet bebedero (drinkery), which features a fusion of Mexican and Italian cuisines, with dishes like tuna tostadas in ginger vinaigrette and bean-stuffed plantain croquettes.
La Musa Coffee House: Vibey and hip with lots of character, La Musa draws locals in for more than just its good coffee. It’s the perfect spot for those seeking a trendy, local coffee experience with a side of creativity. Snack on lavender pound cake or an empanada with your coffee, or enjoy an afternoon mojito as a live musician strums his guitar.
One hidden gem
Far from hidden, any visitor to Nápoles should plan a visit to the Sunday tianguis. Considered one of the city’s best, spend the afternoon shopping a great variety of products that you can’t find at every tianguis: kitchen and home items, flea-market finds, fresh produce, prepared foods and everything in between.
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.
Mexico's president also had things to say about Mexico's volatile peso, the strength of Mexico's economy and Mexico's plan for its citizens who are deported by Donald Trump's government in the U.S. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
The US dollar-Mexican peso exchange rate. The size of the Mexican economy. The federal government’s plan to receive deportees from the United States. A recent New York Times’ dispatch from “inside a Sinaloa Cartel fentanyl lab.”
They were among the topics President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her first morning press conference of 2025, held at the National Palace this Thursday Jan. 2.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. (Anna Moneymaker/Shutterstock)
Sheinbaum predicts exchange rate will stabilize after Trump takes office
Sheinbaum noted that the peso has depreciated against the US dollar since she was sworn in as president on Oct. 1.
“Among other things, it’s due to uncertainty in the United States and the changes in the [interest] rate of the Fed,” she said.
“We expect that once President Trump takes office, we’ll enter a period of stabilization,” Sheinbaum said.
The president presented data that showed that the peso depreciated less against the US dollar in the final three months of 2024 than several other currencies including the Japanese yen, the euro, the British pound and the Canadian dollar.
The data showed that the peso depreciated 5.8% against the greenback in the period, while the yen fell 9.5%, the euro declined 7.5%, the pound dropped 6.8% and the Canadian dollar dipped 6.3%.
Pedestrians eyeing Mexico’s currency exchange rate on Dec. 27 in Mexico City. President Sheinbaum insisted that Mexico is doing better against the U.S. dollar than several other world currencies. (Andrea Murcia Monsivais/Cuartoscuro)
“Look at the depreciation of other currencies so that you don’t say it’s a Mexico issue. It’s an international issue,” Sheinbaum said.
The peso is “among the currencies that had the lowest depreciation,” she added.
The Bank of Mexico’s closing USD:MXN rate on Thursday was just under 20.62.
Mexico ‘still the 12th largest economy in the world’
Sheinbaum also presented 2023 World Bank data that showed that Mexico was the 12th largest economy in the world, behind the United States, China, Germany, Japan, India, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Brazil, Canada and Russia.
“We’re still the 12th largest economy in the world, … above Spain, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Netherlands, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland,” she said, mentioning the countries ranked 13th to 20th based on the size of their economy.
The data Sheinbaum presented showed that Mexico had a GDP of US $1.789 trillion in 2023, equivalent to 1.7% of global GDP.
Plan to receive deportees during second Trump administration is ‘ready,’ says Sheinbaum
Asked about the progress that has been made in terms of preparing for the possible mass deportation of Mexicans from the United States during Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president, Sheinbaum said that the government already has a “very elaborate plan.”
“… We already have it ready,” she stressed, adding that the government is waiting to see what happens vis-à-vis deportations before presenting the plan.
Migrant worker in California picking strawberries. (Tim Mossholder/Unsplash)
“But everything is prepared,” Sheinbaum said, adding that states all over the country will have a role in the plan’s execution.
The government is not just working with the border states but with entities all over the republic, she said.
“If a compatriot arrives to Mexico at the border, it’s very probable that he or she will want to go to their place of origin,” she said.
A central focus of the officials — the director of health agency IMSS-Bienestar, the director of health regulator Cofepris and a precursor chemicals specialist with the Mexican Navy — was the Times’ suggestion that fentanyl cooks could develop a tolerance to the synthetic opioid.
Sheinbaum put up photos from a recent New York Times article about a Sinaloa fentanyl lab during her press conference Thursday and focused in on why the article’s claim that fentanyl cooks were developing immunity to the drug’s deadly vapors was false. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
Referring to a conversation with two alleged fentanyl cooks at a Sinaloa Cartel lab in Culiacán, reporters for the Times, who said they wore “gas masks and hazmat suits” to the lab, wrote:
“While one sniff of the toxic chemicals could kill us, they explained, they had built up a tolerance to the lethal drug.”
Cofepris director Armida Zúñiga Estrada told reporters on Thursday that “there is no evidence of tolerance of this substance.”
Similarly, navy chemicals analyst Juana Peñaloza Ibarra said “there is no scientific evidence that supports the idea” that a person can build up a “tolerance to the lethal drug.”
For his part, IMSS-Bienestar director Alejandro Svarch Pérez said that if cooks shown in the Times’ report had really been producing fentanyl, they would have fallen down unconscious in 30 seconds due to “the vapors” emitted from “the synthesis of fentanyl.”
The cooks were wearing face masks but were not using any professional protective equipment.
President Sheinbaum, background right, confers with Mexican Social Security director Alejandro Svarch as Juana Peñaloza, an expert in chemical precursors, speaks to reporters. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
To produce fentanyl, “a laboratory where the conditions of exposure can be controlled is required,” Svarch said, adding that “specialized equipment” and “professional ventilation systems” are also needed.
Fentanyl can’t be made in “a domestic kitchen, as the report shows,” he said.
“It is not possible to make fentanyl in the way referred to in the article,” Svarch added.
Sheinbaum said on Monday that fentanyl is not produced in the way the Times’ photographs demonstrate, and suggested that the cooks were actually making methamphetamine.
On Thursday she said that “if there was [such a thing as] tolerance to the lethal drug, there wouldn’t be the deaths due to fentanyl that there [currently] are in the United States.”
In pointing out alleged falsehoods in The New York Times report, Sheinbaum said that the government was “defending the right to information, to veracity” and committed her administration to “denouncing” inaccurate reporting in the future.
After the president questioned the credibility of the Times’ article earlier this week, the newspaper said it was “completely confident” in its reporting on fentanyl production in Mexico.
Sheinbaum’s rejection of the newspaper’s reporting continues a practice of her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was an outspoken critic of the Mexican and international press during his presidency.
Whether the Times’ Dec. 29 report really shows fentanyl cooks in a fentanyl lab or not, the fact remains that large quantities of the synthetic opioid are made in Mexico (using precursor chemicals from China) and illegally shipped to the United States.
The Mexican government’s willingness and capacity (or lack thereof) to reduce the flow of fentanyl — and migrants — to the United States looks set to be a defining factor in the health of the Sheinbaum administration’s relationship with the U.S. government led by Trump. In November, the president-elect pledged to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican and Canadian exports on the first day of his second term due to what he called the “long simmering problem” of drugs and migrants illegally entering the U.S. from the country’s southern and northern neighbors.
Chiles are just one example of an ingredient that has become essential not just in Mexico but around the world as well. (Shutterstock)
It feels almost cliché to say that Mexico is a nation defined by its food. After all, aren’t many countries, from France, to Italy to Thailand and Japan? There’s something different about Mexico’s relationship with food though. Here, it’s not just about culinary arts or national pride — it’s a primal relationship, intertwined with the land and with life itself.
You probably already know most of these ingredients — you see them every day, and have likely eaten them hundreds, if not thousands, of times. But what is it about them that makes them so essential to Mexico?
Mexico City food blogger María Meléndez has been profiling the foods that make Mexico, well, Mexico, throughout the second half of 2024. Why not find out for yourself exactly what the true taste of Mexico is like — and learn some great recipes along the way?
It probably isn’t hyperbole to suggest that without corn, there wouldn’t be a Mexico to enjoy in the first place. It is the most basic building block of civilization in the country and the domestication and cultivation of corn helped ancient civilizations grow and prosper.
It is so important, even today, that the government regulates its price to ensure that Mexicans everywhere can afford to eat. The things that Mexican cuisine has learned to do with it, from tortillas to soups speak volumes to the extent of which corn remains the most basic element of Mexican food.
It wouldn’t be unfair to call the humble avocado Mexico’s most popular export (with one notable exception). One of Mexico’s top exports to the United States, the green gold has become a staple of health regimens worldwide.
Like so many good things though, it all began in Mexico. Even today, there are a thousand different ways to enjoy an avocado, and only one of them is guacamole.
Remember that one exception to the avocado rule? It’s this one.
Of all the ingredients on this list, cacao is the only one that needs no previous introduction, anywhere in the world. It’s arguably the most popular flavor globally and it’s truly universal. It’s also an essential part of Mexican history, dating back centuries.
The way cacao has been traditionally enjoyed is a far cry from Hershey’s or Cadbury’s though and like corn, it has enjoyed many different uses throughout the history of Mexican cuisine.
Many an expat has been caught out the first time they tried a michelada, but to a man, they’ve all learned to love the bitter, tangy, salty addition to their refreshing drink. These days, the art form has elevated beyond adding clamato, salt and lemon, and lager connoisseurs the world over can experiment with anything their heart (or tastebuds) desire.
What’s the first thing you think of when you think about Mexican food? It’s spice, of course. In the pantheon of Mexican spiciness, there is one hot little pepper that rises above almost all the rest — the chile piquín.
It’s a staple of every Mexican dinner table and even a popular children’s candy. For the aspiring chef or gourmet in search of the true taste of Mexico, it might be even more than that.
Gasoline will be at least 28 centavos more expensive at the pump in 2025, thanks to an increase on Mexico's excise tax on gas and diesel. However, if you fill up by January 10, you'll benefit from a federal subsidy keeping prices a bit lower. (Victoria Valtierra/Cuartoscuro)
Consumers in Mexico should expect to pay higher prices for gasoline, alcoholic beverages cigarettes and soft drinks in 2025 due to a 4.5% increase in the IEPS excise tax.
In accordance with Mexican law, the increase in the Special Tax on Products and Services (IEPS) — which is levied at different rates depending on the good or service — is in line with Mexico’s headline inflation rate at the end of 2024.
The IEPS rate is set at the beginning each year and must, by law, be in line with Mexico’s headline inflation rate at the end of the previous year. (Cuartoscuro)
The IEPS brought in revenue of more than 570 billion pesos (US $27.6 billion) in the first 11 months of last year, making it the third largest generator of tax income for the federal government after income tax and Mexico’s value-added tax.
Here is a summary of how the 4.5% increase to the IEPS rate will lift prices for certain products this year.
Gasoline and diesel
The IEPS on magna, or regular, gasoline is now 28 centavos higher at 6.45 pesos per liter.
The IEPS on premium gasoline is now 24 centavos higher at 5.45 pesos per liter.
The IEPS on diesel is now 30 centavos higher at 7.09 pesos per liter.
* NOTE: The federal government sometimes offers fuel subsidies that reduce the price motorists pay when filling up.
During the first 10 days of January, the IEPS on regular gasoline will be 23 centavos lower at 6.22 pesos per liter thanks to a 3.57% government subsidy.
The 4.5% increase in the IEPS in 2025 also means alcoholic beverages will cost slightly more. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
During the same period, the IEPS on diesel will be 3 centavos lower at 7.06 pesos per liter thanks to a 0.37% government subsidy. There will be no subsidy for premium fuel during the first 10 days of 2025.
So, how much will you pay when filling up your vehicle in early 2025?
According to fuel market data cited by the El País newspaper, the average price in Mexico for one liter of fuel on Jan. 1 was as follows:
Regular gasoline: 24.04 pesos per liter (US $1.16 at the current exchange rate).
Premium gasoline: 25.38 pesos per liter (US $1.23).
Diesel: 25.73 pesos per liter (US $1.25).
Alcoholic beverages
The IEPS rate for alcoholic beverages varies depending on the alcohol content, or alcohol by volume (ABV).
The rate for beverages with an ABV up to 14% (beer and many wines) is lower than those for stronger beverages such as spirits.
Consumers should expect to pay slightly higher prices for alcohol as a result of the 4.5% increase to the IEPS.
Soda and other ‘flavored beverages’
The new IEPS for refrescos (soda/soft drinks) and other bebidas saborizadas (flavored beverages) is 1.64 pesos per liter, an increase of 7 centavos compared to 2024.
This Mexico City man’s smoking habit will cost him a bit more in 2025, but not much: a pack of 20 cigarettes will cost only about 1 peso more this year. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)
Cigarettes
In 2025, smokers will pay an IEPS of 64 centavos per cigarette, an increase of almost 3 centavos compared to 2024. The IEPS on a pack of 20 cigarettes is therefore almost 13 pesos, nearly 1 peso higher than in 2024.
Processed food
The IEPS also applies to processed foods such as potato chips, chocolate, peanut butter and candy. Such products will consequently be slightly more expensive in 2025.
Even before the higher IEPS rate took effect, Mexico’s largest baker, Grupo Bimbo, increased the price of some of its products by 1 peso. Those increases took effect Dec. 23, according to the newspaper La Jornada.
Therefore the price of such services will likely increase in 2025.
The post-holiday financial blues
While many Mexicans receive an aguinaldo payment (an annual entitlement for formal sector workers) in December, financial stress is common in the first month of the year
Higher-than-usual spending over the holiday period as well as price hikes that take effect in January leave many Mexicans struggling to make ends meet in January. The phenomenon is known as “La cuesta de enero,” which could be translated to English as the uphill struggle of January.
In addition to the increase in the IEPS on Jan. 1 2025, “tax cuts on food and energy will disappear” and “there will be new taxes on electronic cigarettes,” La Jornada reported.
