People in Brazil love avocados as much as they do in the United States, prompting the South American nation's government to issue a new protocol allowing imports of avocados from Mexico. (René Cadenas/Unsplash)
With a range of U.S.-imposed tariffs complicating northbound trade, Mexico is turning its attention southward as it welcomes Brazil as a new market for avocados, one of its strongest exports.
Brazil has adopted a new protocol that allows for the import of Mexican avocados, Mexico’s Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué Sacristán announced on Tuesday.
The avocado breakthrough comes at a time when Mexican and Brazilian officials have been working on building a stronger trade relationship. (Mauricio Villarreal/Unsplash)
“Good news! The Brazilian Agriculture Ministry has informed me that it has published a protocol allowing for the importation of Mexican avocados, the best in the world, to [our] sister nation, to the delight of its 200 million consumers,” Berdegué wrote on the X social media site.
Mexico is the largest global producer of avocados, contributing around 34% of the global volume, according to figures from Mexico’s National Committee of the Avocado Product System. The west-central Mexican state of Michoacán contributes around 84.9% of the country’s avocado production by volume, according to Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry.
Other avocado-producing states include Jalisco, México state, Nayarit, Morelos and Guerrero.
The new Brazil market, though significant, isn’t likely to put much of a dent in the United States’ lead in imports of Mexican avocados. The U.S. receives 80% of Mexico’s avocado exports by volume, followed by Canada with 7% and Japan with 3%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Brazil itself also grows avocados. Production of the fruit there has risen by 74.09% over the past five years, increasing from 242,723 tonnes in 2019 to 422,545 tonnes in 2023. The state of São Paulo contributes roughly 50% of the national total.
However, rising domestic demand has outpaced local production in recent years, which has led the South American country to import more avocados.
The implementation of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Plan México has supported initiatives that broaden Mexico’s trade links, including with South America.
Two-way trade between Mexico and Brazil was worth more than US $16 billion in 2023, according to the Economy Ministry. Brazil sold more than $12 billion worth of goods to Mexico, while Mexico’s exports to South America’s largest country totaled just over $4 billion.
Pfizer labels, stores and distributes products to 10 Latin American countries and regions from its Toluca plant. (Shutterstock)
Global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer plans to use its facility in Toluca, México state, to revive vaccine awareness in Mexico and become a key vaccine supplier in the Latin American region, according to the manufacturing site leader of the Pfizer Toluca Manufacturing Plant, Diana Cruz Salazar.
¿Cómo es un centro de manufactura de medicinas por dentro?
“We are very interested in promoting vaccination, not only in Mexico but worldwide,” Cruz Salazar said in an interview with the newspaper El Economista. “Interest in getting vaccinated has decreased, and we are very interested in reaching every person … and prevent[ing] diseases that constantly threaten us.”
The decline in vaccinations can be traced to a global shortage of vaccines, but misinformation also plays a large part.
Vaccination of young children in Mexico has dipped to around 78 or 80%, compared to 95% a few years ago, Dr. César Martínez Longoria, a specialist in pediatrics and pediatric infectious disease, said during a recent Pfizer panel entitled “From Birth to Aging: Vaccines for Life.”
Martínez blamed that decline partially on parents not understanding the importance of vaccinating their children, including for illnesses that no longer exist in Mexico, such as diphtheria and polio.
“They ask why they should vaccinate their child against something that isn’t in Mexico,” Dr. Martínez said. “It doesn’t exist here because we’ve continued to vaccinate against it.”
Due to misinformation, vaccination of young children in Mexico has dipped to around 78 or 80%, compared to 95% a few years ago. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
Pfizer’s pneumococcus vaccine will be manufactured in Ireland before being shipped to its Toluca plant to be labelled and packaged for distribution.
Pfizer labels, stores and distributes products to 10 Latin American countries and regions: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Central America, from its Toluca facility.
The New York-based pharmaceutical company invests between US $12 million and $15 million in its Toluca plant each year, where it employs 420 people and has an annual manufacturing capacity of 194 million units.
In January, Pfizer Mexico announced plans to increase its investment in Mexico, particularly in clinical research. Pfizer’s Medical Affairs Director Yéssika Moreno said that President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration’s plans to improve the regulatory environment for clinical research in the country make it more attractive for Pfizer to invest.
According to a Department of Homeland Security official, over 27,000 drones were detected within 500 meters of the U.S. southern border with Mexico in the last six months of 2024. (ramirezlalo_/Instagram)
A senior Trump administration official said Tuesday that “it’s only a matter of time” before Mexican criminal organizations carry out drone attacks against U.S. citizens and law enforcement authorities.
Steven Willoughby, acting director of the Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Management Office in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), made the assertion during an appearance before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
“Nearly every day, transnational criminal organizations use drones to convey illicit narcotics and contraband across U.S. borders and to conduct hostile surveillance of law enforcement,” he said.
“In the last six months of 2024, over 27,000 drones were detected within 500 meters of the U.S. southern border, operating nearly 60,000 unique flights, the majority of which were conducted at night or at restricted altitudes,” Willoughby said.
After highlighting that drones have increasingly been used around the world “to conduct kinetic attacks” and noting that “warring” cartels have used the unmanned aircraft to attack each other, the DHS official declared that “it’s only a matter of time before Americans or law enforcement are targeted in the border region [with Mexico].”
“In Ukraine and Russia, the extensive use of drones in the ongoing war has further demonstrated their lethality and versatility. … As my colleagues here can attest to, the threat of weaponized UAS [unmanned aircraft system] attacks is also a concern right here in the United States,” Willoughby said.
🚨Funcionarios de EU advierten que cárteles mexicanos podrían atacar con drones a sus fuerzas
👉🏼“Es cuestión de tiempo antes de que civiles o policías de EU sean blanco en la frontera”, alerta Steven Willoughby, jefe del programa anti-drones de la Oficina de Estrategia,… pic.twitter.com/9pPaYC3iSe
In written testimony submitted to the U.S. Senate Committee on the judiciary, the official said that:
Since 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and officers have seized thousands of pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl and other hard narcotics that drug traffickers have attempted to transport through thousands of cross-border drone flights.
Since early August 2024, warring Sinaloa Cartel factions have increasingly attacked one another using drone-delivered improvised explosive devices.
DHS’s authority to detect and counter drone threats will expire on September 30, 2025 — and we need urgent Congressional action to ensure the continued protection of our nation.
For his part, the head of the FBI’s anti-drones program told the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary that the United States is “doing things with the Mexican government [and] the Mexican armed forces” to combat the threat of drones in the border area.
“We’re sending people down there to train them on drone exploitation and the principles … of effective counter-UAS,” Michael Torphy said.
Drone exploitation is the use of drones for malicious and criminal purposes.
Torphy said that the United States is “delivering best practices” to Mexico “to keep them safer” and to “fight the war” against criminal organizations.
“But then we’re bringing back the things that they’re learning in their country because inevitably that will come into our country and we’ll be better prepared,” he said.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said in February that U.S. drone flights over Mexico only occur after the government of Mexico has requested them in order to obtain information to be able to respond to prevailing “security conditions.”
Sheinbaum: No reports of ‘new drones’ at the Mexico-US border
At her Wednesday morning press conference, Sheinbaum was asked whether the Mexican government has detected the illicit operation of drones near the Mexico-U.S. border and whether it is collaborating with the U.S. government to combat the unmanned aerial vehicles.
President Sheinbaum was asked about the drone operations at her Wednesday morning press conference. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
“At some point there was a drone that didn’t cross, let’s say, the border,” she said, adding that there is “permanent collaboration” between Mexico and the United States on security issues, especially at the border.
“There is no information of new drones that are at the border at this time,” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum asserted that “there is nothing in particular” to be concerned about “at this moment,” offering a rebuttal to Willoughby’s assertion that a drone attack against U.S. citizens or law enforcement is “only a matter of time.”
There is “communication” and “collaboration” between Mexico and the United States, she stressed.
“There is no reason for additional concern,” Sheinbaum said.
Research has led to a boost in the protein content of nopal, furthering its suitability as forage. (Magdalena Montiel/Cuartoscuro)
As drought conditions persist in northern Mexico, agricultural authorities and livestock producers are turning to nopal — the prickly pear cactus, and specifically its edible pads — as a sustainable, affordable solution for livestock feed.
In the northeastern border state of Tamaulipas, officials last month hosted a workshop titled “Nopal Protein Feed for Livestock: An Affordable, Drought-Resilient Solution” in the municipalities of Llera and Tula, aiming to equip farmers with technical knowledge on cactus-based feeding strategies.
The benefits of nopal as livestock feed include its inherent drought resistance and its ability to thrive in harsh conditions. (Gobierno de la Ciudad de México/Cuartoscuro)
The benefits of nopal — including its inherent drought resistance and its ability to thrive in harsh conditions — make it an attractive and economical option for livestock feed.
“We know that the cactus is an alternative food for livestock, especially due to its protein content,” said René Lara Cisneros, mayor of Tula. “We live in times when the countryside demands innovation, efficiency and sustainability, and the cactus is a noble, resilient plant with a long tradition.”
The initiative, led by the state’s Department of Rural Development, Fisheries and Aquaculture, includes a commitment to providing practical tools to bolster rural productivity.
Two of the main speakers were Francisco Javier Macías Rodríguez, an agronomist at Chapingo Autonomous University (UACh) in México state, and Santiago de Jesús Méndez Gallegos, a specialist on goat farming and forage management.
The benefits they spoke of extend beyond Tamaulipas.
In the northwestern border state of Sonora, the Navojoa Livestock Association has held similar workshops in conjunction with national agencies — including a 2021 project addressing the demands of livestock farmers in the face of water scarcity.
Jorge Luis García Rodríguez, regional director for the National Commission for Arid Zones, explained: “We seek to reduce water consumption in forage production and are turning to [UACh] to strengthen the cultivation of forage cactus, which uses only a quarter of the water required by forage corn or alfalfa.”
Advances from research have boosted the protein content of cactus forage to commercial levels as high as 36% to 42%, and producers report significant savings on fodder purchases.
However, promoting its adoption requires robust technical support for producers in states and regions where drought has intensified the forage crisis.
Many areas are hoping for some relief when the rains come, but for a growing number of farmers, resilience means embracing drought-tolerant alternatives like nopal.
The port of Veracruz, which moves over 30 million tonnes of cargo each year, will receive 10.2 billion pesos in public investment and 10.44 billion pesos in private investment, according to Mexico's Naval Ministry. (Shutterstock)
Navy Minister Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles said Wednesday that the federal government is investing more than 55 billion pesos to modernize six ports, 22 billion pesos more than the figure announced in late 2024.
Speaking at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference, Morales said that the government investment in ports in Ensenada, Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Acapulco, Veracruz and Progreso “will attract private investment of 241.05 billion pesos” (US $12.95 billion).
The private investment figure he cited includes spending to upgrade the six aforesaid ports as well as the ports in Guaymas, Topolobambo and Altamira.
Combined, the public investment — 55.18 billion pesos (US $2.96 billion) — and private investment in the ports amount to 296.23 billion pesos (US $15.91 billion).
The navy minister noted that projects are also planned for, or already being carried out in, ports in other parts of the country, including those in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, located on opposite sides of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
“We believe that at the end of this administration [in 2030] we’ll have a competitive and efficient national port system in line with the needs of the country,” Morales said.
They include the construction of new terminals in Manzanillo, which will enable the port to become the No. 1 port in Latin America in terms of “the movement of containers,” according to Morales.
Navy minister: Consultation on port projects to be carried out in Ensenada
Morales said that the “main vocation” of the port in Ensenada is tourism, adding that the government wants to move its cargo and fishing operations to the nearby port in El Sauzal.
He said that “some environmentalists” are opposed to the plan and consequently the government will carry out a “consultation of the population in Ensenada so that we all agree.”
“… The issue is with surfers,” Morales said, noting that El Sauzal is a popular surfing location.
He subsequently asserted that “the waves are moving more toward the north.”
Consequently, the construction of a new 20-million-peso “linear park” is planned in order to provide access to a beach (Playa San Miguel) “with better conditions for surfing,” Morales said.
“… These two projects, both the linear park and the [4.9-billion-peso] development of the El Sauzal port, are subject to three things,” he said.
Morales mentioned two of those things, saying that the local population and “port users” must agree to the projects and that environmental impact studies pertaining to them must be carried out first.
The projects won’t start until “we have all the completed studies,” he said.
The navy minister didn’t say when the proposed public consultation process in Ensenada would commence.
In a statement issued last week, the Committee of the Bahía de Todos Santos World Surfing Reserve said that it was “categorically” opposed to “any attempt to legitimize … [the El Sauzal] project through simulated or manipulated participative processes disguised as dialogue with citizens.”
“… We make a strong and urgent call to the Government of Mexico to refrain from promoting contrived public consultations that [only] simulate openness. Instead, we urge the government to open a real social and environmental dialogue, based on scientific evidence, respect for the environmental legal framework, and the rights of the communities who inhabit and protect this territory,” the committee said.
“The sea is not up for consultation. The territory is not negotiable. The World Surfing Reserve is an international recognition that must be respected,” it added.
An Ensenada-San Diego ferry service is coming, but it’s not clear when
One of the proposed private sector projects in Ensenada is the construction of a ferry terminal, where services from San Diego would arrive.
“We’re going to have private investment of 1.5 billion pesos for a ferry terminal,” Morales said.
“What we’re seeking in Ensenada is to transport passengers from Ensenada to San Diego. We already have the boat,” he said.
According to an image Morales displayed, construction of the terminal is slated to commence in January 2026 and conclude in December 2028.
The navy minister noted that construction of a separate “passenger marine terminal” in the Ensenada port is underway. That project is 75% complete and will be finished next month, according to information presented by Morales.
The director of the Ensenada port, Admiral Luis Javier Robinson Portillo Villanueva, said a few weeks ago that a ferry service between Ensenada and San Diego would commence operations on July 24, but that appears to have been wishful thinking.
The service is to be operated by a company called Azteca Ferries, whose website is not fully operational as of July 23. Tickets are not yet on sale and it appears their prices have not been set.
Robinson said that the journey between Ensenada and San Diego will take just 90 minutes, and that ferries will initially dock at a provisional terminal in Ensenada.
Jalisco means Tequila, but that doesn't mean there aren't equally great grapes (and eats) available to the epicurious. (Dawn Stoner)
Jalisco is famous as the birthplace of tequila, and while there’s no denying Guadalajara consumes a lot of agave spirits, that doesn’t mean wine drinkers in the heart of the Bajío are out of luck.
Though Guadalajara still lacks the thriving wine bar scene of Mexico City, a new wave of bottle shops and bars have opened in the past two years. It seems like wine culture may at last be taking root here.
Food, music and great grapes. Those are the things that make a really great wine bar experience. (Roothouse/Instagram)
What makes a great wine bar?
In my book it’s someplace that’s all about the grape. A great wine bar isn’t a bar selling wine alongside a cocktail program; it’s a spot with knowledgeable staff offering wines not found elsewhere, with food meant to be paired with wine in a setting conducive to conversation.
With that in mind, below are my top five places in Guadalajara to enjoy a good glass of wine.
Roothouse
Tucked away on a quiet street in the Colonia Americana, Roothouse has an elegant, low-key ambience. Since its opening in 2023, it has developed a strong following.
The wine list contains both old and new world wines, but skews towards European labels. We enjoyed a light, refreshing Crémant from Loire, a stunning Tuscan red blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and a full-bodied Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero.
Roothouse’s food is an ideal complement to its wines: Spanish-inspired tapas, small pizzas and a few large plates. Our pizza was prepared with goat cheese, cherry tomatoes and peppers. I love that they use double-zero flour, which produces a chewy and delicious crust every time.
Indoor tables are generously spaced and low-lit, ideal for quality conversation. Or just relax and sip while you take in lo-fi jazz and trip hop on the sound system. The outdoor, partially covered patio in back is more convivial, with live jazz musicians on weekends.
Juan Ruiz de Alarcón 92, Colonia Americana, Lafayette
El Corcho
(El Corcho/Facebook)
I first visited El Corcho, another Colonia Americana staple, about three years ago, not long after relocating to Guadalajara. While I loved its well curated wine list, the ambience felt a bit spartan.
Owner Nahum Camacho decided to spruce things up in early 2025, and the place has a new energy. With tan suede banquettes, soft lighting and a menu overhaul, El Corcho is now a cozy and cool spot worthy of a date night.
The wine list skews European, with a particular affinity for Italian reds from lesser-known regions like Puglia and Campania. Like most other wine bars in town, Mexican wines are oddly overlooked. Perhaps the cosmopolitan young Tapatíos who frequent these spots just feel sexier drinking imports?
Wines rotate regularly, with about two dozen options by the bottle and four to five by the glass. I had a memorable red made from the seldom seen Nero di Troia grape, while my husband quaffed a refreshing rose of Aglianico.
Unlike some wine bars where you leave hungry, El Corcho’s kitchen consistently turns out sophisticated and delicious plates.
Our favorite dishes here are the pan-seared cauliflower with artichoke cream sauce, almonds and parsley; the tomato salad with extra virgin olive oil, pistachios, parmesan, goat cheese and aged grapefruit; and the mussels with pomme fries.
Argentina 15, Colonia Americana
LAVID Cava y Copa
(LaVid)
Without a doubt, LAVID is the swankiest wine bar in Guadalajara — and probably all of Jalisco. Its floor-to-ceiling blond wood shelves display fine wines from prestigious vintners, Riedel glassware and a small library’s worth of wine books.
Whenever I visit, I half expect to see Anna Wintour seated at the marble U-shaped bar, sipping champagne. LAVID is a place with serious wines for beautiful people with money to burn.
It can all seem a bit intimidating. But the staff are welcoming and unpretentious, so it’s worth a stop before or after dinner in Andares.
This is your go-to spot for hard-to-find Super Tuscans, Napa Cabernets, Ribera del Duero Tempranillos, and top wines from Valle de Guadalupe. There are coveted bottles from storied wineries like Stag’s Leap, Marchesi Antinori and Viña Tondonia that will cost you a pretty penny, as well as premium pours from their Coravin.
Upstairs, an inviting lounge is the perfect spot for a private soirée. On Thursday nights, a younger, smartly dressed crowd descends to sip and socialize while enjoying live DJ sets.
If you’re short on time, just grab a bottle to go. And don’t miss the tiny tins of caviar! Visit LAVID’s Instagram for information on seasonal flights and upcoming tastings.
Blvd. Puerta de Hierro 5225, Puerta de Hierro, Zapopan
La Cave Liberté
(La Cave Liberté/Instagram)
On the grittier south end of Colonia Americana sits a tiny gem of a wine bar called La Cave Liberté, run by a Frenchman named Louis. I started visiting this place late last year, after hearing foodie expats rave about it.
As a Guadalajara resident for the past three years, I’d resigned myself to foregoing my favorite French wines and artisanal French cheeses as too exotic to find here. But with the opening of La Cave Liberté, I found those things, as well as a kindred spirit in Louis.
Louis — whose main gig is poker — decided to open the wine bar as a passion project. His wines are 99 percent French, with bottles from lesser-known regions like Alsace and Loire, along with perennial favorites Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Prices range from US $20 white blends to triple digit Burgundies. No matter what you choose, it’s still cheaper than a flight to Paris!
La Cave Liberté’s wines are wonderful, but what makes it extra-special is the artisanal cheese, sourced mostly from France, along with a few gems from Mexico. Customize a plate and pair it with these unique wines for a next-level sensory experience.
On our last visit we devoured a creamy Pirámidede Cabra from Queretaro, a pungent Roquefort, and Têtede Moine, a melt-in-your-mouth Swiss mountain cheese.
All bottles, cheeses and charcuterie can be purchased to take away. Check out LCL’s Instagram for upcoming tasting events. And like any worthwhile French bistro, dogs are welcome too.
Libertad 1416b, Colonia Americana
Rayuela Bodega de Vino
(Rayuela Bodega de Vino)
Rayuela is a cozy, under-the-radar spot in the leafy Colonia Moderna, south of Guadalajara Centro. Its vibe is bohemian chic, with unmatching wooden tables, a vintage stereo system playing jazz-hip hop fusion and a shaded garden patio.
Unlike pretty much everywhere else, Rayuela devotes its attention to biodynamic and natural wines, paired with exceptionally tasty Italian-inspired dishes.
The bottle list is refreshingly arranged by style, not region. Reds are grouped as light, robust and complex or structured and interesting, with tasting notes for each bottle to help you decide.
Italian wine fans are well taken care of here, with bottles from France, Spain and Austria as well. If you can’t decide, staff are happy to make a recommendation. You can also visit Rayuela’s cellar to explore more options.
We chose a funky natural sparkling Pét Nat of Durello, from the Veneto region, to pair with a stunning burrata and tomato salad, and a Grenache-Syrah blend from the RhôneValley to pair with wild mushroom pappardelle pasta.
While it’s a little off the beaten path, Rayuela is a charming spot worthy of a detour. If I lived nearby, I’d definitely be a regular.
Av. Alemania 1779, Moderna
Honorable mentions
Three other wine bars in Guadalajara I recommend visiting if you’re thirsty for more are La Mantequería in Andares, for top Valle de Guadalupe wines; Romeain Americana, for European wines; and Cava Charmat in Monraz, for Mexican and imported wines.
After discovering that life in Mexico was a lot more fun than working in Corporate America, Dawn Stoner moved to Guadalajara in 2022, where she lives with her husband, two cats and Tapatío rescue dog. Her blog livewellmexico.com helps expats live their best life south of the border.
Tijuana has broken the record for the world’s largest margarita, among other stories from the north of the Peninsula. (Turisteando Tijuana)
Tijuana’s 136th anniversary celebrations this year are a perfect reflection of the city’s history and culture. No, I’m not referring to the symbolic cake cutting or concerts featuring big-name musical acts, although these certainly took place as part of the festivities scheduled around July 11, the official date on which Tijuana was founded in 1889.
Nope, I’m talking about Tijuana making the world’s largest margarita.
How Baja California made cocktail history
There are many origin stories for the margarita, one of the world’s most popular cocktails, and virtually all of them are set in Baja California.
The growing consensus among cocktail historians is that the iconic Mexican sipper grew out of Tijuana’s raucous bar scene during the 1920s and early ’30s, when Southern Californians looking to escape Prohibition in the United States would cross the border to slake their thirst for forbidden libations.
A favorite was the daisy, a cocktail made with many liquors, but first mixed with tequila in Tijuana; “daisy” in Spanish is “margarita,” and thus, a new cocktail legend was born.
Tijuana takes the invention of the margarita seriously, just as it does the homegrown Caesar salad, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. So it must have galled city officials that the record for the world’s largest margarita had, since 2011, resided on the other side of the border in Sin City.
Dubbed “Lucky Rita,” the 32,176-liter cocktail was constructed contemporaneously with the opening of the Margaritaville Casino at the Flamingo Las Vegas.
Tijuana, the true home of the margarita, was up to the challenge of retaking the record. The Tijuana version was called Margarita Cachanilla in honor of its tequila sponsor. Cachanilla, which produces its Agave tequilana distilled liquors in Amatitán, Jalisco, but is headquartered in — you guessed it — Tijuana.
Before Tijuana broke the record for the world’s largest margarita, it had been held since 2011 by Margaritaville, a casino in Las Vegas. Sin City’s giant cocktail measured 8,500 US gallons. (Guinness World Records)
In addition to topping Las Vegas in quality, Tijuana also bested it in volume, officially capturing the Guinness World Record when its enormous lime-garnished cocktail reached 34,419 liters. For context, that’s enough to pour out two-ounce shots for over 360,000 people.
How was this monster beverage made, you may ask? It took the efforts of over 300 student volunteers from local universities to assemble the concoction, which was stored in a steel tank 8 meters high and contained 8,890 liters of Cachanilla tequila, over 4,000 bottles of Triple Sec, oceans of fresh lime juice and Felipe’s Sea Salt.
If these proportions seem about right, that’s because they had to be. Susan Reyes was on hand as a representative of Guinness World Records to authenticate the feat and ensure several key benchmarks were met. One was that the proportions were the same as a normal-sized margarita. Based on the tank’s cooling and stirring systems, it was estimated that the monster margarita would remain fresh and drinkable for about three days.
Tijuana, we salute you.
Baja California’s wine harvest festival arrives soon
Dates for the 35th Fiestas de la Vendimia (Wine Harvest Festival) are set: July 30 through Aug. 24. Yes, that’s more than three weeks long, and the list of events, for which tickets can be purchased individually, is very lengthy. It’s also very popular. Last year, over 120,000 people attended affiliated events and activities in Ensenada and Valle de Guadalupe.
The Concurso de Paellas is a delicious conclusion to Baja California’s annual wine harvest festival, which begins at the very end of July. (Provino Baja California)
Wine has been made on the Baja California peninsula since Jesuit missionaries planted vineyards in the 17th and 18th centuries. However, the first commercial winery in Baja California wasn’t established until 1888. That was Bodegas de Santo Tomás, which remains one of the state’s best producers.
Official and unofficial events have commemorated the annual harvest of wine grapes for more than a century and predate the formation of Provino Baja California, which promotes the region’s wines and organizes Fiestas de la Vendimia. The first of these was the Primera Gran Feria de la Cosecha de la Uva, held in Valle de Guadalupe, the heart of Baja’s wine country, in 1963. Other harvest festival precursors to the Fiestas de Vendimia continued throughout the 1970s and 80s.
As the current festival has grown, so too has the regional wine industry. Only a handful of wineries participated in the first Fiestas de la Vendimia in 1990, and as recently as 2006, there were fewer than 25 wineries in all of Mexico. Today, there is over triple that number in Baja California alone, with the state accounting for over 70% of the nation’s wine production. As an example of this growth, over 80 wineries are expected to participate in this year’s wine harvest festivities, showcasing 160 labels.
The most famous event at Fiestas de la Vendimia is undoubtedly the Concurso de Paellas, a contest in which teams compete to make the best paella, to the gustatory benefit of those who’ve bought tickets. This is the concluding event of the festival and has been since its very first edition in 1990. Over 2,500 people attended in 2023 and 2024, and during the prepandemic years such as 2019, as many as 7,000 attendees turned out.
The paellas that feed festivalgoers are prepared by the 90 or so teams competing for first prize, an honor accompanied by a trophy and prizes Some teams feature professional chefs while others are made up of family members working off of recipes handed down over generations. But all have to follow the same rules, using pans of the same size and the same quantities of rice. Determining the winner, meanwhile, are over three dozen judges, who evaluate entrants based on both quality and presentation.
This being a wine festival, wine pairing options are abundant for the paellas. Tickets for the upcoming Concurso de Paellas, held at winery Viña de Liceaga on Aug. 17, cost 1,450 pesos per person, with children 12 and under admitted free. Tickets for this and other events at this year’s Fiestas de la Vendimia are available through Provino. However, this doesn’t include the kickoff Salón del Vino 2025 on July 30, which offers food from 10 top area restaurants and wines from 72 wineries at the Hotel Coral y Marina in Ensenada, but is invitation only.
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.
"We know that there are some Mexicans in this detention center and we're insisting that they be deported [to Mexico] immediately," President Sheinbaum said on Tuesday. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
The detention of Mexicans at the “Alligator Alcatraz” prison in the U.S. state of Florida and a reduction in the robbery of freight trucks were among the issues discussed at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Tuesday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s July 22 mañanera.
Sheinbaum: Mexicans detained at Alligator Alcatraz should be ‘immediately’ repatriated
A reporter noted that Human Rights Watch (HRW) published testimonies of people who have been detained at immigration detention centers in the United States.
Along with the organizations Americans for Immigrant Justice and Sanctuary of the South, HRW published a 92-page report on Monday entitled “‘You Feel Like Your Life Is Over’: Abusive Practices at Three Florida Immigration Detention Centers Since January 2025.”
The report “documents that people detained at Krome North Service Processing Center (Krome), Broward Transitional Center (BTC), and the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Miami have been held in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, subjected to degrading treatment, and have not been given access to prompt and adequate medical care,” HRW said.
Sheinbaum didn’t comment on the report, but highlighted that her government sent a diplomatic note to its U.S. counterpart when it announced in early 2025 that it would send migrants to the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
🚨Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz just toured “Alligator Alcatraz” and came out shaking: “It’s 34 people per cage. They drink, brush, and defecate in the same tiny unit. The photos don’t come close to the stench of it.”
She said earlier this year that her government told the Trump administration in the note that “no Mexican should be sent anywhere except Mexico.”
On Tuesday, the president said that her government sent another diplomatic note to its U.S. counterpart when it announced last month that it would detain undocumented immigrants at a facility in the Florida Everglades called “Alligator Alcatraz” due to the presence of the reptiles in the surrounding marshland.
Sheinbaum said that in the second note, her government expressed its view that any Mexican detained in the United States should be deported immediately and not held at Alligator Alcatraz.
“We know that there are some Mexicans in this detention center and we’re insisting that they be deported [to Mexico] immediately,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that Mexico’s consulates in the United States are investigating to determine whether any Mexicans held by U.S. authorities have suffered violations of their human rights.
“If that is the case, the protocol that must be followed will be followed,” she said.
“But what we’ve requested is that they be deported immediately in order to repatriate them.”
Consul of Mexico in Orlando Juan Sabines Guerrero said he would advise Mexican authorities to consider issuing a travel alert for Mexican tourists to Orlando following a meeting with the father of Carlos and Alejandro Martín González, Mexican citizens with valid U.S. visas who were detained by immigration officials and sent to Alligator Alcatraz. (@Juansabinesg/X)
Asked how many Mexicans are detained at Alligator Alcatraz, Sheinbaum said the number was 14.
“All steps are being taken to have them repatriated immediately. A diplomatic note was sent, and from the Embassy of Mexico in the United States and the consulates, we’re insisting that they be integrated into Mexico as soon as possible,” she said.
Robbery of freight trucks down 22% in 2025
National Guard Commander Hernán Cortés Hernández reported that the number of robberies of freight trucks on Mexico’s highways declined 22.41% in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period of last year.
Data he presented showed there were 3,126 robberies between January and June, down from 4,029 in the first half of 2024.
Cortés said that in order to combat the crime of highway robbery “with greater force,” Sheinbaum ordered the implementation of “Zero Robbery” plans on the Mexico City-Querétaro, Mexico City-Puebla and Mazatlán-Culiacán highways.
He said that 29% of robberies targeting freight trucks occur on the Mexico City-Querétaro and Mexico City-Puebla highways, while the beefing up of security on the Mazatlán-Culiacán highway is due to the “particular situation” in Sinaloa, where rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel are engaged in a bloody war.
The National Guard (GN) chief outlined the plans to combat robberies on the aforementioned highways, noting that hundreds of troops and GN vehicles have been deployed to them, and highlighting that their efforts will be supported by helicopters and drones.
“With this deployment of troops and [surveillance] means we’re seeking to reduce even more the incidence of robberies of freight and private vehicles,” Cortés said.
The robbery of freight trucks and other vehicles has long been a problem in Mexico. In early 2024, the then-president of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers said that the crime — which includes the hijacking of trucks in some cases — costs the economy over 7 billion pesos (US $375 million) per year.
Sheinbaum highlights security survey results
Early in the press conference, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported that authorities have arrested more than 26,000 people for high-impact crimes since the current government took office on Oct. 1. He said that 204 tonnes of drugs and 14,000 firearms have been seized in the same period.
Sheinbaum presented a poll on Tuesday in which 56% of respondents said that the security situation has improved (52%) since she took office or remains “just as good” (4%) as before. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
Later in the mañanera, a reporter noted that 63% of respondents to a recent poll said that Sheinbaum’s efforts to combat insecurity in Mexico have been good or very good.
“It’s a well-known polling company, and the question is whether the [security] situation has improved,” Sheinbaum said.
She noted that 56% of respondents said that the security situation has improved (52%) since she took office or remains “just as good” (4%) as before.
Among the other results Sheinbaum highlighted were those that showed that 53% of respondents said that her efforts to combat insecurity have been good and an additional 10% said that those efforts have been “very good.”
Asked how she felt about the results of the survey — for which 1,000 people across Mexico responded to questions during interviews at their homes — the president responded:
“We have to keep working. … As long as people continue to feel unsafe in any part of the Republic we have to keep working. And, furthermore, [combating insecurity] is our job and we’re doing it every day.”
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
In 2024, the annual vaquita census expedition co-led by the nongovernmental organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Mexico’s Natural Protected Areas Commission (CONANP) returned only six to eight specimens. (Shutterstock)
Recent monitoring in Mexico’s Gulf of California has detected the presence of vaquita on 41 occasions, suggesting that government efforts to protect the critically endangered porpoise may be working.
Starting in May, the regional Intragovernmental Group on Sustainability (GIS) has conducted acoustic monitoring in strategic points off the coast of San Felipe, Baja California, to better understand where the vaquita seeks natural refuge and assist future census missions.
Vaquitas are shy, small porpoises native to the Gulf of California. Their population has severely declined over the last two decades, largely due to a boom in the illegal fishing of totoaba.
In 2024, the annual vaquita census expedition co-led by the nongovernmental organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Mexico’s Natural Protected Areas Commission (CONANP) returned only six to eight specimens, down from between eight and 13 in 2023.
However, sound monitoring operations carried out in the upper Gulf of California have logged 41 acoustic encounters with the vaquita, representing a step forward in conservation.
An acoustic encounter is like a ping that helps scientists map the location of mammals like the vaquita, which emit sounds at a higher frequency than is detectable by the human ear.
The number of acoustic encounters does not directly confirm that there are 41 vaquita in the upper Gulf of California — the same vaquita may trigger an acoustic encounter more than once — though the high number of encounters means the vaquita population is likely larger than recorded in 2024.
“We have new records, more records, and I think that is a sign of hope,” said the Environment Ministry’s Deputy Minister of Biodiversity and Restoration Marina Robles García on Wednesday, during the GIS’s second session of 2025.
“There is a juvenile that had not been seen for six or eight years, and that tells us that there may be other areas that are being used as refuge by the vaquita.”
Annual Sea Shepherd observation cruises will be carried out from Sept. 3 to 13 in the region to conduct a new population census.
Alejandro Olivera, the Mexican representative for the Center for Biological Diversity, does not expect the vaquita population to increase substantially in 2025, however.
Given the prior census figures and the fact that the vaquita’s gestation period is longer than a year, repopulation will be a gradual process, he said in an interview with the newspaper La Jornada.
Staff of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on the 2023 vaquita survey mission. Since 2015, the NGO has been working with the Mexican government to protect the vaquita porpoise in the Gulf of California, the critically endangered marine mammal’s only habitat. (Conamp/X)
On Friday, the Environment Ministry (Semarnat) announced that it had strengthened its conservation efforts to include maritime patrols, ghost net removal, environmental education, sustainable production alternatives and scientific monitoring, in coordination with state and local actors.
While conservation efforts have improved in recent years, Olivera stressed the need to enhance efforts in line with the 2023 Action Plan.
The installation of geolocation systems on small vessels, the use of alternative fishing nets, coordination with Interpol to stop poaching and greater organization among the governments of Mexico, the United States and China to prevent the illegal trafficking of totoaba could enhance conservation work, according to Olivera.
This year's edition of GIFF features 18 world premieres and 51 Mexican premieres. (GIFF)
Set to open Friday, the 28th Guanajuato International Film Festival (GIFF) will be showcasing 206 films from 61 countries during an 11-day run in three cities: Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Irapuato.
This year’s edition — themed “In Free Fall” and inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 renowned psychological thriller “Vertigo” — includes a focus on the role of artificial intelligence in cinema.
Mexican director Emilio Portes Castro’s psychological thriller “No dejes a los niños solos” (“Don’t Leave the Children Alone”) will open the Irapuato segment of the festival on Aug. 1. (GIFF)
With over 4,000 submissions received, the selection committee settled on a program that includes 18 world premieres and 51 Mexican premieres.
Pretty much every screening — including a late-night showing of two horror films in Guanajuato city’s old Santa Paula Cemetery — is free, with seats offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
The San Miguel de Allende portion of the festival will run from Tuesday, July 29 through Thursday, July 31, officially opening with the U.S. production “Omaha” at the Cinemex la Luciérnaga. It’s about a middle-America family searching for a better life during the tough economic times of 2008.
U.S. director Cole Webley’s “Omaha” (in English with Spanish subtitles), a road movie that follows a family struggling with an economic downturn, will open the San Miguel de Allende portion of the festival. (GIFF)
The Aug. 1-4 lineup in Irapuato officially opens with “No dejes a los niños solos” (“Don’t Leave the Children Alone”), a Mexican psychological thriller about a 10-year-old and his 7-year-old brother being left at home alone. It will screen at Teatro de la Ciudad on Friday, Aug. 1.
Other highlights of GIFF 2025 include the Epicentro program (with immersive virtual reality experiences, plus panels and workshops focused on filmmaking technology and the use of A.I.) and the panel “Women in Innovation” (featuring four Mexican women in cutting-edge professions, including Glenda Michel, who leads tech and AI projects at Facebook’s parent company, Meta).
Notable figures in Mexico cinema will be honored with awards, including actress Verónica Castro, who played the matriarch Virginia de la Mora in the first season of the popular Netflix comedy series “La Casa de las Flores,” and TV producer Rosy Ocampo, who adapted the global hit “Ugly Betty” into “La Fea Más Bella” (“The Prettiest Ugly Girl”), a hugely popular telenovela comedy in Mexico.
Legendary Mexican singer Emmanuel will be celebrated Sunday in the Music + Film program, and other awards will go to cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, actress Arcelia Ramírez and director-screenwriter Carlos Carrera, all Mexicans.
Highlight entries from Mexico’s Cinematographic Training Center include “Mudanza” and shorts such as “Amare” and “Gasolina,” which explore emotional reconnections, family fractures and magical realism.
