Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium is gearing up to become the first stadium to host matches for three separate FIFA World Cup tournaments. But it has not been smooth sailing. In late March, the Sipse news agency revealed that FIFA — soccer’s world governing body — was disappointed with the pace of the required stadium renovations. One source claimed Azteca was six months behind schedule, in part because Club América resisted changing stadiums mid-season. The stadium has hosted the World Cup finals twice, in 1970 and 1986. Azteca Stadium box owners say FIFA has never demanded their seats ..read more

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) this week announced a long-term project to discover and register sunken ships off ​​Baja California’s Pacific coast. Once underway, one of the project’s main targets will be the SS Sacramento, a sidewheel steamer built in 1864 that made passenger and cargo trips from New York to San Francisco until 1872, when it sank about 250 kilometers south of Ensenada. A rare image published in 1866 of the Sacramento, a passenger steamship based in San Francisco that passed through Baja California waters regularly on its route between San Franc ..read more

Nine people were arrested in connection with an outbreak of violence outside a university campus in México state on Wednesday. A 19-year-old man died at the scene, but authorities attributed his death to a fall rather than the clash between students from different educational institutions. The government of Naucalpan, a municipality in the metropolitan area of greater Mexico City, said in a statement that municipal police arrested eight men and a woman “for their probable participation” in the “violent events” that occurred outside the Naucalpan campus of the National Autonomous University’s C ..read more

With Thursday turning out to be another scorcher, people across Mexico are hoping for relief from a heat wave that has already been blamed for at least two deaths and has strained the national power grid. The heat wave’s soaring temperatures have prompted greater demand for electricity throughout Mexico and mass power outages affected many cities on Tuesday and Wednesday. Moped riders in Mexico City beat the heat wave with an umbrella to shield themselves from record-breaking temperatures in Mexico Wednesday. (Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro) The high temperatures have been fatal in Oaxaca — sta ..read more

Headline inflation in Mexico increased for a second consecutive month in April to reach its highest level since January. The national statistics agency INEGI reported Thursday that the annual headline rate was 4.65% in April, up from 4.42% in March. The rate — the highest since a 4.88% reading in January — was slightly above the 4.63% consensus forecast of analysts surveyed by Citibanamex. Month-over-month inflation was 0.20% in April, while the closely watched annual core inflation rate, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, declined for a 15th consecutive month to reach 4.37%, down ..read more

Mérida, the vibrant, sweltering capital of the state of Yucatán, is currently experiencing a booming real estate market, attractive to local and foreign investors alike. Potential buyers are lured by the city’s cultural wealth, its ranking as the safest city in the safest state in Mexico and its proximity to the Mayan ruins, cenotes, and beaches that highlight the peninsula.  As a result, Mérida real estate is proving to be extremely desirable for those seeking a new life in the sun. With over 1 million residents and counting, Mérida retains a uniquely yucatense charm, with a vibrant cult ..read more

Mole, a rich and complex sauce deeply embedded in Mexican culture, stands as a culinary “sacred cow” for many reasons. Historically, mole is more than just a dish; it’s a cultural artifact, tracing back to the pre-Hispanic era and evolving through the centuries under the influence of both Indigenous and Spanish culinary traditions. The word “mole” originates from the Nahuatl word “mōlli,” meaning sauce or concoction. This term reflects the complex, blended nature of the dish, which is a cornerstone of traditional Mexican cuisine, rich in ingredients and cultural significance. The preparation o ..read more

Claudia Sheinbaum was the clear winner of a mock presidential election in Mexico held Tuesday at university campuses across the country, suggesting that the ruling Morena party candidate can expect strong support from young voters when the real deal takes place on June 2. Students and university staff cast a total of 255,707 ballots in the Simulacro Electoral Universitario (SEU), or the University Electoral Simulation, which took place on around 400 campuses in all 32 of Mexico’s federal entities. Results of SEU’s mock election at the Technological University of Southern México State mirrored ..read more

Mexico’s forthcoming national election is a great opportunity to take a step back and rethink the bigger picture of public insecurity in Mexico. Crime incidence data shows that the policies and actions of the last three administrations — Calderón, Peña Nieto and López Obrador — have not significantly reduced most crime and violence indicators. If insecurity is to improve in Mexico, understanding what has gone wrong in security policy is of utmost importance. A good starting point is to question the core public premises behind the actions of the different administrations. We could plausibly s ..read more

Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) announced the hurricane forecast for 2024 on Saturday. The tropical cyclone season will begin on May 15 in the Northeast Pacific Ocean and June 1 in the Atlantic Ocean (includes the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico). The weather agency predicts a more intense hurricane season in 2024 in the Atlantic Ocean, where hurricane activity is expected to increase by up to 50%, with 14 potential storm systems. Meanwhile, the Pacific Ocean will see around 10% more systems than average. The 2024 hurricane forecast for Mexico includes a total of up to 41 storms, t ..read more