ESPN called it “a disastrous early exit.”

The result in front of 62,565 fans — most of them draped in green, red and white and vigorously rooting for the three-colored team known as El Tri — brought back memories of Mexico also failing to advance past the first round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. There, the team also had a record of one win, one loss and one tie, and scored just two goals in more than 270 minutes of play.

“Since 2019, Mexico has gone from failure to failure,” wrote the newspaper El País.

The sports newspaper Diario AS said the team is “going through a crisis of results that calls its future into question.”

“The only thing they do is make themselves ridiculous,” TV Azteca commentator Christian Martinoli said on the air. “This is another resounding failure.”

Mexico entered its final group-stage game on Sunday needing a victory to advance as Group B’s second-place team. The squad opened promisingly with a 1-0 win over Jamaica but then lost 1-0 to Venezuela.

After their tie, Mexico and Ecuador each had 1-1-1 records, but Ecuador advanced thanks to outscoring its opponents 4-3, while Mexico’s aggregate was 1-1.

Venezuela surprisingly won the group with three victories and advanced to the quarterfinals along with Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay (and three other teams, pending more first-round results on Monday and Tuesday).

Based on the world FIFA rankings coming into the tournament, Mexico (15th) was the heavy favorite in a group that also included Ecuador (30th), Jamaica (53rd) and Venezuela (54th). The next rankings on July 17 will probably see El Tri drop a few spots.

Although El Tri is one of only six countries that has qualified for every World Cup since 1994, the team has won only 10 of 24 games since Lozano took over as head coach last year.

His tenure started in July 2023 with Mexico winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup, a tournament for the region that covers North America, Central American and the Caribbean.

But since then, Mexico has five wins, six losses and four ties in 15 games, and a particular thorn in its side is a winless 0-4-2 record against the U.S. in tournament play since 2019.

Copa América was a chance at redemption.

Held at NFL stadiums throughout the U.S. after Ecuador backed out as host country, the tournament for South American teams often offers guest invitations to other countries. This year, Mexico was one of six teams invited.

And now, they’ll be one of eight teams heading home after the first round.

In their last four Copa América appearances, Mexico has been eliminated three times without advancing.

Just one goal against either Venezuela and Ecuador would have been enough to advance into the quarterfinals, but despite an offensive barrage by Mexico and many chances in each game, El Tri was unable to convert.

While public opinion indicates Lozano is not up to the task of leading the team into the 2026 World Cup — which Mexico will co-host along with the U.S. and Canada — the Mexican Football Federation’s director of men’s national teams said otherwise.

Duilio Davino stated in a post-game press conference that Lozano will maintain his job.

“The project continues,” the FMF bigwig said. “In two weeks, Jimmy will present us with an evaluation of what happened in the summer … We’ll talk with him about everything we can improve … but there are also positives.”

With reports from La Jornada, El País, FoxSports.mx, Marca, Diario AS and ESPN

The post With one goal in three games, Mexico makes a ‘disastrous early exit’ from the Copa América appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies (Conahcyt) heralded the decision as “a triumph for life, health and food sovereignty.”

Monsanto’s subsidiaries, Semillas y Agroproductos Monsanto and Monsanto Comercial, ratified their withdrawal on June 25.

Monsanto produces the herbicide Roundup, one of several glyphosate-based products that are used in the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMO) such as Roundup Ready corn, cotton and soybeans. A common genetic modification makes crops resistant to glyphosate, allowing farmers to apply large amounts of the weed-killer to GMO crops.

The legal battle was initiated in response to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s 2020 decree to ban the widely used but controversial herbicide, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified as a “probable carcinogen,” though its safety remains a subject of debate.

The battle included over 30 amparo (judicial protective order) suits aiming to declare the decree unconstitutional. In July 2022, for example, Bayer, which acquired Monsanto six years ago, obtained a court order against the application of the decree.

However, the majority of the cases concluded with rulings unfavorable to the corporations involved.

Conahcyt provided scientific and legal defenses, presenting more than 250 pieces of evidence to support the decree.

Judge Francisco Rebolledo Peña’s July 2022 ruling in favor of Monsanto was appealed by the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), the Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) and Conahcyt.

Citing human rights and environmental safety concerns, the appeal eventually led to Mexico’s Fourth Collegiate Court on Administrative Matters rejecting Monsanto’s arguments. Earlier this year, that same body slapped down an amparo brought by Walmart Mexico against the nation’s updated tobacco control law, which added promotional and advertising bans to the nationwide ban against smoking in public areas.

Monsanto’s retreat is not its first legal setback. The company has faced extensive litigation in the United States, paying billions in punitive damages and settlements linked to glyphosate’s carcinogenic risks.

Internal documents revealed during the trials in Mexico indicated that Monsanto was aware of glyphosate’s cancer risks and engaged in misleading scientific practices and discrediting independent researchers.

The 2020 decree was replaced by a 2023 decree, which reaffirmed the initial ban and introduced additional restrictions on GM corn.

That led to Mexico also facing anger from the United States, which was not happy over Mexico’s plan to ban the importation of GM corn for use in dough and tortillas by 2024, then gradually phase out imports of GM corn for any kind of human consumption and then for use as animal feed.

In 2023, the U.S. government announced it had requested the establishment of a dispute settlement panel to resolve the issue.

Monsanto also wanted to suspend the 2023 decree, and a few months ago, Mexico seemed to be giving in a bit when it postponed the glyphosate ban citing lack of available alternatives.

In shooting down Monsanto’s latest legal challenges, Judge Elizabeth Trejo Galán emphasized the precedence of public over private interest.

Conahcyt noted in a press release that it continues to support alternative agricultural practices and bioinputs, highlighting their effectiveness in various regions.

Noting that the legal victory over Monsanto underscores Mexico’s commitment to safeguarding public health and environmental integrity, Conahcyt vowed to continue its efforts to ensure that GM corn and glyphosate are removed from the Mexican food supply.

With reports from Regeneración, Reforma and Por Esto

The post After a 4-year legal battle, Monsanto drops lawsuit against Mexico’s GM corn ban appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The tropical system could turn into a depression or a tropical storm this weekend as it reaches the southern Caribbean, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). Its path could then continue directly toward southeastern Mexico. 

As of Thursday afternoon Mexico City time, the tropical system was located about 5,700 kilometers east of the Quintana Roo coast and was moving west at 24 to 32 km/h.

Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) gave the developing storm “a 60% probability of developing into a cyclone within 48 hours, and 80% [of doing so] within seven days.”

If that happens, the cyclone would be called Beryl, the second named storm of what’s expected to be a busy Atlantic storm season. Experts are saying that the season could see as many as 25 named tropical cyclones this year, 11 more than the seasonal average of 14. 

Of that 25, between eight and 13 could turn into hurricanes.

The season’s first named storm — Tropical Storm Alberto — made landfall in the northeast state of Tamaulipas last Thursday. Although it quickly weakened into a tropical depression, Alberto’s wrath was felt over much of Mexico and southern Texas, with four deaths in Mexico being attributed to associated rains.

The Yucatán Peninsula felt some early effects from Alberto’s outer bands as it moved northwesterly. A different storm system then ravaged the peninsula over the next couple of days, causing extensive flooding and power outages. Parts of Mérida, the Yucatán state capital, were underwater as recently as Tuesday.

#Entérate Pirmero fue #Chetumal ahora así amaneció el paraíso #Cancún Calles y avenidas inundadas por las lluvias. pic.twitter.com/mj4Zn8plUf

— QuintanaRooNews (@quintanaroonews) June 18, 2024

Even before Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in Mexico, Cancún’s streets were already experiencing flooding from rains associated with the storm.

Now a similar, smaller low-pressure system — different from the one currently located 5,700 km east of the Quintana Roo coast — that is associated with a tropical wave, is approaching Quintana Roo, bringing with it “widespread but disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity,” according to the NHC.

As of Thursday afternoon, the smaller system was much closer to the Yucatan, currently passing over the western Caribbean Sea, approximately 575 kilometers southeast of Chetumal, Quintana Roo. Its probability of developing into a cyclone was tabbed at 30% or less, but it is likely to bring intense rain to an already soaked area.

Already on Thursday morning and afternoon, there was scattered rain and showers, along with occasional thunderstorms and heavy fog in the south and southeast of Mexico. This area includes the Yucatán Peninsula, but similar conditions were expected up through Puebla and Mexico City and as far north as Querétaro.

Conagua also was predicting wind gusts of 30 to 50 km/h in Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, and lightning had been observed from Veracruz to Zacatecas to southern Baja California Sur.

The Riviera Maya News used the word “historic” to describe the recent torrential rains in Quintana Roo, noting that the state capital of Chetumal accumulated 518 mm in one seven-day period — the most rain it had seen in 72 years, according to Conagua director Érika Ramírez Méndez.

The paper also noted that “nearly every municipality [in Quintana Roo] experienced flooding, many more than once.” Many streets and homes were “under meters of water,” the paper added.

Jesús Almaguer Salazar, president of the Hotel Association of Cancún, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, said that tourist properties took an economic hit, mainly due to many employees not being able to report for work. He said the hotels have been accommodating, but the employee absences have hurt.

Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama reported that 1,100 people affected by the storm had registered for assistance in Chetumal and Bacalar. Some suffered flood damage to their homes, and others were affected by blockades that were set up due to rising water levels.

She said the response included the allocation of 37 million pesos (US $2 million), which includes 18 million pesos for the delivery of household goods, 5.5 million pesos for repairs and 2 million pesos for small businesses.

The governor also said there was no impact on tourism and that all the airports in the state remained open. Even on Holbox Island, she added, tourist activity retained “normality” despite the need to use bilge pumps to drain the rising waters on the island.

With reports from CNN Español, Riviera Maya News and El Economista

The post ‘Historic’ rains have drenched Yucatán peninsula as new Atlantic storm forms appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Some of the participants want to learn it just for fun.

Many are members of the Mexican chapter of a Star Wars fan club who want to be at their Jedi Master best when it comes time to conquer the galaxy — or in case there’s another Star Wars Parade in Mexico City like there was in 2022.

And some are sharpening their Jedi techniques in order to compete in lightsaber dueling — an actual sport recognized by the French Fencing Federation in 2019 (as part of an effort to get youngsters up and away from their computer and phone screens, but that’s another story).

So, four times a week, the Jedi Knight Academy turns a public area in Mexico City’s Coyoacan neighborhood into a virtual battle zone, with colorful, luminescent swords slashing through the air and combatants bounding to and fro.

The events frequently attract curious onlookers.

“When students arrive, some of them drop the saber,” Jedi Knight Academy instructor Ulises Vázquez told the Associated Press. “They don’t know how to handle it properly. But with the passing of time, you see them grow.” 

The three-hour classes generally start with meditation and a warmup, after which the students learn different moves that they perform repeatedly in pursuit of Luke Skywalker-style perfection — or that of his father, Anakin Skywalker (a.k.a Darth Vader). More advanced students wear protective equipment that looks like a galactic fencing uniform.

Four nights a week, Mexico City’s Jedi Knight Academy holds its lightsaber classes outside in a public space in the capital.

The sabers, which are made of ballistic-grade polycarbonate, are illuminated from within by a rainbow of colors.

Many of the lightsabers being used by Jedi Knight Academy padawans are designed and manufactured nearby at KTSR Sabers, a Mexico City company that sells lightsabers and helmets for cosplay and exhibition combat dueling. KTSR Sabers even does repairs and upgrades. 

Some of their products are also used by students at another school teaching lightsaber techniques —and, no, it’s not “in a galaxy far, far away.” 

The multidisciplinary Quetzal Combat Academy, founded eight years ago by Ricardo Jocksan Mejía Malvárez, is also in Mexico City. There, students learn the arts of the Jedi Knights or Sith warriors as seen in the 12 movies of the “Star Wars” franchise.

“I started with tae kwon do, then karate, ninjutsu, kenjutsu, HEMA and Olympic fencing,” Jocksan, 33, told the newspaper El País. “Those are the basis of everything we see in Star Wars. For example, the Shii-Cho form [of Jedi combat ] is based on a two-handed sword, be it a katana [a Japanese sword], a Korean saber, a ninjatō [used in feudal Japan] or a two-handed HEMA sword [the moniker for various weapons used in Historical European Martial Arts].”

On Thursday, Quetzal students will be participating in a lightsaber combat exhibition at a Pride Month Diversity Fair at Plaza Manuel Tolsá in central Mexico City (two blocks from the Palacio de Bellas Artes).

Quetzal’s advanced lightsaber students and instructors — including Jocksan dressed in an outfit inspired by the “Star Wars” baddie character Kylo Ren — also performed a choreographed routine for a “Concierto Galáctico” at the Ollin Yoliztli Cultural Center.

The concert occurred last month one day before International Star Wars Day, which is on May 4, of course. 

Uh, why hold it on May 4? 

Members of the Mexican Garrison of the international Star Wars fan club, the 501st Legion, can certainly tell you why: “May the Fourth be with you.”

With reports from El País, Associated Press and Screen Rant

The post Mexico City Jedi schools teach chilangos the art of the lightsaber appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The Mexican team — also known as “El Tri” for Mexico’s tri-colored flag — play next on Wednesday, against Venezuela.

The quadrennial tournament is traditionally for South American teams, although non-members can be invited as guests. When Ecuador backed out on hosting the 2024 event, the United States stepped up as host country, allowing six additional teams to play: Mexico, U.S., Canada, Costa Rica, Panama and Jamaica. 

The 16-team tournament opened last Thursday with Lionel Messi and Argentina beating Canada 2-0 in Atlanta. It’s now in the round-robin phase through July 2. The top two teams from each of four groups will advance to the knockout round, starting July 4.

El Tri, down one spot at 15th in the latest FIFA world rankings, is in Group B with Ecuador (30th), Jamaica (53rd) and Venezuela (54th). Venezuela opened with a 2-1 upset win over Ecuador on Saturday in Santa Clara, California.

Mexico’s slim victory over Jamaica in Houston on Saturday wasn’t as convincing as many had expected, nor was it pain-free.

Midfielder Edson Álvarez, the team’s captain and best playmaker, left the field in the 30th minute with a torn left hamstring. MedioTiempo, a Mexican sports news website, reported Monday that the 26-year-old, who plays for West Ham in England’s Premier League, will be out for the rest of the tournament.

That’s a major blow for El Tri’s head coach Jimmy Lozano, whose scheme relied heavily on Álvarez’s leadership and experience. Moreover, due to tournament rules, no player can replace him.

Lozano is on the hot seat, with a record for El Tri of 10 wins, six losses and three draws. The question is whether he will remain as Mexico’s head man for the next World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Mexico, the U.S. and Canada in 2026.

Mexico, competing as a guest in Copa América for the 11th time in its history, plays next against Venezuela in Inglewood, California, on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Mexico City time. The team will finish round-robin play against Ecuador in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Mexico broke diplomatic relations with Ecuador in April after Ecuadorian police raided the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest the country’s former vice president, Jorge Glas. Mexico and Ecuador have both filed suits against each other at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Disappointing weekend for F1 racer ‘Checo’ Perez

Mexican Formula 1 driver Sergio “Checo” Pérez continued his less-than-stellar 2024 season with an eighth-place finish in the Spanish Grand Prix in Montmeló, Spain.

The 34-year-old Guadalajara native began the race 11th in the starting grid after another poor qualifying round, plus a three-spot penalty for driving back to the pit area with a significantly damaged car in the Canadian Grand Prix on June 9.

With 285 points, Pérez was an impressive second in the 2023 Formula 1 standings — well behind Red Bull Racing teammate and three-time F1 champion Max Verstappen’s 575 points — but second nevertheless.

This year, however, Pérez is in fifth place with only four top-three finishes and no wins in 10 races. The Belgian Verstappen is in first place with seven wins, including this past Sunday in Spain.

After doing well in his first five races of 2024 — three second places and one third place — Pérez has gone downhill. In the five races since then, he has one fourth place, two eighth places and two nonfinishes due to accidents.

Pérez signed a new two-year contract in early June that will keep him on the Red Bull team through 2026. There was much speculation that Red Bull would decide to part ways with him, and now maybe team management wishes it did.

Trevor Bauer sets Mexican Baseball League strikeout record

U.S. baseball pitcher Trevor Bauer — who was blackballed from Major League Baseball (MLB) ever since a 194-game suspension from the MLB in 2022 and 2023 — has a new strikeout record to his name.

The 2020 recipient of the National League Cy Young Award for best pitcher, Bauer is playing for the Mexico City Diablos Rojos (Red Devils) this season — and on Friday, he set a Mexican Baseball League record with 19 strikeouts in a nine-inning game. 

Bauer, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers when he was suspended by MLB in 2022, was reinstated to the league in 2023 but let go by the Dodgers without returning. 

MLB handed Bauer the unprecedentedly long suspension in 2022 after accusations surfaced of him allegedly beating and sexually abusing a woman. Bauer denied the accusations, which were investigated by the L.A. District Attorney’s Office and MLB. Bauer was never charged with a crime, and the civil case against him by his accuser was eventually settled out of court, but Bauer has yet to secure another MLB team contract.

In 2023, Bauer played in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league. He signed with CDMX’s Diablos in March.

With reports from Marca, MedioTiempo, Associated Press, El Debate, Récord, El Universal, La Jornada, El Debate and ESPN

The post El Tri wins Copa América opener, ‘Checo’ Pérez’s tough weekend and more sports news appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Anna Lee Dozier stumbled upon the ceramic vase on a clearance shelf by the checkout at  a thrift store about 10 minutes from her Washington, D.C., home. “In my work, I travel a lot to Mexico, and this item caught my eye because it looked different than the things on the shelf, but it also was recognizably from Mexico,” Dozier recounted on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio show “As It Happens.”

“Since it’s a country that I work [in] and it’s really important to me, I thought it would be just a nice little thing to take home and put on the shelf and to remind me of Mexico,” she added on the National Public Radio (NPR) show “All Things Considered.”

Believing it was a 20- or 30-year-old tourist souvenir, she displayed the piece in her home library.

Dozier works for the human rights organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide and is often in Mexico. On a visit earlier this year to Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology, Dozier began to suspect the vase’s true age and significance.

“As I was walking through, it just occurred to me that some of the things that I was looking at looked very similar to what I had at home,” she said.

Following advice from museum staff, she contacted the Mexican embassy upon her return to the United States.

After an authentication process, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico confirmed that the vase was indeed an ancient artifact from the Maya Classic period.

Experts dated it between 200 and 800 A.D. — a period that historians widely regard as the height of the Maya civilization, which declined after drought, infighting and eventually European conquest, among other factors.

“Congratulations, it is real. And we would like it back,” read the email from the embassy.

The vessel was handed over to Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S., at a ceremony last week at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C.

In recent years, the Mexican government has intensified efforts to recover its cultural heritage, resulting in the retrieval of over 13,500 objects from abroad — including 35  artifacts from the Seattle area two weeks ago and 22 items from a Philadelphia family last month.

Along with the vase, the other 19 archaeological pieces coming back to Mexico this time are from various anonymous sources. They span multiple periods and pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Mexica, Teotihuacán and Totonac.

For Dozier, returning the vase was never about monetary gain.

“Giving it back feels so much better than it would if I put it on eBay and got a bunch of money,” she said.

In Mexico, the vase will undergo further examination to determine its specific use and significance before potentially being displayed in a museum.

With reports from NPR, CBC and The Guardian

The post Woman returns US $4 thrift store vase to Mexico after realizing it’s an ancient Maya artifact appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The former Beatles bass player and vocalist, who just turned 82 on Tuesday, will play on Nov. 8 in Monterrey and on Nov. 12 and Nov. 17 in Mexico City.

The last of those will be in the three-day Corona Capital music festival, where Sir Paul will be one of the headliners along with Green Day, Shawn Mendes and Queens of the Stone Age. Others in the lineup include Beck, Iggy Pop and New Order.

The indefatigable McCartney played Mexico City last year, also in November. His two shows at Foro Sol — a stadium recently rebranded Estadio GNP Seguros — was also part of the colossal Got Back tour, which started in April 2022 and is set to end on Dec. 19 of this year in London, England.

“The shows at Foro Sol were a highlight of last year for me,” McCartney wrote on his official website. “The Mexican public is very special. We always throw an amazing party together. I really want to come back to rock and roll with all of you. I am also excited about my first visit to Monterrey.”

The upcoming shows will mark McCartney’s sixth visit to Mexico, but the first time he will play outside of the capital and at a Mexican music festival.

The Beatles, who were at the height of Beatlemania 60 years ago after performing on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in February 1964, never gave a concert in Mexico during their time together.

One was planned in Mexico City in 1965, but it got canceled due to the influence of politician Ernesto Uruchurtu, who felt the mop-topped rock ’n’ rollers would be a bad influence on young people.

McCartney’s upcoming shows are part of the Latin American leg of the Got Back tour.

The first tour date is set for Nov. 8 at Monterrey’s BBVA Stadium at 9 p.m.  Ticket pre-sales will begin at 9 a.m. Mexico City time on Monday, with general sales set to launch at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 28.

He will then perform at 9 p.m. on Nov. 12 at GNP Seguros Stadium, with ticket sales set for the same times as above.

His trip to Mexico will end on Nov. 17 at the Corona Capital festival at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — site of Formula 1’s Mexico City Grand Prix on Oct. 27. For this show, expected to last two hours, pre-sales will begin at 2 p.m. on Monday with general sales starting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

The cost of tickets for his solo presentations has not been announced. Tickets for Corona Capital runs from 4,490 pesos (US $246) for general admission to 8,780 pesos (US $482) for VIP passes.

Last year, McCartney captivated his two Mexico City audiences for nearly three hours as he played some of his biggest hits from a 60-year repertoire that includes The Beatles, Wings and a solo career. When he performed “The Back Seat of My Car,” a track from his 1971 album “Ram,” he included a line about Mexico City.

The newspaper El País noted that “although the singer’s voice no longer reaches the notes that on other tours made every part of the forum resound, he still maintains an electric energy, worthy of someone who loves to play live and has done so since 1957.”

McCartney has performed in Mexico City six times, in 1993, 2002, 2010, 2012, 2017 and 2023.

With reports from El País, Forbes and Infobae

The post Paul McCartney is coming back to Mexico for 3 shows appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted that heavy rains and flash flooding were expected to continue as Alberto moved west at 30 km/h. Storm warnings and coastal watches were discontinued, however, even though wind and rain extend far from the storm’s center.

#Entérate | En Ramos Arizpe, #Coahuila pasajeros que viajaban en un autobús tuvieron que ser rescatados al quedarse en medio de una inundación. La tormenta tropical #Alberto los dejó atrapados en el Parque Industrial Santa María. pic.twitter.com/pSyUNSo6C4

— Oscar Lozano (@oscarlozanomx) June 20, 2024

Stranded passengers being rescued from a bus in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila,  Thursday morning after flash flooding caused by Tropical Storm Alberto filled the Santa María Industrial Park.

Previously, the system was flagged as a potential tropical cyclone when it moved through the Gulf of Mexico.

On Thursday morning, the most intense rains were occurring in the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Nuevo León and San Luis Potosí, according to Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN). Rain totals of 13 to 25 centimeters were expected at higher elevations, which could lead to reduced visibility, landslides, flooding and rising rivers and streams.

Very heavy rains (75 to 150 millimeters) are expected in Durango, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas.

In Chiapas, four portions of roadway were rendered impassable Thursday due to landslides and flooding, with emergency services unable to immediately reach the affected areas due to heavy rains. In Veracruz, a landslide dropped huge boulders onto one stretch of roadway, and a sinkhole developed in the capital city of Xalapa.

Many other states across Mexico will experience some amount of Alberto-related rain on Thursday, ranging from heavy rains to occasional showers. 

Alberto was named a tropical storm on Wednesday, leading to the suspension of classes in several regions and the implementation of other safety preparations.

#RíoSantaCatarina, #NuevoLeón, al momento. Recuerda evita cruzar vados, arroyos y ríos.
No expongas tu vida.

Vía: @PC_NuevoLeon.pic.twitter.com/A6Sdkgs5sh

— Webcams de México (@webcamsdemexico) June 20, 2024

Footage of the Santa Catarina river in Monterrey, Nuevo León, around 1 p.m. Thursday, being lashed by heavy rains from Alberto. (Webcams de México)

But it weakened rapidly after making landfall early Thursday morning. By 9 a.m., it was downgraded to a tropical depression when it was located 155 kilometers west of Tampico, Tamaulipas. 

Maximum sustained winds were 75 km/h when Alberto made landfall, but then they slowed to 55 km/h.

Initially, there was some chagrin in Tampico that the amount of rainfall was low and wouldn’t put much of a dent in Mexico’s ongoing drought, reported the Associated Press (AP).

“We had hoped that it would come because water is so needed here, but at far as I can tell, it went somewhere else,” Tampico resident Marta Alicia Hernández told AP. 

However, the outer bands of the system will likely bring the heavier rains that other areas experienced Thursday morning.

In Nuevo León, civil protection authorities have linked three deaths to Alberto’s heavy rains. A 16-year-old in Monterrey died in a river, trapped by the currents when he attempted to retrieve a soccer ball, and two 12-year-olds in the state were electrocuted in the municipality of Allende when they rode their bikes through a large puddle that was in contact with a live wire.

Nuevo León Governor Samuel García wrote on the social media platform X that metro and public transportation services would be suspended in Monterrey from Wednesday night until midday Thursday. 

In Tamaulipas and Veracruz, officials closed all schools on Thursday (and some on Friday), and shelters were prepared in case residents would need to flee high waters.

Areas at higher elevations could see as much as 50 cm of rain, which could result in mudslides and flash flooding, especially Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo León.

Raúl Quiroga Álvarez, the Tamaulipas state minister of hydrological resources, said at a press conference Wednesday night that because the wind speeds were not “a risk,” his drought-ravaged state was actually looking forward to all the rain.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for for eight years in all of Tamaulipas,” he said. “This is a win-win event.”

In his Thursday morning press conference, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that members of the armed forces had been deployed in the storm areas to address possible damage.

Forecasters have predicted that the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season could be much more active than usual, with 17 to 25 predicted named storms this year. On average, there are 14 named storms per season.

The U.S. Hurricane Center currently is monitoring a broad area of low pressure that’s forming in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.

As it moves over southeastern Mexico on Friday and over the Bay of Campeche on Saturday, it could develop into a tropical depression that will likely move slowly to the north and west.

With reports from El Universal, Milenio, Associated Press and New York Times

The post Tropical Storm Alberto makes landfall in Tamaulipas, weakens to depression appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Michoacán is Mexico’s No. 1 avocado producer and exporter. 

The pause in Michoacán avocado inspections also applies to mangoes grown in the state. Michoacán is Mexico’s second largest exporter state of mangoes to the U.S., according to the Mexican Association of Mango Producers and Exporters (EMEX). Michoacán was responsible for 19% of the 65.3 million cases of mangoes exported to the United States in 2023.  

In conjunction with the announcement about the pause in avocado inspections, the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert stating, “Due to recent security incidents in Aranza, Michoacán, the U.S. government reminds U.S. citizens not to travel to the state.” 

It restated that its current travel advisory for Michoacán is “Level 4 — Do Not Travel due to crime and kidnapping.”

The USDA’s red light on inspections in the state means the import into the United States of Michoacán’s “green gold” — as avocados from the state are often referred to — will be limited to items that have already undergone inspection or are currently in transit.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Tuesday that a “sane solution is being sought … but it takes time.”

In a post on the X social media platform on Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar confirmed that the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) had suspended inspections in Michoacán “until these safety issues have been resolved.”

“This pause does not affect other Mexican states, where APHIS inspections continue,” Salazar added. “This action does not block all exports of avocados or mangoes to the United States, nor does it stop products currently in transit.”

Salazar wrote that two APHIS employees “were recently attacked and detained while carrying out their work in the state of Michoacán inspecting avocados,” adding, “They are no longer in captivity.”

The incident reportedly occurred Friday during a blockade by community members in Aranza, a town in the municipality of Paracho. However, Michoacán Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla disagreed with Salazar’s version and other published accounts of the incident.

Ramirez told the Ciro Gómez Leyva news radio program that the “two agents were never at any risk.” However, the newspaper El País wrote that Aranza community members “detained and beat” the two inspectors.

Bedolla agreed that some private vehicles were stopped during a “social demonstration,” including the one in which the inspectors were traveling. However, he said it was not due to their role as inspectors and that they were not physically harmed or harassed.

He did concede that the inspectors might have “felt attacked,” as might anyone when their car is “detained.”

Bedolla also expressed confidence Tuesday morning that the conflict over avocado inspections could be resolved within the next 48 hours — a stance that was seemingly contradicted by Ambassador Salazar’s post on X shortly thereafter.

“Next week, I will travel to Michoacán to meet with [Bedolla] and the Association of Producers and Export Packers of Mexico (APEAN) to address, among other important issues, security,” Salazar wrote.

Of the U.S. decision to pause Michoacán inspections, President López Obrador said, “Well, those are their policies. Fortunately, we have good relations [with the U.S., and] we are convincing them to act differently, but it takes time.”

According to El País, the U.S. imported 1.4 million tonnes of avocados from Mexico last year, a 17% increase over 2022. More than 80% of the avocados produced in Mexico are exported to the U.S. Overall avocado production in Mexico this year is predicted to be 2.7 million tonnes, with 73% of that total coming from Michoacán.

The United States also halted Michoacán avocado inspections twice in 2022, also for safety concerns.

The first suspension occurred after a Uruapan-based inspector received a threatening call to his official cell phone; the second was implemented due to violence in Michoacán, one of six Mexican states categorized as “do not travel to” by the U.S. State Department.

With reports from Infobae, El País, Forbes and New York Times

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The traditional canoe — which stands out for its considerable length of 14.8 meters (48.5 feet) — was found in the vicinity of the island of Janitzio, located in Lake Pátzcuaro, which has been inhabited by the Purépecha people for centuries.

The boat sank with a load of firewood, according to experts with Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), leading to speculation that Purépecha boatmen had just made a run to nearby Erongaricuaro and were returning to the island with their cargo.

The chance discovery was recorded in early May at the drought-stricken Michoacán lake, where more than 730 men and women are working to combat deforestation, a lack of rain, water theft, historical neglect and excessive planting of avocados and other fruits — conditions that have reduced Lake Pátzcuaro’s surface by 42%.

In announcing the findings on Monday, INAH noted that it is working with the local Indigenous Purépecha community to generate conservation and research strategies for the tepari, which was found lodged in hard mud. One idea is to create a museum on Janitzio.

The significant finding sheds light on historical boating practices in the region, INAH noted. The officials didn’t release an exact time period for when the boat sank as further analysis is needed.

Michoacán’s Environment Ministry (Secma) has assigned 10 people to support archaeologists on upcoming expeditions in the area.

INAH researchers and community authorities noted that the area being dredged has yielded “a significant amount of pre-Hispanic vestiges,” in much the same way that work on the Maya Train on the Yucatán Peninsula has led to thousands of archaeological discoveries.

Materials recovered during the Lake Pátzcuaro work include “an important collection” of human bones, mostly femurs, that were handcrafted with grooves and are in an “excellent state of conservation,” according to INAH. 

Many ceramic urns and stone objects have also been found, which INAH officials noted “were thrown into the lake in pre-Hispanic times, surely as offerings.” At least one other canoe has been found, as well.

The remains were uncovered during the restoration and desilting work that is ongoing in Lake Pátzcuaro.

One of the priority efforts has been to make sure Janitzio, a favorite destination among tourists to the Pátzcuaro area, remains an island. In recent weeks, the water level has gone so low there that an isthmus is beginning to form between Janitzio and the mainland community of Jarácuaro.

Alejandro Méndez López, Michoacán’s environment minister, said at a press conference Monday that the situation is “critical.” The southwestern part of the island is separated from the mainland by a 30-meter channel that is “less than 50 centimeters” (20 inches) deep, and getting shallower every day, Méndez said. 

He also noted that Jarácuaro itself was an island about five decades ago.

With reports from La Jornada, Mi Morelia, Milenio and Pátzcuaro Noticias

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