Attendees included activists, members of the community and the general public. 

The parade started at 10:00 a.m. from the Angel of Independence. Participants, many dressed in elaborate costumes, continued along Paseo de la Reforma before finally reaching the Zócalo in the Historic Center. 

Unlike previous editions, no concert was held at the end of this year’s pride parade. However, a closing event was held at the Plaza de la Constitución to award special recognitions.

The Mexican actress and model Mariana Seoane was crowned “Queen of the LGBT+ community,” while the actress Lucía Méndez was named “Eternal LGBT Queen.” The singer Kimberly “The Most Precious,” was crowned “Gay Queen 2024.”

The motto of this year’s parade was, “In the face of an oppressive state and an indifferent society: We demand to live with dignity.” 

The Mexico City pride parade has taken place every year since 1979. It aims to advocate for public policies, legislative initiatives and fair judicial processes to ensure justice, freedom and dignified treatment for all members of the community. 

According to Mexico’s National Commission of Human Rights, six out of ten people in the LGBTQ+ community in Mexico have suffered some form of discrimination, while more than half have reported encountering expressions of hate, physical attacks and harassment. Moreover, after Brazil, Mexico is the Latin American country with the second highest rate of murders against trans people. 

With reports from El Universal, Infobae and Marca

The post Mexico City’s 46th pride parade draws over 260,000 appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The third named tropical cyclone of the season, Chris made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h and gusts of 85 km/h. The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression shortly after making landfall and is currently moving westward over mainland Mexico at 20 km/h.

Conoce las condiciones del tiempo que se prevén en #México, este lunes, 1 de julio, con el #VideoPronóstico del #SMNmx.

Reprodúcelo aquí pic.twitter.com/LJOO9Kb8z7

— CONAGUA Clima (@conagua_clima) July 1, 2024

As reported by the National Meteorological Service (SMN), Chris will move over the center and west of the country, causing rain in Puebla, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí and Querétaro. Mexico City will see light rainfall throughout the day. Meanwhile, torrential rains are expected in Tamaulipas and Oaxaca, and heavy to very heavy rains are expected in Nuevo León, Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche and the Yucatán Peninsula. 

Waves ranging between two and four meters high are also expected throughout Monday morning on the coasts of Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Tabasco.

On Monday morning, heavy rains triggered the Actopan, Bobos and Nautla rivers to exceed their Ordinary Maximum Water Level (NAMO). As a result, authorities in Veracruz set up temporary shelters and carried out preventive evacuations in communities surrounding the riverbed.

The United States National Hurricane Center (NOAA) confirmed late Monday morning that Chris had dissipated and will continue to weaken throughout the day.

In the north, a low-pressure channel will cause scattered showers along the Baja California Peninsula. 

High temperatures will continue in Mexico’s north and northwestern states, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius in areas of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua and Sinaloa. Northern Mexico may also see isolated storms accompanied by lightning, strong gusts of wind and hail. The SMN has warned that rainfall may lead to reduced visibility, landslides and flooding of rivers and streams.

The National Civil Protection Coordination has urged residents to stay in a safe place and avoid traveling through flooded streets. 

With reports from La Jornada, El Universal, El Universal, Diario de Xalapa, and Meteored

The post Tropical Storm Chris makes landfall in Veracruz, bringing heavy rain to Eastern Mexico appeared first on Mexico News Daily

While the restrictions have not affected skincare products sold in Mexico, many users here wonder if continuing to use the current concentrations puts their health at risk. To answer your questions, we asked dermatologist Dr. Daniela Lara Del Valle, founder of Clínica de la Piel Dermantra in San Miguel de Allende, if consumers in Mexico should be worried about the recent retinol restrictions.

What is retinol? 

Retinol is a Vitamin A derivative that stimulates collagen production and elasticity in the deepest layers of the skin. “It is a powerful antioxidant,” Dr. Lara explains, as “it eliminates free radicals and protects DNA from its mutagenic action, meaning that it contributes to slowing down cellular aging.” Moreover, retinol reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, lightens blemishes and gives the skin a fresher, plump appearance. 

But retinol’s benefits come with risks. With an absorption capacity by the skin ranging from 5% to 10%, excessive use of retinol can cause irritation, dryness, redness and peeling. 

What do the EU’s new retinol restrictions say?

The new EU restrictions mandate a maximum retinol concentration of .05% in body lotions and .3% in face and hand products. The previously allowed concentration could go up to 1%.

The reasoning behind this decision concerns the amount of Vitamin A to which people are already exposed. 

“The European organizations that regulate the use of cosmetics consider that in certain countries, the population already exceeds the accepted standards of Vitamin A, whether through topical treatments, diet or supplements,” Dr. Lara said. 

Moreover, the regulations say that product labels should include a warning to inform consumers already exposed to vitamin A of the possibility of overexposure from the use of such agents. However, prescription-strength vitamin A products will remain available through doctors and dermatologists.

The latest restrictions will be rolled out over 36 months beginning at the end of 2024. 

Should I be worried if I buy products with more than .5% retinol?

Dr. Lara says the new EU restrictions do not mean that people who have been using the old concentration of retinol and wish to continue doing so are in any danger. However, using these products could be counterproductive for certain skin types, especially fair skin tones.

“The skin does not require high concentrations of retinol for rejuvenation, as it has an angiogenic effect, meaning that it forms vessels,” she explained. “For instance, continued use of high retinol levels by individuals with fair skin and visible veins may be ineffective.”

Whether or not to continue using the old retinol concentrations comes down to a personal decision. However, Dr. Lara recommends using alternative products to avoid risks. 

“Remember that the new restrictions are for the benefit of the skin. Ideally, we should buy products with the new concentrations or other retinoid derivatives.”

Despite these restrictions, a retinol ban does not appear to be on the cards in Mexico.

What alternatives to retinol can I use?

Less concentration of retinol in European cosmetic products shouldn’t concern consumers, Dr. Lara says. “The good news is that we have other alternatives such as retinaldehyde or retinoate. Moreover, we also have bakuchiol, the plant-based alternative to retinol.”

Bakuchiol is a chemical compound extracted from the seeds of the babchi plant. Like retinoids, bakuchiol appears to stimulate collagen producing receptors in the skin with fewer risks or side effects. It’s used in serums and creams, many of which combine bakuchiol with other botanicals, like seaweed and rosehip. 

But Dr. Lara’s preference is retinaldehyde, which unlike retinol, doesn’t require a tolerance period by the skin.

Retinaldehyde is the strongest over-the-counter retinoid.  Its formula is more complex than that of retinol, making it more expensive. Its use may cause similar side effects to pure retinol, but they are usually gentler. 

“I really like retinaldehyde or ‘retinal,’ as I tell my patients,” Dr. Lara said. “It is a direct precursor of retinoic acid, meaning that its effects are faster than those of classic retinol. Besides, it has fewer side effects and, surprisingly, is tolerated very well in most patients,” she added. 

If you need help deciding which type of Vitamin A should you use, Dr. Lara suggests seeing a dermatologist to help you choose the right product for your skin type and needs.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal or medical advice. The writer and Mexico News Daily assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content on this site. Individuals should always consult with qualified professionals regarding medical procedures, including plastic and/or cosmetic surgery, and medical aesthetic treatments, as well as consider their jurisdiction’s applicable laws and regulations.

Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog Dunas y Palmeras.

The post European Union retinol ban: What you should know if you live in Mexico. appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Heavy rains brought last week by Tropical Storm Alberto had trapped the horses on the dam’s islet, reportedly for five days, after water levels rapidly rose around them.

The Cerro Prieto dam, located in the city of Linares, is Nuevo León’s second largest reservoir. 

On social media, García said he had received an alert from residents in Linares regarding the trapped horses, after which he coordinated their rescue with the state’s Civil Protection department.

“After reading your comments about the horses trapped in the Cerro Prieto dam, I immediately contacted @PC_NuevoLeon for their rescue. [The horses] have already been rescued and taken to a safe place,” García wrote on X. 

García also shared photographs and videos showing some of the rescue maneuvers carried out. 

Linares residents had already tried to save the stranded horses. According to media reports, four horses drowned.

Before Alberto’s arrival — which made landfall in Tamaulipas early Thursday morning and quickly downgraded to a tropical depression — the drought-stricken Cerro Prieto dam’s water levels had been reduced to only 4% of its capacity. As a result, islets began emerging in the dam, which apparently attracted the wild horses to roam new areas in the dam. 

Alberto, however, brought heavy, rapid rains to parts of Nuevo León in just hours. Post-Alberto, the dam is now at 58% capacity with 175.38 million cubic meters of stored water.

Throughout the week, García has been updating the water capacity levels of the state’s largest dams, including the Cerro Prieto. According to the latest report on Wednesday by National Water Commission (Conagua), the water levels of Nuevo León’s three largest reservoirs are as follows:

• Cerro Prieto at 62.60% capacity
• El Cuchillo at 85.92%, and 
• La Boca at 100.90%

The heavy rains also caused rivers and streams in Nuevo León to overflow, including the Santa Catarina river, which dramatically gushed down the streets of Monterrey.

With reports from El Financiero and Nmás

The post Over 40 stranded horses rescued from Nuevo León dam appeared first on Mexico News Daily

And it appears that Guanajuato is ready to take on that mantle: the state currently ranks fifth nationwide in the amount of land devoted to vineyards, with 485 hectares devoted to viticulture and as many as 600 new hectares of land in the works to join the Guanajuato wine region. The state is Mexico’s fifth-largest grape producer and fourth-largest wine producer.

On average, Guanajuato’s wine region produces more than 1.2 million liters per year from a variety of grapes, including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, Syrah, malbec, cabernet franc, tempranillo, Nebbiolo, sémillon, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc.

Two Grand Gold Medal winners at the 2024 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in León came from the Guanajuato wine region: Dos Buhos’ Grenache Gran Reserva 2019 and a 2020 red blend from Pájaro Azul. In all, though, the state is home to 46 vineyards, 25 of which offer  enotourism experiences ranging from hotels and restaurants onsite, vineyard and cellar tours, pairing dinners, wine tastings and other activities like horseback riding and hot-air balloon rides.

The state advertises five routes for exploring its vineyards: two near San Miguel de Allende, one close to León, one through Salvatierra and another one via the city of Guanajuato.

What climate conditions make Guanajuato a good wine region?

Guanajuato is one of Mexico’s best regions for wine production primarily due to its climate, shaped by the area’s basins and rivers.

Despite being outside the traditional meridian of wine-producing regions like France, Spain or Portugal, Guanajuato benefits from weather conditions, high altitude (2,000 meters above sea level) and soil components that produce quality wine grapes.

Other advantages include a semi-warm and arid climate with a year-round average temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, many hours of sunshine and an average annual precipitation of 650 millimeters.

What about water scarcity?

Water scarcity in Guanajuato has prompted all types of farmers to seek ways to increase productivity on their land, and grapes turn out to be a good option as they are not water intensive crops.

A slight reduction in water input to Guanajuato’s vineyards produces brief hydric stress, which concentrates grapes’ natural sugars, producing better wines. 

Elías Torres Barrera, head of the Grape and Wine Association in Guanajuato, recently told the newspaper El Sol de León that compared to other crops, the grapes, which use little water, are more sustainable and “an alternative in this season of drought and heat.”

When does the Guanajuato wine region’s harvest season begin?

The harvest season, known as vendimia in Spanish, is expected to begin in July and end in October this year.

During the grape harvest, vineyards in Guanajuato host a plethora of activities, including wine and food tastings, vineyard tours, picnics and opportunities to participate in traditional grape stomping.

With reports from El Sol de León and La Silla Rota

The post Is the Guanajuato wine region Mexico’s next viticulture powerhouse? appeared first on Mexico News Daily

With these two new flights, Viva Aerobus will have 16 routes departing from Mérida.

“At Viva, we are committed to investing in Mérida,” said Walfred Castro Novelo, Viva’s director of corporate communications, during the route’s announcement at the Yucatán International Congress Center on Monday. “We recognize the city’s immense potential, along with that of the entire Yucatán region, and we aim to contribute to its development through improved national and international connectivity,” Castro stated. 

Mérida is one of Viva Aerobus’ operational bases, operating a weekly average of 100 arrival flights to Yucatán. 

The Tijuana route will start on Nov. 3 with four weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. It will depart from Mérida at 8 p.m. and will make quick refueling stops at the Guanajuato International Airport (near the city of León) on the outward journey and in Monterrey on the return journey. Passengers won’t have to leave the aircraft during these stops. 

The Los Angeles route will kick off Dec. 18, just in time for the winter holiday season. A seasonal route, it will run once a week on Wednesdays through Jan. 8, 2025. 

“[Los Angeles] is a route that we have been pursuing for years,” said Tourism Promotion Minister Michelle Fridman. “It is a complex route because of how long it is. We are going to do the first test in December,” she added. 

During the event, Fridman thanked the low-cost airline for their commitment to attracting more tourism from the west coast of the U.S. Starting July, Volaris will also add two new routes departing from Yucatán’s capital: Orlando and Miami in Florida.  

Tourism in Mérida has been on the rise. According to government data, the Mérida airport saw over 3.7 million passengers in 2023, the highest number ever recorded. According to Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), the airport conglomerate in Mexico’s southeast, this means an increase of 19.69% compared to the previous year, which just barely topped 3 million passengers.

With reports from La Jornada Maya and T21

The post Viva Aerobus adds 2 new routes from Mérida appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco Marqués said in a statement that the passengers arrived aboard 1,200 cruise ships and spent a total of US $325.8 million tourist dollars in Mexico — 6.2% more compared to the same period of 2023.

Torruco added that the average cruise ship tourist expenditure in Mexico was US $83.9 per person, 3.9% more than in 2023, or $80.7 dollars per person. 

Mexico’s ports with the highest number of cruise ship tourists included:

• Cozumel and Mahahual in Quintana Roo
• Ensenada in Baja California
• Cabo San Lucas in Baja California Sur
• Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco.

Altogether, these four ports hosted 90% of the total number of cruise ship tourists that arrived at Mexico’s ports from January to April.

Cozumel, which had 520 cruise ship arrivals and welcomed 1.81 million passengers, saw a 14.2% increase in visitors and a 5.5% rise in the number of ships compared to the same period of 2023.

Meanwhile, Mahahual saw 207 cruise ship arrivals and 844,087 tourists, reflecting a 15.6% increase in the number of ships and a 35.6% rise in passengers. With these statistics, Quintana Roo continues to lead the way in cruise ship tourism to Mexico.

Ensenada welcomed 281,007 passengers onboard 93 cruise ships, while Cabo San Lucas saw 83 ships and 257,069 passengers.

Finally, Puerto Vallarta docked 78 cruise ships and 238,471 passengers. 

One of the cruises that arrived in Mahahual, Quintana Roo, was the Icon of the Seas, recently named the world’s biggest cruise ship. The ship, operated by Royal Caribbean Group, reached Mahahual in February carrying 8,000 passengers — double the population of the port village. 

Home to the world’s second largest coral reef, Mahahual is a small fishing town that comes alive during the winter cruise ship season. It has grown in popularity recently as it is the only cruise port in southern Quintana Roo.

Mexico News Daily

The post 3.88 million cruise tourists came to Mexico between January and April appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The new VACs will be in Monterrey, Nuevo León, and Guadalajara, Jalisco. Canada will also open a second visa center in Mexico City.

“With these new centres, Mexico will have four VACs located in the country’s three largest metropolitan areas,” the Canadian government said in a statement. “This will make it easier for Mexican nationals to provide biometrics to come to Canada if required, and support travel and people-to-people ties between the two countries, while also preserving the integrity of Canada’s immigration system.”

This decision comes four months after the Canadian government announced it would tighten its entry requirements for Mexican visitors. Before, Mexicans only needed an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to enter the country.

With the updated guidelines, those who hold a valid visa for the United States or who have had a Canadian visa in the last 10 years can enter the country by air with an eTA.

At the time, the Canadian government said this move responds to the increasing number of asylum applications from Mexican citizens.

Unlike the eTA, obtaining a visa involves a longer process. Reportedly, the current estimated processing time at the Canadian Embassy in Mexico is approximately 40 days.

In most cases, applicants in Mexico must now undergo biometric data collection — an additional step that contributes to the overall wait time. This data is collected at the VACs, which Canadian officials said are run by private companies that have contracts with the government of Canada.

The Canadian visa application fee is 100 Canadian dollars (US $73), with an additional 85 Canadian dollar (US $62) fee for biometric data collection.

With reports from Infobae

The post Canada opens 3 new visa application centers in Mexico appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Torrential rainfall (150 to 250 millimeters) is expected on Monday in the western states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán, and the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental.

Chiapas, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Morelos, Nayarit, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz will experience heavy rain (75 to 150 mm) along with Chihuahua, the state of Mexico, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Sonora and Yucatán, according to the forecast.

The rest of the country may experience isolated showers and rain that will continue until the week’s end.

Towards the weekend, a highly active tropical wave is anticipated to approach the southeast, east, center and south of the country, possibly evolving into a tropical cyclone and causing substantial rainfall.

The National Meteorological Service (SMN) warns that the heaviest rains may be accompanied by lightning, strong winds and hail, and could cause flooding in low-lying areas. Residents should remain alert to instructions from Civil Protection.

Despite the rain, some states in the northwest, north, northeast and southeast of Mexico will continue to experience hot weather with temperatures ranging between 32 and 40 degrees Celsius. The SMN forecast scorching temperatures of 45 C for the border of Sonora and Baja California with Arizona.

On the other hand, strong to very strong winds are expected in the northwest, with potential whirlwinds forming in Chihuahua, Sonora, and Tamaulipas. Waterspouts may also form on the coast of Michoacán.

Factors influencing the weather conditions include low pressure systems over most of the country, upper-level divergence, moisture flow from both coasts, the monsoon trough near the Mexican South Pacific coasts and a new tropical wave south of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Alberto brings relief to parched northern Mexico

Alberto, which made landfall in Tamaulipas early Thursday morning and quickly downgraded to a tropical depression, has helped to somewhat alleviate the water crisis in the northeast.

In Tamaulipas, the heavy rainfall has helped replenish its main reservoirs, with the Vicente Guerrero dam seeing the most significant recovery compared to the levels before the storm. On Sunday, the National Water Commission (Conagua) reported that Vicente Guerrero dam was 18.1% full, while Marte R. Gómez dam reported the highest water levels at 37.7%.

In Nuevo León, a state heavily affected by drought, Conagua reported on Monday that three of its dams were over 50% full: La Boca reservoir at 95.06%, Cerro Prieto at 51.55%, and El Cuchillo at 80.16%.

With reports from Infobae, Milenio and Meteored

The post Heavy rain is in the forecast across Mexico this week appeared first on Mexico News Daily

But the soil layer in which Yotzin was found could place it as older, even possibly the oldest human remains ever to be found in the Valley of Mexico.

Yotzin, found during the construction of Felipe Ángeles International Airport, will undoubtedly provide archaeologists with important information about human evolution in the region. But he also could turn out to be the oldest human remains found in the Valley of Mexico. 

INAH announced Tuesday that while it has yet to carbon date the remains, it’s currently estimating the skeleton, based on its physical features, to be around 10,000 years old, from between the late Pleistocene Era and the early Holocene Era.

INAH physical anthropologist Arturo Talavera González said that Yotzin has an elongated skull and wide jaws, suggesting that he belonged to late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer groups, before the first known settler civilizations in the area. 

Marks found on Yotzin’s bones, along with its “poorly flattened femurs and transverse flattening of the tibia,” indicate intense physical activity, such as long walks and the use of teeth to wear down various materials, Talavera said. These features, which tended to decrease with the arrival of agriculture and a more sedentary lifestyle, are characteristic of primitive hunter-gatherer peoples. 

“If an individual shows signs of wear and tear on their teeth but no cavities, it could indicate a pre-ceramic diet,” he said.  

If INAH’s current estimates are correct, Yotzin would be about the same age as Chimalhuacán Man, which INAH dates at 10,500 years old. The soil in which Yotzin was discovered, however, could indicate that the prehistoric skeleton is significantly older.

The layer of soil in which Yotzin was found appears to correspond to an interglacial warming period that occurred between 13,000 and 20,000 years ago, according to INAH biologist Lauro González Quintero.

INAH’s preliminary report states that scientists need to confirm Yotzin’s exact age and validate his place in the chronology of the Valley of Mexico’s first settlers. Researchers also hope to soon conduct the next phase of research on the site in which Yotzin was found, known as Santa Lucia M3, in the town of San Mateo Xóloc. 

Mexico News Daily

The post Prehistoric human skeleton ‘Yotzin’ could be oldest from Valley of Mexico appeared first on Mexico News Daily