Welcome to the January edition of The Mexpat Notebook.
Below you’ll find a selection of long and short reads (in English and Spanish) to peruse, and I encourage you to please share your own suggestions in the comments section.
ICYMI, here is a recap of this month at The Mexpatriate:
New year, New World - Here be tequila lakes and fentanyl kitchens
A journey to the Islas Marías - Part I: On apocalypse and redemption in the Pacific
Six stories on Trump’s inauguration day (Latin America Risk Report)
James Bosworth’s brief but astute analysis includes some historical background—noting how unusual it is for a U.S. president to talk about foreign policy as much as Trump did in his inaugural address—and observations on some divides within the Trump LATAM policy team.
Temporada de mamuts: La prehistoria mexicana que están escribiendo los fósiles de Santa Lucía (Gatopardo)
This in-depth story about the archaeological excavations near the site of the Felipe Ángeles airport (AIFA) is a great pick for a quiet Sunday afternoon. “We say it is one of the most significant late Pleistocene sites on the entire continent, to stay humble. But in reality, it is one of the most important in the world,” says Eduardo Corona, the research project’s co-director. Over 60,000 mammoth bones have been recovered at the site, along with fossilized remains of other prehistoric mega-fauna, and some ancient human remains.
How fentanyl producers in Mexico are adapting to a challenging market (InSight Crime)
This lengthy and very detailed report is part of a three-year investigation by InSight Crime into the supply chains and production of fentanyl and methamphetamine in Mexico. While the Mexican government continues to insist that fentanyl isn’t synthesized here, this eye-opening investigation makes that a very hard position to defend.
If you enjoy The Mexpatriate, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription for just $6 USD (monthly) or $50 USD (annual).
El exótico emporio de Farmacias Similares (Whitepaper.mx)
A quick tour of the rapidly-expanding world of Farmacias Similares, which not only covers 75% of the generic drug market in Mexico (with over 9,500 locations nationwide), but has diversified into entertainment and merchandise—and is setting its sights on the U.S. “We opened at least one new location a day in [Mexico] in 2024,” says the CEO, Victor González Herrera. “Which is actually a slowdown from 2023, we were opening two a day.”
The Mexican official accused of hiding the severity of the border crisis (The New York Times)
Francisco Garduño has been a controversial head of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute (INM), particularly following the horrific Ciudad Juárez detention center fire that left 40 migrants dead and 27 injured in March 2023 (his criminal prosecution was suspended just yesterday). This report only adds to concerns about his management of the agency, and while Sheinbaum has since named a new INM chief, Garduño continues to work there.
Radiografía de los mexicanos deportados de los Estados Unidos (El País)
This overview of statistics on deportations of Mexicans from the U.S. since 2009 is useful reading as Trump 2.0 immigration policies come into force. Worth noting: the Obama administration deported far more Mexicans (1.8 million in the first term, 1 million in the second) than the first Trump administration (766,383)—the Biden administration deported approximately 824,000. There is also interesting, though not surprising, data about where most migrants come from in Mexico (the less developed central and southern states).
Mexico goes much further than tariffs to protect its industry (MXPE)
A timely look at how Mexico’s preemptive protectionist response to Trump is undermining a key part of the border economy: apparel distribution centers. By implementing an export ban, the government is trying to avoid being viewed as China’s “backdoor” into the U.S. market and protect local industry, but it has also caused U.S. companies to scramble to move their last-mile logistics north of the border.
Azota a las mineras el crimen organizado (Reforma)
In the mining industry, as in many others in Mexico, the lines between legitimate and criminal commercial activity are blurred. As documented in this report, not only are cartels extorting everyone from the miners themselves to the executives, they also run “narcominas,” illegally extracting gold, uranium and more. With Trump’s FTO designation on the horizon, this is one of many sectors that could be caught in a compliance nightmare. As one international business consulting firm puts it, “the universe of potential parties to be avoided will be very large—and unclear.”
Sí hay tal lugar by Federico Guzmán Rubio
I picked up this book on a whim earlier this week and I haven’t wanted to put it down. The author travels to seven places in Latin America where imagined “utopias” were brought to imperfect life. From Fordlandia in the Brazilian Amazon to Nueva Germania in Paraguay to Pátzcuaro in Michoacán (inspired by Sir Thomas More himself), Guzmán serves as an eloquent guide for visiting “los vestigios de un lugar que nunca existió.”
Now it’s your turn! Please share what you’ve been reading about Mexico lately in the comments, and let’s get a discussion going. And feel free to email me at hola@themexpatriate.com with any questions or suggestions.