Too little, too late?
The fallout from a mayor's murder, plus a diplomatic defrosting with Spain
Welcome to The Mexpatriate.
President Claudia Sheinbaum is facing a dangerous test of her security strategy—and possibly her popularity—in the wake of the murder of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan (much more on this below). This is a moment when Morena’s opponents could gain momentum; but then again, Mexico’s opposition parties rarely miss a chance to squander an opportunity.
While protests broke out in Michoacán and in other parts of the country in the days after Manzo’s assassination, a call to protest on Nov. 15 by “Generación Z México”—supposedly unaffiliated with any political party—has raised suspicion of opposition political figures.
The president has questioned the legitimacy of the protest, which is using the same animé “One Piece” pirate banner of Gen Z protests in Nepal and Madagascar. At her Thursday morning presser, Sheinbaum said there is evidence this is a “political operation” financed by opponents to Morena.
“They don’t even qualify as chavorrucos,” joked Sheinbaum, mocking former President Vicente Fox (83) for his promise to join the Gen Z march. “Chavorruco” refers to a cringey adult (usually a boomer or gulp, millennial) clinging too hard to the glory days. “There can be young people who don’t support us, and that’s part of democracy, but it’s very important to know how this mobilization has been orchestrated.”
The “Generación Z México” X account first appeared in 2024 with posts supporting Venezuelan presidential candidate María Corina Machado, and then went quiet. In October, the account began posting anti-Sheinbaum/4T content, and then attached itself to the protests calling for justice for Manzo. According to an analysis by Milenio newspaper of the accounts associated with “Generación Z México,” almost half of the engagement was generated by bots.
Members of Manzo’s “Movimiento del Sombrero” also plan to march on Nov. 15, but have clarified they are not leading the Gen Z protests. They have called on the government to respect the right to peaceful protest.
Meanwhile, PAN president Ricardo Anaya told the government to spend more time listening to young people’s concerns, rather than investigating who’s behind the protests.
In today’s letter (below the paywall) I cover the aftermath of Manzo’s murder and “Plan Michoacán,” the reactions to a speech acknowledging the “pain” of the Conquest by a Spanish official, and an arrest in the Colosio case, archaeological surprises in Tabasco and a flub by Governor Samuel García in the Odds and Ends section.
Another president, another plan for Michoacán
“Each president makes his or her own Plan Michoacán, not to solve a problem, but to try to demonstrate that the State exists where it doesn’t.”
On Nov. 1, Mayor Carlos Manzo was posing for photos with the crowd at a Día de Muertos festival in the main square of Uruapan when he was shot seven times from behind. Manzo (40), who was holding his young son moments before the attack, died shortly afterwards in a local hospital.