MI’s Mexico Foreign Press Chatter – Mar. 13, 2025

March 20, 2026
12:00 pm

This week marked veteran narco reporter Ioan Grillo’s debut in the New Yorker with an excellent piece on El Mencho’s rise and fall. And somewhat controversially, Paulina Villegas and Jack Nicas in the NY Times suggested, based on a sample of 24 interviews, that unlike the rest of Mexicans, Sinaloans might welcome US intervention if it helped curb the violence that has plagued the state since the battle between rival and Chapitos and Mayiza factions broke out back in 2024. Let us hope President Trump did not read the article.

These articles and a few others aside, foreign press coverage of Mexico this week started to shift away from El Mencho and towards other frequently revisited topics: North American trade talks and a controversial and failed Morena-led constitutional reform to the electoral system.

The official launch of bilateral talks next week ahead of the USMCA/T-MEC review in July was covered from Mexican and U.S. perspectives in various outlets; the public consultations in Mexico showed strong support for the trade treaty as reported in Bloomberg, while Reuters reported on calls from an Arizona Democratic congressman for tighter enforcement on rules of origin.

The rejection of President Sheinbaum’s electoral reform this week, though not surprising, was framed as a setback for the administration’s legislative agenda by Bloomberg reporters. AP reported on Sheinbaum’s quick pivot to a “Plan B” of modifying secondary laws to achieve some of the bill’s goals.

True to form, The Guardian examined structural inequality in Mexico. Highlighting the historic reduction in the number of Mexicans living in poverty since AMLO’s term, the article also noted the abysmal gap that remains between rich and poor, drawing on a recent Oxfam report that shows the country’s top 1% still owns 40% of national wealth. The story came out as Forbes published its latest global billionaire list, with 24 Mexicans making the cut this year, led as usual by Carlos Slim whose fortune rose to $125bn in 2026 from $82bn in 2025.

In lighter news, the LA Times spotlighted Mexico City’s Masala y Maiz restaurant, which blends Indian, East African, and Mexican cuisines; a one-night-only pop-up in LA piqued the city’s palate. A long read in The Economist chronicles the adventures of California cactophiles hunting for rare succulent species in Mexico and considers the ethics of “vigilante conservation”. Sports news also got international attention with the first U.S. win against Mexico in the World Baseball Classic since 2006, and the injury that will keep Mexico’s goalkeeper, Luis Angel Malagon, from playing in the World Cup.

Notable blogs in English on Mexico

The Mexico Political Economist argued, somewhat bravely, that Mexico, despite its small size, was in fact the real source of US economic growth – challenging conventional wisdom which puts US consumer spending as the main driver. Materia Gris turned to the educational and bureaucratic obstacles that impede social mobility for most Mexicans. CrashOut Media featured an exclusive about the exceptional conditions behind bars for Mexican cartel boss Osiel Cárdenas while he was serving time in a Texas prison, raising questions about the transparency of deals made with cartel operatives who are prosecuted in the United States. Mexico Decoded took a break from political analysis this week and went to breakfast, offering readers a list of Mexico City street food recommendations.

Mexico Political Economist – Mexico is the source of US economic growth

Materia Gris – Inequality of opportunities

CrashOut Media – Exclusive: Osiel’s Extraordinary US Prison Term

Mexico Decoded – Authentic Mexico City Street Breakfasts You Should Try