But in Orizaba — the Pueblo Mágico nestled on the eastern foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range in Veracruz — maintaining a pristine appearance has fueled a cultural renaissance in the city’s image and appeal, transforming it from a former industrial center into one of the state’s most celebrated and frequently visited gems. 

What to see and do in Orizaba

With an impressive array of group activities — which includes unusual attractions like riding a funicular down a hillside, touring a dinosaur-themed park and wandering the château-like grounds of a museum dedicated to Cri-Cri (the stage name of a famous Mexican singer-songwriter of beloved children’s songs) — there’s plenty to keep visitors and locals busy year-round. Add to that a notable cafe and culinary scene known for its provincial dishes and locally-sourced coffee and you’ll begin to understand why Orizaba has become a road trip-worthy destination in recent years. It’s also why I chose to venture there with my family to begin the New Year.

Despite its altitude, Orizaba sits in a lush valley in the shadow of Pico de Orizaba, an active volcano and the tallest mountain in Mexico (ranking as the third-highest summit in all of North America). The region boasts moderate weather year-round, though it is known to get heavy rains from May to October. If possible, avoid going on weekends and holidays, since it gets slammed by Mexican visitors escaping the nearby metros of Veracruz and Puebla.

History and a cleaned-up reputation

Whenever I tell the older Mexican generation about my interest in the city, they give me a funny look, as if to say, “Why would you waste your time visiting there? There’s nothing.” My father — a Xalapa native who used to travel all over Mexico in the 1960s and 1970s before I was born — once told me that I should completely skip going there. When I told him that it’s now a point of interest with a cleaned-up reputation, he wasn’t convinced. So I took him along for the trip with my son and wife; needless to say, he’s now a believer.

Orizaba has pre-Colombian origins, with traces of the Toltecs, Chichimecas and Mexicas. The Indigenous name for the land was Ahuaializapan, or “Pleasant Waters.” In the late 16th century colonial period, it grew into a strategic settlement en route to Puebla and Mexico City before officially becoming a municipality in 1830. During that era, Orizaba and its surrounding areas became a national epicenter of textile factories and tobacco production. 

In 1764, the Spanish monarchy monopolized tobacco growth and declared Orizaba and nearby Córdoba as among the few places allowed to grow it in all of New Spain. Wealth and prosperity blossomed for Orizaba during this period, before it fell into a post-Revolution decline, when many of the region’s major sources of wealth were disrupted.

Orizaba’s working-class roots

At its core, Orizaba’s identity became one of working-class industrialism, at one point becoming the temporary headquarters for Casa del Obrero Mundial (House of the World Worker), a socialist organization founded in Mexico City. 

Orizaba was also the site of the Rio Blanco Strike in 1907, when workers led a riot against the owners of a textile factory in the nearby town of Rio Blanco. It ended with national military intervention and the death of at least 18 protesters.

An Art Nouveau legacy

Nowadays in Orizaba, you won’t see any overt traces of these social uprisings. Instead, you’ll find the charming architecture of Mexico’s Art Nouveau past. It has all been restored and well-maintained thanks to the vision of current mayor Juan Manuel Diez Francos, who served three non-consecutive terms as mayor and who began Orizaba’s reclamation during his first term in 2007.

Diez’s orizabeño evangelism yielded an invigorated, modernized city filled with quirky offerings: He oversaw the installation of a teleférico — a sky tram that opened to the public in 2013. It is currently Mexico’s highest and third-longest teleférico — according to the enthusiastic guide who greets you upon landing at the summit of El Cerro del Borrego, where vistas await on every side. But be warned: on weekends and holidays, expect waits of up to two hours. The 15-minute ride glides above the town’s bustling core, with various roofs displaying gorgeous murals. 

Culinary offerings in Orizaba

The regional foods — especially its coffee — are tremendous draws too. Carlos Iván Spíndola — better known as Perrito Barista, a social media foodie and influencer with 45,500 followers on Instagram whose content centers on Veracruz’s coffee culture — recommends places like Fidelio, a hip, youthful espresso bar and restaurant with a terrace view of the nearby church. Its trendy offerings include poche toast (housemade bread topped with spinach, garlic, arugula and cheese au gratin and then crowned with a perfectly poached egg), strawberry cream matcha and horchata con café.

On Orizaba’s main pedestrian thoroughfare, one can find a bustling strip of businesses, cafes and hotels in the center of town that leads directly to an extravagantly-sized park dedicated to Francisco Cabilondo Soler (the real name of the above-mentioned Cri-Cri) that would rival Mexico City’s finest. 

A block away from this plaza awaits Aborigen Cocina de Brasa, a wood-smoked steakhouse that prides itself on regional flair. I suggest the tacos orizabeños — two bean-layered corn tortillas generously piled with grilled chicken and pumpkin. The American-style pork brisket and black pastor, a Yucateco take on tacos al pastor that uses black chile paste, is also impressive. And don’t leave Cocina de Brasa without trying the cochinta pibil: a smoky, spicy heap of tenderized pork mixed with thick adobo and pickled onions served on a fresh banana leaf. 

Across the walkway from Aborigen, snag a dessert and post-meal espresso at Hêrmann Thômas Coffee Masters, one of the state’s better-known coffee makers, hailing from nearby Cordóba. Bonus points if you add an affogato carajillo cocktail to the mix, served with a scoop of housemade dulce de leche ice cream.

A magical portal 

To be sure, Orizaba has yet to reach international mainstream acclaim at the levels of Mexico’s other most popularly visited Pueblos Mágicos. But it has certainly accrued recognition, particularly among Mexican nationals and expats in the know, which can mean everything there is absolutely packed during the peak season between November and March, especially on weekends. 

Orizaba is, as the Mexican government has deemed, a magical portal through which one might better understand Mexico’s beauty. It’s an ideal mix of the country’s glorious past overlaid with the promise of Mexico’s evolving present and future, framed by a sublime backdrop of sierras and flowing waters. 

In and of itself, the calm scenery beckons an escape from the chaos of daily life in Mexico’s larger and dirtier cities. In Orizaba, you can unwind, eat plentifully and sightsee (the tigers and alligators prowling the city’s well-kept riverwalk inside a free, open-air zoo had to go unmentioned), all while remaining in a buzzy downtown that is fresh-aired. Perhaps other cities in Mexico can look to Orizaba as a blueprint for revitalization and boosting the local economy. I, for one, would welcome it with open arms.

Alan Chazaro is the author of “This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album,” “Piñata Theory” and “Notes From the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge” (Ghost City Press, 2021). He is a graduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and a former Lawrence Ferlinghetti Fellow at the University of San Francisco. His writing can be found in GQ, NPR, The Guardian, L.A. Times and more. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, he is currently based in Veracruz.

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According to the agreement announced on Monday, Carso will acquire 100% of Fieldwood Mexico for US $270 million, in addition to settling US $330 million of Fieldwood’s debt with its parent company, according to a statement sent to the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV).

While Carso committed to assuming the obligation to pay Fieldwood Mexico’s accumulated debt, Lukoil itself will be the seller.

Carso, through its subsidiary Zamajal, signed a binding agreement with Lukoil to acquire 100% of the share capital of Fieldwood Mexico, which has a half stake in the Ichalkil and Pokoch offshore fields in the Gulf of Mexico. 

“These figures and payment terms are subject to closing adjustments in accordance with the terms of the contract,” Carso stated in the document sent to the BMV.

Fieldwood Mexico is the operator and holds a 50% stake in the Ichalkil and Pokoch fields in Contract Area 4 in the Gulf of Mexico. On June 20, 2024, the Grupo Carso subsidiary Zamajal formalized the purchase of Petrobal Upstream Delta 1, now Mx Dlta NRG 1, which holds the other 50% stake in Contract Area 4.

If approved, Grupo Carso would own 100% of the stake in this field. Mexico’s National Antimonopoly Commission and the Energy Ministry must authorize the purchase as does the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control which imposed sanctions on Russia’s energy sector in October 2025.

Bloomberg News reported that the acquisition aligns with Slim’s plan to expand his oil portfolio, which includes contracts with Pemex for more than US $6.4 billion. The Pemex contracts include services in strategic fields such as Lakach and Ixachi, in addition to his entry into the Zama megafield.

Carso, one of the largest and most important conglomerates in Latin America, controls and operates a wide variety of companies in the commercial, communications, industrial and consumer sectors.

With reports from El Economista, El Financiero and Bloomberg Online

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She has been honored in the student category for using artificial intelligence to address environmental and social challenges in her community.

The international award, presented by technology giant HP and announced Tuesday in London, honors only three people each year — one global leader, one educator and one student — for using technology to achieve social impact and advance education.

Palacios, a student at Ceulver/TecNM University in Veracruz, is the first Mexican to win in any category. The formal ceremony will be held next Tuesday at the Education Leaders Forum in London.

Palacios develops projects that merge AI, robotics and drones to solve local environmental problems.

Her initiatives include Clean Water Drone, which removes floating waste; Drones for Reforestation, which plants seeds in damaged areas; and Project Manta Ray, a rescue drone used in emergency response.

She also created CONIA, a service robot designed to help older adults live independently by recognizing medications, reading printed materials and detecting medical emergencies.

“This [award] reflects my belief that AI should be applied where it can create a real difference for people and the planet,” Palacios said. “Thank you, HP, for recognizing the potential of young innovators in using AI for a positive social and environmental impact.”

President Claudia Sheinbaum congratulated Palacios at one of her morning press conferences this week, adding that she plans to meet her soon.

HP Global Director of Education Business and Strategy Mayank Dhingra said Palacios’ work “highlights how leveraging the latest technologies can pave the way for a brighter future in education, offering hope and progress to society.”

The other winners were Rebecca Winthrop, director of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education in Washington, D.C., in the leaders category, and Vineeta Garg, head of IT at SRDAV Public School in New Delhi, India, in the educators category. Approximately 130 countries participated in the competition.

Palacios’ award is the  latest in a string of global honors for Mexicans in the world of education.

In August, three Chihuahua teens won first place at 2025 World Robot Contest in China; in September, Mexican student Alejandro Aguilar won the 2025 James Dyson National Award for creating an app that uses AI to detect retinal diseases in under 30 seconds; and in December, Nelsy Saray Valenzuela Flores of Sinaloa was nominated for the GEMS Global Teacher Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious education awards.

In addition, high school students from Veracruz won the Zayed Prize for their marine conservation project, and an elementary school in Mexico City became the first Mexican institution to win the World’s Best School Prize for Community Collaboration, an international award from London-based T4 Education.

With reports from Aristegui Noticias and Diario de Xalapa

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RMN Xalapa is among the best I’ve found in Mexico. As someone who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area (a region in California known for its diverse Asian offerings, and which is a West Coast hub of Japanese culture and food) and who has traveled to Tokyo more than once (where the ramen is, as expected, mindblowingly incredible and abundant), I can honestly say that in this small, misty corner of the Veracruz mountains, I’ve found ramen that is more than worthwhile. It’s totally legit. And, somehow, it’s all run by a miniscule team of three Mexican cooks.

 

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 Though everyone always thinks of tacos and tortas being slung throughout Mexico’s markets and food stalls, ramen has elevated itself into one of the most popular dishes in la republica mexicana, an unavoidable staple in Mexican culinary circles that cannot be avoided if you know where to look.

Here are the facts: Mexico is the second largest consumer of ramen in Latin America — behind only Brazil, a nation that is both larger and has a significantly more visible Japanese population than Mexico. Not to be outdone, Mexico has firmly established itself as the noodly epicenter of fusion ramen, taking the noodle-and-broth classic and adding an appropriately Mexicanized flair with birria ramen, elote ramen, carnitas ramen, and more. 

It’s not simply ramen that Mexicans love about the Land of the Rising Sun; the connection between Mexico and Japan has historically been amicable, if not endearing, for generations. On the Japanese side, you’ll find entire subcommunities dedicated to Mexican and Mexican American cultural trends, from professional wrestling icons (see: the Japanese lucha libre legend in Mexico, Último Dragón) all the way down to Japan’s street culture (cholo fashion, lowriders, Chicano oldies). And you can’t walk a few blocks in any of Mexico’s biggest cities, or smallest pueblos, without seeing some vestige of sushi, ramen, anime, or other Japanese pop culture (my Mexican grandmother, rest in peace, couldn’t go a day without eating her beloved cacahuates japonés for as long as I can remember). 

These examples of intercultural permeation, and the rich flavors that have resulted from more than a century of exchange between the two, can perhaps be best understood through the ramen scene that is currently flourishing, which is more visible and accessible than ever. Make no mistake: we are living in the golden age of Japanese ramen in Mexico. And I, for one, am totally here for it.

The origins of Japanese immigrants — and their foods

The earliest Japanese-owned restaurant in Mexico, Nichiboku Kaikan, opened in 1960 in Mexico City. Inaugurated on the southern end of the capital as part of the Asociación México-Japón cultural center (which now includes Mexico’s largest Museum of Manga, as well as a Japanese garden and a language school), it served classic Japanese food and was financially supplemented by the Mexican government, which aided Japanese immigrants post-World War II.

You have to go further back to 1888 when the two nations first established their diplomatic alliance to get to the root of this unlikely connection. Back then, Mexico was one of the first countries to recognize Japan’s sovereignty, leading to a strong relationship that has since remained. Soon after, Japanese immigrants arrived in Chiapas with the hopes of establishing a community there known as the “Enomoto Colony.”

But it wasn’t until a century after Japanese immigrants reached Mexico — much later, in the 1980s — that Mexico’s love of Japanese food became a cultural zeitgeist.

The rise of ramen throughout Mexico

Instant ramen changed everything. Specifically, Maruchan, the Toyo Suisan food company, which came to Mexico in the 80s. As reported by Japanese Mexican journalist Isami Romero, the book “Maruchan wa naze Mekishiko no kokumin-shoku ni natta no ka?” (Why Maruchan Became a National Dish of Mexico) outlines a dubious history of Maruchan’s arrival south of the border: “a Mexican man working in the United States brought the first Maruchan to Mexico when he returned to his homeland.” Though unproven, the brand undoubtedly established itself as an affordable go-to food option for Mexican families, and can be found in even the most remote parts of the country nowadays. Part of that is due to the Mexican government’s supply of Maruchan instant noodles in its Diconsa stores for rural Mexican populations.

There is no definitive record of when the first ramen shop in Mexico opened its doors, though. From memory, I don’t remember eating anything besides instant ramen noodles in Mexico as a kid visiting from California. Not until recently can I think of a time in Veracruz when one of my relatives invited me to an authentic ramen shop. It’s not until the past 15 years or so that authentic Japanese ramen has begun to spring up, with Mexican innovations abounding. In Xalapa alone, I can think of about five ramen shops off the top of my head, all within a few minutes drive of one another (and it seems that every week, another one opens).

Credited as being a pioneer in Mexico’s contemporary ramen circuit, Yamasan Ramen — which was founded by Japanese chef Shinichiro Nagata in 2012, and is now a national chain with branches in CMDX, Monterrey and Querétaro — represents the vanguard for ramen that isn’t served from a styrofoam cup with steaming water and powdered seasoning. I ate at their location in Condesa: the ramen bowls are flavorful, the venue is spacious and neon-lit, and they have an impressive variety of Japanese lagers and sake to go along with each massive portion.

In 2015, birria ramen — the drowning of Japanese ramen noodles in the rich, meaty broth of birria, an invention that has gone globally viral — was conceived by chef Antonio de Livier of Ánimo Ay Caldos! in CDMX. The concoction set the bar high for Mexican ramen lovers, which, to this day — a full decade later — has inspired other forms of ramen locuras. 

 

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 Down in Oaxaca City, Mexican chef Ricardo Arellano has experimented with chilacayote ramen, which Eater described as “translucent noodles made out of the Mexican pumpkin and served in a seaweed broth and topped with edible flowers.” At Mexico City’s Fideo Gordo, you can find ramen prepared with salsa verde and jalapeños. From the Los Mochis elote cart in Sinaloa, you can get ramen (albeit of the instant variety) mixed in with the all-time favorite Mexican corn snack. 

There are now plenteous forms of ramen: Hokkaido-style at Ramen Ichi in Roma Norte (an actual Hokkaido noodle house that has now branched out to Mexico), or picante tan tan ramen at Deigo Ramen, a 24/7 ramen bar with various locations in Mexico’s ramen-saturated national capital. 

If ever there was a time to slurp down a hearty serving of Japanese noodles in Mexico, this is it.

Alan Chazaro is the author of “This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album,” “Piñata Theory” and “Notes From the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge” (Ghost City Press, 2021). He is a graduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and a former Lawrence Ferlinghetti Fellow at the University of San Francisco. His writing can be found in GQ, NPR, The Guardian, L.A. Times and more. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, he is currently based in Veracruz.

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Data from the State System for Tourism Influx confirms a 17.5% increase over 2024, positioning Tamaulipas as a premier tourist destination in northeastern Mexico. 

Not long ago, Tamaulipas was regarded as one of the most dangerous places in Mexico. Cities like Tampico, on the Gulf of Mexico, were widely associated with high levels of violence stemming from organized crime. But today, the city has significantly improved its security indicators and is now one of the safest destinations in the country.  

Local officials have said that improved infrastructure, effective promotion strategies, infrastructure and strengthening of established destinations have contributed to Tamaulipas’ tourism boost. 

During the summer holidays of 2025 alone, the state welcomed over 4.2 million visitors,  compared to 3.6 million in 2024, with especially strong numbers at beaches like Miramar, Tampico and La Pesca Biosphere Reserve. They generated nearly 3.9 billion pesos (US $218 million) in revenue that summer.

The state’s vibrant culture, natural beauty, varied beaches and emerging religious destinations have boosted tourism in the state.

State Tourism Secretary Benjamín Hernández Rodríguez highlighted natural attractions such as the deepest cenote (natural underground pool) in Mexico, a lake good for kayaking, and the caves of Los Cuarteles. 

Meanwhile, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy in El Chorrito, in the municipality of Hidalgo, is rapidly becoming a regional religious attraction.

Hernández has emphasized the importance of transforming tourism in the state by providing training, certification and registration for service providers. He said that his government aims to raise quality standards, maximize customer satisfaction, strengthen competitiveness, and professionalize human talent to support the sustainable development of Tamaulipas’ tourist destinations.

“Every effort to provide unforgettable experiences transforms our destination and leaves a mark on every visitor,” he said. 

With reports from Milenio

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Long before it rumbled through the jungles and ports of southern Mexico, the British Class 43 High Speed Train was the sleek steel face of a confident, modernizing Britain, one that was hurtling out of the 1970s at 125 mph. Its journey from London to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is a story of reinvention and of a record‑breaking icon that refused to fade quietly into a scrapyard.

With its new home, the massive ​Interoceanic Train project (CIIT) coming into the headlines this week after a devastating crash, we take a look at the locomotive spearheading the Mexican government’s push for an alternative to the Panama Canal.

Birth of a speed icon

In the late 1960s, British Rail faced a problem: aging diesel fleets, rising competition from cars and planes, and no spare billions for brand‑new high‑speed lines. The answer was audacious but practical — they needed to build a very fast train for the Victorian track network that Britain already had.​

The result was the InterCity 125, officially the British Rail Class 43 High Speed Train (HST), a formation with a power car at each end and a train of BR Mark 3 coaches in between. Designed and built between 1975 and 1982, the Class 43 power cars packed a 2,250‑horsepower Paxman Valenta engine and quickly earned the distinction of being the fastest diesel locomotives in the world, with a record run reaching 148.5 mph.​

When HSTs entered service in 1976, first on the Western Region out of London Paddington, they transformed long‑distance rail travel almost overnight. Journeys that had taken hours longer suddenly felt sharp, punctual and distinctly modern, accompanied by bold “Inter‑City 125” branding that became a visual shorthand for speed.​

The HST spread from the Great Western and South Wales main lines to the East Coast Main Line and beyond, anchoring many of Britain’s flagship routes for decades. Through new liveries, refurbishments and engine replacements, the Class 43s outlived multiple corporate identities and government policies, becoming an everyday backdrop to British life and a favorite among railfans.​

A classic in search of a second life

By the 2010s, the same qualities that had once made the HST cutting edge started to count against it. New electric and bi‑mode trains began to replace Class 43 sets on core routes, and passenger operators thinned their fleets. For the power cars, the future forked three ways: preservation, scrap or export.​

Fortunately, not all of them were destined for the torch. Preserved examples entered museums and heritage railways, while others found extended careers on secondary routes in Britain. But a growing number were sold abroad, their robust engineering and relatively low purchase price making them attractive for countries seeking proven, mid‑speed intercity trains without investing in new high‑speed rolling stock.​

Among those new horizons were two particularly ambitious export programs: one to Nigeria and one to Mexico. For a handful of Class 43s, the story would now be written in Spanish.​

Crossing the ocean: the Mexico deal

The stage for the Mexican chapter was the CIIT, the railway crossing the narrowest part of Mexico between the Gulf of Mexico port of Coatzacoalcos and the Pacific port of Salina Cruz.

Strategically, the corridor is designed as a rival and complement to canal‑based shipping, offering shippers a land bridge that can shorten routes and diversify options for interoceanic trade. It is also framed domestically as a development engine for southern Mexico, aiming to attract industry, logistics parks and related services along the line and nearby highways.

​Politically, the project sits alongside other flagship rail schemes (like the much more modern and high-speed Maya Train), as part of a broader pivot back toward rail after decades of road‑centric policy. Inaugurated in 2023 by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the final bill clocked in at US $2.8 billion.​

To provide fast passenger services over the rebuilt route, Mexico acquired several HST power cars and Mark 3 coaches, working with leasing and logistics specialists to purchase, overhaul and ship the vehicles across the Atlantic. The first batch — three Class 43 power cars and 11 Mk 3 trailers — was dispatched in 2023 for trials, with further batches following in 2024 and 2025.

In Britain, the exported power cars were recorded with new Mexican numbers: 43022 and 43207 became FIT 3008 and FIT 3009, while 43170 became FIT 3007. Preparation work before shipping included mechanical overhauls and adaptation for new operating conditions on the Isthmus line.​

Reinvented on the Isthmus

In Mexico, the once‑familiar British silhouettes began to look subtly different. The trains received new liveries to match FIT branding, trading InterCity stripes and later British operators’ colors for bright schemes suited to their new national role. They were also fitted with standard North American‑style couplers, allowing Mexican locomotives to rescue or haul the sets if needed, and adapted to local safety and operational requirements.​

Trials on the Isthmus route began by late 2023, with videos showing HST sets running through tropical landscapes a world away from Yorkshire moors or the Severn estuary. After the infrastructure rebuild, the line was formally inaugurated, with HST‑based passenger services forming part of the renewed offering across the corridor between Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. In July 2025, FIT 3009 had the leading cab ripped off after colliding with a cement truck at a crossing in Oaxaca. Footage emerged online of the train, with pieces of carbon fiber wedged back down, carrying steadfastly on with its duty, a minor delay after damage that would have removed many other trains from service — possibly permanently.

That crashed Mexican HST is back underway with only a minor delay
byu/David-HMFC inuktrains

FIT3008 was most recently spotted rescuing passengers after the tragic derailment ​at Asunción Ixtaltepec. The loco involved in the derailment was an ex-Union Pacific SD70M, pulling a train of U.S.-built Budd SPV-2000, itself an import from New York’s Hudson Line, which once ran between Croton and Harmon.

An unlikely but fitting epilogue

For the engineers who drew the first lines of the Class 43 in the early 1970s, it would have been hard to imagine their creation decades later carrying passengers across the mountains of Mexico, its Paxman‑engined heritage blending with tropical heat and port traffic. Yet the arc of the HST’s life — designed for austerity‑era tracks, crowned as the world’s fastest diesel, then repurposed for another continent — fits the locomotive’s character: pragmatic, tough and endlessly reusable.​

The British Class 43 did not simply “end up” in Mexico by accident; it was chosen, exported and rebuilt because it still had something valuable to offer: reliable, relatively fast, intercity service on existing rails. On the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, as the old InterCity 125s thunder past palm trees instead of signal gantries, they carry with them half a century of British railway history — proof that some legends keep rolling as long as there is track ahead.

Chris Havler-Barrett is the Features Editor at Mexico News Daily.

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As we have done since MND was founded more than 11 years ago, we also reported numerous stories that made us laugh, brought a smile to our faces, warmed our hearts and even left us scratching our heads in bewilderment.

Now, as we approach the end of the year, it’s time to look back at the amusing, uplifting, inspirational, heartening, gratifying, strange, surreal and “only in Mexico” stories MND published this year.

We continue today with a compilation of articles we published between July and September.

Click here to read our Q1 compilation, and here to read our Q2 compilation.

Look out for our “México mágico” compendium for the final quarter of the year later this week!

México mágico: A look back at MND’s weird and wonderful stories in the third quarter of 2025

We published a slew of articles about animals between July and September — some firmly in the good news category, while others drifted toward the strange and surreal.

There was a conservation victory at the Guadalajara Zoo, where the world’s smallest turtle was bred in captivity for the first time, and news that Mexican scientists were at the forefront of restoring the rare California red-legged frog to some muddy ponds in Southern California.

In another positive development in the animal world, census results published in August revealed that Mexico’s jaguar population was climbing, although the country’s biggest cat isn’t out of the woods yet.

There was good news for another endangered species in the third quarter of 2025, with the launch of an urgent effort to save the achoque, a critically endangered salamander that’s the cousin of the famous axolotl.

Guadalajara Zoo celebrates its first hatching of world’s tiniest turtle

In more surreal animal news, we reported on an unusual “marriage” between a mayor in Oaxaca and a female caiman, and a family in Tlaxcala that was sharing its home with 2,000 furry bats. A batty story indeed!

If all the stories about real animals weren’t enough, there’s also the tail (excuse the pun!) of a four-legged robot dog, Waldog, who was put to work championing animal welfare in the northern city of Monterrey.

In non-furry, slimy and scaly news, we plunged to new depths with this viral story about a Jarritos delivery truck that was swallowed by a sinkhole in Mexico City.

Another truck had a mishap in Tamaulipas, overturning on a federal highway and leaving its thirst-quenching cargo — beer — exposed and vulnerable to theft, which is exactly what happened. Fortunately, the driver of the vehicle was uninjured, though he might have needed a chela himself to get over the shock and loss.

How a Tlaxcala family is learning to share their home with 2,000 live bats

While some of the opportunistic thieves might have used Tajín to prepare themselves a michelada, U.S. actress and singer Selena Gómez used the spicy seasoning as inspiration for a limited-edition makeup kit.

In less piquant but more bizarre and fungal news, in late September we reported on a group of experimental musicians in the northern state of Durango who make mushrooms sing — literally. Los Yuma Project uses a technology that transforms the natural electrical impulses of mushrooms and plants into music, creating innovative nature-derived soundscapes.

Also using technology in an innovative way is Andrés ta Chikinib, an educator in Chiapas who has been teaching the Indigenous language Tzotzil to ChatGPT. His goal? To ensure that the language — spoken by more than 400,000 people in Chiapas — has a presence in the digital world.

Among the other out-of-the-ordinary stories we covered in the third quarter of the year were those about a lawmaker who proposed sending the aroma of Veracruz coffee to space; Mexico’s first-ever tree-planing tournament; and a viral 15th birthday celebration for a teen whose first party was a flop.

Blood, guts, sex and scandal: The history behind Mexico’s infamous ‘nota roja’ tabloids

Also in the third quarter of the year, we delved into the world of nota roja journalism in Mexico, which focuses on violent crime, accidents and other adverse events, with gory, stomach-turning photographs often accompanying the sensationalist stories.

We hope you enjoyed reading our quirkier stories this year, and perhaps found a few here that you missed. We’re already looking forward to another year of weird, wonderful and distinctively Mexican stories in 2026!

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

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Coffee farmers from the Coatepec region of the Gulf Coast state demonstrated in front of the Governor’s Palace in the capital of Xalapa on Monday, alleging export fraud and denouncing a lack of support from state and federal authorities.

Fernando Celis, adviser to the National Coordinator of Coffee Growers Organizations, said that while Mexico is exporting more coffee than in recent years, it is not exporting coffee of domestic origin. 

As such, protesters were demanding that the government halt coffee imports from Brazil, Vietnam, Uganda and Indonesia, which, they say, are being labeled as Mexican coffee to avoid U.S. and European import tariffs.

“This is a fraud perpetrated by trading companies and validated by the Economy Ministry,” Celis said. 

National coffee production during the 2024-2025 harvest was 3.9 million sacks and national consumption is 3.15 million sacks, according to the Veracruz-based digital newspaper e-consulta.com. However, 3 million sacks of coffee were exported, despite a surplus of just 750,000 sacks.

“The influx of foreign coffee beans is displacing domestic production, causing a drop in prices,” Celis said, explaining that robusta coffee produced abroad is cheaper.

In the last month, Celis said, the price of a quintal (100 kilos) of coffee fell from US $400 to US $350, representing losses for domestic producers of between US $7 and US$10 per quintal.

Producers demanded that the government implement protective measures for Mexican coffee and guarantee fair prices that allow coffee-growing communities to be sustainable.

In addition to pressure from imports that directly harm local producers, protesters also complained about budget cuts and institutional neglect that has left the sector vulnerable.

In September, the government dissolved the National Institute for Rural Sector Training and Development and, in mid-2023, the National Development Finance Corporation,nwhich oversaw funding for agricultural producers, was closed down. In 2020, the politics of austerity instituted by the Andrés Manuel López Obrador administration resulted in the elimination of one of the two undersecretariats in the Agriculture Ministry.  

In September, Veracruz producers criticized another government program that seeks to promote instant coffee, saying it offered below-market prices. 

With reports from La Jornada and e-consulta.com

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Vendors in municipal markets and at Miramar Beach have for a while been reporting strong sales of green alien hats, plush toys and T-shirts, often outpacing traditional souvenirs tied to beach activities and local wildlife.

👽 Desde historias de avistamientos ovnis, musica de otro mundo, hasta lucha libre galáctica. Todo eso y más se vivió en el Marciano Fest 2025 en Ciudad Madero 🛸

¿Listo para el 2026? 😎 pic.twitter.com/ZRFhL2u2XJ

— Fórmula Noticias Tampico (@formula_tampico) October 31, 2025

Tourists from Mexico and abroad often leave with UFO merchandise and photos from spots associated with alleged sightings.

And some come to the area expressly in search of those things — such as the estimated 20,000 people who in late October attended Marciano Fest, a weeklong UFO- and extraterrestrial-themed festival that concluded with 947 people dressing up as aliens.

Meanwhile, researcher Nembra del Carmen Jiménez is reviving a project she first presented in 2012: to establish a UFO Museum in Tampico built around her archive of images and materials.

She has documented alleged spacecraft and mysterious spheres over Tampico and neighboring municipalities since the 1980s, along with objects she says show unusual electromagnetic behavior.

Her material also includes coordinates tied to a supposed underwater, magnetic, extraterrestrial base off Miramar Beach, which local legend credits with deflecting hurricanes for the past 70 years (as seen in season 1, episode 3 of the Netflix docuseries “Investigation Alien”).

City officials say they are open to adding a UFO-focused venue; the tourism director has said authorities are willing to hear proposals and view potential exhibits, noting growing public interest in extraterrestrial themes.

Separately, private investors have proposed an alien-themed museum along the Cortadura Canal, as well as a fishing museum, as part of a broader push to redevelop port and customs areas for tourism.

Tampico already hosts UFO-related conferences and mass events such as Marciano Fest in October, which included an attempt to set a Guinness World Record when 947 people dressed up as aliens.

Participants in these events have included renowned Ufologists such as Mexican Jaime Maussan and Giorgio Tsoukalos, host of “Ancient Aliens” on the History Channel. In 2023, Maussan presented to Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies two bodies that he claimed were 1,000-year-old corpses of extraterrestrials.

The most recent Marciano Fest was centered at Playa Miramar in Ciudad Madero, which is part of the Tampico metropolitan area.

Moreover, the area is home to the Mexican UFO Reporting Center (CROM), a new digital platform that gathers cases, videos, photos and academic explanations “to provide certainty, understand the events, make the data available to experts and expand its reach beyond Tampico.”

Given all this, it’s no surprise that earlier this year, the newspaper Milenio ran a headline: “Tampico seeks to become the UFO capital of the world.”

With reports from Milenio and Posta

The post Does alien-crazed Tampico, home of the Martian Fest, have a UFO museum in its future? appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The announcement was made on Nov. 21 during a ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand, marking the end of an exceptionally controversial competition that first made headlines after a top pageant official berated Bosch during a livestreamed event for not posting promotional content on her social media.

@missuniverseBecause every step you take leads to something greater, and fighting for your dreams while believing in yourself will always be worth it.♬ original sound – Miss Universe

Weeks after the tense scene went viral, the woman at the center of the controversy is now the 74th Miss Universe.

“I would like to be remembered as someone who changed the stereotype of what a Miss Universe is, and as a real person who gives her all,” Bosch said after receiving the award.

Bosch stood out among 120 contestants from around the world and made her way to the top five. Miss Thailand Praveenar Singh was runner up, followed by Miss Venezuela Stephany Abasali, Miss Philippines Ma Ahtisa Manalo and Miss Cote d’Ivoire Olivia Yace.

But following the viral confrontation with Nawat Itsaragrisil, national director of Miss Universe Thailand, many have speculated online about her victory.

“Some suggest that she gained visibility thanks to the intense confrontations with Nawat. Others speculate about the influence of Raúl Rocha, president of Miss Universe, who is also Mexican,” Thai BBC correspondent Panisa Aemocha said.

Adding to the controversy, two judges resigned on the eve of the final ceremony, one of whom accused organizers of rigging the competition. Still, the Miss Universe organization has praised Bosch on its official social media account, saying that “her grace, strength and radiant spirit won the hearts of the world.”

“Today I reaffirmed that what God has destined for you, neither envy can stop, nor fate can abort, nor can luck change. Long live Christ the King!” Bosch wrote a day after the ceremony on her social media channels.

Fátima Bosch, the pride of Tabasco

Originally from Teapa in the southern state of Tabasco, Bosch comes from a prominent family in the beauty pageant world, with two of her maternal aunts having competed in the Flor de Tabasco pageant in Mexico — the same one that she would later win in 2018.

Miles de tabasqueños festejan el pase de la tabasqueña Fátima Bosch entre las 30 semifinalistas en el certamen #MissUniverse #Tabasco #Villahermosa pic.twitter.com/XekjQn5Env

— Soy Luisma (@LumaLpez1) November 21, 2025

During her childhood, she faced challenges stemming from dyslexia and ADHD, an experience, she said, that has helped her build resilience. In her speech as Miss Universe, she emphasized the importance of authenticity and self-worth to inspire women of all ages.

In addition to her interest in Miss Universe, Bosch studied fashion design at the Ibero-American University of Mexico City and finished post graduate studies in Italy and the United States.

The new Miss Universe has become a source of pride in her home state of Tabasco, where 7,000 people gathered at Centenario 27 de Febrero Stadium in Villahermosa to watch the final ceremony. Thousands more watched from public squares around the state, where municipal government leaders set up giant screens for members of the public to watch the show.

With reports from El Universal, BBC and El Financiero

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