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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That all changed in December of 2019, when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the Capitanes — a team that had been formed just two years before to compete in Mexico’s Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP) — would be joining the G League as the 29th organization in the NBA’s second-division program. At the time, the NBA Commissioner excitedly touted the move as groundbreaking, strategically giving the NBA a Latin American basecamp from which they could expand their product’s reach and foster a love of the game in Mexico’s capital — a sports-loving city that, before the Capitanes, had been bereft of a pro hoops unit for over a decade.

Sports leagues target Mexico for new fans

The team’s inclusion in the NBA signaled a major shift regarding Mexico’s viability as a business opportunity for the world’s most iconic sports brands. It highlighted new possibilities for the ways in which both U.S.-based and international sports leagues understood Mexico’s market appeal. In the past decade alone, the NFL, MLB, and F1 have all significantly expanded their efforts and made inroads in Mexico, where each league has hosted events with increasing regularity to create an ongoing presence with Mexican fans.

To date, however, only the NBA has truly doubled down on its Mexican investment by adding a fully-equipped Mexico City team. And to their credit, they have allowed the team to retain much of its Latin American spirit and identity, with the majority of its players coming from all over Latin America and within Mexico — an uncommon sight for a league that has only ever seen six players of Mexican nationality in its 79 years of existence.

Capitanes break G League attendance records

Despite navigating previously uncharted territory — which the managing director for NBA Mexico, Raul Zarraga, admitted to ESPN was “a long, difficult process” — the team has stuck around. So, with the end of their trial period approaching quicker than a mid-court fastbreak, how exactly has the team performed?

The Capitanes were contractually allotted a minimum of five years in the NBA’s ranks, originally slated to begin in 2020, but having been delayed due to COVID. Unfortunately, the setback forced the team to postpone their debut for one year, in which they would eventually relocate to Fort Worth, Texas, as their temporary home once the league resumed play in 2021. The following year, they would finally return to host their inaugural game in Mexico City in 2022, which broke G League attendance records.

Since then, Chilango fans have continued to shatter the NBA’s minor league attendance numbers, with 35,043 fans showing up for a two-game series against the South Bay Lakers (the minor league representative of the ever-popular Los Angeles Lakers) in 2024. As of this writing, the Capitanes have led the G League in quantifiable metrics like merchandise, ticket sales and fan attendance. They’re also recognized as having avid fans in the G League, often showcasing Mexico’s zealous passion (the team formerly played inside Gimnasio Olímpico Juan de la Barrera, an Olympic-era relic from 1968, before relocating to the state-of-the-art Arena CDMX on the other side of the beastly megalopolis).

Fan experience in Mexico City

Though the team’s official logo is the Monumento a la Revolución, their mascot is a giant axolotl named Juanjolote. Their jerseys are colorful and snazzy, often highlighted with traditional Mexican touches and patterns (one of their more popular kits is a limited-edition piñata-themed colorway). Combined with the modern amenities of most NBA arenas — to go along with Mexicanized in-game entertainment like mini luchadores, mariachis, Mexican celebrities sitting courtside, and more — the overall fan experience is unlike anything else in the NBA stratosphere. And that alone is of value to the league at large, which aspires to maintain a direct connection with its Spanish-speaking audience across the border.

On the court, the team hasn’t won any championships, nor have they outright dominated the competition. Even at their best, they’ve mostly been a middle-of-the-road team in a league that constantly fluctuates due to the nature of being a farm system for the NBA (that is, players often get called up to play for the NBA’s flagship teams at various points in the year, making the G League a fluid, shifting league).

Highlighting Mexican heritage

The areas in which the team has outright succeeded is in highlighting its Mexican-heritage players: most famously, Juan Toscano-Anderson, a former NBA Champion with the Golden State Warriors who played two seasons with the Capitanes after his contract expired in the NBA’s big leagues. JTA, as he is known by fans, brought massive fanfare to the franchise during his time, helping to provide a veteran legitimacy and winning acumen to the squad for a few years and elevating their status with his gameplay and fan popularity. Outside of Mexican-blooded hoopers, there have also been recognizable NBA names like Shabazz Napier and Kenneth Faried, as well as young, talented prospects from around the world like Brazil’s Bruno Caboclo and American high schooler Dink Pate, who has openly spoken about his love for Mexico and its basketball fanatics.

Most recently, the team signed Mexican national team forward Gael Bonilla and Texcoco-born point guard Luis Andriassi to contracts, bolstering their Latino ranks. Their current General Manager, Orlando Mendez-Valdez, is a former Capitanes player himself and a Mexican American star who cut his teeth in Mexico’s pro league as a three-time champion and All-Star in the LNBP. For his part, Mendez-Valdez has assembled perhaps the most competitive Capitanes team to date.

As of this writing, the Mexico City team is on an eight game win streak with a 10-2 record, and will hope to make a dash into the postseason and reach their first NBA G League finals.

Will the Capitanes remain an NBA affiliate?

Regardless of this season’s outcome, it’s overwhelmingly clear that the Capitanes are Mexico’s favorite basketball team and are shouldering the nation’s NBA aspirations. They’ve come a long way from their amateur-like days in the LNBP, but have they done enough — both on- and off-the-court — to convince the NBA of their value? Culturally, they’ve added a priceless dimension to Mexico City’s sporting offerings. It’s yet to be seen, though, if they’ll continue to be around for future tip-offs as an NBA affiliate in the coming years. With league expansion looming, Mexico City has positioned itself as close to the rim as possible — and anything can happen.

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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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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Lilmister P is one of those artists, a contemporary muralist, designer and “Hypervector” expressionist — a phrase he says captures his sense of dimensionality and depth in whatever he aims to create — from Iztapalapa. Located in the city’s southeastern outskirts, Iztapalapa is among the most populated neighborhoods in Mexico City but is often overlooked by outsiders and lacks the major touristic appeal of Mexico City’s other offerings. Still, it’s home to a rich lineage of artistry, including Fábrica de Artes y Oficios, Centro Cultural Iztapalapa, Sala Quetzalcóatl and Centro Cultural Casa de Las Bombas. These arts and culture centers have long provided Mexico City’s residents with film screenings, dance productions, art workshops, book clubs, pottery classes and more.

 

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That all shaped Lilmister P as an aspiring artist who was born and raised in the borough, where he attended high school and studied graphic design, learning how to screen print and stencil at an early age — techniques he later applied to create clothing, stickers, and painting on canvases. Five years ago, he founded Hechizas, a clothing and lifestyle brand that jokingly plays on Mexican themes of bootleggery found in flea markets as a nod to his Iztapalapa upbringing.

“I like to speak loud and be proud of being born in Iztapalapa,” he says. “Through many years people have seen my area as a dangerous and problematic space in the city. But I like to show the bright side of it, like the Viacrucis. [The annual event] gathers thousands of people from all over the country and also foreigners who come to live the experience [through a dramatic reenactment of religious events in the city’s streets].”

The Chilango artist’s talents have caught the eyes of those beyond just his neighborhood, though, attracting major global brands like UnderArmour, Jordan Brand, Formula 1 and more. When F1 was in town for its annual Grand Prix this past October, Lilmister P was tasked with designing custom lucha libre masks — inspired by the sugar skull tradition of Día de Muertos — for F1 drivers Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon of Williams Racing. Both drivers personally received the skulls and signed them. Sainz (who is a particularly notable race car driver and whose father, Carlos Sainz Sr., was a famously influential World Rally Championship driver in the 1980s and 90s who was beloved by Spanish-speaking fans worldwide) filmed a video in which he speaks about Lilmister P’s masks and celebrates being in Mexico. 

The F1 racing team found Lilmister P’s work online and contacted him about the collaboration. The mask’s details and nuances highlight Lilmister P’s attention to detail, creativity and, Mexican identity. For Sainz, the mask features the driver’s car number, 55, on the forehead, which is a Mexican tradition to honor relatives on sugar skulls; it also contains a mustache made from chilis, since that is Sainz’s nickname. For Albon, Lilmister P prominently stitched lotus flowers, since Albon is from Thailand, where the flower holds significant cultural and religious symbology; the mask also mimics cat whiskers, since Albon is known to be a cat lover.

Lucha masks are certainly a popular trope in Mexican art. But for Lilmister P, they’re more than just a one-off gimmick. A defining element of Lilmister P’s work is his artistic persona, which he signals by constantly wearing a lucha libre mask wherever he goes. In fact, there are no public photos of him without his mask. Having grown up as a lucha libre fan, he references watching both CMLL and AAA (two of Mexico’s largest lucha libre organizations) at his grandparents’ home with his cousins, where he learned to appreciate the superhuman artistry and theatrics of it all.

“I’ve loved lucha libre since I was a kid,” he says. “I’ve never seen a real superhero, like Batman or Superman, but I’ve seen Dos Caras and Tinieblas. Those guys were real. Now, wearing a mask represents my alter ego, a character that only shows up when I wear it. I’m not a luchador, but I respect the mask tradition and I don’t like to make it look funny or anything.”

 

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The masks he wears vary, but they generally use a black fabric as the base, with white and sometimes red adornments that flare up the nose and around the sides of the skull, while incorporating fangs, extra eyes on the head, and other quirks. In his mask, he has traveled around Mexico to regions like Oaxaca and Puebla, where he is regularly commissioned to muralize walls, often done in dedication to the spirit of Mexican culture and customs.

Next up, the designer-slash-muralist is planning to launch a series of clothing items dedicated to the EZLN, or Zapatista Movement, an indigenous rights group which became internationally known in 1994 for nominally declaring war against Mexico’s government and corruption. Lilmister P also plans to paint a mural in Iztapalapa for Viacrucis.

When asked where his work can be found, he responds like a genuine street artist of the people, known for democratizing the accessibility of art for all, no matter what social class one might belong to. And despite his big name partnerships, he remains rooted where he was raised. 

“The streets will always be my favorite space to show everything I do.”

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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Traditionally, the National Football League (NFL) hasn’t merited the same kind of reverence among Mexican fans as it has for those in the United States. But that’s starting to shift in recent years, with the NFL’s increased efforts to reach a Latin American viewership culminating with the recent announcement of Bad Bunny — the Spanish-speaking pop star from Puerto Rico — as the Super Bowl’s coveted half-time performer. 

In fact, Spanish-speaking fans are the NFL’s fastest growing audience, with Mexico ranking as the largest international market for the NFL, with a reported 39.5 million fans (Brazil ranks second, followed by Germany, China and the United Kingdom). The league’s growth across the border is largely due to strategic initiatives meant to engage Latinos — particularly Mexicans — through ongoing, creative marketing campaigns rooted in Mexican culture and fandom.

For starters, the league has played four games in Mexico City dating back to 2005, when the first NFL regular season game took place at Estadio Azteca. The 2005 game was the first ever NFL game played outside of the U.S., and drew a record-breaking 103,467 fanatics. 

Surprisingly, the earliest records of the NFL’s attempts to play in Mexico go much further back to 1968 — for a pre-season clash that was scheduled between the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions that actually never came to be. In 2026, the NFL has declared they will return to Mexico City after the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

The NFL’s fan engagement in Mexico hasn’t only been limited to playing games on the field, though. Earlier this year, the league partnered with six Kentucky Fried Chicken locations throughout the nation to offer an NFL-themed dining experience (I visited the San Francisco 49ers site in the suburbs of Mexico City; many enthusiastic fans flocked there to take selfies with the museum-like memorabilia, which included a gigantic team helmet and a completely decorated building that was visible from the adjacent freeway). 

Most recently, “Hasta La Muerte” — the NFL’s latest collaboration with Mexican fans and artists — once again highlighted the league’s interest in their neighbors to the south. The colorful and festive series included limited-edition clothing and merchandise (created by Mexican designer, Atrapaluz), custom NFL altars, catrinas, and a massive party in Mexico City hosted by NFL México. The campaign involved 10 NFL teams — the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers — each with their own legacy of Latino fandom. 

The designs feature classic Dia de Muertos elements like cempasuchil petals, bright colors, papel picado, and calaveras. The graphic print style was inspired by Mexican illustrator José Guadalupe Posada, and plays on the idea of fandom as a tree of interconnected family members.

The work was led by an all-Mexican team — most notably, the designer himself, Atrapaluz, who was tasked with designing the artistic vision for 59 original items. Raised in the state of Mexico, he notes that the NFL’s popularity has grown signficantly in his lifetime, and that it is a way for families to connect.

“The idea was to highlight how in a family-centered country like Mexico, the NFL and its teams are passed down from generation to generation, becoming a symbol of identity for many families, a tradition for getting together and a way to keep our loved ones alive when they’re gone,” he says.

It was all on display at a special event that took place in October at Fronton Bucarelli in Colonia Juarez for an estimated 2,000 attendees, including a range of influencers and local figures like Caro Diaz, Brayan Skabeche and Karen Tapia. Anna Laura Ramirez was one of the many Mexican NFL fans who attended the event. Ramirez flew into CDMX from Veracruz, and has been a fan of the Cardinals because of her father’s fandom of the team.The Arizona franchise (who are coincidentally also Atrapaluz’s favorite team) became the first NFL team to play a regular season game in Mexico in 2005, making them a popular choice among today’s Mexican fans.

Each of the ten NFL teams in attendance collaborated with fans to make unique ofrendas, where fans could add photos of family members, friends, and even former players who are no longer living. 

“Although a lot of brands are now creating products around Día de Muertos, we tried our best to stay true to our reasons for making this,” says Atrapaluz. “To represent our tradition in the purest and most sincere and respectful way possible, [to share] our stories and give NFL fans in Mexico a way to celebrate and remember their loved ones who loved the game and created a legacy.”

The NFL shows no signs of switching up their playbook. If anything, they’ve continually increased their offensive surge into the Latin American market, with more and more games being hosted not only in Mexico, but in Brazil. They’re now even blitzing Spanish-speaking audiences outside of the American continents, too, with a 2025 regular season game between the Dolphins and Washington Commanders scheduled for Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain on November 16.

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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That was the scene this past Saturday when the Detroit Pistons clashed against the Dallas Mavericks at the Arena CDMX for the NBA’s annual friendly in Mexico City. The game — which featured alley-oop dunks and long-distance three-pointers — ended with the Pistons defeating the Mavs, 122-110, but less memorable than the score was the spectacle of it all. 

The festive energy of the NBA’s annual Mexico City game was palpable, with a sellout crowd on a weekend that played host both to the Day of the Dead and Halloween. The NBA’s yearly excursion into the Aztec center is very much a circus — its main act being not only the high-flying athletes themselves, but the actual experience of being in the building and being seen, as it were, at the popular sporting event.

There is a capitalism to it all, of course: Michelob Ultra booths (an official sponsor of the NBA); a photo op with the Emirates-endorsed NBA Cup; official New Era apparel sold especially for this one-night-only event; a WNBA Día de Muertos altar, replete with custom papel picado that spells out the names of the WNBA’s biggest stars. Even the 2026 World Cup mascots were in the building, alongside Mexican celebrities, social media influencers and former NBA players, who each added their own spice to the eclectic swirl. 

Admittedly, for someone who grew up in the United States with access to such events, it isn’t particularly life-changing to get your hands on an official NBA jersey. But this game isn’t for sports fans like me. It’s for the Mexican fans who, in many cases, may only be able to attend one NBA game in their lifetime — and this was that game.

And so the level of excitement and joy, among the majority of fans was evident, as many game-goers wore whatever NBA merchandise they already owned, even if those items had no correspondence to the teams or game on the court that evening. That didn’t matter. The annual NBA Mexico Game is about passion, not specifics; it’s for those who perhaps worked an entire week or month or more for this, and, as one local fan told me, made the sacrifices needed in order to have this night of enjoyment.  

The NBA delivered on their end of the bargain in terms of entertainment value. In person, the event was all about everything happening outside of the game itself: neon-lit alebrije puppets galloping around, oversized calaca heads glowing in the dark, cempasúchil headwear on performers or catching an “NBA Mexico City 2025” shirt being tossed into the stands — and looking over at your friend to confirm that you did, indeed, catch the shirt. During intermissions, videos played of American players without much knowledge of Latin America raving about street tacos and attempting to speak Spanish.

Roaming the hallways of Arena CDMX was an electric experience, and, for the majority of Mexican fans, a foreign one. It may have seemed gimmicky to someone like me, but the overwhelming number of activities — kids shooting hoops, photo booths, fan centers for each team, just to name a few — was impressive. And the arena was loud. Everyone was engaged. You could feel the “Oh my God, I’m at my first NBA game” exhilaration among children and adults alike. 

Even as an NBA fan, I’ll be the first to admit that the league — like any globally profitable product — is a corporate entity. But I am also here to tell you that sports are one of the very few things I’ve found around the world that can bring people together, if only for a moment, despite language barriers or any demographic differences. 

So I say, the more the merrier. Keep the NBA coming back to Mexico. Hell, I’d love to see a full-blown franchise here (Canada has had two, so why not its neighbor to the south?). The NBA’s steady growth in Mexico has been obvious in the past five years alone, starting with the NBA’s acquisition of the Capitanes de Ciudad de Mexico at the end of 2019, who played their first official season in the NBA G League in 2021. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has also constantly brought up Mexico City as a potential destination for a future expansion franchise (along with the more likely Las Vegas and Seattle).

But for now, we have this annual event. It’s fun. It’s different. And it’s imperfect — the internet wasn’t working very well in press row, much to the chagrin of many reporters and photographers behind me, and early in the game, the shot clock stopped functioning, something that I’ve never seen happen inside a U.S. venue. (The clocks were fixed at halftime by a scrambling on-court crew of workers while Mexican dancers performed to deafening music. Mexican surrealism at its finest.)

But in all, it was a Mexican experience disguised as an American sports outing. And in political times like these, I’ll take that as some kind of a win.

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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At the highest level of international soccer competition, Mexico somehow squanders its golden opportunities and has failed to advance beyond the fifth game in the World Cup.

Call it bad luck, sure. But it also points to a lack of team cohesion, effective coaching, and, importantly, a composed and transcendent star who can usher in victory in the most crucial moments. However, it appears the current Mexican generation may have finally found their guy — well, it’s actually a kid.

Right now, Gilberto Mora is the most touted Mexican prospect of the modern era. He has already been dubbed by the media as “El Chamaco” (“the kid”), “Morita” (“little Mora”) and “Crackito” (“the little crack,” which is Spanish slang for anyone who is exceptionally great). There’s a reason for all the hype, too. 

The 16-year-old made an impact in this year’s Gold Cup tournament when he became the youngest player in FIFA history to win an international senior trophy. His accomplishment surpassed former record holders — Brazilian icon Pele and Spanish wunderkind Lamine Yamal, who both previously were the youngest champions in FIFA history. 

Though Mora is certainly not at the level of those global studs quite yet, all signs have indicated that he has a talent and composure at the youth level that El Tri hasn’t known since Carlos Vela and Giovani Dos Santos, who together delivered Mexico its first World Cup title by defeating Brazil in the Under-17 category in 2005.

Mexican fans have been enjoying Mora domestically for the past year: He currently stars for Club Tijuana in Liga MX, though there is increasing chatter about the teenager drawing serious attention from the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. He is consistent in every game he plays, controlling the tempo, setting up his teammates and scoring when needed — no easy feat for a 16-year-old boy going up against grown, fully developed men. 

With his recent success, he is no longer Mexico’s best-kept secret either. Making his debut in Chile this fall — at the U-20 World Cup for male stars under 20 years old —  he has suddenly burst onto international soccer’s radar.

In his first two appearances against Brazil and Spain, he assisted and scored twice to keep Mexico afloat in a “Group of Death” that also included Morocco. Mexico would later go on to defeat the group-leading Morocco with — you guessed it — a game-winning goal from Mora himself. 

Overall, Mora single-handedly accounted for four of Mexico’s five total goals in the group stage, helping Mexico avoid a single defeat. 

His “I’m Him” moment came in the final minutes of Mexico’s clash against Spain. In a must-win situation against the highly ranked Spaniards, the Mexico U-20 team were down 2-1 and all but finished. With less than four minutes of regulation left, Mexico was on the hunt and placed an aerial pass into the box. A Mexican attacker went up and headed the ball awkwardly, but by the grace of the soccer gods, it found the team’s best player: El Crackito.

Mora, who was behind two defenders and his own teammates, one-touched it with his right foot and put it cleanly into the opposite back corner of the net, past the leaping goalkeeper who reacted to the play by falling to the ground on his knees in defeat. In a critical scenario, Mora delivered for his team, and for Mexico.

Like any sports icon in the making, Mora has already faced his fair share of antagonists and disbelievers. Leading up to Mexico’s elimination game against the host nation, Chile, in the Round of 16, Chilean news outlet Desde La Tribuna published an image of Mora’s face overlaid with blackberries being turned into fruit jam by a Chilean player (the definition of “mora” in Spanish is blackberry). The joking caption read: “It’s time to make blackberry jam.” 

The headline and image received significant backlash from many soccer fans in both nations, claiming it was in bad taste (no pun intended). Meanwhile, Chile was crushed in a decisive Mexican triumph in which Mora assisted on two of Mexico’s four goals and was then subbed out to conserve the star for Mexico’s following match. 

Up to this point, Mexican fans have rejoiced in Mora’s talents with a euphorically comedic and celebratory spin of their own. In the internet age, goofy memes and Tweets have abounded. There’s a video of a child in his underwear impressively dribbling the ball in his living room with the caption: “Me as a 30-year-old pretending to be Gilberto Mora at 3 a.m.”

There’s a GIF of WWE commissioner Vince McMahon vehemently smelling a wad of cash in his hands, with the text reading: “[Club Tijuana owner and former Tijuana mayor] Jorge Alberto Hank imagining all the money he’s going to make from selling Gilberto Mora.” There is also a series of Tweets begging Mora to not succumb to the temptations of alcohol, women and fame as previous Mexican soccer stars have been known to do: “This is the future of Mexican soccer if Gilberto Mora doesn’t discover alcohol,” one says, accompanied by a montage video of the Portuguese prodigy, Cristiano Ronaldo — a legend known for his extreme discipline and focus on physical health — having fun as an innocent young man. 

There are also humorous subcommentaries on the internet about the biases against Mexican soccer players on the international level: One meme shows photos of Mora imagined as a player from various countries: Gilberto Mora in Mexico, but also “Gilbertinho Moura” in Brazil, “Gil Morata” in Spain, and “Gilbert Blackberry” in England. As the nations change, he draws an increasing amount of monetary value. In all, the memes reveal a nation of tormented soccer fans who hope “Morita” doesn’t lose his way and gets fairly compensated for his talents.

At this stage, Mora appears to be a sterling midfielder, but he undoubtedly has much to achieve before cementing himself as a Mexican soccer fixture, let alone an international force. In Mexico’s quarterfinal match against Argentina (the nation with the most U-20 World Cup trophies in the world, having already won six), Mora failed to make any real impact. It was his first game of the tournament without an assist or goal, and he was largely absent from the action. 

Some of Mora’s biggest detractors have criticized his height and size — he is listed at 5-foot-6 and 140 pounds but seems even smaller beside his peers. In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the average height of defenders was 6 feet (at 5-foot-7, Lionel Messi is an exception, but it’s uncommon). Only 16 years old, Mora will certainly grow. But his frame is naturally undersized, and has been used to criticize his top-end potential against the world’s best players.  

Just like the senior men’s team, Mexico’s U-20 squad fell victim to the “fifth-game curse” when it lost to Argentina. Though Mora’s presence wasn’t enough to break the hex, he will certainly have more opportunities, as he is slated to play for El Tri in the 2026 World Cup, in what will likely be the first of many for the kid who is shaping up as Mexican fans’ best hope for its first-ever World Cup victory.

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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That’s because Sunderland Association Football Club is suddenly at the center of a bizarre if not lovable trend among Mexico’s passionate fanbase and is, inexplicably, Mexico’s European team of choice this season. Currently, thousands of Mexican fans (many of whom have presumably never been to, or even heard of, the metropolitan borough in the United Kingdom before adopting the team) are flooding the team’s social media channels with declarations of loyalty, support and unwavering zeal — followed by a parade of Mexican flag emojis:

Mexican fans throw their support behind Sunderland AFC

The comments have provoked Sunderland AFC fan accounts into asking Mexican fans if they’re joking or serious. The responses have been equally comical, with countless Mexican fans responding that they’re eternally committed to Sunderland and aren’t going anywhere. One Mexico fan broke the cadence of Spanish with an attempt at English, responding with a grammatically incorrect but heartfelt “is forever mate 🇲🇽.”

It all started as a farce on August 16 when Pasion Celeste, a Cruz Azul fan account on X (formerly Twitter) proposed that Mexican soccer aficionados collectively pick a random team in Europe to fully support: “What do you think if with this start to the European League, all of [Mexico’s] football Twitter grabs an underdog team to support and follow, only for the European club to say, ‘What the hell, why are all of these Mexicans supporting us?’”

So far, it has worked. After voting on relatively unknown teams to choose from, the online assortment of Mexican fans landed on Sunderland — a once historic club that for the past eight years has played in the English lower leagues but has just ascended to the top-flight English Premier League. The message was quickly amplified when a soccer fan account, Somos Analistas, made an official declaration in support of Sunderland, encouraging all of Mexico to back the far-flung, relatively obscure team. The post has since received over two million views, 24,000 re-posts and hundreds of comments pledging Mexican fealty. 

Sunderland is staggering under Mexican kit requests 

Upon happening, the official Sunderland AFC Instagram account began fielding a mix of requests, questions and steady engagement from Mexican fans. The online team store sold out of most of their jerseys, with Mexican fans asking where they could find more. The spike in Mexican fandom certainly raised curiosity among other fans, as many asked about the connection between Mexico and Sunderland. Mexican fans responded quite facetiously with Spanish comments that translate roughly into “it’s something you’re born with” and “I’ve been a Sunderland fan since the cradle.” Even a few nascent fan accounts like Sunderland Mexico have already sprung up to share Sunderland news in Spanish.  

“A bit more awareness of the club around the world is great, and if our club and our history can resonate with more than just the local area, it can only be positive for us and football as a whole,” says lifelong Sunderland fan Sean Mountain. “As a club, we’re likable and already have a massive international fan base. Viva México, cabrones.”

It couldn’t have happened at a better time for Sunderland, who kicked off their triumphant return to the Premier League with a dominant, season-opening win against West Ham United. Prior to this campaign, the Black Cats (or Gatos Negros, as Mexican fans have been calling them) were relegated out of England’s major league circuit for nearly a decade. Sunderland itself isn’t a particularly destination-worthy city in the world of European football, either. What with London, Milan, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Munich, Madrid, Istanbul and various other European epicenters boasting rich traditions and proven excellence. Sunderland lacks the sheer star power of many other European units, too. But that hasn’t stopped Mexican ultras from purchasing jerseys and celebrating the team’s quality players like Swiss captain Granit Xhaka, Spanish striker Eliezer Mayenda, and Mozambican defender Reinildo Mandava.

Sunderland’s players return the love from Mexico

 

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A post shared by Sunderland AFC (@sunderlandafc)

About a week after the Mexican fans stormed their way into Sunderland’s ranks, the team’s social media director conducted a video with a selection of players on the team in which the players (none of whom speak Spanish) welcomed Mexico and its fans by answering basic questions about Mexico’s history, culture and soccer legacy. The team’s official accounts posted the video with a playful “¡Vamos, Muchachos!”. Shortly after, Sunderland’s fans decided to return the favor to Mexico and randomly picked a team of their own — Nexaca, a first-division team based in Aguascalientes that was recently purchased by Mexican actress Eva Longoria — to support. Perhaps the pick wasn’t as random, since Necaxa coincidentally shares Sunderland’s colors of red and white, but still, it’s the sentiment that counts.

There’s a surreal magic that can transpire on the canvas of a soccer pitch. At times logic-defying, the sport has a way of breeding the irrational, the inexplicable, the fantastic. Though it may not always seem obvious for the casual observer, soccer allows for a border-traversing artistry, a fluid interconnection among those as distant as Mexicans and Brits. 

Perhaps nothing sums it all up better than Sunderland AFC themselves, who formally welcomed their Mexican fans on the internet with a blend of Spanish and Mackem vernacular: “¡Hola, Mexico! We’re proud to have your passion with us this season — Ha’way the Lads!”

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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Replete with its gastronomic offerings, waterfall hikes and abundance of history, it’s beloved year-round — with moderate weather and unbeatable views of Cofre de Perote, the eighth tallest summit in the country.

Surrounded by rivers and banana trees, Xico is a majestic locale unto itself, known for its distinct mole xiqueño (a particularly sweet variation of the Mexican sauce), tamales canarios (a dessert tamal made from rice flour and milk) and the nearby Texolo Falls, (a popular site where Hollywood scenes have often been filmed).

Xico is a place I’ve often visited growing up, where my family would frequently take day trips to explore. And, yet, while only being a short drive away from my parents’ hometown in Xalapa, I’ve never once attended the Xiqueñada — an annual celebration in honor of Saint  Mary  Magdalena — which draws thousands of visitors to the small town every July, particularly for its amateur bull capea, an event where amateurs can dodge and otherwise interact with young bulls in a controlled environment.

For the 50th anniversary of the event, I finally made it to Xico for the raucous weeks-long tradition.

The celebration for Santa María Magdalena is one of the oldest in the state, believed to have originated in 1853. The Xiqueñada, which involves a street capea in the morning and bullfight in the evening, dates back to 1975. 

During this multiweek festival, altars are built inside of homes with traditional offerings and music. Of course, regional favorites like mora (fermented berry wine) and pan de huevo (egg-brushed, sweet bread rolls) are hawked on every corner and from every window.

The Mardi Gras-esque party lasts for many days and occurs throughout the pueblo’s historic, narrow roads, elaborately interconnected with parades, outdoor drinking, carnival rides, street food, floral adornments, music, family activities and most famously, bulls loosed upon the main avenue. Over the years, more humanitarian precautions have been enacted to protect the bulls from harm, but it still remains a controversial aspect of the festival. 

The party rages from day until night, with most of the action centered near Parque Xico, in front of the Church of Santa María Magdalena. You’ll get your share of steps while traversing the small town’s restaurants, taquerias, artisan shops and local squares, which are all mostly clustered along Hidalgo, the main strip.

It all ends with a local version of bullfighting, a tradition brought over by the Spaniards in the 16th century. In total, 18 bulls are transported into the town’s center inside small shipping containers. The main street that leads in and out of town is sectioned off with steel gates into three multiblock stretches lined with spectators, who watch from makeshift bleachers built the day before. In order to sit, you must pay a fee to the restaurant or small business you are seated in front of, which will likely offer drinks, snacks and, in some cases, entire meals for an extra charge.

For those opposed to the bull event, the celebrations are so much more than that; the majority of days leading up to it are filled with arts of a bohemian, communal nature and are especially family-friendly to attend.

The festival happens in phases, with most events largely centered on decorative costumes, on La Xiqueña — a local mythical figure who is revered — and on St. Mary Magdelene, whose statue is carried around town. Daily processions with live bands and colorful outfits — featuring a mixture of both Indigenous and Spanish influences — sweep the streets, though beware: Road closures make for difficult mobility, so plan to park your vehicle well in advance or take public transportation from a larger city.

One particular highlight is the series of “tapetes” — kilometers-long works of art formed with naturally dyed sawdust arranged in intricate shapes and floral patterns to resemble carpets on the principal streets. 

Community members such as Manuel Olivares, a local resident who has been involved with creating designs for over 25 years — since he was a child — spend hours arranging it all as out-of-towners and locals walk along the edges to view the process and end product.

During the nonstop parades, hundreds of children and adults from the town’s various neighborhoods and surrounding areas wear cowbells to help guide the men wearing large bull-shaped contraptions named “toritos” (or “little bulls”), which consist of around 160 fireworks. These get lit in the evenings in a show of flying sparks and dancing street parties. The cowbells, in particular, are said to ward off negative spirits and represent the provincial pride of the people, who in many cases maintain a family lineage of participation.

On the penultimate day, which is when the bulls arrive, I chose to experience it all from inside El Mesón Xiqueño, a spacious restaurant on Hidalgo street, which has been hosting La Xiquenada events for more than 30 years. I went with my family and the environment was, from a consumer perspective, enjoyable and comfortable for us all. 

To understand the event, it’s important to note that it’s one of the town’s most attended — and economically profitable — days for local foodmakers, business owners and artisans. When I was a child, my mom — a Xalapeña herself — would often attend the event and come back with various memorabilia. In that sense, the event has a certain lore for the people in this sector of Veracruz.

All that doesn’t dismiss the concerns over animal rights violations; it’s simply to say that in this part of the state, it’s a way of life for many, an entire economy unto itself and a rite of passage for certain participants.

Inside the restaurant, you don’t see much. From a nearby speaker out front, a lively emcee narrates as men from the town dodge the bulls. These men mostly consist of a group that takes it seriously, although there are, of course, others who are more reckless in their approach. 

No weapons, objects or harassment of the bulls are allowed — at one point, a young man threw his empty beer can at a bull and was vigorously booed by the crowd and ejected. Throughout this three-hour event, which begins around noon, more and more locals jump into the fray, some wearing bull horns and waving large red cloths to distract the bulls in order to dodge head-on charges. 

It’s surreal to witness, as crowds cheer for the pueblo’s best “torreros” who dance and twirl their way out of danger; nearby, professional bull wranglers watch on in case of any serious injuries. I saw a few men get trampled, and one needed to be carted off but appeared to be fine. 

At times, the bulls appeared unconcerned, if not uninterested, while at others, they forcefully bulldozed their way down the cobblestoned paths. Eventually, they are returned to the gated storage from which they emerged, and the streets are reopened for the festival to resume.

Later in the evening, the event officially concludes with bullfighters from various around the world. Although Mexico City recently banned bullfighting (instead opting for bloodless bullfighting rules), the sport still goes on in a few parts of Mexico, particularly in regions where it’s a proud, ongoing tradition. I chose not to attend this portion, which takes place at nearby Plaza de Toros Alberto Balderas.

Overall, the festival felt overwhelmingly local and inviting — a stranger offered to pour mora into my and my family member’s mouths from a horn-shaped flask simply for cheering him on while he was in mid pour himself. It felt largely family-oriented, with children and grandparents alike enjoying it all. I met a few artists, learned about local culinary traditions I’d never known, and appreciated the parochial energy of the Pueblo Mágico and its people. 

One of Xico’s biggest charms is its Old World aura of a town founded in 1313 that has remained relatively stuck in time. Mexico is filled with such wonders — but rarely are they tucked away in the endlessly green mountains of Veracruz. Even rarer? That they have La Xiqueñada. 

It is ethically complicated because of the bulls, but it is still worthwhile to witness  these regional customs and see how people embrace their forms of entertainment and community differently than we might be accustomed elsewhere. 

Xico is, indeed, magical — in more ways than one.

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The nation’s bountiful fandom and history will be on display for the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol’s (LMB) Juego de Estrellas (the league’s All-Star Game) from June 27 to 29 at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú in Mexico City, home of the defending national champions and winningest franchise in league history, Diablos Rojos. 

The weekend will include a selection of the top 68 baseballers, spanning the league’s 20 teams, divided evenly by the North Zone and South Zone (i.e. league divisions) in a match-up taking place on June 29. The headliner game will be preceded by a celebrity match and a home run derby on June 28. Times and ticket prices vary, but start as low as US $15.

In the galaxy of international baseball, Mexico has positioned itself as an attractive landing spot for both veteran and hopeful baseball players alike, with players in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol (LMB) hailing from nations like the United States, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Japan, South Korea and, of course, all of Mexico. 

What to expect at the LMB All-Star game

Though the event occurs annually, this year’s festivities are offering more than the usual variety. For starters, the LMB is currently celebrating its centennial season with year-long homages, events and limited-edition fan merchandise that showcase Mexico’s 100-year professional baseball tradition.

Accordingly, this year’s Juego de Estrellas will feature La Gala del Centenario — a special event on Friday, June 27 that will honor the best moments of the past 100 LMB years. 

The 2025 centennial edition of this all-star showdown will also introduce a new format: For the first time ever, the LMB’s best players will compete in a 10-inning tilt against Mexico’s national team — who placed third overall in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, an all-time best finish for the nation. Each inning will represent one of the 10 decades in the LMB’s existence.

On top of that, the game will be hosted at the hypermodern — if not futuristic-looking — Harp Helú stadium (capacity: 20,062) for the first time since the stadium originally debuted in 2019. Before the US $160 million stadium was built, the Mexican baseball powerhouse Diablos Rojos played at Estadio Fray Nano (2018-2015), Foro Sol (2014-2000) and Parque del Seguro Social (1999-1940). 

The Harp Helú is housed near the Benito Juarez International Airport (AICM) as part of Ciudad Deportiva (Sports City) — a sprawling sports park complex that also features the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, a ritzy F1 race track also often used for Mexico City concerts by major musical artists. 

It’s the 33rd time that the capital will host the Juego de Estrellas, and the nation’s 91st all-star event. 

The first Juego de Estrellas took place in 1939, then went on hiatus during World War II, and resumed in 1942, occurring during every consecutive season to date. Last year’s celebration took place at Estadio Beto Ávila in the port of Veracruz — the comparatively smaller and charming home of El Águila de Veracruz, which is the league’s oldest continuously operating franchise. 

The Veracruz stadium, incidentally, is one of only two in the entire continent featuring a swimming pool for fans to watch the game from the outfield stands; the other is located at Chase Field in Phoenix, where the MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks play. Though Mexico City’s baseball sanctuary unfortunately doesn’t offer a pool, it’s known for its expansive fan offerings, Aztec-inspired architecture and overall quality, which Major League Baseball has graded as “an ultramodern facility.”

Mexico’s baseball league is currently experiencing a swell in its fandom. With more ex-Major Leaguers playing than ever before — due to a rule change allowing up to 20 international players per 38-man roster — there is a renewed interest in “El Rey de Deportes,” or the King of Sports, as the league is colloquially known. 

High-profile players like Robinson Cano and Yasiel Puig have recently passed through — or are currently still playing in — the pro Mexican baseball circuit. The fervor has certainly reached a new pitch: Yahoo! Sports reported that a few Mexican League teams are drawing larger average crowds than some of Mexico’s biggest soccer clubs. 

For U.S.- and international-born players, Mexico is also becoming a viable route with decent salaries, proximity to the Majors and a decently competitive league that current players are referring to as “4-A” ball (alluding to the MLB’s Triple A, Double A and Single A farm system). And with new online shows like LMB Strike Zone, which target a new generation of fans, baseball is regaining the cultural cachet and coolness it once had.

Historically, Mexico’s league has been considered to be a lower-tier professional circuit, offering opportunities to former MLB stars and prospects who have fallen out of favor on more prominent U.S. teams. With over 140 Mexican-born players having crossed the border northward into the MLB, the LMB has been a starting point for U.S. baseball icons like Bobby Avila and Fernando Valenzuela, whose careers began on regional Mexican teams before making the leap to the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. 

Indeed, historic Mexican teams like the aforementioned Diablos Rojos, the Sultanes de Monterrey, the Tigres de Quintana Roo and El Águila de Veracruz have helped to launch, or sustain, such historic careers. Meanwhile, the LMB’s growth continues to introduce new expansion teams and broaden its fan base.

Of course, the Mexican League’s tenure hasn’t all been home runs and fireworks. In 2020, the Mariachis de Guadalajara were announced by then-national president Andrés Manuel López Obrador as the latest franchise to join the LMB’s ranks as a symbol of Mexico’s cultural pride and heritage. Just a few seasons later, the team’s players refused to take the field in a series against Sultanes de Monterrey as a protest against not receiving their contractually agreed-upon payments; shortly afterward, the team was again accused of financial mismanagement and then sold off in 2023. 

But the Juego de Estrellas is about putting on a show and looking toward the game’s future, so only the league’s best will be at bat, with a historic focus on the league’s most prominent players and successes.

Getting to Harp Helú Stadium

Expect traffic and large crowds. The nearby Metro station drops you off about a quarter mile from the stadium’s front entrance (the walk is lively and crowded with fans, street food, bootleg merchandise, and more — an experience in itself). 

If you prefer to take an Uber or taxi, ask to be dropped off near the stadium stop — you will know when you’re close because everyone will be suddenly wearing baseball gear, and the taxi will lurch to a stop with nowhere to go due to the high concentration of traffic and pedestrians entering the sports complex.

Once inside, there’s a baseball museum dedicated to the Diablos Rojos and an impressive selection of food items. The stadium’s famous tacos de cochinita pibil can be found to the left of the main entrance at Los Famosos del Béisbol, a concession stand with a perennially long wait for an order of Yucatán-style tacos that reportedly have been served at Diablos Rojos by the same family for over 70 years.

If you haven’t been to a baseball game in Mexico yet (or any professional sporting event, for that matter), don’t strike out on this year’s Juego de Estrellas, which promises to be a memorable experience.

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