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MND Local: Discover a different side of September in Puerto Vallarta

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September can be a strange month in Puerto Vallarta . The summer crowds have thinned, the heat and humidity are still very much with us, school’s back in session so traffic picks up, and it can be tempting to spend the month hiding indoors with the air conditioning on. But there’s still plenty happening around town, and some of it offers a chance to experience the city as something more than a tourist destination. September is a good time to slow down, explore local neighborhoods, support small businesses and take part in traditions that have little to do with beaches or resort pools. Naturally Mazcal Weekend Market If you’re looking for something a little more local and a little less polished, the Naturally Mazcal Weekend Market is a good place to start. Held on Saturdays at the east end of Isla Cuale, the market brings together local makers, small producers, food vendors and wellness businesses. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and offers the kind of relaxed, neighborhood atmosphe...
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Overcoming a disappointing first quarter, Mexico is now one of the OECD’s top-growing economies

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Mexico’s economy grew three times faster than the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average in the second quarter of the year, making it the sixth fastest-growing OECD economy, according to preliminary figures published Monday by the 38-member group of mostly high-income democracies.  The Mexican economy grew by 1.4% from April to June, according to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), much higher than the OECD average of 0.5%, which itself had risen slightly from its 0.4% rate in the first quarter.  Primary activities, such as farming, led the second-quarter expansion that lifted Mexico into the OECD’s top 10 second-quarter growth economies. (Meg Pier / Unsplash) In the second quarter, 27 OECD member states recorded growth rates, with Ireland’s being the highest at 3.9%, followed by Israel at 3.6%. Switzerland, Slovenia, Lithuania and Mexico followed, while Austria, Belgium and Chile reported no change in their GDP.  Se...
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What’s the latest on the security situation in Mexicali?

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The U.S. government issued a security alert late Monday due to a potential “August 25 threat in Mexicali,” but no major security incidents were reported in the northern border city on Tuesday. The U.S. Mission to Mexico issued the alert , announcing that due to “threat information,” U.S. government activities in, and travel to, Mexicali had been suspended for Aug. 25. US issues security alert concerning area of Mexicali The diplomatic mission advised U.S. citizens to “avoid government buildings in Mexicali” on Tuesday and “seek shelter in the event of an incident.” It didn’t specify the nature of the potential threat. On Tuesday morning, President Claudia Sheinbaum said the U.S. security alert was issued due to the possibility that a criminal group could pose a danger in Mexicali, the capital of Baja California. The criminal group was identified as “Los Rusos,” which is affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel. Mexican a...
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Bárcena presents bill to put environmental justice at heart of Mexican law

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The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) presented an initiative today to reform the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (LGEEPA), which is Mexico’s main environmental legal framework.   The proposal, spearheaded by Minister Alicia Bárcena, aims to update a regulation created in 1988 in response to new challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, pressure on water resources and conflicts arising from infrastructure, industry and urban development projects . As Minister Alicia Bárcena mentioned on Wednesday, Mexico’s environmental protection law has not been updated since 1988. (Saúl López/Presidencia) Presented at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Wednesday morning press conference, the bill includes 10 policy principles that seek to prevent and repair ecological damage, protect communities and make economic development compatible with environmental justice and nature conservation.   According to Sheinbaum, the ob...
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MND Local: Murals, an eclipse and aura farming in San Miguel de Allende

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The arroyo mural project is finally dedicated, a botanical sculptor reveals his latest project, a partial lunar eclipse is on its way, a spreading social phenomenon is coming to town and registration is open for the 2027 writers’ conference. Read on about some of the many community activities happening in and around San Miguel de Allende this month. Mural project dedicated along the Las Cachinches Arroyo The arroyo mural inauguration on Aug. 1 drew artists and patrons of the project. (Credit: Geoff Nilsen) A dozen new large-scale murals were dedicated Aug. 1 along 90 meters of the Las Cachinches Arroyo just west of Calzada de la Aurora and across from Fábrica La Aurora. The mural corridor project, coordinated by Audubon de México , was designed to transform the previously neglected area into an open-air gallery celebrating the arroyo’s history, ecology and enduring presence. “A lot of people don’t even know it’s there,” said Audubon de México President April Gaydos. “It will be a...
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US issues security alert concerning area of Mexicali

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U.S. officials have expressed concern that a recent drug bust in the northern border city of Mexicali could result in retaliatory violence by the “Los Rusos” crime gang. In a tersely worded alert issued on Monday , the U.S. Embassy in Mexico urged U.S. citizens to be aware of the potential threat, adding that all “U.S. government activities in, and travel to, Mexicali have been suspended on August 25.” The statement encouraged U.S. citizens to be aware of their surroundings at all times, to avoid local government buildings in Mexicali and to “notify friends and family of your safety in the event of an incident.” The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana — about 180 kilometers (112 miles) east of Mexicali — shared the warning, but did not provide any details about the supposed threat. On Tuesday morning, President Claudia Sheinbaum said the alert was issued due to the possibility that a criminal group could pose a danger, though she said “there is no specific issue.” The Baja California state...
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Another major bust nets weapons, drugs and 20 CJNG-related arrests 

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Federal authorities dismantled a major criminal cell over the weekend, arresting 20 people and seizing weapons and exotic animals.  The joint operation targeted a network allegedly linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and featured simultaneous raids on 36 properties in the states of Hidalgo, Jalisco and Michoacán. Security Minister Omar García Harfuch released this photo on his Facebook page along with a statement in which he mentioned that among the contraband confiscated from the detained alleged CJNG members were exotic animals, including tigers and panthers. (Omar García Harfuch) In an official statement , Mexico’s Security Ministry said the Aug. 21-23 operation was the result of intelligence and investigative work by the Defense Ministry, the Navy, the Security Ministry, the Federal Attorney General’s Office and the National Guard. The statement said that the operation resulted “in the arrest of 20 individuals linked to the CJNG,” adding that “authorities se...
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