Mexico

Mexico had its own Alcatraz 130 km from the country. Fortified islands housed the most dangerous murderers of the nation

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In December we rescue A true story which possibly served Michael Bay for his film ‘La Roca’, set in Alcatraz prison. Actually, it wasn’t so impregnablebut the jail (now converted into a tourist visiting space) has become notic again because Trump considers The idea of ​​recovering it as “home” for the most dangerous criminals in the United States. The truth is that, before Alcatraz, Mexico already had such a prison. From prison to sanctuary. For more than a century, The Marias Islands They represented the confinement, exile and hardness of the Mexican Penitentiary System. A story that changed from the definitive closure of its prison in 2019, when the remote archipelago in the Pacific began a surprising and unexpected transformation towards ecotourism and environmental conservation. Located about 130 kilometers from the coast of Nayarit, the four islands, and in particular Mary Motherthey went from being the last Insular Criminal Colony from America to become a Biosphere Reserve managed by the Mexican Navy. In 2022 the visits organized for tourists began under strong security measures and with limited routes, where visitors can travel both the wild nature and the historical traces of a prison past plagued with dark stories. Penitentiary facilities still visible (such as cells, surveillance towers and a maximum security module) are now combined with hotels, trails, lush vegetation and endemic species that have survived thanks to isolation for millions of years. Violence, punishment and resistance. Founded as Prison in 1905the Marías Islands housed many of the more dangerous criminals of the country, together with political dissidents, poor peasants and religious leaders during different historical stages. There were also opponents of the Government of Álvaro Obregón, Catholics in the time of the Cristero Warand figures Like the writer José Revueltassymbol of intellectual dissent. The prison regime varied over time, since semi -liberated modalities in which some inmates lived with their families, even closed structures such as Maximum security section Open in 2011 after the militarization of the criminal system during the war against the narco. In these facilities, described as replicas of American prisons, prisoners lived with extreme punishments, such as the existence of a metal cabin that functioned as a solar heat torture chamber. In fact, The BBC counted that rumors of undercover executions and clandestine burials are still persists in the other islands of the archipelago, occasionally frequented by illegal and drug traffickers. Overpopulation During the last decades of operation as prison, serious overpopulation episodes were experienced, particularly notorious in the 2000s. The angels Times counted and testimonies collected by Mexican media Like the universal and Processat some times they came to live More than 8,000 inmates In precarious conditions, in facilities originally designed to house much less. An especially shocking example was reported by a former inmate who, in 2022, recalled that 500 women They shared only five bathroomssituation that described how to live in a “chicken coop.” Although as we said, in the beginning the prison had a relatively open regime (even allowed some inmates to live with their families), the hardening of the penitentiary policy after the War against drug trafficking In 2006 and the opening of the maximum security module aggravated overcrowding. Complaints of insufficient rations and lack of medical care derived even in A riot in 2013after which the module closed. The combination of structural deterioration, lack of resources and social pressure ended up leading to definitive closure of the prison in 2019. Biodiversity Then came the “second life” of the islands. Despite its gloomy legacy, the natural wealth of the archipelago has survived and even flourished. Since 2010, when the prison still worked, UNESCO recognized the Marias Islands as a biosphere reserve for its unique ecosystem, composed of dry forests, mangroves, coral reef, coasts and endemic fauna such as the Loro Tres MaríasMapaches and rabbits that do not exist anywhere else on the planet. Many of these species suffered during the penitentiary period (they say Some inmates hunted snakes to make belts or trafficked parrots with the help of relatives). Today, the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp) works with the Navy to protect this biodiversity, although the challenges are maintained, especially For illegal fishing. Despite the restrictions imposed since 2000 and reinforced in 2021, scientists such as Marino Octavio Aburto-Opeza Biologist warned that Companies still operate that offer recreational fishing or with harpoon without effective control, which puts at risk the fragile ecological balance of the area. Tourism (responsible). Today, visits to María Madre have become a strange mixture of biotourism and historical memory. Tourists, mostly Mexicans, are attracted to both the wild and The history of suffering inscribed in cells, corridors, murals and cemeteries. It explained the BBC With examples, such as the tomb of “El Sapo”, an alleged state murderer Macheted killed For their cell partners, or the esculos of octopus made by inmates who decorate still closed rooms, episodes that generate an environment between the surreal and moving. In short, although the current approach gives priority to contact with nature and environmental education, the main attraction for many remains the same as in Alcatraz: the possibility of walking for what was once a penitentiary hell. Thus, in the experience of the visit two stories live together: that of an infamous prison that functioned as a tool for social control and repression for more than a century, and that of a resilient ecosystem that now seems to offer a promise of redemption through responsible tourism and collective memory. Image | Vallee, Rawpixel In Xataka | The incredible story of the men who escaped from the Alcatraz prison with spoons, false hair and a homemade boat In Xataka | The Japanese who built a replica of his cell in his garden because his sentence seemed little: he did not get out of there again

In 2023 some explorers entered a remote cave in Mexico. They found the last archaeological treasure of the country

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The initial idea of ​​Adrián Beltrán and Yekaretina Katiya Pavlova, Mexican guide the first, Russian speleologist the second, had little to do with archeology. In September 2023, both professionals decided to take their bártulos behind their backs and enter the Tlagoococ cavelocated in the middle of Sierra de Guerrero (Mexico), to map their galleries. Once there they discovered, however, something that made this goal happen to the background: after traveling 150 meters to the bottom of the cave and entering a submerged passage, the couple met with An archaeological treasure hidden for several centuries. The legacy of an ethnicity already extinct, The tlacotepehuas. In a remote cave in Mexico … The Cave of Tlayócoc, in the Sierra de Warrioris well known in the area for its natural resources. It provides water. And a guano that farmers usually resort to pay their orchards. What was not known until Beltrán and Pavlova entered the cave in September 2023 It is also hiding a valuable archaeological treasure that will allow historians to expand their knowledge of pre -Hispanic cultures. To get to him the guide and the speleologist entered 150 m in the cave, submerged to move towards the grotto and reached a camera. What did they find there? Two bracelets made with shells arranged in stalagmites. The image was so shocking that, as I would report later Pavlova to the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH), the first thing that came to mind was that it was garbage. Maybe plastics. When he approached and looked at those more close pieces, he realized that he was facing something different. “It was very exciting! An experience similar to discovering a well of more than 300 m inside the cave. Here we were lucky,” Recognize The Russian cartographer. Was that all? No. In the area there were more pieces, including another bracelet, a large shell and fragments of black discs, similar to pyrite mirrors. Pavlova took photos and raised some theories about the possible origin of all that, but decided to leave the discovery in the hands of experts. He notified the discovery and the ejido authorities and the Carrizal de Bravo Surveillance Committee were responsible for ensuring that the site was not looted. Recently local authorities decided to go further They asked the INAH Let the cave register again. The area is not easily accessible, it is located at an altitude of 2,387 meters and to get to it you have to cross ravines, a river and a road where travelers risk finding snakes or pumas, but in March a team of experts registered the site. Thanks to this work today we have a more precise idea of ​​the archaeological treasure of the Tlayócoc cave: 14 pre -Hispanic objects Among which include bracelets and stone discs similar to pyrite mirrors. Clearing unknowns. Archaeologists recorded in total three shell bracelets, a fragment of bracelet of also malacological origin, the shell of a giant snail (experts believe that of the species Strombus sp.) perforated and with decorations, a fragment of carbonized wood and remains of stone discs, but also fixed in the environment. In the camera they observed, for example, the stalagmites had been retouched during rounding their shape. When examining in detail the bracelets also verified that they were made from shells (TRIPLOFUSUS Giganteus) that someone had dedicated themselves to decorating with engravings of symbols and anthropomorphic figures, including faces, brands in the form of “s” and lines in Zigzag. The brands, the position of the bracelets and the shape of the stalagmites suggested a theory to the experts: the cave was a ritual place. “Possibly the symbols and representations of characters in the bracelets are related to pre -Hispanic cosmogony regarding creation and fertility,” Comment Cuauhtémoc Reyes, of the INAH Guerrero Center. Why is it important? Clarified what and where was another pending question: when. Archaeologists concluded that the pieces are from the post -classic period and were probably placed in the cave between the years 950 and 1521 AD, which leads them to think that they are related to the Tlacotepehua culture, which inhabited that region several centuries ago. “It was a branch of the Tepuztecas, an ancient group that lived in the mountains and was dedicated to working the metals, hence its name,” adds archaeologist Pérez Negrete in A statement of INAH. There are also bracelets that remind other pieces located in guerrenses deposits and farthest areas. “Find of great relevance.” The phrase is again from Pérez Negrete, who insists on the scope of the discovery. “With the study of the contextual relationship of the pieces of the cave, we can interpret symbolic notions, cultural, manufacturing and even commerce aspects, to characterize pre -Hispanic societies settled in the Sierre de Guerrero,” claims. Experts also handle very little information about the Tlacotepehua culture, which It ended up extinguishing at the beginning of the viceregal era. As if that was not enough, the INAH remembers that it is the first time that its experts go to the community of Carrizal de Bravo, which marks “the beginning of a campaign” to promote the awareness and preservation of heritage. Images | Cinah Guerrero and INAH (Katiya Pavlova) In Xataka | We have found remains of an unknown civilization in Mexico: the closest thing is an artistic style of Bolivia and Peru

Mr. Beast has brought his extreme tourism videos inside the Mayan ruins in Mexico. That is a problem for ruins

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Mrbeast It is the most important youtuber and followed in the world, and virtually any idea it has to generate content in its channel becomes a trend. Millionaire contests, spectacular challenges, philanthropic maneuvers … and now, adventure tourism. One of his last adventures has been to pass One hundred hours in an old Mayan temple two thousand years old. It is an idea with a peculiar dark side. One night in the temple. In the video we can see how Mrbeast wanders inside several Mayan pyramids, among other Chichén Itzá. Accompanied by an native guide, which reinforces its promotional character for the powerful tourism business in Mexico, sleeps in the jungle, and can touch funeral masks of the kings buried in the area. A privilege that is not at the scope of any tourist. A superstar. With almost 400 million followers and more than 82,000 million visualizations, no one doubts that Mrbeast is The most important youtuber in the world. The average video display on its channel is about 100 million, although it already has many exceeding 200. The income of your channel They can exceed four million dollars, not counting sponsorships or agreements. An authentic icon of the platform that is largely responsible for the spectacularization of Influencers: Always looking for the most extreme challenge, the most shocking image and the most unexpected trip. The spectacularization of YouTube. This spectacularization of the content is very clear in the titles of its last videos: ‘Would you risk drowning for $ 500,000?‘, I survived 7 days in an abandoned city, I survived the 5 most mortal places on earth… It is a radicalization of the content that is not only in the subject, but in the visual: climbing assemblies, a lot of noise and screams, many careers, a dynamic that stuns and that Keep the spectator dopamine by the clouds. Extreme tourism. Mrbeast exploits a new form of telematic tourism that is hooking millions of viewers by making these trips to remote places, often giving them an adventurous narrative: these trips are often linked to extreme challenges or tests, and have turned tourism into an experience that can be digitally consumed. For example, a few months ago we talked about Fabio Belnome and his trip in a 1998 Fiat to Japan. But there are many more in different social networks: the mountaineer @Nimsdaithe urban explorer @Shieyfreedom or the traveler to high -risk countries @drew_binsky. Thanks to them, the hashtag #tikToktravel, for example, has More than 23,000 million views. The dark side. However, there is a dark side in videos such as Mrbaest Chichén Itzá. In 2024, the Secretariat of Tourist Development of Yucatán reported that he expected the arrival of 6.7 million tourists, more than double those that arrived in the last year pre-pandemic. It is an area to which tourism provides 90% of its income. The controversial Mayan train. To promote and facilitate tourism, projects such as Mayan traina transport that will travel relevant areas of the Mayan zone, with special attention to serve tourism, connecting airports in a space of 1500 kilometers. But the authorities are concerned about Environmental impact of the pharaonic López Obrador project. For example, the works have been arrested in the area of ​​the Riviera Maya, one of the most frequented by tourists. The impact is more than studied in what affects caves, temples and other protected areas, and Even Unesco has intervened. The double track. Mexico is, in this way, before a dilemma: the content of Mrbeast is sponsored, as the video credits affirm, by the Tourism Secretariat of Mexicoin collaboration with institutions such as the National Institute of Anthropology and History. But at the same time, the massification of tourism is eroding archaeological treasures such as these temples, in a dilemma of which perhaps the great travel and adventure youtubers will have to begin to take responsibility in the future. Header | Mrbeast In Xataka | The videos of AI have broken the Instagram and Tiktok algorithms. Welcome to the new “AI landscape”

It is called “Narcotanque” and is a nightmare in Mexico

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The drug cartels are still a problem in Mexico. Also in other Latin American territories, but Mexico is the country that exemplifies How far they can go These organizations. They are present in segments as lucrative as the avocado culturehis violence It affects tourism And it is so widespread in the Mexican economy that already controls the 13% of products distribution. And nothing exemplifies both its power and influence as a vehicle. The drug tank. Narcochapuza. Before entering land vehicles, let’s talk about sailors. Not of the boats, but of something much more sophiscite: the Narcosubmarinos. Very handmade submersible vehicles at the beginning and more sophisticated over time They are the ones that the drug cartels use to cross the ocean and move tons of drugs on each trip. They were the answer to the need to move the drug produced. In the case of land vehicles, the need is not so much to move merchandise as protecting it, sow panic among enemies and demonstrate the power of each organization. Thus, about 15 years ago, and as we see in BBCNarcotanques began to appear: commercial vehicles available in the market that the cartels modified, adding armor layers to create something bungling and not very aesthetic, but functional. Monsters. The photo that opens this article is an example that it was not the most sophisticated work in the world, but fulfilled its mission of being a heavy vehicle with protection against conventional ammunition and with the ability to sow terror among the adversaries. Its appearance motivated the nickname of ‘monster’ or ‘vehiclerhinoceros‘And, like those first submarines, they were artisanal armored by the addition of steel plates between two and three centimeters thick, bases and sight points for machine guns and rifles, as well as reinforced front systems in case you had to collide with something. Photo of Vïctor González Photo of Vïctor González Narcotanques. Since the beginning of the last decade, these vehicles have extended between different bands due to their effectiveness sowing panic (imagine seeing a mole of these on your street) and because they resist impacts of the ammunition of the rival poster. But, as in the case of submarines, the cartels have begun to create increasingly sophisticated armored. They are still handmade and the welding lines or the fact that they use conventional vehicles can be seen, but in a short time they have passed from ‘fugitutes’ with steel sheets to vehicles that could go through a military tank. An example is the one shown by the youtuber Víctor González in this video: Ford Super Duty. The specs From this pickup they are spectacular. Available in 4×4 with V8 engines, load capacity of 3.6 tons and possibility to tow another 18 tons, the Ford Super Duty It is the dream of any average American, but also the base on which the drug traffickers have built a armored … spectacular. Photo of Vïctor González In González’s video we can see that not only have they adapted the camouflage patterns of military vehicles, but we cannot intuit what vehicle it is because the exterior is deeply modified. Steel plates that cover each millimeter, small crystals and with several inches shielding, small openings that can be closed and for those that appear guns of the rifles, protected inputs and even a 360º upper torrett system. Photo of Vïctor González As we said, there are elements that highlight, as the welds seen, but have shielded to the wheels. The price of such a modification? High: up to two million pesos, equivalent to about $ 100,000, as we read in Infobae. Others are more … discreet. They look like normal trucks, but they have a considerable caliber cannon inside: Capture. And it is not something that the drug traffickers have hidden: when a group has been having better armored ones, they have boasted both of them and the captures of similar vehicles of rival groups. It is still, as we said some lines, a sample of power and a powerful deterrent. Now, just like the drug traffickers capture ‘tanks’ of enemies, the authorities also have a decade ‘ensuring’ the drug trafficking. In recent years, the authorities have seized almost 300 of these armored vehicles, which they subsequently use in training centers of their police and military forces. In this way, security forces can know what tactics are drugs to shield vehicles, discover their weak points and perform maneuvers and simulations as realistic as possible. Also They destroy Those who are not useful. Relative effectiveness. And the big question, or one of them, may be how troops are these tanks in combat, and not as much as a deterrent. The answer depends a lot on who is facing. In that war against rival cartels, conflicts in the streets and even ‘standard’ police forces, these armored ones are useful. Against army forces with more prepared armored people and, above all, with greater technology, drug trafficking are not so effective. Now, they are modernizing. Groups such as the Gulf Cartel Han started to implement improvements that go beyond armor: software installed in vehicles that blocks the signal of enemy drones. What is clear is that these narcotanques have changed a lot in a few years, moving from very handmade vehicles to authentic moles with modern military capabilities. And it is another sample of the power of these organizations and how far they can go to protect their resources and end the rivals. Images | ZestymasterofzestyVíctor González In Xataka | Mexico plans 3,000 new kilometers of train for goods and passengers. The big question is what happens to the drug traffickers

Japan had in Mexico the perfect ally to fill the USA with hybrid cars. That is about to end

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In his battle for torpedoing every car that comes from outside the United States, Donald Trump’s government has imposed a hard 25% tariff to every car that is manufactured outside its borders. And he has also raised an economic wall for cars manufactured there with pieces from abroad. That measure is especially shocking for Europe, which sold vehicles to the United States by value of 38.9 billion euros in 2024. But, above all, it is for Japan. The country had in United States a sales reef. A huge market that was willing to buy its cars, especially hybrids. It is now in a real problem. Everything that comes from Mexico will have to pay tariffs. Everything that comes from Japan will have to pay tariffs. And its presence on American soil is minimal. The Japanese Balancing Game Complex The automobile industry for Japan is especially important. To understand it, just look at the size of its exports. Until last year, Japan was the country that sold more vehicles outside its borders. His companies have a huge tradition, from giants such as Toyota and Honda to smaller companies such as Nissan or Mitsubishi and others with great recognition such as Mazda or Subaru For its growth, Japan installed new vehicle factories in the United States in the 80s. They produced there but The pieces arrived from Japan So the costs were minor and, in addition, generated wealth in their local market. Now, Donald Trump threatens to destroy that way of working. Before they had already achieved the favor of Americans with good cars in the 60s and, above all, a perfect opportunity with the oil crisis in the 70s. Now the car represents 3% of Japanese GDP but cars sold to the United States added 28.3% of all exports made to the North American country. The impact of maintaining a 25% tariff is such that Reuters He points out that he can impact a 0.2% drop in the country’s GDP. The United States is, for half a century, the main market of its exports in the car market. In 2015, for example, They sold 1.7 million cars In the North American country, for the more than 700,000 units that sold throughout Europe. Its weight is such that in 2023 they sold cars worth 41,070 million dollars to the United States. The figure almost reached that registered throughout the European Union in 2024, when it placed in the US market 38.9 billion euros (42,560 million dollars) in vehicles. They are figures that take into account the production of cars in Japan but, in addition, Japanese firms have found an ally in Mexico in recent years. His proximity to the United States has allowed him to get huge performance to his cars. They offer more affordable vehicles than those sold by local brands and, in addition, they are manufactured at a much lower price. The path taken by Donald Trump has made Jump alarms Within the Japanese government. In fact, the United States already confirmed yesterday (April 7, 2025) that Negotiations with a Japanese delegation opened high level that had been sent to negotiate the terms of the new tariffs. It must be remembered that, in addition to cars, the United States has imposed an added tariff of 24% to all Japanese imports, which is a commercial attack on the largest foreign investor in the country, in data collected by EFE. In Bloomberg They encrypt a 0.59% drop to growth forecasts due to these tariffs. According to calculations echoing ReutersJapan could lose 17,000 million dollars as a result of these tariffs. In Bloomberg They emphasize that American manufacturers do not pay tariffs in the United States for their car sales but claim that strict security measures, among other regulations, prevent them from acting there competitively. It is a case similar to the European where the United States has difficulty selling its cars. On the contrary, the Customer Caladero that Japanese companies have in the United States is huge. Bloomberg points out that 23% of Toyota’s sales worldwide went to the North American country. The figure grows to 28% in the case of Nissan and … at 83% if we talk about Subaru. The country’s weight has been growing thanks to the fact that they have been turning with the Hybrid car salesa Japanese specialty. They are very bad news for brands like Toyota. However, the sanitized accounts of the Japanese giant allows you Reuters. The fall would be 8% for Honda. But the provisioning that Japanese companies make of pieces produced in Mexico They are a real problem for smaller companies or with more gloomy economic perspectives. Mazda and Nissan would be the most affected, with a 59% benefit drop for Mazda and 56% for Nissan. Nissan is, without a doubt, the one who has a more complicated horizon. The company is looking for a buyer who holds him from a dramatic fall in his income that It has taken 9,000 layoffs. The Japanese government has pressed without success for Honda to buy To the company. And now It is Foxconn that positions itself as the alternative that sounds more strongly. Focused on the hybrid car and with an almost testimonial presence among the electric ones, the Japanese need to reach an agreement with the United States urgently. In Europe they need to sell more electric cars if they want to meet the European regulations in 2027 Or, as a minor evil, reach an agreement with other manufacturers. At the same time, In China they have it more and more complicatedsince the market has moved to the electric car. And Chinese competition is, more and harder. Photo | Shahzin Shajid and Justin Cron In Xataka | While the world lives a dizzying race through the electric car, Japan goes to its own rhythm: the innovative dilemma

25% tariffs on cars are already translated into dismissals and plants at medium gas in Mexico

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One has a thousand ways of Spanish to search synonyms to talk about threats and continuing notices. That of “the wolf”, the pitcher and the fountain, to pull the rope … It will not be for stories, word games or metaphors. Exactly that is the risk that is run with the tariff war that Donald Trump has opened. Since he arrived at the White House, the new president of the United States does not stop launch threats of new tariffsincendiary messages against their own allies (or those that were considered allies until not so long) and more and more statements in which The same is attacked to Europeans than Mexicans and Canadians. And, along the way … little or nothing applicable. Because although the United States applies since April 2 A 25% tariff on cars that pass through their borders and the pieces that help manufacture them, as well as steel and aluminum (also Keys in the automotive industry). The caraded tariffs to these two neighboring countries They are suspended. On April 2 tariffs have been announced to almost the entire world. They should Enter into force on April 9. Yes, we talk about 20% of tariff to any European product and even the 10% tariff applied to an uninhabited island. Or at least Only inhabited by penguins and seals. But along the way, China has already sent a notice: if the tariffs continue, if there is no possible conversation, They will impose back 34% of tariffs to American products. It is the most forceful response that the United States has received so far. But it is not the only one. Because so much threat has consequences. Canada and Mexico already prove how their automotive industry can go through many problems. Some, in fact, are already specifying. The first consequences Until now, Canada and Mexico had been commercial partners. To the point that the Inflation reduction law promoted by the government of Joe Biden that prioritized tax incentives to companies that produced in the United States also contemplated that part of the production would take these two countries. In either of them it occurs A very high volume vehicular. Except Tesla (produces all its cars there) and Ford (77% of what it produces is manufactured in the United States). The rest import vehicles in a much higher amount. General Motors, for example, produces 30% in Canada and Mexico. Nissan 31% and Toyota 27%. With the aim of counteracting the coup, Canada has announced that it will also impose 25% of tariffs on US cars that do not comply with the T-MEC free trade agreement. Both countries, together with Mexico, had been subject to a reciprocal agreement for 60 years so as not to pay tariffs on the import and export of vehicles and promote a connected automotive industry. To understand to what extent the new relationship is complicated, in BBC They explain with a map the complex process since a piston of an engine is born until it is introduced into the cylinder. On the way, the piece crosses the United States to Canada, from Canada passes to Mexico and from Mexico returns to the United States where, it is finally mounted. Impose round trip tariffs It will make a product that has its consequences on employment and the volume of cars sold. Stellantis is one of the companies that has announced drastic measures. The first, the temporary retirement of 900 employees in the United States. They are people distributed by five floors that will cease their work assembling motor trains and trains for a decrease in production as a cause of tariffs. In addition, another 4,500 employees will be sent home in Ontario (Canada), where their factory will remain closed for two weeks. Mexico does not get rid because its Toluca plant (2,400 employees) will also be closed throughout the month of April. Despite being the least affected (taking into account exclusively the production of cars and not so much where the pieces they use), Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, already warned in February that “a 25% tariff at the borders with Mexico and Canada would open a hole in the US industry as we have never seen,” they collect in The New York Times. These pieces are, without a doubt, the part that most directly affects Spain. Our country had an important commercial partner in the United States when selling parts to produce cars. There 4% of them are exported but, above all, they take air to the paths that the trade war will take in Mexico where a good part of The largest Spanish companies are settled. The other way is to make the products more expensive, move there part of their production or, directly get them out. The latter is what they value in Mercedes that can Stop selling your Mercedes Gla. Small cars are more complicated to make profitable and would not be competitive if they face a 25%tariff. Volkswagen is in an extremely complicated position. 43% of their sales for the United States arrive from Canada and Mexico. Another 36% produce it in Europe, mainly. Only 21% of their sales there are produced within their borders. An option raised is to bring the most profitable vehicles to the plants they already have in the country. For the moment, Automotive News He assures that the German company has already ordered to stop its shipments from Mexico and Europe. And Toyota, who was already reducing its production, has also ordered to reduce the working hours at its Guanajuato (Mexico) plant, they point out in Bloomberg. The same path leads in Honda, where they also have conversations to reduce their production and, therefore, send workers home even if it is temporarily. Photo | Honda and Luis Ramirez In Xataka | The Spanish car will not suffer with 25% of the United States tariffs but with its consequences: a poorest Europe

manufactures its pieces in Mexico

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20%tariffs, to begin with all the countries of the European Union. That has been one of Donald Trump’s great ads last morning. The president of the United States has confirmed an almost endless list of new taxes to a total of 200 countries and regions. And, in addition, some specific ones are maintained. Among them, those related to the automobile industry. 25%. That is the tax that The United States Government will charge To all cars and pieces to make cars that enter through its borders. At least that is the intention of the US administration that has maintained these rates despite the concrete impositions to countries or organizations. This implies that a car that is manufactured in the United States will also have to pay A 25% extra cost For each and every one of the pieces that have been exported to the country. For example, if the battery of an electric car is manufactured outside its borders, said vehicle will have 25% of that battery. Tariffs to countries. This measure has not prevented Donald Trump from announcing new tariffs yesterday night. These new economic walls country will apply by country (or the sum of them, like the European Union). Implies that Europe will pay 20% For each and every one of the exports that makes the United States. Spain, for example, has in its Olive wine and oil exports to the United States as one of its main markets. If you want to continue operating in the country, companies will have to pay 20% more for their products to enter through their borders. However, these generalized tariffs do not apply if a specific industry has a higher tax. As 25% to the automobile industry is greater than 20% that the products of the European Union receive, the highest section is applied. Little affected … The automobile industry in Spain will be little affected. At least directly. This occurs because most of the cars that are manufactured in Spain are small and of contained prices. That is, they are The perfect product to sell in the European Union That, in fact, it is with much the main buyer of cars Made in Spain. In fact, mass vehicles are not exported to the United States. Some time ago it was done with the Mercedes Vito and the Ford Transit. However, no car or van is currently sent. … more or less. That the automobile industry does not directly suffer the designs of the new United States government does not mean that 20% tariffs to the European Union and 25% to cars are not a problem. Keep in mind that with such high tariffs an increase in short -term prices is expected, which, in turn, results in an economic deceleration and lower consumption. It is a threat to Germany, that does not go through its best moment And it is also the main car buyer in Spain. Of course, it is not good news that the European buyer has less money in his pocket. The component industry. Those who will be more affected by the 25% tariff to the non -American car are component manufacturers to produce cars. This industry represents more than 25.6 billion euros in Spain, According to Sernauto data. The Spanish Association of Automotive Suppliers (SERNAUTO) points out that 65% of the exports that Spain carries out in this sector are destined for the European Union, adding more than 16,600 million euros. Again, Germany (3,950 million euros) and France (3,840 million euros) were the main commercial partners. The role of the United States is much more content. It is the eighth country by business volume to which Spain exports its components. However, the association indicates that it is a strategic market, with high added value and key indirect dependencies. Beyond the direct tax. Beyond the 1,021 million euros that the export of components for automotive to the United States is calculated, the sector is enduring breathing because it ensures that the Spanish component industry has a great presence in Mexico. So much Mexico like Canada await What measures Donald Trump finally takes with these countries. Historical commercial allies, the president of the United States has repeatedly threatened them with raising new levies against them. This would be a greater coup for the interests of Spanish companies. In addition, we must add that an increase in the price of the products that Germany exports to the United States can force productive costs to be cut and, therefore, other commercial partners are studied. Here, it is impressible for Spain to remain competitive so as not to be replaced by suppliers that offer their products at a lower price. Government response. For the moment, The European Union waits until April 9 To vote what measures it takes against tariffs that the United States to Imports of Steel and Aluminum (keys also in vehicle production). Besides, hope to have this Friday A meeting with American representatives. From the Government, Pedro Sánchez has announced that a source of support to the sectors affected by exports worth 14,100 million euros will open. Of these, 6,000 million euros in two ICO guarantees of 6,000 million, a 200 million euros investment support fund for new plants and the network mechanism “to maintain templates similar to how ERTe acted during the pandemic”, in words collected by The country. Photo | The White House and Sernauto In Xataka | Trump tariffs have caused the Big Tech debacle in the stock market. And propose a slowdown in investment in AI

The eggs are so expensive in the US that a new phenomenon ravages on the border with Mexico: its smuggling

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The egg crisis continues to whip the United States. Also Many other countriesbut the United States is starring in a time when the price of eggs is true Economic thermometer. After an increase of more than 50% year -on -year in January of this year and some forecasts of increases of more than 41% throughout 2025, there are those who are already resorting to something worthy of the dry law or the prohibited products. Because yes, there is something that concerns US border agents as much as drug trafficking: illegal traffic of Mexican eggs. Egg. The United States has lived for years a negative spiral in regards to its eggs. Just a year ago we echoed how US consumers warned that His eggs were increasingly fragilefinding more and more pieces of shell when they broke them. It is the result of a cluster of factors: a Aviar flu that has ended with millions of birds and the need to sacrifice as many millions, as well as the need for keep to their heavier laying chickens more time in activity. The more the chicken, the less eggs and of lower quality it produces, but the farmers are forced to keep them because the consumption wheel cannot stop. And national production is already quite touched. In summary: there are no eggs and the demand is still there, which has caused the Average price From a dozen eggs it would reach $ 4.95 in January and $ 5.90 in February. Eggs smuggling. The worst has not happened: not only is it not expected, as we say, that the situation improves, but that two festivities such as the Jewish Easter of April 12 and the Christian Easter on April 20 are approaching, in which the eggs have a leading role. The shortage is causing restaurants that charge a surcharge if an egg plate is requested and the illegal import of eggs is already a topic of conversation in the country. A case that demonstrates the unreal situation is the one that recounts The Wall Street Journal: In one of the border steps of El Paso, in Texas, the agents stopped a vehicle with almost 30 kilos of methamphetamine, but what really caused their alarms to jump were several egg trays that also went in the vehicle. Because, given this situation, there are already those who are happening Mexican and Canadian eggs within the American border. Booming interceptions. According to the CBP, which is the US Customs and Border Protection office, “eggs interceptions” have increased 36% in this fiscal year. In Texas it has increased by 54%, but in other areas it has doubled. Roger Maier is the spokesman of the CPB in El Paso and does not discover America by stating that “the price difference is the reason: it is approximately one third of what it costs in the United States.” When we talk about the dozen costing $ 5.90 on February, we talked about that, an average. They can find themselves cheaper, but also much more expensive. There are cities in which prices are more than $ 10 per dozen. In Mexico, they are below two dollars, so it is so attractive to put them illegally in the country. I go shopping to Mexico. And here there are two other added problems. There may be anyone who wants to trade with those eggs, but border agents comment that what are being found are many travelers who cross from one country to another with dozens of eggs for personal use and are not aware that they are prohibited products. If they declare the load, there are no problems, but many do not and try to hide the eggs in different ways inside the vehicle. Added difficulty. When they are caught, the eggs are requisitioned and, as with other products, they are taken to incinerators in which they carbonize. To curl the curl, during Easter, Mexicans empty and decorate eggs. They fill them with confetti and other elements and cannot be eaten (there is no food matter there), but in the WSJ article the agents already comment that they will have to make sure that these eggs, called ‘Cascarones‘, they really don’t have any egg inside. National measures. The authorities’ response to this problem is a series of actions to help fight the price escalation. On the one hand, the US Department of Agriculture has allocated 1,000 million dollars that add up to 2,000 million since 2022 to improve biosecurity in farms, help affected farmers and investigate vaccines. On the other hand, more eggs are importing from countries that comply with US sanitary norms. As a short -term solution, they want to import eggs, but it is always key that the sanitary standards are met, since each country has its own. Türkiye, for example, has already begun to export Containers with 15,000 tons of eggs. Search for solutions -legals-. There are also people who do not resort to the smuggling of eggs, but to the search for alternatives so as not to depend on a market that has become a real Russian mountain. One of those solutions is … to rent chickens. For 600 dollars, six months, a company rents you A two chickens kitadvice and what is necessary to maintain them this time. The direct accounts do not come out: if two chickens put 12 eggs a week, there are 312 eggs in those six months, united in 26 dozen. Five dollars the dozen, there are $ 130 if you buy them directly. The problem is no longer the price, but there are establishments They run out of their daily cargo in just a few minutes. There are companies in the US that already rent chickens kits with chicken coop so that they give eggs for six months World problem. There is a lot of talk about the United States, but in other countries the thing is not much better. Spain, and Europe, are examples. The ghost of the aviar flu is there, … Read more

Mexico has decided that bullfights are without blood. Spain already tried it in the Balearic Islands and did not go well

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In 2022 there were A first conato. In Mexico, a nation whose strong tradition to bullfights is equated with Spain, “the holidays” were prohibited. However, the Supreme Court revoked the suspension and returned. Solution? In an unprecedented event in La Nación, Mexico City has decided that there will be no blood in the runs. In Spain similar initiatives have been carried out, although with discouraging results. End to deaths. As we said, in a historical decision, the Congress of Mexico City approved by an overwhelming majority of 61 votes to 1 the prohibition of traditional bullfights, eliminating the possibility of hurting or killing To bulls during these events. The legislation, promoted by legislator Xóchitl Bravo Espinosa and backed by the Head of Government Claudia Sheinbaumwill allow the realization of runs without violence or blood, in which they will only be used CAPOTES AND WITHOUT STAQUES No flags. The prohibition marks a milestone in the city with the largest bullring on the planet, The Plaza Méxicowith capacity for 42,000 spectators and epicenter of a tradition with almost 500 years of history in the country. Of course, the bullfighting sector has reacted with indignation, announcing legal challenges and protests against the measure. An intermediate measure. Unlike a total prohibition, the reform will allow a version of bullfighting in which bullfighters can only use the cape and the red crutch, with a maximum duration of 15 minutes per bull and a limit of six bulls per event. According to Bravo Espinosa, this measure seeks balance animal welfare With the economic protection of those who depend on the industry, such as sellers, bull breeders and employees of the squares. The problem? That the defenders of bullfighting consider that the new regulation completely distorts the essence of tradition. The Plaza México described the reform as “A clear threat to one of the most entrenched cultural traditions in the country”, while bullfighting groups have declared that they will legally fight to reverse the prohibition. Context of a battle. The truth is that the prohibition in Mexico City is the most recent chapter of a battle that has been gaining ground in different parts of the country. Since 2013, Five of the 31 states of Mexico They have banned bullfights, reflecting the growing rejection of bullfighting. As We explainin 2022 a federal judge He suspended the runs in the capital after a demand from a group of human rights. However, the Supreme Court He revoked the suspension and allowed him Return of events In January 2024. Now, with the new legislation, traditional runs are officially eliminated in Mexico City, although bullfighting industry continues to seek legal mechanisms to challenge the measure. A cultural shock. The debate on bullfight has transcended the legal scope and has become A symbol of tension between respect for traditions and the evolution of social values ​​around Animal rights. While the defenders argue that bullfighting generates tens of thousands of jobs and that the number of bulls sacrificed is insignificant compared to livestock in general, opponents have denounced the brutality of the show. According to data from the Congress of Mexico City, in 2019 there were 168 bulls sacrificed in Plaza México, which activists consider a sample of unnecessary suffering inflicted on animals. The group Animal heroeswhich for six years leads the Mexico campaign without bullfights, celebrated the reform, but warned that they will continue to fight for the total abolition of bullfighting in the country. For his part, Salvador Arias, a Mexican bullfighting lawyer, said that a similar model already had failed in Spain In the Balearic Islands, where the lack of interest led to its disappearance and, shortly after, to its revocation by the Spanish courts. The case of Balearic Islands. What happened in Spain dates back to 2017, when the Balearic Parliament approved a law that prohibited the death and suffering of bulls in runs, establishing what was called “Cumshots without blood”. This regulation required that the bulls were not subjected to physical damage and that the runs would be limited to 10 minutes per animal, without the possibility of using flags, estas or swords. The measure was held by the defenders of animal rights, but caused The rejection of the bullfighting sector and led to an intense debate about the viability of the show without its traditional component. The sentence. In December 2018, the Constitutional Court of Spain annulled the lawarguing that he invaded state powers on cultural heritage, since bullfighting had been declared in 2013 as part of the country’s intangible cultural heritage. With that decision, the traditional runs with death of the bull again in the Balearic Islands in 2019, although with additional restrictions imposed by the regional regulations, such as the prohibition of the entry of minors to the Celebrations. The Judgment of the Constitutional Court It was a setback for the anti -urine movement in Spain and evidenced the legal difficulties to prohibit bullfighting at the autonomous level without a major legislative reform. Extinction or transformation. Thus, the Government of Mexico City will have a period of seven months To issue the final regulation on runs without violence, including the participation of all parties involved. Mayor Clara Brugada He celebrated the decision and described it as a great advance in animal protection. Although the prohibition has already been approved, the future of bullfighting in Mexico remains in dispute. Bullfighting and fans have warned that they will continue to fight in court to reverse the measure, while activists continue to press for Total eradication of runs in the country. What seems clear is that the resolution in the Mexican capital could be the trigger for other states to follow the same path, marking an irreversible change in a tradition that has defined the cultural identity of the country for centuries. That without having the great unknown: knowing if the public will accept this new form of bullfighting without blood or if, as in Spain, the option does not work out. Image | Christian Ramiro, Jorge … Read more

Chichén Itzá has been the queen of tourism in Mexico for decades. He has competition with the new “Egypt of the Maya”

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Pre -Hispanic presence is omnipresent in Mexico. We are getting more and more about the past of cities as Mexico Citybut if we have to talk about seeing cities and constructions of the Maya, Yucatán is the power. It is where are the most relevant archaeological sites. And, among all, a proper name stands out: Chichén Itzá. By far, It is the great Mayan power of tourism in the Yucatan Peninsula. But that crown jewel has just left a tough competition: Ichkabal, also known as the ‘Mesoamerican Egypt’. Ichkabal. In the state of Quintana Rooa few kilometers from La Laguna de Bacalar, the Maya raised an older city than others as famous as the aforementioned Chichen Itzá. HE esteem That it began to populate at some point in 400 BC and was inhabited until 1500 AD was the most important administrative city of the Maya, something that is believed due to the imposing size of some of its constructions. The problem is that, for centuries, the area was totally forgotten by the nature of nature, whose green opulence swallowed practically every trace of the buildings of the Maya except the main temple and some more construction. And, as is usually the case, its discovery was almost by accident. Fluke. In 1995, a team of researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History was in the area searching A much smaller archaeological territory known as ‘Las Higueras’ when they ran into something different and much larger. Thus, they ran into an imposing pyramid, but also with mounds of land and vegetation that covered different buildings. They immediately realized the importance of the site, so a path was built that can be seen perfectly in Apps such as Google Earth –This link-. In addition, in the application we can understand how the site had gone totally unnoticed due to that vegetation. The Mesoamerican Egypt. But well, there was no doubt that they were facing something big. In Ichkabal, the Maya built several small and medium buildings, but also other colossal. For example, an open square of about 300 meters, a couple of small pyramids and the crown jewel: a building 46 meters high and a 200 -meter plant. There is also a 60 x 8 -meter lagoon that could have supplied the population. And that proximity to a source of water and the ocean itself is what could have given Ichkabal the administrative importance that is estimated, had. Due to the size of these constructions, the Mesoamerican Egypt ‘has been called to the area. Rivaling with Kukulcán. To get an idea of ​​the size of that construction, the Kukulcán Temple that is the main Mayan attraction of Mexico as part of Chichén Itzá and indisputable protagonist of the equinox Spring and autumn, it has a height of about 30 meters and a base of 55.5 meters. The base of the main building of Ichkabal is four times larger and the height reaches 15 meters more. Now, the state of conservation is not the same, something logical considering that restoration work in both places did not run the same fate. But this is something that changed relatively little thanks to the goal of converting Ichkabal into one of the key stop stops of the Mayan train. Mayan train. With this railway network, the previous Mexican president -manuel López Obrador- wanted to create a transport system that value the archaeological sites of the country, connecting them better with the municipalities and the most tourist areas in order to facilitate it would arrive from one point to another. With that idea of ​​revitalizing the cultural heritage, the opening of Ichkabal once the objects of cataloging objects, other elements and restoration was finished, it was linked to the Mayan train project. So much so that, from INAH and as we read in The nationthey consider that Ichkabal has potential to unseat other archaeological sites, at the tourist level, such as Chacchoben either Kohunlich. Open to the public. And, after all the work of archaeologists, Ichkabal is the pre -Hispanic archaeological site number 194. As reported by himself INAHyou can visit from Monday to Sunday and it is located a distance from the stations of the Mayan Train of Bacalar and Chetumal, since the road we commented on a few lines has about 23 kilometers. And cruises. We said that Ichkabal is in Quintana Roo, a state in which yes, there are Mayan ruins XCARET-, but where tourism is otherwise. Is where the famous beaches of Cancun and the Rivera Mayawith all those kilometers of beach occupied by large resorts and hotel complexes. The ports of Xcalac and Mahahual are crucial for the arrival of cruises and is something that, together with the Mayan train, the state hopes that allows a high influx of visitors to the new Mayan city. Without a doubt, taking into account the dimensions of the archaeological site and the tourist magnet that is the state coast, Ichkabal has many ballots to be placed among the top of the most visited Mayan ruins in the country. We will have to be attentive to the list next year to see if the applicant can play the crown to Chichen Itzá and the Kukulcán temple. In Xataka | When the Spanish conquerors arrived in Tenochtitlan were fascinated by a technology: the Mexican canoes

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