At least 16 people - and possibly dozens more - have died from a swine flu virus in Mexico, and world health officials worry it could unleash a global flu epidemic. Mexico City and the State of Mexico closed schools across the metropolitan area Friday in hopes of containing the outbreak, and tougher measures were being considered.

Scientists were trying to determine if the deaths involved the same new strain of swine flu that sickened seven people in Texas and California - a disturbing disease that combines pig, bird and human viruses in a way that researchers have not seen before.  read more »

Buying dollars cheaply?

U.S. novelist Raymond Chandler liked to say "killing is easy; it is what happens next that is difficult."

Mexicans will be offered a relatively cheap dollar for some time, but the truly big question is; what will happen next?  read more »

Introduction
The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican population. It is not, as many people think, Mexico's Independence Day, which is actually September 16.  read more »

MEXICO CITY – Administration officials say President Barack Obama will push for Senate ratification of a Latin American arms trafficking treaty.

Obama planned to make the announcement after meeting Thursday with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Officials discussed the plan on the condition of anonymity so they wouldn't pre-empt Obama's first trip to Mexico as president.

The regional treaty, adopted by the Organization of American States, was signed by former President Bill Clinton in 1997 but never ratified by the Senate.

Officials say the inter-American arms trafficking treaty would curb guns and ammunition trafficking that threatens regional security. Officials say the move is meant to show the United States is serious about confronting a security threat on its doorstep.  read more »

Now Mexico's real estate industry is fighting back. A day before President Barack Obama visits Mexico to discuss, among other things, the troublesome drug war issue, RE/MAX Investment Properties issued the results of its research claiming that tourist zones in Mexico are up to 26 times safer than many tourist zones in the United States.

Among its findings: The state of Baja California Sur, which includes some of my favorite destinations such as Cabo San Lucas, La Paz and Loreto, has a homicide rate 26 times lower than Orlando, 18 times lower than Miami, 17 times lower than West Palm Beach and 12 times lower than Tampa and Honolulu.  read more »

MEXICO CITY – Mexico's Senate on Thursday unanimously approved legislation that would allow the government to seize property from suspected drug traffickers and other criminals before they are convicted.

Under existing laws, suspects must first be convicted before their property can be seized and trials often last years in Mexico. The new law allows prosecutors to ask a judge for a seizure order before the end of the trial.  read more »

A small Mexican village caters to surfers and anglers looking for a slower pace and great experiences.

Visitors to Sayulita discover that they’re in a real Mexican town – not a polished resort. Most streets are unpaved.

This low-key village about 40 minutes north of bustling Puerto Vallarta doesn’t have sprawling beachfront hotels or rumbling discos where tourists do tequila shots out of each other’s navels.

Sayulita doesn’t have a bunch of four-star restaurants, chic boutiques or even paved streets. But the curved sandy beach, the lush jungle, the lines of warm surfer-friendly swells and the funky, open-air restaurants attract a lot of adventuresome people from the Northwest.  read more »

Many parts of Mexico, except Sonora, will begin daylight saving time on Sunday, April 5 in 2009. The clocks will move one hour ahead from 2am (or 02:00) to 3am (or 03:00) local time on this date. Mexico’s daylight saving arrangement starts later and finishes earlier than the United States’ schedule despite close business ties between the two neighboring countries.

However, the Mexican state of Sonora’s time will remain in line with Arizona’s time (except the Navajo Nation community) as both do not observe daylight saving time. Both Arizona and Sonora observe Mountain Standard Time (MST).  read more »

Two indigenous Zapotec communities in the southern state of Oaxaca have signed a treaty ending a 20-year land dispute that claimed more than 200 lives, local media reported Wednesday.  read more »

By Miguel Tovar, AP PhotoThanks to the latest protectionist move by the U.S. Congress to dodge free-trade obligations with Mexico, in six to eight weeks, more than 20,000 pounds of California strawberries that ordinarily would be headed south of the border will have nowhere to go.

The 80,000 people employed by the industry, however, know exactly where their jobs will be headed - into thin air. At least that's the worst-case scenario if the U.S. Congress doesn't find a way to honor NAFTA and give Mexican trucks permission to travel more than a few miles north of the border, as required by the treaty.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Congress killed a successful pilot project that gave a handful of Mexican truckers freedom to haul products beyond a circumscribed region, citing specious environmental and safety concerns. And Mexico responded by slapping tariffs on 90 U.S. exports. But let's be clear, this isn't about safety; the U.S.  read more »

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is visiting a police station in Mexico's capital in a show of support for authorities caught up in a struggle with powerful drug cartels.

She also is ready to have a discussion with university students in Monterrey about U.S.-Mexican relations in general as she continues a brief tour which started with a pledge to stand with Mexico in the fight against drug-related crime.  read more »

It's amazing how a resort as popular as Puerto Vallarta can be considered a "Spring Break Secret"! It is no wonder that when you think of the "Mexican Riviera", a lot of places come to mind other than PV. However, no resort better typifies the classic Mexican beach vacation than does Puerto Vallarta . From its sleepy, seaside village roots, it has grown into one of Mexico 's most loved destinations. It is also becoming one of the fastest growing Spring Break resorts south of the border.  read more »

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- In the face of spiraling drug violence that has shaken the country, the Mexican army has taken a lead role in attempting to thwart the narcotraffickers. But its ability to do so has been hurt by a large number of desertions, government officials say.

At present, some 40,000 forces are deployed throughout the nation against the traffickers, according to the secretary of defense.  read more »

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexico's tourism director on Wednesday downplayed the risk of violence facing tourists, despite warnings for travelers to think twice about visiting the country.

"In all parts of the world, you have to be careful with what you do," Oscar Fitch told CNN en Espanol. "What I am saying is there are very safe zones and there are zones that are not safe."  read more »

On August 18, 2008, Costa Verde International School opened the doors of its temporary school site in Sayulita.

Costa Verde is a Mexican non-profit organization of families, ecologists, educational professionals, and philanthropists dedicated to the growth of Sayulita and passionate about creating an inspirational model for progressive environmental education and to advance ecological responsibility in Mexico.  read more »

With the U.S. economy contracting rapidly, Mexican migrants are heading back south. But they're finding the homecoming isn't quite what they imagined.

Every Saturday for nearly four years, Elena Trujillo has gone to the local department store in Morelia, Michoacán, to pick up money wired home by her 34-year-old son, Ángel. This 59-year-old mother of three is one of between 16 and 35 million Mexicans who depend on remittances from relatives in the United States to boost their incomes. But in late September -- for Trujillo and for countless others -- the wire transfers stopped coming. Confused at first, Trujillo was reassured by Ángel on the phone: Everything is OK; I have a surprise for you. The next week, Trujillo received another transfer, this one much larger than normal. She was ecstatic. Ángel's construction work must finally be paying dividends, she thought. Then, just a few days later, Ángel came back to Michoacán. "I couldn't believe it. He had given up and come home," Trujillo said. "He had given up on the American Dream."  read more »

Reviewed: "Mexico Unconquered: Chronicles of Power and Revolt," by John Gibler, 356 Pages, City Lights Publishers, (January 2009).

Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world, calls Mexico home, as do millions of impoverished citizens. From Spanish colonization to today's state and corporate repression, "Mexico Unconquered: Chronicles of Power and Revolt," by John Gibler, is written from the street barricades, against the Slims of the world, and alongside "the underdogs and rebels" of an unconquered country. The book offers a gripping account of the ongoing attempts to colonize Mexico, and the hopeful grassroots movements that have resisted this conquest.

Gibler, a Global Exchange Media Fellow, has been reporting from Mexico since 2006. While writing for dozens of media outlets, he has covered events such as the Zapatistas' Other Campaign, the teachers' revolt in Oaxaca and other stories of police repression and popular resistance. These reports form the basis for much of the book. (His articles are collected at the Global Exchange web site.)  read more »

Mexican state oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos produced an average of 2.68 million barrels of crude oil per day in January, down 9.2 percent from the same month last year.

Pemex announced its January results on Friday, noting that for the first time the Ku Maloob Zaap heavy oil field in the Gulf of Mexico became the country's most productive oil field with an average output of 787,000 bpd.  read more »

The Flag, as well as the Emblem and the National Anthem, are the symbols of our nation and they identify us as Mexicans.

Our country became a free and sovereign nation when it gained its Independence.

From then on, it has been known as Mexico.

Like all of the countries in the world, it has a flag as one of its main symbols.

Do you know what the colors of our flag stand for:  read more »

Building on a successful first year, the SEE Turtles conservation tourism program is relaunching its website with a new look and expanded offerings. Visitors to the website will find a variety of new trips to participate in sea turtle conservation and research in beautiful surroundings. SEE Turtles creates partnerships with leading tour operators and organizations to promote travel to sea turtle hotspots where a modest amount of tourism can greatly benefit conservation efforts.  read more »