November 20 Commemoration of the Mexican Revolution

On November 20, Mexico celebrates the anniversary of its Revolution. On this date, in the year 1910 the war to overthrow the dictator Porfirio Díaz, began.

General Porfirio Díaz had been an important military figure during the wars against the foreign invaders, and had tried to overthrow President Benito Juarez in 1872. Then again, he rebelled against President Lerdo de Tejada in 1876 and won.  read more »

Most Adorable Endangered Creature Ever?

We're saddened to learn that the alien-looking Axolotl salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum), aka Mexican walking fish or Mexican water monster, is seriously threatened with extinction because of habitat destruction and water pollution.  read more »

by: afp/Getty Images: Fireball: The crash in Mexico City appeared to be an accident but the death of Juan Camilo Mourino, who was in charge of the nation's security, will raise fears of foul playOne of Mexico's key figures in the war against drug trafficking has been killed when a government jet crashed into a Mexico City street, setting fire to dozens of vehicles and dealing crusading President Felipe Calderon a serious blow.

The death of the nation's powerful interior minister and at least seven others will raise fears of foul play by drugs barons.

Juan Camilo Mourino, 37, was one of the president's closest advisers and was in charge of the country's security.

Also on board was former assistant attorney general Jose Luis Santiago, who was previously in charge of pursuing extraditions against drug traffickers, and who had been the target of at least one planned assassination attempt in the past.  read more »

Tens of thousands of Mexicans who labored in the United States under a World War II-era guest worker program will be eligible to collect back pay under a settlement to a long-fought lawsuit.

From 200,000 to 300,000 laborers, called braceros, worked as farmhands or railroad workers from 1942 to 1946, and under the program, a portion of their pay was deducted and transferred to the Mexican government to be given to the workers when they returned to Mexico.

But many laborers said they never received the pay, and many never even knew that 10 percent of their salaries was deducted. In 2001, lawyers filed a class action lawsuit in California.  read more »

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Felipe Calderon, locked in a high-stakes battle with drug cartels, wants to legalize the possession of small amounts of cocaine and marijuana, a plan that will likely irk Washington.

Calderon, a conservative in power for nearly two years, sent a proposal to Congress that would also scrap penalties on carrying small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine and opium for personal use.

Reviving a similar push by his predecessor, Calderon's bill aims to free up police to hunt for narcotics dealers and smugglers, but it could meet opposition in largely conservative Mexico as well as in the neighboring United States.  read more »

The Grito de Dolores:

In the early hours of September 16th, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a priest in the small town of Dolores, rang the church bell to gather the townspeople. He called for the people of Mexico to rise up against the Spanish Crown, thus initiating Mexico's War of Independence. The country did not achieve independence until 1821, but it is this event, known as the Grito de Dolores which is commemorated every year with the Grito in town squares across Mexico.  read more »

By Chris Hawley, USA TODAYZAPOTLANEJO, Mexico — Here in the heart of Mexico's tequila country, where every town has a distillery and the air smells like sweet fermenting molasses, a sign proudly marks the entrance to Miguel Ramírez's farm: "Rancho Ramírez: Producer of Agaves."

But behind the fence, the blue agave plants, the raw ingredient of Mexico's famous tequila, are getting harder to spot. They are being replaced by row after row of leafy cornstalks.  read more »

MEXICO CITY / Mexican archeologists have discovered a maze of stone temples in underground caves, some submerged in water and containing human bones, which ancient Mayans believed was a portal where dead souls entered the underworld.  read more »

ENSENADA, Mexico --
Mexico said Wednesday it will invest 163 million pesos ($16 million) to save a highly endangered species of porpoise in the upper Gulf of California, asking reluctant fishermen to adopt safer methods or give up their trade entirely.

Scientists say the population of the vaquita marina - Spanish for "little sea cow" - has dwindled to 150 or fewer from more than 500 a decade ago.  read more »

In the capital, more than 80% issue a resounding 'no' to the proposal to allow private firms a greater role. In the nine states that also voted, more than 90% give the plan a thumbs down.

MEXICO CITY -- Turnout was light, but voters in a nonbinding referendum gave an overwhelming "no" to President Felipe Calderon's proposal to give private firms a bigger role in Mexico's government-controlled petroleum industry.  read more »

In Mexico's turbulent state, woodblock prints are a means of public protest. As the title states: 'The Ink Shouts.'

MEXICO'S southern state of Oaxaca has two dominant character traits. It's a hub of artistic creativity, known for the superlative caliber of its rugs, whimsical carved animals and brittle black pottery. And it's a hotbed of political discontent, a long-oppressed region whose heavily indigenous population chafes under crushing poverty, ethnic discrimination and autocratic political rule.  read more »

MEXICO CITY --Almost a century after its constitution was drafted, Mexico is in knots over the meaning of a single article dealing with oil.

President Felipe Calderón wants the state oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, to contract with private foreign firms to build desperately needed refineries and drill for deep-water oil.  read more »

Inflationary pressures are rising. Remittances are falling. Mexico's economy is slowing. So is job growth, writes Marla Dickerson from Mexico City.

Mexico's central bank released a string of bad news Wednesday confirming that the nation is feeling the effects of a U.S. slowdown and exploding global prices for food and fuel.  read more »

ACAPULCO, Mexico - Police in southern Mexico say they have seized 9,000 protected sea turtle eggs and arrested seven men suspected of intending to sell them.

Police in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero said in a statement Tuesday that the eggs were discovered at a highway checkpoint in a truck driven by the suspects.  read more »

ACAPULCO, Mexico - Environmental officials in Mexico say dozens of dead sea turtles apparently killed in fishing nets have washed up on beaches in recent days.

Authorities say 59 Olive Ridley turtles have been found on beaches in and around the resort of Acapulco.  read more »

MEXICO CITY — Mexico threw open the doors to its judicial system Tuesday, allowing public trials and creating a presumption of innocence.

Under the long-awaited constitutional amendment signed by President Felipe Calderon, guilt or innocence will no longer be decided behind closed doors by a judge relying on written evidence.  read more »

In Mexico's war on drugs, the government faces entrenched support for crime bosses in some poor communities.  read more »

ASSOCIATED PRESS

7:05 p.m. June 9, 2008

ACAPULCO, Mexico – Mexican officials say heavy rains and large waves have caused flooding in low-lying parts of the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco.

City civil defense Director Jorge Pacheco said Monday that teams were working to clear the roads of flooding that cut off Acapulco's airport and affected about 5,000 homes.  read more »

Ford will build its new Fiesta subcompact car in Mexico, the firm announced Friday.
By Sara Miller Llana | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the June 2, 2008 edition  read more »

Reflecting buyers' mood, it pulls back on pickups and SUVs, aims smaller

Wednesday, Jun 04, 2008 - 12:08 AM

By STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS  read more »