The election that pitted former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum against former senator Xóchitl Gálvez marked the first time Mexican nationals could cast an in-person ballot on foreign soil for an election in Mexico. As in past elections, they could also vote by mail or electronically.

Así la fila en París, 9am #EleccionesMéxico2024 #EleccionesMx2024 #votoextranjero pic.twitter.com/hDKi0vNMCl

— Gabriela Cambero (@gabycambero) June 2, 2024

Arturo Castillo, president of the Temporary Voting Commission of Mexicans Living Abroad, shared that 39,590 ballots were received by mail, 135,331 votes were cast online, and 5,755 were cast in person at 23 consulates in the United States, Canada and Europe.

According to Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE), there were 258,461 Mexicans abroad who were registered to vote in Sunday’s election, the most in history. That number temporarily shrank when some 40,000 people were removed from the voting rolls in April, although 36,570 were subsequently reinstated.

This year’s 180,676 total votes from outside Mexico easily topped the 2018 presidential election’s 98,854 votes from abroad, including 37,000 that were cast online.

Voting hubs experienced significant congestion, with Madrid and Paris extending voting hours until 2 a.m. to accommodate the high turnout.

Election Update: Mexicans in New York line up to vote at the Consulate there.

It’s expected that more than 5,000 people will vote there today. pic.twitter.com/5pckyBD5dl

— Outbound Mexico (@OutboundMexico) June 2, 2024

In Madrid, where seven polling stations were set up, voters arrived as early as 4 a.m. and some waited up to 15 hours to cast their ballots.

In the United States, long lines were a common sight at consulates in cities such as Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. 

Technical issues with the new electronic voting system further slowed the process, especially for older voters unfamiliar with the technology. Another factor slowing things down was that those who had a valid Mexican voting ID card could vote even if they had not yet registered. 

Ricardo Sánchez, an INE liaison, noted that by midday, only 150 out of 1,000 people in line had managed to vote in Washington, D.C.

In Fresno, long, slow-moving lines and hot weather had people on edge. By Sunday afternoon, there were more than 1,000 people in line, according to the Consulate of Mexico in Fresno, but many were reportedly turned away when the consulate closed its doors at 5 p.m.

“I was here in the morning, and I came back, and the line never ended,” frustrated would-be voter Nayamin Martinez told Fresno TV station KFSN. “About 10 minutes before 5 p.m., they came out and said roughly 600 people have voted but [that] we’re closing.”

Similar scenes played out in San Francisco, Phoenix and Chicago, where the influx of voters caused street closures.

“In some cases,” the INE noted in a statement to the Associated Press, “the large influx of people wishing to vote at the consular headquarters has exceeded expectations.”

“This is sad,” voter Abel Vences told Chicago TV station WLS. The INE “wasn’t ready and was not respectful.”

Despite the challenges, voters in several cities sang traditional Mexican songs, such as “Cielito Lindo,” while waiting in line. In Los Angeles, voters draped in Mexican flags cheered each time a ballot was cast, and street vendors sold food and snacks to those in line.

Claudia Zavala, another member of the Temporary Voting Commission, acknowledged the issues and emphasized the need for future improvements.

With reports from Milenio, La Jornada, N+ and CNN en Español

The post Mexicans living abroad turn out en masse to vote for their first female president appeared first on Mexico News Daily

“Las Amazonas de Yaxunah” is a 52-minute film produced by ESPN Deportes and narrated by Yalitza Aparicio, whose portrayal of a housekeeper in the 2018 drama “Roma” made her the first Indigenous American woman ever nominated for the best actress Academy Award.

“Las Amazonas” was produced in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of ESPN Deportes and will be shown on the network during Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States, which runs from September 15 to October 15.

The Maya women’s softball team breaking stereotypes in huipiles

The ESPN documentary follows the women’s softball team Las Amazonas de Yaxunah, whose players compete in traditional Maya dresses known as huipiles and don’t wear any shoes. Yaxunah is a village of fewer than 800 people in the southern Mexican state of Yucatán, not far from Chichén Itzá.

One of the major themes in the film is how the players have had to break stereotypes about women competing in sports, especially in an insular Indigenous community where feminism doesn’t exactly flourish.

When they first began playing six years ago, they were criticized for playing sports in the first place. Before that, there were no women’s softball teams in the Yaxunah area, and now there are four.

Their team nickname, the Amazonas, alludes to the legendary women warriors known as the Amazons.

“If it were up to the chauvinists in our village, women would spend their lives slaving away with chores at home, caring for the children and working on the farm,” pitcher María Enedina Canul Poot told Mexico News Daily last year. “Sport was a no-go for women, but we had enough, and decided to tell our husbands, fathers and brothers that we would play whether they approved or not.”

A founder fed up with machismo

Still an active player in her mid-50s, María was the main founder of the team, which includes players from 14 to 63. As a child, she used to sneak out of her home to play baseball with the boys.

When local officials wanted to start a Zumba exercise class to help women get in better shape, María had other ideas — and the softball team was born. Within a few years, there was even a state tournament for women’s softball.

A viral video of the women in action led to invitations to play exhibition games across Mexico, and last year, the Amazonas’ profile rose even more when they beat a local squad 22-3 in an exhibition game at Phoenix’s Chase Field, the ballpark of the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. Later, one of their players threw the ceremonial first pitch before a Diamondbacks game against the San Francisco Giants.

The synopsis of the film on the L.A. Latino film fest website says, “In a small Mayan village in the heart of the Yucatán jungle in México, a group of women began playing [softball] with a makeshift bat carved out of a tree branch.”

It continues: “What ensued was a fight against sexism that would change their lives. Playing barefoot and in traditional Mayan dresses due to lack of resources, Las Amazonas became a traveling softball team that both challenged cultural norms and brought a new generation closer to their Mayan traditions. The documentary captures their trips across Mexico and their continued fight for equality in their town.”

A trailer of the film, directed by U.S.-based filmmaker Alfonso Algara, is available for free online.

With reports from La Jornada Maya, ESPN and Los Angeles Times en Español

The post ESPN documentary on Maya women’s softball team to premiere at LA Latino film fest appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The film festival will kick off with the two-hour documentary “Esta ambición desmedida” (“This Excessive Ambition”), which chronicles 33-year-old Spanish rapper C. Tangana’s creative process behind his 2021 album “El Madrileño” (“The Man From Madrid”) and the challenges of creating a subsequent tour worthy of his newfound global superstar status.

Directed by Santos Bacana, Cris Trenas and Rogelio González of Spain, the 2023 film will screen at the FICG’s opening gala on June 7 at the Telmex Auditorium in Zapopan, Jalisco. 

The rapper is expected to attend, according to festival officials.

Closing night of the Guadalajara festival will feature “Kinds of Kindness” — an absurdist dark comedy by six-time Oscar-nominated Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Jesse Plemons. Premiering in Mexico and the U.S. on June 21, it received a Palme D’Or (the top prize) nomination at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where the audience gave it a four-minute standing ovation.

Several awards will be presented at this year’s FICG.

Mexican actor Diego Luna will receive the Mayahuel Award for Mexican Cinema for his career and contributions to national cinema. A former Mexican telenovela child actor, Luna broke through to the big screen in the internationally acclaimed 2001 film “Y tu mamá también.” He’s lately known for portraying Cassian Andor in the Star Wars films “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Andor.“ Luna is also known for playing drug kingpin Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo in the Netflix series “Narcos: Mexico.”

Spanish producer Enrique Cerezo, president of the soccer club Atlético de Madrid, will be honored with the inaugural FICG Industry Award. Alex de la Iglesia, a prolific Spanish filmmaker, will receive the Mayahuel International Award. 

The Guadalajara film festival’s connections to Spain are not by chance. This year’s guest of honor is the community of Madrid, Spain, and a core program of the festival will be highlighting films from that region.

Activism in cinema will also be recognized at the festival:

• Mexican actress Ángeles Cruz will be awarded the Maguey Prize for her dedication to LGBTQ+ rights.
• Chilean actor Alfredo Castro will be presented with the Mayahuel Ibero-American Award.
• The Spanish filmmaking duo Los Javis, known for their work promoting LGBTQ+ equality, will receive the Maguey Award for their career.

The festival will screen over 200 films, including Mexican and Ibero-American productions in fiction, documentary and animation. There will also be films exploring environmental and LGBTQ+ themes. FICG officials said they are hoping to exceed 50,000 attendees.

The FICG Cineteca in Zapopan will serve as the main venue, with additional screenings at the Telmex Auditorium, the Museum of the Arts, the Diana Theater and the Carlos Fuentes Bookstore.

In conjunction with the film festival, the Guadalajara Museum of Arts will host a “Nazarín” photo exhibit from June 6 to August 4. “Nazarín” is a provocative 1959 film made in Mexico by acclaimed Spanish director Luis Buñuel with the Mexican cinematographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo.

For a full program guide, schedules and prices, visit the festival website.

With reports from El Universal, Guadalajara Secreta, El Informador, Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía, El Debate and La-Lista

The post 39th Guadalajara International Film Festival will celebrate Spanish film appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The Thursday afternoon “non-supercell” tornado in the México state capital of Toluca knocked over a fence that fell on top of two pedestrians and killed them. The fence also crushed a vehicle near pedestrians but the driver survived.

The twister, which was accompanied by intense rain and hail, also felled at least 30 large trees, many of them in medians of the Toluca-Palmillas highway.

Images circulating on social media showed how the tornado lifted tin roofs from homes and businesses, and tossed rooftop water and gas tanks to and fro. It knocked down telephone and light poles, and damaged many homes and vehicles. In one area, a warehouse collapsed.

The Toluca city council confirmed that one of the tornado victims was of American origin and said it was in communication with personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. As of noon Friday, the victim’s identity had not been released.

One day earlier in the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Nuevo León, a stage at a rally for dark-horse presidential candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez collapsed due to strong winds, killing at least nine people and injuring scores of others, state authorities said.

Tornado en Toluca.@meteotoluca @InfoMeteoro @TornadosMexico pic.twitter.com/4TzQ7LyzoZ

— Adrián Camacho (@AADRN15) May 23, 2024

Photos and videos of the funnel cloud were posted to social media on Thursday.

The phenomenon in Toluca was a funnel cloud and electrical storm, with surface winds of approximately 100 km/h, according to officials with the meteorological observatory of the Autonomous University of México State.

According to SkyAlert, the funnel reached a maximum height of 150 meters and was classified as a non-supercell tornado — meaning it was thinner, of shorter duration and didn’t pack as much power and wind intensity as a supercell tornado.

Continuing strong winds predicted for central Mexico

More strong winds in México state — with gusts up to 50 to 70 km/h — and potential whirlwinds and/or dust storms have been predicted for Friday and Saturday by Mexico’s National Meteorological Service. The agency is also predicting heavy rains in the area.

Zooming out, at the national level the agency forecasts wind gusts up to 40-70 km/h and possible whirlwinds for all 31 states in the country, along with Mexico City.

According to Mexico’s National Disaster Prevention Center, tornadoes occur in certain parts of the country, mainly between March and August and mainly in the north.

In May 2015, a tornado touched down in the northern border city of Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, and killed at least 13 people.

More recently, in November 2023, there was a tornado in western Michoacán that wreaked havoc on several avocado groves but didn’t claim any lives. Residents reportedly “attacked” the tornado with hail cannons to prevent it from reaching the town of Peribán.

With reports from El Financiero, La Silla Rota, El Debate and López-Dóriga Digital

The post Tornado in Toluca leaves 2 dead, one of them a US citizen appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Coming just two weeks before the June 2 elections, the action on May 18 and 19 against campaign materials as environmentally unfriendly election trash spanned several municipalities, including Iztapalapa, Tlalpan, Coyoacán, Benito Juárez and Miguel Hidalgo.

¿Cuánta basura electoral más tenemos que soportar?

Llevamos a los partidos políticos propaganda con la que han inundado nuestras ciudades, hecha de plástico e imposibles de reciclar.

Firma la carta para lograr un futuro #SinBasuraElectoral https://t.co/4wFupyMWyp pic.twitter.com/6qHuXJh8VI

— Greenpeace México (@greenpeacemx) May 22, 2024

Greenpeace México activists also called upon citizens to sign an open letter supporting their demands. (Greenpeace/X)

According to a Greenpeace México post on the social media platform X, the nongovernmental organization Foundation for the Rescue and Recovery of the Urban Landscape (@TuMexicoLimpio) estimates that in Mexico City alone, election garbage during this election cycle could reach 25,000 tonnes.

To make their point, activists and volunteers took the banners and paraphernalia they had taken down from buildings, bridges and other locations around the capital to the headquarters of various political parties. Most of the “election trash” haul went to the offices of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) or the National Action Party (PAN).

Morena leads the Let’s Keep Making History coalition, which also includes the Labor Party (PT) and Green Party (PVEM) and is backing Claudia Sheinbaum for president. The PAN-led Strength and Heart for Mexico alliance, which supports Xóchitl Gálvez, includes the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and Democratic Revolution Party (PRD).

The posters and banners, some of which are torn down and discarded by political rivals, end up accumulating without a recycling plan. Greenpeace México said that most political banners are made of plastics, which can take between decades and hundreds of years to degrade.

Ornela Garelli Rios, an activist with Plastic-Free Oceans at Greenpeace México, emphasized the urgency of the situation regarding election trash.

“In the midst of an unprecedented environmental crisis, it is unacceptable that political parties and coalitions flood our cities with electoral propaganda made with plastics. The statistics are staggering,” she said, citing the 25,000 tonnes figure.

Greenpeace México called for accountability on the issue from Mexico’s political parties.

Their demands included: publicly disclosing the quantity of election materials being used, its makeup and plans for recycling the resulting trash; ending further placements; and replaciing banner use with more innovative campaign strategies, such as online platforms.

As Mexico heads toward the June 2 elections, the INE has already enforced the prohibition of various forms of campaign materials in an attempt to foster an environment conducive to free and mindful voting.

The genesis of the ban lies partly in clashes between current contenders in the Mexico City mayoral race.

The Electoral Institute of Mexico City (IECM) intervened following a “propaganda war” between Clara Brugada of the Let’s Keep Making History coalition and Santiago Taboada of Strength and Heart for Mexico, opposing candidates for mayor of Mexico City.

The situation, which included sabotage of political banners, led to revised guidelines on the distribution of campaign materials.

Greenpeace seized upon that moment to urge the mayoral candidates to confront the plastic pollution engendered by their election campaigns.

Prior to June 2, there will be a three-day period in which the parties must halt political campaigning and refrain from placing new banners, posters and other campaign items in public. Said items must be removed during the seven days after Election Day.

With reports from Proceso, La Silla Rota and El Financiero

The post Mexico City activists return ‘election trash’ to political party offices appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Mexico native Martín Quintana, 53, has been trying to open a new The Famous Taco for about three years, but the shopping plaza he wanted to move into had a written commitment with local officials limiting what types of restaurants could open there.

It could only be “a sandwich bar-style restaurant whose primary business is to sell ‘made-to-order’ or ‘Subway-style’ sandwiches,” and could not have a drive-thru, outdoor seating or alcoholic beverages.

After the nearby Covington Creek Association told Quintana that his proposal ran afoul of the stipulations — that exclude fast-food chains like Arby’s, McDonald’s and Wendy’s — a legal battle began that finally ended with Allen Superior Court Judge Craig Bobay’s ruling on Monday.

Allen County includes the county seat of Fort Wayne, a city about 190 kilometers northeast of Indianapolis with about 270,000 residents, making it Indiana’s second-most populous city.

“The Court agrees with Quintana that tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches, and the original written commitment does not restrict potential restaurants to only American cuisine-style sandwiches,” Bobay wrote.

“The original written commitment [of 2019] would also permit a restaurant that serves made-to-order Greek gyros, Indian naan wraps or Vietnamese banh mi if these restaurants complied with the other enumerated conditions,” the judge added.

Quintana sued the Fort Wayne Plan Commission in December 2022 after it denied his proposed amendment that would specifically allow his restaurant to offer made-to-order tacos, burritos and other Mexican specialties.

Is a taco a sandwich?
Remember this debate?

Well an Indiana judge ruled that tacos and burritos are sandwiches in a recent ruling @kcalnews @jamieyuccas @RudabehShahbazi @CaliforniaWxGuy pic.twitter.com/cToiM1NtjM

— Sheba Turk (@ShebaTurk) May 16, 2024

“It kind of became an argument of … is a taco a sandwich or not,” a representative of Quintana said when the suit was filed.

“I’m glad this thing is over,” Quintana said Monday. “We are happy. When you have a decision like this, the only thing you can be is happy.”

Quintana said he came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1988, working first as a farm worker in California picking grapes, olives and kiwis before entering the restaurant business in Michigan, then moving to Chicago and finally Fort Wayne in 2001. He opened The Famous Taco nearly seven years ago.

At the new location, which Quintana expects to open in two or three months, customers will choose their favorite toppings for tacos, burritos or tortas assembled by the staff.

“You know, that’s a sandwich,” Quintana said of tortas. “That’s bread. That’s a sandwich. We go through a lot of those.”

With reports from USA Today, Proceso and The Journal Gazette

The post Is a taco a ‘Mexican-style’ sandwich? Indiana judge rules yes appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Taquería El Califa de León, which has but four food items on its menu, is the only taco purveyor among the 16 restaurants that received one or two stars when the French dining guide unveiled on Tuesday its first grouping of Mexico-only honorees in the Michelin Guide Mexico 2024.

It also is the first Mexican taquería to receive the honor from the legendary international dining guide.

Most of the winners on the list are posh eateries in swanky settings. But not El Califa de León, a taco stand that’s been operating in the scruffy-but-now-semi-bohemian San Rafael neighborhood of Mexico City since 1968.

Michelin’s blurb on the tiny taquería Chef Arturo Rivera Martínez made famous includes the phrases quoted above, as well as the unequivocal praise: “There is a reason why El Califa de León has endured for more than half a century.”

The main reason? The Gaonera taco, described by Michelin thus: “Thinly sliced beef filet is expertly cooked to order, seasoned with only salt and a squeeze of lime. At the same time, a second cook prepares the excellent corn tortillas alongside. 

“The resulting combination is elemental and pure. Other options are few but excellent and include bisteck (beef steak), chuleta (pork chop), and costilla (beef rib). With meat and tortillas of this caliber, the duo of house-made salsas is hardly even necessary.”

Each order comes two to a plate, with the bisteck tacos costing 53 pesos, the Gaonera tacos 70 pesos, and chuleta and costilla tacos 82 pesos (from USD $3.18 to $4.92). High-priced by Mexican standards? Perhaps, but the faithful don’t seem to be complaining. 

Newly minted Michelin-starred Chef Rivera Martínez was presented with the famous white chef’s jacket on Wednesday, while on the job. Asked what drink he likes to pair the taco stand’s award-winning fare with, Rivera Martínez reportedly told CNN, “I like a Coke.”

The stand’s founder, Juan Hernández González, created the Gaonera taco and named it — and his shop — after the famous Mexican bullfighter Rodolfo Gaona (1888-1975) and the now ubiquitous gaonera maneuver that the toreador invented 125 years ago. Born in León, Guanajuato, Gaona’s nickname was “El Califa de León.”

Patrons at the popular Mexico City taquería are greeted upon arrival by a huge griddle, upon which is a menu that’s remained the same for nearly six decades. There is also a picture of a former El Califa regular: politician Luis Donaldo Colosio, a presidential candidate who was assassinated in Tijuana at a campaign rally in 1994.

Aside from perhaps a few street food stalls in Southeast Asia, El Califa de León is probably the smallest restaurant ever to get a Michelin star. Nearly half of the 9.29 square meters (100 square feet) of the feted taquería is taken up by a solid-steel grill — which heats up to an astounding 360 C (680 F) and is one of the only “secrets” of the shop’s success that Rivera Martínez is willing to disclose.

Thanks to its popularity, a new location of El Califa de León opened in Naucalpan, México state, in 2019.

The original, at Avenida Ribera de San Cosme 56, in the San Rafael neighborhood, is located in Mexico City’s Cuauhtémoc borough. It is open every day from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

It’s always been advisable to arrive early to avoid the crowds — and now it’s probably more crowded than ever. 

Thanks a lot, Michelin Guide.

With reports from El Financiero, El Universal, CNN and Associated Press

The post Which Mexico City taquería just won a Michelin star? appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The workers were on their way to harvest watermelons when a 2001 Ford Ranger crossed over the centerline on a two-lane, rain-slicked country road about 130 kilometers north of Orlando, the local highway patrol said.

Florida bus crash kills eight, leads to DUI arrest of driver involved https://t.co/h6Z6ve5gRS pic.twitter.com/jdPHbqdxkn

— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) May 15, 2024

The pickup sideswiped a school bus headed in the opposite direction, causing it to veer off the road, after which it plowed through a fence, hit a tree and rolled over, officials noted.

The driver of the pickup, Bryan Maclean Howard, was arrested and charged with eight counts of driving under the influence/manslaughter, according to the state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

In a court hearing on Wednesday, a judge denied Howard bond, appointed him a public defender and set his next court appearance for June.

Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry (SRE) confirmed the nationalities of the deceased, all of whom were men holding H-2A visas for temporary or seasonal agricultural work in the United States.

Florida farms employ about 50,000 H-2A workers each year, more than any other state, according to the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.

“With deep sorrow, I confirm the death of eight agricultural workers … Mexicans, men,” Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena said on her X account late Tuesday night. “Seven of the 44 injured are hospitalized. Our consul [in Orlando, Florida] Juan Sabines Gutiérrez and the SRE will provide full support to our compatriots and their families.”

Local authorities reported that the bus was carrying 53 migrant workers when the collision occurred around 6:40 a.m. in Marion County, Florida. Over 30 ambulances were called to the scene, said Billy Woods, the county sheriff.

In his Wednesday morning press conference, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that 44 of the farmworkers on the bus were Mexican citizens.

The president did not release any more information out of consideration for the victims’ relatives, he said. Mexican consular officials are working with U.S. authorities to identify the victims and notify their next of kin.

No information was provided as to what substance had allegedly left Howard impaired, although Bárcena said in an interview for Milenio TV that Florida authorities told her he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.

State records show he had previous arrests, accused of driving with a suspended license, leaving the scene of an accident and marijuana possession.

Cannon Farms, where the workers were headed, noted in a Facebook post that it would remain closed through Wednesday, and in another it provided a link to a GoFundMe campaign organized by the Farmworker Association of Florida to support victims of the accident and their families.

As of Wednesday morning, the fund had raised more than US $40,000. 

It was not known if the bus had seat belts or if the workers were using them. On June 28, a new seat belt requirement for employer vehicles carrying H-2A farmworkers will go into effect, the Labor Department previously announced. Florida law already requires seat belts for farmworker transport, but only in vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds.

Federal statistics show vehicle crashes were the leading cause of job-related deaths among farmworkers in 2022, the latest year available. They accounted for 81 of 171 fatalities.

With reports from Milenio, NBC News and Associated Press

The post 8 Mexican farmworkers killed, dozens injured after truck and bus collide in Florida appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The six-part miniseries will examine the unsolved murder of Paco Stanley, the Mexican TV presenter who was shot outside a popular Mexico City restaurant after enjoying a post-show lunch with his sidekicks on June 7, 1999 — nearly 25 years ago.

Stanley, who was 56 at the time, hosted the show “Una tras otra” on TV Azteca, a rival to Televisa, the Mexican network where Stanley had been on air previously until 1998.

His personality, grace and humor fueled a career in radio and television that by the time of Stanley’s murder had made him one of the most beloved and recognizable celebrities in Mexico.

Each episode of “Quien lo Mató?” will be told through the point of view of one of the six people closest to Stanley at the time of his murder.

What gets revealed is a complex, behind-the-scenes story of fame, betrayal, excess and the dark side of the entertainment industry — at different moments pointing to different suspects. The miniseries also delves into potential motives behind Stanley’s murder.

There’s also a storyline about drug use and possible links to drug trafficking. 

Upon his death, authorities found cocaine in Stanley’s blood, along with a small bag of the drug in his pocket, as well as a grinding kit. It was also discovered that he had legal clearance to carry firearms, a relative rarity in Mexico.

Back in 1999, the murder of Paco Stanley was relentlessly covered by Mexican media, with news outlets exhausting every angle. Yet the public couldn’t seem to get enough of the story. Certain aspects of the media’s coverage — such as one of Stanley’s TV sidekicks being interviewed on live TV just seconds after attending Stanley’s funeral — even became hot debate points themselves.

Produced by Amazon Studios, the series falls into the realm of fiction; its online summary says it is “inspired” by real events.

The cast includes up-and-coming Mexican actor Roberto Duarte as Stanley in what could turn out to be a breakout role.

The more recognizable Luis Gerardo Méndez stars as Mario Bezares, the man who was Stanley’s sidekick first on Televisa and then followed him to TV Azteca and was initially arrested for his murder. Méndez is known for portraying soccer team co-owner Salvador “Chava” Iglesias in the hit Netflix comedy series “Club de Cuervos” and troubled police officer Victor Tapia in season 3 of the Netflix series, “Narcos: Mexico.”

“The most interesting thing about the series is the representation of the comedy of errors of the Mexican justice system,” Méndez said.

Though he was a friend of Stanley’s, Bezares was arrested as a suspect in the murder, along with another Stanley colleague, Paola Durante (played by the Mexican pop star and actress Belinda). Bezares was jailed for over a year. 

Bezares was leaving the bathroom at the restaurant where he, Stanley and another TV sidekick, Jorge Gil, had eaten lunch when gunfire sounded outside.

Three individuals approached Stanley in his Lincoln Navigator and fired more than 20 rounds, killing Stanley in the vehicle with four shots, including three to the head. 

Gil was also wounded, and went on to publish a book about the murder, called “My Truth.”

Gil is portrayed by Diego Boneta, who starred as Luis Miguel in the 2018 Netflix bio-series “Luis Miguel: The Series.”

A video showing clips of Paco Stanley during his last appearance on “Una Tras Otra,” which he filmed live, hours before his murder.

The producers say “Who Killed Him?” is based on information from direct sources and from the files of both the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Mexico’s federal Attorney General’s Office on Stanley’s murder.

A trailer for the series — in Spanish but with English subtitles available — can be seen on YouTube. Since the trailer’s release on April 17, it has logged more than 20 million views — attesting to the interest in the series.

With reports from Reforma, El Debate, ImageAntra and L.A. Times Español

The post Who shot Paco Stanley? Series rekindles interest in TV icon’s unsolved murder appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Miraculously, there were no reported injuries, according to several news sources, even though the first bullfight at 4 p.m. was just about to start and the facility was crowded with approximately 2,000 people.

The traditional structure included elevated, private viewing boxes surrounding a small, circular, wood-and-metal grandstand. Rustic staircases made with branches and other pieces of wood led to the upper viewing levels.

Tabbed the “plaza de toros artesanal,” the three-level “stadium” looked like a combination of a beachfront enramada and something straight off “Gilligan’s Island.”

Panabá is a town and municipality halfway between Mérida and Cancún.

Its annual fair pays homage to San Isidro Labrador, the locality’s patron saint to whom farmers and other residents pray for rain — not that their prayers had been answered. Temperatures over the weekend hit at least 46 Celsius (114 Fahrenheit) without a drop of rain in sight.

#HechosAMPenínsula | ¡Increíbles imágenes! Así captaron como el ´Coso taurino´ se incendiaba en #Panabá.
Contáctanos al #WhatsApp: 998 409 1550⁣⁣⁣⁣
https://t.co/i6S3gxB1Ok pic.twitter.com/4WgFqs29L9

— TV Azteca Campeche (@Azteca_Campeche) May 13, 2024

As the fire ignited and began to spread, screams could be heard as people, some of them jumping, tried to escape as quickly as possible. The palqueros, valued community members who are entrusted with building the Maya-type structure, were so busy assisting others and getting themselves to safety that many of their chairs were left behind.

Emergency personnel arrived at the site, but there was nothing they could do as the columns of smoke reached nearly 20 meters high.

While reports on social media said fireworks hit the bullring and caused the conflagration, the newspaper El Universal did not cite a cause. Mundo Toro, a website that reports on bullfighting, also said the structure caught fire due to pyrotechnics.

The Panabá city council opted to cancel the fair’s Cultural Night on Sunday in the town’s central plaza. It was to include folkloric dancing, comedy and more.

However, officials decided the fair would continue on Monday, with the bullfight in a permanent bullring in Panabá — the Plaza de Toros Monumental Aranda — and a folkloric ballet in the main square.

On Monday, the mayor of Panabá, Omar Adiel Mena, wrote on Facebook he worked out a deal with owner Fernando Aranda to rent the bullring for 35,000 pesos (US $2,083), with the city council absorbing the cost. In his post, he thanked Aranda and his wife for accepting the deal. “Last night he asked for 70,000 [pesos, but] today he agreed to give us a discount,” he wrote.

The mayor said his main goal was to financially support the palqueros, the respected town members who participate annually in the building of the structure and who then recoup their costs by selling tickets, snacks and beer. “The palqueros were satisfied with the support” they received, the mayor added.

In a reader comment underneath the article in El Universal, one person wrote, “I am glad that it was burned so that the bulls are not cruelly mistreated and murdered. Thank you God, thank you.”

With reports from El Universal, La Jornada Maya, Por Esto and Mundo Toro

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