But beyond silver shopping, the town offers a wide variety of cultural attractions that exist thanks to mining. From one of Mexico’s most famous churches — built with silver money — to a hidden pre-Columbian silver mine and a City of Light award, here are 5 surprising things you didn’t know about Mexico’s most famous silver town.

Taxco was one of the 18th century’s biggest silver producers

Sitting atop steep hills and surrounded by dramatic cliffs, Taxco — whose official name is Taxco de Alarcón — was founded in 1529. But it wasn’t the first Taxco: the Indigenous town of that name, now called Taxco el Viejo, lies south of the city we know today. In 1521, Hernán Cortés sent an expedition to find tin ore.  Due to the geology of the region, deposits of silver abounded in the area, and a few years later the Spanish set up the mining camp that would soon become the city of Taxco. 

Under the Spanish, mining in Taxco began around 1524, making it one of the oldest European mining centers in the Americas. However, its true mining heyday happened in the 18th century, after Spanish businessman José de la Borda inherited a mine from his brother Francisco and found the San Ignacio vein. 

De la Borda, who would be described by Spanish King Carlos III as “the most intelligent person known in this Kingdom in mines and in the machinery for their excavation,” made one of the largest fortunes in New Spain with silver mining. 

With his wealth, he built a paved road across the mountains to Mexico City, gave money to the Catholic church and built several buildings for the local community, including the town’s icon: the Parish of Santa Prisca — which leads us to our next interesting fact.

The Church of Santa Prisca was funded entirely by a silver miner

The church of Santa Prisca was built by de la Borda as a way of thanking God for his mining fortune. With its two pink stone towers, wide dome and intricate finishes, Santa Prisca — named after the town’s patron saint — is one of Mexico’s most beautiful churches and an exquisite example of the Mexican baroque style. 

Standing 94.5 meters in height, it was actually Mexico’s tallest building until 1808.

In addition to its magnificent interior and stunning light-pink façade, the church is noteworthy for having been built in just seven years,  between 1751 and 1758 — a record speed for the time. 

Funded entirely by de la Borda, several well-known Mexican artists of the 18th century contributed to the church’s interior decoration, including Cayetano de Sigüenza, Isidoro Vicente de Balbás, José de Alba and Miguel Cabrera. Due to its “great artistic value,” UNESCO included Santa Prisca on Mexico’s tentative list for World Heritage inscription in 2001. 

Taxco’s silver heyday was revived by a U.S. designer

After Borda’s bonanza times, Taxco remained relatively unknown to the world until artist William Spratling revived the town’s old silver glory. 

An assistant professor of architecture at Tulane University, Spratling spent his summers lecturing on colonial architecture in Mexico City and touring the country in his free time. In 1925, he decided to settle down in Taxco to work on his novel, “Little Mexico.” 

Intrigued by the silver trinkets and stones that Taxco locals sold, Spratling began designing his own jewelry inspired by Aztec motifs and Mexican designs. In 1931, he hired local silversmiths and founded his workshop. In no time, his works gained international recognition and many Hollywood celebrities of the time wore his designs.  

To inspire local artists, Spratling began an apprentice program. Notable students who founded their own shops included Antonio Pineda, Margot de Taxco and Hector Aguilar. 

Dubbed “the Father of Modern Mexican Jewelry,” Spratling turned the world’s attention to Taxco and its silversmiths, who to this day have remained relevant and recognized worldwide.  

In 2015, archeologists found a hidden pre-Hispanic mine

If you thought finding hidden treasure underground only happens in fairy tales, think again. 

In 2013, during renovation work at Taxco’s Posada de la Misión hotel, construction workers lowering a floor discovered an underground pit that, after further excavation, led them to the entrance of a mine with deposits of silver, gold and quartz. 

Upon exploration, National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) archeologists found that the work that had been done in the mine was superficial and rudimentary, using tools that predated the colonial era. Among these instruments were deer horns, stones and baskets to collect the minerals.

Based on this evidence, historians have suggested that the mine was pre-Columbian,  exploited by the Indigenous Chontal of Guerrero — not to be confused with the Chontal Maya — in the 1400s. When the Spanish arrived, the Chontal closed it and kept it hidden. According to experts, they only exploited 2% of the mine. But since it is now below a hotel, the mine is safe from further exploitation.  

The mine opened to visitors in 2015. Entrance costs 180 pesos per person and includes a walking tour inside the mine, a pre-Hispanic cultural show, parking and a drink in the Posada de la Misión hotel.

Taxco holds the title of City of Light

Due to the number of international tourists that travel to Taxco for silver shopping, the town decided to elevate its already charming cobbled streets, red tile roofs and colonial buildings with architectural light. 

In 2019, Taxco gained international recognition as a City of Light, thanks to the town’s light plan. The accolade is granted by the Lighting Urban Community International (LUCI) association, which brings together cities across the world, committed to using light as a tool for sustainable development. 

Taxco’s Lighting Master Plan, completed in 2012, uses light as a common thread to seamlessly integrate streets and alleys with churches, architectural features and public spaces. It has encouraged more social gatherings and recreational activities and has helped extend the use of city space at night.

This title is shared with other cities like Geneva, Bruges, Turin and Toulouse, among hundreds of others worldwide. Taxco and Medellín, Colombia are the only cities in the Americas to have received the honor.

Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog Dunas y Palmeras.

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The oarfish was under attack by five sharks, according to the fishermen, when they spotted it off the coast of Cabo San Lucas. The 141-pound fish was snatched from the sharks by Tony Frasconi, who was fishing with friends identified as Ken and Gary.

Marine biologists took the specimen for further study. 

The oarfish family includes three species of elongated fish found in temperate and tropical ocean zones, though they are not usually seen by humans, as they typically range only in the deep sea. Encounters with oarfish likely gave rise to tales of monstrous sea serpents over the centuries, though they are not dangerous to humans. Scientists believe that an oarfish sighting near the ocean’s surface indicates the creature is sick, dying or disoriented.

So far this year, two oarfish have washed up on the coasts of Baja California Sur. The first was spotted in mid-April, and the most recent was in early May in El Sargento. An oarfish was also spotted in the waters of Baja California Sur in July 2020, off the coast of La Paz. 

Oarfish can be very large, with a ribbon-shaped body that resembles a snake more than a fish. The maximum reported length of the regalecus russelii species (reportedly the one found by the fishermen this week) is 5.4 meters, though the giant oarfish species can be as long as 17 meters.  

The giant oarfish is considered the longest bony fish alive, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Some cultures around the world associate oarfish with natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones and hurricanes, which has earned the animal the nickname “earthquake fish” or “doomsday fish.”

While sightings have coincided with these phenomena in various regions of the world, scientists have not found evidence to determine a relationship between oarfish sightings and subsequent natural disasters. 

Oarfish inhabit the Pacific Ocean, with recorded sightings in Japan, the United States and Mexico.

With reports from Milenio and Baja California Sur Noticias

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“We have not had any signal change,” said Rivas at a press conference announcing Nuevo León’s upcoming International Mobility of the Future Summit (IMOF). “We are working hand in hand [with Tesla] on the incentive contract,” he assured.

Since Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the plans for an electric vehicle (EV) factory in northern Mexico in March last year, the start date for construction has been postponed and a lack of information has fueled speculation about the project’s viability. According to Nuevo León’s governor Samuel García, the project will generate US $15 billion in investment.

While Rivas admitted that there’s not an agreed date to break ground, he stressed there’s no doubt that the Tesla gigafactory in Mexico is happening.

“Tesla is coming, it is coming,” Rivas said.

Incentives for Tesla to build their latest factory in Mexico were confirmed last year, and include widening the Monterrey-Saltillo highway (from two to three lanes), building road infrastructure to enter and exit the factory and constructing water treatment infrastructure, as well as tax benefits.

When asked by reporters whether the recent worldwide layoffs at Tesla might have had an effect on the project, Rivas said that layoffs in Mexico were in the commercial area, not those positions related to the development and construction of the Nuevo León plant.

“The engineers working on the plant development … come from abroad and have visited the plant many times,” he said. 

Eduardo Aguilar, a professor at the University of Monterrey (Udem), told the newspaper El País that infrastructure construction by Nuevo León public works officials to accommodate the plant is ongoing at the planned gigafactory site in Santa Catarina — located about 15 kilometers from Monterrey. 

“The land remains the same as it was a year ago, that is undoubtedly true, but all the government works related to the plant’s construction have already begun,” Aguilar said. “The machinery and signage indicate that the promised expansions to access and stormwater infrastructure by the state have already begun.”

Musk himself said last October that while the Nuevo León factory was confirmed, he was not ready to “go full tilt” given global economic conditions. At the time, he said the first phase of construction would begin in early 2024.

Despite the speculation about the gigafactory’s fate, Rivas said that the announcement of the Tesla plant has boosted Nuevo León as an electromobility hub since Tesla has invited its suppliers to relocate to Mexico. 

“Around 30 [Tesla] suppliers are already here in Nuevo León,” Rivas said.

With reports from Milenio and El País

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No matter the setting and no matter the audience, Luis Miguel has stayed relevant to every Latin generation — and in many music genres — since he began his career in 1982. From pop to jazz to boleros and, of course, mariachi, Luis Miguel, 54, has secured hits in every single genre. 

I mean, is there anything he can’t sing? 

A versatile and prolific career 

With a voice that spans three octaves (comparable to Freddie Mercury), Billboard has named him “one of the top voices of our generation.” 

On tour since last year (including the United States) despite not having released a single album in seven years, Luis Miguel kicked off 2024 with the No.3 spot on the first LIVE75 chart of the year. By the second issue, Luis Miguel moved to No. 1 based on a 17-show ticket average of 20,808 per night. 

With those numbers, “El Sol de México,” (The Mexican Sun) surpassed singers like Madonna (13,880) and U2 (16,585). Moreover, Luis Miguel’s México Por Siempre Tour (2018-19) was the highest-grossing Latin tour in Boxscore history until Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee in 2022. 

He became the youngest artist ever to win a Grammy at age 14, for his duet “Me Gustas Tal y Como Eres” with Sheena Easton. He maintained this record until 1997 when LeAnn Rimes won the Grammy for Best New Artist (also aged 14). 

He has since won 5 more Grammys and over 100 national and international awards. He was also the only Hispanic artist invited to perform at Frank Sinatra’s 80th birthday celebration.

Furthermore, Luis Miguel has consistently made the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart since his debut in 1987 with the hit “Ahora Te Puedes Marchar.” Since then, he’s scored 15 more No. 1s, including “Tengo Todo Excepto a Ti” and “La Media Vuelta.” He’s also the artist with the most entries among Latin pop acts on Hot Latin Songs, with 58. 

But despite his massive fame, “LuisMi” is incredibly reclusive.

A tumultuous personal life 

Over his career, he has granted only a handful of interviews, always being careful around sensitive subjects like his paternity of model Michelle Salas, 35 – which he only acknowledged when she turned 18, the disappearance of his mother, or his true birthplace, which turns out, is not Mexico (although has since naturalized as a Mexican).

Born in 1970 in Puerto Rico to Spanish singer Luisito Rey and Italian mother Marcela Basteri, the family moved to Mexico City in the late 70s due to Luisito’s music career. But when Luisito discovered his son’s talent, he set aside his career to focus on Luis Miguel. 

This is vividly portrayed in the first episode of Luis Miguel La Serie, a three-part Netflix biopic released in 2018. Reportedly, deeply private Luis Miguel only agreed to the series to settle a multi-million-dollar debt.

Showing his many romances (including his relationship with Mariah Carey) and a highly vulnerable LuisMi amidst a dramatic family life and a controlling and dominant father, the series satisfied Mexican fans’ curiosity over Luis Miguel’s life — and made them (us) love him even more. 

It also brought the Sun back to the center of the universe.  

A resounding success, the series revived Luis Miguel’s dormant career after years of absence and questionable concerts during which he appeared drunk or unable to properly sing (something that the series helped us all forgive him for). With the release of Season 1, Spotify reported that “Culpable O No” was the second most played song in Mexico. Moreover, plays of Luis Miguel’s music soared by 200% in the weeks after the series premiered. 

But with 34 albums in total, we must acknowledge the hidden heroes behind Luis Miguel’s successful career. After all, he sings songs other people write. 

A revival of romantic Latin music

Not much of a songwriter himself, Luis Miguel has collaborated with many talented Latin songwriters and musicians. One of the most famous collaborations was with Mexican Armando Manzanero, who died aged 85 during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Composers of some of the most iconic songs of Latin America, Manzanero and Luis Miguel worked together on four albums. These were: “Romance” (LuisMi’s first Gold Album in the US) “Segundo Romance,” “Romances” and “Mis Romances.” Each album included songs written by Manzanero, including “Somos Novios” or “No Sé Tú.” 

Thanks to these albums, Luis Miguel turned the world’s attention to Latin romantic music, including the world-wide famous “Bésame Mucho.”

Bésame Mucho is indisputably one of Latin America’s most famous songs, written by Mexican songwriter Consuelito Velásquez in 1932. Luis Miguel’s interpretation of the song is one of the most recognized worldwide.

Another blast from the past was “Solamente Una Vez,” by one of Mexico’s most famous songwriters, Agustín Lara.

Thanks to the Netflix series, we learned that Dominican bachata songwriter and superstar Juan Luis Guerra wrote the romantic ballad “Hasta Que Me Olvides.” This song has even become a trend on TikTok, where users pick Luis Miguel as their ultimate favorite singer with the song as the soundtrack.  

Other songwriters included Francisco Céspedes, Jorge Alfredo Jiménez, María Grever and Roberto Cantoral, amongst others. 

As for musicians, one that stands out is Kiko Gibrán, Luis Miguel’s loyal guitarist and Mexican music producer who has collaborated with the artist since the ‘90s.

With an array of Hispanic and Latin collaborators and never having ventured into the US market to increase sales, Luis Miguel is one of the best-selling and most loved Latin singers of all time — and, as you could probably tell, my favorite. 

Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog Dunas y Palmeras.

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Reports of wild howler monkeys falling dead from trees in Mexico’s tropical forests began at the onset of the season’s second heat wave, at the beginning of May. While initial reports came from Tabasco and Chiapas, cases of animals suffering from heat exhaustion are also being reported in Veracruz and Campeche.

Semarnat stressed that actions are being taken to prevent more animal deaths. In the municipalities of Hueyapan and Catemaco in the state of Veracruz, the ministry said officials are installing water fountains for monkeys. It also noted that assistance in Tabasco includes mobile care units made up of volunteers from civil society and wildlife experts. The Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco (UJAT) reported that it would enable an additional mobile unit on its campus in Comalcalco to extend care in the region. 

The Natural Protected Areas Commission (Conanp) also activated an emergency fund that will be used for community and academic initiatives in support of the monkeys.

As for Campeche, authorities established two aid brigades in the towns of Miguel Colorado and Felipe Carrillo Puerto. 

High temperatures are causing monkey deaths

On Sunday, Semarnat reported that it conducted an emergency operation to determine the cause of the monkey deaths occurring in Mexico’s southern jungles.

In addition, the United States-Mexico Commission for the Prevention of Foot and Mouth Disease and Other Exotic Animal Diseases (CPA) conducted a clinical inspection of sick specimens, including some that had recently died. After taking biological samples and sending them to various laboratories for analysis, scientists ruled out emerging diseases or toxicological elements to be the cause.

Semarnat confirmed that the monkeys in Tabasco and Chiapas are dying due to heat stroke caused by the scorching temperatures suffocating Mexico. A lack of rainfall has also led to water shortages in streams and springs, the main sources of water where Mexico’s monkeys live. 

How many monkeys have been rescued?

Specialists and members of various communities in Tabasco, with help from the Federal Attorney General for Environmental Protection (Profepa), assisted seven monkeys in critical condition. They have since been reintroduced to their natural habitat after returning to good health.

With reports from El Financiero

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“Les Distractions de Dagobert,” painted two years after Carrington settled in the capital, sold at Sotheby’s in New York last Wednesday to the Argentine businessman Eduardo Costantini, founder of the Buenos Aires Museum of Latin American Art (Malba).

With this sale, Carrington broke her own record, which had stood at US $3.3 million in 2022. “Les Distractions de Dagobert” itself was actually sold 30 years ago for less than US $500,000.

Back then, Constantini was outbid. 

The painting “is one of the most admired works in the history of Surrealism and an unparalleled masterpiece of Latin American art,” Constantini said after the sale, adding that this time, he wouldn’t let the piece get away.

“I said, ‘This time, I can’t fail again,'” Constantini said in a video about the sale produced by Sotheby’s. 

“Les Distractions de Dagobert” is widely considered an icon of its author’s surreal world. Julian Dawes, Sotheby’s head of impressionist and modern art in New York, called it “the definitive masterpiece of Leonora Carrington’s long and storied career, bearing all the hallmarks of the artist at her absolute height.”

The work’s title references Dagobert, a Merovingian monarch who ruled the Kingdom of the Franks in the early 7th century. On the canvas, Carrington captures a tapestry of vignettes ranging from extinct volcanoes, lakes of fire and aquascapes to hybrid creatures and mysterious rituals, in a composition that represents the four elements.

Eduardo Constantini, who bought the painting after being outbid on it at auction 30 years ago, speaks about his love of “Les Distractions de Dagobert,” by Leonora Carrington in a video produced by Sotheby’s.

According to Sotheby’s, the imagery draws from the Irish mythology that Carrington learned about as a child, as well as the Kabbalah and Indigenous Mexican cosmology. The painting’s technique “is a testament to Carrington’s technical brilliance,” the auction house added.

For Anna Di Stasi, senior vice president and head of Latin American art at Sotheby’s, “Les Distractions de Dagobert” is “an achievement only possible in 1940s Mexico.” 

Born in Lancashire, England in 1917, Carrington joined upon arriving in Mexico a community of “exiled” and native Surrealists. These figures included Spanish painter Remedios Varo, the Austrian artist Wolfgang Paalen, French poet and artist Alice Rahon and Mexican painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

Carrington’s son Gabriel Weisz Carrington, who is a professor of comparative literature at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, (UNAM) said that her work “developed a very personal interpretation of Surrealism, influenced by motherhood.” 

This historic auction comes as part of increased interest in female artists associated with the Surrealist movement — a path led by Kahlo. In 2021, Kahlo’s painting “Diego y yo” sold for the historic sum of US $34.9 million at Sotheby’s in New York. This was the highest price ever fetched by a work by a Latin American artist, and the second highest price achieved at auction for a female artist.

Breaking another record, Carrington is now the most valuable UK-born female artist. According to Sotheby’s, the value of her pieces now surpass works from her fellow Surrealists Salvador Dalí and Max Ernst — the latter of whom she was once romantically involved with.

With reports from El País and The Guardian

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The resort city on the Mexican Pacific coast has been my family’s vacationing spot for decades. While we’ve witnessed the city’s growth thanks to tourism and the expat community, there are two things that Puerto Vallarta has managed to preserve: the small-town feeling and its traditional and delicious food. 

Thanks to its great location, Puerto Vallarta enjoys an amazing array of seafood all year round. The local catch in Puerto Vallarta includes shrimp, sailfish, swordfish, marlin, bream, sawfish, snapper, and many more.

While most of these delicacies can be found along Mexico’s Pacific coast, each region has its own recipes. That is why all seafood restaurants in non-coastal cities in Mexico specify what type of seafood they prepare (i.e. seafood Sinaloa style or Cabo style). 

Today, I’m going to share two staple Puerto Vallarta style seafood recipes (also known as Nayarit style, despite the fact Puerto Vallarta is in Jalisco). If you read through the end, you’ll find bonus alcoholic beverage recipes to pair with these delicious dishes.

Zarandeado Fish

Serves 6-8

Pescado zarandeado is hands down the most famous dish in Puerto Vallarta and the wider Bahía de Banderas region. Its name comes from the zaranda, a pit made of wood used to grill the fish. The secret of this grilled fish lies in the marinade, which is made up of several spices that blend to turn the fish a vivid red. If you don’t have a grill, you can cook this dish in an oven.

Ingredients:

1 whole red snapper, opened, scaled and cleaned

50 grams of achiote 

3 chiles de árbol, crushed

¼ onion

1 garlic clove, finely grated

Juice of 1 orange 

Juice of 1 lime (limón verde)

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 cup water

1 tsp oregano 

Coarse salt and pepper to taste

100g butter 

Corn tortillas 

Preparation

Warm grill to medium heat or preheat oven to 180 Celsius (350F). 

For the adobo marinade, mix the achiote with chiles, lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, onion, water, oregano, salt and pepper. Season both sides of the fish fillets with salt and pepper, then brush the top side with melted butter. Place the fish fillet in a container and add the adobo sauce on the flesh side, making sure it covers the entire fish. Leave a little adobo on the side. 

Grill the fish with the skin side down until it is charred (about 8 to 12 minutes). Turn the fish and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until charred and the flesh can be easily removed. Add the remaining adobo to the flesh and turn to cook again for about 1 minute. 

If you cook it in the oven, cook it for 8-10 minutes or until the flesh can be easily removed. 

To serve, place the fish on a platter with the flesh upwards. Decorate with sliced onions and serve with tortillas to make tacos. Add your favorite salsa, serve with guacamole and squeeze lime on top. 

The adobo is also ideal for shrimp. 

Pickled Marlin Tacos or Tostadas 

6-7 tostadas  

Marlin tacos and tostadas are very popular in Puerto Vallarta — and extremely easy to prepare. They’re usually served as an appetizer before a pescado zarandeado or main dish. This recipe uses smoked marlin which you can easily find in any supermarket. 

Ingredients:

400g smoked marlin, shredded

2 onions, finely sliced

1/4 piece cabbage, finely sliced 

2 cloves garlic finely grated 

2 peeled carrots, shredded

3 bay leaves

1 chipotle chili

2 pickled jalapeño chiles and carrots with 2 tablespoons of pickled juice

Salt and pepper to taste 

Olive oil

Corn tortillas and tostadas 

Preparation

Place a pan over medium heat and sauté the onion slices until crystalized. Add coarse salt to taste to avoid the onions turning yellow. Once the onion is ready, add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes making sure the garlic doesn’t get burned.  

Add smoked marlin and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add bay leaves, season with pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add carrots and cabbage, cook for 2-3 minutes, and add pickled chiles, carrots and juice. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and serve.  

Serve on a crispy tostada or on a tortilla to prepare a taco. You can add one pickled chili to each tostada and taco if you like it spicy. 

Provecho!

Bonus cocktail recipes

These marisco dishes pair perfectly with an iced-cold michelada or paloma.

Michelada 

The michelada is made up of two main ingredients: beer and clamato (tomato and clam)  juice.  

You’ll first need to frost the rim of your glass with lime and salt. Then, add 1 cup of Clamato and the juice of 2 lemons. Add Worcestershire sauce to taste, black seasoning sauce (salsa Maggi), Valentina and salt and pepper. I also like to add Tajin. 

Mix all the ingredients well. Add ice and beer and enjoy! 

Paloma 

The name of this tequila cocktail is apparently inspired by the mariachi song Paloma, which was traditionally sung in the cantinas where customers drank tequila with mineral water and grapefruit juice. 

Just as with the michelada, frost the rim of your glass with lime and salt. Add a shot of tequila (1-2 oz.) to a glass and mix with the juice of half a lime and a pinch of salt. Add ice and equal parts of pink grapefruit soda and mineral water. Mix well and enjoy.  

Salud!

Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog Dunas y Palmeras.

The post Become a master of Mexican seafood with these delicious Puerto Vallarta-style recipes appeared first on Mexico News Daily

The significant discovery appears to support the theory that ancient Maya beekeeping and honey production were practiced not only in the northern part of modern-day Quintana Roo — something which researchers have long known — but also in the southern part.

The discovery of the three limestone jobón lids, plus other artifacts of Maya daily life not related to beekeeping, was made in an area of southern Quintana Roo encompassed by Bacalar and Felipe Carillo, southern Quintana Roo municipalities along the Maya Train’s Section 6, the Tulum-Chetumal route.

The discovered jobón lids — also known colloquially as panuchos — are round and measure between 20 and 25 centimeters long. They are believed to belong to the Mayan Postclassic Period (A.D. 950–1539), a time during which the peninsula was the central hub of Melipona honey production.

“Only one of the lids is in a good state of conservation,” Carlos Fidel Martínez said in a statement published by INAH, but “the other two [lids] have a high degree of erosion.”

The jobón — a hollow log in which an active hive of melipona bees is housed, according to Maya beekeeping tradition — is still used today by Indigenous Maya on the Yucatán Peninsula. In traditional Maya beekeeping today, lids like the ones discovered by INAH are also still used to plug the opening of a jobón.

According to Martínez, excavators initially thought that they had bumped into a wall. However, upon discovering the lids, they realized that they had discovered the vestiges of a meliponary, an apiary dedicated to cultivating Melipona beecheii — the Maya’s “sacred bee.”

Melipona honey was important to the ancient Maya in the Yucatán Peninsula: they used it for ceremonial purposes, as food and as a trade commodity. 

In addition to the lids, archaeologists unearthed other artifacts made of ceramics, stone and flint, including a cajete, or vase, with red and orange decorations. They also found two limestone metates that are 40 centimeters and 50 centimeters long, an ax, a hammer and a star-shaped shell bead. 

The area where archaeologists found the beekeeping tools and the other artifacts is referred to by INAH as Frente 5, archaeologist Raquel Liliana Hernández Estrada said — an area inhabited by ancient Maya communities that did not belong to the elite.  

“Most likely, we are in the presence of housing complexes from cities peripheral to ceremonial sites such as the Chacchoben Archaeological Zone and the Los Limones site,” Hernández said.

Since the construction of the Maya Train began in 2021, archaeologists have remarked that the discoveries made along the route could be considered Mexico’s “greatest archaeological treasure” in recent decades.

Mexico News Daily 

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A native of Guerrero on Mexico’s Pacific coast, Ornelas shared a video of herself surfing with an embroidered shirt and a purple skirt.

@pattoornelasRepresentado mi cultura con mucho orgullo y amor en lo que mas me apasiona. Ser mexicana me enorgullece y me hace sentir muy privilegiada de aver nacido en estas tierras Compartiendo mi cultura para un proyecto que nacio en Phippines perlas del mar Gracias por filmar @Elise Laine . . . . . #surfing #culturamexicana #mujeresqueinspiran #traditional #surflongboardclassic #oceanos #mexico #videoviral #reelsinstagram

♬ Timopoderoso Tlamanca Zautla pue – Mi timo poderoso

With over 4 million views on social media platform TikTok, more than 400,000 likes and over 4,200 comments, Ornelas’ video has gone viral.

“Being Mexican makes me proud and makes me feel very privileged to have been born in these lands,” Ornelas wrote in the video’s caption, adding that she represents her culture “with great pride and love” as a passionate surfer. Indeed, most of Ornelas’ videos on her social media accounts feature her surfing. Other videos also show her young daughter Leah following in her footsteps.

However, her use of the traditional huipil is not the first time the Mexican surfer has honored culture through her favorite sport. In November, she dressed up as La Catrina to celebrate Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead. Wearing a black bodysuit with a white skeleton print and an elaborate headband with flowers, Ornelas is seen skillfully surfing the waves.

Patty Ornelas, a “pearl of the sea”

Ornelas shared that the video is part of a project that started in the Philippines called “Pearls of the Sea,” a portrait series by artist Archie Geotina.

While she didn’t give further details about the project, we did a bit of research to find out more.

“Pearls started in a daydream inspired by women, our culture and our relationship with mother nature as we dance and play on her ocean’s faces,” the project’s website reads. “We are born of stardust and molded by the sea.”

Geotina’s project features portraits of women from around the world surfing in traditional clothes. Released in 2021 in the Philippines, it invites viewers to “immerse themselves in the strength, beauty and fierceness of women.”

Recently, other Mexican women have also gone viral for practicing sports in their traditional clothes, like the Mexican Rarámuri runners or the Yucatán’s women’s softball team.

With reports from Latinus

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According to Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN), the states most affected by the year’s third heat wave will be Baja California Sur, Campeche, Coahuila, Guerrero, Michoacán, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Yucatán. These states could see temperatures surpass 45 C.

Consulta en el siguiente video, las condiciones de cielo y #Temperaturas máximas previstas para esta tarde, en diferentes regiones de #México. pic.twitter.com/PFO67Oaosu

— CONAGUA Clima (@conagua_clima) May 20, 2024

Meanwhile, Baja California, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Colima, Durango, northern Hidalgo, Jalisco, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla and Quintana Roo will see temperatures ranging between 40 and 45 C.

Aguascalientes, southwest México state, Guanajuato, Querétaro and Zacatecas will see temperatures hover between 35 and 40 C. Only Mexico City and Tlaxcala will escape the highest temps — those states will see maximums between 30 and 35 C.

This season’s heat waves have brought record temperatures across the country. During Mexico’s second heat wave earlier this month, the highest temperature registered nationwide was 49.6 C, in Gallinas, San Luis Potosí. Ten cities nationwide broke their highest temperature records on May 9, and there have been at least a dozen heat-related deaths.

Due to the scorching temperatures, officials have warned residents to avoid prolonged exposure and to stay hydrated, paying special attention to chronically ill people, children and older adults.

However, some regions will get some relief with rainfall in the forecast this week. 

Heavy rains are expected in Chiapas and Oaxaca, while scattered showers are forecast in Guerrero, Michoacán, Morelos and Zacatecas. Aguascalientes could see isolated rainfall, as well as Baja California, Campeche, Mexico City, Coahuila, Durango, State of México, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Puebla, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Veracruz and Yucatán.

Strong winds are also in the forecast for some regions.  

Campeche and Yucatán will see gusts ranging between 60 to 80 km/h with dust devils likely on the coasts. Dust devils are also expected to appear in northern and central states.

According to the SMN, between 2017 and 2023, the earliest heat wave arrived in February while the latest occurred in June. The months of April and May registered peak heat wave activity: 71.4% of the heat waves in Mexico occurred during these two spring months.  

With reports from Meteo Red

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