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Mexico’s Crime Reduction Miracle Has a Dark Secret
Behind the most dramatic crime drop in Mexican history lies a prison crisis that nobody is talking about.
May 7
16
1
5
Is Mexico’s President in Bed with the Cartels?
No. The answer is no, but the explanation requires more than a headline.
Apr 28
33
2
7
The Left Is Losing Latin America. Here's What Mexico Can Teach It.
Progressive governments across Latin America are blaming misinformation and lawfare for their defeats. Mexico suggests the real problem runs deeper.
Apr 22
12
3
3
Most Popular
View all
Why Do Mexicans "Hate" Dishwashers?
Sep 7, 2025
65
6
12
Why Fentanyl Kills in the United States but Not in Mexico
Feb 5
49
15
Why Bad Bunny's Halftime Show Did Not Land Well Among Several Mexicans
Feb 13
41
1
3
The Battle for Mexico's Water Is a Warning to the World
Nov 27, 2025
•
Luis León
43
1
8
The Tragedy of the Michelin Star in Mexico
Oct 8, 2025
40
8
After Venezuela, Is Mexico Next?
Jan 8
36
1
7
Mexican Economy
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'The Economist' Doesn’t Understand Why Mexico Isn’t Growing
My response to a viral article by the British Magazine that tried to explain Mexico’s economy and ended up repeating a number of unsupported ideas
Mar 31
•
Viri Rios
33
4
6
Trump’s Ghastly Playbook for Mexico
America’s quiet plan to turn nearshoring into a hierarchy of obedience.
Oct 31, 2025
16
3
5
How Mexican Billionaries are Made
A case study in how economies fail when power and privilege replace competition.
Sep 22, 2025
28
7
7
Trumponomics, the Mexican Way
Prompted by the U.S. Mexico is embracing a new pro-business model not seen in decades.
Sep 11, 2025
13
3
What the World Can Learn from Mexico’s Historic Drop in Poverty
How Mexico lifted 13 million people out of poverty without an economic boom.
Aug 14, 2025
19
4
5
How Mexicans Get Rich
The Mexican dream exists—but it is narrow, selective, and generally involves only two paths.
Jul 28, 2025
24
6
2
Is Mexico a Middle Class Country?
A visual and data-driven guide to class in Mexico
Jul 12, 2025
25
5
Are Gringos to Blame for Mexico City's Housing Crisis?
Everyone’s talking about digital nomads — but not about what matters.
Jul 1, 2025
28
1
7
Mexico 101
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The Surprising Math Behind Mexico's President Approval Ratings
How Mexico's President is building a coalition her party never imagined
Apr 7
•
Viri Rios
20
3
6
Mexico’s Gen Z Is Breaking Global Political Patterns — Here’s How
The recent protests claimed to represent them. The data tells a very different story.
Nov 20, 2025
28
7
The Tragedy of the Michelin Star in Mexico
How global fame collided with local reality in the story of a taco stand that became a world-class irony.
Oct 8, 2025
40
8
Sheinbaum’s First Year as President: The Good and the Bad
Claudia Sheinbaum’s first year in power is reshaping her country — and what it means to be a leftist politician.
Oct 2, 2025
17
2
5
Why Do Mexicans "Hate" Dishwashers?
My answer to a viral Substack that tried to explain it — and got Mexico all wrong.
Sep 7, 2025
65
6
12
The Future of Government May Already Be Happening in Mexico
What a secret army of 30,000 social workers reveal about how democracies can get closer to their citizens.
Aug 28, 2025
11
5
4
The Mexican Chernobyl Nobody Knows About
What President Sheinbaum’s flagship housing program can teach us about policy-made disasters.
Aug 22, 2025
5
4
Is Mexico Giving Away Free Money? Not Quite
Behind the myths about Mexico’s welfare system.
Jul 4, 2025
13
1
2
Organized Crime 101
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Why Killing Mexico's Top Drug Lord May Not Be Good News
Three factors determine whether taking down a cartel boss reduces violence or causes it to explode.
Feb 23
23
6
Why Is Fear Rising if Mexico's Murder Rate Is Falling?
Crime data shows improvement, yet millions feel less safe. The contradiction is reshaping Mexico’s politics.
Feb 19
21
4
9
Why Fentanyl Kills in the United States but Not in Mexico
What Mexico’s near-zero overdose rates reveal about the real causes of America’s opioid epidemic
Feb 5
49
15
Trump Doesn't Want to Solve the Drug Problem
Narcotrafficking as leverage in the U.S.–Mexico relationship
Jan 16
24
2
5
Mexico's 25-Year War Against Cartels Explained
A deep look at how security policies have evolved — and what Mexico has learned in the process.
Dec 18, 2025
28
1
10
How Mexico Sweeps Murders Under The Rug
A quiet bureaucratic trick is reshaping the country’s homicide data
Nov 14, 2025
20
2
1
44:02
How Drug Cartels Recruit Their Members
Hollywood tells us people join drug cartels for money, power, and glamour. What’s really happening is far more chilling.
Sep 26, 2025
•
Viri Rios
14
3
51:15
What 20+ Years of Research Reveal About Mexico's Organized Crime
In this episode of the Mexico Decoded podcast, I speak with Omar García Ponce, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at…
Sep 13, 2025
•
Viri Rios
and
Omar García-Ponce
9
1
3
Insights
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Why Bad Bunny's Halftime Show Did Not Land Well Among Several Mexicans
What looked like unity abroad exposed Mexico’s deepest cultural fractures at home.
Feb 13
41
1
3
Why Young Mexicans Are Drinking Less
The data behind Mexico’s quiet shift away from alcohol —and the stereotype that refuses to die
Jan 29
18
5
After Venezuela, Is Mexico Next?
Why the question misses the real power dynamics shaping U.S.–Mexico relations
Jan 8
36
1
7
U.S.–Mexico Water War Explained
What a little-known water treaty between Mexico and the U.S. reveals about a new era of climate politics
Dec 26, 2025
12
4
The Mexico Edition of the Tradwife Is Nothing Like the One You Know
Social media sells the fantasy of the luxurious stay-at-home wife. National data tells a different story.
Dec 11, 2025
16
1
4
Mexico's Motorcycle Revolution
What Mexico’s motorcycle explosion reveals about inequality, aspiration, and the future of mobility.
Dec 4, 2025
16
2
3
The Battle for Mexico's Water Is a Warning to the World
Why Mexico’s rural protests are about dismantling one of the most powerful —and least understood— economic coalitions in the country.
Nov 27, 2025
•
Luis León
43
1
8
Inside Mexico’s Conservatives’ Flirt with the Far Right
Mexico long resisted the radical right. Now its conservative party is testing what happens when they don't.
Oct 23, 2025
18
7
3
About
What is "Mexico Decoded"?
A quick note on what this Substack is about —and why you should subscribe to understand Mexico beyond the clichés, from the ground up.
Jun 22, 2025
•
Viri Rios
37
2
6
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