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A Fierce Battle to Control Mexico’s Political Future
Get to know the struggle inside Mexico’s ruling party, which matters more than anything the opposition is doing
Sep 15
6
1
2
The Real Reasons Mexico Cannot Defeat the Cartels
Mexico’s violence is driven by impunity, but sustained by something much deeper
Sep 8
14
4
5
Is Mexico’s Welfare Making People Work Less?
A closer look at who gets government money reveals something surprising
Sep 5
11
4
Most Popular
View all
Why Do Mexicans "Hate" Dishwashers?
Sep 7, 2025
66
10
12
Why Fentanyl Kills in the United States but Not in Mexico
Feb 5
49
15
The Strange Mediocrity of Mexico’s Private Schools
Aug 29
29
1
8
Why Bad Bunny's Halftime Show Did Not Land Well Among Several Mexicans
Feb 13
41
1
3
Is Mexico’s President in Bed with the Cartels?
Apr 28
39
2
8
The Battle for Mexico's Water Is a Warning to the World
Nov 27, 2025
•
Luis León
43
1
8
Mexican Economy
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An Economic Recipe for Defeating Trump
What other countries have shown works and how Mexico could implement it
Aug 4
10
4
2
The Wait That Could Kill Nearshoring
Why betting on the return of Democrats is a bad strategy for Mexico
May 26
6
2
2
'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
•
Mexico Decoded
34
5
6
Trump’s Ghastly Playbook for Mexico
America’s quiet plan to turn nearshoring into a hierarchy of obedience.
Oct 31, 2025
16
3
6
How Mexican Billionaries are Made
A case study in how economies fail when power and privilege replace competition.
Sep 22, 2025
29
7
7
Trumponomics, the Mexican Way
Mexico is raising tariffs. The twist? It's doing it to develop small business not billionaires
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
Mexico 101
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The Myth of Mexico’s Universal Healthcare System
Our answer to a story spreading online that got Mexico's health system all wrong.
Apr 14
•
Mexico Decoded
26
5
The Surprising Math Behind Mexico's President Approval Ratings
How Mexico's President is building a coalition her party never imagined
Apr 7
•
Mexico Decoded
20
5
6
Authentic Mexico City Street Breakfasts You Should Try
Beyond Café Rosetta and boutique hotel brunches, these five street breakfasts offer a real taste of how Mexico City actually starts the day
Mar 13
22
3
5
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
66
10
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
Organized Crime 101
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Is Mexico’s Decline in Homicides Too Good to Be True?
A complement to my Project Syndicate piece
May 12
24
5
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
20
2
6
Is Mexico’s President in Bed with the Cartels?
No. The answer is no, but the explanation requires more than a headline.
Apr 28
39
2
8
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
4
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
Insights
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Why Mexico Celebrates Like It Won the World Cup
Mexico’s new football chant captures the hope of a country used to heartbreak
Jul 4
25
1
8
The AI Trap Mexico Isn't Seeing
While Mexico looks the other way, the U.S. is writing the rules of AI on Mexico's behalf
Jun 16
16
5
Mexico's Defiant Bet Against Trump
How Mexico is writing a new chapter in how smaller nations respond to Donald Trump's pressure campaigns
Jun 5
14
3
4
The Mayor the Rich Love to Hate
Why Mexico City's mayor is painting the whole city purple and driving the rich insane
May 19
18
1
4
The Left Is Losing Latin America. Here's What Mexico Can Teach It.
Progressive governments are blaming misinformation for their defeats. Mexico suggests the real problem runs deeper.
Apr 22
12
3
4
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
About
What is "Mexico Decoded"?
Understanding Mexico beyond the clichés —from the ground up.
Jun 22, 2025
•
Mexico Decoded
38
2
6
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