Health Trickery, Ambassador Scandal, and Colonialism Apology
Mexico Decoded’s weekly briefing makes sense of the news that matters.
Mexico Demands Colonial Apology — Again
Mexico’s president is renewing a long-standing demand that Spain formally apologize to the country for abuses committed during the colonial era. Madrid has, once again, refused.
Decoded:
Spain’s stance is increasingly isolated. Other former colonial powers have moved to address similar histories: the UK and the Netherlands have issued apologies, and Canada paired apologies with financial compensation.
Fentanyl Deaths on the Decline
In 2026, overdose deaths caused by synthetic opioids in the United States fell to roughly 40,000—their lowest level since 2020. The drop has prompted the Mexican government to claim its crime-control strategy is working.
Decoded:
The decline began in 2023, well before Mexico toughened its security policy against cartels in October 2024. The more decisive factor lies elsewhere: China cracked down on the companies that sell fentanyl precursors.
Electoral Reform in Limbo
An electoral reform has been under discussion since late last year, after the president appointed a commission to explore possible scenarios. The commission delivered its conclusions last week—but no reform bill has been introduced.
Decoded:
There is no draft and no defined proposal. Yet academics and pundits are being widely quoted saying the reform will eliminate proportional representation and place the electoral institute under government control. This is speculation presented as fact.
Public Health Sleight of Hand
Mexico will roll out a new national ID card for any Mexican seeking access to public healthcare. Officially, the policy is framed as the first step toward unifying the country’s fragmented public health systems into a single, integrated model.
Decoded:
The medical ID is a statistical maneuver. Mexico’s poverty measurements classify someone as having healthcare access if they self-report it. Issuing the ID will boost reported coverage, and mechanically reduce poverty figures, even as hospital capacity remains unchanged.
Mexico Replaces Its UK Ambassador
Josefa González-Blanco will step down as Mexico’s ambassador to the UK amid 16 labor harassment complaints. She will be replaced by Mexico’s former attorney general, Alejandro Gertz Manero.
Decoded:
González-Blanco built unusually strong ties with the Mexican community in the UK by hosting frequent social and cultural events. Gertz’s appointment, by contrast, reads as political courtesy after his removal as attorney general. With him taking over, embassy outreach is expected to become markedly less festive.