¡Hola amigos! This week, Sheinbaum draws a hard line on U.S. security involvement as Mexico and the U.S. juggle a busy agenda – from water treaty negotiations to uncomfortable questions about weapons flowing south of the border. There’s also a sweeping new infrastructure plan on the table and a measles outbreak that’s forcing schools to adjust.

Also in this issue: the 9% fee hiding in plain sight every time you swipe your card in Mexico, the IRS tax test for U.S. citizens abroad, and why the Rarámuri never stop running.

Let’s do this!

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❓México Trivia

What remote Mexican island went from feared prison colony to protected biosphere reserve?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

📣 México News Roundup

🚫 In her Monday mañanera, President Sheinbaum said Mexico will no longer grant permits to U.S. agents and ruled out joint security operations, adding that cooperation would continue only through information exchange.

✈️ An Aeromexico Boeing 787 was forced to abort its landing at Mexico City International Airport on Sunday after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake triggered air safety protocols. Watch the moment here. 

🤝 Mexico sent more than 814 tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba aboard 2 Mexican Navy vessels.

🏗️ The government unveiled a 2026–2030 infrastructure investment plan totaling MXN 5.6 trillion, targeting energy, rail, roads, ports, health, water, education, and airports. Infrastructure spending will rise by MXN 722 billion in 2026, roughly 2% of GDP.

💰 Mexico’s central bank unanimously voted to keep interest rates at 7% and pushed back its inflation target timeline to 2027.

🪨 The U.S. and Mexico unveiled a 60-day plan to coordinate trade policies on critical minerals as they move to shore up supply chains ahead of the USMCA review.

✈️ Volaris will add 33 new domestic and international routes beginning in June 2026 as it expands service across key Mexican cities.

😷 Jalisco is the epicenter of Mexico’s measles outbreak, prompting mask mandates in some schools in Guadalajara and online classes in parts of Jalisco and neighboring Aguascalientes.

🚨In response to a New York Times report that U.S. military–only ammunition is being used by Mexican cartels, President Sheinbaum said her government is reviewing the report and will raise the issue with U.S. authorities.

🕯️ Mexican authorities confirmed that 5 of the 10 workers abducted last month from a Canadian-run mine in Sinaloa have been found dead.

💧 Mexico and the U.S. reached a technical deal under the 1944 Water Treaty that will help Mexico remain in compliance with its water delivery obligations.

🍎 Your Health Pulse

Red Flags to Watch for When Searching for a Medical Specialist

Finding a specialist in Mexico isn’t the hard part…finding the right one is.

From doctors who won’t share credentials to clinics that rush procedures, skip second opinions, or push unnecessary tests, the red flags aren’t always obvious until it’s too late. And once you’re already in a medical situation, switching providers can be stressful and expensive.

Knowing what to watch for before you need care can make all the difference.

Read more here

📍Immigration Essentials

Bona Fide Residence Test: How It Can Reduce U.S. Taxes

As tax season approaches, American citizens living abroad should understand how the IRS determines eligibility for expat tax benefits that can reduce U.S. taxes owed.

The IRS recognizes two tests used to determine eligibility for certain U.S. tax benefits for citizens living abroad.

Many are familiar with the Physical Presence Test, which is based on spending at least 330 full days outside the U.S. The IRS also recognizes a second test – the Bona Fide Residence Test, which is based on your intention to live abroad.

To qualify, you must establish a real, permanent home in a foreign country and make it your primary place of residence for an extended period. When met, this test can reduce your tax liability through the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and the Foreign Tax Credit.

However, the requirements are stricter and require careful documentation.

Keep reading to find out how the test works, who qualifies, and what the IRS expects.

Read more here

🧩 Life in México

The Convenience Fee That’s Costing You 9% or More

Every time you tap your card or withdraw cash in Mexico, you may be overpaying without realizing it.

A little-known practice called dynamic currency conversion can add 9% or more to everyday purchases like groceries, dining out, medical visits, and even ATM withdrawals. The worst part? It’s usually framed as a convenience option on payment screens, so most people accept it without a second thought.

This markup can add up to hundreds — even thousands — of dollars lost each year, especially if you live in Mexico full time.

Before your next transaction, find out how dynamic currency conversion works, where it shows up most often, and exactly how to avoid it.

Read more here

Adventure outside the ordinary

Trusted specialty outdoor retailer, REI Co-op, has teamed up with the world’s largest adventure travel company, Intrepid Travel, to create a collection of active trips. From farm stays in Costa Rica to sunrise summits on Kilimanjaro, each trip is led by a local expert with small group sizes capped at 16.

Find your next adventure

_{For T&Cs and to view the full collection of trips in 85+ destinations, visit rei.com/travel.}

🇲🇽 Viva México

Why the Rarámuri Never Stop Running

In the remote highlands of Chihuahua, the Rarámuri people have been running for centuries, not for sport, but for necessity, community, and tradition.

Sometimes called Tarahumara by outsiders, their name for themselves roughly translates to “those who run fast” or “light-footed ones.” They are renowned worldwide for their extraordinary endurance running abilities.

Their home, the Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon), is larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon. It is a dramatic wilderness of steep gorges, sheer cliffs, and plunging ravines that can drop more than 6,000 feet. 

In this demanding landscape, everyday tasks, such as visiting neighbors, trading goods, or traveling to markets, require covering vast distances across punishing vertical terrain. 

Running is simply the most practical way to move, but it is also something more. 

For the Rarámuri, running is a form of walked prayer. Movement itself is spiritual. Traditional belief holds that God gave them the gift of endurance so they could care for the world – running to keep balance, harmony, and even to help the sun continue its journey across the sky. To stop running would be to risk the order of things.

Rarámuri runners wear huaraches, thin sandals with rubber soles and leather straps. Women run in layered skirts that are as functional as they are colorful and distinctive.

Their fuel is just as practical. Pinole, a pre-Hispanic superfood made from toasted and ground corn, often mixed with chia seeds, provides slow-burning energy for long distances.

When the Spanish arrived in the 1500s, many Rarámuri chose not to submit. Instead, they moved deeper into the canyons. The harsh landscape protected their independence and helped preserve their culture, including the running traditions that have defined them for centuries. 

Today, that way of life is under threat from economic hardship, land loss, climate change, and migration.

In response, organized races have become a way for runners to earn food, supplies, and prize money. Yet even in competition, running is rarely about winning alone – it remains communal, ceremonial, and deeply tied to identity.

One of the most well-known races is the Ultra Maratón Caballo Blanco, held each year in Urique, deep in the Copper Canyon. The event brings together international runners and more than 800 Rarámuri athletes to run side by side in a place where endurance is both cultural and sacred. See what it looks like to run with the Rarámuri.

The 2026 event runs February 27 to March 1 and includes multiple distances all under intense heat and rugged canyon terrain. Registration closes February 27. 

Get race info here

🪷 Viva Wellness

The Forbidden Grain Making a Comeback

Amaranth was once up to 80% of the local diet in some Mesoamerican communities.

Before the arrival of Europeans, this powerhouse grain was a staple, and it’s easy to see why Indigenous Mesoamericans were so enamored with it – every part of the plant was edible and beneficial.

The tiny, round grains are rich in amino acids, iron, and protein and are the only grain that contains Vitamin C. This wealth of nutrients was especially important given that the traditional Mesoamerican diet was mostly plant-based, with only elites consuming significant quantities of meat.

But amaranth wasn’t just food – it was deeply woven into spiritual life.

For one Aztec festival, puffed amaranth grain and honey were sculpted into a statue of Huitzilopochtli, the patron god of the Aztec capital. The effigy was carried through the streets before being cut up and eaten by celebrants.

The Spanish, seeing an unsettling resemblance to the sharing of bread in Christian Communion, banned the cultivation of amaranth when they took control of Mexico.

Naturally, this only made the grain even more sought after. It continued to be cultivated in secret, and today, amaranth is a common ingredient in traditional Mexican treats.

Today, this once-banned grain is having a quiet comeback. 

Nutrition experts now recognize amaranth as a complete plant-based protein, rich in iron, fiber, and essential amino acids – and naturally gluten-free. It’s also high in lysine, a rare amino acid in grains that supports muscle repair and calcium absorption.

In Mexico City, amaranth is also being reintroduced through school nutrition programs, replacing ultra-processed snacks like pork rinds and quesadillas. And health and food security groups are calling for a national strategy to expand amaranth production and consumption across Mexico. 

🎉 ¡Vamos! Events

Mexico’s 2026 Carnaval Lineup 

Carnaval in Mexico is a nationwide explosion of music, dance, and unforgettable traditions. From coastal parades to historic battle reenactments, Carnaval in Mexico is anything but one-size-fits-all.

See the can’t-miss Carnavals of 2026.

💡 Say It in Spanish

Se me perdió

Translation: It got lost on me.

If you want to say you lost something in Spanish, this is the phrase you’ll hear – and use – most often.

Instead of saying “Yo perdí…” (I lost…), Spanish flips the structure. The thing got lost, and it happened to you.

• Se me perdió la llave – I lost my key

• Se me perdió el celular – I lost my phone

• Se me perdió la cartera – I lost my wallet

• Se me perdieron los lentes – I lost my glasses

• Se me perdió el cargador – I lost my charger

**If you’re studying Spanish, I’ve been using Easy Spanish Step-by-Step, and it’s helped more than anything else. Highly recommend it.

🎯 Trivia Answer

Islas Marías.

For more than a century, Islas Marías was one of Mexico’s most notorious prisons – a remote island penal colony in the Pacific where inmates were sent to disappear. Located about 70 miles off the coast of Nayarit, escape was nearly impossible, and the islands became synonymous with isolation and punishment.

In 2010, while the prison was still operating, UNESCO designated the archipelago a Biosphere Reserve, recognizing its extraordinary ecological value. The prison itself officially closed in 2019, marking the end of the last island penal colony in the Americas.

In 2022, it opened to visitors on restricted, navy-organized tours, where former prison buildings stand beside pristine beaches, mangroves, and wildlife found nowhere else on earth. 

Visit the official site here.

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