¡Hola amigos! This week, Mexico struck a deal to buy U.S. military drones, 3 banks failed the Mexican Treasury’s performance review, and President Sheinbaum wants to release some people jailed for minor offenses or held without a sentence.

Plus, what happens if your Mexican cell phone gets disconnected, the question every foreigner should ask before buying property in Mexico, and the teenage healer Porfirio Díaz called “the most dangerous girl in Mexico.”

And our new Insider Mexico Reading List is live. More on that below.

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Which August 22 tradition traces its date to Veracruz in 1873?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

🛡️ Mexico and the U.S. signed a defense deal that will let Mexico buy drones and anti-drone systems through the U.S. Army’s marketplace. 

🏦 The Mexican Treasury gave 3 banks a “zero” rating: Shinhan Bank, Bancrea and Credit Suisse Bank. The other 46 banks passed.

📰 A Wall Street Journal columnist accused President Sheinbaum’s administration of using new media rules to “muzzle” the press. We covered the proposed new rules last week.

💵 6 major banks agreed to pay $86.4 million to settle claims they rigged Mexico’s government bond market. 

🚗 Mexico is pressing the U.S. to eliminate or reduce tariffs on Mexican cars and steel during the USMCA review.

🔓 President Sheinbaum said her government is working on releasing people imprisoned for theft or minor offenses, as well as people who remain detained without a sentence. 

🌾 China and Mexico are looking to expand agricultural trade.

🇲🇽 Mexico is among more than 40 countries accused by the White House of helping China dodge U.S. tariffs.

📱 President Sheinbaum will consult more than 1 million teachers next week before moving forward with nationwide rules on cell phones in schools.

💼 Goldman Sachs’ president met with Sheinbaum as her administration seeks to attract institutional Wall Street capital.

_{Guest Expert Jeffery Kimmel, Kimmel Realty Group}

For foreigners accustomed to buying real estate in the United States, Canada, or Europe, purchasing property in Mexico can involve a fundamentally different legal and financial process.

The transaction may look familiar on the surface: find a property, make an offer, sign a contract, deposit money and close.

But beneath that familiar sequence is a different system – with different responsibilities and, most importantly, a different answer to a question many buyers never think to ask…

Who is actually protecting my interests?

Read more

Be the smartest person in the room. 1440 navigates 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive, unbiased news roundup — politics, business, culture, and more — in a quick, 5-minute read. Completely free, completely factual.

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The year was 1889. Teresa Urrea was just 16 when she suffered convulsions and fell into a coma. Her family believed she had died. They built her a coffin, dressed her for burial, and gathered for her wake.

Then, during the wake, she sat straight up.

Afterward, she entered a prolonged trance-like state that reportedly lasted nearly 3 months. When she finally recovered, Teresa believed she had been given the gift of healing.

Using her hands, herbs, earth, and oil, she treated anyone who came to her. Word spread fast. Soon, more than 200 people a day were reportedly making the journey to Cabora, Sonora, seeking cures from the young woman they called La Santa de Cabora.

But she rapidly became much more than a curandera.

Teresa spoke out against injustices committed by the clergy and President Porfirio Díaz’s government. She championed equality and the rights of the poor. Her message resonated especially strongly among Yaqui and Mayo communities. Many were confronting land loss and government repression.

Then her name became a battle cry.

Rebels in Tomóchic, Chihuahua, shouted “¡Viva la Santa de Cabora!” Similar cries accompanied an Indigenous uprising in Sonora. There’s no conclusive evidence Teresa organized either rebellion. But her name had become impossible for the government to ignore.

In 1892, at just 19, she was expelled from Mexico. Díaz reportedly called her “the most dangerous girl in Mexico.” Exile didn’t silence her. From across the border, Teresa continued healing, attracting followers, remaining a constant challenge to Díaz’s government.

Her influence followed rebels into battle. During later uprisings in northern Mexico, fighters reportedly carried images of La Santa de Cabora in their pockets as symbols of protection, freedom, and justice.

Teresa went from nearly being buried to becoming a sought-after healer and symbol of resistance – all while still a teenager. Mexico’s “most dangerous girl” didn’t need a weapon. Getting people to believe change was possible was dangerous enough.

Long before jojoba made its way into modern beauty products, Indigenous communities were using it to protect their skin from one of North America’s harshest environments.

It softened and protected skin exposed to intense sun, dry air, and wind. Jojoba was also used for burns and wound care. During times of severe hardship, people ate the seeds raw or roasted and even brewed them into a coffee-like drink. 

Native to the Sonoran Desert of Mexico and the southwestern U.S., jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is built for extremes. The hardy shrub thrives in intense heat with very little water. Its thick, waxy leaves limit water loss, while deep roots seek out moisture underground. Among the Comcaac people of coastal Sonora, jojoba is known as haat.

Its use in Baja California was documented as early as 1789, when historian Francisco Javier Clavijero described Indigenous communities using jojoba for food and wound care.

About half of each jojoba seed is made up of the substance we call jojoba oil. Despite the name, it’s actually a liquid wax that closely resembles our skin’s natural sebum. That similarity makes jojoba especially effective at supporting the skin’s natural barrier.

Jojoba also contains vitamin E and antioxidant compounds that help combat inflammation and oxidative stress. Research suggests it can support collagen formation and skin elasticity and help soothe sunburned skin.

Materias Indóciles – August 21–28, Aguascalientes
Art breaks out of its usual boxes at this new festival devoted to work that crosses creative boundaries. Seven projects bring different artistic disciplines together. The free program also includes conversations and masterclasses. The focus is on experimentation and new approaches to contemporary art. More info here.

FASMA 2026: From the Vatican to San Miguel – August 23, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
FASMA’s final weekend brings a rare opportunity to hear the principal organist of St. Peter’s Basilica. Josep Solé Coll performs a free recital at the historic Templo de la Tercera Orden. The program travels through centuries of German, French, and Italian organ music, played on the church’s pipe organ. More info here.

Feria Nacional de Tijuana 2026 – August 28–September 27, Tijuana, Baja California
A full month of festivities takes over Parque Morelos, anchored by 17 concerts at the Palenque. Grupo Firme, Los Tucanes de Tijuana and Banda MS are among the announced performers. Beyond the music, the fair brings regional food, carnival rides and artisan exhibitions. General admission is 50 pesos. More info here.

Mass “Thriller” Dance – August 29, Monumento a la Revolución, Mexico City
Hundreds are expected to gather for a mass performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” choreography. The free event starts at 1 p.m. No dance experience is needed, and zombie costumes are encouraged. More info here.

Shorts México 2026 – September 1–30, Mexico City
Shorts México returns for its 21st edition with an entire month devoted to short-form cinema. The program includes Mexican, Ibero-American and international competitions spanning fiction, animation and documentary. More info here.

Galas de Mariachi “Época Dorada” – September 3, Teatro Degollado, Guadalajara
Part of the International Mariachi and Charrería Festival, this special night looks back to Mexico’s Golden Age of music and cinema. Mariachi Los Camperos and Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán perform with the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra. The two-hour concert takes place inside Guadalajara’s historic Teatro Degollado. More info here.

Hay Festival Querétaro 2026 – September 4–6, Querétaro
More than 100 writers, thinkers and artists descend on Querétaro for three days of ideas and debate. Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai is among this year’s guests. Conversations tackle literature and artificial intelligence, as well as major issues facing society today. General-program tickets cost just 10 pesos. More info here.

¿Me lo puede guardar?
Translation: Can you hold onto this for me?

Handy when you need a hotel to hold your luggage after checkout, a shop to hang onto a purchase while you keep browsing, or a neighbor to keep a package for you until you get home.

Guardar does more than just "hold." Depending on the situation, it can also mean to keep, put away, store, or save something for later.

Here are a few ways to use it:

¿Me lo puede guardar hasta mañana? – Can you hold it for me until tomorrow?

¿Puede guardar esto en el refrigerador? – Can you put this in the refrigerator?

No olvide guardar el recibo. – Don’t forget to keep the receipt.

Ready to take your Spanish further? Find a teacher in our Spanish Teacher Insider Guide. 

A: Día del Bombero.

On August 22, 1873, a volunteer fire company was formally organized in Veracruz. It was long considered Mexico’s first official fire corps. In 1956, its anniversary became Día del Bombero.

But Mexico’s firefighting history goes back further.

Mexico City’s fire department traces its origins to January 25, 1856, when President Ignacio Comonfort ordered the creation of a Cuerpo de Zapadores Bomberos – 17 years before Veracruz.

Then there’s Guadalajara. Municipal records from 1864 show an attempt to organize a fire company there, although political turmoil prevented it from developing continuously.

Whichever city came first, August 22 remains a day to honor Mexico’s bomberos and the vital work they do.

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