¡Hola amigos! This week, Mexico’s economy is wobbling, the nationwide blockades that froze traffic and commerce have finally ended, and Puerto Vallarta’s new tourist tax just got struck down by the Supreme Court.

Plus, the emergency support system every foreigner needs, what to know about residency applications and renewals as INM offices shift into holiday hours, and a traditional Mexican ingredient that can help balance seasonal sugar spikes.

And because it’s officially the season of twinkle lights and nostalgia, let’s just say one very famous holiday classic has deep Mexican roots you probably never knew.

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❓México Trivia

Which Mexican-born animator gave Snoopy and Woodstock their iconic voices?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

📣 México News Roundup

💼 President Sheinbaum is preparing an Infrastructure Investment for Wellbeing Law to mobilize private funds and revive the economy after GDP fell 0.3% and investment dropped 9% this year. 

📉 Banxico cut its 2025 growth forecast to 0.3% after a deeper-than-expected Q3 contraction. 

📦 Mexico posted a US$606 million trade surplus in October as exports jumped 14.2% and non-oil shipments surged 16.3%.

🏖️ Mexico’s Supreme Court struck down the new tourist tax inside Puerto Vallarta’s 2025 revenue law, calling it vague and unjustified.

🚛 After days of nationwide blockades across 25+ states and an estimated MX$3 to $6 billion in accumulated losses, transport and farm groups reached a deal with the government. See the points of the agreement here.

🕒 Mexico’s 40-hour workweek reform won’t be debated until 2026, and officials say the change will be gradual with the 40-hour limit reached by 2030.

🚆 The Maya Train carries only 9% of projected passengers as tourists find routes slow and locals prefer cheaper buses.

💸 Remittances to Mexico fell 1.7% in October, marking the seventh straight monthly drop.

🔒 Mexico’s Congress approved a sweeping anti-extortion law on Nov. 25, making extortion a federal crime with penalties of up to 42 years in prison. 

🍎 Your Health Pulse

Who Is Your Emergency Support System?

In Mexico, this is a question every foreigner should answer long before an emergency happens. Not because life here is dangerous, but because the emergency system works differently — and you don’t want to discover those differences in a moment of crisis.

Here, paramedics cannot enter your home without permission, so if you live alone and can’t get to the door, no one can help you unless you’ve arranged for someone who can. 

Your support system should include at least one trusted person with a key – someone who can meet the ambulance, help with Spanish, and make sure you’re taken to the right hospital. They’re also the person who knows where your documents are and who to call if you can’t speak for yourself.

And afterward, that same support network can help with the basics: picking up prescriptions, feeding pets, arranging rides, or checking in while you recover.

Want a straightforward checklist to build your own support system? Read the full guide here.

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📍Immigration Essentials

Residency Reminders before the Holidays Hit

If you have applied for residency or your card is up for renewal, here are a few things to be aware of as we move into the holiday season.

• December is when office closures start to affect timelines. Mexican consulates abroad typically close on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, following the holiday schedule of the country where they’re located.
  

• INM offices in Mexico generally close from around December 18 to January 3, with exact dates announced in mid-December. During that time, no appointments are available and no applications can be filed.
  

• Avoid booking any travel until you have your appointment date and/or your residency card in hand. Once your card is issued, you’ll need it to leave and re-enter the country, and you don’t want to be caught mid-process without it. If you have to travel during your renewal process, you must apply separately for an exit/re-entry permit (Permiso de salida y regreso) through INM before leaving Mexico. Without it, your application will be considered abandoned, and your residency status may be canceled. 

• And one last reminder. Residency and visa fees increase on January 1, 2026. If your renewal is coming up soon, completing it this month may save you money. See cost increases here.

🇲🇽 Viva México

Inside Oaxaca’s Most Unusual December Night

Every December 23rd, Oaxaca’s zócalo transforms into a glowing open-air gallery filled with sculptures carved from one of the most unlikely art materials…radishes.

La Noche de Rábanos, or Night of the Radishes, is more than 120 years old, but its origins reach back even further. 

In the 16th century, Dominican friars introduced radish seeds to Oaxaca, planting them in monastery gardens and using them in elaborate holiday displays. Their decorative traditions, blended with Indigenous carving practices, helped inspire the radish artistry that would later emerge in the city’s Christmas markets. 

By the late 1800s, vendors were carving their radishes into flowers, saints, animals, and everyday scenes to draw in shoppers. The displays became so popular that in 1897, the mayor declared radish carving an official annual competition.

The radishes themselves are part of the spectacle. Farmers grow a special variety just for the festival, leaving them in the ground longer so they twist, swell, split, and take on dramatic shapes – sometimes reaching 50 centimeters in length or weighing several kilos. 

They aren’t grown for eating, but for art.

Preparation often begins months in advance. Families sketch designs and imagine the scenes they hope to create, waiting for the radishes to be harvested just days before the event. 

On the morning of the 23rd, artists receive their government-supplied radishes and begin carving everything from nativity sets and village markets to mythical creatures, Day of the Dead altars, and moments from Indigenous history.

The art is spectacular but fleeting. 

Radishes wilt within hours, so artists spray them constantly to keep the color and texture alive. By late afternoon, the sculptures are on full display, and as night falls, they’re illuminated – revealing every ridge, curl, and carved detail before they fade.

As night falls, the celebration continues in the Plaza de la Constitución, where families enjoy holiday treats, including buñuelos. The plates from the buñuelos are smashed on the ground afterward – tradition says the more pieces they break into, the better your luck in the coming year. 

Check out the amazing radish art here. 

🪷 Viva Wellness

Balancing Blood Sugar, the Mexican Way

The holidays are here…and so are the buñuelos, pan dulce, and other sugar-loaded fiestas.

If you’re worried about those post-meal spikes, it’s time to call in a traditional Mexican superfood: nopal.

This paddle-shaped cactus, long revered in Indigenous and Mexican cuisine, is more than just a tasty side dish. It’s loaded with soluble fiber and has a glycemic index of just 32.5, making it an ideal food for keeping blood sugar steady.

Studies suggest that regular nopal consumption helps reduce post-meal blood sugar and insulin spikes. In one trial, Mexican adults with type 2 diabetes who ate 300g of steamed nopal with high-carb or high-soy-protein breakfasts showed significantly lower glucose and insulin levels than those who didn’t. 

Another study found up to 48% drops in post-meal blood sugar depending on the meal type.

Even better? Nopal is low in calories, packed with calcium, and supports gut health.

Heads up: If you take medication for diabetes, be sure to check with your provider before eating large amounts of nopal. It may enhance the effects and increase the risk of low blood sugar.

🎉 ¡Vamos! Events

Fiestas Guadalupanas – Dec 1-12, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
Puerto Vallarta’s historic center fills with daily processions, mariachi, dancers, and food stalls as the city honors the Virgen de Guadalupe. The celebrations peak on Dec 12 with the massive Pilgrimage of the Favorecidos, a beloved tradition recognized as Intangible Heritage of Jalisco. More info here.

Mérida Brilla Ice Rink – Dec 7-Jan 7, Paseo de Montejo, Mérida
For the first time ever, Mérida brings ice skating to Paseo de Montejo with La Magia sobre Hielo, a free public rink with extended holiday hours as part of the expanded Mérida Brilla festival. Set at the Justo Sierra roundabout, it’s one of 24 free Christmas-season events happening across the city. More info here.

Festival Alegría Contigo Christmas Parades – Dec 13–21, Querétaro
Querétaro lights up the season with rolling Christmas parades featuring floats, lights, music, and family-friendly holiday performances across multiple municipalities as part of the statewide Alegría Contigo celebrations. More info here.

The Santa Run – Dec 14, Parque La Mexicana, CDMX
Kick off the holidays by running in full Santa gear at this festive 1K, 5K, and 10K race. The event starts at 7:00 a.m. in Parque La Mexicana and includes a Santa suit (depending on registration), medal, runner number, hydration, and access to a post-race Christmas celebration. More info here.

💡 Say It in Spanish

“¿Me da chance?”

Translation: Can you give me a chance? / Could you let me…?

In Mexico, ¿Me da chance? is a polite, everyday way to ask for permission or a little leeway – whether you're trying to merge into traffic or grab a seat.

Think of it like a casual “Mind if I…?” or “Would you let me…?”

You might hear: “¿Me da chance de pasar?”  (Can I squeeze through?)
or
“¿Me das chance de estacionarme aquí?” (Mind if I park here?)

It’s informal but friendly. And it’s most often used in casual situations with people you know or when you're trying to be warm but not too formal. 

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🎯 Trivia Answer

Bill Melendez, born José Cuauhtémoc Melendez in Hermosillo, Sonora.

Melendez didn’t just animate the Peanuts gang…he was Snoopy and Woodstock. 

Born in Sonora in 1916 to a Mexican cavalry officer, Melendez moved to the U.S. as a child and rose through the animation ranks at Disney and Warner Bros. But it was his collaboration with Charles Schulz that defined his legacy. Melendez became the only person Schulz trusted to animate the Peanuts characters.

When Schulz insisted Snoopy shouldn’t speak English, it was Melendez who improvised the beagle’s famous gibberish by recording nonsense in his own voice and speeding it up. The result was pure magic. 

He went on to animate all the Peanuts specials – more than 60 – including A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and dozens more across five decades. 

Melendez won Emmys, Peabody Awards, and even started his own studio. But perhaps his most enduring contribution? Giving emotional depth to a dog who never speaks, and a yellow bird who squeaks.

Want to see the man behind the voice? Watch this short tribute to Bill Melendez.

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