¡Hola amigos! This week, President Sheinbaum is pushing back after the U.S. indicted Mexican officials on drug charges, Mexico is set to host its first EU summit in over a decade, and the economy is sending mixed signals as growth forecasts tick up while GDP slips.

Plus, what you need to know about leaving Mexico with residency, a heads up on this week’s national earthquake drill, and a 1,500-year-old purple dye tradition still alive in Oaxaca.

And a big feliz Día de las Madres to all the moms holding it down out there!

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❓México Trivia

Which library in Mexico became the first in the Americas to open to the public and houses some of the oldest printed books in the world?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

📣 México News Roundup

📱Mexico’s cell phone earthquake alert failed to sound during a 5.6 quake in Oaxaca on May 4 due to maintenance ahead of the May 6 national drill.

✈️ Aeroméxico has launched a new stopover program allowing international travelers connecting through Mexico City’s AICM to stay for up to 7 days at no extra airfare.

🇲🇽 President Sheinbaum pushed back after the U.S. indicted 10 Mexican officials on drug trafficking charges, with Mexico saying there were no grounds to grant a provisional detention request and reaffirming that sovereignty is “non-negotiable.”

⚖️ Morena says it will block 2027 candidates if the party determines there is evidence of corruption, even if they win party polls. 

🏛️ President Sheinbaum denied meeting with former president López Obrador during her weekend trip to Palenque and dismissed rumors she was seeking political guidance amid the Sinaloa controversy.

🇪🇺 Mexico will host its first EU summit in 11 years on May 22 aiming to advance a new strategic agreement and deepen economic ties.

🕵️ Mexico’s federal prosecutors will question 50 people over an unauthorized operation in Chihuahua involving the CIA.

📉 Mexico’s GDP fell 0.8% in Q1 2026, with all sectors declining. Farming and resource industries were hit the hardest.

📊 The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL) raised Mexico’s 2026 growth forecast to 1.5%, up from 1.3%.

🚗 Mexico fell from 5th to 7th place among the world’s top auto producers after vehicle production declined 2.6% in 2025.

⚽ Mexico City will host 18 free World Cup fan festivals during the tournament, featuring live match screenings, food, and cultural events – all alcohol-free.

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📍Immigration Essentials

Leaving Mexico for Too Long? What It Means for Your Residency

There’s no official limit on how long you can stay outside Mexico, but your obligations differ depending on whether you hold temporary or permanent residency.

One key rule applies to everyone: when you return to Mexico, you must enter using your residency status and present your residency card. Entering as a tourist instead can jeopardize your residency.

Temporary Resident: You can leave Mexico for the entire validity of your permit (1 to 4 years). There’s no official limit on how long you can stay outside the country while your temporary residency is valid.

However, any renewals or required updates to your status must be completed inside Mexico, so extended time abroad can create issues if your card is close to expiring.

Always make sure your residency card is valid before returning, and plan travel carefully if you’re nearing a renewal window.

Permanent Resident: For adults, permanent residency has no expiration and no official limit on time abroad. You can live overseas and still return to Mexico, as long as you enter using your resident status.

You’re still required to report certain changes (such as address, marital status, nationality, or employment) from within Mexico, which may require you to be physically present.

If you’re planning to apply for Mexican citizenship down the road, time spent outside the country matters. You’ll need to show at least 18 months of physical presence in Mexico during the two years immediately before applying.

🧩 Life in México

Heads up: Earthquake Drill this Week

Mexico will activate the seismic alert system this Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. (Central time) as part of a large-scale drill simulating an 8.2 magnitude earthquake.

Alerts will sound on cell phones and loudspeakers across multiple states, including Estado de México, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala, and Michoacán.

In Mexico City, the drill goes a step further. Authorities will simulate a full-scale emergency centered at the Monumento a la Revolución, testing evacuation routes, emergency response teams, and coordination across city services.

If your phone goes off or sirens start blaring…it’s a drill.

🇲🇽 Viva México

Oaxaca’s 1,500-Year-Old Purple Dye Tradition

The fabric might eventually disintegrate, but this vibrant purple will never fade. They call it tixinda in Mixtec, a brilliant violet dye produced by a small sea snail.

Among the Mixtec, the color is considered sacred – part of a tradition that stretches back more than 1,500 years.

For centuries along the Oaxacan coast, tintoreros or dyers have worked at low tide, looking for the caracol púrpura (Plicopurpura pansa). Reaching these shores wasn’t simple. They made an eight-day journey on foot from inland villages, then camped for weeks, working in rhythm with the tides.

Each snail is located and gently lifted from the rock. With gentle pressure, the snail releases a small amount of liquid, a natural defensive response that is harmless to human skin.

The drops are gathered directly onto cotton thread wrapped around the harvester's hand. Then the snail is put back on the rock, alive, to recover. This is one of the only known dyeing traditions in the world that does not kill the animal producing the color.

The secretion comes out colorless, but in sunlight, the thread oxidises, turning first yellow, green, blue, then finally an indelible purple. It can take roughly 300 snails to dye a single skein of thread, making this color as rare as it is permanent.

The process is so painstaking – and dangerous. Dyers climb slick, wave-battered rocks where a single misstep can be fatal. 

The dye-harvesting season runs from October to March, with dyers returning in rhythm with the lunar cycle, allowing the snails time to regenerate. Snails are left undisturbed during their breeding season.

This tradition continued unbroken for centuries – until the 1980s, when foreign textile companies came looking to capitalize on the deep, durable color and began harvesting commercially, killing the snails by the thousands. 

In 1994, the Mexican government placed the species under federal protection, restricting harvesting rights to Mixtec dyers. But the purpura pansa population never fully recovered and is still under threat from poaching and coastal development. 

Today, only a small number of dyers continue the practice, preserving a fragile tradition that has endured for more than a millennium.

🪷 Viva Wellness

The Coconut Drink That Won’t Taste the Same Twice

As the hot, hazy days of summer kick in along Mexico’s Pacific coast, vendors appear carrying large gourds on a pole. They’re selling a chilled, cloudy-white drink topped with chopped apple, strawberry, and salted peanuts known as tuba.

Tuba comes from the coconut palm, but not from coconut milk or coconut water. It’s made from the sap. 

Before dawn, tuberos climb the palms, making precise cuts at the base of the flower stems to draw it out. See how it’s done.

Fermentation begins on its own, almost immediately, giving the morning pour a little sweetness and barely a trace of alcohol, something like a mild cider. By midday, it turns lightly fizzy, with a gentle tang and a low alcohol content.

Tuba is meant to be enjoyed fresh. It’s highly perishable, and fermentation keeps evolving throughout the day – so the flavor (and kick) can shift fast. Earlier is sweeter and lighter, while later pours become tangier and more fermented.

That same-day zero-processing is part of Tuba’s appeal. It contains live cultures from fermentation, along with natural acids and enzymes, that support digestion and gut balance. Along the coast, it’s been a go-to for an upset stomach.

Coconut sap is naturally rich in minerals and natural sugars that help replenish energy. It also restores fluids and nutrients lost on hot, humid days.

Nearly 500 years ago, Filipino sailors arrived along the transpacific trade route carrying coconuts and the knowledge to turn palm tree sap into fermented drinks.

Some researchers believe that knowledge, along with unique stills, was later applied to agave, helping shape the early development of mezcal and tequila in the region.

🎉 ¡Vamos! Events

Tinto Bajío 2026 – May 16–17, León, Guanajuato
Now in its 11th edition, this wine and gastronomy festival brings together wineries from across Mexico for two days of tastings, food, and live music set in the gardens of Academia Renacimiento. Expect more than 200 wine labels, a tasting program, and a mix of gourmet products. More info here.

Ixtapa–Zihuatanejo Triathlon 2026 – May 16–17, Ixtapa–Zihuatanejo, Guerrero
One of Mexico’s oldest triathlons marks its 40th anniversary with a full day of races on Saturday, including sprint and Olympic-distance formats, duathlon categories, and elite competitions. Events take place on May 16, with a children’s race on May 17. More info here.

Fiestas del Pitic 2026 – May 21–24, Hermosillo, Sonora
Hermosillo’s flagship cultural festival returns for 4 days of free concerts, performances, and public programming marking the founding of the city in 1700. The program spans multiple venues across the historic center with a mix of music, dance, and theater featuring national and international artists. More info here.

Fiestas del Mar de las Cabras 2026 – May 21–25, Escuinapa, Sinaloa
Now in its 122nd edition, this traditional seaside festival brings crowds to Las Cabras beach for live music, food, and cultural events. Celebrations begin with a parade in Escuinapa before moving to the coast, where temporary palapas line the beach and families gather for concerts and festivities. More info here.

Noche Blanca 2026 – May 22–23, Mérida, Yucatán
Mérida’s all-night arts festival returns for its 20th edition, turning the city into a multi-kilometer cultural route with more than 200 activities across galleries and public spaces. Programming begins Friday with a preview, followed by the main Saturday route from La Ermita to the Monumento a la Patria, with music, dance, visual arts, and gastronomy throughout the night. More info here.

Festival del Viento 2026 – May 22–24, Bucerías, Nayarit
This kiteboarding festival brings international riders to the beaches of Bucerías for three days of competition, including freestyle and downwind events. One of Mexico’s largest kiteboarding gatherings, it draws more than 300 athletes. More info here.

💡 Say It in Spanish

¿Ya quedó?
 Translation: Is it done? / Is it ready?

This is what you ask when you’re waiting on your car at the mechanic, your takeout order, a home repair, or paperwork at an office.

It comes from quedar, a verb you’ll hear all the time in Mexican Spanish – usually when talking about whether something is finished or how it turned out. 

For example: 

• Quedó bien – It turned out well

• Quedó listo – It’s ready

• ¿Ya quedó? – Is it done?

🎯 Trivia Answer

Biblioteca Palafoxiana in Puebla

In the 1640s, Puebla’s bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza donated more than 5,000 books from his personal collection with one condition: they had to be available to anyone who could read, not just clergy or scholars.

At the time, that was a radical idea. Most libraries were restricted to religious or elite circles, making this the first true public library in the Americas.

Step inside, and it doesn’t feel like a library at all. With vaulted ceilings, carved wooden shelves, and a gold-covered altar at the far end, the space looks more like a cathedral than a place for books.

The collection has grown to include tens of thousands of volumes, including rare works from the earliest days of printing in the 15th century.

Take a look inside.

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