Catch up on Mexico’s top headlines, including the assassination of two senior aides to Mexico City’s mayor, a major teachers’ union protest disrupting the president’s mañanera, new protections for the endangered Rice’s whale in the Gulf of Mexico, and a moderate earthquake in Michoacán.
Mexico City woke up to a shocking act of violence on Tuesday morning when two senior aides to Mayor Clara Brugada—her personal secretary, Ximena Guzmán, and adviser José Muñoz—were ambushed and fatally shot as they traveled along a busy thoroughfare at around 7 a.m. Police Chief Pablo Vázquez Camacho confirmed investigators have identified at least four people involved in the attack, using a motorcycle and two additional vehicles to facilitate their escape into neighboring Mexico State. Clothes recovered from the vehicles are under forensic analysis, but no motive has been determined; investigators stress the planning and execution suggest an experienced, targeted operation, though they cannot yet tie it to organized crime.
On Wednesday, members of the CNTE teachers’ union escalated demands for higher pay by blocking all press access to the National Palace during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s regular morning press conference (mañanera). With the historic Treasury Hall emptied of journalists, the president addressed questions via Zoom, condemning any aggression against the media while defending the teachers’ right to peaceful protest. The union is demanding a pay rise far above the 10 percent increase announced last week; Sheinbaum reiterated that dialogue remains the path forward. During the virtual session, Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard was also questioned about U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, highlighting that vehicles assembled in Mexico now face an average 15 percent tariff under USMCA rules—and expressing hope for a preferential agreement soon.
In environmental news, the U.S. government published a long-awaited biological opinion on May 20 that finds vessel strikes associated with offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico are likely to jeopardize the existence of the endangered Rice’s whale, of which only an estimated 51 remain. The assessment imposes speed restrictions and mandates a 500-meter minimum distance for vessels that spot whales, but industry groups have criticized the ruling as scientifically unfounded, while conservationists argue the measures still fall short of ensuring the species’ survival over the next 45 years.
Seismological agencies reported a moderate earthquake of magnitude 4.7 struck the state of Michoacán in the early hours of Thursday, May 22—occurring at 12:51 a.m. local time near coordinates 19.0205° N, 102.0748° W, at a depth of approximately 109 km. The European–commissioned GDACS system noted the tremor posed a low humanitarian impact, with around 180,000 people potentially experiencing light to moderate shaking but no reports of significant damage or casualties.