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The first edition of CDMX iykyk is here!

Mexico’s first female president, Chapu picnic & film rec

Author

Rocio Lucero
June 06, 2024

Welcome to the first edition of CDMX iykyk! 🚀

If you want to learn more about the story behind this newsletter, check out this intro post. 

My plan is to fine tune this resource in the coming weeks and months. And to do that, I need your feedback.

Please let me know how you liked today’s content by filling out the 1-question survey at the end of this email.

Without further ado, let’s dive in! 

TOP NEWS 

 

Mexico Makes History Electing First Woman & Jewish President  

Claudia Sheinbaum won Mexico’s presidential election in a historic landslide victory, earning 60% of the votes. 

Tell me more.

Record-breaking voter turnout – the highest ever recorded for a Mexican presidential candidate – sent Sheinbaum to the presidency. The president-elect represents the MORENA leftist party while her main rival, Xóchitl Gálvez represented the conservative PAN-PRI-PRD alliance. Sheinbaum, a Nobel Prize winning physicist and former Mexico City mayor, is set to succeed her mentor and ally, outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) on October 1. 

The significance of Sheinbaum's victory extends beyond political boundaries. As Sheinbaum emphasized in her victory speech, her election as the first female president of Mexico is a groundbreaking moment in the nation's history, coming more than 200 years after independence and 71 years after women were allowed to vote.

Sheinbaum's ascension to the presidency also marks another first: she is the first Jewish head of state in Mexico, tracing her heritage to her maternal grandparents who immigrated from Bulgaria. Her professional background as environmental scientist and experience on climate change earned her the position of Secretary of the Environment for Mexico City in the early 2000s when AMLO was mayor of the capital. This launched Sheinbaum’s political career. 

What does this mean?

As the incoming president prepares to assume office, she faces a myriad of pressing issues. Promising to build upon the welfare and social programs that have garnered AMLO widespread popularity, Sheinbaum will need to address critical concerns such as escalating cartel-related crime (20-30 political candidates were murdered during the election season), alarming rates of femicide and water shortages. Additionally, Sheinbaum will need to navigate complex challenges including immigration at the Mexico-US border and rampant drug trafficking. 

💦 Could this project be the innovative solution that Mexico City needs to confront “Day Zero”?

🥵 Peso Pluma got a haircut and maybe the time has come to evolve his stage name to Peso Papi… 

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CULTURE & HAPPENINGS
DID YOU KNOW? 

That chilies, tomatoes, avocado, cacao and corn (among other crops) are native to Mexico? Imagine Italian food without tomatoes! Or Thai & Indian food without chilies. Mexico truly gifted the world gastronomic gold. 

ODE TO MEX: RECS

This section showcases my love of Mexican art, films and music. Each week, I'll offer a handpicked recommendation to deepen your connection with this magical country and its people. 

"Hecho en Mexico" is a captivating film that delves into the essence of Mexican identity, showcasing incredible musicians and performers such as Natalia Lafourcade, Carla Morrison, Alejandro Fernández, Diego Luna, and many others. I first saw it a decade ago and was deeply moved by its portrayal. I highly recommend you watch it too!

Remember that small favor I asked for at the beginning of this email?

Well, here we are! 🙃 

Please click on one of those 3 links below and let me know what you think about this newsletter.

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I really appreciate it!

– Rocio