Preparations are already underway for the 23^rd annual Rocky Point Rally, and the expectations are that we will meet or exceed the numbers of participants from last year. In 2022, there were over 8,000 bikers in town, coming from the USA, Canada, various parts of Mexico, and even Central America, according to Oscar Palacio, the founder and president of the event.

Palacio commented that he has been in meetings with local and state authorities in order to work out the details, logistics, organization, security, and everything needed to put together an event of this magnitude. This year the Rocky Point Rally will take place from November 9^th through November 12^th. Mr. Palacio reported that he began the work to organize and promote the rally in April of this year, and the feedback that he has received point to a very good turnout.

He also indicated that this years’ edition of the motorcycle even, the 23^rd such event, will be similar to last years’ with stunt motorcycle shows, multiple concerts, poker run, parade, and more. Condo and hotel rental reservations for the dates are already booking up as they are usually sold out by the time that the event begins. The event is expected to draw upwards of 35,000 visitors to Rocky Point this year, a great number of them attending the rally year after year, some for more than two decades.

The history of the Rocky Point Rally stretches for more than 20 years, beginning in 2001 when Oscar Palacio, an avid motorcycle rider himself, came up with the idea and made his vision into reality. Over the years, the attendance has grown exponentially with the first Rally only attracting 380 participants. In 2002, it grew to 1,200, 2003 brought 4,200, 2004 had 5,500.  By 2006, more than 10,000 motorcycles came to town. Since that time, the numbers have stayed relatively consistent, with an estimated 8,000 motorcycles in attendance last year. 

Potpourri!

Short Shorts of All Sorts!

Sometimes so much is going on in our little slice of paradise by the sea that we can't address the many short subjects with proper attention. To handle the hodgepodge of dangling subject matter, we invented the Potpourri Page. Here are a few "short shorts" to keep you up to date.



A shrimp boat which embarked from Puerto Penasco starting the annual shrimp season suffered an accident which let to an escalating fire on board. The event took place in the sea off of Desemboque.

Details are still pending on how the fire started, but it was reported that at least four fishermen suffered serious injuries and were taken to the hospital in Caborca.

The fishermen are 20 year old Julio Manuel Mendoza, 27 year old Jesus Miguel Guzman, 35 year old Javier Ramirez Estrada, and 27 year old Ricardo Peralta Tlalteca. All are expected to recover. 

Large numbers of people in the United States aspire to own a home in Mexico, a recent analysis suggests.

Mexico is the “most wanted destination for U.S. homebuyers looking for a home in the Americas,” according to the real estate company Point2 Homes.

That conclusion is based on the number of people in the U.S. doing web searches using Mexico-relevant real-estate related keywords such as “homes for sale in Mexico” or “Puerto Penasco condos.”

The news division of Point2 Homes – which conducted the web search analysis – reported that the average number of Mexico-related real estate searches in the U.S. was 136,530 per month during the 12 months to the end of June, up 3.3% from a year earlier.

Such searches surged almost 60% in a 12-month period prior to the publication of Point2 Homes’ 2022 study, which noted that Mexico had retained its title as “the king of vacation destinations and locations for second homes” for United States citizens.

Point2 said in its latest report that “Mexico remains undefeated” as the most desirable country in the Americas for U.S. homebuyers, despite only a modest annual increase in related web searches.

“With more than 130k monthly visits, this land of endless, dazzling beaches and rich culture continues to attract buyers,” the company said.

Who is interested in buying property in Mexico?

Point2 Homes’ internet traffic data showed that men were responsible for just over 58% of Mexico-relevant real-estate related searches in the United States in the 12 months to the end of June, while almost 42% of searches were made by women.

U.S. residents aged 35 to 44 made 23.7% of the Mexico real estate-related searches during the period, more than any other age cohort.

According to the Point2 survey, the 35-44 age demographic was responsible for the largest percentage of searches compared to other cohorts. Those aged 25-34 and 45-54 were each responsible for just over 20% of total searches, while Americans in the 55-64 bracket accounted for 15% of searches. The percentages for those aged 18-24 and 65+ were 12% and 8.5%, respectively.

“The surprising part is that people in the youngest age bracket (18 to 24 years old) are driving traffic to Mexico’s real estate pages more than retirees,” Point2 said.

“People aged 65 and over, who might be interested in warmer climate areas to buy a home and retire to are outnumbered by their much younger peers.”

Families with kids are among a recent wave of U.S. citizens who have moved to Mexico.

Mexico has barred the import of GMO corn for human consumption, raising the ire of exporter US where most corn is GMO.

Corn is sacred in Mexico. Its roots can be traced to Aztec and Mayan creation stories that exalted the arrival of a crop that was key to their survival.

In modern times, maiz, as it is known in Spanish, maintains its cultural, spiritual and political prominence as a staple in Mexican cuisine – and, increasingly, a brewing trade dispute.

Mexico has drawn a line in the sand with the United States when it comes to genetically modified corn, barring its use and import for human consumption, and gradually phasing it out for livestock feed or industrial uses.

After months of negotiations, US officials announced last month that they were pulling a lever under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), seeking an intermediary to resolve the dispute.

For Mexico, the issue is multi-pronged, but rooted in ensuring the affordability and availability of a crucial crop, experts say. For the US, it is about business. Corn is its biggest crop and the vast majority of it is genetically engineered.

Far from a regional issue, it is a feud that could have wide-reaching implications for importing and exporting nations, as evidenced also by Canada, which has added its voice to the proceedings and backed the United States in saying that Mexico’s position on biotech is “not scientifically supported” and could “unnecessarily disrupt trade in the North American market”.

As the role of industrial agriculture comes under added scrutiny in the era of climate change, Mexico’s stand to protect small-scale farmers is one that others are watching closely.

“I would say Mexico is at the forefront of the world,” said Ernesto Hernández López, a professor at Chapman University in California, who specialises in international law and food law.

What is this trade dispute about?

It is illegal to grow genetically modified corn on Mexican soil. In 2020, Mexico expanded the prohibition with a decree banning all GMO corn, including imports, as of January 31, 2024, on the grounds that doing so protected its food security, its rural communities, its food heritage and the health of its people.

It also announced that it would impose strict limits on the import, distribution and use of the contentious herbicide glyphosate – widely used in GMO farming – culminating in its complete ban by that date. Glyphosate is a well-known weed killer whose potential to cause cancer is the subject of heated debate.

In February of this year, Mexico issued another decree that softened its stance. It scrapped the date by which animal feed corn – which represents the vast majority of imports from the US – is banned. This means yellow GMO corn used for animal feed can continue to cross the border, although the decree still states the intention of “gradually substituting” it, but with no date set.

The decree maintains the ban on GMO corn used for human consumption in dough and tortillas, which is white corn. The Mexican government said Mexico produces enough white corn that is free of GMOs to sustain itself.

“Mexico is the center of origin of more than 55 strains of maize. The food security policy of the Government of Mexico consists of preserving this biocultural heritage,” the government said in a statement, in addition to preserving the sustainable farming practices of peasant communities. “This has to do with consolidating sovereignty and food security in a central part of Mexican culture.”

The move rankled the US, which considered it an affront to the free trade rules of the region. After multiple meetings and consultations with Mexican officials, the US announced in August it would seek to establish a dispute settlement panel under the USMCA, arguing that the Mexican decree “undermines the market access” Mexico had agreed to provide.

The US considers Mexico’s ban an affront to free trade rules of the region.

“Mexico’s approach to biotechnology is not based on science and runs counter to decades’ worth of evidence demonstrating its safety and the rigorous, science-based regulatory review system that ensures it poses no harm to human health and the environment,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement.

“Innovations in agricultural biotechnology play a key role in advancing solutions to our shared global challenges, including food and nutrition insecurity, the climate crisis and the lingering effects of food price inflation,” he said.

Mexico says it will not back down from its position, which it asserts is rooted in science. Officials have said that the United States has refused to take part in additional scientific research on the health impact of GM corn. “[That] makes no sense because if a government cares about people’s health, then they would have no problem doing further research on the health implications,” Mexican Economy Minister Raquel Buenrostro said in August.

How big of a deal is this?

Mexico bought nearly $5bn worth of corn, the vast majority of it yellow GMO corn that is destined for livestock feed, from the US in 2022 making it the second-biggest destination for the US crop. Some 17 million tons of yellow corn flowed south of the border last year.

While more than 90 percent of the corn grown in the US is genetically engineered, white corn represents a small portion of US exports to Mexico, and “little if any” is genetically modified, suggesting to researchers that the dispute will have a “limited effect” on American farmers in the short term.

Nonetheless, trade unions, such as the National Corn Growers Association, maintain the ban would be “catastrophic” for US producers and threatens the integrity of the USMCA. Certain states, like Illinois for instance, send most of their corn exports to Mexico.

How long has this been going on?

In Mexico, the push to protect corn is not new. A national campaign known as “Sin Maiz No Hay Pais” – Without Corn, There Isn’t a Country – launched in 2007, representing a cross-section of some 300 organizations that included rural farmers, environmentalists, consumers, human rights and women’s organizations.

Their goal has been to make food security a central concern for politicians, pushing for the prohibition of genetically modified corn, and against industrialized agricultural monopolies.

In 2013, a collective of farmers, consumers, and environmentalists launched a lawsuit that sought to ensure that GMO corn seeds continued to be denied entry into Mexico. In 2021, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled in their favor.

For Víctor Manuel Chima Ortíz, a member of Sin Maíz No Hay País, the issue has to do with national sovereignty, and ensuring that neither the US nor Canada “intervene in the decisions that the Mexican government is making to safeguard human rights related to this issue”.

“The right to food, the right to health, the right to a healthy environment, the right to access to information,” are all issues that are at stake, said Ortiz.

“But there is a background that is fundamental to also be able to sustain Mexico’s decision, which is the cultural value, the historical value, the symbolic value that corn has,” he noted. “There are many territories, there are many communities, Indigenous peoples that have corn as a symbolic element, as an identifying part of their cultures.”

What are the arguments in this case?

Corn is a staple in Mexican cuisine, households, farming and income, raising the bar for the country to hold its ground [File: Edgard Garrido/Reuters]

The US’s position is clear. It argues that Mexico does not have a scientific leg to stand on, and that the move is in violation of a free trade agreement. While Mexico still has to elaborate on its arguments, the question of biodiversity is key.

The health issue largely turns on the use of glyphosate, a weed killer used extensively in GMO farming, which a World Health Organization agency has said is “probably carcinogenic to humans”, a claim that the US Environmental Protection Agency disputes. The European Food Safety Authority recently gave the pesticide its stamp of approval, to the shock of environmentalists. Bayer, the German chemical giant that owns glyphosate and maintains its safety, has paid out billions to settle cancer lawsuits.

“Where the fight is going to be is on Chapter 9 of the USMCA, which is about food safety,” said Lopez. “It’s a very procedural technical issue, and it depends on whether the panelists agree with Mexico’s description of the science, and that it met its procedural disclosure obligations, versus the United States’ claims that there is no science and there’s been no disclosure.”

“That’s the same fight from the ’90s with beef hormones, and biotech in 2006,” he said.

In 2006, the WTO ruled in favor of the US when it contested restrictions from the European Union on genetically modified crops.

What are the ramifications of this move?

“The United States is very focused on protecting the product,” said Lopez, referring to its corn exports. European and Chinese markets are not as open as they used to be, and Mexico represents a huge market.

“For Mexicans, what is politically important is being able to secure corn for masa [dough] and corn for tortillas. And that’s what the decree this year has focused on for the consumer, and rural agriculture, to make sure that people aren’t losing their livelihood or having more pressure to migrate,” said Lopez.

“What will really spell disaster for any president in Mexico is that he or she has to deal with rising corn prices that affect what people eat,” he added.

Ortiz, from Sin Maiz, No Hay Pais, said this battle will resonate outside of Mexico’s borders, noting that countries such as Guatemala, Bolivia and Colombia also have native corn.

The dispute settlement provision triggered by the US is contained under Chapter 31 of the USMCA. It establishes an independent panel of five members to investigate and rule on Mexico’s GMO corn. Once the panel is struck, it is expected to present an initial report within 150 days. Each country then gets 60 days to review and make comments on the report. The panel would produce findings of fact in the dispute, determine if the measure adopted by Mexico goes against the trade agreement, and make recommendations to resolve the dispute.

Recipe:

12 oz. mixed fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced

¾ cup minced white onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 Serrano chilies, seeded and minced

3 Tbsp. neutral oil

Salt to taste

1½ cups shredded Chihuahua cheese

6 fresh corn tortillas

Optional: Butter for sautéeing

For serving: Salsa verde, sour cream

In a medium bowl, mix mushrooms, onion, garlic and chilies. Place oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the mushroom mixture. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are browned, 6-10 minutes, seasoning very lightly with salt about halfway through. Scrape into a bowl, taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Divide cheese among the tortillas, spreading a portion over half of each tortilla, leaving a small 1-inch cheese-free border at the edge. Divide the mushroom mixture between the tortillas, placing it on top of the cheese. Fold the empty side of the tortilla over the filling; press firmly to close.

Heat a cast-iron or other heavy griddle over medium heat. Cook quesadillas in batches, turning once, until light golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. If desired, melt a little butter in a pan before frying for a crispier tortilla. Serve immediately with sour cream and salsa verde.

If you have spent any time in Mexico, chances are you’ve also spotted a plethora of beauty salons, nail salons, and spas of all shapes, sizes, and types, making glamour in the country no mystery at all.

The good news is that for most people, prices are typically quite accessible in ways that they’re not north of the Rio Grande  So, how do you make these beauty treatments happen, especially if your Spanish is only so-so?

First of all, let’s look at some tips for any appointment you make:

1) Look online. Most reputable places will have both Facebook and Instagram accounts, and you can look for them by typing in a keyword like “salon” or “uñas” plus the city name in the search bar.

2) Write out your questions and requests in a message with the help of a friend or an AI translator if needed. That way, they’ll know what services you’re interested in, and you can get help if needed in understanding their questions and responses.

3) Use pictures to show what it is that you want (a good idea even in your native language); a picture really is worth a thousand words, luckily in any language! Pinterest can be an especially good place to get ideas if you don’t find anything on their local pages similar to what you’re looking for!

4) Ask about prices beforehand. Almost every place will have their price per service fairly set in stone, so ask about the services you want in advance so you and your budget are prepared.

Now it’s time to get specific! Below, are some of the most popular beauty service categories in Mexico, along with key vocabulary and average price ranges.

Cabello (Hair)

From 100-1200 pesos for haircuts; 600-4000 for color and special treatments. Places to get your hair cut can range from someone’s living room to dedicated, fully-equipped hair salons (if your Spanish isn’t great and you’re not adventurous with your hair, you probably want the fully-equipped kind). Most hair salons also offer make-up services for special events!

Here are some key vocabulary words you might want to know:

Cortar (las puntas): cut, trim (the ends)

Lavar y secar: wash and dry

Teñir: dye

Fleco: bangs

Capas: layers

Keratina: keratine treatment (all the rage lately!)

Maquillaje: makeup

Uñas (Nails)

From 200 to 800 pesos, depending on the service.

Nail art is a major thing here, so if you want to go wild, this is your chance! Most places have a price for mono-colored and then go up from there depending on how many designs you want. Here’s some helpful vocabulary:

“Polish”: This is what they say for non-gel (regular) nail polish, the kind that comes off with nail polish remover from the grocery store.

“Gel”: pronounced as “hell” in Spanish.

Acrílica: it is what it sounds like – acrylic!

Extensión: acrylic extensions

Acrimano: when they put acrylic material over your natural nail length, with no extensions

Diseño: design – if you want any special cute shapes on your nails, this is what to ask for!

Efecto: special effects, which might include things like glitter, a matte finish, or anything they need to use several different polishes or magnets to make happen

Forma (ovalo, cuadrado): nail shape (oval, angled)

Pestañas (Lashes)

Want to wake up every morning with long, thick lashes? Mink lash extensions have been popular in Mexico for a while now, and if you’ve got 800-1000 pesos for the first treatment and 500-800 pesos for touch-ups every three weeks or so, they can be great fun!

Essentially, fake “mink” lashes are glued one by one to your natural lashes, a process that takes a couple of hours but that isn’t all that uncomfortable, especially if you’ve wanted to force yourself to just lay there and relax! Results are pretty, dramatic, and immediate.

Key vocabulary:

Rizado(a): curled

Largo: length (also “long”)

Color: is what it sounds like!

Natural: used to describe a natural (as in, not overdone) look.

Retoque: touch-up, which for mink lashes, is approximately every three weeks

Cejas (Eyebrows)

Microblading has been all the rage for a few years now, and I have to admit, I have seen some beautiful eyebrows out there lately, not something I’d have ever thought to pay attention to. The cost is around 2000-4000 pesos, and the effects can last up to two years.

Here are some key vocabulary words:

Grueso: thick

Tatuaje: tattoo (from what I understand, microblading basically is “tattooing” one’s eyebrows on!)

Depilar: remove hair (through shaving, plucking, waxing, etc.)

If you’re feeling adventurous, the time is always right to experiment. But even if you’re quite conservative and cautious when it comes to trying out new beauty treatments, you’re sure to be pleased with what you find!

Septebmer 2023

August 2023

July 2023

June 2023

May 2023

April 2023

March 2023

February 2023

January 2023

December 2022

November 2022

October 2022

September 2022

Let me know if you would like links to any of the earlier ones. (Over 12 years worth)