El Taller: Busting Myths of the Tren Maya with Étienne von Bertrab
Part two of our interview with Etienne von Bertrab, lecturer at University College London, about his new graphic-book Más allá: una historia del Tren Maya. Von Bertrab explains how the book emerged from frustration with academic publishing and a desire to bring rigorous, balanced research to a wider public. The conversation explores the origins and construction of the Tren Maya, the social and environmental controversies surrounding it, and what the project reveals about the broader goals of Mexico’s Fourth Transformation. From historical extraction in the southeast to today’s debates over development, welfare, and sovereignty, the interview offers a nuanced, informed look at one of the country’s most ambitious—and misunderstood—projects.
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Sheinbaum: Panistas Who Seek Support in Europe Repeat the Conduct of 19th-Century Conservatives
At her Cancun report, Sheinbaum likened PAN chief Jorge Romero’s five-member European tour to the conservatives who brought Maximilian to rule Mexico.
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The Popular Revolution of Independence
Felipe Ávila, who heads Mexico’s institute for the history of its revolutions, recounts how the 11-year war of independence abolished slavery and the caste system to found a free, sovereign nation.
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Torre Centinela: Inauguration Marked by Absences and Criticism
Federal officials skipped the opening of the 4.7-billion-peso Chihuahua surveillance tower, built by an opposition state government accused of inviting CIA agents in violation of Mexican law.
