El Taller: The Real Story of the Tren Maya

In this episode of El Taller, Kurt Hackbarth and José Luis Granados Ceja speak with Professor Etienne von Bertrab of 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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    What special privilege do mining corporations (both national and foreign) enjoy in Mexico, where they get away with everything, even in these times when the law is supposed to be applied equally without exception?

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    Orla Mining: Investigate & Clarify

    If it is confirmed that the Canadian mining company hired criminals to persecute its workers, the sanction cannot be limited to an administrative procedure, as this would allow companies to normalize fines as just another operating cost.

  • People’s Mañanera April 10

    President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on electoral reform, Barcelona reformist summit, electoral auditing, the economy, World Cup and former Michoacán governor Silvano Aureoles’ arrest warrant.