The Modern Mexico Podcast

On today’s podcast we’re talking about Mexico’s tequila industry, a booming sector that is centered in the state of Jalisco. Tequila exports tallied to over three and a half billion dollars in 2025. Tequila is traditionally made by chopping down spiky agave plants, roasting the plants’ heavy cores, mashing the sweet-smelling pumpkin orange pulp for fermentation and distillation. It is now one of Mexico’s most iconic products. On today’s podcast host Nathaniel Parish Flannery speaks to Ted Genoways, the author of the new book Tequila Wars: Jose Cuervo And The Bloody Struggle For Mexico’s Spirit.

On this episode host Nathaniel Parish Flannery speaks to Guadalajara-based security analyst Stephen Woodman about the patterns of organized crime in Jalisco, Mexico. They discuss whether Guadalajara really is safe to visit during the 2026 World Cup.

On this episode of the podcast host Nathaniel Parish Flannery speaks to Andrew Paxman, a historian and a professor at Mexico’s CIDE university, who recently published a new book called MEXICAN WATCHDOGS: The Rise of a Critical Press since the 1980s.

Right now media outlets and journalists in Mexico are facing unprecented challenges. During the 4T era of the presidencies of Mexico’s former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and current president Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s critical media outlets have had to respond to new policies that restrict access to intervews and information as well as offical government rhetoric that is overtly hostile to the media.

Over the last three decades, Mexican media outlets have played a critical role in raising public awareness about problems such as political corruption and organized crime. During the 21st century Mexico has transitioned away from a single party semi authoritian system of government and embraced an imperfect form of multiparty democracy. Along the way journalists in Mexico have found a way to share independent and critical analysis and publish in-depth investigative reports on politics, business and organized crime.

At the same time, as organized crime activity and violence surged to unprecedented levels, journalists in Mexico have faced new threats of violence both from criminals and politicians. Former President Lopez Obrador’s six years in office, which ended in 2024, are now recognized as the most violent sexenio in modern Mexican history. An astounding 47 journalists were killed during Lopez Obrador’s time in office. Lopez Obrador slashed the budget for public advertising for news outlets that published critical journalism and embraced an openly hostile strategy for insulting and undermining the media in Mexico, describing them as part of the political opposition and even part of the mafia in Mexico.

Current president claudia sheinbuam speaks in a more measured tone than her predecessor, but she continues to publicly criticize Mexico’s journalists. Mexico’s media workers now face threats of legal action from politicians who are unhappy with their reporting as well as ongoing threats of physical violence when reporting on corruption or crime. In January2026, the group Reporters Without Borders tallied a count of 11 journalists murdered in Mexico during the first few months of Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidency. On today’s podcast we’re taking a look at the development of Mexico’s independent media outlets during the 21st century and the current challenges journalists in Mexico are confonting.

Paxman explains the history of news outlets such as Proceso and the impact of journalists such as Carmen Aristegui.

Paxman also explains that Mexico's former President Lopez Obrador created a new strategy for dealing with critical reporters and uncomfortable investigative reports into ongoing government corruption, criminal activity, and incompetence.

"His default mode was to be critical of the press. [He only praised] La Jornada
, which had adopted a propagandistic, or at least semi-propagandistic position towards his, his government. [He also embraced] an increasing number of YouTubers who were admitted to these press conferences as though they were bona fide journalists. Who would ask him softball questions and even compliment him, during the asking of those questions. [But] the vast majority of the press he considered to be 'nuestros oppositores, our opponents,'" Paxman says.

On today’s episode of the podcast we talk about Mexican cycling phenomenon Isaac Del Toro, an athlete who captured the world’s attention with his achievements in 2025.

We also look at how sports have helped shape and develop Modern Mexico’s identify, and how Mexico’s social and political context have impacted the country’s athletes.

Within the world of sports, Isaac Del Toro is Mexico’s top star right now.

Host Nathaniel Parish Flannery talks about how he traveled to Italy to watch Del Toro compete at the Giro d’Italia, Italy’s biggest cycling race, and wrote about Del Toro for the British magazine ROULEUR.

Historian David Wysocki talks about his research on the history of sports in Mexico.

They also discuss the culture vs institutions debate.

Wysocki's paper "Exercising the Cosmic Race: Mexican
Sporting Culture and Mestizo Citizens" is available for free here: https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/625658/azu_etd_15795_sip1_m.pdf

On this episode of THE MODERN MEXICO PODCAST, host Nathaniel Parish Flannery speaks to BLOOMBERG journalist Maya Averbuch about the problem of cargo truck hijacking in Mexico.

Mexico is now considered to be the world's worst hotspot for cargo truck hijacking with over 100,000 violent in-transit robberies occurring over the last five years. These incidents have resulted in billions of dollars of losses over the last decade. Companies including GM, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, Amazon, and Philip Morris have all been affected.

Cargo truck hijacking has become a major problem in Mexico.

During President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, Mexico has a unique opportunity to encourage foreign investment in manufacturing.

Many cities in Mexico are experiencing a boom in new industrial investment. But, foreign executives managing new facilities and operations in Mexico are discovering that Mexico presents some unique challenges when it comes to dealing with organized crime.

According to the Global Organized Crime Index, Mexico is ranked as the world’s third worst country in terms of organized crime.

For the last 20 years the generally accepted explanation has been that organized crime in Mexico typically tries to avoid messing with foreign manufacturing companies.

For the most part, criminal groups have largely avoided kidnapping foreign executives or trying to extort companies operating factories.

But, there is one type of crime that does directly impact foreign companies: cargo truck hijacking.

Many remote stretches of highway in Mexico have become major hotspots for violent cargo robberies.