The word “ancestral” comes to mind when people talk about tequila, but what one finds on the shelves has nothing to do with what you’d see just a few decades ago.

In this episode of Mexico: The Podcast, Tavo and Alex dive into the delights, history, and economics of Mexico’s most famous tipple.

Mexico: The Podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and now on YouTube! Leave us a review and a comment, and for even more insider insights on Mexico, subscribe to www.mxpe.org

Mentioned in this episode:

Why are Mexicans so good at partying?

Judging tequila with the same measure as Mexico’s five most famous people

And a quick reminder about why Cinco de Mayo isn’t Mexican independence day

Culture is a massive subject and in a world where globalisation is being questioned and challenged, how do Mexicans assert their ownership over their own culture and how do they share it with the world?

In this episode of Mexico: The Podcast, Tavo and Alex ask who gets to wear Mexican clothes but also why people might get offended when you stick to your own traditional garb.

Mexico: The Podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and now on YouTube! Leave us a review and a comment, and for even more insider insights on Mexico, subscribe to www.mxpe.org

Mentioned in this episode:

Echeverría’s shenanigans

Benito Juarez’s anti-Indigenous policies.

A bit more on Frida Kahlo

The future of Mexico’s economy and the credibility of Claudia Sheinbaum’s government lies almost entirely on how she deals with Pemex, Mexico’s State-run oil company.

This is part two of a two part series on Pemex. If you haven’t listened to part one, here it is!

In this episode of Mexico: The Podcast, Tavo and Alex sally forth to discuss where the Pemex crisis stands now and what dark (or even promising) paths it could take the whole country down.

Mexico: The Podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and now on YouTube! Leave us a review and a comment, and for even more insider insights on Mexico, subscribe to www.mxpe.org

Mentioned in this episode:

More info on the news that broke as we recorded

Here’s more on Mexico’s gas dependence on the US

How oil stands out in Mexico’s most recent industrial plan

Carlos Slim’s role in Mexican oil

How Mexico got so good at the financial side of the economy

Pemex is a microcosm of Mexico’s history and fortunes. But don’t be fooled by the “micro” part, it is an enormous company with a history that has defined what being Mexican means.

In this episode of Mexico: The Podcast, Tavo and Alex delve into the past and present of Mexico’s most important company.

Mexico: The Podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and now on YouTube! Leave us a review and a comment, and for even more insider insights on Mexico, subscribe to www.mxpe.org

Mentioned in this episode:The effects of World War 2 on Mexico

A past podcast episode on how Mexico got into terrible debt

Our most recent coverage on Pemex

In this episode of Mexico: The Podcast, Tavo and Alex remember the greatest seismic moments in Mexican history. From the creation of an ancient superpower to the emergence from the rubble of Mexico City’s most unlikely superhero.

Mexico: The Podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and now on YouTube! Leave us a review and a comment, and for even more insider insights on Mexico, subscribe to www.mxpe.org

The recent reforms approved by the Sheinbaum administration have caused controversy that her government is creating a surveillance apparatus to spy on everyday Mexicans.

We’ve been here before…

In this episode of Mexico: The Podcast, Tavo and Alex compare and contrast Sheinbaum’s intel initiatives to the police state set up by the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. A regime whose powers of espionage failed spectacularly, leading to in-fighting and nothing less than the 1910 Mexican Revolution.

Mexico: The Podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and now on YouTube! Leave us a review and a comment, and for even more insider insights on Mexico, subscribe to www.mxpe.org

Mentioned in this episode:

Sheinbaum’s intelligence reforms

Mexico’s National Guard, explained

Our critique of why a lack of intel led to the Mexican War of drugs

This episode of Mexico: The Podcast is a who’s who of Mexican fame, culture, and influence on the world stage.

Tavo and Alex have a romp through a list of Mexico’s most famous and infamous personages. What you might not expect is not only who’s on this list but also why they’ve ended up there.

Mexico: The Podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and now on YouTube! Leave us a review and a comment, and for even more insider insights into Mexico, subscribe to www.mxpe.org

Mentioned in this episode:

The Mexico Political Economist origin story

Our beloved podcast on Fresas: Mexico’s insufferable republican aristocracy

Tavo and Alex pull no punches in criticising the Mexican government and the opposition for their involvement (or lack thereof) in the recent judicial election. But do these failings mean Mexico is no longer a democratic country? Find out in this episode of Mexico: The Podcast.

Mexico: The Podcast is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Leave us a review and a comment, and for even more insider insights into Mexico, subscribe to www.mxpe.org

Mentioned in this episode:

The dictatorship of political parties in Mexico

On issues with the judicial election

Bonus: We mentioned Octavio Paz fleetingly… Here’s more on him!

In the wake of a tragic double murder of top political figures, Tavo and Alex ask what causes political violence in Mexico and why it is so different to all the other sorts of violence in the country.

Mexico: The Podcast is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Leave us a review and a comment, and for even more insider insights into Mexico, subscribe to www.mxpe.org

Mentioned in this episode:

Mexico’s judicial election: The campaign

How Mexico got so violent

“Close the door, darling, you’ll let the riffraff in.”

The globetrotting elite are more or less the same everywhere, but Mexico’s fresas (literally, “strawberries” in English) have their own distinctive styles, norms, and accents. This all makes them unique… and often pretty deplorable.

In this episode of Mexico: The Podcast, Tavo and Alex plunge into the depths of Mexico’s most infamous social class/subculture.

Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Leave us a review and a comment, and for even more insider insights into Mexico, subscribe to www.mxpe.org

Mentioned in this episode:

A deep dive into how the State is entering Mexican business—Part 1 and Part 2