Mexico: The Podcast

By The Mexico Political EconomistGovernment History

Mexico: The Podcast episodes

October 16, 2025 Corruption
How corrupt is Mexico? What are the origins of corruption there? Why is Tavo always getting himself into sticky situations?
Find all about that and more in this episode of Mexico: The Podcast!
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:
How unions in Mexico got corrupted
Recent fuel theft scandal
Why Mexico tolerates corrupt politicians

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52 min
October 02, 2025 Do Mexicans hate the US?
Alex gets it wrong! In this episode of Mexico: The Podcast he says that Mexico was invaded by the US in 1917—it was actually in 1914. But does he love or loathe the US any more for it?
Find out in this episode, in which Tavo and Alex delve into whether Mexicans hate the US, whether left or right think differently about Americans, and whether Trump shifts the needle at all on this front.
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 Pew poll
A bit more on Mexico’s left-right divide
The US has betrayed Mexico
A bit more on Cancún

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39 min
September 18, 2025 Tequila
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

Get full access to The Mexico Political Economist at www.mxpe.org/subscribe
39 min
September 04, 2025 Who gets to own Mexican culture?
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

Get full access to The Mexico Political Economist at www.mxpe.org/subscribe
41 min
August 21, 2025 One company could sink Mexico
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

Get full access to The Mexico Political Economist at www.mxpe.org/subscribe
38 min
August 07, 2025 Mexico's oil company is in trouble. Here's what happened
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

Get full access to The Mexico Political Economist at www.mxpe.org/subscribe
33 min
July 24, 2025 Earthquakes built Mexico
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

Get full access to The Mexico Political Economist at www.mxpe.org/subscribe
36 min
July 10, 2025 Mexico has built police states before
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

Get full access to The Mexico Political Economist at www.mxpe.org/subscribe
38 min
June 26, 2025 Mexico's 5 most famous people
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

Get full access to The Mexico Political Economist at www.mxpe.org/subscribe
41 min
June 12, 2025 Is Mexico a democracy anymore?
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!

Get full access to The Mexico Political Economist at www.mxpe.org/subscribe
28 min