Author Archives: Stephen Woodman
How former Mexican president Vicente Fox became a drug legalization trailblazer
The tiny Mexican village of San Cristóbal is not somewhere you would immediately associate with North America’s cannabis revolution. Smoking weed is still illegal there and there are no headshops in town, just a sleepy plaza ringed by narrow, cobblestone … Continue reading
Index on Censorship podcast interview about violence against journalists in Baja California Sur
I spoke to Index on Censorship about press freedom and violence in Baja California Sur ahead of their forthcoming issue.
Posted in Crime
Tagged Baja California Sur, Index on Censorship, Journalism, Mexico, violence against journalists
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Murky business: A hunt for answers as children fall sick around Mexico lake
AGUA CALIENTE, Mexico (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Eduardo Baltazar is the youngest person in the tiny Mexican village of Agua Caliente to have a kidney transplant, undergoing the life-saving surgery a month shy of his 13th birthday. The boy is … Continue reading
Mexican church seizes on St. Jude to counter Santa Muerte cult
GUADALAJARA, MEXICO — A few days after a group of armed men kidnapped her 27-year-old son, María set up a shrine to St. Jude Thaddeus at her home in Guadalajara, western Mexico. “I keep photos, candles and holy water at the … Continue reading
High-tech manufacturers fear robots and Nafta renegotiations
Had Leonardo Castro been born two decades earlier, he would almost certainly have migrated north to the US in search of better opportunities, he says. Instead, the 31-year-old was able to build a career as an aircraft test engineer in … Continue reading
Fintechs could take 30% of Mexican banking market
With long queues, high fees and low cash machine coverage, Mexican banks have a reputation for poor customer service. A recent Gallup poll found that more than three in four customers were indifferent to, or unhappy with their bank. This … Continue reading
The narco-trafficker next door
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Gabriela Navarro, who lives in an exclusive gated community in southern Guadalajara, suspects three locals of having ties to one of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels. She bases this belief on their unconventional working hours, unexplained wealth, … Continue reading
How a skeleton folk saint of death took off with Mexican transgender women
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Betzy Ballesteros, a 26-year-old transgender sex worker, keeps a shrine to Santa Muerte, the skeleton folk saint, in her home. Surrounding the statue are candles, candy and the grainy photos of several friends who were murdered and … Continue reading
City of Song – vallenato music in Cartagena
The humidity was the first thing I noticed as I stepped from the plane in Cartagena, Colombia. The bear hug embrace of the Caribbean air was so implausibly powerful that it was difficult to believe that locals didn’t still find … Continue reading
America’s soccer migrants: the US footballers crossing Mexico’s border – video
I worked as a fixer on this video for The Guardian.
The Mexican Labyrinth 