Unlike the July 4 and July 20 protests, Saturday’s march wasn’t significantly marred by violence, with city authorities reporting that it concluded “without incidents.”

¡Los #chilangos siguen con su protesta ante la #gentrificación! Por tercera ocasión marcharon en las calles de la #CDMX. pic.twitter.com/qG8zplie1M

— El Sol de México (@elsolde_mexico) July 27, 2025

The “Third March Against Gentrification” began at the Benito Juárez Hemicycle in the Alameda Central Park in the historic center of Mexico City on Saturday afternoon.

The protesters — including many university students — walked to the Zócalo, the capital’s central square, and subsequently returned to the departure point before the march concluded at the nearby Juárez metro station, the Mexico City government said in a statement.

The government said that the march “took place peacefully” and noted that “various collectives” and citizens expressed their “rejection of the phenomenon of social displacement and the increase in the cost of housing in different areas of the city.”

The protesters had planned to march to the United States Embassy on Mexico City’s famous Paseo de la Reforma boulevard, but took a last-minute decision to change the route.

On Friday, the U.S. Embassy issued a “security alert” ahead of the protest.

“Previous [anti-gentrification] demonstrations occurred in the Roma and Condesa neighborhoods on July 4 and the Tlalpan neighborhood on July 20. Some in those groups vandalized property and threw rocks at people perceived to be foreigners. U.S. government personnel are advised to avoid the demonstration area,” it said.

As anti-gentrification sentiment grows, a second Mexico City march targets World Cup speculation

Foreigners, especially U.S. citizens, have been blamed for causing, or at least exacerbating, gentrification in certain neighborhoods of Mexico City, such as Roma and Condesa.

‘Decent housing for Mexicans’; ‘Get out Airbnb!’

Among the placards held up by protesters during Saturday’s march were ones that read, “Decent housing for Mexicans”; “Get out Airbnb”; “The [historic] center is not for sale; and “Our neighborhood is not a warehouse.”

The final message alluded to the fact that scores of buildings in the historic center of Mexico City have been turned into warehouses to store goods sold at Chinese-operated shopping plazas.

Protesters also denounced the ubiquity of short-term accommodation in Mexico City’s downtown and other parts of the capital.

“Many buildings that were [long-term rental] apartments, offices or hotels before have been turned into properties exclusively dedicated to short-term rentals, Airbnbs in other words,” a young man identified only as Leonardo told the newspaper Reforma.

“In that process, families have been displaced,” he said.

The news outlet Sin Embargo reported that protesters also chanted anti-United States slogans during Saturday’s march. “To gentrify is to colonize,” said a message scrawled in graffiti on a roller shutter protecting a shop.

As was the case at the previous anti-gentrification protests this month, some demonstrators carried Palestine flags to demonstrate their support for the besieged residents of Gaza and their opposition to Israel.

At the end of the protest, members of the collective Frente Joven por la Vivienda (Youth Front for Housing) pledged to “defend our neighborhoods, our histories and our way of living,” Sin Embargo reported.

“… What unites us is not just anger, but also our hope for a better tomorrow,” they said, adding that they would continue their fight until “living in dignity isn’t a privilege, but a right.”

Weapons seized and Metro station vandalized 

While the Mexico City government reported that the march took place peacefully and concluded “without incidents,” it did acknowledge that police seized “various objects” that “could have been used to attack or cause damage to public furniture.”

The seized items included bats, chains and a hammer as well as a “backpack that contained a Molotov cocktail and aerosol paint,” the government said.

The confiscation of the weapons reportedly provoked scuffles between police and protesters.

The Mexico City government noted in its statement that police and other officials accompanied the protesters during the entire march. The government said that their presence — which was opposed by the protesters — prevented “confrontations” and encouraged “an orderly and safe protest.”

However, police and other officials were unable to stop a group of protesters from defacing parts of the interior of the Juárez metro station with graffiti.

Gentrification — an issue that isn’t going away 

Saturday’s march came two weeks after Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada announced that her government would create thousands of affordable housing units as part of a long-term strategy to tackle gentrification.

Last October, Mexico City’s Congress approved a reform that established a 180-day-per-year limit on online vacation rentals, including Airbnb, and prohibited government-built social housing from being rented to tourists via online rental platforms.

Such initiatives have been unsuccessful in quelling long-brewing anger about gentrification in Mexico City. Protesters on Saturday even accused the government of supporting the process of gentrification in the capital.

Although protests against gentrification have been held in Mexico City before this month — including one in November 2022 after then-mayor Claudia Sheinbaum entered into an agreement with Airbnb to promote the capital to digital nomads — the three demonstrations in quick succession in July indicate that the aforementioned anger is only growing.

Sheinbaum — Mexico’s president since last October and mayor of Mexico City when a wave of remote work-induced migration to the capital took place during the COVID-19 pandemic — recently acknowledged that “the phenomenon of gentrification must be addressed,” while denouncing xenophobia in the first protest this month.

According to the Youth Front for Housing, the “next step” in the fight against gentrification in the capital will be the staging of the first “Regional Conference against Gentrification and Dispossession” at the National Autonomous University (UNAM) on Saturday, Aug. 9.

Members of the collective said they aren’t against change per se, but are opposed to “change that excludes and erases us.”

“Gentrification is not development,” they said. “It’s dispossession disguised as progress.”

With reports from Sin Embargo, La Jornada, CNN en Español, Excélsior, Reforma, El Universal and El Financiero

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This anger is manifesting itself here in Mexico in different places and in different ways. I have recently seen “Gringo Go Home” graffiti in multiple cities in Mexico. The recent anti-gentrification protest in Mexico City drew a lot of attention to the impact of Americans increasingly coming to the city to live or vacation. A recent poll by Pew Research shows that the percentage of Mexicans who view the U.S. negatively has skyrocketed from 31% to 69% in just the past few months. Even here at MND, a day hardly goes by without our team receiving a request to invoice in either Mexican pesos or Canadian dollars — people are so angry that they don’t even want to pay in USD!

The “golden cage” of San Miguel de Allende: A local perspective on gentrification in the worlds best city

When I talk to Mexicans about their thoughts on the United States and its citizens right now, they are often quick to share their feelings. Whether it be the topic of tariffs, deportations, taxes on remittances or the border wall, there is real sadness, disappointment, anger and even fear. Most Mexicans feel that they have been an important part of the U.S. — historically, economically and culturally — and right now they feel that their neighbor is letting them down (to put it mildly).

So what can us Americans do? Whether you’re living in Mexico, traveling to Mexico for work or vacation, or even staying in your home country, here are a few thoughts.

1. Be mindful of media and “expert” biases. I have seen multiple U.S. news reports attempting to compare the anti-gentrification protests in Mexico City to what ICE is doing in the United States with Mexicans. In other words, dramatically oversimplifying the issue and trying to create the false narrative that in both countries, they want foreigners out. That simply isn’t true in either country but it does, of course, lead to fear in the U.S. community that they might be unsafe in Mexico or the victims of violence against them. I have even heard “Mexico experts” (consultants based in CDMX and Washington, D.C.) mentioning a potential “black swan event” of violence in Mexico against Americans. We as consumers of information have to be more alert than ever that the motivations of these news organizations and consultants are different than ours. They are looking for more views, more clicks, or more consulting gigs. Genuinely informing or educating you is not their objective. In their minds, fear sells — and fear means more business for them.

2. Understand that you are an ambassador of your home country. The way you talk, the way you treat others, the way you listen, the amount you tip, the effort you make to speak a little Spanish or smile when asking if the other person speaks English — all are a reflection of not only you, but also your home country. Now more than ever it is important to be cognizant of this and aware of the weight and impact of your actions. This isn’t to say that you should change who you are or how you act, but it is to say that you would be foolish to not think that you are being observed and analyzed now more than ever. What do I mean by that? I think many Mexicans are genuinely hurt by what the U.S. is doing to them right now. As a result, through what in many cases are limited interactions with Americans, many Mexicans are trying to assess how much of that pain to credit to the U.S. government versus average U.S. citizens. Your actions will directly shape how that person makes that assessment.

3. Make an extra effort to make a positive impact on Mexico and its people, one interaction at a time. What does this mean? It can mean any of a million different things. If you don’t travel to Mexico, it might mean doing things like buying Mexican products in your local grocery store — like fruit, vegetables, beer or tequila. It might mean supporting local Mexican businesses in your community, knowing that a portion of your purchase is very likely being sent back to Mexico in the form of remittances to support family members. If you are a vacationer in Mexico, it might mean not cancelling your trip based on the fear mongering that you saw on the news. It might mean prioritizing Mexico for your next vacation. If you are a person that does business in Mexico, it might mean staying the course on your planned investments or new hire decisions despite the near constant economic noise being created.

In summary, it means being aware that your actions can either help counteract or help reinforce the perceptions Mexicans have of U.S. citizens. It’s more important now than ever to show Mexico, and the world, who we are as individual Americans.

For some people, that means making a real sacrifice and commitment of time, experience and money. Read my article next week as I profile a group of U.S.-based medical professionals doing incredible volunteer work in Mexico, one small child at a time. It is a story that is guaranteed to inspire you!

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

The post With Mexicans feeling let down by the United States, what can YOU do about it? A perspective from our CEO appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Under “Order 1 for a Livable and Affordable City with Identity and Local Roots,” officials announced measures to cap rent increases, create a rental price index, and regulate Airbnb and other short-term rentals.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada lauded the Housing Master Plan, which also includes an initiative to create thousands of new, affordable rental units that she announced last week.

“We have made a firm decision: to confront gentrification through public policies focused on housing justice,” she said. 

She cited examples in Berlin, London and Rome where rent stabilization policies have helped preserve affordable housing, adding that “there are areas [in Mexico City] where rent prices have doubled from one year to the next, reaching increases of 100% without objective justification.”

This increase, she said, “leads to the expulsion of residents who have lived in the neighborhoods their entire lives.”

The push for new regulations in Mexico City comes amid rising demonstrations, such as a recent protest against gentrification in the Condesa neighborhood.

The ordinance — which aims to protect residents’ rights while fostering stable, inclusive communities in rapidly evolving urban neighborhoods — names 14 key actions.

These include establishing a Reasonable Rental Price Index to gauge fair rents based on factors such as property value, location and local income levels.

The government will also enforce a law enacted in 2024 prohibiting rent increases beyond last year’s inflation rate, create a new Office of the Tenant Rights Ombudsman to protect renters from eviction abuses, and propose a “Fair, Reasonable and Affordable Rent Act” to formalize rent controls.

Aiming to reduce inequality and control real-estate speculation, the plan targets neighborhoods in the Cuauhtémoc and Miguel Hidalgo boroughs — areas facing the steepest rent hikes. 

“It will include the Hipódromo, Condesa, Juárez, Roma Norte, Roma Sur, Doctores and Buenos Aires neighborhoods in Cuauhtémoc, and in Miguel Hidalgo Escandón in its two sections, and San Miguel Chapultepec first and second sections,” explained Mexico City  Planning and Territorial Development Minister Alejandro Encinas.

Additionally, the government aims to boost construction of affordable public housing and provide support programs for vulnerable groups like single mothers and seniors.

Experts note the city’s chronic housing shortage fuels gentrification, with six in 10 residents living in overcrowded homes.

Federico Sobrino, president of the Mexico chapter of the International Federation of Real Estate Agents (FIABCI), said the underlying problem is not Airbnb or foreigners, but rather the lack of new housing in the capital .

“The solution is to allow construction,” he said. “There are those who want to invest in it, but the permit process is closed. This would be perfectly viable if the mayoralties were given the power, but we don’t want to lose central control and all the revenue it entails. This dynamic forces people to move to peripheral areas.”

He said that over the past 15 years, 75% of people in Mexico City who have received housing loans through Infonavit (the Institute of the National Housing Fund for Workers) have been using their loans in the State of México, due to the high cost of purchasing a home in CDMX.

These types of Infonavit loans are intended to help workers buy, build or improve an existing home, making home ownership more accessible.

Though landlords are generally wary of rent controls, real estate professionals acknowledge the need for mechanisms to balance tenant protections and property owners’ interests.

Brugada said that all measures and actions aimed at curbing gentrification in Mexico City “will be discussed with all those who wish to contribute, debate, propose and discuss this issue.”

She added that there will be working groups, forums and meetings — noting that she has already invited the leaders of anti-gentrification marches to participate.

With reports from El Economista, El Universal and Chilango.com

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I have mixed feelings about the foreign community living in the city. On one hand, I believe that having foreigners live in San Miguel has enriched the community enormously. But I also feel deep sadness at not being able to imagine the house of my dreams in San Miguel because the costs are extremely high. So are food, services and other products that you  find cheaper elsewhere. In some ways, living in San Miguel is like living in a golden cage. 

Gentrification in San Miguel has pros and cons alike. Let’s delve into them.

The negative

Displacement of traditions

Those of us who live in San Miguel know the tradition of Friday of Sorrows, the Friday before Holy Week, when owners of San Miguel’s houses open their doors to the public, set up an altar dedicated to the Virgin of Sorrows and give visitors flavored water, popsicles and ice cream. But every year, I have watched as fewer and fewer houses set up their altars downtown. 

The typical altars I remember from my childhood have gradually disappeared. Why? Because San Miguel natives no longer live downtown. The people who live there now are foreigners who do not participate in these traditions. San Miguel natives, displaced to neighborhoods and areas farther from the center, have taken the city’s classic traditions with them.

Racism from Mexicans towards Mexicans

Although foreigners are not to blame for this, but rather the Mexican mentality of inferiority, I have witnessed countless times racism or bad treatment of Mexicans by other Mexicans, and the preference some have for foreigners, especially in restaurants where they prefer to serve foreigners rather than their own people. Sometimes I feel that some Mexicans perceive ourselves as second-class and that foreigners are at a higher level — perhaps because the idea of a caste system is still deeply rooted in our subconscious.

Exorbitant housing prices

This is what annoys me most about how beautiful and popular San Miguel is: housing prices have skyrocketed. Outside real estate offices, it’s normal to see house listings priced in millions of dollars. It’s unthinkable to imagine that, with my Mexican salary, I could afford a house in the city I grew up in. The saddest part of this reality is that those houses once belonged to the grandparents of someone I know. It was once normal to go to your aunt’s house two blocks away, but now most people living downtown are foreigners, and San Miguel natives are increasingly displaced to small, expensive homes on the city’s outskirts. All I ask of the government and developers is to create nice, nearby, and affordable subdivisions for San Miguel’s middle class.

Foreigners who do not adapt

San Miguel is a city full of festivities: fireworks here, noise there, music and dancing everywhere, especially during the feast of Saint Michael, the famous Alborada. Many foreigners enjoy and take part in this excitement, but others don’t adapt and complain about the noise. Without its fiestas, San Miguel would lose its identity and essence. Rather than complain, I think foreigners who decide to live in San Miguel should learn why there is that noise and the meaning of the festivals.

Along the same lines, some people have not adapted to Mexican culture. Many expect things to be done exactly — or very similarly — as in their home countries, but Mexico is a completely different country from the U.S. or the countries of Europe when it comes to bureaucracy. I’m not saying I love it; there are many things I wish were different, but you can’t get upset because things aren’t done exactly how you expect. Mexico teaches you patience, enjoying the journey, and slowing down. My recommendation is that before deciding to live in Mexico, you get to know it and accept it — with all its positives and negatives.

“Se habla español”

Since I was a child, I wondered, why do Mexicans have to learn English to communicate with foreigners in our country if we live in Mexico and speak Spanish? Speaking English opens doors worldwide and because it is the lingua franca of our times, but it strikes me that we as Mexicans make a great effort to communicate with foreigners in English, and even feel ashamed if we don’t speak it well, while a percentage of foreigners living in San Miguel don’t even make the minimum effort to learn Spanish — and instead get upset and frustrated if you don’t speak English to understand them. Friends, the least you can do if you are in this country is to learn some basic Spanish to communicate with your neighbor or market vendors. With MND Tutor, you can learn easily and in a fun way. I’m sure that by learning Spanish you will discover a new and interesting worldview.

There are also positive aspects of foreigners concentrating in San Miguel, and this community has made important contributions to the city.

The positive

Rentals and businesses benefit from foreigners

On the one hand, I complain about the high housing prices, but on the other, I see that the sale and rental of houses have benefited hundreds of San Miguel natives, including my family, which has rented a house to Americans for more than 20 years and thanks to that rent, my three siblings and I were able to cover university expenses. Those who invest in restaurants, hotels, rent their houses, offer their services have benefited from the arrival of foreigners to the city and helped the economy move.

New festivals

Some traditions have been displaced, like Friday of Sorrows, but others are born from the union of Mexicans and foreigners, like the GIFF film festival, initiated by Sarah Hoch, a foreigner residing in San Miguel. I have practically grown up with this festival, and since I was little, I remember the excitement of watching open-air films. Participating in this festival allowed me to meet film directors from other countries at El Gato Negro — a famous bar in San Miguel — watch short films and feature films that inspired me to create art as well, and discover very interesting projects. There are also music festivals like Jazz & Blues, the Chamber Music Festival, Opera San Miguel, organized by foreigners or Mexicans from other parts of Mexico, enriching those who enjoy them.

Newcomers promote arts and culture

As I mentioned before, San Miguel has benefited from foreigners living here by having various festivals, but not only that — it has become an art mecca. This city attracts many artists, some more well-known than others, such as Joy Laville, an English artist, Leonora Carrington, Leonard and Reva Brooks, and Mexican artists like Rufino Tamayo, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Diego Rivera. What city in the world can boast of having seen such figures pass through at different times? It is very inspiring to see galleries everywhere, streets with beautiful murals, and cultural events everywhere.

The generosity of foreigners crosses borders

The vast majority of foreign residents in San Miguel are retired Americans and Canadians who come to Mexico for a second lease on life. With enough time and resources, they have created dozens of nonprofit organizations that help those in need, such as Patronato Pro Niños, which offers medical, dental, and psychological services to low-income children. Or the Special Education School of San Miguel de Allende (EEESMA), which provides quality education to children with hearing problems.

Recently, I met Dr. Billy Williams from Kids First Orthopaedics, and I was moved to hear what he does for children born with orthopedic problems. A group of volunteer doctors comes twice a year from the United States to treat and operate on children born with malformations, transforming their lives forever.

The Biblioteca Pública A.C. is another clear example of foreigners supporting the San Miguel community. Helen Wale, a foreign resident of San Miguel, found that the city needed a library, so she decided to found one. This library has operated for over 70 years with the help of foreign and Mexican volunteers who give their time, money and effort to keep it running. And it isn’t just a library—it also offers art workshops, English classes, scholarships for youth and children, and many recreational activities.

San Miguel’s prominence as an arts center has much to do with the fact that in the 20th century, the American Stirling Dickinson promoted art in San Miguel together with Felipe Cossio del Pomar, a Peruvian. Simply put, the city would not be the same without the collaboration of all these foreigners and many others who have been part of the city’s history.

Mexico News Daily

I have a job thanks to foreigners in San Miguel. Travis and Tamanna Bembenek decided to come here and invest in a newspaper whose mission is to show how incredible Mexico is. Without these foreigners, I probably wouldn’t be enjoying life with my family here; I would instead be in a big city as part of my career. It is an honor for me to be part of this project that highlights the most beautiful aspects of Mexico, teaching that Mexico is not just violence and drugs but culture, tradition, good people, investments, joy, family, unity, gastronomy, and many things that make me proud to be Mexican.

Without a doubt, San Miguel de Allende is what it is thanks to its people. Mexicans from Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Querétaro and León. Foreigners from the United States, Canada, Spain, England, China and Germany. We all make this small place the best city in the world. Everyone is welcome — you just have to open your eyes and connect with the city that hosts you.

María Ruiz is the Director of Digital Marketing at Mexico News Daily. She enjoys photographing her hometown of San Miguel de Allende in her spare time.

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