Today, we delve deeper into the heart and soul of these traditional Mexican shops, moving beyond their economic challenges to discover why, despite the presence of globalized convenience stores like Oxxo and 7-Eleven, the local tiendita remains the true pulse of Mexico’s communities.

Adrián Balderas’ family has run a corner store — a traditional Mexican “tiendita” — for generations in Naucalpan, México state. After reading about the foreign fascination with Oxxo, Mexico’s ubiquitous, neon-lit, 24/7 answer to life’s cravings, Adrián spoke to Mexico News Daily about the real soul of Mexican snacking — and life — still found in the neighborhood shop down the street.

These little corner stores, the kind tucked under tin roofs and behind bars of sun-faded metal, do more than sell snacks — or toiletries or office supplies or any number of seemingly endless items. They connect people.

In working-class neighborhoods, the owner will know your name, your kids’ names and probably even your dog’s name — and, if you’re lucky, will have an appropriate treat waiting for your daily visit. In traditional areas, they’ve watched multiple generations of families grow up. 

These stores function as more than just retail, forming an organ of the community they find themselves in. In these stores, recipes are swapped, people debate soccer scores and local news — good or tragic — makes the rounds.

“My grandmother started one year ago,” Adrián explains. “Now, my aunt runs it. It’s the town square, the place locals drift to when something out of the ordinary happens. It’s the place everyone goes to find out what’s going on.” 

It’s not just a sort of living register of births, deaths and marriages in small-town Mexico either. The benefit of a personal relationship between customer and owner means that you can bend the rules a little bit if you’re ever in an hour of need.

“There’s a ritual to it — the ‘fiado’ is a kind of honor-system tab. You come up short, say ‘Can I pay you tomorrow?’ and the owner sizes you up,” Adrián says. “If the trust’s there, you’re good. Break it, and the door quietly closes. No second chance. Try doing that in a supermarket,” he laughs. “This sort of thing could never happen at a chain store.”

Still, there’s no denying the convenience of an Oxxo. It’s fast, it’s everywhere and its inventory is solid, with chips, drinks, toiletries, condoms, aspirin — you name it. What’s on the shelves varies by store size and location. Don’t expect miracles, but you’ll usually walk out with what you need — and possibly even something you didn’t.

A local guide to tiendita tips and tricks

Snacks 

Snacking on a budget is an essential part of life in Mexico. While the minimum wage may have risen under the previous government, so has the cost of living. This means that for most, getting the best bang for your buck is the number one consideration when hitting up the tiendita.

Even accounting for regional varieties, simple treats can be found in basically any one of the hundreds of thousands of tienditas in the country. 

For sudden cravings — especially the kind that hit mid-walk or late-night — go for the BitzJapanese-style peanuts. They’re salty, crunchy, cheap and addictive. Pick your poison: lemon, salted, natural, habanero or flaming hot. Good solo, even better with friends and beer.

Need something more substantial before a party? The microwavable burritos from Lonchibon, Del Cazo or Chata work are an absolute treat. They won’t change your life, but they’ll fill the gap. The Mega Burrito — filled with beans and beef — is my go-to. Warm it in-store, eat it on the move and you’re golden.

Throwing a party on a tight budget? Sabritones are your salvation. These beauties are spicy, tangy chili-lime puffs of pure Mexican nostalgia. Grab the family-size bag and a bottle of Valentina hot sauce — available everywhere, even from street vendors. If heat’s not your thing, there’s always Doritos Nacho or the eternally faithful Sabritas. These are the first casualties at any decent party, so plan accordingly.

Sweet fixes

Now for candy. Spicy tamarind classics like Pelón Pelo Rico are messy, sticky and totally worth it. But my personal favorite are Marimba, a hard cherry lollipop wrapped in spicy tamarind paste. It’s sweet, sour and hits with a slow burn. If tamarind isn’t your thing, then try the cherry lollipop from Rosa. 

A word about change

It’s been said before, but carrying only a 500-peso bill is an absolute rookie move. If you’ve been caught short, then spend at least 80 pesos and snag a drink before you leave. 

That’ll earn you smaller bills and coins, which you’ll want if you’re planning to buy something from a street cart later — you should be planning this. If you’ve gone for a chain store option, Oxxo always takes plastic, but outside of major areas, don’t bet on being able to use your card.

Be prepared

It’s a Boy Scout’s motto. If you’re planning on taking a road trip across Mexico, then know that Oxxo thrives in urban zones. Head out into rural areas, and you might be out of luck. Cash is king out there, especially in markets or local joints. And if you get the chance, buy from the mom-and-pop shops. You’ll find regional snacks and candies you won’t see anywhere else. You’ll taste something real.

Chris Havler-Barrett is the Features Editor at Mexico News Daily. 

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These aren’t all traditional tourism visits, or the state would have handily surpassed Quintana Roo (21 million tourists) as the country’s top tourism destination in 2024. Instead, many were what is known as “border tourists,” meaning those who don’t stay overnight. But any way these visitors are categorized, or the million people who arrived via cruise ships last year, tourism contributed about one billion dollars (19.8 billion pesos) to Baja California’s coffers in 2024, an impressive number.

But perhaps the best recent example of the state’s tourism prowess was the overwhelming success of Tianguis Turístico Mexico (TTM), the 49th edition of which was held in Baja California and San Diego, California, from April 28 to May 1, 2025. 

Tianguis Turistico Mexico in Baja California set records

“What better place than Baja California, the state where the nation begins, to send this message to the world: Mexico is in fashion,” said Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, head of Mexico’s Secretaría de Turismo (Sectur), on the occasion of this year’s TTM, the first-ever binational edition.

That was evident, not only by the fact that the event drew 8,781 participants from 46 nations, or that innumerable deals were done—including the establishment of 35 new flights (28 of them international) to Mexico—but that the TTM set a Guinness World Record for the most people ever to attend a tourism fair in Mexico on a single day (over 7,000). That the event was a rousing success was also seen from the hotel occupancy rates, which hit 98% in Tijuana and 95% in Rosarito.

However, perhaps the biggest long-term announcement locally was that of a new hotel, the Westin Hotel by Marriott, that will open in Tijuana as part of an ambitious 150-million-dollar T10 urban tourism development. The news was announced by the state’s governor, Marina del Pilar Ávila, less than two weeks before the U.S. tourist visas for her and her husband, Carlos Torres Torres, were controversially revoked, the first time that has ever happened to a sitting governor from Mexico.

Opera in the streets of Tijuana

Opera de Tijuana, which was founded in 2000 by María Teresa Riqué and José Medina, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. Considering its goal is not just to promote opera and classical music in the city, but to make it more accessible to the public, it’s hard to think of a better way to commemorate the organization’s ongoing relevance than the return of Opera en la Calle, which has brought the musical artform to close to a quarter of a million people since it premiered in 2004 in Colonia Libertad. The event eventually moved to Calle 11, between Avenida Revolución and Avenida Madero, in 2024, where it will once again be held on Saturday, July 12, 2025, from 3 to 11 p.m.

The origins of this now highly anticipated annual festival (12,000 people attended last year) date to 1994, when one of the festival’s founders, Enrique Fuentes, saw the Daniel Catán and Juan Tovar opera Rappaccini’s Daughter performed in San Diego. By 2001, there was no longer enough room for his friends to watch opera videos or listen to recordings in his house in Tijuana’s Colonia Libertad, so he founded Café de la Opera. By 2004, that was no longer big enough, so he, along with his sister Susy, Maria Teresa Riqué, and a few others, founded the first Opera en la Calle on July 10 of that year at Cine Libertad. 

They weren’t expecting much of a turnout, so they only put out 320 chairs. By 5 p.m., so many people had shown up (about 3,000) that Fuentes began to get scared (per BC Reporteros). “Please don’t let them come anymore! What are we going to do?” In the years since, the Opera en la Calle has seen everything from traditional operas like Carmen, Pagliacci, La Traviata, and La Bohème performed to more contemporary and cross-cultural productions. This year, an estimated 300 artists, along with 50 vendors and an equivalent number of volunteers and staff, will be on hand to continue the long-running and ever-popular event.

The 2025 wine vintage is shaping up to be another good one in BC

Oenophiles can recall from memory legendary Bordeaux vintages like 1945, 1961, and 1982. Baja California wine-growing areas like Valle de Guadalupe don’t yet inspire that kind of reverence, but the state does produce upwards of 70% of all Mexico’s wines, and as Wine Enthusiast notes, it is the country’s “premier wine region.”

Thus, some do track its vintages, with the hopes of a particularly exceptional quality. If you’re one of them, there’s good news: 2025 is shaping up to be another good year for the region’s 80-plus wineries. BC’s wine valleys enjoy a Mediterranean-style climate, with hot days and cool nights providing the consistently large diurnal temperature range (57 to 96 Fahrenheit this June) so important to producing quality grapes. 

Warmer temperatures, it should be noted, concentrate flavors, while cooler ones help retain the acidity necessary for balanced wines and are essential for the development of delicate aromas. Most regional wineries are found within 15 miles of the ocean, which helps, since ocean breezes offer a natural cooling effect.

Cabernet sauvignon and chenin blanc are the most popular among the 40 or so wine grape varieties planted in Baja California vineyards, with the wines they produce notable for their minerality due to terroir and the salinity levels of water in underground wells. Enough rain is expected this year for a lush growing season before the annual harvest in August. Yes, August is early by wine harvesting standards, but the hot regional temperatures accelerate ripening.

So the outlook for quality is good, even though regarding quantity, nothing will likely ever again approach the 13.5 tons per hectare yield recorded in 1982. Yes, 1982 was a legendary vintage in Baja California, too. 

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

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Aguilar, who grew up in the Mixtec community of San Agustín Tlacotepec, gained prominence in the 1990s for his involvement with the Zapatista movement and legal advocacy for indigenous communities. Later, he entered government service, serving as Subsecretary of Indigenous Rights and as General Coordinator of Indigenous Rights at the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI).

 

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His transition from activist to establishment figure has drawn criticism from some indigenous groups, who accuse him of being “corrupted by power.” Aguilar also faces scrutiny for his role in government consultations on controversial megaprojects, including the Tren Maya and Interoceanic Corridor. The United Nations has documented several irregularities in these processes.

Despite Aguilar’s pledge to introduce legal pluralism and integrate indigenous legal systems into the Supreme Court, critics question his impartiality, citing his lack of constitutional law experience and ties to former President López Obrador. His historic appointment raises pressing concerns about the court’s independence and the protection of indigenous rights.

María Melendez returns with the latest episode of our “Who’s Who in Mexican politics” series.

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Welcome to MND Tutor! This interactive learning tool is designed to help you improve your Spanish by exploring real news articles from Mexico News Daily. Instead of just memorizing vocabulary lists or grammar rules, you’ll dive into authentic stories about Mexican culture, current events, and daily life… What better way to learn Spanish?

Today, we’ll begin our language learning journey by talking about — what else — Mexican food. Tomatoes are one of the world’s most popular vegetables, but did you know the original comes from Mexico? Mexico News Daily writer María Meléndez took a look at the classic ingredient as part of her Taste of Mexico series earlier this year.

To get started, choose your level of Spanish:

Choose your level of Spanish
— Choose Level —Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Let us know how you did!

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What does the ARM Cuauhtémoc do?

 

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The Cuauhtémoc functions as a floating cultural embassy, spreading Mexican spirit at all the ports it visits. For more than four decades, it has served as a way for the government to inspire youth, promote Mexico and turn heads at every port it has visited.

But what happened in Brooklyn? Mexico News Daily’s María Meléndez explains what we know so far.

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Mexico News Daily introduces a brand new weekly quiz to keep you on top of what’s happening in Mexico.

Get informed, stay smart.

Are you ready?  Let’s see where you rank vs. our expert community!

What popular YouTuber’s video about Chichén Itzá recently drew scrutiny from the Mexican public and officials?

PewDiePie

Mr Beast

Logan Paul

Dude Perfect

None

What natural disaster has forced evacuations and made headlines in Nuevo León this week?

Flooding

Wildfires

Tornado

Earthquake

None

Which Mexican cartel leader's family surrendered to the U.S. government this week?

Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman

Pablo Escobar

Nemeso "El Mencho" Osguera Cervantes

Juan García Abrego

None

Norway's sovereign welfare fund divested from which Mexican investment this week over allegations of corruption?

Conagua

CFE

Pemex

Grupo Salinas

None

Which Mexican state saw the first baseball match played in the country?

Veracruz

Tamaulipas

Zacatecas

Tlaxcala

None

What did the U.S. recently suspend from Mexico due to screwworm infestations?

Avocado imports

Livestock imports

Car exports

Tourist visas

None

Which Baja California agricultural industry promised to fight U.S. levies on their exports?

Potato

Orange

Grape

Tomato

None

What is the value of the “basket” of 24 essential grocery items that will be capped under a new agreement in Mexico?

800 pesos

910 pesos

1000 pesos

1253 pesos

None

Time's up

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Slim started out as a civil engineer, but by age 25, he was already running his own investment company. When the 1980s economic crisis hit, Slim saw opportunity where others saw disaster. He snapped up struggling businesses like Sanborns and General Tire, building the foundation for his powerhouse conglomerate, Grupo Carso.

 

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But his real game-changer came in 1990. As the Mexican government privatized Telmex, the national phone company, Slim teamed up with international partners to buy a controlling stake. That bold move launched him into the telecom world and paved the way for América Móvil, now the biggest mobile provider in Latin America.

Slim didn’t stop there. He’s invested in everything from construction to mining, and even became the largest individual shareholder of The New York Times by 2015. Today, his companies operate in 49 countries and employ more than 350,000 people.

Always close to the halls of power, Slim is now backing President Sheinbaum’s “Plan Mexico,” promising to invest in infrastructure, energy, and telecommunications to supercharge the country’s growth. He’s a vocal supporter of open investment and stronger ties between Mexico and the U.S. and he believes business can help Mexico beat trade challenges like the Trump tariffs.

In the latest installation of our “Who’s Who” political primer, María Meléndez asks if Carlos Slim could be the secret weapon President Sheinbaum needs to make “Plan Mexico” a reality? Can he help Mexico outsmart global trade hurdles? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!

Mexico News Daily

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Before being appointed to the federal government, González served as Mexico City’s finance minister under then-Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum. She now holds significant sway as chair of the boards of both Pemex and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), making her one of the most powerful voices in the cabinet.

 

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In February, González unveiled the National Electric System Strengthening and Expansion Plan 2025-2030, which allocates US $32.7 billion to modernize and expand the country’s power grid. The goal, she said, is to “ensure that no productive process or investment will be delayed due to a lack of energy.”

Internationally, González has prioritized energy diplomacy, particularly with the United States. In March, she met with U.S. Energy Secretary Christopher Wright at CERAWeek in Houston. The meeting led to agreements on continued cooperation, increased investment in petroleum and natural gas, and streamlined engagement for U.S. companies seeking to invest in Mexico.

Framing energy as “an enabler of development,” González has pledged to cut red tape and facilitate investment. As Mexico faces mounting pressure to modernize infrastructure while transitioning to cleaner energy, her leadership will be central to balancing sovereignty, private capital, and global collaboration.

Whether Mexico can deliver on these promises remains to be seen — but the stakes for its economy are high. Mexico News Daily’s María Meléndez explains what you need to know about another low-profile but high-power government figure.

Mexico News Daily

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Hand-picked to serve at the highest echelons of the Mexican government by the current administration, Rodríguez has had an eventful career in politics since her election to public office in 2000. She has been a long-time campaigner for human rights in the country and has had a number of high-profile posts since her first position in then-Mayor of Mexico City Andres Manuel López Obrador’s cabinet.

Rodríguez has played a central role in shaping cooperation between Mexico and the United States, and crafted a bilateral response towards fighting organized crime and Mexico’s wider drug war. Her prominence as an international politician also meant she was chosen to represent Mexico at the funeral of Pope Francis in April.

Despite her lofty office, however, Rodríguez has proved a divisive figure, with many Mexicans upset by her perceived poor handling of major cases such as the alleged cartel killings in Teuchitlán, Jalisco and continued insecurity throughout areas of Mexico.

María Meléndez explains everything you need to know about one of Mexico’s most powerful political figures, in the latest installment of our “Who’s Who” explainer series.

Mexico News Daily

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