The magazine that analyzes the power of Mexican municipalities in the economy, governance and Mexico's relationship with the world.

Medellín shows that transforming a city does not depend on a spectacular project, but on connecting mobility, territory, social investment, and institutions under a long-term vision. While many Mexican cities are still debating how to coordinate these elements, the Colombian experience offers an increasingly relevant lesson for urban competitiveness. For years, Medellín was viewed internationally primarily as a story of recovery from violence. That interpretation is accurate,

Water scarcity is already beginning to determine where a city can grow, which industries it can accommodate, and how much investment it can sustain. Israel, Singapore, and Tucson demonstrate that making water a long-term strategy can also become a competitive advantage. For decades, many cities measured competitiveness by the industries they could attract, the infrastructure they could build, or the amount of land available for expansion. Today, a far more fundamental variabl

South Korea turned roads, ports, energy, and connectivity into a development policy. Mexico has the resources and a historic industrial opportunity, but it must still guarantee continuity, evaluation, and local capacity. For decades, Mexico has discussed infrastructure as a succession of projects: which highway to build, where to locate an airport, how much to invest in a railway, or which region should receive resources first. South Korea asked a different question: what pro

Estonia shows that digitizing government is not about moving forms online, but about building identity, interoperability and trust. For Mexican municipalities, reducing administrative friction is also a territorial competitiveness policy. In Mexico, paying municipal property tax still largely depends on visiting a service counter. In 2024, of the 2,030 municipalities that collected this tax directly, 1,997 accepted in-person payments. In addition, 1,511 local administrations

For years, Mexico discussed customs as if they were physical gates: booths, ports, yards, lanes, checkpoints, terminals and counters. That interpretation is no longer enough. In the new global economy, a customs office is not merely the place where goods enter or leave a country; it is where a value chain gains time, loses trust or becomes too expensive to compete. Nearshoring changed the conversation. Companies no longer ask only about labor, industrial parks or proximity to

North American competitiveness no longer depends on the USMCA alone. It is decided at border crossings, customs systems, logistics corridors and border cities. The border between Mexico and the United States is no longer a periphery. It is the infrastructure through which North America tests its ability to produce, supply itself and protect itself. At every crossing, a supply chain either gains time, loses money or becomes less reliable. On July 1, 2026, the United States did

In a municipality of fewer than six thousand people, money crossing the border has become household infrastructure. The challenge is not to celebrate it, but to turn the binational relationship into assets, enterprise, and local capacity. Weight is measured by reach, not only by dollars Chiquilistlán cannot be understood only through its Revenue Law. It must also be read through the transfers that cross the border and enter household decisions directly: food, housing, health,

Mexican networks in the United States do more than connect families: they shape access to customers, suppliers, talent, and investment in North America’s new economic map. Mexico Does Not End at the Border The debate over Mexico’s economic future is often confined to ports, industrial parks, roads, and municipal budgets. All of that matters. But it leaves out an infrastructure that does not fit within a single national map: the U.S. cities where Mexican goods are sold, distri

Mexico is part of global value chains… but it does not control them. And in today’s economy, that difference means everything. The world no longer produces for efficiency. It now produces for survival. Geopolitical tensions, logistical disruptions, and economic security concerns have shattered the linear model that dominated for decades. Today, value chains no longer follow predictable routes: they are designed, negotiated, and defended. In 2025, global trade surpassed $32

Latin America is not losing competitiveness because of a lack of investment. It is losing it because it does not know how to move that investment. That is the uncomfortable paradox few want to acknowledge: growth exists, capital is arriving, yet logistics—the invisible infrastructure that connects everything—remains the weakest link. For years, the region’s economic narrative revolved around manufacturing, natural resources, and macroeconomic stability. Today, that conversa