The Mexpat Interview

Since Trump returned to office, headlines about “historic” and “unprecedented” events in the drug war (and everything else) have come fast and furious. How much of this signals we are witnessing a new era of the drug war? What is truly unprecedented and what is déjà vu? My guest in this episode is Benjamin T. Smith , professor of Latin American history at the University of Warwick and author of “T...

My guest in this episode is Alejandra Ibarra Chaoul , an award-winning investigative journalist and author whose work has focused on violence against reporters in Mexico, freedom of expression and other human rights issues. Our conversation covers her experience reporting on the trial of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, her project cataloguing the published work of murdered journalists, and how the work...

President Claudia Sheinbaum (accompanied by Salma Hayek) recently presented a proposed reform to the country’s film law to incentivize more national production and screening of Mexican films, and to attract investment. What does this mean for Mexico’s film industry, which has suffered in recent years from budget cuts to cultural programs? How does this position Mexico globally in film production?...

My guest in this episode is Alex González Ormerod , founder of The Mexico Political Economist and author of “La derecha no existe (pero ahí está)” which explores the state of the political right in Mexico. The book combines history, political philosophy and reportage to show how the disarray of the right is not only a problem for Mexican conservatives, but for Morena itself. In this conversation,...

In this episode of The Mexpat Interview, I talk to former journalist and research professor Andrew Paxman , author of “Mexican Watchdogs: The Rise of a Critical Press since the 1980s,” about the historically co-dependent relationship between the press and the government, the more recent evolution of a free press and the threats it faces today in Mexico. Episode Notes: * You can order a copy of And...

A conversation with reporter Sam Quinones , author of “Dreamland” and "The Least of Us,” about how the shift from plant-based to synthetic illicit drugs has supercharged both addiction and trafficking profits, and how he thinks unchecked capitalism has contributed to the expansion of an addiction economy—legal and illegal—in the world today. Episode Notes * Subscribe to Sam’s The Dreamland Newslet...

A conversation with photojournalist and filmmaker Janet Jarman about her years documenting Mexican midwives and how their struggle for recognition and for the dignity of birthing women is also a bigger human rights story. Janet’s forthcoming book “Birth Wars: In Search of Dignity” is available for pre-order here . Learn more about the film “Birth Wars” and where to watch it here . Get full access...

A conversation with Dr. Cristina Valdiosera, a Mexican molecular archaeologist who is leading a multi-disciplinary study of the “ mestizaje ” called AdMEXture. To learn more about AdMEXTure, visit this page: https://www.instagram.com/admexture/ Get full access to The Mexpatriate at www.themexpatriate.com/subscribe

My guest in this interview is Wilka Roig , an end-of-life doula originally from Puerto Rico who is based in Mexico. We discuss the ancient history of accompaniment of the dying and our modern disconnection from death, the roots of Day of the Dead, the first “green” burial site in Latin America, access to palliative care and much more. Get full access to The Mexpatriate at www.themexpatriate.com/su...