Author: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht

The Six-Square-Meter Trade-Off: Why Young Mexico City Residents Are Sacrificing Space for Location

Facing ever increasing rents, young people in Mexico City are opting for smaller and smaller apartments close to work instead of larger residences further afield.

In Mexico City, a growing number of young people are making a stark calculation. They are choosing to live in apartments as small as six square meters (under 65 square feet) in order to remain in central, safer neighborhoods with good access to transport and work. For many, the trade-off is simple: less space for a better location.

According to data cited by local media, the average monthly rent in Mexico City now exceeds 800 dollars, while the average monthly salary is around 400 dollars. This gap forces young professionals to make difficult choices. A 2023 financial health survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography found that nearly 70 percent of young people between 18 and 29 years old live with financial stress, a condition that affects both mental health and daily decision-making.

The housing crisis in the capital has been driven by multiple factors. An estimated deficit of over 350,000 housing units exists in Mexico City and its metropolitan area, according to CONAVI data. At the same time, the rise of short-term rental platforms and an influx of digital nomads—many earning in dollars or euros—have pushed prices upward in formerly affordable neighborhoods like Roma, Condesa, and Juárez. One study cited by local activists noted that rent prices in some central areas increased by nearly 50 percent over a four-year period.

Faced with this reality, young renters have adapted. Some live in converted rooftop rooms, known locally as “cuartos de azotea,” which are often poorly insulated and lack proper ventilation. Others rent micro-apartments where the bed is on a mezzanine level with barely one meter of headroom, making it impossible to stand up. Kitchens are reduced to a single counter with a sink and a mini-fridge. Bathrooms measure barely more than one meter by 80 centimeters.

Urban sociology experts from the National Autonomous University of Mexico point out that young people today do not have access to the same housing opportunities as their parents’ generation. Stable salaries, government-backed mortgages, and employer credit programs have largely disappeared for entry-level workers. As one sociologist explained, access to housing in Mexico City is becoming “repatrimonialized”—meaning that independence often depends on inherited wealth or direct family support.

The city government has responded with a 14-point plan announced by Mayor Clara Brugada in July 2025, which includes rent controls, an anti-eviction measure, and a proposed investment of over 600 million pesos to build or renovate 20,000 rental units. The plan prioritizes young people, single mothers, and workers commuting to central areas. However, real estate associations have criticized the rent control approach, citing examples from Paris and Berlin where such measures led to reduced housing supply and legal disputes.

Despite these efforts, activists argue that the measures are insufficient and come too late. The Front for Youth Housing, an anti-gentrification organization founded in April 2025, has staged multiple protests in central neighborhoods, arguing that the root problem is structural, not temporary. Young people are not just looking for any roof. They are looking for a place where they can sleep, study, cook, and invite a friend over—basic activities that a six-square-meter space barely allows.

For now, many continue to accept the compromise. They live without dining tables, without closets, without space for more than a few pairs of shoes. They store sweaters in kitchen cabinets and work from their beds. The arrangement is not ideal, but for those who prioritize safety, mobility, and proximity to work, it has become the only viable option in a city where central location has become a luxury good.

April 16, 2026
New Rule to Officially Allow Uber Pickups at Mexico City Airport

Mexico’s most important airport seems to be on the verge of finally getting its act together when it comes to ride-sharing services.

For a long time, travelers at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) have faced a problem. They could use ride-sharing apps like Uber, DiDi, or InDrive to get to the airport, but not to leave. This was because government and airline rules allowed only authorized airport taxis to pick up passengers.

That situation is changing. The federal government has announced a new plan to create legal pickup zones for ride-sharing platforms. This is part of a solution to end conflicts between app drivers, airport taxis, and the authorities.

How Will the New Pickup System Work?

The new system will not allow Uber or DiDi to pick up passengers directly outside the main exits of Terminals 1 and 2. Instead, the government is creating a special waiting area for these vehicles.

This designated zone is located between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, about an eight-minute walk from both buildings. The space has covered seating and is watched over by security personnel.

The government plans to offer a free public-transport shuttle to take passengers directly from the terminals to the new ride-sharing pickup zone.

Why Are These Changes Happening?

There are two main reasons for this change. First, there has been tension between app drivers and traditional airport taxi drivers. The taxi drivers pay for federal concessions and have blocked airport roads to protest what they see as unfair competition. The government wants to establish order and reduce these conflicts.

Second, Mexico is preparing to host the FIFA World Cup. Millions of tourists will arrive at the airport, and the government needs to provide more transportation options. Officials want to solve this problem before the event begins on June 11.

What About the Current Rules?

Currently, app drivers can face fines from the National Guard for picking up passengers at the airport. The government says ride-sharing services do not have federal permission to operate inside the airport zone.

Uber has argued that it has a legal injunction, or amparo, that protects its drivers. However, the government clarifies that this court order only stops arbitrary arrests; it does not give the company a permit to operate at the airport.

The new plan is an attempt to solve this legal gray area by moving the pickups to a location where the apps can operate without breaking federal rules.

When Will This Start?

Officials have already started adapting the space for the new pickup zone. The government is currently in talks with ride-sharing companies like Uber, DiDi, and InDrive to finalize the details. The new pickup zones are likely to be completed before the FIFA World Cup begins.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed the strategy. She also mentioned that the government will review the high prices charged by concessionaire taxis to make them more fair for riders.

Travelers in other cities are calling for similar rules, especially at airports like Cancún and Tulum, where taxi drivers are notorious for overcharging.

April 15, 2026
Mexican Telecom Giant Televisa Bets on Starlink

Televisa and Starlink look to shake up Mexico’s telecommunications industry by bypassing the “last mile” problem.

In a move that signals a major shift in Mexican telecommunications, Grupo Televisa has officially cast its lot with Elon Musk. Through its subsidiary Bestel, the media giant has signed a commercial agreement with Starlink to become a reseller of its satellite services, specifically targeting the business sector.

This is not a deal about connecting homes in Mexico City. Instead, it focuses on the “Direct to Device” connectivity model. This technology allows standard mobile phones and Internet of Things devices to connect directly to low-orbit satellites without needing ground towers. For the first time, a major Mexican conglomerate can offer clients the ability to make calls or send data from the middle of the Sonoran Desert, the mountains of Chihuahua, or maritime zones without installing a single physical pole.

For Bestel, which built its reputation on a vast fiber optic network and manages Sky’s satellite services, the logic is purely economic. Federico Garcés, Bestel’s Deputy Director of Enterprise Products, stated that the goal is to ensure business continuity where traditional infrastructure is limited. The deal allows Televisa to bypass the brutal costs of “last mile” implementation. In the telecom industry, the last mile is the most expensive part of connectivity. By utilizing Starlink, Bestel can now offer immediate coverage to mining companies, logistics firms, and government offices without digging trenches or stringing cable across difficult terrain.

The Hybrid Network Effect

The strategy Televisa is pursuing is integration rather than replacement. Bestel is not abandoning its fiber; it is augmenting it. The company is now selling “hybrid architectures” where a business might use Bestel’s fiber for daily heavy lifting but switch to Starlink for redundancy or to connect a remote warehouse. This makes the company a one-stop shop for connectivity, solving the problem of the “last mile” by eliminating the mile entirely.

The “last mile problem” refers to the high cost and logistical difficulty of connecting a physical fiber optic cable or cell tower directly to a business or home located in a remote area. Building infrastructure across deserts, mountains, or national parks is often economically unviable. Starlink solves this by bypassing physical construction entirely, using satellites to deliver connectivity directly to the customer’s location.

This move puts Bestel in a competitive race with other local players who have already recognized Starlink’s dominance. Globalsat, another Mexican satellite firm, also decided to resell Starlink services to stay relevant. However, Televisa’s scale changes the equation. With a sales force already embedded in the corporate world and a massive existing client base, Televisa can accelerate the adoption of satellite technology much faster than smaller niche players.

The Shifting Power Dynamic

The agreement alters the landscape for Mexico’s telecommunications industry in two specific ways. First, it solidifies Starlink’s victory in the government procurement space. Under the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the state-owned CFE Telecomunicaciones awarded Starlink contracts worth up to 1.556 billion pesos to bring internet to underserved areas. Now, with Televisa acting as a private sector arm, Starlink’s footprint will expand beyond state-led initiatives into the profitable private sector.

Second, it forces traditional carriers to compete against the sky. Currently, Starlink claims a user base of approximately 160,000 in Mexico, a number that is likely to explode following this alliance. For existing incumbent operators, the threat is no longer just about remote villages; it is about losing high-value corporate accounts. A bank with branches in rural areas, a logistics fleet, or a construction firm can now bypass traditional telcos entirely and buy a seamless fiber-satellite package from Televisa.

However, the deal is not without challenges. Previous government contracts between Mexican entities and Starlink have faced scrutiny. In 2025, the Superior Audit of the Federation discovered that nearly 40% of Starlink services installed for the CFE were out of service or pending activation. While Bestel claims it will offer superior integration and support, the alliance highlights a dependency on a foreign provider whose constellation, while vast, is controlled entirely by Musk. As of 2026, Starlink operates over 10,000 active satellites, representing more than 60% of the global active fleet.

April 14, 2026
The Slow and Steady Rise of Women’s Soccer in Mexico

A mural in the changing room for Las Rayadas de Monterrey portrays a player in an astronaut uniform—waiting metaphorically for her change to take the next great leap. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / MxTrib

For most of its history, women’s soccer in Mexico barely registered in the public consciousness. That has started to change. The sport is growing, slowly but steadily, fueled by a simple fact that is hard to ignore: the women’s national team has been performing at a higher level than the men’s team in several international tournaments.

Mexico’s women have qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup three times, in 1999, 2011, and 2015. The men’s team has qualified for more tournaments overall, but the women have matched or exceeded the men’s results in several Concacaf regional competitions. The women have finished as runners-up in the Concacaf W Championship twice, in 1998 and 2010. More significantly, the women reached the quarterfinals of the 2004 Olympics, a stage the men’s team has not reached since 2012. In 2031, Mexico will host the Women’s World Cup, and the director of Liga MX Femenil has stated publicly that she believes Mexico’s women will win that tournament before the men ever win theirs. Whether or not that prediction comes true, the confidence reflects a real shift in perception.

Audiences have noticed. Liga MX Femenil, the professional women’s league, launched in 2017. As of 2025, it is the third-most-attended women’s soccer league in the world, trailing only the United States’ NWSL and Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga. Average attendance sits near 3,100 spectators per match, and total viewership grew by nearly 177% between 2021 and 2023. The league has expanded its broadcast presence to free platforms like YouTube and TikTok, drawing over 22 million views across digital and television platforms during the Clausura 2025 tournament alone. One telling statistic: women’s team jerseys have started to outsell men’s jerseys at some clubs, like Monterrey.

Las Rayadas de Monterrey remain undefeated in Liga MX Femenil, while their male counterparts sit in 13th place. Yet, in some cases, the men earn hundreds of times more money and have access to far better facilities.

Disparities Remain

Yet for all the growth in visibility, the material conditions for female players lag far behind those of their male counterparts. The gap shows up in salaries, facilities, medical care, and basic respect.

Consider wages. A FIFA report released in early 2025 surveyed 86 leagues and 669 teams worldwide. It found that the average gross salary for a professional women’s soccer player globally was USD $10,900 per year. That number is misleadingly high because it includes top-tier clubs. When broken down, players at Tier 2 clubs averaged USD $4,361 annually, and those at Tier 3 averaged just USD $2,805. By contrast, the average male player in Mexico’s Liga MX earns a base salary in the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. The top men’s clubs operate with payrolls exceeding $37 million per season.

The inequality extends beyond paychecks. Former professional player Paola Espino described the early years of Liga MX Femenil, noting that training regimens were copied directly from men’s teams without any adjustment for physiological differences. Players were trained as if they were small men, not women with different biomechanical and hormonal profiles. Yet most clubs in Mexico have not adopted training protocols or medical monitoring that account for these differences.

The physical infrastructure for women’s teams also remains uneven. In March 2025, during a match against Yucatán, the Tijuana women’s team reported that the visiting locker room at their stadium, which featured photos of each female player, had been vandalized. The damage occurred after the men’s team used the same locker room. It was not clear whether players, coaches, or staff were responsible, but the message was unmistakable: the women’s presence was not respected. Incidents like this do not happen in isolation. They reflect a broader culture in which women’s soccer is still treated as an afterthought.

Why the Pay Gap Exists

The reasons for these disparities are no mystery. The men’s game generates more revenue, and it has done so for over a century. But that explanation is incomplete. Liga MX Femenil has demonstrated that it can attract audiences and sponsors. A report from the World Football Summit noted that investing in women’s soccer generates 35% more purchase intent than equivalent investment in men’s soccer, with an average return on investment between 15 and 18 to one. Brands are seeing results. The league doubled its sponsorship agreements and grew its audience from 10 million to 30 million viewers. So the revenue argument is weakening.

A more accurate explanation is structural. Liga MX Femenil was not created because clubs believed in it. It was created because the Mexican Football Federation required men’s first-division clubs to field a women’s team. That mandate launched the league, but it also created a system where some clubs treat their women’s teams as a compliance exercise rather than a genuine investment.

Yet there are reasons for cautious optimism. The gap in facilities and pay is not lost on players or on the public. Stories like Claudia Cid’s receive attention. The director of Liga MX Femenil has acknowledged the need for continued professionalization. And the 2031 Women’s World Cup, which Mexico will host, is expected to accelerate investment and infrastructure. The institutions that govern the sport will be challenged with growing quickly enough to catch up with the players and fans who have already arrived.

April 13, 2026
C3ntro Commits US$240M to New Fiber Link, Connecting Mexico AI Hub to Arizona

Mexico’s fiber optics infrastructure has aged poorly, but new investments in connectivity are planned to transform the country.

As massive cloud service providers and AI developers consume bandwidth at unprecedented rates, aging cross-border connectivity is reaching its limits. C3ntro Telecom has moved to address this bottleneck with Project Tikva, a 2,500-km fiber-optic network linking Querétaro, Mexico, to Phoenix, Arizona.

While specific investment figures are often cited at approximately roughly US$240-290 million, the strategic value lies in the route itself. Unlike traditional crossings that bottleneck through Texas, Tikva follows a Pacific corridor, entering the U.S. via Nogales. This provides a redundant, low-latency alternative for data traffic, a critical requirement for real-time AI processing and high-frequency data transfers.

Construction began in March 2025, with service expected to go live in the fourth quarter of 2026. The financing for the Mexican segment of the project was secured through a syndicated facility with PROPARCO and DEG (KfW Group), signaling institutional confidence in the demand for dedicated AI-ready transport.

The Bottleneck in Querétaro

To understand the importance of this investment, one must look at Querétaro. Over the last five years, the city has become the densest data center hub in Latin America. Major players have established a significant footprint there. KIO Networks, a pioneer in the region, recently launched QRO2, adding nearly 19 MW of capacity to its existing operations in the state.

However, the physical infrastructure connecting this Mexican hub to the U.S. cloud matrices has not kept pace. According to Salomón Cojab, Vice President of Infrastructure at C3ntro Telecom, the existing networks are aging and struggle to meet the bandwidth demands of modern workloads. For a data center in Querétaro to function as an effective extension of a cloud region in Northern Virginia or California, the pipe connecting them must be wide, diverse, and low-latency. Without it, the nearshoring promise—processing data near the U.S. market—fails to deliver.

Implications for the AI Industry

The arrival of Tikva addresses key pain points in Mexico’s AI industry.

First, AI models, particularly those used for inference (real-time predictions), require millisecond response times. By offering a diverse route and “hyperscale-class construction,” the network is engineered specifically to support the stop-and-go nature of AI processing, preventing data packet loss across long distances.

Then there is the supply chain diversification. Phoenix is not just a city; it is one of the fastest-growing data center markets in North America. By linking Querétaro directly to Phoenix, C3ntro is effectively integrating Mexico into the U.S. Southwest’s supply chain. This allows international enterprises to use Mexican facilities for disaster recovery or specific processing tasks without routing traffic through congested Texas exchanges.

With regards to scalability, the project is designed with “multi-duct capacity,” meaning that once the fiber is in the ground, the bandwidth can be scaled dramatically by activating new wavelengths (100/400/800 Gb) without digging new trenches. This future-proofs the investment against the doubling of compute demands expected in the coming years.

Energy and Sustainability

However, fiber alone is not a panacea. The growth of data centers in Mexico is bumping up against hard limits regarding power and water. Communities in Querétaro have recently raised concerns about grid instability and water availability, while the Mexican Association of Data Centers (MEXDC) projects the market will require 1,516 additional megawatts by 2030.

Tikva solves the connectivity equation but not the energy equation. Industry leaders acknowledge that the next bottleneck will be electricity generation and distribution. The trend toward “edge data centers” (smaller facilities closer to users) is growing, but for massive AI training clusters, connectivity to the U.S. grid via fiber—and reliable power in Mexico—must develop in parallel.

April 6, 2026