Residents said the rapid construction is destroying local infrastructure, severing the very pipelines that communities depend on for daily life. For many, the disruptions have come with little warning and even less explanation.

Lucha libre, or “free wrestling,” is woven into the fabric of Mexico’s cultural identity. It’s an acrobatic, flamboyant and thrilling choreographed sport that melds athletics and theater to symbolize the ultimate battle between good and evil.

Students from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism traveled to Mexico City in early 2026 to report on stories shaping life in and around the city.

Just steps from the city’s Monument to the Revolution, a unique community is taking shape. The neighborhood, known as “Little L.A.,” is populated by people who spent decades in the U.S. and are now struggling to adapt to a country they barely remember.

In Mexico City, sex work is legal but largely informal — a form of work that many women rely on to pay rent, buy food and cover medical costs.

On the waterways of Xochimilco, just south of Mexico City’s center, communities are working to preserve a farming system that has sustained life for centuries.

For decades, street art has been dominated by men, not only in Mexico but around the world. Now, a growing movement of women artists is changing that reality by reclaiming public space and transforming the city’s walls into bold statements of visibility and power.

Women’s softball is gaining momentum across the world, and in Mexico, the sport’s growing popularity is creating new opportunities for women and girls who historically have had few places to compete professionally.

For 60 years, Tlaxcala, two hours outside of Mexico City, has been one of Latin America’s most important textile recycling centers. But one family-owned business is imagining something different.

Over the past five years, 59 petitions have been filed with the Illinois Department of Corrections from those incarcerated in Illinois state prisons requesting transfers all over the world. Only two people have been approved, and two more are pending.

The killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes during an attempt to capture him in Jalisco state was the highest-profile blow against cartels since the recapture of former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán a decade ago.

Despite fears of enhanced immigration enforcement, the Little Village Mexican Independence Day Parade took place this weekend without any issues. On Monday, events continued for El Grito, an annual celebration marking Mexico’s independence.

The United States will enter a 90-day negotiating period with Mexico over trade as 25% tariff rates stay in place, part of the rush of trade activity Thursday before President Donald Trump plans to impose a broad set of global import taxes starting Friday.

Mexico was Illinois’ second-largest export market in 2024 with $32 billion worth of goods being sent to the country. Another $19 billion worth of Mexican goods came to Illinois that year, making the country Illinois’ third-largest import market.

The pause comes after Trump spoke with leaders of the “big 3” automakers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, on Wednesday, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

President Donald Trump launched a trade war Tuesday against America’s three biggest trading partners, drawing immediate retaliation from Mexico, Canada and China and sending financial markets into a tailspin as the U.S. faced the threat of rekindled inflation and paralyzing uncertainty for business.