Article 7 of Mexico’s Law on Discipline of the Army, Air Force and National Guard states: “El superior será responsable del orden en las tropas que tuviere a su mando” (The superior shall be responsible for order in the troops under his command), “sin que pueda disculparse en ningún caso con la omisión y descuido de sus subalternos” (and may in no case excuse himself by the omission and neglect of his subordinates).
Employees of Trust
Mexico’s Federal Labor Law has a legal category called trabajadores de confianza, “employees of trust.” Article 9 says the category depends on the nature of the work: direction, inspection, supervision and control of a general nature, and work related to the employer’s own personal affairs within the company.
Article 185 lets the employer end the employment of such a worker “if there is a reasonable motive for loss of trust,” even when it does not match the causes for dismissal listed in Article 47.
The Lever
In Mexico, a person who tiene palanca, “has a lever,” has a connection who can open a door. In a 2021 article, the researchers Arellano-Gault and Trejo Alonso describe the palanca as a mechanism for exchanging favors among acquaintances and “acquaintances of acquaintances.” It forms a network “that rests on relationships of trust.”
One participant in their focus groups said: “En México, la vida se compone de una serie de palancas” (In Mexico, life is made up of a series of levers).
Compadres
Compadrazgo is the bond between a child’s parents and the child’s godparents, who become each other’s compadres. A study in the Revista Mexicana de Sociología on communities of the Huasteca describes it as “a true bond of friendship” that ties the whole community together.
The godfather may take the father’s place in providing for the home if the father dies. The study observes that “a well-chosen godfather is worth more than a modern life insurance policy.”
The Atlacomulco Group
For nearly 100 years, the government of the State of Mexico stayed in the hands of a PRI political network known as the Grupo Atlacomulco. In 1945, Governor Isidro Fabela handed the post to his nephew, Alfredo del Mazo Vélez. The nephew’s son and grandson later governed the state as well. The magazine Expansión describes the group’s “main characteristic” as “consanguinity.”
The network lost the governorship in the election of June 2023.
The White House Inquiry
Journalists reported on a house used by the family of President Enrique Peña Nieto, known as the Casa Blanca, “White House.” It was linked to Grupo Higa, whose firms held federal contracts. The President requested an investigation by the Ministry of Public Administration. Virgilio Andrade took office as its head on February 3, 2015.
On August 21, 2015, the ministry announced its finding: “no existe conflicto de interés” (there is no conflict of interest).
Electoral Nepotism
On March 11, 2025, the Chamber of Deputies declared a constitutional reform against nepotismo electoral, electoral nepotism, and immediate reelection valid, after approval by 20 state legislatures. The ban on reelection starts in 2027. The ban on nepotism applies only from the elections of 2030.
Little Now
Ahora means “now.” Mexicans add the diminutive and say ahorita, “little now.” The word can mean right now, in a moment, or later. A study in the linguistics journal of El Colegio de México found that in Mexico City ahorita is used in contexts where it cannot be read as an exact moment.
For real urgency, speakers double the diminutive: ahoritita.
Give It Your All
Échale ganas, literally “throw desire at it,” is a very common Mexican encouragement. It means “give it your all.” Parents say it before an exam, coaches before a match and friends after a setback.
A student who failed an exam may answer pero le eché ganas, “but I gave it my all.”
We Played as Never Before
Jugamos como nunca y perdimos como siempre. “We played as never before, and we lost as always.” The line is a popular saying in Mexican football. In July 2026, a columnist in the Diario de Yucatán quoted it again “como reza el dicho” (as the saying goes).