2022 is gearing up to be a fascinating year for keen observers of the Mexican political scene and the nation’s colorful president, Andres Manuel López Obrador, now in the third year of his six-year administration.

At the halfway point — three years — into the Mexican presidency, media attention inevitably shifts to speculation about who might succeed the current incumbent.

June 10 sees the 50th anniversary of “El Halconazo,” or the “Corpus Christi Massacre,” when a government-trained paramilitary group known as Los Halcones (The Hawks) attacked and murdered students demonstrating against restrictions on their freedoms in Mexico City.

Regardless of the outcome, Tapatio pugilist Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will walk away from Saturday’s big fight in Arlington, Texas (see story right), a mere $US22 million the richer.

While not widely reported, the unveiling of a statue of indigenous warrior Francisco Tenamaxtli in Guadalajara’s Plaza Fundadores (Founders Square) on Guadalajara’s 478th birthday was of special significance – not least for the eternal struggle to recognize human rights.

It’s rare these days, as director Guillermo del Toro has noted, to come across an almost cliche-free and totally original Mexican film.