Claudia Sheinbaum sworn in as 1st female president of Mexico

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in Tuesday as Mexico’s first female president, riding the enthusiasm over her predecessor’s social programs but also facing challenges that include stubbornly high levels of violence.

After a smiling Sheinbaum took the oath of office on the floor of Congress, legislators shouted “Presidenta! Presidenta!” using the feminine form of president in Spanish for the first time in over 200 years of Mexico's history as an independent country.

The 62-year-old scientist-turned-politician receives a country with a number of immediate problems, also including a sluggish economy, unfinished building programs, rising debt and the hurricane-battered resort city of Acapulco.

In her inauguration speech, Sheinbaum said that she came to power accompanied by all of the women who have struggled in anonymity to make their way in Mexico, including “those who dreamed of the possibility that one day no matter if we were born as women or men we would achieve our dreams and desires without our sex determining our destiny.”

She made a long list of promises to limit prices for gasoline and food, expand cash hand-out programs for women and children, support business investment, housing and passenger rail construction. But any mention of the drug cartels that control much of the country was brief and near the end of the list.

Sheinbaum offered little change from former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's ‘Hugs not Bullets’ strategy of addressing root causes and not confronting the cartels, apart from pledging more intelligence work and investigation. “There will be no return to the irresponsible drug war,” she said.

Sheinbaum romped to victory in June with nearly 60% of the vote, propelled largely by the sustained popularity of her political mentor, López Obrador. She has pledged to continue all his policies, even those that strengthened the power of the military and weakened the country's checks and balances.

After the inauguration, Sheinbaum appeared at a mass rally in Mexico City's colonial-era main plaza to participate in a ceremony involving an all-women committee representing Mexico's approximately 70 Indigenous groups.

Sheinbaum was blessed and brushed with herbs and incense by Ernestina Ortiz, a “spiritual guide,” who told Sheinbaum “You are a voice for all of us who had no voice for a long time.” An Indigenous elder then handed Sheinbaum a wooden Indigenous “staff of authority,” like those carried by community leaders.

After the ceremony, Sheinbaum said she would push for a total ban on any public servant being re-elected to office — a tall promise, given that her party has now passed a law making all judges stand for election. That would suggest Mexico may have a new crop of inexperienced judges every few years.

Lucía Ruíz, a 42-year-old mother of three, was one of thousands trying to reach the main square to see the rally. She said she hopes Sheinbaum will be able to combat high rates of violence against women in the country.

“She is going to represent us," said Ruíz. “We have always been governed by men, and they think we're incapable, but we're not. We are the head of our families.”

López Obrador took office six years ago declaring “For the good of all, first the poor,” and promising historical change from the neoliberal economic policies of his predecessors. Sheinbaum promised continuity from his popular social policies to controversial constitutional reforms to the judiciary and National Guard rammed through during his final days in office.

Despite her pledge of continuity, Sheinbaum is a very different personality: a cautious scientist and ideological university leftist, as opposed to the outgoing president’s chummy, everyman appeal.

“López Obrador was a tremendously charismatic president and many times that charisma allowed him to cover up some political errors that Claudia Sheinbaum will not have that possibility of doing,” said Carlos Pérez Ricart, a political analyst at Mexico’s Center for Economic Research and Teaching. “So, where López Obrador was charismatic, Claudia Sheinbaum will have to be effective.”

She will wield formidable power because López Obrador’s Morena party controls both houses of Congress. But the country remains deeply polarized between the outgoing president’s fanatic fans and almost one-third of the population who deeply resent him.

“If we want a strong government, the checks and balances also have to be strong,” said opposition Sen. María Guadalupe Murguía, suggesting that an all-powerful army and unchecked ruling party could come back to haunt Mexico. “Remember,” she said, “nobody wins everything, and nobody loses forever.”

Sheinbaum is not inheriting an easy situation.

Drug cartels have strengthened their hold over much of Mexico, and her first trip as president will be to the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco, which was flooded last week by Hurricane John, which killed at least 17 people along the coast around the resort. Acapulco was devastated in October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, and had not recovered from that blow when John hit.

Sheinbaum must also deal with raging violence in the cartel-dominated northern city of Culiacan, where factional fighting within the Sinaloa cartel broke out after drug lords Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López were apprehended in the United States after they flew there in a small plane on July 25.

López Obrador has long sought to avoid confronting Mexico’s drug cartels and has openly appealed to the gangs to keep the peace among themselves, but the limitations of that strategy have become glaringly apparent in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state, where gun battles have raged on the city’s streets. Local authorities and even the army — which López Obrador has relied on for everything — have essentially admitted that the fighting will only end when the cartel bosses decide to end it.

But that’s only the latest hotspot.

Drug-related violence is surging from Tijuana in the north to Chiapas in the south, displacing thousands.

While Sheinbaum inherits a huge budget deficit, unfinished construction projects and a burgeoning bill for her party’s cash hand-out programs — all of which could send financial markets tumbling — perhaps her biggest looming concern is the possibility of a victory for Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.

Trump has already vowed to slap 100% tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico. Though that would likely violate the current U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, there are other things Trump could do to make life difficult for Sheinbaum, including his pledge of massive deportations.

Relations with Mexico's northern neighbor were already tense after López Obrador said he was putting relations with the U.S. embassy “on pause” after public criticism of the proposed judicial overhaul.

At her inauguration, Sheinbaum boosted the free trade agreement with the United States and Canada, saying “we know that economic cooperation strengthens the three nations.”

There are areas where Sheinbaum could try to take Mexico in a new direction. For example, she has a Ph.D. in energy engineering and has spoken of the need to address climate change.

But on Tuesday, she said she would cap oil production at 1.8 million barrels per day, which would be more than what the troubled state-owned company currently produces. “We are going to promote energy efficiency and the transition toward renewable sources of energy,” she said.

Associated Press writers María Verza, Megan Janetsky and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A supporter carries a cutout of President Claudia Sheinbaum during a rally to hear her speak on her inauguration day at the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

Indigenous women carry out a traditional ceremony for President Claudia Sheinbaum in the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, on her inauguration day, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Supporters of President Claudia Sheinbaum attend a rally in the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square, on her inauguration day, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

President Claudia Sheinbaum waves to Indigenous women during a rally in the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square, on her inauguration day, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

A supporter of new President Claudia Sheinbaum holds a painting of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that reads in Spanish "Farewell, President" during a rally in the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

President Claudia Sheinbaum addresses supporters in the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square, on her inauguration day, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

President Claudia Sheinbaum waves to supporters in the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square, during a rally on her inauguration day, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Supporters listen to President Claudia Sheinbaum during a rally in the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square, on her inauguration day, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

President Claudia Sheinbaum, center, and outgoing President Andres Manuel López Obrador, right, stand before lawmakers on her inauguration day at Congress in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Supporters of Claudia Sheinbaum cheer as her vehicle passes on her inauguration day as she is taken to Congress to become Mexico's new president in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks on her inauguration day after being sworn in at Congress in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

President Claudia Sheinbaum blows a kiss during her swearing-in ceremony as Mexico's new president at Congress in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Supporters of Claudia Sheinbaum cheer as her vehicle passes on her inauguration day as she is taken to Congress to become Mexico's new president in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

Claudia Sheinbaum waves from the vehicle taking her to Congress where she will be sworn in as president in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

President Claudia Sheinbaum smiles after being sworn in as Mexico's president at Congress in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador poses for selfies as he arrives to Congress for the swearing-in ceremony of Claudia Sheinbaum as Mexico's new president in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Supreme Court President Norma Pina attends the swearing-in ceremony of Claudia Sheinbaum as Mexico's new president at Congress in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador arrives at Congress for the swearing-in of Claudia Sheinbaum as Mexico's new president in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

President Claudia Sheinbaum puts on the presidential sash during her swearing in ceremony as Mexico's new president in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hands the presidential sash to Ifigenia Martinez, president of the Chamber of Deputies, during the swearing-in ceremony of Claudia Sheinbaum, left, at Congress in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Claudia Sheinbaum takes the oath as Mexico's new president at Congress in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks in Congress after taking the oath of office in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Claudia Sheinbaum waves from the vehicle taking her to Congress to be sworn in as president in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

FILE - Ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum blows a kiss to supporters from the stage during her closing campaign rally at the Zocalo in Mexico City, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

FILE - Presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, left, and Claudia Sheinbaum, coordinator of the Morena political party, hold hands at an event at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, Nov. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

FILE - Former Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum greets supporters during a closing campaign rally for her presidential candidate bid to represent the ruling MORENA party, in Mexico City, Aug. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme, File)

FILE - Ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum addresses supporters at the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, after the National Electoral Institute announced she held an irreversible lead in the election, June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador kisses Ifigenia Martínez, president of the Chamber of Deputies, during the inauguration ceremony of Claudia Sheinbaum as Mexico's new president at Congress in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Claudia Sheinbaum waves to supporters from the vehicle taking her to Congress to be sworn in as president in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador arrives at Congress for the swearing-in of Claudia Sheinbaum as Mexico's new president in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Supporters gather outside the house of Claudia Sheinbaum before she is sworn in as president in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

Claudia Sheinbaum waves from the vehicle taking her to Congress to be sworn in as president in Mexico City, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

A group of Buddhist monks and their rescue dog are striding single file down country roads and highways across the South, captivating Americans nationwide and inspiring droves of locals to greet them along their route.

In their flowing saffron and ocher robes, the men are walking for peace. It's a meditative tradition more common in South Asian countries, and it's resonating now in the U.S., seemingly as a welcome respite from the conflict, trauma and politics dividing the nation.

Their journey began Oct. 26, 2025, at a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Texas, and is scheduled to end in mid-February in Washington, D.C., where they will ask Congress to recognize Buddha’s day of birth and enlightenment as a federal holiday. Beyond promoting peace, their highest priority is connecting with people along the way.

“My hope is, when this walk ends, the people we met will continue practicing mindfulness and find peace,” said the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the group’s soft-spoken leader who is making the trek barefoot. He teaches about mindfulness, forgiveness and healing at every stop.

Preferring to sleep each night in tents pitched outdoors, the monks have been surprised to see their message transcend ideologies, drawing huge crowds into churchyards, city halls and town squares across six states. Documenting their journey on social media, they — and their dog, Aloka — have racked up millions of followers online. On Saturday, thousands thronged in Columbia, South Carolina, where the monks chanted on the steps of the State House and received a proclamation from the city's mayor, Daniel Rickenmann.

At their stop Thursday in Saluda, South Carolina, Audrie Pearce joined the crowd lining Main Street. She had driven four hours from her village of Little River, and teared up as Pannakara handed her a flower.

“There’s something traumatic and heart-wrenching happening in our country every day,” said Pearce, who describes herself as spiritual, but not religious. “I looked into their eyes and I saw peace. They’re putting their bodies through such physical torture and yet they radiate peace.”

Hailing from Theravada Buddhist monasteries across the globe, the 19 monks began their 2,300 mile (3,700 kilometer) trek at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth.

Their journey has not been without peril. On Nov. 19, as the monks were walking along U.S. Highway 90 near Dayton, Texas, their escort vehicle was hit by a distracted truck driver, injuring two monks. One of them lost his leg, reducing the group to 18.

This is Pannakara's first trek in the U.S., but he's walked across several South Asian countries, including a 112-day journey across India in 2022 where he first encountered Aloka, an Indian Pariah dog whose name means divine light in Sanskrit.

Then a stray, the dog followed him and other monks from Kolkata in eastern India all the way to the Nepal border. At one point, he fell critically ill and Pannakara scooped him up in his arms and cared for him until he recovered. Now, Aloka inspires him to keep going when he feels like giving up.

“I named him light because I want him to find the light of wisdom,” Pannakara said.

The monk's feet are now heavily bandaged because he's stepped on rocks, nails and glass along the way. His practice of mindfulness keeps him joyful despite the pain from these injuries, he said.

Still, traversing the southeast United States has presented unique challenges, and pounding pavement day after day has been brutal.

“In India, we can do shortcuts through paddy fields and farms, but we can’t do that here because there are a lot of private properties,” Pannakara said. “But what’s made it beautiful is how people have welcomed and hosted us in spite of not knowing who we are and what we believe.”

In Opelika, Alabama, the Rev. Patrick Hitchman-Craig hosted the monks on Christmas night at his United Methodist congregation.

He expected to see a small crowd, but about 1,000 people showed up, creating the feel of a block party. The monks seemed like the Magi, he said, appearing on Christ’s birthday.

“Anyone who is working for peace in the world in a way that is public and sacrificial is standing close to the heart of Jesus, whether or not they share our tradition,” said Hitchman-Craig. “I was blown away by the number of people and the diversity of who showed up.”

After their night on the church lawn, the monks arrived the next afternoon at the Collins Farm in Cusseta, Alabama. Judy Collins Allen, whose father and brother run the farm, said about 200 people came to meet the monks — the biggest gathering she’s ever witnessed there.

“There was a calm, warmth and sense of community among people who had not met each other before and that was so special,” she said.

Long Si Dong, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth temple, said the monks, when they arrive in Washington, plan to seek recognition of Vesak, the day which marks the birth and enlightenment of the Buddha, as a national holiday.

“Doing so would acknowledge Vesak as a day of reflection, compassion and unity for all people regardless of faith,” he said.

But Pannakara emphasized that their main goal is to help people achieve peace in their lives. The trek is also a separate endeavor from a $200 million campaign to build towering monuments on the temple’s 14-acre property to house the Buddha’s teachings engraved in stone, according to Dong.

The monks practice and teach Vipassana meditation, an ancient Indian technique taught by the Buddha himself as core for attaining enlightenment. It focuses on the mind-body connection — observing breath and physical sensations to understand reality, impermanence and suffering. Some of the monks, including Pannakara, walk barefoot to feel the ground directly and be present in the moment.

Pannakara has told the gathered crowds that they don't aim to convert people to Buddhism.

Brooke Schedneck, professor of religion at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, said the tradition of a peace walk in Theravada Buddhism began in the 1990s when the Venerable Maha Ghosananda, a Cambodian monk, led marches across war-torn areas riddled with landmines to foster national healing after civil war and genocide in his country.

“These walks really inspire people and inspire faith,” Schedneck said. “The core intention is to have others watch and be inspired, not so much through words, but through how they are willing to make this sacrifice by walking and being visible.”

On Thursday, Becki Gable drove nearly 400 miles (about 640 kilometers) from Cullman, Alabama, to catch up with them in Saluda. Raised Methodist, Gable said she wanted some release from the pain of losing her daughter and parents.

“I just felt in my heart that this would help me have peace,” she said. “Maybe I could move a little bit forward in my life.”

Gable says she has already taken one of Pannakara’s teachings to heart. She’s promised herself that each morning, as soon as she awakes, she’d take a piece of paper and write five words on it, just as the monk prescribed.

“Today is my peaceful day.”

Freelance photojournalist Allison Joyce contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," get lunch Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Aloka rests with Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A sign is seen greeting the Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Supporters pray with Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Supporters watch Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A Buddhist monk ties a prayer bracelet around the wrist of Josey Lee, 2-months-old, during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a spiritual leader, speaks to supporters during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks participate in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks participate in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Bhikkhu Pannakara leads other buddhist monks in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Audrie Pearce greets Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a spiritual leader, speaks to supporters during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," arrive in Saluda, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," are seen with their dog, Aloka, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)