2003 in Mexico

← 2002 2001 2000 2003 in Mexico → 2004 2005 2006
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See also:	History of Mexico List of years in Mexico Timeline of Mexican history

Events in the year 2003 in Mexico.

Incumbents

Federal government

• President: Vicente Fox PAN

See also: Cabinet of Mexico

• Interior Secretary (SEGOB): Santiago Creel
• Secretary of Foreign Affairs (SRE)
  • Jorge Castañeda Gutman, until January 10
  • Luis Ernesto Derbez, starting January 15
• Communications Secretary (SCT): Pedro Cerisola
• Education Secretary (SEP): Reyes Tamez
• Secretary of Defense (SEDENA): Gerardo Clemente Vega
• Secretary of Navy (SEMAR): Marco Antonio Peyrot González
• Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS): José Carlos María Abascal Carranza
• Secretary of Welfare (SEDESOL): Josefina Vázquez Mota
• Secretary of Tourism (SECTUR)
  • Leticia Navarro, until July 29
  • Rodolfo Elizondo Torres, starting July 29
• Secretary of the Environment (SEMARNAT)
  • Víctor Lichtinger, until June
  • Alberto Cárdenas, starting June ^[1]
• Secretary of Health (SALUD): Julio Frenk
• Attorney General of Mexico (PRG): Rafael Macedo de la Concha

Supreme Court

See also: National Supreme Court of Justice

• President of the Supreme Court: Mariano Azuela Güitrón

Governors

• Aguascalientes: Felipe González González PAN
• Baja California: Eugenio Elorduy Walther PAN
• Baja California Sur: Leonel Cota Montaño PRD
• Campeche
  • José Antonio González Curi, until September 15
  • Jorge Carlos Hurtado Valdez PRI, starting September 16
• Chiapas: Pablo Salazar Mendiguchía PRI
• Chihuahua: Patricio Martínez García PRI
• Coahuila: Enrique Martínez y Martínez PRI
• Colima
  • Fernando Moreno Peña PRI, until October 31
  • Carlos Flores Dueñas PRI, interim governor November 1-December 31
• Durango: Ángel Sergio Guerrero Mier PRI
• Guanajuato: Juan Carlos Romero Hicks PAN
• Guerrero: René Juárez Cisneros PRI
• Hidalgo: Manuel Ángel Núñez Soto PRI
• Jalisco: Alberto Cárdenas PAN
• State of Mexico: Arturo Montiel PRI
• Michoacán: Lázaro Cárdenas Batel PRD
• Morelos: Sergio Estrada Cajigal Ramírez PAN. ^[2]
• Nayarit: Antonio Echevarría Domínguez
• Nuevo León: Fernando Canales Clariond PAN
• Oaxaca: José Murat Casab PRI
• Puebla: Melquíades Morales PRI
• Querétaro
  • Ignacio Loyola Vera PAN, until September 30
  • Francisco Garrido Patrón PAN, starting October 1
• Quintana Roo: Joaquín Hendricks Díaz PRI
• San Luis Potosí
  • Fernando Silva Nieto, until September 25
  • Jesús Marcelo de los Santos PAN, Starting September 26
• Sinaloa: Juan S. Millán PRI
• Sonora
  • Armando López Nogales PRI, until September 13
  • Eduardo Bours PRI, starting September 13
• Tabasco: Manuel Andrade Díaz PAN, starting January 1
• Tamaulipas: Tomás Yarrington PRI
• Tlaxcala: Alfonso Sánchez Anaya PRD
• Veracruz: Miguel Alemán Velasco PRI
• Yucatán: Víctor Cervera Pacheco PRI
• Zacatecas: Ricardo Monreal PRD
• Head of Government of the Federal District: Andrés Manuel López Obrador PRD

Events

• Fahrenheit has its first issue published.
• The Chiapas Bridge is finished with being constructed.
• The México Posible party is founded and dissolved.
• January 21: 2003 Colima earthquake.
• February 18: The State of Mexico votes in a referendum on the death penalty. 82% of the 806,416 people who voted, voted Yes for the death penalty on crimes of murder, kidnapping, child theft and violent assaults. ^{[3] [4] [5]}
• March 13: Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas is created.
• June 2: The Escuela Preparatoria Tlalpan II "Otilio Montaño" is inaugurated.
• July 5: The National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples goes into effect.
• July 6: 2003 Mexican legislative election
• September: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2003 in Cancun.
• September 5: Nuestra Belleza México 2003.
• September 28: Optibús starts operations.
• November 15: Miss Latin America 2004 held in Cancun.
• November 27: the Monterrey Arena is opened.
• December 9 – 11: The United Nations Convention Against Corruption is opened for signing in Mérida, Yucatán.
• December 22: Counter-terrorism base Ixtoc-Alfa is founded by the Mexican Navy.

Hurricanes

• June 26 – 27: Tropical Storm Carlos (2003)
• June 29 – July 2: Tropical Storm Bill (2003)
• July 8 – 17: Hurricane Claudette (2003)
• August 14 – 17: Hurricane Erika (2003)
• August 22 – 27: Hurricane Ignacio (2003)
• September 8 – 24: Hurricane Marty (2003)
• October 1 – 6: Tropical Storm Larry (2003)

Awards

Main article: Orders, decorations, and medals of Mexico

• Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor - Luis González y González ^[6]
• Order of the Aztec Eagle
• National Prize for Arts and Sciences
• National Public Administration Prize
• Ohtli Award
  • Marco A. López Jr.
  • Patricia Madrid

Sport

• Primera División de México Clausura 2003
• Primera División de México Apertura 2003
• Mexico win the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup
• 2003 Centrobasket held in Culiacán
• 2003 Centrobasket Women
• 2003 Mexican Figure Skating Championships
• 2003 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante
• 2003 MasterCard Truck Series season
• 2003 Tecate Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix
• Homenaje a Dos Leyendas: El Santo y Salvador Lutteroth (2003)
• 2003 IIHF World U18 Championship Division III co-hosted with Bosnia
• 2003 Men's NORCECA Volleyball Championship Culiacan, Sinaloa
• 2003 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup Saltillo, Coahuila
• 2003 Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships
• Mexico at the 2003 Pan American Games
• 2003 Pan American Race Walking Cup from San Diego, California, United States to Tijuana, Baja California.
• C.F. Mérida founded.
• Tijuana Dragons founded.
• Monterrey Fury founded.

Film

• List of Mexican films of 2003

Births

• January 16 – Adriana Hernández, rhythmic gymnast ^[7]
• May 8 – Joaquín Bondoni, singer, songwriter and actor
• September 18 – Ana Galindo, rhythmic gymnast ^[8]

Deaths

• February 11: Socorro Avelar, actress (b. 1925)
• June 10: Alfredo Guati Rojo watercolor artist (b. December 1, 1918) ^[9]
• November 1: Humberto Briseño Sierra, Mexican lawyer (b. 1914)
• November 6: Eduardo Palomo, actor ( Corazón salvaje (1993 TV series) ) (b. 1962)

References

1. "El Universal - - Perfil: Alberto Cárdenas Jiménez". archivo.eluniversal.com.mx (in Spanish). 24 Nov 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
2. Cinta, Guillermo (Nov 19, 2018). "LA HISTORIA DEL NARCO EN MORELOS". La Crónica de Morelos | Noticias | Guillermo Cinta (in Spanish). Retrieved August 28, 2020.
3. "Results of Mexican State's Pro-Death Penalty Poll Clash With Law, Tradition". Los Angeles Times. 2003-02-19. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
4. Archives, L. A. Times (2003-02-18). "Death Penalty Endorsed in State Referendum". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
5. Press, Lisa J. Adams Associated. "Mexico state to hold poll on death penalty". Wilmington Star-News. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
6. "DICTAMEN POR EL QUE SE POSTULA AL C. MAESTRO LUIS GONZÁLEZ Y GONZÁLEZ COMO CANDIDATO A RECIBIR LA MEDALLA DE HONOR BELISARIO DOMÍNGUEZ DEL SENADO DE LA REPUBLICA, CORRESPONDIENTE AL AÑO 2003" (PDF) (in Spanish). Senado de la Republica. 2 Sep 2003. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
7. "Rhythmic Gymnastics | Athlete Profile: HERNANDEZ Adriana - Pan American Games Lima 2019". wrsd.lima2019.pe. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
8. "Rhythmic Gymnastics | Athlete Profile: GALINDO Ana - Pan American Games Lima 2019". wrsd.lima2019.pe. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
9. "Alfredo Guati Rojo". Museo Nacional de la Aquarela (in Spanish). Retrieved June 1, 2019.