# 2012 in Mexico

This is a list of events that happened in 2012 in Mexico. The article also lists the most important political leaders during the year at both federal and state levels.

## Incumbents
### Federal government
#### President

* President
** Felipe Calderon PAN, until November 30
** Enrique Peña Nieto PRI, starting December 1

#### Cabinet

* Interior Secretary (SEGOB)
** Alejandro Poiré Romero, until November 30
** Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong, starting December 1
* Secretary of Foreign Affairs (SRE)
** Patricia Espinosa, until November 30
** José Antonio Meade, starting December 1
* Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SEGARPA)
** Francisco Javier Mayorga Castañeda, until November 30
** Enrique Martínez y Martínez, starting December 1
* Secretary of Agricultural, Territorial and Urban Development (SEDATU)
** Jorge Carlos Ramírez Marín(starting December 1)
* Communications Secretary (SCT)
** Dionisio Pérez-Jácome Friscione, until November 30
** Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, starting December 1
* Education Secretary (SEP)
** Alonso Lujambio, until March 16
** José Ángel Córdova, March 16-November 30
** Emilio Chuayffet Chemor, starting December 1
* Secretary of Defense (SEDENA)
** Guillermo Galván Galván, until November 30
** Salvador Cienfuegos Cepeda, starting December 1
* Secretary of Navy (SEMAR)
** Mariano Francisco Saynez Mendoza, until November 30
** Vidal Francisco Soberón Sanz, starting December 1
* Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS)
** Rosalinda Vélez Juárez, until November 30
** Alfonso Navarrete Prida (starting December 1)
* Secretary of Welfare (SEDESOL)
** Heriberto Félix Guerra, until November 30
** Rosario Robles, starting December 1
* Tourism Secretary (SECTUR)
** Gloria Guevara, until November 30
** Claudia Ruiz Massieu, starting December 1
* Secretary of the Environment (SEMARNAT)
** Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, until November 30
** Juan José Guerra Abud, starting December 1
* Secretary of Health (SALUD)
** Salomón Chertorivski Woldenberg, November 30
** Mercedes Juan López, starting December 1
* Secretary of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP)
** José Antonio Meade, until November 30
** Luis Videgaray Caso, starting December 1
* Secretary of Economy (SE)
** Bruno Ferrari García de Alba, until November 30
** Idelfonso Guajardo, starting December 1
* Secretary of Energy (SENER)
** Jordy Herrera Flores, until November 30
** Pedro Joaquín Coldwell, starting December 1
** Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE)
*** Francisco Rojas Gutiérrez, starting December 1
** Pemex
*** Emilio Lozoya, starting December 1
* Attorney General (PRG)
** Marisela Morales, until December 4)
** Jesús Murillo Karam, starting December 4
* Chief of Staff: Aurelio Nuño Mayer, starting December 4
* Coordinación de Comunicación Social de Presidencia (Coordination of Social Communication of the Presidency): David López Gutiérrez (starting December 1)
* Estado Mayor Presidencial (Presidential Security Staff): Rodolfo Miranda Moreno, (starting December 1)

### Governors

* Aguascalientes: Carlos Lozano de la Torre PRI
* Baja California: José Guadalupe Osuna Millán PAN
* Baja California Sur: Marcos Covarrubias Villaseñor, PAN
* Campeche: Fernando Ortega Bernés PRI
* Chiapas
** Juan Sabines Guerrero, Coalition for the Good of All, until December 7
** Manuel Velasco Coello PVEM, starting December 8
* Chihuahua: César Duarte Jáquez PRI
* Coahuila: Rubén Moreira Valdez PRI
* Colima: Mario Anguiano Moreno PRI
* Durango: Jorge Herrera Caldera PRI
* Guanajuato: Miguel Márquez Márquez PAN
* Guerrero: Ángel Aguirre Rivero PRD
* Hidalgo: Francisco Olvera Ruiz PRI
* Jalisco: Emilio González Márquez PAN
* State of Mexico: Eruviel Ávila Villegas PRI
* Michoacán: Fausto Vallejo PRI
* Morelos
** Marco Antonio Adame PAN, until October 1.
** Graco Ramírez PRD, starting October 1.
* Nayarit: Roberto Sandoval Castañeda PRI
* Nuevo León: Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz PRI
* Oaxaca: Gabino Cué Monteagudo MC
* Puebla: Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas PAN
* Querétaro: José Eduardo Calzada Rovirosa PRI
* Quintana Roo: Roberto Borge Angulo PRI
* San Luis Potosí: Fernando Toranzo Fernández PRI
* Sinaloa: Mario López Valdez PAN
* Sonora: Guillermo Padrés Elías PAN
* Tabasco: Andrés Granier Melo PRI, until December 31, 2012
* Tamaulipas: Egidio Torre Cantú PRI
* Tlaxcala: Mariano González Zarur PRI
* Veracruz: Javier Duarte de Ochoa PRI
* Yucatán
** Ivonne Ortega Pacheco PRI, until September 30
** Rolando Zapata Bello PRI, starting October 1
* Zacatecas: Miguel Alonso Reyes PRI
* Head of Government of the Federal District
** Marcelo Ebrard PRD, until December 4
** Miguel Ángel Mancera PRD, starting December 5

## Events

* January 4 – Altamira prison brawl: Thirty-one killed and 13 injured in a Tamaulipas prison.
* February 7 – The Estela de Luz to commemorate the bicentennial of the Independence of Mexico is inaugurated in Mexico City.
* February 19 – Apodaca prison riot: Forty-four killed in a Nuevo León prison.
* March 20 - A magnitude 7.4 earthquake kills two and leaves 30,000 homeless in Oaxaca and Guerrero.
* March – Pope Benedict XVI visits Guanajuato.
* April 15 - Reports of superheated rock fragments being hurled into the air by the Popocateptl volcano. Ash and water vapor plumes were reported 15 times over 24 hours.
* April 20 – Álamo bus accident: Forty-three killed and 17 injured in an accident in Veracruz.
* April and May – 2012 Nuevo Laredo massacres, April 17, April 24 and May 4.
* May 3 – 2012 Veracruz murder of journalists: The bodies of two journalists were recovered in Veracruz on World Press Freedom Day.
* May 13 – Cadereyta Jiménez massacre: At least 49 people are killed in the Mexican Drug War.
* June 9 – Miss Latin America 2012 won by Georgina Méndez Pimentel, 24, in the Riveria Maya.
* June 18 and 19 – 2012 G-20 Los Cabos summit
* August 12 – Edgar Morales Perez, PRI mayor-elect of Matehuala, San Luis Potosí, and his campaign manager were assassinated by unknown attackers.
* August 19: 2012 Michoacán murder of photographers
* December 9: 2012 Mexico Learjet 25 crash

## Elections

* 2012 Mexican general election
* 2012 Federal District of Mexico head of government election
* 2012 Chiapas gubernatorial election
* 2012 Guanajuato gubernatorial election
* 2012 Jalisco gubernatorial election
* 2012 Morelos gubernatorial election
* 2012 Tabasco gubernatorial election
* 2012 Yucatán gubernatorial election

## Awards

* Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor – Ernesto de la Peña (post mortem)
* Order of the Aztec Eagle – Bono
* National Prize for Arts and Sciences
** Linguistics and literature – Francisco Hernández Pérez [es]
** Physics, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences – Ruben Gerardo Barrera, Carlos Artemio Coello Coello [es], Susana Lizano
** Technology and Design – Sergio Antonio Estrada Parra [es]
** Popular Arts and Traditions - Antonio Camilo Bautista Jariz [es], Cofradía de San Juan Bautista group, Traditional music community formed by the Vega-Utrera family
** Fine arts – Arón Claudio Bitrán Goren [es], Helene Joy Laville Perren, Fernando González Gortázar
** History, Social Sciences, and Philosophy – Carlos Marichal, Carlos Muñoz Izquierdo [es]
* National Public Administration Prize
* Ohtli Award
** Alexander Gonzalez
** Charlie Gonzalez
** Carlos Gutierrez
** Salud Carbajal
** Francisco G. Cigarroa
** Paddy Moloney
** Mel Martínez
** David J. Schmidly
** Richard A. Tapia
** Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa
** Edward James Olmos

## Film

* List of Mexican films of 2012

## Music

* List of number-one albums of 2012 (Mexico)

## Sport
### Soccer/Football

* 2011–12 Mexican Primera División season
* Apertura 2012 Copa MX
* 2012 Copa de México de Naciones
* 2012 CONCACAF Champions League Finals
* 2012 Homeless World Cup
* Mexico wins the 2012 Olympic Football tournament

### Racing

* 2012 LATAM Challenge Series season
* 2012 Rally México
* 2012 Super Copa Telcel

### Wrestling

* Homenaje a Dos Leyendas (2012)
* Héroes Inmortales (2012)
* Rebelión de los Juniors (2012)
* Rey del Ring (2012)
* IWRG Ruleta de la Muerte (2012)
* Arena Naucalpan 35th Anniversary Show
* Caravan de Campeones (May 2012)
* Caravan de Campeones (August 2012)
* El Castillo del Terror (2012)
* Prison Fatal (2012)
* Legado Final (2012)
* Gran Cruzada (2012)
* Festival de las Máscaras (2012)
* CMLL Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles (2012)
* Guerra de Empresas (2012)
* Guerra del Golfo (2012)

### Misc

* 2012 Vuelta a Mexico
* Men's Abierto Mexicano de Raquetas 2012
* 2012 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics
* 2012 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup
* 2012 Boys' Youth NORCECA Volleyball Championship
* 2012 Girls' Youth NORCECA Volleyball Championship
* Mexico at the 2012 Summer Olympics
* Mexico at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
* Mexico at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics

## Notable deaths

* January 7 – Raúl Régulo Quirino Garza, journalist (La Última Palabra) in Cadereyta, Nuevo León; killed.
* April 1 – Miguel de la Madrid, 52nd President of Mexico (PRI), 1982-1988 (born 1934)
* April 20
** Mario Arturo Acosta Chaparro, military leader (born 1942)
** Héctor Javier Salinas Aguirre, journalist (920 Radio Noticias), in Chihuahua, Chihuahua; killed.
** Javier Moya Muñoz, journalist (920 Radio Noticias), in Chihuahua, Chihuahua; killed.
* April 28 – Regina Martínez Pérez, journalist (Proceso) in Xalapa, Veracruz; killed.
* May 3 – 2012 Veracruz murder of journalists:
** Gabriel Huge Córdova, journalist (Notiver) in Boca del Río, Veracruz; killed.
** Guillermo Luna Varela, journalist (Veracruznews).
** Esteban Rodríguez, journalist (Diario AZ).
** Ana Irasema Becerra Jiménez, journalist (El Dictamen).
* May 13 – René Orta Salgado, journalist (El Sol de Cuernavaca) and PRI politician, in Cuernavaca, Morelos; assassinated (b. ca. 1969).
* May 15 – Carlos Fuentes, Mexico-born author (La muerte de Artemio Cruz, Aura, Terra Nostra, Gringo Viejo), (born 1928)
* May 18 – Marco Antonio Ávila García, journalist (Sonora Diario Sonora de la Tarde & El Regional de Ciudad Obregón) in Empalme, Sonora; killed.
* June 14 – Víctor Manuel Báez Chinojournalist (Milenio Xalapa) in Xalapa, Veracruz; killed.
* June 30 – Armando Montaño, journalist (The Associated Press) in Mexico City; killed.
* August 5 – Chavela Vargas – Costa Rican singer who lived in Cuernavaca.
* August 12 – Edgar Morales Perez, mayor-elect of Matehuala, San Luis Potosi
* August 19 – Ernesto Araujo Cano, journalist (El Heraldo de Chihuahua) in Chihuahua, Chihuahua; killed.
* August 20 – 2012 Michoacán murder of photographers in Ecuandureo, Michoacán:
** José Antonio Aguilar Mota, freelance photographer; killed.
** Arturo Barajas López, photographer (Diario de Zamora); killed.
* September 25 – Alonso Lujambio, 50, Senator and former Secretary of Public Education; cancer
* October 7 – Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, gang leader (Los Zetas); killed by the navy
* October 15 – Ramón Abel López Aguilar, journalist (Tijuana Informativo) in Tijuana, Baja California; killed.
* November 14 – Adrián Silva Moreno, freelance journalist in Tehuacán, Puebla; killed.
* November 15 – María Santos Gorrostieta Salazar, 36, politician PRD, former mayor of Tiquicheo, Michoacan; beaten to death (body found on this date).
* December 4 – Miguel Calero, soccer player (C.F. Pachuca)
* December 9 – Jenni Rivera, banda singer and coach of La Voz... México
* December 22 – David Araujo Arévalo, journalist (Novedades de Acapulco) in Acapulco, Guerrero; murdered.