The 1.6 billion dollars the U.S. is giving Mexico to fight its drug war is not just for security-related hardware and surveillance equipment.

Some 420,000 indigenous families in Mexico are to receive new homes, in a project spearheaded by Sedesol, the federal social development agency.  The homes will be 38 square meters, but have scope for expansion.  Sedesol has budgeted 750 million pesos for the first phase of construction.

Mexico marks Air Force Day on Friday, February 10, honoring some 11,000 serving elements and a history that dates back to the early years of the Mexican Revolution.

On Monday, February 6, Mexico marks Constitution Day, a national holiday throughout the country.

One in every four people employed in the formal economy in Mexico lacks a work contract, social security and other privileges under the law, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Visiting Corrales, Zacatecas on Monday, President Felipe Calderon pledged 33.8 billion pesos to aid communities plagued by drought in northern Mexico.