☀ Domingo Brief — Bolivia’s Bird Town

Each Sunday, take two minutes to catch key stories and opportunities shaping Latin America.

---

Welcome back to the Domingo Brief! This week, we’re looking at Mexico’s 2023 GDP growth, Brazil’s electricity market, water troubles in the Panama Canal, and more.

---

Trivia of the Week

Nearly three-quarters of you (71%) were right in guessing that Panama was never part of the First Mexican Empire. The other 3 options of Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua all broke free from Mexico City’s grasp in the 1820s shortly after independence from Spain, but Panama’s sovereignty would only come nearly a century later in 1903 when it declared independence from Colombia with US support.

Each week, tune back in for the answer to the previous week’s trivia question. No cheating!

---

🇧🇴 The Bolivian town of Laderas Norte has turned itself into a natural reserve for Andean condors, a symbolic yet endangered species of birds known in the country. Taking the step after the death of over 30 of these birds in 2021, the small town in southern Bolivia has aimed to make itself a refuge and safe area for these condors.

---

🇧🇷 Nearly 166K consumer units will be able to negotiate electricity contracts directly with suppliers this year following a 2022 change in regulation. This opens the door for everyday consumers, and not just big corporations, to buy their electricity freely and without local distributors or national hoops.

Latinometrics: Brazil’s energy distribution market is worth roughly $32.9B. Under the new legislation, the free market will gain roughly an additional 13% market share to reach half of the total market.