Elda Cantú

I’m an editor for The New York Times, based in Mexico City. I also write “El Times,” a newsletter featuring the best of our coverage, translated for Spanish-speaking audiences.

What I Cover

I write articles about current events in Mexico and Central America. I also select and edit articles for translation to Spanish, a responsibility I’ve held in different capacities since joining The Times in 2018. And I work closely with our correspondents across Latin America.

My Background

Before joining The Times I lived in Lima, Peru, where I served as the managing editor of Etiqueta Negra, an award-winning magazine of nonfiction; I was also the founding editor of its quarterly environmental edition, commissioning and editing stories from writers in Latin America and beyond. From 2014 to 2017 I was editor in chief of Viù!, a weekly magazine at El Comercio, Peru’s oldest newspaper. Subsequently, I was a freelance reporter, writing about a range of issues including international affairs, business and digital transformations, migration, gender and women in leadership.

Before becoming a journalist, I was an educator and school administrator at Tecnológico de Monterrey, leading groups of students and teachers in learning experiences across the Asia Pacific region. I have worked as a professor both at the undergraduate and graduate levels teaching courses in global studies, comparative foreign policy and narrative journalism.

I grew up in Reynosa, Mexico, a city along the U.S. border, which meant I spent my early years crossing back and forth between languages and communities, absorbing the culture of the Rio Grande Valley as well as that of the Mexican northeast. I have a degree in international relations from Tecnológico de Monterrey, and in 2006 I completed a master’s degree in Latin American and Caribbean studies from New York University.

Journalistic Ethics

I work hard to help more people understand the world by amplifying the journalism of The Times for Spanish speaking audiences. I realize the diversity and complexities of the region and communities I cover and strive for my work to be clear, empathetic and fair to reality. I identify myself as a journalist for The Times when I contact people for information. As a Times journalist, I abide by the company’s Ethical Journalism Handbook, which means I do not attend political rallies, protests or other demonstrations unless it is for reporting purposes. I do vote.

You can follow me on social media or contact me through email. I do not currently commission work outside The Times, but I’m always eager to hear tips and engage with readers.

• Email: elda.cantu@nytimes.com

• X: @eldacantu

• LinkedIn: Elda Cantú