North Americans are not aware of the importance of Mexico in Latin America. What I tell everybody is that this Latin continent is one with two great superpowers: Brazil and Mexico, but with a great influence from Washington.

For what I understand, Latin America is divided into two hemispheres. One goes from the South US, to Colombia. The second hemisphere goes from Venezuela to the Patagonia. The northern hemisphere is lead by Mexico and Colombia, and the approach is "Total Wall Street Capitalism". The influence of the United States is evident, especially in Mexico. Not only for the economic relations, NAFTA, Mexican immigrants in the US or the American expats in Mexico, but for the orientation of POLITICS.

But these days on CNN you'll see Hugo Chávez leading the southern hemisphere of Latin America. These guys are fighting against George Bush's Power. Some leaders like Lula and Fernández are trying to buid capitalist régimes with a "social touch".

Above all, Mexico is trying to have the leadership of the region. Even though, the real Giant in Latin America is socialism, the ghost of Che Guevara, the ideas of Fidel Castro, and over all, populism.

What do you think?

Email us at:
officialmexicoguide@gmail.com

        

So you decided to come to Mexico and are having second thoughts? Maybe it's because of the security alerts in the news. All over Canadian and American media, they fill up their TV segments with travel alerts about Mexico, Asian countries, Central America, etc. Let me give you my point of view in some facts:

- There's just as much crime in Mexico as there is in other countries.

- Crowded cities like Mexico City have more crime than the rest of the country. But of course, if you go to Tehuacán, Puebla, the odds of getting robbed are slim to none.

- Maybe, I'll give you the point about border cities like Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, Ciudad Juárez and Tijuana. They have had violent crimes, just like the American border has its crime scene, but I've never seen tourists in trouble.

So let me give you some advice:

- Look like a Mexican and speak some Spanish. Believe me, in cities like Mexico City or Puebla, they have seen many foreigners, actually they like us. A good look would be jeans and a t-shirt, it looks perfectly normal.

- Don't walk around wearing a big sombrero, sandals, and those big tube European backpacks, they will know that you're a tourist and that you carry money with you.

- Bring pesos with you, don't carry foreign currency around expecting that people think you're from another country, it's obvious.

I think I'll talk about this in the next Mexico Travel Tips.

Let me know if you have a question: officialmexicoguide@gmail.com

        

Hey guys,

Today I want to talk to you about one of Mexico's favorites. I'm talking about Teotihuacán. Many people have heard of these great pyramids, located at Estado de México (State of Mexico), minutes from Mexico City. It's great, because from the moment you get in the area, the valley is shown in front of your eyes.

Teotihuacán was a religious place for the Teotihuacanos. They believed that the sun and the moon were created there, so they built enormous pyramid monuments to venerate their Gods. The monuments look like the remainings of a great city, along with 3-mile streets (Calzada de los muertos).

Tourists and people get to visit temples, constructions, and museums. I love the fact that the energy this site has accumulated is very powerful, a feeling that something happened there.

My favorite is the pyramid of the sun. You'll have to climb up 162 steps to get to the higher level. During the spring, people get to the top of the pyramid to get energy, they dress in white and spend the whole morning charging their batteries.

I'm going to post a little video I found for you. I hope you like it.

        

Download | Duration: 00:25:14

SHOWNOTES:


It's finally here, Mexico Travel Tips, Audioshow #3. On this episode I'll talk about the best beaches in the country.

#10. Acapulco.
#9. Mazatlán.
#8 Puerto Vallarta.
#7. Ixtapa Zihuatanejo.
#6. Cancún.
#5. Isla Mujeres.
#4. Cozumel.
#3. Puerto Escondido.
#2. Huatulco.
#1. Los Cabos.

Enjoy!

        

Hi, today I start writing about Mexican Business Culture, for those executive who read my website. I decided to blog on that topic because I believe it's something that people want to know about. They want to answer the question: how can I do business in Mexico? Without cultural misunderstandings and without offending Mexican people.

So, before we get initiated on this issue, I would like to recommend a book to all of you. It's called Management in Two Cultures, Bridging the Gap between U.S. and Mexican Managers, by Eva Kras. It's just a great book, I read it in two days. It will be useful to all of my European and Canadian readers, because it outlines comparatively the management differences between Mexico and the US.

Inside the book there's many topics we can talk about, on the debate of how to treat with Mexicans. Today I'll talk about the regions of Mexico and how they approach differently to management. First of all, you have to understand that there's 5 regions in the country:

1. The North.
Their capital is Monterrey, they have a fast-paced life, hard workers, they think differently, Influenced by the US managerial culture.

2. The Center.
Guadalajara is the main city, representative of conservative people and autocratic leadership. They have developed sophisticated methods inside companies.

3. The Southeast.
Comprising places like Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Yucatán. Low presence of industrial complexes. The business environment is traditional and a one-man orchestra. They are very relaxed and almost like their counterparts in Central America.

4. Mexico City and sorroundings.
Cosmopolitan environment. Mix of poor and rich. You can find everything, it's just like Paris or Moscow, with all their problems and contrasts.

5. Oil-producing states of the Gulf.
Mainly Southern Tamaulipas, all of Veracruz, Tabasco, and Campeche. These states have been blessed with resources and their management culture is laid back. Lots of people work in Mexico's state-owned oil company: Pemex.

Oh, that was a long one. I'll be posting the podcast today. I'll be getting deeper into the Mexican Business Culture very soon.

        

Well, sometimes I just feel that it's too much. If you're like me and watch CNN there's wonderful shows like Larry King and AC 360, but Lou Dobbs is way off the limit. By times, this man turns the people against Mexico, he shows everything that is violent, perverse and ugly about the Mexicans. From that point of view, anything will be against the American interests. This means generalizing that all Latinos are the same, that they are all illegal immigrants.

I can't talk about one of Lou's positions, I would have to talk about many of them. For example, Mexican teamsters, border crossings, the Arizona law, and so on. It's just amazing to see how this man is against anything that comes south the border.

In my own dictionary, that's intolerance. I can tolerate everything, except for consideration. The people of Mexico deserve consideration. Why don't they show the Latino Generals that were awarded some day ago? What about all the American exports that Mexicans buy? For what I know Wal-Mart and Coca-Cola are doing just great in Mexico. Lou, you could be more balanced.

What do you think? What is the problem with Mexican truck drivers? Don't forget to send me your comments: officialmexicoguide@gmail.com

        

In its vigorous advance, Mexican architecture is viewed as producing works of quality and of strong plastic interest. Its character, now rich in depth and in future, was originally formed by blending French and German ideas. To this, Mexico has added a unique enrichment, a fundamental fusing of the principles of modern architecture with those of its past.

This fusion is a merger of simplified forms with the needs of today's Mexican living, all in bond with the country's traditions. These traditions are more than simple, they are inherent of the people. They not just come from mind or the blood. Actually, one walks on underlyinf strata; evidences of centuries past continue to be found underfoot. And so, instinctively and with faith in her talents, the architecture of Mexico, like her murals, has strength, sincerity, and pronounced individuality.

My aim is to show the approach and strides into what the Mexican home is. It is by no means technical and savvy. It's just my impressions. And so it happens, that in a country which today is far from being homogeneized, there is a lack of uniformity in its contemporary domestic architecture. Change of design with its differing adaptations and versions is apt to become enmeshed in local custom, reflecting regional artifacts and color preferences. In designing Mexicans become bored, as do the Chinese, with copying. To them it is far more enjoyable, in fact easier, to think something new.

        

For those of you who travel a lot, getting sick when you're away from home is a difficult endeavor. For others who have considered moving, health care should be one main concern. In Mexico, generally speaking, you'll find good hospitals, and they will cost you half of what it would cost in the US or Europe.

Any medium to large city across the country has at least two or three hospitals that offer good care for locals and visitors. I know what you're thinking, travel can seem very difficult because you're away from home and don't know what to expect if you get sick. And you're right, if you get sick when you go abroad, that reminds you of how fragile you are, and how much you like it back home.

It could be the case that you miss constant communication with your physician, and on top of that, understanding doctors in a different language might be a big deal for some. To add it all up, getting injured in a place like Mexico can get expensive if your medical coverage won't take the bill.

Many Americans travel all the way south to Mexican hospitals around the country to get medical treatment. Mexican, American, and multinational hospitals want the rules to change. People are trying to get medical coverage in all of North America for the same ticket, this means, with your same insurance.

If this happens in the future, I'm sure the number of Americans opting for health care in Mexico will reach an unprecedented level.

Here's a video to open your eyes on Americans seeking cheap drugs in Mexico pharmacies.

        

Hi guys. I just read an article about the number of Americans and Canadians retired in Mexico. It's amazing. About a million have homes in Mexico.

For that reason, there's people traveling to and from Mexico, and sometimes leave their Mexican homes alone. So, locals have invented the concept of housesitting, which basically means that a homeowner leaves his home entitled to someone else (a housesitter), while he is away. Of course, there's some kind of agreement between the parts, that contemplates responsibilities and obligations. You'll be very well covered.

This innovative practice allows you to avoid burglars. It's mostly like a lease, where you decide to charge or not (in this case, since it's not commercial, and you're not planning to declare you're income, let's suppose it's a free ride). You would also decide who qualifies to be a house sitter and the final candidate, as well as any other arrangements to be protected.

Even when you don't receive a payment, you can receive benefits like free maintenance, and your housesitter can take care of paying taxes, repairing, etc. And on top of that, the tranquility that you'll be traveling back and forth without remorses.

The sitter can even take your mail, and resend it to you somewhere else, or even inform you about events going on with the house. You could even have birds and, the sitter is taking good care of them.

So this could be a great option for people who want to own a house in Mexico, take a vacation, and travel, without the preoccupation of burglars in your home.

        

We're talking about a new 32-story tower, located at the Angel of Independence on México City’s main avenue Paseo de la Reforma. One of the massive world banks, HSBC, has built one of the first green office building in México.

Although the company pays a flat fee for water and doesn’t save money by reducing consumption, it nevertheless put in place a treatment plant to capture rainwater and drainage from bathroom sinks for reuse in its air conditioners. They even considered a system for treating sewage.

This will be the first office building in Latin America to receive the certification of the U.S. Green Building Council. The certification covers not just the building but also the behavior of the 2,200 employees who use it, which has led to HSBC introducing changes in the work environment.

Some have been straightforward, such as using stylish, comfortable chairs made of recycled materials. Others take more time to get used to, such as waterless urinals and motion sensors that turn off the lights in the conference
rooms (requiring people to periodically flap their arms to remind the room’s sensors that someone’s inside). The general reaction among employees has been one of cooperation and pride. The building’s 180 parking spots reserved for carpoolers (defined as three people per vehicle) are always full. And yet the contrast of having a green building in a city noted for a lack of environmental consciousness is apparent, as in the garage where a
single bike was locked up in an area designed for hundreds.