We have been coming to Mexico for the past 18 years, visiting often enough to have gained our own experience and impressions in different places and with other people, both Mexicans and other Norteamericanos. There are as many Canadians here, maybe more in some places, than there are people from the United States. An interesting fact is that all three countries, Canada, U.S. and Mexico are part of America in the sense of being part of North America. Central America doesn't begin until below the Mexican border at Guatemala but few people would call Canadians or Mexicans Americans and usually reserve that label for people from the U.S. Minor point, just interesting to me.
To put this in context, Warren Hardy has a fascinating lecture on the differing values between the U.S. and Mexico that are reflected in our different cultures. If you want to understand another person or another country, you need to understand and appreciate their culture. You don't have to agree with what they do or how they do things but it helps enormously if you understand their history, their values and their language. In fact, these days, you don't have to speak Spanish to get along well in Mexico although it is a tremendous benefit and facilitates more and better communication if you do. You can find Warren's video lecture on his web site here: http://warrenhardy.com/videos/culture
Our experience is that our neighbors here, south of the border, are gracious, friendly, helpful, welcoming and often eager to connect and communicate. There are many who believe that Mexico is a dangerous place because of the press that highlights the problems with drugs, the cartels that fight with each other, the violence and the statistics about homicides and theft. The biggest consumer of those drugs is the U.S. and without that demand, the drug business would not be so robust. The recent El Chapo publicity accentuates some of the problems including corruption at every level. While political corruption is part of the fabric here, it's understood as another way of doing business. We have even participated by paying off a couple of policemen instead of going to the "office" to pay a traffic ticket, one for going the wrong way down a one-way street and the other for being in the wrong lane in a commercial zone. Tourists are easy targets for the "policia" who want to make a "mordita" or take a "bite" out of our pockets. And even they were friendly while doing it! I can share the details in another post later on.
We are currently ensconced in a small, coastal village, Lo de Marcos, about 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific coast. It's a quiet place except at holiday times when Mexican families come to celebrate and enjoy the beach. And even then there's a wonderful atmosphere of sharing and mutual respect. The other villages that we have experienced nearby include Bucerias, Sayulita and San Pancho, as well as La Penita and it''s open air market just to the north. We have also traveled some in the interior and spent time in San Miguel Allende, an historical city that's full of ex-pats from north of the border. What many people who winter here for several months have discovered is not only the terrific weather and rich culture but also an affordable place for those on a fixed income. Some believe the U.S. actively discourages people from coming to Mexico because they bring their income here rather than spending it in the states.
Suffice to say here, for now, that we love Mexico and the people here, we appreciate the opportunity we have for being here, as guests in their country, and we find the people here like others all over the world. These are kind and generous folks, caring and loving of their families, often working very hard to make a living, and in a beautiful place with mountains, farms, oceans and a long history of slavery and impoverishment. You can make of it what you will and I will share some stories later that illustrate a few of our experiences that highlight our time and travel here. We feel safe because we usually know where we're going, how to get there and where we are going to stay. And if we do get lost, people seem eager to help a stranger in need. To me, that's a big mark on the positive side to help erase some of the negative impressions that others might have. More later.....
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