«Mexico is a poor, dangerous and provincial third world country where there are only beaches, pyramids and drug cartels». We have heard similar statements more than once and, frankly, such stereotypes are very upsetting. Usually they are available to those who have never been to Mexico. Mexico is very different, it is a country with an unusually rich history and distinctive culture, which many other powers have the opportunity to envy. Therefore, we would like to debunk 7 common myths about Mexico. Better yet, come and see everything with your own eyes.
Mexico is very dangerous
Every day the Russian-language press writes that in Mexico someone was killed or some kind of accident occurred. Why doesn’t the press write about the many other events that happen every day in the life of Mexico and of which there are many more, about finds, about cultural events, about business and society? Yes, because the reader only needs horror stories.
The world's largest metropolis, Mexico City, is considered extremely dangerous. However, when comparing the number of crimes in Mexico and in the United States, Mexico City has five times fewer attacks than New Orleans, and much less than Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington or Atlanta. The US State Department regularly issues warnings for Americans when traveling to Mexico. The State Department considers only two of Mexico's 32 states completely safe for travel. But in fact, more than 1.5 million Americans permanently live in Mexico, and they live, and did not come here for work, and there are a lot of them in those states where the State Department does not recommend traveling.
Drug cartels are indeed stirring up violence in some parts of the country, but if you have nothing to do with the drug trade, then they don’t care about you. It is extremely unlikely that when you come to Mexico as a traveler, you will find yourself in the zone of drug-related violence. Read from this publication, in which we covered the topic of security in Mexico.
Corruption is truly widespread in Mexico, at all levels. But it doesn’t make sense to think that if a policeman stopped you, it was solely for the purpose of extortion. More often than not, the police don't just stop you.
Mexico poor
The 10th largest country in the world, Mexico is home to more than 127 million people. Its economy ranks 15th, and its GDP per capita is — 64th place in the world. The percentage of middle class citizens here is higher than in many countries, including some European countries.
According to 2021 data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico (INEGI), 42% of Mexico households are middle class, or 39.2% of Mexico's population. In cities this figure is even higher – 50.1%. A middle-class household typically consists of a married couple with two children. The head of the family has a higher education. The couple owns their own home and works in the private sector. They have a car, a computer, a TV, a cell phone and at least one credit card. Some send their children to private schools.
In Mexico there is indeed a fairly large gap between the incomes of the rich and the poor. But poverty in Mexico — This is not poverty, and here it is much easier to “get out among the people” than in many other countries. At the same time, the wealth of the middle class has nothing to do with the drug trade. The richest person in the world (in 2010, 2011 and 2012) was Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim.
Mexicans are lazy
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Mexicans work much more than citizens of other countries in the world. Usually simply because you need to work more to meet your needs. In 2018, Mexicans worked an average of 2,246 hours per year, including part-time work, while Americans worked 1,783 hours and Germans — minimum 1371 hours.
In Mexico there is no siesta like in Spain. The daily life cycle here is distributed in the same way as in most countries of the world, and the working day lasts 8 hours. Mexicans are not greedy, they are used to being content with little, and pay little attention to external attributes. It is for this reason that they most often do not consider it necessary to pursue high social status, and not because they are lazy.
Mexico is a provincial power
As for progress, in many respects the country is ahead of other countries in the world. Progress comes here as quickly as it develops in the USA. Internet speeds and quality of communications services in many regions exceed those in the United States. A power whose 80% of exports are oriented to the States cannot stand up from progress, and especially related to universal values and human rights.
A 2021 study found that 76% of Mexico's population supports same-sex marriage, compared to 72% in the US. The main reason is that 80% of Mexicans identify as Catholics, who are much more accepting of same-sex marriage than evangelicals. The first protests for gay rights began in Mexico back in 1871. On human rights issues, Mexico is more consistent than many democracies.
Research also shows that all social institutions in Mexico work like clockwork, and Mexicans admit that they feel protected by the state.
You can end up in the smallest town. But here, too, there will definitely be a hospital, with modern equipment, and a school, which will not have peeling walls. There will be normal roads, not autobahns, but paved ones. There will be public transport here, which runs like clockwork. Cities are connected by comfortable first and second class buses with air conditioning, televisions and sometimes even wi-fi, which run exactly on schedule.
Let us also remind you that in Mexico there is nationwide free medical care, and if you have money for a doctor, they will not leave you on the street. At the same time, the level of consultants working in public hospitals will be as high as in private ones. And many doctors work in both places at the same time, especially if they are interested in advanced training.
It's always hot in Mexico
A common myth about Mexico is that the country is made up of hot, humid beaches and dry, dusty deserts. Of course, it can be very hot in some regions. Surprisingly, April and May are hotter than July and August because summer is the rainy season, when daytime thunderstorms cool the air. Almost the entire territory experiences climatic seasonality, typical for the Northern Hemisphere. In different natural zones, the climate can vary significantly. Let's say the capital Mexico City is at an altitude of 2240 meters above sea level, and the average air temperature here in January is +12°C, in July - +17°C. And this is not the coldest city in Mexico.
Mexico is not only deserts or beaches. It is also rich in tropical forests, volcanoes, wetlands, prairies, glaciers, jungles, shrubs, tundra and steppes. Natural biodiversity Mexico — one of the most outstanding in the world.
The official language of Mexico is Spanish
While Spanish is indeed considered the most widely spoken language in Mexico, it is not an official language. There are no official languages in Mexico. But Mexico— May itself be a large Spanish-speaking power.
The percentage of indigenous people (Indians) in Mexico, which is about a third of the population, is the highest among all countries in the Western Hemisphere. Indigenous peoples speak 68 languages, the main ones being Nahuatl (mostly in Puebla and Veracruz), Yucatecan (in Yucatan) and Mixtec in the state of Oaxaca.
If you speak Spanish poorly, but still speak it, you may find it easier to communicate with the indigenous population than with “real Mexicans.” Because Spanish is also a second language for them, and they are used to understanding fragments of phrases and incorrect pronunciation.
Mexico has poor higher education
You are mistaken in thinking that higher education in Mexico is mediocre. In 2022, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) was ranked 105th out of 1,300 universities in the world. In Latin America it ranks second after the University of Buenos Aires. The Technological Institute of Monterrey (Tecnológico de Monterrey) is ranked among the top 200 out of 1,673 prestigious technical universities in the world for the fifth year in a row.
As a university student, you have to pay for other services, such as housing, food, textbooks and actually for a diploma, even though the education itself is completely free. The Mexican government can be very generous with scholarships, but only if you perform well in your studies. In addition, many teachers spent a couple of semesters in Europe or the USA, improving their skills, and this was fully paid for by the Mexican government.
These are not all the myths that exist about Mexico. Mexican food isn't all spicy, Mexicans don't just eat tacos and burritos and don't just wear sombreros. They don’t hate Gringos, they don’t care about countries as guests, you can’t enjoy street food, tequila is not made from cacti, many people smoke weed, but it’s still illegal.