Tag Archives: security

in english

Maybe Mexico is indeed quite misunderstood

A couple of European colleagues joined me in my last business trip to Mexico and they seemed genuinely surprised by what they saw. It was not as unsafe as they were led to believe, the people were more ethnically varied than they expected, it was not as poor (even though of course they did see a cross-section of Mexican society from wealthy city denizens to farm hands in the hills) and the food was better than they thought.

Also at some point I spent some time with a group of Finnish gentlemen who had a lot of questions about the country, which I did my best to answer in the little time we had together (personal favourite: why do all houses have water tanks in the roof?).

Maybe the place is indeed quite misunderstood as I’ve been saying all these years.  I’m not saying it’s better or worse, it’s just not what people abroad without previous experience of the country think.

in english

Recommended movie: El Infierno (Hell)


This is a very well-made dark, sarcastic allegory of the security situation in northern Mexico.  Imagine Scarface and Herod’s law having a child while listening to narcocorridos.  Not for the faint of heart, and definitely not for anyone under 15 years old.  I bought the DVD recently, but if you happen to come across it in a film festival or on TV don’t miss it.  Definitely the Mexican hit of 2010.

in english

Mexican Geography for Europeans

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One of the challenges I’ve had in explaining the security situation in certain parts of Mexico to some of my friends and colleagues has simply been the fact that people don’t necessarily understand the size of the country.


Now, courtesy of ifitweremyhome.com, I found this excellent map superimposing Mexico on top of Europe to prove my point.  Just as people going to the beaches of Greece and Turkey didn’t need to worry about the Glasgow airport bombers, it makes little sense to worry about the security situation in the northern border if you’re going to the beaches of central and southern Mexico.  I certainly won’t, and I go there every year (If you need tips, I wrote a small guide some time ago).

That’s what drives me crazy sometimes about the international news coverage of the country.  I’m not telling you that there aren’t places that are screwed up, but using that brush for the whole place is misleading.

in english

500 Euros & the mafia

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Too much money: 500 Euro!

Recently read an article in a Mexican business magazine where they mention that the 500 euro bill is the darling of the Italian mafia.  The simple reason is that while transporting a million dollars in 100 dollar bills cash would need a portfolio or bag weighing up to 10 kg (as previously seen in Hollywood), a million dollars in 500 euro bills would be much more easily concealed and weigh less than 2 kg. No wonder they are starting to find these in seizures in Mexico, Costa Rica and Russia.

I mean, I have never seen even the 100 Euro bill being used normally in the street, much less the 200 or 500.  Given that the larger the denomination the larger the bill, 500 Euro are pretty much a purple papyrus 😛

in english

Mexico a failed state… not

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There's been a lot of discussion in the traditional media and the blogosphere about Mexico becoming a failed state after a report by the US military on such eventuality.  Frankly, as gross as the news on the Mexican drug cartels are, I think it is an exaggeration for two simple reasons:

I'm not innocent enough to say that everything is going beautifully, but I have a thermometer that most people in the international media don't: family and friends living in the country.  I'm sure many of them would among be the first to start leaving if the situation becomes as untenable as these reports claim.  Otherwise I'll keep on hoping for the best and agreeing with opinions like this.

In the meantime, tourism seems to be more affected by the international credit crunch than by that kind of news items.  Fair, since most tourism attractions are very far away from where these sad events are taking place.  As a tourist, I'd be more afraid in Los Angeles or Chicago than Cancún or San Miguel de Allende.

in english

Monocle’s Mexican fixes

I'm a big fan of Monocle magazine, and was quite amused when they talked about their main tips for the Mexican government in the year to come, which I quote below:

  1. Streamline the tax system and make it easier for people to pay.
  2. Stop police corruption by hiring better-educated cops and paying them more.
  3. Create a third television network so the media is not in the hands of so few.

Even though all are relevant and rather urgent, the first one was the one that got me thinking.  One of the things that works especially well in Finland compared to Mexico is the taxation system. 

We might disagree on the amount of taxes you have to pay (that's a whole other discussion), but it is amazingly easy to pay them: you only give an estimate at the beginning of the year, get a tax card, give it to your employer and then taxes are discounted automatically during that fiscal year (which is the same as the calendar year). If your estimate was off the mark, you can check your pre-filled tax return the next May, and you may even get a refund the next December.  In 7 years I've never needed to ask any help from an accountant, and I've never had a problem.

No wonder Mexican tax payment levels are lower than Botswana's compared to GDP.  Can they try to improve this for the new year?

in english

De “robo del siglo” a “robo de película… cómica”

Para terminar en una nota alegre, checa esta historia de El Universal sobre un robo de banco fallido en la Ciudad de México.  Los ladrones, queriendo perforar con martillo y cincel de una casa abandonada a la bóveda del banco, terminaron primero en un salón de fiestas pero no se dieron por vencidos.  En su segundo intento, esta vez desde el establecimiento para párvulos, fueron a dar al baño del banco, activando la alarma.

Estos cuates si no hubieran nacido los habría inventado Walt Disney…

in english

State of fear

I was pretty surprised by the amount of fear I could see in the American media.   I understand the shock caused by the unfortunate events of September 11th, 2001, but I think this doesn't only have to do with that.

The messages you hear in TV, in the news and in the street talk about fear: fear of terrorism, yes, but also of immigration, poverty, bad health, poor eductaion, peak oil, etc.  I find it sad that such an entrepreneurial people can be held back by thinly veiled propaganda of fear.  Awareness is extremely important, but frightening your audience won't take you anywhere.