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ike their ancestors before them, South Mexlco s Indians are noted for their fine weaving.

The ive Nationso f MexicoRegional dynmnics have set An1erica s southern neighboron a collision course with i tself

Louis B Casagrande

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If you ask your friends to namefive different locations in Mexico, you'll likely hear the names

of .orne larger cities and beach resorts: Mexico City, Guadalajara, Acapulco, and Cancun. Ask them aboutcurrent events in Mexico, and you'llprobably hear about Mexico's hugeforeign debt and drugs. Ask them tofreeassociate with ,\1\exico, andyou'll probably be told, Don't drinkt h _ ~water, Tacos and enchiladas,r. :mpant poverty, or 11 Fernando

Valenzuela.

What you will not hear from mostpeople is any considered analysis ofwhat Mexico is today. But this is notsurprising. Our interest in Mexicohas rarely been consistent or profound. Americans took an interest in,,, -,xico during the ,v\exican-Americ- , War of 1846-47, when a U.S. victc:y led to the acquisition of nearly

Pacific Ocean

MexamericaNew SpainMetromexSouth Mexico

lub Mex

half of Mexico's territory. They alsotook notice when Mexico erupted inrevolution between 19 10 and 1917,and Pancho Villa raided New Mexico.For the greater part of our history,though, Mexico has been a mysterious neighbor whose Spanish and Indian roots have presented an unfathomable contrast to our own AngloEuropean traditions.

But no longer can Americans ignore Mexico. With a population of

Many American leadersnow say that improvingour relations with Mexicois second in importanceonly to our dealings withthe Soviet Union

80 million, Mexico is nearlytimes larger than Canada. HalfMexican population is under thof 19, compared to a U.S. medianof 31. Moreover, a whole rangcomplex i s sues - f rom illegal mtion and drug trafficking to Mexforeign debt and the debateCentral Amer ica -demands thapay more attention to Mexico, twe begin to penetrate the mysof our distant neighbor.American leaders now say thaproving our relations with Mhas become a major challenge,ond in importance only to ourings with the Soviet Union.

Yet how should we perceiveico? Should we merely define itstates south of the Rio GraShould we simply memorizeco's topography, climate, econoand ethnic groups? Absolutely n

The Five Nations of Mexicou.s. A.

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Monclova

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\Gulf of exico

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Metromex is the religious s well as the political center o Mexico

These antiquated constructs may actually do us more harm than good,because they focus on a Mexico thatno longer exists. To understand modern Mexico \Ve need a more sophis-ticated view of our southern neighb o r a view that acknowledges thecountry s increasingly diverse cultural, political, and economic geographies. just as writers and scholarshave recognized profound regionaldifferences in the United States andCanada, we need to define and analyze the regional differences and dynamics that make up Mexico today.

Far from being an undifferentiatednation with a monolithic cultureMexico is actually a federation of fivedistinct nations each \Vith its ownboundaries and major cities, eachwith its own goals and priorities.

Covering all of current Mexico andspilling over into contiguous parts ofthe U.S., Guatemala, and Belize,these five nations are 11etromex,greater Mexico City, the most powerful nation of the federation; Mex-america, the progressive northernnation that straddles the U.S.-Mexican border; South Mexico, the predominantly Indian nation, resistantto change; ew Spain, the denselypopulated, colonial heartland of thefederation; and lub Mex, a constel-

4 o c u s

lation of resort enclaves that dot bothcoasts. y highlighting the differences among these five nations \Vecan begin to shed our simplistic images of Mexico in favor of a morecomplex and revealing portrait of ourlong-neglected southern neighbor.

Metromex

With a population over 18 million,Metromex consumes the entire Val-ley of Mexico, encompassing theFederal District and the surrounding45 municipalities of the state of Mexico as well as the industrial corridorsnorthwest to Queretar o, northeast toPachuca, east to Puebla, and southto Cuernavaca. Before the SpanishConquest, a great, shallow lake madethe Valley of Mexico one of the rich

est in the world. Now, the dried-upbed of Lake Texcoco provides thedust that mingles with the smoke of100,000 factories and the exhaust ofnearly 3 million vehicles, creatingone of the most toxic environmentsknO\V11.

Smog has not yet diminished theprimacy of Metromex. One-half of allthe industry of the Mexican Federation is located here. Metromex accounts for 38 of the GNP. The headquarters of government, banking,

commerce television sports andmusic are here, while the Basilica tothe Virgin of Guadalupe, north odownto\vn Metromex is the preem-inent shrine of Mexican Catholicism.With such a concentration of economic, political, and cultu ral activity,

it is not surprising that the popubtion of Metromex has doubled in le;than a decade, despite its unhealthyenvironment, or that nearly 3,000 immigrants arrive each day. y the latestcount, almost one out of every fourMexicans calls the Metromex home.(An equivalent single metropolis inthe United States would have 48 million residents, roughly the population of the Boston-Washington me[ alopolis on the East Coast.)

Metromex society reflects the consequences of unequal growth. The

rich live in fashionable suburbs, shopat the most exclusive French and Italian shops, have private satellitedishes, and participate in a cosmopolitan lifestyle equal to the high lifeof Ne\v York Paris or Rome. Themiddle classes have also fared well.The 2 to 3 million government employees, business people, and unionized workers have been the keysupporters and beneficiaries of theruling political party, PRI PartidoRevo/ucionario lnstituciona/), in

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power continuously since 1929. Withsalaries often supplemented by graftand corruption, the Metromex middle classes exemplify the economicsecurity and consumerism to whichthe lower classes aspire.

While the upper and middleclasses are small and privileged, the

base of the social pyramid remainshuge and immobile. It has been estimated that over 50 of the Metromex poor live without running waterin their one-room homes. About 40lack access to health care. Nearly25%do not have enough to eat. Providingfor the poor presents a monumentalproblem for Metromex managers,but the poor continue to arrive, andthe middle class recently has begunto question if Metromex can survive.

But Metromex does survive mainlybecause it continues to draw on theallegiance and resources of its neighboring nations. It extracts minerals,chemicals, steel, beef, and fuel fromMexamerica. From New Spain comesgrain, vegetables, workers, andwater. It receives hydroelectric

power, coffee, tropical foodstuffs,more workers, and fuel from SouthMexico, and Club Mex provides dollars to pay its international debt.Thus, Metromex is the voracious metropolis of a colonial empire. It justifies its political and economicpower by citing the precedent of theAztecs and by evoking the nationalistic ideals of independence and theMexican revolution.

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\-fetromcx is study in contrasts the legacy o colonial empire

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big business. Each year 6 to 8 millionpeople-tourists legal and illegal mi-grants, contrabandistas (smugglers).and industrial developers-pumpbillions of dollars into the bordereconomy. Over the past decadehundreds of U.S. businesses havecrossed the border as part of the ma-quiladora or in-bond industrializa

tion program which allows U.S.manufacturers to use cheap Mexicanlabor to assemble and export products made from imported duty-freeraw materials. Although a recentslide in the value of the Mexican pesohas made the border less attractive,a frontera remains a critical source

of economic and political power.Commercial agriculture in western

Mexamerica is also impressive.Along the coastal plains of Sonoraand Sinaloa, huge irrigated farms,jointly owned by Mexican and U.S.

corporations use the latest in hightech farm machinery to grow grains,vegetables and cotton primarily forthe American market. Further inland,over the Sierra Madre Occidental,the cattle and lumber industries havealso been modernized further stimulating the growth of commerce andfinance throughout the region.

The northeast of Mexamerica isheavily industrialize d. Monclova hasone of the largest steel mills in all ofLatin America, but Monterrey is thepremier industrial city. Well known

for their business acumen the regiomontanos as the people of Monterrey are called have diversifiedfrom beer and steel to petrochemi-

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Outdoor markets are part of the traditions to which South Mexicans cling above).Mexamericans, in contrast, mo el the U.S. in recreation below) as well s in economics.

cals, packaging, building productsand banking. The regiomontanoshave weathered various economiccrises of the Mexican Federation andhave recently completed a renovation of the downtown district thatcombines abstract sculptures withrefurbished colonial facades.

With a growing awareness of itsown potential, Mexamerica seeksways to maintain and expand its economic development while absorbingmigrants from its less-developed rural areas. Its future in the Mexican

Federation is openly discussed andit challenges the prerogatives andsymbolism of Metromex as the traditional seat of power.

South Mexico

f Mexamerica is the progressiverival to Metromex South Mexico isthe relatively impoverished natiol'resistant to change. The n o r t h border of South Mexico runs eastfrom the Pacific coast, north of Acapulco, to the Gulf of Mexico, skirtingsouth of the cities of Cuernavaca andPuebla. The southern border incorporates those portions of Guatemalaand Belize that have been within theMexican sphere of influence since

Colonial times. South Mexico h ocpopulation of about 15 million, hcilof which is Indian (Nahuat, Zapotec,Mixtec, and Maya). and most ofwhich is poor.

Unlike Mexamerica, which hasseveral large cities, South Mexico hasonly a few medium-sized cities. Oaxaca, Tuxtla Gutierrez Villahennosa,and Merida serve mainly as region.:service centers not s centers of intensive industrialization. The greatmajority of the population lives insmall towns and villages or in scat

tered hamlets located in more inaccessible zones that range from highmountains to tropical lowlands.

The economy of South Mexico ispredominantly agricultural, smallscale, and familial. Crafts are a rnai;,source of cash for many citizens ofthe south. The states of Oaxaca andChi a pas are well known for their pot

tery, textiles, and wooden toys.i Guerrero has its mask making. The

Yucatan produces henequen hamr mocks and Panama-style hats. Tour-

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ism is a source of income because ofthe many pre-Hispanic ruins, picturesque villages, and native festivals.But tourist development like industrial development, requires capitalthat South Mexico does not have.

Rather than looking elsewhere fortheir role models, the natives ofSouth Mexico look to the past and

fll cling to their traditions. The Indiancommunities continue to eat corntortillas and black beans and to wear

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huaraches and handwoven costumes, even though the modern substitutes are now within their economic reach. South Mexico is still[;overned by the old system of political bosses who control local opposition and deliver the votes for thePRI of Metromex. Even the Spanishspoken in the region tends to beslower and more conservative. In-dian words and concepts pervadeconversations in the flowered andsunlit plazas.

During the oil boom of the 1970s,o:outh Mexico experienced a flurry ofnew projects and interest from Metromex. A small, cosmopolitan middle class began to challenge the provincial middle class that hascontrolled the region since the Conquest. With the collapse of the oilmarket in the early 1980s, however,most projects were abandoned.~ - l o wMetromex mainly seeks to secure the southern border of the Mexican Federat ion against the pressuresof illegal migration and contrabandfrom Central America. South Mexicowould like to exploit this concern toinitiate independent developmentbut unlike Mexamerica, it lacks thereal clout to seek self-control.

New pain

With 30 million inhabitants, NewSpain forms the densely populatedcolonial center of Old Mexico. Unlike Mexamerica or South Mexico,New Spain features an elaborate webof large, medium-sized, and smallcities, each with its own network ofdependent villages. Most New Spaincommunities are centuries old giv-ing the region an unequaled stability.

Crisscrossed by small mountainranges and blessed with abundantWater and arable valleys, New Spainhas been the age-old breadbasket ofthe Mexican Federation. The largei 1rms of the Bajfo region grow wheatnd corn. The farms around Morelia

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ew Spain s small-scale agriculture cannot keep up with the Mexamerican commercialfarms

and Zamora produce a variety offruits and vegetables. Thus NewSpain has ample food to feed itselfand still be the main provider to Metromex. In exchange for such provisions, Metromex offers New Spainindustrial goods and favored statusas a political protectorate. Unlikeparts of Mexamerica, where politicalopposition has reached rebelliousproportions New Spain has remained faithful to the ruling PRI Noopposition party has ever won political control over a major city in theregion.

Although New Spain acquiesces tothe political and economic power ofMetromex, it has strong cultural traditions. Residents of its dual capitalsof Guadalajara in the west and Vera-

cruz in the east have strong identitiethat date to the beginnings of thColonial era. The tapatfos of Guadalajara are known for their conservative Spanish attitudes and for the tquila, mariachi music, and rodeosthat have become symbols of theMexican Federation as a whole. Thejarochos of Veracruz have maintained a mixed Spanish Colonial andBlack Caribbean heritage best expressed in their unparalleled preLenten carnival. The few remainingIndian communities of New Spain,such as the Otomi and Tarascans, stillpractice their pre-Conquest craftand customs.

But tradition alone does not solvproblems. New Spain is overpopulated, undercapitalized, and gener-

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1. 5 million, not including the 2 n lio n o r so people who vis it eJ,year. Before Club Mex ach i eve d interna tion a l statu s in th e la te 1 960sand ea rly 197 0s, it s re s ident s vveremainly shopkeepers, fis hermen , andcraftsmen, \.Vith a mi n o ri t y di r ect lyinvolv e d in th e f le dglin g to uri strade. Aft e r C lub M ex too k off, however, a n ew se t o f jo b s and incom eleve ls wa s introduc e d , so m e time s t: >th e benefit of loca ls but mainly toth e advantage o f bilingual immigrants, man y fr o m Metromex , whow e re sp ecia lly tr a in ed to me e t th ed e m an d s of in t e rn at ion a l tour ism.

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a l jobs ,many of New

Spain s young m en go north to find lligh e -

paying work.

Becaus e Club Mex is the pet p ro ject of Metromex in co llab or a tio n\Vith the int ernat ion a l touri s t indu stry, it is se en by the ot h e r n a t i o n ,,sa se rious comp e titor for sca rc e fe -er al tax fund s . During the buildingof Ca n cun , fo r exa mpl e, re s idents of

South Mexico jo ke d sa rcast ica llyth a t t o d o M ex i o es Cancun (all oM ex ico is [g ive n) to Ca nc(m) . Th eyand ot h e rs in M examer ica and NewSpain complained -that a d ispr o po r-tionat e amount of ca pi t a l was ga il.'.to th e reso rt to th e di sa dv antag e oinfr astr u ctu ral proj ec ts in th e ir resp ect ive domain s .

ally lo cked in t o a n in crea sin g ly outdated agricultural e c onom y. Theyo un g m e n o f N ew Sp a in make up80 of tho se \vho go a / no rte tosea rch fo r vvo rk in Mexarn e rica o rb eyon d. New Sp ai n do es n o t c reat ee nough ca pital to s u sta in it s own indu s tria l d eve lopment, a t leas t at ale ve l to m atc h it s g rowing populationo r to r ival M e trorn ex. A nd th e tradit ion o f s mall-s cale family farming

can n o t co mp e te in th e ex port m a rk e twith th e hi g h-t ec h , high-yi e ld c omm erc ia l op e ra tion s of M exa rnerica.

Club Mex

Unlike th e ot h e r nations of th eM ex ica n Fede ra tio n, wh o se hi s tori esa re a t least 400 yea rs o ld , C lub Me xis a new n a tio n , cons is ting of co nvert e d po rt towns (Acap ulco , tv\azatla n , M a nza nill o), o n ce-s lee py fis hin gvillages (Pu e rto Vallarta, Z ihuat a-n e jo, Pu e rto Esco ndido, an d Cozum c l), a nd brand -ne \ V pl ann e d t o uris t cente rs (Ca n c un and lx t apa) .Desp it e th e diff e rin g or igins o f itsco n s titu e nt parts, C lu b Mex is a nation in th e sam e se n se as th e o ther sb eca u se it re flec ts a cohe re nt pl an tocrea te r eso rt e ncl aves d e di ca te d totouri s ts who brin g millions of dollar sin sea rch of sun an d r e laxa tion .Thr o ug h its various gove rnm e nt a lage n c ies, Metrom ex has inv es ted billion s of dollar s in C lub Mex. Privat ed eve lo p e rs, both n a tio n al and in t e r-

8 Fo c u s

nation a l, a lso have in ves ted h eav ilyin the potential o f th i s n ew nation.Las Hada s, a r e sort n e ar Manzanill om ade famous in th e movie Te n , w asbuilt by a Bolivian million a ir e. S h era to n In t e rnati o na l, Ho li d ay Inn Int e rnation a l, the VVes tin Hot e ls, a nd othe rs ha ve a ll built lu xury acco mm odation s in th es e maj o r t o u ris t destination s .

C lub Me x's p o pul a tion is about

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While C lub M ex is a co m pet it o r, itis a lso a m a rke t fo r th e goods andservices o f the o th e r Mexican n a-tion s . M exa meri ca s upplie s buildingmaterials for th e h ot e ls a nd s ho p-

Club M ex with it s touri st dollar s, is a l ital mark e t for pr od uc ts from the r es t of th eFeder a tion.

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New Spain is home to the landscape thought of by mericans s Mexican.

pi: ; malls and most of the beer and;,,e for the resort restaurants.

South Mexico has an outlet for itsdepressed craft industries in thenew resort shops and New Spainnow sells some of its surplus food atpremium prices. What is not known

{jj however, is to what extent Club Mexproduces capital for reinvestment inarr : of the other nations of the Mexicdn Federation or to what extentnew jobs are created relative to themassive initial costs of jetportshighways, water, and sewage systems.

Of much greater certainty is the

fact that, for millions of foreignersClub Mex now is the primary MexIcan experience. How many AmeritJns have been known to say 0h

\t I've been to Mexico. We spent alovely week at Canclin ?

The five nations of Mexico presenta complex arrangement of problemsand possibilities far richer than anytraditional view of Mexico as theb d of burros and sombreros. Desl I c a common heritage as a New

World colony, the five nations havesignificantly different histories,

economies and evolving identities.At the moment they relate to eachother as rivals allies or coloniesheld together by political necessity.However, their conflicting trajectories suggest that change is inevitable.

Some predict radical change. Metromex for example could collapseunto itself from the sheer weight ofits own internal problems. Mexamerica would then become the cen-ter of economic and political power.New Spain would probably have to

realign itself with the politicallymore conservative and northward-looking Mexamerica. South Mexicowould most likely be ignored andgrow poorer. In the chaos Club Mexwould go independent.

Others foresee a less dramatic future. Metromex could reach a newunderstanding with Mexamerica,based on a more democratic twoparty political system and a less nationalistic economic relationshipwith the United States. If this shouldhappen New Spain might fall be-

hind, given its decreased politiimportance to Metromex. So

Mexico would be developed moin line with the Mexamerican modof private capitalism, leaving

backward Indians on de facto rervations. And Club Mex wouldcome an economic plum possibdivided up between Mexamericand Metromex entrepreneurs.

Whatever the outcome peopthroughout North America willaffected; our futures are inextricabtied. Thus, it is to our mutual advatage to throw out the old mapshave of each other and begin to lo

anew at the regional realities thshape us. To do less would beneighborly, if not unwise.

Further Reading

Montgomery, T S., eel 1982. exicoday Philadelphia: Institute for the Stof Human Issues.

Paz Octavio. 1972. The ther J\ 1exico:Critique of the Pyramid Grove Press.Riding, Alan. 1985. Distant NeighborsPortrait of the Mexicans New York:Alfred A Knopf

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f:ve Nations of exico

@ In many ways I found Louis B.Casagrande's The Five Nations ofMexico (Spring 1987), in which hecleverly borrows Joel Garreau's regional framework from The Nine Na-tions of North America both fascinating and frustrating. It does seem1orth questioning whether, as Casagrande claims, this use of nationsto define regions offers a more sophisticated means of assessing a foreign culture region. The pedagogicadvantage of the approach is perhaps

easiest to appreciate. By generalizinglarge regional units as nations,

~ h e r eis no need to knowthe3'1 statesfv d Mexico nor to comprehend their

' topography, climate, economy, andethnic groups. Whole traditions andenvironments are lumped into convenient, if not completely satisfying,packages-a sort of fast-food regionalism. This technique may be helpfulin painting a quick portrait for theold colonial hearth areas of NewSpain and ~ ~ ~ ~ e t r o m e x ,but it~ n o v e scomplicating and ultimatelybreaks down in what Casagrandecalls Mexamerica and Club Mex.The latter, a newly emerging nationaccording to the author, is a seriesof discontinuous units that by

(i) Casagrande's own admission arereally colonies of Mexico City, as wellas offshore enclaves for internationalinvestment and recreation. Sincethese subregions are relatively recent aberrations to the Mexicanscene, their inclusion as a separatenation awaits the test of time.

A more disturbing regionalizationis Mexamerica, an area that encom-passes most of northern Mexico andparts of the American Southwest.

,.. While it is inviting and currently lash$ ionable to consider lifeways and con

ditions as relatively similar on eitherside of the U.S.-Mexico border,closer inspection reveals that the twosides are sufficiently different tomake such comparisons dubious. Irecognize the argument that the border is simply an inconvenience-thatcultural and economic influences

flow freely in both directions-but Iquestion Casagrande's assertion thatLos Angeles and San Antonio, for example, are part of the same nation asMonterrey and Tijuana. If anything,Monterrey is more like Mexico Citythan any U.S. city. I have never hearda Mexican refer to Los Angeles or SanAntonio as Mexican cities, despitetheir recognizably large Mexicanpopulations. To argue that juarez, Ti-juana, and Monterrey share a regional identity is a provocative assertion, but to claim that American citiesare part of the same nation todayseems to ignore political, social, andeconomic history. Casagrande maywant Americans to come to grips witha dynamic and changing Mexico, butsubstituting one simplistic vision foranother is not the means to this worthy goal. Once again, we seem to beimposing a gringo vision on our distant neighbor.

DANIEL D. ARREOLAexas A lvl University

College Station

It's unfortunate that the textbookwriting on the geography of LatinAmerica can't be of the genre of thearticle, The Five Nations of Mexico.The division of Mexico into the fiveregions described is both innovativeand intriguing. The writing isstraightforward and informative.

I made use of the concepts presented in the article in a class that Itaught at the University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico, earlier thisyear. I also intend to introduce themto a class on Middle America and theCaribbean to be given here this fall.

OSCAR H HORSTWestern Michigan University

Kalamazoo

he editor we/comes correspon-dence on topics related to FOCUSfeatures. Letters may be edited foclarity nd brevity.

Quiz answers(from page 1)

1. E, K2 b, c3. c4. F, Ks

6. d7. A,C, H , M8. b, d9 .

10. A, D; H, I

11. 0, G12. a, c, d13. b14 l15. F I

Summer 1987 3