More and more US and Canadian citizens are buying second homes in Mexico either for vacation or
retirement purposes.
18ContemporaryMexican ArchitectureArtistic, competitive and profitable
30
Contents
ConstruCtionindustryAdding bricks to country’s development
24
From the CEO 6
Briefs 8
Product transluCent ConCrete 13
Business tips Competitiveness: aChievements
and Challenges 14
Mexico’s partner mass produCtion building 28
Product eCoCreto 36
Mexico’s partner mosaiCos eternos 38
Figures 40
proméxico is not responsible for inaccurate information or omissions that might exist in the information provided by the participant companies nor of their economic solvency. title certificate of lawfulness 14459. text certificate of lawfulness 12032. number of title reserve 04-2009-012714564800-102. postal registry pp09-0044. responsible editor: sebastián escalante. printing: Cía. impresora el universal, s.a. de C.v. distribution: proméxico Camino a sta teresa 1679, méxico d.F., 01900. phone: +52 (55) 5447 7000. negocios is an open space where diverse opinions can be expressed. the institution might or might not agree with an author’s statements; therefore the responsibility of each text falls on the writers, not on the institution, except when it states otherwise. although this magazine verifies all the information printed on its pages, it will not accept responsibility derived from any omissions, inaccuracies or mistakes. september, 2009.
4 Negocios
Interview
Patricia riggenLong Life Films
Interview
dfcasa Tony Moxham and Mauricio
Paniagua found in Mexico the inspiration to develop an interior
design company that combines tradition and fashion.
52
42
The lifestyle Contents
direCtory
ProMéxicobruno FerrariCeo ricardo rojo image and Communications director sebastián escalantemanaging [email protected]
Karla Juárez sandra roblaguilucila valtierramauricio Zabalgoitiastaff writers
Proof reading and translationlozano translations
contributorsmaría Cristina rosas, sol Fortoul, Julieta salgado, graeme stewart, Jennifer Chan, Francisco vernis, ricardo ibarra, magdalena Covarrubias, oldemar.
this is an editorial project for proméxico by taller méxico & piso de ediciones.
Download the PDF version of Negocios from www.promexico.gob.mx
58 DestinationcaMPeche, unexPlored Paradise
62 FeedbackPachaMaMa, croPs against Poverty
46 The Lifestyle Briefs
49 Lifestyle FeatureMorelia international
filM festival
58 ArticleMexican chinese
Building the Future
Mexico, like many other countries is currently facing important challenges. However, amidst this adversity, many unique business opportunities are presenting themselves, such as the construction and real estate markets.
Given Mexico’s demographic dynamics, the construction of new homes throughout the country is a singular opportunity niche. The growing interest of international residents to invest in Mexican real estate and take advantage of the country’s quality of life by acquiring a second home, has become an important motor for the construction industry. This can be observed by taking notice of the important investments in residential developments with access to world-class services being made across the country.
Another exciting element of Mexico’s construction industry is the current elaboration of new materials and products that allow a reduction in cost and time and help increase a growing number of eco-friendly developments. These innovations, designed 100% in Mexico, stand for the country’s commitment to resource optimization, energy saving, and the development of nature-friendly constructions.
Lastly, in a clear effort to promote new opportunities in the construction industry, Mexico has pledged an unprecedented amount of resources on the development and improvement of its infrastructure. These actions are proof that investment opportunities, for both national and international enterprises, in the field of construction and development are sizeable and it won’t be long before current adversities are overcome.
Welcome to Mexico
Bruno FerrariProMéxico CEO
From the CEO.
NEED A PROVIDER?
Mexican exporting companies meet the highest international quality standards and are all-set-up to serve the most demanding markets, helped
by the largest network of free trade agreements in the world and competitive costs.
We have the largest directory of Mexican world-class companies.
On the railsRailroad companies Union Pacific and Ferro-mex will make a joint investment of more than 51 million usd in the next three years to expand the rail tracks in Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, in order to speed up traffic between the border cities. This year the works will include three 8,000 feet long tracks at a cost of about 8 million usd.
Mexican branch of Kansas City Southern (KCS) recently inaugurated a new railroad
FRANCHISES
Success-flavored DonutsMexican company Beleki, winner of the 2008 Franchises National Award, will build a 145,000 usd-donut factory. This plant will allow Beleki to produce 50 mil-lion donuts per year, more than double of what is now producing in its 96 sale points. This year the brand will expand to the United States, with a first opening in Texas.
www.beleki.com.mx
from Tamaulipas to Texas, which will allow better and faster freight transportation be-tween Mexico and the United States.
The new 175 million usd railroad will be operated by KCS. The railway travels from Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, to Rosenberg, Texas, and it also connects Ciudad Victoria to Lázaro Cárdenas Port (in the Central state of Michoacán) railway.
www.ferromex.com.mx
www.up.com
www.kcsouthern.com
bosch bids on GrowthRobert Bosch will invest 21 million usd in the building of a new distribution center in Es-tado de México. The new investment adds to the one in Ciudad Juárez, where the Bosch Group bought auto parts company Morse Automotive Corporation.
www.bosch.com.mx
AUTOMOTIvE
briefs.AUTOMOTIvE
the strenGths of an industry
It is not a secret that the world’s auto-motive industry is in crisis. However, according to a new BBVA Bancomer report, the medium and long term
potential for the Mexican automobile and auto parts industries is still afloat. “Mexico will maintain its relative advantage in Nor-th America as automaker,” the report says.
There are several factors, mainly the ones related to the type of vehicles built in Mexico and the characteristics of the pro-duction, that allow the country to keep its place as an attractive destination for the sector’s investment and development.
Made in Mexico cars have great accep-tance in the United States, where several
models were among the most sold cars in 2008. The Ford F Series was number one in sales in the United States, Chevrolet Silve-rado second place and GMC Sierra ranked fifth.
During 2008, 24 models were fabricated in Mexico and 80 percent of the production was exported, mainly to the United States. The share of Mexico’s car exports to the Uni-ted States could increase in the near future because of the recent closing of manufactu-ring plants in other countries and thanks to the geographic closeness with that market.
The relatively small sized Mexican plants provide certain advantages: it is easier to produce with more intensity and flexibility
than in the big plants in Michigan or Ca-nada. “Data from PriceWaterhouse show that in 2008 the capacity utilization of the Mexican plants was 85%, with 74% in the United States plants,” the BBVA report states.
If that was not enough, salaries are lower in Mexico than in the United States and Canada: 3 usd per hour against 21 usd in Canada and 25 usd in the United States.
The peso-dollar exchange rate has also become a positive factor for the Mexican automobile industry: it makes the work force even more competitive.
serviciodeestudios.bbva.com
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FOOD
Dairy, a growing industryMexico occupies the 18th place among the world’s milk producer countries, with 10,600 million liters per year. The states of Jalisco, Coahuila, Durango, Chihuahua and Veracruz are the main Mexican producers.
www.sagarpa.gob.mx
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Photos archive / maria Kaloudi10 Negocios
MINING
Gold medal in silver productionMexican branch of Industrias Peñoles, Fresnillo Plc., was the world’s largest primary silver pro-ducer during the second quarter of 2009. The London traded company reached a record pro-duction of 9.6 million ounces from April to June 2009, 6.7% more than its production during the same period of the previous year.
fresnilloplc.com
Panasonic Electronic Devices Corporation of America announced the end of auto and marine speakers assembling in the United States, and completed moving its production to Mexico. The company, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, informed that is planning to move its corporate offices to McAllen, Texas in April 2010, in order to be closer to its manufacturing operations in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas.
www.pedca.us.panasonic.com
ELECTRONICS FOOD
NestléInvesting in InnovationNestlé Mexico Group will invest 475 million usd in its Querétaro plant where the first Open Innovation National Center and a new flexible manufacturing plant are expected to open soon.
www.nestle.com.mx
In the next five years, Mexican pharmaceutical company Rimsa Group expects to maintain its 30% annual growth and open a biotechnological lab as well as exporting medicines to Latin America. In 2008, the company grew 30% and while 2009 looks like a difficult year, Rimsa sales have already increased 25%.
PHARMACEUTICS
Interop lands in Latin AmericaInterop Technologies, a US company dedi-cated to the development of technology solutions for messaging, device management and connectivity gateways for cell phone operators, will invest in Latin America 30 million usd during the next three years. Interop is about to start operating in the region and Mexico will be one of its main target markets, accounting for 40% of the company’s investment. Interop will hire bilin-gual personnel to provide customer technical support.
www.interoptechnologies.com
IT
more flavors to the worldDuring the first semester of 2009, Mexican agro-alimentary exports increased 0.4% compared to the same period in 2008, with a total sale value of 17,000 million usd. Mexico is now the num-ber one exporter of tequila, onion, avocado and mulberries; it is second in papaya, watermelon, cucumber, asparagus and peppers and it is third to fifth place in exports of tomato, beer, lemon, strawberry, toasted coffee, legume fruits, pepper, coconut, mango and bee honey.
www.sagarpa.gob.mx
FOOD
briefs.
12 Negocios12 Negocios Photos courtesy of vw / archive
AUTOMOTIvE
Independence CarVolkswagen will invest one billion usd in the expansion of its plant in the state of Puebla and the development of a 100% Mexican engineering and design new car. The automobile will hit the market during the first quarter of 2010 as a celebration of Mexico’s Independence Bicentenary.
The company is currently producing in Mexico its Jetta, Bora and New Beetle models. Volks-wagen expects the expansion to allow an increase of its production capacity to 550,000 units per year, mainly for the export market.
www.vw.com.mx
FOOD
Sweet ExportsFrom October 2008 to June 2009 Mexico exported the record figure of more than a million tons of sugar to the United States. The previous year only 350,000 tons were sold to that market, according to data from the National Chamber of the Sugar and Alcohol In-dustries.
www.camaraazucarera.org.mx
Before the end of 2009, the state of Yucatán will start exporting pork meat to Japan and South Korea, with potential sales for the sec-tor of over 285 million usd. Yucatán pork producers expect to close deals with other countries interested in buying quality pork meat such as Russia, China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
www.porcimex.org
FOOD
yucatán to export porK meat
Can you imagine transparent buildings with en-ergy saving systems? Have you ever dreamed of a home that is inexpensive to build and brings significant savings in finishes and paint?
This is now possible thanks to translucent concrete created in 2005 by two young Mexi-can engineers, Joel Sosa and Sergio Omar Galván. It is basically a polymer concrete pro-duced from a mineral compound of metallic oxides, other polymers, cement and water. The formulation provides not only the original benefit of allowing up to 80% of light transmis-sion, but also improved resistance properties in comparison with common concrete.
In addition to being “transparent”, these homes and buildings would be lighter, since translucent concrete can be up to 30% lighter than the common version, which makes it the ideal building material for earthquake zones or areas where the weight of construction material plays an important role.
Translucent concrete production is almost identical to the method used for traditional concrete, therefore no costly investment is re-quired. Nevertheless, until now the formula is secret and it is patented. In Mexico, the prod-uct may be obtained through two companies: Concretos Translúcidos, the firm established by Sosa and Galván, and Concretos Lacosa, a subsidiary of Cementos Moctezuma.
One of the aesthetic and functional features of translucent concrete is that various decora-tive, luminous and image elements can be add-ed to the formula, opening an endless array of options for interior and exterior design.
translucent concrete A product that is innovative, resistant and MexicanIn 2005, Mexican engineers created a revolutionary concrete that, in addition to being light in weight and up to 14 times more resistant than common concrete, has an attractive appearance due to the fact that it transmits light.
This peculiar polymer has a compression resistance –in other words, a resistance to ex-ternal sources of pressure and strength– up to 64,000 pounds/square inch, while traditional concrete has a compression resistance from 3,000 to 5,000 pounds/square inch. Translu-cent concrete does not absorb water; concrete forming panels can be removed after 48 hours –one day earlier than the common proce-dure–, and is translucent up to 6 feet in thick-ness, which is desirable in larger constructions such as public, government, civic and cultural buildings. Last but not least, it allows the pas-sage of undistorted light, never rots, is resistant to corrosion and does not require any special pouring method, therefore, any construction company, in any site can handle it without the need of acquiring special machinery or having to provide workers with special training.
This new product also has environmental advantages. It helps reduce energy consump-tion for lighting, which in turn significantly re-duces greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the creators state that its adequate use promotes optimal temperature control inside buildings. In cold areas, it takes advantage of sunlight; in hot climates, it reduces heat.
For the engineering world, this product represents unprecedented progress for ocean platform construction, dams, breakwaters and slopes in coastal areas due to the fact that it is to-tally waterproof. Presently, in a joint project with researches from the National Autonomous Uni-versity of Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autóno-ma de México, UNAM), Concretos Translúcidos
is developing an alternate type of concrete with some changes in terms of mechanical resistance. The goal of this alliance is to promote the con-struction of ocean infrastructure –such as heli-ports– , at a lower cost and in record time.
The National Science and Technology Council (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tec-nología, CONACYT) has supported Concretos Translúcidos from the beginning. The com-pany has received many acquisition proposals –including an Italian multinational corpora-tion. Despite the fact that translucent concrete is sold in Mexico since 2005, the product was presented to the world only after extensive testing by the company.
Over the course of its short life, translucent concrete has aroused a growing interest from US, Latin American and European construc-tion companies. In fact, the product will soon be available in the US market in two presentations: prefabricated and as an additive called Ilum, the commercial brand name given to the product. Furthermore, world-famous architects such as Áron Losonczi from Hungary, Cesar Pelli from Argentina, Zaha Hadid from Irak and Rem Koolhaas from the Netherlands have established agreements with Concretos Translúcidos to use the product in some of their upcoming projects.
So, very soon solid and sturdy buildings with transparent walls, which until now were just the figment of one’s imagination, will be shown to the world, built with a unique and 100% Mexican material. n
www.concretostranslucidos.com
Product transluCent ConCrete
By the time you read this article, the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010 will have been published. Year after year, this important document re-flects the advance or downfall in competitive-ness ranking of all the countries around the globe. The severe world economic crisis is ex-pected to have a negative impact on competi-tiveness of all nations. If you want a glimpse of what to expect in this year’s report, we can take a look at the previous edition.
In the Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009 the ten leading countries are the United States, Switzerland, Denmark, Swe-den, Singapore, Finland, Germany, the Neth-erlands, Japan and Canada. The “emerging economies”, under which Mexico is listed, reflect a more unstable economic behavior. For instance, the People’s Republic of China, ranked in 30th place, advanced four posi-tions in relation to the previous year. On the other hand, India, in 50th place, fell two po-sitions. Brazil appeared in 72nd place in the 2007-2008 report and most likely was the emerging economy that advanced the most, reaching position number 64. Mexico was ranked as number 60.
In the report, competitiveness is classified based on a global index, which in turn is cal-culated on actual and perceived indicators. Real indicators are true variables, which can
mexiCo has identiFied short-term priorities that will aFFeCt its Competitiveness. several aCtions are being undertaKen to help the Country turn its Comparative advantages into Competitive ones.
be objectively measured, such as a country’s government debt. Perceived indicators are variable factors obtained from economic lead-ers’ surveys in each country. These experts give their opinion in relation to the main factors that obstruct business.
In the specific case of Mexico, where special attention to several areas could significantly increase competitiveness, a series of positive aspects which are valued by the business and financial sectors, place the country in a favor-able position.
Mexico has important assets such as the country’s increasing involvement in informa-tion technologies; the size of its domestic mar-ket; macroeconomic stability; a relatively low public debt, and a controlled public deficit. The proximity to the US market and the fact that Mexico has advanced in competitiveness since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) took effect, are two relevant factors that should not be overlooked.
Together with the United States and Can-ada, Mexico takes part in competitiveness discussions and agreements at different lev-els with the growing participation of private companies. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the private sector of the three countries is trying to avoid that the border safety and homeland security measures have an adverse effect on trade and investment.
Mexico is also aware of the importance of improving competitiveness taking in con-sideration two equally significant situations: the broad network of trade agreements established with nations in the three conti-nents and secondly, but not less relevant, the growing competitiveness shown by countries such as India and China. Nevertheless, unlike Mexico, China and India do not have trade agreements with the United States or Cana-da, in addition to the disadvantage of the geo-graphical distance from these two countries.
Mexico’s production has been increas-ingly directed towards the United States and Canada, therefore the three countries have created an adequate environment to guarantee supply chains and qualified labor for the different manufacturing processes. Furthermore, NAFTA has promoted trilat-eral discussions towards the possibility of establishing uniform standards and regula-tions. After conversations with private sector communities in Mexico, United States and Canada, the three governments have signed an agreement to move forward towards undifferentiated standards and regulations, which will help improve competitiveness for the three nations, particularly for Mexico.
Competitiveness is also a topic of discus-sion for the three nations amid the Secu-rity and Prosperity Partnership of North
14 Negocios illustration oldemar
Competitiveness in Mexico: Achievements and Challenges
by maría Cristina rosas*
America (SPP). This alliance was created in 2005, and since then, more frequent high level encoun-ters dealing with security and pros-perity have been encouraged (such as the recent North American Lead-ers Summit where the presidents of Mexico and the United States, Fe-lipe Calderón and Barack Obama, and the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper met in Guadala-jara on August 9 and 10).
Raising levels of competitive-ness in the countries is not an easy task, therefore govern-ments need to prioritize. Mexico has identified short-term priorities that will af-fect its competitiveness, one of them is infrastructure, particularly related to access to information technologies. The sector attained a very sub-stantial annual growth of 15%. Thus, IT is expected to be the first to emerge from the economic crisis, which is good news considering the impor-tance that development and access to informa-tion technologies has for competitiveness.
Such actions, summed to other efforts, will produce a positive impact on Mexican compet-itiveness, although these are not the only mea-sures being taken. Various actions are helping the country to turn its comparative advantages into competitive ones. n
* Professor and researcher, Faculty of Political and Social
Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico
(UNAM)
bussines tiPs
There are currently 23 million homes in Mex-ico and its calculated that in the next 20 years another 20 million more will be built, resulting in an exponential increase in the demand for energy and drinking water. According to cal-culations by the Mexican government, homes consume 16.5% of the energy generated in the country. Due to that, officials and others are betting on building new family homes that save energy and are environmentally friendly.
The possibility of getting a home with
Ecological Homes, a Green Mortgage In collaboration with researchers and various companies, the Mexican government has developed the Hipoteca Verde (Green Mortgage) Project, a plan that would help residents in the country acquire homes with environmentally friendly technologies. In its initial phase, the project has been a success, boding well for sustainable living in the country.
bioclimatic design is a reality today thanks to Hipoteca Verde (Green Mortgage), the instru-ment through which the Institute for the Na-tional Fund of Homes for Workers (Infonavit) awards credits to equip new homes with en-ergy saving systems.
It is a loan between 800 and 1,100 usd –in addition to the regular mortgage loan– for the installation of an accessory package with such equipment as solar heaters, low energy bulbs and low water consumption toilets and faucets.
The program began in March 2008 and for now only applies to homes that cost less than 43,000 usd and can be located in any state in the country. However, Infonavit has only iden-tified 10 bioclimatic regions in the country that have suitable characteristics (such as the annual quantity of direct solar energy) for its development.
Currently, 17,240 ecological homes in 22 states are registered and being offered. More than 3,000 homes are in the process of being linked to such ecological mortgages and 1,159 operations –homes being used or listed as ready to live in– have been formalized. The goal is to have at least 1 million sustainable homes by 2012.
Eco-businesses for a better lifeA group of businesses dedicated to the devel-opment of eco-technology are participating in this ambitious but profitable project. To date, homebuilders and producers of certified equipment have invested the equivalent of 1.1 million usd in this program. Fifty businesses
Photo courtesy of infonavit16 Negocios16 Negocios
have joined Infonavit’s green strategy in 77 sets of homes.
Companies like CAPTAsOL have been cer-tified by the National Commission for Energy Savings (CONAE) to be suppliers of solar heat-ers for these ecological homes. Their heaters have one-piece thermal tanks made of high intensity polymers and which can last more than 30 years. They don’t have links or welded seams and are free of corrosion and inlays; they don’t stain water; don’t require plumbing; and last longer than stainless steel. In addition, they can be recycled and reused.
Whereas cement and concrete company CEMEX developed a material called “aquicon-creto,” which is used to create pavement that returns rainwater to aquifers. Home develop-ments that utilize this material are able to give back a portion of the water they use from the environment.
Similarly, other Mexican companies have applied a series of ecological principles in the design of and materials used for faucets and toilets that use less water. As a result, an eco-
logical home from Hipoteca Verde pollutes up to 60% less than a regular home.
But there is also savings for those who live in these green homes. Hipoteca Verde has shown it has a direct affect on a family’s pocketbook. In Tecamac, a city in Estado de México which has the largest number of Hipoteca Verde houses, a green home can save up to 70% on gas consumption each year. This is due to the area’s solar radiation, which permits the use of solar heaters for nine months out of the year.
Under constructionThe project continues evolving. On assignment from the government, a group of engineers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) are developing alternatives such as regulators of photovoltaic peaks and cells for the generation of electricity. For now these regulators, which would cost close to 5,000 usd per home, are not within sight. The UNAM researchers’ work consists of making this technology accessible so it can be part of the “eco-package” for 2010.
While this technology becomes available, homes ready in the next few months will incor-porate new principles of “biodesign” such as linings made with special insulating materials that will safeguard heat or cold, depending on the country’s zone. The architecture of these homes will also be ecological, allowing better use of natural and environmental energy.
Currently, the Mexican government is working to define the criteria for homes that can participate in this program. One of the requirements will be generating savings in en-ergy and water use for families. It is hoped that by 2010 all subsidies for home purchases will be dependent on the house complying with ecological criteria and conservation oriented characteristics.
Sustainability has gone beyond the aca-demic world and integrated itself into ev-eryday life. Hipoteca Verde has become a powerful instrument in transforming the development of homes in Mexico in a way that contributes to counteracting the effects of climate change. n
sPecial feature eCo mortgage
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18 Negocios Photos courtesy of leGorreta + leGorreta
conteMPorary mexiCan
arChiteCture
Historically, Mexican architecture has stood out in the international landscape. From the pre-His-panic era to Modern times, architectural expres-sions from Mexico have always been beautiful and original.
Either because they maintain the dialogue between tradition and innovation that was cre-ated by the first modern architects, or because their work has a universal language; or through sustainable projects –our century’s architectural challenge– that reinvent spaces, Mexican archi-tects have been in the spotlight in the past decade.
These new creators are the heirs to the main architectural schools of the 20th Century: from Le Corbusier or Van der Rode’s rationalism that gave buildings a sense of aesthetic and social purpose, to Juan O’Gorman’s Mexican function-alism, whose greatest work is the National Au-tonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) library; to Luis Barragán’s Mexican Universal Style, still alive these days.
Halfway between old school and modern
tradition, young architects like Michel Rojkind and Tatiana Bilbao, two good examples of the emerging style, are partnering up with firms in and outside of Mexico, proving that Mexican ar-chitecture is not only artistic but also competitive and profitable.
Firms like Legorreta + Legorreta, founded by Ricardo Legorreta –creator of the famous Mexico City Hotel Camino Real in Polanco, and perhaps the best known of all Mexican architects alive– and his son, Víctor, have developed proj-ects worldwide. Others like Alberto Kalach and his firm TAX have built a reputation outside our borders thanks to his unique style and his work in sustainable urbanism. There are also those who have come to Mexico from different coun-tries and have found the perfect platform to suc-ceed internationally. Brothers Carlos and Gerard Pascal Wolf, born in Uruguay, are just a couple of those foreign architects within our country.
Negocios talked to representatives of some of the best architectural firms in Mexico. n
Artistic, Competitive and Profitable
Legorreta + Legorreta is one of the most inter-national Mexican firms. Their idea of architec-ture fascinates people worldwide.
In Korea, Legorreta + Legorreta has left its trace in universities, apartment buildings and museums. The firm’s work is everywhere: from Mexico to the United States, from Euro-pean countries to Qatar. Architect Víctor Lego-rreta talked to Negocios.
—What is your idea of Mexican architecture?Mexico is a country of amazing architects. I’m not just talking about the big names in architecture. Mexican society has a passion for architecture. We like to build; we enjoy looking at buildings, even talking about them. That attitude allows us Mexican architects to have an important future in the international scene, because with such attitude we make first class architecture.
—You are the son of a prominent architect (Ricardo Legorreta). How has your father influenced your work?Working with my father has been a great op-portunity. There is no doubt he has been my main mentor. He is a young at heart architect, always ready to evolve and improve. This has allowed our firm’s work to have the point of view of two generation of architects.
—The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is about to open in Texas. As a Mexican architect, how was it to design a museum for a culture that while close and with similarities to ours is still foreign?In Fort Worth, we received open arms wel-coming. The city has a multicultural com-munity with a strong Hispanic influence and a surprising desire to improve its city’s cultural facilities. Throughout its history, the city has had art donors who have supported good architecture. That is the reason why you can find places like Louis Kahn’s Kimbel Museum, one of the 20th Century architectural master-pieces and others from architects like Philip Jonson, Tadeo Ando or Renzo Piano. Design-ing with these architects as neighbors was a big challenge and responsibility.
Ready to export Because this was a museum for families, we wanted to create a friendly, happy build-ing that would break the idea of impressive buildings that do not invite visitors. We wanted a building that would bring some of the Mexican culture with patios, bright colors and great lighting, but also a place that would blend in the city.
—Tell us about Polarea, the project in the Mexico City Polanco neighborhood.It is a master plan for an area neighboring Polanco where an industrial area was located and is now transforming into a mixed-use zone. We are looking to create a place with businesses, offices and housing respecting the environment, where residents and visitors can walk.
—Legorreta + Legorreta, the prestigious firm your father founded in the 1960s is a good example of a solid, profitable and successful Mexican company.If there is something I have learned from my father is his work passion. As a business, the firm has to be profitable to survive, but our main goal has never been work volume or profitability, but making a contribution to society with the best architecture possible. n
01 general view of Polarea02 fort worth MuseuM of science
and history.
arChitECturEspeCial report
01
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20 Negocios Photos courtesy of pascal architects / tax
Carlos and Gerard Pascal Wolf, from Pas-cal Architects, are Uruguayan by birth, but Mexican by career. They graduated from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, the place where they settled and opened their studio. The Pascal Wolf sib-lings have proved that building is also about pragmatism and smart solutions. Their in-terior architecture has its own style. Carlos Pascal Wolf talked to Negocios about their bet for interior architecture developments.
A bet for the interiors
—Pascal Architects is one of the most solid and prolific Mexican studios, how did you get to this point?Our career started in 1974 and 1975, when we started college. From that moment we both began to work in different studios until we opened our own firm in 1979. Those were hard times; we had almost no family and friends in Mexico. We got to where we are by doing things the right and honest way, satisfy-ing our clients, not our egos.
—Which one of all your projects has been the most important for Pascal Architects?The Sheraton Centro Histórico Hotel, in 2002,
gave our work a good reputation. At that point we went from a 6-people office to a staff of over 30 and a group of external consultants. In 80,000 square meters we had the chance to do everything: from architecture to interior design, furniture, lighting and landscaping. But it is not only about size. In 2007 our work in the 200-square-meter The Meditation House (La casa de la meditación) one of our smallest projects, won many awards and recognition. [The Meditation House is a religious space in Mexico City. The project won the Costa Rica Bienal of Architecture Prize.]
—In 1994 Pascal Architects was in charge of the restoration of the building El Divino: an old house in downtown Mexico City that was turned into an unique and memorable space than can be considered a good example of postmodern Mexican interior design. Do you agree with that?El Divino was a very important project. We in-tervened an old neo-Gothic early 20th Centu-ry house considered an artistic monument by the Fine Arts National Institute. There were two possible routes we could have taken: to camouflage and adapt to the architecture or to intervene the place in a contemporary way, which is what we did. But only with furniture, lighting, interiors and accessories.
—You have developed more interior architecture projects than big format projects. How is that market in Mexico?There are more interiors to develop than land to build. Interior Architecture is a strong emerging force in Mexico. Architects and designers have become more conscious of our cultural richness and are no longer imitating models from other countries. n
01 La casa de la Meditación (The Meditation House).02 swiMMing Pool of the Sheraton Centro Histórico Hotel
02
Alberto Kalach is the creator of the José Vas-concelos Public Library in Mexico City, an over 250-meter-long building-library-garden. Kalach’s firm, Taller de Arquitectura X (TAX), is well known for its urban development proj-ects, always in equilibrium with the environ-ment. Kalach talked to Negocios about some of his most successful projects.
—Your first works were developed in the 1980s, did you feel closer to postmodern architecture than to an international style then?I have never thought in terms of styles. I am interested in architecture that is rooted in its space and time.
—In your work you seem to synthesize classic with modern, but always creating a new language, do you see it that way?The essence of classic and modern archi-tecture is based in constructive logic, in the harmonious proportion of the parts, in mak-ing functional and evocative spaces. I am not looking for a language; I use the historical syntax of architecture.
01 interior and 02 facade of the José Vasconcelos Public Library.
Towards a new urban development model
—You are well known for your interest in Mexico City’s urban development, what is your relationship with the metropolis?In the last 50 years Mexico City went from a population of 3 million to 20 million. Urban planning, infrastructure and public utilities were outgrown and there is obviously a lot to do. I see no limits between architecture and urbanism. They are both about building and organizing spaces. Public space is the common space, every-one’s space, and we should all take care of it.
—Tell us about the project Mexico: Lacustrine City.Mexico City was founded on river basins with an extraordinary natural richness that supplied the city with water for many years. Considering that the city’s geographic conditions have not changed (same climate, same topography, same precipitation), this project intends to reverse, as much as possible, environmental deterioration. It is an urban development striving for a rational use of land and water and includes the reforesta-tion of the surrounding mountain range and the recovery of lakes, rivers and wetlands.
—Tell us about the José vasconcelos Library, part of the project to recover Mexico City’s Historical Downtown.The Vasconcelos Public Library was con-ceived as the 18th Century libraries, as a big clear and open space where books are the ones that give character to the build-ing. The reading rooms surrounding the big area have great windows looking to the gardens that are also reading areas where visitors enjoy the vegetation, the birds and the butterflies. n
arChitECturEspeCial report
02
22 Negocios Photos courtesy of sprinGall + lira / tatiana bilbao
When talking about Mexico as a leading player in the architectural world, awarded firm Springal + Lira, founded by Miguel Ángel Lira and Billy Springall in 1988, is a good example.
They irrupted in the Mexican architec-tural scene with a fresh and avant-garde language that caught attention because of its equilibrium between technology, aes-thetics and sustainability. An example: the Santander Bank Call Center Building, in Querétaro made in partnership with Span-iard Lamela Studio. It is the largest and most innovative call center in Latin Amer-ica, with 2,000 phone agents. The main building is 12-meter high and rises from a covered area that works as a lobby. It is cov-ered with a natural aluminum perforated
Mexican Architecture Conquests Europe
skin that filters the light and reduces direct so-lar radiation. It also has a structure that resists telluric movements.
In 2003, Springall + Lira opened an office in Madrid’s downtown, where multiple projects for Europe are undertaken.
The firm has won several international contests including one for the International Court of Justice in The Hague: a ring shaped building symbolizing “the justice without corners” and a “justice headlight” that can be seen from the ocean.
Polideportivo Alcántara, a sports complex in Madrid’s Salamanca neighborhood, is an-other example of this firm’s architecture, that aside from being showy -its shapes and ma-terials announce the new millennium- takes under consideration space, urban life, energy
saving, environmental impact and even com-munity traditions.
Mexican architecture dialogues with other countries through voices like Springall + Lira, showing that when it comes to creating spaces, Mexican language is universal. n
01 interior and02 facade of the Santander Bank Call Center Building
01
Tatiana Bilbao is one of the greatest representa-tives of Mexico’s emerging architecture. Aged 35, Bilbao has been a consultant for Mexico City’s Urban Development and Housing Minis-try and cofounder of Laboratorio de la Ciudad de México (Mexico City’s Lab), a company that conquered the world and grew 250% building almost 45,000 square meters only in Mexico.
In 2004, she founded Tatiana Bilbao/mx.a, a young firm that has worked in several proj-ects around the world. She is also a driving force of architectural research and culture. Along with Derek Kellekamp, Arturo Ortiz and Michel Rojkind, the other enfant terribles of Mexican architecture, Bilbao founded mxdf, a urban research studio. Her most famous project is probably The Exhibition Room, in Jinhua Architecture Park, Zheijang, China.
A New Wave,Emerging Projects
The Exhibition Room is an architectural playground full of surprises, tunnels, secret paths and terraces, inspired on the principle of Chinese gardens where the viewer is guid-ed by the place’s design -paths, corridors and bridges- and where the entire space can never be completely embraced with the eye. In order to be understood, Bilbao’s exhibit pavilion has to be walked section- by-section and hall by hall. The visitor gets the fascinating sense of something unveiled that is never revealed in its totality.
The Exhibition Room offers the possibility of showing and enjoying all sorts of exhibits and cultural events. This small building re-spects the point of view of the visitor as well as the environment and the physical and cultural contexts that surround it. n
arChitECturEspeCial report
01 the exhibition rooM, Jinhua Architecture Park.
02 Parque biotecnológico, a technology park by Tatiana Bilbao in Culiacán, Sinaloa
02
24 Negocios
Bridges of Steel:Structure vs ConjunctureMexican construction companies are placing secure bets investing in infrastructure to be developed in the next five years.
The road ahead seems intricate, through a dry landscape, in a season of drought that may still last. Mexican construction sector is preparing to bid for government infrastructure contracts to be tendered in 2010. In pressing need to in-crease production, it’s reinforcing its basis, built by 7 million workers and 20,000 companies.
For the last ten years, the private funding for the construction of high-rise office and apartment buildings became the financial driving force for the sector, along with real es-tate developments down the coastline.
Mexican government announced infra-structure expenditure for 330 billion usd, to be spent in the next five years. This means 1.4
by sol Fortoul
Photos courtesy of sct
million new jobs for the sector. Companies will obviously focus on this solid bet.
“Starting in 2000, high-rise buildings had a strong push in big cities all over the coun-try. Now, companies are placing their bets on this administration’s infrastructure plans, turning their heads towards public and pri-vate deals to keep themselves active”, said Héctor Castellanos Frank, CEO of the con-struction company Casgo.
Bids are about to be called. “2010 will be crucial, because several projects key to the nation will start, as part of the federal govern-ment’s announced National Infrastructure and Highway Program”, said Gustavo Arballo
cover feature ConstruCtion industry
Housing,the Hospitable Niche
In Mexico, housing is the most reliable niche in the construction business. It has proven to be a force in spite of crisis, due to constant demand. According to national statistics, housing is expected to go from 31 to 41 million dwellings in the 2009-2030 period.
Nevertheless, credit contraction has inhibited demand, especially for the middle-income market.
“We’ve had to go looking for clients to keep operations”, concerning low income housing, said Carlos Errejón Alfaro, president of the National Housing Chamber for Western Mexico. According to him, 2009 will keep on being “a year for planning, in the view of uncertainty. Housing developers will slow down growth, in order to maintain liquidity.”
Luxury, from Coast to Coast
Luxury housing is buoyant along the coastline. Although there’s been talk about contraction, upscale projects are keeping their pace. Mexico is increasingly considered a market for touristic housing.
“In spite of contraction, commercial transactions and construction of new housing developments along the Mexican coast remains constant. The Southeast is even nearing a saturation point. Despite the effect of different economic factors, it’s moving”, said Sergio Dueñas, advisor to the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals.
In his view, the project to construct at least 20 high-rise buildings in Reforma –Mexico City’s main touristic boulevard– will be an example to lead the new ways of investment and construction design.
Construction Nomads
iIn Mexico, approximately 8 million jobs are related, either directly or indirectly, to the construction sector.
For generations, laborers, bricklayers and master builders have wandered the land in teams by the tens or hundreds, coming from different areas.
“These groups cover regions, but they are mostly present in the West of central Mexico, since distances tend to be shorter there, and economic pull factors are stronger there than in any other particular region. In the end, they go to where the jobs are. They come from the states of Chiapas, Michoacán, Puebla. They are mostly workers that have set a preferential pay with construction companies”, said Gustavo Arballo Luján, president of the Mexican Construction Industry Chamber in Jalisco.
In contrast to other productive sectors, construction in Mexico registered 14,000 jobs created in the first half of 2009, most of them temporary. “We gather teams with regard to their skills. The question is to know which elements you got, in order to plan your actions. We have fine workforce in Mexico. When we don’t succeed it’s because we lack control. The challenge is to improve our processes”, said Héctor Castellanos Frank, CEO of the construction company, Casgo.
About 60% of the workforce employed in construction consists of bricklayers and laborers. The rest accounts for administrative staff, managers, supervisors and quality-control bodies.
Luján, president of the Mexican Construction Industry Chamber in Jalisco.
According to experts, public works that call for private and public partnership will shape the sector’s activity for years to come. Exclud-ing energy, private investment will amount to about 58% of the National Infrastructure Pro-gram funding.
The arrested buoyancy of traditional nich-es, such as real estate and hotel building (that fared remarkably well in recent years), further encourage construction companies to fund their activities on public works.
“Credit contraction hindered real estate construction. Amid this construction and real estate downturn nation-wide, infra-structure and transport works became the thriving elements for the sector”, said Ser-gio Dueñas, outgoing president and present adviser to the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals.
Although the crisis “has not affected con-struction by and large, tourism sector is halted and has entered a stage of reform, particularly
in financial planning. Industry, on the other hand, has reached congestion,” asserted Arba-llo Luján.
Alliances, the paved wayAllying with national and foreign partners, Mexican construction companies of all sizes found a way to survive and grow. “It is always better allying than fighting for the same mar-ket in an environment of increasing competi-tiveness and narrowing margins”, said Caste-llanos Frank, from Casgo Group, a company that holds alliances with two foreign compa-nies, Sumitomo and Degreont. They will bid together for a Water Treatment Plant contract in Agua Prieta, the largest in Mexico.
Many construction firms were created in the rush of the real estate boom, particularly in the last ten years. In the face of American construction and real estate market crisis, that usually thrusts Mexican construction, mission and structure should be the guide-lines for those companies that wish to re-main active. n
26 Negocios Photos courtesy of homex
Homex and Delta Construction Bureau stand as good examples that demonstrate that Mexican specialized businesses have an impact in places where low, middle, high in-come, housing, and even touristic housing, is an urgent need.
Homex goes to places where population grows at a faster pace than housing opportuni-ties, not just in Mexico. The company started operations abroad, in India, in 2008. It is now making its way into the Brazilian market. Pushing forward, yet taking one step at a time.
The housing company, the largest of its kind in Mexico, plans to develop 13,000 dwellings in San José Dos Campos, a Sao Paulo community, in Brazil.
Modeled after a low-income housing project developed in Mexico, Homex will employ Brazilian workers trained to repli-cate its business style.
Operation’s first step is taken, preparing the grounds for construction.
Yet, how difficult is it for Homex to pen-etrate foreign markets?
The company casts its past experience into the future, forecasting its chances
by Julieta salgado
Brick by Brick, Mexican Talent is BuiltTo boost their exports, construction companies need an appropriate business model, goverment backup and courage. In Mexico, this kind of companies have cemented their stability, and they are on the move to foreign destinations.
abroad. “We then learn about conditions in foreign markets,” its information depart-ment states. Therefore, small scale projects are favored, in order to probe which ele-ments work together in such kind of envi-ronments. This knowledge is then used to expand internationally.
The conquest of Belize In 2002, Delta Construction Bureau invested 5 million usd to construct the Bliss Institute of Culture and a national auditorium in Be-lize, along with the restoration of the Gover-nor’s House.
These works were assigned under the San José Agreement, signed between Mex-ico and Central American countries, and were financed by the National Bank for For-eign Trade (Bancomext).
Belize was entitled a 5 million usd fund as
part of the San José Agreement, with rela-tion to oil trade with Mexico. Government in Belize used this fund to request for these buildings.
The Mexican Construction Industry Chamber assigned a company to supervise the bidding process. Delta bid for the con-tract in 2000 and was awarded with the contract, earning its opportunity to expand operations abroad.
Humberto Cafaggi Félix, Delta Construc-tion Buerau’s head of Marketing, says Mexican Government set the terms for the assignment.
Money was to be given only if the com-pany to develop the project was Mexican; 80% of the money was invested in the Bliss Institute construction, and the remaining 20% was funneled to the Governor’s House.
The Governor’s House dates back to the 19th Century, and it was used as such by the
cover feature ConstruCtion industry
Construction by numbers
• There are more than 60 construction companies registered in Mexico. Estimates are each builds 1,000 new dwellings every year.
• An average houses built by Homex costs 40,000 usd.
• Homex operates in 21 states, 33 cities, and 80 neighborhoods, which comprise 77.8% of the Mexican population
Sources: Homex / INEGI / inmobiliare.com
oPPortunities are real, caPabilities too
The Mexican Chamber for the Construction Industry held a meeting with British diplomatic representatives with the intention to set an agreement, allowing Mexican construction companies to access the British market. The London 2012 Olympics might just be the chance for this.
Through this sort of bilateral meetings, Mexican Construction Industry Chamber is trying to open opportunities for Mexican construction companies to work in foreign markets, thus improving competitiveness.
www.cmic.org
British colonial authority until the mid 20th Century. The building was abandoned since the Independence and after the restoration, it became a museum.
The world is waitingWork was done by Mexican people, yet with local wood, sand, stone, bricks and concrete. There was local workforce too, directed by Mexican executives. The agreement sought to blend Mexican and local sources in one effort.
It was comparatively easy for Delta to engage in this project abroad, since work-ing with Mexican Government expedited payments and freed custom duties, which in other case would have been mandatory.
Payment compliance is a common fear among developers with a chance to work in foreign markets.
In this respect, said Cafaggi, “we fared perfectly, without any complain. We were paid in time. Language was not a problem, either. Most people speak Spanish, even if the official language is English. We felt at home. Most workers in Belize came from Guatemala, El Salvador. We even hired Mex-ican bricklayers that lived there.”
The Mexican Embassy was helpful at any time, too.
Foreign expansion is challenging for most Mexican construction entrepreneurs. Con-fidence seems to be the key, though, for any negotiation.
Delta’s head of Marketing said they have no plans to work abroad for the rest of 2009. They are willing, though, to go international, perhaps invited by some transnational firm, since they feel more confident around them than local firms. n
28 Negocios Photos courtesy of meccano
In the past few decades, the world’s urban population has grown exponentially, and with the cities’ population has also increased the need for housing. Traditional building
methods have been transformed in order to improve the federal and private construc-tion companies’ capacity to meet the housing needs. In the midst of this transformation, in-novative fast and secure building techniques have emerged. Meccano is a good example of what can come out of the right mix of sci-ence, technology and inventiveness.
Mass Production building Fast, Low Cost and FlawlessMeccano’s prefab system offers an innovative building style with record times, high quality and savings in price, materials and personnel.
This is an avant-garde metallic system that frames the totality of a house: walls, ceiling, and staircase. The frame is a big-scale mold filled with concrete. A monolithic structure is then filled up vertically allow-ing building a house in only one day. More than that, up to four houses can be built in one day with one concrete pour and with a minimum number of workers.
The brains behind Meccano, a company from Torreón, Coahuila, in Northeast Mex-ico, say the system was born after a constant search for efficiency. Is true, if anything can be said about the system, is that it is efficient. It is a lineal and systemic method that achieves im-portant savings on supervision, management, production and financial costs.
Throughout the process, from the lev-eling of the ground to the house detailing, numerous steps traditionally made by hand are eliminated. It is then possible to plan a
Meccano is a sustainable and energy saving method. It combines a reduced time execution with resource optimization, increasing the investment capacity without the need of more resources.
Mexico’s Partner meCCano
complete project –an entire neighborhood or subdivision, for instance– in record time, without the usual incidents that cause de-lays. As if this was not enough, materials used can be budgeted without waste. This maximum productivity building system uses only two materials: concrete and steel. This allows an easy builder-supplier relationship and reduces the risk of delays for the lack of materials.
Meccano is a sustainable and energy sav-ing method. It combines a reduced time ex-ecution with resource optimization, increas-ing the investment capacity without the need of more resources. Meccano assures that it is possible to built 10 homes in the same time that would take to build just one with tradi-tional building methods –about two weeks.
All the products of the system have been designed by Meccano. Because of the mass production system, the steel form, for ex-ample, enables all products to have the same shape and form. The designs and materials are chosen thinking in a large production, long lasting, easy learning use and easy trans-portation. The Meccano Aluminum system is lighter weight, solid and has a protective coating for a longer life. The company has also created Tramidecc, a system that doesn’t use any wood, is custom sized and can also be used in traditional construction sites.
This new building method is starting to have an impact in the Mexican construction
industry. It is now being used by numerous building companies. Some of them have re-ceived awards for the residential complexes built with this system. In 2004, residential development Villas Santa Fe in Tijuana, Baja California, was awarded with the Obras Ce-mex Prize, both for its functionality and for the quality of its homes built completely with Meccano. In 2002 and 2003, Casas Geo received the same distinction for develop-ments in the Southern state of Guerrero. There are entire subdivisions built with this method all around the country, in Jalisco, Coahuila, Estado de México, Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo, Durango, Guanajuato and Zacatecas.
Meccano has proved that its method is an inexpensive and fast alternative that can work in all kind of places. Many companies in Mexico are closing deals with this com-pany and have started to diversify their offer and markets. Meccano is planning its expan-sion in Latin America and is now promoting steel forms and aluminum as an alternative for the rehabilitation of buildings, with the same principles of speed and savings. n
02 tradiMecc woodless and custom sized.03 Meccano frames the entire house.
01
02
03
30 Negocios Photo archive
Home Is Where the Heart IsMore and more US and Canadian citizens are buying second homes in Mexico either for vacation or retirement purposes. The attractions of living in our country are numerous but the glorious climate, the cheaper cost of living and health services are the top priorities for those looking to establish roots in Mexico.
by graeme stewart
sPecial feature seCond homes
32 Negocios Photos archive
Mexico has made tremendous inroads into at-tracting not only the tourists who account for the second largest part of the Mexican econo-my but also in reforming the once restrictive laws that prevented foreigners from buying and owning real estate, homes and properties.
Buying Mexican real estate is easy. There are three ways of owning Mexican property: via direct deed, through a Mexican corpora-tion (commercial property), or through a bank trust called a fideicomiso, in the restricted zones. This has led to booming real estate mar-kets all along the picturesque seaside towns dotted along the Mexican coasts. Puerto Va-llarta, Los Cabos, Cancún and many other lo-cations are now permanent homes or vacation homes for people who have fallen in love with the more sedate Mexican lifestyle.
In love with a countryMary and Leland Marret live in Louisville, Kentucky, US. Here they tell why they bought property in Mexico and why they love the country so much. Mary shared their story with Negocios.
“We began traveling to Mexico in the 1980s, and we always liked the country very much.
We either flew there from the US and rented a car to penetrate the back roads, or drove our-selves there from Kentucky.”
In the 1990s, the couple discovered Mérida and the rest of the Yucatán Peninsula as well as Quintana Roo and made a number of trips to various locations, always with the idea of even-tually retiring in the country.
“Like many people on the cusp of retire-ment, we were attracted to southern Mexico because of the tropical climate, the culture, and the people. During those years, we also traveled frequently to Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Brazil, and the Bahamas, trying to de-cide where to re-locate on a part-time basis,” said Mary.
Then in 2003-04, they found themselves vacationing back in Yucatán, where they stayed in a group of hotels that are meticu-lously restored haciendas and that is what caused them to finally make a decision: “My husband had been a farmer all his life and his imagination was captured with the idea of restoring a hacienda of our own, so that led us to Mexico-International, the realtors who had a number of beautiful properties listed. In 2004, we made five trips to Mérida to look at
sPecial feature seCond homes
“Like many people on the cusp of retirement, we were attracted to southern Mexico because of the tropical climate,
the culture, and the people [...] We are extremely happy living in Mexico and find it a very easy place to live,”
said Mary Marret.
property, and although we never did actually buy a hacienda, we finally bought a ‘hacienda-style’ colonial house in the historic center of Mérida, which was restored to perfection by Henry Ponce, one of the city’s finest architects. Since Mérida is so close to the Gulf of Mexico, we also wanted a house on the beach, so we then bought a nice property in the fishing vil-lage of Sisal which is located about 40 kilome-ters from Mérida, and is a peaceful place that has a very important history since it was the shipping port for all of the henequén when Yu-catán was the biggest producer in the world,” remembers Mary.
“Next, we bought a piece of undeveloped beach-front land in Celestún as an investment, and finally, we bought another old colonial house in Mérida’s center which we restored in order to re-sell, I am telling you all of this, I guess, to establish some credentials for us as people who, when they finally decided on Mexico, have made a complete commitment to the country. To be exact, we have made a complete commitment to Yucatán, because that area of Mexico is very particular, and very special,” Mary said.
—What have you found in Yucatán? The weather is spectacular, year-round. The rainy season, from June until November, can be beastly hot, but the terrain is lush and full of magnificent flowering trees and bushes. In
December, January, and February, although people from Mérida find it cold enough for down jackets, generally, for us, it is perfect for swimming and sunbathing. The people of Yucatán are its biggest asset. They are gentle, kindly, courteous and friendly. No smile goes unreturned and when one makes casual eye contact with people on the street or in stores, they nearly always say Buenos días (good morning), which is heart-warming. The con-cept of the family is very strong and everyone, no matter from what economic level of society, places great importance on his or her family, so on holidays, the streets are deserted and everyone spends the day at home.
—What about life in Mérida?It is a very safe place to live, and we are com-pletely comfortable walking to restaurants or the theatre without feeling any threat whatso-ever. The medical care in Mérida is excellent, and I always marvel at the level of attention the doctors are willing to give their patients. It is absolutely usual for a doctor, specialist or not, to spend 45 minutes or an hour in conver-sation and/or discussion with his patient, and when one leaves, he gives his cell phone num-ber, which nearly bowled me over. As time passes, more and more things and services are available in Mérida, whereas, 10 years ago the shopping was limited. There are many wonderful theatres here that show new mov-ies only slightly behind the United States time of release. And the restaurants are absolutely first-rate and more and more sophisticated places open monthly. There is a very active art community here, a fine orchestra, and many cultural events available year-round. There is nightlife, and beach life, and boating, and every sort of sport imaginable, including a polo club, and a magnificent new golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.
—Are you happy with your decision?We are extremely happy living in Mexico, and find it a very easy place to live despite the handicap, and embarrassment, of knowing very little Spanish. With a little help from our
Mexican friends, we are quite able to get along very well here despite the language problem and as each year passes, we become more in love with the place.
Linda and Peter Coles of St Petersburg, Florida, also fell in love with Mexico. This is their story:
“We purchased a second home in Mexico over a year ago. We currently reside in the US. Approximately five years ago we came to the Mérida area via a cruise ship that docked in Progreso. We are city dwellers and were astonished by how clean and safe Mérida was in comparison to our own hometown of St. Petersburg. Almost immediately upon arrival
34 Negocios Photo archive
in Mérida, several people approached us while we were glancing at a map to see if we were lost and if they could be of assistance. They wanted no more than to assure our safety. One gentleman invited us to join him for lunch so he could practice his English with us. It was through these chance encounters that we dis-covered the real Mexico.”
Each year, Linda and Peter found them-selves going back to Mérida for vacation and gained more knowledge of the area. “We did a lot of research on line and after confirming that the cost associated with living in Mexico was substantially less than that of the US,
we decided to map out a strategy for retire-ment,” they said.
This included the decision to purchase a second home in Mérida while they were still working in the US. With this decision they would be able to shave 12 years off their retire-ment age –should they retire and remain in the US, they would have to work to full retirement age of 65 just to afford the basics.
“By adjusting our plans to include retire-ment in Mérida, we are planning to retire there full-time in June of next year at the age of 53! The quality of life in Mérida far exceeds that of the US in regards to health care and insurance
costs. Mérida is a city rich in culture and with each trip to Mexico we discover more exciting places and people. We are extremely pleased with our decision and have encouraged many of our friends back in the US to consider Mex-ico as a safe, affordable alternative. If we could move there tomorrow full time we absolutely would! Until that time, though, we vacation in Mérida with friends and family three to four times annually, enjoying the benefits of second home ownership. Owning a second home in Mérida has created a new income stream for us as when we are not staying there ourselves, we rent it out!” they said.
According to the United States Census Bu-reau, around 80 million of US citizens of the “baby boomer” generation are due to retire in the next 20 years.
The socioeconomic characteristics of that generation show that they have an annual in-come of between 70,000 to 150,000 usd, 85% of them have a high level of education, with some 25% made up of university graduates, have a life expectancy of 83 years, 80% own their own properties, they lead active cultural lives, are productive, social and are familiar with high technology and the information highway.
During the last 15 years, more than 400,000 properties have been bought in Mexico by US cit-izens and Canadians. In 2007 US and Canadian citizens bought 18,000 residencies in Mexico —for the equivalent of 6.4 million usd— and that trend is expected to continue over the next few years.
Mitch Keenan, Principal of Mexico Interna-tional Real Estate, said: “Thanks to appealing real estate and a good return on investment, the thriving American community of part-time residents and retirees live a lifestyle far above what they can afford in the US.” n
Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Cancún and other locations
are now permanent residence or vacation
homes for people who have fallen in love with the more
sedate Mexican lifestyle. During the last 15 years,
more than 400,000 properties have been
bought by US and Canadian citizens.
sPecial feature seCond homes
Main Retirement Destinations in MexicoFor the second year in a row, in 2008 Mexico ranked number 1on International Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index.
PuertoPeñasco
SanFelipe
Los Cabos
La Paz
Mazatlán
Nuevo Vallarta andPuerto Vallarta
Chapala
Punta Ixtapa
Acapulco
Huatulco
Campeche
Cancún
Playa delCarmen
PuertoProgreso
Mérida
Taxco
Cuernavaca
Veracruz
Soto La Marina
Guanajuato andSan Miguel Allende
Loreto
Ensenada
Rosarito
San Carlos
MEXICO
USA
To determine the Annual Retirement Index, 29 countries are analyzed and ranked in categories including real estate costs, special benefits offered to retirees, culture, safety and stability, health care, climate, infrastructure, and cost of living.
Gulf ofMexico
OceanPacific
inFo
gr
aP
hic
old
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36 Negocios
by JenniFer Chan
Photo jorGe rodríGuez
By year 2025, more than 1,800 million people will live in regions or countries with complete water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under stress conditions, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The search of new ways to take advantage of rainwater is one of Mexico’s priorities. Sur-prisingly, an answer has been found on the streets.
Comercializadora de Pinturas y Aditivos Ecológicos, the creator of Ecocreto, is the com-pany paving a road for the planet’s future.
Founded in 1996, the firm is the result of exhaustive research lead by engineer Jaime Grau Genesías. Along with architect Néstor de Buen, Grau Genesías is the inventor of the additive and its building process. The origins of their concerns are rooted in Mexico City. The city’s sinking because of the underground wa-ter extraction, as well as its overexploitation of aquifers were some of the reasons that pushed Grau to the search of water saving. His answer: Ecocreto.
What is it?Ecocreto is not a simple additive. Alejandro Álvarez, the company’s commercial director defines the product as “a stormwater recovery and usage system that works through porous concrete and asphalt.”
One hundred percent Mexican, Ecocreto is an additive added to concrete without sand. It reacts to cement making it more resistant dur-ing the first minutes of hardening. The result is a porous, malleable mix that is easy to use. The system makes it possible for rainwater to filtrate the underground, helping refill the city’s aquifers and providing other advantages that common concrete doesn’t have. It avoids puddles and pot holes.
“The purpose is to help solve in an inex-pensive and simple way the water tables ex-haustion, with the additional advantage of being used in common areas such as streets,
Building SustainabilityMexican company creator of Ecocreto, an additive added to concrete that allows to capture rainwater, is paving its way to international success.
parks, parking lots, sideways, among others” said Álvarez.
Building bridges“The response has been very positive, mainly because the product is a great alternative for the environment and water control,” Álvarez said. “Some states have created norms to im-plement pervious pavement in all their roads and developments.”
With customers including, construction companies, housing and infrastructure devel-opers, local and state governments, Ecocreto’s arms are opening in Mexico and the rest of the World.
The company’s production plant is in the Central city of Puebla, their sales offices in Mexico City with representatives in the states of Nuevo León, Jalisco, Querétaro, Morelos, Quintana Roo, Veracruz, San Luis Potosí, Baja California and Baja California Sur. The com-pany serves the US and the Caribbean mar-kets from its production plant and sales office in Austin, Texas –where the product has been successfully sold since 1999, only three years after it was introduced to Mexico.
The company not only sells the additive, but also offers qualified workforce and person-nel training for proper application.
With an increasing number of companies using the pervious concrete, Ecocreto’s sales reach 15 million usd per year. Its success is not limited to the Americas. More than 40 coun-tries in four continents have expressed their interest in this new technology.
The company is now focusing in projects that include: highways, housing developments and shopping centers around the country and it is planning its expansion to Europe, Central and South America. And there will be more: two new products with a greater environment conservancy impact are being developed. “These products will be a breakthrough in the decorating an pervious concrete,” said the company’s sales director. n
12 Reasons to Think of Ecocreto• 100% pervious surfaces• Puddle elimination• Microclimate conservancy• Surface temperature reduction• vehicle noise reduction• Reduction or elimination of
rainwater drainage• Compatibility with other
asphalt and concrete materials• Avoids aqua-planning • Flat surfaces• Different colors and type of rock• Less expensive building and
application systems than those of traditional pavements
• Possibility of mixing on-site or premixing plants
Other Possibilities
Aside from floors, pavements and walls, these are some other alternative applications:• Ecological breakwater: the
material porosity allows the development of marine microorganisms.
• Pier detailing: allows containers to be placed in dry surfaces.
• Golf camp traps: keeps sand from mixing with clay or other materials.
• Water conduction system: water circulates through these pavements leaving a dry surface and driving the liquid to artificial lakes and ponds.
Product eCoCreto
custoMers of ecocreto• Bacardi• Procter&Gamble• Mexico’s Federal Police• Mundo Imperial• University of the Americas
(Puebla) • Volkswagen (Puebla)• National Autonomus University of
Mexico (UNAM)• National Polytechnic Institute • vista Bella (Veracruz)• Aguascalientes Housing Institute• Federal Judicial Council• Planigrupo• ARA Group
coMPany’s awards• 2000 National Ecology Award
from the Mexican Government• Recognition to ecological and
environmental excellence, from the Mexican Ecologist Movement, 2000
• 2003 Golden Sun, Especial Award to Ecological Merit from the National Circle of Journalists
• Recognition for its Contribution to the Environment Care and Conservancy from Teorema Circle, 2004
• 2004 Green Business Award, World Resources Institute
38 Negocios
An Everlasting Enterprise Mosaicos Eternos (Everlasting Tiles) has conquered the taste of architects, interior designers and artists by preserving an antique technique to produce floor tiles with exclusive designs and exceptional characteristics that assure a long-lasting life.
This conquest is the result of dedication and love to a millenary craft, but also strug-gling in the midst of economic hard times, said Jorge and Fernando Martínez Ávila, heirs to a company that was established by their father, José Guadalupe Martínez Plascencia, in 1942.
Even until the twenties, floors and even walls in most Mexican houses were covered in mosaic. But then came 1994, along with a crisis that stands as one of the toughest that Mexico has faced in modern times. Ceramic and glass floor tiles, eye-catching and cheap-er, came to dominate the market (a square meter of mosaic is priced between 8-60 usd). Country-wide, less than half a dozen signifi-cant factories survive.
Mosaicos Eternos seems to outlast them all. It is still on the go, producing some 1,500 square meters per week.
The recipe for survivalMosaicos Eternos worked economic crisis in its favor, like other companies in the world do
Many pages could be written on the art of mo-saic in Mexico. Its epic goes from Middle East to Europe, and then the New World. Mosaicos Eternos (Everlasting Tiles) is part of this story; its current chapter. Design and manufacture take place in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Its fine pro-duce has conquered Mexico and ever since 20 years ago, also modern stately locations in the United States and Puerto Rico, such as the Plan-et Hollywood movie-themed restaurant chain.
to succeed. “In 1994, the year of the crisis, we started to show our work in expositions at a national and international level. This may not had happened if the crisis hadn’t been there, infusing anxiety and fear of bankruptcy. As a consequence, our ways of production changed radically,” said Jorge Martínez.
The main change affected the nature of cli-ents. After 1994, when demand from tradition-al buyers decreased (those who used mosaic tiles to partly finish their houses), other clients appeared: interior decorators, architects, art-ists that currently account for 60 or 70 percent of their sales.
Mosaicos Eternos provided most materials for the rehabilitation of Guadalajara’s histori-cal sidewalk floors starting 2009. Their con-tribution restored a colonial spirit that was checked by the use of glossy ceramic tiles of random shapes. “We keep, of course, a portfo-lio of private customers, including ranch own-ers and even rural communities that still pre-fer mosaic, rather than glass tiles, but our base of clients among architecture and construction professionals is steadily growing,” said Jorge Martínez.
Added valueClients can order their own design, or they can adjust color in any of the 500 existent. Mosaic is harder and more durable than other floor tiles. They last even five times as ceramic. While glass tiles lose their gloss with time, mo-saic tiles get it, even if this process can be ac-celerated. Mosaic helps reduce temperature; their porous constitution allows constructions to breath.
Photo jorGe rodríGuez
Mexico’s Partner mosaiCos eternos
Centennial Craft Step by Step
Pieces are then dried, packed face to face and back to back and forged for 12 to 16 hours. Next day, pieces are piled under water for 24 hours.
Tiles are pressed under a 120-150 kilogram per centimeter weight.
A drying powder is then applied: a blend of river sand and gray cement, finely sifted. Each piece is filled with a wet mix of gray cement and thicker sand.
Elaborate pieces are decorated using metal patterns. The base color is obtained with white cement, marble and aniline.
Red and yellow dyes are natural. They are obtained from rocks in the region that are grinded to become aniline. Other colors are obtained synthetically.
Ecah piece is decorated by hand, detail by detail, adding anilines that dye the base, injected or carefully applied with a spoon by the artisan.
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—What makes Mexican mosaic unique? “Their design is exceptional, and their colors are brighter. Base materials are peculiar in any given part of the world. In western Mexico soil is volcanic, and sand mixed is grainer. In Morocco or Singapur, for instance, sand is finer,” said Fernando Martínez.
Mosaicos Eternos offers something else to its clients. If with time a tile already mounted breaks, they offer an identical replacement. Jorge Martínez keeps a record for every client, with the exact formula they used to achieve that particular tile. In sharp contrast with ceramic tiles, mosaics are a piece of craft. Each piece is prepared and taken care of separately. Mosaic durability is beyond doubt. Jorge and Fernando Martínez quote as an example the case of the Antiguo Hos-pital Civil, a client to their father, early in his career, and a public hospital in constant and intense activity. The former floors that dated back to colonial times were replaced in the mid 40�s with their tiles. In spite of incessant foot and stretcher traffic, they appear mint. Other sites that bear their tiles are: the Gua-dalajara Museum of Folk Arts, the Colegio de Jalisco, and downtown restaurants such as La O, Cocina 88, Casa Bariachi, Bodeguita del Medio and the chain Pueblo Bonito Ocean-front Resorts and Spas.
The production of more than 5,000 square meters of tiles for the refurbish-ment of the Palacio de las Vacas (Palace of Cows, in downtown Guadalajara) outstands as one of the most exhaustive projects yet accomplished, not only for the volume, but also for the variety of designs that were used. A Moorish 19th Century palace with exuberant décor, it houses 80 murals by the Mexican painter Xavier Guerrero. Only the library’s floor required 82 different designs within a 90 square meters area. In other in-stances, “complex” floor designs require tiles of 16 different sorts.
It was a task that almost drove them crazy. Considering each piece requires specific and crafty dedication. The workshop employs be-tween 25-30 artisans. “Not anyone can do this,” said Jorge Martínez. “Mosaic craft-men have a unique character, which I have seldom found anywhere else. All of them, absolutely all of them are quiet, easy-going, patient”.
In Mosaicos Eternos that patience can be traced in its exceptional body of work that brings to life a millenary tradition for people to tread on. n inFo
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Source: Banco de México
Main exported products from Mexicoby product categoryValues in millions of USD, 2009
104
,30
9.0
7
January February March April May June Total
Machines and electric material 4,351.61 4,356.23 5,059.59 4,703.09 4,750.76 5,203.04 28,424.32
Land vehicles and their parts 1,628.45 2,154.50 2,644.03 2,563.77 2,250.51 2,184.15 13,425.41
Mechanic devices, boilers and their parts 1,865.43 2,096.49 2,509.65 2,202.24 2,191.51 2,454.72 13,320.04
Mineral fuels and their derivatives 1,890.94 1,642.75 1,872.81 1,892.10 2,359.33 2,795.81 12,453.72
Optical and medical instruments and devices 592.49 665.87 756.27 669.71 686.71 777.27 4,148.31
The lifestyleT h e C o m p l et e G u i d e of t h e M ex i c a n Way of L i fe .
Morelia International Film Festival
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Interview
PatriciariggenLong Life Films
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42 Negocios i The Lifestyle Photo courtesy of 20th century fox
by FranCisCo vernis
The day La misma luna (Under the Same Moon) showed at the 2006 Sundance Festival, not only caught the audience, but the eye of five movie distributors that fought over Patricia Riggen’s debut feature film. The movie was sold for 5 mil-lion usd to Fox Searchlight and The Weinstein Company. Negotiations ended at 5 in the morn-ing, and when the Mexican filmmaker finally went to bed, her only thought was: “I hope that in the morning, when I wake up, I don’t find out this was only a dream.”
It’s unusual that a movie with costs under 2 million gets sold at such price, and makes 23 mil-lion usd profit in box office. Not every day a movie like that earns two awards out of four nominations.
“The most important thing for me is not the price at which it sold. As the film direc-tor the most important thing is having sold it to a studio with a great reputation in the dis-tribution of this type of films. This year, Fox Searchlight won the Oscar for best film with Slumdog Millionaire. It’s a studio that takes small films and makes them big,” said Rig-gen in Los Angeles, the film Mecca where she moved four years ago.
If Riggen was dreaming, her dream is still on. It started in 2002 with her first short film La Milpa (The Cornfield), her master thesis project at Columbia University. After a long festival tour, the film came home with six awards. A history about the Mexican Revolution and national tra-ditions, La Milpa won the Student Academy Award, an honorable mention at the Havana Film Fest, first place at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation College Television Awards and two more awards in Mexico.
patriCia riggen, long liFe FilmsPatricia Riggen made her first feature film with a 1.7 million usd budget, sold it for 5 million and made 23 million in box office.
After that success, Riggen moved to docu-mentary filmmaking, with similar success. Re-trato de Familia (Family Portrait) tells the story of a photograph taken by Gordon Parks. The film was awarded at Sundance. “The story is about the portrait of a Harlem family, taken in 1968 by Gordon Parks. The film explores what happened to them 30 years later. The only one of the 12 people in the picture who is still alive is the youngest child. Finally, it’s the history of African American poverty,” said Riggen.
With such a remarkable precedent, La misma luna arose great expectations in Sun-dance. Although in this case the theme was not the American people, but Mexican immi-grants to the United States. Carlitos’ journey to the United States where he goes to look for his mother touched moviegoers around the world. The director believes the movie was able to change the way immigrants are seen in the United States. Riggens asserts: “What is more important to me is that the movie had a long life and that touched many people. I think in the United States the film helped change the perception of immigrants. White people in the United States were touched by it, and that is very gratifying. And like almost never before, Hispanics in the United States were able to see characters similar to them, portrayed with re-spect, dignity and love.”
Riggen’s dream coming true is the product of her dedication. In the same week she can
travel to her native Guadalajara to give a lecture, then make a move to any country in Europe and back to Los Angeles to continue with the two projects she is currently working on. The fist one is a love story based on the life of musician Anto-nio Vivaldi, a film produced by Raffaella De Lau-rentiis (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Dragonheart: A New Beginning), with whom Riggen became fascinated. The second one is an adaptation of Isabel Allende’s novel Daughter of Fortune, also produced by De Laurentiis.
—Having La misma luna as a credential, was it easy to recruit investors?Independent films in the United States, have much bigger investments than those in Mexico, is not so much about the director as it is about the cast. That is the most important criteria for the investment. Getting a project responds to my previous work, but getting funds depends on the cast I am able to recruit, and right now we are in that process.
—What was the response of your Mexican colleagues after the success of La misma luna?The problem with some Mexican filmmak-ers is that they consider commercial film synonymous of bad quality and that is not necessarily true.
There are a lot of great quality commer-cial films. What Mexico needs is a profitable film industry and it should be able to sup-
“What is more important to me is that the movie had a long life and that touched many people. I think in the United States the film helped change
the perception of immigrants,” said Riggen.
interview patriCia riggen
port itself. I think my movie is a quality film that happens to be commercial, and there is nothing wrong with that.
—Are you doing the kind of cinema you wanted to?I never had a specific idea of what I wanted to do. I like stories that involve emotions, that are entertaining, emotional and of dif-ferent genres.
I am now analyzing projects of different types and genre and trying to decide what would be next.
Vivaldi, for example, is a romance. Daughter of Fortune is an adventure story. I’m reading romantic comedies, drama stories, a little bit of everything, even science fiction movies.
—Are you open to all genres?I don’t like horror and I’m not very interested in action movies.
I enjoy watching them, but I like movies with more of a human element.
—You are one of few female filmmakers, why do you think that happens?There is a lack of female participation eve-rywhere. Cinema used to be a male-only business, but that has slowly changed. I imagine that will change to the point of be-ing more fair and equal.
—Is there a great difference between making films in Mexico and the United States?Independent filmmaking is very similar in both countries. But here [in the United States] there is no government funding or grants, which makes it even harder than making an independent film in Mexico.
Riggen has taken her films to different countries: from Mexico to Uganda, passing through Ireland and other places where she is not a Mexican woman making film, but a mov-iemaker who is judged by what is seen on the screen, and nothing else. “Movies are the ones that open or close doors,” she says. n
Patricia riggen and adrián alonso, during the filmation of La misma luna
44 Negocios i The Lifestyle
La Milpa (The Cornfields)
Short film
La misma luna (Under the Same Moon)
Feature film
Retrato de Familia (Family Portrait)
Documentary
Patricia riggen’s filmography
year2002
Producers Mexican Institute of Cinematography (Imcine) and the National Council for
del Castillo, Eugenio Derbez, Maya Zapata, Carmen Salinas, Angelina
Peláez, Gabriel Porras, Jesse García, María Rojo.
year2004
Producers PR Films
budget44,000 usd
distributionShooting People
castGordon Parks, Richard Fontenelle, Diana
Nash.
Riggen has taken her films to different countries: from Mexico to Uganda, passing through Ireland and other places where she is not a Mexican woman making films, but a moviemaker who is judged by what is seen on the screen, and nothing else. “Movies are the ones that open or close doors,” she says.
The most beautiful villages in Mexico, also called the “Magical Villages”, are places where the main attraction is found in the
enchanting beauty of their architecture, gas-tronomy and colorful traditional fiestas full of music.
46 Negocios i The Lifestyle Photos archive
TOURISM
maGical villaGesThe Mexican Ministry of Tourism has crea-
ted a program with the 23 most picturesque sites in the country.
All of these places are notorious for their charming architecture, exquisite gastronomy and traditional festivities which will make an-yone fall in love with Mexico.
The list includes:• Real de Catorce in San Luis Potosí.• Mexcaltitán in Nayarit.• The mining villages of Alamos in
Sonora, Real del Monte in Hidalgo, Taxco in Guerrero and Tlalpujahua in Michoacán.
• Tepotzotlán in Estado de México.• San Miguel de Allende in Gua-
najuato.• Cuetzalan in Puebla.• San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chia-
pas. • Parras in Coahuila.• Tequila in Jalisco.• Dolores Hidalgo in Guanajuato.• Bernal in Querétaro.• Pátzcuaro in Michoacán.• Valle de Bravo in Estado de México.• Izamal in Yucatán.• Huasca in Hidalgo.• Comala in Colima.• Cosalá in Sinaloa. • Tepoztlán in Morelos.• Tapalpa and Mazamitla in Jalisco.
www.visitmexico.com
The Lifestyle briefs
TOURISM
Dolphins with Mexican AccentVery soon the world will have another place where to swim with dolphins. Delphinus from Grupo Via Delphi, one of the most important dolphinarium chains in Mexico will expand its sustainable business to southeast Asia in Singa-pore where they were selected to design, build and operate the new themed park dolphinarium in Sentosa, one of the most important vacation
and entertainment destinations.Delphinus is one of the top dolphinarium
groups that provide excellent facilities where to swim with dolphins in Cancún, those included are Delphinus Dreams Cancún, Delphinus Ri-viera Maya, Delphinus Xcaret and Delphinus XelHa that offer over six different dolphin swim programs.
Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) carried out a world search to find the ideal associates to build and operate this new entertainment center. RWS was introduced to the Delphinus through Xcaret and XelHa eco parks that are known to have served as model to other theme parks in the US, such as Discovery Cove Sea World in Orlando.
Exact sciences at everyone’s reachLearning exact sciences is no longer a challenge for the blind and for visually impaired people. Carlos Arriola Arciniega, scientist of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN, Instituto Politécnico Nacional) developed a program that allows the visually handicapped to access complex mathe-matical expressions through the web. In order to access IPN mathematical expressions through the Technological Innovation System, Arriola developed a software to help visually impaired faculty and alumni learn exact sciences. The
SCIENCE AND EDUCATION
TOURISM
A new Cancún is underwayMexico plans to build a new resort in the Caribbean with over 50,000 hotel rooms and thousands of homes, which could compete with the popular Cancún. The 30-year program foresees to build Ciudad Mujeres, over 38,300 acres of land located approximately 25 kilometers north of Cancún. The plan includes the construc-tion of 115,000 luxury homes and a pop-ulation of almost 500,000 inhabitants. Since 1978, 26,000 hotel rooms have been built in Cancún, where about one million people live in an area of 41,000 acres.
www.islamujeres.gob.mx
program applies to students from elementary school to postgraduate levels.
Fifteen years ago, Arriola Arciniega lost his sight due to diabetes; this motivated him to create a system which would help to avoid that people with this impairment be compelled to limit their studies.
With this system, the researcher won first place in the IT Engineering field and the 2009 Mexico City Engineering Award, granted by the Science and Technology Institute of the Fe-deral District and the Metro Collective Trans-port System.
www.ipn.mx
48 Negocios i The Lifestyle Photo courtesy of promexico / archive
TOURISM
Since 1957, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) promotes guided tours by specialists to sites such as historic monuments, archaeological sites, as well as to places with a rich tradition, which are representative of Mexico’s culture and historic heritage. On the occasion of the Bicentennial Anniversary of the Independence of Mexico, INAH has launched a special tour program to some of the sites where events of the Mexican War of Independence took place.
www.gobiernodigital.inah.gob.mx
TakeoffMexico began the construction of its national pavilion for the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, scheduled to take place from May 1 to October 31. The pavilion should be completely finished one month before the opening of the Expo and it will be divided in three levels showing the past, present and future of Mexico.
The pavilion is a representation of a “Kite Forest” which symbolizes the desire to fly higher and farther; in addition to the fact that the kite bonds us with China, since it is a distinctive element for both nations. Besides
EXPO 2010 SHANGHAI
including Mexico’s proposals to promote new forms of living together in cities, the pavilion will showcase the country’s historic and cultural lega-cy, with a sample of its archaeology, architecture, art and design.
The facility will also have a business center, where World Expo visitors will be able to see what Mexico has to offer in the fields of trade and tourism. Furthermore, there will be a space for temporary exhibitions, to present films that are representative of the country and for artistic per-formances.
www.expo2010mexico.com.mx
Tamayo has a new homeIn 2010 the Tamayo Contemporary Art Museum will have a new home, the Tamayo Cultural Center in Atizapán de Zaragoza, in Estado de México. Michel Rojkind and the Bjarke Ingels Group are in charge of the construction of the new building which will include a state-of-the-art warehouse to store, preserve and increase the museum’s art collection. The new venue will also allow to host private collections on loan and it will have a 1,150 square foot gallery for contem-porary art exhibitions.
www.museotamayo.org
Legacy on the webThe history of Mexico can be seen on the web from any part of the globe. The National In-stitute of Anthropology and History (INAH, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) created a site where over 4,000 objects ex-hibited in the Templo Mayor (Major Temple) Museum are shown in a virtual tour through the different galleries. The web site also offers virtual tours of areas such as Teotihuacan, Chi-chén Itzá, Tehuacalco, Palenque and Yaxchilán, among others.
www.inah.gob.mx
culturainah.org
HERITAGEMUSEUMS
lifestyle feature FiCm
Morelia International Film Festival,Showcase to the WorldThe seventh edition of the Morelia International Film Festival will be enlightened by its first guest country, Rumania. The occasion will also be a showcase for national history, with advanced festivities for the Bicentenary of the Mexican Independence
by riCardo ibarra
For more than two centuries, because of its avant-garde architecture, the colonial city of Valladolid had the title of Cultural Capital of New Spain. The preservation of those magnificent buildings made the now called city of Morelia a Unesco world heritage site. This metropolis is the host to one of the most relevant cinema festivals in the world: the Morelia International Film Fest (FICM), which will celebrate its seventh edition from October 3rd through 10th, with festivities to commemorate the Bicentenary of Mexico’s Independence.
This year the festival will include an interna-tional program having Rumania as a guest coun-try. During the 2008 edition, one of the festival’s
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guests, filmmaker Cristian Mungiu -winner of a Palm D’Or for the movie Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days- suggested to include 20 Ru-manian titles in the next edition. Mungiu was in charge of making the movie selection. “It is an honor to have a curator like him selecting the films. He understands Mexico and knows what should be shown,” said Daniela Michel, the festi-val’s director.
Michel recognized similarities between the two countries. “It is strange, but Mexico and Rumania are countries with a lot of similarities, there is a sense of brotherhood. I know the films are excellent and will be very welcomed because they treat topics that are very similar to our cin-
ema,” she said. Michel said this will be the first time that Rumanian cinema is shown in Mexico, and hope that Mexican filmmakers get to know the film style of this European country.
New Mexican cinemaUntil last year, FICM was only a platform for New Mexican cinema. Starting this edition, the festival will also be a showroom for new inter-national cinema.
The main purpose is to increase the offer of art cinema, create stimulus and provide cultural options for the Mexican and interna-tional publics. One of the main commitments is to support new talent by awarding the best
50 Negocios i The Lifestyle
Mexican short films, documentaries and long features.
The festival’s participation has increased year by year with film work from every state of the country. Filmmakers can compete in five cat-egories: Screenplay from Michoacán (the state where the festival takes place); Short film or Long
film from Michoacán; Mexican Short film; Mexi-can Documentary and Mexican Long feature film, only for first and second movies.
Filmmakers awarded for short, long or documentary films in the Mexican category receive El Ojo (The Eye) a sculpture by Mi-choacán artist Javier Marín, plus 8,000 usd, a digital photo camera and 35 mm Kodak film. Michoacano awardees for film receive the same prizes, plus a money reward of 4,000 usd. There’s also a screenplay prize that includes a diploma and about 1,000 usd. Every year the festival also celebrates and recognizes a movie
personality born in Michoacán.The festival also provides training for young
filmmakers at the Morelia Lab. The best two film projects developed at lab receive about 4,000 usd from the Mexican Institute of Cinematography and the company, Cinépolis. The prize is intend-ed to help with the making of the movie.
There is also the Traditional Prize, by the José Cuervo Foun-dation, a 10,000 usd prize awarded to a Mexican director with an outstanding career. Because the festival is recognized by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, animated and fiction short films can be consid-ered for Academy Awards nominations.
The filmmakersEvery year, the festival celebrates the trajectory of a filmmaker, who is invited to share his expe-riences with young filmmakers and the festival’s public. A small change will take place on the 2009 edition. The homage will be for deceased American filmmaker, John Huston. It is likely that her daughter Anjelica Huston will attend the ceremony to receive the award.
Photos courtesy of festival internacional de cine de morelia
01 stePhen fears and gael garcía bernal.
02 Movie PreMiere Quemar las naves, directed by Francisco Franco.
There will be a conference about the contribution of cinema to the discussion of the Mexican Independence. “Interestingly, there are very few movies about this event,” Michel said. Those few movies will give way to debates and panels and the festival will schedule guided tours to historical sites.
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lifestyle feature FiCm
Huston’s movies filmed in Mexico will be shown during the festival, including classics such as The Treasure of Sierra Madre, Acad-emy Award winner for best director and screenplay adaptation; Under the Volcano and The Night of the Iguana. In his more than 40 movies, Huston directed his own father Walter, in at least five films, and his daughter Anjelica in the film Prizzi’s Honor that won the Golden Globe for best director and best supporting actress.
Some other FCIM’s distinguished guests from previous years have been: Werner Her-zog, Barbet Schroeder, Fernando Vallejo, Gus Van Sant, Manoel de Oliveira, Raúl Ruíz, Mike Hodges, Guillermo del Toro, Jean Claude Car-riére, Stephen Frears, Arthur Penn, Bertrand Tavernier, Héctor Babenco, Cristian Mungiu, Todd Haynes, Nicolas Philibert, Michael Ny-man, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Carlos Reygadas.
200 years of independencyThis year the festival will have an additional component: the festivities previous to the Bi-centenary of the Mexican Independence. Mi-chel said that the old city of Valladolid, now called Morelia, was the crib to the conspiracy that gave birth to the Mexican insurrection
cinéPolis
The first movie theater, Cine Morelos, opened in Morelia in 1947. In 1971 it became Organización Ramírez and, in 1994, the company turned in what today is Cinépolis, with brands like Cinépolis VIP, Multicinemas, Cinépolis IMAX, Cinemapark, Xtreme Cinema and Cinemastar. The company is the largest in Latin America and number five in the world. It operates more than 2,120 movie theaters in 227 complexes. It has presence in 65 cities in Mexico and in the following countries:
• Guatemala- 4 complexes, 36 theaters• El Salvador- 1 complex, 11 theaters • Costa Rica- 3 complexes, 21 theaters• Panama City- 2 complexes, 14 theaters • Colombia- 1 movie complex, 9 theaters
In 2008, 96.6 million moviegoers visited Cinépolis theaters, the company employed 14,175 workers and had sales of almost 700 million usd.
in the 19th Century, for which there will be a conference about the contribution of Mexican cinema to this historical discussion.
“Interestingly, there are very few movies about the Mexican Independence,” Michel said. Those few movies will give way to de-bates and panels and the festival will sched-ule guided tours to historical sites.
Going to MoreliaAside from the official selection, the FICM will show movies from The Cannes International Critic’s Week, as well as national and internation-al premieres, conferences, and events in different venues of the city. Visitors will enjoy outdoor movie functions, free exhibits in Morelia and other locations like Pátzcuaro and Mexico City. n
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52 Negocios i The Lifestyle Photos courtesy of dfcasa
DFCasa is the perfect example of multicul-tural reach. Tony Moxham, born in Austra-lia, and Mauricio Paniagua, originally from Guatemala, found in Mexico the perfect in-spiration for a business and a product for the United States market.
The owners and designers agree that while DFCasa could be headquartered in any other country, results wouldn’t be the same. Their catalog would have no images of the famous comic Libro vaquero (The cowboy book, a Mexi-can comic), nor exotic beaded masks made by Huichol Indians, and while they could prob-ably find a pottery fac-tory elsewhere, their designs would take different paths.
The brand DFCasa has presence online as well as in decorating stores in the United States, Venezuela, Panama, Canada, Great Britain, China, Dubai, Japan and Mexico. Its signature style has a playful sense of design. Each one of their creations is an act of bold-ness and audacity, but more than that, tradi-tion and cutting edge, at the same time.
Paniagua, who is an industrial designer,
dFCasa, tangible imaginationTony Moxham and Mauricio Paniagua found in Mexico more than enough inspiration to develop an interior design company that creates playful pieces combining tradition and fashion.
by FranCisCo vernis
and Moxham, a graphic designer, define their work as “magic and postmodern with a graceful touch”. They make the perfect couple to conceive an endless number of challenging decor items. Their imagination seems to know no limits, but they have the constant goal to make it tangible, with the perfect volume, shape, color and texture.
At that point, Mexican artisans enter the game. The ceramic factories spread all over the city of Cuernavaca that make classic figu-
rines that would hardly enter the contempo-rary design market, are responsible for the manufacturing of the playful and unusual work of Moxham and Paniagua. From light color dinosaurs and beetles to black and white skulls that remind of the Mexican fes-tivity of the Day of the Death –although they can hardly be considered traditional– are all manufactured by those artisans in tradi-tional factories.
“DFCasa loves Mexico, myths and magic, pretty things, big things, bright things, shiny things, animals and flowers, working with artisans, artists
and friends and the absence of minimalism.”
interview dFCasa
54 Negocios i The Lifestyle
Orange color unicorns, blue cows or yellow-horn deer hang from the wall as an imaginary hunting prize. Other useful ob-jects challenge the imagination: a pig shaped jar, a sweet jar in the shape of a baby head or foot.
Fiberglass and glass are some of the materials used by these creative men who settled in Mexico City four years ago. Fiber-glass is used in a series of pieces that allow customers to have a grasshopper, a rab-bit or a penguin head in the dinning room. Whereas glass is used in more classic design pieces like ashtrays, bowls and dinnerware with capricious shapes, or decor items that remind of laboratory glassware. Sculptures with Swarovski crystals, jewelry and textiles are also in the catalogue.
Moxham and Paniagua work with Mexi-can artisans who give shape to their ideas. They are now looking for new factories that meet their needs: impeccable quality and punctuality that allows them to get to the final client on time. Suro Ceramics, in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco (a small town part of Guadalajara metropolitan area), a company with a longtime experience making contem-
porary art pieces, is one of those able to meet DFCasa needs.
They have also thought about opening their own factory and expanding their reach and their market. For now, the bold and im-prudent DFCasa creations reach mainly the United States, their main client.
Before moving to Mexico, Moxham and Paniagua lived in New York, where they met. After several trips to Mexico they made the decision of a life change. They moved their
home to Mexico and later, once the culture and Mexican traditions got under their skin, they came up with the idea of DFCasa. They settled in La Condesa, a hipster neighbor-hood where many local and foreign artists live. Their own house, also a showroom for private sales, is a sample of the reach of their design. The library walls, for example, are wrapped in colorful flower wallpaper that re-
minds of traditional tablecloths used in Mexi-can diners and is just as play-ful as the living room wallpaper with cowboy scenes.
A Sunday morning, while waiting for the first guest to their showroom sale, they are keen to describe their love for our cul-ture: “DFCasa loves Mexico, myths and magic, pretty things, big things, bright things,
shiny things, animals and flowers, working with artisans, artists and friends and the absence of minimalism¨ says their manifesto.
While the financial crisis has hit their market, the creative pair is coming up with new plans and ideas. They are getting ready for the New York International Gift Fair and hope to be at the International Contempo-rary Furniture Fair and at Maison & Objet, in Paris. n
www.dfcasa.com
Moxham and Paniagua lived in New York. They moved their home to Mexico and later, once the culture and Mexican traditions got under their skin, they came up with the idea of DFCasa.
Opposite pageblooMing stuMP hires, by DFcasa.This page black bull, by DFCasa.
article Chinese in mexiCali
Mexican ChineseThe Northern state of Baja California has
the largest Chinese community in Mexico. And it has settled quite well.
by Magdalena covarrubias
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56 Negocios i The Lifestyle illustration ricardo luévano
For many years our family Sundays went like this: a quick breakfast at home, a rigorous Catholic mass at the neighborhood church, and a Chinese lunch from our favorite place. “A number 2 take out with extra egg rolls,” I would call the restaurant. Half an hour later we would go pick up the big brown bag and come home for a Chinese family meal. I knew of many other families whose Sunday routines included a Chinese take out or a visit to one of many Chinese restaurants.
One Sunday night, when I was about 10 years old, we had finished our Chinese meal and sat in front of the TV to watch the Miss Mexico contest. It was a special day: my mother would watch TV –something major at home– and I was allowed to do the same.
The contestant from Baja California, our state, made the finals. The last round included questions. “If you were to take some special guests –a country’s president, for example– to your state, where would you take them? What would you show them?” she was asked. She got nervous, her voice started breaking: ”Mmmh...Baja California is a great state,” she said ner-vously. “I would take them to... to... to a Chinese restaurant!”
“What?” my mom screamed. “Chinese food! Oh my God! Food from a foreign coun-try!” she asserted. “She should take them to the blowhole or the beach,” I said trying to sound smart.
The truth is I didn’t understand what was wrong with her answer. My mom’s best friend was the daughter of two Chinese immigrants. I went to school with a couple of Asian looking kids with last names that sounded like “Chong” and “Ley”. The local grocery stores sold chop suey next to tomatoes and peppers. We had just eaten Hunan beef and Mongolian Chicken. How was that non traditional and local? How was Chinese foreign or outlandish?
It is said that at some point there were 10,000 Chinese residents and 700 Mexicans in Mexicali. In the 1940s there were two movie theaters that showed Cantonese films.
Today, the population of Chinese back-ground in Mexicali –the capital of the state of Baja California– is a minority of 5,000 people, but the city accounts for the largest number of Chinese restaurants in the country.
The history of the Chinese community in Baja California is marked for its exceptional perseverance, work ethics and industrious and business mentality.
It is a history with a strong linkage to the golden years of the American West and the
Mexican North. Whoever saw the Jarmusch’s film Dead man, or Charles Chaplin’s Gold Rush, can get an idea –however exaggerated-– of California in the mid 1800s, when the first Chinese men arrived to the Pacific Coast.
Starting in 1849, the “Gold Rush” attracted a great number of desperate and adventur-ous men to the Far West. The first Chinese arrived to that scene of tumultuous and wild improvised towns, where both Mexicans and newly arrived European colonizers searched through river sand looking for gold. Pictures of those times show men in hats and Manchu-style braids with the arid California hills in the background.
The dusty town of San Francisco became a prosperous and agitated port that commu-nicated the American West with the Far East. Every now and then Chinese men who had ar-rived to San Francisco ended up in the empty land of Baja California, where some business around the abalone fishing could be done. But there was very little in the surroundings of the Colorado River that could match the promis-ing future of a city like San Francisco. Until gold stopped showing under the rocks. With scar-city came competition and envy.
With the depression of the 1870s, some white Americans started seeing the Chinese as
a non-desirable competition. And xenophobia turned into law.
The Chinese were the first object of migra-tory restriction in the history of the United States. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 le-galized discrimination and restricted the en-trance of any Chinese to US territory. The act was abolished in 1943. By then, Mexicali had changed its face, forever.
The United States restrictions didn’t stop the flow of Chinese to America. They moved their entry to the Mexican ports of Manzanillo (Colima), Mazatlán (Sinaloa) and Guaymas (Sonora), from where they would try to move up north and cross the border to the United States. But in the early 1900s, in Mexico, there were opportunities in some industrial North-ern boomtowns like Torreon, Cananea or Mag-dalena were some Chinese immigrants settled
and prospered around merchant companies, restaurants, washaterias, shoe repair shops and bars. Chinese communities and neighbor-hoods began to appear, following the trace of the vertiginous industrial progress of the Mexi-can Pacific North.
In Baja California, the Colorado River Com-pany had the required mix of ingenious to do business with the opportunities that came from the United States restrictions. In the early 1900s, Harrison Gray Otis, owner of the news-paper Los Angeles Times, and other California businessmen, bought great extensions of land in the Mexicali Valley (also known as Impe-rial Valley) and conceived a water irrigation system that made the region a fertile land for agriculture. All they needed was men to work the land, and they brought them from China. They leased the land to Californian Chinese with some money, who cleaned the properties and arranged the trips for Chinese laborers who were brought directly from China.
That is how a period of agricultural splen-dor dominated by Chinese businesses started in the Mexicali Valley. In 1920, there were 5,889 Chinese men and women living in the Valley while there were 6,782 residents in the town of Mexicali.
The Colorado businessmen arranged with
the Mexican authorities, who favored the migration to dessert areas, and the boat com-panies that transported the laborers from Canton. Because the port of Ensenada didn’t have the capacity for big boats, they arrived in San Francisco and, with permission from US authorities, were sent to Calexico by train and from there to Mexicali, where they joined the cotton plantations.
In the plantations they would find leagues, associations, groups, and cooperatives. The Chinese reproduced in Mexico their regional and political organizations. All the ranches were incorporated to the Mexicali Chinese Association, which took care of the profits dis-tribution, but also procured the arrival of Chi-nese women, because there were mostly single men. Merchant companies of Chinese capital imported and distributed merchandise to the
Chinese population in Baja California is a minority, but a big part of the local culture. La Chinesca,
Mexicali’s Chinatown, is the largest Chinese neighborhood in the country.
article Chinese in mexiCali
network of convenience store owners along the Northern Pacific.
Esteban Cantú, the Governor of the Terri-tory of Baja California, favored the Chinese mi-gration and assimilation. Reasons to leave Chi-na didn’t lack. The Chinese Revolution started in 1911 and with different names, leaders and principles, didn’t end until 1949 with hunger, invasions and international wars in between. Even during the Mexican Revolution, Chinese migration didn’t stop.
The diaspora continued until 1921, when president Álvaro Obregón set the first restric-tions to Chinese migration. But it wasn’t until the Great Depression in 1929 when the Mexi-cali plantations, hit by the low cost of cotton changed forever. Chinese residents started to
change jobs and careers, most of them starting their own small businesses. A few more kept coming and some of the ranches remained with the traditional system, but the golden age was gone.
But the Chinese had settled in and adapted more than almost any other foreign com-munity in Mexico. They had become citizens, married Mexican women, moved to the neigh-bor cities of Tijuana or Ensenada, or stayed in Mexicali taking care of their convenience store or Cantonese restaurant. To the cost of the cot-ton industry, the Chinese had assimilated.
More than half a Century later, Chinesse population in Baja California is a minority, but a big part of the local culture. La Chinesca, Mexicali’s Chinatown, is the largest Chinese
neighborhood in the country. But even out-side of it, more than 100 Chinese restaurants spread through Mexicali’s main avenues. Some say the food is Mexican-Chinese. Some restaurants even advertise as real Canton-ese. The Mexican Chinese Association is still around and at the Chinese Church in Mexicali the receptionist doesn’t speak Spanish.
After that Sunday night of my childhood, I wondered what was foreign about Chinese. I asked my Mexican born Chinese godmother and she explained to me that Chinese had as-similated to Mexican culture.
Twenty years later I think differently: Mexi-cans in Baja California assimilated to Chinese, and Spring rolls are as local as any spicy Mexi-can dish. n
58 Negocios i The Lifestyle Photos courtesy of Grupo mall
Located in a waterfront section of Mexico’s Yu-catán Peninsula, the 761-acre Campeche Playa, Golf, Marina & SPA Resort will offer a unique combination of over 3,000 luxury residences, a resort destination with almost two miles of pri-vate beach, a five star Westin hotel, boutique ho-tel, world-class amenities, an upscale shopping complex, a Wellness Center, an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, a 150-slip ma-
unexplored paradiseGrupo Mall, the Spain based company well known for its highly innovative projects, is currently developing one of the largest residential tourist complexes in Mexico, in the State of Campeche.
by graeme stewart
rina, a unique town center, a wellness clinic, and an eco-tourism complex including a museum showcasing the native Hawksbill sea turtle.
Mexican federal government support of the project is understandable considering that Campeche Playa Golf Marina & SPA Resort will boost the economic and tourist growth of this untapped region of Mexico. The economic impact was immediately
destination CampeChe
measurable with 5,000 jobs already created during the construction phase and an esti-mated 2,500 new service sector jobs once the project commences operation.
Julio Noval Garcia, President of Grupo Mall, said: “The world-class amenities at Campeche Playa, Golf, Marina & SPA Resort will include a Jack Nicklaus Signature 18-hole golf course and practice range surrounded by mangroves and
a residential area with exclusive Golden Bear Residences.”
The course design is unique with long drives over lagoons, greens situated on small peninsulas and holes both parallel and per-pendicular to the Gulf of Mexico. The golf course features a clubhouse with a restau-rant, bar, gym, locker rooms, tennis courts and pools.
It will have an irrigation system which will be supplied by rainwater from a spe-cially built purification plant. The water will be stored in artificial lakes situated around the course.
In addition, the course will be main-tained with organic products, thereby elimi-nating chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other harmful herbicides. Native vegetation will also be planted to enhance the ecologi-cal equilibrium and environmental sustain-ability.
Mr. Noval continued: “The development will also feature a Marina with capacity for 150 boats and a Yacht Club with restaurant, meeting room, dressing rooms, gym, and dry docks. The resort is surrounded by the gentle waters of the Gulf of Mexico where deep sea fans can fish for grouper, tuna, am-berjack, seabream, shrimp and other crusta-ceans. Scuba diving and other underwater activities are also popular in the State of Campeche.”
The residential part of the development will include Puerta de Mar Village, consist-ing of two and three bedroom residences ar-ranged in unique seashell-shaped buildings, all of them with views front and back. On the sunset side, residents will enjoy private jacuzzis while the opposite sides offer views to the mangroves. All of the buildings have direct access to the beach.
It will also include Maya Green & Playa Golf village, situated along the golf course with buildings ranging from three to nine storeys. The golf residences are surrounded by lush, native vegetation and enjoy views of the golf course and the Gulf of Mexico. All of these residences have been designated as Golden Bear Residences, an exclusive Nick-laus Companies Trademark.
Mr. Noval explained: “Grupo Mall has signed an agreement with golfer Jack Nick-laus by which 2,000 apartments of the eco-tourism complex Campeche Playa Golf Ma-rina & SPA Resort will be recognized with the prestigious ‘Golden Bear Residences.’ This type of recognition has been granted for the first time in Latin America, reflecting the exclusivity of this complex.”
“The Golden Bear Residences signature endorses a lifestyle that combines exclusivity, as well as the best and most modern services in an exceptional environment, surrounded by native fauna and flora and a singular golf course that blends mangroves, forest and
60 Negocios i The Lifestyle
beach. Grupo Mall and Jack Nicklaus joined efforts to establish the parameters of a new lifestyle, combining unique experiences with innovation and quality.”
There will also be the Marina Village, consisting of two and three bedroom resi-dences located in three and four-storey buildings. The first floor of each building features unique commercial spaces includ-ing restaurants, coffee shops and boutiques all connected to the Yacht Club and slips via the marina walkway.
Campeche Playa, Golf, Marina & SPA Re-sort will have two luxury hotels. One hotel will be a Westin 250-room hotel with 3/10 of a mile of beachfront. The second hotel will be a 50-room grand luxury boutique hotel located in a secluded corner of the resort. A hyperbaric chamber will be installed in the preventive medicine clinic.
A Medical Clinic will feature state of the art technology and provide residents and guests with medical attention and emergency services.
Grupo Mall has also decided to develop an Underwater Archaeology Museum in the resort. On show in the museum will be many valuables recovered on Campeche’s coasts.
Mr. Noval said: “In keeping with Grupo Mall’s tradition of respecting and preserving the surrounding environment, a Bio-muse-um and Research Center dedicated to the native Hawksbill sea turtle will be built. The Hawksbill turtle is an endangered species whose preferred nesting zones include the beaches of the State of Campeche.”
“We are building Campeche Playa Golf Marina & SPA Resort in harmony with the natural surroundings. Preservation of native flora and fauna will be achieved through the creation of a Biological Corridor running around the perimeter of the Resort. Within the Biological Corridor low and medium-density preserve areas will be left intact, as well as the mangroves which occupy the wet-lands. In addition, approximately 70 acres of mangroves will be replanted on the proper-ty,” Mr. Noval added.
The most innovative aspect of the develop-ment is the integration which has been achieved between nature and human activity as a result of carrying out a type of real estate development that respects the environment and preserves nature and scenery by applying criteria at each stage of development - namely design, execu-tion of the works, operation, maintenance and monitoring.
Campeche Playa Golf Marina & SPA Resort is a natural destination where the residents and visitors can enjoy the environment everyday and participating in recreational activities as: golf, diving, fishing, sailing, trekking, enjoying the beach among other recreations. n
62 Negocios i The Lifestyle Photo archive
feedback paChamama
Pachamama, the goddess of earth, who nourishes and protects life, is worshiped in August by those ethnic groups still faithful to her in the Andes.
Though not a cult in Mexico, its symbolism has been appropriated by an organization of youngsters to “create life” in Tlalnepantla, a Mexico City slump.
Juan Carlos Luna, aged 23, has called his lat-est social project after the goddess. He started at 19 teaching adults how to read in Lomas de Te-peolulco, a poor district inhabited by immigrants from the Mexican central states of Hidalgo, Ve-racruz and Michoacán. “Pachamama started in July 2008. We ran a survey and found that peo-ple spent 80% of their income in transportation, energy and food. Most of the people are workers with very low income and only temporary jobs, so we decided to make an impact on actual stan-dards,” said Luna, who coordinates the team.
Nature Comes HomeHowever unlikely it seems, an eco-friendly initiative turned out to be the key to solve food scarcity, family budgets, unemployment and juvenile delinquency. Luna was determined to transform adversities into advantages, across this communally owned land, where roads are still unpaved. Pachamama is undertaking two tightly interwoven projects: Heartland and Banconejo (or Rabbitbank).
Heartland addresses the growth of hydro-ponic and organic greens while Banconejo assists the breeding of rabbit at a home-level. Their droppings are collected and used as nat-ural fertilizers. By now, this organization has set up a greenhouse for the benefit of residents in Lomas de Tepeolulco, who work there. Within a year of existence, the contribution of Pachamama has reached other communities in the surrounding area.
“Results are tangible and true,” said Luna. “For instance, growing a hydroponic lettuce is
faster and better, costs 2 cents, and can be sold for 2 usd. The process is taken care of perfectly, and so are the nutrients provided. Growing it re-quires only commitment, a little space and drink-ing water.” As a result of Pachamama’s coaching, families in this area have improved their meals, with crops that they themselves have gowned, therefore reducing family spending on food —one of the main objectives of this social undertaking. Other benefits are on sight. Inhabitants of this neighborhood in the outskirts of Mexico City have an activity to use their time, an added effect with impact on the habits of the young, especially, that were tempted by delinquency, but also the elder, nostalgic of an agrarian past.
A Crusade in Sierra de GuadalupeFive people are behind this effort. Keeping Pa-chamama alive implies teaching hydroponic and organic farming in other places, apart from Tlalnepantla. “We charge for this kind of instruction, as a means to financially sustain the project.”
Operating Pachamama costs about 750 usd monthly. A rather low price for a payoff that is im-proving the family budgets in a vicinity of 10,000 inhabitants, and that may expand to a larger
area, encompassing more than 700,000 people. In the meantime, Pachamama is struggling to keep the project alive in Lomas de Tepeolulco, since any new plan to expand hydroponic crops requires the investment of at least 800 usd. “It is tough to get supplies for hydroponics. Substrates, nutrient solutions, seeds, pumping devices, all equipment necessary is expensive [..] so we are using homemade alternatives, that though they are not specifically designed for this task, they are cheaper and reasonably adapt to practical means. We still lack the resources for authentic hydroponics,” said Luna.
Even in such scarcity, this socially and en-vironmentally aware organization of young people does not give up its efforts to improve conditions in their neighborhood.
They are considering making and selling a kit of essentials for hydroponic grows, which will demand from users only to keep water at a level, thus enabling farming greens at home, even at office.
Sowing Seeds, Harvesting Awards Pachamama was awarded the Global Compe-tition for Young Entrepreneurs, granted by the Ashoka Foundation and Staples Inc. to differ-ent social projects around the globe.
This price awards young people in the ages 14-24 that are effecting positive changes in their communities with funds to continue their projects.
Juan Carlos Luna plans to use this economic aid to legally consolidate his project, thus enabling it to receive further funding for his organization, in order to keep social work. Even if Pachamama is an environmentally aimed endeavor, its actions effect many other communal scopes, and ben-efits are wide-ranging. They begin with farming, to feed locals, precisely like the Andean goddess whose name it bears. n
organizacion-pachamama.jimdo.com
Pachamama, Crops Against Poverty
Operating Pachamama costs about 750 usd monthly. A rather low price for a payoff that is improving the family budgets in a vicinity of 10,000 inhabitants, and that may expand to a larger area encompassing more than 700,000 people.
64 Negocios i The Lifestylein
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What is a hydroponicgrow and how is it produced?
Recent studies suggest that indigenouspeople in Mexico, like Aztecs, used this mean to grow.
Such vegetables are a growing niche in the market. In different urban areas across the globe, citizens are being encouraged to grow their own vegetables in homemade farms, partly as an answer to worsening conditions affecting rural areas in the world.
In Mexico, breeding rabbits is growing along with hydroponic crops, for they provide a natural fertilizer.
Hydroponics is formed by the Greek words ‘hydro’, water, and ‘ponos’, work.
Organic crops are farmed in a purely natural environment, without any artificial chemicals being added, synthetic materials used or genetic manipulation taking place.
In Europe, rabbits are usually bred for their meat.
Domestic breeding is the most frequent, accounting for 80% of the total rabbit population.
The number of rabbits in these backyard ranches range between 10-20 individuals.
“Biol” is a liquid fertilizer rich in humic acid, vitamins and minerals, produced by fermenting their droppings.
Their droppings make a highly nutrient fertilizer.
This sort of crop is given a water solution enriched with nutrients and chemicals needed by the plant to fully develop. It is a simple and clean mean to get fast growing and nutritive vegetables at a low cost.
Resources at hand are used for this small scale farming technique, such as waste materials, spare room, and spare time.
