Sat. Dec. 2, the group arrived in El Paso and congregated at the household of Marlee and Kenton Clymer, our gracious hosts in El Paso.

We had real Tex-Mex that evening at a favorite restaurant of the Clymers'.

 

	Sunday Dec. 3, Rex Koontz, an associate at the Border Studies Center at University of Texas - El Paso (UTEP) offered the group an overview of border studies. The students discussed some of the major themes in this emerging literature, including the militarization of the border and immigration.

 Later in the day, the group visited the U.S.-Mexico border. We did not get within 150 yards of the fence separating Mexico and the U.S. when a police officer pulled up and asked us what we were doing. It turned out to be informative as the officer was able to tell us a bit about the security measures along the border.

Before crossing the border, the group got a tour of a local mission, first established by the Spanish in the 17th century.

On the way to Ciudad Juárez we saw much evidence of the U.S.'s militarization of the border. We crossed easily from the U.S. side, but it was evident that Mexicans and others have a far tougher time crossing legally over to the United States.

Monday Dec. 4, the group visited the most important association of maquiladoras in Ciudad Juárez, AMAC (Asociación de Maquiladoras). The Director of AMAC, Luis D. Nava, a former Honeywell executive, gave the students an overview of Mexico's crucial in-bond manufacturing sector.

After lunch we visited an office of the federal statistical agency, Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Geografia e Informática (INEGI). The students were introduced to the sophisticated organization of INEGI, which has garnered international attention for its centralization and standardization of data resources.
Lecture by INEGI chief, Pablo López Pereida.	An INEGI technician demonstrates the institute's most advanced demographic and economic database.

Tuesday, Dec. 5, the group spent all morning and much of the afternoon at the Delphi R&D Center (formerly a GM division) and one of the 15 manufacturing plants Delphi maintains in Ciudad Juarez. This very sophisticated maquiladora was an eye-opening experience as we were given access to areas of the center where prototype parts are being developed. The session began with a presentation by Mike Hissam, Director of Operations, and his assistant, Xochitil Díaz.

Prototype rooms at the Delphi R& D Center.

 Later in the tour, the group received a more extensive visit to one of Delphi's most advanced manufacturing facilities. The production process of electronic parts includes both labor-intensive and technology-intensive activities.

Wed., Dec. 6, the group spent all morning at the Key Quimica complex in Monterrey. Key serves as distributor for our corporate client, Tennant Corporation. Our meeting was fortuitously timed as we had an opportunity to meet not only with Key's young vice president for industrial operations, Jaime Herrera, but members of a Tennant team who were visiting Key that day. Mickey Gubman, Tennant's General Manager for Latin America and Luis Navarro, who has recently joined the division, offered their views of the company's options in Latin America.

Luis Navarro and Mickey Gubman (far left) and Jaime Herrera (far right), with the group.

After a lunch at the famous El Rey del Cabrito (cabrito is roast goat - a delicacy in this part of Mexico), the group visited CEMEX, the largest Mexican multinational in the world. The cement maker was well represented by two economists, one a director of strategic planning, who were able to give the group a very rare viewpoint: that of a Mexican multinational that is currently expanding its truly global reach in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. At night, the students spent some time in the Barrio Antiguo (old neighborhood) of this former trading outpost located between the U.S. and Mexico. This quaint area of bars and clubs nestled within colonial buildings presents a sharp contrast to the bustling business capital that the rest of Monterrey has become. The "Mexico that works" as the Mexican cynics say.

The famous "saddle" mountain in Monterrey.

Thursday, Dec. 7, the group took a morning flight to Mexico City (D.F. - Federal District, also simply called "el D.F."). We were greeted by representatives of the CIDE (The Center for Economic Research and Instruction), one of the top think tanks in Mexico. The CIDE bus drove the group directly to CIDE, which is located on the Toluca Highway, about 500 feet higher than the average 7300 feet above sea-level where most of the D.F. lies. We felt the altitude as we made our way up the hill where the CIDE complex overlooks a good bit of the D.F. The students were shocked by the sheer size of the D.F., as their expressions on the plane and their views of the city from CIDE confirmed.

 

View from CIDE

Prof. Susan Minushkin, an American specialist on Mexican political economy, greeted the group and introduced her undergraduate students before initiating a roundtable discussion on the Carleton group's observations of Mexico.

 

The discussion at CIDE.

Profs. Montero and Minushkin leading the discussion.

Many of our students found the multicultural discussion and some of the "between the lines assumptions" as some called it, extremely challenging. Afterwards, the discussion continued as all the students and the CIDE directors had lunch in the faculty dining room, which overlooks the city.
In the afternoon, our Carleton group heard a talk by two CIDE specialists on Mexican foreign relations and political economy: Jorge Chabat and Guadelupe González, both are well-known experts on U.S.-Mexican relations. The Carleton students pressed Chabat and González on the constraints Mexico is facing given its severe and historical dependency on the U.S.

 

In the evening, the CIDE bus left our group at the Century Hotel in the Zona Rosa, which was once the poshest center of the city, but is now overshadowed by even more modern and elegant areas like Condessa. That evening, the CIDE students led the Carleton group to Plaza Garibaldi and other night spots for a full blown and "shocking" noche Mexicana.

Friday, Dec. 8, the group had a morning meeting at the Benjamin Franklin Library of the U.S. Embassy. Brian O'Rourke of the embassy's economics section introduced the head of the section and the U.S. Treasury attaché, one of only six the U.S. government maintains on foreign posts in the world. The session lasted two hours and was punctuated by many stimulating observations by our students.

Brian O'Rourke (foreground) and Mitchell Ferguson, Economic Officers.

Laurence M. Kerr, Minister Councilor for Economic Affairs (head of Economics Section) (l) and Steve Backes, Treasury Attaché (r)

Laura asks a question of the Treasury Attaché.

During the afternoon, Prof. Montero escorted the students on a tour of the historic center of the city. We went right to the Zócalo, or central city square. This is the historic and political center of Mexico. The Zócalo's massive plaza is marked by the impressive National Palace to the east. This was the site of the Palace of Montezuma, which Hernan Cortes razed in 1521. With the very same stones of the wrecked Aztec palace, Cortes built his first colonial home. Later the King of Spain bought the structure and expanded it. Cortes also razed the Aztec temple next to the palace and with its stones he began the construction of the massive Metropolitan Cathedral which flanks the National Palace on the Zócalo. The Cathedral was expanded and renovated over a period of more than 200 years. The students marveled at the size of these colonial structures and the evident fact that some of them are sinking into the lake bed that underlies D.F.

 

The National Palace on the Zócalo.

The cathedral.

Visiting the cathedral.

The most stunning experience we had was undoubtedly our run through the rediscovered Aztec temple. It was "rediscovered" in 1978 when city workers expanding the metro system uncovered Aztec relics and the foundation walls of the massive pyramid that used to mark the center of the Aztec world. The excavated site is now an outdoor museum.

The Aztec Temple Museum

Ongoing excavation at the Temple Museum.

After an excellent lunch at Cafe Tacuba, an elegant 1912 café, we made our way via taxis to DOFESA, the largest of the Tennant distributors in Mexico. Once there, we met again with Mickey Gubman. Armando Cantú, whose family owns DOFESA, was on hand to answer questions in Spanish. DOFESA is undergoing an extensive expansion of its operations all over Mexico. It was truly exciting to see the many ways in which Tennant and DOFESA, along with Key Quimica, are staking their ground in the Mexican market.

 

Mickey addressing the group.

Armando answering questions.

Sat. Dec. 9, this was a free day in D.F. Some students ventured to the stunning pyramids at Teotihuacán. Others went to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a monument to Mexican culture that began construction under the waning years of the Porfiriato (the Porfirio Díaz dictatorship).

 

Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacán

On our final night in D.F., we took advantage of the city's culinary variety by exploring Cuban cuisine (there are 40-50,000 Cubans in Mexico City). Later, the group stole away to a karaoke bar. Prof. Montero took up the popular call to sing "Hotel California," by the Eagles.

Sunday, Dec. 10, the group took a morning flight from D.F. to Villahermosa, Tabasco. The trip meant a dive in altitude from D.F.'s 7300 feet above sea-level and a jump in temperature from 55 F to 82 F. Located in the south and on the Gulf of Mexico, Villahermosa's balmy "winter" conditions made this a great place to finish the program. Our hosts from the Universidad Juárez Autonoma de Tabasco (UJAT), led by José Manuel Piña, were on hand to take the group to the beautiful Cencali Hotel, located at the heart of oil-rich Villahermosa. The hotel lobby showcases an extensive mural depicting Mayan myths.

After lunch our hosts gathered the group and we headed out to see the Chontal Indians who are attempting to sell their artesanal products (e.g., baskets, hats, etc. made from palm fronds they cultivate on the marshlands outside of Villahermosa) in national and international markets. While the state government has been active in attempting to promote their products, the markets have demanded greater volume and quality.

We made our way over rickety makeshift bridges, into the marshlands to see where the Chontal artisans grow the palms that serve as their raw materials. We got a look at indigenous fish farming as well.

One Chontal family of artisans in their workshop.

The students had an eye-opening experience as they listened to an indigenous family, who had invited us all into their home where they produce these goods, speak to us about their strategies for "penetrating" foreign and domestic markets. Here we were in the middle of the swamp, surrounded by indigenous people for whom Spanish is a second language, listening to talk of "markets."

Later, we were serenaded by young Chontal musicians, led by a UJAT professor of music (who is also Chontal) . We were struck by the humility of how these people live and the hospitality they showed us. The Chontales believe in sharing even the modest things they have. We learned that lesson as we visited the home of Doña Severina, the matriarch of the artesanal family we visited. She offered some of her wares to the group.

Monday, Dec. 11, in the morning, the group was escorted by our hosts to PEMEX (Petróleos Mexicanos), the state oil and natural gas company's largest natural gas complex. We were given a high-tech and highly technical explanation of the PEMEX network - exploration, piping, refining, derivatives, etc. No study of Mexican political economy is complete without a look at oil. PEMEX is a public firm - 100% by law. When President Lazaro Cardenas (1934-1940) executed the "law of the subsoil" (ley de subsuelo), he ordered that the ownership of all resources beneath the ground remain with the Mexican state. Vicente Fox has vowed to keep Cardenas' policy intact by not privatizing PEMEX. The students got a glimpse of how proud the Mexicans are of this sector and what it means to Tabasco and the federal state.

For lunch we traveled to a nearby hovel where local peasants farm pejelagarto, a river gar that resembles a cross between an alligator and a fish. The students enjoyed this meaty fish with garlic and cheese tortillas heated over an open grill.

After venturing back to Villahermosa, the group had time to prepare their thoughts for the big event of the day: a two-hour presentation and discussion at the UJAT including university officials, faculty, students, and the local media (print and TV). It is not everyday that foreign students visit Tabasco! We were serenaded with drums as we made our way to the amphitheater where the event would take place. "CARLETON COLLEGE" was featured prominently on a huge sign that hung over our heads on stage. Over 100 people attended this meeting.

Our UJAT hosts showed their appreciation of our efforts by ending the presentation with a folk dance in our honor and a sumptuous meal at the Cencali.

Tuesday, Dec. 12, The Grand Finale: Palenque.

Before heading out to Palenque, the site of breathtaking Mayan ruins, the group stopped at the Rural Union Cooperative, the largest ranch cooperative in Mexico. Over 16,000 farmers in Tabasco are members of this cooperative that slaughters, processes, and ships beef, poultry, and goat to D.F. The cooperative includes dairy production, a research and development complex that studies livestock diseases, and financial services. Since agriculture supplies more than 25% of Tabasco's GDP and most of southern Mexico's, it was essential to give the students an opportunity to understand how this production is organized on basically fordist lines. We visited the beef slaughterhouse which has a contract with McDonald's. This single operation slaughters more than 1,000 cows per day and provides McDonald's with 15% of its meat nationally. Only one student decided not to view the slaughter, which occurs under international norms regarding the sacrificing of livestock. We were especially amazed at the precision with which the entire production process is organized. Later, in the dairy operation, we learned how research on bacterial infections in cheese and milk is conducted as part of the production process.

Palenque, Chiapas is the site of the most breathtaking Mayan ruins in Mesoamerica (the other centers of the Mayan world are Tikal in Guatemala and Copán in Honduras). The two hour trip from Villahermosa to Palenque includes some of the most incredible sights of natural beauty anywhere in Latin America.

It also includes a military checkpoint! While Fox has begun the demilitarization of Chiapas as a preface to new peace talks with the EZLN (Zapatista) guerrillas, that process is far from complete. We were waved through on our way to Palenque but the group was stopped on our way back to Villahermosa in the afternoon. The Mexican Immigrantion Service insisted on checking each student's passport or other i.d. After a waved finger or two for not having complete i.d., the group was given the ok to head back to Villahermosa. Mexican immigration looks for Central Americans trying to sneak into Mexico and later, perhaps, the U.S. This event was ironic on at least two levels: 1) having seen the militarization of the border on the U.S. side in El Paso and Juarez, we caught a glimpse of how the Mexicans treat the Central Americans in a similar way; 2) our students received a momentary sense of what it might feel to be persecuted by "la migra," as Latin Americans call the hated American INS.

The day at Palenque was, as many students put it, "simply magical." You will need to see our pictures to get a sense of how magical Palenque really is. One student who traveled to China last spring stated that she could only compare Palenque to the Great Wall of China for its grandure. Indeed, our program had come full circle.

Prof. Montero before the royal palace at Palenque.

Maintained by Tricia Peterson (tpeterso@carleton.edu)
Last modified Jan. 30, 2001