- IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR VISITING MEXICO

ESPAÑOL
SECURITY

Police and delinquency

In Mexico in the last decades, the phenomenon of corruption has penetrated deeply into the cultural structure unfortunately, so it is not more an isolated fact, and of course is not like politicians say, only some dark in the goverment administration. The administration is based in corruption in all its levels, specially in the highest and this is very easy to observe at any moment. Actuallly corruption int he high spheres of power is has become a tendency in the world, but in the case of Mexico has reached incredible levels. In this sense, the police, the army and other control corps are part of the corruption system so this increases the levels of violence in the country, specially in cities like DF since delincuency is formed by police groups, people who steal, assault, kidnap, etc. and all the people around the power who take advantage of their power privilages, so honest people is in danger against all others. This doesn`t mean necessarily that it is impossible to visit Mexico and necessarily someone will be robbed, no true if that visitor bears in mind information like this and take certain basic cautions, because there is something curious about violence in Mexico, usually the subjects to be assaulted are mexicans, locals, not foreigners, specially if they come from USA, Canada and Europe, why?? well, because thieves, the violent ones not the ones who take silently your wallit, and cops know that can become a problem if embassies are involved, so they prefer not get in troubles.

Anyway, my advice is that the least you are can be involved in issues related to pollice the better, of course when necessary the traveller can ask for police to assit but be cautious about them, sometimes you can find honest and helpful people among them, but as a rule they will want to make some profits from you..

Racism in Mexico

Usually when people talk about racism one thinks inthe countries that CNN shows with balck people fighting against bad white ones.. well, that is tv. In the real world there are many points where racism is a constant int he daily life, even, i would say that in many more countries that we think the racism is a cotidiane practices, in diverse way, some times very subtle. Well, in Mexico the racism is something very strong, it is in almost all levels of the social organization, racism agains who?, mostly against indian groups, indian individuals, you caould ask, how come if Mexico is a half indian nation!? yes, this is part of the mexican contradictions, precisely because indianity is in the roots of the mexican culture most of people every day acts in a racsit way against that. Stupid? sure, it is. the word "indio".. the spanish word for indian..is used as terrible unsult in most of the country, if somebody mentions that other person has certain indian characteristics this is taken as something ofensive. Of course int he oficial discurse people don´t accept it, even they say they are proud about their culture but of cuorse they simply lie, they are trying to cheap people, including themselves, who to realize about this? , easy, observing adn paying attentio to all the expressions they use nthe daily life, out of record, observing the actions against people who is indian, and finally observing th treat the entire mestize country gives to indian groups, they are abused permanently.

In this sense, being a blod woman or man is an advantage in Mexico in most of times, specially in besides the color that person is really a foreigner, sounds like something left in the past? sounds like that but it is absolutly true. Some travellers take advantage of this, other feel ashamed, well, but it is a reality.

This way, the treatment to "white" foreigners is peculiar, also related to sexism in the case of girls, and the natural and universal phenomenon of "sexual exotism" and finally with idea of money, the travellers can have an increadible "appeal" in Mexico, so the blonds girls will find a dozen of pretenders each block and depending of the porpuses of the trip it can become from a pleasant experience to the most annoying fact. Men are treated similar but since mexican women are not so open yet, they will received a bit less offers. If it is what you are looking for, then enjoy but take care, blond chasers can become rude when alcohol or drugs apprear because most of them has the idea blond girls are very easy sexually. If you are not looking for it, then take cautions.

DISEASES AND PROBLEMS OF HEALTH

Malaria in Mexico

Malaria is not a medical issue for the traveller today in Mexico, the points which usually can generate the malaria alarma are in calm right now, there are not reports of problems with the disease by now, anyway soon i will publish a map with the zones of the malaria potencial problem.


AIDS in Mexico

The situation of AIDS in Mexico is not as bad as in other countries of the continent, actually, Mexico ocoppies the place 77 in the world and the 23 in the american continent, this related to the number of population infected. In the other side, according to international reports, it seems than the programs of prevention in the country have worked and the advance of the diseasy has been controlled. They speak about of 150, 000 people infected in the whole country.

The two zones of greater incidence of VIH in Mexico are by the number of infected people, first the DF by the amount of people who inhabit it, and after that with an alarming incidenc of cases the zones of the border with the United States, especially the area of California, Baja California in the Mexican case, Tijuana, Mexinally, etc. Some interesting data on this sense:

http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/noticia.html?id_nota=141221&tabla=nacion