Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.

Mezcal, whether produced in Oaxaca or in other Mexican states, struggles to get the recognition it deserves, and more importantly the foreign revenue it’s capable of generating for Mexico.  Hence ProMéxico has taken the bull by the horns and is attempting to elevate the image of mezcal to par with not only tequila, but also scotch, vodka, gin, brandy and all the other household spirit names.

“We’re trying to position mezcal on the international stage, by creating an accurateimage,” says Thalia Friligos Reyes, the sole representative of ProMéxico in the state of Oaxaca.  “That’s how we’ll succeed.  First we must create a positive perception.  Without it, the umpteen brands of mezcal produced in Oaxaca mean little.”

In her view, tequila doesn’t need the same level of assistance from the Mexican government. “Tequila is already up there with the other major spirit classes; mezcal isn’t,” she says.  “Too many people still have the erroneous idea that all mezcal is strong, cheap and has the worm. But in the two years I’ve been at the helm of the ProMéxico Oaxaca office, I’ve noticed a positive change, albeit somewhat minimal, in consumer attitude and knowledge.”

In a recent interview, Ms. Friligos nevertheless acknowledged that her task is daunting.  And to top it off, from her small office in suburban Oaxaca she’s in charge of promoting international investment in and export of all goods and services in Oaxaca, not just mezcal.

ProMéxico is one of the newest agencies of the government of Mexico, formed in 2007. Its stated mission is to “plan, coordinate and execute strategies to attract foreign direct investment, promote Mexican exports of goods and services and encourage the internationalization of Mexican companies in order to contribute to the economic and social development of Mexico.”

Ms. Friligos’ office contains shelves packed with product samples and promotional materials.  They serve as a reminder that she’s in charge of everything produced in Oaxaca.  But it’s the consumables which stand out; chocolate, coffee, sal de chapulín, instant tejate mix, and of course mezcal. 

She stresses that coffee, mangos and mezcal are three key products for her.  “But the first two don’t need the same help as mezcal,” she continues, “either in terms of recognition as quality Mexican foodstuffs, or in order to obtain a fair market share.  Look at the number of mezcal producers in the state compared to the relatively few export producers of mangos, and even less when it comes to coffee.  Coffee and mangos generate healthy revenue from few producers.  Then consider mezcal in Oaxaca; there are so many producers in such a large, untapped global marketplace.”

ProMéxico Event Promotes Oaxacan Mezcal Internationally

In July, 2011, for the third year running, Ms. Friligos, with the support of ProMéxico’s head office and assistance from her counterpart in Puebla, brought international spirits vendors and promoters to Oaxaca for a three day promotional mezcal event.

ProMéxico has 28 regional headquarters in 21 foreign countries.  The network of offices keeps an accurate pulse of developments in the world of spirits.  In this way each year ProMéxico is in a position to know who on balance would make good investments of time and money in terms of extending invitations to its events and hosting its guests.   The 2011 conference was attended by 10 invited guests from Canada, the US, Brazil and Colombia.  Some brought along spouses or business associates, bringing the total number of participants to about 20.

It was no coincidence that the mission took place during Oaxaca’s annual Feria Nacional del Mezcal, a multi-faceted event with a singular main draw for tourists and residents alike: an opportunity to sample a broad variety of mezcals from the dozens of small booths set up by participating mezcal producers.

 “ProMéxico operates its event independent of the mezcal fair,” Ms. Friligos clarifies.  “The Feria Nacional del Mezcal is essentially a state supported and organized event, held in cooperation with COMERCAM (Consejo Mexicano Regulador de la Calidad del Mezcal A.C. – the regulatory body which oversees commercial production of mezcal for predominantly international export). 

“But inviting a group to come down while the fair is on makes it that much more diverse an experience for our guests,” Ms. Friligos continues.  “The Feria del Mezcal helps to give them a more complete picture of what Oaxaca is all about; craft and food booths, overall ambiance,  of course getting a sense of  the widespread interest in mezcal, and that feeling of exhilaration that is a byproduct of attending any festive event in Oaxaca.  Mezcal is almost synonymous with Oaxaca, so it’s important for our clients to experience as much as possible of what Oaxaca has to offer.”

Guests arrived throughout the day on July 27th, and were taxied to Hotel Misión de Los Ángeles, one of the larger Oaxacan hotels, selected both because of its conference facilities and convenient location within walking distance of the grounds of the Feria  Nacional del Mezcal.  The first evening dinner, as one might have guessed, included mezcal tastings at a nearby restaurant.  It also played host to a Guelaguetza, the famed folkloric festival showcasing the dress, dance and music of Oaxaca’s 16 indigenous cultures. 

The next two days were spent in plenary sessions, meeting 20 different mezcal producers to learn about their spirit lines, production methods and of course export capabilities.   Later on during the afternoon of the 28th guests attended the mezcal fair, and the following day a lunch at acclaimed Oaxacan restaurant Los Danzantes.  Federal government representatives and state dignitaries were in attendance, including Oaxaca’s secretary of tourism and economic development.

As with many successful events, and this conference was no different, there’s often not enough time to fit in every agenda item.   The group was unable to visit one of the out-of-town mezcal factories (fábricas de mezcal).  However, a couple of guests did manage to snag a factory rep and have him drive them out to his fábrica in the Tlacolula mezcal producing region.

The evenings were allocated as free time, to give the prospective buyers and promoters an opportunity to return to the mezcal fair, explore downtown Oaxaca on their own or in small groups, and meet for more serious discussions with their choice of individual producers.

ProMéxico´s Oaxaca Mezcal Mission Achieves Its Goals

“We couldn’t have asked for a more successful event,” Ms. Friligos beams. “Everyone was thoroughly impressed with Oaxaca, but more importantly from the perspective of ProMéxico and its goals, our guests left with a new understanding about mezcal.  To the extent that anyone in the group had lingering misperceptions about mezcal, they were dispelled through our ability to fully educate.

“Through the seminars, discussions and samplings, our guests left appreciating that mezcal can be used as a mixer just as easily as for sipping, given the diversity of product,” she continues.  Then returning to the concern that mezcal may be slow to catch up to tequila, Ms. Friligos points to the significant advantage that mezcal has over its sister spirit.  “Although there are tremendous variations in tequilas based on producer, recipe, and aging, tequila production is restricted to using one variety of agave.  Mezcals, on the other hand, are made from 15 – 20 different types of agave, as well as blends, resulting in a much broader variation in flavor and other subtle nuances simply not achievable with tequila.”

Just two shorts weeks after the conclusion of the 2011 ProMéxico Oaxaca mezcal event, three of the 10 invited guests had already taken first steps towards importing Oaxacan mezcal with the assistance of ProMéxico and Ms. Friligos.  A Brazilian is importing four brands of mezcal; a Dallas beer importer is also bringing in four brands, initially to supplement his brewed product lines; and a New York businessman representing importing and retailing interests is proceeding with a long term plan to import eight to ten brands. 

If ProMéxico meets with equal or greater success from its next two or three Oaxacan mezcal missions, by 2015 mezcal should indeed be on par with scotch, vodka, gin and brandy, and yes tequila.

Alvin Starkman is a paid contributing writer for Mexico Today, a program for Marca País – Imagen de México.  An aficionado of agave-based beverages, Alvin takes couples and families into the hills to sample mezcal made by only traditional producers, and into the fields to participate in the harvesting of aguamiel, for fermenting pulque. Alvin has written over 200 articles about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, consults to documentary film companies, and with his wife operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.casamachaya.com).

The cost of living in Mexico for American and Canadian retirees, and for that matter expats from other Western World countries, is a fraction of what it costs to retire reasonably in one’s former homeland. Although upon reaching the golden age of 60 the annual premium for participation in the Mexican national healthcare plan (IMSS – Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social) increases, medical coverage is still a bargain, both using private doctors and hospitals, and IMSS.  Furthermore, becoming a senior citizen in Mexico provides Americans and Canadians with significant discounts in other areas as well as the occasional freebie.

The amount of money it takes to comfortably get by in Mexico, meaning to maintain one’s pre – retirement lifestyle, can vary significantly from state to state, and in some cases from district to district.  For example the cost of living in San Miguel de Allende is much higher than in the southern Mexico city of Oaxaca.  It costs about half to live in Oaxaca and maintain the same middle class lifestyle as before.   In other cities it may cost a fair bit more, but not nearly as much as in the US or Canada.

Whoever heard of healthcare for a senior couple in the US costing $600 USD a year, or property taxes on a principal residence dropping by 50% upon turning 60?  As long as an expat resident in Mexico has reached the age of 60, and is either a permanent resident with an Inmigrado card or a temporary resident required to renew an FM visa on an annual basis, he or she is entitled to virtually all the perks and benefits of Mexican citizens of like age.

INAPAM:  Discount Card for Americans and Canadians Living in Mexico

Upon presentation of the appropriate documentation to Mexican government authorities, one is entitled to receive, free of charge, the TARJETA INAPAM (Instituto Nacional de Las Personas Adultas Mayores – national institute of older adult persons).  

First class bus tickets for INAPAM members are discounted by 50%, meaning that instead of paying 726 pesos for the ultra luxury Platino ADO bus service from Oaxaca to Mexico City, it costs only 363 pesos, or about $30 USD.  Some domestic airlines also offer discounts to senior citizens.  Aerotucan offers a 10% discount.  While the amount appears modest, it does mean that for example, the high cost of flights between Oaxaca and the Pacific beach towns of Huatulco and Puerto Escondido becomes a little more palatable and perhaps weighs the decision to either fly to the coast or travel by van or bus.

 Parking tickets in Oaxaca are discounted by 50% if paid within 15 days of the infraction, but with an INAPAM card the courtesy reduction is valid for 30 days. At the Cinépolis movie theatre chain seniors receive a considerable discount.  However, there are weekday matinee specials which sometimes result in greater savings by not using one’s INAPAM card.  Entrance into archaeological sites and federal government run museums is free. The Soriana supermarket chain offers a modest discount on prescription medications.

And yes, realty taxes are reduced by 50% on one’s principal residence.  The effective saving is actually 35%, since payment of taxes in January of the subsequent taxation year already results in a 15% discount. Regretfully one cannot attend at the tax office in January and receive the 15% early payment discount, plusthe 50% discount for having one toe in the grave.

There are other discounts, but the foregoing provides a sampling of the savings available to expats 60 years of age or older with the INAPAM card.

IMSS:  The Mexican National Healthcare Program

In 2011 the total cost for comprehensive medical insurance, with no deductibles every payable, for a couple at least one of whom is 60, is 6,944 pesos, or about $600 USD.  This entitles you to:

·         Visiting a clinic doctor (family physician) when ill

·         Visiting specialists when recommended by the clinic doctor

·         Having prescribed blood, urine, fecal and other test analyses, as well as x-rays

·         Prescription medications

·         Hospitalization and surgery, including the dreaded colonoscopy

·         An annual physical which includes a flu shot, and complimentary condoms without asking

Admittedly the quality care and cleanliness at IMSS in general may not be up to the standards to which you have become accustomed, simply by virtue of the fact that many of the medical personnel in this system have been trained at universities with lesser reputations than those in the US and Canada, and Westerners are often unjustifiably anal about cleanliness, but there are two important points:

1.       Many US and Canadian trained private doctors perform surgeries in IMSS hospitals, and in fact IMSS hospitals often have state-of-the-art equipment not available in private hospitals.

2.       You always have the option of using private doctors and surgeons, and still having IMSS coverage as a safeguard in the event you require long - term hospitalization and complicated surgery.  The private hospitals simply do not have the equipment that IMSS has, and as indicated above your chosen surgeon may perform your surgery at an IMSS hospital.

Private Doctors & Hospitals in Mexico

The cost of an appointment with an English speaking private doctor in Oaxaca is between about 200 and 500 pesos – the amount many Americans pay for their co-payment or deductible.  Many Mexican doctors, especially in the private system, have had their medical training abroad, and / or regularly attend specialty seminars and courses in the US, Canada or overseas.  Once you establish your network of doctors, you’re reasonably assured of quality medical care at an extremely reasonable cost.

Mexican cities have private hospitals owned by one or a group of doctors.  Staff physicians regularly perform simple surgeries such as for broken legs and suturing, and have ambulances and emergency trauma teams.    The cost per night of staying in one of these hospitals is a fraction of the cost to spend a night in a US hospital.  The larger Mexican cities also have specialty hospitals to treat children, as well as for catastrophic injuries such as cancer and stroke.

The Decision - Making Process for American and Canadian Seniors Considering Retirement in Mexico Based on Comparative Cost of Living

Healthcare costs and the diminishing value of retirement portfolios are perhaps the most important considerations for Americans approaching retirement age.  For Canadians of course, the former does not figure into the equation.  But for both Americans and Canadians Mexico should provide food for thought.

Explore prospective options for retirement locations in Mexico by visiting a few cities and speaking with others who have done it. Many do not participate in IMSS for a variety of reasons, some of which have been touched upon.  But for those in the middle classes who perhaps cannot risk catastrophic illness without coverage, the Mexican national healthcare plan should figure into the broader decision – making process.  And INAPAM might help to tip the scale just enough.

Alvin Starkman operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.casamachaya.com), combining apartment amenities with hotel service.  Alvin has written more than 200 articles about life and cultural traditions in Mexico, specializing in Oaxaca.  He is a paid contributing writer for Mexico Today, a program for Marca País – Imagen de México.

In No Word for Welcome: The Mexican Village Faces the Global Economy (University of Nebraska Press, 2011), author Wendy Call, a self – described grassroots organizer and researcher, makes an impassioned plea; if not for halting the invasion of the global economy into Oaxaca’s Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico, then for proceeding only after critical evaluation of environmental and cultural impact studies. Ms. Call spent two consecutive years living and working on the Isthmus, from 2000 to 2002, in addition to shorter visits totaling a further year. 

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is a 120 mile strip of land between the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico.  It’s been inhabited by indigenous groups with different languages and customs for millennia.  Since colonial times it’s attracted both national and international attention because of its important geographical location and richness of resources.

The federal government proceeded with its Trans-Isthmus Megaproject by commencing the construction of a four-lane highway through the region, in some cases as a bypass around small Oaxacan towns and villages otherwise connected by potholed two lane roads.  It became part of former president Vicente Fox’s Plan Puebla Panama, an initiative to extend Mexico’s main, relatively new highway system from the US border through to Central America. 

The scope of the Megaproject initially included 150 proposed projects including oil refineries, plantations, industrial parks, commercial shrimp farms and a highway – rail network to carry products to national and international markets. The project would inevitably alter both the environmental and cultural landscape.  Townspeople opposed development of the region mainly out of fear of the unknown due to a lack of information and consultation. Government and commercial interests were intent upon forging forward.

Call’s steadfast contention is that development will result in wholesale irreversible adverse impact to the natural environment, and to inhabitants by altering their means of eking out an economic existence, while at the same time destroying other cultural indicia such as traditions and language. The book centers upon objection to construction of the highway system and the proposed replacement of small fishing operations with large industrial shrimp farms.

In addition to her own personal experiences, in No Word for Welcome Call chronicles family histories and livelihoods as well as opposing individual points of view.  This is accomplished by providing detailed examinations of the lives of individuals she came to know intimately in the course of living in the Isthmus for three years, and to a lesser extent through interviewing civil servants and other proponents of the project.  

Call’s novel-like use of colorful, detailed description draws you in. She holds your interest by weaving together the stories of her subjects (i.e. the activists, the fishermen, the uneducated schoolteacher); otherwise often dry archival evidence of the historical importance of the Isthmus (referencing for example the reign of dictator Porfirio Díaz, the US attempt to buy the Isthmus in the 19th century, and the early 20th century foreign consulates in port city Salina Cruz); the sometimes violent and destructive manifestations of opposing positions (fishermen burning government trucks and dredging machinery and running workers out of town; gesturing with a machete while threatening “if the government doesn’t  respect the people…”); and her own viewpoint.

You cannot help but become extremely opinionated, either by jumping on Call’s bandwagon or being critical of how her political point of view affects the presentation of her thesis.  She approaches her chapter centering upon Huatulco, the Pacific resort town created by FONATUR (Mexico’s national tourism development agency), with disdain, though she does note positive impressions of its Mexican residents.  She seems to mock the government when she writes that the FONATUR office “felt more like a travel agency than a government agency, with overstuffed furniture, brochures filled with beaches and bikinis, and the hollow air of a place with more infrastructure than activity.” How else does one attempt to sell tourism, sun, sand and surf?

But it’s Call’s style of writing, inevitable as a consequence of her very reason for being on the Isthmus, which contributes to keeping the reader at the edge of his seat, either cheering for the cause and hoping that “the people” prevail, or cringing at naivety – the arrival of the global economy in the Isthmus is inevitable and could have been foreshadowed since the 1500s, perhaps earlier.

The description of the lives and hardships of fishermen and their environs is rich and compelling.  Yes, perhaps industrial shrimp farms will destroy the mangroves and might have a short lifespan, leaving a swath of destruction.  But we’re given little in the way of alternatives for the area and its industry. 

Both industrialization and the residents themselves have played a part in marginalizing existence and requiring government intervention. But there appears to be a lack of understanding on the part of residents of the complexity of the issue and the part they have played in creating the current conundrum; Call’s job is not to educate in this regard. A fisherman surmises that his people have been harvesting shrimp, fish and crabs for over a thousand years, so asks why he should pay attention to some mestizo government regulation banning the use of large rectangular nets.  He seems to deny any direct role as a contributor to the problem and states that you cannot trust a government whose solution would create a bigger problem (industrial shrimp farms).

The area has become overfished. Fishermen were not forced to begin using motorboats.  They discarded their smaller nets, each of which took a year of spare time to make, in favor of buying the large $100 USD Japanese machine-made ones, and proceeded to trap their catch by extending these new nets across the river’s mouth.  The result was that small shrimp and other marine species could not get through the nets and into the mangroves to reproduce. The government had to ban the use of these nets in order to protect the industry.  The fisherman is adamant that he needs to harvest that much fish to survive.

Many in the fisherman’s position opt to head to the US. Call notes emigration in passing from time to time but it’s not fully addressed in her book, perhaps because it is not consistent with Call´s thesis.  One rarely finds an anthropological writing of this nature which does not deal with emigration head on.  But Call is not an anthropologist, and in fact is critical of social scientists, for some reason lumping them together with others working in the Isthmus:  “I tried not to act like so many of the journalists, anthropologists, folklorists, and sociologists I’d encountered while living on the Isthmus.  They tended to come for just a few hours, days, or weeks, blurting out questions before their bodies had warmed a chair.” Perhaps anthropological fieldwork has changed dramatically since my days in graduate school.

The superhighway and a network of smaller roads and rail does result in physically dividing populations, and yes can adversely impacts indigenous culture.  Relocating populations into neighborhoods with street names such as Poblado One, Two, etc. rather than retaining names of heroes of The Revolution or pre – Hispanic gods and royalty impacts a pride in one’s society and heritage.  But globalization is inevitable, for the benefit of not only a few rich Mexicans and foreigners seeking to capitalize on NAFTA, as is submitted in the book, but for the residents of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Of course, as Call suggests, cultural and environmental impact studies are crucial for minimizing destruction of peoples and their lands.  And yes, they are sometimes not done or are ignored and politics and power often govern.  What I found missing were propositions regarding the least detrimental alternative, which in these circumstances I would suggest, is the best one could hope to achieve, rather than a wholesale halt to all. When subcomandante Marcos’ caravan was en route to Mexico City in 2001, and he assured that he would take President Fox the message that “the Isthmus is not for sale,” perhaps someone should have suggested a rental agreement with terms maximizing the benefit for the istmeños.

No Word for Welcome is a well – written book, holding the reader’s interest from start to finish. I recommend it for prospective visitors to southern Mexico because its descriptions of life in that part of Mexico are extremely accurate, from the workings of local politics, antics, strategies and sometimes destructive forces used to make a point, to the richness of detail, to the lesson in history.  The expat living in Mexico will find Call’s experiences familiar and reaffirming on many levels (a department store employee is indeed often taken aback when you ask how much a refrigerator costs for cash not credit). 

For those interested in globalization in general, or understanding how competing interests are addressed and resolved in Mexico in particular, it’s a must.  No Word For Welcome is written with a strong bias, and as such it stirs emotion.  The reader is anxious to learn how it all turned out, and to some extent is told.  Ms. Call’s final chapter includes her impressions from her 2008 visit. 

Alvin Starkman is a paid contributing writer for Mexico Today, a program for Marca País – Imagen de México.  Alvin enjoys taking visitors to Oaxaca to explore more off the beaten track sights, and encourages them to enjoy a diversity of experiences in addition to “the usual.”  Alvin has written over 200 articles about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, consults to documentary film companies, and with his wife operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.casamachaya.com).