I’ve been thinking
more about this issue of Mexican
Landlords and Beggars. Just
why do Mexicans think they
can exploit a Gringo when
they see one coming down the
pike? Now, is this true of
all Mexicans without exception?
I do not know since I have
not met nor had any experiences
with “all Mexicans without
exception.” But it is
beginning to look like my
expat innocence (stupid naivety)
is getting a lesson in what
it is “really like”
to live in Mexico.
I am the type of person who
can get along with “almost”
anyone. I have had the philosophy
that someone is innocent until
proven guilty (Oh, my! How
naïve is that?). Even
if I hear the most vile rumors
about someone, I generally
regard them as just that—rumors—until
that person actually acts
out those rumors in my face.
In other words, I always give
someone the “benefit
of the doubt” until
they prove to me otherwise.
It is beginning to appear
to me that there “is”
a kind of anti-American sentiment
here, only it is subtle and
unassuming. I have yet to
witness personally or hear
on the news of any marches
as were seen in Argentina
the last time Bush was there
with locals chanting, “Yankee
go home”. However, I
do not exclude the possibility
of seeing that someday in
Mexico.
How the existing anti-American
sentiment exists here is Americans
are seen as stupid, arrogant,
imperialistic, and self-serving.
(I do not entirely disagree
with that evaluation.) Witnessing
some of the behaviors of Americans
in this country, I can see
where the Mexicans get this
idea.
However, unfortunately, this
seems to work itself out in
the attitude “since
Americans are horrid behavioral
monstrosities, we Mexicans
can take advantage of them
and exploit them”—and
exploit them they indeed do!
Mexicans have traditionally
seen that the type of Americans
who expatriated here were
the rich. Mexicans understand
class structure all too well.
They have had hundreds of
years of practice of getting
what they want and need from
the rich.
Traditionally, it was the
“rich American”
who would come to Mexico,
usually to the country’s
west “Gold Coast”,
and buy up all the real estate.
You can still see this in
cities like Puerto Vallarta.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard
Burton, who lived in Vallarta,
were prime examples. These
rich Americans would hire
the locals as servants. The
servants, when they went home
after work, would tell family
and friends of just how Americans
lived—like movie stars!
They appeared, and were in
most cases, fabulously wealthy
and acted like the spoiled
children that they, in most
cases, were. Thus the stereotype
was set!
The rich, upper class Americans
became the local servants’
“PATRONS”. They
would, in many cases, pay
their servants the lowest
possible wages but the locals
accepted it because the Americans
provided for them in other
ways. They paid for the Mexican’s
family members when they took
ill, for the births of their
children, baptisms, deaths,
etc. The rich Americans got
by with treating the locals
badly and paying them poorly
because, in the long run,
they would provide these extra
services that benefited the
Mexicans. One rich upper-class
American could not be outdone
by their rich upper-class
neighbor, so they would keep
up the Patron act so as to
conform. Again, Mexicans benefited.
What Mexicans never saw,
and had no experience with,
is an American “middle-class”.
It didn’t exist then
nor does it now exist in their
culture. There was absolutely
no concept of an American
that wasn’t Elizabeth
Taylor/Richard Burton rich.
There was no concept of an
American that could not, nor
would want to, become their
Rich American Patron and take
care of them and all their
family. There was no idea
what an American middle-class
would look like, much less
that one existed.
Mexicans with property to
sell or rent have been accustomed
to rich, upper-class Americans
who would breeze into town
and show a willingness to
pay outrageous prices for
everything from housing to
food. There developed, therefore,
the prices for “The
Gringos” and the prices
for “The Mexicans”.
My wife and I have seen this
over and over again here in
Guanajuato. We have experienced
this with the landlords here.
They see you coming and all
of a sudden the local property
owner starts hearing, “Cha-ching,
cha-ching”! Dollar signs
start floating before their
eyes. The vendors and services
providers are the same way.
Their culture evolved the
idea that anyone from America
is so wealthy that they can
afford to pay higher prices
for things than Mexicans could
pay. And they take full advantage
of this.
If you are a Mexican trying
to rent a house, you will
be told one price. If you
are an American, be prepared
to pay through the nose.
It is, I believe, because
Mexicans have no concept of
a middle-class, a class that
is just now beginning to visit
and even move as expats to
Mexico.
Our friends from northeastern
America were paying $700.00
for their mortgage. They moved
to Mexico and a landlord charged
them $600.00 in rent for a
studio apartment. But, Bill
and Jo were new to Guanajuato,
the landlord knew it, and
they were stuck with an overly-inflated
rental—BECAUSE THEY
WERE GRINGOS!
Is this evil exploitation—You
bet!
Is there a thing you can
do about it? Nope!
So does this mean that if
you are a middle-class American
wanting to retiring to Mexico,
and you cannot afford rich,
upper-class prices, you are
doomed to this exploitation?—Pretty
Much!
Unless…What you need
to do, that we are presently
discovering, is apply the
only possible remedy for this
“Oh here come the filthy
rich Americans for us to gouge”
mentality.
1. First, realize if you
have no contacts here, you
will be at the mercy of this
exploitation. There is nothing
you can do about it. It will
happen. Be prepared. Get over
it. It is going to happen.
2. When moving here, sign
a lease for only 6 months
at a time.
3. During your 6-month lease,
while in the clutches of Mexican
landlords who regard you as
a money-bag to be exploited
and drained dry, start making
contacts.
What I mean is that it appears
the more important people
you know, and make that fact
known to potential landlords,
the less likely you are going
to get bamboozled and hoodwinked.
In other words, if you make
friends with someone in the
community who is influential,
and drop that name in front
of a would-be evil-doing,
exploiting Mexican landlord,
the less likely you are going
to get taken. Someone of great
influence has to the capacity
to ruin your reputation and
shut you down. Exploitive
Mexican landlords know this.
They will be less likely to
take you for all you’re
worth if they know you can
tell someone of influence
what the evil landlord did
to you.
Take advantage of this and
use this tactic liberally!
Once you have established
yourself and made these contacts,
then you will be in a better
position to protect yourself
from the would-be exploiters.
The beggars, the panhandlers,
however, will still regard
you are someone to lie to
in order to get money. What
to do about that?
Beats the heck out of me!
