Assumptions

I think having expectations and assumptions about people and places is only normal human behaviour essential for our survival, and I don’t consider that as a negative if one is willing to be open minded and ready to change their views when better evidence is presented. Travelling half across the world to a different culture and climate, from Finland to Mexico, I was expecting quite a culture shock. Prior to travelling I was familiar with only two Mexicans; @anomadsoul and @zlatan-spielberg, and they only represent one small part of what Mexicans are like, the more international variety in my opinion because they have both travelled the world a fair bit.

My assumption and preconceptions about Mexican people come mostly from movies, and from the mainstream media, which both are not an accurate representation of real life, I’m well aware of that. While the media shows only small aspects of people and often a caricature of them, I believe there is often a shred of truth underneath it all. Netflix series like Narcos and Casa the Flores are far far from the truth, but there is shreds of reality in both of them for sure. Art imitating life.

“Be careful not to get kidnapped, raped and killed, Mexico is not safe!”

While I think I had some fairly healthy concerns regarding safety in Mexico, I didn’t go as far to think I would run into any serious trouble. I did imagine Mexicans as passionate, warm, loud, colourful and mostly happy and outgoing people. I expected to see a fair bit of poverty and some signs of the always so talked about drug business. I assumed that timetables and doing anything on schedule would be a completely foreign concept to Mexicans.

Field work

My observations about Mexicans come mostly from watching people everywhere I was, but also from talking to @Anomadsoul and asking a lot of questions about Mexican ways and traditional manners. I am lucky to know Eric personally, so I could ask him questions and bring out something I noticed, without having to filter what I say out of not wanting to offend anyone. What I talk about here is mostly based on a little glimpse of what I saw while visiting a huge country for only three weeks, take that into consideration.

Look, don’t touch

Mexicans were more reserved than what I imagined, curious for sure, as I stick out like a sore thumb, but keeping their distance. I think my camera, especially the big one, was what caught the attention more easily than the fact that I am a white tourist. If there was no need for interaction, like with the cashier or a servant in a restaurant, people didn’t come too close. Here and there would be someone who asked where I am from or what I’m taking the pictures for, but for the most part, everyone would just observe from afar, just like I was. I was really expecting people to come closer both in the literal and figurative way but I kind of got the notion that if you are not family or close friends, people mind their own business.

Family oriented

What I noticed quite soon after arriving to Mexico was how family oriented everyone is and how they show affection. They eat together, work together, live together. Where in Finnish most everyone thinks family is of course important, we are more independent and distant with them and don’t show affection easily. In Mexico you can see kids hanging out with the parents at work, families, including relatives from uncles, aunts to cousins and family friends together, older siblings taking care of younger ones. I think in Mexico family values and respect towards your elderly is much more prominent than in Finland. In general, I’d say Mexicans like the be surrounded by a lot of people, and Finnish people prefer a fair bit of solitude.

Colourful and loud

Like I assumed, Mexicans are quite colourful, mostly in their decorations for Christmas and apparently just all year round as well. From the apartment buildings to decorations on shop windows, a jumbled mess of vibrant colours and everything shiny. People also make all sorts of unnecessary noises like singing to themselves, humming and whistling, while just sitting on a street corner or walking by themselves. Weirdos, keep those inside your head!

I was in Puebla on a public holiday on the 12th of December, the Day of Virgin of Guadalupe, and she is a big deal for Mexicans who are mostly Catholic. Apparently they don’t only celebrate it with fireworks but firing guns towards the sky, I must admit, I ain’t a fan of that. It was quite unsettling to try and sleep when you can hear gunshots outside all night long. With the lack of any insulation in the houses, everything happening outside sounds like it’s coming from next door.

Mañana Mañana

While I didn’t actually hear anyone say this, Mexicans have a more laid back attitude towards timetables and rules. Where as in I love a German type of order and precision, Mexicans don’t fuss with schedules and look at the clock. More than once during my trip there was a place I wanted to go to and while it should have been open at that time from what it said on the website, they would be closed just because. I’m always 10 minutes early for everything and might end up having to wait an hour for someone/something because Latinos are not particular about time. This is something that drives me absolutely crazy, even as just a tourist visiting for a few weeks. I could not cope with living in a place where people don’t respect a set schedule for appointments or bus departures.

Chivalry isn’t dead

In Mexico, old school values are still clearly visible, and I do appreciate that, but I’m not used to it. I’m not a damsel in distress, I’m a strong, independent woman, not because I want to, but it’s what I’m used to being out of necessity. I live alone and I’m used to doing everything myself. In Mexico, that is out of the question and there will be a man running to help you if you look like you need it.

I had a hard time letting someone carry my bag or coming to my aid if I can’t get the door open or reach the top shelf. The 3-year-old “let me do it myself!” attitude is still going strong in me and on several occasions, I had to try my hardest to tone it down and let the men help me. To be honest, I could get used to it.

Crafty and artistic

One apparent aspect about Mexican people is how good they are with their hands, let it be painting, drawing, hand crafts or mechanical repairs. This is something I have huge respect towards and I think we are loosing this in the Western countries where everything can be bought instead of made by yourself.

I loved seeing all the amazing street art, women knitting on a park benches, an old man rolling cigars and people fixing their cars.

So what about the drug business?

I really didn’t see any shady business going on, and I am quite observant. Though I wasn’t out during night time, and I was exploring the neighbourhoods that are more popular among tourist or have good reputation. All my time in Mexico, I felt quite safe, and I’m a scaredy-cat when it comes to unfamiliar surroundings, I’m always watching my own back. If you are not involved in selling, importing/exporting or using drugs, I don’t think you’ll have any issues regarding that.

Where are the white people?

One big thing I noticed regarding the vast majority of people was that aside from the tourist destination in the Mayan Riviera, there are no white people in Mexico, nor black or Asian people either. There are only Mexican people, or other variety of Latinos, which I can’t tell apart just passing people in the streets. I found that very very curious.

Mexico has almost 130 million people, and tourism industry is huge from what I read from Wikipedia, my main source of information which I trust blindly. I spend almost three weeks in Mexico, dividing my time between Playa del Carmen, Mexico City and Puebla, the first being a major tourist destination in the Yucatan peninsula and the latter being the biggest and fourth biggest cities, situated inland.

Playa del Carmen in terms of people was what I expected, a mix of locals, white tourists and some from all over the world. I was visiting off peak season, before the major Christmas holiday season, so I didn’t get to see the area in full swing, which is only a good thing as I am not a fan of too much people.

After my week walking barefoot, I put my shoes back on and headed inland to the capital of Mexico, Mexico City, and for a few days in Cholula and Puebla for the rest of my trip. MX City is one of the biggest cities in the world, and I was excepting it to be very multicultural, like most cities I have visited all over the world, even off peak. I’ve been to quite a few cities in the world, from Helsinki, to London, Berlin and Bangkok, and every one of those is more or less multicultural.

Mexico City has 20 million people, and ten of those are white, two Asian and one black. I’m of course exaggerating, but you get my point. I walked on touristy areas, the financial district, the biggest shopping mall in Central America, the little side streets, all over for about ten kilometres per day, so I am telling you, I saw quite a few people. I even visited the China Town in Mx City and only saw two Asian people, what the actual fuck. Even the international flight terminal in Mexico City’s airport was 99% Mexican looking people. I found all this very funny and interesting. Puebla, where I stayed for a few days, is a major financial and university city, and even that didn't have anyone else than Mexicans. One reason for the lack of foreigners was that the university semester was already over the time I was visiting.

@Anomadsoul, who is a local, disagrees with me on the lack of white people, but I’m just telling you what I observed with my own two eyes, but mind you, I have shitty eyesight so maybe I’m wrong.

Hope you found my observations and pictures of Mexican people interesting, and make sure to check out part 1 for loads more pictures.

Ps. I don’t speak Spanish so that might be something that distorts my view of Mexican people, as I can’t understand more than a few words they speak.