Maquila: A Tale of Two Mexicos

Much to the dismay of residents of Tepoztlan, Mexico, where they still speak the indigenous language of Nahual, foreign investors have brought globalization to their village - building factories, shopping malls, and, most egregiously, a golf resort with 1500 vacation chalets and a country club. The newly elected Tepoztlan mayor sneered: “We don’t play that sport here,” because, he explained, maintenance of a large golf course “would sap badly needed farming water; pesticides and chemical fertilizer to maintain the grass would pollute the town’s aquifers.”