Economics With A Face

Wal-Mart Built Store on Traditional Mayan Grounds. “A Wal-Mart store rising near the 2,000-year-old pyramids of the Teotihuacan Empire has ignited the wrath of Mexican conservationists and nationalists, who say the U.S. retailer is destroying their culture at the foot of one of Mexico’s greatest treasures… Last week, 63 prestigious artists and intellectuals, in a letter published in Mexican newspapers, asked President Vicente Fox to stop the structure. They see it as a battle pitting Mexico’s heritage against encroaching U.S. influence. Wal-Mart is already Mexico’s largest retailer, with 664 stores in 66 cities, with sales of $12 billion.”

In the comment section Kevin Brancato made the point that the Teotihuacán example was overblown. To back up this claim he quoted my travelogue from our trip to the site.

This drew the response of another reader who posted a link to some photos of the pyramids. He claimed the photos “put it in better perspective” and they demonstrated that putting a store within 1 kilometer of the pyramids would clearly “have quite an effect.”

I thought I would take the opportunity to repost some of the photos and my response to the comments.

Here are a few of the photos that were linked to:

And here is my reply:

The photos in the link you provide do not provide a better perspective. The photo on the top right [the first photo in this post], taken from the top of the Pyramid of the Moon, is particularly deceiving as to how close the town of San Juan and various businesses are located.

The photo is taken looking directly down the Avenue of the Dead, a 2 kilometer stretch that will never be developed. If the photo were to be extended to the right you would see rows of small shops about 200 meters from the base of the pyramid that sell everything from clothing to Coca-cola.

Another kilometer past these shops is the town of San Juan de Teotihuacán. In the town, closer to the pyramids than the Wal-Mart, you will find every kind of shop you would expect to find in a small town. There are internet cafes, small grocery shops, pharmacies, and restaurants that line the plaza when you first drive in.

Following the street off the plaza towards the Wal-Mart (it is actually called “Bodega Aurrera”) you’ll see a huge “Elektra” electronics store pained bright red and yellow. Continue another couple blocks and turn to the right and you will find the Wal-Mart, tucked away in what used to be a vacant lot and further away from the pyramids than any of these businesses. A hotel located next door is similar size and color. The only difference is that the hotel has a large sign outside advertising its presence. The Wal-Mart on the other hand is one of the simpler buildings in town and looks more like a small warehouse with a parking lot.

Here is a picture of the store:

Here is a picture of the town (all businesses pictured are closer to the pyramids than the Wal-Mart):

More interesting to me was the reaction of some people we talked to in the town. We were told that the international press wanted to make it sound like the Wal-Mart was going to be put right next to the pyramids when nothing could be further from the truth. According to people we spoke with, the majority of protesters in San Juan were not residents who thought Wal-Mart was destroying culture, but store owners who did not want to face the increased competition.

Anyone that travels to San Juan and sees where the Wal-Mart is located is going to be hard pressed to come to a different conclusion.

Peter Mork in Antigua, Guatemala Monday, September 12 at 04:34 PM

If anyone is interested in reading the full account of our trip to the pyramids it can be found here.