I’ve never been to Northern Mexico (planned to several times but other plans just kept getting in the way), but I’ve seen pictures of places like Tijuana and Monterrey and honestly, they don’t seem that different from poor parts of Southern California with large Hispanic populations. They also seem to share a similar kind of cowboy culture to Texas and aspire to a similar American suburban lifestyle. I’m starting to convince myself that crossing the border would be more like going from a richer European country to a poorer European country than it would be like entering a completely different world.
Is it actually a different world, or are they actually more similar than we might think?
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It has been quite a while since I crossed that border, but it seemed pretty culturally distinct to me when I did. I wouldn’t say it’s a different world altogether, but personal space expectations felt closer and it was generally louder and busier near the border on the Mexico side.
Very different. Some rural areas are similar but the US side of the border area is going to feel closer to Michigan than Monterey.
I hiked on the Arizona trail down to the border wall in the middle of nowhere then drove for lunch to Sierra Visita expecting it to feel more Mexican and it was like “welcome to your average anywhere USA suburban town. Would you like to have lunch at Culver’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, or Chili’s bar and Grill?”
A pretty typical international border the differences are significant but you can tell you are right next door. The poverty and crime is very significant the US has a bad rep on Reddit but US to Mexico is a bigger jump than any two European nations.
My mother is from Laredo, Texas. I can at least speak for Laredo/Nuevo Laredo.
Superficially, they’re very similar. Spanish is the dominant language in both (though most people on the Laredo side can also speak English), the stores are often the same, the architecture and street names are similar or the same, the food is the same, as are cultural basics (religion, hospitality, etc). Thousands of people live on one side and work on the other, so it can often feel like one city.
But there are subtle differences, and those differences REALLY matter. Nuevo Laredo has really maintained the old Mexican class culture. Whether or not you’re from a “good family” dramatically alters your social and economic prospects. There’s a little bit of that in Laredo, but it’s declining. What you do matters much more than your name.
Laredo, unlike Nuevo Laredo, has that fierce, uniquely American sense of independence. Sure, especially within the Catholic Church, there’s many elements of communitarianism, but Laredoans see themselves free in a way that many of their counterparts across the border do not. Laredo loves law enforcement. Nuevo Laredo is run by drug cartels. The way people do business in Laredo is more straightforward — you have to barter for a lot of stuff in Nuevo Laredo.
So they’re EXTREMELY different…but you have to know where to look.
Night and day difference. Mexico has a dramatically lower standard of living, much higher crime, etc. They share some cultural aspects, but they’d never be confused for each other as much of Canada resembles the US.
I have lived in Texas for all but the first 10 of my 62 years. I like to vacation in Mexico, but tend to avoid the border towns. They are the only places in Mexico I’ve ever felt my spidey senses tingling.
The book Factfulness talks about what you’re generally observing. Basically, we often think of countries as rich vs poor, and that binary was an accurate description in the past when almost all Mexicans were poorer than almost all Americans. However, Mexico is now a middle income country and so a large portion of Mexicans are middle class and are richer than a lot of Americans. When you also factor in ethnic history and the fact things like cowboys are from Mexico originally, it’s easy to see similarities.
But don’t underestimate the differences either. Mexico is a huge country and although many areas are very safe, in many areas (such as TJ) you will need to be extremely cautious and stick to tourist areas.
The difference can be seen in cities and towns directly on the border. One side looks like average American suburbia, the other side looks like a squalid shantytown.
It really depends on which border towns and where in the Mexican town you are. For example, the border area of Tijuana, right across from California, is nothing like central Tijuana. To me the border areas can be a little intimidating, but I’ve never felt unsafe in the areas where I’ve stayed in Central Tijuana. Many of the border cities in Mexico have the “tourist area“ and the area where the majority of people live. Yes, there are dangerous areas in the border towns, but there are also dangerous areas in non-border cities. I live in the Phoenix area and there are parts of Phoenix that I would not go into alone at night.
When I was in El Paso and crossed into Piedras Negras in 1992 to see family, everyone’s home had satellite TV and most of the people we met were relatively well-off. All the kids (around high school age or a bit younger) I interacted with were wearing the same stuff kids in the US were, new sneakers and the like. Everyone had plenty of food and all the homes were comfortable, if sometimes modest. It was my understanding that everyone crossed into the US and back on regular basis though the week I was there, everyone stayed in Mexico.
I don’t have to carry cash to bribe police officers if I get pulled over in San Diego. I do have to do that in Tijuana.
Northern Mexico is, the border states.
Have family in South TX that would take us to Reynosa and Matamoros. Definitely different as there are more poor people begging, have to haggle at markets. It’s not like South TX is rich but it’s a slight improvement. Don’t recommend- go elsewhere in Mexico.
I live within about a 10 minute drive from the border. I haven’t gone to Tijuana recently but depending on what’s going on at the time, I may cross a couple of times a month.
There’s a big difference between Tijuana and San Diego. The streets and infrastructure are different as is the way houses are constructed. I don’t think there’s a neighborhood in Southern California that I would mistake for any neighborhood in Tijuana.
Well, in some regard, the border states are northern Mexico. At least they were until the big bully declared war on the little kid next-door and stole them.
Mexicali felt very much like the American side to me. Some obvious differences, but walking around the mall there I just kept thinking it could be anywhere in socal and I wouldn’t bat an eye.
I’ve only been to Tijuana and Juarez and both were like 20 years ago. But they felt quite distinct from the US. And while a lot of it looked similar to a run down area in the US, there were a ton of colorfully painted shacks on the hill in Juarez that were unlike anything I’ve seen in the US. Another thing I really remember about Juarez is we drove in and were a bit unsettled by how little people followed traffic laws. Like stop lights were basically yield signs.
Having lived in Tucson, I can tell you the difference between Nogales, Sonora and Nogales, Arizona seemed pretty distinct to me. These differences become even more glaring as you get farther away from the border.
I think pacific coastal Mexico is closer to san diego, and inland Mexico is closer to texas, and the areas are different from each other. Tex mex is very different than Mexican in san diego
Highway 85 from Nuevo Laredo to Monterrey is prone to roadblocks during cartel – military battles. Does that happen in Texas? Nope. The Sierra Madre Oriental is nothing like the middle American plains either.
Mexico is quite rich on paper, but the wealth doesn’t go into public improvements. Even major highways vital for transport are in horrible condition, though expensive toll roads are being built to bypass many such sections.
Still, I’d recommend trying it out. Driving my own car into Mexico was my first foreign experience.
Although America shares 5,525 mile border with Canada and a nearly 2,000 mile border with Mexico, only 60% of Americans have ever traveled outside of the country, that includes the military. I’ve been to 15 countries outside of the US, but have still never been to Mexico. I’ve been to San Diego and San Antonio, but never crossed the border. I hope one day I can add Mexico to my list.
Wow, I am from Hermosillo, Sonora (MX) and have lived in California (USA) and Arizona (USA). There’s a lot of differences in Mexico depending where you go so I am focusing on Hermosillo, which is quite well off even by Northern Mexican standards.
In terms of development, if stay within the richer quarters of it, you aren’t going to notice much of an economic difference compared to a US lower middle-class suburb. This is where every household is making at least $20k USD per year which gives you a purchasing power of about $40K USD per year. That’s entry level for these areas but quite well off by Mexican standards. The most luxurious homes/penthouses will be about $1-$2 million USD. Affording that on a 15-20 year high interest rate mortgage, definitely makes you elite. There will be many recognizable US companies and brands there.
Differences. Language, obviously. You will be surrounded by greater poverty, Mexican style, not American style. Houses are very different. Lunchbox homes (INFONAVIT, social interes), more casas pegadas (almost like townhomes), and big house/small lot. Way less investment in common public spaces even in wealthy parts. More private communities. Private schooling much more common. Healthcare is a mix between government provided through employment status and private.
Much denser than the US. More crime (but not completely off the charts compared to the US) and you will notice blatant corruption and government waste. Do not try to bribe the police in Hermosillo or underestimate their willingness to arrest you as this is one of the better cities in Mexico in that regard. You will not deal with the cartels, but they are definitely present, very famous ones and there used to be a famous home that belonged to a long-ago assassinated drug lord. Finally torn down.
Way more people doing meaningless tasks and asking for money, but virtually no homeless people (except migrants leaving tomorrow for the border). Class divides are vastly misunderstood and overstated, by Mexicans and foreigners. Mexican inequality is not that much worse than American and intergenerational income mobility is on par with Italy. Also Mexican inequality is high not (mostly) because of the super-rich, but because of the urban, educated, formally employed versus everyone else. They jumped into the global middle class leaving most Mexicans behind. That will be your entire circle of acquaintances in the wealthier areas of Mexico + the actual rich. Oh, and half the city is not formally employed, and that’s pretty good by Mexican standards. Unemployment, though, is not really a problem.
Political climate is different and US talking points and political mapping do not apply.
White guy here who’s been to both, particularly El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juarez, CH.
They’re both very similar. It’s actually crazy how Mexican El Paso feels (especially around Paseo Del Norte) with street vending tianguises / sellers, almost everything in Spanish, and tons of norteño style Mexican food everywhere.
But then you go into Juarez, Mexico and find chicken wings / burgers for sale at bars, baseball stadiums, tons of American cars, love of pickup trucks, and a bunch of American chains like Little Caesars and Walmart.
It’s almost like a shared cultural zone, or at least a lot of lending of culture.
American side is more bilingual and organized, Mexican side is more mono-Spanish and chaotic. Both sides have their pros and cons.
Overall I both really like our countries and love to be able to go into Mexico when I get the chance.
Going from San Diego to Tijuana is a huge change. But drive past Tijuana and the difference isn’t as big.
I live on the Mexico/NM/Yexas border and it is night and day in many ways. Some of the architecture is similar, but the sanitation and makeshift houses are very different. The people drive way crazier and there are tons more buses. One thing I love is that the city of Juarez is still alive with restaurants and food trucks open late into the night, whereas right across the border, everything is closed by 8 or 9.
Visit Guanajuato!
The infrastructure between Tijuana and the rest of Mexicos Baja California is totally different from Southern California, but the suburban car culture of Baja California’s big cities matches Southern California’s perfectly.
Main difference?
In Chula Vista, California, all the signs are in Spanish.
In Tijuana, Mexico, all the signs are in English.
More seriously, border towns (often) have economies built around their presence on the border – somewhat similar cultural hodgepodge to a port city (in the US that distinct port city culture is somewhat muted now, but it’s definitely present internationally.
Which is going to (again often) make two cities across the border from each other somewhat similar to each other.
Back to my signage point – that IS something you see, because there are a lot of businesses on each side of the border catering to folks on the other side.