Today was incredibly bittersweet - we were excited to get to know Mexico City a little better, but we knew it would be our last full day here. After a much needed full night´s rest, we were up and ready for our only business meeting of the day, Murphy Farms (as in Murphy Farms, NC and Mr. Wendell Murphy). This was great to have on the last day, because it really brought a bit of North Carolina into the scope of doing business in Mexico. The pork producer, near Veracruz and Puebla, goes under the title ¨GCM¨ for Granjas Carroll de Mexico, and is partnered with Smithfield, Inc. The presentation covered everything from the cultural differences in what we eat in the United States vs. Mexico, to the environmental outlook for the company. Culturally, Mexicans are poultry eaters, so penetrating the market is hard for the pork industry. On top of that, it costs more to produce pork in Mexico than the US because of heavy transportation costs (trucking is mainly used in Mexico, whereas the cost-efficient use of trains in the US brings the cost down). Also, labor is a major problem - although labor is cheap and plentiful in Mexico, the low-wage system makes buying pork harder for Mexicans. Although the price per pound may seem cheaper here, it is actually more expensive on the scale of earnings for Mexicans, so GCM is looking for a solution that would enable them to offer higher wages to their workers. Their environmental changes were much more impressive than any of us would have ever thought. They are using the flaring system to burn off excess Methane gas from the lagoons at their production facilities, and thus lowering their emissions of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere - something that not one US pork producer can claim. Overall an informative presentation!
After a quick change, we headed down to Mexico City´s main plaza, the Zocalo. This is heart of Mexico City, and we could see it from the moment we stepped off of the bus. The plaza was busy with vendors, shoppers and sightseers, all bustling about under the giant Mexican flag situated in the center of the Zocalo. We made our first stop at the impressive Cathedral that bordered the plaza. In-ground windows provided a look at what stood in the plaza long before the conquistadors came to Mexico - Aztec ruins from what was once the center of the Aztec society. We learned that when the Spanish came, the knocked down the Aztec temples and built the major Cathedral in their place. We entered the Cathedral at the beginning of mass, and got to watch the procession and smell the incense as we walked through the enormous structure. There were paintings from the masters of Europe, beautifully designed archs, and guilded angels at every glance. It was truly beautiful.
Afterwards, we made our way over to the Templo Mayor on the edge of the Zocalo - an underground Aztec city that was founded in the 1970's underneath a church that once existed there. Since then, a continuous archaelogical dig has revealed some of the best-preserved ruins of the Aztec society, right underneath the city! Most has still yet to be uncovered as it lies under important buildings and monuments. We toured the entire site, and learned about the main temple that was rebuilt 7 times (you could actually see the layers!). We walked through the expansive museum, and saw some amazing artifacts that were visibly different than those we saw of the Mayan culture at the Anthropology museum. It was amazing to see what we had only previously seen in textbooks or on the history channel. I believe Andrew put it best when he said ¨This really makes we want to travel back in time!¨
After lunch in a wonderful rooftop restaurant overlooking the Zocalo, we made our way to a major craft market in the city that offered everything from painted plates to leather bags. The Mexican artisanry was gorgeous, and we snagged as many gifts as we could in the time that we spent there. Fortunately, none of us got lost inside - it was massive!
Our final dinner was at an incredible Spanish restaurant known for its delicious Paella, located in the hip Polanco region of Mexico City. We all joined together for one last hoorah, and it was bittersweet. We reminisced on the highlights of the trip, and even started thinking about a reunion! We each got tokens to remember the trip by, and we gave out thank-you gifts to our gracious hosts, Laura and Joao, for their guidance and friendship during this week. Like the other delegates, I am saddened to leave the city we have come to know so well in only 6 days, but I know we will all carry the memory of this incredible trip with us, and we are now officially ready to do business in Mexico!
Signing off and heading to pack (last minute, of course),
Allison DeCarlo
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