I recently traveled to Cancun, Mexico, in search of conversations on how Americans and other foreigners perceive Mexico, and my friends, Luis Robledo and Remi Delaune, were willing collaborators. We discussed safety, language and the European perspective.
I traveled from Los Angeles to Cancun, via a direct flight over the holidays. I call Los Angeles home, although I am a Durango native and plan to move back in a few months.
Robledo, a talented filmmaker, joined me on this trip to Mexico. I first met him in Los Angeles, where he was successful in the film industry both as an actor and filmmaker. He was born in Mexico and grew up for a time in Mexico City before moving to Texas as a young child.
Delaune is a Frenchman who has lived in Mexico for almost a decade. He grew up in the south of France, but now he’s in a different phase of life, running a retreat center called Kumankaya with his American wife, Ashley, in the Yucatan jungle.
I arrived in Cancun after a quick 4½-hour flight. Located in the Yucatan Peninsula, the southeastern part of Mexico, this area is known for its rich Mayan heritage. The Mayan language and culture are still intact, blending seamlessly with Mexican customs, with streets and towns named in the Mayan language.
If you go downtown, you can find the local flavor. Mercado 28 is a large block filled with endless open-air arts and crafts businesses. You can buy beautiful clothing and many handmade goods. I bought a straw cowboy hat for $10, negotiated down from $15.
Delaune describes Mexican culture as very warm, and that this quality extends to all of Central America and the Southern Hemisphere. It’s all about celebrating “life, music, dance, good food and spices,” he says.
Being a filmmaker, Robledo is in touch with the cinematic culture of Mexico. He describes the country as a “cradle” for great filmmakers, such as Emmanuel Lubezki, who has won three Academy Awards for cinematography; Alfonso Cuarón, four Academy Awards; Guillermo del Toro, three Academy Awards; and Alejandro Iñárritu, four Academy Awards.
There are several prestigious film schools in Mexico that have helped support this talent, such as the Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos in Mexico City, where some of the filmmakers mentioned above attended. Robledo believes that Mexicans on the world stage are some of the best filmmakers.
Why, after all these years, had I let Mexico slip off my radar? I love traveling and found a new passion for Europe last year, spending a few weeks in France, Belgium and Switzerland.
I asked Delaune whether Europeans are more open to travel and other cultures than Americans. He says that there are pros and cons to each. There is a predominant culture in the U.S. that feels “embedded,” as Americans see themselves as “America first.” But Europeans can also be stuck in their ways. However, he says there are many Americans who are very open-minded to other cultures, as well as many Europeans who are equally so.
He really likes the American mind – the way English is taught and the structure of society. For example, he loves the layout of New York City with numerically ordered streets. He sees the American mind as, affectionately, a “square mind.” The French mind is “roundabout everywhere, turning around.” Imagine finding your way around Paris or Marseille compared to New York City.
Delaune admires the relatively young American culture, with its youthful enthusiasm where people say, “Let’s try it, let’s try something.”
“Whereas in France, if you propose a new social project, just by proposing it most people will automatically think that it won’t work, and if you try, they will protest,” Delaune says. “This attitude is embedded in French culture.”
He says it seems like there is constantly a strike in France. This may be good for people to assert their rights, but there is a “weight of the culture and establishment.” For example, in Delaune’s hometown in the Provence region, the oldest church is from the fifth century.
“Things like that give super solid culture, tradition, roots, like you’re not alone because you have centuries of culture with you,” Delaune says. ”But when it’s about reforming society, to try something different, the weight of everything has so much resistance.”
Of course, many Americans do go to Mexico, but there is a perception that the country is unsafe. Do we need to worry about drug cartels or other crime? Why do workers in Mexico have low wages and therefore desire to come to the U.S. for better salaries? Does this mean there is something wrong or bad about Mexico?
I asked Robledo about safety in Mexico. He is aware of the cartel presence and that awful things happen. In the U.S., there seems to be a lot of fear-mongering about Mexico, but many Americans and other foreigners have the opposite experience. The country is full of friendly people and vibrant culture. Robledo and I agreed that it genuinely seems safe for the average American to go to Mexico. He has, in fact, never visited any place in Mexico where he felt unsafe.
I also asked Delaune if Mexico is safe.
“Absolutely,” he said promptly.
It’s just like any other place. If you avoid the sketchy areas, then it seems as safe as anywhere. He says he has seen places in the suburbs of Chicago that seemed much less safe than walking in any given Mexican town. A big factor is attitude.
“If you arrive very rigid in your ways, whatever those may be – such as French, American, German, Italian – they may not respond to that,” Delaune says. “But if they see you are relaxed, open, wanting to learn about them, they will give you more than you expect.”
While Robledo says he doesn’t worry about safety, he did describe corruption as being at “every level.”
“In the (U.S.), if you offer a police officer a bribe, you will go to jail,” Robledo says. “In Mexico, if you don’t offer an officer a bribe, you might end up in jail.”
The problem with corruption in Mexico is that people just accept it, he says, but it can be fixed with time.
“People accept the reality that they’re brought into,” he says. “... There’s a lot of love (in Mexcio). It’s got its problems but nothing that cannot be solved.”
Going deeper into the jungle southwest of Tulum is Kumankaya, the Delaune’s retreat center that offers healing with Amazonian plants. This is in the heart of the Mayan jungle. It’s humid and usually warm but temperate. A lot of insects, animals and birds. You might encounter a tarantula, mouse or scorpion. There was even a jaguar a few years ago that visited their back patio.
Their first choice was Hawaii, Remi says, but the Yucatan “was perfect – the nature, the culture, the ancient Mayan culture that is still living.”
There is a freedom to live according to the rhythm of nature.
Moving to Mexico had its own safety considerations. Remi says that most people have been welcoming. As a “gringo, a foreigner, you have to be careful because there is some bias, preconceived ideas about a gringo.” They might think any gringo has a lot of money, which was not the case with them, so they had to be vigilant initially.
When moving to Mexico, Remi and Ashley drove from Illinois, all the way down the eastern coast of the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan. Although they did have many troubles with their camper, they never felt in danger. Mexicans helped them in “incredible” ways during their trip.
When they moved to Mexico, Ashley’s family, who are American, were totally against the idea, citing safety concerns. In contrast, Remi called his French father, who said, “Great! I will come visit.”
Besides the initial hurdles, Mexican people and culture have been very welcoming. He has learned some of the Mayan language and can speak it with the locals.
“When they see that you make the effort to learn enough words to say basic words such as ‘Hi, how you are doing?’ ‘Where are you coming from?’ ‘What would you like to eat?’ they become super open, warm, enthusiastic and welcoming,” Remi says.
He learned Mayan a few sentences at a time and practiced them, then learned some grammar formulas. He says that he has a “musical ear” that has helped him learn Mayan, one of five languages he speaks.
“The more languages you know, the easier it is to learn them,” he says.
Remi and Ashley experienced two different paradigms: the American way with its anti-Mexico coverage, and the French way with its enthusiasm of, “Great! I will come visit!”
Being married to an American, Remi can navigate from one culture to another.
“It was hard at the beginning, like cultural shock, but I really enjoyed it,” he says.
The Mayan Museum in Cancun is a valuable historical institution. The site has Mayan ruins along walking paths that are really quite special to see – even if it is crammed between high-rise hotel resorts.
Inside the museum building are Mayan sculptures and information on preservation and research efforts. It seemed drastically underfunded compared with American museums, and a reminder that Mexico isn’t as wealthy as the U.S.
This is one reason to travel there: to support the economy.
Robledo agrees.
“Absolutely, we’re neighbors,” he says. “Neighbors should come visit each other and build a relationship.”
On leaving Mexico at the end of my trip, I took the train from Felipe Carrillo Puerto. The train station was shockingly nice. It is part of Tren Maya. There were many friendly workers to help passengers. The train itself was just as impressive – super comfortable and clean, an overall very pleasant experience.
I made arrangements and flew out of Tulum. Things are a little different in Mexico, but traveling there is well worth it for the people, languages and culture.
David Ballantine has been an entrepreneur, librarian, traveler and pilot – always learning, always exploring. You can reach him at davidhballantine@gmail.com.
