1. Tortilla Politics in Free Market Mexico
Could a tortilla cause a revolution?

2. Tortillas in Art

3. Descendants of the Aztecs

4. Aztec Moe’s!

5. Colonial Mexico (New Spain)

6. Tortillerias
Millions of Mexicans stop in their neighborhood tortillerias (bakeries) to buy a few pounds of fresh corn “pancakes” everyday.

7. Factitos!
Made from corn flour, lard, and water, tortillas date back to the Aztecs.
Today, the average Mexican consumes more than 200 pounds of tortillas a year.

8. More factitos…..
Tortillas provide at least 40% of the daily calories of the more than forty million Mexicans who live on $5.00 per day or less.
In the 1970’s, price controls were created by the Mexican government limiting the amount that producers could charge consumers.
Mexico’s poorest people could afford them.

9. ……….and, most importantly
Mexico’s government paid Mexican farmers each month to keep the cost of their corn low.
In addition to making money from the sale of their corn, the farmers were given a monthly government check. This is called a subsidy.
This way Mexico’s poorest people could afford to eat.

10. Example of a subsidy HTMS students lunches cost $1.85.
It actually costs $2.50 to make your lunch.
Your government pays the extra $0.65 to our cafeteria.
All children can afford to eat.

11. Sylvia Cortes, mother of five
“Already my children eat meat only once a week. If prices tortillas go up, I will have to buy less fruit and vegetables. But I cannot buy fewer tortillas. Tortillas are what fill us.”

12. NAFTA: Free trade
With NAFTA ending tariffs on U.S. corn and bean imports, Mexican farmers now have been unable to compete with cheaper U.S. corn coming into their country.

13. Unintended outcome of NAFTA
White Corn Tortillas
Yellow Corn Tortilla

14. Outcome 1
Public anger in Mexico over allowing the free market system to import U.S. corn at a cheaper price rose sharply.
Mexico’s government stopped paying subsidies to Mexican farmers because these farmers must learn to compete in a free market economy.

15. Outcome 2
A guerrilla force known as the Zapitistas formed to fight for the poor farmers.
Named for Emilio Zapata, this group fights for the rights of the poor, indigenous farmers in Chiapas, Mexico.
The fight continues into 2012.

16. Emilio Zapata

17. Caught Between Two Worlds
You are scheduled to appear before a gathering of Mexican voters. Your assignment is to persuade the Mexican voters that your ideas for the future of NAFTA are right!
Justice for all? Or…………..
NAFTA promotes free markets?