Promexico Creative Industry

Mexico in
the World
Mexico: A Strategic
Partner for NAFTAs
Creative Industries
The Lifestyle
Feature
Natures Gifts to Mexico:

10 Natural Wonders
Not to Be Missed
Negocios
para
exportadores
VIII - 2013
Creative
Industries:
The Mexico Advantage
he government of Mexico has set out

to transform our country based on five
major national goals: to have a peaceful, inclusive, well-educated, prosperous and
globally-responsible Mexico.
In order to build the
prosperous Mexico we
long for, we must generate sustained high economic growth that results in more and better
jobs that will improve
the quality of life of our
population.
Mexico has a solid
foundation on which
to attain these goals:
healthy public finances; a manageable debt
level; a budget with no
fiscal deficit; a responsible and autonomous
monetary policy, as
well as adequate international reserves.
Our macroeconomic
stability and institutional strength are enriched
by a wide sociopolitical
consensus that favors important transformations required to boost the development of our
country. Through the Pact for Mexico, two
constitutional reforms have been approved:
one in education that will enhance the quality
of teaching, and another in telecommunica-
tions, radio broadcasting and economic competition that will open up the sector and ensure
competition throughout our economy. Furthermore, the Congress is analyzing a financial overhaul to increase the level of credit and make it
more affordable.
Mexico offers certainty and confidence to
investments, a business
climate favoring productivity and competitiveness, and an ambitious
plan to further develop
infrastructure. Moreover,
the countrys strategic
geographic location and
optimal legal framework
for international trade,
through a network of
trade agreements with 44
countries, give us access
to a potential market of
over one billion people.
Mexicos exceptional
economic and geographic conditions, as well as
the talent and quality of
its human capital, make
it the ideal destination
for new productive capital to flourish.
This is the time to invest in Mexico. Investors will find the government of Mexico and
ProMxico to be allies committed to the success
of projects that create quality jobs and prosperity for the country.
Enrique Pea Nieto

President of Mexico
Table of Contents August 2013

20
22
Mexico in the World
Guest Opinion
Mexico: A Strategic
Partner for NAFTAs
Creative Industries
Film in Mexico:
An Industry
with a Golden Future
The Lifestyle
26
24
Negocios Report
Guest Opinion
The National Strategy for

the Film and Audiovisual
Industry: A Road Map
to the Future
Creative Intelligence:
Design as an Agent
for Change in Mexico
The Complete Guide

to the Mexican Way of Life
50
COVER FEATURE
Creative
Industries:
The
Lifestyle
Briefs
The Mexico
Advantage
14
52
eugenio cau
Natures Gifts
to Mexico:
10 Natural Wonders
Not to Be Missed
photo
photos
the Whole World

is Singing
60
photo
archive
archive
The Strains
of Mexico
30 Boxel
32 Astrolol
18
34 Gran Tiki Games

36 Motion Control
38 Don Porfirio
48
figures
42 Baja Studios
44 Redrum
archive
photo
a Home Away
from Home
54
When I dance, I am
reliving my whole life
Interview with
Esteban Hernndez
66
Nelson Vargas,
Poseidon of Mexicos
Swimming Pools
archive
Turkey and Mexico as Priority Partners:

Trade Diversification
and Emerging Markets in Asia
28 UDCI
40 Machete Producciones
Special Feature
Mexico,
courtesy of estebn hernndez
46
The Relevance
of the Creative
Industries in Mexico
57
12 Biaani
Mexicos Partner
Briefs
Business Tips
10 Entia
photo
archive
photo
Special Report
photo
From
ProMxico
Para exportadores
ProMxico
Francisco N. Gonzlez Daz
CEO
Karla Mawcinitt Bueno
Image and Communications
General Coordinator
Sebastin Escalante
Director of Publications and Content
sebastian.escalante@promexico.gob.mx
Advertising
negocios@promexico.gob.mx
Natalia Herrero
Copy Editing
Download the PDF version and read

the interactive edition of Negocios
ProMxico at: negocios.promexico.gob.mx
This publication is not for sale.
Its sale and commercial distribution are
forbidden.
78
fotos
archivo
foto archivo
La franquicia
como modelo de
crecimiento:
lecciones de Mxico
71
breves
Desde ProMxico
70
Una bebida de Mxico

para el mundo.
73
ProMxico y las empresas

exportadoras de tequila
La Alianza del Pacfico

a ojos de Mxico
76
Negocios ProMxico es
una publicacin mensual
editada en ingls por ProMxico, Camino a Santa
Teresa nmero 1679, colonia Jardines del Pedregal,
Delegacin lvaro Obregn, C.P. 01900, Mxico, D.F. Telfono: (52) 55 54477000. Pgina Web:
www.promexico.gob.mx. Correo electrnico: negocios@promexico.gob.mx
Editor responsable: Gabriel Sebastin
Escalante Bauelos. Reserva de derechos al uso exclusivo No. 04-2009012714564800-102. Licitud de ttulo:
14459. Licitud de contenido: 12032,
ambos otorgados por la Comisin Calificadora de Publicaciones y Revistas
Ilustradas de la Secretara de Gobernacin. ISSN: 2007-1795.
Negocios ProMxico ao 6, nmero
VIII, agosto 2013, se termin de imprimir el 9 de agosto de 2013, con un
tiraje de 13,000 ejemplares. Impresa
por Ca. Impresora El Universal, S.A.
de C.V. Las opiniones expresadas por
los autores no reflejan necesariamente
la postura del editor de la publicacin.
Queda estrictamente prohibida la reproduccin total o parcial de los contenidos e imgenes de la publicacin,
sin previa autorizacin de ProMxico.
Publicacin Gratuita. Est prohibida su
venta y distribucin comercial.
ProMxico is not responsible for inaccurate information or omissions that
might exist in the information provided
by the participant companies nor of their
economic solvency. The institution might
or might not agree with an authors statements; therefore the responsibility of each
text falls on the writers, not on the institution, except when it states otherwise.
Although this magazine verifies all the
information printed on its pages, it will
not accept responsibility derived from
any omissions, inaccuracies or mistakes.
August 2013.
From
promxico.
Creativity has always been a
key component of the Mexican culture. Thus, our human
capital is enriched with two
extremely powerful features:
talent and innovation.
These features have been responsible for
boosting the growth of Mexicos creative industries including video game development,
digital animation, and film and television
production, amongst others, making them
absolute box-office hits on a global scale.
We have great news to share with you
on this field. First of all, since the IT sector is a cornerstone for the creative industries, we are glad to announce that we will
be the next venue of the World Congress
on Information Technology in 2014. This
congress is the worlds greatest international IT event and hopefully will open
new opportunities for Mexicos global alliances in the creative industries.
We are also working hard to create a
Digital Creative City in Guadalajara, with
the aim of boosting the creative industries
in Mexico. This project will be the first
of its kind in Latin America and could
be described as a global hub for digital
media development, within a world-class
technology environment.
In terms of digital content development,

the country ranks as one of the most competitive places in the globe. It stands out as
the sixth largest exporter of new media. Furthermore, Mexico is the most competitive
destination in the Americas for software design, video games and digital entertainment.
Regarding the film industry, Mexico is
home to one of the biggest markets worldwide. Both local and foreign film productions
have prospered in Mexico thanks to the countrys highly-recognized talent, competitive
costs, scenic variety, proximity to international key markets, as well as the public policies
and incentives that the Mexican government
has granted to the creative industries.
Mexican film entertainment products
are exported to over 100 countries. More
specifically, Mexico is poised to become a
global leader in the production of material
for the Spanish-speaking market, given the
increasing need for specialized content that
better supplies this fast-growing segment.
Today, Mexican human capital with its
talent and innovation capabilities is available for anyone seeking to succeed in the
ever more profitable creative industries, as
a platform which grants the necessary tools
to develop highly-innovative global projects which are based on creativity.
Welcome to Negocios!
Francisco N. Gonzlez Daz

CEO
ProMxico
BRIEFS
BRIEFS
photo archive
LOGISTICS
MANUFACTURING
Vanguard logistic
services
BUILDING GROWTH
BRICK BY BRICK
Multinational port operating

giant Hutchison Port
Holdings (HPH) will invest
1.5 million usd to improve
logistical capabilities at the
port of Ensenada on Mexicos
northwestern coast. Upgrades
include the installation of
a new container crane that
boosts capacity while reducing
carbon emissions.
Danish toymaker Lego will invest 125 million

usd to expand production capacity at its
manufacturing plant in the northern state of
Nuevo Len. Lego has experienced double-digit
sales growth in Mexico in recent years.
www.lego.com
photo archive
www.hph.com
CONSUMER GOODS
MANUFACTURING
IN THE BORDER
IT
CHEMICAL
www.dupont.com
photo courtesy of
US chemicals giant DuPont

will invest 500 million usd
to increase operating capacity
at its production plant in the
northeastern state of Tamaulipas.
The major expansion is aimed
at making the site the worlds
second largest producer of
titanium dioxide.
3m
DUPONT EXPANDS
ITS titanium
dioxide PLANT
Mexican IT services provider

RedIT will invest 12 million usd
to extend its fiber optic network
in key growth areas such as the
cities of Guadalajara, Monterrey,
Quertaro, Tijuana and Toluca.
RedIT offers services such as data
centers, fiber optic networks and
IT infrastructure management.
www.redit.com
MANUFACTURING
METALLURGICAL
3M: A SOLID
LONG-TERM BET
AHMSAS NEW
FACILITY
US-based diversified manufacturing multinational 3M

will invest 400 million usd
in its Mexico operations over
the next five years. Projects
include expanded output of
products for the health, automotive and telecommunications industries at the companys plant in the northeastern
state of San Luis Potos.
Mexican steel maker Altos

Hornos de Mxico (AHMSA)
inaugurated a major new
production plant in the
northern state of Coahuila.
The massive 2.3 billion
usd facility will produce
specialized steel plate for
the automotive, railroad and
energy industries, among
others.
www.3m.com
www.ahmsa.com
photo pedro prez garca
www.rb.com
photo courtesy of lego
EXPANDED NETWORK
photo archive
photo archive
British consumer goods

manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser
will invest 10 million usd to open
a new production facility in the
northern border city of Tijuana,
Baja California. The company
currently has operations in
Monterrey, Guadalajara, Tijuana,
Mrida and Mexico City.
BRIEFS
BRIEFS
ELECTRONIC
AUTOMOTIVE
MAGNA, ADDING
MANUFACTURING CAPACITY
sumitomo makes
itself at home
in mexico
Canadian auto parts manufacturer Magna International will

invest 100 million usd to build three production facilities in
the northern state of Coahuila. The added capacity is slated
to produce auto seats for export and suspensions for domestic
OEMs.
Japanese electronics manufacturer

Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems
will invest approximately 19
million usd to build a new
distribution center in the northern
state of Coahuila. The site will be
used to concentrate and distribute
imported inputs for the companys
two electrical components plants in
the region.
photo archive
photo archive
www.magna.com
PHARMACEUTICAL
GRUPO SOMAR, LEADER

IN LATIN AMERICA
AUTOMOTIVE
higuchis new
manufacturing plant
Mexican pharmaceutical
manufacturer Somar will invest
approximately 50 million usd
to install a plant with plasma
fractionation capabilities outside
Mexico City. According to the
company, the new facility will
be the largest of its type in Latin
America.
Japanese automotive parts manufacturer Higuchi

Manufacturing will build a new production plant in the
northern state of Coahuila. The 3.5 million usd facility is
planned to produce components for safety belts and air bags.
www.hig-jp.net
photo courtesy of somar
photo archive
www.sewsus.com
www.gruposomar.com
MANUFACTURING
Brazilian industrial
manufacturer Embraco
will invest up to 60 million
usd to expand production
capacity at its Mexico plant
in the northeastern state of
Nuevo Len. Resources are
targeted to boost output of
refrigeration compressors
and initiate production of
next-generation compressor
technology.
www.embraco.com
AUTOMOTIVE
a Business
as SMOOTH
AS LEATHER
photo archive
photo courtesy of embraco
COOLING
INVESTMENT
US-based automotive leather

producer Eagle Ottawa
initiated operations at a new
40 million usd production
plant in the central state
of Guanajuato Mexicos
leather working heartland.
www.eagleottawa.com
Negocios ProMxico | Special Report
Special Report | Negocios ProMxico
photo archive
process, which was too long

as it involved speaking to every stakeholder in the project
to create an offer suitable for
everyone.
We decided to turn the
process around: instead of
visiting the customer for
eight months to speak to all
the stakeholders in a software development project,
we could bring them all to
the office and in five or six
hours when they could freely
contradict each other, reach
an agreement to everyones
liking he reveals.
The challenge was to present it so that it appealed to
all the projects players within
a corporation, take them out
of their everyday context and
get them planning. That was
how they came up with playful techniques to complete a
process they call collaborative design.
That new method increased the chances of closing a sale significantly but
there came a time when this
collaborative design in itself became a service appeal-
ing enough to leave software

development behind.
We saw clearly how people got excited about presenting their ideas and discussing
their software project and
we realized that the service
itself of getting them together
to think was very valuable,
affirms Gonzlez.
Using several methodologies and dynamics Lego, team
building, nominal groups and
other dynamics the group
designed a strategy that was
no longer called Innocamp,
since it was no longer a oneday camp but had become an
approach that required from
three to six weeks.
That was how Entia came
to life in January 2013, a
company whose only product
is Active Action, a strategic
design process for high-value
software projects.
The method has seven
stages, from meeting the
project stakeholders, to
contacting potential developers, suppliers and investors,
including follow-up, at the
clients request.
We became talent integrators. That is what we do

to generate high-value projects, boasts Gonzlez.
Close to 70% of the
projects designed with that
approach have been successful, says Gonzlez. And while
close to 30% of them have
been cancelled during the process, it is not seen as a failure
since, when a customer realizes that creating new software
is not a viable option, it just
means that Entias methodology has been effective.
It is a success to us. If
the project is declared unfeasible, we have saved the
business a lot of money, says
Gonzlez.
Entia no longer employs
developers or marketers. However, they create value in follow-up and in hiring the person
who will lead the project.
We decided to stay away
from specific solutions and act
as neutral technology consultants, explains Gonzlez.
Often, at the end of the
process, the recommendation
is not to develop new tech-
nology but to use existing

resources such as cloud hosting services.
We have been looking at
many types of technology for
so long that we discovered
that if a percentage of the
solution is already there, we
dont have to develop it that
would be like reinventing the
wheel. Instead, we guide and,
at most, integrate the existing
services. That automatically
reduces project costs dramatically, says Gonzlez.
Entias work is novel in
one segment. While large consulting firms do similar work
with industry giants, Entia
has been able to reach small
and medium-sized businesses
(SMBs) that had no access to
strategic design services.
The company is currently
headquartered in Guadalajara
but by the close of 2013 will
reach Monterrey and Mexico
City two of the countrys
largest cities and plans to
open an office in Central
America within three years. N
www.entia.com.mx
by karla garduo
The Adventure of
Software Design
Entia has devised a new method called Active Action that
enables companies to design the software project that
best fits their needs.
10
If software were a building,

Entia would be the team of
architects that listens to and
guides users to define the best
project for their needs. But
that is not all: Entia would
also find the best builders,
carpenters, forgers, painters
and plumbers to build it as
efficiently as possible.
Depending on the build
of a house, the modernity, we
bring in experts from multiple disciplines to make the
most cost-effective project,
says Juan Carlos Gonzlez,
CEO of the company created
in early 2013.
Entia was born from Innox, a small software development firm that was founded
by four partners in 2003 in
an office that did not look

like an office and a house that
did not look like a house,
recalls Gonzlez. We started
growing and by 2008 we were
70 developers, he adds.
With the arrival of new
competitors from countries
such as India, the international software development
market began to lower its
prices, so Entias partners
decided to change the focus
of their business.
We created a service
called Innocamp, which basically meant bringing customers in with their entire work
team to design their software
project, he explains.
Innocamp emerged as
part of the companys sales
August 2013
ACTIVE ACTION,
The Method
1.
Pre-Day. The program for the day is to find out the customers goals and plans to
achieve them.
2.
Intensive Day. For 12 hours, the clients team is taken out of its regular routine
by the experts to discover, identify and design the technology project that will enable
them to reach their vision using diverse techniques.
3.
Post-Day. The information generated in the Intensive Day is analyzed to design and
document the set of solutions that will enable the company to reach its goals.
4.
Action Day. Alternative solutions are presented that align with expectations so
that the client can make the decision to launch his/her project.
5.
Meeting Day. Once the project is designed, a work day is organized for the client
to meet the work teams proposed by Entia.
6.
Team-up Day. The project leader is recruited and prepared.
7.
Follow-up Day. Periodical meetings are held to follow-up on the project and
ensure its success.
August 2013
11
Negocios ProMxico | Special Report
photos
Biaani: Technology
Applied to Business
and Health
Four years after its foundation, this Mexican company
offers both technology solutions to small and mediumsized businesses (SMBs) and mobile device applications
that measure a users health status.
by antonio vzquez
In Zapoteca language, biaani

means light, clarity and wisdom. These three concepts
were the inspiration for the
Mexican entrepreneurs that
created Biaani, a company
devoted to the development
of technology solutions,
which has been recognized
with national and international accolades.
In 2009, Biaani appeared
as a business that offered mobile technology development
to its customers. The firms

applications gave customers
access to their information
from anywhere in the world,
without the need for a server.
We saw that developing web applications for
corporations was our biggest
strength. We approached
several institutions such as
the Mexico-US Science Foundation (FUMEC) and we
decided to not only perfect
these applications but also
courtesy of biaani
Special Report | Negocios ProMxico
Since completing its

first products, Biaani
has created WalkBiz, an application
for SMB owners, and
Zabani, a mobile device
application (Apple iOS
and Android) to monitor
a users quality of sleep.
to get involved in creating

others for the health sector,
says Enrique Lpez Muoz,
CEO of Biaani.
Since completing its first
products, Biaani has created
Walk-Biz, an application for
SMB owners, and Zabani, a
mobile device application (Apple iOS and Android) to monitor a users quality of sleep.
Enrique Lpez Muoz
explains that Walk-Biz is
software for handling a companys institutional information, its services and products
and any type of data. Users
can manage their own accounts from a web page and
update their information
whenever they want.
According to information
by Biaani, 38% of Internet
searches made through a
smartphone are related to
products and services, while
66% of cell phone users in
Mexico have downloaded
some mobile application in
the last two years. Furthermore, 26% of smartphone

owners have made purchases
from their devices and 33%
have said they will do so in
the future. Based on that
information, it is estimated
that in the medium term, five
out of every 10 smartphone
owners will make transactions, purchases and product
and service searches from
their devices.
We have always worked
with solutions aimed at
SMBs, to enable them to have
their own applications. This
is a big sector where online
sales are increasing through
mobile devices and tablets,
which today are sold far
more than desktops, states
Lpez Muoz.
Biaanis application for
SMBs is easy, integrative,
quick and affordable. WalkBiz buyers do not require any
12
August 2013
August 2013
knowledge of programming or
design to create their own application using the platform.
Owners who get an application using Walk-Biz will
have the advantage of offering other cybernauts information about their business,
as well as their products and
services, which can be downloaded from any cell phone
or tablet.
As for Zabani, Lpez Muoz claims that it is Biaanis
venture into the health sector.
We decided to propose
something in health and we
used Zabani to participate in
Vancouver, Canada, through
a program by FUMEC called
Technologies Business Accelerator (TechBA). The application monitors and analyzes
users sleep patterns and,
based on that information,
determines if the individual
is at risk of suffering some
sleep-related disease, says

Lpez Muoz.
Zabani was introduced in
Canada in 2011. It won an
award to creativity as part of
TechBA and with it, Biaani
received the feedback it needed to position its application
internationally.
Zabani will be available
for the most popular platforms Apple, Android and
for the Nokia S40 family of
phones, of which close to 1
million units are sold daily
around the world.
The application captures
sounds through the devices
microphone during the night
and subsequently analyzes
the sleep patterns and makes
a diagnosis that can be sent
to a doctor to determine if
the patient suffers from a
disease. According to some
companies, by 2017 the mobile healthcare market will be
worth 23 billion usd. Such

an application offers savings
in distances, time and cost,
since a doctor can check up
on a patient even if he or she
is hundreds of miles away,
clarifies Lpez Muoz, pointing out that one of Biaanis
advantages over its competitors is Mexicos geographic
location, closeness to the US,
national technology talent
and low production costs.
Biaanis CEO adds that
in the future, the firm plans
to improve and consolidate
its applications for SMB customers. Without a doubt,
product development for
these business owners will be
the companys strongest area.
We want to mature in that
aspect and continue growing
with Walk-Biz and Zabani,
he concludes. N
www.biaani.com
13
Negocios ProMxico | Cover Feature
Cover Feature | Negocios ProMxico
illustrations oldemar
Creative
Industries:
The Mexico Advantage
ing the most important market in the world

the US and gateway to Latin America and
the Pacific Rim regions, business culture affinity, an integral government support platform,
quality of life, industry-tailored incentives and
highly competitive costs are some of the elements that factor into the Mexico advantage.
The Mexican Audiovisual Industry
and the Age of Spanish Content
Mexico is one of the most important consumer
markets and the gateway to the highest growing markets in the globe:
The creative industries in Mexico contribute
up to 7% of the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) of the national economy.
According to figures taken from the Creative
Economy Report 2010 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD), Mexico exported 5,167 million
usd of creative goods and services and it is
the largest exporter of Latin America, followed by Brazil, which exported 1,222 million usd. In fact, Mexico exports more than
Latin America and the Caribbean combined.
Mexican audiovisual content is currently being watched by over 1 billion people around
the globe in more than 10 languages.
Latin America is one of the fastest growing
consumer regions and Mexico is one of the
most important markets in the world.
In 2012, the media sector in Mexico recorded over 15,500 million usd in sales. The
sector includes advertising, broadcast television, cable television, and film marketing.
Mexico is ranked among the 15 main video
game markets worldwide and it is the first in
Latin America with almost 50% of the sales
of the region, equivalent to 893 million usd
during 2012.
According to information from Mexicos
Ministry of Public Education (SEP), over
110,000 engineering and technology-related
students graduate in the country each year.
Mexico is the ninth global hub of information technology (IT) resources and Americas
most important technology talent pool.
The countrys audiovisual production and
development costs are very competitive.
According to KPMG, Mexico is 37.7%
and 38.9% more cost competitive than the
US in terms of software development and
digital entertainment, respectively.
The Spanish speaking population is one of
the fastest growing segments in the world, especially in the US. Mexico is not only a prime
Mexico is poised to become a global leader in the production of

content for the Spanish speaking market. With an unprecedented
convergence of perfectly aligned conditions and a clear industry
strategy oriented to that end, the country is taking firm steps in the
pursuance of its destiny of leadership.
by mariana larragoiti kolkmeyer*
A Creative Opportunity
Latin America is one of the worlds fastest
growing media markets and Mexico is a leading force in the digital audiovisual production
renaissance in the region. The countrys creative industries are transforming their business and production models and evolving with
the advent of new technologies and consumer
trends, which range from cinema and TV production all the way to digital animation, special effects (VFX), video game and multimedia
development. As a result, the national media
landscape has registered rapid growth in recent years, placing Mexico at the forefront of
the digital, cultural and entertainment revolution of the Spanish language and establishing
it as the Matrix of the Spanish Digital Wave.
The need for specialized content that better caters the Spanish language market, along
with the search of strategic partners for global
media companies based primarily in North
America and Europe, has prompted increasing
interest in the region. Given Mexicos highly
recognized talent, as well as its extremely competitive costs, international quality standard
infrastructure, natural wonders, world renowned hospitality, great local market, proximity to key international markets and generous incentives, the country has become, now
more than ever, the most attractive production
destination on the globe, with unmatched financial, logistic, human capital and geographic advantages.
Mexicos audiovisual and interactive industry is committed to the development of
intellectual property for the digital screen in
any platform. Strategically located, neighbor-
14
August 2013
August 2013
15
Negocios ProMxico | Cover Feature
Cover Feature | Negocios ProMxico
tive competitiveness to boost the audiovisual

production platform and to promote export
services and investment in the industry by
strengthening Mexicos position as a preferred
production destination.
As part of its strategy for the sector,
in March 2010, the Mexican government
launched the Support Program for High-impact Audiovisual Production (ProAV), which
comprises a dedicated government service
platform for audiovisual production and includes an industry incentive.
ProAV grants foreign and local audiovisual
productions with an incentive of up to 7.5% on
the whole of eligible expenses incurred and invoiced in Mexico, whose minimum total is equal
or larger than 40 million pesos (approximately
3.125 million usd) of expenses in production or
10 million pesos (approximately 780,865 usd)
in post-production costs (VFX), animation and
video games or digital interactive.
According to figures taken from the

Creative Economy Report 2010 of
the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD),
Mexico exported 5,167 million usd of
creative goods and services and it is
the largest exporter of Latin America,
followed by Brazil, which exported
1,222 million usd. In fact, Mexico
exports more than Latin America and
the Caribbean combined.
market for entertainment products but also
an ideal platform to create Spanish language
content, since the country can be both a test
market and a development center for products that target the increasingly important
and influential Spanish speaking market. Said
market constitutes a huge community that
shares products, services and culture, a situation that offers businesses and institutions
a truly unique growth opportunity. Here are
some important facts regarding the Spanish
language:
Spanish, the official language in 21 countries, is the third most widely spoken language in the world, after English and Mandarin.
More than 400 million people speak Spanish worldwide.
Experts predict that by 2050 there will be
530 million Spanish speakers, of which
100 million will be living in the US.
The demand for quality Spanish content
nationwide has been fueled, in part, by the
Hispanic media market explosion led by
TV advertising at a national and network
level, which has seen growth of nearly
74% in recent years.
For the aforementioned reasons, as well as
Mexicos potential to become the global production leader of these industries, the Mexican
government is working on the implementation
of an integral strategy for its development and
improvement, where the attraction, generation
and retention of talent play an essential role.
Mexico is not only a prime market for entertainment products but also an
ideal platform to create Spanish language content, since the country can be
both a test market and a development center for products that target the
increasingly important and influential Spanish speaking market.
The policies of ProAV are very flexible in

terms of eligible costs; the only requirement is to
back the expenses with authorized fiscal invoices. Practically any expense incurred in Mexico
related to the production and post-production
of an audiovisual production is contemplated.
As an additional advantage, producers can
now have access to the ProAV Program benefit
through a bundle mode, which allows a single
production company to apply for the incentive
with a production portfolio of projects for set/
location shoot or digital post-production.
Digital Creative City
Digital Creative City (DCC) is an exciting
new project that will create a hub for the digital media industry within Mexico from TV,
cinema and advertising to video games, digital animation, interactive multimedia and elearning. DCC will be located in Guadalajara,
the countrys second largest city and home to
Mexicos Silicon Valley.
DCC aims to attract Mexican and international creative minds to develop new digital media content. The project will advance
Mexicos natural position as a global creative
Program for High-impact

Audiovisual Production
Having identified the creative industries as
a priority sector for the Mexican economy,
the government embarked upon a strategy
designed to enhance the countrys cost effec-
16
August 2013
leader while pushing the boundaries of sustainable urban development. In short, DCC
will stand out as a new model to be replicated
across the country and Latin America.
In November 2012, the Mexican Ministry
of Economy (SE) formally presented the DCC
Master Plan developed by a team of world renowned urban development specialists, such
as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), Sensible City Lab (MIT) Carlo Ratti
Associati, Metropolis Foundation, Accenture
Mobility in Chain and ARUP. The Plan has
been launched and has already begun work in
the first urban interventions. In addition, before the end of 2013, DCC will formally announce the investment committed by its first
anchor international digital media company.
With the launch of DCC, Mexico will reap the
following benefits:
A planned contribution to the national
GDP of 3.5 trillion usd by 2023.
August 2013
Increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

estimated at between 1.8 and 4.9 billion
usd over 10 years.
Creation of 31,000 jobs (19,000 direct,
8,000 indirect and 3,500 induced).
Creativity Focuses on Mexico
In recent years, Hollywood and many powerful audiovisual production giants have
tried to play the game with China but abrupt
changes in their markets rules of engagement
and deep business culture differences have
made producers fix their vision in the rapidly
growing and increasingly influential Spanish
language market.
Mexico appears as the natural gateway to
that profitable segment, not only in Spanish
speaking countries but also, most importantly, in the US.
Today, creativity has set its sights on Mexico, an interest that, given the growth potential of the creative industries in the country,
will surely pay off in the years to come. N
*Director of Innovation, Business Intelligence Unit
(UIN), ProMxico.
17
Negocios ProMxico | Business Tips
Business Tips | Negocios ProMxico
photo archive
The Relevance
of the Creative Industries
in Mexico
The creative economy has become a source of development and growth.
Mexico is the top creative economy in Latin America, sixth among
developing countries and 18th worldwide. The country is fertile ground
for new business opportunities in this field.
by mara cristina rosas*
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) states that creative industries are
an increasingly relevant component of
knowledge-based, post-industrial economies. These industries contribute to
economic growth and job creation and
are vehicles for the transfer of cultural
identity.
The growing interest in the industry
has implied the proliferation of analyses,
statistics, mappings and studies on the
relationship between the creative industries and economic development, providing legislator bodies in several countries
the necessary data and information to
create public policies.
The concept of creative economy was
introduced in 2001 by John Howkins
a journalist and consultant for over 30
countries around the world including Australia, Canada, China, France, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Singapore, United
Kingdom and the US.
During an interview with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO),
Howkins explained that a creative economy is an economy where the major
inputs and outputs are ideas [] where
most people spend a significant amount
of their time in having ideas. Its an
economy or society where people are
concerned with their capacity to think
and have an idea [] Its where people,
at any stage talking to their friends,
having a glass of wine, waking up at
4 oclock in the morning think they
can come up with an idea that actually
works, not just an idea with some sort of
esoteric pleasure but the driver of their
career and their thoughts of status and
their thoughts of identity. [Therefore]
18
the creative economy consists of the

transactions in (the resulting) creative
products. Each transaction may have
two complementary values: the value of
the intangible, intellectual property and
the value of the physical carrier or platform (if any). In some industries, such as
digital software, the intellectual property
value is higher. In others, such as art, the
unit cost of the physical object is higher.
Howkins refers to a creativity-based
production model, however redundant it
may seem, with proposals that go beyond
established patterns.
The creative economy operates differently than the traditional industrial
economy which shows a rigid and hierarchical behavior that is clearly divided into
the stages of origination, production, distribution and consumption. In contrast,
there is more flexibility in a creative economy, particularly in the phases of origination, distribution and consumption.
Howkins considers 15 industries in
the concept of creative economy, ranging from arts to the wide fields of science and technology. These industries,
technologies and/or sciences include art
(painting, for example); crafts; design;
fashion; film; music; performing arts
(theater, opera, dance and ballet); editing
and publishing (books and magazines);
research and development; computer
programs; toys and games, excluding
video games; television and radio; video
games; architecture and advertising.
The common denominator between all
these industries is creativity, which is both
their raw material and their most valuable
economic product. In other words, for a
product or service to be considered a byproduct of the creative economy, it has to
be the result of creativity as well as have

economic value.
However, Howkins acknowledges the
difficulties of quantifying the economic
value of creativity, which is why there
are only a few estimates.
Thus, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), that has published
a report on creative economies since
2008, global exports of creative goods
and services doubled between 2002 and
2008, reaching 592 billion usd in 2008
with an annual growth rate of approximately 14%.
August 2013
Creative economy is positive for developing countries which always struggle to access international markets in the
traditional branches of economy. For
instance, in 2008, developing countries
exported goods and services for around
176 billion usd, 43% of total trade in
the worlds creative industries that year.
That contrasts against the severe contraction of global trade in the same year,
which was 12%.
The creative economy can be an option for growth, even a means to reduce
poverty in developing countries amid the
prevailing international economic crisis.
August 2013
There are many companies

in Mexico that offer
cultural, audiovisual and
entertainment services.
For instance, in 2006,
the television content
distribution market earned
approximately 167 billion
usd and is expected to reach
251 billion in 2013.
Mexico and the Creative Industries

Mexico is the top creative economy in Latin
America, sixth among developing countries
and 18th worldwide. According to ProMxico, Mexicos trade agency, creative
industries rank fifth among the countrys
strategic sectors, behind only the aerospace,
agricultural, food and automotive sectors.
There are many companies in Mexico
that offer cultural, audiovisual and entertainment services. For instance, in 2006,
the television content distribution market
earned approximately 167 billion usd
and is expected to reach 251 billion in
2013. The advertising market is significant as well, especially considering that it
was valued at 479 billion in 2008, with
television recording the largest share.
Of Mexicos creative industries, design is the most important component,
accounting for 73%, followed by publishing (9.8%), music (5.8%), arts and crafts
(5.2%), visual arts (4.6%), new media
(1.5%) and audiovisual products (0.3%).
Other sectors are very promising in
terms of development, such as jewelry the
country is the leading silver producer in the
world fashion, leather and shoes, decoration and furniture.
One sector experiencing a sweet spot,
thanks to tax incentives provided by the
Mexican government, is film close to 70
films have been produced. Furthermore,
due to the recent boom in the industry,
some 30,000 jobs that are directly linked
to film production have been created.
According to the 2012 Statistical
Yearbook for Mexican Cinema, 67 Mexican films premiered in national theaters
and a total of 112 films were produced,
of which 63% received government support. It is important to note that in 2012,
36 Mexican films produced with government support received a total of 66
awards in international film events.
With regard to digital industries, the
use of information technology is ever expanding and will have an effect on creativity and the competitiveness of the Mexican
economy, particularly in trade, cultural
and social activities. Also of special interest is that Mexican laws are being adapted
to recognize and stimulate projects pertaining to the creative industries, opening
a window of opportunity for investors. N
*Professor and researcher in the Political
and Social Sciences Faculty, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
19
Negocios ProMxico | Mexico in the World
photo
archive
Mexico: A Strategic Partner

for NAFTAs Creative Industries
Thanks to its infrastructure, state of the art technology, scenic variety, experience, highly
skilled human capital and internationally recognized talent, Mexico is an ideal location
for the creative industries in North America.
by jos antonio peral*
The creative industries can be defined as

those that are based on individual creativity, skills and talent that combined
create value through the generation and
exploitation of intellectual property.
They are composed of the film, television, video game, animation and multimedia sectors.
According to the study Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 20092013, carried out by consulting firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the
global entertainment and media market
was worth over 1.35 trillion usd in 2008
and it is forecast to rise to approximately
1.6 trillion usd by 2013.
As the knowledge versus industrial economy continues to grow, creative
industries become more essential, since
they increase the knowledge-based job
creation engine, preparing workers for
a digital future that relies on creativity
rather than physical work.
Creative industries also represent a
significant part of many countries Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), as nations
around the globe recognize the importance of the sector to their future economic growth. For countries such as the
US and Canada, innovation is the key to
continue growing in different industries,
including the creative ones.
In the US, the creative industries have
two major influences: one cultural for
example Hollywood, sports championships and world recognized toys the
other technological innovation carried
out by companies like Google, Microsoft
and Facebook, among others. In short,
the creative industries have become one
of the largest, most dynamic and profitable sectors in the US.
For Canada, creative industries are
the backbone of the countrys innovation
20
and faster economic growth. According

to a report by the Ontario Entertainment
and Creative Cluster, only the province
of Ontario is among North Americas
top entertainment and media economies,
ranking third in employment just behind
California and New York. It is among the
worlds highest revenue generating creative
clusters and has the potential to surpass its
current status and place at the top of the
second tier of media economies.
However, that growth and specialization requires the combination of different skills, talent and experience. Ontarios six cultural industries need global
partners to reach the potential growth
that is compulsory for the sector. The
provinces six cultural industries are:
video production (film, TV, mobile and
online), music recording and publishing,
commercial theater, interactive digital
media (including mobile content), magazine publishing and book publishing.
In the case of Mexico, the country is
an ideal location for the creative industries thanks to its infrastructure, state of
the art technology, scenic variety, experience, highly skilled human capital and
internationally recognized talent. In that
sense, Mexico represents the perfect ally
for Canada to create a synergy as well as
develop a strategic partnership to reach
its true potential and competitive level
for projects in the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) region and
other countries.
Over the past 20 years, Mexico has
experienced a steady and stable growth
in its economy due to its openness to international business, which, in turn, has
led it to be ranked as one of the top three
emerging markets.
With an estimated population of 116
million people, a large and growing middle
class, and an average of 100,000 engineering and technology students graduating

every year, Mexico is a significant potential
consumer market and, more importantly,
a potential business partner for any company within the creative industries sector.
Mexico has succeeded in the creative
industries by implementing a partner
business mentality as opposed to a competitor business mentality, with the objective of complementing existing firms
to better consolidate the North American
market and to make it more competitive
regarding global standards.
According to KPMGs Guide to International Business Location Costs
2012, in terms of costs Mexico is 37.7%
more competitive in the area of software
design and 38.9% in digital entertainment compared to the US.
What the country offers through renowned companies like Baja Film Studios
(worlds largest sets and aquatic stage)
and Estudios Churubusco, among others, are potential partnerships to enhance
the creative industries productions while
offering competitive costs, in order to
strengthen the sector in the continent.
To date, both the Canadian and the
US film industries have chosen Mexico as their partner for their cinematographic projects, in comparison to the
other sectors that make up the creative
industries. Both nations film industries
have produced several award-winning
films which were filmed in Mexico. That
serves as an excellent example as to how
the cooperation between the NAFTA
countries can lead to even greater success
when Canadian and American knowhow are combined with Mexican talent.
Synergies such as that have boosted the
development of Mexicos creative industries exponentially and resulted in the
August 2013
Mexico in the World | Negocios ProMxico
creation of highly innovative projects

i.e. the planning and current building of
the Digital Creative City in Guadalajara,
Jalisco. That city is destined to house
several creative industry global giants
and to become a hub in which animation,
software, technological clusters, film and
video game companies can develop projects not only for Latin America but also
for the global market.
In the meantime, however, the remaining sectors in both the US and Canadian creative industries should not
lose the opportunity to expand into the
Mexican market via the tropicalization
of their products. After all, since Mexico
offers highly skilled talent in these kinds
August 2013
of processes, all three countries would be

creating an initial win-win partnership
that will grow into something greater
and will provide the necessary tools to
pursue highly ambitious projects in the
long run.
What is more, all of the above comes
to show that a strategic partnership between NAFTA companies will create
greater competitiveness against nonNAFTA countries for projects within
the region, which is the best alternative
NAFTA has to contend with other foreign companies. N
Mexico has succeeded in

the creative industries by
implementing a partner
business mentality as opposed
to a competitor business
mentality, with the objective of
complementing existing firms
to better consolidate the North
American market and to make
it more competitive regarding
global standards.
*Trade Commissioner of the ProMxico

office in Chicago, United States of America.
21
Negocios ProMxico | Guest Opinion
photo
archive
Guest Opinion | Negocios ProMxico
Film in Mexico:
An Industry
with a Golden Future
Mexicos geographical diversity and natural, architectural and
cultural wealth, the abundance of quality infrastructure and technical
equipment, along with the countrys creative and artistic talent, have
made it a natural set for the film industry.
by giselle otero osornio and luis esteban muiz*
The golden age of cinema in Mexico was

of huge importance for the countrys film
industry. It was a period of great social, political and cultural unrest not only in Mexico but also around the world. The Second
World War was ravaging Europe and Asia.
The US was dedicating most of its resources
to the arms trade. In that context, the Mexican film industry encountered an opportunity to offer the world something other than
the products of war.
Between 1936 and 1945 there appeared
films such as All en el Rancho Grande by
Fernando Fuentes, Ah est el detalle by Juan
Bustillo Oro and Saln Mxico by Emilio
Fernndez, which are now classics of Mexican and world cinema.
Major Hollywood studios have shot
films in Mexico that have been box office
hits not only in the US but across the globe,
thanks to the geographical, artistic and economic benefits the country offers. For example, the film Titanic by James Cameron
was produced by Twentieth Century Foxs
recently built Baja Film Studios (1996) (located in Rosarito, Baja California). The complex is home to the largest aquatic studio in
the world and has been the set for shooting
other films such as 007: Tomorrow Never
Dies by John Richardson and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Deep Blue Sea by
Renny Harlin and Warner Brothers (WB).
Foreign directors have discovered that
Mexico is a paradise for filmmaking with attractive locations and incomparable talent.
Furthermore, in recent years agreements and
incentives have been established to support
the growth of the film industry in Mexico,
leading to the development of new opportunities to facilitate the production of films in the
country. The number and variety of incentives
offered in Mexico has evolved to the extent
22
that, together with financial and tax benefits,

comparative advantages are also available relating to locations. The geographical diversity
and natural, architectural and cultural wealth
of Mexico, together with the abundance of
quality film support infrastructure and technical equipment, and the countrys creative and
artistic talent, ensure the conditions are present for numerous film success stories.
In that context, the financial and tax
incentives to consider include the Fund for
Film Production Quality (FOPROCINE),
a trust that aims to support quality cinema
with venture capital, loans, guarantees, promotion and recognition of efficiency. The
Fund for Film Investment and Promotion
(FIDECINE) is another trust that supports
production, post-production, distribution
and screenings with venture capital and
loans. Also available is the Fiscal Stimulus
for National Film Production Investment
Projects (EDICINE 226), an incentive package that grants a tax credit equivalent to the
amount invested, to be discounted against
the income tax levied during the tax year in
which the loan is agreed. All these incentives
are available through Mexican producers.
In 2010 a new incentive called Support
for High Impact Film and Audiovisual Production or Fondo ProAV was created. ProMxico, the international economic promotion agency of the Mexican government, established the program to promote the internationalization of the countrys film industry.
Fondo ProAV is designed to receive investment in audiovisual projects (film, series, animations, video games, apps and e-learning
programs), through financial reimbursement
of up to 6.5% of eligible expenditures made
and invoiced in Mexico.
However, what sets Mexico apart and
makes it truly unique in the history of cin-
ema are the number, quality and variety of its

locations, together with the existing facilities
for obtaining a range of discounts in goods
and services from state and municipal governments. Support is also offered in obtaining filming permits and the transport and
set-up of operations, to name but a few.
International film productions have
seized the countless opportunities offered by
that range of advantages. Neil Blomkamps
Elysium received support from the ProAV
fund, as did the film Colombiana by Olivier
Megaton. Turning to Mexican cinema, key
films include Amores Perros by Alejandro
Gonzlez Iarrit and Y tu mma tambin
by Alfonso Cuarn, while a number of film-
August 2013
makers continue to demonstrate their artistic

qualities: Luis Estradas El infierno; Carlos
Carreras The Crime of Father Amaro; Luis
Mandokis Innocent Voices and Carlos
Reygadass Silent Light. The internationally
recognized work of Amat Escalante who
was awarded as Best Director at the most
recent Cannes Film Festival for his film Heli
and received the Best International Film
award at the Munich Film Festival is also
worth mentioning. All of the above shows
that Mexican cinema is achieving a great
sense of drive and importance on an international level.
Bringing together all of these elements
means business opportunities will continue
August 2013
to consolidate further, perhaps to achieve

a new golden age of Mexican cinema that
leads to the flourishing of an internationally renowned, quality film industry. Mexico
is evolving and it has everything it needs to
boost the creation and development of the
national film industry. What is more, Mexico
not only offers an innovative environment
that helps create an art of ever increasing value and profit (film) but also achieves greater
universal successes. N
What sets Mexico apart and

makes it truly unique in the
history of cinema are the
number, quality and variety of
its locations, together with the
existing facilities for obtaining a
range of discounts in goods and
services from state and municipal
governments.
*Giselle Otero Osornio is an Independent film

director and Luis Esteban Muiz an independent
film producer. Both are graduates of Centro:
Diseo, Cine y Televisin.
23
Negocios ProMxico | Negocios Report
Negocios Report | Negocios ProMxico
photo archive
The National Strategy for the

Film and Audiovisual Industry:
A Road Map to the Future
ProMxico and representatives from Mexicos film and audiovisual industry
have worked on the National Strategy for Film and Audiovisual Industry, which
will be presented to Mexicos filmmaking community in the fall of 2013.
by luis archundia*
In the wake of the growing demand

for Spanish language entertainment and
cultural products with a Latin touch in
the United States and around the world,
Mexico is currently in a unique position
in the globalization of audiovisual production. The development of new digital
technologies has exponentially increased
the countrys chances to sophisticate and
deepen its participation and influence in
the industrys global value chain.
Known for its long filmmaking tradition, Mexico is a powerhouse of talent and the country has the potential
to establish itself as the worlds largest
producer of filmed entertainment and
cultural content in the Spanish language
24
across the audiovisual spectrum: locations, geostrategic position, experience,

as well as award-winning and cult-following cinematic storytellers.
While encouraging the outlook for
the country, Mexico faces a paradox:
enormous challenges in the digital age
demand that the sector gradually leaves
behind its heavy dependence on state
subsidies and develops a strong business
model that ensures constant growth and
diversification of the moving image industry (film, television, animation, video
games, new media or visual effects), in
order to formulate a new scheme with
the support and guidance of the federal
government.
For that reason, in 2010, ProMxicos Business Intelligence Unit (UIN) and
representatives from the creative community, who participated in the development of a Road Map for the Creative Industries, identified the need to establish
an ongoing dialogue with the film and
audiovisual industry. They began collecting diverse views from a Trust Group
representing the entire value chain, to
perform together a SWOT (Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats)
analysis of the sector and make proposals and public policy recommendations
to give a definite boost to the industry,
in front of the challenges posed by the
digital age. The result of that input and
August 2013
a three-year long Mexican and international industry analysis is reflected in the

National Strategy for Film and Audiovisual Industry, which will be presented to
Mexicos filmmaking community in the
fall of 2013.
The document to be published in
both digital and printed format will
show the current state of the industry.
It will include a diagnosis and concrete
proposals for an action plan to transform the current production and business model into a virtuous circle of
growth and profitability through a better
industrial integration to take advantage
of the opportunities brought by digital
technology convergence.
August 2013
This National Strategy is also a reference for the best practices of leading film
industries in the world, country cases
and sources of documentation of global
leaders in multi-disciplinary analyses of
the sector. Research on international experiences was an essential component of
the document, given that the film industry is truly global, especially in the digital age. The vision is much broader that
in the analogical times: It is not about
local theatrical performance anymore; it
is a multicultural, international, simultaneous and multiplatform industry
In that regard, the National Strategy
for the Film and Audiovisual Industry
is a road map to a forward-thinking in-
dustry which demands its players to migrate from an analogical mind frame to
a digital one; to learn and master new
and fast-changing production and business models; to know and embrace the
opportunities of the digital production
and distribution environments and to
join multidisciplinary forces to make a
global export-driven difference in mass
or niche markets.
In short, the document is designed to
tackle domestic and international challenges
and build upon its strengths, a new pathway
to a future of consolidated leadership. N
*Sector Advisor, Business Intelligence Unit
(UIN), ProMxico.
25
Negocios ProMxico | Guest Opinion
photo
courtesy of qurum
Guest Opinion | Negocios ProMxico
Creative Intelligence:
Design as an Agent
for Change in Mexico
their growth by hiring talented design artists or consultants

who can provide guidance and consulting in areas such as innovation and strategic design, offering world class experience
with a regional perspective at a local price.
In terms of business, Mexican designers have helped a
number of foreign companies to successfully expand into niche
markets ranging from premium brands, such as frozen yogurt or urban fashion clothing to mass market products. That
means that those whose business models are based on margin
or volume can benefit from the experience of local consultants
to design, build and try out prototypes or pilot businesses tapping into local talent and experts.
Other opportunities can also be found in Mexico for companies interested in developing Shared Value Creation business
models, which are aimed at impacting positively on the welfare of the local community while generating economic value
for the corporation. Such is the case of projects like Sala Uno,
which is determined to eradicate eye cataracts for disadvantaged people with excellent results in terms of quality of life
improvement and business growth.
Design is booming. Driven by a group of leading

designers, the government, the private sector and
academia, the perception of the discipline is shifting,
from the added value delivered at a product or business
level, to improvements on quality of life, education and
the environment to society as a whole.
by luis herrera rojas*
The history of design in Mexico was ignited by the 1968

Olympics that took place in the country. That was followed
in the 1980s by a wave of professionalization headed by organizations such as Qurum and the School of Industrial and
Graphic Designers of Mexico (CODIGRAM), while the third
wave of the Mexican design boom started about four or five
years ago with a number of strategic-based projects focused on
design policies, educational models and sustainable trends, led
by a number of designers across the country.
For some disciplines of design, this journey has seen an evolution to new levels of sophistication, having the project Destination: Mexico as a case in point. A joint initiative between the
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Ministry
of Economy (SE), ProMxico and the Centro design school, it
involved placing a selection of Mexican-designed products in
the museums shops for over a month to promote the countrys
perspective on design. The projects success was reflected by
the shift in perception of Mexican design and culture as expressed by hundreds of visitors and even through the online
store, which sold out within a few days of the project opening.
Towards a Design Culture
Claiming that design is everywhere is not the same as having
a strong design culture. For that to exist, government, private
sector and academic professionals need to prove the value of
design and its benefits to peoples quality of life. That may be
achieved through large-scale projects that offer high functional
and aesthetic value at low cost, such as the one developed by
Swedish-Dutch company IKEA, or through strategic design
projects involving a real democratization of design, that go beyond lifestyle to provide tangible benefits in everyday life to
a wider population, such as the government-led program Ver
Bien para Aprender Mejor (See Better to Learn Better).
To that end, Qurum, Mexicos Design Council has outlined
a design ecosystem consisting of six habitats: government, academia, the private sector, society, the professional design community and the media. Their actions must be synchronized in
order to create the conditions, attitudes, programs and results
26
that will help to provide tangible benefits to the economy, the

environment and society at large. To achieve that, Qurum is
urging the design community and other productive sectors to
see and use design not only as a set of skills but as a mindset
focused on new ways to solve old problems.
Examples of government involvement in design include
early developments on funding programs, design policies and
Integrated and Sustainable Urban Developments (DUIS) such
as the showcasing of Puebla as a design capital, Guadalajara as
a multimedia regional hub or Quertaro as a city focused on
the promotion of creative industries.
Strategic-designed initiatives impacting on peoples welfare
include projects such as Ciudad Mural by Colectivo Tomate,
August 2013
which focuses on the renewal of the social fabric in certain

neighborhoods. The strategy is complex; however, the tactics are fairly simple as they involve only a dozen paint cans
and the will of hybrid teams formed out of locals and artists
to transform these so called red zones into places for young
people and families to meet and relax. For these types of projects, design is used as part of the business model to change
behaviors, attitudes and even industries, fostering growth and
generating employment for partners, allies and suppliers alike.
Design Opportunities
Mexico offers a wide range of opportunities for foreign companies looking to venture into the national market or boost
August 2013
The Future
Mexicos future will become more promising when the six
habitats of Qurums design ecosystem align in terms of objectives and resource allocation. That will allow the country
to use design as creative intelligence to build smarter cities,
lifestyle solutions, educational systems and products that could
solve everyday problems.
On the other hand, the democratization of design should
also become an integral part of the national agenda to promote
its use at a policy level so that it is accessible to everyone. Putting these ideas into practice is an ambitious challenge that will
require boundary-breaking partnerships, determination and a
focus on clear priorities.
To that end, several design schools such as Centro, Anhuac
Norte and Centro de Estudios Superiores de Diseo de Monterrey (CEDIM) are embracing that vision through programs
aimed at giving students a broader perspective based on business, innovation and sustainability skills. The challenge for
design educators is to generate professionals trained simultaneously in problem solving and creativity. If that is pushed
forward, design will precipitate a positive change in public
perception and encourage the private sector to invest in original projects that will raise the quality of peoples lives, leading
towards a new sense of social responsibility.
The future of design in Mexico is bright, due to the trust that
many companies, schools and institutions have put on the use
of design as a strategic bridge between the productive sectors of
the country: a strategic vehicle to tell the story of a new Mexico
to the world and a strategic tool to solve the key challenges of
the nation. When that reality becomes operational, the country
will be recognized in the eyes of the world as a forward-thinking
culture that is ready to be an agent for change in as many industries as possible. N
*President of Qurum, the Mexican Design Council and partner at
MBLM, an international brand consultancy agency.
27
Negocios ProMxico | Mexicos Partner
photos
courtesy of universidad de las californias internacional
Mexicos Partner | Negocios ProMxico
A University Out of a Movie

Having a good curriculum has never been enough for the managers of a film school in Tijuana. For them, being
on the set of major productions is nothing short of fundamental.
by omar magaa
Almost any university student knows the importance

of participating in real production processes before
graduating, especially if the
experience involves heavy
responsibilities coordinated
by the best in the field.
For five years, one of the
basic goals of the film studies
program at the Universidad de
las Californias Internacional
(UDCI), operating in Tijuana
for the last 20 years, has been
to have students participate in
medium and big budget film
28
productions made along the

border. Generally, they are Hollywood productions that are
filmed close to Tijuana to make
use of natural sea and land settings, the purpose built studios
and the specialized human capital that has been formed in the
city over the last decade.
The same filmmakers that
brought the academic plan into
the Universitys menu of programs in 2008, have launched a
solid and assertive program of
agreements with governments,
producers, film studios, film
equipment rental companies
and universities, to give students
the necessary tools to train in

a profession that requires both
enormous creativity and knowledge of technical, legal and
financial guidelines.
We offer the best connections. If you are accepted into
the school, you will be involved
in a real production, says Ren
Castillo, who coordinates the
UDCIs film program.
The eight first-generation
graduates of the program and
current students have participated in feature length films
and television series, such
as Little Boy, by Alejandro
Monteverde; Americano, by
Mathieu Demy; Benjamin

Troubles, by Kai Ephron; The
Bridge, by Elwood Reid and
Meredith Stiehm; Knight of
Cups, by Terrence Malick;
Foreverland, by Max McGuire;
Workers, by Pepe Valle; Ghosts
of the Pacific, by Brian Falk;
Ah va el diablo, by Adrin
Garca Bogliano; Miele, by
Valeria Golino; Volando bajo,
by Beto Gmez and Chronicles
of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn
Treader, by Michael Apted.
That is possible and Castillo emphasizes this as one of the
schools main advantages over
other film faculties in Mexico
August 2013
While the program gives significant weight to

theoretical training with a focus on screenplay,
production and business, Castillo and his
academic partners believe that it is crucial,
even natural, that students who have already
completed their fifth term get hands-on practice,
especially in a region where documentaries and
commercial and film productions with significant
budgets are being made throughout the year.
thanks to our border location,
where students can travel freely between Tijuana and Los
Angeles, where they can get,
for example, equipment from
Hollywood Rentals, one of
the largest suppliers in the US,
at no cost thanks to an agreement with UDCI. Another pact
with Baja Studios the set for
James Camerons Titanic in
the late 1990s ensures that
their doors will always be
open to students working on
practical assignments during
the program.
Several other good links
between the UDCIs film
school and universities such as
Jinan in Guangzhou (Guangdong, China), Oviedo (Spain),
Cienfuegos (Cuba), Catlica
de Honduras, Francisco de
Paula Santander Ocaa (Colombia) and the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisin
de San Antonio de los Baos
(Cuba) are opening up new
opportunities for academic exchange for students. The UDCI
is about to consolidate a plan
with Jinan University for 10
film students to travel to China and 10 Chinese students to
visit Tijuana to develop a film
project in which each culture
will portray the other.
While the program gives
significant weight to theoretical training with a focus
on screenplay, production
August 2013
and business the basis of

the 63 courses that students
must complete during nine
four-month terms (three
years) Castillo and his academic partners believe that it
is crucial, even natural, that
students who have already
completed their fifth term get
hands-on practice, especially
in a region where documentaries and commercial and
film productions with significant budgets are being made
throughout the year.
Continuous Practice
The school can guarantee that
new students will have the
same, if not more, opportunities than earlier generations.
The UDCI is building its own
film set in its Santa Fe campus,
close to the beaches of Tijuana
and a post production room in
another facility.
Furthermore, students and
faculty will be involved in the
production of a feature film in
the Guadalupe Valley, based
on the screenplay of one of
their students, and another
couple of projects from the US
and Argentina.
In addition, they are to
coordinate the Corto Creativo
festival that the UDCI has
been holding for 10 years,
and which marked the beginning of the program, and
prepare their participation in
the Tijuana Innovadora 2014

exhibition, where they will be
in charge of the film section, as
they were in 2012.
A Boost to the Industry
from Academia
Several initiatives by the
UDCIs film school, state and
local governments as well as
the private sector are seeking
to recover the momentum of
investments in film productions experienced along the
Mexico-US border after Titanic and the establishment
of Baja Studios. When large
production companies decide
to come to Tijuana, Rosarito
or Mexicali, explains Castillo,
the image of the region improves around the world and
that translates into economic
benefits for people in the area
and professional opportunities
for new film graduates.
The UDCIs film school
was very active in the consultation and analysis process of
the Law for the Promotion,
Support and Development
of the Film and Audiovisual
Industry of the State of Baja
California, which was published in the Official Gazette
of the Baja California State
Government on September 20,
2010. Furthermore, professors
of the program are on the Film
Consultation Board of Baja
California and are conducting
an investigation requested by
the State Film Commission,
which is part of the state Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR),
aimed at showing whether the
economic impact of the film
industry in the region is equal
to or higher than in other areas, such as medical tourism.
The University was also
involved in an investigation on
the effects of the Free Trade
Agreement on the Mexican
film industry, led by a team of
researchers from Penn States
Center for Global Studies,
coordinated by Dr. Sophia A.
McClennen. The collaboration
paid off, to the point where
UDCI professors have presented
their experiences and findings in
Pennsylvania on the fervor for
film that has erupted along the
Mexico-US border in the last
decade. Meanwhile, Penn State
professors could join the list
of guest lecturers who visit the
University from other institutions in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Mexico City.
According to Castillo,
Tijuana has everything it
takes to build a Vancouverstyle film complex a city that
became a prime destination
for productions and formed,
from that, the human capital
required to advance projects
with a local seal. N
www.udc.com.mx
29
photos
Boxel: Exporting
Quality Creativity
This Tijuana-based company has a perfect understanding
of what is needed to be successful in an increasingly global
market in which Mexico has huge opportunities: creativity.
by omar magaa
The visual content firm Boxel

has set itself a goal that is an
example to every new creative
endeavor in Mexico: to comply with international quality
standards in terms of processes, product delivery and
products themselves.
Because for ideas, concepts
and anything else resulting
from creative work to set in
motion the virtuous cycle that
creates industry, moves capital
and generates jobs, quality is
of the essence.
Andrs Reyes, founder
and CEO of Boxel, believes
that idea has been the key to
making his company one of

the main suppliers to the US
entertainment industry from
Tijuana, Baja California.
Boxel has its own competitive advantages over other
firms in Mexico that produce
latest-generation visual content cartoons, feature films or
3D images for video games
like its closeness to the worlds
largest supply and demand
center, the bilingualism of its
human capital and the deep
cultural exchange that takes
place along the border. But at
the end of the day, the companys success has been pos-
sible thanks to the eagerness of

Reyes and his partners who
embarked on this adventure in
1998 to match their way of
doing things with the leading
economies of this sector.
The difference between
the US and Mexico does not
lie in the ability to do things
but in the ability to guarantee
quality, believes Reyes.
Having solved this, Boxel
has been able to position itself
as a reliable and profitable option for US corporations that
sign agreements with studios
located on the other side of the
world in an effort to lower production costs. That is how Boxel
has written its own outstanding
history of organic growth and
consecutive successes.
Reyes started out as a
freelancer, taking jobs that
required knowledge on interactive presentation and web page
development. His work earned
him an excellent reputation in
the region; so much so that, in
courtesy of boxel
time, he had to partner up with

his brother, a programmer and a
designer to bear the work load.
In 2006 there were eight people
working in the company.
At some point, the partners
understood that they could
export their products, while
firms on the other side of the
border saw an excellent ally
in this group of entrepreneurs.
Someone in San Diego realized
that people in Tijuana were doing things with the same quality
as in the US but at lower costs,
explains Reyes.
Boxel is currently a studio
with its own facilities, infrastructure and a workforce of
27 people.
The Advantage
of Talent Training
Boxels brand comprises two
large areas: a studio that offers visual solutions for export and a training and specialization center for young
talent with basic preparation
in design, communications,
marketing, architecture, plastic arts and film, among other
disciplines.
The areas are mutually
supportive. Boxel Workshops,
the companys training center, uses the studios technology to find, first-hand, people
with creativity and training
in the processes they need to
ensure a privileged spot in
the industry.
Between 2006 and 2013,
400 young people have come
through Boxels doors. Some
of them become part of the
firms team after graduating,
either temporarily or permanently, while others establish
their own companies elsewhere in the country or join
large projects abroad.
Human resources are
extremely important in this
industry. You have to really
know who you will be working with because you often
30
August 2013
August 2013
get involved in long projects,

says Reyes. Thus, Boxel
Workshops achieves two
goals simultaneously: improving the academic training of
future creative professionals
and increasing the chances to
renew its workforce or grow
as new orders come in.
I am positive that this
will be the industry that
will fight unemployment in
Mexico and strengthen the
countrys social relations with
the world. It is a key sector
for the global economy, affirms Reyes.
The Challenges
India, the Philippines, Romania, China and Korea are
competing to get the largest
slice of a market pie valued at
170 million usd, according to
Reyes estimates.
Large studios in the US
have found opportunities
in these countries to lower
production costs, by developing their infrastructure and

human capital for specific
projects. According to Reyes,
some studios have opted to
send specialized staff to these
nations to train and oversee
the work instead of financing
large workforces in their own
studios. He adds that many
of them have discovered that
is not always a viable option
because the physical distance
from the parent firm complicates reviewing and correcting processes, therefore
extending the delivery times
of the projects.
This is exactly where
Boxel comes in: as the best
solution for US production
companies. With us, projects
are authorized at the second review. And if there is a
problem, we can be with our
clients and solve it personally.
We are two hours away from
Los Angeles, he boasts.
He adds that the cost of

living in Mexico is lower than
in the US, reducing payroll
numbers while guaranteeing
respectable salaries for Mexican creative professionals.
Our work might not be 80%
cheaper than Indias but it can
still be 40% lower [than in the
US] and my colleagues make a
good living, says Reyes.
He concludes by saying
that the country has everything
to become the strategic collaborator to the US and Canada in
this sector. He believes governments are analyzing and understanding the importance of
the industry and are beginning
to understand that investments
must be allocated to training
and certifying talent to make
Mexico the leading player, the
one that produces better work,
in less time and at more competitive costs. N
www.boxelinteractive.com
31
photo
Astrolol Conquers
Space in iTunes
In less than two weeks, Skyport, a video game created
by the Mexican firm Astrolol, became a favorite among
Apple iTunes users, with over 25,000 downloads.
The game focuses on

a micro transaction model;
players earn Aircoins they can
invest to expand their airport
and collect more aircraft. It
is very simple but for us, Skyport has achieved one of its
main goals, since it got us our
first investor says Casanova.
archive
The company maintained

itself with its own limited
resources during Astrolols
first takeoff in 2012. Two
graphic artists, one designer
and Casanova were all that
was needed for Skyport to be
launched into the Appstore
in 2013.
Our investor is from

Monterrey but instead of
diving into Skyport we went
on to create a new project
relevant to what players want
right now adds Casanova.
Having worked at Digital
Chocolate Trip Hawkins business, who built Electronic Arts,
by antonio vzquez
In early July 2013, Astrolol, a

Mexican mobile device entertainment company, launched
its video game Skyport on
iTunes, which in less than
three weeks has been valued
at 364,230 usd, more than
double the initial investment,
by SensorTower. That is a
goal that no other Mexican
IP has achieved in the Apple
iTunes AppStore.
The game has been given
a four star average on the
five star rating that iTunes
customers can award an application.
Astrolol is a Mexican
business created in 2012.
While still very young, the
company is supported by the
experience of its CEO, Francisco Casanova Parra, who
for four years led Digital
Chocolate Mexico, an international mobile device game
firm founded in 2003, with
offices in the US, Spain, Finland and India.
Digital Chocolate began
a process of optimizing resources and shut its branch
in Mexico. Before it closed,
I began working on a new
project, like Astrolol, and
that is how Skyport was conceived, recalls Casanova.
Skyport is a Farmvilletype game that became famous on Facebook in which
players collect airplanes,
send them around the world,
invest money and purchase
new planes until completing
a fleet with different aircraft.
32
3DO, worked on the famous

franchise Madden and designed
games such as Rollercoaster
Rush 3D, Beach Mini Golf or
Kings & Warlords gave this
young entrepreneur the right set
of tools to launch Astrolol.
Having studied in the Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA)
and the Tecnolgico de Monterrey (ITESM) two of the

leading private education institutions in Mexico Francisco
Casanova founded Digital
Chocolate in Mexico in 2009.
Since then and until 2012,
he led several game projects
for iTunes and other platforms
such as Android, Facebook,
Google Games, Spill and so on.
The difference between
Astrolol and other companies
is the knowledge behind it,
claims Casanova. Being part
of Digital Chocolate opened
new doors for us internationally. But the work system we
are implementing is different
from other places. We offer
our collaborators the chance
to earn more money within
the company. We want a deep
commitment from every person and in our six months as
a new business, we offer consulting in addition to game
projects, helping the firm and
its employees to grow, he
asserts.
Casanova explains that Astrolols confidence in its video
game apps for iTunes lies in the
innovation in gameplay and
relevant business models that
are of interest to Apple users.
Every company does it;
we look for our own market
niche, especially to create empathy with large brands. Its
part of our growth strategy,
says Casanova.
After Skyport, the firm will
launch Monster Pop Diary,
which will closely resemble
Candy Crush a famous mobile social game.
In the future, Astrolol plans
to create more projects that
attract investors and continue,
via outsourcing, to offer consulting services to companies
that design apps for Apple,
with strong brands that people
love and can have fun with. N
www.astrolol.com
August 2013
August 2013
33
photo
Gran Tiki Games:

for the Best
Agreements
The conquest of interactive televisions through video
games is brewing in western Mexico. Gran Tiki Games
is part of the new digital entertainment trend and it is
surging forward.
by omar magaa
Gran Tiki Games is a Mexican startup with five years

of experience. During that
time, it has focused on exporting its video games using
the platforms of the largest
video game distributors in
the world.
This company with global

aspirations is located in Guadalajara, Jalisco, where there
has been an important boom
in information technology and
entertainment in recent years.
Fifteen employees work in its
head office but a large part of
its production is done through

networking, the in-vogue collaboration system that enables
it to integrate the creativity and
know-how of some 10 experts
that join the companys video
game creation process from the
US, Canada and Spain.
The firm, headed by Ivn
Daz de Len, began developing
video games with a project on
Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa
for the Nintendo Wii, which
involved some fifty Mexican
and Dutch developers.
Today, Gran Tiki Games
products have found an outlet
that the industry would not
have contemplated five years
ago: smart televisions. The
company has a contract with
Samsung to create over 40
video games in Spanish, English and Portuguese.
archive
In these five years, the

studio has had the chance to
learn about several niches
and business opportunities.
It is important to follow,
understand and develop the
trends, says Daz de Len.
He explains that when the
business began, gaming companies believed that consoles
would reign but now we
know that video games have
huge chances of reaching
the markets through mobile
phones, tablets and digital
entertainment televisions.
Gran Tiki Games has
followed closely the path of
global trends and has positioned its products on Facebook, Apple and Androidbased devices, PlayStation Vita
and now Samsungs smart
televisions. According to the
firms CEO, its strategy was to

review and learn how business
opportunities were created in
international markets, especially through the examples
of countries such as Canada,
Germany, the US, Sweden, the
Netherlands and Spain, where
some companies have more
than 20 years of experience.
The next steps in this
sector-recognition dynamic
August 2013
Our added value [as a

Mexican industry compared to
other countries] is the existing
creativity and talent. The third
point we need is marketing
and distribution. It is one of
the niches we need to work
on, he explains.
In addition, Mexico has
federal and state funds to
launch this type of firm, although companies like Gran
Gran Tiki Games has followed closely the path of global trends and has
positioned its products on Facebook, Apple and Android-based devices,
PlayStation Vita and now Samsungs smart televisions.
were training, certification,
networking, securing their first
important project Nintendo
in this case to catapult them
and, more recently, exhibiting in international shows to
introduce themselves to potential customers.
We ventured into Nintendos ecosystem and onto
platforms that did not exist in Mexico. They saw the
country as a consumer zone
instead of a development
zone. We were a milestone,
boasts Daz de Len.
International Showcase
Ivn Daz de Len, who is also
head of the Mexican Federation for the Development of
the Video Game Industry
(mexicodevgames.org), believes that the international
shows that his business has
attended with ProMxicos
support are the ideal venue for
meeting customers that will
take their products to new
markets.
He explains that Gran
Tiki Games wants to venture
34
into the US, Brazil and German markets and to do so it

intends to make contact at
every show with the largest
content distributors such as
Electronic Arts and Apple,
medium-sized companies that
establish work agreements
via outsourcing and companies committed to team
work, mainly from Spain,
Holland and Germany that
August 2013
have investments for this

type of project.
For a Mexican firm to be
hired by a foreign one, there
must be certain levels of quality, commitment, responsibility
and professionalism, states
Daz de Len.
Shared Achievements
Daz de Lens position in the
Mexican Federation for the
Development of the Video
Game Industry makes him an
agreement manager for the
sector. I see opportunities in
the industry for Mexican companies to benefit and further
their business, he says.
According to his numbers, there are currently more
than 80 video game developers in Mexico, although there
are some other groups of
creative developers that are
not constituted as companies
(Sociedad Annima or S.A.).
Together, and with the support of several universities,
these businesses are creating
the human capital required to
grow the sector in Mexico.
Tiki Games strive to maintain

their operations through third
party sales and attracting private investors capital. Some
people see the potential of
the video game industry. The
worlds market is worth 67
billion usd, he reveals.
Gran Tiki Games which
has created games such as
Candy Crew, an adventure
with extraterrestrials and candies; Ninja Kisu, a reaction
game; ED Zombie, a tower
defense game; Tiki Idol, a
development for Facebook in
which a toy company from
North Carolina participated,
and other games with various
themes has seen itself as a
sustainable firm since day one.
Every company needs to
work hard. Corporations that
have been immensely successful have done so in 10 years or
more. In any case, I believe it
is important to keep ones feet
on the ground and be professional in any enterprise, concludes Daz de Len. N
www.grantikigames.com
35
photos
Motion Control:
a Transmedia Company
For over two decades, Motion Control has evolved
harmoniously alongside technological change. The
Mexican firm offers products and services for the film
world to video games for mobile devices.
by antonio vzquez
Roberto Rochin, CEO of

Motion Control, defines the
company as a transmedia business able to contribute technological products and services
for film, television, mobile
devices and culture. We are a
transmedia company: we create and develop products with
multiple technologies, such as
games and multi-platform ap-
36
plications, commercials, films

and interactive facilities for
museums, he explains.
Twenty years after the
firm was created, Rochin
has achieved every one of
his goals. Twenty five years
ago, before he opened his
business, Rochin submerged
himself in the historical and
anthropological research of
the ball game played by MesoAmerican cultures in what is

now Mexico.
A quarter of a century
later, Motion Control has
brought to Apple touch-screen
mobiles the Pok ta pok app
(www.poktapokgames.com),
which recreates the ball game
played by civilizations such as
the Mayas, Aztecs and Olmecs
thousands of years ago.
Our company is deeply
rooted in Mexican culture
and its sights are set on new
technology innovations. Our
creations like Pok ta pok,
which is available for iOS and
in the process of migrating to
a mobile multi-platform, in
addition to a version of Kinect
and a multiplayer PC, is the
only game that recreates the
original Mexican ball game
courtesy of motion control
from over 3,000 years ago,

he clarifies.
With colorful and finely
detailed graphs, Pok ta pok is
the clear technological image
of the ancient Pre-Hispanic
game. Its 11 characters have
names like Cuauhtmoc,
Xchitl and Tlloc, which allude to personas and gods of
the ancient Meso-American
cultures.
Pok ta pok jump, leap,
jump in Mayan is Roberto
Rochins lifes work. Twenty
five years ago he made a film
of the ball game, whose impact has lasted until now.
I made that movie 25
years ago, and I always
dreamed of adapting it to an
interactive game. Many have
tried to create an app or a
video game of the ancient ball
game but couldnt get them
published, he boasts.
Rochin also claims that
he led all the research on
the ball game, until I made it
into a fun and attractive video game that maintains the
cultural essence of Mexico.
The challenge was to make
Pok ta pok a modern and fun
game that also represented
Mexico: a ball game as universal as tennis itself.
Rochin points out that
Pok ta pok was created and
developed by Mexican engineers and artists at Locomocion3d, Motion Controls
video game division. The
only foreign contribution was
from a group of advisors that
helped perfect the game play
which is what makes a game
technologically fun to play
and easy to grasp.
For the businessman,
Mexicos geographic location
is an advantage for companies that create technological
products for the film and
video game industry.
The monitoring and
contact we have with foreign
companies that hire our services is fluent and agile. We
August 2013
have always been convinced

of the talent and resources
in Mexico. Our business has
the infrastructure required by
any modern studio, to attract
producers from the US and
the rest of the continent, he
states.
In the film world, Motion
Control has an outstanding
reputation. Motion control
services computer-controlled
camera movements offered
by the company have been
hired for films such as Frida,
with Mexican actress Salma
Hayek, Apocalypto, directed
by Mel Gibson, and The Arrival, with actor Charlie Sheen.
With an academic background in film schools in Los
Angeles, Roberto Rochin has
August 2013
achieved what few people in

the industry have: to expand
the horizons of a corporation
that today offers film, commercial production, spots and
music videos, video game development and museum infrastructure services.
We are working to concentrate everything in a virtual
set that serves to make visual
effects and images with motion control, with new robots
and, in that way, combine all
the technology we have, says
Rochin, who believes that
most of Motion Controls
success stems from its roots
in Mexican culture and close
relationships with other companies in the US, France and
Argentina.
With colorful and finely detailed graphs, Pok ta

pok is the clear technological image of the ancient
Pre-Hispanic game. Its 11 characters have names
like Cuauhtmoc, Xchitl and Tlloc, which
allude to personas and gods of the ancient MesoAmerican cultures.
The perspective for the

sector in Mexico is extremely
good. Technology is part of
the life of any consumer seeking entertainment and utility
tools and Mexico is prepared
to offer just that, concludes
Rochin. N
www.motioncontrol.com.mx
37
photos
courtesy of don porfirio
Puigs experience at Big

Studios enabled him to establish commercial relations
with studios in North America. Our former employers
are now our customers or
collaborators. They send us
many of their projects and
they outsource to us because
they are confident that we
will develop them well, from
creation, he asserts.
Puig explains that this is
the ideal time for companies
that work on motion graphics and broadcast design to
establish their business in
Mexico. Compared to almost
13 years ago, when he graduated from university, todays
graduates from specialized
Mexican education institutions are both talented and
capable of satisfying the demands of the global market.
There used to be no
education options or companies where you could learn
and apply animation. Today,
many universities focus on
animation we frequently
work with students from cities such as Puebla and Guadalajara and we see a new
wave of Mexican animators
and designers, states Puig.
We have a broader view
of the animation market in
Mexico. Other countries
look for talent in both the
creative and technical areas
and that opens many opportunities because it is an unexplored market (...) There
is a significant amount of
investment abroad, there are
channels and programs that
redesign their image, television networks that want
to be on a par with others
such as ESPN. We want to
introduce all that and more
in Mexico, in film productions and broadcast design,
he adds.
Don Porfirio:
International
Television Animation
from Mexico
Established only three years ago, this Mexican studio
annually produces television animation projects for
international audiences in the US and Canada.
by antonio vzquez
Whenever you tune into a

program on channels such
as ESPN, NBC Sports, CBC
Sports, MLB Network or
BBC Entertainment, you
enter the world of Don Porfirio, a Mexican studio that
specializes in animation, motion graphics and broadcast
design for television.
Approximately 40% of
the companys annual production which is located in the
city of Mrida, in the state of
Yucatn is developed for international audiences, mainly
in the US and Canada.
Don Porfirio was created
in 2010 by its now CEO
Roberto Puig, who had just
graduated as a graphic designer and decided to pursue
a Masters Degree in visual
effects in Toronto, Canada.
In 2003, after finishing
his postgraduate studies, he
began working for Big Studios, a globally renowned
motion graphics firm.
For over six years he absorbed as much knowledge
as possible from one of the
global companies that has
left its mark in television
graphics, such as those that
appear during the National
Football Leagues (NFL)
Monday Night Football.
38
For several years I

worked on projects for many
renowned customers such as
ABC, ESPN, the Super Bowl,
the National Basketball Associations (NBA) image,
other things for the NFL,
the National Hockey League
(NHL) and the Major League
Baseball (MLB) Networks
image. I was involved in many
of these assignments and led
many others, says Puig.
Around 2009, after gaining more maturity and experience in television animation,
Puig decided to return to
Mexico. The new setting for
Don Porfirio would be the
city of Mrida, in an effort to
drive the decentralization of
the industry in Mexico.
One of my main interests in coming back was to
support the industry in other
places, to help decentralize
things; many cities, such as
Guadalajara and Mrida, are
booming. Even so, nowadays,
physical location is different.
We are living proof of that
because we manage projects
for international markets, so
we have business meetings
through Skype or other digital media. We never actually
physically meet many of our
customers, explains Puig.
August 2013
August 2013
With only three years,

eight employees and close
to 20 projects a year, Don
Porfirio is one of the top 10
animation studios in Mexico.
What is more, the local specialized press has ranked it
among the 100 most notable
national creative projects.
In recent months we
have completed some important projects. For instance,
we did the graphic package
for Top Gears Engine Block
show, by BBC Entertainment, and we also did some
work for the NFLs Monday
Night Football, among others, boasts Puig, who adds
that one of the advantages
of being an animation company operating from Mexico
is that it offers the level of
quality demanded by the
international market, at a
much lower cost.
Don Porfirios staff works
from a commercial relations office in Mexico City,
a creative office in Mrida
and spends from one to two
months on each project.
Its been interesting to
see how the borders have
disappeared and how customers trust us even if we are
far away, says Puig.
According to Don Porfirios CEO, the firm plans to
grow in both infrastructure
and professional personnel in
the future. We will start out
with a considerable investment strategy to train people
working in the studio. We
want to penetrate other fields
such as character animation,
television series, film and
video games and we want to
have the infrastructure and
knowledge to apply them to
new products for other markets, he concludes. N
donporfirio.tv
39
photos
The Challenge of
Telling a Good Story
Machete Producciones was established in 2008 and has
since produced four films and received several awards at
Cannes.
by karla garduo
Machete Producciones raison

detre is the search for stories.
While it may seem like stating
the obvious for a film production company, it is the real goal
it has managed to achieve project after project: to tell stories
that are different, daring and
worth remembering.
Since its creation in 2008,
the production firm, formed
by Edher Campos and Luis
Salinas, has pushed steadily
along a path that has led them
to produce four films, receive
two awards at the Cannes Film
Festival and raised their name
to a high standard.
Machete was created by
Campos and Salinas and
was named after a tool that
evokes protest, defense and
also hard work.
The Startup: Ao Bisiesto
The time came when we
asked ourselves why we were
making films that we didnt
like, that were not ours, that
we got premiered but all our
efforts were not channeled into
something we really wanted to
do, remembers Campos.
The script for Ao Bisiesto
was a good reason to launch
Machete Producciones. It was
a profound story of loneliness
that dug deep into a sadomasochistic relationship and
posed an interesting challenge
for these rookie producers.
Furthermore, it was the films
director and screenwriter Michael Rowes first work.
Getting the resources was
far from easy, according to
Campos, but the project finally
moved forward with the help
40
of an interdisciplinary group of
young people and experienced
producers.
That is always a strategy
for getting good feedback,
says the producer.
The film was finished in
2009 and was selected for the
Cannes Festival Directors Fortnight in 2010. It was received
well by critics and it won the
Camra dOr, the award to the
best opera prima by a director.
It was the first time that a film
made in Mexico had received
the accolade.
It is a universal story that
could happen anywhere. What
is interesting, and the challenge
in telling it, is that it all happens
inside an apartment. People can
identify with the story and not
necessarily because they have
been through it. The topic of
loneliness touches very sensitive
fibers, explains Campos.
courtesy of machete producciones
of the official selection. The film

opened in theaters early in 2013
and has been in festivals in Israel, Spain, Holland and India.
That is where you discover
that every film has its own cycle,
its own circuit and its own audience, affirms Campos.
prima that deals with the Electra complex in a very delicate

way, according to Campos. Cecilia Surez stars as a woman
who discovers, after her fathers
death, that he was the person
who complemented her.
It is a very risky proposal
and, once again, funding it was
quite difficult. But we worked
closely with Grupo Modelo
and they became interested in
the film. We created a great
synergy with them and we were
surprised that they would be
interested in a project with an
independent proposal, explains Campos.
Nos Vemos Pap was first
shown at the Morelia Film
Festival in 2012. It then went
to premiere at the Karlovy Vary
festival in the Czech Republic,
where it was the only Latin
American film that formed part
La Jaula de Oro:
A Huge Challenge
When Ao Bisiesto was presented in Cannes, the producers
met Diego Quemada-Dez, a
Spaniard living in Mexico who
showed them his project La
Jaula de Oro, a testimonial of
South American immigrants
who go to the US; another opera prima and another interesting story for Machete.
They partnered up with
another producer, Inna Payn,
who risked traveling from Guatemala to Wyoming by train
A Bet on Operas Primas

With Ao Bisiesto, Machete
set high goals. It was a wise
move for the production company. The film was sold in over
30 countries and in Mexico it
played in commercial theaters
with only 12 copies and was
seen by close to 50,000 spectators unlike large productions
that screen up to 200 copies.
The Mexican film market
is very uncertain. Mexican
audiences are very demanding but you never know what
can attract or interest them,
reflects Campos.
After returning from
Cannes, Machete began its
second production, Nos Vemos
Pap, Luca Carreras opera
to make the film that included

close to 700 immigrants and
so-called non-actors people
who are not strangers to the
creative world but who are not
professional actors.
Machetes new production was also selected at
Cannes in 2013, as part of
Un Certain Regard, where it
obtained the Italian critics
award and the French press
award. It also received the
best cast ensemble award
from the official selection.
La Jaula de Oro will be
released in five European countries by the end of 2013 and has
currently been selected for over
15 international film festivals.
And then,
a Romantic Comedy
And while all is happening, the
firm is in the postproduction
phase of its fourth project, a coproduction with the Czech Republic. When Nos Vemos Pap
was screened at the Karlovy
Vary festival, some Czech producers presented Machete with
a completely different project:
a romantic comedy that takes
place during Christmas.
The possibility of expanding the horizon of such a
distant market Central European was, in itself, a good
reason to take on the challenge.
Plus, they had the opportunity
of shooting in Prague with two
Mexican actresses, Dolores
Heredia and Aisslinn Derbez,
starring in the film.
It is a light comedy that
also has a strong dramatic
edge. It is about a Mexican
family that goes to Prague because the father is a Czech who
left his country 30 years ago,
reveals Campos, excited at the
idea of exploring a new genre.
Little Baby Jesus, Czech
director Lenka Knys second
film, is expected to be a huge
success in commercial theaters. Campos explains that it
will all depend on the publicity, convinced of the need for
a media strategy to ensure a
successful film.
It is important to let
people know that a film exists
because often, when people
find out, the film is no longer
playing. I have learned that
you need at least three months
of campaigning for people to
discover that a Mexican movie
is going to open.
Thanks to distribution
companies that have conquered
spaces for Mexican film, and
the talent of many young creators, Mexicos film industry is
doing well.
The industry is in a sweet
spot. Mexican films have resurfaced and we must not lose the
box office; we must offer audiences a wide variety of choices,
concludes Campos. N
www.macheteproducciones.com
August 2013
August 2013
41
The Rebirth of
a Titanic Company
Mexicos border region regains its position as the ideal
destination for big budget productions. Baja Studios,
one of the major drivers of that dynamism, is more active
than ever.
photo
courtesy of baja studios
by omar magaa
While the bow of the Titanic,

the legendary British liner,
never resurfaced, Baja Studios,
the locations off the coast of
Baja California where director James Cameron filmed his
blockbuster about the final
hours of the ill-fated ship
between 1996 and 1997, has
once again fired up the engines
after a few years at a relative
standstill.
The films Little Boy, by
Alejandro Monteverde (Mexico-US, 2013), All is Lost, by
J.C. Chandor (US, 2013) and
Ghosts of the Pacific, by Brian
Falk (in filming), have given a
new impulse to the studios on

the international film market.
We are working with
ProMxico to find ways to
improve the program [Support for High Impact Film and
Audiovisual Production, or
ProAV, created in 2010] and
increase our competitiveness
compared to other countries,
affirms Kurt Honold, one of
the partners at the Baja California corporation which in
2007 acquired the 20th Century Fox studios built in 1996
for the filming of Titanic.
He explains that tightening
the screws of the program with
the help of Mexican authorities and top US producers, and

also with film companies from
Mexico and the rest of the
world, is a priority for bringing big budget productions
back to the Mexico-US border;
productions that guarantee a
significant economic spillover
in the region with every shoot,
especially in the service sector.
In an article published
in the Los Angeles Times in
January 2012, Richard Marosi,
speaking about the rebirth of
Baja Studios, recalled that period in the late 90s and early
this century, when hotels and
condos in Rosarito were fully
occupied by the cast and crew
of films such as Titanic (1997),
Pearl Harbor (2001) and Master and Commander: The Far
Side of the World (2003).
The numbers revealed since
Titanic was filmed show that
20th Century Fox invested
approximately 50 million usd
to build the studios with some
of the largest water tanks for
filming in the world and various sets. Titanic put the site
and the studios in the center of
big movie making and other
productions followed. That

brought in a lot of income
from film for the area and created a series of new, well-paid
jobs, says Honold.
The incentives sought by
fine tuning ProAV which initially refunded companies up to
17.5% of total shooting expenses if they amounted to at least
70 million pesos or 5.5 million
usd, or post- production costs,
if they reached 20 million pesos
or 1.5 million usd, reduced in
December 2012 from 70 to 40
million pesos or 3.1 million usd
in production and from 20 to
10 million pesos or 785,000
usd in post-production could
put Baja Studios and Mexico
in a good position compared to
other countries like Australia,
New Zealand, Hungary, Great
Britain and Spain, which are
currently the most attractive
destinations for film investment.
We have the potential to
become the best but if the bottom line is not enough, its not
enough, states Honold, who
insists that at the end of the
day every film company will
want to lower costs to a minimum and recover, as far as pos-
sible, the filming expenses. The

location that guarantees that
will be the winner. We must
be like the other countries to
ensure that the deciding factor
is only closeness, he adds.
A Good Recovery
In spite of setbacks, Honold,
who represents the group
of investors that decided to
reopen and support Baja
California once again as the
ideal destination for large
film productions, is confident
that the challenge is worth
the effort. We saw that, at
the time, it created a very
important economy in the
region, he declares.
Honold reveals that during its peak, the studios created human capital specialized
in production work and involved teams from around the
country which, to him, can
only be seen as positive. In
addition, he says that the fact
that companies have the confidence to bring their shoots
to a city or region improves
the image of those sites internationally because it speaks
to their social stability.
The know-how acquired

over the years, the closeness to
Hollywood and lodging and
food services available in the
region, are some of the arguments used by Baja Studios to
negotiate with large producers, beyond its state-of-theart facilities on the Mexican
Pacific, where other films like
Tomorrow Never Dies, MGM
(1997); In Dreams, DreamWorks (1999); Deep Blue
Sea, Warner Brothers (1999);
Weight of Water, Phoenix Pictures (2000); Kung Pow, Fox
(2002) and music videos, television series, commercials and
TV movies have been made.
We are trying to create a
post-production center at the
studios with a few universities.
We are working together with
universities, who will supply
the talent, ProMxico, who will
obtain the financing, and us,
who will contribute the facilities. In that way, when a large
production comes knocking on
our door, we will be able to hire
people to train in our worldclass studios, ends Honold. N
www.bajafilmstudios.com
The know-how acquired

over the years, the
closeness to Hollywood
and lodging and food
services available in the
region, are some of the
arguments used by Baja
Studios to negotiate with
large producers, beyond
its state-of-the-art facilities
on the Mexican Pacific.
42
August 2013
August 2013
43
Redrum:
The Shining lights
of the Mexican Film
Industry
Redrum is the Mexican film production company of Stacy
Perskie and Adrian Grunberg. The business was born only
four years ago but already it has a list of successes that
is the envy of many major production firms.
by graeme stewart
For many film buffs those

movie addicts that love to
pore over every factoid of
film making and who can
be identified as those last to
leave the movie theater as
they study every word on the
end credits there has been
a new name occurring ever
more frequently in contemporary films.
photos courtesy of redrum
That name is Redrum, a

moniker that has appeared
often enough on recent film
credits to have Silver Screen
Nerds scuttling home to
google the name in a bid to
discover more about this latest arrival in the labyrinthine
world of film production.
Redrum has not been a
secret to movie fans in Mexi-
co as the rise of the company

has been well documented in
the pages of this magazine
and many more. But to those
inhabitants of the Golden
Divans outside of Mexico, the
success of Redrum has come
as something of a surprise.
Yet they shouldnt be too
surprised, for hard work and
quality often leads to success
and, as the saying goes, the
cream always rises to the top.
For that is what you get with
Redrum quality and hard
work mixed with lots of fun
and pride.
The two men behind
Redrum are Stacy Perskie
and Adrian Grunberg. They
have become highly rated as
producers, writers and directors yet maintain a boyish
enthusiasm for their careers
that suggests, and I hope they
dont mind this being said,
that if they hadnt been lucky
Mexico has really

stepped its game up in
terms of film making.
In matters of talent and
professionalism, it is
hard to beat what is on
offer in Mexico. There
used to be around
15 films a year made
south of the border
but now we are seeing
something like 60
movies a year being
shot here, says Perskie.
enough to work in the film industry, they would be two of

the nerdiest film buffs around.
Take, for example, Perskies interview with Negocios
in which his sheer joy at being
involved in the film industry
shines through.
Really, Adrian and I are
just a couple of friends who
like to watch and make movies, both of which we happen
to be great at! We created
Redrum in 2009 and we took
the name from the film The
Shining, a masterpiece of film
making. Redrum read backwards is murder, which is
what we were willing to commit to make films. Long before
Redrum, we worked with a
bunch of directors of unquestionable talent. Oliver Stone,
Jim Jarmusch, Sam Mendes,
Tony Scott, Julie Taymor,
Steven Soderbergh, Alex de la
Iglesia, Peter Weir, James Cam-
eron... Were sure they also

brag about having worked
with us! says Perskie.
The important thing is
that the experience of working with so many movie giants
drove our necessity to tell our
own stories. Necessity, yes.
That which is impossible to
evade, miss or resist. That, and
with Redrum, in 2010 we shot
our first feature film. We both
wrote Get the Gringo together
with Mel Gibson, who is a
really cool person. Adrian
directed it and I produced it.
It cost 20 million usd but it
looks like 60 million. And we
proudly recruited a bunch of
Mexican talent both behind
the camera as well as in front
of it. It was shot in Mexico
City and in Veracruz. If you
havent seen it, you need to
check it out. We loved doing
it, it gave us so much creative
freedom, he continues.
We later produced The
Boy Who Smells Like Fish.
44
August 2013
August 2013
No, its not a joke. Thats the

real name. With this which
hits theaters September 13,
2013 we accomplished filming the first co-production
between Mexico and Canada
of a fiction feature film.
Cool, right? This one cost 5
million usd and it looks like
it cost 15 million. We also
have a science fiction movie
called Elysium, starring Matt
Damon, Jodie Foster and
Diego Luna, coming out on
August 9, 2013. I co-produced it and ran the Mexican
side of the film, all through
Redrum. We now have a
couple of other projects in
the pipeline. I cant say anything about them yet because
of confidentiality clauses but
we are excited, to say the
least! We are also creating a
business plan that will allow
us to grow significantly. We
have created good foundations and we want to build
on that, Perskie adds.
Perskie and Grunberg

have a close relationship with
actor/director/writer Mel
Gibson, having first met him
while working together on
Apocalypto (2006).
Gibson has been fighting his own well publicized
personal demons for several
years but Perskie has nothing
but praise for his sometime
collaborator.
I think hes doing really
well. I havent spoken to him
for a while, several months or
so, but mutual friends tell me
that he is doing really well.
He has an amazing talent, a
really great creative force, and
despite some of the negative
publicity, he is still a great
guy. The movie industry can
ill afford to lose a man of his
great talent, affirms Perskie.
Perskie was also upbeat
about the state of the Mexican film industry. Mexico
has really stepped its game up
in terms of film making. In
matters of talent and professionalism, it is hard to beat

what is on offer in Mexico.
There used to be around 15
films a year made south of the
border but now we are seeing
something like 60 movies a
year being shot here, he says.
The costs of producing
in Mexico are lower than elsewhere and there are incentives
like the ProAV Fund and Eficine
226 that make it even more
affordable to work in Mexico.
Adrian and I both feel privileged at the artistic freedom
working in Mexico gives us. We
grew up watching movies from
Mexico and from many parts
of the world and we hope to
spend the rest of our working
days making films and reaching out to many, many people,
Perskie concludes.
Film buffs from all over
the globe will say Amen to
that. N
www.redrum.com.mx
45
Negocios ProMxico | Special Feature
Turkey and Mexico

as Priority Partners:
Trade Diversification
and Emerging Markets in Asia
The link between Turkey and Mexico is close to celebrating its 85th anniversary and both countries are in search of new ways to promote a more
dynamic relationship, and to put each others comparative and competitive
advantages to good use.
by sebastin escalante*
Mexico has taken great leaps forward in

its level of foreign trade, thanks to the extensive network of free trade agreements
(11 treaties) it has signed with a total of 45
countries. Nevertheless, the US remains its
main trading partner: in 2012, 77.5% of
all exports went to its northern neighbor.
Special Feature | Negocios ProMxico
photo archive
In this context, trade diversification is

a key component to reposition Mexico on
the international stage. In fact, increasing
the countrys share of new markets is one
of the guidelines covered by the federal
governments National Development Plan
2013-2018 and represents a key strategy
aimed at consolidating Mexicos leading

role around the globe.
Multiple opportunities lie open and
are yet to be explored in Mexico. For instance, many analysts agree that the country should further boost its links with
the Asia-Pacific region, while focusing on
emerging and developing economies. In
fact, various forums have drawn attention to the fact that growing economies
are neither developed nor mature and the
need to stop turning our backs to emerging countries in Asia with growth rates of
close to 10%, while in developed nations
they barely reach 2%.
This scenario partly explains the importance of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP),
which has become one of the most dynamic
and significant trade negotiations worldwide. It brings together Australia, Brunei,
Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru,
Singapore and Vietnam, as well as Mexico,
Canada and the US, with a combined market of over 658 million people.
At the same time, negotiations for the
Pacific Alliance are underway which is seen
as a groundbreaking regional free trade

integration initiative with special emphasis
on the Asia-Pacific region, and comprises
Colombia, Peru, Chile and Mexico. Meanwhile 16 countries, including China, the US,
Turkey and South Korea, have signed up to
participate as observers.
Mexico is not the only actor who is
aware of this new reality; in truth, strategies for trade expansion are shared by the
other economies involved in the Alliance.
This is the reason why a few months ago,
a joint office for Pacific Alliance members
was set up in Istanbul, Turkey, to promote
the interests of the four nations. The trade
promotion agencies (ProExport, ProChile,
PromPer and ProMxico) are helping to
run said office in order to boost exports
and attract investment in different key sectors in each country.
According to data provided by Mexicos Ministry of Economy (SE) during the
8th Pacific Alliance Meeting of Foreign
Ministers and International Trade Ministers, held at the end of June 2013, the
joint trade office located in Istanbul had
so far received enquiries from over 50
companies in the infrastructure, automotive, chemical, pharmaceutical and metallurgical sectors.
Turkey and Mexico:
an important bilateral link
Turkey and Mexico share a specific characteristic: their unique geostrategic position. The two economies act as a bridge
between markets and, historically, both
have played a very important role in their
respective regions.
For its part, Turkey has been a valuable
intermediary between the European and
Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries, as well as the Caucasus region. Its
trade potential in the region is outstanding. According to ProMxico data, while
Turkeys most important trade links are
with the European Union (EU), this Eurasian nation maintains important commercial interests and ties with many other
countries in the region, such as Iraq, Iran
and the United Arab Emirates, while China
and Russia are its second and third largest
trading partners.
Meanwhile, Mexico neighbors the
largest economy in the world and also
represents a natural entry point to other
markets in Latin America. Apart from
46
August 2013
August 2013
the geopolitical importance and trade interest in gaining access to new markets,
both economies complement each other in
many other aspects.
According to data from ProMxicos
Business Intelligence Unit (UIN), 67% of
total exports from Mexico to Turkey in
2012 were in the manufacturing sector,
mainly goods vehicles, cell phones and
vinyl polymers. Food products (vegetable
crops, live cows, wheat and meslin) represented 30% of exports to the country. Of
Mexican imports from Turkey, 96% were
manufactured goods, such as parts and accessories for automobiles, textile industry
products, forging and die-cutting machines
and clothing.
Despite the fact trade between Mexico and Turkey has grown 431% between
2002 and 2012 (from 150 million to 797
million usd), this relationship could be
further strengthened. The same is true for
the investment made by Turkey. According
to SE data, between January 1999 and December 2012, Turkish companies in Mexico reported an accumulated investment of
1.3 million usd. Undoubtedly, this situation could be boosted by implementing
the necessary mechanisms to attract new
investment and to underpin trade between
the two countries.
Thus, Mexicos foreign affairs ministers
recent visit to Turkey aimed to expand the
bilateral relationship on a number of fronts,
as well as to prepare the ground for the upcoming visit of Mexican President Enrique
Pea Nieto (anticipated for September
2013, prior to the G-20 summit). Mexico
is certain to consolidate its active role on
the international stage, meaning it is essential to bolster the promotional bodies and
mechanisms necessary to achieve this.
Mexico has huge export potential in
the automotive sector: in the second quarter of 2013, the country was the fourthlargest exporter of new light vehicles. It is
also the main electronics exporter in Latin America and is in the top 10 worldwide
for exports of computers and cell phones.
Likewise, Mexico has shown itself to be a
competitive leader in exporting advanced
manufacturing and high-tech products,
such as aerospace and information technologies (IT) goods, which are of interest
to these new markets. The opportunities
for the food and agriculture and chemicals industry should also be considered.
According to data from

ProMxicos Business
Intelligence Unit (UIN), 67%
of total exports from Mexico
to Turkey in 2012 were in the
manufacturing sector, mainly
goods vehicles, cell phones
and vinyl polymers. Food
products (vegetable crops,
live cows, wheat and meslin)
represented 30% of exports
to the country. Of Mexican
imports from Turkey, 96%
were manufactured goods, such
as parts and accessories for
automobiles, textile industry
products, forging and diecutting machines and clothing.
Even though the link between Turkey

and Mexico is close to celebrating its 85th
anniversary, it is essential that this new
diversification strategy is consolidated
by the signing of a free trade agreement
between the two countries (as well as an
Agreement for the Reciprocal Development and Protection of Investment and
an Agreement to Avoid Double Taxation, among others) in order to promote
a more dynamic relationship.
Despite Mexicos established role as an
integrated economy of increasing significance in North America, the enormous opportunities offered by mechanisms like the
TPP or the Pacific Alliance should not be
ignored. After all, the goal is to strengthen
its regional and continental positioning for
the benefit of the population. Fortunately,
Mexico is already taking its first steps towards generating definite advances in its
quest for trade diversification. N
*Internationalist and graduate of the
National Autonomous University of Mexico
(UNAM). He also holds a Masters in Political
Science from Carleton University, Ottawa,
Canada.
47
Figures
infographic oldemar
Creative Industries:
The Complete Guide to the Mexican Way of Life
The Mexico advantage

Mexico
is the leading
exporter
of creative
goods in
Latin America.
According to KPMG, the

country is the most
competitive destination
for software, video games,
web and multimedia
development in America.
AN INDUSTRY
OUT OF A MOVIE
112
produced
n films
xica
e
M
319
63%
321
73
10
81%
69
11
The Lifestyle
The first Digital Creative City in

Latin America will be established
in Guadalajara, Mexico. It is
expected to become the leading
Spanish-language content
production center in the world.
Mexico is the world's 6th

largest exporter of new
media and it is one of
the most competitive
destinations to develop
digital content in the world.
313
86%
ses
lea
Re
12
%
Films
produced
with state
support
10
406
14
521
23
rt
fil
on
Sh
622
sp
r od
uce
d
In ter n
u
od
pr
o
al c
tion
ct
Natures Gifts
to Mexico:
10 Natural Wonders
Not to Be Missed
MOVIE THEATER
ATTENDANCE
millions of admissions
190
686
741
205
228
779
BOX
OFFICE
Caves, mountains, canyons, deserts and lakes Mother

Nature has been generous to Mexico and soft on the eyes
of those who behold her creations.
60
million USD
There are 1,500 businesses in

Mexico that offer production,
post-production, animation, VFX and
digital services. In addition, the country
has ideal locations for national and
international film making.
Mexico is
the leading
video game
market in
Latin
America.
Mexico is the most

important film market
in Latin America and
the second largest in
the hemisphere, after
the US.
photo
Mexican-filmed
entertainment is exported
to more than 100
countries and is viewed
by more than a billion
people worldwide (2012).
archive
Source: Mexican Institute of Cinematography (IMCINE).
50
The Lifestyle Briefs
57
52
The Strains of Mexico

the Whole World is Singing
Mexico,
a Home Away from Home
66
54
When I dance, I am reliving

my whole life
Interview with Esteban Hernndez
Nelson Vargas,
Poseidon of Mexicos
Swimming Pools
ART
TOURISM
MUAC
Gets Our Pulses Racing
Exploring Mexico Citys

Sights by Bike
www.muac.unam.mx
troels myrup
You can now visit Mexico Citys archaeological

sites and historic monuments by bicycle. INAH
by Bike, Pedaling Past Your Heritage is a program created by the National Anthropology and
History Institute (INAH) to encourage cyclists
to develop meaningful relationships with the
citys archaeological and historic sites.
Several routes have been marked out so
cyclists can safely reach the citys museums,
archaeological sites, community centers and
historic monuments. The program operates on
Sundays and bicycle stations will be available at
participating venues.
photo
archive
random format, leading visitors

past artistic representations of
the human psyche like a stream
of disorganized thought.
Moments of passion and
agitation transmute into images
of collective excess: the pulse
of death, delirium and raveinduced trances and euphoria
that defy the logic of normal
behavior, revealing the origin
and scope of sensory overload.
Pulso Alterado will be showing until January 12, 2014.
photo
The University Museum of

Contemporary Art (MUAC) in
Mexico City brings us Pulso
Alterado (Altered Pulse), an exhibition by various artists that
explores the extremes of human
emotion, from frenzy, rage and
frustration to loss, hallucinations and ecstasy.
The works, which belong
to the MUAC and related collections, date from the 1970s
right up to today and their authors hail from different parts
of the world. In keeping with
its theme, the exhibition takes a
www.inah.gob.mx
ARCHITECTURE
photo
archive
Indigenous and traditional Mexican art were

finally given their very own exhibition space
in Mexico City since June 2013 with the
opening of the Yaw Arte Tradicional gallery
in the citys Historic Center.
Intended to promote indigenous artists and the sale of their work, Yaw will
stage three exhibitions a year, said its director, the anthropologist Jorge Martnez
Cabrera. The gallery belongs to the Calpulli Nezahualcyotl cooperative and will
bridge the gap between quality crafts and
buyers interested in one-of-a-kind works
made with traditional materials and imbued with deep spiritual meaning.
Marking the gallerys debut is an exhibition of beadwork by Gregorio Barrio Montoya and his family, Huichol artists from San
Andrs Cohamiata, Jalisco. The artwork of
this particular ethnic community tends to
reflect their worldview, depicting mythical
landscapes and animals in a kaleidoscope of
bright, contrasting colors. Although the materials used today are different, the techniques
have remained unchanged for centuries.
The gallery is on the first floor of
Monte de Piedad No. 15 in Mexico
Citys main square.
50
August 2013
Enrique Nortens architecture

studio, TEN Arquitectos, has
been chosen to design the new
Donnell Library. One of the
largest and most representative
public libraries of New York, the
Donnell stands on 53rd Street in
the heart of Manhattan.
The project will cost 20 million usd and is scheduled to be
completed by year-end 2015.
New York Public Library
(NYPL) President Tony Marx
said that the institution he
represents is more than happy
with the spectacular designs
Enrique Norten and his team
have created for the new library on 53rd Street [].
The building will have a
glass wall on street level so
passersby can see the book
shelves and cultural activities
taking place inside. In addition to serving as a source of
natural light, it will blur the
line between the city and the
library.
August 2013
The focal point of the design is a flight of enormous steps

leading down to two floors below ground level, and that double up as a space for community
workshops, educational programs and the various literary
events organized by the library.
TEN has also projected
a reading area for families, a
computer lab equipped with
state-of-the-art technology and
an audio and video collection
to complement the librarys
existing book collection, all in
an effort to foster interaction
among the local community.
The library is beautiful
and has a flexible design that
maximizes use of its public
spaces, said Marx. TENs design won the 2013 Award of
Merit presented by the New
York Chapter of the American
Institute of Architects.
www.ten-arquitectos.com
www.nypl.org
courtesy of new york public library
Yaw Arte Tradicional:

A Museum with Spirit
Enrique Norten
Showcases His Talent in New York
photo
ART
51
Negocios ProMxico | The Lifestyle
photos
archive
The Lifestyle | Negocios ProMxico
The Strains of Mexico

the Whole World is Singing
Say youve been to Mexico and someone will invariably mention mariachi music. There is some doubt as
to the origin of this distinctly Mexican tradition but none whatsoever as to its strident future.
by sandra roblgui
Indubitably Mexicos most famous tradition, mariachi music, is a marriage of

European instruments and New World
sounds that emerged not long after the
Conquest and that continues to liven up
get-togethers to this very day.
Half a century ago, the mariachi
traveled beyond Mexicos borders and
was well received in other parts of the
world, so much so that some countries
have their own mariachi bands, many of

which sing in their native languages.
Today, the sounds in the mariachis
repertoire include the precise chords of
the guitar, one of the oldest, most popular
instruments in the world: on occasion, the
sweet resonance of the harp; the nostalgic
wail of the violin (two or three for each
trumpet); the joyful Mexican bandolen,
a large box that serves as an acoustic bass
and the vihuela, a small five-string guitar that accompanies the deeper chords
of the guitarrn, a 25-string guitar that
some historians believe was invented in
colonial Mexico, although others associate it with the Spanish Renaissance. The
trumpet was introduced just 80 years ago
and most mariachi bands have two.
As for the origin of the term mariachi, there are several hypotheses.
For centuries, the

mariachi, like tequila,
was scorned by Mexicos
elite as a symbol of
the masses. Mariachis
typically played at
parties called fandangos,
famous in what are today
the states of Jalisco,
Michoacn, Colima,
Nayarit and Zacatecas.
52
August 2013
August 2013
According to journalist and researcher

Patricia Alamilla, it is popularly held
that the word dates from the time of
the French Intervention in Mexico in
the mid 19th century. The story goes
that a group of French soldiers arrived
at a town in Jalisco where a wedding
was taking place. When they enquired
about the merrymaking, their translator
replied: Cest un mariage. In August
1925, a national daily published: The
mariachi [...] was born in the days of the
French Intervention and the word originally means marriage in French, says researcher Jess Juregui in his book The
Mariachi. A Musical Symbol of Mexico.
Other authors, like Ricardo Espinoza,
claim that the term was introduced shortly after the Conquest and that its source is
a native song to the Virgin Mary, plus the
suffix chi, which means song in the
native language of the Coca people from
the Cocula region in Jalisco.
Still others say it is derived from the
wooden platform or mariachi the natives
of Techaluta, another small community in

Western Mexico, used to dance on to magnify the sound of their stamping feet.
These versions also credit the Coca
people with inventing the vihuela and
the guitarrn to imitate the Spanish lute
and double bass, respectively.
For centuries, the mariachi, like tequila, was scorned by Mexicos elite as
a symbol of the masses. Mariachis typically played at parties called fandangos,
famous in what are today the states of
Jalisco, Michoacn, Colima, Nayarit and
Zacatecas.
It wasnt until the early 20th century
that the first mariachi record was made
and after the Mexican Revolution of
1910, mariachi music gradually became
more widely accepted as musicians made
their way from the west to Mexico City
and began wearing charro outfits.
The mariachis of old wore a pair of
pants, a white cotton shirt and a plain
straw hat, like the one worn by farmers,
while the charro outfit was more akin to
the attire of Mexicos wealthy landowners of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Also in the early 20th century, the
trumpet was added. Today, especially
outside Mexico, its hard to find a mariachi band without wind instruments.
Some believe the adoption of the
charro outfit and trumpets can be attributed to the way mariachi musicians were
portrayed in the films of the Golden Age
of Mexican Cinema (1936-1957).
Mario Alberto Njera, a researcher
at the University of Guadalajara (UDG),
is of that opinion. He believes that the
commercialization and internationalization of mariachi bands has modified their
costumes, instruments and songs, although most of their lyrics are still about
life in the country, despite the fact that
over 70% of Mexicans are city dwellers.
If youre a mariachi fan, September
is the best time to visit the city of Guadalajara, where you can catch the International Mariachi and Charrera Festival
just before Mexicos independence festivities. As part of a concerted effort to revive
and preserve the ancient music of Mexico,
Guadalajara will also be hosting the 12th
National Festival of Traditional Mariachis
from September 4 to 8, 2013. Each band
will be decked out in regional dress and
the decibel level will be off the charts! N
53
When I dance, I am
reliving my whole life
Interview with
Esteban Hernndez
From Londons Royal Ballet to the San Francisco Ballet,
this Mexican dancer draws on his own life experiences in
his reinterpretations of the classics.
photos
courtesy of esteban hernndez
by alejandra guilln
Dance is more than a series of steps; it is an exploration of memories

and emotions on stage, capable of creating dream worlds that allow
us to escape the big, bad world, if only for a fleeting moment.
After graduating from Londons Royal Ballet on July 14 and joining the San Francisco Ballet just one day later, 18-year old Esteban
Hernndez chatted with Negocios about his experience in England,
where he perfected his technique and discovered the soul of ballet.
Like his brother, the famous Isaac Hernndez, Esteban went to
school in Jalisco, in Western Mexico. He would play at dancing in his
backyard while his father, Hctor Hernndez a dancer himself, but
now retired taught him ballet moves.
When he was eight, Esteban competed in Youth America
Grand Prix in New York. From there, he went on to take part
in other competitions, both in his native Mexico and abroad. In
2010, he became the first Mexican to be accepted as a student at
the Royal Ballet in London.
The experience has changed my life. Its hard to believe Ive
graduated. In a way its sad but Im happy and excited about
I find it easier to express myself

with my body than with words. It
comes more naturally to me and
I feel more comfortable dancing
than talking.
whats to come. The day after I graduated, I had to turn up for my

first day at work, at the San Francisco Ballet. I feel lucky because few
people get opportunities like this, says Esteban.
Studying in London was like a dream come true but it was also a
leap of faith. Esteban found he had to work harder than ever to stay
ahead. He soon learned it wasnt about who could execute the highest assembl or who had more grace but about baring your emotions
and dancing as if it were your last day on earth.
In 2011, a group of Royal Ballet students staged a choreography by John Neumeier, director of the Hamburg Ballet. But
instead of asking them to play a character, Neumeier told the
dancers to play themselves. That way of understanding dance
made a lasting impression on me because I realized its not about
faking, that I should always be myself. Thats what it is to dance
honestly, reveals Esteban.
thing I can, now go elsewhere and become the best dancer you can
possibly be. I think its time you followed in the footsteps of your
brother [Isaac Hernndez] and went to Philadelphia to study, which
is where I went before going to London.
Do you think dance is lacking that spirit?

I do, because few people are interested in the arts these days. They
think dance is about jumping and spinning, but that is gymnastics.
They forget ballet is about telling stories, that it depicts characters
with unique traits and emotions. By striving to make performances
more spectacular, we have killed the spirit of dance.
Did you have anything in common with your fellow students at

the Royal Ballet?
There were 19 men, including myself, and 15 women and it was
funny because Id already met half of them at competitions and festivals. Theyd all left their countries to chase their dream and thats
the one thing we had in common. All the times I felt I couldnt go
on, they were there for me and I hope they found support and encouragement in me, too. We all wanted to be the best dancers in the
world but there was no rivalry, even though ballet is highly competitive. Getting to know them was an unforgettable experience.
Why did you leave Mexico?

Dance is very important in Europe. My family helped me make the
decision to leave my country. My father said, Ive taught you every-
54
August 2013
August 2013
What is the life of a professional dancer like?

Its pretty normal for me but I guess my life is different to that of
most people. I have to be aware of my body and my emotions all
the time. Its hard; its not always a bed of roses. Every day you
have to work and push your body beyond its limits, improve on
the previous day. Its physically, emotionally and mentally draining. Theres a lot of pressure to reach perfection but it is part of
the job and I like it. I like seeing how I evolve with each passing
day. Sometimes I ask myself why I do it and the answer is because
I truly love it.
55
By striving to make
performances more
spectacular, we have
killed the spirit of
dance.
Mexico,
a Home Away from Home
Do your memories affect how you dance?

You bet! Every dancer has his roots, his story. A dancer can be
extraordinary when he embodies those memories. I find it easier to express myself with my body than with words. It comes
more naturally to me and I feel more comfortable dancing than
talking. My origins have always had an influence on my artistic
side because the emotions have to come from somewhere. You
have to use those feelings to tell stories, to create worlds that
make people feel they are in a dream. When I dance, I am reliving my whole life. I might not remember everything Ive ever
felt but I feel everything I remember.
Mexico has a reputation for welcoming foreigners. Over the last 15 years, the country
has shown increasing clemency to migrants who want to make it their permanent abode.
photo
archive
Esteban Hernndez was born in 1994, a difficult year for

the Mexican economy. The other face of Mexicos youth, he
belongs to a generation that has seen the world change before
their eyes. In the immediate future, his goal is to become lead
dancer at the San Francisco Ballet but in the longer term he
hopes to live up to his fathers expectations and become the
best dancer he possibly can. N
by dolores resndiz mora
Mariah has only been in Mexico for a

year but she plans on making it her
home. A native of Australia, she visited
Jalisco on holiday and stayed on after
meeting and falling in love with a photographer. Love, the people and the food
whose colors and flavors she describes
as intense are some of the reasons
she cites for settling down here. She also
enjoys spending time with her Mexican
family that gets together on Sundays
and celebrates birthdays.
Mariah is one of 961,621 registered
immigrants in Mexico, according to the
56
August 2013
August 2013
2010 census taken by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
One million people in a country with
a population of almost 112.5 million
(according to the National Census 2010)
may not seem like much but it goes to
confirm Mexicos long tradition of offering asylum to foreigners who are drawn
by the countrys hospitality, good weather and lively social scene.
Mexico has a reputation for welcoming foreigners, one that was bolstered with
the trade opening of the Eighties and Nineties. In fact, over the last 15 years, a re-
port published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reveals that
Mexico has shown increasing clemency to
migrants like Mariah who want to make it
their permanent abode.
Foreigners have taken up residence
in different parts of the country. According to INEGI and the National Migration
Institute (INM), the cities with the largest
foreign communities are Ajijic, Chapala,
Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Los Cabos,
Mrida, Mexicali, Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende and Tijuana, listed in alphabetical order.
57
ing to data furnished by agencies like INEGI

and the National Migration Institute (INM).
Nuevo Laredo
Located in the state of Tamaulipas on the
Mexico-US border, Nuevo Laredo has a
foreign population of 16,000. Most of the
people who have chosen to live and work
here have trade connections with Texas.
Tijuana
The worlds busiest border crossing has
a population of some 43,000 Americans,
although the total number of foreigners
living here is estimated at 72,000 and includes immigrants from China, Europe
and other parts of Latin America.
Ajijic-Chapala
This magical town on the shores of Lake
Chapala is famous for its large foreign
community 12,000 no less, a number that
almost doubles in winter and that includes
neighboring towns like San Juan Cosal,
El Chante and Jocotepec. The vast majority of immigrants resident in Ajijic are from
the US, Canada and Australia, mostly pensioners desirous to live out their twilight
years in warmer climes. Several decades
ago, before the colorful town of Ajijic
made it on to the map, the city of Chapala was a popular destination for those
in search of adventure and exoticism. The
58
Mexico City
According to INEGI statistics, there are
just over 34,000 foreigners living in the
Mexico City metropolitan area. Home to
government offices and the headquarters
of some of the countrys largest corporations, the job opportunities these offer account for the large presence of professionals from other latitudes.
Cuernavaca
Often referred to as the City of Eternal Spring, Cuernavaca has one of the
largest foreign populations in Mexico.
It was the conquistador Hernn Corts
who started the tradition of weekending
at Cuernavaca, whose weather and proximity to Mexico City explain its popu-
larity. The local government even holds

an annual party to which the immigrant
community is invited.
Mrida
According to INM figures, this city in the
state of Yucatn is home to 11,238 foreigners. Meridas exotic air, archaeological
sites and colonial architecture are some of
the aspects tourists and overseas residents
appreciate most.
Mexicali
INEGI puts the number of foreigners living in Mexicali at 30,000, most of whom
are Americans, which is hardly surprising
for a border city.
Monterrey
Monterrey is the capital of Nuevo Len and
the city with the largest population in the
state. As a highly developed industrial center, the city has managed to lure a significant
amount of foreigners some 8,500, accord-
August 2013
archive
A major tourist attraction in the state of

Guanajuato, some 10,000 Americans have
taken up residence in San Miguel de Allende, won over by its old world charm and
excellent weather. The citys colonial buildings are one of its greatest assets, some of
which witnessed key events in Mexicos
War of Independence.
area is popular among those with artistic

and literary inclinations, while others are
content to lead the quiet life in the shadow
of El Travesao Ridge and take in the view
of Lake Chapala, the largest freshwater
lake in the country.
photo
San Miguel de Allende
photo
photo
sergio dvila
Jaliscos leading tourist destination offers beach and mountains, not to mention good weather all year round. According to the Puerto Vallarta Tourism
Board, there are 20,000 foreigners living
in the municipality, mainly Americans
and Canadians.
joy nuo
Puerto Vallarta
August 2013
59
Montebello Lagoons:
A Mirror Image of Heaven
Natures Gifts to Mexico:

10 Natural Wonders
Not to Be Missed
The estate has 56 lagoons, spread over

6,022 hectares, and two official routes:
one that comprises Esmeralda, La Encantada, Bosque Azul, Ensueo and Agua
Tintal and another that takes you past
Caadas, Pojoj, Dos Lagunas and Tziscao,
a 45-meter-deep lagoon that straddles the
border with Guatemala.
Since the beginning of time, the four

elements water, fire, earth and wind
have been sculpting the breathtaking
landscapes that have made Mexico
famous the world over.
Negocios had the challenging
task of choosing only 10 that represent the tip of the iceberg of the
natural treasures to be found the
length and breadth of the country.
photo
nathan gibbs
Caves, mountains, canyons, deserts and lakes Mother

Nature has been generous to Mexico and soft on the eyes
of those who behold her creations.
The heavens are reflected in the intense

blue of the Montebello lagoons in the state
of Chiapas. Tourists can explore the sur-
by antonio vzquez
rounding pine and oak forests by foot or

on horseback, take a kayak out on the
water, swim or rent boats made out of
tree trunks.
Located 72 kilometers from the municipality of Comitn, this national park
has enjoyed the protection of the Mexican government since 1959.
60
August 2013
August 2013
alex polazhaev
The ancient cultures of Mesoamerica believed that the god of rain, Tlloc, ruled
from Los Tuxtlas, a region in the state of
Veracruz. His palace was the Eyipantla
Waterfall, a 40-meter wide wonder just
12 kilometers from the municipality of
Catemaco.
In Nhuatl, eyi means three, pantli canyon and tla water, so Eyipantla
roughly translates to three streams of
falling water. In this case, water from
the Ro Grande that flows into the
Catemaco Lagoon.
To admire it in all its glory, you have
to climb 244 steps to the top, where you
can feel the mist on your face and hear
the roar of the water as it plummets 60
meters to the ground.
Movies like Apocalypto, directed by
American-Australian actor Mel Gibson,
have been filmed here.
photo
photo
archive
Eyipantla Waterfall:
Tllocs Legacy
61
Monarch Butterfly
Sanctuary: A Winged Spectacle
If you happen to be in the state of Chihuahua in Northern Mexico, we suggest

you hop aboard El Chepe and explore the
Chihuahua-Pacific railroad. On the Divisadero-Los Mochis section, the six red
canyons of the Tarahumara Mountains

make for an incredible sight.
Spread over some 60,000 square kilometers, these canyons are collectively
known as the Copper Canyon, a natural
wonder that plunges even deeper than the
famous Grand Canyon in Arizona.
This is Tarahumara territory and in
the creation myth of this native people,
the Copper Canyon was formed when the

world came into being, and the rocks were
still malleable. According to scientists, it
dates back more than 20 million years.
Choose one of El Chepes 64 wagons
and settle down for a 14-hour journey
across 39 bridges and through 86 tunnels
628 kilometers of arid landscapes that
glow copper in the glint of a blistering sun.
The Cenotes of the

Maya Riviera:
The Wiliness of Nature
The Yucatn Peninsula in Southeast
Mexico has no major rivers or lakes
but wily Mother Nature found her way
around that obstacle by creating cenotes,
natural waterholes without which the
Maya civilization would probably not
have prospered.
Called tsonot in Maya, which means
hole in the ground, the regions cenotes
were the Mayas main source of water and
several cities were built around them.
They were also used as ceremonial sites
where human sacrifices and offerings to the
gods were made, as evidenced by the jewelry and ceramic pots that have been retrieved
from the bottom of some of them.
The most famous cenotes of the Maya
Riviera include Boloonchojol, covered by
a dome through which the sunlight gently
filters, X-Batn, an open waterhole with
enormous tree roots hanging over its entrance and Aktunchn, a cavern that is no
less than five million years old.
Today these waterholes are used for
diving, kayaking and extreme sports like
rappelling and zip lining.
August 2013
photo
edgar garca
photo
62
archive
Swallow Cave:
A Bottomless Pit
At 512 meters, Swallow Cave in San Luis
Potos is the sixth deepest natural pit in
the world.
The cave was created by water seeping through a fault line, which gradually eroded away the limestone, lending
it its characteristic conical shape: a wide
mouth that tapers to the bottom.
So named because it is a refuge for
birds like swifts (a species of swallow)
and quilas (similar to the parakeet), Swallow Caves 376-meter free fall draws
speleologists from all over the globe in
search of a challenge.
pablo leautaud
Copper Canyon:
The Colors of Creation
photo
photo
archive
Every year, millions of tiny orange and black

wings make their way to a natural sanctuary that stretches from the east of the state of
Michoacn to the west of Estado de Mxico.
This is the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere
Reserve, all 56,000 hectares of which were
declared a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 2008.
Between November and March, the
Monarch butterfly travels over 4,000 kilometers from Canada and the United States
to Michoacn in search of warmer climes in
which to procreate.
El Rosario, Sierra Chincua and Senguo
are the main tourist centers where you can
witness the spectacle. And while youre here,
why not sample some local cuisine, buy a
few handicrafts or try your hand at an extreme sport?
August 2013
63
Hidalgos Basalt Prisms:

Primal Geometry
Hierve el Agua:
Lots Waterfall
The Organ Mountains tower 2,560

meters above sea level at their highest
point and harbor 1,125 hectares of rock
formations shaped from lava that crisscross Mexicos Sierra Madre Occidental
mountain range.
Hot during the day and freezing at
night, the regions semi-arid micro climate,
combined with its geographical conditions,

make this the perfect hideout for coyotes,
hares, white tailed deer and other endangered species like the peregrine falcon.
The Organ Mountains have appeared
in numerous movies, including The Guns
of Navarone, starring Anthony Quinn and
Caveman, featuring Ringo Starr.
Just 52 kilometers from the silver town of

Taxco, in the state of Guerrero, are the Cacahuamilpa Caves, indubitably among the
most impressive in the world.
64
Discovered in 1834 and declared a

natural park by the Mexican government in
1936, two rivers the Chontalcoatln and
the San Jernimo have created petrified
forms and stalactites as they flow through
these dark, humid caverns made of limestone rock that once lined the sea bed.
A couple of hours are needed to explore

all 90 galleries, which are spread over two
kilometers. Each has been named in allusion to the form it takes or after the person who discovered it: El Chivo, El Beso,
Los Enamorados, La Aurora, and Paso del
guila, among countless others.
August 2013
photo
Cacahuamilpa Caves:
An Underground Gallery
archive
photo
archive
Some 30 kilometers from the municipality

of Sombrerete in the state of Zacatecas is
a natural park that has served as the set of
many a Hollywood movie.
photo
russ bowling
photo
The Organ Mountains:

A Natural Hollywood Habitat
alejandr0 meja greene
Rising some 30 meters into the air, the basalt

columns of Santa Mara Regla in the state of
Hidalgo were created millions of years ago
by cooling lava. Water trickling from the San
Antonio Regla and Azul dams continues to
hone this unfinished work of nature.
The German explorer Alexander Von
Humboldt was struck by the precise, geometrical shape of these columns and the pencil drawing he made of them in 1803 can be
seen at the British Museum in London.
Nearby is a tourist center where you can
camp, go horseback riding, take a boat trip
on the San Antonio dam or taste some regional fare.
Hierve el Agua is famous for its waterfalls

that have turned to stone midair. At the
top, some 30 meters up, is a mineral-rich
spring that reaches temperatures of 25C,
which explains why the water settles as
it falls, while the sun and wind add the
finishing touches to this monolithic sculpture crafted by the hands of nature.
Located approximately 70 kilometers from the state capital of Oaxaca,
visitors come to bathe in these healing
spring waters. There are facilities where
you can spend the night and explore the
area by foot.
August 2013
65
photos
courtesy of nelson vargas family fitness
Nelson Vargas,
Poseidon of Mexicos Swimming Pools
by abraham daz
Winner of the National Sports Prize in 2012, he has coached Olympic swimmers, owns
a successful business and has presided over the National Sports Commission, Mexicos
top sporting authority. In interview with Negocios, Nelson Vargas talks about his long
and successful career as a swimming instructor and entrepreneur.
For over 40 years, the water was his realm. Mermen and mermaids rallied to the sound of his
deep voice and shrill whistle. This modern day
Poseidon has coached thousands of young swimmers, who have since gone down in Mexicos
sporting annals.
Tenacious and with the mindset of a champion, this particular profe as he is known to the
thousands who have perfected their stroke under
him has applied the same spirit and diligence
he displays poolside to his other venture, Nelson
Vargas Family Fitness (formerly Acutica Nelson
Vargas), a successful company with 14 branches
in eight states throughout Mexico and more than
20,000 students on its books.
I am and always will be passionate about
sports. Although I come from a working class
background, even as a boy I always liked sports,
which is why I took a degree in Physical Education at the National School of Physical Education, recalls Vargas.
He then landed a job at the Mexican Social
Security Institute (IMSS), where his passion for
66
swimming made a torpedo push off. I wasnt a

good swimmer but I liked training young people,
he says. It was that same passion that won the
IMSS swim team the national championships in
all categories for 20 years in a row from 1967
to 1987and produced four Olympic medalists:
Felipe Tibio Muoz (Mexico City, 1968), Carlos
Girn (Moscow, 1980), Jess Mena (Seoul, 1988)
and Fernando Platas (Sydney, 2000).
These victories won Vargas respect and a
name at home but his real dream was to start
his own swim school. I thought if I didnt build
some personal equity, Id have to be at the edge
of a swimming pool at five in the morning when I
was 50, 60 or 70. And so Vargas opened his first
branch of Acutica Nelson Vargas in 1978, in the
Lindavista district of Mexico City.
As a businessman and a major player in
the development of water sports in this country,
Im proud of having instilled in the children and
young people Ive coached the habit of competing
and of having kept track of their progress. These
are the words of a man who believes the desire to
win serves his followers, not just in the pool but

also in every aspect of life.
According to Vargas, motivating children and
young people to exercise and compete makes
them strive to better themselves. It is crucial that
the families get involved in the exercise routine,
he says when asked about the core values of Nelson Vargas Family Fitness.
True to their mission, Nelson Vargas Family Fitness centers offer over 45 activities for
the whole family, including swimming, tae
kwon do, artistic gymnastics, physical fitness,
spinning, pilates, yoga, tennis, squash, basketball and indoor soccer.
Vargas has made a few flip turns himself, even
venturing into the government lane. Im satisfied with what we achieved during the six years
I presided over the National Sports Commission
(CONADE). We did a lot with very little and I
managed to persuade local governments to invest
in sports. It was around that time that Vargas
children took over the business and renamed it
Nelson Vargas Family Fitness.
August 2013
August 2013
I thought if I didnt
build some personal
equity, Id have to
be at the edge of a
swimming pool at five
in the morning when
I was 50, 60 or 70. And
so Vargas opened
his first branch of
Acutica Nelson
Vargas in 1978, in the
Lindavista district of
Mexico City.
One of his indisputable achievements at the

forefront of CONADE was the founding of the
National Center for the Development of High
Performance Sporting Talents (CNAR), the largest professional sports center in the country.
As for the path his career has taken, Vargas
says hes a firm believer in the old adage that No
one is a prophet in his own land. You have to
work wonders to make a name for yourself. You
have to have a winners mentality. Im the kind of
person who likes to be recognized for his efforts
and thats the mentality that prompted me to become an entrepreneur.
As a coach, that is the philosophy he seeks
to pass on. Fernanda Gonzlez is currently
Mexicos top swimmer and she trained with us.
Three of our swimmers have qualified for the
FINA World Swimming Championships in Barcelona, two for the World Universiade in Russia,
two more for the FINA World Junior Swimming
Championships in Dubai, while 154 of our swimmers have qualified for the Olimpiada Nacional
2013 to be held in Tijuana and 52 will be compet-
67
Negocios ProMxico
foto cortesa de feria internacional de franquicias
Para Exportadores
ing in the International Childrens Games

2013 in Windsor, Essex, Canada. These are just
some of the results of what we and the kids have
achieved by working together.
Just as Nelson Vargas career has gone from
strength to strength, so has the sports scene in
Mexico. Things have improved a great deal.
The mentality has definitely changed. In the past,
athletes who made it internationally werent prepared. Now many of our youngsters are simultaneously battling it out for titles as well as a career. They are aware of the fact that they can get
scholarships and economic incentives but that it
all ends quickly. We make sure they know they
cant live on medals and titles alone.
Plus, It doesnt all revolve around soccer
anymore. We have excellent divers, archers, tae
kwon do artists, people who are making names
for themselves. Mexicos athletes have a winning
mentality and can compete on a level playing field
with any other athlete in the world.
Whats next for Nelson Vargas?
Im 79 and I cant stop now. Im already
planning to build new facilities in Guadalajara
(Jalisco), Sayavedra (Estado de Mxico) and Santa
Fe (Mexico City). As a businessman, I want to continue opening centers that foster culture, education
and athleticism as part of my contribution to the
comeback of sports, Vargas concludes. N
68
Las franquicias se han consolidado como

un modelo de negocios exitoso en Mxico
y son una importante fuente de ingresos
y empleos en el pas. Actualmente, Mxico
tiene el reto de exportar sus franquicias y
ganar nuevas posiciones para las marcas
mexicanas en el mercado internacional.
La franquicia como
modelo de crecimiento:
lecciones de Mxico
78
DESDE PROMXICO
Una bebida de Mxico

para el mundO:
La Alianza del
Pacfico
73
76
ProMxico Y LaS empresas

exportadoras de tequila
70
August 2013
a ojos de Mxico
Negocios ProMxico | Para Exportadores
BREVES
foto
TI
Una fiesta de tecnologa
En esta edicin tambin se incluyen

contenidos alusivos a los apoyos y servicios que ProMxico ofrece a las empresas
tequileras de Mxico. Cabe destacar que
durante 2012, Mxico export 300 litros
de tequila por minuto (156 millones de litros al ao). Este dato es muy representativo. ProMxico ha sido un promotor permanente de las compaas tequileras que
desean incursionar en nuevos mercados o
que buscan potencializar su participacin
en mercados internacionales. Igualmente
se incluye una breve seccin que rene los
principales datos de produccin y exportacin de esta bebida insignia del pas.
Por ltimo, se publica un anlisis sustantivo sobre las ventajas y el potencial
que tiene la participacin de Mxico en
la Alianza del Pacfico, sobre todo para
reforzar el liderazgo econmico del pas
en la regin. Esta negociacin comercial
representa una oportunidad nica para diversificar los vnculos comerciales de Mxico con diversos pases en Amrica Latina pero, sobre todo, para aprovechar las
demandas de mercados establecidos en la
regin Asia-Pacfico.
Esperamos que los contenidos que se
presentan en esta seccin para el exportador sean de su inters.
El evento de tecnologa Campus Party

Mxico 2013 recibi a alrededor de 8
mil campuseros que asistieron a ms de
500 conferencias y talleres enfocados a
acelerar empresas tecnolgicas.
www.campus-party.com.mx
CALZADO
Con los pies

en la red
archivo
Las marcas de zapatos Flexi, Capa de Ozono,

Charly/Skechers, Coqueta y Audaz invertirn
10 millones de dlares en la tienda de comercio
electrnico Dafiti para ampliar y fortalecer sus
ventas en Internet. Las cinco marcas que en
conjunto venden cerca de 25 millones de pares
de zapatos al ao buscarn incrementar sus
ingresos gracias a los cinco millones de usuarios
de Dafiti, que reporta tasas de crecimiento mensual de hasta 57%.
Un puerto
de vanguardia
Agosto 2013
operada por Hutchison Ports Holdings. Este equipo se integra para

complementar la operacin de otras
seis gras de su clase e incrementar
y fortalecer el dinamismo, eficiencia
y rapidez del puerto en el despacho
de mercancas con los tiempos ms
competitivos del mercado.
www.puertolazarocardenas.com.mx
foto
INFRAESTRUCTURA
cortesa de flexi
www.dafiti.com.mx
El Puerto Lzaro Crdenas integra tres

nuevas gras STS para atender ms carga,
consolidando su posicin de vanguardia y proyeccin a futuro a travs de la
terminal especializada de contenedores
70
En esta cuarta edicin del festival,

que evolucion de talleres bsicos
de computacin a la creacin de
emprendedores, se plante el objetivo
de impulsar 150 ideas de empresas con
potencial de crecimiento. El evento se
enfoc a la comunidad emprendedora
y cont con el apoyo del Instituto
Nacional del Emprendedor (INADEM),
ProMxico, la Asociacin Mexicana
foto
La internacionalizacin de
empresas y marcas mexicanas es una tarea de suma
importancia para ProMxico, la agencia de promocin econmica internacional del gobierno
mexicano que tiene como misin atraer
inversin extranjera directa al pas, as
como impulsar la exportacin de productos y servicios mexicanos, a fin de incidir
en la internacionalizacin de las empresas
del pas.
En conjunto con otras instancias de
apoyo, se tiene como meta consolidar la
exportacin de casi 120 franquicias mexicanas durante los prximos seis aos. Por
ello, ProMxico trabaja con distintos actores estratgicos, como la Asociacin Mexicana de Franquicias (AMF), que ha sido un
componente fundamental para impulsar
distintas acciones tendientes a lograr dicho
propsito. En este contexto, la presente edicin publica una contribucin del presidente de la AMF, en donde presenta un claro
diagnstico sobre las marcas mexicanas en
el extranjero, as como sobre su potencial.
Asimismo, a partir de las experiencias reportadas por diversas empresas mexicanas,
rene varios casos de xito representativos
con la finalidad de ilustrar este tema.
cortesa de campus party
Desde
ProMxico.
de Internet (Amipci), adems de 10

fondos de inversin extranjeros y
nacionales como Amexcap y Angel
Investors, que participaron en el evento
para identificar proyectos para invertir.
Las 500 conferencias se dividieron
en ocho escenarios temticos en un rea
de 300 metros cuadrados; algunas de las
ponencias destacadas corrieron a cargo
del astronauta Buzz Aldrin y del creador
de Atari, Nolan Bushnell.
Campus Party es el evento ms
importante del mundo en las reas de
innovacin, creatividad, ciencia y entretenimiento digital. Desde 1997, Campus
Party ha logrado reunir a miles de jvenes apasionados por la tecnologa para
que colaboren, aprendan y promuevan el
conocimiento y la innovacin.
En los ltimos 16 aos, ms de 145
mil campuseros han participado en las
treinta y cinco ediciones celebradas en
siete pases de Latinoamrica y Europa.
Actualmente, el evento tiene presencia en
ocho pases y realiza ediciones anuales
en So Paulo, Espaa, Bogot, Ciudad de
Mxico y Quito.
fotos
BREVES
INDUSTRIAS CREATIVAS
El diseo brilla
en Mxico
International Business Design Fair

(IBDF) es una feria internacional que
incide en la comercializacin del diseo
y de las industrias creativas. Su funcin
es vincular a importantes distribuidores de diseo en el mundo con los ms
destacados protagonistas de la industria
nacional para fomentar o afianzar vnculos comerciales.
archivo
IBDF se realizar en el marco del Abierto Mexicano de Diseo, en el Gran Hotel

Ciudad de Mxico del 22 al 25 de octubre
de 2013. Se espera que se convierta en puerta de acceso a inversionistas y que se consolide como uno de los espacios ms reconocidos del diseo en Mxico para el mundo.
Para Exportadores | Negocios ProMxico
Una bebida de Mxico para el mundo:

ProMxico Y LaS empresas exportadoras de tequila
www.ibdf.mx
Empresas tequileras mexicanas han recibido servicios y apoyos de ProMxico que

les han permitido conquistar nuevos mercados para la bebida insignia del pas.
ProMxico, a travs de la Unidad de Promocin de Exportaciones (UPE), ofrece a

los empresarios tequileros mexicanos una
serie de apoyos y servicios para iniciar o incrementar sus exportaciones.
Los ejecutivos de ProMxico establecidos en las distintas Oficinas de
Representacin en Mxico (OMEX), se
dedican a recibir a empresarios nacionales y evaluar sus proyectos, con el fin de
presentarles los apoyos ms adecuados a
sus requerimientos. Estos pueden com-
prender rembolsos econmicos a travs

de bolsas de viaje; diseo de envase, empaque, embalaje y etiquetado; diseo de
campaa de imagen; planeacin y realizacin de actividades promocionales
en el exterior, entre otros, as como una
gama de servicios con costo que pueden
incluir participacin en pabellones de
ProMxico en ferias internacionales, realizacin de agendas de negocio en el marco de misiones de exportadores, asesora
especializada en Mxico y contratacin
de practicantes de negocios en el exterior, entre otros. Este esquema se conoce

como modelo de la oferta.
Cuando las empresas tequileras requieren informacin especializada, son canalizadas a un experto sectorial en oficinas centrales (Ciudad de Mxico), quien les ofrece
consultora gratuita sobre los documentos
requeridos para exportar, los mercados con
mayores oportunidades y los requisitos no
arancelarios, as como los eventos internacionales ms representativos de la industria.
foto
cortesa de business design fair
por blanca mendoza avils*
E-factura de Mxico
para Amrica Latina
Durante los prximos tres aos, la empresa crnica American Beef invertir cerca de 200 millones
de pesos en un proyecto de expansin en el municipio de Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco. Con la diversificacin de alimentos crnicos procesados, que
incluyen desde pastas hasta guisados, el corporativo apostar a una lnea de alta cocina mexicana
capaz de conquistar los mercados
internacionales.
Dot Net, empresa de Cancn

especializada en servicios
digitales, alista la exportacin de sus servicios de facturacin digital a Colombia,
Chile y Per, en el marco de
la Alianza del Pacfico que
firm Mxico con esos pases
en mayo de 2013.
www.facturadorelectronico.com
foto
www.amebeef.com
archivo
A la conquista
de nuevos mercados
archivo
TI
foto
ALIMENTOS
Agosto 2013
73
ilustracin
malena lpez
ProMxico est listo para

llevar ms de la bebida
insignia de Mxico al mundo,
as como para apoyar a las
empresas tequileras en sus
estrategias de exportacin y
diversificacin internacional.
Asimismo, el experto sectorial les ayuda a identificar fuentes de informacin valiosa para detectar importadores y distribuidores, datos importantes del mercado y
del canal de distribucin, o bien sugerencias para el diseo exitoso de su plan de
negocios de exportacin.
De manera adicional, ProMxico identifica oportunidades de negocio a travs
de las 34 Oficinas de Representacin en el
Extranjero (OREX), distribuidas en 25 pases. A partir de conferencias telefnicas y/o
entrevistas con importadores de bebidas alcohlicas, se analizan los requerimientos de
proveedura mexicana y, con el apoyo de un
ejecutivo en oficinas centrales, se localiza a
exportadores de tequila que puedan cubrir
la demanda. Este esquema se conoce como
modelo de la demanda.
En su compromiso por contribuir a
la formacin de exportadores nacionales,
ProMxico ofrece tambin en lnea y de
manera gratuita una serie de documentos
74
tcnicos para que las empresas identifiquen

en qu etapa del proceso de exportacin se
encuentran, cules son los pasos que deben
seguir para disear su plan de exportaciones,
cmo analizar los mercados internacionales,
dnde conocer los aspectos culturales del
mercado al cual van a dirigir sus esfuerzos,
cmo establecer el precio de exportacin,
cmo realizar un contrato de compra-venta
internacional y cmo mejorar su logstica de
exportacin, entre otros aspectos.
Hoy, ProMxico est listo para llevar
ms de la bebida insignia de Mxico al mundo, as como para apoyar a las empresas tequileras en sus estrategias de exportacin y
diversificacin internacional. Por ello, cada
vez son ms las compaas exportadoras de
tequila que hacen de ProMxico su aliado
de negocios en Mxico y en el exterior.
La bebida del xito
ProMxico, a travs de la OREX en Bogot, identific el inters de una empresa
UNA INDUSTRIA
MUY MEXICANA
comercializadora de bebidas alcohlicas y

alimentos, por conocer a productores de tequila para representarlos en Colombia. La
entidad organiz una agenda de negocios
entre esa compaa y varias empresas tequileras en Jalisco. En mayo de 2011, despus
de tres meses de anlisis de perfiles, el importador colombiano tom la decisin de
realizar un acuerdo de compra-venta para
representar dos marcas.
Con la finalidad de realizar el lanzamiento del producto en las ciudades de
Medelln y Bogot, ProMxico autoriz a
la empresa mexicana en 2012 el rembolso
denominado Participacin y realizacin
de eventos promocionales en el exterior,
apoyo que permiti difundir entre distribuidores especializados las nuevas marcas
mexicanas.
Las ventas que se han generado para la
empresa mexicana han sido contundentes.
Otra marca tequilera acept la invitacin de ProMxico para participar en una
misin presidencial a Chile realizada durante 2012. La empresa mexicana solicit
a ProMxico referencias comerciales de sus
posibles contrapartes, informacin que fue
analizada, procesada y entregada a la compaa con uso de las herramientas de inteligencia comercial. Durante su agenda de
negocios, organizada por la OREX Chile,
la firma tuvo una serie de entrevistas con
importadores de bebidas alcohlicas y eligi a un aliado estratgico para coordinar
sus transacciones.
A la fecha, este exportador mexicano
trabaja de manera coordinada con su importador, mismo que tiene distribucin en
todo Chile, y una infraestructura muy bien
diseada para la logstica de reparto del
producto distribuye a tiendas departamentales y centros de consumo. N
La industria de bebidas en Mxico alcanz un valor de produccin de 45

mil 344 millones de dlares en 2012 y
se espera que presente una tasa media
de crecimiento anual de 9% para el periodo 2012-2020.
En 2012, Mxico registr el segundo
valor ms alto en la produccin industrial
de bebidas en Amrica, solamente por
debajo de Estados Unidos y, segn cifras
de ProMxico, la industria mexicana de
bebidas recibi una Inversin Extrajera
Directa (IED) de 285 millones de dlares
entre 2000 y 2011, el sector registr una
IED de 6 mil 395 millones de dlares.
Produccin de agave
En 2011 la produccin de agave
en Mxico fue de 1 milln 703 mil
toneladas, con un valor de 146 millones de dlares, de acuerdo con
datos del Sistema de Informacin
Agropecuaria y Pesquera (STAP)
de la Secretara de Agricultura, Ganadera, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y
Alimentacin (SAGARPA).
El consumo total de agave para la
produccin de tequila en 2012 fue de
881 mil toneladas, de las cuales 62%
se destin a la produccin de tequila
100% agave y el resto para tequila.
Produccin de Tequila
En 2012 la produccin total de tequila fue de 253 millones de litros
(3% menos que la produccin de
2011).
De acuerdo con cifras del Consejo
Regulador del Tequila (CRT), 45%
de la produccin fue de tequila
100% agave y el resto de tequila.
Los principales estados productores de tequila son Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacn, Nayarit y
Tamaulipas.
Mxico exporta tequila
a diversos mercados
En 2012, Mxico export 300 litros de tequila por minuto (156
millones de litros).
La exportacin de tequila durante
2012 equivali a 859 millones de
dlares.
El principal destino de las exportaciones mexicanas de tequila fue
Estados Unidos, con una participacin del 71%.
Las exportaciones de tequila a Japn crecieron 67% en 2012.
138 empresas exportaron tequila,
57% de ellas se ubica en Jalisco y
9% en el Distrito Federal.
*Directora de Proyectos de Exportacin,

Unidad de Promocin de Exportaciones (UPE),
ProMxico.
Agosto 2013
Agosto 2013
75
fotos
cortesa de alianza del pacfico

a ojos de Mxico

podra ser un instrumento
ideal para apuntalar la
estrategia de diversificacin
comercial de Mxico, sobre
todo considerando el
nfasis que tienen los pases
pertenecientes a dicha
Alianza por intensificar
relaciones con Asia, entre
otras regiones del mundo.
La Alianza del Pacfico representa una oportunidad nica para diversificar las
exportaciones mexicanas, fortalecer el liderazgo econmico de Mxico en Amrica Latina
y generar mejores oportunidades de desarrollo en el pas.
por adolfo laborde*
En enero de 2013, los presidentes de Mxico, Enrique Pea Nieto; Chile, Sebastin Piera; Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos y Per, Ollanta Humala, acordaron,
en el marco del mecanismo Alianza del
Pacfico, alcanzar el libre mercado, con
lo que eliminarn en casi 90 por ciento
el arancel al intercambio comercial y los
obstculos tcnicos al comercio entre
sus pases, a la vez que consolidarn una
colaboracin aduanera. Con el arancel
cero, los miembros del bloque se benefi-
76
ciarn del acceso seguro de sus productos y servicios a los mercados.

El objetivo de la Alianza del Pacfico,
de acuerdo con la Declaracin de Lima, es
formar un bloque comercial que propicie
la libre circulacin de bienes, servicios, capitales y personas en esta regin latinoamericana, que sirva de plataforma para
lograr una mayor vinculacin econmica
con la regin Asia-Pacfico.
Para alcanzar esta meta, los gobiernos
de los pases firmantes generarn una nor-
matividad clara con respecto a las reglas

de origen en materia comercial; impulsarn inversiones en materia educativa (promocin de becas de licenciatura) y eliminarn el requisito de visa entre sus miembros.
Unas cuantas cifras pueden ayudar a
dimensionar el impacto de este mecanismo.
Segn datos del Ministerio de Relaciones
Exteriores de Chile, la poblacin de todos
los pases de la Alianza del Pacfico suma alrededor de 270 millones de personas. Es, sin
duda alguna, un mercado de gran potencial.
Agosto 2013
De acuerdo con el Fondo Monetario

Internacional (FMI), tan solo en 2012 el
Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) de los pases de la Alianza del Pacfico fue de 2 mil
10.3 miles de millones de dlares (el PIB
de Mxico representa 59 por ciento del
total de la Alianza).
Por su parte, la Organizacin Mundial
del Comercio (OMC) recientemente revel
que en 2012, los pases de la Alianza del
Pacfico ocuparon el sptimo lugar como
exportadores a nivel mundial, solo detrs
de China, Estados Unidos, Alemania, Japn, Pases Bajos y Francia, al exportar un
total de 554 mil millones de dlares. Esto
provoc que dichas naciones cerraran el
ao con un supervit de 12 mil millones
de dlares en su comercio con el mundo,
segn datos del Global Trade Atlas (GTA).
En Latinoamrica, las exportaciones
de la Alianza del Pacfico representaron
50.2 por ciento del total de la regin (1 mil
107.615 millones de dlares), segn informacin de la OMC.
El atractivo de estos pases tambin se
vio reflejado en el monto de Inversin Extranjera Directa (IED) captado en 2012,
el cual registr un crecimiento ponderado
anual de 19.8 por ciento, de acuerdo con datos de la Comisin Econmica para Amrica
Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
Los principales sectores destino de la
IED entre los pases miembros de la Alianza fueron: Chile (minera, seguros, electricidad, gas y agua, manufactura [excepto
alimentos, qumicos y papel], transporte
y almacenamiento), Colombia (petrolero,
minera, industria manufacturera, transporte y almacenamiento, servicios finan-
Agosto 2013
cieros y empresariales) y Per (minera,

finanzas, comunicaciones, industria y energa), segn datos recopilados por el Comit de Inversiones Extranjeras de Chile, el
Banco de Colombia y la agencia de promocin comercial de Per (Proinversin).
En los prximos aos se estima que los
pases miembros de la Alianza del Pacfico
continuarn con un crecimiento econmico sostenido de 4.7 por ciento, en promedio, mientras que el promedio de toda la
regin se pronostica en 3.8 por ciento.
Finalmente, los pases pertenecientes
a la Alianza del Pacfico ofrecen una gran
ventaja competitiva como bloque comercial: su ubicacin geogrfica. Esta permite una comunicacin favorable entre los
miembros y, sobre todo, una inigualable
cercana a prcticamente cualquier punto
de Amrica Latina.
Asimismo, los pases de la Alianza gozan de slidos fundamentos macroeconmicos que generan las condiciones necesarias para el establecimiento exitoso de las
empresas extranjeras.
En el caso de Mxico, durante 2012,
88 por ciento de sus exportaciones hacia
los pases miembros de esta Alianza fueron
manufacturas principalmente vehculos,
tractores, material elctrico, plstico y sus
manufacturas, entre otros segn la OMC.
En un futuro se prev que sectores como
el de servicios, productos intermedios, maquinaria y equipo tendrn un impacto positivo para el pas.
Si se compara con el resto de los pases
de la Alianza, Mxico supera a sus socios
de manera importante. Por ejemplo, con
Chile se tuvo una balanza comercial favo-
rable de casi 749 mil millones de dlares

el ao pasado. Con Colombia, Mxico
tambin registr una balanza superavitaria de ms de 4 mil 700 millones de dlares; mientras que en el caso de Per, el pas
tuvo un saldo favorable de ms de 1 mil 80
millones de dlares. En los tres casos, Mxico obtuvo una balanza comercial positiva, lo que de alguna manera significa que
continuar con una lgica de liberalizacin
comercial con estos pases, traera consigo
una expansin comercial y una profundizacin del supervit del pas.
En este contexto, la Alianza del Pacfico
podra ser un instrumento ideal para apuntalar la estrategia de diversificacin comercial de Mxico, sobre todo considerando el
nfasis que tienen los pases pertenecientes
a dicha Alianza por intensificar relaciones
con Asia, entre otras regiones del mundo.
En el terreno geopoltico, la Alianza
podra servir para contrarrestar la influencia de Brasil y Venezuela en el marco del
Mercado Comn del Sur (MERCOSUR)
y de la Unin de Naciones Suramericanas
(UNASUR), que marca la divisin de Latinoamrica en dos proyectos econmicos,
polticos y sociales.
Mxico es, en suma, un destino exportador clave en el marco de la Alianza del
Pacfico, la cual se mantiene como un mecanismo de balance geopoltico regional de
suma importancia, en la que el pas ejerce
un contrapeso sustantivo. N
*Internacionalista; director de la Licenciatura
en Relaciones Internacionales del Tecnolgico
de Monterrey, Campus Santa Fe; miembro del
Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, Nivel 1.
77
fotos
archivo
La franquicia
como modelo
de crecimiento:
lecciones de Mxico
Las franquicias se han consolidado como
un modelo de negocios exitoso en Mxico
y son una importante fuente de ingresos y
empleos en el pas. Actualmente, Mxico
tiene el reto de exportar sus franquicias y
ganar nuevas posiciones para las marcas
mexicanas en el mercado internacional.
por diego elizarrars cerda*
El modelo de franquicia ha sido uno de los formatos comerciales ms divulgados y eficientes en

el mundo para crecer y desarrollar una marca.
Aunque comnmente se le asocia con negocios
del sector de alimentos y bebidas, es difcil encontrar un giro comercial que no tenga ejemplos
de marcas que se hayan desarrollado a partir del
sistema de franquicias.
Las principales fortalezas de este modelo son el
compartir y sumar talentos: una frmula ganadora
probada (franquiciante), sumada al talento y deseo
emprendedor de un tercero (franquiciatario). El financiamiento es otorgado por el franquiciatario,
lo cual le da derecho a utilizar la marca registrada
y reconocida, as como los conocimientos tcnicos
y la asesora necesarios para manejar exitosamente
el negocio durante un tiempo determinado.
Por otro lado, la combinacin de talento,
experiencia y deseo de superacin ha permitido que la franquicia se desarrolle al margen de
la cultura, idioma y poder econmico del pas
donde se instale. Es un formato de negocio que
puede alinear en un mismo proyecto a empresarios independientes que trabajen con procedimientos, objetivos y metas comunes. No existe
un pas en el mundo que no tenga por lo menos
una franquicia; de hecho, actualmente hay ms
de 19 mil redes o cadenas de franquicias (franquiciantes) y ms de 1.3 millones de unidades
franquiciadas (franquiciatarios) a nivel global.
En Mxico, el modelo de franquicia se ha posicionado como un escalafn importante para el
desarrollo econmico del pas. Durante sus casi 30
aos de existencia, su efecto como fuente generadora de empleos, emprendedores, motor de cambio y profesionalizacin de las pequeas y medianas empresas (pymes) ha sido incuestionable.
78
Los principales giros a los cuales pertenecen

las franquicias mexicanas son alimentos y bebidas, comercio especializado, cuidado personal,
servicios especializados, educacin y capacitacin, tecnologa y comunicaciones, y entretenimiento y recreacin.
De acuerdo con datos de la Asociacin

Mexicana de Franquicias (AMF), entre 2007
y 2012 se generaron cerca de 811 desarrollos
nuevos de franquicias, ms de 2 mil 300 puntos
de venta y cerca de 12 mil 400 empleos directos. El total aportado durante ese periodo fue
de 941 mil millones de pesos, solo en la apertura de nuevas tiendas. Se espera que el sector de
las franquicias en Mxico cierre 2013 con un
crecimiento de 13% en lo referente a puntos de
venta y nuevas marcas generadas, con lo cual
superar el 12% registrado en 2012.
La facturacin del sector en Mxico es de
aproximadamente 85 mil millones de pesos
anuales y, segn diversas estimaciones, el nmero de empleados rebasa las 700 mil personas.
Gran parte de las franquicias mexicanas se ubican en el centro del pas (43%), aunque tambin
existe una presencia importante en la regin occidente (15%), noreste (14%), Golfo (9%), noroeste (9%), Bajo (6%) y sureste (4%).
Mxico: referente internacional

En Mxico, el modelo de franquicias se ha consolidado como un fenmeno de las pymes nacionales, as como un referente mundial en cuanto
a ecosistemas de franquicias, y no solo como un
sistema prestado de las marcas extranjeras que
introdujeron el modelo en un inicio.
En trminos del nmero de marcas franquiciantes en operacin, el pas ocupa el quinto lugar mundial, solo detrs de Estados Unidos, China, Brasil y Australia. Esta posicin favorable se
ha logrado gracias a la estructura legal slida del
pas, presente por ms de dos dcadas y principalmente motivada por la integracin de Mxico al
Agosto 2013
Agosto 2013
La facturacin del
sector en Mxico es
de aproximadamente
85 mil millones
de pesos anuales.
Segn diversas
estimaciones, el
nmero de empleados
rebasa las 700 mil
personas.
Tratado de Libre Comercio de Amrica del Norte

(TLCAN), as como a un esfuerzo de sensibilizacin sobre los beneficios del modelo de franquicia
a nivel gubernamental, acadmico, medios de comunicacin y pblico en general.
Desde hace ms de seis aos, existen financiamientos de la banca de desarrollo y comercial que
han incidido directamente en el crecimiento del
sector de las franquicias. Estos crditos han hecho
que Mxico se consolide como un destino muy favorable para firmas provenientes de Estados Unidos, Espaa y Canad, entre muchos otros pases.
El papel relevante que ha ganado Mxico en
el entorno mundial de las franquicias no sera posible sin el liderazgo activo de dos organismos
internacionales, la Federacin Iberoamericana
de Franquicias (FIAF) y el Consejo Mundial de
Franquicias (WFC). Asimismo, la organizacin de
la Feria Internacional de Franquicias (FIF) en la
Ciudad de Mxico una de las tres exposiciones
ms importantes del ramo en el orbe, junto con la
de Sao Paulo y Pars ha sido un factor determinante en el buen posicionamiento del pas dentro
del sector de las franquicias.
Sin embargo, la internacionalizacin de las
franquicias mexicanas es una asignatura pendiente. En la actualidad, de 840 marcas nacionales,
menos de 30 tienen presencia importante en el extranjero. Esto no es casualidad, ni se debe a falta
de talento ni de conceptos originales o mercados
atractivos para estas marcas; ms bien responde a
un deseo muy generalizado, a una intencin ms
que a un proyecto bien consolidado.
Segn estudios de la Unin Europea, una
empresa que tiene actividad e inversin en el extranjero genera hasta 16% ms de empleo en su
pas. Lo anterior genera un crculo virtuoso que
impulsa a otras compaas a buscar la internacionalizacin y, a su vez, poner en alto el nombre
de Mxico como marca-pas.
Por ejemplo, Javier Snchez Azcona,
presidente de la franquicia de entretenimiento
infantil KidZania (antes La ciudad de los nios),
cambi el nombre al proyecto para conectar con
una visin ms global del mismo. De acuerdo con
el empresario, tras haber abierto franquicias en
distintas latitudes, lo que inicialmente resultaba
ms difcil para los inversionistas era creer que
se trataba de una empresa mexicana, ya que la
concepcin de la marca-pas en aquel momento
era negativa.
As, casos de xito de franquicias nacionales
como KidZania (entretenimiento), El Fogoncito y
Sushi Itto (alimentos), han requerido de un trabajo
coordinado entre el gremio de las franquicias mexicanas y las autoridades en materia de comercio exterior, para detectar y promover conjuntamente a
aquellas marcas franquiciantes con potencial y listas para comenzar a expandir sus conceptos inter-
79
Franquicias mexicanas
en nmeros (2013)
1 mil 400 empresas

franquiciantes.
750 mil empleos directos creados.

84% marcas nacionales y 16%
extranjeras.
82% de proveedura e insumos

nacionales y 18% importados.
73 mil puntos de venta.

Representan 6% del Producto
Interno Bruto (PIB) nacional.
nacionalmente, as como para identificar y

concretar encuentros fructferos con potenciales
inversionistas de otros pases, de la mano de una
correcta planeacin y soporte tcnico en los pases
destino.
Con esta visin y compromiso, en el primer
trimestre de 2013, la AMF y ProMxico firmaron
un convenio de colaboracin para hacer realidad
la exportacin del modelo de franquicia y de las
marcas mexicanas, bajo el concepto de exportacin de talento, marcas, conocimiento y propiedad intelectual, aprovechando la infraestructura
de ambas instituciones y el fuerte compromiso
por sacar este proyecto adelante.
Dentro de los primeros frutos de este convenio est la publicacin de la Gua para la Exportacin de Franquicias, con miras a participar en
un primer evento para llevar franquicias mexicanas a Chile, en octubre de 2013.
Sin duda es un camino largo; sin embargo, la
consolidacin de ms marcas en el extranjero ser
una prctica recurrente en el pas y a nivel global.
Lo que es ms, esta dinmica ser un paso firme
para posicionar a las marcas mexicanas y al pas
como un lder entre las economas del mundo. N
*Presidente de la Asociacin Mexicana de
Franquicias (AMF).
80
Agosto 2013

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Mexico in

Natures Gifts to Mexico:

The Mexico Advantage

he government of Mexico has set out

Enrique Pea Nieto

Table of Contents August 2013

Mexico in the World

The National Strategy for

The Complete Guide

the Whole World

34 Gran Tiki Games

Turkey and Mexico as Priority Partners:

Download the PDF version and read

Una bebida de Mxico

ProMxico y las empresas

La Alianza del Pacfico

In terms of digital content development,

Francisco N. Gonzlez Daz

Multinational port operating

Danish toymaker Lego will invest 125 million

US chemicals giant DuPont

Mexican IT services provider

US-based diversified manufacturing multinational 3M

Mexican steel maker Altos

photo pedro prez garca

photo courtesy of lego

British consumer goods

Canadian auto parts manufacturer Magna International will

Japanese electronics manufacturer

GRUPO SOMAR, LEADER

Japanese automotive parts manufacturer Higuchi

photo courtesy of somar

photo courtesy of embraco

US-based automotive leather

Negocios ProMxico | Special Report

Special Report | Negocios ProMxico

process, which was too long

ing enough to leave software

We became talent integrators. That is what we do

nology but to use existing

If software were a building,

an office that did not look

Team-up Day. The project leader is recruited and prepared.

Negocios ProMxico | Special Report

In Zapoteca language, biaani

to its customers. The firms

Special Report | Negocios ProMxico

Since completing its

to get involved in creating

the last two years. Furthermore, 26% of smartphone

sleep-related disease, says

worth 23 billion usd. Such

Negocios ProMxico | Cover Feature

Cover Feature | Negocios ProMxico

ing the most important market in the world

Mexico is poised to become a global leader in the production of

by mariana larragoiti kolkmeyer*

Negocios ProMxico | Cover Feature

Cover Feature | Negocios ProMxico

tive competitiveness to boost the audiovisual

According to figures taken from the

The policies of ProAV are very flexible in