By Jorge Raya

Running Away From The Cold

For those of us who live in the northern hemisphere, Autumn brings that time of year when the temperature drops constantly and each day feels colder than the previous one. The birds migrate south and the days are getting shorter. These are the days when we look in the closet for “that warm jacket” that frees us from the discomfort of low temperature and in more extreme cases protects us from truly dangerous conditions such as hypothermia that can put our lives at risk.

Although most of the developed countries on the planet are in the northern hemisphere and above 40º latitude. They all have winters with extreme weather that invite their inhabitants to seek lower latitudes, warmer weather, and places of great natural beauty such as the Riviera Maya.

The Riviera Maya is famous for being the home of so many foreigners who make its cities like Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, true cosmopolitan centers with a culture that amalgamates all the local Mayan tradition with the idiosyncrasies and lifestyles of many nationalities from almost all over the planet.

The Riviera Maya is famous for being the home of so many foreigners who make its cities like Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, true cosmopolitan centers

This demand for beautiful places to spend the winter while working on a tan and forgetting about the snow, blizzards, and short days, has brought an increase in real estate offer to attend the famous “Snow Birds” that come and visit to make this corner of paradise their home in the future. Great and varied opportunities are presented to those who want to invest and protect their assets, in some cases even to make them grow, taking advantage of the ROI that the destination can guarantee which, in some cases, reaches up to 6% per year (any promise above this percentage must arouse skepticism).

The average temperature in New York during January is about 3 degrees Celsius, which can drop to -30. Snow is nice to see on a TV screen but not so much when you have to walk blocks to work or drive on ice-slippery streets in the afternoon while going home. That is why a hammock on the rooftop, wearing a bathing suit and a loose shirt, sounds like a dream for so many people fleeing the cold. Furthermore, with the re-discovery of remote work due to the pandemic, we realized that it is not even necessary to be in your country to be fully productive.

Today almost all real estate developments around the world have incorporated spaces inside the house to serve both as an office and a classroom for the children. Broadband Wi-Fi has become a desirable necessity and multifunctional rooms now incorporate monitors and microphones for virtual meetings, electronic whiteboards, and the latest in software for highly productive meetings. That, without a doubt, adds to the amenities that the real estate industry offers its buyers.

I know that if we ask a hundred people what do they prefer? Whether walking in the snow or walking on the sand by the sea, the answer will always go in the direction of the waves. They say that life presents us with many paths, the one we like the most is the road to the beach. More if the sun shines, the breeze sways the palm trees and the temperature is above 28 degrees. Add to that almost perfect scene a couple of ice-cold beers and the picture is perfect.

Sometimes it only takes a weekend away from the cold for an experienced investor to see the possibilities of owning a property in the Riviera Maya, be it because of the weather, the warmth of its people, the favorable climate to have a good time seeing how far your dollars can go to turn a dream into a wish. Yes, there are a series of requirements that foreigners must meet to access that much more relaxed lifestyle, without cold and full of comforts by the sea or near the beach. However, the secret lies in approaching a real estate advisor who will accompany you throughout the process. Even if you are Mexican, acquiring the correct property for your needs and according to your budget can be very complicated considering the large offer that is currently available and its imminent increase in the near future, where not everything is what it seems and promises may not be so true.

At Select Riviera Maya, we are committed to this process of monitoring and accompanying every one of our clients, offering them a professional team that supervises all aspects of the search, purchase, and legal procedures that guarantee certainty of a good purchase in benefit of all our friends and customers.

Day of the Dead and the Mexican Revolution

November is a month full of tradition in Mexico, November 2 we commemorate the Day of the Dead, a date full of history, culture, and tradition while we remember our “Muertitos” (little dead ones as a form of lovingly calling those who have passed on) and we offer them altars full of color, food and drink so that in that night when they visit us they have everything they liked when they were alive. The all-important bottle of tequila is never lacking and sometimes even the mariachi or marimba will perform the songs that the deceased liked.

Throughout México, cemeteries are filled with flowers and families, with scents, tears, and laughter. A large number of dishes and drinks pass through the doors of holly ground, all the “favorites” of the one or many deceased, since many times in a single grave will contain more than one. Friends and family arrive early to clean the tombstone neatly, put flowers and prepare everything for the arrival of the rest of the family so that when the deceased comes he will find the place pleasant and full of what he liked and who he loved for they miss him.

It is a date full of icons that over the years have become obligatory such as the catrinas, the “calacas”, the representation of death, and the Xoloitzcuintli, dogs that will help the dead cross to the Mictlán. A date steeped in history that amalgamates the pagan customs of pre-Columbian Mexico with the evangelization that came with the conquest. Festivities that before the arrival of the Spaniards celebrated the transition from summer to autumn. Franciscan Priests who arrived with the conquest instead of fighting with the original folks simply took their same dates and gave them a twist to turn the dates into the Day of all Saints and the Day of the Dead.

18 days later in México, the Day of the Revolution is commemorated. November 20 is the date that Francisco I. Madero called to take up arms against the government of General Porfirio Díaz who had been in office for 30 years and who had made the promise not to run for the presidency again but still so he postulated. The armed ordeal among Mexicans in search of better living conditions and growth opportunities lasted 7 years until Don Venustiano Carranza promulgated the constitution that governs the destinies of Mexico until today.

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Although the anniversary of the Revolution is not a reason for great celebrations such as September 16, Independence Day, it is undoubtedly a significant commemoration that reminds us of the sacrifice of so many Mexicans who, tired of the dictatorship, decided to sacrifice themselves in the armed struggle for a better country, with social justice and democracy. Unfortunately, during those 7 years, the one who had started everything lost his life. Francisco Madero along with José María Pino Suárez was betrayed and then shot during what is now known as the “Decena Trágica” or Tragic Ten Days.

The armed ordeal among Mexicans in search of better living conditions and growth opportunities lasted 7 years

Over the years, a tradition has become, unlike the great military parade on September 16, to carry out a parade where young people from different regions of the country and disciplines walk through different streets of the historic center of Mexico City accompanied by large contingents of “Charrería” (the national sport) ending in the Plaza de la Constitución or Zócalo where the National Palace is located, seat to the executive power of the Republic where the President’s office is located.

The Mexican Revolution is characterized by the appearance of the famous “corridos”, musical pieces generally on guitar with themes related to the experiences in “la bola” as they called the revolutionary contingent that faced the “federales” who belonged to the armed forces that defended the government. The famous “Adelitas” also came to be, who were the women who joined the fight, either to follow their husbands or because they take their place when they fell on the battlefield.

November in Mexico is a month of contrasts, between the Day of the Dead and the Day of the Revolution, Mexico is filled with “papel picado” (paper cutouts with skulls and skeletons), marigold flowers, catrinas, charro hats, and Adelitas dressed in green, white and red. They are two festivities that define us as a nation and are a source of great pride for all Mexicans.

At Select Riviera Maya we are happy to share with you these little pearls of tradition and history that will help you get to know this wonderful country better. If you want to know a little more, send us a comment about the topics that interest you and with great pleasure, and we will write about them.

Tequila and Mezcal

Legend has it that during a great storm a bolt of lightning struck an agave plantation which caused a great fire, once it went out the “piñas” as the heart of the agave is known had been cooked by the intense heat and from its interior, you could extract a mead with a sweet taste and intoxicating effect called Tequila. Because it was the product of lightning, the ancients were sure that this wonderful drink could not be anything other than a gift from the gods.

With the arrival of the Spanish and the Moorish tradition of the use of stills for the distillation of alcohols, tequila took on a slightly more refined form and began to be called Mezcal Tequila. But it was Don Eusebio Sauza who officially called it simply Tequila.

With the arrival of the Spanish and the Moorish tradition of the use of stills for the distillation of alcohols, tequila took on a slightly more refined form and began to be called Mezcal Tequila

Now, just as not all that glitters is gold, not all you get from agave is tequila. There are 295 species of Agave from which drinks such as pulque, mezcal, and tequila are obtained. However, only one species of this plant can be used to make tequila and this is the blue variety Weber Tequilana agave. But things are not that simple since tequila cannot be made anywhere either since this drink has a Denomination of Origin (DOT) which means that to be an authentic Tequila it can only be made in the following places: the state of Jalisco, parts of Nayarit, Michoacán, Guanajuato, and Tamaulipas.

Jalisco is defined as the place of origin of tequila as we know it today, and in fact, one of the great attractions that this wonderful state offers is a visit to the city of Tequila to try the many varieties of this spirit.

In recent years, another drink has become fashionable, one that we can say is closely related to Tequila. Mezcal also comes from the Agave plant and also has a designation of origin. Mezcal is a strong spirit with a marked smoky flavor as a result of its very peculiar production process where the “piñas” are cooked in large holes made in the earth and covered with stone where a large fire is lit that heats the stones and leaves embers on which the “pineapples” are distributed to later be covered with Agave leaves and other materials. There those Agave hearts are cooked for hours adopting that smoky flavor so characteristic to Mezcal.

As we already said, Mezcal also has the Denomination of Origin which implies that it cannot be called that, even if it was made with the same recipe, if it is not from the following states: Oaxaca, Guerrero, Durango, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas. And, although the variety of Agave from which the spirit comes is not as strict as in the case of tequila, it must belong to the following varieties: the “espadín” (Agave angustifolia Haw.), Which is the most cultivated and used for the manufacture of mezcal. Also, in order of importance, you can also use the “arroqueño” (Agave americana L.), the “cirial” (Agave Karwinskii Zucc.) And the “barrel” agave (Agave rodacantha Zucc.), The “Mexican” (Agave macrocantha) and the maguey “cincoañero” (Agave canatala roxb). Among the most famous and appreciated wild agaves for the quality of the mezcal obtained is the “tobala” (Agave potatorum Zucc.).

Mezcal or Tequila?

In the world (because both drinks have developed a strong fan base throughout the planet) there are those who prefer tequila, others take to mezcal. Some palates do not like the smoky flavor of Mezcal, others just prefer the “white” tequila without aging or resting. And then there are all those who are totally opposite. What’s worth pointing out is that both drinks are wonderful, they are Mexican and they are part of the great cultural heritage that this country has given to the world.

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Although the recommendation is that both drinks are taken in the form of “kisses” or small sips (unlike the “Shot” where the content of a whole tequila glass is drunk at once) as it comes out of the bottle, straight, without refrigerating or additives such as chili or honey, we can also say that its nobility lies in the fact that today there is a great variety of cocktails that use Tequila and Mezcal as a base. One of them is the famous Margarita.

Straight or in a cocktail, you should never miss the opportunity to have a Tequila or a Mezcal “just for the sake of it.”

Reactivation 2021

As a result of the progress in the vaccination strategy promoted by the Government, in which to date 63% of the population over 18 years of age have been vaccinated with at least one dose, there has been a gradual and orderly opening, with the corresponding sanitary measures, of the establishments and economic activities of our country.

This has favored Mexico to continue with a fixed course and accelerate towards a favorable, stable, and beneficial economic reactivation for Mexicans who, with great effort, work every day to provide better living conditions for their families.

Therefore, Mexico adjusted its growth prospects for the end of 2021 by going from 4.8% to 6.0% according to figures from Banxico (México’s Central Bank), which is an encouraging sign for national companies, in addition to generating confidence in foreign investors interested in having their assets in México.

Likewise, the light at the end of the tunnel finally appears for the micro and small companies in México, whose owners consider that the worst of the economic crisis is over and now they hope to resume the path of growth.

Mexico adjusted its growth prospects for the end of 2021 by going from 4.8% to 6.0% according to figures from Banxico, México’s Central Bank…

And the hope of microentrepreneurs is in line with the results of the latest survey of PwC Family Businesses, where 55% of the country’s companies consider that they will have favorable growth this year, while for 2022 the expectation rises to 74%. The reason? The economic growth of the United States and Canada, Mexico’s main trading partners. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are fundamental for the economic reactivation of México, since they generate more than 79% of formal jobs in the country and more than 70% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Real-estate market

Real estate entrepreneurs will invest 19 billion dollars in Mexico during the 2020-2021 period, which shows the reactivation of that sector in the face of the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, informed Enrique Tellez, president of the Association of Real Estate Developers ( ADI).

Specialists from the financial and real estate sectors predict that one of the most relevant challenges is for the financial sector to adapt to the new conditions of real estate projects that are changing and observed that there is a great niche of opportunity in the reconversion of spaces (those planned for offices or hospitals which today must become houses).

Likewise, based on the premise that this industry is one of the most active pillars for the national economic reactivation, with estimated investments – only from ADI partners – for more than 19 billion dollars for the years 2020 and 2021, the active participation of the federal government is essential, which must lay the necessary foundations for this investment to become a reality.

As you can see, everything seems to be going smoothly for those of us who participate in this business. And with this, we will see the appearance of new and interesting projects, especially in the Riviera Maya, which has become a powerful magnet for investment. But that does not mean that it is necessary to have the billions to take advantage of this impending economic boom. Investing in real estate is something anyone can do, even with only a little capital. The important thing will always be to ensure the assets you have through timely research and the help of a real estate advisor who knows the area and the most advantageous projects. At Select Riviera Maya Real Estate we are committed to fundamental values ​​such as honesty, transparency, personal attention, and actively listening to the needs of our clients. If you want to know the different options that the destination offers you, please contact us.