The foreign orientation of the Ciudad Juarez economy

This chapter outlines the foreign orientation of the Ciudad Juarez economy since the creation of the international boundary in 1848, with emphasis on the continuation of dependency patterns to the present day. Free trade helped Juarez cope with the Anglo American economic competition, although the Zona Libre was an on-again-off-again proposition in the Chihuahua frontier for several decades due to frequent changes in government in Chihuahua City. In the ensuing decades, the El Paso business community established hegemony over the Juarez market. With the unavailability of Mexican products which could compete in quality and price with North American goods, throngs of juarenses streamed to El Paso to buy a wide variety of merchandise. Juarez and other Mexican cities have been seen by many on both sides of the Rio Grande as wideopen recreation centers for US tourists, appealing particularly to military personnel anxious for thrills from sex, liquor, drugs, and other vices.