Mexico: The Political Economy and Culture
2/24/2014
BUS345-02—International Business
Political System: Brandon Corcoran
Legal System: Sabrina Cammilleri
Culture: Edwin Albaraccin

Abstract:
Mexico’s political system has emerged as one that is comparable to that of the United States. It is a democratic, federal republic that contains multiple Chambers, or “Houses” that sets ground rules and regulations on a federal level. Even though the political system of Mexico has its organized manner, it does have its influence on the legal system. How so? Like all foundations of the world, politics are going to have an influence on all sorts of decisions, even in the court room. Not only is Mexico’s legal system heavily influenced from the voices of the Chambers, but it is also severely strict. In many countries like the United States, there is a policy of “innocent until proven guilty,” but in Mexico a very different policy is set. These types of cases can lead to the questioning and concern of the civilians. Corruption has been a major concern of the people of Mexico, but it certainly hasn’t overshadowed the fact that they have an interesting and very colorful culture. The values and language of Mexico greatly impact the influences of business decisions, and they differ in ways that other countries may find odd, or maybe even offensive. Whether it is speaking loudly or interrupting, Mexico certainly has a strong foundation for conducting business decisions with others.

Foundation of the Political System. The political system of Mexico has had a mass transition from its first settlement to the current political system today. As early as the 1300’s, Mexico was a land of interest for many, but it was in the 1300’s that the Aztecs established the first political power of modern-day Mexico. The Aztecs were later conquered by a man named Hernan Cortes, who would build today’s Mexico City on top of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan1. By 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte had swept throughout Europe, and eventually the country of Spain was under his control; the monarchy being removed and Bonaparte appointing his own head of state. As a result, the Peninsular War between France and Spain had begun, which would lead even further to the development of the Mexican War. After multiple attempts of independence regimes, Mexico finally declared to that it be removed from their current viceregal system. In other words, Mexico realized it was time to split from its mother land and begin its own political reign. In 1821, the official beginning of Mexican independence and a federal republic arrived with the signing of the Treaty of Cordoba.2
Political System. A federal republic is considered a federation that is built upon a republican form of government, the federation being the central government. Meanwhile, the states in Mexico also maintain the federation. In federal republics, there is a division of powers between the national government, or the “federal government” and individual subdivisions. All national security concerns or other national concerns are dealt with on the federal government level, while all other issues pertain to the individual subdivisions.1 Mexico is blueprinted with a constitution, which provides the guidelines for the thirty-one states that exist in it, as well as the federal district. The constitution details what powers the three different governmental branches have, the branches being Executive, Legislative and Judicial. The constitution also states that all thirty-one states are divided into municipalities, or having a local self-government.2 The three branches of government as mentioned before (Executive, Legislative, Judicial) each have different responsibilities that they need to maintain.
The Executive Branch. Mexico’s Executive Branch is headed by the President of Mexico, in this case it would be current President Enrique Peno Nieto. The President is also given the