Congreso Canaco Ingles - History of Commerce

The economic, social and cultural conditions that prevailed in the last third of the 19thCentury in Mexico City were totally different from the ones we’re living on. The industralists who comprised the Chamber in those years faced problems and situations that could seem trivial, but over the course of the time, some not only are not disappearing, but had become hard to solve.

The mercantile operations that took place all over the country were made by means of the interchange of merchandise by currencies that contained gold and silver in their alloys. They were the times in which these precious metals had been used as currency due to a peak in the mining activities, even though this industry was in the hands of foreign companies.

The levels of scholar instruction of the population were minimum, since the possibilities of attending the schools regularly were reduced due to the necessity of contributing to the house economy.

The great majority of the products that could be found in the shelves of the city shops came from the outside, mainly of China, that arrived by sea at the Mexican ports: the fabrics, clothes, embroiders; the perfumes and wines of France; the tools and steel products of Germany and the machinery of the United States, to only mention a few examples. The dawning national industry also required to a great extent the import of raw materials and machinery for its operation.

The function of the commerce in Mexico City has always been to get its customer the required products, without concerning its origin, provided they are acquired at accessible prices and with opportunity. Since then, the commerce has been the first generator of work places, in where almost any person with a desire to success can find a honest way to make a carrer. The daily image in those years was a lanscape of stores all sizes, run by diligent clerks at the counter.

Many and varied problems, as well as infinity of events, can be told in almost 134 years of existence of our institution, reason why we will talk about some of them:

During the years from 1920 to 1925, the Veracruz Chamber of Commerce and the importers established in that Port, sent letters to our institution, in which they fundamentally told about two problems: the first, in relation to the difficulties faced to provide the retailers of Mexico City, since the shipments deposited in the customs of that place constantly were opened and the merchandise removed. These decreases represented total losseses. The second subject talked about the prolonged strike that paralyzed the shipment of the merchandise.

The complaining ones indicated that even though these irregular situations were already in the knowledge of the authorities in charge to watch the customs, as well of the governor, no solution was given, reason why they asked for the support of the Chamber, in order to obtain a satisfactory answer to their pleas..

Once analyzed the subjects by our Chamber, it was decided to send notificactions to the President of the Republic and the governor of the state of Veracruz to ask for thei intervention and to avoid, to the maximum possible, the continued removing of merchandise in the customs enclosure, presumably by disloyal employees or dock workers, who abused their functions, as well as the damage caused by the strike. The risk that the affected industralists could go to other ports to concern his products, which of course would be in damage of the local economic activity, was also told.

The governor, feeling directly alluded, responded recriminating the attitude assumed by the Chamber and denied fully that what was an open secret: that the disappearance of merchandise in the customs of the Port of Veracruz was a daily subject. There was then the necessity to send one second notification to him in which was explained that the intention was not to mock him, but to take care of the pleas of the affected ones, to analyze the facts and, if it were the case, to put in practice measured or remedial actions.

Just a short time later, the communication with those officials became more fluid and the results of this relation gave interesting fruits. Finally, in repeated occasions the President asked for our point of view on some subject related to the commerce. Their names? The Governor: General Heriberto Jara Corona. The President: General Plutarco Elías Calles.

It’s important to emphasize that, during the Mexican Revolution, the Mexico City Chamber of Commerce participated actively to avoid both shortage of supplies and speculation with prices in the city.

Also, the retailers of Mexico City have given concrete samples of solidarity towards the people that have been victim of natural phenomena, like floods or earthquakes. It is the case of the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Chiapas and Tabasco, to mention some. Throughout history, these populations have seen themselves seriously affected by the underflow of the rivers that cross their territories, and have caused serious damages to the urban establishments. Another natural phenomenon that has caused damage in the population centers are the earthquakes, which in the decade of the 20’s caused the landslide of buildings, leaving the inhabitants of Acámbaro, Guanajuato in the ruin.

Our Chamber took the task of organize money collects between the affiliated retailers, who in generous and compromised way responded with donations, both in money and in merchandise, same that were canalized immediately by means of the Chamber of Commerce of the locality or through the authorities.

It is important to remember the year of 1968, a very difficult year for Mexico City and to the country as a whole. In that year, and under the presidency of Alfredo Santos Mazal, the Chamber played a role very important to prevent that the commerce closed and contributed to the process of normalization of the daily life in the city, conteracting the negative messages that were sent to the foreign.

In the 80’s, an oil height occurs that benefits the expectations from our country, and this constitutes the base of the resurgence of Mexico towards the economic recovery, with the confidence acquired by the exports of petroleum. A stage of privatization of the public industries begins, and an economic policy that was attached to the model of free internal and external market, where the tariffs were reduced to the imports and the nontariff barriers were eliminated; Mexico adheres to the GATT, today WTO, in 1986.

In the 90’s, the Free Trade Agreement is signed with the United States and Canada, which invites the foreign investors to bring his capitals to our country, to use it like export platform towards our neighbors of the north and to take advantage of the potentialities that offer to the economic complementariness between the countries members, to obtain a greater international competitiveness, mainly before the European Union and Japan.

Right now, the Mexican government works in structural reforms such as, the energy reform and the labor one, to advance towards the integral development of the country.