Why do Mexicans drink Coca-Cola instead of water and how does this affect their health (17 photos)

Among all the variety of colored soda stands Coca-Cola - the most popular and best-selling soft drink in the world today, which annually brings the company (actually, the Coca-Cola company) about 21.9 billion dollars in net profit! And this, by the way, is almost twice as much as its direct competitor, Pepsi.





Thanks to its amazing taste and invigorating bubbles, Coca-Cola has won the recognition of soda lovers around the world, and even in the most remote corners of our planet this drink is not only known, but also loved. You probably think that the most active consumers of Coca-Cola are Americans?



Americans drink Coca-Cola

Well, the existence of this stereotype is quite understandable: firstly, Coca-Cola was invented by American-born John Pemberton in 1885, and secondly, who, if not Americans, are the most ardent consumers of sweets in general and sweet soda? in particular?! Just remember the size of the glasses with drinks in most fast food restaurants - these are real buckets, no less!



Drink glasses in fast food restaurants

However, I will hasten to dispel the myth about Coca-Cola-addicted Americans. No, they, of course, really love nose-tickling soda and even, perhaps, consume it a little more than is permissible, but the world leader in this matter is not America at all, but its closest neighbor, Mexico.



Coca-Cola in Mexico

Nowhere in the world do they consume so many sweet carbonated drinks as in Mexico and, in particular, in the state of Chiapas, for whose residents Coca-Cola has long replaced water. They drink it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in between. Moreover, in Mexico, Coca-Cola has been elevated to the rank of a national cult. Local residents sincerely believe that soda has magical powers, which is why they often use it in religious rituals.



Rite in the church in the Mayan Tzotzil village of San Juan Chamula

But how did it happen that a country rich in delicious tropical fruits that ripen under the Mexican sun all year round preferred sugary-sweet American soda? Let's turn to the mother of our history...



Mexicans drink Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola first appeared on the shelves of Mexican stores at the end of the 19th century - in 1898, to be precise. First, the Coca-Cola company established reliable imports of its main drink to Mexico, and since 1926 it began to actively open its own bottling plants in the country. Today, 56 Coca-Cola bottling plants are successfully operating in Mexico, but that’s not about that now...



Coca-Cola in Mexico

It would seem, what was so special about Coca-Cola that the Mexicans submitted to it completely and completely? Let's just say that a combination of several factors worked here, such as active advertising campaigns, accessibility and low price.



Poster at the entrance to San Juan Chamula - a man dressed as an elder holding a bottle of Coca-Cola

Banners, signs and billboards encouraging the local population to purchase Coca-Cola were placed almost everywhere; soda was talked about on the radio, and television played commercials. So, for example, in 1989, Coca-Cola became the first brand whose advertising was placed in the main square of the country, the Zocalo in Mexico City. In addition, the Coca-Cola company regularly became a sponsor of various sporting events, both local and international.



Advertising for Coca-Cola on the main square of the country, Zocalo

This played a role in promoting the drink among the local population, but the most attractive thing about Coca-Cola was its accessibility (soda could be bought literally on every corner), large volume (3-liter bottles “for the whole family” were on sale) and, of course, low price (the average bottle of Coca-Cola cost as much as a bottle of drinking water). And in general, Mexicans liked to think that by drinking Coca-Cola, they seemed to become part of American society.



Coca-Cola is sold in huge quantities

Having achieved a certain recognition, the Coca-Cola company, however, was not going to stop there and continued to capture the minds and hearts of the Mexican population... but in its own way: hitting where it hurts, so to speak. In 2002, Americans held a promotion during which they exchanged caps from soda bottles for a kilogram of beans. But these caps had to be taken somewhere, and the majority of the Mexican population, alas, could not boast of a surplus of pesos!



Coca-Cola in Mexico

And here it is important to remember that a bottle of Coca-Cola cost exactly the same as a bottle of drinking water. And since soda was objectively tastier than water, and contained a lot of sugar and caffeine and thus had an invigorating effect, the choice most often fell on it. And since the state of Chiapas had one of the lowest income levels in the country, such a move was the most profitable for the company.



Coca-Cola in Mexico

There was another factor that allowed Coca-Cola not just to stay, but to literally conquer Mexico, and this factor was political in nature. The fact is that a few months before the elections, politicians who have influence in certain areas of the country, or, as they are called in Mexico, “caciques,” begin to supply soda to stores either completely free of charge or at a reduced price in exchange for the agreement of store owners to support one candidate or another. The same principle applies to customers: they can get a free soda or a much cheaper one if they vote for the right candidate.



Coca-Cola in Mexico

But Coca-Cola went further, and in 2000, the candidate from the National Action Party PAN (Spanish: Partido Accion Nacional) Vicente Fox, who before the start of his active political activity, worked for more than 15 years at the Coca-Cola company, became president. , where he built a dizzying career from a local distributor to president of the Latin American division.



Vicente Fox Quesada

So, during Vicente Fox’s tenure as president of the country, Coca-Cola managed to conquer about 60% of the Mexican soft drink market and solve a very pressing problem with the supply of drinking water to factories.



Vicente Fox Quesada

Now you understand why Coca-Cola is the No. 1 drink in Mexico, and locals, young and old, are ready to drink it instead of water 24 hours a day. But one should not think that the addiction to soda is in vain for the Mexican population.



Mexican obesity

Currently, along with the United States and New Zealand, Mexico ranks among the leading countries with high rates of obesity and diabetes. Yes, yes, imagine: it is not America that is the “fattest” country, but Mexico! Over the past 14 years, consumption of fruits and vegetables in the country has decreased by 30%, and they have been replaced by carbonated drinks and burgers.



Mexican obesity

Moreover, today Mexico has the highest mortality rate from chronic diseases caused by the consumption of sugary drinks. Believe it or not, Mexican drug cartels and drug dealers kill many times fewer people in Mexico than... soda.