South Of The Border

SOUTH OF THE BOARDER

Life in Mexico City can be very different depending on where you travel because of spatial inequality. If you go to the outskirts of town, or the slums, you will find the Ð''have-nots' of Mexico City. The "have-nots make up most of the city's population. They live in one room shacks made out of cardboard, driftwood and other junk. Most of their houses don't have electricity or running water. The outsides of the houses don't look any better. The roads are unpaved and filled with potholes. As if that is not enough, the roads are strung with trash and glass.

Life is not very easy for the poor people of the city. Although most people have jobs, they don't pay enough money to bring their family out of poverty. Some of the jobs they have include being dishwashers, cooks, and maids. Most people also have more than one job. Children are unable to go to school, not because they cannot afford it, but because the children also have to work to bring in as much money as possible for their families. Only about 57% of the people here have an education past age fifteen.

Though most of the people in Mexico City are poor, there are still number of people who enjoy a high standard of living. These people are called Mexico City's "haves", or the upper class. The "haves" usually live in houses that look like castles, with very high walls, and high-tech security. They have poor people work for them. They are their drivers, gardeners, cooks, and, maids.

The next class higher than the "have nots", are the middle class family. These people live in comfortable one-family houses, and make enough money from their jobs in government, business and education to keep their themselves out of poverty, and to even enjoy some luxuries, such as a telephone and a good car. But because of rural decline of the economy, middle class families