Walmart in Teotihuacán
Money may not be able to buy happiness, but on occasion it can buy the law. Take a look at the Wal-Mart in Teotihuacán for example. Though it was protested by locals and commercial building was illegal on the archaeological land around the temples, a Wal-mart still stands in the alfalfa field. How can this be? Simple, Wal-Mart bribed its way in.
To an outsider, a Wal-Mart near an archaeological treasure may not seem that bad. So what they bribed local government? A Wal-Mart nearby means more jobs and more affordable food for the community. But to many locals, the losses outweigh the benefits. Having the Wal-Mart there worsens the already bad traffic situation. A problem the town was hoping to resolve by restricting construction on the area. Restricting the construction was also being done in an attempt to draw more tourists into the town. Building the Wal-Mart ruins this as well as threatens to run the local market out of business altogether.
With so many problems that the Wal-Mart could cause, it’s easy to wonder how it was ever built. It started with a bribe to the state’s Office of Urban and Regional Planning. There was a new zoning plan going into effect at the time that Wal-Mart was seeking to build their supermarket. When the zoning plan was voted on, on August 6th 2003, the only approved building on the alfalfa field was housing. But by August 20th when the plans reached the Gazette, they had been changed to allow commercial construction. Wal-Mart bribed someone in the Office of Urban and Regional Planning to change the plans. From there the ball just kept rolling. They also used illegitimate certificates to pressure other government officials to approve permits, and obtained permits without applying and going through the processes. In addition, they bribed Guillermo Rodríguez, a local mayor, among many other sketchy things.
Examples like this are why it’s important that we wash out our corrupt government officials and keep our corporations in check. Wal-Mart didn’t just bend a few rules, they twisted every arm of the law that stood in their way. Not only did we put an entire ancient culture at risk, but we also put an entire current culture at risk too. This Wal-Mart was not wanted by the people of Teotihuacán, yet it was still built. This made their lives harder and put what they loved in jeopardy for the sake of a corporation.