Mexico and Paradox of Boundaries

As a sovereign country, the Federation of the United Mexican States was born 200 years ago. With a history under the sign of national pride, Mexico is a true example of interculturality, but at the same time of xenophobia. One of the key elements in understanding contemporary Mexico resides in the idea of Mestizaje (the Spanish term for ‘miscegenation’) as expressed by philosopher José Vasconcelos. Almost 100 years after the first publication of his book The Cosmic Race, many of its topics still require more accurate and thorough research. In dealing with such a complex subject, one needs to take into consideration multiple levels of analysis like the physical and national boundaries, but also the cultural and social ones. In 2021, the government decided to commemorate the fall of the city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan as proof of 500 years of Indigenous Resistance. In today’s Mexico, social and economic inequalities seem to be a heritage of the New Spain’s initial organization which was based on the caste system. That is why there are paradoxes and seemingly contradictory actions whenever Mexican state tackles issues such as borders, migration and identity. This is actually what I would like to address in this paper. Therefore, if we want to understand current moral problems linked to migration in Mexico, we need first of all to grasp the complexity of the border history and cultural limits of the Mexican self-perception as well. Mexico denounces the abuses that Mexican migrants suffer in the U.S., but treat migrants from Haiti and Central America in a cruel and inhuman way, demonstrating the live Mexican Boundary Paradox.