claudio valdés kuri, Turning Theatre Into Business

mexico in
the it
big leagues
vI - 2010
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2 Negocios

Contents
12
Mexico,
Epicenter
for the
Development
of IT
Companies
With clearly defined strategies,
Mexico has become one of
the world’s main destinations
for Information Technology
outsourcing.

From the CEO 6

Briefs 7
24
34
Mexico’s Partner quarksoft

Mexico’s Partner dextra technologies 28

When the Mexico’s Partner intelisis 32
“Know-how” Figures 40
in Systems is
Mexican

38
Unlimited
Commitment
to the
Development
of IT
 Success is just
a click away…
>> Log in to Mexico

www.promexico.gob.mx
negocios@promexico.gob.mx
+ 52 (55) 5447 70 70
4 Negocios

54
Interview
claudio ProMéxico

valdés kuri Bruno Ferrari

CEO
 
Ricardo Rojo
Image and Communications Director
 
Sebastián Escalante
Managing Coordinator
sebastian.escalante@promexico.gob.mx

Miguel Ángel Samayoa

Advertising and Suscriptions
negocios@promexico.gob.mx

Fernanda Luna
Copy Editing

taller méxico
Alejandro Serratos
Publisher
a.serratos@tallermexico.com

Felipe Zúñiga
Editor in Chief
felipe@tallermexico.com

Orlando Santamaria
Marketing Manager
orlando@tallermexico.com

Pilar Jiménez Molgado

Design Director

The lifestyle Contents

pilar@tallermexico.com

Jorge Silva
Design
jorge@tallermexico.com

Dalia Urzua Orozco

Design
dalia@tallermexico.com

Paloma López
Production
paloma@tallermexico.com

Vanessa Serratos
Production Assistant
vanessa@tallermexico.com

Vanesa Robles
Senior Writer

58
vanesarobles@gmail.com

Karla Juárez
Destination Sandra Roblagui
Lucila Valtierra
San Cristóbal Mauricio Zabalgoitia
de las Casas Staff Writers

Translation
42 The Lifestyle Briefs 52 The Lifestyle Feature Alejandra Díaz Alvarado
mexico in cannes Juan Manuel Romero
46 Interview PROOF READING
michael 61 Feedback Graeme Stewart
hogan falta art contributors
Jesús Estrada Cortés, Ulises Hernández,
50 Expo 2010 Cristina Ávila-Zesatti, Mauricio Ferrer,
Shanghai Adrián Moreno, Graeme Stewart,
Francisco Vernis, Oldemar.

This is an editorial project for ProMéxico

ProMéxico is not responsible for inaccurate information or omissions that might exist in the information provided by the participant by Taller México.
companies nor of their economic solvency. Title certificate of lawfulness 14459. Text certificate of lawfulness 12032. Number of Title
Reserve 04-2009-012714564800-102. Postal Registry PP09-0044. Responsible editor: Sebastián Escalante. Printing: Moiño Impresores
S.A de C.V. Distribution: ProMéxico Camino a Sta Teresa 1679, México D.F., 01900. Phone: +52 (55) 5447 7000. Negocios is an open Download the PDF version
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the information printed on its pages, it will not accept responsibility derived from any omissions, inaccuracies or mistakes. June, 2010.
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From the CEO.

I n the last decade Mexico has become an important Information

Technology services provider, largely due to its proximity to the
US—the largest IT services consumer globally—, Mexico is today
one of the top ten countries where the world’s largest companies
prefer to hire IT services and solutions.

In addition to being one of the main IT players, there are many other reasons
why Mexico is a reliable country, from a broad base of professionals –who are
trained based on international standards– and an important network of free
trade agreements that translates into legal certainty and safety for business
development, to political stability and macroeconomic solidity. Mexico is at-
tractive in many areas that promote the development of the IT industry.

Today, Mexican IT solution developers are playing in the industry’s major

leagues, competing with the world’s main markets in terms of quality, price
and services. But that is not all. A large part of international firms in this sec-
tor see Mexico as a strategic platform for the growth of their businesses and
the number of companies that have decided to establish or expand operations
in Mexico is gradually increasing.

Mexico’s IT industry has reached a consolidation point and its future looks
very promising. It’s time to look towards Mexico.

Welcome to Mexico!

Bruno Ferrari
ProMéxico CEO
 briefs.
FOOD

Papaya Scented
Exports
During the first four months of 2010,
Mexican papaya exports grew 11% over
the same period of 2009. Nearly 80% of
papaya production in Mexico is concen-
trated in the states of Veracruz, Chiapas,
Oaxaca, Yucatán and Campeche.
Photo archive

www.sagarpa.gob.mx

MANUFACTURING

Uprising Productivity
In the first two months of 2010, productivity of
manufacturing sector labor in Mexico posted
a 9.5% annual increase, while in even term the
increase in the US was 7.4%, according to data
from the monthly industrial survey made by
the Mexican Statistics Agency, INEGI.
Increase in productivity in January-Feb-
ruary 2010 represents the most significant
advance at least since 2005 for a similar term.
In February, the increase in yield by Mexi-
can labor grew 7.6%, to post positive figures for
eight months in a row.
www.inegi.org.mx

RENEWABLE ENERGY

New Partnership
with Green
Outcome
Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (CFE),
in conjunction with BioFields, develops a proj-
ect to convert carbon dioxide its plants emit into
bioethanol. The companies signed an agree-
ment through which CFE gave BioFields a one-
hectare field in its thermoelectric plant in Puerto
Libertad, Sonora –one of the largest in the state
and one of the ten worst polluters in Mexico– to
install and operate a bioethanol plant. The goal is
to blend biofuel produced in this plant with gaso-
line sold in the country instead of oxygenating
BAT (Best Available Technology), identified as a
Photo mikelo

carcinogen and in the process of being removed

from the fuel sold in Mexico.

www.cfe.gob.mx / www.biofields.com
8 Negocios Photo courtesy of hawker / nissan / ARCHIVE

AEROSPACE

High
Altitude
Investment
US aircraft maker Hawker Beechcraft began
construction of its second plant in Chihuahua
City with a 108 million usd investment. The new
plant will focus on structural assemblies and
subassemblies for commercial aircraft. Hawker
Beechcraft started operations in Chihuahua on
October 2007.

www.hawkerbeechcraft.com

IT

Giants Can
Still Grow
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the
India-based software development com-
pany, has expansion plans in Mexico. This
year, the company will open a new center
in Jalisco. In 2009 TCS grew 8% in the
world, while in Mexico sales went up 29%.
TCS has offices in Mexico City, two soft-
ware development centers in Guadala-
jara, Jalisco, and a third one in Querétaro.

www.tcs.com

AUTOMOTIVE

Investing in a Newcomer
The Japanese automaker Nissan will invest 600
million usd in Mexico to manufacture the new
version of its Micra model, known as March.
Prototypes of the new model will be ready be-
tween June and July this year and manufactur-
ing will initially take place at Nissan’s Aguascali-
entes plant, where 50,000 will be produced in
a first stage. The new model will be available in
the second quarter of 2011. The company plans
to eventually use only Mexican-made parts to
assemble its new model. So far, 75% of the parts
used in its first stage of production are made in
Mexico.
In addition, Nissan will increase production
in its Cuernavaca plant to achieve a 500-thou-
sand-vehicle production this year and reach a
23% share of the domestic market.
Nissan’s plant in Cuernavaca was the com-
pany’s first plant outside Japan. It started opera-
tions in 1966, manufacturing Datsun Bluebird
and assembled close to 3,000 units in its first
year of operations.
www.nissan-global.com
 briefs.

AUTOMOTIVE

In Search
of Quality
BMW will almost triple its purchases of Mexi-
can auto parts by 2011 to help limit production
costs. The automaker plans to spend 2 billion
Euros (almost 2.5 billion usd), up from about

Photos courtesy of bmw

700 million Euros (more than 860 million usd)
it invests now, on supplies such as seat cover-
ings made in Mexico. BMW has 60 suppliers
in Mexico and the country is the company’s
third largest provider in the world.

www.bmw.com

ELECTRONICS

Expanding
Operations
Samsung Electronics will expand its opera-
tions in Mexico. The company signed an agree-
ment with Querétaro Industrial Park (QIP) for
the acquisition of a 36,363 square meters plot
of land. With this expansion, estimated in 30
million usd, Samsung’s facilities in QIP will cov-
er more than 20 hectares, with a constructed
surface of over 60,000 square meters in four
Photos courtesy of samsung

buildings. In the last two years Samsung Elc-

tronics has grown four times its original size
since its arrival to QIP in 2002, with an invest-
ment of over 180 million usd. Samsung’s plant
in QIP focuses in the production of premium
quality washing machines and refrigerators.

www.samsung.com
10 Negocios Photo courtesy of vw / sagarpa

AUTOMOTIVE Volkswagen expects to increase its produc- to 400,000 units in 2010. 85% of Volkswagen’s
tion in Mexico by 25% this year, thanks to a production in its only plant in North America,

Targeting rebound in vehicles demand in the US and the

launching of a new model.
located in the central Mexican state of Puebla,
is for export mainly to Europe, the US and

Growth
Production of Volkswagen Mexico, the world’s Canada.
exclusive assembler of New Beetle, will in-
crease from 319,743 units assembled in 2009 www.volkswagen.com

AUTOMOTIVE

Strategic Move
After the closure of
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
its plant in Dypro,
California, Bendix
decided to move to Intensifying
Ciudad Acuña, in Trade
Coahuila, where it will
Mexico and Japan are revising an economic
begin operations with and technical agreement to expand bilateral
an investment of over 3 trade in agri-food. In 2009, Mexican agri-food

million usd. exports to Japan reached 661 million usd.

www.bendix.com www.sagarpa.gob.mx
 briefs.
RENEWABLE ENERGY

Long Term Deal wind turbines installed at sites developed by

for Wind Farms
Gamesa, the wind power market leader in
Spain, and developer Cannon Power have
reached a 10-year exclusivity agreement,
Cannon in the state of Baja California.
Aubanel Wind, Cannon’s first wind proj-
ect in Baja California, will start with the de-
velopment of 70 MW to 100 MW in phase
one. Groundbreaking at this wind farm is
scheduled to be in 2010, with additional con-
struction taking place over the next three to
four years, with planned installed capacity
Aubanel Wind Project will be one
of the largest wind power sites in North
America, consisting of over 140 square
miles. It is located near the town of La
Rumorosa, approximately 60 miles east
of San Diego and 15 miles south of the US-
Mexico border.
www.gamesacorp.com

through which Gamesa will supply all of the totaling 500 MW in the first phase. www.cannonpowergroup.com

AUTOMOTIVE

Growth-
Oriented
Home
The Haldex Monterrey plant which manufac-
tures spring brakes and service chambers, will
be moving in the beginning of the third quarter of
2010. As Haldex’s business continues to grow in
North America, its current facility does not have
space to expand for new business, planned new
product offerings or product improvements. Lo-
cated only seven miles from the current site, the
new location is in a modern industrial park just

Photo courtesy of haldex

outside Monterrey. The new facility will provide
more space for the plant to expand its in-house
manufacturing capabilities, update its Quality
Assurance testing laboratory, streamline produc-
tion lines and optimize the flow of material.

www.haldex.com

it

Exploring New
Horizons
Microsoft will invest 485 million usd over
the next three years in software and training
programs for Mexican Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) and 1.5 billion usd more
to help modernize education in the country
through the use of technology. 

www.microsoft.com
12 Negocios Photos archive

Mexico,
Epicenter
for the Development of information
technology (IT) Companies
BY JESÚS ESTRADA CORTÉS
W
ith over four
With clearly defined
decades’ ex-
strategies, Mexico perience in
has become one of the develop-
the world’s main ment of the electronic manu-
destinations for facturing industry, the presence
of “technological ecosystems”
Information Technology
scattered across various clusters
outsourcing. that cover almost all of the coun-
try’s geography and a grow-
ing seed bed of profession-
al talents graduating from
universities and education-
al centers, Mexico has be-
come an important player
in the global Information
Technology (IT) scenario.
The country’s role as one
cUSTOMER and the
of the main focal points of
development in this sector service provider.
is clear enough. Almost all
the studies of international
firms specializing in IT coincide
that in the short term, Mexico
could become one of the world’s
major powers in the high-tech
field.
special
report
Cover
Feature IT
Industry
At the beginning of 2010, there were 28 IT clusters in Mexico oper-
ating in different points of the country. These are genuine ecosystems
in which industry, government and academia interact in a coordinat-
ed manner, creating a favorable atmosphere for the development of
the many activities that come under the umbrella of IT companies,
from the creation of software, tests and validations, electronic design,
embedded software, nanotechnology and multimedia (animations,
videogames, special effects), to Business Process Outsourcing (BPO),
among others.
Currently a further five clusters
are being formed, so that in a short
Geographical
time there will be at least one of these
proximity ecosystems in each of the country’s
facilitates states. “There could be between 35
communication and 37 clusters in operation by the
and interaction end of 2010,” states Javier Allard,
between the General Director of the Mexican As-
sociation of the Information Technol-
ogy Industry (Amiti).
The fact is that this sector’s growth
in Mexico has been swift and consis-
tent. Ministry of Economy data con-
firm this. Production of services in the domestic market increased
from almost US$4.2 billion in 2005 to 6.7 billion in 2010, while ex-
ports of IT and BPO rose sharply from 1.7 to 4.1 billion in that period.
Meanwhile, the total value of IT in Mexico almost doubled, growing
from US$5.9 to 10.8 billion in that five-year period.
14 Negocios i The Lifestyle photo archive

But the Mexican IT industry

has not only registered quanti-
tative growth. It has also made
considerable progress in terms
of quality, enabling it to join the
sector’s “big leagues” at global
level. According to the National
Chamber of the Electronics,
Telecommunications and In-
formation Technology Industry
(Canieti) figures, whereas in 2001
only four of the more than 150
Mexican IT-related companies
had differente levels of Capabil-
ity Maturity Model Integration
(CMMI) certification from the
Software Engineering Institute,
by the end of 2009, 170 Mexican
companies had that certification.
Of these, seven –Softtek, Itera,
ABS-IBM, Hildebrando, Stefani-
ni, Sigma Tao-EIDEN and Prax-
is– had reached the highest pos-
sible level in the CMMI certifica-
tion system. “If we consider the
total universe of IT companies
in the country [over 2,000], the The industry is growing stronger.America, Brazil and Mexico are in the lead from a scale perspective
proportion of CMMI certified There are more companies, more and in the race toward critical mass of vendor choices.”
companies is very high in com- certifications, better quality and According to Gartner, 80% of the companies included in the For-
parison with other countries, we have more exposure abroad,” tune 100 ranking in the US resort to some IT offshore service. Mexico
which reflects the quality of the says Garza. has many advantages in this sector, mainly
Mexican industry,” explains Ro- for the US market, the largest buyer of IT
gelio Garza, General Director of A Network of At- Mexico has rules services at world level.
Canieti. tractions aligned with those Javier Allard states that Mexico has
Thus the Mexican IT indus- Why is Mexico such of its trading many competitive advantages compared
try has reached critical mass and an attractive destina- partners, which to other countries of the continent, and
is ready to become consolidated tion for the IT sector? even against other strongly positioned
offer legal
as one of the main players in the Several analysts stress countries in IT, such as India. One of them
field of technology at world level. the industry’s growth
certainty and a has been defined “as nearshore, as against
“Between 2001 and 2002, Mexico prospects in Mexico, as suitable business offshore. When a project is being devel-
did not figure on the Gartner list well as the advantages atmosphere for oped in Asia, there are many time dif-
of principal IT destinations in the the country offers for the IT sector. ferences with the US, practically twelve
world. Today it is in fourth place on the development of the hours, whereas Mexico is in the same time
the list and the forecast is that by sector. zone as the US.”
2013 the country will be in second According to the report Lead- Alfredo Pacheco Vásquez, CEO of MexicoIT, agrees. “The fact that
position. If during its early years ing Locations for Offshore Ser- Mexico is in the same time zone as the US is an advantage for doing
the IT industry in Mexico regis- vices in the Americas for 2010, business in the IT sector. Not only does it entail the possibility of bet-
tered growth of a domestic na- prepared by Gartner, a leading ter process control –it is not the same to travel half a day to reach
ture, today it is ready to gain more information technology research Asia as to take a four-hour flight, at most, to supervise a process in
spaces in international markets. and consulting firm, “in Latin Mexico– but it also represents considerable savings on costs.”
 special
report
Cover
Feature IT
Industry

“If we compare only labor service provider. Based on this model, several Mexican companies,
costs, the difference between such as Softtek, have expanded their markets by establishing delivery
Mexico and some of its com- centers in other regions, from where they offer IT services and solu-
petitors, such as India or China, tions to the world’s main markets.
can be considerable. But project The network of opportunities and advantages provided by Mexico
costs go beyond that, we also is much deeper and more complex. Mexico is one of the US’ major
have to consider expens- trading partners, within
es such as transportation the purview of the North
and time. If we take all Almost all the studies American Free Trade
of these variables into of international firms Agreement (NAFTA),
account, the difference specializing in IT coincide and its wide network of
between costs in Mexico that in the short term, free trade agreements
and other countries is allows preferential ac-
Mexico could become one
+/- 5%, with the advan- cess to the world’s main
tage that a trip to Mexico
of the world’s major IT markets. And not only
can be made more quick- powers in the high-tech that. The trade agree-
ly and without the need field. ments between Mexico
to program it long in ad- and other countries have
vance,” adds Pacheco. favored the consolidation
On average there are 200 of an appropriate legal framework for doing business and for the pro-
flights daily between cities in tection of intellectual property. Mexico has rules aligned with those
Mexico and the US. “An executive of its trading partners, which offer legal certainty and a suitable busi-
can come to Mexico to check on ness atmosphere for the IT sector.
a project and return to the US on Another factor that is an advantage for Mexico is cultural com-
the same day,” explains Allard. patibility, specifically as regards ways of doing business. “Unlike other
Geographical proximity facili- countries, in Mexico communication problems are reduced. The busi-
tates communication and inter- ness culture in Mexico is compatible with that of the US and Europe,”
action between the client and the says Alfredo Pacheco. Javier Allard also stresses this point and states
16 Negocios i The Lifestyle Photo archive

that “Mexico and the US have a from computer manufacturing to software development and customer
similar entrepreneurial culture: services.
Mexican entrepreneurs are Gartner points out that in Latin America “foreign providers continue
used to doing business with the to open facilities and increase resource levels within their delivery cen-
US and also in Mexico ters. In many Latin American countries, and
there is the technology particularly in Mexico, transnational corpo-
to provide practically
The Mexican IT rations are increasing their presence.”
any type of service.” industry has One example is the Indian firm Tata
To a large extent, that reached a critical Consultancy Services, considered one of the
advantage is related to level and is ready world’s largest software manufacturers. In
Mexico’s four decade to consolidate as 2007, Tata announced its decision to transfer
experience in the devel- 500 jobs from its base in India to a new de-
one of the main
opment of electronics velopment center in Guadalajara, Jalisco. In
and high-tech manufac-
players in the field three years, it has opened two development
turing, which in recent of technology at centers and is planning to open a third in the
years has evolved into world level. state of Jalisco. Others have followed Tata’s
a retrofitting toward ac- example. MindTree, NoShore Group, Indra
tivities of higher value and Genpact are others among the many
added, many of them in large IT firms that have decided to set up fa-
the IT sphere. cilities in Mexico or expand their operations in the country.
One clear example is IBM, one
of the multinational corporations Human Capital is the Key
with the longest time in Mexico, Javier Allard emphasizes the level of training of Mexican personnel
which evolved its local activities as one of the country’s major advantages for the IT industry. Accord-

ing to data from the National As-
sociation of Informatics Educa-
tion Institutions (ANIEI), which
groups together more than 900
universities and senior high
school and technological edu-
cation centers, it has been cal-
culated that every year around
65,000 professionals graduate
from IT-related programs. The
prospects are that this figure
could increase to up to 80,000
or 100,000 graduates a year over
the next eight years.
In addition, Mexican human
capital has good training English,
which is essential in IT activities.
A KPMG study entitled Near-
shore Attraction: Latin America
Beckons as a Global Outsourcing
Destination, points out that “as
regards English, it makes sense
that the more we come close to
the North of Latin America, the
more the level of English im-
proves. Mexican cities such as
Monterrey and Querétaro are a
good source of bilingual gradu-
ates.” Likewise, “given that Span-
ish, after English, is the most
widely spoken language in the
US, with a Hispanic population
of over 45 million inhabitants,
many clients” –in the US– “pre-
fer to subcontract services to
companies that offer customer
service representatives who
speak Spanish and English with
a Hispanic accent.”
As well as proximity to the US
and a good command of English,
KPMG also points out that Mex-
special
report
Cover
Feature IT
Industry
a Cluster in the heart
of Mexico
Guadalajara, capital of the state of Jalisco (West), was the American continent,
one of the first headquarters of electronics industry and Intel, which has a
multinationals in the sixties, with the arrival of large-scale development center with
plants of firms such as Kodak and IBM, and throughout the around 400 professionals
following decades it expanded its cluster of technological working on applications,
industries to the extent that it was recognized as the tests and research for
Mexican Silicon Valley. But in the last ten years, in a different products, such as
combined effort between industry, government and servers and platforms.
the academic sector, it has become consolidated as the Almost all of the
headquarters of various IT clusters. large-scale industries
According to data contributed by Margarita Solís, maintain links with the
Director of the Jalisco Institute of Information Technology academic sector and
(Ijalti), in Jalisco there are 35 electronic design centers and dozens of new domestic
16 Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) and Business IT companies made up of
Process Outsourcing (BPO) centers. young entrepreneurs have
There are also more than 150 software companies proliferated in the state.
specializing in different subsectors such as software Ijalti’s strategy has
development, embedded software, tests, business included the construction
applications and integrated IT services, development of of special infrastructure for
Internet applications, web applications and multimedia and IT and so far it has three
software for outsourcing and offshore. technological parks: the
In Jalisco there are over 4,500 highly qualified software Software Center, located
developers, over 6,500 professionals working in ITO within Guadalajara, the
and BPO services, over 1,000 professionals working in seat of 35 software and
electronic design companies and over 650 professionals in services companies with
the animation and multimedia area. 700 professionals working
One of the advantages of Jalisco is that Guadalajara has there; south of Guadalajara
around 20 universities with IT-related careers, from which is Ciudad Guzmán Green
more than 6,500 engineers graduate every year. In fact, IT Park, which includes
there are nine universities with careers directly related to IT companies and green
animation and multimedia. industries, and the most
A highlight of the state is the presence of projects of recent acquisition, Chapala
major world companies such as IBM, in whose industrial Media Park, a park opened
park more than 1,000 professionals work in software areas; a few months ago on the
the Indian firm Tata Consultancy Services has two software shores of Lake Chapala
development centers and is going to build a third; HP has focusing exclusively on
multiple operations related to financial services, analysis companies from the
and IT in Guadalajara, including the responsibility of being multimedia and animation
in charge of accounting and payrolls for all HP centers on sectors.
18 Negocios
ico offers a “solid infrastructure
in its main cities.”
According to Rogelio Garza
and Alfredo Pacheco, human
capital in Mexico has been an es-
sential component in the growth
of the IT sector and is the key to
its future. It is precisely human
capital that has enabled Mexico
to distinguish itself from some
of its competitors, such as India,
and become a complementary
alternative to the services they
offer. “Whereas India has the
advantage of scale, due to the
size of its labor market, Mexico
offers solutions that require
much more specialization and is
photo archive
better prepared to deal with the critical parts of processes,” explains
Alfredo Pacheco.
The Mexican IT industry knows that human capital is one of its
principal strengths. In 2008, Canieti, Amiti and ANIEI, backed by the
Ministry of Economy and the World Bank, launched the initiative
Mexico Federal Institute for Remote Services and Technology (Mexi-
coFIRST), with the aim of creating human capital to strengthen labor
supply in Mexico’s IT sector.
But the training of human capital is not only a need for Mexican in-
dustry. It is also an opportunity. According to A.T. Kearney estimates,
India could face a human capital deficit of approximately 1 million
workers in IT and BPO by 2012. The firm states that in order to reach
the global growth rate in IT, Mexico will require about 50,000 trained
persons over the next five years. The BPO industry, for its part, will
need more than 100,000 trained persons in the same period.
MexicoFIRST’s goal is to train Mexican professionals to carry out
activities with mid and advanced-level complexity. The objective is
to train and certify in international standards at least 60,000 Mexi-

can professionals between 2008
and 2013, an average of 12,000
people trained per year. With
this measure, the Mexican in-
dustry expects to remain as one
of the five most competitive in
the world.
Joint Promotion
One of the key components in
the rapid growth of the IT in-
dustry in Mexico has been joint
promotion by the private sector,
the government and academia.
Mexico has many advantages
in attracting IT projects and a
few years ago, senior manage-
ment of the main companies es-
special
report
Cover
Feature IT
Industry
Every year around 65,000
professionals
graduate from IT-related
programs. this figure
could increase to up
to 80,000 or 100,000
graduates a year over
the next eight years.
tablished in the country and the government recognized the impor-
tance of promoting these capabilities. They therefore created Mexi-
coIT, a Canieti initiative, with the support of the Ministry of Economy
through its Software Industry Development Program (PROSOFT).
As of 2006, MexicoIT works as a promotion program to position
the country as an IT services provider. “MexicoIT is the promotion arm
for IT services in Mexico, to which end we further the participation of
Mexican companies in the sector’s international events and offer foreign
companies seeking alliances with Mexico the advisory services and in-
formation they need,” explains its CEO, Alfredo Pacheco.
The strategy furthered by MexicoIT, with the backing of the Mexican
government and the IT industry in the country, is yielding benefits.
According to KPMG, “The Mexican government is trying to apply
the same incentives in the global services area as it applied with the
maquiladora model which it has managed successfully in attracting
foreign investment to its manufacturing industry. The outsourcing in-
dustry in Mexico has developed in the last ten years by taking advan-
tage of proximity to the US, NAFTA and a bilingual workforce. In the
past, Mexico centered on being a base for banks such as Santander,
HSBC and Bank of America to provide services to their branches in
the rest of Latin America. But today, the Ministry of Economy’s Soft-
ware Industry Development Program (PROSOFT) is promoting Mex-
ico with IT clients, as an international level nearshore alternative.”
KPMG adds that “New cities in the IT sector and ones related to
business process outsourcing include Querétaro and Guadalajara, in
addition to well established cities such as Mexico City, Ciudad Juárez
and Monterrey. These cities have attracted companies such as Tata
of India and Telefónica of Spain by offering cash subsidies of up to
50% of total investment and tax credits of up to 30% for Research and
Development spending.”
Through MexicoIT, in 2011 the Global Public Policy Summit of the
World Informatic Technology Services Alliance, the sector’s most im-
portant world agency, will be held in Mexico.
With these advantages and strategies, according to Gartner, Mex-
ico is in fourth place among the countries that world IT firms prefer
for the development of their projects and the second country which
companies, mainly from the US, would consider resorting to in order
to contract IT services. The future has yet to be written but the pros-
pects for the IT sector in Mexico are optimistic. n
20 Negocios i The Lifestyle photo archive

Mexican IT Market
Billion USD
17% 19% 14% 1% 6.72 13%
Annual
Growth 6.34
5.82 5.90
5
4.24
t
c Marke 3.72
Domesti 3.16
2.51
1.99
1.75
Exports (IT-BPO)
4.12
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
T 5.99 6.99 8.33 9.50 9.61 10.87
Source: Ministry of Economy with data form Select and AT Kearney.

Gartner's Top 30 Locations

For Offshore Services, By Region
Europe, the Middle East and Africa
Asia/Pacific
Americas

Russia
Slovakia China
Poland
Czech Republic Ukraine Pakistan
Ireland Romania
Hungary India Vietnam
Israel
Spain The Philippines
Egypt Thailand
Morocco Malaysia
Singapore

Australia
South Africa
New Zealand
Source: Gartner's Top 30 Offshore Locations, 2009

Global Services Location Index

in the Americas
Financial Human Business
Attractive Resource Environment Index

Chile Mexico Brazil US (N II) Costa Rica

2.41 2.48 2.18 0.47 2.67
1.20 1.50 1.83 2.71 0.89
1.89 1.45 1.37 2.15 1.50
5.50 5.43 5.38 5.33 5.06
 special
report
Cover
Feature IT
Industry
Exports
Billion USD
BPO
14% 26% 26% 18% 12%
IT Services 2.17
Annual Growth
1.28
1.28
1.28

0.89
1.02
1.62
1.80
1.98
1.23
0.86 0.98
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
T 1.75 1.99 2.51 3.16 3.72 4.15
Source: AT Kearney. Data for 2009 and 2010 is estimated based on 2008 data.

2010 Projections
Segment Market Value, billion USD
Consumables 1.18 14%
3.99 15% Eval
as an uation o
IT Services

Software 1.54
Growth
12% Offsh f
ore L Mexico
Source: Ministry of Economy with data form Select ocatio
Canada Lang n

2010
ua ge
Gove Good Very

as for
rnme Good
Labo nt Su
ppor

meric
r Poo t
Infra l
struc

the A
ture
Educ
ation

es in
al Sys
Cost tem

Servic
Costa Rica Politi
c
Econ al and

hore
Panama omic
al En
r Offs
Cultu viron
ral C ment
Glob o m patib
ions fo
al an ility
d Leg
Brazil Data al Ma
Locat

/IP S turity
ecuri
ty an
d Pri
ading

vacy
r's Le

Chile
Argentina
artne
ce: G
Sour

Jamaica Argentina Canada Uruguay Panama

2.77 2.47 0.54 2.46 2.48
0.79 1.34 2.10 1.00 0.70
1.49 1.21 2.38 1.43 1.40
5.05 5.02 5.02 4.89 4.58
Source: AT Kearney, Global Services Location Index, 2009.
22 Negocios
Main IT Clusters in Mexico
1 2
JALISCO
Main Cities: Guadalajara
(capital), Chapala and Puerto
Vallarta
Population: 6,800,000
Higher Education: Guadalajara
is a very important hub for
universities and educational
centers with national and
worldwide prestige, such as
Universidad Panamericana,
ITESO, Universidad de Guadala-
jara, Monterrey Institute of
Technology and the Universidad
Autónoma de Guadalajara
(U.A.G.), among others.
Graduates from IT Careers:
18,000 per year
IT Infrastructure: Jalisco
supports the creation and
acceleration of IT Mexican
companies and has developed a
robust infrastructure for global
companies to conduct business
in and from Jalisco. The state has
created advanced technology
centers such as the Software
Center, the Software and
Integrated IT Services Park both
in Guadalajara and the Media
Park in the city of Chapala.
IT Industry: Guadalajara is
known as the Mexican Silicon
Valley. Over 70 international
companies are offering advanced
IT services including application
design, development and testing,
embedded software for the
automotive industry, wireless
applications, printers and
medical devices, and multimedia.
Source: MexicoIT
SINALOA
Main Cities: Culiacán (capital),
Mazatlan and Los Mochis.
Population: 2,7000,000
Higher Education: 48 Universi-
ties and multiple specialization
schools
Graduates from IT Careers:
3000 per year, high percentage of
bilingual professionals
IT Infrastructure: Extensive fiber
optics IP infrastructure, high
bandwidth Internet, VoIP
enabled
IT Industry: The technology
sector of the state of Sinaloa is
growing at a yearly rate of
300%.The main focus of the IT
industry in Sinaloa is on Contact
Centers and nearshoring of
application development
services. The state has one of the
largest IT clusters in Mexico that
gathers fifty five companies of an
advanced IT maturity level.
Many of the IT companies of
Sinaloa are working in state
supported IT technology clusters,
and have extensive experience in
developing applications for
healthcare organizations,
agriculture related industries,
hotels, pharmacies, gas stations,
car dealerships and educational
institutions.
3
infographics oldemar
3
SONORA
Main Cities: Hermosillo
(capital), Ciudad Obregón,
Nogales
Population: 3,100,000
Higher Education: The main
institution of higher education is
the University of Sonora
(UNISON), There are 17
universities in Sonora, including
2 campuses of the ITESM
(Monterrey Institute of Technol-
ogy).
Graduates from IT Careers:
1000 per year
IT Infrastructure: Fiber‐optics
rings infrastructure, high
bandwidth communications and
MPLS, several providers
IT Industry: The industry in
Sonora has been oriented to
automotive, aerospace and
electric/electronic enterprises,
and is now quickly moving into
Information Technology. In
November 2007, Sonora opened
a fully operational Technology
Park designed specifically for the
IT Industry, with its 2nd phase
already under development, and
has two other Technology Parks
in the planning stage.

4 5
QUERÉTARO
Main Cities: Santiago de
Querétaro (capital), San Juan del
Río and Corregidora.
Population: 1,7000,000
Higher Education: Home of
two of the most prestigious
universities of Mexico: the
National Autonomous University
and the National Polytechnic
Institute. There are six other
prestigious public and private
universities, including a campus
of the ITESM (Monterrey
Institute of Technology).
Graduates from IT Careers:
1500 per year
IT Infrastructure: Fiber optics
rings infrastructure, high
bandwidth communications and
MPLS, several providers
IT Industry: The IT companies
of Querétaro offer a large variety
of services including embedded
software development, IT
consulting, data centers,
infrastructure management, and
application development and
testing. Industry solutions focus
on manufacturing and technol-
ogy niches such as biometrics,
security, computer aided design
and other specialized services.
BPO services are also offered by
the Querétaro services providers.
They include contact centers, data
mining, market analysis, F&A
services and loan application
processing.
6 of videogames and support for
4
5
ESTADO DE MÉXICO
Main Cities: Toluca (capital),
Naucalpan and Tlalnepantla
Population: 14,000,000
Higher Education: Home of tree
of the most prestigious universi-
ties of Mexico: the National
Autonomous University, the
University of Estado de México
and a campus of the Monterrey
Technology Institute. Close to the
biggest campus of the National
Polytechnic Institute. There are
172 public and private universi-
ties, 72 with IT careers.
Graduates from IT Careers:
5,200 per year
IT Infrastructure: Fiberoptics
rings infrastructure, high
bandwidth communications and
MPLS, several providers.
IT Industry: The IT companies
of Estado de México offer a large
variety of services including IT
consulting, data centers,
infrastructure management, and
application development and
testing. Industry solutions focus
on manufacturing and technol-
ogy niches such as automotive,
biotechnology, pharmaceutical,
security, and computer aided
design and other specialized
services.
BPO services are also offered by
services providers in Estado de
México. They include contact
centers, data mining, help desk,
market analysis, F&A services
and loan application processing.
special
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Industry
6
NUEVO LEÓN
Main Cities: Monterrey (capital),
Guadalupe, and Apodaca
Population: 4,500,000
Higher Education: Monterrey
is home to two of the nation's
most prestigious universities, the
National Autonomous University
of Nuevo León and the Instituto
Tecnologico de Estudios
Superiores de Monterrey
(Monterrey Institute of Technol-
ogy and Higher Education).
Other reputed universities
include the University of
Monterrey (UDEM) and the
Universidad Regiomontana. The
state has 44 higher education
institutions offering education to
more than 111, 000 undergradu-
ate students, and more than 10
000 students at the graduate
level.
Graduates from IT Careers:
3000 per year
IT Infrastructure: Advanced
high‐bandwidth, secure
communications network,
government supported research
and technology parks.
IT Industry: Nuevo León is the
home of some of the largest
Mexican IT Services companies.
Recently it has become one of the
preferred locations for compa-
nies that offer nearshore IT
services, and many large Indian
IT service providers have
established their delivery centers
in the state.
The IT services offered by the
local companies include custom
software development and
deployment, IT consulting, ITO
and BPO services, development
SAP and Oracle solutions.
24 Negocios i The Lifestyle
A Small IT Giant
Born as a start up, Quarksoft is now a leading company in tailor-
made software development with guaranteed delivery time. It is also
a pioneer in exporting systems to the US.
By ulises hernández
The last two years were terrible for many com-
panies, with depressed markets, lower income,
resizing and scarce resources to reinvest and
grow.
But to Quarksoft, a firm specialized in tai-
lor-made software development, economic re-
cession was almost unfelt and 2008 and 2009
were maybe the best two years in the compa-
ny’s history.
While most companies were in shock,
Quarksoft was receiving awards and acknowl-
edgements for its innovative profile, getting
new clients, recruiting more staff and mak-
ing a strategic alliance with Oesía, a Spanish
multi-national company in the IT sector. That
alliance brought 26 million usd in capital invest-
ment to the company.
Quarksoft is now a leading Mexican com-
pany in business software development. That
enables it to guarantee better delivery times
for its clients and lower error margins. It is also
the first Mexican Systems developer to get the
Level 3 CMMI quality certification and to adopt
PSP and TSP process methodologies. These
photos courtesy of quarksoft
are compulsory requirements to access the US
software market.
The company’s exports to the US amount-
ed to 3 million usd between 2008 and 2010.
In fact, its alliance with Oesía is aimed at pro-
jecting Mexico as a service platform supplier
to the US, one able to compete in terms of
quality with other specialist countries in this
field, like India and Ireland. Quarksoft will be
the flagship.
“We have representation offices in Silicon
Valley, North Carolina and Madrid,” said César
Montes de Oca, founder and director general
of the company.
Like many other companies in this sector,
Quarksoft started in 2001 as a small business
with 11 people on staff, including César Montes
de Oca and three other founders. Nine years lat-
er, the company employs 280 certified engineers
at four offices in Mexico, located in Aguascalien-
tes, Zacatecas, León and Mexico City.

They have a wide business portfolio, includ-
ing corporate clients like Palacio de Hierro,
Grupo Posadas and Grupo Empresarial Ánge-
les; banks, BBVA Bancomer, Banamex, HSBC
and Ixe; insurance companies, GNP and ING,
and firms in the stock market (Mexican Stock
Market), payment processing (PROSA) and
pawn business (Nacional Monte de Piedad).
Quarksoft’s clients also include government
institutions, like the Supreme Court of Justice,
the ministries of Defense and Public Security
and the Social and Heathcare Services Institute
for State Employees (ISSSTE), as well as state
governments (Guanajuato and Zacatecas).
The company’s turnout in 2009 was
around 20 million usd. This year they expect to
sell some 22 - 23 million usd.
Processes Pioneer
Quarksoft was formed a decade ago on César
Montes de Oca’s initiative. Born in the state of
mexico’s partner quarksoft
Montes de Oca and colleagues identified a se-
In 2008, Quarksoft ries of recurrent problems in the software in-
dustry: developers did not understand clients’
was awarded
requirements and often failed to estimate deliv-
the prize to the ery times and error margin in the product. Ac-
Most Innovative tivity was disordered and that had an impact
Firm by American on clients, both in terms of implementation
Express and Dell schedule and costs exceeding the initial quote.
México. And it On the other hand, developers’ working
hours were exhausting –between 10 and 12
got the second
hours per day. They often had to work during
place at the Dell weekends and holidays. They had no quality
Small Business of life.
Excellence Award Montes de Oca and his partners decided to
in 2009. put things right and devoted themselves to iden-
tifying best international practices in software
production, and learning them. So Montes de
Zacatecas, Montes de Oca is a computer sys- Oca decided to take a Masters from the Soft-
tems engineer graduated from Tec de Monter- ware Engineering Institute (SEI) of the Carnegie-
rey. His brother Carlos and two other engineer Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He also took
friends helped him found the company. an MBA.
26 Negocios
The team learned software development
process methodologies, both individually and
as a team: Personal Software Process (PSP)
and Team Software Process (TSP). They be-
came experts and decided to implement them
in Mexico by founding Quarksoft in May 2001.
“There was lots of talent and many engi-
neers in Mexico but they lacked a methodology.
We were the first to implement processes in this
sector,” said Montes de Oca. He also explained
that product quality depends on software pro-
cess quality: “If you can control the process, you
can then control the timing,” he added. Thanks
to this, Quarksoft is able to guarantee a sched-
ule deviation of +/- 15% and an error margin
of 0.36 defects per 1000 code lines (0.36 D/
KLOC). These are the best in the market and
means Quarksoft can guarantee project deliv-
ery within schedule and generates less than 4%
in maintenance costs for the client.
Conversely, most software developers incur
in process deviations ranging between 50 and
400% on product delivery, as reported by con-
sultancy firms in this sector, like Gartner.
photos courtesy of quarksoft
In 2005, Quarksoft was one of the 20 Mex-
In February 2009, ican companies that the Ministry of Economy
Oesía, a Spanish selected to participate in the Technology Busi-
multi-national ness Accelerator program, known as TechBA.
TechBA is an initiative of the Ministry of
company in the IT
Economy and the Mexico-US Foundation for
sector, acquired Science (Fumec). This program supports in-
51% of Quarksoft novative firms in the IT sector to help them
for 26 million place their technologies, products and ser-
usd and local vices in the global market.
partners kept Thanks to TechBA, Quarksoft could be
in Silicon Valley, California, for one year, and
49% as well as
was supplied with an office, legal advice and
operational networking through a series of events –con-
control of the ferences, internet forums- and contacts to do
company. business. This happened again in 2006, at the
Science Park in Madrid, Spain.
Quarksoft’s first clients were ING Co- Two years later (2008), Quarksoft was
mercial América and AC Nielsen. With time, awarded the prize to the Most Innovative
Montes de Oca and his partners started har- Firm by American Express and Dell México.
vesting and developing systems to improve And it got the second place at the Dell Small
clients’ operation processes in different areas Business Excellence Award in 2009. As part
such as financial, manufacture, telecommu- of this acknowledgement, César Montes de
nications, retail, healthcare and government. Oca visited Dell headquarters in Round Rock,

Texas, and had a 90-minute meeting with Mi-
chael Dell, the company’s founder Chairman
of the Board.
Shortly after that, Quarksoft completed
the process to become a “High Impact Entre-
preneur,” granted by International Endeavor.
It was this organization that provided the
support of an Advising Board including se-
nior business people and consultants under
a pro bono scheme. “That helped us a lot in
defining a steer, structure and vision,” said
Montes de Oca.
The big leap came in early 2009 when
top managers from Oesía –the second larg-
est Spanish firm in this sector- came to Mex-
ico to look for a local software firm in which
to invest.
“They approached us and we liked their
proposal. They said: ‘We want you to help us
build a home and furnish it’,” Montes de Oca
recalls.
In February 2009, Oesía acquired 51% of
Quarksoft for 26 million usd and local part-
ners kept 49% and operational control of the
mexico’s partner quarksoft
co, and Quarksoft was strengthened.
Like many other The Quarksoft-Oesía alliance is now work-
companies in this ing on a 50-million usd project to digitalize
sector, Quarksoft and automate processes involving 10 million
government employees registered at ISSSTE.
started in 2001 as
This is the biggest modernization process in
a small business the social security system in Mexico.
with 11 people in Foreign clients include G&D, a German
staff. Nine years firm specializing in currency counting and
later, the company automation systems, and LiveOps, an Ameri-
employs 280 can company in the outsourced call centers
business.
certified engineers
Oesía and Quarksoft are now targeting the
at four offices in international market and aim to turn their or-
Mexico, located in ganization into a global platform of technolo-
Aguascalientes, gy outsourcing to attract clients in the US and
Zacatecas, León other countries. “Actually, our main target is
and Mexico City. the US,” said Abel Linares, director general of
Oesía, when the alliance was announced.
Quarksoft’s international sells are 15%
company. “We decide how to do things,” says of its total. Its goal is to increase this level to
Montes de Oca. 60%. The plan is to put international sells in
This turned Oesía into an international the region of 70 million usd per year in the
company by having a sister company in Mexi- next four years,” Montes de Oca concluded. n
28 Negocios photos courtesy of dextra

Mexican IT Solutions for the World

By cristina ávila-zesatti

Who designs the technology that companies like IBM, HP, Nokia and globalization of the Internet seemed far away
and the democratization of the personal and
Qualcomm use in their internal processes? No other than a company
company use of the net was still in its early
from the state of Nuevo León that has 100% Mexican capital stages.
and talent. Dextra was established when the Internet and global Only a few people used the tools that new
communications were just a long-term goal. Today, large national and technologies unveiled for users and, arithmeti-
international corporations trust this company with their technology. cally speaking, there were even less visionaries
who saw an economic future in these tools.
“We offer international professional projec- performance and job offers are in English, Dextra Technologies was one of them.
tion, development in an unbeatable work Dextra is 100% Mexican. They use the “univer- Dextra is headquartered in the city of Mon-
environment, training, certification and sal language of business” because they target terrey and, while in the 90s it was linked to
growth opportunities in the area of CMMI mainly customers abroad. Grupo Pulsar, a Mexican holding company, in
processes.” Undoubtedly, Dextra has been leading the 2004 three partners from Nuevo León assu-
When surfing the net for information on pack in its field for many years. The company, med control of the company. These partners
Dextra Technologies, you will stumble upon which focuses on specialized software solu- had already realized that the company’s big-
this type of message. The company is cons- tions and Internet business applications, was gest strength was its closeness to the American
tantly looking for talent, and although their one of the world’s pioneers in this area. market where, up until today, most of their cus-
website and most of the information on their Dextra was established in 1997, when the tomers are located.
 mexico’s partner dextra technologies

Custom Automation Bimbo, as well as many Mexican financial Dextra

Today, Dextra Technologies is part of a select groups such as Banorte and Banamex. The te- Technologies is
group of companies in the world that are chnological future of all these companies lies in a company that focuses
on software creation and
CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) the hands of Dextra Technologies, whose cus- development and on
Level 3 certified. CMMI is a global excellence tomer portfolio is a letter of recommendation e-business, Web and intranet
standard that ranks the quality of processes in in itself. applications.
organizations that are linked to software and “Our main focus is to understand how our They handle programming
systems production. solutions can help our customers’ operations languages such as Java,
“We offer two types of solutions. One of and logistics [...] we believe that the common Visual .NET, C/C++, PHP,
our business lines relates to the development denominator is the type of solutions that apply etc. (as well as database
of embedded internet and software applica- to various industries. Every case is unique, so management such as Oracle,
tions with mobile purposes. They allow us to we offer personalized services. In fact, some of SQL Server, Sybase, MySQL,
automate workflows and create internet and these companies have Dextra technicians in among others).
intranet information exchan- their facilities to make sure They have vast experience
ge portals and services. Our that we are close by [...] that in specialized knowledge and
other line of business is de- way we guarantee our ser- methodologies such as ITIL
signing and building mobile vices,” says Saldaña. and they manage projects
and embedded device appli- with PM, UML and RUP.
cations. This is our strong Scientific Optimism Dextra has a Struts-based
point and we have grown Who could imagine our development framework for
in this area mainly for our world today without new Java and they have wide
customers abroad,” explains technologies? Indeed, the- and proven experience in
Luis Saldaña, one of Dextra’s re are very few who have embedded software and
three main partners. not leveraged this potential application support.
IBM, Qualcomm, Nokia, in the business environ- Dextra is one of a few
Handmark and Hewlett ment. Perhaps that is why technology companies in
Packard are just some of the today there is a boom of the world to have obtained
company’s customers. These Dextra has been software or technology CMMI (Capability Maturity
are all technology solution- leading the pack solution companies. But Model Integration) Level
focused companies and that for many years. when it’s time to face the 3 specification from
says a lot about their trust competition, Dextra’s ex- Carnegie Mellon’s Software
The company,
in the Mexican company, perience is favorable —a Engineering Institute (SEI)
whose income is generated
which focuses way to “take several steps With this certification,
mainly—close to 75%—from on specialized ahead.” Dextra Technologies, which
its contracts abroad. software This company, which was already one of the
Dextra has also achieved solutions and received global certifi- most experienced software
a privileged position among internet business cation for internal exce- manufacturers in the area
large corporations in Mexi- llence in 2006, has spent of custom application
applications, was
co, and while the nature of more than eight years development, expanded its
its customers is very diverse, one of the world’s focusing on research and horizons to new markets with
their common denominator pioneers in this application of mobile and the guarantee of almost 15
is their excellent reputation area. embedded devices that years of experience and with
and proven success. give their customers the the support that being one of
Dextra worked with com- flexibility that they need the few Mexican companies
panies such as the Instituto Tecnológico de in an era of global thought and action. to obtain CMMI Level 3
Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), “We started working in this field in 2002 means.
telephone companies Iusacell y Alestra AT&T, and we soon discovered that these types of www.dextratech.com

OXXO store chains, Grupo Mabe and Grupo solutions are more and more common in
30 Negocios photos archive

companies or products that focus on end Exportable Talent Some of Dextra

users. At Dextra we are very optimistic about In January 2010, Dextra Technologies inaugu- Technologies’
these mobile solutions because technology rated offices in the state of Aguascalientes. At Customers
and its maintenance are more affordable the time, Daniel Chávez, CEO of the company,
and their demand is growing. A few years ago explained that from that state they would be 247RealMedia
things were very different but today more managing operations to serve Texas Instru- IBM Inc
and more customers want us to design their ments’ education technologies area. ITESM
mobile solutions. We think this trend will Some of the tools that are being developed Iusacell
continue in the next few years,” says Saldaña. in these new facilities relate to graphic calcula- NetworkFleet
Dextra, which started operating with 30 em- tors and interactive exploration of mathema- Nokia Inc
ployees, currently employs 300 people in different tics for both teachers and students, mainly in Oxxo
cities in Mexico and the US and experiences a the US, under the technology-education qua- Precision Prospects
sustained growth of approximately 2% every year, lity model promoted by President Obama’s Procter & Gamble
according to data provided by its shareholders. government. Sigma Alimentos
Excellence is only one of its many secrets. In But Dextra had other reasons to establish Symbian Sofware Ltd
spite of being one of the most renowned com- operations in Aguascalientes. The company Texas Instruments
panies in its field, Dextra still strives to remain is also planning to seize the opportunity to PacketVideo
a small business in essence. In other words, strengthen its links to Mexican universities Qualcomm
they focus on maintaining agile operations that have formed the majority of their emplo- Axtel
and remaining flexible with their customers’ yees. According to Saldaña, 90% of their en- Alestra AT&T
demands—some of these customers have been gineers—who create solutions for the world’s Banamex
with them since the beginning. most renowned companies—are “Mexican Banorte - Bank
“At Dextra we want the application of our talent.” Banorte - Generalli
solutions to have the least impact possible. “Competitiveness rates in Aguascalientes Epson
Throughout the years we have seen that our are above average and because Dextra has Expide Logistics
methodology is a good match for companies customers in the area we were able to esta- Gas Natural
that have a mature definition of their own in- blish operations without having to start from Grupo Afirme
ternal processes. We always perform a preli- scratch. Also, because of the state’s location Grupo Bimbo
minary analysis because we are convinced that —between central Mexico and the Bajío (the Grupo Mabe
every case is unique and we minimize the risks lowlands)— it has access to many Mexican uni- Handmark
for both our customers and ourselves. We want versities [...] that is extremely important to us Hewlett Packard
to keep our reputation intact,” says Saldaña. because it means we have access to talent.” Hypercom

The combination of youthful freshness and
many years of research and development expe-
rience is key. In the end, a company like Dextra
is aware that it depends largely on its ability to
“look into the future” and to apply it, as much
as possible, to its customers’ present situation.
That is why a large percentage of Dextra’s tech-
nicians focus exclusively on researching, testing
and developing “what comes next,” to start ope-
rating it right here, right now.
And while the nature of Dextra’s cus-
tomers is diverse and global, the company
stands out because its “vision of tomorrow
applied to today” adapts perfectly to each
company’s budget.
“Our technology solutions have multiple
applications. We have worked in projects
that range from under 50,000 usd to more
than one million usd. Like us, every company
understands its business and we know that
each case has unique needs and unique bud-
gets. We are also aware that migrating to new
technologies involves certain expenses —in-
vestments in equipment, time and human ca-
pital and in the subsequent maturing proces-
ses— and we consider them in our solutions,”
mexico’s partner dextra technologies
explains Saldaña.
Dextra’s customers’ loyalty speaks for it- Dextra’s
self. Some of them started with the budding
customer’s
company that was born as an adventure
when new technologies were distnant. To-
loyalty speaks
day, maturity and the promise that the futu- for itself. Some
re has caught up with us, assure each of the of them started
company’s customers that these solutions with the budding
will increase their efficiency both internally company that
and externally.
was born as an
“Operation agility, better communication
with customers, connectivity with suppliers
adventure when
and the target market, general efficiency with new technologies
lower logistics process costs, higher sales and were far away.
the chance to offer their services in various
ways [...] That is what companies who hire our
services gain,” says Saldaña.
For the time being, Dextra Technologies is
not expecting to expand in Mexico but they are
analyzing the possibility of expanding their in-
fluence within their main market, the US.
However, the company is sure that it will
continue employing Mexican talent, which
undoubtedly has the potential to create in
Mexico the technology that global companies
use in their daily operations. n
32 Negocios photo archive

Making IT Happen
With over twenty years of experience in the IT industry, Intelisis has
become one one of the major players of the sector in Mexico, with
presence and clients in different countries.

Choosing an IT solution can be a complex task
that requires knowledge and expertise.
That is where Intelisis appears on the
scene. This Mexican company aims to be-
come a strategic partner for businesses of
all sizes, not as an IT systems operator but as
another “executive” in the company with the
specific task of solving problems and facili-
tating processes.
Intelisis operates as an external consul-
tant and works close to its clients to help
them decide which is the IT solution that
best meets their needs and provide greater
benefits to their daily operation.
History of an Ally
Intelisis was founded in 1986 under the name
of Numitec, in order to provide the Mexican
IT market fully integrated administrative
software adaptable to the needs of Mexican
companies.
Its first product was LOMAS, an integrated
software for businesses’ basic operation and
needs which was soon recognized as an in-
novative solution for its versatility and easy
operation.
LOMAS evolved to NUMIX and then
XPERT-E, which offered more flexibility, dyna-
mism, and interaction between the company
processes.
At the same time it improved its IT solu-
tions, Numitec matured and consolidated its
position as leader in the Mexican market. Un-
der the concept of Intelisis Intelligent Manage-
ment, the company launched an ERP (Enter-
prise Resource Planning) in 2000.

Today, information technologies (IT) are an
indispensable tool for any company, regard-
less its size or the sector in which it operates.
But investing in IT is not as easy as it
seems. The decision of which of the available
solutions is the best, should not be based
only on criteria such as price. The specific
benefits that an IT product or service can
have in a business, must be assessed before
taking such decision. In this sense, choosing
an IT solution can be a complex task that re-
quires knowledge and expertise.
That is where Intelisis appears on the
scene. This Mexican company aims to be-
come strategic partner for businesses of all
sizes, not as an IT systems operator but as
another “executive” in the company with the
specific task of solving problems and facili-
tating processes.
Intelisis operates as an external consul-
tant and works close to its clients to help
them decide which is the IT solution that
best meets their needs and provide greater
benefits to their daily operation.
History of an Ally
Intelisis was founded in 1986 un-
der the name of Numitec, in order external consultant and works
to provide the Mexican IT mar- close to its clients to help them
ket fully integrated administrative
decide which is the IT solution that
software adaptable to the needs of
Mexican companies.
Its first product was LOMAS, an
integrated software for businesses’
basic operation and needs which was soon rec-
ognized as an innovative solution for its versatil- their needs and provide them advice.
ity and easy operation.
LOMAS evolved to NUMIX and then
XPERT-E, which offered more flexibility, dy-
namism, and interaction between the com-
pany processes.
At the same time it improved its IT solu-
tions, Numitec matured and consolidated its
position as leader in the Mexican market.
Under the concept of Intelisis IntelliToday,
information technologies (IT) are an indispens-
able tool for any company, regardless its size or
the sector in which it operates.
But investing in IT is not as easy as it seems.
The decision on which of the available solu-
tions is the best, should not be based only on
criteria such as price. The specific benefits that effective use of time, increased productivity, ef- digital documentation.
an IT product or service can have in a business,
must be assessed before taking such decision.
The success of that ERP allowed the com-
pany to establish alliances with leaders in the
IT industry. Intelisis ERP I has been awarded
with important certifications by companies
such as Ford and General Motors, as well as
the Quality and Competitiveness Certification
given by Microsoft in the Certified Partner
Category.
Knowing Customers’ Needs
Intelisis understands that its customers are not
looking only for IT products or services. They
need customized solutions. For the company,
technology is not an end in itself but a means to Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Ecuador,
facilitate the achievement of a business’ goals.
Therefore, Intelsis not only has focused on
achieving a thorough knowledge of IT tools but
has also made an ongoing effort to understand
the problems and needs of its clients and offer
them personalized solutions.
This commitment has resulted in a high
trained team, which is not composed of mere
technicians and specialists but by professionals
Intelisis operates as an
best meets their needs.
able to listen to their customers, understand
Intelisis has a secret weapon, a patented
methodology called I3, which gives a clear
structure of the solution implementation pro-
cess, providing the consulting team of a frame-
work that greatly enhances the successful
implementation of complex solutions.
That methodology provides activities, roles,
times, costs, global standards, best practices
and guidelines that facilitate the planning, de-
velopment, management and successful im-
plementation of a project, without losing sight
of the client’s aims and expectations.
I3 integrates the activities of different ar- portals and intranets, enterprise architecture
eas of expertise to generate a multi-functional
implementation plan. Its benefits are visible:
fective communication, risk mitigation, better
control of costs and timeframes and quality as-
mexico’s partner intelisis
surance throughout the process.
Another of the success keys of Intelsis has
been managing budgets on project basis and
not by time. The company offers its services
at a predetermined and unique cost, which
includes all of both the licensing and deploy-
ment. This scheme avoids unpleasant budget
surprises for customers.
Building Leadership
To date, Intelisis is not only a leader in the
Mexican IT market. The company has custom-
ers in countries such as Argentina, Colombia,
Guatemala, El Salvador, and even China.
Over 20 years of existence, Intelisis has sold
over 25,000 licensed solutions.
The company also has presence in the US
market, the natural and biggest partner of the
Mexican IT industry, and Canada.
The successful expansion of the company
is a clear example of the ability to conduct
world-class projects from Mexico. To Inteli-
sis, the key has been to maintain a
global vision that has allowed it to
understand that although custom-
ers are embedded in a local context,
they require solutions with a global
approach.
Intelisis is a strong provider to
vertical segments such as finance
and the automotive industry, where
it already has well-established pres-
ence with important clients, both
domestic and international.
Other areas in which the company works
are manufacturing, importing and distribu-
tion, professional services and education, con-
struction, government, gas stations, bus trans-
portation, salt, chemical, laboratories, techno-
logical risk, fast food and utilities.
Intelisis offers integrated solutions, such as
management of customer relationships (CRM)
systems, enterprise resource planning second
generation (PRSP II), point of sale (POS) cash
register (CR), warehouse management sys-
tems (WMS), balanced score card (BSC), e-
branding, e-learning, Business Intelligence (BI),
(EA), management control, knowledge base,
call centers, mobile solutions, footprint and
Intelisis is a clear example of how it is pos-
sible to make IT happen. n
34 Negocios photo archive
 mexico’s partner world software services

When the “Know-how” in

Systems is Mexican...
With 25 years of experience in the industry of new technologies and
software development, World Software Services has offices in Spain,
Argentina, Colombia, the US and Portugal and is now working for
more. The company is preparing to enter some of the least explored
niches, such as the nanotechnology, biomedical and aeronautical ones.
It seems this Mexican IT firm is not afraid of the unknown –after all,
exploring the future has been its business for a quarter-century.

By cristina ávila-zesatti

What do Cemex –the world’s second largest
cement manufacturer–, the Spanish communi-
cations group Telefónica and Discovery Cruise
Line –one of world’s most prestigious interna-
tional tourism companies– have in common?
Probably nothing when seen with the naked
eye but in their “brains” they have a common
denominator: they work with systems created
by World Software Services (WSS).
Born in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León,
25 years ago under the initial name of Systems
International, WSS had a clear goal since the
beginning: become global in an age when few
saw the great potential that lay behind the
nascent business of communication networks
and new technologies.
WSS started at a regional level in Northern
Mexico, serving clients from its headquarters
in Monterrey. But soon it opened offices in the
two other major cities of the country: Gua-
dalajara, Jalisco, and Mexico City. In short, it
became a company of national reach –but its
founders wanted more.
“When we started in April 1985, the busi-
ness of consulting and IT services was just be-
ginning in Mexico. Almost all companies born
at that time were very small and were targeted
at certain customers with specific needs. At
first we were dedicated exclusively to software
manufacture. We delivered a code according
to the specifications requested and made a
set of tests to verify that it worked. We did so
at fixed cost and offered an indefinite guaran-
tee for our services,” says Gonzalo Mejía Soto,
WSS CEO.
Precisely that formula –fixed costs and life-
time warranty– would eventually become an
integral part of the great little secret behind
WSS’ success in the IT global scenario. Today,
the company has expanded its sphere of influ-
ence to countries like Spain, the US, Argentina,
Colombia and Portugal.
“Our goal since the very beginning was to
be a global company and work with global
companies. We knew we would make it, even
though our first attempts to venture into oth-
36 Negocios
er countries like the US or Italy failed because
we did not have the experience to jump out of
the country [...] we learned and became aware
of our strengths. Finally, when we arrived in
Spain in 1994, everything was different and
we dared to try in other markets,” Soto Mejía
recalls.
Experience
WSS is already planning its arrival in coun-
tries like the UK, France, Germany and
Canada. The global economic downturn did
not seem to stop the company’s plans. WSS’
shareholders are aware that they have lived
worse moments than 2009’s economic re-
cession.
“With the ‘dot-com bubble’, we had set-
backs of approximately 50% in our revenues.
Now, although there are markets that have
slowed down, others are growing and that is
helping us to achieve a balance. Either way we
photos archive
its customers several types of consulting,
different solutions in business intelligence,
Fixed costs and
Web and wireless applications development,
lifetime warranty maintenance of systems and e-training,
eventually became among others.
an integral part “Today our focus is to provide IT services
of the great little to global companies. We know that the chal-
secret behind WSS’ lenge is huge because it involves working
with companies that have offices in many
success in the IT
parts of the world. That is why our offer to
global scenario. them includes sending our own staff wher-
ever is needed. Software development is
still the strongest part of our business and
we compete with giants from China and In-
are a conservative company. We know what dia, for example. But we are confident that
it means to be young: we began billing about we are far ahead in ‘know how’ because we
1,000 usd and now our business is worth carry 25 years working at fixed cost and that
around 50 million usd,” says Gonzalo Soto. is something not everyone can do [...], not
WSS’ forte is still the creation of software, everyone is able to deliver an IT product on
but its range of products and services has ex- time and offer a lifetime guarantee at no ad-
panded considerably. The company offers ditional cost,” says Soto Mejía.
 mexico’s partner world software services

High Competitiveness and yet here we are, in the front row. That
WSS’ client portfolio is not only large and di- The company’s speaks well not only of WSS’ capabilities but
verse because of the nature of the companies also of Mexican talent, which matches the best
client portfolio
it works with. It includes companies of all sizes, in the world,” says Soto Mejía. Being settled in
from local and regional firms to national and
is not only large several countries and with undergoing expan-
global ones. For each of them, WSS has a tai- and diverse sion plans, WSS’ employs people from differ-
lor-made IT solution. because of the ent nationalities worldwide. However, Soto
Some of the companies that are using WSS’ nature of the Mejía states that “the brain and spinal cord of
services are even competitors between them. companies it works the company is fully and proudly Mexican.”
Despite that, they have absolute confidence “There is huge potential for development
with. It includes
in the company and have trusted it control of of new technologies in Mexico, and the IT sec-
their “internal brains.”
companies of all tor could indeed become an important pillar
“Ethics in the world of IT is very important sizes, from local of the Mexican economy, but some conditions
because nowadays competition is bigger and and regional firms must be fulfilled yet. For example, companies
stronger. We know that without an ethical to national and often go for the lowest prices. In WSS we are
commitment we wouldn’t get very far. Cus- global ones. not interested in entering such competition be-
tomers are aware of that and they trust us. cause that demerits our market and our own
We have confidentiality agreements with our work,” says Soto Mejía.
clients and our staff receives ongoing training “Developers have to change their mental-
in ethical standards. That is why we have man- ity. We are moving to a new competition field
aged to retain clients who started with us a in which added value is more important than
quarter century ago,” says Soto Mejía proudly. “We are certainly focused on the foreign cost. That is how Mexican industry could soon
Ethics is not the only added value WSS of- market. We did it from the beginning, we con- specialize in those market niches in which
fers. Its core business is innovation, to know tinue to do so and it remains one of our main preparation and quality are what really mat-
what is to come in the future and offer it in the goals. We think and act globally because that ter,” he adds.
present to enterprises of all types and sizes that is an irreversible trend, not only in Mexico but According to the WSS CEO, Mexico has
request their services. also throughout the world and not just in our begun to take advantage of having some of
While there is a large number of compa- business. It has cost us much but we are proud the best developers in the world, something
nies who are still “fighting” in the cost field, of our customer base. We are a Mexican com- WSS itself has proven in a quarter century
WSS is focusing its efforts on research and de- pany that competes with major corporations of existence. n
velopment (R&D) of specialized niches, where
such solutions are still not fully developed.
“We are talking about niches such as bio-
technology, nanotechnology and aeronautics
[...] fields in which information is a key piece
and there is lack of specialists to handle their
specific IT needs. There are many areas where
there are virtually no competitors, niches that
have remained forgotten. It is those that we
want to focus on,” Soto explains.
Of the 800 people working worldwide for
the company, a compact team is devoted exclu-
sively to R&D activities precisely in those fields
with business potential.
Actually, what WSS is doing is simply rep-
licating its old, well known formula: get into an
unknown field, be forward looking and apply
high ethical and quality standards. That was
how the company took its first steps 25 years
ago in a fledgling business which it now domi-
nates globally.

Time for Mexico

Currently, 70% of WSS revenues comes
from its non-Mexican customers, while only
30% of their earnings is provided by domes-
tic companies.
38 Negocios photos archive

Unlimited Commitment
to the Development of IT
Praxis, a company that started in a small office in Mexico City, today
invoices up to 25 million usd a year and is in charge of the security of
different banking institutions in the country.

By MAURICIO FERRER

“
Unlimited commitment” are two words
that apply to Praxis, a Mexican corpora-
tion specializing in information technol-
ogy (IT) whose leadership has caused
it to be described as “one of the best
companies to work for in Mexico,” according to
specialized media.
“A 100% Mexican company, leader in proj-
ects with specialized methodologies and tools,
with a strategic approach to consultancy, inte-
gration, Solution Center and systems develop-
ment, which seeks to strengthen companies’
development through appropriate use of in-
formation technology. With over 13 years in
the market, Praxis guarantees solutions in In-
formation Technology with unlimited commit-
ment to its clients, with high quality standards
and advisory services in cutting-edge technol-
ogy.” That is how Praxis summarizes itself on
its Website (www.praxis.com.mx).
“The value with which we most identified
from the early years was commitment. Our
developers would tell us that they did not mind
staying late to complete a project; the manag-
ers stated they were committed to the search
for successful results; the administrators, too,
went for the successful project, which is why
we committed ourselves to success with clients.
We have attained it and have adopted it as the
company’s slogan,” comments Elsa Ramírez,
Praxis’ Technology and Quality Director.
Praxis was conceived in 1996 by a group of
Mexicans who were familiar with the banking

operations system. One year later, the part-
ners traveled to and from the US where they
received training in technological solutions,
which they began to sell to their clients.
“Client-server, mainframe, were words
that gave rise to a certain mistrust among en-
trepreneurs or government customers. The
mere concept was very difficult to adapt to
the needs of society, everyone wanted to keep
their data in their machine and take it every-
where. Such detachment was, for many, cul-
turally unacceptable,” recalls Elsa Ramírez.
“Technology continues to be the challenge.
Sometimes technology offers more than
what can really be done,” she says.
Evolution
Praxis’ technological transformation was
twofold: the demands of its clients toward
new solutions and the IT supply on the part
of the company to its consumers.
One of the clients that has been sold on
Praxis’ “unlimited commitment” from the
start is the Mexican banking system.
The company was familiar with financial
institutions’ operating capacity, from pro-
cesses done “by hand” to security procedures
before entering a vault. This allowed it to take
the leap from paper to computers and from
physical to electronic security.
“We learned a great deal about when you
go into an institution and we applied that
to our development center. Not just anyone
can enter an area of the company where a
banking product is being developed. At the
programming level we develop applications
for electronic money transfers. Since Banco
de México established that there would be
electronic control of transactions, our clients
asked us for solutions of that type,” explains
Elsa Ramírez.
Six years ago, Praxis introduced Enlace-
SPEI (Electronic Interbank Payments Sys-
tem) in the bank market, a solution based on
BEA Systems’ WebLogic and Tuxedo tech-
nology, with which financial institutions can
process their orders between them through
Banco de México, which saves time and mon-
ey and improves the system’s efficiency.
How does it work? Simple. A financial in-
stitution wishing to send money on its own
account or on account of a third party en-
ters the particulars of the payment into the
Enlace-SPEI system, which sends the request
to Banco de México, which charges this “ori-
mexico’s partner praxis
Interior, the governments of the states of Gua-
najuato and Puebla, are just some of the clients
whom Praxis provides with security services
for information transmission and flow.
Anyone could mistakenly say that Praxis
is a company that only offers its know-how to
major corporations. Not at all: small and me-
dium-sized enterprises are a market niche
for Praxis.
For this sector, two years ago the com-
pany launched its Solution Center 2.0, which
offers specialized and accessible IT services
to medium and small companies. According
to Ministry of Economy data, the majority of
companies in Mexico are small and medium-
sized and Praxis has set itself at the disposal
of these businesses “the same quality in in-
The company
telligent services, in keeping with their par-
was familiar ticular needs, but under a scheme in which
with financial they can access them without the need for
institutions’ large financial investments, supported by the
operating capacity: infrastructure we already have,” says Elsa
from processes Ramírez.
done “by hand”
“I want to work for Praxis”
to security In 2007, Expansión magazine (specializing
procedures before in finances) described Praxis as one of the
entering a vault. 60 companies in Mexico where “everyone
This allowed it wants to work.”
to take the leap Elsa Ramírez says that the company “is
very accessible in both the costs of its ser-
from paper to
vices –which range from 180 pesos [14 usd] to
computers and 1,000 pesos [77 usd] per hour of work– and its
from physical labor relations.”
to electronic “We are not a company that only hires
security. people with experience. We define our in-
ternal processes very well and that enables
us, when a scholarship-holder is admitted, to
train him and that gives him confidence. We
are an open company in which, if you have
gin” institution (money outflow) and makes just started working here and you want to
a credit entry (money inflow) to the “target” talk to the general director, he will receive
institution. Finally, the “target” institution re- you,” she states.
ceives the information on the payment and Praxis began operating with a plant of 80
reflects the pertinent amount in the benefi- employees. Today it has 480. From just one
ciary’s account. office in Mexico City, it currently has a net-
According to Banco de México figures, the work of offices in Monterrey, Querétaro, Dal-
highest number of electronic transactions las, Montreal and Panama. Its earnings reach
through Enlace-SPEI was registered in De- 25 million usd a year.
cember 2009: 7.3 million operations. Praxis’ “From the start we decided to have a
medium-term aim is SPEI-Móvil, allowing us- company that would work according to pro-
ers to do their bank transactions from their cell cesses, so that it would be a machine that
phone. operates on its own. This has helped to make
The mobile telephony company Iusacell, many people say: I want to work for Praxis,”
the Mexican government’s Ministry of the concludes Elsa Ramírez. n
40 Negocios infographic oldemar

Negocios figures January

February
Mexican Exports by Continent March
from January to March 2010 (million USD) 1001.94 Total
1138.56
1339.37
3479.86
17450.40 751.57
19130.30 760.20
23593.83 868.06
60174.53 OPE 2379.84
EUR ASIA

AMERICA

AFRICA

34.36 49.92
45.64 41.26
39.37 100.28 OCEANIA

119.37 191.46
Top 10 Mexico’s Partners in....
America
US Canada Brazil Colombia West Indies Chile Venezuela Guatemala Argentina Peru

15474.73 697.56 252.95 203.23 134.02 112.95 82.73 91.79 79.06 51.12
16867.61 788.53 248.68 282.49 147.49 110.06 111.06 106.71 80.61 64.13
20805.49 998.49 334.18 308.84 146.06 147.03 136.73 130.16 126.54 79.66
53147.82 2484.5 835.82 794.56 427.58 370.04 330.52 328.65 286.21 194.91

Europe
Germany Spain Netherlands UK Switzerland Belgium Portugal France Italy Ireland

233.85 181.92 122.60 92.11 65.04 69.92 62.48 37.69 42.98 16.44
295.75 213.93 123.80 79.30 103.01 85.12 67.40 35.18 33.48 17.38
323.91 326.51 178.19 118.09 91.81 64.97 2.23 55.39 49.35 19.19
853.50 722.36 424.59 289.49 259.87 220.01 132.11 128.27 125.81 53.02

Asia
China India Japan S. Korea Singapure Hong Kong Taiwan UAE Israel Malaysia

210.74 158.41 124.63 61.38 49.39 36.87 11.11 20.75 13.67 7.94
237.46 148.22 165.45 43.20 45.39 41.20 16.50 5.82 9.73 10.24
278.89 160.90 171.73 41.37 31.37 33.19 34.45 28.84 12.90 11.16
727.08 467.52 461.81 145.95 126.15 111.26 62.06 55.41 36.30 29.34
Source: Banco de México
 The lifestyle
The C o m p l et e Guide of the Mexic a n Way of L i fe .

Interview

claudio
valdés
kuri p. 54

Destination
San Cristóbal
de las Casas
p. 58
Photo Francisco Vernis
42 Negocios photos ARCHIVE

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Building a
Better Future
Each year more than 2 billion tons of cement
are produced worldwide and, with that, the
same amount of carbon dioxide –one of the
most polluting sustances– is generated. The ce-
ment industry is responsible for 7% of the car-
bon dioxide released each year on the planet.
To contribute to the reduction of this
pollutant, the Center for Research and Ad-
vanced Studies (Cinvestav) of the National
Polytechnic Institute (IPN) in Saltillo, con-
ducts a research to develop alternative ce-
ments whose mechanical properties and
chemical durability are superior to the Port-
land type, but whose production process
generates less carbon dioxide than the com-
mercial cement.
The Mexican research center conduct-
ed a test of alternative cement made from
caolín (clay) from Zacatecas, with excellent
features and a significant reduction in man-
ufacturing cost.
According to researchers from Cinvestav,
in Mexico, mainly in the states of Zacatecas
and Puebla, clay minerals with the potential These alternative materials can be used in presence of iron and manganese.
to develop alternative cements can be found. all areas where conventional cement is used, The new material could even be produced by
Though, it is also possible to use other raw that is, housing construction, preparation of the traditional cement industry, because the in-
materials such as volcanic ash or industrial blocks, columns, pillars and slabs. In addition, frastructure to produce it is the same as that the
wastes (metallurgical slag, condensed and the color of the material is another attractive, one used in the preparation of Portland cement.
geothermal silica) in the process, with satis- as its tone can be easily manipulated unlike
factory results. Portland cement, which is dark gray due to the www.cinvestav.mx

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY not released until they are subjected to a new
chemical treatment or by a thermal process.

In Search of
Ceramics could be used in places where
large combustion processes are required,

Cleaner Air
A group of researchers from the Institute
of Materials Research of the National Au-
tonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is
working in the development of ceramic to
capture and hold greenhouse gases.
These ceramics are alkaline materials
that, by a chemical reaction, can trap pollut-
ant gases characterized for being very acidic.
Once trapped, these gases are stabilized and
such as industries that burn diesel or other
fuels and power plants.
The “gas traps” can be designed in form
of membranes, filters or packed columns, all
with structural characteristics that would
allow them to retain gases before they are
emitted into the atmosphere. Its duration
would be approximately 50 to 100 cycles of
absorption, without losing their work effi-
ciency.
www.dgcs.unam.mx
 The Lifestyle briefs

ART & LITERATURE

UK Celebrates
the Mexican Bicentenary

I
n 2010 Mexico is celebrating its 200 birth-
day as an independent nation and to sum
to this celebration, the British Embassy
in the country came up with the idea of

photos courtesy of british embassy in mexico

showing up a selection of the works from Brit-
ish artists, whose themes have been influenced
by their lives in Mexico. 
The art exhibition “British Art in Mex-
ico through the Bicentenary,” held on May
2010 in Mexico City, presented various ex-
amples from British artists who have lived
and worked in Mexico, such as Leonora
Carrington, Bridget Tichenor, James Reeve,
Frederick Catherwood and Daniel Thomas
Edgerton. The landscape El Valle de México
by Daniel Thomas Edgerton, which belongs
to the British Residence’s collection, was the
key piece of the exhibition.
With the same spirit of celebrating Mexi-
co’s Independence, the British Embassy pre-
sented de book Fanny Calderón de la Barca,
la vida en el México Independiente (Fanny
Calderón de la Barca, Life in Independent
Mexico), which puts together letters written
by Fanny Calderón de la Barca, a Scottish
lady who lived in Mexico in its eartly inde-
pendent years, gathered by poet, biography
and novel writer Jennifer Clement and Su-
san Chapman, head of cultural activities at
The Anglo Mexican Foundation.
This book, illustrated by Susan Jaye, is
aimed at honouring the memory of Fanny
Calderón de la Barca, a notable Scottish lady
who was the wife of the first Spanish Ambas-
sador to Mexico, Ángel Calderón de la Barca.
The letters tell the story of Mrs. Calderón de
la Barca during the first few years of the in-
dependent Mexico. The day-to-day of a new
country, the social revolts, the copper crisis,
and a change of president, amongst other
events, were the canvass for her comments,
with which she described the landscape,
fashion, costumes, music and cuisine in
Mexico during that time.
The Calderón de la Barca family spent
two years in Mexico, but their love for
the country developed very quickly. This
becomes apparent in the last letter she
wrote about Mexico when she says: “(that
thing) which I found disgusting two years
ago, now seems delicious to me.” Her
husband, Ángel died in 1861, and Fanny
took Queen Isabel’s invitation to be the
governess of Princess Isabel, her youngest
daughter. She was then given the title of
Marchioness and spent the rest of her life
by the Spanish Royal family. She died in
Madrid on 3 February 1882.
After two hundred years of the Inde-
pendence of Mexico, the accurate com-
ments of a British lady serve as a refer-
ence for Mexicans to re-discover who they
were, who they are and who they want to
be as a nation.
ukinmexico.fco.gov.uk
44 Negocios i The Lifestyle photos Victor Manuel Camacho Victoria / Roget Michel / José Gabriel Ruiz Lembo / archive

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

A Mexican is Appointed as UNESCO’s

Director-General New Assistant
On April 2010, UNESCO Director-General
Irina Bokova, whose mandate began on
November 2009, informed the members
of UNESCO’s Executive Board of her
choice of senior management team.
UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences
Sector will be headed by Maria del Pilar
Álvarez-Laso of Mexico. The new Assistant
Director-General was Director of Projects
at the Latin American Institute for Educa-
tional Communication in Mexico City. Her
distinguished career includes both social sci-
ence research positions and media and com-
munications responsibilities, notably as the
Editorial Coordinator at the Mexican Televi-
sion Institute. Alvarez-Laso set up Mexico’s
first satellite educational television channel
and has championed human rights in Latin
America.
www.unesco.org

01 01 Women from the Chiapas learning to write

thanks to the NGO Alternativa Solidaria Chiapas' program
(AlSol), which fights illiteracy in collaboration with UNESCO.

02 Oportunidades is the prinicipal anti-

poverty program of the Mexican government. Oportuni-
dades provides monetary educational grants to participating
families for each child under 22 years of age who is enrolled
in school between the grade of primary and 3 grade of high
school.

02

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Innovating
the Electronics
World
Semiconductors such as diodes and tran-
sistors are essential components in con-
temporary electronics industry and its
demand is increasing worldwide. A group
of researchers from the Center for Semi-
conductor Devices at the Autonomous
University of Puebla, is driving a research
on materials and procedures to manufac-
ture semiconductors at a lower cost.
The team has developed a new manufac-
turing technique to produce photodetectors
and phototransistors with several electronic
and optical benefits, as well as better struc-
tural characteristics, over those that are com-
mercially produced nowadays.
These new semiconductors, which are at
an experimental stage, have a great versatil-
ity, since they can act as electrical conductors
or as insulators, depending on the tempera-
ture of the surrounding environment. This
gives them a wide industrial use, especially in
the manufacturing of optical and electronic
parts.
www.buap.mx

international relations
2011, Year of
Mexico in France
By adrián moreno
F
rance and Mexico are two great coun-
tries that foster a mutual admiration
for their history and culture. More
than 30,000 French citizens living in
the country and about 400 companies with
French capital, in sectors such as aerospace,
energy, food, transport and automotive, make
the French flag’s colors –blue, red and white–
notorious every day in Mexico.
Mexico and France not only keep a close
business relationship but also share ties of
brotherhood, which have resulted in a major
cultural exchange. For example, in 2009 the
Quai Branly museum in Paris presented the
exhibition Teotihuacan, City of Gods, the great-
est show of the great archeological treasures of
the pre-Hispanic city.
Also in 2009, Mexico was the guest of honor
at the Salon du Livre de Paris, the most impor-
tant book fair in France, which for the first time
in its history had a Hispanic speaking country
The Lifestyle briefs
as its guest of honor.
That same year, French President Nicolas
Sarkozy made a State visit to Mexico, in which
both countries emphasized their interest in de-
veloping joint projects, especially in aerospace
and research fields, and signed 18 bilateral
agreements and declarations in different areas.
During the French President’s visit to Mexi-
co, the government of France announced that it
would hold 2011 as the Year of Mexico in France.
That represents an unprecedented occasion in
the history of Franco-Mexican bilateral rela-
tions. As part of the Year of Mexico in France,
governments of both countries will organize a
series of activities to show the French people the
richness of Mexican culture, as well as dimen-
sions of contemporary Mexican society.
“Our decision to dedicate 2011 to Mexico is
an example of the willingness of both nations to
boost ties and bonds of friendship [...] Mexico is
a country that we care,” said President Sarkozy
Photo foxspain
during the official announcement of the cel-
ebration.
The governments of Mexico and France
are already working on the selection and or-
ganization of the artistic and cultural events to
be displayed in French cities like Paris, Mar-
seille and Toulouse, Bordeaux, Metz, Brest,
Rennes, Nantes, Lille, Lyon, among others.
Both countries have built up a Joint
Committee, which has already validated a
first list of projects in different areas such as
cinema, arts, heritage exhibitions, literature,
and academic exchanges between universi-
ties and science and technology.
The Year of Mexico in France will also
be “digital.” The Joint Committee is cur-
rently working on an interactive Web plat-
form, which will be available in the coming
months, where the public will be able to get
news on the schedule of events to be held
throughout 2011.
46 Negocios photo JORGE SILVA

Michael Hogan
Poet, Author and Educator in One
By graeme stewart
M
ichael Hogan lives in Guada-
lajara, Mexico, with his wife
Lucinda Mayo, an interna-
tionally known fabric artist.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island in 1943,
Hogan is the author of sixteen books, includ-
ing a collection of short stories, six books of
poetry, collected essays on teaching in Latin
America, a novel and a history of the Irish
battalion in Mexico, which formed the basis
for an MGM movie starring Tom Berenger.
His work has appeared in many journals
such as The Paris Review, The Harvard Re-
view, Z-Magazine, Political Affairs and The
Monthly Review. He is a consultant to the
US Department of State’s Office of Overseas
Schools in Latin America. As an author he
has received wide recognition for his work,
including a PEN Award, two Pushcart Prizes,
an NEA fellowship, the Benjamin Franklin
Award and the gold medal of the Mexican
Geographical Society.
Dr. Hogan received his B.A. and MFA
in Creative Writing from the University of
Arizona. He holds a Ph.D. in Latin American
interview michael hogan
Studies from the University of Guadalajara A Man
and the Institute of Advanced Studies. of Letters
For many years he worked as an interna-
tional educator and is currently a consultant Michael Hogan’s published
for the College Board. work includes:
In addition to his work in Latin America Savage Capitalism and
over the past two decades, Dr. Hogan is a for- the Myth of Democracy:
mer consultant on institutional programs for Latin America in the Third
the US National Endowment for the Arts, a Millennium (2009)
consultant for the Irish Embassy in Mexico Mexican Mornings: Essays
and on the land mine removal initiative in South of the Border
Nicaragua. He has received the Robert Sha- (2006)
fer Memorial Award from the US National Teaching from the Heart:
Council of Teachers of English for “outstand- Essays and Speeches
ing contributions to international educa- on Teaching at American
tion,” a nomination for the Singer Prize for Schools in Latin America
Excellence in Secondary Teaching from (2003)
Harvard University, and a citation for meri- Molly Malone & the San
torious service from the Office of Overseas Patricios (1999)
Schools, US Department of State. Imperfect Geographies
(1998)
—Tell us about growing up in Rhode Island. The Irish Soldiers of
I grew up in Newport, Rhode Island, which Mexico (1998)
is an island and formerly the summer home Making Our Own
of the Vanderbilts, the Carnegies, the Loril- Rules (1990)
48 Negocios
lards, the Astors and other 19th century
capitalists who built enormous mansions
and had hundreds of servants.
My Irish grandfather was the head garden-
er at the Robert Goelet estate, which is now
part of Salve Regina University. I worked as a
houseboy for Gloria Vanderbilt when I was 12
years old.
My father started his own business as a
botanist and supplier of seeds, bulbs and gar-
dening supplies to all these estates as well as to
gardeners in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
And he was very successful early on. As a re-
sult, the family was able to send me to a private
Catholic school, De La Salle Academy at age 14.
I graduated from there with Honors and went
to Stonehill College in North Easton, Massa-
chusetts, then to Boston College.
—Your earliest literary influences?
William Wordsworth, especially Tintern
Abbey, T.S. Eliot, especially Four Quartets, and
Ernest Hemingway.
—You are a Rhode Island Yankee but how
important are your Irish roots?
Very important. I have Irish grandparents
on both sides of the family. My maternal
photo JORGE SILVA
of Intervention 1846-48. My book, The
“Teaching is a job Irish Soldiers of Mexico is a result of that
for people of ambition after six years of research. It
also provided the basis for a documentary
great energy, of
film and an MGM release starring Tom
genuine caring, Berenger and Daniela Romo. And second,
in possession of I was offered a two-year contract by the
strong spiritual American School of Guadalajara to come
and emotional set up an AP program [university level
courses for high achieving students] and
resources,
start a literary magazine at the school. The
who renew
literary magazine Sin Fronteras has since
themselves in won twelve international awards, including
their studies even the Highest Award for student international
as they exhaust magazines from the US National Council of
themselves in their Teachers of English.
labors.”
—Do you find the Mexican ambience a
boon to your writing?
grandfather fought the British during the 1916 Yes, in terms of inspiration. My history book,
Uprising and fled the country a wanted man The Irish Soldiers of Mexico was based on
after a shipment of German guns were seized historical research done here, as was my novel
in Cahirsiveen as he and his men were about Molly Malone and the San Patricios. Also,
to receive them. Mexican Mornings is a series of essays on
Mexico, which was very popular.
—What brought you to Mexico? Recently, however, my work in other
Two things. I wanted to research more countries of Latin America for the US
fully the Irish participation in the War Department of State and the College Board,

has been also influential. My recent book
Savage Capitalism is based on extended
visits to 20 countries in Central and South
America and the Caribbean.
 
—Does your Celtic character, so often
melancholic, gel with the more outgoing
Latin temperament?
I think that both the Irish and the Mexicans
share a humorous side as well as a melan-
cholic side.
—You are an international educator. Tell
us about your work in that field.
I have been an international teacher for
more than 25 years. I have worked in virtu-
ally every Latin American and Caribbean
nation either teaching, giving workshops to
teachers, organizing conferences, giving mo-
tivational speeches or working with foreign
universities for the State Department. It has
been varied and interesting.
There used to be a saying: “Those who
can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” I would
amend that to say: “Those who can, do.
Those who can do more, teach.”
Teaching in the 21st century is in my
view the most challenging, most demand-
ing, most important job in the world. I’m
not talking about covering the subject
matter, using the text and the lesson plan,
listing benchmarks and goals, collecting the
check at the end of the month. I’m talking
about the on-going challenge to expand our
knowledge of our subject matter and the
world in general, to reaffirm the impor-
tance of the precision of language, and most
importantly, to teach from the heart with
genuine care for our children.
This is no ordinary job. It is an extraordi-
nary calling, a vocation that demands we be
the very best we can be. It is a job for people of
great energy, of genuine caring, in possession
of strong spiritual and emotional resources,
who renew themselves in their studies even as
they exhaust themselves in their labors.
Teachers need to be idealists but at the
same time skeptics. We need to have an ideal-
istic vision but be skeptical of solutions which
tend to oversimplify the world of politics,
or history, or economics or social interac-
tions. But we need to be especially wary of
simplistic solutions in education, an activity
which partakes of all of these facets of human
development and enterprise.
Simple solutions usually turn out to be
no solutions at all but rather self-referential
interview michael hogan
“There is some really good writing
going on in Mexico. I just recently
read some wonderful poems by a
young writer by the name of David
Bak Geller, who won the UNAM
[National Autonomous University of
Mexico] award for poetry.”
and solipsistic attempts to impose our going on in Mexico. I just recently read some
norms on others, or to market an educa- wonderful poems by a young writer by the
tional product without regard for how well name of David Bak Geller who won the
that product meets the demands of the UNAM [National Autonomous University of
international community. The darkness Mexico] award for poetry.
around us is deep.  
—How do you get away from it all?
—Your favorite writers and poets? I have a wonderful little garden at the back
William Wordsworth, T.S. Eliot, William of my house with a mango tree and a fine
Stafford, Proust, Dylan Thomas, James dog, Molly Malone, a Dutch Shepard. My
Joyce, Richard Shelton, Joyce Carol Oates, office is in the maid’s quarters (we have no
Gabriel García Márquez, Eduardo Galeano, maid) back of the garden. My wife, Lucinda,
Jaime Sabines, Cormac MacCarthy, Alice is a quilt maker and designer, a translator
Munro, Edward Hoagland, Annie Dillard, and a cormorant reader like me. So our
and scores of others. I write reviews and house is awash in colorful fabrics and books.
read about 200 books a year. So, I have lots  
of favorites. —What are you working on at the mo-
  ment? What does the future hold for Dr.
—What is your opinion of contemporary Michael Hogan?
Mexican poetry? I am presently working on a crime novel
I have a couple of good friends who are po- about a Bolivian professor who is murdered
ets here in Mexico and I admire their work: when he goes to the US to attend a globaliza-
Aceves and Bañuelos. I also like the work tion conference. I am also working with an
of Octavio Paz and Jaime Sabines. I also am editor to produce my Collected Poems; I have
good friend with the contemporary editor/ just about completed a primer on existential
publisher Emmanuel Carballo, whose optimism tentatively entitled Living is No
father was a fine critic of Mexico’s literature. Laughing Matter, and have begun a novel
I think there is some really good writing about Nicaragua. n
The San Patricios
In 1846, thousands of immigrants, mostly Irish, joined the
US army and were sent with Gen. Zachary Taylor’s army to
invade Mexico.
Hundreds of Irish, German and other immigrants deserted
Taylor’s army and joined forces with Mexico. Led by Capt.
John Riley of Co. Galway, they called themselves the St.
Patrick’s Battalion (in Spanish, the San Patricios) and fought
against their former comrades in all the major campaigns of
the war, which ended in 1848.
For Americans of the generation who fought the Mexican-
American War, the San Patricios were considered traitors. For
Mexicans of that generation, and generations to come, they
were heroes.
50 Negocios i The Lifestyle
Xico, Companion
of Dreams and Journey
F
or thousands of years in Mexico, a
most remarkable dog has held center
stage. This special dog, whose breed
goes by the name of Xoloitzcuintle
(pronounced as Shoh-loh-eets-kweent-lee), or
Xolo for short, is best known for the fact it is
hairless.
For the Aztecs as well as several other
pre-Columbian civilizations, the Xolo dog
possessed not only healing properties for the
physical body but also for that of the spirit.
Xolos were considered sacred dogs and were
frequently buried with their masters, in the
belief that their accompaniment would help
the departed soul navigate the underworld
successfully and find its journey safely home.
In Aztec mythology, Xolos were guides.
They helped their masters’ souls to overcome
obsacles and reach their final destiny.
Even today, many people believe this breed to
have healing qualities. For example, its hairless-
ness has made it very popular among with asth-
matics as well as people who are extraordinarily
neat and do not like to clean up after dog hair.
But the Xolo’s attributes extend beyond its
appearance. One of the most striking charac-
teristics of this dog is the great deal of heat that
its body emanates.
Physiologically, the breed doesn’t truly reg-
ister a higher temperature than that of other
dogs, but its hairless state makes it a great deal
warmer to the touch. Because of that, many
photo Courtesy of Cristina Pineda
Cristina Pineda created the character.
Beyond being Mexico’s mascot at Expo
Inspired 2010 Shanghai, XICO is the main character of
in Xoloitzcuintles, a project headed by Pineda, which embraces
the Mexican artists from different countries who are willing
Pavilion in Expo 2010 to express their uniqueness and own cultures.
Shanghai, has a very As Cristina Pineda states it: “Objects dis-
play our essence and identity. Looking at the
unique host: XICO,
objects surrounding any person, we can per-
a Xolo dog that ceive and know the human being as well as
welcomes visitors their identity and history. Therefore, today
and guides their more than ever, to create objects with their
journey through own personality helps us to express and com-
Mexican history, municate what we are: our own roots. […]
We share the labor of spreading the riches
culture and cities.
of Mexico’s culture and popular traditions.
Thus, the experience of conceiving XICO has
brought great satisfaction.”
XICO is an invitation to shape stories and
sufferers of rheumatism have found great re- traditions as he takes different faces. In this
lief by being in direct contact with the dog. project, new and young talents such as Jorge
That is how Xolos have been regarded Serrallonga, Fernanda Marín, Pedro Guzmán,
through history as great companions for Andrés Mier, among others, have participated
their human caretakers, affectionate and ex- with innovative ideas and the magic of the
tremely loyal. character has captivated producers and crafts-
Inspired in Xoloitzcuintles, the Mexican Pa- men that have provided the tools for its pro-
vilion in Expo 2010 Shanghai, has a very unique duction in different materials and sizes.
host: XICO, a Xolo dog who welcomes visitors So far, XICO has been donated as a symbol
and guides their journey through Mexican his- of communion between cultures and exposed
tory, culture and cities. in cities like Veracruz, Xico, San Luis Potosí, La
The name of XICO refers to the origin of the Habana, Santiago de Chile, New York, Brussels
word Mexico (Xi=fire, Co=heart). Mexican artist and Shanghai. n
expo 2010 shanghai
52 Negocios i The Lifestyle photos Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival

Mexican
Films
Conquer
Cannes
Año Bisiesto (Leap Year) by Michael Rowe won the Camera d’Or
and Biutiful by Alejandro González Iñarritu led Spanish actor Javier
Bardem to receive the award for Best Actor.
Films produced and directed by Mexicans left
a good impression at the 63rd edition of the
Cannes Film Festival, held from May 12 to 23,
2010. Several Mexican short and long films
received standing ovations during the festival,
one of the most important forums for critics
and film sale and distribution in the world.
Año Bisiesto (Leap Year), a Mexican film by
Australian director Michael Rowe, was award-
ed the Camera d’Or, the festival’s prize for the
best first film presented either in the Official
Selection (Competition and Un Certain Re-
gard) the Directors’ Fortnight or the Interna-
tional Critics’ Week, while the award for Best
Actor went to Spanish actor Javier Bardem for
his performance in Biutiful directed by Mexi-
can Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Per-
ros, 21 Grams, Babel).
Año Bisiesto was screened in the parallel
Directors’ Fortnight section of the festival and
competed for the Camera d’Or with another
23 first films, among them another Mexican
movie, Somos lo que hay (We Are What We
Are) directed by Jorge Michel Grau, which
also received positive reviews.
These two films have something in com-
mon with the rest of Mexican productions
presented at Cannes. Their budget, lower by
far than that of films from other countries, did
not diminish the intensity of their stories or the
creative resources of their directors.
With a half million usd budget, Año Bisiesto
not only won the Camera d’Or but also man-
aged to achieve distribution in France, starting
feature mexico in cannes
Aussie films
in Mexico
Michael Rowe, 39, is an
Australian-born writer and
director who now calls
Mexico home. He studied
archaeology at La Trobe
University in Melbourne
before moving to Mexico 16
years ago.
After spending some
time teaching English in
Mexico City, Rowe started a
career in journalism with The
News, the Mexican English-
language daily newspaper.
As a journalist he
met some people from
the Cinematography
on mid-June 2010. Training Center (Centro
In Cannes, Cristina Prado, director of cul- de Capacitación
tural promotion of the Mexican Institute of Cinematográfica) who
Cinematography (Imcine), said that during the suggested he should study
festival several countries bought the rights of at the film school. And so he
exhibition for Año Bisiesto and Somos lo que did. Rowe did the course and
hay, while at the time various international graduated.
studios announced their interest in filming in Ten years later and after a
Mexico. long and sometimes difficult
Other Mexican films applauded at the road, Rowe came out with his
Cannes Film Festival were: Abel, directed by first long film, Año Bisiesto,
Mexican actor Diego Luna; Revolution, a film the first Mexican film to be
of ten stories with a contemporary view of the awarded the Camera d’Or.
Mexican Revolution 100 years later, directed Set in one room, with
by Mariana Chenille, Fernando Eimbcke, only three speaking parts,
Amat Escalante, Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo the movie tells the story of
García, Diego Luna, Gerardo Naranjo, Rodrigo Laura (Mónica del Carmen),
Plá, Carlos Reygadas and Patricia Riggen, and a desperately lonely woman
the short film Lady Bird, by Veronique De- who meets Arturo (Gustavo
croux and Julio Bárcenas. Sanchez Parra) and lives with
International recognition of Mexican films him in a violent romance.
coincides with a boom in the country’s film
industry, led by a vigorous animation industry
and unprecedented investments in technology
and infrastructure to produce local and inter-
national films.
While the Mexican industry keeps growing,
the different forms, expressions and stages of
Mexican film productions will continue their
journey around the world this year, beyond
Cannes and Europe, as Mexico will be the
guest nation at the next edition of the Dubai
International Film Festival, from December 12
to 19, 2010. n
54 Negocios
Claudio
Valdés Kuri
Turning Theater into Business
BY francisco vernis
Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes (Certain Inhabitants’ Theater) is more
than a theater company, it is a kind of foundation which plays have
been staged and acknowledged around the world.
T
eatro de Ciertos Habitantes is
a mixture of a theater group, a
company, an institution and a
business devoted to putting art
in the right place: in front of the
audience.
Director Claudio Valdés Kuri has had no
problem in dividing his time between acting, play
writing, lighting and set design. He also manages
all six-stage projects, which have taken the com-
pany around the world and made its name a
common reference when talking about contem-
porary theater in Mexico.
Becket o el honor de Dios, De monstruos y pro-
digios, El automóvil gris, Dónde estaré esta noche,
La Piel y El Gallo, are some of the emblematic
pieces by this company founded in 1997. These
pieces are very different from one another and
their life cycle did not finish on stages in Mexico.
All of them have been staged elsewhere in the
world featured at international festivals and won
awards. They have proved that art does not see
limits or borders.
“You are not determined by anyone else, nei-
ther by your country nor economic situation.
That is particularly true in art. All theater needs
is someone sitting there, and it can happen under
any condition,” says Valdés Kuri, who started his
theater career at the age of 11.
Valdés Kuri graduated from the Cinematog-
raphy Training Center (Centro de Capacitación
Cinematográfica) and has been awarded several
prizes as a stage director. Before putting together
Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes, he had carved a sol-
id career as a musician, having been a member of
Ars Nova for 15 years. Ars Nova was an antique
music vocal quartet devoted to preserving Latin
American renaissance and baroque music.
“You are not
determined by
anyone else, neither
by your country
Nor economic
situation. That is
particularly true
in art. All theater
needs is someone
sitting there, and it
can happen under
any condition.”
With this in mind, it is no surprise that music
takes a prominent position in the work of Teatro
de Ciertos Habitantes. For Becket o el honor de
Dios, a play based on the text by Jean Anouilh
about the murder of the Archbishop of Canter-
bury, which the group presents on a staircase as a
photos courtesy of teatro de ciertos habitantes
stage, music is a key element. “This is where a part
of the group’s philosophy started. We care about
music as much as we care about acting, move-
ment and the text,” Valdés Kuri explained.
Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes has an altruistic
side too. The company bought a plot of land in
an area known as the Zempoala-Chalma corri-
dor, south of Mexico City. In the beginning they
planned on building a workshop. Later, they
decided to turn it into an artist retirement loca-
tion to help raise awareness of environment care
amongst artists.
Between this Ecocentro, the mounting of
Moctezuma –a joint production of the Inter-
national Cervantine Festival in Mexico, the
Edinburgh International Arts Festival, the
Theater der Welt in Germany, the Royal The-
ater of Madrid and the University of Guadala-
jara- and their participation in the celebration
of the Bicentenary of Mexico’s Independence,
Valdés Kuri has a full agenda for the remain-
der of the year.
—How did you decide to form Teatro de
Ciertos Habitantes?
We made up a company without even know-
ing we were doing it. We started with Becket o
el honor de Dios –I say we started because the
project turned into a very cohered group.
It was unexpectedly successful. It had
been planned originally for a handful of pre-
 interview claudio valdés kuri

sentations at Del Carmen Museum and then

became a reference point for the Mexican
theater of that time. This piece toured Mexico
and other countries.
Then a proposal came from the National
Theater Company to produce another play.
Then we produced De monstruos y prodigios
and then El automóvil gris. Both were pro-
duced under the name of the National The-
ater Company.
Suddenly, we realized that having been travel-
ing, we needed a name because National The-
ater Company was too wide and did not have a
distinctive characteristic. Giving it a name gave
a very particular profile and then we discovered
that we had a company already.

—How did the name relate to the profile?

It is an open name that may be interpreted in
various ways. The fact that people have to find
out an interpretation makes the name more
attractive. It is also a very malleable name. I can
change the meaning over and over but it con-
tains an element of certainty, from “Certain,”
which is important when conducting a project;
and the word “Inhabitants,” because the com-
pany includes people from different countries
and backgrounds, not necessarily artists with
academic training.

—Forming multi-discipline actors must

be hard work.
Absolutely. Processes are long, because there
are people in the company who had never
been on stage before. But time makes it pos-
sible for those people to bring all their artistic
skills to the surface and develop them. There
is also a lot of field training; some people need
to take lessons out of the room. The most
common courses are singing and movement
but some people have taken wrestling, Indian
dance, baroque dance, and even horseback
riding lessons. In Monstruos y Prodigios,
Miguel Ángel López played a centaur and so
lived at a horse ranch, where he experienced
how horses were trained. And you could tell
that when he was on stage.

—Many people in theater complain that

there is no support and many good
plays are left in a drawer. Teatro de
Ciertos Habitantes keeps staging its
entire repertoire all over the world.
How difficult has managing your plays
been?
It is a lot of work but it is our work. This is a
business, not just a theater group. A theater
56 Negociosi iThe
56 Negocios TheLifestyle
Lifestyle photos courtesy of teatro de ciertos
photo
habitantes
archive

group is a group of artists who get together different plays between one and other. That Once they get it, they can continue seeking it
to play their art but they lack the other part, helps you ensure that people who disliked one or realizing that the message is more impor-
the business side, which means being able have something else to see and may like the tant than themselves.
to put such art in the right place. next. It is easier if you take a model and just
There are countries that support art, like replicate it but that is impoverishing in the —Where do plays come from?
those in Northern Europe, and others with long run. When an artist realizes that he/she They are pure internal motivation, a need to
no theatrical vocation. Mexico is at an inter- has been too repetitive, he finds it difficult to express and share something from deep in-
esting middle point. We have the National renew. Art, at least in the West, requires a rup- side; something you do not even verbalize, you
Fund for Culture and Arts and institutions ture; otherwise it becomes an artisan work. just put it out, give it a different shape, another
producing theater. While some people think I am not saying that being an artisan is context and a different excuse. You just give
they do too little, actually they do a great any better or worse than art; it is just that it something to sustain it. Very seldom would
job as compared to similar bodies in other things must be given their own name. you speak about that internal motivation,
countries. Further south there is no similar Motivation does not come from fame, it about that search, you just give a new shape so
theater structure. Maybe it is not enough, comes from wanting to share knowledge, people can access it.
and it is flawed, but it is there. experiences in life. Also, the more we have
That is why we artists have to get to the grown the clearer we are on what kind of —How different can the audiences be
business side, the private sector in Mexico. theater we want to do: one with a pitch of from one country to another?
I could say that I have spent 80% of my life service. In the beginning an artist needs ac- Absolutely different. That is what I like
working in that arena, more than on the knowledgement and self-acknowledgement. about sending the same message to differ-
artistic side. That has changed this year and
I have been working on the creative angle
and not so much on coordination because
we built a foundation that allows me to
focus on the artistic part.
I like the business part. It can be interest-
ing but if you do not develop the taste for it
you will suffer. I have perceived that many
people in this field tend to overlook that
fact, as if it were less important. I always say
–maybe as a result of my Lebanese origin-
that a business oriented person cannot be
worth any less than an artist.

—And that business side has pushed

the group up where it is now. You have
taken part in many international tours,
and won many awards. How much
does that put you on air?
The key is to not mistake the end with the
means. Tours, fame, prestige, awards, they
are all means, not the end. An artist’s ego
may be important but it may also be a hin-
drance. It is important because it makes you
improve, it forces you to consider unique-
ness but you have to strike a balance. I feel
what gives us a balance is keeping on work-
ing to convey a message. If you work on this,
the more they listen to you the better.

—Going back to the artistic part, how

much do you seek to do better at a new
project as compared to the last?
When you do not work just to remain famous,
you do not get tied to one genre or your previ-
ous findings. If I wanted to secure a specific
position, I would not have done as many var-
ied things as I have done. We have staged very

ent audiences. For example, El automóvil
gris makes people laugh really hard in the
US. From children to David Bowie, who
once staged it at a festival, everybody laughs.
Conversely, there are some countries in
Europe where no one in the audience even
smiles. You then realize that your value is
not determined by anyone else; you have to
be aware of it.
—You staged a conference (Monstruos
y Prodigios) and a silent movie (El
automóvil gris). Can anything be put
on stage?
Yes, there is no limit. Theater is really won-
derful; you are your only limit.
—And what are your limits?
Each project makes you face them; oth-
erwise you would find yourself repeating
formulas or findings. For example, I would
say I am now at the most difficult time of my
artistic career but I am sure I said exactly
the same with my previous project. But
that is clear to me now. I am directing an
opera, Moctezuma, and it is a big challenge,
because it will feature at some of the most
prestigious festivals in the world.
I am talking about major leagues. While
my big challenge is to not betray my word or
my language, in this case I have to be aware
that it is a bigger audience, that it requires
different codes and that it really is facing me
with my limits.
At Moctezuma, people will not see huge
pyramids or a very complex stage design.
They will see 17 guys who are now cohered.
It is going to be challenging because the op-
era audience expects a different thing. Our
production does not include many people:
just eight Mexicans in the choir and seven
solo singers from different parts of the
world, a 26-people orchestra from Geneva
with a very prestigious conductor, Gabriel
Garrido, an Argentine who lives in Geneva.
So we are two Latin Americans performing
a European play with a Mexican theme.
At the same time, I am participating in a
show to celebrate the Bicentenary of Mexi-
can Independence, with a genre absolutely
different to opera. Both projects have a com-
mon thread: reflecting about the Bicente-
nary. And although both are closely related,
one of them conveys a simpler message than
the other, but an equally meaningful one. A
parade on the street cannot be as sophisti-
cated as an opera. n
interview
Interviewclaudio
Repertoire
El Gallo (The Rooster)
(March 2009)
An opera for actors that tells
the vicissitudes of a conductor-
composer and a group of singers
when trying to mount a new
play only two weeks before a
presentation at a vocal ensembles
contest. Jointly created with
composer Paul Barker.
La Piel (The Skin) (March 2006)
Text, movement, music and
costumes in the play have been
created by a lab that has been
focusing on the skin. They have
approached it from different
points of view and use five
different skins, those of the actors
in the play.
¿Dónde estaré esta noche?
(Where will I be tonight?)
(October 2005)
It is an adaptation of the last three
years in the life of Jeanne D´Arc,
which saw her mission as a firm
believer of the mandate of God.
This work is based on Bernard
Shaw´s Saint Jeanne but includes
material taken from the Chamber
of Deputies in Paris and the text
was finalized by Claudio Valdés
Kuri and Maricarmen Gutiérrez.
El automóvil gris (The Grey
Automobile) (July 2002)
By the side of a movie screen
and taking the célèbre Japanese
narration tradition, known as
“Benshi,” a Japanese and a
Mexican actress play El Automóvil
Gris, a classical Mexican silent
movie created by Enrique
Rosas in 1919. Teatro de Ciertos
Habitantes got the Best Director
award for experimental theater
andreasvaldés kuri
heinecke
from the Mexican Association
of Theater Critics (2002) and
the Best Group Theater from
the Association of Theater
Journalists (2002).
De monstruos y prodigios: la
historia de los castrati (About
Monsters and Prodigies: the
story of castrati (October 2000)
Through a theatricalized
conference told by a two-headed
Siamese, who is also a surgeon
and opera narrator, the public
is taken on a three-century tour
covering from the delicious
extremes of baroque to the
beginning of a 20th century
full of technology, when beauty
was annihilated by reason. This
play won the following awards:
Best Visiting Director, from the
New York Reporters Association
(2007); Best Domestic
Production from the National
Association of Theater Critics
(2000-2001), and Best Year
Playwright and Actors from the
Mexican Association of Theater
Critics (2000-2001).
Becket o el honor de Dios
(Becket or the Honor of God)
(August 1998)
The text is a dramatic analysis
of the mechanism and limits
of friendship; of the existential
search for honor, as a search for
personal identity, of an individual
being. And also the mechanism
of power, always perverted by
personal passions. These themes
are read from a perspective of
the end of the 20th century in
Mexico.
Awards: Best Director of
Experimental Theater from the
Mexican Association of Theater
Critics (1998-1999), Best Theater
Group Director, Best Young
Actors, Best Secondary Actor,
from the Association of Theater
Journalists (1999).
58 Negocios photo ramón morales ©

San Cristóbal
de las Casas
There are no buts about it!
BY sandra roblagui
San Cristóbal de las Casas, in Chiapas, is one of those cities where a sense of wonder is
experienced every time you cross a street and a Baroque building or a plaza with unique
shapes and colors unexpectedly appears in your way.
I
first visited the city in the
mid-90s, during a road trip,
mostly hitchhiking, with
very few resources and a
poorly stocked backpack.
Back in my home city, I declared
without hesitation that San Cris-
tóbal de las Casas, in Chiapas, was
one of my favorite places in the
vast territory of Mexico.
My next visit confirmed that
statement. Then, the trip was
much more boring. I traveled by
plane to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the
capital city of the state of Chiapas,
from where the adventure to get
to San Cristóbal is easier. No mat-
ter how easy and less adventurous
was that second trip compared to
the first one, San Cristóbal capti-
vated me once again.
What made me experience
the same feelings when I traveled
in precarious economic conditions
the first time and a little wealthi-
er the second? Everything. The
elaborate religious architecture in
this city in southeastern Mexico,
opposed to the simplicity of its
houses that all look alike -simple
boxes with balconies, red roofs
and spacious flowered patios in
the center. The combination of the
colors of their facades, one after
another disobeying all the conven-
tional rules of global design and,
instead, standing out with a re-
gional, single, happy and explosive
style. The Mudéjar style facades.
Its limestone, spacious and spare
plazas, disposed as if to soothe
weary eyes.
Close to the plazas are the mar-
kets, which are just the opposite of
the plazas, an explosion of colors
and centenarian designs, where
the indigenous Tzotzil and Tzel-
tal, two of the most representative
ethnic groups in Chiapas, perpetu-
ate ancient Mayan techniques in
their crafts which, by the way, one
can barely resist buying.
In San Cristóbal the indigenous
and mestizo ways of being and do-
ing are inevitably intertwined. It
is charming to see how contem-
porary customs and religious life
revolve around buildings with an
aesthetic that seems to have been
replicated on the blouses worn by
indigenous women, who offer their
hand made necklaces and wool
fabrics in the markets of the city.
All of this is just a small part
of San Cristóbal de las Casas. The
best way of knowing the city and
letting it become an unforget-
table memory is to let oneself
Destination San Cristóbal de las Casas
drift through its charm. One day
during a walk, I got lost and sud-
denly found myself in a dream-
like alley surrounded by gardens.
Another day, when I was about to
cross a street, waiting for the cars
to stop passing by, I saw a temple
at the end of the street. The sight
impressed me to such an extent
that I ended up crossing the street
not only without watching to see
if there were any cars coming
but also without being aware of
the sidewalk on the other side.
Sidewalks in San Cristóbal de las
Casas are really high and my sec-
ond visit to the city left me with
an ankle sprain that remained
for several weeks. Another af-
ternoon in which an apocalyptic
storm broke during a road trip to
a nearby town, I marveled at how
indigenous women, with mist up
to their necks and soaked by the
downpour, herded their raincoat
covered sheep.
The climate of San Cristóbal
de las Casas was an issue that
emerged as a well-tuned igno-
rance before my first trip.
The ignorance was wide-
spread. Almost everybody thinks
the Maya live in the jungle. The
surprise was that the Maya live
not only in the jungle but also
in the upland areas, where they
weave beautiful woolen coats for
their communities and offer shel-
ter to tourists.
When you surf the web in
search of information on San Cris-
tóbal, you learn that it is about
2,200 meters above sea level, in
an area surrounded by moun-
tains and valleys. In summary and
in vivo, in San Cristóbal you can
breath clean, forest scented air.
Official web pages claim that the
average temperature is 18 degrees
but the truth is that you can feel
the rigor of the cold in the middle
of the Mexican summer.
Maybe it’s the climate, the beau-
ty of the surroundings, the fresh air
or a combination of all these. The
truth is that visitors to San Cris-
tóbal are usually in a good mood
and that creates a friendly environ-
ment in which it is not unusual to
receive an invitation for a beer.
The city itself seems limitless.
Last but not least, each of the
indigenous communities in the
surrounding areas has its own cus-
toms and life and are worth a visit.
It is definitely better to live the San
Cristóbal experience than to read
a story about it. n
60 Negocios i The Lifestyle
Rich in culture and history,
San Cristóbal de las Casas is
one of Mexico’s most important
colonial cities.
It was built as the first fortified city in what is now Mexico by
the Spanish conquerors to help fight off the local Maya and
mestizo uprisings in the jungle highlands in the southern state
of Chiapas. Nevertheless, the Maya, who are descendants
from an ancient and ingenious civilization, have been a strong
presence in and around the city since its foundation.
In 2003, the Mexican Ministry of Tourism declared San
Cristóbal a “Pueblo Mágico” (Magical Village). Some of the
city’s main attractions are:
Cathedral of San Cristóbal de las Casas. Built during the
16th and 17th centuries, this church was headquarters of
the Chiapas diocese. The building’s exterior integrates
baroque elements, while the interior houses profuse mortar
ornamentations and Solomonic altarpieces.
Temple and former Convent of Santo Domingo. The largest
and one of the most impressive of the churches in San
Cristobal, this temple features a pink Baroque façade with
icons of Spanish imperialism, for example, the double-headed
Hapsberg eagle. Surrounding it is an artisan market where
Maya and hippie vendors sell everything from jewelry to
leather goods to weavings to amber. Inside the front door
of the carved-stone plateresque facade, there’s a beautiful
gilded wooden altarpiece built in 1560, walls with saints, and
gilt-framed paintings. Attached to the church is the former
Convent of Santo Domingo, which houses a small museum
about San Cristóbal and Chiapas. The museum has changing
exhibits and often shows cultural films.
Temple of El Carmen. This beautiful white structure that
served as a gateway to the city when it was first built, has
been converted into a cultural center which often features the
artwork of local artists and musicians.
Temple of Guadalupe. Built on top of a hill, a clime up to this
church will provide a view of the city.
Temple of San Cristóbal. This small church is perched high
above the city is in honor of the patron saint of the city. A
long flight of stone steps leads to the top rewarding climbers
with the best view of the city.
photos archive / johannes leistner / dul conte
Casa de la Sirena (House of the Mermaid). This plateresque-
style edifice was built in the 16th century. It is one of the city’s
oldest civic buildings. Among its most striking features are
the lion and seahorse figures on the walls and columns, as
well as a siren on one of the building’s corners.
Mayan Medicine Musem. This museum deftly covers the
use of plants and animals in indigenous health care. It also
grows, produces and sells traditional treatments through its
pharmacy.
Amber Museum. Chiapas is the third-largest producer of
amber in the world, and many experts prefer its amber for its
colors and clarity. The Amber Museum moves methodically
through all the issues surrounding amber. In mid-August, the
museum holds a contest for local artisans who work amber.
Casa Na-Bolom (The House of the Jaguar). This house,
built as a seminary in 1891, became the headquarters of
anthropologists Frans and Gertrude Blom in 1951. Frans Blom
led many early archaeological studies in Mexico, and Gertrude
was noted for her photographs of the Lacandón Indians and
her efforts to save them and their forest homeland. A tour
of the home covers the displays of pre-Hispanic artifacts
collected by Frans Blom; the cozy library, with its numerous
volumes about the region and the Maya and the gardens
Gertrude Blom started for the ongoing reforestation of the
Lacandón jungle. The tour ends with a showing of La Reina
de la Selva, an excellent 50-minute film on the Bloms, the
Lacandón and Na-Bolom. Gertrude Blom died in 1993, but
Na-Bolom continues to operate as a nonprofit public trust.
 FEEDBACK activarte

photo archive
Making Technology
Accessible to Civil Society
It all started when a group of artists decided to create a civil organization to promote the use of technology
in art. After meeting some social leaders they made a 180-degree turn. Activarte became an expert
in creating digital tools and platforms especially designed for other nonprofit organizations. For them,
strengthening activism and civil organizations through technological innovations has become a matter of
art, something, after all, that has been their specialty from the very beginning.

By CRISTINA ÁVILA-ZESATTI

“Technology has modified culture, people’s
habits, governments […] it has simplified trade
and revolutionized commerce”, said Octavio
Islas, a specialist in the impact of the Internet,
during the celebration of the 2010 Internet
User’s Day. Several Mexican Internet organi-
zations participated in that celebration, which
was originally proposed by Spain and has
slowly spread to other countries.
Mexico knows that technology is still divid-
ing its territory between the most hip areas
and regions where technology has arrived
with great difficulty. The country is working
hard to change that reality.
Recently, the Mexican Minister of Com-
munications and Transport, Juan Francisco
Molinar Horcasitas, announced a 60 million
usd investment in 2010 to bring the Internet
to some 60 million people living in the most
remote areas of the country.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
are probably one of the sectors that suffer
most from that “functional isolation” in Mexi-
co, as the majority of them are located or have
their influence area in those remote and in
need of technology regions.
The Art of Changing What Must be
Changed
In 1989, Mexico premiered its first communi-
cations over the Internet. Just three years after,
a group of Mexican artists who worked as re-
searchers at the Multimedia Center of the Na-
tional Arts Centre decided to venture into new
technologies to promote their work and to help
other artists have access to these platforms,
62 Negocios i The Lifestyle photos Courtesy of activarte

In its almost twenty

years of existence,
Acivarte has served
more than 3,000
organizations of
all types and sizes
in Mexico. Most of its
services are free or
very low-cost

which promised to surpass any distance and

break every border.
“We formed a civil organization. We
were about 20 artists who wanted to use
these platforms to give another dimension to
our work. It was not easy: very few people
had Internet then, almost no one had an e-
mail account, knowledge about that ‘new
world’ was limited and gaining access to it
seemed even more difficult. But we took a
step forward. And I think we did very well,
we organized various multidisciplinary festi-
vals in which artists from all over the world
got involved [...] we were pioneers,” says Julio
Garduño Colín, founder and current direc-
tor of Activarte, a nonprofit organization
specializing in new technologies helping
Mexican NGOs gain access to information
technologies. A huge challenge!
That group of artists willing to enter into
the world of new technologies did not imag-
ine where their organization would end up.
They were experts in their own disci-
plines but had no experience in creating and
managing a nonprofit organization, so they “We knew we could do a lot for them. The Volunteers from various disciplines joined
applied for – and won – a grant from the Na- community leaders we met encouraged us to de- the project. Engineers, designers, artists, sociol-
tional Institute of Social Development (IN- velop digital platforms not only for artists but also ogists, communicators and marketers helped
DESOL) to learn about those subjects. for civil organizations. We created a specialized the organization develop its own programs and
Soon they opened their eyes to a different research area to apply our creativity and knowl- platforms.
reality. They realized that most of the social edge to the development of new platforms spe- “We used our own infrastructure and our
organizations in Mexico were the polar op- cifically designed to meet the needs of those or- own servers. It was not easy, we faced several
posite of them: NGOs knew about social par- ganizations. Perhaps precisely because we were technical and economic downturns because
ticipation and activism but their knowledge artists, imagining things and turning them into we were creating things that did not exist and
of technology and digital platforms was poor. reality seemed easy,” explains Julio Garduño. explored new languages that could help en-

hance the social impact of civil organizations,”
says Colín Garduño.
A Dream Turned Into Social Reality
The National Institute of Social Develop-
ment became a great ally. Through that
entity, Activarte began to implement and
offer its first training courses. They traveled
around Mexico taking the tools they devel-
oped to people who, in most cases, did not
even know computer basics.
“Training is one of our strengths. We have
15 years of experience and we are constantly
improving our training programs. Our courses
usually last 24 hours over three days. Social
leaders learn from how to turn on a computer
to how to use the Internet for their organiza-
tion’s ends. Nowadays it is completely feasible
to trigger collective intelligence processes at
regional, national and international levels. It is
just a matter of knowing how and that is pre-
cisely what we teach,” says Garduño.
However, Activarte is much more than a
training body. The organization has a research
program in which a multidisciplinary team is
constantly developing new technologies for
social organizations and is involved in other ar-
eas such as creating links among NGOs work-
ing in similar fields and creating international
networks.
“In our courses we offer all our ‘expertise’
in a single package. At the end of the course,
attendants have their own websites with
fully configured e-mail accounts and, what
is more important, the knowledge of how
to use information technologies to achieve
their ogranization’s goals. We train all types
of nonprofit organizations for free or at a re-
ally low cost and we can move to wherever
we are needed, as long as our budget allows
it,” says Julio Garduño.
In its almost twenty years of existence,
Acivarte has served more than 3,000 organiza-
tions of all types and sizes in Mexico. Most of its
services are free or very low-cost –for around
150 usd per year, users get specialized consul-
tancy, the digitalization of their methodology, a
high quality website, statistics of usage and the
possibility of making contact with similar orga-
nizations in Mexico and in other countries.
Activarte’s team, currently consisting of
10 people, has developed a parallel business
to survive, Symbol Multimedia, which offers
the same services to small and medium en-
terprises.
Today, the company has monthly sales of
between 2,000 and 4,000 usd that allow Ac-
tivarte to continue offering free services to civil
organizations.
“Techno-social” Movements
The Latin American Freeware Installation
Festival takes place every year on the fourth
Saturday of April. In 2010’s edition, 20 coun-
tries participated in 350 locations. Of those,
35 were in Mexico. Hundreds of volunteers in-
stalled freeware, gave lectures and courses to
show social leaders the advantages of making
technology accessible to all individuals, organi-
zations and businesses.
Activarte is part of this movement and
also belongs to a network created within the
National Program for Digitalization and Com-
munication of Civil Organizations (OSCweb),
offering nonprofit organizations freeware with
Volunteers from
various disciplines
joined the
project. Engineers,
designers, artists,
sociologists,
communicators and
marketers helped
the organization
develop its own
programs and
platforms.
levels of security, usability and professionalism
similar to the ones of commercial software.
“Technology should be free because is indis-
pensable to strengthen the civil society and in-
crease the real impact of its actions. In addition,
with these free tools, we are helping to avoid
software piracy,” Garduño states.
But that is not the only contribution Ac-
tivarte has made to the world. Pioneers in the
creation and development of specialized social
networks for civil organizations, in 2006 Ac-
tivarte joined efforts with the Natural Capital
Institute, one of the largest environmental net-
works in the US.
Together they created Wiser Earth
FEEDBACK activarte
(wiserearth.org), the most powerful social
network worldwide, which currently groups
110,000 civil organizations from 120 coun-
tries. Wiser Earth is nothing but a mega-plat-
form capable of linking in real-time organiza-
tions from all over the world, allowing them
to share experiences, replicate solutions and
have access to a vast database in different lan-
guages such as Spanish, French, English and
Portuguese. Julio Garduño is currently the
head of the Spanish-speaking countries in
Wiser Earth.
“We need to intelligently organize to change
the culture of inertia. The great challenge is to
create organized links, make synergies and be-
come more visible. With the new technologies
available today, new paradigms can be created
and achieve social changes that are so neces-
sary today, not only in Mexico but also world-
wide. The planet needs it,” says Colin Garduño.
Activarte is also part of the National Plan
for Social Innovation (innovacionsocial.org.mx)
an initiative involving businesses, social organi-
zations and governmental institutions with the
aim of “creating a new culture of respect and
social partnership through a comprehensive
service platform based on new technologies
and social networks,” as stated on its website.
Through this program, Centers for Social
Innovation have been established through-
out the country. There, Activarte offers basic
courses for those civil society organizations
that have not had any contact with technology,
as well as specialized training for those already
using information technology platforms.
“We teach them how to fundraise via the
Internet, how to create awareness campaigns,
how to harness new technologies to position
their tendencies, how to do social marketing
and generate discussion topics, how to en-
gage with others, how to create mental maps
to generate future scenarios, how to create an
internet board, how to build places of telework
or manage the national or international vol-
unteer, how to create news or make your own
TV and radio programs, how to create com-
munity media ... in short, the catalog of issues
that work is great and we adapted to each case
“, explains Julio Garduño.
Innovating and using new technology plat-
forms to achieve a social change is a difficult
task and, in many ways, a true piece of art,
something that the founders of Activarte sus-
pected at their beginnings and which has now
become their main motivation. n
 64 Negocios i The Lifestyle

ACTIVARTE
promotes the use of Information Technologies
among Mexican Civil Organizations and
provides them training and support services.

Basic Training Courses Services

Benefits for organizations

Internal
Communications
and external
linkage
Creation of
newsletters

Design and
Institutional creation of
Computer visibility at professional
Use various levels websites using
and latitudes freeware

Access to
information Specialized
worlwide courses in
information
Cost savings technologies and
in consultancy, Increase in communication
Use of communication membership, Online
Internet and human users and information
and e-mail resources supporters services

Research and
development of
tools and specialized
Production and platforms for Civil
MS Office Volunteer distribution Organizations
Management Management of services
infographic oldemar

Creation of online
Profiting discussion forums,
from Information Fundraising chats and social
Technologies support networks

activarte.org.mx