Over the course of the past decade, Mexico has looked as if it was headed for economic disaster more than once. Each time, this amazing nation pulled in its horns and went to work using one of the oldest and most successful economic strategies in the world – and they learned it from their neighbor to the north. Today, we call this strategy “creating infrastructure projects.” Some call it “make work.” A few old timers still remember what the U.S. called it when they used the concept to help pull their nation out of the Great Depression. Between 1933 and 1942, the U.S. funded the most successful of all the programs in the New Deal – and called it the Civilian Conservation Corps, or the C.C.C.

In the United States, the C.C.C. gave relief to the unemployed through over 300 types of projects in 10 different areas: “1) Structural Improvements: bridges, fire towers, service buildings; 2) Transportation: truck trails, minor roads, foot trails and airport landing fields; 3) Erosion Control: check dams, terracing and vegetative covering; 4) Flood Control: irrigation, drainage dams, ditching, channel work, rip-rapping; 5) Forest Culture: planting trees and shrubs, timber stand improvement, seed collection, nursery work; 6) Forest Protection: fire prevention, fire pre-suppression, fire fighting, insect and disease control; 7) Landscape and Recreation: public camp and picnic ground development, lake and pond site clearing and development; 8 ) Range: stock driveways, elimination of predatory animals; 9) Wildlife: stream improvement, stocking fish, food and cover planting; 10) Miscellaneous: emergency work, surveys, mosquito control.” (Wikipedia).

Recently, the President of Mexico gave his third State of the Union Address. One part of his speech was on the economy and the foundation programs that have brought Mexico out of the global recession faster than has been the case in most other nations, and the methods they used look almost identical to the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps. This year alone, the Federal Government has doubled its investment in infrastructure by creating jobs “ in sectors such as construction, linked to roads, ports, airports, railways, potable water and drainage networks. The country’s entire energy system and sector was promoted by Federal Government.” Then, they created half a million jobs “in  cleaning highways, painting schools, cleaning archaeological zones and providing emerging health services.”  (Presidencia de Mexico). The result is that, like the U.S. of the 1940s, Mexico is coming out of this recession with infrastructure and health care sectors that rival any in the world.

Mexico would rather learn from the mistakes and successes of other nations than suffer through some of those agonies herself; so, it is not surprising that Mexico would see successful programs like the U.S.’s Cash for Clunkers and take that concept to new heights. Not only is Mexico now implementing their own form of Cash for Clunkers, but they already have a successful, government supported, replacement program in operation in the appliance industry. Through this program, in the middle of a global economic crisis, over 100,000 families have been able to replace their household appliances and air conditioners which, in turn, saved the jobs of countless workers in the appliance industry.

Small businesses have received much needed credit. Employers who agreed not to lay off workers received help in paying those salaries from the Federal Government. The workers retained their jobs and the government saved having to pay unemployment and the expenses of helping them find another job. During this past year, three million families have received government help in purchasing their own homes, with most of those homes in new subdivisions, which created even more construction jobs.

As real estate investors look at Mexico, it is becoming increasingly obvious that this country is capable of pulling itself up by its own boot-straps no matter the crisis. Today, Mexico’s roads and bridges are beautiful. Schools are clean and shining. Homeownership is the norm, rather than the exception, and their universal health care system is second to none. While it may be true that many Mexicans still do not have a lot of cash on hand, they have jobs in a world where the citizens of other nations cannot say the same. All of this, taken together, means that now, at the tail end of this recession and before prices begin to climb again, is the perfect time to invest in real estate in Mexico. As the world comes out of this recession, real estate values can only increase and, with them, the overall net worth of the wise investor’s portfolio.