Social Circle & Cultural Integration Tips

Mexico and Latin America

If you're planning to actually live in Mexico…not just hop around as a digital nomad with a laptop and a dream, you’ll need more than tacos and Tinder to feel integrated. “being cool” isn’t enough…most people really aren’t. Latin America runs on connections, community, and culture. If you want to build here… aka friends, business partners, romantic options that aren't transactional, you’ll need to learn how to break into the local scenes unless you’re happy living in a bubble and seeing the same foreigners that pop in an out ever couple months.

I’ll dive into what works in different regions of Mexico, but most of it is general enough to work anywhere you go. So fortunely, whether you're here for business, long-term love, or just want to stop feeling like the token at every table, this will hopefully be helpful.

Mexico City

CDMX (Ciudad de México) is really like five cities mashed together. It’s a place where people can be extremely friendly, but also suspicious of outsiders consideting the slight animosity of “gentrification”. People can usually sniff out a tourist even if you've been living here for six months. But the city is also one of the best places in Latin America to build a network.

I’ll start with class. CDMX is defined by neighborhood based social codes. Someone from Lomas de Chapultepec or Polanco is used to “luxury”, international schools, and private clubs. They won’t just go on a casual date to some street taco stand in Doctores. Meanwhile, someone from Nezahualcóyotl (aka “Neza”) or Iztapalapa has had a very different life that might include a little morehustle, grit, and fewer safety nets. Typically, these people actually feel uncomfortable and unwelcomed in some of the more upper class neighborhoods.