Mazatlán International Center/Centre

The Mazatlán International Center/Centre. (It's so good we gotta say it twice)

How can you not be impressed by the clean lines, blue sky cloud sprinkled background and well kept acreages of green lawn surrounding this 21st century building. What is it, you may well ask? And why is no one around? And who the hell are the investors? We sent our roving reporter Sam 'mr. cynical' Updyke down there with a packed lunch to hang around outside the locked gates for the day and see what happens. Bugger all it seemed on that day. No movement, no people, no vehicles and not even wildlife taking a bath in the water features or pecking away or munching on the lovely expanses of Serengeti plain lawns that could keep a herd of Wildebeests in food for a year.

Fusion of Two Cultures mural by Ernesto Rios

It is an international convention center built with the money from Figlosnte 27 which is a trust set up to invest teacher's pensions. 

(The global trust the National Union of Education Workers, Section 27 (FIGLOSNTE27) is a program of economic and social benefits through an innovative model complements and strengthens those benefits of working base where there is lag or deterioration. )

So where are the people and the conventions and events and all that International stuff that would make this building worth while? Give it a year or two and maybe something will happen here other than apostolic conferences or school and college graduation ceremonies. They say that we should give it 10 years when in that time it will have generated over $245 million and a further $100 million in spin-offs. 

School graduation ceremonies are good because teachers who have to attend the ceremonies can be suitably impressed that their hard earned pensions have been put to good use. It has other features like being a good refuge from a 160 mph hurricane because the glass of this building will withstand shattering up to that speed. Other innovative designs mean that the drips from the air conditioning are used to irrigate the greenery.

It is a good looking building and the mural depicting the Sea of Cortez and all its bounty is in the Guinness Book of Records for some reason or other as is my younger brother for shoving 25 ping pong balls in his mouth and a couple up his nose whilst standing on a galloping horse.

We all hope for the teachers' sake that this building will live up to the hopes of the investors:


"With the opening of the Mazatlán International Center in November 2009, this popular Pacific Coast resort city is poised to become one of Mexico’s top meeting destinations. Mazatlán’s new convention center lays the groundwork for a wave of construction, expansions and renovations throughout the city to accommodate the influx of meetings business.


“Old Mazatlán is vibrant, friendly and safe,” Berdegue explains. “It also has many wonderful 
features that are ideal for offsite events, including historical settings, cultural venues and gardens for 
cocktail receptions, formal dinners and parties.” 


We have a right to be cautious or downright cynical especially when 'moneymen in the know' think they know what's best for us and mess around with hard-working essential workers' hard earned pensions. 


However we think the hosting of 'cocktail receptions and formal dinners and parties'will surely put the cynics' minds at rest.