Joan and I visited the Solesta shopping mall in Puebla the other day, and we both remarked how good it felt. It seemed odd to us since the mall represents so much of what we don’t like about the USA: destruction of local businesses, relentless consumerism, and conformity. Perhaps our enjoyment was just nostalgia for a time we grew up in, when the mall was the place we gathered to socialize as teens. I think our good feelings are rooted in something deeper though.

Malls in Mexico are filled with people, and all the retail spaces are full, while malls in the United States appear to be dying. It occurred to us that this is likely another indicator that the US has lost its economically strong middle class while Mexico’s middle class is growing. I remarked to Joan, “see, this is what happens when you let the middle class have money; they spend it.”

And the malls in Mexico are beautiful. With an amazing year-round climate, they can create open air spaces. Instead of enclosed rectangular boxes, they are spacious with integrated living and recreation spaces. The other day we walked along a pedestrian walkway between two of the malls in Puebla to get to City Market, our favorite grocery store in Mexico. On our way, we stopped in for a healthy lunch at Ojo de Agua and enjoyed a view of the Ferris wheel in the park across the street.

It was delightful to enjoy an outdoor lunch and watch families stroll by. While malls in Mexico may create problems similar to those in the United States, they are filled with people which indicates a healthy middle class. As we returned along the crowded walkways, we felt we’d found a bit of what some in the US might call “the good old days” only we were in Mexico hanging out at the mall.