The Mexican Peso in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico
The Almighty Peso
The Almighty Peso
When my husband and I first started coming to Mexico in the 70’s there were approx. 20 pesos to the US dollar. I had usually traveled to the usual vacation hot spots such as Acapulco, Puerta Vallarta, Cancun, Ixtapa and Cozumel. I chose Mexico as it was the perfect vacation destination offering ideal weather and wonderful beach resorts. My Canadian dollar went a long way and I always came home with an enviable tan which, of course, in winter in Canada was swell.
We first moved to Ajijic, Lake Chapala in the mid 90’s and the peso then was approx. 8 to the US dollar which rose to about 10 and stayed there (more or less) for the last 14 years with minimal fluctuation.
Getting paid in US dollars and translating that into Canadian dollars was terrific for many years as 1 US dollar was l.50 Canadian. Now the exchange rate is 12.36 which is still good for Canadians.
The current exchange rate for pesos to US dollars is 13.39. I think what I am trying to say here is that as the rates fluctuate we can look back in time and realize there are cyclical periods and nothing stays the same.
Overall living in Mexico is still a lot cheaper than up north even with the peso going up and down. Our quality of living remains high and while the world is experiencing an economic crisis we are not really affected as much as we would be if we were still in Canada.
Our attitude is positive and although we know more changes will come we also know that this is paradise, the sun is shining, it is warm and we are the luckiest people on earth.