Well.. I lived in Mexico for so many damn years and let me tell you: Mexico is not actually poor, it is a high middle class country (its economy ranks 10th in the world). But its wealth is hideously and grossly distributed. Just as a quick example, for every gardener or construction worker you might see around there is this guy called Carlos Slim who has 70 billion dollars and it is the richest guy in the world, even richer than Warren Buffet or Bill Gates. (check Forbes World's richest people list 2011 if you don't believe me)
The US is filthy rich though, so if Mexico is the 10th world economy, the US is, by far, the world's richest country with an approximate GDP of 14 trillion dollars. Way far from the second place which is China with around 4 or 5 trillion dollars.
So.. the question should be..
1) Why is the US filthy rich? (which is a multi layer question). I would just point few key points.
-Developed Nation which was left unscathed by two World Wars unlike the rest of the developed nations at the time war erupted.
-Most populated developed country with 300 million inhabitants. Having all territory under control (unlike other big, highly populated countries like Brazil)
-Technological innovation in the 20th century (like the computer, airplane, TV, phone) and cultural innovations like Hollywood.
-After the New Deal when Europe was totally wiped out due to war, the US Dollar became the world's solely important trade currency.
Anyway... all those things are in decline in the 21st century but that is off topic.
Now.. why Mexico's wealth is so badly distributed.
-Corruption
-Centralized State (with all the wealth, universities, institutions, and educated citizens amassed in Mexico city while most of the rest of the country, home of all the gardeners and cooks, etc, is underdeveloped)
-Lack of rule of law
-No control over monopolies. They run rampant, like the US in the 1920's when Rockefeller.
-Lack of Education as public education has been hijacked by its teachers union.
-The Media like TV totally controls content, broadcasting cheap soap operas and dumb shows on purpose to keep their public numb, in this way preventing the public from turning the TV off while they cash all the profits in advertising. Media control in Mexico is more severe and ruthless than any Broadcasting company in the USA.
-Racism, most of the wealth in Mexico is owned by the white population (which explains why we don't see white Mexicans here, they are pretty well off in their country and they just come to the US for shopping or tourism. Their brown, mestizo, counterparts are the ones looking for opportunities in the US working in low educated jobs) Racism is rife in Mexico.
Well.. my two cents.
Source(s):
I lived in Mexico for over 20 years all around the country. Try reading the wikipedia article about Mexico, it is pretty good
I'm here right now in Monterrey, people acting like vast swaths of the south and Midwest aren't complete sh*tholes and flyover spaces as well. Yes, there has been a lot of violence in certain spot, but that goes for any major city. On my block right now there isn't one car older than 2005, except for this one classic Cutlass I saw the other day. The Mexicans over here got paper.