Uncovering Mexico
Jeremy Schwartz is the Mexico correspondent for Cox Newspapers. He is based in Mexico City.What's on this page?
The entry titled "David vs. Goliath: David's on a hot streak."
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Home > Uncovering Mexico > Archives > 2007 > October > 18 > Entry
David vs. Goliath: David’s on a hot streak
First it was Latin American Idol. Now Guatemala’s national soccer team has the temerity to defeat the big bad bruisers from Mexico.
Mexico is nearly 10 times as large as Guatemala and routinely punishes its southern rival on the soccer pitch and in the world of entertainment (how many Guatemalan pop stars can you name?).
But recently the Central American country is riding quite a hot streak against its mammoth neighbor to the north.
Guatemala found itself on top beginning last month with the finals of Latin American Idol, a Spanish language version of the U.S. hit.
As in the U.S., Latin American Idol is largely a popularity contest with viewers texting their votes to determine the winner. The finals featured a Mexican vs. a Guatemalan, and with a population disparity of about 110 million to 14 million, you’d think the Mexican would have been a shoe-in. But Guatemala City native Carlos Pena took the prize, leaving Mexican Ricardo Caballero in the role of bridesmaid.
Then last night the unthinkable happened. Guatemala’s under-23 national soccer team defeated Mexico 3-2, the first time that’s happened in nearly 38 years. The pain and shame in Mexico was palpable: “PAINFUL DROWNING,” lamented this morning’s El Universal, which termed the defeat a “Tricolor disaster.”
Guatemalans take a particular joy in beating Mexico. When Nancy and I traveled through the country last month we got a sense of how many Chapines (as Guatemalans call themselves) view Mexicans: arrogant, snooty and rude. As one taxi driver told us, when they visit Guatemala, Mexicans act like they own the place.
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