There are indeed some ugly Americans living in Mexico. I'm a 66-year-old semi-retired American. Two months ago, I moved to Chapala, just a few miles down the road from Ajijic -- the focal point of the article above. 
 
During my first week here, I was having lunch at a very good, and typical, restaurant in Ajijic. At a nearby table, there were three American women, in their fifties and sixties, talking about their maids. I was eavesdropping, listening to their converstation, although they were so loud it would have been difficult to ignore what was being said. They were actually bragging and competing, trying to top each other, as to who was paying the least for their maids. When they said "my maid" it was condescending, almost venemous.  
 
For me, this was a poor and fortunately inaccurate introduction to the gringos in Mexico. Since then, I have met many other retired Americans (and Canadians, Brits, Germans, French, Danes and Belgians) who are quietly doing wonderful things for their new Mexican friends and neighbors. 
 
I have already met a half-dozen retired expats who teach English for no pay at elementary and high schools. I've met retired expat nurses who counsel Mexican women after mastectomies (I don't yet know why, but there appears to be a high incidence of breast cancer in this area of Mexico). And, I know of a half-dozen retired expat couples who volunteer a couple of days each week to help some old, very old, nuns who manage an underfunded orphanage. 
 
Most of the white expats I've met have a genuine respect for the Mexicans and their culture. Most of the expats make an attempt to learn to speak Spanish, with mixed success, but the Mexicans seem to appreciate their attempts. 
 
I don't speak Spanish yet, but I'm confident that within a few months I will learn enough to be polite and show respect for a country and culture in which I am a guest. Today, at the large supermarket in Chapala, the check-out clerk asked me (in Spanish) if I had my fidelity card. (What are those things called? You know, the card that gives points and discounts based on purchase volume). I wanted to tell her that I forgot my card, but I didn't know the word. So, I asked in Spanish, "How does one say 'forgot'?" She then gave me a brief Spanish lesson. There was a Mexican family in line behind me. Instead of being annoyed by being delayed by my Spanish lesson, they joined in the conversation to help with my language lesson. Very friendly and wonderful people. 
 
Not counting military and US government employees, there are between four and eight million Americans living outside the US -- nobody really knows how many. There are an estimated one million Americans in Mexico. My experience and observations tell me that the primary reason Americans are becoming expats is because it is the best lifestyle they can afford. Among other things, I know for certain that many Americans prefer the medical care they receive in Mexico, even when they have medical coverage back in the states. 
 
Before coming to Mexico, I lived in France for four years -- on the French Riviera, strething my Social Security Check until the dollar/euro exchange rate made that impossible. I like France and the French people, but I know that I will develop a similar affection for the Mexicans.

Guest