Put another way, the same salary in 1999 buys you 7 percent of what you could have bought in 1976. Most Mexican families, except the garish plutocrats, are working at least two jobs. Hunger is evident in both city and country. The hijacking of full grocery carts in supermarket parking lots is not uncommon. In the busy downtown streets on a bright Saturday morning, each block had at least six uniformed policemen strung along the sidewalks.
Violent crime is rampant.
Safety from open assault on the streets of Mexico City is clearly a major concern of editorial writers and commentators. The driver will take you to the entrance to the museum or else accompany you there. Make an appointment with him to be at that same spot after your visit of an hour and a half or so. Do not walk about the streets by yourself. The budgetary crisis that began in the mid-1980s is ongoing, ameliorated from time to time by bailouts from the U.S. treasury.