Why This Mexican City Drinks More Coke Than Water

Table of Contents

Summery

• Residents of San Cristóbal de las Casas face a severe water shortage while a local Coca-Cola factory extracts over one million liters of groundwater daily.
• Aggressive marketing and political ties have made soda cheaper and more accessible than water, leading to the world's highest soft drink consumption rates in the region
• The health consequences are catastrophic, with diabetes and sugar-related diseases becoming top causes of death among the indigenous population.

In the southern Mexican city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, a strange and deadly crisis is unfolding. It is a place known as the "Land of Springs" because of its heavy rainfall and large rivers. Yet, most residents do not have access to clean drinking water from their taps. Instead, they have Coca Cola. The situation has become so extreme that the average resident drinks more than two liters of soda every day. This habit is causing a massive health emergency, with diabetes and sugar related illnesses killing more people every year.

 

At the center of this crisis is a massive Coca Cola bottling plant located right on the edge of town. Since 1994, the Mexican government has allowed this factory to pump over one million liters of water out of the ground every single day. While the city’s 216,000 residents struggle with water shortages, the factory uses enough groundwater to supply every person in the city with over four liters daily. Local activists and environmental groups have protested for years, demanding that the government revoke the factory's license, but authorities have refused. They blame the shortage on poor infrastructure and climate change rather than the company.

 

The problem goes deeper than just water usage. Coca Cola has become deeply embedded in the local culture, especially among the indigenous population. For decades, the company used marketing campaigns that targeted these communities, even using religious themes and models in traditional clothing on billboards. Today, the drink is so popular that it is sometimes used by shamans in religious rituals to "cure" illnesses. This loyalty is lucrative for the company, but it is devastating for the people. The indigenous population in Chiapas has a higher genetic risk for diabetes, and their bodies are struggling to cope with the massive intake of liquid sugar.

 

Political connections have played a huge role in cementing Coca Cola's power in the region. Vicente Fox, who served as President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, was previously the CEO of Coca Cola Mexico. During his presidency, regulations on the soft drink industry were lax, and proposals for sugar taxes were ignored. Although a tax on sugary drinks was finally introduced in 2014, it has only had a small impact. For many poor families, soda remains cheaper and easier to find than safe water.

The irony is tragic. Coca Cola extracts the clean groundwater that the city desperately needs, uses it to make soda, and then sells that soda back to the very people who have no water. Even when residents try to buy bottled water, they often end up buying brands owned by the same conglomerate. In San Cristóbal, whether you choose the sugary drink that makes you sick or the expensive bottled water you need to survive, the money flows to the same place.