When most Americans think of Cancun, they either envision picturesque white sand beaches and luxurious resorts, or dirty cities populated by poor people. I know I'm stating the obvious, but it's both.
A friend chided me for being such a tourist on my trip to Playa del Carmen, when normally I would want to experience the local culture. But without the culture-for-sale industry tourism creates, there wouldn't be any locals to hang with.
Outside the posh tourist areas, Mexico is still a developing country, but one with very little means to support itself. The waste management infrastructure is in progress, but is still far behind the influx of disposable products, so there's garbage everywhere. You see small dirty-faced children and skinny dogs wandering the streets, people driving down the highway in cars with no windows or door handles. And their way out is tourism.
I talked to some of the Mexicans employed in the resort and tour companies, and they all mentioned working 7 days a week during the busy season. Since their economy is based almost totally on visitors, last year's recession and swine flu scares kept many of them out of work for months. It's the same in sun-and-sand countries the world over. The Nature of Things just reran a couple of episodes telling this same story in Cuba, where a bartender in a hotel can make 2-3 times the yearly salary of a local doctor.
So I don't feel so lame about supporting the cheesy tourist industry in Mexico. Or the Bahamas. Or Costa Rica. Or wherever I go next. It's the least I can do...
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