There are plenty of reasons why obtaining Pueblo Magico status is not all it’s cracked up to be. (See Dale Palfrey “Magic or mayhem in Ajijic,” GR edition 7/8/2023).
One of the principal benefits of this designation touted by Mexican tourism authorities is the economic boost that it provides to towns and their inhabitants.
Think again. According to data from the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval), between 2015 and 2020, the number of inhabitants living in poverty in the 132 Magic Towns actually increased by 81,380.
Although most of the towns where poverty increased during this period are located in the south/southeast region of the country, such as Veracruz, Quintana Roo, Yucatán and Oaxaca, there are notable exceptions. Amazingly, poverty in the popular Nayarit Magic Town coastal resort of Sayulita grew by 47 percent, the Coneval study showed, while a few places in the wealthier central states of Morelos, Puebla and the State of Mexico also had negative indicators.
Magic Towns that registered a decrease in poverty included Tlaquepaque, Mexcaltitan in Nayarit, Tacámbaro in Michoacán, Salvatierra in Guanajuato and Sombrerete in Zacatecas.