2. Population of Mexico, by governmental divisions, 1938

3. Foreigners in Mexico, by nationalities, 1900 and 1936. 4. Occupational grouping of Mexico's employed population___.

5. Average daily wages of skilled and unskilled workers in Mexico..

6. Average monthly wages of white-collar workers in the Federal District, Mexico__

7. Production and exportation of Mexican agricultural crops, 1937 and 1938_..

8. Production and value of leading Mexican minerals, 1938_.

9. Petroleum production of Mexico, 1937 and 1938_.
10. Production values in Mexican industries, 1936
and 1937__ _.

11. Mexican production and importation of electrical energy, 1937 and 1938_.

12. Statistics of National Railways of Mexico13. Principal air services in Mexico..

14. Estimated population of Guatemala, by Departments, 1938__

15. Area and population of Colombia, by governmental divisions, 1938_ _

16. Population of Venezuela, by governmental divisions__ 17. Centers of population in Dominican Republic-----

5

10

11

12

14

16

17

18

21

26

FOREWORD

The series of three handbooks which make up the revised Commercial Travelers' Guide to Latin America is completed with Part III, covering Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean countries. Part I, West Coast of South America, and Part II, East Coast of South America, were published as separate volumes in 1938 and revised in 1939.

Although the great area covered in the third section of the Guide has necessitated the inclusion of a much larger number of countries than in either Part I or Part II, the same care has been taken that characterized the preparation of the earlier sections. Every effort has been made to set forth the main factors of interest to travelers in this northern portion of the Latin American area.

Part III was prepared in the Division of Regional Information, under supervision of Louis Domeratzky, Chief of the Division. The basic material, derived from reports submitted by the American consular officers and commercial attachés stationed in the countries discussed, has been amplified by data from supplementary sources in order to give the most recent and most complete information available.

DECEMBER 1939.

JAMES W. YOUNG, Director, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce.

V

BECAUSE of changing conditions, particularly by rea

son of dislocations caused by the war in Europe, some of the shipping and other communication services enumerated in this publication have been suspended or modified since the data were compiled; in certain cases other services have been added. It is suggested, therefore, that travelers or firms planning a trip to Latin America obtain the latest information available at the time of arranging their itineraries. It may also be found advantageous to check with the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, either at one of its many district or cooperative offices, located in commercial centers throughout the United States, or at its principal office in the Department of Commerce, Washington, D. C., as to new trade restrictions arising from war conditions, possible changes in customs charges and regulations, and current exchange rates and regulations.

COMMERCIAL TRAVELERS' GUIDE TO

LATIN AMERICA

Part III. MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES

INTRODUCTION

The countries of Latin America bordering on the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico-including Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and the islands of the West Indies are of special interest to American exporters and their traveling salesmen. This is true not only because of the close proximity of the area to the United States, but because of the long-established trade relations between the United States and those areas, which have a tendency to predispose their markets in favor of our products.

While this entire region is often considered as a whole, particularly that portion of it which borders on the Caribbean Sea, it is also sometimes thought of by exporters and commercial travelers as comprising three distinct fields, namely (1) Mexico and the Central American Republics; (2) Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas; and (3) the islands of the West Indies. For purposes of convenient reference, therefore, the countries have been arranged according to this grouping and in this order. A guide to the economic development and importance of the separate groups is provided in tabular form under the caption "Summary Statistics."

HOW TO REACH MEXICO AND THE CARIBBEAN

COUNTRIES

Mexico and Central America.-Mexico may be reached from the United States by railway, by steamer, or by airplane.

Air service. The Pan American Airways system, entering Mexico daily at Brownsville, Tex., provides stops at Mexico City, passing en route at Tampico and continuing, by connections at Guatemala City, through Central America to the Panama Canal. By connection at Mexico City, local air service is available to a number of the important Mexican commercial centers. Commercial planes from the United States west coast ports enter Mexico at Mexicali en route to the national capital, stopping at Hermosillo, Mazatlan, and Guadalajara. A third air service