"Don't drink coke as water! It should be what many parents have said to their children.
In Maya indigenous towns in southeastern Mexico, it is a matter of course to drink coke as water. Because of the lack of drinking water and the cheaper price of coke than water, local residents will drink about 2000cc of coke every day.
In Chiapas province in southeastern Mexico, a small Mayan town, believers will put various sacrifices on the altar of the church, including a few live chickens and many cokes, because the Mayans believe that coke is a sacred drink that can cure diseases.
There are many stories among Mayans that Coke can cure diseases. For example, a nation said that when his daughter was a baby, she became very weak because she kept vomiting. Later, the baby mother held a "Coke Therapy Ceremony" for her daughter, and the baby girl gradually recovered after drinking Coke.
Blessed by the legend that Coke can cure diseases, this sweet and sour frothy drink became the favorite of Maya. In shops and restaurants in Mayan towns, coke is cheaper than water, so the Mayans naturally drink coke as water. The Mayans in Chiapas province drink an average of 2000cc of cola every day, which is equivalent to a bottle of Bott.
Drinking a lot of sugary drinks can lead to obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. According to the statistics of Mexico in recent years, the number of people who died of diabetes in Maya town increased by 30% in three years.
Seeing this, you may have two questions. How did the cola produced by Americans appear in the Mayan religious culture? And why is coke cheaper than water?
First of all, Coca-Cola is a company that is very good at advertising and marketing. About fifty or sixty years ago, Coca-Cola advertisements were very popular in Mexico. Local people think that drinking Coca-Cola is a fashion, which can show their spending power. In addition, Coca-Cola has set up a factory in Mexico and promised that local shops and restaurants will provide refrigeration equipment free of charge as long as they are willing to sell Coke. Mexican stores are of course very happy; Coke has since become a ubiquitous drink, and it has gradually integrated into Mexican culture.
As for the reasons why coke is cheaper than water, first, Mexico and the United States signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) at that time, and the goods exported by the United States to Mexico can be exempted from customs duties, so the price of coke in Mexico became very cheap; Another reason is the lack of clean drinking water in Mayan towns, which makes water more scarce than coke.
In fact, the problem of water shortage in Maya town also has a lot to do with Coca-Cola, because Coca-Cola has set up factories in the local area, and they occupy a lot of water resources for production, resulting in water shortage for residents; However, Mexico has to bear a great responsibility, because they have not built a water supply system for cities and towns, and water resources cannot be effectively utilized, which will further deepen the water shortage problem. The Maya love the habit of drinking coke, and Coca-Cola Company and Mexico * * * are the invisible promoters behind it.
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"This article is the author's view on cooperative innovation, not his position."