Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2018
On 20 December 1994, the newly inaugurated government of President Ernesto Zedillo shattered Mexico’s façade of modernity by finding itself, first, forced to devalue the currency by 14% (in real terms), and then, only a few days later and under intense pressure from speculators (sacadolares), to allow the peso to float freely against the dollar. By the end of December, the value of the peso vis-à-vis the dollar had dropped by more than 30%, and the country had lost between $7 and $8 billion in foreign exchange reserves.