“Officials at the American embassy estimate that there are “officially” more than 600,000 American citizens living permanently in Mexico, but concede the actual number is closer to 800,000. Treasury Department officials in Washington estimate that the number of Treasury checks — Social Security, Veteran Administrations, tax refunds — sent to Mexico is “in the ballpark of 750,000.”

In Baja California, an estimated 100,000 Americans have created the first North American land rush of the 21st century. In the Yucatan peninsula, there are more Americans retirees than in some cities in southern Florida.”

and from 2001, another 7500: (they / we? are scattered all over!):

“Six years ago, on February 5, 2001, in an article entitled “American Retirees Flock to a ‘Paradise’ in Mexico,” the Washington Post reported that in the small Mexican town of Anjijic, where 7,500 Americans lived, there was a banner just past the Gringo Grill that in English read, “Welcome to your new home.” ”

well, and this, also from 2001:

“About 7,500 people from the United States have taken that sign to heart and carved out a little America in and around this fishing village on Lake Chapala, so now there are about as many Chryslers with Virginia license plates as there are burros hauling hay. And this is just one of the gringo-heavy towns around here. About 50,000 Americans live in the Guadalajara region, which includes the resort city of Puerta Vallarta. ”
….
“Officials at the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara say one of their major interactions with the American community around Lake Chapala is arranging the return of bodies to the United States. On average, about five Americans a week die in Mexico, they say. ”

Someone could take that figure, apply some mortality tables and come up with the number of living. But, if 5 per week are dying in one community, that’s a lot of Americans.

One million gringos in Mexico would be less than 1% of the population; whereas 20 million Mexicans in the USA is over 6% of our population. So, the numbers don’t seem so hard to believe to me. Less than 1% would scarcely be a visible number on any given day. It’s not like all 1 million are heaped up in a trailer court someplace – they are spread over a million square miles. (speaking figuratively)

There are many retirement developments in Baja California. There are many gringos living in Guadalajara, in Mexico City, Monterrey, in lots of border areas, in resort areas, etc.

New York Times from October 26, 2003: “Baja is closer by land and air to the United States than it is to the rest of Mexico; state officials recorded more than 30 million trips by Americans who spent well over $1 billion last year.”

So, 30 million trips – recorded, government data trips – to Baja, one state in Mexico, in one year. One million people 30 times. Or 300,000 people 100 times. Or 3 million people 10 times each. No matter how you look at it, a lot of people are traveling to Baja California.

So what does that have to do with the population of gringos in Mexico, you ask? Simply a comparison to show that it is not at all ridiculous to think of 1 million people — gringos — spread over the entire country of Mexico when 30 million entries to Baja California occur in one year alone.

Where are they all hiding? They are all over Mexico!