This year's Pan American Day in Philadelphia gathered a diverse crowd of policymakers, business leaders and academics to strengthen relationships across North and South American countries and between people of different backgrounds. The Pan American Association has hosted Mexican Ambassadors in Philadelphia since its founding 60 years ago. 

The association welcomed Mayor Michael Nutter, Governor Tom Corbett, Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Eduardo Medina-Mora, and this years' academic honorees in Latin American studies from local universities to the luncheon to hear addresses from the elected and appointed officials and a keynote speech from Medina-Mora. The ambassador focused on a shared history with Mexico and Pennsylvania, tracing his roots to Philadelphia where his great grandparents migrated from Ireland because his grandmother lived in Mexico.

Medina-Mora just finished his first year as Mexican ambassador to the U.S., after four years serving as ambassador to the U.K. In the past year, Medina-Mora has focused on law enforcement in drug wars and economic relations. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which the ambassador focused on as a representation of improved relations in the Americas.

Emphasizing the importance of U.S.-Mexican trade relations, Medina-Mora pointed out that trade has grown exponentially since 1993, from $80 billion 20 years ago, to one million a minute today, so that Mexico has risen to the U.S.'s third largest trading partner and second largest customer for U.S. exports, consuming more U.S. goods than Japan and China combined. Mexico is also now Pennsylvania's second largest export receiver and third largest trading partner. Medina-More also highlighted the importance of shared production of commodities like automobiles between Mexico, Canada and the U.S.

The ambassadors' address focused solely on country's trade relationship, but ignored controversies surrounding other economic issues of exploitive labor and immigration, choosing rather to emphasize positive aspects of the U.S.-Mexican relationship and celebrate the academic achievements of award-winners at the event.

"We both seek to build greater understanding between different countries in the region as well as promote our respective cultures and emphasize our shared history," Medino-Mora said in his address. "Education is clearly ground zero in the promotion of better understanding."

Nine students from University of Pennsylvania, University of Delaware, Bryn Mawr, West Chester, Villanova, Swarthmore and Temple Universities received awards recognizing their excellence in Latin American studies.