Mexico City, April 14, 2009 – One hundred years have passed since the first time ever an American president officially visited a foreign country; that was President William H. Taft in 1909. He went to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to visit President Porfirio Diaz, who returned the visit the next day in El Paso, Texas.
Since then, 78 meetings will have taken place, when Barack Obama comes to Mexico City this week, between US and Mexican presidents. During this century of diplomatic exchanges, they have held bilateral meetings 48 times, trilateral meetings with Canada, 8 times and they have met bilaterally during multinational summits for 11 times in places as distant as Thailand, Chile and France.
President-elects from both sides have also met, having been either both president-elects or one of them was an acting president. This has happened for 11 times since President-Elect Coolidge met in Washington with President-Elect Calles in 1924. The last of such meetings happened this year at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington when President Calderon hosted President-Elect Obama, thus Calderon becoming the first Head of State to meet with the 44th President of the U. S. A.
After Barack Obama's visit to Mexico City this week, the numbers in the Mexico-US' Presidential Visits' Centennial will stand at:
Most visited city in the US by Mexican presidents: Washington, DC (24 times).
Most visited city in Mexico by American presidents: Mexico City, DF (6 times).
Most visited state in the US by Mexican presidents: Texas (13 times).
Most visited state in Mexico by American presidents: Chihuahua (5 times).
Most visits to Mexico by an American president: Reagan (6 times) and G.W. Bush (6 times).
Most visits to the US by a Mexican president: Salinas (11 times) and Lopez-Portillo (7 times).
Most visits to Mexico by the American President's political party: Republican (20 times) and Democratic (12 times).
Most visits to the US by the Mexican President's political party: Institutional Revolutionary/PRI (41 times) and National Action/PAN (8 times).
Most visits to Mexico City, DF by the American President's political party: Democratic (6 times) and Republican (Zero times).
Most visits to Washington, DC by the Mexican President's political party: Institutional Revolutionary/PRI (18 times) and National Action/PAN (5 times).
Most visited Mexican Border Town by an American president: Ciudad Juarez (5 times).
Most visited American Border Town by a Mexican president: El Paso (3 times).
Most visited Mexican Resort Town by an American president: Cancun (2 times).
Most visited American Resort Town by a Mexican president: Coronado (2 times).
Most visited Mexican Ranches by an American president: Agualeguas/Salinas' Ranch (1 time) and San Francisco del Rincon/Fox's Ranch (1 time).
Most visited American Ranches by a Mexican president: Johnson City/Johnson's Ranch (1 time) and Crawford/G.W. Bush's Ranch (1 time).
Never visited Mexican very important city: Guadalajara.
Never visited American very important city: Chicago.
Only the Lopez, Lopez-Mateos and Lopez-Portillo have visited Camp David.
Only Kennedy has been to the largest Catholic Pilgrimage Site in the Americas, the Basilica of Guadalupe.
No Republican president has ever visited Mexico City.
Eisenhower was hosted as far south as Acapulco, Guerrero.
Ruiz-Cortines was hosted as far north as White Sulphur Springs, Montana.
Most famous quote: "Those whom nature has so joined together, let no man put asunder": JFK, Mexico City, 1962.