British PM David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel play a game of “I Spy” with President Obama in Los Cabos

This week at the G20 summit held in the resort heaven that is Los Cabos, Mexico, the leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies convened to discuss a whole host of issues, chief among them how to resolve the current Eurozone financial crisis. Among other storylines being monitored at the summit was the meeting of US President Barack Obama and Russian Supreme Dictator for Life Vladimir Putin concerning the Russian’s penchant for arming genocidal Syrians, and a recent dust-up between Britain and Argentina involving ownership of The Falkland Islands. Yet, one item that won’t be discussed is sitting just miles from the posh 5-star resort that these visiting dignitaries are staying at and stretches across much of the globe.

Poverty in Mexico, like most developing nations, is extreme and widespread. 45% of the Mexican populous lives below the poverty line, with 1 out of every 10 Mexicans living in extreme poverty. And keep in mind, poverty is often a relative term and Mexican poverty bears only a passing resemblance to American poverty. The poverty line in Mexico is a meager $132 a month and the 10% of the country that lives in extreme poverty subsists on less than $1.25 a day. All of this is taking place as Mexico’s overall economy continues to grow, with the Mexicans currently possessing the 2nd largest economy in all of Latin America.

In the video below from Al Jazeera English, you can see locals in the Los Cabos area describing their intense want and struggles to buy things as elemental as water and tortillas:

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Tags: Al Jazeera English, Barack Obama, extreme poverty, Falkland Islands, G20, G20 Summit, Los Cabos, Mexico, poverty, poverty line, United States, Vladimir Putin