Enclaves of Privilege: Retirement Migration and Urban Transformation in Mazatlán

Abstract

This article analyzes the international migration of North American retirees to Mazatlán, Mexico, using the theoretical frameworks of Appadurai's scapes, Augé's non-places, and Foucault's heterotopias. Through ethnographic interviews and critical urban analysis, the study reveals how global flows of people, capital, and imaginaries reshape urban and cultural landscapes, producing hybrid spaces of both integration and exclusion. The paper explores the ambivalences of lifestyle migration, highlighting tensions between cosmopolitan comfort and local identity, and advocates for intercultural policies that foster symbolic belonging and inclusive aging.