THE IMPACT OF NAFTA ON THE MEXICAN CULTURE II. THE IMPACT OF NAFTA ON THE MEXICAN CULTURE y X Free trade comes with foreign investment into the country, more product options for the consumer and economies of scale, nevertheless free trade also produces product and standard harmonization. This standardization in turn affects the cultural dimensions of the countries concerned. Although the term harmonization normally applies to the production of goods, the question of standards is also applicable to the service sector, which includes the cultural industry. In this context a culture can be invaded due to free trade. A certain culture may not be capable of withstanding the intrusive effects of another culture that monopolizes the means of cultural diffusion and penetration within a country. History is full of examples of cultures that have disappeared, either as a result of the death of its adherents or by the process of acculturation so intense that features of the original culture ar...