Maquiladora

thumb|300 px|A maquila in Mexico A '''''' (), or () is a factory that is largely duty-free and tariff-free. These factories take raw materials and assemble, manufacture, or process them and export the finished product. These factories and systems are present throughout Latin America, including Mexico, Paraguay, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. date back to 1964, when the Mexican government introduced the ('Border Industrialization Program'). Specific programs and laws have made Mexico's maquila industry grow rapidly.

== History == From 1942 to 1964, the Bracero program allowed men with farming experience to work on U.S. farms on a seasonal basis, and its end ushered in a new era for the development of Mexico. The Border Industrialization Program (BIP) began in 1965 and allowed for a lowering in restrictions and duties on machinery, equipment and raw materials. Before this program, PRONAF, a national border program for infrastructure developments like building roads, parks, electricity, water, building factories, and cleaning up border cities, helped to improve situations along the U.S.–Mexico Border. With BIP, foreign firms were able to use factories built under PRONAF to import raw materials and export goods for a cheaper cost than in other countries. One of the main goals of the Border Industrialization Program was to attract foreign investment.