The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) plays a prominent role in Tropic of Orange. NAFTA was ratified by the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 1993, and it took effect starting in 1994, three years before the publication of Tropic of Orange. NAFTA’s goal was to remove trade barriers for the mutual benefit of the three signing countries, but by removing trade barriers without removing barriers to mobility for workers, it further impoverished the most vulnerable people in Mexico. While the agreement did lead to a net growth in prosperity in Mexico, not all Mexican citizens benefited. The poor and working classes were negatively impacted,  and though many jobs were created, many of these were in maquiladoras, glorified sweatshops working legally in the free trade zone south of the border. El Gran Mojado’s battle with SUPERNAFTA represents the struggle against a globalism that exploits the poor and the vulnerable. Because the struggle results in the death of both contestants, it suggests that NAFTA contains the potential for the mutual destruction of the United States and Mexico.

As Arcangel travels North, he hands out fliers for the Ultimate Wrestling Championship, El Contrato Con América (“The Contract with America”) between the Mexican hero, El Gran Mojado, and the American villain, SUPERNAFTA.