Mexico’s southeastern states have long been centers for the petroleum industry, but increasingly are also becoming centers for industries as diverse as automotive and bioscience.

      Volkswagen has been in Puebla since 1964 and employs more than 16,000 workers assembling the Jetta and New Beetle. More than 60 companies that supply the plant are located nearby.

      There are major apparel companies in Campeche and Yucatán, as well as aerospace suppliers and companies doing biomedical research.

      In Yucatán, several manufacturing companies make dental equipment for export worldwide.

      And with Mexico President Felipe Calderón trying to re-energize what was once the Plan Puebla-Panama, the region appears likely to receive additional assistance from the Mexico government to help it keep pace with the rest of the country.

      Speaking recently to governors of the southeastern states, Calderón noted that several months had passed since the governors agreed to re-emphasize regional planning.

      “We agreed on the need for federal government and the governments of the states in the south-southeast to give an added boost to what has so far been called the Puebla-Panama Plan,” he said. “The possibility of implementing these...

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