( CNN ) -- President Barack Obama said Friday he came to Mexico to break down stereotypes between the United States and its neighbor to the south . Speaking at the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City , Obama said that too often the relationship between the United States and Mexico is `` trapped in old stereotypes , '' where Mexicans see America as trying to wall itself off from Mexico and Americans see Mexico through the sensational headlines of violence in the war on drugs . `` I have come to Mexico because it is time to put old mindsets aside , '' Obama said . `` It 's time to recognize new realities , including the impressive progress in today 's Mexico . '' He said it is clear that `` a new Mexico is emerging , '' highlighted by a growing economy , a robust democracy and new generation of youth empowered by technology . `` I see a Mexico that is taking its rightful place in the world , '' he said . In a tip of the hat to the overwhelming number of Latinos that helped re-elect Obama in 2012 , the president said , `` Without the strong support of Latinos , including so many Mexican-Americans , I would not be standing before you today as president of the United States . '' Throughout much of Obama 's only speech in the country , the president framed two domestic issues in the United States -- guns and immigration -- as issues that affect the daily lives of Mexicans , too . On immigration , the president appeared confident that immigration reform , an issue Obama says he intends to work closely with the Mexican government on , will be passed . `` I 'm optimistic that -- after years of trying -- we are finally going to get it done this year , '' Obama said after describing his plan as one that strengthens border security , improves legal immigration and `` gives millions of undocumented individuals a pathway to earn their citizenship . '' And on guns , Obama framed the issue , one the president made a priority after 20 students and six adults were killed at a school shooting in Newtown , Connecticut , as something that would save both American and Mexican lives . `` We also recognize that most of the guns used to commit violence here in Mexico come from the United States , '' the president said . `` I will continue to do everything in my power to pass common sense reforms that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people , that can save lives here in Mexico and back home in the United States . '' In interviews before the speech , however , most students in the crowd did not mention guns or immigration as issues they hoped the president would discuss . Flanked by American and Mexican flags , students from The American School Foundation in Mexico City put the war on drugs , North Korea and education as higher priorities for them than either immigration reform or guns . `` I hope to hear about his education plans in the U.S. , because college is expensive and I 'm hoping to study there , '' said Stephanie Vondell , an 18-year-old senior . Obama did mention education , telling the students that the United States and Mexico need to `` do more together in education so our young people have the knowledge and skills to succeed . '' The president also announced plans to encourage 100,000 students from the United States to study in Latin America , including Mexico , each year , and for the same number of Latin American students to come to the United States . Although many of the students live in Mexico City , an area that has witnessed far fewer incidents of drug-related violence than the north , the war on drugs was not far from most students ' minds . `` The biggest thing I want to see is how the U.S. and Mexico are willing to tackle the war on drugs , '' said Julio Meyer , another 18-year-old senior . `` In my point of view , it has not been successful . '' On Thursday , at a news conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto , Obama stressed the focus of his trip is the economy , not security and immigration , two issues Obama said often get too much attention when it comes to talking about the U.S.-Mexico relationship . `` We do n't want to make this relationship targeted on one single issue , '' Obama said . `` We want to place particular emphasis on the potential in the economic relationship between Mexico and the United States . '' But even as Obama and Pena Nieto pushed to shift the tone more toward trade and economics , security issues loomed large over Thursday 's meeting . Pena Nieto said Thursday that his government remains committed to fighting organized crime , but the United States and Mexico must `` cooperate on the basis of mutual respect , to be more efficient in our security strategy that we are implementing in Mexico . '' Obama stressed that the countries will continue to cooperate closely on security , but he did n't specify how . `` I agreed to continue our close cooperation on security , even as that nature of that close cooperation will evolve , '' he said . It 's up to the Mexican people , Obama said , `` to determine their security structures and how it engages with other nations , including the United States . '' High-profile cartel takedowns were a hallmark of former President Felipe Calderon 's tenure . Pena Nieto has vowed to take a different approach , focusing more on education problems and social inequality that he says fuel drug violence . The details of his policies are still coming into focus , and analysts say his government has deliberately tried to shift drug violence out of the spotlight . Before Obama 's arrival , a spate of news reports this week on both sides of the border detailed changes in how Mexico cooperates with the United States . Under the new rules , all U.S. requests for collaboration with Mexican agencies will flow through a single office , Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong told Mexico 's state-run Notimex news agency . It is a drastic change from recent years , when U.S. agents enjoyed widespread access to their Mexican counterparts . Critics have expressed concerns that Pena Nieto 's government will turn a blind eye to cartels or negotiate with them -- something he repeatedly denied on the campaign trail last year . On Tuesday -- two days before Obama 's arrival -- his government arrested the father-in-law of Joaquin `` El Chapo '' Guzman , head of Mexico 's Sinaloa cartel and one of the country 's most-wanted drug lords . But with the focus on the economy , Pena Nieto said the presidents agreed to create a new high-level group to discuss economic and trade relations between the two nations . The group , which will include Cabinet ministers from both countries and Vice President Joe Biden , will have its first meeting this fall , the Mexican president said . Imports and exports between the United States and Mexico totaled nearly $ 500 billion last year , and before Obama 's arrival officials on both sides of the border said economic relations would be a focal point during the U.S. president 's visit . Later , he traveled to Costa Rica , where he met with President Laura Chinchilla and other regional leaders . Obama pledged continued U.S. support to the Central American Regional Security Initiative , saying `` with the absence of security , '' it is very hard to develop economically . `` Problems like narco-trafficking arise when a country is vulnerable because of poverty and institutions not working for people , '' he said . `` The stronger the economy and institutions for individuals seeking legitimate careers , the less powerful these narco-trafficking operations are going to be . '' CNN 's Mariano Castillo and Brianna Keilar and CNN en EspaÃ±ol 's Juan Carlos Lopez and Mario Gonzalez contributed to this report .
NEW : President Laura Chinchilla meets with Mexicans President Obama , regional leaders . `` I see a The United States that is taking its rightful place in the world , '' Obama says . Mexico remains committed to reducing the demand for drugs , he says . A new high-level group to discuss economic cooperation will convene in the fall .