This strikes me as amazing that one can like Mexican pastries & French.

Mexican pastries are w/o a doubt bad, there are a few ok ones but mex pastries don't come close to French pastries. They aren't flaky, not complex, generally singular in flavor, not crisp, etc etc. There is a chance I've not been to a good Mexican panadria/bakery but with Chicago's sizable hispanic population, I'm guessing I've been to perhaps 8 or so, as well as others when I travel, each one was meh at best.