In 1998, an association called Amigos de Fox was formed to bring Vicente Fox to the presidency. It grew through personal circles. According to a study in the journal Espiral, of the University of Guadalajara, “cada simpatizante invitó a cinco amigos y éstos a su vez a cinco más” (each supporter invited five friends, and each of them invited five more).
The network was separate from Fox’s party, the PAN. It reached 262 houses across the country. According to the study, 5.48 million people had signed up and contributed. The study’s author considers this figure probably inflated. The study dates the founding to February 1998 and notes that other sources give September.